Chapter 3152: My Wife and I Roleplay Daily Life 38/39

In the courtyard downstairs, the argument among seven people had already entered a heated stage.

They argued all the way from the rooms, Su Wan Zhao pointing at Zhao Tie Zhu's nose and cursing, Zhao Tie Zhu not backing down and shouting back, Qian Duoduo fanning the flames from the side, Feng Yao trying to mediate but getting dragged into the fray, and inexplicably starting to argue with Zhao Wu Gu… In short, it was utter chaos.

Chenshu stood on the second-floor corridor, watching this scene below, his temples throbbing.

If the seven Nascent Soul cultivators really started fighting, this Ke Zhan probably couldn't withstand it; he was about to go down to stop them when he suddenly felt his sleeve tugged. Chenshu looked down to see Jin Chen standing beside him, head tilted, watching the crowd below with keen interest.

"How interesting."

Chenshu flicked his forehead.

Jin Chen yelped, covering his forehead, and gave Chenshu a dissatisfied look, but he obediently raised his hand, condensing a soft green light at his fingertips, gently pushing it out; the green specks spread in the night breeze like a gentle rain falling on the seven people in the courtyard.

The arguing stopped abruptly.

The seven people stood where they were, looking at each other, their faces filled with a dazed confusion, as if just waking from a dream.

"I just—" Su Wan Zhao covered her mouth, eyes full of shock, "I just said those things…"

Zhao Tie Zhu also looked remorseful: "How could I have said that to you, senior sister? I didn't mean it."

Qian Duoduo slapped his own face hard, trying to clear his head: "Crazy, crazy, really crazy. I actually said you were dragging us down… How could I possibly think that!"

Zhao Wu Gu pressed his forehead, muttering: "Crazy."

Shen Gui Yan took a deep breath, looked up at Chenshu and Jin Chen on the second floor, and asked, "What just happened?"

"It's the incense aura," Chenshu said, walking down the stairs to explain, "The incense in the town is off; it affects people's minds and amplifies negative emotions."

The entire Divine Wind Town was like hell.

People were tangled in fights all over the streets.

Men and women were pulling each other's hair, neighbors were exchanging punches and kicks, and vendors smashed each other's stalls.

Even the closest couples hurled the most vicious insults at each other, and fathers and sons blamed each other with utter malice.

Resentment, jealousy, and rage permeated the air, so thick it almost became tangible, making scalps tingle.

One woman rode another, yanking her hair to slam her to the ground while shouting filthy abuse. Several burly men brawled on a street corner, blow for blow, already drawing blood. An old man leaning on a cane stood trembling at his own doorstep, cursing his son inside with a hoarse voice.

Shen Gui Yan and the others rushed forward to intervene. They pulled apart the fighting crowds, trying to calm everyone down, but those people seemed possessed, refusing to listen and instead turning their aggression toward them.

Su Wan Zhao had just pulled apart a fighting couple when the wife backhanded grabbed at her, shouting, "What are you even? You have no right to meddle in our affairs!"

Shen Gui Yan stopped two burly men who were fighting, and they then lunged at him together.

Worse still, Shen Gui Yan and the others began to be affected again.

Their gazes began to glaze over, and the expressions on their faces were once again eroded by hostility.

Jin Chen was busy waking this one, then that one—just as he brought Su Wan Zhao's awareness back, Shen Gui Yan over there started acting strange again.

Jin Chen darted among the seven like a firefighter, the wood spirit's light flashing nonstop, keeping him busy running in circles.

He was getting a little angry.

How can these people be so troublesome!

Chenshu also realized this couldn't continue, so he simply bound the seven most dangerous fellow disciples, tied them tightly with Spirit-Binding Rope, and locked them in the largest guest room of the Ke Zhan.

Shen Gui Yan was still struggling as he was shoved into the room, shouting, "Chenshu! Let me go! I need to—"

"Go where?" Chenshu said expressionlessly as he shut the door, "Stay here; I'm going out with Jin Chen to find the cause."

Shen Gui Yan tapped twice on the door from behind, then fell silent for a few seconds.

Chenshu thought he had finally listened, preparing to turn and leave, but then he heard Shen Gui Yan's voice from behind the door joining the shouting: "What did you say! Say it again!"

Chenshu: "……"

Jin Chen tugged at his sleeve, face stern, looking as though he had no choice but to make an effort, and said, "Let's go."

Chenshu sighed, leading Jin Chen out of the Ke Zhan.

The situation on the streets was even worse than before.

People kept transmitting negative energy, like a plague rapidly spreading to every corner; Chenshu held Jin Chen's hand as they moved through the chaotic crowd, sharply scanning the surrounding darkness.

He soon detected the presence of a demon in the shadows.

That aura matched the fox and wolf monsters he had encountered in Moli City before; it seemed to be another envoy of the Demon Emperor, preparing for the Demon Emperor's emergence, sowing chaos everywhere to weaken human strength.

