Soul Gathering (IV)
"There was an immortal king in Kunlun named Xuanchen, who ruled the galaxy and the cycle of reincarnation. He descended to the mortal world and saw Su'e, a woman washing silk by a brook. He was struck by her beauty and thought she was a celestial being. He transformed himself into a white-robed scholar, asked for directions, and for three years they lived in harmony."
"...Mortals are ultimately unable to withstand the passage of time. When Su'e fell ill and died, Xuan Chen felt his ten-thousand-year-old immortal roots crumbling... He broke the Nine Heavens' prohibition, stole the elixir, and returned to life. He used a soul-binding rope to suppress her spirit, and placed Su'e in an ice coffin, saying, 'Even if I have to disrupt the six realms of reincarnation... I will make you smile again.' Queen Mother of the West..."
He Shu read this and before he finished speaking, a clear voice came from the side.
"Is this also the reason you came here to seek the cold chalcedony?"
The young man tilted his head, his eyes reflecting the dim light of the cave, his expression full of curiosity, his tone filled with undisguised regret.
"Although this thing is a rare treasure, it's actually not very useful. Apart from being slightly beneficial to our salamander clan's cultivation, its only benefit is that it's much colder than ordinary things. It can freeze objects and also preserve... corpses."
He Shu felt a lump in his throat and didn't know how to answer.
If he had known earlier that this young salamander was so "diligent and inquisitive", he would never have followed Sang Li's advice to stay here temporarily until the cold poison was completely eliminated before leaving.
He lowered his head, looked down at the book in his hand, and exerted slight pressure on his fingertips.
His face remained silent, but his heart was already churning.
If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?
It was just out of pity that this young man had been trapped in a cold pond since childhood and had never experienced the world, so I kindly took out the storybook I carried with me to cheer him up... Who would have thought that it would cause such a entanglement?
How should he explain it?
Although it was indeed to protect Qingshan's body from decay, Qingshan was not truly dead after all, and the relationship between them... was far from the "harmonious" one described in the storybook...
"Yes and no."
Sang Li's voice rang softly. She walked to He Shu's side, took the scroll, and scanned the pages before continuing:
"Compared to Xuan Chen and Su E... they are both lucky and unlucky."
"Lucky... but unlucky..."
The young man tilted his head, frowning slightly, and unconsciously muttered these words in his mouth, then asked:
"What does this mean?"
"Okay, okay, what's the point!"
He Shu was afraid that Sang Li would say something shocking, so he quickly cut off the conversation, his voice a little hurried.
"Cang Jue, how can I leave Youtan Mansion? I have been regulating my breathing overnight, and now my spiritual energy is flowing freely, enough to withstand the cold water."
"...Ah, come with me..."
Cangjue sighed softly, his face showing disappointment, but Sang Li raised her hand and patted him on the back, forcing him to put aside his doubts and send away the person who was in a hurry to leave first.
He brought the two to the opening of the cave's barrier, his fingertips flying, and faint light radiated from his palms:
"Cold Jadeite isn't some treasure that attracts competition. Almost no one is willing to come to a place like mine where one would suffer a thousand casualties while injuring eight hundred enemies. Therefore, this barrier isn't meant to protect against external enemies, but to prevent me from leaving without permission..."
Before he finished speaking, a streak of blood suddenly oozed out of the corner of Cang Jue's eyes, mixed with tears of pain and slid down his cheek.
"This is going to cost me a lot of my energy, so I'm afraid I'll need to rest for a while. Next time you come to return the Cold Jadeite, remember to bring me some more storybooks... It would be best if you could record the stories in the Gathering Sound Box, so I can listen to them more easily."
"good."
He Shu nodded in agreement, and his heart suddenly softened.
What had he been arguing with this fellow just now? He was just a poor fellow, bound by family obligations and trapped forever at the bottom of this pond?
When Cangjue heard his agreement, he smiled happily without any care.
A trace of sadness flashed across He Shu's eyes. He wanted to say something more, but found that the barrier had been opened. He was afraid that delaying would increase the harm to Cang Jue, so he quickly turned around and said goodbye:
"Then I'll be leaving first."
As he stepped out of the barrier, he heard the faint whispers of the two people behind him:
"Sister Sang, what did you mean by lucky or unlucky? What happened between Brother He and that mortal?"
"Fortunately, the mortal that Wuming was guarding has not yet passed away. Unfortunately... they have never truly been together..."
The voices of the two gradually faded away, but He Shu's footsteps suddenly stopped. He clenched his fists in his sleeves, and finally did not look back to argue.
This kid is pitiful, but his curiosity is a bit too strong... Sang Li is the same, answering whatever is asked. When she pointed her mace at Cang Jue yesterday and forced him to hand over the cold jadeite, she didn't show such "kindness"...
He Shu forced himself not to think about this problem anymore.
Because he was unwilling to reveal the answer in his heart, he could not help but vent his anger on these two perhaps innocent people.
Salamanders possess a powerful self-healing ability, and their healing abilities are remarkable. After just one night of rest and recuperation, his injuries had largely healed. Now, after a night of rapid travel, the return journey took him more than half the time it had taken to get there.
