Chapter 64

Every single word drifted through the night air, enveloped by the barrier formed by the sword light of Chu Han, sounding exceptionally ironic.

In the end, Xie Zhefeng could not utter a single word.

An Wuxue lowered his gaze, watching as the lights in one household after another gradually extinguished. The number of people on Cloud-Ascending Tower had also dwindled significantly, leaving behind only a few mortals who had not yet had their fill or were deep in their cups.

The fireworks had ended long ago.

Even though he hadn't tasted a single drop of wine, he felt utterly intoxicated.

As if speaking to himself, he murmured, "In Zhao Duan's memories, I once told you that romantic love can blossom over time or in a single instant, and it can even blossom in a single instant amid the passage of time—disappointment is no different. The sword strike the Immortal Venerable dealt me was merely a single instant, yet that instant was nothing more than the final fleeting moment of a long accumulation."

Was he "afraid" of Xie Zhefeng? Did he wish to escape Xie Zhefeng? Was he willing to die rather than return to the past simply because of that sword strike?

Yes.

Yet it was not solely because of that sword strike.

Perhaps it was also because of the Returning Frost Sea snow lotus he had waited for so long in vain, or perhaps because after their dual cultivation in the Nether Sea, he had endured a hundred days of punishment in the Archaic Pagoda without receiving even the slightest trace of solace from his junior brother...

He thought that there was likely nothing left for him and Xie Zhefeng to say to one another.

He turned around, stored Chunhua into his spiritual pouch, and left a few spiritual stones on the table as compensation for the burnt long curtain by the door.

Not a single person had touched the spread of mortal dishes on that table.

He pushed the door open and stepped straight out, walking slowly down the winding staircases of Cloud-Ascending Tower.

The long street was now sparse with figures, lacking its previous brilliant illumination.

White lanterns had already been hung outside some homes—having glossed over sorrow with festivity, the mortals who had lost loved ones in this calamity were now beginning to hold mourning rituals.

He knew Xie Zhefeng was close by, just off to his side, but he acted as though the man did not exist.

An Wuxue stopped before the doorway of a home adorned with a white lantern.

This household had only managed to hang the lantern on one side, and a flickering candle burned dimly inside, casting a very murky light.

Through the silhouette projected on the paper window, one could tell there was only a woman and a child inside.

Perhaps not tall enough, the woman was currently moving a tall ladder. The child carried a lantern out, and upon catching sight of An Wuxue and Xie Zhefeng, he stepped back in fright.

"You..." Have no fear.

Before An Wuxue could finish a single word, the child recognized their status upon seeing their dust-free robes.

He cried out, "Immortal Masters!"

To An Wuxue's surprise, the child actually ran right up to him with the white lantern in hand. "Are the Immortal Masters here to distribute talisman papers?"

——Only a few days ago, puppets had swarmed the twenty-seven cities, and mortals had hidden entirely within their houses, pasting talisman papers on their doors and daring not to step out even half a step.

The child knew little and had not yet realized that the calamity was over.

An Wuxue slowly squatted down to bring himself to eye level with the child, then said with a smile, "Talisman papers are no longer needed."

"Have those monsters that look like people been exterminated by the Immortal Masters?"

He must have been referring to the puppets.

An Wuxue nodded.

"Then will my daddy be coming back?"

An Wuxue was momentarily stunned.

He glanced at the white lantern in the child's hand...

At that moment, the woman emerged carrying the tall ladder. Seeing this, she hurriedly set the ladder down, stepped forward, and said in a panic, "Immortal Master, the child knows no better..."

An Wuxue shook his head slightly, signaling her not to worry.

He asked, "Where did your daddy go?"

"Mother said Daddy went to help the Immortal Masters catch those wicked monsters! Since the monsters have been driven away, can I wait for Daddy to come back before going to sleep?"

As the child spoke, the woman behind him clasped her hands together, nervously rubbing her fingers, as if worried that An Wuxue would expose the truth.

An Wuxue's expression softened.

All the evils in the world are never exhausted, but neither is goodness.

