Chapter 131: Atop Mount Taicang, Thousands of Kinds of Dust Settle

IN AN INSTANT, the heavenly officials’ expressions grew even more unreadable than Pei Ming’s.

A white-clad cultivator acknowledged the greeting. His bearing was calm, relaxed, and graceful.

It was Xie Lian.

Every member of the group greeted him, their words and expressions extremely careful, polite, and courteous.

“Your Royal Highness…”

“Your Highness.”

Xie Lian greeted everyone similarly politely and stepped forward with a gesture of welcome. “Lord Rain Master.”

The Rain Master had arrived before the makeshift conference hut. She held the Guardian Steed’s reins as she inclined her head to Xie Lian in greeting.

There were countless giant boxes of produce on the big black ox’s back; they were the purpose of the Rain Master’s visit. Apparently, these fruits and vegetables had the incredible effect of nurturing spiritual powers when consumed. When the heavenly officials were told of this, a group went over excitedly to divide up the bounty into shares.

Part of the crowd didn’t move, however, and Xie Lian was in their number.

“I’ve brought something else for Your Highness,” Lord Rain Master said.

Xie Lian smiled. “Ah, thank you in advance! What is it?”

The Rain Master reached into her sleeve and took out a small package wrapped with a band of white cloth. The moment she opened it, Xie Lian’s eyes brightened.

“Thank you so much, Lord Rain Master! I’ve been searching everywhere!”

Feng Xin came over to look. “Rare fantastic silk!” he commented. “This is great—now you can finally fix that thing of yours!”

Xie Lian rummaged around in his sleeve and fumbled out a torn white silk band. “Yes, finally, we’ve found material to fix Ruoye!” he said joyously. “I’ll go patch it up right now!”

But Feng Xin stopped him. “Patch it up? You?! Forget it; what can you patch? Ask someone else to help you.” Then he turned his head and shouted, “Mu Qing! Come and get to work!”

“What? What are you trying to say?” Mu Qing asked coolly as he dragged his feet over. “Are you telling me to stitch it up?”

“Isn’t that your area of expertise?” Feng Xin said.

Mu Qing humphed. “And isn’t using people yours? Treating me like a servant you can order around again; tomorrow you’ll probably tell me to sweep the floor.”

Xie Lian laughed. “Never mind, never mind. I’ll do it myself.”

But Mu Qing had already taken the strips of white silk from his hands and, with a roll of his eyes, went to search for a needle and thread.

After that, Pei Ming came over to greet them as well. He had a mind to give the black ox a pat, but the ox loudly chomped his teeth and almost broke Pei Ming’s fingers the second he tried. Seeing he wasn’t welcome, he left in a hurry.

“Has General Pei’s arm still not recovered?” Lord Rain Master inquired.

“Not yet,” Xie Lian replied. “When he made that agreement with Rong Guang to use the sword Mingguang, he had to pay with an arm on top of an apology. In the end, Rong Guang’s resentment had dispersed enough that he didn’t follow through with collecting the limb. It left General Pei some face, but he was still badly injured.”

“I see,” Rain Master said. “No wonder General Pei looked so off.”

That’s definitely not why he looks off, Xie Lian thought.

Pei Ming simply could not get over the fact that the Rain Master had saved him time and time again at both Mount Tonglu and in the great fires of the Heavenly Capital. He was taking it very hard. He was a big man, a strong man, and thought that he dominated the heavens and the earth, and he couldn’t bear to look even remotely bad in front of a woman—especially not a woman with whom he shared such a complex and difficult history. He could accept even Xuan Ji’s behavior more easily than that. In any case, he couldn’t let it go, and it bothered him most whenever he saw the Rain Master—that was why he looked off.

However, the Rain Master had no idea what all the fuss was about, so she always smiled at him politely in greeting. The two of them were on two completely different pages; it was inexplicably absurd.

“Oh, yes. Your Highness, how is Xuan Ji?” the Rain Master asked.

