Chapter 235: Didn’t you see I was crying?
[Master, I eat a lot, will you dislike me?]
"Master, is Sister Shang okay? She saved me. She's a good person, and good people should have a smooth life."
[Master, so you accepted me as your disciple...was it because of Sister Shang?]
"Master, please don't chase me away! I won't leave! I can do it! I'm willing!"
[Sister Shang saved my life—I can give my body to Sister Shang! I volunteer!]
[Master, if I am gone, can Sister Shang take care of you?]
"Master, Sister Shang is a good person, and everyone in the Shang family is a good person. Why does she have to face such a difficult fate? It's so unfair..."
Master...
Master...
[Master, when my body is controlled by Sister Shang, will you come back to see me?]
[...Master, you can't break your promise...Achan will always wait for you...]
Old memories flashed through Shang Yuwan's mind like a kaleidoscope. She took a few steps back unexpectedly. Xiao Qingxu, who had been following her closely with his eyes, immediately stretched out his arms and took her in his arms.
Seeing the person in his arms with blank eyes and a bit dazed, Xiao Qingxu asked anxiously: "Wanwan? Wanwan? What's wrong with you?"
With a quick swipe, he placed the long knife across Yi Buyan's neck.
Yi Buyuan: “…” Qu Qi had been chased and assassinated several times during this period, and he was almost used to it.
Ji Suxian rushed over to take Shang Yuwan's pulse, but in a moment, she couldn't find anything wrong.
She stretched out her hand and waved it in front of Shang Yuwan's eyes, "Sister-in-law?"
Shang Yuwan suddenly came back to his senses and took a deep breath unconsciously, "Ah... I'm fine, I'm fine."
As soon as the words fell, the stone door slowly opened, as if it had waited for someone it wanted to see, and couldn't wait for that person to come in. It was pitch black inside, like an abyss with no end in sight.
Shang Yuwan looked at Twelve and said, "Put down the knife."
Twelve was silent for a moment and put away his sword.
Yi Buyuan breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "It's okay, it's okay. Go in quickly."
Twelve was also eager to save his master, and Yi Buyuan could understand that. When he took the prophet's body back, the prophet was already a dried corpse, as if it had been sucked dry by something. I wonder if it is falling apart now.
Shang Yuwan nodded, let go of Xiao Qingxu's hand, gave him a reassuring look, turned and walked into the dark tomb chamber inside the stone gate.
As soon as she stepped inside, the stone door slowly closed. If Yi Buyuan hadn't blocked the way, Xiao Qingxu would have been so anxious that he would have smashed it down.
After the stone door was closed tightly, the lights on both sides of the room were lit one by one.
Shang Yuwan was not unfamiliar with this, and her increasingly rapid heartbeat showed her inexplicable excitement at the moment.
The room was semicircular, like an upside-down bowl, and the surrounding stone walls were bare. Shang Yuwan blinked, reflecting the circular platform in the center. On top of it sat a person—no, a dried corpse.
The mummy was wearing the same Taoist robes as the master on the stone gate, with dry white hair hanging down behind his head. He sat cross-legged with his hands on his knees, his back straight, a gentle smile on the corner of his mouth, his eyes not closed, but staring straight at the stone gate, as if he was waiting for someone, looking at someone.
This is...Wen Qijun?
The heart in his chest seemed to want to jump out, and the sound of his heartbeat kept exploding in his ears one after another. Shang Yuwan's eyes were dazed for a moment, and then his body walked towards the corpse uncontrollably.
The paper money in his hand was thrown casually on the ground. Shang Yuwan stumbled to Wen Qijun and knelt down with a thud.
She looked up, and for some reason, she felt that the gaze of those empty eyes seemed to move a little downwards as she moved.
Shang Yuwan felt it was very strange, but she opened her mouth, feeling like there was something stuck in her throat, and tears kept falling from her eyes.
