He and It Chapter 215: Inquire Here (43)

Chapter 215: Inquire Here (43)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

This time they successfully entered the mountain gate of Luo Xian Temple.

From the outside, the temple appeared ethereal, with an air of transcendence and perfectly fit the world’s impression of a “heavenly retreat.” However, once they stepped inside, the light and shadows around them suddenly became sticky and oppressive. Liu Fuguang looked around and felt that everything, whether the scenery or the people, seemed to be covered with a greasy sheen. The air was thick with a heavy, oily smell, that made him feel as if he had fallen into a mire. He was both physically and mentally uncomfortable.

While he was still pondering, Yan Huan was already unbearably agitated. A deep growl rumbled in his throat, and his dark tendrils rippled like waves under his skin. He glared at Liu Fuguang. His dragon horns itched. He desperately wanted to rub himself all over his lover, and use his own aura to violently repel that clinging, greasy scent.

“What is this smell?” Liu Fuguang asked.

Yan Huan was silent for a moment before he reluctantly responded in a low voice, “…Lust. This is the scent of lust.”

How could he allow his lover to be tainted with the smell of desires that didn’t belong to him? The dragon’s nine eyes whirled as he searched within the illusion for the one responsible. For daring to covet what was his, he intended to skin them alive, and let them choke on their own innards!

However, when Liu Fuguang heard that, he immediately began searching for Jin Cuixu’s whereabouts. According to Yan Huan’s words, if she had returned to Luo Xian Temple, wouldn’t that be like returning to a dragon’s lair?

As he thought it, a few glowing arrows suddenly appeared on the ground, wound along the path and pointed deep into the buildings as if they were guiding them.

“Let’s go.” Liu Fuguang tugged at the restless Yan Huan. “Let’s check it out.”

They followed the arrows and advanced. Along the way, they encountered many priests and servants, all of whom had blurred faces like faded puppets, which made them appear quite terrifying. The puppets ignored them, so Liu Fuguang and Yan Huan treated them like air as they marched straight in the direction of the arrows.

Finally, they stopped outside the main hall and heard voices from within.

“…Yingchan, you’ve done very well, very well. Among all the disciples of our sect, who can match your fame and achievements? Alas, our Luo Xian Temple can no longer hold you!” A powerful male voice sighed. “I think we should stick to what we discussed before. The Biyun Palace in the North Sea holds you in high regard, and they are a prestigious sect…”

“Yingchan” must have been Jin Cuixu’s Taoist name because in the next moment, Liu Fuguang heard her panicked, youthful voice, “Uncle Zhenyang! Leader! You flatter me too much! Though the temple did not give birth to me, it has undoubtedly raised me. How could Yingchan be so ungrateful as to abandon the temple?”

The uncle let out a few hollow laughs, his laughter tinged with desolation. “Yingchan, your sincerity touches me, but how can I not think about your future? Your granduncle has been in closed-door training for many years. You are not an outsider, so I will speak bluntly…Your master passed away early, and my cultivation base is lacking. Now that your granduncle’s fate is unknown, who else in Luo Xian Temple can take on great responsibilities? You must plan ahead. I am thinking of your best interests…”

Jin Cuixu stomped her foot, almost in tears. “Uncle Zhenyang, please don’t say that. Luo Xian Temple is my home! Are you trying to drive me out?”

“As cultivators, we are meant to sever earthly ties and make the world our home,” Zhenyang’s tone suddenly turned stern. “Yingchan, stop acting like a child!”

Jin Cuixu cried out, “I am acting like a child! I would rather die than leave this place, so please stop talking about it!”

They continued to argue, but Liu Fuguang had already lost interest. Yan Huan was even more blunt as he muttered irritably, “Nonsense!”

It truly was nonsense.

Zhenyang’s repeated phrases of “I’m doing this for you” and “Our temple isn’t worthy of you” appeared well-meaning, but in reality, he was retreating to advance. He relentlessly pressured Jin Cuixu to prove her loyalty and love for Luo Xian Temple until she swore an oath, and vowed never to leave, even if it meant her death.

…What a despicable uncle.

Liu Fuguang stepped into the main hall and approached Jin Cuixu.

Although he knew Jin Cuixu’s true gender, out of respect and propriety, he had never pried into her true appearance. Now, standing beside her, he couldn’t help but be surprised.

—The simple Taoist robe and jade hairpin only accentuated her exquisite beauty. Her lips were even redder, her eyebrows and hair darker. Her moth-like brows needed no dye to be graceful and vivid, and her cheeks, without rouge, already glowed like lamb-fat jade.

She truly was a girl with the essence of flowers and the soul of the moon. Any extra adornment would pale in comparison and lose its luster before her.

At that moment, Zhenyang seemed deeply moved. He strode down from his seat and grasped Jin Cuixu’s hand.

“Good,” Zhenyang said tearfully. “With Yingchan’s words, I can die in peace!”

