Chapter 69

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Chapter 69

The young man before her stood still like a wooden carving, not moving or speaking a word.

It seemed he had heard her, but he refused to respond.

Gong Wu felt neither angry nor annoyed; she walked over holding the Food Box.

“Look at me.”

“No,” Ji Yang softly replied. “I haven’t bathed in many days. Just put the Food Box here and go."

Although that person spoke lightly, in the few seconds it took for her to step closer, she had already been cleansed by the immortal aura, becoming spotless.

Little Orange suddenly looked up, "Gah!"

How could her master, who looked disheveled just moments ago, turn back into someone so pristine in an instant!

Gong Wu, disregarding reason, walked directly in front of Ji Yang, locking eyes with him.

In truth, they hadn’t seen each other for ten years.

Now, Ji Yang had reached thirty years old, and his aura was different from before.

It was as if he had been tempered by the wind and frost; he appeared sharp and resilient, yet his gaze was lonely and distant, holding an indescribable contradiction.

She still looked like a seventeen-year-old girl, unchanged over the past decade.

"You need to tone it down a bit," Gong Wu said. "I’m not used to seeing you like this."

Ji Yang obediently complied, doing as she asked.

In just the blink of an eye, he reverted to his twenty-year-old self, even changing his attire and hairstyle to what she was familiar with.

Gong Wu nodded once, leaned in to hug him, and made an effort to wrap her arms around his waist.

The young man remained silent, allowing her to hold him, but took the Food Box from her hands so she could embrace him more tightly.

"I brought you a late-night snack."

"I know," Ji Yang replied gently. "You brought me dumplings filled with red bean paste, and you also brought me rice wine."

"You smell so good, like bamboo after a rain." She leaned her shoulder against him and paused for a long time, then added, "I even brought you the butterfly candy I made."

Once she hugged him tighter, she felt a sense of comfort wash over her, unwilling to let go.

Noticing Ji Yang didn’t pull away, Gong Wu simply kept clinging to him and asked, "Wasn’t that what I just asked you about?"

Ji Yang sighed, "Asking questions like that makes it hard for me to eat."

Gong Wu released her grip and saw him looking down at her, unsure whether his gaze held guilt or restraint.

"You follow the Path of Emotionless, I know," she said lightly. "You can’t feel or comprehend; you won’t think about whether you like me or whether I like you."

Ji Yang remained silent, just staring at her.

It seemed he couldn’t bear to blink, nor could he argue against her.

"Then think carefully," Gong Wu said as she opened the Food Box and handed him a dumpling. "Are you staying here for the sake of all living beings, or are you worried I might disappear like last time?"

"Do you reject me over and over because you don’t like anyone else, or is it because you don’t want someone else to marry me?"

"Senior brother, after waiting for ten years, are you truly waiting for me?"

She felt a bit fierce, yet it gave her a thrill to confront everything.

Seeing Ji Yang still silent, the little girl felt a spark of anger, saying fiercely, "If you only need to say one ‘no’ now, I won’t ever need to see you again. I don’t care about this senior brother, junior sister stuff anymore."

Ji Yang seemed to realize he had done something wrong; he had been quietly eating the dumplings but paused now.

"I can’t feel," he said quietly. "Just like after attaining Dao, I can’t feel hunger or cold, nor can I feel tired or weary."

"But… when you hold me, I feel very happy."

"Every time I see you, my Dao marks burn with pain."

"Today, hearing your voice, my seven feelings felt as though they were about to shatter, and my entire cultivation seemed on the brink of collapse."

"I only know this much."

"Liu Feng, please don’t be angry with me."

Gong Wu fell silent for a moment, then said, "You can continue eating."

Ji Yang obediently continued to eat.

He wasn’t like this before.

Once, he had a strong personality; perhaps now he was the same with others, accustomed to doing as he pleased.

But he hadn’t seen Gong Wu for ten years. Now, he was willing to listen to whatever she said.

The young man slowly sipped the dumpling soup, his eyes fixed on her, only to see the little girl quietly shedding tears.

"Why are you crying again?" he asked, feeling a bit flustered. "If I said something wrong, I apologize now."

"It’s nothing," Gong Wu replied, rubbing her eyes. "I just wanted to hear you say you like me."

Ji Yang set down his bowl and chopsticks, using his fingertip to wipe the tears from her face, only to find that the more he wiped, the more tears appeared.

He felt instinctively that he should kiss her at that moment; perhaps it would soothe her.

But the pain of the Path of Emotionless burned inside him, threatening to destroy his entire cultivation immediately.

He silently endured, smiling and shaking his head.

"I can’t say it."

"Maybe one day, when my cultivation doesn’t matter anymore, I will be able to say it."

Gong Wu nodded, "I already know."

"I came this time to say goodbye to you."

She stood up, turning in circles to show him the radiant light surrounding her.

"Soon, if I work harder, I can break through the Jade Balance Realm and get closer to you."

"By then, if I still can’t deal with the Original Demon, I’ll ascend to immortality. If that doesn’t work, I’ll fight it for three days and three nights until it completely submits to me."

"Senior brother, I’ll stay with you a little longer before I leave. Master and Elder Kan are still waiting for me."

