Rebirth As A Human Cauldron Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Qin Duan had a dream.

In the dream, there was a person dressed in white, wearing a jade crown, standing atop a group of mountains.

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As the massive dragon’s body touched the ground, it transformed into a handsome young man with white hair and red attire. Two crystal-like dragon horns protruded from his forehead, and a silver scale adorned the slightly furrowed space between his eyebrows, emitting a radiant glow.

The person standing atop the mountain turned around, his eyes as cold as frost, with a hint of deep blue chill.

The two exchanged a glance from a distance, and the man transformed from the dragon nodded his head in acknowledgement, greeting, “Greetings, Sword Sovereign.”

The scene shifted, transitioning to the mortal world. Beneath a red plum tree, a man dressed in yellow held a jade xiao flute, letting a melodious tune drift with the wind.

Beside him, a young boy listened with rapt attention. When the tune concluded, he stumbled forward and draped a large cloak over the man.

“Lord Xin, it’s chilly in the winter. Although you have descended to the mortal realm multiple times, please take care of your health,” the young boy said earnestly.

The man addressed as Lord Xin smiled faintly, a glimmer shimmering in his light-colored eyes, spreading a wave of gentle spring water that seemed to reach deep into one’s bones.

The young boy was taken aback by this sight. He also noticed the man’s nearly translucent fingertips exposed to the biting cold wind and couldn’t help but express his concern, “Why do you enjoy this kind of weather?”

Lord Xin gestured towards the vibrant red on the tree branch, “Because it’s in bloom.”

A sudden constriction gripped Qin Duan’s chest. Before he could react, he saw the two figures moving farther away from him in the midst of the wind and snow.

The familiar scent of blood permeated his nostrils. Raising his gaze, he saw a towering formation of blood-red stones above him, where black and red intertwined, forming an immense cavern…

This is the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons.

Within the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons, mountains of corpses piled up, and from the center of these broken remains, Qin Duan saw a seed faintly shimmering with red light.

He suddenly shook, his memory tracing back a thousand years ago… the only thing he took from the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons.

In pursuit of revenge, the Qin Duan of that year brought a demonic seed into the human world. After using its power to slay his enemies, he lost control and became possessed, his mind muddled. Thus, the fate of that demonic seed became unknown.

As time passed, he gradually forgot about this matter and naturally didn’t seek the whereabouts of the demonic seed… and now, the seed that should have been taken away by him was quietly rooted within the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons.

Then… where was he? Where did he go?

Qin Duan turned his dazed head and met the gaze of a skull in the corner. Within the dark eye sockets of the jet-black skull, there seemed to be flickering phosphorescence, eerie in the extreme.

His cold sweat hadn’t yet dried when he heard a sound from behind. He quickly turned around and saw a burst of blood-red light erupting from the shattered bones. The entire Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons was deeply shaken by this immense power, the ground quaking for a moment. Countless demonic creatures roared and howled, but in the end, everything returned to calm.

Qin Duan widened his eyes, watching as the blood-red light gradually took on the form of a tall figure… black hair, crimson eyes, and that breathtakingly shocking bloodstain between the brows—

An abrupt hand covered his eyes from behind, plunging everything into darkness again.

Qin Duan turned his head and saw a face identical to his own. He tried to speak, but his voice eluded him.

There were too many things he wanted to ask, a flood of questions stuck in his throat, not knowing where to start.

For the first time, a hint of pity appeared on the emotionless face of Tian Dao. “What you’ve seen is the future.”

“Feng Li left on his sword, Bai Ling transforms into a dragon and departs, Wen Yu’s cultivation reaches perfection, as for Wu Que…” He paused, “This ‘person’ should not exist in this world. He is the refined essence of the countless living beings within the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons, a born demonic entity.”

Tian Dao’s words struck like a heavy blow. Qin Duan’s body swayed, his face turning pallid. He clenched his silver teeth almost to the point of breaking them. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out three words with difficulty.

“…And what about me?”

“Naturally, you died within the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons a long time ago.” Tian Dao sighed softly, raising his hand and summoning a thick black leather book. “This is the Yin-Yang Ledger that governs life and death. It records the destiny of all souls in this world.”

As he spoke, the pages of the book automatically opened, rustling as they turned.

On the final page that came to a halt, his fate was written in cinnabar-colored ink.

