Chapter 216: If There Is to Be a Next Life, Let Us Not Part!

The old woman murmured softly, "Thank you."

"There is no need," Yun Yang replied prudently.

The elderly woman hugged the crescent shaped jade pendant in contentment and continued softly, "This isn't actually valuable but it's our token of our love... He's actually been wearing it all these years..."

Putting the pendant near her cheek and slowly rubbing against it, the affection in her gaze was deep as the ocean. Finally, she sobbed softly, "I've never hated him... I've been waiting for him... Why didn't he come back and tell me himself..."

"There's also his letter." Yun Yang said, "He seemed to have written this letter long ago, like... he has long known that this day would come..."

The old woman smiled contently and replied, "Thank you... Although I shouldn't do this, and I don't have any right to ask, this old one wishes to ask a favor from respectable one."

"Do speak," Yun Yang replied after being quiet for a bit.

The old woman asked, "Can you... use the weapon you've killed him with... to kill me?"

Yun Yang was dumbfounded when he heard her words.

"If I could die from the same weapon that killed him, perhaps I can catch up to him faster. This is my last wish." The woman's voice was soft. "Please grant it."

Yun Yang took in a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, I can't do this. I really can't."

Killing an innocent old lady for no apparent reason was even harder than battling He Hanqing himself!

The elderly lady was understanding and did not press on, only speaking, "Mi Kongqun said he was regretful and sorry... Actually, he's never known what it is that he's sorry about since we were young..."

"All the more he doesn't know what it is that I ask for..."

The aged lady smiled gently. "Thank you. I won't be reading this letter."

Her stare was set on Yun Yang as she murmured, "Thank you, for completing a wish for me and Brother Qun... As a token of gratitude, if respectable one is free, do go have a look at the Seven Star Lake."

"Seven Star Lake?" Yun Yang was confused.

The old woman did not answer. Lowering her head to look at the jade pendant quietly, she suddenly grabbed the crescent jade to kiss it and mumbled, "Brother Qun, if there is a next life, will you still marry me? Will you still have done me wrong?"

Suddenly, the jade pendant glowed with a radiant luster - it was the look of being infused with mystical Qi.

Seeing it, Yun Yang was shocked. "Don't..."

He had realized it too late. The old woman erupted her mystical Qi and with a jerk, the crescent-shaped jade pendant stabbed right into her chest like a sharp knife, embedding itself deep into her heart!

Yun Yang felt his head buzz; he had not expected the old woman to be so resolutely seeking death - dying just as she wished without hesitation!

In addition, the old lady actually had the mystical Qi cultivation base of fourth peak; she had even self-destructed in the most extreme way possible, erupting her entire cultivation base and terminating any chance of her rescuscitating her vitality. If she had not done so, Yun Yang could still save her, despite the unforeseen action.

Filled with shock and vexation, Yun Yang watched the dying woman rustle the jade pendant in her chest determinedly as if she did not feel any pain.

A genuine ghost of a smile surfaced. "Actually, he doesn't know... that I was also cultivating earnestly after he left... Although it was a bit too late, I still want to keep up the fruitless effort. Even if I can't catch up to him, I can be closer..."

The old woman chuckled sadly. "Even when I knew later that he would never return, and this bit of cultivation base I have can't be used to fight the enemy, it's enough to use it on myself..."

"It's enough to have heard those last words of yours in this lifetime..."

Yun Yang sighed, not knowing what to say for a moment.

The woman's eyes danced with a bright glow, delighted as if she saw something that no one else could see and said, "Brother Qun, go slower... Wait for me, I - I can't keep up..."

Suddenly, her voice ceased altogether.

Delight still shone in her eyes, it was the radiance of love, like she had met her lover once again in another world.

She was, however, no longer breathing and had no pulse; she was making her way to the underworld.

Yun Yang felt his heart weighed down; the initial shock replaced by the sentiment of this genuine love.

The moon was still as bright and as cold in the sky when he raised his head to look at it; perhaps, the moon tonight was like the one Mi Kongqun and his wife had watched together all those years ago... unchanging.

The moon remained the same but everything else had not.

The noise the encounter had made finally alarmed the people below as panicked voices drifted up.

"Who is it?"

"Is old mistress still up there?"

"Go have a look."

Yun Yang sighed softly as his body dematerialized slowly, turning into the chilling wind that billowed in the air.

"I hope there's a next life for the both of you; may you never part, staying together for as long as the moon shines."

...

Yun Yang returned quietly holding the five receptacles of Luminary Paste; he dared not keep any more precious gems or rare medicine in his embrace. Emmie would not care where the items came from nor what they were used for; as long as they were useful to it, it would absorb it directly. After several pained lessons, Yun Yang finally etched that reminder into his memory.

However, he had not yet recovered from his heavy heart upon returning to the courtyard of his home.

