TDFM Chapter 108

Weeping Rain

 

Yun Qing had dreamed for a very long time.

 

In her dream, blood rained from the sky, and corpses lay everywhere. She had searched for a long time in the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, but couldn’t find her Shi or junior sister. She cried out, but in the dream she couldn’t make any sound.

 

She saw a patch of white light—holy radiance that seemed capable of healing all wounds in the world. She couldn’t help but walk toward the white light. When she got close, she saw the glowing object.

 

A pure white, perfectly round precious pearl.

 

For some reason, tears streamed down her face.

 

Then she woke up.

 

Yun Qing’s face was covered in tear stains. Her first reaction upon opening her eyes was pain.

 

The wounds on her shoulder and leg had already been treated with medicine. The sharp pain of torn muscle mixed with the burning sensation of the medicinal treatment stabbed at her soul wave after wave.

 

Yun Qing took a deep breath and forced herself to shift her attention. She looked toward the ceiling.

 

The houses of the Shenle clan had no carved beams or painted decorations. This ceiling was only coated with a layer of tung oil for preservation. A gecko was lying motionless on the beam.

 

She stared blankly at the gecko.

 

The gecko moved, quickly crawled a few steps, and disappeared behind the beam.

 

Yun Qing’s gaze shifted and she looked toward the pale window. Outside the window came the sound of dripping—it seemed to be raining.

 

She felt her face was itchy and was about to raise her hand to wipe it when she realized her hand was being held by someone.

 

Her gaze continued downward to see the person holding her hand.

 

He must have been sitting on the ground. At this moment, one hand grasped hers while his other hand rested on the bedside, pillowing his face, showing her the back of his head. His jet-black hair spread across the bedside, with a red hair ribbon woven through it.

 

Yun Qing didn’t pull her hand back. She gently sat up and made a hand seal to clear away the tear stains on her face.

 

Sitting on the bed and looking down, she could see that he was kneeling on the ground, leaning against the bedside while sleeping. His thick black eyelashes trembled from time to time, showing that he wasn’t sleeping very peacefully.

 

His complexion had grown much paler, even his lips were somewhat grayish-white. Yun Qing sighed, thinking that Baiyu must be very, very tired.

 

Of course—with so many people injured, he couldn’t just watch them die. How could he not be exhausted?

 

Moreover, he himself had suffered many injuries.

 

Jiang Baiyu hadn’t been sleeping soundly to begin with. Ten years of living on thin ice had made him alert to any disturbance. So now, Yun Qing’s single sigh actually woke him.

 

His eyelashes lifted and he looked up at her. Upon seeing her face, he seemed to finally confirm that everything was safe.

 

His shoulders relaxed slightly.

 

“Where’s Fu Xue?” Yun Qing asked.

 

“She’s fine, only suffered minor injuries. Suiyan was hurt more severely, but they’ve all been treated. Ci Li is also fine.”

 

Yun Qing breathed a sigh of relief and moved her hand.

 

Jiang Baiyu seemed reluctant to let go of her. He held her hand, pressing her palm against his face, looking up at her from below.

 

His face was somewhat warmer than her palm, and now had some color. Yun Qing smiled and said, “Baiyu, with us like this, you seem like my male consort.”

 

Jiang Baiyu also smiled, pressing his thumb firmly into her palm. “You’re being improper.”

 

Yun Qing brought up her other hand as well, cupping his face with both hands and leaning down to kiss his forehead.

 

“We’re all still alive. How wonderful.”

 

****

 

The two walked out of the room together. It was indeed raining outside, and the ground was muddy.

 

However, calling it rain wasn’t quite accurate—snow was mixed in with the rain.

 

Yun Qing curiously looked up. In her field of vision, countless raindrops approached from the sky, their speed seeming slower than ordinary rain.

 

She muttered to herself, “Is this rain or snow?”

 

Jiang Baiyu said, “It must be snowing on Liuyun Mountain. The snow passes through the barrier and falls into Shenle Valley, but because it’s warm in the valley, the snowflakes turn to rain in the air.”

