Monster Hunt (I)
“Puff——hahaha——”
Qingshan looked at his bluffing appearance and couldn't help but chuckle. The laughter overflowed from his throat, with a little hoarseness from lack of strength, but with a different kind of tenderness.
He smiled, stepped back a little, turned his head, and looked at the endless green waves in the depths of the reed marsh.
The laughter gradually faded and finally dissipated in the moisture-laden wind, turning into a silent silence.
Several roosting water birds were startled by the noise. They spread their broad wings, uttered clear calls, and flew low into the distance, close to the tops of the reeds that undulated like waves.
"Yeah...why..."
He murmured softly, as if questioning himself, or questioning his fate, and slowly lowered his head, his voice so soft that it was almost blown away by the wind.
"Why on earth... What I asked for was so simple, why did I end up like this step by step..."
Seeing that he was obviously unwilling to say more and trying to avoid the question, He Shu's pent-up worry and powerlessness were instantly ignited, turning into a burning anger that rushed straight to his head.
He suddenly stretched out his hand and held Qingshan's cheek forcefully, forcing him to turn around and look at him, not allowing him to dodge anymore.
"What the hell is wrong with your soul?!"
His voice was trembling with excitement, his fingertips were cold, but his eyes were burning with stubborn determination.
"The patrol officer said you bear traces of divine punishment... After I left in my previous life... what exactly did you do? Qingshan, your three souls are scattered and shattered. This is absolutely extraordinary and extremely dangerous! Your coma just now must be related to this!"
He Shu's heart was burning with anxiety, but Qingshan seemed to be at a distance, still answering irrelevant questions. His eyes drifted to the swaying reeds on the side, and his tone was filled with an indescribable bitterness:
"After all... you still want that 'Qingshan' back... Wuming, you don't want my presence at this moment to disrupt his predetermined fate, right?"
"Isn't he you?"
He Shu felt as if a needle had pierced his heart when he heard this. He suddenly shook his hand away and turned his back. His thin shoulders rose and fell uncontrollably.
"Why bother with this? Isn't the most important thing right now to return your soul to its place and ensure your safety?"
"Do you want your soul to be shattered and never be reborn? Qingshan... I don't ask for anything, I just want you to live well... This time... I will never, never watch you leave me again..."
Broken sobs escaped softly from his throat. He Shu raised his hand and wiped away the tears that kept rolling down the corners of his eyes in a somewhat embarrassed manner, so he did not see the complex look that flashed across the eyes of the person behind him.
It was mixed with deep loneliness and pain, as well as a tenderness that was almost desperate, so rich that it almost turned into substance and dripped down.
"Even if...even if it's not me who survives in the end...it doesn't matter..."
Qingshan whispered in an almost inaudible voice, his body swaying slightly. He quietly stretched out his hand, his fingertips sinking deeply into the wet mud beside him, using the force to support himself, and barely managed to keep himself from falling down.
The gloomy blue-gray color of the eastern sky gradually seeped into a very pale fish belly white. The bottom layer of the layers of clouds was quietly warmed by the invisible morning sun below the horizon, and a hint of crimson appeared that was hard to ignore.
Finally, the first ray of morning light pierced through the clouds like a sharp blade, slanting across the vast wetland, and enveloping the two people who were sitting quietly in the reed marsh, silent.
In an instant, thousands of reed flowers were instantly ignited by the morning light, turning into a dazzling golden river swaying and flowing across the sky. The vast water surface was broken into countless glittering silver scales. The entire sleeping earth seemed to have taken a deep breath, suddenly awakened in the brilliant light, and regained vitality.
"Walk……"
"you……"
The two voices rang out almost simultaneously, and then paused at the same time. After a brief eye contact, He Shu turned his head away first and continued in a hoarse voice:
"You speak first... When you finish, I will send you back to Luzhu Mountain. When we find Xuantongzi... he will definitely have a way... he must have one..."
Although his tone was firm, he was confused and at a loss in his heart.
If even that old baboon was helpless... he would do everything in his power to seek help in the Ninth Heaven! To find Heqi, Madam Xi, and the Immortal Lord Baicao...
They must have a way, otherwise...
The peach I got before jumping into the abyss can at least keep Qingshan alive for a while, and...
And the elixir whose whereabouts are still unknown...
If you can find...
He Shu suddenly lowered his head, not daring to indulge himself in thinking further along these desperate and vague lines of thought.
Qingshan's gentle voice gradually pulled him out of the quagmire of his thoughts.
"Wuming... It's not that I don't want to go with you to search for Xuantongzi, but I can't leave that peach tree for too long... My remnant soul is parasitic on it, and thanks to its characteristics, I've been able to survive and hold on until today to meet you again."
"I wonder... do you still remember... the book 'Knowing Each Other'? I haven't finished writing the manuscript yet, but its ending... I can tell you now."
