The White Moonlight Disdained by the Male Protagonist of Redemption - Chapter 20.2

Wan Dongze led a group of people charging up the mountain, constantly turning back to urge them on: “Faster! Faster! There’s something seriously wrong with the spiritual energy fluctuations here!”

“You can kill everyone on the mountain, but Ning Yao must be kept alive—understand?!”

The people behind him responded in unison, their eyes vacant and lifeless: “Yes.”

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered atop the mountain, winds howled, leaves rustled violently, and trees swayed and fell. Wan Dongze abruptly stopped in his tracks, staring straight at the colossal dragon soaring into the sky in the distance.

The dragon was a hundred feet long, pitch black from head to tail, covered in iron scales like armor, its brilliance so intense it made it hard to look directly at. Where the dragon coiled, violent winds raged. The entire mountaintop was nearly leveled, sparks igniting a wildfire that soon turned the land into a sea of flames.

The black dragon vanished into the clouds, engulfed in radiant golden light, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Wan Dongze murmured, “He ascended…”

He suddenly turned and questioned the man beside him: “Feng Jingzhuo has ascended—then Ning Yao, Ning Yao must be dead, isn’t she? Yuwen Cai! Didn’t you say you could see it, that there was still a chance?! This is the opportunity you foresaw?!”

The man named Yuwen Cai blinked his beady eyes and shrugged: “I kept saying—we had to move faster. Only if we arrived in time would there be a chance.”

Wan Dongze cursed angrily.

Yuwen Cai tried to console him: “My lord, there’s no need to worry. Ning Yao isn’t actually dead, is she? She’s a woman of destiny—someone like her doesn’t die easily. Her rebirth is just a matter of time. As long as she has a breath left, your grand plan will still succeed.”

Wan Dongze slowly calmed down. “Can you see her? How long do I have to wait?”

Yuwen Cai rolled up his sleeve, held out his left hand, and started counting on his fingers: “It’s a distant future… very fuzzy…someone has deliberately interfered with the vision. I can’t see it clearly.”

“Deliberately interfered? What does that mean?”

Yuwen Cai answered, “I mean, I can’t see it.”

Wan Dongze sighed heavily. Fine. What else could he do? Just being able to gain support from someone of the Xuanwu clan was already a rare thing. Since this man had chosen to follow him, it meant that his path wouldn’t end in ruin.

Still, even with all his self-reassurance, he couldn’t shake the unease. He couldn’t help but ask again, “Ning Yao is already strong. If she ascends to godhood, she’ll only become stronger. Will I really be able to catch her in the future?”

This time, Yuwen Cai responded confidently: “I am certain—you will get what you desire.”

——

The mountain fire burned all night.

By morning, smoke still lingered in the air. Embers flickered here and there, and when the breeze blew, the flames flared a few inches higher.

At the end of the mountain path, an old man with white hair and beard leaned on a wooden staff. A younger man supported him, walking slowly forward.

The ground was layered in thick ash from burnt grass and wood. Their steps left soft depressions behind.

Yuwen Xing pointed ahead: “A mountain of ten thousand years, scorched like this… what a pity.”

Yuwen Xing squinted his eyes, a smile blooming across his wide, round face: “Mountains are sturdier than people—sturdier than gods. Even gods might fall one day, but mountains endure and renew. Wildfires can’t destroy them. Spring winds will make them green again. Master, you know this. In a few short years, it’ll all return to life.”

Yuwen Hui replied, “You talk too much. Since when do reincarnation cultivators talk so much?”

Yuwen Xing immediately shut up obediently.

(Well, that’s because his Master’s reincarnation technique is too powerful—he always knows what I’m about to say. It’s like he’s already heard it once. Hearing it again, of course made him annoyed.)

Fine, zip it. No questions. No comments.

He continued supporting his master up the mountain, glancing around as they climbed. He didn’t know why his master had brought him here to Luoxiang Mountain. After all, his master was the only person in the world whose path he couldn’t see through.

And that sense of mystery was rare—he had to enjoy it while he could.

