Broken Jade
At the summit of Yunhua Mountain, stands the Moon-Gazing Pavilion.
Yun Shu leaned against the soft couch, a heavy velvet cloak draped over him, making him appear even more fragile and ethereal. The whistling wind startled him awake. He raised his hand to catch a few soft snowflakes, but instead bumped his palm against the windowsill, causing a red mark to appear on his skin.
Staring blankly at the snow-capped mountains, his eyes, once as bright as the Milky Way, now seemed veiled in dust. The beautiful landscapes, the brightly lit streets, and the vast天地 (heaven and earth) were now nothing but endless darkness to him.
Yun Shu placed his hand in front of his eyes, quietly listening to the rustling sound of falling snow and the sound of the wind chimes in front of the sect leader's door. A sense of fear inexplicably arose in his heart.
He still couldn't get used to the darkness—even though as a fox spirit praised by the world, he seemed to be able to come and go freely without eyes.
He had been blind for over a month. The long-planned assassination attempt targeting his nine-tailed demon essence had not only robbed him of his sight. Yun Shu could clearly sense the vicious, demonic wound within his body relentlessly gnawing at his strength and vitality. The constant pain ravaged his spirit; the once ethereal and otherworldly immortal was now ashen-faced, only his trembling snow-white ears beneath his white veil and the swaying nine tails hidden in his robes were recognizable as Yun Shu.
The heavy footsteps approached from afar, and the familiar scent of ambergris seemed to dispel the overly strong agarwood fragrance in the inner room. The newcomer's hand was warm and dry, gently yet firmly resting on Yun Shu's shoulder, wrapping him even tighter in the raccoon fur.
"Xiaoxue, you're getting chilled again... The dew is heavy and the night is deep. What if you hurt yourself?"
Murong Jin's voice was deep, yet tinged with concern and tenderness, just like the warmth of his palm, soothing and comforting. Today, he was dressed in a black casual robe, with a black dragon pattern embroidered on the hem. Even in this secluded place of immortal cultivation, his supreme and noble demeanor was undeniable.
Following the sound, Yun Shu tilted her head slightly to "look" at her close friend. Since her injury, a genuine and comforting smile appeared on her lips: "Ah Jin, you've come... Court affairs are busy, why do you need to run around for me every day?"
Murong Jin chuckled softly. His attendant quickly stepped forward, opened the golden box, and poured two bowls of elixir. The elixir was a clear, golden yellow, shimmering in the emerald jade bowls, like a ray of sunlight that could warm Yun Shu's icy fingertips even through the wind and snow.
"No matter how urgent the affairs of the court are, they are not as important as your health."
Murong Jin dismissed the servants, rolled up his sleeves, and personally took a bowl. He tested the temperature of the medicine in his palm before taking the jade spoon, scooping half a mouthful, and bringing it to Yun Shu's lips. He coaxed her softly, "This is the 'Hundred Flower Dew' newly presented from the Southern Border. It is said to have the effect of curing all poisons... I was not reassured, so I had the Imperial Hospital test it repeatedly to confirm that what they said was true before I prepared it for you. Try it? Perhaps it will be good for your injury."
"Why wait until I'm here..." Yet, Yun Shu still opened her lips and drank it.
The warm medicinal liquid slid down my throat, the refreshing spiritual energy mingling with the rich floral fragrance, which did indeed suppress the pain slightly. However, when I tried to examine the wound with my internal energy, it remained stubbornly stubborn. It seemed that although this spiritual medicine could cure ordinary poisons, it was no match for the vicious demonic poison.
In truth, if it weren't for Murong Jin's tireless care these past few days, Yun Shu would likely have already succumbed to the pain of blindness and demonic poison, passing away long ago. Indeed, the bond forged from childhood companionship and shared life and death is far more trustworthy than any teacher-student relationship.
Seeing that her complexion had improved slightly, Murong Jin quickly handed the jade bowl to the servant, put his arm around Yun Shu and gently patted her, asking if it had any effect.
"I feel better, thank you, Ah Jin."
Who was Murong Jin? He easily realized that Yun Shu's words were just to reassure him. A sense of helplessness welled up in his heart, and he could only help his dear friend back to the soft couch, open another jade box, take out a plate of golden jade cake, cut it into small, easy-to-eat pieces, and feed it to the fox.
“No need to scare me.” He watched Yun Shu smile as she took a bite of the cake, then washed her hands with a silk cloth and water, before stroking the fox’s eyelids with her thumb and sighing, “Your poison… the Imperial Medical Academy and all the famous doctors and sorcerers across the land are helpless, all saying it’s caused by demonic energy corrupting your very essence… one sorcerer said that this poison can only be obtained by the most yin and evil beings in the demon realm, and it can only be cured by the most ruthless and potent things in the demon realm… Xiao Xue, do you still remember that time…”
Before the words were finished, the peaceful rustling of the fine snow was shattered by a series of urgent, heavy footsteps, accompanied by a strong, violent stench of blood and a demonic aura a hundred times stronger than usual!