As he spoke, his fingers pressed intimately against the back of Jin Cuixu’s hand.

Liu Fuguang looked at his face, and his heart immediately sank.

Behind Zhenyang’s glistening tears was a gaze filled with desire, and a hunger laced with greed and calculation.

The man seemed possessed. He wanted to both control and destroy the exceptional talent and beauty before him.

Time suddenly froze.

Everything around them stopped, except for Jin Cuixu, who was still able to move. She was startled and looked around in panic, but her hand was tightly held by Zhenyang, so she was unable to break free.

At the same time, she noticed Liu Fuguang and Yan Huan.

“Who…Who are you?! How dare you trespass here!” she shouted.

Liu Fuguang frowned and said, “Don’t you recognize us? We are…”

His words trailed off as Yan Huan extended a finger and lightly wrote two words in his palm.

“Internal demons.”

Was this an illusion created by internal demons?

Liu Fuguang felt a vague sense of something forming in his mind, as if he had grasped a thread of a solution. He stepped forward, firmly pressing a hand on the young girl’s left shoulder, and said in a deep voice, “Tell your martial uncle: first, that you are now an independent cultivator, capable of making your own decisions, and you don’t need him to overstep his bounds. Second, men and women have different ranks. He shouldn’t be holding your hand so tightly.”

Yan Huan’s other hand lightly rested on the young girl’s right shoulder as well. “Kill him.” He whispered like a snake, “Your talent and potential surpass this hypocrite before you. You consider this place your home, but he won’t let you stay. No matter how sweet his words may sound, isn’t he just trying to drive you away? Kill him and take this temple for yourself. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Jin Cuixu looked around, startled and asked, “Are you two my internal demons? I…” She hesitated and said, “Other people’s internal demons look like themselves, so why are mine two men?”

Yan Huan smiled faintly. “The path of immortality is long. On this road, aside from your cultivation base, everything else – birth, gender, status, beauty or ugliness – is empty. What don’t you understand?”

Jin Cuixu said, “What you say makes sense…Ah, no! My martial uncle has been incredibly kind to me, and my sect has treated me well. How could I, how could I betray them?”

“If you won’t listen to him, you should at least listen to me,” Liu Fuguang said with a smile. “The one who has been truly kind to you should not be Zhenyang, but your grand-martial uncle. Let me ask you this: was your sword given to you by Zhenyang or your grand-martial uncle?”

Jin Cuixu was momentarily stunned. It felt as if the clouds had parted and revealed clarity.

She had lost her parents at a young age, and although her master had taken her in as a disciple, he died at the hands of demonic cultivators within a few years. It was her grand-martial uncle who raised her and treated her as if she were his own. In her heart, her gentle and affectionate grand-martial uncle was like the grandmother she had always dreamed of having.

 As for Martial Uncle Zhenyang, what had he ever done?

Time resumed its flow.

Jin Cuixu lowered her head in confusion, as many troubling thoughts flashed through her mind. “Martial Uncle, I feel…” She tried to pull her hand away, but it wouldn’t budge. Zhenyang’s grip was so tight that a wave of terror washed over her, and made her feel both horrified and afraid.

A surge of irritation rose in her heart. She struggled for a while, but Zhenyang remained as unmoving as a statue. The nameless fire in her chest grew stronger, and she suddenly looked up and roared, “Let go of me!”

In that instant, she saw Zhenyang’s face. The once cheerful and upright martial uncle was gone. His brows had grown wild hairs, and a dark aura seemed to shroud him. His pupils had become unnaturally large, and the teeth exposed between his lips were jagged and sharp, with a tongue so long it hung out of his mouth, dripping saliva onto his neatly trimmed mustache.

Though his appearance had only slightly mutated, his entire presence had become so greedy, so grotesque, and so repulsive that it made Jin Cuixu want to vomit.

Her mind went blank.

“Ying Chan, your martial uncle truly cares for you…” Zhenyang leaned closer as his foul breath assaulted her. “Why can’t you understand his good intentions…”

“Get away from me!” Jin Cuixu screamed, her face contorted with disgust, nausea, fear, and disbelief. Her Pine Pattern Seven Stars Sword flashed out of its sheath, sliced through Zhenyang’s wrist, and sprayed black blood everywhere!

Zhenyang howled in pain. Jin Cuixu, who no longer cared about technique or form, swung her sword like a hammer, and smashed it against his chest, which sent him flying so that he crashed into the screens and decorations in the hall.

“Yingchan…Martial Uncle lost his mind…acted irrationally…so unbefitting of a teacher…” Zhenyang’s broken body lay in the ruins, with his lips still moving, as if he were reciting a pre-written script. “You used the sword given by your grand-martial uncle…to punish me…”

Jin Cuixuu stood there stunned as she panted hard, and held her sword as she approached the creature that was once Zhenyang. She muttered, “I…I killed Martial Uncle…I…”

Unable to bear what she had just done, her mind snapped. She let out a wild scream, grabbed her sword, and fled into the night.

