Against the Gods - Volume 09 - Realm of the Gods

by Mars Gravity

“You’re the one awake too early, Senior Su. Your wounds are not fully healed yet, don’t push yourself,” Yun Che approached and said.

  Su Hengshan smiled lightheartedly, patted his chest, and said, “It’s been fine for a long time already. Senior Yun Gu really is like a medical saint of legend. His medical skills are really miraculous. Things like a severing my own life vein, I always thought that even if the Great Firmament Golden Deity was here, it still couldn’t be healed. I never thought that under the miraculous hands of Senior Yun Gu, I am now almost as good as someone who has never been hurt.”

  “Of course.” Yun Che also smiled, “At most, in roughly half a month, Senior Su’s profound energy will also completely recover. Has Senior Su gotten used to living here during your recovery?”

  Su Hengshan held his smile back slightly but he said even more gently, “About that, I feel quite ashamed. Even though I am the master of a sect, the times that I have stepped out of the Rivereast do not add up to much. Originally I thought it would be difficult to get used to a different kind of life, but contrary to my expectations, I am actually extremely relaxed here.”

  Su Hengshan smiled and shook his head, “These days could even be considered the most comfortable days in all my life. I actually don’t even miss life back at Grandwake Sect. It seems like I really am not suitable to be a sect master. This is especially so seeing that Ling’er is safe, found you, and is fortunate enough to have the Medical Saint become her master. Her smile grows warmer by the day and it makes me realize how stupid it was for me to sever my own life vein that day. If I really had died, I cannot imagine what would have become of the smile on Ling’er’s face. Back then I was really… reckless and stupid.”

  Thinking back to that day when he severed his own life vein in order to not become a burden on Yun Che so that he could rescue Ling’er without holding anything back, he still felt a lingering fear.

  “As long as Senior Su likes it here. From now on, feel free to treat this as your home. Also,” Yun Che smiled mysteriously, “Actually, the thing that Ling’er worried most about is Senior Su’s marriage life. Since you have started a new life in a new world, after Senior Su’s wound is fully healed, you should start considering finding your soulmate in your new life.”

  “…” Su Hengshan was stunned. He obviously had never considered this question. He responded awkwardly, “This… Ling’er’s mother passed away early, I…”

  “Eh? Father, Big Brother Yun Che, how come you two are both up this early?”

  While the two men were conversing, they heard a voice that sounded like the spring water in a quiet valley. Su Ling’er walked towards them with light footsteps, smiled, and looked at the two most important men in her life, “What are you two talking about?”

  “Of course it’s matters between men,” Yun Che smiled and said.

  Su Ling’er’s pink lips opened slightly and said with her nose up high, “Could you two be talking about… something bad? Big Brother Yun Che, you… you cannot turn my father into a playboy like you.”

  “…” Yun Che felt embarrassed all of a sudden and Su Hengshan had already burst into laughter.

  “Father, this is not funny. You don’t know that Big Brother Yun Che has Sister Cang Yue, Sister Xue’er, even the Little Demon Empress… and he married another sister when he was only sixteen…” Su Ling’er didn’t need to hide anything in front of her father and started counting all of Yun Che’s “crimes.” At the very end she added, “This is not the same Big Brother Yun Che that I knew in the past…”

  “Hahahaha…” Su Hengshan laughed even harder. Who didn’t know Yun Che’s name in Demon Imperial City? These days, he had already known about Yun Che’s complicated situation. He smiled and said, “Ling’er, when you first met Che’er, you were only ten. Of course it would be different.”

  “…You wouldn’t understand even if I told you!” Su Ling’er came forward and grabbed Yun Che’s arm, “Big Brother Yun Che, I’m going to gather medicinal herbs outside of the city. Come with me?”

  “Gather medicinal herbs?” Yun Che was full of confusion, “Yun Family has all kinds of medicinal herbs, why are you going outside of the city to gather them?”

  “Gathering medicinal herbs is not the main purpose. It is mainly to recognize different herbs.” Su Ling’er said seriously, “Master said to become a real doctor, knowing different flowers and medicinal herbs, poisonous plants and insects is the very basics. Master is resting now and cannot be disturbed. So Big Brother Yun Che, you are of course the best suitable temporary Master. Let’s go!”

