Heijin was speechless about the now-adult version of the boy who once reached leg height, who sang like a little chick and followed him.
His death coincided with the new times of Gui Jian's adolescence. He probably must have been around 14 years old.
And now, when she confronted him like this, all she felt was... dead silence. It was as if his well-behaved and intelligent child had suddenly become a punk. He was rebellious or whatever.
He couldn't help but take a step forward, as if sensing his presence at that moment, the man lifted his head from the neck of the man he was leaning on and turned his sharp iris towards him. For a while he didn't react as if he hadn't recognized or seen her.
Then he raised his hands, trembling slightly as the long black nails of that pale hand slowly pointed at him.
"Expert ?" His hoarse voice sounded like he hadn't had a drink in years.
He quickly let go of the body he was clinging to, like a child caught doing something wrong. He removed the press. "Expert?"
He may have resurrected his body using forbidden art, but he is just an empty shell without a soul.
Heijin did not answer him. He slowly turned his eyes back to his resurrected body. There was a pink mark on that white neck as if many flowers had bloomed. What remains of bite and lust...
Noticing Gui Jian, his pupils shrank, trembling, and said, "Master, listen to my explanation-". Pale with fear, he trembled as if he were going to lose his last breath of vitality.
"Jian, answer my question"
"You used the forbidden art." The boy trembled and finally lowered his head. His eyes filled with anger as Heijin took a deep breath to calm himself before exhaling. "This body..."
This was his body. And with scars from neck to collarbone...
His eyes darkened, and the emotion in his tone went unheard, "Did you do it?" The suppressed anger in his voice didn't even have to answer, as if it was going to tear him apart there!
Jian lowered his head even more.
He asked through gritting teeth. "That tea... since then?"
The silence shook him deeply.
Heijin finally wanted to chuckle. Something always went wrong after that tea. He would have unusually disobedient thoughts towards his disciple! He couldn't accept it because it didn't really suit him. Heijin may not have been an honest man, but he had his own sense of worth and righteousness. He would not exceed his limit. But this is obvious!!
He swallowed until he was able to tear himself apart.
But everything is actually!!!
Heijin pressed his smirking lips, finally becoming colder and more expressionless than the body in front of him, until he finally had no expression left on his face. At this moment, Gui Jian trembled. His "Master" voice was hoarse and muffled, pleading. "Master" was nervous and fearful "Listen to me - no explanation -"
"Jian!" Even though his voice was hoarse, it shook his heart, causing it to freeze in place. "Look at yourself! What the hell is this!"
Gui Jian slowly lowered his head and could vaguely make out his almost unrecognizable silhouette in that black ink fluid. The liquid obsidian-like lake was what drew Heijin here.
Gui Jian remained silent.
Heijin slowly turned around and took a step to leave.
"No, master! You can't go!" He desperately wanted to take her hand, but his formless soul passed away. "Master don't leave me, please, master!"
Heijin couldn't breathe or exhale, it just seemed like a huge rock was sitting in his chest.
That crazy look.
Is he responsible for this? How could this happen...
He was really crazy.
Heijin wandered absently, until the pleading in his ears stopped. After a moment's hesitation, he paused, turning his head slowly. That body had collapsed to the ground. He lifted the press, staring at her with exhaustion, fatigue, and reluctance. He felt trapped in the dim green and couldn't even breathe. He could only stand still with those grudge-filled eyes that locked on him.
"Joyful..."
"You're ruthless, you really are ruthless!"
She wanted to cry, but she couldn't because her eyeballs were empty and black. There was only a density of green fog.
He bent the press and whispered in a frenzied, raspy voice as his spirit dissipated, "I wish we had never met before"
I wish you hadn't saved me, master. At that moment you gave me hope, now you are ruthlessly pulling that green hope out of my chest. How do I live like this?
I just wish I'd tasted death that night instead of meeting you. Maybe I wouldn't be so heartbroken...
Heijin wanted to tell him to stop, but in an instant, that body disappeared into nothingness and was swept away in the flames.
***
He was startled! And when he woke up and got up quickly, he felt his body. He sighed quickly. His mind seemed to have stopped and he was unable to react. For a while, he couldn't even comprehend his surroundings.
When she had calmed down, she lifted her head and stagnated, finding the young boy from the scene that had just left her traumatized.
"Master" those eyes looked like pure emeralds when he broke into a smile. Unlike the toxic dim gas of the future. It was pure and immaculate.
He was startled.
He bowed to the press and accepted the truth he could not contain.
He made this kid this way...
His lips were pale from being suppressed, and only then did Gui Jian panic and call out to him again when he didn't react.
The muffled "I'm fine" cracked his throat and he leaned back without further reaction.
He couldn't even think about how he was resurrected. Only the boy's last words kept echoing in his mind over and over again...
-To be continued-