Chapter 540: Grandpa and Grandma
Little Duan Immortal and Wen Wuyu exchanged a glance and both saw surprise reflected in the other's eyes.
Wen Wuyu was a little excited, thinking, "Chen Lang? Could the legend be true? The man the Immortal Palace waited for in the middle of the night is her disciple—this Chen Lang. Come to think of it, the Immortal Palace's lover is also surnamed Chen, and my Little Ten brother is also surnamed Chen. If I end up with Little Ten brother, it won't be shocking to the world. After all, there's an Immortal Palace elder to shield us."
Little Duan Immortal was puzzled as well, wondering who this Chen Lang could be.
Her purpose in coming was simple: to find an opportunity to eliminate Gong Wanqing.
Chen Shi had two goals on this trip. First, he intended to use Wu Qi to fight the Celestial Venerable, to probe the Venerable's weaknesses and prepare for the future assassination. Second, he wanted to sabotage Despair Slope's plan to forge heavenly soldiers; if this furnace completed its batch, Despair Slope would essentially have hundreds of Little Five-level creations—immortals who did not fear death, never tired, and felt no fear.
Gong Wanqing was the key figure in forging those heavenly soldiers; her life or death determined whether the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace could produce them.
Now Chen Shi was secluded, studying the Venerable's methods. Chen Yindu, Little Five the Creator, and others were unaccounted for, so Little Duan Immortal planned to take out Gong Wanqing herself.
A man's voice came from behind a white curtain: "Wanqing, I know coming here means you'll capture me, but I still must come. In my life, I have never truly betrayed a woman; I have always been betrayed by them. The one person I truly betrayed was you. So even if you want to kill me, I must see you once."
Little Duan Immortal felt the voice was familiar, thinking, "It sounds like Grandpa's voice. No—it's definitely Grandpa's voice! How could Grandpa be here?"
A breeze stirred the white curtain. They could dimly see inside Falling Flower Palace a jade divan with a white gauze canopy. On the divan were the vague shapes of a man and a woman in an intimate pose. The man was unmistakably Chen Yindu, lying on the divan and seemingly unable to move, while the woman lay across his chest.
"It's really Grandpa," Little Duan Immortal thought.
She was bewildered. How could Chen Yindu appear here? And hadn't he transformed into a youthful form? Why was his true form showing now?
Wen Wuyu was even more excited, thinking, "Immortal Palace looks pure and chaste, but she had such a past!"
The two dared not move and listened closely.
Gong Wanqing gently stroked Chen Yindu's chest and smiled, "Chen Lang, Chen Lang, when you first entered Despair Slope, my heart raced the moment I saw you. I felt it had to be destiny from a past life that brought us together. I had already severed the Three Corpses, but upon meeting you my desires flared up again. My willpower was too weak."
Chen Yindu replied softly, "Wanqing, it's not your fault. Who can say what fate truly is? When I entered Despair Slope and was captured by the Celestial Way Walkers, if you had not intervened, I would likely be dead. Your rescue—so gallant and impressive—stunned me; I have never forgotten it."
Gong Wanqing tilted her head, looking at him and smiling. "Later I made you my disciple. In truth, I fought against many to take you as my pupil."
Chen Yindu's voice grew even gentler: "I know you took me in to protect me."
Gong Wanqing's expression slowly hardened. "I did harbor selfish thoughts. I wanted a romantic relationship with you, but after spending time together I realized your learning and talent surpass mine a hundredfold. I was nominally your master, but many of my insights came from your guidance; you led me to understand the furnace's subtleties. It was by observing the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace and your pointing out of its created wonders that I comprehended the heavenly soldier method. Without you, I could never have reached my current position."
Chen Yindu looked at her with tenderness. "You are wrong, Wanqing."
Gong Wanqing showed confusion and glanced up at him.
Chen Yindu grew serious. "It is your refined nature that allowed you to perceive the heavenly soldier method from Little Five and the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace. My hints merely spared you a detour. Wanqing, your innate talent is far greater than mine. We are comrades on the Dao, supporting each other. I helped you, but you helped me more."
Gong Wanqing was moved; her cheeks flushed as she whispered, "As we spent time together, I sensed your feelings for me. That period was the happiest time of my life: we pondered the furnace together, studied creation's wonders, traveled mountains and rivers, and entered Despair Slope's forbidden zones together. We did so much."
Her voice grew strange. Little Duan Immortal felt a blush creep over her face as she recalled the sounds she and Chen Shi had made together, thinking, "Immortal Palace was Grandpa's lover—she was aroused and ready for intimacy. Matters between elders are not for us juniors to witness."