  After finishing her sentence, Su Ling’er blinked playfully… She was the only person in this world aside from him that knew he was once Yun Gu’s disciple.

  “Ah… Alright.”

  Yun Che bade farewell to Su Hengshan and left while linking arms with Su Ling’er.

  Seeing the two of them being so intimate with each other from afar, Su Hengshan continued smiling. Having arrived at the Illusory Demon Realm only ten days ago, he already felt that a life like this was perhaps more suited for him. He did not need to take on responsibility or be on guard. There was no more stress, heart breaks, toleration, anger, sadness… From a long time ago, he felt that he was completely unsuited to being a sect master and now he was even more sure of it.

  “Looks like, it is indeed time to find myself a partner,” Su Hengshan smiled as he said to himself, “At least it can make Ling’er worry less.”

  There was a rather small forest terrain east of Demon Imperial City that was home to hundreds of flora. After entering, Su Ling’er started picking and identifying different types of plants near the edge of the terrain with a serious look on her face.

  “Limestone Flower… Parasol Leaves… Coldsilk Buds… this is called… Sage Grass?”

  “No, these are Fish Odor Vine,” Yun Che immediately corrected her and said, “It looks similar to Sage Grass but there are some minor difference on their leaves. If you smell it closely, there is an obvious difference. Fish Odor Vines have a slight smell of fish.”

  Su Ling’er picked it up carefully, smelled it and exclaimed, “It’s true! Big Brother Yun Che, how are you able to recognize it right away even when you are this far away?”

  Even though Su Ling’er had recovered her memories from her previous life, for some reason her personality and character were obviously leaning towards this life… She lost the unresolvable depression from her previous life and gained more of the innocence and naivety of a sixteen year old young girl. Yun Che spoke with an elder-like attitude, “Ling’er, you just started learning about medicine, it is pretty impressive for you to be able to identify so much. You don’t have to rush at all. After all, I wandered with Master for twenty years in the Azure Cloud Continent and dealt with different types of medicinal herbs every day. It would be hard to not get to know them well. Later on, as long as I was in contact with the medicinal herb, I didn’t need to look at it. I knew immediately what it was just by slightly smelling it.”

  Right after he finished speaking, Yun Che paused there… He could use these words to impress other women but Ling’er already knew all about it since a long time ago.

  “Hehe…” Su Ling’er stuck her tongue out towards him, “Yes, yes, yes, Big Brother Yun Che, hurry and come teach me then.”

  Under Su Ling’er’s enthusiasm for learning, Yun Che went into mentor mode.

  “This red flower is called the Dragonblood Vine. It is useless for curing diseases but it is a medicine that can help practice cultivation.”

  “This is a Left Spirit Seed, cold attribute, can be consumed directly…”

  “This is a Towerpond Flower, it is a medicinal flower that can be crushed to apply externally and it can cure some snake venom that are not too severe.”

  “This is…”

  “I know this… it’s Jasmine!”

  “…” It was as if Yun Che’s soul had been ruthlessly stabbed by something as he was startled in place.

  “Wow! So
many Jasmine. I can’t believe they would grow in a place like this. It’s as if someone meticulously planted them here.”

  Ahead of them was a moist land with many snow-white Jasmine Flowers blooming all together. At first glance, there were as many as a couple hundred flowers. The flowers were small but they were perfectly pure white. The fragrance was light but it was so elegant that it could cleanse one’s soul.

  The Su Ling’er from the “previous life” really liked jasmine flowers and the Su Ling’er now was the same. She was almost hypnotized when admiring the Jasmine sea, even her vigorous curiosity was suppressed. She closed her eyes, took a deep whiff of the Jasmine aroma, then turned around and said smilingly, “Big Brother Yun Che, say, do you think the Jasmine here is…”

  She didn’t notice anything unusual with her back turned earlier but she now saw Yun Che’s dull expression and glazed eyes after having turned around. His face was clearly covered with an expression that seem sorrowful. She panicked and immediately threw herself onto Yun Che, “Big Brother Yun Che, what’s wrong?”

