“Second brother, I’m running low on the jade dew I use to nurture the Nirvana seed. I need to go to the overseas ice fields to fetch more. It’ll take three to five days, ten at most. The Demon State is rich in spiritual energy, ideal for the seed’s growth. I’m entrusting Uncle and Aunt to you. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
“But I’m busy with the Demon State’s Millennial Celebration. I have to initiate the young cubs of the clan.”
“Don’t worry, the seed’s spirit is stable. Just wait for it to sprout and bloom.”
At the time, Yin Ya, while applying a face mask, glanced at the Nirvana seed that Nan Yan had brought with such care. He thought it was a trivial matter.
“Got it. It’s like growing narcissus, right?”
…
After the calamity that nearly destroyed the world, various factions put on a show of sisterly affection. To deepen their strategic cooperation with humans, the Demon State leaders, following the Nine-Colored Deer’s suggestion, invited powers from all States to a banquet during the Millennial Celebration.
Yin Ya initially thought it was just a dinner to toast their fake friendship. He didn’t expect the male deer deity, speaking with a goddess-like voice, to pull him aside for a lecture.
“The four totem bloodlines of the demon race are rare. I see many young talents from various clans looking fresh. I hear you’re on good terms with humans. For the continuation of our race, you understand, right?”
Yin Ya didn’t want to understand, but his reputation as a fox spirit made all demons assume he did.
“… So this is why you tricked Zhan Ting into bringing young talents here to discuss poetry?”
Yin Ya said, “That’s secondary. The third brother, you must help me. If Nan Yan finds out I’ve scorched her uncle and aunt, she’ll skin me alive.”
Qi Yang, who had been brought to the Demon State overnight, felt this was indeed a serious matter. After being led furtively by Yin Ya into a side hall to examine the Nirvana seed Nan Yan had entrusted them with, he said:
“I remember it didn’t look this bad last time I saw it.”
Yin Ya: “I remember it looked like a narcissus before I started drinking last night.”
Qi Yang: “How did you turn it into a water ghost overnight?”
Yin Ya fell silent. He carefully recalled that during yesterday’s Millennial Celebration, there were too many human cultivators. The Nine-Colored Deer had dragged him around to entertain guests. When he finally had a moment, he went to complain to Mu Zhan Ting and a group of familiar young people. The group of older unmarried men partied until late, and he passed out from drinking. When he woke up the next day, the Nirvana flower was gone, leaving only a small pile of ash in the water bowl.
“I set up a protective barrier around this narcissus. I should have sensed any disturbance immediately. How could it change like this without a sound?” Yin Ya clutched his hair in despair. “Nan Yan will be back in a few days. You have to help me revive this flower!”
Qi Yang examined the scene and pondered, stroking his chin. “Phoenixes have the power to grant rebirth through Nirvana. A few days ago, I saw that Uncle and Aunt’s spirits had already condensed but hadn’t awakened yet. Logically, when the Nirvana flower blooms, their souls should take form. If they’ve dispersed, they might have become wandering spirits attached to someone.”
Yin Ya asked hopefully, “So—”
Qi Yang continued, “Ah Yan insisted on cultivating the two elders through human reincarnation. If they’ve left the bowl, they’ve likely temporarily attached to a human. You know I can’t meet outsiders, so why don’t you ask the human guests from last night’s banquet? I’ll stay in this mirror, and you can take me to explore their dreams.”
With a heavy heart, Yin Ya took the mirror and left. He asked the serving demons and discovered that the guests were still asleep.
Recalling the previous night’s revelry with the demon race’s thousand-year-old wine, he estimated they wouldn’t wake until nightfall.
So he decided to start with Mu Zhan Ting’s room nearby.
Opening Mu Zhan Ting’s door required some courage. Yin Ya stood outside for a long time, feeling an evil and terrifying aura emanating from within. He peeked through a small crack and quickly withdrew.
Mu Zhan Ting was sleeping heavily on his desk, surrounded by calligraphy on all four walls. Each character looked like a stubborn stone, painful to look at.