“Xuan Ji’s locked up at the foot of the mountain,” Xie Lian replied. “Do you want to go see her?”

***

After the great battle, all the nefarious creatures across the land that had escaped their seals were temporarily detained in an interim dungeon set up at the foot of Mount Taicang. Xie Lian led the way, but they heard rough voices cursing up a storm before they even came within sight of the dungeon.

Pei Xiu and Banyue sat at the dungeon’s entrance, both wearing blank expressions. There was a serious lack of people to help right now, so the two of them had been sent to assist the Upper Court by guarding the dungeon. Kemo was among those imprisoned within, and as they say, the eyes blaze especially red when enemies come face-to-face. He now spent his days lambasting them nonstop, hurling endless abuse. However, the two of them simply sat side by side like wooden dolls, pretending they couldn’t understand what he was saying.

When Xie Lian and the Rain Master approached, they rose to their feet to greet them. “Your Highness, Lord Rain Master.”

The Rain Master passed a box of produce to them, and Xie Lian said, “Thank you both for your hard work. Lord Rain Master wants to see Xuan Ji.”

Pei Xiu hesitated for a moment. “Xuan Ji…”

Xie Lian noticed his discomfort. “Is something the matter?”

The two entered the dungeon. When they arrived at the cell where Xuan Ji had been detained, they were both stunned. There was nothing there—all that remained was a ragged, torn red bridal robe.

“Xuan Ji dissipated last night,” Pei Xiu explained.

How incredible—Xuan Ji’s resentment had dispersed. Not long ago, the woman’s obsession had still been so deep that she had tried to choke Pei Ming to death and refused to let go.

“Perhaps she finally thought things through,” Xie Lian remarked.

Perhaps she thought through how she had become such a vindictive, despicable madwoman over the past centuries—so different from the person she once was, a heroic general and dignified lady of a prestigious house. Perhaps she thought through what she had lost and what she had gained. Then, gripped by shame and embarrassment, she probably didn’t have the face to think any further.

All this time, she had tried to change the heart of the man who had deserted her—tried to stir his feelings, tried to threaten his life. Now, finally, she realized the truth of the matter, and understood that there had never been a chance to turn things around. Not even from the very start.

To remain in this world, she’d relied on her vexation and her unyielding refusal to accept Pei Ming’s decision. The moment she thought things through, there was no longer any reason to stick around. It was all so meaningless when she finally thought about it.

The Rain Master sat down on the spot to perform a service for Xuan Ji’s passing. After all, Xuan Ji had been the only other person left from the fallen Kingdom of Yushi.

It would have been impolite of Xie Lian to disturb her, so he left her to it.

***

When he left, he saw that Pei Xiu and Banyue were snacking on the fruits the Rain Master had brought them. He went over to join them and took some fruit as well. He was going to crouch and eat with them when he suddenly sensed something. He whipped his head around to look.

Something had just shot through the tall bushes not far away.

He quickly tossed his fruit aside and shouted “Keep watch over here!” before dashing over.

The thing in the bushes realized it had been discovered and ran even faster. At first, Xie Lian could’ve caught up in eight steps, but it only took four for him to realize who he was chasing. Changing his mind, he slowed his pace and waited until they had fled for a while before he broke in from the side to block their path.

“Lady Jian Lan, do you plan on leaving without saying farewell?”

The other party was indeed Jian Lan. She’d been sneaking around with the fetus spirit cradled in her arms, and she jumped in surprise when Xie Lian appeared out of nowhere.

“You!”

The blanched fetus spirit she carried bared its teeth like it wanted to attack, but Jian Lan held it back.

“Are you here to stop me?”

Not wanting to alarm her, Xie Lian said, “Don’t be nervous; I just wanted to give you something.” He took out an item. “Your son Cuocuo’s grudge is rather strong, and it needs to be kept under control. Although purification is already underway, your cultivation isn’t as high as his—it’s hard to guarantee there won’t be accidents. You’ll need this to help.”

