沈清軒不相信伊墨就這麼消失了。這山中的飛禽走獸、繞山而流的清澈綠水、終年煙霧繚繞的山頂溫泉……哪一個與伊墨不曾相伴過，況且這山中還有他，沈清軒冷嗤一聲，就算自作多情，也是情有可原。定居在此多年的伊墨沒道理會舍了這一切，毫無徵兆地說走就走。沈清軒不信。
他能去哪呢？沈清軒翻攪著回憶，從中搜尋蛛絲馬跡，卻沒有一處地方是伊墨可能去的。換一個地方往往意味著要重新開始調整周邊關係，那蛇性子冷，又不喜麻煩，當初若不是修煉的同伴都一一墜入魔道，又有魔物天天在耳邊聒噪激起了他的殺心，伊墨也不會離開故土。
伊墨不會走。他堅信。
他堅信著，而後一個多月過去了。山中花草凋敝，溪邊濕地結了冰霜，踩上去硬硬的，發出的聲音刺耳，仿佛凍住的生命被外力猛然撕裂。冬天到了，伊墨還未回來。
這一年的四季，沈清軒覺得過的極快，快到一眨眼就是冬天。似乎是為了懲罰他將時間過得如此快速，他的時間徹底凝固下來。不再移動分毫。
屋中炭火燃的旺盛，他卻倚在敞開的窗邊，目光飄遠。屋內的炭火暖不了他，自內到外的冰寒讓他同這溫暖的小屋與世隔絕，仿佛分離在兩個世界。
伊墨還沒回來。
他在山中安靜等待，時間就凝固在得知伊墨消失的那一瞬。不悲不喜。
許明世眼看著他一天一天，毫無端由的消瘦下去，越來越單薄的身體裹在狐裘大氅裡，逐漸失了輪廓，最後只有一張蒼白的臉露在外面，仿佛隨時可以和外面的雪花一起飄走。卻仿佛入定了般，對周邊的事失去了一切興趣。連他說話都不再理會。坐在窗邊一日日的消瘦、蒼白、淡薄，卻仿佛被一根無形的東西牽引著，讓他整個生命都因此而執拗的維持這樣一個姿勢。
伊墨還沒回來。
沈清軒看著窗外飄灑的雪花，紛紛揚揚，忽而飄遠，忽而落近，終將整個世界漆成了蒼白。
山下的親人們一一來過山莊，勸解、疑問、揣測，可對一個啞巴，他們能問出什麼？他飲食正常，連就寢時間都從不推遲，丫鬟們推著他去床邊，他便自己扶著床沿挪上去，乖乖躺下，合上眼瞼。
只是瘦，越來越瘦。郎中給他把脈，虛弱一如往年，並無不同。補藥也是照著往年的方子一劑一劑地開，一碗一碗地熬，沈清軒也在監督下一口一口地喝，喝完將碗交過去，又重新凝視著窗外，絲毫不動。
最近一次沐浴，沈清軒泡在浴桶裡也曾打量自己，突出的肋骨自己摸上去都覺硌手，身子上曾被人說唯一可取的一身好皮肉，也失了光澤，暗啞下去。那些湯湯水水，補藥參湯，都經了他的咽喉，卻從他胸腔的缺口處，悄悄溜走了。
伊墨還沒回來。
伊墨並不知道有人在執拗的等他。在他的印象裡，那個工於心計的人是不會做這樣的蠢事的——無利可圖，不可能是沈清軒的行事。所以他從未想過會有這樣的狀況發生，便應了故人邀約，離了山。
前來找他的“故人”不是別人，正是千年前點化他的那個道人，現已成了仙，鬍鬚長白，面容清臒，周身一片祥和。只是歷經千年的性子不曾改變多少，仍喜歡別出心裁，譬如突然來找他。伊墨對他的到來實在意外。意外之外，只有厭煩。因為這個人或者說“仙”時隔多年後來找他，肯定不會是什麼好事——在伊墨心裡，這人與麻煩等同。意料之中的敘舊一畢，這討人嫌的仙家就說了來意：拉伊墨夥同下山，降魔去。
來意一弄清楚，伊墨就懶得再與他糾纏，比起這個不懷好意點化自己成妖的仙人，他倒是寧願去捉弄捉弄沈清軒，消遣時光等待劫渡。
仙家知道他不願理會自己，也不著急，只獨坐一旁絮叨：“前朝有一大將軍，戰無不勝攻無不克，所向披靡，那蛇，我記得前次天劫，你就潛在他府中度過的吧？”
伊墨不理他。
