Dongyu Town (6)
You Jingjia's face didn't look very good. She remembered that Zhao Zhao had mentioned a similar experience to her in her previous life, but she was only a little over a hundred years old now, and it was still more than ten years since the incident in her previous life.
Qingsang sensed something and her gaze fixed on the black bead. Spiritual power surged in her hands, and she moved with incredible speed, striking the bead. She and Yun Ce had just gone around in circles, but hadn't spotted that aura. It turned out to be hiding here.
She used all her strength in this attack, and the bead quickly fell to the ground, cracking several times. Qingsang's expression did not relax much. The aura disappeared, vanishing from the entire Jiao Palace, right in front of her, without a trace.
The other party's cultivation is far superior to hers.
"Miss Qing." Ling Qingqiu walked over to her, sword in hand. Knowing he was doubtful, Qingsang remained expressionless. She wiped her hands with a handkerchief and threw it on the ground.
"It's the man who controlled me. He's gone." Qingsang kicked the broken beads on the ground. "This is a spiritual bead made from the fruit of the Worry-Free Tree. He used some trickery to attach himself to it."
Ling Qingqiu frowned, and with a flash of sword light at his side, the Moon-Chasing Sword shattered the bead into dust. Ling Qingqiu hesitated to speak, and ultimately returned to stand beside his brothers and sisters.
Qingsang waved her hand, and the debris on the ground vanished. She walked to the back of the throne, squatted down, fumbled and tapped, and opened a mechanism. A black and red sandalwood box appeared in her hand. She opened it, took a look, and handed it to Ling Qingqiu.
"This spiritual bead is an extra one that my mother refined back then. Please accept it, Immortal Ling."
Ling Qingqiu knew about the No Worry Tree, which was said to be a sacred tree that came from the Divine Realm. It had yellow flowers and black fruits, was extremely rare, and had the effect of calming nightmares and relieving sorrow.
Ling Qingqiu didn't want to take it, but something made him hesitate. He thought for a moment and rummaged through the storage ring.
"No reward without merit. We have already obtained the elixir book. Let's exchange this spiritual pearl for the Soul-Returning Pill." The juice of the Soul-Returning Tree is used as medicine. As long as a person is still alive, he can be saved.
Qingsang was stunned for a moment, but didn't refuse. She knew how rare the Soul-Returning Pill was, and she also understood that if she didn't agree to the exchange, they wouldn't accept the Worry-Free Spirit Pearl.
"The year Ah Ce got into trouble, I was also severely traumatized, and I don't remember much of what happened." Qingsang lowered her eyes and spoke softly. "Later, it was my mother who sealed a wisp of my soul in Jiao Palace and told me to return it to him if he came looking for me."
"I didn't know it was A Ce then. I waited day after day, but no one came to find me. It was only last night that I learned that A Ce had lost his memory." Qingsang looked up and glanced around the main hall with a hint of nostalgia. "A Niang told me to think it over. If I return my soul, Jiao Palace will no longer exist. I thought about it yesterday, and I will return it to him."
Several people were stunned, obviously not expecting Yun Ce's lost soul to be in Jiao Palace. Lin Zhuo turned to look at Yun Ce. His face was expressionless, not angry or sad. After noticing her gaze, he even raised an eyebrow and smiled at her.
"You guys go out first. If possible, help me hold it up for a while when the Jiao Palace collapses." Qingsang smiled again, "I want to see it again."
Lin Zhuo wanted to say something, but Qing Sang's aura was too oppressive. Xie Zhitiao tugged at her sleeve and shook his head at her. Lin Zhuo was silent for a moment, then walked over to her, hugged her, and said gently, "Okay. We'll wait for you outside."
After they left, Yun Ce continued packing the main hall's belongings, tying them around Qing Sang's wrist. Qing Sang sat on the throne, swinging her legs as she looked at him. The girl, clearly having calmed down, shook the storage bag on her wrist and raised her eyes, meeting his.
"Ace." She smiled, "Do you know that I like you?"
The young man's eyes dodged for a moment, his ears slightly reddened, and he coughed lightly before replying: "...I know."
"Then you know you like me?"
Yun Ce's ears turned completely red, but he didn't avoid her gaze anymore, nor did he hesitate: "I know."
Qing Sang was obviously stunned for a moment: "You know?"
Yun Ce squatted down, looked up at her, took her hand, and kneaded it. He smiled and said frivolously: "Maybe I don't remember, but my heart does." Even if the memory doesn't remember, love is instinctive. No matter how many times he forgets her, as long as he sees her, his heart will beat like a drum.
Qingsang's eyes reddened again, and she pushed him: "What are you doing..." She was afraid of losing control of her emotions, so she pulled him to his feet and said, "Stay away, I'm going to attack you."
