Living Up to You

Chapter 30

The candlelight in the seven-story pagoda was note extinguished The sunlight that poured in didn’t make the pagoda warmer.

Cang Yu walked weakly with the Qingxu staff. He coughed several times before he smoothed his breathing. He looked frowningly at Ling Xi who was sitting motionlessly on the ground and sighed heavily.

“What do you want to do?” Cang Yu looked helplessly at high-tiered deity Donghua.

High-tiered deity Donghua just smiled. He smiled very alluringly. He looked at the long sword in front of the silver mirror and murmured, “Only the last step is left.”

Having said that, he took out the Soul-Locking water, lowered his eyes and chanted a spell.

Cang Yu had no extra strength to stop him and panted as he looked at what he (D) wanted to do.

Silver light soon appeared on the long sword that constantly rotated in front of the silver mirror. The light outlined a woman’s figure. She was about the same size as Ling Xi and wore turquoise clothes. She looked pretty. When she opened her eyes, spiritual aura spread to everywhere.

“Huang Yun!” The woman shouted at high-tiered deity Donghua, “Quickly put me down. I can’t move.”

Cang Yu was slightly shocked. This was the first time he had heard someone call high-tiered deity Donghua’s name directly. Over the years, he had almost forgotten these two words.

“Huh, what is this?” The woman grabbed the transparent pearl hanging on her chest and muttered dissatisfied, “Where is here? Huang Yun, why did you bring me here?”

That was the Soul-Suppressing pearls. The twenty-four Soul-Suppressing pearls would become one after they had been taken down. Cang Yu seemed to begin to understand what high-tiered deity Donghua wanted to do…

Ling Xi who had been staying quiet for a while suddenly moved. She crawled to the woman in turquoise, grabbed her skirt and cried, “Nan Zhi…return Nan Zhi to me! Return Nan Zhi to me, alright? I beg you, I beg you, please return Nan Zhi to me!”

The woman in turquoise was dumbfounded, “Huh, is that…the person who you love?”

Ling Xi cried so much that she couldn’t control herself. Tears flowed down like pearls. She only kept repeating, “Return Nan Zhi to me. Return Nan Zhi to me…”

“Huang Yun, this is…”

The turquoise-clothed woman hasn’t finished yet, the white aperture floated out of the Soul-Locking water and fell onto the space between her eyebrows. The eyes of the woman that were bright just now were now covered with a layer of mist and gradually lost their liveliness. Until the aperture disappeared and the silver light around her faded away, the liveliness in her slowly returned, but they were no longer as bright as before.

When Cang Yu saw this scene, he smiled. A bitter and helpless smile.

He knew this woman. Perhaps, he shouldn’t address her as woman, but immortal spirit. An immortal spirit called Jian Ying.

Two thousand years ago when he wasn’t the supremo of Cangjia Mountain yet, high-tiered deity Donghua caused a big ruckus because of her. At that time, the elders of Donghua Mountain were still alive and high-tiered deity Donghua still used the name Huang Yun. The immortal realm and Donghua Mountain haven’t taken him as leader yet.

There were unwritten rules in the immortal realm. Immortal spirits and their masters couldn’t have a relationship beyond that of owner and spirit. Firstly, the immortal spirit was bred by its owner. The owner is its master and also its parent. Secondly, an immortal spirit only has one immortal part and one mortal part and couldn’t become an ordinary person. Hence, it was impossible to combine the two, but Huang Yun stepped over this line.

- An ordinary person has three immortal parts and seven mortal parts.

Even two thousand years ago, Huang Yun was well-known in the immortal realm. This matter was abuzz . There was no one in the immortal realm who didn’t know about it. The elders of Donghua Mountain felt very ashamed and forced Huang Yun to choose. Either Huang Yun destroy the immortal spirit completely to snap out of this or he would be driven out of the sect and would no longer have anything to do with Donghua Mountain.

