許多年月裡，沈玨都在外遊蕩，南北輾轉著，尋找他要找的那個人。沒有人告訴他會不會找得到，連伊墨對此也閉口不言，隨著找尋的時間越久，沈玨就越來越不確定，這個人真的還在世上嗎？也許做了太多壞事，魂魄還拘在地府裡受苦不曾轉入輪回也未必。這樣想的時候，沈玨就有了些衝動，想要學那年伊墨一樣，去闖一趟地府，翻一翻生死簿——這樣茫然地尋覓，何時方休。
可他並無伊墨的強大，身旁又無友人相助，唯一能倚靠伊墨卻不再是妖，幫不上他，闖不進去。就算能幫得上，沈玨覺得伊墨未必會幫，他一直感覺到，這件事情上伊墨始終有所隱瞞。
他總不能讓父親為難的。所以他那麼想知道真相，卻從來不問。
生活安定後，伊墨讓他繼續出門去找，他也就收拾行囊上路了。既然讓他找，那想必還是能找得到的。反正家中已經沒有什麼事需要他來操心，在外遊玩了許多年之後，柳延在山清水秀的鶴城開了一家玉器行，生意不是十分熱鬧，卻也不壞，隔三差五便有富家子弟上門，淘些好東西來做禮。柳延專請了個老掌櫃在外照看，只有遇到大主顧上門時，自己才露個臉，做完生意又退隱回去。
是以人人都曉得這家玉器行有兩個東家，卻又只見過一個。另一個神龍見首不見尾，不知圓扁。
其實是有些圓的。
那伊墨有柳延陪伴在側，將他照顧得妥妥帖帖。又無須為柴米油鹽操心，日子過得幾乎沒有煩惱。加之晚年不再遠行，他便整日在後院裡招花惹草，密密麻麻養了整院都是花，閑來無事就愛坐在竹椅上，啜著明前茶，欣賞自己造出來的花海，不無自得地在柳延耳邊抱怨，說花香太濃，茶香都沒了。好似被那些花欺負了似的，神態委屈得很。惹得柳延直搖頭，開始學制花茶。就這樣寵著養著，養得他到有了許多富態。
富態到什麼地步呢？伊墨挖了些藤蔓種子養在長盆裡，放在屋內的四扇屏風下面，不過兩年時間，那青藤就枝枝蔓蔓的覆滿了屏風，屋子裡都是泥土與植物的清香。本是極好的點子，到了夏天卻不少受罪，那蔓藤屏風甚是陰涼潮濕，夏天便聚了許多蚊蟲，他一手養出來的蚊蟲們也都仿佛只認他為主似的，專叮他不放，不咬別人。
原先蚊蟲們都愛柳延的。每拍死一隻蚊子，伊墨都要這樣念叨一句。
還脾氣執拗，死活不肯將那蔓藤挪出去。大約人要上了年紀，都有些怪癖。柳延便由著他，只是夏日裡每到傍晚時分，都要費許多力氣將屋裡蚊蟲熏出去，連夜裡睡覺之前，也要先進帳子驅蚊，折騰得一身是汗的出來，再讓伊墨進去睡。他自己再去洗個澡。
就是這樣很平常瑣碎的生活，有時也會為一盤菜拌嘴，為點雞毛蒜皮的小事吵個架，吵得狠了就不知道是誰率先暴躁地掀了桌子，接著連碗筷一起摔了個爛。
但總是有人，在彼此都負氣時悄悄撇過頭來，伸出小手指，勾一勾對方的手，像是在道歉，又像是撒嬌一般地述說“你不理我了嗎？”。
手指上若有若無的相觸讓暴躁都化成了輕煙，很快面對面站著，很不好意思般，都是傻呵呵的笑。
一邊笑著一邊就紅了臉，率先一個蹲下身收拾地上的狼籍，很快身旁的人也蹲了下去，拾著撿著，手便碰到了一塊兒，緊跟著便握在了一起。
他們認識的時間那樣長，卻還沒有長到讓他們立刻學會如何長相廝守，不是一年也不是十年，而是很多很多年的廝守，沒有一天的分別，他們都不太會，也不太懂，曾經都是野獸一樣的性子，為了相守卻仿佛一下子變成了兩隻無害的小動物，有點蠢，有點笨。雖然難免會不小心露出爪牙，但只要湊過去舔舐，另一隻都會立刻露出拙拙的笑容來。
直到他們老掉，都仿佛沒有真正學會相守。於是他們就這樣平靜又磕絆地守了一輩子。
每一年的年底，是他們一年裡最快活的時光，因為遠行的孩子會背著沉重的包裹，風塵僕僕的歸來。有時會早一點，剛進臘月他就回來了，有時會晚，大雪過後才能遠遠的看見水面上越來越近的小船，船頭能看見一個身影沖著他們招手。當船停下，始終年青俊朗的沈玨就跳到他們身邊，一邊嘀咕著“不用你們接我自己會回去”這樣的話，一邊眼睛紅紅的，小狗兒一般傾身在他們臉上蹭。
柳延會讓他蹭很久，蹭到伊墨忍不住兜頭拍他一巴掌，他才收回腦袋。幾次之後，沈玨每次回家都先蹭伊墨，再去蹭爹爹，這樣蹭再久也沒有關係了。一年到頭在外漂泊尋覓的疲憊，也似乎在他們身邊親親愛愛地蹭一蹭就抵消了。如果始終都能這樣下去，再找幾百年，沈玨覺得也沒有什麼不願意。不管找得有多辛酸，只想到還有一個能讓他疲憊而放心地睡去的溫暖地方，總是還能堅持的。
後來。凡事都有後來，後來，他就無人可親愛。
清明將近時，無論走到哪裡，無論有多遠，他都會趕回去，在清明那天于羅浮山的一座墳前跪下，擺上自己親手做的菜。
這一天他要做得事有許多，他要清理雜草，要擦拭墓碑，要焚燒紙錢。
然後對著那些涼透的菜肴，坐很久。
黑夜來臨，又轉成黎明。他知道自己要走了，尋找到人還未找到，他不能不走。
沈玨將臉頰貼過去，貼在霧水濕透的冰冷石碑上，閉上眼想像著還是那兩人在眼前，沖著自己寵溺的笑，於是他蹭了蹭。
抬起臉時，冰涼的水漬留在臉上，在黎明的光線裡輝映著晶亮亮的光。
提起一旁已然破舊的包袱，沈玨只能繼續上路。
路越走越長，仿佛看不到盡頭，有時候沈玨會稍微停下來，抬起頭看一看四周，看完之後基本能確定，這個地方他曾經走過。儘管足印早已消失，但景與物的變化卻並不顯著，只是有時候，走著走著，就仿佛走過了滄海桑田。明明這個地方是荒無人煙的大片山林，如今卻被開闢了道路，有了酒樓市集，人來人往。
他看了看，又低下頭，繼續往前走。一身青衣簡潔裝束，背著一個灰撲撲的包袱低頭走路，他看起來只是普普通通的一個路人，只有蹲在地上販賣貨物，尋找買主的小販才能注意到他。
他有一張俊朗非凡的臉。
與伊墨的俊美不同，他輪廓的線條更偏向冷與硬，因此他的五官就英挺的極為硬氣，兼之身形高挑偉岸，若是肯抬起頭來，目光再靈動一些，就能引起許多人的注意。但他從不抬頭。仿佛僅僅是為了走路而走路，目光低垂，神容平淡。眼神也是一樣淡淡的，不是氣定神閑的從容淡定，而是到了一種黯淡的地步。像是被抽去靈魂的木偶，腳下的行進僅僅是行進。
小販看了他兩眼，就不再關注，有些人一看就不是買主，而他需要養家糊口，沒工夫將時間浪費在這種人身上。他沒有看第三眼，所以沒有發現，這個神情漠然的旅人在他目光挪開後，一眨眼身形便已經晃到了遠遠的城樓。接著就走到了，他看不見的遠方。
從前年少，有家人的關愛，他總是貪享人間美好，愛說愛笑，也會任性胡鬧。即使是每年只回去一趟的年月裡，他似乎也沒有長大多少，到了家中便聒噪不休，講一路上的奇聞異事，除夕守夜的時候，還會坐在火爐旁扯開嗓子，唱那些聽過的曲兒給父輩們聽。有時故意唱得荒腔走板，調子不知跑到了哪裡，便喜滋滋地看著柳延笑倒在伊墨身前，一手摁著肚子，一手抹著笑出來的眼淚。伊墨也會笑，笑著訓他越來越不像話。
這麼聒噪。伊墨說，你把我養得黃鳥都吵死了。——其實那是被他自己大意，冬夜忘了收回來，活活凍死的。
於是他就為這話跑很遠的地方，第二年冬天回來的時候，掏出一隻他所能找到得最美麗的，唱得最好聽的黃鳥兒賠給他。那只黃鳥伊墨一直養著，從沒讓它生過病，受過災，直到自然死亡，才被埋在了花海中。
他曾經那麼聒噪。
自羅浮山上又多了一座墳墓之後，他薄若刀削的嘴唇就緊緊地抿著，除了飲水之外，再沒有張開過。
行走的時間越久，他的修煉就越精深，終於可以在晨曦之前汲取了蘊滿靈氣的露水之後，他連人間的水都不需要再飲用。他的唇，便長久的抿成了一道線。
他就這樣走著，身側或者是喧鬧的人流，或者是挺拔的青山，或者是寂靜的圍牆，或者是狗吠的村莊，這些影像在不停地倒退，不停地循徊。每一次偱徊中，都有些細微的變化，然而，沒有什麼能落入他的眼底，他只是沒有盡頭的旅人，在輾轉的世界路過綠柳桃紅，路過陌路人的蹉跎人生。
在走過大片寂靜的荒野過後，迎面又是一座城樓。沈玨走了進去，低垂著眼，低垂著頭。
穿過大道，穿過小巷，前面是人聲鼎沸的市集，他一步不停地走，直到眼角瞄到什麼，突然停下步伐。
“這位爺喜歡嗎？”眼見生意上門，喜笑顏開的小販忙不迭地捧起自己的貨物遞到客人眼前，上下嘴皮翻飛道：“這是庚慶窯今年新出的貨，您看這胎體既薄且潤，您看這釉、看這色、無一不是精工細作，您看看這下面這蓮花座……”
小販明顯地看到客人的嘴唇動了動，立刻噤聲，等著來人說話。
然後那人指點著道：“這三個我要了。”
他的聲音是駭人的嘶啞，仿佛被炭火摧殘過的嗓子才能發出的聲音，小販唬了一跳，半晌才回過神來，速速地將那些泥胎的玩意兒裹好，裝點過去。
