Chapter 3 There are tall trees in the south
The man in black shook his head dismissively: "If it were an ordinary person, losing a few wisps of their soul might be enough to save them. But this Miss Biyao used the Love Spell to refine her own life essence, willingly forcing her soul into the Netherworld to obtain that heaven-defying power that rivals the Immortal Execution Sword. The Hehuan Bell only preserved one of her souls, which merely preserved her physical body. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth does indeed have the power to bring the dead back to life, but her soul is scattered and has entered the Netherworld. Relying solely on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is useless."
Qin Wuyan was unwilling to believe this explanation, yet he had no choice but to accept it, because Biyao indeed did not wake up despite the presence of spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
Seeing Qin Wuyan's skeptical expression, the man in black continued, "You must be wondering why I know so much!"
Qin Wuyan glanced at him, his handsome face revealing a deep, dark gaze filled with regret and sorrow for the past, yet tinged with a hint of relief and nostalgia. His soft voice echoed in the air: "During the time I spent with Linglong, I read many sorcery manuals, including various formations and soul-summoning techniques related to the underworld. You could say I learned almost all of Linglong's sorcery, but since I'm not human, some spells were beyond my reach. At the time, I didn't understand why it was necessary to imprison the soul in the underworld, why it was necessary to exchange something for it. Only later did I understand that everything has a cause and effect; whatever you gain, you must pay a price. There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
"Since you've only just come back to life, how do you know about Biyao blocking the Zhuxian Sword?"
"What you humans took back then was actually the essence blood left behind by Linglong. However, the Beast God at that time infused it with fierce and evil thoughts. The Ghost King then used Xiao Yicai to nourish the blood of the Beast God. Xiao Yicai actually became the host body for that other half of the fierce energy. Therefore, all his memories are naturally within the divine consciousness of the Beast God. I and that other half of the Beast God were originally transformed from the same body. All the memories he has, I will also have. Of course I know about all of your affairs."
After saying that, the man in black took a step closer to Qin Wuyan and continued with a half-smile, "I can see clearly your feelings for this girl as well."
Qin Wuyan was furious at his malicious smile. He raised an eyebrow and arrogantly retorted, "Xiao Yicai has had very little contact with me. He probably doesn't even know what kind of feelings I have for others, so what could you possibly know!"
"Really? I didn't learn that from Xiao Yicai's memories, but from the way you looked at that girl just now. Your gaze was so gentle and tender, so full of affection! It was truly so affectionate!"
"I..." Qin Wuyan paused for a moment when his thoughts were suddenly seen through by a stranger, but he reacted quickly and said with a contemptuous look in his eyes, "Since you are not human, how could you understand the emotions conveyed in the eyes of humans?"
The man in black couldn't help but burst into laughter, then said, "Fine! I'll let it go for the sake of our shared suffering. But this girl used the Love Curse, so it's one thing that she can't wake up, but now that a wisp of her soul is still in the human world, her soul in the underworld is incomplete. I'm afraid that even after enduring three lifetimes and seven reincarnations in the Netherworld, she will still be unable to be reincarnated as a human after a thousand years."
"What?" Qin Wuyan was shocked. Even after a thousand years, she couldn't be reincarnated as a human? Did Biyao have to stay in that dark and terrifying Netherworld for eternity?
“You are free to disbelieve me, after all, I am not a real person. These words are also without basis, merely deductions I made from ancient books.” Having said this, the man in black walked back to the camphor tree, then turned to Qin Wuyan and asked, “By the way, I only know this girl is called Biyao, so what is your name? In Xiao Yicai’s memory, there is indeed very little about you. We met by chance, and you know about me, so you should at least tell me your name!”
"My name is Qin Wuyan!" he said coldly.
Seeing his cold attitude, the man in black ignored him and instead looked tenderly at the lush, towering camphor tree. He then said, "Qin Wuyan, why don't you ask me what my name is?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Wuyan walked into the courtyard and chuckled, "A name is just a label! Besides, even if you have a name, you'll still be called the Beast God!"
"No, the Beast God was what those people who feared me called me back then. I didn't have a human body at that time, so they all thought of me as a monster. Actually, when Linglong created me, she gave me a very nice name, Qiao Nan."
He paused, a happy expression on his face, and continued, "She said the name came from a beautiful poem: 'There are tall trees in the south, but one cannot rest there.' But I am not human, destined not to follow human fate, so she reversed 'Nan Qiao' and called me 'Qiao Nan.' Perhaps she hoped to lessen the sins of this monster born against the heavens! ... Also, she really liked camphor trees, so she used the character 'Nan,' which sounds the same as 'Nan,' for my name!"
