IS Chapter 158

Chapter 158

After that day, Ye Zhuo didn’t go out again.

Jinming knew. Now that everything that needed stirring up had been stirred, things could finally quiet down for a while. He’d secured this quaint and exquisite little courtyard in the remote mountains to the north, planted several dozen plum trees in full bloom, and in a single day had tidied it up to be exceptionally beautiful. He even used his exquisite human calligraphy above the courtyard gate to inscribe the name: Plum Blossom Cottage.

–Who would see it?

No one.

Ye Zhuo quieted down, as if there was no one at all in Plum Blossom Cottage. Jinming actually missed the times when they were outside.

Venture into secret realms, daily on the edge of life and death, and then emerge alive. Under such refinement, his cultivation and supernatural powers advanced by leaps and bounds, and his state of mind became calm and unruffled. When that person plundered the treasures of the secret realms, he often tossed out a few ancient books for him, with a variety of types, but upon opening them, they were all surprisingly suitable for him.

With his current level, returning to the Dragon Clan would shock the other dragons. He wasn’t Li Yuan’s older brother; Ye Zhuo was his older brother.

But looking through a layer of window, the hazy red figure sat upright at the desk writing, this profile was so quiet and beautiful that the words “older brother” were hard to say out loud. What was this person writing? Was he writing a letter to his brother?

–Ye Zhuo was writing out the sword techniques of Illusory Sword Manor from memory.

These were things he had once remembered, but later forgot word by word. Those swords, twenty years later, he used again against Li Yuan. Now, he was writing out word by word those old scrolls that had been burned in the fire.

One volume after another piled up, the several lines of inheritance of Illusory Sword Manor were clear, as was the inheritance of the Path of Heartlessness. The Path was not wrong, and the swords were all excellent sword techniques. He was the only one in the world who still remembered them, and it would be a pity if they were lost.

There would actually be such a day that he seemed completely far away from those things, and yet seemed to finally return, back to those years. Actually, the days of single-mindedly studying the sword were also not bad. At the end of each ten days, elders would open an altar to lecture on the winds and objects of the four seas. He didn’t understand anything at that time, but he memorized what he heard, and later when he traveled the world, he saw it all.

Jinming even came to take a look, wanting to learn? But he wasn’t a sword cultivator. Sure enough, that Golden Dragon left disappointed after seeing the contents of his paper clearly.

Later, Ye Zhuo began to organize his own sword techniques. He wrote half a volume and felt it was superfluous.

The things of Illusory Sword Manor, if written out, maybe someone would learn them one day. But if his sword techniques were passed on, it would only harm others, and he wouldn’t compensate for anyone who went into demonic deviation. So he put it aside and started reading.

That Golden Dragon would come to see him every now and then, sometimes observing his expression, lost in thought. What, was he still thinking about their little long thing? Living well, he was pouring twenty percent spiritual energy into it a day, sometimes thirty percent. Now it was floating on its back in the spirit sea pretending to be dead.

As for how long it could live, Ye Zhuo didn’t know. The snow outside was getting smaller.

Jinming had something on his mind, thought about it for a long time, and finally figured something out. This human’s temper had been getting worse and worse recently. Looking at him with a nose that wasn’t a nose and eyes that weren’t eyes.

Jinming felt that things couldn’t go on like this. So on this day, after nightfall, the lights were lit, the atmosphere was peaceful, and he found Ye Zhuo to talk.

Talk about what. Ye Zhuo said, “Not dead yet.”

“I’m not talking about that.” Why did this person talk like that! Jinming got irritated as soon as he talked to him.

He was no longer the Jinming who had just arrived in the human world, nor was he the Jinming who had just discovered the little ink dragon cub. He had gradually become clear about Ye Zhuo as a person. Such a person, the dragon cub—linking these two together made him unable to help but ask himself, could this dragon cub really be controlled by their Dragon Realm, and could they really control it?

Ye Zhuo: “Then what to talk about?”

What to talk about, Jinming was already confident. He finally remembered that his original intention in coming to the human world was to tie this person back to the Abyss Sea.

“Do you and Li Yuan have some kind of misunderstanding?” Jinming said, “Why not tell me about it.”

Ye Zhuo: “None.”

“Then did he offend you?”

“No.”

“Then did you offend him?” Jinming muttered, “That wouldn’t happen, would it.”

