Chapter 104: The Flourish of Humanity (I)
Chen Wenjian carried Chen Yunli out of the coffin, lowered his eyes to glance at the hole on the surface of the pond, and waved his sleeve to flatten it, including the mechanism underneath.
Then, he removed the spell protecting the pond and carried the unfortunate unconscious man to the official road a hundred miles away. Only then did he embrace Chen Yunli and cast the Cloud Soaring Technique to leave.
After waking up from the illusion, Chen Yunli was only awake for a short moment before falling asleep again. Fortunately, this time he didn't sleep for long and woke up while still on the road.
Chen Yunli rubbed his eyes dazedly, and when he looked up, he met Chen Wenjian's lowered eyes. The deep and cold blue was like the Black Sea where he once lived, covered with cold ice.
However, after meeting Chen Yunli's gaze, the coldness in his eyes faded away at an extremely fast speed. His eyes were gentle, like the moonlight on the sea, encircling the person's half-asleep consciousness, bringing him back to the present from the distant illusion.
"How long have I been 'sleeping'..." Chen Yunli rubbed his shoulder, and his slightly hoarse voice sounded like he was acting coquettishly.
"It's about two thousand years since the timeline of the illusion..." Chen Wen calculated briefly.
Two thousand years... It was actually longer than the first level of illusion, and it should have far exceeded Luo Qifang's estimation.
Chen Yunli stood up and wanted to get out of Chen Wenjian's arms, but he tightened his grip and pulled him back. Chen Yunli couldn't break free, so he didn't force it.
"I feel..." He half-leaned against Chen Wenjian. As his senses gradually regained their sharpness, a vague sense of restraint washed over him like a tide. "This world has become much heavier. I still remember many spells, but I can't use them. Even my mana is..."
Having said this, Chen Yunli paused, opened his right hand and tried to perform the wind control technique. He exhaled the magic power that could have summoned a gust of wind, but what he got was only a small vortex of wind in the palm of his palm. It could only mess up people's bangs when it hit their faces, and it had no lethality at all.
You know, although his cultivation level plummeted in the late stage of the illusion, he was still in the third level of the Three Tribulations in reality. Even if it was just a casual attack, he shouldn't be so weak.
"Well, this is the era of the decline of the Heavenly Dao." Chen Wenjian smoothed the ends of his hair that fell on his chest. "Almost no one can embark on the path of cultivation hidden behind the thick fog, and the existing practitioners will also be subject to unparalleled restrictions."
"What about you? Are you affected?"
Chen Yunli blurted out the question, only realizing after he'd finished asking that the decline of the Heavenly Dao was the result of a supreme will, or rather, the inevitable operation of the laws of nature. He and the Heavenly Dao shared the same origin, so this incident must have had the greatest impact on him.
The fact that he is still able to stay conscious and use magic is probably a blessing in disguise.
Seeing the worry in Chen Yunli's eyes, Chen Wenjian smiled and said, "Don't worry. Even though my strength has been reduced by 99%, it won't stop me from taking you on a journey through the world and living a carefree life."
"Who's worried about that?" Chen Yunli gave him a look, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, really not." Chen Wenjian laughed softly, the smile shaking from his chest, filled with great joy. "Don't be nervous, now is the time for you to rest properly."
Before he finished speaking, he retracted his cloud-riding technique, hugged Chen Yunli, who was still wanting to continue asking questions, and fell into the human world below. The wind and mist blowing in their faces blocked most of Chen Yunli's unspoken words, and the remaining part was sealed by him with a kiss in time.
……foul!
It was the third year of Emperor Zhao of Great Chu, and the world was at peace.
Jiangnan is not a prosperous area. It is mountainous and water-rich, with many small towns and difficult roads. Therefore, there is not much contact with the outside world. Many small towns in remote corners still maintain their original form. Apart from the simple folk customs, beautiful mountains and rivers, and stable life, there are almost no other advantages.
But these three advantages are what most people in the world pursue.
Luzhen, located in the southernmost reaches of Jiangnan, is surrounded by water on three sides and mountains on the remaining side, making it an isolated island on land. The main part of the town is bisected by winding waterways, with houses and fields dotted across the water, creating a unique and quaint atmosphere.
Chen Wenjian bought a small courtyard here, which was located on a sandbank. Outside the house, there were lush grass and trees, and water birds were chirping.
