As the Universe Turns - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Nightmare
About half an incense stick later, the three of them rode their swords to the outside of Ning Village. At that time, it was already dark and the village was exceptionally quiet. The three of them put away their takeoff swords and landed on the ground. The white-clothed youth said, “Let’s not go in.”

After a while, the yellow-robed girl seemed to regain her senses and nodded, “Yes.” He smiled at Yi Chen and said, “Little brother, go back. Remember not to run that way in the future.”

‘”Mm” Yi Chen looked at the three of them and nodded. He thanked them and ran to the village.

Seeing the youth gradually disappear into the night, the white-clothed youth walked to the yellow-clothed girl’s side and asked with a frown, “Junior Sister, just now I saw that you have been lost in your soul. What’s wrong?”

The yellow-robed young woman’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked at the youth’s back, as if she was pondering something. She said after a long time, “If I said that I felt a trace of Xianyuan Qi in his body just now, do you believe me?”

“Trust, trust, trust. Junior Sister, whatever you say is fine.”

The youth from Zi Yi walked up and shook his head. He smiled. He treated her as if she had gone crazy. Although a cultivator could condense Xianyuan, it would take at least a few hundred years of cultivation. A teenager from a village could condense Xianyuan. Why would he, Xuanqing Sect, need to do that? Isn’t it a joke to say it out loud?

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me. Let’s go.”

The young girl didn’t say anything more. She twisted her fingers and formed a seal. She immediately turned into a sword light and headed towards Mysterious Cyan Mountain. She couldn’t understand either. Could it be that she had gone crazy during this period of cultivation and had hallucinations?

…

The village was exceptionally quiet at night. Yi Chen came to a stream at the entrance of the village. The waves of water were full of moonlight. With a flash, he randomly washed away the mud on his face and went to the village.

Outside the courtyard, the candlelight in the room was extinguished. A figure was reflected on the paper window. Yi Chen crept in and said “Ah Niang”.

The dishes on the table had already been heated twice. Yi Chen slowly walked over. Seeing Ah Niang’s icy silence, he did not dare to move his chopsticks. The room was silent just like that.

In the blink of an eye, twelve years had passed in a hurry. Back then, Wu Niang was in her prime. Now, a few strands of white hair had appeared on her temples. After a long time, she raised her head and moved her lips. “I’ve been fighting with someone again.”

Seeing that she had finally spoken, Yi Chen smiled embarrassedly and sat down. He scratched his head and picked up his chopsticks. As he picked up the food, he vaguely said, “No, I accidentally fell into a ditch while chasing the wild boar.”

“Eat.”

Wu Niang stopped talking and picked up the bowl and chopsticks. After a while, she put down the chopsticks in her hand and said, “Tomorrow, I’ll go to the town to deliver some work. You get up early and send a piece of cloth to Second Uncle Shen of South Village.”

“Oh.”

Yi Chen muttered. After a while, he found it strange and asked, “Why are you sending things all of a sudden when you’re good and you’re not doing anything?”

Wu Niang looked at him and said, “Little Jing and you are about the same age. I’m not going to make a ruckus. In another three or two years, will you two get married?”

“Pu!” Yi Chen almost spat out a mouthful of rice and said hesitantly, “Ah Niang, I’m still a child. Isn’t it too early?”

Wu Niang glanced at him and said, “It’s still early. How old is Erniu next door than you? She’s married now. What about you? You always run up and down the mountain, or fight with people. If you continue like this, which girl will fall in love with you in the future?” At that end of his sentence, he sigh again, “I’ll take out my savings from all these year and settle in a house in the city so that you can marry someone in the limelight.”

Yi Chen looked at the candlelight on the table and stopped talking. He thought of the little sister next door who was one year older than him and was sometimes fierce. For some reason, she felt a chill run down her spine. Finally, she shook her head and said, “I’m not going.”

“Why don’t you go!”

Wu Niang seemed to be angry. She placed her chopsticks heavily on the bowl and let out a “pa” sound. Yi Chen tilted his head and stubbornly said, “If you don’t go, then you won’t go. I won’t get married.”

“Then what do you want to do?” Wu Niang raised his eyebrows and looked at him. After holding back for a long time, Yi Chen finally said, “I want to cultivate!”

The room fell into silence. After a long time, an inaudible sigh sounded. The candlelight shone on Wu Niang’s white hair, as if there were more. “Good, what kind of immortal are you cultivating?”

“Fight!” Yi Chen said excitedly, “When I learn Xuanqing Sect’s spell, I will beat the prince of Zhao to the ground and find his teeth. I won’t be able to get up!”

“You …” Wu Niang clenched her teeth in anger and knocked on his forehead with the chopstick-sized end. “Eat!”

“Aiyo.” Yi Chen rubbed his forehead and grinned. Then he picked up the bowl to eat. After the meal, he placed the bowl and chopsticks on the table. “Niang, I’m going back to sleep.”

“Yes.”

Wu Niang nodded slightly and looked at his back. After a long time, he sighed softly. He recalled the night twelve years ago when Venerable Yao Guang had sent him here and named him Yi Chen. He hoped that he would live a peaceful life in this mortal world.

Even today, she didn’t mention Xiao Yi Chen’s background to anyone, nor would she mention it to anyone. Twelve years passed in a flash. Perhaps Fairy Yaoguang had already forgotten about it, alas …

…

This night, the moonlight shrouded the entire Ning Village, and it was exceptionally serene.

