Side Story 1: Fu Buci's Regret
After the Yin-Yang Reversal ended, the prestige of the two Chaodu sects rose steadily, and for a time, everyone in the cultivation world knew the name "Chaodu".
However, Fu Buci's prestige suffered a precipitous decline.
When some members of the Immortal Alliance couldn't contain themselves, they spread rumors that he had stood by and watched Chao Du die in the Dragon Palace, that he had caused his wife to fall into demonic possession, and that Chao Du had broken his sword twice... Fu Buci, the leader of the Immortal Alliance, became a mere figurehead.
No one was willing to follow his orders, and the people looked at him with nothing but contempt and disdain.
Under immense pressure and in a state of panic, he resigned from his position as leader of the Immortal Alliance.
The enormous Azure Cloud Immortal Palace finally landed on the ground, no longer floating among the clouds, no longer floating above the Immortal Alliance.
Fu Buci was drunk every day in the Qingyun Immortal Palace, but no one cared about him. Everyone avoided him. There was only a madman who was drunk day and night in the Qingyun Immortal Palace.
The Shen family had once brought people over, but when the head of the Shen family, Shen Chenshan, saw his appearance, he suddenly burst into laughter, burned paper money for his daughter Shen Jincu in front of him, and left.
Soon, dust accumulated everywhere in Qingyun Immortal Palace, and weeds grew rampant, turning it into a desolate wasteland.
One day, during a brief moment when Fu Buci was sober, he saw the desolate Qingyun Immortal Palace and was so shocked that he burst into tears.
After a good cry, he sobered up completely. He looked around at the desolate Qingyun Immortal Palace and was suddenly terrified of what it looked like: the enormous palace was like a monster that was about to swallow him whole.
He fled Qingyun Immortal Palace in a panic, seeking refuge with various sects, offering to become an elder.
However, no sect was willing to take him in; they wouldn't even open the door for him.
He went to find the beauties who had once fawned over him and refused to leave, but their doors were tightly closed. Some even gave him a few coins as if he were a beggar, telling him not to come back.
He collapsed against the wall and burst into loud laughter, attracting the attention of several passersby.
"Where did this scoundrel come from?"
"Shameless."
The group shook their heads in disgust, passed by, and left without recognizing him.
Fu Buci went to a tavern to drown his sorrows, where there was also a storyteller.
As he drank, he vaguely heard the words "Chao Du".
He suddenly looked up and heard the storyteller excitedly say, "Chao Du, a demonic cultivator, actually attracted heavenly lightning when he broke through his cultivation!"
"Everyone was shocked and terrified at the time, fearing that she would be struck by lightning and her soul would be scattered."
"And guess what! She actually survived the rolling heavenly lightning! Not only did her cultivation break through, but all the demonic energy on her body also dissipated!"
Amidst gasps of astonishment, the storyteller exclaimed, "She has proven to the Heavenly Dao that she has rebuilt an unbreakable Dao heart. She has also proven to all cultivators that even those who have fallen into demonic possession can return to the path of immortality! To fall into demonic possession and then become an immortal—truly the greatest cultivator of all time!"
Fu Buci listened blankly, the image of Chao Du's former cowardly and humble appearance flashing before his eyes, and he could hardly believe it.
He hadn't dared to think of the name "Asawari" for a while; the shadow cast on him by Asawari from another world was simply too great.
He hated Chao Du; it was Chao Du who ruined everything for him!
However, it was only at this moment that he suddenly remembered Asahi, who had once been his wife, and realized that even she had undergone such an amazing transformation—like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
The beauty and graceful movement of butterfly wings are breathtaking.
He could picture her now, full of confidence and triumph, but she had once been so humble and powerless, only able to look up at him and plead with him to stay. Her eyes were filled with love, but also with despair and pain.
She loved him so much, more than she loved herself.
He disregarded her affections, not even bothering to look at them.
He suddenly remembered the first of the three strategies Ning Changkang gave him on the night Chaodu went mad, which should also be Ning Changkang's best strategy: to apologize to Chaodu and beg her to come back.
He only felt contempt and disdain for her at that time, and would never do such a thing.
But now he realizes that apologizing to Asahi, getting her forgiveness, and asking her for help may be his only way out.
How ironic... but he had no other way out.
He borrowed paper and pen from someone at the restaurant: there were some things he definitely couldn't say to her face, so he would just use a letter to fool her. Anyway, she had loved him so much, she would definitely forgive him if he coaxed her a little and humbled himself.
Fu Buci wrote a letter with a hint of alcohol in his heart, then spent money to have it delivered to Chao Du through the Immortal Alliance. He then returned to Qingyun Immortal Palace to wait for her to meet him.
But three days, five days, ten days... he still didn't receive a reply, nor did he hear any news of her asking him to meet.
He was somewhat angry and wrote another letter to scold her, but he never sent it; he crumpled it up and threw it away.
He reconsidered: perhaps his last letter was a bit perfunctory, and she was indeed hurt quite a bit by him. So this time, he would put more effort into coaxing her... to remind her of the happy times they had spent together, and she would definitely be eager to give him another chance.
He wrote as he recalled, but the tip of his pen trembled more and more.
With a "plop," a tear fell onto the letter, staining the still-wet ink.
It turns out he had spent so many wonderful times with her.
It turns out that she was once so lovely and bright in his eyes.
It turns out he had been deeply in love with her, and he truly meant it when he said, "Let's grow old together and never part."
It turns out she was someone he cherished in his heart.
Why? Why did I forget everything later?!
