The Cloud-Hidden Sword erupted with brilliant light, whipping up a fierce gale that sent the burly men crashing to the ground. Clearly caught off guard, they lay in a tangled heap, wailing in pain.
Seeing this, the gray-robed Daoist raised his fly-whisk and let out a cold snort, murmuring a complex incantation.
He was truly no ordinary foe. Moments later, dark clouds churned in the sky, and a lightning bolt, summoned by a celestial strike, tore through the heavens and plummeted down.
“Master, look out!”
Xie Weiyuan’s eyes widened in alarm, his body twisting in evasion. The lightning bolt shattered the cage imprisoning Ji Yunlan right beside him; green smoke rose from the ground, leaving behind scorched earth.
He had missed the strike by a hair’s breadth, nearly being blasted into pieces.
Having survived the narrow escape, Xie Weiyuan dared not underestimate the Daoist any longer. Unfortunately, spiritual techniques could not be used within the Huangliang Scroll, so he could only rely on his own strength to deflect the Daoist’s attacks.
The Cloud-Hidden Sword danced in the air, guided by his will, to parry the lightning from above. Having not yet fully recovered from the injury inflicted by the Soul-Devouring Nail, each clash sent numbness coursing through his body, causing his very viscera to tremble.
Realizing that continuing to fight would surely lead to his defeat, Xie Weiyuan was just about to retreat when the lightning bolt tracked him, striking straight toward another prisoner cart!
The young boy inside screamed in terror, but trapped in place, he could only watch in despair as the bolt broke through the air, with no room to dodge.
“Immortal, help!”
The boys and girls in the cages were still wailing. The instinct to survive made them desperate to cling to this one lifeline.
Xie Weiyuan’s heart sank as he raised his sword to block the strike.
“OOC Warning! OOC Warning!” The System blared in his consciousness, rattling his brain with pain.
His eyes were bloodshot. In the face of catastrophe, he forgot that this was merely an illusory world, a dream he forced his will to drive the Cloud-Hidden Sword to block the lightning. But the moment the sword moved, he lost his defense, and the remaining shockwave of the lightning blasted into him.
He had been supporting Ji Yunlan with one hand, so when he lost that strength, he could only groan and sink to his knees, crimson blood spilling from his lips.
He gripped the prisoner cart, trying to use it to push himself up, only to lock eyes with the innocent, deer-like gaze of the children he had just saved. Their dirty little hands gripped the bars tightly, and they sat huddled, sobbing in low voices.
Xie Weiyuan gritted his teeth, preparing to fight again, when his gaze suddenly landed on one of the boys in the cart.
The boy wasn’t begging like the others; he was curled up in the corner, covered in dirt and wearing a tattered, patched hemp robe.
He blinked, but for some reason, he could not see the boy’s features clearly.
Xie Weiyuan refocused his gaze
The face that should have been full of panic and tears…
Was completely blank!
Who is he? How could there be no face in this Huangliang Scroll?
Xie Weiyuan’s expression was one of shock, but there was no time to ponder. Another lightning strike arrived. Just as he prepared to raise his sword, he was pulled by the wrist and yanked aside.
Shen Yunjin looked at him with complex emotions in his eyes.
Xie Weiyuan frowned: “Why are you here? Quickly go! You haven’t even mastered the mental cultivation methods; coming here only adds to the chaos.”
He went to push Shen Yunjin behind him, but was forcibly held back.
Shen Yunjin turned his face away, his expression tense: “Don’t misunderstand. I just cannot stand by and watch the innocent die.”
The young man’s thin frame stood before Xie Weiyuan. Xie Weiyuan looked on in astonishment at the divine light radiating from the boy’s chest.
Shen Yunjin channeled the Divine Seal from his heart. Every organ and vein within him seemed stirred by this powerful divine force; his blood began to boil. It was agonizing, yet he forced himself to use the seal.
The seal in his chest gradually awakened. Shen Yunjin once again possessed the immense power he had felt months ago at the wolf-training grounds. The dark, faded patterns spread from his neck, slowly climbing up his face.
Boom!
Controlling his consciousness with effort, he directed the divine force toward the gray-robed Daoist.
Seeing the change in his appearance, the Daoist’s internal alarm bells rang. He tried to raise his hand to block the strike, not expecting the power to be so rapid. The moment his palm touched the divine energy, he was blasted backward several yards.
The sheer volume of divine power was not something an ordinary person could withstand; this single blow rendered the evil Daoist unconscious on the spot.
Shen Yunjin let out a breath, but his body was unable to contain such intense power. Unable to hold back any longer, he collapsed to his knees, clutching his aching heart.
The black patterns slowly faded. He did not lose consciousness as he had the last time; it seemed the toll the Divine Seal took on his body was gradually decreasing.
Shen Yunjin gathered his remaining strength and went to look at Xie Weiyuan, only to suddenly catch sight of that faceless boy again.
…
His vision grew unfocused as he met a pair of tender, water-like eyes in the distance.
The crowd below had long since scattered like birds and beasts during the battle.
Only she remained standing there.
Wen Yuzhu.
Her appearance was even more youthful and green than when he had last seen her, yet she remained devastatingly beautiful, a peerless beauty standing in her plain white robes against the wind, like a celestial being from a painting.
Such a refined lady belonged in a place of gentle breeze and bright moon, amidst brocade and flowers, not in this decaying, broken world.
“In this dream, he is the only one without a face.”
