The weather in late autumn was somewhat cool. The wind brushed past the large tree in the courtyard, and countless rustling leaves fell down.
Because he had been constantly practicing sword-riding, he had suffered quite a few injuries. Sometimes they were minor; sometimes, when he fell hard, they would leave serious marks. Every time he returned from Sword-Riding Peak, Ye Jisheng would have medicine prepared for him.
Seeing Ye Jisheng every day also became what Jian Zhen looked forward to most.
The young Demon Lord was frank and pure-hearted, truly exceedingly likable. Jian Zhen felt that even if he spent every day together with him, he would never grow tired of it.
In just a couple of days, after Elder Wen’s lesson ended, the disciples gathered inside and began discussing. They said, “It’s almost Visiting Day. My father sent me a letter saying he and my mother will come see me.”
The others grew excited as they chatted.
“My mother will come too.”
“I haven’t seen my older brother for quite a while.”
“My parents also sent word.”
The disciples discussed it animatedly. This cohort was all new disciples. Those who could come to Spirit Mountain were, for the most part, from well-off families, and their parents doted on them greatly.
Jian Zhen watched them talk, unable to join in at all.
A disciple beside him asked, “Senior Brother Jian, who’s coming from your family?”
Ever since Jian Zhen had been the first to ride a sword into the air, some disciples had already begun to admire him somewhat, so their attitude had grown much friendlier.
Jian Zhen tidied his books and replied, “There’s no one in my family.”
The other disciples were somewhat surprised.
Jian Zhen recalled that the original body’s background was exactly the same as his own. He answered, “My parents have passed away. I only had a servant. Before coming up the mountain, I set the servant free, so no one should be coming for this Visiting Day.”
The disciple said somewhat awkwardly, “Sorry, Senior Brother Jian.”
Jian Zhen shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m already used to it.”
Others thought he was pretending to be strong.
Only Jian Zhen knew that he truly was used to it. The two hundred years he had spent as a little grass could be said to have been the loneliest period of his life. He couldn’t speak, nor could he do many things. He had no family, no friends. Only the Immortal Venerable and the Demon Lord had been by his side. So to him, those two were the most important people in his life.
Elder Wen said from the platform at the front, “For the upcoming one-day Visiting Leave, you may all meet your families in the Martial Hall. Remember not to do anything overstepping, nor engage in behavior harmful to the sect. The rest of the time may be freely arranged.”
The disciples cheered as one.
While everyone’s spirits were high, Jian Zhen quietly left the classroom.
With autumn’s arrival, the maple trees on the mountain had all been dyed a deep red. Rustling leaves scattered down. Jian Zhen stepped over the fallen leaves on the ground and returned to his small courtyard.
He opened the courtyard gate.
There was no one inside.
So Jian Zhen sat at the stone table in the courtyard and did his homework. Only when dusk slowly fell did someone enter through the courtyard gate.
Ye Jisheng wore a cloth robe, the sleeves of his arms slightly rolled up, revealing his firm forearms and slender build. He walked over and said, “Because tomorrow is the disciples’ Visiting Leave, Senior Brother Ling arranged for us to clean the Martial Hall, so I came a bit late. Are you hungry? I’ll go cook for you.”
Jian Zhen said, “I’m not hungry.”
Only then did Ye Jisheng seem much more at ease.
Jian Zhen said, “You’ve worked hard. You’re already so tired, let’s not cook today. The dining hall will send food over. We’ll just eat that.”
Ye Jisheng had no objection. He said, “Then I’ll go loosen the soil for the herbs.”
Jian Zhen stood up. “I’ll help you.”
The medicinal herbs in the courtyard had been growing very well these past few days. The evening glow spilled across the ground. Jian Zhen asked Ye Jisheng, “What are you going to do tomorrow?”
Ye Jisheng’s hands paused slightly as he worked. He parted his lips and said, “Tomorrow I’m going to the Martial Hall to work.”
They were cleaning disciples; there was always endless work to do.
While other disciples reunited with their families and rested, they were responsible for labor and clearing away debris.
Jian Zhen said, “Did your parents also pass away?”
He had read in historical records that the Demon God’s parents had died when he was young, but the details were unclear. He did not know exactly when Ye Jisheng’s parents had passed, nor how the child had ended up as a servant.
Ye Jisheng said, “When I was born, my parents died.”
Jian Zhen paused, completely not expecting it to be like this.
Ye Jisheng lowered his head as he planted the flowers and herbs. His face was lowered so his expression could not be seen. He said, “I was born inauspicious. When I was born, there were strange omens. I caused my parents’ deaths.”
