Jie Fu Lian took out a transportation talisman and got ready to use it but suddenly, he heard the voice of Hua Tianshu.
"Wait!"
Since he had revealed his identity as the demon king, it was only natural that Hua Tianshu would try to stop him, but for some reason, hearing the man calling out to him like that still made Jie Fu Lian instinctively stop.
"Are you really him...?" Hua Tianshu didn't move and simply looked at Jie Fu Lian with an indecipherable expression plastered on his face as he asked.
Jie Fu Lian softly laughed as he heard this question but instead of answering it, he replied with a simple, "I have a feeling that we'd meet again, TianTian."
And just like that, he burned the talisman and disappeared into thin air.
"It's really you..." Hua Tianshu slowly muttered as he kept staring at the spot where Jie Fu Lian had been standing at, "Jie Ming..."
Jie Fu Lian was in quite a good mood now that he had been reunited with his sword.
The sword, Changbo, also vibrated with excitement and let out a soft warm glow, glad to know that its original owner was still alive.
Jie Fu Lian didn't return to the demon realm, instead he went straight to the sect where he had been born and raised at.
The Yan sect.
It was his home and even his death couldn't change that fact. Now that he had been reunited with Changbo, his next step was to go back to the Yan Sect.
He had been away from home for so long so it was naturally time for him to go back.
He couldn't wait to meet his parents again and he looked forward to seeing how well his brothers and sisters had grown up.
There was so much about that place that he missed and just the thought of going back there, made his eyes twinkle with excitement.
However, when he reached there, the only thing that greeted him was a small shrine.
"Huh?" His smile faded away and for a second there, he felt his heart stop.
His eyebrows creased together in confusion and he looked around in a daze.
There was no way he had come to the wrong place so where exactly did the Yan Sect go...?
The shrine looked as if it had been built just a few years ago and as long as Jie Fu Lian remembered, there had been no such shrine here.
His mind suddenly went blank and he gulped. His body froze and it took a whole minute for him to snap out of the shock.
Inside the shrine, there was a stone tablet placed in the centre but it was covered with a thick layer of dust and because of the dust, one couldn't read anything written on it.
Jie Fu Lian's feet moved first and he instinctually raised his hand up. His fingertips touched the stone tablet and he hesitantly started wiping away the dust.
The engravings started becoming a little clear and as soon as he read the first word, he faltered a few steps back and fell down.
His eyes widened in horror and his heart dropped.
He kept staring at the stone tablet without blinking and slowly, his vision started getting blurry.
Before he knew it, he was already crying.
'This must not be real....' He tried to fool himself by believing that it was all a bad dream.
'It can't be real...'
'I refuse to accept this!'
He wanted to cry out in anger and pain, but no words left his mouth and it was as if he had suddenly turned mute.
His every memory related to the Yan sect started to flash by before his eyes. He wasn't just merely seeing them, he was feeling and living them.
He remembered the warm scoldings of his father and the pleasant laughter of his mother. He remembered how he trained together with his brothers and sisters. He remembered how they ate together everyday and joked around.
The love he received, the admiration he received and the connections he made here, he remembered it all.
By the time his mind started working again, he was already gasping for air and clutching tightly onto his chest in pain.
The name of his father was still engraved on the top of the stone tablet and his own name was just below it.
Reality slowly started to sink in and he realized that perhaps, he had been dead for longer than he had expected.
Time had passed and with time, his family had also passed away and the Yan Sect had been completely erased.
He didn't know what had happened nor did he know whom to blame.
All he knew was that everything had already been done and nothing could be changed anymore.
He was already too late.
With tears still hanging down on his eyelashes, he looked up at the sky with hatred.
He had died and now he was alive.
He thought the heaven's had taken pity on his soul but it seemed that the only reason why he was still alive was because the heavens wanted to torment him even more.
Perhaps his sufferings hadn't been enough.
This was probably karma.
This was the will of the heavens and for that, he hated the heavens.
He should have never lived again... If he hadn't been trapped inside the body of this demon king, he would have passed away just like everybody else and he would have remained oblivious to the shocking truth he had learnt today.
He wouldn't need to be in pain and he wouldn't need to feel so helpless.
He should've just died.
His soul should've just... Disappeared.
.
.
.
.
.
[Thirteen years ago,
In a small city called 'Xiujiang']
The warm rays of the sun peeked through the clouds that decorated the sky. The cold breeze gently danced in the air, carrying with it, a hint of the lovely osmanthus flower fragrance.
The atmosphere was not too hot nor too cold.
It was the season of Spring in Xiujiang.
At this time of the year, the small city was always bustling with life. The city gate was decorated with vibrant flowers that were replaced each day with fresh ones and the poor vendors of the city finally had the chance to make some profit. There were a lot of cultivators and distinguished guests coming from afar just to enjoy the famous osmanthus wine and distinct osmanthus cakes that were only sold in this small city during spring.
