Living Up to You

Chapter 36

The snow of the northern city was endless, hiding the sky and covering the earth.

Ling Xi didn’t feel cold when the first snow fell, but this snow fell for half a month. The more it fell, the more she didn’t dare to go out and she didn’t allow Nan Zhi to use spells to keep her warm. When Nan Zhi was present, she would nestle in his arms. When Nan Zhi was not here, she could only sit by the fire.

Ever since they came to the northern city, Nan Zhi occasionally left for a few hours. Although, she didn’t say it clearly, Ling Xi knew that he went to deal with some affairs of the devil realm.

She wondered whether the thing he let them do…had been successfully completed?

Not long after Nan Zhi went out, someone came in the snowstorm.

Ling Xi saw the boundless snow. A figure dressed in red struggled forward and got closer. Until when there was a knock on the door, she had to go open the door. When she saw the face of the person who came, she couldn’t help but breath from relief and smiled.

“Long time no see, Ling Xi.” Xue Ran smiled like a warm sun in the winter and looked up and down at Ling Xi. “You have become more well-rounded. We can rest assured now.”

Ling Xi never thought that Xue Ran would come around and laughed, “How did you find this place?”

Xue Ran looked around and Ling Xi understood.

Although, she didn’t let Nan Zhi use spells for fear of being discovered, but he was unwilling to conceal his devilish aura. After all, there was nothing to be afraid of even if he was discovered. There were not many people who would come disregarding their lives and oppose him.

“He’s not here?” Xue Ran asked carefully.

Seeing her being so careful, Ling Xi laughed and shook her head.

“Are you still fine?” Only now did Xue Ran sat down next to Ling Xi and held her hands. “Why are your hands so cold? Can’t you cast spells anymore?”

Ling Xi shook her head and said, “It is me who is unwilling to use them. I want to live like ordinary people. Things like spells…would make people feel unreal.”

Xue Ran frowned, “Then…does your body feel uncomfortable?”

Ling Xi suddenly realized that perhaps she (XR) knew that parts of her soul had been taken away.

“It was master (QL) who asked me to come over.” Xue Ran lowered her eyes and said slightly uneasy, “Qing Nian had mentioned it to me before. That time…the night where a part of your soul had been taken away, he was actually outside. I accidentally told master. Now…junior uncle Qing Kui also knows.”

Ling Xi comforted her, “It’s no big deal that they also know. I don’t feel any abnormality. I just became addicted to sleeping, but it is not too serious.

Worry appeared on Xue Ran’s face, “Then…does he know?”

Ling Xi naturally know who the “he” Xue Ran spoke of was. She lowered her eyes and shook her head.

That year when she went to Cangjia Mountain, she was just a child who knew about nothing. Experts could immediately see that abnormality of her soul. However, now she knew spells and still had some cultivation available. It was not difficult to deliberately conceal it unless that person specifically went to check.

Xue Ran sighed. Ling Xi smiled, “I’m fine. Nothing will happen.”

Xue Ran took out the purse of tail feathers and took out various medicine bottle in various sizes. “After junior uncle Qing Kui got to know about this, he collected many tonics and elixirs everywhere. Perhaps, they might be useful. You should take some daily.”

A warmth spread through Ling Xi’s heart, “How…how are they?”

She caused each of them to suffer fifty flogs. The wounds of that godly lash were untreatable and must heal by itself. That year when she received one flog, it took three months before she was completely healed. Qing Nian had let her escape. She didn’t know how hot-tempered junior uncle Cang Hai would punish him.

“After a month, they were recovered. After you left, the devil clan was a lot more behaved. Most of them have returned to the devil realm. Those who were left also didn’t harm the mortal realm. Therefore, supremo didn’t pursue Qing Nian for letting you escape.”

“Then, how is…master?”

“Mm, supremo’s body had recovered.” Xue Ran smiled beautifully, “And the six realms are peaceful. Cangjia even planned to accept new disciples this year. So Ling Xi, you can rest assured.”

When Ling Xi heard that, she also smiled from the bottom of her heart.

The two talked a bit about Cangjia’s current situation. Ling Xi saw the black figure from afar. She quickly put away those bottles in her purse of tail feathers.

Nan Zhi came back with a body full of snow. He frowned when he saw Xue Ran.

Xue Ran couldn’t help but shiver once.

This man just stood there without saying a word. He just slightly moved his eyebrows and it felt like he had collected all the cold from the sky and snow, making people unable to ignore him, but also didn’t dare to look straight at him.

“The snow is getting heavier. It’s not easy to glide the sword in the mortal realm. I will leave first…” Xue Ran tactfully bid her goodbyes.

Originally, Ling Xi wanted to talk a bit more with her, but looking at the expression of the two, she didn’t retain her. She personally sent her to the door.

The wind and the snow mixed with the fresh air of winter rushed to her face.

Xue Ran turned around and hugged Ling Xi and was reluctant to part with her (LX). Tears entered her eyes, “Ling Xi, you…have to be well. I will come visit you again after three months.”

Ling Xi nodded, but she didn’t know that she wouldn’t be able to wait till the day she (XR) come again after three months.

The weather was better a month later. She could finally go out. Ling Xi impatiently pulled Nan Zhi to accompany her to go watch a play.

Today’s play was quite novel. It was about a young married who was reborn in the year that she reached the marriageable age (15) after she had passed away. The young married wife had originally been poisoned by the concubine. She blamed her husband for being heartless and vested on being reborn. Since she knew the ending, she didn’t want to walk her old path. However, she didn’t expect that when she changed one thing, two things would happen because of that change. In the end, the final ending was the same as before. It was only different routes that reached the same destination.

