Living Up to You

TLNote: I have picked up this book from Raini7o5 and changed some Chinese terms she used into English. Unlike Raini7o5"s, the chapters won"t have t.i.tles because I couldn"t find an ebook that has t.i.tles for the chapters. I haven"t set up a schedule yet about how many chapters to post a week because I will be pretty busy after the quarantine is over. Most probably, it will be two to three chapters a week. I liked this book very much from the first time, I came in contact with it. It had stayed on my mind all these years. I hope you also enjoy it as much as I did. 

Chapter 14

The lantern in Ling Xi"s hand left her hand inadvertently and fell on the ground. The surface of the lantern that Nan Zhi personally painted for her was burned.

"Nan Zhi, Nan Zhi, Nan Zhi!" Lin Xi gathered all her energy and shouted.

Such a strong barrier was able to seal eldest senior brother for five hundred years here. Who could break it in one swoop? Could it be those devilish monsters again? The first time, they took away big brother. The second time, they took away eldest senior brother. This time…they certainly can"t take away Nan Zhi!

Ling Xi was so anxious that her eyes got red. She picked up the lantern that had just fallen and recited an incantation to break the seal that slowly rugged into air. Just as she was about to go forward when a big black eagle flew straight towards her.

Ling Xi hasn"t reacted yet when she felt her body tossed and turned and steadily landed on a broad back. Then, she heard a familiar voice that was filled with joy, "I will take you to see the sunset!"

Ling Xi lay on the black eagle"s back and slowly regained her senses. She slowly said, "Nan…Nan Zhi…?"

"I will take you to see the sunset," Nan Zhi repeated.

"But…," Ling Xi turned her head anxiously. Being at a high alt.i.tude, she could see the crescent-shaped moon in the distance. Xuw.a.n.g Cliff was once again shrouded by shadows. It was as if Cangjia Mountain accidentally dropped ink on the green painting.

"I will take you to see the sunset!" Nan Zhi repeated once again.

Ling Xi turned her head. When she saw the bright sunshine and blue sky, hearing the wind in her ears and the sound of the waves of the Eastern Sea, the dark days of the last year was deliberately ignored by her. Suddenly, the desire for freedom, the yearning for a normal life and the fear of being trapped at Xuw.a.n.g Cliff came to her mind and it got thicker as the they went faster.

How great would it be if they could be free like this…?

"Alright."

Ling Xi leaned against the back of the eagle and closed her eyes slowly. Even if she only got this one day of freedom, it was enough…

Above the endless Eastern Sea, the black eagle continued to fly towards the blue dome of the heaven. The green dot on the back of the eagle looked like a lazy bug attached to dead leaves. As he flew higher, suddenly the eagle swiveled down sharply and rushed straight into the blue Eastern Sea. The lazy bug"s scolding and screaming could be heard, "Nan Zhi! Tonight, I punish you into a little turtle!"

The eagle spread its wings again and soared between the blue sky and the blue sea. His pleasant laughter and the continuous screams of the bug could be heard. It quieted down when it was sunset. The eagle stopped at the highest part of  Cangjia mountain. The bug lying on his back seemed to have asked, "Nan Zhi, did you break the barrier just to show me the sunset once?"

—

Despite being extremely unwilling, Ling Xi still let Nan Zhi take her back to Xuw.a.n.g Cliff.

Perhaps the Ling Xi of six years ago who didn"t have a name and only had to follow her big brother can do whatever she wanted and do whatever she liked. However, today"s Ling Xi, ever since her head could fit in more and more things, she gradually came to the understanding that doing whatever one wanted, there was always a price to pay that one didn"t want to pay.

Returning to Xuw.a.n.g cliff, Nan Zhi turned into human again and still coldly followed behind Ling Xi.

"Nan Zhi…just now, I accidentally burned the lantern…," Ling Xi turned her head, frowned and pursed her lips. "Paint one again for me, alight?"

Nan Zhi looked once at her, nodded and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Ling Xi"s frowned eyebrows relaxed and the she also put away the "pitiful" expression. She quickly ran to the lotus field in front of the small house.

Sure enough, a gray robe covered most of the purple flowers. Those white hairs were extremely prominent in the dark night.

Ling Xi inadvertently slowed down her pace and bit her lower lip. Her hands turned into fists. She walked forward, lowered her head, knelt and said, "Supremo, it"s all Ling Xi"s fault."

Cang Yu stood in the lotus field. After a long silence, he turned and looked at Ling Xi.

To him, three years was just like a drop in the sea. He had long been accustomed to the same unchanging people and things around him. He was slightly stunned when he saw Ling Xi who had gotten a lot taller and whose appearance changed a lot.

Ling Xi noticed his gaze and lowered her head even more. She heard him say gently, "The barrier isn"t broken by you."

