After the Demon Lord Lost His Memory, He Became the Immortal Venerable's Dao Companion - Chapter 19

Qi Yan waited until Shen Yuzong’s condition had improved before he dared to move.

He looked at the hateful face before him and, unable to contain his anger, punched Shen Yuzong once more. Shen Yuzong hurried to coax him, acting pitiful and playing the victim while swearing that he would never commit such an offense again, which finally calmed Qi Yan down somewhat.

Before long, however, Qi Yan discovered yesterday’s yellow rose on the carpet.

Realizing the situation was about to turn against him, Shen Yuzong quickly suggested, “Shall we go out and take a look around?”

Staying indoors all day was indeed rather dull, so Qi Yan agreed to Shen Yuzong’s proposal. Before they left, Shen Yuzong took out a verdant, jade-green veil hat and placed it on Qi Yan’s head.

Qi Yan lifted the veil and asked in confusion, “Why wear this?”

“The sun is strong outside. You will get sunburned.”

This was pure nonsense on Shen Yuzong’s part. Even without cultivation, Qi Yan was a member of the Demon Clan; how could he possibly be sunburned?

Outside, the grass was warmed by the sun, the breeze was gentle, and sunlight bathed the surrounding flowers, plants, and trees. Qi Yan extended his palm, and the slanting shadows of the trees danced upon it, swaying with the wind.

“What tree is this?”

Qi Yan looked up, only to see the thick trunk densely wrapped in red silk ribbons and all sorts of hanging placards. Before Shen Yuzong could answer, Qi Yan heard another voice reply.

“The Tree of Matrimony.”

Qi Yan turned his head; it was Yin Pin, accompanied by Yin Ji, who held a folding fan.

“Sister Yin.” Qi Yan swept the veil to both sides, his grey-blue eyes shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

“Zhuzhu, why are you wearing a veil hat for no reason?”

“Shen Yuzong said to wear it for sun protection,” Qi Yan answered honestly.

“Oh.” Yin Pin looked at Shen Yuzong with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Yin Ji hid behind his fan and snickered.

This was not sun protection at all. Given Shen Yuzong’s petty nature, he was likely still smarting from yesterday’s events and feared his wife would be stared at by others. Shen Yuzong remained unperturbed; what was a little lie?

As the wind blew, the masses of leaves rustled against each other, and the red ribbons tilted to one side, blowing crookedly.

“They say this Tree of Matrimony is very effective; the red ribbons on it have never stopped accumulating since I was born,” Yin Ji chimed in.

Qi Yan looked at the reflection in his palm, feeling tempted. “Really?”

“Of course.”

Yin Pin draped an arm around Qi Yan’s shoulder and asked, “Would you like to hang one?”

Qi Yan whispered, “But… I do not have any red cloth.”

Yin Pin smiled, shaking her head, and suddenly stuffed several strips of red cloth into Qi Yan’s palm. Qi Yan’s palm felt hot as he gripped the cloth, and he asked dazedly, “Do you not need them?”

“No, I am here to fulfill a vow. The wish I made has already been successfully realized.”

Realized.

The word struck Qi Yan like a heavy hammer, sending his heart racing, the thumping so loud it was audible to his own ears. Qi Yan stood there, hesitating for a moment, before finally walking over to Shen Yuzong with the red cloth in hand.

“Sister Yin said this is very effective.” He held out the red cloth, his voice pitifully small.

At this moment, Qi Yan was grateful that Shen Yuzong had made him wear the veil hat, or else he would certainly have seen his embarrassed expression. Shen Yuzong looked at the red ribbon clutched in Qi Yan’s palm. Clearly, red suited Qi Yan best; with his naturally fair skin, the color made him look even more enchanting.

After a long while, Qi Yan received no response and, thinking Shen Yuzong did not want to tie one with him, he moved to pull his hand back.

Shen Yuzong suddenly intercepted Qi Yan’s wrist, his eyes filled with irrepressible laughter. “Want to tie it with me?”

“Who said that? It is just that everyone keeps shoving these ribbons at me…”

Qi Yan’s voice grew smaller as he spoke, because Shen Yuzong had lifted his veil.