As Fu Buci shed tears, he tried hard to recall: it was before and after he became the leader of the Immortal Alliance. At that time, he did a lot of shady things to get this position. He was afraid that she would be implicated, so he wanted to protect her. He was also afraid that she would despise him and hate him if she found out.
For the first time, he had a secret from her.
For the first time, he pushed her away from him.
For the first time, he dared not look into her bright eyes.
The more shady things he did, the further he unknowingly pushed her away.
Moreover, during the process of becoming the leader of the alliance, more than one person said to him, "It's a pity that your wife's family background is too weak to help you."
"Change your wife, and your path will be much smoother."
"As long as you marry my daughter, I will help you, and the position of leader of the alliance will be within your grasp."
He still loved her deeply at that time and of course refused to change wives, but for the first time he felt resentment towards her: it was all because she was incompetent and had no family background that she dragged him down.
Seeds of disdain and contempt quietly sprouted in his heart, taking poisonous roots.
Later, after he successfully became the leader of the Immortal Alliance, countless beauties appeared around him. He didn't need to deliberately search for them; they were all around him.
How beautiful, charming, gentle, and understanding they are!
Unlike her, who would only look at him with a wronged and confused expression, repeatedly asking him "why" in sadness, like a fool.
He's the leader now, very busy, and doesn't have time to answer her.
He went from not daring to look her in the eyes to disdaining to look her in the eyes.
What does she know?
Without him, would she be where she is today?
She should be grateful; he even generously reserved the position of the leader's wife for her.
But it wasn't like this at the beginning.
At first, he genuinely wanted to "grow old together with her and never be apart."
In a daze, Fu Buci seemed to see his younger self, carrying the Langyue Sword, walking towards him, angrily questioning why he had changed, why he had forgotten, and why he had betrayed her.
That was the person he had secretly vowed to etch into his heart and protect for a lifetime...
He used to be so afraid of seeing her tears, but later he only felt that those tears were foolish and shameful.
He closed his eyes, waiting for his younger self to end his life with the sword he once carried.
But he waited a long time, and nothing happened.
I opened my eyes to a desolate scene: only a letter soaked with tears and the desolate, dark Qingyun Immortal Palace.
He slowly realized that the people he could never see again and the past he could never return to were a punishment more terrible than death.
He started writing letters again, writing them carefully, with only one thought in mind: let me see her one more time, let me apologize to her in person.
He wrote a letter every day, recalling the past and expressing his apologies, for a whole year.
She didn't reply with a single word.
Fu Buci could no longer sit still. He spent money everywhere to ask around for information. When he heard that she was going to Mifan Mountain to exorcise demons, he immediately set off day and night.
He was lucky this time; he had just found traces of the demonic cultivator when she arrived.
She glanced at him questioningly, then decided to work with him to deal with the demonic cultivator.
Then, gazing at the person he hadn't seen in so long and who he had missed day and night, tears blurred his vision, and he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.
Her name seemed to carry immense weight, and the longing and regret he felt day and night stuck to his lips, preventing him from uttering a single word.
He wiped away his tears, took a step closer to her, and looked at her with the same humble gaze she had once given him, hoping she would understand the feelings he couldn't express.
He suddenly wondered if she had looked at him with the same feelings back then, but he didn't care at the time.
Would she care now?
He took another step closer to her and noticed that she was still holding the Langyue Sword.
A sudden surge of joy welled up in his heart: she still cares, she still cares!
He carefully observed her expression, just as she had done years before, hoping to guess what was on her mind.
But he soon noticed that there was no disdain or impatience on her face, only indifference.
Her voice was indifferent: "What are you doing here?"
Fu Buci finally found his voice and exclaimed excitedly, "I've been waiting for you! I've finally seen you!"
The other one, Chao Du, shook his head slightly: "Why did you come to see me? It's all in the past."
Fu Buci felt a chill run through his body, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
"...No, there is no past! Don't let it be in the past, okay! I really know I was wrong!" He quickly stepped forward to grab her hand, but she blocked him with her Langyue Sword.
"It's too late," she replied casually.
"No, no—! Please give me one more chance, just one more." He pleaded humbly, then suddenly noticed that she was holding the Langyue Sword. He looked into her eyes with excitement and said joyfully, "You still use this sword, so you still have feelings for me, right?"
“I’m used to it.” Another Chao Du pushed him away with his sword and sheathed it. “Besides, it will fulfill your promise. You can go now.”
Then she turned and left.
In a daze, Fu Buci seemed to see his younger self beside her, holding her hand, leaving with her, and turning back to give him a mocking smile.
He finally realized his mistake and turned back.
But the person who waited for him to turn back day and night is already gone.
What about those letters? Have you read a single one? He wanted to ask again, but he knew it was no longer important.
She's already gone far away and won't come back.
He broke down in despair and cried.
He could see the long nights that awaited him in the future, but he didn't know how to get through them.
He collapsed, exhausted, onto the ground stained with demon blood. Before his eyes flashed scenes from the past, and suddenly he saw a lively and adorable figure: it was his daughter, Yixi.
"Oh right, Yixi! And Yixi too!"
His eyes suddenly brightened, and life rekindled: He was Yixi's father. He had rarely spent time with Yixi, and had even forgotten about her for a time. He wanted to spend the rest of his life accompanying Yixi as she grew up. Surely Yixi wouldn't refuse?
As long as Yixi doesn't refuse, Chaodu won't refuse either.
Then he still has a chance. He has so much life left, and he will use every day of his remaining life to apologize, make amends, and beg for their forgiveness.
Even if they won't forgive him, he's willing to do it.
This was his only remaining reason to live.
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