Chapter 44 – Snow Melts into Spring
Yun Xie spoke right besides Jiang Xunyi’s ear, his warm breath brushing over Jiang Xunyi’s skin in a way that made his scalp tingle. Jiang Xunyi pushed Yun Xie away with a roll of his eyes, exclaiming, “Disgusting!”
Yun Xie laughed contentedly. Jiang Xunyi continued, “Didn’t you just get beat to death? Why are you still alive? You even ran into the book like me… did you go into the past?”
“Yes,” Master He Deng added. “Just now, Master Jiang believed Sect Master Yun was killed by me and almost fought to the death with me. Luckily, you didn’t really die, otherwise these old bones might not even be enough for him to fight.”
“No I didn’t!” Jiang Xunyi quickly lied. “Old man, don’t think you can say whatever you want just because I didn’t mention the fact that you pushed me just now.”
Master He Deng laughed without saying anything and Yun Xie added, “Rest assured, I’m okay – in fact, as long as you no longer hate me and alienate me, nothing in the world can hurt me anymore.”
Jiang Xunyi’s face froze, but he didn’t call Yun Xie disgusting. He was no longer distracted by his squabbling with Master He Deng. For the first time, he turned his head to look directly at Yun Xie.
Yun Xie smiled silently, his eyes soft, head slightly angled. His long eyelashes cast a fan-like shadow below his eyes.
Jiang Xunyi was quiet for a long while before he finally sighed. “After you recognized me, why didn’t you explain? Why didn’t you say you were led astray by the devil in your heart?”
A bitter and slightly pained smile appeared on Yun Xie’s face. At this point, they seemed to forget about the existence of Master He Deng.
“There’s nothing to explain. I dare not ask you to forgive me because I can’t forgive myself. It is my fault. My.. my mind was weak. At the Heart Demon Sea I had already hurt you once, and I made another big mistake later. If… you really can’t come back, I don’t even know how long I could last.”
Jiang Xunyi didn’t know how to tell Yun Xie about the whole ordeal with Xuan Li. His heart ached from Yun Xie’s sad words. He took the initiative to step forward and place a hand on Yun Xie’s shoulder.
“I am also at fault… Actually, I had already made up my mind before I entered the temple. We grew up together and our lives are entwined. No matter what, I can’t bring myself to ignore you. You don’t have to mention the past ever again… after all, you are my best brother.”
“……！！！”Σ( ° △°|||)︴
Yun Xie couldn’t believe it. “We went through all of that and you still think of me as a brother? Did you not see my feelings just now?”
“I can see that you’re feeling really irritable,” Jiang Xunyi answered honestly. He looked at Yun Xie’s expression and thought that he was very moved, so he patted Yun Xie’s shoulder. In a sure tone, he continued, “Naturally, since we have been brothers all our lives, I will treat you as my brother forever.”
Yun Xie felt a little like crying.
Without giving Yun Xie an opportunity to cry out, Master He Deng finally caught an opportunity to intervene. “Now that the knot in Master Jiang’s heart has been untangled, what are your plans?”
Jiang Xunyi spoke concisely. “From where I came is where I shall go. On the outside, many people are waiting to settle accounts with me. I can’t hide in your temple for my entire life.” He looked at He Deng seriously and said some rare good words. “Today, Yun Xie and I were able to relieve our previous doubts, and for that, we have to thank the Master.”
“Those things, do you understand it all?” Master He Deng said.
Jiang Xunyi’s lips raised. “I didn’t understand before I died. When I died once, I kept thinking about it. I’ll know anything I don’t understand once I go out and ask.”
He smiled quite coldly. On the outside, Master He Deng said Jiang Xunyi was stupid, but in reality, he knew that he was very keen. In addition, a fox with a face full of smiles was also by his side. In the world, there was no one as shrewd. With these two together, as long as there wasn’t any infighting, nothing bad could happen.
He felt relieved. “Since this is the case, you-“
Before he could finish, Yun Xie had already squeezed in from behind, pulling Jiang Xunyi back. He leaned in front of Master He Deng and asked, “Wait, I was hurt before and felt a tremendous pain in my chest. My spiritual power was also weakened. Why did these problems seem to disappear after you hit me? In addition, I seemed to go to the past and met A’Xun!”
“With regard to your physical condition, Sect Master Yun can stop worrying. You had a knot in your heart, so your spiritual energy was stagnant. In addition, there were several times where you forcibly raised your cultivation, which caused serious internal injury. In that moment, I already opened up the spirit veins of your entire body. It will be fine once you go back and rest for a few days.
Yun Xie was annoyed. “This sucks. Now how would I pretend to be pitiful?”
