Chapter 163

"I saw a lot." Xie Bi An was holding calming flower tea, his fingertips rubbed the texture on the teacup carefully, and his agitated emotions gradually calmed down quite a bit, "Zong Zi Heng's teenage years, his youth, falling out with his parents and brothers, he became the Human Emperor, he was… imprisoned by Zong Zi Xiao until he died. These memories are confusing and incomplete, but I can tell that he was not the same as Emperor Kong Hua in other people’s eyes."

Fan Wu She lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "What exactly is different?"

Xie Bi An frowned and tried to recall, "For example, he had been to Kunlun. He had seen Shen Nong Ding with his own eyes, but for some reason, he fought with Emperor Ning Hua and the elders of the Zong Clan. He escaped with serious injuries, and almost froze to death in the snowy plains."

"What?" Fan Wu She knew they had been to Kunlun, but didn't know that Zong Zi Heng had already fought Zong Ming He in Kunlun, and even almost died?

"I could feel how cold it was, so cold that it was like a million needles were piercing my skin." Xie Bi An unconsciously shrank his shoulders and his body shuddered, "Is that why I grew up afraid of the cold?"

Fan Wu She was stunned. He used to play with his big brother in the snow when he was a child, but after his big brother became Emperor Zong, he was so afraid of the cold that he wouldn't even set foot outside for days when he was enjoying the snow in the cave, yet he stripped his big brother naked and carried him into the snow ...

"After that, maybe Qi Meng Sheng saved him. I met the young Qi Meng Sheng. She also knew the secret of the Absolute Human Emperor at that time."

"Why did Zong Zi Heng tell her the secret of the Absolute Human Emperor?"

This question stumped Xie Bi An. He shook his head hard, and the shadows of his memories wavered vaguely before his eyes. He felt like he was about to catch something immediately. He clearly remembered it, he could definitely recall it, back then ...

Fan Wu She saw his frowning look and comforted, "Senior brother, don't make it difficult for yourself."

"No, I remember. I remember ..." A white light flashed in Xie Bi An's mind. Abruptly, he blurted out, "He was seriously injured because of the Absolute Human Emperor."

Fan Wu She was surprised, "You mean, Zong Ming He ..." A thought that chilled him to the bone surged to his mind. Before he knew that Zong Ming He used to take human cores, he could never have had such a thought, but now?

Xie Bi An inexplicably felt his heart choke: "Yes, Zong Ming He wanted to dig out his biological son's core." Before his eyes, he saw Zong Zi Heng's painful blame on Zong Ming He, each word gouged his heart, and each sentence sobbing with blood. What kind of horror and despair was this? That his own father wanted to dig out his core. Zong Zi Heng had killed his father the emperor, and was a sinner for eternity, but Zong Ming He was clearly a beast who deserved to die.

Fan Wu She's gaze was extremely grim. Why hadn't he thought of it? Even if he hadn't thought of it in his previous life, when he knew that Zong Ming He had broken through to the eighth Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword by eating human cores, he should have thought of it. A demonic cultivator who stole cores could not possibly let go of the Absolute Human Emperor, especially that son who was never favored.

But his big brother had never told him, never made an excuse for killing his father the emperor. Was this done to preserve the honor of the Zong Clan?

"Wu She, I could feel his pain. When he was under attack, when he was going to die, even after coming back from the dead." Xie Bi An bit his lips lightly, his eyes gradually turned red, "Emperor Kong Hua, has always been in pain."

These words pierced into Fan Wu She's heart like a knife. He was in so much pain that his face turned as white as paper. His big brother had always been in pain ... Shouldn't he be happy, hoping that that person tasted the same pain as him, isn't that what he expected? But he only felt more pain. He could never forget the look in his big brother's eyes when he died in his arms. That gaze which looked like he had finally been relieved was far more painful to him than a hundred years of torture in hell.

He actually didn't want his big brother to get hurt. He hoped his big brother would smile again, and to sit by his side in good health. But it was all too late; he had stirred up both the human and ghost realms, and couldn’t take back his big brother.

"Also, there was Li Bu Yu and Xu Zhi Nan. I saw them in their younger days too. I saw Li Bu Yu kneeling beside Emperor Kong Hua's feet crying in pain and begging for mercy."

"... Why?" He remembered that Li Bu Yu had always been obsequious and flattering to Zong Zi Heng, what could he have done to anger his big brother? If Li Bu Yu hadn't been able to unite the immortal cultivation world to crush him at the end, he would have thought this man was just a dog that would only know how to bark.

Xie Bi An tried to recall for some time, "I can't recall at the moment,  but I think that it is most likely related to Zong Ming He. Think about it, Zong Ming He's golden core was stolen and his corpse was suppressed at Diancang Peak. This matter was most likely done by Li Bu Yu. What if Emperor Kong Hua already knew about it a hundred years ago? Then he would definitely look for Li Bu Yu to punish him."

Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes. He became more and more aware that a hundred years ago, there were still many things that he was kept in the dark from. Back then, Zong Zi Heng had suddenly run to Mount Shu, saying he wanted to pay respect to Shen Shi Yao, but it was neither the Qingming Festival nor Shen Shi Yao's death anniversary, so why did he risk being discovered by him and leave the palace without permission? The real reason probably has to do with Zong Ming He's corpse.

"Oh, also, he had a child." The memory in Xie Bi An's mind was jumping, "Named ... Zhong Ming? A boy who looked six or seven years old."

