His voice was thick with sorrow, and for a moment, I felt a pang of shared grief, though I didn't know how to comfort him. After poking around in my bowl for a while, I picked out the largest shrimp and ladled it into his.
He was the true god who governed this world, a man who had endured a harrowing past I could scarcely imagine. In his eyes, this gesture of mine was likely small to the point of being ridiculous.
Jun Wuwang froze for a moment, then whispered, "Thank you."
He was so solemn about it that I felt a sudden surge of pride, followed by a touch of embarrassment.
"Everyone thinks I have the whole world in my hands. Who would believe I’m just a pathetic man with nothing to his name?" Jun Wuwang gave a self-deprecating smile. He lifted the porcelain spoon, took a shallow sip, and looked surprised. "Oh, this is actually quite delicious."
I was puzzled. "Really? It’s actually not as good as the ones Qiqi makes."
"I haven't eaten in a long time; I’ve forgotten what anything tastes like. After all, I don't get hungry, and I don't get tired." Jun Wuwang drank half the bowl before continuing, "Back when Ye Tan was still willing to speak to me, I would eat with him occasionally. Later, when we stopped seeing each other as much, I didn't bother with the effort of acting like a normal person. No one cared, anyway."
Jun Wuwang suddenly stood up and pulled the fox mask back over his face. "I have to go. Ye Tan is coming."
I hurriedly said, "Qiqi is coming over from Jun Garden in a couple of days. We were planning to head to Moling once she arrives. Why don't you come back with us? Stay for a few days, and I'll have Qiqi make you some ribs."
Jun Wuwang shook his head. "I am, and always will be, a redundant variable. Staying by your side would bring more harm than good."
"Where will you go then?" I asked.
"The Sword-Washing Pool on Tianshan," Jun Wuwang said, bowing his head. "I’ll stay there for the rest of my life. If you ever encounter a life-or-death crisis that you cannot resolve, you can come find me."
I nodded repeatedly. "I’ll come visit you often!"
"I advise you to visit as little as possible," Jun Wuwang replied, reverting to his cold, distant demeanor. He said softly, "Do you have any idea how much I envy you? It’s enough to drive me mad."
I looked down and saw that his small bowl of shrimp porridge had been eaten completely clean.
He really was a very lonely person; just a tiny bit of kindness was enough to satisfy him.
But unfortunately, neither Ye Tan nor I could be the ones to fill that void.
Jun Wuwang spoke again. "How do you plan to handle Ye Lan? I can accept not killing him, but I can't just leave him be."
"How about we revoke Ye Xiao's status as a shadow guard and let him be a free, ordinary person? Then, we can make Ye Lan his shadow guard instead," I said, rubbing my chin. "That way, it’ll be natural for Ye Lan to protect Ye Xiao, and Ye Xiao won't be able to force Ye Lan to save me. If we make an agreement with him that his own safety comes first in a crisis, he should be able to understand."
Jun Wuwang was silent for a moment. "That works."
Seeing his stance soften, I couldn't help but ask one more time, "Is there really no way to cure Ye Lan?"
"I don't dare interfere recklessly. The more I am able to cheat, the more I feel my own powerlessness, and the more I fear the human heart." Jun Wuwang still refused. "However, there are plenty of famous doctors in the martial world. You are free to try. I won't stop anything that can be achieved through human effort."
I realized he was right. My bad habit of relying on system authority was still acting up. As I was reflecting on this, I heard Jun Wuwang say, "Come here."
Confused, I stood up and stopped in front of him. Jun Wuwang took a step closer. He lowered his head, brushed aside the stray hairs on my forehead, and lightly pressed his finger against the center of my brows. A warmth blossomed from his fingertip, only to vanish an instant later.
"A Nirvana Gu," Jun Wuwang explained. "If you are unfortunate enough to meet with another accident, it will at least save your life once. If you use it up, remember to come to me for a replacement."
I asked, "Can you plant one in Ye Tan too?"
"Naturally, he needs one." Jun Wuwang’s tone shifted. "While I won't help you cure Ye Lan, I can try something for those who are irrelevant to your safety."
Before I could understand what he meant, a cold flash of light lunged toward us. Jun Wuwang was forced back several yards.
My vision went dark as someone blocked my view. Once I saw who it was, I said, "Oh? A-Tan?"
Ye Tan stood in front of me, breathing slightly hard. With his current level of cultivation, those few steps from the garden to this side room shouldn't have winded him at all. It was likely half out of urgency and half out of fear.