She tugged on Wen Wuyu's sleeve to signal leaving.
Wen Wuyu, however, was inexplicably thrilled, like a devoted Heaven's Listener, watching and listening with rapt attention.
Little Duan Immortal thought, "This girl is young but so curious. Fine, I'll retreat first."
Just as she was about to leave, Chen Yindu's voice continued: "Yes, we did so many things—both rightful and wrongful—we experienced them together. Wanqing, decades have passed, I have grown old while you remain young. It's time to let those matters go. I came risking my life to ask you to stop forging heavenly soldiers..."
"Can those things really be let go?" Gong Wanqing snorted with a laugh.
Little Duan Immortal paused, thinking, "I'll listen to the old man's story a bit longer before leaving."
Chen Yindu said, "Wanqing, I have let go. I risked my life to come here today to apologize; I failed your love..."
Gong Wanqing tinkled with laughter. "Chen Yindu, have you truly let go? When I trusted you most, you betrayed me. You fell for my maid, eloped with her, and left me. How could I let that go?"
Little Duan Immortal obediently moved closer to Wen Wuyu; the two girls leaned together to listen.
Chen Yindu fell silent for a moment. "Wanqing, that was my fault."
"You were not at fault—my eyes were blind," Gong Wanqing sneered. "I thought I had found my lifelong lover and Dao companion, someone to accompany me through life, to advance together, to explore Dao techniques, but it was only my wishful thinking. Chen Yindu, how could I possibly be inferior to that lowly maid? Why did you prefer her over me? I am the mistress of Falling Flower Palace; she is merely a servant!"
Wen Wuyu trembled with excitement, her inner voice shouting, "There's a third party!"
Chen Yindu continued in silence. After a while he said, "Wanqing, in my life I have never been sullied by lust. I have always been absorbed in Dao's mysteries and in exploring the lost ancient truths. I have met many like-minded women—outstanding, bright, beautiful, and pure. I enjoyed their company and considered myself fortunate. Yet, whenever I wanted to commit to any of them, I was refused."
His expression dimmed.
Mistress Lingsu of the Celestial Master Mansion rejected him, saying she could not betray the Mansion.
Patriarch Qiongyang did not leave Tai Hua Qingyang Palace with him; her attachment to the doctrines outweighed personal ties.
Li Huazhi of the Li family tried to abandon everything to follow him but was stopped by her brother and returned in regret.
Venerable Nun Huiyin treated their relationship as a spiritual trial. Zhang Qiaoxi was unwilling to let him go and planned to break his legs and imprison him...
As for Madam Huali, her love was more one-sided and unrequited.
...
Chen Yindu might have seemed dashing all his life, but no woman had ever fully and unreservedly trusted him enough to entrust herself to him.
"Until I met you in Despair Slope—my gaze was drawn to you."
Chen Yindu said, "I once thought you were the one for my life, but after spending time together I realized I had no romantic desire for you. Instead, I was inexplicably attracted to the smiling maid by your side."
Gong Wanqing ground her teeth and said coldly, "She is a vile woman! A servant! A lowly person! If you like her, it shows you are also base—a servant-loving lowlife!"
Chen Yindu remained unmoved; the gentleness in his voice was natural, not put on—the tone of love could not be feigned. "She is indeed a servant and lowly, but in my eyes she is nobler than you, nobler than any saintess of the sacred grounds or any rich family's daughter. Being with her brought me unprecedented ease and joy; her eyes held only me..."
"Enough!"
Gong Wanqing slapped him, smashing half his face into gore.
Little Duan Immortal and Wen Wuyu gasped and then noticed Chen Yindu's limbs were bound by Locking Dragon Whips.
Those Locking Dragon Whips were lined with sharp backward hooks that, when wielded, could lock even slippery flood dragons in place. The hooks would embed deeply into a dragon's flesh, rendering it immobile.
Chen Yindu's four limbs were bound by four Locking Dragon Whips, fastened to the divan. The hooks had pierced his flesh, embedding deeply and preventing him from changing his form—he could not resist.
Still, Chen Yindu continued speaking with increasing tenderness: "When I'm with you, my eyes find only her. Even when we discuss Dao, I think of her. A smile from her satisfies me."
"Lowly woman!" Gong Wanqing was furious and stomped on his chest. "I told you to stop speaking!"
Chen Yindu coughed blood under her foot but smiled, "For the first time in my life I realized that Dao and the fallen True King era's truths are not so important. For the first time I felt I could abandon Dao, abandon the truth, and spend my life with this girl. To be an ordinary man with her would be fine."
