IS Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Tonight, there are guests.

As dusk approached, Ye Zhuo poured himself a cup of wine under the Yulan Magnolia Tree on Misty Green Peak.

A warm, gentle voice came from the end of the path: “Ah Zhou, what a pleasant mood. Share a cup with me.”

Ye Zhuo didn’t answer. Wei Sheng Xian was his friend of many years. They met when they were young, and had cultivated together ever since. Wei Sheng Xian was naturally approachable and had a wide circle of friends. Later, he founded the Micro-Snow Palace in the Green Mountains and invited him to come, so he came. It had been ten years since then.

The person approached.

Ye Zhuo formed a sword gesture with his fingers and struck the stone table.

Sword energy rose from the ground like a dragon, carrying thousands of flower petals and leaves as it crashed towards Wei Sheng Xian!

Sharp and fierce, chillingly cold.

The wooden sword ‘Late Clearing’ was drawn, Wei Sheng Xian’s snow-white figure met the myriad sword energies, his footwork profound, his swordsmanship flawless, as if born from nature.

Unfortunately, it was not enough.

By the time he finally reached Ye Zhuo, there was already a bleeding wound on his neck.

Sitting down in front of Ye Zhuo, Wei Sheng Xian sheathed his sword and said, “I’ve made a fool of myself.”

Under the moonlight, Ye Zhuo’s eyes looked at him quietly, dark and deep. After a long while, he finally heard the man speak.

“You came out of Death Meditation half a year early,” Ye Zhuo said, “You need to cultivate for another ten years to make up for it.”

“Perhaps this Daoist priest has no affinity with that cultivation,” Wei Sheng Xian poured himself some wine, seemingly unconcerned, “Since the fate has not arrived, might as well cultivate for another ten years.”

Ye Zhuo remained silent.

“Ah Zhou, I came today to tell you that Lou Ke’s body has been sent back to the Upper Purity Mountain’s Dao Sect. The evidence is complete, and the turbid Qi of the Heart Devil on the body has not dissipated. The Dao Sect has nothing to say, they sent gifts and apologized, and no longer mentioned the so-called survey of the Green Mountain’s Aura Meridian.”

“However, although the Dao Sect has nothing to say, Lou Ke’s parents, who are Martial Sect Elders, and Lou Kui serves as the Sect-Protecting Elder, do not believe that their son was this kind of person. They made quite a scene, but were suppressed by the Dao Sect, and have not come to the Micro-Snow Palace to cause trouble.”

Ye Zhuo sneered: “Let them be.”

Wei Sheng Xian poured himself a cup of wine, holding it in his hand: “The matter of the so-called ‘Four Seas Survey Map’ has spread in the Immortal Dao world. Most sects obey and allow the Upper Purity Mountain to survey, but there are also a few sects who are unwilling and are arguing with the Upper Purity Mountain, causing chaos.”

Ye Zhuo tapped his fingers lightly on his sword: “They are drawing the Four Seas Survey Map, is it for…Aura Meridians?”

Wei Sheng Xian revealed a knowing smile: “It’s just that the Aura Meridians of their famous sects are not enough, and they want to use the survey map to view the mountains and rivers of the world, and calculate the location of new Aura Meridians. A storm is brewing, Feng Jiang, who went out to gather medicine, heard the news and has already returned. I’ve also sent a letter to Wei Yue Jun. That one sleeping underground, we plan to wake up on an auspicious day. Grandmaster Xia has been missing for five months, but it doesn’t matter, he will return when it’s time. When the six of us are all here, we won’t fear the Immortal Dao storm.”

Ye Zhuo nodded slightly.

The Micro-Snow Palace was said to be a sect, but it only had six Palace Masters. The rest were their Daoist attendants, Sword Servants, Medicinal Workers, and the like. In such a large territory, they hadn’t even taken in a single disciple who could breathe.

That was fine too, it was peaceful.

“I have important matters, I will go down the mountain tomorrow, and return in a month,” Ye Zhuo said, “Since a storm is brewing, you should go back and cultivate.”

He was clearly issuing an eviction order.

“Ah Zhou.” Wei Sheng Xian suddenly called his name.

Ye Zhuo looked at him.

Wei Sheng Xian looked at him seriously: “Ah Zhou, if you encounter anything, anyone, you must tell me.”

