Ashes
The wind was filled with the unique scent of pine needles from Yaoxi Mountain, and it brought a slightly cool and itchy feeling when it penetrated my collar.
Yunxiu's consciousness seemed to slowly emerge from the deep sea. The first thing he felt was not physical fatigue, but the sound of air whistling in his ears, which was faster and deeper than the sound of the wind he was used to hearing by the bamboo forest and stream.
Her eyelashes trembled, and the blur in her vision gradually faded. What she saw was Yan Xiu's taut jawline. The collar of his dark suit had been blown up by the wind, revealing a shallow, unhealed scar on the side of his neck, the mark of the previous injury from Zhi Huan's divine power.
His arms were wrapped around her tightly, the warmth of his palms seeping through the fabric, carrying a familiar coolness that belonged to him.
"Awake?" Yan Xiu's voice sounded, lighter than the wind. When he lowered his head, the strands of hair on his forehead brushed against Yun Xiu's forehead, bringing a slightly damp and cool feeling.
"We're almost at Yaoxi Mountain."
Yunxiu's mind was still confused, but his body moved before his consciousness.
She could clearly feel that she was being held by Yan Xiu and flying in the air very high above the ground.
There are rolling hills at your feet, and green forest belts are wrapped around the mountainside like silk ribbons. The sea of clouds in the distance is shining with a light golden light, as if the morning light has just climbed across the sky.
But this "stability" was like a thin thorn, instantly piercing her chaotic consciousness.
Wu Yi's smile before he disappeared, and the gradually fading fragrance of the sycamore on the mountain path, exploded in my mind like a kaleidoscope.
She suddenly raised her hand, and a ray of cold white divine power gathered in her palm, pressing it hard against Yan Xiu's chest.
"Let me go."
Yan Xiu obviously didn't expect her to attack suddenly, and the strength in his arms loosened for a moment. Yun Xiu took the opportunity to break free from his arms, and her body fell rapidly towards the mountains and forests below like a kite with a broken string.
The wind instantly filled my sleeves, bringing with it a biting chill that hurt my cheeks.
Yunxiu stared at the person chasing him from above.
Are you kidding me? She's a spirit bird, how could she fall to her death? The sky is her home.
The speed of his descent increased, and the trees on the ground gradually became clearer from a blurry green mass. He could make out the grain of pine needles, spot rabbits hopping through the woods, and even smell the stench of soil mixed with morning dew. Only when Yingtang's anxious cries, gradually approaching on the wind, did Yunxiu suddenly pull back.
Divine power spread along his arms, as if coating his wings with a thin layer of light. His falling speed suddenly slowed down, and his body began to sway gently in the airflow, like a feather held by the wind.
She tried to adjust her posture, pressing down on her toes, and actually made her body more stable.
The wind passed through her fingers, bringing with it a familiar sense of freedom, gradually relaxing her tense nerves.
"Xiao You!"
Yingtang's voice was getting closer and closer, and the light green fairy power rushed out from the clouds in front like a meteor.
Yingtang's face was not in a good state. His moon-white robe was rustling in the wind, and the immortal energy around him was fluctuating unsteadily. It was obvious that he had forced the flying technique to reach its limit.
She was not good at flying. She could barely move short distances outside the cave before, but now being chased from a high altitude was a huge drain on her.
Yunxiu let her body float towards Yingtang. Yingtang stretched out his hand, and the immortal power of his fingertips gently wrapped around her wrist, but as soon as the touch, he lost his strength and both of them fell half a foot.
"Xiao You..."
Yingtang gritted his teeth, and the light green immortal power condensed into a thin layer of light shield around him, trying to stabilize his body.
"I...I'll take you back."
Yunxiu said nothing, but silently reached out and gently hugged Yingtang from behind. She slowly transferred her divine power to Yingtang, flowing down her spiritual veins to help her stabilize her chaotic immortal power. When she felt the body in her arms no longer trembled, Yunxiu whispered:
"Sister, don't panic, I'll help you. You don't have the strength to fly anymore, let's land first."
Divine power and pale green immortal energy intertwined like two intertwining streams, forming a soft cocoon of light around them. Their descent slowed completely, their bodies gliding slowly along the air currents, finally landing steadily on a clearing in the forest carpeted with pine needles.
Yingtang staggered two steps as soon as he landed, and barely managed to stand steady by holding onto the pine tree next to him. His chest heaved violently, and even his breathing was trembling.
Yunxiu loosened her grip and looked at her pale face. She had just reached out to help her organize her immortal energy when she caught a glimpse of Yan Xiu standing on the mountain path not far away.
His dark-colored suit was stained with pine needles, and the Broken Water Sword was slung across his back, with no expression on his face.
He didn't ask her why she suddenly pushed him away, nor did he go forward to help. He just stood quietly in the shadow of the pine trees, his eyes fixed on her, as if covered by a layer of fog, making it impossible to see his emotions.
Yunxiu's fingertips paused.
Yan Xiu had lied to her—she knew it all. Whether it was the details of the previous life's destruction, the truth about the divine essence within her body, or even Wu Yi's sacrifice, he had hidden something. But at this moment, looking at the exhausted Yingtang in front of her, at the silent Yan Xiu in the distance, she had no intention of pursuing the matter.
