352: Chapter 221: On a Par with Heaven (End of Volume One) 352: Chapter 221: On a Par with Heaven (End of Volume One) Beyond the heavens, Two Realms City.
The Immortal Sword arrived in the sky, and every sword practitioner in the city fell to the ground, every weapon holder trembled in fear.
A pervasive Sword Intent emerged, and in but a single breath, it targeted a certain loft within the city, where Yu Hua lay on a massive slab of Xuanbing, and Qingcang sat cross-legged three steps away, strands of an Immortal’s aura nourishing her.
The Fox Fairy sat in a chair sipping tea, casting her gaze toward him.
The Immortal Sword transformed into a streak of light and flew into the room, hovering silently in midair.
Qingcang slowly opened his eyes and said indifferently, “A scar every five years, too many and it breaks the bone; she’s going to die.”
The Immortal Sword inquired, “Why do you not stop her?”
“Life is not about length; I respect her wishes.”
Qingcang’s reply was cold, yet it suited his way of doing things.
If it were about longevity, she wouldn’t need to live a second life.
Since she was like this with herself, she would be the same with others.
“I will pass this on to Gu Wen.”
The Immortal Sword did not continue to question, turned into a sword light again, and flew into the Immortal Land, breaking through realms.
Whether Yu Hua lived or died, the Immortal Sword was indifferent; it was merely affirming something for Gu Wen.
The room returned to its previous calm.
The Fox Fairy, sitting in the corner chair, leisurely sipped a few mouthfuls of tea to moisten her throat and spoke, “Are you truly heartless, not afraid that you’ll overstimulate her?”
“With my disciple’s resolve, she will not be knocked down by this, nor is it certain she can be fooled.”
In Qingcang’s words was a pride the Fox Fairy could not comprehend, perhaps because she had never had any expectations for her offspring.
As an Immortal, she was transcendent of worldly affairs, naturally void of any expectations of them.
“Besides, I was planning to seal Yu Hua away for five hundred years; now, it’s just a little while longer.
I can stop her death at any time, but I can only watch my disciple die without intervening.”
Qingcang stood up and approached the Xuanbing bed, gently touching the forehead with his finger, Yu Hua’s eyelids trembled slightly, and her eyes slowly opened.
She said weakly, “Mentor-Grandmother, I do not wish to go to the afterlife.”
“Be obedient,” Qingcang soothed while caressing her forehead, “it’s only a thousand years; to you, that is merely a sleep.”
“Will he still be there after a thousand years?”
In her weakness, Yu Hua’s voice carried a tremor, as if showing some great fear.
She clung to Qingcang’s sleeve, gripping tightly, her pale skin showing blue veins.
“It was I who led him on this path; with his talent, even without my help, he could resonate with heaven and earth.
I should repay the karma, please let me go back, Mentor-Grandmother.
I can cut all my cultivation and become a mortal, so at least I can die with him.”
“He would not wish for you to do this.”
Qingcang shook her head, calmly and firmly stating, “If Gu Wen were to die in the end, you ought to live even more.”
“It’s not the same.”
“What is not the same?”
“…”
Yu Hua slowly let go of her grip, the thoughts that had been buried long ago were now deeply rooted in her heart but stuck in her throat, unable to utter a word.
She slightly lifted her head, showing a pale smile and said, “It’s too cruel to have a brilliant talent live a lifetime ignorant of the world outside, but if I, a Heavenly Girl, were to accompany him in death, at least it wouldn’t be so lonely.”
“Perhaps I admire strength too much; I cannot accept a world where such an exceptional genius does not exist.”
Qingcang looked into her dark eyes and saw a hint of affection, but she remained resolute and shook her head, “Child, you may hate me.”
Her palm gently rested on the top of Yu Hua’s skull, streams of power pressed her eyelids down, knowing she could not resist.
She spoke deliberately, “If I wake up after a thousand years, I will still follow through with the burial…”
“But Yu Hua won’t hate Mentor-Grandmother.
I’m sorry for not being able to share your concerns…
and for causing you trouble…”
Yu Hua’s eyes closed fully, the surface of the Xuanbing bed melted and swallowed her up, transforming into an icy coffin.
The Immortal Sword observed, silent, then transformed into a stream of light to make its Flying Escape.
The Fox Fairy set down her teacup and remarked, “Those who are enlightened in this world cannot escape the seven emotions and six desires.
You’ve only postponed her death.
Once her heart dies, even the power of a Saint can’t bring her back.”
“What if I let her seek death?
Wouldn’t that become another tragedy when my disciple emerges?”
She won’t become a Saint in a hundred years, nor a thousand, but her disciple surely will.
The heavens impose great tasks upon people, first by tempering their hearts.
—————–
Immortal Land.
The Immortal Sword, like a shooting star, pierced the sky and descended into the small courtyard amid the bamboo groves.
Gu Wen had been waiting outside; he looked at the Immortal Sword suspended in midair and asked, “Immortal Sword senior, is she doing well?”
“She’s going to die.
When I saw her, she was left with just a breath.”
The Immortal Sword was as straightforward as ever, it seemed that sword practitioners shared such quirks.
Such a plain announcement of impending death.
Suddenly accompanied by a deep hum, the heavens and earth dimmed instantly.
Gu Wen stood still, his face a picture of astonishment, mouth opening then closing.
After a prolonged silence, the aura around him slowly withdrew.
He asked, “If there’s still a breath, it’s not considered dead; please explain to me all the causes and consequences.”
“There’s no need to say.”
The Immortal Sword vibrated slightly, a streak of Sword Intent flew into Gu Wen’s forehead, imparting everything it had seen and heard.
Not dead, nor at death’s door.
The so-called “just a breath left” was merely a matter of remaining lifespan.
But in a sense, nothing had ever changed, for ever since Yu Hua was revived by her master completely, without the sustenance of the Longevity Pill and Qingcang’s Power, she was like a candle in the wind.
It was only that the master had employed some method to shield the flame with a thin veil.
Her frequent voyages into the Immortal Land caused the veil to fray, and the flame to flicker uncertainly.
Gu Wen’s quickly passing thoughts stabilized his mind.
“That Xuanbing slab could preserve life, but under the onslaught of a life span calamity, it’s just a slow death.
The mentor-grandmother must have another method, otherwise, she wouldn’t have sealed Yu Hua’s life away.”