撫了撫鬍鬚，道人嘿嘿一聲，又自行繼續道：“你劫渡一過，就回山修煉了。知不知道那將軍後來如何了？”伊墨仍是懶得理他，他說的這些對一隻活了千年的蛇妖來說，實在都是鏡花水月。他元神修行時，往往再睜開眼就改朝換代，哪裡還有興趣去詢問朝代更迭中那些人事？那將軍，指定是死了，骨頭都化成了灰。
仿佛知道他所想，道人搖頭：“你也在人世間歷練過，怎麼不知道功高震主的道理？那將軍的確是死了。卻非善終，淩遲而死。”
伊墨皺了皺眉，難得的肯理會他了：“我記得那世君王，對他寵信有加。”
“唔，老皇帝信他忠臣不假，可老皇帝一死，新帝登基，天下換了個主人，他又不會投其所好，豈能不死？”
伊墨想了想，又閉嘴不言了。
“你也聰明，一定知道我說這些的用意。此次要除魔物，就是他。”仙家也沉默片刻，語氣略帶惆悵道：“闔家老小一百多口人，加上遠房親眷一起共三百多口，一齊押送刑場，家中老幼悉數被斬完，最後才輪到他，一刀刀淩遲了兩天才斷氣，眼睜睜看著家中幾百人頭顱落地，他死後怨氣沖天，刑臺上烏雲翻滾，電閃雷鳴。三百多血親的怨氣凝結在一起，以他為首，卻回了鎮守多年的邊疆……你知道，他本是沙場上的將軍，金戈鐵馬，手下所造殺孽本來就重。此番又聚集了血親們的怨氣，回到沙場，自然是將沙場上數十年來聚集的怨氣全部吸空……終鑄成魔。”
說到此，仙家斜睨了沉默不語的伊墨一眼，頓了一下，又道：“說來你們還有些淵源，你借他煞氣渡了劫，而後他又遣小魔盜了你的皮。如不是我門下弟子恰好經過，除了小魔奪了你的皮囊煉成寶物自己使用，今天他穿戴上你那蛇蛻……我還真是拿他沒有辦法。”
伊墨聽著，只冷哼一聲：“你那門下弟子拿了我的皮不還也就罷了，所傳之人一個比一個膿包。穿著我那皮，也不知替我惹了多少事。前日我剛將蛇蛻收回，你門下第十三輩徒孫還拿了你那盛湯的紫鼎追來要收我……”搖了搖頭，伊墨道：“若不是見那鼎是你的東西，我便毀了它。”
仙家經他這麼說，臉上有些掛不住，只好哈哈笑：“你毀了就是，只要你跟我去除了那魔頭，莫說那小鼎，就是毀了我的觀也行。只怕你又嫌麻煩，懶得動手。”說到這裡，他突然一樂，伸手指向伊墨鼻尖，道：“你這蛇這麼多年還住在這，我識得妖物盡皆散在人海裡找不見了，就你最好找……你不幫我，誰幫我？”
他開始耍無賴。
伊墨掉頭就走。
他亦步亦趨地跟上。
伊墨走到哪他就跟到哪，跟了三天三夜，連伊墨休息，他都坐在一旁，絮絮叨叨，沒完沒了。這蛇是他點化的，自然知道他的脾性。伊墨最煩人在耳邊聒噪，尤其是同一句話翻來覆去念叨幾十遍的那種聒噪，能把他冷清性子裡那點難得的暴戾之氣都聒噪上來，提刀劈人。
不過幸好，他們雖有仙妖之分，兩千年下來各自道行相差卻毫釐之間。所以他也不怕伊墨打他，怎麼打都是個平手。
伊墨也明白這點，被呱噪三天是他忍耐的極限。
想到近日無事，沈清軒也被逗弄的皮實了，反倒是越來越會給他找事，三更半夜叩著珠子找他要十裡外的桂花釀吃。還不如索性跟這沒正形的仙家去一趟，省得耳邊嘮嘮叨叨，蒼蠅似的難以忍受。
至於山下的沈清軒——送些小東西，幫些小忙，對他來說不過是舉手之勞，這也是凡人界的禮節。後來兩人又有了春風一渡，合體之歡，伊墨行事上總是顧著些他的。
如今那人在山下宅中納了妾，又即將娶妻，過往自該抹消了，那紅塵俗世的生活，才是沈清軒該過的日子。
他也不必因為這人與自己有過親熱，再依允他什麼。劫渡過後，他只需讓沈清軒恢復行走，就可以徹底不相往來。
