Sounds of Autumn Part 2

"Brother Ye, what are you trying to do?" Lord Lanshan thought he was bewitched by Chen Weichen and wanted to release the bound Heart Demon, so he stepped forward to stop him.

However, he saw that Ye Jiuya did not do anything to the Heart Demon. Instead, he placed his right hand's fingers together and slowly drew them down from his left arm. When he reached the wrist, a thin red line of blood could be seen trailing the movement of his fingers.

The motion was extremely slow. From the wrist to the fingertips, finally forcing out a drop of blood on the tip of his index finger.

"Heart's blood?" said Xie Lang.

But upon closer inspection, it wasn't blood. There was a faint white luster shimmering within.

"Nascent Soul," Lord Lanshan's eyes widened slightly.

Cultivators rely on wisdom roots and bone roots, while the Nascent Soul is the foundation of bone roots - "Qi enters the bones, becoming immortal bones". The Nascent Soul is the "Qi" that runs through the meridians and bones.

Forcing it out of the body, needless to say the pain involved, even if it was just this little bit mixed with heart's blood, it caused Ye Jiuya to lose a good portion of his cultivation.

That drop of blood floated up and came beside the bound Heart Demon, splitting into countless specks of light surrounding it.

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that the Heart Demon feared these specks of light even more than the dark chains condensed from turbid Qi.

They also realized at this point that Ye Jiuya did not originally come to seek their opinion.

"Brother Ye," said Lord Lanshan, "why does your Nascent Soul have such an effect?"

Ye Jiuya glanced at him and said indifferently, "I was born with immortal bones."

Born with immortal bones - not like other cultivators who refined them later in life. The "Qi" in his bones came directly from the primordial, from the Heavenly Dao. It was no wonder it could suppress the Heart Demon.

Ye Jiuya did not continue talking with them and walked straight out of the hall.

"So it turns out he has extraordinary innate talent," Lord Lanshan laughed inside the hall. "No wonder he could reach such a high cultivation level."

His slightly off-putting words reached Lu Hongyan's ears, catching a hint of sarcasm.

Lu Hongyan coldly said, "Even without immortal bones, he could still reach his current realm."

Lord Lanshan said, "He is ultimately too young. If not for his exceptional aptitude, he could not have made it this far."

"Ha," said Lu Hongyan, "you only know that he made a name for himself in the immortal dao with his heartless sword intent at a young age. How would you know how he practiced the sword day and night on the snowy mountains? How would you know that he had to guard the Heavenly River for the immortal dao since he was fourteen or fifteen, having to single-handedly support a scattered sect?"

After saying that, she added, "In my life, I've only admired two people. He is one of them."

Lord Lanshan smiled gently and said, "This one spoke presumptuously."

Outside the hall, Ye Jiuya looked into Chen Weichen's eyes and said, "You can change back now."

Chen Weichen shook his head, probably not understanding.

His fingers were cold as he restlessly rubbed the fingertip where Ye Jiuya had forced out the heart's blood and Nascent Soul.

Ye Jiuya leaned close to him and whispered in his ear, "Change back into a person."

Chen Weichen's listless eyes blinked as he repeated, "Person."

He furrowed his brows, a slightly pained expression appearing on his face as he shook his head hard, as if trying to clear his thoughts. "Want to be human."

"Want to be human."

The black Qi on his body slowly dissipated and his cold fingers gradually warmed up a bit.

When his overly pale complexion returned to normal and his eyes regained their lively spirit, only then did he become vivid and animated.

When he was the Heart Demon, even if his mind was clear, he always had a blank expression. Only at times like this would he come alive, his pair of eyes seemingly containing the clarity and gentleness of all four seasons.

It was like the water of a clear stream in early autumn flowing through his entire body, completely washing away the thick black Qi and turbidity, and the hazy things pressing on his mind also disappeared without a trace. Chen Weichen finally regained his clarity.

He was a bit hesitant to look at Ye Jiuya, only gazing at the deep green distant mountains and the corner of a mountain temple vaguely revealed among them. Gradually recalling the things he did when he lost his senses, he felt a little embarrassed. "Making a fool of myself in front of you again."

Ye Jiuya said from behind him, "It's fine."

"I could have held on for much longer originally, but looking at the mirror, I always felt that the other side of the mirror was him, not me. It disturbed my mind, allowing it to be invaded."

Ye Jiuya knew his obsession was to be human, and also knew that he feared most being confused with that person, afraid of his identity as a Heart Demon.

He said, "No need to be afraid."

"How can I not be afraid," Chen Weichen laughed. "Not to mention that no matter what, I can't compare to him. Just now in the hall, those not of my kind will surely have different intentions. Once I'm not the same as you all, who would care if I live or die."

Ye Jiuya didn't know what to say.

He watched the evening breeze blow through Chen Weichen's hair and the hem of his clothes, making it seem like this person could drift away with the wind at any moment.

Thinking of how Chen Weichen had innocently received a fragment of Emperor Yan's soul, which caused his obsession and led him to do so much for him, Ye Jiuya felt indebted and treated him well as compensation.

But now with the past and present intertwining, he didn't know how to face it, nor did he know what kind of ending they would ultimately reach. Only the person's face and figure before his eyes became more and more vivid and deeply etched in his mind. Recalling the time he spent alone amidst the wind and snow day and night, he actually felt a vast loneliness arise.

But looking at Chen Weichen and thinking of the things he had said, Ye Jiuya felt that this person also hid a vast and desolate icy plain in his heart with relentless cold snow falling day and night.

The moment he perceived that inner snow, Ye Jiuya stepped forward and embraced him from behind, just as Chen Weichen had once done.

Chen Weichen was stunned at first, then his eyes filled with traces of gentle amusement. He relaxed his body and leaned back against Ye Jiuya.

At this time, dusk was falling. The sound of evening bells reverberated through the mountains. Flocks of forest birds flew across the distant horizon. After a few circles, they settled back into the dense woods. After the lingering sound of the bells faded, the wind rose and the boundless sea of trees rustled in the wind.

He gently closed his eyes in this rare moment of human warmth, thinking how time is so ruthless. In a few more days, it would be the solar term of White Dew*. When he went up the mountain, the green forest had just become lush, but in the blink of an eye, it was already the sound of autumn among the myriad leaves.

*T/N: Usually around September 7-9, usually a day where yin energy rises.

Author's Note:

Enjoy the sweetness~