He Shu rushed back to Luzhu Mountain in a dusty state. Before he saw Qingshan, he was stopped by Fu Qingle who was standing at the gate.
"Mr. He."
Seeing He Shu return, the person at the door immediately came up to greet him. The snow-white cat at his feet followed him lightly, rubbing against his legs from time to time, with the tip of its tail hooked on the man's clothes, unwilling to leave.
"Mr. Fu."
He Shu was surprised, but he had already guessed the purpose of Fu Qingle's visit. His mind raced, thinking about how to respond.
"Master He, you've been so busy these days, you must have worked so hard... I wonder if my son..."
As Fu Qingle spoke, his gaze looked behind He Shu, his brows slightly furrowed, and a look of worry gradually appeared on his face.
"Ah... this... Qingshan... he..."
He Shu stammered and couldn't make any clear words. He was not good at hiding his emotions, and his guilty conscience and panic almost overflowed from his twinkling eyes.
"He, he's resting in the house... Yes, yes! He was exhausted from the arduous journey and fell asleep first. I just... was out doing some errands..."
"But Mr. He..."
Fu Qingle's tone became more serious when he heard this. He Shu's deliberate smile froze on the corner of his mouth. He lowered his eyes, completely avoiding the gaze that seemed to see through everything.
"Although it's wrong to enter someone else's house without permission, I had no choice... I just entered Mr. He's house, and there was no sign of Qingshan..."
Oh no!
He had forgotten the deception he had set up before leaving. How could he cover up his lie now? Even though the person before him knew more than an ordinary mortal, he couldn't reveal the whole matter.
"Qingshan is with me."
Xuan Tongzi's voice sounded from not far away. He Shu turned his head and looked. His gaze only stayed on the figure that was getting closer and closer for a moment, then quickly moved away.
He knew that he had no right to blame Xuan Tongzi for anything, but there was still a thorn stuck in his throat that he could neither spit out nor swallow.
"Master?"
Fu Qingle obviously recognized the visitor. He walked forward and greeted him.
"I heard you've been traveling for many years. I wonder when you'll return? You just said my son is with you..."
"Ah, I just got back. Master Fu, it's been ages since we last met. I hope you're all well."
Xuan Tongzi walked closer and noticed that He Shu was obviously avoiding him. His eyes darkened almost imperceptibly, and then a kind smile appeared on his face.
"You still remember me."
Fu Qingle was slightly surprised.
A golden light flashed at He Shu's fingertips, and he took the opportunity to retract the barrier covering the outside of the hut. Just as he was about to remove the illusion, he heard the conversation between the two people and paused.
"Of course I remember. Master Fu's piano skills are amazing. I can never forget it after listening to it once."
Xuan Tongzi's lying skills were already perfected. He looked calm and continued in a firm tone:
"Master Fu, don't worry. Qingshan is indeed with me."
Seeing that Fu Qingle was coaxed by Xuan Tongzi with just a few words, He Shu withdrew his spellcasting hand, quietly stepped back two steps, and walked towards the hut.
Since someone has taken the initiative to help him, he should go and check on Qingshan first.
"It's a long story. I happened to meet these two children while traveling. Seeing that Qingshan had extraordinary talents, I thought he was a good candidate for cultivation, so I wanted to take him in as my disciple."
"His spiritual awareness has just begun to open, and he is currently in seclusion for cultivation. If Master Fu wants to see him, he will probably have to wait for some time."
"Master, what is this..."
He Shu closed the door, completely isolating the two people's voices outside the room.
He didn't think about whether Fu Qingle would believe this statement, which seemed absurd at first but made sense upon closer thought. He walked lightly towards the couch.
Qingshan's breathing was steady, and he was still sleeping peacefully, just as he was when he left.
But for some reason, when He Shu saw him like this, he couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat and his eyes instantly turned red.
He took a deep breath, trying hard to hold back the tears that were about to burst out, and forced a smile on his lips, muttering in a trembling voice:
"It feels like three years have passed since I last saw you, Qingshan... I miss you so much."
As he spoke, he walked to the bedside, his voice choked with sobs, and slowly bent his knees to half-kneel.
He wrapped the borrowed cold chalcedony with a layer of his own true energy, and then used his spiritual power to transform a thin rope through it, carefully hanging it around the waist of the person on the couch to avoid direct contact and harm to his mortal body.
After doing all this, Heshu leaned over and gently placed his hands on Qingshan's chest, listening to the clear beating heartbeat coming from the slowly rising and falling area.
“Plop…plop…”
His gaze then fell on the glittering and colorful spirit-purifying bottle beside the pillow.
The earth soul of Qingshan now resides there, carrying all their past.
When the new peach blossoms and the jade bottle is restored, he will be able to gather his soul and be reborn...
By then, whether Qingshan still remembered him or not, it would be a blessing for him...
A very good, very good thing.
He Shu looked out the window and saw Xuan Tongzi and Fu Qingle talking about something with smiles on their faces.
He felt so out of place that he could only look away and turn towards the small peach branch.
After not seeing it for a few days, it has grown vigorously, and its tender green leaves are surging with vitality.
He Shu suddenly thought that it would be better if Qingshan didn't remember.
Despite hesitation, indecision, and heartache... I still have to think this way.
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