Chapter 19: The Candle Holder

After her bath, Kunlun, draped in a thin outer robe, slipped towards the room. A Fox Tail Cloak flew in diagonally, wrapping her up. The moment she stepped through the door, it pulled itself shut behind her.

Chuci withdrew her hand and continued sitting before the dressing table, combing her long hair.

Kunlun: “Huh?”

Without raising her head, Chuci said, “Telling you is useless anyway. You’re not afraid of the cold. I just want to set my own mind at ease; why force it upon you?”

Kunlun was silent for a moment, then silently lifted her hands and pulled the cloak tighter around herself.

Chuci lowered her head, the corner of her mouth curving up at an angle Kunlun couldn’t see.

Then she motioned with her hand. Kunlun stepped forward and, as if it were second nature, took the comb from her hand. Although demons who cultivated human form could fix their appearance, hair length was something one could change at will. Kunlun kept hers waist-length, but Chuci insisted on having it trail on the floor. Who knew what she was thinking? Still, thankfully, it could be changed at any time, so it wasn’t inconvenient at certain times.

“Kunlun, how did I treat you before? Tell me about it.”

Kunlun moved around to her front and began combing the ends of her hair, saying, “Why do you want to know this?”

Chuci looked up at her, blinking her eyes. The teasing intent was as clear as day: “I want to know why I hit you, and where I hit you.”

Kunlun shot her a glare.

“Just tell me a little, please, Kunlun.” Chuci looped both arms around, suddenly encircling Kunlun’s waist and pulling her into her embrace.

The comb slipped from Kunlun’s fingers, but she hooked it with her pinky. The comb nimbly circled around her finger and landed right back in her palm. The whole motion was fluid and exceptionally practiced.

“Ah? What did you just say?”

Chuci pillowed her head against Kunlun’s chest and belly, her ears rubbing restlessly. She hummed, “I was saying why I hit you, what outrageous thing you did.”

Kunlun: “Just that I often sat for ages in remote places, like mountain valleys or up in tall trees. Before long, you’d have to search the entire mountain for me again. The first few times you patiently reasoned with me, then later you found I simply couldn’t shake this habit, so you resorted to action.”

Chuci nodded: “That was quite deserving of a hit.”

“Mm.”

Chuci looked up in surprise: “Why are you so well-behaved? Not even refuting me.”

Kunlun answered softly: “There’s nothing to refute. It really was my fault.”

Chuci still felt something was wrong. Didn’t this look exactly like that tactic she’d just used—pretending to retreat in order to make her soften? Or was it actually a case of openly repairing the walkway while secretly crossing through the old depot—a diversionary tactic?

So Chuci pressed on: “After I hit you, did you learn your lesson?”

Kunlun was silent for a beat, then said quietly, “No.”

“Ha?”

“But after that, wherever you went, you’d always drag me along, just in case I’d suddenly be nowhere to be found when you turned around.” Just then, Kunlun finished with the comb and set it down. “There, done.”

Seeing she wasn’t going to elaborate, Chuci dropped the topic. She smiled, “There’s something I find very happy. I clearly only just transformed into an adult form today, and you already seem to have spontaneously accepted my guidance. Yesterday you were still fussing over me, today it’s my turn. That’s truly a wondrous thing. Hey, am I any different now from before?”

Kunlun: “Aside from your appearance being a bit more youthful than before, there’s no difference.”

Chuci: “Right? You have tens of thousands of years of memories, but I don’t. Yet I can still naturally act towards you the same way. Doesn’t this prove that I am Chuci, not some other person? Once I finish restoring my missing primordial spirit and retrieve my memories, I’ll be a complete person. I will definitely treat you even better than now and before! Just thinking about it is something joyful.”

“Then… have you never considered… that among those memories, there might be bad things?”

“You mean that Heavenly Emperor brat? I’ll just deal with him first. Isn’t Jiang Yang acting as an informant in the Upper Realm? Things should go much more smoothly with that.”

“You plan to use Jiang Yang?!”

Chuci looked at her quizzically: “Why are you being so strange? Isn’t she my subordinate?”

Kunlun shook her head. “It’s just that in the past, you would have chosen to challenge the Heavenly Court alone. If others intervened, including me, you wouldn’t have been happy about it.”

“Since I lost to the Heavenly Court back then, regardless of the cause, it’s enough proof that they aren’t to be underestimated. Having lost once, how can I allow a second failure? If it were just me alone, that’d be one thing, but isn’t there still you…” She stopped abruptly and reached out to touch Kunlun’s forehead. “Are you unwell? Your complexion is so pale.”

Kunlun pulled down her warm hand. “It’s nothing, probably caught a chill after the bath.”

Chuci instantly pressed her advantage: “Aren’t you a stone that can’t feel cold?”

Kunlun: “…”

Chuci hastily shooed her over to lie down on the bed, serving tea and water with the utmost attentiveness. Finally, she even offered up her own warm body. Before falling asleep, Kunlun hazily heard Chuci ask a question: “Are we still going down the mountain tomorrow?”

“Down the mountain,” she remembered herself answering with absolute clarity.

“Good. Sleep then.”

Of what happened after, she knew no more.

The next morning dawned bright and clear. The heavy snow had come quickly and gone just as fast. Meng Zhaozhong had swept the courtyard clean early on and made breakfast in the kitchen, eagerly awaiting the Mountain Saint and the two lords to come dine. In a corner of the room lay his bundle.

Indeed, as a loyal servant, how could Meng Zhaozhong not follow closely in the Mountain Saint’s footsteps and accompany her down the mountain?

The Mountain Saint seemed to be in very good spirits. Little Chu… no, Lord Chu’s spirits were even better. The two of them were walking over. The Mountain Saint gave him a gentle smile, unchanged all these years. Lord Chu was still smiling when facing the Mountain Saint, but the moment she saw him, her face darkened. Well, that too hadn’t changed over the years.

What about himself? He hadn’t changed either.

The three of them, all unchanged. Thinking about it, that was also a very good thing.

Oh, except for Little Lord Chu becoming Lord Chu. Speaking of which, it was strange: no matter how much Chuci’s human form changed overnight, Meng Zhaozhong felt no surprise. It was as if, from the very first moment he’d met Chuci, a vague impression had already formed in his heart. Over the years, Chuci had been growing in his mind towards that vague impression, until today it had finally sharpened into clarity.

Meng Zhaozhong: “Is the Mountain Saint going to descend the mountain today?”

Kunlun: “Mm. After I leave, I entrust Kunlun Mountain to you.”

“!” Meng Zhaozhong’s eyes widened. “The Mountain Saint doesn’t plan to take me along? Then who will do your chores? Who will cook your meals? My grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather said the Mortal Realm is full of treacherous hearts. The Mountain Saint is pure and kind—what if you’re deceived by someone?”

“Meng Zhaozhong.”

“Present!”

Chuci lifted her eyelids lazily. “Are you considering me dead? Why would we bring a giant candle holder like you down the mountain?”