ITOTIABSAM | The Immortal on Liuyun Mountain | 141
Various scenes vividly played out, pulling the outsider's thoughts into a deep abyss. Amidst the haze, Gu Cong heard someone calling his name mechanically and monotonously:
"Gu Cong? Gu Cong!"
"Wake up quickly!"
Breaking through the clouds and seeing the sun, the mist surrounding the moonlit child dissipated in an instant, leaving only the phoenix bird swooping fiercely towards him. With its jet-black wings poised to strike, Gu Cong acted with extraordinary agility, dodging diagonally and narrowly avoiding the curved claws that grazed over his head.
This phoenix bird was identical to the one he had just seen in his memories, yet devoid of the horrifying bloodstains; its shriveled feathers had become glossy and full, as if meticulously restored, waiting for the most opportune moment to be presented as a gift.
However, following the original plot, this gesture was destined to be disappointed.
A sudden lump formed in his throat, accompanied by an inexplicable sense of oppression. Gu Cong, taking advantage of his small size, darted around in circles, playing a game of hide and seek with the phoenix bird.
The opponent should have been a puppet, but clearly, it was not being controlled by anyone. It only had a faint trace of consciousness driven by its dying determination, attacking him frantically, guarding behind it a child who had ceased to exist for hundreds of years.
— It should have been Shen Qingshu who awakened the phoenix bird.
There are always more ways for the living than for the dead. Drawing on the spiritual power available in his body, the already plump white bird expanded even more, chirping as it spat out a fireball from its mouth.
...Then, in the instant before igniting the phoenix bird, it dissipated with a thunderous roar.
Watching helplessly as the host was singed by the backlash, 0028 exclaimed, "Have you gone mad?"
【These are gifts that Xie Ye has prepared for many years.】With calm and firm determination, Gu Cong turned away, "They should be delivered intact to Shen Qingshu."
The road to the cave, when he was still a star weed, had been traversed many times by Xie Ye carrying him. He wouldn't be mistaken about that.
In this situation, perhaps only Xie Ye could subdue the phoenix bird completely.
【Are you sure he'll save you and not just get angry because his secret has been discovered?】Always willing to entertain the worst possible interpretation of human motives, 0028 reminded him.
Gu Cong: "I'm not sure."
Gu Cong: "But this is my choice."
He was willing to bear the consequences for it.
Usually, due to the young man's unique clear and bright voice, he always seemed cheerful and harmless, innocent and easygoing, like a tender seedling untouched by wind and rain in a greenhouse. It wasn't until this moment that 0028 noticed some hidden hardness beneath his soft exterior, and began to reassess its new host.
"You're a bird." After two seconds of silence, it proactively brought up a virtual screen marked with red lines:
【You can take a shortcut.】
—
Bathed in the dappled sunlight streaming through the cave roof, Xie Ye carefully carved the jade in his hand.
At first, the idea of creating a puppet with thoughts was simply because he had longed too much for someone to talk to. However, creating life had already exceeded the limits of a cultivator.
Even though he was called an "immortal," what was connected by the puppet threads was only a mishmash of various regrets patched together into a monster.
So "Xie Ye" decided to split his own primordial spirit into two and place them into the most suitable vessels. Everything else was manageable, but only this material needed to be carefully nurtured at the intersection of spiritual veins to withstand the occupancy of his soul.
1101 having read countless novels: I understand, Narcissus.
However, what his own host was currently carving out neither resembled the extraordinary Xie Ye, nor like Gu Cong, nor even like Song He. If it had to resemble something, it would probably be like a dough, roughly molded and flattened, an excessively delicate embryo.
Empty.
"I have a hypothesis to verify." Sensing the system's confusion, Xie Ye casually explained, before 1101 could inquire further, he enveloped the entire cave with his divine sense and caught sight of a fluffy ball rushing in like a shuttlecock.
Worried that the other party might fly too fast and hit the wall, Xie Ye raised his hand, and with a light stroke of the blade infused with spiritual power, the forcibly torn spatial crack immediately appeared in front of him and the white bird.
"Chirp."
He tried to brake, but still, due to inertia, plunged into the deep purple vortex. The next moment, Gu Cong, who thought he was about to crash, suddenly fell into the arms tinged with the scent of cedar.
Bang!
Crack.
Accompanied by the faint airflow rolled up by the sleeve, it seemed like something slammed hard against the wall, then fell down. Gu Cong, who had caught his breath, turned around and saw not far away the phoenix, shattered into pieces like a rag doll.
Gu Cong: ...
Gu Cong regretted not being able to improve his protege.
Without this carefully repaired phoenix, how could he let Shen Qingshu know about the villain's hidden soft feelings cultivated over the years?
"What's wrong? Scared stiff?" With the scars interlacing his fingertips along the white feathers ruffled by the white sparrow, Xie Ye curved his eyes and smiled.
Anxiously moving his little paws, Gu Cong called out towards the direction of the phoenix, "Chirp chirp." Wasn't that the apology you intended to give to Shen Qingshu? Keep it safe like a treasure. Now that it's completely ruined, shouldn't you hurry to repair it?
Unfortunately, the pretty villain was completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
Instead, he cupped his hands together to stop Gu Cong from rushing out: "It bullied you, so I'll bully it. Any problem with that?"
Gu Cong: No problem.
But if you don't try harder, the person you care about will be taken away by Qin Ji.
Although in Gu Cong's eyes, Shen Qingshu was by no means a suitable match: timid, paranoid, constantly making promises and breaking them, lacking responsibility... and so on. However, after experiencing the memories from hundreds of years ago, he didn't want Xie Ye's feelings to be disappointed.