“Jian Yin, come here.” High-tiered deity Donghua smiled. It was different from all his previous smile. He smiled focused and with sincerity.

Jian Ying didn’t move. She lowered her eyes slightly and didn’t say anything.

“This was what you wanted to do?” Cang Yu laughed.

High-tiered deity Donghua glanced once at him. His gaze was fierce, “That is right. Now she has three immortal parts and seven mortal parts. Now the immortal realm takes me as the only leader. Who still dares to oppose me being with her?”

Jian Ying finally moved and lowered her body.

Ling Xi was still crying. Her view was blurry. She kept trembling and she kept calling, “Nan Zhi.”

Jian Ying carefully wiped away Ling Xi’s tears with her sleeve and took Ling Xi into her arms. She was completely unlike the lively and cheerful woman of before.

Cang Yu didn’t want to look at this anymore. So, he stepped forward and wanted to carry Ling Xi away.

Indeed, no one could stop them at being together now.

That year, in order to get rid of Huang Yun’s dilemma, Jian Ying broke into the netherworld and casted a spell on the River of Forgetfulness. Every ten years, her memory is drawn out and sunk to the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness. When everyone saw that Jian Ying returned from the netherworld innocent like a child who didn’t understand anything about the world and when they saw that Huang Yun became depressed overnight and didn’t mention this matter again, they also didn’t bother with it anymore.

Who would’ve thought…that he waited for two thousand years to mend her soul and retrieve her memories?

Cang Yu took over Ling Xi and stuffed a few pills in her mouth. He carried her and walked forward slowly.

“Wait,” Jian Ying suddenly said.

Cang Yu looked back at her and high-tiered deity Donghua. He only shook his head.

“I didn’t want this.” Jian Ying met Huang Yun’s gaze. There was some sorrow in her eyes, “Huang Yun, why did you let me remember all of this?”

She looked around the seven-story pagoda and her eyes fell on the sun outside of the pagoda, “What day is it today? Is today’s Jian Yin still the Jian Ying of the past?”

“Jian Ying, it has been two thousand years.” High-tiered deity Donghua smiled slightly so clean like a lotus that had just bloomed. “We had waited two thousand years for this moment.”

There was no smile on Jian Ying’s face. Fog seemed to be raging in the black eyes.

“Come here, Jian Ying,” High-tiered deity Donghua’s voice lowered.

Jian Ying sighed, “Why did you hurt them?”

“It’s just a Chinese rose and a soul supplemented by cultivation. You…”

“Like the past two thousand years, I will stay with you ten years , ten more years and ten more years. Isn’t it fine like that?” Jian Yin’s expression was bleak. When she raised her eyes, her gaze was cold. “Huang Yun, we can’t go back.”

High-tiered deity Donghua froze. Then, he laughed as if he had heard a joke, “Haha, Jian Ying. I know that you are teasing me. Come, come here. Didn’t you remember it all?”

Jian Ying smiled, “Right, I remember it all. So, I remember what you were like before.”

The smile on high-tiered deity Donghua disappeared. His usual arrogance had also disappeared. He was obviously a deity who could call the wind and summon the rain in the immortal realm, but he was helpless in the face of the woman in front of him.

- Call the wind and summon the rain: do as one liked.

Jian Ying lowered her eyes slightly. Her long eyelashes were like shadows. On her beautiful face was a faint smile, “Huang Yun is no longer the Huang Yun of the past. Jian Ying is also no longer the Jian Ying of the past. The Huang Yun of the past was benevolent, kind and hated evil. The Jian Ying of the past only wanted to stay at Huang Yun’s side forever. The Huan Yun of now could take the soul of others and kill others for his own selfish desires. Today’s Jian Ying…”

Jian Ying’s voice was weak as if falling into dust and drifting faintly.

“What about today’s Jian Ying?”

“Today’s Jian Ying…Huang Yun let Jian Ying feels that being alive is a sin,” Jian Ying sighed softly.

