CH 34

Chapter 34: Hometown

February 15th, 2023

Chong Wanshan seethed with fury, his eyes fixed on Fang Li, as if wanting to see through this person and find out whether he was serious, or joking……

Fang Li’s expression was mild and indifferent, returning Chong Wanshan’s gaze directly without hiding or dodging from it.

The smoke from the incense on the table billowed out thickly.

The servants who had brought the spirit stones remained kneeling on the ground, afraid to raise their heads.

Everything was just like a silent painting.

After a long time.

Chong Wanshan’s breathing gradually evened out. His solemn gaze was fixed on Fang Li, saying word by word, “This is no small matter. This one will need time to consider it.”

He actually hadn’t refused at once!

Fang Li smiled, as if everything was within his expectations. He said, “Very well, then this lord will wait for good news from the Gate Master.”

Having said that, he stood up lazily. His gaze swept past Xie Huai, and he smiled tenderly, saying, “Wife, this matter is concluded. Let’s go.”

Xie Huai hadn’t said a word from start to finish. His dark eyes looked deeply at Fang Li, then he stood up and left with him.

Fu Junling sat on tenterhooks, his expression complicated.

Only when Fang Li and Xie Huai had both left did Fu Junling stand up and look at Chong Wanshan, his brow furrowed as he said, “The Gate Master’s actions just now were not appropriate.”

Chong Wanshan faced Fu Junling, his features recovering their amiable look. He said, “Why were they not appropriate?”

Fu Junling’s expression was grave as he said, “Since ancient times, good and evil have stood on irreconcilable sides. The Gate Master should have rejected such an outrageous demand from that devil on the spot, instead of saying that it requires consideration. If that devil believes that us righteous sects can be bullied around, it will only aggravate matters.”

Fu Junling didn’t deny that in this period of time, interacting with Fang Li had changed his perspective somewhat, but Fang Li’s overbearing and forceful manner just now truly had been intolerable. If Chong Wanshan also endured that, and was even willing to give out half his revenue in taxes, how was it any different from sinking into degeneracy with the devil?

In the end, the demonic path was the demonic path. The fundamentals of right and wrong couldn’t get mixed up. He definitely couldn’t agree to this.

Chong Wanshan’s expression shifted.

How could he be willing to tolerate that devil? The devil’s actions this time had already touched his bottom line. That demon had to be eliminated. Chong Wanshan’s heart was full of murderous intent, but now wasn’t a good time to strike.

During this period of time, he had already observed that devil for a while. The devil truly had come forward all alone, reckless and conceited. Just now, when he’d said that he needed time to consider, it wasn’t because he had any intention of accepting the devil’s terms; it was merely a scheme to relax his guard.

Moreover, there were some things that Fu Junling needn’t know of……

Chong Wanshan revealed a helpless expression and sighed, “I just don’t want Mountainview City to flow with rivers of blood. For the sake of the countless people here, I can only temporarily stabilize that devil, then think of ways to face off against him.”

Fu Junling gave a cold snort. During this period of time, he’d helped wipe Chong Wanshan’s ass, following the devil wherever he went and watching Chong Wanshan act like a turtle in his shell. After waiting this long for no action to be taken, he’d already become somewhat dissatisfied.

Things had already come to this, and his mouth was still full of righteousness and benevolence. In the end, he was just afraid of the devil, nothing more.

“If the Gate Master really agrees to the devil’s terms, when word of this gets out, Cinnabar Gate’s reputation will be smeared onto the ground. I hope that the Gate Master considers carefully……” Fu Junling said coldly. Having said that, he flung his sleeves as he left. He couldn’t manage what was happening here.

The two parted in disharmony.

……………………………………

Xie Huai watched Fang Li’s back, his eyes heavy.

Half of Cinnabar Gate’s revenue in taxes.

This was asking for half a life from Chong Wanshan. If Chong Wanshan agreed, from then on, he would never be able to lift his head in public again, to be cursed and spat upon by all.

In the beginning, Cloudbank Keep had been pushed to the brink by the massive demonic army, and only when left with no other choice as a matter of life and death had they been forced to compromise, and they had only handed over a single person…… But even so, they’d been scolded and cursed by plenty of people behind their backs, and all sorts of rumors had spread.

Yet Chong Wanshan had watched with eyes wide open as the devil ran rampant in Mountainview City, and not only had he been afraid to respond, to even accept such humiliating terms of surrender—if word got it, it would be a hundred times more humiliating than Cloudbank Keep. From then on, Cinnabar Gate would have no more face to call itself a righteous sect.

