Chapter 122 – Dissonance I

Chapter 122 - Dissonance I

After the dark clouds had passed that day, the citizens of Xunwu witnessed a grand procession emerge from an inn and ascend into the sky, assuming it was a divine spectacle. They knelt in awe, bidding farewell.

In the air, Wang Wanhe and Dian Chan flew side by side on their swords, followed by Chu Yun and Zǐ'èr in harmony. Shen Yuan led the group, with Wang Pan and others trailing behind.

At the tail end of the formation, Chu Yun was seen conversing with Zǐ'èr about exorcism.

Chu Yun, clad in white robes and plain shoes, hovered on his sword high above, looking relaxed and content.

He smiled faintly, his limpid and clear Lantian Jade-like eyes fixed on Zǐ'èr.

Maintaining eye contact when someone spoke was basic etiquette, but Chu Yun's affectionate gaze tended to make one's heart race.

However, Chu Yun and Zǐ'èr were old acquaintances, so they didn't mind such nuances. Zǐ'èr continued to speak openly, "Haha, that kid Shen Yuan must have something special on him. Whatever he lacks seems to appear before him. Just look, he even managed to find that rare Lantian Jade."

Chu Yun nodded in agreement, "Indeed, it's not easily come by."

Zǐ'èr suddenly found himself at a loss for words, yet he couldn't resist talking. He grabbed his gourd from his waist, took a swig of wine, and said, "But then he lost it again. Wanna guess if he's found it?" He engaged Chu Yun in conversation, mainly to avoid boredom during the journey.

Chu Yun shook his head. "I can't guess."

Not the most supportive response. With a raised eyebrow, Chi Zao'e continued on his own, "A little girl told us, 'Lantian Jade is playing with it.' We were trying to get the jade back, but she returned home and disappeared... When I came back to Cloud Platform Pavilion, guess what happened?"

Chu Yun replied nonchalantly, "Lantian Jade was still at Cloud Platform Pavilion."

Chi Zao'e could tell that Chu Yun was in a bad mood, not in the mood for jokes, and just wanted to be alone. So, he gave a perfunctory answer, as if he had just had an argument with someone and was now seeing everyone with annoyance.

Not wanting to provoke further trouble, Chi Zao'e began to drink his wine in silence.

...

As for Shen Yuan, he rode his sword swiftly and steadily, leaving Xiang Yan and He Mengfang far behind.

Soon, He Mengfang caught up to Shen Yuan. They flew side by side. He said in surprise, "So you can fly on a sword!" His tone conveyed both astonishment and admiration.

Shen Yuan simply replied, "Mm." Then, he sped ahead of He Mengfang once again.

He Mengfang gritted his teeth and caught up with Shen Yuan, saying, "Slow down a bit. There's no rush to go back. I have something to tell you."

"How do I slow down?" Shen Yuan turned his head and asked.

The speed of flying on a sword was proportional to one's cultivation level and spiritual energy, but it could be controlled. Otherwise, Chu Yun and Chi Zi'e wouldn't have been trailing behind them. However, they hadn't learned how to do that yet.

Lost for words, He Mengfang fell silent.

Seeing this, Wang Pan, who had been riding on his sword, suggested, "Let me give it a try."

As soon as he spoke, the sword suddenly accelerated.

Finally catching up to Shen Yuan, He Mengfang let out a sigh of relief. Nevertheless, a tinge of disappointment rose in his heart. As the prince of the Heng Yao royal family, the future successor, he realized that he was inferior to others in every aspect and had to yield to them.

With his right eye blind and while focusing on flying the sword, Shen Yuan didn't pay much attention to He Mengfang. Hearing that he seemed to have something to say but kept silent, Shen Yuan probed, "Mengfang, what is it that you want to talk about?"

As if waking from a dream, He Mengfang asked in a sluggish tone, "Why do you have the surname Shen?"

Shen Yuan himself had never pondered over this question. He casually replied, "To differentiate myself from those in Dian Shan District."

