Chapter 101: Blue Moonlight (Thirty)
Twenty years is just a blink of an eye for many practitioners, and it can pass by in two more retreats.
But Chen Yunli still has the mentality of an ordinary person. He is used to living every day to the fullest, and then using this fulfillment to slowly lengthen and thicken the short years, titled "Life".
Luo Qifang's fantasy world should be created in comparison with reality, with a vast territory and a vast territory. The highest mountain reaches the ninety-nine heavens, and the deepest river reaches the underworld where the sun never shines.
The world of mortals is full of truth and excitement, encompassing almost all the legendary anecdotes from ancient times to the present.
Chen Yunli and Chen Wenjian went to many places.
Starting from the South China Sea, extending to the extreme north, and running east to west, one can go from spring blossoms to ice and snow in one day. The four seasons are like quicksand in the palm of your hand, coming clearly and leaving just as quickly.
A journey, no matter how long or short, has its priorities. Often, where one prefers a place, one feels heavier, and where one stays longer, one's pace slows down, and vice versa.
Chen Yunli wanted to accommodate Chen Wenjian, but he had lived too long, and he had seen every wonder in the world. Everything he saw was ordinary, so he had no preferences and let Chen Yunli decide everything.
Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps it was intentional on the part of Luo Qifang outside the illusion, but in the first year of their journey, they found the illusion described in the old bamboo slips restored by Chen Wenjian at the beginning of the first phase of their mission.
Chen Yunli accidentally fell into the illusion within the illusion, and saw the bright spring and the old man playing chess under the pine tree described by the author, as well as the scenes of towering peaks, cascading waterfalls, and the jade wheel hanging in the sky.
The bright moon was the core of the illusion. In order to escape, he flew onto the clouds and shot an arrow at the moon. He inadvertently became the "white shadow in the moon" seen by a passerby and was recorded.
When Chen Yun left the illusion, Chen Wenjian was playing with a crystal stone that was cracked by arrows. He said it was the essence of a mirage beast, which could perfectly replicate a certain scene, creating an illusion that was so realistic that it was indistinguishable from the real thing.
If a person trapped in an illusion does not have the strength to break the core of the Yuandan, he will gradually be assimilated into it until he completely loses his memory and becomes a part of the illusion.
"According to our deduction from the first illusion created by Luo Qifang, this replica of the mirage is your future retreat." Chen Wenjian tossed the Mirage Beast Yuandan up and down twice, clenched his five fingers, and crushed it lightly, "You're thoughtful."
Seeing the faint smile on his lips, Chen Yunli smiled and took the initiative to hold his cold hand.
"There are still nineteen years left, so there's no need to rush there." He stroked Chen Wenjian's wrist and pondered, "A few days ago, I heard a storyteller mention a place called Tian'an River. On the night of September 15th, a strange sight appears over the river—a double moon. It's said that the moon on that day is several times the size of an ordinary full moon. When it first rises from the river, it seems to be suspended above the earth, completely enveloping a person, making them look like a tiny shadow. There are still a few days until mid-September, shall we go and take a look?"
Chen Wenjian imagined the scene: "That sounds amazing. Should we set off right away?"
"good!"
The two were originally in a small southern border town with clear wind and warm sunshine. After making up their minds, they set off immediately, but they did not use magic to travel. Instead, they boarded a newly purchased magical vehicle, enjoying the scenery while walking and taking a short "rest".
The magic weapon was trailing a lavish rainbow arc of light, and as it passed through the clouds, it looked like a colorful dragon and python, causing many ordinary people's prayers and the resentment of cash-strapped practitioners along the way.
They walked leisurely all the way like this, and when they arrived at the place, they had finished their "rest", tidied up their clothes and got down to the ground, and after collecting their magic tools, the Tian'an River appeared in their eyes lightly and hazily like a flowing ancient painting.
The world is vast, and there are many wonders. The Tian'an River is located in a remote corner and cannot be ranked. But even such a river, apart from the double moon, has its own dazzling beauty.
Chen Yunli stood by the river with his hands in his pockets, watching the light boats and bamboo rafts slowly floating on the river side by side with Chen Wenjian, and a feeling of "Twenty years are not enough, I want to borrow another five hundred years from God" came to his mind.
"The illusion is just an illusion, Yunli, don't be too nostalgic and indulge in it." Chen Wenjian seemed to sense his thoughts, his eyebrows twitching slightly, and he slowly brought his wandering heart back to its place. "If you like, I will take you to see the real Tian'an River and the two moons when we return to reality."
Chen Yunli nodded, but did not look away. The breeze and water were flowing on the river, and the boats were sailing far away. Even if he knew it was fake, he couldn't take his eyes off it.
What's more, reality may not be as comfortable as fantasy. After all, if he leaves here, he still has to face the real Luo Qifang - the Luo Qifang who wholeheartedly resurrects her lover, the Luo Qifang who should have become a hero, but in a story destined to be tragic, her love died young.
Chen Yunli felt a stomachache just thinking about it.
"Your expression tells me that you're thinking about something unpleasant." Chen Wenjian raised his eyebrows sharply. "Is it related to him again?"
Chen Yunli couldn't help but smile when she heard his tone, which was pretending to be calm but actually sour. She didn't hide it either, "It is indeed related to him, but it has nothing to do with love."
Chen Wenjian silently tightened the grip on his wrist, intending to put on a cold face to make him feel that he wasn't that easy to coax, but when he met his smiling eyes, the sour feeling in his stomach turned into a gentle sweetness.
"Then...what do you miss about him?" Chen Wenjian asked calmly.
"I'm thinking about how to face him after I get out." Chen Yunli is completely open with his lover. Misunderstandings often arise from silence that is thought to be for the good of others. He never knowingly commits a crime. "In reality, he and I were originally in love."
