CHAPTER 39 He has a lifetime of patience to slowly wear down this person.

After the incantation exploded on a big boulder with a boom, a three to four year old child was blown out on the spot. He wore blue coloured children’s clothes and his hair was worn into a round bun held up using a white cloth. He wasn’t fat, but his face looked like a stuffed steam bun with big, round eyes in addition to a fair, and clear tender skin; giving an appearance that felt somewhat like ‘round as pearls and smooth as jade’.

However, he still looked different from an ordinary child. He was wreathed in a greenish- blue glow from head to toe, and seemed to have a translucent form. At a first glance, he didn’t look like an ordinary human boy.

Seeing him, Fu Changling immediately twirled out three talismans in his hand. When that boy saw three talismans pressed between Fu Changling’s fingertips, he held his head and cried out loudly at once. “You blew me out! I saved you and you still blew me out! It wasn’t enough to blow me out with that incantation once, you’re still thinking of blowing me out a second, third, and a fourth time! You ungrateful wretch! A dog biting Lü Dongbin[9], mistrusting a good- willed person!”

That boy wailed loudly and his cries echoed throughout the cave. Looking at him weep in such a manner, Fu Changling felt somewhat like a wicked person. He observed for a while, and seeing that child only knew how to cry, he hesitated to use those incantations. After waiting for a while, that boy still hadn’t calmed down. The pain where his golden core had been was getting difficult to deal with and this boy didn’t show any signs of wearing down. He sighed and sat at the side as he spoke. “Keep crying. After you’re done crying, we can chat again.”

He leaned on the stone wall after speaking and looked at his surroundings.

All around him were white bones with blood-red flowers blooming on top of them, and not too far away, there was a small creek. The creek emitted cold air as it sluggishly flowed out.

It truly seems like this small child was alone here.

After Fu Changling confirmed this bit, he lowered his head and started inspecting his wounds.

His wounds were indeed treated by someone, and were already well wrapped with bandages. He sat down cross-legged and tried to regulate his qi. He could feel the movement of his spiritual root but the place where his golden core had been was empty nonetheless. There was nothing left.

The moment he realised this, it would be false to say that he didn’t feel a sense of loss. After all he’d been through, this golden core still couldn’t be saved.

That boy cried at the side for a little while. When he saw that Fu Changling paid him no heed, he slowly calmed down. He observed Fu Changling’s expression and saw that his face looked a little dazed. He guessed what Fu Changling was thinking, and cautiously said, “Um that flower on the side...if you eat a little…you will feel a little better.”

Listening to what he said, Fu Changling turned his head to glance at him and looking at his nervous expression, he couldn’t hold his laughter. “Just now, weren’t you still making threatening gestures to frighten me? Now you also want to help me? ”

“I feel pity looking at you!”

That boy was at once filled with anger hearing this. Fu Changling realised that this boy was strong in appearance but weak in reality. He propped himself up and went over to pull out a few of those red flowers, and placed them in front to carefully scrutinize them.

This flower appeared rather similar to the red spider lilies on the sleeves of the Su Clan, but it was slightly different on a closer look- it’s centre was black, looking rather ghastly.

Fu Changling mulled for a while, and finally understood what this was.

The Skeleton Flower. This kind of flower feeds on the nourishment of humans, and blooms from their bones. Although this flower brought with it an evil presence, it was just like the Flower of Rebirth, and could provide great benefits after eating.

With the swarming spiritual energy of Yunze, there were very few places where these kinds of flowers could survive. In his memory, there was only one place where these flowers could grow in such a wide expanse—

“This is the Ten Thousand Bones Cliff? ”

Fu Changling raised his eyes to look at the boy who was somewhat at a loss. “What Ten Thousand Bones Cliff?”

Fu Changling was a little surprised. “Is this not the Ten Thousand Bones Cliff?”

“Uh.. I don’t know either.”