This sentence was like a thunder and struck high-tiered deity Donghua, making him froze on spot. The bloodred robe was still bright, but the person who had once proudly gazed at the world, no longer had that brilliance. His eyes deeply locked on the woman in front of him as if thousands of emotions roared inside but they had been swallowed by those eyes.

The memories blocked for thousands of years had become more and more mottled, but she remained stubbornly in the original place and guarded the city of memories.

“Huang Yun, return to them what belonged to them.” Jian Ying looked apologetic at Ling Xi who was still sobbing. “I have already chosen our ending two thousand years ago.”

High-tiered deity Donghua still looked at her. A smile gradually appeared on his lips. It was his usual smile, “I meticulously planned this not to hear you say that. Jian Ying, you will remember.”

Remember his good. Remember the time they used to be together.

High-tiered deity Donghua made a seal with both his hand as wanted to cast a spell.

“I already remember now.” Jian Ying smiled bitterly, “Huang Yun, I remember everything clearly. But, how can I make you understand? I would rather be an ignorant child who doesn’t understand anything and not step on the bones of others and see the suffering of this world!”

High-tiered deity Donghua smiled more and more alluring, ”No, are you not willing to see the me of now?”

His shadow moved with him. His blood-red robe swayed like a red lotus in the air. When the red robe fell on the ground, he stood in front of Jian Ying. His face was ash gray.

Gone was the original handsome face. In its place was the uneven blood and flesh. Although, the wounds had been healed and it was no longer bloody, but it still looked malevolent. It was not difficult to see that how terrible the original wounds was.

Jian Ying trembled. She reached out to touch his face, but she didn’t dare to touch it. She could only grab his hand, but those hands were equally uneven. She quickly put them down as if she was burned.

“A thousand year ago, I also went to the netherworld to get the Soul-Locking water, wanted to recall your memory sooner.” At this time, the only thing that didn’t change on high-tiered deity Donghua was the red robe and the uninhibited smile at the corner of his lips. He caressed Jian Ying’s face gently, “The wounds from the River of Forgetfulness would follow one forever. Jian Ying, they forced me! The six realms couldn’t tolerate us, why can’t I turn my back on the world?”

High-tiered deity Donghua flicked his long sleeves. The candles in the seven-story pagoda flickered up and down. The red cinnabar mole on his forehead suddenly shone like the most dazzling star in the sky.

Jian Ying backed away unconsciously. She seemed to have been choked by the candlelight. Water shone in her eyes. Her long eyelashes flicked. The water turned into tears and ran down her cheeks.

“Jian Yin, don’t cry.” The fire in high-tiered deity Donghua’s eyes seemed to have been wiped out completely by those tears. He stepped forward and wiped away Jian Ying’s tears. He took her into his arms, “From today on, no one can hurt me. No one can stop you and me.”

Jian Ying hugged Huang Yun.

Huang Yun smiled peacefully, “We won’t ever separate again.”

Jian Ying snuggled in his arms and said softly, “Mm, Huang Yun, I will stay by your side forever and will never leave you.”

“You have to believe that I will always stay by your side.”

The cinnabar mole on high-tiered deity Donghua’s forehead faded and a smile was gradually caught in his eyes.

However, the next moment, the smile froze at the corner of his mouth.

Jian Ying’s body suddenly became transparent. The fine silver lights drifted way from her body.

High-tiered deity Donghua didn’t seem to be able to react. He looked at those lights scatter to everywhere. The glitter in his eyes cracked.

“You are already wounded like this…Huang Yun, did you ever thought what the fate of the person who went to get the Soul-Locking water and Soul-Suppressing pearls for you will be?” Jian Ying’s voice was faint. “Huang Yun, you have already fallen into the devilish ways. It is better for you to repent sooner.”

The sound dissipated. Jian ying disappeared, leaving only a sword. It was sharp and cold and lay in high-tiered deity Donghua’s arms.

The light of the fire gradually dissipated. The light of the blood went farther away. It was quiet everywhere.

