Chapter Eighty-Three: The Difficulty of a Mortal Heart (Part Three)

Ye Xiao's gaze finally landed on me, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

He seemed to say something, but I couldn't hear it. My ears felt blocked, my vision obscured, and with a clear and melodious sound of a flute, my body floated to a desolate place.

Dry branches and withered leaves lay scattered on the ground, illuminated by the reddish glow of the setting sun. A man crushed the brittle leaves underfoot as he walked towards a maple tree in the wilderness.

The flute music stopped. Under the maple tree, a woman turned abruptly, her eyes sparkling like luminous stones, filled with delight. She wore a blue dress adorned with fragments of moonlight, and she ran towards the man, smiling charmingly. "Qingwu, you're here!"

At that moment, I realized that this woman looked exactly like me, yet I had no memory of her.

Qingwu did not speak, merely smiled softly and patted her head affectionately.

"These past days, you wouldn't believe it, Sister Yinli has been practicing a dance called 'Siling'. She said she would perform it for me tonight and asked me to play the music for her! You must come." The woman gently shook his hand, seeming eager for his response.

Qingwu hesitated for a moment, then grasped her hand and said solemnly, "I'm sorry, Lingyan, but I can't today."

"Is that so..." The woman named Lingyan looked a bit disappointed but quickly lifted her eyes to Qingwu, asking innocently, "Then how about tomorrow? Or the day after, or..."

"Lingyan." Qingwu interrupted her coldly, letting go of her hand. His dark golden eyes narrowed slightly as he said sternly, "Recently, the dragon clan has had young dragons disappearing frequently. They are blaming the Luanfeng clan for it, falsely accusing us. If this matter isn't thoroughly investigated, our entire clan will be in danger."

"But haven't you already found out that it might be the work of demonic dragons from the mortal world?"

"Even though we have a lead, the evidence is incomplete. The dragon clan won't accept it. Currently, the position of the main god is vacant, and both the dragon and Luanfeng clans are prime candidates to inherit it. They will use this incident to stir up conflict." Qingwu sighed, closing his eyes briefly as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Then, when will you..."

Qingwu shook his head, frustrated, "Lingyan, you are a god born of heaven and earth. You should consider the welfare of all living beings. You were born a god and must understand your responsibility. It's not just about love..."

Lingyan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, softly agreeing, "The welfare of all living beings... I should consider the welfare of all living beings. I understand now. I'm sorry, Qingwu. I won't speak selfishly again." With that, she turned and ran out of Qingwu's sight.

Qingwu hesitated, wanting to chase after her, but clenched his fist and turned back to his duties.

The scene faded and changed.

Night fell, the moon and sun exchanging places, and an anxious, childlike voice rang out.

"Lord Qingwu, the dragons are attacking!"

A small phoenix, covered in blood, flapped its broken wings and fell at Qingwu's feet, trembling with pain. As Qingwu reached out to heal it, the little bird had already taken its last breath.

...

The world turned abruptly yellow, like clouds scurrying through a sandstorm, accompanied by the howling wind.

In the storm, a cyan phoenix fought against several golden dragons, continuously losing other phoenixes while a dragon would ensnare the exhausted birds, sinking its fangs into their necks and sucking out their brains.

Only the cyan phoenix, with its vibrant feathers, fought on, slicing dragons into pieces with wind blades, grooming its feathers while emitting a hoarse cry.

Yet, the number of phoenixes in the sky dwindled, while the dragons only increased. Those who consumed the brains of the phoenixes not only gained immense power but also acquired part of the divine authority of the Luanfeng clan.

I had read about this in the divine scriptures. Without a main god, the Luanfeng and dragon clans originally shared divine authority. However, upon discovering that consuming the Luanfeng clan could grant them full authority, the dragons sought to annihilate them.

No phoenix, not even a fledgling, was spared, each one falling victim to having their brains extracted and devoured.

The war ended with both the Luanfeng and dragon clans severely weakened, but seeing Qingwu now, fighting alone and covered in wounds, could he really defeat all these dragons by himself?

