Chapter 82 Thousands of lights illuminate the night as if it were daytime.
Six months have passed since the contract was signed, and under Shen Zhou's personal guidance and dual cultivation, Hua Deng has successfully broken through to the Nascent Soul stage.
Normally, it would take at least a decade or more, yet she skipped it all, which shows how terrifying the Hehuan Sacred Body is, and also how profound Shen Zhou's cultivation is.
On the last day, Hua Deng sat in front of the dressing table, and Chen Zhou styled her hair as usual.
Afterwards, Hua Deng examined the items carefully and expressed his satisfaction.
Shen Zhou stood behind her, looking at her in the mirror, and suddenly asked, "Where is your contract?"
"..." Hua Deng said, "It's burned."
She met his eyes, unwavering.
Shen Zhou smiled briefly, but the smile vanished almost instantly. His gaze upon her was cold, somber, and unfathomable.
He pressed his body down, turning her to face him, his right palm pressed against her chest, and Hua Deng could clearly feel his own heartbeat.
He said, "I told you, if you dare to lie to me, I will rip out your heart, break your legs, and keep you by my side forever."
"I can make the lights."
Her heart skipped a beat, but not out of fear.
Of course she remembered; she had indeed promised, promised that no matter what happened, she would come to his side.
However, she broke her promise.
But the image of him with all his cultivation gone and covered in wounds often lingered in her mind. The thought of how he had endured all these years made her feel suffocated and unable to breathe. She only wished for his early release.
Besides, she herself would have to leave sooner or later.
She looked into his eyes, wanting to say sorry, but she couldn't even utter those words.
In his past, those people would always apologize to him and then abandon him without a second thought. So much so that when he later mentioned these people, he rarely showed any reminiscence, but rather a sense of indifference.
So she didn't say those three words again, but simply took his hand, pressed it against her face, and whispered, "It's okay, Chen Zhou."
Shen Zhou stared intently at her, his eyes swirling with dark undercurrents.
It doesn't matter.
His hand was about to rip her heart out, but she said it didn't matter.
He quickly withdrew his hand and put the hairpin she wore that day back on. The coldness and gloom dissipated, and his expression and tone were no different from usual: "What do you want to eat today?"
Hua Deng thought for a moment and said, "Let's go back to Yaoqing Sect. I want to eat the food that Yueya and Yueman make."
Shen Zhou said, "Okay."
He took her back to the Medicine Purification Sect and back to the Begonia Garden.
The weather in Yaoqing Sect is always fine. At midday, Chen Zhou sits by the window, and with a slight glance, he can see the lights of the city.
Crescent Moon and Full Moon had prepared plenty of tea and snacks, and she sat under the shade of a tree, leisurely enjoying them. Dappled sunlight bathed her, making her appear serene and peaceful.
A breeze blows, and a few crabapple petals drift down. The flowers here bloom all year round. Half a year ago, when he first came here, he and she walked together into a rain of crabapple blossoms.
The communication disc stood on the table, and she was chatting with Su Yiqing, her hands supporting her face.
I don't know what the other person said, but she turned to the side and giggled.
Shen Zhou vaguely heard them agree to go to the Demon Realm together next time. Hua Deng wanted to eat the Crimson Fruit, and Su Yiqing wanted to complete a new mission.
She liked Su Yiqing very much, and Shen Zhou had always known this. At first, he thought it was because they shared similar interests, but later he thought it was probably also because they had experienced the same world.
At that time, he couldn't find the streetlights and almost made a move on Su Yiqing, but in the end he didn't.
He also asked Su Yiqing, "Do you know what her mission is?"
Su Yiqing said, "I roughly... know a little."
What will happen if you fail to complete the mission?
"It's nothing serious. I often have tasks I haven't completed, so I just get fewer points and fewer things to redeem, but otherwise it doesn't seem like anything."
He asked Pei Jianming, and Pei Jianming gave the same answer.
Therefore, he couldn't stay under the guise of protecting the streetlights; she didn't really need his protection.
He admitted it. It was because he was selfish that he wanted to keep her tied down.
Under the tree, Hua Deng and Su Yi were chatting happily.
They played a game she called "Flying Chess." He rarely played with her because he was incredibly unlucky, often rolling a single tile, which frustrated Hua Deng and kept him away from the game.