Ling Xi was rather enchanted by the play. When she heard that young married woman sigh from melancholy before her death, she also sighed. Originally, she wanted to listen carefully to what the young married woman was saying, but suddenly the whole world turned quiet.

The pay still continued on the stage. The audience clapped sometimes, but she couldn’t hear anything. Only silence was around her. Until when she realized that Nan Zhi was shaking her hand, she looked up at him and saw that his thin lips opened and closed, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

She stared blankly at him. He suddenly took her into his arms. “Ling Xi…don’t be afraid.”

Only now was Ling Xi able to hear sounds again. She also realized that she revealed fear on her face just now.

—

It was another day. The winter snow had begun to melt. Ling Xi had long seen the snowmen in the courtyard beside them. They looked very cute holding a broom. Before, Nan Zhi was afraid that she would catch a cold and didn’t allow her to go out. Now that the snow had stopped and the sky was clear, she wondered how she could act cute and let Nan Zhi agree to her wishes.

Who would’ve known that she used both carrot and stick, Nan Zhi was unmoved? She could only pretend to be angry, “You said that you can listen to me.”

- Use both carrot and stick: use gentle methods and force

“Occasionally.” Nan Zhi’s expression remained unchanged and was determined like a snow-capped mountain of a thousand years. “Now, you listen to me.”

“Turtle, turtle, big turtle!” Ling Xi glared once at him and scolded.

A helpless smile flashed in Nan Zhi’s eyes. He held her face and printed a kiss on it. “Since you want one, I will make one for you.”

“Not allowed to use spells!”

“Alright!”

Therefore, a black-dressed Nan Zhi became the most eye-catching in the snow-white world. Ling Xi rested her chin on one hand and looked at him. A smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. Her burning gace fixed on Nan Zhi who was making a snowman for her. She wished that she could ignite all her love and happiness in that gaze.

She didn’t know whether it was because she used too much energy to look at him. Suddenly, blackness appeared in front of her. She couldn’t see anything. She blinked hard. When the light came back, a veil seemed to be in front of her eyes. She couldn’t help but rub her eyes. It took a long time before she was able to see Nan Zhi’s deep eyes that were focusing on her.

Two months later, Ling Xi was already able to do her own things calmly even when she couldn’t hear anything. When her hearing returned, she would pretend to have not heard (what he said before when she couldn’t hear) and let Nan Zhi repeat. When she couldn’t see, she would lower her eyes, avoid Nan Zhi gaze and wouldn’t look at him. She began to take the pills that Xue Ran gave her in secret but there was not much effect.

Her deafness was becoming more and more frequent. The veil also appeared more in her eyes. Sometimes, she couldn’t even taste the dishes. She began to be unwilling to go out and nestled all day in Nan Zhi’s arms, but she feared sleeping.

She was afraid that when she woke up, she wouldn’t be able to hear Nan Zhi, couldn’t see Nan Zhi and that she wouldn’t be able to touch Nan Zhi one day.

She had to admit that the body which parts of the soul had been peeled away, began to reverse. She was gradually losing her five senses.

This day, Nan Zhi was saying something to her again. She couldn’t hear, but heard the later part. She guessed that he had some things that needed to be dealt with and that he had probably returned to the devil realm. She readily gave her consent.

The moment Nan Zhi left, the whole world seemed to have fallen into an ice cellar. It was cold and silent.

Outside the window, some children were playing on the grass field not far away. Perhaps, soon she wouldn’t be able to hear such laughter. The sun slowly set. Half the sky was splashed with the red sunlight. She thought of Cangjia Mountain’s sunset. Perhaps, soon, she would never be able to see it again.

She messily poured out the things inside her purse of tail feather. She took every one of the pills, but she still couldn’t stop the veil from rising in front of her eyes.

In the haziness, she seemed to see something fly in through the window. It hovered and spun around the table.

“Keke…keke…” That thing was laughing.

Ling Xi tried hard to blink and rub her eyes. She barely saw a white round misty aperture that circled around the Soul Attractor that was poured out of her purse of tail feather.

A few months ago, Nan Zhi returned the Soul Attractor. She had kept it in her purse of tail feathers and had never taken it out.

“Keke…keke…”

Ling Xi felt that the voice was somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t remember from whom it was. She could only ask, “Who is there?”

“Keke…you forgot about me so soon? It hasn’t been that long.” The voice was clear and sweet-sounding like silver bells, “I still remember you, Ling Xi.”

Ling Xi’s heart suddenly sank. She froze against the table.

“I’m Chen Xi.” That voice continued to giggle, “I’m Chen Xi, do you remember now?”

Ling Xi’s eyes got clearer, but when she saw that ray of soul float around the Soul Attractor, the porcelain bottle in her hand suddenly fell and shattered.

This night, Nan Zhi didn’t return.

This night, Ling Xi had a nightmare.

The clear voice of the girl in the nightmare was faintly saying….

“I lifted by long sleeves, casually swept the stones behind me and sat down…

“Nan Zhi is the man I love deeply. Once he was a deity, now he is a devil. Once, he had slept for ten thousand years. It was me who woke him up. I’m a three hundred ninety seventh generation disciple of Cangjia…”

“He liked to dress in black. He liked to let his cold finger slid against my eyes. He liked…”

“Because I and the woman he loves looks exactly the same.”

“…”