Spring in Xiujiang was always peaceful like this
"Jie Ming, are you sure you should be sitting here like this?" A woman asked with a small smile that made it hard to guess whether she was asking out of courtesy or if she was scolding the boy.
"Senior sister Yin, once spring passes, we won't be able to buy these osmanthus cakes and wine. It's not like we travel this far everyday so how can I not take my time to enjoy today's visit."
Yin Ru rolled her eyes as she heard this excuse, "That's not what I'm talking about and you know it as well."
Jie Fu Lian frowned as he heard this but said nothing as a response.
"Jie Ming, Shizun said you were forging a new sword. A sword that can gather spiritual Qi from the surrounding without the need of its master. I was looking forward to seeing it. Have you finished working on it?"
Jie Fu Lian pursed his lips into a thin line and gulped as he shook his head.
"Then shouldn't you be working right now? If Shizun finds out that you are here, he would get angry at me."
"Don't worry about it, the sword is almost done. I just need to work on it a little bit more. I can get it done before our next mission," Jie Fu Lian beamed, "And father doesn't have to know that I was here."
Yin Ru sighed as she heard this but didn't bother continuing the topic as she felt that this boy was going to be stubborn till the end.
"Senior Sister Yin, leaving the sword aside, I had something else to ask you."
"What is it?"
Jie Fu Lian looked around and made sure that nobody was looking at them before he leaned in a little closer and asked, "Is the HuiXue sect entrance test really as hard as they say it is?"
Yin Ru suddenly laughed as she heard this question and replied, "Why don't you go take it if you want to know?"
Jie Fu Lian pouted, feeling dissatisfied with such a response. If he had wanted to take the test for himself, he wouldn't have asked this question in the first place itself.
"By the way, why are you asking? Do you plan to abandon our Yan sect?" Yin Ru asked with a small amused smirk.
Jie Fu Lian immediately looked away as he spoke, "I was just casually asking."
"Are you sure about that?" Yin Ru chuckled as she leaned in a bit closer and rested her chin on the palm of her hand, "Is it not because you're looking forward to meeting a certain disciple of the HuiXue sect."
"What are you trying to say," Jie Fu Lian lightly glared at the woman as he asked.
"I'm talking about Hua Tianshu, of course," Yin Ru laughed, teasing Jie Fu Lian.
Senior sister Yin Ru clearly knows what's up XD
Thank you for reading and don't forget to vote, comment and support the author by adding this book to your library!~
Take care and have a wonderful day <3
"What does Hua Tianshu have to do with the entrance test?" Jie Fu Lian still refused to be honest as he questioned back, sounding a bit offended.
"Jie Ming, you don't need to pretend," Yin Ru continued to tease the poor boy as she spoke, "Everybody already knows how much you look up to him. You are both around the same age and yet, he is already at the peak stage of the Core formation realm while you barely reached the half-step stage of the Core formation realm. Technically speaking, you are still at the foundation establishment realm and haven't made a breakthrough in the last couple of months."
Jie Fu Lian felt even more offended as he heard these words.
"Senior Sister Yin, are you looking down on me?" Jie Fu Lian asked but instead of waiting for an answer, he continued, "I might not be as amazing as that Hua Tianshu but I am still great in my own ways."
"Pfft-"
"Don't laugh! When I succeed in forging the Qi collecting sword, I'm sure both my cultivation and reputation would improve." Jie Fu Lian was only thirteen years old and the boy was quite prideful in nature so it was only natural that he would not let anyone tell him that somebody else was better than him.
He would be lying if he said he hadn't paid attention to Hua Tianshu, however, where others saw it as admiration, he would argue and claim that it was competition.
He and Hua Tianshu were around the same age so it was only natural that he would compare himself to the boy who had already created a reputation for himself in the cultivation world.
"And yet, in the end, you would still gift the sword to Hua Tianshu, would you not? You say that you don't idolize him but your actions are clearly telling me otherwise," Yin Ru spoke with a teasing chuckle.
Jie Fu Lian's cheeks flushed red as he heard this and he opened his mouth to say something against that, but in the end, he had no words to refute her, and hence he was forced to stay quiet.
It was definitely not Jie Fu Lian's idea. It was his father who was forcing him to gift the sword to the HuiXue sect.
He didn't know whether his father could not tell good from the bad, because anyone in their right mind would not want to give such a precious object to another simply because they wanted to create good relations and look good in the eyes of the other.
He couldn't understand why his father had made such a decision but, when he thought about how even the great Hua Tianshu would be using a sword forged by him, he couldn't help but feel his heart swell up with pride.
It certainly felt a bit good and he would be lying if he said otherwise.
"Senior Sister Yin, cultivators don't forge their own swords. Do you know why?"
"Why?" Yin Ru tilted her head as she asked, feeling a little amused by the sudden question.
"It's because they aren't good at it!"
"..."
