Chapter 98: Brief Peace (Part 1)

  Since he could remember, Shen Bailian knew that he was a demon without a father. His mother had never mentioned the man, as if from the beginning there were only the two of them relying on each other for survival. Even the man's name and surname were only revealed by his mother in her last moments. Nineteen years ago in Huan Ming Palace, from Yu You's cold narrative, he caught a glimpse of his mother's past. A demon woman had left her hometown for a human, but ultimately ended up with a desolate life. Shen Zhao, this name returned to his mind along with the lost memories, the person his mother remembered until her death, would he be his own father?

  What kind of love affair can make her unwilling to forget a person even until death, and want to entangle with that person in the next life? What kind of resentment can make her leave him without hesitation, and even hate all human beings because of him?

  As she grew older, her mother became increasingly strict with her. Shen Baiying lowered her eyes, and her emotions surged. Before she died, she had stroked her cheek and said that she resembled a certain person very much. Was it because she looked like the man who abandoned her that she was always so cold to her only son in those years?

  That kind of love and hate, as if it had burned out his life with such intensity, Shen Bailian had never deeply felt before. Even when he knew that he and the Qionghua Sect had a deep-seated grudge, and was despised by the Qionghua Sect's fellow disciples at that moment, he had never truly hated them. The days spent learning from Kunlun Mountain, and the bits and pieces shared with those people, seemed to have become the rope that pulled him back and forth between hatred and forgiveness, making him feel difficult and painful, yet unable to condense into a deep-seated hatred, ultimately only weakly choosing to leave.

  All these years, he has been searching everywhere for the girl from his past, as if that would prevent him from falling into the quagmire of memories. Only by trying hard not to think about it could he achieve inner peace, but that peace was like walking on thin ice, and ultimately, at this moment, it surged up in his mind irresistibly.

  In a state of melancholy, Shen Bailian couldn't help but feel a hint of expectation towards the Jade True Person, but that person was far away in Kunlun Mountain, not to mention that Tianyuan City and the Qionghua Sect, which had always avoided her, were also quite close. Even if she wanted to investigate, it would be very inconvenient, let alone the fact that she still had the heavy responsibility of finding Yuanyu's daughter. Could it be that if what Yuanyu said back then was true, Shen Zhao might really be her biological father? Would she not go see him at all? But if he saw this monster that was neither human nor demon, would he attack without asking any questions?

  All sorts of thoughts flashed through Shen Bailian's mind like a lantern, and his expression changed unpredictably, sometimes cloudy and sometimes clear. He fell into deep thought, and his response to external things became very vague, only vaguely remembering that Qinji seemed to have said a few words to him before taking the zither and leaving first, when he slightly came back to his senses, there was only a faint breeze on the strings of the zither, but the beauty had already disappeared without a trace, and he could only leave the pavilion with a heart full of miscellaneous thoughts.

  The sun rose higher and the city became increasingly lively. Shen Bailian walked amidst the bustle, yet seemed oblivious to the people around him, his ears deaf to the sounds nearby. He continued walking without pause until he reached the city gate, where he released the transmission sword that had been given to him by Murong Ziyu. Then, he stood still, lost in thought. In a daze, he didn't know how much time passed before a cool breeze approached, followed by a familiar voice saying, "How come your expression is so strange?"

  Shen Bailian raised his head, and the tall figure of the speaker suddenly appeared in front of him. The warm sunlight poured down on the blue robe and white gown that fluttered slightly, and the gentle light gradually revealed the person's handsome eyebrows and eyes. For a moment, it seemed as if they would be deeply imprinted on his pupils. He stared blankly, even forgetting to respond.

  Murong Ziyin furrowed her brow and repeated, "Baiying brother, it's been a day and night since we last met, how can you seem like a different person? Why is your expression so strange?"

  "Ah..." Shen Bailian came back to her senses, hastily covering up the various thoughts in her mind, shaking her head and sighing, "It's just that I encountered some things that are truly pitiful and lamentable..." She then briefly mentioned a few words about Qinji.

  Murong Ziyin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, her expression no longer as tense as before: "So that's how it is. Life is unpredictable, and everyone has their own fate. Just go with the flow, you don't have to be too heartbroken."

