Chapter 70 – Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me

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Chapter 70 – I refuse to reminisce about the old days with you

This chapter is by Lianyin of BC Novels.

A few days after Fu Lanxue had taken him back to the same old cave, Chu Yu felt so bored that he started looking around for entertainment.

Although, Chu Yu could previously peacefully stay in the cave previously because he had been physically hindered. Now that he had fully recovered, all he could do now was wait in this dimly lit cave every day; he was seriously bored to death.

Fu Lanxue first simply watched him pace around and said nothing. Since Chu Yu had nothing to do, he simply found a long piece of stone and carved a mark on it every day to mark the days. It helped him to slightly ease his anxiety.

However, a year of not being able to meditate or even go out for a stroll was going to be an extremely long time for Chu Yu to bear. Only a few days had passed already when he began to sigh and roll around on the ground. In any case, Fu Lanxue did not know him before. The reputation of the original owner could take a little hit; it was fine even if he was OOC.

Fu Lanxue remained unperturbed even as he watched Chu Yu make a din for several more days. Until one day, Chu Yu lamented, “Life really is as lonely as snow.”¹ That was when Fu Lanxue suddenly put up a barrier at the entrance to the cave to make Chu Yu remain where he was before he left the cave.

Chu Yu squatted in the corner and pondered over it. Had Fu Lanxue already ran out of patience with him? Was he going to leave him here to hang out to dry for a year?

No, no, no, he did not seem to be that kind of person.

Facing the darkened cave, Chu Yu gave a long sigh. He yearned for Xie Xi with all his heart. Nothing was ever dull when he was with Xie Xi… Sure enough, his temperament had changed so much after being the doted on and spoiled for so long. He had not been left for that long and now, all of a sudden, he missed Xie Xi so much he could not sleep.

Chu Yu scratched his cheeks. Then, with bitter hatred, he ripped out the grass on the ground with all his might as he tried to ignore the flood of thoughts in his mind.

He really, really wanted to see Xie Xi.

He had only realized his full feelings for Xie Xi recently, and already the separation was this painful. Xie Xi had to helplessly watch him fall into the abyss. Even if he knew that Chu Yu did not die, Chu Yu reckoned that it would still be excruciating for him… He wondered if Third Shidi had managed to pass his message on.

Just when Chu Yu heaved another sigh again, Fu Lanxue returned and handed him an object.

It was a round, snowy-white stone that was the size of two fists.

Chu Yu was baffled. Why did Fu Lanxue give this to him… Was it so that he could knock himself out with it when he was vexed?

Fu Lanxue said, “This kind of stone is very sturdy. If you are bored, you can try carving it to kill time.”

Chu Yu gave a start and looked at him with doubt in his eyes. His gaze then drifted behind Fu Lanxue. Only then did he notice that there were many small sculptured figurines where he had been sitting. He vaguely managed to see a glimpse of them; there were figures of both men and women

……He had probably sculpted his kin and friends.

After a moment of silence, he thanked Fu Lanxue. He patted Xun Sheng, getting ready to use it as a chisel.

Xun Sheng visibly trembled.

Fu Lanxue was a man who cherished swords. He had already been very tolerant of Chu Yu when the latter had first used Xun Sheng as a crutch back when he woke up. On seeing that Chu Yu was going to demean Xun Sheng even more, his heart ached a little for such a fine sword. So he took a pocket knife out and handed it to Chu Yu. “Use it.”

Chu Yu did not suspect anything and happily took the knife. He then ran to sit at the entrance of the cave. He stared at the snow-white stone for a moment, then pursed his lips and began to carve carefully.

Fu Lanxue sat back in his original position and watched Chu Yu’s gaunt back for a few moments. He lowered his eyes and stretched a hand out to the pile of small stone figurines beside him. After a pause, he picked up one of the ones close to him and gently caressed it.

Time passed a lot faster for Chu Yu with something to keep him engaged.

There were no four seasons in the abyss. Fu Lanxue was even-tempered and barely ever spoke, while Chu Yu sat at the cave entrance every day using the light to carve the piece of stone. Seeing it slowly take on shape, he gradually quietened down. Compared to the times when he was feigning to be haughty and cool, he was even more pleasing to the eye now.

