Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 295 - Yansheng (2)

Xiao Chun and Gui Yansheng left the village.

The village was no longer an option. Ahead lay an unfamiliar town. Xiao Chun took Gui Yansheng to find a place to stay in the town. He had a talent for beautiful woodworking and supplied a local carpenter’s shop at prices lower than others, barely making a living.

Xiao Chun, on the other hand, found work at an embroidery shop, earning a bit of money by making embroidered handkerchiefs.

Xiao Chun often said to Gui Yansheng, “Thank you for saving me.”

She was the eldest daughter in her family, with two younger brothers. Her mother was weak, and her father drank heavily, often coming home drunk and beating her and her mother. If Gui Yansheng hadn’t stepped in that night, Xiao Chun would have faced a lifetime of disgrace, being pointed at by others as a woman of ill repute. The best outcome would have been if the farmer had agreed to marry her.

By escaping with Gui Yansheng, she had also escaped from a life like her mother’s, one that was plainly visible. Naturally, a commoner who associated with demons could no longer return to a simple, ordinary life.

Xiao Chun was always very cautious. She worried about Gui Yansheng’s identity being discovered by others and would rebind his eyes with clean cloth every night. She often gazed at Gui Yansheng’s eyes without any hint of fear, smiling and saying, “Your eyes are really beautiful. They’re the color of the sun.”

His gaze rested on the smiling face of the girl before him, and he moved his lips slightly, “Aren’t you afraid?”

“Why should I be afraid? Only royalty would use gold. Your eyes are gold. Maybe your identity is quite precious too?” The girl’s brows showed pure innocence. “Perhaps one day, someone will come looking for you, claiming you’re a royal bloodline lost among the common people.” Xiao Chun giggled: “When that day comes, don’t forget about me, your friend through hardships.”

He looked at the girl’s radiant smile, shifted his gaze, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.

The peaceful days passed quickly.

In the years they spent in the town, Gui Yansheng became even more taciturn than before. He no longer concerned himself with the affairs of others and focused solely on his work in the carpenter’s shop. Xiao Chun, meanwhile, grew more and more beautiful each day. At her age, most women would be getting married. Wealthy merchants came with lavish gifts, subtly expressing their desire to take Xiao Chun as a concubine, but she politely declined. There were also unscrupulous old widowers who, seeing her beauty, harbored ill intentions.

Troubles multiplied.

For a pair of young people without power or influence, and with such extraordinary beauty, surviving in a complex world was fraught with difficulties.

One day, a beast attacked people in the town. Two sword-wielding cultivators arrived from afar and killed the beast. The cultivators rested in the carpenter’s shop, and when Xiao Chun served them tea, she overheard their casual conversation.

“There was so much commotion. I thought it might be a demonic scourge, but it turned out to be just a beast.”

“Lucky it was just a beast. If it had been a demonic scourge, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”

Curious, Xiao Chun asked the cultivators, “Masters, what is a demonic scourge?”

Seeing her innocent and beautiful appearance, the cultivators smiled and replied, “A demonic scourge is a powerful demon clan member, often with unusual eye or hair colors. If you encounter one, even with our combined strength, we might not be able to defeat it. You, little girl, should do your best to avoid them.”

Their conversation was overheard by Gui Yansheng, who was in the next room chopping wood. His expression changed, and his grip on the axe tightened.

That night, when Xiao Chun replaced the cloth on his face, she whispered, “Yansheng, you heard what the two masters said today. Are you… are you…”

Gui Yansheng was silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head. “I don’t know.”

For all the years he had lived, aside from his eyes, he had never felt any difference between himself and ordinary people. The two cultivators were right next door, and they hadn’t noticed anything unusual about him. He didn’t know if he was a demon.

“Yansheng,” Xiao Chun looked at him, hesitating for a long while before finally asking, “Have you ever thought about finding your father?”

Gui Yansheng was taken aback.

The word ‘father’ felt too distant to him. Jiang Yiru had never revealed his father’s name before she died, and she had never mentioned it during her lifetime. Gui Yansheng had always thought that, perhaps as the villagers said, his father was a heartless and unfaithful man who abandoned his wife and child. His life, he believed, had nothing to do with that person.

But now, someone was suggesting that perhaps his father was not an ordinary person, and perhaps his mother’s refusal to tell him his father’s name had some hidden reason.

“We’ve lived here for quite some time. Recently, the manager of the silver shop has been coming around more often, and the old widower who used to look for you is still around. A few days ago, I ran into Mrs. Wang from our village while buying rice in the town. I’m not sure if she saw me,” Xiao Chun’s voice grew softer and softer. She looked up, trying hard to hide her anxiety, but a trace of fear still showed in her eyes.

They had no money, no power, and no family. All they had was each other, relying on each other to survive. They had hoped to live quietly in this world, but fate was harsh, constantly bringing trouble to their doorstep.

If he were to become a demon, wouldn’t he no longer be hunted and driven away like a stray dog? Wouldn’t he be able to live openly and confidently in the town, with his golden eyes no longer a mark of strangeness, shining brightly like the sun?

Xiao Chun continued, “If you’re unwilling…”

He interrupted her, “I’m not unwilling.”

Xiao Chun was taken aback, looking at him in silence.

“Let’s go,” Gui Yansheng said slowly. “We’re going to the Demon Realm.”

Xiao Chun was quick-witted and soon gathered information from the cultivators about the location of the Demon Realm. They packed their belongings lightly and set off with a bit of money. Along the way, they faced countless dangers and difficulties, overcoming them one by one.

The hardest part was during a torrential downpour. They were on a mountain with only a worn-out paper umbrella. The umbrella was too small to cover both of them. They took turns pushing the umbrella towards each other, and eventually, both of them were soaked through.

Xiao Chun curled up her body, looking at the umbrella, and sighed. “Yansheng, when you get to the Demon Realm and become successful, let’s get a bigger umbrella.” She imagined in her mind the most magnificent umbrella and said dreamily, “It would be best if it had beautiful pictures of women on it, all kinds of them. It would be really lovely.”

Gui Yansheng did not speak. After a long time, he finally responded quietly, “Alright.”

The rain gradually stopped, and they continued their journey.

Day after day, night after night, and after an unknown amount of time, a massive black river appeared before them. The river was vast like the sea, with towering waves coming from afar, stretching endlessly. The frothy waves were cold and turbulent, violently separating the land from what lay ahead.

“Mingming River,” Gui Yansheng said, standing still and looking at the great river before them.

“Mingming River,” Xiao Chun murmured.