沈玨放下碎銀道了聲謝，捧著那些瓷器轉身離開。徒留小販捧著銀子，呆呆地看著他的背影，想著這樣可怖嗓音的人，會與這些賣給孩子們玩得小玩意有什麼關聯。雖然聲音難聽了些，長得倒是不凡，出手也闊綽，想來是買給自家孩子的吧，倒是個很好的人。
小販收好銀子，十個銅錢的東西賣出了這樣的價錢，高興地咧開了嘴。
沈玨又走了一段路，出了城門走進了一片野林裡才停下，與往常不同的是，他並沒有立刻修煉，而是盤膝坐在地上，打開剛買來的包裹。裡面是三個小瓷物，一個瞌睡的瓷娃娃，一隻瓷狐狸，還有一隻小瓷狗。
他將那三個瓷器握在手心裡看了又看，才解開自己的包袱，從裡面又取出一件瓷器來。那是一隻小肥狗，做工厚實樸拙。現在已經沒有這樣的瓷器了。
沈玨握著那只笨笨的小狗，又看了看那只胎體輕薄的靈巧的小狗，心想真是回不去了。
他無處可去了。
悲傷突如其來，怎麼也遏制不住，沖著那胖墩墩懶洋洋的泥娃娃，沈玨哽了一聲，小聲道：“我想你們。”
經年累月的沉默讓他的嗓子失去了清朗的原音，他的聲音變得那麼難聽。捎了哭腔以後，像深夜爬出來的遊魂，聲聲都是對人間的嗚咽。
又是清明，沈玨回到羅浮山，山中鳥獸有通靈性的，雖未化人形，卻也認得他。它們看著這個人，年復一年的來，在它們還活著的記憶裡，他每次回來，都回到那個小院，將腐朽的桌腿換掉，將鬆散的榫子加緊，暴雨沖坍的圍牆重新修葺，長滿青苔的水缸被洗刷乾淨，重新盈滿山泉……儘管如此，那座小院依然不可逆轉地敗落下去，但是他忙裡忙外，眼中有著微光。
下午的時候，小院的煙囪會冒出青煙，空氣裡浮起菜香，溫熱的美酒倒進精緻的壺中。所有的東西，最後都放在了那座墳前。
一雙雙飛禽走獸的眼睛，看他跪拜，看他叩首，看他默默無語，倚石碑而眠。
縱使斯人已去，這裡依然是他心中的家鄉。
每一個清明他歸來，進行一場休憩的祭奠，然後背起包裹，再次離開。年年又歲歲。
他的人生簡練成了兩個點，一點是羅浮山中墳，另一個點則拓延成了沒有盡頭的線，只在每年一度的清明時，那道線曲曲折折蜿蜒逶迤的線條會倏然回轉，筆直地歸於第一個點，而後再次拓延至無窮無盡。
這個過程不斷反復，他沒有說苦，也沒有喊累。只是覺得疲憊。
疲憊到極致時，就會加快行走的速度，在耳畔不斷呼嘯的風聲中，眼前自然地浮現出那個人的臉。
那是個帝王，繼承了後宮美妃的血統，生就容貌不俗。卻沒有辦法用美或者醜來概括。
因為他是皇帝，所以究竟長得好不好，是最沒有人在意的事情。誰在意呢？對臣子來說，那是君主，不可仰視。對百姓來說，“皇帝”只是一個詞藻，一個稱謂，大可以敬仰，卻無從想像。對所有人來說，他只是一個稱謂背後，主宰天下的虛幻影子。
但是沈玨知道，他其實長得很好的。即使陰沉並肅殺，卻也朗潤生動。他的臉先入了他的眼，接著才是皇帝的身份。
但那時他們一個是天下之主，傲慢非常，一個是可捏死凡人的妖物，一樣的驕傲自負。所以他們在一起，總是互相角力的時候多，爭來鬥去，常常負氣。
於是他就推病不上朝，十天也好，半個月也罷，最久一次他足足“病”了半年；皇帝負氣時也會拒絕召見他，即使明知眾目睽睽之下，他在禦書房外君臣之禮的跪上一天，也沒有一句讓他起身的話。
朝堂私底下便傳起流言蜚語，大都說他和勾欄裡的妓女是一個模樣。也有正直文官，當面冷嘲熱諷。這是連沈玨自己都不在意的事情，卻最終有人付出血的代價。那時他們還在置氣，有兩個多月都不曾相見，他在自己的將軍府裡練劍，下人匆匆進來報信——皇帝今早以讒言罪將那與他過不去的官員下了獄。
儘管沈玨知道，那人本就是皇帝想要除去的眼中釘，卻沒料到他會這樣出手。流言蜚語是沈玨最不在意的事情，他是沈清軒的孩子，從不畏懼詆毀和污蔑。
有什麼關係呢？再惡毒說罵都只是風過耳，最終這些罵他的人都會死去，而他還活著。他是妖，懶得與凡人計較。
但是冷酷無情的君王卻出了手，一出手便是血流成河。沒有人知道他究竟是怎麼想的，連沈玨都不清楚。自然，也不可能從皇帝那裡得到答案。
這並不是唯一一次，當他成為大將軍手握軍權的時候，朝堂已經再沒有人敢對他議論。抑或是時間長了，大家也習慣了，習以為常之後，沒人再對他夜宿龍床有任何意見。至於皇帝和將軍置氣，不上朝或罰跪不召見，也都到了視若無睹的地步。
日子本來該是平靜的，流逝的歲月卻暴露了真相，比沈玨晚入朝堂的官員都已鬢角花白，大將軍卻始終容顏不改，接著妖邪的傳言又開始滋長，並瘋狂蔓延。
當暗地已經容納不下過於繁盛的流言時，它就會出現在明面上，終於有一天上朝，有人說“大將軍沈玨妖邪惑主”。
龍位上的皇帝問若無其事的大將軍：“你是妖邪？”
大將軍出列叩拜，答：“臣不知。也不知何謂‘妖邪’。”
沈玨不以為會流血。畢竟這樣的事，皇帝若堅決不予理會，臣子們也就不敢再多言。
但那天的朝堂上，皇帝卻猛地震怒起來，如颶風過崗，於是那人的殺身之禍就避無可避。
依然沒有原因，沒有理由，沒有答案。
世人都說伴君如伴虎，他卻在他的身邊停留多年，他的帝王心情如岩石上的流沙，變幻莫測，但是他安安穩穩地做了他四十多年的大將軍。手中握了天下軍馬，等同攫住了他的江山命脈。然而他們之間的爭鬥，卻未有一次是因為這個江山。
沈玨在耳畔的風聲裡靜靜地想：我們這麼多年，從來和利弊無關。
無關利益，無關權勢，無關財富，無關聲譽。
許是因為他是妖的緣故，也或許，只是因為他是沈玨。想到這裡，他的腳步逐漸放緩，最終停下來，像是突然無力了般徐徐坐下，然後往後仰去，躺在身下不知是何處的土地上，望著天空雲聚雲散，安靜地想著尋覓至今的人。
他的想念沒有任何波浪起伏的翻湧，只是一杯白水，無色亦無味，不可或缺。
躺了很久之後，沈玨坐直身體打量四周，景色依稀是熟悉的，天下景色他總是陌生的少，熟悉的多，這些他已經走了太多地方了，幾乎每處都走遍，甚至重複多次的走遍。但這一處，卻沒有眼熟到讓他看一眼，就知道身在何處。
沈玨狐疑地看著四周景色，又依模糊的記憶，往西南方走了一段路，遠遠地看到了一座山峰，高聳入雲，一半綠萌環繞，一半白雪皚皚。他陡然想了起來，那裡正是老仙的埋酒之處。
站了片刻，他朝那山走去。儘管那是仙，卻也有幾面之緣，說故交也未必不妥，沈玨想去見一見這個世上，他唯一還熟悉的人。
這個世上，能夠叫得出他名字的熟人，只剩這老仙一個了。他已經很多很多年，不曾見過熟人。
那山極為高渺，山腳至山腰都是青草綠樹，鳥語花香，一踏入此處，沈玨就感受到了那股異常充沛的靈力，接著依稀聽到人聲，沈玨心中好奇，便循著聲音找尋，找了盞茶功夫，那聲音仿佛就在耳畔，卻連人影都未看到，沈玨想或許是遇上同類了。這時他忽然閃過身，身後剛剛站過的土地被砸出一個坑，坑裡躺著個松塔一動不動。沈玨抬起頭，看著那樹上松鼠，不情願地相信這松塔是它砸下來的。
“你找我嗎？”松鼠說。
沈玨眼皮跳了一下，神情鎮定地道：“路過時忽聞人語，前來探個究竟。”說著拱了拱手，“叨擾了。”
“你的聲音真難聽。”松鼠說，說完突然不見，再出現時是一個身著灰衣的女孩兒，跳過來問：“你要上山頂是不是？”
沈玨點點頭，松鼠姑娘道：“我帶你去。”
說著當真一馬當先走在前面，只是一路歡脫，蹦跳不休，且逢“人”都招呼，無論是蝴蝶還是野蜂，涉水而過時，連水窪裡的青蛙都沒放過，仿佛那一個個都是成精的妖怪。事實上經沈玨鑒別，那都是些野物無疑，心裡甚為無語。
走到山腰，再往前一步便是積雪，松鼠姑娘停下道：“上面冷的很，我剛換了毛，你自己去吧。”
沈玨本想道謝，結果姑娘三跳兩跳，跳遠了。他只好轉過頭，對那恢復原形後蜷成一個團把自己從山腰滾下去的松鼠視而不見。
踩著積雪，沈玨並不急於上去，如此陡峭奇異的山壁他還是第一次見，一半綠水青山一半冰雪天地的景象也少見。難得起了兩分興趣，便一步一步慢慢往上攀，一邊攀一邊猜著那年許明世山上時走的是哪條路，是不是也有這樣一個松鼠姑娘給他引路。想來應該沒有，否則許明世會說的，那老頭兒最大的特點就是藏不住話；又想這山靈氣充沛，當真是個修行的好地方，怪不得老仙會將酒埋在此處釀制，就這樣平靜的想著，不知不覺，快到山頂。
山頂亦有人聲，忽近忽遠，頗為耳熟。沈玨愣了一下，隨即明白老仙這是有客，也許是請人飲酒的。從伊墨那裡，沈玨深刻的明白此仙有多愛酒，又多麼喜歡拿自己釀的酒四處顯擺。不由得三步並兩步，很快便到了山峰的最高處。
遠處看起來高渺無比的山峰至高之處，卻是一方平地，仿若刀劈。平臺上自然有雪，且是厚厚的一層，踩下去能陷到腰那麼深。就在那深厚的積雪之上，卻面對面坐著兩個人。一人自是老仙，另一人只有背影。他們兩人中間擺著一盤棋局，不知是何物雕琢成的棋子，在白雪中瑩瑩的亮著。棋局邊另有一矮桌，桌邊坐著一個小童打扮的背影，正在煨著熱酒，煮著茶。
三人俱知有客自遠方來，卻無一人抬頭望他一眼。
沈玨等了片刻，只好自己走過去。還未靠近，那伺茶溫酒的小童手中奉了一碗熱茶，轉過身來。
“一路勞苦，解解渴。”
聲音也罷，容顏也罷，可不是那羅浮山中的小松樹精？
沈玨怔了怔神，未料到會這樣遇見他，一時間有些恍惚，仿佛還在羅浮山中，他與他相見，那時高堂尚在，他也未孤苦伶仃。
他一直恍惚著，那松樹精奉茶的手便一直舉著，直到沈玨回神取過茶，方才淺淺笑道：“走的匆忙，也未和你告別。後來聽說你出了許多事，怕給你添煩惱，也就沒有去尋你，所以這聲‘謝謝’也一直沒有機會說。如今你來了……我正好當面說一聲。”
小松樹精說著躬下身去，認認真真給他作了禮：“早年懵懂無知，幸有你們關照寬容，後又予我機緣，助我得道成仙，如今我已小有所成。一切都要多謝。”
沈玨看著他，竟是陌生，記憶裡的小松樹何時這般有禮有節的淡泊疏遠過，但他臉上不露聲色，因為他知道對方道謝是真心，淡泊疏遠也是真心，木本無心，最難修煉，若一旦有成，那便是成了。於是他飲了盞中熱茶，將空掉的茶盞遞回去，淡淡道：“無須謝我，你天賦異稟，本該如此。”
奉了茶，飲了茶，他們之間再無瓜葛。
小松樹精收回茶盞，對老仙道：“承蒙照顧，最後一樁事已了，我回去了。”
老仙全副心神都在棋局裡，只點了點頭。小松樹精的身形就不見了。
那棋局上平平靜靜，無人執子，棋子卻仿佛有無形的手在推動，起子，落子，每一步都需要很久才能走出來。仿佛兩人在暗中角力，如神遊一般。
終於又有一子被撥動，竟是白棋落勢，老仙睜開眼，語氣不滿地道：“帝君心神不定，還下什麼棋，我便是贏了也沒多大意思，罷了，不下了。”
那背對著沈玨的人並不出聲。
“帝君，故人來訪，好歹也給個寒暄罷。”老仙一揮袖，收了那盤棋局，自己端了熱酒不徐不疾地斟滿玉盞，且自斟自飲道：“做神仙的，眾生平等，即使人家只是個小妖精，也要講究個禮數周全。”
沈玨聞言一怔，目光在他手中玉盞上停駐片刻，緩緩移至那人背上。先前他就覺得那背影有些異樣，卻未多想，畢竟能與老仙在此飲酒的除了神仙不會有他人。他想不到那裡去，但事情總是往意料之外發展。
“你總找我嘗酒，原來是為了這個。”終於，那一身月白長袍的人有了動作，他一邊說著緩緩站起身，初看只是素淨的長袍在衣料的轉側間隱隱泛起游龍與花朵的圖案，極為華貴，卻雍容自若的低調。他轉過身，對上沈玨的臉。沈玨還為那熟悉的聲音驚訝著，半信半疑，如今見他轉過臉，才真正的震驚起來。
“沈玨。”
這一聲卻是老仙在喚他，“先前入了棋局不得脫身，你來了這麼久，我還未請你坐下，實在有失待客之道。”
老仙說端了一盞酒，親自奉上道：
“我請你喝酒。”
“我請你喝酒。”
仿佛還是那年羅浮山中，老仙曾說過的話，沈玨望著眼前曾廝守過的人，哪裡還有飲酒的心情，卻猛地回憶起自己曾說過的話，連忙定了定神，目光從他臉上挪開，接過老仙遞來酒盞仰頭飲下。也不知道是怎麼回事，今日先有人奉他茶，接著又有人請他酒，一樁接著一樁，本該是好事，他卻覺得茶是苦的，酒是嗆人的。
“美酒。”沈玨說，履行自己誇讚的職責。
老仙卻不知為什麼突然“嗤”了一聲，似笑非笑地望著他，等了片刻道：“你這小妖精，我請你酒喝，你不謝我，卻敷衍起我來了。”
沈玨本想說沒有，老仙卻繼續道：“那年你父親失魂落魄的時候，也是叫我遇上，請他喝酒。他可不像你這般無禮，只因自己心緒不好便敷衍他人。”略頓，老仙兒道：“想必這不會是你爹教養的吧？”
沈玨有些窘迫，自覺失儀，連忙道歉道：“是我的錯，與我爹爹無干。”
“那就再飲一杯。”老仙重新斟滿了酒，遞過去道：“我這酒尋常人是嘗不到的，連帝君都鮮少品嘗，若是容易得到，今兒他也不會在這裡了。你慢慢飲，慢慢嘗，再告訴我美不美。”
沈玨雖不解他是何意，卻也無法推辭，這老仙好話壞話都說盡了，他自然無話可說，便是心裡再氣血翻騰，此時也只得平靜下來，端了酒盞，先是聞了香，再沾了些酒液在唇上，他舔過唇，片刻之後才小口啜飲著，將那一盞酒飲畢，突然明瞭老仙的心意。老仙在這中間如此轉圜，不過是為了讓他靜下心來。很多事情只有靜下來，才能慢慢梳理。沈玨這時便知道，伊墨若是交友，那一定是最值得相交的朋友。
“確實是美酒。”沈玨低聲道：“平生未嘗過如此美酒，恕我口拙，說不出道理來，只曉得味道美得很。”
老仙當然知道他說不出道理來，他這酒豈是那麼輕易就能說出道理來的，誠心誠意一句誇讚他便是很滿意了，收了酒盞道：“我還有些瑣事，這就走了。”說著瞄了瞄一旁那人，行了禮道：“帝君與人敘舊，小仙便先行離開，不知帝君可有吩咐？”
那人未說話，沈玨卻攔住了他，道：“稍等片刻，我還有些事想要請教。”
老仙說：“何事。”
“你早知我要來？”沈玨問。
老仙猶豫了一下，道：“你可知你父親有兩千年道行，然其中五百年的道行卻不見了？”
沈玨不知他怎麼會突然這麼說，一愣之下忙問：“又是怎麼回事？我一點都不知道。”
“那年他求我一事，”老仙說：“用五百年換你將來境況。”
“……”沈玨一時訝異的說不出話來。
“他心情懇切，我不好推辭，便用他五百年道行釀了壺酒，又用酒換來一面鏡子，借他一看。”老仙笑道：“我也在旁看了一眼，所以我知道你要來。”
沈玨握緊了拳，即使如此壓抑著，還是忍不住紅了眼眶。這世上最疼愛他的人，除了他們，還會有誰呢。
“他曾囑託，若有餘力，便關照著你，所以我今日請你喝酒。”老仙說：“酒已請過，接下來是你的事，帝君大人諸事繁多，也是難得有空，你就不要與我糾纏，平白浪費好時光。”
老仙說完一甩袖，也是不見了。
沈玨站了片刻，這才轉過身看向那人，有著凡人皮囊時這人陰鬱肅殺，眉眼鎮日陰沉，仿佛蒙了一層灰撲撲的紗。今日再看，陰鬱之氣不見，益發的超凡脫俗，上一世若還有渾濁之氣，此刻他卻是真正的華貴懾人，睥睨眾生。
沈玨卻不怕他，目光停駐在他臉上，就那麼仔細看著，看他比印象裡的好看，仿佛廟堂裡的神祗走下來，走到自己眼前。他那麼專注地端詳對方每一處的細微變化，不知道自己的眼神有多明亮，也不知道自己的神色有多溫柔。
他終於找到他。只是這樣想著似乎就要笑出聲，不知道為什麼，找不到的時候不覺得有多麼痛苦，但找到了卻這麼開心，開心的好像有點暈乎一樣，連一句話都說不出來。於是空氣都緩慢下去，仿佛快樂而飄然地流動。
“……”對方靜靜望著他，一句話都沒有，目光涼薄寂靜，如身邊漠然的雪花，似乎對他的到來，無悲無喜。他無悲無喜的站著，無悲無喜的看著他明亮起來的眼，又一點一點，暗下去。
沈玨說：“你是神仙啊……”他輕輕地說，略帶歎息。
暗下去的眼中也恢復了平靜，刹那間那些歡喜都消失了。神和妖的距離究竟有多遠，他不知道，那是一道巨大的鴻溝，他不知道自己能不能穿過，也不知道自己究竟敢不敢穿過。他不是伊墨，粉身碎骨渾不怕，他是沈玨，孤單單的沈玨。
他的出生越過了人與妖的殊途，卻未必跨的過妖與神的天塹。
曾經的帝王、如今的神仙開了口，徐徐道：“是，我是南衡帝君。”
沈玨說：“哦。”一點也不意外，站了片刻道：“你知道我在找你？”
南衡略垂眼皮，“知道。”
“所以，並不想見面對嗎？”沈玨說。
南衡抬起眼皮來望著他，看起來像是有些不大自在。
“……”沈玨說：“我找了你很久。”
其實他也不知道多久，失去親人之後，歲月流逝成了最無足輕重的事，究竟走了多少年，他也沒有記下，總之，那是一個很久遠的歲月，漫長的旅程。
“知道。”
“你是神，怎麼會不知道。”沈玨說，而後淡淡道：“何必浪費我的光陰，早來說一句，我也不會糾纏。”
南衡仍是不說話，表情不曾動過分毫，眼底卻閃過一簇小小的火苗，仿佛是不滿他此時的語氣，沈玨沒有注意到，仍然自顧自說著：“既然找到了，我只問你一句話。”
南衡微微笑了一下：“想問什麼。”
“你想怎麼辦呢？”沈玨說：“我答應你找，我做到了。你呢？”
南衡沒有立即回答，只是看著他，神情似乎有些回暖。沈玨終是按捺不住，整個人貼了過去，像從前一樣將他圈住了，牢牢地圈在自己懷裡。仿佛他還是大將軍，這人還是塵世裡的九五之尊。在抱住的那一瞬，懷中有物的充實讓沈玨幾乎是頃刻下定了決心，只要他還願意這般讓他抱著，便是妖與神的天塹他也敢冒死一試。
