The Path Toward Heaven

This wasn’t what Liu Shisui intended to mean, but what she said was not…off the mark either.

Xiao He asked suddenly, “Do you know what the happiest moment of my life was?”

Liu Shisui shook his head.

“It was today when you were holding my hand and running in the tunnel,” Xiao He proclaimed.

Hearing this, Liu Shisui’s heart skipped a beat, and he blushed, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Seeing his expression, Xiao He knew that he misunderstood her. “What are you thinking? I’m talking about that bracelet,” she said with a soft laugh.

“Why?” Liu Shisui asked, after realizing what she said.

“It’s because I was certain at the moment that the person I was supposed to wait for was you; as a result, I was able to relax. More importantly, that bracelet has finally left me.”

Thinking of the pressure the bracelet had put on her over the last ten years, her face turned pale again.

It felt as though the bracelet stared at her all the time, warning her that she would be cut in half either physically or mentally if she defied Jing Jiu’s will.

It was this fear that compelled her to obey Jing Jiu’s demand, which was to wait for Liu Shisui, and she prepared for the escape in secret under the Old Ones’ noses.

It was nothing short of torture for her. The best way to get rid of this constant pressure was for her to take this bracelet off her wrist first.

However, Xiao He failed to take that bracelet off her wrist, no matter how many methods she had tried, even going so far as trying to cut her hand off.

As she was about to slam the knife down onto her wrist, she got the feeling that she still wouldn’t be able to succeed.

Looking in Liu Shisui’s eyes, Xiao He said softly, “He told me ten years ago that I would meet you the next year or much later; but you didn’t show up for a long time. I bought that Inn, and then altered the tunnel under Haizhou City little by little. Yet, I didn’t have a faint idea whom I was preparing it for.”

This feeling was terrible.

Loneliness, helplessness…bewilderment.

Liu Shisui understood this feeling.

In fact, he understood better than anybody.

Which is why he understood why Xiao He disliked the young master.

He wanted to rub her head, like Young Master had done to him; but he felt it inappropriate as his hand reached out half way, and he brought his hand back, embarrassed. “Young Master is indeed relentless to outsiders,” he commented.

Xiao He shot him a glance that had a hint of mockery.

Liu Shisui didn’t understand the meaning in her glance, as he continued, “No matter, we met each other in the end.”

That night Liu Shisui strolled on the street fully lit by the lights in Haizhou City, and somehow he lifted his head and saw Xiao He on the top floor of the restaurant.

At that moment, what he saw were her eyes, but she saw the jasmine flower on his cloth collar.

Recalling the scene, Xiao He’s expression grew slightly warmer, saying, “Your Young Master has treated you really well.”

“Yes. That’s why I was so happy to see the bracelet. The Young Master had actually been watching over me the entire time, worried about me, and he never suspected me.”

Liu Shisui said with a smile, “I have successfully fooled everybody on the Green Mountain, even Xiwang Sun…everyone except him.”

“I didn’t expect that someone with your personality could deceive others,” remarked Xiao He.

Liu Shisui rubbed his head with an embarrassed expression, saying, “Actually, my performance is pretty good.”

Xiao He shot him a glance, smiling, saying nothing.

“It’s true. My performance was outstanding the day I left the Green Mountain. Do you know how I got the performance right? First, I had to make my appearance fit the role I was playing. I hadn’t washed my hair for half a year, and rolled on the ground every day, wearing out the clothes; and I stayed late at night, adding some blood to the eyes, making them look red and tired. I looked like a ghost when I finally showed up in front of the disciples and masters of nearly the entire Green Mountain.”

Liu Shisui talked with exaggerated expressions, waving his hands ceaselessly, growing more and more excited.

