Chapter 106 – Extra 1
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During the heavy snowfall in late autumn, Venerable Wuwang returned to Shanshui Sect.
Everyone in Shanshui Sect, from top to bottom, eagerly awaited the return of their Grandmaster. There was some curiosity among them about the purpose of Grandmaster’s recent journey. Venerable Wuwang had been away for several months, and it seemed that he spent the entire time hunting demons, judging by the black, dense, and demonic jade beads he handed over to the sect leader for refinement.
Throughout the world, only their Grandmaster could capture so many demons and refine them into jade beads emitting demonic aura, making the cultivators appear as dark as thick fluid.
The disciples of Shanshui Sect were all proud. When the sect leader started refining the jade beads, all available disciples gathered around. At the peak of the noon sunlight, they recited scriptures to assist the sect leader in quicker demon refinement.
With a fierce and sinister scream from within the jade bead, the dense demonic aura dissipated completely. The sect leader, with a serious expression, waved away the crowd and sighed. Then, he led the disciples back to the peak.
On his peak, the sect leader’s junior brother, Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master, was sitting in meditation inside a cave. When the sect leader returned, Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master, with his unmoving eyes, glanced at him and asked, “Master is back?”
The sect leader sat down and nodded. “Master closed the door after returning. His cultivation has already recovered to the early stages of tribulation crossing. Perhaps in another hundred years, he will undergo tribulation and ascend again.”
Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master sighed. In his heart, he knew that once the Dao Heart of his master was destroyed, if he truly attempted to ascend… it was likely that he would fall at this point.
Hearing his sigh, the sect leader couldn’t help but scold him, “Ling Qing, you’ve been unable to concentrate on cultivation for the past few days. What are you thinking?”
Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master remained silent for a while and suddenly said, “Senior Brother, is the prominent disciple in your sect someone you personally raised?”
The sect leader stroked his beard, revealing an expression of love and pride. “Yunhui is truly raised by me. When he was still not yet in the foundation establishment stage, he really made it difficult for me. This kid is really tough, daring to do anything. I remember one time when I threw away the candy gourd he had left over. After waking up, he tried to secretly burn my beard. Such a rebellious child.”
Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master seemed to be lost in memories, and a smile appeared. “When I first brought Yunshu up the mountain, he was extremely mischievous. But in front of me, he was obedient, always smiling. Everyone on Wuzhi Peak liked him.”
The sect leader understood, “Ling Qing, are you thinking about Yunshu?”
Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master revealed a bitter smile, and the meaning of this smile was incomprehensible to the sect leader, but it felt extremely heavy. Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master stood up, walked to the entrance of the cave, and a few snowflakes falling in the wind landed on him.
When it covered his hair, it looked as if a layer of white had covered it.
Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master, with outstanding talent, embarked on the path of cultivation at a very young age. His appearance remained fixed in its prime, only his eyes showed immense age. Now, his back was slightly hunched, and in an instant, he seemed to have aged several decades.
“Senior Brother, you don’t understand,” Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master’s eyes were as cold as frost, and the profound coldness and irony stabbed at the heart, “Considering myself as an awakened person in the mortal realm, everything I did was justifiable and upright. But in the end, I am the one who made a big joke.”
Because of the obsession to assist the Grandmaster’s successful ascension, he completely abandoned the teacher-disciple relationship with his disciples.
“My disciple probably hates me to the extreme.”
As the snowflakes fell larger, the sect leader walked to Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master’s side, unable to resist the question, “Ling Qing, what’s going on?”
Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master’s voice seemed to come from afar. “I scolded Yunshu as a scheming wolf. I accused him of excessive private desires and disregarding the bonds of family. This child, who trusted me so much, had his proud spirit shattered by me.”
Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master recalled the expression on Yunshu’s face when he scolded him in the illusion. He wavered for a moment, closed his eyes heavily, and sank into silence.
More than twenty years had passed, and there were a few cracks on the jade cup. His indifference towards Yunshu was no different from that jade cup?
The treasures he gave were Yunshu’s repayment for what he called a “scheming wolf.”
Yunshu never forgot, but he treated him with indifference.
Cause and effect, retribution.
***
A young boy who delivered wine to Wuzhi Peak had a face full of sweat. He shouted loudly when he reached the courtyard entrance, “Senior Brother, the wine is placed here.”
There was no sound inside the door. The boy, who was not surprised, got up. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then he left.
It was strange. Since several senior brothers inexplicably slept for three months on Wuzhi Peak, they became crazy and noisy, insisting on going to find Yunshu, who had already left the sect. After Ling Qing Daoist Spiritual Master confined them to Yunshu’s courtyard, these senior brothers became quiet. They spent their days drinking and drowning their sorrows and no longer insisted on going to find Yunshu.
Even though the courtyard gate was open, the senior brothers also showed no intention of stepping out.
This strange scene was indeed peculiar in the eyes of others. But Yunman knew that they could only stay here to calm down.
Naturally, not appearing in front of Yunshu, their junior brother, was a way of atonement. When the first and second senior brothers, who had just awakened from the illusion, wanted to rush out to find Pei Yunshu, Yunman stopped them. He just said with red eyes, “Do you want to repeat what happened in the illusion?”
The first and second senior brothers quieted down.
Next, the Grandmaster and the Master confined them inside the door.
The first and second senior brothers’ obsession with Pei Yunshu had penetrated into their bones. They spent hundreds of years in the illusion, where there was no Pei Yunshu, only endless remorse and hatred. The long time became a kind of torment, and the illusion became another kind of cage with a different meaning. The long and oppressive period was enough to drive anyone crazy.