Xie Huai stepped forward and said in a heavy voice, “Chong Wanshan can’t possibly agree.”

Fang Li smiled carelessly. “How can we know without giving it a try?”

With how greedy that old coot was, half his revenue in taxes was like asking for half a life from him. How could he be willing to agree?

In truth, in the original book, Chong Wanshan hadn’t agreed either. Not only had he not agreed, right now, he should already be calculating how to kill him, right?

Xie Huai watched Fang Li appear as if without a care. So carefree, that it was like he didn’t mind at all what the consequences of his actions would be……

During this period of time, he’d continually followed Fang Li, witnessing this person’s actions and conduct with his own eyes. Although this person was a bit frivolous and reckless, occasionally appearing wild and unrestrained, in truth, his actions were done with reason and measure, to the point that he acted with kindness, gentleness, and forgiveness. He never did anything that would truly harm others.

So he’d previously always thought that once Fang Li had made enough of a fuss, he’d withdraw.

But this time, Xie Huai suddenly couldn’t understand.

He didn’t understand why Fang Li would put himself in such a dangerous situation, and even less did he understand why Fang Li was forcing Chong Wanshan’s hand, not leaving him a single bit of leeway.

It couldn’t be that you really intend to start war with Cinnabar Gate?

Xie Huai’s expression darkened, his hands clenched tight, a conflicted look in the depths of his eyes.

He truly wasn’t willing to see things come to this, but…… If you insist on starting a war, engaging in slaughter and dragging innocents into your wake, I can’t possibly—turn a blind eye.

Fang Li saw Xie Huai’s grave expression and couldn’t help but curve his eyes and laugh a little.

This person always thought too much, putting too much weight on his shoulders. Living like that is very tiring, you know……

He tugged Xie Huai by the hand and laughed softly. “Come for a stroll with me.”

…………………………………………

Fang Li left Mountainview City.

Outside of Mountainview City was God’s Rest River, and God’s Rest River ran through Helan province, stretching and winding for ten thousand li without pause.

About a hundred or so li away from Mountainview City, nestled against God’s Rest River, was a village.

The village was sparsely scattered with small bamboo buildings. The villagers dressed plainly, and both the young and old had bright smiles on their faces.

What an otherworldly paradise, surrounded by rivers and mountains.

Walking along the tranquil little path, looking at the mountains and rivers stretching out, the streams flowing into the distance, truly brought delight to one’s heart…… Only, why did Fang Li want to come here?

Xie Huai looked at him, pondering.

But Fang Li didn’t pay attention to Xie Huai’s thoughts. He slowly continued walking forward.

Everything here was so familiar. Even without consciously thinking about it, even with his eyes closed, he knew where to go, as if Yan Sui’s memories were carved into this body’s bones.

This was the place in the depths of Yan Sui’s heart that he hadn’t been able to return to in ten years.

Luckily, it was still the same as before.

He remembered that not too far ahead, there was an old grandpa who sold sugar figurines. Because he liked them, every time Shixiong went down the mountain, he would bring sugar figurines that the old grandpa had made……

He remembered that every year when winter came, the auntie on the eastern side of the village would make sugared hawthorns for the children in the village. Occasionally, he would secretly sneak down the mountain and beg for candy to eat with the village children.

He remembered that when he didn’t want to cultivate and wanted to slack off, Shixiong would always secretly bring him down the mountain, and would even get the villagers to help keep their secret and not tell their master……

This place contained everything that he’d held dear……

So, before dying, he absolutely had to return for a visit.

At first, when reading the book, Fang Li hadn’t understood why Yan Sui had to challenge Chong Wanshan, nor did he understand why he had to come here for a visit. The abrupt plotline and the meaningless troublemaking and provocation all seemed to be merely for the sake of making evident that he was a devil with enough sins to deserve a thousand deaths.

But after he became Yan Sui and possessed Yan Sui’s memories, he understood all of it.

Everything that he’d done was merely for the sake of returning to his homeland and killing his sworn enemy with his own hands.

For this, he hadn’t hesitated to transform himself into this state.

He could only succeed. He couldn’t fail.

So don’t worry, I’ll definitely properly finish this part of the script. Everything that you’d accomplished, I’ll complete for you, too.

The corners of Fang Li’s mouth lifted upwards.

Xie Huai fell half a step behind Fang Li, watching him slowly walk forward here.

The man’s pale face had a smile, looking reminiscent, occasionally lifting the corners of his mouth, occasionally looking pensive.

Even without looking at the road, he knew where to go. He strolled as if in his own backyard, seemingly very, very familiar with this place. Familiar to the point that it seemed to be an instinct carved into his bones……

For some reason, Xie Huai suddenly subconsciously thought that this wasn’t Fang Li’s first time here.

