Chapter 256

Xie Bi An turned his face and did not want to look at him: “I’m clearing my mind under this camphor tree.”

Fan Wu She also leaned on the trunk. He wrinkled his nose: "It smells really bad. When I was a child, you always put one kind of sachet in my wardrobe. Although it wasn’t as fragrant as orchids, it smelled much better than this."

"There's sandalwood and mint in it."

"Mm. The sachets you gave me for insect prevention, clothes-fumigation, nerves-soothing, and bathing, all had different smells." Fan Wu She smiled lightly and said, "They all smelled good."

A breeze ruffled the calm surface of the lake, whirled over this thousand-year-old tree, and diluted the smell of camphor. It no longer seemed to be so pungent. At this time above the heavens, the sun set in the west. It was a round, bright, glittering, and golden fireball. The afterglow was still blazing, spilling layers of light on the surface of the misty lake like boiling a lake of fine gold. This lake was very large and wide, and its shore seemed to be sewn up with the horizon. In the distance beyond the reach of the naked eye, when one looked at the sun setting in the west, it fell into the lake with vigor and vitality.

Luojinwu* got its name from this.

This magnificent sight made both of them speechless for a while.

It was not until the sun had completely set that Xie Bi An spoke slowly: "You can still tell the difference? I thought you only knew good and bad smells."

Fan Wu She said happily: "I can distinguish them. Although I don’t remember the name of those fragrances, I remember all the scents of big brother's food, clothing, and daily life."

Xie Bi An put down the handkerchief from his hand and put his sword into the sheath.

Fan Wu She subconsciously straightened his back. He had a feeling what Xie Bi An was going to say to him.

Xie Bi An indeed turned his face and looked at Fan Wu She calmly: "If we can defeat Jiang Qu Lian and restore peace to the human and ghost worlds, what are your plans after that?"

"To be with you." Fan Wu She said without hesitation, "Wherever you want to go and whatever you want to do, that's what I want to do."

"I mean, the Heavenly Secret Talisman."

Fan Wu She was slightly stunned.

"After everything is over, what do you plan to do with the Heavenly Secret Talisman?"

"Big brother ..."

"By keeping the Heavenly Secret Talisman by your side, it will constantly erode your will and induce your inner demons. You nearly lost control in the Infernal Hell this time."

Fan Wu She said in a deep voice: "The situation in the Infernal Hell was the worst-case scenario. I won't become like that so easily."

"But every time you use the Heavenly Secret Talisman, the Yin energy keeps invading your body. You become gradually powerful with it, but also become gradually unfeeling." Xie Bi An's gaze seemed to penetrate everything, "You became that Supreme Demon from your previous life."

"The reason why I became the Supreme Demon in my previous life was because of you..." Fan Wu She took a deep breath, "It was because I experienced those things, but now that our misunderstanding is gone, I won't become that way again."

"But the anger and hatred in your heart will never go away. You said to me yourself that a hundred years of Infernal Hell had made you no longer a human." Xie Bi An said gloomily, "I understand your temperament. You have been competitive since childhood and have always had the ambition to seek supreme power in the immortal cultivation world. It is true that no cultivator does not want to reach the peak and achieve immortality, but the power you have is too evil and too powerful. If you cannot control your desire, it will backfire on you."

Fan Wu She was silent for a moment. His voice was husky: "So what does big brother want me to do?"

"I hope you will seal the Heavenly Secret Talisman after Jiang Qu Lian's death and give me back the Shanhe Sheji Map."

Fan Wu She was silent.

"You should understand that if Jiang Qu Lian is defeated and Xu Zhi Nan dies, the biggest threat in this world will be you. The human and ghost worlds need to return to an equilibrium. We don't need another overlord."

"You also know that they will treat me as the biggest threat. If I seal the Heavenly Secret Talisman, how can I protect myself?"

"With your cultivation level, you will have no problem defending yourself against anyone. On the flip side, if you didn't have the Heavenly Secret Talisman, you wouldn't be that threat."

"Big brother is too naive." Fan Wu She's tone became icy cold, "They are afraid of me. Even if I have been reincarnated and reborn, they are still afraid of me. Fear breeds hatred, and the Heavenly Secret Talisman can still cower them. If there is no Heavenly Secret Talisman...and you still want me to give you the Shanhe Sheji Map, there's no way they'll let me go."

