Immortal Envoy (II)
He Shuben didn't react much. Sang Li was a butterfly demon adopted by Xuan Tongzi in his early years. Although he had never seen her after he came into seclusion, he knew this girl after he regained his memory.
But the three words "Peach Banquet" kept circling in his mind.
Suddenly, an important matter that had been forgotten for a long time came to mind, and he frowned.
"Old Mandrill!"
He Shu asked anxiously:
"Where is the cat demon who stole the elixir and caused such trouble imprisoned now?"
When he resolutely jumped into the Niyuan, his immortal foundation was severely damaged. After Xuantongzi brought him back to Luzhu Mountain, he had been in seclusion here to recuperate. He only fully recovered and came out two days ago.
Before the cat demon left, he made a request that was a mixture of threats and sorrow. He hadn't yet finished the hairpin...
He was startled, and his hand subconsciously touched his hair bun——
There was indeed nothing there.
It must have accidentally fallen somewhere in the mountains when it fell that year...
The hairpin itself has residual immortal power, and there are restrictions set by the cat demon. It is difficult for ordinary demon beasts to detect its abnormality, so it should not be easily damaged.
Although it can be confirmed that the things are still in Luzhu Mountain, many years have passed after all. The vegetation in the mountain is lush and the terrain has changed. It is not easy to find them.
"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
Xuan Tongzi looked at He Shu suspiciously, his face puzzled.
"I wanted to take you back to meet old friends, not to cause trouble in the prison."
"I……"
He Shu suppressed the sudden panic in his heart, hesitated for a moment, and finally swallowed the truth and asked:
"Just a thought... just a casual question. So... where's that shadow demon? Has it been captured?"
When Xuan Tongzi heard this, the relaxed expression on his face immediately disappeared and a solemn look appeared on his face.
He snorted coldly:
"That girl was so slippery that she escaped into the mortal realm long ago, and no trace of her has been found. The principal offender hasn't been apprehended, and the cat demon, as an accomplice, can only remain in the Heavenly Prison, awaiting her fate."
"I see..."
He Shu curled his fingertips slightly and rubbed the cool wall of the wine flask. After pondering for a moment, he finally made up his mind.
"Then I'd like to go to the Peach Banquet with you."
"Huh?"
Xuan Tongzi raised his eyebrows in surprise and moved closer, as if he had discovered something very interesting.
"Why did our stubborn little one suddenly change his ways today? What's the right wind blowing? Are the peaches really that tempting? Or... do you want to meet some 'old friend'?"
"Old Mandrill!"
He Shu seemed to have been stepped on the tail. His voice suddenly rose, with a hint of exasperation and shame, interrupting Xuan Tongzi's teasing.
He turned his back, leaving only a slightly red earlobe and a slightly stiff back.
However, the moment he turned around, the deliberately pretended anger on his face quickly faded away, and a trace of nervousness flashed in his eyes as if something had been said to his heart.
Holding his breath and concentrating with his eyelashes slightly drooped, He Shu carefully captured every reaction of Xuan Tongzi behind him.
He forced himself to remain calm, using a playful tone to conceal his true intentions, but his voice involuntarily lowered, and he pleaded with a sense of guilt:
"Just tell me...whether you'll take me with you or not!"
“Ouch!”
Seeing this, Xuan Tongzi thought he was just a young man who was embarrassed and angry. He stroked his beard and laughed out loud. His laughter was so bright and loud that it startled a few sparrows on the branches.
"Since our little Wuming has asked for it, how can I refuse? Go, of course I have to go! And bring both of you little guys along when the time comes."
"Oh right..."
He added:
"After we get up there, you have to help me keep an eye on that girl Sang Li. This is her first time in Heaven, so don't be disrespectful."
He Shu nodded absentmindedly, holding the wine jug tightly, and stood up:
"Old Mandrill, if you have nothing else to do, go back to the Taoist temple. Don't stay here with me all the time."
Without waiting for the other party to respond, he walked out quickly, his voice drifting in the wind.
"I'm really bored after being in seclusion for so long. I need to go out and get some fresh air... Don't follow me."
"Hey! You're such a jerk!!"
He Shu turned a deaf ear to Xuan Tongzi's laughter and scolding behind him, and went straight to the Yangchun Creek, where he found a round rock to sit down.
The past events of the world came one after another, disturbing his mind. He sat alone for a long time until the cold moon hung high in the sky.
The moonlight was like a thread, quietly leaking over the winding stream, and was broken into sparkling silver light by the flowing water.
The gurgling sound of water seems particularly cool and quiet in the night when everything is gradually becoming silent.
He Shu was drinking wine by the stream. He was thin and wearing a slightly worn blue shirt.
These were the clothes Qingshan had prepared for him back then. Despite his best efforts to preserve them, they could not withstand the erosion of time.
He leaned forward slightly, one hand casually resting on his bent knee, the other holding the wine jug.
The long gray hair was neither tied nor coiled, just cascading down loosely, a few strands falling on the shoulders, a few brushing against the cool stone surface, like flowing moonlight.
