Chapter 53. Like a little Bodhisattva.
"May I offer myself to you?" The boy's voice was clear and bright, his ears were clearly red, but there was not a trace of shyness in his words.
Before Meng Chiwan could speak, he heard his younger sister, whom he had placed to the side, speak softly, seemingly speechless: "Brother, I saved you, not you. If anyone should repay you with their body, it should be me. What are you getting so worked up about?"
Then, Meng Chiwan heard her younger sister say, her eyes sparkling, "Sister, can I repay you with my body?"
Meng Chiwan: I don't know how to put it, I'm just speechless.
But she didn't make it too obvious to the two people, one big and one small, and said to the big one in a nonchalant tone, "No."
She smiled gently at the younger one and said in the most tender way, "No, you can't. You need to grow up a bit more before you can meet someone you truly like."
The boy, who was being treated differently, glanced resentfully at his younger sister, then said to Meng Chiwan with a gentle expression, "Miss, please excuse my behavior. This is a family tradition."
Meng Chiwan was stunned, somewhat confused.
The little girl broke free from the boy's hand and said excitedly, "I like you, sister! Father said that when you meet someone you like, you should take the initiative. Fate is something you have to fight for!"
Meng Chiwan was a little unsure what to say, so she asked, "What does 'family tradition' mean?"
The boy lowered his head and blushed.
Before the boy could speak, the little girl said, "A girl saved my father back then, and my father insisted on repaying her with his body. Later, that girl became my mother."
Meng Chiwan nodded helplessly: "...Your family...is quite interesting."
Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, the young man spoke up: “Miss, my name is Wei Jiyu, and my younger sister is Wei Lezhi. We are from the Wei family. If you need any help, please feel free to ask our Wei family for assistance. However, if you can join the Immortal Alliance, you will become my junior sister. If you need anything, you can come to Canglan Peak to find me.”
Meng Chiwan shook her head: "It was just a small favor, nothing to mention, and you don't need to repay me."
Wei Jiyu shook his head solemnly and said, "It may be a small matter for you, but it is a big deal for our Wei family. Besides, you are injured."
As he spoke, he took out a bunch of wound medicines from his storage bag and handed them to her. Just by looking at those small porcelain bottles, you could tell they were quite expensive.
Looking at the boy's earnest face, Meng Chiwan suddenly chuckled softly, "Then I'll remember that. If you need help, seek out the Wei family. But I have a question I'd like to ask."
Wei Jiyu said, "Please speak, young lady."
"My name is Meng Chiwan, you can just call me Chiwan. I would like to ask why high-level magical beasts appear in the initiation trial? Was it designed that way, or did something unexpected happen?" Meng Chiwan looked puzzled.
When Wei Jiyu heard her softly say her name, she unconsciously murmured her name in her heart, and her face turned even redder uncontrollably, making her look like a ripe shrimp.
Meng Chiwan watched in disbelief as his face slowly turned red, as if he had been scalded by boiling water, quite shocked. "Wait, buddy, I didn't say anything, I didn't do anything, right?"
Fortunately, after a moment of confusion, the boy said seriously, "It was an accident. It is said that... Mu Qi has been resurrected."
Mu Qi?
Meng Chiwan carefully searched her memory for the name.
I don't seem to have much of an impression of it.
Wait a minute. I seem to recall Lin Ruyuan mentioning this before... I think he used the term "great demon" back then?
Seeing that she seemed a little confused, Wei Jiyu spoke again: "He is the Demon Lord who was sealed away a thousand years ago, and also the strongest Demon Lord in thousands of years. After unifying the Demon Realm, he committed almost every evil deed. It's normal that you haven't heard of him, as he has been sealed away for over a thousand years. The abnormality of the demonic beasts this time was caused by him."
Meng Chiwan nodded solemnly. Although she had never met Mu Qi, she had definitely seen the demon race. Since she could remember, the immortal sects had always held a strong position over the demon race, thus the world had been relatively peaceful. But what if the demon race were to suddenly rise again…
However, she didn't dwell on it too much. Mu Qi would have a powerful figure in the cultivation world to handle things, but as for her, she still needed to take care of the present situation first.
Wei Jiyu glanced at the sky, knowing it was already quite late, and said to Meng Chiwan, "...Chiwan can leave the secret realm first, and someone will meet you later. No matter which peak Chiwan chooses to join, please remember what I said."
Meng Chiwan nodded with a faint smile.
Wei Jiyu's expression became somewhat unnatural, and a blush crept over him again. He said, "Chi Wan, remember to come to Canglan Peak to find me. Or, I can come to find Chi Wan."
The boy's clear cheeks were flushed, and his face was so beautiful that it was no less beautiful than Yun Xianqing's, but Yun Xianqing never showed such an expression.
For a moment, Meng Chiwan found it somewhat amusing.
