In the decades that had passed, the temple would've already fallen into ruin if not for repairs by the government, and there were few people still making offerings.
Wenren È saw how familiarly Yin Hanjiang did everything and felt some suspicion. When Yin Hanjiang returned to his side after offering incense and washing the statue, he asked, "Do you often come?"
The base of Yin Hanjiang's ears reddened slightly, but his face didn't change. "If not in seclusion, I come once a year," he said.
Though this was the first time he had come with Wenren È.
"This Venerable doesn't cultivate merits or sustain himself on incense offerings. I'm right by your side, so why do you need to come bow to a statue of me?" Wenren È said, puzzled.
Yin Hanjiang had followed him from childhood, and Wenren È had assumed he understood him. It was only when he opened Abusive Romance that he discovered he was seeing only the side of Yin Hanjiang the man deigned to show. Since then he observed Yin Hanjiang more closely, and discovered many things he'd never noticed before.
For instance, this temple was over eighty years old, but the statue was still like new. This must've been at least partially Yin Hanjiang's doing. He would visit every year, yet Wenren È had never noticed.
Yin Hanjiang was about to answer when a man dressed like a government official approached them. He seemed around fifty or sixty, and came forward to strike up a conversation upon seeing Yin Hanjiang. "Is this young hero named Yin?"
Yin Hanjiang didn't treat this old official coldly as he did all others. He cupped his hands respectfully and replied, "I am."
The official seemed reminiscent as he looked at Yin Hanjiang's face. He sighed. "I came into management of the memorial shrines when I was sixteen. Now over forty years have passed, and fewer and fewer people come to pay respects every year. Only the Yin family, from your grandfather to you today, would visit every year before winter. Yet your father didn't show up for the past eleven years, so I thought your family had also forgotten."
"My father hasn't been able to walk these past few years and kept lamenting how he could not go. This year, I set out on a trip, and my father implored me that I absolutely must come here. He told me that my great grandfather had been saved by General Wenren eighty years ago, and the future generations of the Yin family should not forget this debt. When I grow old, my son and grandson should also come here."
Yin Hanjiang rarely spoke so much and was never good at expressing his thoughts. Wenren È saw how well he had played his own father, grandfather, and great-grandfather in front of this official, and would probably play his own son and grandson in the future, and an unfamiliar feeling rose within him.
Those eleven years were hardly because his father's legs didn't work, but that he had been caught up in the Great Sect War and unable to come.
"My father is the same," the old official said. He wiped the stone stele that stood in front of the entrance to the shrine with a damp cloth, so that each name stood out clearly. "He always told me that in that war eighty years ago, if it weren't for General Wenren, this town would've already fallen to the enemy."
As his cloth ran over the names, he stared at one that said Zhang Ergou and said with pride, "This one is my grandfather, who died in battle after my father was born. My father said that the peace this town enjoys now was won with the blood of my grandfather and countless other soldiers, and they deserve the highest honors."
A chilly wind blew past, and the old official wrapped his clothes more tightly around himself. He said with a chuckle to Yin Hanjiang, "You young people might not mind the cold, but if you don't put on more layers when winter is coming, you'll feel it when you're older."
He picked up his washcloth and bucket and slowly walked away from the shrine.
After he was gone, Yin Hanjiang turned to Wenren È and repeated his earlier words. "It's not the same."
Wenren È understood this time.
Wenren È the ruler of the demonic sects wasn't the same as the General Wenren enshrined in the small border town, the same way Yin Hanjiang the Left Protector of Xuanyuan Sect wasn't the same as the Young Hero Yin who visited the shrines every year.
Wenren È walked to the memorial stele and brushed his fingertips over the names with a soft smile. "I can actually match each name to a face."
Not "this Venerable", just "I". At the moment he wasn't the Lord of Demons, but General Wenren.
All the people named on the stele had probably already entered the cycle of reincarnation, maybe even multiple times. But in this small town, they lived on in many people's hearts.
Together, these names could be called "guardians".
Winds at the border were strong and pierced your clothes like knives come winter. As it picked up, the pedestrians on the road rushed along to the warmth of their homes and the street merchants packed up their wares. In a bit, only Wenren È and Yin Hanjiang were left standing out in the streets.
The bitter cold wind blew a lock of Yin Hanjiang's hair across his face. Normally, Yin Hanjiang's hair was tied up neatly so not a strand was left loose, so that even though his appearance was youthful, he gave off a far older aura. With a loose lock of hair hanging by his face, blown by the wind, Wenren È felt that Yin Hanjiang had gained a shred of youthful innocence.