與沈清軒不相往來，伊墨沒有絲毫惋惜或不舍。在第一回救了沈清軒的時候，這就是他的打算。
卻沒想到沈清軒起了別樣心思，要與他廝纏。
凡人終歸貪欲太重，卻不知道妖的一生太長，修仙後更是漫長，漫長的生命裡，伊墨已經看了太多悲歡離合，早已對紅塵之事無動於衷。
也已經習慣了這樣的冷眼旁觀的姿勢，沒有絲毫想要參與的念頭。
但沈清軒提出要這段關係，該提醒的他已經提醒過——人妖殊途。
有言在先，沈清軒仍然鍥而不捨，那就接受了無妨。
反正他是修煉千年的蛇妖，有足夠的耐性和時間，等沈清軒化成枯骨，他風華照舊。“以身相許”也許不了多少年，浪費不了他多少時間。人總是對到手的東西棄若敝屣，沈清軒願望達成，未必不會自己厭煩，這段關係自然解除。伊墨知道這只是時間問題，所以心如磐石，從未動搖。而後並沒有等多久，事實上若仔細推敲，那次春風一度過後，沈清軒就下了山，定了納妾娶妻之事，決裂的念頭已經有了。
如不是許明世橫插一杠，他也不會一不小心受了沈清軒的恩惠，是他自己沒來得及說，那降妖鼎對他毫無用處，到底是沈清軒搶佔先機把事情做出來了。這恩他只能受。
這友好關係，也就維持了下去。只是從頭至尾，他都立在局外，冷眼旁觀。
這些日子兩人雖相隔不遠，卻誰也沒提出來要見上一面，近幾日乾脆連話也不說了。這關係，也到了徹底抹消的時候了。
下山去降魔，伊墨答應了就立即起程，並沒有想到還要囑咐山下的那個人等他，確實沒想過。畢竟今時不同往日，沈清軒不再是山中那個孤零零等他作伴的人，而是美妾在畔，即將有後，俗世生活安逸美好。又主動斷了聯繫，這樣最好不過。
伊墨就這樣走了。
沈清軒在山中一日一日的消瘦，每一天醒來，都比前一天更憔悴些。望著簌簌飄落的雪花，執拗的等下去。只是眼底火光，越來越微弱。
這世間無一件事，比等待更難熬。更磋磨人心。
快要兩個月了，伊墨還沒回來。
風雪中腳步聲跌跌撞撞的傳來，踩踏著雪水劈啪作響，一道灰衣身影劈頭撞開小院木門，沖了進來，剛沖進門檻，一抬頭便看見了對面敞開的窗中那張蒼白的臉，被厚重的狐裘襯著，像是要被那些毛皮裹進去一樣瘦小。眼神飄在不知名的地方，對這麼大的動靜也沒有絲毫反應。
“少爺！”沖進來的僕人聲音都在發顫，一路奔跑讓他眼角被雪花眯的通紅，只聽他急喘著，抹著臉上雪水一字一句道：“出事了！”
沈清軒飄遠的神情似乎被扯了一下，眨了眨眼，轉了視線，仍是一動不動的窩在大氅裡，卻看著他。
“老夫人叫您立刻回去……”僕人咽了咽口水，“老夫人說桃姨娘摔了一跤，孩子保不住了。”
沈清軒沉寂如死水的眸子跳了一下，終於徹底回過神來。或者最好的人生體驗就在此刻了，丫鬟們發覺自己主子的臉上終於有了神采，儘管這神采是震驚、悲慟、和痛苦。卻讓沈清軒看起來不再像個活死人。
沈清軒靜默片刻，動了動手指，做了個手勢。
那手勢說：回家！
短暫的悲痛過後，沈清軒在搖晃的車中漸漸冷靜下來。
一直以來不祥的預感終於成為現實，這兩個月，他一直在等著這一天的到來，臨到頭了，反而有塵埃落定的鬆弛感。這個現實卻不是伊墨出事。而是他那尚未出世，剛滿三個月的胎兒。
沈府中愁雲滿霧。
男嬰已經落下，小桃大量出血，血流不止。
沈清軒的輪椅在南院的偏房外停下，在一絲淡淡的血腥味裡停下。不再前行。
沈母開了院門，將緊張慌亂的院內景觀閉在門後，自己走了出來，紅著眼道：“我原以為只是動了胎氣，吃些藥好好照顧也就好了，沒有驚動你。不料一夜熬補還是沒保住……你命不好，小桃怕是也不行了……別進去看了。你身子弱，經不住死人晦氣……”
