Flowers of Love
Chapter 6
Note: The Divine Mountain mentioned in this chapter is the Mountain of the G.o.ds. It"s mainly because at the end of the story there"s this memorable line that one of the characters said which mentions this mountain and it sounds very weird using the term "mountain of the G.o.ds" or Mt. Shen so we used a more suitable name for it.
Sincerity in the Abyss
"Her Lord Honor has many matters to attend to, little matters such as a miss-step, naturally wouldn"t have the time to take into account!" In a casual manner, saying it as if it was just a fall, just took a tumble that kind of petty thing. She turned around, raised her hand to feel the pa.s.sage wall besides her, consciously or unconsciously pa.s.sing over the dark patterns on it. "Go this way!"
Bai Zhu frowned, taking a look at her. His expression is complicated, unsettled by a sudden surge of dismay.
This wasn"t something that concerns having time or not. The G.o.ddess Yan Xi is suppose to be her blood related elder sister! Although the G.o.d race itself is fallen to nearly obsolete, but on the Divine Mountain, where followers count to the thousands. Her going missing for an entire month, yet no one has realised it?
The s.p.a.ce between his brows deepens again. He hesitated a little and continued to walk forward.
"After a lapse of 300 years, every forkstop in here, I can still remember clearly. Can this count as a strength?" She flashed a smile, following his steps. The path in the secret pa.s.sageway isn"t an easy walk. Throughout, there are rocks everywhere. Bai Zhu deliberately slowed down his pace, so she could still manage to catch up. "Pity, since it is purposeless remembering. I still end up walking into this secret pa.s.sageway again. Thinking of this visit to the Jade Pool, it"s really asking for trouble." She laughs at her current situation.
"It can"t be considered purposeless." Bai Zhu cut short her self-deprecating words, "Luckily you remember this route, if not, the a.s.sembly would have little hope of surviving!"
"Eh?" Yin Luo raised her head to see the virtuous expression pervading his face. He only wholeheartedly wants to save the a.s.sembly. Those from the Xian realm, do they also share the same great love? "Actually, I can"t really remember everything. G.o.ds have an undying body. I"ve been in this world for well over a thousand years. I can remember everything clearly, save for those 10 years after my birth, I have no mememories of. The G.o.d race has never bothered with the likes of love or feelings. Like right now, I don"t really feel that saving those in the Jade Pool is necessary if not for...." In the middle of the sentence, she quietly took a glance at the pair of intertwined hands and changed her words, "Perhaps it"s because of that, so I don"t remember those ten years that hold the only impressions of my mother! Is this what the humans call....unfilial?"
"A thousand years of memories, having forgotten some is natural. Under the circ.u.mstance of the time, you were still young. Not remembering can be considered normal." Not fast or slow was his reply. He suddenly stopped again, "Up ahead only allows one person to pa.s.s through! I will go first, you must follow close!" Looking into the pa.s.sageway before them that gradually becomes narrower, letting go of her hand, he turned sideways before continuing forward.
"How much farther?"
Yin Luo starred at her empty palm, closing it, "Within a mile!" Picking up her steps, she followed closely.
"One mile." He frowned, pondering, "I"m afraid that once we reach the Jade Pool, there would be guards, so we must put away all energy shields. I fear that these negative energies will enter the body, will you be able to endure it?"
Is it concern again? Yin Luo has never been this happy before, the corner of her lips slightly raised, and nodded. "Don"t worry, although I"m of no help and don"t know any Xian powers, but no matter what I still have the body of a G.o.d. A short exposure to negative energy, even if it enters the body, nothing will happen. But for you....is it really not a problem?" He probably hadn"t been a xian for long, right?
"No need to worry about me!" Bai Zhu lightly smiled, waving his hand and removing that force field that had been shielding them since entering the Abyss. Yin Luo now finally understands the notion of negative energy. Negative energy doesn"t have a body, yet you"re able to feel it coming at you in all directions. Through every pore on your body, it invades, carrying traces of bone-penetrating chill. That chill is not only in the body, it"s as if even your soul is invaded.
A wave of severe pain emits from the heart. The body can"t help but become weakened, collapsing to the ground.
"Yin Luo!" Bai Zhu quickly grabbed her hand, keeping her from falling down. "We can"t stay here for too long, let"s move quickly!"
