Chapter 115

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

Chapter 115: Best Friends

The Northlands was as busy as ever for the new day.

Ji Yunhe walked out the door. Even though she had the power of a nine-tailed fox demon and was much warmer than normal people, an icy chill still lingered on her body under the sun.

Ji Yunhe stood in the sunlight for a while and waited for the frosty air to dissipate, then she raised her head and took in a deep breath. She walked toward the main hall.

The entire terrace felt cold and empty.

When she arrived at the main hall, there were already many people reporting to Kongming. Ji Yunhe realized now why no one went searching for Changyi even though it was already so late in the morning. This big-tailed fish had already made arrangements.

He handed over his power long ago so the official affairs would be taken care of no matter when he fell into a deep sleep.

Ji Yunhe lowered her eyes and touched the pearl on her neck. She did not know how to feel.

She waited until they finished their current business before walking up. "Kongming, I need to interrupt you for a moment."

He took a glance at Ji Yunhe's solemn face and his expression also sank. "What happened to him?"

"He's..." Ji Yunhe could not help but feel an intense ache in her heart as she prepared to say it out loud. She closed her eyes, smoothed over her emotions, then looked at the monk again. "He's frozen."

Kongming's eyes disoriented for a while. "Why so fast..."

Ji Yunhe composed herself and continued, "There's still important work to be done at the border, I will need to head over. Can you help make arrangements for his… his body."

She continued, "The air around Changyi is dangerous. If you have people move him, tell them to be careful and stay safe. I'll go to the border first."

She turned to leave when Kongming suddenly asked, "Is that all the reaction you have?"

Ji Yunhe's footsteps gave a slight pause. "How should I react?"

Kongming was silent for a moment. "You are cold-hearted, so I guess this makes sense."

Ji Yunhe did not say anything. She left the hall and flew toward the border. Cold-hearted? Maybe she was. After Changyi froze, she displayed no hysteria, no wailing, and no momentary insanity.

She even carried him calmly from the door back to the bed, then instructed others to make arrangements for his body. And now she was heading for the border to do her job.

And all of this happened on the day after their wedding.

Was she really a cold-hearted person? Otherwise, why did she not lament like how others would expect...

She just accepted it. She accepted that Changyi had closed his eyes in farewell.

And that she would live on alone.

At the border, everyone had already finished the rest of the work as they did before, and no one came to ask Ji Yunhe why she was late again. They all looked at her with a warm and joyful smile.

One of the girls who helped with her makeup yesterday came over and smiled with a little curiosity. "How was your wedding last night? We all saw the lanterns rising in the city."

Ji Yunhe swallowed all of her emotions and returned her smile. "Yes, it was beautiful." She did not mention what happened this morning at all. Nothing about the sufferings or the tears, only sharing the joy.

"Last night was perfect."

Dressing Changyi in the wedding robe she made, holding his hand down the red carpet, enjoying a sky full of blessings, and falling asleep to his song… Everything last night had been so perfect.

The girl heard her reply and was more than happy to pass on the good news.

Ji Yunhe continued to do her job.

When she finished, the sun was already disappearing behind the horizon.

She looked at the sunset and suddenly felt empty and lost, like a migratory bird that had lost its designation, not knowing where to go.

The demon masters working with her began setting up camp to spend the night at the border. Ji Yunhe, on the other hand, stood there motionless.

Until the sun completely disappeared… Someone suddenly pulled her by the shoulder.

Ji Yunhe's body followed the force of the pull and spun around, and she saw Snow March's breathless face.

"I searched everywhere for you. Why are you just standing here?" Snow March said. "Come back with me, the jiaoren can be saved and we need your help."

Ji Yunhe was dragged by Snow March for several steps before her brain digested the words.

She immediately followed Snow March onto a gust of wind and flew after her. "Changyi can be saved? How?"

Snow March said, "Kongming was having trouble moving his body because he's so cold, so he called Lin Haoqing over for help. Turns out Lin Haoqing has been studying a lot of exotic oversea herbs, and he found one that could ease the jiaoren's backlash from his own magic."

Snow March spoke quickly, but Ji Yunhe heard everything. She frowned and said, "If we need oversea herbs, then we should go overseas right now to retrieve them. Why are we heading back to the city?"

