Chapter 2193 - A Vow For Life (1)
Chapter 2193 - A Vow For Life (1)
UNedited chapter - Rubble
Star and Moon Kingdom of God, Star and Moon Thousand Opportunities Tower.
“Hmm!”
Sha Xing jolted awake from his meditation, gasping for breath. A fine sheen of cold sweat was covering his forehead.
Xian Yue walked up to him and stared intently at him for a moment. Then, he sat down on the ground beside him, gazing straight ahead. “Was the Fog Monarch the nightmare who startled you awake again?”
His voice was very indifferent and casual, indistinguishable from their casual conversations during their leisure, yet it caused Sha Xing to snap his head around with an instinctive denial in his tongue. When his gaze met the other’s utterly unruffled profile though, he eventually bowed his head and silently acknowledged the truth.
“Sha Xing...” Xian Yue said slowly, “Last time, I told you that where we stand transcend matters of true or false, right or wrong. I asked you never to mention the Fog Monarch again.”
He turned his gaze toward Sha Xing, eyes filled with nothing but sincerity. “I apologize to you for those words.”
Sha Xing was taken aback. He shook his head, replying, “There was nothing wrong with what you said or did; why should you apologize? It is I who—”
“No, the fault truly lies with me.” Xian Yue cut him off, his eyes still brimming with remorse and guilt. “To be clear, my words were indeed correct. The Divine Regents have the right to say it, the elders in our clans have the right to say it. Everyone... except me.”
“We are the Twin Stars. My role is to share whatever burdens you and overcome it with you, not use ‘what is right’ to suppress your true nature.”
“So...” he said sincerely, “whenever you feel the need to speak your mind, you can tell me anytime without reservation—regardless of right or wrong, no matter how or ‘heretical’ it may seem.”
Sha Xing stared at him, seeing a depth of clarity so pure it was almost transparent—it was a sincerity that carried no reservation whatsoever. His lips trembled, yet he remained speechless for a long time.
“I’ll speak on your behalf then.” Xian Yue began with a faint smile. “It is a fact that the Fog Monarch has saved your life. On a grander scale, he has also saved me—and the future of our Star and Moon Kingdom of God.”
Though his words were “heretical”, his gaze remained serene, like still water reflecting the moon.
“Because no matter what, I could never find another person as harmonious with me as you.”
“We must repay this debt—and we must repay it together. As for what the Fog Monarch said, it’s quite possible it wasn’t slander, but the truth concealed by the Pure Land—”
“Xian Yue!”
Sha Xing abruptly raised his hand, gripping Xian Yue’s shoulder to stop him from speaking further.
Xian Yue, however, showed no sign of panic. He continued with a faint smile, “The heavens and earth are vast, and the Endless Fog is boundless. Though we are the Divine Sons of a Kingdom of God and stand at the pinnacle of the world, that does not mean we have seen everything... In fact, what we believe we have seen may not necessarily be the truth.”
“But...”
He raised his hand and placed his palm on Shaxing’s shoulder. “You need only answer one question for me: If one day the Fog Monarch were to threaten our Star and Moon Kingdom of God, would you hesitate to strike him down because of this debt of gratitude?”
“Of course not!”
Sha Xing’s reply was firm and resolute, without even a moment’s hesitation. “We were born under Star and Moon and raised under them. The day we became the Star and Moon Divine Sons, we swore to shoulder the future of the Star and Moon Kingdom of God.”
“To me, no debt of gratitude or being could ever take precedence over the words ‘Star and Moon’, not even the Fog Monarch, or even the Abyssal Monarch—”
His voice trailed off, knowing that he had spoken rashly in the heat of the moment... but since Xian Yue was by his side, he only paused for a breath before continuing without retracting his statement, “No matter who it is, I will protect Star and Moon from anyone who dares to do it harm. Nothing and no reason will make me take even a single step back.”
Xian Yue smiled, the moonlight in his eyes becoming even clearer. “That is enough. Nothing else matters.”
Those few words, like moonlight illuminating the soul, dispelled all the gloom just like that.
Sha Xing was speechless for a long moment. As he looked at Xian Yue, the darkness that had enveloped his eyes for countless days and nights seemed to fade away in silence, layer by layer.
He nodded heavily, and a tremor entered his voice, “Yes... as long as this thought remains eternal in my heart, everything else... is unimportant....”
