Ye Yunlan sat in the immortal palace’s open-air garden. Nian Er was still kneading Furball’s fluff. Furball had given up resisting and huddled up to allow Nian Er to squeeze and roll him.
There was a carved porcelain vase on the table and a longevity flower inserted in the vase. The blue petals swayed in the wind.
Ye Yunlan lowered his eyes and looked at the top of the Floating Cloud Summit. Shen Shu resolved his opponents neatly, his posture tall and straight. Ye Yunlan’s appearance softened a bit.
Shen Shu had grown up.
Not only his body but his cultivation base had also moved one step closer. He was about to complete the Golden Core realm and will soon be promoted to the Nascent Soul realm. At that time, even in the realm of the countless cultivation of the strong, Shen Shu will still have a place, and there would not be many things he could still teach the other party.
When Shen Shu arrives at the Nascent Soul, he can return the puppet bead to the other party. Then, he can enter the secret realm to find the soul-attracting flower for Shen Shu to resolve his puppet seal. Well, he still needs to create a natal spirit sword suitable for Shen Shu….
When the time comes…
Thinking, he retracted his gaze that fell on the top of the Floating Cloud Summit. He looked towards the sky and the floating clouds that scattered and gathered.
After a long while, he raised his fingertips again, gently touching the petals of the longevity flower on the table’s porcelain vase.
Nian Er suddenly asked: “Brother?”
Ye Yunlan: “Huh?”
Nian Er stared at Ye Yunlan for a moment, “I don’t know why, but the feeling that brother just gave me was as if you would suddenly disappear to somewhere no one can find you.”
Ye Yunlan: “I’m right here, how could I suddenly disappear?”
Nian Er: “Before… the last time my Emperor came to visit Nian Er, he also showed that expression. Then, he disappeared afterward.”
Nian Er always mentioned “my Emperor” in front of him.
Ye Yunlan didn’t change his expression. He looked at Nian Er with calm eyes. “Nian Er, am I born similar to your Emperor in your memory?”
Nian Er nodded earnestly: “Brother and my Emperor are indeed very similar.”
Ye Yunlan: “But I’m not him.”
Nian Er seemed to have her mind poked. Her face turned red, and she bit her lip: “Brother…do you believe in reincarnation?”
“No. I don’t believe that there is reincarnation.” Ye Yunlan calmly said, “But I also think that people are shaped by their experience. Even with the same soul, after walking through the yellow river road, drinking the forgetful soup, and washing away all their experiences of their previous life, they will no longer be the same person.”
Nian Er still had some doubts, muttering: “People are shaped by their experience…?”
“Different experiences create different personalities and ways of thinking about things. It also creates different bonds between people and karma. Even if you do it all over again, simply changing the time, place, and situation of a person, the person you know is no longer the person in your memory.”
Nian Er still didn’t understand.
She just felt that when Ye Yunlan lowered his head at the moment to reach out to touch the petals of the longevity flower, he looked pale and lonely.
Nian Er: “Nian Er doesn’t understand. Nian Er just thinks that her brother is close and wants him to be happy.”
Ye Yunlan paused his fingertips.
His complexion was calm, but he sighed inaudibly.
… Floating Cloud Summit.
Shen Shu stopped and stood under the eaves of the immortal palace, a shadow covering his face.
Not far away, two cultivators still whispered.
The young cultivator who heard the news blushed and asked.
“That…that secret, how did you find out? Is it just a rumor?”
Another young cultivator: “It’s true. How can the news from Sky Sect’s inner disciples be fake?”
The young cultivator: “Yes, but if that method is spread, it may ruin a person’s reputation.”
“I heard that the man was very ill. Maybe he was in a hurry to find a doctor and has accepted it. Besides, do you think that anyone can use that method for him? It’s said that they need to have a special physique. Otherwise, they won’t be able to heal them. Instead, it would be possible to be sucked dry by that beautiful person…”
“Sucked, sucked dry?” The young cultivator flushed even more.
