books44 Chapter 222 A Heartbreaking Encounter: Jade Locks and Golden Shackles (Part 2)
Chapter 222 A Heartbreaking Encounter: Jade Locks and Golden Shackles (Part 2)
For a long time, Mei Shiyu's mind was in a daze, just like when he was a child and had just been taken down the mountain by his master. He didn't remember anything, didn't recognize anyone, and his biggest hobby every day was sleeping.
Sleeping from morning till night, or from night till morning, without distinguishing between day and night.
Sometimes he slept in the bed, sometimes he slept in that person's arms, but the bed was made of ice and was not as warm as that person's arms, so he preferred the latter... As for who that person was, he didn't know and never asked.
Sometimes, he would go out for a walk.
His temporary residence was a magnificent room entirely made of ice sculptures, filled with crystal glass, clear and translucent.
He thought things would be different outside.
But to my surprise, once outside, all I saw was snow-covered cliffs and icy precipices.
"This is the Kunlun Mountains," Li Tingyun whispered in his ear. "Do you know that?"
Mei Shiyu didn't know what others were saying, but he would make a soft "hmm" sound to indicate that he heard them. He didn't want people to keep babbling in his ear, saying things he couldn't understand and just found it noisy, and... their breath tickled his ears.
Mei Shiyu turned around and looked back. There were countless palaces, layer upon layer, built against the mountain. Every corner followed the natural contours, not the neatness of artificial carving. They blended into the snow-capped mountains, a perfect work of nature.
The ice room where he temporarily stayed was just one part of it.
Li Tingyun leaned close to Mei Shiyu's ear, wanting to say something more, but Mei Shiyu raised his hand and covered her mouth.
Mei Shiyu lowered his eyes, his hand fell down and rested on his arm. With a gentle shake, Li Tingyun knew that he was sleepy again, so he picked him up horizontally. Mei Shiyu naturally leaned on his shoulder and fell asleep peacefully.
Li Tingyun carried him back into the ice chamber.
He was just about to say, "This is the Kunlun Immortal Palace, silent for ten thousand years, never visited by anyone... Do you remember it...?"
To say that "no one" has ever come here in the past tens of thousands of years is actually too absolute. The Kunlun Mountains are the ancestor of all mountains and a sacred place in ancient legends. Countless cultivators have come here in an endless stream to explore the immortal caves and secret ruins.
But they all came up empty-handed.
Few people can find the celestial palace deep in the mountains, let alone find a treasure or two among them.
Throughout history, only about two or three people have actually visited the "Kunlun Immortal Palace".
One of them was the founding patriarch of the Dao Xuan Sect, who took the Fen Jing Sword from here.
Another one is Ren Pingsheng, who brought the Kunlun Jade Embryo, which was born here, back to the human world.
Li Tingyun, prompted by Lin Qiutan's subtle suggestion, brought Mei Shiyu back to Kunlun Mountain, to recuperate and live in his birthplace.
It was after arriving here that Li Tingyun vaguely recalled some distant memories, but he wasn't sure if these memories were truly his own, because they were so far removed from the past, thousands upon thousands of years ago...
When Mei Shiyu woke up, her eyes, which had been foggy, were now clearer. She broke free from Li Tingyun's embrace and sat upright on the bed.
Li Tingyun tactfully rolled off the bed, half-squatting and half-kneeling in front of him, and asked, "Is there anywhere on your body that still hurts?"
Wrists, ankles, neck, shoulder bones, chest... Li Tingyun touched every part of his body.
My hands were shaking.
No matter how many times he touched Mei Shiyu's wounds, he couldn't stop his heart from trembling and his hands from shaking.
Knowing he wouldn't respond, she asked herself, "The wound is almost healed, so it shouldn't hurt anymore..."
Maybe.
Mei Shiyu suddenly grabbed his hand as he was about to pull it back.
She stared intently at him and asked clearly, "Who...am I to you?"
I've been "sleeping" with someone for so long, and only now do I remember to ask this question.
The question was very serious.
...Who are you to me?
Li Tingyun waited for him for three years, and finally he spoke a complete sentence.
It's not that I can't understand anything and can only stammer; it's not that I have to endure the pain to the limit before letting out a groan or two, saying "it hurts" or "it's cold"; it's not that I occasionally refuse in a low voice, saying "no" or "go away"...
He stared blankly at Mei Shiyu.
Mei Shiyu was also taken aback by his gaze.
Without realizing it, she reached out to him, her fingertips brushing against the corner of his eye. "You... don't cry..."
Upon hearing this, Li Tingyun wiped his face, probably crying tears of joy, even though he was clearly very happy.
Without saying a word, he leaned forward and crashed headfirst into Mei Shiyu's arms.
Although the movement was very light, it shouldn't be called a "collision" but rather a "pounce".
But he was so big that he almost crushed Mei Shiyu, making it look like he had crashed into her.
He wrapped his arms around Mei Shiyu's waist, buried his head in Mei Shiyu's chest, and finally relaxed a little after three years of tension. He was afraid that if Mei Shiyu's response was even a moment later, he would completely break down.
Mei Shiyu hugged him back, stroked the back of his head, and patted his shoulder, without any reason or extra emotion.
Now, even if a cat or a dog lies in his arms, or if someone else "clings" to him in this way, he will respond in the same way. His heart is empty, returning to the state of an infant, closest to the divine.
Since then, he has started to speak "frequently," going from not saying a word for three years to saying three sentences a year.
Already very good.
Li Tingyun had long since found his other half of his primordial spirit.
