Ch10 - Conscientious Sect Siblings

Chang Ye was a classic example of a pure child. His eyes contained only an innocent love, very different from both Li Huanhan and Qin Jun.

Kids that could cry and be mischievous naturally received more attention. Jiang Yinghe felt paternal love well up from his heart when he looked into the youth’s beautiful and moist eyes. He examined the wounds on Chang Ye’s hand and softened his voice, “Considering your recent arrival, your Shixiong has been overly strict with you.”

Chang Ye nuzzled into his lap pitifully, “I don’t think Li-shixiong likes me a lot.”

“How can that be?” replied Jiang Yinghe, who at this point had permanent rose-coloured glasses on when it came to his disciples, “He doesn’t instruct any other sect siblings so he is more attentive to you.”

His slightly cool fingertip stopped at the edge of the cut. A chilly stream of spiritual energy emerged with a hand sign and covered the area, numbing it.

Chang Ye peered at him out of the corner of his eyes while thinking about Li Huanhan’s bloodthirsty gaze. The half of his lips that were covered by the mask twitched.

Attentive? That lunatic was possessive to a psychotic degree. If he had really just been a talented youth, that ‘kind and attentive’ Li-shixiong would have probably already scattered his ashes off the mountain.

Even if this grated on him, he swallowed back the blood that threatened to come up his throat and focused on the eyebrows of Jiang Yinghe.

He had slept for too long. Jiang Yinghe was the first person he saw after he woke up.

The cold spiritual energy gradually closed the sword wound. The wavering candlelight seemed to illuminate a kinder side of his Shizun.

Chang Ye moved closer.

Jiang Yinghe only noticed when he finished healing the cut on his hand. His little disciple was warm and his gaze was like a crystal clear pond.

“Shizun,” his voice was soft like cotton, “can I sleep with you tonight? It’s raining.”

“What about the rain?” Jiang Yinghe asked.

Change Ye hesitated a bit. “I-It was raining when that devil kidnapped me to the Frozen Plains. I’m a bit, a bit.…..”

His features were too perfect and gave off an androgynous feeling. Even wearing a half mask, he was a beauty worth launching a hundred ships for. He was even more charming now with his eyes filled with tears. Jiang Yinghe was touched and pitied this child even more.

He stopped Chang Ye from continuing and rubbed his soft black hair. “Don’t be afraid, Shizun is here.”

Jiang Yinghe was actually not very good at comforting others, but his words seemed to hit the spot this time.

Chang Ye nodded at him before diving into Shizun’s fragrant embrace. This recently awakened archdevil was thinking about how to protect the overly kind cultivator before him even though he had not recovered yet.

He could not let someone who treated the devils of the Frozen Plains with respect be ruined by that red-eyed demon…..Count it as his gratitude for unlocking his icy prison.

He found a suitable excuse to explain away the blossoming feelings of warmth and love in his chest.

The rain continued to fall as he entered a restful slumber.

Countless years later, he would look back on these lies and feel his heart beat a fraction of how fast it had pounded then.

—-

The headway he had been making with the ‘A Jiang Shizun System’ has stalled.

Jiang Yinghe wiped down Wangchen with a dissatisfied air as he glanced at the stagnant progress bars.

Chang Ye was improving by leaps and bounds each day and Huanhan was a half-step from the Primordial God stage. Although Jun-er was out right now on an excursion, he shouldn’t be far behind according to his original pace.

Jiang Yinghe cast a suspicious glance at the display in the top-right corner of his vision. He was beginning to think that it wasn’t just measuring cultivation progress but probably other variables as well.

A loud crash from outside Qing Jing Peak interrupted his musings. Even the dozing crane spirits were startled and quiet voiced their discontent from the yard.

Then the main doors opened violently as a giant brute of a beast blocked the entrance. It roared several times in pain. The devilish aura rolling off him could almost run a person over.

