Chapter 55: When fighting the heavenly lightning, remember you still have a wife who has shared your hardships. ...
"Jiang Yu".
Shen Jiuxu watched him stand alone by the water, his black clothes stained with thick blood, mixed with the rain falling from the sky. The surrounding trees seemed to be affected by his emotions, their dark leaves rustling.
Rainwater falls on it, then flows down the surface along the grooves.
His eyes were dark and unfathomable.
Shen Jiuxu couldn't wake him. He could only see a small section of bloodied chin reflected on the silvery blade of the Xianchen sword. Jiang Yu's right hand hung awkwardly at his waist, the redness and swelling clearly visible. He gripped the Xianchen sword tightly with his other hand, and the blade was trembling for some reason.
A bolt of lightning suddenly struck, followed closely by a winding trail of flashes, making it as bright as day in an instant.
Jiang Yu raised his left hand and gently waved it, severing the lightning bolt in half. A tremendous force erupted from the middle, spreading across the entire world like waves of wheat being blown by the wind.
Several timid flower buds standing on Shen Jiuxu's head sensed something and trembled in the wind. Finally, Shen Jiuxu pressed them in. He suddenly realized that this was not ordinary lightning, but heavenly lightning that descended during ascension.
So, this was when Jiang Yu ascended to immortality!
It was at this time that he injured his hand.
But what exactly happened back then? Shen Jiuxu walked towards Jiang Yu. He was like a wisp of wind that could drift away at any moment. His thin body was covered by a loose and wide garment. Even though it was tied with a jade belt, the wind still blew in, making the garment rustle.
The lightning seemed to be angered by his attitude, and it struck down rapidly and in quick succession, leaving him overwhelmed. His already strained wrists became even heavier with each swing, and the redness and swelling became more and more obvious.
Soon, Jiang Yu could no longer hold on. His body was half-bent over, the tip of Xian Chen's sword pressed against the ground, and blood kept flowing. It was quickly washed away by the torrential rain, leaving a small ditch in the muddy ground.
Jiang Yu's breathing became heavy. He coughed a few times, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth again. But the heavenly lightning did not seem to intend to let him go. A blackish-purple lightning bolt had been brewing in the air for a long time. Like a huge monster, it struck down at Jiang Yu once again.
His wrist swayed precariously, unable to hold onto Xian Chen.
Most people think that the Xianchen Sword is as light as snow and as swift as the wind when it is wielded, but that is not the case. After Lian Quesheng lost to Jiang Yu in the sect competition, he was dissatisfied and went to Jiang Yu, who was not familiar with him at the time, to ask for the sword to admire.
Unexpectedly, he, who was used to ordinary swords, couldn't lift that sword, and even Quesheng blushed.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, his forehead was covered in sweat, and he was extremely angry. He threw away all his belongings and, in disbelief, reached for the sword again with his right hand.
But with a "clang," the sword fell to the ground. Xian Chen was so angry that he yelled loudly. Jiang Yu walked over and easily picked it up from the ground. This time, he simply handed the sword directly to Lian Quesheng.
Lian Quesheng's face flushed red, and the veins on his palms bulged. He used all his strength, but he could only lift the sword for a short while before his wrist ached, and he had to return the sword in time.
Only now do people realize that this is a heavy sword.
Thunder roared down from the sky, and Jiang Yu's body was taut, like a bamboo that stands firm against wind, frost, rain and snow.
His face was almost transparently white, his fingertips dug deep into his flesh, and lightning was hovering above his head, about to pierce through his body. This mortal body might turn into ashes in the next second.
Jiang Yu closed his eyes; at that moment, he resigned himself to his fate.
So many people were still waiting for him to ascend—Chen Jiuxu, Lian Quesheng, his grandfather, and many others—but Jiang Yu couldn't remember who they were.
"Jiang Yu".
That gentle, low, husky voice belonged to Shen Jiuxu. The sect leader of Shen Wuke always appeared stern and unsmiling in front of outsiders, but whenever he entered the Fuyou Palace, he would always rest his head on his knees and have Jiang Yu comb his hair over and over again.
"When you get up there, don't get distracted by the flowers and plants. Remember you have a wife down there who has been through thick and thin with you." Shen Jiuxu kissed him on the corner of his mouth and then started whining and teasing him to hurry up and start cultivating.
"Jiang Feiwan, you are the first among us to ascend. When you get to heaven, remember to help us out. I was hoping that you could attain enlightenment and then we could all ascend to heaven together."
Lian Quesheng was still as carefree and unreliable as ever, but before his ascension, he took out all the magical treasures he had on him, saying, "Use them if you need to. I won't make you pay for them if you break them. Preserving your life is the most important thing."
But he remembered other sounds, very faint and even very soft, like the voice of a person on their deathbed. However, Jiang Yu couldn't recall who was talking in his ear. Those sounds were dense yet impossible to ignore.
Jiang Yu had a terrible headache. He struggled to grasp Xian Chen and faced the lightning bolt that was already close at hand. A bright silver light appeared, concealing all the movements inside.
The sky remained dark, and the gale continued, but the blood flowed faster and more profusely, like a rushing river. Shen Jiuxu gasped for breath, and the next moment, he saw Jiang Yu and himself lying in a pool of blood.
In the distance, there seemed to be a blurry figure standing there.
"Jiang Yu—"
Shen Jiuxu was pushed out by spiritual power. He found himself awake in bed, while Jiang Yu next to him was still trapped in a dream. His face was still pale, like the plain clothes worn for a funeral, but he was obviously much calmer than before. There was no longer any struggle on his face, and his hands that were tightly gripping the quilt had loosened.
