Fifty-four old friends
Gong Jue couldn't accept it. He couldn't accept this, just like he couldn't accept the denial of his past life.
He looked stiffly at Lu Yinche who was standing side by side with Yan Yanshu. His dry limbs scratched the sand on the ground unconsciously. The sand was still cold because of the burning of the ghost fire, but he still dug a deep groove with his five fingers. Several bloodstains were mixed in the mud and were almost invisible.
Yan Yanshu showed no understanding or sympathy for his impotent rage: "No, that's all. Ah Che treats people sincerely and has never thought of you in any other way. It's not like you just passed by him, or lost him again. Why keep thinking about him?"
"That's true," Lu Yinche interrupted, wondering whether he should go up and help him. The man looked really badly beaten. "You are Gong Jin's brother—"
"Don't mention him!" Gong Jue roared and forced himself to stand up. The lingering black flames rekindled, making his face look dark. His eyes were surprisingly bright, not like those of a real person.
Lu Yinche had no idea what kind of bitter feud existed between him and Gong Jin, two close brothers. Rumor had it they'd fought so fiercely that they'd nearly lost the entire Gong family, and now even the mention of it was forbidden. Splitting up the family? Was that even necessary?
At that moment, a hidden weapon came careening towards them from a short distance. The moment it approached them, it split into dozens of afterimages. It clunked into the ground, its original shape no longer recognizable, and ejected several interwoven golden and red rays, trapping Gong Jue within it. It was a formation, formed in a fraction of a second. The master must have been behind it.
Lu Yinche raised his head and looked in the direction where the hidden weapon came from: "Gong Jin?"
She was dressed differently from the last time we met. The same luxurious red silk base, paired with a black blouse, made her beautiful face even more gloomy, the kind of style cultivated by those in a position of power. "Thank you for taking care of my brother, I hope you are well." He was beaten black and blue, his face swollen, and bleeding from all seven orifices. He was indeed very caring.
Lu Yinche opened his mouth awkwardly. But Gong Jin, who had left without saying goodbye the previous time, still had no intention of reminiscing with him. He bowed in Yan Yanshu's direction and said, "Trouble you, Sword Saint Feng Ling, for helping me. I've saved you a lot of effort."
Yan Yanshu did not humbly agree on this point, and simply said, "Master Gonggu should be more strict. The affairs of the Immortal Alliance are complicated, so it would be better to focus on one county and one family."
He was accusing Gong Jin of colluding with Liang Xin and others to set up Lu Yinche at the auction. His tone was not friendly, especially considering that he had been aloof from the world and not concerned with worldly affairs for many years.
"I'm cleaning up my family business here, so Sword Saint Feng Ling shouldn't worry about it." Gong Jin put away his folding fan, chuckled, and glanced at Lu Yinche. "A remnant soul and a fake spirit, they're quite a match. I thought the Lu family had fallen on hard times, but I didn't expect Sword Master Mingye to still be concerned about them. He had to come back to see them anyway."
Lu Yinche heard obvious hostility in his voice and his expression became serious.
Gong Jin has a problem with him.
It doesn't seem like it's for acting, but comes from the heart.
But, shouldn't it? Even in his latest memories, there was no fragment of him and Gong Jin falling out. They had grown up together as close friends, someone they could trust, and an unbreakable blood bond. If something unexpected happened to this relationship, it would definitely be a matter that could not be ignored.
He suddenly thought of Wei Qi's secrecy.
"Gong Jin, I..."
Before he could finish his words, Gong Jue interrupted him: "A Che, don't talk to him! He's the one who betrayed you!"
This "betrayal" clearly has a different meaning than the one Yan Yanshu had previously described. If Gong Jue's betrayal stemmed from his misunderstanding of Lu Yinche's intentions, his selfish deflection in executing the plan, and the resulting disastrous consequences, then Lu Yinche must bear some responsibility. Since he initiated this, he should have supervised it properly. Even though nothing is absolute and there are always omissions, he will ultimately bear some of the consequences, which is why Yan Yanshu struck him with the sword in the presence of the heavens.
In fact, he won it.
What was Gong Jin's betrayal?
Was he being asked by Lu Yinche to report him for damaging Tianmen? And thus creating a legitimate scenario for Yan Yanshu's attack? That wasn't betrayal; it was Lu Yinche's betrayal, causing Gong Jin to bear the stigma of betraying his friend in vain.