  Shen Bailian nodded slightly, lowered her head and fell silent for a long time before forcing a smile at Murong Ziyin: "Ziyin, I have something on my mind that's hard to get rid of. Are you willing to accompany me for a walk and listen to my troubles?"

  Murong Ziyin looked at him deeply and said with a sigh, "I'll accompany you." He led the way forward. Shen Baiying watched his back, and couldn't help but smile slightly, this time more sincerely than before.

  Two people arrived at the shore of Qiandao Lake, rented a small boat, untied the rope and let the boat carry them slowly into the depths of the green leaves. The clear wind swept through the leaves, and the fragrance of lotus flowers wafted through the air, the small boat drifted aimlessly on the calm waves, and gradually lost its way, but Shen Bailian and Murong Ziyin didn't mind.

  The small boat glided deeper into the lotus flowers, and the surroundings became increasingly quiet. Except for the sound of water, only the rustling of the lotus leaves against the hull could be heard. Shen Baiying didn't speak, and Mu Rongziying wouldn't be the first to break the silence either. For a while, both of them seemed to be savoring this rare tranquility, as if their unintentional silence had become an unspoken understanding.

  Shen Bailian gazed at a clump of lotus flowers rising above the ship's gunwale, his expression gradually calming down. He let out a soft sigh and finally said: "Ziying, if there is one person who may have wronged you and also wronged someone very important to you... are you still willing to see him and forgive him?"

  Murong Ziyin's long eyebrows slightly raised as she pondered for a moment before responding, "It depends on what this person has done and whether they have an unavoidable bitter circumstance."

  Shen Bailian smiled bitterly: "What kind of answer is this? How am I supposed to know what he actually did, it's either abandoning his wife and child or so-called 'different paths don't make a plan'... even if there was a bitter reason, the mistake has already been made, the harm can no longer be repaired." Between humans and demons, after all, there is an unfathomable chasm. He lowered his eyelids and swallowed these last words.

  Murong Ziyin's expression changed slightly, and a hint of surprise seemed to flash in his eyes. However, the look passed quickly, replaced by a somber mood. He fell silent for a moment before speaking again in a much lower tone: "...Abandoning wife and child? The person who made the mistake must be your relative, I suppose?"

  Shen Bailian remained silent.

  Murong Ziyin gazed at his face, and after a moment suddenly turned to talk about her past: “... I was sent to Kunlun Mountain as a child, the mountain is clear and bitter, I remember my name under Master Xuan Ting's door, but Master died many years ago in a disaster in the door, so there is a master-disciple relationship but no reality. It was Master Zong Lian who raised me up, taught me martial arts and Taoism, and recreated the kindness that cannot be forgotten. After his death, there is no one in the world who can treat me like this.”

  Shen Bailian was originally immersed in his own thoughts, and when Murong Ziyin mentioned his past, he felt strange but also curious. When he heard the name Xuan Ting, a hint of guilt flashed across his face. Murong Ziyin was lost in thought, with a look of nostalgia on her face, but she didn't notice him at all. He continued slowly: "The Qionghua Sect is a famous sect that ordinary people can't easily join, but for me when I was young, it was like an icy prison. Cultivation was already very dull, and occasionally going out could only see the snow-capped mountains in all directions. Although I heard the disciples talk about the bustle of the villages and towns at the foot of the mountain, it seemed like a distant and unimaginable thing. At that time, I was the youngest, and those disciples were forced to call me 'Shifu' due to their seniority, but no one wanted to come and play with me. Every day, I either stared blankly at the snow on the opposite mountain or practiced sword sitting... Now thinking back, I haven't seen any of the things that children in the mortal world have played with."

  "Didn't expect you to have such an uninteresting childhood?" Shen Baiying said in surprise, "My youth was actually more interesting than yours. There was a little girl who often played with me in the woods near my home, liked to bring pastries from her house for me, and always chased after me calling me 'brother'..." As she spoke, a faint smile appeared on her face.

  Murong Ziyin glanced at him and said lightly: "I didn't expect Brother Baiying to be so popular with girls when he was young."