這是從未有過的念頭，第一次這樣冒出來，並快速地席捲了他的全部思維，不容猶豫。
然後，被他抱住的人只動了動指頭，便將他遠遠地推開到了懸崖邊沿。
這樣的擁抱曾經發生過很多次，都在他是凡人而對方是妖精的時候，他的力氣無法與他抗衡，被這樣仿佛霸佔似的擁抱只好默認。
如今這小妖精還想欺壓上來，南衡輕易地將他推開了。
大約沒想到會被推開，沈玨站在懸崖邊發愣，這時才第一次感受到那種痛楚，不知道從哪裡冒出來，像千萬隻蟲子般在臟腑裡鑽咬，在骨髓裡蔓延。最後直接絞盡了呼吸的力氣。
只是一個輕易推開的手勢，他就丟盔棄甲，潰不成軍。
他的愕然讓南衡的眼裡有了微妙的無措，但是還不容他說什麼，那個曾經與他無數次角力的狼妖便轉過了身，南衡看著他拾起一旁的包裹，留了個背影說：
“既然如此，往後就算再無瓜葛了。”
這樣的話有些莫名的耳熟，沈玨一邊說著一邊茫然地想著，好像就在不久前，他與小松樹精的一奉一飲間，也斷了瓜葛。
然後，這個世上，再沒有什麼人與他有瓜葛了。
心疼到呼吸都接不上的地步，沈玨盡力穩著神，攥著包裹的手指一片青白，就是這樣仿佛綿長無盡的痛苦中，沈玨默默地在心裡道：
“原來我這麼喜歡他。”
多麼可笑。
沈玨沒有再回頭，他抓著幾乎相伴一生的那個包裹，一步一步走下了山。
來時的路與歸去的路無有不同，山腳的松鼠姑娘見他來了，還活潑地沖他招了招手，然後看著他在自己的視野裡消失不見。
山頂的南衡卻站在積雪上，望著雪地上的腳印神色有些怔怔，即刻又恢復了靜默。老仙不知從何處又鑽出來，眺望著山腳遠處益發渺小的背影，看了許久之後瞄了瞄他道：“帝君怎麼不說話？”
“說什麼？”南衡反問他。
老仙礙於彼此身份，躊躇著道：“帝君下凡歷劫，許多事便堆在那裡，回來後忙著打理公務……天上一日，人間百年。他哪裡懂呢？”
南衡微不可見地撇了一下嘴唇，“連這都不懂，還有什麼用。”哪個要跟他解釋。
“……”老仙張了張嘴，本想說那沈玨心思都亂成什麼樣了，哪裡還記得這等瑣碎的事，結果見帝君一臉冰冷，話到嘴邊又吞回肚子裡，他擅自幫伊墨借了虛空鏡一看，雖有五百年道行做代價，依然算是犯了規矩，若惹南衡生氣，抓了這個把柄治他，仙籍不保都大有可能。
可那沈玨就這麼走了！老仙想起故人囑託，終是不願意辜負情誼，便壯著膽子，又道一句：“帝君在天上忙了五天，他卻在人間找了五百年，那小狼妖雖沒多大出息……”
南衡登時眼斜過去，老仙嗽了一嗓子，再說話時聲音小了許多，蚊子般哼哼道：“聽說帝君忙碌時也置了一方鏡花水月看人間境況，想必看到那小狼妖四處尋覓的樣子……”
南衡終於拂了袖：“你話太多了。”
“我也不想多話，還不是你自己什麼話都不說的緣故。”老仙心裡念叨著，如此造次的話不敢說出口，繼續哼哼著道：“那小狼的親人早已化成了土，這些年一個朋友也未有，若是傷心了……怕是要做蠢事的。”
於是老仙便清楚望見一臉冰霜的南衡帝君，眼皮狠狠跳了三下。
面色有些發青的南衡望著他，有些惡狠狠的意味：“我做了什麼，他就要做蠢事了？！”
老仙被他臉上神色駭了一跳，嚅囁著答：“正因為帝君什麼都沒做，反而推了他一下……”
南衡臉上頓時更加難看，“就因為這個？”
老仙內心衍生出一種無奈的情緒——他找那麼久，你明知道他要做什麼，偏要看人家能做到哪一步，結果你還推他——老仙點點頭：“就因為這個。”
“那就讓他蠢著，”南衡突然換了臉色，語氣溫和地說：
“就蠢死他吧。”
老仙一呆，差點一屁股墩坐在地上。這種時候還要置氣，這南衡下凡一趟回來，怎麼變得這般孩子氣！
南衡卻仿若不覺，一揮手，雪地上重新架起棋局，語氣不明地道：“來下棋。”
老仙別無他法，又坐回去陪他下，這一回也不曉得對方是吃了什麼藥，不過二十個來回就把他殺得鎩羽而歸，老仙愣了一下，道：“再來。”
又是二十回合，老仙敗北。
第三局，他終於多撐了一會，撐了三十個來回，再次敗在南衡手裡。
第五局，他撐了七十回。
第六局……南衡十回敗北。
老仙看著這亂七八糟的棋子，終於歎氣：“帝君，去找一次有什麼關係。他找你五百年，你找他也不過一天。此刻那小狼必然是回羅浮山中守著墳了。”
他不勸也罷，勸了之後，南衡先執了黑子再次開局，又是二十個來回，把他殺得落花流水。
老仙可不願意了，自己收了棋，“小仙還有些事，先告退了。”說著再一句話沒有，這一次是腳底抹油，真正溜了。不陪他玩。
南衡獨自坐了片刻，身形也跟著忽然消失。
他一路尋到羅浮山，這裡他並不陌生，在天上處理公務時，如老仙所言，他是每天都看著他，看他四處往返，看他任意東西，看他最後每次都會到這裡來。
看的次數多了，閉上眼他都知道這裡的一草一木長得什麼模樣。
自然，也知道那座合葬的墳。
然而總有些事情，是他預料之外的。譬如此時此刻，他看著不遠處那座墳，卻沒有找到沈玨的身影，只是那座合葬的大墳旁多了一座新墳。
南衡的臉色陡然蒼白。
沈玨就躺在裡面，正是夕陽落山的時候，他知道外面火燒雲絢麗耀眼，但是那些美麗跟他毫無關係了。
他在濕潤的泥土上躺著，覺得松鬆軟軟，很舒服，堪稱愜意。
真的很舒服，土地是每個生命最終的歸宿，況且身邊的墳塋裡躺著的，是自己的親人。
若干年之後，將來他的屍體會化為泥土，經過暴風雨的沖刷，和旁邊的土地裡，親人的屍骨混合在一起。
他們永遠都是一家人。
沈玨閉上眼，抬手沒有猶豫，一把從胸腔裡取出了那顆妖丹。那是他母親留給他唯一的東西，所以他來到這個世間，以人的方式活著。
然後他捏碎了它。
“沈玨！”恍惚中一聲暴喝，仿佛雷霆之勢，喚醒了他的迷茫。
沈玨睜開眼，看他的帝王在他身邊，月白的袍子沾滿了濕潤的泥土，連頭上也是黃泥斑斑，從來沒有過的狼狽。沈玨看著，便突然有一種微妙的快活，這種快活帶著一種惡意，心想，你看，你也有今天。然而他又覺得親切，仿佛此刻是他們相識以來，貼得最近的時候，就貼在心尖尖上。
然後，沈玨像個天真的孩子，露出一種稚拙的神情，用嘲笑的語氣，輕聲對他說：
“我不跟你玩了。”
——我不跟你玩了。
或許是他笑得太開懷，也或許是這句話太讓人震驚，南衡失神之下，忘了繼續施法護他性命。
於是他懷裡的人一眨眼便回到了狼的形狀，無聲無息的死去了。
——我不跟你玩了。
沈玨跟著黑白無常，順從地進了地府，其間他連頭都懶得回一下，再也不願意看那個失魂落魄的神仙一眼。
他跟著黑白無常一直走一直走，走到一片紅色的花海前，每一朵花都瘋狂地綻放著，花開不見葉，葉生不見花，鮮豔欲滴的花海中站著兩個人，望著遠遠走過來的他，不約而同地伸出手。
他認出了他們，連忙跑了過去，腳下歡騰起來，笑得眼角都有了細紋。
這個世上有辜負的人，就會有憐惜的人。
——————————————————
For many years, Shen Jue has been wandering outside, traveling north and south, looking for the person he is looking for. No one told him whether he would find it, and even Yi Mo kept silent about it. As the search went on, Shen Jue became more and more uncertain. Is this person really still in the world? Maybe he has done too many bad things, and his soul is still suffering in the underworld and has not yet entered reincarnation. When thinking about this, Shen Jue had some impulses. He wanted to learn from Yi Mo that year and go to the underworld to look through the book of life and death – when will this confused search end?
