Chapter 341: Chapter 341 : The Yellow Springs (4)

It did not matter how many souls passed the Naihe Bridge every day.

Zhang Fengxi would recognize his wife in a sea of faces.

And he him.

"Xie Jianyu...!!!"

Driven by an irresistible force, Zhang Fengxi’s body instinctively propelled him towards the one his heart yearned for, the one who held the key to his happiness, both in life and in the afterlife. His vision blurred by a torrent of unshed tears, he paid no heed to the ethereal forms of the souls that stood between him and his beloved Xie Jianyu.

As he passed through their translucent forms, a sensation akin to a bucket of icy water being poured over his head washed over him. Yet, this chill, this discomfort, was but a fleeting inconvenience, a mere whisper compared to the overwhelming surge of emotion that coursed through his veins.

He was willing to endure this chilling sensation a thousand times over, to plunge into the depths of the Spring of Lost Souls, to risk drowning in its frigid waters, as long as it meant he could gaze upon the face of his beloved once more. The prospect of basking in Xie Jianyu’s radiant smile, feeling his gentle touch, sensing the warmth of his presence, far outweighed any fleeting discomfort.

It was his wife.

"Fengxi."

Though tears were beyond the realm of a soul’s existence, if Xie Jianyu possessed the ability to weep, he would have shed an ocean of them at that moment.

Their hearts, like magnets drawn to an irresistible force, propelled their bodies forward, their movements mirroring the yearning of two lovers reunited after years of separation.

Yet, despite the profound longing that surged through their veins, the boundary between the living and the departed stood as an insurmountable barrier, a cruel reminder of the rift that fate had cruelly carved between them.

Instead of colliding into a warm embrace, their forms intertwined in a fleeting dance, their bodies merging and separating in an agonizing waltz of proximity and distance.

They reached out, their hands desperately grasping for an embrace, but their fingers passed through each other’s forms, like phantoms dancing in the moonlight.

A surge of despair washed over them, the cold realization of their separation piercing their consciousness like shards of ice. They tried again, their movements desperate and frantic, but their attempts were met with the same frustrating result. Their hands, once intertwined, now passed through each other like wisps of smoke, leaving behind a trail of unrealized longing.

"Baby, no..."

Zhang Fengxi sobbed and fell to his knees in front of his wife.

"Jianbao... my Jianbao..."

"Fengxi, don’t cry..."

Xie Jianyu’s translucent arms reached toward Zhang Fengxi’s shoulders. He wanted to wrap his arms around his husband, but he was no longer able to do so. All he could do was comfort his inconsolable husband with words.

"Fengxi, I am so happy to see you again."

Zhang Fengxi raised his head and looked at Xie Jianyu’s ethereal form through a curtain of tears.

"Jianbao, you are so bad."

A tempest of emotion surged through Zhang Fengxi, manifesting in a torrent of violent sobs. His body convulsed with each wrenching cry, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

"You lied to me. You said that you were going to stay alive. You did not even wait for me to come back. You left just like that."

Pain flashed across Xie Jianyu’s eyes.

"I am sorry," he apologized sincerely. "I wanted to wait, I really did. And I know that I should tell you about my impending demise, but I didn’t want to ruin the few months we had left. Fengxi, don’t mourn my death too much. You need to think about the children."

The mention of their children sent Zhang Fengxi spiraling further into a bottomless pit of despair.

"I can’t," he murmured. "I can’t do it on my own."

Xie Jianyu looked like he was about to cry.

"Fengxi..."

"I can’t!!!"

Zhang Fengxi clawed at Xie Jianyu’s ethereal form.

"Baby, they are OUR children. They need their mother. I need my wife. Please, please. Please, I beg you. Go back with me. I will find a way to revive you again. I will do anything. I am willing to give anything to have you back in my life..."

"Fengxi..."

"Don’t talk to me about fate, I don’t want to hear it. I am going to go against heaven and earth. I am going to challenge every god that stands in my way..."

"Zhang Fengxi!"

Xie Jianyu’s lips trembled from distress.

"You promised," he said, his face a map of desolation, etched with the trails of unshed tears and the weight of unspoken sorrow. "You said that you loved them. You said that you were going to give the boys their first lesson in swordsmanship. Don’t tell me that you lied."

Zhang Fengxi’s form crumpled onto the bridge, his guttural groans echoing through the stillness that pervaded the air, a visceral expression of the torment that ravaged his soul.

"It was not a lie," he cried out while pounding on the ground. "But Jianbao, how...? I don’t know how to do it without you by my side!!!"

Xie Jianyu gritted his teeth.

He yearned to reach out, to grasp Zhang Fengxi’s shoulders and shake him until he snapped out of his grief-stricken stupor, but his hands passed through Zhang Fengxi’s form easily.

[Oh, for heaven’s sake.]

The Goddess of Fate and Destiny strode forward with impatient steps.

With a swift, almost imperceptible motion, her hand lashed out, connecting with Zhang Fengxi’s cheek with a resounding crack. The general, taken aback by the sudden violence, stumbled backward, his eyes wide with disbelief.

[Fools!]

The Goddess’s initial outburst was directed at Zhang Fengxi, but her fiery gaze soon shifted to Xie Jianyu, her eyes burning with an intensity that made the former Crown Prince flinch.

[The intricate web of karmic relationships that binds living beings together transcends the limitations of physical existence. Death does not sever these enduring connections. Having been born in esteemed noble lineages in the Heavenly Realm, shouldn’t the two of you be privy to this information?]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay