After Escaping From Death, He Went Even Crazier By Criticizing Black Lotus Chapter 45
byChapter 45: We Are Even… We Can’t Be Separated…
When Su Huan awoke, the memories from his dream were still vivid.
Because of that dream, he finally understood his origin and his destination.
It turned out that Cang Xuan was him, Feng Qing was him, and Ji Buhuan was also him.
This was his one hundred and second life.
The reason he had transmigrated into a book was that the tragedy of his previous life made him realize that gods should not exist in this world, so his subconscious mind reincarnated him into this external realm.
However, someone had reversed time and space, forcibly dragging him back.
Suddenly, he noticed a figure sitting by his bed and was startled by the unexpected sight.
Looking closely, it was Xiao Jianming.
Gazing at the appearance identical to the youth named Wuwang in his dream, Su Huan felt a complicated mix of emotions.
While lost in thought, he abruptly heard Xiao Jianming let out a short, somewhat gloomy laugh.
Su Huan’s heart skipped a beat, sensing something was wrong: “…What is it?”
Xiao Jianming lowered his head, his expression obscured, his eyes fixed on the lotus water jade in his hand.
After a long silence, he asked in a low voice, “Have you… always been afraid of me?”
Su Huan was slightly surprised, unsure why he would ask such a question, and didn’t know how to answer immediately.
Xiao Jianming looked up, almost accusingly, “You’re afraid I’ll kill you, aren’t you?”
Su Huan froze for a moment, then forced a smile, “How could that be?”
Xiao Jianming saw through his strained attempt at lightness and couldn’t help but close his eyes. In his mind, those words from the past, which couldn’t withstand scrutiny, resurfaced—
“Then, if we become Dao companions, will you still kill me?”
…
“If I don’t accept, can the contract even be broken?”
…
That’s right, he was the one who insisted on liking Brother Buhuan in the beginning.
Brother Buhuan agreeing to be with him was only because the Life-and-Death Contract couldn’t be dissolved.
…But Brother Buhuan has always been afraid of him?
Fear is far more agonizing than lack of love.
Xiao Jianming’s heart twisted, nearly suffocating him.
“Brother Buhuan, don’t lie to me…”
The smile on Su Huan’s face faded, and he fell silent.
Xiao Jianming stared at him, then let out a laugh that was barely a breath.
It sounded like a heart bleeding, like wails over ten thousand graves.
Clutching at a final straw, he kept murmuring, “The Life-and-Death Contract cannot be broken… it cannot be broken.”
Su Huan looked at him, wanting to speak but holding back.
Suddenly, the pale-faced youth looked up, grabbing his wrist, his tear-filled eyes blood-red, “What do I have to do to make you stop being afraid of me…”
“Brother Buhuan, tell me what exactly I need to do…”
The youth bowed his head, resting his forehead on Su Huan’s hand, almost pleading.
Su Huan withdrew his hand and sighed softly.
Then he extended his right hand, touching the center of Xiao Jianming’s forehead with his fingertip. A white light instantly shot into him.
Xiao Jianming’s expression became vacant.
Su Huan said, “I am returning what you once left for me. Then you will understand.”
That was a restriction Xiao Jianming had placed in Su Huan’s Sea of Consciousness in their previous life to protect his divine soul, created by tearing apart his own soul.
As long as the person lived, the restriction remained; when the person died, the restriction vanished.
It also contained all of the youth’s memories.
A quarter of an hour later, the daze in Xiao Jianming’s expression gradually faded. His dark eyelashes fluttered, and his watery eyes trembled as he looked at Su Huan: “…Brother A-Qing?”
Su Huan nodded in affirmation.
Xiao Jianming immediately burst into tears, “I’m sorry, Brother A-Qing, I didn’t know it was you…”
He remembered.
In his previous life, he had killed Brother A-Qing once… no, twice.
Once by discarding his body off a cliff near a wooden house, and the other time when he personally drove a sword into Brother A-Qing’s chest.
That happened after he became a god.
…
After Xiao Jianming became the overlord of the Sea of No Delusion, aristocratic families sent many people to the Sea of No Delusion, either to curry favor or for unknown sinister reasons. Ji Buhuan was among them.
