Encountering a Snake - Chapter 25

v2c25

That night, Shen Jue was already asleep in bed when he was awakened by the sound of a slap.

For the first time in many years, Shen Jue despised his keen hearing. He heard the slap clearly, crisp and sharp, passing through the walls, the courtyard, and the wooden boards, reaching his ears.

Then came Ji Jiu’s words: “You disgust me.”

Shen Jue could not describe his feelings, nor could he imagine what emotions Yi Mo must have felt when he heard those words.

This is what a demon is. Once they venture into love, they lose their lofty position, tumbling through the mortal world, searching for their lover, only to end up in misery. A human life lasts only a few decades, but a demon lives for so long, too long to know what to do. Shen Jue no longer wants to be a demon.

If he could find someone to love and spend his life with, peacefully growing old together and dying together, he would. He wouldn’t worry about the next life, nor would he search for anything more.

Everything is just like what Ji Jiu once said: once a person dies, they are truly gone. There’s no way to bring them back. Even if you search, what you find will only be an illusion.

Like a mirage, it fades at a touch.

Shen Jue knew that feeling of emptiness was unbearable.

Voices continued to come from next door, arguing and fighting. Shen Jue covered his ears, burying himself deep in the blanket, as if doing so could stop the rupture of his dreams—the gentle father, the silent but loving parent, the beautiful family.

Eventually, all the sounds disappeared.

Shen Jue sat up, knowing that Yi Mo had left. He also knew that this time, Yi Mo was truly heartbroken.

All these years, the person he thought he could still find, the kind of tender love he sought, in the end, all hopes were shattered with the word “disgusting.”

Shen Jue felt his heart twist in pain.

The next morning, Ji Jiu prepared himself and opened the door. Just as the door was opened, the light that should have poured in was blocked by a figure. The pale blue light couldn’t get through, unable to touch him or enter his eyes. He still stood in the darkness.

Standing outside the door was Shen Jue.

Ji Jiu turned to take his sword, walked around him, and stood in the courtyard for a moment, as if he intended to practice his sword. But in the end, he sat down on the bamboo chair, closing his eyes.

Shen Jue stood at the door for a while before finally walking over, standing in front of Ji Jiu. His tall figure once again enveloped Ji Jiu in darkness, leaving no way to escape.

Ji Jiu said, “Move aside.”

Shen Jue stood still.

His persistence made even watching the first light of dawn feel like a luxury to Ji Jiu.

Shen Jue said, “How could you treat him like that?!”

Ji Jiu lowered his eyes, replying coldly, “Are you blaming me?”

Shen Jue said, “You’re too cruel! Why can’t you think about him? Why treat him like this? After searching for you for so many years, should he get this kind of result?!”

His accusations were intense, filled with anger, even losing all reason.

But Ji Jiu continued to listen patiently. Even when the words became even more excessive, Ji Jiu did not argue. He just sat quietly in the bamboo chair, listening with rare patience to the other person accuse him of his cold-bloodedness towards the demon.

His indifference made Shen Jue feel heartbroken, even furious.

Shen Jue pointed at him, shouting in fury, “A person like you doesn’t deserve to be my father!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Jiu, who had been silent, made a move. He suddenly overturned the stone table in front of him, drew his sword, and thrust it toward Shen Jue.

Shen Jue dodged immediately, but just as he did, the second sword came at him, accompanied by a sharp whistle, full of killing intent.

Shen Jue dodged three strikes, and when the fourth sword aimed for his heart, he also drew his sword to meet it.

The sound of blades clashing erupted, echoing in the small courtyard. The wooden barrel in the corner was split in half, and the water jar used the night before cracked open, spilling water everywhere.

They had both once thought they would treat each other kindly, never imagining that one day they would stand in opposition, stabbing toward each other’s hearts with weapons.

But that day came so quickly, and they accepted it without hesitation.

The courtyard, which had been home for months, became a ruin. Even the doors and windows were scarred with sword marks, shattered into broken wood, full of wounds.

Their swords met at each other’s throats. Only then did the fighting cease.

By now, the sky had turned light. Ji Jiu, holding his sword, carefully examined the young, vibrant face with fury and killing intent.

Suddenly, Ji Jiu smiled, the corner of his lips curling in a mocking arc, and he said faintly, “If I were Shen Qingxuan, would you point a sword at me?”

Shen Jue, who had been holding the sword steadily and firmly, trembled at the sound of those words. The sharp blade left a small cut at Ji Jiu’s throat. A moment later, a drop of blood began to trickle out.

The sight of that blood was shocking. Shen Jue immediately threw away his sword, shouting, “Father.”

The calm that Ji Jiu had maintained until now crumbled with that one word. He grabbed Shen Jue by the collar and pinned him to the wall, placing the sword at his neck, angrily asking, “Who am I?!”

Shen Jue did not answer, and Ji Jiu’s sword pressed harder. The same bloodstain appeared on Shen Jue’s throat. Shen Jue said, “It’s Ji Jiu.”

Ji Jiu sneered and asked, “Who is your father?”

Shen Jue hesitated for a moment, and the pressure on his neck increased. Shen Jue replied, “It’s Shen Qingxuan.”

— It’s Shen Qingxuan.

Ji Jiu gripped the sword hilt and thrust it toward him. Shen Jue’s heart jolted, but he closed his eyes.

The long sword embedded into the yellow earth wall by his face. Ji Jiu’s eyes were red, and he spoke, sentence by sentence: “You said you’ve been looking for me for over a hundred years, longing and depending on me, Ji Jiu accepted this debt and gave you everything I could.”

“Cold-blooded?” Ji Jiu laughed, his voice suddenly turning cold and desolate. “You can go find a stranger to sleep with, do it in front of your wife, and try it.”

“You’ll know what a nightmare is, what it means to wish you were dead. And I must suppress all the disgust and tell myself this is the lover you’ve been searching for over a hundred years. No matter how bad he is, I can’t kill him, or else Ji Jiu would be the animal!”

“Have I not treated you well enough?”

He spoke almost shouting, with a kind of hysterical madness.

“Because of your attachment, Ji Jiu cast aside the wife I’ve been with for years. Because of your hard work over a hundred years, Ji Jiu must accept the foster son and lover left behind from the past life, live with you day and night, and still treat you kindly.”

“You demand whatever you want from Ji Jiu, yet you keep asking for Shen Qingxuan to be reborn!”

“To you, Ji Jiu is nothing but a shell of Shen Qingxuan, letting you do as you please, and still must feel gratitude, thank you for over a hundred years of hard search, right?!”

“Why?” Ji Jiu said, “Why should I be kind to you? Knowing that the person you want is Shen Qingxuan, why should I still take care of you?”

“Come tell me, why?”

Ji Jiu said, his eyes red, his expression cold and murderous.

“You meet two beggars, give one two taels of silver and the other one tael, the one who gets one tael won’t thank you but will turn around and curse you for being stingy. This is the human heart.”

“When the wall falls, you don’t help, but instead curse the neighbor for not helping. This is the human heart.”

“After having a son, you invite the neighbors to celebrate, but the neighbor who can’t have a son eats your food and curses your son to die young. This is the human heart!”

“You father and son are no different!”

Shen Jue snapped out of his long daze, speechless, only calling out softly, “Father.”

Ji Jiu stared at him, his gaze cold and sharp, cutting through his flesh like a blade, piercing his soul. “Who are you calling? Shen Qingxuan or Ji Jiu?”

Shen Jue remained silent.

“Answer me, Shen Qingxuan or Ji Jiu?” Ji Jiu’s expression was chilling, his presence oppressive like a cold mountain pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. Shen Jue looked at him for a long time, then slowly said, “Shen Qingxuan.”

Once the words left his mouth, Shen Jue closed his eyes, whispering, “I’m sorry.”

Ji Jiu released him.

He threw the sword sheath aside and slowly walked back to the bamboo chair, sitting down again, closing his eyes. Ji Jiu said, “Go.”

Shen Jue bent down, picked up his sword, packed his belongings in his room, stood in front of Ji Jiu again, but said nothing. He quietly walked away.

Ji Jiu remained motionless in his chair, as the sunlight slanted across his head, seemingly turning him into a stone statue.

He knew they would leave, just as they had suddenly appeared, tearing his life into pieces before silently retreating.

But they were demons, with supreme powers and great skills, and he was just a small mortal, helpless before them.

Otherwise, what else could he do?

To them, Ji Jiu, this living person, did not even exist.

Even so, Ji Jiu could not complain, for that would be cold-blooded and heartless. And Ji Jiu was too tired to hold any more grievances.

It was fine this way.

(i feel so bad for them)