Ye Zhuo had lost all patience: “Speak your mind.”

“You guys should have been good, right? Why did you break up later?”

What did “good” mean? Where did the Golden Dragon learn such vulgar words? What was he doing all day long?

Ye Zhuo: “The song ends and people part, for no reason.”

“You have to forget each other in the world to be able to say ‘the song ends and people part,’ right.”

“After a long parting, naturally you’ll forget each other in the world.”

“You!” Jinming was furious, but thinking that his younger brother was arrogant, perhaps he couldn’t bring himself to reconcile, resulting in this situation. In the end, he still snorted and said, “But he said that he wants to finalize things with you.”

“If a few months of things can really be remembered for tens of thousands of years,” Ye Zhuo said lightly, “I admire the Dragon Clan’s extraordinary talent.”

Jinming was really going to be angered to death by this person! A good person was like a hedgehog! How did his younger brother manage to get along with this person? He choked for a long time and couldn’t speak, but he saw that person’s eyelashes lightly raised, his thoughtful gaze looking at him: “What else did he say?”

“What else could he say? Of course, he was bewitched, speaking for you. He said that he has ten parts of sincerity, giving you nine parts, and leaving one part to finalize things. You have one part of sincerity, giving him one part, and that’s called wholehearted. I laughed when I heard that. What about you?”

Ye Zhuo really smiled lightly.

He said: “Tell these words to your ancestors, scold him, and maybe he’ll wake up.”

Jinming suddenly didn’t want to laugh. He looked at Ye Zhuo: “Not even one part?”

Ye Zhuo quietly looked at him, without answering.

“If there really isn’t even one part, then why have you been keeping it these days?” Jinming felt a deep sense of powerlessness. It was because he saw that Ye Zhuo hadn’t done anything to that dragon cub that he felt that there might be lingering feelings between the two.

Ye Zhuo strangely said: “Can’t it be because I’m kind?”

Jinming: “?”

“…Anyway, dragon eggs can only hatch in a dragon’s nest.” Jinming said, “Even if it takes a few thousand years, what hatches will still be a dragon cub, and it will slowly grow for hundreds or thousands of years before it transforms into a human. Some will take even longer. All of that requires other dragons to take care of it. You’re a human, and you don’t even speak the same language. How will you raise it?”

–What, he even wants him to raise it? Wishful thinking.

Jinming suddenly realized he had misspoke. The dragon cub won’t be the same race, so their hearts will definitely be different. This Ye Zhuo is a human, and he said that the dragon cub will hatch as a dragon for hundreds or thousands of years. How can someone be happy to hear that they’re giving birth to a dragon? He really should think before he speaks.

Ye Zhuo looked at Jinming with interest. So, what hatches will still be a long thing.

Jinming: “In short, these things will have to be settled sooner or later. You’re never satisfied with what I do. How about calling him over to keep you company? Maybe if you spend a few more years together, you can develop one or two parts of sincerity.”

“Forget it. It’s not known whether that thing can live until tomorrow.” Ye Zhuo said, “To tell you the truth, I have too many things to do, so I want Li Yuan to return to the Dragon Realm, to avoid adding to the trouble.”

“I can add to the trouble, but he can’t?” Jinming wondered, “If he were here, wouldn’t he be able to help you even more?”

“Whose older brother are you? No need to think so much for me.” Ye Zhuo said lightly, “What I’m going to do is much more dangerous than those secret realms.”

“Then he should want to accompany you even more.” Jinming said, “If there’s danger, you should naturally weather the storm together. If he doesn’t even have that kind of responsibility, then he can really go be a Jiao.”

–What exactly was the Golden Dragon investigating all day long?

Jinming saw the person opposite him smile slightly. That smile was extremely faint, but it made people feel a sense of cold oppression.

Ye Zhuo: “Then what if I’m going to die?”

Jinming was stunned.

Ye Zhuo: “I’m dead. Then, what do you want him to do? Also come weather the storm together?”

Jinming didn’t speak.

Finally, he forced out a sentence: “Pushing him away for this doesn’t count as ‘the song ends and people part.'”

“?”

Jinming said again: “Someone like you doesn’t seem like they would willingly go to die.”

The Golden Dragon’s head seemed to still be usable.

Ye Zhuo’s fingers lightly rested on his Life-Bound Sword: “Then when that day comes, we’ll see.”

