How can the orchid emit such a fragrant aroma?
The rain fell like a silver curtain, never ceasing.
A red umbrella was opened, and the two stood side by side under it in silence.
"Is Master also going to the library today?"
You Youju raised his face, the faint color under his eyes like mountains in the mist, appearing and disappearing: "Hmm." He thought that the two of them needed some private space at this moment. "Huaijing, go do what you want to do right now. You don't need to stay with me today."
Chao Lan paused for a moment, but did not stop walking.
"Disciple agrees with what Master said. I will investigate and will also cooperate with the various sects to investigate."
You Youju hummed in agreement.
Chao Lan felt very uncomfortable and awkward about the current situation between the two of them. They remained silent all the way to the library. As before, Chao Lan tidied up You Youju's desk, found the books he needed, and left without saying a word.
Watching Chao Lan's retreating figure, You Youju felt a tightness in her chest.
After returning, he has been searching for records about the Purple Emperor Sword. It is currently known that apart from the first battle a hundred years ago, the Purple Emperor Sword reappeared only when it landed on him. The formation on Flying Flower Peak was designed to store and maintain the Purple Emperor's spiritual energy, ensuring his descent into the world.
There is no logic to speak of; the system, values, and generations of war gods here all serve the fictional world.
According to the novel, the Purple Emperor was originally the God of War's magical artifact, and it was only restrained after the two died together. Now that both beads have appeared and each has its own master, killing one of them will allow the Purple Emperor to fully exert its power.
He who wields the sword will rule the world; without the sword, none of this would have happened, right?
What a shabby library! Can it even contain anything that nobody knows?
In the original novel, the last piece of Floating Rain Jade that Chao Lan obtained was given away by Zhu Xun after his suicide. Considering the current situation, the last piece of Floating Rain Jade was in Zhu Xun's eyes, which is why Chao Lan never found it.
Now that Zhu Xun could not commit suicide, he had obtained all the magic power because of the Floating Rain Jade. It was precisely because of his concealment that Chao Lan did not embark on the journey to find the Floating Rain Jade.
Cangzhou Shui sent people to search, but to this day they have found nothing. Only each generation of War Gods, their teachers, and sect leaders know the truth about the Floating Rain Spirit Jade. There are no written records, only oral traditions passed down through generations.
For hundreds of years, the Purple Emperor Sword had never appeared, and the Floating Rain Jade had also vanished without a trace. Previous leaders of Chaoyun Mountain had only passed it down as a legend and a matter of obligation. But this time, the Purple Emperor Sword descended upon Chaoyun Mountain, forcing Cangzhou Shui to believe it. And it was precisely because the Purple Emperor Sword and the God of War were both present that he had always been fearless.
It was still because of him that the sword transformation failed, and the Azure Boat's current became too turbulent. You Youju could understand him in this matter.
I'm so confused.
The firefly lamp grew brighter and brighter without anyone noticing. In the past two weeks, I've searched through everything but couldn't find any books that praised the God of War and the Purple Emperor Sword.
I want to go home. Yu Youju longs for it.
He had no choice but to laugh; whether he went out or came in, his final destination was the grave.
"Is it because of my messy affairs that you're still bothered by it?"
You Youju was startled and immediately looked up at the source of the sound.
A figure was partially obscured by the curtain, standing upright.
It is Zhu Xun.
He hurriedly covered what he had written on the paper with a scroll and set up a protective barrier around the library: "Why are you here? Have you gone mad?!"
Zhu Xun lifted the curtain and approached You Youju step by step. He was tall, and the dim light from below made his face look cold.
"Have you gone mad?" Zhu Xun murmured repeatedly. Then he laughed, a laugh filled with madness: "Uncle has never scolded Zhu Xun like this before."
You Youju turned her face away, avoiding his gaze: "You should leave quickly. Being discovered at this time would be bad for both realms."
Zhu Xun looked down at the indifferent elder of Chaoyun Mountain, whose shadow completely enveloped him.
He knelt down, and You Youju immediately got up and pressed him down. He refused and insisted on kneeling, so You Youju simply ignored him.
He grabbed You Youju's clothes and said, "Uncle, Xun'er made a mistake."
You Youju thought he was talking about that room, and his face immediately turned bright red, feeling utterly ashamed. Luckily, he couldn't see clearly, he thought.
Seeing that You Youju remained stubborn, Zhu Xun knelt down and walked a few steps to You Youju's knees: "Xun'er has not been strict with her subordinates and has caused trouble for her uncle. After I catch those people, I will skin them all alive and send them to Chaoyun Mountain to apologize, okay?"
You Youju wanted to say that the fault did not lie with him, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Whenever he saw Zhu Xun, those absurd things kept replaying in his mind. He felt both ashamed and angry about raising his child like this.
Seeing that You Youju was uncompromising and so ruthless, not even opening her eyes, it would be a lie to say that she wasn't worried.
"Uncle! Please have pity on Xun'er, please don't ignore me." Zhu Xun looked like she was about to cry, and You Youju's heart wavered, but she dared not open her eyes.
A drop of blood fell onto You Youju's hem. Zhu Xun's voice trembled with tears. She pretended not to know what had happened that day, but then made a firm decision: "Punish me, beat me, whatever you want. Just don't ignore Zhu Xun. Zhu Xun can't leave you again."
Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning one thing, yet they both tacitly pointed to the same thing.
You Youju couldn't bear it any longer, so she sighed and pulled Zhu Xun up.
Overjoyed, Zhu Xun reached out to embrace You Youju, but suddenly a flash of cold light pierced the air, separating the two. Zhu Xun narrowly dodged, and another short sword followed, slicing off a lock of her long hair. The two swords attacked relentlessly, and Zhu Xun found herself temporarily unable to break free.