The youth was so worried that he couldn’t fall asleep. Sometimes, he thought of the eerie and terrifying back mountain. Sometimes, he thought of how happy it was to step on the flying sword and traverse the world. The thoughts in his heart grew stronger and stronger. He didn’t want to live a normal life in this mortal world like this. He didn’t want Ah Niang to work her whole life and be bullied by the Zhao family.

He got out of bed and came to the window. It was midsummer, and the moon was thousands of miles in the sky. The Big Dipper was hanging high. The youth sat by the window and stared blankly at the seven shining stars in the sky.

That was Big Dipper, Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Quan, Kai Yang, Yu Heng, Tian Ji, and Yao Guang.

Coincidentally, Xuanqing Mountain had seven tallest peaks. They were actually heaven-seizing and earth-seizing peaks. The heavens were formed. They were arranged in the direction of the Big Dipper and were surrounded by immortal energy all year round. However, how could mortals climb up Immortal Mountain?

Young Master sighed. He did not know why he sighed. He was no longer an ignorant child now. Even from the village’s neighbors, he knew that he was not Niang’s biological son. However, why did Niang never mention anything about his own background?

One night passed. The next day, Yi Chen woke up from his nightmare again. His face was pale and his head was covered in sweat. Even the sheets and bedding were soaked. However, every time he woke up, he couldn’t remember what the nightmare that had wrapped around him for three whole years was. He vaguely remembered that blood flowed into the river in the dream. His eyes were red and his hands were stained with blood …

“This dream again …”

Yi Chen rubbed his forehead and got out of bed. He looked out of the window and saw that the light was blinding. The trees in the courtyard tilted slightly, and Cicada’squeaked ‘continuously. It was already past noon. Why did she sleep until sunrise? No, why didn’t Niang wake her up? Haven’t she come back yet?

He went to the guest room outside. There were a few white steamed buns on the table that were already cold. Yi Chen was too lazy to bring them to the kitchen to heat them up. He swallowed a few mouthfuls of water and saw the cloth on the table. He thought of Second Uncle Shen’s “Miss” and he would not go. However, why hadn’t Niang returned yet? He should have returned by now.

At this moment, a young girl’s voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard, “Big brother Yi Chen! Big brother Yi Chen! Something happened!”

“Erya?”

Yi Chen got up and went outside the house. A teenage girl with a ponytail ran in panting and frowned, “Erya, what happened?”

The girl choked angrily and swallowed hard. She pointed in the direction of Guling Town more than ten miles away and hurriedly said, “Wu Niang and Sister Shen Jing have been bullied in the town!”

“What are you talking about!”

Yi Chen’s face was slightly shocked as he thought to himself. No wonder Ah Niang hadn’t returned after noon today. He asked, “Who is it?”

“It seems to be … a member of the Zhao Clan!”

“Prince Zhao … bastard!”

Yi Chen’s face immediately turned ashen. He looked around and saw a sharp wooden knife at the corner of the wall. He picked it up and hid it in his trousers pocket before running out of the courtyard.

Seeing him leave with the knife, the two maids behind were so scared that their faces turned pale. They panicked and shouted, “Brother Yi Chen, wait … I, I haven’t finished yet! They, they are so many …” However, before they finished their words, the youth had already disappeared without a trace.

Yi Chen sprinted forward and soon arrived at the town. He saw that the west town entrance was packed with people. Most of them were spectators, but not a single person from the county government.

“Move aside! Move aside!”

Yi Chen squeezed into the crowd. In the middle of the crowd, Ah Niang fell to the ground. The clothes that she was going to send to several tailors were scattered all over the ground. These were all woven by her day and night. One of them could be traded for dozens of copper coins, but now, they were trampled on by those evil servants of the Zhao Family.

Beside Wu Niang, there was a thirteen or fourteen year old green-clothed girl supporting her. Her hair was as ink as ink, and her apricot eyes were wide open. She stared at Zhao Wangsun and the group of evil servants not far away, “Zhao Wangsun! You really have no way of looking at him!”

Zhao Wangsun smiled coldly, “Wang Fa? In this town of a hundred miles, Young Master is Wang Fa!” At this point, he narrowed his eyes and looked at the young girl. He smiled sinisterly and said, “Shen Jing, you should stay out of this matter. Why don’t you follow Young Master and make a great fortune in the future …”

The young girl was Second Uncle Shen’s daughter, Shen Jing. Although she was only thirteen or fourteen years old, she was already graceful and elegant. She was born jade-like and exquisite. Seeing that the Zhao Clan’s villain looked at her, she subconsciously tightened her clothes and took another bite on the ground.

Zhao Wangsun smiled coldly and winked at a servant beside him. The servant immediately pulled Shen Jing to the other side. Shen Jing was shocked and shouted, “Let go of me!”

“Shen Jing …”

Yi Chen squeezed in and saw this scene. Prince Zhao’s eyes narrowed. He saw him in the crowd and laughed coldly, “Xiao Yichen, you’re not dead.”

It turned out that the more Zhao Wangsun thought about it, the more uneasy he became after returning last night. Although he had lost his life and could take tens of taels of silver to defend against a lawsuit, if his father found out about it, he would inevitably be scolded. Thus, during the day, he had someone secretly go to Ning Village to inquire. He discovered that Xiao Yichen was not dead. He was calm and furious. He insisted on revenge for yesterday’s fall. Moreover, Yuan Zhao happened to be in Qingzhou City these past two days, so he was even more lawless.