Unseen Immortal of Three Hundred Years - Chapter 30: Cracked Bell

Xiao Fuxuan looked at the dream bell that was returned to his hand, then looked back up at Wu Xingxue. Before he could say anything, he was asked first–

Wu Xingxue: “Here take it back, what are you giving it to me for?”

Xiao Fuxuan: “……”

The little cultivation disciples had particularly good memories.

They remembered clearly how this white jade bell flashed in Yun Hai’s interrogation — it was Spirit King’s heavenly treasure. They praised Wu Xingxue in whispers, “This young master is truly virtuous. Not only was he not avaricious, he even returned the precious and valuable heavenly treasure. If any other ordinary person were to see such a treasure, they would definitely have their eyes bulging out and be willing to fight for it.

“……”

Xiao Fuxuan couldn’t help but glance at them.

The disciples were still reflecting on themselves, “To be bluntly honest, if it was given to me, I wouldn’t have been able to — uhh?”

They were taken back after noticing Tianxiu Immortal’s glance. Only now did they realize that their whispers were a bit too loud, and their faces immediately turned red. After some mumbles, they pointed towards Yi Wusheng, “We heard earlier from this senior that Wu—”

They didn’t dare to call the Devil Lord’s name directly in front of his face, so after giving a “Wu”, they quickly tried to cover it, “Uh, that he’s not himself. Instead, he is the soul of a mortal who accidentally went into his body.”

“……”

Yi Wusheng silently facepalmed, thinking to himself about how gullible these little disciples were.

Under everyone’s gazes, the disciples’ faces became even more flushed. One quickly explained, “Umm… we heard from our master that after the Immortal Capital perished, all the heavenly treasures came to the mortal realm. Sects of all sizes as well as strong rogue cultivators were scrambling to look for them. Heavenly treasures usually carried an immortal’s vital essence; they are precious rarities formed with thousands of years of spiritual energy. Naturally, everyone wants them. However, there are not many people who can actually carry a heavenly treasure around. After all, without several hundred years of cultivation base, how can one withstand and inherit such a heavy supply of immortal energy?1Previously referred to as “Celestial energy”

Young master is a mortal soul, hence he is not able to use such a heavenly treasure at all. Although everyone knows this, practically no one can remain uninfluenced and be kind enough to return it. Hence, young master, your high virtuousness is certainly worth admiring.”

After he finished blabbering, he even gave a polite and elegant bow of respect towards Wu Xingxue.

Wu Xingxue laughed so hard in his head, but he remained a calm appearance on his face. He even politely returned a slight bow to the disciple, “You’re flattering me.”

Tianxiu Immortal’s expression went from speechless to numb.

Wu Xingxue looked at his utterly cold face and laughed even harder in his head. As he continued to giggle secretly, he suddenly recalled the phrase “come through the curtains and make yourself my private guest,” as well as that bed…

His internal laughter immediately came to a halt.

Just like in the horse carriage before, Xiao Fuxuan did not expose him.

As the little disciple blabbered, Xiao Fuxuan just stood there listening while fidgeting and rotating the dream bell with his fingers.

In his long, slender fingers, the dream bell seemed particularly delicate; its jade glossy and clear.

Blame it on the little disciple for saying “heavenly treasures usually carried an immortal’s vital essence.” Wu Xingxue couldn’t even remember what vital essence was, but he inexplicably started to feel some spiritual connection with the dream bell.

Now, looking again at the dream bell being fiddled in Xiao Fuxuan’s hand, it was really…

Wu Xingxue watched for a moment, then reached out and took the dream bell back.

The cultivation disciples who just finished praising him were full of question marks.

Xiao Fuxuan looked at Wu Xingxue, “Aren’t you returning it to me?”

Wu Xingxue: “I changed my mind.”

“Why so?”

“……”

Wu Xingxue gave a serene look.

He couldn’t just say “I don’t like the way you’re playing with that bell”. If he did say that, what if Xiao Fuxuan asks “why so” again? In that case, that would only become a more complicated situation to get out of.

He was certain Tianxiu Immortal would do such a thing to him.

Wu Xingxue was silent for a moment, then said, “I just suddenly remembered that it oughtn’t be returned to you.”

Having said that, he turned around and handed the dream bell to Yi Wusheng.

Yi Wusheng: “……”

No need!

Wu Xingxue said to Yi Wusheng, “Mister, I remember you said before we left that you are coming to the Valley of Great Sorrow two things. First, you wanted to understand where the mark on the back of your neck came from, and second, you wanted to help the Hua Sect find the real heavenly treasure.”

Yi Wusheng quickly waved his hands, thinking, “Just pass between you and that Tianxiu Immortal, please don’t get me, an innocent mortal, involved.”

However, Wu Xingxue didn’t let him off, “What are you waving your hands for? This is what the Hua Sect has lost. Now that we have recovered it, it’s only reasonable to return it to you.”

Yi Wusheng: “……”

Now with this brought up, Yi Wusheng wished that he might as well find a hole in the earth and bury himself.

When they found out that the real dream bell was missing, what foolish words did he say again?