Shui Wuyin was like an invisible man standing quietly under the tree; Lao Mei and Fang Mofei who were at the side both wore expressions of discomfort.

It was clearly because of Shui Wuyin. Despite the fact that he stood right in front of them,they had some difficulty seeing him. It was as if he didn't really exist, cut out from the fabric of reality.

Both the older men refused to believe it, searching and trying to locate him with their deific consciousness directly but that had only caused their jaws to drop even further as they could not even sense anything.

He was a living, breathing person, but their senses told them otherwise. Reaching out with their innate abilities, they encountered nothing, as if he wasn't really there at all.

Both Lao Mei and Fang Mofei were exclaiming in disbelief at the absurdity of the situation.

How could this be?

It was only when Yun Yang came back did Shui Wuyin walk out of the shadows. Like a ghost, a step into the sunlight dissipated the dark fog around him as he reemerged in the human realm.

Lao Mei and Feng Mofei who were nearby could not help gasping, both of them grumbling inwardly, "Monster!"

They then walked away as if nothing had happened, obviously fearful of this man who appeared to be something more than human.

Shui Wuyin was not bothered with what the two had said. Looking at Yun Yang's grim expression, he asked in a low voice, "Failed?"

Yun Yang sighed, "Not only did I succeed, I succeeded exceedingly well."

Shui Wuyin let a smile grace his face and said, "That's a good thing. Was there an accident?"

He could not be blamed for asking; since Yun Yang said he had succeeded and exceedingly well at that, his trip should have paid off. However, Yun Yang looked so weighed down; it was easy to doubt and have second thoughts about his endeavor.

Yun Yang kept quiet for some and told Shui Wuyin the events of the night.

Upon listening, Shui Wuyin was emotionless. "Young master, you've acted too impulsively."

"We still lack money, young master."

Shui Wuyin continued, "The fortune Mi Kongqun left should have been taken as ours. There was also no need to send the letter. Whether it was a trap or not, there really wasn't any need for that."

"Young master has to know, there's a price to be paid for everything done. This is the only truth between heaven and earth! No matter how cruel or pitiful the price was, it should be paid."

Shui Wuyin smiled then. "However, for young master to return victorious and have unexpected gains, it's still great news for us."

Yun Yang nodded and stole a meaningful glance at Shui Wuyin; he realized now that Shui Wuyin had his flaws as well.

He was extremely meticulous and saw death as his ultimate destination; he was wise and composed, his actions impeccable and flawless, but he was too cold as a person!

Cold!

Callous!

Unfeeling!

It was like he had a heart of ice; it was a good thing for the wise and strategists to have a cold heart but to Yun Yang, it was nonetheless the sign of an incomplete man.

One was only human with blood and flesh.

"Wuyin, we have to see the affection in this world sometimes." Yun Yang said softly, "Even if it were our enemies, it's only our standpoints that are different. It's one thing to kill them but to completely deny their feelings? This has nothing to do with what they've done after all."

"The heavens have no affection, men should."

Shui Wuyin kept quiet for a bit and said, "Perhaps this is the difference in our personalities. To me, an enemy is an enemy. No matter how they're killed, it represents an end to a case... There's no feelings to be talked about. What does it have to do with me whether the enemy is filled with emotions or not? What I want is the life, it similarly has nothing to do with his feelings."

Yun Yang sighed, unable to shake the feeling that it was like playing the lute to a cow, trying to reason with this coldblooded man.

"My identity now is a strategist, an aide. What I strategize involves only victory and loss, life and death. Other than those, I won't consider anything else. Emotions have nothing to do with me."

"Boss, one of the main reasons grand events have been foiled since the beginning of times in this world... are these so-called emotions," Shui Wuyin said coldly.

Yun Yang replied with a sigh, no longer having the strength to argue about the matter of feelings.

Talking about emotions to Shui Wuyin was worse than playing the lute to a cow; at least the cow would not retort when you played the lute to it, Shui Wuyin could retort to the point of rendering you speechless with an agape mouth!

"There are a few things that need to be done as early as possible."

Shui Wuyin had sorted through all the intel from the Nine Heavens Dictum. "One, although the Nine Heavens Dictum has always been within our grasp, the hearts of the men have changed; it's being led by personal awe and prestige, there will easily be loopholes. I suggest to comb through and integrate it once more, the best if all nine groups of people can be gathered and be under a single command."

Yun Yang nodded. "Right."

This was indeed necessary.

The Nine Heavens Dictum was like a scattered plate of sand; it was not easy to gather and unite them. When he was only tackling petty matters the last time, the resources he needed to utilize was proportionately limited; it was naturally not a problem. However, his operations would only grow larger in scale. Currently, the scattered manpower he possessed lacked power but it would be lethal if they were exposed easily.

At the same time, the men would easily grow uncontrollable.

This was indeed an urgent issue to be considered and tackled quickly.