Chapter 314 Mountains and Seas Meet (Part 7)
"Now you can tell me, right?" Jiang Xiangyun waved the two small fish in front of the boy.
The tails of the two fish shimmered in the sunlight. Jiang Gu was silent for a moment, then reached out and took them, saying, "It could take ten years at most, or several dozen months at least."
Jiang Xiangyun was stunned.
“His soul was severely damaged. He was forced to reshape his body by external force and originally had several hundred years of life left. However, he forcibly gave you half of his Yuan Dan, and he couldn’t hold on any longer,” Jiang Gu said.
"How do you know?" Jiang Xiangyun looked down at his dantian, where half of a gray primordial core was quietly circulating.
“Aura.” Jiang Gu didn’t want to explain, he only said, “If he hadn’t given you this half of the Yuan Dan, you wouldn’t have lived for more than a hundred years, given how much you’ve wasted on your own Yuan Dan.”
He naturally had a good impression of Jiang Xiangyun and couldn't help but ask, "You have exceptional talent. If you focus on cultivation, you will surely ascend to immortality within a hundred years. Even if you find a way to survive now, it will be difficult to ascend even if you cultivate for a thousand years. Why do you have to put yourself through this for others?"
“I never thought you would be the one asking me this question one day.” Jiang Xiangyun smiled. “Actually, I’ve asked myself this many times. Although Lu Liyu was a bit of a scoundrel, I liked him for many years. In the end, he died in my arms to save me. Yao Li was my uncle, and he also died in front of me to save me. They were lucky and still had a glimmer of hope, but many people don’t even have that chance. It’s certainly good for someone to ascend smoothly, but having family and loved ones by your side, even if it’s only for a few hundred years, is still very good for me.”
Jiang Gu lowered his eyes, looking thoughtfully at the dying little snow beast in his arms and the two little fish swimming happily in the water.
“Although I don’t know what happened to you in the upper realm, it must have been something serious that made you so determined to start over in the lower realm,” Jiang Xiangyun said. “Perhaps when you remember, you will understand how I feel right now.”
Jiang Gu asked, "You mean Wei Feng?"
Jiang Xiangyun asked, "You still remember him?"
Jiang Gu shook his head and said, "But I just overheard someone say that the 'Jiang Gu' you remember killed Wei Feng?"
"It's just hearsay; back then, Wei Feng chased after you relentlessly." Jiang Xiangyun recalled what Tao Huazhi had seen. "I also observed that he was with you in the Upper Realm."
Jiang Gu's memories were fragmented and chaotic, but when Jiang Xiangyun mentioned Wei Feng, he inexplicably thought of the red-clad youth from earlier.
The past sixteen years in this world have felt like a dream, always making him feel unreal. He simply absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth without engaging in orthodox cultivation or practicing the various "paths" of the world. He also had little feeling for the so-called ruthless path. He observed that there was not much difference between the things in heaven and earth, so these subtle feelings of familiarity, concern, goodwill, and vigilance seemed particularly special.
Perhaps in his life as 'Jiang Gu', these people and things have all left a significant mark.
As Jiang Gu expected, the boy in red came looking for him again not long after.
Just then, he had settled his spirit pets. The little snow beast, its wounds treated, was placed by the bedside, and the two small fish were properly placed in the fish tank. Jiang Gu placed the snow beast and the fish closer together and used a wisp of spiritual energy to heal their somewhat uneasy souls.
There was a gentle knock on the window. He went over and opened it, and saw the boy in red leap in, carrying a string of trinkets.
"Is there anything else?" Consultant Jiang asked.
"I suddenly remembered something I forgot to tell you halfway through: if you find that divine kite shark, please don't hurt it." The boy smiled, and the puppet sitting on his shoulder flapped its wings.
The little puppet looked almost exactly like the boy. It seemed somewhat familiar, but Jiang Gu couldn't quite place it. He frowned.
The little puppet flapped its wings and flew to him, blinking its bright black eyes at him and letting out a soft, delicate call.
"These are little things I bought from the street, thinking you might find them useful." The boy placed a small bag of snow leaves and a small nest on the table. "Young snow beasts love to eat these leaves. By the way, this little puppet can be used as a storage space and is quite intelligent. If you don't mind, you can keep it to amuse yourself."
Jiang Gu said, "No—"
"Consider this a small advance payment from me." The other person interrupted his refusal, gave him another serious look, and said, "I'm leaving."
After saying that, he was about to climb out the window.
“Wei Feng,” Jiang Gu suddenly spoke.
The boy turned his head abruptly, his eyes flashing with surprise and anticipation, but his expression returned to calm after he saw the subtle distance in the other's eyes.
His reaction was almost an implicit acceptance of the name.
“Although I don’t remember the past right now, I will remember it,” Jiang Gu said calmly, looking at him. “It just will take some time.”
Although Wei Feng had considered that his sudden appearance would expose his identity, he did not expect it to be exposed so quickly. However, upon closer reflection, it was not unexpected—Jiang Gu was so intelligent that even if he had forgotten his past life, he could still deduce the truth from some clues. Not to mention that there was a difference between divine descent and reincarnation, and he would have some sense of it.
"Okay." He smiled and jumped out of the window.
A gentle evening breeze blew by as the little snow beast lay in its soft nest, munching on fresh leaves. Small fish swam around in the water. The little puppet dressed in red would curiously poke the snow beast's fluffy tail, then lie by the fish tank watching the fish blow bubbles. After playing enough, it flew to Jiang Gu, took a beautiful feather from its wing, and handed it to him.
