Just a second ago, Xie Bai was rubbing his eyes while resting on Yin Wushu's shoulder. The next second, he found himself having grown much taller, like a willow shooting up, now standing before the crossbar at the back of the house overlooking the river, leaning against the door and gazing at the stars. It seemed to be August of that year, the heat of the day had mostly dissipated by nightfall, faintly hinting at the upcoming autumn coolness.

The night was dimly lit, and the scattered stars in the sky appeared exceptionally clear, vast and numerous, forming a long river.

Xie Bai, naturally quiet in disposition, could watch the night without feeling bored. Yet, someone always seemed to provoke him.

"Young people, especially those of your age, are usually full of vigor, scrambling everywhere, disliked by cats and dogs alike. Why is it that you can’t even be bothered to climb onto the roof?" Yin Wushu, sitting on the eave above his head, bent one leg while the other dangled along the slanting roof, casually swinging. Unfortunately, this person had very long legs, which were very conspicuous and rather annoying.

From the corner of his eye, Xie Bai glanced at that leg, inexplicably itching to grab the ankle and pull the idly teasing person down from the roof and throw him into the river to clear his mind, if only he could win a fight.

At that time, Xie Bai's Yin Corpse Qi was still being refined. Yin Wushu, wanting him to practice his skills early, somehow fished out a thin sword for him to exercise. Xie Bai quite liked this sword; in fact, he treasured everything Yin Wushu gave him, though he rarely showed it because Yin Wushu was particularly idle and somewhat annoying, liking to magnify every bit of his emotions and swaggering unbearably.

Every time he saw him like that, Xie Bai wanted to stab him a couple of times with the sword.

"Coming up?" Yin Wushu shook his leg, patted the roof tiles, and clicked his tongue twice at him like calling a little dog.

Xie Bai: "..." This person was older than eight thousand young people put together, yet still disliked by both cats and dogs.

With a flick of his thumb, the sword he was holding unsheathed. Using the tip of the sword, he gently poked Yin Wushu's foot, saying, "You’re blocking my view."

Yin Wushu said "heh" in annoyance, and with a kick, flicked his sword up, leaning forward with two fingers to pinch the sword tip, pulling it towards himself.

Helplessly, Xie Bai held the sword hilt as he was drawn closer to his feet.

As soon as the sword was sheathed, Yin Wushu retracted his foot, took a few light steps on the tiles, and perched right on the edge of the roof, squatting down and stretching out a finger to Xie Bai below: "Come on, what's the point of watching from down there?"

With an expressionless face, Xie Bai looked up at him, then at the finger, and muttered, "I'm fifteen, not five," then reluctantly grasped that finger.

With a single pull from Yin Wushu, Xie Bai used the momentum to flip gracefully, his white clothing fluttering like a kite. He took two steps, timed his release, climbed higher onto the roof, and looked down at Yin Wushu, his eyes curving, his expression calm yet carrying a slight smile of a young man's triumph.

"Wow, quite capable to climb. If I didn't know you better, I'd think you could ascend to the heavens," Yin Wushu casually joked, flipping around the eave and lightly landing on the ridge of the roof.

At that time, Xie Bai had not yet opened his Spiritual Yin Gate, still far from achieving feats like 'traveling a thousand li in one day' or 'leaving no trace in the snow'. Yin Wushu, on the other hand, transformed from Yang Qi and inherently originated from the natural world, moving freely as if he were a wisp of cloud between heaven and earth.

He pulled Xie Bai, and together they dissolved into the night like mist.

Xie Bai only saw a blur before him, and when he came to his senses, he found himself hundreds of feet in the air, the intertwining streets and thousands of household lights below him, the vast Milky Way above. He was pulled by Yin Wushu, who stood unsupported in the air.

Xie Bai: "..." He really did ascend to the heavens.

It was the first time Xie Bai viewed the sky above and the land below from this perspective, and also the first time he saw Yin Wushu in this way.

For a moment, Xie Bai felt that this person, who had been living with him for ten years, was different from usual, much like the Milky Way above—seemingly within reach, yet even if you ascended millions of feet, you still couldn't touch it.

"Why did you have injuries on your body a few days ago?" Xie Bai, standing in the best spot, suddenly lost interest in stargazing and asked abruptly.

Yin Wushu paused, seemingly unable to recall when he had been injured, and responded, "When did that happen? I don’t remember. Are you sure you saw right?"

Xie Bai: "…"

"Oh—" Seeing Xie Bai's speechless face, Yin Wushu finally conceded, recalling, "Are you talking about the burn on my arm?"

