Faced with his rejection, Jinshu Fu was not annoyed at all, simply saying indifferently, “You know it, little Rakshasa, you cannot beat me.”
This remained true, whether a century ago or a century later.
Instead, Yanzha fixed the glazed bottle in midair right above the plaque of the Hall of Judgment, upon which four large characters were inscribed: [Life and Death are Predestined].
“Even if I cannot beat you, I still will not give it to you.” Yanzha pointed at the characters on the plaque for Jinshu Fu to see, “The lifespans of mortals all have their own fixed numbers, so what if you take the Yellow Springs Water to wash his marrow and cleanse his meridians?”
Regarding the matters between himself and Yunchan Wei, Jinshu Fu had no wish to over-explain. He simply stopped speaking, crossed his hands, and conjured a magic array to isolate Yanzha and himself from each other.
Yanzha drew a string of characters with the Judge’s brush, and as a white flash crossed the space, the two magic arrays collided with a sense of shaking earth and mountains. The glazed bottle tumbled down from the plaque, nearly crashing onto the floor.
Jinshu Fu soared into the air, and Yanzha pursued him closely behind, engaging in combat midair. The Judge’s brush was a supreme divine artifact, serving as a protective magical treasure passed down to Yanzha by King Yama. Amidst the exchange of blows, Jinshu Fu, fighting barehanded, appeared slightly strained, yet he did not fall behind.
The two traded moves back and forth; one moment Jinshu Fu grasped the glazed bottle, and the next moment Yanzha snatched it back. Yanzha was astonished that his cultivation had advanced so drastically once again, reaching a realm that was unfathomably deep. Knowing full well that he truly was no match for him, and as expected, Jinshu Fu likely grew weary of entangling with him further and directly unleashed one of his ultimate array techniques.
“The Dao opens the heavens, the law follows the earth, the Dao and law return to unity.”
The golden runes transformed into a Bagua pattern, attacking toward Yanzha. Yanzha channeled his entire body’s magical power, gathering it into the Judge’s brush, and resisted with all his might.
His mask was torn into several shattered pieces, and his hair fluttered as it exposed a deep-set, handsome visage with a small flame mark between his brows, his pupils displaying a dual color of black and blue.
Originally, Yanzha had prepared himself to be heavily injured by Jinshu Fu’s magic array. However, in an instant, the fierce array attack halted right before him.
Jinshu Fu snatched the glazed bottle from his hand and reined in all of his aura. Were it not for the few shattered mask pieces fallen upon the ground, it was as though everything that just transpired had merely been an illusion.
A century ago, if Jinshu Fu had deployed this array technique called [Dao and Law Return to Unity], he certainly would not have been able to recall it. Therefore, unless absolutely forced by necessity, he never utilized this array, otherwise the recipient would either die or suffer severe damage to their vital energy.
Yet now, such a formidable array could be summoned and dismissed freely by Jinshu Fu at will—Yanzha concealed the Judge’s brush deep within his palm, feeling a mixture of admiration and utter frustration in his heart.
“In just a hundred years, your cultivation has grown far too quickly.” Yanzha sighed.
Jinshu Fu tucked the glazed bottle away into his thousand-treasure sleeve pouch, his expression remaining as light and breezy as ever, while the words he uttered were sufficiently exasperating: “It is simply that your talent is insufficient.”
Having said this, he paused himself for a moment, the tone and biting mannerisms he just used were practically imbued with the quintessential essence of Yunchan Wei.
Sure enough, proximity to jade makes one white and proximity to ink makes one black. Jinshu Fu rubbed the bridge of his nose with mild embarrassment, offering a shallow, smiling face to Yanzha, who was clearly struck a heavy blow: “Then I shall be leaving first… thank you for your Yellow Springs Water.”
As he turned to depart, Yanzha called out to him and handed him a jade token: “This is the Ghost Realm passage pass. Take it with you, and come find me to catch up on old times whenever you have free time, you must not forget.”
With the passage pass in hand, Jinshu Fu’s exit became even more convenient. The nether soldier at the Bridge of Reincarnation bowed and scraped with relentless nodding the moment he saw him emerge.
Catching sight of him, Jinshu Fu abruptly halted his steps: “I am entrusting you with a task.”
The nether soldier assumed a respectful attitude: “Please speak, My Lord.”
Jinshu Fu crooked a finger at him, and the nether soldier understood tacitly, leaning his ear close.
“Understood, understood. Please rest assured, My Lord.”
Jinshu Fu returned safely and soundly with the Yellow Springs Water, and even had a Ghost Realm passage pass hanging from his waist. Tailor Gao swallowed hard, feeling only a mixture of wonder and bewilderment deep in his heart, just what manner of sacred existence was the person before him?