Ji Yang softly replied, "Can I hold you a little longer?"

Without hesitation, Gong Wu embraced him tightly.

They held each other fiercely, not letting go for a long time.

"How does it feel?"

"It feels…" Ji Yang whispered, "excruciatingly painful."

As Gong Wu flew back to Moonfire Valley, Tu Xuixin and the others waited for her at the valley entrance.

"Is Ji Yang doing alright?"

"He’s fine," Gong Wu replied, nodding. "Let’s go; we need to hurry."

Their first stop was Minge Villa in Huainan Cizhou.

The flooding in this area was relentless, and the River Demon wreaked havoc, compelling the officials to seek assistance from various sects.

However, the River Demon concealed itself deep beneath the water, and the turbulent currents were exceptionally treacherous; for years, people found themselves powerless against it.

It was said that he was once an ordinary human, but due to unforeseen circumstances, he delved into the dark arts, enhancing his physique by absorbing demon blood. Gradually, he transformed into a monstrous clam spirit, his appearance utterly unrecognizable and horrifying.

As Kan Jixuan led the way, she recounted the history of Minge Villa with a tone of awe, "Ordinary floods are terrifying enough; they can demolish riverbanks, devastate farmland and homes, obliterating the legacy built by generations in an instant."

"Minge Villa is now deserted because the flood would surge directly towards people, dragging their legs into the whirlpool, demanding their blood until they were completely drained."

Tu Xuixin found this peculiar and sensed something amiss: "Senior, didn’t you mention that some Daoists had come here before, attempting to vanquish the demon?"

"They only dared to lure its true form to the surface, but it had grown cunning, hiding in the deep currents. Anyone who approached met their doom," Kan Jixuan explained. "No matter how potent a water-avoidance spell is, once it’s breached, the water floods into the lungs—how can one survive?"

Tu Xuixin promptly retrieved the water-avoidance pills he had prepared earlier, swallowing two large ones and offering two to them.

Gong Wu shook her head. "I’m not afraid of water."

Kan Jixuan also shook her head. "I’m not human."

Tu Xuixin replied, "…I guess I shouldn’t have asked."

Although Gong Wu had never endured the torment of a water prison, her lungs had been tempered during her poisoning, making them resilient now. She could hold her breath and move freely, already possessing a safeguard.

The three individuals flew to the marked location on the map, and indeed, water inundated the fertile fields, with only the eaves of the past houses remaining above the water.

Fish swam among the wildly growing grasses, and deeper within, the remnants of stone steps and benches built by the old residents lay submerged in the shadows, along with a few old straw sandals scattered around.

There were no signs of human presence; the former residents had long since moved away with their families, fearing to stay.

The ancestral hall, homes, and mills had all become shelters for fish and shrimp, while the aquatic plants thrived abundantly, resembling rice fields at a glance.

Kan Jixuan spotted a massive whirlpool in the southwest corner and gestured towards it. “Girl, dying at the hands of a water ghost is not a good fate. If he bothers you too much, just end it swiftly. At worst, we can find another place to seek our end.”

Tu Xuixin remarked, "That doesn’t sound like good advice at all…"

Gong Wu, concerned for their safety, said, "Let me go down alone. You two wait for me here?"

“No need, let’s all go.”

Gong Wu nodded and flew to the center of the whirlpool, cautiously extending her foot.

Before her toes could touch the water’s surface, the whirlpool seemed to sense her presence, suddenly lifting and creating a surge that rapidly accelerated, dragging one of her feet down into its depths!

The turbulent water constricted around her throat like a rope, turning the once clear water murky, blocking all her openings and trapping her limbs, rendering her powerless to resist!

At this moment, Gong Wu’s mind was clear; although she was not very agile underwater, she put up a symbolic struggle.

As she plunged into the deep current, she clearly saw countless skeletons swirling with the current, some human, some beast, along with many fish bones she couldn’t identify.

It felt as if she were being forcefully pulled into a mass grave, the invisible water prison shackling her legs and preventing her from breathing or moving, directly cutting off all chances of resistance.

Before long, Gong Wu saw a clam shell slowly opening in the deep water, its long, pale feelers stretching out, aiming for her neck to stab down!

At that moment, Tu Xuixin also got swept underwater and subtly transmitted his voice to her from a distance. "Little Wu, pretend to faint and let it drain your blood. Once you’re dead, I’ll kill it!"

Gong Wu closed her eyes and played dead, then replied to him after a moment.

"Master, it’s a bit difficult."

“Its tentacles can’t penetrate through…”

Tu Xuixin urged anxiously, “Don’t resist, just relax!”

Gong Wu, eager to ascend quickly, endured the incessant tickling and transmitted her thoughts back, “I’m trying, but even the blades can’t pierce through, so how could its teeth?”

Meanwhile, Kan Jixuan, who was pretending to be a corpse at the riverbed, quietly joined their conversation.

“If it’s really that bad, why not bite your finger and let it suck?”

Tu Xuixin snapped angrily, “That’s too obvious; it won’t fall for such a trick!”

Before he could finish, Gong Wu couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, “Hahaha!! Stop scratching, it’s so ticklish!!”

River Demon & Kan Jixuan & Tu Xuixin: “…”

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.