Editor: Sahloknir
In his past life, Gong Wei was known for his cheerfulness and good temper, even among the commoners. But right now, his mood could not be any lower.
What’s worse than being stabbed to death with a sword by your arch-enemy? It was for everyone to know that your corpse has been dismembered.
What is worse than getting killed? It’s to create such resentment that your arch-enemy storms the Ghost Wall, and barges into the Underworld with the intention of bringing your soul back for another round of torment.
And only until he was sure that your soul had been extinguished and could not even reincarnate, would he be able to gain peace of mind enough to return home…
Xu Shuangtze’s back was towards Gong Wei, so he could not read his expression.
Xu Shuangtze was silent for a short while. His voice was slightly stifled as he questioned, “I’m looking for the twenty-eight people who have died this past month in Linjiang City…I still have questions for them. Where are their spirits?”
Hearing his request, the Ghost Judge was stunned and stuttered, “Linjiang City? Th-there-have been dead people from Linjiang City in the past month?”
Listening in to the conversation, Gong Wei thought in his heart that this Judge was about to get into serious trouble. As expected, Xu Shuangtze also did not bother to explain, and ordered him, “Say no more, bring me the Book of Life and Death.”
In a frenzy, the Ghost Judge ordered a skeleton, “Quick!”
There were Twelve Provinces beyond the Ghost Wall and each was presided over by a Ghost Judge. The twelve of them took turns each month to guard the gate to the Underworld, which was the transit point for spirits towards death and reincarnation.
The last time Xu Shuangtze swept through the Twelve Provinces, it had been fair and square as all the Judges were present. No one was late and no one was left unscathed. This time the Ghost Judge standing in front of him was in great misery as he was facing Lord Xu of the Cang Yang Sect all alone. This is the epitome of bloody bad luck.
A short while later, the skeleton with the order came running back with a thick yellow book in hand. The Ghost Judge fumbled and pulled out a staff from his huge body and pointed it at the book while commanding, “Open!”
One by one, majestic golden scrolls swiftly rolled out from the void and fell down, forming eighty-one streams like dazzling waterfalls!
Breaking through the Ghost Wall is at the expense of one’s own lifespan. Gong Wei risked this and snuck down with Xu Shuangtze just for this moment—to find the whereabouts of the little Mei demon’s soul through the Book of Life and Death. If he has not yet crossed the Naihe Bridge, he could find a way to summon the little Mei demon back into his body. If he has been reincarnated, Gong Wei has to at least know where the other party has been reincarnated to, and if he is doing well.
However, as his eyes were fixed on the prize, his whole body froze.
Each of the eighty-one scrolls were empty, there was not a single word written on them.
This could only mean that no one was born and no one has died. The records of the past half a month were blank!
“…” Xu Shuangtze raised his brows. “What’s going on?”
The Ghost Judge inexplicably asked in return, “Immortal Monarch, what is wrong?”
“Why is the Book of Life and Death blank?”
The Ghost Judge affirmed, “A blank record means no one has been born or died, the record will not be wrong!”
Xu Shuangtze frowned more tightly and said, “Sixteen years ago when I came down to the Underworld to look for the soul of the Lotus Immortal, you said that the deceased was not in the Book of Life and Death, which means that his soul has been destroyed and did not enter the reincarnation process. Could all the dead people in the world have their souls destroyed and not be reincarnated as well?”
The Ghost Judge patiently explained, “But the Book of Life and Death cannot be wrong…”
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Then, Gong Wei’s pupils dilated in disbelief.
All the records of births and deaths in the human world had come to an abrupt end since the beginning of the 28th year of Taiyi.
To be precise, since the day he died under No Way Out sixteen years ago—no one has been born and no one has died, according to the Book of Life and Death!
If it was just a chill he felt in his heart earlier, then at this moment it is a genuine shiver. Gong Wei subconsciously looked at Xu Shuangtze, only to see his thin lips pursed, his face was white, the hand clutching No Way Out had bulging veins. Finally, he said, “The world is full of thousands of beings, how is it possible that in sixteen years no one has been born, and no one has died?”
The Ghost Judge said with dogmatic certainty, “If there is no one born, then there will be none who dies. The Book of Life and Death will not be wrong!”
“You…”
“If there is no one born, then there will be none who dies. The Book of Life and Death will not be wrong!” The Ghost Judge deepened his tone to emphasise, repeating a few times and laughing out loud. “If there is no one born, then there will be none who die. The Book of Life and Death will not be wrong!”
It has become obvious that things in the Underworld are not looking right. It was as if the Ghost Judge only had the mental capacity to answer to this point. The ghosts surrounding began to chime in, “Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake—”
“Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake—”
The voices gathered into a torrent, gushing along the WangChuan River and splashing into the dark and desolate boulders along its banks. Crows flew wildly in all directions, covering the gloomy, grey sky, shrouding the Underworld in darkness.
“Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake—”
The voices echoed and reverberated up the skies. The earth shook violently in a terrible resonance.
“Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake—”
The skeletons opened up their jaws, and all the ghosts seemed intoxicated. The Ghost Judge also appeared to have forgotten everything, and fell backwards in a daze. The surrounding Yin flames swayed and flickered like the rippling surface of the water, then suddenly transformed into countless scarlet petals, cascading towards the sky like giant waves.
—They were the same peach blossoms which appeared in the mortuary at the exact moment when the twenty-eight spirits disappeared!
It was an extraordinary scene, with scarlet clouds drifting across the sky, but there was also an unspeakable eeriness. The next moment, the peach blossom waves swallowed up the sky, with the next wave more ferocious than the previous, until the entire Ghost City was enveloped.
Gong Wei grabbed on to the rock in front of him, but to no avail. It was as if he had been fiercely punched in the face, his ears buzzed and his vision turned black. As he fell backwards, a gust of wind whistled past his ears…
Plop!
He knelt on the hard ground, feeling a raw pain on his knees and his head spinning. A wave of nausea set in, and from above his head, a nightmarish voice came, “Who’s there?”
The petite back of Gong Wei straightened up and he slowly raised his head.
His surroundings had already reverted to the dimly lit mortuary of the Medical Village, with the twenty-eight coffins still open. Not far from him, Xu Shuangtze stared at him with a gaze like frost and snow, saying, “Come out.”
“…”
The air was frozen solid.
Gong Wei shuffled two steps on his knees. His face was pale white and his lips trembled, “Your-your Lordship, please forgive me. I was-I was just…” He could not finish his sentence before retching uncontrollably.