“That’s right!” Xian Yue echoed with added emphasis. “Let grudges and grievances linger in the heart, let right or wrong be as they may. As long as the radiance of the star and moon shines eternally within our heart, nothing else matters!!”
“......” A smile slowly spread across Sha Xing’s lips. He met Xian Yue’s gaze, and they both burst into laughter at the same moment.
The laughter would linger for a long time, and amidst it, Sha Xing finally achieved true reconciliation with his heart devil.
High above the sky, the two Divine Regents—Heaven’s Star and Crescent Moon—were standing shoulder to shoulder. It was impossible to say how long they had been here.
“I knew they would resolve this on their own,” Wu Shenyue remarked with a comely smile and a gentle voice.
“That goes without saying,” Wu Shenxing replied in a composed voice, as if he had known this all along. “After all, they are the successors we had personally selected; how could they possibly fail to overcome such a minor mental obstacle?”
“Is that so?” Wu Shenyue cast him a sidelong glance, his tone mercilessly teasing, “And who was the one who secretly watched them for at least two hours per day, hesitating to speak time and time again?”
“......” Wu Shenxing paid the teasing remark no heed. Instead, he looked straight ahead and sighed quietly. “I just wonder how we can ever repay the Fog Monarch for the great favor.”
“Oh? Sha Xing just overcame his mental barrier, and now it’s your turn to fret over this?” Despite what he said, Wu Shenyue’s smile faded against his will.
Wu Shenxing shook his head. “There are things a child need not understand, but you and I both know that few things are more vexing than a debt of gratitude that cannot be repaid... especially when the person involved possesses a sensitive identity, and their favor is profound beyond measure.”
Wu Shenyue replied calmly, “Over the years, the Fog Monarch has lifted the abyssal corruption for countless people. He had never asked for anything in return. Perhaps he simply doesn’t care.”
But Wu Shenxing said, “Do you know how many people afflicted with abyssal corruption have crawled on their knees through the Endless Fog every day, begging the Fog Monarch for his mercy ever since the news spread all those years ago? Yet fewer than one in ten thousand had ever actually encountered him in person and received his blessing.”
“But despite the odds, Sha Xing was saved by the Fog Monarch... Was it truly just luck?”
“......” Wu Shenyue remained silent for a long time.
The atmosphere between the two Divine Regents, which had been so carefree just moments ago, was now shrouded in a faint shadow of gloom in the space of just a few words... though it was very subtle. After all, as the Star and Moon Divine Regents, there were few things in the world they couldn’t fathom.
And that lingering sense of unease they could never fully shake off stemmed entirely from that unknown entity known as the “Fog Monarch”.
————
Once more, Yun Che was heading to the Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God. However, his status and state of mind were completely different from what they were before.
One thing remained the same, though... On both occasions, the Heart Painter Divine Regent had personally shown up to greet him.
Outside the realm gate, Hua Caili had been waiting for quite some time. Hua Fuchen stood by her side, his expression a mix of resignation and unreserved affection. With every breath, every passing moment, he could sense his daughter’s heart-wrenching longing. Her eyes were practically burning with anticipation.
Finally, at the farthest edge of the hazy clouds, the figure she had longed for day and night finally came into view.
Hua Caili’s eyes sparkled with starlight, and ten thousand emotions surged within her heart. Unable to contain herself any longer, she threw herself into the sky without even a moment’s hesitation, her robe and sword fluttering freely in the air, and her urgency and tenderness palpable.
“Big—Brother—Yun—”
Yun Che and Meng Kongchan were standing on a small and delicate profound boat. The Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God’s nation-protecting barrier was still indistinct in their vision, yet the young woman’s cry, brimming with joy and excitement, had already passed through the vast expanse of space and countless layers of clouds to reach them.
“Hahaha,” Meng Kongchan let out a knowing laugh, “What are you standing here for, Yuan’er? Hurry up and go.”
“Er... okay.”
But just as Yun Che’s figure sank below the profound boat, and Meng Kongchan’s face was lit with a smile, his mind at its most content and relaxed... a flash of the blackest, darkest soul light suddenly flickered in the depths of Yun Che’s eyes.
His lightly clasped fingers also shifted ever so slightly in midair.
Snap!
It was a faint sound that vanished into the wind all too easily.
At the same time, Meng Kongchan’s eyes—which were usually veiled in a faint silver glow—suddenly flashed a pitch black soul light identical to that in Yun Che’s eyes.
