While Yichen sat on the grass under that tree, listening to stories about Li Lun and Zhu Yan competing in all sorts of things. Back in Japan, Yixuan sat once again in front of the stranger's distorted seal, hoping this time he wouldn't trigger another emotional breakdown. Honestly, whether the sealed man was a demon or not, his emotions were strong and real, just like any human faced with a name tied to so many memories that you can't escape the feelings that come with it.
Yixuan had certainly recognized the stranger's emotions with precision. He was confident in discerning the sadness, relief, pain, mourning, longing, friendship, anger, betrayal, and love all at once. Naturally, he assumed these emotions were directed towards Zhu Yan, given that was the name mentioned. However, after his brother informed him that Li Lun was a friend of Zhu Yan, and if the demon was indeed Li Lun, it opened up a whole new mystery he hadn't considered before.
Now he was curious to find out who those emotions really belonged to and why Zhu Yan's name was the trigger if they weren't meant for him. The more complex the stranger's unknown origin and story became, the more he wanted to dig for answers. But he wasn't curious enough to ask something that could hurt a demon and risk both Ruilin's and his own safety. So he'd just take it one step at a time and see where that led.
However, before anything else, and in an uncanny coincidence, he realized that, much like his brother, the most crucial step to re-establish a mental connection with the stranger was to offer a genuine apology. He recognized that using the wrong name was a mistake. Although he had believed it would be harmless to confirm some crucial information, he hadn't anticipated the impact that invoking a name could have on someone who had been sealed away for so long. For this oversight, he felt guilty.
"Are you certain it's alright to reach out to him again?" Ruilin asked, placing a set of powerful talismans that Yichen had crafted on the ground, ready for use if necessary. Yixuan smiled.
"Yes. Sincerity isn't a tool meant to cause harm. It's a way to convey intentions openly and truthfully. I unintentionally caused him a great deal of grief, so naturally, the right thing to do is acknowledge my mistake and seek to make amends," Yixuan explained.
"But will he give you that chance? What if he's too angry? What if he tries to harm you this time?" Ruilin cautioned.
"I still don't sense any hostility from the seal, but if things take a turn, you have what you need to protect us. I don't think he'll attack, though. Better yet, if I can confirm he's Li Lun, we might gain a broader understanding of what led two great demons who once collaborated with humans to be sealed away. Did they deserve that fate, or were they imprisoned because they could have prevented the catastrophe that left our world in its current state? These questions are vital to our survival, and their answers might alter our understanding of the past or even change our future."
"Xiao Xuan, you really have the mindset of an ancient scholar. You have the ability to see the bigger picture every time, and honestly, you're spot on. If these demons were sealed away because they posed a threat to humans, that's one scenario, and we are better letting them where they are. But if they were imprisoned because they could prevent the villains from breaking havoc into the world, that's an entirely different matter, and setting them free could be our only way out of this mess. They could turn out to be either our greatest foes or our strongest allies. You are indeed exceptional," Ruilin praised Xiao Xuan.
"Let me try to find out which of the two they are. Stay vigilant," Yixuan said as he closed his eyes, focusing on the stranger in hopes of being granted the opportunity to set things right.
He opened his mind to outside influences, hoping to invite the demon in. The seal rippled slightly, but there wasn't a strong reaction, leaving Yixuan feeling a touch of sadness that the stranger hadn't accepted his invitation. He sighed, opened his eyes, and stared at the seal. If he wasn't open to a mental conversation, maybe it was time to speak up.
"It's okay if you are not willing to connect with me again, but I know you're at least listening. I apologize for using someone else's name. I didn't realize it would cause you distress. Honestly, I don't know your real name, so I can only guess. I've never encountered a great demon before. However, there's someone who has. This person interacted with a demon and discovered that he had shared a past life with him. He claimed the demon's name is Zhu Yan. Since you seem to recognize me too, I figured you might be from Zhu Yan's era, so I tested it by calling you with his name. Now I know you really are from that time, and like him, you're sealed for reasons I don't understand. Would you like to share your story? I might not be able to free you from your prison, but I can listen to anything you want me to know, including if we've shared a past life together, Li Lun." Yixuan ventured the name out loud, this time trusting his instinct that he hadn't gotten it wrong.
Before long, he sensed the presence of the demon in his mind once more, carrying emotions that were now manageable. His earlier intense feelings had significantly diminished, with a touch of happiness emerging where it once was absent. This brought Yixuan a sense of relief, knowing that his past blunder hadn't left any lasting scars. Li Lun was willing to reconnect with him again.
"Was it Zhu Yan who revealed my identity to you, or was it your little brother?" Li Lun asked, his curiosity piqued. The question caught Yixuan off guard. Did he unintentionally give away his brother's existence? He had never spoken of having one and had been careful not to even think about him while hinting at someone else giving him insight.
