Chapter 63 “tense.”
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Pei Jing’s mind was already in disarray, but Chu Junyu’s words calmed him down. Those four words kept echoing in his head. Aura of Celestial Demon? Was it the same aura of Celestial Demon he had been thinking about? Whenever he broke through Nascent Soul, a chilling aura would emerge, hindering the flow of spiritual power.
Moonlight passed through the window, casting a serene and cool ambiance inside Wuya Pavilion. Chu Junyu embraced him from behind, lightly touching his chest. He leaned down, his breath as gentle as a handful of snow.
“It has been dormant for a long time, probably since your birth.”
Pei Jing paused and turned abruptly. “Since my birth?”
Chu Junyu smiled faintly, his voice unexpectedly tender. “Yes, indeed. Your destiny is to never surpass Nascent Soul.”
Pei Jing frowned, recalling a scene from the novel, “Executioner’s Sword.” In the story, Pei Yuzhi sought to obtain Ji Wuyou’s Golden Core for alchemical purposes. Could it be because of this reason? He didn’t feel anxious at the moment. He had smoothly reached the perfect stage of the Golden Core, and he had foreseen the trials and tribulations that would come along. He just didn’t expect it to be at this particular moment.
“Is there any way to break free from it?”
Chu Junyu let go of his hand, accidentally brushing Pei Jing’s hair. It felt silky and cool, causing his fingers to pause momentarily, twirling the strands absentmindedly. “I can help you.”
“How can you help?”
“First, we need to find a warm pool.”
Pei Jing’s immediate reaction was rather unexpected, “Do I need to take off my clothes?”
Pei Jing: “……”
Chu Junyu: “……”
The silver-haired young man locked eyes with him for a while before speaking slowly, “No, it’s not necessary.”
Pei Jing sighed. “Alright…” He wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
Tianqian Peak didn’t have a warm pool, but the closest one should be located in the back mountain of Shu Peak. Identifying the ailment meant they couldn’t afford any delay.
On their way to Shu Peak, Pei Jing pondered some matters. Considering Chu Junyu’s character and his evident disdain for Ji Wuyou, he must have been an antagonist, appearing later in “Executioner’s Sword” and exerting overwhelming pressure on the protagonist. Unlike him, a cannon fodder character who only played a role in the early stages. Recalling Chu Junyu’s statement about coming to Yunxiao for one person, Pei Jing couldn’t help but ask, “Did you know me before coming to Yunxiao?”
However, Chu Junyu asked, “What answer do you want to hear?”
“Just don’t deceive me…”
Chu Junyu looked deeply into his eyes and said, “Yes, I knew you.”
“Am I portrayed as foolish in your memories?” Why would he be considered foolish? He remembered his outward image being quite bright and grand.
Chu Junyu smiled and replied, “By asking such a question, what do you think?”
Pei Jing halted his steps, determination showing on his handsome face. “Which incident?” Previously, he might have been irritated by Chu Junyu, but now he couldn’t help but take it seriously. “Which incident made you think I’m foolish?”
Ahead, on the hidden mountain path of Shu Peak, there was a pathway adorned with crimson frost-covered leaves. It appeared like a red cloud during the day but carried a hint of desolation during the night. Chu Junyu, unsure of what Pei Jing was so persistent about, calmly remarked, “Do you insist on getting an answer from me?”
“Hmm.”
Suddenly, Chu Junyu asked with a half-smile, “Pei Yuzhi, do you think I have a lot of patience?”
“……” What a load of nonsense.
Pei Jing silently lowered his head, recalling the night when maple leaves fell like rain in the Yunlan Mountain Range. The mysterious silver-haired person emerged from the darkness, speaking in the same tone. For some reason, his mood inexplicably turned melancholic.
In the depths of the frost-covered forest behind the maple trees, where the chill permeated the air, there sat a warm pool. Slowly, white mist seeped out, but it carried a coldness that resembled a frigid spring.
Chu Junyu said, “Go inside.”
Pei Jing had spent time in icy chambers during his previous cultivation, so he wasn’t afraid of the cold. He naturally sank his body into the water, allowing the cold air to penetrate his marrow, leaving a frosty touch on his brows. With his focus on breaking through Nascent Soul, Pei Jing remained proactive and turned his head. “What’s next?”
“Next, be quiet.”
Pei Jing was irritated to the point of itching his teeth. Indeed, the young Chu Junyu was still adorable. Despite his cold demeanor, Pei Jing didn’t mind leaning against him. He found it amusing that Chu Junyu thought he talked too much. Who had he ever talked too much to?