Chen Wenjian pursed his lips. "But he let go of your hand first—whether it was due to unpredictable fate or any other reason, he was the one who let you go first. It was his decision to resurrect you. You can't just think... think... reconcile with him out of gratitude."
Hearing this, Chen Yunli was quite surprised: "You actually knew that I had been entangled in this?"
"Huh?" Chen Wenjian was so shocked that his whole body trembled. "Tell me again what you were worried about?"
Chen Yunli held back his laughter and stroked the fur of the ancient demon whose scales were blown off.
"I used to be conflicted, but now I've let it go."
Chen Wenjian's eyebrows were almost raised to the sky, but in order not to be labeled as a "jealous person", he tried hard to keep calm.
"After you come to your senses, what are your plans?"
Chen Yunli took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "It's nothing, don't worry. Even in the worst-case scenario, I never thought of reconciling with him. And... is he really still alive in reality?"
According to the clues found in the first stage, the resurrection method of the Furnace of Time should be activated in an era when the way of heaven is declining. By then, Luo Qifang's life span has long been exhausted and he has entered the cycle of reincarnation. Even if they meet again in the mortal world, he has already started a new life.
"Whether resurrection is what I want or not, judging by the outcome, I owe him a life." Chen Yunli said calmly, as if discussing a stranger. "After I get out, if he's gone, I'll find his reincarnation and return what I owe him."
Luo Qifang and Chen Wenjian are both programs, living in a destiny woven by others and unable to control their own destiny.
But since Chen Yunli likes Chen Wenjian, he naturally won't ignore Luo Qifang's planning and efforts.
He couldn't respond emotionally, so he could only repay her materially.
Chen Wenjian breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, I'll accompany you to pay it back." He hugged Chen Yunli and nuzzled his head into his shoulder. "Give him a smooth road to heaven and a life without illness and worries."
Chen Yunli smiled and rubbed his hair.
This guy is really easy to coax.
…
On the night of September 15th, the moon rises over the river.
A huge silver disk slowly rose from the ripples of the surging river. The sound of the tide was hollow, and the moonlight was cold against the background. The entire river was as white as snow.
There were many people on the shore, holding lotus lanterns in their hands, queuing up and quietly putting them into the river.
The river, filled with lights from the world, flows to the end of the sky and sinks into the bright moon that illuminates the night.
This scene, seemingly something that only appeared in dreams and fantasy paintings, truly fell into Chen Yunli's eyes, and he was amazed and shocked. It was not until Chen Wenjian placed a lit lotus lantern in his palm that he was startled back to his senses by the warm touch against his fingertips.
"Do you want to make a wish?" Chen Yunli winked at him and smiled to himself before he could answer. "A demon on the same level as the Heavenly Dao shouldn't need one, right? After all, if you want it, half the world is yours."
"Not making a wish, but asking for a good omen." Chen Wen pointed at the men and women on the other side of the river. If you look closely, you'll see that his fingertips are resting on a few couples cuddling together. "They're praying for a long life together, and that's what I want."
After saying that, he opened his palm, on which lay a pair of small hollow copper locks with the word "concentric" engraved on them. No one knew where he got them from.
Chen Yunli complained about his "childishness" but honestly grabbed a handful and asked, "Where is the lock? Is it on the lantern?"
Chen Wenjian poked the small wooden bar in the center of the lotus lantern and said, "Here, hang it here."
As he spoke, he moved his hands behind his back in front of Chen Yunli, holding a lantern with a love lock already hung on it.
The two smiled at each other, exchanged the lanterns, and put them into the water, watching them bump into each other and drift into the distant moonlight.
The moon rose higher and higher, and its reflection on the river surface condensed from scattered white light into a complete circle. The two bright moons in the sky and in the water were connected and intertwined, like a pair of intertwined jade rings.
This is the amazing sight on the Tian'an River, a real double moon.
…
After leaving Tian'an River, Chen Yunli and Chen Wenjian traveled to many places.
The journey was long, and I met many new friends, some of whom I felt a strong connection with but never truly became close. They met or passed by each other in the human world, forming a brief but passionate bond, and then quickly passed by each other, rushing towards a new future.
Occasionally, news of old friends would arrive from afar, mostly about some earth-shaking deeds that had made them famous all over the world. Their deeds were so widely known that Chen Yunli would inevitably hear some fragments that had been severely distorted after being passed around for several times, and from them he would piece together the person's current appearance.
When they passed by a place very close to the Yuman River, they met Su Chenyu.
The head of the Su family, Luo Qifang's best friend, was ecstatic when he saw Chen Yunli, but he was not happy for Luo Qifang, nor did he ask about his relationship with Luo Qifang. He was wholeheartedly reminiscing about the past with his long-lost friend, and even Chen Wenjian rarely gave him the cold shoulder.
He was very clear-headed. When they parted, he didn't think of explaining anything to Luo Qifang or saying a few nice words. Instead, he carefully took Chen Yunli's pulse and then seriously advised him to take care of his health.
Chen Yunli patted his shoulder: "I understand, thank you. In fact, I thought you wouldn't consider me a friend anymore, but I didn't expect..."
"Oh, what do you take me for? A fool who can't tell right from wrong?" Su Chenyu rolled his eyes at him unhappily, took out a pen and paper and wrote him a prescription. "Take good care of him. I hope to meet you again in a hundred years. No matter what happens between you and him, we will always be friends."
One hundred years later...
Chen Yunli chuckled and nodded: "Well, see you in a hundred years."
Su Chenyu waved his hand and left on a cloud as quickly as he came.
Chen Yunli let out a light breath, turned around and reached out to Chen Wenjian, the beautiful background board who was quietly standing beside him.
"Let's go and see some new scenery."
"good."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