There are more important things waiting for her to do.
"Senior Sister, I want to go see the human world below the mountain."
Yingtang's breathing, which had just calmed down, suddenly stopped, and he looked up:
"The human world? Now? Zhi Huan is still behind us... We have to go back to Yaoxi Mountain first and act according to the plan..."
Before she could finish her words, she was suddenly stunned by Yunxiu's eyes and could not utter a word.
"She knows" - this was the only echo in Yingtang's heart.
"I want to go and take a look." Yunxiu interrupted her and gently touched the white jade statue on his heart with his fingertips.
"Senior Sister, I want to go and see what the human world is like now."
She recalled the scene she had seen in Wu Yi's memory: broken walls, bloodstains all over the ground... and villagers swallowed by the black fog.
Everyone told her that it was a tragedy from the previous life, and that they had returned in this life and might be able to change the ending.
Is this really the case?
She had to see it for herself.
Yan Xiu didn't say anything, and neither did Yingtang.
Yunxiu looked at him, trying to find something from his face, but his expression remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
"Zhi Huan can't come anytime soon." Yun Xiu couldn't help but say. She stared at Yan Xiu.
"Do you know why?"
Yan Xiu paused and his eyes fell on the white jade statue on her heart.
He knew. Yunxiu was so sure.
"Let's go." Yunxiu took a deep breath, turned around and walked down the mountain.
The wind in the forest is still blowing, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees.
The closer I got to the foot of the mountain, the more strange the air felt. Where cooking smoke should have drifted, a faint, bitter, burnt smell wafted through the air, like something burned. It carried the wind and reached my nostrils, leaving me with an unsettling, stagnant quality.
Yunxiu's pace gradually slowed, and her heart began to beat uncontrollably. She could feel the divine energy within her body fluctuating more and more violently, entwining with the despair emanating from the mortal realm like two entwined vines.
Yunxiu nodded, took a deep breath, and went around the last ridge.
The scene before her made her freeze in place instantly.
There was no smoke from cooking, no human voices, not even the chirping of birds. Luoxia Town was still a ruin.
The low earthen house had mostly collapsed, its thatched roof reduced to a blackened frame. Blackened wooden beams lay scattered on the ground, still stained with unburned cloth. The stone memorial archway at the town entrance was broken in two, the three characters on it blurred by blood, and tiny bits of bone were embedded in the cracks of the stone.
All kinds of things were scattered on the ground - a pottery bowl that had fallen into the mud, the porridge in the bowl had turned black and hard; a child's rag doll was burned to half, with cotton sticking out of the broken hole, stained with black blood; there were also some farm tools, the wooden handle of the hoe was broken, and the edge of the sickle was curled, obviously having experienced a fierce fight.
Yunxiu's steps felt like they were filled with lead as she inched forward. Her fingertips were icy cold, and even her breathing was stagnant.
She had seen this place before in Wu Yi's memory. It was a beautiful place to view the scenery, prosperous and peaceful. There were peddlers hawking their wares on the street, children chasing butterflies, and women sitting in doorways mending clothes.
But now, there is nothing.
The noise of their passing echoed through the empty ruins, but there was no response. Only the wind swirled the scorched earth around her feet.
She walked to the pharmacy in the west of the town, the place where Ah Yan had fallen in Wu Yi's memory. The door was now split in two, the medicine cabinet inside toppled to the ground, and herbs were scattered all over the floor. Some had turned black and spoiled, while others still had a faint medicinal fragrance.
The bloodstains on the ground had dried up and turned dark brown, like ugly scars carved into the charred earth.
Yunxiu squatted down and gently touched the blood on the ground with his fingertips. A cold and familiar divine power came through his fingertips.
These divine powers didn't dissipate. Instead, like maggots on the tarsal bones, they clung to every corner of the ruins. Glowing with a cold white light, they burrowed into the cracks of the collapsed houses, into the dried blood, and even into the surrounding vegetation, turning the weeds that should have sprouted again into a dark, lifeless black.
Yan Xiu stood beside her, following her closely, but said nothing.
Yunxiu stood up and continued walking. Her steps were light, afraid to disturb the spirits trapped in the ruins. She passed the once bustling streets, the stage east of the town, and the old locust tree at the village entrance—beneath that tree, villagers once sat playing chess and children ran around it. But now, its trunk was split in two, its bark charred black, and not a single leaf was left.
When he reached the river at the end of the town, Yunxiu's footsteps suddenly stopped.
There were some things floating in the river - a broken oar, a worn straw raincoat, and a few children's cloth shoes. One of the cloth shoes had a small fish pattern embroidered on the toe, which she had seen in Wu Yi's memory, made by the women in the village for their children.
At this moment, the cloth shoes were filled with black mud and were swaying gently in the turbid river water.
Exactly the same... It was exactly the same as the village that Wu Yi last saw in his memory.
She didn't wait, she just took off into the air. No one here could catch her.
Everywhere she flew, there was no sign of life. Corpses were everywhere, bones as white as snow.
Yunxiu hung in mid-air, pausing for a long time until Yingtang and Yanxiu caught up.
"Last time...it wasn't you who died, but me. Right?"
Yunxiu asked calmly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