The system praised Chu Yu. “It’s indeed a blessing in disguise.”

Chu Yu was expressionless when he said, “Scram.”

There was only day and night in the Demonic Abyss. There were even some times when the day was so dark that it was if there was no daytime at all for several days in a row; Chu Yu could only muddle along without knowing how much time had truly passed.

The small stone figurine he was carving had been completed just a few days ago. It was not easy for him to wait for daytime again. Bored, Chu Yu counted the scratch marks he had been making on the stone next to him. When he counted to the end, he cried out in joy, “Elder! It’s exactly one year now!”

Fu Lanxue said noncommittally, “You were so scatterbrained before, but now you are getting all anxious at the last juncture.”

Chu Yu laughed dryly.

Fu Lanxue continued, “Actually, the time had passed three days ago. It’s hard to tell day from night these days. You missed three strokes.”

Chu Yu smiled as he swallowed a mouthful of blood, “……”

Fu Lanxue looked back at him lightly. “I lied.”

Chu Yu refused to communicate any further with Fu Lanxue.

Please read this at BC Novels. The extras will only be posted on BC Novels d̺o̺t̺ c̺o̺m̺

Their timing was just right. When Fu Lanxue arrived with Chu Yu at the gap, the barrier had already weakened by about seventy percent. Fu Lanxue’s cultivation was high. He raised his sword to take a stab at the barrier, and it did not take very long for his effort to open up the gap.

They had managed to get along with each other really well this one whole year. Chu Yu bowed solemnly to Fu Lanxue, hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “Elder, I know of a man who can enter the Soul Summoning Array, perhaps…”

Fu Lanxue stood quietly with tightly pursed lips. There was no way of knowing if he had heard Chu Yu clearly.

Chu Yu gritted his teeth and continued, “It’s so lonely and miserable down here in this abyss. Elder, why don’t you come with me?”

After a long silence, Fu Lanxue finally shook his head. “I am fine here. At first, it was just an obsession. I managed, with some difficulty, to gather their soul fragments to nurture in the Fu’s Clan… But they were too damaged to bring them back to life. They have probably been reincarnated by now.”

A reincarnated soul had no memory of its past, even more so when hundreds of years had passed.

Chu Yu sighed. He cupped his hands in obeisance again, smiled and said, “If there is a chance in the future, this Junior will bring along some wine to visit you.”

Fu Lanxue’s expression was calm. “If you want to enter the Demonic Abyss, the only way is to jump down from above. On the way down, you can’t ride your sword or cast spells. This time, you were lucky that there were other forces at play that protected your body. But the next time, if you fall…”

Before he had finished speaking, Chu Yu already understood.

…If there was a next time, and he fell again, he would be the first Golden Core cultivator in the entire cultivation world to become a human hamburger.

Chu Yu did not give up. He was thinking that once Xie Xi had matured enough in the future to get rid of the Demon Lord Yan Heng and destroy the prohibitions of the Demonic Abyss, then getting down here again would be safe. As he thought about it, he cupped his hand again, turned around, and walked out of the gap.

The world in front of him brightened.

He had grown accustomed to the dim light in the Demonic Abyss, so when he stepped into the outside world again, the brightness that hit his eyes was exceedingly glaring.

He instantly shut his eyes, but the bright light was so piercing it brought tears to his eyes, even through the lids. Chu Yu silently squatted down and waited for his eyes to adapt to the light before he raised his head and looked around his surroundings.

There was a bare mountain behind him, and the place where he stood seemed to be deep in the forest. It appeared to be winter, and the barren, withered branches of the surrounding trees were covered in frost. At first glance, there was a kind of charm to these icy, snow-covered trees.

Everywhere around him was covered in snow; all he could see was an endless sea of white. It was somewhat similar to the time he fell into the Demonic Abyss.

Chu Yu turned back and knocked on the nondescript mountain wall behind him. He sighed, knowing that this was just an illusion conjured up by the Demonic Abyss’s barrier. He did not linger. He chose a direction and wandered down that way while carrying Xun Sheng.

