The first couple of epilogues is about our hero’s time at Xiaoyao Sect. I wasn’t planning on translating these at first since I figured you guys are probably expecting stuff with our two leads in it…but I re-read it today and changed my mind. By the way, the ward Xiaoyao means free spirit, so this sect is all about having the freedom to follow one’s heart.
Tantai Jin remembered that the sky was blue that day. His body had been eroded and rotted in the river. He had by chance gotten the demon magic weapon in the ghost river and that was how he was able to crawl out of that place and regrew his body.
It had been five hundred years. He searched all over the Ghost Cry River but still did not see Ye Xiwu’s soul.
That’s why he wanted to live.
Only by staying alive, would he have the chance to see her once again.
After five hundred years in the Ghost Cry River, he became like a ghost himself. He fell on the green grass helplessly. He doesn’t know what kind of monster he is. His whole body had rotted, like the mud on the ground, before slowly being put back together. The only thing he had done everything to protect was his eyes, eyes that could still see the colors of this world.
It was the first time he saw Zhaoyu Xianjun (Xianjun is a title for immortals.)
The old man was sitting on a donkey, as he passed by him.
Tantai Jin examined this passerby with a pair of cold eyes. All the snakes and insects have all retreated away from him, only this old man had come over.
Zhaoyou looked at the young man with a tenacious desire to survive and sighed, “The divination said there was something off in the southeast direction and that it was unknown if it was a blessing or curse…who would’ve guessed it was you.”
“One thought of life, one thought of death. All living beings have spirits. Where did you come from, do you have a home?”
The young man sank his white-boned fingers into the ground, not saying a word.
Zhaoyou felt he looked a bit pitiful. The young man’s eyes were cold and icy, but when he mentioned the word home, a dazed expression came into his still-bleeding eyes.
Zhaoyou knows, only those who have spent most of their lives alone would have such a gaze.
“Then from now on, Xiaoyao Sect will be your home.”
Tantai Jin heard him say those words.
Zhaoyou took him back that day. Realizing that this person wanted to save him, Tantai Jin scrapped his plan to find an opportunity to kill him.
He is too weak and needs a place to recuperate since he can’t easily use the God-slaying Crossbow that is hidden within his body.
He had heard the story of the farmer and the snake when he was a child. The farmer had saved the snake but was bitten by the snake in the end.
He felt that he was the snake in the story, observing Zhaoyou with his cold gaze.
Tantai Ji lay on the donkey while Zhaoyou led it as he leisurely sang one song after another.
The songs carried with them the power to calm one’s heart. Tantai Jin was only able to stay alert for a while before falling asleep.
Zhaoyou didn’t turn around as a blanket showed up midair and fell on the young man.
The donkey took them through the tree groves, passed the rivers, and flew up to the Xiaoyao Mountain.
“We are here.”
Tantai Jin opened his eyes, and for the first time in five hundred years, he was able to sleep. In front of him was a magnificent fog. Under the mountain gate, there was a vast land of farmlands that were filled with medicinal plants, looking green and vibrant.
There was also a forest of persimmons in front of him. The persimmons were ripe but stayed hanging on the branches and did not fall down.
Seeing him looking at the persimmons, Zhaoyou said with a smile, “We will pick a couple for you to try later.”
Going further, there were also herbs planted in front of the door.
Several men came out to greet them and said joyfully, “Master!”
“Master, you are finally back!”
“Ah…who is he?”
Zhaoyou smiled and replied, “A pitiful person.”
Several big faces peered at him. The one in the lead was a slightly pudgy man with a gourd hanging around his waist, “He has been seriously injured, he must hurt a lot.”
There was sympathy in their eyes.
Tantai Jin’s eyes were guarded however as he silently observed them. There are no good people in this world, so the old man must have some other reason for saving him.
Zhaoyou waved away the men “Go, go, go, go do your own thing, stop crowding around him.”
The men clasped their fists in salute and left with a smile.
Zhaoyou took him into a room and with a wave of his hand, a giant wooden barrel with steamy water inside it appeared. With a few more movements of his hands, and chanting of spells, herbs from outside flew into the room and dropped into the water.
