Cherry Blossoms Upon a Wintry Sword

Chapter 73: The Jiao Enters the Sea

Lin Rufei did not dare to continue to listen. Despite Tian Shui’s obstruction, he walked to the next riverbank and watched the two from a distance, but did not come closer. Although he could not hear their conversation from this distance, he could still see the two of them. She Jingxian and Tian Shui talked for a while when suddenly, there seemed to be some kind of argument. Tian Shui’s expression showed obvious displeasure and he turned around to leave, however, She Jingxian reached out with his hand and pressed them on his shoulder, saying something to him emotionally.

Lin Rufei asked, “What is going on between them?”

Gu Xuandu stroked his chin, savoring their movements: “There must be something fishy.”

Lin Rufei twisted his head to look at him: “Could it be that Tian Shui and She Jingxian really do have an affair?”

When Gu Xuandu heard those words, he was silent for about two seconds, and then replied rejoicefully: “My family’s Xiao Jiu has really grown up……”

Lin Rufei: “……” What’s with this tone?  

On the other end, She Jingxian and Tian Shui’s argument had reached a fierce point. She Jingxian suddenly reached out and hugged Tian Shui, kissing him heavily on the lips. Lin Rufei looked dumbfounded from the side and his eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets. Gu Xuandu then covered Lin Rufei’s eyes with his hand and his voice was thick with laughter: “Don’t look, don’t look[1].” 

Lin Rufei asked vaguely, “Are they really in……that kind of relationship?”

Gu Xuandu replied, “Isn’t it obvious?”

Lin Rufei was silent for a long time. Although he had a hunch at first, it was still very shocking when he actually saw the two entwined together. After all, She Jingxian was a real human and his family’s attitude toward demons wasn’t all to good. Furthermore, he actually had feelings for a jiao……

The two of them kissed for quite some time on the riverbank. Lin Rufei felt that he was an eyesore standing here so he simply turned around and walked away.

He also did not know when She Jingxian had finally left. Instead, it was not until the evening that She Yizhi said his brother had returned. 

“Where exactly did my brother go with you yesterday, Lin gongzi?” She Yizhi asked, “How come when he came back, his injuries were all healed and he even bounced around.”

Lin Rufei shook his head, indicating that it wasn’t easy for him to explain. 

“That’s strange.” She Yizhi was very suspicious and his mouth began chanting one after another.

Chi Yu, who had been lying in the room, obviously knew where She Jingxian had gone and snorted at She Yizhi’s words, as if he was laughing at him.

She Yizhi glared, unconvinced, “What are you laughing at me for?”

Chi Yu responded, “I’ll laugh if I want to, what are you going to do about it?”

She Yizhi muttered angrily, “You are only——” He was going to say “big cat,” but the scar on his face reminded him that he could not say some things casually, in the end, he made a hard turn on his words and responded, “You big Ye Mo, you are so annoying!”

Lin Rufei thought to himself; the words “big Ye Mo” didn’t sound imposing at all. 

Chi Yu sneered, “Is that so?” He then flashed his white claws.

She Yizhi immediately shrank his neck. In the end, he still conceded and muttered, “He’s really fierce.”

Lin Rufei laughed, “Aren’t all demons fierce?”

She Yizhi replied, “Hey, not necessarily.”

Lin Rufei asked, “Not necessarily?”

She Yizhi stated, “Actually, my mother said that our family was originally not demon hunters.”

Lin Rufei then showed a curious look.

Only then did She Yizhi slowly talk about his family’s history. It turned out that in the beginning, She Yizhi’s family was actually not very proficient in formations and that they were all actually quite good at swordplay. But his She family physique was special and they would always attract some strange demons. Most of these demons came for the She family’s bodies, wanting to devour their flesh to enhance their cultivation. However, the most troublesome thing was that when these demons appear, they usually disguise themselves and do not reveal their hideous faces right from the start. The She family was cheated again and again, and finally, they learned their lesson. They began to learn formations specifically for the demons and sealed the family courtyard off, not allowing the demons to enter. As time went by, the She family’s formations became more and more powerful, but their sword skills soon deteriorated. But this was considered a good thing since the She family was never cheated by demons again and everyone became a great demon hunter.

Although She Yizhi’s swordsmanship was terrible, his formation was one of the best. If Lin Rufei had not stopped him a few days ago, most likely Tian Shui would have been trapped in the formation.

As Lin Rufei listened to She Yizhi’s words, he asked, “So your family was often cheated by demons in the past?”

