My Husband’s Ascension C25 (Part 1)
Chapter 25.1 Paramour
“——Miss Immortal! Miss Immortal!”
Stepping out of the property brokerage, Zhongli Shun, who had fallen behind, broke into a hurried run to catch up.
The little boy, his black hair tousled, his youthful, handsome features tinged with unease, panted as he spoke. “D–Did I upset you again, Miss Immortal?”
When he had spoken of the Zhongli Clan earlier in the shop, the young woman had shown no reaction. However, at the mention of Dao Lord Tianshu, she subtly stiffened, and the atmosphere imperceptibly changed.
It was only then that Zhongli Shun recalled: Dao Lord Tianshu seemed to be a topic his prospective master could not tolerate.
By the time they’d chosen several mountains and were ready to survey them firsthand, Zhongli Shun, who had been trying to remain composed, finally felt a wave of panic.
Before Zhao Zhao could say anything, Yao Ling, seizing the opportunity, gleefully teased, “If you want to join our sect, you must shout three times, ‘Dao Lord Tianshu is a big bad guy!’ So, are you going to do it or not?”
“……”
Zhongli Shun found himself at a loss for words.
He genuinely wanted to become her disciple, but he couldn’t understand why his admiration for Dao Lord Tianshu had suddenly become a point of conflict.
The earnest, stubborn boy stood frozen, torn in two, his eyes beginning to glisten with unshed tears.
Zhao Zhao had no choice but to take his hand, crouching down to patiently explain, “You’re different from Yao Ling and Rong Yu. You have a clan, you have a family. Whether you become my disciple isn’t something we can decide on our own.”
Zhongli Shun’s shoulders slumped, and he looked utterly dejected.
“But…” Zhao Zhao couldn’t help softening a little. She lifted her face into a smile, coaxing him gently, “If you want to visit our sect, you can come anytime. I promise you’ll always be welcome.”
Though her words were meant to reassure, the simple promise lifted some of the gloom from Zhongli Shun’s heart.
He clung to her sleeve, unwilling to let go. “Then…could Miss Immortal do me a favor?”
“What favor?”
Biting his lip, Zhongli Shun spoke with a touch of shyness, “Miss Immortal, you’re so powerful, surely you can send a message to Immortal Realm of Kunwu, right? I want to inform Dao Lord Tianshu of the current state of the Zhongli Clan. But I’ve heard from the clan that Dao Lord is currently close-door cultivating at the Blessed Land of Langhuan. No one knows when he will return. Could you… maybe help?”
Close-door cultivating...at the Blessed Land of Langhuan?
Although Zhao Zhao had her threads of attachment severed, she hadn’t lost all memory of Dao Lord Tianshu. Hearing news of an old acquaintance so suddenly, she was momentarily caught off guard.
Why would he choose to go into close-door cultivation at the Blessed Land of Langhuan?
Li Feng, ever the one to enjoy stirring up trouble, quietly sidled up to her ear and let out a mischievous laugh. “Don’t you suppose Dao Lord chose to enter close-door cultivation in the Blessed Land of Langhuan because he’s burdened with guilt over your death?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
As far as Kunwu was concerned, she had perished long ago within the Blessed Land of Langhuan.
Even if he felt guilty, that guilt was meaningless to a dead person; it was merely a way for the living to ease their own conscience.
Moreover…
“I won’t indulge in such sentimental fantasies anymore.”
Zhao Zhao looked at the little boy, his face tense with worry as if afraid she might refuse, and sighed. Since Dao Lord Tianshu was already in close-door cultivation, even if a message reached Kunwu, it wouldn’t be him personally resolving this matter.
After a moment’s thought, she reached out and patted his head.
“Alright, I’ll grant your request.”
…
Three days passed before a letter-bearing crow from the Jimo Sea arrived at Immortal Realm of Kunwu’s gates.
“…Lord Yaoguang, these are the documents you are to review today.”
Lord Yaoguang, who had plans to drink with his senior brother of the Moyan Sect, was just about to step out when his attendant disciple (侍书弟子) arrived with a bundle of official papers. He gave a quiet sigh, lamenting he shouldn’t have idled that extra while in bed.
“Just leave it on my desk,” Lord Yaoguang said, folding his fan to cover his mouth, speaking with a mock seriousness. “I’m heading to Crystal Jade Cliff (玉清崖) to cultivate; I’ll look at it later.”