Zhoyao said, “It will be very painful since it helps you to clean up the rotten flesh. Bear with it for a while.”
Tantai Jin fell into the barrel and let out a muffled grunt of pain.
Zhaoyou sighed and said, “Yell out when it hurts, it’ll make you feel better if you yell out.”
Tantai Jin still did not speak but clenched his teeth instead. In his ears, he could hear the chirping of larks outside the window, and the voice of the fat cultivator ordering other disciples about.
“Zang Lin, go get the medicine pill.”
“Zang Shu, what about your clothes? You are about the same size as him, so find some clothes for him.”
“Zang Feng…”
“I know, I know, my room has the most spiritual energy and is the most suitable for recuperation. I will move my things right now, so Brother Zang Hai you don’t have to boot me out.”
“Brat!”
A chorus of laughter came.
There was also faint laughter in Zhaoyou’s eyes. He made a pot of tea, filling the room with its fragrance, and dispelling the smell of rotten flesh on Tantai Jin.
The young man sat in the wooden barrel naked. There was bound to be some unease if it was anyone else but there was none in him. He did not care about his nakedness at all, completely focused on absorbing the medicine in the wooden barrel into his body.
Zhaoyou knew from that moment on.
This young man has unshakable determination but lacks the shame that exists in ordinary people. He will for sure become someone important in the future.
And whether that be good or bad, that will depend on fate.
Xiaoyao Sect specializes in divination. Zhaoyou traveled for several years and came back with a young man, took him in as a close disciple, and gave him the name of Cang Jiumin. (A sect will take in many disciples but only certain (usually the most talented) will be picked by the important leaders/teachers in the sect to be their personal disciples. Here, I am translating that as “close disciples”)
Jiumin, meaning heaven.
When Tantai Jin’s injuries were a bit better, he had the master-disciple tea ceremony.
With warmth in his eyes, Zhaoyao accepted the teacup, patted his head, and said in a gentle voice, “The beginning of men, all have different starting points. But Jiumin, good or evil, success or failure, does not depend on others, but your own heart.”
Tantai Jin looked up, scoffed in his heart but kept his expression respectful and softly replied, “I will remember it well in my heart.”
He bowed.
The Xiaoyao Sect in Tantai Jin’s eyes is just a place to recuperate and a stepping stone into the realm of the immortals. Tantai Jin thought coldly, they are unknowingly raising a poisonous snake. They have seen him at his most wretched condition. Once he, the poisonous snake is strong, then it could be possible that he would kill them all.
Initially, that’s indeed how Tantai Jin thought but who would’ve guessed, the whole thing got derailed more and more.
Title: Xiaoyao Sect- A bunch of bottom-of-barrel students and the only top student (The author meant for this particular part of the epilogue to be little vignettes of our hero’s time with Xiaoyao Sects so sometimes there will be titles given for a particular part)
Tantai Jin has always known clearly what he wants in his heart. When he was a mortal, he admired the strength of immortals. When the flesh on his body finally grew well enough, he thought, the opportunity to draw spirit energy into his body has finally arrived.
Logic says that the sect will most likely have some sort of pamphlet to give to new disciples for this sort of thing so he went to find Zang Hai.
Zang Hai was sewing clothes. Tantai Jin took a look, looked away, then said humbly, “Brother Zang Hai, my body has recovered, Master told me to learn the basics of internal energy with senior brothers.”
Zang Hai held the clothes between his fat fingers, bit the thread with his teeth, and said cheerfully, “No hurry, no hurry. My junior brother is still weak, cultivation is very hard and requires a strong healthy body.”
Tantai Jin was silent for a moment and stared at the thread he had bit off, “Understood.”
He waited three more days.
Tantai Jin, “Senior brother.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll teach you today, listen.”
Tantai Jin’s eyes were focused and listened attentively.
“Sit with your eyes closed and meditate in your mind. Tap your teeth 36 times and hold both hands in the position of Kunlun. Sound the heavenly drum left and right twenty-four degrees. Slightly swing and shake the pillars of heaven…”
The internal energy that had formed halfway in Tantai Jin was stuck. He opened his eyes and asked softly, “Senior brother?”