"Master! Are you alright?" Chao Lan shielded You Youju behind her, not allowing anyone else to approach.
You Youju was bewildered and embarrassed. He felt numb all over his face and body, and even deep breathing didn't help.
"You audacious fiend, repeatedly trespassing on my Chaoyun Mountain, you are truly shameless!"
Chao Lan summoned the Dream-Cutting Blade, joined the two swords together at their ends, and leaped forward to strike.
"Huai Jing!" You Youju exclaimed in surprise.
The sorcerer turned around, revealing a face that was identical to his own, with a pair of bewitching red eyes.
Enraged, Chao Lan slashed at Zhu Xun with all her might, each strike aimed straight for a fatal spot. Zhu Xun's strength was no less, and she smiled mockingly at him: "You actually managed to sense me, so you're not exactly a fool."
"How dare you impersonate me to deceive your master! You deserve to die!"
You Youju stepped forward to stop them, taking the opportunity to restrain their arms and block them from the middle. He gave Zhu Xun a look, and Zhu Xun understood, gave Chao Lan a wicked smile, and ran away.
"Don't run!"
You Youju grabbed Chao Lan from behind. Chao Lan looked at You Youju in disbelief: "Master, have you been drugged?" He put away the Dream-Cutting Knife, took You Youju's hand to take his pulse: "I am Cen Chao Lan!"
You Youju could only smile sheepishly and say, "I know."
Chao Lan's expression was so varied and indescribable.
"I will inform the elders first."
You Youju held him down. Why did she feel such a guilty feeling, like she'd been caught in the act of adultery?!
Now Chaolan was certain that the demon had indeed been deliberately released by her master.
He sheathed his sword, his face expressionless: "Give my disciple a reason."
The reason... Am I supposed to say that your brother came to meet me in the middle of the night?! This sounds more like a celestial elder conspiring with a demon to destroy humanity!
“Hey, Huaijing, come, let’s sit down and chat.”
You Youju tried to pull Cen Chaolan's hand, but couldn't.
Damn it, kid, don't burn me with that hurt yet burning gaze! Master really didn't betray the immortal sect!
You Youju placed Chao Lan's hand in her own palm, covered it with her own hands, and tried to make her smile as bright as possible: "If Master told you that you have a twin brother you've never met, would you believe it?"
He felt he should be very sincere at that moment.
You Youju felt Chao Lan's fingers twitch in her palm.
Chao Lan's eyes seemed to redden, and he pulled his hand away in disappointment: "Absurd."
"Master could even say such things to protect that demon."
You Youju quickly grabbed his hand that was pulling away and explained, "What I said is all true!"
Chao Lan lowered his eyes and saw the two amber bracelets sparkling on their wrists in the fluorescent light. His gaze went upward, and his master's expression didn't seem fake. The thing he had almost forgotten resurfaced: A-Yi, who had come out of the illusion clamoring for pear blossom cakes, and You Youju, who was chatting and laughing by the campfire.
"There's still some oranges," he whispered tentatively.
Time is digesting the karma of their compassion; the hundred years of cultivation under that tree seem to have become meaningless to them.
You Youju froze, her clasped wrists growing even hotter: "Hmm?"
The rain stopped, and the room was quiet, with only the sound of their breathing remaining.
Chao Lan pretended nothing was wrong. She herself couldn't forget it, so why should she be harsh to her master, who had been through it all? "I believe you, Master. Sit down and let's talk."
You Youju told Chaolan the plot of the original novel without mentioning that she was the one who took Zhu Xun away back then.
Chao Lan rubbed his forehead: "I had no idea." He looked incredulous: "You mean he is Zhu Xun, the one who was by your side back then?"
You Youju patted him on the shoulder: "I know this is hard for you to accept."
Chao Lan raised her head, her eyes revealing her exhaustion: "Fortunately."
You Youju was puzzled. What was so fortunate about that?
Chao Lan forced a smile: "Fortunately, it was Master's primordial spirit that helped him, otherwise I can't believe how much pain and exhaustion he must have endured all these years."
He turned his head and looked in the direction Zhu Xun had left. "Suppressing all this must be exhausting, which is why Master has hoped for peace between the two races for so many years."
Fortunately, it was Master; all of this could still be salvaged.
Chao Lan took a deep breath: "It must have been very tiring, Master."
You Youju's tense body gradually softened, his eyes filled with tears, and his clasped hands trembled slightly. He wanted to say something, but it was stuck in his throat.
Is it not bitter? Yes, it is.
In fact, he couldn't bear those lightning strikes, those cycles of reincarnation under the Tree of Compassion, or all that exhaustion.
A glacier was cracked open by a pebble struck by the spring breeze, and then the spring breeze blew, gradually melting it.
Feeling the inexplicable dampness on the back of his hand, Chao Lan turned back to find You Youju crying while looking at him. Perhaps because of his gaze, You Youju kept sobbing, and then let out a loud cry without restraint, like a child, opening her mouth wide and wailing.
Chao Lan's limbs went weak, and she hurriedly reached out to catch You Youju's tears: "Master...Master!"
He found a handkerchief and awkwardly wiped away You Youju's tears. He tried to stand up and bend down to wipe them away, but You Youju held onto his hand tightly. Left with no other choice, Chaolan leaned closer and pulled You Youju into his arms, stroking his head with trembling hands, just as You Youju had comforted him.
You Youju leaned on his shoulder, shedding tears that had flowed over the years.
Chao Lan felt a pang of heartache, and he realized his voice was trembling: "Chao Lan will always, always stand by your side."
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