Liu Fuguang and Yan Huan watched the scene unfold, and the ruined Zhenyang lying in the rubble. Liu Fuguang sighed, “You shouldn’t have given her such a strong dose.”

“No destruction, no rebirth,” Yan Huan replied. “If she can’t accomplish the feat of patricide, she won’t achieve great things.”

The ground lit up with arrows again.

The two of them turned and followed the arrows.

As they passed through the hanging green vines and winding streams, a brighter scene unfolded before them. What had just been a chilly spring night suddenly turned into a scorching summer midday.

Jin Cuixu was practicing her swordsmanship.

The young girl’s movements were swift and agile, and as her sword-light darted back and forth. It resembled a continuous stream of flowing dragons. Only those with exceptional eyesight could tell that it was her lightning-fast thrusts that created such a fierce sword-light.

However, despite her remarkable technique, there was not a single junior on the practice field observing her. Instead, it was full of young men and women chasing each other, whispering, and laughing. Some were even behaving inappropriately, getting handsy and moving in for kisses.

Jin Cuixu, unable to bear the disruption any longer, finally stopped and scolded them, “You are all disciples of Luo Xian Temple, yet instead of diligently practicing, you indulge in personal affairs. Since entering the sect, have any of you progressed to Foundation Establishment from Qi Refinement? None of you! Once you leave the temple, don’t tell anyone you’re a disciple here, or you’ll disgrace us all!”

The practice field fell silent. The young men and women looked at her with surprise, disdain, or indifference.

“Senior Sister Yingchan, what a big attitude you have!” After a while, a mocking voice called out, “Of course, you’re the genius personally chosen by the sect leader. We’re all just ordinary people. How could we ever match your cultivation speed?”

Jin Cuixu fumed, “You…”

“Cultivation doesn’t forbid natural emotions,” another voice said. “Senior Sister, you’re so old-fashioned and unloved. Why bother making things difficult for us?”

“Who says she’s unloved?” Someone teased her. “Our sect leader, the Lord, cares for Senior Sister Yingchan very much…”

The crowd burst into laughter. Jin Cuixu was so angry that her eyes went blank, and her sword-wielding hand trembled. When they saw her silence, the others became bolder. Some shouted, “Senior Sister, just give in to the sect leader.” While others laughed, “If you become the sect leader’s wife, why bother with the hard work of cultivation?” The jeering words were endless.

They mocked Jin Cuixu’s strictness, but in reality, they were ridiculing her integrity, and such ridicule was enough to overshadow any regretful feelings for collectively humiliating a woman.

The environment was toxic, and so was the atmosphere. It could subtly destroy a person’s resolve and righteousness. When everyone else was doing it, does one person have enough willpower and courage to hold their spine straight and be the “killjoy” who doesn’t fit in?

Time stopped.

Yan Huan watched with his arms crossed while Liu Fuguang approached. Jin Cuixu, suddenly noticed the two of them, didn’t recognize them and asked in surprise, “Who are you?”

“…We are your internal demons,” Liu Fuguang said smoothly, as he placed a hand on her left shoulder. “Why do you hesitate? Don’t forget, you’ve reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, and they’re just juniors in the Qi Refinement stage. You don’t want to bully the weak, but aren’t you going to defend your dignity? You have a cultivation base, yet lack the courage to use it to break through their delusions. What good is your cultivation base, then?”

Jin Cuixu stared at him blankly, and at that moment, Yan Huan placed his hand on her right shoulder.

“Kill them,” he smiled. “Those lowly wretches dare speak to you like that. Clearly, your usual tolerance and indecision have gone too far. Rip out their tongues, and destroy their Dao roots. They’re just trash, born to serve as stepping stones for you.”

Liu Fuguang glared at him. “Don’t listen to him. His methods are too extreme and cruel, and they won’t benefit your Dao-heart.”

Yan Huan, softened by his glare, smiled and said, “Listen to me. This is your perfect opportunity to establish your dominance. Draw your sword, and aim at their tongues.”

The two argued back and forth, while Jin Cuixu’s mind was torn between their two conflicting suggestions, to the point where her head felt like it was about to explode. She shut her eyes tightly and screamed, “Enough!”

Time started to flow again.

Jin Cuixu suddenly opened her eyes, filled with annoyance and anger. She fiercely drew her sword, and the sword light surged up like a tidal wave. In an instant, she struck down six people who were too close, and sent them flying. The sword energy doubled back and caused the remaining six to suffer broken bones, as they spat out blood.

The younger disciples had never seen Jin Cuixu so enraged, and they were all stunned with fear.

“I had given you too much face,” Jin Cuixu had said with a cold smile. “If you dare to speak such nonsense again, this will be the outcome!”

As she regained her composure, although she was surprised by the destruction she’d caused, a refreshing and exhilarating breeze had made her feel light-hearted, and gave her a sense of relief.

