Situ Hong stared concentratedly at the map in front of him and sat back. He scratched the back of his head and tapped the paper with the back of his inky brush. “I say, why does that Xiao Xunrui put so many arrays around his house? Do you think he’s got a guilty conscience?”
“What nonsense are you spouting? A-Rui isn’t the type of person who has a guilty conscience. If anything, you are,” Wuma Qiongling snapped.
“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to insult your beloved A-Rui,” Situ Hong held up his hands in surrender. He glanced at the quiet Wu Lingtian. “But I mean, only those with a guilty conscience will protect their homes so tightly. There’s only one other place I know of who’s this layered.”
“If you want to insult people, do it when you’re not in their territory,” Wu Lingtian said. He lifted his gaze to meet Situ Hong. “If there’s something you want to ask, just ask. Why are you hesitating?”
Situ Hong placed the brush down and leaned his bare arms onto the table. “Then, where did Fan Yi go?”
“No clue.”
Situ Hong clicked his tongue and leaned back. He grabbed his fan and flourished it. The warm air was swirled around the room. “You said I could ask!”
“I said you could ask, but I didn’t say I would know the answer,” Wu Lingtian said, turning back to the map under his hand.
“I have another question.”
“Ask.”
“Aren’t you hot?” Situ Hong groaned. “What’s with this place? Summers are so hot!”
In fact, aside from Wu Lingtian, even Wuma Qiongling had put his hair up higher and had shed a few layers. The two men sat with their sleeves rolled up to their elbows while Wu Lingtian remained in his four layers.
“Summer’s almost over,” Wu Lingtian said. “It won’t be hot for long.”
“I thought you were scared of the heat! How come you’re handling it so well now?” Situ Hong asked as he fanned himself. He gasped as he came to an epiphany. “Could this be the classical saying ‘if you marry a chicken, then you follow the chicken; if you marry the dog, then you follow the dog’?”
“…What nonsense are you saying?” Wu Lingtian stared at Situ Hong blankly.
“I’m saying your sect leader is so afraid of the cold, but you’re afraid of the heat, so now you’re actually adjusting to be able to live with him! Aren’t I right?”
“If you have time to say such drivel, then you have time to make another map,” Wu Lingtian pulled out a fresh piece of paper. “Here.”
Wuma Qiongling frowned as Situ Hong sadly accepted the blank sheet. “Sect Leader Fan is afraid of the cold? How come I’ve never heard of that?”
“Of course, you haven’t. Aside from your Black Scale Palace and Fengya, where else do you go? What else do you bother with?” Situ Hong placed his brush into the ink. “It’s always been a well-known rumor. As for why, few people know. But whenever it’s winter, Sect Leader Fan refuses to go out and if he does, he’s always dressed in many layers with the fluffiest cloak. There was once someone asked him why he didn’t just use his own Qi to warm himself up? He said he liked the way of mortals more and after that, no one asked him again.”
Wuma Qiongling turned to Wu Lingtian. “Do you know more about this?”
“No, not much else,” Wu Lingtian set the brush down and looked at the map again.
“Well, it’s expected. I even doubt any of the other Pillars have a clear idea as to what’s going on with him. He’s so secretive. No one even knows what hole he popped out from! For all we know, he could be from Fengya or he could be a demon.”
“Speculations will lead you nowhere but a long-twisted maze,” Wu Lingtian warned.
Situ Hong pursed his lips. “You’re right. I’ll just get working.”
It took about three days to compile and double check all the maps that Wu Lingtian and Situ Hong drew out. Upon receiving them, Wuma Qiongling’s irritable expression finally showed a crack. He looked at Wu Lingtian and Situ Hong warmly, as if he were looking at two lifelong friends.
“If I manage to get to him, I’ll send over my good news,” Wuma Qiongling carefully tucked away the maps. “I’ll be off then.”
“Wait, what about Bai Qiu?” Wu Lingtian asked.
“He can go wherever his heart tells him to. I never said he had to stay by my side,” Wuma Qiongling threw this last sentence over his shoulder and flew away from Screeching Sparrow Sect.
“…Did that boy just get abandoned?” Situ Hong wondered.
