"Pianpian, it is your teacher who has wronged you..."
After many years, Lu Pianpian felt very satisfied to see her master again. "Master, you did not wrong me. It was my own recklessness that made you worry about me."
He was still as obedient and sensible as Qu Fuyi remembered his second disciple, but hearing these words now made Qu Fuyi feel even more heartbroken.
Qu Surou secretly wiped away her tears, making it impossible to tell that she had been crying. She then separated Lu Pianpian and Qu Fuyi, saying, "Alright, it's not easy for us master and disciple to reunite, so let's not talk about those unhappy things from the past!"
"Yes, yes! Your teacher is getting senile!" Qu Fuyi hurriedly wiped away his tears and carefully examined Lu Pianpian. "My Pianpian has grown into a more beautiful young woman than before. Your teacher is very happy to see her like this."
Looking at her master's face, Lu Pianpian sincerely said, "Master is more mature and handsome than before."
Qu Fuyi blushed at the praise, and Qu Surou pointed at his face and laughed, "Tsk tsk tsk, Master, why are you blushing?"
"It's only natural for a teacher to blush..."
"Yeah?"
Isn't that so?
This familiar scene made Lu Pianpian feel as if he had returned to the carefree and joyful days in his sect. A gentle breeze suddenly blew by, and he caught a glimpse of familiar figures walking towards them.
Lu Pianpian pointed behind Qu Fuyi, "Master, look who's there."
Qu Fuyi turned her head and saw Juntian walking slowly towards her. He was not surprised at all when he saw Qu Fuyi. He cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Master, how have you been?"
Qu Fuyi's tears, which he had just stopped, seemed to be welling up again. He took a deep breath and asked, "Jun Tian, how have you been all these years?"
"Disciple is well, thank you for your concern, Master." Juntian looked Qu Fuyi up and down. "Master was sent to the Floating Pagoda to guard the Buddha-Slaying Pestle?"
"Yes, I don't know what the person who assigned the position was thinking, actually assigning Master to such a leisurely immortal post!" Qu Surou was extremely dissatisfied with this. "Huan Sanpianpian, you two are close to the Heavenly Emperor, you must find an opportunity to talk to him and ask him to transfer Master away from here. Master is guarding this tower all day long and is not allowed to leave at will, what's the difference between this and imprisonment?"
Qu Fuyi comforted her, "Rou'er, you're exaggerating. This is, after all, a position, much better than imprisonment."
Lu Pianpian glanced at the exterior of the Pagoda and asked, "Master, is there only one Buddha-slaying pestle guarding this Pagoda?"
"That's right."
Lu Pianpian seemed to be deep in thought, "Tomorrow I will ask the Heavenly Emperor for permission to find an array to seal the Floating Pagoda, so that there will be no need for anyone to guard it."
Jun Tian said, "Senior brother, you may not know this, but forty-nine Buddhist seals have been added to this Buddha-slaying pestle. Even if a Heavenly Lord came, it would be difficult for him to take out this Buddha-slaying pestle unless he was a Buddhist of the highest level."
“If that’s the case, then we shouldn’t let Master waste his time here.” Lu Pianpian promised Qu Fuyi, “Master, please rest assured, I will plead for you before the Heavenly Emperor.”
"It's kind of you to still worry about your master." Qu Fuyi patted Lu Pianpian's back. "It's already a blessing from heaven that I can see the three of you. I don't want to force you to take on any celestial positions. If you three have time in the future, come and visit me at the Floating Pagoda. I will be content."
Lu Pianpian was about to persuade him again when a figure suddenly landed on the Pagoda.
Qu Surou drew her sword and attacked first, shouting, "Huan Changming, you dog, you dare to come here!"
Huan Changming dodged the attack, saying, "Senior Sister Qu, I didn't come here today to fight you."
"Then what do you want to do? Are you still going to shamelessly pester my junior brother?" A sword array materialized behind Qu Surou, the sword light chaotic, sand and stones flying. "My junior brother is not someone an ungrateful wretch like you can mess with. Get out of here!"
Qu Surou used ten levels of her cultivation in this sword formation. The sandstorm blinded everyone. She slashed at Huan Changming and shouted, "Release—"
The sword formation, like a maze, rushed towards Huan Changming.
