Chapter 99: Scrape It Away

Once they left the Peach Blossom Forest, the mission was completed quite easily. Zora merged the Fragment of Floating Moonlight she had obtained into her sword. The blade, River Snow, brightened for an instant, like the clear radiance of a cold moon reflecting in one's eyes.

She said, "Back to the sect."

The youth beside her still had red ears. Hearing her, he gave a soft affirmation. Zora reached out her hand slightly, an expression of natural expectation on her face.

"..." Vane reacted for a second, then lowered his eyes and gently took Zora's hand.

At first, he only held her fingertips, then he loosened his grip slightly and moved upward to hold half of her palm. Although he had loosened his grip while moving up, Zora felt there was still some friction, causing a strange heat and itchiness to rise on her skin.

His grip was very loose. Just as he was about to use a talisman to shrink the earth, his hand was suddenly gripped tight. The youth's body stiffened imperceptibly.

Zora kept her head down. That strange itchiness had expanded because of the gap in their hand-holding; she simply tightened her grip all at once. Satisfied, she looked up and met Vane’s downward-cast gaze. The moment he met Zora's eyes, he immediately looked straight ahead. The talisman burned instantly, and the two silhouettes vanished.

A single peach blossom petal drifted quietly by, swayed by the spiritual fluctuation of the teleportation. It twirled a few times in mid-air before finally landing gently among the flowers.

Zora had not been back for more than a few days when Song Zhihuai suddenly arrived, his face like frost. "I am about to enter the Dao."

Zora stood inside the doorway. "Oh."

Song Zhihuai was waiting to see if she would say more. Zora was waiting to see if Song Zhihuai had more to say.

"..."

"..."

Song Zhihuai: "I am about to enter the Heartless Path."

Zora: "I know."

"..." Song Zhihuai. "I see. You know."

Zora: "Yes."

"..."

"..."

The two stared at each other in silence once more, both expressionless. Song Zhihuai’s gaze shifted slightly downward, seemingly looking at the floor.

"I was wondering... if I enter the Heartless Path, will our friendship remain unchanged?"

He rarely bared his heart, yet he chose to speak these words to her. But Song Zhihuai knew her character; he simply preferred telling her. In his mind, Zora was the beginning of all his current bonds, the one who brought him into the world of these five people. Without her, he might have been alone until he entered the Dao, and remained alone thereafter, without attachments.

Without attachments... for some, it is freedom; for others, it is loneliness. At the very least, as someone who had not yet entered the Dao, he felt a bit lonely at times.

Zora did not give him a definite answer. She said, "If it doesn't change, it doesn't change. If it changes, it changes. It doesn't really matter." She paused, actually thinking for a moment. Examining her own heart, she didn't want it to change. But her inner self also indifferently suggested that it wouldn't matter if it did. She cared, but not like ordinary people who feel they must grasp onto things.

Zora looked at him and explained in detail on her own: "If it changes, that means it was meant to change; just let nature take its course. If it doesn't change, then it hasn't changed."

"...I see." Song Zhihuai looked at her fixedly. "As expected of Junior Sister Zora. You are very free-spirited and transparent."

Zora only asked back, "Are you certain you will enter the Heartless Path?"

Song Zhihuai answered without hesitation, "Certainly." There was a light in his eyes, and his brow was lowered, appearing firm and unmoving. "I will surely enter the Heartless Path," he said. "This is the Dao I have chosen."

As a cultivator, the path he chose had nothing to do with anyone else. This was Song Zhihuai’s Dao; even if it produced some regrets, this was his ambition, the thing he sought. If a cultivator did not have a clear path in their heart by now, they might as well wash themselves clean and lie in the dirt for burial.

As much as he was reluctant to leave his friends, he never thought of giving up. His friends never thought of asking him to give up, either. They understood the future clearly and sincerely approved of his pursuit. The bonds of friends are precious, but even more precious is the warm send-off from friends before a journey. In ancient times without modern technology, once ordinary people without the arts of immortals parted, it was usually forever.

"Then that's fine." Zora looked puzzled as she saw him still standing there.

Song Zhihuai: "...I seem to be reluctant."

Reluctance—Zora had felt it too, back in the distant Rice-Time Village when a woman dissipated. She felt a bit of realization and looked at his face very carefully. Song Zhihuai froze. Being stared at so directly, his expression grew even colder.

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if I would also be reluctant," Zora said. "But I feel it is better for you to enter the Dao." She couldn't clearly explain this subtle, complex shift in emotion; it was different from her reluctance regarding Liyu.

Song Zhihuai was stunned. He was used to thinking the best of people, but this time he hit the mark with startling accuracy. Junior Sister Zora likely felt that his pursuit of the Dao was more important than staying in one place for the sake of friendship.

Song Zhihuai opened his mouth, then closed it blankly. ...He often worried whether he could still interact as freely with his friends after entering the Heartless Path—over these decades, many people had distanced themselves after learning of his path.

"After all, once Senior Brother Song enters the Heartless Path, he won't have emotions anymore. I don't want to make myself sad."