Ye Tan stared fixedly at Jun Wuwang and asked in a low voice, "Master, are you alright?"
"Of course I'm fine," I said. "Why did you come over?"
Ye Tan said, "Ye Xiao said you were taken away by a very dangerous person." His gaze remained locked on Jun Wuwang, his rejection of the man crystal clear.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry as I pushed him aside. "Alright, stop it, A-Tan. We’re discussing business. Wuwang, please continue."
I thought the interruption was over, but Jun Wuwang said, "He cannot hear this."
I hurriedly said, "I never keep secrets from A-Tan. It’s fine. It doesn't matter if he knows these things, right? You don't need to worry."
Jun Wuwang coldly repeated, "He cannot hear this."
Ye Tan immediately added, "Master, this person is truly dangerous. Your subordinate cannot rest easy leaving you alone with him."
I found myself in a difficult position.
Jun Wuwang was so decisive that he must have his reasons, but Ye Tan was genuinely worried, and I couldn't just drive him away. As we reached a stalemate, Jun Wuwang suddenly raised his hand. Ye Tan drew his sword from its sheath. I shouted, "What are you doing?"
Jun Wuwang said calmly, "Asking him to leave."
I was horrified. "Wait, don't tell me you're going to fight him!"
"I don't want to lay a hand on him, but he’s forcing me. Don't worry, I know my limits." Jun Wuwang stepped forward. Ye Tan’s sword intent was chilling, poised to strike. My head began to throb. I quickly said:
"Fine, if he can't hear it, he won't hear it! I'll just cover his ears while you talk! Why do we have to fight?"
Jun Wuwang paused. "...I suppose that works." Then he muttered under his breath, "Why do you always have such useful ideas for such trivial matters?"
I dragged the bristling Ye Tan to a stool and pressed his sword, Songfeng, back into its scabbard. "A-Tan, you're a bit too tall for me to reach. Can you sit down?"
Ye Tan sat obediently before me, still staring intently at Jun Wuwang. I buried my hands into his fluffy, messy hair and covered his ears tightly. I called his name twice, and seeing no reaction, I turned to Jun Wuwang. "Alright, you can continue now. Keep your voice down, just whisper it to me."
The moment Jun Wuwang looked at Ye Tan, he seemed to daze off. He asked in a trance, "Where was I?"
I whispered a reminder, "You said that while you can't cure Ye Lan, you can try something for others."
"Oh... right. I'll give you a quota; you can resurrect one person," Jun Wuwang said. "Between Ze Que and Yue Changsheng, you can pick one."
It turned out to be those two. The Eldest Young Master had helped me a great deal and was a tragic soul himself. If I could help him once, it would naturally be a good thing. However...
I said hesitantly, "How would I know which one the Eldest Young Master prefers? Why don't we go out and ask him?"
"You think having a choice is a good thing?" Jun Wuwang sneered. "If you let him choose, no matter which one he picks, his conscience will never know peace for the rest of his life."
"You have a point," I nodded repeatedly, praising him. "As expected of the upgraded version of me. You're much more thorough in your thinking."
Jun Wuwang said irritably, "I don't want to be praised by someone like you at all."
I was also dissatisfied. "You get angry even when I compliment you? How did a perfectly good 'me' grow up to have such a prickly and difficult personality?"
Jun Wuwang: "If you say one more word of nonsense, I'll tie you and Ye Tan up together and beat you both."
I immediately chickened out, too scared to make a sound.
I obediently shut my mouth and thought it over, coming up with a new idea. "How about this: resurrect both of them."
Jun Wuwang clicked his tongue. "Just how much do you want to see a messy drama?"
"Wait, don't be hasty. Place them in ordinary families at opposite ends of the world. Let them lose their memories for a few years and live a peaceful life... As for who the Eldest Young Master meets first, that will have nothing to do with us."
Jun Wuwang looked at me and said sincerely, "Your talent for smoothing things over is truly world-class."
I accepted the praise gracefully. "I'm very happy to be praised by the upgraded version of me."
Jun Wuwang was silent for a moment, then said, "There is nothing left to do here. I really should go."
I reminded him, "You haven't planted the Nirvana Gu in A-Tan yet."
"I know..." Jun Wuwang hesitated slightly before taking a step forward. Ye Tan immediately tensed up, his hand gripping his sword hilt.
Jun Wuwang shook his head and laughed. "Look at him. There's no way he'll let me plant the Gu willingly. If I take one more step, he'll jump up and fight me to the death."
