Unsterblichkeit, Unsterblichkeit

Kapitel 39

"If the young couple wants to go, that's fine. Why should we join in the fun? We'd rather stay home and wait for them to come back." Che Shui stretched and sat up on the pillow. Inside, there were emerald green shadows floating around. The bamboo curtains and soft gauze outside the window blocked out the sunlight, but a few golden rays streamed out through the gaps. The shadows of the lush green bamboo were reflected on the walls. All the furniture in the room was made of bamboo, and the bookshelves and desks were filled with the fragrance of green bamboo. A pot of tea was steaming, and the jade-green smoke drifted around. It was truly a secluded and pleasant place, with tea smoke filling the courtyard.

"Oh, still sitting on the bed and not getting up!" Tiansha was tidying up the room when she turned around and shook her head with a smile. She picked up the tea tray and walked to his side. "Here, have some tea. What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell? You used to get up before dawn, why are you staying in bed today?" She looked at him with some concern and reached out to touch his forehead. "You don't have a fever."

"It's nothing." Che Shui smiled and took her hand, leaning back on the cushion and looking out the window. He saw hundreds of lush bamboos shading the eaves and corridors, clear water flowing through the gaps in the courtyard walls, and the spring water gurgling by. Strings of wisteria flowers hung from the roof, bees and butterflies fluttered around, and the spring breeze was warm. He smiled in a daze, his gaze drifting into the distance: "I just had a very, very long dream."

"Hmm?" Tian Sha looked at him with some surprise. A Che was never the kind of person who would be troubled by nightmares. Seeing his deep and unfocused gaze, as if he was thinking about something, she unconsciously squeezed his hand and asked softly, "What kind of dream did you have?"

Che Shui snapped out of his reverie and saw the person beside him with a cascade of jet-black hair that flowed like a waterfall onto his arm. She looked at him with concern, her eyes like autumn water reflecting the moon, her face like a lotus blossom, her skin like snow. Her gentle gaze enveloped him like a soft veil. His heart stirred, and he unconsciously reached out and hugged her, burying his head in her shoulder and neck. He sighed without realizing it, "It's alright, it's alright… it was just a dream." He tightened his arms around her, involuntarily nuzzling and rubbing against her neck affectionately.

"Hehehe..." Tian Sha laughed at his words, but felt a pang of pity in her heart. She hugged him back and asked, "What's wrong? You're acting so strangely today."

Che Shui buried his head in her shoulder, holding her waist carefully but tightly, his voice muffled: "No. I just thought you were gone." He lifted his head and kissed Tian Sha's forehead. As she nestled obediently into his arms, he felt a swelling, aching pain from the peace and happiness he felt. He paused for a moment, then smiled absently.

“Shasha, do you know? I dreamt that you were gone, Shuangjing’s martial arts were ruined, and Xuansheng lost his memory and didn’t remember us… The martial arts world we know now is shattered and unrecognizable.”

He muttered to himself, shaking his head involuntarily: "It's absurd. Shuang Jing has lost all her martial arts skills and can't even walk properly without panting. Xuan Sheng doesn't remember her and is going to marry another woman. Isn't that ridiculous? And you, you're no longer by my side."

Sensing the unease in his voice, Tiansha felt a pang of heartache at his words. She looked up at him and smiled gently, "What a strange dream. But, A-Che, it's just a dream."

"Yes..." Che Shui smiled absentmindedly, a smile of relief and reassurance on his face. "It was just a dream, a terrible nightmare. Shasha..." He began to snuggle against her shoulder again, pleading, "Want to sleep with me tonight?"

"No!" Almost reflexively, Tian Sha jumped up, nearly falling off the bed. Her face flushed red as she jumped, saying, "Yesterday was a misunderstanding! It was because...because...because it was too cold that you held me to sleep!"