His train of thought was interrupted. Beside him, Xie Weiyuan was looking at the faceless boy.
“Perhaps the key to breaking this Huangliang Scroll lies within him.”
“How can I see his face?” A man’s voice sounded beside him. Shen Yunjin was startled, turning his head to lock eyes with the man who had wanted to buy Ji Yunlan.
This person hadn’t left; he had stayed to watch the spectacle.
Shen Yunjin was speechless. He suspected that if he opened his mouth, he would vomit a pool of black blood, so he ignored him and stood up to help Xie Weiyuan support Ji Yunlan.
Suddenly, the wind and clouds changed. The scene began to warp and distort, the world turning into ink staining the sky, swallowing everything around them as the view shifted and reorganized like a fast-moving reel.
The dream of the Huangliang Scroll must have sensed their interference and was forcibly repairing the disrupted story.
Before the scene completely vanished, he saw Wen Yuzhu holding the faceless boy in her arms, looking at him with infinite tenderness.
He gazed at the woman’s retreating back, and his heartstrings felt as if they were being plucked.
This was the first time he had a home.
Though it was only four short years of warmth, they were the rare, happy moments of his life. He was no longer that child who went hungry or cold.
He no longer had to fight with wild dogs for food, sleep in leaking temples, or be chased and cursed by others.
Wen Yuzhu had shielded him from the pouring rains of the world, giving him… a home.
She would often hold a book of poetry, letting Shen Yunjin lean in her arms as she softly recited in his ear: “I know the past cannot be recovered, but I know the future can be pursued.”
The future can be pursued…
Sadly, the days of yesterday cannot be retained.
In the waterside pavilion, he had spent four peaceful years leaning in Wen Yuzhu’s arms.
If not for that accident, perhaps…
Perhaps he could have had a complete life.
That man was right, he was a jinx, a ghost seeking lives. Everyone who got close to him would be dragged into tragedy and perish.
A weight landed on his shoulder. Xie Weiyuan seemed to have guessed his thoughts.
“Everything has its fate. Some things are already determined; there is no need to dwell on yesterday.”
Before Xie Weiyuan could hold his deep, profound pose for two seconds, his vision went black, and the System forcibly dragged him into his consciousness.
…
“Where is this?”
He looked around at the pitch-black void, calling out several times, but no one responded.
Then, a cold, mechanical voice sounded:
“Host has seriously deviated from character (OOC). Initiating mandatory penalty procedure.”
“Damn it! Is this really so inhumane? I get punished for saving people? I was already struck by lightning! Are you so incapable of seeing me do well? Is there something wrong with wanting to be a good person?!”
No one responded.
It seemed the System would not let him go today.
Xie Weiyuan braced himself for the recurring torture. He closed his eyes, preparing to welcome the System’s fury.
He never expected the OOC penalty method to involve forcing him to watch content that defied the understanding of a straight man.
After a bout of chaotic nausea, Xie Weiyuan woke up in a daze, finding himself lying in the same inn as before.
Shen Yunjin was sitting beside him, his gaze deep and complex, as if he wanted to drill a hole through Xie Weiyuan’s face.
Xie Weiyuan felt uncomfortable under his stare and tried to shift his attention: “How is Ji Yunlan?”
“He is next door.”
Shen Yunjin answered briefly, his eyes flickering uncertainly over Xie Weiyuan.
Xie Weiyuan avoided his gaze and looked around at the surroundings.
“Is this the inn from last time?”
He felt a bit awkward; after all, he had forcibly summoned the Cloud-Hidden Flute earlier, leaving the innkeeper with an unpaid bill.
He hadn’t expected the innkeeper to allow them back in.
Xie Weiyuan lowered his eyes and coughed twice: “Um… so… he was still willing to take us in?”
“No.”
“Then…”
“I paid.”
Xie Weiyuan widened his eyes slightly: “Where did you get the money?”
Shen Yunjin acted guilty, avoiding Xie Weiyuan’s gaze and looking to the side: “I just sold some things.”
Xie Weiyuan breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s good. At least it settles the debt we owed the innkeeper last time.”
They were silent for a moment before Xie Weiyuan remembered something, his expression shifting: “That… you channeled divine energy in the Huangliang Scroll. Did you suffer a backlash?”
Shen Yunjin’s gaze turned cold. Could it be that because Xie Weiyuan saw him use the Divine Seal, he was already plotting to turn him into a luding (furnace) again?
His tone was icy: “I am fine. However, the Divine Seal has not been fully awakened.”
Xie Weiyuan let out a long breath. With Ji Yunlan rescued, the heavy stone in his heart finally fell. Seeing his body felt fine, he braced himself to get out of bed.
Before the bronze mirror, Xie Weiyuan’s long hair was loose over his shoulders. He reached up to tie it back, only to find his customary purple jade hair crown missing.
“Where is my hair crown?” He frowned, his slender fingers searching the vanity, finding no trace of the accessory.
“Master… this disciple has something to report.” Shen Yunjin was rarely this hesitant, looking at him with a guilty conscience.
Seeing the boy’s hesitation, Xie Weiyuan had a faint, ominous premonition.
“I sold your hair crown.”
!!!
A wave of shock washed over Xie Weiyuan’s brain, and he looked at Shen Yunjin in disbelief.
“Sold it?”
“The innkeeper refused to let us stay, so I had no choice but to leave the crown at the pawnshop in exchange for some silver.”