The night fog emerged from the water surface at some point, becoming thicker and thicker, blurring the outlines of grass and trees near and far, and shrouding everything in hazy silence.
He brought the wine jug to his lips, but his eyes suddenly stopped at the depths of the fog.
The rustling sound of footsteps came closer and closer, and in the thin mist, a tall and straight figure slowly emerged.
The man was wearing a dark cloth shirt and almost blended into the night and the water, making it difficult to see him clearly.
He Shu's movements suddenly stopped, the mouth of the pot just stopped under his lips, and the wine could not enter his throat.
The shadow in the fog gradually became clearer and was moving towards him step by step.
My heart seemed to be pinched by an invisible hand and then suddenly released. The moment I resumed breathing, it beat violently and uncontrollably, hitting my chest and bringing waves of suffocating numbness.
The time spent in seclusion passed in the blink of an eye. Even if several years had passed, it was only a few breaths for him.
Qingshan's gentle and forbearing smile at the time of parting is still vivid in my mind, mixed with the memories of every life in which I met him, all of which emerged before my eyes like a tidal wave, sharp and blurry.
"...Qing...shan?"
A very soft, uncertain murmur escaped his lips, trembling with disbelief.
Was he drunk? Was it because the cold moon, the bitter wine, and the chill fog had brought back old, sick dreams, giving rise to such a beautiful yet cruel illusion?
The wine jug in his hand was specially made by Xuan Tongzi. He could never finish the wine in it. He drank too much and must be drunk.
The belated drunkenness now fiercely burned through the barriers of reason, melting all of He Shu's restraint and strength, and also burning the deepest and most painful scar left after the seal of memory faded.
Bitter fear and unbelievable joy, mixed with the burning wine, rushed and spread in his blood, giving birth to a kind of self-deceiving courage.
Xuan Tongzi said that they were a couple with separations and entanglements in love, but this was just an exaggeration.
Every life, every life...
The repeated encounters and acquaintances in every life will come to an abrupt end due to various coincidences, leaving behind endless regrets.
He once resented the Heavenly Dao for taking away his memories, but now he was unwilling to recall them...
Although the cause and effect are clear, the feelings are still there. How can he give up so easily?
As soon as his fingertips loosened, the wine jug fell straight down, hitting the rocks by the stream with a dull "bang" sound, and rolled into the flowing water.
The wine spilled and splashed on He Shu's clothes, but he didn't care.
He stood up suddenly, swayed slightly, and his long gray hair suddenly swayed in the night wind, just like his chaotic thoughts at the moment.
He almost staggered towards the familiar figure in the fog that he had been thinking about day and night.
The voice was hoarse and trembling due to intense emotions and drunkenness, breaking the silence of the night:
"Qingshan..."
The expected emptiness or coldness did not appear, but the touch was real, with a slight coolness like the night fog.
He Shu's hug was surprisingly strong, his arms digging into the clothes on the other's back, his fingertips almost digging into the texture of the coarse cloth.
He buried his face deeply in the other's neck, his breathing rapid and hot, burning the slightly cool skin and absorbing the real warmth.
The long gray hair fell down, entwined with the strands of black hair on the other's shoulders, brushing against each other's faces, bringing a slight itch.
The person he was hugging tightly was obviously much taller and stronger than him.
He Shu felt that the body stiffened slightly at first, as if it was stunned by his sudden impact and didn't know what to do.
But in just a moment, a pair of warmer and stronger arms came over, and with clumsy but firm strength, they hugged him back firmly, holding him deeper and tighter in their arms.
The embrace was pure and complete, without reservation.
Then, He Shu heard laughter.
Then he felt the other person lower his head slightly, with his chin gently resting on the top of his head, and even unconsciously rubbing his long hair.
A low murmur of pure joy came from above his head, flowing into his ears like a warm mountain spring, vibrating their chests pressed against each other.
"White hair, fairy!"
There was no complicated emotion of reunion after a long separation in that laughter, nor was there the bitter vicissitudes of life and death, but only the most straightforward and simple happiness.
He Shu was stunned for a moment, as if cold water had been poured over his head, and he sobered up a lot.
Not him... Not Qingshan...
Even though they look so similar, even though their souls share the same origin.
But He Shu knew very well that the person in front of him was no longer the Li Qingshan he was looking for.
This bone-chilling realization made his trembling even more uncontrollable. Broken sobs overflowed from the corners of his mouth, and hot tears were completely out of control, rushing out of his eyes and quickly soaking the other person's collar.
The man was startled by his tears and quickly loosened his arms a little. His warm and rough hands touched He Shu's wet cheeks in a panic and he wiped his tears in a hurry.
The thick calluses on the fingertips rubbed the delicate skin slightly, causing it to hurt, which made the tears fall even more violently.
"Don't cry, fairy, don't cry..."
He repeated stiffly, his tone full of anxiety and confusion, as if he didn't understand why this beautiful "white-haired fairy" was suddenly so sad.
He Shu no longer had any strength left. He buried his face deeper into the other's warm neck, allowing himself to give all the weight of his body to this strange yet familiar embrace.
The familiar medicinal fragrance was no longer there.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