As I pondered this, a light suddenly spread across the sky, turning the daytime into a deep blue. A full moon slowly rose from the horizon.

The bright moonlight stretched out like silk, wrapping around the golden dragons. Then, with a swift contraction, it crushed dozens of golden dragons into a bloody mess in an instant!

The moonlight continued to extend like tentacles, slaughtering the dragons. A few dragons, realizing the dire situation, immediately fled. The moonlight did not chase these stragglers, instead crushing the remaining dragons in its grasp.

Thick blood stained the pristine, paper-like moonlight, a scene of eerie beauty.

The cyan phoenix trembled in the sky before plummeting towards the ground. The moon swiftly sent out a beam of light, cushioning its fall and gently placing it on the earth.

Next, the blood-stained moonlight shattered, the bright moon breaking into countless crystalline fragments. From within the moon emerged an ice-blue jade stone, which pierced through the thick clouds, left the divine realm, and fell towards the mortal world.

And what else could that jade stone be but the Moon Spirit Jade!

I hadn't expected the jade stone to be connected to this "bright moon," but why did Qingwu give it to me when I descended to the mortal realm?

It seemed there was no time for me to ponder this, as the scene shifted once more.

Under the maple tree adorned with golden leaves, Qingwu stood, seemingly waiting for someone.

Perhaps he was waiting for the goddess named Lingyan.

The scene began to change rapidly.

On the desolate land, green sprouts emerged, growing past the waist, only to be scorched and withered by the blazing sun, turning into dried, yellowed grass. Finally, a layer of white snow covered the ground.

The goddess Lingyan never came.

Qingwu stood silently under the tree, playing the tune that the goddess had originally played on a leaf.

"Lingyan?!" A voice, filled with indescribable surprise and joy, called out. A woman, dressed in robes embroidered with clouds and cranes, suddenly appeared. Upon seeing Qingwu's expressionless face, her gaze turned cold, and she asked discontentedly, "Why are you here?"

This woman looked exactly like the one from the previous vision.

"Lingyan… where is she? Yinli, I've never asked you for anything..." Qingwu's voice was low, his eyes dim.

So, her name was Yinli.

"Don't bother. Go back. Remember this: you will never see her again for all eternity."

Qingwu became anxious, "What happened to her? She said she would play a new tune for me. I don't ask for much, just to see her safe…!" He paused, frowning in worry, and asked softly, "Is she unwell?"

Yinli looked at him incredulously, as if asking:

"How can you not know what happened to her?"

She asked bitterly, "Unwell? Ha... She perished as a god!" She took a deep breath, as if calming herself, and continued, "Do you even know why she was so eager to perform a new tune for you? The dragon clan's intentions were clear; do you think she didn't know? The divine power of the Luanfeng clan is slightly weaker than that of the dragon clan. She had already decided to disintegrate and disperse her spirit to protect the Luanfeng clan when the dragons attacked!"

Qingwu seemed rooted to the spot, as if nailed by a wooden stake.

He stared blankly at his palm, the dark gold in his eyes gradually turning a bright red, like a blazing sun.

Heaven recognized him as the main god.

So, the "bright moon" that appeared when the Luanfeng clan was on the brink of extinction was Lingyan.

For some reason, I suddenly felt a splitting headache.

The vision trembled, and I seemed to see Qingwu standing among the stars, speaking to the moon.

"You were born on the full moon of the fifteenth day of the eighth month. From now on, you will be called Qingyue, is that alright?"

This was when Qingwu and I first met. Why am I seeing this now? My head hurts, like something is digging into my brain.

"Qingyue, what are you holding? Have you gone to the mortal world again? Can't you stay in the divine realm?" This was the first time I was caught playing in the mortal world by Qingwu, who scolded me.

"Don't go again." This was when I snuck down to the mortal world multiple times and got caught by Qingwu again.

"Sigh... It seems the divine realm can't hold her. She doesn't even stick to me anymore." This... I don't remember. Who was he talking to?

After saying this, I seemed to hear a faint, long sigh.