“From now on, if anyone dares to chatter and flirt on the sword training grounds, the result will be the same! Who has any objections?” she shouted. “Anyone who has objections, come and speak to my sword!”

After a moment, a trembling voice said, “Y-you, you are angry because we hit the mark and provoked you…”

Jin Cuixu responded sharply, “Even when I am furious, you dare to keep gossiping and experience the consequences of my anger?”

No one dared to speak up further.

“Good,” Jin Cuixu said coldly. “Now. Draw your swords! Begin training!”

Liu Fuguang smiled, Yan Huan snorted, and the scene before them faded. Another line of arrows appeared on the ground.

“Speaking of which, all these matters are trivial,” Yan Huan said. “But they became her internal demons.”

Liu Fuguang sighed.

“Looking back, they are indeed trivial,” he said. “But at the moment of experiencing them, did she swallow her anger or choose not to take issue? A moment of hesitation could lead to great mistakes, and being insulted and offended without retaliating immediately to seek justice…Such humiliation can accompany a person for a lifetime. Since she endured the wrongful events happening to her, when looking back, maybe she wondered if a single word could have upheld her dignity? Could a harsh reprimand have vented her frustrations?”

He shook his head. “The regret of missing the right course is truly unbearable.”

As they spoke, they arrived at a side hall, a third scene where Jin Cuixu was conversing with Zhenyang.

“Yingchan,” the sect leader had said kindly. “You have a point. The current atmosphere in the sect is indeed unacceptable. I had assigned this responsibility to your senior brother Langtian, but he, due to his cultivation, hasn’t made much progress…”

“Chen Langtian? Why was it given to him?” Jin Cuixu frowned.

“Your senior brother Langtian is a bit muddled, but he is upright.” Zhenyang stared intently at the young girl. “Why don’t you take on your senior brother’s duties?”

Jin Cuixu quickly shook her head. “Martial Uncle, we should prioritize cultivation…”

“Oh, that’s settled then!” Zhenyang laughed heartily, as if he didn’t heard her refusal. “Yingchan, you are full of righteousness and well-regarded within the sect, so you are the most suitable for this. Martial Uncle can trust you, right?”

Jin Cuixu hesitated, “I know that the sect leader values me…”

Zhenyang pressed on, and appointed Jin Cuixu to be responsible for the sect’s teachings. 

Yan Huan suddenly said, “Foolish.”

Liu Fuguang replied, “She is so young and lacks experience in this area. Naturally, she would not understand the complexities involved…”

Time stopped.

Jin Cuixu sucked in deep breaths, “You all…”

“Internal demons, internal demons.” Liu Fuguang had placed his hand on her left shoulder, and said earnestly, “Jin Cuixu, do not accept this responsibility.” Before Jin Cuixu could ask, he continued, “Responsibilities such as managing personnel and maintaining proper conduct will offend many people. If he truly had your best interests at heart, he would not have privately given this role to you but would have publicly announced it within the sect, using his authority to endorse you. Otherwise, you will have the position without the authority, and no one will listen to you. You will exhaust yourself and eventually be overwhelmed.”

“Moreover, as you said, cultivation should be prioritized…”

“…Being involved in personnel matters will only add burdens to my mindset, and prevent me from maintaining purity,” Jin Cuixu realized. “I didn’t think of that. How could I not have thought of that?”

Yan Huan patted her right shoulder and said with a smile, “So, just refuse directly and ignore what they say. If they dare to nag, give them a good slap.”

Time had started to flow again.

“…If that’s the case, Yingchan, you should take on the teaching position…”

Jin Cuixu said, “I will not accept.”

Zhenyang was stunned, “What?”

Jin Cuixu resolutely turned and walked out, “Martial Uncle, I am no longer a child, and you should not take my words lightly. I said I will not accept, and that’s final. Matters of the sect should be managed by you personally. I still need to focus on breaking through to the golden core stage. I really cannot spare the effort. Please understand.”

Liu Fuguang laughed.

“Such a teachable child,” he praised. “So, this stage is also passed?”

The arrows rose again, and guided them to the fourth location at the border between late autumn and early winter.

Removing the internal demons hadn’t changed Jin Cuixu’s past reality. Liu Fuguang saw that she had actually taken up the teaching position.

As he had predicted, Zhenyang had been setting her up for failure. Without the sect leader’s support, Jin Cuixu’s progress in her role was unsuccessful and full of obstacles. No one listened to her, and even though she tried to use her cultivation base to suppress the younger disciples, it only restrained them, and she was unable to manage the elders and sect leaders.

The ones directly involved were confused, but the onlookers could see clearly. Jin Cuixu’s master had died long ago, and her Martial Grand-Uncle had been in closed-door training for years. Under Zhenyang’s management, the Luo Xian Temple had practically become his personal domain. The atmosphere within the sect was decayed from top to bottom, and Jin Cuixu alone couldn’t reverse the situation.

