The steps were long, winding upward like a serpent of stone, yet the ascent was not unpleasant.
There was a rare, quiet gravity to the moment, the kind that only exists when two friends move forward in perfect, mobile synchronicity.
They had lapsed into silence, the only sound the rhythmic scuff of boots against the stairs.
'He... he really might be planning to shatter every expectation I hold...'
Lìngxi mused silently. His gaze drifted, almost against his will, toward Kage Ou. The man looked impossibly determined, carrying him with a steadfastness that suggested he was a stranger to fatigue—or perhaps, in this moment, he simply refused to acknowledge it.
'I wonder what is actually flickering through that mind of his...'
As if sensing the weight of the stare, Kage Ou's eyes drifted toward him. It was a cursory check, a silent inquiry to see how his friend was faring this year without the usual comfort of sitting side-by-side.
Lìngxi smoothly averted his gaze, his finger tracing the bridge of his slim nose in a silent, rhythmic rub. It was an old habit, a tell-tale sign of his unease that he was certain Kage Ou recognized instantly. It was his shield to avoid a direct look.
"Getting bored without me by your side?" Kage Ou asked suddenly. A knowing, clever look danced across his features.
"No..." Lìngxi mumbled, the denial coming a fraction too quickly. His voice was light, lacking any edge of unkindness, but he was clearly trying to prove his companion wrong. "I am quite used to sitting in the quiet."
"So... you wouldn't be bothered if the stillness lasted too long without me? Ah, you're being cold to me again," Kage Ou teased, his voice carrying the gentle weight of a shared history.
Lìngxi looked back at him, finding it impossible to escape those piercing, icy-blood eyes.
'Why does he sound like he's saying goodbye? What is he planning? Or is this just another cruel game to tease me?'
Kage Ou didn't look up again. He remained focused on keeping his pace in sync with the other cultivators as they carried the weight. Only the soft, subtle curve of a smirk suggested he was listening.
Lìngxi parted his lips to speak, then hesitated and pressed them shut. He let out a soft huff and leaned back against the throne. "I don't know what you're implying, Kage..."
"You know exactly what I mean. This isn't anything foreign to us this time," Kage Ou replied. "Can't you just give me a 'yes' or a 'no'? I don't need a whole speech, seeing as you aren't one for many words anyway."
A single bead of sweat rolled down Kage Ou's forehead, born of the soft heat and the strain of walking gracefully while carrying an adult man and a heavy throne—all without the aid of his spiritual powers. For a Dào who rarely moved unless it was to command the clan or assist Lìngxi, the physical exertion was immense.
"Fine," Lìngxi exhaled, his hand coming to rest on the handle of the throne. "Some extra words won't hurt... not on Friendship Day, at least."
Kage Ou nearly smiled, stealing a quick glance upward. "I am all ears to listen to your five sentences, Your Majesty."
Lìngxi bit his lower lip, suppressing a smile of his own. Could friends really bicker and pamper one another this much? He wasn't sure if he had simply never noticed before, or if Kage Ou was intentionally acting this way now.
"Anyway," Lìngxi cleared his throat, his tone shifting. "Well, it is like both. Just like when tears will not stop, you wish for them to cease... and when they finally stop, you find yourself wishing they would roll down your cheeks once more."
He stopped abruptly, the words hanging in the air. 'I might be sounding far too melancholy.'
"Tears, you say..." Kage Ou murmured thoughtfully. "You seem to have a mysterious obsession with them. You don't even let them go to waste... you absorb the tears of others as if they were your own."
His eyes sparkled with a strange intensity. "I think that is what makes you 'you.' You should have been known as the Dào of Tears instead of Lù Yèyǐn."
"You..." Lìngxi found himself momentarily speechless.
'The title... it isn't wrong. Tears feel too familiar... as if they have been with me for lifetimes, more than any normal human could endure.'
"Lìngxi? Did I somehow... hurt you?" Kage Ou called out when the silence stretched too long.
