Zhu Qin patted the back of his head. He had drunk too quickly and was feeling a bit dazed. Among the divine officials who had ascended seven hundred years ago, was there someone named Yu Yu?
But he had always been carefree and didn’t bother to think it through. He waved his hand behind him and staggered off.
Staring at Zhu Qin’s retreating figure, Cheng Xi was silent for a long while. Yu Yu, still under the puppet spell, remained seated in place.
After a long time, Cheng Xi finally turned his gaze back to Yu Yu. Then, he drew closer and closer, until Yu Yu could clearly see every distinct lash on his eyelids.
His forehead pressed against Yu Yu’s again, and the two divine seals, belonging solely to divine officials, merged once more.
Fate always worked this way, just when their bond was about to fade into a faint red thread, it would paint another bold, vivid stroke upon it.
Cheng Xi finally deigned to release Yu Yu from the puppet spell, and in return, received a resounding slap from Yu Yu. He took it without a word, not even a furrow of his brow.
Yu Yu cursed him: “You’re a madman.”
When divine seals merge, if one party dies, the other suffers severe backlash.
Hearing this, Cheng Xi laughed out loud. Without a moment’s hesitation, he recited a spell, and a beam of light shot out from his forehead, flying away.
“You don’t need to worry. As long as you don’t die, I’ll never suffer backlash in this lifetime.”
Unexpectedly, that command seal didn’t even make it past the gates of the Heavenly Court before it returned to Cheng Xi’s side.
“In the Heavenly Court? You’re that generous and selfless?” Cheng Xi mocked him.
Yu Yu raised his hand and dispersed the command seal, no longer trying to snap Cheng Xi back to his senses.
“Have it your way.”
“Have it my way? That seal inside my body, you made that too, didn’t you? What great grudge do you hold against me?” Cheng Xi forced Yu Yu to meet his eyes. When their souls had merged, he hadn’t only sensed the fragment of Yu Yu’s lost soul; even the unknown seal within his own body had trembled in response.
That seal, which had existed since his ascension, which even the divine physician had been unable to undo, had actually loosened in that moment.
“Yu Yu, even if you’re going to die, you owe me an explanation for this seal.”
Yu Yu hadn’t expected this. He had thought the seal would only vanish after he fell.
“There’s no explanation.” Yu Yu turned his gaze away, refusing to look at him.
Cheng Xi wasn’t in a hurry either: “Fine, don’t say it. Once you recover your divine power, you can just undo it for me, same thing.”
“Aren’t you afraid that what awaits you then will be utter ruin?” At this, Yu Yu’s emotions grew agitated. He didn’t want Cheng Xi to undo this seal, this last fig leaf hanging between them.
But Cheng Xi raised his hand and covered Yu Yu’s mouth. The warm breath hit Cheng Xi’s palm, ticklish, making it vividly clear that this man was full of vibrant life.
Even if every word he said wasn’t pleasant to hear, Cheng Xi felt that there couldn’t possibly be any deep-seated hatred between them.
Cheng Xi stared into his eyes for a moment, then spoke slowly: “It’s you who’s afraid.”
They returned to Kuangyu Mountain.
By the time they arrived, it was already night. The entire mountain was silent, with only a few disciples still keeping watch. Cheng Xi escorted Yu Yu back to the dwelling he had originally stayed in, then set up a barrier around it to prevent him from sneaking away. Only after Cheng Xi had walked far off did Yu Yu gaze at his departing figure, lost in thought.
He sensed it, was it not also not long before he regained his memories? Clearly everything had been severed cleanly, clearly he had already forgotten, so why was he still so fixated on their past?
Yu Yu worried herself into a headache and had no choice but to take to bed to restore her spirits. Gradually, her gaze grew weary, and she fell asleep watching the still-burning candlelight.
After Cheng Xi left Yu Yu’s courtyard, he headed straight for the back mountain.
The back mountain remained eerily quiet, with faint glimmers of light flashing like fireflies, and the crisp sound of medicinal herbs being cut stood out with unusual clarity.
Zhu Qin was in the middle of cutting with great vigor when he sensed someone approaching. His movements paused slightly, then he resumed cutting.
“Truly worthy of being the most diligent divine physician in all the heavenly court, working hard even late at night.” Cheng Xi walked up behind him, looking at the basket full of herbs behind Zhu Qin as he spoke.
“No help for it, who else is going to tend to all these little plants here?” Zhu Qin set down the basket on his back, sat on a nearby rock, and clapped his hands.
Cheng Xi let out two dry chuckles and didn’t waste more words with him. “That seal inside my body, he placed it as well. Find a way to break it.”
“Originally, I had some confidence I could break it, but after seeing him yesterday, I’ve lost my nerve.” Zhu Qin picked up a bundle of herbs from the basket and brought it to his nose to smell.
Zhu Qin continued: “That seal he placed is incredibly powerful, it must have been sealed during the peak of his divine power. We don’t even know what’s sealed, so how can we break it?”
Then Zhu Qin turned gossipy: “By the way, how did you offend him seven hundred years ago, that he’d place some unknown seal on you?”
“None of your business. Think of another way, he’s unwilling to tell me.”
“Aren’t your divine marks fused? Draw your soul into his spirit and see for yourself.” Zhu Qin noticed the mark on Cheng Xi’s brow and offered the solution.
“No.” Cheng Xi refused outright. Peering into another’s past was not the act of a gentleman.
“When you forcibly fused your divine mark with his, I didn’t hear you listening when he said no.” Judging from Yu Yu’s resistance, it was clear he wouldn’t have willingly fused his divine mark with Cheng Xi, Cheng Xi must have done it on his own initiative.
Truly worthy of being the most shameless divine official in the heavenly court.
“Don’t worry, you’ll only see memories that involve you; everything else will be invisible. Go see what seal he placed on you, and then I can prescribe the right remedy.” Zhu Qin urged.
Cheng Xi didn’t agree immediately, but on careful thought, he had no memories of Yu Yu. Since Yu Yu had known him long before, perhaps he could find some clues in his memories.
The Cheng Xi who had just called himself a gentleman in his heart didn’t hesitate long before agreeing to Zhu Qin’s proposal.
“Then, Lord Cheng Xi, let your soul leave your body and go into his past to resolve your doubts and worries.” Zhu Qin stood up, yielding the spot on the rock to Cheng Xi, and said: “Lord Cheng Xi, good deeds bring good rewards, I happen to be here, so I’ll guard your dharma for you. However…” Zhu Qin trailed off, letting out two theatrical sighs.
“Three years as the limit, I’ll only stay here for three years. Within those three years, you may pick these herbs as you please.”
“The lord is most generous.” Zhu Qin grinned, sitting down on a patch of clean grass nearby. He circulated his breath and steadied his spirit, and in an instant, a surge of powerful spiritual energy blazed around him, scorching the surrounding herbs. Zhu Qin startled, hastily withdrew his power, and formed a spiritual barrier around himself, sealing off everything else.
Cheng Xi formed a hand seal with both hands, and a violet light rippled around him. In an instant, the divine mark on his forehead flashed, detached from his body, and flew outward, past the pitch-black jungle, over the cloud-wreathed pavilions, until it slipped into an unremarkable dwelling, squeezing through a window left ajar. It finally reached the bedside, circled once, and merged into the forehead of the person lying there, vanishing into stillness.
From that moment, the thick veil that had separated the past was secretly lifted.