Living Up to You

Chapter 46

The sun was shining brightly on this day. The sunshine of the early autumn was still bright as if the whole world was covered with a silver light.

In an ordinary pub, Qin Ling tasted wine. Ling Xi ate absent-minded. Qin Ling asked casually, “Go to the netherworld today?”

The hand that Ling Xi held the chopstick paused. After a while, she said, “Mm.”

“In my opinion, it’s safer to take the devil king’s true element first.” Qin Ling said smilingly while drinking wine, “Little king of hell’s power is unfathomable. On the surface, he looked like an innocent child, but in fact, he is not easy to deal with. On the contrary, as for the devil king, you can use this body as a threat and use the past relationship with him. There is a higher chance in succeeding.”

Ling Xi put down the chopsticks. She was silent for a while.

When Qin Ling saw that her mind was elsewhere, he no longer spoke. It happened that the conversation at the table next to them became entangled.

“Now the three realms, immortal, demon and mortal are in chaos. Junior sister, it’s safer for you go back with me.” The man’s voice was deep, but it was clear.

“Go back and practice sword and cultivate again. I don’t want to.” The female’s voice was lovable with some arrogance.

“It’s fine as long as you come back with me and avoid this storm. Afterwards, I will send you down the mountain and won’t let the supremo find out about it.”

“How can he not find out about it? I spent a lot effort to hide here and not let the sect-mates find out. To speak about safety, this mortal realm is the safest. If it was the immortal realm, I have heard that even Cangjia’s Feng Shu doesn’t bother with affairs. Just that little cultivation of our supremo…”

The two words “Feng Shu” seemed to pull Ling Xi’s thoughts back. Her eyes lit up and she looked at the man and woman who was speaking. The woman was dressed like an ordinary woman of the mortal realm. The man was dressed in the uniform of Liyang Mountain.

“At least there is Feng Shu in the immortal realm if something happens. In the mortal realm, the people around you lacked the strength even to truss a chicken...”

- Lacking the strength even to truss a chicken: weak

Ling Xu didn’t have the mood to continue listen anymore. She looked at Qin Ling and carefully asked, “They said, eldest senior brother…Feng Shu has returned?”

Qin Ling raised an eyebrow and said, “Maybe. That person promised that he would fulfill your wish. Everyone of Cangjia had resurrected. It isn’t strange that he had also come back alive.”

Ling Xi’s lips raised a bit.

In the end, it was worth it.

The her of now wouldn’t feel guilt nor compassion. She had forgotten the feeling of gratitude and had forgotten what remorse was. When she is happy, the feeling isn’t as strong as before. She became easy to anger and easy to feel hate. However, she didn’t lose her memory. She remembers why she had surrendered her conscience and she remembers for how long she had wished for Feng Shu’s return.

So, when she heard this news, even if she no longer felt as excited as before, she still smiled faintly.

A black bird suddenly appeared under the scorching sun. It seemed to be a crow at first glance, but when you look at it carefully, it was not. It flew straight to Ling Xi. Before Ling Xi could look carefully, it turned into a paper. Ling Xi reached out and caught it.

There were only a few words and a signature on the paper. A very familiar handwriting.

Meet you tonight at Cangjia Mountain’s Cloud Hall.

Nan Zhi.

—

Tonight, was another night with a full moon. Ling Xi looked at the moon that was like a silver plate and then looked at the still leisure Qin Ling next to her, “Big brother, aren’t you afraid that this is a trap?”

After all, it was rumored at Cangjia Mountain that Jing Yan took away Cang Yu’s true element and had sent him to the Western Paradise. Nan Zhi’s sudden invitation and it was at Cangjia’s Cloud hall was truly very strange.

- Western Paradise: the place for the deceased.

However, she decided to go to the appointment. Big brother also didn’t object.

Perhaps, she listened to him and also felt that it was more adequate to take the devil king’s true element first. Perhaps, it was because she heard that Feng Shu has returned, she felt happy and wanted to see him again. Or perhaps, she was unable to reject Nan Zhi’s invitation. In any case, they changed their plan to go to the netherworld today and went to Cangjia Mountain instead.

“They have to be able to trap you and me.” Qin Ling smiled brightly. The dark green clothes looked like a dark flower blooming in the night.

Ling Xi pursed her lips. Only he who has such a high spiritual energy that even the heaven would get angry about would have capital to say such a thing when facing Cangjia Mountain and Nan Zhi at the same time.