Lìngxi snapped back to reality.
"No, why would I be?" He offered a soft, lost smile.
"He'll... probably be fine," Kage Ou said suddenly, his voice dropping to a quiet register. He didn't mention a name. "And he has probably grown up to be someone great."
Lìngxi knew exactly who he meant. His eyes grew glassy with unshed moisture—an old memory, perhaps, something he had tried desperately to bury.
"I... hope so," Lìngxi whispered, his gaze dropping to his own hands. He looked at them as if they were stained, as if they were somehow sinful.
The surrounding cultivators exchanged confused glances, but they could feel the sudden, heavy shift in the atmosphere.
As they reached the summit, Lìngxi stepped down from the carriage. As his feet touched the ground, the soft ice beneath him solidified into a brilliant, translucent blue—a manifestation of his spiritual aura. It was weak, but undeniably present.
The temple was a massive structure carved into an ice cave at the mountain's peak. Inside, the air was biting, but the frost was beautifully shaped into four statues of the gods.
Each statue was illuminated by a 'Never Blowing' lamp, casting vibrant, cold colors through the ice.
The Earth God was bathed in green.
The God of Love glowed a deep red.
The God of Hate burned with orange.
The Weather God radiated a deep sea-blue.
The Earth God stood in the center, captured in a mid-dance pose—a spinning motion with legs tucked beneath stone-carved robes. One hand was raised high, clutching a violet crystal, while the other hung in mid-air. It was the "Dance of the Dry Tears by the Dragonfly."
Legend whispered that while gods felt nothing, the Earth God had once cried without tears over a lake now lost to time.
Lìngxi and the others bowed deeply, their respect evident in the way they veiled their eyes behind their sleeves.
"Mercy for Mèi Rén... Mercy for Lànxie..."
The chant rose in unison. After a heartbeat of silence, they stood. Lìngxi caught Kage Ou's gaze for a fleeting second before removing the A Mìan from his head
. Following his lead, Kage Ou and the others removed their headwear and outer robes, handing them to attendants.
Lìngxi was handed four sticks of sandalwood. Following the ritual of the angelic cultivators, they moved in synchronization.
One, two, three... on the fifth movement, they cast the sticks to the ground.
Crack.
Every stick snapped cleanly into two.
Before they could perform the final bow, Lìngxi's breath hitched violently, as if an invisible hand had clamped around his throat. His hand flew to his neck, his eyes turning bloodshot and watery in an instant. His knees buckled, forcing him down to one joint.
Then came the violet cough.
A thick, violent spray of blood erupted from his throat, slapping against the cold ground with such force that crimson droplets splattered across the feet of the Earth God's statue.
"Lìngxi?!" Kage Ou's eyes widened, the peace of the ritual shattered by a sudden, horrific violence. He rushed forward, reaching for his friend as the white ice turned a gruesome red.
--------◇------●-------◇------
Hello, my dear Tearstones!
Long time no see. I know it's been a while. But the way you all stayed—it pulled me back here, even between exams.
Since I have English on Sunday, it won't be too distracting to gift you this chapter. The next one might come after this, if I get the chance to write—or I might just work on the other version.
If you don't know, the V2 title has been renamed to Black Peacock's Tearstone Cultivation. Our legendary novel needs a legendary name, don't you think? I don't think any other name could fit it now.
I really want to thank you all for staying by my side this whole time. Thank you for almost 190k views!
And if, somehow, this version reaches 500 collections, I'll drop V2 once I've completed 2–4 volumes and fixed the typos.
I hope you'll stay with me until the end of our journey♡
"Wèi never lets go of those who care for Wèi."
– Wèi Yīlíng❤🖤
"I do not lie."
– Hàng Wàng Wùjī💜🤍
"All I want you to do is trust me."
– Lìngxiāo💛🤎
"Nothing goes to waste. Every breath and every tear has a story."
– Lìngxì💙🤍