This performance was not staged—Gong Wei’s body had always been hardy. If he was alive, he could easily tour the Underworld for three full days without so much as a gasp. But the little Mei demon’s body was just too weak and could not avoid damage to the soul as they transitioned out of the Ghost Realm. Coupled with the close proximity to No Way Out, his heart spasmed violently as he gasped for air and this caused his vision to dim.
There was nothing he could vomit but he continued to retch. Then, Gong Wei felt something cold coming into contact with his skin as his chin was raised by the hilt of No Way Out.
Xu Shuangtze leaned down, Gong Wei was forced to tilt his head to look directly into his sunken, cold, black eyes. Suddenly, his nausea was gone.
—Xu Shuangtze was a cleanliness freak.
If Gong Wei had dared to vomit on the scabbard of No Way Out, the little Mei demon’s body would be cut into countless pieces on the spot.
“Xiang Xiaoyuan.” Xu Shuangtze called out word by word.
Gong Wei maintained his posture, but the platinum scabbard reflected his widened and panic-stricken eyes.
“That ghost cultivator was chasing after you. What did it want?” Xu Shuangtze stared at his pupils and slowly asked, “If it is the Lotus Immortal…then what are you?”
“…Your-your Lordship, please spare my life…” ‘Xiang Xiaoyuan’s’ trembling and flustered voice rang out, “I didn’t mean to do it, I won’t dare again, please forgive me…”
Outside the door, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard, but Xu Shuangtze ignored them, narrowed his eyes and asked, “You went down to the Ghost City with me earlier?”
“I-I-I didn’t see…”
Xu Shuangtze’s voice deepened, “What did you see?!”
Bang!
The door was forcefully pushed open, and Yuchi Xiao crossed the threshold with quick steps, arriving at the scene before him, and said with a hoarse voice, “Lord Xu, please spare him! Xiang Xiaoyuan has injured his shoulder and has difficulty moving. He was left behind due to our negligence. Please be merciful, Your Lordship!”
—The tense atmosphere was instantly broken up.
Xu Shuangtze glanced at Yuchi Xiao with suspicion and finally took a deep breath, straightened up and loosened his ‘grip’ on ‘Xiang Xiaoyuan’.
Gong Wei couldn’t care less and dashed towards Yuchi Xiao. His wound was now soaked in blood and he trembled due to the pain. Yuchi Xiao was startled by his swift movement, but still gave him a ‘look’ to direct Gong Wei to hide behind him.
Xu Shuangtze asked, “What do you want?”
Earlier on, Yuchi Xiao realised that the little Mei demon did not catch up, and turned back for him. But he did not dare to mention this. Instead, he thought of another excuse to divert Xu Shuangtze’s attention, “Report…Reporting back to Your Lordship, I heard the cries of ghosts and guessed that Your Lordship had opened the gate to the Underworld so I hurried back. Has Your Lordship discovered anything in the Ghost City?”
“No.”
“Oh?”
Xu Shuangtze said indifferently, “I did not discover anything.”
Yuchi Xiao replied stiffly, “Is that so? Then it seems that the investigation will take more time. This junior…will take my leave now?”
Xu Shuangtze did not even bother to answer.
Yuchi Xiao feared annoying him further, with a tug, he dragged Gong Wei out of the mortuary.
Gong Wei almost stumbled as he crossed the threshold. Outside the mortuary, the daylight was blinding. He was held by the back of his collar by Yuchi Xiao. As he turned his head back towards the door, he could still see Xu Shuangtze standing by the rows of coffins, his silhouette as upright and lonely as a sword.
“Gong Wei,” he suddenly spoke.
Gong Wei’s heart tightened. He saw Xu Shuangtze looking at the dim, dull void in front of him, as if he was speaking to some non-existent ghost. Each and every word was spoken extremely calmly and clearly, “If you lie to me one more time, I will make you regret that you dared to die on me back then.”
The carved door closed with a click, sealing the mortuary in a thick darkness.
—
“What were you thinking? Why did you stay there? Do you want to die so badly?” Yuchi Xiao continued to grip onto the back of Gong Wei’s collar as he reprimanded.
Gong Wei sluggishly covered his head with both hands, “I was injured, I couldn’t walk fast and you ran away without waiting for me…Ouch!”
Yuchi Xiao knocked his head with his knuckle, “If you do this again, I will ignore you! How dare you disobey the orders of Lord Xu? Are you tired of living?”
It was already late in the afternoon when the two returned to the inn. Gong Wei was thirsty and tired. He originally wanted to argue with Yuchi Xiao, saying that he never expected the young swordsman to protect him and even if he did, he wasn’t doing a good job, given the number of injuries inflicted on him.
On second thought, he still had to rely on Young Swordsman Yuchi to lead him to his uncle, the Sword Sect Master, in order for him to escape from the devilish claws of Lord Xu. With this thought, he shamefully put forth a pitiable expression and, full of emotion said, “Young Swordsman, you are really a good man. Please do not fuss over a non-human being like me. You are really my loving and righteous benefactor…”
Yuchi Xiao suddenly had goosebumps all over, “Shut up! This is too fake!”
Gong Wei: “Tch! Why are you so picky!”
Yuchi Xiao suddenly stood still, his tall figure blocking the inn’s corridor. He glanced around to make sure there was no one else before he asked with a straight face, “There’s something I haven’t had a chance to ask you yet.”
“What?”
“How did you control Su Qing when you fought against that ghost cultivator outside the Prince’s Residence?”
Gong Wei pretended to be confused, “What ‘Su Qing’?”
“Among the famous families’ younger generation disciples, I am among the top three in terms of combat power. Below me is the outer disciple of Lord Xu, Wen Xiuyang and below him is Meng Yunfei. Although Yunfei’s ‘Su Qing‘ sword is not as powerful as his guqin, it is also a famous immortal sword. How did you, a little Mei demon who just built your cultivation foundation, take the Su Qing sword from him?”
Yuchi Xiao was at least a head taller than Gong Wei, he had thick, sword shaped brows and cold, bright eyes, he was now frowning slightly and staring straight at him.
“…”
Gong Wei was silent for a moment, closed his eyes and said, “You made a mistake.”
Yuchi Xiao continued frowning, “What are you hiding? I can’t possibly—”
His words stopped abruptly as Gong Wei widened his eyes, and his right pupil turned blood red.
“You made a mistake,” Gong Wei said in a soft voice.
