Chapter 077: If You Are Heartless, I Shall Become a Demon

Your use of the name Shu made the already awkward Yan Shu feel even more uncomfortable. However, now was not the time to dwell on such matters. She looked at Yuwen Che and Xiao Jihan and said, “Though my time with my sister has been short, I can see she is a person of genuine temperament. She has treated me with great kindness. Though we are not bound by the ties of master and disciple, she still gifted me the Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Karma Fire Red Lotus, and guarded me as I refined it.”

She emphasized the words “person of genuine temperament,” deliberately making it clear that the woman harbored no ill will toward her, hoping Yuwen Che and Xiao Jihan would understand her meaning and consider everything before making their decision.

Yuwen Che and Xiao Jihan exchanged a glance at her words. It seemed as if they had already discussed their course of action beforehand. Without further ado, Xiao Jihan went to one of the directions the woman had indicated and began to dismantle the array.

Yuwen Che, however, turned to the woman and asked, “If I am not mistaken, you must be Senior Yu Yun?”

The woman had been watching Xiao Jihan destroy the array with barely concealed excitement, but upon hearing Yuwen Che’s words, her excitement vanished completely. She turned to him and said coldly, “What is your relationship with Kongwu, that bald monk?”

Yuwen Che replied with a hint of respect, “I have never met Master Kongwu, but I was fortunate to inherit a relic from him, which contains a fragment of his soul.”

At the words “fragment of his soul,” Yu Yun’s face suddenly paled. Yuwen Che took a sash from his mustard seed pouch, and with a wave of his sleeve, a wisp of remnant soul emerged from the sash.

The remnant soul was that of a monk dressed in robes. Though his years were advanced, his former handsome features remained discernible.

“Amitabha, Benefactress Yu Yun, it has been a long time,” said Master Kongwu, his expression calm and benevolent, while Yu Yun’s face turned ashen. She did not reply, but gazed silently at the remnant soul.

By now, Xiao Jihan had destroyed five points of the array, the barrier at the cave entrance had been lifted, and Yuwen Che had broken the remaining enchantment with ease.

Yet the Yu Yun who had been so intent on escaping now seemed oblivious, motionless.

Yan Shu looked at the pale-faced Yu Yun, then at Master Kongwu’s remnant soul, and, having read countless novels, suddenly understood a great deal.

Yuwen Che smiled gently at her and said softly, “Let us go.”

Yan Shu gave a quiet assent and walked out of the cave, with Xiao Jihan following behind her and Yuwen Che.

Outside the cave, they found themselves in a long passageway. The three remained silent until they reached the end of the corridor, only then realizing they were halfway up a cliff.

In this secret realm, sword flight was forbidden. How to leave was a problem.

As Yuwen Che and Xiao Jihan sought a solution, Yan Shu could not help but ask, “Yu Yun and Master Kongwu, they…”

Yuwen Che looked out at the lush forest ahead and sighed softly, “The two of them were meant to be a pair of celestial lovers.”

Those words carried infinite sorrow.

Then Yuwen Che told her the story of the saintly monk and the female cultivator.

Yu Yun was originally a disciple of the Nether Sect, in fact, the senior aunt of the current sect master, Ying Ziheng.

Yu Yun and Kongwu: one a prodigy of the Nether Sect, the other the most gifted Buddhist cultivator of the Brahma Heaven Sect.

They met in a secret realm, fought side by side through life and death, and perhaps because they endured such hardship together, Yu Yun fell in love with Kongwu.

The Nether Sect was always a faction that straddled the line between good and evil, acting by its own rules. After falling for Kongwu, Yu Yun cared nothing for worldly taboos; all her passion and affection were poured upon him.

She sought him at the Brahma Heaven Sect under various pretexts, until eventually all knew that the female cultivator from the Nether Sect had fallen for Kongwu.

Kongwu began avoiding her, but the Brahma Heaven Sect was only so large; no matter how he tried, he could not escape her.

He uttered words of rejection, even harsh words meant to wound, but Yu Yun laughed them off, following him as if immune to pain, always at his side.

The Brahma Heaven Sect, being a Buddhist temple, treasured its peace and the cultivation of its disciples. To preserve the tranquility of the monastery, Kongwu left the sect to wander the world.

Yu Yun followed, never leaving him.

Thus, the cultivation world witnessed a strange sight: behind a handsome Buddhist monk, there was always a vivacious woman in red.

One single-mindedly devoted to the Buddha, never yielding; the other tireless, never giving up. Year after year, their entanglement lasted for more than three centuries.

At this point in the tale, Yan Shu suddenly spoke, “Master Kongwu actually cared for Sister Yu Yun in his heart, didn’t he?”

Yuwen Che glanced at her and nodded slowly. “There are many ways to rid oneself of someone, but Master Kongwu allowed Senior Yu Yun to pursue him for centuries. That alone shows he was moved by mortal feelings. Senior Yu Yun saw this clearly, though Master Kongwu himself did not.”

After centuries of inseparable companionship, Kongwu, whether he realized it or not, must have accepted Yu Yun’s pursuit.

Yu Yun truly loved him, so much so that being at his side was enough to satisfy her. The two should have gone on this way, but one day, the sect master of the Demon Immortal Sect invited Kongwu to enlighten his disciples.

The Demon Immortal Sect was in fact a branch of the demon race that cultivated orthodox immortal arts and had awakened consciousness. Simply put, it was much like the demon realm Yan Shu had read of in novels.

Demons found cultivation harder than humans, but their lifespans were longer. Being demons, even in human form, they carried demonic aura and could not fully integrate into the cultivation world. Thus, when they took human form, they would invite the high monks of the Brahma Heaven Sect to enlighten them and purify their aura.

It happened that Kongwu was near the Demon Immortal Sect, so the Brahma Heaven Sect master sent him to perform the enlightenment.

The Demon Immortal Sect, like the Nether Sect, practiced orthodox arts but cared little for worldly taboos at heart.

The sect master, the Demon King Mu Weili, meant well and directly pointed out Kongwu’s feelings for Yu Yun.

Kongwu refused to admit it, not only denying it but growing angry and embarrassed.

Mu Weili was not one to back down. He snorted coldly, “If you are so confident, why not cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness? Monks are meant to love all equally, but universal love is also a form of detachment. If you cultivate ruthlessness, you can abandon love completely and free Yu Yun from her longing. Why not?”

Kongwu was silent for a long time before he replied, “Very well.”

After leaving the Demon Immortal Sect, Kongwu began cultivating the Path of Ruthlessness, becoming utterly cold.

It was a chill that emanated from his very bones. Though he never uttered a word of harsh rejection, Yu Yun could sense his heart growing colder, his emotions more distant with each passing day.

Knowing he had begun cultivating ruthlessness, Yu Yun tried everything—drugging him, offering herself, acting spoiled, crying and making a scene—but nothing worked.

Seeing the ever colder Kongwu, Yu Yun said to him, “If you continue down the Path of Ruthlessness, I will fall into the demonic way and destroy your sect!”