 

Yun Qing nodded—that made sense. The barriers in this world were roughly divided into two types: one that blocked everything, and another that blocked the living but not the dead—that is, only blocking living things.

 

The former type of barrier consumed much more cultivation than the latter. Shenle Valley’s barrier should be the latter, more energy-efficient type. This kind of barrier naturally wouldn’t block wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and such things.

 

She raised her hand, and raindrops mixed with snowflakes fell into her palm, turning into a small puddle of water.

 

“Where are the others?” she asked.

 

Jiang Baiyu shook his head. “Let’s go look for them.”

 

The two walked out of the courtyard gate and saw that the old maple tree had withered considerably overnight, with a layer of red leaves accumulated on the ground.

 

A paper crane was attached to the tree trunk.

 

Yun Qing plucked the paper crane and asked it, “Where’s Fu Xue?”

 

Fu Xue’s voice came from the paper crane: “Senior sister, we’re by the stream.”

 

****

 

Fu Xue stood in the rain, holding Ci Li, who had returned to cat form, in her arms.

 

Cheng Suiyan stood beside her, saying nothing.

 

Around them, almost all the Shenle clan members had come to the streamside, except for some who were severely injured and temporarily bedridden.

 

Raindrops dampened their hair. Everyone was silent, facing a certain direction, and some occasionally raised their sleeves to wipe away tears.

 

Six hastily constructed funeral beds lay there.

 

Fu Xue looked at the funeral beds, unable to control her tears. Wave after wave surged out, forming two small streams on her face. The tears dripped from her chin and fell onto Ci Li.

 

Ci Li lay quietly in her arms. This time it wasn’t impatient.

 

If holding it could make her feel better, then let her hold it.

 

Yun Qing and Jiang Baiyu ran to the streamside. Seeing Fu Xue and the others, Yun Qing called out, “Junior sister.”

 

Fu Xue turned to see her senior sister and finally couldn’t hold back anymore, bursting into tears with a “wah.”

 

Yun Qing walked over and gently patted her back. “It’s alright, it’s fine.” While saying this, she looked questioningly at Cheng Suiyan.

 

Cheng Suiyan explained in a heavy voice, “Sister Muyu died.”

 

Yun Qing’s heart sank, and she suddenly felt as if she were dreaming. Someone who had been laughing and talking yesterday was gone today?

 

Cheng Sui Yan continued, “Besides Sister Muyu, four other Shenle clan members also passed away. Ding Lisheng severed his own meridians and died after you split the Blood Wave Triple Surge.”

 

Yun Qing’s eyes reddened upon hearing this. Sister Muyu had smiled while saying she was born when peach blossoms bloomed—it seemed like it was just before her eyes, and everyone hadn’t even properly said goodbye before she was gone.

 

Jiang Baiyu pressed his lips together. He naturally knew about these things.

 

After the catastrophe occurred, he had immediately summoned the Golden Frost Jade Dew Lotus to heal everyone.

 

But his energy was limited after all, and he couldn’t completely heal everyone. He could only hastily treat those with critical injuries first, temporarily stabilizing their lives, then continue after resting.

 

Five people had died on the spot—beyond his power to save. Sister Muyu was among them.

 

Yun Qing had just awakened, and he knew that telling her these things would inevitably affect her mood, so he thought he’d delay it as long as possible.

 

…

 

Shi Feijia led several clan members, holding torches as they walked to the funeral beds. Her full head of black hair had now turned completely white, draped in frost and snow, making her very conspicuous in the crowd.

 

Shi Ruibin began to sing.

 

“Dew on the scallions,  

How easily it dries.  

When the dew dries, it will fall again tomorrow morning,  

But when a person dies, when will they return?”

 

The song was sad and mournful. Yun Qing couldn’t help but shed tears. The rain fell slowly, cold and cool against people’s faces, mixing with their tears.

 

Shi Feijia lit the dry wood beneath Shi Muyu’s funeral bed and said softly, “Jiujiu, go well on your journey.”

