Not Human

Ye Jiuya saw Chen Weichen glance back at him.

In the dark mist, he could vaguely see the emotions in his eyes, from sadness to despair, with a hint of self-mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.

Then he slowly closed his eyes, his whole body going limp as he fell.

"Ah Hui? What's wrong with you!" Xiao Dao anxiously pushed Wen Hui's shoulders, soaking a cloth in cold water and wiping his forehead, but the man just stared blankly ahead with empty eyes, unresponsive no matter how she called him.

"Sister Dao, something happened on the mountain. The officials and soldiers went up but then retreated. Everyone left, but there's no sign of the young master!" A young maidservant ran over in a fluster, at a complete loss.

Xiao Dao was so anxious that tears were about to fall. She stomped her foot heavily on the ground, "The young master hasn't returned, and he's been in a daze for over an hour without waking up!"

"Sister Dao, what should we do?" Another young maidservant came over seeking guidance, pointing to the mountain path, "Those masters and madams all fled down the mountain as if running for their lives!"

Xiao Dao glanced at Wen Hui, gritted her teeth, and looked at the group of servants and guards accompanying them, "Ah Lou, a few of you, come with me up the mountain to find the young master!"

The guards responded with a "Yes". Xiao Dao instructed the maidservant, "Watch over Ah Hui!" Then she lifted her skirt and hurriedly headed towards the mountain path.

Just at this moment, Wen Hui suddenly shouted, "Young Master!" The light returned to his eyes, replaced by an anxious look. Seeing Xiao Dao as he got up, he grabbed her hand and hurriedly walked up the mountain, "I saw the young master in trouble!"

Xiao Dao didn't have time to ask what had happened to him during that hour. The two of them led the guards rushing to the mountain top.

Fortunately, in those days Wen Hui had learned some skills from Xie Lang—he had some aptitude, and his steps were lighter than those of ordinary people.

Even so, it took a lot of effort to reach the mountain peak, leaving the group panting for breath. Xiao Dao looked up at the sky and saw Chen Weichen falling from mid-air. Her eyes widened, "Young Master-"

She took a step forward but tripped on her hem, falling forward. Her wrist was scraped by gravel, leaving a long, deep gash. She watched helplessly as her young master in black was about to crash heavily to the ground.

At the last moment - a figure in white flashed by like a startled swan, catching the falling person in his arms, their robes fluttering as they landed together.

Xiao Dao let out a sigh of relief as Wen Hui helped her up from the ground.

In the carriage, Xing Qiu leaned against the wall, trembling slightly, finally calming down. When that crack opened earlier, his connection with that thing became closer again, a sign it wanted to come out. He didn't know how much effort it took to barely suppress it.

Seeing Chen Weichen caught by Ye Jiuya, he also let out a soft sigh of relief.

Xiao Dao and Wen Hui went over to check on Chen Weichen's condition. They saw the young master being held horizontally in Ye Jiuya's arms, eyes closed, looking completely unconscious, his face hauntingly fragile.

She was about to ask about the situation when she saw Ye Jiuya raise his head to look at the horizon.

His gaze was different from usual - Xiao Dao thought to herself, but couldn't say exactly how it was different, only feeling it was even more intimidating to look at.

So she could only look to the horizon as well.

Another group of people arrived stepping on the wind. The leader wore a sky-blue robe, his features gentle and handsome, but with a hint of anxiety.

"So it's Swordmaster Ye here," the man said to Ye Jiuya, "The Sword Platform's Heart Tempering Mirror changed abnormally, monsters poured out - probably what we usually call heart demons and such. We tracked them here, did Swordmaster Ye encounter them?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Hongyan landed in a red shadow, walking to Ye Jiuya's side, "Why did you suddenly turn back - I didn't catch that thing, but ran into Lord Lanshan instead."

Her gaze fell on Chen Weichen in Ye Jiuya's arms, "He-"

Lord Lanshan also saw Chen Weichen—at this time, the dark energy around him had not yet dissipated, and the inhuman aura was very obvious.

"Heart demon energy," his tone turned grave, "Swordmaster Ye, this-"

"I'll take the person, the heart demon matter can be discussed another day." Ye Jiuya's cold gaze met his for a moment, not looking like he wanted to continue conversing at all, and turned to head down the mountain.

The Chen family had no connection to the immortal way. They only glanced at Lord Lanshan from afar. Their hearts were concerned about the young master, so without regard for the other immortals, they followed Ye Jiuya down the mountain.

Lord Lanshan shook his head with a wry smile, "No different from when we first met, no wonder the rumors all say Swordmaster Ye is as cold as ice. But that heart demon is no small matter, I wonder how Swordmaster Ye will-"

He looked at Lu Hongyan, "Lord Canlong, can you tell me what happened from the beginning?"

Lu Hongyan had a bad temper. Thinking that since Xie Lang had been here the whole time, he should have been the one to answer, she was annoyed at being asked, but she still had to maintain her etiquette. "We took some things related to the world's fate and were attacked by a large group of heart demons. In the end, they even snatched away one item."

Lord Lanshan sighed, "With heart demons appearing in the world, they will bring disaster to the human realm. The elders are searching the library, hoping to find a way to deal with them. At the very least, we need to figure out their purpose."