Is it cold in mid-June? Che Shui involuntarily looked at the bright sunshine outside, grinned, and said, "Ah, what does it matter? It'll be cold tonight too!" He reached out and pulled her into his arms, rubbing against her and saying, "Sleep with me, sleep with me, sleep with me...! If you sleep with me, I won't have strange dreams! If you sleep with me, I'll believe you won't leave me!" >_<

Tian Sha was taken aback. Even though she tried to hide it with her coquettishness, she could still sense his lingering unease. She sighed, turned around, and blinked, looking at him earnestly. "A-Che... I'll never leave you, okay?" She scratched her head a little shyly. "If you ever get angry with me and ask me to leave, I definitely won't go far. Otherwise, it'll be troublesome if you can't find me after you've calmed down..." As she spoke, she became a little sad and buried her head in Che Shui's chest, feeling embarrassed. After a while, she looked up again and blurted out, "As for Xuan Sheng going to marry another woman... why would he want to hurt another girl? Isn't he afraid she'll be double-crossed and killed?" =_=

Che Shui, who had been stung by her words, took a while to react. She also felt the weight of the topic and smiled, pretending to be relaxed, saying, "Yes... Xuan Sheng going to find other women... that kind of thing only happens in dreams."

Before the last few words could be uttered, an extremely loud voice came from the doorway: "...What?!"

The two looked up in surprise, only to see Shuang Jing, who had just returned, turn to Xuan Sheng beside her, blink at him, and pout: "Who are you going to see?!"

Xuan Sheng was speechless. He walked straight up to Che Shui, picked him up like a cat, and said expressionlessly, "What did you just say? Explain to my woman right now."

"Ah...hehehe..." Che Shui, always eager for chaos, scratched his head and looked at Shuang Jing with a grin, saying, "Didn't Xuan Sheng tell you? Last time he went to..." Before he could finish speaking, he was thrown out of the window!

"Oh dear, A-Che..." Tian Sha stuck out her tongue and hurriedly jumped out to check on him.

Che Shui managed to hook onto the window frame, hanging upside down on the wall, still unwilling to give up, and continued to add fuel to the fire: "Ahhhh, Xiao Jing, I'm serious, last time Xuan Sheng said..."

With a loud crash, the teapot was smashed on his head.

"Jing, let's go. Didn't you say you were hungry?" Completely ignoring the wails outside the window, Xuan Sheng indifferently put his arm around Shuang Jing's shoulders and walked out.

“But, A-Che…” Shuang Jing turned to look at Tian Sha, who was leaning against the window trying to scoop Che Shui up, and was about to say something when Xuan Sheng pinched her cheek.

"Sweetie, I'll take you to eat something delicious." Xuan Sheng looked at her affectionately and smiled gently.

"Okay. But when you're eating, you need to explain clearly what A-Che just said?" Shuang Jing was still unwilling to give up, looking at him with curiosity and a bit of resentment.

"..."

Xuan Sheng was speechless. He turned around and took three steps at a time to walk to the window. He grabbed Che Shui and threw him behind him. Seeing that Che Shui was standing steadily in front of Shuang Jing, he couldn't bear it any longer and said in a cold tone, "Explain yourself to Xiao Jing!"

"Oh dear... Xiao Jing... you clearly know..." Che Shui chuckled, "It's about Xuan Sheng and Shao Hua getting married... right, Mei Hua?"

Upon hearing this, he was stunned.

Everyone present watched him in silence.

Shuangjing was the first to react, turning to look at Tiansha standing to the side: "Is he still half asleep?"

"Idiot!" Xuan Sheng sneered.

Tian Sha smiled gently, looking at Che Shui with a mix of helplessness and amusement: "Maybe he's just been sleeping too long?"

"Oh dear, I told you two shouldn't have stayed up so late last night... Hehehe..." Shuangjing laughed happily, her eyes darting mischievously towards Tiansha, tugging at her sleeve: "Hehe, tell me, what happened last night..."

"Hey! What nonsense are you talking about! I really did fall asleep yesterday! I fell asleep, I fell asleep, I fell asleep! Do you understand?"

"Really? I think A-Che is really shocked...hehehe."

"Jing, let's go. We don't need to talk to this person anymore." Xuan Sheng frowned, stepped forward, took Shuang Jing's hand, and walked out. Unfortunately, the woman was still chattering and wouldn't let Tian Sha go.

Che Shui was no longer paying attention to what they were saying. He was just staring blankly at everything in front of him. The voices of these people seemed to come from the other side through a thick, hazy fog, ethereal and distant. He listened to their words as if he were submerged underwater.

"I am Lin Meihua, the eighth master of Tianxia Inn." — A woman as beautiful as a blooming rose said expressionlessly.

—My third sister was murdered, and those people are very likely the ones who have been hunting you down. —She used an exquisite silver dagger, and was incredibly skilled in light-footed martial arts, with agile movements.