Obviously not.
"Hmph!" Gong Jin flicked his fan and snorted coldly. It was the first time he gave his younger brother a look that was superior and full of contempt: "I don't care who you are. You know, since you choose to leave, you are no longer a member of the Gong family. Don't cause me trouble."
As he moved, the red formation veins in the air trembled slightly, and spiritual power flowed through them. They suddenly shrank into a ball, shrinking a person to the size of an egg and falling into Gong Jin's hands.
"You—" Lu Yinche knew this was a trap, "Don't you have anything to tell me?"
There was a sarcastic expression on Gong Jin's face, which made Lu Yinche feel particularly unfamiliar.
Perhaps this handsome man has had a sharp tongue since childhood, and perhaps he became ruthless after inheriting the position left by his father, but to Lu Yinche, Gong Jin is a very good person.
Instead of saying condescendingly like now: "I'm not one of those fools who've been blinded by you, nor am I your pawn. Do I have any obligation to explain myself to you?"
Lu Yinche stared straight into the eyes that were actually somewhat similar to his own: "Wei Qi told me that three hundred years ago, I entrusted you to act for my plan. You did it, and I thought our friendship still existed."
"No." Gong Jin denied it flatly. "That's precisely because we did it, so we're clear now. Lu Yinche, whether you want to be a great saint who saves the world or a playboy tourist who plays with people's feelings, get it straight: I'm not interested in your tricks."
"Do you have any misunderstanding about me?"
"You always think you are right, don't you?" Gong Jin asked back.
He was unwilling to communicate more with Lu Yinche and continued to say to Yan Yanshu, "Our Gong family will deal with this guy. I owe you one, but don't blame me for being nosy. Sword Saint should pay more attention to the Yang family's affairs." He smiled, "Don't be too greedy for the gentleness and miss the real business."
"Thank you for your concern, Master Gonggu. Cheng Xiaozong will handle it on its own." Yan Yanshu's expression was calm, and he obviously knew what he was talking about.
After receiving Yan Yanshu's reply, Gong Jin had no intention of saying more. He casually bowed and turned to fly away. The black and red colors on his body turned into a spiritual power track in the air, which unexpectedly matched the mess of wreckage on the ground.
Lu Yinche couldn't get anything out of Gong Jin, but he always managed to get hold of something he couldn't avoid: "What happened with the Yang family? Was that the reason you rushed back to Cheng Xiao Sect earlier? And why did he say he owed you one?"
Yan Yanshu chose the easy answer and told Lu Yinche, "Gong Jue wasn't publicly surrounded because of Gong Jin's request. At that time, I was still the leader of the Immortal Alliance, and you hadn't... In short, given Gong Jue's current state, if he were to come under the supervision of the Heavenly Dao, he wouldn't just be struck by lightning and be banished from reincarnation."
That's right. Of all the souls harmed by Gong Jue, which one can be reincarnated?
Lu Yinche sighed: "If I had been more careful before, perhaps this wouldn't have happened."
Yan Yanshu held his hand and smiled lightly, "No, you've done very well. Even the strict and rigid laws of nature cannot criticize you."
Finally, come back to me.
Seeing him still laughing, Lu Yinche changed the subject, clasping his hand back and firmly controlling the busy Sword Saint. "What about your other questions? You're not going to answer them? I just told Gong Jue that if I had anything to know, I could just ask you, but you didn't answer. Isn't that a slap in my face?"
Yan Yanshu tried to avoid the question, but his wrist was still being held by someone, who looked determined to get what he wanted. "If you don't tell me, I'll start a soul search. Your spiritual power is still connected to mine, I don't believe you can resist it."
He even resorted to the threat of close contact. It was obvious that he was not like this the last time they met. He would blush at the slightest touch. But now he is acting fearlessly after finding some memories. This clearly exposes his true nature.
But Yan Yanshu is his reliance, what can he do to him?
His eyelashes drooped downwards, making him look even more gentle. The only similarity between him and the legendary swordsman Feng Ling was probably his human form.
He said, "You know..."
You already know that I am not human.