“Tell me about it, it’s clearly written in the family tree.” She Yizhi replied miserably, “So since I was a child, my mother has told me to stay away from those demons——”

Chi Yu said coldly, “If you’re going to talk then talk, don’t gesture at my tail.”

She Yizhi glared: “I really didn’t pull it last time.”

Chi Yu: “If you didn’t pull it then are you telling me that Lin Rufei did?”

Lin Rufei: “……Actually, I didn’t pull it that time either.”

Chi Yu: “If it wasn’t you,  could it have been a ghost then?!”

Lin Rufei: “……”

She Yizhi: “……”

“Heh, you humans like to lie the most.” Chi Yu spitefully stated, “They will do anything to achieve their goals and in the end, they even put the blame on the demons!”

She Yizhi muttered, “How can you say that? I have seen with my own eyes how one of my uncles was almost swallowed by his wife on his wedding day.”

“Swallowed in one bite?” Chi Yu narrowed his eyes, “The higher demons are most faithful in the matter of companionship, how could they swallow your uncle in one bite?”

She Yizhi replied: “You’re lying. He really did almost get swallowed in one bite.”

Chi Yu answered, “No. What kind of demon did your uncle marry?”

She Yizhi responded: “A beautiful mantis girl.”

Chi Yu was silent for a while, then he let out a long sigh, ‘your She family really isn’t afraid of death. You guys even dare to marry a mantis girl. Being able to survive until now is really a miracle.’ 

(t/n: for those who may not know, female mantis would eat their male partners for nutrition during or after mating.)

She Yizhi then said very frankly, ‘my ancestors had even married cockroach spirits, how could they be afraid of a praying mantis?’

Lin Rufei and Chi Yu both showed their admiration for She Yizhi, thinking that the She family members were really powerful, being able to make this move. 

“But not now, since the Heavenly Ruler’s great formation was set up, there are fewer and fewer demons nearby.” She Yizhi lamented the recessionary business today, “They are little demons that can’t take shape and after finally finding an evil jiao to practice on, I got scolded by my big brother.” 

Chi Yu said strangely: “Practice? If you want to practice, why don’t you go to Bu’e? Instead, you’re here bullying the little demons.” 

She Yizhi replied honestly: “Can’t win against them and I’m afraid of death.”

Chi Yu: “……” This person, he didn’t want any face. 

The dazed little cat cub sleeping on the bed grunted and moaned and Lin Rufei had long gotten used to it. He reacted faster than Chi Yu and in a few steps, he was at the bedside. He picked up the little cat cub and started coaxing it. Chi Yu coldly said, ‘you don’t have to be so competent. This is my son, although it is still very silly, later it will certainly be smart.’

She Yizhi curiously asked, “Where is its mother?”

“It doesn’t have a mother.” Lin Rufei replied.

“How was it born without a mother?” She Yizhi froze.

Lin Rufei pointed at Chi Yu: “He gave birth to it himself.”

She Yizhi sighed: “Then he probably won’t become smart in the future.”

Because of this sentence, She Yizhi’s face had another seven or eight more bloodstains, and if Lin Rufei had not stopped him, his whole face might have been completely finished today. At the evening meal, both She Yizhi and She Jingxian arrived, but the two brothers’ faces were full of depression. Mother She questioned, ‘did the two of you have a fight? How come you guys have several blood marks on your faces?’ However, both of them spoke almost simultaneously, saying they had been scratched by a cat.

Lin Rufei thought in his heart that She Yizhi’s face could be explained, but the problem was how She Jingxian was also scratched so badly. Did he do something to piss off Tian Shui?

But given the presence of Mother She, he did not dare to ask.

After dinner, Lin Rufei found She Jingxian and asked him what was going on between him and Tian Shui.

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She Jingxian sat on a chair, looking a bit depressed, “It’s nothing really, it’s just that he’s leaving and I’m a bit sad.”

Lin Rufei, “Hmm?”

She Jingxian continued, “He’s going to the sea.” And then smiled, “Has Lin gongzi ever seen a jiao go into the sea?”

Lin Rufei replied, “No.”

She Jingxian said, “It is very difficult for a jiao to travel to sea. The more bad things he has done, the greater the calamity. He wasn’t a kind demon so when he walked to the edge of the seaport, he was already covered in wounds. When I saw him on the beach, I picked him up.”

When he first saw Tian Shui, Tian Shui had shrunk into a small jiao the size of chopsticks. There were wounds all over its body and it was on its last breath. If he had only looked at its appearance, he really could not see any hint of it being a jiao. 

“Doesn’t your family dislike demons? You just brought it back home?” Lin Rufei thought it was a bit strange.