"The herb is already here," Snow March replied. "It's the shewei on Li Shu."

Ji Yunhe froze and her wind subconsciously slowed down a bit. Snow March pulled her hand, forcing her to keep up.

"Lin Haoqing cast a formation to transfer the power of the shewei into the jiaoren's body, but the ice on him forms too quickly, it blocks the shewei from entering. When you get there, you need to melt the ice on him so the herb can enter and help him wake up."

Ji Yunhe was overjoyed, but looking at Snow March's back, she could not help but ask, "What about Li Shu?"

"Li Shu died a long time ago."

They flew under the afterglow of the sunset, but Ji Yunhe's mood did not reflect the splendor.

Waking up Changyi would be great, but she also knew what kind of a sacrifice Snow March was making.

Changyi was the single most important person in her life, so was Li Shu to Snow March.

"Don't give me that face," Snow March said without looking at her. "Right now, Li Shu is just a memory, but your jiaoren is not. He is a life." She glanced back at Ji Yunhe. "Maybe two lives."

Ji Yunhe let out a laugh. "Kongming called me cold-hearted, but you are saying Changyi is my life..."

"That's because that monk doesn't know you," Snow March said. "Ji Yunhe, we've known each other for so many years. I know you are the best at hiding your breakdowns."

Ji Yunhe looked down and her overwhelming emotions finally surfaced a bit. Her lips trembled and her throat felt tight. "Thank you... "

She had been expressing herself less and less over the years, but the complexity of her feelings only grew more intense. Everything that touched her was now more unforgettable than ever.

"You and I have no need to thank each other."

This was probably the so-called friendship for life...

A rush back to the city.

Ji Yunhe and Snow March stepped into the side hall. Frost had spread all over the ground and the air was even colder than when she left this morning. It felt as if winter had returned.

Kongming was standing guard by the door, frowning when he saw them. "Hurry up!"

Ji Yunhe quickened her steps.

Lin Haoqing was sitting by Changyi's bed while Li Shu stood next to them. A streak of light channeled between Changyi and Li Shu's chests, but it was blocked by a layer of ice and could not touch Changyi's body.

Lin Haoqing's eyes were tightly closed and sweat covered his forehead as he sat motionlessly on a glowing formation.

"Just melt the ice in front of his chest," Snow March said. "This can only be done with your black fox fire."

Ji Yunhe walked around Lin Haoqing and sat on her knees by Changyi. She placed her hand above his chest and closed her eyes. Nine tails unfolded behind her.

The fox fire instantly warmed up the room.

This was the first time Snow March saw the tails behind Ji Yunhe. She must have endured so much to become what she was today...

Obviously, Ji Yunhe did not need her sympathy.

Ji Yunhe had never been more grateful, and she felt extremely fortunate to have gone through it all. It gave her the power to help save Changyi right now.

The black flame in her hand burned, slowly melting the ice as her palm pressed closer and closer to his chest. The streak of light controlled by Lin Haoqing followed, also inching closer to Changyi.

And the more the light extended forward, the paler Li Shu's face became. It slowly revealed the vines beneath his skin.

He was not real. He was just a shewei plant growing around an object that was worn by Li Shu, and forming into his appearance.

The magic of the plant was now completely pulled out by Lin Haoqing.

Snow March was relieved as she watched Ji Yunhe successfully uncover Changyi from the ice. She turned around and saw her "memory" was now just a tangled mass of withered vines.

Her eyes dulled slightly and she looked at the piece of red jade in the center.

Li Shu used to wear it regularly, and gave it to her shortly before his blood sacrifice. It was as if he had a premonition of his departure...

She used the jade on the shewei to grow him back. At first, she thought she would always be able to tell the difference between the plant and the real Li Shu. But over the years, she started to have trouble distinguishing the two...

Sometimes she even felt like the shewei had really turned into Li Shu, just could not speak...

Snow March reached out her hand to touch the red jade pendant between the dead vines. But all of a sudden, Lin Haoqing frowned.

The light pulled out of the shewei withdrew itself just as it was about to touch Changyi. It startled Ji Yunhe, but she did not dare to move. If she pulled out her hand, the ice would solidify again.

Lin Haoqing opened his eyes and remained sitting on top of the formation. He called out to Snow March, "The shewei has a spiritual nature, it wants to run away. Catch it!