"Why did you bring up a brother? I never said I had one," Yixuan replied without hesitation.
"The only constant aspect of the reincarnation system crafted by the gods is that a soul typically reincarnates alongside those they are deeply connected with in the next life. In the past, you and your brother were granted heavenly favor. Your entire family was chosen by Bing Yi to continue his lineage. Thus, after death, the two of you will always be reborn as siblings, maintaining the surname Bing Yi selected to preserve." Li Lun paused for a moment, giving Yixuan a few seconds to fully absorb his words.
"One reason reincarnation takes such a long time to complete, often spanning hundreds of years, is the intricate ties binding souls across lifetimes. Thus, it's natural for you to have a brother in each reicarnation too, who should still be named Yichen. Since Zhu Yan is tightly linked to Zhuo Yichen's fate throughout his life, their paths are destined to intersect eventually. Based on what you've shared, it seems they've already encountered each other," Li Lun explained. Noticing Yixuan's sudden distress, he continued.
"There is no need for you to worry. I share this information not to stir distrust in you, but to clarify intentions. Since Zhu Yan is still alive and kicking, even if sealed, and his meeting with your brother already happened, I have no crazy idea of harming him. For Zhu Yan, Zhuo Yichen is untouchable, regardless of the lifetime. Anyone threatening him will face Zhu Yan's ever-burning fire, which means instant obliteration. His past infatuation with Zhuo Yichen should remain unchanged forever."
"What do you mean by that?" Yixuan pressed, his voice sharp. "What kind of relationship did they have where their fates were tied together for an eternity?" This involved his brother's present and future, and he needed answers.
"That is something I cannot tell you." Li Lun's voice was heavy, worn. "Many things went wrong in our past. I cannot risk making another mistake that could lead to a disaster. Zhu Yan and I have already suffered enough. He lost the most precious part of his life and was powerless to stop it... and the same goes for me. But let me make something clear, the one who sent us both to a living hell must still be around, recovering from the thing he underestimated. I can't sense him here. This place doesn't have nearly enough darkness to sustain him."
"What do you mean? Can you elaborate?" Yixuan asked.
"Regretfully, no." Li Lun shook his head. "Even if my prison was made in haste while I was the most vulnerable, I have limitations while inside this seal. However, there is one thing I can feel from the environment surrounding me. Whatever changed the world, it didn't start here. You should go back to your brother and find out what went wrong. I can't tell you the details without risking this seal activating and leaving me in pain for weeks. There are certain words that can trigger it. But I can tell you this: freeing Zhu Yan is your best option. He already hates himself enough for not preventing it from happening, so he will move heaven and earth to make things right again."
"Then what about you?" Yixuan asked, puzzled. "Don't you deserve to be free as well?"
"You said so yourself." A bitter smile flickered across Li Lun's face, even if Yixuan couldn't see it. "Things don't work my way anymore with you present-day humans. I can try to earn your trust again, and I'm quite confident I could pull it off, but that will take time, a lot of time I don't think you have to spare on me. In my past, you died trying to save me. I would rather not repeat that tragedy a second time. Once was hard enough to live with. I'm glad that Zhu Yan at least got his second chance."
And Yixuan could tell Li Lun was telling him the truth. No hidden meanings, no twisting things to make him sympathize, no manipulation. He felt Li Lun's pain, his regrets, and his resolve not to repeat history—even if that meant Yixuan leaving him behind. So finally, he could answer the question that had nagged him ever since he realized he'd read Li Lun's emotions correctly but hadn't known who they were for. Now it was obvious: most of those emotions were directed at him—or rather, at his past self.
Since souls carry the essence of a person, Yixuan could picture what Li Lun had been to him in a previous life. He would give his life for anyone dear to him, family or friends, but he was quite sure he hadn't tried to save Li Lun out of duty. It was more likely to deep feelings, maybe even love—which matched the rush of emotion he'd felt from Li Lun after being named Zhu Yan. The name itself was important, yes, but the tragedy that gave it meaning was what had broken Li Lun. He'd opened a wound to the very moment Li Lun had frozen in time. And that had been... quite cruel.
Tears ran down Yixuan's cheeks. He could imagine living in such hell for centuries, reliving a moment he couldn't change, mourning a love that would never return—and if it ever did, it wouldn't be the one he'd lost. This was likely what Zhu Yan had experienced with his brother too, and why he'd helped Pei Siheng in the first place. If souls interconnected for one reason or another reincarnated in the same periods, then it was plausible that all of them had been together in the demons' past. So Zhu Yan would recognize Siheng at a glance and, through him, reach Yichen—the one he had a stronger tie with. It all clicked together perfectly, almost too much to grasp how hard fate will twist things to make them right.
