Chapter 154

Chapter 154

Su Chan's teary face was the first thing Li Yundong saw when he opened his eyes . Blinking a few times, he realized that he was still lying on the ground and Su Chan was sitting right next to him . His body had stopped glowing, much to his relief . He really thought he was going to die just now . Then again, the fact that he was still alive was pretty much moot, since he was about to die soon .

Hopefully not too soon .

Li Yundong forced out a smile .

"Hey, princess . . .

"

"Yundong . . .

" Su Chan wailed loudly, then slumped forward until she was lying directly over his torso .

Li Yundong raised his hand and patted Su Chan's head .

"Su Chan . . . Listen . . .

"

Su Chan raised her head from his chest and sniffed a few times .

Li Yundong stroked her cheek .

"You have to go now, princess . Get as far away from me as possible . . .

"

He had just killed a man with a spell . He didn't want Su Chan anywhere near him when the Heavenly Thunder struck .

The thought of Su Chan dying returned a bit of strength to his weak body .

"Go!!!

" Li Yundong gave Su Chan a hard shove .

"I'm not going anywhere!

" Su Chan crawled back towards Li Yundong .

Li Yundong bit back a curse .

"Su Chan . . .

" he said sternly .

"You have to go! Now! Go! Before the Heavenly Thun—mmph!

"

Su Chan's hand clamped over his mouth .

"Don't say it! Please, don't say it!

" Su Chan's shoulders trembled as she sobbed .

Li Yundong turned his head away and freed his mouth from her hand . Hot tears slid down his own cheeks .

"Listen to me, princess . . . Please just go, okay? There's no point in both of us dying . . .

"

"No, no, no!!! I'm staying! I'm staying! I'm not going anywhere!

" Su Chan yelled, then crumpled into a sobbing heap on top of him .

"Yundong . . . Please don't make me leave… I can't live without you . . . I can't!!!

"

Li Yundong sniffed, feeling the sting of his own tears .

"Silly girl . . . You were living just fine before you met me, weren't you?

" Li Yundong patted Su Chan's head .

"Go, okay? Go back to your master . She . . .

" He cleared his throat .

"She'll keep you safe .

"

Su Chan's face rubbed against the front of his shirt as she shook her head wildly .

"No, no, no . . . I won't leave you . . . I won't leave . . .

"

Li Yundong grunted and pushed himself into a sitting position . Then, he cupped Su Chan's face and dried her cheeks with the pad of his thumb .

"You'll be fine, princess .

" He smiled wanly at her .

"You'll soon forget about me and find someone else to love—

"

"But I don't want anyone else, dammit!

" Su Chan cried out .

"I want my Yundong!!

"

Li Yundong choked back a sob .

"I'm so glad you came into my life, Su Chan . Even though the time we spent together is short—

"

"Don't!!!

" Su Chan shrieked .

"Don't talk like that!

" Su Chan covered her ears and began shaking her head wildly .

"I don't wanna hear it! I don't wanna hear it!

"

More tears stung Li Yundong's eyes . He reached up and pried Su Chan's hands away from her ears . She had to hear this whether she liked it or not . This might very well be the last conversation they had with each other .

"You've brought so much joy into my life, Su Chan . I'm forever grateful to you .

" He stared deeply into Su Chan's eyes .

"I love you .

"

Su Chan's face crumpled .

"Yundong . . .

" she sobbed .

"Please, don't…

"

"I want you to always, always remember something .

" Li Yundong waited until he was sure he had Su Chan's full attention .

"It doesn't matter what everyone is saying about fox spirits . None of it matters . To me, in my eyes, you are the kindest, the cutest, the prettiest, and the most adorable girl to ever live . And… over the short time I've known you, I can say with absolute certainty that you are a good person .

" Li Yundong tapped Su Chan's chest .

"You have a good heart, and you shouldn't let anyone tell you otherwise .

"

Su Chan kept shaking her head .

"W-Why are you telling me all this?

" Su Chan gripped the front of his shirt .

"Why are you talking like that?! Don't talk like that! Like you're about to leave me!

"

Li Yundong gave her a sad smile, then pried Su Chan's hands off his shirt .

"I guess this is goodbye, Chan'er…

"

They stared at each other for a moment . The look of shock in Su Chan's eyes was almost as intense as the wistful longing in his own eyes .

"I love you . . .

" Li Yundong whispered, then turned around and ran towards the woods at the edge of the field .

He had barely taken a few steps before a pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around his waist, bringing him into a complete stop . He turned and saw Su Chan clinging onto his waist like he was her favorite bolster .

Li Yundong sighed and tried to unwrap her arms from around his waist, but the stubborn girl refused to let go .

"Please don't make this harder than it already is . . .

" Li Yundong said .

"Please let me go, Chan'er…

"

Su Chan shook her head desperately and sent him a pleading look .

