Editor: Sahloknir
The black piece was set down on the board1Sahl: Jiang Yinghe and Yan Caiwei are playing the Chinese version of chess..
Since they were interrupted while doing that, things naturally couldn’t so easily resume. Ointment was applied to the few marks that were on Jiang Yinghe.
He tightened his collar, looking at the chessboard and thinking about his next move while listening to Yan Caiwei ask him about the journey.
Jiang Yinghe offered a brief explanation of the key points to put Yan Caiwei’s mind at ease.
When he grew distracted after glancing at the fire in the sword casting furnace, Yan Caiwei spoke up, “I see. That’s a relief.”
She nodded. “I also came to tell you something… Ever since you returned to Peng Lai, we have received many messages from the disciples outside, about the terrain changing and the amount of spiritual energy increasing in many dangerous areas.
Yan Caiwei pressed a jade slip sent back to the Sect on the chessboard and pushed it to Jiang Yinghe.
Jiang Yinghe touched it and sent his divine sense within, reading the many reports on the phenomenon taking place.
“Our investigation revealed that most of these places were formed during the Dark Ages and have changed very little in the past ten thousand years.
Yan Caiwei was halfway through her sentence when she turned to look at the other person.
“Does Shidi think that this matter has a connection with your Dao Ancestor?”
There was no doubt that the two were related. After all, those places came to be because of the instability in Li Junye’s Dao heart and the weakening of his Dao seed. Now that his split souls were purified and merging together, these changes in the landscape of the human realm must have something to do with him.
But these changes seemed to generally be for the better.
“Yes, I believe it is because of him.” Jiang Yinghe replied as he sealed off his opponent’s path with a move. He retrieved the pieces he had eliminated. “Shijie needn’t worry. This is a good thing.”
Yan Caiwei said, “I’m not worried with you around…By the way, how is the recasting of Wangchen going?”
She looked up and swept her divine sense over the sword casting furnace. She saw the crystal clear sword sealed within was completely unaffected by the molten slag it rested on. It even emitted a slight chill into its surroundings.
Without Jiang Yinghe having to say anything, she could sense that this sword was of extraordinary quality. She sighed, “Ever since you returned with Wuchen, Qing Jing Peak has been somewhat colder. Enough so to affect even cultivators. But now, this sword has been refined to a higher quality, learning to conceal its sharpness and temperature.”
Only after she got through a round of compliments and all the business matters did Yan Caiwei inquire in a roundabout fashion, “…What’s going on with the eyes of Demon Lord Li and Patriarch Qin?”
Jiang Yinghe paused in setting down his next piece. “The fusion has progressed to the point where their eyes have changed colour.”
He paused before asking, “Doesn’t Shijie think…their new pupils look, well, like those of beasts?”
Yan Caiwei froze for a moment, not sure where Jiang-shidi was going with this.
“…Like a Persian cat.” Jiang Yinghe slaughtered a large number of his opponent’s pieces. He stopped once he sensed Yan Caiwei’s distracted state and said with a serious expression, “The type that loves to bite.”
Yan Caiwei glanced at the faint teeth marks just visible above her opponent’s collar before looking down at the game whose outcome was basically decided. She wasn’t sure if Jiang Yinghe was being literal or if he was hinting at the various ‘secret scenes with the Xianjun’ she had stumbled upon.
“I lost.” Yan Caiwei smoothly conceded defeat, “Only Zhangmen-shixiong is your match. The rest of us pale in comparison.”
She stood up and fiddled with the whisk in her arms for a bit, kind of regretful that she hadn’t been able to see more of the ‘scene’. But out of consideration for her shidi, she spoke no more of it as she left.
Jiang Yinghe put away the chess pieces. Since it wasn’t time to stoke the fire of the sword casting furnace yet, he pulled out the《Observation Journal》from the bookshelf again and flipped to where he had stopped before. There were a few more pages added thanks to the recent fusion progress.
“…His primordial spirit was already wavering during our discussion.”
“Many dangerous areas with thin spiritual energy are beginning to appear in the mortal realm. But what difference does it make? All of it is just one giant purgatory headed towards destruction anyways. So what if it’s degraded a touch more.”
“In order to meet me again after he splits his soul, he’s made many deductions to plan out the details. I joked that perhaps he would find something better to do than stick to me after reincarnation.”
“But Li Junye was adamant that could never happen. He was only afraid that I wouldn’t want him anymore.”
“How could that be…I specifically designed the guidance from the past with my long-held feelings in mind. I would never be unable to recognize you.”
Jiang Yinghe glanced at the system thoughtfully. He pondered over this cautious and insecure Dao Ancestor from the text. Didn’t Qin Jun give him a similar impression at first?
The fusion system was silent. As if silence was enough to safeguard its secrets.
Jiang Yinghe turned the page. He saw that the first few lines had been scribbled out. Then came the following:
“Everything has been set. He will soon release the second and third split souls with delays in the time they regain consciousness so that they will appear at different times.”
“My back is sore after we discussed it all night. The little manservant here told me that there’s a rumour floating around outside about me having an affair with the Dao Ancestor. It took me quite a bit of alternative phrasing to tell him that was no rumour.”
“A while ago, when that person went mad and wanted to lock me up in a small, dark room, there were already rumours out there that this Sword Saint had a wife. That person actually said, with a straight face, that it was him,and even unilaterally announced that he was married to me… Sigh…”
“I still get angry every time I’m reminded of the small, dark room. No, I have to leave a note for my future reincarnation.”
