Chapter 51
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Gong Wei’s hands trembled slightly as he gently touched the wound where the flesh had turned over, carefully infusing spiritual energy into it.
The act of substitution with one’s own body might be the most obscure and rare spell known from ancient times to the present day. Not only does it require immense spiritual energy and intricate symbols, almost to the point of being lost to history, but it also must be cast willingly by the one who will bear the harm. Once the spell is cast, all severe injuries suffered by the protected individual will be transferred to the caster, even if it leads to their own demise or being pierced through the heart.
Once the spell takes effect, the symbol becomes void within an hour and must be redrawn if needed again. So, the faint golden character “Xu” on Gong Wei’s wrist will soon disappear, but the scorching temperature has already penetrated his blood, causing every limb to tremble.
Extreme fear and sorrow still pricked at him like needles, causing his temples to throb.
“Why am I so sad?” he wondered.
His mind swirled with chaotic thoughts, making his head spin. After a while, he finally realized, dull-wittedly, that it wasn’t his own emotions but Xu Shuangce’s.
―― Xu Shuangce actually feared that this impostor “Xiang Xiaoyuan” would die!
As if his entire consciousness had been swept away by a hurricane, Gong Wei stood blankly there, suddenly feeling a finger pressing against his brow, causing him to shudder and lift his head abruptly.
Xu Shuangce’s expression was calm, giving no hint from his exterior. He pressed his thumb against Gong Wei’s brow, injecting surging spiritual energy into his sea of qi, cleansing Gong Wei’s damaged spiritual veins with a pure, warm, and powerful force.
“…..Master…”
The two were very close, almost face to face. Xu Shuangce asked in a low voice, “What are you thinking?”
Gong Wei felt like every part of his body and internal organs were being roasted by the intense emotions emanating from Xu Shuangce. He stared blankly into the deep, unfathomable eyes before him and, after a moment, stammered, “I… I feel afraid.”
Xu Shuangce asked, “Afraid of what?”
I feel like you’re afraid of me dying was Gong Wei’s spontaneous answer.
But then, he felt it wasn’t right.
In his previous life, he had indeed witnessed death with his own eyes, and he had seen the relatives of the deceased break down in tears. However, that pain felt like it was veiled, vaguely “seen” through a layer of gauze, making it even more incomprehensible to him.
It wasn’t until now, sitting beside Xu Shuangce, seeing his own hand drawing the substitution symbol, touching Xu Shuangce’s hot flesh, that a deeper, heavier, suffocating emotion flooded his heart, making every bit of pain vividly discernible.
It wasn’t fear of death itself.
“―― What are you afraid of?” Xu Shuangce subtly emphasized his tone.
A certain answer seemed to emerge faintly from the gaze exchanged between them. Gong Wei felt his heart pounding fiercely in his throat, opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a word, hastily shifted his gaze away after a while, and hoarsely said, “I… “
His throat choked involuntarily, so he disguised it with a deep breath and said, “I’m afraid… of you getting hurt, Master.”
Xu Shuangce fell silent for a moment.
Every moment of waiting felt incredibly long, and it was only after a long time that he calmly said, “Just a minor injury.”
“…But I’ve never seen Master sustain such a serious injury before.”
“The most serious injuries are the ones you can’t see.”
Gong Wei didn’t fully understand, but it seemed like he understood something. He sat there, dazed.
“I saw that ghost cultivator just now,” Xu Shuangce abruptly changed the subject after a moment of silence.
“… “
“It can shuttle between reality and illusion, relying on several pieces of thousand mirror realm fragments. Therefore, its strength is greatly suppressed, but it can still be seen that its original strength is extremely high, and its realm is extraordinary… It can even contend with the Three Zongs.”
“When you were at Cangyang Mountain, it dared not enter the Xuanji Palace. After coming out of Ding Xian Ling, it couldn’t board the Golden Ship. It should be because these places have been infused with spiritual power for thousands of years, forming a natural barrier for it. But Yanchuntai was transformed from a desolate mountain by Liu Xuzhi for decades. It doesn’t fear the Music Saint, and with you leaving my side, this gap is worth the risk for it.”
“―― It wants to kill you,” Xu Shuangce paused, lowering his head to look at Gong Wei, “very urgently.”
Gong Wei’s mind buzzed. He only wanted to sit beside Xu Shuangce like this, with no other thoughts in his heart. After a while, he made a light and short “Ah” sound, and then said with effort, “Is that so? But I don’t want Master to get hurt again, I…”
Suddenly, it felt as if a breeze brushed his cheek, Xu Shuangce’s fingertip slid smoothly along the youth’s brow, the corner of his eye, and even down to his chin.