Master He Deng was speechless.
“Master, don’t stop talking, I still have questions about what happened after,” Yun Xie reminded.
He had thought that Master He Deng would definitely avoid the subject and refuse to answer. Unexpectedly, by asking, he saw Master He Deng pull out a cloth bag.
Yun Xie looked at the shape of the object within and asked, “Knife?”
Master He Deng really took out a short knife from the cloth bag, but the shape of the knife was very strange. The back of the knife was extremely curved and the blade was extremely blunt. It looked like killing chickens with would be difficult, let alone a person.
Yun Xie was someone who could recognize legendary items, and as soon as he saw the knife, he was shocked. “Death Blade? This is a legendary weapon capable of splitting time and space. It actually exists?”
Master He Deng let him take a look before he put it away: “Sect Master Yun is well-informed. This is precisely the Death Blade. I used this to bring the two of you back to the past, and I have to congratulate Sect Master Yun for defeating your past and changing your ending. Perhaps your state of mind will have a breakthrough.”
Yun Xie was really moved this time, his eyes trembling. He was about to say something when Jiang Xunyi patted Yun Xie’s shoulder behind him and said, “You go out and wait for me for a while.”
Yun Xie smiled at him and didn’t move.
Jiang Xunyi frankly said, “I have something to hide from you, and I want to tell the master. Go out, don’t listen.”
He finished the sentence, which sounded definitely unacceptable to ordinary people. However, Yun Xie was not an ordinary person. His eyes rolled quietly and said with a smile: “A’Xun, what do you have to say to him and not me? I say, this is too mean. Look, compared to the old man, I am younger, more beautiful, and more understanding. You might as well – ow!”
Jiang Xunyi slammed his foot on Yun Xie’s foot. “Leave. Right. Now!” he said with his teeth gritted together.
Yun Xie smiled, and actually stopped asking before he obediently left.
Jiang Xunyi then turned to look at Master He Deng and crossed his arms. “This matter is very important to me. I have to say a few words so don’t blame me. Master He Deng, dare I ask where you come from?”
Master He Deng put his hands together, in the solemn style of Buddha. “Naturally, I come from my place of origin.”
Seeing Master He Deng nod, Jiang Xunyi calmed down and continued. “This is a bit weird. Is the reason you pay so much attention to my attitude towards Yun Xie because of the task or because of him? No matter what my purpose in helping Yun Xie is, what does this have to do with you?”
When Jiang Xunyi asked, he wasn’t very confident. However, by hearing this sentence, he had an idea and waved his hand. “Don’t fool me with that mysterious bullshit. Uh, how about this, I ask you, do you know planes, trains, TVs, computers… um, and Chen Derong?”
He was going to say Zhao Liying, but when he thought about it, based on the age of the old man, Zhao Liying hadn’t debuted yet before he transmigrated. He thought hard for a long time, and finally found a name that should resonate.
Sure enough, Master He Deng suddenly moved when he heard the last three words, slapping Jiang Xunyi’s shoulder. “I didn’t know someone as young as you would know Chen Derong! Promising. The one she acts with, um, Ma Jingtao, is my favorite!” he said, full of excitement.
Jiang Xunyi was speechless. He felt that the other party had insulted the term lao na[1].
He also remembered that Master He Deng latched onto chicken legs not long ago and shrugged his shoulders. “So you also admit that you transmigrated?”
Yun Xie is not here anymore, so Master He Deng didn’t hide anymore and instead nodded calmly: “But when I came in, this book was still called ‘Wind Demon Sword Sovereign’, and the protagonist was not that Yun Xie kid.”
“Sect Master Yun” became “that Xie kid” as soon as he left. Jiang Xunyi glared at him before asking, “How did you get into Yun Qi Tian Lan again? … Ah, that’s not it.”
After he finished this sentence, his brain finally reacted. “When you came, you said this book is also called ‘Wind Demon Sword Sovereign’, which means that this is actually a book in a series story?”
Master He Deng’s eyes flashed in surprise and nodded.
Jiang Xunyi shrugged his shoulders and didn’t continue to ask about this book.
Instead, he thought about it and asked, “Master, you just asked me if it’s only because the system said that Sect Master Yun is the key to going home that I care about his well-being, help him without complaint and regret, and stay by his side even after he killed me once, right?”
Master He Deng narrowed his eyes and looked at Jiang Xunyi. It wasn’t until now that he realized that the handsome young man in front of him was really not easy to deal with. If there were any mistakes, he would be able to notice it in an instant.