I sighed as well. "Sigh, this troublesome kid..." I thought for a moment. "You should be able to change your appearance, right? Find an opportunity to turn into me. He won't be so resistant then. You can plant it then."
Jun Wuwang looked at me with deep, unreadable eyes. "You certainly are generous."
His words seemed to imply something, but I didn't quite understand. While I was still puzzled, Jun Wuwang waved his hand and walked out the door.
I let go of Ye Tan's ears, only then realizing my palms were burning hot. Looking down, I saw the tips of his ears peeking through his hair, dyed bright red by the warm winter sun.
I pressed the back of my hand against his face and asked in surprise, "A-Tan, your face is so hot. Do you have a fever?"
Ye Tan whispered, "It... it is nothing."
He avoided me, springing up from the stool to stand by my side with his head bowed.
Habitually, I reached out to take his hand, but it felt damp. "Huh... you're sweating so much."
Ye Tan pursed his lips. "That person just now... your subordinate was not confident in winning against him. I was a bit shaken."
Because I had suffered so much at the hands of the Second Young Master, Ye Tan was now extremely jumpy, like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. I couldn't explain the truth to him, so I simply said, "He bears us no ill will. Don't worry."
"Mhm." Ye Tan nodded and said gently, "You haven't fully recovered yet. Your subordinate will take you back to rest."
Ye Tan led me out the door, only to find it was snowing again. The sun was warm today, so it wasn't cold at all. A layer of silver had already accumulated on the ground, and the branches were dotted with tiny flower buds.
I stopped in my tracks. "A-Tan, when will these trees bloom?"
Ye Tan looked at the withered branches. "Soon. Early spring is coming. The cherry, apricot, peach, and pear blossoms will open one after another."
I had never seen the magnificent sight of spring flowers competing in beauty, so I felt a bit of anticipation. "A-Tan, how about we stay for a few more days? We can head to Moling after we see these trees bloom."
Ye Tan smiled faintly. "Alright."
He added, "If you like them, we can plant some at the Sword Pavilion as well."
As we rounded the central courtyard, I saw a familiar figure. It was Ye Jun, carrying the Second Young Master on his back, slowly walking out of the courtyard.
I hadn't seen the Second Young Master for a few days, and he had become even more gaunt. His eyes were closed as if he were still deep in sleep.
"Ye Jun." I called out to him from the corridor. "Are you leaving?"
Ye Jun turned and nodded to me. "Yes, Young Master Jun."
"You can't just leave on foot, can you? Wait a moment, let me get you some silver for your journey and have someone prepare a horse."
"Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Jun, but it won't be necessary." Ye Jun smiled and politely declined. "Ten years ago, when the Master brought me to Zhongli Villa, the two of us had nothing to our names. Leaving empty-handed now feels rather light and easy."
I thought about it and pulled a slip of paper from my robe. "This is the address of the Moling Sword Pavilion. If you're willing, you can come visit us there." I specifically added, "A-Tan will miss you."
Ye Tan added in a small voice, "I will not."
Ye Jun walked to the edge of the railing with a smile, but since both his hands were supporting the Second Young Master, he couldn't take the paper. He tilted his head slightly and whispered, "Master, help me take it, please."
The Second Young Master remained motionless, seemingly fast asleep.
"Master, stop pretending to sleep. Please help me," Ye Jun said softly.
The Second Young Master frowned and extended a pale wrist from his wide sleeve, taking the note and tucking it into Ye Jun's robe.
His left hand was still functional, but his right hand and left foot were completely ruined.
He suddenly opened his eyes and looked back toward the neighboring courtyard wall.
"The scent of green plum wine." The Second Young Master sniffed the air with a hollow gaze, then closed his silver-white pupils again, laughing bitterly. "How could it be? I must be mistaken."
Ye Jun stepped back and nodded to me again. "We shall take our leave. Young Master Jun, until we meet again."
After parting with the two of them, we rounded the corner to the adjacent courtyard and saw wine cups set out on a stone table. It seemed someone had been drinking there just moments ago.
An unopened jar of green plum wine was left on the table, along with a sheet of raw Xuan paper. I couldn't recognize the handwriting.
It read:
*At the eastern gate of Wheel Tower, I see you off,*
*Where snow already blankets the road to the Heaven Mountains.*
*The mountain path winds and turns until you vanish from sight,*
*Leaving only horse tracks upon the snow.*
***
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Fatal to Pretend With a Cheat | Chapter 70 | A Path Through the Snow | Novela.app | Novela.app
