Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 273 - The Root of Emotion (2)

The moonlight was bright and clear, casting a glow on the child’s hairpin, making it look like a blooming lotus flower, delicate and pink.

His face still bore traces of tears, as if he wanted to pour out all the grievances he had been holding back for a long time, chattering incessantly: “This Demon Extermination Army was sent to investigate the Five-Wheel Pagoda. Their cultivation levels are already low, and putting Martial Uncle in there is just to make him the scapegoat. If they win, it will be credited to the Demon Extermination Army. If they lose, Martial Uncle will face criticism from all the major sects. Brother Mu, Brother Tian, Senior Sister Meng and I couldn’t bear to watch, so we volunteered to join as well. Luckily, we were there, otherwise, just look at them—they are even worse than your demon clan.”

Men Dong was clearly very angry, and at this point, didn’t care about any sense of propriety.

Zanxing understood now why the cultivation levels within this team were so uneven.

“Later, Senior Sister Pu Tao from the Xiang Ling Sect found out about this and brought a few senior sisters to join. A while ago, Nie Xinghong from the Yinfeng Sect was punished for harassing the sect leader and volunteered to join the Demon Extermination Army to make up for his mistakes. These are the stronger ones. As for those from the Chihua Sect,” Men Dong snorted, “they appear to be our own people, but in reality, they are just here to monitor us. Sometimes, you even have to guard against them stabbing you in the back, they are completely untrustworthy. So we are really in a tough spot having to do this.”

Zanxing finally understood the whole situation and genuinely sighed, “It’s really not easy.”

Men Dong glanced at Zanxing and asked, “Aren’t you angry?”

“Why should I be angry?”

“Martial Uncle doesn’t remember you and even fought with you. Aren’t you angry?”

“To be honest, I was a bit angry at first,” Zanxing thought for a moment. “But hearing what you said, it’s not entirely his fault. Besides, we haven’t even entered the Five-Wheel Pagoda yet. It’s meaningless to dwell on these matters. As you said, we might all die here, so remembering or forgetting doesn’t really matter.”

Men Dong was momentarily speechless, probably not expecting Zanxing to be so open-minded. He stood up from the ground, dusted himself off, took a few steps towards Zanxing, seemingly having made a decision, and looked up at Zanxing. “You and Martial Uncle are truly fated but ill-suited. Now that he has lost his memory, who knows when he will remember the past. You must feel very disappointed.”

Zanxing looked at him, not understanding what he was trying to say.

“Why don’t you consider me instead?” Men Dong said with a flushed face. “Although I’m not as handsome as Martial Uncle and don’t have his level of cultivation, I’m still somewhat promising for the future. Martial Uncle losing his memory is partly my fault. How about I offer myself to you as compensation? Would you make do with me?”

Zanxing: “…..”

She withdrew her smile and flicked Men Dong’s forehead with her finger: “Thank you for your thoughtful consideration, but I have no intention of committing any offences.”

*

The wind ceased at the highest point.

The distant illusion of flowering trees had completely vanished, the remaining petals scattered, and the night forest was quiet and solitary. Moonlight flowed down from the treetops, brushing past the fish swimming near the pond.

The black and white rooftops were separated like night and day, clear skies and moonlit nights, never intersecting.

Inside the house, footsteps began to sound.

The woman lying on the bed, fully dressed, heard the noise, opened her eyes, and sat up to look at the person entering the room.

The lights in the room were lit.

“Seventh Martial Uncle,” Meng Ying said softly.

Gu Baiying withdrew his hand from lighting the lamp. Under the light, the young man’s appearance was striking, but his eyes were as deep as a dark, flowing current.

“Men Dong went to Yang Zanxing’s room,” he said after a long pause, his voice calm. “They seem to be quite familiar with each other.”

Meng Ying remained silent.

“Tian Fangfang, Mu Cengxiao, and even you seem to be quite familiar with her as well.” The young man tapped his fingers on the table, watching the flickering light as if deep in thought. “When I woke up, I had lost more than a year’s worth of memories. There were rumors in the sect that the demon clan’s Yang Zanxing had infiltrated Gufeng Mountain, and I was bewitched by her, losing my mind and even helping her escape from the killing formation. Later, the sect leader helped clear my mind, and I recovered, but lost my memories from then on.”

“There are some things that don’t add up,” he said slowly. “I sensed the aura of my own primordial soul on Yang Zanxing.”

“My primordial soul was damaged, and the sect leader told me it was caused by the demon clan.”

“Men Dong tends to exaggerate. Tian Fangfang and Mu Cengxiao are from Miaokong Hall. And you, having grown up by Yue Qin’s side, don’t know how to lie, so I’m asking you.” The young man looked at Meng Ying, his tone carrying a hint of pressing urgency. “Was my primordial soul truly damaged by the demon clan?”

The lamp flickered in the dimly lit room, illuminating the two silent faces.

Meng Ying lowered her gaze, remaining silent.

The young man was not impatient, he waited patiently and quietly for her to speak.

Meng Ying, who was the most valued disciple of Yue Qin in the entire sect, had been groomed as a future sect leader since childhood. She was so innocent that she didn’t even understand what lying was. Her answers, given her calm and rational nature, would never contain a shred of falsehood.

After a long while, Meng Ying finally spoke: “Seventh Martial Uncle, I’m not very clear about your matters.”

“Two years ago, I went to Miaokong Hall to find Brother Mu and discovered that there were many books in his study box.”

Gu Baiying frowned slightly, not understanding why Meng Ying suddenly brought up this matter.

“These books were quite unusual. They included titles like One Hundred Dating Spots in the Cultivation World, Collection of Romantic Sayings, A Step-by-Step Guide to Pursuing a Dao Partner, and The White Moonlight Who Became an Immortal After Cultivation, and so on.”

Gu Baiying was somewhat perplexed. That Mu Cengxiao would read such books indicated that he was indeed not focusing on cultivation. Finding such books in the sect’s library must have been no easy task.

“I asked Brother Mu why he collected these books, and he said it was a request from you.”

The young man’s brow twitched sharply, and he instinctively said, “Impossible.”

Meng Ying glanced at him, her expression very complex. “And shortly after that, Junior Sister Zanxing fell into the Ten Thousand Killing Formation.”

“As you know, there is no possibility of survival for the Demon Clan once trapped in the Ten Thousand Killing Formation. But Junior Sister Zanxing not only survived but also escaped under everyone’s watch.”

“Because you had used the Soul Division Technique to split a part of your primordial soul and place it in her body, helping her to block the myriad killing intents in the formation.”

The young man’s expression changed slightly, and his eyes betrayed his shock.

This was truly unlike something he would do, but Meng Ying would never lie.

“Martial Uncle, I don’t understand matters of affection very well, but according to the books, you should have feelings for Junior Sister Zanxing and want her to be your Dao partner. You even sacrificed a part of your primordial soul to protect her from the pursuit of the major sects.”

The girl’s expression remained as cold as ever, but her words fell like a boulder into a deep pool, creating immense ripples.

“You had deep feelings for her, feelings as deep as the sea.”