Chapter 410 Extra Chapter, Yang Shen X Fu Zhenghan (Part 1): The Tribulations of the Mortal World
As dawn broke, a pale golden light slowly enveloped the entire earth.
Yang Shen was awakened by the blinding sunlight. His thin, cicada-wing-like eyelashes fluttered slightly as he slowly opened his bewildered eyes.
Where am I?
He looked around the completely unfamiliar room, rubbing his throbbing head as he sat up. He leaned against the headboard to clear his head, and only then did he vaguely recall that he had been drinking with Cen Feng and the others last night. As for what happened afterward…
Suddenly, the soft touch of his skin under the blankets made his expression change. After hesitating for a moment, he finally lifted the blankets.
When he saw the mess under the bedding, he froze, repeatedly lifting and lowering the covers as if trying to confirm that this was not a dream.
"W-What's going on...?"
After trying to calm himself down, he hurriedly rolled out of bed to pick up his clothes, but accidentally aggravated the wound on his back.
He hissed as he pulled on his pants, walked to the bronze mirror on the dressing table, and discovered that his back was covered in scratch marks. For a moment, his mind went blank.
The ambiguous marks and the messy bedding in the room seemed to be reminding him that last night was definitely more than just a night's sleep.
Yang looked around the room in a panic and found that he didn't see anyone else besides himself. His already confused mind turned into a complete mess.
"No, we need to figure this out..."
He quickly put on his clothes and bumped into Lü Xuan as soon as he opened the door. "Hey, Senior Brother, you're finally awake?"
Upon hearing her words, Yang Shen did not respond as usual. Instead, he looked her up and down for a moment before asking, "Are you... alright?"
"Huh?" Lu Xuan was a little confused, looking at him with a puzzled expression, "I'm fine, why do you look so pale? Did something happen?"
"N-nothing..." Yang Shen breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully it wasn't what he thought. Then, after a moment's thought, he continued, "Last night... you were the one who took me back to my room?"
Lü Xuan: "Yes."
Yang frowned: "Are there any other people?"
Lu Xuan tilted her head and recalled, "And Sister Zizhu... After we settled you in, we all went back to rest."
"Oh, I see..."
Upon hearing this, Yang Shen fell into deep thought, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. "Who exactly is it?"
Could she be a prostitute in the building?
Upon realizing this possibility, Yang Shen's face instantly turned grim. "Damn it... how could this happen!"
Seeing that his expression was strange, Lü Xuan asked again, "Senior Brother, is something wrong?"
"Huh?" Yang Shen forced a smile. "Junior sister, I feel a bit of a headache and want to sleep a little longer. Let's set off later."
"Alright then, go back and lie down for a while longer."
Seeing his pale face, Lü Xuan mistakenly assumed he was truly unwell from being drunk, and left without asking any further questions.
After watching Lü Xuan leave, Yang Shen slammed the door shut and returned to the messy room.
Although a night has passed, looking at the traces in the room and the lingering sensual scent, one can imagine how intense the battle was last night.
He rubbed his face in frustration, wishing he could kill himself. He had somehow managed to have intimate relations with a woman he had never met before...
He remembered it was a dream, and in his daze, the person in the dream was clearly his master, so how could it have turned out like this...
He lay down on the bed, exhausted, when suddenly he felt something hard against his shoulder. He pulled it out in annoyance and found that it was a jade hairpin.
He stared at the hairpin for a moment, then suddenly sat up abruptly, rubbing the hairpin incessantly with his hand, his fingers trembling slightly.
Isn't this Master's?!
Yang Shen's heart was pounding wildly, and his breathing became increasingly rapid. "The person from last night... could it have been Master?"
Thinking of this possibility, Yang Shen lifted the messy bedding, trying to find something to prove that he was not dreaming at this moment.
It was as if, after my mood improved, my gloomy and confused mind cleared up, and those fragmented memories gradually and miraculously pieced together, weaving together into a series of clear images—
Inside the room.
His master looked at him with concern, and a soft, warm hand covered his forehead.
