Chapter Ninety-Three: Starting Over from Scratch-Strange Tales: Pursuing Immortality(Listening to the Rain of Past Dreams)

If it had not been for his master, perhaps there would never have been a Yan Chixia in this mortal world at all.

As a child, his final end would most likely have been death beneath a beast's jaws or wasting away under the torment of illness. In short, born in an age of chaos, he had almost no chance of surviving.

Though they were only master and disciple, Yan Chixia had long since, in his heart, regarded Xuan Yangzi as his reborn parents. The grace of upbringing and instruction was a debt so vast that even shattering oneself to pieces could scarcely repay it.

Lanruo Temple?

A flicker shone in Yi An's eyes. After seeing those three grand characters upon the old temple's lintel, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart shook violently.

If Yan Chixia's existence was a coincidence, then the appearance of Lanruo Temple proved exactly what he had suspected.

There are never so many coincidences in this world, especially not when everything is tied together with his conjecture. It fit too perfectly.

And yet, there were still many things here that differed.

But on the whole, the resemblance was indeed astonishing.

If it truly was so, then within this Lanruo Temple there should also be a thousand-year-old locust spirit, along with several female ghosts who devoured human souls.

Yet until the two of them had sat down upon the prayer mats inside the ancient temple, nothing strange had occurred; the old temple remained utterly ordinary.

"I don't care whether there are any tree spirits or demons here, but you'd best be sensible and not set your sights on me. Otherwise..."

Sitting on the prayer mat, Yi An's gaze flickered.

This world was becoming more and more complicated. It was ordinary, yet not ordinary; it held countless eerie and unfathomable mysteries that made one unable to feel at ease.

The night grew deep.

Outside the temple, the moon shone bright and the stars were sparse; all remained as calm as still water, without the slightest ripple.

While Yi An recovered his vital energy, he did not forget to remain watchful of his surroundings at all times, guarding against any unforeseen danger.

Only at dawn, when a faint shaft of light finally seeped into the dim old temple, did Yi An suddenly open his eyes. After a night's rest, he had already returned to peak condition.

Stepping out of the temple, Yi An saw Yan Chixia seated on the stone steps outside.

Yan Chixia looked somewhat dazed, his expression absent, as though lost in thought.

Yi An found a place beside him and sat down, smiling as he asked, "Missing your family?"

Last night, Yan Chixia had told him of his past.

Truth be told, Yan Chixia was also a man bedeviled by fate.

Yan Chixia gave a slight nod. Returning to the place of his youth, scenes from more than ten years ago when his parents had still been with him rose vividly before his eyes. Those days, though hard, had been warm.

After a long while, Yan Chixia suddenly asked, "Brother Yi, do you still have anyone left at home?"

Yi An shook his head, his expression somewhat complicated. "Since I was old enough to remember, I have had neither father nor mother. It was my wet nurse who raised me. It's just a pity that last year, even she was murdered by vile men."

Though these were beings from memory, they seemed no different from his own lived experience. Toward his wet nurse, he bore a special affection.

Born and not raised, a severed finger may be returned.

Born and raised, a severed head may be returned.

Not born but raised, repaid even through a hundred lifetimes, the debt still remains!

As for the father of this body, whom he had never met, he had not yet decided how to handle the relationship. But asking him to call the man Father was impossible.

There was the grace of begetting him, yes, but the one born was the original host, and Yi Jingyun himself had been weak-willed and dim. From the few words in the original host's mother's letter, it was plain enough that he was a man without opinions of his own, easily manipulated by others.

If Yi Jingyun had been even a little more resolute and had not given that Lady Jia any opening, how could all those tragedies that followed have ever come to pass?

Hearing this and feeling the sincerity in Yi An's words, Yan Chixia seemed to have had his heartstrings stirred.

He felt that Yi An was, if anything, even more miserable than himself. At least he still vaguely remembered what his parents had looked like, whereas the other had no memory of such things at all.

For a moment, Yan Chixia did not know how he ought to comfort him.

"In this chaotic age, the wicked hold sway, the people live in misery, countless common folk are driven from their homes and reduced to refugees, and evil creatures run rampant while darkness flows everywhere. One day, I will lend my slight strength and remove that darkness one by one." Yan Chixia vowed that only by banishing evil could such tragedies as his and Yi An's be avoided. Even if the road ahead was steep and rough, he would grit his teeth and press onward.

Yi An shook his head and said nothing more, only looking rather helpless.

It had to be said that Yan Chixia's thoughts were still far too naive.

Still, he did not dampen the other's enthusiasm.

In this world, where there is evil, there is righteousness; where darkness breeds, light rises. Like day and night, they restrain one another. It may be said to be one of the fundamental truths of heaven and earth.

"The decayed is still decaying, while the new is already taking root. If you ask me, the most direct and effective way to deal with darkness is to tear everything down and begin anew, building a world fresh from birth. That would always be easier than trying to salvage a rotten one," Yi An said.

After a moment of silence, Yan Chixia said in surprise, "That doesn't sound like something a scholar such as yourself would say. I've read a few books of the sages myself. As the saying goes, one studies the civil and martial arts to offer them to a king. If some people with ulterior motives were to hear this, I'm afraid trouble would come knocking on your door."

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Yi An's words were almost subversive.

Tear everything down and begin anew—that was not tantamount to overthrowing the Northern Wild Dynasty and founding a new nation?

And yet Yan Chixia could not help thinking that Yi An's words were not without reason. To destroy the decayed and let the new bring forth a prosperous age would, without a doubt, meet far less resistance.

But there were still many things here that differed.