Inner Energy

On the next day, Yin Ci opened his eyes early.

Ever since the Suspended Tree disappeared and the flesh statues were completely destroyed, Shi Jingzhi had not coughed up blood again. The Sect Leader's diligence and self-restraint seemed to have vanished along with the Suspended Tree. Though he still practiced martial arts daily, he no longer rose early, as if trying to make up for all the past hardships.

Today was no exception - Shi Jingzhi's long hair was scattered, his face nestled against Yin Ci's neck, his arms wrapped tightly around him.

Last night, Yin Ci had deliberately dispelled this person's doubts. Now the Sect Leader was buried deep in soft blankets, sleeping incredibly sweetly. Sunlight poured in through the window, making his complexion look especially good. Remembering the Shi Jingzhi of the past who would cough up blood at the slightest provocation, Yin Ci couldn't help but feel emotional.

As he reflected, he pinched Shi Jingzhi's nose.

The latter, unyielding, immediately opened his mouth and continued sleeping soundly. Yin Ci laughed and leaned in to plant a deep kiss. The Sect Leader instantly jolted awake, his eyes shining brightly.

"We have somewhere to go today. You can sleep in tomorrow," Yin Ci pulled back. "I borrowed their kitchen this morning, consider it a small compensation."

Shi Jingzhi stretched lazily, getting up with great satisfaction: "Where are we going?"

The smile on Yin Ci's face faded a little. He turned to the side, letting sunlight flow over his features. After a moment of silence, he answered softly: "Madam Sun's grave."

Shi Jingzhi didn't ask further. He specially chose a plain outfit and left Red Hook early with Yin Ci - Yin Ci was true to his word, determined not to interfere with worldly affairs anymore, not even planning to listen to the details of the "Righteous and Demonic assembly."

The two left Shafu and headed towards the northwest desert border.

"...Madam Sun wasn't buried in the Sun family ancestral tomb."

Yin Ci had rented a horse, riding together with Shi Jingzhi. Seeing Shi Jingzhi considerately remaining silent, he spoke first.

"I asked Huaijin. Apparently, it was her own wish. The Marquis of Lie'an, Sun Wang, was quite famous. This matter wasn't exactly glorious, so the Sun family kept it secret. After all these years, there are probably few people who even come to pay respects."

"How do you know where she's buried?" Shi Jingzhi sat behind Yin Ci, arms wrapped around his waist. From this angle, he couldn't see Yin Ci's expression.

"Because they had an agreement."

Yin Ci tightened his grip on the reins.

[Brother Yin, I've spoken with your sister-in-law. If I die too... messily, remember to keep something. When your sister-in-law passes too, bury it with her here, so we can keep each other company.]

[...That's uncertain. What if I die before you?]

[What are you saying? With that celestial face of yours, you're guaranteed to live longer than me.]

"The northwest is remote, and the battles were fierce. If the enemy used battle formations, it might not have been possible to recover an intact body... If she couldn't wait for Sun Wang to return home, she would be buried in the place closest to the battlefield."

If he couldn't find his way home, she would come to meet him.

The northwest was their last battlefield, where he and Sun Wang had returned victorious. Madam Sun had also lived for a very long time, praying to the gods daily, growing old surrounded by children and grandchildren. But in the end, she still couldn't find her love.

The "Marquis of Lie'an" was still alive, yet she left the magnificent mansion and her blood-related descendants to be buried alone in the northwestern wilderness. Perhaps 300 years ago, Madam Sun had realized before everyone else that her true love was no longer in this world.

But she still wanted to wait for him.

Yin Ci dismounted and walked to a vast wilderness. Many unidentified travelers were buried here, most with randomly placed stones as markers. Among them was an old but orderly one that stood out among the jumble of rocks.

But it was still simple, with only a basic "Sun" character carved on it.

Yin Ci opened his cloth bag and offered incense as tribute. Then, with a swirl of sword energy, he cleared away the thick soil on top of the grave.

The Sun family may have found it shameful, but they at least chose a good coffin. The place was extremely dry, and after 300 years, the coffin beneath the soil was still relatively intact. The bones inside had long since dried and scattered, a jumble within the faded burial clothes. Set against the desolate surroundings and the howling wind, it appeared especially lonely and desolate.