But he was not as strong as Yi Mo, and he had no friends to help him. The only person he could rely on was Yi Mo, but he was no longer a demon, and could not help him or get in. Even if he could help, Shen Jue felt that Yi Mo might not help. He always felt that Yi Mo was hiding something in this matter.
He couldn’t let his father down, so he wanted to know the truth so much, but he never asked.
After his life became stable, Yi Mo asked him to continue to go out and look for it, so he packed his bags and set off. Since he was asked to look for it, he would surely be able to find it. Anyway, there was nothing for him to worry about at home. After many years of traveling, Liu Yan opened a jade shop in the picturesque Hecheng. The business was not very prosperous, but it was not bad. Every now and then, rich children would come to the shop to buy some good things as gifts. Liu Yan specially hired an old shopkeeper to look after it outside. He would only show up when big customers came to the shop, and would retire after doing business.
Therefore, everyone knew that this jade shop had two owners, but they had only seen one. The other one was like a dragon that could only be seen from head to tail, and no one knew whether it was round or flat.
It’s actually a bit round.
Yi Mo had Liu Yan by his side, who took good care of him. He didn’t have to worry about food and daily necessities, and his life was almost trouble-free. In addition, since he no longer traveled far in his later years, he spent the whole day in the backyard, entertaining flowers and plants. He planted flowers all over the yard . When he had nothing to do, he liked to sit on a bamboo chair, sip Mingqian tea, and admire the sea of flowers he created. He complained to Liu Yan in his ear, saying that the fragrance of the flowers was too strong and the fragrance of the tea was gone. He seemed to be bullied by the flowers and looked very aggrieved. Liu Yan shook his head and began to learn how to make scented tea. He was pampered and raised like this, and he became much richer.
How rich is he? Yi Mo dug some vine seeds and planted them in long pots under the four screens in the house. In just two years, the vines had covered the screens with branches and leaves, and the house was filled with the fragrance of soil and plants. It was a great idea, but it was a pain in the summer. The vine screens were very cool and humid, and many mosquitoes gathered there in the summer. The mosquitoes he raised seemed to recognize him as their master, and they only bit him and didn’t bite others.
It turns out that mosquitoes all love Liu Yan. Every time he kills a mosquito, Yi Mo would say this.
He was also stubborn and refused to move the vines. Maybe people tend to have some quirks when they get older. Liu Yan let him do what he wanted, but every evening in the summer, he would spend a lot of effort to smoke out the mosquitoes in the house . Even before going to bed at night, he would go into the tent to drive away the mosquitoes, and then come out sweating all over before letting Yi Mo go in to sleep. He would then go take a shower.
It is such an ordinary and trivial life. Sometimes we would quarrel over a dish or have a fight over trivial matters. When the quarrel gets serious, I don’t know who will be the first to overturn the table in anger, and then smash the dishes and chopsticks together.
But there are always people who, when both are angry with each other, quietly turn their heads away, stretch out their little fingers, and hook the other person’s hand, as if apologizing, or as if saying in a coquettish way, “Are you ignoring me?"
The faint touch of fingers turned all the anger into smoke, and soon they were standing face to face, both smiling foolishly as if they were embarrassed.
His face turned red as he smiled. He was the first to squat down to clean up the mess on the ground. Soon the people next to him also squatted down. As they were picking up things, their hands touched each other, and then they held hands.
They had known each other for such a long time, but not long enough for them to learn how to stay together forever. They stayed together for many, many years, not even for a day. They didn’t know how to do it, and they didn’t understand it. They used to be beasts, but in order to stay together, they suddenly became two harmless little animals, a little stupid and a little dumb. Although they would show their claws and teeth accidentally, as long as they leaned over to lick , the other would immediately show a clumsy smile.
Even when they were old, they never really learned how to stay together. So they stayed together peacefully and stumblingly for the rest of their lives.
The end of each year was their happiest time of the year, because the children who had traveled far away would come back, dusty and exhausted, carrying heavy packages. Sometimes they would come back early, just as the twelfth lunar month began, and sometimes they would come back late, only after the heavy snow had passed, when they could see the boats approaching from afar on the water, and a figure waving at them from the bow. When the boat stopped, the always young and handsome Shen Jue would jump to their side, muttering something like “You don’t need to pick me up, I can go back by myself", while his eyes were red, and he would lean over and rub his face like a puppy.
Liu Yan would let him rub against them for a long time , until Yi Mo couldn’t help but slap him on the head, and he would withdraw his head. After a few times, Shen Jue would rub against Yi Mo first and then his father every time he came home , and it did n’t matter how long he rubbed against them. The exhaustion of wandering and searching all year round seemed to be offset by just rubbing against them affectionately. If it could always go on like this, Shen Jue would have nothing to be unwilling to do even if he searched for hundreds of years. No matter how hard the search was, as long as he thought that there was a warm place where he could sleep tired and at ease, he could always persevere.
Later. Everything has a later time. Later, he had no one to love.
When Qingming Festival is approaching, no matter where he goes or how far he is, he will rush back, kneel down in front of a grave in Luofu Mountain on Qingming Festival, and place the dishes he made himself.
He had a lot to do that day. He had to clear the weeds, wipe the tombstones, and burn paper money.
Then I sat for a long time facing the cold dishes.
Night fell and turned into dawn. He knew he had to leave. He had not yet found the person he was looking for, so he had to leave.
Shen Jue pressed his cheek against the cold stone tablet that was soaked with mist and closed his eyes, imagining that the two people were still in front of him, smiling at him dotingly , so he rubbed it.
When I raised my face, cold water stains remained on it, shining brightly in the dawn light .
Picking up the worn-out bag beside him, Shen Jue had no choice but to continue on his way.
The road became longer and longer, as if there was no end in sight. Sometimes Shen Jue would stop for a moment, look up and look around, and after looking around, he could basically confirm that he had walked through this place before. Although the footprints had long disappeared, the changes in the scenery and objects were not significant. Sometimes, as he walked, it seemed as if he had walked through a sea of changes. This place was clearly a large uninhabited mountain forest, but now a road has been opened up, there are restaurants and markets, and people come and go.
He looked at it, lowered his head again, and continued walking forward. Dressed in a simple blue shirt, carrying a gray bag on his back and walking with his head lowered, he looked like an ordinary passerby. Only the hawkers squatting on the ground selling goods and looking for buyers could notice him.
He has an extraordinarily handsome face.
Unlike Yi Mo’s handsomeness, his outline is more cold and hard, so his facial features are very handsome and tough. In addition, he is tall and majestic. If he is willing to raise his head and look more lively, he can attract many people’s attention. But he never raises his head. It seems that he walks just for the sake of walking, with his eyes downcast and his expression calm . His eyes are also indifferent, not calm and composed, but to a bleak level. Like a puppet with a soul taken away, his feet are just walking.
The vendor looked at him twice and then stopped paying attention. Some people were obviously not buyers, and he had to support his family and didn’t have time to waste on such people. He didn’t look a third time, so he didn’t notice that the indifferent traveler had moved to the distant city wall in the blink of an eye after he looked away. Then he walked to a place far away that he couldn’t see.
When he was young and had the love of his family, he always enjoyed the beauty of the world, loved to talk and laugh, and would act willfully. Even when he only went back home once a year, he didn’t seem to have grown up much. When he got home, he would talk non-stop, telling stories about the strange things he had experienced along the way. On New Year’s Eve, he would sit by the stove and sing the songs he had heard to his parents. Sometimes he would deliberately sing out of tune, and the tune would go off to somewhere else. He would happily watch Liu Yan fall down in front of Yi Mo with one hand on his stomach and the other hand wiping away tears of laughter. Yi Mo would also laugh, and he would scold him for being more and more unreasonable.
So noisy. Yi Mo said, you made the yellow bird I raised die of noise. ——In fact, it was because he was careless and forgot to take it back in the winter night, and it froze to death.
So he traveled far away for this, and when he came back the next winter, he took out a yellow bird that was the most beautiful and sang the best as compensation. Yi Mo kept the yellow bird and never let it get sick or suffer any disaster until it died of natural causes and was buried in the sea of flowers.
He used to be so noisy.
Ever since another grave was built on Luofu Mountain, his lips, as thin as a knife, have been tightly pursed and have never been opened except to drink water.
The longer he walked, the more profound his cultivation became. After finally absorbing the dew full of spiritual energy before dawn , he no longer needed to drink water from the human world. His lips were pursed into a line for a long time.
He walked like this, with noisy crowds, tall green mountains, quiet walls, and villages with barking dogs beside him. These images kept retreating and wandering . Every time he wandered , there were some subtle changes, but nothing caught his eye. He was just a traveler with no end in sight, passing by green willows and peach blossoms, and the wasted lives of strangers in the world.
After walking through a large area of silent wilderness, there was another city tower in front of them. Shen Jue walked in, lowering his eyes and head.
He walked through the avenues and alleys, and in front of him was a bustling market. He kept walking until he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye and suddenly stopped.
“Does this gentleman like it?" Seeing the business coming in, the vendor with a smile on his face hurriedly held up his goods and handed them to the customer, saying with his lips flying: “This is the new product from Gengqing Kiln this year. Look at the thin and smooth body, the glaze and color, all of which are finely crafted. Look at the lotus seat below…"
The vendor clearly saw the customer’s lips move, and immediately fell silent, waiting for the visitor to speak.