He did not know where this place was, but it should be somewhere in Jiao Xia. He only hoped that it was not far from the Chu clan or Tian Yuan Sect. But now that he had a mortal body and was dressed so shabbily, he likely would not be able to enter Tian Yuan Sect even if he made it there…

Chu Yu was mulling over his options as he walked when he suddenly caught a whiff of something dubious. Realizing that it did not bode well, he hurriedly tried to turn around to flee, but he was too slow, and something grabbed a hold of his back and slammed him to the ground.

The winter ground was hard and cold beneath him. Chu Yu had been pinned down so suddenly and violently that the pain caused his vision to darken. When his consciousness returned, the thing that was pinning him pressed down even harder. With that much pressure on his five internal organs², he could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood, almost suffocating in the process.

With some difficulty, he turned his head and saw a monstrous wolf demon that was blind with a scar across one eye. Its other eye was full of malice, although there also seemed to be intelligence in it. Upon seeing that this small ant under its claws still had the guts to look back, the wolf demon let out a long howl. But just when it extended its razor-sharp claws to end Chu Yu, the voice of a woman rang out from a short distance away.

“Stop!”
　　
The wolf demon immediately retracted its claws, although one paw was still pressed against Chu Yu. It spoke in human language, “Mei-er, look, I caught a man.”

Mei-er?
　　
Chu Yu thought she sounded somewhat familiar, so he silently swallowed another mouthful of blood that he had almost spat out and twisted back his head again to look. A woman was leisurely walking towards them. It was winter, and there were frost and snow everywhere. However, the woman was only clothed in a thin layer of red muslin cloth that only covered her ample bosom and lower body, leaving the rest of her body exposed. She had fair skin, a slender waist, long legs, and looked incredibly alluring. He glanced up and saw that her face was coquettish and charming, with eyes that looked like pools of spring water.

……She looked somewhat familiar.

The woman slowly sashayed up to them and said in a soft voice, “How many times have I told you not to eat humans, let him go.”

“Mei-er…” The wolf demon released Chu Yu with some aggrievement. Chu Yu glanced at him as he sat up slowly. It was as if he could really see the injustice on the wolf’s savage face.

When Mei-er came to his side, a waft of fragrant wind assaulted his nose, causing Chu Yu to sneeze unceremoniously. Chu Yu rubbed his nose, then looked up to meet Mei-er’s eyes. Mei-er was still somewhat peeved, but in the split second she saw him, her expression changed, and she looked at him in astonishment.

Her stare gave Chu Yu the heebie-jeebies. “Excuse me, lady…”

For a moment, Mei Er stared fixedly at him. Then her lips trembled, and her eyes instantly turned red. “Immortal Master Chu!”

……Who are you?
　　
Being called “Immortal Master” gave Chu Yu a jolt of shock, and he tried to recall if he had met this maiden before. As he was trying to remember, his gaze suddenly fell on the snow-white foxtail that was swaying behind the woman. As if a particular memory had been unlocked, Chu Yu’s eyes instantly lit up. He finally remembered.

No wonder she sounded so familiar…

This was indeed not a great memory.

Wasn’t this Mei-er the fox demon Chu Yu had found – back then when Chu Yu was off his rocker – to ‘enlighten’ Xie Xi…? In the end, Mei-er had not come, and he ended up being kabedon-ed³ and yelled at by Xie Xi. Back then he had been unable to make head or tail of it… Come to think of it, Xie Xi’s feelings for him even back then were already a little obvious at that time, but too bad Chu Yu was so obtuse that he had just simply classified that as a youth’s dependence on him.

From the looks of things, this wolf demon should be Mei-er’s friend. At that time, Xie Xie was so pissed he had chased after both of them with his sword for a long time. Chu Yu wondered if these two demons now bore a grudge because of that…

While Chu Yu was struggling in his heart, Mei-er was already sobbing with tears in her eyes as she said, “I finally meet you again… Thanks to the immortal tool that Immortal Master gave me back then, this silly oaf and I had managed to get through so many crises. Even though we only found out Immortal Master Chu’s identity later, the Chu clan and Tian Yuan Sect are not places where minor demons like us can enter. Last year, I heard that Immortal Master had perished together with Demon Lord Yan Heng for a righteous cause and plunged into the Demonic Abyss. I never thought I would actually see you again today. I…… I……”

She began to wail even before finishing her sentence.

