Chapter 69

Even after finishing off that demonic cultivator, Cheng Qian is still restless, as if a bone were stuck in his throat.

Is it really that serious? He himself makes fun of his most senior brother all the time, disregarding the hierarchy. However, the discomfort doesn’t go away, as if something in him has been poked at.

In this mood, Cheng Qian is mad at Han Yuan too. What kind of lowlives has he been hanging out with all these years?

Slapping him really wasn’t enough.

Knowing that Tang Zhen definitely won’t wait for him after acquiring the Ice-hearted Fire, Cheng Qian doesn’t stay. He ruthlessly cuts off the Nanjiang demonic cultivators and leaves this infernal place. However, he doesn’t know where to go. Logically, he is already done with his task, so he should return to the North with his most senior brother. However, for some reason, Cheng Qian doesn’t want to face Yan Zhengming at the moment.

That day seems to be a day when his wishes are granted. Just as he reaches the outskirts of Nanjiang, Cheng Qian runs into Zhuang Nanxi, who has been waiting for him for a while.

Zhuang Nanxi let all of his fellow disciples leave, and has been staying behind at this spot and waiting for a good while. As soon as he sees Cheng Qian, he comes to greet him. “Senior Cheng! Thank you for saving us. Without you, we would have all died here.”

This young man is very clever. His ability isn’t poor either, so Cheng Qian has good impression of him. Waving his hand, he says, “No need to stand on ceremony. I’m no senior. It’s nothing, I just happened to be there.”

Zhuan Nanxi looks a bit confused. “Senior, then you infiltrated Zhaoyang City only because that ice stone?”

Cheng Qian doesn’t know why he would ask such a question. He doesn’t take issue with it either, saying. “That’s true. What’s the matter?”

Zhuang Nanxi says with some haste. “A few days ago, we fell into the trap of those demonic cultivators. A junior sister from my sect was lucky enough to escape. Senior, when I saw you, I thought you were reinforcement she brought.”

Cheng Qian says, “Wouldn’t your junior sister have a means to contact your home sect? Why should she have brought a random stranger to save you?”

Zhuang Nanxi can’t find any reply. He smiles ruefully. “About that… ‘junior sister’ is just my way to address her. She is… a friend on the same path. Uhm, I think you might meet her already.”

In fact, Cheng Qian only asks out of whims. He isn’t really interested in the topic, so he says, “You wait for me here specifically because of her? What does she look like?”

Zhuang Nanxi immediately launches into an enthusiastic description, using all flowery words. After a tidal wave of ‘the moon pales next to her’, all Cheng Qian can get out of him is that the person is a beautiful woman. The rest of the speech is all useless. The question slips out of Cheng Qian’s lips. “Is she your lover?”

Zhuang Nanxi: “…”

He doesn’t expect to be asked so bluntly, so he glances at Cheng Qian with embarrassment, as a blush spreads all over his face. For a man, Zhuang Nanxi has eyes that are too lively, as if they could speak. All of his feelings can be read from them.

Cheng Qian inwardly frowns, as he can’t help being reminded of the farce of the demonic cultivators in Zhaoyang City. He thinks to himself, “Why don’t you concentrate on your cultivation instead of wasting time on such frivolity? How can you call yourself a disciple of a great sect? Looks like you can’t even compare to the mourners on Azure Dragon Island. At least they have some focus.”

As soon as that thought flashes in his head, Cheng Qian immediately loses all patience to deal with Zhuang Nanxi. However, in light of the fact that he is a disciple of White Tiger Estate and they’ll likely meet again, he has to suppress that sentiment.

After all, cultivators are still human. They can’t avoid getting entangled in the usual affairs of life. Even if Cheng Qian doesn’t care about himself, he has to keep in mind what’s good for his sect. No matter how impatient he is, he has to make an effort, so he says, “Cultivating women I’ve met aren’t that different from your descriptions. I can’t tell her apart just with that.”

“Right, right, I overlook that,” Zhuang Nanxi rubs his hands with some embarrassment, then continues, “She has an elegant face. There is a cinnabar beauty mark on her forehead. It really stands out, so you’ll definitely remember it if you have met her.”

Cheng Qian: “…”

He asks out of empty courtesy. Unexpectedly, he has really seen that person. Many people decorate themselves with a cinnabar beauty mark on the forehead, but very few are born with it. Isn’t the person Zhuang Nanxi describes the dead woman outside the pavillion?”

She didn’t escape under the cover of the chaos. She was unsuccessful.

Cheng Qian wants to say a chilly ‘condolences’. However, as he looks into Zhuang Nanxi’s eyes, he can’t say anything for some reason. Cheng Qian very rarely sees something like that in cultivators. That desire and longing, as if simply describing the person to a stranger is enough to bring great joy to him.