After a while, Hua Deng's wailing rang out: "How come I lost again! Your luck is too good, I can never beat you!"
A soft laugh came from the other side.
Unwilling to accept defeat, Hua Deng regrouped and fought again, continuing to roll the dice.
Shen Zhou lowered his eyes, slowly raised his hand, and brought a cup of tea to his lips.
The wide sleeves slipped down, revealing identical bone beads on the wrists.
These are his finger bones.
He broke off his fingers one by one, many times, and picked out the best ones to make a bone chain for the lantern, and also made one for himself.
He polished it bit by bit, admiring it again and again. The red thread that connects the bone beads is his blood, and all of these come from him.
The bone bead trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly, and the red thread began to spread along the wrist, silently disappearing into the flesh.
He was like that, and so were the lanterns, but she was unaware of it, yet had not noticed it.
He looked up and saw Hua Deng eating pastries while intently facing the communication disc, muttering something under his breath.
The red thread, hidden within her flesh, traveled upwards, occupying her chest and wrapping around her heart.
This spell is called Soul Pact.
He wants to be with Hua Deng for all eternity, never to be separated.
Even if she decides to leave this world, he will pursue her to the ends of the earth.
Feeling the red thread pierce his heart as well, Shen Zhou smiled faintly, his fingertips brushing across the bone bead, his expression calm.
From nearby, cheers erupted from the streetlights: "Yay! I won this time! I knew my luck wouldn't be that bad!"
She immediately turned around, waved to him, and shared her joy: "Chen Zhou, I won five spirit stones from Su Yiqing!"
He smiled and nodded, praising her: "You're really amazing."
The soul bond is only one step away from being completed.
He finished the last sip of tea, his face expressionless, his fingertips tightening as if he could crush the bone beads at any moment.
That's fine, he thought.
In the past, he pursued nothing more than three things.
His family and friends are all well.
Secondly, he possesses talent similar to Yin Zejing, which helps him grow stronger quickly.
Thirdly, he wants the right to choose.
And now, these three things are exactly what Hua Deng possesses.
That is also what he is about to destroy.
His hand paused for a moment, staring intently at the bone bead on his wrist and the red thread. He didn't know what he was waiting for, and he didn't move for a while.
Just then, someone knocked twice on the window.
He released his hand naturally, his sleeve instantly falling to cover the mark on his wrist. His hand was lowered so low that the streetlights couldn't see it clearly. She brought over a jar and said with delight, "Look, my sister gave this to me!"
Shen Zhou looked over and asked, "What is this?"
As the lantern was opened, a sweet aroma wafted out: "Ta-da! Cherry omelet, you've never had one before, have you?"
Shen Zhou said, "I've never eaten it."
Hua Deng put the jar down, flicked his left hand, and unfolded a letter.
"There's another letter."
She read through it from beginning to end and smiled, "Oh, she said she's been very well-behaved lately, her parents haven't scolded her, and she wants me to bring her more treats next time I go back. She also mentioned you, saying thank you for the armlet, and this cherry omelet is a return gift for you. Tsk, I thought it was for me."
Shen Zhou chuckled and said, "She knows you like her."
Cherry pancakes are brightly colored and look very appetizing. They are expected to taste sweet and refreshing, making them a popular treat at the Lantern Festival.
He didn't have any particular feelings towards the Hua family, but he inexplicably remembered that when he left the Hua family that day, Hua Yuan had tugged at his sleeve and secretly asked:
"Brother-in-law, how is my sister doing? I read in a book that life in a sect is very dangerous, is that true?"
He hadn't expected Hua Yuan, a child, to ask such questions, but he wasn't very interested in dealing with kids, so he casually replied, "No, she's very capable."
Hua Yuan couldn't detect the adult's perfunctory attitude and patted her chest in relief: "That's good! Although she always bullies me, I don't want her to be bullied by others."
After saying that, she glanced at him secretly, and mustered up her courage to say, "Brother-in-law, you can't bully her! You should treat her the way my father treated my mother, and she will treat you the way my mother treated my father."
The child's strange description.
He replied calmly, "I know."
For him, family was a word that was too distant and meaningless. Those admonitions and concerns were meaningless; he didn't take them to heart at all.