Did this place have something to do with his past?

The world only knew that the devil Yan Sui had appeared out of nowhere. No one knew where he’d come from, and no one knew where he was going. He was just like a ferocious ghost that should never have existed, crawling out from the depths of hell, bringing hatred and terror to the entire world……

But nobody came from thin air.

Every single person had a past.

Xie Huai believed that human nature was kind, and Fang Li was even more so. Then his past…… just what kind of past was it……

Fang Li walked slowly and unhurriedly. Suddenly, he stopped in front of a bamboo building.

Xie Huai looked over. This bamboo building…… was very similar to the one in the forbidden area of the demonic palace.

A waiter walked out of the bamboo building. Seeing Fang Li standing at the door, he smiled and said, “Guests, are you planning to stay here?”

Fang Li nodded.

The waiter happily invited them inside and prepared tea for them, smiling as he said, “This place is pretty remote, so we don’t get many guests, and the rooms are usually empty with no one to stay in them. Please wait a moment, and I’ll tidy them up for you.”

Fang Li smiled faintly. “No rush. Right, your family’s bamboo house has seen some years, but it still looks pretty sturdy.”

The waiter immediately laughed and said, “Guest, you don’t know this, but this bamboo house is already more than a decade old. It may only be a bamboo building, but it can withstand wind and rain. It’s very tough! It was that old cultivation sect called, called, what was it…… Oh, right, the Windbearer Sect’s disciples who helped construct it.”

The waiter was the talkative sort, and he clearly liked to chat very much. Once the chatterbox was opened, the words came surging out without end. “Before, there used to be a little sect in the mountains. Although it didn’t have a lot of people, the people of the sect were all very good, and they would often come down the mountain to help out. That year, our family’s bamboo house was knocked over by a windstorm, and the Windbearer Sect saw that me and my mom and dad had no home to return to, so they came and helped us rebuild this new bamboo house, and even especially used cultivation techniques to reinforce it. By now, we’ve used it for over a decade, and there’s been no problems!”

Fang Li nodded and smiled. “It really is a very good sect.”

“Isn’t it? Everyone liked them very much!” Having spoken up to here, the waiter sighed gloomily. “It’s a pity, such a good sect, yet they were completely wiped out by demonic cultivators.”

“Demonic cultivators?” Fang Li lifted his eyes, asking.

The waiter said, “I never saw that scene, but my dad and mom secretly went up to look that year. It’s said that the blood flowed like rivers, and it was extremely tragic…… Afterwards, Cinnabar Gate’s people also came, but they weren’t able to rescue a single person, saying that the demonic cultivators had killed everyone. What a pity, what a pity…… That year, I was still young. When I found out about it, I was so sad that I even had a big cry……”

The waiter spoke up to here and scratched his head, embarrassed.

Fang Li murmured, “It is a pity.”

The waiter slapped his head and laughed awkwardly. “Look at me, once I start talking, I can’t shut my trap. Sirs, please wait a moment, I’ll go tidy up your rooms!”

Having said that, he scooted up the stairs.

Fang Li leaned indolently against the edge of the bamboo building, reaching out his hand to stroke bamboo poles of the railing. After the long years, with the howling of wind and the beating of rain, the bamboo poles were covered in a layer of sediment. His fingertips stroked the surface softly, and where two bamboo poles connected, he felt out a blurry leaf engraving.

It was the signature that Shixiong had left.

Afterwards, Yan Sui had also built a bamboo building in the demonic palace, copying Shixiong’s style, but in the end, it was still somewhat different from the one that Shixiong had made.

After all, it would never again be made by that person’s hand.

He leaned wearily against the pole.

Looking out at the scenery.

The pitter-patter of light rain fell down on them.

The village took on a hazy, faraway beauty, as if existing within the rainy mist and fog.

Xie Huai watched Fang Li quietly without a word.

This was his first time seeing such a side to this person.

Quiet, gentle, and a little lost, like a child who’d left home for a long time and had gotten lost. Underneath the quiet exterior, there was a fragility that was impossible to hide. No matter how solid the outer shell, the moment he’d arrived here, it’d been smashed to pieces in an instant, leaving behind the softest truth……

This place, is your home.

Right?

But the people who destroyed that sect, were they really demonic cultivators?

Xie Huai’s expression became complicated.

He seemed to know why Fang Li had done all of this.

Fang Li was greatly enjoying this peaceful, quiet atmosphere. Before dying, he naturally had to take Yan Sui’s place and properly return here to take a look.

