Chapter 248 (2/2)

”Huh?”

”Up” Zi Yuan tugged his arm He complied and stood up from the chair

Zi Yuan pushed him towards the bedroom This time, however, he did resist

”What? No! I'”

”Don't be an idiot,” Zi Yuan reprimanded ”You look like you're about to collapse”

”But how much time—”

”You'll do much better once you're sufficiently recovered,” Zi Yuan iently ”Trust me”

Still, the Heir refused to ently ”Two hours of Qi control to recover yourself Okay?”

Zi Yuan raised a brow challengingly when the Heir didn't answer

The Heir sighed dejectedly ”Fine”

”Good Now go” Zi Yuan turned around and started walking back towards the living room ”I'll let you knohen your two hours are up”

Zi Yuan didn't allow herself to relax until a

Project Beat the Heavens: Day 7, 8:45PM; Apart District, Tiannan City

”Li Yundong!” Zi Yuan rapped her knuckles against the bedroom door ”Time's up!”

There was a thud, followed by the shuffling of feet Moments later, the door creaked open to reveal the Heir's face, which, much to Zi Yuan's relief, seeet back to work?” Zi Yuan asked

The Heir nodded and stepped out of the bedrooht with unspoken tension The clocking was ticking, and they both knew it Especially the Heir, whose shoulders and posture were stiff

”Are you okay?” Zi Yuan asked once they had reached the living room

Zi Yuan had heard voices fro to hiht smile

No, you're not You're not fine at all He was just putting up a front

The Heir turned and beganhis way towards the jade plate

Zi Yuan reached out and clasped his shoulder before he could take more than two steps

The Heir flinched, a testaave her a questioning look

Zi Yuan regarded hiht?” She paused for a second ”About what you should do if you ever found yourself unable to carry on during your journey to Tibet?”

The Heir gave hihed ”You told ht” Zi Yuan s that it would provide him some form of reassurance ”You once told th, that love can inspire greatness” She gave hi Re for you”

With a sigh, the Heir buried his face into his palms and sank onto his knees He stayed like that for a few seconds

”Li Yundong?”

The Heir stood back up and smiled at her ”Thank you, Zi Yuan I needed that”

Zi Yuan nodded firave him a serious look ”You can do this”

Master believed in you Wushuang-qiánbèi believed in you I believe in you

The Heir stepped under the jade plate's light Seconds later, he vanished

Zi Yuan stood at the side, watching the changing nu Hang in there

Project Beat the Heavens: Day 7, 9:15PM; A guesthouse near the foot of Mount Tianlong, Dongwu City Outskirts

Ruan Hongling was surprised to learn that the entire guesthouse was booked, though by whom she had no idea All she kneas that the whole place had been turned into some kind of convention center for Cultivators Apparently, those who taking part in the joint assault were to gather here first and be on standby until they received soly, the identity of that associate was unknown even to Zhang Tianhe

”Why is the Great Six attacking the Fox Zen School?” Ruan Hongling asked as Zhang Tianhé led her down a hallway They were now inside the guesthouse, heading towards its conference hall where the others were already gathered

”Yousaid snidely ”Haven't you heard about Ao Wushuang and her disciple's theft of the Renyuan Jindan?”

Ruan Hongling glared at the woman No You are the fool here

Of course Ruan Hongling knew that the attack had so to do with the Jindan But the real question hy now?

The ti of the attack felt a little odd

It had been known for months nohom the culprit behind the Jindan's theft was Everyone knew that shortly after the theft, Su Chan had ed to escape with the Jindan because the first responders were too surprised by the sudden appearance of Ao Wushuang that night The reason for everyone's surprise was because nobody had expected Ao Wushuang to still be alive; everyone thought she had died some time after her expulsion fro herself hadn't believed in the ru back then She had just assumed that it was some kind of illusion spell that Su Chan had cast as a diversion That assu showed up right after the Heir murdered that evil bastard with the Five Thunders Spell But still, the point remained: why now? Why didn't the Great Six storm the Fox Zen School the sa didn't add up

Alas, Ruan Hongling's question re, and the other portly little ood God it was like aquickly realized, of powerful Cultivators fro did a quick visual sweep across the large conference room

Ten She counted at least ten master Cultivators who, as far as she could tell, had reached at least the Huaying—sixth—phase of Cultivation

None of the senior members of the Great Six were present, of course

But still! These numbers! The Fox Zen School wouldn't stand a chance even if they had Ao Wushuang on their side!