Then the man pointed and said, “I want these three."
His voice was horribly hoarse, as if it could only be produced by a throat that had been destroyed by charcoal fire. The peddler was startled and took a long time to come to his senses. He quickly wrapped up the clay toys and went over to decorate them.
Shen Jue put down the silver coins, thanked him, and turned to leave with the porcelain. The vendor was left holding the silver coins, staring blankly at his back, wondering how a person with such a terrible voice could be related to these toys sold to children . Although his voice was a bit unpleasant, he looked extraordinary and was generous. I guess he bought them for his own children. He was a very good person.
The peddler collected the silver and was grinning with joy at having sold something that cost ten copper coins at such a price.
Shen Jue walked for a while, and stopped after he left the city gate and walked into a wild forest. Unlike usual, he did not practice immediately, but sat cross-legged on the ground and opened the package he had just bought. Inside were three small porcelain objects, a sleepy porcelain doll, a porcelain fox, and a small porcelain dog.
He held the three pieces of porcelain in his hands and looked at them again and again, then he untied his bag and took out another piece of porcelain. It was a small fat dog, with thick and simple workmanship. There is no such porcelain now.
Shen Jue held the clumsy puppy in his hand, then looked at the thin and nimble puppy, thinking that there was no going back.
He had nowhere to go.
Sadness came suddenly and could not be contained. Facing the fat and lazy clay doll, Shen Jue choked and whispered, “I miss you."
Years of silence had made his voice lose its clear and original sound, and his voice became so unpleasant. With a sobbing tone, it sounded like a wandering soul crawling out in the middle of the night, and every sound was a sob to the world.
It was Qingming Festival again, Shen Jue returned to Luofu Mountain, and the birds and animals in the mountain were psychic, and although they had not transformed into human form, they also recognized him. They watched this man come year after year. In their memories when they were still alive, every time he came back, he returned to that small courtyard, replaced the rotten table legs, tightened the loose mortise and tenon, repaired the wall that collapsed due to the heavy rain, cleaned the mossy water tank and filled it with mountain spring again… Despite this, the small courtyard still fell into irreversible decline, but he was busy inside and outside, with a glimmer in his eyes.
In the afternoon, smoke would come out of the chimney of the courtyard, the aroma of food would float in the air, and warm wine would be poured into the exquisite pot. Everything was finally placed in front of the grave.
Pairs of eyes from birds and beasts watched him kneel, watched him kowtow, watched him sleep silently leaning against the stone tablet.
Even though he is gone, this place is still his hometown in his heart.
Every Qingming Festival, he returns, takes a rest and pays homage, then picks up his bag and leaves again. Year after year.
His life was simplified into two points, one was his tomb in Luofu Mountain, and the other extended into an endless line. Only during the annual Qingming Festival, the winding line would suddenly turn around, returning straight to the first point, and then extend again to infinity.
This process was repeated over and over again, and he never complained about the hardship or tiredness. He just felt exhausted.
you are extremely tired, you will speed up your walking pace. Amid the whistling sound of the wind in your ears, the person’s face will naturally appear in front of you.
He was an emperor who inherited the bloodline of a beautiful concubine in the harem and was born with a good appearance. However, he could not be described as beautiful or ugly .
Because he was the emperor, no one cared about whether he looked good or not. Who cared? To the ministers, he was the monarch and could not be looked up to. To the common people, “emperor" was just a word, a title. They could admire him but could not imagine him. To everyone, he was just an illusory shadow that dominated the world behind the title.
But Shen Jue knew that he was actually very good-looking. Even though he looked gloomy and solemn, he was also bright and lively . His face caught his eye first, and then his identity as an emperor.
But at that time, one of them was the ruler of the world, very arrogant, and the other was a monster that could crush mortals to death, equally proud and conceited. So when they were together, they always wrestled with each other, fighting and quarreling, and often got angry.
So he would use illness as an excuse to avoid court attendance, whether for ten days, half a month, or even a full half a year. When the emperor was angry, he would refuse to summon him. Even though he knew that he was in public, he knelt outside the imperial study for a whole day in obedience to his subjects, and no one asked him to stand up.
Rumors spread among the court, most of them saying that he looked like a prostitute in a brothel. There were also upright civil servants who mocked him to his face. This was something that even Shen Jue himself didn’t care about, but someone paid the price with blood in the end. At that time, they were still angry and hadn’t seen each other for more than two months. He was practicing sword in his general’s mansion, and the servants hurried in to report the news – the emperor had imprisoned the official who had a grudge against him this morning for slander.
Although Shen Jue knew that the man was a thorn in the emperor’s side, he did not expect him to do this. Rumors were the last thing Shen Jue cared about. He was Shen Qingxuan’s child and was not afraid of slander and defamation.
What does it matter? No matter how vicious the insults are, they will just pass by his ears. In the end, those who insult him will die, but he will still be alive. He is a demon, and he doesn’t bother to argue with mortals.
But the ruthless king took action, and blood flowed like a river. No one knew what he was thinking, not even Shen Jue. Naturally, it was impossible to get an answer from the emperor.
This was not the only time . When he became a general and held military power, no one in the court dared to talk about him. Or maybe it was because time had passed and everyone got used to it. After getting used to it, no one had any objection to him sleeping on the dragon bed at night. As for the emperor and the generals being angry, not attending court or being punished by kneeling and not summoned, they all turned a blind eye to it.
The days should have been peaceful, but the passing of time revealed the truth. The officials who entered the court later than Shen Jue all had gray hair on their temples, but the general’s appearance remained unchanged. Then rumors of evil spirits began to grow again and spread wildly.
When the dark side can no longer contain the excessively rampant rumors, they will appear in the light. Finally one day in the court, someone said that “General Shen Jue is an evil demon and is misleading the emperor."
The emperor on the dragon throne asked the general who seemed to be calm, “Are you a demon?"
The general stepped out of the line and bowed, and replied, “I don’t know. I also don’t know what ‘evil’ means."
if the emperor resolutely ignored such a matter , the ministers would not dare to say anything more.
But on that day in the court, the emperor suddenly became furious, like a hurricane, and the man was doomed to be killed.
Still no reason, no excuse, no answer.
People say that being with the emperor is like being with a tiger, but he stayed by his side for many years. His mood as an emperor was like quicksand on a rock, unpredictable, but he served as a general for more than 40 years. Holding the army in his hands was equivalent to grasping the lifeblood of his country. However, the fights between them were never over this country.
Shen Jue thought quietly as he listened to the sound of the wind in his ears: For all these years, we have never been concerned with pros and cons.
It has nothing to do with interests, power, wealth, or reputation.
Maybe it was because he was a demon, or maybe it was just because he was Shen Jue. Thinking of this, his steps gradually slowed down, and finally stopped. He sat down slowly as if he suddenly lost strength, then leaned back and lay on the ground below him, looking at the clouds gathering and dispersing in the sky, quietly thinking about the person he had been looking for until now.
His thoughts were without any ups and downs, just like a glass of water, colorless and tasteless, indispensable.
After lying for a long time, Shen Jue sat up and looked around. The scenery was vaguely familiar. He was always familiar with the scenery of the world. He had been to too many places, almost every place, even repeatedly. But this place was not so familiar that he knew where he was at a glance.
Shen Jue looked at the surrounding scenery suspiciously, and then walked a distance to the southwest according to his vague memory. In the distance, he saw a mountain peak, towering into the clouds, half surrounded by greenery and half covered with snow. He suddenly remembered that this was where the old immortal buried his wine .
After standing for a while, he walked towards the mountain. Although that was a fairy, they had met several times before, so it might not be wrong to call them old friends. Shen Jue wanted to meet the only person in the world he was still familiar with.
The only familiar person in the world who could call out his name was this old immortal. He hadn’t seen anyone familiar for many, many years.
The mountain was extremely high, with green grass and trees, birds singing and flowers blooming from the foot to the mountainside. As soon as he stepped into this place, Shen Jue felt the unusually abundant spiritual power, and then vaguely heard human voices. Shen Jue was curious, so he followed the sound to find it. After searching for a cup of tea , the voice seemed to be right next to his ear, but he didn’t even see a human figure. Shen Jue thought that maybe he met a fellow creature. At this moment, he suddenly flashed around, and the land where he had just stood behind him was smashed into a pit, and a pine cone lay motionless in the pit. Shen Jue raised his head and looked at the squirrel on the tree, reluctantly believing that the pine cone was knocked down by it.
“Are you looking for me?" said the squirrel.
Shen Jue’s eyelids twitched, and he said calmly, “I heard someone talking when I was passing by, so I came to find out what was going on." He then cupped his hands and said, “Sorry for bothering you."
“Your voice is terrible." The squirrel said, and then suddenly disappeared. When he reappeared, he was a girl in gray clothes. She jumped over and asked, “Are you going to the top of the mountain?"
Shen Jue nodded, and the squirrel girl said, “I’ll take you there."
As he said this, he really took the lead and walked in front, just jumping and hopping all the way, and greeted every “person" he met , whether it was a butterfly or a wild bee. When wading through the water, he even didn’t let go of the frogs in the puddles, as if they were all monsters. In fact, after Shen Jue’s identification, they were undoubtedly wild animals, and he was very speechless.
When they reached the mountainside, one step further was the snow. The squirrel girl stopped and said, “It’s very cold up there. I just changed my fur. You can go by yourself."
Shen Jue wanted to thank her, but the girl jumped away. He had no choice but to turn his head and ignore the squirrel that returned to its original form and curled up into a ball, rolling down the mountainside.
Stepping on the snow, Shen Jue was not in a hurry to go up. It was the first time he had seen such a steep and strange mountain wall. It was also rare to see a scene where half of the mountain was covered with green water and half was covered with ice and snow. He was very interested, so he climbed up step by step. While climbing , he guessed which road Xu Mingshi took when he climbed the mountain that year, and whether there was also such a squirrel girl to lead the way for him. I think there shouldn’t be, otherwise Xu Mingshi would say that the biggest characteristic of the old man was that he couldn’t keep secrets; and he thought that this mountain was full of spiritual energy, and it was really a good place for cultivation. No wonder the old immortal buried the wine here for brewing. Just thinking calmly, unknowingly, he was almost at the top of the mountain.
