The Word of Heaven

Chapter 314: Unwilling to Approach Dusk

"What time is it?"

"It's not daybreak yet."

"thirsty."

"I'll get you a glass of water."

"Ah."

Yu Sheng didn't want to open his eyes. His body felt a little sticky, which was the trace of sweat.

Listening to the footsteps going away and then approaching again, she wrapped her body in a thin blanket with clumsy movements, sat up, took the glass of water, and drank it all in one gulp.

The ice water flowed down her throat into her stomach, giving her a very pleasant feeling, which made those messy feelings fade a little.

But she still half-closed her eyes and asked in a hoarse voice, "You woke up so early?"

Gu Zhuo hummed, thought for a moment, and then said, "I just held you gently and looked at you. I didn't do anything."

"No wonder..."

Yu Sheng's fingertips, sticking to the sweaty skin, fell on the slightly damp black hair and lifted up a few strands.

She hadn’t finished her words, but her dissatisfaction was obvious enough that no further words were needed.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Zhuo faced the half-asleep gaze and hugged Yu Sheng into his arms along with the thin quilt.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Yu Sheng felt the sudden chill, and before he could fully wake up, he was already in the arms that he had become familiar with since yesterday.

She was of noble status and strong will, and had seen countless turbulent scenes in her life that had gone through a hundred years of ups and downs... But at this moment, she was still a little at a loss, second only to yesterday evening.

Fortunately, this accident did not last too long. The hot water suddenly wrapped around her entire body from bottom to top, and the slight burning sensation instantly wiped away her tiredness and exhaustion.

Then, Gu Zhuo folded the thin quilt and placed it aside, then walked in.

With a splash, as he sat in the bathtub, the hot water helplessly overflowed and dripped, bringing up mist.

Yu Sheng had already woken up, but he didn't say a word.

Gu Zhuo sat side by side with her, but felt uncomfortable, so he simply hugged her in his arms.

"drink wine?"

"it is good."

"Very comfortable."

"Ah."

"...You don't like it?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Very cold."

Yu Sheng ignored him.

Gu Zhuo was stunned for a moment, then realized his own stupidity and quickly poured himself a glass of wine.

The pear blossom snow chilled by Taoist methods is extremely refreshing and has a unique flavor when it goes down the throat.

Yu Sheng leaned on his shoulder and suddenly said, "Smooth my hair for me."

Gu Zhuo gathered the wet hair together, simply rolled it into a bun, and then tidied it for a while.

He was so focused that he didn't even look at the skin rippling in the water. He asked, "Did I press you down when you were sleeping?"

Yu Sheng said: "Yeah, but it doesn't hurt much, it's okay."

Gu Zhuo finished, and admired his own craftsmanship seriously, saying, "I will pay more attention next time."

Yu Sheng wondered what the point of this sentence was.

As soon as she thought of this, many of her memories suddenly became clear, no longer the hazy memory of being half asleep and half awake.

It started when the scorching sun was setting and ended before the night fell. She forgot when it would start again... and then she woke up not long ago. There had been too many absurdities that she had never expected.

Of course, she loved all these absurd things, but she still didn't want to recall them.

Gu Zhuo looked at Yu Sheng's profile, looked at her eyes dazed by the heat mist, thought about her tired expression after being satisfied, and felt warm and happy.

"Do something else?" Yu Sheng said, "Don't drink all the time."

When she said this, her words were righteous and no other meaning could be heard.

Gu Zhuo said: "Then let's look at the stars."

Yu Sheng agreed.

The wind that arose from nowhere pushed open the door to the sea, accompanied by a slight creaking sound, as if a picture scroll was spread out.

It was still dark and the morning glow had not yet appeared.

I don't know when, but there was a drizzle outside. The bright moon was still hanging in the distance, and the sky was about to brighten.

In the illusory moonlight, the raindrops formed into segments, like a pearl curtain or a green screen, trembling slightly from time to time.

Sea, rain and wind is an extremely magnificent phrase, but at this moment it is silent, gentle and quiet for the two of them.

A gentle breeze was blowing; Gu Zhuo and Yu Sheng were looking at the scenery outside, a little lost in thought.

"gorgeous."

"Yes."

"I never get tired of looking at each other."

"Ok?"

"This is your answer to this world. I didn't understand it when I was on Baidi Mountain. I was just happy that you were able to take that step forward. Now I seem to understand it a little bit."

"I'm curious."

