Chapter 47: Du Xian Sect 5 Part 2

Fan Tian chuckled lowly. “Senior Brother Fan Hai, what is the suffering of emotion? For dozens of years in the red dust, my wife and I worked at sunrise and rested at sunset, embracing in deep affection, sleeping side by side, happier than immortals. Senior Brother, what’s the point of ascending to immortality? Better to go home and farm.”

“Blasphemy!” Fan Hai’s towering rage crashed against the Reincarnation Cauldron, making Fan Tian spit up a mouthful of blood.

“You abandoned the immortal path for a mere Snake Demon and even schemed to steal the Reincarnation Cauldron to reverse causality.” Fan Hai demanded sternly. “Do you know that even if you activate the Reincarnation Cauldron and return to Ku Xian Village, you will still be a mere mortal without heaven-shaking power? You cannot prevent the Luo River dam from collapsing. If you chose not to smash the Snake Woman Temple to save that Snake Demon, countless villagers would die during the repairs to the old dam.”

“Fan Tian, you have already made the correct choice: sacrifice one to save a hundred. This is the great merit of resolving disaster and crossing suffering.”

“Great merit…” Fan Tian murmured. Suddenly, his spiritual power erupted like crashing waves and sweeping clouds. “I don’t want it!”

The Reincarnation Cauldron shrank rapidly and merged into Fan Tian’s body. Thick Buddhist chants resounded as golden curse scripts wrapped around him, activating the cauldron.

…

The bridal bed was bright red, the quilt vividly crimson. Xun Ji was speechless, not knowing how many times he had returned to this starting point.

He listlessly extended one foot, pressing it against the solid chest muscles in front of him. “Are we going through the motions, or straight to kissing?”

“Junior Sister Su, it’s me.” Lu Yun Ting grasped her ankle and tucked it back under the quilt, straightened his collar, and sat properly on the bed. “Did Junior Sister see Qingming’s memory?”

Xun Ji perked up. “You saw Fan Tian’s memory too?”

The two sat cross-legged facing each other and shared the memories they had seen.

It was far more detailed than the original text, Xun Ji thought secretly. In the original, this plot only served to create physical contact between Lu Yun Ting and Su Yanran; the backstory was glossed over briefly.

“So, the Buddhist cultivator Fan Tian sought ascension, cast aside his cultivation and memories, entered the mortal world to experience emotional suffering, and encountered the little Snake Demon Qingming whom he had once saved. They became a mortal couple.” Lu Yun Ting sorted through what he had learned in the illusion. “When disaster struck Ku Xian Village, Fan Tian destroyed the Snake Woman Temple to save the villagers, unaware that it would kill Qingming.”

“He killed his own wife with his own hands. Shocked, he recovered his Buddhist memories, returned to Baochan Temple to steal the Reincarnation Cauldron, hoping to defy heaven and change fate.” Xun Ji picked up the thread. “In the illusion, we’ve experienced two endings: one where the villagers die, one where Qingming dies. Now we’re back at the choice point. What do we choose this time?”

“Perhaps we don’t need to choose.” Lu Yun Ting pondered. “Junior Sister, do you remember? You said this illusion was created by Fan Tian; we’re merely playing the roles of Fan Tian and Qingming.”

Xun Ji instantly understood. “You mean, let Fan Tian and Qingming come out?”

Lu Yun Ting nodded. “Since Fan Tian has taken the Reincarnation Cauldron, there must be a third ending. But now that I’m awake, I’m afraid I’ll need to sleep again to fuse with Fan Tian.”

“No need for such trouble.” Xun Ji smiled faintly. “Hasn’t Senior Brother noticed? The more our actions in the illusion align with their true selves, the easier it is to fuse with them?”

Lu Yun Ting paused. “Junior Sister means?”

Xun Ji’s hands slid onto his taut, muscular thighs. Before he could dodge, she yanked his collar, pulling him within inches.

“Senior Brother is so dense; you don’t even understand this…” The ambiguous words vanished into overlapping lips and teeth.

The bridal candle flickered suddenly; the canopy billowed without wind. The scene before them blurred, and the guests’ revelry turned into the heavy thud of strikes against stone walls.

Xun Ji opened his eyes again. Bamboo rustled, brooks babbled, and the outer wall of the Snake Woman Temple shattered, revealing the graceful Snake Girl Lady statue.

“Fan Tian, do it.” He heard a woman’s calm voice from his own mouth.

The tall, handsome man held an Iron Chisel, gazing at her across the bamboo grove.

“You know everything.”

Qingming smiled, her beauty as stunning and nation-toppling as ever.

“Your Baochan Temple’s Reincarnation Cauldron isn’t that effective; it didn’t erase the previous loop’s memory.” She said. “Improve it next time.”

“Since you know I used the Reincarnation Cauldron, you should know I won’t repeat the previous mistake.” Fan Tian tossed aside the Iron Chisel.

“Mistake?” Qingming shook her head. “Exchanging my life for Ku Xian Village’s vitality—what mistake is there?”

She walked step by step toward Fan Tian, picked up the Iron Chisel from the ground. “Fan Tian, we both know deep down that no matter how many loops, your choice won’t change.”

“You are the Buddhist cultivator Fan Tian, entering the path with your body, crossing suffering with yourself. From the moment you exhausted your cultivation to shift mountains and calm Luo Water’s flood, from the moment you, utterly spent, jumped into Luo Water without hesitation to save me, from the moment you prattled your grand principles to a little snake who couldn’t even transform—I knew you would never abandon countless lives for selfish desire.” Qingming said. “Fan Tian, you are destined to step onto the Passing Immortal Bridge, transcend the mortal world, and ascend the immortal path.”

“Destined…” Fan Tian murmured. “Is that what you think?”

“I understand all the reasoning, but…” Qingming sighed softly. “Fan Tian, you’re a good man, but I’m a good snake too. Though in this life, I’m willing to fulfill your path and help you cross suffering, if there’s a next life… let’s not meet again.”