Chapter 157: Cui Jue Wakes Up
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
Mu Ye immediately recognized the troubled look on Fang Cheng Lang’s face. She could tell that he had misunderstood something important, so she quickly tried to clear it up.
“No, that’s not what you think,” she said, her voice firm.
Fang Cheng Lang forced a smile, but it was clear he didn’t believe her.
Mu Ye felt a headache coming on. Now she understood why Yu Zhao avoided talking to Fang Cheng Lang—it was just too draining. He was so stubborn, always thinking he was right and never really listening to anyone else.
Before Mu Ye could say more, a fellow disciple came looking for her, so she shook her head and left with them.
Fang Cheng Lang stood there for a moment, lost in thought. Then, he turned and headed back to his courtyard, where Cui Jue was still unconscious.
Far from home and with no one to confide in, Fang Cheng Lang had taken to visiting Cui Jue’s room every day, talking to him as if he could hear.
“Cui Jue, I didn’t see Little Six again today. She’s still mad at me,” he said, sitting by Cui Jue’s bedside, his voice tinged with sadness.
“I know I messed up. If she doesn’t want to forgive me, that’s fine. I just wish I could see her once in a while. But it feels like she doesn’t even want that.”
“Little Six is getting stronger every day. She’s made powerful friends too. She doesn’t need me to protect her anymore.”
“Cui Jue, when will you wake up? I want to go home.”
“Big… brother…”
Fang Cheng Lang froze, his heart skipping a beat. He looked down in shock to see Cui Jue smiling weakly up at him.
“Cui Jue! You’re awake!” Fang Cheng Lang exclaimed, his voice filled with relief.
Cui Jue nodded slowly, his movements still sluggish.
“That’s great! Just wait here!” Fang Cheng Lang reassured him, bolting out of the room. “Elder Lotus! Elder Lotus! My junior brother is awake!”
Elder Lotus, who lived next door, heard Fang Cheng Lang’s shouts and rushed over. She immediately began examining Cui Jue with a serious expression.
“How is he, Elder Lotus? Is my junior brother fully healed?” Fang Cheng Lang asked anxiously, his hands clenched tightly.
Cui Jue had suffered greatly while trying to save him, enduring torture and being used as a test subject by Yao Wuji. Fang Cheng Lang felt deeply indebted to him.
Elder Lotus finished her examination and let out a sigh, which made Fang Cheng Lang’s heart sink.
“Big Brother, I feel fine now. You don’t need to worry about me,” Cui Jue said, trying to comfort him.
“I know,” Fang Cheng Lang replied, though his eyes were fixed on Elder Lotus, silently pleading for better news.
“The poison in your junior brother’s body has been completely cleared…” Elder Lotus began, hesitating before she continued. “But the poison was in his system for too long. It has damaged his five senses—he’s lost his sight, hearing, smell, and taste. The only good news is that his dantian and meridians weren’t affected, so he can still cultivate and sense the world through his spiritual sense.”
Fang Cheng Lang stood there, stunned, unable to believe what he was hearing. His lips trembled as if he had just been plunged into a deep, dark pit.
Cui Jue was different from him—he was an alchemist, and the five senses were crucial for alchemy. Without taste and smell, how could Cui Jue continue his craft?
A shiver ran down Fang Cheng Lang’s spine as he looked at Cui Jue lying in bed. It suddenly hit him that while Cui Jue was smiling, his eyes were empty, devoid of any light.
“No! Elder Lotus, Cui Jue is an alchemist like you! You know how important the five senses are for an alchemist. Please, you have to help him! He can’t lose his senses! I’m begging you!” Fang Cheng Lang cried out, dropping to his knees before Elder Lotus, his eyes red with desperation.
“Big Brother.”
Though Cui Jue couldn’t see or hear, his spiritual sense allowed him to know what Fang Cheng Lang was doing. He wanted to stop him, but his body was too weak. All he could manage was a faint, almost inaudible call.
Elder Lotus sighed, feeling Fang Cheng Lang’s pain. She gently helped him to his feet, saying, “Stand up and listen to me.”
Fang Cheng Lang gripped Elder Lotus’s arm tightly, a hot tear falling onto her hand. Seeing his distress, Elder Lotus’s heart softened. After a moment’s thought, she spoke seriously, “Given how severe the poison was, losing his senses is a minor consequence. But if you want him to fully recover, there are two possible ways.”
“Please, Elder Lotus, tell me!” Fang Cheng Lang’s eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope.
“The first method is to cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage. At that point, his body would undergo a transformation, and the loss of his senses might heal naturally.”
Fang Cheng Lang felt as if cold water had been poured over him. There were fewer than a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators in the entire cultivation world. For Cui Jue to reach that stage, he would need extraordinary talent, opportunities, and an unwavering heart.
“Elder Lotus, what about the second method?” he asked, desperate for another option.
“In the Endless Sea, there is a floating island. At the center of this island, there is said to be a mystical tree. This tree takes three hundred years to grow leaves, three hundred years to bloom, three hundred years to bear fruit, and another hundred years for the fruit to ripen. After a thousand years, it produces only one fruit.”
“The Longevity Tree!” Fang Cheng Lang exclaimed, his voice filled with surprise.
“Yes, exactly. It’s said that the fruit of the Longevity Tree could help your junior brother. But this is only a legend. No one has ever seen the Longevity Fruit, so it might not even exist,” Elder Lotus warned, her expression uncertain.
“Even if it’s just a legend, I have to try,” Fang Cheng Lang replied, his resolve hardening.
The floating island in the Endless Sea only appeared once every hundred years, and only the winners of the Cultivation World Great Competition could enter. Before, Fang Cheng Lang had wanted to enter the competition to bring glory to his sect. Now, his goal was to find the Longevity Fruit for Cui Jue.
And he had to win, no matter what, to get that chance.
After leaving some pills for Cui Jue, Elder Lotus offered a few more words of encouragement before leaving. Finally, Cui Jue and Fang Cheng Lang were alone, able to speak privately.
“Big Brother, once I’m a bit stronger, let’s go back home. Let’s not stay in the Green Wood Sect,” Cui Jue suggested, leaning weakly against the bed, his face still pale and drawn.
“But Little Six is also in the Green Wood Sect. You haven’t seen her yet…”
“There’s no need. She wouldn’t want to see me. It’s better if we don’t disturb her,” Cui Jue replied, surprising Fang Cheng Lang. Before he fell into a coma, Cui Jue had constantly mentioned Yu Zhao. Why had his attitude changed so much after waking up?
Cui Jue smiled weakly, sensing Fang Cheng Lang’s confusion.
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
“Actually, I was aware during my coma. I heard everything you said, Big Brother. As long as Yu Zhao is happy, that’s enough for me. And you don’t need to feel bad for me either. When I realized I had given Yu Zhao the Bone-Eroding Pill, I decided I’d never make another pill again. Ending up like this is my punishment, and I don’t blame anyone.”
Cui Jue spoke slowly, his voice weak, each word piercing Fang Cheng Lang’s heart like a blade.
“Cui Jue, that was just a dream I had. It wasn’t real.”
“Big Brother, you always told me not to deceive myself, so why are you trying to fool yourself now? We both know that wasn’t a dream.”
Cui Jue believed Fang Cheng Lang’s story because, when he heard it, a deep, agonizing pain and regret welled up inside him. The emotions were too strong, too real to ignore.
Cui Jue could no longer lie to himself. He guessed that in another world, another version of himself had done terrible things to Yu Zhao. He was willing to spend the rest of his life atoning for those sins.