It had only been more than twenty years, and Yunman couldn’t bear it. He begged Master to take him out of the illusion.
When he returned to reality, Yunman sat still for more than a month.
The first and second senior brothers had been trapped in the secret realm for hundreds of years. Compared to the two senior brothers, Yunman was already very lucky. He finally understood why Pei Yunshu, his junior brother, had behaved in various ways.
The junior brother wanted to leave them because of the mistakes they made. The words “regret” could torment a person to death.
Yunman stepped out of the courtyard, bringing back the wine and water that the little servant had delivered. Standing by the door, he gazed at the distant continuous peaks, involuntarily thinking about how Junior Brother Yun Shu had managed to get through those days.
He can go out, but Junior Brother Yun Shu can’t even leave a small house.
Yunman pondered for a long time, shook his head with a bitter smile, and walked back to the courtyard with heavy steps.
***
“The news of Pei Yunshu’s marriage” spread from the Yuanling Sect and quickly spread to Shanshui Sect.
The fellow disciples who knew Pei Yunshu were naturally very curious. Those who didn’t know merely brushed it off. However, when this news reached Wuzhi Peak, the heavily intoxicated eldest senior brother and second senior brother were silent for a long time. They abandoned their wine bottles and found Venerable Wuwang.
After begging for a long time outside Venerable Wuwang’s closed-door cave, they were finally allowed in.
The voice, hoarse from years of soaking in alcohol, Eldest Senior Brother looked directly at the Grandmaster, “Grandmaster, Junior Brother Yunshu is marrying.”
His lips were dry, his face weary, lacking the former vigor, “Grandmaster, we don’t know where junior brother is now, just… just want to see what he looks like now.”
The second senior brother remained silent, but when he heard these words, his dark and lifeless eyes turned to Venerable Wuwang.
Venerable Wuwang didn’t open his eyes, and his posture remained unchanged. He just waved his sleeve, and a water mirror floated in the air.
It was an image shown to Venerable Wuwang by demons on the day of Pei Yunshu’s marriage.
With a joyous smile, Pei Yunshu wore a red robe, looking like he was about to burst into laughter. His face was flushed, and his features were vivid.
It was a very happy appearance.
The second senior brother’s eyes circled around, staring fixedly at the reflection of Pei Yunshu in the water mirror.
This was his junior brother who had not yet died. The gentleness that hadn’t appeared for a long time appeared between the second senior brother’s brows and eyes. Suddenly, ripples appeared in his eyes, watching the smile on Pei Yunshu’s lips.
This smile was a real existence. Hundreds of years later, he could still see the joyful appearance of his junior brother.
The second senior brother lowered his eyes, feeling a sourness in his heart. He paused for a moment, took out a piece of snake-skin gauze from his storage bag, and neatly placed it in front of the Grandmaster, “This is also something of Junior Brother Yunshu.”
After placing this piece of clothing, the second senior brother took one last look at the water mirror. His eyes were full of the joyful appearance of Pei Yunshu. From Pei Yunshu’s eyes to his fingertips, he finally turned around and silently left.
Yuncheng, the pride of the heavens, had harmed a person for a lifetime. In the infinite reminiscing, he didn’t dare to approach anymore.
Fortunately, in this life, Junior Brother Yunshu had profound cultivation. If Junior Brother Yunshu couldn’t resist him, would he force his junior brother with his cultivation?
Certainly, he would.
Outside the cave, thick snow had accumulated on the ground.
Breathing in the cold air made people clear-headed.
Yuncheng looked at the dim sky. Eldest Senior Brother walked slowly to his side and stood still.
The two remained silent for a while. Eldest Senior Brother suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice, “I really want to kill you.”
Yuncheng laughed heartily, “Then come and kill me.”
Eldest Senior Brother fell silent for a moment and sighed, “I want to kill you like this, but Junior Brother Yunshu has no intention of killing you.”
Yuncheng’s smiling mouth suddenly stiffened. He flattened his smile, walked away without saying a word.
“Things that can’t be obtained, I’d rather destroy them than give them to others,” Eldest Senior Brother muttered to himself, “But no one is willing to destroy him again.”
“Junior brother, our entire sect has caused you so much harm.”
Leave and don’t come back.
Don’t give us crazy people a chance to hurt you again.
***
The winter snow fell for a full five days, until it covered everything in a silver coat, and then it stopped, as if still unsatisfied.
The room was warm, and Pei Yunshu laid back on the recliner, taking a nap. The little dragon cub lay on his waist, sleeping soundly with drool flowing.
The firelight reflected on them. When the door creaked, Zhuyou blocked the wind and rain outside, warmed his hands by the stove, bent down to pick up the little dragon and Yunshu, and placed them on the warm bed.
Covering them with a blanket, regardless of whether the little dragon on Yunshu’s waist would feel stuffy or not, Zhuyou paused in his actions. His expression showed no ripples as he looked back over his shoulder.
He stepped outside, out of the illusion and formation, and saw a piece of snake-skin gauze hanging on a branch outside the Chunxiao Valley, covered in fluttering snow.
Zhuyou raised his hand to pick up the gauze, and there was a piece of paper in the gauze. He picked up the note and unfolded it. The sharp penmanship on it wrote four words: Take care of him.
Zhuyou sneered, burning the note and gauze together. His eyes showed disdain.
Pei Yunshu could have as many gauzes as he wanted. This one was nothing special.
Does he need them to tell him to take care of him?
Just a group of failures.
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