“You won’t die,” he said softly, whether it was meant for Gong Wei or himself, it wasn’t clear.
In the distance, there was a faint noise, followed by hurried footsteps outside. Several disciples of Music Saint rushed through the corridor and reached the door, not daring to knock directly, kneeling down and urgently reporting, “Reporting to Sect Master Xu!”
Xu Shuangce glanced at the door of the house.
“There’s an incident at Penglai Hall, urgently requesting Sect Master Xu’s help to save someone!”
***
Half an hour ago, outside Penglai Hall.
“Gather all the mercury mirrors on and around Yanchuntai, prepare to cover them tightly with red cloth, and strictly order everyone not to look directly at the mirrors. If anyone is affected, report to me immediately.” Meng Yunfei hurriedly crossed the high platform, instructing the senior disciples below him as he walked, “Order all disciples to stay in their positions, no noise, avoid panic. Sect Master Xu once captured a ghost cultivator using the Jinglong Formation in Linjiang City, there’s nothing to fear! Don’t disrupt the formation!”
“Yes!”
Several senior disciples swiftly spread the orders, and Meng Yunfei lifted his robe and quickly climbed the forty-nine levels of the green jade stairs. He knocked on the hall door, “Master?”
There was no response from inside the door.
“Master, Sect Master Xu ordered me to come and assist you immediately. Are you there?”
The lights were still on at Yanchuntai in the distance, and voices could be heard faintly through the night, but there was still no movement in the hall.
Meng Yunfei’s heart sank, he decisively pushed open the door, “Master, it’s me, Sect Master Xu ordered me to come immediately… Master?”
Liu Xuzhi stood in the center of the outer hall, one hand holding a sword and the other tightly covering his eyes, his body half-bent, showing a hint of pain on his face.
Meng Yunfei hurried forward to support him and shouted outside the hall, “Someone! Master is injured, please get Sect Master Xu!!”
Suddenly, a hand tightly gripped his arm. Liu Xuzhi finally raised his head, revealing a pair of eyes densely covered with bloodshot veins, he gasped heavily, “I… in my mind… there seems to be someone…”
The last few words were extremely blurred. Meng Yunfei was stunned, “Master, what did you say?”
“Someone… he… is trying to take away mine…”
“Master?!”
Liu Xuzhi’s eyes suddenly froze.
He stood motionless, like a statue, staring straight at the air in the shadows.
Meng Yunfei was uncertain, about to turn back and call for help loudly, but then he saw Liu Xuzhi suddenly let out a long sigh, as if he had suddenly come back to life, and relaxedly stood up, saying, “It’s nothing, no need to call anyone.”
“….Master?”
Somehow, Meng Yunfei’s suspicion grew instead of diminishing. He saw Liu Xuzhi, lost in thought, touching his chin as if recalling something, “So the Fuxi Qin can detect all hidden obstacles underground… No wonder Xu Shuangce for the Tianmen Pass had to borrow the Qin first, coming to Yanchuntai.”
Then he turned his head and asked Meng Yunfei, “Who has the Fuxi Qin now?”
Meng Yunfei instinctively said, “Didn’t you pass it to disciple?”
At the moment his words fell, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
“Someone!!” Meng Yunfei swiftly retreated from the hall like lightning, his last words breaking off strangely, “Summon Sect Master Xu!! Master, he’s been–“
With a sound of “shh”, a sword pierced his body, and he felt a chill in his chest, blood splattering everywhere.
Liu Xuzhi, like a ghost, was already close to him, a Qingli Sword pierced through his chest, coming out the other side!
Meng Yunfei half-knelt on the ground, then spat out blood from his mouth, and fell weakly onto the cold floor.
“The young master of Zhilan Meng Family, originally ended up worshiping at Yanchuntai in the end.” He saw the figure opposite him calmly pulling out the sword, causing a spray of blood to arc from his chest, and smiled, “But I didn’t expect that, sixteen years from now, you will defeat everyone and inherit the Fuxi Qin. It seems destined that you’ll encounter this disaster.”
… What is he saying?
The gushing blood made Meng Yunfei’s vision darken, his consciousness muddled. He couldn’t muster any strength to get up, hot blood continuously surged from his throat, and he saw that person in front of him once again lift the Qingli Sword. This time, it descended straight towards his head as he chuckled:
“Let me send you on ahead, it will be over soon–“
“Senior Brother Meng!”
