Chapter 73 (073) - Two-in-One [VIP]
Standing outside Yin Chu Jiu's wooden house, he stared at the boy sitting inside, lost in thought, through the small gap in the wooden planks. Yue Ling's hands were clenched tightly, and sharp nails pierced his palms, with blood trickling down.
Inside the room, Yin Chu Jiu suddenly turned around. In that instant, Yue Ling concealed all traces of him. A high-level cultivator's concealment is completely undetectable to a low-level cultivator. Yin Chu Jiu frowned in confusion, then turned back around.
Just now, he felt like someone was watching him. It must have been his imagination; this was the headquarters of the Mo Ling Palace, and there shouldn't be any outsiders spying on him.
Once Yin Chu Jiu inside the house no longer had any doubts, Yue Ling finally dared to look at the person he had been longing for but dared not approach.
He did something wrong, and he's afraid to go.
He didn't know how to approach him, or how to tell him what he had been doing these past few days that wasn't the complete him.
But it was him again.
For the first time in her life, Yue Ling felt what cowardice meant.
He was afraid that Yin Chu Jiu wouldn't forgive him; he was afraid that Yin Chu Jiu would let him go.
Even now, he still remembers what he did to him, Yin Chu Jiu's reaction to his torment, how he gave up on him, and how he said goodbye.
He didn't dare go in; he could only sneakily spy on him from here.
He longed to rush in and hug him, to rush in and apologize to him, to rush in and beg for his forgiveness.
But he became timid; he was afraid... he was terrified... so afraid that he trembled all over, so afraid that he was no longer himself.
Mo Ling and the other two followed the scent he had unintentionally left behind and found him standing outside Yin Chu Jiu's wooden house, carefully maintaining his broken appearance.
Yue Ling recovered. Although they didn't say a word to Yue Ling, they understood.
Yue Ling has returned to normal. According to Zi Zhuo, he is now the complete him, the missing piece has been filled. And the now-complete Yue Ling, just as they guessed, finally loves Yin Chu Jiu.
But... all three of them frowned in unison. Given how he treated Yin Chu Jiu before, could they still be together? Moreover, this illusion was about to shatter; could they still be together forever?
This time, Mo Ling didn't explain why he didn't want Yin Chu Jiu and Yue Ling to be together, but Zi Zhuo and the Black Cat understood. After regaining their memories, they knew about Mo Ling's plans. However, at that time, Yue Ling only showed his dislike for Yin Chu Jiu, so they didn't mention it.
Now, they have to think about it.
However, the most urgent matter is not that, but to bring Yue Ling back. He is fine now, and Zi Zhuo must examine him to see if he is really fully recovered.
So, Mo Ling and the other two approached Yue Ling silently and said in low voices, "Master, let's go back first. We'll come out again when you're better, okay?"
Yue Ling remained silent.
Zi Zhuo thought for a moment and said, "My lord, Chu Jiu won't leave here. You're standing here now, not knowing how to approach him. Let's go back, and I'll examine your body while giving you some advice, how about that?"
The black cat chimed in, "Meow~ Master, Zi Zhuo is right."
This time, Yue Ling finally turned around, his eyes faintly red. Recalling that in the illusion, it was Zi Zhuo who helped him come up with the idea of pursuing Yin Chu Jiu, he nodded, glanced at Yin Chu Jiu in the wooden house one last time, and turned to leave.
"Mo Ling, send more people here to protect Chu Jiu."
"Yes, I understand."
Upon entering the room again, the feelings of Mo Ling and the other two shifted once more. The first time they entered, Yue Ling was coughing up blood; he was in health trouble. The second time, Yue Ling had recovered, but his relationship was in crisis.
For some reason, the three of them, including Mo Ling, felt somewhat complicated.
However, this was not the time for them to have complicated feelings. Faced with Yue Ling, who was staring at them and trying to get some solutions from them, they could only suppress their feelings and start thinking of ways to help their lord.