Sound, light, and consciousness were all rapidly drawn from him, and Yuchi Xiao was suddenly plunged into an endless abyss. His mind blanked out from the descent and all he could hear was the boundless wind which swept past his ears. Gong Wei’s smile and beautiful face was moving further and further away from his view and then a loud sound came from above—
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Sahl – Ooh! Cliffhanger…Or is it…? *Tries to look mysterious* Also, Xu Shuangtze is not happy with your death, Gong Wei… I wonder why? Ahem.
Boom!
Yuchi Xiao stumbled and was held by Gong Wei with one arm. “Young Master? What happened to you?”
Before him was still the scene of the inn’s corridor once more, but it was already dark. The errand boy’s hurried footsteps and greetings to other customers could be heard in the distance. Within inches of his view, there was ‘Xiang Xiaoyuan’s’s concerned gaze and clear, black eyes staring back.
Yuchi Xiao was still in a daze and he felt that he seemed to have forgotten something, but it also felt like nothing had happened in front of the Prince’s Residence. He forcibly shut his eyes and then opened them again only to see ‘Xiang Xiaoyuan’s’ smiling face, he was wearing a loose robe, his beauty was definitely not from the realm of humans.
Gong Wei teased, “Young Master, be careful.”
Yuchi Xiao’s heart raced and beat like a drum as he took half a step back flustered, not being able to say a word for a moment.
“—You,” he said sharply, “Why are you so close to me!?”
The distance between the two was lengthened. Gong Wei nonchalantly and innocently reached out to hold his hand, “To support you better.”
As he paused, a faint fragrance wisped out from his robe sleeves like the first dawn of spring. But Yuchi Xiao was not sure if it was his own illusion, he could only subconsciously force himself to look away, and hastily waved his hand, “I’m going back to the room, you should hurry back to rest too.”
Gong Wei smilingly agreed.
Yuchi Xiao turned and left, but thought of something after a few steps. He turned back and intentionally directed his gaze at the floor this time, in a stern voice he said, “Don’t mess with Lord Xu if you don’t want to die!”
Gong Wei nodded. “En, understood!”
Before the words were out of his mouth, he saw Yuchi Xiao darted back into the room like an arrow, as if he was running away. Then, he slammed the door behind him heavily with a bang.
“?” Gong Wei shrugged, “Strange.”
—
Finally he got rid of Young Swordsman Yuchi. Gong Wei was thirsty and his entire body was in pain. He rubbed the back of his neck and returned to his room. The first thing he did was to chug down a large cup of water, then he fell back on his bed and heaved a long sigh of relief.
Yuchi Xiao had previously turned down the offer to stay at the Prince’s Residence or at a local Immortal Sect. Instead, he chose to spend money to reserve rooms at a secluded inn. This move was wise. It allowed them to avoid the smaller local Immortal Sects and independent cultivators’ incessant visits in an attempt to pull strings for their own agendas. Once the room’s door was shut, it was a sanctuary of peace, sealed away from other disturbances.
Gong Wei stared at the ceiling of the inn and shoved the strange behaviour of Yuchi Xiao to the back of his mind. His brain now was occupied by countless random thoughts. He thought of the strange blank pages in the Book of Life and Death for the past sixteen years.
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Did I lie to Xu Shuangtze?
But twenty years ago it was he who wanted to enter the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm. How can whatever has happened in the realm be called a lie?
Gong Wei felt an injustice from the bottom of his heart and rolled over in bed. He thought that when he first met Xu Shuangtze, that man was clearly good-tempered and not as cold and heartless as he became later. Gong Wei had just been picked up by Ying Kai from the peach forest of Cang Yang Mountain. For some reason, Xu Shuangtze visited the Immortal Alliance’s Correctional Palace often. Every time he did so, he brought Gong Wei food and snacks, books to draw on. He personally taught him how to read and write, and once even gave him a small suona to play with.
Those were the most harmonious years they shared.
Like most things, good times do not last long. As he grew up, the many ‘different and non-human’ traits and manifestations in his body did not fade with time, but became more pronounced. He still liked to eat flowers, naturally imitated the behaviour of those around him and his demonic, blood-red right pupil would appear from time to time. Xu Shuangtze who seemed to sense something amiss, gradually grew cold and distant towards him, and the many subtle cracks between them also quietly surfaced.
But Gong Wei did not take it to heart.
Gong Wei grew up with an incredibly good temper. To everyone he met, he was exceedingly curious, friendly and tolerant, as if nothing in this world could anger him. He was especially close with Xu Shuangtze, and although he never understood how or when he offended Lord Xu, he was never displeased by his coldness and only ever felt puzzled.
—Then that accident happened.
Gong Wei survived an assassination attempt which caused Ying Kai to be furious. He decided to cripple the unorthodox style of some families and announced the establishment of a Disciplinary Court and appointed Gong Wei as the Chief of the Department of Discipline.
At that time, Gong Wei’s mental state had not fully matured. It was already a feat for him to control himself, let alone having to manage the disciples of other families. Therefore, Ying Kai took up the responsibility of supervising the Discipline Court personally, while allowing Gong Wei to follow and learn. With the appointment, Gong Wei’s new status would deter unwanted offences from prominent sects and families and reduce any unnecessary suffering.
It was a good idea, but unexpectedly, this decision was met with an unprecedented and firm opposition from Lord Xu.
That day, Xu Shuangtze came to the Immortal Alliance and had a heated argument with Ying Kai at the Correctional Palace. It just so happened that Gong Wei ran in happily to offer up a treasure as a gift to Xu Shuangtze. He overheard every detail of the argument, including Xu Shuangtze’s extremely hurtful and harsh words, that he had never once spoken to his face before.
For the first time in his life, Gong Wei was angry.
That was the first clash between him and Xu Shuangtze.
That time, the conflict came and went quickly, because the always unrelenting Lord Xu who rarely backed down, did not say a word and walked away without any retaliation.
Fortunately, because he did not fight back, the conflict did not worsen right from the start.
In the following years, the Cang Yang Sect and Gong Wei came into all sorts of friction and all kinds of unhappiness arose. No matter how many times Ying Kai stepped in to mediate, it was useless. The discord between Xu Shuangtze and Gong Wei finally spread and became known to everyone.
—If the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm did not exist, perhaps the conflict would not have evolved and simply remained at the state of frequent, but mild friction. Later, it might not even have caused the two men to spiral into an irreconcilable state.
But unfortunately, Lord Xu’s destiny dictated this fate.
Twenty years ago, Xu Shuangtze had a breakthrough in his cultivation and reached the middle stage of Dhyana. He had to enter the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm to break another barrier, in order to reach the late Dhyana stage.