At this moment, several senior disciples rushed over, charging towards the hall door. Upon seeing this scene, their souls seemed to leave their bodies in fear. The leader instinctively threw a flying sword, deflecting the edge of the Qingli Sword!
“Liu Xuzhi” squinted his eyes, reversed his sword, and in an instant, the sword light split the leading disciple in half. Blood spurted up to the beams of the room, and other disciples erupted in sharp screams simultaneously. Some even stumbled and retreated outside the hall, shouting angrily, “Master has been affected by the Mirror Art!” “Please, Sect Master Xu! Master has been affected by the Mirror Art!!”
“Liu Xuzhi” seemed to find this situation a bit troublesome. He clicked his tongue discontentedly and suddenly rushed forward again, swinging his sword once more. Another disciple’s arm flew high in a spray of blood, and another disciple who turned to flee was pierced through the chest from behind. The steps in front of the main hall instantly turned into a scene of carnage, and several disciples drew their weapons to resist, but before they could retaliate, the sharpness of the Qingli Sword carried a powerful force, slicing through their throats!
–Clearly, he intended to decapitate these young heads with a single sword.
But at the critical moment, suddenly, “Ding!”
The sound of the Fuxi Qin rang out, clear and melodious, soaring into the sky.
“Liu Xuzhi” abruptly stopped and turned around. He saw that Meng Yunfei had actually summoned the Fuxi Qin in his dying moments!
Unable to stand up at all, with blood mixed with flesh continuously gushing from his mouth, but the sound of the Qin was as fierce and violent as a raging tide, instantly pushing several desperate disciples off the high platform, even forcing “Liu Xuzhi” to step back half a step.
However, that sword had clearly pierced through the central hub of his entire spiritual vein system. Where did this spiritual power come from? “Liu Xuzhi” took a closer look and saw that Meng Yunfei’s whole body was faintly shimmering with golden light– clearly, he had exploded his golden core with his last breath!
Exploding the golden core was equivalent to taking one’s own life. The next step would be to explode the Three Souls and Seven Spirits, never to enter reincarnation again. The excruciating pain tore through Meng Yunfei’s body, causing him to tremble violently, but the sound of the Fuxi Qin surged stronger and stronger, forcing “Liu Xuzhi” to retreat several steps, his vision darkening, as he gritted his teeth and said with a smile, “You people…”
He grinned on the surface, but the cold, hidden anger burned from the depths of his heart, softly saying word by word, “It seems that you people are all so ignorant.”
With a sharp and piercing sound, the Qingli Sword rang out. He leaped towards Meng Yunfei, and a sword pierced through his back and abdomen, pinning him to the ground!
Meng Yunfei spat out a mouthful of thick blood, his ten fingers plucking the strings with all their might, the first note of “Soul Fixation” piercing into the brain like a sharp cone–
“Ding!”
The unstable soul of the ghost cultivator shook violently as a shattered sword, stained with fragmented flesh and blood, was pulled out, piercing through the abdomen once again. As blood gushed like a torrent, the strings of the qin burst into the second note of <Soul Fixation>—
Ding!
Fuxi’s anti-demon tune resounded, and Meng Yunfei’s fingers were torn apart. The ghost cultivator’s already incomplete soul was unable to withstand the impact of a single note, almost entirely scattering.
The boundless fury finally surfaced undisguised in its eyes, as it coldly remarked, “Since you seek annihilation so fervently, I shall grant it.”
With no mercy, it ruthlessly drew the shattered sword, aiming directly at the juncture of Meng Yunfei’s neck and spine. However, at that moment, Meng Yunfei clenched his teeth, soaked in blood, and unleashed the sky-splitting third note—.”
“Ding!!”
With a loud sound, the soul was fixed and silenced.
The true soul of Music Saint finally broke free from its shackles and let out a mournful and indignant roar from the depths of its primordial spirit.
The ghost cultivator abruptly pinched his forehead, and the tendons in the hand holding the sword bulged. He murmured something silently, enduring the rapid backlash of the Music Saint’s soul, gritting his teeth inch by inch as he thrust the Qingli Sword towards Meng Yunfei’s cervical vertebrae, the tip of the sword already piercing the skin.
–But just before the decapitation, a strong spiritual force descended from behind the ghost cultivator. Xu Shuangce blasted “Liu Xuzhi” away with one palm!
“Sect Master Xu!”
“It’s, it’s Sect Master Xu!”
