Chapter 10 - Mmm~ Boomerang
The spiritual energy of Gu Jing, that great cultivator of the Nascent Soul stage, circulated within Luo He's body, swiftly gathering for him the spiritual energy that had scattered and dispersed due to his shattered dantian, guiding it back into a circulation cycle, and incidentally treated his injuries.
In her perception, that malevolent qi was like water originally in a bag suddenly freezing into ice, instantly shattering Luo He's dantian into smithereens, and it was still continuously spreading outwards.
Compared to that, what Luo Hongyu had just done to him could hardly even be considered an injury.
Perhaps because of this, he remained indifferent to Luo Hongyu's actions.
He didn't care what they did.
Gu Jing opened her eyes, withdrew her spiritual energy, and released Luo He's wrist, just in time to meet Luo He's gaze.
His gaze was deep and calm, just as it was several years ago, or even more than ten years ago, when the six-year-old Luo Hongyu first brought Luo He up her mountain peak, just as she had seen it then.
On one side was the reborn Young Master, the hope of the world's Righteous Path, the Tianchen Sword Sect, and also her, the future hope of the Tianchen Seven Swords;
On the other side was Luo He, for whom the die was already cast, beyond saving, chosen as a sacrificial offering to complete the sacrificial severing;
She had to choose one, and she had long known how she had chosen.
In Luo He's eyes, no negative emotions could be seen, only a calm that seemed to accept everything, yet also seemed to isolate everything.
It was clearly such a peaceful gaze, yet it instead made Gu Jing feel a stinging pain as if burned by sunlight.
Under Luo He's gaze, she only felt that the most selfish and sordid parts of her inner heart were seen through completely by him, seen until they were bruised and battered.
Gu Jing revealed a trace of a self-mocking smile.
Yes, ah, for the Gu Jing who back then had tacitly approved Luo Wenshui's actions, who clearly knew Luo He was bearing everything for Luo Hongyu, and would also die for Luo Hongyu not long after...
Luo He was the deepest, most painful thorn in her otherwise clear conscience, her heart demon that she could never get past in this lifetime.
The Young Master treated him that way, and as a disciple of the most renowned and prestigious leading sect of the Righteous Path in the world, Gu Jing, one of the Tianchen Seven Swords, yet at this moment, could not even find a justifiable reason to speak up and stop it.
This was her hundreds of years of a clear heart; this was her lifelong straight path of the sword.
Cultivating a muddled heart, practicing an absurd path.
How she wished she could see resentment towards her, ridicule for her, mockery of her in Luo He's eyes. If Luo He could speak, she even hoped he could use the utmost insulting and disdainful words to humiliate her.
That way, her heart would feel a little better; she hoped she could receive punishment.
But Luo He didn't give her this chance.
This child, who since childhood had progressed rapidly whether learning the sword from her or cultivating, had never expressed anything towards her.
Instead, it was Gu Jing herself; wanting to obtain salvation from him, obtain answers, obtain release, had unknowingly developed this into an obsession.
In the cool night, under the hazy and desolate moonlight, Gu Jing mustered her courage and gently touched a corner of Luo He's mask.
"Do you know... I came here under the Sect Master's orders, what I am to do?"
"......"
Luo He silently nodded his head.
He knew very well.
Just as that cyan-clothed female immortal in his memories had said, Luo Hongyu would face a tribulation, and Luo Wenshui also knew about this matter.
Therefore, Luo He's existence was not only to become Luo Hongyu's God of Misfortune, but also to block that Heavenly Tribulation for Luo Hongyu.
Otherwise, he (Luo Wenshui) wouldn't have, after discovering that Luo He hadn't completely lost his senses, still opened the Library Pavilion to Luo He for him to cultivate.
But precisely because of this, Luo He was able to come into contact with the soul cultivation techniques collected by the Tianchen Sword Sect, and have the possibility of breaking free from his body today.
And Gu Jing, having followed Luo Wenshui down the dark path all the way, had come this time precisely to ensure Luo He could successfully go to his death.
She wasn't here to be his gentle Celestial Immortal, but a death-hastening ghost.
"Then do you hate me?"
"Do you hate me, this fallen, selfish, self-deceiving woman, who doesn't deserve to be respected at all, and is also unworthy of the Autumn Maiden Sword?"
The corners of Gu Jing's eyes held a gentle softness and dignity that seemed fused into her very bones. But at this moment, in her expression, there was a contradictory mix of fear of Luo He's answer and a somewhat hidden, pathological obsession.
The hand she used to touch the mask trembled slightly, sensitive as if she were a paper doll.
The look in her eyes as she gazed at him was like a plea, begging to be able to lick from between Luo He's fingers even a little trace of hatred that could sting her numb nerves.