“Not abandoned,” Wu Lingtian shook his head. “He was just given a chance to leave.”
Wu Lingtian turned to Situ Hong. “What was the real reason you came to find me?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Situ Hong’s eyes widened. He fanned himself silently as a smile slowly curved onto his face. “My little magnolia, do you really think I need a reason to come find you? We’re friends, aren’t we?”
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“I refuse,” Wu Lingtian brushed the fan off himself and began to walk away.
“Lingtian, we need you right now more than anything,” Situ Hong quickened his pace to follow Wu Lingtian. “You might not know this, but the world is very delicately balanced. Peace might shatter at any minute. There are moles within the righteous sect and those with nefarious ideas, you—”
“I know.”
“You know, but you decided not to help?” Situ Hong made his way in front of Wu Lingtian, his expression lacking the usual playfulness it held.
“I know, but I also know that you don’t need me,” Wu Lingtian placed his hand on Situ Hong’s shoulder as he moved past him.
Situ Hong gripped Wu Lingtian’s wrist. “Of course, we need you. The world needs you. Wu Lingtian, do you know how important you are? You can’t be the number one in the world for nothing.”
“I’m not number one though. I’m number one in this generation,” Wu Lingtian pulled his wrist from Situ Hong.
“If it comes to the sword, if you say you’re number one, who dares to say they’re number two? Even my father acknowledges you as the best swordsman!”
“You seem to have forgotten,” Wu Lingtian held out his left hand. His lips parted as he gently whispered, “Yu Lan.”
Situ Hong watched Wu Lingtian’s palm, but there wasn’t even a flicker of spiritual energy in response.
“I no longer have a sword. How can I be a swordsman?” Wu Lingtian asked, his hand falling back to his side. “Besides, my cultivation base was injured, so I’m not in the position to help you. And I’m ill.”
“Ill?”
“I have an illness of the heart,” Wu Lingtian admitted. “You’re better off finding someone else to help you.”
“No, wait, no, no,” Situ Hong stepped in front of Wu Lingtian again. “If you no longer have a sword, you can just forge another! There’s no need to despair. As for your cultivation base, I doubt it’s fallen any further than Nascent Soul. And based on how calm you are, you can just easily cultivate it again. When have you ever gotten any bottle necks? You just don’t want to join us.”
“You’re right. I don’t,” Wu Lingtian continued moving forward.
“But why? You’re all about heroics. You want to protect the common people—you want to keep peace in the cultivation world,” Situ Hong blabbered on quickly, fearing that Wu Lingtian might teleport away at a moment’s notice.
“Heroes don’t have happy endings,” Wu Lingtian stopped walking and looked at Situ Hong. “Have you ever noticed that?”
“…Yes.”
“There’s no point in being a hero. It’s not that I’ll turn a blind eye when someone is in trouble or that I’ll purposely kick an elderly person down the stairs, but if you tell me to go out there and risk my life for people who will turn on me as soon as they hear that I’m not as saintly as they think I am, then you’re dreaming too beautifully,” Wu Lingtian said monotonously. “I admit, when I was younger, I wanted the ability to protect people and to be a hero. They’re not wrong when they say that Yu Land Sword Immortal only wanted to be praised for his heroic acts.”
“But that’s not even true! Sure, you have a hero complex, but—”
“But what? Having a hero complex and wanting praise is on the same level, even if they aren’t the same thing,” Wu Lingtian said. He sighed and held out his hands. “Situ Hong, I may seem emotionless all the time or even cruel, but I’m still human. I won’t bore you with the details, but I’m truly tired.”
Situ Hong remained silent.
“Two centuries and a month of toil is more than enough for me,” Wu Lingtian’s arms dropped back to his side. “I can tell you I’m fine, but if you want me to play hero again, then I honestly can’t do that. I can’t be your beacon of hope and I don’t want to be your figurehead even more so. I…”
Wu Lingtian felt his throat constrict. His stomach churned. He saw Situ Hong’s expression show concern as the other man moved forward to steady him.
“Lingtian, what’s wrong?”
“It’s…it’s nothing.”