It was a protection charm that Xie Lian had made himself. To prove there were no tricks embedded, he even demonstrated how to use it. As Jian Lan watched, she did start to relax, for this thing truly was useful. After some hesitation, she took it.

“Thanks.”

“No need to thank me,” Xie Lian said. “All I ask is that when you use it, shout ‘Your Highness, please watch over me’ three times. That way, it will be counted under my palace’s name.”

“…”

Jian Lan took a few steps, then paused for a moment. In the end, she couldn’t restrain her curiosity and turned to ask, “You’re not stopping me? Why?”

Xie Lian had been waiting for her to look back, and instead of answering, he asked her a question of his own. “Lady Jian Lan, why must you go at all? Feng Xin said he would take care of you both, and he will keep his word.”

Although Jian Lan’s expression flickered, in the end, she only sighed. “I know he will. But forget it, it’s for the best. I don’t want to be with him anymore.”

Xie Lian was a little taken aback. “Do you…not love him at all anymore?”

Jian Lan sat on the roadside, probably tired from running. “This has nothing to do with love at this point. I don’t want to force him to tie himself to us.”

Xie Lian sat by her side and contemplated for a moment. “Feng Xin really loves you, without a doubt. He was so completely exhausted back then, but he refused to let you go.”

As if she’d just recalled something from a faraway past, Jian Lan laughed. “Since you mention it, I remember now. He was still a little stupid back in those days, working long hours to make enough money to buy me for an entire night. But he’d just bring over a stool and sit next to me; he did nothing but sit and chat with me the whole time. Everyone thought he was a joke—what a laugh!”

Xie Lian smiled. “You see, I told you he really loves you.”

However, Jian Lan withdrew her smile. “You say that, but it’s all so far in the past. Even if what we had back then was love, it doesn’t mean it’ll last today. I’m not interested in being a charity case and a nuisance.”

“Why would he consider either of you a nuisance?” Xie Lian asked. “Don’t you know the kind of person Feng Xin is?”

“Your Royal Highness, you don’t live the common life, so of course you’d think things are that simple. He wouldn’t consider us a nuisance right away, and he wouldn’t let it show on the surface. But all that’s subject to change as things drag out over time. If I’d wanted to find him, I would’ve done so a long time ago. It’s not like Temples of Nan Yang are hard to find; they were everywhere at one point. But I still didn’t want to.

“He ascended and became so impressive and glorious. But we’d already become ghosts, so what would have been the point in seeking him out? Wouldn’t carrying two ghosts around just cause trouble for a heavenly official?

“I dumped him at my most beautiful, all proud and dignified. I think that was for the best. That way, I’d always look like that in his memories, instead of like this—caked in heavy, gaudy makeup, with crow’s feet around my eyes.” She pinched at her own face. “If he really recognized us officially and had to look at this face every day, and Cuocuo like he is…he’d only get more and more exhausted the longer we dragged him down, and more and more annoyed. Eventually, we’d be nothing but a nuisance. So why turn my own story into a tragedy? Why bother?”

As she spoke, the fetus spirit slithered its wet tongue all over her face. Although it was disgusting, there was also something cute about it, in a mischievous way. But most people would probably just see it as disgusting and could never come to accept it.

Jian Lan petted her son’s bald head. “Anyway, Cuocuo is enough for me. Who didn’t make promises when they were young? Swearing on the mountains and the seas, talking of affection, of love, of forever. The longer I hang around in the world, the more I understand that ‘forever’ is impossible. It’s never going to be possible. No one can truly achieve it. Experiencing ‘everlasting love’ once was enough; I don’t believe in it anymore.

“Feng Xin is a good man. It’s just…it’s been too long,” she said helplessly. “Everything’s changed, so it’s best to let it go.”

Xie Lian listened silently, not speaking a word.

But in his heart, he said, No.

Deep down inside of him, a voice said, Forever does exist. There’s one person who can achieve it. I believe.