But this hatred, where should it even begin?
If he were to hate, he should hate the instigator of it all, Luo Wenshui.
However, when using evil arts, how could the caster not pay a price... Luo Wenshui himself didn't have many days left, perhaps not even long enough to see the day of his revenge.
As for Gu Jing, she had merely made a choice that the vast majority of people would make.
He found her a bit laughable, and also a bit pitiable.
But he didn't hate her.
Luo He shook his head.
"......"
Gu Jing's hand loosened, and her eyes gradually drooped.
"If the Young Master didn't have that tragic destiny, and the Sect Master hadn't used that soul-devouring evil art."
"If you were really the Young Master's younger brother, and you both practiced swords and cultivated together on my Little Cang Mountain."
"If you didn't have to wear a mask, could speak, if you were the child everyone eagerly awaited, loved the most, and placed the greatest hopes in, a child standing in the sunlight, warm and happy... how wonderful would that be."
"I could personally hear you call me Senior Sister Gu."
"And I could also call you, Junior Brother Luo."
These murmured words of hers, it was unknown whether they were spoken for Luo He to hear, or for herself.
But whether it was Gu Jing herself or Luo He, both knew very well that this "if" could never happen.
To speak of it now could only be considered a joke.
Luo He stood up, intending to leave.
Right now, within his body, there was an enormous threat. Even Gu Jing's earlier examination of his body hadn't discovered it; this showed that Shen Huai had not exaggerated the origin and destructiveness of that Demonic Seed.
He now needed to use this precious time to properly study this thing, lest problems arise.
Now, he only needed to delay Luo Hongyu from stepping onto the Immortal Ascension Platform to meet her Heavenly Tribulation within this half-month. After that, he would welcome his own release.
So many years of tempering and suffering... He couldn't let all his previous efforts be wasted here.
"Wait..."
Gu Jing caught the corner of his clothes.
Afterwards, she stuffed a Sword Jade, emitting a cool and gentle-cold aura, into his hand. At the same time, a pure and vast spiritual energy also filled his entire body.
It added a bit of vitality to his deathly still aura; the day's expenditure was instantly replenished, and even became somewhat fuller.
After doing all this, Gu Jing's face was slightly pale. Paired with the forced smile she managed at this moment, this immortal fairy, usually of pleasant charm and spirit, looked incomparably haggard.
"This can make you... hurt less."
"......"
Luo He didn't say much. After pondering for a moment, the Autumn Maiden Sword appeared in his hand.
The Autumn Maiden Sword hummed joyfully at his summons, but Luo He directly and unilaterally severed its connection with him.
The Autumn Maiden Sword, sensing Luo He's aura departing, seemed extremely uneasy. Under Luo He's suppression, the Autumn Maiden Sword gradually quieted down.
Afterwards, Luo He handed the Autumn Maiden Sword back to Gu Jing.
For him, the Autumn Maiden Sword's greatest use was that its gentle sword qi could slightly suppress the malevolent qi in his body. But now, there weren't many days left; he wouldn't need it.
It was time to return it to Gu Jing.
The Autumn Maiden Sword, returned to its original master, however, showed no response. Although Gu Jing could still use the Autumn Maiden Sword, compared to when it was in Luo He's hands, it had clearly lost some of its spirituality.
This was because this Autumn Maiden Sword was not as Luo Hongyu thought—that Gu Jing had forcibly let Luo He use it.
Rather, the Autumn Maiden Sword had actively chosen to leave Gu Jing and had chosen Luo He.
For a sentient sword to choose a new master before its previous master had passed away or crippled the sword—there had never been a precedent in thousands of years of history.
But Gu Jing herself understood that from the moment she went against her own heart and chose to ignore Luo He's plight, she had already lost the Autumn Maiden Sword's acknowledgment.
The explanation Luo Hongyu knew was merely a laughable lie to deceive others.
At this moment, Luo He returned the Autumn Maiden Sword; she knew clearly in her heart what it meant.
Gu Jing felt a heavy hammer strike fiercely against her heart, making it difficult for her to open her eyes, difficult to raise her head, difficult to speak. She was terrified that if she met Luo He's gaze again, she would dissipate completely beneath it like dying embers.
Luo He's figure gradually disappeared into the night.
The sword returned to the hand of its swordswoman. Gu Jing, holding the Autumn Maiden Sword, her figure from behind seemed as if she were still that peerlessly elegant female Sword Immortal from all those years ago.
But perhaps only she herself knew that every sword strike she had once wielded to benefit the world and uphold the righteous path would, after Luo He was gone, pierce back into her own body.
The wounds would drip with fresh blood, difficult to heal.