transcending the nine heavens
From the beginning once again, how much of the good and beautiful can I not let go?
“Qing Wu!” Chu Yang violently woke up. He still had not opened his eyes, yet he gave a painful and heartfelt cry. He felt his own heart twitching, that it ached, but its sound was weak as if it was groaning, and it was as if he could not even hear it……
After those words had left his mouth, Chu Yang was instead momentarily stunned!
I…… had clearly seen Qing Wu coming to receive me, that familiar and pleasant smile, those tender emotions that had already seeped into the bone marrow……
Yet…… what is this?
Before his eyes, there were unlimited mountain rocks, and at the skyline, the setting sun was like blood. Swaying and rustling green bamboos were in all directions, as if causing the horizon’s purple evening glow to whirl, rippling amongst the breeze, rising one wave at a time……
Beside his legs, there was still a patch of blood.
A severe pain was sent from the top of his head, and he reached out a hand to touch it. The entire hand was a complete dark red.
That mountain, that rock, that scenery, that wound, they were actually that familiar!
Where is this place?
A voice beside his ear, carrying with it a tone that seemed as if it was about to cry, said, “Hey…… please…… please don’t scare me, I, I…… I am such a handsome and dashing person, ah, I cannot take scares……”
Chu Yang was secretly, momentarily confused. He thought, Unless, I really still have not died? However, who is this guy shouting beside my ear? He really is quite of the finest grade. Clearly, he is about to be scared to death, but he actually still has not forgotten to be narcissistic……
When it seemed that he did not get any response, that person once again cried out, “Really…… no longer breathing? Wu……” That crying sound was instead like a train’s whistle. If someone from afar was to hear it, he or she would definitely think that there was a hungry wolf howling *Ao~~~*.
The sound lasted long and loud, and it reverberated melodiously. There was actually a faint echo. It was just that the echo instead became *Ao~~~* ……
Really talented. Chu Yang secretly thought. He could also tell from hearing it. That sound was absolutely filled with fright and sorrow, and it could not be faked; However, that sound…… really made it hard for people to boast.
It was as if the Heavens had made a mistake when creating him, and had used a duck’s throat on his body instead. Moreover, it was also a drake……
Probably, upon completion, the Heavens once again felt that something was not quite right, and had therefore made a compensation — By also borrowing half the throat of a wolf……
That sound, ah, seemed quite familiar…… That kind of sound was absolutely too unique! Chu Yang felt his heart shudder momentarily, and memories from long ago suddenly rushed into his mental consciousness……
“It was only just practising rod techniques, there is no need for you to be knocked dead by me in a single strike just like this right?” That voice was trembling, and it was obviously terrified, “…… they had all struck you that many times with the rod without any problems. Why is it that when I had only struck you once with the rod, you sagged forward and leant onto me…… This, this…… this is god, damned unfair! Unless, just because you see that I have grown to become handsome and dashing, that you grew jealous and decide to intentionally victimise me huh?”
Chu Yang was at a loss for words.
Who is that person? To even still be complaining… It is also all right for him to be complaining, after all, no one is also willing to meet with that sort of incident right? It is just that, even while complaining, he unexpectedly also did not forget to praise himself with a few sentences……
To be narcissistic until such a stage, that was already enough to shock the Heavens and Earth while causing ghosts and gods to cry!
With a groan, Chu Yang finally forced his eyes open. He could no longer ignore it. Even if Chu Yang was the Poisonous Sword Revered Martial Artist of one generation, he also could not tolerate that voice.
That voice, as if mixed from the howl of a wolf that had been hungry for a long time with a little hoarse, throaty sound belonging to a drake…… there was no need to mention a person, but even a tiger would also collapse after listening to it for a long time……
“You woke up, you woke up, wahaha, I just knew it. You were actually shocked and stunned by my smart looks, and it wasn’t that you had fainted and collapsed……” That voice continued to ravage Chu Yang’s ears, “It was just like what I had said huh. Why was it that while we were having a good time sparring, you actually began to stare at my face without looking away…… so it was like that!”
