Chapter 77
At the summit of the snow-capped mountain, he stood there, watching in the distance as a young girl rushed towards him, like a true goddess descending to earth. Chu Xianyue had been in agonizing agony every moment since Xie Wen left. In that short quarter of an hour, he had considered breaking the barrier of Yunyin Divine Mountain eight hundred times and charging straight in! The worst outcome would be for one person to become an enemy of the entire Yunyin Divine Mountain. Logically, he shouldn't act so rashly, but if it was for Xie Wen, what did it matter?
Just as he was about to break through the divine mountain's barrier for the 801st time, he looked up and saw the figure of a girl walking towards him in the sunlight. Chu Xianyue stood up even straighter.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xie Wen rushed into Chu Xianyue's arms, where he caught her tightly. On the snow-capped mountain peak, Chu Xianyue held Xie Wen, who had flown down from "the sky," close.
He lifted her into the air, and Xie Wen's light pink dress billowed in the hurricane, adding a unique touch to the golden sky.
Xie Wen raised the scroll in his hand and said to Chu Xianyue, "I didn't see that Taoist priest, who was also my former master in legend, but he left me something, saying that the answers would be inside."
Xie Wen showed the scroll to Chu Xianyue as he spoke, but Chu Xianyue didn't even glance at it. His gaze remained fixed on Xie Wen. Who knew what he had experienced in those short fifteen minutes? Now that Xie Wen was back by his side, he felt a sense of having regained a treasure he had cherished for many years.
Chu Xianyue had no time to look at any scrolls; his eyes were fixed on Xie Wen, nothing else mattered. He lightly touched her lips with his own, and Xie Wen squinted and stepped back slightly, smiling, "Let's look at this first."
At times like these, Jin Huaran was treated like he didn't exist by the two of them. Even if he truly didn't exist with Chu Xianyue, what about Xie Wen? Did Xie Wen really think he was dead? Jin Huaran's eyes were filled with venom as he looked at the two of them. He no longer pretended to be indifferent as before. The little love he had left for Xie Wen slowly turned into a deep hatred without Xie Wen even knowing it, magnified a thousandfold, burning fiercely, almost melting away the entire snow-capped desert.
However, this hatred was never taken seriously by anyone; it was only enough to consume him.
After much persuasion, Chu Xianyue finally let go of Xie Wen. Xie Wen said to Chu Xianyue, "This is a memory scroll. The young Taoist priest in the sacred mountain said that if you open it, you won't be able to get out for a while. You have to go through all the memories in the scroll before you can get out. Are you ready? This seems to be a magic artifact that will suck us into it and take us through all the memories my master went through."
Chu Xianyue's eyes darkened, and he suddenly asked Xie Wen, "If he is your master, then what about me?"
Chu Xianyue, who lost his identity as Xie Wen's master because of an old man who "appeared out of nowhere," seemed somewhat depressed at this moment.
Xie Wen smiled brightly, "Then you're not my master."
Chu Xianyue looked up at Xie Wen's bright smile, and then heard her say in a clear voice, "Aren't you my master? Aren't you my husband?"
His expression shifted slightly, like a dried-up river suddenly bursting into spring water, with wildflowers blooming along the way, reaching his face—a spring that even the most icy face couldn't hide.
Xie Wen's words lingered in his mind for a long time, their resonance lasting.
Jin Huaran stood blankly beside Xie Wen. It was rare for Xie Wen to say kind words to him. He suddenly remembered that Xie Wen had said kind words to him a long time ago. She stood in front of him and said to Jin Anxu, who had humiliated him, "He is my friend. No one is allowed to treat him like this. Not even you."
These words, long forgotten, resurfaced in Jin Huaran's mind, causing him to momentarily lose his senses. Unfortunately, recalling them now was futile. Her smiles and kind words would never be directed at him again.
Jin Huaran, however, never regretted it. No matter what, Xie Wen could not stop his path of revenge. No matter how many times he had to do it all over again, he would still spare no effort to use Xie Wen.
