A Glimpse into the Hundred Faces (15)
She treated him like a brother, so why did he have to fall for Yun Yuxi of all people! He knows perfectly well how this woman treated his brother!
"You shameless bastard who forgets his principles for the sake of lust!" Yun Yanqiu couldn't help but curse in his heart. He couldn't stay in this place any longer, so he picked up Ye Yingying and walked out.
"Where are you going?" Yun Yuxi suddenly called out to him.
"Is it any of your business?" Yun Yanqiu glanced at her coldly, her tone unfriendly.
Zhao Huai-ren, who was standing to the side, came to his senses and quickly stood up to help persuade him: "Brother Yan, there's still more than half of the food left on this table, why don't you have a few more bites!"
"I won't eat it! Whoever wants to eat it can eat it!" Yun Yanqiu said angrily and rushed out without looking back.
He leaped onto the roof and found a spot with a wide view beside the upturned eaves to sit down. Night had fallen, and the bright moonlight cast a hazy white veil over the winery. The houses with their continuous green tiles and the kitchen with its wisps of smoke were all shrouded in this white veil, creating a dreamlike scene.
Ye Yingying shook her blue-green feathers and leaned against his feet. The evening breeze, carrying the scent of wine, brushed against her cheeks, with the slight chill unique to early spring, but compared to the year-round bitter cold of Xuanming Mountain, this breeze was truly gentle.
But this gentleness left Yun Yanqiu feeling lost and confused.
He gazed at the familiar buildings; the blue bricks and gray tiles remained, the aroma of wine lingered as before, yet twenty years had cast an unfamiliar glow upon everything in his memory. He had grown accustomed to drinking tea with Li Zhoubai, but after just one cup of wine, his stomach felt burning, and even the delicacies on the table had lost their flavor…
"Do all cultivators abstain from meat?" In the dining hall, Yun Yuxi put down her chopsticks and gently tapped her fingertips on the rim of her cup.
“That depends on the person. I don’t have any dietary restrictions.” Zhao Huai Ren glanced outside, knowing she was implying something. “But Brother Yan has lived deep in the mountains for so long, he probably can’t get used to the food of the world.”
"Hmph, I knew it." Yun Yuxi tilted her head back and drank the wine in her glass, then slammed the glass down on the table. "If you can't adapt, coming back will only make you suffer."
"You can't say that, he's still your brother after all..." Zhao Huai-ren said with a smile, getting up to go to Yun Yu-xi's side and refilling her empty cup. "Blood ties, how can cultivation sever them? Besides, aren't your uncle and aunt quite happy?"
Yun Yuxi remained noncommittal, simply downing her newly poured wine in one gulp. After a while, she suddenly lowered her voice: "I've heard that cultivators without the backing of a sect or family are easily bullied outside. Is that true?"
“Well…” Zhao Huai-ren stroked the rim of the wine cup, “that is indeed the case.”
"Do you have a sect or school?" Yun Yuxi raised her eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them.
"No, Brother Yan and I are both independent cultivators."
"What?!" Yun Yuxi slammed her hand on the table, causing the cups and plates on the wooden table to clatter. "That Li Zhoubai! He boasted so much when he took his people away, but in the end, he left my brother to be a rogue cultivator who can be bullied by everyone?"
"Miss Ayu, please calm down. I am also a rogue cultivator. Rogue cultivators have their own way of life."
“You… I didn’t…” Yun Yuxi took a deep breath and sat back down in her chair. “I just remembered the man who took my brother away back then, and I thought he was some kind of immortal master from a prestigious sect. If we had known this would happen, we would never have agreed…”
Zhao Huai Ren's eyes flickered slightly, showing considerable interest in the "Li Zhoubai" she mentioned: "Miss A Yu, have you met Brother Yan's master?"
"I've met him." Yun Yuxi leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed. "When I was ten, that guy surnamed Li came to my house to take on disciples. He made Yun Yanqiu and me participate in his so-called test. In the end, he used a lot of persuasion to convince my parents to let him take Yun Yanqiu away."
"Test? What test?"
"It was like dodging some glowing swords in a pitch-black formation," Yun Yuxi squinted. "But I didn't last long before I was flung out by the sword energy."
"So, Brother Yan, you pulled through?" Zhao Huai-ren leaned forward, listening intently.
"He not only survived, but also subdued all the swords."
Yun Yuxi still remembers how Yun Yanqiu calmly walked out of the formation, her short stature dragging three longswords taller than herself, which she effortlessly tossed in front of Li Zhoubai. Li Zhoubai was astonished and immediately knelt down, begging her parents to allow him to take her as a disciple.
Yun Yuxi took another gulp of wine, her eyes bloodshot: "I don't like you cultivators. You always use all sorts of tricks to deceive people. What longevity, what ascension to immortality, it's all just a bunch of charlatans!"
“Miss Ayu is absolutely right,” Zhao Huai-ren chuckled in agreement. “Moreover, once you embark on this path, whether it’s suitable or not, there’s no turning back.”
Yun Yuxi looked up in surprise, meeting his deep gaze: "Do you regret it?"
“No, at least it keeps me from going hungry.” Zhao Huai-ren stroked the wine cup in his hand, the wine reflecting his handsome profile. “Although most cultivators agree with the rule of the survival of the fittest, rules are dead, but people are alive.”