沈清軒聞言一動不動，只看著那扇緊閉的院門，異樣的沉默。
雖然他啞了很多年，此時的沉默還是令沈母感到不安，看著自己兒子不知該如何開解。妾沒了可以再納，孩子沒了也可以再有，並不值得大傷悲傷了身子。可沈清軒臉上，也看不出一絲傷悲的味道來，不知道他在想什麼。
母子二人在簌簌落下的雪花裡各自看著對方，最終是沈清軒轉動著輪椅，掉了個頭。很快有小廝上前，推著他離去。沈母望著雪地上逐漸遠去的輪印，心想或許這就是命，從來沒有什麼道理。
雪下的那麼大，鋪天蓋地的慘白，掩了所有絕望。
伊墨還沒回來。
沈清軒翻開黃曆，用蘸了朱砂的紅筆在那黃曆的日期上勾出圈來。凝視許久，而後抬起瘦若枯柴的手，解了身上狐裘大氅，伸手探向胸口，將胸前的紅珠取出來，指腹在珠圓玉潤上摩挲著，帶著眷戀和不舍。
而後開始扯動。握著那珠子將它從頸項扯起，扯平，撕鋸著，讓那根金縷繃的筆直，勒進肉裡，勒進血管裡，勒進骨頭裡。
沈清軒一聲不吭，只施了全身力氣，將那金縷一點一點的扯動，將脖子上這根東西抻成一根斃命的索。
血液從創口出開始外溢，將施了術法後刀劍斬不斷的金縷線染成了紅色，鮮血順著細線流淌，逐漸浸上沈清軒的手，順著紋路蔓延，順著指縫滴落，最後粘膩濕滑的包裹了整顆紅珠。
滿屋血腥裡又出現了另一股血腥味。
沈清軒睜開眼，透過窗櫺鑽進來的光線，視線凝滯在對面一身黑袍的男人身上。
伊墨正皺著眉頭，對他伸出手。那只骨節分明，修長有力的手上，同樣遍佈血污。
沈清軒仿佛不曾認識他，直看了他好久，眼神迷惘著不曾看到那只伸出來的手，喃喃著自言自語：“這珠子取不下來了。”
“取下來作甚？”伊墨問，聲音冷清。
一把沉沉的好嗓音。沈清軒茫然的想著，又發了會呆，才回答他：“還你。”
“為什麼要還我？”伊墨仍是問，立在那處，既不靠近，也不走遠。
沈清軒不作答，仿若不曾聽見他的問題。只愣愣地看著他，像是怎麼也看不夠。
“伊墨。”
手上力氣不知何時停了下來，沈清軒似乎回了神，鬆開血珠，伸過手去，“你來抱抱我。”
佈滿新鮮血液的手指就在伊墨眼前那麼自然的舉起來，停在半空中，血滴不時墜地，指縫微張，指節蜷曲，一個絕望又血腥的姿勢。
伊墨回來了。
————————————————
Shen Qingxuan didn’t believe that Yi Mo just disappeared like that. The birds and animals in the mountains, the clear green water flowing around the mountains, the mountaintop hot springs with mist all year round… Which one of them has not accompanied Yi Mo, and he is also in the mountains. Shen Qingxuan sneered, even if it is self-indulgent, it is understandable. Yi Mo, who has lived here for many years, has no reason to give up all this and leave without any warning. Shen Qingxuan didn’t believe it.