"No matter what the reason is, the world will always treat you kindly, and you are not the kind of person who gets bored easily. The only answer is to never get tired of each other."

"In fact, there is only one thing that is really important in this sentence."

"What is it?"

"I'm not the kind of person who gets bored easily."

The two of them chatted casually, drank wine, and talked about the past and the present.

How did they meet and how did they fall in love? Who fell in love with whom first and who took the first step?

Why did they have to separate later? When they met again on Xuandu, the feigned indifference was the result of many days and nights of loneliness and unfulfilled desires.

And then to today’s reunion and last night’s reunion, I think of all the efforts and compromises I’ve made, the willingness and reluctance to give up.

They are all trivial words, all memories with the flavor of old dusk, which have long been washed away and faded by a hundred years of wind and rain, but are still as clear as yesterday in their memories.

I don’t know how much time passed before the two finished their bath.

Gu Zhuo stood up holding Yu Sheng, watching the warm water droplets sliding down her charming curves, his eyes full of love.

"How about... one more time?"

"……Um."

"Ah, I thought you would refuse."

"Ah, so you want me to refuse?"

"No, it was an accident."

“Actually, I can refuse.”

"Then I prefer now."

"You like doing this kind of thing."

"It's true that I like doing this with you, and it's even more true that I want to see you every day."

The words between lovers never get boring, let alone three thousand times, even thirty thousand times it will still be the same.

Yu Sheng turned his head and looked at Gu Zhuo's bearded chin, thinking, is this probably the honeymoon you mentioned?

……

...It is the end of summer, and the best season of the year in the northern part of the continent has become a thing of the past. The climate has cooled down with the arrival of the chilly autumn, and cold winds have already been lingering on the frost-free land.

The scenery of the wilderness is different from the strange mountains and rivers in the southeast. It is unique in its exquisite beauty. It is more of a rugged wilderness with a boundless and magnificent beauty.

Chu Jun was undoubtedly a tiny black dot walking in this world, and it was difficult for him to become noticeable.

She wore a bamboo hat like Gu Zhuo that year, with layers of clothes to protect her from the erosion of wind and sand, and mingled with ordinary business travelers.

After meeting Gu Zhuo again under the tree on the ancient battlefield that day, her true energy and soul were fully restored. She took this opportunity to successfully avoid the surveillance of those sword cultivators from Yishui.

For a long time afterwards, she was forced to wander around in order to hide her identity, and it was not until this time that she finally found the opportunity to go to Qingjing Temple.

Homesickness had nothing to do with her. Several years were not enough for her to have such deep feelings. Curiosity was the most fundamental reason.

At the last moment of the Weiyang Palace incident, how the abbot used his Taoist method to possess her body, and the current situation of Qingjing Temple after it was almost destroyed... and most importantly, the words that the unknown young Taoist in Xuandu had said to her.

On the eve of leaving Xuandu, the young Taoist hesitantly knocked on Chu Jun's door and gave her some advice.

Until now, she still remembers clearly what they said.

It would be a pity if Qingjing Temple, as the leader of the Taoist sect, were destroyed. If possible, go and have a look during your trip to the north. Don't wait until later to regret it.

This is roughly what the young Taoist meant. His original words were quite long-winded, giving people the feeling of being both old and young.

Chu Jun was quite puzzled by those words, and thought that if Qingjing Temple was the leader of Taoism, then what was Tiandao Sect?
She was a very straightforward person. She even dared to scold the Taoist master to his face. Naturally, she would not hide such thoughts in her heart. She asked directly, but the result was an awkward smile and silence.

It was raining at night, but her heart was calm and peaceful, without any gloom. She was sure that what the other party said was true, so she believed it.

When she met Gu Zhuo again not long ago, Chu Jun was going to ask him about this matter seriously, but the latter left her too little time and she had no time to ask those questions.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little resentful.

"Girl, we're almost there."

A voice sounded in Chu Jun's ears, waking her up and looking towards the distant mountains.

That is the gate to Qingjingguan Mountain.

However, after just one glance, she was stunned and shocked.

A huge semicircular hole appeared in the mountain, and the light from the morning sun left a golden outline in it, piercing the hearts of tourists.

Chu Jun was extremely sure that this was not the same scenery as before. It could only be the indelible traces left on Qingjing Temple by the scorching sun on earth after his ascension to heaven.

She could even imagine the scene at that time - thousands and tens of thousands of sunlight rays broke through the clouds and condensed into a beam, as if a god threw a spear in his hand, piercing straight through the mountain, and the smoke and dust disappeared.