As he spoke, his voice gradually lowered: "If these rules are causing everyone so much suffering, then it's time to change them."
The night breeze grew cool, and Yunyanqiu abruptly landed on the eaves. Moonlight shone like water on the bluestone path, and Ye Yingying curled into a fluffy ball around his collar. As they turned the corner of the corridor, a refreshing scent of pear blossoms wafted towards them.
A graceful pear tree came into view, its branches shimmering with moonlight that filtered through the layers of blossoms, casting dappled patterns on the ground. Beneath the tree, a familiar figure gazed up at the moon. Yun Yanqiu paused, hesitating whether to approach.
To everyone's surprise, the man turned around slowly upon hearing footsteps, and when he saw Yun Yanqiu, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes: "Have you finished eating?"
Yun Yanqiu's Adam's apple bobbed: "...Father."
Yun's father smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes particularly noticeable in the moonlight: "Is the food not to your liking?" Yun Yanqiu's heart trembled slightly. Before he could answer, Yun's father continued: "It's our oversight. You've been away from home for twenty years; your tastes should have changed by now."
Yun Yanqiu felt a slight pang in his heart. He wanted to explain, but the words he tried to say seemed weak and powerless.
"Come here." Yun's father beckoned to him, and Yun Yanqiu stepped forward only to find that the tall father he remembered was now half a head shorter than him. With just a glance, he could see the dense white hair on his head.
Yun Yanqiu felt a lump in her throat, but then she heard her father suddenly ask, "What's the name of the bird you keep?"
"Yingying." Yun Yanqiu gently stroked the head of the blue-and-white sparrow.
"A gift from Immortal Li?"
"Hmm... They said they were worried I'd be bored by myself, so they wanted to keep me company."
"Very good," Yun's father murmured. "It seems that Immortal Master Li has treated you well..."
A night breeze swept by, and pear blossoms fluttered down from the trees. The shadows of father and son overlapped silently on the bluestone slabs. They both fell silent, the only sound the rustling of the leaves.
After a long silence, Yun's father slowly spoke: "Immortal Li is incredibly powerful. The elixir he left behind cured your mother's chronic illness of many years."
"Back then, your mother and I were seeing magical arts for the first time, and we found them truly amazing. We thought that if you returned after mastering them..." Yun's father paused, "did you ever resent us?"
“I…” Yun Yanqiu couldn’t answer. He had resentment because of Yun Yuxi’s words, but he was far from hating her.
“It’s alright, no need to answer,” Yun’s father interrupted. “After you left, we regretted it for a long time. Your mother was afraid she would never see you again in this life. And I worry that if you come back one day and find that there’s no one in the family who remembers what you look like, how heartbroken you would be…”
Yun Yanqiu felt as if a stone was pressing on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.
“Your sister has a strong personality, but she always has the support of the old colleagues at the distillery and the neighbors. Even if your mother and I pass away first, she won’t suffer any injustice here.”
“But you’re different. You’re not with us, so we don’t know what the cultivation world is really like, and we can’t help you at all.” Father Yun sighed heavily, then patted his son’s strong arm. “But after hearing what you just said, I’m relieved. Immortal Master Li has treated you well, and your friend is alright too, it’s just that his feelings for your sister are too obvious…”
Yun Yanqiu was slightly taken aback: "You noticed?"
"How could I not see it?" Yun's father snorted, seemingly displeased. "That kid's eyes are practically glued to your sister."
Indeed. Yun Yanqiu nodded in complete agreement.
“But your sister’s tastes are just like your mother’s; she likes handsome, considerate men like me. Your friend is obviously a roughneck; even Ayu doesn’t bother to look at him properly, have you noticed?” Father Yun stroked his beard smugly. “I’m not worried about her being snatched away by that guy.”
"..." Yun Yanqiu was speechless, looking at his father, unsure of what to say. Ye Yingying was also shocked by this shameless self-praise; praising her for being meticulous and considerate was one thing, but to say she was also handsome and dashing was another...
"What kind of look is that? Your dad was very handsome when he was young, okay? If you don't believe me, go ask your mom how glamorous she was when she was chasing after me..."
The topic changed so suddenly that Yun Yanqiu was speechless, shocked by her father's shamelessness.
The more Yun's father spoke, the more enthusiastic he became, recounting his glorious past as a young woman of exceptional talent and beauty. Unfortunately, even after he had talked himself hoarse, Yun Yanqiu showed not a shred of interest in his tale. Yun's father sighed helplessly, attributing it all to the sad divide between generations.
"Enough, enough. Now I'm just an old man, only your mother still cares about my old face." Then, he raised his head, his gaze falling on the pear tree, and he couldn't help but sigh, "I planted this tree the year you left home." He took a few steps closer, his aged hand stroking the rough bark, feeling the marks left by time, "Now that you've come back, this place is almost too small to hold it anymore..."
A pear blossom petal drifted down onto Yunyanqiu's shoulder, like a gentle reminder.
Yun's father turned around and looked at Yun Yanqiu with a deep and gentle gaze: "Yan, taking good care of yourself is more important than anything else. Come back when you're tired, it's no big deal. Anyway, there will always be a place for you at home."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
