The two people finally found shelter around the entrance of the cave to camp out.

Feng Ci was still randomly angry for some inexplicable reason. Pei QianYue didn’t irritate him any further and yielded to him the only straw mat that was found inside the entire cave. Pei QianYue himself leaned against a limestone rock that was next to the path and decided to pass the night just like that. 

Which, on the contrary, made Feng Ci unable to fall asleep.

The straw mat was placed right by the limestone rock. Laying on his side, Feng Ci could see Pei QianYue’s handsome profile whenever he looked up.

Pei QianYue’s face was tranquil, his breathing steady. Because of the black silk ribbon that covered his eyes, it was impossible to tell if he is sleeping or awake. But Feng Ci knew that he must be awake. By Feng Ci’s side, Pei QianYue would never fall asleep before him.

One leg bent, Pei QianYue rested one arm on his knee, dangling downwards casually. The tips of his fingers were so pale they were practically transparent. 

Even sitting quietly like this, it was possible to see that Pei QianYue was indeed completely different from 300 years ago.

There was no change in his appearance, but his temperament was much warmer 300 years ago. Not like right now, where he seemed to have wrapped himself tightly in a firm outer shell. Cold. Solidary. Unaffiliated with this world.

This outer shell seemed to only melt slightly with Feng Ci by his side, which made him seem more like…… a living being.

But if Feng Ci weren’t here anymore, what was this person supposed to do?

Feng Ci thought idly in his head.

This train of thought made Feng Ci’s chest feel congested. He didn’t continue down this path and instead turned around to face the sky. He asked quietly: “Xiao Hei, are you asleep?”

“No.” Pei QianYue answered very quickly: “Master, you can’t fall asleep?”

He’s been in a pretty good mood since that incident a moment ago. Even when replying to Feng Ci’s words, his voice carried a hint of happiness. 

Feng Ci acknowledged him softly and said: “Let’s chat a bit.”

“Okay.” Pei QianYue said: “What does Master want to chat about?”

Feng Ci thought briefly and asked: “Do you think, in comparison to 3000 years ago, I’m somewhat different?”

Pei QianYue: “Yes.” 

Feng Ci: “Where?”

Pei QianYue didn’t answer immediately.

He turned his head slightly, as if considering his words.

After a moment, Pei QianYue said: “Master’s personality… seems much calmer than before.” 

This answer actually made Feng Ci feel somewhat surprised.

“Was I not calm enough in the past?” Feng Ci tilted his head and asked.

Currently, he has recovered his original appearance. His long hair had spread out completely when he laid down. Pei QianYue lowered his hand and grabbed a lock of Feng Ci’s hair.

Pei QianYue played with Feng Ci’s hair in his hand and said quietly: “In the past, it was very difficult for Master to fall asleep at night. Even when you did fall asleep, you’d often wake up from nightmares.” 

3000 years ago, Feng Ci just ended that dreadful and extended warfare. He was completely enveloped in an austere cutting aura honed from countless slaughter and death. Eyes open and eyes closed, all he saw was the demons(魔) that died under his blade, and the companions that fell beside him.

That’s why the little black snake loved to cling to him so much back then.

It wanted to give him some comfort and make him feel less tormented.

“I have completely forgotten about that.” Feng Ci chuckled lightly: “But you seem to remember it very well.” 

As long as it was related to Feng Ci, Pei QianYue always remembered it even better than him.

Feng Ci has never avoided talking about what happened back then. On the contrary, he relished in narrating those things like stories for others to hear. It’s almost as if, in this kind of manner, those who had long passed away can still remain in this world.

Ktlr kjr bcf bo tlr ofk jwerfwfcar veglcu atf sfjgr.

Lbkfnfg, wbra bo ktja tf ajixfv jybea kfgf njiljca jcv uibglber yjaaifr. Ktf wlceaf vfajlir, tbkfnfg, tf tjv jigfjvs obgubaafc mbwqifafis. 

“Mbgufaalcu… lr j ubbv atlcu.” Ufl HljcTef ibbqfv Mfcu Jl’r tjlg jgbecv tlr olcufgr jcv rjlv delfais: “Glvc’a Zjrafg ifjnf yjmx atfc… ab obgufa jii bo atja?”

When he first reunited with Feng Ci, Pei QianYue had claimed that the Saint Sovereign QianQiu grew weary of everything within this world and abandoned everyone mercilessly.

These were only fleeting words of anger.

Even if the little black snake didn’t know why Feng Ci had to leave back then, after all these years of experience, he would still gradually understood. The war didn’t only leave Feng Ci the reverence and worship of later generations. The post-war traumas had also tormented him day in and night out, not even giving him a moment of peace, a life worse than death. 

So he left, going from one world to another, to escape those unbearable memories.

