Le Grand Jugement Divin Qing

Chapitre 33

Asakusa alertly pulled Yuuka back to his side, ignoring the little one's pouting protest. He sized up the newcomer. It was a very young man, his tall, slender figure accentuated by a sharp suit, his short hair neatly styled, and a faint scent of tobacco emanating from him. The other man also stared at him, his eyes filled with disdain and contempt.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

The two spoke almost simultaneously.

Chen Yiting chuckled: "And what kind of beast are you?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Ye frowned slightly and quickly said, "Uncle Yi Ting! He's Asakusa. Look, doesn't he look just like Dad?"

"They are very similar, even the same stench. I really don't understand how you can stand it."

Yu Ye glared at Chen Yiting unhappily: "Uncle Yiting, Qiancao and Dad are both people I like, you can't say bad things about them!"

Chen Yiting smiled as he approached Asakusa and Yuye. Asakusa instinctively wanted to back away, but found herself unable to move at all. A hidden force restrained every inch of her muscles and skin.

"Little Yezi, would you like to go with Uncle Yiting?" Chen Yiting gently stroked Yu Ye's long curly hair, and when he caught a glimpse of the sparkle in Qiancao's eyes, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Asakusa too?" Yu Ye hugged Asakusa's arm with one hand and held Chen Yiting's hand with the other.

Chen Yiting stared at Yu Ye for a long time, then lowered his head slightly, a bright smile slowly spreading across his face. When he looked up again, his eyes held a chill that could freeze everything: "He is not your father."

Yu Ye shook his hand coquettishly: "Uncle Yi Ting, Asakusa should come too. I know he doesn't, but I like him, and I want to be with him."

When she pouted, her large eyes narrowed into slits, dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, and even her delicate nose wrinkled, perfectly matching the image of Jing Ling in Chen Yiting's memory. For a moment, he was in a daze, as if he saw the same small girl, with two little braids, playfully shaking his hand and saying, "Yiting, come along, come with me, I'm so bored by myself." And the same girl, packing all her luggage, jokingly saying, "Yiting, I like him, I want to leave with him."

He closed his eyes and sighed, "Little Yezi, this is your choice, isn't it?"

Yu Ye was taken aback and nodded.

Chen Yiting opened his eyes, his usual calm returning. He patted Yu Ye's head and said gently, "I will no longer ask you to leave with me, nor will I concern myself with your affairs. From now on, whether you are good or bad, it has nothing to do with me." Seeing that Yu Ye was stunned and had no reaction, he added, "You can live in Zhicheng with this thing. I have already negotiated with those old men in the Elders' Council."

After saying that, he looked at Asakusa, whose expression was cold, and gave a confident smile: "Life and death knot? Jingling still hasn't changed her reckless temper."

"What is the Knot of Life and Death?" Yu Ye asked, puzzled.

"In short, it means that if you die, he dies; if you live, he lives. His life or death depends on yours." Chen Yiting said it lightly, seemingly unaware that what he was saying was a bit too profound for an eight-year-old child.

Yu Ye glanced at Chen Yiting, then at Qiancao, her brows furrowing deeply.

Chapter Fourteen: Father and Daughter

Chapter Fourteen

“I’m not a hypocritical human, I don’t need politeness.” Asakusa stood up and transformed back into his black panther form. Almost all of his external wounds had healed; aside from a slight soreness, there were no visible injuries. He quickly glanced at Chen Yiting. The man remained gentle, offering no comment on his actions.

Asakusa dashed out of the cave at top speed. Chen Yiting curled his lips and said in a mocking voice, "Zhicheng, Pianya, perhaps you would be interested in taking a trip there."

Asakusa paused briefly before disappearing from Chen Yiting's sight.

Chen Yiting naturally didn't miss the turn he made when he disappeared. Asakusa, who was originally heading towards Zhengning, suddenly changed direction and headed towards Zhicheng. He snorted coldly, flicked his long sleeves behind him, and walked into the depths of the cave with his hands behind his back.

The cave was bitterly cold year-round; after only a few steps, his shoes were soaked. The deeper he went, the stronger the chill became, making it impossible to see with the naked eye. Chen Yiting took out a small bead emitting a faint, icy blue glow from his pocket and continued on his way by its dim light. After walking several dozen more steps, a naturally formed stalactite wall blocked his path. The wall was originally milky white, but under the blue light, it appeared exceptionally pure.

Chen Yiting leaped and landed on a small protrusion on the stone wall.

