NEBM Chapter 41: Returning

Shen Zhixian’s first thought was to pretend nothing had happened, and his second thought was that he was really bad for not apologizing after doing this bad thing.

…Even though it was unintentional.

He looked at Yan Jin’s expression and ultimately decided to swallow back his apology….. He sensed that if he spoke, something disastrous would happen.

He pretended to arbitrarily take a step back—without seeming like he was retreating. Yan Jin’s hands tightened around his waist, and Shen Zhixian said helplessly: “A’Jin, loosen your hands.”

Yan Jin looked at him quietly, and his hands slightly loosened. Just slightly, with his hands still clasped around Shen Zhixian’s waist.

Shen Zhixian felt quite uncomfortable being looked at like this and opened his mouth to speak But he suddenly noticed the faint haze of red in Yan Jin’s eyes. As soon as Shen Zhixian saw this, his heart tightened. He instinctively grasped Yan Jin’s wrist, thinking to check his body only to remember that he had no spiritual power.

Shen Zhixian’s action was hard to cover up. Yan Jin understood and the redness in his eyes deepened. He whispered, “If I enter the devil’s path, will Sui Xian hate me?”

After reading so many books, Shen Zhixian instinctively knew that when a person asked such a question, he was not far from entering the devil’s path.

Shen Zhixian was a little stunned. In the original book, was this how Yan Jin became a devil cultivator?

As he absorbed this knowledge, he forgot to respond for a moment. Yan Jin saw that he was quiet, and his heart gradually sank, from scalding hot to ice cold, and his whole body couldn’t help but shake.

Just when Yan Jin was almost unable to bear it, Shen Zhixian regained his senses, and said with a casual expression, “Immortal cultivation and devil cultivation are just different ways of study. In essence, there is no real difference between the two, so why hate it?”

He reached out to pat Yan Jin’s hand, but he realized that he still had the flower branch and ended up handing it over to Yan Jin instead. He got out of the situation and went to the front to see the child hiding behind a tree.

Yan Jin’s empty hand suddenly held a flower branch. Stunned, he looked down at the single flower, which trembled with half its petals gone. He didn’t know what to think, but in the end, he just turned his wrist, putting the flower branch away.

He stepped forward toward Shen Zhixian, who was not far away and was squatting halfway down to communicate with the child.

The illusion was shattered, and the three souls and seven mortal bodies that had been dismantled now spontaneously gathered together and reunited as one person. But, because his soul had been scattered for too long, he couldn’t merge well, and the whole person looked faded.

“Little Ten?” Shen Zhixian called.

The child nodded timidly, with a little expectation in his eyes. “You, did you see Yuyu?”

“Where is Yuyu?” Shen Zhixian asked in a gentle voice.

“Yuyu, Yuyu …” Little Ten thought hard for a moment, then hesitated and turned in a certain direction, “Yuyu is in it … I can’t get in …”

As he said this, his voice was full of sorrow. His body began to flicker. “Yuyu…Yuyu isn’t happy? Can Yuyu laugh?” His eyes gradually turned dull. “I’ll play hide and see for Yuyu…Make Yuyu laugh…”

Shen Zhixian followed his gaze, watching as the fog spread out and a barrier gradually emerged.

Little Ten staggered toward the barrier and tried to pass through but was bounced back. For a second, his soul scattered, becoming disorganized.

Shen Zhixian also followed, tentatively touching the barrier.

The barrier glowed slightly.

Shen Zhixian turned his head to look at Yan Jin, who instantly got his message. Before he could say anything, Yan Jin lightly grabbed his waist and pushed forward, passing the barrier quite easily. After all, the barrier wasn’t intended to block people out. It was just that Little Ten’s soul was incomplete, making him unable to pass through.

As soon as they passed through the barrier, the sound of the waves washed over them. When the mist disappeared before his eyes, Shen Zhixian could clearly see that they were at sea.

The endless, blue sea was like jade, sparkling in the sun and reflecting the floating clouds in the sky.

Not far away, a boulder stood motionless among the waves. A merman with an ice-blue fish tail was sitting quietly on a large boulder, with half of his fishtail hidden under the water. He looked at the distant sea from time to time, humming a small tune.

Noticing their movements, the man turned his head. His long hair like waterfall was blown by the wind, making his skin appear more white and snowy in contrast.

When Shen Zhixian saw him, somehow, a strange man’s voice burst into his head.

“I’m willing to build thousands of illusions for him, create the boundless sea, the sound of winds and waves, the spoiled sun and the bright moon, the clouds and stars…all with no deficiency. All except one thing. I will never allow him to leave me.”

When this voice appeared, Shen Zhixian subconsciously glanced at Yan Jin, even as the latter pulled forward and waded to the merman’s side.

