Smoke and Fire [GL] - Chapter 19

“—You say I am the persistent thought, then, what is my persistent thought?”

Although he asked with a smile, the few people held their breath.

This was practically telling them outright: if this key question wasn’t answered well, everything before would be for naught.

Under everyone’s gaze, Luo Yao was silent for a long moment, then slowly began: “If it were a moment ago, I would probably guess your persistent thought is to utterly destroy Shen Ningrong, who directly killed you. But when I saw her working for you, I thought, perhaps it is to prevent the Shen family’s sixteen generations of ancestors from ever being reincarnated.”

“But just at that moment, the moment you told me not to apologize, I changed my mind.” She raised her head, looking very seriously at Shen Nian’s face. “Before answering you, I want to say that the reason this illusion has remained unsolved for so many years is because the relationships are complex. In fact, broken down, there are three factions: you, Shen Junxuan, and Shen Ningrong.”

“Among them, Shen Ningrong killed you, but you have become a demon, and her realm is inferior to yours, so she is subordinate to you. And Shen Junxuan is not simple either; I think I already know his identity. The positioning of these two is very clear: they are diversions you use to draw our attention away.”

“But their existence is entirely dependent on you, Shen Nian. You are a demon. As long as your persistent thought remains unsolved, you are practically eternal. You confine us in this illusion, but aren’t you confining yourself as well? What does it feel like to repeatedly impersonate others, witnessing your own death over and over again?”

She looked at him with sorrow, saying word by word: “So my answer is: You want self-destruction. You are a man of the Shen family; you carry the sins of sixteen generations of ancestors. You know you shouldn’t exist, but this curse paradoxically gives you eternal life. You constantly think about suicide, but you can never achieve it…”

“This, this is your persistent thought.”

A wind picked up in the courtyard.

Shen Nian lowered his eyes, quietly listening to her words, and looked down at his own hands silently. Starting from there, the slender fingertips, originally belonging to a woman, gradually elongated, becoming distinctly jointed, then spreading to his arms and shoulders, and finally to his head.

As the cold, stern jawline of a man was revealed, he happened to lift his eyelashes, meeting Luo Yao’s calm gaze.

“The persistent thought instinctively devours those who fail to solve the mystery. Initially, I tried to resist, but I quickly discovered that Little Rong’er needed my energy supplement. Without me, she would dissipate.” His voice became low and cold, his black hair fluttering slightly in the wind. “And if a ghost dissipates, it truly is utterly destroyed, body and soul.”

“After becoming a demon, I can control my appearance at will. At first, I tried to enter the illusion with my original appearance, but as you can see, this skin is too difficult to gain trust, so I began to change my external form.”

“I found that a female appearance was easier to gain trust, especially that of a young girl. Through longer experience, I learned that a rebellious, less intelligent, and socially aware teenage girl persona was easiest to make people drop their guard. At the same time, her slightly tragic experience could gain the sympathy of other women.”

“So in the later stages, I gradually settled into the appearance of the bar girl, which is what you saw.”

He sighed slightly: “It’s been so many years. It’s been a long time since I talked about these things. I’ve said a bit too much; please bear with me.”

Luo Yao shook her head, walked up, patted his shoulder, and said softly, “I am truly sorry. I wish I could have come sooner. Now that the illusion is gone, where do you plan to go?”

Unexpectedly, Shen Nian suddenly frowned at her.

“What’s wrong?”

Shen Nian looked incredulous: “You are a god, I am a demon. You solved my illusion; aren’t you going to throw me into the Celestial Realm?”

“I thought you were going to ask something else,” Luo Yao smiled gently. “Let me tell you quietly: Tan Tan and I are both crippled gods. Whether you return to the Celestial Realm actually depends on what this person in the middle says.”

Shen Nian’s gaze followed, turning toward Si Yin.

Si Yin: “…Me?”

Luo Yao smiled without speaking.

“No, oh dear, please spare me, my ancestor!” Si Yin was restless, scratching her head anxiously. “You… fine, fine, I’ll say it. Nian, you don’t need to go to the Celestial Realm. Just pat your butt and hurry back to the Demon Realm. You’re considered the strongest connected one there. Is that acceptable now?”

This time, Shen Nian was completely astonished: “Then… Little Rong’er…”

“She’s also an elder sister from your ancestry; take her with you,” Luo Yao smiled.

Shen Nian was silent for a moment. He took the little ghost orb from Tan Tan’s hand, then looked at Luo Yao for a long time: “Thank you.”

After speaking, he snapped his fingers. The Shen family courtyard around them began to collapse piece by piece, revealing the vast, raging yellow sand. Finally, even the yellow sand gradually disappeared, revealing the nightclub on the outskirts of the city.

The group had spent three days in the illusion. When they returned to reality, it was the middle of the night, and silence reigned all around.

Yi An was completely sprawled on the ground in an ‘X’ shape. The moment she realized she had just emerged from Yunshan Village only to fight fiercely for three more days, she felt a surge of heroic grief and wanted to burst into song. Before she could open her mouth, she saw a person looking down at her.

“?!” Yi An scrambled up, her face filled with horror, “You, you, why did you follow us out?!!”

Shen Junxuan shrugged, his eyes playful: “Why, can’t I come out?”

Yi An was already screaming and hiding in Luo Yao’s arms.

“…Yi An,” Luo Yao looked helplessly at the fuzzy head, “It’s alright. If he wanted to harm you, he would have done so already. He’s not a ghost.”

“He really isn’t,” Shen Nian affirmed from the side with a nod.

Yi An was hesitant but still afraid to come out, looking up at Shen Junxuan tremblingly: “W-who exactly are you?”

