Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 105: Tides

First, the discovery of the jade eye on the chessboard and perceiving the enigmatic true self resulted in a turn towards initial determination of affection. The ups and downs of the past half-day were truly overwhelming.

Shi Jingzhi once again clung to Yin Ci, demonstrating with his body that the shocking “true self” didn’t matter. This time, Yin Ci didn’t push him away, and the feeling of stepping into emptiness was gradually melted away by bodily warmth.

Shi Jingzhi pulled him back from the edge of the cliff, and this was the second time.

However, although this method was effective, it caught Yin Ci a little… off guard.

His heart was a mixture of feelings. Just now, the situation was chaotic, and if Shi Jingzhi had shown hesitation, things might not have been stable. Now, whether Shi Jingzhi was nervous or not, it seemed that he was back to his old ways, wanting to burrow into the ground again.

…It was kind of cute.

Yin Ci once thought that being master and disciple was enough, and being partners was fine, just going with the flow. But as they both wandered along the edge of the abyss, pulling and tugging at each other, their entanglement led them to the same point through countless considerations and loneliness.

All thoughts converged on one person, and that one person could bear the many absurdities around him. As the path to immortality continued, there would never be a second Shi Jingzhi.

Even if it was just a momentary, brilliant firework.

So what if he was a monster? He was even defying fate, so to worry about the morals of the world would be a bit petty. Since Sect Master Shi had boasted that he wanted to be connected with the monster, he could physically show him what “inviting God is easy, sending them away is hard*” means.

*(请神容易送神难) Idiom describing a situation where it’s easy to call upon something or someone but difficult to get rid of them later. || See Kinky Thoughts on how this relates to the title of the novel.

Thinking of this, Yin Ci’s finger moved up. He first combed Shi Jingzhi’s hair and rubbed his earlobe with his fingertips.

Soft and burning, great to touch.

Shi Jingzhi was still a little stunned, reacting slower than usual. His eyes stuck to the person in front of him, and his nose was still filled with a familiar, bitter smell. After years of bland food and cold human relations, when had he ever experienced such stimulation?

Yin Ci had always been by his side, and they were close. Now, even though the attitude had not yet changed, only the relationship had, a very intense warmth rose from the bottom of his heart, making the entirety of it swell. Previously, he thought that the world’s love was like flowing water and that he could control it as long as he found the right method. Who knew that his river, which looked calm, had hidden currents that nearly swept him away as soon as he stepped into it.

Yin Ci pinched Shi Jingzhi’s ear and then moved a hand down his back. The actions were half soothing, half intimate, and though not frivolous, they added to the heat. Shi Jingzhi had thought of countless sweet words, but now not a single one came out, and he could only rub his nose against Yin Ci’s.

Then he tightly hugged the person in front of him, burying his nose in the crook of Yin Ci’s neck and pressing his face tightly against it. Warm skin stuck close together, and he couldn’t bear to let go.

That swirling desire was no longer reckless, and the hunger that had run through his life was satisfied, with the joy soaking through every part of him. Even though there were thousands of desires swirling around, they all turned into insignificant clouds and smoke.

It turned out that people could be so happy.

“Let’s go back.” Yin Ci smiled. “As for the matter of the Immortal Assembly, let’s discuss it when Miss Shen Zhu comes back.”

“Don’t want to leave?”

“Mm, I’m reluctant to leave,” Yin Ci answered crisply.

Shi Jingzhi wanted to try to tease Yin Ci, but the other party was so straightforward that his attempt backfired*, and he ended up cooking himself with his own warmth again. Yin Ci pursued the advantage, and this time, instead of grabbing his wrist as usual, he opened his five fingers and intertwined them with Shi Jingzhi’s.

*Attempting to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it (偷鸡不成蚀把米). Idiom referring to trying to take a small advantage but ending up losing something more valuable in the process (AKA Go for the wool and come home shorn).

Sect Master Shi matured from seventy percent to a full hundred percent, trying to look calm with a strong demeanor. He tried to step out steadily but ended up floating on clouds.

