MOF Chapter 92
by VolareNangong Ci was instantly speechless.
After a long while, he asked in a trembling voice, “So, you deliberately didn’t save him?”
“No,” Nangong Yue shook his head. “A-Ling, I truly had no way. Even if the Sect Leader came, it would be useless.”
Nangong Ci detected something amiss. “How do you know it would be useless even if the Sect Leader came? Or are you saying you know why Xie Ci suffered this?”
Nangong Yue was silent for a moment, then said to him, “Porridge should be eaten while it’s hot.”
A tear slowly slid down Nangong Ci’s eye socket. “You shouldn’t have stopped me.”
Seeing that he was still obsessed, Nangong Yue frowned. “A-Ling, don’t think so much. Everyone in the world has their own karma. Perhaps, this is Xie Yiling’s karma.”
These words were like a knife twisting in Nangong Ci’s heart, indescribable. He had just awakened, and his spiritual consciousness was already unstable. Now, grief and anger attacked his heart, and he immediately fainted again.
This time, he remained unconscious for ten full days. During this time, Nangong Ci was sometimes as hot as a furnace and sometimes as cold as an icehouse.
Nangong Yue stayed by his side day and night, exhausting his mind, and several times saved Nangong Ci, who was hanging by a thread.
Ten days later, Nangong Ci’s spiritual veins finally stabilized. After waking up, he sat calmly on the bed, not saying a word.
Nangong Yue brought over a bowl of medicinal porridge, his voice unusually weak. “A-Ling, your spiritual power hasn’t recovered yet. Eating this medicinal porridge will help you recover faster.”
After a long while, Nangong Ci’s eyes slowly turned to the medicinal porridge in his hand. He stared at it for a long time, then raised his hand and took it.
Seeing this, Nangong Yue breathed a sigh of relief.
As a spoonful of medicinal porridge entered his mouth, a solidified expression appeared on Nangong Ci’s face. He opened his mouth, his voice as if it had rolled over gravel: “Bitter.”
“What?” Nangong Yue looked at the medicinal porridge. “It shouldn’t be bitter. This was made by Elder Ming Nan with medicinal herbs. I tasted it first.”
“Bitter,” Nangong Ci repeated emotionlessly.
Nangong Yue realized something and looked around, seeing a plate of nearly finished candied fruit on the table.
He took a piece and handed it to Nangong Ci. “A-Ling, try this.”
The candied fruit exuded a fruity fragrance, but as soon as Nangong Ci put it in his mouth and bit down, it was so bitter that his taste buds went numb, and he almost vomited.
He raised his head, staring at Nangong Yue, his gaze never so indifferent: “Bitter.”
Nangong Yue couldn’t help but take half a step back. “A-Ling, your sense of taste…”
*
During this time, the Southern Return Heavenly Pavilion was shrouded in an indescribable atmosphere.
Si Wumian brought back Xie Yiling’s belongings that day and buried them with A Si’s body in the back mountain. Almost all the disciples went to pay their respects.
Coincidentally, the next day, Lu Jinnian returned to the Southern Return.
Zhu Zimo and Zhu Zishan embellished the story of Xie Yiling and told him: “If you ask me, it must be that Xie Yiling violated some heavenly rules or something. Even the heavens couldn’t stand it and struck him dead with lightning.”
After listening, Lu Jinnian was shocked for a long time, and finally said: “Alright, alright, stop talking about it, isn’t it unlucky?”
Zhu Zimo and Zhu Zishan smiled at each other. “Unlucky, unlucky, we won’t say it anymore.”
Lu Jinnian suddenly said again: “You said, Fufeng Daoren and Yue Gongzi, didn’t go to save him?”
Zhu Zimo thought for a while: “Fufeng Daoren wanted to save him, but the heavens didn’t allow it, and struck him back with heavenly lightning. He is still recuperating.”
Lu Jinnian nodded and didn’t say anything.
This time when he went down the mountain, he not only successfully eliminated evil spirits but also met a mysterious expert who gave him a secret immortal manual.
He didn’t care about Xie Yiling’s life or death. He just wanted to quickly find a place to study that secret manual.
