Chapter 659 - Grudges (IX) (Patreon)

Jin Hua was tired.

She wasn't even doing anything but sitting atop the boulder some hundred miles south of the Heavenly Star River, drinking wine, and enjoying the sheer cliffs of the lake.

But she was so tired.

One would think it was because she survived an invasion of a Holy Land where thousands of others died, a number of which were vastly stronger than her, but that wasn't truly it. Jin Hua had faced death many times before, but not once did the experience tire her to this degree.

No, what tired her was that man and his gaggle of children.

If pure, unadulterated nonsense had a form, they were it. They made no sense, they broke every law she thought untouchable, and they tore down whatever beliefs about limits she had.

If she was merely passing by and had met them by pure chance, and even underwent that little hell with them by her side, it would have all been fine. She could have grown old telling tales to her grandchildren about a group of kids she once met that could total the world with their words, and never be believed.

It's time for bed, Grandma, those kids would say, and she would continue to ramble on about Daoist Qi and his army of children.

But that wasn't the case. She'd made plans with the bastard, and was to meet with them again. Why? She didn't quite know. Perhaps the desire for a reunion she never could realize; how many sleepless night had she spent dreaming of reuniting with him?

And the way Yun Qi talked about them... when she realized she'd stumbled upon the exact ones, she knew it in her heart that she had to tell. Even after she bore witness to them breaking every single thing she held dear, she had to tell. Thus, she told Lu Qi to wait for her at the base of the first mountain in the range.

Her hope, deep down, was that they'd meet, shake hands, reminisce about the good (not so much) old days, and then part ways, after which she would never, ever, ever meet them, ever again. She was tempted to even light incense and pray, though she felt if she did that she would lose most of the respect she had for herself.

"What are you thinking about so deeply that you didn't even notice me approach you?" a familiar voice dragged her out of her thoughts as she looked to the side where Yun Qi pulled up, sitting next to her.

"Very, very deep thoughts. Ones well beyond your comprehension."

"Ah. I curse myself for being too stupid to help you." she cracked a smile and tossed him a gourd of wine. "What the hell happened in there, Hua?"

"Oh, a small million things," she shrugged. "Some order or something attacked the sect, massacred thousands, and then abruptly left."

"Why didn't you contact me?"

"I couldn't," she said. "They put up a massive array. Imperial-grade one at that."

"... what?" he frowned, seeming shocked. "There's someone besides Holy Lands who has access to Imperial-grade formation?"

"Hm," she nodded, taking a swig. "The world... is changing. And, somehow, we are none the wiser to it. How was your search?"

"Fruitless," he said, still holding the gourd of wine. He never drank, always fondling it whenever she would toss him one. "Try as I may, I cannot find out where the last two are hiding. It is like they disappeared from the face of the world."

"We'll find them," she said. "In the meantime, I have a surprise for you."

"... my heart just skipped a beat."

"Aww." his frown made her laugh for a moment as she stood up and stretched. "It's a good one, I promise."

"Care to tell me what it is?"

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Your surprises have nearly killed me four times before, Hua," he said.

"Just four? Huh. I've been slacking."

"Haah," he sighed, tossing the gourd back at her as he stood up, walking over to the edge of the cliff. "Fine. Where are we going?"

"You're surprisingly not asking me too many questions about what happened in the sect," she said, walking up to him.

"You have that glint in your eyes," he said.

"A glint?"

"Hm. When I know you'd either not tell me, or simply lie."

"I have it often enough that you're able to pick up on it?"

"Whenever I'd bring up Divine Flower Zhu," he said, glancing at her as she flinched. "You'd do that," he nodded. "And the glint would come. Like a warning sign that, if I probed any further, you'd stab a dagger into my throat."

"... is that why you stopped bringing her up? I thought you realized I asked of you an impossible thing, so you were subtly letting me know it will never happen."

"No, I will kill her," he said. "Just as I promised you I would. The question, though, is... what after?"

"What after?"

"For both of us," he said, sighing. "I dread the thoughts, but they lurk. Perhaps once I've finally killed the remaining two Elders and her, I could fully start the search for those kids. If you've no other plans, you're welcome to join me."

She smiled faintly, tempted to let him know--but stayed silent. She was being considerate... in her own way.

"So, we're going to be touring the world looking for some children?" she said. "Doesn't sound exciting."

"For someone who just survived something that would have killed most of us," he looked at her again. "You're still in want of excitement?"

"Of course! What is life without a constant flurry of danger and death? If I wanted to avoid all that, I'd have remained a mortal. What? You don't like excitement?"

"... the happiest I've ever been," he said after a moment's pause. "Was a few months before our sect was attacked. Lu Qi had finally started changing, his disciples were becoming remarkable, and the future of our sect had never seemed brighter. The only excitement on the horizon was that of the children's cheers. I could have stayed in my garden, sipping tea and looking over them for all eternity. But I was robbed of it. Isn't the pursuit of immortality ultimately the pursuit of peace? That, one day, you'll become so strong and everlasting, that you can just... be."

"You'd know better than me," she said. "Between the two of us, you're the only one that has a chance of obtaining it."

"Hm. Well, for now, let's see what that surprise is. I'm looking forward to almost dying, again."

"Ha ha ha," she laughed freely for a moment as they began walking southward, slowly picking up the pace. "I guarantee you, it will stop your heart, at the very least."

"Oh? So something that will stop my heart?" he said, suddenly rubbing his chin. "Did you find me a beautiful Dao Companion?"

"Ugh, this bastard. There was a time where you didn't even know what a joke was! You've gotten way too loose recently."

"Fine, no more jokes. Only stoicism from now on."

She rolled her eyes and glanced at him as they both took to flight, crossing miles in seconds of time. Perhaps that rather impulsive decision she made on the day she caught him killing the Elder... might have been the one good decision she's made in the last few decades of her life.

For a moment her heart calmed, she realized. It was unlikely that she would ever have her revenge--but in pursuit of it, her eyes did at least glance upon the wider world, one that she'd always yearned to see.