There were also voices on the top of the mountain, sometimes near, sometimes far, and quite familiar. Shen Jue was stunned for a moment, then realized that the old immortal had guests, perhaps inviting people to drink. From Yi Mo, Shen Jue deeply understood how much this immortal loved wine, and how much he liked to show off his own wine. He couldn’t help but take three steps at a time, and soon reached the highest point of the mountain.
The top of the mountain that looked extremely high in the distance was actually a flat land, as if it was cut by a knife. There was snow on the platform, and it was a thick layer. If you stepped on it, you would sink to your waist. On the thick snow, two people sat face to face. One of them was an old immortal , and the other was just a back view. There was a chessboard between them, and the chess pieces were made of something unknown, shining brightly in the white snow . There was another low table next to the chessboard, and the back view of a child dressed as a child was sitting next to the table, simmering hot wine and boiling tea.
All three knew that a guest was coming from afar, but no one looked up at him.
Shen Jue waited for a while, then had to walk over by himself. Before he got close, the boy who served tea and wine turned around with a bowl of hot tea in his hand.
“Quench your thirst after all the hard work along the way."
Be it the voice or the appearance, isn’t he the little pine tree spirit from Luofu Mountain?
Shen Jue was stunned. He had not expected to meet him like this. He was a little dazed for a moment, as if he was still in Luofu Mountain, meeting him. At that time, his parents were still alive and he was not alone.
He was in a trance the whole time , and the pine tree spirit kept raising his hand to offer tea until Shen Jue came back to his senses and took the tea. Then he smiled and said , “I left in a hurry, without saying goodbye to you. Later, I heard that you had a lot of problems, and I didn’t want to cause you trouble, so I didn’t go to look for you, so I never had the chance to say ‘thank you’. Now that you’re here… I just want to say it to you in person."
The little pine tree spirit bowed down and saluted him earnestly, “I was ignorant in my early years, but fortunately you took care of me and tolerated me. Later, you gave me the opportunity and helped me to become an immortal. Now I have achieved some success. Thank you for everything."
Shen Jue looked at him and found him strange. When had the little pine tree in his memory been so polite and distant? But he kept his face expressionless because he knew that the other party was sincere in thanking him. Being indifferent and distant was also sincere. The tree is heartless and the most difficult to cultivate. If it succeeds, it will be successful. So he drank the hot tea in the cup, handed the empty cup back, and said lightly: “No need to thank me, you are gifted , it should be like this."
After serving and drinking tea, there was no further connection between them.
The little pine tree spirit took back the teacup and said to the old immortal, “Thank you for your care. The last thing I have to do is done. I am going back now."
The old immortal was completely focused on the chess game, so he just nodded. The little pine tree spirit disappeared.
The chessboard was quiet, no one was holding the pieces, but the pieces seemed to be pushed by invisible hands. Each move took a long time to make. It was as if the two were wrestling in secret, as if in a trance.
Finally, another piece was moved, and it was the white chess piece that fell. The old immortal opened his eyes and said in a dissatisfied tone: “The emperor is distracted, why are you still playing chess? Even if I win, it won’t make much sense. Forget it, I won’t play anymore."
The person with his back to Shen Jue did not say anything.
“Emperor, an old friend is visiting, at least you should say hello." The old immortal waved his sleeves, put away the chessboard, took the hot wine and slowly filled the jade cup, and drank by himself, saying: “As an immortal, all beings are equal. Even if he is just a little goblin, I still have to pay attention to etiquette and consideration."
stayed on the jade cup in his hand for a moment, then slowly moved to the man’s back. He had felt that the back was a little strange before, but he didn’t think much about it. After all, only immortals could drink with the old immortal . He didn’t think that it would go there, but things always develop unexpectedly.
“You always ask me to taste wine, so it’s for this." Finally, the man in the moon-white robe took action. He stood up slowly while speaking. At first glance, the plain robe had faint patterns of dragons and flowers between the turns of the fabric. It was extremely luxurious, but graceful and low-key. He turned around and met Shen Jue’s face. Shen Jue was still surprised by the familiar voice , half believing and half doubting, but now seeing him turn his face, he was really shocked.
“Shen Jue."
This voice was from the old immortal calling him, “I was already in the chess game and couldn’t get out. You’ve been here for so long, but I haven’t asked you to sit down yet. This is really a lack of hospitality."
The old immortal said he took a cup of wine and personally offered it:
“I’ll buy you a drink."
“I’ll buy you a drink."
the old immortal had said in Luofu Mountain that year . Shen Jue looked at the person he had been with before, and he was in no mood to drink. But he suddenly recalled what he had said before, and quickly calmed himself down, looked away from his face, took the wine cup handed over by the old immortal, raised his head and drank it. He didn’t know what was going on. Today, someone offered him tea first, and then someone offered him wine. One thing after another, it should have been a good thing, but he felt that the tea was bitter and the wine was choking.
“Good wine." Shen Jue said, fulfilling his duty to praise.
For some reason, the old immortal suddenly snorted, looked at him with a half-smile, waited for a moment and said, “You little devil, I treated you to a drink, but you didn’t thank me, but you treated me perfunctorily."
Shen Jue wanted to say no, but the old immortal continued, “When your father was in a state of mental despair that year, he asked me to meet him and treat him to a drink. He was not as rude as you, who would just treat others perfunctorily because he was in a bad mood." After a pause, the old immortal said, “I guess this is not what your father taught you, right?"
Shen Jue was a little embarrassed and felt that he had lost his manners. He quickly apologized and said, “It’s my fault. It has nothing to do with my father."
“Then drink another cup." The old immortal refilled the wine and handed it over, saying, “This wine of mine is not available to ordinary people. Even the Emperor rarely tastes it. If it were easy to get, he wouldn’t be here today. Drink it slowly, taste it slowly, and tell me if it’s delicious."
Although Shen Jue didn’t understand what he meant, he couldn’t refuse. The old immortal had said all the good and bad things about him, so he naturally had nothing to say. Even if his heart was boiling, he had to calm down at this time. He took the wine cup, smelled the fragrance first, and then put some wine on his lips. He licked his lips, and sipped it after a while. After drinking the wine, he suddenly understood the old immortal’s intention. The old immortal turned around in this way just to let him calm down. Many things can only be sorted out slowly when you calm down. Shen Jue knew at this time that if Yi Mo was a friend, he must be the most worthy friend.
“It is indeed a fine wine." Shen Jue whispered, “I have never tasted such a fine wine in my life. Forgive my poor taste and inability to explain it. I only know that it tastes delicious."
The old immortal knew that he could not make sense. How could this wine of his make sense so easily? He was very satisfied with a sincere compliment. He put away the wine cup and said, “I have some trivial matters to attend to. I will leave now." He glanced at the man beside him and bowed, saying, “The emperor is reminiscing with others. I will leave first. Does the emperor have any instructions?"
The man didn’t say anything, but Shen Jue stopped him and said, “Wait a moment, I have something else I want to ask you."
The old immortal said, “What is it?"
“Did you know I was coming?" Shen Jue asked.
The old immortal hesitated for a moment, then said, “Do you know that your father practiced Taoism for 2,000 years, but 500 years of that practice was lost?"
Shen Jue didn’t know why he suddenly said that. He was stunned and asked hurriedly, “What’s going on? I don’t know anything at all."
“That year he asked me for a favor," the old immortal said, “I will give you five hundred years in exchange for your future situation."
“…" Shen Jue was so surprised that he was speechless.
“He was so sincere that I couldn’t refuse, so I used my five hundred years of practice to brew a pot of wine, and used the wine to buy a mirror for him to look at." The old immortal smiled and said , “I also took a look at it, so I knew you were coming."
Shen Jue clenched his fists. Even though he was suppressing his emotions, he couldn’t help but have tears in his eyes. Who else in the world could love him the most, other than them?
“He once asked me to take care of you if I have the energy to spare, so I’m inviting you to drink today." The old immortal said, “I’ve already invited you to drink, and now it’s your business. The emperor has a lot of things to do and it’s rare for him to have time, so don’t bother with me and waste your good time."
After the old immortal finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and disappeared.
Shen Jue stood for a moment, then turned around and looked at the man. When he was a mortal, he was gloomy and murderous, with gloomy eyebrows and eyes all the time, as if covered by a layer of gray gauze. Looking at him again today, the gloomy aura is gone, and he is more extraordinary and otherworldly. If there was still turbidity in his previous life, now he is truly magnificent and intimidating, looking down on all living beings.
Shen Jue was not afraid of him. His eyes stayed on his face, and he looked at him carefully. He thought he was more handsome than he remembered, as if a god from the temple had walked down and appeared before him. He was so focused on observing every subtle change in the other person that he didn’t know how bright his eyes were, nor how gentle his expression was.
He finally found him. Just thinking about this made me want to laugh out loud. I don’t know why, but I didn’t feel that much pain when I couldn’t find him, but I was so happy when I found him. I was so happy that I felt a little dizzy and couldn’t even say a word. Then the air slowed down, as if it was flowing happily and lightly.
“…" The other person looked at him quietly, without saying a word, his eyes were cold and silent, like the indifferent snowflakes around him, as if he had no joy or sadness at his arrival. He stood there without any joy or sadness, watching his eyes brighten up, then dimmed little by little .
Shen Jue said: “You are a god…" He said softly with a slight sigh.
His darkened eyes regained their calmness, and in an instant, all the joy disappeared. He didn’t know how far the distance between gods and demons was. It was a huge gap. He didn’t know if he could cross it, and he didn’t know if he dared to cross it. He was not Yi Mo, who was not afraid of being torn to pieces. He was Shen Jue, the lonely Shen Jue.
His birth transcended the difference between humans and demons, but he might not be able to cross the chasm between demons and gods .
