Chapter 596

That year, the Nether Realm inexplicably rained blood; the old Daoist brought his little disciple to avoid the blood rain and stood under the eaves of Yin Dang Hang, while I stood inside Yin Dang Hang. At the moment our eyes met with the little disciple, he politely nodded at me, and I felt an eternity in a single glance.

He was Wang Fanchen, once a scholar heading to the capital for the exams; passing through Jiangcheng, he was destitute and almost froze to death in the icy snow, was taken in by the old Daoist, and thereafter followed him in austere cultivation. When we met, he had already been cultivating under the old Daoist for nearly a hundred years.

Nether Realm

I thought we were merely a passing acquaintance, but I didn't expect that this time he had come to Chenghuang Temple to cultivate under the old Daoist. Over the months, we kept running into each other, and naturally we became close.

From meeting, to confirming our mutual feelings, to our love taking deep root, we spent ten years; my father also liked him a lot, I thought we would continue like this and eventually achieve fruition, but I never expected him to suddenly disappear.

Jūnzhú Shān

At first I didn't understand either, I searched everywhere for him, thinking he had met with some accident. Yu Nian said sadly, "Until his master called me out alone and told me, Wang Fanchen is the most talented of all his disciples, the one most likely to reach the summit and ascend; he hopes I won't hinder Wang Fanchen's prospects."

I didn't understand: "You and Wang Fanchen have been together for over ten years, and your relationship isn't hidden— the old Daoist surely knew long ago. If he wanted to stop it, shouldn't he have done so from the start? What does it mean to break up a mandarin duck pair midway?!"

"Who knows?" Yu Nian said, "But I understand that for cultivators, ascension is their heart's desire; even if I love him deeply, I should not obstruct his prospects. I would rather cut the knot cleanly than end up as a resentful couple, looking at each other with mutual loathing."

Seven Emotions and Six Desires

I began to avoid Wang Fanchen, but when I couldn't dodge, I made my position clear to him and gave him difficulties; no matter how I made things hard for him, he never let go, even risking a falling-out with his master.

Nineteen Grotto-Heavens

Three Lives Hall

Iron Chain Bridge

Just as my relationship with Wang Fanchen was easing, the old Daoist sought me out.

He told me, "From the moment he first saw me, he perceived that my body was tainted with something unclean, something I brought out of my mother's womb; as long as that thing's true form remains, I can never free myself from its influence over me. It will not only destroy me, but also destroy every person close to me around me."

"I don't believe it; I only thought he was spouting nonsense just to forcibly tear me and Wang Fuchen apart, but his words were like a flood bursting through a gate, relentlessly pounding my nerves—I also didn't know what was happening. From that day on I began having frequent nightmares, all of them about my mother: I watched her gather bones and concoct medicine, watched her waste away day by day, also watched her go mad and insane, harming not only herself but nearly taking my father's life."

"How could this be?"

"Was this the old Daoist's doing?"

I asked, "Did you know about your mother's situation back then?"

"I don't know; my father never told me anything about my mother." Yu Nian said, "In my memory, the role of mother has always been a blank, but those nightmares have filled that blank with blood and guilt."

"What's worse is, as those nightmares continually invaded my life, my body really began to change; I constantly feel as if a strange woman resides inside my body, she can easily manipulate my emotions, plunging me into negative emotions I cannot escape."

"Soon my father noticed something was wrong with me; we had a long heart-to-heart talk, and under my questioning he laid out everything about my mother; he told me that the strange woman influencing me is Hui."

"He then took me to the Ancient Feng Clan, hoping the Great Witch could point us a clear path, but little did we expect that the Ancient Feng Clan suffered a great calamity, nearly exterminated; my father had no choice but to repeatedly warn me, no matter what, I must not touch any pills given by others, and must not follow in my mother's footsteps."

"My condition kept worsening; starting from the nightmares, later hallucinations seemed to appear—whenever I closed my eyes I always felt that woman standing beside me, staring fixedly at me, and just when I was on the verge of breaking down, the old Daoist came to see me again."

I furrowed my brows tightly, feeling an indescribable weight that made it hard to breathe: "What does he want from you again?"

"He said Wang Fuchen had broken through his bottleneck, only one step away from transcending the tribulation and ascending; he was likely to become the next City God." Yu Nian said, "The old Daoist spoke earnestly, telling me many things; in short, he hoped I would not let sentiment ruin Wang Fuchen's future, urging me to sacrifice small love for great love..."

"Not long after he left, Wang Fuchen came to my door, asking me to go with him to seek a Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ; he said this lock could bind our love for eternity, inseparable life after life, and with it no one could ever separate us."

"Listening to him vividly describe the Shíjiǔ Dòngtiān, Sānshēng Diàn, and Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ, he also explained the grave dangers of ascending the Tiěsuǒ Qiáo; I couldn't refuse him, and at the time I thought, as a mere mortal body, I had little chance of crossing the Iron Chain Bridge—perhaps dying there would be a tidy end—so I went with him."

Yu Nian actually went to the Sānshēng Diàn under such circumstances!

Originally, seeking that Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ was not a decision made when love was mutual and deep, but a helpless measure.

Yu Nian pressed down the corners of her mouth, forcing a bitter smile: "The Tiěsuǒ Qiáo really shakes—mist everywhere, lightning and thunder all around; I climbed step by step, experiencing one illusion after another, several times nearly falling into eternal damnation, yet Wang Fuchen each time protected me in the nick of time, and I discovered that at every critical moment a strange power surged from within my body to shield me, which only made me realize the old Daoist's words were true—he hadn't deceived me."

"The fact that he didn't deceive you about this doesn't mean he wasn't manipulating things behind the scenes." I said firmly, "I always feel that you and Wang Fuchen are merely pawns in the old Daoist's hands, he has always been gripping your Mìngmén..."