Zhuque may be called the land of immortals, but its residents are not, in fact,
immortals. Rather, but a people of half-immortal, half-demon mixed blood.
In the cultivation world, they are the beings that most resemble immortals,
and are also known as the "feathered tribe." The feathered tribe has always lived in their own Peach Blossom Spring[8] beyond the maze of JiuHua Mountain, rarely ever interfering in matters of the human world. But half of the blood that flowed in their bodies was still mortal after all, so they weren't completely detached. Thus, they would often appear at times of turmoil or disaster in the cultivation world and use their immense powers to help the mortals through the crisis.
When Mo Ran was raising hell and turning the world upside down in the last lifetime, the feathered tribe had appeared in droves. But their power couldn't best the emperor who had already perfected the forbidden technique in the end,
and Mo Ran had chased down and killed every single one, treading across the ground covered in blood and scorched feathers.
Zhuque, the land of immortals was burned down in one day.
It was an extremely frantic memory, so much so that even Mo Ran would break out in a cold sweat whenever he recalled it afterwards. He thought that he was like a man possessed at that time, endlessly cruel.
But right now, he clearly did not yet have the strength to contend with the feathered tribe. In fact, due to the natural superiority of their blood, the vast majority of cultivators fell short of them in terms of spiritual strength. Out of the entire Sisheng Peak, only a few of the most stellar elders could even exchange blows with them.
Xue Meng unintentionally saw Mo Ran's face and got quite the scare:
"What's up with you? Why's your face so pale?" "It's nothing." Mo Ran lowered his eyelashes and whispered, "I just ran too fast earlier."
The arrival of the feathered tribe marked the beginning of Shi Mei's tragedy in the last lifetime. Mo Ran's heart jumped to his throat; he thought it would be a while yet before these events happened, why did the progression of so many things change so much from before?
The faint winter sun hung weakly in the sky, illuminating the world in a layer of deathly white.
Standing underneath, Mo Ran couldn't help reaching out and taking Shi Mei's hand.
Shi Mei blinked: "What's wrong?" "..." Mo Ran shook his head and said nothing.
Just then, Xue Zhengyong started speaking. His words weren't much different from what he said in the last life.
"The reason I called everyone here today is because envoys of the feathered tribe have come once again. Just like eighty years ago, they came from the Peach Blossom Spring to the human world to help in a foretold calamity." A pause as he looked slowly over the disciples gathered below.
"As everyone knows, the barrier to the ghost realm was originally set by the god Fuxi, but it has gradually weakened over these past million years, and would break every few decades. In recent years, its power fades by the day, and despite everyone's utmost efforts——" Xue Meng huffed under his breath: "Dad's talking some nonsense, it's clearly the efforts of basically just Shizun." "Despite everyone's utmost efforts, the breach grows bigger still, and the barrier will eventually break down like it did decades ago. When that time comes,
the boundary between the human realm and the ghost realm will be broken,
thousands of ghosts and spirits will rush out, and ordinary people will suffer. In order to avert this calamity, envoys of the feathered tribe have come to the sects to select those with the most suitable spiritual energy and innate skill to go to the Peach Blossom Spring to cultivate in seclusion." His words caused a commotion in the crowd.
The feathered tribe is picking people to go advance their cultivation at the Peach Blossom Spring in the land of the immortals?!
All of the disciples grew from amazement to excitement, and, regardless of actual ability, each secretly held hopes and expectations.
Only Mo Ran alone was not the least bit glad, his features subtly showing anxiety instead. He was usually very good at feigning appearances, so much so that others couldn't even tell real from fake, but right now, he couldn't hide his feelings at all—— This had to do with Shi Mei's survival. Back then, Shi Mei was selected by the feathered tribe and went to the Peach Blossom Spring to cultivate. Not long after his return, the breach underwent a large scale breakdown, and huge hordes of ghosts climbed up from hell.
Shi Mei fought alongside Chu Wanning in the ensuing battle, each taking one side of the array, working together to repair the biggest breach. However, Shi Mei wasn't as strong as Chu Wanning, and the countless ghosts, seeing that the mortal realm was about to be closed off, all charged toward Shi Mei in a murderous stream as he was focusing on maintaining the balance in the barrier,
and ran him through in an instant!
The demonic energy pierced through his heart and soul.
