Chapter 162 - 4.27 Like You So Much
He spent the ride back scrolling through the plot from Heimo’s perspective. He had mostly gotten it right. The fuse that started the war didn’t come from Jingxue-Jun’s death, but the death of Heimo’s adopted parents, Luqiu couple who had taken Heimo in when he almost died of frostbite. The excessive grief had sent their youngest daughter, Luqiu Ning, into a sort of qi deviation where her body was consumed by resentful energy. There was no way Heimo would sit still and watch his sister dying slowly just like that. Without an ounce of hesitation, he threw away his cultivation to embrace the demonic path and since then, he had become the medium to transfer the resentful energy out of Luqiu Ning’s body.
But she didn’t recover and she wouldn’t, until Heimo opened the gate to the demonic realm.
Of course, because of Shan Duoyin’s intervention, Heimo failed to save his sister. His soul would be burned in heavenly fire for 49 days straight until it dissipated into thin air and he wouldn’t get the chance to reincarnate ever again. Luqiu Ning ended up killing herself because the excessive resentful energy in her body couldn’t be contained any longer. Nobody knew what happened to the rest of the sect members after that but all of a sudden, the dormant volcano became an area soaked with demonic energy so deep into the soil and no amount of cleansing could get rid of that.
It was said that no one could step into that land and came out alive. For centuries, it became a forbidden place where travelers could hear the sound of crying and mourning echoing in the air, belonging to the souls who were unable to obtain peace even in their death.
Lu Yizhou finished reading with a heavy sigh.
The talk with Sect Leader Ling had gone longer than he expected. The sky had lightened, rich with the purple and blue streaks. As soon as the bamboo hut came into sight, Lu Yizhou hastened his pace. He wanted— wanted to hug Heimo, to assure him that he didn’t need to suffer any longer, that Lu Yizhou would take the burden from his shoulders. He wanted to shield Heimo from all harm he could possibly go through in the future. He wanted Heimo to trust him, to understand him, to believe that the last thing Lu Yizhou would do was to hurt him. He wanted too much... but how? How could he convince Heimo after everything the man had gone through?
He was Sect Leader Ling’s — the man who had killed Heimo’s parents — disciple. Even if the original Jingxue-Jun disagreed with Sect Leader Ling’s view, he didn’t do anything to prevent the execution either. He was equally blamed as the one who killed the people who had saved Heimo’s life.
Lu Yizhou’s heart abruptly sank as he took in the dark house. Not even one candle was lit, not even the one who was used to illuminate the way. Lu Yizhou’s breath faltered as he pushed the gate open. Had Heimo decided to put an end to them and disappear once and for all? Did Heimo still decide to leave after... after Lu Yizhou had given him the hairpin, after Lu Yizhou had asked him to stay...?
A slight movement on his peripheral vision caught his attention and Lu Yizhou swiveled around to see Heimo straightening up from his position of laying across the table in the courtyard. Eyes still bleary with sleep, strands of hair sticking in all directions and his robes slightly crumpled, he stretched his body with a yawn. The hairpin Lu Yizhou gave him was still in his hair. Heimo was still here. He didn’t leave. "Jingxue-Jun...?" He blinked through the tears hanging on his eyelashes. "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep—"