After Sheng Jun Chapter 63 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 63 Ting Xue’s Return (part 1)
Consciousness drifted in chaos for an unknown length of time, until finally, a glimmer of light appeared in the vast white mist.
His soul rushed toward that opening, breaking through the light. In an instant, Jiang Xingzhi opened his eyes!
What met his gaze was a scene all too familiar.
Even in the night, he could still clearly see the surrounding landscape of singing birds, fragrant flowers, lakes, and mountain forests. Rare spiritual plants were planted everywhere across the mountains and fields as if they cost nothing, with exquisite artificial hills and refined palaces scattered before his eyes.
Jiang Xingzhi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly widened his eyes in delight: It was his Qiting Mountain!
In an instant, he flew swiftly over palaces and mountain forests, his entire body wrapped in abundant spiritual power. He had never been as certain as he was now that he had truly returned—he had returned to a thousand years later, he had come home!
The blue figure danced wildly with excitement among the mountains and forests. Smooth and abundant spiritual power flowed from Jiang Xingzhi's palms, "whooshing" as it stirred up the clear waves in the lake, swept through the leaves in the forest, and scattered the full moonlight.
Hooray~ He, Jiang Xingzhi, was back again!
As he was bouncing about, he suddenly paused: Wait, he had returned, but what about Xu Jian?
"......" Jiang Xingzhi's excited mood suddenly calmed down considerably.
He immediately turned and flew out of Qiting Mountain, heading toward Xu Jian's Fuqing Mountain.
The two's main peaks were far apart, one south and one north. But under Jiang Xingzhi's full speed, he reached the outskirts of Fuqing Mountain north of Jiuzhou in less than half a moment.
His form easily passed through the barrier that had never been set against him. Jiang Xingzhi landed on the peak of Fuqing Mountain and, without caring about anything else, shouted loudly, "Xu Jian!"
The cold, empty mountaintop only echoed his voice back.
He looked around in all directions, extending his divine consciousness to search for Xu Jian's aura. "Xu Jian, are you there!"
His divine consciousness covered the entire Fuqing Mountain like a vast ocean, but he couldn't find the figure he was looking for. Jiang Xingzhi personally searched through the mountain again, but it was still completely empty.
His heart suddenly grew half cold: Oh no, Xu Jian was left behind a thousand years ago!
The originally joyful mood instantly receded by more than half. Jiang Xingzhi was anxious: That's why he wanted to find someone to go home with, but in the middle of the night, who knew where Xu Jian had gone!
...Wait, if he was suddenly sent back home, it meant everything from a thousand years ago had been completely wrapped up. That guy Xu Jian, could he have secretly gone to the Demon Realm to suppress spirits in the middle of the night behind his back?
A breath of cold air suddenly entered his lungs.
Jiang Xingzhi was truly shocked: Xu Jian was really a clever little devil—to avoid exposing his identity, he worked so desperately!
Now this was great—he had returned first.
He didn't dare imagine what expression Xu Jian would have when he returned from the Demon Realm all happy to Kunlun, only to discover he was gone...
Jiang Xingzhi stood in the empty mountains for a long while, his head aching terribly. Fortunately, in his anxiety he remembered that Wu Jie had once said: Xu Jian could also return, but they would return in different ways. Only then did his heart calm down somewhat.
As long as he could return, it was good. There was probably just a small time difference—he would wait a bit longer.
With his mind slightly settled, Jiang Xingzhi's attention quickly turned to other matters—when he originally had the obsession to return home, besides Xu Jian, there was also his viewing fee.
Oh~ the viewing fee! The corners of his mouth slowly curved up.
His figure instantly left Fuqing Mountain, heading toward the Xuantian Sword Sect under the moonlight.
Lin Xiao He, hand it over!
****
Xuantian Sword Sect.
In Deputy Sect Master Lin He's room, large patches of clear light filled the windowsill.
It was the middle of the night, and Lin He was neither meditating nor sleeping. He held a pile of paper money, gazing melancholically at the moonlight above, and after a long while, let out a dejected sigh.
The second year after Jiang Xingzhi's death—he missed him.
Tomorrow at noon he would go burn some paper money for him again, hoping that Xingzhi's departed soul could live prosperously in the underworld too...
"Lin Xiao He, your grandfather has returned!"
A familiar voice thunderously broke the night's tranquility!
A face suddenly appeared in the moonlit window frame—the visitor, bathed in moonlight, was snow-white all over. Probably due to joy, those widened pupils seemed to glow.
"Waaaaahhh... Damn!"
Lin He was instantly scared out of his wits, the paper money in his hands scattering "rustling" all over the sky.
Through the gaps between the flying paper money, Jiang Xingzhi met Lin He's eyes. He waved away the paper money and entered the room directly through the window, landing in front of the soul-shocked Lin He.
"In the middle of the night, what are you doing holding a pile of paper money?"
Lin He was scared senseless, stammering and shrinking into a ball, staring at the pale, pale Jiang Xingzhi. "Holy shit, holy shit... a gh-gh-ghost!"