Gong Wanqing put her foot on his face to silence him. "You humiliate me by using that servant to shame me!"
Chen Yindu turned his head and smiled, "She is not a lowly servant. She is the one I love most. She carries my child, and we plan to flee Despair Slope together."
Gong Wanqing seethed with hatred and pressed his head down, preventing him from speaking. Furious, she demanded, "How is she better than me? Why would you choose a servant over me?"
Chen Yindu spat a few broken teeth and smiled, "She is not as beautiful as you, nor as clever; her comprehension is inferior. You can be my Dao companion; she cannot. She only quietly listens to me and never interrupts. Yet I like her for no reason at all."
He shifted tone and softened, "Wanqing, in fact my wife and I always felt grateful to you. When we escaped, it was thanks to your intervention that helped us fend off Immortal Xue."
Gong Wanqing, mid-rage, suddenly calmed at his words and a smile crept across her face, growing into a peal of delighted laughter.
She withdrew her foot, laughing loudly and freely. "Chen Yindu, you really think you've let go?"
Chen Yindu was silent for a long time and exhaled, "I have. After we escaped Immortal Xue, A'tang's injuries were severe—she died shortly after giving birth. I named the child Chen Tang. Carrying that child and her corpse, I walked from Tiandao City to Huangpo Village. When I buried her beside the Chen family's ancestral grave, I let go."
His face darkened.
From that time on, he could not bear to see Chen Tang, because Chen Tang always reminded him of the woman he loved.
He gave Old Lady Wuzhu money to raise Chen Tang, and only during New Year and festival visits did he force himself to return to the village, sit at the woman's grave, burn a basket of spirit money, and express his longing.
Years passed; he truly had let go and no longer indulged in romantic pursuits. His desires had died with that woman.
Gong Wanqing chuckled, "So you have always been grateful to me, haven't you?"
Chen Yindu's voice was low, "My wife always felt grateful to you. Before she died she grabbed my hand and said we wronged you."
Gong Wanqing burst into delighted laughter. "Chen Lang, have you ever wondered how someone as clever as you had your escape routes discovered by Immortal Xue? Why could Immortal Xue always hunt you down after every escape? And..."
Her eyes glittered with vengeful glee. "Why can Immortal Xue always counter your Dao arts? You are so formidable—why, despite cooperating with Little Five to forge so many Talisman God Tianji, are you still no match for Immortal Xue? Why do you think?"
She straddled Chen Yindu's waist, her slender fingers tracing his chest as she cooed, "It wasn't only Immortal Xue who hunted you. It was me. I told Immortal Xue your escape routes. I told him about your Dao arts. I secretly helped Immortal Xue strike down you two adulterers! Don't forget: we are comrades. I understand your insights into creation techniques better than anyone!"
"The mortal wound on that servant was inflicted by me. I hated that she carried your child. She insisted on giving birth and died for it. Tsk tsk. Her lowly offspring was even named Chen Tang. You were pathetic—unable to forget her! I wanted to kill you both, but when I saw you fight Immortal Xue to the death and wound him, an idea came to me."
She stroked his body, her face flushed, breath quickening as she reached to untie his belt. "Back then I was still a Celestial Way Walker; why couldn't I become a Celestial Way Immortal? But there can be only eighteen Celestial Way Immortals in Despair Slope. Unless an Immortal dies, I cannot rise. So if Immortal Xue died, I, Gong Wanqing, could become an Immortal!"
She grew more excited, beginning to strip, preparing to mount him, exclaiming, "If I kill Immortal Xue and then kill the adulterers, I'll have it all—"
Before the word "beautiful" left her throat, a killing intent struck from behind in an instant, arriving at the back of her neck!
"Who?"
She somersaulted into the air to evade the attack. She narrowly avoided Little Duan Immortal's sneak strike, but Little Duan's divine ability grazed her arm. Phoenix strange flames surged along her arm toward her heart!
Alarmed, she hurried to suppress the phoenix flame. As she flew up, Chen Yindu roared, tearing himself free from the divan. Blood poured from his torn limbs; most of the flesh had been shredded off his arms and legs by the Locking Dragon Whips.
Chen Yindu's eyes were blood-red. He slammed both palms hard onto her ears.
Thud!
Gong Wanqing's eyes went blank; ruptured vessels gushed blood that quickly filled her eyes.
Chen Yindu's near-skeletal arms thrust out with a rasp and pierced her chest, tearing out her heart.