That wasn't it. The Heartless Path only makes emotions fade; it doesn't make them disappear completely.

"If Senior Brother Song wants to enter the Heartless Path, it suits him. I could never give up my friends and parents."

That wasn't it either. He wasn't giving them up. He never thought of giving them up; his regret was merely the fear that in the future, due to the fading of his emotions, he might not be able to keenly perceive the dangers facing his friends. What he cared about was never his own feelings; he accepted the fading of emotions calmly. Song Zhihuai was merely afraid of the possible results of that fading.

Especially after Zora entered the Wave Husk Secret Realm. During the decades she was gone, he often thought:

Junior Sister Zora is truly brave.

And occasionally:

Junior Sister Zora is truly reckless.

Sometimes he was full of confidence in her; sometimes he couldn't help but worry, as if seeing her nearing death in the realm.

He had occasionally seen Junior Brother Vane. He had called Vane's name only once; Vane had turned his head, but Song Zhihuai had frozen and said no more. If he was worried, then Vane was harboring a will to die, while also acting like a persistent hound guarding the door. It wasn't that Vane doubted Zora could walk out of the realm; Vane actually seemed quite certain she hadn't died, which was strange.

But there was still an unapproachable atmosphere around him. His dark eyes were bottomless and exceptionally calm; looking at them for long enough was chilling. The youth's deathly aura seemed to exist only because she wasn't there—because she was gone for so long.

A barking dog doesn't bite; the dog that doesn't bark bites the hardest. Song Zhihuai thought then that Vane's intense emotions had likely already reached a level where he could enter the Heartless Path himself.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Vane had turned and left the sect—perhaps to continue missions, or to seek the path of cultivation. With no place to linger and no person to linger for, he had lost his direction and could only wander.

Later, Song Zhihuai thought of it less. On the day Zora sent the letter, he had been quiet for a long time, staring at the letter for ages. Thinking of this, Song Zhihuai lowered his gaze slightly. "Thank you, Junior Sister Zora."

From the conversation at their first meeting, to the invitation to form a team, to her coming back alive. Zora still had her hand on the doorframe. Hearing this, she didn't quite understand what he was thanking her for.

"You're welcome."

It was the same for Yiling Ke and Turi Qi. When they ate and drank together, the two of them heard about his impending entrance to the Dao as if hearing something perfectly normal.

Yiling Ke joked, "Congratulations, congratulations! That means there are only two Heartless Path cultivators in the cultivation world, and one of them is on pretty good terms with me."

Turi Qi asked, "When do you enter the Dao, Senior Brother Song?"

Song Zhihuai answered, "In five days."

Zora only cared about eating, truly treating this as an ordinary matter without any sadness. Vane didn't eat; after serving the dishes for Zora, he watched her. After Song Zhihuai answered, he lifted his eyes and smiled. "If Senior Brother Song successfully enters the Dao, we will surely come to congratulate you when you emerge from seclusion."

Zora gave an "mhm" in agreement. Song Zhihuai was deeply moved. A vast amount of heart-wrenching rhetoric filled his mind, but when it reached his lips, it became only one word: "Good."

The five of them ate and drank, and soon parted ways. The sunset light reflected a deep red. As usual, they said their goodbyes and headed to their respective destinations.

Truly strange,

Yiling Ke thought, walking with her hands behind her head, gazing at the colored clouds on the horizon. She really didn't feel any sadness. She thought of something and smiled. Of course—Senior Brother Song could obtain peace and continue climbing his path of cultivation. Water flows down, and people go up. Being happy for a friend's advancement is only natural.

She thought of Zora, and of how Zora had looked with distaste at the wine when raising her cup. Zora wouldn't drink it herself, pouring it for Vane instead. Fortunately, Vane was well-prepared, pouring her a cup of sweet water he'd gotten from somewhere. Yiling Ke had mocked her, and Zora's matter-of-fact reply had left her choked up.

Yiling Ke thought back for a long while. It was truly strange. Clearly, they had been apart for decades. Yet now, it felt as though they had never been separated at all. It was as if she had never been apart from Zora; the way she looked at Zora and the things Zora said were exactly the same as before. Yet she had clearly changed a bit in appearance and temperament. In front of Zora, she couldn't help but return to the way she was before.

On the fifth day, the peak where Song Zhihuai resided burst with radiant light. Everyone knew another cultivator was about to enter the Dao. Zora and Vane stood on the edge of a cliff near the peak, watching quietly.

A cultivator entering the Dao should not be disturbed. None of them approached recklessly; seeing him off was enough. After the light faded, Turi Qi gazed deeply at the peak, then turned back with a gentle smile. "Senior Brother Song has begun his entrance. He should already be in some other unknown place. We just need to wait."

After the radiant light, a cultivator entering the Dao would teleport through an array to a secret location they had prepared to cultivate in earnest. No one would know where he was, thus achieving another kind of tranquility.

Yiling Ke: "How nice. I want to go into seclusion too. There are too many things to do at Drunken Lu Bay."