He muttered to himself, "Worthy of being Jiang Xingzhi—just hearing there's money, he couldn't even wait for me to burn it over, and came running himself!"
Jiang Xingzhi: "......"
He reached out and "smacked" Lin He on the forehead. "Sober up. I'm alive and well—why burn paper money? You'd better give me the viewing fee instead."
Lin He was startled by the sudden smack on his head, scared into another jump as he clutched his Xuantian Sword tightly. He was about to pull out a talisman from his chest to throw over when he suddenly noticed something wrong: How was the hand that smacked his forehead warm? And quite solid-feeling too.
He "gulped" and swallowed, steadied himself, and carefully looked at Jiang Xingzhi in front of him.
It was that familiar face, and that familiar figure. Even the light that bloomed in his eyes when money was mentioned was exactly the same as before.
...Was this really his good buddy Jiang Xingzhi?
Seeing the person holding a Xuantian Sword and staring at him timidly, Jiang Xingzhi was speechless for a moment, then snapped his fingers, "pop," lighting the candles in the room.
Warm bright light instantly illuminated the dark room, and the originally eerie atmosphere finally dissipated by more than half.
Jiang Xingzhi stood by the window, his complexion no longer as pale as before, with his shadow swaying with the candlelight—he actually looked like a living person.
Lin He's mouth opened and closed, tentatively making a sound, "Xingzhi?"
Jiang Xingzhi looked at him disdainfully. "Look at your courage."
Only then did Lin He slowly rise from the bed, boldly moving closer to observe carefully, even extending a finger to gently poke the person's arm. "The real body? Alive?"
Jiang Xingzhi slapped his hand away. "Can you speak properly?"
Lin He shrank his neck, still in shock from the dead coming back to life. "Are you really the original? Not some kind of possession, or puppet technique..."
Swish! His natal sword Chu Ji flew out from his waist, suspended in mid-air. Jiang Xingzhi's divine consciousness extended a wisp, corresponding with Chu Ji.
The familiar aura lingered in Lin He's room, finally settling most of his heart.
Lin He breathed a sigh of relief, joy rising in his heart. He moved over to turn the person around several times, examining him carefully. "What happened? How did you come back to life?"
"It's a long story—I'll tell you another day." Jiang Xingzhi sighed, then didn't forget his original purpose as he extended his hand. "The viewing fee, quick quick quick."
"......"
Lin He was now completely certain: this money-obsessed expression was definitely Jiang Xingzhi without a doubt. He wordlessly took out that generous viewing fee from his storage bag and handed it over.
Jiang Xingzhi happily counted the viewing fee while asking him, "By the way, what was everyone's reaction after I failed my tribulation?"
"Of course they were deeply saddened!" Lin He immediately looked grief-stricken. "And everyone even crowdfunded to build you a statue, placed right in the center of the Mystic Platform. People go to worship you every day."
The money-counting motion paused. Jiang Xingzhi was delighted. "For blessings?"
"No, as a warning. To bless themselves not to end up like you."
"...???"
Could these people have some manners!
****
Unimportant people were quickly and generously forgiven by Jiang Xingzhi.
He licked his dry lips and asked about the topic he cared about most, seemingly casually, "So, what about Xu Jian?"
"Oh!" This time Lin He reacted greatly, even clapping his hands. "Do you know? On the day of your tribulation, Xu Jian Sheng Jun actually came!"
Jiang Xingzhi's heart stirred. "He came?"
"Yes, he probably concealed his aura and hid in the crowd the whole time, so you didn't see him."
Lin He recalled the scene from that day, his expression both shocked and emotional. "Just at the moment your soul scattered, Xu Jian suddenly called your name and rushed toward the Mystic Platform."
Jiang Xingzhi's eyes widened slightly. He suddenly remembered that desperate shout he heard before dying.
...So it was Xu Jian.
Lin He didn't notice his unusual expression and continued, "I've never seen Xu Jian Sheng Jun like that. His eyes were red then, and his sword intent was surging madly! You might not like hearing this... but he looked exactly like someone whose dao companion had died."
After saying this, he carefully glanced at Jiang Xingzhi's expression. But he saw the latter wasn't displeased at all—instead, he was staring blankly with his mouth open, and the corners of his eyes and cheeks seemed to have turned red.
Lin He: ...???
Jiang Xingzhi snapped back to attention after being stunned, suppressing the emotions in his heart as he asked, "And then?"
Lin He replied, "Then Xu Jian Sheng Jun split the sky with one sword! He forcibly stopped the remaining heavenly thunder, and you still had a wisp of soul that hadn't been struck apart—it floated up to the heavens."
Jiang Xingzhi felt he should be moved, but when he imagined that scene... thinking of his wisp of soul floating and swaying, he was inexplicably hit by the humor of it and couldn't help giggling.
He ascended to heaven, giggle giggle...
Lin He had been immersed in the sad and solemn atmosphere, but suddenly hearing the person across from him laugh out loud, he frowned and cast an incomprehensible look:
How could someone laugh so pleasantly when hearing about their own death scene?