The next moment, the fallen paper money suddenly rose up without a breeze and flew into the air. Two or three pieces of paper money were touched by the candlelight, and in just a moment, they set the others ablaze.
The burning paper money unknowingly formed a vortex, surrounding the dried corpse of Wen Qijun.
As the sparks danced, a hint of former tenderness seemed to reappear in those hollow eyes. Shang Yuwan reached out his hand in a daze, but the moment it touched the sparks, he retracted it.
She seemed to be worried about something, but when she saw Wen Qijun's body gradually being ignited by sparks, her eyes widened immediately and she rushed over desperately.
Just when she was about to hug Wen Qijun, his body suddenly caught fire and turned into a pile of ashes in a moment.
Shang Yuwan fell to the ground holding a pile of ashes, and a soft voice emerged in his mind: "Thank you."
Afterwards, the control of this body seemed to return to Shang Yuwan's hands, and the heart in his chest no longer beat rapidly and without rhythm like crazy.
She lay on the ground in a daze for a while, then tentatively moved her feet - she wanted to move her left foot up, so her left foot moved up.
Shang Yuwan opened his mouth and wanted to say "Hey."
"Hey? Hey!"
Shang Yuwan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Achan had left completely.
She respectfully placed the pile of ashes in her arms on the round table, then bent down to pick up the ashes scattered on the ground. After bowing three times, she was about to search the tomb for something that could save Xiao Qingxu, but suddenly found that there seemed to be some words engraved on the round table under the ashes.
"......" After hesitating for a moment, Shang Yuwan bowed three times to Wen Qijun who had turned into ashes, and then carefully pushed the pile of ashes aside. Only then could he see the words engraved on the round table clearly.
[The secret art of rebirth, changing one's fate against all odds, no one can regret, no one can save.]
Shang Yuwan's eyes went blank and he stood there in a daze.
......
Xiao Qingxu waited outside for a long time. When he was impatient and wanted to ask someone to hold Yi Buyuan down and break down the door, the stone door finally opened slowly.
Shang Yuwan's distraught expression disappeared the moment before everyone saw her face. She looked at Xiao Qingxu with a worried look and pulled the corners of her mouth with all her strength.
She wanted to say "It's okay," but tears fell first. Her hands were shaking slightly, covered in dust and dirt, with a little mud. Her nails were filled with mud, and her knuckles were broken, bleeding, as if she had hit something stone with force.
Xiao Qingxu stepped forward and hugged her, and Shang Yuwan felt his heartbeat getting weaker and weaker.
But Xiao Qingxu still said: "It's okay. Wanwan, I'm here, it's okay."
His voice was so soft, not even as loud as the snow falling outside.
Shang Yuwan raised her hands and hugged Xiao Qingxu back, remaining silent.
Xiao Qingxu said, "I heard that there is a Tianshan Mountain in Quqi Country. As long as you make a wish to the goddess, you can still be together in the next life."
"Do you want to go and have a look?"
Shang Yuwan's eyes dimmed as he said, "Okay."
"Let's go together."
When the people of Qu Qiguo heard the news that Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu were going to Tianshan, they naturally welcomed it.
[The Goddess of Tianshan Mountain] is a legend that has been passed down since the founding of Quqi State. It can be said that besides the prophet, it is the god and myth that the people of Quqi believe in the most. Although the prophet does not often appear and not many people know his true face, he is a real person who helped Quqi State find water sources to overcome the drought. In the hearts of the people of Quqi, he is more like a messenger of God.
It just so happened that when Wen Qijun appeared in Qu Qiguo and led Qu Qiguo to find the source of water, he also used the reason of being a messenger of God.
"The Goddess of Tianshan is very effective! You will definitely get what you wish for!"
Yi Buyuan smiled as if his face was blooming, and led the way personally.
Xiao Qinggu's public friendship with Qu Qiguo had already done him a great favor. It was just some chilblain cream and some cattle and sheep; these were the things Qu Qiguo had the most. The items Dayu had sent were also what Qu Qiguo needed. How could Yi Buyuan be reluctant to part with that little chilblain cream and herd of cattle and sheep?