This ancient name put Fan Wu She in a bit of a trance, but he also gradually remembered. Yes, big brother did have a child, only it was not biological.

Xie Bi An said bitterly, "For some reason, that child somehow looks like someone."

"Who?"

"A bit like big brother Lan." Xie Bi An said hesitantly.

Fan Wu She was stunned, "Like who?" Zong Zhong Ming, like Lan Chui Han?

"Big brother Lan." Xie Bi An sighed, "I don’t know if this could also be an after-effect of Yun Zhong Jun’s illusion, making me subconsciously put the faces of people I know onto strangers, like ..." He stole a glance at Fan Wu She, not willing to say any more.

"I suppose so." Of course Fan Wu She knew it wasn't, but this panic had to be disguised. He cannot dig his own grave. If Zong Zhong Ming looked like Lan Chui Han, then there must be a reason. Combined with the fact that the Lan family's sword technique was called the Junlan Sword Technique, the Lan family's family symbol is the multiple-petaled orchid, and thousands of varieties of orchids were raised in Huayueye, weren’t these enough to explain everything? The outside world only knows the Daoist name of the founder of the Lan family, Lan Chui Han's grandfather, Hua Yuan Zhen Ren, and few people knew his name. If that person is Zong Zhong Ming, it would explain where the strong financial resources came from when Xianyue Pavilion was founded.

"About this matter, perhaps I should ask Brother Lan." Xie Bi An rubbed his sore brows, "My mind is filled with so many things that I can't sort them out right away. Perhaps after a while, I will be able to remember more."

"Senior brother." Fan Wu She pressed on Xie Bi An's shoulder and gazed into his eyes, "Have you forgotten the reason why you agreed to Official Lord Cui’s soul summoning?"

"It was to confirm whether I was the reincarnation of the Human Emperor or not. Perhaps this could change the circumstances of my master's death, and also to solve the obsessions of my previous life."

"That’s right. You have now confirmed your past life, so do you know what Zong Zi Heng's obsession is?"

Xie Bi An was silent for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

"We may be able to follow these clues to investigate what happened a hundred years ago. Go and ask Li Bu Yu or Lan Chui Han, but you can't continue anymore. Do you understand?" Fan Wu She looked straight into Xie Bi An's eyes, "The more you remember, the more dangerous it will be. Just like what Official Lord Cui said, you will lose your mind under the confusion of the memories of two lives." He could not destroy the inner self that longed to see his big brother again, but his rationality told him that Xie Bi An must never remember it. He neither knew how to face his big brother who had turned his back on him with his death, nor did he want to ruin Xie Bi An's trust and affection for him.

Xie Bi An said gloomily, "I know, but ..."

"There are no buts. Senior brother, you must chant the Pure Mind Technique every day. You don't want to drink Meng Po Soup, right?"

Xie Bi An shook his head definitively, "I don't want to forget you, forget my master, Official Lord Cui, or my current life."

"That's why you can't let yourself remember anymore." Fan Wu She gently caressed Xie Bi An's face and said in a soft voice, "The most important thing right now is Master. You must remain sober."

"You're right." Xie Bi An's eyes became firm and persistent, "I can't fall into the memories of my past life and become another person." The intrusion of the memories from his past life had already made him empathized with those things that had not happened to him. As he experienced Zong Zi Heng's hatred, he also naturally experienced Zong Zi Heng's love. When he learned from Official Lord Cui that Zong Zi Xiao had long since been reincarnated and consigned to eternal damnation into the Hell Path, with no possibility of reincarnation into a human, he was relieved, but at the same time, he felt an unspeakable pain. He knew the sorrow did not belong to him, and that was the scariest thing.

Fan Wu She pulled out a stiff smile, "Senior brother, you must be tired, get a good night's sleep."

"Okay."

"I'll stay here with you tonight, okay?"

"Uh, not okay." Xie Bi An's eyes were a bit dodgy, "Bo Zhu will be coming to fetch water for me to wash my face in the morning, he'll see you. You go back to your own room."

"So what if he sees?"

"What do you mean so what? The two of us, where’s the decency?" Xie Bi An pushed Fan Wu She away.

But Fan Wu She refused to leave, "But senior brother took the initiative to kiss me and hug me. Say, where’s the decency?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Xie Bi An urged, "Go back quickly."

Fan Wu She stared at Xie Bi An without blinking, "When will senior brother be together with me openly?"

"I ... I'm only thinking about Master right now."

"But I just want to hug senior brother. I'm afraid you're scared." Fan Wu She tucked Xie Bi An's hand into his embrace. His eyes had tenderness and deep affection, "I don't want to be separated from senior brother for a moment."

Xie Bi An dropped his shoulders helplessly, "Alright." He could not bear to refuse Fan Wu She's requests, especially when Fan Wu She showed him weakness or act coquettishly.

Fan Wu She hugged Xie Bi An and fell onto the bed, burying his face into the lightly scented, warm chest.

Xie Bi An sniggered, stroked his head and teased, "I think you're the one who's scared. What, scared of ghosts?"

Fan Wu She nodded and hugged him even tighter.

That’s right, the one who was afraid was him. Not a day had gone by in a hundred years that he had not been afraid, afraid that he would not be able to see his big brother again, and afraid of losing him again.

 

----

Edited on 8 May 21 (Emzie)

←Previous Chapter                                                                                                 Next Chapter→