"Why are you the one with a different surname, while Dian Shan bears the royal one? Couldn't it be the other way around?"

"Dian, Yuan… It does sound nice, but I've gotten used to being called Shen Yuan…"

"In the royal family, a name is not just about sounding pleasant or being familiar."

Hearing He Mengfang repeatedly dwell on the matter of surnames, Wang Pan asked him, "Have you heard any news these past few days?"

"No, I haven't."

He Mengfang and Shen Yuan had grown up together. It was rare for He Mengfang to stumble over his words, as he always owned up to his mistakes and spoke his mind openly, unless he was lying.

Suspicious, Shen Yuan inquired, "Are you sure?"

Unfortunately, the two knew each other too well to keep secrets. Unable to speak directly, He Mengfang could only hint at it, but surprisingly, Shen Yuan failed to grasp the hidden meaning behind his words.

He Mengfang exclaimed, "Ah! Ayuan, you should clarify my question thoroughly with Empress Dian."

Perplexed, Shen Yuan responded vaguely, "Oh."

He Mengfang understood Shen Yuan's nature well and knew he hadn't taken it to heart. He raised his voice, "I said don't be casual about it! If I asked you to clarify, then go and clarify!"

Shen Yuan sensed that He Mengfang had changed, becoming more like a leader, but he had always been one. Perhaps it was himself who had changed.

"I will. I'll get to the bottom of it," Shen Yuan nodded slowly, agreeing with him.

"What do you need to clarify? I heard Mengfang's voice from afar." Chi Zi'e approached them, flying on his sword at a leisurely pace. In no time, he joined them.

Jokingly, Shen Yuan replied, "We could hear your voice from far away too."

He Mengfang brushed it off, "Nothing much, just asking what happened in Xun Wu."

Shen Yuan didn't want to dwell on that topic, so he agreed with He Mengfang, "Yeah." Then, he changed the subject, "But wasn't Wang Pan and Chi Zi'e unconscious? How did they return to the inn?" As he had been hiding in the temple, he knew how Wang Pan had left, but for the sake of changing the subject, he decided to ask anyway.

Wang Pan answered, "I don't remember. I woke up in the inn, and Xiang Yan was there too."

Xiang Yan, lacking their cultivation and spiritual energy, was alone at the back, watching them gather together and chat happily, unable to join in. He couldn't answer Wang Pan's question.

However, He Mengfang picked up the conversation, "I came with Xiang Yan, so I know."

"Hey! We were playing hot potato! At least let Yi Shujun have a chance to speak!" Chi Zuo'e exclaimed impatiently.

"Wang Pan, you should go first," Wang Pan suggested sensibly.

Chi Zuo'e sighed and said, "Mu Shi is still a good child, but she was just pushed too far. She didn't take that Lantian Jade. When I returned to YunTai Pavilion, I found it in my room, carefully placed on the desk."

"Lantian Jade! It's from Jade Mountain?!" He Mengfang's excitement grew upon hearing this.

Chi Zuo'e replied, "Of course. You should thank Shen Yuan; he's the one who discovered it."

"No need. As family, it's what I should do," Shen Yuan said casually.

Upon hearing this, He Mengfang looked at Shen Yuan with an ambiguous expression—usually, Shen Yuan would boast about his accomplishments, not be so polite, which now made him seem distant.

After a moment, Chi Zuo'e continued, "But there's one thing that shows disrespect to your elders. When I woke up, I was alone on the temple floor, with no one around. None of you thought to send me back to YunTai Pavilion when you regained consciousness."

Shen Yuan was left speechless.

Wang Pan said, "I'm not sure. When I woke up, I was already at the inn."

He Mengfang replied, "I was the one who carried Wang Pan back to the inn."

"Then why didn't you send me back?" Scarlet Child asked insistently.