Zi Zhuo went first. While examining Yue Ling, he said, "My lord, you should know that Yin Chu Jiu is a soft-hearted person. He has a good temper, a kind heart, and more importantly, you are the only one in his heart."
A glimmer of hope rose in Yue Ling's heart. The usually indifferent man said urgently, "Explain yourself."
"Therefore, I believe that as long as you sincerely apologize to Yin Chu Jiu and explain why you treated him that way, based on my understanding of him, he should not be angry and should forgive you."
"Really?" Yue Ling lowered his voice, as if afraid of shattering the beautiful fantasy that Zi Zhuo had woven for him. Zi Zhuo nodded, pretending not to see Yue Ling's cautiousness, "Yes, my lord, you should know that I am a womanizer. I have known hundreds, if not thousands, of beauties. I know the most about matters of the heart."
Next was Mo Ling, who was so emotionally obtuse that he was practically wooden. He said dryly, "These past few days I've actually been secretly in contact with Yin Chu Jiu. Although Yin Chu Jiu has said goodbye to you on the surface, he still likes you a lot. Several times I've seen him alone on the side, looking very sad."
Yue Ling felt a pang of pain in his heart, as if he were being pricked by countless needles. He couldn't bear to imagine the scene, he couldn't bear to imagine Yin Chu Jiu's distress.
"So, since Yin Chu Jiu likes you, you should apologize and explain that you want to be with him and that what you said before was nonsense. He shouldn't hold it against you."
Finally, there was Black Cat. Black Cat didn't have much experience with this kind of relationship. She hadn't spent much time with Yin Chu Jiu like Zi Zhuo Mo Ling had, and she hadn't spoken to him much these past few days. But she racked her brains for memories and finally had to tell him about their experiences before they regained their memories.
"Back when we were at the Land of the Undying Flower's Legacy, Yin Chu Jiu personally came to me for you, saying he apologized on your behalf, explaining that you hit me because you were in a bad mood. At that time, Yin Chu Jiu didn't like you, and you weren't together, yet he was so kind to you. Now, you're not intentionally trying to forget him or treating him so badly, so he shouldn't be angry with you."
Black Cat thought what she said was alright, nothing out of the ordinary. With Zi Zhuo before, Mo Ling in the middle, and her coming after, the master's problem should be solved, right? But she didn't expect that Yue Ling's expression would change after she finished speaking.
If there was some hope before, now there is only pain and despair.
The black cat was puzzled, as were Zi Zhuo and Mo Ling. Yue Ling sat in the chair, staring blankly ahead, as if she had lost her soul. The three of them were confused, but Yue Ling slowly said, "Chu Jiu treated me that way before because I deserved his kindness. But now, do I still deserve his kindness?"
Zi Zhuo and the others: "..." To be honest, they were not sure.
Yue Ling seemed to have suddenly understood something. He waved his hand and instructed them, "You may leave."
Zi Zhuo and the other two exchanged glances, but ultimately chose to heed Yue Ling's words and retreated. However, after they left, Mo Ling and Zi Zhuo quickly returned, gritting their teeth as they stood before Yue Ling.
"My lord, we two have something to report."
"What's up?"
"We want to say that the illusion's energy will run out in a day, and it will shatter. Regardless of whether Yin Chu Jiu will forgive you or not, we hope you understand that no matter what the outcome, you and Yin Chu Jiu cannot be together in the end."
Zi Zhuo and Mo Ling lowered their heads and said, they were a little nervous. They had seen how much Yue Ling cared about Yin Chu Jiu, but they had also seen the day the illusion shattered. So, as qualified subordinates, they had to remind their master to face this fact.
After Yue Ling and Zi Zhu finished speaking, they waited for Yue Ling's reply. At the same time, their muscles tensed slightly, as if preparing to withstand an attack. Yue Ling was cold and domineering, and their words had touched a nerve with him. If they were outside the illusion, they would definitely be severely punished.
So they waited, but after a long time, nothing happened. There was no punishment, no reprimand. The two men looked up slightly, but their hearts were set on punishing their lord. They simply lowered their eyes and made no reaction.