Chu Yang frowned. His brain was still in a turbulent sea of pain. With a soft voice, he shouted, “Shut up!” He absolutely could not tolerate it any more. If you are to say two more sentences, I might as well stab my heart two more times and be done with it. After all, I am already a person who have died once, yet I still have to suffer the torture of your horrifying voice. Does this still make any natural sense huh? Even in death, I am not allowed to be at peace……
Are there any morals left in the world……
Although his voice was low, it was instead filled with dignity, and that overwhelming disposition of the Poisonous Sword Revered Martial Artist dissipated outwards unseen. Deterred by the harshness contained within those two short words, that relentlessly chattering fellow was actually dumbfounded, and could not speak.
Chu Yang violently forced his eyes open, but instead found the sunlight before his eyes to be glaring, and a chaotic burst of golden stars momentarily flooded his vision. He could only once again shut his eyes, and then slowly pried them open……
Presented before him, was a human face. Yes, and he was also that person who was interestingly forceful in praising himself to be handsome and dashing. Correct. With the exception of Chu Yang and him at that place, there wasn’t a third person.
However, when Chu Yang saw that face, his heart was immediately filled with a sense of intimacy, and at the same time, he did not know whether to cry or laugh. To actually use the phrase ‘handsome and smart’ on that person, he sincerely felt as if ‘resources were unwittingly being destroyed’!
That face was absolutely not ugly!
Both of his eyes were large, while his nose was straight and prominent. His mouth was small, and he also had a pair of dashing eyebrows. Moreover, his face was white and fair, and he was neither fat nor thin.
However, the most bizarre features were that, although his eyes were large and filled with vigor, the distance between both eyes were instead quite a far apart. One eye seemed as if it was just beside his left ear, while the other eye…… and his right ear were neighbours.
His eyebrows were naturally dashing; they were straight while slanting outwards. It was just that, although they were like two swords, one of the swords pierced the Heavens while the other sword instead severed Hell itself — their directions were actually, completely opposite!
His nose was also very straight and prominent. It was just…… that nose was also a little too straight and prominent. The bridge of his nose was like a mountain range, and actually separated both eyes apart!
It was just like the Milky Way, separating the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd apart, forcing them to look at each other from afar. Those kind of eyes, even if they were to become cross eyed and look at each other…… ah, it would also be quite hard.
His mouth was also very small, such that it was even very rosy. However, having a small, cherry lipped mouth on the face of a man…… especially on the face of this kind of man……
It was just like a dish — A piece of snow-white tofu, with a completely red cherry placed above it……
That kind of appearance, to say that it had character…… that already could not be used to describe it! That appearance simply had too much character, such that there should be no others any where else in the world!
Ah…… whoever could find such a similar person, Chu Yang felt that he would simply worship the finder. That difficulty was too great.
“Tan Tan?” Chu Yang’s entire body felt numb and sore. He also felt as if there were several knives violently churning within his mental consciousness, and his head felt as if it was about to burst. However, he instead strongly controlled himself, and revealed a gentle smile. “Tan Tan, you are still this talkative and narcissistic! That is super abnormal!”
That person was a good childhood friend Chu Yang’s, the Younger Martial Brother Tan Tan. ‘Tan’ for one of the Chinese characters in ‘Speech’, and ‘Tan’ for one of the Chinese characters in ‘Epiphyllum’. That name really invoked a pleasant feeling within people.
Tan Tan was Chu Yang’s buddy, and both were orphans, or rather, abandoned. Their Teacher had found them and raised them up. When Chu Yang was nineteen years old, Tan Tan had left on a journey. Then, news of his death was suddenly sent back. All along until that moment, Chu Yang never did know why had Tan Tan died. Who was his enemy?! He had investigated for a very long time, but instead never did find even a single piece of news.