Even though the conspiracies and unknowns were suffocating, Shi Jingzhi felt light and happy. For a moment, he felt that even if the worst things in the world were in front of him, he wouldn’t fear them at all.

As for some people, the terrible situation was already in sight.

Shen Zhu found no information outside the mountain, so she simply followed Su Si’s footsteps to see his progress. The Chigou members received the bad news and headed directly to the foothold in Qizhou, preparing to head northwest. They were uneasy all the way and scattered upon arriving in Qizhou, gathering supplies and luggage.

It was the perfect opportunity to steal the goose, and Su Si was very satisfied.

It wouldn’t be long before the members would find that the news of “Matron Wuxue’s death” was pure nonsense. After all, the secret letter was in the format of the Chigou Sect’s internal teachings, and he would have trouble taking action when the Chigou members angrily investigated themselves.

Having lost the goose once before, the Chigou members specially found their most thoughtful female disciple to guard the goose day and night. The goose ate the freshest fish and vegetable hearts again, but one of its orange feet was dragged by a silver chain, making a tinkling sound when moving.

Su Si wasn’t worried; it was only a thin chain. His butcher knife was so sharp that even a bowl-sized steel cable could be cut.

He used his experience from fleeing and didn’t act hastily. But the goose’s state seemed a bit strange, and it seemed unusually worried.

After all, the goose was just a goose with a small head that couldn’t contain much. It could find objects and sense the fortune and misfortune in front of it, which was already its limit. Seeing its dejected expression, not even eating tender fish, Su Si had a very bad premonition.

The divine goose was in poor condition, surrounded by many Chigou members. Su Si was also happy to continue observing, so he delayed a few days in making a move, until Shen Zhu caught up.

“It’s been a long time since you came back; I thought something happened to you. Is this goose that good to look at? You’ve been staring at it for two or three days.” Shen Zhu exclaimed. “If you don’t need help, I can go and spy in the Yueshui Pavilion.”

“Don’t wander around.” Since Yan Qing wasn’t around, Su Si’s smile disappeared, and the coldness in his tone returned. “This goose knows fortune and misfortune. Its state is a bit abnormal; something big might happen here soon.”

“I remember it only knows the immediate fortune or misfortune. Qizhou is flourishing and stable, and the Chigou is a huge sect. To say that something happened…”

“I can’t figure it out either, but don’t act rashly for now.” Su Si tightly pursed his lips.

If he wanted to grab Lord Bai, it would inevitably be frightened, which would make things hard to discern what caused its terrible state. Having been trained as an assassin by the Red Scorpion Feet and having been on the run for a long time, Su Si was overly sensitive to subtle changes.

Shen Zhu wasn’t interested in the Chigou Sect. “Hmm, refutation to the rumor from the main branch will arrive soon; you decide the right time.”

That night, the subtle abnormality became very clear. At midnight, the goose suddenly stretched its neck, honking at the pitch-black ceiling. It had never cried so sharply before, waking up everyone within half a mile.

Su Si lay on the roof, looking over the bustling Qizhou city at night, and his heart slowly sank.

Nothing seemed to have happened in Qizhou, so there was only one possibility left… It made sense, considering how comfortable the goose’s initial life in the Chigou Sect was and how calm it had been when he forcibly took it away.

The trouble was within the Chigou Sect itself.

Northwest, near Shafu.

The leader’s residence was made up of two separate courtyards. To prevent the elders from fighting for power, the leader was often secretly trained outside of the main branch by the previous leader. The leader and the junior leader lived in these two courtyards, surrounded by layers of traps, making it difficult for ordinary elders to even get close.

This could be considered the safest corner in the entire Chigou Sect.

But now, the “safest corner” was eerily silent, without a trace of vitality. Matron Wuxue sat at the table, looking at her blood-stained hands. She was sitting perfectly fine, but a deep gash in her throat was gushing blood incessantly, and she couldn’t even cry for help.

The only thing that might have done this was probably the cursed object known as the “Twin Roots”. Jiang Youyue’s Immortal Assembly indeed had ulterior motives, and the effort it took to reach into the Chigou Sect must have been considerable.