Jiang Yinghe: “…”
…As expected of myself.
Was the small, dark room skill inherited from this person? Jiang Yinghe sighed as he recalled the level of this man’s small, dark room skill.
With the《Observation Journal》gradually setting the scene, the hazy images in Jiang Yinghe’s mind began to sharpen. He could now vaguely recall that time in the distant past.
He recalled the gentle moon at night, the flickering flame of a candle gradually parting the darkness, the other person holding his hand.
But there was also an ice cold chain linking their wrists together. As though limiting his movements could keep Jiang Yinghe by his side forever.
That person was past the point of no return. He was sometimes as gentle as ever, sometimes completely insane. But when he held Jiang Yinghe in his arms, he was afraid to even lean over for a soft kiss for fear of imposing his own desires on his love.
Their relationship was slightly strained then, because all Jiang Yinghe could think about was how illegal everything would be in his old world. He felt like the prosecutor’s office back home would send this case straight to trial if he reported it. Even if he and Li Junye shared a genuine friendship before.
It was only when the situation deteriorated further that Li Junye cut the shackles holding the Crane Immortal captive.
On a night when the moon was clear and the stars were dim…
The chains that once held him broke with a crisp sound.
He saw the volcanoes erupting, the four seas becoming turbulent, the Heavens and Earth crying out in lament.
He watched the clear moonlight become dim and all the stars fall from the sky.
He watched Li Junye’s fingertip both spiritually and physically begin to fester and bleed after he cut the shackles.
The droplets of blood landed on the clouds above the Endless Sky Watchtower.
Just when he thought that the Crane Immortal would fly away, the other person instead took his wounded finger and slowly dabbed it dry. Looking down and speaking faintly, he said, “I’m not doing this to save the world or to save you. I’m doing this for myself.”
He stayed and said to this seemingly omnipotent Dao Ancestor:
“I will teach you everything you do not know.”
I will teach you how to face love, life, death and desire.
I will teach you…how to face me.
—-
These memories were not very clear but Jiang Yinghe got the general gist.
As the sun rose, snow fell once again on Qing Jing Peak as the presence of deep winter intensified. Inside where there was little insulation, only a single stove was lit. But it was all cultivators needed to stave off the cold.
Jiang Yinghe dreamt of his past on Earth. He slept deeper than usual, leading to him waking up a little late the next morning. When he was about to get up and check on the sword casting furnace, someone suddenly held his hand.
Both the manner and temperature of the other was very familiar. Jiang Yinghe subconsciously returned the grasp and interlinked their fingers. It was only when he turned to look that he was stunned.
“…You–“
The moment their eyes met, the fusion progress bar that had been stuck at seventy-nine suddenly broke through to eighty percent. There was only a small stretch left to go.
The silent system seemed rather excited as well, since the border around the progress bar turned pink.
The man in front of him had one pure gray and one pure red eye. A small black snake lay with its head hanging out of his collar, so natural it seemed a part of him. Apart from that, his face was…
It was like someone had bribed the person sculpting it a lot of money.
Just the half of Chang Ye’s face that he revealed was enough to leave people in a trance. After the three of them fused, their appearance was even more devastating than Chang Ye’s, but in a different way. At least Chang Ye’s beauty was within the realm of mortal possibility. This person’s beauty was so overwhelming that it verged on dangerous and incomprehensible.
Jiang Yinghe choked. All he could do was stare until the other person pulled him close and whispered into his ear like always.
“Can Shizun still distinguish between us now?”
Jiang Yinghe was securely in his arms. He could tell right away who this was and softly called out, “…Jun-er?”
“En.” Qin Jun kissed him, satisfied. “Our consciousnesses haven’t fully merged yet. The other two are still arguing in my head.”
Jiang Yinghe was silent for a beat. He looked at him. “…What are they talking about?”
Qin Jun stared at him for a moment before slowly smiling. “They’re afraid you won’t be able to tell us apart.”
“How could that be.” Jiang Yinghe subconsciously retorted, “Of course I would be able to tell you apart. A single glance is all I need.”
“Chang Ye said,” Qin Jun squeezed his finger, “there’s no way Shizun would be able to tell the difference during dual cultivation.”
Jiang Yinghe: “…Why does it have to be so specific.”
What was this little disciple of his thinking all day? How could he so casually twist the conversation to that?
“Because Shizun couldn’t tell the difference before.” Qin Jun said, “When you start crying after you can’t take it anymore, you always call out the wrong name.”
He temporarily took control to experience this fused body. He could feel something that seemed like the Dao seed slowly revive within. There were also some memories belonging to the ‘ex-wife’ awakening as well.
Qin Jun only glanced at them. He didn’t know what the other two were discussing inside. Instead, he leaned over for another kiss. He whispered, “Do you want to test it out?”
“…Test what out?” His shizun asked when he already knew the answer. There was some subtle tension in the way he held his hand.
Qin Jun kissed the corner of his lips and murmured, “Like Shizun said, let’s see if you can tell us apart at a glance…in bed.”
Author’s Corner
Before the fusion, the three of them checked the memories of the ‘ex-wife’: Shizun was so good to him! We’re so jealous!
After the fusion, the Dao Ancestor reviewed the memories of the split souls: The Crane Immortal was so good to them! I’m so jealous!!!
HeHe: …
It’s almost over~
Rain
Yeah things are wrapping up. There’s only two chapters and an extra to go.
Sahl
I haz a sads.