Yun Ce stepped back as instructed.
Qingsang took a deep breath, then finally raised her hand and shattered the throne, revealing a hidden compartment beneath. She squatted down and pulled out a soul-binding lotus. The lotus was half-closed, a ball of light centered in the petals, unmistakably Yun Ce's soul.
Under the secret compartment was the key to the formation that would destroy Jiao Palace. With the Soul-Binding Lotus removed, the formation was triggered, and the entire palace was on the verge of collapse. Yun Ce stored the Soul-Binding Lotus in his sea of consciousness, took Qing Sang's wrist, and whispered to her, "A-Sang, shall we go?"
Qingsang said nothing, letting him lead her out of the palace. After leaving Jiao Palace, she turned back, taking one last look at the place where she had grown up. Her back was turned to the crowd, so no one could see her expression.
After a while, she turned around, her eyes red. "Let's go." She swam towards the surface without looking back. Behind her, the Jiao Palace, which had stood for thousands of years, collapsed to the ground.
Back at Heguang Sect, Yun Ce, worried about Qing Sang, hesitated to go into seclusion to fuse his souls. Qing Sang urged him to leave several times before finally forcing him to go into seclusion. Wu Chengsong and she escorted Yun Ce to his room.
He was well aware of Yun Ce's emotional distress after the incident, and was grateful for Qing Sang's actions. Qing Sang covered her eyes with the white silk again and smiled at the words: "You're welcome. This is what the Jiao Clan owes him."
The Dongyu incident was over, and Lin Zhuo and his companions were preparing to return to the sect. Just as they told Wu Chengsong about their intention to leave, a young disciple came to report that the Immortal Canghe had arrived.
Cang He waited for two days within the sect, busy with sect affairs, barely closing his eyes. He feared that if he were idle, he would think of Lin Zhuo's weak breathing and half-broken golden elixir. Last night, Ling Qingqiu had told him that they were going to Jiao Palace today. He calculated the time, borrowed Jing Qi's flying boat, and rushed to pick up his disciple.
After they left, the disciple who had come to see them off whispered, "Big Brother, look at the Immortal Venerable's posture. Doesn't he look like an elder picking up children from school in town?"
Wu Chengsong was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled. It was indeed quite similar.
As soon as he returned to the main hall, Wu Chengsong saw the man sitting on the main throne. He was stunned: "...Master? Are you out of seclusion?"
Sect Leader Yun looked behind him: "...Where is Qingsang?" He already knew what had happened in the past few days.
As he was asking, Qingsang walked in from outside. The two looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
"..." Sect Leader Yun opened his mouth, then closed it again. Qingsang smiled. "You don't have to say anything. I don't remember what happened back then, and I don't blame you. You're the Sect Leader, and also his father. I understand your difficulties."
Sect Leader Yun closed his eyes: "A-Sang... I'm sorry." He stood up and said to Wu Chengsong, "When Acé comes out, ask him to come see me and I will unseal him." He came out only because he heard that an old friend had come and he wanted to say sorry in person.
——
Monks have a shallow affinity for children, and some Taoist companions never have a child of their own in their entire lives. Yun Ce was born when Sect Master Yun was nearly a thousand years old, and Madam Yun died before Yun Ce could even remember.
Yun Ce was a mischievous child. Sect Master Yun had only one son, so he didn't want to restrict him too much. Therefore, he turned a blind eye to Yun Ce's frequent trips out of the sect for fun. Fortunately, Yun Ce was also hardworking, showing considerable talent from a young age, and his cultivation was quite respectable.
Qingsang often accompanied her uncle to Dongyu Town for fun. After being punished for sneaking out at the age of twelve, her parents allowed her to leave the palace for fun, but only if someone accompanied her. At nineteen, she went to Dongyu with her uncle and ran into Yunce, who had also sneaked out. Yunce was twenty that year.
Just as the storybook had it, the two of them took a liking to each other from the moment they met. Yun Ce, though somewhat cynical, was polite and tactful in his dealings with others. In Qing Sang's words, he was a bit pedantic.
After their first encounter, they met again, and then again, and finally, the fourth time. They arranged a date for their next meeting. The young man, Mu Ai, naturally fell in love with each other.
At the age of twenty-five, Yun Ce entered the Golden Core stage, becoming a renowned genius. Qing Sang also confessed their relationship to her parents. The elders of both sides met, and since they loved their children dearly, they simply let the two of them go.