As expected, she soon became exhausted and worn out. When she received a report from an unfamiliar sect member about someone practicing a forbidden cultivation method and intending to perform a harvesting technique, she was too tired to distinguish truth from falsehoods and rushed over with her sword.

When she arrived, she didn’t find anyone practicing the forbidden technique but instead encountered Chen Langtian, with bloodshot eyes, who had lost his senses, and charged at her in a completely naked state.

Jin Cuixu was caught off guard, embraced by him, and subjected to frenzied and inappropriate touches. She used her cultivation methods to resist his advances, but Chen Langtian was several decades older than her and had a similar cultivation base, which made it difficult for her to break free.

The surrounding noise was deafening, and evidently many people were approaching. Jin Cuixu became increasingly panicked, and both her spiritual energy and physical strength rapidly depleted. Liu Fuguang had observed clearly that Chen Langtian was someone’s confidant. This was clearly a trap that had been waiting to fall into.

Time stopped.

This time, Liu Fuguang placed his hand on her left shoulder, and Yan Huan placed his hand on her right shoulder. As they whispered in Jin Cuixu’s ears, they both said, “Embrace the primordial, maintain focus.”

Jin Cuixu had shuddered, and instinctively followed their instructions.

Liu Fuguang said, “Concentrate your energy with two fingers, aim at his neck.”

Jin Cuixu had swiftly positioned her fingers, and stabbed Chen Langtian’s neck, breaking through his protective spiritual light.

Yan Huan instructed, “Stand firm, raise your leg, and strike three inches below the navel, aim to hit the top.”

Jin Cuixu had gritted her teeth and had forcefully kicked him. It caused a painfully audible crunch as his soft bones had shattered.

The two released their hold and slowly retreated into the darkness.

Then, time started to flow again.

“Ahhhhhh—!”

In the dense forest, a man’s anguished and tormented screams echoed.

“Pleasant to hear,” Yan Huan had remarked with approval. “It’s a pity, though, that this world’s good things don’t last long. The duration is still too short.”

For the fifth time, the arrows floated and guided them now to the location of the banquet hall.

Unfortunately, the progress in dealing with internal demons relied solely on real memories. After enduring the humiliation and torment in the forest, Jin Cuixu appeared pale and her expression dazed, as she looked at the elders present in the room.

She was startlingly thin, and her frailty added a ghostly aura to her beauty, which, under the hall’s lighting, became even more striking.

“Yingchan, the elders are all here. Chen Langtian’s vile actions have wronged you and tarnished your reputation. Today, we will make it right for you!” Zhenyang roared with anger. “Scoundrel, kneel down now!”

With a flick of his duster, Zhenyang struck Chen Langtian several times. Chen Langtian remained silent, and bled heavily.

After Zhenyang finished his punishment and was tired, he turned back and smiled, “Yingchan, look, Martial Uncle is avenging you…Don’t keep silent, eat something. I specially prepared some spirit wine for you. Why don’t you give it a try?”

A nearby person had handed a cup of wine to Jin Cuixu, who numbly held it, as if she had lost the strength to feel anger.

“Come on, like this,” Zhenyang had suggested. “If you’re always silent, it’s not good. Drink a cup, and I’ll give this scoundrel three more strikes. How about that?”

The people around had nodded repeatedly, agreeing that the plan was good and decided to proceed as suggested.

Feasible? Liu Fuguang was seething with anger. It wasn’t a formal apology, nor a proper banquet, the whole thing was nothing but a cruel ploy. The idea of drinking a cup and getting three more strikes merely trivialized her suffering as a spectacle for others to enjoy!

However, that time there was no time freeze. Jin Cuixu drifted into a daze, as she drank cup after cup of wine, while Zhenyang continuously beat Chen Langtian until he became a rolling, bloody mess on the floor.

Zhenyang approached her with a forced smile, “How is it? Martial Uncle has avenged you. Are you still angry?”

Jin Cuixu ignored him, and still drank cup after cup.

Zhenyang looked distressed and said, “Still want to hit him, Yingchan? Have some mercy on your senior brother. If you continue, he’ll be beaten to death.”

Jin Cuixu continued to drink. She poured herself into the task of drinking as a form of release.

When he saw her state, Zhenyang smiled and took a seat, as he signaled the people on either side.

The confidants immediately understood and started to persuade Jin Cuixu to drink more, as they offered cup after cup. The spirit wine, specially prepared by Zhenyang, was potent enough that even a golden core cultivator would be overwhelmed, let alone someone at the foundation establishment stage.

Soon, Jin Cuixu was heavily intoxicated. After drinking, she was extremely quiet, and simply lay on the table and silently cried.

“Yingchan is drunk.”

Zhenyang waved his hand, dismissed the people serving drinks, and with an expression of undisguised triumph, he picked up his niece with trembling, excited hands.

