Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ayin’s words fell, and Gu Jin’s face showed surprise. The question left the others bewildered, but only he fell silent.
A hint of apology flickered in his eyes, as if the words were difficult to speak, yet he did not conceal the truth. “Ayin, on the eve of Hua Shu’s departure from Great Marsh Mountain, I lent her the Sky-Shielding Umbrella.”
Ayin narrowed her eyes. The usually lively, cheerful, and straightforward girl now revealed undisguised anger in her gaze. “How generous of you. I played the villain in front of that Peacock Princess to protect the Sky-Shielding Umbrella for you, and you turned around and gave it away. It seems Princess Hua Shu’s reputation for beauty is no exaggeration—just a few words from her, and you obediently handed over our master’s Divine Artifact.”
“Ayin, Hua Shu to me…”
“I know, she showed you kindness on Phoenix Tree Island back then.” Ayin interrupted Gu Jin, her expression stern. “But what about your debt to Feng Yin and the Phoenix Clan? Between your gratitude and your guilt, which weighs more? Hua Shu merely defended you with a few words back then, but what you owe the Phoenix Clan is a life. Before our master ascended, he said Feng Yin’s soul fragments were hidden in the most dangerous and treacherous places across the Three Realms—none of them simple or easy. That’s why he gave you his personal Semi-Divine Artifact for protection. You’ve seen the dangers of the Nine Nether Purgatory. If it weren’t for A Jiu and the Dragon Lord, both of us would have died there. Is repaying the Peacock Princess’s kindness more important, or is your life more important?”
Ayin was raised by Gu Jin and had always been obedient to him, usually like a warm and caring companion. Such accusatory words were almost unimaginable coming from her.
The girl’s expression carried authority, her delicate frame exuding a subtle, formidable presence—a temperament not typical of the timid and cautious Water Condensation Beast clan. San Huo and Bi Bo watched in astonishment, while Gu Jin, burdened by guilt, failed to notice.
“Ayin, I…” Gu Jin, completely unprepared for Ayin’s outburst, was clearly at a loss. Remembering Ayin’s fearless, life-risking moment in the Purgatory, he felt no anger at all.
Gu Jin called out her name, and Ayin waited for him to continue with his excuses. But then, Gu Jin suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, tilted to one side, closed his eyes, and collapsed toward the ground.
Ayin’s heart trembled in alarm, and she immediately rushed forward to support him. However, San Huo was faster. Before Immortal Lord Gu Jin’s robes could even touch the dust, the quick-handed Dragon Lord had already steadied him securely. Ayin was frantic with worry, but she was delicate and weak, having just exhausted her Spiritual Power. Supporting someone was naturally beyond her compared to the tough-skinned dragon.
“Nephew!” Gu Jin’s status made it awkward to address him, so San Huo settled on this compromise. The usually arrogant Dragon Lord’s hands trembled as he held Gu Jin. The sight of Gu Jin coughing up blood made his heart skip beats. He had carefully examined Little Divine Lord Yuan Qi with Divine Power right after they left the Purgatory and found no serious injuries aside from depleted Immortal Power.
As San Huo pondered this, he placed his hand on Gu Jin’s spiritual pulse—and then froze. At that moment, the Little Divine Lord secretly scratched his palm. The Dragon Lord, having lived for tens of thousands of years, understood everything in an instant.
“Dragon Lord, how is A Jin?” Gu Jin was completely shielded by San Huo, and the anxious Ayin couldn’t get close, her voice filled with urgency as she asked repeatedly."He has expended too much Immortal Power and even used his blood to sacrifice the sword, damaging his heart meridian. His injuries are not light." San Huo's voice was heavy as he checked Gu Jin's spiritual pulse, then said with a look of pity, "This injury will likely cost him ten years of Immortal Power cultivation. Little girl, come here and help me take him to Mirror Lake to recover."
Mirror Lake was where Tian Qi resided on Purple Moon Mountain. If it weren't for Gu Jin being the one injured, San Huo wouldn't have dared to casually bring someone there to recuperate.
Unaware of the underlying circumstances, Ayin nervously stepped forward and carefully supported the feigning-unconscious young man toward the bamboo house by Mirror Lake at the back of the mountain, having long forgotten her earlier questioning.
A Jiu transformed into a young fox, tugged at Ayin's skirt, and followed closely behind her without missing a step.
The Dragon Lord watched the young man and girl ahead, stroked his beard, concealed the amusement in his eyes, and sighed with emotion.
