Undying Life

Chapter 121: Threads of Emotion

"Dye my hair?" Bei Qingsi's expression froze momentarily, her eyes filled with astonishment.

Zhong Shan did not offer much explanation. Instead, he picked up a bowl of black water and approached Bei Qingsi. Using a brush, he dipped it into the inky, 'dirty' liquid and slowly began applying it to Bei Qingsi's beautiful silver hair.

Bei Qingsi frowned slightly. She was a person with a penchant for cleanliness, only liking the purest white. This black liquid on her hair felt like a defilement of her sacred purity.

If it were anyone else, Bei Qingsi would have slapped them away already. But since it was Zhong Shan applying the 'dirty' black liquid, she merely frowned slightly and stopped resisting.

Zhong Shan meticulously brushed the black water through Bei Qingsi's hair. His movements were gentle and thorough, causing no discomfort to her scalp.

As he brushed her hair repeatedly, his concentration seemed to affect Bei Qingsi. Her initial frown gradually relaxed, her confused eyes gently closing as she began to enjoy the soothing and comforting sensation of Zhong Shan's careful strokes.

Bei Qingsi had long hair, so dyeing it took a while. It took nearly half an hour to finish. Stepping back a little, Zhong Shan looked at her with satisfaction, though it seemed something was still missing.

Feeling that Zhong Shan had stopped brushing, Bei Qingsi slightly opened her eyes.

Seeing her gaze, Zhong Shan suddenly realized what was missing.

He walked back to Bei Qingsi. "Close your eyes," he said.

"Okay," Bei Qingsi closed her eyes gently, filled with curiosity.

Zhong Shan took out a small brush and dipped it in the black liquid, then carefully brushed it over Bei Qingsi's beautiful silver eyebrows. His touch was very careful and gentle, making Bei Qingsi feel as if each stroke was tenderly brushing her heart. In that moment, she felt as if she never wanted to open her eyes again.

"All done," Zhong Shan said with a soft laugh, putting down the small bowl.

Bei Qingsi opened her eyes slightly, a hint of confusion flashing within them.

"Wait for half an hour until it dries," Zhong Shan said with a smile.

Bei Qingsi nodded. Zhong Shan then walked to the edge of a small lake and started chiseling a rock with a large knife.

In no time, he had chiseled out a strange shape. Bei Qingsi watched for a while, unable to understand what he was doing.

Half an hour later, Zhong Shan said, "Come over here, lie down."

"Uh?" Bei Qingsi was slightly puzzled but allowed Zhong Shan to help her over. Seeing the sloped rock meant for lying down, she finally understood.

Blushing slightly, Bei Qingsi lay down gently on the sloped rock, her head resting on a protruding part of the stone, allowing her hair to hang down into the lake.

Zhong Shan crouched on a stone beside Bei Qingsi's head, gently took out a towel, dipped it in the lake water, and began washing her now black hair.

He washed her hair over and over again, his movements incredibly gentle.

Bei Qingsi, on the other hand, lay motionless, holding back her tears of emotion, biting her lips and closing her eyes.

Zhong Shan caressed Bei Qingsi's long hair, carefully washing it, constantly parting the blackened lake water, and washing it over and over again.

"This is hair dyeing. After washing your hair, the dye will not stain your clothes, and your hair and eyebrows will remain black until new hair grows out," Zhong Shan explained softly.

"Okay," Bei Qingsi responded, her voice slightly altered by emotion.

Feeling Zhong Shan's gentle washing and the light touch of the towel on her eyebrows, Bei Qingsi's chest swelled with an overwhelming emotion. At this moment, she wished she could stay like this forever. But the hatred for her family's enemies weighed heavily on her heart, reminding her that she must seek revenge.

"It's done. Take a look," Zhong Shan said, helping Bei Qingsi up with a bright smile.

Bei Qingsi's hair had turned black, as had her eyebrows. Her silver hair had been extraordinarily beautiful and elegant, but now, with black hair, she possessed a mysterious, traditional beauty.

Zhong Shan flipped his hand, producing a mirror, and handed it to Bei Qingsi. He gently untied the sheet around her neck that had been stained by the dye.

Looking into the mirror, Bei Qingsi wasn't overly excited but rather moved. When emotion surpasses excitement, even the most astonishing things lose their surprise.

"Thank you, I'm going to cultivate," Bei Qingsi said, leaving the mirror behind and quickly running into the previous cave.

Holding the mirror, Zhong Shan watched Bei Qingsi run into the cave, his brows furrowing slightly as he sighed softly.

Once inside the cave, Bei Qingsi couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and they streamed down her face.