“Yingchan,” Zhenyang had said with a smile, as he playfully lifted her chin. “You’re finally drunk.”

Under the light, their overlapping shadows had stretched long behind them. As he had walked toward the room behind the banquet hall, the shadows had seemed like a monstrous entity that gradually consumed everything.

Liu Fuguang closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

Yan Huan briefly said, “A momentary lapse, losing the primordial yin, can still allow one to advance to the immortal path.”

“I’m afraid things aren’t that simple,” Liu Fuguang replied in a low voice.

Primordial yang and primordial yin were crucial methods for cultivators to maintain. Prematurely losing one method could only bring harm, with no benefit, to the absorption of the world’s spiritual energy.

Daylight had arrived, and time had finally stopped.

Liu Fuguang had rushed into the dark room, and found Jin Cuixu in a state of terror, with no tears left to shed, her face twisted in anguish. He saw her cover her body and Zhenyang’s look of satisfaction.

What could he be dissatisfied with? He had drained a talented cultivator’s primordial yin, and before she could reach core formation, he had left a wound on her that could be nearly eternal. She might never progress again. If nothing else, how would she survive the heart tribulation during core formation? Just the thought of it might bring forth scenes of betrayal with her Martial Uncle.

Yan Huan stepped forward, but Liu Fuguang stopped him.

“Don’t go,” Liu Fuguang whispered.

Yan Huan looked back in surprise.

“If we appear now, it will only frighten her more,” Liu Fuguang said. “Transform into a woman and then go.”

Yan Huan obediently responded with an “oh,” and transformed into a female version of himself, a beautiful dragon goddess in a striking guise, then approached Jin Cuixu.

Liu Fuguang didn’t appear. In such a situation, benevolence was unnecessary. Only malevolence could overcome another form of malevolence.

The Evil One approached gracefully, and sat by Jin Cuixu’s bedside, as she held her shoulders.

“You see, I told you,” she said with a rose-red smile, and uttered deadly sweet words. “You should have killed him and taken his place. Don’t you understand?”

Jin Cuixu had murmured, “I…I am already ruined, I can’t…”

“Don’t say such things,” the beautiful dragon lady giggled. “Internal demons are easily overcome. As long as the main culprit is dead, who will remember your stains? In the future, when you achieve golden core, nascent soul, divinization, or even ascend to immortality, the world will praise you. Who would dare to speak a word against you? They’ll be eager to become your consort. You’re so young, and there’s still a long road ahead. How can it be ruined?”

“Listen to me,” the dragon lady whispered in her ear. “Take up your sword. A golden core is easy to kill. He is defenseless now. Just drive it through his dantian then dig it into his heart meridian from the back. Even if he has ten lives, he will not escape your hands.”

Jin Cuixu’s eyes suddenly burned with fiery determination.

She felt the Pine Pattern Seven Star Sword, its warm hilt in her hand transmitted boundless courage to her in an instant.

Master Uncle, Grandmother…Bless me, bless your granddaughter, so that I may attain the great Dao and face my enemies without fear!

The dragon lady released her shoulders, and Jin Cuixu let out a fierce roar, as she thrust forward. Golden-red blood splashed over her head and face, and she felt an exhilarating, thunderous joy.

Zhenyang was stunned. Before he could react, Jin Cuixu pounced on him, and tore a large chunk of flesh from his neck, gathered spiritual energy in her palm, and fiercely severed the golden core’s heart meridian in his soft side.

In the faded scene, Jin Cuixu was covered in blood, exposed like a newborn lamb, but she was a lamb holding a precious sword, having killed the wolf.

The arrow floated up again, and Yan Huan returned to his original form, as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Not bad,” he said.

Jin Cuixu killed Zhenyang in the internal demons realm, but the real past hadn’t been like that.

Her Dao-heart had been shattered. She was unable to bear the blow of never being able to ascend the Dao again. She collapsed on the bed, unable to speak or move.

Zhenyang seized the opportunity, and used deceitful words to trick her. He claimed he had precious pills that could assist Jin Cuixu with core formation. In exchange, Jin Cuixu would become his personal possession from then on.

At that point, Jin Cuixu instinctively clung to any hope of salvation, regardless of who offered it.

She agreed to Zhenyang’s proposal—or rather, coercion.

Zhenyang was overjoyed, almost delirious with happiness. 

His talent was also considered excellent, but next to Jin Cuixu’s, it was like comparing heaven and earth. After the death of his junior brother, Zhenyang’s master had insisted on personally raising Jin Cuixu, and doted on her as if she were his own eyes, which made Zhenyang seem like an outsider.

His feelings of jealousy and covetousness grew stronger with Jin Cuixu’s progress. Finally, when his master went into closed-door training for a breakthrough and handed the sect over to him, Zhenyang seized the opportunity.

His long-held wish was fulfilled, but now there was one remaining issue.

