Chapter 39 - Awakening from the Grand Dream
Everything on Still Water Peak was like an ink wash painting splashed with water, dissolving and falling away bit by bit.
The small cabin, the garden, the wheelchair beneath him—all gradually transformed into jumbled blobs of ink.
After the applied colors were completely exhausted, Luo He seemed to hear a faint, distant sigh coming from an infinitely faraway place.
Afterwards, this world revealed her original underlying color—a stretch of pure, flawless white.
Luo He stood in the center of this space; ripples like those on a water surface spread from beneath his feet.
Luo Hongyu's twenty-fourth year had arrived; this dream had ended.
Luo He looked at himself; the black robe was back, the fox mask was back too.
"Congratulations, your performance was invulnerable."
Huoxin's voice came from behind. Luo He turned his head to look; Huoxin was standing there quietly, smiling and looking at him.
"The dream has ended. Their consciousnesses should also return to the real world very soon."
"I specially left this blank canvas, intending to bid you farewell."
Farewell?
Luo He's eyes were quiet and gentle.
"I forget if I've mentioned it to you before, but I can tell you..."
"I did all of this, including this final dreamscape, because I owed a favor witnessed by the Heavenly Dao."
"Now, although I still haven't succeeded, the Heavenly Dao has acknowledged that I was not merely perfunctory, so it has also removed the restraints."
"This way, I no longer have a reason to continue being hostile to you all."
At this moment, Huoxin's condition looked considerably bad. Her soul body had suffered damage from the demonic flame's scorching; now, a faint crack could even be vaguely seen on her wrist.
That yin flute-playing young girl of hers was currently perched on her shoulder, looking at Luo He from time to time with resentful eyes.
Perhaps noticing Luo He's gaze, Huoxin turned her wrist slightly and continued to speak:
"What, concerned about me? We were still enemies just a moment ago."
"......"
Enemies? Perhaps.
Indeed, Huoxin had orchestrated all of this. Without her, Luo He could have proceeded steadily according to his own plan.
They were undoubtedly enemies.
"However, if you wish for a scourge like me to quickly disappear, you might be disappointed."
"This thing you gave me is very formidable, but it still can't kill me. I will still have a day when I emerge again to stir up trouble."
"But at that time, it will have nothing to do with you, hehe."
"...Why are you, on the contrary, showing a look of relief in your eyes? Truly disgusting... Hurry up and look away; don't stare at me with your eyes."
Luo He listened to her words and did as told.
Afterwards, a flute flew over from Huoxin.
Luo He caught it; it was precisely the yin flute used by that young girl.
It felt smooth and cool to the touch; the material resembled jade, yet it didn't quite seem like it... Before Luo He could examine it carefully, this flute suddenly transformed into a stream of light and entered his spiritual platform.
"This is a flute made of Ghost Jade, named Willow Flute. It has the use of controlling and accommodating ghost creatures and solidifying the spiritual platform; it's a gift to you. The specific effects, you can find them in that ghost language book I gave you earlier."
In Luo He's puzzled gaze, Huoxin continued to speak:
"Over these eighteen years, I've finally guessed what you are doing staying by Luo Hongyu's side like this. The Willow Flute can be of help during the Heavenly Tribulation; accept it."
"......"
"Want to know why I'm doing this? Mmm... very simple."
"I feel we will still have a chance to meet in the future. At that time, I'll be your senior in being a ghost; it's just a small gift given in advance to a junior."
"Just consider it as me finding your face kind."
Huoxin covered her mouth and chuckled lightly twice.
"Alright, to tell you the truth."
"Your past might not be as simple as you think, Luo He; even the Immortal's Tear cannot find your dust-covered previous life."
"Mystery often represents opportunity. So I want to leave a good karmic connection with you here, so that in the future, I can reap benefits from you. Understand?"
Luo He nodded his head.
It seems even the most powerful immortals can't manage the affairs of Blue Star.
"Very good, then..."
"Let's part ways."
"Incidentally, they both still remember the events of the dream."
The pure white world shattered like a mirror.
Huoxin left behind one last meaningful gaze and also completely disappeared along with this world, her destination unknown.
Accompanied by a profound sense of weightlessness, Luo He opened his eyes again and saw the deep night sky.