“Still lost in his obsession,” Cheng Qian thinks to himself.

Despite that thought, his earlier overwhelming annoyance fades away. Someone with so much love and loyalty, no matter what kind of love that is, will move hearts.

In that moment, Cheng Qian doesn’t know what to say to Zhuang Nanxi.

Seeing that Cheng Qian doesn’t reply, disappointment passes by Zhuang Nanxi’s face as he says, “Oh, looks like she missed you. Let me look around for her.”

Cheng Qian suddenly says, “To daydream about a female cultivator who has nothing to do with you, don’t you mind that it may affect your cultivation?”

In his impression, mortals get married only for the needs of their daily life, to take care of the chores and continue the family line. Cultivators don’t need to worry about these issues. Furthermore, in the righteous path, cultivating one’s energy requires connection with heaven and earth, as well as a pure mind that is free from desires. Therefore, cultivators become partners mostly to establish relations between sects for exchange of cultivating techniques.

They have to struggle against heaven and earth, against the cruelty of society, and against demons in their own hearts. Except for demonic cultivators, who indulge their vices, who wants to fall into something as pointless as romantic love?

However, Cheng Qian regrets it as soon as the words leave his lips. He tells himself, “That was absurd. It has nothing to do with you. Why would you ask?”

Fortunately, Zhuang Nanxi doesn’t mind. He says casually, “My seniors at White Tiger Estate said something similar. She is a rogue cultivator who has nothing to her name too. But that’s no problem. I’d love her even if she were a mortal.”

Cheng Qian says coolly, “It’s rare for mortals to live to seventy years.”

To put it harshly, mortals to cultivators aren’t that different from dogs and cats to humans. Their companionship only last for a few decades. One has to take care of the funeral just as the bond starts. The relationship can’t last. It’s barely enough to cause grief.

Zhang Nanxi smiles. “That’s fine too. If necessary, I’ll destroy my cultivation base, and live with her as a short-lived mortal couple. As long as it doesn’t go against morals, I’m willing to do anything for her.”

Cheng Qian: “…”

On one hand, he is stunned a little by Zhuang Nanxi’s rebellious thought. On the other hand, he feels lucky that he wasn’t so hasty as to blurt out the truth. Feeling some sympathy, Cheng Qian decides to hide the fact that the unknown female cultivator is already dead. With time, maybe Zhuang Nanxi will give up on her if he can’t find her?

As if he feels it himself that he has been saying too much, Zhuang Nanxi embarrassedly says, “Senior, I won’t bother you with something so frivolous like this. Huh?”

As they talk, there is a cold light that flashes on the horizon then explodes like fireworks, which can be seen from everywhere.

“That’s the signal of Black Tortoise Hall to summon their disciples,” Zhuang Nanxi says, his tone somewhat doubtful, “This is strange. Senior Bian has been secluding himself from worldly affairs from a long time. Why would he travel all the way to Nanjiang?”

Cheng Qian asks, “Black Tortoise Hall of the Four Sages? Aren’t they in the Far North?”

“Indeed,” Zhuang Nanxi says, “Black Tortoise Hall and my home sect White Tiger Estate face each other across the great ice field, so we have always been friendly. Since they are already here, I should meet and greet them. Senior Cheng, do you have to be somewhere else? If not, why don’t you join me?”

That’s indeed what Cheng Qian wants. Feeling that his effort to suffer this boy’s ramblings about silly romantic feelings has paid off, he happily follows Zhuang Nanxi.

From a distance, it can be seen that black flags cover a corner of the sky. Zhuang Nanxi’s face looks even more serious. “With this formation, looks like the Supreme Elder of Black Tortoise Hall has come himself. Alas, I heard that the whole world shook as the snake ascended to a dragon in Nanjiang. Will it be a good or bad thing?”

Cheng Qian says nothing. He already senses an overwhelming aura from the sky. Back then, when Lord Gu fell and the Eastern Sea shook, the atmosphere was just like this. Since Cheng Qian left Mingming Valley, this is the first powerful cultivator who makes Cheng Qian feel under pressure, which brings back memories of the trip to Azure Dragon Island.

From far away, Zhuang Nanxi already introduces himself. “I am a disciple of White Tiger Estate, named Zhuang Nanxi. I’m here on a mission at my Master’s order. Greetings to you, Seniors from Black Tortoise Hall.”

As soon as the introduction is over, the pressure around noticeably decreases, as if making way for him.

Walking under the sea of black flags behind Zhuang Nanxi, Cheng Qian sees many cultivators clad in black robes. A faint frosty energy emanates from them, creating a wintry zone in the South. Some of the cultivators present recognise Zhuang Nanxi and make way for him. Some even nod in greeting at him.