Qiao Nan reminisced about the past, a happy expression on her face. She continued, "Sometimes, when she was very happy, she would call out to me joyfully—'A-Nan, A-Nan!'"
Qin Wuyan listened quietly, seemingly infected by his emotions. He bent down to pick up a fallen nanmu leaf, then looked at Qiao Nan with great sympathy and said, "There are tall trees in the south, but one cannot rest there. Judging from the name Linglong gave you, it's impossible for you two to be together."
"You're talking nonsense!" Qiao Nan glared at him angrily. Even though he knew that what Qin Wuyan said was true, he still couldn't accept it deep down when he heard someone deny the slightest possibility between him and Linglong.
Qin Wuyan sneered, "There are tall trees in the south, but one cannot rest there. Do you know what the next line of that poem is?" He originally did not want to say it, but he could not stand this person's presumptuous behavior.
"I don't know, but so what?" Qiao Nan glared at him fiercely.
Qin Wuyan ignored him, figuring this person wasn't truly human, had never encountered human poetry and lyrics, and wouldn't understand the meaning of the verses. Looking at the black-clad man's eyes, which held both anticipation and fear of the truth, he swallowed the words that were about to come out.
The two remained silent for a long time.
"Then tell me, what is the next line of this poem? And what does it mean?" The man in black finally couldn't resist the curiosity that Qin Wuyan had piqued and couldn't help but ask.
Qin Wuyan had anticipated his reaction and chuckled smugly, “There are tall trees in the south, but I cannot rest there. There are maidens on the Han River, but I cannot pursue them. This poem originally tells the story of a man who fell in love with a goddess of the Han River, but the goddess had no feelings for him whatsoever. The distance between humans and gods is like heaven and earth, like the difference between clouds and mud. Just like you and Linglong, one is a human goddess, and the other is neither human nor beast, neither immortal nor demon. Linglong named you after this poem, which implicitly acknowledged that there was no good outcome between you two.” Although his tone was gentle and calm, every word was precious, like a sharp sword piercing Qiao Nan's body, causing him even more pain than Linglong's Eight Fiends Profound Fire Formation!
The man in black's eyes welled up with tears, and he muttered to himself, "There is a wandering maiden in Han, whom I cannot pursue... cannot... pursue... is that it?... Hahahaha... cannot pursue! Hahaha!" He suddenly burst into wild laughter, his expression shrill as he cried out, "Linglong, Linglong, since you never intended to give me even a shred of affection from the beginning, why did you create me in the first place?!"
Qin Wuyan looked at his face, contorted with pain, and shook his head with a sigh, thinking that this man was blinded by love. But when his gaze fell through the window onto Biyao lying in the room, the cold smile vanished, his brow furrowed, and his expression became melancholy. He had mocked others for becoming foolish and dull-witted because of love, but how clever was he himself? He had prided himself on living only for himself, on achieving great things, and not being like the foolish people of the world, unable to extricate themselves from the entanglements of love. Yet, in the end, his only wish before death was simply that Biyao could come back to life!
How is he any different from Qiao Nan?
A helpless, bitter smile appeared on Qin Wuyan's lips, it was unclear whether he was laughing at others or at himself!
A gentle breeze rustled through the camphor trees in the courtyard, and the sunlight softened, casting its lingering rays into the corners of the yard. Clearly, the sun was about to set.
After a bout of madness, Qiao Nan remained half-paralyzed, leaning against the nanmu tree with a vacant look in her eyes, appearing like a dead person at first glance!
Qin Wuyan felt that he was more pitiful than himself, but suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, why did you take Biyao away from Gui Li? She is just a sleeping person now, she can neither harm you nor help you in any way, so why did you take her away?"
He didn't know how to describe his feelings; the moment he saw Biyao, he was both surprised and delighted.
Ten years of love, a hundred years of journey; I cannot bear to sever this longing, nor can I bear to look back.
He hadn't seen her for ten years, a full ten years. For the past ten years, he had been at the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, often gazing towards the direction of the Ghost King Sect on Fox Ridge Mountain, playing his demon-controlling flute, playing the tune they had sung under the peach blossom tree. He recalled her voice, her smile, and her voice.