Chenshu and Jin Chen exchanged a glance and gave chase at the same time.

The demon sensed it had been discovered, swiftly fled, heading toward the rear mountain of the town; the two pursued relentlessly, chasing all the way into the forest behind the mountain.

Deep in the forest, eerie winds blew, and the trees twisted strangely in the gusts.

Jin Chen had become much more alert, never leaving Chenshu's side, tightly gripping his hand while warily scanning the surrounding darkness. Though they were in the yin wind, they seemed to be gradually affected as well, the air filled with a faint resentment, as if countless voices whispered in their ears, voicing their dissatisfaction and grudges.

Meanwhile, the demon hid in a corner, fixing its gaze on the two pursuing cultivators, recognizing them as a Dao Lu pair.

It loved to feed on the resentment generated between Dao Lu partners—a delicacy richer and sweeter than ordinary resentment.

The demon, relying on its ability to conceal its aura, was confident the two cultivators wouldn't notice it, and blew a breath toward that spot.

Hate, resent! Turn your resentment into a weapon to harm each other!

Chenshu's gaze, sweeping the surroundings, suddenly locked onto Jin Chen.

He stared deeply at Jin Chen, wondering what he was thinking, as moonlight filtered through the leaves and cast shifting light and shadow across his face.

"Jin Chen, do you hate me?"

Jin Chen turned his body toward Chenshu, tilting his head in confusion: "What?"

——

The demon in the dark was also puzzled. How strange—ordinary Dao Lu partners at times like this should already be openly expressing their mutual resentment. How could humans have pure love? Even the closest Dao Lu pair, it had tasted their resentment before; the more intimate the person, the more thorns hidden in their heart, and having consumed countless Dao Lu's resentment, each pair left it feeling satisfied.

But what's with this person? Why ask first whether the other hates them?

The demon found it a bit suspicious, yet it also sparked curiosity. It decided to stay and see how this Dao Lu pair would eventually come to hate each other to death.

Chenshu stood beneath the vast moonlight, his gaze toward Jin Chen suddenly becoming far more complex, his voice sounding as if filtered through distant, hazy mist.

"In the past, I acted out of selfishness, giving you a drop of blood to let you transform early. I also made you follow me into the lower realm, enduring cycles of tribulation and reincarnation."

"That death tribulation wouldn't have hurt you. You are the divine tree of Kunlun Xu; even without my drop of blood, perhaps in less than a thousand years you could attain human form. The tribulation thunder of the lower realm won't harm you, nor will the mighty power of the divine clan affect you. If you attain human form, you can also enter the three thousand worlds and experience a hundred years of mortal love..."

Chenshu let out a soft sigh.

"It's just... you underwent the death tribulation for me, then experienced the vast separation, and had me seek my soul for you, enduring so many, so many reincarnations and countless loves and hatreds. In many of those reincarnations, I too... was not good to you."

Chenshu gently closed his eyes, then opened them again; his gaze fell on Jin Chen's face, seeing his own reflection in those peach-blossom eyes, and he asked again.

"Jin Chen, do you hate me?"

The bewilderment and dullness in Jin Chen's eyes gradually faded with his words.

Those eyes became clear, as if washed by moonlight; Jin Chen lightly shook his head, and in his depths lay a tenderness that even this good night lacked.

"Between us, what is there to hate..."

Before he finished speaking, Jin Chen's gaze quietly shifted to the round bright moon; moonlight fell on his side profile, tracing a soft outline.

In the summer night, daylight grows longer, yet our time together grows shorter,

"Fine. I hate you."

Jin Chen did not look at Chenshu behind him; it seemed he truly did not wish to look, as he wanted to express his hatred. His thin lips parted slightly, and his voice drifted away in the night wind.

"I hate you. It is clear that I willingly followed you into the death tribulation out of one-sided affection; before attaining human form, it was merely reverence and worship of the divine, just a single short life... yet I could not help but fall in love with you."

"In my second life, I hate you for being the sovereign of the divine realm, possessing so many admirers and followers, while I am merely a minor divine attendant beside you. For a very long time, if I could not see you return, I would count the days in the lonely divine hall, wondering who would lead you home."

Behind Jin Chen, Chenshu's gaze gradually became somewhat bewildered; he stared at Jin Chen's back, his lips twitching slightly, but he spoke no words.

Jin Chen turned around and walked back to Chenshu's side.

He gazed at Chenshu for a long time, as if trying to see into his heart and soul; his eyes held the devotion of a follower looking up to a deity, yet also an indescribable sorrow.

Jin Chen reached out, his fingertips lightly touching Chenshu's cheek: "You are a deity; from long ago, yet you are not merely my deity."

"I hate you, my deity—why have you not granted me an eternal, powerful soul, forcing me to forget the past, waste so much time, only to rediscover your soul and my love?"

Chenshu didn't have time to turn his eyes away.

