So What If You’ve Been Reborn? - CH 26

C26. Heart of A Youth

There was no other reason why Chen He was blushing.

—he was so incapable, it practically made him a burden to Senior Brother.

Were it not for him, Senior Brother probably would have turned around and given that Liang Qianshan fellow a good walloping on the spot. Moreover, he would not have to go buy a tiny little house in Yuzhou; he could have just stayed in the wastelands, and who would have the guts to go for the Secret Beixuan Treasure then!!

Chen He was seventeen years old, so he still had the heart of a youth, and was bold and carefree.

Youths at this age all wished to return favours and grudges as they came, and never developed grudges for long. Any grudges they had would be resolved on the spot, and if they could not resolve it, it would frustrate them to have it bottled up inside.

To him, Black Depths Valley was not an otherworldly realm for living in seclusion; it was where he had lived in his growing years. People always felt attached to their homes. Perhaps Shi Feng had seen past the earthly world and all it contained, but Chen He was not yet at the point where he preferred to live in seclusion.

Shi Feng was at an immensely high level; Senior Brother’s enemies were at an immensely high level as well.

Unable to do anything, Chen He could only note things down in his little black book—hm, cultivation took an immensely long time, but he would get them back someday!

***

In the thirteen lanes in the west side of Yuzhou City, the houses were old, storied, and a little rundown. People here could be divided into two types: one, impoverished households with nothing but an empty shell, and two, commoners with decent assets.

The second day after they moved in, Shi Feng chose a dummy with the appearance of a middle-aged man and had it go around town with some of those so-called servants in tow. Since he did not care about money, the items purchased by the dummies were naturally of better quality. The neighbours, who had previously not shown anything towards these newcomers, became slightly friendlier after this.

Shi Feng was lounging around at home, but Chen He was not as lucky. He was sent out by his senior brother to ‘see the sights’.

Thanks to his sharp senses, Chen He could hear every word of those whispers perfectly well.

“They look like a decent household.”

“Probably some cultured rich people from the city, they were so courteous! Their servants are also very well-behaved, none of them keep looking around. Look at that young master, he’s so handsome. Wonder if he’s married yet.”

Chen He’s brows twitched as he strove to maintain his smile.

“Forget it, surely such a handsome young lad would already be engaged if not married. Probably won’t have any eyes for our family’s girls!”

“Don’t say such gloomy things. We’ve got two shop-spaces in the west side and don’t have to worry about our livelihoods, why worry that my niece can’t find a good husband?”

The next time the head of the neighbouring household began to scrutinise him with smiles all over, Chen He made up his mind to say something. After sitting down, he offhandedly mentioned that he had been studying and working at the same time, then the family later declined, and they experienced a drought shortly after he got married, so he could only move to the capital with the rest of his family.

With every sentence he uttered, the head of the household looked increasingly unfriendly. At the end, he said a few things just to be polite, then sent his guest off.

These days, scholars would never marry girls from merchant families no matter how poor they became.

Chen He had added that last bit for fear that another household would try to get him after this household left. He decided he might as well say he was already married. Concubines could be sold and purchased; only maids and songstresses would be concubines. No self-respecting family would give their daughters away as concubines.

There were people who declined by claiming they were engaged, but no one ever lied that they were already married. It was quite a big deal; since that would make him off-limits, everyone in the neighbourhood believed it. As for the Chen family’s ladies, they were probably indoors, not showing their faces to anyone outside.

Chen He returned home in a cold sweat, not daring to go to his senior brother. He fetched the brushes and paper the dummies had just bought. First, he drew a map of the streets and alleys, then wrote down his lie in tiny characters.

Marriage…

Chen He’s hand shuddered, nearly causing the brush to drip ink over the map.

“I’m going to search for the Dao and ascend to immortality in future, why would I marry anyone,” Chen He muttered.

Naturally, he was not considering the neighbour’s daughter’s looks, but the matters of dual cultivation and Dao companions.

The Beixuan Sect had had many Dao couples. Eight thousand years ago, in their heyday, they were related to many sects and wandering cultivators.[1]

Black Depths Valley was full of old fellows older than antiques, and they liked to call him ‘little one’. Chen He never had any awareness of Dao companions before this, and besides, if it was about dual cultivation, how was he to do it if he was not even at the Golden Core stage?