The attendant disciple glanced at the mountain of documents piled atop Lord Yaoguang’s desk, his tone calm but firm,“Lord Yaoguang, the other elders’ documents are reviewed within half a day. Only the ones sent to you have lingered four or five days without being processed. Perhaps you should pay them more attention?”
Lord Yaoguang leaned against the doorframe, dropping the pretense of diligence. “All of these are trivial matters from various sects. Does it really matter if I look at them? Besides, Dao Lord Tianshu is in close-door cultivation now, who else could hold me accountable?”
The attendant disciple: "..."
The attendant disciple: “…Most are trivial matters, but there is one from Daoist Ming Jue of Cloudculm Abode. I thought perhaps you should take a look at it.”
Lord Yaoguang, ever engrossed in amusement and indulgence, rarely concerned himself with the affairs of other sects. Only when Cloudculm Abode relocated from Small Sword Pass had he bothered to inquire about the reason, which was why the attendant disciple made the suggestion.
As expected, Lord Yaoguang straightened up, shedding some of his usual idleness, “Bring it here.”
He quickly scanned the letter and his expression gradually grew solemn.
Though he held a high position and could not oversee every minor matter, the sudden decline of the Zhongli Clan into such a state was truly shocking.
“Inform the Senior Brother of the Mo Yan Sect I won’t be visiting him today…”
Lord Yaoguang held the letter, about to head toward the Elder Hall, but his steps suddenly faltered.
The attendant disciple had just acknowledged him when he looked up, only to see Lord Yaoguang mount his sword—not toward the Elder Hall, but flying westward, straight for Western Region.
Western Region…
Lord Yaoguang’s destination lay at Small Sword Pass, Western Region.
Dao Lord Tianshu had been in close-door cultivation for three months.
During these three months, there had been no news at all. Though such silence was expected during close-door cultivation, thinking back to Tianshu’s state before entering, Lord Yaoguang could not help but feel uneasy.
If this letter concerning the Zhongli Clan could bring him out of close-door cultivation, then the journey would not have been in vain.
Amidst the thick mists, the Blessed Land of Langhuan drew near.
Lord Yaoguang raised his hands to form a seal and closed his eyes in meditation. For someone of his age to hold the rank of Elder at Kunwu, it was not diligence that had brought him there, but a prodigious talent that advanced by leaps and bounds.
A seal that would normally require dozens of disciples to unravel took him only an hour.
An hour later, the vast and intricate Three Talents Seal (三才之法) was completely unraveled.
Lord Yaoguang stepped into the Blessed Land of Langhuan without hesitation and made straight for the Soul-Shattering Abyss. As expected, there he found the figure of Dao Lord Tianshu.
The wind blowing up from the cliff was icy and foul, offering no benefit to close-door cultivation, yet the graceful, immortal silhouette still sat at the cliff’s edge, the very spot where Xie Tanzhao and Shi Lanyan had fallen.
His silver-snow robe, shredded by sword qi into strips, bore bloodstains both fresh and old, scattered across the fabric like crimson plum blossoms buried in snow.
Even in battles against the Demon and Ghost Realms, Lord Yaoguang had never seen him in such a wretched state. The irony was that the one who had inflicted such wounds was no one else but himself.
Lord Yaoguang let out a cold scoff.
“Dao Lord Tianshu, matters have come to such a pass, are you still resolved to remain here, harming yourself day after day?”
Ever since Lord Yaoguang had stepped into the Blessed Land of Langhuan, Dao Lord Tianshu had sensed his approach.
Having just suppressed a surge of uncontrollable sword intent within him, his snowy lashes lifted slightly, and his lips, pale as paper, moved ever so slightly.
“What are you holding in your hand?”
Seeing that Tianshu did not answer his question, Lord Yaoguang felt an urge to scold him outright for being such a stubborn mule. Yet he restrained himself, instead raising his hand to send the letter toward Dao Lord Tianshu with a pulse of spiritual energy.
“This is a letter from Jimo Sea delivered today. There are some issues with the Zhongli Clan.”
Dao Lord Tianshu took the letter but did not look at it immediately, instead fixing his gaze on Lord Yaoguang, who was quite a distance away.
Lord Yaoguang’s tone was rather particular. “Consider yourself lucky that I even came to deliver this. With your current state, I’d be worried you might go mad and strike me down without warning.”
“…”
Dao Lord Tianshu avoided idle words; his weakened body made even the simplest task of opening the thin envelope a prolonged effort.
