Hua Tingxuan watched "himself" in plain disciple uniform, pushed the door open and looked down at Chu Danfeng: "I'll give you one last chance, hand it over. Otherwise... I'll take you out and let her see you in your dishevelled state, being whipped and punished. How will she look at you?"
“No, don’t!” Chu Danfeng’s face turned pale as paper, and he looked at Hua Tingxuan pleadingly, “Xuan’er, no, Sixth Junior Brother, I have raised you since you were a child. Even if I have no credit, I have worked hard. Please, please... give me some face.”
"Then hand over that damn bead!" Hua Tingxuan gritted his teeth and said, "Do you know that this thing will cost you your life?"
Chu Danfeng bit his lip and said nothing.
"Do you like her so much? You like her so much... that you don't even want to give up your life... Fine! I won't let you have your wish."
Hua Tingxuan watched "himself" pick up Chu Danfeng horizontally, kick the door open, and walk away.
"No, no, stop now!" Hua Tingxuan could not forget what happened next. It was a demon that had tormented him for nearly a hundred years.
And then, Hua Tingxuan felt a warm feeling in his arms... He was holding his junior brother. He and the "self" in Chu Danfeng's memory became one.
That old voice suddenly sounded in his mind again, coaxing: "Hua Tingxuan, do you want him to get hurt again? Do you want to see him disappointed in you again? Let him go and untie the ropes that bind him."
Let him go
That voice was right. He never wanted to hurt his brother again, but...
This is a real memory. If it is disturbed, the two of them will be trapped in it forever and can never get out.
Such are the rules of the inner demon realm.
Hua Tingxuan held Chu Danfeng stiffly, letting his body drive his soul. He tied him up with his own hands, stripped off his outer shirt with his own hands, and whipped his underwear with a long whip.
Hua Tingxuan almost didn't dare to look at Chu Danfeng's expression, but he couldn't help but look. He saw that his senior brother had drooping eyelashes, pursed his pale lips to endure the pain, and beads of sweat the size of beans on his forehead.
From beginning to end, Chu Danfeng never looked at him again, and Hua Tingxuan felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.
What happened next made him feel as if all his internal organs were drained out - he once again watched Chu Danfeng explode and die in front of him.
Hua Tingxuan rubbed his palms until they were sore before he forced himself to suppress the urge to stop it all.
A white light flashed, and a new scene appeared before my eyes.
This is another memory, probably the first time they met in their previous life.
Hua Tingxuan turned into a five-year-old baby again. Chu Danfeng in front of him was wearing a black robe, which made his skin look even whiter. When Fang Qingya handed himself over to him, Chu Danfeng had a dull expression and seemed difficult to get along with.
Little Hua Tingxuan used to hang out in the fields and streets all day, being chased by wild dogs, chased by some ferocious beasts invisible to ordinary people, and beaten by village naughty boys. He was scared out of his wits. Now, he had just stepped into the fairy mountain and saw the indifferent look of this senior brother. His little body shrank back involuntarily.
However, as soon as Senior Brother Fang left, Chu Danfeng put down his pretentious expression and asked him with a smile if he was hungry and whether he wanted to eat dried fruits or meat.
"The preserved fruit is quite sweet, but I braised the rouge goose breast myself. I'm not bragging, Fifth Brother. Even the best restaurants in Huayang Town down the mountain don't have this skill!"
Hua Tingxuan was stunned.
Senior Brother is actually... so lively? His memory of being five years old was already fuzzy. He only remembered Chu Danfeng's silence and forbearance in his previous life, and his Buddhist indifference in this life.
He had worked hard all his life, wanting to recover his cultivation and gain recognition from the world, but in this life, he suddenly stopped fighting for anything. Was it because of him that Junior Brother became like this
He still remembered what Chu Danfeng had overheard confiding to Huang Changtian: "The greatest pain is the hostility of one's closest relatives."
Seeing that the little girl didn't answer, Chu Danfeng continued to inspire: "Brother's craftsmanship is unique, you can't buy it outside."
Hua Tingxuan heard himself whisper, "Then let's eat the rouge goose breast."