"Actually, I had no intention of writing a book. It was just that one day, while taking a nap under the peach tree, I was lost in thought and had a very long dream..."
"I dreamed of a peach blossom fairy servant falling in love with the flower god she served. Day and night, they were together, yet the fairy servant could not reciprocate her love. This gave rise to longing and resentment... Eventually, her obsession turned her into a demon. She was punished by heaven, and her resentful soul was forcibly stripped away and sealed in a Pure Spirit Bottle, to be suppressed forever."
"But the Flower God... isn't completely heartless. Faced with the strict laws of heaven, she's helpless. The only thing she can do is quietly bring the immortal servant, who has transformed into her original form, back to the human world and plant her in a place with abundant spiritual energy. This can be considered... leaving her a glimmer of hope..."
When Qingshan said this, he paused slightly and his voice became lower and slower.
He Shu's heart was slightly disturbed when he heard this. He felt something flash through his mind, but it was like quicksand through his fingers, and he couldn't catch anything. He couldn't help but whispered:
"So...what happened next?"
"And then...it's fate, that flower goddess probably didn't know...that the ray of hope she left behind would also benefit the vengeful soul in the bottle, which had also been banished to the mortal world. For countless years, that vengeful soul had constantly dreamed of breaking free from the seal of the jade bottle and escaping its shackles..."
Hearing this, He Shu's mind seemed to flash with lightning, and he suddenly asked:
"That peach tree... is the one in your yard, right?"
"……yes……"
Qingshan lowered his head as he spoke. His voice became smaller and slower, like a candle about to burn out. His body gradually lost its support and leaned weakly towards Heshu.
"And that resentful spirit... sought a human soul everywhere, sealed in the jade bottle in her place... in order to escape... Unfortunately, human souls are ultimately fragile..."
His words stopped abruptly, and his shoulder completely leaned against He Shu, and there was no sound anymore.
"Qingshan!"
——
In the mountain courtyard, summer is coming. Under the rustling fragrant snow, a white cat is lying under a tree, its back arched and its tail gently swaying from side to side.
A pair of amber eyes widened and stared at a emerald butterfly fluttering in the air.
The butterfly's wings were slender, and it danced freely up and down, as if it was deliberately teasing the cat.
The white cat suddenly exerted force with its hind legs and leaped up. Its soft body formed a nimble arc in the air, and its front paws stretched out like lightning, pouncing on the swaying green shadow.
Naturally, it failed to catch the butterfly, which spun nimbly and floated away.
The white cat landed on the ground without paying any attention. Soon, its attention was attracted by another falling petal. It turned over and stretched out its pink claws to reach the falling petal, and a satisfied purr came from its throat.
The sunlight shone through the branches, casting patches of light on its dusty fur. Such a quiet and beautiful scene was broken by He Shu who flew back in a hurry.
The cat was startled by the figure flapping its wings in the air. Its pupils contracted sharply, and its sharp claws sprang out subconsciously, gripping the ground tightly. Its white fur exploded and it made a short "sha" sound.
As soon as the crane letter landed on the ground, a white light suddenly appeared in the courtyard.
The light gradually faded, and the figure of a woman appeared.
She was wearing a long emerald silk dress, and her figure was tall and slender. Her long dark blue hair was not neatly tied up, but only half-tied up with a plain hairpin, and the rest flowed down to her waist like a waterfall.
"He, you are finally back..."
The woman's steps were as light as a feather, landing silently as she slowly approached He Shu. She raised her eyelashes, revealing a pair of dark green pupils, calm and peaceful, like an ancient well and a cold pond, with a sense of aloofness and coldness.
"Sang Li!"
He Shu saw who was coming and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"Why are you back? Where's Xuantongzi? Didn't you two go together to hunt down the shadow demon?"
"Master ordered me to return to Luzhu Mountain immediately two days ago."
Sang Li's voice was just like her eyes, calm and without much emotion.
"He just told me to come back to find you, but didn't tell me the specific reason."
As she spoke, she naturally followed He Shu's hurried pace, and the two of them walked quickly into the house together.
"But I didn't see you in the mountains after I came back. Soon after, my contact with Master was suddenly cut off. I have been waiting here for your return ever since."
After carefully placing the unconscious Qingshan in his arms on the bed and covering him with a thin blanket, He Shu turned around and asked anxiously:
"Then do you know where Xuan Tongzi is now? Did he reveal any clues when he last contacted you?"
"I don't know."
Sang Li shook his head slowly, his expression still cold.
"Master's actions are always unpredictable."
Although he had expected this, He Shu still sighed deeply and was worried when he heard this.
He concentrated his mind and gathered his energy, and conjured up the peaches that had been stored in his sea of consciousness. He used his immortal power to condense the pure flesh into pills, which he gradually transformed and integrated into Qingshan's body.
"He, the fairy peach is a thing from heaven..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