Standing atop the protrusion, a completely different scene unfolded before him. The stone wall blocking his path was not a single, continuous rock formation as seen from below, but rather composed of two separate walls, one growing upwards and the other downwards. Between the two stalactites was a narrow gap, just large enough for one person to jump down. Chen Yiting gracefully leaped down and continued on his way.

Ahead lay an underground river, about a meter wide, its current swift and echoing through the empty cave. He walked along the river at a leisurely pace. Soon, the river curved, and he lightly leaped to the other side, continuing straight ahead. After about two or three minutes, the cave gradually narrowed. As sunlight streamed into the cave, the once vast natural cavern appeared only three or four meters high. An exit came into view, and Chen Yiting smiled slightly, stepping out.

The entrance to the cave is an open platform, with a winding mountain path leading uphill to the left. At the end of the path, a simple two-story house stands by the roadside.

Before even entering, laughter could be heard from inside: "Yiting, I was so bored if you didn't come." Chen Yiting pushed open the door, smiled at her, quickly walked a few steps to her side, squatted down, raised her face slightly, her eyes full of tenderness: "You look much better."

The man was reclining in a bamboo chair, his naturally curly short hair now a mess like a clump of straw, his face pale, his large, intelligent eyes scanning Chen Yiting's face. It was Yu Ye, who had escaped from Chao You's clutches.

Yu Ye winked playfully at Chen Yiting: "When have I ever looked well?" She had been anemic for years, and no matter how lively she was, her face always looked pale. Chen Yiting knew this too, and chuckled: "It's better than the way you looked when you came to me, like you'd stepped into the gates of hell. Thank goodness for my excellent medical skills."

"Yes, yes, yes! Your medical skills are the best in the world, aren't they?" Yu Ye spoke too quickly, and then felt like she couldn't breathe properly. This was the first time she had encountered such a situation, which made her frown.

Seeing Yu Ye's expression, Chen Yiting stood up, dusted himself off, and said casually, "Your loyal pet has gone back to Zhicheng. Aren't you worried?"

Yu Ye looked at Chen Yiting silently, shook his head, and said with a wry smile, "I know you deliberately led him to Zhicheng to attract Chao You and the others' attention, giving me time to recover." He smiled approvingly, "Not stupid at all."

"That...it's because of good genes..." she said hesitantly, then stared intently at Chen Yiting, trying to discern something from him. But how could she possibly understand his thoughts?

“Indeed.” He finished speaking and quietly looked back at her. He still had the same expression, at first glance he looked like a gentle and refined gentleman, but upon closer inspection, one could read a hint of disdain and sarcasm in the corners of his mouth and eyes.

Her heart ached, and her hands clenched tightly. "When I was little, you told me that Asakusa had to stay with me because of the Knot of Life and Death, and that because of me, his lifespan of hundreds of years was reduced to a few decades. You said that there is no perfect solution in this world, and that I had to choose. If I chose Asakusa, I couldn't choose you. You taught me witchcraft and made me depend on you, but you used a truth to completely crush me. Yiting... I... I really don't understand you."

His dark eyes grew even deeper, like a still pond. That face, etched with the marks of time, was once Yu Ye's only idol and object of affection during her youth. He smiled quietly, nonchalantly: "What, Yu Ye, haven't you recovered from that story I told you about the past?"

She sighed, "It's so easy to say. It's the past for you, but for me, it's the shattering of my dreams and beliefs." She reached out and took his little finger, smiling as she said, "At first, I was sad that you didn't come to save me, but after thinking about it carefully, I realized that you were testing me. If I can't even handle Chao You and Nian Yu... how... how can I be worthy of being the daughter of the genius sorcerer Jing Ling and Chen Yiting?"

He looked down at her, a hint of pity in his eyes: "You did very well."

"It's a pity... a very lovely girl died because of me..."

Chen Yiting said calmly, "This world is all about survival of the fittest. I've seen that wood-elemental sorcerer, Sangzhu; she died because she wasn't strong enough." His tone remained gentle and slow, but his words were cold and indifferent. Yu Ye bit her lower lip, staring blankly at Chen Yiting. She wanted to ask if he would have said these same cold words if she had died at Chao You's hands and never returned. The words stuck in her throat, and she didn't ask them.

He is not like Asakusa.

Zhicheng Bus Station.

Feng Qi stood at the bus station exit, looking somewhat helplessly at the torrential rain and the people rushing around in panic. It was raining again; since the beginning of summer, the rain in Zhicheng seemed incessant. The weather forecast said that, according to observations, heavy rainfall would continue for the next two weeks.

