Chapter 43: Undoing the Knot in One’s Heart
“You’re lying!” Wang Xuzhi’s brows raised slightly. “Then, according to what you said, how did you get struck by that strange Mystic Art? And who was the one that did it? And you’re currently at the cultivation level of a Foundation Paragon, it could be seen that you were a practitioner in the past. Then, before you were struck with the Mystic Art, where did you train at?”
Uh… Why did little wimp suddenly become so sharp for?
“I can’t tell you!”
“Why?”
“Because…” If she was going to act, then she would have to act till the end, telling half of the actual truth was the essence behind a false story. Zhu Yao blinked her eyes, and tried hard to make out a helpless and worried look. “I don’t wish for you to be dragged into this. If you were to know too much, I’m afraid you might bring trouble on yourself.”
“……” As expected, Wang Xuzhi was startled, and his eyes instantly became gentler by quite a bit. As though he had thought of something again, he reached out his hand and stroked her head. “As I thought, you two are very alike!”
“Alike? With who? That senior-martial sister you brought up before?” Zhu Yao continued to act.
Wang Xuzhi let out a light sigh, as though he was unwilling to bring up that topic again. “Alright, even if the Mystic Art on your body have been dispelled, you shouldn’t casually run about. Especially that Xiao Yi, you must not easily make contact with him, understand?”
“Why?”
“No questions.” Wang Xuzhi did not explain, and simply pulled her hand and headed outside. “I will return you to the Jade Forest Mountain. Remember not to leave the mountain so easily in the future.”
Zhu Yao could not help but roll his eyes at him. The reason why I came out was because you, stinky brat. But seeing that he was alright, she was no longer worried as well. However, even if he was alright now, it did not mean that he would be this lucky in the future.
After returning to Jade Forest Mountain, she could not help but pull onto Wang Xuzhi, who was about to turn and leave.
“Earlier, did you fight with Xiao Yi at the practice field?”
Wang Xuzhi was silent for a moment, before nodding his head.
Zhu Yao could not help but let out a sigh. “Do you think that, with your cultivation level, you’re able to beat him?”
Wang Xuzhi tightened his fists next to him, and hatefully gritted his teeth. “No!”
“So, you went to pick a fight with him, was to simply seek your own death?” This kid is actually so serious about courting his death as well?
“What do you know?” His face instantly became ashen, filled with the intolerance from his thoughts being hit right on mark, and his emotions suddenly began to burst out. “Do you how it feels to personally see your most important person die right in front of you? Back then, if Xiao Yi had not hesitated… if he had not hesitated!!”
“Then what about you?” Zhu Yao reminded herself not to be soft-hearted, she had to say something that was even harsher. When she saw Wang Xuzhi for the first time after she returned, she knew, her death was the biggest knot in his heart. Hence, he was stuck at the Foundation Paragon bottleneck, and had not progressed. If he were to continue to brood over this, then this knot, would definitely turn into a demon in his heart, and destroy his deity cultivation prospects in the end. And the best way to undo this knot, was to first shatter it.
“You said it was because of Xiao Yi’s hesitation, which led to the death of your most important person. Since she was your most important person, then why did you have to rely on someone else to save her? What were you doing?”
“I… I was maintaining the sword formation back then!” His breathing was a little unsteady, and his eyes began to look blurry.
“So you’re saying, you basically did not have any strength to spare to save her?”
“I…”
“You couldn’t even save her yourself, so what right did you have to push the role of saving her to others? Or are you saying that you did not want to save her in the first place?”
“No, I wanted to save her. But, I……”
“But you don’t have the ability to do so? So, you can’t even save her!”
“I…”
“Xuzhi, in the end, do you hate Xiao Yi for not acting in time, or do you hate yourself for not being able to save her?”
“……” Wang Xuzhi stood rooted to the ground, as though he had suddenly understood something, despair surfaced on his face.
However, she had no choice but to be firm and decisive. “Who you hate has always been yourself, hasn’t it!?”
Wang Xuzhi became completely dispirited, his lips slightly moved, revealing an expression that could not be made out. “What else can I do? Other than feeling remorse, what else can I do?”
“Are you planning to stay remorse like this for your entire life?”
“……”
“If you’re willing to fall into depravity, I don’t care either! However, the person who died for you, how would she feel about it? Do you think she will wish to see you continue down like this?”
Wang Xuzhi strongly shook his head.
Zhu Yao patted on his shoulder. “Since you think that you couldn’t save her because your cultivation was insufficient, then, train to reach a realm that allows you to save people, bastard!”
“……” Wang Xuzhi did not reply, his eyes still looked a little blurry, however, he had finally began to reflect on his own. Dragging his heavy feet, he went back.
Zhu Yao sighed deeply. She had already said what she needed to, after all, there’s a need to give him time to think it through on his own. At the very least, while he’s thinking it through, she need not worry about him running to Xiao Yi and seeking his own death again.
The strange things happening on Xiao Yi were increasing, and she did not know why they were happening either. The strange BUG on his face, and that fresh and clear exclamation mark above his head, no one else could see either of them. Was this giving her a hint or something?
She was beginning to feel that, her resurrection after crossing into this world, was not as simple as it seemed on the surface, and it was even closely related with Xiao Yi.
Zhu Yao had a dream, yet, it did not feel like her own dream either. Because, in the dream, she personally witnessed the life of another person, and that person was even the one who was giving her a terrible headache – Xiao Yi.
Ever since he was young, Xiao Yi was an orphan. He did not have a shockingly complicated background, and was simply a child that was casually thrown away by his family due to a famine. He was like every single beggar, using all possible means to live, and had done many underhanded things. However, he had also suffered from countless of cold stares and had been cast aside many times. Even for just a single bite of rice, he would fight with a wild dog for it. This lasted until he was ten years old, when he was taken in as a disciple and brought to the Ancient Hill Sect.
He was taken in as the Sect Master’s disciple, and was held in high-esteem at first. However, because he offended the Inner Sect disciple, little fatty Zhao, his cultivation was crippled, and was thrown out of the Inner Sect. However, this instead saved him, as when he was in the Outer Sect, he was punished by watching over the Former North Pavilion.
What were placed in the Former North Pavilion were the scraps from weapon refinement in the Sect, and due to a fateful coincidence, he obtained a piece of very strange scrap material. Out of a moment of fun, he wore it on him, however, due to suffering from an injury in a certain incident, his blood dripped onto that piece of scrap, and he realized it was actually the “Metal Spirit”. Ever since the sky and earth was formed, between heaven and earth, the “Metal Spirit” was the purest form of metal spiritual energy which converged into a Spirit. The Metal Spirit had only gained sentience, yet, because it made contact with his blood, it immediately took him as its master.
And incidentally, he had the Metal Spirit Vein as well. The “Metal Spirit”, the spirit which was converged by spiritual energy, had the power to administrate all of the metal spiritual energy in the world, so, possessing the Metal Spirit was equal to possessing the metal spiritual energy of the entire world. And, the Metal Spirit Vein was the firmest Spirit Vein out of the five Spirit Veins, it had a very important effect on controlling weapons, and using sword techniques.
Hence, because of the “Metal Spirit’s” effects, he instantly activated the protagonist’s cheat, his cultivation improved by leaps and bounds, and bult his Foundation in four years. He hid his cultivation, participated in the Inter-Sect Tournament, and even obtained first place, leading him to be taken in as Sovereign Feng Yi’s personal succeeding disciple.