Chapter 268

As soon as he said this, everyone was shocked. They had doubtful expressions and have probably never seen or heard such shameless nonsense.

Although the gods and Asuras shared the same Jiutian, the difference between them was like an orthodox royal family offering amnesty to revolting bandits. Giving them a corner of shelter was already a gift. The two parties could never truly merge.

Whether it was the previous obstinate clinging with the god or the shameless boast at this moment, they couldn’t help sneering at this Asura youth who did not know the immensity of heaven and earth*.

However, Ah Yun didn't care about the gaze of others. He was used to being laid-back. He raised his chin provocatively at those who watched him with strange gazes, but when he looked at Lan Jiang, he was stunned.

Lan Jiang finally looked at him. His eyes were not as indifferent or wandering as in the former days, but he’s really staring at him. Those pupils were so deep and dark that light couldn’t penetrate them. Therefore, his emotions also seemed to be dark and difficult to understand.

Ah Yun couldn’t understand that look and expression, because Lan Jiang was always like a glittering and dignified statue. He never gave him anything except indifference, but this time it was obviously different. He felt that Lan Jiang was angry.

Even if he was angry, it was different from the former days. Ah Yun was proud of himself for provoking Lan Jiang, but then he wondered if Lan Jiang's anger, like the others, came from the disdain for his status as an Asura. He thought that his shameless two words "dual-cultivate" were simply a toad trying to eat swan meat*.

In fact, he did not even know exactly what to do to dual-cultivate, but he knew that it represented a very intimate relationship. As a god, he would not be willing to be intimate with an Asura. When Ah Yun thought about this, he inexplicably felt unpleasant and awful in his heart. He attributed this to anger too and was angry at Lan Jiang's anger.

He glared viciously at Lan Jiang. His eyes were like copper bells, his nostrils were flaring, and his fists were clenched as if ready to strike, but he’s more like an arrogant little beast defending its territory and dignity.

Lan Jiang looked at Ah Yun. His face was wildly beautiful, and his red hair was as passionate as a fire. His eyes were shining with a light that Lan Jiang had never seen before, like a thick dark cloud was split from it, and a wisp of skylight was shining a bright mark on the dull and invariable earth, making people not help but wonder what kind of treasures were hidden here that could summon the arrival of the divine glow ---- Lan Jiang was that illuminated place, but only he knew that there was nothing here ---- except emptiness and nothingness.

His cultivation is a process of washing away human feelings and returning to divinity, leaving behind the seven emotions, six sensory pleasures, joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, stripping his soul of its burden, and then going into battle with a light pack*. He became free, understanding, enlightened, and finally attained immortality. Therefore, he did not understand what Ah Yun wandering around him all day was for, and he couldn’t respond to anything. His heart was a deathly still lake. Despite the storm outside, he was as calm as ever.

But Ah Yun had just clearly stated his purpose: to dual-cultivate with him.

He tried to recall the things that had happened since his acquaintance with this little Asura. That red hair was really dazzling, and that pair of eyes were really bright. A small stone fell into his heart's lake, stirring up layers of ripples. It's much smaller than the waves when Ah Yun jumped into the water that day.

But why? Why did this little Asura want to explore such an empty and uninteresting lake? There were no lush aquatic plants nor fat fishes here. After putting in so much effort, he only created circles of small ripples.

He had no contact with Asuras before. He only knew that they were hot-tempered, aggressive, and always causing trouble. So was Ah Yun, but Ah Yun......Ah Yun was very different from him. He could not respond to such a straightforward and enthusiastic vitality.

A string of mocking laughter came into his ears. A god slapped the table and leaned back, and said with exaggeration: "You? You want to dual-cultivate with Lan Jiang? You, an Asura? Hahahahaha----"

As if the Asuras were something foul and filthy, they couldn’t avoid that mean and worthless taste in time, even though they were very unlucky to be mentioned together with him.

Ah Yun was already unhappy with Lan Jiang's attitude. At this time, the fire rose from his internal organs and finally found the vent. He pointed at the god and shouted: "Who I want to dual-cultivate with is none of your business. Anyway, no one is interested in a god like you who has a fat head, big ears, and has no divine position!"

"Outrageous, how dare you be so presumptuous!" That god indeed did not have a divine position and was hit where it hurt the most. He was so angry that the flesh on his face trembled three times, "A lowly Asura who’s dreaming of dual-cultivating with a god who has a divine position. In your dreams! Shameless!”

Ah Yun kicked the table upside down. His red hair was moving without wind, and his eyes were full of a murderous aura: "I can do whatever I want. I will kill you now to liven things up for everyone." With a growl, he pounced on him.

Several of the Asuras present could not stand the humiliation and attacked that fat god together.

A dogfight started at this point, and before the crowd could regain their senses, the banquet hall was already half destroyed in an instant.

"Stop!"

Several gods and Asuras came to stop them at the same time, but both sides had accumulated resentment for a long time. Once they entered the battlefield, they inexplicably changed from dissuasion to taking action themselves, so the battle gradually expanded, and a good banquet of immortal peaches was completely ruined.

It wasn't until the Deity Lord Xingyao, who was welcoming guests outside, arrived at the news and made a great effort to stop the melee.

Ah Yun was being stepped on the ground by the elders and was rebuking angrily. The weight of a million pounds of boulders were pressing on his back to his chest, but he turned a deaf ear to the curses above his head, it's just that he was looking for the god, who was sitting still on the cushion, noble, quiet, dark blue, like lake water, but there were no waves. No one could make any waves in his heart. He was aching all over, but his eyes were particularly painful and swollen as if they were about to explode.