***

Jian Lan still took Cuocuo and left in the end.

Xie Lian saw the Rain Master off after she finished the deliverance service for Xuan Ji, then he returned to Mount Taicang. He’d meant to tell Feng Xin that Jian Lan had left, but he couldn’t find him. As he was searching for him in the rowdy crowd, he heard someone shout.

“Great timing, Tai Hua! Are you free? Come help us figure this out!”

They were still trying to find someone, anyone, to do the books, and Lang Qianqiu was desperate to get away. “Don’t bring that stack of papers here—I’ve got things to do!” he responded from afar. “Go find someone else!”

Xie Lian sighed, wondering if he should go over and take a crack at the books. Unexpectedly, he had only taken a few steps when he heard a voice from behind.

“Mas— Sta— Your Highness.”

Xie Lian turned his head to see Lang Qianqiu standing right behind him.

“Do you have a minute?”

“Of course,” Xie Lian replied.

Thus, he and Lang Qianqiu walked out of the giant hut, that sad excuse for a palace. As they went, Xie Lian asked, “How’s Guzi doing? Is he all right?”

Lang Qianqiu chuckled helplessly, sounding a little bitter. “I don’t know if I’d say he’s ‘all right.’ The kid asks me for his dad every day—it’s pretty sad. I could only…gather a few bits of the Green Ghost’s soul. I put them in a lamp, but now the kid shows up daily, hugging the thing and asking when the soul inside will grow bigger! I honestly…”

At the sight of his gloomy, dispirited face, Xie Lian could understand his feelings. Why did he have to do something like this for Qi Rong, who had murdered his entire family? Xie Lian unconsciously reached out to pat Lang Qianqiu’s shoulder, but he held back as he remembered what he himself had done in Yong’an.

“You’ve worked hard,” he said gently. “What did you want to speak with me about today?”

After some hesitation, Lang Qianqiu reached into his robes, took something out, and passed it to Xie Lian. “This.”

Xie Lian’s breath hitched as soon as he saw what it was: an exquisite, luminous, small, smooth, crimson-red coral pearl.

His voice trembled as he said, “This is…?!”

“This coral pearl was a secret treasure of the founding father of Yong’an,” Lang Qianqiu said.

Only when Xie Lian heard that did he realize this wasn’t the one tied at the end of Hua Cheng’s braid but the one he had once given to Lang Ying. It wasn’t Hua Cheng’s. Although Xie Lian felt a little disappointed, he still took the pearl.

“The founding father once said that the man who gave him this pearl was someone who had helped him,” Lang Qianqiu continued. “He was his savior, and a very good man.”

“…”

“But all the same, that man lost everything due to his actions,” Lang Qianqiu went on. “The founding father said he didn’t regret what he’d done; he’d had no choice. Still, when he thought about it after the fact, he still felt that he’d wronged the man.”

“And then…?” Xie Lian asked.

“And then,” Lang Qianqiu said, “I saw the bead at the end of Crimson Rain Sought Flower’s braid that day at the Heavenly Capital. The more I looked at it, the more I thought it resembled the one Father left me. I heard General Xuan Zhen and the others talking later and learned that those pearls were actually a pair, and that they belonged to you. So I came to ask—is this yours?”

Xie Lian paused for a long moment before nodding slowly. “It’s mine. It’s one of a pair that my parents gave me when I was young.”

Lang Qianqiu scratched his head. “Then…I’m giving it back to you.”

He still didn’t know how to address Xie Lian, and after he returned the pearl, he dawdled for a bit before leaving without a word. Xie Lian just stood there, clutching the red coral pearl tightly in the heart of his palm.

It had been over eight hundred years. After so many twists and turns, one half of the pair of crimson coral pearl earrings had returned to him. It belonged to him, but also to him.

The other pearl should’ve been there as well. They should’ve been able to complete the set.

Right then, Feng Xin’s loud, overjoyed voice came from the foot of the mountain. “Your Highness! Everyone! Come quick!”

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