The Yu Shengs instantly and truly calmed down.
They no longer ate the meat, touched the fish, or even burped.
Go back?
Of course, he wanted to go back. The moment he discovered he had traveled to the past, he wanted to go back. If it weren’t for the system's signal being poor and the sudden confusion that caused panic, he would have gone back long ago. How could he have ended up encountering the protagonist and...
But upon careful thought, he had just done something like that. Now, to just pull up his pants and leave, disappearing without a trace, wouldn't that be a bit heartless?
However, if he said goodbye properly and made things clear, it should be fine, right?
After all, they were together because... because...
Hmm, was it because of that golden finger that things got out of hand? Last night's formation actually had such a side effect, it was truly unexpected. Perhaps even Zhan Xiaotian himself was surprised.
Yu Sheng hesitated as he looked at Zhan Xiaotian beside him. The latter had already put down the meat and was holding up some characters in front of him:
【Are you full?】
Yu Sheng nodded and began to think about how to respond.
Zhan Xiaotian started writing again.
【I'm sorry for last night.】
Yu Sheng shook his head. He had been affected too, so this couldn't all be blamed on Xiaotian.
【I heard that after people do something like this, they become closer.】
【I want to be closer to you.】
After writing these two lines, Zhan Xiaotian looked at him with hopeful eyes.
Yu Sheng picked up the pen and, under that gaze, almost wrote a wrong character.
【It was because of the formation last night, right? It should be considered an accident.】
He wrote seriously and realized that his future disciple desperately needed education in this area. Xiaotian, who was still a blank slate, needed proper guidance.
At this moment, he couldn't be vague with his words, nor could he avoid the issue. He had to let go of face, pride, and all that...
【Two people become closer only when they are mutually affectionate and share the love of companions.】
【So... you don't need to worry too much about last night.】
That couldn't really count... it was just a night of madness at most.
He couldn't let Xiaotian misunderstand at this point; otherwise, if he did something wrong in the future and hurt someone, it would be a problem. Well, though the one who would suffer would most likely be himself.
After writing those few lines, Yu Sheng nervously raised his head and observed Xiaotian's reaction. The latter furrowed his brows slightly, seemingly not very happy, but he didn’t get angry.
【So what should I do?】
What should he do... Does he want me to teach him how to pursue me, step by step?!
Yu Sheng silently covered his face, feeling increasingly embarrassed. He almost couldn't bear to face anyone.
He shook his head and waved his hand. This wasn't appropriate. It really wasn’t appropriate.
It was still better to make things clear...
【I can't.】
【I will be leaving here soon, and I won’t be able to accompany you.】
After thinking for a moment, he added another line.
【Thank you for the roast meat, it was delicious.】
Zhan Xiaotian’s expression grew melancholic. It seemed like he sighed, and for a long while, he didn’t write anything.
After a while, he picked up the pen again and motioned for Yu Sheng to extend his arm.
The characters "Zhan Xiaotian" were written slowly on the inner side of Yu Sheng’s forearm. The moist tip of the pen brushed against his skin, causing a slight itch.
【My name, don't forget it.】
Yu Sheng froze for a moment, staring blankly at the characters on his arm.
Forget?
Could it be that all of this, from the very beginning, was destined? Was the "forgotten thing" Zhan Xiaotian had mentioned before this?
Yu Sheng took a deep breath, disbelief filling him, but suddenly, it all seemed to make sense. Even many things that had puzzled him, some things he hadn’t understood, those confusing misunderstandings, and the overly affectionate attitude of his three disciples, now seemed explainable.
For them, would they just assume that their master had forgotten everything, forgotten them, or would they think he was pretending not to remember?
Or perhaps, they would directly understand it as a past life? After all, after he left this time, no matter how much they searched through the Three Realms, they could never find him.
While he was lost in thought, Zhan Xiaotian wrote some more characters.
【The thing I gave you last night, if you don't want it when we meet again, you can return it.】
The thing given refers to the immortality, right?