“Okay.”

“Be careful in everything when you go down the mountain this time.”

“Okay.”

“Ah Zhou.”

“?”

“If we weren’t good friends,” Wei Sheng Xian said with a smile in his eyes, “What do you think about us being Daoist Companions?”

Ye Zhuo gave him a strange look.

“Not good,” Ye Zhuo said, “I cultivate the Path of Emotional Detachment, don’t you know?”

“I know, it doesn’t matter,” Wei Sheng Xian said, “You just need to answer me, good, or not good.”

“Not good,” Ye Zhuo answered very decisively.

A gust of wind rose, and Yulan Magnolia petals fell in disorder, but not a single one landed on Ye Zhuo. He just sat there, his fingers holding the porcelain-white wine cup, the reflection in the cup was thinner and colder than the moonlight.

Wei Sheng Xian: “Then I’ll go back.”

After turning around, the man’s clear, ice-like voice came from behind: “Do you have a Heart Devil obsession?”

“If I do, what will you do?”

Ye Zhuo coldly sized him up, his expression uncertain.

“If you want to imitate that Dao Sect’s…” Ye Zhuo couldn’t remember the First Disciple’s name for a moment, and continued: “Then you don’t need to come again in the future.”

“It’s only been a few days, you wouldn’t have forgotten that thing’s name, would you?” Wei Sheng Xian shook his head repeatedly, sighing, “See, you’re heartless, what’s the point of sleeping with you.”

Ye Zhuo didn’t say a word, just looked at him quietly.

During the eye contact, Wei Sheng Xian suddenly smiled, his expression much more relaxed: “Okay, rest assured. This Daoist priest just happened to encounter a love tribulation, it’s not that I’m lustful. I have neither a Heart Devil, nor an obsession.”

“Gaining or losing are all destined. Since it’s a tribulation, I’ll overcome it myself.”

As soon as the words fell, an extremely profound Qi mechanism surged between heaven and earth, surrounding the white-robed Daoist priest, as clear as autumn water.

The cultivation that had been greatly depleted actually recovered to its original state in an instant.

Wei Sheng Xian raised his eyebrows triumphantly: “Alright, haven’t I overcome it? It can be seen that a genius like this Daoist priest doesn’t need to cultivate hard, but to have an epiphany.”

Ye Zhuo raised his cup to him.

Wei Sheng Xian smiled, and then drank the wine in the cup.

This wine was extremely strong, a rare occurrence in a hundred years. Coupled with drinking with that person, it was even more a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

It was a pity that he couldn’t taste whether it was sweet or bitter.

After Wei Sheng Xian left, Ye Zhuo drank alone.

He drank the strongest wine from Grandmaster Xia’s cellar like water, without changing his expression, drinking three cups. When it came to the fourth cup, a cold laugh came from above. As if expecting it, Ye Zhuo only glanced at that place faintly with his peripheral vision.

Someone fell gracefully from the highest eaves, and a tall figure in luxurious black robes walked towards him.

Not far away, the cold pool seemed to sense something, and with the visitor’s footsteps, waves lapped against the shore, like the tide rising from the blue sea.

Dragons are born to control wind, thunder, water, and electricity.

Standing ten steps away, Li Yuan looked at Ye Zhuo with his arms crossed.

“I really can’t understand,” he said, “One after another, how can they like someone as unscrupulous and ruthless as you.”

Ye Zhuo: “Perhaps they’re bewitched.”

Li Yuan deeply agreed: “It seems you understand your own character.”

Ye Zhuo smiled: “Otherwise, why would I pluck your scale?”

Li Yuan’s expression suddenly turned cold: “Since you’ve already remembered, then I have nothing to say to you.”

A long sword materialized from the void and was held in his hand.

Ye Zhuo looked over. With his knowledge, it was not difficult to see that this was also a peerless divine sword. The sword body was dark white like bone, and the whole body was cold. The three words “Do Not Long For” were engraved on it in ancient script, which was probably the name of the sword.

“Dragon bone?”

“Good eyesight.” Li Yuan stroked the sword body, wisps of cold air rose from the sword, “This sword was transformed from the remains of a predecessor, and the sword’s name was also given by him before his death.”