Tan Tan’s death back then had an extremely great influence on Chu Yang. It had made his originally withdrawn character to become even more withdrawn and silent……
When he had only heard that voice while his eyes were earlier closed, Chu Yang was already certain. After opening his eyes and sweeping a glance around, as if almost immediately, he already knew where he was at that moment.
This place is really too familiar!
Beyond The Heavens Storey, back mountains, Purple Bamboo Forest. That scenario — during the time when he was sixteen, Tan Tan and him had been sparring using rod techniques when he suddenly fell into a daze, and was then struck unconscious by Tan Tan when he failed to withdraw his attack in time.
Unless, he had actually returned to the time when he was sixteen years old? Yet how…… could that be possible??
Chu Yang’s gaze wandered around. After he had finished looking another complete circle, he was finally certain. He had indeed been reborn! Back to when he was sixteen years old. That kind of completely impossible incident, had instead actually happened on him at that very moment. Even with Chu Yang’s tough mentality, he was also actually dazed from the sudden shock and happiness!
If everything can begin once again, within my lifetime, how much can I not let go?!
Today, I have really returned to the past?!
Chu Yang was stunned for a very long time before he regained himself. He took in a deep breath, and suppressed the rising emotions that seemed to be gushing out from his heart. His face was instead flooded with a red flush, and he could only feel his heart drumming in a typically intense beat, as if it would jump out of his mouth at any time.
Turning his head back, while carefully inspecting that once lost, but now recovered Brother. From within Chu Yang’s eyes, deep and overwhelming emotions were shot out. In a slightly faint and hoarse voice, he instead teased and said, “Tan Tan, I finally understand the truth behind why you were abandoned in those years already……” Indeed, after having gave birth to such a fellow…… if the family had not been frightened enough to instantly get rid of him, ah, their mentality would have been extremely tenacious.
Tan Tan embarrassedly scratched his head. Unexpectedly, with a little bit of shame, he said, “The reason should be because I was too handsome…… while the reason you were abandoned, I estimate that it is because you were too ugly……”
Chu Yang rolled his white eyes, and suddenly felt an urge to beat someone up, as well as an urge to laugh……
……
From his memories, those injuries had caused him to lay in bed for half a month.
It was only until later that he came to know, he absolutely did not make a mistake while he was sparring. Instead, he was poisoned by someone! Within a certain time frame, that poison would cause his entire body to become paralysed!
Far from him being the only target, his poisoner’s original intention was to, after calculating and targeting a specific time period, let Tan Tan directly kill him in a single strike. That way, Tan Tan would also be finished……
Within the Sect, the Disciples sparring between themselves were common occurrences. However, if someone was to get killed, then that would instead become a large incident! Tan Tan being excommunicated from the sect would also have been a definite consequence!
However, the person responsible for poisoning had completely not thought that, during that period of time, although Tan Tan might have appeared to be well-matched with Chu Yang, his actual martial powers had instead exceeded Chu Yang’s. When he had sparred against Chu Yang, he had always retained a certain percentage of his strength.
During the most crucial moment, although he had not managed to withhold his attack in time, he had instead managed to shed off more than half the strength behind the rod’s attack, resulting in Chu Yang only suffering minor injuries!
Under his Teacher’s charge, including himself, and adding Tan Tan, there were a total of three Disciples! The poisoner, was the Eldest Martial Brother! Shi Qian Shan!
A piercingly cold ray of light momentarily glinted in Chu Yang’s eyes. He silently recited those three words within his mind — Shi, Qian, Shan!
His facial expression suddenly changed and became similar to a Winter’s chill, which gradually became colder. A faint killing intent began to envelop and drift about around him. Just beside him, without knowing why, Tan Tan actually felt a sudden chill pierce his bones. In the heat of that summer, he could not help but shudder and shiver from the cold.
[Rylain’s Translator Notes:
1. Beyond The Heavens Storey — It’s the name of the sect Chu Yang belonged to.]