PID Chapter 94.1

(5/5) Extra Update

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Xiao Mo steadied himself by gripping the table and slowly stood up before sitting down in a chair. He smoothed out the folds of the oil-paper packages and picked up another licorice flower to place in his mouth.

 

The flower was small, but its sweetness was rich and intense.

 

After recovering his memories, Xiao Mo knew that in his past life, the time he’d spent with Chu Jinglan hadn’t been much when added together. In this life, though they’d only known each other for a little over two years, they had been inseparable day and night—seeing every side of each other.

 

The proud and unparalleled brilliance; the tragic and deeply felt pain. The prodigy standing on the peak of heaven; the resilient grass growing strong in adversity; and even the seventeen-year-old boy with his own little temper—all these facets of Chu Jinglan had been revealed to Xiao Mo bit by bit. Through trials and tribulations in the mortal world, he had gradually grown into who he was today.

 

Who would have thought that this rare genius admired even by those in the Upper Realm—seemingly as untouchable as snow on a mountaintop—could once be ignited into fiery anger by just a few words from Xiao Mo?

 

Two lifetimes of youth—and Xiao Mo had seen it all.

 

He pressed his reddened eyes lightly, sipped some spiritual tea, and savored a licorice flower, reminiscing about the little moments he had shared with Chu Jinglan. The redness in his eyes didn’t fade, and traces of tears lingered, but as the sweetness of the licorice flower spread, his lips slowly curved upward.

 

The tea was bitter, the flower was sweet—and it turned out the words written in books were true. Romance and sentiment—this single word, “love,” can encompass all the flavors of life: bitterness, sweetness, sourness, and pain. When faced with this word, one can taste everything in an instant.

 

In the past, he had always looked at the characters in books from afar. Now, Xiao Mo had become one of them.

 

No wonder so many people, knowing how difficult love could be, were still willing to hold tightly to their red thread of fate.

 

If it were Xiao Mo, he would want to hold onto it too.

 

But he couldn’t let Chu Jinglan get swept into waves he didn’t need to face. This parting was inevitable—it couldn’t show any cracks or give Chu Jinglan a reason to come looking for him.

 

He wouldn’t shamelessly leave a message asking Chu Jinglan to wait for him either.

 

Once his task was complete and he returned—if there was still a place for him by Chu Jinglan’s side—he would do everything in his power to earn it. Xiao Mo had always been willing to fight for what he wanted.

 

If there was still a place… this time, he wanted to truly become Chu Jinglan’s Dao companion.

 

But if there wasn’t a place… then what? What would he do?

 

Xiao Mo had never liked anyone before. This was the first time his heart had been moved—and yet it happened under such circumstances. It touched on areas of knowledge he had never explored before. He stared blankly at the licorice flower in his hand, but unfortunately, flowers couldn’t give him answers.

 

That day hasn’t come yet, Xiao Mo thought.

 

Let’s take things one step at a time. But when it came to matters of love, could things really be taken step by step? Didn’t books always say that time waits for no one—and that some missed chances could mean a lifetime of regret?

 

Xiao Mo took a deep breath—it felt cold and faintly painful.

 

This wasn’t something he could control. When your heart was tied to someone else’s, it truly clouded your vision. An uncertain outcome wasn’t like solving a problem where one equals one and two equals two—there was no perfect solution to be found.

 

Xiao Mo ended up sitting idly in the courtyard for three days straight. For long stretches of time, he barely moved—like a wooden figure. Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought he was meditating or cultivating.

 

Occasionally, though, he would move his fingers to pick up another licorice flower and place it in his mouth—proving that he wasn’t just an unmoving statue.

 

The package of licorice flowers contained many pieces. Xiao Mo didn’t have the heart to eat them all at once; instead, he placed them in his mouth one by one. When only half the package remained, Xiao Mo carefully stored the rest in the system’s inventory.

 

Unable to make sense of what lay ahead, Xiao Mo decided to focus on what was right in front of him for now.

 

His current identity as an inner demon wasn’t supposed to exist—it had been added as a temporary side mission role. Therefore, when the inner demon “died,” Xiao Mo’s identity would transform—and everything in his inventory would follow him into his next form.

 

Xiao Mo didn’t plan on taking much with him. The valuable items in his storage device were all intended for Chu Jinglan. He himself had points saved up and could redeem his old items from the system panel later—they would be sufficient for his needs.

