112 Past Events (Part 2)
At the end, someone waited quietly for a long time, waiting for her return.
She was saved by a demon... a demon that looked somewhat like a human.
Strictly speaking, because she had never interacted with a purely "human" being, she didn't know what human behavior was. But her intuition told her that what this demon did to her was exactly what a "human" would do.
He seemed unaware of her true identity, treating her only as an ordinary, wounded mortal. This experience was quite unique for her; as a born divine weapon, she had never been injured or ill since birth, and naturally wouldn't be treated like a patient. With some inexplicable thoughts in mind, she didn't immediately join Zuilan, but decided to stay and observe for a few days.
It is obvious that the young male demon is a doctor who lives in the Boundless Domain, where humans and demons coexist, and is known as "Doctor Ying".
The surname sounded familiar; it seemed that the royal family of the demon race also had the surname Ying. However, after she asked the question, she only received a slightly sarcastic reply: "What do you think?"
She thought? She didn't think so. The half-demon before her possessed human blood, and the demon royal family would never allow their so-called noble bloodline to be tainted.
But she hadn't expected that she was wrong. The doctor seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, his pale lips slightly raised: "Unfortunately, I am the bastard they call me. What, you also believe in that bullshit bloodline theory?"
As she said this, the doctor, who always appeared to be a "benevolent healer," revealed undisguised hatred in her eyes, as if she would be thrown out on the spot if she said "yes."
Under his intense gaze, she shook her head, her tone puzzled: "Bloodline? I don't even know who my parents are, how could I care about such things?"
She was telling the truth; if you really wanted to delve deeper, Xianshan could be considered her parents. But for some reason, the doctor's mood inexplicably improved after hearing her words, and he unusually added a little sweetness to the medicine.
Finally, I don't have to keep drinking bitter medicine anymore.
Determined to avoid hardship tomorrow, she continued the conversation: "If I may ask, doctor, what are your parents...?" "My mother is a demon, and my father is a human."
She paused, then asked hesitantly, "Can demons and humans... also develop feelings?"
Upon hearing this, he glanced at her, a look that seemed to suggest he wondered if she had suffered a brain injury.
Of course.
Overjoyed, she thought she could finally resolve the long-standing doubts in her heart, and hurriedly asked, "Doctor, do you know what 'love' is?"
When it comes to "love," she rarely speaks of it, and Zuilan avoids it like the plague. Helpless, she can only seek help from others. But the immortals around her either sever all emotions and desires, or, like her, only have a superficial understanding and cannot explain it clearly.
The doctor hesitated for a long time, a hint of doubt in his voice: "I know that, of course. Love is nothing more than... romance, physical pleasure, and the joy between men and women. What's so difficult about that?"
She nodded admiringly and exclaimed sincerely, "Doctor, you know so much!"
"Hmph." The doctor scoffed lightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he instantly reverted to his usual stern demeanor. "Asking all sorts of questions, and you haven't even taken your medicine yet!"
Okay, the attempt to escape failed.
She silently finished her medicine and lay back down, because she was ordered not to move. She could only stare at the various small animals in the cave.
One of the two mighty swordsmen is now being bossed around by a little demon; it's a complete reversal of the natural order.
However, she showed no sign of resistance, doing whatever he was told. Firstly, because following the doctor's orders would lead to a faster recovery, and secondly, because this was a demon willing to feed her his blood. She could often smell a bloody odor coming from the medicine bowl, from his wrists hidden beneath his long sleeves.
She remembered that one branch of the demon royal family was made of plants and trees. She couldn't quite recall whether it was ginseng, lingzhi or something else, but their blood and essence had certain medicinal value, which explained why he was a doctor.
With each bowl of medicine he brewed, his complexion grew weaker, yet he stubbornly tried to hide it from her. She felt deeply guilty, believing she shouldn't let him eat and drink for free, so she asked him, "What do you want?"