Xie Wen asked Chu Xianyue again, "Are you ready?"
She pressed her hands on the memory scroll, while Chu Xianyue's hand unconsciously rested on Xie Wen's, as if afraid she would leave him. He held it tightly before answering, "Ready."
Chu Xianyue: "By the way, what's your master's name?"
"Jiang Boyu!"
"Are you ever going to stop?!" Xie Qingci was slumped on the table, completely drunk. He was holding an empty bottle and smashed it on the ground. The noise drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant.
The moment Xie Wen saw this man, a strong sense of familiarity welled up within her. She was certain that she had seen this man before, in her dreams, in the sea, where she had called him "Father"!
Upon hearing this, Jiang Boyu stood up. "I've tried to persuade you with kind words, but if you won't listen, there's nothing I can do." With that, he grabbed the long sword from the table, turned around, and left Xie Qingci with only his back to him.
Xie Qingci was both angry and resentful. Jiang Boyu was still as arrogant and conceited as ever! After learning about his true background, he always spoke to him in a condescending tone, which was what Xie Qingci couldn't stand the most.
At this moment, a man wearing a bamboo hat and black close-fitting clothes beside Xie Qingci raised his head, and Chu Xianyue's brow twitched slightly. His father. Chu Xianyue had heard of this in his childhood: in the martial arts world, there were three renowned figures, like-minded, who traveled far and wide, making a name for themselves in various places. They were collectively known as the Three Heroes of Wushan, because the three had met in Wushan.
However, it was unexpected that among the three heroes, apart from Chu Xianyue's father, the other two were Xie Wen's father and Xie Wen's master, Jiang Boyu.
Even the best of friends will have their disagreements and clashes. Xie Qingci is carefree and always unrefined, while Jiang Boyu is arrogant by nature. He grew up in the enviable Yunyin Mountain and has never encountered an opponent since leaving the mountain. He is invincible wherever he goes, which has shaped his youthful arrogance.
Chu Yu, among the three, was the least noticeable. He was a man of few words, habitually silent, yet also the most composed and steady, handling everything with diligence. He looked up at Xie Qingci and said, "Don't hold it against Brother Jiang. He's always like this. Your clan's affairs are your own to decide. You yourself said it concerns the life and death of your clan, and you can't let others make the decision. Whatever you want to do, I'll help you if I can."
Xie Qingci sighed deeply and said, "Old Jiang... Alas! It's my people who are in danger. If the secrets of our Feather Clan are exposed, it will definitely not end well. You know, we Feather Clan are the most crucial link in opening the Heavenly Lock. If the Heavenly Lock sealing the Underworld is opened again, then the human world will indeed fall into the same cataclysmic crisis as thousands of years ago. Thousands of years ago, when the Heavenly Lock sealing the Underworld first revealed its true form, we Feather Clan were driven to extinction by the world and experienced a horrific massacre. In order to completely eliminate the threat of the Heavenly Lock being reopened, your human race has eradicated us without any mercy."
Fortunately, back then, a few of our ancestors led a few members of our clan to escape, finding a place far from humans where they survived. Thus, the bloodline of the Feathered Race has been able to continue to this day. We live on the very edge of the world—we've inhabited all the uninhabited places; it was you who drove us to those places. We've lived at Blackwater Lake, Broken Bridge Wilderness, Soul-Dwelling Cave… what kind of places are those? Places where wandering souls are reincarnated. We dare not approach any area with even slightly better resources, fearing that humans might be there. We fear that humans will see the white hair hanging from our heads, fear that humans will discover that Feathered Race people still live in this world.
Because of my exceptional talent for cultivation, I am the only member of the Feathered Clan who can use magic to conceal my white hair. This gave me the opportunity to leave that sunless land and stop living in constant fear and hiding like a rat.
But you just heard me. All I suggested was finding a good place for our people, a place where we wouldn't have to fight with evil spirits for resources and territory, a place where we could at least live a normal life without living in darkness. But did you listen to what Jiang Boyu just said?