 

Half a package of licorice flowers… clothes gifted by Chu Jinglan… what else? The unfinished melody was already etched into his mind—he knew it by heart now. As for the flute…

 

Xiao Mo touched the flute at his waist thoughtfully. Should I take this flute with me? It was heaven-tier after all—even though Chu Jinglan only used swords, a heaven-tier artifact could still be thrown out as a shield if needed.

 

Xiao Mo picked up the jade flute and examined it. Its smooth, milky-white surface exuded a warm and gentle aura. To throw it out and let it explode would be far too wasteful.

 

I’ll just bring an extra flute, he thought.

 

With his belongings sorted, Xiao Mo’s mind quieted again. But in that stillness, his thoughts began to wander aimlessly.

 

It shouldn’t be like this, he reminded himself. Focus on the present. Yes, we’re going to part ways soon, which makes every moment with Chu Jinglan incredibly precious. How can I let uncertain worries waste this time?

 

At the very least, for now, he needed to cherish the time they had.

 

Two more days passed, and when Chu Jinglan finished meditating, he found Xiao Mo in an unexpected place—the kitchen.

 

When Xiao Mo saw him, he called out cheerfully: “You were supposed to wake up today, so I thought I’d make something for us to eat.”

 

Chu Jinglan carried a steaming dish to the table as Xiao Mo handed him chopsticks. “We didn’t have any seasonings in our storage device,” Xiao Mo explained, “so I just combined some spiritual food. It’s not proper cooking.”

 

“It counts,” Chu Jinglan said as he began eating.

 

“It’s good.”

 

Xiao Mo smiled brightly. “That’s great.” He added more food to Chu Jinglan’s plate. “It’s full of spiritual energy—you’ve been working hard cultivating, so you should replenish yourself. Eat more.”

 

For once, Chu Jinglan ate more than Xiao Mo during the meal. When he finally set down his chopsticks, Xiao Mo asked him: “How long do you plan to rest today?”

 

“Half a day,” Chu Jinglan replied.

 

Half a day before returning to cultivation.

 

Half a day was already plenty. With a wave of his hand, Xiao Mo used a cleaning spell to tidy up the dishes. “That’s enough time. Come on, let’s go for a walk outside. When I was setting up formations earlier, I noticed the scenery outside the courtyard is quite beautiful—it’d be a shame not to see it.”

 

Naturally, Chu Jinglan agreed.

 

Outside the courtyard was a bamboo forest, reminiscent of the one surrounding Chu Jinglan’s sword training grounds back in the day—the place where they had first met. The bamboo was lush and green. Beyond the forest lay misty mountains shrouded in clouds, their peaks rising majestically in layers upon layers of grandeur. From a small pavilion at the edge of the bamboo grove, one could look out and feel both an expansive sense of freedom and an unmatched elegance.

 

Xiao Mo decided not to dwell on unresolved matters for now. Instead, he focused on the present—making sure Chu Jinglan was happy was far more important than troubling himself with unnecessary worries.

 

Chu Jinglan felt that something about Xiao Mo seemed different today but couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. Is it just my imagination after not seeing him for five days? he wondered. But upon closer observation, everything seemed just as it always had been.

 

Still, today’s food tasted exceptionally good—and wherever Xiao Mo was, the scenery always seemed more beautiful.

 

After half a day of relaxation, Chu Jinglan returned to his cultivation. Meanwhile, Xiao Mo began planning what they could do together next time Chu Jinglan woke up.

 

Although they had already done so many things together, even repeating familiar activities with the same person always felt fresh and unique in its own way.

 

However, when Chu Jinglan emerged from meditation next time, Xiao Mo discovered an unexpected surprise—a major one.

 

The Golden Thread Diagram was right there in their courtyard.

 

The main hall had several paintings hanging on its walls, each emanating faint spiritual energy. After some investigation, Xiao Mo flipped one of them over and found the signature of the Golden Thread Diagram on its back.

 

“They actually inscribed it on the back! Good thing I was bored enough to look around—I really found it,” Xiao Mo said as he handed it to Chu Jinglan. “Keep it in your storage device.”

 

Chu Jinglan replied: “Why don’t you keep it instead?”

 

“It’ll be better if you’re the one who hands it over to the Wang family later—they’ll owe you a favor,” Xiao Mo insisted as he pushed it into Chu Jinglan’s hands. “Take it.”

 

Since both Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan’s storage devices were accessible to each other without restriction, Chu Jinglan didn’t refuse further and accepted the Golden Thread Diagram.