But why did I suddenly remember it now?
Was it because of the aroma of cherry omelet?
Suddenly, he heard Hua Deng sighing at the letter: "Sigh, she can't even write the character for 'bracelet'. If my father finds out, he'll lock her up to study again."
He picked up a cherry pancake, popped it into his mouth, squinted his eyes, and said, "Mmm, delicious! Want one?"
She offered Shen Zhou a pill, but he didn't take it. Looking at the letter, he said, "The sect leader should have told you that after cultivating immortality, you must sever all worldly ties."
Hua Deng paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I've already severed it."
She said, "I am no longer in the same world as them. They will grow old, get sick and die, but I will always be the same as I am now. Hua Yuan is the next head of the family, while I am just their daughter for eighteen years and their older sister for eleven years."
Shen Zhou said, "You'll feel sad for them sooner or later."
Hua Deng replied, "No, they would never be sad for me because they know I'm doing well in my own life. So, I won't be sad for them either."
Her smile was cheerful, and her speech was light and quick, clearly indicating that she was not troubled by this.
"This is what love between family members is like," she sighed.
family.
friend.
like.
After a brief silence, Shen Zhou finally accepted the cherry pancake she offered.
He put it in his mouth, chewed calmly, and said, "Thank your sister for me; her cherry omelet was delicious."
Within the blood, countless red threads faded away, and the bone beads returned to silence. The soul-binding failed, and nothing happened.
Today is just another ordinary day, an ordinary day in his many years.
*
Night will eventually fall.
The streetlights tried their best to maintain a good mood throughout the day, but eventually faded away under the cover of night.
But she didn't want to show it, so she pulled Shen Zhou to sit at the stone table in the courtyard and took out a few jugs of wine.
Upon seeing the alcohol, Shen Zhou reflexively frowned; the aversion was palpable even to Hua Deng.
She asked, puzzled, "Why don't you like drinking?"
In Mingming's memory, he and Yin Zejing would often get drunk, and Chen Xi would drag them back and leave them by the window to dry overnight.
Shen Zhou didn't say anything. He picked up a pot of wine, and the feeling of rejection seemed to vanish instantly, like the illusion of bright lights.
He looked perfectly normal and asked, "Would you like a drink?"
Hua Deng nodded, looking at him expectantly: "Aren't you going to drink with me?"
Shen Zhou raised an eyebrow: "Your request is not sincere."
Hua Deng gave a soft hum, then quickly leaned over and kissed his cheek, giving him a look that said, "I knew you were going to take advantage of me."
Shen Zhou weighed the wine pot in his hand: "One cup."
Hua Deng glared at him with displeasure, grabbed his collar, and kissed him on the lips.
It's still a matter of touching and then immediately leaving.
Shen Zhou wasn't picky at all, and said unhurriedly, "One pot."
The streetlights continued to illuminate the scene, and he continued counting.
"Two pots."
"Three pots."
Hua Deng loosened his grip: "Three pots, just right!"
Shen Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly: "Three jugs of wine won't get me drunk."
Hua Deng retorted confidently, "But you can get me drunk, I never said I was going to get you drunk."
Shen Zhou shook his head and chuckled twice, then slowly poured wine for the two of them.
Hua Deng chose the strongest liquor, and even though she was already at the Nascent Soul stage, she felt dizzy after only a few cups.
On the contrary, Shen Zhou, being only at the Integration Stage, felt absolutely nothing, as if he were drinking plain water. Hua Deng seriously suspected that his dislike of alcohol was an act; she should have just gotten him drunk directly instead of falling for his trick!
Shen Zhou fulfilled his promise and drank three jugs. Hua Deng drank two jugs and couldn't hold on any longer. She collapsed into his arms and struggled, saying, "Wait a minute, I'm not drunk. My alcohol tolerance can't be that bad."
Shen Zhou said dismissively, "I know, you're not drunk, you're just sleepy. I'll take you back to sleep."
Hua Deng: "You want me to finish the rest of the pot? Who do you think you are!"
Shen Zhou kicked the wine pot away, then simply picked her up and carried her to the bed. Hua Deng struggled, but he held her down, tucked her into the blanket, and said, "If you don't want to sleep, then let's cultivate together."