A moment later, the secret longing that had been building up in his heart transformed him into a beast of desire. He pounced on him without hesitation and then forcibly took him.
The tear tracks at the corners of her bright red eyes, and her master's repeated painful murmurs, seemed to be accusing him of his shamelessness.
Yang Shen slapped himself across the face, somewhat annoyed, and said, "What have I done?"
He thought it was just a dream, which is why he acted so recklessly, but he never expected...
no!
He must find his master!
With that thought in mind, he rushed out of the room and pounded on Lü Xuan's door, yelling, "Junior Sister, open the door!!"
Lu Xuan, who was inside the room, was startled and immediately opened the door. Seeing that Yang Shen had lost his usual composure, she asked with a look of surprise, "Senior Brother, what happened?"
"Junior sister, Master, he... he's not dead!"
After listening to his words, Lü Xuan gave a blank "oh".
He had said these words countless times; she felt her ears were calloused. She was just about to refute and persuade him again.
To her surprise, Yang Shen held up a jade hairpin and placed it in front of her, saying, "Look at this!"
"Isn't this what Master usually wears?" Lu Xuan's face showed surprise and disbelief. "Master... he's really not dead? Where is he?"
Yang Shen, who was laughing hysterically, froze upon hearing this, and then took off running outside, shouting, "I'm going to find him! I'm sure I can find him!!"
"???!!"
Watching his retreating figure, Lü Xuan seemed to only then realize, "Senior Brother, what about me?!"
"You may return to your sect on your own!"
Then a token flew over from afar, and he added, "While I am away, you will act as the sect leader!"
"If I had never returned, you would have become the sect leader!"
Lü Xuan: "..."
After receiving the token from the air, she stood there stunned, unable to recover for a long time.
As her thoughts gradually cleared, her face was filled with astonishment as she stared in the direction her senior brother had gone. "Holy crap! Holy crap! It's not what I thought, is it?!"
Senior Brother and Master?
Crazy?
Has the world gone mad?!
"etc!"
Looking at the sect leader's token in her hand, Lu Xuan recalled Yang Shen's words from earlier, "So... does this count as me winning by doing nothing?"
But why does she feel so unhappy?
But right now, she absolutely doesn't want to be the sect leader!!!
...
In the blink of an eye, more than two months have passed.
As the heat of the weather gradually fades, the cool autumn breeze makes the quiet mountains seem even more desolate.
In a quiet bamboo forest, there stands a unique bamboo hut, from which coughs can be heard from time to time.
With a creak, the bamboo door opened, and a white-haired man in blue clothes walked unsteadily into the kitchen.
This person was none other than Fu Zhenghan, who had disappeared long ago.
He appeared thinner than he had been two months ago, and perhaps due to his illness, he even looked somewhat hunched over when he walked.
After coughing for a long time with his mouth covered, he seemed to relax his chest and slowly sat down on a low stool, absentmindedly stirring the brazier, causing sparks to fly everywhere.
He stared blankly at the charcoal fire, his eyes becoming somewhat unfocused and lifeless. Just now, while he was taking a nap on the bed, he was awakened again by that unbearable nightmare.
The humiliation of those ten years of imprisonment became an indelible pain for him, like an unhealable wound that was constantly being torn open and exposed, bleeding profusely, making it impossible for him to forget.
The torment of the old dreams had not yet subsided, and now new nightmares had been added, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted, and his broken body was also decaying.
And that new nightmare was the night of passion with Yang Shen.
He may have been forced at first, but later he was half-willing and half-willing, and finally he succumbed to it... all of which made him feel extremely ashamed.
He couldn't let it go; as the master, he had actually had a relationship with his beloved disciple.
If this immoral act were to get out, it would be condemned and criticized by the world, both for him and for Yang Shen, the sect leader.
Therefore, after much deliberation, he could only leave quietly under the cover of night, pretending that nothing had happened, and let him bear all the filth and unbearableness alone.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned; he overestimated himself.