Given her status and position, she could provide him with whatever he desired, whether it was money, power, or anything else. However, he merely scoffed and pointed to the bright moon in the sky: "I want that. Can you give it to me?"
Seeing her silence, he placed the medicine bowl on the table and subtly tugged at his sleeve, saying, "Don't think about those things. Just focus on getting better and don't ruin my reputation."
His tone was harsh, even rude, but she keenly sensed the concern beneath his aggressive demeanor. He said, "Don't ruin his reputation," but in reality, she was probably his first and only patient; otherwise, why would he be so busy taking care of her so meticulously all day long?
But she saw through it all but kept quiet. Because if she did, that novice doctor would definitely glare at her and deny it: "Who's always chasing after you!"
She really wanted to offer some advice: Doctor, it's precisely because of your hypocritical nature that those people and demons dare not come to you for treatment.
So she decided to help him out, so that he wouldn't be left without a single patient after she left, which would be so pitiful.
First, she set her sights on the rabbit spirit next door who had suffered a leg injury. Its hind leg was broken for some unknown reason, and several times when it limped past the burrow, the doctor seemed eager to help. But for some reason, he never took that step, only occasionally "accidentally" dropping some herbs he had picked at the rabbit burrow's entrance.
“Applying medicine alone won’t get better,” he said to her, his voice muffled.
She asked, "Why are they afraid of you?"
He paused in his grinding of herbs, then said casually, "You don't know? My bloodline... makes them feel suppressed."
She understood; it seemed she had to take on the task of attracting "customers" herself. When the rabbit passed by the burrow again, she forced a smile, thinking it was a friendly one, and called out, "Oh, is your leg injured? Would you like to come in and have it taken a look? Our doctor here is very skilled."
As a result, the rabbit was so frightened that it stopped limping and ran away with a "whoosh." When it bumped into the doctor on the way, it changed its previous timidity and took the initiative to snuggle into his arms.
The doctor froze for a moment, then looked at her with admiration.
Confused, she asked the doctor why he had looked at her that way when he returned. The doctor, finally seeing patients and in a good mood, exclaimed in surprise, "You didn't do it on purpose, did you?"
She was increasingly puzzled: "Deliberately what?"
"I deliberately frightened the rabbit spirit to make my approachable nature stand out."
She was shocked and felt wronged: "I didn't, I smiled at it!"
The doctor chuckled softly, "You really have no self-awareness." He then tapped her face from a distance, explaining, "Here, when I first found you, this place was covered in blood."
His face was covered in demonic blood.
She touched her face, realizing for the first time that she was seen as a devil in the eyes of demons, just as demons are seen as humans. Then, she remembered something and looked up at the half-demon boiling medicine by the stove, asking, "Aren't you afraid of me?"
The cave was dimly lit, with only the flickering flames casting warm glow that illuminated his jade-like profile. Born of both human and demon blood, his appearance didn't lean towards either race, but rather perfectly blended the best features of both, neither overly alluring nor bland. His eyes held a clear, mountain-like clarity, yet the corners of his eyes slightly upturned, concealing a uniquely demonic charm—a captivating, enigmatic smile.
At this moment, he gazed deeply at her with those eyes that were unique in the three realms, asking her a question instead of answering her.
"Aren't you one?"
What is it not?
She was stunned for a moment before she realized what he meant.
He was not afraid of her hands stained with demon blood, and likewise, she was not afraid of his innate bloodline suppression.
They are of the same kind.
————
Undeterred, she tried to recruit them several more times, but without exception, the spirits all turned and threw themselves into the arms of the more harmless doctor.
The doctor suppressed a laugh and comforted her, "Although it's not what you expected, you've achieved your goal, haven't you?"
She turned away with a sullen expression.
Even though the doctor had more patients, he still didn't relax his "watchful eye" on her. Whenever she tried to sneak out, no matter what he was busy with, he would immediately turn around, stare at her, and scold her: "Don't move!"