What's going on? Zi Zhuo and Mo Ling both thought this at the same time. They wanted to ask, but they didn't.
Never mind what the master thinks, the illusion has shattered, that's a fact. Maybe he just recovered and his emotions are too volatile, which is why he didn't react to what they said. As long as the master listens, that's enough.
With that thought in mind, the two of them quietly slipped away.
As soon as they stepped out of the house, Zi Zhuo and Mo Ling both yawned at the same time.
Zi Zhuo: "So tired."
Mo Ling: "So sleepy."
They had been busy all night yesterday and all morning today, and were under immense mental stress; they simply couldn't keep going. Black Cat had already gone to sleep, and after thinking about it, the two of them decided to go get some sleep too.
However, in order to keep an eye on Yue Ling's situation, they decided to take a nap together for a while and just make do like this. Once they were out of the illusion, they were definitely going to sleep for ten days and ten nights straight, to their heart's content.
Fortunately, the illusion is about to break.
The two of them went to sleep after making the appointment.
It has to be said that relaxing and resting is really comfortable. Zi Zhuo and Mo Ling slept more comfortably than ever before. If it weren't for the sudden earthquake outside, they wouldn't have woken up from their dream.
When they opened their eyes, the sun had already set below the horizon, and evening had arrived. They thought they had slept for a long time, but it turned out they had only slept for an afternoon.
However, they didn't have time to dwell on how long they had slept; all they wanted to know was what was happening outside.
The ground shook violently, the wooden house swayed precariously, and the surrounding trees fell one after another. Many guards lost their footing and staggered. Many people also came out of the house to see what was happening.
Zi Zhuo and Mo Ling were in the same boat, but they soon discovered the source of the tremors. It was on their mountain, but not in one place; the tremors were in every direction, and when connected, they formed a circle.
What happened?
how so?
Could it have been done by some of the elders of the Scorpion Palace?
The two decided to investigate. The people from the Scorpion Palace had entered the illusion with the aim of crippling Yue Ling. Now that the illusion was about to shatter, they were likely going all in, and the tremors in the mountains were their doing!
Mo Ling and Yue Ling rushed towards the source of the tremor as they pondered the situation. They didn't have time to ride their horses; they took to the air and flew towards the location. Flying is very strenuous, so most people don't fly when traveling—it's a waste.
They considered many possibilities along the way, but when they arrived, they didn't see an elder from the Scorpion Palace, but rather a formation master from their own Mo Ling Palace. The formation master was covered in sweat, standing on the ground changing hand gestures—gestures for activating formations. In front of him was an open space with a large pile of black crystals—energy stones.
"Master Chu, what are you doing?!"
Master Chu cast his last hand seal, wiping away sweat with a pained expression. "Lord Mo Ling, this wasn't my idea. It was all Lord Yue Ling's doing. He ordered us to build a massive array to concentrate all the energy of the entire continent onto this mountain. We had no choice but to obey him. We've spent the whole afternoon preparing this array."
What?! It was Yue Ling's idea?!
Zi Zhuo and Mo Ling were even more confused. What was Yue Ling trying to do? Almost instinctively, they turned and ran back to the camp.
Asking questions when you don't understand is a glorious tradition.
So when Zizhuo and Moling arrived at Yueling's door, the black cat was also standing there, slightly out of breath, looking like she had just rushed back as well.
Knock on the door and enter.
Yue Ling sat on a low-key yet luxurious wooden chair, his expression calm, as if he had been waiting for the three of them all along.
"My lord," Zi Zhuo spoke first, "what is going on outside?"
Yue Ling replied, "It's exactly what you saw."
Mo Ling: "Then may I ask, my lord, what do you intend to do by doing this?"
Yue Ling: "Delay the speed at which the illusion shatters."
Black Cat: "Please enlighten us, my lord."
