Chapter 2- Seven years and what we had become

“What happened to you?”- Yinghua asked with a concerned voice.

Yinghua, Lanyao, and the sect leader were walking on the crimson road, which connects the Su Peak to other peaks within the Xifeng sect.

“Nothing,” Lanyao replied indifferently, walking down with a stick in his hand.

“Why are you blindfolded?”

“Because I am blind,” —he replied simply.

What kind of answer is this? Yinghua thought.

“What? What happened to your eyes?”— the sect leader asked. Nobody knows how, but his wrinkles seem to deepen.

“Nothing much, just lost them in a fight.”— his voice was plain with no emotion at all. Like, it doesn't matter at all.

But how could this not matter?

His blue eyes were no ordinary eyes but Divine’s eyes — rare of the rarest. And also, the base of his cultivation was built on his eyes.

Heaven’s Eyes are believed to be the eyes of immortals, and Lanyao had built the entire foundation of his cultivation on this. His power, his techniques, his years of training and suffering—how could he lose them in a fight?

And where did he get his eyes? No one knows. It was a mystery even to Lanyao himself. He didn’t know his birth name, nor his parents. For as long as he could remember, he had been a beggar in the remote village named Foxtail. The people there called him the Fox’s child, and so he became Huzi. Later, when Su Xin took him in as her disciple, she gave him the name Su Huzi—changing nothing except adding the surname ‘Su’.

Many believed he was the son of an immortal who had fallen in love with a mortal woman of exceptional beauty. They had Huzi, but their union was scandalous, and tragedy struck, leaving Lanyao behind. Countless stories had been circulated about his origin, each more fantastical than the last.

But no one knows what truth is.

“WHAT”— both Yinghua and sect leaders looked in disbelief.

How did he 'just' lose them in a fight? He was one of the youngest and strongest in all nine provinces, defeating the leader of Zhen in a spar. Even if he had fought with a grandmaster, he must not be beaten in such a state as to lose his eyes. A thing so important to him, how did he lose them? And who could be that person?

“Yes,” Lanyao replied plainly.

Sect Leader and Yinghua were still in shock, unable to put their mind into words.

“I am feeling unwell. I must ask Sect Leader and Shixiong’s permission to take my leave,” Lanyao said while cupping his hands, which was a little off. As if he can't fully grasp where exactly the people in front of him were standing.

Looking at this Yinghua heart filled with gloom. She sighed—” Then I’ll take you to the quarters.”

The sect leader, who was still in disbelief, snapped out of it and caught Lanyao’s cupping hand.

Lanyao frowned a little. The sudden touch in his hand made him uneasy. He wanted to pull his hand back, but at last, he didn't.

Meanwhile, the sect leader was deeply saddened by the state of his powerful sect member, who had been reduced to such a sorry state. His eyes almost filled with tears. He swallowed the pain and said in a hoarse voice, "Su Huzi. I felt sorry for you. As a sect leader, I was unable to protect my people. Whether it is you or your shifu and shixiong. I failed miserably. Tell me who it was? Is that person Zhen?, or someone else? Tell me, and I’ll surely avenge you…”

Lanyao interrupted him —” Thank you for your concern, Sect Leader, but I seek no vengeance. I lost because of my own incompetence. The fight was mine, the decision was mine, and the consequences are mine to bear.”

With that said, the Sect Leader finally felt a measure of relief. He had nearly forgotten that Lanyao didn't harbour any ill intent against anyone. Even if the whole world sank into the mud, he will be the lotus—untouched, untainted, quietly radiating a pure light of his own. His heart was as tranquil as holy water.

He was a saint. He was Buddha.

But if they could glimpse his true heart, they would see the faint tint of ink black stirring in the holy water.

Sect leader sighed - "You were really a god. Su Huzi, I admired and envied you. If only I had a heart like yours, I would have truly let go of this. But now I am going to find that person who had done this to you and……” —he wanted to continue, but looked at Lanyaos’ frail body and his ghostly complexion.

“You must be tired, so I’ll talk no further but Lanyoa. I had arranged a banquet in the evening. Make sure to attend it, it was for you after all. It was my earnest request. We would be happy.”