His master was still in closed-door training, with no signs of falling. That old woman had always treated Jin Cuixu like a beloved child. If she knew of his actions…

When he thought of the severe consequences, Zhenyang trembled in fear.

However, he then came up with a brilliant idea.

The secret place where his master was in closed-door training could only be approached by those she trusted most. So, who was that person?

Zhenyang shifted his gaze to the emaciated and pale Jin Cuixu.

He smiled in satisfaction.

Within a few days, Jin Cuixu heard a widely spread rumor.

A great treasure appeared in the North Sea, said to be extremely suitable for breakthroughs for high-level cultivators, and it had attracted all the major sects to vie for it.

Her heart, once as dead as ashes, ignited with a bright flame.

Master Uncle…Grandmother, my Grandmother! I can help her, I still have use, I can help her!

She nearly begged Zhenyang to go after the treasure in the North Sea, to use it for her master, to aid her.

Zhenyang smiled slowly, and only after he enjoyed sufficient benefits from Jin Cuixu did he leisurely tell her that there was no need to rush, he already sent nearly all the golden core elders of the sect.

After a “cruel battle,” the treasure was indeed retrieved. It turned out to be a small green tree, exquisitely carved like jade, that emitted a rich and fragrant aroma.

Everyone praised it as a great treasure. When Jin Cuixu smelled the aroma, she felt refreshed and invigorated, and became even more convinced.

Yan Huan whispered, “The Heavenly Tree. It’s not easy to find this thing in a small world.”

Liu Fuguang’s expression was solemn, and he remained silent.

The balance of Heaven’s Dao was manifest in the Heavenly Tree: the more one lost, the more one gained; the more one acquired, the more one lost.

Jin Cuixu, having been overexploited, only felt the richness of spiritual energy upon smelling the tree’s fragrance. Others, however, had to endure their roles painfully. For those in nascent soul closed-door training, it would only lead to the depletion of their vital essence and a tragic death.

“Now,” Zhenyang said, his face pale as he tried to keep his seven orifices sealed, as he hid his true intentions from Jin Cuixu. “Who can approach the Master’s closed-door training chamber?”

Jin Cuixu felt a sense of relief and smiled as she said, “Let me go. I can place the treasure in front of Master Uncle’s door so that she can smell its aroma.”

Zhenyang clapped his hands in delight, “Jin Cuixu, your determination is commendable! Then go ahead!”

Liu Fuguang turned away, almost unable to watch further.

Yan Huan, however, watched intently. He consumed those sins like a starving beast would drink warm blood.

Then, Liu Fuguang heard many sounds.

Most were Jin Cuixu’s cries of despair, her angry screams, and the heart-wrenching sounds of her choking sobs. She had become an accomplice to Zhenyang, and it was she who had…killed the person she loved most and who had loved her most in return.

She had walked into a hopeless dead end. She wanted to kill Zhenyang, but why not kill herself first? Perhaps she could kill Zhenyang and then die as an apology, but what meaning would that have?

The Luo Xian Sect was also an accomplice. The place she considered home had become a land of murderers, and Zhenyang’s power extended its reach everywhere. Everything was under his control, and she had no place to escape, no way to retreat.

It seemed like she died.

Time stopped.

Yan Huan and Liu Fuguang stood in place, and didn’t approach.

“This time, she must rely on herself,” Yan Huan said. “No one else can help her.”

Liu Fuguang silently agreed.

Time was halted for an indeterminate period, with Jin Cuixu locked in her own world. She spoke to herself in a delirious state, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, sometimes shouting for her grandmother, and sometimes screaming for Zhenyang to stay away. She scratched her skin with her nails, drew a blood trail for every hour that passed, until there were a total of one hundred seventy-one lines.

When she reached the one hundred seventy-first mark, Jin Cuixu suddenly stopped.

Her once lifeless, dull gaze slowly began to gather a hint of clarity.

She started to laugh, and a maddened smile spread across her face.

Even a blind person could see that her entire being was now consumed by the word “revenge”!

Time resumed its flow.

She changed, became more attached to Zhenyang and transformed into the type of person she had once failed to understand. She quieted Zhenyang’s suspicions, subtly seized power from him and set up her own schemes. Her cultivation talent was now entirely devoted to absorbing the forces of conspiracy and treachery.

After removing Zhenyang’s influence, she filled her own ranks with ease, as if it were second nature. Zhenyang, oblivious, remained lost in the allure of deceit, unable to extricate himself from the taste of victory.

On the day Zhenyang died, Jin Cuixu simultaneously carried out a bloody purge of the Luo Xian Sect.

The heads of everyone in the sect were piled up in front of the closed door of the secret chamber, and she dragged Zhenyang by his bloodied scalp, and forced the almost unrecognizable, yet still struggling piece of flesh to kneel at the door. She sealed her spiritual acupoints and pressed his two nostrils and eyes against the Heavenly Tree.

In no time, Zhenyang emitted muffled cries, as his flesh and skin withered instantly, and he turned into a heap of dry ashes as his spiritual energy dissipated and perished.