It dawned on Ruan Hongling right then what a serious crisis this was, not just for the Fox Zen School but for the Linggong Sect as well Zi Yuan jiějie had already made her intentions pretty clear: she would assist Li Yundong in his quest, whatever the heck said quest entailed And Ruan Hongling had long since decided to support Zi Yuan jiějie in any way she could However, an alliance with the Heir would inevitably lead to an alliance with the Fox Zen School since the Heir and Su Chan were lovers!

Ruan Hongling stole a glance at Zhang Tianhé

The Linggong Sect's influence was already hanging by a thread It would undoubtedly be the end of the Linggong Sect if the yi School so much as suspected an alliance between one of their subsidiary sects and the Fox Zen School

Master's legacy would be destroyed, every single one of the Zhenren?”

Ruan Hongling cursed herself inwardly for failing to pay attention to her surroundings She gave Zhang Tianhé a s Zhenren”

”You see Tianhe re about contacting htly ”She should be available to take a call soon”

Zhang Tianhé hulanced around the roo has yet to start You still have ti nodded ”Please excuse me, then”

Project Beat the Heavens: Day 7, 9:25PM; Apart District, Tiannan City

Zi Yuan leaped to her feet when the Heir reappeared on the floor As usual, her eyes went to the counter first Zi Yuan's heart leaped in joy, and she floated swiftly towards the Heir ”Eighty! You're getting there—” The rest of Zi Yuan's words were stifled by the ashen look on the Heir's face

Zi Yuan dropped to the floor instantly ”What's the ently ”Is it the pain?”

The Heir's eyes cleared a little, but what she saw in those eyes nearly broke her heart ”It's impossible Zi Yuan” He stared at her, eyes filled with so le iota of hope ”The last bolt is ie”

”What do youat the nu above their heads ”You were so close already! Eighty bolts! You're giving up now of all times?!”

The Heir shook his head slowly

Zi Yuan suddenly felt the urge to grab his shoulders and shake the dejection out of his system

”You don't understand, Zi Yuan,” he said ”You weren't there”

Indeed she wasn't there Zi Yuan had chosen not to enter the siy

”The last bolt wasn't just a single bolt,” the Heir continued ”It… It sort of forked out when it struck the ground”

Zi Yuan's heart stopped for a beat ”F- Forks out?”

The Heir's dispirited eyes zeroed in on her face ”I already dodged the last bolt when it caround But then it forked out at the exact ht at me”

Zi Yuan sat down on the floor Heavens help her she needed a e directions after it spread out?”

”That's what I did,” the Heir replied, then sighed ”That's exactly what I did when the bolt ca It didn't just fork out into a single bolt, Zi Yuan It forked out into multiple bolts”

Multiple bolt—

Zi Yuan's gaze snapped to the Heir's face ”H- How many?” She cleared her throat ”You said multiple bolts How hed ”But I know there were a lot of theround, the other bolts sort of spread out in all directions from the initial point on contact on the floor It was like a circle growing out from the point of contact”

”A circle”

”Yeah I didn't see ot hit pretty soon But I think it looked like a circular electrified field or soh ”Which e directions Coz it's everywhere in a circle”

”It's impossible, Zi Yuan I I don't think I can make it”

”Don't talk like that!” Zi Yuan snapped, causing the Heir to flinch ”Don't you dare! Don't you dare give up!”

”Look, I' up, okay?” he said ”But I just” He shot her a helpless look ”I'ure so out” Zi Yuan rose to her feet ”Coain Maybe there's another way”

They ain

”Maybe the radius of the circle is li a circle on a piece of paper ”What if youthe initial dodge?” Zi Yuan drew a line from the center of the circle until the line extended beyond the circulanced up froe directions at all You can just charge in a straight line until you clear the entire circle”

”But what if I'h to clear the circle?”

”You'll just have to move faster then”

”But how?” said the Heir ”That's already the 81st bolt The y from the most powerful bolt” He shook his head ”But even then I wasn't able to clear the whole circle”

”Absorb ain ”That would take too e the one from the sky if I did that”

damn it Zi Yuan dropped the pencil onto the table and leaned back against the couch

”It's okay, Zi Yuan,” the Heir said with a sad smile

No, it wasn't This was not okay What would happen to Master's prophecy if Li Yundong didn't survive? What about her? Did that mean she'd never be able to reach transcendence? Butreally deserve such an end?

Zi Yuan looked away from the table She didn't want to look at the papers strewn all over the table, and the Heir's crestfallen expression Those were all the fruits of their failure, of her failure, and she couldn't handle the sight of theaze drifted to the nu beside the jade plate So close, yet so far It felt like a taunt now, the 8 and 0 hovering above the floor—

Zi Yuan slowly turned back to face the Heir ”Above”

The Heir frowned ”What?”