He should have become "complete" long ago, but the rift between his two halves of his primordial spirit could never be healed.
Physical wounds, as long as they weren't "cut" by the Kunwu Blade, can heal with time and care. Only the primordial spirit cannot heal itself.
Mei Shiyu doesn't remember anything from the past, nor does he remember who he is. He forgets what happened yesterday. He asked Li Tingyun several times, "Who are you to me?" but he could never remember what Li Tingyun said, so he stopped asking.
Because Li Tingyun tried to repair his primordial spirit.
He remembered it after just one time...
Li Tingyun was the person who brought him endless pain and whom he hated the most!
From then on, Mei Shiyu would never sleep peacefully in Li Tingyun's arms again, nor would he respond when Li Tingyun held him. He wished Li Tingyun would stay far away from him and not let him touch him at all.
Li Tingyun knew he had messed up.
But he did nothing wrong.
Moreover, he would do this a second time, a third time... until Mei Shiyu's primordial spirit was completely restored.
This is the only way.
The primordial spirit cannot be mended and will dissipate sooner or later. At that time, Mei Shiyu may turn into a jade statue and revert to his original form of "Kunlun Jade Embryo," but he can only be a stubborn stone and will never again be able to develop spirituality, gather his three souls and seven spirits, and cultivate into a human.
Li Tingyun thought he was ruthless enough.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hold onto Mei Shiyu's violently shaking body. As soon as he loosened his grip, Mei Shiyu would slap or punch him hard in the face, push him, kick him, and even stab him with a sword to drive him away.
If Li Tingyun doesn't fight back, he'll only get beaten up.
Each time, only after drawing blood would he reluctantly leave, covered in wounds, from Mei Shiyu's terrified and resentful gaze.
But he would come back soon. Mei Shiyu was so anxious and wanted to escape, but the Kunlun Immortal Palace was so big that it was easy to get lost but difficult to escape. Countless times she found herself in a dead end with nowhere to go.
He slumped to the ground, listening to the icicles hanging from the eaves, which made a clear, melodious sound as the wind blew through them.
This made the vast celestial palace appear even more desolate.
This also made the sound of footsteps approaching from afar even clearer.
Don't force me... don't force me...
Mei Shiyu stood up, sword in hand, and held the sword to her neck before Li Tingyun could appear.
Without the slightest hesitation, they resolutely took action.
Warm blood soaked through his clothes.
But the expected pain did not come.
That blood wasn't his.
He half-opened his eyes and saw Li Tingyun's face so close to his.
The broken sword blade at his neck was gripped tightly by Li Tingyun's five fingers, and blood flowed from his palm.
Mei Shiyu did not release the sword hilt, nor did he loosen his grip. It was as if he would still choose to kill himself if Li Tingyun let go. As long as he was not by his side and could not watch over him at all times, he would do so at any time, preferring to die rather than live in dishonor.
“I was wrong,” Li Tingyun said, her eyes filled with remorse. She apologized and bowed her head to him. “Please don’t do this. I know I was wrong… I’ll let you go, okay? You can go wherever you want and do whatever you want… I just beg you, don’t do this… You might as well kill me.”
He forcefully gripped the sword blade and snatched Qing Shuang from Mei Shiyu's hands. His tall figure bent over, resting on Mei Shiyu's shoulder. At that moment, he too was driven to a dead end, with no other options left.
Only through desperate pleas:
"Don't hurt yourself anymore... I can't take it, really..."
Can't stand it.
“Okay…” Mei Shiyu felt that she should resent and hate him, but for some reason, she was led by his emotions. Because of his sadness, she felt a little sad and said “Okay.”
I said "I promise you," and I won't do it again, but...
"You said you'd let me go."
"I'm leaving here. I don't want to see you again."
He didn't know where to go after leaving here, but this feeling of "having no home" seemed familiar.
After seeing him off from Kunlun Mountain, Li Tingyun kept his promise and disappeared from his side.
The plum rains drifted along the way.
His memory hasn't returned, and his mind isn't fully developed. He's like a fool who doesn't understand anything. He can't survive without someone taking care of him. Even so, he still wants to "run away from home." He has no idea how dangerous the outside world is. It's inevitable that he'll encounter many setbacks along the way.
He didn't know the way and was afraid of strangers, so he often got stuck in the deep mountains and forests. Sometimes he would accidentally wander into a bandit's den or fall into a mountain demon's abode, but he always escaped unharmed and was politely escorted out without even getting a scratch.
When night fell, he finally found a cave that could shelter him from the wind and rain, and he looked down and stared at the white-furred tiger inside.
Mei Shiyu: "...Sorry to bother you."
He turned and ran, but the tiger was faster than him, and the tiger's den was given to him.
Mei Shiyu always found it strange that if he slept outdoors the night before, he would always wake up in an inn in some small town the next morning. He never thought too much about it.
He put on his cloak, thanked the innkeeper, and left. Paying for lodging was not his concern; he knew he could eat when he was hungry, drink when he was thirsty, and find a place to sleep when he was tired.
Mei Shiyu never noticed that she was always clean and changed her clothes every day, never wearing the same thing twice.
He was dressed so well, looked so good, and seemed so dull-witted that it was impossible for him not to be watched and coveted.
But he never encountered a bad person.
They were not harmed in the slightest.
Even when he walked alone through the smoke-filled battlefield, not a single blind sword dared to point at him.
As he walked, one day he finally remembered Li Tingyun's name and truly remembered this person.
So they stopped and stopped their aimless journey.
He stood there, thinking for three days and three nights.
I remember everything.