Speaking of this, Li Yuan looked at the Reverse Scale Sword placed on the table. He had looked at it carefully that day, and the place where the name should have been engraved on the sword made from his own scale was blank.

“What do you call it?”

A sword was just a sword, Ye Zhuo had never called it a name in his heart.

“I don’t call it anything.”

Li Yuan said angrily: “You don’t even give it a name, what do you want it for?”

“That’s right,” Ye Zhuo said, “It’s called ‘No Heart’.”

“You’re really perfunctory.” Li Yuan lost his patience: “Enough nonsense, get up and fight!”

Ye Zhuo swallowed back a “It’s not all perfunctory.” He grasped the hilt of the sword and said slowly: “…I can’t.”

The man’s tone was different, Li Yuan raised his sword in alert and took a few steps towards him.

–But he saw that under the moonlight, the man’s eyes were actually shimmering with light, the gaze looking over was seemingly focused, a wisp of rich red at the corner of his eye, he was already quite drunk.

The closer he got, the more he could smell the strong scent of wine. Li Yuan’s face was extremely bad. He unscrewed the wine pot and sniffed it slightly, then slammed it back on the table heavily.

“Ye Zhuo, you’re really… really a bastard!”

Drunk like this, how could they fight?

“You don’t want to fight? Then I’ll kill you right now!”

The sword light suddenly rose, stabbing straight at Ye Zhuo’s face!

Ye Zhuo didn’t dodge or avoid, his spiritual power circulated rapidly, he clamped the blade with two fingers, leaped up, and with his other hand, he drew his sword and slashed straight at the ‘Do Not Long For’ sword body!

The two immediately became entangled.

All that could be heard was a burst of storm-like clanging sounds in mid-air, incessant.

Li Yuan frowned.

For no other reason than that he smelled the scent of the Faith Fragrance again?

The Faith Fragrance on Ye Zhuo aroused his own, and unknowingly, they were entangled together, inseparable.

The Qi and blood became more and more hot as the spiritual power circulated during the fight, getting worse and worse.

…This bastard!

After an unspoken parry, the two withdrew their moves.

Li Yuan: “What’s wrong with you!”

Having just stopped, Ye Zhuo was a little breathless, perhaps mixed with drunkenness.

“It’s not… that I intentionally broke our promise. It’s that my poison hasn’t been cleared yet. I can’t fight you with all my strength,” he said.

Li Yuan sheathed his sword, his face displeased.

With the residual poison not cleared, it wouldn’t be honorable for him to fight Ye Zhuo. This sword fight was another fruitless return.

How to get rid of the poison? Naturally, it was like that day in the cold pool.

It was really outrageous!

“What do you take me for? A tool for detoxification?”

“If I’m not mistaken, the Faith Fragrance is coming from you now.”

“That’s because–”

Li Yuan was speechless, he had indeed been affected by the residual poison on Ye Zhuo’s body.

“Because, within a year or two of a young dragon’s first Faith Fragrance induction, they can’t freely release Faith Fragrance, and are easily affected and release it again?”

Li Yuan’s expression was uncertain: “You really know a lot.”

Ye Zhuo returned to the stone table and shook the white jade wine pot: “The Dragon race rarely comes to the human world. Want to have a drink?”

Not wanting to talk to a drunkard, Li Yuan poured himself a cup and drank it.

This wine was extremely spicy.

Li Yuan’s tone was also extremely unfriendly.

“Ye Zhuo, ten days ago you were deeply poisoned and your meridians were about to be greatly damaged. Tonight, you still have residual poison that hasn’t been cleared, and you’re drunk again. If I were to draw my sword, I could have taken your life directly, do you admit it or not?”

Ye Zhuo: “You insisted on having an honorable fight, what does it have to do with me?”

For a moment, Li Yuan didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh, he only felt his teeth grinding, wishing he could cut him open to see what this person was made of.

Li Yuan: “Then your residual poison hasn’t been cleared, it also has nothing to do with me?”

“It’s related,” Ye Zhuo said, “The residual poison hasn’t been cleared, I need you to detoxify me.”

“–Then after the detoxification?”

“Naturally, I’ll fight you.”

Li Yuan: “You better remember that.”