It wasn't until Yun Ce was twenty-seven that Qing Sang told him he was a Jiaolong. The first time Yun Ce followed Qing Sang back to Jiao Palace, Qing Sang's mother braided a red string for him to keep him safe in the water. Yun Ce had also suggested Qing Sang visit the Guangzong Sect, but Qing Sang always declined, finding the sect boring and not ready to meet his master, father, and brothers.
Another year, on Lantern Festival, Yun Ce accompanied Sect Master Yun to visit the Jiao Palace. The seabed was pitch black, and Yun Ce felt inexplicably uneasy. When they saw the Jiao Palace, both father and son were utterly disappointed.
Unlike the usual cheerful and grand atmosphere, the sparkling light in the Jiao Palace was blood-red. There was an enemy attack.
The people who came were from the demon world, and they seemed to be only interested in killing, completely disregarding the treasures scattered across the ground. The corpses of Jiao people were scattered all over the ground. The father and son could not bear to see them die, so they quickly hurried to the main hall.
As they reached the main hall, the girl stumbled and fell out, and Yun Ce hurriedly hugged her. Qing Sang's blue clothes were stained blood, and her cultivation level, almost reaching the Nascent Soul stage, was completely insufficient for her to protect herself. The visitor had somehow subdued Qing Sang's parents and uncle.
With a "bang", something fell heavily to the ground. Yun Ce looked over and saw Qing's father opening his mouth and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Go...go quickly..." Qing's mother's weak voice came out, and then quickly interrupted, "Ugh!"
It was a black mist-like thing that stretched out a foot and crushed Qingmu's finger bones.
The black mist had a pair of blood-red eyes. It looked at Yun Ce and smiled sinisterly: "Ah, you're here."
Yun Ce's back tingled as he grabbed the unconscious Qing Sang and fled. Sect Master Yun gritted his teeth and stayed behind to divert the fire from the Black Mist. The Black Mist scoffed and waved its palm, sending Sect Master Yun falling to the side, spitting blood.
It did not linger in the fight, but passed over the corpses on the ground and grabbed Yun Ce.
"Such delicious soul power," it smiled sinisterly, "why not sacrifice it to me?" The next moment, Yun Ce lost his mind in pain.
It was sucking out his soul.
After pulling out a strand, Qingfu struggled to his feet. His blood was nearly drained, and he looked frighteningly shrunken. He ignited his spirit and struck at the back of the black mist. The black mist dodged the attack.
Lying in the corner, his uncle forced himself to bleed, igniting his soul power to fight the black fog alongside his brother. Mother Qing was the least injured, and she pulled Sect Master Yun up to protect the two children.
The uncle sealed his soul into the Soul-Binding Lotus and threw it to Qing's mother. Together with Qing's father, he forced the black fog out of the palace. Sect Master Yun wanted to help, but was stopped by Qing's mother.
"Don't go, Brother Yun." She closed her eyes. "They won't come back."
She was right. They had self-destructed their golden cores.
Qingmu set up the Jiao Palace formation, placing the Soul-Binding Lotus at its center. Yun Zongzhang opened his mouth, but ultimately did not intervene. None of them knew if the Black Mist would return. Since it wanted Yun Ce's soul, it would use a wisp of Yun Ce's soul as a formation. If the Soul-Binding Lotus was not retrieved by a Jiao clan member, the Ten Thousand Killing Formation would be activated.
As a father, Sect Master Yun should have stopped her. But he knew that if the Jiao Clan was completely destroyed and there was nothing to stop the enemy, the next person to be found dead would be Dong Yu.
Someone gently tugged at his sleeve, and he lowered his head. It was Yun Ce.
Yun Ce's face turned pale and he shook his head. Sect Master Yun took a deep breath, turned his back, and his eyes reddened.
The formation was complete, and the black fog hadn't returned, presumably having escaped after suffering heavy damage. Sect Master Yun didn't stay long, taking Yun Ce back with him to recuperate. In a moment of selfishness, he sealed Yun Ce's memories of Qing Sang, unwilling to let his son become embroiled in the Jiao Clan's disputes. After all, he had lived for a thousand years, and his son was the only relative still alive.
So, Sect Master Yun told Yun Ce that he had an accident while out training, lost one of his souls, and lost some of his memories. As expected, Yun Ce did not doubt it.
The twenty-eight-year-old Yun Ce forgot the twenty-seven-year-old Qing Sang.
——
Yun Ce was in seclusion, so Qing Sang wandered around the town on her own. After three hundred years, everything in Dongyu Town seemed to have changed, yet it also seemed like nothing had changed.
A full moon rose over the East China Sea. Qingsang sat by the sea, lost in thought. She heard the sound of a young man's footsteps behind her, but she didn't move.
"A-Sang." The young man called her. Qing-Sang turned around and fell into a warm embrace.
"……I love you."
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