MOF Chapter 89
by VolareNangong Ci’s regaining his sight undoubtedly solved one of the two major concerns in Xie Yiling’s heart.
Only the last thing remained: the calamity.
After a spring rain washed over them, the small peach trees that Xie Yiling had planted last year had already sprouted tender green buds. This day, he and Si Wumian took A Si to water the peach trees.
“A Si,” Xie Yiling pointed to the three straight little peach trees, “Come and pay respects to your eldest, second, and third brothers.”
A Si solemnly walked over and knelt “thump” in the moist soil, kowtowing three times to them.
Nearby, Si Wumian, who had been searching for peach trees without success, turned around and saw this comical scene, which, because it was Xie Yiling doing it, seemed perfectly reasonable.
“A Si will definitely hate you when he grows up,” he said succinctly after watching.
“This is called childhood fun,” Xie Yiling didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. “If you haven’t experienced it, you can come over and kowtow too.”
Si Wumian chuckled and remained noncommittal.
The three of them watered the entire peach orchard that had been planted last year. When descending the mountain, Xie Yiling looked forward to it somewhat: “I wonder how many more years before they bloom.”
A Si asked expectantly, “How many more years before we get peaches?”
Si Wumian teased him, “We planted fruitless peach trees, they only bloom, they don’t grow peaches.”
A Si’s face immediately fell upon hearing this, but he was also skeptical of Si Wumian’s words, and tugged at Xie Yiling’s sleeve: “Xie Ci-gege, is that true? Eldest brother, second brother, third brother, they really won’t grow peaches?”
Xie Yiling smiled and said, “You’ll know when the time comes.”
Overnight, a spring breeze passed, and the peach and pear blossoms on the back mountain of Southern Return bloomed in competition as in previous years. Some fallen petals landed on the windowsill. Xie Yiling put them in a cloth bag, casually tied it into a brocade pouch, and had A Si hang it on his body.
“Xie Ci-gege,” A Si sniffed the brocade pouch, it had a floral fragrance, “Why do I have to wear this?”
How would Xie Yiling know why? He just made it casually when he was idle. But looking at A Si’s innocent and clear eyes, as if expecting this to be some way of expressing affection,
He touched the tip of his nose and made up a reason: “This is a custom in my hometown, saying that when the flowers bloom, you put the fallen petals in a brocade pouch and give it to others, implying, implying…”
“People are like flowers, year after year, cycle after cycle.”
Nangong Ci couldn’t listen anymore and spoke to help him out.
“Right! Just like Shizun said!” Xie Yiling slapped the windowsill, and a gust of wind blew off a few broken petals, “Just wear this thing properly.”
A Si happily swung the brocade pouch in his hand.
The weather was very good today, and after looking at the brocade pouch enough, he put it away, wanting Xie Yiling to take him out to play.
As soon as Xie Yiling saw him open his mouth, he knew what he would hear next, so he preemptively said, “Go, learn to write with my Shizun.”
A Si immediately quieted down and slowly retreated from the room. The moment he stepped over the threshold, he took off running.
Xie Yiling was amused when he suddenly heard Nangong Ci say, “Have you been to the Ascension Platform recently?”
The action of tying the brocade pouch in his hand paused, and then he nonchalantly continued to stuff flowers into the brocade pouch.
“Yeah. Shizun, have you ever thought about becoming an immortal?”
Nangong Ci had been staying in Fufeng Pavilion almost all this time. Although his eyes were healed, he still felt some soreness and stinging when he saw strong light.
“Do you want to become an immortal?” Nangong Ci asked.
Xie Yiling smiled, sealed the brocade pouch, and threw it to Nangong Ci: “Which person doesn’t want to cultivate and become an immortal? To be able to live forever, ride the clouds, and not be confined to the mortal world.”
Nangong Ci caught the brocade pouch and slowly rubbed the fabric with his fingertips, his face not showing any emotion: “Attaining the Dao and ascending, how easy is that? However, if you really want to do so, I will help you.”