In the silence of mutual gaze lasting several minutes, an absurd illusion arose, as if Jin Chen were kissing him with his eyes.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the branches, falling between the two, illuminating that distance brightly; yet no one crossed it, merely standing, gazing at each other across the moonlight.

And in the darkness, that demon prickled up its ears to eavesdrop.

It couldn't hear clearly what they were saying; their words sounded muffled, as if through fog, but each sentence "I hate you" came through loud and clear. The demon gloated: "Surely! The resentment of a Nascent Soul cultivator—this must be a delicacy!"

It shrieked and rushed over, intending to savor this delicacy, then kill the two cultivators immersed in hatred.

Then it tasted... where was the hatred?

This cultivator is too strange! Word for word, sentence for sentence he spoke of hatred, yet what it tasted was only an endless, even more intense feeling than before, an emotion that choked one's breath, pouring in mouth and tongue like swallowing a mouthful of red-hot flame.

"Pah!" the demon spat out that mouthful of resentment, shrieking angrily, "You dare trick me! Die!"

"Here I come." Chenshu said softly.

Jin Chen slightly narrowed his eyes, and like the flash of blood when an Asura draws his sword, he raised his hand; wood spirit power condensed in his palm into a green sword blade, which he slashed at the demon.

The demon didn't expect these two to be unaffected by its bewitching; it squealed loudly, trying again to sow discord.

"You! You couldn't possibly have even a shred of resentment! Over all those long years, couldn't you have even a hint of dissatisfaction! Impossible! Humans are all hypocrites!"

But the provocation was utterly futile.

Jin Chen's sword blade had already fallen, severing the demon's throat; the demon let out a shrill wail, its form became distorted a few times in the moonlight before turning into a wisp of black smoke that dissipated in the night wind.

The resentful energy in the woods that could disturb people's minds finally gradually dissipated.

Moonlight became clear once more; a gentle breeze blew, as if celebrating the demon's defeat.

Jin Chen stood with hands at his sides, moonlight spilling over him; he looked toward Chenshu beside him, and a slight step brought him within reach of his cheek.

Chenshu thought for a moment, then said somewhat amusedly: "A mix-up of yin and yang, oddly enough, has let you regain your sanity..."

He wrapped his arms around Jin Chen's shoulders, lowered his head, and kissed the eye where Jin Chen had shed that tear.

How perfectly in sync they were—just a glance sufficed to understand that Chenshu intended to turn the tables, luring the demon out.

Yet what had just happened also truly seemed like sincere heartfelt words, something Chenshu had never heard before.

Jin Chen laughed, his brows and eyes curving; the sorrow in his depths vanished, and he gently stroked the slightly red corners of Chenshu's eyes, whispering, "I love you."

The demon having been eliminated, Shenfeng Town must now be at peace.

Jin Chen found a spot by the cliff, sat on the ground, patted the space beside him, and said to Chenshu, "Come sit with me and watch the moon."

Chenshu sat down beside him.

The two sat side by side; the night breeze brushed past, stirring their robes and hair. In the distance, Shenfeng Town had already quieted down, and those people bewitched by the demon were gradually regaining their senses.

Moonlight like water poured over the mountains and rivers.

Only a moment later, they embraced and kissed again.

——

The next day at dawn, Chenshu and Jin Chen returned to Shenfeng Town.

The town's chaos had already subsided; people were still a bit dazed but had regained their senses. Some were sweeping up the shattered stalls, some apologizing to each other, some held crying adults to comfort children—the whole town seemed to have suffered a great illness and was slowly recovering its vitality.

Chenshu and Jin Chen returned to Ke Zhan, pushing open the door of the large guest room.

Inside the room, the atmosphere of the seven people seemed somewhat strange.

They sat in a circle, no one speaking, yet each person's expression was quite subtle.

Jin Chen peered in curiously and asked, "What's wrong with you all?"

He thought it was because, after last night's quarrel, everyone had grown estranged in their hearts.

Who would have thought Shen Guiyan would sigh, shake his head, and say in a tone of seeing through the mortal world: "No, we have no choice but to become eternal allies."

Jin Chen: "?"

Zhao Wugou took up the conversation, his calm devoid of any will to live: "... We spent the whole night uncovering everyone's secrets and leverage."

Jin Chen: "... Pfft."

He laughed until he bent over, and Qian Duoduo glared at him angrily.

After this was settled, the nine packed their belongings and continued on their journey.

They left Divine Wind Town, flew on their swords, and headed toward Demon-Suppressing Barrier Mountain.

Half a day later, the outline of Barrier Mountain appeared on the horizon—a towering peak whose summit was covered in pure white snow, while its slopes were wrapped in layers of clouds and mist.

The barrier was set up on the summit, guarded by the senior members of the various sects.

The nine descended on their flying swords and landed at the mountain's base, where a reception disciple was already waiting; upon seeing them, he hurried forward to greet them: "Fellow Daoists, you've worked hard; the sect seniors have been waiting for you up on the mountain for a while."

Shen Guiyan nodded, then led the crowd up the stairs.