He originally didn’t want to say too much, but at this time, he couldn’t help but appreciate his talent. With a shake of his head, he said, “Why would I concerned about that? What I am concerned about is whether you regard life here as real life. Did Master Jiang ever think about just why you were brought here? Are you living in this place to die according to other people’s regulations?”
Jiang Xunyi wanted to stop talking, and He Deng saw his hesitation. “Relax, this temple is the only place under the sky that can shield the signal of the system. However, you can’t be too casual once you leave.”
Even so, Jiang Xunyi slightly lowered his voice: “Are you suggesting that I resist the system?”
Master He Deng did not answer him positively: “I have always heard that Jiang Xunyi is proud and dust-free, and he is by no means a person who can easily be manipulated. Now, are you really willing to live a life like this? If I let you choose yourself, then would you kill Xuan Li? Would you save mortals?”
Jiang Xunyi lowered his eyes and softly said, “Of course, the debt I owe to myself must be settled.”
Master He Deng had expected his answer long ago: “You have a duty to complete the tasks entrusted to you[2]. Maybe by acting according to your own will, you can find the real answer.”
Jiang Xunyi immediately asked, “Entrusted to me by who?”
“Buddha said, ‘Unspeakable.’”
Jiang Xunyi was speechless. He was normal for only three seconds and now here he goes again.
He felt that nothing could be gained anymore, and he suddenly smiled. “The master has given me so much, and I am very grateful. Do you want to listen to my ideas?”
Master He Deng smiled and said: “If you want to say them, I certainly want to hear.”
“I’ve been here so long that I mostly understand the system. I died in the last life, which is basically equivalent to ‘game over’. This is actually not my fault, and it is instead caused by a system bug, so I received a chance to change the status and live again. Based on this, the mission system from before can no longer interfere with me and force me to kill my mother, rape, and seek death. Instead, the system will issue me new tasks based on the identity of ‘Du Heng’.”
Master He Deng did not expect Jiang Xunyi to analyze the truth. He originally wanted to make a few comments. Instead, not only did he have nothing to say, he was deeply impressed by his words. Seeing him pause, he couldn’t help but ask, “Then what?”
Jiang Xunyi put his hands together: “Actually, I have been thinking about why I came to this world to do these weird things. What is the system’s purpose? I’m guessing the system gets energy from completion of plot points, so I will definitely get the corresponding punishment for avoiding a task. Then… if I have to complete my task, can I destroy the plot from another angle and deplete the energy of the system a little at a time?”
As he spoke, a slight expression of excitement appeared on his cold face. “For example, let’s say that one day the system gave me a task to beat you up. After I finish the task, the system can’t control me anymore. Next, according to the plot, you will hold a grudge and join Yun Xie to deal with me. At this time, the system did not tell me how to deal with Yun Xie, so I can kill him first, then the plot involving you and Yun Xie dealing with me would be ruined… so if this continues, one day the script will be full of holes, and eventually the energy source of the system will disappear.”
Master He Deng was silent for a while before he finally said: “…Except for the fact that your example was a little strange, your other ideas are very successful, I think it can be tried.”
He looked at Jiang Xunyi, eyes filled with something inexplicable. “I had once thought that with your temperament, it would be hard to happily complete the tasks, but I didn’t expect you to have thought of this much.”
Jiang Xunyi smiled slightly: “One more thing thing to do is worse than one less thing to do. I used to think that this wasn’t necessary.” As he spoke, he cracked his knuckles. “But now it violates my bottom line. Master has suffocated for such a long time, I’m really sorry for not doing anything.”
Master He Deng said: “The key now is that without the system, you will never know what the plot should be and how should you change it?”
After he finished speaking, he saw Jiang Xunyi glance at Yun Qi Tian Lan on the table and smiled bitterly. “This is useless, because even if I wanted to, I can’t give you this book, let alone let you to read it.”
Jiang Xunyi crossed his arms. “I understand. Although I don’t know how you made this temple, since you haven’t left the world in this book, I guess you are also constrained by the laws of the system and can’t do some things. I don’t like forcing people to do things. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. No matter what, today I would like to thank the master for your help. Take care, I’m leaving, bye.”
He walked away without any lingering emotions, but instead, Master He Deng felt uncomfortable. He always felt that Jiang Xunyi was not a person who could give up so easily. He thought about it for a long while, and then he slapped his legs and scolded: “Those two stinky boys!”
He forgot Jiang Xunyi’s ability to remember everything he saw! Yun Xie and Jiang Xunyi have always been able to understand each other very well. He didn’t know what method Jiang Xunyi used to hint at Yun Xie to stick to him and distract him with small talk, but in that time, Jiang Xunyi took the opportunity to glance over the book, remember a rough idea, and what more did he need to say?
