With a clatter, the whip fell onto the ground and Wanluan lifelessly sat down. The current her looked particularly at loss. She had never expected Jiye to have died already. When a high levelled cultivator dies, there would be signs of it but Jiye had died silently so it goes to show that he had prepared a lot in advance.
Wanluan had always thought that she loved Qinghe the most. Qinghe had done nothing wrong in his life but the only thing he had done wrong was loving the wrong person and even lost his life as a result. But looking at it now, it seemed that he hadn't loved the wrong person. If that was the case, what had she been doing this whole time?
"The rumours that year," Wanluan suddenly spoke up with a hoarse voice that sounded like she suddenly had aged several decades, "was from me."
She had suddenly spoken without context, so no one understood what she meant. Jiye Zhenren continued to look down at her, his expression unchanged.
Wanluan raised her head, "I told the others that you agreed to be his Dao companion just to suppress his inner demons. I was jealous of you and I also blamed Qinghe, so when the elders came to ask me if it was true, I said that, yes, it was."
With Wanluan's affirmation, those elders made up their minds to get rid of Qinghe. Although Jiye didn't have that much power at that time, he was still the sect leader. If he really did like Qinghe, those people would not have been so heartless and would've thought things through more carefully.
But everything had already happened.
Rumours would always exist, and jealousy was something everyone would feel, prompting them to do some bad things such as coercion, such as spreading rumours, such as bullying. All those things ordinary people would do, cultivators also would do. While it would be nothing more than petty arguments among ordinary people, it had set off a large bloodshed in the cultivation realm.
Wanluan didn't have any malicious intentions. She didn't want to kill Qinghe, let alone separate him from Jiye. She didn't even think of doing something like that but just those few words of hers resulted in such a tragedy. At first, Wanluan didn't know how Qinghe ended up going mad. She was heartbroken and sad but had to protect her sect. It was only after Qinghe died and Zhao Tian sect cleared their reputation that she found out the source of the tragedy.
It was those words she had said.
It was something she said.
After that, Wanluan went crazy. She desperately searched for a way to resurrect Qinghe. Perhaps part of the reason was because she liked Qinghe but the main reason was because she felt too guilty.
Wanluan never told anyone about this and she didn't intend to tell anyone, but when she saw Jiye today, she finally told the secret she had kept hidden all this time. She looked up at Jiye, her red eyes slowly returning to normal. She was waiting for Jiye's response.
She wanted Jiye to hate her, she wanted Jiye to want to kill her. She didn't know what she wanted but she felt that if Jiye could expression some hatred or anger, she would be able to feel a little better.
Jiye however never gave her this opportunity. She was destined to die without a peace of mind.
"I know."
Those simple words completed shattered Wanluan's last hope.
Chi Zhao couldn't explain what he was feeling right now. Even he as an outsider could hardly stand seeing this but the victim, Jiye, still managed to retain his reason. He had also said just now that he knew?
Wanluan was stunned for a moment. Her expression again became twisted, "Then why didn't you kill me? Why didn't you take revenge?
"Because…..I am a Yang spiritual root."
It was another line that was spoken without context, but strangely enough, everyone present understood what he meant.
Because he was a Yang spiritual root, he would not develop inner demons so he would treat everyone rationally and calmly. It was true that Wanluan had done something wrong but in the end, it wasn't Wanluan who had cause those tragedies, it was him and Qinghe.
He hadn't given Qinghe enough security and Qinghe hadn't given him enough trust. Even if Wanluan didn't do anything, there would be someone else. As long as Qinghe heard those kinds of remarks, he would become suspicious and more uneasy. Those elders may be able to tolerate him for a while, but they wouldn't be able to tolerate him for a lifetime. Once those contradictions accumulate, it would be exposed sooner or later. It was just a matter of time.
"Hahahahahahahaha..."
After a short period of daze, a sad and sorrowful laughter resonated through the cave, scratching at the eardrums of the people present. Wanluan laughed at a terrifying volume but no one felt that she was scary and just thought that she was too pitiful.
Six hundred years of self-torture had turned her appearance into something that no longer looked like a human or a ghost. She was wrong, but could all the mistakes be attributed to her? Of course not.
Wanluan ran out crazily. Mengyi endured the pain and hurriedly chased after her. Huang Ling'er glanced at Jiye with a complicated expression and then moved to rescue the cultivators hanging from above. Jiye just stood in place in silence and then walked out.