The boy shook his head. “I’ve always been here but never seen other people. I don’t know what other people call this place either.”

“You’ve always been here?” Fu Changling looked at him up and down once, and couldn’t stop himself from asking, “How many years have you been staying here?”

Seeing that he was asked this question, the boy put out his fingers and began counting. As he was counting, Fu Changling put the Skeleton Flower into his mouth and started chewing.

The Skeleton Flower had a soft texture and tasted a bit like a sweet and sour juice, so it wasn’t too unpalatable. However, once he thought of where it grew, he didn’t feel like eating anymore after a few bites.

Immediately after eating the Skeleton Flower, Fu Changling felt a warmth beginning to suffuse and spread all over his body, making him feel extremely comfortable.

This soothing sensation soothed the pain in his abdomen, and Fu Changling’s complexion turned slightly better. That boy had also finally figured out his age and cheerfully said, “More than six thousand years!”

“You’ve been here for more than six thousand years?” Fu Changling leaned on the stone wall, feeling the comfort brought by the Skeleton Flower, and looked at him as he said, “Why stay here?”

“Ah… I don’t know either.” The boy shook his head. “The master placed me here and left! She asked me to wait for her so I waited and waited. I’ve been waiting for a long time.”

The boy’s voice turned grim as he spoke. “I also don’t know when the master will come and pick me up.”

“What’s your master’s name?”

Fu Changling casually asked, and the boy excitedly wanted to answer but suddenly froze. Fu Changling was a little confused. “Huh?”

“I...” the little boy looked dejected. “I don’t remember my master’s name.”

Fu Changling raised his brows. The boy dazedly said, “She has left me behind for too long. I slowly gained spiritual consciousness here but I cannot recall the past.”

“Spiritual Consciousness?” Fu Changling caught the meaning of his words. “You’re a spirit?”

The boy rolled his eyes and corrected him. “I’m a sword spirit!”

Fu Changling thought this was rather interesting. This sword spirit that could speak so much and didn’t let him make out at a first glance was certainly not of an ordinary grade. He beamed as he spoke. “Where is your body?”

“Humph!” the boy gave a cold snort. “You’re just lusting for my body.”

Fu Changling.“...”

He generally thought it would be somewhere strange. He coughed lightly as he stood up, and with a sincere appearance of a good person, he said, “Forget about it, don’t speak. I don’t want to listen either.”

With that, Fu Changling looked at the pitch-black surrounding, and after thinking it over, he flipped out a brazier from his Zhenlong Ring, and put down the brazier in front of the boy. Then he rummaged out a bed, quilt, pillow, and also a few tools to barbecue.

Not long after, the entire cave was organised by him in a neat and orderly manner. It could even be said to be a bit luxurious. He spread out the mat and sat cross-legged on it. Taking out a bunch of seasonings, he arranged them in a row and holding a barbecue fork in his hand, he turned to look at that boy. “Can you find some meat?”

The boy was somewhat confused. Fu Changling solemnly said, “I’m hungry.”

When the boy heard his words, he understood right away that Fu Changling was going to prepare something delicious and jumped up to trot out of the cave.

Fu Changling sat on the properly matted ground and started preparing the seasonings. In a while, the boy came back after catching a few spiritual rats. Fu Changling took the spiritual mice to take a look, and happily said, “Plump and strong.”

After speaking, he carried the spiritual mice to the side of the creek and drew out a knife from his pocket. The knife quickly disemboweled the spiritual mouse’s belly, shaved its hair and deboned it. After cleaning it in the creek and skewering it on the grill, he returned to the stove and put the meat on it.

That little child had never seen these things. He stared attentively with his eyes wide open, wanting to ask something but feeling a little lost. As a result, his eyes whirled up and down, completely refusing to look away.

Fu Changling tilted his head and glanced at the little child with a smile. He raised his brows and asked, “Never seen it?”

The little boy hesitated for a moment but in the end, he still nodded.