“Jing Yan.” Qin Ling suddenly said, “You have to keep in mind. You…can’t be tormented anymore.”

Ling Xi’s expression sank. Her eyes darkened and she nodded.

The lights of Cangjia Mountain were brightly lit, but Cloud Hall was empty.

Ling Xi stepped into the hall cautiously. Qin Ling leisurely followed behind.

“Big brother, why is there no one?” Ling Xi tried to explore the nearby aura with a spell. Aside from her and big brother, there was no one else in this hall.

Qin Ling stared leisurely in front of him and laughed, “Naturally, there is.”

His words just fell when Ling Xi saw a black fog rolling in front of her. After the thick fog had dispersed, one person appeared.

Nan Zhi was still dressed in black. His face was clean with sharp. His human body just formed when he coldly swept over Ling Xi. When his eyes fell on Qin Ling, his expression was unpredictable.

“Jing Yan? Qin Ling?” Nan Zhi opened his mouth first and asked in a deep voice.

Qin Ling cupped his hand like someone from the jianghu and smiled, “Right, right. I’ve long heard about devil king Nan Zhi. Seeing you today, you are really extraordinary!”

- Jianghu: the milieu of the wuxia tales

Nan Zhi’s dagger-like eyes swept over Qin Ling. If it was another, that person’s legs would have went soft under that cold murderous intent, but Qin Ling ignored it and continued to smile, “But Qin Ling still likes high-tiered god Nan Zhi more. The graceful bearing of high-tiered god Nan Zhi of the past is still vividly in my mind!”

Qin Ling sighed with regret. Coldness flashed through Nan Zhi’s eyes and he said, “It is really you…silver mirror.”

Qin Ling smiled more brilliantly, “That’s right. I’m that silver mirror of Cangjia Mountain. Then, do you know what Jing Yan is?”

He suddenly pulled Ling Xi who was behind him and pushed her forward.

Nan Zhi gloomy swept once over her. When his gaze passed her face, his eyes flickered. Then, he immediately returned to normal and scorned, “A ray of a remnant soul that seized the body of others.”

Ling Xi’s body trembled slightly. Under Nan Zhi’s gaze, she wanted to hide behind Qin Ling again. In the end, she refrained from it. She straightened her back and asked, “Devil king invited Jing Yan to here, is it that you want to offer your true element?”

Nan Zhi didn’t wait for Ling Xi’s words to fall, when he already casted a spell and struck Qin Ling.

This blow was only to feel out. There wasn’t much strength to it. Qin Ling evaded it easily. Nan Zhi’s face turned cold. A wind rose in the hall. the candlelight flickered. Then, there was another blow. A thick black fog mixed with roaring coldness hit towards Qin Ling. Ling Xi suddenly stepped forward, casted a spell and blocked this blow from Nan Zhi. Qin Ling transformed into his true form, becoming a palm-sized mirror and inserted itself into Ling xi’s waist.

A slight surprise appeared on Nan Zhi’s face, but he was not distracted. He closed his eyes and accumulated energy for another blow.

The black fog lingered outside of the silver barrier as if it would swallow it at any time. However, the silver barrier was also not weak, grew thicker and slowly pushed the black fog outward.

Qin Ling only knew a few practical self-defense spells, for example, the invisibility spell. He didn’t know any offensive spell. It was in vain that he had a spiritual that could invert the six realms. Therefore, whether it was in the mortal realm or demon realm, every attack was made by Ling Xi. Qin Ling would use his spiritual energy to help.

It was the same this time. The incandescent light of the silver mirror around Ling Xi’s waist became more dazzling and the energy flowed continuously into her body. The range of her barrier also became larger and thicker.

Nan Zhi didn’t expect that they would have such powerful spiritual energy. He retrieved his five fingers, dispersed the black fog and transformed to be offensive. A silver sword appeared in his hand and attacked Ling Xi.

Ling Xi also did the same and greeted him with sword.

It was obvious that Ling Xi was not as good as Nan Zhi at such close combat. Using sword and using spells. Ling Xi was also not as skilled as Nan Zhi. After a hundred rounds, even if Qin Ling had joined forces with her and even if Ling Xi may not be worse than Nan Zhi, her weakness still showed and she dangerously escaped a stab. Before Ling Xi could stabilize her body, she saw Nan Zhi coming with another stab straight at her heart.

Ling Xi’s face paled and felt that she had no way to dodge it. When that sword was almost at her heart, it turned direction and pierced into the sky.

