Love & Redemption
Chapter 221: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms, - 28 Jun Tian Sea Strategy (Part 1)

Chapter 221: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms, Chapter 28 Jun Tian Sea Strategy (Part 1)

Second update.

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When Xuanji descended from the clouds, she saw many people gathered at the entrance of the main hall. As she landed, they all moved aside and retreated. Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, and the others even lowered their heads to avoid her gaze, their expressions awkward. She felt heartache and bit her lip. Chu Lei had already asked anxiously, "What happened?! How did you send the Heavenly God away?"

She had originally intended to tell the truth, but suddenly she thought that if she did, her parents would be terrified half to death. In their eyes, defying the Upper Realm was unthinkable. Not only had she disobeyed the order, but she had also sent the Divine Officer who delivered the decree back. She was truly committing a grave offense, so the words on the tip of her tongue turned into, "...It was nothing, just the Heavenly God inspecting the Lower Realm..."

Chu Lei clearly didn’t believe her, but she clenched her jaw and refused to speak, leaving him powerless. In the midst of the chaos, Zhong Minyan and Linglong ran over in a panic, repeatedly asking what had happened. For them to encounter the Heavenly God descending during such a romantic moment as their wedding night was indeed unfortunate, completely ruining the mood.

Xuanji couldn’t help but snicker and said, "It’s nothing! Just trivial... minor issues."

This certainly wasn’t a minor issue, but a huge calamity indeed. She herself didn’t know whether the Heavenly Emperor would be enraged and immediately send a legion of Heavenly Soldiers to capture her. That night, she was truly anxious and fearful.

She tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep at all, her back sweating. She couldn’t help but think about taking her sword and standing mid-air, ready to attack anyone who approached. Then, she would wish time could reverse, and she would obediently follow the Divine Officer to the Heavenly Court, sparing her parents any undeserved catastrophes. The night was overcast with clouds, with no moonlight; the room was pitch black, a suffocating darkness. She placed her fingers in her mouth, biting them hard, completely at a loss.

Suddenly there was a light tap on the window ledge. That sound was so slight, yet it thundered in her ears. She leaped up, clutching Bengyu, her palms sweaty, her heart beating so fast she could almost not hear her own breaths. The person outside whispered, "Xuanji, are you asleep?" It was Yu Sifeng’s voice.

As soon as she heard him speak, her body felt like it had drained of all strength, and she softened, struggling to run over and push open the window. Before he could jump in, she threw herself fiercely into his arms, her voice trembling as she said, "Si Feng! Si Feng!"

Yu Sifeng tightly embraced her, shut the window behind him, and carried her to the bed, caressing her face, feeling the sweat on her forehead. He whispered, "Is there trouble in Heaven? I saw today that the Golden-armored Giant was a messenger. What is the decree from the Upper Realm?"

Xuanji was overwhelmed, unsure how to explain. After a long while, she finally stuttered out the entire story. As she spoke, she couldn’t help but choke and sob, whispering softly, "What should I do, Si Feng! I—I impulsively sent him back! Will they... will they send Heavenly Soldiers to capture me? Could my family... also be punished for my crime?"

Yu Sifeng pressed her head tightly against his chest, his voice gentle, "No, don’t think like that. The Upper Realm won’t punish mortals indiscriminately; you don’t need to worry about the Shaoyang Sect."

Xuanji took several deep breaths, her trembling breathing gradually calming down. Yu Sifeng then said, "It seems to carry a hint of settling accounts after the fall harvest, not even sparing Ting Nu. Could it be Wuzhiqi making a comeback?"

Xuanji shook her head and said, "I... I’m not sure. Isn’t Wuzhiqi still staying in the Netherworld without coming out?"

Yu Sifeng didn’t speak, lost in thought, Xuanji also didn’t know what to say. Leaning against his chest and listening to his steady, strong heartbeat seemed to be the greatest comfort. After a long while, he suddenly asked, "Xuanji, do you remember your past life’s affairs?"

She was taken aback for a moment, nodded, then shook her head, finally whispering lowly, "Sometimes it’s very clear, I don’t even need to think to know the whole story. But sometimes, it feels completely like a stranger’s tale, having nothing to do with me... It’s hard to describe the feeling. If I don’t think about it, it hides inside, as if it never existed. But once I think about it, I can’t hold it back anymore... That feeling... is like... like..."

Like an uncontrollable flood, continuously rushing towards her, washed away all her memories of half a lifetime. She felt like she wasn’t herself, unsure who she was, dominated by an irrefutable vastness and fierceness. It was as if a sharp cold blade was hidden inside her body. Thus, she chose not to think about it, pretending not to care, constantly telling herself that it was her past life, it wasn’t her, Chu Xuanji, it had nothing to do with her.

Yu Sifeng gripped her shoulders, his voice low, "Do you remember why you suddenly made a mistake and were punished to descend to the Lower Realm to endure trials?"

Xuanji tried hard to think for a long time, finally shaking her head, "No... I don’t remember. It’s strange; some things come to mind immediately, others I just can’t recall."