Not long after, the waiter came back and smiled at them, saying, “The rooms have been tidied up. Guests, you can go up. Right, do you want to eat dinner? If you do, I’ll have my mom make some and bring them to you.”

Fang Li’s eyes curved in a smile. “We do, thank you.”

The waiter waved his hands. “No problem, no problem, it’s no trouble.”

Fang Li went upstairs.

The waiter had cleaned up two rooms. Fang Li said to Xie Huai, “We’ll rest here for the night.”

Having said that, he went into a room by himself and closed the door.

Actually, in the original book, it wasn’t like this. In the original book, Yan Sui had brought Xie Huai here, and they had stayed in the same room.

That was the only time that they’d slept on the same bed, yet hadn’t done that thing.

That night, Yan Sui had only held Xie Huai.

Quietly holding each other into sleep.

In a brainless porn novel, for the big villainous devil who could go into heat at any time or place to suddenly become ascetic, when reading the book at first, Fang Li had only thought that this part of the story was abrupt and strange without much meaning to it. But looking at it now, it couldn’t be more reasonable.

Yan Sui had finally returned to his hometown, staying in the bamboo house that his Shixiong had built with his own hands, reminiscing on that person who would never return.

And just by his side, just within reach, was a person who was just as good as his Shixiong, yet who was someone he couldn’t obtain with threats or forceful tactics. No matter how close they were, no matter how many times he’d possessed him…… he was fated never to have that person.

Only, he would also be tired.

At that moment, he no longer wanted to wish in vain for something that didn’t belong to him. He only wanted to stay by his Shixiong’s side and rest peacefully for a night.

But in the end, Fang Li wasn’t Yan Sui, and he couldn’t do something like use Xie Huai as a substitute to seek consolation. Even less did he have any reason to hold Xie Huai into sleep on a night like this.

So staying peacefully by himself was pretty good, too.

That night, Fang Li slept very soundly.

He’d originally thought that he would dream, but he didn’t.

After waking up, he ate the food that the waiter’s mother made, and when he was sleepy, he rested in the bamboo house. Ever since transmigrating here, it was Fang Li’s first time passing such simple, tranquil days.

There was no lavish demonic palace, and no exquisite delicacies, nor were there countless servants…… Only peace and simplicity.

But it was something that Yan Sui could never have again in this life.

Three days’ time passed in the blink of an eye.

In these three days, Xie Huai didn’t open his mouth again. He didn’t tell him to leave, nor did he talk about Cinnabar Gate again, or even say that he shouldn’t do this or that……

He just stayed there quietly like this. Although he didn’t speak, he would let you know that he was always by your side.

Fang Li thought, actually, Xie Huai really was a very gentle person. It was only a pity that he and Yan Sui’s meeting wasn’t suitable. It wasn’t the right place, nor was it the right time…… The Yan Sui that he’d met didn’t understand what love was. Only hatred was left in his heart, and he wanted to grab onto the only hope in his life and plummet into hell together……

When he thought of it like this, it was also fortunate that Xie Huai hadn’t met Yan Sui this time.

After all, it was enough for there to be one unfortunate person.

The rain lasted for three days.

Today, Fang Li was leaning against the railing and looking at the scenery outside as usual when he suddenly turned his head and looked at the cool and tranquil man beside him. He smiled at him. “Thank you for keeping me company on this trip.”

Xie Huai fell into his pitch-black eyes.

At this moment, the pretense had been cleared away from those eyes, and they were clear and tranquil, a shallow smile undulating through them, like wind blowing ripples onto a pool of spring water…… His heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Just like this, was it worth thanking him for?

He clearly hadn’t done anything at all.

Because, he also didn’t know what he could do for this person……

So, why are you thanking me?

Xie Huai’s lips moved slightly. He wanted to ask, but Fang Li had already turned his head and continued to look outside the window.

Amidst the hazy fog and rainy mist.

An old man in red robes gradually got closer and closer.

It was an elder from Cinnabar Gate.

The old man in red looked at Fang Li from a distance, and he presented an invitation in his hands, saying respectfully, “The Gate Master invites Your Excellency to Mayfly Manor for a gathering.”

Fang Li beckoned, and the invitation flew into his hands. The fiery red invitation was inscribed with golden letters. He stroked it lightly, then slowly lifted his eyes and hooked up the corners of his lips in a soft laugh. “Tell the Gate Master that this lord will make sure to be on time.”

………………………………

The Author Has Something to Say:

Xie Huai: If he engages in slaughter and drags innocents into his wake, I can’t possibly turn a blind eye…… Oh, revenge, that’s fine.

Fang Li: ?