 

Others also lit the funeral beds, saying “go well on your journey.”

 

Blazing flames burned up, the heat of the fire scorching people’s cheeks. Everyone fell silent. By the stream, only the crackling of burning wood could be heard, along with Shi Ruibin’s increasingly desolate singing.

 

“Whose land is this in Haoli?  

Gathering souls, neither wise nor foolish are spared.  

How the ghost official urges and presses,  

Human life cannot hesitate even a moment!”

 

Fu Xue leaned against Yun Qing and said quietly, “I hope Sister Muyu can have her wish in the next life and become a happy little bird.”

 

…

 

After cremating all the departed, Yun Qing looked toward Shi Feijia.

 

Shi Feijia had maintained an expressionless face throughout. Now she walked before Yun Qing, who said to her, “Clan leader, please accept my condolences.”

 

Shi Feijia nodded once, then said, “I know you have many questions.”

 

Yun Qing’s heart tightened.

 

Shi Feijia: “But I still have an urgent matter to attend to.”

 

“Clan leader, is there anything we can do?”

 

“Qingshang has disappeared.”

 

Yun Qing was startled. “Ah?”

 

Shi Feijia sighed lightly and said, “Qingshang is young and hot-blooded. Suddenly suffering such a blow, I’m afraid he might do something foolish. I’ll split up with the clan members to search for him first.”

 

Yun Qing asked, “Where should we look?”

 

“I don’t know. I just hope he hasn’t left Shenle Valley and hasn’t… had an accident.”

 

The group looked at each other. Yun Qing said, “Clan leader, give me his birth details and I’ll try calculating them. That way we might find him sooner.”

 

Shi Feijia smiled bitterly. “I don’t know. Even his birth mother doesn’t know his exact birth details.”

 

“Why?”

 

“This child—when he was still in the Hundred Seed, before his time was up, he broke open the gourd and crawled out himself. When his mother found him, she didn’t know how long he’d been out, so naturally she didn’t know his exact birth time.”

 

Uh, what a miraculous man.

 

Yun Qing could only say, “Then let’s search together. More people means we can find him faster.”

 

Everyone was about to scatter when Yun Qing roughly calculated that Qingshang should be in the southwest direction. She couldn’t calculate more specifically. She thought about what was in that direction and suddenly said, “I know a place.”

 

Shi Feijia hadn’t gone far yet. Hearing her say this, she quickly asked, “Where?”

 

****

 

Shi Qingshang stood in the sea of hosta flowers, taking one last look at this world.

 

Lead-gray clouds hung heavy, and Shenle Valley’s brilliant autumn had faded. Cold rain drifted slowly down like tears carried by the wind.

 

The noble hosta flowers, beaten by the cold rain, bowed their heads.

 

At this moment, many scenes flooded his mind.

 

After regaining his sight, he and Ding Lisheng had traveled the outside world for half a year.

 

He had seen the waterfalls and rainbows of Fuyou Mountain, the Zitang Grand Canyon of Fuzhong Mountain, the ten-thousand-acre lotus fields of Huayang Mountain, the snow of Kunlun Mountain, the clouds of Lingcang Mountain…

 

Once, whenever he thought of these things, he would feel happy.

 

But when these scenes appeared in his mind again, however happy he had been before, now he felt that much pain.

 

No—this pain was a thousand times deeper than that happiness.

 

Grandma Bayin, Aunt Jinse, Uncle Chongpan, Sister Muyu, Brother Changxiao.

 

They all died because of him.

 

Because of his selfishness and stubborn obsession.

 

Regret and guilt tore at Shi Qingshang. He couldn’t forgive himself and didn’t know how to face this world.

 

It was all because of these eyes.

 

He stared blankly at the distant mountain peaks shrouded in dark clouds, slowly raising his hand. His index and middle fingers touched his eyes, reaching beneath his eyelids. Enduring the instinct to close his eyes when foreign objects invaded, his fingers suddenly exerted force.

