Ch77.2 - Serene and Dignified

Leaving those words, Ying Jianhua departed in disgust.

Su Hansheng fanned himself with the small fan as he went to Shangshan Study Hall.

Yuan Qian always arrived early. Seeing Su Hansheng approach, he smiled. “Good morning, Young Master! Why so early today?”

Hearing this familiar phrase, Su Hansheng froze abruptly.

In the half-month illusion Chongjue had woven for him, Yuan Qian had said the exact same words, not a single character different.

Was he still trapped in Chongjue’s illusion?

Su Hansheng attended class all day in a daze. After school let out in the afternoon, he grabbed Yuan Qian and Wu Baili, making them accompany him to the deep pool beneath the back hill cliff.

The pool’s water was crystal clear, cool and refreshing.

Yuan Qian leisurely transformed his legs into a serpent’s tail, soaking it in the icy water. He leaned against the shore, eyes narrowed contentedly as he splashed, smiling. “How did the Young Master find such a wonderful place?”

Wu Baili sat on a boulder to the side, raising an eyebrow at Su Hansheng. “Is something urgent?”

Su Hansheng removed his outer robe and tossed it aside, cautiously approaching the water’s edge. He cleared his throat. “I’m… I’m going to jump in this water. If I don’t come back up, remember to fish me out.”

Wu Baili asked, “The Young Master can’t swim?”

Su Hansheng nodded. He was also afraid of water.

Yuan Qian had already swum a lap around the pool, smiling. “If you can’t swim, why jump in?”

Su Hansheng had been so frightened by that realistic illusion that he had to test it, or he’d be even more scared.

“Don’t talk. I’m jumping.”

Yuan Qian and Wu Baili nodded, waiting for him to jump.

Su Hansheng stood barefoot at the pool’s edge, attempting to swing his arms to build momentum, planning to leap into the water in one go.

But after swinging his arms back and forth a dozen times, he still showed no signs of actually going in.

Yuan Qian yawned.

Wu Baili said drily, “Young Master, do you actually want to enter the water, or are you exercising your arms?”

Su Hansheng: “……”

Su Hansheng glared at him in embarrassment and anger. “Shut up! I’m about to jump.”

Wu Baili, seeing he didn’t dare, made a sarcastic “please proceed” gesture.

Su Hansheng swung his arms another twenty times.

He was still afraid of water.

Su Hansheng chickened out, turning awkwardly toward Wu Baili. “Baili, help me… mmph!”

Wu Baili had been waiting for exactly those words. Before Su Hansheng could finish, he decisively kicked him in.

Su Hansheng: “……”

Splash!

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“DJkwV PGtEIb!”

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Yuan Qian said in shock, “He… he wasn’t even under for a few breaths.”

Wu Baili’s expression darkened. His hand came down decisively, striking Su Hansheng’s slightly rising chest hard.

“Cough!”

Su Hansheng’s eyes flew open as he spat out water, finally starting to breathe.

Wu Baili, thoroughly frightened, removed his own outer robe and draped it over Su Hansheng, frowning. “You’re this afraid of water?”

Su Hansheng had only swallowed one mouthful before panic made him hold his breath. Barely alive, he was still stubborn. “I’m not afraid of water. I’m not afraid at all.”

Wu Baili said, “Yes, the Young Master is truly brave beyond compare. After entering the water, you expressed your disdain and contempt for it by ‘drinking water, holding your breath, and sinking like a stone to the bottom.’ Truly the Water God incarnate.”

Su Hansheng: “……”

Better to just die.

Atop the cliff, a faint phantom figure stood watching everything below.

Only after confirming Su Hansheng was safe and sound, once again chattering and bouncing around energetically, roughhousing with those two youths, did he dissipate into smoke and leave, instantly returning to the shrine on the back hill.

Zou Chi was opening Zhuang Qu’s wine. Seeing Chongjue return, he smiled, sitting casually on a cushion as he poured wine into a small cup. “Zhuang Qu brews excellent wine. With your tolerance, two jugs are enough to make you dead drunk… uh, Jingyu?”

Chongjue’s face was dark as water. He directly snatched the wine jug away, too impatient for the stingy little cup, tilting his head back to drain the entire jug in one go.

Wine spilling from the corners of his lips slid down his neck. His Adam’s apple rolled with each swallow.

Zou Chi looked at him quizzically. “What happened?”

Chongjue casually set down the jug, dark eyes brooding, unable to hide the restlessness throughout his body. He raised a hand and gestured carelessly—give me more wine.

Zou Chi, worried about his tolerance, ignored his cold face and forcibly poured wine only into the small cup, pushing it over. “Drink less.”

Chongjue picked up the cup, elbow propped on the low table to one side, eyes downcast as he watched the wine ripple. After a long moment, he said seemingly offhandedly, “Do you think Su Xuanlin foresaw I’d make a move on his son, so he left Xiaoxiao the Sumeru seed with the Ninety-Nine Bone Chains?”

Zou Chi: “……”

Zou Chi nearly spat out his wine, asking in shock, “Wh-cough cough… what?”

Make a move?!

Chongjue, completely oblivious to how shocking his words were, leisurely swirled his cup with a half-smile. “No, if he could foresee that one day I’d be entangled with his son, he would have beaten me to scattered soul and dispersed spirit back then. Why would he have simply dragged me down to Infinite Hell?”

Zou Chi: “Cough cough cough!”

En-entangled?!

“The Ninety-Nine Bone Chains bind my physical body, preventing me from merging with my good half and interfering in Three Realms affairs. Even if the Heavenly Dao demands I use my body to fill the gap at Buzhou Mountain, I probably can’t resist.”

Chongjue, seemingly oblivious to how horrifying his words were, continued talking to himself.