Hearing this, Shen Junxuan smiled charmingly and spread his sleeve: “To be honest, I did deceive you ladies before. Thinking back, I feel so guilty, as the saying goes…”

“Speak plainly,” Luo Yao said flatly.

“Ahem, since my sister-in-law has spoken,” he smiled deeply, “I am Jun Xuan, the ninth son of the Phoenix Nine Sons, primarily in charge of the world’s greed and evil thoughts. My real name is Jun Xuan, but people usually know me better by my other name, Dafeng (Great Wind). Because my true form causes a hurricane whenever it appears, I also have the name Count of the Wind. Ladies, a pleasure to meet you.”

Yi An: “…”

Yi An: “???”

Yi An: “?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?”

Shen Junxuan—no, he should be called Jun Xuan now—seeing Yi An’s world-shattering expression, smiled: “What is your name, Miss?”

“Y-Yi An.”

“Oh, I thought so.” He winked at Yi An provocatively. “Don’t worry, we gods don’t discriminate against mortals. Human-deity romance is very common now, well, the more abstract one is my fourth sister and my sister-in-law…”

Luo Yao smiled incredibly gently: “Excuse me, I believe I am not deaf.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll shut up.” Jun Xuan made a gesture of surrender.

“But speaking of which, how did Lord Count of the Wind end up in the mortal realm? And helping a demon in an illusion?” Tan Tan lowered her voice for the latter question, glancing at Shen Nian.

“For fun, of course,” Jun Xuan curved his lips, smiling like a mesmerizing demon. “Your Highness the Flower God, I am the god who governs evil desires. I love watching humans scream and be devoured… Besides, it’s just cosplay, and I got to marry a ghost wife in the process, haha, it’s a heaven on earth, alright.”

Tan Tan was speechless and muted.

He stopped laughing and cleared his throat: “Alright, there’s actually another reason. Sister-in-law.”

Luo Yao: “Hmm.”

“When you personally sent Lingshuang down and abandoned your post, the Celestial Realm was in chaos. Some gods who once followed you started to turn against you, well, unfollowing and stepping back.” He said lightly, “I found them extremely annoying, so I conjured a gust of wind and knocked a few people down. The Venerable got angry and sent me down.”

He lightly summarized it as “conjured a gust of wind and knocked a few people down.” One must know that if a god leaps from the Glazed Terrace, if not recalled, they become a crippled god.

Moreover, the Venerable is the embodiment of the Buddha’s Will, essentially the Buddha’s representative. Luo Yao had never seen Him angry in all these years, which showed how serious Jun Xuan’s transgression was this time.

“Actually, you didn’t have to do that,” Luo Yao pursed her lips. She didn’t want Jun Xuan to abandon his divine position because of her sister.

Jun Xuan, however, sighed and waved his hand casually: “It has nothing to do with you, Sister-in-law. I couldn’t stand the behavior of those gods. I’ve wanted to jump for a long time; you just gave me a good start.”

Luo Yao wanted to say something more, but she heard him continue politely: “Also, an old acquaintance is about to arrive. My presence here might cause unnecessary trouble. Sister-in-law, Your Highness the Flower God, Supreme Deity Si Yin, let’s call it a day here. I’m taking off now.”

Before the group could speak, he turned back, took Yi An’s left hand, and quickly kissed it, smiling like a rake: “Miss Yi An, I look forward to our next meeting.”

With that, he vanished on the spot.

Yi An: “!!! No, is he crazy?!”

“Just assume he is,” Luo Yao rubbed her forehead, thinking that the Phoenix Nine Sons truly were one crazier than the next.

Jun Xuan was gone. Looking back, Shen Nian was still standing there.

Everyone: “…”

“Alright, let’s part ways here. Let’s pretend this never happened. If the other gods knew I let a demon go, I would be subjected to struggle sessions,” Si Yin walked forward and drew an invisible line in the sand before Shen Nian. “Hurry back to the Demon Realm. After this…”

“Who dares?”

—Just then, a calm, subdued voice came from the air. It was difficult to hear clearly due to the echo.

Si Yin’s words suddenly stopped. Even Luo Yao was startled and abruptly turned her head, pulling Yi An closer into her arms.

Floating in mid-air, a pure golden lotus pedestal had appeared at some unknown point. Sitting upon it was a man whose face was indistinct, clad in plain white robes with flowing, wide sleeves.

This person was probably the “old acquaintance” Jun Xuan had just mentioned.

Si Yin shielded Luo Yao behind her, cautiously asking: “Friend Immortal, who might you be?”

“It is not important,” the man’s voice was ethereal and solitary, like the vast white snow on Changbai Mountain. “I am commanded by the Venerable to descend to the mortal world to apprehend the sinful demon. I ask for your cooperation.”

“Are you joking? The Celestial Realm hasn’t bothered for so many years, and now, the moment we solve the illusion, you process it this quickly? Are you professional people-snatchers?” Although Si Yin hadn’t erupted yet, there was a hidden anger in her tone.

The man’s tone remained flat and calm: “Supreme Deity Si Yin, please do not make things difficult for me.”

Si Yin sneered: “I am making things difficult for you, so what? Demote me then! Demote me like you demoted the Flower God!”

“You know that is impossible. You are the God of the Western Cardinal; it’s impossible to demote you over anyone else,” the man said with perfect composure. “Also, please do not misunderstand. Regarding the matter of the illusion, the great error was caused by a momentary lapse of judgment on my part back then. Returning to the Celestial Realm now, judging the sinful demon is secondary; my primary purpose is to apologize to the Venerable.”

Upon hearing this, Si Yin and Tan Tan did not understand the meaning, but Luo Yao’s heart pounded violently.

He is…

Veda.