How could Lanyao refuse a request made directly by the Sect Leader? He nodded in hum. After bidding farewell to the Sect Leader, the two martial siblings made their way back to Su Peak.

They walk silently on their way. Yinghua wanted to ask him more questions, but the words never left her mouth. Lanyao broke the silence first, remembering something, he said-

“I heard the Shixiong ascended to the peak master. Congratulation Shixiong. And I also heard that you secured the second position in the Celestial Hunting competition. You had achieved a lot. I must learn from you while I am here.”

“Thank you, shidi. It was nothing. Only I am left in the Su peak, so it's not much of a surprise that this responsibility landed in my hands,” — Yinghua replied plainly. She was not happy with her title of ‘peak master’. It was just that her seniors and master were dead, and Lanyao had also left the sect, leaving only her. She always thought that the Sect Leader had pitied her and bestowed this title.

But what she didn’t realise was that she had the capacity, that's why the sect leader had chosen her to be Su Peak’s Master.

“Lanyao, what do you mean by ‘while I am here’? Are you going to leave?” —she asked, her brows knitted together.

For a long time, Lanyao didn't reply as if he was thinking about this matter.

“If I’m being sincere, I don't know what to do next. My eyes were gone, so my cultivation path was shattered. I had to cultivate from the very beginning, and I don’t know which path I should walk.”

“Your eyes were destroyed, but still you have a powerful core with abundant spiritual energy. You can go with the spiritual energy path or with the fire essence core, you can achieve greatly in the elemental path, or with your peerless sword skill, you can become a grandmaster in the sword path,” Yinghua replied. It shouldn't be a problem for Lanyao. Some people’s capabilities were limited to only one or two cultivation paths. But Lanyao can walk any path he likes without any problem, and can achieve great heights.

“Shixiong, having one or two paths to walk is way better than many paths up ahead of you,” Lanyao replied.

“Yes, you were right. Lanyao, any cultivation path can lead to immortality if it touches Doa. So whatever you choose, understand it, follow it, or become one with the Dao. That's how you truly achieve immortality.” —though Yinghua had said these things, she was

“Shixiong is right. But what if my goal is not to achieve immortality?”— Lanyao asked.

At this, Yinghua doesn’t want to say anything. Her marital brother had never said before what he wanted. Shifu Had told him to ascend to immortality, so he walked on it. Her methods were strict, training Lanyao to her utmost power; if she heard what Lanyao had said right now, she might die from it.

But she can’t blame Lanyao for it. Their shifu had always been so strict with him. She restrained him in everything, making young Lanyao walk on such a difficult path that most people were afraid to tread on. Sometimes her strictness became torture.

That is the reason why, even at a young age, Lanyao was able to defeat an elder like Zhen Wu.

“Shidi. Whatever you want, whether it's immortality or not, is up to you. You don't have to force yourself to walk on harsh, lonely roads. Just do what you think is right,” Yinghua replied. She tried to hide the pain in her voice. The state of her shidi… if Shifu never forced him down this path, would he have ended up like this?

She sighed internally.

Lanyao walked steadily, but when he heard Yinghua, he fumbled a little, so much so that Yinghua didn't see it.

They had reached the west courtyard, where Lanyao used to live when he was a disciple. This courtyard was small, and Su Xin had given it to Lanyao. There are only five people who used to live in Su Peak. The old peak master Su Xin and her four disciples. Each one had their own courtyard. The west courtyard was assigned to Lanyao, the North to Yinghua, east and south to their two shixiong; the main courtyard was their master, Su Xin.

“There were not many disciples in Su Peak. And they lived in a southern courtyard. So, I thought Western Courtyard would be best for you. You had lived here for ten years. I made some changes. Hope you don't mind them. Ling Hu is the helper here; he has a natural talent for management, and he will attend to you from now on.”— The servant Ling Hu bowed to both of them and led the way for Lanyao.

Under the same roof, we grew up in silence.

She saw Lanyaos retreating back as he walked down the west courtyard, a soft ache, a mixture of warmth and emptiness lingered in her heart.