【You can't hear the sounds, and it's easy for you to be unaware of the external dangers, and you’re more prone to injury. You need this ability more than I do.】
【Does this mean we are really the same kind?】
Both are soulless mortals, and both have, or once had, immortality. In this vast world, only the two of them are the same, and can understand each other.
After writing this, Zhan Xiaotian’s face once again showed a bit of a smile, looking quite optimistic.
Yu Sheng reached out and patted his head, not denying it.
Letting him think that he’s not a lonely outlier should make him feel much better.
Yu Sheng: System, system? Is there a time limit for going back? Can I delay it for a few more days?
System: You three can discuss it yourselves.
Yu Sheng pretended to have eaten enough and was going to take a nap, leaning back, and in his mind, he connected with the other two versions of himself, expressing his desire to stay for a few more days.
One felt that leaving so quickly was a bit too rushed, and there was no need to worry about the plot anymore. The other was more concerned about the three main characters.
Ghost Realm Yu Sheng replied: The three of us, because once we go back, we’ll have to face that terrifying scene again. It’s better to stay a little longer; after all, the past disciples were obedient and sensible.
Spirit Realm Yu Sheng responded coldly: And how do we explain it when we go back? Xiaotian, I really like you, so I specifically went back in time to sleep with you.
Ghost Realm Yu Sheng chimed in: Exactly, to show my feelings, I went back in time to sleep with you. Since we’ve already done it, there’s no need to do it again, right?
Human Realm Yu Sheng nearly cried: Then point to the marks on my body and say, "Look, these are the marks you left on me. I’ve kept them for hundreds of years and they still haven’t disappeared..."
The three Yu Shengs finished their teasing, then fell into complete silence, no one able to laugh.
Just thinking about this conversation and scenario, even without thinking too much, it was clear it would never be calm.
Yu Shengs: System, I want...
System: No, you don’t want to.
Yu Sheng’s mind was full of complaints, but we haven’t even talked about what we want yet!
System: I know you want to drag this out until hundreds of years later, directly skipping the whole time travel, right? Not happening. Your split body already has a time limit. Now that you've used more time, there will be less time left after you go back.
Yu Sheng recalled that when he used points to buy this magic tool to split himself, the time limit was said to last between three to five months. At that time, he thought time wasn’t important. In the worst case, the Three Realms would completely separate, and even if it failed, he wouldn't be able to go back. It didn’t matter.
He didn’t expect that the time limit would still be an issue now.
Earlier, the system said that if the situation didn’t continue to worsen, the Three Realms would stay separated for about two more months. This means, at most, he could stay here for one more month. To be safe, it’s probably less than a month...
System: To be exact, it's half a month. Because the timeline is chaotic, the time you’re using now is being counted at an accelerated rate.
Yu Sheng: ...
Half... half a month?
Well, at least there’s enough time to get rid of the marks on his body. Stay optimistic, stay optimistic.
The other two Yu Shengs: Even if the disciples misunderstand it as "causing the world to collapse, thunder to strike, risking life, just to spend one night with someone other than them," we won’t die. I’m very optimistic.
Don’t say, Zhan Xiaotian might really think that.
Yu Sheng quietly cracked his eyes open a tiny slit, secretly looking at Zhan Xiaotian, who was so bored he was playing with dog-tail grass.
Maybe it’s because he said he would leave, but today, Zhan Xiaotian was especially well-behaved. He didn’t go anywhere, neither hunting nor running around. He just stayed with him, unwilling to leave his sight.
Yu Sheng closed his eyes again and, at the same time, asked the system about this special ability.
The system simply replied that no changes had been detected in the future storyline; it was still as bad as it was before he traveled.
As for the golden finger, since the protagonist gave it to him and it doesn’t affect the plot, there’s no need to specifically return it when leaving. After all, it’s not the protagonist’s, and they can’t activate such a formation.
As the system, in order to prevent bugs and avoid the golden finger from excessively disrupting the host’s restoration, it will recover the golden finger when crossing back.
Yu Sheng: Wait, did the other two also get a golden finger?