There was only one person in the entire world who could fully control the ancient divine weapon, so Ying Kai could not step in, but strictly ordered Gong Wei to escort Xu Shuangtze throughout the whole process without any failings.
“…Cang Yang Sect Master’s life is full of killing obstacles, if they are not removed, it would be difficult for him to ascend and consequently would lead to the loss of more innocent lives…In the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm, in illusion, people can be reincarnated, age, fall sick and die. A century in the illusionary realm is merely a passing moment in reality. Once you lead the Cang Yang Sect Master into the illusionary realm, let him reincarnate as a general’s son or a warlord. Allow him to kill more than ten thousand enemies on the battlefield to expend his killing obstacles, before returning him to the present world…”
It was no secret that Xu Shuangtze had a lot of killing obstacles in his life. Some even said that if it weren’t for this, he would have already achieved his ascension.
In order to become an Immortal, one must break through all kinds of obstacles and overcome tribulations in life—for some, they could be relationship obstacles, others are mental obstacles, and the most difficult to overcome are the killing barriers.
Most of the immortal cultivators with killing obstacles are strong, but since ancient times, very few have had a good end, because most of them went off the rails when these killing tribulations arrived. There are husband and wife who ended up slaughtering each other, there are disciples who massacred their sects, and others were inflicted with long-term distortion of the mind, who slowly degenerated into demonic beings—severed of their seven human emotions and six desires.
In order to suppress the killing obstacles, Xu Shuangtze cultivated the Path of No Emotions from a young age. He was a natural talent and within just a century, he rose into the Mahayana realm. But if there was no way to completely resolve his killing obstacles he would never be able to ascend. The higher his cultivation level is, the harder it is to break the killing obstacles. If he were to go off the rails, then there would be thousands of people who would be killed.
Of course, Ying Kai cannot allow him to go on a killing rampage in this world and could only send him into the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm where, under the guidance and protection of the illusionary realm, he could vent this horrible desire to kill.
“I did resolve his killing obstacles.” Gong Wei used both his hands to cushion his head like a pillow. He thought in a daze, “I followed him into the illusionary realm and laboriously supported him. But when he returned, he swung No Way Out at me and wanted me to pay with my life—how did it become my fault?”
He yawned and unknowingly closed his eyelids as the last strand of his consciousness slipped into a dark bliss.
—
It was an extremely restless night and Gong Wei slipped in and out of many trance-like dreams, but all he could see were fragmented scenes. He saw a battlefield with beacons of smoke rising up and blood everywhere as dead bodies piled up into small mountains. A young general in silver and white armour huddled under the trenches with one hand tightly covering his eyes. Blood was constantly trickling down from his palm and winding down his entire arm. His shoulders trembled because of the pain.
Gong Wei carefully tiptoed across the ground, which was soaked in blood and littered with flesh. He walked to the general, bent down and examined him for a long time. Gong Wei then reached out to touch the general’s hands, which were tightly covering his eyes. He thought that it was an interesting sight and could not help but gently laugh.
The general leaned back warily, “Who is it?”
The wind and sand carried the stench of rust and blood as it swept away towards the distant chaotic sky. Other than that, everything else was silent.
“…” After a long time, the general’s dry, cracked lips barely moved and he hoarsely said, “Are you a ghost? “
In the twinkling of an eye, the scene changed into a view of lush, green hills and clear running streams. A wisp of smoke rose up from a chimney and within a small farm yard, the squawk of chickens and barking of dogs could be heard. A rope tied onto the well creaked as it was pulled and out came a bucket full of water. As Gong Wei carelessly lifted it up, water splashed everywhere and only half a bucket was left. He casually tore off a piece of cloth, dipped it in water to gently cleaned the general’s bare chest, which had numerous crisscrossed, bloodstained slashes. The bucket of water was very quickly stained red.
He did not care and poured away the water to get more again, but this time his wrist was suddenly held onto by another person.
The sound of whispers came from the blindfolded man in front of him. The man unclasped a gold bracelet from his right arm then fumbled to put it on Gong Wei’s left arm, right above his elbow.
The gold bracelet had a very rare shape. It had three wavy spirals connected at the beginning and end forming an irregular structure. On it, there were dense and intricate runes and seal characters carved.
“—I’ve been wearing it for as long as I can remember, and have forgotten where it came from.” The man’s voice was very low, but mellow and comforting, saying, “Thank you for saving my life.”
Gong Wei tilted his head to look at him, and looked down at the gold bracelet on his arm. He felt an interesting sensation, which made him smile.
The scenes changed countlessly as if time was flashing past him. Gong Wei drifted in and out of dreams and saw the constellations shifted, events came and went, he also saw red pillars and bloodshed.
In the scene of the final collapse of the illusionary world, a majestic sword glare blazed through the cold night, breaking through the fog like a bolt of lightning. The cold sword blade was right in front of his eyes before Lord Xu’s thunderous face appeared behind the sword glare. Every word he spoke was filled with a killing intent, “You dared to kill my wife, today you will pay with your life, Gong Wei—!
Gong Wei forced open his eyes, his clothes were now soaked through with cold sweat.
Outside the window, the sky was bright, and it was already noon.
Duk duk duk
A sound of knocking came from outside the room, and a clear and gentle voice rang out, “Young Master Xiang? Are you okay?”
It was Meng Yunfei.
“…” Gong Wei sat dumbfounded for a moment. Meng Yunfei called out several more times but did not get any response so the rapping sound on the door started again. Still in a daze, Gong Wei spoke, “I’m fine, I…”
The door swung open, and Meng Yunfei broke through with a grimace, and met Gong Wei who was sitting on the bed. His tense expression suddenly relaxed, “Sorry! I thought…”
Luckily he swallowed back the words “thought you had met with a mishap“.
Gong Wei was only wearing a snow-white inner robe, his hair was in a mess as he hugged his quilt and looked back at him with a confused expression. Meng Yunfei’s face could not help but turn a little hot as he coughed and asked, “Is Young Master Xiang all right? Are you not feeling well?”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Editor: Sahloknir
In his past life, Gong Wei was known for his cheerfulness and good temper, even among the commoners. But right now, his mood could not be any lower.
What’s worse than being stabbed to death with a sword by your arch-enemy? It was for everyone to know that your corpse has been dismembered.
What is worse than getting killed? It’s to create such resentment that your arch-enemy storms the Ghost Wall, and barges into the Underworld with the intention of bringing your soul back for another round of torment.
And only until he was sure that your soul had been extinguished and could not even reincarnate, would he be able to gain peace of mind enough to return home…
Xu Shuangtze’s back was towards Gong Wei, so he could not read his expression.
