Chapter 26: Past Memories, A Lifetime of Happiness

Those who appear happy on the surface are often very lonely. (Gu Long)
……
Before even seeing whether A Jiu was alive or dead, Liu Yi had already been assigned by Mo Ying to gather herbs. This time, the Ten Heroes also got to act as protectors of the beauty as they wished.
“Hey, take this—shovel. Some herbs are very precious; you need to dig carefully,” Gilliel reminded Liu Yi in a clichéd manner.
All Liu Yi could think of now was, “It’s like a tiger trapped in a plain. Now I truly understand why that tiger sighed like that.”
Gilliel threw another bundle at Liu Yi and said, “Inside are dry rations. If something happens and we can’t return, we’ll have to spend the night outside.”
Hearing this, Liu Yi asked, “Were you like this before too?”
Gilliel nodded and said, “Otherwise, how else would I explain feeling lonely?”
Liu Yi glanced at Gilliel and thought to himself, “It must be tough for this girl.”
Gilliel clapped her hands and said, “Alright, everything’s ready. Let’s head up the mountain. Sister A Jiu needs a lot of herbs to soak in order to eliminate the toxins in her blood. We must act quickly—there aren’t many herbs left.” With that, she turned and led the way.
Liu Yi carried the dry rations and looked at Gilliel, shaking his head. “Why does this girl always seem so happy?” With this question in mind, the two entered the mountains behind the thatched cottage.
The path up the mountain was steep, seemingly rarely used. As they walked, Gilliel said, “This mountain has a name.”
Unaccustomed to mountain paths, Liu Yi struggled with each step. “What’s its name?”
“Yuecang Mountain.”
Upon hearing these three words, Liu Yi’s mind trembled. His subconscious told him that these words were extremely familiar, yet he couldn’t recall exactly why.
As she climbed upward, Gilliel continued, “There’s also a love story related to this mountain. People in our tribe really like that story.”
Liu Yi was starting to feel exhausted. He looked down—how steep! He gathered his inner energy and used the “Chen” technique from “Hidden Spin Nine Shadows” to walk up the mountain. Surprisingly, it felt much better, as if he were walking on flat ground.
Suddenly, Gilliel turned around abruptly and said, “Hey, are you listening to me?”
Liu Yi quickly nodded and said, “I’m listening. Isn’t it a story? Go ahead and tell it; I’ll listen.”
Gilliel found a tree, leaned against it, and sat down. “Let’s rest for a while. Every time I climb this mountain, I need to rest three or four times—it’s so high.” As she spoke, she brushed dust off her hands and sweat from her face.
Liu Yi also sat down beside Gilliel, back to her, as there was no other good spot. On this steep area, there was only this one relatively good tree.
Liu Yi waved his fan to create some breeze and said, “What about your story? Now that it’s rest time, you can tell it properly.”
Gilliel replied, “It’s a legend. I don’t know it myself. I wasn’t born yet at that time. I only heard about it from my father and the people in our tribe later on.”
Liu Yi smiled and asked, “What kind of story? It’s so classic and has been passed down for so long. Could it be about a man and a woman committing suicide here?”

Jillian suddenly turned her head and asked, “Have you heard it before? How do you know they died here?”
Liu Yi chuckled and said, “I’m just guessing. Most stories like this go the same way—failed elopement, no way out, so they commit suicide.”
Jillian continued, “The outcome is the same, but the process isn’t what you said. The man’s name is Wei Lingfeng, and the woman’s is Qiong Yesis…”
Liu Yi had intended to laugh further, but upon hearing this, a strange image appeared in his mind—blurry and unclear, yet he really wanted to know what it was. So he hurriedly asked, “Go on.”
“Qiong Yesis is from the Kunlun Immortal Clan, the daughter of the Divine Gate’s leader. Wei Lingfeng is the leader of the Demon Clan, the greatest expert in the Demon Gate. The two were separated by vast distances—one at the ends of the earth, the other at the edge of the sea; it was impossible for them to meet.”
“But who can know where the wheels of fate will turn? Something unbelievable happened—the so-called love brought the two together despite their great distance, and they fell in love.”
As she spoke, Jillian gave a faint smile and said, “Do you know? Sometimes, even a brief encounter between two people can spark dazzling flames. That’s love—a word full of wonder.”
Liu Yi turned around and saw Jillian’s sad smile and sorrowful eyes… Perhaps that was the dazzling flame?
Jillian quickly turned away and continued, “For some reason, the Divine Gate and the Demon Gate have always been at odds. The leader of the Divine Gate, seeing his daughter fall in love with Wei Lingfeng from the Demon Gate, tried every means to stop it…”
“Eventually, provoked by the leader of the Divine Gate, Qiong Ba, all the powerful figures in the three realms turned their anger against Wei Lingfeng. They not only brought up his past crimes but also fabricated many false charges against him. And that’s when the terrible thing happened.”
“The people in our clan say that there was no moon that day. The moon, fearing that true love would vanish in this empty world, covered its eyes with clouds…”
“But the absence of sight doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Everyone, driven by their own selfish desires, rushed to Yuecang Mountain. In the chaos, Qiong Yesis blocked her father’s spear to save Wei Lingfeng. Meanwhile, Wei Lingfeng, having lost his lover and seen through the futility of the world, committed suicide on the top of Yuecang Mountain…”
A sense of resonance suddenly arose in Liu Yi’s mind. For some reason, it felt so familiar. He sighed softly:
“Roars of dragons, neighs of horses, swords like frost,
Who can stand against them in the martial world?
Tears and sighs of helplessness,
Let’s drink the Mengpo Soup together.”
“It’s indeed a good story. Perhaps love will remain in their hearts, untouchable by anyone. Maybe they’ll be together in the next life, or perhaps they’ll be happier.” After saying that, Liu Yi turned to look at Jillian.
Jillian behind him already had tears in her eyes, looking very sad.
Liu Yi turned his head back and asked, “You must really like this story, right?”
Jillian nodded and said, “Yes. Every time I hear it, it feels like it’s my own experience. It’s so real, as if it happened yesterday. I feel that Wei Lingfeng and Qiong Yesis must have been very happy. So why can’t we see that happiness?”

Liu Yi didn’t know what to feel, as Gilly’s feelings were exactly the same as his own just now, as if it were his own experience. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and said, “Since it’s a legend that has been passed down, there must be some meaning behind this story.” He quickly changed the subject, partly to stop himself from overthinking and partly to make Gilly feel better.

Gilly gently wiped her eyes and immediately changed her tone, saying, “Of course. The people of our clan say that those who reach the highest point of the mountain will surely receive the blessings of the spirits of Wei Ling Feng and Qiong Ye Si, and live a happy life.”

Liu Yi waved his fan and smiled, saying, “Good, then let’s go to the highest point together and live a happy life.” It was meant as a joke, but the girl from another tribe’s cheerfulness left Liu Yi speechless.

Gilly smiled and leaned heavily on Liu Yi, saying, “Sure, let’s give it a try and experience what a happy life is like. I’ve never tried it before.” With that, she really got up and continued walking upward…