"Just let me die with you . . . Let's die together, Yundong—

"

"Don't be stupid, Chan'er!

" Li Yundong pushed her away .

"You have a full life ahead of you!

"

"But life would be meaningless without you!!!

" Su Chan yelled back .

Li Yundong groaned into his hands, and when he lowered them, he realized that his palms were wet .

"Don't say that!

" he shouted .

"That's nonsense! Now stay where you are! Don't follow me!

"

Li Yundong turned around and marched towards the woods . A moment later, a solid weight rammed into his body from behind, sending him tumbling to the ground . A warm body crawled on top of his torso . That familiar weight felt so damned good that he almost didn't want to open his eyes . Warm liquid dripped all over his cheeks and neck . He opened his eyes and saw Su Chan's face hovering inches above his own .

"Can't you see?

" Su Chan hiccupped a few times .

"If you die, I'd just kill myself anyway . . .

"

All of a sudden, Su Chan's face turned into a complete blur . The next thing he knew, his shoulders were shaking violently . His eyes burned with such an intensity that he thought he was going blind .

"Oh, you stubborn, stubborn girl . . .

"

Warm palms ran through his hair .

"Since we're both going to die anyway, why not spend our final moments together?

"

Li Yundong half-groaned and rolled his head to the side .

"Please, Yundong…

" Su Chan pleaded .

"Please don't let me die alone…

"

"I don't want you to die at all…

"

"But life without you is even more painful than death…

"

A sob tore out from Li Yundong's lips .

"Goddammit!! This is so unfair! Why do I have to die just because I helped rid this world of an evil man!!

"

Su Chan poked his cheek .

"Say yes, Yundong? Please say yes? Let me stay by your side…

"

Li Yundong kept sobbing .

"I- I promise I'll never steal from your plate again!

" Su Chan added .

"I'll… I'll even let you call me cheap monk!

"

Li Yundong chuckled despite his tears . After a few moments, he sighed and opened his arms .

"Come here, you little chipmunk .

"

Su Chan threw her arms around his neck and cried . Li Yundong patted Su Chan's back and stared up into the night sky, breathing in Su Chan's scent . Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if Su Chan's scent was the last thing he breathed before death claimed him?

"Are you sure about this, Su Chan?

" Li Yundong asked into Su Chan's hair after a while .

"You don't have to die, you know?

"

Su Chan pulled back and wiped her cheeks .

"Nonsense,

" she said .

"I told you I'd rather die than live a life without you in it .

"

Li Yundong opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by another voice .

"Not to ruin your little romantic moment or anything . . . But nobody has to die .

"

Li Yundong raised his head from the ground and saw Zi Yuan approaching them from the roadside . Li Yundong looked past Zi Yuan's shoulder and saw Ruan Hongling and Zhou Qin looking straight at him . Both of them had tears in their eyes .

Li Yundong snapped to attention the moment Zi Yuan got close . He frowned .

"What are you talking about? You made it pretty clear just now that I'm doomed the moment I cast the spell . . .

" Then, a thought hit him . Li Yundong's eyes went wide .

"Wait . Why aren't I dead yet?

"

Zi Yuan stopped in front of him and smirked .

"Ah . Finally you're keeping up .

"

Li Yundong's head was spinning . He shook his head a few times, then paused when another thought hit him . He glared daggers at Zi Yuan .

"So it was all a lie to stop me from using the spell? Is that it?

"

Zi Yuan gave him a withering look .

"No . Everything I told you is the truth .

"

Li Yundong spread out his arms .

"Then why am I still alive?

"

"That's easy .

" Zi Yuan smiled .

"Because you haven't passed the Zhuji phase yet, of course .

"

***

Hope coursed through Li Yundong .

"Wait, so if I'm alive because I haven't passed the Zhuji phase . . .

" Li Yundong looked into Zi Yuan's eyes .

"Then . . .

"

Zi Yuan smiled .

"You'll be safe from the Heavenly Thunder as long as you don't pass the Zhuji phase .

"

Li Yundong looked towards Su Chan, who looked just as confused as he felt . It was obvious that Su Chan didn't know anything about this . Otherwise she wouldn't have made a fuss about wanting to die together with him .

Li Yundong looked towards Zi Yuan .

"But why?

"

Zi Yuan raised a brow at Su Chan .

"I'm surprised your master never told you about this .

"

Su Chan blushed and looked like she was about to argue, but Li Yundong grabbed her hand .

"Easy, princess . Let her finish .

" He gestured for Zi Yuan to continue .

"The nature of Cultivation revolves around the pursuit of immortality . And, as you know, immortality isn't part of the natural order of things . All life ends with death eventually . Where there is life, there will be death . To attain immortality is, therefore, to go against the natural order of things .

"

"So?

"

"So . . .