Ye Zhuo seemed to nod, but maybe not, his breathing was slightly rapid, and on closer inspection, he was unconscious again. Li Yuan looked at him coldly, only to see that this person picked up the wine pot and continued to pour wine into the cup, but didn’t hold it steady, and half of the wine spilled onto the table. Li Yuan reached out and caught the cup that was about to fall, and with this, his fingers touched Ye Zhuo’s knuckles.

Ye Zhuo immediately frowned, Faith Fragrance swirled around him, and the corners of his eyes turned red again.

Li Yuan looked at him like this, only feeling that the fire in his chest had nowhere to go, turning into the absurdity of what had happened.

“You used Dragon scales to refine your Natal Sword, so you’re most afraid of smelling the Dragon race’s Faith Fragrance in this life.” Li Yuan picked up a strand of his damp hair, watching the inky black strands entwine between his fingers, and said in a hoarse voice: “Ye Zhuo, what do you call this?”

Ye Zhuo had nothing to say.

“Retribution.” In the end, he answered softly.

Outside the window was a half-waning moon.

The poison wasn’t deep, it seemed to be at the end of its rope.

Therefore, he was much more awake than that night ten days ago.

He could clearly smell the Faith Fragrance entwined between each other, lingering and affectionate.

Ye Zhuo’s fingers grabbed the snow-white duvet as if seeking help, and a string of bright red, dripping Buddhist beads were wrapped around his wrist. That color was like the red that rose on the back of his hand and fingertips at this moment.

Li Yuan looked at them, reached out and grabbed Ye Zhuo’s wrist, covering the string of Buddhist beads. He felt that it was very dazzling, like it had been contaminated with the fire poison of the mortal world.

The moonlight was like snow, and in the clear light like frost and snow, Ye Zhuo’s face was so clear and striking, like the Red Lotus Karma Fire said in Buddhist scriptures, beautiful and intense, burning away the cause and effect of the mortal world.

His eyes were half-closed, looking in Li Yuan’s direction with a bit of drunkenness, there was a hazy reflection in his pupils, but he wasn’t actually looking at anything, there was only a void in those eyes.

–This was the kind of person who plucked your Reverse Scale, but also smelled your Faith Fragrance.

Li Yuan had imagined many times the scene of stabbing his sword into Ye Zhuo’s heart, but it wasn’t like this now.

In the moonlight, he saw that the man’s long eyebrows seemed to be furrowed, and in his uneven breathing, there was a mist-like water light in his scattered eyes.

It didn’t seem like a scene that should be had when taking revenge.

Li Yuan felt that he had become very strange. Again and again, he wanted to cover the Faith Fragrance that didn’t belong to him, even when that person seemed to be unable to bear it anymore.

Because of the poison? Because he was his enemy? Or because of this face that he wouldn’t forget once he saw it?

In the end, he could only attribute it to the nature of the Dragon race.

When the sky was about to dawn, Ye Zhuo finally closed his eyes.

But the rise and fall of his breathing told Li Yuan that he was not asleep.

Grabbing his wrist, Li Yuan repeatedly confirmed that there was indeed no trace of poison in this person’s meridians, and it wouldn’t happen again.

“The poison is gone,” he said to Ye Zhuo, “Remember to fight me next time.”

Ye Zhuo: “Okay.”

His long hair was scattered on the cold jade couch like flowing water, this person closed his eyes, motionless, like a skillfully crafted jade statue.

Li Yuan felt that he had a lot of complicated things to say, but he didn’t know what to say.

In the end, he said: “If you have any problems next time, I’ll just kill you to avenge myself.”

Ye Zhuo: “Okay.”

Listening to his voice, it really seemed like he was about to fall asleep immediately.

The light of dawn was hazy and about to fall, reflecting a patch of unfaded red marks on Ye Zhuo’s shoulder, quietly hidden under his half-covered robe, and there were still imprints of Buddhist beads on his exposed wrist.

Li Yuan suddenly felt that his appearance was a bit pitiful, like a floating reflection in the water, which would dissipate with a touch.

So he reached out and pulled up someone’s robe, and took the duvet from the side, wanting to cover him.

Just as he was distracted, Ye Zhuo suddenly opened his eyes beneath him.

–Then, a cold light flashed.

Li Yuan felt a sharp pain in his heart.

He saw that Ye Zhuo’s eyes were clear and without any fatigue.

Those eyes were as cold as a sword blade.