The room had been cleaned in advance, and the bedding was new and had been dried in the sun for a few days. It was soft and warm. Chen Yunli didn't want to get up once he lay down on it. He stayed in bed for several days until the "aftereffects" of a long sleep were gone, and he had the chance to touch the ground again.
Chen Wenjian also indulged him, and the two of them were in love for a month or so. Finally, on the day of the beginning of autumn, they opened the closed door of their home, ended this short "reclusion", and returned to the world.
“Crash!——”
As soon as Chen Yunli stepped over the threshold, he heard the sound of water in front of him. It was the sound of wooden oars stirring the water surface, which was particularly pleasant to hear in the early morning.
He looked towards the source of the sound and saw a bamboo raft floating on the narrow waterway formed by aquatic plants on both sides. The person rowing the raft was a boy of sixteen or seventeen years old, with delicate features and a scholarly air. When he made eye contact with him, he immediately smiled brightly and waved to greet him.
"Hey! New neighbor, good morning!——"
The young man leaned on the bamboo pole and the raft stopped opposite Chen Yunli. "You've been here for almost two months. Today is your first time out, right?"
Chen Yunli had a good impression of this lively child. He took a few steps forward and lifted the hem of his skirt which was wet with dew in the grass.
"Yes. My family and I came here after a long journey. We were so tired that we rested for a few days." He said, "By the way, is there a market nearby? I want to buy some food."
"Is the stock out? Hehe, you haven't been out for two months, that's normal." The boy laughed, "My name is Baiai, Baiai means snow-white. The nearest market is two miles away, and the only way to get there is by water. I'm going there, can you take a ride?"
"Chen Yunli, my family's name is Chen Wenjian." Chen Yunli pointed to the back, "I won't take the shuttle boat, but since it's on the way, could you please buy something for me? Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged for your errands."
Bai Ai rubbed his head, pointed to Sha Ting's small courtyard across the street and said, "Don't be so formal. We're neighbors. We'll see each other every day. It's just a small thing to help carry something. What do you want to buy?"
Chen Yunli fished out the purse Chen Wenjian had given him, counted it, and took out a thumb-sized piece of silver and tossed it over: "Give me a portion of whatever delicious food you have at the market. Buy me a few pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and meat, and a portion of various seasonings. Also, the cost of your purchases today will be deducted from this. If there's any surplus, use it to buy sweets, cakes and pastries to give to the children nearby."
Bai Ai hurriedly caught the silver, glanced at it in the sunlight, and exclaimed, "This money is enough to empty out most of the market. I..."
"You're welcome, we are neighbors, there's no need to be so formal." Chen Yunli blocked his rejection with his words.
Looking at the smiling face of the person in front of him, Bai Ai knew that he was not being polite, so he smiled and accepted the money generously.
"Okay, just wait at home. I know a little bit about food, and I promise to find all the delicious food in Lu Town for you to try."
Chen Yunli: "...Tsk, use some nice words."
Bai Ai chuckled and leisurely boarded the raft away.
Lu Town is a small place, and even if there are a lot of things to buy, it won’t take much time. Chen Yunli only waited in front of the door for half an hour, and the bamboo raft slowly came into his sight.
Bai Ai jumped ashore and helped him move the things into the yard. She also introduced to him what she had bought one by one and ranked the food in terms of deliciousness.
After thanking him, Chen Yunli wanted to keep him for dinner, but he waved his hand, saying that he had something to do, and left in a leisurely manner.
"This kid is quite chivalrous."
Chen Yunli shook his head and smiled, closed the door, and glanced at the sky casually, realizing it was almost noon. However, Chen Wenjian had not gotten up yet, and even his conversation with Bai Ai just now could not wake him up.
No, how could he, such a vigilant person, sleep so soundly?
Chen Yunli frowned, left the things on the floor that had not been sorted out, and hurried upstairs. When he turned behind the screen and was about to call Chen Wenjian's name, he saw a layer of fog in the room. It was damp and hazy, with a slight smell of burnt grass and wood.
There is a slender shadow in the fog, floating and flickering, appearing and disappearing.
Chen Yunli looked closely and found that it was actually the shape of Chen Wenjian's dragon tail. The so-called flickering was not his illusion, but Chen Wenjian's tail was... repeating the process of disappearing and condensing.
And the speed of change in this process is accelerating, and the time it takes to disappear is getting longer and longer.
There's something wrong with his body!
The moment this thought popped into his mind, Chen Yunli's blood ran cold. Without thinking, he plunged into the fog and rushed towards the bed.