“How could it be nothing? You’ve gone pale as a ghost!” Situ Hong quickly raised his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from Wu Lingtian’s face. “Alright, alright, I won’t ask you anymore. I apologize.”
Wu Lingtian placed his hand on Situ Hong’s chest. He hesitated for a moment before looking towards him.
“What’s wrong?” Situ Hong asked. “Do you need me to get you water? Let’s get to the shade.”
Wu Lingtian let Situ Hong half-drag him over. He leaned against the tree and steadied his breathing. “Situ Hong, I trust you a lot.”
“Thanks, but can we talk about that later,” Situ Hong seemed a bit frazzled. He flourished his fan and used it to cool Wu Lingtian down. “How is it? Do you still feel dizzy?”
“You said we went to visit Xiao Xunrui three months ago,” Wu Lingtian said. “What was I like then?”
“What…why are you asking about this all of a sudden?” Situ Hong stared at him in confusion. “You…I don’t know, you were really quiet.”
“How quiet?”
“Just…you seemed like you had a lot on your mind, but you’ve been like that for a while anyway, so neither of us thought anything of it. What’s wrong? Was something really going on then?”
“…Do you remember when I started to get like that?” Wu Lingtian asked.
“When…” Situ Hong’s fanning decreased in efficiency as his mind wandered. “I don’t know, like…maybe when you turned a hundred? Or maybe it was a little later. I remember it was when you passed your trial and achieved Nascent Soul. After you exited seclusion, you became more reticent. Everyone figured it was because you reached some type of enlightenment…are you telling me that’s not it?”
“Not exactly,” Wu Lingtian nudged Situ Hong away. “Thanks, I’m feeling better now.”
“…Lingtian,” Situ Hong stood after watching Wu Lingtian for a few moments. “I know it would be difficult to wholeheartedly trust me after everything you’ve been through, but if you ever want to tell me anything, I’m all ears. Even if it isn’t earth shattering. If you want to gossip or complain, I’m also here for you.”
Wu Lingtian stood and glanced at Situ Hong. “Alright, I get it.”
“Not only me, but Xiao-xiong as well. He was the one that was worried before I even registered anything. You know how he’s always treated you like his younger brother,” Situ Hong followed Wu Lingtian. “If you’re not comfortable talking to me, he’s also there.”
“I get it. What am I? A teenager?” Wu Lingtian frowned at Situ Hong.
“As long as you understand,” Situ Hong smiled. He continued to follow Wu Lingtian tightly. “Where are you going now?”
“It’s lunch time.”
“…We practice inedia though,” Situ Hong said.
“We eat here,” Wu Lingtian said.
Situ Hong stared at Wu Lingtian as if he were something foreign. “Actually, I noticed something about you that I didn’t want to point out earlier, but how come you’ve become more human?”
Wu Lingtian glanced at Situ Hong. “Expand your thought.”
“Because before, you didn’t do anything that would take up too much of your time. Eating was one of them—and I saw you flying with a sword when you left the sect? You used to just teleport everywhere. Even when it came to sleeping, you only slept when you absolutely had to. I understand maybe not being able to practice inedia when you were injured and sleeping more and riding on the sword, but you…aren’t you better now? How come you’re still so…”
“I can’t?”
“You can do whatever you want, I’m just curious,” Situ Hong flashed a smile.
“Sect Leader wants me to live more, so that’s all I’m doing.”
Situ Hong watched Wu Lingtian move forward and grinned. “Ah, so you’re just listening to what your husband told you to do, I see.”
“If you want to get drunk, go to a pleasure house. Don’t hang around in front of me,” Wu Lingtian ignored Situ Hong.
“Wu Lingtian, I’ve been everywhere and I’ve seen many things,” Situ Hong pointed to his hand. “You can’t lie to me about what that ring around your finger is. And besides Sect Leader Fan, who would be bold enough to give you such a gift?”
“So, what if he did?” Wu Lingtian looked at Situ Hong blankly. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
“…Those are rings that cultivation partners give to the other once they’ve gone through the ceremony,” Situ Hong said incredulously.
“So?”
“…Then…if you accepted it and he gave it to you, doesn’t that mean that there might be something going on?” Situ Hong said.
“No.”
“…No…?”