Qin Duàn gazed at the name “Qin Xu” on the page, and the sentence at the end, “Cause of death devoured by myriad demons.” Unable to hold back any longer, he burst into wild laughter.

He laughed until his voice grew hoarse, coughing incessantly, tears of laughter streaming down his cheeks unnoticed.

If he had died long ago, then what was he, who had struggled desperately for survival within the Demon Abyss and had refused to take that final breath even until death?

What significance did Qin Duàn, who had chosen to defy fate by embracing demonic power, hold?

Abandoning his mortal form, refining his body through the path of Asura, painstakingly climbing back from hell step by step… Who was he, ultimately? Human? Ghost?

Those he thought he had helped, those individuals he had never forgotten throughout the centuries… Was their encounter a matter of destiny or a curse?

Qin Duàn held his shoulders, clenched his teeth that creaked audibly, and slowly bent down.

His entire life… despite the tumultuous journey, he had no regrets. Now, looking back, were all those convictions wrong?

A sigh from the vast sky resounded above his head.

“Qin Xu, you shouldn’t still be alive.”

“If they had never crossed paths with you… Fēng Li could have relied on his own strength to escape the Demon Abyss, without venturing into the treacherous and ruthless dao. He could have gained respect solely through his swordsmanship, standing tall at the peak of righteousness. As for Bai Língzhi’s heritage, which is overseen by the Xú family, they perished because of you. Their clan was left without support, leading to their young son being sold to a brothel by malicious actors. If you hadn’t returned, the Shiyu Hall established by Wēn Yúshū would have gained renown in the martial world, cleansing demons and upholding righteousness, reaping centuries of virtue. And as for Wú Quē… without you, he wouldn’t have been prematurely born into this world, suffering the trials of humanity with inadequate strength, even to the point where his divine soul would tear apart, splitting into two.”

“What you just witnessed is their original futures… As for the present, you’ve already seen it.”

Tian Dao (Heavenly day) crouched down, aligning his gaze with Qin Duàn’s, “They are the obstacles you couldn’t overcome, yet you are also the catastrophe they cannot evade. You shouldn’t be alive, yet you’ve defied destiny, transitioning from Qin Xu to Qin Duàn. Therefore, everything that follows is already predetermined.”

“…”

After a stifling silence, Qin Duàn slowly raised his head.

Though there were traces of bloodshot still lingering in his eyes, they gleamed with intensity, devoid of the previous fragility.

“Cause and effect, cause and effect. If this is the outcome, then what is the reason?”

“You keep insisting that I shouldn’t be alive and show me these non-existent scenes. Are you trying to make me feel guilty? Do you want me to crash my head here and die, wasting the life I’ve fought so hard to preserve for these uncertain things?”

He questioned word by word, each sentence seemed to be chewed up inside his teeth and spat out, carrying the tang of blood and flesh.

“Why make me start over a lifetime? Why burden me with such an awkward identity? And why mislead… them, causing them to do those things to me?”

He met the Tian Daos unchanging gaze for a while before the latter patted the hem of his clothes and stood up, even though there was no dust here at all. “The Asura Body makes you cold-hearted, though it’s not truly heartless in the end. But to resolve the karmic entanglements, one must exchange hearts.”

“—So I’ve given you this body, allowing you to return to the world, to observe, to listen, to feel the seven emotions and six desires. Yet, I’ve concealed the truth. Though they harbor doubts, they dare not be certain, thus they’ll expose all the desires they dare not reveal in your presence… This isn’t misleading, Qin Duàn, it’s just to let you see what kind of people they truly are, what feelings they harbor towards you. Not careful as if on thin ice, nor familial bonds like teacher and disciple… Only through fully accepting their true selves can this tribulation be broken.”

“The Asura Body may numb your desires, but it hasn’t numbed your heart. You’ve always remembered them, the time you spent together, and each person… even if betrayed, insulted, misunderstood, you remain the same.”

Qin Duàn coldly chuckled, “How do you know I’ve accepted them? Was what you showed me earlier for this purpose?”

“Whether the truth is real or not is something only you need to be clear about, no need to inform others.” Tian Dao sighed softly, “But the things you’ve witnessed aren’t false. They’re just not the future, but… the past.”

“What do you mean?” After asking, Qin Duàn found his consciousness gradually awakening… something was pulling him out of this dream.