As he approached, the mist suddenly surged violently, rolling to both sides like boiling water, and then quickly flowed back into Chen Wenjian's body like a dragon sucking water.
When Chen Yunli rushed to the bedside, the last wisp of mist penetrated Chen Wenjian's skin. His tightly closed eyelashes trembled, and slowly opened, revealing gray-blue pupils.
"Your eyes!..." Chen Yunli grabbed his hand, his trembling fingertips covering the cold temperature beneath his palm, as if he was holding a piece of ice. "Wen Jian... Chen Wen Jian! What's wrong with you?!"
Chen Wenjian looked at him with his pupils dilated for a while, then his gaze gradually focused, and the bleak grayish-white color on his eyeballs slowly faded away, returning to their original deep and clear color.
He grabbed Chen Yunli's hand and said with a smile, "It's okay. The decline of Heaven's Way has had a more severe impact on me, but it doesn't matter. It won't put my life in danger."
"...Your legs just turned into a tail, and it looks like they're about to disappear." Chen Yunli said with a stern face, "What's wrong with your body? Don't hide it from me. If you lie or try to evade the main issue again, we won't be able to be a Taoist couple anymore."
Chen Wenjian immediately revealed an expression as if his weak spot had been crushed.
"I...I really didn't...well, I don't know."
After struggling to sit up, Chen Wenjian carefully observed Chen Yunli's expression and had no choice but to confess.
He lowered his head and rested his forehead on Chen Yunli's shoulder. He held Chen Yunli's fingers with one hand and placed the other hand on his heart, frowning slightly.
"After escaping the illusion, my consciousness returned to my body, allowing me to truly awaken. It was then that I discovered that the Heavenly Dao of this lifetime had fallen silent. Although I wasn't forced into a slumber, my strength had been severely weakened. A wound had inexplicably appeared on my soul... as if a part of it had been torn away, causing my body to weaken irreversibly."
"Soul wounds?" Chen Yunli frowned, a strange doubt rising in his heart. "You've been sleeping since shortly after your birth. Who would hurt you? Who can hurt you?"
"I'm not sure. Perhaps this injury stems from the decline of Heaven. After all, He and I were born from the same origin, so we should die together."
Chen Wenjian shook his head, and the hand that was pressing on his heart dropped and loosely wrapped around Chen Yunli's waist.
Chen Yunli pursed his lips: "Is there any way to cure it?"
"No," Chen Wenjian said calmly. He was indifferent to his own injuries, not caring as much as Chen Yunli's threat. "Perhaps in the next great era of cultivation, I will recover on my own due to the revival of the Heavenly Dao."
"Really?" Chen Yunli raised his head slightly and stared at the void in front of him, "I don't think so."
As soon as he finished speaking, the system, as if triggered by a keyword, instantly responded, "Third stage mission - heal your Taoist partner's spiritual wound."
"What?" Chen Wenjian couldn't hear the system's voice, but he keenly noticed that Chen Yunli's tone was wrong.
"I said, your injury can be cured." Chen Yunli raised his hand and covered the back of his head, "We have to find a treatment for this."
…
The divine world, the ocean of data.
"Almost."
The God King stood on the bright side of the sea, his golden robe fluttering in the wind.
He narrowed his eyes, stared at the dark sea opposite, and smiled.
"The third mission world is connected to the laws of the real world through a sea of data. All its properties are identical to and consistent with reality. In other words, it is equivalent to the real world, not just a piece of data."
"Spending time together in the two illusionary formations has allowed you to fall in love and develop a close bond. Once this emotional foundation is established, your spiritual consciousness will be completely stabilized, and you will fully integrate into that world, becoming a member of it, temporarily shedding your status as a Divine King. With this, we can proceed to the final stage of treatment."
In reality, if Chen Wenjian is separated from the concept of the God King, his injury will no longer be a "conceptual injury" of a very high status, and there will be room for treatment.
As for treatment methods...
"Since this is the real world, it's natural that Heaven's Way will decline while Human's Way will flourish. The only primordial demon in the world exists somewhere between Heaven and Human, and both laws can influence it. As long as you fill the single gap in Human's Way, you will no longer be affected by Heaven's Way's decline, and that wound will naturally heal."
The God King stood with his hands behind his back, his figure shrouded in the light of the sky appearing slightly transparent, like a human-shaped soap bubble that would burst in the next second.
"You must seize this only opportunity..."
He looked at his translucent hands and shook his head helplessly.
"After all... even I can't create another 'surgery' with all the right timing, location, and people."
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