A month ago, when he was cultivating to break through to the next level, his Dao heart became unstable due to a mistake, and he not only failed suddenly, but his cultivation level also dropped to the Qi Refining stage.
Therefore, his lifespan has been greatly shortened, and he is now almost no different from an ordinary person, and his lifespan is already very short.
Looking back on his life, he suddenly smiled with relief, feeling that being an ordinary person for the rest of his days wasn't so bad.
A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo grove. Fu Zhenghan lay back in his rocking chair with his eyes closed, leisurely roasting over the charcoal fire and savoring the freshly brewed tea.
"Puff, puff puff—!"
Suddenly, startled birds flew out of the bamboo forest, causing Fu Zhenghan, who had been closing his eyes, to open them. He glanced towards the bamboo forest and said in a deep voice, "Come out."
At this moment, a boy dressed in animal skins, who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, scratched his head and walked out of the bamboo forest, grinning and saying, "Immortal, how did you know I was waiting here?"
Fu Zhenghan took a sip of tea, continued to rock back in his chair, and said casually, "I don't know. I was just trying to trick you."
"What? You lied to me too!"
Seeing the boy in front of him puffing up his cheeks, Fu Zhenghan found it amusing. "Ahu, immortals are even more ruthless when they deceive people; they leave no trace of their bodies. Someone as stupid as you wouldn't last a month in the cultivation world. You should give up those thoughts."
Upon hearing his words, Ah Hu's honest face was filled with resentment. He knelt down with a thud, "Immortal, please accept me as your disciple! I really want to cultivate!"
Looking at the persistent young man, Fu Zhenghan's indifferent eyes were filled with helplessness. "I've already said, I won't take you as my disciple. You might as well give up on that idea."
Ah Hu asked in bewilderment, "Immortal, I've seen other immortal masters who all take on many disciples, why do you always refuse them like this..."
"I am not a good master..."
Fu Zhenghan didn't continue, but just looked at the wisps of smoke rising from the stove and sighed softly, "Besides, the cultivation world is full of deceit and treachery, and it's not as good as you imagine. Why be so persistent?"
Seeing that Fu Zhenghan still hadn't agreed, Ah Hu's childish face was full of dejection. "Alright then, I won't bother you any longer..."
Seeing the boy's departing figure, Fu Zhenghan's eyes showed a hint of reluctance. "Wait."
"An immortal?"
Fu Zhenghan sighed: "Are you really determined to cultivate immortality?"
"Um!"
"Although I cannot accept you as a disciple, I can recommend you to other sects."
Ah Hu asked excitedly, "Where?"
“The Beast Taming Sect or the Battle Sect would also be suitable for you.” Fu Zhenghan seemed to have thought of something and continued, “This Ascension Conference will be held in Tiankun City. People from various sects will go there to select disciples who meet the requirements. You can still make it if you set off now.”
"Really?!" Ah Hu's face was full of excitement as he watched Fu Zhenghan nod at him. "That's great! I'll set off right away!"
"Hey, wait a minute. Do you know how to get there?"
Upon hearing this, Ah Hu paused for a moment, then calmly shook his head.
Fu Zhenghan sighed, looking at the impetuous young man, "I'll go to town with you, get you a map, and prepare some necessary cultivation supplies. As for whether you can get there on your own, that's up to fate."
Hearing his words, Ah Hu's face was full of determination, "Alright, thank you, Immortal!"
Fu Zhenghan returned inside, put on his cloak, and led the waiting boy away.
Just as their figures disappeared, a figure slowly emerged from the depths of the bamboo forest, vanishing in the blink of an eye as an autumn wind swept up the withered leaves.
...
In the remote town at the foot of the mountain, only a few people walked sparsely on the streets, and even the shouts and calls of vendors were weak and feeble.
Fu Zhenghan led Ah Hu around and found that the place was too desolate, as there were no cultivation supplies for sale. Even the most basic magical artifacts and talismans were nowhere to be found.
After much deliberation, Fu Zhenghan decided to prepare the necessary clothes for Ah Hu first, and then send the rest to him once he had found them all.