Would this man always be indifferent to him no matter what he did? Did he have nothing better to do that he had to get a look or a response? Even he didn't know what he was doing, but he knew he had done something stupid, very stupid.

-----

Ah Yun was tied back home by the elders and put in confinement. But before long, he was released again. It was not that he regained his freedom, but that Deity Lord Xingyao reported this matter to the Heavenly Palace out of anger. He was already fuming with anger at the 72 destroyed peaches, which could only be harvested once every 100 years.

The Heavenly Palace wanted to interrogate Ah Yun. The elders knew that it was Ah Yun's fault in the first place, and it was Ah Yun who caused trouble from the beginning to the end of this farce, so they had to send him to the Heavenly Palace.

The celestial chief executioner invited many of the gods who were present at that time to question them together. Ah Yun stood among them and listened to the complaints of the gods against him one by one. He only looked coldly at the silent Lan Jiang.

"Lan Jiang, please say something. He has been pestering and harassing you. He caused trouble at this immortal peach banquet because of you.”

Everyone's eyes turned to Lan Jiang.

Lan Jiang's eyelashes trembled slightly. After a long silence, he said, "It has nothing to do with me."

Although he had expected it, upon hearing those cold words, Ah Yun still felt pain in his heart. During his days and nights in confinement, he pondered repeatedly, trying to figure out what was up with him, and he guessed vaguely that it was probably something he didn't understand and had never been taught. He was too lazy to use his brain. It didn’t matter whether he understood or not. Maybe he had already figured it out and said that phrase "dual-cultivation". He wanted to be close to Lan Jiang, the kind of close that’s very close.

But to Lan Jiang, all of this ‘has nothing to do with me’. From beginning to end, he was always the one pestering, looking up, and advancing him. All these had nothing to do with Lan Jiang.

He was really stupid. He only knew how to stubbornly behave unscrupulously and cause mischief, letting Lan Jiang hate, despise, and shun him like those other gods.

No matter how many accusations and criticisms, they were just chattering nonsense in Ah Yun's ears, but Lan Jiang’s "it has nothing to do with me" was equivalent to convicting him.

He was indeed convicted. He ruined the Deity Lord Xingyao’s immortal peach banquet, so he must be caned a hundred times, and then imprisoned in the heavenly prison for a hundred years.

Upon hearing his sentence, Ah Yun cursed, but no one paid any attention to him. Not knowing if it was out of habit or instinct, he actually looked at Lan Jiang again. He knew that Lan Jiang would only ignore him, but they had frequent contact over the years after all ---- even if it was his wishful thinking, would Lan Jiang get stung by his conscience and say a word to him no matter what?

But he didn’t. He did nothing at all. What Lan Jiang had finally shown him was still indifference. In fact, he had long expected it, and he still had not given up?

He gave up.

Those hundred canes made his flesh lacerated and dripping with blood. Like a dead dog, he was thrown into a cell in the heavenly prison and didn't move for a long time.

It hurt so much. It had never hurt so much...... That whip was taken from the branch of a divine vine and was specially used to deal with immortals. Although it’s not fatal, it could make people suffer terribly from the pain. He was in an empty and silent cell, enduring the erosion of his will from the severe pain, but what agonized him even more was the hundred-year sentence. A hundred years was not long, but for an Asura who advocated freedom, it was the greatest torture.

He knew he was wrong. He shouldn't have ruined the Deity Lord Xingyao’s immortal peaches banquet, but wasn’t that just some peaches? Was it necessary to whip him so painfully and imprison him for a hundred years? He knew he was wrong. He shouldn't have pestered a god who never paid attention to him and regarded him as nothing. It was his wishful thinking. He misbehaved*. He was delusional.

He knows he was wrong. It hurt so much. It's so quiet here. He wanted to go home so badly.

There was a light sound of hands and feet beside him, and then something rolled to his side. He struggled to lift his head and saw a prison guard, who made a "shhh" gesture with one hand and pointed to his side with the other.

He struggled to look down again and saw a small porcelain jar. He endured the pain, picked up the porcelain jar, and opened it. The cool aroma wafted into his nose. It’s the smell of the best medicine. The elders must have managed to bribe the prison guard to send it to him.

He got up with much difficulty and slowly rubbed the medicine on himself. The immortal medicine immediately relieved the burning pain wherever it went, and he stopped crying.

He wanted to escape. He could never stay here for a hundred years. As long as he escaped back to the wildlands of the Asuras, the people of the Heavenly Palace would not be able to catch him. He didn't commit any heinous crimes, so in the course of time, the Heavenly Palace would have forgotten about it.

He must escape.

 

 ----

did not know the immensity of heaven and earth*[不知天高地厚]---arrogant and ignorant

toad trying to eat swan meat*[癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉]---- to crave for what one is not worthy of;  An ugly man hopes to marry a pretty girl;

going into battle with a light pack*[轻装上阵]--- go forward with one's burdens discarded;

misbehaved*[犯贱]---I can’t find a proper word for this. It means someone knows what he's doing is wrong and will get hurt from this action but insist to do it and do it without pride and dignity. For example, the one you love doesn't love you back, you can still do anything for her. The antonym for 犯贱 is 老实 (well-behave)

 

Edited on 26 July 21 (Emzie)

 

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