Pei QianYue said: “During these years, I kept on thinking. If I were born a little earlier, or had transformed into a human a little earlier, perhaps things wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

If he was able to accompany Feng Ci earlier, he could have hugged Feng Ci every time the other was emotionally distressed and comforted him every time he jolted awake from nightmares, so he didn’t need to suffer so much.

Then he wouldn’t have needed to leave his home and spent so many years alone. 

The light in Feng Ci’s eyes churned slightly.

But he only chuckled quietly and shifted his gaze away: “How could there be so many what if’s.”

Feng Ci didn’t speak anymore so Pei QianYue also stopped talking.

LingWu Mountain at night was quiet, without a sound. The slightly cool night breeze blew over the treetops, creating a rustling sound. Feng Ci looked up at the heavens above. In the darkness of the night, the starry skies and moon were so close, they were practically within reach. 

LingWu Mountain was located on the Kunlun Mountain Range, at an extremely high elevation. Stargazing here felt completely different than stargazing in the mortal realm.

A fallen leaf just happened to float down onto Feng Ci’s hair, but it was caught by Pei QianYue.

Feng Ci turned his head and looked over. Pei QianYue looked down slightly and placed that fallen leaf next to his mouth.

A slow, melodious tune flowed out of his mouth. 

This tune was different from the JiangNan folk jive that Feng Ci heard previously. Like an emotional story that surged and fell, expressing both happiness and sadness, the music accompanied the cool breeze and leisure moonlight, and drifted throughout this deserted misty mountain.

Listening to this tune, Feng Ci slowly felt a peace in his heart.

After feeling pacified, drowsiness immediately overwhelmed him.

Feng Ci couldn’t hold back a yawn. The tune suddenly stopped. 

Pei QianYue said: “Master wishes to rest now?”

“No.” Feng Ci rubbed his eyes. His body was a bit tired, but he still didn’t want to sleep yet: “You keep blowing. I like hearing it.”

Pei QianYue laughed quietly: “If you want to sleep then sleep. I’ll play for you again tomorrow.”

Maybe because Feng Ci never had a good night’s sleep since the start of Broken Sword Manor’s issue, the physical exhaustion finally defeated his mental reasoning. Feng Ci yawned again and said: “Alright, don’t forget it tomorrow.” 

Pei QianYue: “En, I won’t.”

Feng Ci turned and laid down sideways on the straw mat. Very quickly, he became so tired he couldn’t even open his eyes. Yet he still continued to mumble vaguely: “You know so many things. That’s really good……”

It’s a pity that such a good person… just had to fall for him.

Feng Ci didn’t complete his sentence. Very quickly, he fell asleep. 

The time inside the illusion had halted at the moment of Pei QianYue’s awakening. As a result, when Feng Ci woke up, the moon was still high in the sky.

The Big Dipper and its surrounding stars no longer moved. He didn’t even know how long he had slept, but his body no longer felt tired.

After recovering their strength, Feng Ci and Pei QianYue continued to focus on the business at hand first.

—Figuring out how to leave this Phantom Spirit Cauldron. 

In a normal illusion, as long as the person trapped inside the illusion wakes up, the illusion would naturally fall apart. As such, into Feng Ci’s knowledge, he actually had no experience in dealing with an illusion that halted like this.

Feng Ci swung his sword ahead of him. However, he was shoved back several steps back by an invisible force, only coming to a stop after being caught by Pei QianYue from behind.

“Master, be careful.” Pei QianYue said.

The sword in Feng Ci’s hand dissipated. He relaxed his body and fell back into Pei QianYue’s arms: “I don’t want to try anymore.” 

Currently, they were at the foot of LingWu Mountain.

This illusion was created based on Pei QianYue’s memories. The range of the whole illusion was limited to only LingWu Mountain itself. Feng Ci originally wanted to target the boundary of the illusion and see if they could break through it.

But they tried for a long time, yet this invisible wall in front of them still remained unaffected.

Feng Ci even lost the will to fight. 

Pei QianYue helped Feng Ci to sit down to the side and said: “Master, you rest first. I’ll give it a try.”

“Don’t try anymore.” Feng Ci pulled him back: “The Phantom Spirit Cauldron is known for its indestructible durability. It definitely can’t be broken with external force. We tried so many times just now without avail. Stop wasting your strength.”

Pei QianYue: “Then what should we do?”

Feng Ci fell silent. 

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered something.

Pei QianYue saw Feng Ci raise two fingers and swing. The spirit energy that he created accurately struck the tree above their heads.

Wild fruits rolled down from the tree.

Pei QianYue: “……” 

Did the younger generations of the cultivation world know that their revered Grandmaster QianQiu privately used his sword energy to pick fruits?

Feng Ci jogged over quickly and crouched down on the ground, picking and selecting for a while. He picked out two of the biggest and best looking fruits and turned around to throw them at Pei QianYue: “Catch!”

Then he picked out two for himself and wiped them on his sleeve: “Can’t think of a plan so might as well eat something first.”