Shi Jingzhi, being a descendant of the Sun family, silently cleansed his hands without Yin Ci having to say anything, and neatly arranged the bones.

"That's enough, Zizhu."

Yin Ci opened his backpack and took out a small package of a True Immortal's ashes. The ashes were wrapped in plain silk, along with a large bag of small round stone beads, and placed on the chest of the skeleton. Yin Ci didn't add any gold, silver, or other offerings. He simply closed the coffin and reburied it. Fearing that grave robbers might dig it up, Yin Ci only slightly renovated the grave, leaving a few fresh offerings in front of it.

"Sun Wang, I did indeed hate you."

Yin Ci opened a good bottle of wine and poured it over the gravestone.

"But if I were in your shoes, I might have chosen the same path. You and sister-in-law left behind the truth of those years, which can be considered as balancing your merits and faults. I'll forgive you for now."

The fine wine slid over the rough stone, leaving behind a moist, dark color and a strong aroma of alcohol.

"Now I've settled down and am living happily. After a hundred years, I'll come down to settle this messy account with you. Today, I'll let you see - after all the twists and turns, I've still won the heart of my beloved. You used to always nag me about marriage, now take a good look - isn't this the most beautiful person in the world?"

The wind blew over the withered wood and stubborn stones, leaving only a whimpering echo.

Shi Jingzhi placed a hand on Yin Ci's shoulder, not in the mood to jest. Yin Ci's breath was unusually unsteady, joy and sorrow intertwined. Not wanting to disturb Yin Ci, Shi Jingzhi could only silently accompany him.

Although it might not amount to much, he at least had relatives like Xu Jingxing and Xu Jingming. Old Man Sun had only recently recognized him, but their relationship had grown increasingly close, taking on the semblance of family. For over twenty years, he had walked the world alone. But now, he had both family and love, enjoying all the bonds of the mortal world.

But Yin Ci didn't have so much. For him, Sun Wang was perhaps the last trace of sentiment from 300 years ago.

Yin Ci sat before the grave for several sticks of incense, and Shi Jingzhi held back for just as long. At the end, he truly couldn't resist anymore. He lit his own incense and bowed to the gravestone.

"It's truly regrettable that you two couldn't grow old together. Now that your great revenge has been fulfilled, I will also cherish Zizhu and spend a lifetime together."

Yin Ci seemed to have recovered and teased with a smile: "Oh? So Your Highness just accepts the title of the world's most beautiful person?"

Shi Jingzhi gave him a long look, then bowed again to the gravestone: "You two are like ancestors to me, and there's one more thing I must clarify - this person did not seduce me, I was willing. If we meet in the underworld someday, please don't treat him as someone who deceived a junior."

Yin Ci: "..."

Fine, this kid was still the sharpest. Shi Jingzhi was indeed Sun Wang's descendant; he truly had nothing to say. Their days together were as sweet as honey, but for some reason, the habit of teasing each other from before seemed impossible to break.

"Let's go back. I came to the northwest this time just to conclude these matters," Yin Ci played with the tips of Shi Jingzhi's hair. "If we go west for another two hours, we can still catch the evening market there... Who's there?!"

The moment he sensed a presence, Yin Ci smoothly pulled out Shi Jingzhi's hairpin and threw it towards the source of the aura. The newcomer had deliberately concealed their presence, clearly possessing some skill.

Seeing their cover blown, the hidden figure stepped out from behind the jumbled rocks. The person had a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes, wearing a Xilong military uniform - clearly a spy from Xilong.

Shi Jingzhi, now without his hairpin: "..."

Behind that person was a small team, evidently not expecting to find people from Dayun in this godforsaken place. The Xilong soldiers were not weak in martial arts, and soon they had the two surrounded. Yin Ci narrowed his eyes, instinctively shielding Shi Jingzhi behind him.

The Xilong people didn't rashly attack, instead communicating rapidly in their language.

"There are Dayun people here? Are they soldiers?"