Liu Xuzhi’s body was thrown, bricks flying in the air, and with a thunderous roar, the entire brick wall collapsed.
Xu Shuangce’s robe fluttered as he landed gracefully, releasing Gong Wei from his embrace with one hand, then disappearing on the spot. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared dozens of yards away, lifting Liu Xuzhi from the rubble with one hand, then delivering a palm strike to his face, causing blood to spray from his nose and mouth!
“…” Liu Xuzhi slowly turned his head, his eyes bloodshot, staring fixedly at Xu Shuangce, his pupils dilated to the extreme.
His soul had just regained control of this body, and it was still extremely unstable. It seemed like he was looking at Xu Shuangce, yet also as if he was seeing a more terrifying scene from his memories through Xu Shuangce. He gasped hoarsely, “….K-kill…”
This was similar to those in Linjiao City who had been affected by the Mirror Art. Xu Shuangce narrowed his eyes.
Then Liu Xuzhi’s face contorted with extreme anger and fear, almost bursting through his skin, “Xu… Shuangce… killed…”
Xu Shuangce’s expression changed slightly. “What did I kill?”
“…Can’t… let him–“
Xu Shuangce demanded, “What did you see?”
Liu Xuzhi’s dying voice abruptly stopped.
He seemed to be completely controlled by some extremely terrifying illusion. His spiritual power suddenly erupted completely, forcibly breaking free from Xu Shuangce’s restraint, his arms swinging.
Sixty-five bronze bells rose from the ground in three layers and eight groups, the air shaking the entire hall. It was the Music Saint’s powerful inscription, the Great Zhenming Yi Bells!
***
“Senior Brother, hold on!” “Senior Brother Meng!” “Senior Brother!!”
…
Meng Yunfei vaguely heard many cries, but his ears were actually submerged in blood. He felt as if he were being carried out of Penglai Hall and laid flat on the empty ground under the jade steps. The night sky was filled with sparkling stars, but shadowy figures surrounded him, the younger brothers and sisters crying beside him.
The junior brothers who he had pushed off the high platform with all his strength at the last moment rushed up, crying out hoarsely, tears streaming down their faces.
“…Don’t cry,” he murmured, but in reality, every word was drowned in the mouthful of blood foam, and no one could hear him.
“Don’t be sad… Don’t cry.”
A slender youth in a crimson robe knelt beside him, his black and white eyes fixed on him, filled with sorrow. It was Gong Wei. Meng Yunfei wanted to say something to him, but he had exhausted all his strength by now, and he could only try his best to fumble and stuff something covered in blood into Gong Wei’s hand.
It was the Suqing sword’s silver tassel.
Many regrets, he thought.
Even until the last moment of his life, he couldn’t express such a simple sentiment.
He saw Gong Wei staring blankly at the tassel in his hand, then looking up at himself, his face pale and confused. He was afraid that his current miserable appearance would scare the young man, and he wanted to comfort him, but he couldn’t speak anymore, only mustering the last bit of strength to smile at him.
It was actually a very clean and gentle smile, but he himself had no way of knowing.
His eyes slowly closed, and his breathing stopped.
As if not believing the scene before them, someone murmured, “Senior, Senior Brother?”
After a few breaths, the sharp wailing finally rang out, “Senior Brother–“
Many people rushed up futilely to rescue him, crying out in pain, surrounding Gong Wei, who was sitting blankly on the ground.
The emotion that he had just felt from Xu Shuangce’s body enveloped him from all sides again, like a tide, engulfing every sense.
“Senior Brother, how could you leave us? Senior Brother, wake up!”
“Senior Brother hasn’t left, he must still be able to be saved! He must still be able to be saved!”
…
Gong Wei looked down at the silver-white tassel in his hand, the blood on it not yet cooled. The intense emotions remaining on the tassel surged towards him, all reflected in his crimson eyes–
“I don’t want to die.”
I love this world, I cherish the many people in it, I don’t want to die.
“Life can be joyful, death can be a relief, naturally cycling through the heavens and the earth, eternal and immortal with all things in the world, why be sad?” Many years ago, in front of the old spirit hall, his own youthful and inexperienced voice suddenly sounded again in his ears.
“Senior Brother sacrificed himself to save us!” The junior disciple beside him cried breathlessly, tears streaming down his cheeks. “He desperately delayed time just to save us!”
The young Gong Wei confidently responded to Ying Kai and Xu Shuangce’s question, “Human life and death in the world, like a mayfly from day to day, is a small matter. Why fret? Why weep?”