Xie Yiling fell silent, not knowing what he was thinking. At this moment, the Bu Song Sword placed on the table emitted a faint light. He picked up the sword and said, “Shizun, I’ll go practice my swordsmanship first.”
Nangong Ci watched his departing figure, suddenly feeling very resistant to this scene. An uneasy seed was vaguely lurking in his heart, as if waiting for a certain opportunity, using separation as nourishment, madly drawing branches and leaves, occupying his entire heart.
Xie Yiling felt that Nangong Ci might have discovered something.
Ever since he mentioned the matter of becoming an immortal that day, every time they met afterward, he would receive unexplained gazes from Nangong Ci from time to time.
But when Xie Yiling looked back with a puzzled expression, Nangong Ci didn’t say anything to him, but just withdrew his gaze.
However, before long, he would silently turn back and continue to stare at his face.
This day, Xie Yiling unprecedentedly wanted to practice calligraphy. Nangong Ci’s gaze was as if rooted on his body, unmoving.
Perhaps because he was hiding something from Nangong Ci, Xie Yiling guiltily licked his lips, and the strength in his hand weakened. The already eye-straining writing became even more awe-inspiring.
“Shizun, I’m writing,” he couldn’t help but remind him, “Why are you always looking at me?”
It was rare that A Si was taken away by Si Wumian, and the humanoid suona that was noisy and gave him a headache was gone from his ears, but there was an extra resentful gaze, and the owner of the gaze was Nangong Ci.
Strange, too strange.
As the saying goes, something abnormal must be a demon. Xie Yiling thought again: Nangong Ci must have discovered something.
He put down his pen and moved to Nangong Ci’s side: “Sixth Brother, do you have any worries?”
Nangong Ci had one good quality.
He was frank and sincere, never being false or hypocritical. He didn’t hide anything from those close to him, and he said what he thought, truly being consistent inside and out.
Things like “unspeakable secrets” or “wanting to say something but stopping” didn’t exist with him.
In the past, the two of them would occasionally have disagreements, and every time it came to the end, Xie Yiling would shut up and refuse to meet, disguising himself as a turtle hiding in its shell, impossible for anyone to open.
In response, Nangong Ci would directly express his thoughts, word by word, truthfully and sincerely. When Xie Yiling was willing to listen, and actually listened, he would force him to tell the truth of his inner feelings.
He not only had his own mouth, but also wanted to pry open Xie Yiling’s mouth.
So when Xie Yiling asked him, he didn’t hide anything and said, “I always feel a little uneasy these days.”
Xie Yiling’s expression was serious: “How uneasy?”
Nangong Ci hooked his lips and smiled calmly: “I don’t know. But recently I’m always worried that a gap will arise between you and me, and we’ll gradually drift apart.”
Xie Yiling was shocked by Nangong Ci’s meticulousness and keenness, but on the surface, he raised his hands and said, “I’m wronged, Sixth Brother, how could I possibly alienate you? It’s just that now is not like when we were young and carefree, I have to be steady and not be impulsive and reckless, or else if I go out, what will happen to Southern Return’s reputation?”
The depression in Nangong Ci’s heart dissipated a little, and he asked, “Why did you suddenly think of these things?”
Xie Yiling nodded: “Naturally, I have to consider it. In the future, I will inevitably travel down the mountain with Sixth Brother, so I can’t let people point at my back and gossip: ‘How is this like a disciple of Southern Return? Could he be just filling the ranks?’ I don’t want to hear such words, it’s so embarrassing.”
Nangong Ci was amused by his words, but after laughing, a cloud of worry still accumulated between his brows.
Xie Yiling felt a little distressed, but no matter what, he couldn’t tell the truth.
The moment the two’s gazes intertwined, they immediately stuck together like spider silk.
“Cough cough.” Xie Yiling shifted his gaze. He certainly couldn’t ignore Nangong Ci’s worried emotions.
But he was also at a loss as to how to appease him.
Nangong Ci was not the kind of person who could be easily dismissed with a few words, and Xie Yiling couldn’t do that kind of thing either.
