Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 140 - Rainy Night (2)

“Senior Martial Uncle,” Zanxing called out to him, “come sit closer.”

Gu Baiying stared at the rain outside the cave. “There’s a lighting talisman.”

“The lighting talisman just gives light. This is different.” Zanxing poked at the branches. “It’s too cold. The fire will make it warmer.”

Gu Baiying didn’t move.

She thought for a moment, trying to find something to say. “Senior Uncle, I’m a bit hungry. Do you still have the pastries left by the sect master?”

He didn’t respond. Mimi carefully circled the fire, found a safe spot, and lay down, warming its furry tail.

The cave had this single source of warmth, casting shadows that flickered slightly on the stone walls, while outside the cave, the rain continued to fall heavily.

She heard Gu Baiying’s voice, calm and emotionless.

“When I was a child, the sect master told me that the Biyi Blossom tree in the Elysium Hall courtyard was transplanted by my mother.”

“She used many spirit herbs to water it, and the Biyi Blossom tree grew quickly. In less than six months, it was already full of branches and leaves.”

“But the Biyi Blossom tree never bloomed.”

“I heard that my mother used illusion magic to make the Biyi Blossom tree bloom, making the Elysium Hall lively. When I grew up, I always believed that if the Biyi Blossom tree bloomed, she would return.”

The young man spoke softly, “That’s why I learned illusion magic.”

Zanxing’s heart stirred. In the inn courtyard in Li’er Country, Gu Baiying had once disparaged illusion magic. At that time, Zanxing had asked him, “According to Senior Uncle, if illusion magic is neither meaningful nor advantageous for us cultivators, why do you still learn it? It can’t be just to see a blooming tree in winter, can it?”

It turned out he really had learned it for a blooming tree.

“The sect master told me that my mother was born in the sect and loved eating the pear flower cakes made by the sect master. So I learned to make them too. I thought that when she returned, I could make them for her myself.”

“I waited for many years, but she never came back.”

His voice scattered in the wind, as if it were about to freeze in the night. The young man leaned against the stone wall, gazing at the distant, heavy mountain scenery. The firelight in the cave reflected in his pupils like stars, silent and beautiful. His colorful hair ribbon, not as vibrant as before, softly rested on his shoulder like a dark flower.

“I often wondered what my birth father looked like and speculated about my mother’s expression when she saw me.”

And then?

Fate seemed somewhat cruel to him. There were no earth-shattering grudges, but there were countless twists of fate.

“Fairy Qinghua was an extraordinary person,” Zanxing said softly. “Grandmaster Gu was also a person with a great sense of justice. Without them, there would be no present-day cultivation world, nor the current peace for the people. You should be grateful they weren’t bad people.”

“I know.”

He lowered his eyelids, and it seemed as though decades of facade had found a crack in this moment, in this cold and lonely rainy night, and suddenly shattered under the slightest pressure.

Zanxing glanced over and noticed tiny sparkling tears between the young man’s lashes. His pearl-colored cloud satin robe shimmered with bright red geese in flight, yet he appeared so utterly lonely, as if the heavens and earth had left him alone to sit in desolation.

“…Senior Uncle,” she asked softly, “are you crying?”

Gu Baiying did not answer.

Mimi lazily rolled over, the warm orange fire continuing to burn tirelessly, driving away the cold of the rainy night.

Zanxing shifted closer to him and whispered, “Senior Uncle, in this world, some people are very lucky, and some are not so lucky. Fairy Qinghua and Grandmaster Gu were perhaps a bit unlucky, but being able to reunite is always a joyful thing.” She picked up a twig, its tip still glowing faintly with fire, casting a dim light on the rainy night. “Look, on a night like this, Fairy Qinghua and Grandmaster Gu once spent time together too. Perhaps they spoke of the same things we have.”

“Between people, aside from meeting, there is only separation. Often more separation than meeting. That’s just how life goes.” Zanxing looked into the distance, the cave dividing the world into two halves—inside, warmth enveloped them, while outside, it was as cold as a winter night.

“If you hadn’t followed us into the Li’er Country’s secret realm, if Men Dong hadn’t gone to pick that golden flower, if Tang Tianxin hadn’t come out to disrupt things, if I hadn’t been caught by the Jinhua Tiger, if we hadn’t fallen into the stone chamber together, if I hadn’t learned the Qing’e Flower-Picking Staff technique, if you hadn’t been injured trying to save me… we wouldn’t have entered the secret chamber, seen that painting, or had your reunion with Fairy Qinghua.” Zanxing continued, “You see, so many ‘ifs,’ and missing even one wouldn’t have worked, yet here we are, seeing your mother again. It seems destiny wanted you two to meet again. Looking at it this way, maybe your luck isn’t so bad after all.”

She smiled gently and moved the twig closer to Gu Baiying, sharing a subtle warmth. “The Biyi blossoms of the Elysium Hall are the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever seen. Learning this illusion magic isn’t a loss at all.”

“Illusions are fake,” Gu Baiying finally spoke.