"Eng!" She softly responded, catching up to his footsteps, moving forward with quick pace. Her eyes remained on his hand that again held onto her hand, a faint happiness secretly forming inside her heart. He doesn"t seem to not like her! This gentle a person, if he can really treat her sincerely, how nice will that be? Even right now, she feels that he treats her very well. In this lifetime of hers, she doesn"t have any wishes, only that there be a person who would sincerely threat her without taking advantage, without deceit! As long as that person is willing to stay with her, even if it"s for a short span of a few years, it"s still good.
Her mouth twitched, little stars igniting in front of her eyes. She wanted to ask, to make sure, but at the same time is afraid it would just be a foundationless happiness. In the end, she didn"t dare to be rash.
"Is there something you want to say?" He slowed down his pace.
"Has Gong Zi been a xian for a long time?" *Young Sir.*
"For some time."
"Have you ever...heard of Liu Hua? *Hua means flower, the name of this flower is Liu Hua.*
His steps slowed down again, "Only growing on the summit of the Divine Mountain, the flower of the G.o.ds. Naturally, I"ve heard of it before."
"Liu Hua is indeed the G.o.d"s Flower, but to the G.o.d lineage, generally in one"s lifetime it would only be used one time!"
"But it"s unknown, which time would that be?"
"Liu Hua is colorless, completely transparent. Never wearing any color, only the blood of a G.o.d can allow it to bloom with color!" Taking a glance at him, Yin Luo touched the bag at her side. In the right corner of the budging bag, there is a raised object with six points. She held her hand tightly against it and takes a deep breath. "So, often those of the G.o.d"s race would use it as a gift to someone they favor or respect."
"So that"s how it is!" Bai Zhu continues to answer in an unhurried manner, making it impossible to read his thoughts.
Yin Luo still cannot help but feel joy. It wasn"t an acceptance, but ultimately not a rejection. "Then in Gong Zi"s heart, is there....someone important?" It"s still proper to clarify.
This time, he did not immediately answer. After walking for awhile, he finally speaks, "There is."
Yin Luo"s heart felt a sudden stuffiness, "Is that so? What kind of person could that be? Where would that person be now?"
He suddenly stopped. Yin Luo hadn"t expected it, almost b.u.mping into him. She hurriedly backed up a step, seeing him turning his head to face her. His brows were still tightened, "Right here."
"Huh?" Yin Luo was taken aback, staring up into his pale flawless face. For a moment, she s.p.a.ced out. After a while she finally understands that he is meaning the a.s.sembly that is trapped here at the Jade Pool. For a moment, she felt slightly guilty. "Someone at the Jade pool is your close kin?"
He turned back around and continued going forward, "No."
"Then must be the person you love?" Her hand tightens into a fist.
His steps came to an apparent stop for a moment. When he continued down the road again, his voice seemed to be holding some anger, "There are some disciples of the sect, and my Shi Xiong is in there!" *An elder sect brother.*
Yin Luo understood that asking like this was quite rude. The road to becoming xian asks for many commitments, amongst is the need to cut off all affairs.
Yet she still can"t restrain herself from asking. His answer did make her very happy, almost making her cry out even. Not a loved one, not a loved one! Only loyalty amongst the members of a sect. Yin Luo could hear the shouts from her heart, wave after wave spilling over. There"s hope, there"s hope! In reality, the true use of the Liu Hua is to propose. She hadn"t said it clearly, but he should understand!
She just continues following him along the entire way like that, going through waves and waves of joy, wrestling with how she should ask him. Him though, after making a few turns, unexpectedly stops again, staring forward and unmoving.
"What is it?" Yin Luo curriously looked ahead in that direction. Just when about to take a step, she was pulled back by him.
"Don"t move! It"s the Tian Ling Zhen!" *A powerful array spell used to hold in powerful people.*
"Tian Ling Zhen?" Yin Luo stared into the empty void ahead. Let her inspect however which way, she"s still unable to pick up anything out of ordinary.
Bai Zhu seems to have noticed her confusion, bends over and picks up a rock and hurls it out ahead. Only seeing that rock souring through the air and suddenly a "pang" sounds through the air , it at once crumbles into dust. Yin Luo finally understands how those numerous disembodied corpses north of the Jade Pool came to be. The stomach gives a churn, unable to restrain her urge and bends over to dry vomit.
"Yin Luo?"
"I....I"m fine." She tries to suppress that nauseous feel, waving her hand, "That tunnel opening ahead opens up to the center of the Jade Pool."