"Forging a sword takes skill, talent, and practice. You need to be patient and you need to have a natural talent for it as well. Most cultivators do not have the talent nor do they have the time to practice improving their forging skills. That is why out of all the cultivators, the ones who can forge their own spiritual weapons are considered rare and respected by all," Jie Fu Lian spoke with a sigh.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that in the future, I would be a rare cultivation genius who would be respected by all."
"Hmm?"
"So there is no need for me to idolize small fish like Hua Tianshu!"
Yin Ru suddenly broke out laughing as she heard the boy's confident words.
"Jie Ming, why do you keep lying to yourself?" Yin Ru asked, still laughing, "If you like him then just accept it and say that you like him. There is nothing wrong with admiring somebody. Even I admire Hua Tianshu for achieving such a feat at such a young age."
"..." Jie Fu Lian suddenly felt as if he had been talking to a stone wall all this time.
No matter how much he denied it, this woman was simply not willing to believe a word he spoke!
"Jie Ming, why are you suddenly stuffing your mouth with osmanthus cakes?" Yin Ru laughed but Jie Fu Lian still refused to give a response.
Seeing that the boy was a bit angry at her, she quickly stopped teasing him and seriously spoke, "I heard that the invitation from the HuiXue sect already arrived. Is it true?"
This time, Jie Fu Lian did give a response by nodding his head and confirming it.
"That's quite impressive. The sword hasn't even been completely made and yet, they already consider you as someone worthy enough to be invited. You might not have such a bright future like Hua Tianshu but you are certainly not too lacking either!"
"..." Jie Fu Lian pursed his lips into a thin line and displayed an unimpresed expression as he heard this
"They must really believe in your abilities. Could it be that I'm just blind to talent and can't see your radience?" Yin Ru asked with a small smile and Jie Fu Lian was no longer sure whether the woman was seriously asking such a question or just trying to tease him again.
"Senior sister Yin, I'm done." Jie Fu Lian informed as he finished eating his fill and stood up.
"Eh?"
"I'll be heading out first. I have a sword to forge and I'm sure senior sister is also a very busy person."
"I'm actually quite free today," Yin Ru beamed.
"Then I hope you enjoy today's osmanthus festival," Jie Fu Lian displayed a thin smile that was more hostile than friendly, "When I get back, I'll be sure to inform father that senior sister Yin has a lot of free time on her hands. He'll surely have a few tasks that need your urgent attention."
Yin Ru's smile dropped and although she said nothing, her expressions clearly betrayed her and let out her inner thoughts, 'This little piece of sh-'
"Have a nice day," Jie Fu Lian cupped his hands together and bowed respectfully as he took his leave.
Only when the boy had walked out of the store did Yin Ru realize something.
He hadn't paid...
She closed her eyes and clenched her fist as she pushed down her killing intent.
Compared to Jie Fu Lian, her allowance was rather modest and she had already spent most of it.
The only reason why she agreed to come here with the boy was because she thought he was paying, but it seemed that she had been fooled. Not only did the boy not pay for her, but he also dumped his own bill on her head!
She internally cried as she opened her wallet and saw the pitiful coins that could be counted with just a hand.
Jie Fu Lian, who was leisurely walking out of the city, naturally did not know how distressed his senior martial sister Yin Ru was over the food bill.
Currently, his mind was already a bit preoccupied with something else.
An year ago, two gates of the demon realm had been opened, namely the east gate and the west gate.
The West gate had been closed by the HuiXue sect while the responsibility of closing the east gate had been handed over to the Yan sect.
From the Yan sect, his father was the only one who volunteered to take on such a heavy and dangerous responsibility. Jie Fu Lian didn't want to send his father alone and since he saw it as a good learning opportunity, he joined his father and went to close the east gate of the demon realm.
The pair of father and son worked together for three days and four nights in order to completely subdue the demons that had managed to crawl through the gate.
It was the first time Jie Fu Lian had come in direct contact with a demon and hence, their natural strength and power intimidated him a bit.
In those three days and four nights, Jie Fu Lian fought as if his life deepened on it and when they had managed to subdue all the demons, most of their spiritual energy had been completely drained out. They didn't even have the energy to keep their bodies standing and Jie Fu Lian felt as if he could pass out at any moment.
However, subduing the demons was the easier part of the job. The real challenge was closing the gate itself.
Closing a gate to the demon realm was not something everybody could do, It required not only a certain level of cultivation, it also required an abundant amount of undisturbed spiritual energy.
His father was already tired after fighting for those three days and four nights, hence, it became impossible for him to close the gate.
That day, for the first time in his life, Jie Fu Lian felt helpless and feared death.
He was too prideful to run away and he knew his father would also not leave until the gate was closed.
Since the two of them did not have the power to close the gate nor had the will to run away, it was only natural to think that this was the end for them.
The next few chapters are going to be from the past and how Jie Fu Lian first met Hua Tianshu (;
Thank you for reading and don't forget to vote, comment and support the author by adding this novel to your library!~
Take care <3
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