Where could he go? Shen Qingxuan searched through his memories, searching for clues, but there was no place that Yi Mo could possibly go. Changing a place often meant starting to adjust the surrounding relationships all over again. The snake was cold-natured and didn’t like trouble. If his fellow cultivators hadn’t fallen into the devil’s way one by one, and if the monsters hadn’t been nagging in his ears every day, arousing his murderous intent, Yi Mo wouldn’t have left his homeland.
Yi Mo will not leave. He firmly believes it.
He firmly believed it , and then more than a month passed. The flowers and plants in the mountains withered, and the wetlands by the stream were covered with frost. It was hard to step on, and the sound was harsh, as if the frozen life was suddenly torn apart by external forces. Winter was here, and Yi Mo had not returned yet.
Shen Qingxuan felt that the four seasons of the year passed extremely quickly, so fast that it was winter in the blink of an eye. As if to punish him for passing time so quickly, his time completely froze and no longer moved an inch.
The charcoal fire in the house was burning vigorously, but he leaned against the open window, his eyes drifting away. The charcoal fire in the house could not warm him, and the cold from inside to outside made him isolated from the world in this warm little house, as if he was separated from the world.
Yi Mo hasn’t come back yet.
He waited quietly in the mountains, and time froze at the moment he learned that Yi Mo had disappeared. He felt neither sad nor happy.
Xu Mingshi watched him getting thinner and thinner day by day for no apparent reason. His increasingly thin body wrapped in a fox fur coat gradually lost its outline, and finally only a pale face was exposed, as if it could float away with the snow outside at any time. But he seemed to be in a trance, losing all interest in the surroundings. He even ignored what he said. Sitting by the window, he became thinner, paler, and more indifferent day by day, but it seemed as if he was being pulled by an invisible force, so that his entire life was stubbornly maintained in this posture.
Yi Mo hasn’t come back yet.
Shen Qingxuan looked at the snowflakes drifting outside the window, fluttering down, sometimes drifting away, sometimes falling closer, finally painting the whole world pale.
Relatives from the mountain came to the villa one by one , persuading, questioning, and speculating, but what could they ask of a mute? He ate normally and never delayed even his bedtime. The maids pushed him to the bed, and he moved up by himself, leaning on the edge of the bed, lying down obediently, and closing his eyelids.
He was just thinner, getting thinner and thinner. The doctor felt his pulse and found him to be as weak as in previous years. The tonic was prescribed according to the previous year’s prescription, one dose at a time, and boiled bowl by bowl. Shen Qingxuan drank it mouthful by mouthful under supervision. After drinking, he handed the bowl over and stared out the window again, not moving at all.
During his most recent bath, Shen Qingxuan looked at himself while soaking in the tub. His protruding ribs felt rough to the touch, and his skin, which was once said to be the only good thing about him, had lost its luster and turned dull. All the soups and water , the tonic soup, had passed through his throat, but quietly slipped away from the gap in his chest.
Yi Mo hasn’t come back yet.
Yi Mo didn’t know that someone was waiting for him stubbornly. In his impression, that scheming person would not do such a stupid thing – it was not profitable, it was impossible for Shen Qingxuan to do it. So he never thought that such a situation would happen, so he accepted the invitation of the old friend and left the mountain.
The “old friend" who came to see him was none other than the Taoist who enlightened him a thousand years ago. He had now become an immortal, with a white beard, a gaunt face, and a peaceful appearance. But his temperament had not changed much after a thousand years. He still liked to be creative, such as coming to see him suddenly. Yi Mo was really surprised by his arrival. Besides being surprised, he was only annoyed. Because this person or “immortal" came to see him after so many years, it must not be a good thing – in Yi Mo’s mind, this person is equivalent to trouble. After the expected reminiscing, this annoying immortal said the purpose of his visit: to bring Yi Mo down the mountain together to defeat the demon.
Once he figured out his purpose, Yi Mo was too lazy to bother with him anymore. Rather than dealing with this immortal who had ill intentions and was trying to turn him into a demon, he would rather play a trick on Shen Qingxuan and kill time while waiting for the calamity.
The immortal knew that he didn’t want to pay attention to him, so he didn’t rush. He just sat aside and muttered: “In the previous dynasty, there was a great general who was invincible in every battle and attack. Snake, I remember that you hid in his mansion during the last heavenly tribulation, right?"