Feng Ci has seen this type of fruit before. It’s not very big and the thin skin was a plus. The pulp of the fruit was full of juice. Sweet and sour in taste, it was quite mouth-watering. 

He took a big bite, but the taste was so sour that his entire face scrunched up: “Ptui—”

It was raw.

Pei QianYue: “Pfft.”

Feng Ci tossed away the remaining fruit in his hand and shot Pei QianYue a glare: “What are you laughing about.” 

“This kind of fruit… doesn’t necessarily taste good just because they look good.” Pei QianYue walked in front of him and felt around on the ground for a moment. He picked out a fruit whose skin felt very soft and handed it to Feng Ci: “Try again.”

Feng Ci glanced at him suspiciously and then leaned in to take a bite right out of his hand.

It was indeed very sweet.

The two people weren’t able to break the illusion. Instead, they each picked an armful of fruits and walked back. 

Pei QianYue said: “Under the valley in the east, there’s a forest where a lot of these kinds of berries grow. If Master likes them, I can go pick some for you.”

When it came to discussing life on LingWu mountain, the native who had lived here for 3000 years, Pei QianYue, was much more familiar with the place.

Feng Ci was eating with relish. When he heard these words, he thought of something and made a noise of acknowledgement.

Pei QianYue turned his head and asked: “What?” 

Feng Ci looked at the half-eaten fruit in his hand, then at the ones in Pei QianYue’s arms, and smiled: “I was just thinking, we really seem to be passing life inside this realm here.”

If the elder, who had created the Phantom Spirit Cauldron, knew that his magic weapon could be used like this, he probably would find it very incredulous.

But it was indeed this freakish combination of mishaps that allowed Feng Ci and Pei QianYue to take advantage of a loophole.

“Actually it’s not bad like this.” Feng Ci said: “Just think about it. If we can’t even find a way out, then my physical body, which is a puppet that’s only capable of murder, definitely won’t be figuring a way out. If he can’t leave, then he won’t be able to harm the cultivation world anymore.” 

The more he talked, the more reasonable this thought process felt: “You’ve awakened from the illusion so there won’t be any more dangers. From what I see, this place is no different from the real LingWu Mountain. You were able to live here for 3000 years. Now there’s two of us, keeping each other company. Living here long term won’t be very difficult either.”

Pei QianYue repeated softly: “Living here long term……”

“It’s just unfortunate that the time has stopped here. If we stay inside this illusion forever, we might never see daylight again.” Feng Ci looked up at the sky. The galaxy of stars was still bright and splendid: “And the fruits that we eat will never grow back. Need to ration it out.”

Saying this, Feng Ci took another bite of the fruit. 

Pei QianYue took his time in replying. Feng Ci narrowed his eyes and asked: “What? Are you unwilling?”

Here he thought Pei QianYue would be very happy with this suggestion. After all, through these days of interactions, Feng Ci could tell that this person was actually not interested in the outside world and their principles, and really didn’t care for much.

The only thing that Pei QianYue wanted has always been to just be with Feng Ci.

Feng Ci thought briefly and asked: “Are you still worried about the Six Sects?” 

“No.” Pei QianYue shook his head: “For Master to say this, I’m very happy.”

Feng Ci: “Then you……”

“I really am very happy.” Pei QianYue interrupted him: “As long as I’m together with Master, I’m content no matter where I am. It’s just……”

Pei QianYue paused and said calmly: “It’s just that living long term inside a mountain isn’t as easy as Master imagines. The days might be very dry and boring.” 

“So what?” Feng Ci was unconcerned: “You spent thousands of years here, living alone. Can’t I do the same? Besides, I have you with me right now.”

“That’s true.” A smile appeared on Pei QianYue’s lips: “A two person life is indeed much more interesting than that of one person alone.”

Feng Ci heard the hidden implication in his words and hastily denied: “That’s not what I meant!”

“What do you mean?” Pei QianYue said with a smile: “I’m saying that when two people are together, they can chat with each other to relieve boredom. That’s much better than being alone….. What is Master thinking?” 

Feng Ci: “…….”

He suddenly rejoiced that Pei QianYue couldn’t see right now. Otherwise, he’d definitely see that the roots of Feng Ci’s ears were flushed red again.

Feng Ci felt both angry and annoyed. Not knowing how to reply, he turned his head indignantly: “I’m leaving!”

Just as he went to leave, he was pulled back again. 

Pei QianYue had already curbed the smile on his face. With a slight tug, he pulled Feng Ci closer. A deep low voice sounded next to Feng Ci’s ear: “However, if Master wants to try some other interesting things, I’ll definitely accompany you until the very end.”

He raised his hand and gently wiped away the little bit of fruit juice staining the corner of Feng Ci’s lips. From his action to his tone of voice, they were both rich with a hidden, suggestive implication.

“—Do you want to give it a try?”