She had no choice but to withdraw her restless hands and feet, thinking dejectedly, "Even Chunxian has never treated me like this, how dare he? Maybe I should go find Zuilan tomorrow."
But this thought kept popping up, yet it never came true. More and more people and demons came to see the doctor. Among them was a mortal couple. The wife was seriously ill, and the husband heard that there was a doctor among the demons who could cure this disease. So he traveled thousands of miles to the Boundless Realm, even selling one of his eyes to raise money for the journey.
Despite trying every method they could think of, the wife's illness showed no improvement, and the doctor frankly admitted he couldn't cure her. Seeing this, even the assembled spirits couldn't help but sigh, but the husband said, "If the doctor here can't cure her, we'll go somewhere else."
There will always be a way.
After the ordinary couple left, she asked the doctor, "Why was he so persistent? Didn't he ever think about giving up?"
She didn't understand. Her wife wasn't particularly beautiful, was old, plagued by illness, and nearing the end of her life. Her husband, on the other hand, was still young. His ability to reach the Boundless Realm showed his unwavering resolve; such a person, if he devoted himself to cultivation, might have the potential to enter the immortal realm.
He looked at her, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment before moving away, and said, "Because he loves his wife."
Love? She knew it was the same as affection. It seemed more magical than magic, capable of making war gods tremble and mortals brave.
What would happen if I fell in love?
She suddenly began to look forward to it.
Later, the clinic that the doctor had been longing for finally opened. He was very happy that day and brought out the strong liquor he used to cleanse himself, pouring her a small bowl as well.
This was her first time tasting wine, but the amount was too small, and she could only taste the spiciness.
She couldn't help but think of the ordinary wine, and inwardly grumbled, "It's just so-so, I don't understand why He's so obsessed with it."
She was perfectly sober, but the doctor had passed out. The drunken half-demon began rambling incoherently, rattling off a long list of secrets about the demon royal family, interspersed with a lot of demon dialect, which she couldn't understand, but instinctively knew it was profanity.
After he finished cursing, he got tired and staggered into the house, refusing to let her help him.
Not wanting to leave the drunkard alone, she sat down to meditate nearby. Suddenly, the half-drunk demon awoke from her dream, pointing to the heavens outside: "The moon is out."
She looked in the direction he pointed, and sure enough, a bright moon hung high in the sky, its gentle light illuminating the earth.
Looking into his eyes, they shone like stars in the sky.
She was stunned.
The eyes of all the demons she had ever seen before were filled with resentment and malice, as if they wanted to devour her alive with their gaze. This kind of look... was a first for her.
How strange... Is that heart pounding in my chest some kind of sorcery?
She didn't understand and instinctively covered the source of the magic with her hand. He snorted in dissatisfaction but didn't stop her, simply letting her do as she pleased, his long, butterfly-wing-like eyelashes gently brushing against her palm.
Suddenly, even though she hadn't drunk much, she felt drunk. She looked up at the moon in the night sky and thought to herself, "So, the first thing I saw after waking up really was the moon."
The next day, the doctor had clearly forgotten everything that happened the night before, and she didn't mention it either. She continued to nurse her injuries while assisting him. The clinic's business gradually improved, and the doctor no longer had only her as a patient. She then prepared to find an opportunity to leave, but unexpectedly, at that moment, she overheard that a demon was planning to attack the clinic.
It seems that the doctor did not follow their rules and infringed on their interests, which is why they were resented.
It was a rainy day, and there were only a few patients in the clinic. Suddenly, a group of nine-foot-tall monsters burst in, each carrying a weapon and looking ferocious.
The doctor frowned slightly and was about to tell the patients to leave when the wolf demon in the lead suddenly sprang up and smashed the table with a punch.
Her heart was bleeding.
That was a table she had painstakingly made, and this wolf demon just smashed it like that... She sneered, slowly conjuring the true form of Awakening Moon in her hand, and blasted the rabble away before they could react.
