Chapter 124 The Art of Spring Rebirth So, don't cry, right now I'm just with you...
"Then we shall not be brothers."
After testing him for so long, Shen Jiuxu realized that he was still no match for Jiang Yu in terms of shamelessness. In the end, he lost this game. He couldn't be so calm and at ease calling out other names, nor could he fabricate stories as freely as Jiang Yu.
“Let’s be Daoist partners, Young Master Jiang. I don’t want anything else.” Shen Jiuxu rested his head on Jiang Yu’s shoulder. “Only the relationship of Daoist partners is what I want most.”
"Approved."
Jiang Yu patted him on the shoulder. Although he felt strange about the sense of age after he learned that Shen Jiuxu was an ancient tree, Jiang Yu gradually decided to treat Shen Jiuxu as a boy who was a few years younger than him, just like when they first met.
A delicate fragrance wafted from afar, and Jiang Yu felt it was somewhat familiar. "Do you have some branch here?"
“The last time I woke up in Yunshui City, it was in this very place.” Shen Jiuxu hadn’t expected his sense of smell to be so keen. He explained to Jiang Yu in a low voice, “I can remember everything else, but I can’t remember how I died.”
“It happened to be Lord Yun’s birthday at the time. I received an invitation and went over. I didn’t know many people at the birthday banquet. I drank a couple of cups of wine and was about to go back, but I don’t remember anything after that.” Shen Jiuxu was also a little puzzled. “It’s normal for the ‘Rejuvenation of a Withered Tree’ technique to erase memories of the previous life. At the time, I thought it was no big deal that these memories were gone.”
"But when I regained my memories later, this was the only part I still didn't remember. It's possible that someone deliberately tampered with it." Shen Jiuxu was very clear about his physical condition. "But is there any medicine that can make someone forget only one part of a memory? I haven't seen one yet."
“There are all kinds of birds in a big forest. There are always things in this world that we don’t know. I just hope that the medicine won’t have any effect on your body.” Jiang Yu’s expression was much more serious than before, and one of his hands was slightly pale. “Besides, he probably knows your identity too. After all, this face can fool others, but it can’t fool them.”
"If you know, you know. You can't hide it forever." Shen Jiuxu didn't care much about these things. "I'll take you there to have a look. The spiritual energy here is abundant and it's from the same source as my original body. Maybe it can help you restore your eyes here."
Back when Zhou Yongyin was there, Shen Jiuxu didn't dare to act rashly because some of his spiritual power was still in Yunshui City. Now that he has retrieved it, the chances of success will increase significantly.
"Just do your best."
Jiang Yu didn't really feel anything. He was heartbroken for a long time when he first lost his sight, but now that he thinks about it, during those twenty years of his most reckless and unrestrained life, he had his grandfather, friends, and Daoist partner by his side, who accompanied him to see the sights of this world.
Even if he could never see again, he would still have many memories etched in his heart. Jiang Yu didn't want Shen Jiuxu to be implicated in saving him, so she gently comforted him, "Don't be stubborn. Even when I can't see, you'll still be there for me as my eyes."
"Um."
Although Shen Jiuxu outwardly agreed, both of them knew perfectly well what he was really thinking. It was just that in this awkward moment, the words that slipped out became a cover for their true feelings.
The ancient tree's reflection shone on the lake, its branches lush and its trunk so thick that it would take two people to encircle it and still leave some distance between them. Shen Jiuxu led Jiang Yu to the tree, took off his outer robe and placed it on the ground, letting him sit down. "Don't be afraid."
These words seemed to be spoken to Jiang Yu, but they were more like what Shen Jiuxu was saying to himself. His heart was pounding, and panic and anxiety spread endlessly in his heart, like the sour smell emanating from a fermenting jar.
He knew that Jiang Yu's words were meant to comfort him.
If he fails, Jiang Yu will never blame himself. But he has been preparing for the meeting with Shen Jiu for so long, all for the sake of letting Jiang Yu see the light again. No matter what the cost, he must succeed.
A barrier was set up around them, and silvery-white light spread outwards, enveloping the ancient tree and the two people. Shen Jiuxu's idea was to injure himself and use the "Rejuvenation of Withered Wood" technique to create a new body at the moment of death.
Although Jiang Yu was his Daoist partner, no matter how close their relationship was, he could not directly use the "Rejuvenation of Withered Trees" technique on Jiang Yu. Therefore, he could only use his own body as a medium to transfer the spiritual power used for revival to Jiang Yu at the last moment.
He drew his sword and blinded himself. The intense pain almost twisted Shen Jiuxu's body. He bit his lip and didn't make a sound, afraid that Jiang Yu would hear him.
The sudden darkness was unbearable. Shen Jiuxu couldn't imagine how Jiang Yu had endured it. This feeling of helplessness after seeing color and then returning to darkness, this loneliness of hearing the sounds of all things growing but being unable to discern them—he hadn't spoken to himself about it for so many days.
When night falls and all is quiet, even the sounds disappear. You can't see or hear anything. The thought of this makes Shen Jiuxu's heart ache terribly.
The pain of a sword blade slicing through one's eyes seemed insignificant compared to this. A feeling of heartache and pity welled up within him. For the first time in all these years as Jiang Yu's Daoist partner, Shen Jiuxu felt powerless.
It seems he hasn't done anything for Jiang Yu.