“Very well, then let us say I am the one who wishes to tie it with you, Zhuzhu.” Shen Yuzong leaned in and gave Qi Yan’s face a light nip.

Qi Yan bristled instantly, hurriedly wiping his face with the back of his hand. “Aiya, are you a dog, Shen Yuzong!”

The bells on his hands jingled as his wrists shook.

Standing a few meters away, Yin Ji wanted to say something but held back. After watching for a while, he could not help but complain to Yin Pin, “This Shen Yuzong makes my skin crawl…”

“Heh, just you wait. In another two hundred years at most, you will be exactly like him.”

After enduring the double attack of his sister’s eye-roll and words, Yin Ji finally let out a small burst of temper. “Sister, what do you mean by that… always saying things like this to me.”

“I, Shen Yuzong, promise to love Hanzhu alone for a lifetime, never changing my heart.”

Shen Yuzong looked at the upturned face of Qi Yan and could not resist pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“What is this? Did I not tell you to make a wish? What is this supposed to be? An oath?” With his heart pounding like a drum, Qi Yan watched the dancing branches and leaves and whispered.

“It is my mistake. See how clumsy your husband is to have gotten it wrong. Shall Zhuzhu demonstrate one for your husband?”

Qi Yan froze, then turned his head away and huffed. Shen Yuzong could only use such tricks to fool him when he was drunk; now that he was sober, how could he not see through them? Yet, feeling the warmth of the chest behind him and Shen Yuzong’s unwavering gaze, Qi Yan pretended to fall for the bait.

He looked at the massive ancient tree and spoke with sincerity, “I, Hanzhu, wish to be with Shen Yuzong for lifetime after lifetime, never to be separated.”

His Adam’s apple bobbing, Shen Yuzong enveloped Qi Yan from behind, covered Qi Yan’s hand with his own, and repeated, “I, Shen Yuzong, wish to be with Qi Yan for lifetime after lifetime, never to be separated.”

Qi Yan tightened his grip on the red ribbon, feeling that the name “Qi Yan” sounded somewhat familiar.

“Who is Qi Yan?”

Shen Yuzong lowered his eyes, fiddling with Qi Yan’s fingers. “Your former name.”

Former? “Why former?”

“You decided later that the name did not sound good, so you changed it.”

Qi Yan scrutinized every expression on Shen Yuzong’s face, but unfortunately, there was nothing unusual; he did not look like he was lying. He turned his head away and went first to tie his ribbon to a branch with fewer ribbons. Shen Yuzong took his own ribbon and tied it right beside Qi Yan’s.

The other two finished what they were doing and came over to look at them.

“Did you tie them?” Yin Pin wore a mysterious smile, her tone revealing a thick sense of curiosity.

Qi Yan answered obediently, “We did.”

“Oh, good. How can one visit the Tree of Matrimony without making a wish? If it were not for us, you would have missed a great blessing.” Yin Ji fanned himself, looking quite smug.

Qi Yan took a closer look and saw that the fan was inscribed with the four characters: “Magnificent as a jade tree.” He could not help but be speechless; Yin Ji was truly narcissistic; no wonder he was friends with Shen Yuzong.

“And you are truly lucky to have met the two of us.” Yin Ji turned and poked the trunk with his fan, revealing a hollow space inside. Yin Pin squatted down, reached into the hollow, and retrieved a round bamboo cylinder with a lotus flower carved into it.

“This is the cylinder for divination sticks. How about you shake one out?” Yin Pin stood up and handed the cylinder to Qi Yan.

Qi Yan looked at it and let Shen Yuzong shake it first. Shen Yuzong gripped the cylinder, and a stick fell out. He picked it up.

“Do you need us to interpret it for you?” Yin Pin crossed her arms and leaned against the trunk.

“No need.” Shen Yuzong said flatly.

It was the fifty-fourth stick, a bottom-grade sign.

Verse: Treasure found in a dream disappears upon waking, thinking the Southern Mountain is but a hoe. If asking of marriage or illness, seek another path for help.

Objects in the water, shapes and shadows long or short.

Shen Yuzong cast a spell over the stick, changing it to the sixty-fourth.

Verse: The swimming fish is in the clear pond, caught in a net surrounded on four sides. Thinking of no way to turn and escape, when the matter ends, it provokes right and wrong.