Lin Changfeng had been staring at Jiye Zhenren in daze the entire time. Seeing him leave, he also followed. Chi Zhao and Han Yu looked at each other. No one had expected the situation to have developed in this direction. Chi Zhao hesitated for a moment and then decided to also chase after him, but he didn't get too close and just stood in the distance, giving enough space for the master and disciple.
Please read this from kk translates
With this incident lasting a whole night, the sun was already rising outside. Outside the cave was a large mountain range. Jiye stood under a pine tree, looking at the red horizon in the distance.
"Master."
Lin Changfeng's throat tightened. He had never expected that his master would have long left this world. To him, Jiye Zhenren was like a father, He had always disliked Jiye Zhenren because Jiye Zhenren had been too cold and indifferent to Qinghe but now he realised that his master had also loved Qinghe and was only not very good with his words, so no one knew.
Jiye turned around and stood in the sun. His figure was also quite translucent. He had used too much spiritual power this time and even a clone composed of his divine senses couldn't sustain it.
Lin Changfeng could now handle matters on his own and the sect was also back on the right tracks. Even the cultivation realm was peaceful. There was no longer anything tying him down.
Jiye Zhenren smiled, "You and I have never been the same."
Lin Changfeng was startled. He then nodded slightly, "Disciple knows."
Jiye Zhenren looked in the distance at the slightly unfamiliar figure, "He and Qinghe are also different."
Lin Changfeng turned and looked at Chi Zhao standing hesitantly in the distance, not daring to come closer. He pursed his lips, "He loves me, and believes in me."
Jiye Zhenren curled up his lips in agreement, "yes."
Chi Zhao couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he could see the situation from his end. There wasn't much divine senses left and Jiye Zhenren had always maintained his clone appearance using that. Watching from the distance, he saw Jiye Zhenren's figure slowly fade until it was completely gone. Chi Zhao felt his heart ache a little inside.
He didn't have any feelings for Jiye Zhenren. The reason he felt sad was because of Lin Changfeng. Approaching him silently, Chi Zhao had yet stretched out his hand when Lin Changfeng suddenly turned around.
The two looked at each other. Chi Zhao opened his mouth to say some comforting words, but words of comfort were useless. No matter what he said, it wasn't going to help. Chi Zhao silently closed his mouth and stretched out his arms to hug Lin Changfeng tightly.
With the warm body embracing him, Lin Changfeng's eyelashes trembled slightly. A second later, he lowered his head slightly, slowly closed his eyes and pressed his lips on Chi Zhao's forehead as he firmly hugged him back. No one said anything. There were in fact still many things that have not been dealt with and the mess in the cave couldn't all be left for Huang Ling'er alone, but Lin Changfeng didn't want to move.
At this moment, he didn't want to care about anything else. He just wanted to embrace his loved one tightly.
In the end, it was Chi Zhao who raised his head, interrupting the long silence.
"Why did you make a life and death contract with me? Do you....also want to die with me?"
Jiye Zhenren and Qinghe Zhenren had died together. When Chi Zhao asked this, his heart throbbed with pain. He didn't want to leave Lin Changfeng here alone, but he also didn't want him to voluntarily give up his long life. Very often, Chi Zhao would forget that Lin Changfeng was just an identity and that the real him still had his own life outside of this world.
Looking down at Chi Zhao, Lin Changfeng slowly shook his head, "I want to live with you."
"If there is no other way, then we can die together."
Chi Zhao was stunned for a while. Suddenly, he laughed, "Alright then."
When they live, they will live together and if one of them were to die, they will die together. In their last few days, no one would be left behind and no one would have to go through the pain of parting. If it was like this, it didn't seem too bad.
The news that Jiye Zhenren had already passed away finally spread and the secret that had been buried for six hundred years was finally made public. People were shocked, puzzled and even more of them sighed.
Wanluan was detained by the Liyang Palace and another sect leader was re-elected. The new sect leader was busy saving Liyang Palace's reputation and showed no mercy to Wanluan. Fearing that Wanluan would escape, she sent twelve guards to guard her day and night but, in fact, she didn't need to do this. Even if there were no guards around, Wanluan wouldn't leave.
People originally thought that Zhao Tian sect would be greatly affected without Jiye Zhenren around but in fact, it was the same as it was in the past and there was no change at all. When Lin Changfeng took over the position as sect leader, no one in the sect had any objections.
Life was still the same. During the long cultivating period, everyone would inevitably run into some major events which may leave them confused. Time was however the best medicine for forgetting. As the old saying goes, there is nothing that time cannot overcome.