Chen He believed in what his senior brother had casually said, boldly setting his future goal as ascension; the Golden Core stage was only the first step. As for Dao companions, they would probably appear in future, and it was unavoidable.

When he thought of how he might fall for a female cultivator in the future, Chen He felt strange.

Holding his brush, Chen He became deeply lost in his thoughts.

—he probably had no standards for the female cultivator’s looks. Honestly, looks were superficial, and Senior Brother was so pretty, where could he find someone better than Senior Brother?

Being inexperienced, Chen He unconsciously began to use the whispers he heard from the streets to determine what his ‘future Dao companion’ would be like.

Family background? No grudges against the Beixuan Sect within the past three generations, but more importantly, they had to have no grudges against Senior Brother, that would be enough.

It did not matter if they were from a large sect, they would be fine as long as they were not someone from the Great Snowy Mountain (Chen He did not know that the Great Snowy Mountain had no female disciples) or from the Juhe Sect. Wandering cultivators were okay, demonic cultivators…were probably also okay!

Senior Brother had said that all the demonic cultivators serving Grandmaster Huanjian who worked for the imperial court were all decent. There was no way this demonic grandmaster’s followers were all male, was there! As for demonic cultivators being unable to ascend, that was not a big problem, for Chen He was not so full of himself that he would think an Immortalisation-level demonic cultivator would pick him.

What if his future Dao companion could only reach the Nascent Soul stage? In that case, when he reached ascension, his Dao companion’s lifespan would be reaching the end as well. Thus, there was no issue even if it was a demonic cultivator, since he was only going to be ascending with Senior Brother anyway.

As for the Dao companion’s personality…

Chen He pondered, becoming a little unsure.

He did not know what sort of Dao companion he would like. So long as they were not moronic or unreasonable, any sort of personality would be pretty good. It was not like a marriage in the mortal world, he did not have to find a Dao companion who could embroider, make clothes, or cook meals.

Ah, and there was one very important point, it could not be someone Senior Brother hated.

At this point, Chen He shook his head. He also felt like this criterion was a bit strange. It would be unfair to the female cultivator, because it seemed like he was siding with his senior brother in everything.

Moreover, if Senior Brother did not hate her, what if he fell for her? Aside from him, Senior Brother did not seem to have a Dao companion either!!

The afternoon sunlight was full of warmth, shining into the room through the window. Tiny bits of dust danced about in the light.

When Shi Feng entered, he saw his junior brother standing in front of the desk and spacing out.

He walked over silently to look. It was a map of the neighbourhood, with notes on each household’s livelihoods and some comments: Family on the left runs business, servants undisciplined, leaves not swept properly, dust on chairs. Family on the right impoverished, mismatched teacups and tools, poor complexion, not enough money for two meals a day. Proud and pretentious, constantly seated, I was quite puzzled. When sending off, saw that shoes covered by robes had holes, enlightenment, no longer held grudge.

Shi Feng could not stop himself from smiling. He tapped the table, saying,

“What nonsense is this, did I let you go outside to see the sights so you could come home and write storybooks!”

Shocked, Chen He quickly covered the paper and retorted, “Storybooks are pretty good, they can sell for money!”

Seeing the state he was in, Shi Feng knew there must be something in that paper his junior brother wanted to hide from him, which was causing him to cover up. He seemed to smile at this, deciding not to expose him.

On the other hand, Chen He’s thoughts were in disarray. With his hands behind his back, he covered the paper nervously.

Shi Feng did not look at him, instead ordering the dummies to carry things into the house.

After Chen He went out in the morning, the furniture and writing implements had already been purchased. Now, they were decorating the place with painting scrolls on the walls, ornaments, and piles of books carrying the fragrance of ink. There were also smaller items like wells for rinsing brushes, candlesticks, and ivory statues. They were not worth much, and neither were they highly refined, but such décor was very suitable for a youth who was ‘studying diligently for the imperial examinations’.

There were also things Chen He liked, which were the things Chen He had looked at the most when they went into Yunzhou City: black-reed sheng[2], decorative Hundred Blessings knots [3], handwoven bamboo containers, and large-bellied porcelain dolls.

Yuzhou was thousands of miles away from Yunzhou, and all goods from the southern lands were transported over by caravans. The wares available in Yuzhou were not as colourful as the original, but even so, Chen He was still awestruck.