“Then you should feast your eyes.” Fu Changling introduced, “The things I bring today are no ordinary products. For example, this fire, no matter the place or time, it will not extinguish, and you’ll find it difficult to look for such an artifact outside. ”

“Then what is its biggest use?”

The little child curiously inquired. Fu Changling pondered and frankly admitted. “Roasting barbecue could keep you warm.”

The child gave a disdainful look. Fu Changling laughed seeing his childish expression and took the seasonings to sprinkle them on the spiritual rat as he spoke in a brisk tone. “If one day, you are being hunted by people everywhere, you’ll understand the importance of this artifact. A quilt, a bed, a stove, a jar of salt; at any given time, these things can make you feel like you’re living like a human.”

“How could I have such a day?” The little child frowned. Fu Changling smiled and didn’t speak anymore.

The little boy and Fu Changling sat on one side. As the spiritual mouse’s meat cooked on the flame, its aroma wafted into the air. The child sniffed at the smell and showed a greedy expression. He coughed lightly looking at Fu Changling, and awkwardly said, “Um...that...what’s your name?”

“My name is Fu Changling.” Fu Changling turned to look at him. “What about you?”

“My name is Tanxin.”

After the little boy finished introducing himself, he cautiously said, “Um...Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, we’re friends.”

“Alright.” Fu Changling knew what he was playing at and agreed right away without declining. Hearing his words, the little boy immediately said, “Then won’t you give me this spiritual mouse?”

“Of course.” Fu Changling beamed as he spoke. “I’ll give it to you if you call me bro.”

Tanxin didn’t have any moral integrity whatsoever and immediately called Fu Changling ‘Bro’. After that, Fu Changling properly sprinkled the seasonings on the spiritual mouse and handed it over to Tanxin, speaking gently. “Eat slowly. It’s hot.”

Tanxin didn’t listen to those words as he started blowing on one side, and took a bite. After a few bites, his eyes widened as if he had never eaten something this delicious, and obscurely spoke while eating. “You’re a really nice person and the things you cook are also very delicious.”

Fu Changling gave a wordless smile and started biting into the spiritual mouse.

The two of them chatted as they ate. Fu Changling idly asked Tanxin about the situation of this place.

“There are souls outside, it’s meaningless to go out. You can’t get too far either, there is a ghost king there.”

Tanxin didn’t conceal anything and answered what was asked. After he was almost done eating, Tanxin’s attention slowly withdrew, and he turned towards Fu Changling, as he curiously asked, “Um…why did you come here?”

“I encountered a flood, so I randomly drew a transportation array and came here.”

“Oh.” Tanxin nodded. “I saw two other people. One of them wanted to save you both, so you let that person choose and that person chose the other one; who was that person? And who was the unconscious person by your side?”

“The unconscious person by my side was that person’s Shifu. As for that person...”

Fu Changling poked the fire with a stick. When he mentioned Qin Yan, his voice paused before he finally said, “He is someone I care about.”

“Someone you care about?” Tanxin blinked. “Does he care about you too?”

“Probably.”

Fu Changling’s voice was very weak. Tanxin nodded and said, “That’s right, otherwise he would not abandon you.”

“He...” Fu Changling hesitated for a moment, but still spoke. “He wouldn’t abandon me either.”

“Huh? He doesn’t want you anymore.” Tanxin deadpanned. “Isn’t this abandoning you?”

“It’s not that he doesn’t want me.” Fu Changling felt a headache talking to the child, but he still insisted on explaining. “We both haven’t actually known each other for long. At that time, his Shifu had passed out; in any case, he’d certainly prioritize saving his Shifu. If I didn’t save him first, he would hate me for the rest of his life, so I had planned to save his Shifu from the very beginning. He also trusted me...you see, in the end, he still asked me to wait for him because he believes that I would live.”

“You’re such a weird person.” Tanxin blinked. “You already planned to save that person, then still want the other person to choose? You let him choose, would he not keep thinking of you and feel guilty? ”

“I want him to always keep thinking of me.”