Before him was the visage of Tian Dao, no different from his own. The skin on that face seemed to have been shattered and kept falling off in pieces.

He was disappearing.

Qin Duàn shuddered all over, “You… you’re not the Tian Dao at all. Who are you?”

“I am the will of the heaven’s, and I am also causality.” The other person said softly, as the skin continued to crumble, leaving only those eyes slightly squinted. At first glance, they unexpectedly exuded some of Qin Duàn’s original charm.

It seemed like in that moment, he was granted life, then in that moment, he disintegrated and departed, vanishing into thin air.

“I… have no position to guide you in what to do,” he said, “but since you’ve chosen, do not regret it… and don’t become like them.”

Qin Duàn heard himself roaring in agony, “What is the truth, in the end?”

From the void, a faint sigh drifted: “…You will know soon.”

…

In a daze, someone touched his face.

Qin Duàn furrowed his brows, reaching out to push away the restless hand, only to have it grabbed and bitten at the fingertip.

“Hiss…”

He took a breath, suddenly opening his eyes, only to collide with the gaze of that person.

Wú Quē, his Inner demon, held Qin Duàn’s finger in his mouth. His crimson tongue circled the small wound before quickly healing it. Then, he leaned in, seemingly about to kiss Qin Duàn’s lips, but he was stopped by the latter.

Still echoing in Qin Duàn’s mind were the words of Heaven’s Will. He wasn’t in the mood for flirting at the moment. Seeing Wú Quē getting worked up, he quickly reached out and ruffled the Inner demon’s black hair. “Behave, don’t be naughty.”

Inner demon: “…”

His expression instantly turned somewhat unsightly, but as he looked at this all-too-familiar face in front of him, he couldn’t muster any anger.

In the end, he just snorted heavily, indicating that he wasn’t going to argue with Qin Duàn.

Qin Duàn squinted and looked around. He found himself in a spacious carriage, and the vibrations beneath him indicated they were heading in a certain direction.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, “Are we headed to Liángzhou?”

Liángzhou… the altar in the back mountain of the Wēn residence, where something related to him was buried. That was the only place Qin Duàn could think of.

The so-called “three hundred-year period,” and this body specifically prepared for his “resurrection”… recalling the time when his spirit had just reunited and he was searching for a suitable physical form, merely approaching it had sucked him in forcibly. Normally, after a possession, there would be some influence from the original owner, a rejection of the flesh. However, he had been possessing this body for quite some time and had neither seen the original owner’s spirit nor felt the slightest hint of conflict…

Unless this body itself was an empty shell, specially prepared for him. When combined with what Heaven’s Will had said…

“How did you know it’s Liángzhou?” Inner demon frowned at him, then suddenly seemed to realize something. He reached out and lifted Qin Duàn’s chin, “Isn’t that where your old lover resides?”

Qin Duàn raised an eyebrow, a playful thought arising, “Yes, I’m taking you to meet your mother.”

His tone was flirtatious, paired with his slightly husky voice, making it even more mischievous.

Inner demon’s expression darkened, and he was about to act, but the curtain of the carriage was suddenly lifted by someone. A rush of wind entered the compartment, causing Qin Duàn to squint his eyes and tighten his clothes around himself.

The lingering aftereffects of their intense lovemaking were still there. He had been too preoccupied with his thoughts earlier to fully realize it, but now he felt sore all over and couldn’t muster the energy to sit up straight. Yawning, Qin Duàn thought that these two little rascals had some conscience at least, as they helped clean up and didn’t leave any embarrassing traces behind.

Wú Quē pushed aside the curtain and glanced at his Inner demon, signaling him with his eyes. “You go out first.”

The latter seemed somewhat disgruntled. “Brother…”

Qin Duàn interjected, “You’re calling him ‘brother’?”

“Most people don’t understand the Inner demon Dao. When we both need to appear together, it’s natural to address each other as brothers.” Wú Quē said expressionlessly, patting his Inner demon’s shoulder. “Go out, I have something to ask him.”

“I also have questions for you… both of you.” Qin Duàn rubbed his chin lazily and glanced at the two of them. “You didn’t answer me earlier. Who was it that made the move back then, you or him?”

This question shouldn’t have come from him, considering the person in front of him wasn’t their actual father. However, the sense of familiarity exuded by this person prevented them from rejecting him from the depths of their hearts.