As for that young master of the Wei family, it was truly impossible to tell what blessings he had accumulated over several hundred years to actually forge a matrimonial bond with this great immortal.
In these six cities, the tides would sooner or later change.
Jinshu Fu had stated he was returning to visit his family for three days, yet he did not return to the estate until the evening of the fourth day.
The coachman retained no memories, feeling simply that these past few days had passed exceptionally fast, and he could not even recall what he had done during this period. However, having delivered Jinshu Fu safely back to the Wei estate, the steward rewarded him with a gold ingot. The coachman happily accepted the money, and the matter was promptly cast to the back of his mind.
Having been away from home for several days, the moment Jinshu Fu stepped into the room, he noticed that the bed in the inner chamber had been replaced. Finding it baffling, he casually asked the nearby page a question, yet the page stammered for ages, not daring to provide a reason.
Originally, Jinshu Fu had not paid much mind to the replacement of the bed, but his evasiveness instantly piqued his interest. Deciding not to make things difficult for the page anymore, Jinshu Fu planned to go find Yunchan Wei that evening to demand an answer.
Just as Jinshu Fu finished changing into a fresh set of clothes, before long, the maid serving Madam Wen came to invite Jinshu Fu to partake in the evening meal.
The moment he stepped out the door with his front foot, Yunchan Wei returned with his back foot, and the two of them collided right at the entrance.
While practicing archery, Yunchan Wei had already heard servants report the news of Jinshu Fu’s return, so he felt no surprise upon seeing him, save for two bright sparks of light gleaming within his dark pupils.
“Wait for me.” Yunchan Wei raised a hand to lightly pat Jinshu Fu’s head twice, “Go inside and sit for a moment first.”
Jinshu Fu did not dodge, but cast a couple of side-glances at him, catching hold of his hand. Initially intending to write characters on his palm, he froze in sudden astonishment.
He saw that upon Yunchan Wei’s palms, which naturally possessed barely any flesh, the skin had worn raw and formed scabs. Before the scabs could heal completely, they had been worn away once more, leaving not a single patch of unblemished skin across his entire palms.
Thus, Jinshu Fu pulled him over toward the study desk and picked up a brush to write on paper.
[How did this happen?]
Yunchan Wei answered, “Practicing archery.”
[How is your learning coming along?]
Yunchan Wei self-assessed, “An absolute mess.”
Without further ado, he walked straight toward the inner quarters to bathe and change clothes. Since his hands could not touch water, a page entered to help scrub his back and wipe him down.
Warm streams of water cascaded down Yunchan Wei’s back. Despite his broad and well-defined skeletal frame, he was far too thin, causing the shoulder blades on his back to protrude in a manner that looked both morbid and terrifying.
Noticing that the page’s movements were somewhat sluggish today, Yunchan Wei turned his head intending to issue a reprimand, only to discover that the person standing behind him was not a page at all, but Jinshu Fu.
Though the two of them shared the same bed, neither party had ever bared their body before the other. Yunchan Wei felt somewhat ill at ease for a moment, rebuking him, “Get out, you’re clumsy with your hands, let the servants do it.”
In reality, the tips of his ears were burning with an inexplicable heat.
His peripheral vision landed upon Jinshu Fu’s hands, which had been splashed wet by the water, and this very hand was now resting upon his shoulder.
Jinshu Fu raised a hand to write characters directly across his back.
This felt entirely distinct from writing on a palm; a wave of numbness that raised goosebumps surged straight into his body. Yunchan Wei pressed his lips tightly together without moving a muscle, waiting simply for him to finish writing.
[Not clumsy, close your eyes.]
Why close his eyes? Uncomprehending, Yunchan Wei had no intention of cooperating with him.
Seizing this exact opportunity, Jinshu Fu intended to pour the Yellow Springs Water into the bathing tub, and then channel his magical power to thoroughly eradicate the deep-seated root of illness residing within his body. Seeing that Yunchan Wei refused to cooperate, he simply raised a hand to cover his eyes. Because he was still lacking in height, executing this action forced him to press nearly his entire upper body right against the rim of the bathing tub.
Yunchan Wei had his vision blocked by him, while his back also pressed flat against Jinshu Fu’s chest.
The aroma of grass and trees drifted vaguely into Yunchan Wei’s nose.
“What ghost tricks are you playing?” Yunchan Wei caught hold of his wrist, his Adam’s apple moving unnaturally as he momentarily could not tell whether his racing heartbeat stemmed from being driven out of sorts by his inexplicable actions, or from anger born of embarrassment.
In short, this distance was far too intimate.
It was not supposed to happen between Jinshu Fu and himself.