She Jingxian answered: “Maybe because it was in such a miserable state, I did not see that it was a jiao and thought it was a beltfish spirit…………”

Lin Rufei: “……”

Gu Xuandu laughed loudly next to him. 

“Like one of those very ordinary kinds of beltfish spirit.” She Jingxian sighed, “I thought it had created a little flood and tricked a few children into drowning so he was not able to transform. The taste of these beltfish spirits could not be better and it tasted best when used for stews.” He then smacked his lips nostalgically.

Demons could eat people, but people could also eat demons and there seemed to be nothing wrong with it. Just when Lin Rufei remembered the scene of She Jingxian and Tian Shui kissing, he automatically thought that the two probably had a romantic encounter. But who would have thought that their encounter would not only be unromantic, but it would also be mixed with the fishy smell of seafood.

Lin Rufei cried and laughed: “So you cooked him?”

She Jingxian touched his nose: “The jiao is powerful, it couldn’t be cooked[2].”

Lin Rufei: “……”

He had to say, judging his appearance alone, She Jingxian should have been a very stable type of person, but soon after getting to know him a little bit more, Lin Rufei saw that She Jingxian’s stable outer appearance showed a restless soul.

Not only was She Jingxian unable to cook Tian Shui, but he also woke him up and the two immediately fought thereafter. Tian Shui had been seriously injured so he was naturally not a match against She Jingxian. So She Jingxian then grabbed this dying little jiao and locked it up in the room. The jiao heading to sea was really not a good thing for the people living by the Ruo River. As a result, She Jingxian did not let Tian Shui go. After some time and being tormented for quite a while, the two of them developed feelings that should not have been there.

Lin Rufei listened from the side. Originally, he was a little touched at this story, but ever since hearing She Jingxian said that he mistook Tian Shui as a beltfish and wanted to stew him, his face became expressionless. After listening, he asked: “Why do you like Tian Shui?”

She Jingxian looked deeply at Lin Rufei and then spat out three words, “He’s good looking.”

Lin Rufei:”……” He was shocked at the shallowness of humans.

“If he was a beltfish spirit, would you still have such a phase?” Lin Rufei asked a question to which the answer had long been obvious.

She Jingxian thought for a moment: “Does Lin gongzi want to taste the beltfish spirit?”

Lin Rufei: “……”

She Jingxian: “It’s really delicious.”

Lin Rufei let out a long sigh and then decided to give up.

She Jingxian then continued to talk about what had happened next between him and Tian Shui. It turned out that after Tian Shui had recovered from his injury, he wanted to continue entering the sea and then after entering the sea, Tian Shui would transform from a jiao to a dragon. She Jingxian knew that the seawater could trap a jiao, but not a dragon, and Tian Shui, who had become a dragon, would leave Yaoguang sooner or later. So the two of them had an argument and Tian Shui unintentionally injured She Jingxian. Then, it attracted other members of the She family and Tian Shui fled in haste while She Jingxian was forced to recuperate at home. He was not seriously injured, but in order to make Tian Shui worry, he deliberately acted as if he was dying. However, the plan of man was not as good as the plan of God. Tian Shui was indeed worried about She Jingxian, but She Yizhi suddenly struck out and almost killed Tian Shui.

Now that Tian Shui and She Jingxian have met again and after knowing that She Jingxian’s health was fine, Tian Shui wanted to leave.

She Jingxian persuaded in every possible way but was unable to move him so he could only return home disappointed. 

Lin Rufei asked, “So he’s gone?”

She Jingxian blinked his eyes, but there was not much loss in his demeanor: “Maybe.”

However, Lin Rufei perceived something else from his expression. The two of them stopped talking and sipped the cold tea in front of them.

This day’s dinner was actually soup stewed with a beltfish spirit.

The beltfish spirit had been caught by Gu Xuandu and it looked no different from an ordinary fish. The only notable difference was that its body was particularly long. 

Lin Rufei, Fu Hua, and Yu Rui grew up living on the Kunlun Mountains and the chances of them eating fresh seafood were very little so this was actually their first time seeing such fresh seafood.

“How do we cook this?” Fu Hua asked in bewilderment while carrying the beltfish. 

Lin Rufei responded hesitantly, “Stew?”

“I think it’s good to eat it directly.” Chi Yu narrowed his eyes and waved his tail.

Fu Hua and Yu Rui already knew Chi Yu’s identity, but still weren’t too wary of the cute big cat being a powerful demon, “Eating it raw will give you diarrhea, so why not make a braise and then a soup.”

Lin Rufei nodded his head in agreement.

So Fu Hua and Yu Rui then headed out while holding the beltfish spirit. Although they have not cooked beltfish before, they have cooked ordinary fish before and it probably wouldn’t be too much different.