He was sleep-talking: “Brother Li Bai, no need to be modest, I couldn’t possibly… Oh, Brother Du Fu, Brother Du Fu, please get up…”
… Your brother can compose a hundred poems while drinking, and everyone sleeps in their own home. The Dragon Master calls but doesn’t turn back, claiming to be poetry immortal in his past life.
Yin Ya: “Third brother, I don’t think Uncle and Aunt would enter his dream even if they were desperate. I’ll seal this place of trouble and let him sleep for now.”
Qi Yang: “… Agreed.”
With no other choice, they moved on to check others. After examining nearly twenty people without any response, Yin Ya was anxiously wondering if Uncle and Aunt were truly gone when Qi Yang suddenly stopped him.
“Who’s behind this door?”
Yin Ya peeked through a crack and said, “Oh, it’s Song Zhu. This guy might look simple, but he can drink. When he’s drunk, he cries for his Master. Sword cultivators these days, are so fickle.”
Qi Yang made a sound of acknowledgment. “I’ll check his dream. You go look elsewhere.”
Without further explanation, Qi Yang’s consciousness turned into a wisp of smoke and entered Song Zhu’s dream.
…
Song Zhu had heard that his Master had long since retreated from the mortal world. Whenever he thought of her, it was like bitter wine burning his throat. Although his teacher had comforted him, saying that the sword path was like limbs and women were like clothes, why let mere emotions hinder enlightenment?
Song Zhu had asked his teacher then: What if Master Nan Fang were still alive?
His teacher replied: “Where is she?”
The sword path is like limbs, women are like clothes. We’re all civilized cultivators. We’ve seen one-armed heroes, but never anyone who goes naked their whole life.
Song Zhu’s heart was heavy with sorrow. After drinking heavily for half the night, perhaps due to his constant thoughts, he saw his beloved Master’s back in his dream.
“Master, do you remember our tea appointment from that year?”
The Master, looking kind and gentle, replied: “I apologize, my skills are shallow, and the tea wasn’t green enough. You should seek another companion.”
Song Zhu: “Why?”
The Master cryptically said: “There’s no reason. If you kept that appointment with me, it would have been too green. I don’t like that.”
Song Zhu, heartbroken, said: “Actually, my feelings for you—”
“I understand your feelings, but the Master is devoted to Buddhism. Her dedication to the Buddhist path is like your devotion to the sword. As they say, the great path is without emotion. Would you tarnish both our paths with mere mortal desires?”
Song Zhu, confused by this reasoning, said: “But last night, Brother Mu and Brother Yin encouraged me to express my feelings.”
Qi Yang, disguised as Master Zhen Yuan, raised an eyebrow and after a moment of silence, snorted and said: “Does Song patron trust their words or mine?”
Song Zhu: “… Of course, I trust you.”
The Master sighed and said: “To be frank, my two brothers each have their agendas. The elder brother’s encouragement stems from his fear that if you focus on the sword path and achieve greatness, you’ll become a formidable enemy in his Confucian way. The second brother’s encouragement comes from his fear that if you reform yourself, you might endanger demon interests with your sword’s killing intent.”
Song Zhu felt this wasn’t right, but suddenly the Master’s beautiful figure vanished like smoke. A strange, low sigh came from above the dreamscape.
“This young man truly needs guidance.”
Song Zhu looked up and saw a figure sitting on the moon amidst a hazy mist. He asked, “Who are you?”
The figure replied: “I am the Moon Elder from the heavens. Seeing you mired in mortal affairs and neglecting the great path, I’ve come to enlighten you.”
Song Zhu was shocked. “Are you the Moon Elder? Can you divine my marriage fate?”
The Moon Elder kindly said: “To be honest, in your previous life, you were a good person who cultivated for ten lifetimes. If you remain pure and aloof in this life, you’ll surely be reborn on the immortal path in your next life.”
Song Zhu said: “I don’t want to be reborn on the immortal path. I only wish to find a companion in this life.”
The Moon Elder asked: “What kind of destined person do you want?”
