Chapter 71 Cenotaph
With just this one sentence, Cheng Yuan finally stopped struggling.
Chu Jianshan raised his hand, and the first lightning strike hit him. Almost instantly, the pain and numbness spread throughout his body. Cheng Yuan felt that all the pain was concentrated in his heart, as if something was about to break through and grow in his flesh and blood.
"Master..."
He knelt on the ground and slowly crawled toward Chu Jianshan, not knowing what he was hoping for.
But the barrier flickered again, then a second, a third, a fourth...
Chu Jianshan didn't even give him a moment to catch his breath, unwilling to listen to a single word he said.
After thirty rounds, Cheng Yuan's consciousness was no longer clear. He could only rely on his bodily memory to try to stand up and touch the man in blue in his blurry vision.
He forced an awkward smile from the corner of his mouth: "Master... why go through all this trouble? Why not just do it all at once?"
Chu Jianshan stood still, his hand trembling slightly in his sleeve: "Rotten wood cannot be carved."
Just as Cheng Yuan said, the barrier began to accumulate energy, and dozens of lightning bolts slowly converged. He knelt on the spot, looked up through the barrier at the horizon.
Dark clouds covered the sun, obscuring the sky; it was hardly a good day. Occasionally, a few lone crows would fly by, then land on bare branches, flapping their wings a couple of times.
This scene inexplicably reminded him of that night in Qingyao City, when Chu Jianshan ran over and threw himself into his arms under the withered branches by the lake. He wished he could imprint that warm touch on his heart and never forget it for the rest of his life.
He was wrong, terribly wrong.
A white light flashed, and Lei Xing arrived in response. Cheng Yuan slowly closed his eyes, and scalding water droplets slid down his cheeks to his neck, it was hard to tell if they were blood or tears.
Zheng—
Before Lei Xing arrived, Fang Lan Sword was there, but unfortunately it didn't stop him much. Most of it still passed through Fang Lan and went straight into Cheng Yuan's body.
"Cheng Yuan—!!"
Bai Qianfan tried to rush over, but was stopped by the others. He could only watch helplessly as Cheng Yuan took the blow, his body flying out of the barrier, leaving the ground covered in blood.
Li Xi was furious: "Bai Qianfan! You've openly disrupted the execution! Are you trying to make an enemy of Changjin Mountain?!"
Bai Qianfan's chest heaved as he gasped for breath: "Master Li, that's enough."
Chu Jianshan lowered his eyes and remained silent, his gaze fixed on the person below the execution platform, as if someone had grabbed his neck and he couldn't breathe.
Suddenly, he loudly proclaimed to the crowd: "Cheng Yuan, a disciple of Changjin Mountain, has violated the sect rules, colluded with treacherous officials, and plotted to harm the sect leader's wife. Therefore, he is hereby expelled from Changjin Mountain today."
His servants understood and dragged Cheng Yuan to the cliff edge near the execution ground. The original words were "expelled from Changjin Mountain," so naturally they wouldn't politely invite him down the mountain; throwing him off here meant his survival was a matter of fate.
When Cheng Yuan reached the edge of the cliff, he was still somewhat conscious. Looking down from there, all he could see were layers of clouds and mist, and a feeling of relief suddenly welled up in his heart.
“This…” Jiang Yan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: “It seems that the hundred lightning strikes have not yet been completed.”
Li Xi, who was next to him, bowed and said, "Yes, there are fifty left."
Everyone looked at Chu Jianshan, but Chu Jianshan had no intention of continuing to torture him. Instead, he raised his hand and drew the Liuyin Sword, aiming it at Cheng Yuan.
The moment Cheng Yuan looked at him, he knew what he was going to do. This sword strike was probably to block Chu Qinglan's sword strike and to vent the hatred in his heart.
He was already seriously injured and there was no way he could avoid it. He was willing to pay the price, but why... did it have to be the Flowing Sound Sword?