Zang Hai tapped on his own head, “Don’t worry, don’t worry. Let me think. It’s been too long since I did it that I have forgotten almost all of it.”
Tantai Jin pushed down his rising temper and with a jade-like handsome face, he smiled, “Alright.”
After a while, Zang Shu, Zang Feng, and several other senior brothers gathered together to teach their most junior brother how to induct spirit energy into his body.
After they cobbled some of the words together, there was suddenly a difference of opinion.
Zang Hai, “It’s like this. That’s how remembered it back then.”
Zang Lin, “No, senior brother, I remember this part is toward the end.”
Zang Feng, “Brother Zang Lin is right. Brother Zang Hai, did you forget that it took you three years to draw spirit energy into your body. Master even wondered if the result of your spirit root test was wrong.” (Most sects have a test for all aspiring disciples to take. It usually involves putting one’s hand on some sort of stone that can tell what that person’s “spirit root” is. Certain roots have more potential than others.)
Cold sweat broke out on Zang Hai’s forehead, “Haha, little junior brother, don’t worry.”
Tantai Jin looked at them expressionlessly and when he heard this sentence, he smiled and said, “Alright.”
A bunch of useless trash.
They spent three days cobbling a bunch of things together and finally produced a small booklet on the third day.
Several people surrounded Tantai Jin, “Little junior brother, this time is for sure correct, for sure. We even consulted senior uncle and senior sister Lan.”
His face was wooden, Tantai Jin really wanted to let out a sneer but he held back again and again, finally forcing himself to let out a shy smile, “Thank you, senior brothers. I have figured it out myself.”
He raised his hand, and a faint cloud of white air appeared in his palm.
Everyone admired the faint cloud and praised him.
“Senior brother, it’s time for me to build the internal foundation.” (That’s the next step, but for most people, it usually takes quite a while to go from one step to the next step.)
Zang Hai happily wrapped his arm on his shoulder, “Little junior brother, congratulations. According to sect rules, once you have successfully drawn spiritual energy into your body, then you can have three months of vacation.”
Looking at the envious expression in their eyes, the thought of hacking them all to death arose in Tantai Jin.
“Ha ha.”
They didn’t hear the sarcasm in Tantai Jin’s voice.
“Little junior brother, we were all worried at first that you had come at an unfortunate time since the Xiaoyao Heart Code’s test is in two months. All new disciples have to memorize the Xiaoyao Heart code. Those who don’t pass will be punished. If you have time, you can memorize it. It will help you to stabilize the internal energy inside.”
Fourth Senior Brother, Lin Feng leaned close and whispered, “Don’t be afraid, little junior brother, your senior brothers will secretly voice transmit the answers to you to make sure you won’t be punished.”
The Xiaoyao Heart Code is at least hundreds of pages thick. It is every Xiaoyao Sect disciple’s unspeakable pain to have to memorize it word for word.
When the test day arrived, Tantai Jin finished a round of memorizing in his mind and stared coldly at the whole test hall. The hall was filled with disciples of Xiaoyao Sects in blue and white clothes, all were scratching their heads, with pained expressions on their faces.
He belatedly come to the realization that he had joined a bizarre sect.
A sect that is filled entirely with lazy and talentless people who wants nothing but to spend their day enjoying life.
Instead of staying here, it would be better for him to get expelled and go find something else.
He raised a hand and wiped away the Xiaoyao Heart code that was already in his mind.
Tantai Jin’s lips curved in derision, would a ferocious beast keep company with a flock of sheep?
The senior brothers secretly voice transmitted the Xioayao Heart Code to Tantai Jin but he just ignored the group of useless trash and looked at the sky outside.
It might be winter in the mortal world, but there was no snow in the winters in the immortal realm. After the fog dispelled, there are only vast open mountains.
Those who failed the test would go to the Cliff of Punishment in five days to receive their punishment.
Although Xiaoyao Sect was very lax they were very strict towards disciples who couldn’t recite the Xiaoyao Heart Code. Those who failed the test would be whipped eighty times.
Tantai Jin took off Xiaoyao Sect’s blue and white robe with fish patterns and put on a black robe, waiting for the elder of enforcement to summon him.