Chu Yu’s head swam for a moment as he breathed a small internal sigh of relief. It looked like they were not here to seek revenge. He did not have that much of an impression of this fox demon, so he waited for her to get her emotions under control before he nodded and said in a light tone, “In that case, can you let me go?”

Mei-er hurriedly nodded her head. When she saw the traces of blood on the corner of Chu Yu’s mouth, she promptly took out a pill and offered it to Chu Yu. Chu Yu could not afford to be injured in his current situation. He hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Mei-er’s sincere eyes, he took it and swallowed it down.

The wolf demon was not pleased. “Mei-er, that’s the life-saving medicine you have saved and treasured for a long time…”

Mei-er threw him a sideways glance, snorted coldly, and ignored him. She sized up Chu Yu again, and her eyes grew red once more. “Immortal Master, why is your hair white?”

Chu Yu replied solemnly, “This is what happens when one thinks too much. Lady, learn from me and don’t overthink things, you’ll age faster.”

With tears in her eyes, Mei-er stayed silent.

Chu Yu then asked, “Where is this place?”

Now that she had been asked a serious question, Mei-er’s face turned grave and replied, “This is a small forest not far from Tian Yuan Sect. Is Immortal Master going to go back to your sect?”

Sensing from her expression, that something was not quite right, Chu Yu went silent. “What’s wrong?”

“Alas, Immortal Master, you have no idea. The Tian Yuan Sect of today has completely fallen apart… It all happened on the day of the insurgency at the Demonic Abyss. I heard that the day the Demonic Abyss suddenly split open it swallowed up most of Tian Yuan Sect’s domain. A section of Tian Yuan Mountains was gone, and many disciples did not flee in time. All of them were engulfed by the black fog… Moreover, the Tian Yuan Patriarch passed away in a lotus position⁴, while the Nascent Soul Stage pillars of the sect also died, leaving everything in a mess. Now, the Great Battle between the Righteous and Demonic cultivator is at its peak, and Tian Yuan Sect can’t even spare a few people. Everyone is saying it’s over for Tian Yuan Sect.”

The Patriarch had passed away?

Chu Yu was momentarily stunned. He thought back to that time when Demon Lord Yan Heng had gouged out the Patriarch’s chest. It was not entirely impossible that he had died, but…… he did not expect the situation at Tian Yuan Sect to be this dire.

And now that the Great Righteous and Demonic Battle had restarted, it was likely that Lu Qingan and Xie Xi would be at the frontline. The way he was now, plus the fact that Song Yuanzhuo still bore him grudges, going back to Tian Yuan Sect was tantamount to seeking his own death.

Chu Yu immediately shook his head. “Let it be… I’m not going back. Do you know where my Shizun and Shidi are?”

Mei-er was about to answer when laughter suddenly rang out from beside a sturdy tree. Although it sounded clear, he could still hear an undercurrent of murderous intent; it gave him the creeps.

“If Chu Shidi wants to know the whereabouts of Lu Shishu and Xie Shidi, why ask outsiders? Wouldn’t it be better to ask me?”

The moment Chu Yu heard this voice, he had a bad feeling and warily turned to look. He saw a pretentious-looking figure slowly emerging from behind the tree. Chu Yu secretly spat in his mind.

Of all things, he had to bump into Song Jingyi the moment he returned.

The Song Jingyi now was obviously much more spirited than when he last saw him a year ago, although his eyes were clouded with an air of solemnity which made him look rather gloomy. Chu Yu looked around and saw that he had no one with him. He was still in doubt when he heard the wolf demon gasp, “A Golden Core Stage cultivator… Mei-er, what should we do? We can’t win against him!”

……

Golden Core Stage???

Did he hear wrong???

Chu Yu was shocked. It was definitely a fact that Song Jingyi’s spiritual pulse was disabled, only preserving his abilities at the Qi Refining Stage. It was unlikely that he was at a point where he could not even tell whether or not Song Jingyi was faking it.

