Chapter 40

At these words, Qin Wei’s expression went blank, and he seemed to sway. He had just reached for his natal sword to fend off Xuan Fang and the others, but as his hand gripped the hilt, his fingers went limp. The sword slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground, before hovering back into the air to drift aimlessly at his side.

His gaze remained hollow as it fell upon the person before him, entirely indifferent to his own sword. The face before him was the same as the "A-Xue" in his memories, but that face in his memories, no matter how cold it might have been to others, had always seemed to look at him with a soft smile. A-Xue loved to tease him, jab at him, and join forces with Qi Xun to play tricks on him using arrays. Even in the years when they had grown apart, A-Xue’s expression, upon running into him, had mostly been one of sorrow.

Now, however, there was only a detached indifference. No concern, no anger.

For two days after returning from Zhaoshui City, he had stood outside An Wuxue’s door for two nights, terrified that An Wuxue would not forgive him. Only now did he realize, with a belated pang, that forgiveness might already be a luxury. What he should have feared was not a lack of forgiveness, but the way An Wuxue was now—as if he were truly a stranger with no past grievances, not even harboring resentment, leaving him no opportunity to seek atonement.

The Canggu Tower loomed high into the clouds, blotting out the sky and casting a shadow over the two of them. Qin Wei opened his mouth to refute what An Wuxue had said, but he could find no words. He could only manage, "...I meant nothing else by it. I just... I just don't know what I can do now."

An Wuxue’s eyes shifted, not understanding the statement. "What to do? What is there to do?" he asked, puzzled. "That Elder Qin did not expose my secret is something I am already deeply grateful for."

Deeply grateful. Those two words were another sharp blade, piercing straight through Qin Wei’s chest.

An Wuxue did not spare Qin Wei another glance. He had no desire to linger in front of the Canggu Tower. Having delivered his message, he opened the barrier and turned to leave. Qin Wei absentmindedly retrieved his natal sword, while Xuan Fang and the others looked on, exchanging uneasy glances.

Seeing that An Wuxue was not flying on his sword but walking briskly toward the area where the disciples practiced, Qin Wei waved away Xuan Fang and his companions and followed close behind.

An Wuxue was well aware that Qin Wei was behind him. He had originally intended to return after finishing their conversation, but as he turned and looked in the direction of Frost Sea, he suddenly remembered that Frost Sea was Xie Zhefeng’s cultivation cave, not his own home. He suddenly did not want to go back just yet. Without the shackles of his previous cultivation level, he simply followed the direction of his memories, walking aimlessly toward the training grounds.

Luoyue Peak had not changed at all. As he passed the high platform where he used to practice swordsmanship with Xie Zhefeng and Qin Wei, his pace faltered slightly.

The quiet, quail-like figure following him finally spoke: "Do you not want to come back?"

An Wuxue turned back to look at Qin Wei. "Come back?"

"To restore your identity and return to the sect. Your name is still on the first page of the disciple register, and the seat of the Peak Master has been vacant for a thousand years. With the Zhaoshui incident, Xie Chuhan has also taken the opportunity to spread the evidence regarding the trivial matters he investigated over these years..."

Trivial matters? It seemed Yun Wan had mentioned this to him as well. Perhaps they were the ruthless acts he had been forced to commit in the past, or the false accusations heaped upon him by others simply because he had long held a reputation for being vicious. He himself had forgotten them.

"He had wanted to announce it to the myriad sects long ago, but those matters were fragmented. He would mention one whenever he investigated one, but with those few major accusations weighing down on you, no one listened to what he said, and it was useless even if they did. If it weren't for Buwang being willing to face the past of a thousand years ago, he would have taken this opportunity to clarify everything alongside the Zhaoshui incident.

"But because Buwang wanted to take on the karma himself, he lent the Soul-Nurturing Tree Spirit to Buwang, and then followed the flow of events... Now, there only remain those few... things you also know about. Because you were gone, Xie Chuhan and Qi Xun could not find the source for these past two hundred years; those matters were truly impossible to trace. But the rest have been settled. If you wish to return, it would be easier to find evidence with you present, so..."

The sky was clear today, the sunlight filtering through the dense mountain forests like golden springs flowing from the heavens. An Wuxue raised a hand, gently touching the sunlight, and said, "I don't want to."

He laughed with self-mockery. "Besides, Elder Qin, do you think I have evidence? If I had any proof or words to defend myself back then, why wouldn't I have said them?" If he had been able to explain himself clearly, how could he have ended up with no way to defend his name, pursued by all the sects?

Qin Wei paused for a moment before saying, "Actually, Qi Xun told me a long time ago that I was wrong, that I was stubborn, that I was unwilling to look back even once. He used the Soul-Nurturing Tree Spirit to scan the Lihuo Sect and couldn't find a trace of resentment. He must also have... wanted to see you return."

He wanted to make amends, to apologize, but he didn't know what else he could do. He wanted A-Xue to vent the resentment in his heart—but A-Xue no longer had any resentment at all. Without love or hate, how could he make restitution? He could only utter these incoherent words.

An Wuxue replied, "If the Elder truly cannot find peace of mind, there is no need to tell me these things. A thousand years ago, An Wuxue died under the mountain gate not far from here. The Elder can build a grave there and offer incense every year to your restless heart."

Qin Wei’s face flushed red instantly, then turned a ghostly pale. An Wuxue said nothing more. Qin Wei stepped abruptly in front of him and held out his sword.

An Wuxue: "?"

"Just kill me with one stroke."

"..." He was speechless for a long time. "This is a sword."

Qin Wei’s hand trembled. An Wuxue was left with nothing more to say. Hesitating between the two terrible choices of returning to Frost Sea or being followed by Qin Wei, he decisively chose to return to Frost Sea. He lightly harnessed his spiritual power, leaped onto the blade, and flew away.