This sword was given to him by Chu Jianshan on his tenth birthday. He was overjoyed and hugged Chu Jianshan tightly, saying that no one would ever bully him again for not having a spirit sword.
His pleas were useless; Chu Jianshan still thrust his sword at Liu Yin, who always listened to him.
Cheng Yuan's body was pierced by a sword. He lost his balance and staggered backward, falling into a bottomless abyss behind him. He felt no pain, only the whistling wind in his ears and Bai Qianfan's last scream.
After a long silence, a voice suddenly rang out: "Then what about the remaining fifty...?"
Bai Qianfan was almost exhausted, her eyes red as she glared at Li Xi: "If he falls from here, what are his chances of survival? He's already in this state and you still don't intend to let him go? Are you planning to find his corpse and drag it back to continue torturing him?!"
Li Xi was about to explain, but Chu Jianshan interrupted him: "The remaining fifty dishes are for me."
Jiang Yan frowned slightly and asked, "Junior brother, what do you mean by this? You have never made any mistakes."
"Yes..." Chu Jianshan was unsteady on his feet, his voice barely audible: "I was wrong..."
Everyone was puzzled and looked at each other blankly, but Li Xi suddenly became understanding and smiled gently: "It's just that you didn't teach your disciple well, it's not a big mistake, why did you have to do this, Immortal Venerable Chu?"
"Or... does the Immortal Venerable have some compelling reason to punish him?"
“Yes,” Chu Jianshan admitted, “I have made a grave mistake, going against reason and disregarding human ethics.”
Li Xi raised an eyebrow, anticipating what astonishing mistake he might make.
Chu Jianshan lowered his eyes: "I and Cheng Yuan... master and disciple [illegible]".
"you……!"
Li Xi was so shocked that she couldn't speak. Even though she had prepared herself mentally, the news still left her stunned.
Jiang Yan seemed to be furious. She tried her best to suppress her anger and said to Chu Jianshan, "Junior brother is probably confused. Someone, take him back to rest."
Chu Jianshan dismissed the crowd, knelt down, and said word by word, "I have been with Cheng Yuan for half a year. He is still young and does not understand love. I seduced him. Now that he has done such a thing, it is also because I have failed to teach him properly. I... am not worthy to be a teacher. Therefore, I beg the sect leader to allow me to accept the punishment."
"How could such a master and disciple pair come from Changjin Mountain?"
"It's... absolutely disgusting."
"How could two men...!"
"I had no idea that Immortal Chu had homosexual tendencies. I used to think he was a man of high moral character."
The foul language kept reaching Chu Jianshan's ears, but he didn't react. Jiang Yan, however, couldn't save face and pointed at Chu Jianshan's nose, yelling, "You...you're crazy! How could you do something like this! Not only did you do it, but you even had the guts to say it! You want to be punished, huh? Fine, I'll grant your wish!"
Jiang Yan, furious, turned and left. Chu Jianshan kowtowed in his direction and shouted, "Thank you, Sect Leader, for granting my request!"
Bai Qianfan closed his eyes tightly, unwilling to look any longer. Many of the surrounding disciples dispersed, but some remained, eager to watch the spectacle, their faces sneer as they stared intently at Chu Jianshan.
Chu Jianshan raised his hand, and fifty lightning strikes condensed into one, ready to be unleashed.
Bai Qianfan's eyes widened. He knew it was too late to stop him. He understood that Chu Jianshan's purpose in doing this was nothing more than self-punishment, trying to use pain to cover up his guilt.
But as Chu Jianshan coughed up a mouthful of blood, Bai Qianfan realized something was wrong. With Chu Jianshan's spiritual power, he shouldn't have been able to hold on so quickly.
"Chu Jianshan!" He rushed over, supporting Chu Jianshan's body, and began to have doubts in his heart, so he placed his hand on Chu Jianshan's pulse.
"What...what did you do?!" Bai Qianfan exclaimed in shock, "How come your cultivation has decreased so much?!"