It turned out…that he couldn’t bear to harm this body.

That being the case…

An unspeakable smile appeared on Ling Xi’s face. She clenched the sword in her hand. Without care, she ran straight to Nan Zhi. Nan Zhi retreated and retreated. While he tried to avoid Ling Xi’s sword, he also tried to avoid the body trying to pounce on his blade. The more he was like this, the deeper and more bitter Ling Xi’s smile became and the faster and more ruthless she moved. In the end, Nan Zhi simply dropped his sword and fought her with spells.

Nan Zhi casted spells. Ling Xi dissolved them one by one. Nan Zhi threw away his sword, Ling Xi didn’t. The attacks with the sword became fiercer. Nan Zhi seemed to have some scruples when he casted spells. He only used spells that didn’t hurt Ling Xi’s body. Ling Xi quickly gained the upper hand.

“Pierce straight between the eyebrows and take his true element.” Qin Ling’s voice suddenly rang.

The space between the eyebrows was the vital part of a soul in a body. Piercing the heart would only damage the body’s function. It was useful against ordinary people of the mortal realm. For those who has cultivation, only by damaging the space between the eyebrows, hurt his soul and take his true element would let him lose his life.

The silver light around Ling Xi shone more brightly. The blade of the sword pierced straight at him with sharp murderous intent.

At that moment, the world seemed to be still.

Ling Xi couldn’t hear anything and couldn’t feel the passage of time. Nan Zhi’s face was getting closer and closer. The light of the sword’s tip was getting sharper and sharper. It was obviously just in a blink of an eye, but it slowed down in her mind, became more slower and more and more slow.

Suddenly, the scene of that year appeared in front of her eyes. Under the sunlight outside the seven-story pagoda, he walked step by step towards her, but was suddenly hit by a red beam and became a Chinese rose in a blink of an eye. The rose petals withered and disappeared. At her ear sounded the refreshing autumn wind of Cangjia Mountain. Her Bingling sword pierced into his heart. The sound of blood and flesh being cut open was like thunder.

“Would…there be one day that you won’t listen to me anymore?”

No.

“Would there be one day that you are no longer by my side?”

No.

He was her immortal spirit. She was his owner. He couldn’t leave her, she would also not abandon him. They would be together forever.

Together…forever?

Seeing that the sword was about to pierce Nan Zhi’s forehead, Ling Xi’s hand suddenly took a turn and at the same time withdrew the spell that she had casted.

“Jing Yan! You…”

Ling Xi’s movements were too fast and too violent, making the spiritual energy reverse on her. Qin Ling hasn’t finished speaking yet, when Ling Xi fell onto the ground and spit out a mouthful of blood. The silver mirror also fell from her waist.

Nan Zhi’s expression turned cold. He picked up the silver mirror that had fallen beside her.

“Big brother!” Ling Xi shouted and chased after him!

Ling Xi had just stepped outside of Cloud Hall when she was surrounded by Cangjia’s disciples who appeared out of nowhere. These disciples were probably prepared to attack her the moment she appeared, but there was a lot of hesitation when they saw her face. As a result, some couldn’t stop their attack in time and fell.

Ling Xi had no time to care about this. She only stared at Nan Zhi. She saw that he floated in the air and the silver mirror was surrounded by the black fog in his hand.

“Let go of big brother!” Ling Xi could no longer describe the feelings in her heart at this moment; whether they were sadness, grief, indignation or cold lamentation.

Before Ling Xi could fly and chase, she was stopped by one person.

“Return master’s true element!” Qing Kui held Xiangyin sword and spared no effort to attack Ling Xi.

Without the silver mirror, whether it was Ling Xi’s movements or spiritual energy, it couldn’t be compared to previously. Now that Qing Kui attacked her so suddenly, her whole body froze and she was motionless.

“It’s Ling Xi!” A childish voice suddenly sounded.

At the same time, the wine gourd on Qing Kui’s waist suddenly became larger and bumped the hand holding the sword. The hand was pushed and the sword pierced into another direction.

Qing Kui also froze for a moment. He retrieved Xiangyin sword and looked at Ling Xi. With that glance, astonishment, grief, rapture and disbelief appeared in his eyes. He looked up at Nan Zhi who was still in mid-air as if he (QK) wanted to get answers from him.