Oh yes, the first person he suspected was Devil Lord Wu Xingxue…

And he said that right in front of Wu Xingxue’s face.

Later, he said that he would like to come to the Valley of Great Sorrow to find the dream bell and return this heavenly treasure to the Hua Sect.

However, after Yun Hai’s interrogation results came out and proved that the original owner of the bell was Spirit King, what happened after that again?

Ah right, Yun Hai called Wu Xingxue “Spirit King.”

……

Yi Wusheng had never seen Spirit King’s name appear in any immortal register. He didn’t know what high position that person held, and he certainly didn’t know what in the world had happened for the dignified Spirit King to become the infamous Devil Lord feared by all.

Despite that, what he did know was that this dream bell certainly belonged to him.

Tianxiu Immortal placed the dream bell into Wu Xingxue’s hands, and returned the bell to the rightful owner. Yet now, for some reason, the rightful owner was denying it, insisting on giving the bell to him.

Would he dare to take it？

He did not.

Not only did he not dare to, but he also didn’t have the face to take it either.

Yi Wusheng had a scholarly temperament, being somewhat shy and thin-skinned. Back in his youth, the brother and sister Hua Zhaoting and Hua Zhaotao would often use this fact to their amusement, teasing him until his face and ear turned bright red. Later when he became one of the elders of the four halls, the brother and sister no longer teased him like that, and no one else dared either.

Until now, he hasn’t felt what it was like to be bright red on the face and ears for a long time.

There was a very widespread rumor, saying that the Hua Sect obtained the heavenly treasure through divine fate, and that afterward, it was unfortunately stolen by Devil Lord Wu Xingxue.

Thinking about it now, it was truly ironic.

This was Wu Xingxue’s property to begin with, and now this “divine fate” thingy from the Hua Sect was sounding kind of suspicious.

Under such circumstances, how could Yi Wusheng dare to take back the dream bell?

If it wasn’t because Wu Xingxue insisted that he was only a “mortal being who entered the body,” if it wasn’t because Tianxiu Immortal pointed his sword at him and threatened him to keep the secret, and if it wasn’t because there were several mentally-fragile cultivation disciples beside them, Yi Wusheng would have already knelt onto the ground and begged for mercy.

But he couldn’t say anything right now. He could only look at Wu Xingxue in silence, and his eyes slowly slowly turned aggrieved.

In the end, he grasped the paper and said, “Young master, all I have left is some fragment soul…”

Implied meaning: I beg you, please find someone else to torment.

Wu Xingxue looked at his expression, reflected upon his words for a moment, then felt like he was indeed a bit mean. So, he turned his evil clutches toward his two subordinates. He had a lazy personality and didn’t like to have things in his hands. Picking on his subordinates to act as his rucksack has already been a normal act. Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu must have long been used to it.

So he turned his head, and met eyes with Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu’s even more aggrieved faces.

Wu Xingxue: “?”

“I didn’t even say anything yet.” Wu Xingxue said slowly.

“Cheng… Young Master, do you remember? Some devils would vomit just at the site of divine statues.”

What he wanted to say was practically written on his face in bold letters: What do you think will happen if we take that heavenly treasure?

Wu Xingxue: “……”

Ookay.

Thus, after tormenting all these people, Devil Lord Wu Xingxue decided that he would carry the dream bell himself after all.

The matter of Valley of Great Sorrow’s “ordination” has been resolved, and they found what they came to look for as well. For the cultivation disciples as well as Yi Wusheng, they have already achieved their purposes.

However, Wu Xingxue was still curious. What did Hua Xin do back then that was able to save Yun Hai’s soul fragments? Even Yun Hai himself did not know.

Moreover, Xiao Fuxuan said that during this incident when Hua Xin came down to the mortal realm, he was at the Northern Frontiers. By the time he returned to the Immortal Capital, it was already a long time afterwards.

No one in the Immortal Capital knew what Hua Xin did, they only knew some of the aftermaths — Like Yun Hai back then, he knelt in front of the Lingtais to receive heavenly punishment and then went into seclusion for a hundred days.

After that, apart from being even less stained by the mortal affairs and appearing more like the Immortal Leader, he was no different.

Wu Xingxue and the others continued to search around in Yun Hai’s catacomb. Finding no useful clues, they could only give up.

When they came up from the catacomb in the Valley of Great Sorrow, it was already dawn.

The three cultivation disciples were closing their Qiankun bags. They have found all 33 little statues and found all of the “ordained” commoners. They kept saying “sincere apologies” as they stuffed them into their bags.2I don’t think I clarified before, but a Qiankun bag is a special pouch in which the actual capacity is much larger than it seems. It looks like a little bag only from appearance, but you can actually stuff all sorts of items of all sizes in there. Think of them like the magical tents in Harry Potter during the quidditch world cup.

“When returning them, make sure to spruce them up a bit, at least make an illusion of some sort.” Yi Wusheng reminded them with worry.

The bodies of most of these people were dismembered, and they probably died a horrific death. It would indeed be rather cruel to send them home as they were.

The little disciple bowed and saluted, “Senior, rest assured. We will send their souls off to a peaceful rest.”