Matron Wuxue staggered to her feet, making a creaking, unpleasant noise from her throat. The blood turned into pink foam, reflected by the firelight.

She didn’t cry for help but fumbled in her bosom and took out a small enamel box. Inside the box were two acacia beans soaked in blood, one with “Real” written on it, and the other with “Fake”.

These acacia beans could reveal the status of the blood owner and had no other purpose. But this single use greatly helped Matron Wuxue—the one marked “Fake” was slowly shattering, turning into ashes in her blurry vision.

Maybe this was fate; she forced an ugly smile.

The Jianchen Temple was closed; the Taiheng Sect had changed hands. The Ling Sect’s Grand Pavilion was destroyed in battle, and now it was her turn—nothing surprising. Even if both the leader and young leader of the Chigou Sect were lost, it wouldn’t fall into chaos, but it would provide an opportunity for others.

It was a pity that the young leader she chose was a bit unruly and had run away long ago. Su Si frequently fled, so to prevent suspicion, she kept a similar substitute in a separate courtyard, well-fed and cared for.

Not to mention outsiders; even she herself didn’t guess that someone could escape persistently for ten years.

Matron Wuxue extended her withered hand, touching the wound on her throat. Then, using her last strength, she ground the acacia bean marked “Real” into dust.

The Chigou Sect thrived in the northwest desert, rooted strong and deep. It wouldn’t be easy to eradicate it starting from the leader.

She closed her eyes, faces flashing before her.

A divine object had appeared, and the tides of youth had just set off. Sadly, she wouldn’t be able to see it. Matron Wuxue thought of the young boy surnamed Shi in the Ghost Tomb, the mysterious descendant of the Su Clan, the young “blind boy” who got mixed up in Taiheng… In the end, her thoughts stopped on the child surnamed Su that was brought back by her subordinates.

Death was near, and she recalled the scene when she chose that boy.

[Boy, what do you regret the most?]

[Being caught by you dogs!]

[Tell the truth.]

[…]

[I told you, no lying in front of me.]

[I’ve got plenty of regrets, Mistress]. The child grimaced. [But I don’t regret it!]

Years later, she saw him again at the Red Scorpion Feet’s camp. The child had become a teenager, but his eyes were still defiant.

[Boy, what are you most proud of?]

[I killed someone when I was nine.] The boy answered provocatively. [So a place like this won’t scare me!]

[Oh? Tell me.]

[I went to reason with a drunkard, and he stumbled at the door and injured his head.] The youth stared into her eyes like a wild animal, trying to exert an almost non-existent menace. [He struggled, cursed, and then cried and begged for me to call someone. I just stood there, watching him die… I never felt so satisfied in my life.]

It’s him.

She had never misjudged a person, and he might get lost or take the wrong path. But in the end, her successor would come back—that boy was just like that. Morality was vague to him, and the Chigou Sect needed such a person.

No matter how clever people were, they couldn’t calculate human hearts. As for the person behind all this… following that Kushan Sect, he would eventually know.

The heavens wouldn’t destroy Chigou. Though chaos was set, this was the time to break and rebuild. Matron Wuxue breathed a sigh of relief, the longest and last breath of her life.

She still had a smile on her face when her breathing stopped.

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The author has something to say:

A silver chain locking the foot, but sadly, it’s holding Lord Bai.

Lord Bai: “Honk—!!!!!!!”

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Kinky Thoughts:

The idiom Inviting god is easy, sending them away is hard (请神容易送神难) is connected to the title Sendoff. The latter half of the idiom is [songshen] (送神), meaning to send off the gods.

In this case, now that Shi Jingzhi has bound Yin Ci (which is seen as basically an immortal/god/monster at this point) to the human world (thus he’s no longer detached from it), he won’t be able to backtrack and easily get rid of him later down the line.

This is part of the reason why the title of the novel is named so.

——

Oh, so Su Si inadvertently killed Yang Qing’s abusive alcoholic dad.

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