The barrier Huoxin had set up in advance was still here, so during this period, no one had disturbed them.
Luo Hongyu and Gu Jing were lying quietly on the floor on the other side.
At this moment, exactly a whole day had passed since Luo He had first sought out Huoxin.
There was also only one last day left before the Immortal Ascension Assembly.
"...Luo He?"
Luo Hongyu's puzzled voice came through.
She groggily opened her eyes and saw this man in a black robe and fox mask before her... She didn't remember, but she sensed Luo He's aura from him.
He was still by her side.
Luo Hongyu only felt her head was extremely heavy and drowsy. After confirming this point, she turned her head again and leisurely fell back into a deep sleep.
She finally said indistinctly:
"When I come back, I'll take you to see the flowers..."
"......"
There are no flowers, Luo Hongyu.
In the small courtyard on Still Water Peak, Yulan magnolias had never been planted.
That grapevine was also chopped down by you yourself long ago.
...
Luo Hongyu felt she had had a very, very long dream.
The Luo He in the dream wore black clothes and a white fox mask and never spoke to her.
Every time she saw him like that, her heart seemed to feel a bit sour.
This dream made Luo Hongyu feel very strange.
Why did he have to wear a mask? Clearly, his face...
Face...
Why couldn't she remember what Luo He looked like?
That's right, this was in a dream. As long as she waited until she woke up, everything would be...
Luo Hongyu opened her eyes again.
Her eyes carried a certain dullness and weariness.
Here...
This was not Still Water Peak.
Where was this place?
This was the Zen courtyard of the Nine Elephant Gate.
Strange, what was the Nine Elephant Gate?
Where was Luo He?
Luo He should be here... No, that's not right, why would he be here?
"Guu..."
Contradictory memories instantly clashed together, making Luo Hongyu feel a splitting headache. She supported herself on the ground, biting her lip, trying to clarify her completely chaotic mind.
She was Luo Hongyu, the Young Master of the Tianchen Sword Sect.
Luo He was her sword attendant; he was the one she liked the most... hated the most, no...
Huoxin? Who was Huoxin...
She had appeared here because of the red jade... What red jade?
Luo Hongyu found an anchor point in the chaotic sea of memories. She scrambled to her feet flusteredly and found the red jade pinned to her waist.
A gentle, blood-like color, emitting a warm light.
Luo Hongyu stood rooted to the spot, motionless.
The two intermingled rivers of memory, relying on the red jade as a watershed, returned to their respective riverbeds.
She remembered, or rather, she had sorted things out clearly.
Her expression was no longer that of the girl who liked to rest her head on Luo He's lap and look at his eyes, nor was it that of the girl who liked to push him to go see the spring flowers.
She was Luo Hongyu; she always had been.
When she moved again, she found Gu Jing, holding the Autumn Maiden Sword, sitting in the central courtyard to one side, her back to her, gazing at the moon.
"Senior Sister Gu.”
Luo Hongyu's tone also returned to its usual coldness.
But it also seemed to be mixed with certain other things.
"Young Master."
Gu Jing did not turn her head. Her voice was very soft, as if it might ride the wind and depart at any moment.
Luo Hongyu keenly observed that within Gu Jing's originally ink-black long hair, quite a bit of white frost had appeared.
"I want to escape."
Gu Jing hugged herself tightly and said so.
"I want to escape to a place where there is no Sword Sect, and no you."
"I have made too many mistakes, but I can't even see the person I should apologize to."
"I want to be punished, but even this thought itself would cause him harm."
"I accept it, Young Master. This is the beautiful dream of my life, and also the nightmare of my life."
"Every day from now on, when I close my eyes, I will remember that moment in this illusory realm when he smiled and called me Senior Sister Gu."
"This will remind me at every moment that I personally ruined him."
"I want to escape."
"Mm."
Luo Hongyu consented to Gu Jing.
Now, she still had many things she couldn't figure out.
But... tomorrow was the Immortal Ascension Assembly.
Luo Hongyu could only hope that all the answers to this would be there.
She had to break through to Nascent Soul, and then find Luo He.
Finally, to then directly face her own heart, which was currently twisted into a tangled mess.