Chapter 11 The Moon Is Not Seen: "What I've always wanted is freedom and wholeness..."
“A few days ago, the Demon Lord of Qiushui Town reappeared, and she once again beheaded him. Do you not know how strong she is now? You actually tried to test her in the Grand Competition. That's one thing, but you didn't even choose someone smarter, so she could have seen through you at a glance. How can this Grand Competition even be held?”
Inside the main hall of the Nanheng Sect, the late-arriving Tianyan Sect Master was furious upon learning about today's cultivation competition.
The Sect Master of Nanheng sat in the main seat, smiling broadly. "What are you afraid of? Aren't we just here to see how strong she is without Chen Jian?"
The Heavenly Evolution Sect Master sneered, "Did you find out? What could you possibly find out by finding a disciple like that?"
The Nanheng Sect Master frowned. "Why are you so short-tempered today? You don't have the demeanor of the former Tianyan Sect Master, Sect Master Mu."
He scoffed, "Of course I'm not as good as her, but no matter how strong she was, didn't she still perish because she was plagued by inner demons?"
Hearing the disdain in his words, Qingwu, who was originally sitting to the side, looked up and threw the teacup in her hand away.
The Sect Master of Tianyan was already angry, and when he saw the man throw the teacup at him, he dodged it to the side, which only fueled his anger. "Qingwu, what's wrong with you now!"
Qingwu looked at him coldly, his natal sword Yuehua hovering beside him, as if it would be drawn from its sheath at any moment.
The Sect Master of Tianyan suddenly fell silent. He muttered to himself, "Is it really necessary to make such a fuss over just mentioning her?"
The Nanheng Sect Master glanced at him and thought that this person was even worse than the Beiyue Sect Master, whose temper had become exceptionally volatile due to his cultivation techniques.
She began, "Ten years have passed, and she is still investigating why the Demon Realm seal was broken back then. She has even come to suspect us. It's not a relationship where we can coexist peacefully."
...
Fu Yunyao preferred quiet, and the residence arranged for her by the Nanheng Sect was quiet and secluded, far away from disciples of other sects.
So when she returned to her residence and saw the people in the courtyard, she was filled with surprise.
Wen Ci looked at her, her cool eyebrows curving slightly, "I'm waiting for you."
Fu Yunyao's expression shifted slightly, and she finally spoke, "I don't understand."
This was their first conversation in so many years. Wen Ci spoke up, "I don't understand either, why we've become like this."
Fu Yunyao lowered her eyes, feeling bored. She disliked this kind of small talk and had no intention of discussing their relationship with him. If it weren't for finding the person who broke the seal of the Demon Realm back then, she wouldn't even be here.
She walked into the courtyard and was about to go back to her room.
"Yun Yao," Wen Ci called out to her, "We never doubted you about what happened back then. Ten years have passed, ten years since we met. Can we... really never go back?"
Fu Yunyao's fingertips landed on the door. She composed herself, turned around, and looked down at him from the steps. "We can't go back."
Wen Ci was slightly taken aback. "Why?"
Fu Yunyao did not answer. She pushed open the door and then closed it in front of him.
The furnishings inside were simple yet familiar. She frowned; it wasn't her imagination after all. This courtyard was laid out exactly the same as her residence in the Kunwu Sect.
But... in this courtyard, there will never again be that smiling figure in green.
Of course, there's no going back.
"Liao Liao." The boy sat by the window and called her softly. The red ribbon in his hair fluttered in the evening breeze. If you looked closely, you would find that his figure seemed illusory.
As a young boy, Fu Yusheng loved red clothes. If he wore plain clothes, he would always have a touch of red on him, such as a red gauze belt hanging from his waist, red plum blossoms on his sleeves, or a red hair ribbon at the tip of his hair.
Therefore, when people in the cultivation world first saw him, they all felt that he was spirited, arrogant and unrestrained.
Fu Yunyao sat down at the table without responding.
The boy wasn't annoyed and spoke again, "Are you angry with me again?"
Fu Yunyao took off her bamboo hat, revealing her neck, which was tightly wrapped in white gauze.
"Liao Liao," the boy called again, the last syllable slightly drawn out, "Are you really ignoring me?"
She rested her chin on one hand, while toying with the jade pendant that sealed the soul of a demon god in the other.
The boy's voice kept coming, "I miss you so much, Liao Liao."
Fu Yunyao sighed softly, "Let it go."
The boy, who had been calling her name, paused, as if he were somewhat conflicted. His figure became sometimes real and sometimes ethereal, and finally turned into a blur before falling into the sword of dust.
The room fell silent again. Fu Yunyao fastened the jade pendant back to her waist and examined the Rangchen sword placed to one side.
The sword gleamed, and a strand of spiritual energy wrapped around her wrist in a flattering manner.
"You miss him?"
After pondering for a moment, Fu Yunyao finally came to a conclusion.
Since Fu Yusheng's fall in the South China Sea ten years ago, the Dust Sword has occasionally conjured up a phantom image of him. The spirit sword is connected to its master's lifeline and can sense the master's emotions. The spirit sword, possessing intelligence, will even try to please its master.
But she didn't think she would want to see that person again, so she could only let the Dust Sword think of its former master.
"Next time you miss him, don't transform into his true form in front of me."
Fu Yunyao spoke again, thinking that since it was a spirit sword that had gained sentience, its emotions could not be suppressed.