However, Huan Changming did not dodge for some reason. Just as the powerful sword formation was about to strike him, Lu Pianpian suddenly flew up and pulled Huan Changming away from Qu Surou's sword formation. The sword formation struck in mid-air and exploded with a loud bang, causing the air to vibrate.
The emotions in Juntian's eyes were obscured by the shadows of his eyelashes, making them difficult to discern. Lu Pianpian, pulling Huan Changming along, landed right in front of him, and the joyful smile on Huan Changming's face did not escape his notice.
"Pianpian, you still care about me after all!"
The sound of a cold blade being drawn rang out, and Juntian's blade stabbed towards Huan Changming without hesitation. However, Lu Pianpian pushed Huan Changming behind her with her other hand, and the tip of Juntian's blade stopped in front of Lu Pianpian.
"Why?" Jun Tian questioned.
Lu Pianpian pursed her lips, unable to answer.
Jun Tian's voice was completely flat, "If you can't kill him, I'll kill him for you."
Lu Pianpian looked into his eyes. "This isn't something that can be solved by killing him."
"His death will bring you liberation." Jun Tian's blade showed no sign of backing down. "You are a divine child, not a mortal cultivator."
Huan Changming suddenly struck out from behind with a palm, knocking away Juntian's sword. "Huan Juntian, I will not allow anyone to point a sword at him!"
After saying that, he grabbed Lu Pianpian, turned around, and flew away, saying, "This is between Pianpian and me, and it's none of your business to interfere."
"Huan Changming, put Pianpian down!" Qu Surou hurriedly followed, but was stopped by Qu Fuyi. Qu Surou said impatiently, "Master, why are you stopping me?"
"Rou'er, please calm down." Qu Fuyi sighed. "I don't think Pianpian intends to struggle."
"Master, are you trying to say that Pianpian went with him willingly?"
Qu Fuyi nodded. "I know you two are worried about Pianpian, and I am worried too. But Huan Changming is right about one thing: this is, after all, a matter between him and Pianpian."
"When it comes to matters of the heart, it's really not appropriate for outsiders to interfere, except for the two people involved."
Jun Tian stared intently in the direction where Lu Pianpian and Huan Changming left hand in hand. After a moment, he lowered his eyes and looked at the knife that had fallen to the ground.
He raised his hand, and the knife returned to his grasp, its once flawless blade now stained with a speck of dust.
He looked at the dust and said in a deep voice, "It's dirty."
Huan Changming wasn't unable to dodge Qu Surou's attack; he deliberately didn't dodge, wanting to see Lu Pianpian's reaction.
Lu Pianpian's unwavering protection of him gave him a glimmer of hope.
There's still a possibility that he and Pianpian might rekindle their relationship.
“Pianpian, I’m so happy you saved me.” Huan Changming held Lu Pianpian’s hand the whole way, talking to himself, “The stone that Langxu brought was indeed a fake. How can a fake stone prove your feelings? You have me in your heart, you definitely have me in your heart…”
Lu Pianpian remained silent, flying down several heavens in succession, all the way to the underworld.
At this moment, Huan Changming's heart and eyes were only on Lu Pianpian. Even if Lu Pianpian was leading him into a pit of fire, he would be happy to do so.
A small boat came to rest at their feet. Lu Pianpian and Huan Changming stepped onto the boat, and without anyone rowing, it drifted downstream along the Styx River.
Just then, the underworld messengers returned to report their mission. They nodded politely when they saw Lu Pianpian, but when they saw Huan Changming behind her, they turned and ran away as if their souls had been stolen, not even having time to take the souls they were carrying with them.
"The Demon King is here again!"
"Quick, hide! The Demon King is here to kill us again!"
The ghostly wails of the underworld messenger terrified the wandering souls and ghosts of the entire underworld, sending them scattering in all directions. The air was filled with muffled cries for help, as if they were utterly terrified of this demon king.
Lu Pianpian glanced at Huan Changming behind her. She suddenly remembered that someone from the Underworld had mentioned that Huan Changming would cause trouble for the Underworld every now and then.