The other patients were stunned, their eyes filled with fear and apprehension as they looked at her. Only the doctor remained calm, simply taking her hand and examining it closely to ensure there were no wounds before letting go.
She thought that was the end of it, but those guys weren't about to give up. They actually tampered with the doctor's equipment while he was out alone. By the time she realized something was wrong and rushed over, he was already covered in blood and barely breathing.
She wasn't angry; she was very rational. She rationally wiped out the wolf demons all at once, reducing them to ashes, leaving not even their corpses behind.
So what? She was born to kill.
Because the doctor was injured, she had to postpone her departure and close the clinic to take care of him.
As for what those wolf demons said before they died—that the doctor could have escaped but deliberately fell into their trap… Ha, did they think she was a fool? They clearly made it up to escape punishment! The doctor has the clearest eyes in the world; how could she have such a wicked mind?
He took care of her when she was injured; now that he is injured, she takes care of him. She couldn't help but sigh that the feng shui of the Boundless Realm was terrible, and that it would be better to let the doctor return to the Upper Realm with her.
Huh? She was surprised to realize that she had actually had such thoughts.
When did it begin? Was it the first glance when they met? Was it his words, sharp yet full of concern? Was it the tears he shed for his patients? Or was it the clear, moon-gazing look in his eyes when he looked at her?
Is this the legendary "love"?
She didn't understand. She ran to ask the oldest man in the neighborhood and told him her question.
The old man simply smiled after hearing this, and as if he knew everything, he said two words to her, then asked her if she knew what they meant.
She nodded: "Sleep well."
Every night, the doctor would whisper "Sleep well" to her in a seductive voice. Over time, she learned it and often wished him a good night's sleep in the same way.
The old man stroked his beard and shook his head, laughing, "No, in the demon language, this phrase means 'like'."
like.
She was stunned.
So, the doctor says he likes her every day?
She didn't know how she got back; she only felt weak in the limbs and her head was spinning, as if she were drunk. When she returned to the clinic, which took her twice as long as usual, she found the doctor standing at the door, seemingly waiting for her.
Having just recovered from a serious illness, he was very thin, his face pale under thin clothes, but his lips were bright red, revealing a long-lost... alluring charm.
Seeing her stop in the distance, he pursed his lips and coughed softly a few times. She quickly went over, took off her coat and draped it over him, but her wrist was grabbed.
His eyelashes trembled slightly, and his lips moved as if he had a thousand words to say. But she spoke before he could, saying, "I understand."
He was taken aback, then asked, "Know what?"
She looked at his lips and slowly said, "I know that actually means 'like'."
"...So?" He tried to sound calm, but his voice was trembling uncontrollably. She wanted to laugh, but the moment her lips began to curve upwards, he glared at her.
Okay, fine, she won't laugh then.
She cleared her throat, and instead of answering directly, asked another question: "What are the two characters in your name?"
Although he was eager to know the answer to the previous question, he patiently replied, "See the painting. See as in 'seeing,' and painting as in 'calligraphy and painting.'"
She nodded and read aloud, "It comes from 'The young master should only see the painting, for I alone know the way within,' right?"
“Yes.” He didn’t understand why she suddenly brought up his name, and his unease was evident in his expression. She finally couldn’t help but chuckle, her eyes crinkling into a smile: “What do you think of the name Du Zhijin?”
He was stunned and speechless.
Only now does she understand the meaning behind those casual remarks.
"Awakening Moon and Drunken Mist" are just the names of two artifacts, not their real names.
"One day, you will know."
The moment they experience love or hate, their names are born with them.
————
When Zuilan from Wufangyu heard that she had a name, she was quite surprised. However, after learning of Yingjianhua's existence, she was furious, believing that she was no different from her former master and had gone astray.
Du Zhijin disagreed.
"I can still wield a sword."