Bai Zhu raised his head and glanced at the hole in front, nodding, "Yes, I can sense the xian energy coming from that direction. It"s only that this Tian Ling Zhen.....didn"t think that it would come all the way underground."
"I"m sorry!" Yin Luo suddenly feels guilty, this trip of theirs is probably in vain. "I didn"t consider how powerful this Tian Ling Zhen can be!"
"You have no fault in that!" He frowned as he looked on ahead, "I hadn"t expected it to be like this either, but according to the current situation, even though down here it is under the influence of the Tian Ling Zhen, but the strength is much weaker!"
"You have a way?" Yin Luo brightens up with hope.
His brows tightened even more though, "Tian Ling Zhen is an array spell left behind by the earlier G.o.d race. Once casted, no one can stop it. One can only breach it by force, destroy it"s center strength and the array itself would break down.
"You"re saying to break into there?" This barrier, where one touch and the body will be smashed to pieces, can it really be broken into?
Bai Zhu frowned, in silent agreement, raised his hand to call out that transparent white sword of his, tightly holding it in his hand.
"I get it!" Yin Luo slowly smiled, yet took a step forward and planted herself in front of him, "I"ll Go!"
He abruptly turned his head to look at her, "Yin Luo...."
"Don"t argue with me!" Knowing what he wants to say, promptly cutting of his word, smiling brilliantly as she turned her head around, "I have the body of a G.o.d! A small Tian Ling Zhen can"t do anything to me."
"But...."
"Can you guarantee that you can come out in one piece?" Yin Luo questioned him back, "No mather what you say, you were still first a human. Although you"ve become a Xian, but you still can"t compare with the body of a G.o.d, right? If you were to get close to this array, you"d definitely be like the rest of them, ending up being torn apart as a result."
Bai Zhu stopped talking, just staring at her with an even more complicated expression, his features gathered into a heap, his fist continually tightening.
He is a smart person, so naturally he should know that at this moment what should be the best decision. That"s why Yin Luo isn"t even a little worried that he would object. She took hold of the Jade Pendant at her front and then took a glance at the Tian Ling Zhen that she just can"t seem to make out. To say she is not afraid, that"s a lie, but standing by the fact that she possesses the body of a G.o.d, more or less it can be of some use!
After taking a step out, was pulled back by him again, "Yin Luo...." He seems to have something to say, lips moving slightly, yet no more words came out.
"You"re concerned for me?" Yin Luo asked.
"Naturally!"
Yin Luo"s smile became even more radiant, slowly widening. Almost like a stolen aquisition, this kind of worry is not something she would dream of in the past. Today, in one day and from this person, she"s able to see it this many times. Quietly inside her heart, it"s dripping with honey, the slightest of sweet. Suddenly, that Tian Ling Zhen doesn"t seem to be that scary. Perhaps right now, she could say it out loud.
"There"s never been someone....that worried about me." She tightly held that jade pendent in her fingers, "G.o.ds have an undying body, having thousands of years of life. From the start, was the race that receives respect from all 6 realms. But I am the disgrace of the G.o.d race. Not only can I not compare with my older sister, even those scattered xians of the Xian realm, I can"t even measure up to. Yet a person like is still of the G.o.d race. Even myself suspects it! So every time I go out, I would bring this jade pendent, to hide the energy on me, to prevent losing face for the G.o.d race! In the start, you were also tricked by this jade, right? But it was also thanks to this jade that I was able to go unnoticed by those up there, and then be able to tell you to come here." She laughs at herself.
"I know what others think about me. Usually, it"s just disregard, but occasionally, there are some that are better tempered, yet come with ulterior motives. I don"t have anything else to ask for, just hope that there would be someone who doesn"t treat me as a G.o.d, just sincerely treat me like usual...that"s all! But it"s a pity that in all these years, there"s only you....only you have treated me sincerely. Even after knowing my ident.i.ty, you still didn"t abandon me. So....today I"m breaking this Tian Ling Zhen, not for the a.s.sembly of the Xian realm.... I"m only....only...."
Bai Zhu did not reply, only silently listening to her. Yet Yin Luo is like having trouble opening up her bottled up heart. She knows that right now, saying these is probably a little despicable, but it"s the only chance she has to say it.
Gritting her teeth, she went forward and took his hand, tightly holding it in her palm. His hand still carried that faint body temperature, warm, like the first time she had held it. It"s even able to warm up the heart.
"Bai Zhu, are you....are you willing to stay with me?"
He was slightly taken aback, starring at her with widened eyes.