Truly worthy of being born of True God Bai Jue and raised by True God Tian Qi—his methods of charming girls were absolutely unparalleled in beauty throughout the Nine Provinces and Eight Wastelands.
By the time the Dragon Lord finished treating the younger generation with proper decorum, it was already deep into the night. Gu Jin had indeed overexerted his Spiritual Power and used his blood to sacrifice the sword; after receiving San Huo's Divine Power infusion, he fell into a deep sleep. Ayin, having taken the Immortal Elixir that Bi Bo had kept as a last resort, regained some vitality and insisted on staying by the unconscious Gu Jin's side in the bamboo house, refusing to leave no matter who tried to persuade her.
San Huo had no choice but to considerately grab Bi Bo and the little fox by the scruff of their necks and leave the bamboo house, leaving the small courtyard to these two.
The moon set and the stars sank, the stars sank and the moon set.
By the time Gu Jin awoke from his deep slumber, several days had passed. The space before the bed was unusually quiet. He glanced around the room but didn't see the familiar slender, delicate figure. Helplessly rubbing his temples, a flicker of gloom passed through his eyes.
Ayin appeared fragile, yet she possessed a stubborn nature. This time, she must truly be angry and unwilling to forgive him, Gu Jin thought inwardly. Pushing open the bamboo house door to walk outside, he couldn't help but pause in surprise.
A girl in red robes sat on a round stone before Mirror Lake, chin resting in her hand, gazing at the starry sky. Countless fireflies swirled around her, and the scene of stars and fireflies encircling the moon reflected on the lake surface illuminated by the night sky, together with the girl, sketching a tranquil and eternal picture.
Gu Jin's breath caught for a moment. He suddenly felt this scene resembled the serene peace of the Ancient Realm, and the sitting girl vaguely reminded him of the Mother Goddess who had descended into the mortal world.
A Jin dismissed the absurd thought from his mind and walked toward the lakeside.
The sound of footsteps on the grass reached Ayin before she turned around, and a green robe was already draped over her shoulders.
The young man's voice was unusually low: "The night is deep and cold. Your Spiritual Power is injured; why aren't you resting?"
"You've been unconscious for several days now. I took Bi Bo's Immortal Elixir and recovered long ago. The Dragon Lord said he infused Divine Power into you and told me not to worry." Ayin shook her head, her eyes smiling, her tied-up long hair slipping from her shoulders, playful and lively, instantly breaking the noble and elegant demeanor from moments before.
Only then did Gu Jin feel that the girl before him was the Ayin he knew, and he relaxed. Lifting a foot, he also sat on the round stone.
"I never thought the Demon Realm could have such a beautiful night sky—even more beautiful than our Immortal Realm's." Ayin looked up with wonder, her eyes filled with novelty.
Gu Jin had grown up in the vast and boundless Ancient Realm, where the starry sky was even more immense and endless. Following Ayin's gaze upward, he felt she was right. Tonight's starry sky in the Demon Realm was exceptionally clear and deep blue."The Demon Realm is just a name. The world is divided into Three Realms, merely due to differences in race." Gu Jin patted Ayin's head, patiently instructing, "Not all of the Demon Tribe are bad people, nor are all of the Immortal Tribe good. Remember, Ayin, good and evil are determined by one's heart, not by which race one is born into."
Ayin had been born in the Immortal Tribe's Great Marsh Mountain, so she naturally assumed the Immortal Tribe represented righteousness and the Demon Tribe represented evil. However, the inherent kindness of the Water Condensation Beast race made her never give up on saving the young fox, even in times of danger.
Ayin nodded solemnly. "Since meeting tribal chief Chang Qin, Bi Bo, and the Dragon Lord, I've known that the Demon Tribe isn't as treacherous and malicious as our Immortal Tribe's scrolls say. When I return to Great Marsh Mountain, I must tell Qing Yi and my fellow disciples about what happened in the Demon Realm, so they know the Demon Tribe isn't so terrifying either. By the way, if it weren't for that little fox, we wouldn't have been able to escape from Purgatory. Foxes live in groups—once it recovers from its injuries, let's send it back to its clan."
Mentioning the demon fox from Purgatory, Gu Jin's expression turned serious. He turned Ayin's shoulders toward him and said, "Ayin, I know saving people is an innate nature of the Water Condensation Beast race, but you must remember not to use your Spiritual Power to heal others again. You and Bi Bo are different. He is a divine beast by birth and can recover his depleted Spiritual Power through cultivation, but your Spiritual Power is your life essence. If you keep using it to save others, you won't live much longer."