The streetlights suddenly fell silent, as if they were asleep, covered by a blanket.
Shen Zhou flicked her head and said, "You're not allowed to drink so much in the future."
The streetlights remain silent, pretending to be asleep with their eyes closed.
She thought to herself, "If I get drunk, I won't have to say goodbye to him tomorrow, right?"
She was afraid that if she opened her mouth to ask him to stay, she really wouldn't be able to control herself.
With these thoughts in mind, the effects of the alcohol intensified, and she drifted off to sleep.
The lights slept soundly until they were finally awakened.
She seemed to be dreaming about something, as if in the dream she had returned to the day she first came to the Medicine Purification Sect, but this time she did not meet Shen Zhou.
She felt a wave of panic in her dream, as if she had lost something very important, but she couldn't remember it no matter what she did.
She searched everywhere, but could not find it. The dream was shrouded in mist, and she lost herself in it.
It was just a dream.
At least in reality, she did meet Shen Zhou.
It was bright outside, the streetlights blinked, and I suddenly woke up and sat up abruptly.
Has Shen Zhou already left?
She turned her head and met familiar eyes. The man leaned against the headboard, his posture casual: "Awake?"
Hua Deng stared at him blankly, a faint, almost imperceptible expectation rising in her heart. She asked, feigning composure, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"
She thought that if he insisted on staying this time, she would never tell him to leave again.
But he remained unusually calm, simply saying, "I'll be leaving right away."
He then gestured to her, "Lift your arm a little, it's pressing down on my clothes."
Hua Deng: "..."
She silently raised her hand, and Shen Zhou immediately stood up and nodded to her: "Then I'm leaving."
Hua Deng gave a blank "Oh," but he didn't seem to care. He smiled and turned to leave. He left so easily that Hua Deng didn't even have a chance to say goodbye.
By the time she remembered to say a proper goodbye, he had vanished. She rushed out of the room and looked around. The Begonia Garden was still the same as before. Standing in the rain of flowers, it was as if she hadn't lost anything.
Hua Deng: "You are..."
Try to persuade me to stay one more time! Express your determination to stay one more time!
During holidays and festivals, her aunts and uncles would give her red envelopes and she would always say it several times!
But the person she wanted to criticize is no longer there.
She stood there, bewildered, as if only now did she truly realize what had happened.
On the other side, in a place she couldn't see.
Jinze squatted on the ground, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, and looked up at the suddenly appearing figure: "Finally decided to leave?"
Chen Zhou gazed into the distance, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Jinze tried to find a flaw in his face, but Shenzhou was too calm, and he couldn't see anything.
He finally gave up and asked, "What do we do next?"
"Go to Tianhan Mountain."
With a flick of his toes, Chen Zhou walked into the distance, his feet crushing the crabapple petals on the soil, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"—Tribulation."
*
The sky was clear and the breeze was gentle as the carriage slowly passed through the heavens.
Inside the carriage, Hua Deng held chopsticks, casually poking at the pastries on the plate, without taking a single bite.
The hot tea next to it had cooled down completely and remained untouched.
Seeing her like this, Su Yiqing put down the pastries in her hand and asked worriedly, "Dengdeng, you haven't eaten properly for days. Have you really broken up with your boyfriend?"
She should have kept quiet, because once she mentioned it, Hua Deng felt nauseous. She simply put down her chopsticks, leaned back, and said listlessly, "I guess so, sigh."
Su Yiqing slammed her hand on the table in anger: "That guy surnamed Chen has no taste at all! You're so great and he still dares to break up with you. I'll introduce you to a few more later!"
Hua Deng said, "I should be considered the one who initiated the breakup."
Su Yiqing: "...Then he won't try to stop you!"
Hua Deng: "They tried to persuade me to stay, but I declined."
Su Yiqing: "That means he wasn't firm enough in trying to keep me!"
This time, Hua Deng wholeheartedly agreed, nodding vigorously: "Yes, he's not resolute at all!"
Su Yi breathed a sigh of relief, finally finding something to complain about. The two of them talked about how "no man is any good" and how "the more boyfriends the better, so you won't have time to be upset."
Yun Mingyu sat in the corner, remaining as quiet as a chicken the entire time, not uttering a sound.