Jiang Xunyi walked out of the gate. The world was suddenly filled with light and the mountain temple as well as the deep paths disappeared.
There was no sun in the ancient temple. It was only when he came out, that found that the cold night had gradually faded. The curtain of the sky was opened, and the morning light was revealed.
A man in white was standing under the tree with his back to him, absent-mindedly playing with a willow branch in his hand. He was tall and outstanding, and the sunlight surrounded his body with a rim of gold.
Jiang Xunyi squinted and brought his hands to his forehead to block the light. With a loud voice, he shouted, “Yun Xie!”
Yun Xie turned back when he heard the sound. Their eyes met. Yun Xie’s eyes were very bright and deep, and there was a smile on his lips.
Waiting could be compared to a self-made prison. Time slows to a stop as the whole world seems to be frozen at the moment of separation. No matter how painful it was, he stubbornly refused to leave and refused to forget.
This time, he was finally reunited with the person who he was willing to wait for.
Just this short distance seemed equal to three thousand miles of turbulent water and thousands of years of separation. Jiang Xunyi crossed over in a few strides, walked in front of Yun Xie, stretched his hands and smacked his chest.
He didn’t use much strength, but Yun Xie suddenly felt a terrible pain in his chest. His body trembled once and all his tender feelings melted into rolling water.
“Jiang Xunyi!” he cursed. “Are you looking for beating?”
Jiang Xunyi sneered: “Huh?”
Yun Xie suddenly startled and stood obediently while covering his chest, giving Jiang Xunyi a pitiful look: “Xunyi-gege[3], I’ve have devotedly followed you for so long. I desperately beg for forgiveness and all I ask for is just a smile, but you even ruthlessly raise your hand against me. Even if I didn’t suffer any internal injuries, my heart is still about to break into pieces.”
Jiang Xunyi made a “pei” sound then pressed several points on his chest, expression unreadable. “Forcefully advancing – I was wondering how you were so powerful before. Yun Xie, If you are tired of life, you can find a more joyful way of death next time.”
His fingers were slender and strong, and he pressed Yun Xie‘s acupuncture points with just the right force, which alleviated his pain. At the same time, a cold fragrance of indifference drifted from his sleeve[4], but, conversely, his actions made people feel warm. The unreasonable smile on Yun Xie’s face gradually gathered up, and he inexplicably felt touched from the bottom of his heart.
He took a deep breath and just as he was about to say something. Yun Xie quickly followed with, “So, was it really you who raped Qiu-shijie[5]?”
“…”
“No!” Jiang Xunyi resolutely exclaimed.
Yun Xie was fired up. “Why did you have to admit it? Otherwise, none of this would’ve happened. Jiang Xunyi, I finally understand why that old man He Deng said you are stupid like a pig. I totally agree with him!”
“I have to remind you that he is talking about the two of us,” Jiang Xunyi said unkindly. He paused for a moment and spoke again. “You don’t have to excite me, you can rest assured that some things have to be kept a secret because of time. I won’t hide things from you forever.”
He showed such obvious anomalies. His speech was inconsistent, and Yun Xie was shrewd. Although he didn’t ask, he actually had a lot of doubts in his heart, so tried to indirectly test him.
Jiang Xunyi really didn’t want to hide things from Yun Xie, but he didn’t know how to tell him. To tell the truth, until now, if it wasn’t for the system sometimes appearing to remind him of its existence, even he would have no clue whether or not it was real.
Yun Xie looked at Jiang Xunyi and smiled, but he didn’t deny it. Suddenly, he changed the subject and mentioned official business. “What are you going to do now? From my perspective, we have been chased so many times, shouldn’t we go back and settle the debt for those ‘eloquent masters’?”
“We only have two people, but they are a gang. Do you think the odds are good?” Jiang Xunyi joked.
Yun Xie smiled: “To deal with people, we have to rely on the brain. If we can’t beat them, it can be used.”
Jiang Xunyi held his chin, his eyes flashing. “What’s the plan?”
“Sowing discord? Use our beauty?”
Jiang Xunyi raised his eyebrows, his eyes fixed on Yun Xie’s face for a long time. The two could not help laughing at the same time.
[1] 老衲 – the monk refers to himself as lao na which is how old monks refer to themselves. They have to stay celibate.
[2] 受人之托，忠人之事 – after accepting a request, you must fulfill it
[3] 哥哥 – a cute way to call someone older brother, not necessarily blood related
[4] 师姐 – elder martial sister
[5] In ancient China, perfume and other scents drifted out from their long sleeves and it came to represent beauty.