Another person laughed: “What kind of methods are needed to heal wounds? You’ll know about it if you think carefully. Having made medicine all my life, extracting essence through joining’s outcome is clear for those sc*mbag cultivators. But dying under a peony flower, even as a ghost, they would be living their frivolous life. That is the number one beauty in the cultivation world. If that person can really save his life, they’ll be so grateful that they would marry him as a companion. In the future, they could embrace that beauty, what a joyful thing… As far as I know, many cultivators have already planned to recommend themselves to him…”
When he spoke of this, his voice lowered a few points, “Moreover, I heard that cultivators who have practiced those methods all taste unspeakably splendid. They are able to make one go to the seventh heaven and forget everything else…” Before he finished, he felt his breath suffocate, as if his neck was caught by something. His breathing became stagnant.
The young cultivator wondered why the voice of the person next to him had stopped. As soon as he raised his head, his eyes widened, “Fellow daoist, what’s wrong with you!”
The other person’s complexion was blue at that moment. His eyes were protruded, and there was a deep mark on his neck. There was no one around him, but the mark got deeper and deeper.
The young cultivator felt his blood run cold.
The light swayed. They hadn’t noticed that a black shadow had twisted and entangled itself on the shadow of the person, exactly where his neck was.
The young cultivator was as anxious as an ant in a hot pot. Although the cultivator had a strong physique, and it wasn’t a big deal for him to be unable to breathe for a while, he saw the mark getting deeper and deeper. It was clear that the body and head wanted to be separated!
Even if they were a cultivator, they would die without their head!
He looked around. Realizing something, he used his internal energy to shout: “I don’t know what almighty presence has blessed us with their arrival, but we are sorry for failing to recognize your gracious presence. We have spoken nonsense and have offended your respected self. Please, your gracious presence, let us go!”
As he spoke, he slapped his own mouth, then looked at his fellow daoist friend who could make no noise. He walked up and simply slapped the other party with dozens of slaps. He was merciless, and the slaps were very loud.
The surrounding cultivators cast strange glances at them one after another.
Not far away, Shen Shu looked up from the shadows of the immortal palace’s eaves. He looked at the two people in the distance blankly, then turned and walked into the immortal palace.
At the same time, the other person’s strangle mark on the neck finally stopped deepening.
The young cultivator saw his fellow daoist collapse to the ground. His face was red, swollen, and bruised. He was still breathing, but he was barely alive.
He couldn’t help but raise his hand to wipe the sweat from his head, thanking himself that he did that quickly.
It was just that person was a stranger he came upon by chance. Saving his life cleverly like this, the other party may not appreciate it and may bear grudges afterward. So, it was better if he left sooner.
The young cultivator thought of this and left in a hurry.
……
The immortal palace was huge, with winding twists and turns within.
Shen Shu refused the request of the Ink Sect disciple to lead the way for him. He went straight up the path until he reached the corner of the corridor, then stopped. He leaned back against the wall, his handsome face buried in the shadows.
Drip. Blood drops spread on the ground.
He raised his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his fingertips. He lowered his head and pinched the center of his brows. His temples throbbed.
It was not just the long and narrow injury on his back.
Ever since he was conspired to enter an illusion array by the Demonic Soul on the ascension steps, his Divine Soul still suffered trauma. It was regardless of the fact he won in the end.
He felt a big gap split his own soul. Countless negative forces overflowed from it, and there were some illusory and real picture fragments.
The pictures were broken and chaotic. Incomplete and incoherent, fragments pierced into his mind.
The vast majority of them were boundless evil and demonic thoughts, only a few of the pictures with colors, like streamers that cannot be grasped. They simply disappeared in a flash.
The inherent negative force in his body continued to grow, the hostility and desire in his heart motivated by this force. Just now, he almost couldn’t control his own mood and wanted to start killing.
He looked at his hands.
After paying respects to Ye Yunlan as his Master, these hands had not been stained with blood.
Master didn’t like the appearance of his hands stained with blood.