Apart from divine beasts, Water Condensation Beasts generally only live for two or three hundred years, unless they encounter great fortune or opportunities. The Immortal Tribe enjoys long lifespans, and Gu Jin, being of the divine race, naturally didn't want Ayin to live only two or three hundred years before departing. Thus, he had long planned to ask Tian Qi how to extend Ayin's lifespan once he returned to the Demon Realm.
Seeing Gu Jin's grave expression, Ayin quickly explained, "Tribal chief Chang Qin said her royal nephew went missing around Purple Moon Mountain. When I saw that little fox in Purgatory, I thought if it was the Fox race's royal nephew and we saved it, tribal chief Chang Qin would surely allow you to retrieve Feng Yin's soul."
"I know," Gu Jin sighed. "I know you risked depleting your life essence to save that young fox for my sake. But remember, even for me, you must not deplete your Spiritual Power again."
Gu Jin looked up at the sky, toward the direction of the Ancient Realm above the Three Realms.
"Ayin, there are too many people in this world who sacrifice themselves to save others. I don't want you to be one of them. You don't know how much guilt those who are saved and left behind carry."
Gu Jin's expression was too desolate and sorrowful, completely unlike his usual self. Ayin was taken aback, unable to speak before the young man lay back on the round stone. His ink-black eyes held the entire night sky, clear as obsidian.
"Ayin, I helped Hua Shu because she once showed me kindness, and I admire her. But that's not why I defied my master's orders and lent her the Sky-Shielding Umbrella. The younger generation of the Peacock Clan lacks outstanding talents. Now, Hundred Birds Island is suppressed by the Eagle Clan, and the Peacock King is old and struggling alone. I helped Hua Shu out of respect for her filial devotion to her father."Gu Jin paused, his words tinged with a lingering sorrow. "My father and mother were once separated due to a misunderstanding, so I was raised by my uncle and aunt from a young age. Later, when the misunderstanding between my father and mother was resolved, my father chose to bear the family's calamity alone. By the time my mother heard the news and rushed to him, she could only watch helplessly as my father perished in the tribulation, turning to dust."
Ayin listened intently, suddenly understanding why Gu Jin was willing to take such risks to lend the Sky-Shielding Umbrella to Hua Shu. Back then, he was too young and powerless to do anything about what happened to his parents. Now, he empathized deeply with Hua Shu, wanting only to do what he could to spare her the pain of losing a father as he once did.
"A Jin..."
"It's fine, it's been so long now. I promise you, once we return from Guixu Mountain—by then, the danger on Hundred Birds Island will likely have passed—I'll go to Hundred Birds Island before entering the Ghost Realm to retrieve Master's Sky-Shielding Umbrella, so you won't have to worry anymore."
Guixu Mountain was the former cultivation site of the Former Heavenly Emperor Mu Guang, a place of immortals, so Ayin assumed there wouldn't be much danger. After a moment's thought, she agreed.
With Gu Jin's explanation, the matter of the Sky-Shielding Umbrella was finally put to rest. Ayin remembered the little fox and asked, "A Jin, do you think the little fox we rescued from Purgatory is the nephew of Tribal Chief Chang Qin? The chief mentioned her nephew's name is Hong Yi, but this little fox calls himself A Jiu."
Not far away, the little fox hiding behind the silver moon grass, basking in the moonlight, twitched its paws and perked up its ears upon hearing them mention him.
"I can't say for sure. I heard from Master that this nephew of Tribal Chief Chang Qin was born with unusual signs and is a rare nine-tailed fox. That day in Purgatory, when it revealed its True Form, it didn't have nine tails." Gu Jin shook his head and glanced toward the nearby grass. "We'll find out if it's the lost nephew of the Fox race, Hong Yi, when we take it back to the Fox race tomorrow."
Ayin nodded, stretched lazily, and leaned against Gu Jin's shoulder, both gazing up at the night sky.
"What a pity. We have to leave tomorrow and won't be able to see such a beautiful, peaceful night sky again."
"That's not difficult. Once we recover Feng Yin's Soul, I'll bring you to live on Purple Moon Mountain for a long time, so you can enjoy it to your heart's content."
Before he could finish, Ayin's soft snores had already begun. Gu Jin smiled helplessly, looking at the girl's serene sleeping face. Unable to resist, he gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder and brushed his fingers through her soft, long hair.
A scene that lasts a century, a glance that spans a millennium.
Gu Jin had never imagined that a promise made beneath Purple Moon Mountain would remain unfulfilled, even after thousands of years had passed.
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