Chapter 368 - Falling into Madness (1/2)
Jing Yi sighed and went back to cultivating. He had the time now, so why shouldn't he use it? Just like yesterday he sat in the lotus position and started to take in the spiritual energy. He slowly guided it through his body, making sure nothing unexpected would happen.
Unfortunately, Heaven didn't care what people planned. Not even an hour had gone by when Jing Yi's hands twitched. The spiritual energy around him got out of control and shot off in every direction. He didn't have time to care for that, though. Before he knew what was happening he fell down onto the bed again and pain shot through his body. He pressed his eyes closed and the next thing he knew he had returned to that other life.
When he opened his eyes he once again held a brush in his hand just like in the memory he had seen after eating the fruit of the Beguiling Night Tree. This time the painting wasn't finished though and what it showed …
Jing Yi stared at it through the eyes of his past life in astonishment before the other hurriedly covered it. He jumped to his feet, walked a few steps and slumped down on another chair. He sighed but still looked back at where the painting was lying on the table.
”This is madness …” His voice was low, almost inaudible. If Jing Yi hadn't relieved this as a memory, he probably wouldn't have been able to understand even if he stood just a step away from him.
His past self covered his face with a hand and averted it but in the end, he couldn't resist standing up and going back. He lifted the empty scroll he had thrown on the painted one and looked once again at the painting below, his heart thumping wildly.
Jing Yi had seen the general gist of it even before he managed to cover it but now he finally had time to take a closer look: The painting showed two men who were holding each other's hands below the branches of a pine tree. They were looking off into the distance, their faces couldn't be seen.
Still … Looking at this painting it gave off a feeling of contentment. These two men, they seemed to be happy to share this moment. The quietness that they alone enjoyed in the other's company …
Jing Yi couldn't understand how this translated to 'madness' in his previous life's eyes. Or maybe …
He tried to take a closer look at the two men to find out if they might be a depiction of himself and his lover but his past self already stood up again and slowly wandered to the door on the other side of the room. He opened it and looked at the garden outside.
”My Tian …” He sighed again, his heart squeezing painfully.
Jing Yi couldn't help but perk up. Tian? Was that the name of his past lover? Then what was his own? Nobody seemed to have used it until now.
Before he could think about it any longer there was a knock on the door on the other side of the room. ”Your Highness.”
The voice was deep and made him shudder. He instinctively clutched the frame of the door while looking over. The one behind that other door was obviously the man he longed to see.
”Your Highness?” The voice sounded again, a sliver of worry mixed in there that tugged at Jing Yi's heartstrings.
His past self couldn't refrain from slowly walking over there. He didn't dare to open the door, though. ”I'm sorry, I … I'm not feeling too well today. Please excuse me for not seeing you.”