“Master…”
He murmured hoarsely, looking up at the dome of the immortal palace. Slowly, his eyes were stained with scarlet.
“Why didn’t you tell me…”
…
Floating Cloud Summit had six matches a day, three in the morning and three in the afternoon.
Shen Shu’s round was the second session in the afternoon. It was almost noon, and Ye Yunlan had Nian Er take out a set of teapot and cups so he could make a pot of hot tea by hand. The soaked tea was “Lingmai Tea.” He had brought it back from the communication stream market the day before. This tea had the effect of clearing the spiritual pulse and gathering spiritual energy. It was suitable for Shen Shu to consume after the martial arts battle.
Smoke rose in spirals in the open-air garden.
Ye Yunlan was surrounded by a crowd of flowers. He made the tea calmly, wearing an extremely white outfit. At first glance, the first thing one would see was his cold and indifferent face.
A white blossom branch stopped temporarily in the spring of the garden. It makes a person want to…pick it off.
This was what Shen Shu saw when he returned.
Before he approached, Ye Yunlan held the teapot with his bare hand and was pouring a cup of tea. After hearing his movement, he turned his head to look at him. His long eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes were soft, but he still revealed an inevitable alienation and distance.
“You’re back. Drink a cup of tea to warm up.”
Shen Shu didn’t take the tea but walked closer and leaned over the table. He stretched out his hand and tightly grasped Ye Yunlan’s wrist.
“Master, I want to ask you a question.” Shen Shu said.
The blood on the corners of his lips had been wiped off. His face was handsome, his clothes neat, and his black hair worn high up. No one could see the signs of his soul injury from the outside.
Ye Yunlan frowned, “You can ask.”
Shen Shu: “Does Master know why Disciple participated in Tianchi Mountain’s dao conference?”
Ye Yunlan didn’t answer, but Nian Er interjected next to him: “I know, I know! Little brother, when you were on the ascension steps, you told Nian Er that you wanted to get first place to have Nian Er open the treasure trove for you. You want to take the Ancient Xinzhi to save your important person…”
Ye Yunlan’s cold eyes widened slightly, “You only said that you came to Tianchi Mountain this time to increase your knowledge and to stabilize your cultivation…”
Shen Shu interrupted him: “I’m trying to find medicine to cure the wounds on Master.”
Ye Yunlan frowned for a moment: “I have already said that the wounds on my body cannot be cured. You don’t have to spend too much time on me.”
Shen Shu huskily laughed, “Master still wants to hide it from me.”
Ye Yunlan showed a little suspicion on his face.
Shen Shu’s expression made him cautious of danger.
“The wounds on Master’s body are useless with medicine. There is only one method that can cure it.” Shen Shu paused when he said this, then slowly uttered two words.
“Dual cultivation. Is that right?”
Ye Yunlan changed his expression.
“Who told you this?”
Ye Yunlan’s thoughts changed sharply.
The divine fire in his body needed to rely on the extradition through dual cultivation. Only three people in the sect knew about it. One was the lord of the sect, Qiyun Jun. The second one was the Senior Brother of the sect, He Lanze, while the last was the direct disciple of Qiyun Jun, Rong Ran.
Qiyun Jun had already returned a few days ago, so the only ones who could leak this matter were He Lanze and Rong Ran.
Shen Shu tilted his head: “Master’s injury is critical and requires dual cultivation to heal his injuries. This matter has spread and is well known to everyone. Now, there are already countless cultivators outside who are planning to recommend themselves to be Master’s pillow.”
“…Your disciple was the last one to know about this.”
Ye Yunlan’s body was completely frozen, and his palms trembled slightly. Because of his anger, his pale face was already slightly red.
Shen Shu: “Since Master needs someone to heal your injuries, why didn’t you tell Disciple?”
“Your disciple can do the same things that others can do.”
He said this, then lowered his body. He held Ye Yunlan’s wrist tightly, looking at him straight in his eyes. He whispered.
“Not only that…”
“Disciple can do it better than the others.”