Jian Zhen said somewhat angrily, “Who is spreading such twisted nonsense? How could it possibly be inauspicious!”
Ye Jisheng looked at him somewhat unexpectedly, as if not understanding why Jian Zhen was so angry.
Jian Zhen looked at Ye Jisheng and said very seriously, “There can be many reasons for strange omens descending from the heavens. This wasn’t something you wanted, nor something you chose. Don’t carry this on yourself. I think that when your parents protected you, they certainly never blamed you.”
Ye Jisheng’s red eyes shifted slightly. He said, “You’re not afraid that I truly am inauspicious and will bring misfortune to you as well?”
Jian Zhen said, “But when you appear by my side, I only feel very happy.”
The afterglow of the evening sunset poured down, bringing warmth before nightfall.
Jian Zhen sat down on a stone stool nearby and said, “Besides, it might not be inauspicious at all. Books say that when those destined by heaven are born, there are always strange signs. Maybe you’re some chosen one, perhaps a future god!”
Ye Jisheng said instead, “I don’t want to become a god.”
Jian Zhen was stunned. Somewhat puzzled, he asked, “Why?”
Ye Jisheng seemed to mock himself with a trace of self-derision as he said, “Is being a god so good? If the price of becoming a god is sacrificing one’s parents’ lives and enduring so much torment, then I have no need of that divine position.”
Jian Zhen felt a heaviness in his chest.
It was as if someone had tossed a small stone down; that stone fell into the abyss within his heart, bringing ring after ring of echoing reverberations, dull and suffocating.
Therefore, on the day of Visiting Leave, when many disciples went to the Martial Hall, Jian Zhen acted out of character. He went to the dining hall and asked the canteen uncle for some flour, then brought it back himself. The small courtyard was very quiet; most of the disciples were at the Martial Hall, so he could return alone and busy himself in the small kitchen.
He put the flour into a large bowl and began kneading the dough.
While adding water, he watched the dough’s consistency. After kneading it well, he placed it on the table to let it rise.
Once the dough had risen, he cut it into strips and shook the noodles open with his hands. With repeated flicking and stretching, the noodles would become more elastic, and the texture would naturally be better.
In the afternoon, when Ye Jisheng remembered to return to water the flowers and herbs in the courtyard, waves of fragrance drifted out from the small kitchen.
Ye Jisheng walked over.
When Jian Zhen saw him arrive, his eyes revealed surprise and immense delight. He smiled and said, “You’re here?”
Ye Jisheng nodded.
Jian Zhen said, “Quick, come help me carry this.”
Ye Jisheng walked over and carried the cooked noodles from the stove outside. On the small stone table were several stir-fried dishes and even a pot of wine. It was especially abundant.
Jian Zhen smiled somewhat embarrassedly. “I bought these dishes from the canteen uncle. I don’t know how to cook.”
Ye Jisheng said, “Then the noodles…”
Jian Zhen quickly said, “I made the noodles myself!”
Ye Jisheng looked at him somewhat puzzled. The young man sat beneath the tree, wearing the simplest cloth robe. His delicate and handsome face was lifted. He had rolled up his sleeves, and there was even a bit of flour dust on his face, yet he did not mind at all. His bright, clear eyes were smiling.
Jian Zhen handed him chopsticks and said, “In my hometown, there’s a custom. When someone has a birthday, we cook longevity noodles. Only family members cook them for their own people. Today the other disciples have all gone to see their families. Today is their day of reunion and shared meals. I don’t have parents anymore. The only person left by my side is you. Would you be willing to eat noodles with me?”
He did not say, “I’ll eat noodles with you,” nor did he say, “Because you don’t have parents, I’ll accompany you.” He asked, would you be willing to accompany me?
He protected the dignity of the person before him,and at the same time expressed his own feelings.
Ye Jisheng watched the rolling steam drift upward before him, finally dissolving into the air. The face before him seemed somewhat blurred, yet the smiling brows and eyes remained clear.
Ye Jisheng’s voice was somewhat low and hoarse as he said, “I… am your family?”
How could anyone want to be his family?
He was only a slave of the demon race, of lowly bloodline and inauspicious birth. People should be eager to avoid him.
But Jian Zhen’s smile was open and straightforward. He said, “Of course you can. Why not? Even just by age, you could be my older brother!”
After the words fell, Ye Jisheng’s eyes darkened slightly. So only an older brother.
Meeting his gaze, Jian Zhen’s heart inexplicably began beating fast as well. He lowered his eyes and said weakly, “Besides, family isn’t only that one kind of relationship…”
Ye Jisheng’s eyes instantly brightened. “What did you say?”