Zi Yuan sprang to her feet ”Above, Li Yundong Above!” She grabbed another piece of paper and drew a three-dimensional plane Then, she added a circle on the plane ”Look here” She tapped the circle on the plane ”That's the circle” Zi Yuan glanced at the Heir, who nodded

”Just nohen you dodged the bolt from the sky” Zi Yuan drew a line perpendicular to the plane through the center of the circle Then, she shaded the circle on the plane to represent the bolts forking out froround, right?” Zi Yuan glanced at Li Yundong ”You were still on the same plane as the circle”

”So now I just have to move upwards” A smile spread across the Heir's face ”I leave the circle of effect entirely”

”Exactly!”

The Heir stood up on shaky feet ”This” He chuckled ”This could actually work”

Zi Yuan nodded ”Co One final push”

Project Beat the Heavens: Day 7, 10:00PM; A guesthouse near the foot of Mount Tianlong, Dongwu City Outskirts

Ruan Hongling strode into the conference roo Tianhé was by her side in an instant

”Did you et in touch with Zi Yuan Zhenren?”

”Yes, I did” Ruan Hongling s us”

Lies Zi Yuan jiějie didn't even pick up her phone Ruan Hongling's calls had all gone to voice Tianhé seemed satisfied with her answer Thank Heavens

”When would she be here then?” Zhang Tianhé asked

The erness in his voice Unless Ruan Hongling was veryTianhé had the hots for Zi Yuan jiějie

”Shījiě didn't specify the exact tih her teeth ”She only toldTianhé's s a cordial nod

With that, Ruan Hongling returned her attention to the others gathered in the roo that Zi Yuan jiějie would listen to her voicemails soon

(T/N: Reco here; check out track label 248_p2_t1)

Project Beat the Heavens: Day 7, 10:40PM; Apart District, Tiannan City

”No No No” Zi Yuan whispered when the counter stopped at 80 without going up A split second later, an all too faht announced the simulation's end as well as the Heir's failure

Zi Yuan scrambled towards the jade plate and kneeled beside the Heir's lying form

His eyes were closed

”What happened?” Zi Yuan said, pulling hi position ”The plan Why did it fail?”

The Heir shook his head

What Zi Yuan wouldn't give to reht then

”Did you dodge properly?” Zi Yuan pressed on ”Look, you can't just dodge directly upwards You have to dodge upwards and outwards Like in an angle—”

”It's useless, Zi Yuan I rong the first ti? What was that supposed to hed ”The electrified field wasn't just a circular region on the ground, Zi Yuan” A pause ”It was…” The Heir's voice cracked ”It was a hemisphere”

Zi Yuan's heart sank A he upwards wouldn't work as well

Then we'll find another way

”Cootta be another way We'll figure this out” Zi Yuan pulled the Heir's arht, he collapsed onto his knees with a loud gasp

Zi Yuan was down by his side in an instant The Heir's hands were buried in his hair, and his body was tre violently

”Hey!” Zi Yuan tried to pry his hands away from his head ”What's theof his body stopped And he looked up at her with glassy eyes ”D- Did Did you see that?”

”See wha—” Zi Yuan's blood ran cold She sprang to her feet and rushed to the sliding door On the balcony, she looked up at the sky and stretched her Zhenqi outwards

Oh, no

Zi Yuan pushed away fro room

”It's time, isn't it?” the Heir asked from the floor ”I saw those eyes just now”

Zi Yuan began pacing back and forth in the living rooet in touch with Wushuang-qiánbèi and then… And then we ask her for advice on the last bolt” She storrab her phone, which she had left on the kitchen counter

A strong tug on her hand stopped her in her tracks

She turned around and saw the Heir shaking his head at her

”It's okay, Zi Yuan,” he said with a sad smile ”It's okay… You've done all you could” He slowly rose to his feet ”This is enough… This isn't your burden anymore…”

Zi Yuan was still in a state of stupor when the Heir brushed past her and entered his bedroom

No, damn it! No!

Zi Yuan snapped out of her daze and stor out of the bedroom before she could even reach the door

He was holding a phone in his hand

”If I don't make it back” He pushed the phone towards her ”Then please give this to Su Chan”

”Give it to her yourself,” Zi Yuan said ”She's waiting for you, da…”

A tear slid down the Heir's face

Zi Yuan clenched her jaw

”Su Chan is still waiting for you!” Zi Yuan pressed on ”So don't…” Her voice cracked a little ”Don't give up Don't give up on her…”

”Zi Yuan” the Heir said dejectedly ”Please”

The phone was now inches away from her face She reached out with a shaky hand and took the device from him

”Thank you,” he said, then exhaled slowly

Zi Yuan kept staring at hihtly

The Heir broke eye contact first ”I should I should get going before the punishet killed”

Hedoor

”Keep fighting!” Zi Yuan yelled after hiive up!”

