Chapter 8: If Life Were Only Like First Meeting (Part 2)
Time seemed to flow endlessly, yet it was actually quite slow. From the moment Xu Yourong had carried him into the forest to the end of this perilous battle, not much time had passed. The morning sun of the Zhou Garden was still not far above the horizon. Morning breeze and dawn light fell together into the forest, cut into fragments of various shapes, slowly rolling the fallen leaves on the ground with a rustling sound, casting forth all kinds of glimmers.
Chen Changsheng gazed into the distance, silent.
He did not possess Zhe Xiu's natural sensitivity to danger, nor did he have Xu Yourong's ability to deduce danger ahead using the Fate Star Disk. He saw no figures in the distant morning light, sensed no danger, and spotted no enemies. But he simply felt that place was too quiet. Yes, quietness alone was not sufficient reason, but his instincts told him something was wrong.
Among the three thousand great paths, he cultivated only one: Following the Heart's Desire. Those two beautiful demon race experts were surely still hunting him within the Zhou Garden, and he might even encounter sinister human cultivators as terrifying as that old monster. And now he had no ability to protect himself. He could only trust his feelings, trust the only path he had cultivated for over a decade.
So without any hesitation, he turned and walked toward the other side of the forest. His expression was somewhat hurried, but his steps could not be hurried. Because he was still severely injured, and he had to carry the white-clad girl on his back. More importantly, his body was now much colder than normal, his breathing and heartbeat at least a third slower than usual. Frost and snow reappeared between his brows and on his temples. The dew on his clothes had formed into countless tiny snow pellets, which were brushed off by the morning breeze only to quickly form again, then be brushed off once more, scattering behind him in a flurry, leaving a clear trail through the forest.
Not long after he left this forest, accompanied by a faint chill, Nanke and the zither-playing old man arrived. Her gaze followed the residual frost and snow on the fallen leaves into the distance. How sharp were her eyes? With just a casual glance, she gleaned enough information from those frosty footprints. Chen Changsheng had awakened and was carrying Xu Yourong in flight. His injuries were clearly not healed, and his steps seemed somewhat sluggish.
A trace of confusion appeared between her somewhat wide-set eyes. According to her two maidservants, Chen Changsheng had been gravely wounded last night, on the verge of death. How could he have recovered in such a short time? At the same time, her spiritual sense detected the presence of Bai Hai's corpse in the cliff cave. But at this moment, she had no time to dwell on what had happened earlier. She directly extended both arms into the air beside her.
The two beautiful demon race women transformed into two streams of clear light and vanished. A pair of green wings appeared behind her. With a whistling wind, she disappeared into the forest. The zither-playing old man looked toward the direction outside the forest, confirmed that not far away was that mysterious and dangerous grassland, and couldn't help but frown slightly. He guessed what might happen next, but he had no other choice and could only follow.
The forest was the shore, and before the shore was a marsh. Green reeds filled the entire view, seeming to stretch to the horizon. But in truth, beyond these reeds lay that grassland. The cold aura helped Chen Changsheng suppress his injuries, but it also drastically slowed his metabolism. Now his heartbeat and breathing were too slow, and naturally, he walked very slowly. It took him a long time to reach this place.
He didn't know that not long ago, Xu Yourong had carried him out from the opposite reed thicket. He only knew that if he continued forward, he might mistakenly enter that terrifying grassland. But he had no other choice. He could only follow his heart, retracing his path back into the wetland. His body moved through the water, bringing forth thin ice.
He had just stepped into the reed thicket, not yet having time to consider whether to risk moving forward or change direction, when the sound of wind from the shore told him there was no need to think anymore.
A cold, clear wind appeared. A green, luminous light stole away all the color from the reeds and trees.
A young girl with an indifferent expression appeared on the shore, looking at him expressionlessly, as if at an ant.
Chen Changsheng looked at her disheveled hair and blood-stained clothes, especially her eyes and brows. He was momentarily stunned, as if surprised by something he saw. Moreover, he did not grasp the hilt of his short sword, because he knew the gap in strength between himself and this demon race expert was too great. Fighting was meaningless. So he remained silent, and thus appeared very calm.
He had always been calm and steady. No matter what great events he encountered, he would not become depressed or panicked. This personality trait gave him a bearing far beyond his age, and also often surprised others. Xu Yourong had felt this, and now Nanke felt the same. She had not expected this to be the youth so beloved by the Pope, and asked, "Are you Chen Changsheng?"
Chen Changsheng had never seen this person, nor did he know that this young girl was the Demon Lord's most beloved daughter. He had only heard that name mentioned by Zhe Xiu yesterday by the lake. From Zhe Xiu's expression at the time, he was very certain this young girl was terrifying. Similarly, he didn't know that her target was the white-clad girl on his back. He thought she had come to hunt him. Amidst his vigilance, there was also a somewhat childish delight—once upon a time, that insignificant country boy from Xining Town had grown to the point where a terrifying figure of the demon race regarded him as a true target. Thinking this, he asked in return, "Are you Nanke?"
This was the first time Chen Changsheng met Nanke, and also the first time Nanke met him. In the years to come, they would respectively represent humanity and the demon race, meeting on many different battlefields, fighting, and creating stories that were not interesting, only wearying. Nanke would more than once recall that morning when she first saw him, and each time she would feel a faint regret, thinking that if she had been more decisive then, not listened to his nonsense, she might have truly been able to kill him right there, and then there would have been no subsequent stories and troubles.