"When I first saw it, I was just as shocked as you were."

A voice came from the side, with endless emotion: "No wonder the state of immortality is the dream of all practitioners."

Hearing this, Chu Jun felt the same way and nodded softly.

The next moment, she realized that something seemed wrong, looked in the direction of the sound, and then remained silent.

That man was General Wang.

This truly powerful man, who actually ruled the entire North and was only one step away from achieving enlightenment, actually appeared beside her at this moment!
"Don't worry."

Wang Jingshuo said gently, "If I wanted to kill you, there would be no reason for you to live until now. If I wanted to get something from you, there would be no need for me to show up now, right?"

Just as the words said, this weathered general was not wearing armor, but only a thick cloak, and there was not much difference between him and the common merchants in the north.

Chu Jun was silent for a moment, then asked, "What do you want?"

Wang Jingshuo did not answer this question, and said: "If I am not mistaken, you have a close relationship with the Taoist master."

Chu Jun's eyes changed slightly, noticing that he was talking about the Taoist Lord, not the Demon Lord.

"I am very grateful to the Taoist Master and His Majesty the Emperor."

Wang Jingshuo said: "Because of Wang Ji's death."

Chu Jun didn't say anything.

Wang Jingshuo looked at the girl, shook his head and said, "Don't think too much. I don't have any hatred with this sword master."

What he said was true. Even though his entire family had been killed by Wang Ji, that was all in the past.

Chu Jun asked again: "What do you want?"

Wang Jingshuo laughed and said, "As I said before, since you have a close relationship with the Taoist master, I hope you can deliver a letter to Her Royal Highness the Princess for me."

Chu Jun didn't know what to say.

From the moment this conversation began, it was so absurd that she couldn't understand it. She just felt that the world had gone crazy.

After a moment of silence, she asked, "How did you find me?"

Wang Jingshuo put away his smile, a hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes, and he said, "If my uncle were still alive, the thick fog over Yishui would have covered the sky and blocked out the sun, so I would naturally not be able to see the scene."

Chu Jun understood.

Wang Jingshuo didn't say anything more. He took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Chu Jun.

Then he looked affectionately toward the mountain gate of Qingjing Temple, and watched the sunlight that was getting brighter and brighter shining through the mountains, feeling full of yearning and intoxication.

Just then, he heard a sentence.

"Will the word 'feathering' be written on the letter?"

Chu Jun asked.

Wang Jingshuo narrowed his eyes and said, "You are very smart. By the way, I will tell you one more thing mentioned in the letter. The deserted people are no longer so peaceful."

Chu Jun thought of the blood and fire he saw in the snow and wind in the wilderness, and said no more and just said hello.

If she guessed correctly, Wang Jingshuo's visit to meet her was a top secret in the Zhenbei Army, and the words on the letter... perhaps only he himself knew the specific content.

This conversation ends here.

Chu Jun stepped into the gate of Qingjing Temple and did not encounter any obstacles on the way because she was originally from here.

The mountain gate is dilapidated and deserted.

Sometimes, she even felt like she was above Xuandu.

It was the breath from the grave.

Chu Jun suddenly couldn't help but have a question.

If Xuandu is a huge tomb, who would have lived in it for a long time?

Gravekeeper?
Or a dead person?

……

……

At the end of this busy summer, there is a major event in the world that is unknown to the public.

After spending a long time, the White Emperor successfully used the dilapidated Taoist temple as a mirror to verify his insights over the past century.

When all this was accomplished, he knew that he would soon be able to take another step forward, and that step would be an unprecedented ascension to heaven - a realm that Gu Zhuo had never entered before.

The only difference from the original plan was that he did not refine the fragment of the dojo left by Xuan Du, because the queen had imprisoned herself in the cold palace.

So the White Emperor left the broken Taoist temple.

Then he went to Yangzhou City and drank a pot of wine by the lake shrouded in autumn colors - the dancers and musicians left by the Wan family were still there, but their owners had changed.

This is how things are in the world.

Coming and going, life and death, are all just circling around in an ancient circle.

After drinking all the wine, the White Emperor returned to the capital that day and went straight into the Weiyang Palace.

At that time, everything was silent. Countless people along the way knelt down like a tide, and the whole place was black.

There was only one exception.

Pei Jinge.

She simply bowed and said, "Your Majesty."

The White Emperor looked at the pair of eyes illuminated by the morning light, suddenly smiled, and asked, "What do you want?"

(End of this chapter)