Yu Sifeng pondered and said, "I guess it’s related to your punishment in the Lower Realm. Didn’t you say Emperor Houtu and others have been waiting for you to kill Wuzhiqi? To end this karma. But you defied the divine intention, unknowingly causing severe consequences, thus the decree to capture you."

Xuanji’s clear, distinct eyes stared at him, trying hard to remember, but she couldn’t recall anything. Yu Sifeng stroking her long hair, said softly, "Don’t think about it anymore; the time probably hasn’t come yet. Even though you defied the order this time, they won’t come to capture you so quickly. Besides, Tengshe is above..."

Before he could finish, Xuanji said sternly, "Don’t mention that name! I would rather have never known such a heartless, unscrupulous person!"

Yu Sifeng was somewhat silent, and after a while, he finally said, "He’s not that kind of person, you should know better than I."

Xuanji felt both aggrieved and agitated, remembering how Tengshe had silently run back to heaven to confess his faults, leaving her behind without any warning, anger surged within her; yet somehow, she also recalled how he had accompanied her without complaints for the past two years in their search for Yu Sifeng, during her times of loss and confusion, always by her side, yet she couldn’t bring herself to hate him.

After a long time, she finally spoke resentfully, sighing, "Forget it... no matter what kind of person he is... he’s already gone..."

Yu Sifeng suddenly remembered that dusk half a year ago tinged with fiery clouds. Tengshe’s expression was as cold as ice and snow, a seriousness he had never shown since they knew each other. His first sentence upon entering was, "I’m gonna leave."

Yu Sifeng thought he was planning to go out to find food again and casually nodded his head, but Tengshe then said, "Whether we can meet again depends on fate. Take good care of yourself."

Only then did he taste something different, asking in surprise, "Where are you going?"

Tengshe seriously said, "Something big is about to happen up there, I need to go back and delay it as much as I can. I just don’t know how long I can hold it off, don’t worry about me."

At that time, Yu Sifeng didn’t know what he was referring to and thought it was some personal trouble Tengshe had gotten himself into, as he disliked prying into others’ private affairs, he simply nodded and said, "Is it already that serious?"

Tengshe must have hesitated, wanting to confess everything, but for some reason, he didn’t. He just said, "The old fellas are angry, it might be pretty severe." Later Xuanji came out, and he didn’t continue on this topic. Afterward, he insisted on leaving, which upset Xuanji so much she cried bitterly.

Reflecting on these events now, he finally caught some traces. Tengshe must have known beforehand that the Upper Realm intended to capture Xuanji, and during those three days he left Xuanji to find food in town, the unforeseen incident must have happened. It seems he must have encountered the messenger and thought he could handle the situation himself, so he went back on his own without notifying anyone. Little did he know that he would end up being captured as an accomplice. The Golden-armored Giant who delivered the decree must have mentioned Tengshe intentionally to intimidate Xuanji, and her resistance in a fit of rage was probably an unforeseen reaction for the Upper Realm.

"Xuanji, are you asleep?" Yu Sifeng softly called the girl in his arms; she hadn’t spoken for a long time, her breathing deepened as if she was asleep, but upon his call, she immediately opened her eyes, still groggy but trying to appear alert, loudly said, "I’m not asleep!"

Yu Sifeng couldn’t help but laugh, pinched her nose, and whispered, "Don’t sleep just yet, let’s get ready to leave."

Xuanji rubbed her sore eyes, murmured, asking, "Where to?" It was strange, she just couldn’t fall asleep on her own, but as soon as Yu Sifeng arrived, she felt completely relaxed, the sleepiness overwhelming her, making her extremely drowsy.

Yu Sifeng draped a coat over her, fixed her hair, and then scooped her up, saying, "We need to leave the Shaoyang Sect. The person they want to capture from the Upper Realm is you; you can’t stay here and cause more trouble for them."

Xuanji was instantly wide awake, all traces of sleepiness vanished. She struggled down to the ground, quickly packed a small bundle, and in the deep, dark night, they stealthily descended Shaoyang Peak once again. She felt as if she was becoming a thief, always sneaking in and out quietly without even having time to say hello.

After descending the mountain, she looked back lovingly at Shaoyang Peak, towering into the clouds hidden in darkness, and murmured softly, "We just arrived less than a day ago, Linglong just got married, they will be heartbroken when they can’t find us tomorrow..."

Yu Sifeng wrapped his arm around her shoulder, saying, "If there’s a chance... we can still come back."

If there’s a chance... Could they really have one? Neither of them knew the answer.

According to Yu Sifeng, they should try to stay and move in places crowded and noisy, making it inconvenient for the people from Heaven to just capture someone, as involving mortals in any matter is always troublesome.

When they lodged in an inn at the mountain’s foot during the day, Xuanji leaning against his chest, almost falling asleep, she muttered before sleeping, "Sifeng... Sifeng, I will never let them capture you..."

Yu Sifeng sighed softly, gently patting her cheek.

"Let’s first go to Qingyang to find Brother Liu, just hoping we’re not too late," he said.

This sentence made Xuanji’s sleepiness disappear again, and unable to fall asleep, they hastily settled their bill and hurried towards Qingyang. (To be continued. To find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)