Having lost both parents at a young age, Ah Hu was suddenly so cared for with such concern that his nose tingled and he burst into tears. "Immortal... I will definitely work hard to be chosen and will never let you down!"
Fu Zhenghan chuckled: "Alright, it's getting dark. Take your things and go home."
"Okay!" Ah Hu thanked him again, then left, clutching the newly bought clothes in his arms, wiping away tears and looking back every few steps.
As night fell, the town was ablaze with lights. Several children played happily, their innocent laughter echoing through the air, which made Fu Zhenghan smile involuntarily.
He pulled his cloak tighter and strolled slowly down the street, seemingly enjoying the leisurely pace and not in a hurry to return to the bamboo hut.
Suddenly, two children cried out in surprise from ahead, followed by a girl's sobs.
Fu Zhenghan strode forward and stopped the two frightened children. "What happened?"
A little girl, about five or six years old, dressed in white, saw Fu Zhenghan pointing in that direction and cried, "There...over there...it looks like there's a dead person!"
Fu Zhenghan frowned: "Where?"
Upon hearing this, another girl dressed in red, seemingly a little bolder, ran ahead to lead the way, pointing to a corner and saying in a trembling voice, "He...he's there..."
Fu Zhenghan called back the little girl in red and told them to stand further away, while he took the luminous stone and went forward to investigate alone.
However, when he saw the person's face clearly, his heart skipped a beat. "What?!"
Fu Zhenghan quickly helped him up. He saw that his robes were torn, his body was covered in bright red blood, and his face was deathly pale.
"What?! Wake up!"
Despite calling out to him for a long time, Yang Shen remained with his eyes tightly closed, showing no sign of waking up, which made him very anxious.
"How could he be so badly injured..."
Fu Zhenghan looked around warily, afraid of attracting the attention of people nearby, so he tried to help him up and leave.
The little girl in red opened her big eyes, pulled the girl in white behind her, and slowly approached, asking with some curiosity, "Immortal, do you know him?"
Upon hearing the girl in red's question, Fu Zhenghan beckoned them over, slipped them some loose silver coins, and whispered, "You must not mention what happened here to anyone, understand?"
"Okay, I understand." The girl in red nodded solemnly, then grabbed the timid girl in white beside her. "She won't tell!"
"Good boy/girl, hide the silver well and don't let anyone see it."
"Um!"
As soon as the girl in red finished speaking, Fu Zhenghan carried the unconscious Yang Shenfei away, leaving the two girls behind him stunned.
"Ah Zheng, Ah Zheng, he flew away! He really is an immortal!" The girl in white exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement. "Wow, I want to fly too!"
Azheng: "Arou... do you want to cultivate immortality?"
"I wish I could be an immortal!" Arou tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Or... how about we go find that immortal and ask him to take us as his disciples?"
"Tch, forget about that idiot immortal..."
The girl in red pouted, then her stomach suddenly growled. "Let's go have a big meal first! Then we can find a sect to become disciples with, so we won't have to wander anymore!"
"Great!" But the next second, Arou's face fell. "But I heard that when you become a disciple in a sect, you need to give a gift... Where are we going to get spirit stones?"
A-Zheng raised her eyebrows smugly, patted the small crossbody bag at her waist, and chuckled, "Don't worry, we've got it!"
"Hmm?" Arou opened her handbag and her eyes lit up. "Wow, where did you come from?!"
Ah Zheng chuckled: "I'll tell you later, let's hurry up and go!"
Arou: "Okay, but where are we going? I've heard there are many sects in the cultivation world..."
"Where to?" A-Zheng stroked her chin, pondered for a moment, and blurted out, "Peach Blossom Valley."
"Peach Blossom Valley?" Arou tilted her head. "Where is it?"
She asked with some doubt, "Ah Zheng, how did you find out about this place?"
Upon hearing this, A-Zheng's face froze. She didn't understand why that name had popped into her head. She stood there blankly for a long time, but couldn't figure it out. "Oh well, never mind. Let's just go look for it!"
"good!"
...
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