On their way back, the three considered many possibilities, but this one didn't exist. What did it mean to delay the illusion's shattering? The energy supporting the illusion array was limited; given time, the illusion would inevitably shatter. There was absolutely no way to delay it. So where did Yue Ling's method come from? Unless someone could replenish the power, but how was that possible? Their energy within the illusion depended on the array's energy; how could they possibly replenish the illusion's energy themselves?
Wait, yes, there are.
Yes, there are!
However, that method has long been lost; only two sentences are recorded in the oldest books, and it is impossible to succeed. Because that method would be tantamount to trading one's life for time, and no one would be willing to do it.
The expressions of Zi Zhuo and the other two changed drastically, and Yue Ling knew that they had already figured it out.
"I am willing to use my soul power to convert into illusionary energy to sustain this illusion. Unless I die, this illusion will never perish."
"My lord, you can't do this!" Zi Zhuo and the other two shouted sternly.
Yue Ling lowered her eyes slightly, ignoring their words.
"This illusion is vast, and you simply cannot withstand the energy required to sustain it! Even if you supplied all your soul power to this illusion, it would only last for a few days. Is it worth it for Yin Chu Jiu?!"
"How could it not be worth it? He is worth it! He is my life! What's the point of my life without him!"
"But...but you will die. Your body will not perish, but your soul will disappear, and you will truly vanish from the world. For just a few days, you are willing to die. Can't you think about us, about our Lingyue Palace? You are the master of our entire palace, our esteemed one. How could you make such a decision?"
Yue Ling's words ignited anger and grief in Zi Zhuo and the others. They existed because of Yue Ling, and they couldn't imagine what kind of life they would lead without her.
However, Yue Lingyi was determined, and no matter what Zi Zhuo and the other two said, he would not change his mind.
"That's why you summoned those array masters to set up an array and gather the energy of the entire continent together. In reality, you weren't after that energy at all. You were just using them to wipe out the rest of the continent, leaving only this forest. This way, your soul power could last a little longer."
"You've thought it all out, you've calculated everything!"
Yue Ling didn't speak, but his attitude implicitly confirmed Zi Zhuo and the others' guess; that was what he thought.
"If only I had known... if only I had known, Mo Ling and I shouldn't have said those things to you." Zi Zhuo was filled with regret. His face was filled with sorrow, and a sense of despair arose. Just then, his expression suddenly froze. "Wait, did you plan to do this all along? Even if those five array masters are quite capable, it's impossible for them to create that ancient array so quickly. It must have taken a very long time to research. Even if you know all the details, it's absolutely impossible in an afternoon. It would take at least a day... a day... a day..." At this point, Zi Zhuo's words trailed off, and he only murmured the word "a day."
If Yue Ling wakes up in the morning and finds those five array masters to tell them about the ancient array, then by the afternoon they will have thoroughly studied it and completed the array.
Mo Ling was also surprised by Zi Zhuo's guess. The black cat also jumped up with a meow. If it was really as Zi Zhuo said, then wouldn't Yue Ling have thought of doing this a long time ago?
Yue Ling remained silent.
They couldn't help but ask, "My lord, is it true? Did you really plan this all along?"
Only at this point did Yue Ling finally speak.
“I’ve thought this way since I woke up. I don’t want to be separated from him. Even if I die, I don’t want to let him go or see him disappear from my sight. And the only way to keep him is this. If I die, when the illusion disappears and he goes back, he will remember me forever.”
"You and I both know that once he returns to his world, I may never see him again. He will never tell me he likes me, takes care of me, or says he will always be good to me. I will never eat a meal he cooks for me again, and I will never see his voice or smile again."
“Zi Zhuo Mo Ling Black Cat, you say I’m dead and you don’t know what to do. But have you ever thought about what I would do if I lost him? To you, I am your master, or perhaps your friend, but to me, he is my life, the only thing I care about.”
“You all have other acquaintances outside, and other things you care about. Mo Ling, you care about martial arts, so you often go out to find people to fight and improve. Zi Zhuo, you care about your medical skills. Black Cat, on the other hand, loves food. You all have things you care about. If I die, you will only lose one person in your lives, and there will be other things to distract you.”