"I didn't have the chance," He Mengfang explained. "At that time, Xiang Yan and I split up to search for you all across the streets. It was me who found you first in Yi Shujun's temple in the outskirts of Xunwu. There were three people inside – Wang Pan, my teacher, and a female corpse. But with only me there, I could only carry you back one by one. Since Yi Shujun's temple is near the Scarlet Water River, I decided to take Wang Pan, who was further away, back to the inn first before returning for my teacher. But when I got back to the temple after sending Wang Pan, there was no one left, not even the female corpse."

"It's possible that I woke up before Mengfang returned and went back to Cloud Platform Pavilion on my own," Scarlet Child paused for a moment before adding curiously, "Hey kid, if Mengfang didn't find you on Xunwu Street and didn't see you in my temple, then where were you?"

"I…" Stuttering, Shen Yuan found it difficult to explain under Scarlet Child's straightforward questioning.

The memory he had pushed aside in the temple resurfaced:

Before Mu Shi died, she tightly held onto Shen Yuan's arm as if she didn't feel any pain, allowing her abdomen to be pierced through by his limb.

A gurgling sound echoed in Shen Yuan's mind, leaving him numb and cold. The only warmth came from the small section of his arm that was embedded in her flesh – the warmth of a living person. But it was cooling down rapidly. After a brief daze, he snapped out of it and tried to pull his arm out, planning to bring Mu Shi back to Penglai Island and beg Chu Yun to save her.

However, Mu Shi refused to let go of his hand.

Blood was seeping continuously from the hole in her abdomen, causing Shen Yuan to cry out anxiously, "Please don't die... Let me take you back to Penglai... I... I don't want to be a murderer..."

Before his last breath, Mu Shi gasped, "You're too merciful for your own good. How can you escape this killing game? You're in a game of chess, and everyone you see is a pawn. The one controlling the game is powerful beyond your comprehension, yet he's right there, aware of everything. Your life is in his hands, and you can't escape, whether you comply or resist. You should be more reckless, fight him to the death; perhaps then you might have a chance to break free from this trap. Be ruthless, and you'll surely triumph. Believe in yourself... I brought destruction upon Xun Wu's people in pursuit of revenge, making me a sinner beyond redemption. I deserve to die, but I want my death to reveal the truth to you."

What truth did Mu Shi want Shen Yuan to see?

Was it necessary for her to die for him to understand? For him to kill her with his own hands?

Amidst a jumbled mess of thoughts, Shen Yuan's mind was a tangled web, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably. His face turned ashen, and his inner robe was soaked with cold sweat.

The sword beneath his feet resonated with his turmoil, vibrating like boiling water with a humming sound.

"Wang Pan, how blind are you?!" Wang Pan scolded Zi'e harshly.

In his disoriented state, Shen Yuan felt trapped in a quagmire, his ears buzzing, unable to hear anything.

"Ayuan, calm your mind! Do you wish to ascend sooner?!"

At Wang Pan's sharp rebuke, Shen Yuan instantly regained his composure.

Everyone sighed in relief, deciding not to dwell on the topic further. Besides, they were nearing Peng Lai Island.

Plunging into the misty haze hovering above the East China Sea, upon landing, one would find oneself on Peng Lai Island.

It had only been half a month since Shen Yuan and his companions had left the island. It was precisely the time when the island's barrier was to be opened, allowing the students to return home. However, due to the sinking incident, Wang Wanhe issued an order: "All students must remain on the island until this matter is resolved; under no circumstances are they to leave."

But now, the island was not just inhabited by those students. There were also the survivors rescued after the sinking, though most had tragically perished beneath the sea. Nevertheless, several thousand individuals still remained.

By the time they returned to Peng Lai, it was already twilight.

Peng Lai was far from the perpetually hot Xun Wu. Shen Yuan's single green garment was no match against the March sea breeze.

He was ushered into the martial arena, kneeling on the cold ground, with a multitude of displaced and homeless people, who had lost everything, standing behind him. High above on the platform sat his mother and Wang Wanhe.

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