 

Time on the ninth floor flowed steadily, and as Chu Jinglan’s cultivation gradually increased, the two of them shared countless moments together—admiring the scenery, cooking meals, stargazing on the rooftop, and encountering fallen petals in the garden. Each small, ordinary activity felt precious and never tiresome.

 

Day after day, moment by moment, their shared time passed effortlessly, as natural and inevitable as the flow of their fingertips through the sands of time.

 

Chu Jinglan’s cultivation progressed steadily. By the time he reached peak Nascent Soul stage, the days remaining until the Nine Secret Treasure Tower closed were few.

 

For Chu Jinglan to have cultivated to peak Nascent Soul in such a short time was nothing short of extraordinary—worthy of being called unparalleled. But he was still short of Divided Spirit stage, and given the limited time left, it seemed unlikely he would reach it.

 

Xiao Mo cherished every moment spent with Chu Jinglan. Yet knowing that his inner demon tribulation would likely cause greater trouble outside than within the secret realm left him conflicted—unsure whether to feel melancholic or grateful for the chance to spend more time with Chu Jinglan.

 

Ever since I started carrying someone in my heart, Xiao Mo mused, I’ve tasted all kinds of emotions.

 

Some time later, Xiao Mo was in the courtyard twirling a leaf between his fingers. With half a day left until Chu Jinglan finished his current cultivation session—and only one day before the Nine Secret Treasure Tower closed—he wondered what they could do together before leaving. How about playing some music by the waterfall at the back mountain? Hmm, that sounds nice.

 

As Xiao Mo pondered this idea, the sensing formation suddenly reacted—someone was approaching!

 

Xiao Mo’s expression turned serious as he straightened up and spread his spiritual consciousness outward. The intruder made no attempt to conceal their aura and headed directly toward them.

 

It was Fenxiu—and he had brought Su Baimo along.

 

Xiao Mo’s face darkened instantly. He rushed into the room to wake Chu Jinglan, but Fenxiu moved so quickly it was as if he had shrunk space itself. By the time Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan stepped out of the house, Fenxiu had already arrived.

 

Su Baimo followed behind Fenxiu with his head lowered and remained silent. His aura had also grown stronger—it seemed he had been dual-cultivating frequently during this time.

 

“Well, you’ve made me search high and low for you,” Fenxiu said mockingly as he twirled his blade. “Why are you hiding in such a remote dump?”

 

Remote dump? Xiao Mo thought incredulously. This place is clearly beautiful—mountains clear and waters serene—the scenery is stunning. It seemed that perceptions of landscapes truly varied from person to person.

 

“This time,” Fenxiu sneered, “don’t even think about running… Hm? Why has your aura reverted to Nascent Soul?”

 

Fenxiu narrowed his eyes at Xiao Mo suspiciously. Xiao Mo didn’t bother responding to him. Fenxiu didn’t seem bothered by this lack of reply either and simply said: “Fine. Whatever tricks you’re playing—it doesn’t matter. Today, you’re both going to die.”

 

With that declaration, Fenxiu charged forward with his blade raised high. Chu Jinglan immediately consumed another cultivation-enhancing pill, pushing his cultivation directly to mid-stage Divided Spirit. Under Fenxiu’s astonished gaze, Chu Jinglan deflected his ferocious first strike with ease.

 

Even if it was only a temporary boost to mid-stage Divided Spirit, Chu Jinglan had managed to hold his ground against Fenxiu.

 

The Nine Secret Treasure Tower was about to close, and Fenxiu knew he had to kill Chu Jinglan inside the tower. Once they left, with the protection of those old geezers from Yingyue Sect, who knew when he’d get another chance?

 

Fenxiu’s killing intent surged as his blade, having drunk its fill of blood throughout the first eight floors, was at its fiercest. Xiao Mo occasionally assisted Chu Jinglan from the side, but he could see clearly that while Chu Jinglan appeared to be holding his own against Fenxiu, it was still a struggle. Killing Fenxiu was out of the question.

 

But if they could stall until the Nine Secret Treasure Tower forcibly ejected everyone upon closing, that would be enough.

 

The effects of a cultivation-enhancing pill wouldn’t last long. Chu Jinglan had to continuously consume pills without pause—an overuse that was clearly excessive.

 

Xiao Mo clenched his fists tightly as he watched.

 

The system was helping by counting down the time remaining until they could leave.

 

When there were only twenty minutes left, Chu Jinglan’s aura faltered due to the excessive consumption of pills. His sword energy stagnated, and before his sharp sword light could strike Fenxiu, the blood trickling from his lips caused most of its force to dissipate.

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1 Kofi = 1 Extra Chapter