Finally, Hua Deng remembered his presence and quickly interrupted Su Yiqing's wild words.
This time, they planned to travel to the Demon Realm together. Hua Deng and Su Yiqing both had missions to do, while Yun Mingyu, as the male protagonist and the young master of the Demon Realm, naturally accompanied them.
However, he had such a low profile that Hua Deng often forgot he was still there.
That evening, Su Yiqing insisted on keeping her company and took her to a restaurant for dinner.
Not wanting to spoil the mood, Hua Deng agreed, thinking that she should eat as much as possible later so as not to worry others.
Considering her hometown, Su Yiqing specially ordered a lot of crabs.
Hua Deng did miss the taste of crab, but this time, for some reason, she couldn't taste it; something just didn't feel right. She didn't say anything and ate silently by herself.
Directly opposite, Yun Mingyu was peeling crabs without stopping and then putting them into Su Yiqing's bowl.
Even though it was something that could be solved with magic, he was still happy to do it, and he couldn't feel at ease until he saw Su Yiqing eat it herself.
Hua Deng seemed to gradually understand why Shen Zhou liked to do some trivial things by himself, such as tying her hair, brewing tea for her, and feeding her.
"..."
Damn it, why did I have to think of that guy again!
Hua Deng immediately shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts from his mind.
After dinner, the three of them went out to stroll through the night market.
This place has always been bustling, especially at night when it is teeming with tourists and vendors hawking their wares, creating a lively and vibrant atmosphere.
Hua Deng was distracted, her gaze sweeping over the dazzling array of stalls, but nothing caught her interest. In the end, she only bought a few things to appease Su Yiqing.
Although she tried her best to hide it, Su Yiqing could tell that she was feeling down, so she decided to go back and rest first, so that she wouldn't have to force herself to keep going.
Suddenly, the streetlights stopped.
She said to one of the vendors, "Boss, I'll take this one."
Following the direction of her finger, Su Yiqing saw a rabbit lantern hanging high up. It looked so strange that she could hardly believe it was a rabbit.
But I really like the way the lights look on.
The stall owner smiled and said, "Young lady, you have a good eye. However, this lantern is our prized possession and is not for sale. Here is a game of pitch-pot. If you hit the target in all ten rounds, it's yours for free."
This was a piece of cake for the cultivators; even without using magic, Hua Deng would hit the target every time. Feeling bad, she insisted on giving the stall owner a few taels of silver before starting the game of pitch-pot.
Holding the arrows in one hand, she hit the target ten times in a row and successfully obtained the rabbit lantern.
Su Yi leaned closer to examine her lantern.
The rabbit is in the position of eating grass, with a blade of grass between its front teeth. It seems to have been startled by something, and it raises its head blankly with its round eyes, looking adorably clumsy.
The carving technique may not be particularly exquisite, but every detail is vivid and interesting. The rabbit seems to come alive, and you can even imagine the feel of its fur.
Moreover, the lanterns are usually dim, but they light up when you poke them, which is quite interesting.
As Su Yiqing poked at it, she said, "The person who carved this is quite skilled. But is this a rabbit? It looks like a mouse."
Hua Deng smiled. She had taken a liking to this rabbit because it resembled the Vilant rabbit she had raised in her previous life.
She paused for a moment for no apparent reason.
...Does this kind of rabbit exist in the cultivation world?
Su Yiqing was admiring the lanterns when suddenly Hua Deng shoved the rabbit into her hand and hurriedly said, "I'm going to find someone to keep it for me!"
Before he could finish speaking, he had already pushed through the crowd and was running forward as fast as he could.
The streetlights stretched far into the distance.
But even at the end of the street, where there were few people, she still couldn't find the person she was looking for.
Just as she thought she was overthinking things and was about to leave in a daze, a gasp came from behind her.
The city lights suddenly turned back, and all the people looked up. Under the vast night sky, twinkling lights slowly rose from the distance, burning in her eyes. Thousands of lights swirled, like a galaxy poured down.
As she watched, more and more lights appeared, and the silent night sky was ignited in an instant, intertwining into a sea of fire, roaring and blazing.
Heaven and earth are empty, stars and moon have lost their color.
Thousands of lights illuminate the night, making it as dark as day.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com