Translator: CinderTL
Darkness had completely enveloped the world.
Having eaten their fill, the pair found themselves at the end of another day.
The stone walls blocked out the moonlight, plunging the room into deeper darkness. The three-headed dog, sensing what was about to happen, silently rose from its corner and slipped outside.
The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly intimate. Xun Ancai's flushed cheeks glowed even more alluringly in the dim light.
Xu Sanyan sighed inwardly. Truth be told, he was tired and wanted to rest.
Even enjoyable activities can become tedious when repeated too often.
But seeing the hopeful look in Xun Ancai's eyes, he couldn't bring himself to dampen her spirits.
As everyone knew, he had always been terrible at refusing others.
"Come..."
Xu Sanyan lay back on the bed, slowly closing his eyes. Xun Ancai casually tugged at her beast-hide clothing, which fell away to reveal her wheat-toned skin radiating an exotic allure.
Outside, the three-headed dog lay sprawled, its six ears drooping listlessly, its canine face etched with boredom.
Moments later, muffled sounds of suppressed pleasure echoed from within the room...
The moon hides behind dark clouds,
Man and beast couple in the shadows.
A hurried traveler from beyond,
Takes heed but shows no mercy.
The next morning, the pair prepared to part ways. Xun Ancai, her long sword strapped to her waist and her three-headed dog at her side, descended the mountain, while Xu Sanyan ascended.
One went hunting, the other sought a blessing.
When Xu Sanyan reached the mountain peak, the Old Clan Chief was already waiting outside the cave. This time, the middle-aged woman wasn't present, only the Seven-Headed Dog remained by her side.
"Let's go," the Old Clan Chief said, leading him toward Back Mountain.
They walked in silence until they reached the foot of Heroic Soul Mountain. Suddenly, the Old Clan Chief spoke, "Ancai is a good woman. During your absence, she came to ask about you every day."
"Yes, she truly is," Xu Sanyan nodded. Being with Xun Ancai was easy, free from calculation.
He understood the Old Clan Chief's unspoken meaning. To Xun Ancai, he was destined to be merely a passing traveler. He could leave without remorse, but Xun Ancai couldn't—she was too sincere.
The Old Clan Chief shook her head, saying no more.
She had little understanding of emotions, nor time to cultivate such understanding. When the weight of survival pressed down on her shoulders, personal feelings seemed trivial.
Survival, in most cases, outweighed sentiment.
As the tribe's clan chief, she guided the entire tribe's course, never allowing personal feelings to override the tribe's interests. This was why she had never married nor had children.
The middle-aged woman she had chosen as her successor had also never married.
The two returned to Heroic Soul Mountain. The Old Clan Chief repeated the same ritual as before: she retrieved the Earth Vein Stone, knelt, and prayed. Light flowed from the stone, absorbed by the Dog God statue, and then, guided by the Old Clan Chief's hand, descended upon Xu Sanyan.
Bathed in the light, Xu Sanyan felt no warmth. Instead, a heart-wrenching scream tore through the mountain range.
This blessing was even more agonizing than the last, the pain intensified rather than diminished.
The light seeped into every inch of his skin, wreaking havoc within his body before instantly repairing the damage. The torment was akin to the slow slicing of a thousand cuts, unbearable.
The Old Clan Chief knelt reverently before the Dog God statue, murmuring prayers under her breath.
Xu Sanyan had no mind to pay attention to her. He mentally reviewed every evil deed he had committed in his life, concluding that this torment must be divine retribution.
Only when the light finally faded did Xu Sanyan recall his ascension to the throne as emperor.
He had committed so many sins in his life that he couldn't even begin to count them. Even during his early days as a bandit in the northwest, his misdeeds filled a basket.
The Old Clan Chief grabbed his robes and dragged him down the mountain.
Xu Sanyan was drenched in sweat, beads of perspiration dripping from his deathly pale cheeks onto the ground. He looked utterly broken.
"Rest well and heal. Next time I come, we'll be ready to act," the Old Clan Chief instructed.
Xu Sanyan forced out a hoarse, strained grunt. "Mmm..."
The Old Clan Chief led him back to the cave and laid him flat on the bed. After a moment's thought, she began to unfasten his clothes.
Xu Sanyan's pupils dilated in terror. Though he wasn't picky, the Old Clan Chief was definitely a bridge too far!
"Mmmph..."
His face contorted in struggle as he tried to move, but he couldn't even twitch a finger.
The Old Clan Chief deftly removed his outer robe, revealing that Xu Sanyan wore nothing beneath. He lay completely naked on the bed.
His heart bled inwardly, and a thought inevitably crossed his mind: Has my karma finally caught up with me?
The Old Clan Chief's cloudy gaze swept over his groin without a flicker of emotion. Her placid expression seemed to convey, I've seen plenty of little birds like yours.
"Don't move. I'm applying medicine."
The Old Clan Chief reached behind her and scooped a handful of green paste from a jar—a mixture of who-knew-what ingredients—and began smearing it over his body, covering every inch from head to toe.
Xu Sanyan breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Thank goodness I was just overthinking things.
I knew it! The Old Clan Chief clearly possessed great virtue and prestige. There was no way she would harm him.
Phew... I scared myself for nothing.
As the Old Clan Chief continued applying the medicinal herb, she said, "Don't worry, this stuff works wonders. If all goes well, you'll be able to get out of bed and walk tomorrow."
"Mm..." Xu Sanyan murmured in response.
After finishing her work, the Old Clan Chief turned back to her tasks, seemingly never idle, her hands always busy with something.
The Seven-Headed Dog cast Xu Sanyan a contemptuous glance, as if it had discerned his earlier thoughts. All fourteen of its eyes burned with disdain.
Xu Sanyan, rarely embarrassed, closed his eyes. I'm actually being looked down upon by a dog.
The Old Clan Chief suddenly spoke up. "Ancai and the others won't be back for a few more days. You should stay here tonight. Leave tomorrow once you can get out of bed."
"Mm..."
Xu Sanyan felt a flicker of reassurance. He focused on the burning sensation spreading through his body, sensing the medicinal herb working to restore him.
With nothing else to do, he opened his eyes and surveyed the cave. It was small and square, crammed with objects.
Dried medicinal herbs and shriveled animal organs hung from the walls. Long tables lined the sides, covered with various jars and containers.
The medicinal herb worked wonders. Within moments, Xu Sanyan could move slightly. He turned his head toward the bedside and noticed a stack of books.
The book covers were yellowed with age, but they were well-preserved, their surfaces remarkably clean. The Old Clan Chief must have cherished them deeply.
From his angle, he could barely make out the title on the top book's cover.
The script differed slightly from the standard script, but it was still legible.
Xu Sanyan murmured to himself, "Chronicles of a Thousand Years of Cultivation."
Below the title were four characters:
"Daoist Yunshan"
The title suggested it might be a record of a cultivator's life.
A cultivation diary?
Xu Sanyan curled his lip. Who writes a diary? he thought. How vulgar!
Feeling some movement return to his arm, he stretched out to grab the book. He wanted to see what kind of trash this vulgar person had written.
(End of the Chapter)
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