Yi Mo ignored him.
Stroking his beard, the Taoist chuckled and continued, “After you survived the catastrophe , you returned to the mountain to practice. Do you know what happened to the general later?" Yi Mo still didn’t bother to pay attention to him. What he said was just a mirage to a snake demon who had lived for a thousand years. When he was practicing his soul , he would often see a change of dynasties when he opened his eyes. How could he be interested in asking about the people and events during the change of dynasties? That general must have died, and his bones had turned into ashes.
As if he knew what he was thinking, the Taoist shook his head and said, “You have also experienced the world, how come you don’t know the principle that being too successful will frighten the master? The general is indeed dead. But it was not a good end, he was tortured to death."
Yi Mo frowned and was rarely willing to pay attention to him: “I remember that the king of that time was very fond of him."
“Well, it’s true that the old emperor believed in him as a loyal minister, but once the old emperor died and the new emperor ascended the throne, the world had a new master, and he wouldn’t do what the new emperor wanted, so how could he not die?"
Yi Mo thought about it and kept silent again.
“You are smart, you must know what I mean by saying this. He is the one who will be exorcised this time." The immortal was silent for a moment, and said with a slightly melancholy tone: “More than a hundred people in the family, young and old, plus more than three hundred distant relatives, were escorted to the execution ground together. All the old and young in the family were beheaded , and finally it was his turn. He was tortured to death for two days, watching the heads of hundreds of people in his family fall to the ground. After his death, resentment soared to the sky, and dark clouds rolled on the execution platform, with lightning and thunder. The resentment of more than three hundred blood relatives condensed together, led by him, but returned to the border where he had guarded for many years… You know, he was originally a general on the battlefield, with golden weapons and iron horses, and the sins committed by his subordinates were heavy. This time, the resentment of the blood relatives was gathered again. When he returned to the battlefield, he naturally sucked out all the resentment that had accumulated on the battlefield for decades… and finally became a demon."
At this point, the immortal glanced at the silent Yi Mo, paused, and continued: “It can be said that you two have some history. You borrowed his evil spirit to survive the catastrophe, and then he sent a little demon to steal your skin. If it weren’t for my disciple who happened to pass by, the little demon would have taken your skin and refined it into a treasure for his own use. Today, he is wearing your snake skin… I really can’t do anything to him."
Yi Mo listened and snorted coldly , “It’s fine that your disciple took my skin and didn’t return it, but the people he taught are all worse than idiots. Wearing my skin, I don’t know how many troubles he caused for me. The day before yesterday, I just took back the snake skin, and your thirteenth generation disciple took your purple cauldron for soup and chased after me…" Shaking his head, Yi Mo said, “If I didn’t see that the cauldron was yours, I would have destroyed it."
After hearing what he said, the immortal felt a little embarrassed and could only laugh: “You can destroy it, as long as you help me get rid of the demon, let alone the small tripod, even if it means destroying my temple. I’m afraid you find it troublesome and are too lazy to do it." At this point, he suddenly laughed, pointed his finger at Yi Mo’s nose, and said: “You snake have lived here for so many years, and all the monsters I know are scattered in the sea of people and can’t be found. You are the best at finding them… If you don’t help me, who will?"
He started to act like a rogue.
Yi Mo turned around and left.
He followed closely.
He followed Yi Mo wherever he went, for three days and three nights. Even when Yi Mo was resting, he sat beside him and chattered endlessly. He was the one who enlightened this snake, so he naturally knew his temper. Yi Mo hated people talking in his ear the most, especially the kind of chatter that repeated the same sentence dozens of times. It could make the rare violent temper in his cold and calm personality come out and he would pick up a knife to chop people.
Fortunately, although they were divided into immortals and demons, the difference between their respective levels of cultivation over the past two thousand years was very small. So he was not afraid of Yi Mo beating him, as they would always end up in a draw.
Yi Mo also understood this; being naggard for three days was the limit of his tolerance.
Thinking that he had nothing to do recently, Shen Qingxuan had been teased and became tougher. Instead, he was getting more and more good at finding trouble for him. In the middle of the night, he knocked on the beads to ask him for sweet-scented osmanthus wine ten miles away. It would be better to just go with this unruly immortal to avoid the nagging in his ears, which was like a fly and was unbearable.