Time always moves in a single direction. The present Nanke could not know the future. Her attention naturally remained on Xu Yourong, even though the latter was clearly unconscious. As for Chen Changsheng, he was merely someone for her to talk to: "Put her down, and I'll spare your life."
When she said this, Nanke's expression remained indifferent. But her two maidservants beside her were somewhat surprised, wondering what had gotten into their mistress, that she would negotiate with a human. And if she let Chen Changsheng go like this, wouldn't their desperate battle by the lake yesterday have been meaningless?
The reason for this was that they didn't know Nanke had also been severely wounded in last night's battle at the top of Muyu Peak. More importantly, Nanke saw very clearly that Chen Changsheng was standing in the reed thicket, ready to jump into the lake at any moment. And in that seemingly clear lake water, there was actually a dividing line. Beyond that line lay the grassland.
Nanke didn't want Chen Changsheng to think he had reached a dead end and jump into the lake. Because even she had many misgivings about that vast and mysterious grassland.
Hearing Nanke's words, Chen Changsheng was somewhat surprised. Only then did he realize that her target was not him. But of course, he could not leave Xu Yourong behind and flee for his life. At this moment, he still didn't know that the white-clad girl on his back was Xu Yourong. Nor was he like Xu Yourong, who had been accustomed to carrying heavy burdens since childhood. He had only promised her that he wouldn't abandon her.
"I can't do that," he said to Nanke very honestly, then looked at her eyes and brows, hesitating as if to speak.
A hint of confusion appeared in Nanke's somewhat dull and indifferent eyes. She didn't understand where Chen Changsheng's strange expression came from, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, then said, "You're sick."
Hearing this, Nanke's brows shot up sharply, like a young girl who had gone to the mountains early in the morning to gather a large basket of pigweed, only to have it snatched away by a drunkard next door. She was very angry, and her voice immediately rose: "You're the one who's sick! Your whole family is sick! Everyone in the National Academy is sick!"
The slightly childish yet very cold and extremely angry shouts of the young girl echoed through the quiet reed marsh.
The two maidservants remained silent, not understanding why their mistress had suddenly become so furious, why she reacted so strongly to Chen Changsheng's words.
Listening to the continuous scolding from the shore, Chen Changsheng felt somewhat helpless. He thought, if you hadn't insisted on asking, how could I have said anything?
But anger and sensitivity indicated that his judgment was correct. Chen Changsheng suddenly thought that perhaps he could use this matter to negotiate a chance to leave. After Nanke's angry, sharp voice gradually subsided, he said very seriously, "I don't know if the demon race spies in the capital have learned of my sect's origins. If they have, then you should understand that my medical skills are not bad."
The look in Nanke's eyes was exceptionally cold. She looked at him as if at a dead man, and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Chen Changsheng silently organized his words in his mind to ensure that even a member of the demon race could understand, then continued, "There's something wrong with your bloodline. If it's not treated as soon as possible, after your soul awakens for the second time in the future, there may be a backlash. Even if you manage to keep your life, you might become an idiot."
Nanke's face was somewhat pale. It was unclear whether it was a remnant of last night's battle or because of his words. But her voice remained indifferent and calm: "I don't know what you're talking about."
As the Princess of the demon race and the only disciple of the Black Robe, even if the Zhou Garden collapsed before her eyes, it probably wouldn't cause her expression to change in the slightest. But she was still young. She thought she had hidden her true emotions extremely well, not realizing that Chen Changsheng, her maidservants, and the zither-playing old man had all detected something was wrong.
If Chen Changsheng's words had no effect on her, why would she repeat the same sentence twice? The Princess was sick? And it seemed to be a very troublesome illness? The faces of the two maidservants instantly turned deathly pale. They wondered what fate awaited them for knowing this secret. The zither-playing old man's expression also turned somewhat ugly.
(I said yesterday that there would only be one chapter today. There have been some family matters recently, and an important event had to be postponed, so updates may be fewer. Also, there are a few important things I need to report to everyone. First: it's "banlan" (斑斓), not "banlan" (斑澜). I wrote it wrong in the previous chapters. It was indeed a slip of attention while writing. Thank you to Leader for the correction.
Also, some friends may have already noticed that "Zhetian Ji" can now be read on [platform]. Of course, it's in the bookshop. I don't have operational permissions yet. Here, I want to say hello to old friends who might not know I've moved to Tencent and are still on Qidian.
The deputy moderators and many readers have also been asking me these past two days, "What about the subscriptions?" Actually, my attitude is very clear. Everyone can subscribe wherever is convenient. I've always had only one request for my readers: subscribe to the legitimate version. As long as it's legitimate, subscribing anywhere is fine. I'll ask for recommendation votes. I'm very grateful for monthly votes. I'm truly thankful for tips, but I'll also feel very embarrassed. Only subscriptions—this is my sole and earnest request to all of you. Of course, I'm still operating from the Chuangshi Chinese website side, such as the review section or other matters.
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Um, a few days ago, I did a Q&A in the review section and on WeChat. The deputy moderators have already worked hard to put it in the headache-inducing review section of Chuangshi. I'll also include it in the book later.
Finally, thank you all. Please cast your recommendation votes.)