They are twin swords, perhaps destined from the moment of their birth to be one with feelings and the other without. The original intention of heaven and earth in giving birth to them was to test which sword, the "sword with feelings" or the "sword without feelings," could better see through the confusion of the world.
Mountains and rivers are the furnace, and the years add fuel to the fire. Heaven silently observes those with feelings, who are tormented by love and hate, losing their sharpness due to entanglements, yet remaining unbreakable due to their obsessions; it also observes those without feelings, who are unable to bear the cold in solitude, yet remain steadfast due to their loneliness, yet remain closed off from the world.
So, is she necessarily more clear-headed than Zuilan?
Du Zhijin thought it was unlikely.
So she approached Deng Xian and asked if she could experience reincarnation. She didn't want to be a cold iron sword anymore; she wanted to become a "human."
He readily agreed, erased her memories, and released her into the world. Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua rushed to him, pleading that she was willing to accompany her through her tribulations.
The tribulation of love is also one of the tribulations, and he readily agreed. However, no one expected that Zui Lan would interfere. She transformed into "Gu Zhang" and, life after life, even resorting to "magic" from other small worlds, stubbornly wanted to prove that ruthlessness was their only righteous path, and that only ruthlessness could make them the twin swords that shook the three realms.
But she failed.
For four lifetimes, even when she finally lured Ying Jianhua to extract her demon core and forcibly broke the cycle of reincarnation to change the starting point of Du Zhijin's rebirth to a time other than their first encounter in Wuling Village, she still failed.
She had to admit that Huai Zhou would eventually become Du Zhijin, while Du Zhijin would only be Du Zhijin. From the very beginning, it was destined that Du Zhijin would not only be Xingyue, but only she remained in the same place.
On the Azure Cloud Ladder, Du Zhijin quietly gazed at her master Gu Zhang, who had lived four lifetimes, and her companion Zui Lan, who had been with her for nearly a thousand years. She looked more haggard than she remembered, having been punished for violating the laws of Heaven.
She waited, waiting for the other person to take the initiative to explain. But when their eyes met, there was only silence.
At this point, there seems to be nothing more to say; whether there was affection or indifference is no longer important. There has never been right or wrong, only different paths chosen by each individual.
"Jin" means to cross. Knowing the ferry is knowing the way; she was simply luckier than the other woman, realizing earlier which path she was on.
One moment she's awake, the next she's drunk. She's awake now, but when will she finally awaken from her drunken stupor?
Above the clouds, only the wind moves.
After a long pause, Gu Zhang sighed, stepped aside to make way for him, and said wearily, "You should go now. He's waiting for you."
Who this "he" is is self-evident.
Du Zhijin nodded, then suddenly stopped just as he was about to pass her by.
“Back then, I asked you why you chose me from among so many disciples, and you said, ‘Because it’s me.’”
"Now I return these words to you. Whether you are Zuilan or Guzhang, you are simply you, because you are you."
After speaking, she stopped paying attention to her expression and strode forward.
At the end, someone waited quietly for a long time, waiting for her to return.
[Author's Note]
Hooray! The story is finally finished! Next up is the epilogue! I'll be writing sweet and romantic daily life stories of the young couple to make up for all the readers who were heartbroken by the recent chapters (sob). Also, I'll be promoting my author page and pre-orders at the end of the main text, so please add me to your favorites!
"Water Mirror, Water Mirror Tells Me" - A talkative, reserved senior brother x a straightforward, simple-minded junior sister
"After the Marriage Between a Non-Human Control Enthusiast and a Tentacle-Obsessed Man" features a marriage of convenience that blossoms into love with a little octopus; the female lead is even more twisted than the male lead (heart emoji).
"The First Day of Cross-Dressing Revealed Her True Identity" - Daily Life in an Ancient Academy, But How Did Everyone Know Yingtai Was a Woman?
"The Ex-Husband Who Died Early After Marrying Up Returns" - A wicked woman trains a dog, and the dog willingly submits.
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