Ruilin quickly rushed to Yixuan's side, ensuring he was alright and temporarily interrupting Yixuan's mental connection with Li Lun. Overwhelmed by his own emotions, Yixuan decided to give Li Lun a break, though their interactions were far from over. He wasn't going to let Li Lun endure endless suffering in isolation if he could help it. In the past, Yixuan had inadvertently caused him considerable pain.
Although they no longer had any kind of relationship, he couldn't turn a blind eye anymore. He'd protected Li Lun with his life, and most likely Li Lun himself had been sealed because of his death, letting things spiral into their current state. He was partially responsible for at least one thing: he'd made a great demon fall for him, and in a tragic event, everything changed for the worst.
"Li Lun... I'll set things right for you. Wait for me. I will find a way to set you free," Yixuan declared aloud, ensuring Li Lun could hear him as Ruilin helped him to his feet.
"What did you find out that's got you wanting to free him now?" Ruilin asked. He hadn't been part of their mental conversation, but he had observed Yixuan's expressions shifting as he stared at the seal. From relaxed to worried, surprised to determined, and finally a profound sadness that moved him to tears.
"Everything and nothing at the same time," Yixuan said. "This demon is definitely Li Lun, and he's connected to Zhu Yan, my brother's past life, and to our Zhuo family. But he's also connected to me in ways I never would've imagined, even in my wildest dreams." Yixuan wipped away a few more tears, and he took a deep breath to calm his emotions before continuing.
"Li Lun has fragments of the puzzle we're trying to solve, but all he can provide are clues for me to trace through Xiao Chen's connection to Zhu Yan. One thing is certain: we've been searching in the wrong direction. Call father here. What the teacher found back home won't be discovered here. The real answers will only emerge once Li Lun and Zhu Yan are freed from their seals. And before you ask why, listen. We suspected something was amiss, a hidden plot unfolding behind our backs, and we were right. There's something out there trying to complete what it started but couldn't finish, and freeing those demons is essential if we want to prevent the past from resurging and destroying us for good. Tell father to bring camping gear. We won't be leaving this mountain anytime soon." He took out his phone, intending to call not his father or his team in Japan, but rather his brother back in China.
On the astral plane, Yichen gazed at Zhu Yan in disbelief. He'd already picked up some seriously awkward stuff about Li Lun, things he could never, ever pass along to his brother. Through these stories, he gained a deeper insight into the dynamics of their competitive friendship that at times border on absurdity. It seemed to be their way of showing care for each other, not too differently from humans.
Zhu Yan subdued powerful demons with mere words, while Li Lun used vines to tie them up after a fierce battle. Yichen had personally seen Zhu Yan put the demon chasing his past self to sleep with just a word, so he knew that wasn't an exaggeration. However, this made Yichen wonder: despite being labeled demon hunters, his past incarnation didn't actually hunt demons but captured them instead.
"Zhu Yan, come on. I can't use those stories to confirm Li Lun's identity. I'm sure my brother will find a better way to figure it out himself. But honestly, hearing you talk about the two of you capturing demons makes me wonder why not just hunt them down? Was I really a demon hunter in the past?" Yichen asked, and Zhu Yan let out a deep sigh.
"There's a good reason we capture demons instead of killing them immediately. Of course, if a demon we were meant to capture killed a hunter or tried to harm humans who only wanted to subdue it, all of us would act to protect the humans, but that was quite rare. The reason for capturing them, sadly, is something I can't share. Initially, humans were demon hunters, but later became demon capturers. However, 'demon hunters' sounds a lot better than 'demon capturers', so they keep it. Being called that also makes the demons more conscious of their skills. You hunters trained hard to catch demons. It wasn't an easy task for any of you, even with our help." Zhu Yan explained, but seeing Yichen seemed a bit disappointed, he smiled and added.
"If you want a hint, I can tell you that in the past, the Kunlun Mountains were more than just mythical frozen peaks. Mountain gods were real, though even I don't know what happened to them after I was sealed." Yichen focused intently on that piece of information, realizing it held multiple clues he could use to unravel more aspects of the past mystery. To Zhu Yan, however, he appeared like an adorable puppy excitedly chewing on a juicy bone. Zhu Yan laughed.
"Hey, why are you laughing? I haven't even asked anything back yet." Yichen pouted, looking even cuter in the process.
"I can tell just by watching you. It's clear you're still a hunter, a clue hunter that is." Zhu Yan teased, and Yichen tossed the flower he'd been holding so carefully back to him, making Zhu Yan laugh harder.