Fu Changling spoke too quickly, Tanxin was taken aback. Fu Changling took a bite from the mouse meat and chewed it. He glared at Tanxin for no reason and spoke in an annoyed tone. “Do you think I’m him? If I tell him everything I’ve done for him, he will have to write down each and everything and pay it back to me!”

“Oh my god...” Tanxin was astonished hearing Fu Changling’s words, and said, “You are too petty.”

Fu Changling rolled his eyes and ignored him.

After quite a while, he didn’t know why, but he said, “Infact, what I said is a little better.”

“What?”

“When you show kindness to others with generosity, the other party would truly be unable to let go.”

“In the end, it’s still a debt.”

Fu Changling’s movements slowed down as he ate.

Tanxin couldn’t understand. Fu Changling looked at the beating flames and said, “There was a person who’d been kind to me, without expecting anything in return.”

“So I felt that no matter what I do, I would owe him, and won’t be able to pay him back for the rest of my life. Sometimes I think, it would be better if he was a little petty and blamed me for whatever he wants; that way, I would feel a little better.”

“But he didn’t.”

He never said anything. As a result, the moment other people noticed, such feelings seemed like a bitter wine that had been brewed for years; so bitter that it silently choked the person with emotions.

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

While Fu Changling was staying in the cave, the Inquiry Moon Palace of the Heavenly Palace of Hongmeng was particularly quiet.

Qin Yan fed Jiang Yebai some medicine, and wiped his hands with a wet kerchief.

In his slumber, Jiang Yebai looked different from usual. After losing that meticulously forged loftiness in the past, the Jiang Yebai who lay unmoving at this very moment, looked like an ordinary young man.

He didn’t have that sharpness, and even looked somewhat approachable; just like that young man Qin Yan had met for the first time many years ago.

He possessed Yunze’s finest swordsmanship, but didn’t know how to cook a chicken.

Qin Yan held the wet kerchief as he wiped Jiang Yebai’s fingertips, and right after, he heard a voice call out from above. “A-Yan.”

Qin Yan hastily raised his head to look at Jiang Yebai. “Shifu, how are you feeling?”

Jiang Yebai propped himself up. Qin Yan hurriedly supported him and without much effort, placed a pillow behind his back. Jiang Yebai sat up, and leaned against the pillow. This movement seemed to have used up a lot of physical strength, leaving him a little tired. Qin Yan carried the spiritual tea to Jiang Yebai and fed him a few sips. After finishing the tea, Jiang Yebai leaned inertly against the bed as he slowly asked, “Where is Shen Xiufan?”

Qin Yan’s hand paused before saying, “He didn’t come out.”

Jiang Yebai was slightly stunned. Qin Yan lowered his eyes and slowly said, “But don’t worry. I saw him draw a transportation array for himself. Perhaps he had already teleported to another place.”

Jiang Yebai didn’t speak. He leaned on the bed, drooping his eyes, as if thinking about something.

After Qin Yan told him about the current situation of the major elders in a low voice, he finally said, “You are injured right now, we have to be careful about everything. I will stay in the Inquiry Moon Palace for a while, in case someone is conspiring and will have to disturb Shizun. Please forgive me. ”

Jiang Yebai quietly listened to him. Only after a while, he said, “I thought you would help him.”

Qin Yan raised his eyes. Jiang Yebai looked at Qin Yan. “I heard what he said in the end, and I have always known that he was Fu Changling.”

“Then you still accepted him?”

Qin Yan was not surprised. Jiang Yebai could usually see through any person, so Fu Changling couldn’t hide the truth from him eiher.

Jiang Yebai smiled. “I thought you wanted me to accept him.”

Hearing this, Qin Yan halted in the same place. Jiang Yebai coughed and turned to look at the bright begonia under the moonlight outside the window.