In the Xuanwu clan, once a certain level of reincarnation mastery is reached, one can see the entire life of anyone from an outside clan. But within the clan, it’s different: the strong can see everything about the weak, but the weak cannot glimpse the fate of those stronger than themselves.

To the Xuanwu clan, the world is like a painted scroll. But in that painting, some places remain veiled in mist. Those mists represent the presence of others with even greater reincarnation insight. Only by breaking through every veil could one reach the pinnacle of the art.

Like Yuwen Xing,—his scroll had only the tiniest patches of fog left. The only thing he couldn’t see was his master. He couldn’t predict his next words or his next move.

“Ah Xing, look.”

Yuwen Xing focused his eyes.

Yuwen Hui tapped his foot on a patch of ground in front of him. “Last night, Yuwen Cai stood right here. You know what he said and did.”

“Yes.”

“He colluded with that… thing. His death is well-deserved. But everything in this world must proceed according to its destined track. The future events—you must not interfere. Only when it’s time for you to act should you clean house. Understand?”

That much he had already foreseen. Yuwen Xing nodded. “Yes.”

Yuwen Hui gazed into the distance and let out a long sigh, repeating the words he had spoken countless times in his life: “To study reincarnation is to protect the order of the world—not to open the heavenly eye and indulge personal desires. Ah Xing, you must remember that.”

Yu Wen Xing gave his usual response: “Yes.”

They continued upward. By the time they reached the summit, the red sun had fully risen above the horizon.

“Ah Xing, I brought you here so you could witness the rare phenomenon of the gods’ reincarnation cycle with your own eyes. It will greatly enhance your reincarnation arts. Now—tell me. Do you see anything different? ”

This time, Yuwen Xing hesitated. “…Yes.”

Yuwen Hui snapped, “You keep saying ‘yes yes yes’—yes what? Can you give me a proper answer? ”

Yuwen Xing looked a bit confused: “Master, I… I can’t see where Sect Leader Ning went.”

No way… Don’t tell me Sect Leader Ning also learned reincarnation arts and surpassed him?

Yuwen Hui said calmly, “The reincarnation of gods is difficult to decipher. Take your time. There’s no rush.”

With that, he sat down cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes in silence.

Even if Yuwen Xing couldn’t see through his master, based on past experience he knew: until he figured this out, his master wouldn’t say another word—he might as well be dead.

He composed himself, focused his energy, and observed.

From dawn to dusk, from night to starlight, from stars to morning again—the cycles repeated, day after night, night after day. After three full days and nights, when the first ray of red light once again broke over the horizon, Yuwen Xing suddenly let out a gasp.

His body swayed, stumbling back three steps: “This… this…”

Yuwen Hui slowly opened his eyes, turned to look at his disciple, and smiled—a warm, wrinkled smile full of satisfaction.

Yuwen Xing met his gaze and shivered slightly. “Master, you…”

Yuwen Hui said gently, “Ah Xing, your talent has never disappointed me. From now on… I can no longer see through you. Your reincarnation arts have become the best in the world.”

Yuwen Xing helped him up. But while he should’ve been proud, he only felt confusion—because what he had just seen left his heart in turmoil.

“Master… Sect Leader Ning… truly commands admiration.”

Yuwen Hui nodded with a smile.

“But Young Lord Jingzhuo… he… he’s too…”

Yuwen Hui asked, “Too what? Too tragic? Too pitiful?”

Yuwen Xing said softly, “…Yes. Has the heavenly path been too cruel to him? ”

“No one else in this world has ever loved someone so deeply. And yet his fate… why must it be so bitter? In this life, right is wrong, and wrong is right. His whole life… would have been better off never having lived.”

Yuwen Hui looked at him gently, like a god gazing down in mercy.

Yuwen Xing took a deep breath, trying to calm his stifled chest. He murmured, “The one he loved so dearly… returned to him after endless suffering… and now, she died in front of him again… how could he bear it? How could he survive it?”

 {End of Volume 1}