Even a few millennia before the immortal calamity arrived, there had been their own chaos and hardships. Having managed to trudge through a millennium of immortal calamity, the trees desired calm but the wind would not cease, and the root of the disaster might even trace back in an unbroken line from a thousand years ago...

He said, "Monsters can never be completely eradicated."

The child blinked with a naive and uncomprehending expression.

"The twenty-seven cities now enjoy peace and prosperity, but across the vast forty-nine cities of the Northern Nether, the murky domains of the Four Seas and thousands of realms, and the countless sects of the two worlds, the turmoil has not yet ended."

"If your daddy has not returned, it is likely because he is subduing demons and eradicating devils in some distant place far away. As long as he does not return for a single day, it means someone else's family in this world is plagued by demons and has received his help."

The corners of his eyes curved slightly. "He won't be back to see you all that soon. You should go to sleep early tonight."

The child could not comprehend such complex words, tilted his head, pondered thoughtfully for a moment, and said in a milky, childish voice, "Then... then I'd rather see Daddy a little later! That way, other people can have the Immortal Masters and Daddy to help them, and they won't have to wait for Daddy every single day like I do!"

Behind him, the woman lowered her head slightly, rubbed her eyes, and spoke with a slightly choked voice, "Bao'er, it's time to hang the lantern."

She bowed slightly to An Wuxue and offered a salute. "Thank you, Immortal Master."

An Wuxue stood to the side, watching as they hung the lantern and returned inside.

As the candlelight was extinguished, he heard Xie Zhefeng, who stood beside him, finally break the silence: "Senior Brother still cannot let go of the two worlds."

He said, "I want to let go."

Wanting to let go, rather than having already let go.

Xie Zhefeng lowered his voice and said, "Since you cannot let go, then do not leave, will you? The one behind the turmoil has interfered with the sword array, and Senior Brother was the principal founder of that array; surely no one in this world understands its inner workings better than you. The matters that Senior Brother was unable to refute back then may also be related to the events of today."

"Even if you leave now, it would only be to separate from me in investigating the affairs of the Northern Nether. But to find the mastermind wreaking havoc, joining forces is always better than parting ways..."

"Consider it me asking for your help, Senior Brother, and the Northern Nether needing your assistance. Can you stay temporarily for the sake of the two worlds?"

An Wuxue remained silent.

Xie Zhefeng spoke again, "Whether intentional or not, the clues revealed by that person all align with Senior Brother. No matter what, this person most likely shares a past with you. With Senior Brother here, things will surely be better..."

An Wuxue still uttered not a word.

He stood amidst the darkened long street for a long time before finally setting his feet in motion.

He did not use his spiritual energy, simply strolling back to the City Lord's Manor in this manner.

Xie Zhefeng walked silently alongside him the entire way.

If any outsider were to witness this scene, they would likely mistake them for a pair of close friends strolling through the streets together.

Until they returned to the small courtyard where they resided, An Wuxue stopped before the door of the guest room.

Xie Zhefeng stood behind him, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Is Senior Brother going to rest? Is there anything you need me to do?"

An Wuxue did not turn around. With his back to him, he softly uttered a single word: "Good."

This remark was clearly not an answer to Xie Zhefeng's question.

Yet they had remained silent throughout the journey, and during their last conversation, An Wuxue had said nothing while Xie Zhefeng had done all the entreating.

Entreating...

Xie Zhefeng suddenly understood. His gaze flickered as he deliberately softened his tone and asked, "You've agreed to stay?"

An Wuxue let out a soft chuckle.

He was not laughing at anything else, nor at Xie Zhefeng, but at himself.

Walking alongside Xie Zhefeng in that quiet stillness just now, it seemed as though he had pondered countless things, yet upon reaching the threshold, he had forgotten every single one of them.

He truly could not let go of the two worlds.

He also knew in his heart that he was no longer the First Seat of Luoyue, and relying solely on his own meager strength to find the method to break the Puppet Seal might not succeed.

Provided that Xie Zhefeng would not use the Puppet Seal to coerce him, joining forces with Xie Zhefeng to search for the mastermind's clues would yield twice the result with half the effort.

