Chapter 81 Heavenly Way (Part 3) “——You’re here again,” the other party…
Traveling with someone in company seemed a lot less boring. Lian Qiang carefully tied up Senior Tan's hair, and he was no longer as disheveled as he had been at first.
Lian Qiang knew from what Senior Tan had said that she was not alone in her experience. They all thought they were going to die, but they ended up here for no apparent reason.
They had learned different techniques and came from vastly different backgrounds, their only commonality being that they were all once leaders in their respective fields. In a different world, perhaps they could sit down together, drink tea, and discuss the Dao.
She couldn't be sure how many living people there were here, or how much demonic energy had gathered. She only knew that it had been stirring more and more vigorously in recent times.
Perhaps it had been so long since he'd had a suitable conversationalist, but Senior Tan grew increasingly excited as he spoke, completely losing his initial composure. He repeatedly got tongue-tied and repeated himself over and over again. Lian Qiang smiled and responded to each question without interrupting.
She also learned a lot about the outside world from Lian Qiang, and her face often showed longing. Especially when she heard about the recent situation of the Demon Abyss from outside, her eyes were moved. It was conceivable that if she had not been trapped here for so long, she would have been able to travel freely everywhere.
Lian Qiang hadn't previously considered it unrealistic to think that Jiang Lang could single-handedly resolve this hidden danger, but now, having found herself in the middle of it, she truly understood the meaning of a mantis trying to stop a chariot, an ant trying to shake a tree. If this stagnant, year-old demonic energy were truly allowed to burst forth… she didn't dare to think any further.
Fortunately, they had tracked down Chi Xingji in the past few days. As they headed deeper into the area where he was rumored to be, they discovered the demonic energy was even thicker. Lian Qiang still had the strength to protect herself, but Senior Tan's breathing had unknowingly quickened.
"Are you okay?" Lian Qiang noticed something was wrong and asked. She just shook her head, indicating that it was okay. "It's okay. I've never gone this deep before. I'm just not used to it."
Seeing this, Lian Qiang actually felt a little regretful about inviting her to go with him. She didn't show it on her face, but she did reveal it a little bit, which was easily caught by her.
Senior Tan raised his eyebrows and said proudly, "Don't worry about me. If I stop here and can't find out what has trapped me for so long, I'm afraid I won't give up."
"...Okay." Hearing this, Lian Qiang felt relieved and smiled at her.
But that wasn't the case. A few days earlier, they had suddenly lost track of Chi Xingji. Meanwhile, Senior Tan's demonic symptoms had become so severe they couldn't be concealed. His dark pupils widened, and his eyes were a sea of crimson.
"Senior Tan," Lian Qiang called out hesitantly. He had tried to channel a lot of spiritual energy into her during this period, but to no avail. "Let's... find a place to rest."
Even if she found Chi Xingji a moment later, she would be more anxious, but she couldn't bear to watch Senior Tan suffer so much for helping her.
Senior Tan knew that even if he continued to speak, it would seem pale, so he simply agreed. The two of them found a slightly cleaner place to sit down, each sitting cross-legged with their own thoughts and regulating their breathing. Unfortunately, their thoughts were contradictory.
This time, it was Lian Qiang who spoke first, her tone solemn: "Senior Tan, let's...part ways now."
The person sitting across from her tried hard to close his eyes, suppressing the urge to destroy everything in front of him: "I'm not so weak that I'm about to collapse here."
"I didn't consider your physical condition before. I was inconsiderate, but right now, there's no reason for me to continue to let you show off." After a few words, Lian Qiang had already thought of an excuse and added, "I'm sorry, senior, but I'm going to break my promise this time."
The person she was trying to convince was also very stubborn and retorted, "How can you give up so easily when you haven't even tried? Isn't that what you said yourself?"
"...But Senior's current physical condition can no longer withstand the risk." Lian Qiang couldn't bear to point out this obvious fact.
She previously thought that Senior Tan's repetitive speech and lack of logic were due to being too excited, but after spending several days together, the symptom was still there. Now it seemed... her mind had been affected by the evil spirit.
At this moment, she could still talk to herself properly, but she didn't know when she would fall into the state of talking nonsense and involuntarily.
"Do you know my own body better than I do?" Senior Tan insisted. "You speak so confidently, but why are you so afraid of trouble at the last minute?"
"If I were alone, it wouldn't matter how I tried, but..."
There was no need to say more. The two pairs of stubborn eyes just faced each other. Being stared at by such a pair of blood-red eyes, Lian Qiang didn't feel horrified, but only felt miserable. A voice in her heart sighed lightly, but then threw it down heavily.
She made up her mind: this drastic measure had to be taken.
"...Senior, you have slowed me down."
After she finished speaking, she turned her face away, unwilling to look at Senior Tan's expression, for fear of seeing even the slightest bit of frustration.
But what Lian Qiang waited for was first a chuckle, followed by the rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other. She looked up in confusion - and saw the person in front of her slowly stand up and stretch.
"I understand what you're thinking. You're right, and I can see that you don't really mean what you said—" At this point, Senior Tan suddenly started coughing, and black blood flowed out of his mouth and nose. Lian Qiang wanted to help her, but she pushed him away lightly.