Song Zhu lowered his head and said: “Just… just a girl…”
Moon Elder: “Your standards are too high.”
Song Zhu: “???”
The Moon Elder patiently explained: “In one’s life, many people come and go. You bring nothing when you’re born and take nothing when you die. What can accompany you for a long? Is it a woman? A man? Your friends and family? None of these.”
Song Zhu: “… Then what is it?”
Moon Elder: “Look carefully at the sword in your hand. Don’t you feel that after being alone for so long, even your sword has become beautiful?”
Qi Yang, unfazed by his deception, successfully confused Song Zhu. After calmly exiting his dream, he saw Yin Ya outside the Black Spring Mirror, looking at him as if he were a demon.
“Are you even human?” Yin Ya asked.
“In matters of the heart, one should push when possible,” Qi Yang said, having dealt with a potential rival. His consciousness searched around. “Was Yun Nian here last night? I’ve heard Ah Yan mention him seven times this year. It’s a rare opportunity. I have some things I’d like to enlighten him about.”
Yin Ya was exasperated. “Where did this old vinegar jar spirit come from? Leave him alone, he’s just a child. Hurry up and find Uncle for me!”
Later, they quickly glanced into Yun Nian’s room. There was no need to check further – he was still having nightmares, muttering something about envying the illiterate, not immortals.
… Poor child.
“When do you think Mu Zhan Ting will ascend? If he continues to live on, the Confucian way might be ruined.”
Speaking of ascension, despite past turbulence, those from Dao Sheng Tian still had the most authority on the matter. They had once been closest to breaking through and ascending, but their greed for longevity led to their downfall along with the world.
As they were sighing about this, suddenly a golden lotus flower slowly floated towards Yin Ya from afar, carrying Nan Yan’s excited voice.
“Second Brother, I’ve found a spirit-rich cave! There’s a 90% chance it contains high-grade jade dew. I should be able to return a few days early. The local specialties here are excellent, especially beauty creams and mooncant silk. Would you like me to bring you anything?”
Yin Ya broke out in a cold sweat, stammering, “No, no… I mean, yes! Bring lots! Bring hundreds of pounds of cream and hundreds of mooncant silk garments! Don’t come back without them!”
Nan Yan was shocked. “So much?”
Yin Ya: “Well, the New Year is only eleven months away…”
Nan Yan: “…”
Nan Yan: “Alright, take good care of my uncle and aunt.”
Yin Ya had just breathed a sigh of relief when Ji Yang spoke leisurely, “The flower has wilted. You might as well return quickly.”
Before Nan Yan could react, Yin Ya dispersed the golden lotus and snapped, “If she comes back and can’t find her uncle, we’re both dead!”
Ji Yang calmly replied, “Don’t worry, I have a plan.”
Yin Ya: “Quick, tell me!”
Ji Yang: “If we can’t explain it then, we might as well put the flowerpot in Song Zhu’s room. Then if A Yan wants to kill or torture someone—”
Yin Ya: “Can’t you do something useful?”
His hair standing on end with anxiety, he frantically waved the Huangquan Mirror around, still finding no clues. Just as Nan Yan sent a second message via Golden Lotus asking which color of lip rouge he wanted, the Huangquan Mirror suddenly emitted a faint light.
Ji Yang stopped Yin Ya: “Is my junior brother here?”
Yin Ya cast a spell to prevent Nan Yan from hearing and said to Ji Yang, “Your junior brother and Nan Yan are completely innocent. Let him go.”
Ji Yang paused. He sensed a trace of a wandering soul here. He told Yin Ya to keep Nan Yan occupied while he used the power of the Huangquan Mirror to enter the dream realm.
Nan Yi had many unresolved matters in his life. When the ghost calamity was resolved and the Nan family reunited in Fengdu, it should have been a temporary resolution for him. If there was anything he still resented, it would likely be the source of all this.
Among those attending the banquet in the Demon Kingdom, only Mo Xing Zhi still remembered their master.