Now that Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu have taken the initiative to get to know Qu Qiguo better, doesn't that only prove that Dayu wants to befriend him? Being able to introduce Qu Qiguo's mythology to Dayu would be a good thing for both him and Qu Qiguo. Perhaps they could even use this opportunity to trade with other countries and make a fortune.
Yi Buyuan happily led the way while explaining the mythological story about the Goddess of Tianshan to Shang Yuwan, Xiao Qingxu and others.
Legend has it that the goddess of Tianshan descended from the Nine Heavens to mortal form. Walking the mortal world, she witnessed the suffering of the people and the lamentations of all creation. Originally sent down to earth for training, she found compassion and, disregarding the rules of the Divine Palace, expended her divine power to benefit all. After her death, her body transformed into the majestic Tianshan Mountain, the most majestic mountain in Quqi Kingdom, a towering peak unmatched by any other. The tears shed by the goddess for the people became the Tianchi Lake at the summit.
The top of the Tianshan Mountains is covered with snow all year round. Now that winter has arrived, the snow has fallen earlier than in previous years, making it even more difficult to climb the mountain.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw that very few people had gone up the mountain. Shang Yuwan asked, "This myth is very popular in your country, so why are there no people on the mountain?"
There were quite a few people at the foot of the mountain. Some were officials from Qu Qi who had come with them, some were officials from Dayu who were on a diplomatic mission to Qu Qi, and some were from Baijialou. Besides these three groups of people, there were also ordinary people who had secretly come to watch the excitement.
There were many people, but not a single one went up the mountain.
Yi Buyuan said, "If a couple in love want to climb to the top of Tianshan Mountain to pray to the goddess, the others must make way and cannot go up the mountain together. This is a test from the goddess for the lovers, and no one is allowed to disturb them, otherwise they will be cursed."
Ji Suxian asked, "We can't go either?"
Yi Buyuan said firmly: "Yes, only the Regent and Prince Qi can go up, none of you can go."
Twelve looked up at the towering Tianshan Mountain: "..." It's colder and windier up there than at the foot of the mountain. Will anything happen to them?
As soon as Shang Yuwan opened her mouth, Xiao Qingxu grabbed her hand and said, "Wanwan."
Shang Yuwan looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xiao Qingxu smiling and saying, "Do you want to get ready? If not, let's go."
"......" Shang Yuwan looked at him steadily, "Okay."
Lu Heying stood beside Ji Suxian, guarding her against stopping Shang Yuwan and the others. After waiting for a while, he found that Ji Suxian just watched quietly as Shang Yuwan took Xiao Qingxu's hand and set off up the mountain without saying anything.
Looking at the backs of the two people running towards Tianshan hand in hand, Ji Suxian was silent for a long time. He reached out and pulled Twelve, who wanted to follow, and whispered, "How cruel."
Twelve's lips trembled, but he didn't say anything.
Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu both knew that the goddess of Tianshan might not exist, and asking a pair of lovers to go to the top of the mountain together was just a test of whether the love between them was firm.
But Xiao Qingxu just wanted to go up.
He persistently wanted to make a long-cherished wish to the goddess to meet Wanwan again in the next life.
Shang Yuwan was willing to go with him.
Whether it was the Tianshan Sea Palace or the Wanshui Qianshan Mountains, she was willing to accompany Xiao Qingxu.
She also hopes to meet Xiao Qingxu again in the next life.
The snowstorm on the Tianshan Mountains was so strong that it threatened to blow Xiao Qingxu, a paper-thin figure, away. Shang Yuwan held his hand tightly, and Xiao Qingxu leaned forward, moving forward and backward with her in the wind and snow.
The higher they went, the more biting the wind became. The strong wind made their cheeks hurt, and they had to stretch out their arms to hook each other's shoulders. In the wind and snow, Xiao Qingxu turned his head to look at Shang Yuwan. He saw that her temples were covered with gray hair. She was obviously a girl of sixteen or seventeen, but her eyes were full of vicissitudes of life.