It was like a person who had been hungry for too long, remembering only the aroma of food in their memories. Now, with a bowl of fragrant rice placed before their eyes, could they resist?

Wú Quē was like this—knowing full well that this person was a fake, yet still drawn to the traits that resembled their father. On one hand, he wanted to treat him kindly, while on the other hand, he wanted to unleash all the desires he couldn’t reveal.

After a silence of about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the two spoke simultaneously, without coordination: “It was me.”

Then, they exchanged a glance, seeing incredulity in each other’s eyes.

Inner demon: “I was the one who instigated you.”

Wú Quē: “I am the original, and I have the final say.”

Inner demon: “Bah, if you had the final say, you wouldn’t have separated me…”

Qin Duàn: “…Enough, stop bickering. In the end, you two were originally the same person, so it doesn’t matter which one of you I hold accountable.”

He had asked on a whim, never expecting that these two rascals would start arguing among themselves. But this Wu Que, in comparison to his previous son who had been obedient but somewhat overly silent, showed a more human side.

With this thought, his heart suddenly softened a bit. Qin Duan beckoned with a wave, “Come over.”

The two exchanged a glance, “Who are you calling?”

“… Both of you, come over.” Qin Duan attempted to sit up a little straighter, but was defeated by a sudden intense pang of pain. He weakly rolled his eyes, “Damn, you two really are incorrigible.”

Wu Que gave a slight cough and reached out to help him sit up. The demon by the side looked displeased, yet still obediently moved closer, “What…?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Qin Duan slowly raised a finger and pointed at the bloodstain on his forehead.

The demon’s face visibly reddened in an instant. He swatted away the other’s hand with a snap, and said fiercely, “Do you want to die?”

Qin Duan rubbed his slightly hot fingertips and raised an eyebrow, “I’m right here. If you’ve got the guts… Hmm.” His lips were unexpectedly covered, causing Qin Duan to choke for a moment. He glared at Wu Que who had suddenly approached, wiped his mouth, and said, “Alright, you’ve got some nerve, daring to make a move on me…”

“… Just don’t provoke him if it’s unnecessary,” Wu Que said as he looked at the man’s reddened lips and couldn’t help but use his fingers to wipe them.

The demon originally intended to make a sarcastic remark, but the words died on his lips. He let out a deep grunt, “You’re protecting him, aren’t you?”

“… He’s an important offering,” Wu Que replied, “We’ve waited for three hundred years, all for this day, right?”

With that said, an awkward silence fell upon the compartment. Finally, Qin Duan was the first to laugh, “You’ve done even more outrageous things, and now you’re feeling guilty?”

He leaned against the corner bonelessly, his eyebrows and eyes curved, slightly disheveled long hair falling around his cheeks, accentuating his increasingly fair skin.

A thought stirred in Wu Que’s heart, and somehow he recalled a long time ago, when they… when he was still a child, his heavily injured father had also lain in a dilapidated thatched hut, smiling at him in a similar way.

A red mark shimmered on the demon’s forehead, as if sensing the emotional fluctuations of the half-being. He lifted his head, complex eyes falling on Qin Duan. There was a fleeting moment when he really wanted to ask, “Are you really him?”

But he dared not—he didn’t know what price he would pay for defying fate. More importantly, he didn’t know if this would affect his father’s resurrection.

Qin Duan saw the hesitation in his eyes. He had seen this same look in the eyes of Feng Li and Bai Lingzhi before; by now, he had grown accustomed to it.

If peering into the will of heaven would lead to the same fate as Wen Yushu…

A heavy feeling settled in Qin Duan’s heart. The unfocused pupils of an old friend flashed before him—though the other had never regretted.

His lifetime was quite long, and perhaps he held too few things in his grasp, leaving him always missing out because in his past life, he had been obsessed with cultivation, never truly holding on, resulting in a constant series of missed opportunities…

“Don’t think too much about it,” Qin Duan gently took a breath and spoke in a soothing tone. “After all, we’re not far from Liangzhou, are we?”

The truth of the matter would eventually become clear to them. Whether they would weep in pain or kneel down in remorse at that time, for Qin Duan, it didn’t really matter.

Just as he wouldn’t hold their betrayal against them, he also wouldn’t care about their subsequent suffering… After all, he had always taught them not to regret, not to deny the decisions they had made, and to bear the consequences of their choices.

Once, and now, it was the same.

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