Looking up, Cheng Qian sees a flying horse carriage under the sea of flags. The horses are all equipped in heavy-looking steel armours. A middle-aged man stands in front of the carriage, his electric eyes glancing at him. Zhuang Nanxi steps forward and greets ‘Supreme Elder’. After a short small talk, the Supreme Leader looks at Cheng Qian as if unable to help it. “This gentleman is…”

As the two powers meet each other, the ancient ice lake encountering the endless snow field, Cheng Qian feels his fighting instinct is provoked. He calms himself, keeps down Shuang Ren, which is trembling anxiously in his hand, and raises his voice to answer.

At that moment, someone shouts from the side. “Supreme Leader! I recognise him. It’s him!”

“It’s me what?” Cheng Qian is startled. Before he can think further, the one that shouted already draws his sword and charges at him.

Meanwhile, at thousands of miles away, Yan Zhengming has followed the hearsay about the demonic dragon all the way to the Central Plain. He has been turning over three coins in his hands, but hasn’t found anything.

Bach then, when they were training on Fuyao Mountain, although their Master occasionally played with the coins, he strongly opposed to attempts to divine heavenly fortunes. In addition to not teaching the arts, from time to time he displayed some well-measured mockery.

Many children are troublesome in that, if their senior says, “This is bad, don’t do it”, they’ll almost certainly want to try that thing. However, if their senior tells them, “This is something so dumb only monkeys do it”, they won’t want to touch it even after they become adults.

Although more than a hundred years have passed, Yan Zhengming still doesn’t know what to do with the coins. In this uncertain time, although he can’t resist peeking at how the fortunes may turn, he still feels that this desire to know the future is too silly.

Yan Zhengming makes a long sigh.

He doesn’t know if there is still a way back for Han Yuan, who has turned into a demonic dragon. He doesn’t know if he can see the gate to Fuyao Mountain within his lifetime either.

What he doesn’t know even more is how to face Cheng Qian.

Yan Zhengming points at the coin, which makes a ringing sound and flies into the sky, disappearing from the world.

The current sect leader of Fuyao Sect thinks helplessly to himself, “Master, what should I do?”

Unfortunately, it’s a waste of time to ask. When he was alive, his Master had only one answer: “Well, you should go with the flow.” That geezer dealt with everything the same way, and lived very comfortably. Now that he has died, he is probably even more at peace.

Cheng Qian… What’s so good about Cheng Qian?

Sect Leader Yan tries to interrogate his heart. That one has a sharp tongue and a dark heart. Based on what Yan Zhengming knows about him, with Cheng Qian’s ability to put up a calm face, he only lets out a tenth of what is in his heart. People certainly can’t imagine how nasty the inner world under that respectable facade is.

He is also extremely stubborn, and refuses to listen to reason. Furthermore, his heart is made of iron and stone, which can’t be moved no matter which tack one takes.

For someone who was in seclusion for fifty years in a place of extreme cold, during which time he took in nothing but cold water, what is beyond his ability? Whatever the case, Yan Zhengming has to admit that as a sect leader, he can’t keep that asshole of a junior brother in line.

Cheng Qian also has a bunch of insufferable bad habits. He is incredibly untidy. He would sleep before taking a bath. He can touch anything, no matter how disgusting it is. Furthermore, he never washes his hands after that. And then he is strange, in that he sees through what he shouldn’t know, but is forever clueless about what he should, so he regularly pokes at one’s sensitive points.

At first, Yan Zhengming only wants to find an excuse, but he ends up making himself so annoyed he might vomit blood.

To think about it, he loves the beautiful and hates the ugly, so he uses ‘blind’ to sneer at other people publicly or privately all these years. As it turns out, he has met his karmic retribution. Yan Zhengming mournfully realises that it’s likely he is really blind too.

Suddenly, a voice raises behind him. “Most senior brother, the coin has fallen down.”

As soon as “the coin” is said, Yan Zhengming is immediately startled, as if he were guilty of something.

Li Yun quietly flies up from behind him like a ghost. With the same ghostly aura, he stares at him without saying anything.

Feeling unsettled, Yan Zhengming glares at him. “What are you doing?”

Like a thief, Li Yun scans his surrounding then asks, “Where is Puddle?”

“Playing with fire in the back of the mountain,” Yan Zhengming says, “What are you sneaking around for?”

Puddle was very happy to discover that, after being hit by lightning, she has not only become more like a grown woman, but also gained the ability to control the True Flame. It’s still new to her, so striking the iron when it’s still hot, she has been working hard on her cultivation.

Hearing that she is not here, Li Yun immediately sits down next to Yan Zhengming.

