Chapter 117: Memories (7)

If one were to ask what emotion in this world is the most complex, the answer would, in all likelihood, be love.

After leaving the Chu family’s domain, Ye Zheng felt his heart racing like a startled deer, a frantic rhythm that refused to settle for a long time. It was as if he had become hopelessly ensnared by Chu Xingran upon their very first meeting. He found himself deeply infatuated with the young girl, harboring a desperate desire to keep her by his side forever, never to let her go.

He shook his head, feeling somewhat ridiculous for having such thoughts. How could he let his mind wander so far? If there were a future for them, that would be one thing, but if events were to unfold as predicted, would he not simply be ruining the girl’s life? The Chu family were known for their stubbornness, and his young girl was no different; therefore, he decided he would have to think this through carefully before taking any action. If the outcome were truly to be grim, he would choose to avoid this entanglement altogether, doing his utmost to ensure she could live a life of her own.

Once his thoughts were clear, he lost all interest in the scenery along the way and headed straight for the Broken Heaven Cliff. Some things, he found, only grew more complicated the more one pondered them. As for the matter of the high evaluation fees, he decided to set it aside for now, intending to revisit it upon his return to see if he could devise a compromise that would keep the girl safe.

...

At the Broken Heaven Cliff, in the Pavilion of the Ends of the Earth.

This place was an independent realm, a world unto itself that seemed entirely cut off from the rest of existence. Everything here belonged to the Yu family, and it was inhabited almost exclusively by them; for miles in every direction, it was all their territory.

When Ye Zheng arrived, it was afternoon. The temperature had dropped, and the wind blew with a chilly bite. Ye Zheng walked leisurely toward the residential area of the Yu family. Along the way, he encountered many members of the clan, but because of his icy expression, everyone gave him a wide berth. Ye Zheng paid them no mind; the opinions of others were of no importance to him. He had always lived for himself, completely detached from the concerns of others.

"Lord! When did you return? It has been such a long time since you last visited the Pavilion!"

The young man who suddenly appeared before him looked rather youthful, with delicate and refined features. It was Yu Zidu, the young lord of the Pavilion of the Ends of the Earth.

"Zidu, the streets are busy with people coming and going. Do not rush; take care not to collide with others," Ye Zheng said with a smile, while inwardly comparing him to Gu Mojian. In every way, Yu Zidu seemed superior to Gu Mojian. Though both were playboys, Yu Zidu possessed a sense of propriety in his actions. Of course, the Broken Heaven Cliff was the territory of the White Python Yu family, which was vastly different from the Gu family in the mundane world. The scale of the Yu family was not something the Gu family could ever hope to compare to—the Yu family was at least dozens of times larger.

"Lord, come quickly! My father recently acquired something wonderful; I shall take you to see it." Yu Zidu was, in truth, much like a child—lively and restless.

"Walk slowly, there is no need to rush. Does your father know you are coveting his treasures?" Ye Zheng patted Yu Zidu’s shoulder. How could this boy still have such a childish temperament? He was already grown, yet he acted like a mischievous child every day. He wondered how that fellow, Yu Qiuming, managed to put up with him.

"My father has no time to manage me lately. He has a mountain of matters to attend to; he wouldn't care whether I was up to no good or not!" Yu Zidu pouted, walking beside Ye Zheng with visible unhappiness. His father was busy every single day, always finding excuses and reasons to prioritize his duties over his own son. It was precisely because Yu Qiuming had spent years toiling away, neglecting his son, that Yu Zidu had become increasingly wayward, spending his days drifting among disreputable company. Lady Yu, unable to bear the thought of criticizing her son, indulged him constantly, always granting his every wish.

Ye Zheng was well aware of these circumstances, as his friendship with Yu Qiuming was quite deep, and they had known each other for a long time. For someone like Ye Zheng, who had lived for nearly ten thousand years, having a confidant was a rare treasure. Furthermore, Yu Qiuming was slightly older, and his perception and handling of affairs were quite similar to Ye Zheng’s own, which made him a friend Ye Zheng truly cherished.

"Zidu, I have returned for one reason only: to take you as my disciple. We shall discuss this thoroughly once your father returns." Seeing Yu Zidu’s spirits sink, Ye Zheng told him in advance of his intention to take him under his wing.

For Yu Zidu, this was likely unwelcome news, for he was a young man who cherished his freedom. Once he became a disciple, those days of doing exactly as he pleased would vanish, and he would no longer be able to spend time with his group of wayward friends. To Yu Zidu, this was certainly not a good thing; it would mean the total loss of his freedom, binding him to the authority and discipline of another.

Especially since that person was Ye Zheng. The mere thought made his scalp tingle; Ye Zheng was far more severe than his father could ever be. Yu Zidu would rather die than have Ye Zheng as his master; in his mind, Ye Zheng was truly a nightmarish presence. Only in moments of impulsive madness did he ever find Ye Zheng tolerable, for Ye Zheng never rejected his actions and would occasionally offer a word of praise—a trait that made him far better than his father.

"Lord, can I not avoid this apprenticeship? I only wish to be free and be myself. Besides, it’s not as if there is no one else to inherit the Pavilion," Yu Zidu lamented. Why did they all force him to strive? If effort were truly useful, he wouldn't be in such a wretched state now. Rather than forcing him to work hard, it would be better to let him be free; at least then he wouldn't be so defiant toward them. If someone were to keep him under their thumb, he would surely act like a rebellious child, clashing with them and perhaps even losing control and resorting to violence.

He truly did not want to stay at home, nor did he want to be managed by them. He only wanted to leave the Pavilion of the Ends of the Earth and the Broken Heaven Cliff to see the world outside. Since he was small, he had never stepped beyond these borders. He spent all four seasons on this same patch of land, ignorant of what the world outside looked like. If he could truly do as he pleased, the first thing he would do was leave this place to see the scenery and experience life in the outside world.

"Zidu, your father is the Lord of the Pavilion. As his son, you should be considerate of him rather than spending your days causing trouble," Ye Zheng said, shaking his head. The boy was still in his rebellious phase. And that was to be expected; for a White Python of his age, by human reckoning, he was indeed at a rebellious stage. After all, White Pythons were different from other spirits; their lifespans far exceeded other species, with even the shortest-lived among them reaching five hundred years. Like Yu Qiuming and his wife, who were now great pythons of over a thousand years, Yu Zidu, having lived only a few hundred, could be forgiven for his lack of maturity.