Thus, in the evening, Lin Rufei’s room had a constant stream of tempting aroma. The beltfish spirit was quite long so section of it was stewed, a section of it was braised, and another section was stir-fried. Although they had not taken a bite of it yet, just the aroma wafting out was already very delightful.

Lin Rufei tasted a piece and exclaimed in amazement: “Delicious!” The meat was firm and flavorful and most importantly, there were no small bones like the ones in the freshwater fishes. With seaweed together, the taste of the soup was extra delicious and Chi Yu was also very satisfied. Although he was still in his original form, Fu Hua and Yu Rui had long prepared a fill that belonged just for him. He ate without chopsticks and gulped it down even the meat with bones together.

Lin Rufei finished eating and then wandered around the area, perfectly content. Since he was busy for the first two days, he also didn’t think much about the surrounding scenery.

The Ruo River was near the sea and most of the surrounding residents also fished for a living. In the stores along the street, there were many beautiful-looking shellfish and coral. Lin Rufei picked out quite a lot and intended to gift them to his brothers and sister when he headed back home. There were also vendors with fish baskets selling fish on the roadside, but most of the fish in the deep sea was dead after being salvaged. Furthermore, the weather was hot, so they didn’t look very fresh anymore.

Gu Xuandu asked, “Xiao Jiu likes to eat fish?”

Lin Rufei replied, “I’ve never eaten sea fish before.”

“Then I’ll catch some more for you tomorrow.” Gu Xuandu answered, “There is a particularly delicious redfish in this sea, I don’t know if it’s still there after several hundred years though.”

Lin Rufei questioned, “Senior has been here before?”

Gu Xuandu responded, “I came here with an old friend before.” An intoxicating tenderness surfaced on his lips, “He also likes to eat fish.”

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For some reason, Lin Rufei’s heart slightly paused when he heard the words “old friend” coming from Gu Xuandu’s mouth. It seemed that he often heard the existence of such a person from Gu Xuandu’s mouth and he seemed to have taken up a great amount in Gu Xuandu’s life. Lin Rufei said, “The old friend who made mung bean cakes for senior and made wine for senior to drink?”

Gu Xuandu looked at Lin Rufei: “Yes.”

Lin Rufei asked, “Where is he……now and does he know that senior is still alive?”

Gu Xuandu smiled and replied, “I think he knows.”

Lin Rufei continued, “Then why doesn’t he come to find senior?”

Gu Xuandu answered, “There must be some reason for him not to come to find me, but it doesn’t matter. If he doesn’t come to me, I can go to him.” His tone was firm, as if he was repeating a vow.

Lin Rufei slightly pursed his lips. For some reason, there was some strange feeling in his heart, but he quickly put this feeling to the back of his mind and conversed with Gu Xuandu about other things.

Gu Xuandu then proceeded to talk about this place hundreds of years ago, saying that he had once passed by here before, but at that time it was still a small fishing village and now several hundred years later, it had become a lush town. At that time, the demons were rampant, and not many people dared to live by the Ruo River. It was only until later, when the Heavenly Ruler laid a large formation in Yaoguang, did people flourish and their strengths gradually prevailed.

However, this person, who had laid down the Grand Formation, was right now beside him at this time causing Lin Rufei to naturally look at him in a different way, but Gu Xuandu disliked it very much when Lin Rufei called him Heavenly Ruler. As long as Lin Rufei called him that, he would slightly frown and sigh: “I don’t like it when Xiao Jiu calls me that.” He would then blink, showing a cunning look, “You can just call me senior.”

“But isn’t senior the Heavenly Ruler?” Lin Rufei did not understand why Gu Xuandu was so sensitive.

Gu Xuandu laughed, “Xiao Jiu will know sooner or later, but for now, let me keep the suspense.”

Lin Rufei could only agree.

Unknowingly, the two had walked to the Ruo River where they saw many fishing boats fishing. Lin Rufei then picked up a few flat sand stones on the riverside and made an action that showed he wanted to skip the stone. He threw the stone out and just as the stone was thrown out, he saw a familiar figure floating in the middle of the river. It was Tian Shui, who he had seen yesterday.

“Tian Shui, why are you here?” Lin Rufei asked.

Tian Shui shook his head and then took out something from his pocket. He handed it to Lin Rufei and asked him to give it to She Jingxian on his behalf. Lin Rufei received the item, when he noticed that it was a very beautiful scale, he wondered, “Why don’t you give it to him yourself?”

Tian Shui replied, “I have to go.”