If it weren't for the scratches on the sheets, Shen Jiuxu would have thought he was having a nightmare. He touched Jiang Yu's forehead and felt the real, warm skin beneath his hand, which calmed him down.
After a while, Shen Jiuxu noticed something was wrong. He tucked Jiang Yu's blanket in, opened the door and went outside, only to find that the outside was flooded.
The rain was so heavy last night that even though it has stopped, the drizzle still lingers in the mountain gullies, draining extremely slowly. His expression changed slightly, and his fingers twitched. The flower buds guarding Zhou Yongyin's house sensed the movement and went to check on the person in bed.
Thankfully, everyone is safe and sound.
However, the situation outside is uncertain. The flower buds and branches that Shen Jiuxu sent out returned with news that many houses had already been flooded.
But that wasn't the most important thing. He was afraid that after the rain, the ghosts and monsters hiding in the nooks and crannies would emerge because of the great emotional ups and downs of the people.
When Shen Jiuxu returned with Jiang Yu, he noticed on the way that most of the people here were elderly people and children, whose spiritual energy was weak and who were easily disturbed by spirits. If they really caught an opportunity, things would probably be even more difficult.
Shen Jiuxu wanted to go back to the house to get his sword, but he patted the flower buds and said, "You all stay here, I can go by myself."
At this moment, Xian Chenjian suddenly flew out of the house and ran to Shen Jiuxu. The two, one fighting and the other ignoring each other, looked at each other with strange expressions.
What are you doing out here?
Whether Shen Jiuxu was a tree or Jiang Yu's Daoist partner, he felt that he shouldn't argue with a sword, so he took the initiative to ask it, "Your master hasn't woken up yet, and he didn't ask you to follow me."
"snort."
If Xian Chen could transform into a human, he would definitely roll his eyes a hundred times right now. "I'll reluctantly follow you out of respect for you being my master's partner. But once he wakes up, even if you beg me, I won't go outside with you to save people."
"Who asked you to save me? I was the one watching over Jiang Yu every time he was unconscious. You're supposed to be a sword, what use are you?" The flower bud wouldn't swallow its anger. It glanced at the expressionless Shen Jiuxu and could tell that he didn't intend to get involved. In fact, his expression was supportive of it. Suddenly, it felt even more confident.
"Broken sword, rotten sword—"
Xian Chen was furious, but it prided itself on being a gentleman, only punishing the wicked and unable to bring itself to harm these delicate and hard-to-care-for flowers and plants. Everyone knew its master had simply picked up a tree in the forest and ended up selling itself to him; what if it couldn't afford to pay for it if it attacked?
The sword suddenly flew into Shen Jiuxu's hand, the scabbard facing him, and he shut himself up and stopped talking.
"Alright, go back and keep watch."
Flower Bud swayed back into the house, staring at Jiang Yu who was still fast asleep. It couldn't understand how such a good master could tolerate that broken sword that only creaked and groaned all day. Flower Bud was much better; it could help Jiang Yu hold down his trembling arm when Shen Jiuxu made a move.
Xian Chen and Shen Jiuxu remained silent the entire way, ignoring each other, but to be more precise, it was Xian Chen who was sulking.
After all, Shen Jiuxu didn't take the sword seriously at all. He would just laugh off all the provocations he received. He only put on an act in front of the sword because Jiang Yu would comfort him in this matter.
As expected, after descending the mountain, just as Shen Jiuxu had anticipated, there were crowds of people weeping everywhere. Amidst the various dilapidated houses, trees felled by the fierce wind lay scattered about, and various fabrics and timbers swollen from being soaked in water floated aimlessly. Even on the surface of the water, there was an infant wrapped in a blanket made of rags.
The wailing continued. Shen Jiuxu glanced at Xian Chen, and at this moment, it stopped causing trouble. It let Shen Jiuxu ride on it and fly through the air until they reached the middle of the water. Shen Jiuxu picked up the child, and then Xian Chen flew away again.
The child was so soft that Shen Jiuxu dared not move while holding him. He looked around for a long time but did not see the parents who were looking for the child.
"There's a bird's nest over there," Xian Chen called out, then suddenly flew up to it. "Let's leave the child here for now; the water definitely won't come up."
Although Shen Jiuxu found it somewhat absurd, after thinking it over, he realized that this place was indeed much safer than down below. The bird's nest was big enough, so he carefully placed the child inside and added a barrier. In the end, he still couldn't rest easy, so he plucked a few flower buds and guarded the area around it.
The baby finally stopped crying, slowly opened its big black eyes, looked at Shen Jiuxu and the jumping sword, and chuckled.
Flower buds nestled around him, their fragrance enveloping him, creating a peaceful and warm atmosphere.
Shen Jiuxu led Xian Chen downstairs, and an old man with gray hair grabbed his trouser leg. The old man was burning hot. Shen Jiuxu touched his hand and found that his hand was like a bird's claw, curled up, with his nails replaced by white bone, just like a vengeful ghost.
The old man screamed, his eyes turning completely red, and another pair of eyes appeared above him, staring intently at Shen Jiuxu.
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Author's note: I apologize for the long delay in updating. I'm sending out red envelopes to everyone. Updates may be irregular for a few more days. Please forgive me.
Yesterday was the first time I'd ever seen someone critically ill during my internship. Just the day before, they were lying in bed talking to me. It really makes you realize how fleeting life can be. I hope we can all be healthy and safe.
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