Chapter 391: Previous and Present Life, A Three-Way Yoke

Translator: Minotauruz

Old Man Chi and the sprightly old man had both taken Jun Xiaomo’s allusion to the Arcane realm with a pinch of salt. After all, since time immemorial, the number of appearances of Arcane Realms were few and far between. Furthermore, these Arcane Realms had appeared suddenly and without warning. Nobody had ever heard of a person able to predict the appearance of an Arcane Realm unless that person was already the Arcane Realm’s owner to begin with.

That said, the only thing that they did know for certain was that there would be great bloodshed in the cultivation world if an Arcane Realm were to appear. Arcane Realms were synonymous with incredible wealth and power. They might even contain jaw-dropping, earth-shattering treasures that cultivators might never come across in their entire life spanning thousands of years.

Jun Xiaomo had never expected others to believe these declarations of hers given that she had no means to substantiate the same. Regardless, she was content in the fact that the truth would be revealed as soon as the Arcane Realm appeared. At that time, she would do all she could to become the next owner of the Arcane Realm for the sake of the child in her womb.

Rong Ruihan sat beside Jun Xiaomo and gazed at her with a meaningful expression on his face.

As soon as the rest of the crowd departed, Rong Ruihan ran after Jun Xiaomo and stood in front of her as he asked, “Xiaomo, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Jun Xiaomo was just about to head out with Ye Xiuwen to stock up on some resources. Faced with Rong Ruihan’s deep, abstruse gaze, her heart constricted slightly and wrung with pain.

That said, she still looked over to Ye Xiuwen, seeking his consent.

She knew that she should no longer be fickle-minded now that she was together with Martial Brother Ye. She wouldn’t agree to Rong Ruihan’s request if Martial Brother Ye didn’t like the notion of her speaking in private with Rong Ruihan.

Although Ye Xiuwen didn’t feel comfortable with the idea, he was quickly reminded of what Chi Jingtian mentioned just a little while back.

If what Xiaomo explained about the Arcane Realm is real, then the road ahead is most certainly going to be fraught with dangers and trouble. There’s no way I would be able to amply protect Xiaomo with just my own abilities.

Besides, he knew that Little Martial Sister was unable to let go of Rong Ruihan just yet. If he forced her to immediately cut Rong Ruihan out from her life right here and now, Little Martial Sister was not going to be pleased. In fact, she would only continue to be cheerless as she had been over the last few days.

Forget it. Ye Xiuwen chuckled bitterly in his heart whilst doing his best to keep his emotions hidden. Then, he patted Jun Xiaomo’s head as he responded warmly, “Since Brother Rong has something to talk about, go have a chat with him first. We can always head out later.”

Jun Xiaomo was surprised by Ye Xiuwen’s change of heart. However, she knew deep within that her martial brother had only agreed to compromise like that because of her.

Blinking her watery eyes back at Ye Xiuwen, Jun Xiaomo nodded her head with a grimace, “Mm. I’ll come back to Martial Brother Ye once I’m done with our chat.”

With a nod, Ye Xiuwen turned and walked off into the distance.

That said, Jun Xiaomo’s heart hardly felt at ease. Instead, it felt heavier than ever, as though a massive stone was weighing on her lungs, causing her breathing to grow ragged and shallow.

Matters of the heart were the most complicated. Whether Ye Xiuwen or Rong Ruihan, both were parties that had etched themselves indelibly in the deepest parts of Jun Xiaomo’s heart. Thus, no matter who she chose, the other would most definitely be hurt. Her heart would also be hurt either way.

“Brother Rong, is this a convenient place for your discussion, or should we take this elsewhere?” Jun Xiaomo did her best to smile faintly at Rong Ruihan.

Pausing for a moment, Rong Ruihan tugged gently at Jun Xiaomo’s wrist, “Follow me.”

Jun Xiaomo hesitated for a moment before following along without any resistance.

After Jun Xiaomo and Rong Ruihan departed, Ye Xiuwen appeared once again. As it turns out, he hadn’t walked too far, and he had simply paused behind a large tree in the distance.

“Aren’t you going to follow them?” Chi Jingtian’s voice echoed out lackadaisically from the branches above. He was munching casually on a fruit.

A grimace spread slowly on Ye Xiuwen’s lips. The aura and disposition around Ye Xiuwen’s body had grown incredibly cold and distant.