"Master—!"
The almost heart-wrenching cries pierced through the wind and snow, crashing into Yun Shu's eardrums.
Yun Shu almost instantly gripped the soft fabric beneath him, his lifeless eyes widening uncontrollably. He couldn't possibly mistake the word "Master" that he had heard countless times.
Those were the children he once loved most, whom he treated as his own and raised with pampering.
Mo Yiheng.
But Yun Shu refused to admit that the aura that had entered at this moment was completely different from the taciturn boy in his memory, who would only act coquettishly with bright eyes in front of him, his master.
The dense, frenzied, and surging demonic energy was aggressive, carrying the malevolent aura of someone who had just crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. It was so pungent that it almost suffocated Yun Shu.
"Master... Master!" A cloud of blood burst open the sandalwood door of Wangyue Pavilion, stumbling and running towards Yun Shu like an abandoned little beast seeing its master.
Murong Jin suddenly stood up, his dragon aura surging, which actually suppressed the violent demonic aura by some extent. At the same time, dozens of hidden guards immediately drew their swords and stood like an impregnable wall in front of the Human Emperor and the Fox Fairy, not allowing Mo Yiheng to take another step.
"You beast! Yun Shu mercifully let you escape, and now you dare to come here!" Murong Jin was furious. He immediately drew the Emperor's Sword, which could cut through iron like mud, from his waist and pointed it directly at Mo Yiheng. "That day I arrived a step too late and failed to save him, nor could I kill you! Today, I will use you, this demon, to consecrate the sword! I will gouge out your ungrateful, wicked eyes and filthy heart to vent his anger!"
Mo Yiheng's black robes were soaked in blood, with many gruesome wounds beneath them. Only the piece of cloth covering his chest was clean and slightly bulging. His face was pale, almost ghostly, and his lips were cracked. Only his eyes, as black as an unfathomable abyss, were burning with two points of ghostly fire, fixed on the fragile figure on the soft couch.
Ignoring Murong Jin and dozens of guards, he faced only the blades and approached Yun Shu step by step, his voice hoarse and distorted: "Master... how are you? Your eyes... this disciple... this disciple searched..."
"shut up!"
Yun Shu interrupted sharply, but the demonic poison within his body surged up again, causing him so much pain that he could barely sit up. He tried to get up by leaning against the windowsill, but nearly fell due to the pain.
"Minor Snow!"
"Master!"
Without hesitation, Murong Jin threw down the Emperor's Sword and turned around, carefully helping Yun Shu to her feet with gentle movements.
Mo Yiheng, however, was frozen in place by a familiar yet unfamiliar force.
It's Yun Shu.
This realization was like an ice pick, piercing Mo Yiheng's heart. Concerned words stuck in his throat, and the two sparks in his eyes dimmed, leaving only unbelievable pain and...despair.
"Heng'er..." Yun Shu's empty eyes tried to "look" at the location of the demonic energy. He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging poison, and his trembling voice carried a hint of disappointment, "How have I treated you all these years on Yunhua Mountain?"
Mo Yiheng grasped at a straw, crying out urgently, "Your kindness is as heavy as a mountain! My life was spared by Master! I have never forgotten... never..."
"Never?" Murong Jin sneered. "Never forgotten his kindness? Or never coveted his inner core and cultivation? Yun Shu treated you like his own son, yet you took advantage of his trust, ambushing him with demonic weapons during his most vulnerable time each year! You not only injured his eyes, but if I hadn't arrived in time, you probably would have even ripped out his inner core! Is this your 'never forgotten'? Is this your way of repaying kindness?! Mo Yiheng, Yun Shu took you back to Yunhua out of pity for your youth... Who would have thought that you still couldn't escape the greed and betrayal inherent in your demonic bloodline! Now that the evidence is conclusive, you still have the face to come back and see your master!"
"It wasn't me! Master! Believe me!" Mo Yiheng suddenly looked up, staring intently at Murong Jin, his eyes filled with resentment and injustice, his overwhelming demonic energy almost tangible. "It was him! It was Murong Jin..."
"Enough!" Yun Shu coughed so hard that she couldn't straighten up. A sweet, metallic taste rose in her throat, and she vomited a mouthful of black blood! Upon seeing this, Murong Jin immediately bent down and channeled his pure dragon energy into Yun Shu's body to help stabilize her heart.
"Heng'er... I have never regarded you as an outsider, and I believe I have treated you well."
Yun Shu's voice was weak, yet he couldn't hide his disappointment. He took out a jade pendant with auspicious clouds from his body—the very same jade pendant he had given to Mo Yiheng as a gift when he first entered the family. The jade pendant was warm to the touch and had a calming effect, but now, there was a hideous crack in the center of the cloud.
"Do you still recognize this?"
"This is the first gift Master gave me, Heng'er will never forget it!"
A glint of tears seemed to well up in Yun Shu's eyes. He closed his eyes briefly, his tone eerily calm: "It... is a testament to the bond between you and me, master and disciple. That night, it shielded you from my protective divine light, but... it can never go back to the way things were."
Mo Yiheng seemed to sense something, and despite being pierced by the guards' swords, he still pressed forward. A terrifying premonition lingered in his heart, and he shook his head frantically, muttering "No," forgetting that his master could not see anything at this moment.
Finally, Yun Shu let go.
"Clatter".
The jade pendant is broken.
"Since Heng'er's ambitions lie elsewhere..." Yun Shu's voice was like ice, "Our master-disciple relationship is as precious as this jade. From this day forward, Mo Yiheng is no longer my disciple, Yun Shu's disciple. I hope you will leave as soon as possible, lest I have no way to explain when the sect leader returns. I hope that in your life... you will never set foot on Yunhua Mountain again! Otherwise..."
He didn't finish his sentence; the remaining half was broken by violent coughing. Murong Jin half-held him, gently comforting him and channeling dragon energy into him to nourish him—a touching sight.
What else could she do? Clean house herself? In the end, Yun Shu couldn't bear to say those words.
Mo Yiheng stood frozen in place, his consciousness seemingly vanishing along with the shattered jade. After a long while, he finally snapped out of his daze. He slowly knelt down, carefully collecting the mangled jade fragments, then looked up at Yun Shu, who was weakly coughing and gasping in Murong Jin's arms. He saw that the eyes that had once gazed at him with gentle smiles now held only darkness… and disgust.
He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.
The raging fire in his heart bypassed Yun Shu, only scorching his heart and lungs... and naturally, it also burned towards the human who was holding Yun Shu.
For over a month, the pain he had suffered in relentlessly returning to the Demon Realm, killing his own father, and seizing the Demon Lord's throne seemed insignificant now. The strong, metallic taste of rust rose in his throat, but he forced it back down.
Mo Yiheng slowly stood up, leaving unsightly drag marks of blood on the pristine floor of Wangyue Pavilion. He swayed, almost unable to stand, yet still solemnly bowed to Yun Shu, performing his final disciple's salute.
Before turning away, he took one last, deep look at the figure he had longed for, being held in someone else's arms. Then, dragging his wounded body, he staggered away into the boundless snowstorm.
As Mo Yiheng left, the heavily guarded dozens of secret guards also disappeared once again.
Outside the window, the dark figure was quickly swallowed up by the vast white snow, with only the pool of crimson and the lingering demonic aura inside indicating that he had been there.
"Cough...cough cough..."
Yun Shu coughed and curled up, his body trembling like a withered leaf in the wind, only managing to stay upright thanks to Murong Jin's support. He managed to catch his breath and closed his eyes wearily, as if the ordeal had drained all his energy.
Murong Jin frowned with heartache. He gently patted Yun Shu's back, and his right fingertip touched the corner of Yun Shu's eye again. A barely perceptible stream of dark golden light flowed along his fingertip and into Yun Shu's skin, finally relaxing her tense body. Murong Jin was very pleased with this result, and the stream of light continued to flow into Yun Shu's brow.
"Xiaoxue..." He pulled Yunshu closer into his dragon robe. "Don't get angry or upset over him anymore. Your health is the most important thing... Don't worry, I'm here. I will definitely find a good doctor and medicine to cure your illness."
Yun Shu leaned weakly against Murong Jin's warm, strong arm. The ambergris incense enveloped him tightly, and the sense of security almost hypnotized him. He was too tired, and upon hearing this, he only gave a soft "hmm" and said nothing more.
The wind and snow on Yunhua Mountain intensified, easily concealing all traces of Mo Yiheng.
Inside the Moon Gazing Pavilion, the brazier was still burning brightly, and the emperor spoke gently to comfort the blind and weary fox spirit.
Outside Wangyue Pavilion, in the direction where the newly fled Demon Lord had gone, a celestial herb—a spiritual medicine from the deepest and most dangerous place in the Demon Realm—was buried by the snowflakes along with the bloodstains.
After a long while, so long that Yun Shu had almost fallen asleep, the Emperor's deep and gentle voice finally rang out again:
"Xiaoxue...come to my place. That way that beast won't keep trying to cause you trouble...with the Imperial Guards and the Dragon Vein around, we can at least keep him in check. Okay?"
Yun Shu was indeed extremely tired and exhausted. In a half-dreaming, half-awake state, he nodded as if bewitched by ambergris, and lost consciousness in Murong Jin's arms.
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