"I give up, you're impossible." Yichen mumbled under his breath, but Zhu Yan caught every word.
"Don't get frustrated, Xiao Zhuo. I'm already giving you more than I should. I'm so close to being punished again... you really have no idea." Zhu Yan spoke more seriously, and Yichen's mood shifted instantly.
He moved closer, gently touching Zhu Yan's arm, as if checking if he was okay, or making sure he hadn't missed some sign of discomfort. It was reassuring to Zhu Yan in many ways. Even though Yichen had mentioned he might not reciprocate any feelings, he seemed more invested now than before that almost-kiss. At least that painful experience had paved the way for something more meaningful.
"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" he asked, but Zhu Yan simply offered the flower back to him.
"Don't worry about me. I've faced far worse things than a seal punishment. And for your sake, I'm willing to endure anything. Now you should go back to your body. I can already picture your guardian Yun Guang mocking you for dating me for so long..." Zhu Yan teased again, but Yichen didn't push him away, just smirked.
"It's like you already know him... he'll definitely tease me just as much as you do, but I won't fall for it. Also, please, Zhu Yan... don't suffer on my behalf. I don't want you hurt because of me. I'm actually pretty good at investigations, so I'll eventually crack the mystery you can't tell me about. Just wait and see..." Yichen almost promised, and Zhu Yan smiled again, admiring him for a few seconds more.
"Be careful, Xiao Zhuo... the past is far worse than you might imagine. Call your brother and make sure he's okay." Zhu Yan advised him, and Yichen nodded in agreement.
"I will... see you later, Zhu Yan." Then Zhu Yan gently touched Yichen's forehead, and he found himself back in his own body with a white flower grasped in his closed hand.
Surprised that he actually managed to return with the flower, he opened his hand, and the delicate fragrance immediately caught Yun Guang's attention. Yun Guang shot a quick glance at Yichen before returning his focus to the road as he continued driving.
"Xiao Chen, seriously. What were you doing on the astral plane to cheer up Zhu Yan? Did you find a garden there and bring back flowers for him? That's incredibly sweet, and I'm sure Zhu Yan loves it. But how did you manage to bring one back? You're becoming more talented with each passing day. I'm genuinely impressed." While Yun Guang complimented him, Yichen remained fixated on the flower, puzzled by the extent of what he could achieve on his own. It was undeniably unnatural, to the point where he began questioning why he possessed a power that no human should have alone.
"Come on, Yun Guang, stop bothering Xiao Zhuo Ge and let him breathe for a moment before he tells us how things go." Bai Jiu interjected, and Yichen snapped back to reality, his mind racing through the snippets of information he'd managed to gather.
"He brought back a flower, so it couldn't have gone too badly," Ying Lei remarked.
"Zhu Yan gave me this flower, but more importantly, Ying Lei, have you ever heard any stories about mountain gods at the temple?" The question caught Ying Lei off guard, and it took him a moment to respond.
"There are plenty of legends involving gods, not only on Kunlun, but across the whole country. However, since the Kunlun Mountains are where humans believe the gods were born, there are several legends of sacred places guarded by mountain gods so no human can disturb them. Reality, though, has dismissed most of those legends as folklore, and only a few places remain undisturbed, not because they're heavenly protected, but because they're too dangerous to access. Why do you ask?" Ying Lei questioned him back, curiosity piqued, while Bai Jiu and Yun Guang were equally interested in Yichen's answer.
"Well, it seems mountain gods did exist in the past and were somehow linked to humans capturing demons. If minor gods left behind writings, like the monks claimed, then those old scrolls are more significant than we thought. Did you manage to get those pictures I asked for?" Yichen turned to Ying Lei and Bai Jiu.
"They're still working on it. Those scrolls are in the deepest chambers where there's no electricity, and they have to use old lanterns to look for them among almost a hundred shelves. The fact that you found one when you were a kid could be considered a stroke of good luck." Ying Lei pointed out, but then his casual implication sank in, and they all knew it was far more than just luck.
"The coincidences are really piling up, huh?" Bai Jiu was deep in thought. But before Yichen could answer, his phone rang, and a big smile spread across Yichen's face, it was his brother's ringtone.
"Ge, I miss you..." And from the other side, Yixuan smiled as he watched Li Lun's seal gently pulsating as Ruilin conveyed the information he had received from him to his father. For the first time since arriving at Mount Takao, uncovering the seal and discovering who was inside seemed less like the conclusion of a mystery and more like the start of an even larger one.
AN: Alright, things are starting to click into place, and the mystery is giving more clues to pursue. I hope you like it, there is still a lot to uncover, so hang in there, guys. Thanks for reading, and until next time, please take care. 💖💖💖