  “…” Su Ling’er’s call brought him back to reality. He immediately forced a smile and said, “Nothing, I just suddenly thought of something.”

  “You mean… thought of someone?” Su Ling’er looked up, feeling Yun Che’s chaotic heartbeat and said softly, “The person related to the jasmine flower, is it a girl?”

  “…” Yun Che opened his arms and held Su Ling’er softly. He said guiltily, “Ling’er, you are right by my side. I know I shouldn’t think about someone else but I…”

  “Big Brother Yun Che,” Su Ling’er shook her head instead and smiled softly. At this moment, she seemed to have lost the immaturity of a sixteen year old and became the Su Ling’er of the past who had always spoiled him with love, “That’s okay, I like the way you are now. Do you remember what I said back then when I was in your arms?”

  Yun Che, “…”

  “Never let down the girl that is willing to do anything for you again… and never give up on the girl that you are willing to do anything for. If Big Brother Yun Che’s heart is incomplete because of some regret, then my heart will also be incomplete forever,” Su Ling’er mumbled softly, as if she was sleep talking.

  After experiencing two lifetimes, experiencing the true meaning of the parting of life and death, then regaining something after losing it, she was very clear on what she wanted and was even more clear about what an incomplete soul felt like.

  “She was my master…” Yun Che said softly.

  Su Ling’er, “…”

  “She left. When she left, everything that she said was relentless. She cut off our master disciple relationship, said that we will never meet again, and told me never to attempt to look for her.” Yun Che closed his eyes. He spoke very calmly. He could reveal the voice suppressed deep down his soul as much as he wanted in front of Su Ling’er, “But I know the things she said weren’t true. It must have been hard for her to leave me. Even though I don’t know a lot of things about her, her character, thoughts, her concern for me and the reliance she showed towards me sometimes… I know them better than anyone in this world… but the place she’s going is too far away. I might… really never see her again in my life.”

  “I made my decision a long time ago to separate from her. But… I overestimated myself. I did not expect to be so uneasy with her not around. I seem to unwittingly see glimpses of her shadow in my heart everyday. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, it’s like I am under some strange spell.”

  Su Ling’er tried to picture what that girl could possibly look like quietly in her mind and said gently, “I believe Big Brother Yun Che’s feelings. She must have her reason or difficulties to have said something like that. Even if… you two really don’t meet again, you still have us and me. At least, I will never leave you… Even if one day you were to force me to leave, I would shamelessly stick by your side.”

  Yun Che didn’t say another word; he only held Su Ling’er even tighter. The two of them lingered together before the jasmine flower field for a long, long time.

  Chapter 920: In Broad Daylight

  “Yongan, be careful, don’t rush anything… Ah, be careful, be careful. Hehehe…”

  Xiao Yongan moved his young and tender limbs as he nimbly crawled across the wooden couch, letting out delighted squeals of laughter from time to time. Xiao Lie watched him vigilantly from the side. His only fear was that Xiao Yongan would accidentally fall over but other than that, a broad smile stretched across his face.

  “Yongan is truly outstanding. He isn’t even two months old yet but he can already crawl around so quickly,” Xiao Lingxi said with both hands resting on her chin as she smiled merrily at Xiao Yongan. Every time Xiao Yongan’s gaze shifted towards her, she could not help but pull an adorable funny face at him.

  “Perhaps in another two or three months, he will already have learned how to walk,” Xiao Lie said with a laugh. After all, Xiao Yongan was no ordinary child, his mother was the princess of the elven race so he had an extraordinary constitution and innate talent.

  “Ah.” At this moment, Xiao Lie seemed to have remembered something as a soft sigh escaped his lips. He mumbled to himself in a soft voice, “I’ve barely noticed it but quite a few months have passed since we left Floating Cloud City.”

  Xiao Lingxi, “…”

  “Ling’er.” Xiao Lie said as he gave Xiao Lingxi a deep look, “You’re not young anymore. It’s about time for you to start thinking about marriage.”