Chapter 44 – Snow Melts into Spring
Yun Xie spoke right besides Jiang Xunyi’s ear, his warm breath brushing over Jiang Xunyi’s skin in a way that made his scalp tingle. Jiang Xunyi pushed Yun Xie away with a roll of his eyes, exclaiming, “Disgusting!”
Yun Xie laughed contentedly. Jiang Xunyi continued, “Didn’t you just get beat to death? Why are you still alive? You even ran into the book like me… did you go into the past?”
“Yes,” Master He Deng added. “Just now, Master Jiang believed Sect Master Yun was killed by me and almost fought to the death with me. Luckily, you didn’t really die, otherwise these old bones might not even be enough for him to fight.”
“No I didn’t!” Jiang Xunyi quickly lied. “Old man, don’t think you can say whatever you want just because I didn’t mention the fact that you pushed me just now.”
Master He Deng laughed without saying anything and Yun Xie added, “Rest assured, I’m okay – in fact, as long as you no longer hate me and alienate me, nothing in the world can hurt me anymore.”
Jiang Xunyi’s face froze, but he didn’t call Yun Xie disgusting. He was no longer distracted by his squabbling with Master He Deng. For the first time, he turned his head to look directly at Yun Xie.
Yun Xie smiled silently, his eyes soft, head slightly angled. His long eyelashes cast a fan-like shadow below his eyes.
Jiang Xunyi was quiet for a long while before he finally sighed. “After you recognized me, why didn’t you explain? Why didn’t you say you were led astray by the devil in your heart?”
A bitter and slightly pained smile appeared on Yun Xie’s face. At this point, they seemed to forget about the existence of Master He Deng.
“There’s nothing to explain. I dare not ask you to forgive me because I can’t forgive myself. It is my fault. My.. my mind was weak. At the Heart Demon Sea I had already hurt you once, and I made another big mistake later. If… you really can’t come back, I don’t even know how long I could last.”
Jiang Xunyi didn’t know how to tell Yun Xie about the whole ordeal with Xuan Li. His heart ached from Yun Xie’s sad words. He took the initiative to step forward and place a hand on Yun Xie’s shoulder.
“I am also at fault… Actually, I had already made up my mind before I entered the temple. We grew up together and our lives are entwined. No matter what, I can’t bring myself to ignore you. You don’t have to mention the past ever again… after all, you are my best brother.”
“……！！！”Σ( ° △°|||)︴
Yun Xie couldn’t believe it. “We went through all of that and you still think of me as a brother? Did you not see my feelings just now?”
“I can see that you’re feeling really irritable,” Jiang Xunyi answered honestly. He looked at Yun Xie’s expression and thought that he was very moved, so he patted Yun Xie’s shoulder. In a sure tone, he continued, “Naturally, since we have been brothers all our lives, I will treat you as my brother forever.”
Yun Xie felt a little like crying.
Without giving Yun Xie an opportunity to cry out, Master He Deng finally caught an opportunity to intervene. “Now that the knot in Master Jiang’s heart has been untangled, what are your plans?”
Jiang Xunyi spoke concisely. “From where I came is where I shall go. On the outside, many people are waiting to settle accounts with me. I can’t hide in your temple for my entire life.” He looked at He Deng seriously and said some rare good words. “Today, Yun Xie and I were able to relieve our previous doubts, and for that, we have to thank the Master.”
“Those things, do you understand it all?” Master He Deng said.
Jiang Xunyi’s lips raised. “I didn’t understand before I died. When I died once, I kept thinking about it. I’ll know anything I don’t understand once I go out and ask.”
He smiled quite coldly. On the outside, Master He Deng said Jiang Xunyi was stupid, but in reality, he knew that he was very keen. In addition, a fox with a face full of smiles was also by his side. In the world, there was no one as shrewd. With these two together, as long as there wasn’t any infighting, nothing bad could happen.
He felt relieved. “Since this is the case, you-“
Before he could finish, Yun Xie had already squeezed in from behind, pulling Jiang Xunyi back. He leaned in front of Master He Deng and asked, “Wait, I was hurt before and felt a tremendous pain in my chest. My spiritual power was also weakened. Why did these problems seem to disappear after you hit me? In addition, I seemed to go to the past and met A’Xun!”
“With regard to your physical condition, Sect Master Yun can stop worrying. You had a knot in your heart, so your spiritual energy was stagnant. In addition, there were several times where you forcibly raised your cultivation, which caused serious internal injury. In that moment, I already opened up the spirit veins of your entire body. It will be fine once you go back and rest for a few days.
Yun Xie was annoyed. “This sucks. Now how would I pretend to be pitiful?”