Like in others’ dreams, Mo Xing Zhi’s dream was filled with familiar scenes: the floating mountain with its revolving starry sky, evening drums, and morning bells, and the sound of students reciting – all so peaceful it was hard to imagine this place had once brewed such catastrophic events.
“Senior Brother, you’ve come.” Mo Xing Zhi sat in the empty classroom as if he had known Ji Yang would come. He gestured for Ji Yang to sit in the place where he had once studied as a child. “I thought you’d never want to see this place again.”
…This place indeed brought back memories.
“When he was alive, he couldn’t make me avoid worldly affairs. Now that he’s gone, I naturally don’t fear revisiting old places.” Ji Yang’s gaze was calm as he raised his hand, causing images of students to appear, struggling with heavy books and difficult lessons.
Mo Xing Zhi smiled and said, “I still remember back then, us little ones climbing the celestial stairs before the mountain gate. Whoever reached the top first would be the senior brother. I was ten steps behind you and sat crying on the steps. It was Master who took my hand and led me up, telling me, ‘This is your senior brother from now on.'”
The scene changed, showing their youth when the top talent under the number one cultivator in the realm had astounded everyone. Who wouldn’t have envied them?
“Senior Brother, did you ever hesitate?” Mo Xing Zhi looked at the imposing Dao Sheng Tian of the past, the figure all disciples had admired, and smiled bitterly. “Even now, I can’t believe Master could do such things.”
“Hesitation wouldn’t have made the outcome any better.” There was a hint of reminiscence in Ji Yang’s eyes, but he remained unwavering. “What we think we understand is often just our assumptions. You and I both feel his actions weren’t worth it, but that’s how it is… Look, even when he lost everything in the end, he didn’t look back once.”
The most extreme, arrogant, and stubborn people in the world are like this.
“Indeed,” Mo Xing Zhi said. “This is probably why I sincerely call you Senior Brother. If it were me, I could do nothing but fall on my sword before him to remonstrate.”
At this point, the dream scene began to roll again, layers of mist covering everything. Ji Yang seemed to sense something and followed a faint golden soul light into the depths of the dream.
“Mr. Yi Gu,” Ji Yang bowed slightly to the soul light.
The soul light paused briefly, and a calm voice emerged: “These years must have been hard for you all. How is A Yan?”
“All is well. Madam Nan has also been reincarnated. When you’ve completed your sixty-year cycle of rebirth, a reunion can be expected.”
The soul light seemed to brighten a bit. “Thank you.”
Ji Yang asked, “Do you also have unresolved matters, sir?”
Nan Yi said, “Yes, I… I still want to find an answer.”
Like many others, Nan Yi just wanted to know why his close friend, whom he thought he knew so well, had committed such heinous crimes.
Ji Yang sympathized, but a trace of years-old hatred still lingered in his heart. He didn’t want to give himself any excuse for understanding.
How does one repay kindness with enmity?
Ji Yang thought this but didn’t express it out loud. He simply listened as Nan Yi began to speak.
“I should know a thing or two about how this all started. Back then, your master and I met in our youth…”
At that time, the descendants of the Six Venerable Ones who created the realms were like the worst spoiled rich kids in the mortal world, especially led by Madam Nan, who was despised by gods and ghosts alike from childhood, committing all manner of evil deeds.
In contrast, Nan Yi was extremely gentle and quiet, having received the strictest noble etiquette training from Cloud Empress Dowager. Later, although he was raised by Nan Rao, his temperament remained mild and calm.
Among that generation, only Ying Ze Wei had a similar disposition, so they naturally became close friends.
“…People say the Empress Dowager was harsh with me, but in truth, Dao Zun was no less strict with Ying Ze Wei. He had great expectations for his disciples. I once heard rumors that Dao Zun had taken in over ten disciples in the past and would often search their souls to check if they were truly loyal to Dao Sheng Tian.” Nan Yi’s voice lowered. “At the time, even my father thought it was just a rumor, but thinking about it now, it’s not impossible.”
Ji Yang’s eyes floated with fragments of a mirror – the Reverse Samsara Mirror that Nan Yan had given him, which could trace past events using clues.