" Zi Yuan stared at Li Yundong pointedly .

"It is also part of the natural order for those who go against the natural order to suffer divine punishment .

"

"Okay?

" Li Yundong narrowed his eyes .

"But what does that have to do with the Zhuji phase?

"

Zi Yuan's expression suddenly turned pensive, like she was thinking hard about something .

Li Yundong flicked a quick glance at Su Chan, who, much to his surprise, was staring at Zi Yuan reverently .

After a while, Zi Yuan lips began to move . She raised her right hand and wiggled her fingers . Green tendrils emerged from her fingertips .

Li Yundong tensed up instantly .

"What are you doing?

" he said, moving in to shield Su Chan with his body .

Zi Yuan finished the incantation and gave him a look of amusement .

"You really have to start getting used to the idea that I'm on your side .

"

Su Chan patted Li Yundong's shoulder from behind .

"Relax, Yundong . That's just a projection spell . It's completely harmless .

"

Li Yundong glanced at Su Chan briefly, then shot a wary look at Zi Yuan .

Zi Yuan sighed .

"Look over here .

" Zi Yuan flicked her fingers . The green tendrils danced and weaved in the air until they formed some kind of holographic image—two human figures standing on a flat surface .

"Okay . . . ?

"

"Imagine a simple world consisting of only two mortals . The flat surface represents the earth, and . . .

" Zi Yuan flicked her fingers again . A round sphere formed around the flat surface .

"The sphere is the boundary of the sky, which represents the Heavens .

"

Li Yundong stared at the image .

"Right . So the whole point of Cultivation is to reach to the sky? To get closer to the Heavens and unite with the Tao?

"

Zi Yuan nodded .

"Very good . So you get the basic idea of the analogy . Now let's move on .

" Zi Yuan waved her hand again . The image morphed into an enlarge view of the two human shape figures .

"To be closer to the Heavens, you have to be closer to the sky . Now . What do you think these two mortals have do to get closer to the sky using just their bodies?

"

"Without any tools?

" Li Yundong asked .

Zi Yuan nodded .

"Without any tools .

"

"Umm . . . jump?

" Li Yundong ventured a guess .

Zi Yuan shrugged .

"But you'll fall . It won't be permanent .

"

"Grow taller . . .

" Su Chan answered .

Zi Yuan nodded .

"That's correct .

" She flicked her hand, and the two human-shaped figures began to elongate .

"When you develop the three fundamental components of life (the Three Treasures), you'll get slightly closer to the Heavens . In terms of the analogy, you will grow taller . And when you do, you'll be able see the sky a bit better .

" Zi Yuan paused to give Li Yundong a look .

"By the way, in case you haven't figured it out already, this growing taller stage refers to the first three phases of Cultivation—the Sutai, Lianqi, and Ningshen phases . These phases develop the Essence, Qi, and Spirit separately .

"

Li Yundong nodded .

"Right .

"

The holographic image changed back to the one with the flat surface and the sphere .

"However, there is a limit to how tall you can grow .

" Zi Yuan wiggled her fingers again . The two human-shaped figures on the flat surface elongated for a moment until the elongation process slowed to a stop .

"More has to be done to reach greater heights .

" Zi Yuan stared at Li Yundong .

"This is where the Zhuji phase comes in .

" Zi Yuan flicked her hand, and all of a sudden, a building appeared under each human-shaped figure .

"To reach the Heavens, you need a structure—or in terms of the analogy, a building—for you to stand on . And the Zhuji phase is basically the process of establishing the foundation of that building or structure .

"

Li Yundong's mind raced .

"So the Heavenly Thunder can only reach those standing on top of buildings . . .

"

"Indeed . And . . .

" Zi Yuan waved her hand . The two buildings begun to stretch towards the sky .

"As you advance through the phases of Cultivation . . .

"

"You're making your building taller . . .

" Li Yundong said .

Zi Yuan nodded .

"By building on top of the foundational structure obtained during the Zhuji phase .

"

"And the taller your building is, the more likely it is for you to be struck by lightning . . .

" Su Chan added .

Zi Yuan smirked .

"Correct . And as a matter of fact . . .

" Zi Yuan arched a brow .

"Surviving the Heavenly Thunder is what the 8th phase of Cultivation is all about .

"

"The Lightning Retribution phase . . .

" Su Chan whispered .

The holographic image changed again . A thin film appeared slightly below the surface of the sphere .

"Like I said, Cultivation itself is against the natural order of things . So there comes a point in one's Cultivation journey where it would be impossible to move forward without experiencing divine punishment .

" The two holographic buildings kept rising until they stopped just under the thin film .

"There are only two possible outcomes . . .

" The building on the left breached the film . Bolts of—holographic—lightning extended from the surface of the sphere and struck the top of the building . When the building remained intact after nine successive strikes, it kept extending beyond the film until its top merged with the surface of the sphere, after which it glowed brightly .