Xie Bi An said slowly, "You have done a lot of evil in this life. Even if someone wants to take revenge on you, it is understandable. When it's over, you should stop creating karma. Find a place with beautiful scenery and devote yourself to cultivation for the rest of your life."

Fan Wu She sighed lightly: "Okay, if big brother is willing to return to our hometown and seclude with me, I can give up everything."

"Wu She, we can't go back." Xie Bi An stood up and walked slowly to the lake, leaving only a determined back view to Fan Wu She, "Whether as martial brothers, or blood brothers, or...or a cultivation couple, it’s impossible. The best ending between us is to never see each other again in this life."

"That's rubbish." Fan Wu She gritted his teeth and said, "You obviously know that I can’t leave you. You obviously know how much I need you."

"If you force me to stay by your side for a long time, hatred will grow because of the resentment. By then, we will just go back to the old predicament again." Xie Bi An turned around, "Wu She, I can let go of my hatred for you, but I can't forgive you, and we can't go back to the old days."

Fan Wu She looked at Xie Bi An deeply. He wanted to see the emotional loopholes from his calm eyebrows, but there was nothing, nothing at all. He couldn’t even find the slightest loophole he could get into. He was silent for a long time. Maybe he was disappointed too many times. No matter how painful his heart was, there were no big ups or downs. He said with a bitter smile: "Big brother, are you going to tell me this now? Don't you want to wait until the grinding is done before killing the donkey*?"

"You can threaten me with Jiang Qu Lian. After all, as you said, no one can stop him except you. If you make me stay by force, I can't escape either." Xie Bi An said in a reasonable tone that could be called patient, "But I also said, I can't forgive you, and we can't go back to the old days. How can you control your inflating desire? If we go back to the past, what's the meaning of everything?”

"You are the meaning of me." Fan Wu She smiled. There was sadness contaminating his eyes, "You want me to seal the Heavenly Secret Talisman and hand over the Shanhe Sheji Map? Sure, I’ll exchange them for you. As long as you give yourself to me, I can give up anything."

Xie Bi An slowly lowered his head.

Fan Wu She stood up, walked over to him, and kissed him gently on his hairline: "I won’t ask you what I should do for you to forgive me. I will stand by your side, defeat all enemies for you, clear all obstacles, and do anything you want for you."

Xie Bi An sighed with a deep feeling.

"I won't blackmail you with Jiang Qu Lian, I only have one request now."

"... Say it."

"Since you admitted that I'm Xiao Jiu, you can't go back on your word."

"I won't go back on my word."

"So, can big brother cook a meal for me?"

"Cook?"

"Before you drank Meng Po soup on Naihe Bridge, you said that the biggest regret of your life was..."

"Stop it." Xie Bi An suddenly felt a little shortness of breath and did not want to finish listening to this sentence, but he did not have any doubt about what Meng Po said. When he thought of himself in his previous life, until that moment when his consciousness was about to collapse, and he was about to welcome in a new life, he’s probably not feeling happy, but reluctant. Until that moment, love and hate were no longer important. What was important would certainly be magnified without hesitation.

He regretted that he did not make a meal for his younger brother who had been away from home for many years. It's such a simple and pure regret.

"Can you cook for me now?" Fan Wu She reached out and gently stroked the scattered hair around Xie Bi An's ear, "Don't keep this regret. I really want to eat a meal cooked by my big brother again. This has also been my wish for a hundred years."

Xie Bi An said with avoidance, "This is not the time."

"Is this a promise from big brother? Anytime is fine, I will ask you for it from time to time."

"You are really..."

Fan Wu She said with a smile: "I said before, I would reach out for a yard after taking an inch. I will use every means to be together with you. The best ending between us is not that we will never see each other again in this life, but that we will spend the rest of our lives affectionately. I will try my best to treat you well."

Xie Bi An pushed Fan Wu She away from him, but Fan Wu She grabbed his hand and pressed it on his left chest. That burning and beating heart was like a sonorous and powerful oath.

Xie Bi An raised his head and met Fan Wu She’s determined eyes at the right moment. Since his youth, this pair of eyes contained a determination to get him, but he did not understand at that time. Now, he understood that although this man died without regret, he could not help but be shocked.

 

----

Luojinwu*[落金乌]---金乌 means sun, 落 means fall, put it together it's 'falling sun' 

grinding is done before killing the donkey*[卸磨杀驴]--- to get rid of somebody once he has ceased to be useful

 

Edited on 4 July 21 (Emzie)

 

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