Ling Xi had no plans to lie in front of Cang Yu, but after that year when she went downhill the mountain in secret and got into trouble and when she returned, the amiable looking supremo changed expression and coldly said, "Punish with fifty  G.o.dly lashes", that changed expression left a deep impression on Ling Xi. It caused that every time Ling Xi saw him afterwards, she would be inexplicable nervous. Hence, she adjusted her breath for a long time before whispering, "It"s Ling Xi"s immortal spirit…"

Ling Xi thought that Cang Yu would be surprised by Nan Zhi"s rapid progress in the art of immortals or that he would get angry because he (NZ) broke the barrier without caring about the gravity of his actions or that he would blame her for teaching him (NZ) Cangjia Mountain"s upper-level art of immortals. However, Cang Yu remained silent, so silent that Ling Xi thought that he would slap her or a whip would fly over in the next moment. Her body trembled slightly.

In the end, he asked, "Do you still remember Feng Shu?"

With a gust of the wind, the petals of the lotus flowers fluttered around and fell onto the dust in front of Ling Xi. She suddenly remembered that year before the Sword Trial, the sea of flowers at Tianmai Peak. White-clothed Feng Shu stood among the flowers. Under the sunset, he was like a G.o.d that had descended to the human realm and sighed, "Will you stay at my side forever?"

At that time, she had an answer.

She will, as long as Feng Shu doesn"t abandon her. Even if she was teased every day by senior brother Qing Kui, she was willing to stay by his side and be that silly Ling Xi.

Now, Cang Yu actually asked if she still remembered him…

Ling Xi"s nose fell itchy. Many people still took her as the fool who didn"t remember anything. However, even if she didn"t remember anything during those years, she had never forgotten big brother. Not to mention that her mind had become clear now. Even if she still doesn"t remember things now, she will never forget eldest senior brother.

"He was willing to let his immortal souls be dispersed and his mortal parts be scattered. What are you willing to do for him?" Cang Yu asked.

Ling Xi restrained her emotions and said solemnly, "Ling Xi had received the grace of being educated by eldest senior brother for three years and countless graces of being saved by him. Without eldest senior brother, there wouldn"t be today"s Ling Xi. If I can…Ling Xi is willing to do everything for him!"

Three years ago, when she had received one G.o.dly lash and almost lost her consciousness, her only thought was to wake up, practice well, become supremo"s disciple and fulfill eldest senior brother"s wish. At that time, she naively thought that as long as she practices well, perhaps one day, eldest senior brother"s souls would return back to their place…

It wasn"t until when she read some books in the study that introduced the immortal"s devices that she came to the understanding that the silver mirror was only used for gathering souls, those broken fragments of the soul. Even if all was gathered inside the silver mirror, they were only broken fragments. Even if supremo had kept eldest senior"s body, when the broken fragments leave the silver mirror, they would immediately become scattered ashes and disperse into smoke.

"Once, the most important person in Ling Xi"s heart was big brother, is that right?" Cang Yu asked.

Ling Xi nodded. Cang Yu continued to say, "Then, if you can only choose one. Between big brother and Feng Shu, who will you choose?"

Ling Xi froze because of Cang Yu"s baffling question. Why did he had to compare between big brother and eldest senior brother? Why could she only choose one of them? Why didn"t supremo blame her for breaking the barrier when he came to Xuw.a.n.g Cliff, but instead he asked all these "ifs" question?

"Who will you choose?" Cang Yu urged.

There was an empty panic inside Ling Xi"s heart. Big brother and eldest senior brother are both equally important…

"Big brother and eldest senior brother…both love Ling Xi and wouldn"t let Ling Xi make such a difficult choice," Ling Xi whispered as she knelt on the ground.

Cang Yu sighed slightly, "You didn"t disappoint his painstaking effort…"

Based on the few words that Ling Xi said to him today, it could be seen that in the past three years, the false soul that Feng Shu created for her had gradually merged with her own soul. Her mind is now basically no different from ordinary people.

Ling Xi waited in fear for what Cang Yu had to say next. The hands that had turned cold because of nervousness was suddenly pulled up.

Cang Yu held her hands and helped her up. He gently swiped across the black sky. Ling Xi immediately saw a picture in the sky. When she looked closely, it was the bird"s eye view of this continent.

"Child, look at the mortal and immortal realm." When Cang Yu brushed his hand, the picture became clearer. "Do you recognize these mountains?"

Cang Yu pointed at four places on the picture.

Ling Xi frowned and looked for a while. She pointed at the most eastern mountain and said, "Supremo, this should be Cangjia Mountain." Then, she pointed at the other mountains and said, "The west one should be Donghua Mountain. The south one is Liyang Mountain. The north one is Juyu Mountain. Each of the four great sects of the immortal realm occupied one of the mountains. I have read that in a book in eldest senior brother"s study. Is Ling Xi right?"

Cang Yu nodded satisfied, "Then, you must also know that Cangjia sect is the youngest among the four great sects."

"Yes. The book had mentioned that."

"Then, do you know which sect has the most prestige and is the head of the immortal realm?"

"Donghua, right?"

"Yes." Cang Yu gestured slightly with his hand. That picture disappeared in a blink of an eye. He turned around and looked at Ling Xi, "If I tell you that someone at Donghua Mountain can save Feng Shu and bring him back, Ling Xi, would you really do as you said…use your everything?"