“But I’m different. I only care about him. I only know that I can’t lose him. Living is just another form of death for me. If I have to lose him, I would rather die.”
Zi Zhuo and the other two were shocked. They hadn't expected Yue Ling to think this way. He had thought more and considered things more thoroughly than they had. They thought Yue Ling simply wanted to be with Yin Chu Jiu and didn't want to be separated from her, but they didn't know that Yue Ling had already thought things through clearly.
They could no longer blame Yue Ling, because what Yue Ling said was true. When they went out because of their little hobbies, their master sat alone in a chair. When they were angry or happy about something, their master was never expressionless or showed any other emotions. When they laughed, joked, or cursed, their master just looked at them calmly.
They all knew Yue Ling's personality at the time, so they didn't find it strange and took it for granted.
One year, two years, two years, three years, ten years, decades, day after day, month after month, year after year, but no one thought that Yue Ling didn't actually want it to be like this. In fact, he also wanted to have other emotions and to have someone he cared about.
But he didn't.
Now he has it, but he has to let him go, and he may never see him again.
Therefore, he would rather be with the person he cares about until the very end than go back to the old days.
The tremors in the forest startled Yin Chu Jiu, who was writing in his diary inside. The illusion was about to shatter the next day, and he would be leaving. He didn't want to leave nothing behind in this world. Even though he and Yue Ling could no longer be together, even though they had separated, he still wanted to leave behind something that recorded their feelings.
So he thought of writing a diary.
Writing a diary is actually quite tiring. Fortunately, he started writing a diary in elementary school, writing dozens of pages every winter and summer vacation. In middle school, he had to write 800-word essays for exams. In college, although he hadn't started writing papers of tens of thousands of words yet, he had already written novels of millions of words.
This word count is just a piece of cake.
Not only that, but because he was so engrossed in writing, he didn't feel tired at all. Later, he thought that it might be because his body was stronger than that of an Earthling, which was why he didn't feel tired.
So he wrote away, filling almost half the notebook in one go, before the vibrations stopped him.
He carefully placed the diary into his storage ring, then went out to see what was going on. He asked around, but got no information. Perhaps Zi Zhuo and the others knew, but Yin Chu Jiu thought for a moment and decided not to ask them.
Since he's leaving, it's best not to meet again. Without saying goodbye, perhaps it can be seen as if he hasn't left yet. As for Yue Ling, he's not saying goodbye to him, but rather to the Yue Ling in his own memory.
The tremors finally stopped, and night had fallen. The moon slowly rose, and Yin Chu Jiu decided to finish writing in his diary under the moonlight. But he hadn't been writing for long when someone knocked on his door.
After packing his things and rubbing his wrists, he stood up and opened the door, only to find that the visitor was someone he had never expected.
"The moon is beautiful tonight, shall we go to the mountaintop to see it?"
Much later, Yue Ling found Yin Chu Jiu's diary in her storage ring.
Yue Ling asked in confusion, "What is this?"
Yin Chu Jiu's face flushed red. "It's nothing, don't look!"
Yue Ling: "You won't let me see it, but I'm going to see it anyway."
Yin Chu Jiu struggled with all her might, but finally gave up, saying, "Fine, I'll watch!"
Finally, Yue Ling finished reading it.
Yin Chu Jiu, who thought Yue Ling might tease her, closed her eyes and waited, but what she received was Yue Ling's embrace, as well as his deep apology and tenderness.
"I'm sorry, I've made you suffer."
Author's Note:
Well, the illusion can't last forever, so Yin Chu Jiu will leave. It won't be too agonizing for long. Looking at the progress, it should be basically over by the day after tomorrow.
Actually, it probably isn't that angsty... *covers face*.JPG
Thank you to the little angel who watered my plants with nutrient solution!
10 bottles of Qianmo (a type of snack); 5 bottles of Di Liang Xian (a type of stir-fry) without green peppers;
Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
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