As soon as she finished speaking, the spiritual energy attached to her wrist stopped.
Fu Yunyao sensed its hesitation, and her brow furrowed slightly. "Never mind," she thought, "why bother getting angry at a spirit sword?"
"If you like it, then so be it."
The spiritual energy of the Dust Sword once again wrapped around her wrist, gently as if caressing the Dust Restriction on her wrist.
The room was silent. In a daze, she thought of Wen Ci's question to her: "Can't we go back?"
"Their emotions are so complicated. They seem to care about me a lot, but they can't let go of the barrier between us. I clearly said that I killed Wanyin. I wasn't under control. I killed her while I was fully conscious."
"Does it matter why she died or why I killed her?"
"They seem very sad because of her death... We were once close friends who could entrust each other with everything, so why do I feel no sadness at all?"
“They were angry and disappointed because of my indifference, but she became a demon and wanted to kill me, so I killed her. Isn’t that fair?”
"They want to know everything that happened that day. What can I say? As Wanyin's life faded away, all the demonic energy on her body also disappeared. Even if I told them, who would believe me?"
"Shi Yubai said I was cold-hearted and heartless, so what does it mean to be loyal and righteous?"
"Do we want to be like them, swept away by our emotions?"
"Could it be like... him, willing to give up one's life for others?"
As Fu Yunyao spoke, her eyebrows curved slightly, "Then it's better to be ruthless and heartless."
When she wasn't paying attention, the illusory afterimage reappeared by the window, quietly keeping her company.
Fu Yunyao's voice held a faint smile, "None of that matters anymore. I've already gotten what I wanted. I don't want to be trapped in complicated emotions."
She was trapped in the forbidden area of Yaotai Realm for ten years, from the age of five when she first entered Yaotai Realm to the age of fifteen, a full ten years.
Within the forbidden area, her only companions were the spirit tablets glowing red, the ever-shining patterns of the protective barrier, and the endlessly flowing red liquid in the water trough on the ground.
She never saw the woman who had gently embraced her that day again, and the spirit sword on the altar also disappeared one day.
The strange patterns on her wrists allowed her to not need to eat or sleep.
But she thought she needed to remember the time, so she forced herself to fall asleep at a certain time. Relying on this almost instinctive biological clock, she recorded every day and night she was trapped.
She kept trying to find an exit, but was bounced back by a pre-set array when she touched the cave entrance.
An invisible array separated two worlds: outside, there was bright spring sunshine, while she was trapped in a damp and dark place.
A spring breeze swept by, bringing with it a broken branch of crabapple blossom.
She thought of the old monk who had been her only family before she was five years old. During those five years, he would always practice swordsmanship in the courtyard with his jet-black sword in hand.
She picked up the branch, which still had some crabapple blossoms clinging to it.
Using the crabapple branch, she learned the sword techniques from the people in her memory and broke the formation that had trapped her for ten years.
The crabapple blossoms fell from the branches, along with the constantly falling frost, and even the surrounding trees and flowers were covered with a layer of frost.
She stood at the boundary between the forbidden area and the outside world, the bright spring sunshine falling on her once again, the spring breeze brushing the stray hairs on her face, and the hem of her dress swaying slightly.
She left the branch behind and slowly walked down the mountain without looking back.
She thought that what had trapped her for ten years was nothing more than a small cave.
She remembered what the old monk had told her: "The past is over, there's no need to recall it."
She knew it perfectly well.
"All I've ever wanted is to be free and complete."
Recalling that memory, Fu Yunyao smiled and said, "Look, how can someone like me be trapped in...useless emotions again?"
The Dust Sword emitted a resounding hum, and behind her, the illusory afterimage silently watched her, just like Fu Yusheng many years ago.
...
As the moon rose above the treetops, Song Anran knocked on Fu Yusheng's door. There was no response from inside, and he was startled, so he quickly pushed the door open.
The house was empty and deserted, as if no one had ever lived there.
"Strange, where could Senior Brother be going so late?"
The senior brother he mentioned is currently in the forbidden area of the Nanheng Sect.
Even when sneaking into the forbidden areas of other sects at night, he still wore a plain dress that was particularly conspicuous at night, with red plum blossoms embroidered on the sleeves, making the already difficult-to-conceal clothes even more eye-catching.
In a side hall on the back mountain of the forbidden area of the Nanheng Sect.
There were no guards outside the forbidden area, but there were quite a few barriers set up. After dodging another array, Fu Yusheng finally found his destination.
Dark red patterns were engraved on the stone walls surrounding the hall, and even the patterns on the floor glowed red. Red liquid kept flowing in the arc-shaped water tank on the floor, surrounding the central altar.
It was a familiar scene; he had seen it before in the Linglang Secret Realm. However, this time, there was only an altar, and nothing was on it.
As Fu Yusheng was pondering this, another sound came from outside the hall. He looked around, intending to hide behind a stone pillar to the side, but paused when he heard familiar footsteps.
He raised his eyebrows and turned around. Sure enough, he saw that familiar figure in white.
Perhaps for the sake of convenience, she no longer wore the veil, and the face he had longed for appeared before him.
She still looks like she's seventeen, with gentle eyes and a seemingly tender demeanor, yet nothing seems to stir her emotions.
They looked at each other amidst the forbidden patterns that filled the hall.
A note from the author:
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