  Her smile suddenly turned into a bitter smile: "After all, she's just a little girl... Moreover, many years ago she was married and now has several children, her brother in her mouth is probably also changed...". When he said this, he couldn't help but think of the farewell with Ruan Ci in the forest by Xi Hu Lake nineteen years ago. After that, she never came to that forest again. Although he occasionally passed through Shouyang and secretly went to Liu Fu to take a look, they never met again. No matter what kind of confused emotions they had before, they have long since disappeared into thin air, leaving only the wish for her to live well. Thinking of this, his expression still carried nostalgia, but that melancholy gradually faded away.

  "Is that girl your childhood sweetheart?" Murong Ziyin suddenly asked, "I once saw a poem in a literary work, which seemed to be talking about the affection between men and women since childhood. I heard it's called 'childhood sweethearts'? It seems that Huai Shuo and Xuanji in our sect are also like this..." There was even a hint of envy in her tone.

  Shen Bailian was taken aback, and his face involuntarily showed a hint of embarrassment. Now that he thought about it, he too had been nineteen years old at the time, an adult male in the human tribe who could take on important responsibilities, yet he had still had such a childish mindset... It was indeed true that one's nature doesn't change with age. As he thought this, his face grew even more embarrassed, and to avoid being seen by Murong Ziyu, he hastily turned his head and asked: "Ziyu, why did you go up Mount Kunlun as a child? Doesn't the Qionghua Sect only accept those who have passed through the Taiyi Xianjing as disciples? You were just a little kid at the time, and even if you had extraordinary talent, it's impossible that you could have made it through, right?"

  Murong Ziyin's eyes suddenly had a few more points of inquiry: "You know quite clearly about the affairs of our Qionghua Sect." However, his expression did not reveal any joy or anger.

  Shen Bailian's heart skipped a beat, and she hastily stammered: "I... I just heard rumors... maybe I misheard too."

  "No, as you said, it is indeed so." Murong Ziyin said affirmatively. "However, there are occasional exceptions. When I was young and weak, my parents invited a Taoist priest to give me a name and predict my fate. The priest named me Ziyin and told my parents that unless they sent me far away, I would be spoiled by their overindulgence. He happened to be from the Qionghua Sect, so my parents entrusted him to send me to Kunlun Mountain, hoping that I could cultivate immortality and live a long life. When I was young, I didn't understand the world and thought I had been abandoned, feeling sad and resentful in my heart. My master saw this and often accompanied me when I felt lonely, so in my heart, my parents, whom I couldn't even remember what they looked like, were not as close to me as he was. It wasn't until before his death that he told me the reasons behind it all. He had been afraid that I would be unable to endure the hardships of mountain life when I was young and hadn't dared to tell me the truth. And I only knew then that my parents had sent me to Qionghua Sect because they cherished me so much and didn't want me to die young." He said calmly, "They were too good to me, not bad at all. Looking back, I was ignorant of the truth and even felt resentful towards them. I never thought about how they must have been thinking of me from afar in the mountains below. Unfortunately, when I was young and foolish, I didn't ask about my family's whereabouts, and both Master and the Taoist priest who brought me here had passed away. Now that I can leave the mountain freely, I want to visit them but it's too late."

  Shen Bailian only then realized that the young man in front of her had such a background, and it seemed that his coldness was also due to the loneliness of his childhood. However, the warmth and gentleness in his heart were... Looking at the young man's calm face but unable to hide the hint of regret in his eyes, he suddenly said: "Ziying, thank you."

  Murong Ziyin's eyes slightly raised at the corners, a hint of smile seemed to flash in her eyes, and her voice softened: "Why?"

  "You... although you seem aloof, in reality you have a warm heart towards others. You think I didn't notice... that you were trying to comfort me, telling me not to be sad and resentful because of my father's wrongdoings towards me and my mother, and not to do something that would lead to regret later?" Shen Bailian pursed her lips, seemingly a bit embarrassed as she tried to turn her head away, but couldn't hide the genuine gratitude on her face.

  But in an instant, he was stunned, his neck twisted to the side seemed to be frozen. Only a few feet away, the boy in blue clothes and white robe faced the sunlight, his cold and hard eyebrows slightly curved, revealing a very clean smile, as if the distant mountain ice and snow melted into a spring water in an instant, it was so gentle, so clear and elegant.