Jian Zhen said flusteredly, “Nothing! Let’s drink some wine. I finally got it from the canteen uncle!”
Ye Jisheng reminded him, “We haven’t eaten the noodles yet.”
Jian Zhen put down the wine jug again. “Oh right, right. Eat the noodles, eat the noodles.”
How embarrassing for a blade of grass!
Jian Zhen lowered his head and ate the noodles he had made. He had also fried eggs for himself and Ye Jisheng, but one egg had not turned out very well, while the other was perfectly done. To avoid embarrassment, he kept the poorly fried egg for himself. He let out a soft sigh as he ate his slightly burnt egg, glancing at the one in Ye Jisheng’s bowl and imagining what the unburnt egg tasted like.
However, after only a few bites, a whole, intact egg was placed into his bowl.
Jian Zhen looked up at Ye Jisheng somewhat surprised. Ye Jisheng said calmly, “Eat.”
There was now an intact egg in the noodle bowl.
If there was one whole fried egg and one imperfect one, even if the bad egg was already in his own bowl, Ye Jisheng would still leave the good one for him.
Jian Zhen used his chopsticks to divide the egg into two pieces. He placed one piece into Ye Jisheng’s bowl and smiled faintly at him. “We’ll eat it together, half each.”
Ye Jisheng lifted his eyes to look at him, and finally nodded.
After the two finished eating the noodles together, dusk had already slowly fallen beyond the horizon. The lights in the courtyard were lit. Jian Zhen took the bottle of wine he had brought back and shared it with Ye Jisheng.
The two sat on the rooftop, letting the wind blow away the scent of wine.
Looking at the lively Martial Hall in the distance, Jian Zhen said softly, “It must be very lively over there.”
Ye Jisheng nodded faintly. “Mm.”
Sitting on the eaves, Jian Zhen let the wind blow across him. He looked at Ye Jisheng beside him and asked, “Will you feel sad?”
Ye Jisheng said, “No.”
Jian Zhen asked curiously, “Why?”
Ye Jisheng’s handsome profile looked especially deep in the night. The evening wind brushed past his dark hair. He turned to look at Jian Zhen, his red eyes bright, and said in a low voice, “Because you are here. They reunite with their families, and I am with you. Why would I be sad?”
The night was quiet.
But as Jian Zhen looked at him, he seemed to hear the sound of his own heartbeat pounding like a drum. He looked at Ye Jisheng’s face, into his eyes. It was as if there were a deep sea within them, containing far too many emotions. Those emotions gathered together like an abyss, as if at any moment they could pull someone in, impossible to escape.
For a moment, he had an impulse: to draw closer to him, to confide in him, to embrace him.
Ye Jisheng spoke first. “You…”
Jian Zhen suddenly came back to his senses. His hand trembled, and the wine jug he was holding slipped from his grasp. It was about to roll off the roof. He bent to grab it, but lost his balance. Just as he was about to fall, Ye Jisheng quickly reached out and pulled him back. In his extreme panic, Jian Zhen instinctively clung tightly to him.
Two people embraced each other.
They heard the sound of a wine bottle shattering on the ground.
Under the silent moonlight.
Jian Zhen looked at Ye Jisheng. When he came back to his senses, he realized that the two of them had suddenly drawn extremely close. When their eyes met, even their breathing seemed to tangle together. Amid the earlier flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, Ye Jisheng’s lips had brushed past Jian Zhen’s cheek. The two stared at each other for a moment. Ye Jisheng seemed to regain his reason, felt that it was somewhat inappropriate, and wanted to pull away.
But Jian Zhen grabbed his hand.
Perhaps it was because of the scent of alcohol, perhaps because the night around them was too deep and heavy, or perhaps that thought had long existed, merely held back all along.
At the very instant Ye Jisheng tried to withdraw his hand, Jian Zhen slightly raised his head, his lips falling at the corner of Ye Jisheng’s mouth, kissing him back.
Ye Jisheng suddenly lifted his eyes to look at him. Under the moonlight, his red eyes seemed to burn like flames, while Jian Zhen looked at him openly and said softly, “Then you don’t have to be afraid anymore. That makes us even.”
Ye Jisheng’s voice was somewhat hoarse as he said, “It’s not even.”
Jian Zhen asked curiously, “How is it not even?”
Ye Jisheng lowered his eyes to look at him and said, “Because if you kiss me, I’m still the one who benefits.”
Jian Zhen said thoughtfully, “Is that so.”
Ye Jisheng’s eyes darkened slightly as he was just about to nod.
Jian Zhen said, “Then you kiss me, kiss me back, and let me benefit a little too?”