After two incense sticks' time, Bei Qingsi felt much better. She gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, flipped her hand, and an ice block appeared in her palm. She looked at her reflection in the processed ice. Her eyebrows were black, her hair was black, and everything felt so miraculous.

Touching her hair, Bei Qingsi's eyes flashed with a faint smile. Her gaze wasn't on the ice mirror, as if she was recalling Zhong Shan's every step during the process.

Another half incense stick's time passed before Bei Qingsi snapped out of her reverie. She sighed softly, put away the ice mirror, and felt a sense of loss.

Two hundred days later, outside the wolf area, a group of people pursuing Bei Qingsi gathered in a valley.

"Sir, it's been two hundred days. We've been spreading out and watching every corner of the wolf area, but we haven't seen those two," one subordinate reported while kneeling.

The scholar-like man narrowed his eyes, constantly analyzing the current situation.

"Sir, fifty days ago, the fire wolf brought out a piece of torn clothing, which clearly belonged to that man. The remnants of the Bei family and that man must be dead. We've waited another fifty days without seeing them come out. They must be dead, their bodies devoured by wolves," another subordinate respectfully said.

The scholar-like man gave the two a cold glance, then narrowed his eyes and said, "Maybe they really are dead. Let's wait another ten days. If there's still no sign of them, we'll return to report."

"Yes," the group immediately responded, quickly dispersing and returning to their original posts.

Two hundred and twenty days later, Zhong Shan sat cross-legged at the bottom of the small lake, surrounded by mud and spirit stones. His body had adjusted to internal breathing.

During these two hundred days, Zhong Shan had been diligently working on opening his acupoints, with Bei Qingsi often assisting him in the process. The true essence stimulation had caused Zhong Shan's cultivation to progress rapidly. However, compared to those cultivation prodigies, his progress was still modest.

Finally, the opportunity for a breakthrough arrived. Zhong Shan, who should have been meditating on the shore, chose the lake bottom. He wanted to use the pressure of the lake water to break through to the seventh level of the innate stage, accumulating power for a powerful burst.

Bei Qingsi stood worriedly on the shore, her gaze fixed on the lake. Her divine sense extended into the lake, constantly monitoring Zhong Shan's condition.

On the one hundred and eightieth day in the valley, Zhong Shan had torn his clothes and found a wolf to take them out, preparing for the two hundredth day. But after some thought, he decided to hold back, realizing he was on the verge of a breakthrough, and waited another fifty days.

When Zhong Shan proposed the idea to Bei Qingsi, she readily agreed. Over the past eight months, the two had spent every day together, and a bond of affection had long since formed in Bei Qingsi's heart. Zhong Shan, too, harbored feelings for her. However, throughout this time, they both maintained propriety, each with their own plans for revenge. They refrained from discussing their personal feelings, neither taking that crucial step towards each other.

In her heart, Bei Qingsi had already grown accustomed to Zhong Shan. If it weren't for the need to avenge her family, she would truly wish to stay by Zhong Shan's side forever. She found it satisfying to help Zhong Shan with meals every day, even though she had never done such things before.

As she looked at the lake, tension flickered in Bei Qingsi's eyes, as if it were she who was undergoing the breakthrough.

Zhong Shan sat with his eyes closed, surrounded by a radiance of malevolent energy at the bottom of the lake. The crimson energy, like a blazing fire, seemed to burn the surrounding water.

Around Zhong Shan, the lake water vaporized, producing numerous bubbles that constantly rose to the surface.

Zhong Shan appeared like a flaming sun, illuminating the depths of the lake. His brow furrowed, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Ha~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Zhong Shan roared under the lake, his eyes snapping open as he exhaled a forceful stream of air, pushing the water away.

Accompanying his roar, two muffled sounds erupted from within his body.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

After the shout, Zhong Shan quickly closed his mouth and eyes, his mind once again sinking inward.

On the shore, Bei Qingsi let out a sigh of relief, her eyes softening, and a smile appeared on her lips. Zhong Shan had succeeded. She turned towards the makeshift stove Zhong Shan had set up not far away to prepare another pot of fish soup. Zhong Shan had been underwater for five days and needed sustenance.

Zhong Shan had broken through. Under the immense pressure, he had reached the seventh level of the innate stage and even opened an additional acupoint, a significant achievement.

He continuously channeled his true essence into the two acupoints, consolidating them and storing true essence to further stabilize his cultivation.

An hour later, Zhong Shan slowly rose, collecting the spirit stones around him. He stood up lightly, then swiftly propelled himself towards the surface.