Unfortunately, before that, he had to report his experience down the mountain to Nangong Yue first.
Lu Jinnian arrived at Qingfeng Pavilion and was told by the disciples there that Yue Gongzi was with Fufeng Daoren. So he had to turn around and go to Fufeng Pavilion, unexpectedly seeing Si Wumian there.
In the past, when Si Wumian and Xie Yiling saw him, their eyebrows and eyes were not right, but now they drooped their heads, passing by him without even looking at him.
Lu Jinnian felt happy in his heart, smiled, and strode over.
After Nangong Ci woke up, several disciples came to visit. The people were speechless to each other. After confirming that Nangong Ci was fine, they said goodbye one after another.
When going out, one of them said: “Why didn’t I see Senior Brother Wumian come?”
Another person said: “Senior Brother Wumian came a few days ago, but Fufeng Daoren was still unconscious at the time and hadn’t woken up yet.”
“I see, does Fufeng Daoren know about that?”
“You mean A Si?”
“Yes, when Senior Brother Wumian brought A Si back that day, he looked like he was already out of breath. It seemed that he accidentally fell down and died.”
“Alas, I dare not say anything about this.”
“…”
Nangong Ci sat by the window, looking at the crabapple outside the window, seemingly in a daze. The white snow pressed the branches, until they were completely loaded, and with a “crack” they broke, and the snow rustled down.
He stared at the broken branch, listening to the disciples’ conversation without missing a word, but now he had no intention or strength to ask.
What happened that day was like a nightmare soaked in rain. The weather in the dream was gloomy, and today, it was snowing outside. The sky was bright, but not a ray of light shone into his heart.
Nangong Ci’s mind was sometimes dizzy and sometimes particularly clear, but regardless of the state, he clearly remembered one thing: Xie Ci was dead.
On the third day after waking up, he began to leave Fufeng Pavilion and supervised the disciples’ practice as usual.
At night, he went to the back mountain and looked at the tombstones that Si Wumian had erected for Xie Yiling and A Si, and watched them all night.
After dawn, the figure left, leaving only a row of neatly placed wine pots.
It rarely rained in the winter of Southern Return. Even when it snowed, the sun often appeared.
The golden light shone on the snow, and the snow set off the red plums. The Southern Return Heavenly Pavilion gradually recovered its past sound.
Nangong Ci often saw Si Wumian alone, sitting alone by the stone altar where he used to sit with Xie Yiling, his expression melancholy, wondering what he was thinking.
Throughout the winter, there was always Si Wumian’s figure by the stone altar.
Until the spring light was in order, and all things harmonized. Si Wumian stayed by the stone altar fewer times, and he had a disciple accompanying him, Nangong Ningan.
“Fufeng Daoren good!”
Si Wumian’s voice interrupted Nangong Ci’s trance. He raised his head and glanced at the person in front of him, nodding slightly.
“Senior Brother Wumian, let’s go to practice together!” Nangong Ningan ran over from the other side, saw Nangong Ci, and quickly saluted, “I have seen Fufeng Daoren.”
“Fufeng Daoren, then we’ll go first,” Si Wumian said, and turned and left with Nangong Ningan.
Nangong Ci silently watched them walk away side by side. He had seen this scene countless times, but the person next to Si Wumian was no longer the one in his memory.
Not long after, the Sect Leader came out of seclusion. When Nangong Ci went to visit, he found that Nangong Yue had already arrived.
He didn’t avoid Nangong Yue and directly asked the Sect Leader if there was a technique for searching for souls and asking for spirits.
After Nangong Fu learned about Xie Yiling’s affairs, he sat quietly in front of the chessboard in the courtyard for a long time. It was not until Nangong Yue opened his mouth to persuade him for a while that he relieved the sadness in his heart.
Hearing Nangong Ci’s request, he said sadly: “Fufeng, you and I are also from the Southern Return. What we learn from searching for souls and asking for spirits is a technique, don’t you already know that?”
Nangong Ci clenched his fist and said in a hoarse voice: “Sect Leader, do you really have no other way?”