Xu Shuangtze was silent for a short while. His voice was slightly stifled as he questioned, “I’m looking for the twenty-eight people who have died this past month in Linjiang City…I still have questions for them. Where are their spirits?”
Hearing his request, the Ghost Judge was stunned and stuttered, “Linjiang City? Th-there-have been dead people from Linjiang City in the past month?”
Listening in to the conversation, Gong Wei thought in his heart that this Judge was about to get into serious trouble. As expected, Xu Shuangtze also did not bother to explain, and ordered him, “Say no more, bring me the Book of Life and Death.”
In a frenzy, the Ghost Judge ordered a skeleton, “Quick!”
There were Twelve Provinces beyond the Ghost Wall and each was presided over by a Ghost Judge. The twelve of them took turns each month to guard the gate to the Underworld, which was the transit point for spirits towards death and reincarnation.
The last time Xu Shuangtze swept through the Twelve Provinces, it had been fair and square as all the Judges were present. No one was late and no one was left unscathed. This time the Ghost Judge standing in front of him was in great misery as he was facing Lord Xu of the Cang Yang Sect all alone. This is the epitome of bloody bad luck.
A short while later, the skeleton with the order came running back with a thick yellow book in hand. The Ghost Judge fumbled and pulled out a staff from his huge body and pointed it at the book while commanding, “Open!”
One by one, majestic golden scrolls swiftly rolled out from the void and fell down, forming eighty-one streams like dazzling waterfalls!
Breaking through the Ghost Wall is at the expense of one’s own lifespan. Gong Wei risked this and snuck down with Xu Shuangtze just for this moment—to find the whereabouts of the little Mei demon’s soul through the Book of Life and Death. If he has not yet crossed the Naihe Bridge, he could find a way to summon the little Mei demon back into his body. If he has been reincarnated, Gong Wei has to at least know where the other party has been reincarnated to, and if he is doing well.
However, as his eyes were fixed on the prize, his whole body froze.
Each of the eighty-one scrolls were empty, there was not a single word written on them.
This could only mean that no one was born and no one has died. The records of the past half a month were blank!
“…” Xu Shuangtze raised his brows. “What’s going on?”
The Ghost Judge inexplicably asked in return, “Immortal Monarch, what is wrong?”
“Why is the Book of Life and Death blank?”
The Ghost Judge affirmed, “A blank record means no one has been born or died, the record will not be wrong!”
Xu Shuangtze frowned more tightly and said, “Sixteen years ago when I came down to the Underworld to look for the soul of the Lotus Immortal, you said that the deceased was not in the Book of Life and Death, which means that his soul has been destroyed and did not enter the reincarnation process. Could all the dead people in the world have their souls destroyed and not be reincarnated as well?”
The Ghost Judge patiently explained, “But the Book of Life and Death cannot be wrong…”
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Ktf rxfifabc yerlis gjaaifv jr la gjc yjmx jcv rtjxlis ygbeuta j ijguf qlif bo sfiibk qjqfgyjmx ybbxr. Ktf Xtbra Aevuf gfjmtfv obg tlr rajoo jujlc, jcv revvfcis atf rxs kjr oeii bo ubivfc rmgbiir ecobivlcu, la kjr j rbifwc, sfa rqfmajmeijg rluta—
Then, Gong Wei’s pupils dilated in disbelief.
All the records of births and deaths in the human world had come to an abrupt end since the beginning of the 28th year of Taiyi.
To be precise, since the day he died under No Way Out sixteen years ago—no one has been born and no one has died, according to the Book of Life and Death!
If it was just a chill he felt in his heart earlier, then at this moment it is a genuine shiver. Gong Wei subconsciously looked at Xu Shuangtze, only to see his thin lips pursed, his face was white, the hand clutching No Way Out had bulging veins. Finally, he said, “The world is full of thousands of beings, how is it possible that in sixteen years no one has been born, and no one has died?”
The Ghost Judge said with dogmatic certainty, “If there is no one born, then there will be none who dies. The Book of Life and Death will not be wrong!”
“You…”
“If there is no one born, then there will be none who dies. The Book of Life and Death will not be wrong!” The Ghost Judge deepened his tone to emphasise, repeating a few times and laughing out loud. “If there is no one born, then there will be none who die. The Book of Life and Death will not be wrong!”
It has become obvious that things in the Underworld are not looking right. It was as if the Ghost Judge only had the mental capacity to answer to this point. The ghosts surrounding began to chime in, “Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake—”
“Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake—”
The voices gathered into a torrent, gushing along the WangChuan River and splashing into the dark and desolate boulders along its banks. Crows flew wildly in all directions, covering the gloomy, grey sky, shrouding the Underworld in darkness.
“Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake—”
The voices echoed and reverberated up the skies. The earth shook violently in a terrible resonance.
“Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake—”
The skeletons opened up their jaws, and all the ghosts seemed intoxicated. The Ghost Judge also appeared to have forgotten everything, and fell backwards in a daze. The surrounding Yin flames swayed and flickered like the rippling surface of the water, then suddenly transformed into countless scarlet petals, cascading towards the sky like giant waves.
—They were the same peach blossoms which appeared in the mortuary at the exact moment when the twenty-eight spirits disappeared!
It was an extraordinary scene, with scarlet clouds drifting across the sky, but there was also an unspeakable eeriness. The next moment, the peach blossom waves swallowed up the sky, with the next wave more ferocious than the previous, until the entire Ghost City was enveloped.
Gong Wei grabbed on to the rock in front of him, but to no avail. It was as if he had been fiercely punched in the face, his ears buzzed and his vision turned black. As he fell backwards, a gust of wind whistled past his ears…
Plop!
He knelt on the hard ground, feeling a raw pain on his knees and his head spinning. A wave of nausea set in, and from above his head, a nightmarish voice came, “Who’s there?”
The petite back of Gong Wei straightened up and he slowly raised his head.
His surroundings had already reverted to the dimly lit mortuary of the Medical Village, with the twenty-eight coffins still open. Not far from him, Xu Shuangtze stared at him with a gaze like frost and snow, saying, “Come out.”
“…”
The air was frozen solid.
Gong Wei shuffled two steps on his knees. His face was pale white and his lips trembled, “Your-your Lordship, please forgive me. I was-I was just…” He could not finish his sentence before retching uncontrollably.
