Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 357 - The Grand Finale (2)

Gu Baiying went to the Wudanlin Desert.

The desert was desolate and devoid of human presence. The once bustling and lively city oasis had long turned into a mirage, disappearing into the travelers’ dreams.

The sunset fell from the edge of the desert, and the night wind blew in from afar.

The illusory city of Wufan had been shattered, leaving the desert quiet and vast. The stars in the long sky were like diminished campfires, hiding invisible splendid skirts. The drumbeats were passionate, and the songs were fervent, with the girls’ skirts embroidered in red and green, resembling a vividly unfolding long painting.

A handkerchief, seemingly from nowhere, fell onto the sand. Half of it was crumpled by the wind, resembling a folded silk flower.

He had once received such silk flowers here, one after another.

Back then, Zanxing had sat beside him, resting her chin on her hand and looking at the silk flowers in front of him, teaching him not to be rude to others. At that time, under Men Dong’s misunderstanding, he had misinterpreted her expression, thinking she was upset for not receiving a flower and angrily forced others to dance with Zanxing during the festival.

Now that he thought about it, he should have given her a flower back then.

Gu Baiying rested his hands behind his head and lay back against the sand dune.

The Milky Way was directly above him, quietly shimmering in the vast night sky.

Whether real or a mirage, the starry sky was always the same lively.

Xu Douniang had once, like him, dreamt beautiful dreams in such a desert. They had thought the young girl was naive, easily falling for the mirage created by the Snake Shaman. Otherwise, a person with even a bit of thought would doubt how a father who had been missing for years could suddenly appear before them.

But Gu Baiying now understood that when a long-awaited hope appears before you, even the clearest-headed person would find it hard to choose the harshness of the truth.

It might be better to drown in a beautiful dream.

On Gufeng Mountain, beside the Changchun Pool, Pu Tao from the Xiang Ling Sect had asked him, “She is no longer here. Are you still going to wait?”

Gu Baiying had replied, “I’m not afraid of waiting.”

He wasn’t lying. Years ago, on Gufeng Mountain, he had guarded the Biyi Blossom Tree left by Fairy Qinghua, waiting for over a decade without impatience.

He was very patient and adept at waiting.

He was just afraid that this waiting might be the end.

Gu Baiying also visited the treasure trove.

In the wintry valley of the treasure trove, the snow remained as deep as before. Snowflakes fell in flurries, new snow covering the old. The snowfield was vast and jade-like, stretching endlessly.

The two names written side by side in the snow had long been scattered by the wind. Even though he had used a wind-warding technique and carefully guarded the names, they were eventually buried by the heavy snow.

Just like the cities that once existed in the snowfield.

He spent a night there. On the following day, he rewrote the two names and turned to leave.

After that, Gu Baiying went to Yue Mountain.

Yue Mountain was now much more verdant and lush than before.

With the increasing spiritual energy, the vegetation on the mountain had also flourished. A few years ago, the demon clan’s Xiao Shuang had brought several large boxes of seeds to fulfill the promise made years ago—to plant flowers on Yue Mountain.

When Zanxing had led the demon clan into the mountain, they had encountered the Demon Extermination Army right at the entrance. A fierce battle had destroyed the flower forest on Yue Mountain, causing much sorrow for the leaders of the Si Nu Clan and the Si Shi Clan. To gain the help of the Siyou Country, Xiao Shuang had apologized and promised to restore the destroyed flower forest. After the flood, Heishi City returned to normal. With the permission of Bu Jiang, Xiao Shuang came to fulfill the promise and plant flowers.

Years had passed, and the planted flowers and trees had begun to thrive, vibrant and lively, decorating the entire forest. Orchids, peonies, hibiscuses, and begonias, in varying shades and splendor.

The Buddha statues, however, had been significantly damaged. During the height of the flood, many statues were washed away and destroyed. Even though later attempts were made to restore them, they were never quite the same as before, and restoration efforts were eventually abandoned.

Beside the various ponds, wooden signs had been erected. These signs were now more prominent than before, and instead of indecipherable symbols, they simply bore the words: Danger.

Fortunately, the flood had carried away most of the water spirits, and now, visitors to Yue Mountain rarely faced the same unexpected misfortunes as before. Birds, beasts, and leopards still roamed the mountain, vigilantly guarding against unwelcome guests that might damage the flowers and trees.

Qiong Niang and You Lang remained unchanged, despite there being more vacant houses in the Siyou Country at present. The two clan leaders still carried a faint air of world-weariness, and over the years, more people from the Siyou Country had passed away. Eventually, this clan would cease to exist on the land of Douzhou.

Qiong Niang spoke listlessly, “Last night’s heavy rain broke another branch of the newly bloomed peony.”

The changes in the world, the ebb and flow of life, were mere constants. To them, the blooming and wilting of a flower seemed more significant than the vicissitudes of life.

Liuxuan Temple remained the same, with the addition of many honeysuckles in front of the Five-Wheel Pagoda.

The honeysuckle flowers, like small spinning wheels, reflected the golden sunset at the top of the pagoda.

With the destruction of the Two-Life Buddha Wheel, the ‘balance’ of Yue Mountain had been disrupted. One no longer needed to maintain balance to enter the mountain. However, no cultivators now specifically came here for trials. After all, trials without rewards were always seen as unworthy.

The image of the two enemy races being forced to cooperate and enter the mountain together would likely never be seen again in the future.

Gu Baiying could no longer clearly remember what he had said back then, but he still vividly recalled the warmth of her hand when he had held it.

Afterwards, being urged by others, he had gone to deliver medicine to Zanxing. Zanxing had looked at him with a nonchalant expression.

He was usually not very perceptive about emotions and couldn’t understand Zanxing’s sudden aloofness. It wasn’t until much later that someone mentioned having seen Zanxing and Pu Tao talking in the forest that night in Siyou Country.

Men Dong then realized, “When rivals in love meet, their eyes turn red. Martial Uncle, she was jealous!”

So, it turned out she had been jealous.

Gu Baiying looked up and couldn’t help but smile.

Most of the time when he was with her, he was the one anxious and restless. It was only after she left, through various means and from various people, that he began to glimpse her hidden feelings.

The sunset was glaringly bright, like a spinning wheel.

Even the relentless Gui Yansheng, with all his obsession, couldn’t preserve the shadows of the past. Time flowed on, moving forward with the current, leaving only memories for those who remained.

The Two-Life Buddha Wheel had become a legend. There was no such thing as resurrection, and even if there were, it wouldn’t help.

Gui Yansheng was willing to kill all living beings in the Three Realms to save his beloved. Yet Gu Baiying could not do that. His beloved had sacrificed herself to protect all living beings. If possible, he would rather be a mere pawn in the grand design of heaven.

She was indifferent to him but kind to the world.

The young man stood in front of the Buddha Tower for a long time, until the sunset fell from the tower’s peak and sank into the entire mountain. The moon rose from afar, and Yue Mountain was silent and cold in the night.

He walked away, stepping over the mountain’s cold dew, without looking back.