Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 87

The Little Peach Blossom naturally saw the small branch growing precariously beneath the massive Spirit Pith Jade Tree. The rapidly sprouting peach branch emitted a crisp, fragrant scent—a sweet yet light aroma that filled the air, making Jiang Rui feel refreshed in both body and mind.

Beside him, the spirit stared blankly at the vibrant, budding sapling for a long time. He reflexively touched his chest. It was still flat and still; he couldn’t feel even a hint of a heartbeat. From his perspective, he simply had no concept of what it meant to have a heart.

Yet this small branch radiated an aura identical to his own source. Although it was literally a piece of himself, the Little Peach Blossom had never imagined that one day, his “heart” would be raised and nurtured by someone else.

He stepped forward silently, oblivious to the look of surprise on Jiang Rui’s face.

Jiang Rui had brought him here for another reason. Since the peach branch began to sprout, the Spirit Pith Jade Tree had seemingly come back to life, losing its previous dead silence. However, because of this revival, the powerful barrier surrounding the tree—which Jiang Rui had previously found impossible to breach—had grown even stronger.

About ten steps ahead of him sat a faint blue, glowing barrier. He had tried to approach it twice before, only to be rebuffed. It wasn’t dangerous; it felt like hitting a giant sponge—soft and bouncy, but completely impenetrable.

As the Little Peach Blossom walked forward, a faint red light began to emanate from his body. From his chest to the branch, an invisible bridge of light seemed to form.

Jiang Rui’s eyes widened as the Spirit Pith Jade Tree emitted a gentle, warm glow that bathed the entire Secret Realm. Even Miao Xuan, who was in secluded cultivation, was startled and forced to rush to the scene.

Simultaneously, Jiang Rui felt a shift in the atmosphere. Amidst the white light within the tree, a glowing halo appeared and expanded. The red light absorbed by the spirit touched the white glow, causing it to vibrate violently. A sound like shattering glass echoed in Jiang Rui’s ears as the white light cracked into physical shards, falling onto the grass and being instantly absorbed by the earth.

A figure emerged.

Eyes closed and covered by a white silk band, dressed in green robes, the person looked like an integral part of the Spirit Pith Jade Tree itself. The overwhelming barrier vanished instantly.

“Venerable One?!” Miao Xuan’s face transformed, a look of profound shock appearing on his childlike features. He looked at the Little Peach Blossom by the tree, and as realization dawned, his face lit up with joy. “Congratulations, Venerable One!”

The man Miao Xuan called “Venerable One” seemed to wake up. He stepped out from the tree. Though the white silk over his eyes obscured his gaze, he walked straight toward the Little Peach Blossom as if he could see perfectly.

The spirit stared at him, find the man’s presence familiar yet strange, and didn’t dare to move.

The Venerable One stopped before him and tilted his head. Having not spoken for an eternity, his voice was low and raspy: “Where is my heart?”

The spirit looked at the man’s blindfold in confusion and shook his head. “I don’t know.” He had only just discovered his own heart today.

“Miao Xuan.” The man placed his hands behind his back and shifted his “gaze” toward Jiang Rui. “You have acknowledged a master?”

“Yes,” Miao Xuan bowed respectfully before turning to Jiang Rui. “Master, this is the Spirit Pith Venerable.”

Jiang Rui studied the man. He appeared to be the personification of the Spirit Pith Jade Tree, but unlike Miao Xuan—who had taken human form after Jiang Rui’s advancement—this person seemed to have been this powerful since the beginning of time.

“Spirit Pith acknowledges the Master.” The man offered a formal bow, then immediately turned back to the Little Peach Blossom. “Where is my heart?”

The spirit’s eyes reddened. He shook his head frantically, stammering that he didn’t know, before darting behind Jiang Rui to hide.

Jiang Rui rubbed his nose. “What exactly is happening here?”

“It is like this,” Miao Xuan explained, glancing at the Venerable One. “Millions of years ago, the previous Master ascended but, for unknown reasons, sealed us within this Secret Realm instead of taking us with him. Since then, the Master’s whereabouts vanished, and our connection was severed. Spirit Pith, who was closest to the Master, used a ‘Heart Sacrifice’ to find him.” Miao Xuan sighed. “The attempt failed. For hundreds of thousands of years, Spirit Pith became a heartless spirit, sealing himself within the tree until now.”

Miao Xuan’s expression was complex. “It has been so long I almost forgot he was still alive.” He looked at the Little Peach Blossom. “Sir, please think carefully. In your seven hundred years of existence, have you ever seen anything like a Qilin’s heart, or a jade stone radiating immense spiritual energy?”

The spirit paused, looking between Miao Xuan and Jiang Rui. “If it’s a jade stone like that… I actually have seen one.”

The Venerable One tilted his head toward him. The spirit shrank back, tugging on Jiang Rui’s sleeve. “Do you remember when I told you about that strange thing buried beneath the Rong estate?”

“I remember,” Jiang Rui nodded. When the spirit had first mentioned it, Jiang Rui had felt an urge to dig it up, fearing it was some evil object that bewitched human hearts.

“Could it be that?” Jiang Rui asked.

The spirit nodded hesitantly, looking at the Venerable One. “But that jade is entangled with my roots…”

The Venerable One tilted his chin up, seemingly appraising the Little Peach Blossom with a look of satisfaction. “Take me to it.”

