Chapter 2699 - An Unopenable Yellowed Scroll

Atop Five Elements Peak.

Chaos mist permeated the air, and five-colored divine radiance circulated.

Su Yi sat cross-legged, eyes shut, unmoving.

When Su Wanjun arrived, she crouched beside him and gazed at him from up close, her beautiful eyes shining with reminiscence. She couldn’t help but stretch out a jade-like hand.

She felt the powerful urge to gently poke his cheek, but in the end, for reasons unknown to anyone else, her heart clenched, and she lowered her hand.

Finally, she just cautiously tidied Su Yi’s bloodstained blue robes, like a meticulous attendant. She even managed to straighten out the wrinkles in his clothing without disrupting him.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

When she saw the dried blood stuck to his hair, an indescribable doting welled in her heart.

If I’d come earlier, he would never have gotten hurt like this.

They were just external wounds, and they hadn’t shaken his foundations. To a prominent expert, they were nothing at all.

But Su Wanjun still found it hard to forgive.

Next time, I’ve got to kill those bastards!

Suddenly, Su Yi opened his eyes and said, “You’re back, senior?”

Senior?

Su Wanjun’s crouched figure stiffened subtly, but a moment later, she came back to her senses and inclined her head. She said in a smooth, pleasing voice, “Mm. Everything is okay now. The River Lord and Gongye Futu are safe.”

She made it sound simple, and she didn’t explain. There was no need.

Su Yi understood that fighting off such powerful foes couldn’t possibly have been as easy as she made it sound.

But if Su Wanjun didn’t want to discuss it, he wouldn’t ask questions.

The woman standing before him looked like Xi Ning, but she was, in truth, Su Wanjun.

And he knew nothing about Su Wanjun. He simply suspected that she’d had an extraordinary bond with his first incarnation.

Now, when he saw her crouched beside him instead of standing to speak with him, Su Yi felt something hard to put his finger on.

Was this respect? No, it wasn’t.

Was it courtesy? No, it wasn’t that, either.

Rather, it seemed perfectly natural, as if this were simply the way of things.

Had the River Lord and Gongye Futu been here to see this, they’d have been overcome with ruefulness.

This was Miss Wanjun. To outsiders, she was an icy demoness who killed without a thought.

When she was in a good mood, she would kill a man for a word spoken out of turn.

When she was in a bad mood, she would attack to kill before her enemies even got a chance to speak out of turn.

Long ago, older-generations’ expressions filled with fury at the mention of her name. They thought her the most unreasonable woman in existence. There weren’t even any other real competitors for the title.

But those who followed the boss of Sword Sovereign City knew that Miss Wanjun could be quite kind and gentle, too. She could set down her murderous intent and be as sweet and pleasant as could be.

It was just that her softness and sweetness were reserved for the boss.

Su Wanjun lowered her beautiful head apologetically. “Xiao Jian is already...”

Her voice was soft, as if she were struggling to get the words out.

Su Yi said gently, “I know. This isn’t your fault, Senior, and you absolutely mustn’t blame yourself.”

Hearing him repeatedly call her “senior” made Su Wanjun sigh. She felt increasingly somber.

Of course, it’s my fault. How could it not be?

If I’d come earlier, none of this would have happened!

“I mean it. You needn’t feel guilty about this. It was our enemies who killed Xiao Jian,” Su Yi said calmly. “I’ll commit their names to memory, and one day, I’ll make them pay in blood!”

Su Wanjun sighed, then gazed intently at Su Yi. “I...”

Su Yi seemed to know what she was about to say. He laughed and shook his head. “I’ll handle this blood debt myself. Xiao Jian died on my account, while you forced back my enemies. If... If I don’t do a little something, I’ll feel displeased with myself!”

Su Wanjun fell briefly silent. Then, she lowered her head. “I naturally won’t overstep my bounds. You can rest assured.”

The way she looked at Su Yi had softened.

He’s reincarnated several times, and his appearance, cultivation, and experiences are different, but the strength of character and pride of a sword cultivator remain the same, as does his incontrovertible determination.

Su Wanjun knew that Su Yi hadn’t regained his memories, but that didn’t matter. She’d been waiting for countless years already, so she naturally didn’t mind waiting a while longer.

She got her emotions in order, then said tenderly, “Xiao Jian might have passed on, but I think he’s still around.”

Su Yi looked stunned.

Su Wanjun took out that yellowed scroll now stained with blood. It was the only object that Xiao Jian had left behind.

“This scroll is quite strange. Not even I can open it, but I can sense a hint of his presence within it,” said Su Wanjun.

Here, she suddenly seemed concerned that Su Yi would get his hopes up, so he added, “But it’s just a trace of his presence. It’s most likely just an imprint, or perhaps an avatar of will, but it couldn’t possibly be a remnant of his soul.”