For the past ten years, every time he went to see Qinglong, after finishing his business, he longed to ask Qinglong to take him to that icy stone chamber to see her, even just for a glimpse! But as proud as he was, even in front of Qinglong, he found it difficult to ask. Moreover, apart from Guili, the Ghost King never allowed anyone else to enter that icy stone chamber easily; even Youji and Qinglong had to ask the Ghost King's permission to visit. Everyone knew that Guili had traveled the world to revive Biyao, but no one knew that there was another person who had also searched far and wide for ancient books and secret methods, hoping for a glimmer of hope to revive Biyao.
He never dared to hope that Biyao could have any feelings for him. He just wanted her to live well in this world. He just wanted to protect her for the rest of her life. That's all!
Qiao Nan was stunned for a long time and did not reply.
Qin Wuyan walked up to him, knowing that if he wanted him to speak, he had to give him a glimmer of hope. So he softened his tone and smiled as he comforted him, saying, "Actually, I think Linglong wasn't entirely without feelings for you, otherwise she wouldn't have used her magic to make you a human before she died."
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light flashed in Qiao Nan's empty eyes, but it quickly dimmed again. He knew that Qin Wuyan was only saying this out of pity. He sighed softly, then leaned against the camphor tree to his feet, swaying unsteadily, and walked step by step into the side room. Qin Wuyan, not knowing what he was going to do, followed him and asked:
"Why did you take Biyao away? Answer me!"
“Because she’s useful to me!” Qiao Nan finally spoke as he entered the room. He was about to walk to Bi Yao’s bedside when Qin Wuyan blocked his way. “What are you doing?” His tone was cold and hard, not allowing anyone to get close.
Qiao Nan sneered, "Gui Li and Lu Xueqi were in the Demon Suppression Cave at the time. If Bi Yao hadn't survived, they wouldn't have left the Demon Suppression Cave anytime soon. But I wanted to stay by Linglong's side! I didn't want anyone to bother me. Although I don't want to kill anyone right now, I don't like anyone getting close to Linglong. That's why I used a scheme to take Bi Yao away, so that they could leave the Demon Suppression Cave."
Qiao Nan smiled at Qin Wuyan and said, "Actually, you should thank me, shouldn't you?"
"Hmph!" Qin Wuyan glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned to look at Biyao, who was sleeping peacefully.
"Biyao..." he called softly, knowing she wouldn't wake up, but still as if afraid of disturbing her.
"It seems you are also deeply in love with her!"
Qiao Nan's voice rang out again from behind. Qin Wuyan glanced at him coldly, his voice tinged with anger: "It's none of your business!"
"Then you should at least help me get rid of the poison!" Qiao Nan didn't want to expose others' secrets; he just wanted to get back to Linglong's side as soon as possible.
Upon hearing this, Qin Wuyan took out a small bottle from his waist and handed him a pill.
After taking the antidote, Qiao Nan calmed down and thought for a moment before saying, "Actually, you don't need to be so determined to wake her up. The best thing for her now is to send one of the souls in this Hehuan Bell to the Netherworld so that her soul can be reunited. That way, she can be reincarnated as a human at least a thousand years later. Otherwise, she will be trapped in the Netherworld for eternity and will never be able to be reborn."
Qiao Nan's words struck Qin Wuyan like a thunderbolt. He hurriedly stood up and shook his head firmly, saying, "No, if she loses this wisp of her soul, wouldn't she be unable to even preserve her physical body?"
Qiao Nan said coldly, "What good is preserving her physical body? If she doesn't wake up, it's no different from being dead."
"You!..." Qin Wuyan refused to accept the facts he presented, insisting, "I will definitely find a way to wake her up!"
"Oh? What method can you find?" Qiao Nan smiled faintly, deeply feeling that Qin Wuyan was no different from him; both were pitiful people who loved but could not be loved in return!
Qin Wuyan looked at Biyao with unwavering determination and said earnestly, "Even if we can't find her now, as long as I live, I will never give up on saving her!"
Qiao Nan sighed softly and said, "Fine, considering that we are in the same boat, I do have a way to both reunite her soul and preserve her physical body. However, my method can only last for seven days, and..." He lowered his head and stopped speaking.
"And what? Tell me!" Qin Wuyan asked anxiously.
"To allow her soul to be reunited, the soul within the Hehuan Bell must be sent to the Netherworld. Although I have a human body, I do not possess a human soul. Therefore, all I can do is open the barrier of the Netherworld and preserve her physical body for seven days and seven nights! As for the soul..." Qiao Nan paused, then looked at Qin Wuyan, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
Qin Wuyan immediately understood the implied meaning in his words. Clearly, this was a scheme from beginning to end. He did not believe that anyone could help others without expecting anything in return, especially since the person in front of him was not even human.