Huan Changming met his gaze without any guilt. "Pianpian, I've been searching for your reincarnation for the past two hundred years. I've turned the underworld upside down, and I've looked through the Book of Life and Death countless times, but I still can't find you."
Upon hearing this, Lu Pianpian turned her gaze forward again, "If I were a mortal, I would have long since returned to the heavens and vanished into the three realms."
What's the point of talking about reincarnation?
The smile that had lingered on Huan Changming's face vanished at those words, but he quickly composed himself and said with relief, "It's fortunate that you are a divine child, and that you didn't lose your life because of my stupidity, thank goodness..."
“Huan Changming, I’ve already died once,” Lu Pianpian said meaningfully, “I won’t be stupid enough to kill myself a second time.”
The boat reached the shore, and Lu Pianpian stepped off and walked forward, while Huan Changming remained standing on the boat.
He was in a daze for a long time before catching up with me. "I don't expect you to forgive me. I just hope you can give me another chance to make amends!"
"Pianpian, I will change! I really will change!"
Why won't you believe me one more time? You still have feelings for me, why won't you admit it?
The healing under the Xuanwu and the blocking of Huan Juntian and Qu Surou's attacks are enough to prove that Lu Pianpian still cares about him.
He hurriedly stepped forward to question them, only to see Lu Pianpian and the Underworld King face to face. He heard Lu Pianpian ask, "How can we convert him and turn him into a Buddhist disciple?"
Huan Changming's breath hitched. "You really want me to turn back into a Buddhist monk?"
"Do you know that once I turn back into a Buddhist monk, I will no longer be Huan Changming? I will no longer..."
Huan Changming interrupted Lu Pianpian and Mingjun's conversation. With her back to Huan Changming, Lu Pianpian continued what Huan Changming was saying, "I will no longer remember Lu Pianpian, and I will no longer tirelessly say I love Lu Pianpian."
Huan Changming walked up behind him. "Since you knew, why did you still do it?"
Lu Pianpian turned half her body to look at him, her expression indifferent, like a heartless and emotionless statue, "Because I don't want to be bothered by you."
Huan Changming's face turned deathly pale, but Lu Pianpian continued speaking.
"I saved you only because I have a past relationship with the Buddhist disciple Agana. I saved Agana, not you, Huan Changming."
“You are now nothing more than a person who stole Agana’s soul and changed into a different body.”
"I have no feelings for you whatsoever, so don't get any more ideas."
Huan Changming's expression shattered at the slightest touch, and the last glimmer of hope in his heart was completely extinguished.
His eyes were red-rimmed, and his clenched fists drew blood from his palms. Blood trickled down between his fingers as he asked in a hoarse voice with a bitter laugh, "So what am I to you?"
Lu Pianpian's voice was as cold as ice: "In my heart, you mean nothing."
A note from the author:
It's almost finished, I'm having writer's block.
Chapter 63
Mingjun, caught between Lu Pianpian and Huan Changming, sensed the awkward atmosphere between the two.
He adjusted his mask, chuckling awkwardly as he tried to smooth things over, "The so-called salvation... it's about understanding others through one's own experience. If the Divine Child wants the Demon Lord to return to his Buddha form, he naturally has to do it personally, with—"
Lu Pianpian's cold, sharp gaze fell upon him, making his scalp tingle, and he quickly shut his mouth.
But Huan Changming refused to listen and said, "Continue."
Speaking out would offend the divine son, while remaining silent would offend the demon lord.
The Underworld King inwardly groaned, "Please, both of you, show mercy..."
Why don't you two handle your own affairs? Getting him involved makes you look like you're caught in the middle, putting you in a difficult position.
Huan Changming said, "Go ahead and speak."
The Underworld King glanced at Lu Pianpian, "Actually, what I wanted to say is similar to what the Heavenly King relayed to the Divine Child."
“Pianpian, did you hear me clearly?” Huan Changming said to Lu Pianpian, “If you want Agana to come back, you can only do so by letting me be reincarnated willingly.”
"But my long-cherished wish is not yet fulfilled, so how could I give up on reincarnation?"
There's a deadlock between them.