Su Yi gazed intently at the yellowed scroll, then said, “No matter what, I’ll unlock the scroll’s secrets.”

Not long ago, he and Xiao Jian drank with relish, emptying countless jugs of wine.

At the time, he asked Xiao Jian why he always carried that scroll around, and just what secrets it contained.

Xiao Jian had just laughed. “It’s an inscrutable divine writ! As for its secrets, well, it’s not that I’m petty, but I truly cannot say.”

This had piqued Su Yi’s curiosity, but he’d refrained from asking any further questions. He could tell that the scroll was highly personal to Xiao Jian.

“Alright. I’ll leave the scroll here with you.” Su Wanjun placed the scroll beside Su Yi, then took a deep breath. “I’d best get going. I came back just to bid you farewell in person.”

Su Yi mulled that over. “Senior, are you leaving, or is Xi Ning leaving?”

Su Wanjun blinked. “You... don’t want to part ways with her?”

Su Yi didn’t even miss a beat. “Of course not.”

A faint smile tugged at Su Wanjun’s lips. “I know that you told Xi Ning you’d marry her one day, and give her a grand and proper wedding, but...”

Su Wanjun looked up, her beautiful eyes gazing intently at him. “I’ve already awakened. That means I have only two choices. First, I can erase Xi Ning’s memories and supplant her. Second, I can destroy my own memories and become her completely.”

Su Yi was stunned.

But before he could respond, Su Wanjun burst into laughter, her gaze softening. “Rest assured. I won’t make things difficult for you.

“But for now, I have to take Xi Ning and leave the God Domain. Once I’ve found a place safe from the backlash from the natural order of the River of Destiny, I’ll pass my Dao Imprint and power onto her in their entirety.”

Su Wanjun pondered, then continued, “I don’t know how long it will take for her to succeed my everything, but I promise to help her return to your side as soon as possible.”

Su Yi’s heart shook as he realized the likely implications. After a moment’s silence, he said, “Then... will I ever see you again, Senior?”

Su Wanjun’s eyes filled with melancholy. “Who knows what will happen in the future? Let’s leave it up to fate.”

With that, she rose and said softly, “I’ll be leaving.”

She was shrouded in mist and dressed in clothes whiter than snow, making her look all the more ethereal. Her tall, slender figure had an utterly dazzling charm.

“Wait, Senior,” said Su Yi.

“Is there something else?” said Su Wanjun, crouching beside him once more, as if it were perfectly natural.

Her behavior made Su Yi a bit uncomfortable, but he nonetheless said, “I’ve awakened the memories of numerous past lives, so I’d like to tell you something. Even if Xi Ning succeeds your everything, your experiences will be like a long dream. When she wakes up, she’ll still be herself, just with the complete experiences of another lifetime.”

He paused, then said, “So long as Xi Ning lives on, you’ll live on too.”

Su Wanjun’s eyes shone with a strange light. “Doesn’t that mean it’ll be the same way when you reawaken the memories of your remaining past lives?”

Su Yi was briefly stunned. He’d wanted to comfort her, but she obviously wasn’t worried about herself. Instead, she was concerned about his first incarnation!

“Ha! That really is wonderful news!” Su Wanjun beamed, her beautiful eyes shining with hope and anticipation.

A moment later, she looked at him strangely. “Might you agree to something? It’s simple, just a tiny request, but it will fulfill a long-held wish of mine.”

Su Yi didn’t even pause to think. “Go ahead and ask, Senior.”

“First, shut your eyes.”

Su Yi did as he was told. Suddenly, he felt a light touch on the cheek, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water.

“That’s it. You can open your eyes now.”

When Su Yi opened his eyes, he saw Su Wanjun grinning in satisfaction. Her eyes shone with delight.

He couldn’t help but feel confused. “What did you do, Senior?”

Su Wanjun stretched out a slender, jade-like finger and gently poked the air. She said with a charming smile, “I always wanted to poke that man in the face and see if he lost his temper, but I never dared to. I never brought it up, either, so it’s been on my mind for a long, long time now.”

She beamed in satisfaction. “Now, I’ve finally fulfilled my wish.”

Su Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

A gentle poke on the cheek, that’s all. What need was there for such caution?

But when he saw the heartfelt delight on Su Wanjun’s face, a strange feeling arose in his heart.

This mysterious woman who fought her way through endless time and space to reach the River of Destiny... must have humbled herself too much in front of my first incarnation.

For a moment, Su Yi didn’t know what to say.

“I’m really leaving this time!” Su Wanjun laughed and shot off, white clothing flowing around her.

Su Yi could tell that she was really delighted; she made no effort to disguise the smile still lingering on her face.

The endless expanse of time and space beyond the God Domain was silent and bleak. It was much like the devastation following a wildfire.

A figure in white flashed through the ruins.

Su Yi watched her leave, then sighed to himself.

What a wonderful woman. What on earth did my first incarnation do to deserve her?