In truth, Yin Hanjiang had always been like this, and it was only that Wenren È never really looked at him, and so had never noticed throughout all these years.
Wenren È smiled slightly. He took out the Abusive Romance book from his sleeve and said, "I must be grateful for this book. If not for it, this Venerable would've overlooked one Yin Hanjiang."
Yin Hanjiang's eyes fell on that familiar title again, of the book his Venerable so inconceivably kept around.
Maybe it was because he had shown the Venerable another side of himself today, or maybe it was because today, the Venerable seemed different than usual, but Yin Hanjiang decided to see him right now as General Wenren and not the master of the demonic sects, so boldly asked a question. "Just what mysteries does that book hold?"
He remembered that it was after obtaining this book that the Venerable had left Xuanyuan Sect and focused his attention in particular on the righteous disciple Baili Qingmiao, looking after her in various ways.
The Venerable only treated Baili Qingmiao as his junior, so Yin Hanjiang had also unconsciously begun paying closer attention to this besotted young woman, and even become frustrated at her various shortcomings. The Venerable looked so highly upon her aptitudes, and said that they had a karmic relationship, even wanting to take her as disciple. Yet Baili Qingmiao just thought of living happily ever after with Hè Wenzhao, while, with the kind of person Hè Wenzhao was...
Even though Yin Hanjiang rarely had opinions on people besides Wenren È, he still couldn't help but acknowledge that Hè Wenzhao didn't deserve her.
Baili Qingmiao was at least a pure-hearted and kind disciple of the righteous sects, but Hè Wenzhao really left a bad taste in one's mouth.
If Yin Hanjiang gave his heart to one person, he would never have considerations toward another. How could he bear to watch Hè Wenzhao proclaim his love for Baili Qingmiao while at the same time sleeping with Shu Yanyan?
"This book tells the story of a romance," Wenren È said, in summary, then changed his mind and said, "This book led this Venerable to consider Protector Yin in a new light."
Yin Hanjiang was dumbstruck again.
"The wind is picking up." Wenren È put away the book. "What other secrets does Protector Yin keep in this small town? You might as well tell this Venerable all at once, now that we have this chance."
"This subordinate... also often goes to restaurants to hear plays and stories," Yin Hanjiang said. "The actors and storytellers have made excessive changes to the stories, but they're still not bad to hear."
"Why don't you take this Venerable to one, then?" Wenren È said.
Yin Hanjiang obediently led Wenren È to a restaurant. After the wind started, not many people remained outside, but the inside of the restaurant was crowded. The first floor was already seated full, so Yin Hanjiang requested an expensive room on the second floor.
The tea house at the foot of Shangqing Sect's mountain served high-quality teas with spiritual energy, offering delicate pastries and poetry readings. The border town had a completely different atmosphere. The two had barely taken their seats when a waiter brought over a bubbling pot, a large platter of sliced beef, a platter of lamb, a jar of wine, and two bowls of sheep's milk tea.
The cups here were nothing like the delicate teacups in the Henan area, and were wider than their bowls. Without a word, the waiter began pouring two big bowls of wine for both.
Yin Hanjiang seemed a bit embarrassed at the lack of restraint and was about to ask the waiter to switch for some smaller bowls, when he heard Wenren È say, "No need for bowls. Isn't wine meant to be drunk straight from the jar?"
The waiter said with a clap, "I thought you'd know your stuff! I'll go fetch a jar immediately."
Wenren È lifted the jar with one hand and took a swig. A trickle of wine ran from the corner of his mouth and vanished before it could drip down, evaporated by the temperature of his skin. Yin Hanjiang had never seen his serious master act so unrestrained and took a hard swallow. He felt that the wine in the jar smelled richer than before and raised it to gulp down a mouthful. The sting made his eyes water, and he looked at Wenren È as if it was somehow his fault.
Wenren È burst into loud laughter. "Hahahaha! So Protector Yin really can't drink alcohol. I can't believe a mouthful of wine can burn a Void Boundary cultivator so strongly."
"The Venerable's alcohol tolerance is just too good," Yin Hanjiang replied.
Wenren È shook his head. "The first time I drank, I took a gulp like my father and brothers and nearly killed myself. I didn't understand why white wine was so intense, and later my mother told me that if a soldier was injured on the battlefield, the strong liquor could save their life."