Yet would Xie Zhefeng truly refrain from using this to constrain him?

Even if Xie Zhefeng did not suspect him now, what about later? What if they encountered some other slander directed straight at him down the road? How would Xie Zhefeng react then?

He was utterly incapable of playing the fool, of acting as the companion of an apathetic Xie Zhefeng who merely took things one day at a time.

That single word—"Good"—had nearly exhausted all his strength.

He said, "However, once the seal is broken, my departure or arrival will have nothing to do with you. True, for as long as I fail to ascend to immortality, you possess the ability to kill me. But I would rather die than be bound by you or serve as your cauldron. Furthermore, starting today, if the Immortal Venerable harbors doubts in his heart or has other plans, then for the sake of our shared apprenticeship a thousand years ago..."

A bitter look appeared on Xie Zhefeng's face—Senior Brother had gone so far as to mention only their shared apprenticeship.

"...I hope the Immortal Venerable will be entirely straightforward with me. If the Immortal Venerable is unwilling to help me suppress the backlash of the Puppet Seal, inform me in advance as well; I do not wish to die without knowing the reason why."

"I would never suspect Senior Brother, nor would I ever let anything happen to you."

Yet An Wuxue fell silent once more.

Xie Zhefeng waited for a moment, finally realizing that An Wuxue had no intention of believing him at all.

His voice hoarse, he said, "Alright, I understand."

Only then did An Wuxue continue, "The forbidden curse upon my body..."

He glanced at his own healed arm.

"The forbidden curse will only last for three days..."

An Wuxue pushed open the door of the room, and only then did he glance back slightly at Xie Zhefeng.

In his past life, he had never spoken to his junior brother in such a manner.

He stood upon the steps before the doorway, while Xie Zhefeng stood submissively and gently below waiting for him to speak, unexpectedly giving him an absurd sense of condescension.

"Once those three days are up and the forbidden curse is lifted, Immortal Venerable must never subject me to such matters again. I do not wish to owe you anything, nor do I wish to be morally shackled by the Immortal Venerable's benevolence while in such a plight."

"After all... if I should once again misfortune cross your path and die by your sword, I do not wish to carry the debts of the kindness you forcibly thrust upon me even in death, leaving me unable to even harbor a thorough hatred."

"Jun—"

Without waiting for Xie Zhefeng's reply this time, An Wuxue stepped into the room and instantly closed the door with his spiritual energy.

A barrier dropped, cutting off all external sounds and movements.

No matter what Xie Zhefeng said outside the door, he could no longer hear it.

Xie Zhefeng lingered in a daze for a long time before slowly walking over to the threshold where An Wuxue had just stood.

Senior Brother's aura seemed to still linger there, so he simply sat down upon the steps before the door.

Kunkuan, who had been resting in his room, flew out upon hearing the sound of the door closing, only to find Xie Zhefeng sitting right outside. It wanted to push the door open to find An Wuxue, but was bounced back by the barrier.

Kunkuan peeked at Xie Zhefeng and whimpered, "Wuwu?"

Xie Zhefeng raised his hand, welcomed it into his arms, and smoothed its fur.

"I didn't do well enough," he said to Kunkuan. "Senior Brother found out. He ought to have been very happy tonight; if I had only managed to conceal it a little longer, could he have had a good dream?"

"Wuwu!" Kunkuan nipped the webbing between his thumb and index finger.

Yet Xie Zhefeng seemed utterly insensible to it, his face draped in nothing but a look of desolation and bitterness.

Recalling the words Qin Wei had spoken after entering the Archaic Pagoda, he finally understood at this moment.

It was better for Senior Brother to harbor hatred. Like this present moment—showing no hatred and seeking no revenge—was what truly severed all of his hopes.

He murmured, "He said he doesn't want to owe me kindness, but clearly I am the one who can never repay my debts."

"Senior Brother is unwilling to believe even that I would never harm him..."

What should he do?

Tomorrow, the sword array should be ready for transmission.

Since An Wuxue had given him his word, he would inevitably accompany him to find Murong Liaoliao...