After the two left, Vane turned his head. Zora was still staring at the peak, motionless. Vane stayed with her, not speaking.

Zora suddenly spoke, "I wonder what Senior Brother Song will be like when he comes out."

Vane said calmly, "He won't be constantly watching us anymore, but he is moving upward, and that is what he wanted."

Zora: "That's why I'm both reluctant and feel that it's very good."

Vane glanced at her. The girl's profile didn't show much emotion; she only frowned slightly, her expression mostly one of confusion. She watched the peak, and Vane watched her. He said, "Friends are like this. Relatives and lovers are too—hoping the other realizes their ambition is what 'liking' is."

Zora turned her head. Her almond eyes were bright and moving under the sunlight.

His speech faltered imperceptibly. Vane remained unruffled and continued, "And servants... if one fears being left behind, one should pursue. To delusionally think of dragging the other into the mire to sink with oneself is merely a sign of one's own incompetence, of being unable to become strong—even being unwilling to disguise one's true nature."

"Mhm..."

She thought of the original work. Wanghua-jun was always high above. Turi Qi had experienced multiple dangers and struggles; her path of cultivation was filled with obstacles, yet she always moved forward, giving her all for the sect. She had expectations for her own future.

But Wanghua-jun never seemed to care about her cultivation or her desire to become strong; he cared more about her love for him. When there was a problem with Wanghua-jun's sword, Turi Qi was more urgent than anyone else to help him through the tribulation. Because she wanted him to move upward, and knew he wanted to move upward.

Yet Wanghua-jun never thought that she wanted to move upward too. He only saw romantic love. In his view, if he were strong enough, he could naturally protect her. Turi Qi's responsibility and hope for the sect, and her ignorance of her family's betrayal, eventually came to nothing, leaving only an ending of a "divine couple."

Zora nodded in agreement immediately and even said a bad word about him to the System in her mind.

"I hate Wanghua-jun."

Vane didn't know she was talking to the System. He paused, his lashes trembling slightly. With a serene expression, he whispered, "...If one is too filthy and rotten, one should scrape away the rotten parts."

Because one must pursue. Only a rotten person knows the stench of rot, and that stench would be smelled by the moon, making it unwilling to come close. There were two ways: one was to let her sink and fall, the other was to make himself appear "clean." Her wishes did not include falling, so he would be the one to remove the stench.

The System, which had just woken up: [.........] It felt a phantom pain. Not to mention its Host seemed to be thinking of the demonic seed.

Zora followed that thought—what if they went to the Demon Realm and his demonic seed suddenly awakened? What then? She followed up with a question: "Really?"

The System: [.........]

The villain is using a metaphor!! Host, you're really thinking of physically scraping it!! And you want the villain to dig it out himself! How is that possible!

Vane was stunned. Zora looked up at him, appearing happy with his words, her eyes shimmering with faint light. "Will you really scrape it away?"

The System wanted to say something but stopped. In the original world-line, the villain had the demonic seed successfully dug out, but once the seed reached someone else's hands, it lost its function, so it didn't cause much of a stir. The variable was naturally his seed awakening, which changed the world-line and sent him into the abyss.

The Host wanted to follow the clues to catch the hidden enemies in the Demon Realm, and she didn't have the convoluted brains to find the unnamed extra from the original who would expose the villain's identity. It was even more impossible to bluntly tell the villain the truth—that was a fool's errand. Putting aside how she could possibly know, it would be equivalent to telling the villain he had another blade; for a Host trying to control him, it was dangerous.

Following the plot, the timing of the seed's eruption could be narrowed down to a small range. If she told the villain directly, she would have to be on guard at all times. That would be giving up the right to control the plot; the advantage would decrease. Since conquest success hadn't been shown, the Vane in the System's mind was still that cruel, calculating villain. It unknowingly followed Zora's brutal and simple plan and grew nervous, fearing the villain would discover the discrepancy.

Vane instinctively felt something was off. Zora repeated again, "Will you really scrape it away yourself?" The girl's gaze was naive yet serious; she was asking in earnest.

Vane was silent for a moment. Miraculously, he understood her meaning—she meant

actually

scraping it away. Although he didn't know why Zora would associate it with actually scraping rotten flesh. Perhaps the place where he was injured last time hadn't recovered in time, and she smelled the stench left by the demon? Or perhaps he occasionally let his wounds rot before cutting them all off at once, and she saw it and didn't like it?

His thoughts were in chaos, yet he was nearly drowning in her brilliant amber eyes. Meeting her gaze, Vane suddenly smiled. "I will."

Zora added worriedly, "Scraping it away shouldn't kill you?"

Vane: "I will be careful. I won't die."

Long ago, before he escaped from the Demon Realm, he wanted to live. Long after, even now, he still wanted to live—wanted to live by her side, breathing, his heart thundering like a drum. Rot brings self-loathing, and self-loathing makes him retreat, yet his twisted heart always wanted to be close. So, the rot must be scraped away, and the barriers removed.

Cleanly, without leaving a single shred of mangled flesh behind.