For some reason, Meng Chiwan's smile deepened, her smile as radiant as spring blossoms. She suppressed her turmoil and said softly, "I will go to find your... Wei Jiyu."
Upon hearing this, the boy's face flushed red, almost steaming, like the wisps of smoke rising from a farmhouse.
Yet his face was completely incongruous; it was elegant and refined, yet it also carried a youthful air, especially in his dark eyes, where a hint of youthful arrogance still lingered.
As Wei Jiyu gazed at Meng Chiwan's gentle face, felt her usual aura, and listened to her dreamlike voice, he began to act strangely.
Fortunately, he still retained a sliver of rationality and forced himself to remain calm: "I will wait for you."
Beneath his sleeves, his hands were clenched tightly. He almost dared not look at Meng Chiwan's smiling face.
For the first time in over a decade, he experienced the feeling his father described as "being unable to breathe when you see your sweetheart."
Is this... liking someone? The boy watched the girl's voice fade into the distance, slowly lowered his body, pinched his younger sister's cheek, then lowered his head and began to contemplate life.
"Zhizhi, do you know what love at first sight is?" After a long while, the boy finally spoke.
"I know."
"What is it?" the boy asked expectantly.
"Like what you just did, losing money." A cold voice.
"You mustn't tell your parents what happened just now." The boy felt like he'd been doused with cold water.
“Then I will tell my parents about you sleeping in the secret realm,” the boy said.
...
After searching for a long time for the exit of the secret realm, Meng Chiwan finally had to admit that she was lost.
A strange unease crept into my heart. I wondered if we'd run into any more monsters.
However, the monsters are alright; it's a good opportunity to see why they used to channel demonic energy into her.
They had only reached a waterfall. Meng Chiwan looked closely and saw the corpse of a magical beast lying on the ground.
The gushing demonic energy flowed towards her once again.
Meng Chiwan took a few steps closer.
But then they saw several familiar wounds on the monster's body, and the water stains on the wounds had not yet dried.
This wound is just like the one left by the water sword when it slashed across her, a wound that is always wet but never dries. It is just like the wounds that Yun Xianqing carved to protect her.
But now, it's here.
"Could I have misread it?" Meng Chiwan tried to reassure herself.
Perhaps Yun Xianqing is not the only person in the world who uses a water sword.
Meng Chiwan looked around but didn't see anyone else.
Amidst the rushing sound of the waterfall, only her desolate figure remained, looking forlorn and lost.
Just as she turned to leave, the waterfall inexplicably stopped flowing, and a path grew out of the waterfall, revealing a hidden world within.
Meng Chiwan hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside.
Storybooks often say that encountering such a scene might be a divine blessing. So she wanted to see.
So it meandered several times. But the cave was empty and desolate.
Meng Chiwan was about to leave in disappointment when she stepped on something.
She took a step back, looked down, and saw a string of prayer beads lying quietly on the ground.
It was covered in dust and mud, lying alone on the ground, like some kind of trash abandoned there.
Meng Chiwan picked it up, her eyes unconsciously welling up with tears.
Yet, it looked exactly the same as the one she had once given to Yun Xianqing with great joy. It even had cloud patterns carved on it by her own hand.
Is it a coincidence?
She didn't believe it.
So, a few days after being killed by Yun Xianqing, the girl, who was pretending to be fine, broke down in tears for the first time.
The frustration and resentment that had been hidden for so long finally poured out. For her full sincerity and enthusiasm, and for her love that ended without a trace.
So, this person truly never cared about her. She suddenly understood what the demonic monk had said back then.
It turns out that the path she chose was a dead end from the very beginning.
But she was clearly just a girl who had barely grown up.
Meng Chiwan began to tremble all over, and her cries grew louder and louder. The grass in her heart also trembled, but it was a trembling of excitement, like the joy of long-awaited rain.
All the sadness will take root and sprout in that fertile soil, growing into new towering trees.
She didn't know how long her overwhelming sadness lasted, until someone gently knelt down in front of her and then very restrainedly stroked her hair, which finally pulled her out of her grief.
Those were a pair of plain white boots.
She looked up.
A pair of clear eyes met hers, and the green leaves in her heart trembled.
He's a boy. He's like a little Bodhisattva.
His expression was serene, but the sadness in his eyes was even greater than hers.
This time, the little girl was not by his side.
The waterfall had started flowing again sometime during the day. Whoosh, whoosh.
The boy's voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to drown out the sound of the waterfalls that covered the mountains and fields. It was like a clear spring babbling by, or like green trees sprouting on a pure land: "Chi Wan, I have a question."
Meng Chiwan gazed at him quietly, listening to him speak.
"Why do I feel so sad when I see you sad? Chi Wan, what are you sad about?" the boy asked, enunciating each word clearly.
Author's Note: At this rate, I think I'll have to update two chapters on Wednesday... [Milk Tea emoji]
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