It lasted only for an instant, vanishing the next second like a flash of lightning. Meng Kongchan’s smile never changed, and his eyes continued to brim with grace and gentleness. He clearly hadn’t noticed anything unusual about himself.
A long wind swept through the drifting clouds. The moment their gazes met across the distance, the world fell instantly silent. Ten thousand emotions bloomed in Hua Caili’s eyes as she gracefully stepped across the clouds, her sleeves glowing faintly as she soared through the air. Finally, she threw herself into Yun Che’s arms and refused to let go for a very, very long time.
Eyes closed, she breathed in his scent deeply, her heart filled with a kind of warmth and peace that only he could give her. She did not care where she was or who was watching them at all.
The sea of clouds was the backdrop, and the gentle breeze was the accompaniment. The days felt like years, but in the end, her endless longing had been answered.
Hua Fuchen looked up, gazing into the vast sky over his head. In the past, he would have immediately pulled Hua Caili back and gently scolded her in some variant of, “How unbecoming!” But now, he simply stood quietly where he was, watching the two of them clinging tightly to each other in the endlessly tall sky. A faint smile danced at the corners of his mouth, while a deep sense of melancholy silently stirred within his heart.
By now, he no longer harbored the slightest doubt about Yun Che’s genuine feelings for Hua Caili. On the contrary, he had come to mostly regret his own rashness and self-righteousness back in the day, while occasionally admiring his daughter’s tenacity and decisiveness in secret in recent times.
She was just like her mother.
“Thinking of Qu Wanxin?”
A calm voice sounded in his ear. Hua Fuchen, somewhat lost in thought, replied, “Yes. If I had... hmm?”
He shifted his gaze slightly to meet Meng Kongchan’s smiling, no, beaming eyes and huffed out with a touch of irritation, “At least Wanxin and I were mutually in love. The one you’ve been pining for hasn’t even given you a second glance.”
“Ow, ow, ow.” Meng Kongchan’s smile vanished instantly. “Why are you rubbing salt in the wound all of a sudden? But... Qingying is quite close to Yuan’er, so maybe the situation isn’t hopeless. In fact... I believe I stand a very good chance now.”
Hua Fuchen withdrew his gaze and said in an indifferent voice, “I did not realize that the Dreamless Divine Regent is capable of daydreaming.”
Meng Kongchan: (＃￣～￣＃)
Hua Fuchen looked up again. High in the sky, the young man and the young woman were still clinging tightly to one another. In fact, it was obvious it was his daughter who refused to let go. She seemed desperate to merge her slender form into Yun Che’s body, her face buried deep in the folds of his robe, her shoulders trembling slightly, and her arms wrapped around his waist as if she was squeezing using every ounce of her strength.
It was as if she was trying to make up for every moment they had missed during this time, all within this single embrace.
Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer and speak up, “That’s quite enough! Come down already. How much longer are you planning to leave us old fools hanging here?”
Meng Kongchan retorted without missing a beat, “You’re an old fool—I’m not.”
At the Divine Regent’s command, the duo finally drifted slowly down from the sky. However, Hua Caili was still pressed tightly against Yun Che, leaning her entire weight against him as if no one was present. She refused to let go of his arm even after they had reached Hua Fuchen either. Not even a little.
“Junior Yun Che—” Yun Che raised his arms to salute Hua Fuchen, but Hua Caili pulled him back almost immediately after his right arm began to rise. He could only tilt his body to complete the bow, his expression awkward but still respectful. “—greets you, Heart Painter Divine Regent. I am truly honored and fearful that you have personally come to welcome us.”
“Hello, Uncle Meng.” Hua Caili said with a beaming smile, “You’re looking better and better, Uncle Meng, unlike my father—he’s been wearing a sour expression every day as of late. Even though he’s younger than you, he looks much older because of it.”
Meng Kongchan’s face immediately lit up with such a wide grin that it threatened to split his cheeks open. “And you are becoming more and more endearing with each passing day, Caiil! Younger Brother Fuchen, I firmly believe that your greatest achievement in life is raising the finest daughter in the entire world!”
Hua Fuchen shot him a glare and sneered, “And the fact that she ended up in your son’s hands?”
“HAHAHAHA!” Meng Kongchan roared with laughter before taking a step forward and projecting a silver glow toward Hua Caili. “Here, Caili. This is to make up for the meeting gift I owed you last time.”