He retracted his gaze, frowned slightly, and there seemed to be some noisy sounds intermittently weaving in and out of his mind, unclear and indistinct. He listened carefully but could not make out much.

His head seemed to full of memories and feelings that didn’t belong to him, which caused a moment of confusion in his thoughts, and he couldn’t even react as he was pulled in front of the merman.

The merman stopped singing, and his beautiful ice-blue eyes gave Shen Zhixian a glance. His eyebrows slightly rose. “Heart ailment?”

The moment he said the words, Yan Jin’s expression flickered, and without hesitation, he dropped to his knees, which knocked hard against the rocks despite the water as buffer. His voice was muffled, “I beg Senior for a scale.”

Shen Zhixian was astonished by the muffled sound and his heart trembled. He subconsciously tried to pull Yan Jin back up, distress rising unbidden in his eyes.

The merman took in all of this, and for a split second, he looked distracted. After a moment, he gave a small smile, raised his hand slightly, and a gentle force pulled back Yan Jin up into a standing position.

“This heart ailment, I’m afraid ordinary scales can’t save it. You must use the inverse scale,” The merman unhurriedly said in a clear and cold voice, calmly displaying his inverse scale. “I have only half of the inverse scale left.”

Shen Zhixian’s heart sank. Of course he knew how important the inverse scale was. If it was an ordinary scale, it wouldn’t be a problem. But, to the merman, losing the inverse scale would be equivalent to losing more than half his life.

Yan Jin obviously thought of this too. He pursed his lips and was about to speak, but the merman raised his hand, and his long fingertips touched his lips in a gesture for silence. “I’ve lived for a long time. Since you have already come this far, it would be fine to give you the inverse scale. It’s just…”

He paused, and then sighed before opening his mouth to add, “It’s just that changing one’s lifespan and altering fate inevitably comes with a price…I once used the inverse scale to save Little Ten, and the price was that he would never grow up. In your circumstances, if you should use the inverse scale, I can’t determine what the price might be.”

“Does Senior have a solution to this problem?”

The merman thought for a moment and said without certainty, “Some thousands of years ago, I came upon a place called the Undead City. It was said that within that city was a Soul Tracing Grass, which may relieve the side effects of the scale.”

He looked at both of them with a serious face. Then, he smiled and said, “If you can’t find it now, it’s okay to just use a little bit for now. At least it will allow you to use spiritual power for a short time and you won’t get sick. In the future, you’ll need to find the Soul Tracing Grass and then completely repair the heart arteries and veins. ”

Shen Zhixian hesitated. He’d always thought that these ancient fish demons had disappeared long ago. Even if they found the inverse scale, it would only be a relic left by chance. Who knew that he would actually see the merman alive now?

If the merman lost his inverse scale, he would surely die.

Shen Zhixian’s heart was tormented as he struggled with the difficult decision. Yan Jin noticed his entanglement and quietly took his hand.

The warmth in his hand Shen also warmed Zhixian’s heart. Without thinking about it, he tilted his head, his lips curved in a slight smile.

The lazy fishtail patted the water surface and the sound of splashing water brought them back to the situation at hand. “You came from outside… Did you see Little Ten? What is he doing now?”

This question was not difficult to answer, but the truth might seem a little too cruel to the mermaid. Having watched the events within the illusion, Shen Zhixian knew that the sentiments between the little blue fish and Little Ten were actually better than family. The child may be foolish and slow-witted, but he was quite loveable. Now, he’d fallen to such straits…

After thinking about it, he still found it difficult to tell the complete truth. “Little Ten plays hide and seek with the other nine Little Tens. He misses you very much, and asked us to ask you… Are you happy?”

It took only a moment for the merman to understand. He was silent for a long time, his expression softening, and he murmured, “He truly is a little fool…”

His hand held the inverse scale, and his ice-blue eyes gazed directly at Shen Zhixian. “I can give you the inverse scale. But first, you must go and gather Little Ten’s soul for me and send him to reincarnation. ”

“Incomplete souls can not cross this barrier. After you gather his soul, quietly send him in for me to take a glance… forget it. ” He paused for a moment, then shook his head, covering up his disappointment and frustration. He added, “…Just let it be. There’s no need to see each other. Let him go sooner.”

Meeting would only cause more pain and entanglement. It would be better to recall fond memories instead. Shen Zhixian understood in his heart and nodded silently. Then, he went back out with Yan Jin.

Little Ten was still staring at this place. He’d tried to cross the barrier countless times, but he was ruthlessly pushed back to the ground every time.

His soul was probably in acute pain. His eyes were red from shedding tears so hard. When he saw Shen Zhixian coming out, he ran up and asked, “Yuyu, Yuyu?”

Shen Zhixian rubbed the boy’s head and softly said, “Yuyu is back in the sea. You should sleep. You can see Yuyu when you wake up.”