As the winter moon shed its gentle light on Xiaoyao Sect’s mountain, Tantai Jin leaned against the door and thought of that person he had missed for five hundred years.
He doesn’t know how much power it requires to resurrect a person but that sort of power would certainly not exist in a place like Xiaoyao Sect.
He waited for the summon to be punished. He waited from the time the moon first came out until the moonlight faded, and still no one came to punish him.
Tantai Jin got up and walked towards the Cliff of Punishment.
Under the cascading waterfall, four people leaned against one another and sighed.
There all had bloody welts on their backs. One of them smacked his lips and said, “Senior Uncle Jing Xin still strikes so hard. It hurts like death.”
Zang Hai touched his bloody back, and patted each of them, “It’s only twenty lashes per person. Get up quickly and change your clothes. We can’t let little junior brother see.”
“Hiss, it hurts, Senior Brother.”
They stood up and started using spells to change their clothes.
Zang Shu said, “It was fortunate that Little Junior Brother wasn’t the one who got hit. We got tough skin anyway and are used to being beaten from back in the days anyway.”
“That’s right. Little Junior Brother is still young, and still has a mortal body.”
Zang Hai drank the wine in his gourd, “His injury just healed. He was so badly injured before and was lying there all alone. He didn’t even laugh when Zang Feng told him jokes and hid all his sadness in his eyes. Now that he has become our junior brother, we are useless and can’t do much for him, but if we can protect him, then we must protect him well.”
Tantai Jin watched this scene coldly, walked back to his room, and didn’t sleep all night.
His body is still mortal and has to eat. The next day, Zang Hai brought him food, “Come, Little Junior Brother, come try this new dish of braised meatball I just learned.” (Immortals don’t have to eat anymore so they are cooking just for him.)
Zang Hai looked at his black robe “Eh, Junior Brother?” Why aren’t you wearing a disciple’s uniform?”
Tantai Jin picked up the chopsticks and smashed the meatball, “I don’t like white.”
The meatballs were poked until they became smashed little pieces.
“Black is good too, black is good too. Little Junior Brother is so handsome in black.” Zang Hai is still all smiles, “Senior brother will sew fish patterns on for you later. Us Xiaoyao Sect must have some trademark to show off.”
Tantai Jin didn’t answer and put a piece of the meatball into his mouth.
Zang Hai had made it so tender that it immediately melt in the mouth.
Tantai Jin whispered, “Alright.”
Later, Zang Hai added silver fish patterns on all of his black clothes, including Tantai Jin’s boots.
That was Tantai Jin’s first taste of being respected in five hundred years.
The next year, it was time for the Xiaoyao Heart Code test again.
Tantai Jin finished reciting it and raised his eyes to look at the vast sky, his mind filled with the chirping voices of his senior brothers transmitting the Xiaoyao Heart Code to him.
This group of “useless trash” doesn’t seem to be so hateful after all.
Like I said, I wasn’t planning on translating this particular part at first but then I changed my mind. I think due to time constraints, the drama wasn’t able to fully show how important Xiaoyao Sect is to our hero’s growth. While I think our heroine’s death was the shock he needed to cause him to rethink his manner of loving someone, I think Xiaoyao Sect is the one who taught him HOW to love someone. For the first time in our hero’s tragic life, he is finally loved, unconditionally. That was the kind of love he wasn’t even able to feel from our heroine but was able for the first time in his life to receive from a group of people who simply wanted the best for him, without asking anything in return.
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Thank you for translating the final chapters, and the epilogues as well. They are a treasure!
These final novel chapters really help to sooth the emotional crash and burn from the drama’s abrubt ending.
Any translations you feel like sharing will be very much appreciated.
Thanks for translating the epilogue. I wonder why the author didn’t just insert them into the main chapters?
Meeting Zhaoyou and the Xiaoyao disciples was an important step for Tantai Jin to understand how to love and cherish it. Susu was the first who taught him to be human and despite their constant bickering, she became his only light in the world he couldn’t let go but lost it due to the choices he made that drove him into despair.
Zhaoyou was the father he never had & trusted him to the very end that lead to him becoming the Devil God for their plans to succeed. This was also the first time Tantai Jin hesitated to kill someone to save him.