Even the suffering that Jiang Yu endured was largely due to him, whether directly or indirectly, it was closely linked to Shen Wuke, Qingyunti, and Shen Jiuxu.
If Shen Jiuxu hadn't appeared by Jiang Yu's side, then Jiang Yu most likely wouldn't have come into contact with Shen Wuke and the people from Qingyun Ladder.
Shen Jiuxu was in so much pain that he knelt on the ground, his hands clenched so tightly they were almost bleeding. He couldn't breathe and wanted to pull on Jiang Yu's sleeve, but he was afraid that the strong smell of blood on his body would sting his nose and mouth.
He could only bite his lip until it bled, and only when he felt his spiritual energy dissipating did Shen Jiuxu have a real sense of what he had done for Jiang Yu.
The enormous ancient tree withered at a visible speed. Large petals fell and crashed to the ground, pale and bloodless, like a face devoid of color, or like the ground after several days of heavy snowfall in winter.
The fragrance of the flowers suddenly dissipated, then suddenly became rich again.
But this strong smell made people feel extremely uncomfortable. The smell was deathly and made people despair. Jiang Yu subconsciously sensed that something was wrong. He quickly called Shen Jiuxu's name, wanting to take his hand and feel the warmth of Shen Jiuxu's body.
“Shen Jiuxu”.
Where are you?
Jiang Yu had never felt that being blind was so inconvenient. He couldn't even tell what his Daoist partner was doing. Originally, the spiritual bond between the two of them would have allowed him to sense Shen Jiuxu's presence.
But that's not possible now.
He didn't know what Shen Jiuxu had done to him; the bond that had once tightly connected them like a red thread had vanished. He couldn't touch it, nor could he find it; he could only wait for Shen Jiuxu to speak in order to discern anything.
“Shen Jiuxu”.
"I'm here." Shen Jiuxu suppressed the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat, trying his best not to let his voice betray him. He was quite far from Jiang Yu, so his voice sounded muffled and weak. Jiang Yu wasn't sure if it was because of his position or something else.
"Don't get hurt."
Jiang Yu's heart was still in his throat. He anxiously gave Shen Jiuxu some instructions. Neither of them could see the other's expression, nor did they know what the other was thinking.
They both prayed for the other's safety.
The same vision, but for different people.
The ancient tree continued to sway, and the wind rustled through the leaves, creating a loud "whoosh whoosh" sound that seemed to intensify the bleakness and despair of the moment.
A flower suddenly landed on Jiang Yu's shoulder and then in his palm. Jiang Yu touched the petals, and the dry, fragile touch made him pause for a moment.
He stroked the flower gently enough, but the petals still fell uncontrollably. Soon, only one petal remained in Jiang Yu's palm.
As if a life were slipping through his fingers, from vibrant life to utter decay, Jiang Yu hurriedly picked up the other flowers around him. Just as he had imagined, they were no different from this flower, crumbling as soon as he touched them.
It shattered into pieces and mixed with the soil on the ground.
"Shen Jiuxu, where are you?" He struggled to find Shen Jiuxu, but the area was too big and Jiang Yu couldn't see him. He accidentally fell to the ground. In the past, Shen Jiuxu would definitely come over to help him up.
But now, he hasn't.
Jiang Yu's intuition grew stronger, and he wanted to go find him. His arm brushed against the ground, and he felt a wet patch of blood.
What did you do? Where are you hurt?
"Say something, Shen Jiuxu!"
Jiang Yu had never been so disheveled. He almost disregarded his dignity and tried to find someone. His veil was torn off, and because he couldn't see, half of his body was still lying on the ground.
Until a warm limb was touched.
Jiang Yu grasped at Shen Jiuxu's hand as if it were a lifeline, and hugged him tightly, feeling the same broad shoulders as before. "Where did you hurt yourself?"
"I smelled blood."
"It's very thick, is it still flowing?" Jiang Yu wanted to give...
He channeled his spiritual energy, but now this body was practically useless. The wound left by the Xianchen Sword had taken three years to fully heal, and with the old wounds and the new ones, Jiang Yu would be dead by now if Shen Jiuxu hadn't channeled so much spiritual energy into him.
"I'm fine."
His voice was trembling, and not just his voice, but his body as well. Jiang Yu was practically pressed against Shen Jiuxu's chest; he could feel the other's heartbeat, breathing, and trembling. Thinking of something, Jiang Yu slowly moved his hand upwards. "Is it your eyes? Are your eyes injured? Otherwise, you wouldn't have refused to help me."
"No."
"You're lying to me." Jiang Yu's hand touched the sticky liquid flowing from the corner of her eye; it was blood. "What happened to your eyes? Did you hurt them while saving me?"
"It's only temporary, it'll be fine soon." Shen Jiuxu didn't want to lie to him, but in fact, after the new eyes grew and he gave them to Jiang Yu, even if his original eyes could still recognize objects, Shen Jiuxu couldn't guarantee the extent of the damage.
"Don't be afraid. Jiang Yu, I experienced how hard these days you couldn't see were. So, don't cry. Now I'm just like you." Shen Jiuxu hugged him tightly, muttering something to himself. In a place unseen by either of them, the dilapidated ancient tree began to sprout new buds.
Greenery is regrowing in the darkness.
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Author's Note: I actually wrote 3,000 words yesterday, but unfortunately, I couldn't post it [cheek resting on hand]. So I've decided to read it myself. Here's some serious plot information for you.
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