“Tsk. You’re so frustrating. You’re evidently worried that Xiaomo’s going to be abducted by Brother Rong, yet you still refuse to admit it.” Chi Jingtian lambasted Ye Xiuwen disdainfully as he leapt down from the tree. Finishing up the fruit in his hands, he added, “I’m going even if you’re not. There’s no loss to me either ways.”

As soon as Chi Jingtian finished speaking, he began to walk briskly in the direction that Jun Xiaomo and Rong Ruihan had headed towards.

Ye Xiuwen’s pupils quivered as he hesitated for a moment. Yet, in the end, he still chose to follow after Chi Jingtian.

Rong Ruihan led Jun Xiaomo some distance before they finally arrived at a place with an idyllic, pleasant scenery. Clear waters flowed calmly along a gentle creek, while both sides of the creek were lined with willow trees swaying in tandem with a light breeze. A bridge sat stoically across both sides of the creek, as though holding together the two lands separated by waters.

As she took in the beautifully tranquil scenery, Jun Xiaomo’s heart finally began to loosen up.

“Xiaomo, can you tell me where your predictions about the Arcane Realm has come from?” Rong Ruihan sincerely asked Jun Xiaomo.

Jun Xiaomo had never expected Rong Ruihan to ask her something like this, and she was momentarily taken aback.

Rong Ruihan’s gaze deepened and grew abstruse. Caressing Jun Xiaomo’s face gently, he asked again, “Xiaomo, do you have memories of your past life?”

Memories of her past life?

Ye Xiuwen and Chi Jingtian were both watching this some distance away, and they were both immediately taken aback.

Lifting her head, she gazed straight into Rong Ruihan’s eyes with tears in her own – here was a man who had sacrificed so much for her in his previous life that he had even given up his life for her. Yet she didn’t even know of his existence in her previous life.

Her heart was filled with sourness and bitterness. It suddenly dawned on her that she would be far too cruel to him if she continued to keep her knowledge of her previous life a secret.

At the very least, she hoped that her acknowledgement of everything Rong Ruihan had done for her in her previous life would give Rong Ruihan some vindication for his efforts.

“Indeed, I do have the memories of my past life.” Jun Xiaomo sighed as she admitted, “Brother Rong, about our last life...thank you...”

Rong Ruihan’s heart instantly skipped a beat and trembled vigorously. It was as though he could see his past life flash before his very eyes once more, and he looked back at Jun Xiaomo with a gaze that was far and distant, yet altogether warm.

“So that series of dreams had turned out to be reality. It had actually been the truth of our previous life.” Rong Ruihan muttered with complicated feelings in his heart, “Then, that child...did it really exist before as well?”

Deep, complex emotions were sent rippling through the depths of Jun Xiaomo’s eyes as she revealed a look of pain and sorrow.

Despite having lived through two full lifetimes, the loss of her child was still an eternal scar that was indelibly etched within her soul. It was something that she would never be able to recover from.

Jun Xiaomo chose to remain taciturn, yet Rong Ruihan could pretty much tell from Jun Xiaomo’s expressions what her answer would have been – It turns out that the child was indeed real as well. That entire series of dreams that has plagued my mind for thousands of nights had indeed occurred in the past. And Jun Xiaomo shares the very same set of memories I have.

“My rebirth has brought be back to when I was sixteen years-old.” Jun Xiaomo slowly explained, “It was like an incredibly long and arduous dream. That nightmare lasted for an entire lifetime. That said, I didn’t know about Brother Rong’s existence initially. If not for the fact that you’ve shared with me your experiences some time ago, perhaps the truth might well have simply slipped out from between our fingers.”

Sixteen years-old...

Ye Xiuwen suddenly recalled how Jun Xiaomo’s personality experienced a massive upheaval ever since she was punished by the Sect Elders for trespassing the Dawn Sect’s forbidden grounds. Back then, not only did she mature substantially, she even began to draw closer to him.

At that time, Ye Xiuwen was incredibly curious as to what caused the stark change in Jun Xiaomo’s personality. However, since Jun Xiaomo was unwilling to speak much about it, he decided not to press the issue, and simply attributed it to her maturity.

Who would have thought that Little Martial Sister had actually already experienced an entire lifetime while she was unconscious back then?

Ye Xiuwen’s heart was equally filled with complex emotions. He could tell from Jun Xiaomo and Rong Ruihan’s conversation that their previous lives must have been incredibly intertwined with the other. In fact, she had even been pregnant with his child.