Snow March was stunned as the magic light pulled out of Li Shu's body fluttered wildly in the air. It let out a sharp, piercing cry that sounded like a small child.

It bounced around in the room, but because the roots were still attached to the red jade pendant, it could not run far.

Shewei had a spirit...

"I don't want to be consumed by him!" It hissed and shrieked in the air. "I'm Li Shu! March! I'm Li Shu!"

Snow March completely froze in shock.

"It's lying to you, Li Shu is dead," Lin Haoqing said. "Burn the vines! Let it have nowhere to go."

"He can talk..." Snow March said in a daze. "He can talk..."

"It's not a real living entity. Like demonic attachments, it's just some emotions taking form."

"But he can talk." Snow March looked at the struggling light in front of her.

The shewei hissed and its roots began to slowly break free from the red jade.

"It is not Li Shu, nor is it a demon. It is just an idea, a thought. It has spiritual power that allows it to grow into the shape of the deceased, but it is no different from an object. Snow March, saving the jiaoren depends on it," Lin Haoqing said. "The longer he remains frozen, the more difficult it would be to wake him up, so hurry!"

His words struck both Ji Yunhe and Snow March in the heart.

In the midst of the shewei's hissing, Snow March abruptly turned back and looked at Ji Yunhe.

Nine tails danced behind her without any wind. For Ji Yunhe, it would not be difficult to keep one hand on Changyi while getting the shewei with the other. But she did not do so.

Instead, she just silently looked at Snow March.

Snow March knew Ji Yunhe was respecting her decision.

The decision to save one and end the other. Ji Yunhe would never rush her or force her. She wanted Snow March to make her own choice.

The shewei continued hissing in the air and its roots pulled away some more from the jade binding it.

"I'm Li Shu!" it shouted.

A name tied to countless memories of the past. Their encounter, companionship, and intimacy inside the sea of flowers. Everything felt as vivid as if they had happened yesterday.

Snow March quietly closed her eyes.

There were many exotic plants and herbs in the islands overseas, but she had only ever encountered one shewei over the years. Everyone said she was extremely fortunate. After destroying this one, likely she would never find another opportunity to see Li Shu again.

But she was not supposed to see Li Shu again.

She should have already said goodbye to him the day of the blood sacrifice. Now she was just stubbornly holding on to a soulless body that looked like him, desperately trying to relive their past.

It was bound to come to an end someday.

Snow March opened her eyes and grabbed the shewei spirit dancing wildly in the air, then moved it closer to Changyi as it hissed. With her other hand, she lit a magic flame on her fingertip and threw it at Li Shu's body without looking back.

The fire drifted away, igniting the human form that was now a pile of dead vines. It immediately burned everything around the red jade.

Without a host to retreat to, the shewei spirit had no choice but to burrow into Changyi.

A bright light scattered out from his chest and the ice over the rest of his body began to melt away. Some turned into water, some fell straight to the ground.

Changyi's eyes did not open, but his lashes and his fingertips quivered.

Ji Yunhe did not know how to feel right this minute.

Extreme sadness and joy happening all in one day was a bit too much for her to handle, and they did not quite sink in yet. She lifted her head and looked at Snow March.

Behind Snow March, the body made of shewei vines had been completely burned to ashes, and the red jade pendant looked particularly striking sitting in the middle.

Ji Yunhe did not smile. "March..."

"I said already, don't give me that face. I've already received your gratitude on the road." Snow March turned around and picked up the jade pendant, then left the room without looking back.

Ji Yunhe looked at Changyi who was still lying quietly on the bed. She suddenly felt like everyone had become extremely good at hiding their breakdowns...

"This human world is not easy on anyone..." Ji Yunhe gently stroked the silver hair on his forehead, and his eyelids trembled again.

"Let the jiaoren recover as soon as possible," Lin Haoqing said. "I saved him because the world will be needing him in the near future."

Ji Yunhe turned around and looked at him.

"I'm afraid Princess Shunde is coming soon." Lin Haoqing dropped the bad news and left.

Ji Yunhe's mood immediately sank again.

Looking at Changyi's peaceful face, she could not help but let out a helpless smile. "You are probably going to blame me for waking you up."

Sleeping was a lot more comfortable...

Proofreader: Gem