At this moment, Yu Sheng realized the need to communicate with himself, but verbal descriptions are too subjective, so he proposed to share each other’s memories of the past two days.
Human Realm Yu Sheng: Can we blur out key moments when sharing?
Ghost Realm Yu Sheng: I think it's about setting stars.
Spirit Realm Yu Sheng: Aren’t you curious about the differences between the three disciples?
Human Realm Yu Sheng: Am I the kind of person with no morals at all?!
Ghost Realm Yu Sheng: I really am.
Spirit Realm Yu Sheng: …We are of the same root, huh? Same root…
Please, stop talking.
Human Realm Yu Sheng: Now I finally understand why my willpower and self-restraint are so weak…
Ghost Realm Yu Sheng: Shall we go?
So, despite saying “no, no, this won’t do,” Human Realm Yu Sheng still quietly shared the memories with the other two selves.
After all, it’s all his own memories. If everything suddenly turns out well after he goes back and he turns from three into one, he will still need to remember it in the end. It’s better to know early… it doesn’t matter…
Ah, I am such a little clever ghost!
The first memory he saw came from the Ghost Realm.
Though it was shared memory, since it was originally the same person, the immersive feeling that accompanied the memory was also transmitted. Not only the images and sounds but also the related sensations, moods, thoughts, etc., all became vivid and real.
When Yu Sheng first arrived in the Ghost Realm, he was a drifting soul. After realizing the situation, he soon noticed that he had lost his voice. Before he could contact the system, his first instinct was to rush to the location of the Ghost King’s palace in his memories.
In his view, the most likely reason he appeared in such a distant place and lost contact with the system was due to the previous sudden incident. The Three Realms had already split, and perhaps several months had passed since he used the artifact.
Therefore, the priority was to quickly find Yin Wangzhi and reunite.
His movements were too quick. Before long, he really arrived at the Ghost King’s palace. However, it wasn’t the one belonging to Yin Wangzhi from his memories but the place where the previous Ghost King lived.
As expected, trouble followed. Since he couldn’t speak and couldn’t explain himself, he was immediately captured by several ghost guards as soon as he got close to that place. They threw him into the nearby Soul-Blooming Flower Forest, planning to use this ignorant little wandering soul as nourishment for the soul-blooming flowers.
Yu Sheng was still a little dazed when he saw the pink bunny flowers surrounding him, even feeling a bit like laughing. The last time he stood in such a flower forest, it was Yin Wangzhi who brought him there, guiding him to taste wine and telling him that all these flowers were planted for him…
But now, he wasn’t that highly skilled Yu Sheng anymore. He was just a drifting soul. His previous cultivation and realm were no longer usable, and the yin energy and power he carried were far weaker than Yin Wangzhi, who had almost been his equal. Once facing many opponents, defeat was inevitable.
To those ghosts whose names he couldn’t even remember, he was still too weak. But for these flowers, he was strong enough to serve as nourishment.
The Soul-Blooming Flowers wouldn’t affect mortals but would absorb the yin energy from his body. Yu Sheng knew this and got up to look for a place farther away from all the flowers.
It was at this time that he learned from the system that he had returned to the past.
Then, he wandered around and saw other dying wandering souls. He saw the yin energy that had gradually separated from his body and the circle of barriers that kept the flowers from escaping.
Finally, he encountered the past Yin Wangzhi.
He wasn’t a guard, nor a flower caretaker. At this moment, Yin Wangzhi, like him, was also thrown into the Soul-Blooming Flower Forest to be used as nourishment for the flowers.
Unlike the other flower nutrients, the cold light flickering in Yin Wangzhi’s eyes showed that, as a soul, he was actually reversing the process, stealing the yin energy from the Soul-Blooming Flowers to replenish himself.
Around him, there were piles of other souls, all of them about to dissipate, resembling a mountain of corpses in hell.
Noticing Yu Sheng’s approach, Yin Wangzhi’s movements suddenly paused, and he turned his head to look in this direction.