Chu Jianshan remained silent, and Bai Qianfan understood what was going on. Suppressing her anger, she muttered under her breath, "You really are a madman!"
This was the last sentence Chu Jianshan heard before he fainted. For the next two months, he lived in a state between sleep and wakefulness, and the voice he heard most often was Bai Qianfan's voice. Unfortunately, he was not in his right mind and could not hear clearly.
He woke up completely on a bright, sunny afternoon. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw someone sitting at the tea table. The sun was so bright that it blurred his vision. He subconsciously called out softly, "A-Yuan...?"
"Awake?" Bai Qianfan walked over and habitually took his pulse. "It's good. Your body is gradually recovering. If you hadn't woken up, I would have started to doubt my medical skills."
Chu Jianshan realized he had called the wrong person, lowered his eyes and said nothing more, his eyelashes trembling as if he were recalling something.
"Alright," Bai Qianfan advised him, "It's all in the past, there's no need to keep dwelling on it."
"Speaking of which, aren't you curious about how Cheng Yuan is doing? You haven't asked him a single question since he woke up. That's not like you."
When Cheng Yuan was mentioned, Chu Jianshan showed a barely perceptible reaction, trying to speak, but his throat was hoarse and sore.
Bai Qianfan understood and poured him a glass of water. The warm tea soothed his throat, easing the stinging sensation.
Chu Jianshan asked, "Has he returned to Linyi Gate?"
Bai Qianfan raised an eyebrow: "Oh, so confident? What did you use to exchange for it?"
Chu Jianshan didn't want to talk and turned over to lie down again.
"It's no use running away. You think you can hide it from me?" Bai Qianfan listed his crimes one by one: "Locking Cheng Yuan in the Heavenly Prison and not letting anyone send him any news was to prevent him from committing suicide for you; uttering harsh words to him was to make him completely break with you and never come back; only fifty lightning strikes to expel him from Changjin Mountain were all to let him live with hatred; and you scattered most of your cultivation. If I'm not mistaken, you should have given it all to Cheng Yuan. I don't know how you gave it to him, but you're so confident that he's not dead, so you must have guessed that Linyi Sect would save him; and you publicly revealed the affair between master and disciple to make everyone point the finger at you so that Cheng Yuan could catch his breath."
"You know him so well, yet you use all of that as leverage to scheme against him. I really don't know what to say to you."
Chu Jianshan buried his head in the blanket, his voice weak and listless: "Bai Qianfan, you're really long-winded."
Bai Qianfan rolled her eyes: "Fine, fine, I'll stop nagging. Don't you want to know what happened after Cheng Yuan arrived at Linyi Gate?"
Chu Jianshan remained silent and turned back over.
Bai Qianfan was silent for a moment, then said, "Qiao Yi... has abdicated."
Chu Jianshan gripped the corner of the blanket tightly, remaining silent for a moment. With Qiao Yi abdicating, it was easy to imagine who would be the first to succeed him.
At this crucial moment when the battle between Changjin Mountain and Linyi Gate was raging, Qiao Yi's decision to abdicate at this time would be detrimental in every way, unless he never intended for Linyi Gate to win the battle in the first place.
“Bai Qianfan,” Chu Jianshan suddenly spoke up, “I think I… know who Qiao Yi is.”
Bai Qianfan was completely confused: "Qiao Yi, isn't it just Qiao Yi? Who else could it be?"
Chu Jianshan lowered his eyes: "It's a long story, I'll tell you later, about my older sister..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Bai Qianfan understood and continued, "The sect leader's wife has been buried in the maple forest behind the mountain. The sect leader ordered that no one is allowed to disturb her. A cenotaph has also been set up. You can go and take a look when you have time."
Chu Jianshan nodded and then asked, "What about Ji Shi?"
Ji Shi was terrified when Chu Qinglan died, and he doesn't know how she is now.