“Wah!” Hua Caili accepted it with a face full of surprise and delight. When the profound light faded, it was revealed that Meng Kongchan had gifted her a Dream Face Pill—a treasure so rare that even the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God could only produce one every ten or so years. She bowed respectfully and obediently, replying, “Thank you, Uncle Meng! Such a precious gift... you’re so kind to me.”
“This is nothing.” Meng Kongchan waved his hand dismissively, grinning. “Next time, it’ll be a betrothal gift—and I guarantee it’ll be a hundred times, no, a thousand times better than this! HAHAHAHA!!”
The words “betrothal gift” clearly struck a deep chord with Hua Caili’s heart. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she moved a little closer to Yun Che, whispering, “I leave everything up to Uncle Meng and Father.”
Resigned, Hua Fuchen waved his hand dismissively. “You may go. But Caili, please be mindful of your status as the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter. Don’t get too carried—”
“I understand, Father!” As if she had been granted a pardon, Hua Caili was already pulling Yun Che away before Hua Fuchen could finish speaking. “Big Brother Yun, this way! Quickly!”
“Um... I’ll be taking my leave, senior. I’ll come back to speak with you la—”
Before Yun Che could finish, Hua Caili had already dragged him into the nation-protecting barrier. It looked like there was something urgent she needed to attend to.
Watching the duo run off, Hua Fuchen shook his head and turned to Meng Kongchan. “The ‘betrothal gift’ you mentioned—have you already begun preparing it?”
Meng Kongchan’s smile faded slightly, and he said in half-resignation and half-helplessness, “I would love to, but....”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but both men understood each other perfectly well. Hua Fuchen spoke bluntly, “Tell me, Brother Meng... if we were to actually hold a wedding ceremony for the two children, what are the chances that Old Dian would show up to ruin the celebration?”
“Heh...” Meng Kongchan’s lips twitched, his smile tinged with sorrow and bitterness. “He will definitely come. He wouldn’t be Old Dian otherwise.”
“Yes, given his temperament, he’ll definitely come just like he had when he was still the Boundless Divine Son. To stand up for me, he had gone so far as to overturn a table and curse out the former Divine Regent publicly during his birthday banquet. He refused to admit it was wrong even if it meant having his punishment increased tenfold by his Father.”
The two men fell silent for a moment before Hua Fuchen spoke up again. “Care for a couple of drinks?”
Meng Kongchan replied, “A couple of drinks aren’t nearly enough. We should drink for three days and three nights, at the minimum.”
“Haha!” Hua Fuchen chuckled. “Let’s go!”
The two men turned around and walked side by side, their robes occasionally brushing in the breeze before parting again, and their backs casting two long, graceful shadows.
It was a meeting between two Divine Regents, yet no one was accompanying them, nor was there any ceremony or pomp... it was simply a reunion between two old friends.
............
“Brother Yun, did you miss me?”
The young woman leaned lightly against him, her eyes curved like a crescent, and her lips curling into a faint, gentle smile. Her sweet voice was melodious and soul-stirring; had it reached anyone else’s ears,they would never have believed it came from the mouth of the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter, who seemed so lofty and ethereal it was like she was a banished celestial of a distant heaven.
Yun Che feigned deep thought, lowering his gaze and pondering earnestly before answering, “Hmm... I guess? I only miss you for about twenty-four hours a day.”
Hua Caili burst into a giggle. But then, she suddenly furrowed her delicate brows and teased him in a coquettish tone, “Hmph! I heard that you have three stunningly beautiful attendants who attend to your every need—so much so that the Divine Son Yuan favors them day and night! How could you possibly have the time to think about me?”
Yun Che hurriedly raised his hand and declared solemnly, “I swear to heaven that they are truly just my attendants. I absolutely~~absolutely have not overstepped the line in the slightest.”
“Hehe, that’s good. I knew you wouldn’t.”
“Uh... you believe me that easily? You could’ve doubted me and pestered me a little longer, you know?”
Hua Caili turned her gaze to fix it on him. The surrounding figures, the Sword Pavilion, anything and everything faded into nothingness until Yun Che was the only thing that existed in her quiet yet breathtakingly beautiful eyes. “No way. My Big Brother Yun would never lie to me.”
“That’s not necessarily true.” As if oblivious to the overflowing affection in her gaze, Yun Che stared straight ahead and said, “Who knows? Maybe I’m actually the best liar in the world.”