"They say it's enough that the Feathered Clan has a scourge like me who escaped; they say you Feathered Clan should stay in that kind of place and never come out again. Sometimes I really think the Feathered Clan deserves to die. You have an ominous bloodline capable of destroying the world, shouldn't you be more obedient? Being alive is good enough, why dream of anything better? You should use that time to think about how to make your people survive a little longer. Otherwise, you'll end up with nothing left."
"Tell me, what did my people do wrong from beginning to end? They did nothing wrong at all." Xie Qingci, emboldened by the alcohol, pointed wildly at Jiang Boyu's departing figure and cursed, "That heartless bastard! I misjudged him back then. I was foolish enough to treat him like a brother, but after he learned my true identity, he never looked at me properly again. He just looks down on the Feather Clan! Not only did he not help me, but he also mocked me like this. My people have already suffered enough."
Xie Qingci had told Jiang Boyu and Chu Yu that his greatest ambition in life was to find a paradise for his people, a place where they could live in seclusion, with fertile fields and beautiful houses, enjoying a peaceful life unknown to the world. They would no longer have to worry about resources, no longer be driven around by wild ghosts and evil spirits, no longer live in constant fear of being discovered by humans.
Chu Yu said, "If I can really find such a place, I will definitely tell you!"
Xie Qingci looked at Chu Yu and sighed heavily again. He understood that Chu Yu was just trying to comfort him, emphasizing how difficult it was to find such a place. Perhaps what Jiang Boyu said was the truth.
But Xie Qingci was still unwilling to accept this. The Feathered People had truly suffered for far too long. What was the point of living such a life of constant hiding and running away?
At this moment, Chu Xianyue and Xie Wen, transformed into semi-transparent souls like Jin Huaran, watched the scenes unfolding in the memory scroll. Only Chu Xianyue knew that later, it was his father, Chu Yu, who personally nailed all the surviving Feather Clan members to the Boundless Sea for eternity, condemning them to endless torment and suffering.
At this moment, Xie Wen felt both detached and deeply involved. When she saw the man she called father in her dream again, she couldn't help but feel weak and tremble. There was no escaping it. She realized a certain truth she had already accepted. If she wasn't a member of the Feathered Clan, why would she call a Feathered Clan member her father in her dream? Xie Wen was drenched in cold sweat. Just then, Chu Xianyue called her name.
"Thank you, Wen."
Upon hearing Chu Xianyue's voice, Xie Wen turned around, only to be met by a man swinging his fist. Xie Wen had no time to dodge and stared at the man, recognizing him as Xie Qingci.
Chu Xianyue tried to block a punch for Xie Wen, but his hand and figure passed right through Xie Wen, their figures overlapping. Now, Xie Wen and Chu Xianyue were in the same state as Jin Huaran within this memory scroll. The difference was that, apart from Xie Wen, no one else could see Jin Huaran. Jin Huaran remained silently observing.
Xie Wen watched helplessly as Chu Xianyue and Xie Qingci, rushing towards her, instantly passed right through her, just as Jin Huaran stood amidst falling leaves, only to be pierced through by each leaf. This unreal feeling finally instilled in Xie Wen a deep fear of this memory scroll. It had turned those who entered the scroll into semi-transparent souls.
Chu Xianyue lunged at Xie Wen, but missed her completely. His heart felt as if half of it had emptied; he couldn't hold onto her, as if he were about to lose her at any moment. This filled Chu Xianyue with unease and fear.
"Jiang Boyu!"
Xie Wen turned around and saw Xie Qingci punch Jiang Boyu. Jiang Boyu covered her face and staggered, barely managing to steady herself with her spiritual power.
"Are you looking for death? Did you tell everyone about that? Who else could it be but you? I only told you and Achu about our clan's secrets! Who else would spread it but you! You've always hated my clan, haven't you? You wished for our clan to be wiped out? You've been annoyed with me for a long time, haven't you! It was you!"
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