The story of Jiye and Qinghe was too tragic, but it allowed Chi Zhao to understand some things. The grievances that once lingered in his heart disappeared. He no longer thought about the fifty-year time limit and instead faced each day seriously.
Fifty years passed very quickly. When the final day came, Chi Zhao had already mentally prepared himself and they were meditating in front of each other. He suddenly opened his eyes and placed his hands on Lin Changfeng's knees.
Feeling the touch, Lin Changfeng opened his eyes. Before he could ask, he saw Chi Zhao lean closer and kiss him on the lips with a smile hanging from his lips.
"I love you very much, do you know that?"
Lin Changfeng blinked slowly and then gently nodded.
"Then do you love me?"
Couples would always ask immature questions like this. You didn't actually have to ask if they loved you but sometimes you just want that affirmation. Although it was immature, Lin Changfeng answered without any annoyance, "Yeah."
He closed his eyes and leaned forward a little, pressing one hand on the back of Chi Zhao's neck and the other holding his waist. Their lips and teeth intertwined. Chi Zhao had his eyes open the entire time. He looked at the man in front of him, and all the mental preparations he had done earlier crumbled in an instant.
In fact, he was much luckier than others. No one else had the chance to spend so much time with their lover.
He really had nothing he could complain about.
But…..
He really wanted to know his name.
He really wanted to know what he looked like.
He really wanted to know if he would still look at him with such gentle eyes when he sees his true self.
Chi Zhao felt that he would soon start crying. Suddenly, his five senses were pulled away and his vision turned dark. Chi Zhao subconsciously blinked a few times and when he opened his eyes again, he found that he was in the familiar system space.
Please read this from kk translates
[Fifty years are up. Host, you should go home.]
Chi Zhao was still in a stunned state. After a while, he forced a smile, "I thought I would be given a notice. Didn't expect it to be so sudden."
The system didn't answer him. Chi Zhao took a deep breath and then revealed a sincere smile, "Goodbye system. I will miss you."
The system still didn't speak. Chi Zhao's left wrist suddenly felt numb. He subconsciously looked over but couldn't see anything. At this moment, the system finally gave him an explanation.
[Farewell gift. You will know what it is in the future.]
[Goodbye, host.]
Chi Zhao still wanted to say something but there was suddenly a strong force sucking him in. He couldn't open his eyes. When he was finally able to open it again, a white scene filled his vision.
After staring at the ceiling blankly for a while, he wanted to sit up, but found that his entire body was like it was nailed to the bed and extremely stiff. There was a strange noise at the door. Chi Zhao looked over and saw an unfamiliar woman standing there. The other party looked to be in her fifties and was wearing clothes that looked like a uniform. She even held a rag in her hands.
That woman stared at him wide-eyed. Before Chi Zhao could open his mouth, he saw that woman turn around and run out.
"306! Patient 306 is awake! Hurry!"
Who's patient 306? Me?
Chi Zhao stared blankly in the direction where the cleaning lady had ran off. His mind was a complete mess. He wasn't at school. How did he suddenly appear here? Oh yes, the school lost power and he went out to buy some things but on the way there, he seemed to have….seemed to have been hit by a car?
Just as Chi Zhao struggled to remember, in another place where the sun is scorching, an old man who had finished sorting out his vegetable field walked out while wiping his face with the towel around his neck. While he was resting, the pile of garbage next to him moved.
This was a pile of crops to be disposed of and it basically consisted of wheat stalks and weeds. It was something that would be burnt later tonight. The old man narrowed his eyes and a moment later, a man with shaggy hair crawled out.
Finally seeing daylight again, the man didn't expect to find himself on a farmland. Such an ancient place was something he had never seen with his own eyes and he had only read about it in books. He patted off the weeds on his body and took in his surroundings.
He didn't know whether he succeeded or not. That trash company had only been involved with transferring souls and had never transferred a living person before. Before he left, the other party had vowed that they had located Chi Zhao and the error margin was no more than one light second.
There are both large and small planets and one light second was equivalent to 300,000 kilometres. If the planet Chi Zhao was on was very small, then he might have been sent to another planet entirely.
But just looking around was futile, it was better to ask where this place was.
And so, he approached the only other human around him. After some thought, he asked in Chi Zhao's language, "Excuse me, do you know what place this is?"
The old man had been watching him just now. The more he looked at him, the more he felt that this person wasn't a good person.
"Hah? Asking for directions? Don't ask me, I don't know anything. If you need something, you can go find the village chief!"
Man: "...…."
Well, at least the language worked. This planet should be the right one.