Jiang Yinghe noticed the silver longsword embedded in its hide.

Isn’t that……Jun-er’s sword?

The sheer volume of the devil beast was loud enough to disturb the entire sect.

Before Jiang Yinghe could say something, the beast deflated like a balloon that had been cut, gradually morphing into a man that collapsed onto the ground, revealing the person behind him. They pulled out Zhanyun from its back.

Qin Jun returned his sword to its scabbard and saluted Jiang Yinghe. The lines of his face were sharp and those steel-gray eyes gave people the feeling that he could even cut down his martial siblings without even blinking.

“Shizun,” he had rushed back after hearing that Jiang Yinghe had exited seclusion. He seemed quite pleased right now. “this overgrown animal ambushed this disciple on his way back, which is why I’ve brought him here. I’ll rip out his core to feed to the cranes later.”

Jiang Yinghe was made speechless by those words. He glanced at the figure writhing around in pain and said, “A devil at the Primordial God stage. Is he a follower of Devil Baron Jiuying?”

Qin Jun replied, “It’s just an overgrown animal. I heard that Shizun took in a new disciple from the Frozen Plains where devils congregate. Let Shixiong take a look.…..”

He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and turned to look at Change Ye, who was attracted by the devil beast’s screams. This little half masked shidi of his was trembling behind a tree, apparently frightened by him.

“Your shidi’s facial injury was due to a devil, and his spiritual veins have been frozen and shattered. It will be difficult for him to cultivate.” Jiang Yinghe said, “Jun-er, don’t scare him.”

Qin Jun nodded. The devil at his feet froze when he saw Chang Ye. Then an inhuman shriek came from his throat, as if he wanted to say something. He finally spat out a mouthful of blood and smashed his head on the ground to render himself unconscious out of fear.

Qin Jun smiled meaningfully, “If that’s the case, then Shidi must really hate these evil abominations, right?”

Chang Ye rolled the words ‘evil abominations’ over his tongue. He glanced at the devil on the ground, “Devils that peacefully cultivate and those that use evil practises are like oil and water, they don’t mix. Demons and undead on the other hand are the natural enemies of all living things. Right, Shixiong?”

Qin Jun glared at him before looking at Jiang Yinghe only to find that his Shizun had drawn close to the beast.

Jiang Yinghe calmly stated, “According to the terms of the treaty signed long ago with Devil King Jiuying, your attack on this master’s disciple forfeits your right to its protections. Your punishment will be decided by us.”

The beast shifted its posture so that it could look at this immortal cultivator. The wounds inflicted by Zhanyun were still bleeding.

The mask-wearing youth gave off a terrifying scent unique to devils of pure lineage. The last embers of his will to fight were stamped out when he saw him. The same went for that Qin Jun who was far stronger than he should’ve been for a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Jiang Yinghe sighed and said to Qin Jun, “It is true that the devil race cannot be lumped into a single group. You should also stay your sword to prevent your future tribulations from becoming troublesome.”

Qin Jun had never been concerned with the difficulty of heavenly tribulations. After all, he was already the type of existence most hated by the Dao, so a few more lives were nothing to him. But when Jiang Yinghe admonished him out of worry, it made his heart that had been still for many years beat violently in his chest.

That rich fragrance that emanated from his soul was so delicious…..Qin Jun moved closer and was about to touch Jiang Yinghe’s sleeve when his shidi who was just ‘a little scared’ suddenly became ‘very scared’ and jumped into Shizun’s arms.

Qin Jun’s arm froze in midair. He suddenly understood Li Huanhan’s feelings towards their ‘pure’ and ‘delicate’ shidi.

“Why don’t Shixiong and I teach him together?”

Author’s Corner

Qin Jun: Don’t be scared, none of us are good people.

Oh the author also clarified the cultivation stages in the world. It goes:

Foundation Building – Divine Spirit – Golden Core – Nascent Soul – Primordial God – Weakened Cave – Ascension