Master He Deng was speechless.
“Master, don’t stop talking, I still have questions about what happened after,” Yun Xie reminded.
He had thought that Master He Deng would definitely avoid the subject and refuse to answer. Unexpectedly, by asking, he saw Master He Deng pull out a cloth bag.
Yun Xie looked at the shape of the object within and asked, “Knife?”
Master He Deng really took out a short knife from the cloth bag, but the shape of the knife was very strange. The back of the knife was extremely curved and the blade was extremely blunt. It looked like killing chickens with would be difficult, let alone a person.
Yun Xie was someone who could recognize legendary items, and as soon as he saw the knife, he was shocked. “Death Blade? This is a legendary weapon capable of splitting time and space. It actually exists?”
Master He Deng let him take a look before he put it away: “Sect Master Yun is well-informed. This is precisely the Death Blade. I used this to bring the two of you back to the past, and I have to congratulate Sect Master Yun for defeating your past and changing your ending. Perhaps your state of mind will have a breakthrough.”
Yun Xie was really moved this time, his eyes trembling. He was about to say something when Jiang Xunyi patted Yun Xie’s shoulder behind him and said, “You go out and wait for me for a while.”
Yun Xie smiled at him and didn’t move.
Jiang Xunyi frankly said, “I have something to hide from you, and I want to tell the master. Go out, don’t listen.”
He finished the sentence, which sounded definitely unacceptable to ordinary people. However, Yun Xie was not an ordinary person. His eyes rolled quietly and said with a smile: “A’Xun, what do you have to say to him and not me? I say, this is too mean. Look, compared to the old man, I am younger, more beautiful, and more understanding. You might as well – ow!”
Jiang Xunyi slammed his foot on Yun Xie’s foot. “Leave. Right. Now!” he said with his teeth gritted together.
Yun Xie smiled, and actually stopped asking before he obediently left.
Jiang Xunyi then turned to look at Master He Deng and crossed his arms. “This matter is very important to me. I have to say a few words so don’t blame me. Master He Deng, dare I ask where you come from?”
Master He Deng put his hands together, in the solemn style of Buddha. “Naturally, I come from my place of origin.”
Seeing Master He Deng nod, Jiang Xunyi calmed down and continued. “This is a bit weird. Is the reason you pay so much attention to my attitude towards Yun Xie because of the task or because of him? No matter what my purpose in helping Yun Xie is, what does this have to do with you?”
When Jiang Xunyi asked, he wasn’t very confident. However, by hearing this sentence, he had an idea and waved his hand. “Don’t fool me with that mysterious bullshit. Uh, how about this, I ask you, do you know planes, trains, TVs, computers… um, and Chen Derong?”
He was going to say Zhao Liying, but when he thought about it, based on the age of the old man, Zhao Liying hadn’t debuted yet before he transmigrated. He thought hard for a long time, and finally found a name that should resonate.
Sure enough, Master He Deng suddenly moved when he heard the last three words, slapping Jiang Xunyi’s shoulder. “I didn’t know someone as young as you would know Chen Derong! Promising. The one she acts with, um, Ma Jingtao, is my favorite!” he said, full of excitement.
Jiang Xunyi was speechless. He felt that the other party had insulted the term lao na[1].
He also remembered that Master He Deng latched onto chicken legs not long ago and shrugged his shoulders. “So you also admit that you transmigrated?”
Yun Xie is not here anymore, so Master He Deng didn’t hide anymore and instead nodded calmly: “But when I came in, this book was still called ‘Wind Demon Sword Sovereign’, and the protagonist was not that Yun Xie kid.”
“Sect Master Yun” became “that Xie kid” as soon as he left. Jiang Xunyi glared at him before asking, “How did you get into Yun Qi Tian Lan again? … Ah, that’s not it.”
After he finished this sentence, his brain finally reacted. “When you came, you said this book is also called ‘Wind Demon Sword Sovereign’, which means that this is actually a book in a series story?”
Master He Deng’s eyes flashed in surprise and nodded.
Jiang Xunyi shrugged his shoulders and didn’t continue to ask about this book.
Instead, he thought about it and asked, “Master, you just asked me if it’s only because the system said that Sect Master Yun is the key to going home that I care about his well-being, help him without complaint and regret, and stay by his side even after he killed me once, right?”
Master He Deng narrowed his eyes and looked at Jiang Xunyi. It wasn’t until now that he realized that the handsome young man in front of him was really not easy to deal with. If there were any mistakes, he would be able to notice it in an instant.