Chu Danfeng immediately revealed a smug expression of "You are very connoisseur of goods", and then rested his chin on his hand and watched him eat.
The goose jerky still had the familiar taste. What his senior brother said was right, this cooking technique was unique. He never ate it again in the hundred years when he was alone.
"Is it tasty?"
Hua Tingxuan nodded desperately.
"Eat slowly, don't choke." Chu Danfeng rubbed his head, "Little guy, I know you've suffered a lot in the past, but it's all over. With my brother here, you don't have to be afraid of anything."
"With my brother here, I don't have to be afraid of anything." It turned out that when they first met, my brother had given him such a warm promise. However, he destroyed the promise with his own hands and lost his brother with his own hands.
Hua Tingxuan's eyes were sore, but he didn't dare to shed tears, for fear of ruining this memory.
Chu Danfeng's memory covered every detail, but most of them were about himself. Hua Tingxuan had always believed that Chu Danfeng spent most of his time practicing hard in order to restore his golden elixir cultivation. But after seeing it with his own eyes, he was shocked to realize that he actually spent most of his time on himself.
Raising a child is not an easy task.
He bathed him, cooked for him, took him down the mountain to travel, and taught him how to draw energy into his body. He was obviously still a half-grown child and did the housework in a mess. Because his cultivation was destroyed, he often made mistakes in the most basic water purification spell. He raised the child with many bumps and bruises, but he still tried his best to bring him up.
The junior brother was always cold and silent towards outsiders, and didn't look very likable, but he seemed to have given all his patience and warmth to him.
The master was always in seclusion, and the other brothers didn't like Chu Danfeng either. Except for the second sister who would take care of them when she came back from traveling, the two brothers were the only ones who depended on each other. Their life was hard but enjoyable.
But as the junior sister gradually grew into a beautiful young lady, conflicts began to arise between them.
During that time, he noticed that his junior brother admired Lin Shuer. Hua Tingxuan didn't know that it was because he liked his junior brother - the kind of love that wanted to become a Taoist couple - he just felt that Lin Shuer had taken his senior brother away and that his senior brother had changed, so he ignored him out of spite.
That day, when Chu Danfeng approached him cautiously and asked him to help find the Yaolang Fujin Grass, the young Hua Tingxuan was delighted and excited. He almost immediately wanted to stop the unilateral cold war and reconcile with his senior brother.
But just as he was about to agree, he heard Chu Danfeng say sweetly with longing: "If I can form a pill, I can go to the sect competition with my junior sister."
Hua Tingxuan was furious, leaving behind many harsh words to mock him, and then left in anger. He remembered this part, but he didn't know that a few days later, when he was injured in the master's competition, the medicine sent by his junior sister was actually made by Chu Danfeng himself.
Chu Danfeng sat outside the bamboo house, pounding medicine while talking to himself: "System, you said he was so capable, why did he get hurt?"
The word "system" was automatically blocked, but Hua Tingxuan had no problem listening to it. He was used to it. It seemed that the junior brother liked talking to himself when no one was around.
When there is no "self" in his memory, Hua Tingxuan will return to the role of a bystander.
I only heard the little brother asking and answering himself: "Well, he's in an unstable state of mind. Hey, maybe he's still holding a grudge against me for liking the little sister. It's no wonder, he and the little sister are about the same age, they've been childhood sweethearts, their friendship is certainly something that an 'old father' like me can't compare to... Tsk, I raised him with all my heart, so what's wrong with calling myself an 'old father'? But the kid has grown up, he's got a wife and he's forgotten his dad."
"How many points do I have left? I need to exchange for a more expensive item to increase the potency of this medicine. I want a medicine that can cure any disease. After all, he is the child I raised. How can I not feel bad if he gets hurt?"
"… "
Hua Tingxuan remembered that he had lost the medicine after all. He hated the junior sister so much that he pretended to be nice to her just to piss off Chu Danfeng. How could he really accept her gift of medicine... It turned out that the medicine was made by the junior brother. He didn't hold a grudge against me even though I had said such harsh words to him. He still cared about me.
Looking back at himself, what kind of ungrateful person is he? And what kind of stupid bastard is he? He clearly wanted to love him and want him, but he broke his senior brother's heart in the most sharp and cruel way.