Why does his expression look so much like the way Rong Jingtang looks at me? Jiang Rui thought. That ‘you’re weak as hell but I’m stuck with you’ look…

The Spirit Pith Venerable followed the spirit out of the Secret Realm, but Jiang Rui stayed behind to speak with Miao Xuan. He recounted the incident at the school where he had instinctively shielded Wei Ruize from the bullet, emphasizing that he had lost control of his own actions.

Miao Xuan hesitated. “It seems the ‘Butterfly Effect’ caused by your presence has begun.”

Jiang Rui sat down to listen. Miao Xuan brewed a cup of tea. “Your death in the previous life was caused by the chaos triggered by Jia Shi—someone who exists outside the laws of Heaven and Earth. Thus, I, an artifact spirit who also shouldn’t exist in this timeline, was sent to reverse time and help you. However, because of this, the fate of everyone you touch will shift slightly.”

Jiang Rui understood immediately, but frowned. “But won’t a Butterfly Effect cause global instability?”

“That is why there must be a focal point,” Miao Xuan said cryptically. “I know that since your rebirth, your heart has been set on making those who hurt you pay. But…” Miao Xuan put down his cup and sighed. “Master, from a neutral standpoint, I do not wish for you to create unnecessary ‘killing karma’.”

Miao Xuan looked up at the blue, cloudless sky of the realm. “The rules are fair. Your rebirth was traded for with my own price. If you interfere with the life and death of others—if they were not meant to die but do so because of you—that is a debt of blood on your karmic record.”

Jiang Rui remained silent. He found it difficult to accept. He understood the logic, yet hearing it made his past convictions feel like a joke.

“You have already seen through the vanity of it all, so why do you insist on this ‘revenge’?” Miao Xuan asked finally.

Jiang Rui stared at the steaming tea for a long time. Then, he laughed abruptly, covering his face. “Why can’t I let it go? In the end, it’s just my own mental knot that I can’t untie.”

Humans were like that. Sometimes you look at your enemy and realize they are as insignificant as an ant, yet when you face them, the old wounds ache.

“But your heart didn’t move,” Miao Xuan said slowly.

The Secret Realm was linked to Jiang Rui’s soul. If his emotions spiked, Miao Xuan would know. “In the hospital, when you faced Wang Chenghui and Ye Wenbin, no matter how fake your smile was, your heartbeat didn’t lie. You didn’t care.”

Jiang Rui froze, then smiled. “Why would my heart beat faster for them?”

The only time it happened now… was when he faced Rong Jingtang.

“I managed to confuse myself. Thank you, Miao Xuan.” Jiang Rui patted his chest; his heart beat steadily, without a ripple.

When Jiang Rui and Miao Xuan exited the Secret Realm, they found the Little Peach Blossom pathetically digging in the dirt with a shovel. He was looking tearfully at the Spirit Pith Venerable and a clearly amused Rong Jingtang. Rong Anchen and Jia Shi had also returned to watch the show.

“What’s going on?” Jiang Rui asked.

“They want me to dig up the jade!” the spirit complained, dropping the shovel to run to Jiang Rui.

“And you actually did it?” Jiang Rui’s eye twitched. This spirit’s survival for 700 years was a miracle. “Step aside.”

With Jiang Rui’s help, the ground vibrated. The spirit’s roots配合ed, pushing a wooden box to the surface. From the box, a green object flew into the air.

It was a piece of jade carved with a dragon’s head. Jiang Rui recognized it instantly from his studies. It was an Imperial Seal. He could guess the four words carved on the bottom: “Mandate of Heaven.”

He wondered how the Spirit Pith’s heart had become the Imperial Seal of legend over the millions of years.

“To keep the Qilin Heart’s energy from dissipating, it needed the harmony of Dragon and Phoenix Qi, or the presence of auspicious beasts like the Bai Ze,” Miao Xuan explained. “Venerable One, now that your heart is returned, will you enter seclusion?”

The Venerable One nodded. He stripped the dragon-carved shell away, revealing a brilliant, heart-shaped jade stone. For some reason, he handed the hollowed-out dragon shell to the Little Peach Blossom.

“Follow me,” the Venerable One said to the spirit, and the two vanished.

Jiang Rui cleared his throat, suddenly remembering something. He pulled Miao Xuan aside. “Miao Xuan… if the Spirit Pith tree has a spirit… then when I was taking the pith liquid earlier…”

Miao Xuan’s mouth fell open. He broke into a cold sweat.

Jiang Rui stared at him blankly. Before he could speak, Miao Xuan bolted, leaving one final sentence: “Don’t worry, Master! Since he acknowledged you, he won’t hold a grudge. In the future, if you need more liquid, he’ll probably just… give it to you.”

I was played by a kid, Jiang Rui thought, grinding his teeth.

He turned to see Rong Jingtang, who had been watching the drama the whole time. Jiang Rui ignored his image and sat down to gulp some tea.

“Are you done for the day?” he asked Rong Jingtang.

Rong Jingtang stood up and rang a bell. Uncle Cheng immediately entered to clear the tea. Jiang Rui followed Rong Jingtang back to the dining hall. Facing another table of food, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Rong Jingtang sat in the primary seat, waiting for Jiang Rui to serve him fish. Uncle Cheng watched, realizing that all the Young Master’s “dislikes” had vanished in Master Jiang’s presence.

Ah, love, Uncle Cheng thought, shrugging. I really am getting old.