He originally didn’t want to say too much, but at this time, he couldn’t help but appreciate his talent. With a shake of his head, he said, “Why would I concerned about that? What I am concerned about is whether you regard life here as real life. Did Master Jiang ever think about just why you were brought here? Are you living in this place to die according to other people’s regulations?”
Jiang Xunyi wanted to stop talking, and He Deng saw his hesitation. “Relax, this temple is the only place under the sky that can shield the signal of the system. However, you can’t be too casual once you leave.”
Even so, Jiang Xunyi slightly lowered his voice: “Are you suggesting that I resist the system?”
Master He Deng did not answer him positively: “I have always heard that Jiang Xunyi is proud and dust-free, and he is by no means a person who can easily be manipulated. Now, are you really willing to live a life like this? If I let you choose yourself, then would you kill Xuan Li? Would you save mortals?”
Jiang Xunyi lowered his eyes and softly said, “Of course, the debt I owe to myself must be settled.”
Master He Deng had expected his answer long ago: “You have a duty to complete the tasks entrusted to you[2]. Maybe by acting according to your own will, you can find the real answer.”
Jiang Xunyi immediately asked, “Entrusted to me by who?”
“Buddha said, ‘Unspeakable.’”
Jiang Xunyi was speechless. He was normal for only three seconds and now here he goes again.
He felt that nothing could be gained anymore, and he suddenly smiled. “The master has given me so much, and I am very grateful. Do you want to listen to my ideas?”
Master He Deng smiled and said: “If you want to say them, I certainly want to hear.”
“I’ve been here so long that I mostly understand the system. I died in the last life, which is basically equivalent to ‘game over’. This is actually not my fault, and it is instead caused by a system bug, so I received a chance to change the status and live again. Based on this, the mission system from before can no longer interfere with me and force me to kill my mother, rape, and seek death. Instead, the system will issue me new tasks based on the identity of ‘Du Heng’.”
Master He Deng did not expect Jiang Xunyi to analyze the truth. He originally wanted to make a few comments. Instead, not only did he have nothing to say, he was deeply impressed by his words. Seeing him pause, he couldn’t help but ask, “Then what?”
Jiang Xunyi put his hands together: “Actually, I have been thinking about why I came to this world to do these weird things. What is the system’s purpose? I’m guessing the system gets energy from completion of plot points, so I will definitely get the corresponding punishment for avoiding a task. Then… if I have to complete my task, can I destroy the plot from another angle and deplete the energy of the system a little at a time?”
As he spoke, a slight expression of excitement appeared on his cold face. “For example, let’s say that one day the system gave me a task to beat you up. After I finish the task, the system can’t control me anymore. Next, according to the plot, you will hold a grudge and join Yun Xie to deal with me. At this time, the system did not tell me how to deal with Yun Xie, so I can kill him first, then the plot involving you and Yun Xie dealing with me would be ruined… so if this continues, one day the script will be full of holes, and eventually the energy source of the system will disappear.”
Master He Deng was silent for a while before he finally said: “…Except for the fact that your example was a little strange, your other ideas are very successful, I think it can be tried.”
He looked at Jiang Xunyi, eyes filled with something inexplicable. “I had once thought that with your temperament, it would be hard to happily complete the tasks, but I didn’t expect you to have thought of this much.”
Jiang Xunyi smiled slightly: “One more thing thing to do is worse than one less thing to do. I used to think that this wasn’t necessary.” As he spoke, he cracked his knuckles. “But now it violates my bottom line. Master has suffocated for such a long time, I’m really sorry for not doing anything.”
Master He Deng said: “The key now is that without the system, you will never know what the plot should be and how should you change it?”
After he finished speaking, he saw Jiang Xunyi glance at Yun Qi Tian Lan on the table and smiled bitterly. “This is useless, because even if I wanted to, I can’t give you this book, let alone let you to read it.”
Jiang Xunyi crossed his arms. “I understand. Although I don’t know how you made this temple, since you haven’t left the world in this book, I guess you are also constrained by the laws of the system and can’t do some things. I don’t like forcing people to do things. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. No matter what, today I would like to thank the master for your help. Take care, I’m leaving, bye.”
He walked away without any lingering emotions, but instead, Master He Deng felt uncomfortable. He always felt that Jiang Xunyi was not a person who could give up so easily. He thought about it for a long while, and then he slapped his legs and scolded: “Those two stinky boys!”
He forgot Jiang Xunyi’s ability to remember everything he saw! Yun Xie and Jiang Xunyi have always been able to understand each other very well. He didn’t know what method Jiang Xunyi used to hint at Yun Xie to stick to him and distract him with small talk, but in that time, Jiang Xunyi took the opportunity to glance over the book, remember a rough idea, and what more did he need to say?