“Focus on yourself, try to break through Nascent Soul while in seclusion.”
Pei Jing, slightly tilting his head in the warm pool, became stunned and surprised. “How can I achieve the mindset of seclusion in this place?”
His black hair cascaded over his shoulder, and within the whitened mist, his pitch-black eyes appeared warm and bright, like a captivating lost tower.
Chu Junyu locked eyes with him and lowered his voice, “Give it a try.”
Pei Jing furrowed his brow but obediently turned around, facing away from Chu Junyu. He began to concentrate, knowing that breaking through Nascent Soul was no trivial matter. It required sensing the world, comprehending the myriad of lives. At the very least, it would take a decade. It was impossible to enter such a state in just a moment. Though he thought it was impossible, he still gave it his best effort. Having reached the top of the Wentian Rankings, Pei Jing’s willpower and temperament were not lacking.
Quickly discarding all distractions, every rustle of the wind and movement of the grass reached Pei Jing’s ears. The spiritual energies of gold, wood, water, and fire in the air manifested as shimmering lights, even becoming tangible.
The Golden Core within his dantian had reached its final stage, brimming with essence and showing signs of overflow, like a full water tank that needed to be shattered, replaced by another vessel to contain the infant core. As his spiritual consciousness gradually extended and deepened, the insects around him stirred, and the vegetation flourished, their sounds and movements becoming more distinct. Soon after, he heard the breath of the person behind him, soft and gentle, like threads. Then everything changed. The mountains and rivers stood still, the vegetation ceased to speak. He was pulled back into reality, and even his sea of consciousness began to imitate the appearance of Chu Junyu, from his hair to his eyes, exuding an extraordinary charm. Pei Jing struggled to regain control of his spiritual consciousness, but it was like dealing with a group of mischievous children who refused to listen.
Chu Junyu dripped a drop of blood into the cold pool, which quickly faded from view. He stood by, waiting for the demonic energy hidden within Pei Jing’s body to emerge. After a while with no signs of activity, he lowered his head and noticed the complex expression on Pei Jing’s face. Even at this age, when he was at his most spirited, such a perplexed expression made him appear childishly adorable.
With a sigh in his heart, Chu Junyu grasped Pei Jing’s shoulder and called out, “Pei Yuzhi.”
Almost instantly, Pei Jing opened his eyes, a mixture of confusion and embarrassment. What was he doing just now?!
Chu Junyu’s eyes were as cold as stars as he asked, “What were you thinking about just now?”
Pei Jing felt embarrassed and struggled to speak, “I… I…” He couldn’t find the words. And with Chu Junyu’s serious expression, Pei Jing oddly felt a sense of shame. Leaning against the bank, he whispered, “I might need more time tonight. It’s been too long since my last seclusion.”
That wasn’t the real reason. He was lying.
But as soon as he spoke in a softer tone, he resembled a child who had done something wrong.
Chu Junyu gave him a deep gaze and simply said, “Alright.”
Chu Junyu’s assurance of “alright” didn’t bring any peace to Pei Jing, who spent the entire night sleepless. Seated in the Tianqian Hall, he remained there for a long time, his black hair and snow-white robe growing colder until dawn broke. He had made a promise to meet with Xiao Chen in three days’ time.
Therefore, today’s plan was to visit Yinghui Peak.
Upon meeting Chen Xu, the two of them rode on a cloud crane and flew towards the Outer Peaks.
Chen Xu found Pei Yuzhi’s behavior quite strange that day. He sat in silence, expressionless, at one end of the cloud crane, lost in his own thoughts. Back in the day, when he first rode a cloud crane, he would pluck its feathers with every word, being annoying to the utmost degree.
“Are you in love?” Chen Xu asked, drawing a crucial connection to the words Pei Yuzhi had spoken that night.
He had expected Pei Jing to retort with a laugh.
However, Pei Jing furrowed his brow, looked up at Chen Xu, and sincerely asked, “When someone gets closer to you, why can’t you help but feel nervous?”
Chen Xu nearly choked, his eyes widening. “You’re asking me this?”
Pei Jing, troubled, wanted to pull his hair, but then remembered he no longer had the appearance of a youth but that of Yunxiao’s Chief Disciple. He retracted his hand and instead plucked at the feathers of the cloud crane beneath him. “It’s not really nervousness, it’s more like anxiety. I’m afraid of not performing well.”