When he finally withdrew the letter, he did not open it immediately. The first thing he saw was the signature inside: Zhongli Shun.
His hand froze abruptly.
Seeing the change in his expression, Lord Yaoguang asked, “What’s the matter? Do you know this Zhongli Shun?”
Of course, he did not know any Zhongli Shun.
Yet as Tianshu traced the peculiar folds of the letter, an involuntary sense of familiarity rose in his chest.
The common way to fold a letter is into thirds, allowing it to slide perfectly into an envelope.
But Xie Tanzhao had always liked to fold the recipient’s name on the outside.
—Why fold it this way?
He remembered asking that very question before.
The young woman had carefully folded a letter addressed to ‘My Husband Lanshu,’ slipped it into an envelope, then pulled it out again with a bright smile to demonstrate to him.
—If folded in this manner, the moment you pull out the letter, you see your name.
—I’m afraid that if it’s just a letter, a few lines, you might not feel how much I miss you. But if it’s folded this way, you see me calling your name the instant you open it; doesn’t that let you feel it more?
He could hear his past self laughing in his memory.
That gentle, lighthearted laughter filled his chest, surging up from his throat uncontrollably.
—Little liar…I know you do this for everyone you write to.
The young woman had nestled coquettishly into his arms, her bright eyes gazing up at him.
—I’m not lying. Anyway, when you’re away, you must think of me every day, every moment. I’ll be right here, waiting for you to come home.
His fingers tightened slightly around the letter.
The wind rising from the depths of the Soul-Shattering Abyss rustled the paper, making a faint crinkling sound.
“Tell me once more, where did this letter come from?”
“Jimo Sea,” Lord Yaoguang replied, drawing closer. He plucked the letter from Dao Lord Tianshu’s hand and glanced over it again. “There’s nothing wrong with the content. And the handwriting looks like a child’s. What’s strange about it?”
“The paper.” Dao Lord Tianshu lowered his gaze toward the bottomless abyss before him. “This is the folding style Xie Tanzhao used to favor.”
Lord Yaoguang hadn’t expected such a train of thought. Following the creases, he folded the paper again, and indeed, the pattern differed subtly from the usual way.
However—
“My good friend, it’s one thing to fool yourself, but don’t drag me into it. I’m not the one driven mad by love. Xie Tanzhao is dead; she fell right in front of you. Even you can’t move freely through that miasma. Do you truly think she could have survived, then traveled all the way to Jimo Sea?”
Dao Lord Tianshu raised his gaze, unmoved. “You’ve always been neglectful when it comes to handling correspondence. Yet today, the moment Jimo Sea’s letter arrived, you brought it straight to me. This letter was never sent under the name ‘Zhongli Shun,’ was it? Who was the real sender?”
Caught so neatly, Lord Yaoguang rubbed his nose in embarrassment. “Very well, consider yourself clever… This was sent by Daoist Ming Jue of Cloudculm Abode.”
For an instant, the wind seemed to halt.
The blood coursing through Tianshu’s veins suddenly began to boil. Something within his consciousness howled and surged, battering against his body, desperate to burst free and rampage outward.
The very spiritual energy in the air began to quake.
Sensing the shift, Lord Yaoguang immediately tried to pour his own spiritual power into him, to help suppress the sword intent running amok within.
But before he could act, the backlash from Dao Lord Tianshu’s erupting energy struck him and hurled him backward.
Dao Lord Tianshu closed his eyes.
No need for concern; such circumstances have arisen before.
He merely needed to steady his breath, quiet his mind, and anchor his spirit. Then, sink his consciousness into the vessel of his soul within.
He began to strip away those sweet, timeworn memories from his very core, along with every lingering thread of emotion that clung to him like silk.
It was only a faint crease on a letter—what of it?
Daoist Ming Jue was her master; for them to share such small similarities was only natural.
She was dead.
She had died here, right before his eyes, at a place that he could have reached, had his cultivation been a little higher.
…What more is there to be unreconciled? What is there to be still searching for? What proof did you hope to find?
He interrogated himself thus, just as he had done every time his control slipped.
And yet…
This time…
From the very depths of the vessel of his soul, a voice rose, soft and echoing—
I want to see her.
Dao Lord Tianshu turned sharply—
Only to find that, in the corner of his mind where reason could no longer reach, the emotions and memories he thought he had torn away had, at some unknown point, filled his world once more.
