57: Chapter 10: Resolving Grudges

However, before the tears could fall from his eyes, they were frozen by the biting cold wind.

The cold wind was like a knife, cutting at Chen Jianshen's face.

He looked at the Qi Gathering Pills floating before him, and a flame of anger burned in his eyes uncontrollably.

The pills glowed faintly under the dim blue cold light, as if mocking his predicament.

His fingers trembled slightly, yet he stubbornly maintained a stiff posture.

"Cousin, your plan is quite good," Chen Jianshen's voice was as cold as ice, "First you have me imprisoned here, and then you bestow spiritual medicine. Is it so I will owe you this favor?"

Chen Jiancang's brows furrowed slightly. In this bone-chilling cold wind, he still maintained his usual composure.

"Jianshen, I never thought of having you owe me any favor. I just don't want you to suffer in prison. The matter of the Spirit Field was due to my lack of careful consideration, which implicated you in making a mistake. Furthermore, Seventeenth Uncle-Grandfather has been kind to me, and I can't bear to see him toil and worry over your matter, so I wanted to do my best to compensate."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jianshen abruptly scattered the Qi Gathering Pills.

The pills rolled on the icy surface, making a crisp sound. Sparks of anger shot out from his eyes: "Compensate? That's easy to say! I'm locked up here, suffering torture, my dignity swept away. Can a few pills compensate for that?"

Chen Jiancang looked at the scattered pills on the ground, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes.

He squatted down and picked up the pills one by one, his movements gentle and persistent. "Jianshen, I know you are angry, but honestly ask yourself, was there any morality in your actions? Did you consider the Chen Family rules? The matter of the Spirit Field was due to my improper consideration and handling, but it was reasonable and compliant."

"Yet you attacked me heavily outside the Market. If I hadn't happened to use the Golden Light Talisman, serious injury would have been unavoidable."

"What deep hatred do we have? Was the matter of the Spirit Field alone worth you striking such a heavy blow? You even falsely accused me of colluding with rogue cultivators. Don't you know that the Chen Family has always had a zero-tolerance attitude towards rogue cultivators?"

"However, considering your young age and lack of discretion, I will not pursue the matter further. I even went to the Law Enforcement Hall to plead for you. Although the result was not ideal, I truly had no intention of scheming against you."

"Whether you understand or not, you must accept these pills. The Ice Hell is a bitter and cold place. With these Qi Gathering Pills, you won't have to be stingy with your spiritual energy to resist the cold, and you can Cultivate with peace of mind."

Seventeenth Uncle-Grandfather's voice was choked with emotion: "Shen'er, just listen to your grandfather's advice. Jiancang is truly doing this for your own good. Now that you are in prison, with the help of these pills, you can endure this hardship."

Chen Jianshen turned his head away, his teeth clenched, making a slight clicking sound. The cold wind brushed against his taut jaw, and his Adam's apple moved slightly. In the end, he still didn't say another word.

Chen Jiancang gently placed the green jade box in front of the dark ice bars: "Jianshen, I'll leave the pills here. If you change your mind, take them. Uncle-Grandfather and I will come back in a few days. No matter what you think, I hope we can turn hostility into friendship."

As the massive dark iron gate slowly closed, the coldness once again enveloped the entire ice prison.

Chen Jianshen looked at the green jade box lying quietly in front of the bars, and past events flooded his mind like a tide.

In the past, although he and Chen Jiancang had small frictions, they could be considered harmonious. Now, because of a dispute over a Spirit Field, they had reached this point.

His stubbornness was like a sharp sword, stabbing his own heart. The moment his fingertips touched the lid of the box, a warm current spread from his fingertips throughout his body. At that moment, he seemed to see a glimmer of hope, but in the next second, he personally extinguished it.

The cold wind howled, and the ice shards collided, making a crisp sound. This sound seemed to be accompanying the tense confrontation, and also seemed to be telling some unspeakable secret.

Chen Jianshen huddled in the corner. The cold air penetrated his bones, but it couldn't extinguish the turmoil in his heart.

The suppressed emotions were like trapped beasts, crashing back and forth in his chest.

He began to doubt whether he was truly terribly wrong, whether he had truly misunderstood Chen Jiancang's good intentions.

"Was I wrong?"

The light from outside the cave refracted through the ice crystals, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground. Chen Jianshen gazed at these light and shadows, as if seeing the hope and despair of the future intertwined.

The cold wind still raged, and Chen Jianshen huddled in the corner of the ice prison, the struggle in his heart like a flame in the cold wind, flickering on and off.

He reached out and touched the green jade box. A trace of warmth still lingered on the surface of the box, the temperature left by Chen Jiancang when he left.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally reached out and opened the box.

The cold light of the Qi Gathering Pills shone on his face. He took a deep breath and put a pill into his mouth.

A pure and vast spiritual energy surged into his body. He silently circulated his Cultivation Technique, dispelling some of the cold.

His eyes gradually calmed down, and he began to reflect on his past.

Thinking of Chen Jiancang's back as he left, thinking of Seventeenth Uncle-Grandfather's choked voice, thinking of those past times, a complex emotion surged into his heart.

He closed his eyes, letting the memories flood in like a tide.

If he hadn't acted on impulse and gone to question, he wouldn't have been humiliated, and even more so, he wouldn't have attacked Chen Jiancang outside the Market. That was the real fuse that turned the two against each other.

He thought of his actions at the time, and a hint of regret couldn't help but arise in his heart.

"I was wrong..."

On the other side, after Chen Jiancang and Chen Yinzhang left the Ice Hell, the cold wind was still biting, but the two had different thoughts in their hearts.

Chen Jiancang walked in front, his steps steady, but his heart was restless. He looked back at the ice prison gradually disappearing in the distance, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. Chen Yinzhang followed behind, his head lowered, seemingly thinking about something.

"Jiancang, do you think Jianshen will accept the pills?" Chen Yinzhang finally asked, his voice carrying a hint of worry.

Chen Jiancang didn't answer immediately, but continued walking forward. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly said, "I think he will."

If Chen Jianshen was a smart person, he wouldn't refuse. If he was still as stubborn as before, then Chen Jiancang wouldn't need to repair their relationship anymore.

Chen Jiancang was not at fault, yet he had already retreated to this point. If Chen Jianshen was still unforgiving, it would be a bit too much.

Chen Yinzhang nodded, but his heart felt a little heavy. He knew that Chen Jianshen's temper had always been stubborn, but his thoughts were relatively simple, and at heart, he wasn't bad.

By the time they returned to Xiao Yun Mountain, the sky was already dark. Chen Jiancang fed some demon beast meat to Crimson Sky, then flew towards Chen's Treasure Pavilion.

The Qi Gathering Pills that were originally refined to complete the task were all given to Chen Jianshen today. He needed some Qi Gathering Pill Materials to refine them again.