This performance was not staged—Gong Wei’s body had always been hardy. If he was alive, he could easily tour the Underworld for three full days without so much as a gasp. But the little Mei demon’s body was just too weak and could not avoid damage to the soul as they transitioned out of the Ghost Realm. Coupled with the close proximity to No Way Out, his heart spasmed violently as he gasped for air and this caused his vision to dim.
There was nothing he could vomit but he continued to retch. Then, Gong Wei felt something cold coming into contact with his skin as his chin was raised by the hilt of No Way Out.
Xu Shuangtze leaned down, Gong Wei was forced to tilt his head to look directly into his sunken, cold, black eyes. Suddenly, his nausea was gone.
—Xu Shuangtze was a cleanliness freak.
If Gong Wei had dared to vomit on the scabbard of No Way Out, the little Mei demon’s body would be cut into countless pieces on the spot.
“Xiang Xiaoyuan.” Xu Shuangtze called out word by word.
Gong Wei maintained his posture, but the platinum scabbard reflected his widened and panic-stricken eyes.
“That ghost cultivator was chasing after you. What did it want?” Xu Shuangtze stared at his pupils and slowly asked, “If it is the Lotus Immortal…then what are you?”
“…Your-your Lordship, please spare my life…” ‘Xiang Xiaoyuan’s’ trembling and flustered voice rang out, “I didn’t mean to do it, I won’t dare again, please forgive me…”
Outside the door, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard, but Xu Shuangtze ignored them, narrowed his eyes and asked, “You went down to the Ghost City with me earlier?”
“I-I-I didn’t see…”
Xu Shuangtze’s voice deepened, “What did you see?!”
Bang!
The door was forcefully pushed open, and Yuchi Xiao crossed the threshold with quick steps, arriving at the scene before him, and said with a hoarse voice, “Lord Xu, please spare him! Xiang Xiaoyuan has injured his shoulder and has difficulty moving. He was left behind due to our negligence. Please be merciful, Your Lordship!”
—The tense atmosphere was instantly broken up.
Xu Shuangtze glanced at Yuchi Xiao with suspicion and finally took a deep breath, straightened up and loosened his ‘grip’ on ‘Xiang Xiaoyuan’.
Gong Wei couldn’t care less and dashed towards Yuchi Xiao. His wound was now soaked in blood and he trembled due to the pain. Yuchi Xiao was startled by his swift movement, but still gave him a ‘look’ to direct Gong Wei to hide behind him.
Xu Shuangtze asked, “What do you want?”
Earlier on, Yuchi Xiao realised that the little Mei demon did not catch up, and turned back for him. But he did not dare to mention this. Instead, he thought of another excuse to divert Xu Shuangtze’s attention, “Report…Reporting back to Your Lordship, I heard the cries of ghosts and guessed that Your Lordship had opened the gate to the Underworld so I hurried back. Has Your Lordship discovered anything in the Ghost City?”
“No.”
“Oh?”
Xu Shuangtze said indifferently, “I did not discover anything.”
Yuchi Xiao replied stiffly, “Is that so? Then it seems that the investigation will take more time. This junior…will take my leave now?”
Xu Shuangtze did not even bother to answer.
Yuchi Xiao feared annoying him further, with a tug, he dragged Gong Wei out of the mortuary.
Gong Wei almost stumbled as he crossed the threshold. Outside the mortuary, the daylight was blinding. He was held by the back of his collar by Yuchi Xiao. As he turned his head back towards the door, he could still see Xu Shuangtze standing by the rows of coffins, his silhouette as upright and lonely as a sword.
“Gong Wei,” he suddenly spoke.
Gong Wei’s heart tightened. He saw Xu Shuangtze looking at the dim, dull void in front of him, as if he was speaking to some non-existent ghost. Each and every word was spoken extremely calmly and clearly, “If you lie to me one more time, I will make you regret that you dared to die on me back then.”
The carved door closed with a click, sealing the mortuary in a thick darkness.
—
“What were you thinking? Why did you stay there? Do you want to die so badly?” Yuchi Xiao continued to grip onto the back of Gong Wei’s collar as he reprimanded.
Gong Wei sluggishly covered his head with both hands, “I was injured, I couldn’t walk fast and you ran away without waiting for me…Ouch!”
Yuchi Xiao knocked his head with his knuckle, “If you do this again, I will ignore you! How dare you disobey the orders of Lord Xu? Are you tired of living?”
It was already late in the afternoon when the two returned to the inn. Gong Wei was thirsty and tired. He originally wanted to argue with Yuchi Xiao, saying that he never expected the young swordsman to protect him and even if he did, he wasn’t doing a good job, given the number of injuries inflicted on him.
On second thought, he still had to rely on Young Swordsman Yuchi to lead him to his uncle, the Sword Sect Master, in order for him to escape from the devilish claws of Lord Xu. With this thought, he shamefully put forth a pitiable expression and, full of emotion said, “Young Swordsman, you are really a good man. Please do not fuss over a non-human being like me. You are really my loving and righteous benefactor…”
Yuchi Xiao suddenly had goosebumps all over, “Shut up! This is too fake!”
Gong Wei: “Tch! Why are you so picky!”
Yuchi Xiao suddenly stood still, his tall figure blocking the inn’s corridor. He glanced around to make sure there was no one else before he asked with a straight face, “There’s something I haven’t had a chance to ask you yet.”
“What?”
“How did you control Su Qing when you fought against that ghost cultivator outside the Prince’s Residence?”
Gong Wei pretended to be confused, “What ‘Su Qing’?”
“Among the famous families’ younger generation disciples, I am among the top three in terms of combat power. Below me is the outer disciple of Lord Xu, Wen Xiuyang and below him is Meng Yunfei. Although Yunfei’s ‘Su Qing‘ sword is not as powerful as his guqin, it is also a famous immortal sword. How did you, a little Mei demon who just built your cultivation foundation, take the Su Qing sword from him?”
Yuchi Xiao was at least a head taller than Gong Wei, he had thick, sword shaped brows and cold, bright eyes, he was now frowning slightly and staring straight at him.
“…”
Gong Wei was silent for a moment, closed his eyes and said, “You made a mistake.”
Yuchi Xiao continued frowning, “What are you hiding? I can’t possibly—”
His words stopped abruptly as Gong Wei widened his eyes, and his right pupil turned blood red.
“You made a mistake,” Gong Wei said in a soft voice.
Sound, light, and consciousness were all rapidly drawn from him, and Yuchi Xiao was suddenly plunged into an endless abyss. His mind blanked out from the descent and all he could hear was the boundless wind which swept past his ears. Gong Wei’s smile and beautiful face was moving further and further away from his view and then a loud sound came from above—
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Sahl – Ooh! Cliffhanger…Or is it…? *Tries to look mysterious* Also, Xu Shuangtze is not happy with your death, Gong Wei… I wonder why? Ahem.