“Life and death can certainly be disregarded, but if there’s a glimmer of hope, you should also try your best to fight for it. Letting him come along would increase the chances of winning.” Jinming suddenly said.

Ye Zhuo glanced at him faintly. After a long while, he said one word.

“Idiot.”

Jinming was greatly angered: “Whatever! Anyway, he’s cultivating day and night in the Abyss Sea. He said he’s been taught and that he has something he wants to fight for! Do you want that dragon cub or not? Give me a straight answer!”

Ye Zhuo smiled slightly: “Then it depends on how tough its life is.”

The spirit sea was floating with lotus flowers again. Did he have time to play but no time to cultivate? Ye Zhuo pushed open the door and went out, directly pouring in thirty percent of his spiritual energy. This time, the dragon cub, hugging a lotus flower that it had half-made, flipped over on its stomach in the spirit sea, as if it were really dead.

Cultivating in the Abyss Sea? Presumably, his cultivation could advance a thousand miles in a day. It was rare for him to be so diligent.

He didn’t really want to pay attention to Jinming. There were several bluestone rocks under the red plum trees in the courtyard, which were places for quiet meditation. Ye Zhuo walked over. Spiritual energy brushed away the accumulated snow, and suddenly he saw a shallow depression in the snow. He poked at it with his sword and turned up a stiff, half-grown fledgling bird, he didn’t know if it was a sparrow or what.

Looking up, there was a bird’s nest in a dead tree outside the courtyard. The wind and snow were still howling, but in March or April, the fledglings had already grown wings. Originally, falling out of the nest wouldn’t necessarily lead to death, and they could fly back. But now it was freezing cold, and after falling down, it had probably struggled, and in the end had gradually frozen to death.

It seemed like it wasn’t dead yet.

Ye Zhuo closed his eyes and sat in meditation.

These days, observing meditation and always hearing the distant roar of waves and tides, the imagery of water, could barely make him feel at peace, but Ye Zhuo was impatient. Now that he already knew there was a long, stripey cub, why did the Heavenly Dao have to repeatedly hint at it here. Utterly verbose.

Ye Zhuo opened his eyes, a thin layer of freshly fallen snow covered the frozen fledgling again. He reached out and grabbed it in his hand.

A mass of flesh and blood as light as nothing, that could be crushed with a pinch. Subconsciously, he felt it was terrible. His fingers moved, his joints didn’t listen to his commands, and he still couldn’t hold it. Maybe in the next moment he would throw it away. Maybe if he used a little force with his fingers, he would crush it to death.

Ye Zhuo turned his head away and breathed a sigh of relief. He always felt like there was some kind of aura around him, like the aura of the ink dragon, and also a bit like snow, faint and indistinct. This frozen sparrow was about to die, its heartbeat was slower than Li Yuan’s. Such a weak creature, he couldn’t even pour spiritual energy into it. If he poured in a trace, it would die immediately.

Such a thing. It reminded him of the sound of Xiangxi Sword piercing through human flesh and blood, muffled and crisp, the dripping blood, one after another, living people who could cry and laugh, only needed one sword. The blood covered his eyes, and he could still hear it. He could hear what kind of sword move it was, what kind of posture it had when it pierced through. Actually, he didn’t feel much fear. Later, one day, he heard the same sound again, under his sword. Killing people, killing demons, killing devils, all kinds of battles came down to the end, and what was used to end it was only that sword, and then another sword. It was too easy to swing out such a sword. It turned out that it was all the same easy.

Ye Zhuo, don’t be afraid. He seemed to hear Li Yuan say to him.

That dragon cub woke up again and was making lotus flowers. Was that all it knew how to make?

He seemed to hear the voice of Ling Ye.

The piercingly cold wind howled past, red plum blossoms fell, snowflakes flew and swirled, the fledgling bird was tightly closed, motionless, the retracted claws touched Ye Zhuo’s palm, like ice, and snow fell on it again.

Incomplete wings, young and weak, not its fault. The timing was flawed, falling into the ice and snow, how could that be its fault.

Seeing it, picking it up, letting it go, was all so easy, and he could even do it by reaching out his hand.

Was holding a sparrow that didn’t even know how to peck harder than picking up a sword? Was it harder than killing it?

Ye Zhuo, don’t be afraid.