It was still a bottom-grade sign; water spilled cannot be retrieved.

Seventy-fourth sign.

Verse: Like a swan flying home only to enter the cage, wishing to turn around but finding no way. North, South, East, West are hard to exit; one fears this hexagram leads to endless regret.

Walking straight into a trap.

Three consecutive bottom-grade signs, until he changed it to the fourteenth, a top-grade sign.

Verse: Just like a celestial crane leaving the cage, once out of the cage, all roads are open. North, South, East, West without obstruction, let you ascend straight to the Nine Heavens Palace.

Seeing that Shen Yuzong remained silent for a long time, Qi Yan asked, “Can you interpret it or not? Let Sister Yin help take a look.”

Shen Yuzong said nothing and passed the stick over. Yin Ji took it first, clapped his hands in excitement, and said, “Excellent fortune! A top-grade sign.”

“Interpretation: Completely free from worry, the road is smooth; follow your heart and be carefree, as unfettered as a deity.”

“This means: Bitterness ends, sweetness begins; breaking free from restraints, the sea is wide and the sky is high.”

Qi Yan nodded and took the cylinder to shake out a stick of his own.

Verse: Heaven and Earth open to seal a good marriage, the day is auspicious and the time is right, everything is perfect. If this stick is received, it is no small matter; one who walks in the middle and right path is proclaimed by the Emperor.

Qi Yan handed the stick to Yin Pin. Yin Pin scanned it for a few moments, then glanced at Shen Yuzong for some reason. “It is also a top-grade sign, meaning that dreams will come true and all that is sought shall be attained.”

Qi Yan took it and looked at it; although he did not quite understand the verse, he was still very happy. Seeing that Qi Yan was interested, Yin Ji took out a cup and accompanied Qi Yan to play.

Yin Pin seized the opportunity to pull Shen Yuzong to the side, gazing at the mask on his face. “Defying the heavens to change one’s fate is a grave sin against the Dao of Heaven; surely, Brother Shen, as a practitioner of the Heartless Dao, you should know that.”

Shen Yuzong raised his eyes and stared at Yin Pin, his tone not particularly pleasant. “The path of cultivation is itself an act of defiance against the heavens; furthermore, I have long since abandoned that Dao.”

Yin Pin raised both hands. “I meant nothing else. I simply feel a connection with Hanzhu and wish to say a few words.”

“I observed that Hanzhu’s fate should have ended over a year ago. Brother Shen, you would not be… using the Art of Fate Exchange, would you?”

“And if I were? Or if I were not? What concern is it of yours?”

Holy crap. As expected, those who practice the Heartless Dao are all lunatics.

The Art of Fate Exchange, as the name implies, is the swapping of two people’s fates. Typically, this happens when one person’s fate and lifespan are completely exhausted; the Art of Fate Exchange uses the fate of the practitioner to supplement the other, extending their lifespan. This is a true defiance of the Heavens, but in return, the practitioner must personally bear the karma of both individuals.

Shen Yuzong did not wish to speak further with Yin Pin and turned to find Qi Yan. Yin Pin touched her earring and smiled, resting her chin on her hand.

The sun rises in the east and rains in the west; one says there is no sun, yet there is sun.

But Shen Yuzong was right. If cultivating the Dao meant abandoning all seven emotions and six desires, leaving behind one’s beloved to live forever alone, what would be the point?

“Zhuzhu, I have nothing to give you, so take these earrings as a gift for calling me Sister.”

Yin Pin opened her hand, and a pair of emerald earrings lay silently in her palm.

“Sister Yin, I cannot accept these. Besides, I do not have pierced ears.” Qi Yan waved his hand in refusal; these earrings were of a deep, lustrous color and were certainly no ordinary trinket.

“What is difficult about that?”

As she spoke, the earrings flew forward on their own. Qi Yan did not even feel a hint of pain before the earrings were already hanging from his earlobes. Qi Yan subconsciously looked at Shen Yuzong, the long, slender earrings swaying behind his ears.

“Accept them.”

Just as Qi Yan had suspected, these earrings were truly extraordinary; they could hide the truth of Qi Yan’s already-exhausted lifespan.

Support