Right up until the extermination of the Wenren Clan, Wenren È had never learned to drink. It was a hundred years ago, as he fought alongside the soldiers defending the border, that he learned to drink wine and eat meat unreservedly like the rest of them. Back then, he still had a flesh body, and despite practicing inedia, had no problem with eating mortal food once in a while.
Right now, on the other hand...
Wenren È glanced over to the boiling pot and cooked a slice of lamb meat for Yin Hanjiang. He didn't take a bite for himself and only drank and watched the performances. Yin Hanjiang just thought Wenren È didn't like meat, so copied him in drinking wine. Once he got used to the strength of the alcohol, he as a Void Boundary cultivator naturally didn't need to worry about intoxication.
In the center of the hall was a storyteller, relaying in a thick border accent the story of a bold woman from a small town trying to land a husband. The woman had a blunt attitude, was free in her emotions, and never beat around the bush, and the audience loudly approved of her.
Listening, Wenren È nodded. "This is how love ought to go. If this Venerable were to fall prey to a love tribulation, and the other party reciprocated, I would keep that person by my side forever. If they had no interest, then I would let them go. What dignity is there in clinging to someone?"
He slapped Abusive Romance down on the tabletop. Whether it was Baili Qingmiao or Wenren È, neither had chosen the right path in this story.
Yin Hanjiang saw a splash of wine land on the book's cover. Wenren È didn't seem to treasure the book very much at all. Under the influence of the wine, Yin Hanjiang showed open curiosity.
"This is a novel of Baili Qingmiao and Hè Wenzhao's romance. It tells of how Baili Qingmiao rose to unmatched heights, only to let herself be torn down by Hè Wenzhao. Wouldn't you say that's ridiculous?"
Wenren È felt he could explain a part of the book's contents to Yin Hanjiang, to keep him from always looking like he was choking on his words. He really worried this kid would suffocate someday. Though the latter parts with Wenren È's death and Yin Hanjiang's madness could be left out.
"Back when this Venerable obtained this book, I just thought it was a story, but reading more closely, I found it divulged the arrangements of heaven. This book records the events of the Great Sect War. It was what allowed this Venerable to anticipate the plans of the righteous sects."
Astonishment showed on Yin Hanjiang's face, but he held back his questions, quietly listening to Wenren È.
Wenren È summarized Baili Qingmiao and Hè Wenzhao's relationship in the book, omitting how he also fell in love with Baili Qingmiao and died. Instead he provided as explanation, "This Venerable was also in the book, and because of a debt to the primordial goddess, provided help to Baili Qingmiao many times. That's why I want to take her as a disciple, to lead her to practice the Path of Indifference and free her from Hè Wenzhao's influence."
"I understand now." The doubts in Yin Hanjiang's heart gradually dissipated and were replaced with praise. The Venerable was indeed far-seeing, and could even make use of the plot of a romance novel, taking the Great Sect War as an opportunity to challenge heaven's arrangements.
"This Venerable also learned of the location of the Snow Flame from this book," Wenren È said. "Additionally, the book mentioned that there was a fated opportunity for you at the Golden Coast Cliffs, the Shattered Mountain Meteorite, which is perfectly suited for refining into your sword."
The Shattered Mountain Meteorite was really Wenren È's fate, but he swapped it around so Yin Hanjiang wouldn't be moved by gratitude and pledge to live and die for him again. Wenren È didn't much like seeing him like that.
Wenren È had benefitted plenty from the border conflict where he picked up Yin Hanjiang, so there was no need for the man to act so indebted to him.
"It's convenient for us that both the righteous and demonic sects are currently recuperating from the war. Xuanyuan Sect should be fine for now, so this Venerable will accompany you on a trip to the Golden Coast Cliffs," Wenren È said casually.
Xuanyuan Sect... should be fine? Yin Hanjiang furrowed his brows. "Venerable, the Xuanyuan Sect is like a pack of dragons without a head right now. This subordinate fears that if the Venerable is absent too long, the Right Protector and Altar Masters will shift loyalties."
"No matter." Wenren È took a large gulp of wine. "I can kill them all and save myself some effort. Right now the righteous sects can't fight us, so leaving so many high-level demonic cultivators alive doesn't do us anything but invite trouble."
"Good point, Venerable," Yin Hanjiang said respectfully.