Inside the pagoda was two rays of smoke, a white and a black one. One directly entered the space between Ling Xi’s eyebrows. The other flew out of the pagoda and disappeared in the sky.

- The white rays of smoke are the immortal part of Ling Xi and the black one is that of Nan Zhi.

The red candles were still burning. The red-clothed man still hugged the sword in his arms. Ling Xi was in tears. Cang Yu frowned.

The silver mirror fell. The clatter smashed the silence.

Donghua Mountain lost its supremo overnight. Some said that they saw him descend to the west on a cloud and disappeared on the edge of the boundless Western Sea. Some said that he had picked a spiritual place, secluded himself and cultivated hard to ascend. Others said that he had lived a long life and found a place to isolate himself from the world. In short, he didn’t leave any words nor did he return.

After the Four Immortals’ Association, the immortal realm was calm. However, for no reason, a rotten atmosphere was revealed.

Every thing was the same at Cangjia Mountain. Except, after the supremo returned from the Four Immortals’ Association, he went into seclusion and the disciples also didn’t go down the mountain for a long time.

Although, Tianmai Peak still has the three people, Qing Kui, Qing Lian and Qing Nian, it appeared to have more human warmth. Although, the three were at one place in the past, they practiced individually and there was no interaction between them. Nowadays, they met up almost every day.

“Is there any news about Ling Xi?” Qing Lian asked first.

Qing Nian shook his head and Qing Kui shrugged helplessly. Juisheng screamed, “Why hasn’t little Ling Xi come back! If she doesn’t come back, the Chinese rose would also not come back! If the Chinese rose doesn’t come back, how will I let him become my master!”

This time, Juisheng finished his speech, but unfortunately, he still couldn’t escape Qing Kui’s slap. “Shut up and go to sleep!”

Juisheng screamed, “What about I mention the Chinese rose? I wasn’t allowed to talk about him in the past. Now, he had become your savior, you still don’t let me talk about him!”

Qing Kui ignored him. In the past, in order to hide the strange growing speed of Ling Xi’s immortal spirit, he never mentioned him in front of Qing Lian and Qing Nian. It wasn’t until Nan Zhi walked out of the Red Cinnabar hall calmly and he saw that Qing Lian and Qing Nian weren’t surprised that he suddenly came to a realization. Ling Xi was with them every day, how could they not know? It was just that they had a tacit understanding and didn’t talk about it.

Therefore, when master asked them to bring Nan Zhi over, the three of them took the same action without prior consultation and stalled for time. They fought but wasn’t really serious. Until, two hours later when Nan Zhi suddenly rushed to the peak of Donghua Mountain.

What Qing Kui didn’t expect was that he saw master fighting with high-tiered deity Donghua. When master first arrived at Donghua mountain, he already looked tired. He was obviously not high-tiered deity Donghua’s opponent and kept retreating in defeat. Even when the three of them went forward, they weren’t much help. It wasn’t until Nan Zhi took action that the situation changed.

One was in red, one was in black. They appeared to be destined to be opponents. It was difficult to tell who had the upper hand.

To this day, Qing Kui still blamed himself for why he was unable to withstand a single blow and lost consciousness with one blow from high-tiered deity Donghua.

When he woke up, Ling Xi was like a dry stone. She didn’t cry, didn’t laugh, didn’t show interest nor concern, didn’t question and didn’t sleep.

Master said that the immortal spirit was dead. He let them return the Soul-Locking water to the netherworld and take good care of Ling Xi. Then, he secluded himself.

“Ling Xi had gone almost a month to the netherworld and there is still no news. It really let people unable to be peaceful.” Qing Lian frowned, “Why don’t we go to the netherworld and get to the bottom of this matter?”

Qing Kui was long unable to restrain himself, but master was in seclusion. Junior uncle Cang Hai was now in charge. If he went to ask, junior uncle Cang Hai would certainly not agree. However, it would be different if Qing Lian went to ask…

“Alright! Let’s go today!” Qing Kui slammed the table.