Chu Wanning didn't even lift a single finger to help, didn't even attempt to stop them. As Shi Mei fell from atop the coiled dragon pillar, he chose instead to use all of the remainder of his power to seal off the rest of the barrier that Shi Mei wasn't able to.
It was snowing that day. Shi Mei's falling form seemed as if it was just another of the countless small, insignificant flakes of snow.
The snow fell nonstop, covering the sky. No one would care if a flake of the frozen crystal was about to melt, just like generation after generation of people,
the decades of their lives from birth to death, none but their close relatives would care about an ordinary person's death.
In that snow, in that pandemonium, Mo Ran held Shi Mei as his breathing grew shallower and shallower, kneeling on the ground begging Chu Wanning to please spare him a glance, to please save him.
But in the end Chu Wanning only turned away, chose to walk away into the boundless white, to accomplish his own prestige, severing the bonds between master and disciple.
How laughable.
The things Chu Wanning liked, the things he cared about, the things he pursued, all of it was so very laughable.
For example, Chu Wanning liked the sound of rain in the lotus pond, and he liked the melancholic verses of the poet Du, with that frighteningly strict adherence to form.
For example, Chu Wanning cared about the sprouting of plants in the coming of spring, the death of cicadas with the arrival of autumn; he cared about where the flames of war were lit once again, and where the common people struggled.
For example, Chu Wanning had always taught them to be righteous, to put the people before the self.
But Mo Ran thought, fuck the people!
He didn't know or care about those people, what did it matter to him whether they lived or died?
If Chu Wanning's rain poured over the mutterings of lost souls, if his plants were splashed with the tears of refugees, Mo Ran didn't care. His rain was normal rain, and his plants were ordinary plants. The 'common people' were just so many words on a piece of paper, who the hell cares.
And so he thought, Chu Wanning was despicable, a hypocrite who spouted words of duty and compassion as if his heart was big enough to hold everything under the sky, but in reality, that pathetically narrow chest of his didn't even have a place for his own disciple.
Afterwards, he had angrily asked Chu Wanning, does your heart ache? Do you feel any unease at all? You said to put the people before the self, but you're still alive while Shi Mei died following your commands! You're the one who got him killed, you hypocrite, you liar!
Do you even have a heart?
When Shi Mei fell from the platform, he was calling for you, he was calling 'Shizun,' did you hear him? Did you hear him? Why didn't you save him... why didn't you save him!!
Chu Wanning, you have stone for a heart.
You've...
Never cared about us.
You didn't care... you didn't care...
And then, everything ended up the way they did.
Chu Wanning became adored and respected by everyone in the cultivation world, practically a king just without the crown, and no one spared a thought for those who had perished; Shi Mei's death was like an unremarkable step under the feet of the victorious.
He traded an ungifted disciple for peace and prosperity, the so-called world peace.
No one would say he was wrong in that.
Only Mo Ran saw that the brilliant crown atop his head was made of the bones of the dead, that his success was built Shi Mei's death.
He hated to the bottom of his heart.
"Hey, young man." "Hey——" There was a warm hand on his forehead all of a sudden. Mo Ran started and opened his eyes as he was ripped from his pitch-black memories.
Before him was a delicate face, bright and lovely. One of the envoys of the feathered tribe had approached without him knowing, and was smiling gently at him.
"Spacing out with such a great opportunity right in front of you?" "Ah, big sister, please don't mind." Mo Ran did his best to cheer up so as to not rouse any suspicion, smiling back at the envoy, "I've always liked to daydream, and was so hoping to be selected that I got lost in my imaginations of what the Peach Blossom Spring might look like, so sorry about that." It turned out that, while Mo Ran was lost in his memories, the envoys of the feathered tribe had already come down and began picking people, but he was so caught up in his tangled thoughts that he was wholly unaware of things happening around him.
The envoy smiled sweetly, and then said something that Mo Ran hadn't been expecting at all: "Your spiritual energy is pure, and your cultivation and aptitude are both remarkable as well. If you want to go to the Peach Blossom Spring,
then come along with me." Mo Ran: "..." Mo Ran: "!!!!!!" To the Peach Blossom Spring?