Qin Wei stood in place, still holding his natal sword. He watched An Wuxue depart, his grip on the sword tightening, only to finally let it drop limply. He turned and walked back toward the Canggu Tower.

Seeing him return, Xuan Fang sighed. "I knew you would come back. These disciples cannot stop an Elder, and I dared not leave."

This time, Qin Wei did not attempt to use force as he had before. He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the narrow windows on the top floor of the Canggu Tower, wondering what the scene was like inside. Since the Immortal Calamity, he had been in charge of the Law Enforcement Peak; not to mention the disciples of Luoyue Peak, even cultivators from both realms had been sentenced by him to the tower. He had seen too much human strife and political maneuvering, and in turn, he had convinced himself that he was surely impartial, a firm believer in evidence, and incapable of choosing wrongly or walking the wrong path.

And so, he had sent so many people into the Canggu Tower, yet the one who most needed to take a turn inside was, in fact, himself. He recalled the words An Wuxue had spoken just moments ago.

He tilted his head and asked Xuan Fang, "Why can I not enter?"

Xuan Fang was stunned. "I already made it clear to the Elder just now..."

"You said that one without sin cannot enter the tower," Qin Wei said with a mocking smile. "How can I be considered without sin? Step aside. He was right; I truly cannot enter the tower just to find peace for myself. Even if I entered and came back out, I would only continue to toss and turn, sleepless every night. Entering the tower is only for my own sake."

"It is I who must face the things I did wrong and the path I walked wrongly."

He lowered his voice. "Xuan Fang, have you never looked back and set a sentence for yourself out of regret?"

Xuan Fang’s hand, which was blocking him, trembled. He had. He suddenly remembered a thousand years ago, when he was still a child, clearly looking up and telling that person that they would surely sit high in the hall of honor. But later, when public opinion condemned them and their crimes were counted one by one, why had he just stood by and watched, never once lifting a hand?

His hand slowly tightened into a fist, then relaxed.

This time, Xuan Fang only said, "Regarding your entry into the tower, to prevent any incidents, I will seal the news. It is rare for a cultivator at the peak of the Tribulation Transcendence stage to enter the Canggu Tower to serve a sentence. Elder Qin still bears responsibilities for both realms; I hope the Elder will manage the boundaries well."

"Rest assured, I will not die inside."

As he spoke, he summoned a spiritual talisman. To enter the Canggu Tower required the approval of the Law Enforcement Peak; he could not approve himself. This was the conviction talisman Song Buwang had helped him draw before guarding the array. Having received this talisman, he had intended to go straight in, but he had been stopped at the gate by Xuan Fang. A confrontation between Tribulation-stage cultivators within the sect would look unsightly, so it had been delayed until now, but at last, it could be used.

The talisman floated up, and chains emerged from the void, winding around his limbs. The talisman, which sentenced him to a hundred days of confinement, landed on him. He swallowed a pill that sealed his spiritual power and walked voluntarily into the Canggu Tower.

-

An Wuxue had just returned to the Frost Sea when Kun Kun "whooshed" and burrowed into his arms. He stroked Kun Kun’s head and asked, "Where is Xie Zhefeng?"

"Woo-woo?"

"Take me to him."

Kun Kun seemed not to have expected him to take the initiative to find Xie Zhefeng. It tilted its head, but still jumped out of his arms and led the way. The restrictions within the Frost Sea were ineffective against Kun Kun, and they made their way deep into the pine forest within the Frost Sea.

An Wuxue saw a figure sitting in the shade of a tall pine in the middle of the forest, a stone table set before him, with black and white pieces intertwined upon it.

Xie Zhefeng was playing chess alone.

He walked over slowly. It was impossible for this man not to have sensed his arrival, yet he showed no reaction, simply playing against himself, picking up a black piece, then a white one. It was not until An Wuxue walked up to the stone table holding Kun Kun that Xie Zhefeng said, "Why did you have Kun Kun lead you to me?"

An Wuxue looked down and discovered that the style of the black pieces on the board was similar to his own. Xie Zhefeng was imitating the way he had played chess in his previous life...

He said, "The Immortal Venerable mentioned that Peak Master to me again today. Having nothing to do, I inquired a bit. That Peak Master perished a thousand years ago, his body destroyed and his soul scattered, leaving only a wisp of a remnant soul in the world. A thousand years have passed; perhaps he has long since grown weary of the world and his lingering obsessions have dissipated?"

He lowered his voice. "Since the Immortal Venerable will not practice dual cultivation with me, it would be better to forget him, release me, and let me seek my own destiny."

Xie Zhefeng slowly set down a chess piece. He sat by the table, raised his eyes to look at him, and said with a complex expression, "Why do you care whether I have forgotten him?"

That, naturally, was because your inner demon was a threat to both realms.

An Wuxue swallowed these words and said, "After all, the Immortal Venerable kept me because of him. If the Immortal Venerable forgets him, I can leave."

"Upon this return to the sect, I have never restricted your comings and goings."

"The Crucible Seal is still here. Where could I go?"

Only then did Xie Zhefeng set down his chess pieces and stand up, reaching for An Wuxue’s left hand. An Wuxue recoiled instinctively. Xie Zhefeng froze.

He quickly said, "What does the Immortal Venerable intend to do?"

The man took his left hand. He endured the urge to pull his hand away, allowing Xie Zhefeng to roll back his sleeve. Xie Zhefeng covered the Crucible Seal with his other hand. "When the Cloud Boat brought you here, I considered destroying the seal for you, but you only had the cultivation of the Inedia stage and could not withstand the spiritual power required to destroy it. I could only temporarily infuse spiritual power to stabilize your Crucible Seal. Now that you have reached the Great Completion, I can give it a try."