The Heir stopped beside the couch and turned his head slightly

”Return that to Ao Wushuang for me, will you?” He pointed at the Fan of Seven Treasures leaning against the couch ”And tell her thank you”

Zi Yuan lunged forward and seized his aronna go?”

The Heir shook his head ”I' you,” he stated fir your life for rip ”No ”

A sad chuckle escaped his lips ”Maybe I do,” he said ”I killed a 's feet levitated off the balcony floor

Zi Yuan sprang forward once again, her fingers wrapping around his ankle this tiht till your last breath, you hearlooked down at her from his elevated position

They stared at each other for a few seconds before he gave her a firm nod

”I will”

Zi Yuan returned his nod and let go of his ankle

”Thank you, Zi Yuan For everything” He paused, sood friend”

Please… Not like this… Not like this! We were so close… Just one more bolt…

”Zi Yuan…”

Zi Yuan looked up

”It's okay…” He sood an to take form in Zi Yuan's eyes ”One of the best I've ever known” Zi Yuan cleared her throat ”Good luck”

With a final nod, Li Yundong flew off the balcony

(T/N: Reco here; check out track label 248_p2_t2)

It didn't take Zi Yuan long to find out what it was that the Heir wanted Su Chan to receive It was an audio file A short one (about three minutes) with a siloom, Zi Yuan hit play

The first ten seconds were filled with the sounds of the Heir's breathing, like he didn't kno to begin Then, when the Heir finally began to speak, the first word he uttered was, unsurprisingly, the name of his beloved

”Chan'er”

It hit Zi Yuan then that the Heir wasn't talking to hi this

”…if you're hearing this, it means that I didn't make it It means that I've failed to keep my promise to you”

”I'm sorry, Chan'er I'm sorry that I couldn't keep my promise I'm sorry that I couldn't be there with you for the rest of your life But”Most of all, I' you pain I won't ask you not to grieve for me Because Because it would be unfair to ask that of you I know that I won't be able to stopyou if our roles were reversed What I will ask, though, is for you tosilence ensued, and Zi Yuan found herself counting the passing seconds

Seven Eight Nine Ten

Ten seconds of wordlessness, which were fraught with unspoken emotions, so s unravelling

”I mean it, Chan'er… Move on You have to one You once told me that you'd end your own life if I didn't survive Well Please don't do that I want you to do the opposite I want you to live”

More sounds of breathing were heard after that

”Know that there are others who care about you, not just me Your master Zi Yuan Zhou Qin They all care They're your friends too If” There was a chuckle ”If you give up on your life just because I' myself in the afterlife What if I hatemyself in the afterlife?” Zi Yuan smiled as several chuckles drifted out from the speaker ”I wonder ould happen if you die in the afterlife? Like, do you go to the after, afterlife?”

The Heir laughed at his own joke

The idiot

Zi Yuan bit down on her lower lip and fought against the tears threatening to spill fro about this felt right Nothing

”Live on, okay, Chan'er? Live I want nothing but the best for you You're a good girl with a kind heart Never doubt that for a second And… And you deserve happiness You do” A pause ”You deserve all the happiness this world has to offer” There was a contented sigh ”I know I've already found ot to spend with you You , Chan'er Thank you for that And… thank your master for ood terreatly, and that I' she did for ht Make sure you eat your h” The Heir chuckled ”Who knows, if you try to get along with Zi Yuan after I'ht be an even better cook than I am” Zi Yuan couldn't help but s else to say So, u ended with a click

Zi Yuan sprang to her feet and started pacing the apartain She would not allow this She would not

He didn't deserve this

Anger rose inside Zi Yuan Was this really the Heavens' will? Robbing a good man of his future?

This was nonsense

The Purple Gold Jade Plate fleards Zi Yuan's hand She grabbed the jade plate from the air and deactivated it After that, she slipped out of the sliding door and stood on the balcony, staring into the night sky No more than 15 minutes had passed since the Heir took off The divine punishin, so she still had so's apartht kept replaying inside her head like a broken record

”should only be used as last resorts depends on howto sacrifice…”

HowMaybe everything

Zi Yuan reached Hongling's apart she needed, Zi Yuan fleay froain

Now, she just had to find him