Little Ten twisted his fingers and understood, “Really, really and truly? ”

“Mmn, Little Ten must be obedient.” Yan Jin’s previous strand of spiritual energy hadn’t been used up yet. Shen Zhixian used the last bit of energy to draw a condense soul talisman, which turned into a tendril of smoke that merged into Little Ten. His soul gradually solidified, and his expression became increasingly more empty.

Shen Zhixian was a little bit embarrassed. He and Yan Jin were both sword cultivators. They didn’t have Duan Yuan’s ability to use sound to ferry the soul into reincarnation. He still remembered the soul reincarnation song. Maybe…he could try to sing?

As soon as this thought flashed, he heard a cold, unhurried song, sounding quiet and peaceful, and full of soothing power.

Under this familiar singing voice, Little Ten’s soul gradually began to fade. When he was about to disappear, he suddenly awakened and began to struggle.

“Yuyu! Yuyu …” A faint, almost inaudible shout sounded and became a deep crying voice. The gentle singing faltered for a moment and then continued.

But Little Ten couldn’t withstand the call of reincarnation under heaven and earth. His crying gradually faded and his figure completely dissipated, until there was no trace left.

When returning to the merman, Shen Zhixian’s mood was a bit heavy. The merman looked calm as usual, and when he saw that Shen Zhixian seemed to be in a trance, he smiled softly and turned to comfort him, “In this world, parting is too common. Don’t take it too much to heart. ”

Shen Zhixian shook his head slightly, not speaking.

The merman had been trapped here for nearly a thousand years and didn’t know much about the outside world. He could only guess the situation regarding the secret realm. He inquired about them, and mumbled to himself for a moment before sighing. “This secret realm is about to disappear. A few days ago, I felt that Yin Ci’s spirit pellet was broken, and knew that this day would come sooner or later… Actually, it should have come a long time ago… But this place was unable to bear it.”

After Yin Ci entered the devil’s path, he worked hard to design this secret realm for the small blue fish in captivity. The entirety of the secret realm was fully supported by Yin Ci. Later, when Yin Ci died, it continued to be supported by Yin Ci’s spirit pellet.

His spirit pellet was no better than the human himself. After feeling the lack of devil qi in the secret realm, it began to actively search for those with devil qi like Yin Ci. Then, it would absorb them into the secret realm and integrate their devil qi into the secret realm to sustain it.

In the early days, it was very picky and would only pick devil cultivators. Later, it couldn’t sustain itself. It could only reluctantly accept cultivators who took the initiative to enter. As a result, it ended up hanging around Xin City.

Shen Zhixian said in astonishment, “The secret realm sought only devil cultivators? But I …”

The secret realm had taken the initiative to bring him in. But, he was a true immortal cultivator and had no need for devil cultivation.

The merman was surprised for a moment. He thought that Shen Zhixian took the initiative to came in himself, but that wasn’t it?

He raised his hand, gesturing for Shen Zhixian to approach. Then, his fingertip pressed against Shen Zhixian’s forehead. A moment later, he frowned, “You have devil qi on your body.”

Shen Zhixian exclaimed, “Ah?”

His first thought was that during the Qingyun Sect’s Sword Competition, he’d absorb a strand of devil qi from Yan Jin. But, upon second thought, he realized that couldn’t be right. That strand of devil qi was very weak and had disappeared after a few days. It was impossible for the devil qi to stay in his body for so long without being noticed by him. Without being noticed by the Fourth Elder…

As he was thinking, the merman gently placed his finger on the corner of his eye, where the teardrop mole was located. Suddenly a tingling sensation rose up, and the place became scorching hot, making him frown. He could only tighten his hold on Yan Jin’s hand, trying to endure without calling out.

The merman completely stripped away the disguise on his face, exposing the teardrop mole. But, at this moment, the teardrop mole was no longer red but a dark color. The moment it was revealed, the teardrop mole suddenly transformed into a strand of black qi and quickly plunged into the sea!

It moved too fast, and they were unprepared. They couldn’t catch it and could only watch it disappear into the waves.

“Master…” Yan Jin hadn’t seen this face for a long time. As a result, he was a little unaccustomed to it. But what shocked him even more was that the tear mole at the corner of Shen Zhixian’s eye was gone!

Shen Zhixian touched the corner of his eye and realized that he did really lose the slight bump. He touched and touched his face in shock—What was going on?

How could there be devil qi on him?

Was this teardrop mole a seal that imprisoned this strand of devil qi?

The original book didn’t mention this at all!

He was still thinking about it, but suddenly the merman sensed something. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately urged, “The secret realm can no longer be sustained—I can still support it for you for a bit longer.”