In the beginning, as if not knowing where to start, he carefully takes a roundabout approach. “Why did you finally agree to send your treasure away?”

Someone who has shady thoughts will behave differently from an innocent. This normal question is enough to make Yan Zhengming pause despite himself. He instinctively wants to deny it with “what treasure”. However, before he can say it, he already feels that it is too forced. After a moment of confusion, he realises that Li Yun already has a plan with that question, so he annoyedly rubs his forehead and asks directly, “What do you want to say?”

Li Yun sighs, “Senior brother...”

“No need to talk about that,” Yan Zhengming cuts in. After a moment of silence, he says, “No need for you to ask. I know what to do about it in my own heart. I’m more than a hundred years old already, I know how I should behave.”

Li Yun is rarely so serious. “Yes, I know you can keep yourself in line, but what is your plan?”

Yan Zhengming is at a loss.

Giving him a look, Li Yun shakes his head and says in a low voice. “It isn’t easy to follow the path of sword cultivation. You’ve reached ‘forming the blade’ level, which is even more rare. Each step you take is like walking on knifepoint. You already have a demon of the heart, what are you going to do about that then?”

Hearing that, Yan Zhengming is a little hurt, but he doesn’t show it. He says casually as if there were nothing. “What’s the deal? The mortals, who only live for a few decades, still change their partners all the time. Obviously, being shallow is only natural. I’m no different from them. That sentiment will fade in a couple of years.”

Li Yun sighs, “Senior brother, how can a demon of the heart be formed from something that you can forget in a couple of years? You think I’m like that dumb bird Puddle, being ignorant about everything?”

Yan Zhengming: “…”

The two of them glare at each other in silence. After an indeterminable while, Li Yun begins to probe. “You… really plan to keep it a secret from Xiao-Qian? In my opinion, why don’t you…”

With a cracking sound, the coin in Yan Zhengming’s hand is broken. His face suddenly becoming colder, he interrupts Li Yun. “Don’t talk about this again.”

Li Yun says, “But…”

“No ‘but’,” Yan Zhengming’s eyes are terrifyingly chilly, which scares Li Yun. “You must not tell anyone about this, especially Cheng Qian.”

Li Yun opens his mouth as if to say something. In the end, he swallows it back and reluctantly nods.

Yan Zhengming demands. “Don’t just nod for show. Swear it!”

Li Yun says, “Oh, most senior brother…”

“Stop spouting nonsense!”

Seeing that it’s impossible to move him, Li Yun has no other choice than to raise his hand and say, “I swear I’ll keep this to myself and not let anyone else know. Otherwise…”

Yan Zhengming continues. “Otherwise you’ll be hit by lightning and die painfully.”

Li Yun immediately stands up. “Are you mad?!”

Glancing at him, Yan Zhengming says casually, “Li Yun, I realise that you’ve a bad habit: you think everyone in this world who is more daring than you is mad.”

Li Yun glares at him and says helplessly, “If the heart demon lives on for too long and your cultivation heart is damaged, what will you do?”

“If I die, you guys can pick another sect leader,” Yan Zhengming makes a stretch. “It’d be a boon, since I don’t want to be in this position for a while already. From what I heard, a primordial spirit can be reborn. What do you think about being a fox yao in the next life? If it comes to that, you guys must urge Puddle to work hard on her cultivation and become a great yao, so that she can usurp the throne to become the yao king and protect me in the future.”

His sect leader’s grand ambition makes Li Yun speechless. He is unable to find a word for a while.

Not looking at him anymore, Yan Zhengming taps his finger and sings crudely off-key. “Being born then dying, it’s a suffering to come, and it’s a suffering to go. Whether one has a chipped pot or a golden bell, in poverty or in wealth, everything passes by in haste. Whirlwind rises in the east, heavy rain falls in the west, even if one becomes a hero that transforms the world, it’s only a farce that suddenly becomes real. It’s best to be a turtle that takes in the great rivers and lakes in one gulp, then spits out the endless years…”

This is the song of the vagabonds that beg around Fuyao Estate. Hearing it, Li Yun feels very sad and worried.

From time to time, Yan Zhengming wished to be like those wanderers, because they worried about nothing in life. However, recalling how they caught lice on their heads, he no longer had that wish, feeling that he wasn’t born with the ability to call anywhere his home. Still, he remembers their beggar songs.

As Yan Zhengming tries to make himself comfortable, his heart constricts, as if his chest were hit with a hammer. The song on his lips completely ceasing, his body springs up.

“What’s it this time?” Li Yun’s eyes widen.

Yan Zhengming’s face is like a demon’s. “The puppet charm I tied on Xiao-Qian’s hair…”