Chen Xu found it interesting and said, “Afraid of not performing well? That’s quite rare. Back in the Institute of Celestial Ascension, you didn’t have this kind of awareness even in front of Master.” Leaning closer, he couldn’t help but gossip, “So, who is it?”
Pei Jing pushed his head away with an annoyed expression and fell into a state of bewilderment again. “Don’t ask who it is. It’s annoying.”
In truth, Chen Xu had asked the wrong person. If he had asked Yu Qinglian, he would have received a knowing and meaningful smile immediately. Asking Chen Xu led to a different line of thought altogether.
Chen Xu’s criteria for choosing a partner were completely contradictory, and he always maintained a composed demeanor in front of female cultivators. One could say that Pei Jing understood matters of the heart much better than him.
After pondering for a while, Chen Xu muttered, “Nervousness, fear of not performing well. Isn’t that how I acted in front of Master back at the Institute of Celestial Ascension? At that time, whenever I saw Master, I wished to take a detour…”
The Ancestor of Yunxiao was even scarier than the Sect Master. If Pei Jing had turned the Sect Master into an irritable older brother who wore his emotions on his sleeve, then the Ancestor always had a smiling face, but his actions were never half-hearted.
The uncompromising nature of Nascent Soul stage powerhouses was simply a nightmare for them.
Chen Xu turned his head, pondering who Pei Yuzhi had encountered. But thinking it through, he realized that he hadn’t seen anyone at Tianqian Peak throughout the year. Now, there was only… Oh, his Big Brother.
Chen Xu’s eyes widened instantly. “You’re not talking about your Big Brother, are you?”
Pei Jing’s expression changed as soon as his big brother was mentioned. “Get lost.”
Chen Xu could tell from his expression that he had guessed correctly and burst into laughter.
That mysterious silver-haired person was truly formidable.
“Hahaha, so even you have days like this. To be able to make you feel nervous, he truly stands alone in the world. What a ruthless person.”
Pei Jing threw all the bird feathers he had in his hand directly at Chen Xu’s face.
Chen Xu blocked them with his sleeve and taunted, “Afraid of not performing well, huh? What aspect of your performance are you afraid of? Do you think you can’t be a good Little Brother?” It must be said that spending so much time with Pei Yuzhi had sharpened Chen Xu’s skill at retorting.
“Get lost.”
Pei Jing stood up abruptly, his white robe fluttering. He summoned his sword and intended to leave the presence of the lunatic that was Chen Xu.
Chen Xu patted the crane’s head and caught up. “Alright, no more joking around. Seriously, you’re afraid of not performing well because you see him as an Elder, right? Who did you bring back? I sensed an extraordinary danger from him at first glance. His strength is unfathomable. Are you sure you want to keep him at Tianqian Peak?”
Pei Jing furrowed his brow. “If I say he can help me break through the Nascent Soul stage, will you believe me?”
Chen Xu’s jaw dropped. Helping Pei Jing break through the Nascent Soul stage would require at least Cultivation at the Demigod stage. The only Demigod stage cultivator he had ever encountered in his life was the Master at the Institute of Celestial Ascension.
“You…”
Pei Jing interrupted, “I know what you’re going to say. Don’t worry.”
Chen Xu fell silent. In truth, he had quite a favorable impression of that silver-haired person, but behind that favorable impression was fear. Now, upon hearing Pei Jing’s words, he felt even more apprehensive. “Shouldn’t you ask the Master about this matter first?”
Breaking through the Nascent Soul stage was no small matter.
Pei Jing lowered his gaze. “I know what’s going on in my heart.”
Chen Xu pursed his lips.
Standing on the sword, Pei Jing, with his elegant and handsome face, appeared a bit agitated. “Just last night, when he helped me, I made a mistake because of this nervousness.”
Seeing his childhood friend, who had always been composed, displaying such a complex expression, Chen Xu mumbled a few words and sighed sincerely. “Your Big Brother is really impressive.”
Pei Jing didn’t react immediately and followed his lead. “Big Brother is really impressive.”
The air fell silent for a moment.
Chen Xu: “…”
Pei Jing: “…”
The Cloud Slayer Sword trembled, and the cloud crane looked left and right, wishing it could hide itself. It was terrifying.
Pei Jing: “Damn it!”
The first curse word he blurted out was directed at Chen Xu. Riding the sword, he broke through the morning light and headed straight for Yinghui Peak.
Chen Xu felt extremely awkward and terrified. He almost thought Pei Yuzhi was going to hit him. He hurriedly pulled the cloud crane, which had been having a miserable day, and urged, “Quick, quick, keep up!”
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