"If you can survive the wrath of the Heavens, you'll achieve transcendence . On the other hand . . .

" When the building on the right pushed beyond the boundary, it crumbled after one of the bolts struck its top .

"Failure would lead to the total annihilation of one's soul .

" The holograms vanished after a final wave of Zi Yuan's hand .

Li Yundong met Zi Yuan's gaze steadily .

"This is a good analogy and all that . But how does it actually work? I mean, surely the Heavens must have some kind of way to pinpoint which Cultivator to strike?

" Li Yundong raised his brows .

"How, for instance, can the Heavens tell between a person who has passed the Zhuji phase and someone who hasn't?

"

"The Vital Orb . . .

" Su Chan answered .

"That's correct,

" Zi Yuan said with a nod .

"The presence of the Vital Orb is what separates a person who has passed the Zhuji phase from those who haven't . Without the Vital Orb inside your body, the Heavens would never be able to pinpoint you .

"

The penny dropped .

"The buildings . . .

" Li Yundong looked towards Zi Yuan .

"In the analogy, the buildings represent Vital Orbs . . .

"

"Yes .

"

"Yundong . . . Let's forget about the Zhuji phase, okay?

" Su Chan shook his arm .

"You don't have to pass the Zhuji phase! We . . . We can go to a place where nobody can find us and . . . and live a happy life together!

"

Li Yundong gave her a sad smile .

"And then become virgins for the rest of our lives?

" He chuckled .

"Is that what you want?

"

A blush bloomed on Su Chan's cheeks .

"M- Meanie! H- How can you be t- thinking about . . . about that at a time like this!!

"

The sound of a throat clearing interrupted their banter . Li Yundong looked away from Su Chan and found Zi Yuan staring back at him with a guarded expression .

"Well . . .

" Zi Yuan cleared her throat again .

"If you don't pass the Zhuji phase, you'll be able to live out the rest of your lives peacefully . But . . .

" Zi Yuan sighed .

"It also means that your Cultivation journey ends here . . .

"

"It's okay, Yundong! This is a perfect plan! You can forget about passing the Zhuji phase! We can—

"

"Is that all the Zhengyi School is capable of? Coming up with silly ideas?

" A new voice sounded out of nowhere .

What the hell…?

Li Yundong glanced around to locate the source of the voice . The voice had been cold, haughty, and most definitely feminine . But he didn't see any woman around, present company excepted .

An eerie silence descended upon the field . Then, Li Yundong noticed a frown marring Zi Yuan's features . She was also looking past his shoulder at something .

Li Yundong turned around and squinted through the darkness .

He realized then that Zi Yuan was staring at the woods, but nobody was there . Frowning, Li Yundong turned back around . Just as Li Yundong was about to ask Zi Yuan what she was staring at, the voice sounded again .

"Looks like the standards of the Zhengyi School hasn't risen at all even after all these years . . . What a disappointment .

"

A look of recognition formed on Zi Yuan's face .

"No . . . No… It can't be . . .

" she whispered .

"What is it, Elder Sis—

" Ruan Hongling gasped, then pointed a shaky finger at something behind Li Yundong .

"T- That sword . . .

"

Li Yundong turned around abruptly . Sword? What swo—

A thin strip of white light shone through the darkness of the woods . Seconds later, an object burst through the dark foliage and stabbed itself into the ground . The thin object glowed brighter and brighter until it became so dazzling that Li Yundong had to shield his eyes with his hands . Moments later, the glow waned, and Li Yundong slowly lowered his hands from his eyes .

There in front of him stood a beautiful sword about three feet long .

"Yes, Hongling . This is the same sword Master used to carve the prophecy on the Obelisk of Fengchen ten years ago . . .

"

The word prophecy did ring a bell, but not Obelisk of Fengchen . Li Yundong shot Zi Yuan a questioning look . However, Zi Yuan appeared to be too engrossed with the sword's presence to notice his questioning gaze .

"B- But that's Master's sword!

" Ruan Hongling tugged Zi Yuan's arms .

"How come it's here? And who on earth is wielding it?

"

Zi Yuan sighed and pointed at something past Li Yundong's shoulder .

"Look . . .

"

Li Yundong looked over his shoulder and nearly got the fright of his life . When the heck did she…?

Standing on the hilt of the sword was a beautiful woman with long, straight hair . Then, Li Yundong felt a trembling beside him . Su Chan . Li Yundong looked sideways and saw Su Chan staring at the woman with tears streaking down her cheeks .

Something tugged inside his chest .

"Hey, what's wro—

"

Su Chan was up on her feet before Li Yundong could even finish his sentence .

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!

"

Su Chan ignored him and kept running towards the woman standing on the sword .

"Master!!! You're here! I can't believe you came back for Chan'er!!

"