“Xiaoxiao bears the Phoenix Bone. In the future when Buzhou Mountain topples, those sanctimonious people of the Three Realms will surely coerce him again into filling the formation eye with his body to save all living beings. If he gains control of the bone chains on my body, then I’ll have no choice but to save him.”

Zou Chi listened with hair standing on end. “Jingyu, what are you talking about?”

Chongjue, lost in his own world, frowned slightly. “He wants to force me to save Su Hansheng…”

Zou Chi: “Jingyu!”

The wine cup in Chongjue’s hand swayed faintly. As if called back to his senses, he frowned. “What?”

Zou Chi asked cautiously, “What did you just say about making moves, being entangled… who were you referring to?”

Chongjue drained his cup in one gulp, casually picked up the jug to refill it, saying offhandedly, “Xiaoxiao.”

Zou Chi silently gasped, as if thunder had exploded by his ears.

Chongjue’s evil half had always been utterly unrestrained. Zou Chi didn’t know what to say for a moment. After holding back for a long while, he could only stammer, “Xiaoxiao… seems like he hasn’t come of age yet.”

But this person was already a thousands-year-old demon. Wasn’t this like an old ox eating tender grass?

Moreover, Su Hansheng was Chongjue’s close friend’s son—there was a generational gap between them!

This, this, this…

This was absolutely improper!

Chongjue, completely unaware of Zou Chi’s breakdown, swirled his wine cup as thoughts flew through his mind.

Had he attended Su Hansheng’s coming-of-age ceremony in his past life?

During that period, the Fuli clan in Infinite Hell had been causing quite a commotion. He’d killed too many people and absorbed too much malice, seemingly going into seclusion for several years. He didn’t know whether his good half in the mortal realm had attended Su Hansheng’s coming-of-age ceremony.

He’d have to make up for it properly in this life.

Though Zou Chi had always known that the evil half separated from the good half would be unrestrained and willful, he’d never imagined he’d actually make moves on a junior—especially Xuanlin’s child.

“You’re confused!” Zou Chi still couldn’t hold back, brow furrowed tightly, attempting to make Chongjue turn back. “Xiaoxiao is a good child who respects his elders. Though he’s mischievous on occasion, he only causes minor harmless trouble. How… how can you bewitch him like this?”

Chongjue sneered.

A good child?

More like a mad little lunatic.

Chongjue was honest about all his desires, never hiding or covering them up with grand excuses. With a “dead pig fears no boiling water” attitude, amid Zou Chi’s earnest scolding, he leisurely drank his wine, completely unmoved.

Zou Chi was nearly driven mad with frustration, rubbing his temples with a splitting headache.

The vice dean had good alcohol tolerance. He’d originally brought five jugs to share with Chongjue, but worrying about Su Hansheng’s matter, he’d barely drunk any.

By the time he came to his senses, Chongjue had emptied the last jug to the final drop, sitting boldly with one leg crossed, the other bent at the knee, wrist resting on his knee in a lazy, casual posture, hazily swirling the last cup of wine.

This was Zou Chi’s first time seeing Chongjue drink so unrestrained. Just as he was about to snatch away the last cup, he heard Chongjue say faintly, “I couldn’t save him…”

Zou Chi froze. “What?”

Chongjue drained the last cup in one gulp, casually tossing the cup aside. His wide sleeves trailed on the floor as his long fingers pressed against his temples, laughing lowly.

“Su Xuanlin went to such great lengths to make me save him, yet that Sumeru seed became an indirect accomplice in killing him.”

Zou Chi didn’t understand. Seeing him drunk, he stepped forward to help him back.

But Chongjue brushed away his hand, rising steadily as if not drunk at all, about to head out.

Zou Chi quickly blocked him. “Jingyu, where are you going in the middle of the night?”

Chongjue glanced at him coldly. “To find Su Xiaoxiao.”

Zou Chi: “……”

Zou Chi’s face turned green. He quickly pressed the man back down to sit, afraid he’d really charge to Falling Parasol Lodge and do something irrational.

“It’s already late. Xiaoxiao must be asleep. Wait until tomorrow when you’re sober.”

Chongjue, when drunk, seemed more amenable than usual. After thinking for a long moment, he drawled lazily, “True.”

Having said that, he actually sat back down, no longer planning to seek out Su Hansheng.

Zou Chi silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Chongjue sat cross-legged on the cushion, methodically fingering his prayer beads, seemingly habitually meditating.

Zou Chi draped the scattered robe over him, picked up the empty jugs, and was about to leave.

Chongjue’s bead-counting motion suddenly paused.

Zou Chi, holding the wine jugs, looked over questioningly.

He saw Chongjue’s features, which had carried killing intent, melt inch by inch like spring wind across frozen earth into gentle warmth. The stilled motion of fingering beads resumed with light, soft movements.

Each movement was so light and gentle, each one seeming to carry millennia of meditation before Buddha, carrying bone-deep serenity—like an immortal detached from worldly concerns and desires.

Thick lashes flickered slightly. Chongjue opened his dark eyes, the coldness in their depths vanishing, replaced by the reassuring Buddhist serenity that brought peace to hearts, as if a fallen demon had been converted and redeemed before Buddha.

Zou Chi froze.

Chongjue stopped fingering his beads, hand lightly rubbing his temples, every movement carrying the serene dignity accumulated over thousands of years.

His vision was blurred. After a moment, he recognized the person before him. Head splitting with pain, he pressed his temples and spoke gently.

“Zou Chi? What are you doing here?”

Zou Chi: “……”

With quick reflexes, Zou Chi hurriedly threw the empty wine jugs and cups into his storage ring, then rapidly formed hand seals to completely disperse the wine smell in the air. He sat properly cross-legged and said respectfully:

“World-Honored One.”

***