Their elder martial siblings have come many times in vain, yet three novice disciples would go and return with everyone. This would be shocking news for the sect and even the entire Yuyang City.

The disciples wanted Xiao Fuxuan and the others to return to their sect with them, but they were politely declined.

Oh wait, Tianxiu didn’t do the “politely” part. He only gave one word: “No.”

Wu Xingxue was a bit more tactful. He pointed to his face and said, “If I were to go to your sect, your Sect Leader and elders will be so happy that their faces will all go pale.”

The disciples: “……”

Yi Wusheng, being the most ordinary, said, “I’m nothing more than some soul fragments. I can’t even last for another few days. I’ll pass, if I go I’ll cause nothing but extra trouble.”

Hearing these, the disciples naturally didn’t dare to stall time in his last few days.

They quickly saluted goodbye and carried their Qiankun bags with 33 deceased souls to Yuyang.

Wu Xingxue asked Yi Wusheng, “What plans do you have now sir?”

Yi Wusheng touched the black cloth over his mouth and nose. He could feel himself getting weaker by the day. On the horse carriage, he could still feel his spirit through the waist. When they arrived at the Valley of Great Sorrow, he was already more feeble than he had imagined. And now, he could barely feel his five senses.

He looked towards Xiao Fuxuan, “Immortal, how many more days can I take?”

Xiao Fuxuan pressed his finger on him, then said solemnly after a moment, “Four days.”

Yi Wusheng nodded calmly, “Okay.”

Then he replied to Wu Xingxue, “I still have some regrets. I’d like to go take a look at them. First probably to the Jiaming Wilderness, then to Peach Blossom Island. If I’m lucky, maybe I can even spend my last hours at home.”

As he spoke, he suddenly laughed at himself.

Before, he held Wu Xingxue’s robes and asked him to just end his life there and then, but now that he had some leeway, there was only more that he wanted—

At first, he just wanted to find out what caused the misfortunes at the Hua Sect, then find the dream bell. With that, he thought he could pass off rather peacefully. Yet now that both of those things are accomplished, he only recalled even more regrets.

Humans… ever so greedy.

After mocking himself, he gave Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuan a deep bow and salute, bidding their final farewell.

But after only a few steps, his tendency for worrying about others came again. He wasn’t able to hold back and returned to Wu Xingxue, saying, “This might sound a little rude, but I wonder if…”

He wanted to say that he wondered if Wu Xingxue still remembered how to use the dream bell, as well as how to unravel a dream. He could tell that Wu Xingxue had forgotten about a lot of stuff, probably matters about the dream bell as well.

But he was at a loss for words trying to ask this to the original owner of the bell.

Wu Xingxue watched as he hesitated and landed his eyes on the bell on his waist. He hooked it on his finger and picked it up, asking, “Are you asking about this?”

Yi Wusheng nodded. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly trembled.

He said in shock, “Why is the bell full of cracks? It wasn’t like this just now in the catacomb!”

Wu Xingxue wasn’t as surprised, “There were cracks to begin with on the inside, they just weren’t showing on the surface. Fortunately, it’s not broken to pieces, wonder if I can still use it.”

“No no no you must not.” Yi Wusheng said hastily.

“Why not?”

Yi Wusheng replied, “This is a heavenly treasure that contains an immense amount of spiritual energy. It’s also mixed with an immortal’s vital essence, making its usage of it very precise. There are many taboos and details; one little mistake, and it could ruin your cultivation.”

His words sounded very reasonable, but naturally, immortals would be the most familiar with these heavenly treasures.

Thus, Wu Xingxue held the bell and thought for a moment, then turned his head to look at Xiao Fuxuan.

“That’s indeed true,” Xiao Fuxuan said.

Yi Wusheng was actually quite certain about this. He even made it sound light. If one were to mess up, not only would their cultivation be ruined, but what was worse was that heavenly treasures were not only rare, they were also extremely hard to come by, even for immortals.

Once severely damaged, it would be practically impossible to fix it.

Wu Xingxue, however, didn’t know about this. He gently dangled the bell and was a bit dazed. After a moment, he asked, “Can this be repaired?”

This was also something that Immortals knew best, so he turned to look at Xiao Fuxuan again.

Xiao Fuxuan: “……”

Tianxiu Immortal’s lips moved slightly, seeming to want to say the word “No”. But he didn’t make a sound.

He turned his face away for a second, then turned it back, replying, “Yes.”

Yi Wusheng: “……”

He was speechless for a while, swallowing the word “impossible” that he was just about to blurt out back into his throat.

He asked himself, is this what an immortal is like? After being stared at unblinkingly for a while, they could turn the impossible into the possible?

He really wanted to see how it could be done…

Hence, an hour later, there was an extra person on the horse carriage to Falling Flower Mountain Market: Yi Wusheng, who had just said his “final farewells”.

• 1Previously referred to as “Celestial energy”
• 2I don’t think I clarified before, but a Qiankun bag is a special pouch in which the actual capacity is much larger than it seems. It looks like a little bag only from appearance, but you can actually stuff all sorts of items of all sizes in there. Think of them like the magical tents in Harry Potter during the quidditch world cup.