Soon, scenes that might be true or false appeared before his eyes. They showed Dao Zun searching the souls of his disciples one by one, immediately erasing the memories of any found to be disloyal.
Over hundreds of years, Dao Zun had over a hundred direct disciples, but in the end, only Ying Ze Wei remained.
An heir cultivated in this way was undoubtedly the most perfect believer in Dao Sheng Tian. All his beliefs were for the perpetuation of the sect, and it was almost certain that he would follow the rules for his entire life.
But then he met the unsolvable Nan Rao.
“…As my father would say, my sister was the kind of person you just couldn’t forget.”
Nan Rao was in her prime, holding grudges for only half a day but forming lifelong bonds. While learning etiquette at Dao Sheng Tian with other young masters, she would argue with Ying Ze Wei during the day, but at night, hearing he had been punished because of her, she would bring him treats to apologize.
At first, Ying Ze Wei refused, but later he kept these things. This continued until Dao Zun heard that the Red Emperor had gone beyond the heavens to retrieve a demon heart that could make one immortal.
“Ze Wei… So-called emotional entanglements are but a tiny pebble on the great path of ascension. Only by extinguishing the seven emotions can one become an immortal or a god.”
Ying Ze Wei watched Dao Zun burn all the gifts from Nan Rao and softly said, “Yes.”
That year, Dao Zun seemed to go mad. Every day, he would summon Ying Ze Wei to meticulously search his soul, ensuring his sincerity towards the Great Dao.
“Good disciple, I have planned everything. The Six Harmonies Dao Heart is yours, and the Red Emperor’s demon heart is also yours. You must take them all…”
Everything seemed to follow naturally. The young Ying Ze Wei followed behind Dao Zun, who was the guiding light for his path forward… until that day.
“Ze Wei, did you hear? Yuan Niang came to find me, she came from the well to find me… Save me, save me! I don’t want to see her!”
The master of Dao Sheng Tian, the revered teacher high above the cultivation world, suddenly knelt at his feet like a rat in a sewer on a night when demons disturbed the heart, trembling with fear.
“Master.” Ying Ze Wei’s expression was neither sad nor happy as he looked down and asked, “You told me to cut off all emotions, but you can’t let go yourself?”
The guiding light went out. Ying Ze Wei looked at his master with pity, picked up the extinguished lamp, dusted it off, and relit it.
Then, he dragged the terrified Dao Zun slowly toward the darkness.
“It’s alright. No one can give up. We… shall continue.”
At the beginning of the story, there was no turning back, and at the end of the story, it was to the death.
“Have you ever regretted it?” Nan Yi’s soul light caught up and asked softly.
Ying Ze Wei’s steps didn’t falter. Even as his figure was swallowed by the darkness, he never looked back.
Ji Yang looked at this gray world. He knew this was Ying Ze Wei’s mental realm, filled with endless emptiness. For him, there was only purpose, no right or wrong.
“I understand now,” Nan Yi’s voice sounded tired, but also as if he had let go of something. He said to Ji Yang, “Thank you for waking up before us. I… I’m going to find Jiao Niang. Please tell A Yan I said goodbye.”
Ji Yang smiled and watched Nan Yi’s departing soul light. A small blue fish would accompany him for a long, long time.
Ji Yang didn’t have the chance to say that his mental realm wasn’t much better than Ying Ze Wei’s. His was a sea of blood, immersed in slaughter.
…But the difference was, he had his dawn.
As the dream dissipated, the real world came into view. The once magnificent hall of the Demon Kingdom was now in shambles.
Yin Ya cowered on the rafters, terrified, watching Nan Yan who held bags of beauty products in her left hand and a watermelon knife in her right, emanating an aura of demon-slaying fury.
“Second Brother, look at this new watermelon knife I bought. Don’t you think you can vaguely see a naked dead fox?”
“Help! Help! Third Brother, save me!”
The third brother Ji pretended not to hear, looking at his dawn and thinking—
Hmm, she’s so adorable. I must find a way to marry her.