Bai Qianfan said, "His condition is not very good now. He guards the tomb of the Lady every day. At first, Lin Mumu was still there, which could comfort him to some extent. But after the incident in Qingyao City, she had no reason to stay in Changjin Mountain any longer."
Chu Jianshan asked, "Qingyao City? What could possibly happen there?"
"They said there was a murder, and Linyimen said they sent people to investigate, but in reality they half-surrounded the area. The north of the city is okay, but the south of the city is almost entirely Linyimen's territory."
Bai Qianfan said, "Alright, don't worry about that for now. Don't run around these next few days, and focus on getting better."
Chu Jianshan nodded obediently.
It's impossible for him not to wander off.
As evening approached and he was able to get out of bed a little, Chu Jianshan left the Sleepless Abode.
He only went to Chu Qinglan's cenotaph; he didn't dare go to his older sister's grave. With a younger brother like him, he had caused her a lot of worry while she was alive, so let her have some peace after she's dead.
The cenotaph was set up in the back mountain of Tinglan Pavilion, in a quiet forest, a rather elegant environment.
Chu Jianshan squatted down, reached out and touched the stone tablet in front of him, his finger lingering on the three characters "Chu Qinglan" for a long time.
"Chu Jianshan?" someone called from behind him.
Chu Jianshan turned around and saw Ji Shi.
He carried many offerings in his hands. After offering incense and bowing several times to Chu Qinglan, he dared to look up at Chu Jianshan. However, he didn't know what to say. In just over two months, they had become like strangers.
Finally, Chu Jianshan spoke first, asking him, "Why don't you go to the maple forest?"
Chu Qinglan's real tomb is there, and Ji Shi hasn't done anything wrong. As long as we talk to Jiang Yan, there's no reason not to let people in.
Ji Shi lowered his head, fiddling with his sleeves, stammering for a long time without uttering a single word.
Chu Jianshan hit the nail on the head: "What are you blaming yourself for?"
Ji Shi stopped what he was doing, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "That day, I could have blocked that sword."
Chu Jianshan asked, "What do you mean?"
"That's right... Ah... When Cheng Yuan's sword came at me, I could have blocked it, but my sword wasn't with me. Even if I had shielded my master's wife with my body, she wouldn't have..."
"But I hesitated..."
A gentle breeze swept between the two, and the burnt incense ash broke off and fell silently.
“It’s not your fault,” Chu Jianshan said to him. “It’s not that you’re afraid of death, it’s just your instinctive reaction when faced with danger. Your sister won’t blame you.”
“I know it all in my heart…” Ji Shi lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, as if he was holding back a sob: “But that’s why I regret it even more. What good would it do for someone as worthless as me to die? Now that my master’s wife is dead, so many people will suffer because of this, and I can’t face my master and Asheng.”
Chu Jianshan patted his shoulder: "Pain is not measured by quantity. If it were you who died that day, I would be just as sad."
"Don't cry," Chu Jianshan tried to ease the atmosphere: "You're going to be a great hero in the future, and great heroes can't cry easily."
Ji Shi nodded, barely managing to stop the tears that were about to spill from her eyes.
Chu Jianshan asked, "By the way, what about Asheng? How is she?"
Ji Shi wiped away her tears: "She is being taken care of by her master. After her master's wife died, she fell seriously ill and hasn't left the house for a long time."
Chu Jianshan was worried when he heard this. His older sister was already gone, and he couldn't let anything happen to Asheng. He turned to leave, but Ji Shi stopped him.
"If you're going to see Ah Sheng, then maybe you shouldn't... Master... he said he doesn't want to see you."
Chu Jianshan lowered his eyes and remained silent. He had guessed this outcome from the day his relationship with Cheng Yuan was made public. Fortunately, he was somewhat prepared.
Seeing that Chu Jianshan remained silent, Ji Shi grew anxious and asked him in a low voice, "Are you and him... really together?"
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