Ye Yunlan sat in the immortal palace’s open-air garden. Nian Er was still kneading Furball’s fluff. Furball had given up resisting and huddled up to allow Nian Er to squeeze and roll him.
There was a carved porcelain vase on the table and a longevity flower inserted in the vase. The blue petals swayed in the wind.
Ye Yunlan lowered his eyes and looked at the top of the Floating Cloud Summit. Shen Shu resolved his opponents neatly, his posture tall and straight. Ye Yunlan’s appearance softened a bit.
Shen Shu had grown up.
Not only his body but his cultivation base had also moved one step closer. He was about to complete the Golden Core realm and will soon be promoted to the Nascent Soul realm. At that time, even in the realm of the countless cultivation of the strong, Shen Shu will still have a place, and there would not be many things he could still teach the other party.
When Shen Shu arrives at the Nascent Soul, he can return the puppet bead to the other party. Then, he can enter the secret realm to find the soul-attracting flower for Shen Shu to resolve his puppet seal. Well, he still needs to create a natal spirit sword suitable for Shen Shu….
When the time comes…
Thinking, he retracted his gaze that fell on the top of the Floating Cloud Summit. He looked towards the sky and the floating clouds that scattered and gathered.
After a long while, he raised his fingertips again, gently touching the petals of the longevity flower on the table’s porcelain vase.
Nian Er suddenly asked: “Brother?”
Ye Yunlan: “Huh?”
Nian Er stared at Ye Yunlan for a moment, “I don’t know why, but the feeling that brother just gave me was as if you would suddenly disappear to somewhere no one can find you.”
Ye Yunlan: “I’m right here, how could I suddenly disappear?”
Nian Er: “Before… the last time my Emperor came to visit Nian Er, he also showed that expression. Then, he disappeared afterward.”
Nian Er always mentioned “my Emperor” in front of him.
Ye Yunlan didn’t change his expression. He looked at Nian Er with calm eyes. “Nian Er, am I born similar to your Emperor in your memory?”
Nian Er nodded earnestly: “Brother and my Emperor are indeed very similar.”
Ye Yunlan: “But I’m not him.”
Nian Er seemed to have her mind poked. Her face turned red, and she bit her lip: “Brother…do you believe in reincarnation?”
“No. I don’t believe that there is reincarnation.” Ye Yunlan calmly said, “But I also think that people are shaped by their experience. Even with the same soul, after walking through the yellow river road, drinking the forgetful soup, and washing away all their experiences of their previous life, they will no longer be the same person.”
Nian Er still had some doubts, muttering: “People are shaped by their experience…?”
“Different experiences create different personalities and ways of thinking about things. It also creates different bonds between people and karma. Even if you do it all over again, simply changing the time, place, and situation of a person, the person you know is no longer the person in your memory.”
Nian Er still didn’t understand.
She just felt that when Ye Yunlan lowered his head at the moment to reach out to touch the petals of the longevity flower, he looked pale and lonely.
Nian Er: “Nian Er doesn’t understand. Nian Er just thinks that her brother is close and wants him to be happy.”
Ye Yunlan paused his fingertips.
His complexion was calm, but he sighed inaudibly.
… Floating Cloud Summit.
Shen Shu stopped and stood under the eaves of the immortal palace, a shadow covering his face.
Not far away, two cultivators still whispered.
The young cultivator who heard the news blushed and asked.
“That…that secret, how did you find out? Is it just a rumor?”
Another young cultivator: “It’s true. How can the news from Sky Sect’s inner disciples be fake?”
The young cultivator: “Yes, but if that method is spread, it may ruin a person’s reputation.”
“I heard that the man was very ill. Maybe he was in a hurry to find a doctor and has accepted it. Besides, do you think that anyone can use that method for him? It’s said that they need to have a special physique. Otherwise, they won’t be able to heal them. Instead, it would be possible to be sucked dry by that beautiful person…”
“Sucked, sucked dry?” The young cultivator flushed even more.