Only Shi Mei and Chu Wanning were chosen in the last lifetime, why is this life—— He was too shocked to even speak. Luckily, being chosen by the feathered tribe is naturally something worthy of shock and amazement, so the people nearby didn't find his reaction odd at all, only gazing at him with envy.
The envoy brought him to Loyalty Hall, and as the initial shock subsided and his heart stopped hammering in his chest, his eyes began to fill with an ecstasy that no one else saw.
Things were indeed different this life.
Even though he didn't yet know if these changes were for better or for worse,
and why exactly the fates had even changed at all, at least he could go to the Peach Blossom Spring too. If he studies under the feathered tribe as well, then the heavy task of repairing the barrier might not fall on Shi Mei when the time comes.
He wasn't some cultured man; even after living two lives, he still didn't understand what putting the people before the self even meant.
But Shi Mei was the person who was the kindest to him in this world, and nothing else mattered in front of this person.
Including his own meat sack and this half a wisp of returned soul.
As long as Shi Mei lives, he would throw it all away.
But when the envoys had finished their selection and gathered them all in front of Loyalty Hall, Mo Ran found that the lineup was completely different from the last life.
Shi Mei was here as before, but as a result of being in seclusion, Chu Wanning missed the selection, so he wasn't amongst the chosen, and in his place was Xuanji Elder's disciple Xia Sini.
And even more surprising was the fact that Xue Meng had also been invited to the Peach Blossom Spring, per the words of the envoy: "There is a lingering power of the Exalted Gouchen's sacred sword on your person, how interesting." From the Heaven-Piercing Tower nearby came the deep sound of a clock reverberating throughout Sisheng Peak.
"From Sisheng Peak of the lower cultivation realm, the chosen are Xue Ziming, Mo Weiyu, Shi Mingjing, and Xia Sini, for a total of four." The head of the envoys conveyed to Xue Zhengyong before releasing a messenger myna bird.
Lifting her hand with the vividly colored bird perched atop a fingertip, she continued in a clear voice: "These four are exceptional individuals, suitable in aptitude and genuine in character. Thus concludes this report." With that, she released the bird. The myna memorized her words and, with a flutter of its powerful wings, quickly vanished into the vast skies.
To be able to go cultivate at the Peach Blossom Spring was a rare opportunity, even more so than acquiring a holy weapon, and no one would turn it down. Moreover, they would be studying techniques to ward against the breakdown of the barrier to the ghost realm, the very duty and obligation of those who cultivate, and no one could turn it down.
As for the time, it could take anywhere from a couple of months to three or even five years.
But the feathered tribe was not unreasonable; seeing that it was nearly the end of the year, they said to stay and spend New Year's Eve first, then they will come bring the group to the Peach Blossom Spring at JiuHua Mountain.
Thinking about how he will soon be able to go together with Shi Mei to the Peach Blossom Spring, Mo Ran couldn't help feeling overjoyed. However, it was not long before the joy faded away. He didn't understand why at first, until one day, passing by the foot of the southern peak of Sisheng Peak, he looked up to see the sealed-off Red Lotus Pavilion.
Mo Ran's steps slowed subconsciously, then came to a stop altogether. He stood there, gazing up where the mountain disappeared into the clouds.
Chu Wanning had been in seclusion for over three months.
In this life, the hatred he held toward this person seemed to be ebbing away... Even if he reminded himself time and again to not forget the look on Chu Wanning's face when he abandoned him and Shi Mei, there were still times when he empathized with him, when he felt confused and disconcerted.
Xia Sini was walking with him. Seeing the odd expression on Mo Ran's face and the way he stared at the southern peak lost in thought, his heart skipped a beat and he asked: "What is it?" "Little shidi, do you think he will come out before we leave?" "...He?"
"Ah." Mo Ran paused, coming back to his senses, and smiled toward Chu Wanning. Having spent quite some time together, he felt that this little shidi was clever and sensible, and liked him a lot, "I was talking about my Shizun, Yuheng Elder." Chu Wanning: "I see..." Mo Ran sighed, muttering: "He's never been in seclusion for this long before.
Could it be that the injury he got at Jincheng Lake was actually very serious?" This was the first time in a long while that he brought up his shizun of his own accord.
Chu Wanning already knew that it was impossible, but still couldn't help asking: "Do you... miss him?"
[8] 桃花源 a hidden land of peace and prosperity