Chapter 4 — Nguyet Lac Vo Tuong

Diep Anh quickly distracted my attention, his talent even crushed Giang Thanh Viet. It only took half a year for him to catch up with the other person's ten years of practice. "I didn't know that at that time, that kid had those thoughts with you..." "He became a demon. If it wasn't for you secretly imposing this matter and using forbidden magic to change the bones between the two of you, Jiang Qing Viet would be a demon who was chased and killed today." Speaking of this, the master's voice clearly showed dissatisfaction. "So what happened after that? Why did I become like this?" "Huh, then? You and he exchanged bones, you were seriously injured. If I hadn't arrived in time, you would have turned into a handful of loess now! Your bloodline combined with my treasure saved your life, but you had to turn into a child and be taken to a secret realm to recuperate. By the time I took you back, your bones still couldn't be restored." "That year you were sixteen, twenty-one, I have never seen anyone with talent like you. Even someone who was only 'half-seasoned' like Giang Thanh Viet, thanks to your roots, is now called the first person of the younger generation." The steam of tea obscured the master's face. I could only hear his deep voice: "A Du, have you ever regretted it?" Have I… ever regretted it? I don't know. I only see a slow dull pain in my heart. I know my past, know why Giang Thanh Viet clearly has feelings for me, but still rejects me; I know he didn't leave because he was avoiding me. It's as if in just a moment, we know too much — to the point where memories pile up in our heads, pushing us out, lost with nowhere to cling to. In the end, I only know that I thought for a long time, then replied to my master: "I don't regret it. Even though I don't know why I did it at that time, I made the choice, and I won't regret it. It's not related to love, I just believed in my own judgment at that time." Leaving my master's place, I walked straight to my senior brother's cave. The World Immortals of the Department of Precepts are the type that overcome spiritual defense and attack directly into the physical body. Although not fatal, the pain is excruciating, and the wound is difficult to close. One hundred and eight lashes down, your back will be covered in blood and flesh, just looking at it will make you shudder. When I arrived, Giang Thanh Viet was applying medicine to himself. His movements were not convenient, so I stepped forward and took the medicine bottle from his hand. He briefly froze when he saw me, his eyes were initially a bit surprised, then he just remained silent, turning his back to me. For a long time, neither of us spoke. It wasn't until I finished applying the last layer of medicine that he gently moved his dry lips: "A Du, you know everything... right?" "YES." “Do you… do you regret liking me?” His voice trembled, like a small dog about to be abandoned by its owner, completely lacking any coldness in my memory. “No. I don't regret it.” “Can you… tell me more about our past, Giang Thanh Viet?” So Giang Thanh Viet began to tell. From his memories, I glimpsed the "me" of the past - blazing with arrogance, born with superiority, strong, tolerant, upright, perfect... completely different from me now. I am me, but I'm not me. Giang Thanh Viet likes me, but I don't know if he loves me now, or me then. A feeling A strange feeling arises - we realize that we and the "me" before were connected, but when those memories are told from someone else's mouth, the current "me" is like a third person interjecting into our own story. We fall into a contradiction that is difficult to resolve. They are good to me because of me, but I can't erase the feeling of difference between us. Leaving Giang Thanh Viet's cave, we went straight to the Store House. I looked up my bloodline, then looked up my master's secret treasure. It's very strange - after knowing everything, I suddenly become extremely hungry... wanting to understand more clearly, more deeply, about the old "me". Because of my poor roots and always living in the shadow of the "genius" of my master and brothers, I struggled miserably for a long time. Having tried hard and given up, in the end I just pretended to be calm, turning myself into a superficial cultivator in the eyes of people. I know I still like Giang Thanh Viet, but now... I want to find my old self even more. For seven days in a row, I buried myself in the Archives, searching but finding nothing. Unexpectedly, when the willow darkened the flower, it was thanks to Phong Nhu Du. "I heard that your sister has been staying at the Archives Pavilion recently, so I guess you must know about the past. I originally took you as my goal to enter the sect. The two of us promised to squarely fight each other. Unexpected events caused the promise to be broken. Knowing your situation, I also found a way to help. The sword of wisdom that I gave you that day... was the key." He bowed and bowed: "If one day senior sister finds herself again, I hope to have the opportunity to honestly discuss with me." I brought the wisdom sword to see the master. His eyes flashed with joy, but mixed with a bit of bitterness. Finally, the person's voice became calm: "Ah Du, even if you regain your memories, if you don't have that core, you still can't go back to the way it was before. Have you thought about it carefully?" I was just about to nod when Giang Thanh Viet pushed the door open and walked in. “Master, please return my essence to A Du.” "Do you consider the root as white cabbage? Take it if you want, pay it back if you want?" Giang Thanh Viet was silent, his face was pale, his injuries had not yet healed, his whole body was noticeably thinner. I'm still determined to get my memories back. The Master transmitted spiritual energy into my body, the sword wisdom floated in mid-air, gradually becoming corrupted. As soon as some things touch the mind, they are like fireworks exploding brilliantly, all the past - the years of arrogant adulthood, the wild youth - suddenly merges into us. Then I fell asleep for three months. When I woke up, my essence had returned — Giang Thanh Viet... really gave it back to me. As for him, he has long since gone downhill. I instinctively wanted to go find him, but my master stopped me: [That was his fate. Now his cultivation level has fallen to Truc Co, returning to the human world, he can still live a short life of a hundred years.] [Because of cause and effect, the relationship between you should have ended here.] [A Du, you know very well, your natural talent is destined to ascend to the upper world.] [You and he... are not on the same path.] I lay on the bed, silent for a long time, and finally softly said: "A hundred years of Truc Co, I will be with him for a hundred years. Wait until the end of this life with him, I will fly away. If I don't go today, he will become my demon mind.” I found Giang Thanh Viet's whereabouts in Dao Phong village - actually, it's not difficult to guess, because this is where I first met him. That year, I picked him up here, brought him back to the sect, and then all the events that followed happened. He returned to his old place, I'm not surprised. But when I appeared to look for him, he looked surprised. He stayed here for half a year, becoming the village's monk. Perhaps because his core had been taken away, even though he was still Truc Co, his physical condition was still worse than that of ordinary people. I sealed off my cultivation base and stayed here with him. A year later, we got married. I began to learn how to live like a mortal, slowly growing old with him. We don't have children, because I know this fate will eventually end. But that doesn't matter — we all cherish every day we spend together. The children in the village liked him very much, and the villagers also respected him very much. It was the most peaceful life we have ever had. Therefore, when he closed his eyes, he still smiled: "A Du, even though I know that your gray hair is just an illusion... But in this life, I have no regrets anymore. Go, A Du, do what you have to do.” Giang Thanh Viet and I have lived together in the human world for 59 years. I used to think he was Truc Co and could probably last a hundred years. But his body was already full of injuries, and in the end he still couldn't hold on. I know the fate has ended. The day after he passed away, I - as Giang Thanh Viet's wife, Ta Du - committed suicide to follow my husband. The villagers took my mortal body, buried it with him, and built a stele. I returned to the sect and had a refreshing battle with Phong Nhu Du. He was defeated by my hands, and his eyes rarely showed true joy. After that, we went into seclusion. In the 45th year since Giang Thanh Viet left, I ascended. From then on... one person, without entanglements, without attachment.