His throat was dry and his heart was filled with a sour feeling. If he wasn't afraid that his senior brother was trapped in the realm of inner demons and couldn't get out, he would have wanted to rush forward with a sword and kill his former self.
Because of his frequent mood swings, a faint black magic pattern appeared between Hua Tingxuan's brows, but he forcibly suppressed it and continued to watch the memory:
After the sect competition, he rarely met with his junior brother, and now most of his memories were of Chu Danfeng alone.
He was angry and refused to see Chu Danfeng, and Chu Danfeng seemed to be avoiding him intentionally. This was the longest and final cold war.
Chu Danfeng became more and more withdrawn and had less time to practice sword skills. He would often pull up a rattan chair and stare at the lush and colorful peach blossom forest when no one was around Lixu Peak.
"That kid hasn't been seen for nearly half a year." He pinched a smooth and restrained spiritual bead and said gloomily, "I don't have much time left. I don't know if I can see him again before I die."
The bead was full of spiritual energy, but also had a strong evil spirit. It was the number one rare treasure in the world of cultivation, the 'Soul-Choosing Bead', which was a chance that Junior Sister got by chance. Unfortunately, the rare treasure was not easy to control, and the backlash would result in blood. Senior Brother died because he blocked the backlash for Lin Shuer.
It seems that he is ready to die heroically at this time.
"What? You want me to take the initiative to find him? Forget it. Oh, why would I bother with a child? Anyway, I have always been... I thought, I'm going to die, it's better to let him continue to hate me. If I continue to maintain the relationship now, when I die, the kid will be more or less sad, right? Why make him sad?"
"Who said he wouldn't be sad? I raised a child, so I understand him. Tingxuan is not a bad person by nature, but it's hard to describe the word love. Maybe he loves Junior Sister too much, so how can he not hate me, the evil person who interfered?"
"… "
Time passed quickly and before Chu Danfeng exploded and died. Hua Tingxuan reattached himself to his body, letting his body lead his soul, and personally locked Chu Danfeng into the small dark room.
Chu Danfeng looked at him in disbelief, his peach blossom eyes, which should have been affectionate and tender, were filled with shock and disappointment: "How long are you going to lock me up?"
Hua Tingxuan heard himself say coldly: "When you figure it out, give me the bead, otherwise... you will never see the light of day again."
He added, "Don't try to play tricks. Master is in seclusion. Now the entire Lixu Peak is following my lead. Even Senior Brother dares not interfere with my decision."
The door was locked, and Chu Danfeng's spiritual power was bound by the ropes. He had no power to fight back. He sat on the small bed, looking at the small window on the high wall blankly and helplessly.
When the junior brother was left alone, he began to "talk to himself" again.
He said anxiously: "This is wrong, he shouldn't trap me, check what's going on!"
After a day and a night, he was confused and asked, "Why would Tingxuan do this to me? Does he... hate me to this extent?"
On the third day, he said dejectedly: "** (system), will he let me out?"
After who knows how many days and nights, Chu Danfeng became visibly depressed, even talking to himself in a listless manner: "You're right, even if I die, he won't be sad for even a second. This brat... has no heart at all."
There was obviously no ups and downs in the tone, but Hua Tingxuan could hear the sadness that was as dead as despair.
What on earth did he do in the past
Hua Tingxuan was so heartbroken that he wished he could grind himself into ashes, but the next moment, he was back in his body.
My hands uncontrollably tried to push the door, but he held them back forcefully.
Once he pushes it open, he will see the scene when he first enters the inner demon realm. If he lets things develop, he will once again see the tragic scene of his senior brother exploding and dying.
No, he didn't want to watch anymore. How long would this inner demonic realm torture him? If he stayed, would he be able to change everything and make his senior brother no longer...
The old voice sounded at the right time: "You can change everything. As long as you make the right choice, Senior Brother will love you and only love you."
"Love only me?" Hua Tingxuan murmured, his expression gradually yearning, and the black magic pattern between his eyebrows also appeared and deepened.
Seeing this, the voice continued to tempt him: "You don't have to endure this torture again, watching him hate you and leave you over and over again."