Yan Yanshu struggled to explain his own existence. He grew, breathed, and bleed, looking just like any other human. He even bore some resemblance to his mother and the members of the Yang family who claimed to be his mothers. After his mother's death, he was sent to the Buddhist sect. He had once believed it was because he possessed some gift, as the masters had said, or perhaps simply because he had no father and, living in the Yang family, was a burden to be discarded.
Until the Master told him he was different.
“To cultivate the Buddha and the mind, you must have your own mind.”
Man is born with a heart, but he is not a person.
He may have a body that is a masterpiece of nature and a soul that is a miracle, but it was not born under the rules allowed by heaven. For this, his creator, his mother, paid the price with her life.
But this didn't bother Yan Yanshu too much.
If he cared about what others thought, he wouldn't even be able to walk out of the Yang family's walls alive. What difference did it make whether he knew or not? He didn't care anyway. Emotions flowed through his heart, just like the Buddha's heart that nodded in approval at the abbot.
But he encountered his own variables.
A man dressed in shady clothes and with strange whereabouts visited the Buddhist sect. His cultivation was so profound that even the world-renowned abbot was polite and did not dare to neglect him. They talked for a long time, and when they left, the man said that he wanted to take Yan Yanshu away.
He said his name was "A Che," and that he knew someone skilled with a sword who was perfect for learning swordsmanship. But he wasn't the kind of maniac who'd take on a student. He simply took Yan Yanshu with him, taking him across mountains and rivers until they came to a valley. There they planted flowers and built a small thatched cottage, with A Che sometimes there and sometimes not.
But that valley belonged to both of them.
Yan Yanshu didn't know what he was going to do, only that he had a great mission. But his Ah Che was also a very gentle person. He would polish accessories with him, but he was not as good as a child. He would bring him candy and storybooks, but he mostly liked them more.
Yan Yanshu likes the way he likes.
Ah Che is an amazing person. He gave Yan Yanshu his true heart.
Later, Yan Yanshu reached the Golden Core stage of cultivation. During the thunder tribulation, the call of Heaven was beyond his usual level. He had no choice but to seek refuge, but he never dared to tell Lu Yinche the truth. He was afraid that Lu Yinche would take his heart away.
It was not until his cultivation level was further improved and he developed spiritual consciousness, transforming from an ordinary soul into a divine soul, that he finally said goodbye to the embarrassing situation and no longer felt panic about the punishment of heaven.
"What a coincidence! Wasn't I also a wanted criminal by Heavenly Dao back then?" Lu Yinche actually laughed. "If I had been struck by the lightning tribulation, wouldn't we have caught two people at once?"
Yan Yanshu also smiled. He had long been taller than him, but he still liked Lu Yinche's smile, as if he was fearless.
"So you are destined to be with me." Lu Yinche said.
"Um."
Yan Yanshu looked at his hand, which had been intertwined with Lu Yinche's at some point, and began to talk about the Yang family. He tried to be as brief as possible, trying to make his account seem lighthearted, but Lu Yinche could hear the arrogance and gloom of the storm in his voice.
The Yang family wanted to destroy Yan Yanshu's soul.
"Are you hurt? What good will this do them?" Lu Yinche was puzzled.
"I'm fine. After the head brother heard about the puppet, he conducted an investigation within the sect, especially my Withered Snow Peak. I haven't been there for many years, so some sand and gravel have mixed in. They set up some formations, perhaps hoping to control me, but they haven't succeeded in doing so for many years, and my mother didn't leave me the authority." Yan Yanshu placed Lu Yinche's hand, which was used to check his injuries, on his chest and explained, "It could also be related to the puppet they have there that looks just like me. They want to copy me again."
"How is this possible?" Lu Yinche knocked on Yan Yanshu's chest in the same posture and said, "Your cultivation level is also cultivated by yourself. How can you copy it just like that? Isn't this wishful thinking!"
"My senior brother thinks so too, but he's not very proficient in this area and is still investigating. He sent me back for this matter. If I don't find anything more, I'll come back to find you."
"Gong Jin is proficient in formations, but, forget it, let's not look for him. It's better to--" Lu Yinche suddenly curled his eyes and looked at Yan Yanshu with some ill intentions.
His hand was even more malicious. But Yan Yanshu let him tease him without changing his expression: "How about?"
"How about you, Cheng Xiao Sect, send me an invitation and arrange a pot of good tea? I'll go check it out for you."
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