Without hesitation, he sent the last half of his inverse scale to Shen Zhixian. Then, biting his lip and swallowing the bloody copper taste that instantly surged into his throat, he ordered Yan Jin, “You will need to help fuse the scale and repair the heart veins for him…”

Time was tight, and Shen Zhixian saw that the decision had already been made. He pursed his lips, suppressing the doubts to the bottom of his heart. He bowed respectfully and gratefully to the merman, and then sat down with Yan Jin on a large rock and crossed his knees.

Although the big rock was large, the two sat cross-legged so it fit just right. Their palms faced each other while their knees were pressed against each other. Shen Zhixuan closed his eyes.

The merman took the small piece of inverse scale and sent it forward. The inverse scale turned into a blue ray of light and sank into Shen Zhixian’s chest.

Immediately, Shen Zhixian felt a gentle spiritual power belonging to the ancient merman, which began to infiltrate and repair his heart veins. With it came Yan Jin’s spiritual power, carefully protecting his spirit root and not letting those overpowering spiritual power hurt him.

The contract within the depths of his spiritual sea began to grow hot. The spiritual sea was a very important place for cultivators, and Yan Jin also divided a little of his power to protect it.

Shen Zhixian wasn’t prepared for Yan Jin, so he wasn’t aware when the strand of Yan Jin’s spiritual power entered his spiritual sea.

The contract felt Yan Jin’s spiritual power and began to tremble violently, making Shen Zhixian’s back suddenly turn rigid. The indescribable sensation came from within the depths of his spiritual sea, making him hold in his breath as he resisted the urge to tremble along with it.

He thought it was just an accident, but for the next half hour, he thoroughly felt what torture was.

Yan Jin’s spiritual power repeatedly provoked the contract, and the originally aloof contract resembled a sixteen-year-old girl in the midst of a dalliance, bashful and incessantly trembling.  The sensation finally caused Shen Zhixian to also tremble incessantly.

—What plaything was this! It was just shit! False contract! Must be returned!

He gritted his teeth and held back the strange feeling, which wasn’t pain or anything like that, but …

An idea suddenly came to his mind–Hug him.

Shen Zhixian: “?????”

Hug whom? Whom to hug?

Hug Yan Jin? Hug him?

—No way!

These weren’t his thoughts. It was as if there was a person in his mind, constantly forcing these thoughts on him!

After that small piece of scale was completely integrated into his heart, Shen Zhixian finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. His body fell backward the moment he was released. Seeing this and not wanting him to fall into the sea, Yan Jin immediately pulled him back. As a result, instead of falling into the sea, he ended up falling into Yan Jin’s arms instead.

He didn’t have the energy to sit up straight. He was breathing heavily, his trembling hands clutching Yan Jin’s sleeves, as Yan Jin gently wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

As the scale was merging, Yan Jin had also taken the opportunity to resolve the spiritual power seal that Fourth Elder had placed on Shen Zhixian. At this time, the long imprisoned spiritual power was circulating wildly in his body, making him unable to say a word.

Yan Jin knew his situation and gripped his hand. He still didn’t withdraw his spiritual power and instead focused on helping him calm down the spiritual agitation.

After a moment, Shen Zhixuan took a breath, and borrowing Yan Jin’s strength, he tilted his head to look at the merman.

Even though the merman had just lost his inverse scale, he still tried his best to maintain the realm for the both of them. But, his life was finally at its limit. His tail patted slowly and weakly in the water, and Shen Zhixian saw that there was a scar on the tailbone.

It was the scar left by Yin Ci’s ring.

But the hook was no longer there.

Did Yin Ci take it down? Or had he freed himself?

The merman lost his strength and his tail sank into the water, no longer moving. His gaze drifted away from them and into the distance.

He began to sing a slow song in an ancient and mysterious language, the tune free and unrestrained.

Shen Zhixian listened in a startled daze and suddenly felt a rush of sorrow in his heart. He looked at the ice blue distance and asked softly, “We still don’t know Senior’s name…?”

The waves crashed in the distance, always moving and never stopping. He suddenly felt the sorrow of parting, and the sound of the waves only exacerbated his sadness.

The merman rose up and dived into the sea. His clear and leisurely voice blended in with the sound of the waves.

“……Before, I had no name. Then I became Yuyu, and later ……My name became Yin Gui.”

The wind magnified his regret and carried his words back to them.

—————————-
Xixi: Yuyu’s final name is interesting. The “Yin” in Yin Gui is the same as the “Yin” in Yin Ci. Gui means to return or to belong to. So, my interpretation of the name is that he’s saying that he belongs to/with Yin Ci. Or, Yin Ci changed his name to Yin Gui as a mark of ownership. According to the author’s note, it seemed like a lot happened between Yin Ci and Yuyu. The author had intended to write more but she ultimately decided not to focus too much on this side-story. But, I kind-of wanted Little Ten and Yuyu to be reincarnated as normal people, to meet, and to fall in love instead. I mean, Little Ten entered reincarnation first so he’ll be older this time and hopefully not a fool.

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