Jiang Gu took it, and it happily went to see the snow beast and the little fish again.
The edge of the feather was a bright red. Jiang Gu examined it for a long time before putting it into the storage bag in his sleeve.
——
Lu Liyu was injured when she returned.
Jiang Xiangyun's expression was rather unpleasant: "Who did you run into?"
“The people from Yanyu Terrace were accidentally discovered,” Lu Liyu said.
Jiang Xiangyun stared at him, making Lu Liyu feel uncomfortable. She raised her hand and said, "Okay, I ran into Xiao Dan. I don't know why he came to Qizhang City, so I followed him to take a look. But this old man is very vigilant and chased me all the way. I finally managed to shake him off. But don't worry, I concealed my aura very well. He probably didn't discover my identity."
Jiang Xiangyun took out a spiritual medicine to heal his wounds and said, "Yanyutai's foundation in Pingze is still shallow. He may have come here to win over Ning Shun."
"Heh." Lu Liyu sneered, "Shameless."
“Ning Shun and Linglong Sect are at odds. With the major sects and families banding together, it’s always been difficult for the Ning family to fully integrate. The Ning family’s foundation is still intact, and it will be hard to find a way out in the long run. Cooperating with Yanyutai is a good way out for Ning Shun.” Jiang Xiangyun thought more deeply, “But it’s not the best choice for the Ning family.”
Lu Liyu said, "You want to win over Ning Shun?"
“Although aristocratic families and sects are close, they are ultimately different. Sects accept disciples widely and without regard to background, while aristocratic families rely on their clans for generations. It will be difficult for Ning Shun to gain a place in a sect now, but if he can strengthen his clan and have someone to rely on, that would be the best for him,” Jiang Xiangyun said.
“There’s no need to help him.” Lu Liyu frowned. “Those people from the Spirit Dragon Sect are petty and cunning. If you take action, they will definitely trip you up.”
“Who says it’s unnecessary? The ruins of the Floating Spring Temple are right in the territory of Abandoned Barrier City.” Jiang Xiangyun pressed his shoulder. “Besides, Seventh Brother has always been at odds with the Spirit Dragon Sect, and I’ve long disliked the people of the Spirit Dragon Sect.”
When Lu Liyu met Ning Shun the next day, she knew what Ning Shun had made.
"Patriarch Jiang, Fellow Daoist Lu." Ning Shun greeted them with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting, then paused slightly when he saw Jiang Gu. "And who is this?"
"His name is Jiang Qi, a young master of the Jiang family. He came out with me to broaden his horizons," Jiang Xiangyun said with a smile.
"I see. The young masters of the Jiang family are indeed handsome and talented." Ning Shun had met Jiang Gu before and naturally knew that the young master in front of him looked very much like Jiang Gu. However, since Jiang Xiangyun didn't say much, he naturally wouldn't ask any more questions. He just glanced at the other person a few more times.
Ning Shun was accompanied by a large group of people. He said, "Patriarch Jiang, these people are all cultivators with water elemental roots and are quite skilled in water. Let them accompany you so that you can look after each other on the way."
"Thank you," Jiang Xiangyun said with a smile. "The Jiang family will surely repay this kindness from Patriarch Ning in the future."
“It’s nothing to mention,” Ning Shun said. “Master Jiang, please.”
The moment Jiang Gu entered the water with the others, he sensed a very familiar aura. He turned to look at the people Ning Shun had brought, but found nothing unusual.
"Seventh Brother, why must we come to this ruin?" Jiang Xiangyun released his divine sense to explore the surroundings, finding mostly broken walls and ruins, the main body of the temple long gone.
Jiang Gu said, "If what you said is true, Lu Liyu was struck by the divine power of the temple, causing her soul to be scattered and hidden in the tortoise shell. Later, she used the Fuluo flower to reshape her body and condense her soul. At that time, the two of you swapped bodies, and your souls have some remnants. If we can find some fragments to nourish each other's souls, the two of you may be saved."
Lu Liyu overheard this and the more she listened, the more something seemed off: "What do you mean we can both be saved?"
Jiang Gu glanced at him indifferently, and Jiang Xiangyun pulled him aside: "Come here, I'll tell you."
So Jiang Gu stopped paying attention to them and focused on searching for those extremely tiny fragments of souls. Too many people had died here, and finding the exact fragments was not easy. He concentrated on blocking out all his senses, closed his eyes, and searched in complete darkness.
Countless broken souls and the souls of the living shone like stars in the darkness, some bright like the moon and stars, others dim like fireflies. He wandered through this sea of scattered light and was caught off guard when he saw a small, warm, golden ray of light.
The aura was somewhat familiar, as if it shared the same origin as his own, yet it possessed subtle differences. He swam towards the golden light, initially judging it to be a fragment of a damaged primordial spirit. He then reached out, gathering a bit of spiritual energy at his fingertips to explore.
No, it's a living person.
He suddenly opened his eyes, all his senses returning instantly. He felt a warm touch on his fingertips and heard a strong heartbeat. A faint fragrance filled the air. His long silver hair swayed in the seawater and brushed against his cheeks. His silver-blue shark tail affectionately wrapped around his calves. The kite wings in the water slowly flapped, creating a current that enveloped him back into darkness.
Before he could react, the other person grasped his hand, leaned in, and placed an extremely gentle kiss on his lips, which then instantly turned into countless bubbles and disappeared.
A small box appeared in my palm.
He opened it, and inside the box lay quietly fragments of Lu Liyu and Jiang Xiangyun's souls.
There is also a crystal-clear, round, and soft luminous pearl.
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