“There is something going on, but it has nothing to do with the rings,” Wu Lingtian began walking away.
“What’s going on?” Situ Hong asked curiously.
“Don’t you have a pavilion to return to? Why are you still dawdling here for?”
“I finally got a chance to sneak out, I’m not going back so quickly,” Situ Hong tugged at Wu Lingtian. “Come on, tell me what’s happening. I want to know.”
“I’m pursuing Fan Yi.”
Situ Hong stumbled over his feet and nearly fell flat on his face. Wu Lingtian was unsympathetic and continued walking normally. It took a minute for Situ Hong to catch up to Wu Lingtian. At that time, Situ Hong gripped Wu Lingtian’s shoulder and kept him from walking anymore.
“You? To him? Not the other way around?”
“No, why would it be the other way around?”
“You—You’re Yu Lan Sword Immortal!”
“Mn.”
“He’s…he’s Fan Yi.”
Wu Lingtian frowned. “He’s the one that established the boundaries between the three territories today. He was also the person that purged the malicious and greedy cultivators at the expenses of his own reputation hundreds of years ago. He’s the best doctor in the cultivation world and his medical expertise rivals those in the medicinal sects. He’s heroic and he won’t turn a blind eye to those in need. He is someone worthy of respect and admiration—not someone for you to belittle.”
Situ Hong stared at Wu Lingtian in shock. He had never heard Wu Lingtian compliment a person so much. And the hardening expression on his face told him that Wu Lingtian was ready to kick him out at any moment.
“Alright, no you’re right. I was being rude. I was just…surprised.”
Wu Lingtian was irritated and wanted to beat Situ Hong up, but when he remembered that Fan Yi told him to keep a peace of mind, he took deep breaths and forced himself to relax. He raised his hand and began to fiddle on with the ring on his middle finger. The look of irritation began to ease as he felt the warmth beneath his fingers.
“…So, does he know?”
“He might, but he won’t accept me,” Wu Lingtian said knowingly. His gaze was downcast, creating a lonely image.
“Then, before, when you said that you didn’t want to burden Sect Leader Fan, was this also about your feelings?” Situ Hong guessed.
Wu Lingtian nodded. He looked at the ring and smiled softly. “But it’s fine if he won’t accept me now, he just needs to be coaxed a little.”
“…Coaxed…a little?”
“Just a little,” Wu Lingtian’s smile widened as if he were remembering a pleasant memory.
The irritation was replaced by a summery warmth again. He looked at Situ Hong and nudged him. “You best head back. I can’t help you with Frost Cliff Pavilion, but if you need an extra pair of hands, just tell me and I’ll help.”
Situ Hong’s expression turned grave again. He nodded. “I understand. I hope you get better soon, Lingtian. Even if you don’t want to be the pillar of the world anymore, it would still be nice to have someone like you ready to fight.”
Wu Lingtian laughed. “I sure hope I don’t have to fight.”
He looked over the rolling hills and at the buildings not too far in the distance. The cheerful voices of disciples and their laughter reached them even from this distance.
“But I will if I have to,” Wu Lingtian said. “So long as Screeching Sparrow Sect can stay exactly like this, I’d be willing to do anything.”
Situ Hong watched his friend silently before breaking out into a smile. “It’s only been two months, but you’ve changed so much. I’m happy for you.”
“Do I look like I need you to be happy for me?” Wu Lingtian raised a brow. He lifted a leg and kicked Situ Hong. “Now scram before I beat you up.”
Situ Hong hissed and rubbed the back of his leg. “I’ll come find you for drinks some time! You can do that now!”
“Yeah, alright, whatever,” Wu Lingtian scoffed and began to head the opposite direction.
Situ Hong took one last look at Wu Lingtian and disappeared from the sect.
Wuma Qiongling is off to coax his old lover, Wu Lingtian is staying to coax his new one, Bai Qiu is being turned loose but probably feels kicked away, and Situ Hong is actually being kicked away 😂. These guys have a lot going on!
hm…. i’m very curious about Wu Lingtian and his memory loss / return of humanity…. i feel like i have a lot of the dots to connect but my brain isn’t connecting them… ah well! next chapter ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