"All buried here are people without identities. These two probably don't have high status, they're those... jianghu people, right? I know that flag on the horse, it's used by jianghu doctors."

"Then let's kill them, there are only two of them anyway."

"They both have good-looking faces, why not capture them as slaves? They could fetch a good price."

"Then you'd better have some skills," Yin Ci interjected in fluent Xilong language. After being bored for over a hundred years, he had even learned embroidery, let alone the language of a neighboring country.

"Hand over the hairpin, and we might have something to discuss," Shi Jingzhi's Xilong was equally fluent. The desire to learn was deeply ingrained in his nature, fully exposed.

His hairpin! Even if it was just a common item taken from Red Hook, it was still a hairpin that Zizhu had personally put in his hair!

The Sect Leader selectively ignored the fact that Yin Ci had thrown it away.

Xilong soldiers: "..."

The Xilong language was vastly different from Dayun's official language, with few people able to understand it. These two were definitely not ordinary.

"Kill them!" The soldiers quickly reached a consensus.

Yin Ci let out a cold laugh and stepped forward empty-handed. Though he held no sword, his sword aura was as sharp as the finest blade. Shi Jingzhi was equally merciless, igniting his golden fire and pulling out the Cure All With Medicine flag from the horse. The golden flames soared skyward.

Shi Jingzhi's inner energy was still terrifying, but not as inexhaustible as before, having taken on a more mortal flavor. As for Yin Ci, amidst the intertwining sword aura, there appeared a faint silver glow.

Shi Jingzhi slowed his movements and held his breath.

Previously, when they fought on the battlefield, Yin Ci had used his familiar sword energy. After all, this habit had persisted for over a hundred years, and he fought with great ease. Now, whether due to a change in his state of mind or not, there was a hint of inner energy mixed in with his sword intent.

Yin Ci himself seemed quite astonished. He was like a person who had been bedridden for many years and was now standing and walking again. Shi Jingzhi watched as that inner energy transformed from unfamiliar and stiff to naive and clumsy, and finally to a seamless, fluid whole.

But thinking carefully, this situation wasn't so strange. Yin Ci had previously lost his inner energy because the Suspended Tree was too overwhelming. After their meridians connected, the little inner energy he had cultivated was completely absorbed. Now that they were connected, the energy only circulated between their two bodies, actually strengthening each other, quite like the "dual cultivation" described in novels.

The sword energy flowed freely and uninhibitedly. Silver light threads rippled densely in the air, like summer rain falling on a river. Wherever the downpour reached, Xilong soldiers fell silently, silver light and blood intertwining.

...That was the appearance of "Yin Zizhu" from long ago, before the Sweeping Bone Sword was born.

This was perhaps the best farewell for the Sun Wang couple.

Shi Jingzhi couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile, the Yang fire on his flag growing a bit stronger.

Water and fire intertwined, their radiance illuminating the wilderness. Blood splattered everywhere as the Xilong spies all perished before the grave. Yin Ci drank half a jug of wine himself, then took the enemies' heads as additional offerings for Sun Wang.

Shi Jingzhi, meanwhile, fished out the hairpin from the pool of blood and wiped it clean. The two exchanged smiles, neither saying much.

"Zizhu, help me put it on."

"Wait a moment, my hands are covered in blood," Yin Ci stood among the pile of corpses, his expression slightly troubled. "Don't use this cheap thing anymore. When we go to the evening market later, I'll pick out a good one for you."

"This one is just fine. It's not bad even with blood on it," Shi Jingzhi moved closer on his own, lowering his head. "Come on."

Yin Ci couldn't resist him and carefully tied up that cool, smooth hair.

"But when we go to the evening market later, we should still buy what needs to be bought," Shi Jingzhi mused.

Yin Ci laughed: "Alright, as you wish."

The sun blazed fiercely, the smell of alcohol and blood rising together. The gravestone stood silently, a thin crack quietly opening on the surface of the stubborn stone.

Like a trace of a smile.

Author's Note:

Sect Leader Shi: Mine, it's all mine! Mine! (indulging desires)

Demon Lord Yin: Spoiling.jpg

I feel like they'll have a huge warehouse in the future, Desire Child Museum (×)