Halfway there with Zhang Lihua, Feng Qi received a call from the hospital saying that Cao Xiangui was dying. He hurriedly said goodbye to Zhang Lihua and returned to Zhicheng. Earlier, noticing that the old man's health wasn't good, he had asked a familiar nurse to inform him of the old man's condition. To Feng Qi, Cao Xiangui was just an old man with no family or connection. His birth, aging, illness, and death had little to do with Feng Qi. Even Feng Qi himself found his feelings for Cao Xiangui strange.

Pulling up his wet trouser legs, Feng Qi finally climbed into the taxi and reclined comfortably on the seat. Waiting in line for a taxi on a rainy day was simply unbearable.

The taxi sped through the city shrouded in heavy rain. Suddenly, Feng Qi caught a glimpse of something moving even faster than the taxi. He recognized it immediately – the wounded black panther speeding through the rain. Watching the panther flash by, a sense of unease crept into his mind.

Shouldn't it be in Zhengning? Why is it in Zhicheng? Could it be that Yu Ye is also in Zhicheng now? Feng Qi pondered this for a long time, until the car arrived at the hospital, but he still couldn't figure it out.

Arriving at Cao Xiangui's ward with practiced ease, Feng Qi raised his hand several times to knock, but ultimately lowered it slowly. This anxious and uncertain feeling was something he hadn't experienced in a long time. Feng Qi scratched his wet hair, hesitated, turned away, and pushed open the door to the ward corridor.

It was a small balcony. Leaning on the balcony railing, Feng Qi lit a cigarette and gazed thoughtfully at Zhicheng in the night. Not far away was Zhicheng's most bustling pedestrian street, and from where Feng Qi stood, he could see the square. The rain had subsided, dripping softly from the leaves.

He had just consulted the nurse who had informed him. Cao Xiangui had been critically ill twice this month; the most serious time required a full day and night of resuscitation before his condition stabilized. The old man's days were truly numbered.

Feng Qi stared blankly at the gloomy sky, as if he was thinking about something, but in fact he wasn't thinking about anything.

The door behind me opened silently, followed by soft footsteps, heavy breathing, the tearing sound of a match striking a matchbox, and finally a long sigh.

"Without this thing, the old man really can't live."

A familiar voice, seven parts firmness, three parts stubbornness. Feng Qi turned around in surprise, "Grandpa Cao!"

Cao Xiangui looked increasingly unwell; his once bright eyes were now bloodshot on his sallow face, and his hair was thinning due to chemotherapy. But even afflicted by illness, he remained a sharp old man. Seeing Feng Qi's undisguised joy, he felt happy but didn't show it, simply leaning against the railing with Feng Qi, looking down.

"I just arrived, sir..." Feng Qi smiled with relief, "How have you been lately?"

Cao Xiangui hummed twice noncommittally, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and said, "I'm doing quite well; I'm still alive."

An old man and a young man were quietly smoking.

As the cigarette burned out, a faint smell of tobacco lingered in the air. Feng Qi gripped the weathered wooden handrail, his body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

The relentless rain began to fall again, dripping onto the railing, splashing water droplets, and bringing a cold touch to the skin. From the corridor came a desperate, heart-wrenching cry. Feng Qi slightly turned his head, looking at the empty balcony beside him. Having gone through so much, he still didn't have the courage to face it. Was what he saw Cao Xiangui from an hour ago, Cao Xiangui from a day ago, or Cao Xiangui from a week ago? Those were his last moments remaining in this world.

Feng Qi slowly squatted down, hugged his shoulders tightly, rested his head on his knees, and revealed a slightly cool smile.

"Rest in peace, old man."

"You're a wood-type sorcerer? I've never seen you before." A voice interrupted Feng Qi's thoughts.

Feng Qi looked in the direction of the voice with displeasure, only to see two people standing on the railing behind him. The younger one, still wearing an innocent smile, looked up and asked the bald man who had just spoken, who was also wearing sunglasses in the rainy night, "Looks like we've gone in the wrong direction again?"

These two people were not strangers to Feng Qi.

Nianyu and Chaoyou… these two men, so vivid in Zhang Yahua's memory, were now standing alive before him. But these two clearly didn't recognize Feng Qi. He was slightly lost in thought, then a smile played on his lips as he asked the expressionless Nianyu, "Do you know all the wood-type sorcerers?"

Nianyu paused slightly: "Most of them, I guess."

"Coincidentally, a few days ago, someone told me that I was actually a wood-type sorcerer. After living for over twenty years without even knowing who my biological parents were, I was suddenly told that I had many companions, which confused me. My friend, judging from your appearance, you are also a sorcerer, right?"

When Chao You heard that Feng Qi was an orphan, his previously impatient expression changed. He curiously leaned forward and asked, "For over twenty years, you didn't even know you possessed wood-type abilities?"