As for Shen Qingxuan down the mountain – sending some small gifts and doing some small favors were just a piece of cake for him, and this was also the etiquette of the mortal world. Later, the two of them had a spring breeze and the joy of being together, and Yi Mo always took care of him in his actions.
Now that man has taken a concubine in his house at the foot of the mountain and is about to get married, the past should be erased, and the life in the mundane world is what Shen Qingxuan should live.
He didn’t have to agree to anything just because he had been intimate with this person. After the catastrophe was over, he only needed to let Shen Qingxuan recover and they could stop seeing each other completely.
Yi Mo had no regrets or reluctance to stop associating with Shen Qingxuan. This was his plan when he saved Shen Qingxuan in the first episode.
But he didn’t expect that Shen Qingxuan had other thoughts and wanted to get involved with him.
Mortals are ultimately too greedy, but they don’t know that a demon’s life is too long, and it’s even longer after becoming an immortal. In this long life, Yi Mo has seen too many joys and sorrows, and has long been indifferent to the affairs of the world.
I have also become accustomed to this kind of cold-eyed attitude and have no desire to participate at all.
But when Shen Qingxuan proposed this relationship, he had already reminded everyone that humans and demons are on different paths.
Since Shen Qingxuan is still persistent as I have said before, I will just accept it.
Anyway, he is a snake demon who has practiced for thousands of years. He has enough patience and time. When Shen Qingxuan turns into dry bones, he will still be as charming as before. “Promising oneself" may not take many years, and it won’t waste much of his time. People always discard what they get. Shen Qingxuan may not be bored after his wish is fulfilled, and this relationship will naturally end. Yi Mo knew that it was only a matter of time, so his heart was as firm as a rock and never wavered. Then he didn’t wait long. In fact, if you think about it carefully, after that spring breeze, Shen Qingxuan came down the mountain and decided to take a concubine and marry a wife. He had already thought about breaking up.
If Xu Mingshi hadn’t intervened , he wouldn’t have accidentally accepted Shen Qingxuan’s favor. He didn’t have time to say that the Demon-Subduing Cauldron was useless to him. In the end, it was Shen Qingxuan who took the initiative and did it. He could only accept this favor.
This friendly relationship was maintained, but from beginning to end, he stood outside the situation and watched coldly.
Although the two were not far from each other these days, neither of them asked to meet, and they simply stopped talking in recent days. It was time to completely end this relationship.
Yi Mo agreed to go down the mountain to subdue the demon and set off immediately. He did not think about asking the person down the mountain to wait for him. He really did not think about it. After all, things are different now. Shen Qingxuan is no longer the person who is waiting for him alone in the mountain . Instead, he has a beautiful concubine by his side and will soon have a son. His life in the secular world is comfortable and beautiful. He also took the initiative to cut off contact, which is the best.
Yi Mo just left like that.
Shen Qingxuan was getting thinner and thinner in the mountains. Every day when he woke up, he looked more haggard than the day before. He looked at the falling snowflakes and waited stubbornly. But the fire in his eyes was getting weaker and weaker.
There is nothing in this world more difficult and more torturous than waiting .
It’s been almost two months and Yi Mo hasn’t come back yet.
The sound of footsteps stumbling in the snow and snow, crackling in the snow, a gray-clothed figure smashed open the wooden door of the courtyard and rushed in. As soon as he rushed over the threshold, he looked up and saw the pale face in the open window opposite. The face was set off by the thick fox fur, and it seemed as thin as if it was wrapped in the fur. His eyes drifted to an unknown place, and he did not react at all to such a big movement.
“Master!” The servant rushed in with a trembling voice. The snowflakes had made his eyes red from running all the way. He panted and wiped the snow on his face and said word by word: “Something happened!”
Shen Qingxuan’s distant expression seemed to be pulled away. He blinked and turned his gaze away, still curled up in the cloak motionless, but looking at him.
“The old lady asked you to go back immediately…" The servant swallowed, “The old lady said that Aunt Tao fell and the child could not be saved."
Shen Qingxuan’s eyes, which were as silent as dead water, jumped for a moment, and finally came back to his senses. Perhaps the best life experience was at this moment. The maids found that their master’s face finally had a look of spirit, although this look was shock, grief, and pain. But it made Shen Qingxuan no longer look like a living dead.