Ye Xiuwen did not have any recollection of the memories from his previous life, and the thought of lacking the same frustrated him very much. It was as though an invisible wall has suddenly appeared, creating a rift between him and Jun Xiaomo.

What happened between us in our previous life? And what happened between Rong Ruihan and Xiaomo in their previous life? The innumerable questions in his heart thoroughly vexed Ye Xiuwen.

Rong Ruihan fought the urge for a little while, but eventually gave in, took a step forward and pulled Jun Xiaomo into a tight, warm embrace.

His heart was swamped with both emotions of elation and sorrow. He was elated that his life was indeed inextricably intertwined with Jun Xiaomo’s life, yet he was also disappointed that having been in pursuit of the same lady for two full lifetimes, he was still unable to make her his.

She was even with somebody else’s child right now, while the child that they had together in their previous life was fated to never see the light of day.

It was as though Rong Ruihan’s intense sorrow poured out straight through his arms and into Jun Xiaomo. In an instant, tears streamed out of her eyes and seeped through Rong Ruihan’s clothes.

“Sigh, what in the world. All of you love rivals are more deep and profound than the other. What am I going to do about these things?” Chi Jingtian squatted down on the floor and glared at Jun Xiaomo and Rong Ruihan with displeasure.

Chi Jingtian’s voice caused Jun Xiaomo and Rong Ruihan to be slightly taken aback. Their cultivation levels were not low to begin with. That said, they had been too caught up in their own emotions that they had completely failed to detect Chi Jingtian and Ye Xiuwen’s arrival nearby. It was only with Chi Jingtian’s exclamation that Jun Xiaomo and Rong Ruihan both detected the arrival of the other two.

Most importantly, Ye Xiuwen had never thought to conceal his aura or disposition. Otherwise, Jun Xiaomo and Rong Ruihan would never have been able to notice him so easily.

Jun Xiaomo immediately noticed that Ye Xiuwen was staring straight at her with a dark expression on his face, and her face instantly paled in colour.

She immediately shoved Rong Ruihan away and lowered her head in guilt. In that instant, she felt as though she were a traitor in her relationship with Ye Xiuwen. After all, she had already decided to be with Ye Xiuwen in this life, so how could she continue to be so inextricably entangled with Rong Ruihan?

If she remained like this, how was she being any different from Yu Wanrou?

Jun Xiaomo’s heart sank to the mires of guilt and despair, and she bit down hard on her lower lips.

The atmosphere in the air grew tense and thick.

Moments later, Ye Xiuwen walked over towards Jun Xiaomo and stood straight in front of her. There, he caressed her cheeks and gently wiped off the dampness under her eyes with his thumb.

“Could you tell me about the things that I’m not aware of?” Ye Xiuwen asked softly. Jun Xiaomo’s pupils quivered slightly, before she looked up and stared straight into Ye Xiuwen’s eyes.

She could tell from Ye Xiuwen’s deep gaze that there was not a single trace of anger or suspicion. His gaze was almost akin to a deep abyss that simply consumed everything around it.

Thus, Jun Xiaomo lifted her hands and squeezed Ye Xiuwen’s arms tightly.

“I’ll explain everything.”

Jun Xiaomo was incredibly guarded and vigilant by nature, and she never trusted people easily. However, this was naturally to the exception to the two men standing before her right now. After all, both men were entities who were an important existence to her, whether in her previous life or in the present life.

Thus, she sincerely felt that both of them had the right to know the deepest secrets in her heart, and she naturally felt at ease revealing the truth to them as well.

“Me too. I’d like to hear about it as well.” Chi Jingtian entered the mix and looked at Jun Xiaomo pitifully, “Xiaomo, is that alright with you? If you think it’s difficult to speak of these things directly to me, I can alter my form.”

As Chi Jingtian spoke, he immediately turned himself back into a plump little packrat.

This peculiar interjection by Chi Jingtian substantially dissipated the heaviness weighing on Jun Xiaomo’s heart. Not knowing whether to laugh or to cry, she picked up the little packrat and rubbed it behind its ears as she added, “You can listen in if you must. This isn’t an outrageous secret anyway.”

Squeak squeak~~ The little packrat hugged Jun Xiaomo’s thin, slender fingers tightly and gnawed gently on it. Nobody knew whether his intentions were to console Jun Xiaomo, or whether he was simply taking advantage of the situation to get close to her.