“I know your temperament.” Jiang Yebai panted after coughing a little and spoke with some difficulty. “He let you choose. This is a debt of gratitude. With the sort of person you are, how are you willing to owe someone a debt of gratitude? ”

Jiang Yebai smiled. “I thought, at first, that even if you chose me, you would jump down after him.”

“At first...” Qin Yan’s voice was hoarse. “That was my intention. ”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Because,” Qin Yan looked at the person in front of him whose eyebrows and eyes seemed to be covered with a thin layer of frost. He smiled bitterly. “I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

Jiang Yebai’s gaze was very calm as he looked at the young disciple in front of him. In fact, he was no longer young but Jiang Yebai didn’t know why, everytime he looked at him, he always felt like he was still a child.

Maybe, when he raised his head, he would laugh and sweetly call after him. “Shifu, I want to eat tanghulu.”

Or if something happened, he would hide behind his sleeves and pull at it as he trembled.

He hadn’t said he was afraid in many years. Once in a while, when he said such a thing, Jiang Yebai felt like someone had ruthlessly striked at his heart. He restrained his emotions and lifted his hand, speaking hoarsely. “Yanming, come here.”

He only called him by this name when he felt sentimental.

Qin Yan walked up to him. Jiang Yebai pulled at his wrist. When that ice-cold palm touched Qin Yan’s wrist, he couldn’t help but slightly shiver. Jiang Yebai’s movements halted. After a moment, he pulled Qin Yan to sit down with his usual expression, then slowly let go. He looked at his hand and hid it as he gently spoke. “What are you afraid of? Tell me.”

“I had a dream.”

Qin Yan’s voice turned gruff. “I dreamed that you were dead. Shijie, Shishu, and everyone else was dead.”

Qin Yan sat by the bed, looking at the pear blossom he had planted with his hands outside the Inquiry Moon Palace.

“I was walking alone in this world. I don’t have any friends or relatives. The people I love, hate me. Everyone loathes me.”

“I miss all of you with every single day that passed.”

Qin Yan turned his head to look at Jiang Yebai, barely managing to put on a smile. “I regret it everyday in my dream.”

“What did you regret?”

“You shouldn’t have died.”

Qin Yan’s voice trembled. “Before your accident, you were about to make a breakthrough. You told me that I should defend the array for you. But I didn’t. ”

Listening to him, Jiang Yebai seemed to have understood something, but he still asked, “Why didn’t you?”

“Because...” Qin Yan paused, as if unable to speak anymore, but after a transient rest, he still said, “I thought you were omnipotent.”

“You’ve always been protecting me. It never crossed my mind that something could happen to you. The only time you asked me to do something, I wanted to do something else. There was someone I wanted to see. So I asked you, do I have to be here? You said that I don’t have to be, it’s actually nothing important.”

“I believed it.”

“But I shouldn’t have believed it. I should’ve thought that with your temperament, if it wasn’t a critical situation, why would you ask me to do something?”

As Qin Yan said this, he couldn’t continue anymore.

He was unable to describe to Jiang Yebai, the grief and despair he felt the moment when he returned, and saw him disappear like smoke and disperse like clouds. It was his nightmare of two lives.

He just looked at Jiang Yebai, and hoarsely said, “So, I could not leave. Even if I go, I will make sure that you’re well.”

He couldn’t leave. He was afraid.

He was afraid that after he jumped into the river, and came back alive, he’d follow the same road to ruin as his previous life.

Jiang Yebai listened to him quietly. His gaze flickered, as if wanting to do something. He lifted his hand, but in the end, he still restrained himself and put it down.

He looked fixedly at Qin Yan, his feelings wavering slightly. After a long time, he said, “Don’t worry.”

There was a gentleness in his voice that others have never heard. “Nothing will happen to me. The dream that you had was only a nightmare. Shifu is here, those things in your dream will never happen. ”

“Yes.”