Another person laughed: “What kind of methods are needed to heal wounds? You’ll know about it if you think carefully. Having made medicine all my life, extracting essence through joining’s outcome is clear for those sc*mbag cultivators. But dying under a peony flower, even as a ghost, they would be living their frivolous life. That is the number one beauty in the cultivation world. If that person can really save his life, they’ll be so grateful that they would marry him as a companion. In the future, they could embrace that beauty, what a joyful thing… As far as I know, many cultivators have already planned to recommend themselves to him…”
When he spoke of this, his voice lowered a few points, “Moreover, I heard that cultivators who have practiced those methods all taste unspeakably splendid. They are able to make one go to the seventh heaven and forget everything else…” Before he finished, he felt his breath suffocate, as if his neck was caught by something. His breathing became stagnant.
The young cultivator wondered why the voice of the person next to him had stopped. As soon as he raised his head, his eyes widened, “Fellow daoist, what’s wrong with you!”
The other person’s complexion was blue at that moment. His eyes were protruded, and there was a deep mark on his neck. There was no one around him, but the mark got deeper and deeper.
The young cultivator felt his blood run cold.
The light swayed. They hadn’t noticed that a black shadow had twisted and entangled itself on the shadow of the person, exactly where his neck was.
The young cultivator was as anxious as an ant in a hot pot. Although the cultivator had a strong physique, and it wasn’t a big deal for him to be unable to breathe for a while, he saw the mark getting deeper and deeper. It was clear that the body and head wanted to be separated!
Even if they were a cultivator, they would die without their head!
He looked around. Realizing something, he used his internal energy to shout: “I don’t know what almighty presence has blessed us with their arrival, but we are sorry for failing to recognize your gracious presence. We have spoken nonsense and have offended your respected self. Please, your gracious presence, let us go!”
As he spoke, he slapped his own mouth, then looked at his fellow daoist friend who could make no noise. He walked up and simply slapped the other party with dozens of slaps. He was merciless, and the slaps were very loud.
The surrounding cultivators cast strange glances at them one after another.
Not far away, Shen Shu looked up from the shadows of the immortal palace’s eaves. He looked at the two people in the distance blankly, then turned and walked into the immortal palace.
At the same time, the other person’s strangle mark on the neck finally stopped deepening.
The young cultivator saw his fellow daoist collapse to the ground. His face was red, swollen, and bruised. He was still breathing, but he was barely alive.
He couldn’t help but raise his hand to wipe the sweat from his head, thanking himself that he did that quickly.
It was just that person was a stranger he came upon by chance. Saving his life cleverly like this, the other party may not appreciate it and may bear grudges afterward. So, it was better if he left sooner.
The young cultivator thought of this and left in a hurry.
……
The immortal palace was huge, with winding twists and turns within.
Shen Shu refused the request of the Ink Sect disciple to lead the way for him. He went straight up the path until he reached the corner of the corridor, then stopped. He leaned back against the wall, his handsome face buried in the shadows.
Drip. Blood drops spread on the ground.
He raised his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his fingertips. He lowered his head and pinched the center of his brows. His temples throbbed.
It was not just the long and narrow injury on his back.
Ever since he was conspired to enter an illusion array by the Demonic Soul on the ascension steps, his Divine Soul still suffered trauma. It was regardless of the fact he won in the end.
He felt a big gap split his own soul. Countless negative forces overflowed from it, and there were some illusory and real picture fragments.
The pictures were broken and chaotic. Incomplete and incoherent, fragments pierced into his mind.
The vast majority of them were boundless evil and demonic thoughts, only a few of the pictures with colors, like streamers that cannot be grasped. They simply disappeared in a flash.
The inherent negative force in his body continued to grow, the hostility and desire in his heart motivated by this force. Just now, he almost couldn’t control his own mood and wanted to start killing.
He looked at his hands.
After paying respects to Ye Yunlan as his Master, these hands had not been stained with blood.
Master didn’t like the appearance of his hands stained with blood.