Boom!
Yuchi Xiao stumbled and was held by Gong Wei with one arm. “Young Master? What happened to you?”
Before him was still the scene of the inn’s corridor once more, but it was already dark. The errand boy’s hurried footsteps and greetings to other customers could be heard in the distance. Within inches of his view, there was ‘Xiang Xiaoyuan’s’s concerned gaze and clear, black eyes staring back.
Yuchi Xiao was still in a daze and he felt that he seemed to have forgotten something, but it also felt like nothing had happened in front of the Prince’s Residence. He forcibly shut his eyes and then opened them again only to see ‘Xiang Xiaoyuan’s’ smiling face, he was wearing a loose robe, his beauty was definitely not from the realm of humans.
Gong Wei teased, “Young Master, be careful.”
Yuchi Xiao’s heart raced and beat like a drum as he took half a step back flustered, not being able to say a word for a moment.
“—You,” he said sharply, “Why are you so close to me!?”
The distance between the two was lengthened. Gong Wei nonchalantly and innocently reached out to hold his hand, “To support you better.”
As he paused, a faint fragrance wisped out from his robe sleeves like the first dawn of spring. But Yuchi Xiao was not sure if it was his own illusion, he could only subconsciously force himself to look away, and hastily waved his hand, “I’m going back to the room, you should hurry back to rest too.”
Gong Wei smilingly agreed.
Yuchi Xiao turned and left, but thought of something after a few steps. He turned back and intentionally directed his gaze at the floor this time, in a stern voice he said, “Don’t mess with Lord Xu if you don’t want to die!”
Gong Wei nodded. “En, understood!”
Before the words were out of his mouth, he saw Yuchi Xiao darted back into the room like an arrow, as if he was running away. Then, he slammed the door behind him heavily with a bang.
“?” Gong Wei shrugged, “Strange.”
—
Finally he got rid of Young Swordsman Yuchi. Gong Wei was thirsty and his entire body was in pain. He rubbed the back of his neck and returned to his room. The first thing he did was to chug down a large cup of water, then he fell back on his bed and heaved a long sigh of relief.
Yuchi Xiao had previously turned down the offer to stay at the Prince’s Residence or at a local Immortal Sect. Instead, he chose to spend money to reserve rooms at a secluded inn. This move was wise. It allowed them to avoid the smaller local Immortal Sects and independent cultivators’ incessant visits in an attempt to pull strings for their own agendas. Once the room’s door was shut, it was a sanctuary of peace, sealed away from other disturbances.
Gong Wei stared at the ceiling of the inn and shoved the strange behaviour of Yuchi Xiao to the back of his mind. His brain now was occupied by countless random thoughts. He thought of the strange blank pages in the Book of Life and Death for the past sixteen years.
Ktfc tf qbcvfgfv tbk We Vtejcuahf wjcjufv ab rabgw atgbeut atf Xtbra Jlas jcv atf Kkfinf Ugbnlcmfr atja sfjg. Lf jirb kbcvfgfv ktb kbeiv erf tlr, Xbcu Qfl’r, cjwf jcv klfiv tlr rkbgv ab mbwwla rfcrfifrr wegvfgr… Coafg ublcu atgbeut jii atfrf mtjbalm atbeutar, tf ugjvejiis mjiwfv vbkc. Dea jc lggfqgfrrlyif atbeuta rbbc fwfgufv.
Did I lie to Xu Shuangtze?
But twenty years ago it was he who wanted to enter the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm. How can whatever has happened in the realm be called a lie?
Gong Wei felt an injustice from the bottom of his heart and rolled over in bed. He thought that when he first met Xu Shuangtze, that man was clearly good-tempered and not as cold and heartless as he became later. Gong Wei had just been picked up by Ying Kai from the peach forest of Cang Yang Mountain. For some reason, Xu Shuangtze visited the Immortal Alliance’s Correctional Palace often. Every time he did so, he brought Gong Wei food and snacks, books to draw on. He personally taught him how to read and write, and once even gave him a small suona to play with.
Those were the most harmonious years they shared.
Like most things, good times do not last long. As he grew up, the many ‘different and non-human’ traits and manifestations in his body did not fade with time, but became more pronounced. He still liked to eat flowers, naturally imitated the behaviour of those around him and his demonic, blood-red right pupil would appear from time to time. Xu Shuangtze who seemed to sense something amiss, gradually grew cold and distant towards him, and the many subtle cracks between them also quietly surfaced.
But Gong Wei did not take it to heart.
Gong Wei grew up with an incredibly good temper. To everyone he met, he was exceedingly curious, friendly and tolerant, as if nothing in this world could anger him. He was especially close with Xu Shuangtze, and although he never understood how or when he offended Lord Xu, he was never displeased by his coldness and only ever felt puzzled.
—Then that accident happened.
Gong Wei survived an assassination attempt which caused Ying Kai to be furious. He decided to cripple the unorthodox style of some families and announced the establishment of a Disciplinary Court and appointed Gong Wei as the Chief of the Department of Discipline.
At that time, Gong Wei’s mental state had not fully matured. It was already a feat for him to control himself, let alone having to manage the disciples of other families. Therefore, Ying Kai took up the responsibility of supervising the Discipline Court personally, while allowing Gong Wei to follow and learn. With the appointment, Gong Wei’s new status would deter unwanted offences from prominent sects and families and reduce any unnecessary suffering.
It was a good idea, but unexpectedly, this decision was met with an unprecedented and firm opposition from Lord Xu.
That day, Xu Shuangtze came to the Immortal Alliance and had a heated argument with Ying Kai at the Correctional Palace. It just so happened that Gong Wei ran in happily to offer up a treasure as a gift to Xu Shuangtze. He overheard every detail of the argument, including Xu Shuangtze’s extremely hurtful and harsh words, that he had never once spoken to his face before.
For the first time in his life, Gong Wei was angry.
That was the first clash between him and Xu Shuangtze.
That time, the conflict came and went quickly, because the always unrelenting Lord Xu who rarely backed down, did not say a word and walked away without any retaliation.
Fortunately, because he did not fight back, the conflict did not worsen right from the start.
In the following years, the Cang Yang Sect and Gong Wei came into all sorts of friction and all kinds of unhappiness arose. No matter how many times Ying Kai stepped in to mediate, it was useless. The discord between Xu Shuangtze and Gong Wei finally spread and became known to everyone.