Lian Qiang was startled. She had only been coughing recently, but today she was vomiting blood.
"I'm unwilling to give in. If you had come ten years earlier, I might have had the energy and the will to stand with you, even if it meant my death... But now, it's up to a junior to admonish me.
"I pride myself on being insightful, but right now I can't tell whether I'm regretting that you couldn't end my life, or regretting that I won't be able to walk the same path with you. If we're destined to meet again in the future... please tell me about the feeling of becoming an immortal."
She coughed violently again. Lian Qiang's face was filled with worry: "Senior——" "Go ahead. I'll wait for the day when you, cough cough, succeed."
After saying this, she turned silently, her steps a little unsteady, but still walked forward resolutely. Only when her figure was hidden by the mist did Lian Qiang leave.
Lian Qiang, whose vision was blocked, naturally did not see it. The shaky figure walked a short distance before spitting out another mouthful of dirty blood. He stayed there for a long time to calm down before leaving with one foot deep and one foot shallow.
But whether she saw it or not, it could not hinder the only thought in Lian Qiang's mind at the moment: she had to find Chi Xingji as soon as possible.
Only in this way can we solve these problems as much as possible and save more people like Mr. Tan from suffering.
Yet, having lost her companions, the torment she felt was a constant companion. Lian Qiang had gone too deep, finding it difficult to spot any other figures. She felt as if she were alone in the vast expanse of space, devoid of any other living creatures. Occasionally, she could see boulders, lifeless, jagged masses.
Whether she opened her eyes or closed them, she was filled with demonic energy, not to mention the inability to tell the exact time. Lian Qiang felt as if she was being torn into pieces. One part of her was questioning whether the scene ahead was correct; another part was thinking about Senior Tan, wondering how much her injuries had improved after so much time had passed; another part was wondering what would happen if she couldn't resolve all this even after finding Chi Xingji.
The heaviest thought was probably his worry for Chi Xingji. Lian Qiang was still able to move freely in the place, relying on the cultivation and immortal roots passed on to her by Chi Xingji. Senior Tan, on the brink of immortality, was also inevitably affected. What about Chi Xingji, now a mortal? How could he protect himself?
...He didn't even bring his sword to mourn.
Unable to think any further, Lian Qiang breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, any tiny thought would be like a silk thread, seemingly non-fatal, but firmly strangled her most vulnerable neck, preventing her from breathing freely.
She also had to guard against the demonic energy that constantly sought to take advantage of her situation. Having coexisted with them for so many years, Lian Qiang was well aware of their viciousness and pervasiveness, so she had to do her best to maintain a clear mind. Just when she was wondering if she was close to madness, a turning point appeared. She saw a piece of black clothing, which looked like the same fabric that Chi Xingji usually wore.
Before she could even relax, she was suspended high up again—this was just a fragment, but what about Chi Xingji himself? Why did he drop this fragment? Was it because... his injuries were too severe?
Lian Qiang held it in her trembling hands and held it tightly against her heart. She wanted to cry out loud, and it would be best if she could cry out all the grievances and difficulties she had experienced in the past few days, but she also knew that now was not the time.
She hasn't found Chi Xingji yet, so no hardship can threaten her.
Lian Qiang warned herself again and again, and the heaven who had been watching the fire from the other side seemed to be moved by her sincerity and felt pity. Just when Lian Qiang was about to go around the huge rock blocking her way and continue moving forward, she heard a very faint groan afterwards.
She couldn't believe her ears and continued to grope the stone, moving closer to the source of the sound. The sound was fleeting and she wondered if it was an illusion, but finally she touched a body the next moment.
Lian Qiang bent down and was caught off guard by a pair of eyes. She was very familiar with these eyes. They were the eyes she had faced day and night for decades as a human being, and the eyes she would never forget for a moment in the hundred years of confusion that followed. They were also the eyes that gave her the determination and courage to move forward.
The man stared at her intently. She couldn't even muster a calm expression to express her feelings. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, tears would fall. She squatted down and reached out tremblingly to touch him. Before she could touch him, she heard his lips move.
"—You're here again," the other person's voice was still hoarse, "This is the fourth time. Why... are you still not speaking?"
Of course, they had never seen each other since they set foot here. What nonsense was Chi Xingji talking about? Lian Qiang had a rough guess. She wanted to speak, but a sour feeling in her nose and eyes made it impossible for her to speak. She pinched her nose hard and continued to stretch out her hand until her five fingers touched Chi Xingji's face.
It was warm, soft, and full of life; it wasn't just her imagination. She then traced his eyebrows, eyes, nose...as if she wanted to greedily touch him all over.
"...Silly, how can this be so many times? This is clearly the first time," Lian Qiang finally couldn't control herself. She clearly felt something brush across her cheeks. "I didn't expect that you would miscalculate sometimes."
——Chi Xingji is such a strong-willed person. How much must he miss her to have her illusion appear before his eyes so many times, and would he take it seriously?
...He really did miss her a lot.
She too.
Fortunately, I finally found him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