“Master…”
He murmured hoarsely, looking up at the dome of the immortal palace. Slowly, his eyes were stained with scarlet.
“Why didn’t you tell me…”
…
Floating Cloud Summit had six matches a day, three in the morning and three in the afternoon.
Shen Shu’s round was the second session in the afternoon. It was almost noon, and Ye Yunlan had Nian Er take out a set of teapot and cups so he could make a pot of hot tea by hand. The soaked tea was “Lingmai Tea.” He had brought it back from the communication stream market the day before. This tea had the effect of clearing the spiritual pulse and gathering spiritual energy. It was suitable for Shen Shu to consume after the martial arts battle.
Smoke rose in spirals in the open-air garden.
Ye Yunlan was surrounded by a crowd of flowers. He made the tea calmly, wearing an extremely white outfit. At first glance, the first thing one would see was his cold and indifferent face.
A white blossom branch stopped temporarily in the spring of the garden. It makes a person want to…pick it off.
This was what Shen Shu saw when he returned.
Before he approached, Ye Yunlan held the teapot with his bare hand and was pouring a cup of tea. After hearing his movement, he turned his head to look at him. His long eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes were soft, but he still revealed an inevitable alienation and distance.
“You’re back. Drink a cup of tea to warm up.”
Shen Shu didn’t take the tea but walked closer and leaned over the table. He stretched out his hand and tightly grasped Ye Yunlan’s wrist.
“Master, I want to ask you a question.” Shen Shu said.
The blood on the corners of his lips had been wiped off. His face was handsome, his clothes neat, and his black hair worn high up. No one could see the signs of his soul injury from the outside.
Ye Yunlan frowned, “You can ask.”
Shen Shu: “Does Master know why Disciple participated in Tianchi Mountain’s dao conference?”
Ye Yunlan didn’t answer, but Nian Er interjected next to him: “I know, I know! Little brother, when you were on the ascension steps, you told Nian Er that you wanted to get first place to have Nian Er open the treasure trove for you. You want to take the Ancient Xinzhi to save your important person…”
Ye Yunlan’s cold eyes widened slightly, “You only said that you came to Tianchi Mountain this time to increase your knowledge and to stabilize your cultivation…”
Shen Shu interrupted him: “I’m trying to find medicine to cure the wounds on Master.”
Ye Yunlan frowned for a moment: “I have already said that the wounds on my body cannot be cured. You don’t have to spend too much time on me.”
Shen Shu huskily laughed, “Master still wants to hide it from me.”
Ye Yunlan showed a little suspicion on his face.
Shen Shu’s expression made him cautious of danger.
“The wounds on Master’s body are useless with medicine. There is only one method that can cure it.” Shen Shu paused when he said this, then slowly uttered two words.
“Dual cultivation. Is that right?”
Ye Yunlan changed his expression.
“Who told you this?”
Ye Yunlan’s thoughts changed sharply.
The divine fire in his body needed to rely on the extradition through dual cultivation. Only three people in the sect knew about it. One was the lord of the sect, Qiyun Jun. The second one was the Senior Brother of the sect, He Lanze, while the last was the direct disciple of Qiyun Jun, Rong Ran.
Qiyun Jun had already returned a few days ago, so the only ones who could leak this matter were He Lanze and Rong Ran.
Shen Shu tilted his head: “Master’s injury is critical and requires dual cultivation to heal his injuries. This matter has spread and is well known to everyone. Now, there are already countless cultivators outside who are planning to recommend themselves to be Master’s pillow.”
“…Your disciple was the last one to know about this.”
Ye Yunlan’s body was completely frozen, and his palms trembled slightly. Because of his anger, his pale face was already slightly red.
Shen Shu: “Since Master needs someone to heal your injuries, why didn’t you tell Disciple?”
“Your disciple can do the same things that others can do.”
He said this, then lowered his body. He held Ye Yunlan’s wrist tightly, looking at him straight in his eyes. He whispered.
“Not only that…”
“Disciple can do it better than the others.”