—If the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm did not exist, perhaps the conflict would not have evolved and simply remained at the state of frequent, but mild friction. Later, it might not even have caused the two men to spiral into an irreconcilable state.
But unfortunately, Lord Xu’s destiny dictated this fate.
Twenty years ago, Xu Shuangtze had a breakthrough in his cultivation and reached the middle stage of Dhyana. He had to enter the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm to break another barrier, in order to reach the late Dhyana stage.
There was only one person in the entire world who could fully control the ancient divine weapon, so Ying Kai could not step in, but strictly ordered Gong Wei to escort Xu Shuangtze throughout the whole process without any failings.
“…Cang Yang Sect Master’s life is full of killing obstacles, if they are not removed, it would be difficult for him to ascend and consequently would lead to the loss of more innocent lives…In the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm, in illusion, people can be reincarnated, age, fall sick and die. A century in the illusionary realm is merely a passing moment in reality. Once you lead the Cang Yang Sect Master into the illusionary realm, let him reincarnate as a general’s son or a warlord. Allow him to kill more than ten thousand enemies on the battlefield to expend his killing obstacles, before returning him to the present world…”
It was no secret that Xu Shuangtze had a lot of killing obstacles in his life. Some even said that if it weren’t for this, he would have already achieved his ascension.
In order to become an Immortal, one must break through all kinds of obstacles and overcome tribulations in life—for some, they could be relationship obstacles, others are mental obstacles, and the most difficult to overcome are the killing barriers.
Most of the immortal cultivators with killing obstacles are strong, but since ancient times, very few have had a good end, because most of them went off the rails when these killing tribulations arrived. There are husband and wife who ended up slaughtering each other, there are disciples who massacred their sects, and others were inflicted with long-term distortion of the mind, who slowly degenerated into demonic beings—severed of their seven human emotions and six desires.
In order to suppress the killing obstacles, Xu Shuangtze cultivated the Path of No Emotions from a young age. He was a natural talent and within just a century, he rose into the Mahayana realm. But if there was no way to completely resolve his killing obstacles he would never be able to ascend. The higher his cultivation level is, the harder it is to break the killing obstacles. If he were to go off the rails, then there would be thousands of people who would be killed.
Of course, Ying Kai cannot allow him to go on a killing rampage in this world and could only send him into the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm where, under the guidance and protection of the illusionary realm, he could vent this horrible desire to kill.
“I did resolve his killing obstacles.” Gong Wei used both his hands to cushion his head like a pillow. He thought in a daze, “I followed him into the illusionary realm and laboriously supported him. But when he returned, he swung No Way Out at me and wanted me to pay with my life—how did it become my fault?”
He yawned and unknowingly closed his eyelids as the last strand of his consciousness slipped into a dark bliss.
—
It was an extremely restless night and Gong Wei slipped in and out of many trance-like dreams, but all he could see were fragmented scenes. He saw a battlefield with beacons of smoke rising up and blood everywhere as dead bodies piled up into small mountains. A young general in silver and white armour huddled under the trenches with one hand tightly covering his eyes. Blood was constantly trickling down from his palm and winding down his entire arm. His shoulders trembled because of the pain.
Gong Wei carefully tiptoed across the ground, which was soaked in blood and littered with flesh. He walked to the general, bent down and examined him for a long time. Gong Wei then reached out to touch the general’s hands, which were tightly covering his eyes. He thought that it was an interesting sight and could not help but gently laugh.
The general leaned back warily, “Who is it?”
The wind and sand carried the stench of rust and blood as it swept away towards the distant chaotic sky. Other than that, everything else was silent.
“…” After a long time, the general’s dry, cracked lips barely moved and he hoarsely said, “Are you a ghost? “
In the twinkling of an eye, the scene changed into a view of lush, green hills and clear running streams. A wisp of smoke rose up from a chimney and within a small farm yard, the squawk of chickens and barking of dogs could be heard. A rope tied onto the well creaked as it was pulled and out came a bucket full of water. As Gong Wei carelessly lifted it up, water splashed everywhere and only half a bucket was left. He casually tore off a piece of cloth, dipped it in water to gently cleaned the general’s bare chest, which had numerous crisscrossed, bloodstained slashes. The bucket of water was very quickly stained red.
He did not care and poured away the water to get more again, but this time his wrist was suddenly held onto by another person.
The sound of whispers came from the blindfolded man in front of him. The man unclasped a gold bracelet from his right arm then fumbled to put it on Gong Wei’s left arm, right above his elbow.
The gold bracelet had a very rare shape. It had three wavy spirals connected at the beginning and end forming an irregular structure. On it, there were dense and intricate runes and seal characters carved.
“—I’ve been wearing it for as long as I can remember, and have forgotten where it came from.” The man’s voice was very low, but mellow and comforting, saying, “Thank you for saving my life.”
Gong Wei tilted his head to look at him, and looked down at the gold bracelet on his arm. He felt an interesting sensation, which made him smile.
The scenes changed countlessly as if time was flashing past him. Gong Wei drifted in and out of dreams and saw the constellations shifted, events came and went, he also saw red pillars and bloodshed.
In the scene of the final collapse of the illusionary world, a majestic sword glare blazed through the cold night, breaking through the fog like a bolt of lightning. The cold sword blade was right in front of his eyes before Lord Xu’s thunderous face appeared behind the sword glare. Every word he spoke was filled with a killing intent, “You dared to kill my wife, today you will pay with your life, Gong Wei—!
Gong Wei forced open his eyes, his clothes were now soaked through with cold sweat.
Outside the window, the sky was bright, and it was already noon.
Duk duk duk
A sound of knocking came from outside the room, and a clear and gentle voice rang out, “Young Master Xiang? Are you okay?”
It was Meng Yunfei.
“…” Gong Wei sat dumbfounded for a moment. Meng Yunfei called out several more times but did not get any response so the rapping sound on the door started again. Still in a daze, Gong Wei spoke, “I’m fine, I…”
The door swung open, and Meng Yunfei broke through with a grimace, and met Gong Wei who was sitting on the bed. His tense expression suddenly relaxed, “Sorry! I thought…”
Luckily he swallowed back the words “thought you had met with a mishap“.
Gong Wei was only wearing a snow-white inner robe, his hair was in a mess as he hugged his quilt and looked back at him with a confused expression. Meng Yunfei’s face could not help but turn a little hot as he coughed and asked, “Is Young Master Xiang all right? Are you not feeling well?”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