“I don’t have a Senior Brother anymore, I’ll never see Senior Brother Meng again, how could he just leave us like this!”
“—-Life and death are predetermined, honor and disgrace have their times, this is the natural way. What difference does it make if a mortal dies compared to the withering of flowers and leaves in spring and autumn?”
“Senior Brother, open your eyes and look at us again!” Several newly initiated young disciples laid beside the corpse, crying and screaming, “You promised to take us down the mountain next year, you promised to write couplets for us, how could you just leave like this? Come back, look at us–“
“What exactly are you afraid of?” Xu Shuangce’s voice asked amidst the lights.
Gong Wei suddenly closed his eyes, unable to avoid the answer that emerged from the depths of his heart, becoming clearer and clearer, causing a deafening roar in the void:
–I’m afraid of never seeing you again.
I’m afraid not of death itself, but of irreparable loss and endless despair.
A flower withers, a leaf wilts, and next year there will be more similar flowers blooming on green trees, but when a person is gone, they’re gone. Heaven treats all things as mere straw dogs, the universe regards all beings as ants; yet ants maintain unique emotions with each other, making them irreplaceable existences in this world.
So, if Xu Shuangce dies, there will never be another Xu Shuangce in the world. Just like my own peach blossom, when it withers, even if there are many identical peach blossoms next spring, none of them will be mine.
Unprecedented, intense grief suddenly rose from the depths of the soul, like a hurricane sweeping through every limb and bone.
Gong Wei opened his eyes and stared blankly at Meng Yunfei’s corpse, his gaze slowly passing over every sorrowful face. In a trance, he seemed to see Xu Shuangce lying in a pool of blood, never speaking softly to him or frowning gently; he seemed to see every weeping face around him as his own face, their sharp cries piercing the sky.
He murmured, “I understand.”
A young disciple beside him was already crying dumbly, kneeling there in tears. Upon hearing Gong Wei’s words, he instinctively asked, “What do you understand?”
Gong Wei said, “I know why Xu Bai used to be angry with me.”
“You…”
The junior disciple uttered a word in confusion, suddenly realizing that a vortex-like crimson was rapidly condensing in Gong Wei’s eyes, and then his right pupil became clear blood-red. Thousands of layers of gentle and beautiful crimson light emanated from him like a veil, floating in all directions, creating a scene that was unimaginable even in dreams.
Everyone stopped crying and looked around in shock. It was a rising from the dead protective formation!
Gong Wei seemed to be completely unaware of the magnificent scene beside him. He smiled at the horrified junior disciple, but his eyes were unfocused, as if looking into empty space, and he said happily, “In that case, let them return to this world!”
–As the last word was spoken, like an invisible gavel in the sky, a resounding conclusion was reached.
The howling wind at the boundary between heaven and earth returned, as if the laws of life and death in the world were reversing. With the souls that had not completely dissipated yet, piece by piece, they gathered and reshaped, and suddenly, golden light radiated from the center of the forehead, condensing into a complete golden core; then, the terrifying blood holes in Meng Yunfei’s abdomen were gently smoothed out by countless layers of crimson light, and the soul descended from mid-air and gently landed in his body.
Cough, cough–
Meng Yunfei’s upper body suddenly convulsed, and he coughed violently, spitting out a blood clot from his throat, followed by a severe fit of coughing!
“Senior Brother?” “Meng, Senior Brother Meng?!”
The disciples went madly to him. At this time, there were also cries of surprise from afar. The other disciples who had been killed by the ghost cultivator also choked out the cold blood that had solidified in their throats and came back to life amid the cheers and cries of the other disciples.
“Who… who are you?” The faces around were mixed with joy, suspicion, and fear. The junior disciple trembled and asked, “Who are you exactly?”
Gong Wei’s soul seemed to have been sucked away for a moment, completely unaware of what had just happened. He closed his eyes and opened them again, his right pupil suddenly blood-red, and then he happily stuffed the blood-stained tassel into Meng Yunfei’s hand.
“Sorry, I don’t like you, I only like Xu Bai.” He said with a smile, “I’m going to apologize to Xu Bai.”
At the moment when he touched the blood-red pupil, everyone’s consciousness blanked out for an instant.
But Gong Wei seemed oblivious. He waved his hand happily, leaving behind Meng Yunfei on the ground, and squeezed through the crowd that had no reaction at all, rushing towards Penglai Hall where the battle was still raging in the distance.
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