Qin Yan’s eyelashes drooped faintly. From this point of view, this youth who had constantly been like a pine tree between the cliffs, actually looked exceptionally gentle.

Jiang Yebai’s gaze paused on the arc of Qin Yan’s slightly lowered neck that was as graceful as a white crane’s. His eyes turned dark. He raised his hand to lightly pull on the quilt, and turned his eyes away as he slowly said, “You first go and have a rest.”

Qin Yan responded, and after helping Jiang Yebai to lie down, he went to the partitioned room.

Jiang Yebai quietly looked in the direction of the partitioned room, and only after a long time, he closed his eyes.

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

It rained all night in the Heavenly Palace of Hongmeng, and Fu Changling who slept in the cave also tossed and turned restlessly.

Based on Tanxin’s words, he had already guessed that this cave is located in the Ten Thousand Bones Cliff.

The Ten Thousand Bones Cliff was practically a forbidden area since a long time ago, and there was no record of how this place was formed. He only knew that roughly eighteen years ago, this place had abruptly turned into the Ten Thousand Bones Cliff. According to the legends, where this place was an extremely sinister and vile place, and consequently, ten thousand ghosts had flocked here. The hostile energy here not only nourished the ghosts, but at the same time, it was also easy to find some treasures such as heavenly relics. So, for the past many years, there have always been cultivators fearless of death who came to visit the Ten Thousand Bones Cliff. But this place was extremely dangerous. Even if Fu Changling came to this place during the catastrophe, he had to be extremely careful.

However, the year Fu Changling had turned nineteen, the ghosts in the Ten Thousand Bones Cliff abruptly disappeared and since then, it turned into an ordinary cliff. When Fu Changling came to check it later, there were just more bones.

Now calculating according to the timeline, Qin Yan was the reason behind the disappearance of the ghosts in the Ten Thousand Bones Cliff.

After Qin Yan obtained the Flower of Rebirth from the Ten Thousand Bones Cliff and gave it to him, these ghosts had abruptly disappeared without a trace. No matter how one looks at it, this matter was inextricably linked to Qin Yan.

If this place truly was the Ten Thousand Bones Cliff, he really was at his wit’s end. This place was dangerous and he has already lost his golden core. Even if he took out the talismans his father gave him, there will be a time when these talismans will inevitably be exhausted.

In this cave, the only consoling thing was Tanxin. There was a natural barrier here that existed independently in the Ten Thousand Bones Cliff. So long as one does not leave the cave, it was generally secure.

However, this barrier not only isolated the dangers, but also cut off the only connection between him and Qin Yan.

Fu Changling took out the jade pendant Qin Yan gave him in the dim light of the night. On the naturally circular jade pendant was a small dragon with beads carved in a cirrus lined pattern. The texture wasn’t good and the carving skill was also rather rusty. No matter how one saw it, it looked like a child’s plaything.

But a plaything such as this was actually an artifact forged by Qin Yan using his blood.

Then, he gave this piece of jade pendant to him.

Thinking of this bit, Fu Changling pursed his lips and smiled.

Fu Changling caressed the lines on the jade pendant, recalling the final moment before falling into the river.

Even though he initially felt a little disheartened, once he really calmed down, he couldn’t help feeling rather happy recalling every detail and movement of Qin Yan.

Because he hesitated for him, struggled for him, and was afraid for him.

Maybe Qin Yan didn’t realise it himself, but in his heart, Fu Changling was not a passer-by after all.

Thinking of this, Fu Changling couldn’t help himself and kissed the jade pendant twice.

Then he hugged the jade pendant in his arms and closed his eyes with a smile.

Take your time.

He told himself that he had a lifetime of patience to slowly wear down this person.

Author’s note:

Fu Changling: My greatest ability is— my good mentality.

Reader: Nonsense!! You lost even your wife, what’s all the talk about good mentaily? Be bolder! Kiss him if you have the capability, don’t just kiss a jade pendant!