Lastly, the dummies carried in a square celadon jar, one foot long on each side with a round opening. The bottom was covered with small pebbles inside, and three lily plants grew inside; under the round leaves, scarlet fish no bigger than a pinkie finger swam about, flicking their tails and blowing bubbles.

“There is no pond, only this.”

Shi Feng placed the celadon jar on the desk. When Chen He craned his neck to look, he took the chance to look at the paper that had been previously covered.

Marriage?

Shi Feng’s brows furrowed.

No one in Black Depths Valley had mentioned the subject of fate to Chen He, and neither had Shi Feng. After all, no one would want to tell a child that they were fated to have a bad life and would suffer greatly in future.

Being born under the fate of three tribulations and nine troubles, having no relatives to depend on, living away from worldly affairs; none of it mattered as much.

But it was difficult to describe and explain romance.

Chen He was indeed at an age where he would be expected to marry. It was normal to come back and think about having Dao companions after he heard about such things—Shi Feng interpreted all his complicated feelings as being unsure of how to explain Chen He’s fate to him.

Only after observing the fish did Chen He realise the paper had not been covered. Sneaking a glance at his senior brother’s expression, he understood at once that he had been exposed.

He touched the back of his neck awkwardly, stammering, “About that, Senior Brother…”

Shi Feng looked up.

“Do you need to think about Dao companions and such?”

What did that mean? Did Junior Brother want to find him a Dao companion?

Shi Feng was perplexed. As far as he knew, the number of female cultivators Chen He knew was not even countable on one hand! Or rather, there were none! If the old woman who originally owned the Thousand-Mile Smokestorm Snuff-Box counted, then there was barely one.

Why would he ask such a thing when there was not even a target in mind?

“If Senior Brother does not like anyone…” Chen He said hesitantly, “the Beixuan Sect has many Dao couples, in future we could just—”

Shi Feng’s eyelid twitched. The thought that flashed by was as quick as lightning; he did not manage to catch it.

“Just get a pair of sister disciples who get along well to be our Dao companions! Be just like us, so they’ll be able to forgive and understand each other if they have some kind of fight or squabble in future.”

Chen He was rambling incoherently. He had come up with this idea earlier, thinking it was pretty reliable, but it was just a bit strange, and Senior Brother’s gaze seemed very off as well. He could only force himself to continue, “Or if we argue, Senior Brother and the senior sister can pull us apart. The most important thing is that if they also have a very good relationship, we can keep living together, there won’t be any change in our lifestyles…”

Chen He was this close to counting off the advantages on his fingers.

Shi Feng smacked Chen He’s head, saying in an annoyed voice, “What are you thinking? Dao companions are chosen based on whether they are meant to be; they are not clay figures on straw sticks in a marketplace stall, all ready for you to pick and choose. Do you think you can just find some female cultivator and have her senior sister take a liking to me?”

Chen He raised his head abruptly. “Why would anyone not take a liking to Senior Brother!!”

“…”

After having lived several hundred years, this was the first time Shi Feng truly knew the feeling of not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

“Senior Brother is the best dual cultivation partner I’ve seen, why would anyone not want you?” Chen He still could not make sense of it. He estimated that his senior brother was at least Immortalisation-level and not even that far from ascension. How could anyone dislike such capability, such a good Senior Brother?!

Shi Feng could not help but hold his forehead. “What do you mean ‘the best dual cultivation partner you have ever seen’, how many cultivators have you seen in total?”

In his bemusement, even Shi Feng had not noticed that this phrase had another meaning.

“Uh, Black Depths Valley.”

“Is there anyone in Black Depths Valley who looks younger than fifty years old?” Shi Feng asked.

“The tavern in Yunzhou.” They ran into many cultivators there.

“How many of those people were Golden Core-level?” Their cultivation bases were nothing decent.

“…”

There was only Liang Qianshan left, and the people from the Great Snowy Mountain were monks, too.

And he could not bring up the demonic cultivator who was a government official that they saw outside Yuzhou City, could he!

Chen He hung his head quietly, no longer speaking.

“Seclude yourself and stabilise your cultivation base tonight. Quit thinking about such things, it is still too soon for you to find a Dao companion.” Feeling sorry after seeing Chen He’s dejected appearance, Shi Feng comforted, “It will be easy to find one after you form your Golden Core.”

As he walked out of the room, leaving the courtyard, a hint of a self-deprecating smile showed on his features.

—who in the cultivation world would dare become Dao companions with the Blood Demon?