Xiao Jianming recognized his Brother Buhuan instantly.
But the dashing and gentle Brother Buhuan from back then seemed like a different person, shrouded in an unyielding black aura, half of which surged toward his father and half toward Xiao Jianming.
Still, Xiao Jianming kept him.
Strangely, he discovered that Ji Buhuan’s divine soul was incomplete, and he did not have long to live.
One day, Ji Buhuan actually hid a dagger in his sleeve, attempting to assassinate him.
Xiao Jianming was both heartbroken and confused, asking him why.
Ji Buhuan said bitterly, “You killed Brother Chao!”
Xiao Jianming was stunned. He pieced together from the youth’s fragmented accusations who this unfamiliar name belonged to.
He was confused and said, “But his name wasn’t Su Chao, it was Su Huan.”
Ji Buhuan froze.
Until one day, a youth with a round face and round eyes infiltrated the Sea of No Delusion.
Ji Buhuan was overjoyed to learn that his cousin was not dead.
Xiao Jianming, however, was filled with deep regret.
He asked incredulously, “Are you saying that the other half of Brother Buhuan’s divine soul dissipated because of me?”
Su Chao replied, “That is correct. If you truly love him, let him go and allow him to live out the rest of his life in peace.”
Xiao Jianming refused.
But one day, Ji Buhuan again picked up a sword and stabbed him.
Xiao Jianming sadly asked him why, but Ji Buhuan shed tears, “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to… but Father placed a Puppet Contract in my divine soul, wanting to replace you… Why don’t you let me go…”
Xiao Jianming gritted his teeth, “Absolutely impossible.”
Yet, he couldn’t kill Ji Heng. If the Puppeteer died, the puppet would surely die too.
But as long as Ji Heng lived, he would certainly order Ji Buhuan to assassinate him.
One assassination order followed another, endlessly.
In the end, Ji Buhuan couldn’t bear having his body controlled anymore and begged Xiao Jianming to kill him.
“Kill me…”
“I won’t!”
“Why do you cry so much? Stop crying.”
“You know, if you just kill me, everything will end…”
…
Recalling all this, Xiao Jianming stared blankly at the youth he had lost and found again. The pain deeply hidden beneath his calm black eyes erupted.
Catching sight of the empty Dantian in the youth’s body, the pain quickly took root and grew into an insurmountable, sky-covering giant tree.
He had hurt his beloved, time and time again.
At that moment, Su Huan gently wiped the tears from his cheek. His eyes held compassion, pity, forgiveness, and a hint of divinity.
But there was no romantic love.
Xiao Jianming vaguely understood something and completely panicked, “Brother Buhuan, Brother A-Qing, don’t abandon me…”
Su Huan looked down at the hand gripping his arm. The knuckles were white with effort, yet the grip never hurt him.
But he was afraid.
He gently pulled his arm free from the youth’s grasp and whispered, “What I fear has never been you, but your love.”
He had tried to respond to love for the first time, but he never expected it to be so convoluted and painful.
Perhaps he was simply not suited for love.
…He wanted to break up.
Su Huan softly spoke his final words: “Wuwang, go back to the Sea of No Delusion.”
As he spoke, a golden divine mark slowly appeared on his pristine forehead.
Hearing those words, Xiao Jianming froze completely.
*
Su Huan returned to Lichen Mountain.
As he approached the courtyard gate, he saw someone waiting outside—
True Lord Zihuan.
True Lord Zihuan smiled at him and asked, “How was it? How effective was the Spirit-Nourishing Tea I newly blended?”
Su Huan paused. Although he had suspected it before, he now confirmed that the tea was responsible for restoring his memory.
He thought to himself that this tea, by chance, allowed him to recover his memory and preemptively stop the Demon race’s plot to destroy the world. It was truly a timely rain, couldn’t be better.
Su Huan sighed internally, a gentle smile appearing on his face. He bowed solemnly to True Lord Zihuan in thanks, “Your great kindness, Martial Aunt, I will never forget.”
Such formality made True Lord Zihuan, who had intended to tease her junior, feel a little embarrassed. “Alright, alright. If it worked, drink more of it.”
Her retreating figure was somewhat hurried.