Nangong Fu sighed deeply: “Life and death are determined by heaven, how can you and I change it.”
Nangong Yue walked over and patted Nangong Ci’s shoulder: “A-Ling, don’t make it difficult for yourself anymore.”
Nangong Ci tilted his shoulder, bid farewell to the two, and turned to leave. When he went out, he brushed past Lu Jinnian, who had come to find Nangong Yue.
“I have seen Fufeng Daoren…” Before Lu Jinnian could finish speaking, Nangong Ci’s figure had already gone far away. He pursed his lips and looked back at Nangong Ci.
“Sect Leader, about Xie Ci…”
Nangong Fu closed his eyes and pressed his fingers on his temple: “Huai Feng, should people follow the heavens or overcome the heavens?”
Nangong Yue said lightly: “Do everything within your power. Violating the secrets of heaven that heaven reveals to the world is Xie Yiling’s willful decision. Haven’t you already discussed with the Sect Leaders of other immortal sects and unanimously decided to follow the will of heaven? After all, the way of heaven cannot be reversed, and the secrets of heaven cannot be revealed. Cause and effect are born, and fruit is caused by cause. If we intervene, the consequences are difficult to bear.”
“It’s just a pity that the child took the initiative, is young, and has talent.” Nangong Fu looked regretful, “And Fufeng, he is affectionate and righteous, and is a person with a heart. I am afraid that he will not easily let go of this matter.”
Nangong Yue said softly: “Whether you can let it go or not, only you know.”
Suddenly, Lu Jinnian’s voice came from outside: “Sect Leader, Yue Gongzi.”
Nangong Yue’s expression froze and said: “Come in.”
Even though he had reported to Nangong Yue several times, Lu Jinnian was still a little restrained. He swallowed subconsciously and said: “I am here to report to Yue Gongzi about this trip down the mountain.”
“Okay, you talk,” Nangong Fu waved his hand. “I will continue to play chess.”
Nangong Yue glanced at Lu Jinnian: “Come over here and talk.”
Lu Jinnian nodded quickly, his hands trembling slightly in his sleeves, his mind full of the words he had just heard.
The Sect Leader and Yue Gongzi actually knew the cause of Xie Yiling’s death, what heavenly secrets and heavenly laws. It seems that Zhu Zimo and the others did not guess wrong, Xie Yiling really died because of this.
Feeling guilty and uneasy, Lu Jinnian left the Sect Leader’s place and ran back all the way.
At the end of late spring, Nangong Yue had reached the realm of ascension, and he told Nangong Ci about his going to the Ascension Platform.
At this time, Nangong Ci was sitting in meditation under the crabapple tree in the courtyard. Hearing Nangong Yue’s words, he still closed his eyes and opened his vermilion lips slightly: “Then I wish my brother to attain the Dao and ascend, and be listed in the Immortal Class.”
Nangong Yue said: “A-Ling, are you still blaming me?”
Nangong Ci didn’t say anything.
“Brother is doing this for your own good,” Nangong Yue suddenly became emotional. “You have repeatedly indulged Xie Yiling and even sheltered him from cultivating demons, which is already a major taboo of the immortal sect! If the Sect Leader knows, he will definitely take away your golden elixir and expel you from the immortal sect, do you understand?”
“Brother,” Nangong Ci opened his eyes, his light-colored eyes faintly showing estrangement, “An impure heart is a major taboo for ascension.”
“A-Ling, you and I have been brothers for more than ten years in the mortal world, how could I harm you?” Nangong Yue wanted to say more, but saw that Nangong Ci had already closed his eyes, and after a long while, he sighed, “If you don’t want to listen, I will leave.”
After he walked away, a soft sigh rang out under the crabapple tree.
The time required for ascension varies from person to person, as short as one or two days and as long as three to five days. On the day of ascension, Nangong Yue was a little hesitant.
He thought of Nangong Ci’s attitude and couldn’t help but ask himself in his heart if he had really done something wrong.
Is this what he wants, alienation and indifference between siblings?
But no matter what he thought, the Ascension Platform had already arrived.