Qin Wuyan's expression turned serious, his voice carrying a sense of oppression: "Speak up, why don't you continue? You'd better tell me directly what you want to do? What is your purpose? What is your whole plan?"
Qiao Nan was stunned for a moment. With just a few words, he had to admire the intelligence of the person in front of him. He was able to see that Qiao Nan had come prepared for everything. This was indeed a plan that Qiao Nan had come up with after being trapped in the stone statue for so many years. However, Qiao Nan was not human and had no soul, so he could not enter the underworld. Therefore, he needed to find someone to help him.
Now that Qin Wuyan had seen through his plan so easily, he couldn't help but worry. If he revealed his plan, would Qin Wuyan really help him?
After much deliberation, Qiao Nan finally spoke, "I can protect her physical body for seven days. You go into the Netherworld, and as long as you bring her soul back to the mortal realm within those seven days, she can come back to life!" Seeing Qin Wuyan's suspicious expression, Qiao Nan continued, "I admit that this method does have its own motives, but it can indeed save Miss Biyao. This is beneficial to both of us, isn't it?"
Qin Wuyan looked at him with suspicion. He pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Then why did you come to me? You just said that you escaped from the Demon-Suppressing Cave. Why didn't you tell Gui Li about that?"
"Tell him? So you're going to give him this chance to be the hero and save the damsel in distress?" Qiao Nan immediately seized on Qin Wuyan's weakness and asked back.
Qin Wuyan was stunned. Yes, Biyao was right beside him. Was he really going to send her back to Guili? Besides, Guili was currently entangled with Lu Xueqi. Could he really wholeheartedly protect and safeguard Biyao?
Qin Wuyan solemnly said, "Then tell me clearly. Although the real purpose of your plan is definitely not to save Biyao, since you say this method can really save her, I am willing to give it a try!" He had made up his mind to go all out and give it a shot!
"Alright! I'll be frank with you. I'm avoiding Gui Li because of the Xuanhuo Mirror he possesses. Linglong used the Xuanhuo Mirror to deal with me. Although I've now taken on a human form, my original body is formed from the malevolent energy of heaven and earth, and that can't be changed. Even if Gui Li doesn't target me, the Xuanhuo Mirror will trigger the array that Linglong set up if I get close to it. As for why I took Biyao away, it's because her Heartbreak Flower is useful to me."
Qin Wuyan asked, "What do you need this Heartbreak Flower for?"
"Don't underestimate this Heartbreak Flower. Although it was crafted by the Ghost King, it was born because he infused it with his true love for his wife and daughter, and gathered the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Since ancient times, true love has been rare in both the Yin and Yang realms. Therefore, when the Yang energy is abundant in the human world, the Heartbreak Flower's spiritual energy is mostly used by humans. However, in the underworld, the spiritual energy it contains, under the impact of the Yin energy, will cause the petals to grow. Each new petal that grows and falls off signifies that a day has passed in the human world. So you can use it to keep track of time when you enter the underworld. Furthermore, Miss Biyao is the owner of this Heartbreak Flower and a descendant of the Celestial Fox Clan. This flower also embodies the true love of the Celestial Fox Clan and is not afraid of the ghostly energy of the underworld. I need you to use a petal of the Heartbreak Flower to help me collect the Netherworld Blood from the underworld. It can help me replace Linglong's stone statue with a human body."
"It seems you've planned everything all along!"
“For thousands of years! I have been looking forward to this day every moment. Although I have also become a stone statue, my consciousness is still there, but Linglong has already died. However, her soul is completely imprisoned in the stone statue by herself. As long as we use the blood of the underworld to rebuild her body and then introduce her soul into her body, she will definitely be able to come back to life.” Qiao Nan said, with an excited expression on her face.
"However, Linglong has already placed a death ban here, so my spells cannot be used here."
Qiao Nan saw that everything in the room was perfectly arranged and knew that this was the death seal that Linglong had set up to prevent the place from being destroyed. This place held the most beautiful times they had spent together, and he did not want to destroy it.
"Where can the magic array be set up?"
"The Demon-Suppressing Cave is the best place to cast spells."
"We should hurry and head to the Demon-Suppressing Cave!" Qin Wuyan was somewhat anxious. For some reason, he deeply believed Qiao Nan's words and wanted to venture into the underworld as soon as possible to bring back Bi Yao's soul.
“Alright, as for every step after entering the underworld, I will explain it to you in detail on the way. Let’s take Miss Biyao to the Demon-Suppressing Cave first!” Qiao Nan was also a little impatient. The thought of Linglong coming back to life filled him with joy and excitement.
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