There was a strand of white hair hanging on Shang Yuwan's temples. Xiao Qingxu raised his hand and wanted to tuck it behind her ear, but suddenly his eyes went dark and he fainted.
Shang Yuwan: “!”
"Xiao Qingxu!"
Because Xiao Qingxu fainted, Shang Yuwan also fell down. She hugged Xiao Qingxu tightly, and the two rolled down until Shang Yuwan's back hit a hidden rock and stopped.
"Well!"
Shang Yuwan cried out in pain and anxiously called Xiao Qingxu's name.
The person in his arms showed no reaction, breathing shallowly.
Shang Yuwan tried to breathe and breathed a sigh of relief.
“…”
Do you want to go down the mountain?
Shang Yuwan was hesitating when Xiao Qingxu suddenly started coughing.
“Cough cough cough cough!!!”
Xiao Qingxu kept coughing up blood, and Shang Yuwan hurriedly gave him the pills he had with him.
After Xiao Qingxu took the medicine, his coughing up blood subsided a little. He held Shang Yuwan's trembling hand and whispered, "Let's go..."
“…Up the mountain…”
Shang Yuwan's eyes were filled with tears as she said, "Okay."
She carried Xiao Qingxu on her back and went up the mountain again. Her footprints sank into the snow, and her steps became more and more firm.
Xiao Qingxu opened his eyes a little, vaguely seeing a patch of white, and hearing the faint sound of footsteps on the snow. His gaze slowly shifted to Shang Yuwan, and he saw more white hair drooping down her temples—even the white hair was blurred.
"......" A tear appeared in the corner of Xiao Qingxu's eye.
Even though he was so close, he couldn't see Shang Yuwan's face clearly, and he didn't even have the strength to raise his hand.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Qingxu noticed that Shang Yuwan had stopped moving.
He couldn't see anything, so he could only shake his ears, whose hearing was gradually fading, and asked, "Is this... Tianchi?"
Shang Yuwan's eyes reflected the Tianchi Lake flowing quietly in the center of the mountain top, and he nodded softly.
"Put me down."
Shang Yuwan slowly put him down, and after Xiao Qingxu stood firmly, she held his hand tightly.
The top of Tianshan Mountain looks like a semicircular bowl, and the Tianchi Lake in the middle looks like a bowl of clear water. Because of the perennial snow, a thick layer of ice has formed on the surface of the lake.
Apart from this large pool of ice, frost and snow, Shang Yuwan could not even sense the breath of a third person besides them.
"Can the goddess hear us?"
Her voice was so soft that Xiao Qingxu didn't hear what she said. He tentatively turned his gaze in another direction and smiled softly, "It's so beautiful."
"Xiao Qingxu."
Shang Yuwan called him, but Xiao Qingxu didn't respond.
Shang Yuwan suddenly reached out and grabbed his collar and pulled it down hard.
Xiao Qingxu was stunned by this sudden action.
"Xiao Qingxu." Shang Yuwan's voice became a little louder.
She stared at Xiao Qingxu's empty eyes, the image of Wen Qijun turning into ashes flashing through her mind. She asked in a trembling voice, "Can't you... hear me?"
Xiao Qingxu smiled lightly, "No way."
"I'm fine." He reached out to touch Shang Yuwan's face and made an excuse, "It's because the wind is too strong, I...you..."
The hands that touched Shang Yuwan's face felt cold and wet, and then two lines of hot tears kept falling on these hands that were like dry bones.
“All this time…”
Shang Yuwan started crying the moment she carried Xiao Qingxu on her back. She kept crying, but she kept suppressing her tears. Her face was full of tear marks that she didn't have time to wipe away.
She choked and said, "You didn't even see that I was crying?"
"Xiao Qingxu, tell me."
"Is the price of helping me revive really only Wen Qijun's life and your own longevity?"
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