Qing Nian disagreed and it was rare for him to say so many words, “Ling Xi was like wood after she returned to Cangjia Mountain. Only when she heard the mention of the netherworld did she react a bit. Maybe she just doesn’t want to return to this sad place for the time being. The king of hell even gave her the Soul-Locking water, how would he let her suffer any grievances in the netherworld?”

Qing Lian nodded deep in thoughts. If the king of hell truly wanted to make things difficult, he wouldn’t have given Ling Xi the Soul-Locking water so easily.

However, Qing Kui said stubbornly, “No! I have to go take a look in the netherworld. Who knows what that little pervert wants to do?! What if he has eaten little Ling Xi?!”

Qing Lian and Qing Nian looked at him strangely. Qing Kui coughed twice awkwardly, “I, I…anyway, I don’t care! I will go down the mountain now. Keep it a secret for me. If junior uncle Cang Hai discovers it, Qing Lian, you go plead for me!”

As he talked, he didn’t wait for Qing Lian and Qing Nian to agree and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

At this moment in the netherworld, little king of hell Ming Sheng was trying to please Ling Xi in every way possible.

“Little Xi, you haven’t gone out all day. Should I secretly take you out of the netherworld and play around?” His height only reached Ling Xi’s waist. Although, Ling Xi was sitting at this time, he still had to look up at her.

Ling Xi just sat there. She said nothing and didn’t even blink.

Ming Sheng climbed onto the soft couch. He sat on his knees and with his hands supporting his face, he asked, “Little Xi, are you hungry? Should I let them bring some food?”

Ling Xi was still like wood and didn’t react.

Ming Sheng suddenly thought of something. He opened his hands happily. A crystal chest appeared on the table. “Little Xi, look. Here are forty-nine glowing pearls. The Eastern Sea sent them on my seventy thousandth birthday. I give them all to you.”

Inside the clear crystal chest, the glowing pearls have a faint blue shimmer that penetrated from the inside out and a chill lingered.

Ling Xi didn’t look at the glowing pearls, but suddenly her eyes reddened.

Ming Sheng was screaming badly in his heart. He didn’t know what he said wrong again. This past month, he knows that he couldn’t speak about the Chinese rose, couldn’t mention immortal spirits and couldn’t let her see the River of Forgetfulness…otherwise, she would cry.

In fact, when Ling Xi first came to the netherworld, she wasn’t like this.

According to the judge, before he (MS) went to meet Ling Xi, she had stood alone for a long time at the side of the River of Forgetfulness. Although, he didn’t hear it clearly, but she wasn’t silent. The first sentence she said when she saw Ming Sheng was, “Would the soul of an immortal spirit come to the netherworld?”

Now that Ming Sheng recalled his response, he wanted to give himself two slaps!

At that time, he was only happy to see Ling Xi and didn’t notice her down demeanor. He laughed out loudly and said, “Can things like immortal spirits be considered to have a soul? When their one immortal and mortal part left the spiritual body, they would vanish like smoke in thin air!”

He still remembered Ling Xi’s expression at that time. She was as if blooming flowers that had been defeated and withered without trace.

After that sentence, Ling Xi became like this. She didn’t respond when he talked to her. When he asked her about where the immortal spirit Chinese rose went to, she began to cry silently.

In the end, he didn’t dare to ask anymore and used every way possible to make Ling Xi happy, but unfortunately, it didn’t work.

“Ah! Little Xi!” Ming Sheng’s eyes lit up and said, “There is something that you will love.”

Ming Sheng clenched his hand into a fist and then spread it. A waterdrop-shaped pearl lay in his palm. It resembled a flower and was somewhat similar to the red spider lilies on the shore of the River of Forgetfulness, but it was not fragile as ordinary flowers.

“This is called Soul Attractor and could attract incomplete souls that had nowhere to go.” While Ming Sheng spoke, he secretly observed Ling Xi’s expression, “Take it. Perhaps…perhaps, you can attract the person you want to find.”

Ming Sheng had always felt too much things to be troublesome. Hence, he didn’t bother with what happens outside of the netherworld. He didn’t even bother with the evil spirits doing evil things outside, let alone the remnants of souls that floated outside. Therefore, this Soul Attractor hasn’t been used for more than ten thousand years. He had almost forgotten about its existence.

Ling Xi’s long eyelashes shuddered and finally reacted a bit. She took it over in her palms and stared at it blankly.

Ming Sheng felt a bit guilty. Last time, his mouth acted faster than his brain and spoke the truth. However, this time…this Soul Attractor, in fact couldn’t attract the souls of immortal spirits. But…he only wanted to make Ling Xi happy.

“Ah Chou! Ling Xi! Ah Chou! Ling Xi!”

Ming Sheng was anxious that Ling Xi would inquire more when he heard the noise outside. That shouting voice was very familiar.

“Who is outside? Let him in, let him in.” Ming Sheng ordered the people outside a bit fidgety.

As soon as the door opened, Qing Kui rushed inside and saw Ling Xi crying. He rushed over and took her into his arms while he scolded Ming Sheng, “Pervert! What did you do to Ling Xi?”

Ming Sheng was originally already unhappy. His face flushed because of Qing Kui’s scolding, but because Ling Xi was in his (QK) arms, he couldn’t take action. He could only say angrily, “Here is this king’s territory. This king can do whatever this king wants!”

When Qing Kui heard his childlike voice, he looked up and down at him (MS). When he saw his (MS) figure, he didn’t argue with him (MS) anymore.

Ming Sheng felt that he was being disdained, an open disdain!

“Ling Xi has caused a disturbance in the netherworld. Thank your highness for putting up with it.” Qing Kui suddenly cupped his hand and said deadly earnest, “This humble one would take her back to the immortal realm. If there is an opportunity in the future, this humble one would repay your highness’s grace.”

Ming Sheng choked on a breath in his throat. He was unable to speak. He had lived for seventy thousand years and had never seen a person, no, an immortal…being so shameless!

Qing Kui didn’t care about what Ming Sheng’s expression was. He carried Ling Xi and walked away. Ling Xi didn’t resist and let Qing Kui carry her. Ming Sheng stayed there, he didn’t speak nor did he chase.

Until when Qing Kui was about to leave the netherworld did he hear that childlike voice roar, “Qing Kui!!! Wait and see!!! If you have the ability, live forever and don’t die!!!”

When Qing Kui got out of the netherworld, he took a deep breath. He returned to Cangjia Mountain on Juisheng with Ling Xi.

He sat next to Ling Xi and carefully wiped her tears. He sighed softly, “It has been a month. Do you want to continue being like this?”

Ling Xi stared at the world full of life under the clouds. There was no expression in her eyes.

“Nan Zhi would also not like to see you like this.”

Ling Xi didn’t cry this time when she heard “Nan Zhi”. The grayness in her eyes spread and she actually chuckled, “Yeah, he won’t want to see me.”

It had been a long time since Ling Xi last spoke. Her voice was low and hoarse. “Because I cried and said to him that I didn’t want to see him again in this life.”

She remembered, although her mind was confused at that moment. Now that she recalled them, every scene was so clear.

She remembered that she pushed Nan Zhi away while she cried and said in disgust to let him not come close to her. She remembered the broken coldness in Nan Zhi’s eyes. The darkness in his defeated eyes. She remembered the last sentence she said to Nan Zhi, “I don’t want to see you ever again in this life.”

He had always been so obedient and listened to her alone.

So, he would never appear in front of her again.

Things changed so fast. The moment before, she was still in his arms and lingered in his tenderness. The next moment, he scattered into ashes and dispersed into smoke without a trace and would never be with her again in life nor in death.