“Of course, the most important part is the emotion and language. I knew I was kind of clumsy in these aspects, so I practiced them many times, showing vividly the emotions of regret, despair, and anger, which would drive any onlookers to tears. You weren’t there, otherwise you would have cried as well. I performed especially well for the last part when I questioned my Young Master, as my meridians were broken and I was expelled from the mountain gate. I would say that performance was perfect. I had even moved myself. And…”

Xiao He suddenly cut in, “Have you ever thought that Jing Jiu might be angry at you since he knew you were deceiving him?”

“Well…no, I hadn’t thought about it,” said Liu Shisui with a befuddled expression.

“Is it that you never thought about it, or is it that you didn’t dare think about it?”

Xiao He continued while staring into his eyes, “What you said to Jing Jiu had apparently moved even you; maybe then, it wasn’t really an act.”

After some thought, Liu Shisui sighed as he said, “Maybe a little. At the time everybody thought I had stolen and eaten the Devil Pill, and I was tortured by Shangde Peak and forgotten on Tianguang Peak; but I had always believed that Young Master would show some care for me and believed in my innocence. However, he continued his travel in the world and didn’t come back right away. Even when he came back later, he didn’t bother visiting me once. He didn’t even send a message to me through somebody else.”

Looking at the sad expression on his face, Xiao He shook her head helplessly, exclaiming, “Are you stupid or what? You have just said that you failed to fool him. Since he knew the truth, why should he care about your predicament?”

It seemed that Liu Shisui had figured things out, shouting, “That’s right!”

But soon, he said, “No…it isn’t.”

Xiao He asked with the widened eyes, “Is it or isn’t it? Can you make up your mind?”

With a gleam in his eyes, Liu Shisui said, “Since Young Master knew the truth and he could still pretend that he knew nothing and didn’t do anything about it…his performance was really good. Compared to his, my performance is far inferior, and I just bragged about how I did.”

Xiao He couldn’t take this kind of talk anymore. She found the tea pot and poured a cup of spring water for herself.

Liu Shisui paid no attention to what she was doing, as he continued, “Young Master is good at everything. Back when he was at my home, it took him only nine days to learn how to do all the chores and farm work. He could plant seeds in a line as straight as a pencil. Later, I had tried it when I went back home, but I couldn’t plant them as straight as he did. And, Young Master left a sword with you. You have witnessed it. That is not an ordinary sword, but a sword of the Fairy State…”

Xiao He finally got interested in his talking when he mentioned the sword. “What kind of sword is it?” Xiao He asked.

Liu Shisui replied, “I don’t know. Young Master has many treasures with him. He gave me a magic pill back when we were at the South-Pine Pavilion.”

Xiao He didn’t want to say anything more, thinking that he of course gave you some magic pills; otherwise, how could you, someone with natural Dao quality, worship him so much?

“Young Master has many treasures with him, and he also has many secrets; but I can’t tell you about them.”

Liu Shisui continued, “Have you heard of Zhao Layue? She is the peak master of Shenmo at the Green Mountain Sect. She has some secrets as well, and her secrets have something to do with Young Master. I happen to know them, but I can’t tell you about them either.”

Xiao He tried her best to tolerate his mumbling, but finally she couldn’t put up with it anymore, as she exclaimed, “Were you such a talkative person before?”

Back when they were in the restaurant in Haizhou City, he often didn’t utter a word from beginning to the end when two of them sat across from each other eating.

In her eyes, Liu Shisui was a person who had an ambitious goal and could take on a task without considering how terribly others misunderstood him, so having a silent and single-minded temperament was quite normal.

Unexpectedly, he suddenly became so annoyingly talkative after having left Haizhou City.

Liu Shisui was taken aback for a long time before he continued, but his voice became a lot calm and deep.

“I haven’t talked freely like this for a long time.”

It was because he had many secrets, because he had to deceive his colleagues and enemies, and it was because he was under tremendous pressure.

The little boy, who was curious about everything and very talkative back when he was at the small village, had kept reserved for many years.

Xiao He pulled him into her bosom, patting his back gently.

…