—You bastard, get out of here!!! —And he has a very short temper and is easily angered.

Then, Xuan Sheng, with a distant and indifferent gaze, stood at the checkpoint of Chongchonglou, respectfully polite but coldly addressing: —I am Xuan Sheng, paying my respects to the Lord of Chongchonglou.

In the night at Ning Shuang Gate, Shuang Jing gazed at the thousands of mountains and rivers before her, her calm voice devoid of any trace of melancholy: —My memory is already very blurry, A-Che, if Tian Sha returns today, what will you do?—

Numerous sounds came from all directions, surrounding him. Che Shui took a step back, involuntarily covering his ears, not wanting to hear, but one loud and clear voice was extremely distinct, piercing through time and space and drowning out all the other voices:

"—Che Shui! Du Che Shui! Du Che Shui—!!"

That was a very familiar voice. Not long ago, he had been listening to her chattering and arguing with him behind his back.

—There's nothing in this world I don't know. Therefore, I only believe in money. —

—Hyun-sung, who has lost his memory, don't you think he looks a lot like you?—

Che Shui froze, staring blankly at the scene before him. Xuan Sheng was carrying Shuang Jing, trying to take her out of the room, but she lingered, chatting with Tian Sha about gossip, unwilling to leave. The head of the Ziwei Hall, her face flushed, half coquettish and half annoyed, firmly denied what had happened the previous night.

These are all incredibly familiar scenes.

Over the past few years, such smiling faces and such scenes have appeared in his memories and dreams.

Xuan Sheng possesses a gentle and serene happiness beneath his indifference.

The carefree, unrestrained, and generous Shuang Jing.

And then there's Tian Sha, who is still alive.

But...but...

Why is he so sad?

Is it because he knows this isn't real that the stinging happiness in his chest is constantly accompanied by the pain that makes him want to cry?

Unable to hold back the tears that were about to spill from his eyes, he stepped forward and hugged Tiansha tightly. Even though he knew it was fake, he still used every breath and every heartbeat to feel her presence.

"A-Che?" Tian Sha turned around in surprise, and the other two looked at him strangely as well. "What's wrong with you?"

Although she couldn't see his face, she could feel an immense sadness and grief emanating silently from every inch of the Tower Master's skin. He was holding her tightly, carefully and forcefully, as if he wouldn't let go even if the sky were to fall and the earth were to crack.

"Shh..." Che Shui slowly raised his head, looking at her intently and greedily. His gaze lingered on her face and body, as if trying to etch the image deep into his soul. He stroked her face with a trembling hand, and said hoarsely, "It's my fault..."

It was I who lost you.

I'm the one who put you in danger.

It was me who failed to hold onto happiness and to stop the passage of time.

“You said you would always be by my side…” Che Shui hugged her tightly, then suddenly smiled, tears streaming down his face: “You never broke your promise. I was wrong… If I could have given up Chongchonglou and gone to Ziwei Hall with you, you would still be by my side now, Shuangjing wouldn’t be hurt, and we wouldn’t have lost Xuansheng.”

"Ache, what's wrong? I'm right here..." Tiansha looked at him worriedly, blinking in confusion.

Che Shui smiled and shook his head, his hands brushing through her long hair. His lips touched her eyes, and tears seeped into Tian Sha's eyelashes. Suddenly, he couldn't stop crying.

“Shasha, do you know? Of all the people in the world, you are my favorite. You are the most important person to me. If I could do it all over again… to hell with the towering buildings, to hell with the martial world, I would stay here… and grow old with you… But…” He paused, his voice suddenly trembling and breaking, and he choked up and couldn’t speak anymore: “But… Shasha… you are no longer here… no matter how I search for you or how I remember you, you are no longer by my side.”

Actually, I've always been able to understand Shuangjing's feelings over the past few years.

The person who has been gazing into the distance, waiting for the passing of youth, is not only the leader of the Seven Stones Sect.

He had been waiting all along. Waiting for the day he would wake up from this long and distant nightmare, and when he opened his eyes, he would still be the spirited young master of Chongchonglou, with close friends by his side, and the woman he loved most who would grow old with him. All the pain, sorrow, and despair would vanish without a trace when the sun shone brightly.

Tian Sha and the others stood there, stunned, looking in bewilderment at Du Cheshui, who was usually playful and carefree, holding the head of Ziwei Hall, weeping like a child who had lost the whole world.