"Don't you have to endure the torture?" Hua Tingxuan looked at his hand suspended in mid-air, and the corners of his mouth slowly rose, revealing a happy and dull smile.
'No need to suffer,' he repeated unconsciously, lowering his hand slowly.
But just when he was about to withdraw his hand completely, Hua Tingxuan's expression suddenly became ferocious, and the devil pattern between his eyebrows boiled like boiling water, but it did not dissipate. Instead, it became clearer and clearer, as if it was engraved into the skin like taking root, as thick as ink, and surrounded by black air.
"Not being tortured?" He suddenly laughed wildly, "No, I deserve to be tortured like this!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Hua Tingxuan raised his hand and pushed open the bamboo door.
I thought it would be another reincarnation, but unexpectedly, a bright white light appeared before my eyes, and all the memory fragments disappeared. Hua Tingxuan was in the endless void, thinking blankly:
It turns out that the senior brother was also reborn, which explains a lot of things.
No wonder he rejected me so much when we first met in this life.
No wonder his temperament changed drastically and he had no desires or demands. It was because he was heartbroken by himself.
But... But, he finally accepted me, didn't he? My senior brother finally allowed me to stay with him, so does he still have a glimmer of hope
I don't know how long it took, but when I regained consciousness, I heard the old voice unwillingly saying, "What a mistake, what a mistake! I wanted to arouse your inner demons and lure you into submission, but I didn't expect that your obsession with him was so deep that you were willing to punish yourself to atone for your sins. I accidentally helped you escape. What a mistake, what a mistake!"
Hua Tingxuan had just emerged from Chu Danfeng's memory and was still a little dazed. However, after hearing these words, he gradually regained his composure and suppressed his evil spirit without making a sound.
"Your inner demon is harder to control, right? I've said it before, helping him to seize the treasure is extremely harmful to yourself. Your inner demon will become increasingly difficult to suppress, and sooner or later it will devour your mind. You are playing with fire and getting burned."
"You don't need to worry about my affairs." Hua Tingxuan said in a deep voice, "Does this mean you have already broken through?"
"It's not that easy," the voice said, "You have passed the test, but he has not. Do you want to help?"
Hua Tingxuan: "Of course!"
Compared to Hua Tingxuan's complicated and lengthy 'Heart Demon Realm' which almost took up his entire life, Chu Danfeng's test was shockingly simple, without even a decent scene.
He was still wearing the same robes that were torn by the jagged rocks. He sat in the vast void, holding his chin, listening attentively to something.
After Hua Tingxuan entered into a state of meditation, he could actually hear the same voice: "As long as you are willing to stay, I can give you everything you want."
Chu Danfeng blinked his eyes and asked in confusion: "What do I want? I don't know." He just wanted to enjoy his retirement life and really had no desires or requests.
The voice said: "Of course I know. I will give you a perfect world with endless beautiful scenery and all kinds of delicious food."
When Chu Danfeng heard the word "delicious food", he obviously swallowed his saliva, and his voice was also a little bit funny: "More importantly, there are no people who hurt you, humiliated you, or wronged you, such as..."
It paused, and continued: "For example, Hua Ting Xuan."
Hua Tingxuan's heart suddenly sank, his fingertips numb with nervousness. He looked at Chu Danfeng without blinking. Chu Danfeng was still holding his chin with his hands, frowning slightly, and no one knew what he was thinking.
The voice paused maliciously before continuing: "Everyone who stayed here respects and loves you, such as Second Senior Sister and Little Junior Sister—"
"No!" Chu Danfeng suddenly interrupted.
Hua Tingxuan was shocked, and looked at his senior brother expectantly and anxiously. Would he refuse? Would he... say, "There's no need to make Hua Tingxuan disappear"
Chu Danfeng waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, I don't want it, Junior Sister. I don't want to compete with him for a woman anymore."
He was very open-minded. After all, the world of cultivation was not his original world, so it didn't matter where he lived in retirement.
"You mean I can choose my own list?" Chu Danfeng asked eagerly, "Then in addition to crossing out Hua Tingxuan, add Liu Yanbai."