Xie Bai nodded.

Without thinking, Yin Wushu began to make up excuses: "Just playing with fire for fun."

Xie Bai: "Do you think I'm a fool?"

Yin Wushu feigned surprise: "Aren’t you?"

Xie Bai was about to draw his sword, but Yin Wushu quickly pressed down on his hand.

"Alright, alright, you have a sword, you're impressive," Yin Wushu said with a smirk, adding mockingly, "Impressive, young man, you've learned to defy and disrespect your master."

Xie Bai rolled his eyes silently: "…Talk about the burn."

"Do you know how many more lifetimes I've lived compared to you?" Yin Wushu asked with a smile in his eyes.

Thinking he was about to pull rank again, Xie Bai coldly responded, "Calling you ‘great-grandfather’ wouldn’t be enough."

Yin Wushu: "…"

Stung by Xie Bai's retort, he felt as if his back was hunched and his teeth were loose, not a pleasant feeling, but he had to admit, "Great-grandfather is probably not even a fraction of me."

"A thousand-year-old turtle isn't a fraction of you either," Xie Bai added.

Yin Wushu: "…"

Although Xie Bai usually didn't talk much and was generally well-behaved, spending all day with Yin Wushu, who had no filter, had rubbed off on him, and his tongue could be quite sharp.

"Okay, let's move away from 'great-grandfather' and old turtles. I'll continue," Yin Wushu casually said, "Ordinary people in this world sometimes fall ill, and as doctors often say, ‘Yin transforms into energy, Yang into form. Yin balances Yang, spirit governs health, separation of Yin and Yang leads to the cessation of vitality.’ Generally, the balance of Yin and Yang fluctuates, so—"

Xie Bai cut him off expressionlessly: "Speak plainly, focus on the key point."

Yin Wushu immediately got to the point: "It’s just like ordinary people getting sick occasionally, a natural detoxification due to the fluctuation of Yin and Yang."

Xie Bai thought for a moment, then asked, "Aren’t you transformed from pure Yang energy? Where does Yin come into it…"

"I was just making a comparison," Yin Wushu chuckled, "But indeed, in this world, everything is generated and restrained by its opposite: black balances white, good balances evil, and the cycle of life and death in Yin and Yang allows for ongoing existence. Otherwise, there would be chaos. A small chaos seeks balance like getting sick; a big chaos means balance cannot be restored, like life and death. Understand?"

He spun a confusing yarn that left Xie Bai dizzied, then pointed to the vast Milky Way, "At such a young age, instead of learning, you excel at ruining the mood. Look, enjoy the view, then I’ll take you somewhere else to wander. It’s silly just standing here."

Xie Bai remained unmoved by the diversion, responding to his somewhat true, somewhat fabricated talk: "I understand, but coming from you, I don't quite believe it."

Yin Da Huyou (NT: Yin the big bluffer) covered his mouth with his hand, smiling shamelessly: "The wind is noisy, I can't hear you clearly. Also, they say 'eat in silence, sleep in silence, and don't talk while enjoying the scenery'."

But Xie Bai was too accustomed to these shameless tactics, his response muffled under Yin Wushu's palm: "One last question."

Yin Wushu's fingers twitched, he "hmmed" a response and withdrew his hand, putting it behind his back: "I’ll give you another chance, speak."

Xie Bai looked up at the stars for a moment, then turned to ask Yin Wushu: "Will you die?"

Yin Wushu clicked his tongue, pinching Xie Bai's cheek, "What kind of question is that… Haven’t I told you before? I won't die from injuries, nor without a heart. Aren’t the words 'immortal old man' carved on my forehead? See?"

Xie Bai dryly said, "Oh really? You just mentioned that everything has life and death, that continuous cycles maintain balance, otherwise it becomes chaos."

Yin Wushu: "…"

Caught by Xie Bai pulling at this loose thread, Yin Wushu had no good defense, grudgingly dragging him through the city and forests, heading somewhere else, unable to resist sighing, "I must have swallowed rat poison to take you to the stars. Staring at them too long makes one foolish, thinking all sorts of nonsense. Let's go, let's change spots."

*

Perhaps stimulated by Yin Wushu on the mountains, Xie Bai dreamt repeatedly about listening to his bluffs about life and death during his deep sleep, revisiting Yin Da Huyou’s dark history once again.

It wasn't until the early morning of the third day that he finally opened his eyes and fully awakened.

 

Translator : DarNan