It wasn’t until she returned to her residence that True Lord Zihuan realized, belatedly, how strange it was. She actually felt a sense of reverence toward a junior?
Hmm, she hadn’t noticed anything different about this boy.
Su Huan had intended to search for Su Chao but gave up.
Never mind. It was he who had presumptuously committed suicide by sword, causing Chaoyang to bear the karmic sin of slaying its master. Now that the karma was settled, he would let it be free.
Su Huan summoned his natal sword of this life, examining the pure white immortal sword named Haoxue.
Sensing its master’s gaze, the sword body hummed excitedly.
Su Huan gripped the sword, and the humming ceased.
The sword’s sound was clear and sharp. Even if it wasn’t a divine sword, it was enough.
Thus, he quietly awaited the start of the Immortal Sect Grand Assembly.
During this time, Feng Jiangyue knocked on his door.
She called out, “Fourth Junior Brother, this is bad! That boy surnamed Xiao is kneeling at the foot of the mountain and refuses to leave until he sees you!”
Su Huan replied, letting him be.
Three more days passed, and the door was knocked again.
This time it wasn’t Feng Jiangyue, but Junior Brother Fang Mingyun.
He had eaten too much candy and recently lost a front tooth, making his speech slightly lisping, “Fourth Senior Brother, this is bad! Senior Brother Xiao has fainted!”
The fingers resting on Su Huan’s knee twitched slightly, but he still refused to see him.
It wasn’t until the scorching sun suddenly gave way to a torrential downpour, with the faint sound of thunder rumbling, that Su Huan finally descended the mountain.
As expected, Xiao Jianming’s obsession had driven him mad, and he was close to falling into the demonic path.
The Demonic Tribulation lightning was imminent, and the sky over the entire Xuanji Sect had darkened.
The disheveled youth, fallen into the mud and water, could no longer control his consciousness. He had completely forgotten how to use spiritual power to ward off the rain. He was soaked through and covered in mud.
Su Huan quickly helped him up, frowning deeply. He swiftly sealed his Lingtai acupoint with his blood and infused spiritual power to suppress the surging spiritual energy around him. Only then did the thunder clouds gradually dissipate.
Xiao Jianming slowly regained awareness, revealing a pale smile, “Brother A-Qing, I knew you couldn’t bear to refuse a child…”
Su Huan’s heart was cold, and his words were equally cold: “Why didn’t you go back? The Sea of No Delusion is your domain.”
Xiao Jianming froze, then quickly shook his head in denial, tears in his eyes, “I won’t leave, unless Brother A-Qing returns with me.”
Su Huan pulled the section of sleeve out of his hand and said, “I have dissolved the contract. We have no relationship anymore.”
Xiao Jianming’s black eyes widened as the sleeve was easily pulled away.
He heard Brother A-Qing sigh once more, “Go back to the Sea of No Delusion.”
Su Huan turned and started walking up the mountain.
Suddenly, the youth kneeling on the ground spoke, “It’s not enough.”
Su Huan paused, “What?”
The youth looked up, giving another soft laugh, his eyes tinged with red. He slowly said, “If Brother A-Qing wants to sever ties with me… this alone is not enough.”
He crawled up the steps on his knees until he grasped Su Huan’s right hand.
His black eyes fixed on those clear eyes, and then he pierced his own Dantian!
Su Huan was stunned. He tried to withdraw his hand in haste but couldn’t, angrily shouting in disbelief, “You’re insane!”
“Yes, I am insane.” Xiao Jianming’s eyes were red, his expression showing a hint of obsessive madness.
“I have been insane for a long time,” he said slowly, “From the moment you planned to abandon me again, I went mad.”
The sky rumbled with thunder, and the heavy rain started again.
Xiao Jianming used all his strength to hold Su Huan’s right hand, tearing open his burning Dantian, pulling out his Nascent Soul, crushing it into a Golden Core, and placing it in Su Huan’s palm.
The sound of shattering merged with the heavy rain: “Now, I have repaid the Golden Core I owed you… and I have repaid the life I owed you… We are even.”
He observed the expression on Su Huan’s face, then slowly smiled, whispering, “Look, Brother A-Qing, you still feel pain for me… We can’t be separated.”