That was how Martial Uncle had died.

Jin Cuixu laughed a few times and gazed at the secret door. Her hand reached out repeatedly, yet she still lacked the courage to open it. She knelt down, knocked her head ten times, which caused her forehead to bleed before she stood up resolutely and left.

Time passed, and years went by.

Liu Fuguang and Yan Huan watched. To them, only a few minutes had passed, but when Jin Cuixu returned, she had already reached the golden core cultivation base.

She was thinner but also more capable and fierce. She stood before the closed door, still lacking the courage to push it open, and as before, she knelt and knocked her head ten times before leaving.

Then came nascent soul, spirit division, void refinement, and unity with Dao…With each return, her realm and power grew stronger, and she became increasingly reserved and solemn.

Naturally, she never had the courage to open the door. She would perform the ritual of ten head knocks as usual and then leave.

She left more hurriedly each time, not daring to utter a single extra word. Her tears turned into blood in her heart, and the blood formed scabs.

On the last visit, she hesitated in front of the door, unsure whether to follow the usual routine or do something different.

“She’s really close to immortal ascension,” Yan Huan said. “Only half a step away from becoming a True Immortal.”

Liu Fuguang remained silent. Now, he stepped out alone and approached Jin Cuixu.

“Do you want to go in?” he asked, as he greeted her as if they were old friends being reunited.

Jin Cuixu nodded.

“I’m afraid,” she said without asking anything more, not surprised. She confided, “This is the greatest knot in my heart, my internal demon. I…can’t face the way my grandmother looked before she passed away.”

“Actually, in life, making mistakes is quite common,” Liu Fuguang said, as he gazed at the door with her. “It’s only yourself that you haven’t been able to forgive.”

Jin Cuixu smiled bitterly. “Only myself? My grandmother, before she passed, must have hated my foolishness greatly. Even in the afterlife, she must be…”

Liu Fuguang smiled gently and said, “You know very well that after death, there is no such thing as the afterlife. Death is like a lamp extinguished. Everything is only the living’s consolation to themselves. Just like your revenge and cultivation, striving for a higher and stronger position, it’s all the living’s own delusions. You can’t accept that your loved one has died, so you need a little catalyst to find meaning in your own life.”

Jin Cuixu was stunned into silence.

Liu Fuguang asked, “Still can’t forgive yourself?”

Jin Cuixu replied, “Still can’t forgive myself.”

“Well,” Liu Fuguang nodded. “That’s alright. With your current status and strength, even if your grandmother’s spirit still existed and still harbored resentment, she would be thinking, ‘My granddaughter is so powerful now. At this point, there is no one else who can bully her anymore!’”

Jin Cuixu’s face finally brightened with a rare smile. Her nose tinged with bitterness, and she laughed heartily.

“Why impossible?” She laughed with reddened eyes. “If she hates me, she shouldn’t express such sentiments. She should be thinking, ‘This little beast is so strong now, even if I came back to life, I couldn’t take revenge on her anymore. How frustrating!’—That’s how it should be!”

“Why is it impossible?” Liu Fuguang asked curiously. “Before she hated you, she had already loved you.”

Jin Cuixu’s laughter abruptly ceased, and she was momentarily stunned.

—Before she hated you, she had already loved you.

Yes…Yes!

The long-sealed memories surged into her mind. Jin Cuixu covered her face, her shoulders trembled as she began to sob convulsively.

“I once…I once wished in my heart…” she cried intermittently, as she gasped for breath. “I asked my grandmother to bless me, to bless me to attain the Dao, to bless me to face my enemies without fear…Now I’m about to ascend to immortality. I really am going to become an immortal…Grandma! Grandma, you’re blessing me, right? I’m really about to ascend to immortality. You’ve long since, long since forgiven me, right?”

She cried like a child, like a wronged child who finally stumbled into the embrace of her loved one, as she rushed toward the stone door that had been closed for countless years.

The door opened.

Warm golden light burst forth from behind the door, like a multitude of rainbows flowering after the rain, it enveloped Jin Cuixu’s figure.

Liu Fuguang gazed at it in a trance. Yan Huan sighed, and disdainfully commented, “The golden light of Immortality, ugh.”

—The splendor of all worlds, blooming magnificently in an instant!

The illusion of the internal demons shattered, the sins and virtues broke apart, the anchor of Yin and Yang battles shattered, and the five-colored radiance cleansed the sky, and illuminated the four corners of the earth. Phoenixes sang, and all the beasts exhaled pure auspicious qi.

“After a thousand years of hardship, it has finally emerged from the cocoon.” Amidst the radiance, the newly born True Immortal stood up as her golden robes flowed, and bowed deeply to the two of them. “Thank you, Lords, for your assistance. I am eternally grateful.”

 

She lifted her head, her tearful smile as beautiful as the morning sun, as beautiful as any hope that still existed.