Ye Jisheng looked at him in slight astonishment. The two met each other’s gaze. Moonlight poured down. Just as Jian Zhen began to feel a little shy and wanted to pull away, a kiss fell. Under the moonlight, the shadows of the two young disciples were stretched long. The two figures leaning against each other seemed to merge into one in the moonlight. Time seemed to congeal in that moment, never to separate again.
The next day.
These past few days, Jian Zhen had been in a rather happy mood.
After he and Ye Jisheng kissed, it was as if they had broken through a layer of window paper and grown closer. Before, when they were together, they would hoe the ground and loosen the soil, do some work. Now, it felt that even if they did nothing at all, just being together was already sweet.
However, sweet days were not always smooth sailing.
The homework inspection set by Fu Changhuan finally arrived.
Jian Zhen said weakly, “Senior Brother, aren’t these days still within the family-visit leave period?”
Fu Changhuan said, “Elder Qianji said that you still haven’t completed your flying-sword coursework, so I came to take a look.”
Jian Zhen instantly wilted and said weakly, “I see.”
Fu Changhuan said, “Ride your sword and fly a circle for me to see.”
How would Jian Zhen dare talk back to the Immortal Venerable? After summoning his sword, he silently recited the incantation for sword-riding. The sword on the ground sensed his call and hummed, rising from the ground. Jian Zhen leapt up and stepped onto the sword, flying steadily for one round. Before he could even show it off, a tree appeared ahead. He didn’t turn in time, wobbled, and was about to fall again.
Fu Changhuan’s figure shifted slightly. The person who was falling was steadily caught around the waist and received.
Jian Zhen patted his chest in lingering fear. “Good thing Senior Brother was here, otherwise I would have fallen again.”
Fu Changhuan released him. His cool eyes looked over Jian Zhen and said, “You have now preliminarily grasped the essentials of sword-riding, but you have not truly obtained its key points. That is why you cannot fully control it.”
Jian Zhen studied earnestly and said, “Senior Brother, what are the key points?”
Fu Changhuan said, “If you want your mind and spirit to become one with the sword, you must cast aside the distracting thoughts in your heart. You have too many stray thoughts and have not devoted your energy to it. Naturally, you cannot control the sword.”
Jian Zhen: “……”
A bit guilty, and unable to refute.
After all, these past two days his mind had truly been filled with thoughts of Ye Jisheng, and he had not focused on practicing the sword.
With a lift of Fu Changhuan’s hand, the sword arrived in his palm. Dressed in snow-white robes, he stood on the path and glanced at Jian Zhen. “Follow me.”
Jian Zhen quickly followed.
At the southern peak of Spirit Mountain, halfway up the mountain where the Time Mirror was located, there was a spirit pool.
Fu Changhuan stood by the pool and said, “Come, stand here.”
Jian Zhen slowly walked over. The mist from the spirit pool gradually soaked through his body, giving him a sense of cleansing from body and soul. When he opened his eyes, he said in amazement, “Senior Brother, what place is this?”
Fu Changhuan said, “This is the Cleansing-Thoughts Pool.”
Jian Zhen said, “Cleansing-Thoughts Pool?”
Fu Changhuan nodded. He said, “The Cleansing-Thoughts Pool was formed when our Grandmaster Ancestor ascended, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The pool water can wash away the distracting thoughts and desires in a person’s heart. How do you feel standing here?”
Jian Zhen answered honestly, “I feel very light and relaxed all over.”
Fu Changhuan said, “Because your nature is pure and your soul is clean, you feel relaxed. If your heart were burdened with heavy desires, you would only feel incomparable pain here.”
Jian Zhen said thoughtfully, “So that’s how it is.”
All he had ever wanted was simple, just that the people around him be safe and sound, nothing more.
Fu Changhuan looked at him and said, “Jian Zhu, you are more suited than others to cultivate the Path of Heartlessness. In this world, those who cultivate the Path of Heartlessness must sever all mortal ties and bonds. Your parents have already passed away; all the attachments this world had to you have long since ended. If you now enter the Path of Heartlessness, your cultivation will certainly be much easier than that of your fellow disciples.”
Jian Zhen was extremely astonished. He stammered, “H-Heartlessness Path?”
Fu Changhuan nodded and looked at Jian Zhen. “Mm.”
Jian Zhen quickly said, “Senior Brother, I cannot cultivate the Heartlessness Path!”
Fu Changhuan frowned slightly and parted his lips. “What is it? Do you have something you cannot bear to let go of?”
Jian Zhen: “……”
Little Grass: I can’t explain this kind of question to you (shrugs).