  “Ah?” She never expected Xiao Lie to suddenly give voice to such a thing so Xiao Lingxi was caught completely off guard as she stood there in stunned silence. After that she replied in a frenetic and hurried fashion, “I, I, I… I’ve never thought about such a thing, I’ve only ever thought about how to take care of you, Father.”

  “Hoho.” Xiao Lie gave a chuckle, “Ah, this child of mine, you’ve always been far too filial and you’ve never been able to stop caring about this old man. Those years where my body was not well were truly a burden to you. It has nearly been eight years since Che’er first got married, if I don’t marry you off soon, I’m afraid your mother in heaven is going to blame me to death.”

  “There are quite a number of gentlemen who have their eyes on you in this Demon Imperial City. Furthermore, each and every one of them comes from unordinary backgrounds. Have any of them caught your eye? If they have, should Father help you make this known?”

  “No, no! Of course not!” Xiao Lingxi hurriedly shook her head. Just as she was so bewildered and flustered that she was at a loss as to what to do, Yun Che came along and greeted them, “Grandfather, Little Aunt.”

  The cavalry had arrived and Xiao Lingxi immediately stood up and said, “Little Che, have you recovered from your wounds?”

  “I’ve already fully recovered and I just took Ling’er on a tour around the city,” Yun Che said with a smile. After that, he extended a hand towards Xiao Yongan, “Yongan, let uncle hug you!”

  “Wahahahaha!” Just as Yun Che extended a hand, an incomparably boisterous and rough laugh rang out from the outside. Greatest Ambition Under Heaven swaggered in, his face ruddy and glowing, a small wooden horse in his hand, “My obedient grandchild, your grandfather has come to see you. Look at the nice present your grandfather has brought for you today!”

  Greatest Ambition Under Heaven’s voice could be said to be earth-shaking. Once he heard it, Xiao Yongan stopped crawling, his lips curling up before he abruptly started bawling his eyes out.

  Number Seven Under Heaven heard the sound of crying and practically flew over. She scooped up Xiao Yongan in her arms and immediately started to soothe and coddle him. She also did not forget to give Greatest Ambition Under Heaven a good scolding, “Father! This is already the eighth time! Would it kill you to shut up when you come by?!”

  “…” Greatest Ambition Under Heaven stood there in a completely embarrassed state. He gave Xiao Lie a rueful laugh before speaking, “Ah, old fellow, would
you take a look at this memory of mine… Oh, oh, oh, my obedient grandchild, don’t cry, don’t cry. Your grandfather will definitely be quieter the next time around.”

  Yun Che laughed and shook his head as he witnessed this scene. After that, he walked up to Xiao Lingxi’s side and said, “Little Aunt, let’s go out first. I happen to have something I want to talk to you about.”

  As the two people walked out of the courtyard, Yun Che observed Xiao Lingxi’s current state and asked suspiciously, “Lingxi, something seems to be on your mind?”

  “Father, he… is probably homesick,” Xiao Lingxi said in a gloomy voice.

  “Homesick huh…” Yun Che said while nodding his head, “Actually, I could tell as well. Grandfather has always had deep-rooted feelings for Floating Cloud City and this time around he has left it for such a distant place and for such a long period of time too.”

  Yun Che had also brought him to Blue Wind Imperial City several years ago and Xiao Lie had been directly taken care of by Cang Yue. Everything there had been one hundred times better than that small Floating Cloud City, but in the end, he had not stayed for too long and insisted on returning to Floating Cloud City… even if that place held many unhappy memories for him. Now that he had been in the Illusory Demon Realm for the past few months, even though he had tried his best to cover it up, Yun Che could still tell that his homesickness was growing heavier as the days passed.

  It was as if there was something that he was unable to part with in Floating Cloud City.

  “Actually… Rather than saying Father is sentimental over Floating Cloud City, it would be better to say that he is unable to forget my mother,” Xiao Lingxi said in a soft voice.

  “Your mother?” Yun Che asked in a stunned voice.

  Xiao Lingxi had never seen her mother, because her mother had passed away not long after Xiao Lingxi was born. He might have seen her before but at that time, he was only one year old, so he basically had no impressions of her and she had not left even a blurred outline in his memories.