When she saw him for the first time, she too thought her shidi was a half-immortal, his blue eyes looked so mesmerising, precious than any jade. As clear as the ocean.

But with time, she realised that he was just like her, a child.

A pitiful child.

However, many on Xifeng Peak did not share the same sentiment. Some regarded him as an immortal, and even their shifu, Su Xin, treated Lanyao differently. She had always placed high expectations on him, and if he failed to meet them, the consequences were severe.

Lanyao was aloof. He didn't get along with people and, in the end, got bullied by other disciples. Yinghua had often saved him from bullies. But she was always busy with her own training, with her own dealings, and had no time to intervene in others.

That's all. That was their life. Nothing to cherish, nothing to hold.

She feels bad for him. How can he turn into such a pitiful state?

No, he was always pitiful—when he first came to the sect, when he was a disciple under the sect, when he defeated the— and even now, when he returned to the sect.

She could only sigh in his state; her heart ached.

After so many years, when she finally saw her shidi again, joy bloomed in her heart — but the sight of Lanyao’s condition shattered it just as quickly. It felt as if she were losing what little remained of her family.

Ling Hu was careful with his new master as he settled him down. Filled his cup with tea and went to fetch water for a bath.

His heart ached for this master who was blind. When Yinghua told him that he was going to move to the west courtyard to attend Lanyao, he was filled with joy. The righteous immortal, peerless in beauty, strongest in all nine provinces, the kind cultivator was his master. The very thought of it could lift any servant to the ninth heaven. But now, he couldn’t help but feel pity for his master.

Lanyao dipped himself into the cold water. He removed the cloth that covered his eyes. Beneath that strip of fabric was a mess. His upper eyelids were stitched horrifically to the lower eyelids. The stitches were irregular, as if they had been done by an unprofessional hand. The hot weather had only aggravated the wound, and the whole eye area was swollen and red.

It must be irritating and painful.

Lanyao poured a whole mug of cold water on his face, letting out a sigh of relief.

He slumped over the edge of the bathtub, recalling the events of his life, when he saw the light for the last time. He remembered the wailing scream of commers blaming him for everything and demanding to repay the kindness with his own eyes.

“he lost his eyes because of you.”

One by one, the figures were forming in his mind. The figures, who looked like human, yet their faces were blurred.

“If you hadn’t come here, this would never have happened.”

“You are a cultivator; our chief is just a mere mortal, yet he saved you. ”

“And now he cannot see. Because of you.”

“How can he live like this? He has to marry, settle down with family, have children… what a poor soul.”

“Now, because of you, a mere mortal's dream was destroyed.”

“repay him”

“repay his kindness”

“repay with our eyes”

“gave him your eyes”

These blurred figures slowly turned into distorted black figures. Their voice screeched the soul out of him, drowning him in the sea of self-blame.

Lanyao stood between those people. He looked at the setting sun one last time, the orange-pink sky with no clouds…. The inky black birds flying across the horizon, in a hurry to return to their home before sunset, and then everything turned black.

Lanyao had gouged out his own eyes with his own hands without a second thought. Everything fell into silence as he jumped into an endless abyss. The shiny blue eyes rolled in his hands resemble a precious jade peeking out of a scarlet red brocade.

He gave up his eyes so he could repay the kindness.

The blood oozed out from the place where once two jades had resided. He turned and left the place. Behind him, he heard the voices of the very same people —but he didn't pay them any mind. He doesn’t know what they were talking about.

The pain was too much….

He never stopped or looked back, not even to tend his wounds. He walked, and walked, and walked like he always did. Never complained, never cried, never fussed about his pain to anyone.

This world operates on a simple principle: give and take. If you take something from someone, you must offer something in return. And if someone has taken from you, then you must reclaim what is yours.

But Lanyao, you are different; you are an immortal. You had to give whatever you had to this world. Never to demand or take from this world. You don't own anything in this world, not this courtyard, not these clothes, not your eyes, not your core, and not your body. This all belongs to this world. When you understand this, you'll become a true immortal, a true god.

His shifu’s words were ringing in his mind, escalating his pain further.