Then they saw him slowly raise his hand and remove the hairpin from Tian Sha's head. A crisp snapping sound rang out as her hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

The surrounding scenery gradually shattered, slowly disappearing like yellow sand blown away by the wind.

"I love you, Shen Tiansha." Che Shui watched Tiansha's face slowly disappear, his gaze tender and earnest. He dared not blink, afraid of losing even a fleeting moment to remember her. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but even in such pain, even if what appeared before him was a mirage, he still only wanted to offer her his smile.

“You are the person I love most. If you want, I really can stay here with you. But... I can't leave Xiaojing behind... In this world, she only has me left.”

A gust of wind blew in, and the surrounding scenery shattered and crumbled even more rapidly.

Che Shui maintained a relaxed and gentle smile as he watched the woman in his arms disappear from his embrace once again, never to return.

But in the moment when everything returned to darkness, he clearly heard, carried on the wind, a familiar yet firm voice: "A-Che, me too..."

Love you.

Heartlessness is not as painful as being sentimental.

The ends of the earth may be reached, but longing for you knows no bounds.

"..." Che Shui's voice was a little broken. He reached out as if trying to grasp something, but only darkness and night faced him.

"Shh..."

The Maze Reincarnates, Awakening to Melancholy and a Soul-Stirring Mistake 2

"Ugh!!" Plum Blossom fell to the ground, a stab to her chest, and she couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood. The world spun around her; she shook her head, and it took a while for her blurry vision and buzzing hearing to return. Her head throbbed with pain. She touched the wound she had just been struck, feeling only a warm, damp sensation. Looking at it in the moonlight, she saw her hand was covered in blood, but all she could see was a bright red blur; she couldn't see anything clearly.

Eight figures stood silently around her.

As the moonlight fell, two men and two women appeared as beautiful as angels, while two men and two women appeared as ugly as monsters.

These were the personal guards of the Flying Eagle Fortress Master, known in the martial arts world as the "Eight Immortals." It was said that these eight were extremely peculiar; four men and four women were all paired up, one ugly and one beautiful, their love for each other extraordinary, as if the two were of no difference in appearance. They were solely under the Flying Eagle Fortress Master's orders, risking their lives to protect their master's safety, caring nothing for anything else, even the destruction of the gang.

Now that Xi Yun was in the hands of Che Shui and his group, the eight found the leader of Chongchonglou trapped in a maze. Knowing he couldn't escape immediately, they couldn't question him. Just as they were about to kill him, Mei Hua suddenly stepped forward and saved his life. The Eight Immortals recognized her as an ally of the enemy and ruthlessly tried to force her to reveal the whereabouts of the Flying Eagle Fortress leader. Although Mei Hua was agile and nimble, she was outnumbered and surrounded from all sides. Despite her superior lightness skills, she gradually lost ground.

"Speak!" Suddenly, a tall, imposing man stepped on her back and roared, "Where is the master of the fortress?!"

Mei Hua coughed up blood, but remained defiant. She looked at him and coldly smiled, "I won't tell you."

"You!" The man kicked her in anger, sending Mei Hua crashing into a boulder. She groaned and fell to the ground, barely managing to get up after a long while.

“Fourth Brother, this isn’t right…” A stunningly beautiful woman veiled behind the tall man chuckled softly, “You can’t treat a woman like this.” She gently stroked the arm of the burly man, her watery eyes seemingly misty as she looked at him tenderly and said in a sweet voice, “If you beat her senseless, we won’t be able to get any information out of her.”

Upon hearing her words, the Four Immortals immediately softened their voices and looked at her tenderly, saying, "Then, in Sixth Sister's opinion, how should we deal with this woman?"

"I said..." Liu Xian gracefully walked towards Mei Hua, squatted down, pinched her chin with one hand, and said with a gentle smile, "She's already been beaten like this by us, so let's not beat her anymore. How about this, we'll ask her a question, and if she can't answer it, we'll cut off an organ from her... Let's start with her face? What do you think? Hmm?" She looked at Mei Hua with a smile and asked.

"...Heh..." Plum Blossom looked at her with her face covered in blood. She kept panting and taking deep breaths. Finally, she forced a smile and spat a mouthful of blood in her face: "Even if I lose my features, I'm still prettier than you. You ugly old hag."