Even if Shen Qingshu was destined to be with Qin Ji, he should correct his own bias towards Xie Ye and remove the childhood shadow lens that had long been distorted and magnified.
Although his eyes were as cute as black beans, the emotions conveyed were exceptionally vivid and clear. With a pause at his fingertips, Xie Ye murmured softly, "So you know."
For a moment, Gu Cong was quiet. Could he be lenient because Xie Ye voluntarily confessed? Could the punishment be lighter?
Despite feeling anxious, he surprisingly didn't intend to run. Instead, he nestled obediently in the arms of the major villain. After all, he was the one who had touched Xie Ye's sore spot first, delving into Xie Ye's past. It wasn't unjustified.
0028 chimed in, "He's the villain." You can resist, you can flee, but what's the point of waiting to be slaughtered? If the other party turns ruthless, Gu Cong will be the one in trouble.
Who would gamble on the conscience and mental state of someone who's been ruthlessly criticized?
However, its new host remarked, "But he has never harmed me."
At least until this moment, he hadn't harmed him. He even shattered the cherished phoenix that had been kept for hundreds of years, saving him.
Through the instantaneous communication of their minds, when that cold hand descended again, Gu Cong didn't feel the expected suffocation of being squeezed tight. Instead, he felt a gentle caress.
"Fire spirit root?" The fluffy feathers on Xie Ye's body seemed to have been scorched. Xie Ye touched him, letting his fingertips get dirty with little bits of charred black, and asked, "How did you manage to set yourself on fire?"
Gu Cong: It's a long story.
But what about the phoenix? What about the memories? Are we just going to let them go like this?
The villain’s rationality and understanding made him seem particularly foolish compared to himself, who had flown towards the cave with a determination to face death just moments ago.
"If you want to learn techniques, I can teach you." A thin stream of water condensed and washed the dirty little face of the white bird. With a faint tone, Xie Ye glanced at the remnants in the corner and said, "As for that phoenix, it's broken beyond repair."
He had indeed considered returning the fully repaired phoenix to Shen Qingshu when he officially entered the mountain, to resolve his own regrets and untie Shen Qingshu's knots.
They were of the same kind.
From beginning to end, he had never thought of harming him.
But now, all these connections and consequences had been completely severed by Xie Ye who died on the Liuyun Mountain.
He certainly knew that he, manipulated by the plot, was quite foolish. Often spreading his divine sense in vain, he searched for Shen Qingshu's figure in both the mundane world and the cultivation realm. Yet he never considered that Shen Qingshu was actually afraid of him, which led him to join the most distant Liang Sword Sect and live in seclusion.
But fate plays tricks, and Shen Qingshu's tribulation from nascent soul to soul projection stirred up the deepest inner demons, inadvertently pulling Xie Ye in the other end and guiding him towards a direction.
After a hundred years, the "reunion of old friends" led the strange immortal to eagerly bring him back to the mountains.
However, it brought about a disaster.
Perhaps in the original work, the unilateral actions of the villain Xie Ye, his unilateral initiative, appeared terrifying in Shen Qingshu's eyes, like maggots in a trap, nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape.
But what he owed, he had already repaid. The price he needed to pay, he had already paid.
In this life, if the other party still wanted to attack Liuyun Mountain and "ascend as an immortal," then don't blame him for sending two more protagonists to meet the King of Hell.
"Don't be sad," considering that the white bird was somewhat a counterpart of the phoenix, Xie Ye moved his index finger to cover the fluffy creature's eyes, "It has been dead for a long time."
Gu Cong, completely fearless: Hold on.
Did something go wrong with the plot? Why does this sound like Xie Ye choosing to let go of Shen Qingshu instead of eagerly anticipating their reunion?
0028: "It could also be a dark turn, going straight to the main storyline, seizing by force."
Without external intervention, the world consciousness will always guide the plot back on track. It's experienced in that regard.
Unfortunately, at this moment, 0028 didn't realize that the white-robed immortal patiently comforting his host was the most formidable external force, the most unpredictable variable.
"People always go crazy when they see me." Except for Shen Qingshu.
Having consumed so much world consciousness, if given another chance, he would only become stronger. Uncertain whether his awakened self would harm the soul resembling Gu Cong within the white bird’s body, Xie Ye advised, "You're so clever, from now on, look at me less."
His finger back itched slightly.
The round snowball used its wings to push aside his hand, standing in his embrace, tilting its head up with effort, looking at him without any mistakes.
Xie Ye reached out again.
"Chirp." The claw tip hooked onto the sleeve of the other, stabilizing its posture, then it agilely retreated. The tiny white bird spread its wings and tightly hugged the youth's probing finger. Like the wings of a descending angel, it warmly enveloped Xie Ye.
"Chirp." Beautiful.
"Chirp chirp." Why not look?
Although Xie Ye couldn't understand the language of the white bird, he could sense its affirmation and gentleness from its eyes.
Applying a bit of force with his left hand, Xie Ye "lifted" the white bird, which was clinging to his index finger, into the palm of his right hand. With lowered eyelashes, the white-robed immortal moved the soft fluffy ball to his cheek, rubbing against it gently like a cat.
As the clear and cool breath brushed against the faint grape-red on his abdomen, Gu Cong's heart skipped a beat, his ears flushed, and he shivered involuntarily.
Then...
He splashed the white-robed immortal with a face full of still-wet water droplets.
Author's Note:
Well, the eighteen-year-old Gu Cong is both a Golden Retriever and a Husky.
1 Comments
… he did not. Oh my god 😂
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