Wenren È raised a finger and tapped him on the forehead. "This Venerable isn't all-knowing or all-powerful," he said in an annoyed tone. "There are times when I get things wrong too. If you follow me blindly in everything, I'll have trouble recognizing my mistakes. You also need to use your brain now and then, and help this Venerable think."
"This subordinate understands." Yin Hanjiang rubbed his forehead and smiled slightly.
This trip to the border seemed to have brought the two closer. Wenren È and Yin Hanjiang no longer stayed in their rigid roles as master and subordinate and had gained a deeper connection.
The two had finished ten jars of wine between themselves, and even the shop's owner was so astonished he came personally to ask the two's names, so they could be remembered as immortals in the restaurant.
Wenren È declined to give his name and, with Yin Hanjiang behind him, left the world of mortals. He hadn't touched a mouthful from the steaming pot on the table, whereas Yin Hanjiang had eaten quite a bit.
After they left the town barely before curfew, Wenren È said, "Protector Yin, why don't you take this Venerable on your sword again until we get to the Golden Coast Cliffs? The demon sword doesn't have many days left anyways. After we get the Shattered Mountain Meteorite, we'll refine the sword together with it."
Chiming rattled a few times, as if objecting to Wenren È's words.
Yin Hanjiang didn't question him and took Wenren È on his sword, heading toward the Golden Coast. His sword flight speed couldn't compare to Wenren È's light flash and the Golden Coast was far enough away that it took a day and night's worth of flying. By Wenren È's assessment, even if Baili Qingmiao had returned to her sect by now, this wasn't enough time for her to set out for and reach the cliffs.
The Golden Coast Cliffs were in the far eastern part of the Middle Province. The beaches were covered with fine golden sand, thus it was called the Golden Coast. A high cliff lined the coast, and since golden stone made up the cliff face, it was called the Golden Coast Cliffs.
Yin Hanjiang landed at the top of the cliffs, unable to ride his sword past that point. An immortal realm was said to be hidden there, and any place with traces of immortal or divine power would suppress a cultivator's power. The higher level they were, the more they were affected, while a Nascent Soul or lower cultivator would be unrestricted.
Wenren È was stronger than an ordinary person even with his cultivation suppressed, though, and since he practiced martial arts, his movements were more agile and powerful than most cultivators. Yin Hanjiang was also quite capable, having practiced the sword from youth, and they climbed the rock face steadily as they descended the cliff.
In the book, Baili Qingmiao fell many times and had to be caught by Wenren È, only to fall again, for him to catch her again, and so on. Thinking back, it was odd—she hadn't fallen once while climbing Nine Cauldrons Mountain and carrying Wenren È, yet constantly lost her footing once she came to the Golden Coast Cliffs. Was it because the rocks were weathered by the sea spray and had come loose?
Yin Hanjiang didn't cause any problems of the sort. His footing was firm and he climbed quickly enough to keep up, no matter how fast Wenren È progressed.
In the book, they spent a month searching for the spiritual realm, purely because Baili Qingmiao would twist an ankle once every couple thousand words, or sprain a shoulder, or get all kinds of other injuries, so that they constantly needed to stop and treat her.
Wenren È didn't know the exact location of the spiritual realm either. In the book's account, Baili Qingmiao had been bitten by a poisonous bat and fainted. Wenren È was carrying her, and while she was near death, discovered the entrance to the spiritual realm. Thinking back, Baili Qingmiao had found the Snow Flame at the instant before she froze to death, and the Flesh Mushroom had appeared before her on its own when she collapsed and fell unconscious.
Hold on, was the cause for all these legendary treasures appearing Baili Qingmiao's near-death experiences?
After searching for three days, Wenren È finally paused. Would the spiritual realm really not appear unless Baili Qingmiao was there?
Wenren È felt a bit troubled.
"Venerable?" Yin Hanjiang saw Wenren È stop, hanging onto the cliff face while deep in thought, and hurried to his side.
"This Venerable seems to have..." Before Wenren È could finish, he glimpsed a greenish-black blur out of the corner of his eyes, rushing toward Yin Hanjiang. Instantly, with a wave of a sleeve, one of his arms transformed into a cloud of crimson mist, enveloping the flying shape.
In a few seconds, the bat dissolved into blood in Wenren È's hold, falling drop by drop into the ocean below.
"Venerable, your arm..." Yin Hanjiang saw Wenren È's dissolved arm, and a tremble entered his voice.
"Seems you found out in the end." Wenren È smiled slightly, solidifying his arm again and ruffling Yin Hanjiang's hair.