Then, what was this all about?
　　
…Could it be, he had cultivated some kind of Demonic skill like Chu Shuanghe did? But no matter what, this kind of Demonic skill would also be a tightly guarded secret among the Demonic Path, how could he have gotten his hands on it…?

Chu Yu considered countless possibilities in that split second, but he eventually simply chose to maintain a cool countenance and said lightly, “So it’s Song Shixiong. Song Shixiong has really improved by leaps and bounds. Even though your spiritual pulse had been disabled, you still managed to train back to the Golden Core Stage in just a year. It’s truly worth congratulating.”

Song Jingyi had no idea that his spiritual pulse was currently blocked, so perhaps he might be able to scare him away… If he was not scared off, then Chu Yu would be in trouble.

Chu Yu’s palms sweated slightly.
　　
Seeing Chu Yu’s calm and collected composure, Song Jingyi, who had been watching a good show just a moment before, started to have some doubts: was it possible that the scene where Chu Yu had spat out blood after being pinned down by this wolf demon was only an act to draw him out?

Heaven knew how excited he was when he saw Chu Yu appear earlier. He was itching to kill Chu Yu immediately and hack him into pieces. However, he knew that he could not defeat Chu Yu, and so he had not dared to rush into action.

Chu Yu knew this was the moment to put up a good performance. The more composed he was, the more uncertain Song Jingyi would be and the less likely he would be to act rashly. His chance of escaping successfully would thus be higher.

Sure enough, Song Jingyi was extremely cautious and did not dare to make any moves. He sized up Chu Yu and the corners of his lips curled up in a smile when he saw the white hair that was scattered over Chu Yu’s shoulder. He said in a tone full of sarcasm, “It seems that Chu Shidi has had a good year.”

Chu Yu looked at him coldly without a word.
　　
The two of them stood facing each other off for a moment. Chu Yu noted that while Song Jingyi did not take any action, he also did not seem like he was going to leave. If he kept following Chu Yu, then Chu Yu would quickly expose himself. Thus, Chu Yu could only clench his teeth, steady his voice, and say in a light tone, “Since there is nothing else, then this Shidi will take his leave first.”

Having said so, he turned around to leave, trying his best to walk steadily and unhurriedly. He had only taken a few steps when there was a clear-sounding shout behind him.

“Chu Yu, take this!”

Oh, sh*t!

The color drained from Chu Yu’s face, and he pushed the two demons beside him without hesitation. “Run!” 　　

He did not do it out of self-sacrifice, but Song Jingyi’s original target had been him, and Mei-er and the wolf demon’s cultivation were inferior to Song Jingyi. If they took him with them, it would not take long for them all to be caught. By then, there would just be another two more deaths; it was not worth it.

He stayed put and stopped moving. As expected, the sword behind him did not penetrate straight into his body. Instead, Song Jingyi pointed his sword up, and it fell against his neck with its blade quivering; it was so sharp that a few lines of red blood appeared on Chu Yu’s neck.

Song Jingyi burst out laughing and swiftly came before Chu Yu. His face was twisted in something that looked like ecstasy and rage as he pointed at Chu Yu and laughed. It took him a long time for him to control his emotions, but his face was still contorted.

“Chu Shidi, it has been a long time. We should really reminisce about the good old days.”

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Reika’s Notes:

• This chapter is by Lianyin of BC Novels.
• I’m so mad that Song Jingyi reappeared at the worst possible time! There’s a sinking feeling in my heart right now… Let’s hope that either Xie Xi, Lu Qingan, or Chu Sheng will come to the rescue very soon!
• Please let me know if there are any errors. Thanks for reading.

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1. 人生真是寂寞如雪 A quote from 《神州奇侠》Shen Zhou Qi Xia by 温瑞安 Wen Rui-an. Literal translation: Life really is as lonely as snow, i.e., bleak and desolate. The word ‘snow’ here has the same character as the “Xue” in Fu Lanxue, so it’s also kind of describing Fu Lanxue as well.
2. 五脏 the five internal organs in Chinese traditional medicine (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys).
3. 壁咚 Chinese equivalent of ‘kabedon’.
4. 坐化 more specifically, pass away while seated in a cross-leg or lotus position, commonly seen among monks and cultivators.