Shen Qingxuan was silent for a moment, moved his fingers and made a gesture.
The gesture said: Go home!
After a brief moment of grief, Shen Qingxuan gradually calmed down in the shaking car.
The ominous premonition that he had been feeling for a long time finally came true. He had been waiting for this day for the past two months. Now that it was finally here, he felt relieved that everything was finally settled. But the reality was not that Yi Mo had gotten into trouble, but that his unborn baby had just turned three months old.
The Shen Mansion was filled with clouds of worry and sorrow.
The baby boy had already fallen, and Xiaotao was bleeding profusely.
Shen Qingxuan’s wheelchair stopped outside the side room of the South Courtyard, where there was a faint smell of blood . It stopped moving forward.
Mother Shen opened the gate, shutting out the tense and chaotic scene inside the courtyard, and walked out, her eyes red as she said, “I thought it was just a miscarriage, and that you would be fine after taking some medicine and taking good care of yourself, so I didn’t alarm you. Unexpectedly, after a night of nourishment, you still couldn’t be saved… You have a bad fate, and Xiaotao is probably not going to make it either… Don’t go in to see. You are weak, and you can’t stand the bad luck of a dead person…"
Shen Qingxuan did not move when he heard this. He just stared at the tightly closed gate in unusual silence.
Although he had been mute for many years, his silence at this moment still made Shen’s mother feel uneasy. She looked at her son and didn’t know how to comfort him. If you lose a concubine , you can take another one. If you lose a child, you can have another one. It’s not worth hurting your body. But there was no trace of sadness on Shen Qingxuan’s face. I don’t know what he is thinking.
The mother and son looked at each other in the falling snow. Finally, Shen Qingxuan turned his wheelchair and turned around. Soon, a servant came forward and pushed him away. Mother Shen looked at the wheel marks gradually fading away on the snow, thinking that maybe this was fate, and there was no reason for it.
The snow was falling so heavily, the overwhelming whiteness concealed all the despair.
Yi Mo hasn’t come back yet.
circled the date with a red pen dipped in cinnabar . He stared at it for a long time, then raised his thin hands, untied his fox fur coat, reached out to his chest, took out the red beads on his chest, and rubbed the round and smooth beads with his fingertips, with attachment and reluctance.
Then he began to pull it. He held the bead and pulled it up from the neck, flattened it, and sawed it, making the golden thread stretch straight, cutting into the flesh, into the blood vessels, and into the bones.
Shen Qingxuan said nothing, but used all his strength to pull the golden thread bit by bit , stretching the thing on his neck into a deadly rope.
Blood began to overflow from the wound, dyeing the golden thread that could not be cut by a sword after the magic into red. The blood flowed along the thin thread, gradually soaking Shen Qingxuan’s hand, spreading along the lines, dripping through the fingers, and finally wrapping the entire red bead in a sticky and slippery manner.
Another smell of blood appeared in the bloody room.
Shen Qingxuan opened his eyes and looked through the light coming in through the window lattice, his gaze fixed on the man in black robe opposite him.
Yi Mo was frowning and holding out his hand to him. The bony, slender, and strong hand was also covered in blood.
Shen Qingxuan seemed to have never recognized him. He stared at him for a long time, his eyes confused and he didn’t notice the hand that was stretched out. He muttered to himself: “This bead can’t be taken off."
" Why take it down?" Yi Mo asked in a cold voice.
A deep and good voice. Shen Qingxuan thought blankly, and was stunned for a while before answering him: “I’ll give it back to you."
“Why do you want to return it to me?" Yi Mo still asked, standing there, neither moving closer nor moving further away.
Shen Qingxuan did not answer, as if he had not heard his question. He just stared at him blankly, as if he could not see enough.
“Yi Mo."
The strength in his hands stopped at some point, Shen Qingxuan seemed to come back to his senses, let go of the blood bead, and stretched out his hand, “Come and hug me."
The fingers covered with fresh blood were raised so naturally in front of Yi Mo, suspended in mid-air, with blood dripping from time to time onto the ground. The fingers were slightly open, with the knuckles curled, in a desperate and bloody posture.
Yi Mo is back.
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