Zanxing

Chapter 112 - End of the Story (1)

Translator XiaoBai: Don't be fooled by the title of this chapter. The novel is over 300+ chapters. 

....

The aftermath was laid bare before everyone.

The merman and the black mist had all vanished, leaving only the cold night and the distant sound of the western sea's waves.

Princess Lizhu collapsed, and her maid screamed, rushing to support her. The palace guards emerged from the White Jade Hall, shielding the ruler of Li'er Country behind them.

The ruler hesitated, "Immortal..."

Gu Baiying glanced at him, "It's over."

Everything was over.

The night of the secret realm's opening, which was supposed to be exciting and full of anticipation, ended in such a dismal way. Perhaps it was because Yin Ying revealed the royal family's disgraceful secrets from forty years ago in front of the cultivators, leaving the ruler too ashamed to face others. He quickly ordered the injured cultivators to be helped back and escorted back to the palace by the guards.

Princess Lizhu was also taken away from the royal tomb.

The injured cultivators who couldn't walk were helped away by their fellow disciples or palace servants, while the remaining cultivators left in small groups. With the Xingxiu Platform destroyed and so many unexpected events, the secret realm's opening had to be rescheduled.

Tian Fangfang put away his axe, his body covered in injuries, and limped over to Yanxing and Gu Baiying, asking, "Junior sister, where are we going now?"

Yanxing looked at Gu Baiying, who said, "We're going back."

"Back where? The palace?"

Gu Baiying glared at him, "To Sea Seeking Immortals Inn!"

Tian Fangfang responded with an "Oh," and on the other side, Meng Ying and Mu Chengxiao approached, with Mendong dragging Mimi behind them. During the fight with the merman, this person and cat had hidden behind the Platform's pillars and were unharmed.

Meng Ying looked at Yanxing, "Junior sister Yang, you just let the merman's soul possess you. Are you feeling unwell?"

Yanxing shook her head, "Nothing, I'm fine." As soon as she spoke, a sharp pain shot through her palm, overwhelming her mind, and she blacked out.

...

The wind slipped through the window cracks, stealing a kiss on the face of the person on the bed.

When Yanxing woke up, it was already the next afternoon.

She sat up, her head still a bit groggy. Mimi jumped onto the table with a "meow," startling the person dozing at the table.

"You're awake?" Mendong stood up, walked to the bed, and with a serious expression, checked her pulse, "You're fine now. Drink two more doses of medicine later, and you'll be back to normal."

Yanxing asked, "What happened to me?"

"How dare you ask," Mendong scolded her, "With your limited cultivation, you dared to let a demon's soul possess you. Luckily, I was here, or you would have been in big trouble. Remember, I'm your lifesaver from now on."

Yanxing pinched his cheek, "Okay, lifesaver, thank you."

Mendong's face was squished into a mess, and he angrily swatted her hand away, "Don't touch my face!"

Yanxing got out of bed, put on her shoes, and looked around, "Where is everyone else?"

"Martial Uncle and Senior Brother Tian went to the palace. The ruler wants the cultivators to discuss a new date for the secret realm's opening. Senior Sister Meng and Senior Brother Mu are next door cultivating. They were injured last night and need to recover their energy."

Mu Chengxiao and Meng Ying were always the top students of the Taiyan Sect, very diligent, so Yanxing wasn't surprised.

She opened her hand and looked at her palm.

Her hand was white and slender, with calluses from holding a stick. In the center of her palm, the red flower-shaped mark had deepened.

Yanxing felt a sinking feeling.

She had altered the plot again, causing the original storyline to issue a warning. But since entering Li'er Country, she hadn't done anything proactive. Was it because of Yin Li? Because Yin Li's soul possessed her, allowing her to briefly comprehend "Fire Tree Silver Flower" during the fight with Yin Ying, defeating him and stealing the spotlight from Mu Chengxiao?

But Mu Chengxiao hadn't shown any intention of taking action at that time.

Seeing Yanxing's troubled expression, Mendong asked curiously, "What's wrong? Why do you look so worried?"

Yanxing shook off her thoughts and smiled, "Nothing."

She walked to the window and opened it wide. The large window of Sea Seeking Immortals Inn faced the western sea, with endless blue skies and a vast ocean. The sunlight was bright, and the red mangroves were gently swaying.

Everything seemed unchanged from a hundred years ago.

But Yanxing knew that the merman who sang on sunny days and the youth who climbed the rocks to bask in the moonlight would never appear again.

He had disappeared forever at the end of the western sea with the merchant ship from forty years ago.

Tian Fangfang's voice came from downstairs, "Junior sister, you just got out of bed. Don't catch a cold!"

Yanxing looked down and saw Tian Fangfang and Gu Baiying walking up. Gu Baiying still had his usual disdainful expression, while Tian Fangfang looked almost sweet with happiness.

When they reached the room, Yanxing asked, "Senior brother, why are you so happy? Did something good happen?"

Tian Fangfang beckoned Yanxing closer and pulled something from his pocket, slapping it into her hand, "Sharing is caring. Don't say your senior brother isn't generous!"

Yanxing looked down and saw a golden arrowhead in her hand.

"What is this?" She was puzzled, "It looks familiar."

"Look closely."

Yanxing examined it and suddenly realized it was the arrowhead from the golden statue of "The Ruler Killing the Merman" by the western sea. She had once marveled at how wealthy Li'er Country was, placing such a large piece of gold outside without fear of theft.

Now the arrowhead had clearly been broken off. Yanxing looked at Tian Fangfang, "Senior brother, did you break off and steal this arrowhead?"

"Steal? No, I picked it up," Tian Fangfang said righteously, "Besides, I didn't break it."

Yanxing asked, "Then who broke it? Are they not afraid of punishment?"

Tian Fangfang pointed at Gu Baiying.

Yanxing was surprised. Gu Baiying didn't seem like someone who would take advantage of such things.

Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow, "I've disliked that statue for a long time. It was time to smash it."

Yanxing was puzzled, "?"

"We were coming back from the palace and passed by the statue by the western sea," Tian Fangfang explained, "We saw two kids spitting on the merman's head. I scolded them, but they didn't listen and said the merman was evil. Then..."

Then, Gu Baiying, annoyed, smashed the statue with his embroidered bone spear.

The kids, fearing they would be implicated, ran away. Tian Fangfang, seeing the gold going to waste, picked it all up and put it in his storage bag.