Chapter 44.1 The Truth

Su Su was surrounded by the sound of dripping water and jars of little river clams that she’d raised. She had reared them with love and care, diligently changing their water, and, when the weather was nice, she would wipe each of their shells and bring them out to bask in the sun.

The river clams opened their mouths one by one, but they had yet to open their spiritual consciousnesses. She had collected the remnants of their souls for three years, giving those who hadn’t disappeared a place to live.

Without the Water Immobilising Seal and god’s blessing, it was hard for the Clam Clan to recover their former glory.

Over the past few years, she had followed Shao Ju all over the mountains and rivers, but she still couldn’t find a way to revive her Royal Father. Clam King’s soul was scattered and untraceable. The young master of the Clam Clan had been missing without any news ¹ 杳无音信 (yǎowúyīnxìn) – There has been no news whatsoever about somebody/Never been heard of since. . And the newly bred river clams were still ignorant and primitive demon sprites.

Su Su watched them and couldn’t help but reveal a smile.

It was good for people to still have hope.

In her spare time, she would go out and look for green hills and clear waters ² 山清水秀 (shānqīng-shuǐxiù) – lit. verdant hills and limpid water (idiom)/fig. enchanting scenery to purify the water quality, little by little. Losing her spiritual marrow had caused her spiritual energy to forever remain the same as it was a hundred years ago, unable to improve even a little.

Few people in the world knew that the Clam Princess was also born a prodigy. She was born with the ability to purify rivers, and after three years of hard work, she had finally cleaned up a river temporarily.

She looked at the setting sun and knew that it was time for her to leave.

Yesterday, the demons were persuading Shao Ju to get married and start a family. She had just happened to chance upon this scene when she’d rushed back from Qianxi River. Almost all of the Demon Clan’s most powerful were held captive in the Abyss of Desolation. If they didn’t reproduce before it was too late, their clan might one day be exterminated.

Demons were more afraid of loneliness than mortals. They lived for hundreds or even thousands of years, and their greatest fear was that they’d leave behind no evidence of their existence.

Shao Ju gently smiled, but he didn’t agree or refuse.

Everyone knew what Shao Ju was waiting for, including Su Su. So, it was time for her to leave. She had spent more than a hundred years loving someone wholeheartedly ³ 死心塌地 (sǐxīn-tādì) – to be hell-bent on/dead set on something/unswerving , and had long since had nothing left.

Su Su put the young clams into her Qiankun ⁴ 乾坤 (qiánkūn) – heaven and earth; cosmos; universe pouch ⁵ Qiankun pouch is a pouch where cultivators use to store many things inside (if you watch xianxia/fantasy dramas)

Sample photo of it: and went to bid farewell to Shao Ju.

Shao Ju was training the soldiers and he paused at her words, “You’re leaving?”

Su Su smiled and said, “Yeah, I’m really sorry to have bothered you these past few years.”

She took out a few pink pearls and gave them to Shao Ju, “I’ve cultivated these in my spare time, grinding them can ease your pain.”

After the Great War of Gods and Devils, Shao Ju was in bad shape. He was a demon, so he had to live in hiding, and his men were often injured. In the past, Clam Princess used to be afraid of pain and rarely cultivated pearls. She had only cultivated one over a hundred years when she was still with Ming Ye.

But after leaving Ming Ye, she cultivated pearls day and night, no longer fearing the pain, and raised several blood pearls over three years using her blood.

Shao Ju said, “If you want to seek revenge on Tian Huan, you don’t need to rush. They have Shangqing Immortal Land as their backing, we aren’t their match right now.”

Su Su smiled and shook her head, “Shao Ju, you’ve misunderstood. I’ve thought it through. I won’t go looking for Tian Huan anymore. There are still many things to do ⁶ 百废待兴 (bǎifèidàixīng) – many things waiting to be done (idiom)/a thousand things to do with the Clam Clan. I just want to start a new life with them. When I was traveling with you in Qianxi, I saw a river there with water clearer than Mo River’s. Although the spiritual Qi isn’t abundant, the Clam Clan will still be able to slowly cultivate and transform into human form again. If Father King was still alive, he would also want me to lead the clansmen to start anew.”

Shao Ju moved his lips but realized that he had no reason to stop her from leaving.

He stayed silent and sent her all the way to the bottom of the Unchanging Peak. Curved Jade secretly glanced at Xiao Lin’s look-alike, Shao Ju, and thought to itself, how awkward will it be when they return to the real world?

Ye Bing Shang had become Tian Huan, yet Tian Huan liked the master of Shangqing, the powerful and most formidable Ming Ye;

Xiao Lin had lost his memory. He became the wolf demon and took care of Su Su for three years. Although he had a gentle temperament, his fondness towards Su Su was so great that even Unchanging Peak’s little demons could see it.

As Curved Jade had clearly said, one couldn’t enter the Fleeting Life Wisdom indiscriminately. Now wasn’t this great? When these people get out, this memory might become a dark past for everyone.

Shao Ju saw the Clam Princess look back and reveal a bright smile. She earnestly waved at him, “Shao Ju, go back! I’ll no longer dwell on the past, I’ll live well from now on.”

Shao Ju smiled and said alright.

“Perhaps one day, when you see little river clams in some stream, they will be the people of my clan!”

Shao Ju lowered his eyes and again replied alright.

Su Su let out a sigh, “Shao Ju, I’m going to start a new life, you must live well too.”

And so, Shao Ju watched the Clam Princess lightheartedly walk away as she left the Unchanging Peak step by step into the sunset.

Her eyes were full of happiness and hope, so the Qianxi River that she spoke of must be a great place.

Three years ago, the Clam Princess curled up on his back and softly said, “I don’t want to die, I want to live. They’re all still alive, so why should I die? I want the Clam Clan to always continue on, I want them to pay the price, I want to live well.”

Shao Ju watched her leave.

He didn’t go after her nor did he say much of a goodbye. Even he himself didn’t know when he might be captured and sent into the Abyss of Desolation, there was no future.

It was good that Sang Jiu was able to let go of the past and leave with her clansmen. As she said, if they reunited after a few years, maybe there would be a bunch of lively ⁷ 生机勃勃 (shēngjībóbó) – full of vitality little river clams basking in the sun and spitting bubbles in the water.

The princess had grown up, left the pain of her past, and became a queen.

*****

Su Su came to Qianxi River and put the little river clams in.

The water flow was gentle and crystal clear. The river clams took some time to adapt, then moved their axe feet and slowly swam away.

Su Su watched them with perfect contentment. Once they had swam far away, she also jumped in and transformed into a clam with a pink and white shell.

She basked in the sun in the shallow river and closed her eyes to cultivate.

She was no longer a little immortal in the river. Her heart of Dao had become scattered fragments and she had long become half-demonized. But now her heart was more peaceful than it had been in years.

If she could, she’d rather be a river clam without a spiritual consciousness and live just like this. She’d rather not have loved anyone. When the sun rose, she would run out to cultivate and look up at the sky, just like before. It’s just that she didn’t want to see the Immortal Lord who’d fought for them ever again.

These days were a rare time of peace.

Everyday she would count the little river clams that swam too far away and gently catch them back again as she relentlessly patrolled the Qianxi River. Just like it had been before, generation to generation.

Until half a month later, Su Su received something unexpected and her smile faded.

This was the first time she had received something related to Sang You.

But it was the half shell of a clam.

Her fingers went cold as she stared at the half shell, and a dull, unbearable pain slowly rose in her heart.

Edited by: Gaze