Feng Qi nodded, spread his hands, and looked at the tangled lines on his palms: "I've only recently gained some ability."

Chao You jumped off the railing and stood in front of Feng Qi, patting his shoulder as if to comfort him, yet also speaking to himself: "It doesn't matter if your abilities are low or you discover it late. As long as you practice diligently, you can still master advanced witchcraft." Feng Qi smiled gently, "What would an ordinary person like me need such advanced witchcraft for? If possible, I would like to find my biological parents." After saying that, he walked up to Nian Yu and raised his head: "Among the wood-type witches you know, has anyone ever lost a child?"

Nian Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "No."

“When I was abandoned at the orphanage, I was wearing a piece of silver jewelry. Can you take another look and see if you can remember anything?” Feng Qi reached into his collar and pulled something out.

Chao You glanced at the serious-looking Feng Qi, then at Nian Yu, finding it amusing. After Yu Ye broke free of the Xilong rope, he and Nian Yu followed him. Near Zhicheng, they chased after the black leopard that was inseparable from Yu Ye to the hospital, only to encounter a wood-elemental sorcerer who inexplicably insisted they help him find his biological parents. He laughed and said, "Nian Yu, take a look, see what that keepsake is." They weren't worried about not catching up with the exhausted Yu Ye and the black leopard.

Nianyu helplessly spread his hands, placing them under Feng Qi's clenched fist. Feng Qi glanced at Nianyu, slowly loosened his fist, and gently lowered his hand until his fingers touched Nianyu's palm. Feng Qi silently recited the incantation, and images that had haunted him, Ya Hua's last memories, were transmitted to Nianyu's brain through his fingertips.

Nianyu was shocked and looked at Feng Qi, who remained calm, in disbelief.

Chapter Fifteen: Gambling

Chapter Fifteen

In all things considered, he and she could be considered childhood sweethearts.

He still remembered the first time he saw her. She was only seven years old, with two pigtails, standing shyly by the river, refusing to go into the water. It took his best friend, her brother, a lot of coaxing and cajoling to finally get her to put on a swimming ring and slowly wade into the water.

The chubby little face turned purplish-red with fear.

But seeing him and his brother swimming so well, she felt envious and tentatively approached them.

He was young and impetuous at the time, and didn't pay much attention to the little girl. He was swimming happily by himself until he turned around and found that the chubby figure was gone.

He and Zhang Yahua panicked and hurriedly turned around to look for them.

After rescuing the drowning little girl, Zhang Yahua felt guilty and regretful, vowing never to teach her younger sister to swim again. Looking back now, although Zhang Yahua liked to talk a big game, she was the one who loved her younger sister the most.

The little girl woke up and saw his face magnified several times in front of her. She suddenly asked, bewildered, "Did you save me?" She completely ignored her brother's guilty expression. He nodded helplessly, but the little girl hugged him tightly, her chubby little hands holding him more firmly than anyone else's: "Then you're my prince! I'm your Sleeping Beauty!"

The little girl, deeply influenced by fairy tales, inexplicably clung to him, trying every possible way to tease him and plunge his life into misery. He was helpless and had reached his breaking point, but he never expected that this clingy trouble could, over time, transform into an unspeakable secret in his heart.

This is gambling.

The Nianyu in Zhang Yahua's memory was so contradictory. How could someone who seemed so rigid and intolerant of breaking rules change his mind so easily and turn a blind eye to Chaoyou's actions? When tears streamed down Nianyu's face behind his sunglasses, Feng Qi knew he had won his gamble.

He himself couldn't explain why he couldn't stay out of it this time.

Everything can change in an instant.

Chao You immediately sensed something was wrong. He rudely broke Feng Qi and Nian Yu's clasped hands, grabbed Nian Yu's shoulder, and asked with concern, "Nian Yu! What's wrong?" Before Nian Yu could answer, he looked up and angrily berated Feng Qi, "What did you do?"

"Condensing water into a pillar, Chao You, you're quite skilled." Nian Yu's icy voice rang out. He gently brushed Chao You's hand away and removed the sunglasses he always wore. His crimson pupils burned like hellfire, tears still wet on his face, yet his expression was as terrifying as an Asura, the slow curve of his lips adding to his eerie charm. Chao You had never seen Nian Yu like this before, a deep unease rising in his heart. He hurriedly explained, "You suspect me based on a stranger's trickery?"

“Don’t underestimate me, Chaoyou…” Nianyu took a step back and straightened his back: “Since I was fifteen, I have been the judge of the sorcerers. I know how to distinguish between illusion and reality.”