Ye Zhuo closed his eyes, snowflakes fell on his hair, fell on his body, fell on the corners of his eyes. His fingers trembled slightly, and finally, he suddenly retracted them, gathering the fledgling bird in his hand. Wuo Self Sword rested beside him, and the other hand covered it, together blocking out the day’s wind and snow. Then, Ye Zhuo cultivated.

The spiritual energy circulated through his body, and a very small dragon in the spirit sea made the same small lotus flower, lying quietly behind his heart cultivating. Ye Zhuo really heard Ling Ye’s voice.

“Xiao Zhuo, I only want you to cultivate the Path in your heart.”

–What was the Path in his heart?

A bamboo raft cuts through a clear wave.

Last night’s rain had filled the center of the lotus leaf with water, and in the water was a slender red fish, smaller than a newborn pine needle. It was trapped in this puddle of water.

A hand rested on the lotus leaf, with a jade bell in the shape of a lotus pod and bud on the wrist. The bell rang lightly, and she pressed the lotus leaf down, wanting the puddle of water to flow down, bringing the red fish back to the pond together.

“Why do this.” Yun Xiangzhuo said, “He said, to not be moved in form unless moved by the heart.”

“Because, Heaven has the virtue of valuing life.” Ling Ye said softly to him.

“If Heaven has the virtue of valuing life, why trap it in the lotus leaf?”

Ling Ye thought seriously.

“Actually, it’s not that Heaven has the virtue of valuing life.” She said, “It’s just that humans have the virtue of valuing life, it’s just that I have the virtue of valuing life.”

“Xiao Zhuo, water has no fixed form, and the Path has no constant shape.” Ling Ye said, “Sometimes, the good suffer a violent death, and sometimes, the wicked gain longevity. And sometimes, right and wrong, good and evil, are impossible to distinguish.”

“But people are in heaven and earth, people are in the Path. If everyone’s heart turns to good, then will the newborn people, the people who have newly entered the Path, learn good? In this way, over thousands of years, will the great Path of our human realm also become the Path of Good? Actually, it’s not people following the Path, but the Path following people.”

“The Yun family says that the Dao Heart is the only thing. Xiao Zhuo, today I want to teach you, Dao Heart Clear.”

“Xiao Zhuo, in a person’s life, they will encounter many things, some can be changed, some cannot. For a kind of Dao, to do some things, to become a kind of person, that is a kind of persistence. You are only making your own choice, living without shame, dying without regret. The choice you make is your Dao, Xiao Zhuo, you only need to choose what your heart desires.”

Ye Zhuo, don’t be afraid.

The tide of the Abyss Sea seemed to be right behind him.

He once told people that he cultivated the Path of Heartlessness. Later, Li Yuan insisted that he didn’t cultivate the Path of Heartlessness. Actually, he didn’t really cultivate any Path. He did what he wanted to do, there was no question of being ashamed or unashamed, there was no question of regret or unregret. That’s all.

The melted snow turned into water stains and fell from his hand. The stiff downy feathers first stuck wetly to his skin, and then slowly warmed up with the warmth of his palm, turning back into fluffy wings. The little bird in Ye Zhuo’s hand moved slightly.

The continuous mountains stood under the sky that had existed since ancient times. From the peak of the Northern Mountain where Plum Blossom Cottage was located, Li Yuan quietly looked at that vermilion figure in the ice and snow red plums.

What was he holding in his hand? It was too far away, and he couldn’t see clearly.

Until the sky broke dawn, and a night had passed, the snow stopped, and it was a world of colored glaze. Ye Zhuo opened his eyes, he let go, the sparrow fluttered and flew out, fell on the snow, then flew up again, fell down, and finally flew higher and higher, flying towards the nest in the dead tree amidst cries from its companions waiting for it.

Ye Zhuo’s gaze returned. The dragon cub, wearing a lotus flower, strolled leisurely in his spirit sea.

It wouldn’t die, Ye Zhuo thought faintly. What good luck. Like who?

Closing his eyes again, his breath quietly surged. Reaching the Human Immortal Realm wasn’t a magnificent breakthrough, it was like a flowing spring gently pouring in, a pool of clear water slowly filling up, the water level getting higher and higher, and one day, overflowing the water’s edge, passing over the mountains and rocks that blocked it, and flowing forward. Where to go? Dangerous cliffs.

Li Yuan always watched him. From afar, he guarded him.

Where to go? Blue seas and blue skies.