Jiang Xunyi walked out of the gate. The world was suddenly filled with light and the mountain temple as well as the deep paths disappeared.
There was no sun in the ancient temple. It was only when he came out, that found that the cold night had gradually faded. The curtain of the sky was opened, and the morning light was revealed.
A man in white was standing under the tree with his back to him, absent-mindedly playing with a willow branch in his hand. He was tall and outstanding, and the sunlight surrounded his body with a rim of gold.
Jiang Xunyi squinted and brought his hands to his forehead to block the light. With a loud voice, he shouted, “Yun Xie!”
Yun Xie turned back when he heard the sound. Their eyes met. Yun Xie’s eyes were very bright and deep, and there was a smile on his lips.
Waiting could be compared to a self-made prison. Time slows to a stop as the whole world seems to be frozen at the moment of separation. No matter how painful it was, he stubbornly refused to leave and refused to forget.
This time, he was finally reunited with the person who he was willing to wait for.
Just this short distance seemed equal to three thousand miles of turbulent water and thousands of years of separation. Jiang Xunyi crossed over in a few strides, walked in front of Yun Xie, stretched his hands and smacked his chest.
He didn’t use much strength, but Yun Xie suddenly felt a terrible pain in his chest. His body trembled once and all his tender feelings melted into rolling water.
“Jiang Xunyi!” he cursed. “Are you looking for beating?”
Jiang Xunyi sneered: “Huh?”
Yun Xie suddenly startled and stood obediently while covering his chest, giving Jiang Xunyi a pitiful look: “Xunyi-gege[3], I’ve have devotedly followed you for so long. I desperately beg for forgiveness and all I ask for is just a smile, but you even ruthlessly raise your hand against me. Even if I didn’t suffer any internal injuries, my heart is still about to break into pieces.”
Jiang Xunyi made a “pei” sound then pressed several points on his chest, expression unreadable. “Forcefully advancing – I was wondering how you were so powerful before. Yun Xie, If you are tired of life, you can find a more joyful way of death next time.”
His fingers were slender and strong, and he pressed Yun Xie‘s acupuncture points with just the right force, which alleviated his pain. At the same time, a cold fragrance of indifference drifted from his sleeve[4], but, conversely, his actions made people feel warm. The unreasonable smile on Yun Xie’s face gradually gathered up, and he inexplicably felt touched from the bottom of his heart.
He took a deep breath and just as he was about to say something. Yun Xie quickly followed with, “So, was it really you who raped Qiu-shijie[5]?”
“…”
“No!” Jiang Xunyi resolutely exclaimed.
Yun Xie was fired up. “Why did you have to admit it? Otherwise, none of this would’ve happened. Jiang Xunyi, I finally understand why that old man He Deng said you are stupid like a pig. I totally agree with him!”
“I have to remind you that he is talking about the two of us,” Jiang Xunyi said unkindly. He paused for a moment and spoke again. “You don’t have to excite me, you can rest assured that some things have to be kept a secret because of time. I won’t hide things from you forever.”
He showed such obvious anomalies. His speech was inconsistent, and Yun Xie was shrewd. Although he didn’t ask, he actually had a lot of doubts in his heart, so tried to indirectly test him.
Jiang Xunyi really didn’t want to hide things from Yun Xie, but he didn’t know how to tell him. To tell the truth, until now, if it wasn’t for the system sometimes appearing to remind him of its existence, even he would have no clue whether or not it was real.
Yun Xie looked at Jiang Xunyi and smiled, but he didn’t deny it. Suddenly, he changed the subject and mentioned official business. “What are you going to do now? From my perspective, we have been chased so many times, shouldn’t we go back and settle the debt for those ‘eloquent masters’?”
“We only have two people, but they are a gang. Do you think the odds are good?” Jiang Xunyi joked.
Yun Xie smiled: “To deal with people, we have to rely on the brain. If we can’t beat them, it can be used.”
Jiang Xunyi held his chin, his eyes flashing. “What’s the plan?”
“Sowing discord? Use our beauty?”
Jiang Xunyi raised his eyebrows, his eyes fixed on Yun Xie’s face for a long time. The two could not help laughing at the same time.
[1] 老衲 – the monk refers to himself as lao na which is how old monks refer to themselves. They have to stay celibate.
[2] 受人之托，忠人之事 – after accepting a request, you must fulfill it
[3] 哥哥 – a cute way to call someone older brother, not necessarily blood related
[4] 师姐 – elder martial sister
[5] In ancient China, perfume and other scents drifted out from their long sleeves and it came to represent beauty.