Hua Caili tilted her head slightly and laughed playfully. “Then you’d better keep lying to me for a lifetime. You’re not allowed to run off in the middle of it.”
She continued leading Yun Che forward for a long time. It wasn’t until they passed through a long, long corridor that their footsteps finally slowed.
It was unusually quiet here—neither the ringing of swords nor the glow of sword formations could reach here. Even the overwhelming sword intent permeating the entire Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God seemed to have missed this place entirely, leaving behind only a tranquility that was untouched and undisturbed by the mortal coil.
Yun Che looked up and saw groves of lush, shady bamboo. In the Abyss, plants as fragile as bamboo were extremely difficult to maintain. Yet here, they were actually thriving. Clearly, someone had been tending to them with great care all along.
The smile had completely faded from Hua Caili’s face. She said softly, “This is where Mother rests in peace.”
Yun Che: “....”
She took Yun Che’s hand, her slender fingers wrapped tightly around his, and led him to a tombstone standing at the center of the bamboo grove.
—The Grave of My Beloved Wife, Qu Wanxin.
The surface of the gravestone was as smooth as a mirror, devoid of any elaborate ornamentations and bearing only eight simple words. Each stroke was minimalist and pristine, yet every line looked as thought it had been traced countless times by a fingertip steeped in endless longing.
Hua Caili slowly knelt before the gravestone and whispered, “Mother, I’ve come to see you... along with the one I’m about to spend the rest of my life with.”
Yun Che quietly knelt beside her... his heart an indescribable kaleidoscope of complex emotions despite his best efforts.
Qu Wanxin, Hua Caili’s birth mother. An extraordinary woman who was born into a sinful clan, yet had, in a certain respect, sent shockwaves throughout the entire Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God.
“Mother, you were Father’s lifelong regret. It was the fear I might repeat your fate that he arranged for the most ‘stable and proper’ marriage partner for me at an early stage. I understand Father’s worries and good intentions... but fortunately, this is the one matter in my whole life that I chose not to follow his arrangements.
“Aunt said that when it comes to the one I love, my temperament is just like Mother’s. I am very proud and very grateful that, because I remained as steadfast and persistent as Mother had in your day, that I was finally able to be together with my beloved, that I was able to avoid your tragic fate and spare Father another regret he would have felt for the rest of his life.”
Yun Che lowered his gaze slightly, no longer looking at the name “Qu Wanxin” on the gravestone.
A gentle breeze swept through the bamboo grove, causing the leaves to sway and cast a pattern of light and shadow across his lowered eyelashes.
Hua Caili took his hand and declared with misty eyes and heartfelt emotions, “Mother, this is Yun Che. He has saved my life, protected me, and given me the greatest happiness and peace of mind I have ever felt in this life. I have resolved to stay with Big Brother Yun for the rest of my life, never to part even in death.”
Her gaze suddenly turned utterly sincere, and her voice grew exceptionally solemn, as if she intended to engrave every word and every syllable deep into the depths of her soul, and into the joints of every green bamboo stalk bearing witness to this moment:
“Here and now, with the heavens above me, the earth below me, and Mother before me, I vow to marry Big Brother Yun. From this day forward, let our fates be bound together; let us rely on one another through life or death. May we never part no matter what blessings or trials we may encounter on our way.”
“...!” Yun Che whipped his head around to look at her. “Caili....”
Hua Caili turned her gaze toward him and smiled gently. Deep within her misty eyes, a warm light seemed to shine out of the depths of her heart with unwavering resolve, “Will you marry me, Big Brother Yun?”
“Of... Of course I will, but...” Yun Che softened his gaze and voice as much as he could. “Caili, a woman as good as you deserves a kingdom as her dowry, the grandest ceremony in the entire world, and the blessing of all spirits under heaven. All things considered, how could I allow our union to be so hasty?”
But Hua Caili gently shook her head. “None of that matters to me at all. I just want... to bind this life of mine tightly to yours even a second sooner.”
“Every time I bring this up, Father would make some sort of excuse and put it off. I know it’s not because he’s unwilling, and that he has justified reasons for doing this. But I... I really don’t want to wait any longer. I don’t know why, but I always have this worry—this inexplicable fear that one day you’ll suddenly vanish from my life. I....”
She bit her lips lightly, the glistening tears in her eyes enough to melt all the world’s harshness and evil in an instant. “Big Brother Yun, will you... be my husband today?”