 

“In this life, the next life, and the life after that, I never want eyes again.”

 

Two streams of bloody tears flowed out, and the world fell back into darkness. Shi Qingshang suddenly felt relieved, thinking that now he had the face to go down and apologize to his clan members.

 

He reached for the qin hanging at his waist. This qin was named “Weeping Rain” and had accompanied him for fifteen years—it was his most intimate friend. Let him play one last time before leaving, to properly bid farewell to this old friend.

 

Shi Qingshang sat cross-legged among the flowers, placing the Weeping Rain qin across his knees.

 

He didn’t know what piece to play as farewell, so he simply played randomly.

 

The fragrance of hosta flowers floated in the air. This fragrance was no longer gentle, but damp, cold, and resolute. In the distance came the sound of fir tree branches and leaves rustling, along with the mournful cries of birds in the forest.

 

He was overwhelmed by immense pain.

 

Life’s joys were as brief as flowers, while pain was like wild grass—it couldn’t be burned away or cut down, forever following like a shadow, forever reviving from ashes, until the very last moment of life.

 

The qin music echoed between heaven and earth, melting into the snowy rain and sea of flowers. All of his life seemed attached to this music, and he himself seemed to wander between heaven and earth with the sound.

 

After an unknown amount of time, a high, clear, resonant call faintly came from the sky. Shi Qingshang suddenly pressed down on the strings, looked up, listened to that sound in a daze, then suddenly laughed mockingly:

 

“Actually a phoenix? I’ve studied the Phoenix Ceremonial Melody for years without finding the key, and now, having committed heinous crimes and about to die, it actually teaches me enlightenment? Oh vast heaven, how cold and heartless!”

 

The icy snow-rain pelted his face, melting his bloody tears. He suddenly picked up a broken sword beside him.

 

This sword had two-thirds of its blade broken off. He gently stroked the two small seal characters on the blade.

 

Good Dream.

 

Good dream, good dream—his whole life had truly been like a good dream. Now that the dream was broken and he was awake, there was nothing left to cherish.

 

“Grandma Bayin, Sister Muyu… I’ve come to apologize to you.” Saying this, he suddenly raised the sword and stabbed toward his throat!

 

Yun Qing stood far away, having just recovered from the heavenly qin music. When she saw Shi Qingshang reach for his sword, she knew something was wrong.

 

Her Hundred Years of Sorrow had already been broken, and she wasn’t wearing a sword at the moment. In this critical moment, she could only remove the magical treasure “Neat Family” from her wrist and fiercely throw it at Shi Qingshang.

 

Shi Qingshang used his hearing to locate the direction and caught the incoming bracelet with one hand.

 

Due to this action, the sword blade in his hand stopped.

 

Yun Qing shouted loudly, “Qingshang, calm down!”

 

Shi Qingshang froze.

 

Had she come?

 

Several people ran to Shi Qingshang. Yun Qing saw that Shi Qingshang had his eyes closed, his eyelids sunken, his face covered in bloody tears. Her heart ached.

 

Shi Feijia sighed and said, “Qingshang, this isn’t your fault.”

 

Shi Qingshang said, “I no longer care to distinguish right from wrong. I only want to go down and apologize to Sister Muyu and the others.”

 

Shi Feijia’s eyes reddened. “If you want to atone, you should live even more. Death solves nothing—it’s just escape. Qingshang, you have extraordinary talent, and now at such a young age you’ve already comprehended the Phoenix Ceremonial Melody. The future of our Shenle clan rests on your shoulders.

 

If you want to atone, then cultivate well, develop our clan’s Way, and use the rest of your life to make amends. I believe Grandma Bayin and the others think the same. If you die now, then you truly have no face to meet them.”

 

Shi Qingshang fell silent, like a statue in the snow and rain.

 

Shi Feijia turned around, looking up to force back the tears in her eyes. After a while, she slowly exhaled and said to Yun Qing, “Let’s go. About the past events, I should give you an explanation. Come with me.”