Lin Rufei: “……”

Tian Shui continued, “Thank you, Lin gongzi.”

Lin Rufei asked again, “Why don’t you give it to him yourself?”

Tian Shui then sighed, “I’m afraid.”

Lin Rufei frowned, showing a disapproving look.

However, Tian Shui simply smiled as he said, “How long does Lin gongzi think that one person can wait for another?”

Lin Rufei questioned, “What do you mean?”

“It’s just a futile wait.” Tian Shui continued, “You don’t know when he will return and you don’t know if you can still see him. How long do you think such a wait can be?”

However, Lin Rufei did not understand Tian Shui’s words.

“When I was once a jiao, I was so delirious that I vaguely remember what one person once said to me.” Tian Shui said, “He said it didn’t matter how long he waited, as long as that person had the slightest possibility of returning, he would wait again.” He lifted his hand and touched the scar on his forehead, “He seems to have really waited.”

“But I can’t let She Jingxian wait for me.” Tian Shui continued, “I am an evil jiao and have eaten countless people. Whether I can survive the last tribulation is unknown.” He smiled beautifully, “Although I was lucky and was able to get Lin gongzi’s seal of approval, the matter of traveling to the sea is inherently difficult and dangerous; entering the sea as a jiao is not an easy task.”

Everything had a cause and effect

“Then you should at least talk to him face to face.” Lin Rufei said.

“I did.” Tian Shui replied, “I told him to wait for me for six months.”

Lin Rufei: “……”

Tian Shui continued, “If I can pass the lightning tribulation, I will come back. If I can’t, tell him to stop waiting.” 

Lin Rufei called out, “Wait……”

Tian Shui gave a hum in acknowledgement.

Lin Rufei asked, “The person you said that was waiting for someone, does……..it have something to do with me?”

Tian Shui smiled charmingly and then shook his head: “Lin gongzi will know later. This matter is not quite appropriate for me to say.” After he said this, he didn’t know if it was intentional or unintentional, but he actually glanced towards the direction where Gu Xuandu was. Gu Xuandu’s complexion had become dark and he reached out, gently grabbed onto Lin Rufei’s wrist.

Lin Rufei’s attention was on Tian Shui so he was unaware of Gu Xuandu’s strangeness. He still wanted to persuade Tian Shui, but Tian Shui had already decided to go. He turned around and left, blending together with the Ruo River in front of them. 

The scale was cupped in Lin Rufei’s palm. The scale was beautifully rounded and at first glance, it looked like jade. However, Lin Rufei was a little anxious since he didn’t know how to talk about this matter with She Jingxian.  

It was only when Gu Xuandu held his hand and led him back a few steps that he came back to his senses.

“Senior.” Lin Rufei muttered, “I don’t want to get involved at all.”

Gu Xuandu replied, “Then let’s not get involved.”

“But we can’t just not give the scale.” Lin Rufei continued, “So troublesome……”

Gu Xuandu pondered over this matter, “Then why don’t we just chase that jiao back?”

Lin Rufei asked, “He already headed off into the sea, how are we going to give chase?”  

Gu Xuandu then let out a wry smile: “Isn’t the She family’s youngest son quite powerful at catching demons? If he could force the jiao to other places, then wanting to chase it back is also not a difficult thing. Come, let’s go find him.” 

She Yizhi, who was still at home drawing talismans, sneezed a few times. He rubbed his nose strangely, muttering about whether he had caught a cold or not. Just as he finished muttering, the Lin family’s gongzi barged in energetically and with a nervous face, he said, “She Yizhi, not good, your big brother was captured by the demon.”

She Yizhi exclaimed in horror, “Ah? Really?”

Lin Rufei continued, “Naturally it’s true, I never lie. Quick, come with me.”

She Yizhi grabbed the talisman and followed Lin Rufei outside, but before running a few steps, he suddenly felt that something was not quite right. Lin Rufei never lied? This sentence, after thinking it through carefully, seemed to be not quite right……

********

The author has something to say:

Lin Rufei: Every day senior is teaching me to do bad things. 

Gu Xuandu: Hello everyone, my nickname is Gu Bad things[3]. 

Lin Rufei: ? ? ? ? ?

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[1] The full meaning of these words is “Don’t look at something that is not consistent with propriety” But that’s too long and GXD says it twice so I shortened it. 

[2] Right here it actually means undercooked, what it means is that no matter how long he cooked it, the jiao remained undercooked. 

[3] I think the implication here is that the “do” is the double entendre since “doing” someone could also mean s*x. So I believe that GXD turned his nickname into that(bad things) so that LRF is considered “doing” him, if you get what I mean ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)