Nan Zhi’s face was brightly lit by the lights of Cangjia Mountain. The light didn’t dissolve the coldness on his face. Qing Kui’s gaze also didn’t let his bearing ease a bit. Nan Zhi held the silver sword in his hand and his long black hair was blown messily by the wind. He said faintly, “Not allowed to harm the body, you…can do whatever you want with the person.”

His words made Ling Xi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

It was truly a trap.

There would actually be a time where Cangjia Mountain would cooperate with the devil king and she, willingly went into the trap and personally handed big brother over.

“Jing Yan?” All the emotions in Qing Kui’s eyes had been replaced by hatred and asked through gritted teeth.

Ling Xi just laughed, laughing as the best as she could.

Juisheng floated in the air and was at loss about what to do. The person in front of him was obviously Ling Xi…

Qing Kui once again raised Xiangyin sword. Only hatred was at the bottom of his eyes, “Get out of Ling Xi’s body!”

His words haven’t fell yet when he already attacked Ling Xi.

Ling Xi without the silver mirror was only a “mortal” with a ray of soul residing in a body packed with broken souls. She was even weaker than the past her who had two immortal parts and three mortal parts. How could she be Qing Kui’s opponent?

Only after ten rounds, she already felt that she was about to float out of this body. Qing Kui’s attacks didn’t stop. Because he didn’t want to harm this body, he put away Xiangyin sword after a few more rounds and casted a spell, wanting to drive Ling Xi’s soul out.

Ling Xi was covered by a heat wave. The longer it went on, the higher the heat. It took only a moment for her whole body to feel like it was being burned by fire. The broken souls inside of her where screaming, rejecting her and trying to drive her out. Her own soul was also trying to escape this pain.

But she didn’t want to.

Why should she?

This was her body. Why should she give it to others?

Why does she have to get out when everyone wanted to drive her out?

Why should Ling Xi without a conscience care about the feelings of others?

However, even if she didn’t want to and was unwilling, the soul couldn’t bear the burning of the fire. Qing Kui not only wanted to drive her out of this body, he also wanted to burn her to death with the fire.

Unexpectedly, Ling Xi wrapped in the firelight burst into tears.

She remembers that in the past, senior brother Qing Kui was most afraid of her crying.

It had been many years that she hasn’t cried in front of him.

Big brother said that she didn’t have a conscience, but it was not that she didn’t have a heart. So, she would still feel heartache.

At this moment, she looked at Qing Kui’s resentful face through the firelight. She felt heartache, so painful that her tears fell without restraint.

“Senior brother…Qing Kui…”

Ling Xi called him silently. She felt her soul slowly float up. Suddenly, the body cooled down. The hot pain disappeared and with a bump she returned to the body again.

Ling Xi fell on the ground. She opened her eyes. Through her tears, she saw white clothes coming from the moon.

Such a scene was so familiar.

So familiar that it made her nose itchy again.

The man’s jade-like hand stopped in front of her eyes. She reached out and held it just like many years ago…warmth entered her heart.

Qing Kui’s fire was extinguished by Feng Shu. Arriving with Feng Shu was Qing Lian, Qing Nian and Cang Hai. When they saw Ling Xi, they were shocked. Before they said anything, Qing Kui already said angrily, “Eldest senior brother! She is not Ling Xi! She is Jing Yan who killed master!”

Feng Shu pretended not to hear. He only wiped away the tears and dirt from Ling Xi’s face and gently smoothed her hair.

There were still tears in Ling Xi’s eyes. She stared at him without blinking.

He hasn’t changed a bit over the years. His expressions, movements, attitude was the same as she remembered.

Would he recognize who she is?

Would he drive her out of this body?

“Eldest…” Ling Xi hasn’t finished yet when Feng Shu gently stroked her hair and asked, “Do you still not remember?”

Ling Xi went blank. That year when eldest senior brother soul was dispersed and scattered, the last sentence he said to her was, “You…still don’t remember…?”

Remember what? What should she remember?

Ling Xi stared blankly at Feng Shu.

“Then, do you still remember what you promised me inside the mirror?”

When saying this sentence, Feng Shu’s expression and tone didn’t change, but when Ling Xi heard that, she felt as if her whole world turned upside down!

“It, it’s…you?” Ling Xi backed away a few steps in disbelief. She shook off his hand, stumbled and fell on the ground.

It was him. It turned out to be him.

“Do…you want them to come back?”

“Give me your conscience and do one thing for me. Then…it would be as you wished for.”

The voice inside the silver mirror turned out to be him.

It was the eldest senior brother who she wanted to save and was determined to save these paste few years.