“But your desire for it to bloom at that moment was real,” Zanxing said. “Isn’t it?”

He remained silent.

“Pear blossom cakes are delicious too, Gu Baiying. Trust me, if Fairy Qinghua tasted them, she would surely love them too.” She nudged his arm gently.

The cave fell into silence.

After a long, long time, the young man furrowed his brow, as if gradually pulling away from the melancholic emotions. He turned his head, his gaze brightening like it did in days past, and asked, “Who allowed you to call me by my name?”

Zanxing was taken aback.

“Yang Zanxing, I am your senior uncle, your elder. You are my junior. You are not allowed to call me like that in the future,” he glanced at the twig burning in Zanxing’s hand, stepped aside, and warned, “And don’t get so close to me either.”

Oh, so he’s back to being lively again?

Zanxing looked at him, seeing his cold expression, seemingly somewhat displeased, as he took out a sound-transmitting charm from the Qiankun Bag, presumably preparing to search for someone early the next morning. This eased her mind a little.

Her friends used to say she seemed to attract the affection of small cats and dogs, with stray cats downstairs always circling around her feet. And the way Gu Baiying sat quietly with his head down just now, like a rain-soaked little dog unwilling to come indoors, was indeed quite pitiful.

So she could only patiently gather some words to comfort the young man, unsure if those words would ease his mind even slightly. However, someone who could live that carefree in the sect, even if it was a facade, wouldn’t be a fragile person. She had no doubt he would soon emerge from this.

Returning to the fire pit, she tossed the twig into the burning flames and casually remarked, “Alright, don’t worry, Senior Uncle. I won’t tell anyone that you cried. I’ll definitely keep your secret, especially if you can give me more pear blossom cakes.”

Gu Baiying’s expression changed slightly, “Are you threatening me?” Then he realized, “Who cried? Yang Zanxing, don’t talk nonsense!”

Zanxing shrugged, “Tsk tsk tsk, I went through the trouble of comforting you sincerely, but it turns out senior sect members also don’t like to speak the truth. Forget it, let’s not talk about it anymore. No one saw it anyways.”

“Yang Zanxing!”

Inside the cave, amidst the noise, Mimi raised her eyelids to glance at the bickering pair, stretched lazily, and then went back to sleep. In the cold and rainy night, the fire pit burned quietly, flickering as if it might burn out in the next moment, yet shining as if it would never extinguish.

*

The rain gradually subsided.

From pouring rain to drizzling drops, the mountain night remained cold but the wind had ceased.

The dry twigs in the fire crackled, emitting a faint sound. Despite being just a small pile, the warmth filled the cave completely.

The head of the person beside him bobbed slowly, like a chick pecking at grains of rice, until finally, as if unable to hold on any longer, her head leaned against the young man’s shoulder.

Gu Baiying glanced sideways.

The woman nudged his shoulder, finding his clothing comfortable to lean on. In the dim light of the fire, the dark marks on her cheek faded, making her appear quiet and gentle when her eyes were closed, unlike her annoying self during the day.

Clearly, she was the culprit who stole the Qinchong seeds, and her cultivation was not particularly high. Yet somehow, she was considered the “destined one” who could save the world from calamities. It sounded absurd, but…

But…

His gaze fell on her palm, where two rough clay figurines rested.

But at least tonight, her presence made this moment feel less lonely.

The fat cat by the fire started to purr sleepily. When Gu Baiying reached out to move her head away, about to touch her hair, he caught sight of the cloth strip in her palm.

He froze for a moment, then withdrew his hand after a brief hesitation, allowing the woman to continue leaning against him, deeply asleep.

In the darkness of night, the young man looked towards the cold and silent mountains in the distance.

Perhaps she was right after all. The fire warmth was indeed more comforting than magic talismans. In life, partings outnumber reunions, and he, perhaps, was just a little less fortunate than others.

That’s how life always seemed to be.

*

Zanxing slept until dawn.

When she woke up, sunlight had already pierced through the trees at the mouth of the cave, making her eyes sore. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and saw Gu Baiying walking in from outside, his brocade robe tidy as if freshly cleaned, though it wasn’t clear if he had used a cleaning technique or done something else. He asked, “Shall we, Senior Uncle? What time is it?”

“What do you think?” After Zanxing’s careful guidance last night, this person seemed completely recovered and looked somewhat disdainful. “If all disciples in the sect were as lazy as you, I fear Taiyan Sect would soon become a disgrace to the cultivation world.”

Zanxing yawned and used a cleaning technique to tidy herself up as she stood up. She continued, “I’ve been busy these days. In the Secret Realm inside the painting, I was beaten all over by your mother. It doesn’t concern you, of course, but my back still hurts…”

Fairy Qinghua was truly beautiful and she didn’t hold back.

Gu Baiying was about to speak when suddenly they heard excited shouts from outside, “Senior Sister! Seventh Senior Uncle!”

It was Tian Fangfang’s voice.

Zanxing looked over in surprise and saw Tian Fangfang carrying his golden axe approaching from near the cave, followed by Meng Ying and the others.

“So you’re all here!”