novelzi Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Nie Yinzhi could tell that one side in the battle outside was desperately protecting the hall. The "young master" they mentioned must be Gu Jiang. However, the defending side was clearly losing ground, and it wouldn't be long before the hall was breached.
She anxiously said, "I'm in the Nie family in Yuan Province. You know that, right? Even if you can't find the Nie family, you can come to the Cloud Scripture Sect to find me. The Cloud Scripture Sect is such a large immortal sect, you’ll definitely find it. I... I will definitely summon you again. You know where I am, so how could you miss me?"
Gu Jiang smiled, his youthful eyes gleaming with tenderness. His slightly immature voice carried a hint of helplessness, "Silly sister, my consciousness is only temporarily trapped in the past. Once I leave, the past version of me won't remember you."
"Even if my consciousness can't leave, 1,900 years—there are too many variables in between. Even the smallest change could accumulate over time, growing into a storm that sweeps into the future. By then, Yuan Province might not even exist. You might not be born into the Nie family, not named Nie Yinzhi, or you might not become a divine maiden or join the Cloud Scripture Sect."
"Where would I go to find you then?"
Nie Yinzhi was at a loss for words, her chest tightening as if she couldn't breathe. Gu Jiang gently brushed her reddened eyes, even though he couldn't actually touch her. "You just need to wait for me."
Nie Yinzhi took a deep breath, tilting her head as if nuzzling into his palm. "Okay."
Gu Jiang looked up at the sky through a crack in the hall. "You should go back. Staying in a time that doesn't belong to you for too long will drain your consciousness."
"No, I want to stay until the very last moment of my consciousness."
Gu Jiang stood up, stepping past her and walking outside. A deafening explosion echoed as the protective array around the hall shattered. The doors and windows of the hall were blown open by a sharp gust of wind, splintered wood flying everywhere, torn curtains billowing like a storm, and pearls scattering across the floor, shattering with piercing cracks.
The sharp wind cut through Gu Jiang's robes like blades.
Nie Yinzhi saw blood splattering into the air. "Gu Jiang!"
The scene before her suddenly began to fade, growing blurrier and more distant. Nie Yinzhi tried desperately to run toward his frail figure, but she only seemed to move further away.
Gu Jiang heard her cry but didn't turn back. "Sorry, I don’t look very good right now."
The image and his voice dissolved together. Nie Yinzhi abruptly opened her eyes, finding herself back in her boudoir. The room was warm from the charcoal fire, filled with a faint scent of incense.
Nie Yinzhi swayed slightly, collapsing onto the bed. Her consciousness was drained, leaving her mind numb and her body devoid of strength. She stared blankly at the ceiling.
[This must be the butterfly effect, right? Knowing the future but being unable to change anything, enduring all the suffering—it's even harder than making changes. The demon lord is so tragic, so tragic.]
[1,900 years? I can't even remember what I did a year ago. How does the demon lord remember what he did back then?]
[Probably just the crucial life decisions. Trivial matters wouldn’t have much impact. Besides, as long as he doesn’t interfere with his past self’s choices, it should be fine.]
[Gu Jiang endured so much suffering to become the Demon Ancestor. My heart aches for him.]
[Ahhhh! Teenage Gu Jiang is so tender, so tender! Damn it, big sister can’t touch you!!]
This time, the young boy in luxurious robes was gone. The person before her had matured a bit, his frame sturdier, dressed in coarse gray-blue clothes with his hair tied back with a cloth strip. He held a long knife—not the Red Leaf, but a plain, battered knife with several notches on its blade.
His spiritual meridians were shattered, his cultivation drained. He had been cast down to the mortal world, reduced to a ragged commoner, blending into a crowd of oppressed and silent refugees as they traversed a dark canyon.
In the time she hadn’t seen him, he had suffered greatly.
Nie Yinzhi clenched her fingers under her sleeves, trying to suppress her emotions. She leaned closer to him, asking in a light tone, "How long has it been since we last met? Why have you grown so much?"
"Seven years," Gu Jiang’s voice was hoarse. Though disheveled, he was still cleaner than those around him, almost out of place. His face was weary, but his eyes remained bright as he smiled. "I can’t call you ‘sister’ anymore."
"You can if you want to," Nie Yinzhi said softly. Hearing movement deep in the canyon, her consciousness spread out with the wind, and she frowned. "Gu Jiang, there’s something ahead..."
"I know, but we have to keep going. There’s no turning back."
His voice was soft, barely echoing in the canyon. The people around them trudged forward numbly, completely uninterested in the man muttering to himself.
Nie Yinzhi sensed the chaotic spiritual pressure behind her. The pressure formed into a gale, forcing even cultivators to retreat, let alone ordinary mortals. The disintegration of the Ancient Law Sect and the conflict among immortals had torn the heavens and earth asunder, sending shockwaves from the cultivation world into the mortal realm. The surging spiritual energy was akin to a flood for the mortals.
The boundary between immortals and mortals, once clear and protective, had now vanished. Spiritual energy from the cultivation world flooded into the mortal realm, saturating the beasts in the mountains and forests, transforming them into colossal creatures. However, these beasts had not gained sentience, making them deadly threats.
A pack of wolves, taking advantage of the night, cornered the group of desperate people.
Nie Yinzhi couldn’t stray more than three steps away from Gu Jiang. Sometimes his blood would pass through her body, but she could do nothing about it, nor was she allowed to. As the first light of dawn broke, the battered and bruised group stumbled into a cave by sheer luck. Before passing out, Gu Jiang said to her, “I’m going to sleep.”
“Alright,” Nie Yinzhi replied softly.
The cave was low and narrow, too small for the overgrown wolves to squeeze through. They huffed and panted at the entrance, their foul breath filling the cave, making it hard to breathe. Nie Yinzhi lay beside Gu Jiang, watching him. He was covered in blood and grime, a sight that made her worry if he would ever open his eyes again.
She gazed at him for a long time before leaning in, pressing her forehead to his. Carefully, she attempted to enter his spiritual sea.
She was met with no resistance. Gu Jiang’s spiritual sea was dark, as it always was before reaching the Nascent Soul Stage. A familiar spiritual thread wrapped around her, and the familiar aura enveloped her instantly.
Nie Yinzhi trembled at the long-awaited embrace. “I can touch you now.”
“You’re sneaking around like a little mouse,” Gu Jiang teased, amused.
Nie Yinzhi paused, then retorted softly, “I’m being cautious. What if I hurt your spiritual sea?”
“I’m unconscious now, without any awareness. If I have a nightmare, it might scare you, sister,” Gu Jiang said innocently.
Nie Yinzhi chuckled lightly. “Sister isn’t afraid. Sister wants to hold you.”