Lu Hongyan looked at him through her mask, "You mean they came from the Heart Tempering Mirror?"

"Exactly," Lord Lanshan had a hint of apology on his face, "We never imagined that the Heart Tempering Mirror, which is usually only used to observe heart demons and aid in cultivation, would cause such a great calamity."

"So that means heart demons are still emerging from the mirror?"

"We haven't found a way to seal it yet."

Lu Hongyan was about to call Xie Lang over. Turning around, she found no trace of him. Walking to the side of the carriage, she opened the door and saw it was also empty.

She looked all around, only seeing the vast mountain scenery. Frowning, she gripped her sword hilt, feeling a bit anxious.

At this time, Xie Lang was sneakily descending the mountain through the forest with Xing Qiu.

"Slow down," Xing Qiu said irritably, "I have no strength right now; I just jumped out of a window."

Xie Lang looked back at the dense forest and deep valley, letting out a breath, "We probably won't be found."

Xing Qiu said, "That person is clearly a top expert of the immortal way, either just a step behind or on par with Ye Jiuya - I was afraid of getting into trouble, so sneaking away is still excusable. But why did you run too?"

"If Lady Lu reveals that I have been here all along, Lord Lanshan will certainly ask me what happened. I have already promised Young Master Chen not to tell, and if I do, I will lose his trust. But if I don't, it will be against righteousness. It's better to slip away so he can't find me to ask."

"You little Daoist priest are quite slippery," Qiu Xing laughed, "Let's keep going and find Brother Chen."

"No, no, no," Xie Liang waved his hand, "If I go back this time, it will be even harder to explain to Swordmaster Ye - I didn't even notice when he returned. If Swordmaster Ye asks, you can refuse to say anything and he can't do anything to you. But I'm alone and weak, and it's not right to say or not to say."

"Then where are you going?" Qiu Xing raised his eyebrows.

"I'll hide in the temple for a few days," Xie Liang said, "Moreover, with the Heart Demons appearing and the Dharma Conference about to begin, who knows how long the immortal path will remain peaceful - I should also return to the temple to preside over some affairs, and take the opportunity to search the library for anything mentioning the Heart Demons, to find out what exactly this Young Master Chen is."

"He..." Qiu Xing narrowed his eyes, "In any case, he's more powerful than me."

Xie Liang scratched his head: "I originally thought he must be the reincarnation of some extraordinary person, or something else. Now it seems he's not even human."

Qiu Xing grunted, not picking up on his words: "Parting ways here?"

Xie Liang slipped away in another direction, saying as he left: "State Preceptor, see you at the Dharma Conference."

Chen Weichen slept for three days and three nights.

When he finally awoke from a deep and chaotic darkness, he opened his eyes in a daze. After a while, he turned his head and saw Wen Hui keeping watch by the bed.

Wen Hui blinked hard, as if afraid that speaking loudly would startle him, he said softly but extremely happily: "Young Master, you're awake."

Chen Weichen slowly sat up and leaned against the head of the bed. Having just woken up, his voice was weak, and he only asked, "Where is Ye Jiuya?"

Wen Hui said, "He just went out. These three days, Swordmaster Ye has often been watching over the Young Master."

Seeing that he was awake, Xiao Dao was also delighted. She brought over a bowl of clear congee and said with a smile: "Young Master misses Swordmaster Ye, and I see that he also misses you - when you were asleep, Swordmaster Ye even asked me what you were like when you were little, and what you were like as a teenager - I said that Young Master is the best person in the world."

"Misses?" He repeated these two syllables in a low voice, his face turning a few shades paler, frowning in pain, his breathing trembling.

Xiao Dao knew that the illness was acting up again, and hurriedly said, "Young Master, don't think about it, don't think about it, it's my fault, I shouldn't have let you know, getting happy will make your heart ache again."

But Chen Weichen let out a cold laugh. After laughing, he said in a low voice, "Why do you think I'm happy?"

"Young Master..." Xiao Dao looked at him, and the more she looked, the more she felt that not only was her Young Master not happy, but rather... rather very sad.

Chen Weichen closed his eyes. After a while, perhaps the pain had finally subsided, he turned his head to look out the window, his eyes empty.

The crabapple blossoms in the inn's courtyard were just falling, with petals of fading red scattered on the stones.

"I don't want this kind of longing." He said softly.

"Young Master, what exactly is wrong?" Xiao Dao asked worriedly.

"He knows," Chen Weichen said, "Since he knows, I will never be Chen Weichen again in my life. I'm just an unsightly thing, the shadow of that person. He longs, but what he longs for is not me... From today onwards, I can no longer deceive him or myself."

Outside the room in the corridor, Ye Jiuya caught a flying letter. Unfolding the note, it was as if the cold air of the northern lands hit his face.

It read:

"Junior Brother, I have ordered the disciples of our sect to consult the classics. Regarding the Heart Demons, it is often said that the way of great cultivation is to eliminate the Heart Demon. You and I learned this when we were young. However, today I obtained a remnant scroll in a deep place, which says that in ancient times there was an ancient method where man and Heart Demon became one, with no distinction between inside and outside, self and other, ultimately achieving great perfection."