Just as he was racking his brains, not knowing what to do, a method appeared in his mind.
Ghost Contract.
One of the four forbidden arts recorded in the Record of Strange Contracts.
Once a contract is formed, the two will be connected by fate, sharing life and death.
Although he would die a year later due to divine punishment, as long as he dissolved the contract before his death, Nangong Ci would never be implicated.
Thinking of this, Xie Yiling made up his mind.
He mysteriously said to Nangong Ci: “Sixth Brother, I have a way to make you and me never separate, do you want to try it?”
Never separate.
How many people in this world can never separate?
When such a vow is made, probably not many people can do it.
But Nangong Ci had to admit that when Xie Yiling said this, he was very moved.
He didn’t hesitate: “Try.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Yiling got up and closed the doors and windows, and the room fell into a faint dimness.
Red spiritual power leaped up at his fingertips. Xie Yiling sat cross-legged, concentrating on drawing a spell in the air with spiritual power.
A red line floated out from his right wrist, changing from faintly visible to bright red in an instant.
Nangong Ci watched Xie Yiling, in front of him, use a strange art he had never seen before without any concealment, suppressing the unease in his heart these days.
When the other end of the red line softly wrapped around Nangong Ci’s left wrist, Xie Yiling quickly wrote down a few lines of words and said to him: “Sixth Brother, bear with it.”
A slight sting came from Nangong Ci’s fingertip.
Xie Yiling took a drop of his blood and took his own. He combined the two drops of blood and imprinted them on the lower right corner of those lines.
Nangong Ci understood that this was a contract.
After the contract was concluded, the two were connected by a red line.
“This is a ghost contract,” Xie Yiling explained to him, “A contract of sharing life and death, so you don’t have to worry now, right?”
Nangong Ci couldn’t say what he felt in his heart, he only felt his heart was hot, and his eyes were also hot. He showed a curious look for the first time, shook his wrist, and looked at Xie Yiling with smiling eyes: “Never separate?”
Seeing that he was relieved, Xie Yiling also smiled: “Never separate!”
Spring, summer, and autumn passed in an instant. Xie Yiling finally reached the ascension stage in the early winter of the second year.
Si Wumian was so surprised when he found out that he couldn’t close his mouth for a long time.
“Senior Brother Xie, you’re not lying to me, are you? You’re going to become an immortal?!”
Xie Yiling’s heart was filled with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow, and he smiled triumphantly on the surface: “Do I need to lie to you?”
Si Wumian looked excited and shook A Si who was beside him: “Hey, did you hear that, A Si, your Xie Ci-gege is going to ascend to become an immortal and go to heaven!”
“Go to heaven?” Who knew that A Si’s face suddenly fell upon hearing this, “Isn’t that just dying?”
Xie Yiling’s heart “thumped” because of these unintentional words.
“Bah, bah! What are you talking about.” Si Wumian knew that there was a saying among mortals that good people died and ascended to heaven to become gods, thinking that A Si had misunderstood his meaning, “It’s not death, it’s becoming an immortal. Living forever, do you understand?”
A Si didn’t understand, he grabbed Xie Yiling’s hand: “It’s good as long as Xie Ci-gege doesn’t die!”
The sky had been gloomy for the past few days, as if there was a heavy rain brewing.
Inside Fufeng Pavilion, Nangong Ci asked Xie Yiling for the second time: “Are you really not going to the Ascension Platform?”
“No,” Xie Yiling shook his head, “Although I have reached ascension, I don’t want to be too rash. Besides, the head and several elders don’t plan to go, what am I going to do?”
Nangong Ci breathed a sigh of relief for no reason.
“What’s more,” Xie Yiling leaned back, resting on Nangong Ci’s lap, and blinked at him, “If I really become an immortal, what will you do? At that time, I’m afraid it will be ‘autumn on the heart of a separated person’.”
Nangong Ci thought about it carefully, understood, and smiled: “Your knowledge has improved a lot.”