The former emperor, now a deity, spoke slowly, “Yes, I am Emperor Nan Heng."
Shen Jue said, “Oh." Not surprised at all, he stood for a moment and said, “Did you know I was looking for you?"
Nan Heng lowered his eyelids slightly, “I know."
“So, you don’t want to meet me, right?" Shen Jue said.
Nan Heng raised his eyelids and looked at him, looking a little uncomfortable.
“…" Shen Jue said: “I have been looking for you for a long time."
In fact, he didn’t know how long it had been. After losing his loved ones, the passing of time became the most insignificant thing. He didn’t remember how many years had passed. In short, it was a very long time and a long journey.
“Know."
“You are a god, how could you not know?" Shen Jue said, and then said calmly: “Why waste my time? If you had said it earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered you."
Nan Heng still didn’t speak, his expression didn’t change at all, but a small flame flashed in his eyes, as if he was dissatisfied with his tone at that moment. Shen Jue didn’t notice it and continued to talk to himself: “Since you have found it, I only have one question for you."
Nan Heng smiled slightly: “What do you want to ask?"
“What do you want to do?" Shen Jue said, “I promised you to find it, and I did it. What about you?"
Nan Heng did not answer immediately, but just looked at him, his expression seemed to warm up a little. Shen Jue finally couldn’t hold back, and pressed his whole body against him, and held him tightly in his arms as before. It was as if he was still the general, and this man was still the emperor in the world. At the moment of hugging him, the fullness in his arms made Shen Jue almost instantly make up his mind. As long as he was still willing to let him hold him like this , he would dare to risk his life even if it was the natural chasm between demons and gods .
This was a thought that he had never had before. It popped up for the first time and quickly swept through his entire mind, leaving no room for hesitation.
Then, the person he was hugging just moved his fingers and pushed him far away to the edge of the cliff.
Such hugs had happened many times before, always when he was a mortal and the other was a fairy. His strength was not enough to resist her, so he had to accept such a monopolistic hug.
Now this little devil wanted to bully him, but Nan Heng easily pushed him away.
Probably not expecting to be pushed away, Shen Jue stood at the edge of the cliff in a daze. It was only then that he felt the pain for the first time. He didn’t know where it came from, like millions of insects biting in his internal organs and spreading in his bone marrow. In the end, he squeezed out all his strength to breathe.
With just a simple gesture of pushing him away, he threw away his weapons and weapons and his army was completely routed.
His astonishment made Nan Heng’s eyes look subtly helpless, but before he could say anything, the wolf demon who had wrestled with him countless times turned around . Nan Heng watched him pick up the package beside him, left his back and said:
“In that case, we will have nothing to do with each other from now on."
Such words sounded strangely familiar. Shen Jue thought blankly as he spoke, as if not long ago, he and the little pine tree spirit had severed their ties over a drink .
Then, no one in this world had anything to do with him anymore.
Shen Jue was so distressed that he couldn’t even breathe. He tried his best to calm down. His fingers holding the package turned pale. In this seemingly endless pain, Shen Jue silently said in his heart:
“So I like him so much."
How ridiculous.
Shen Jue did not look back. He grabbed the package that had been with him for almost his entire life and walked down the mountain step by step.
The way here was no different from the way back. When the squirrel girl at the foot of the mountain saw him coming, she waved at him lively, and then watched him disappear from her sight.
Nan Heng, who was standing on the snowy mountaintop, looked at the footprints on the snow with a dazed expression, and then immediately returned to silence. The old immortal appeared from nowhere, looking at the increasingly small figure at the foot of the mountain. After looking for a long time, he glanced at him and said , “Why doesn’t the emperor speak?"
“What?" Nan Heng asked him back.
hesitated because of their respective identities and said, “When the emperor came down to earth to experience tribulations, many things piled up there. After returning, he was busy taking care of official business… One day in heaven is a hundred years on earth. How could he understand?"
Nan Heng curled his lips slightly and said, “If you don’t even understand this, what’s the point?" Who wants to explain it to him?
“…" The old immortal opened his mouth, wanting to say something about how confused Shen Jue’s mind was, how could he remember such trivial matters? However, seeing the cold face of the Emperor, he swallowed the words back. He had borrowed the Void Mirror for Yi Mo without permission. Although it cost him five hundred years of cultivation, it was still considered a violation of the rules. If he made Nan Heng angry, and used this as a handle to punish him, there was a high possibility that his immortal status would be lost.
But Shen Jue just left like that! The old immortal remembered the old friend’s entrustment, and finally did not want to live up to the friendship, so he plucked up his courage and said: “The emperor was busy in heaven for five days, but he has been looking for five hundred years in the human world. Although the little wolf demon is not very promising…"
Nan Heng’s eyes immediately turned away. The old immortal coughed and spoke in a much lower voice, humming like a mosquito: “I heard that when the emperor was busy, he also placed a mirror to observe the situation in the world. I guess he saw the little wolf demon looking around…"
Nan Heng finally waved his sleeves: “You talk too much."
“I don’t want to say much either, it’s because you don’t say anything." The old immortal muttered in his heart, not daring to say such rash words, and continued to hum: “The little wolf’s relatives have long turned into dust, and he hasn’t had any friends in these years. If he is sad… I’m afraid he will do something stupid."
Then the old immortal clearly saw the frosty face of Emperor Nanheng, and his eyelids twitched three times.
Nan Heng, with a slightly green face, looked at him with some vicious meaning: “What did I do to make him do something stupid ?!"
was shocked by the look on his face and stammered , “It’s because the Emperor did nothing, but pushed him…"
Nan Heng’s face suddenly became even uglier, “Just because of this?"
The old immortal felt helpless. He had been looking for so long, and you knew what he was going to do, but you insisted on seeing how far he could go. In the end, you pushed him. The old immortal nodded , “That’s why."
“Then let him be stupid ," Nan Heng suddenly changed his expression and said in a gentle tone:
“Just let him die of stupidity."
The old immortal was stunned and almost sat down on the ground. He was still angry at this time. How could Nan Heng become so childish after coming back from the mortal world?
Nan Heng seemed unaware. He waved his hand, set up the chessboard again on the snow, and said in an ambiguous tone, “Let’s play chess."
The old immortal had no other choice but to sit back and accompany him. This time, he didn’t know what kind of medicine the other party had taken, but he defeated him in twenty rounds. The old immortal was stunned for a moment and said, “Come again."
After another twenty rounds, the old immortal was defeated.
In the third game, he finally held on for a while longer, lasting thirty rounds, but was defeated by Nan Heng again.
In the fifth game, he lasted seventy times.
In the sixth game…Nan Heng lost ten times.
The old immortal looked at the mess of chess pieces and finally sighed, “Emperor, what’s the big deal if you go to look for him once? He has been looking for you for five hundred years, and you have only been looking for him for one day. At this moment, the little wolf must have returned to Luofu Mountain to guard the grave."
It would have been better if he didn’t persuade him. After he did, Nan Heng started the game again with the black pieces. After another twenty rounds, he defeated him miserably.
The old immortal was unwilling to do so, so he put away the chess pieces and said, “I have something else to do, so I’ll leave now." He said nothing more, and this time he really left. He didn’t want to play with him.
Nan Heng sat alone for a while, and then his figure suddenly disappeared.
He found his way all the way to Luofu Mountain. He was not unfamiliar with this place. When he was handling official business in heaven, as the old immortal said, he was watching him every day, watching him go back and forth, watching him do anything, and seeing that he would come here every time in the end.
After seeing it so many times, he knew what every blade of grass and tree here looked like with his eyes closed.
Of course, I also know about the joint burial tomb.
However, there are always some things that he did not expect. For example, at this moment, he looked at the grave not far away, but did not find Shen Jue’s figure. There was only a new grave next to the large grave.
Nan Heng’s face suddenly turned pale.
Shen Jue was lying inside. It was just the time when the sun was setting. He knew that the clouds outside were gorgeous and dazzling, but that beauty had nothing to do with him.
He lay on the moist soil, feeling soft , loose, comfortable and even relaxed.
It is really comfortable. The land is the final destination of every life. Besides, those lying in the graves beside me are my relatives.
After several years, his body will turn into soil, and after being washed by storms, it will be mixed with the bones of his relatives in the land nearby.
They will always be a family.
Shen Jue closed his eyes, raised his hand without hesitation, and took out the demon pill from his chest. That was the only thing his mother left him, so he came to this world and lived as a human.
Then he crushed it.
“Shen Jue!" A loud shout came from his trance, like the power of thunder, awakening him from his confusion.
Shen Jue opened his eyes and saw his emperor beside him. His moon-white robe was covered with wet mud, and even his head was covered with yellow mud. He looked more miserable than ever before. Shen Jue looked at him and suddenly felt a subtle joy, a joy that was accompanied by a kind of malice. He thought, look, you have come to this day. However, he also felt close to him, as if this was the closest time since they met, right at the tip of his heart.
Then, Shen Jue, like an innocent child, showed a naive expression and said to him softly in a mocking tone:
“I don’t want to play with you anymore."
——I don’t want to play with you anymore.
Perhaps he laughed too happily, or perhaps this sentence was too shocking, Nan Heng lost his concentration and forgot to continue casting spells to protect his life.
So the person in his arms turned back into the shape of a wolf in the blink of an eye and died silently.
——I don’t want to play with you anymore.
Shen Jue followed the Black and White Impermanence and obediently entered the underworld. During the period, he didn’t even bother to turn his head , and he didn’t want to look at the distraught god again.
He followed the Black and White Impermanence and walked and walked until he came to a sea of red flowers. Every flower was blooming wildly . The flowers were blooming but the leaves were invisible, and the leaves were growing but the flowers were invisible. Two people stood in the bright and juicy sea of flowers. They looked at him walking towards them from afar and stretched out their hands at the same time.
He recognized them and hurried over, his feet bouncing with joy and his eyes smiling so hard that fine lines appeared at the corners of his eyes.
Wherever there are people who let you down in this world, there will be people who pity you.
痕書站 