Ch12 - How to Kill a Man

The Sword Conference that was held every one hundred years took place either in Peng Lai or He Huan sect.

He Huan’s ideology set them apart from the majority of righteous cultivators, but they could not truly be called a demonic sect since they caused no harm to civilians. Their sect master was crippled a few hundred years ago, and so the majority of his duties were delegated to the deputy sect master Tong Guiyu.

Peng Lai sect consisted mostly of sword cultivators, so this grand event was highly anticipated and discussed amongst the disciples.

“Isn’t sending ten cloud vessels a little too conspicuous?” said a disciple in green as he elbowed his shixiong beside him, “I thought our Sect Master preferred to stay under the radar.”

The spiritual vessels resembled clouds and unfurled in response to the winds. They could travel thousands of kilometers a day and carry a great deal as well. It was truly magnificent to see so many assembled in the skies.

“Consider the occasion,” the elder disciple who already had a weapon replied, “the Sword Conference only happens once in a century unlike the competitions that occur every ten years. And this time Xuan Wei Xianjun will also be attending.”

“Jiang Xianjun?!” The other exclaimed. He continued in a quieter voice, “Is it for that rumoured last disciple of his?”

After the one called Chang Ye was taken in by the Xianjun, some people in the sect have been speculating that Xuan Wei Xianjun wouldn’t be accepting any more disciples.

“Last disciple, huh.” The elder disciple grit his teeth, “Is he another monster like Li Huanhan or Qin Jun? I don’t know how they’re cultivating to always be one step ahead of everyone else. It must be due to the Xianjun’s tutelage….”

All the cloud vessels suddenly shook as if they had received a command.

Everyone immediately went silent. Then the elder disciples controlling the vessels could all be seen kneeling skyward, with their hands cupped and their weapons disarmed.

“What.….what’s going.….” A younger disciple stared at the scene in confusion and was just about to ask what was happening before his shixiong pushed him down. He pointed to the sky.

The disciple in green peered upward cautiously. Above their heads, seven humongous white spirit cranes pulled a carriage draped in silvery gauze behind them.

“Jiang Xianjun has arrived.” whispered his shixiong, “We’re taking off our weapons to show respect to the millennia he has dedicated to the study of the sword. To have Jiang Xianjun accompany us is an honour that comes once in a lifetime.”

After the disciples paid their respects, the cloud vessels split and surged towards the horizon. The carriage above them brought up the rear.

Inside, Jiang Yinghe perused the latest edition of the Sword Viewing Scroll, but he was still unable to find a suitable weapon for Chang Ye.

There were countless swords listed inside, and a few would be awarded to the best performing contestants at the Sword Conference as encouragement for the younger generation.

Jiang Yinghe read it several times, then closed his eyes to think about it some more. He heard familiar footsteps approach.

He didn’t need to look to know that it was Li Huanhan.

The sound of tea pouring could be heard. Its warm, delicate scent spread through the room.

Jiang Yinghe opened his eyes to see a cup being presented to him. He praised his disciple in his heart as he took a sip. “Where’s Jun-er?”

Those blood-red eyes flashed with a hint of barely restraint resentment. Li Huanhan replied evenly, “A few devils from the Wind Tribe drew near as we crossed over the central province. Qin-shidi is offering protection to the cloud vessels below.”

Jiang Yinghe nodded. As he thought, those words of rebuke from that ‘Hundred Year Ranking of Notable Cultivators’ were pure rubbish.

“Go help him if necessary,” he ordered.

Jiang Yinghe was about to rub his head like he always did when he noticed how tall the other had become. When he went to withdraw his hand from midair, it was captured in Li Huanhan’s grasp.

The fingers of sword cultivators tended to be long and deceptively strong. Yet the hand that had held a blood-red sword for so long was afraid to hold his Shizun’s snow-white skin with too much force.

The thought only passed through his head for a moment before Li Huanhan remembered that the person in front of him was a Xianjun who had already passed two Hollowed Cave tribulations. He wasn’t a fragile ornament, and his hesitation could one day come back to bite him.

Although Jiang Yinghe’s skin was pleasantly cool like a piece of jade, it felt like he was being burned where they made contact. Li Huanhan felt his ancient heart skip a beat. He quickly let go of his Shizun and said, “This disciple will go help.”

There was a strangely hasty quality to his voice. The way he released his hand also felt weird.

Jiang Yinghe was still holding his tea in one hand as he watched his normally tactile first disciple hurry out of the crane-drawn carriage. He glanced at his wrist, then at Li Huanhan’s rapidly departing back with confusion.

“What’s the matter with him?” Jiang Yinghe couldn’t figure it out after some time. He rubbed his cup and came to the conclusion that maybe his disciple was all grown up and didn’t want head pats from his Shizun anymore.

—-

The farthest cloud vessel was empty except for Qin Jun.

The statement that he was ‘offering protection to the cloud vessels’ was only half true.

They would be attacked by those wind devils if he wasn’t here, but Qin Jun was actually guarding someone else.

Several wind devils made contact with the silver-gray sword’s edge. Their blood slowly trickled down the sharp surface. With a single movement, Qin Jun hacked open several devils’ skulls to reveal the devil cores within.

Suddenly, the sound of a flute pierced through the clouds and swept the two cores into another person’s waiting hand.

Qin Jun turned around to glare at the mask-wearing Chang Ye standing on the edge of the vessel. He was wearing clothes suitable for a night hunt with his long black hair flowing freely in the wind.

Chang Ye tossed the cores in the air a few times, before throwing them into his mouth like they were candy. The sound of crunching could be heard. He smiled at Qin Jun as if he really meant no harm.

“Qin-shixiong,” Chang Ye said with a great deal of mirth, “thanks for treating me.”

Qin Jun remained where he was with Zhanyun vibrating dangerously in his hand. His lips twitched to reveal a bloodthirsty grin.

“I have something even better here, would little Shidi like to try some?”

Chang Ye looked at him with his head in his hands. Half of his face was as pretty as a picture, and the other half was covered by a pure black mask. He yawned before replying, “Judging by your insatiable appetite, does Shixiong want to eat me? I heard that the souls of righteous cultivators are considered a delicacy to ghosts, is that true?”

He seemed to be genuinely curious, but also as if he was just joking. “Isn’t that right, Qin-shixiong? You would know considering you’re a bloodless, fleshless wraith.”

Qin Jun’s body was just a vessel. His true power could only be released after abandoning his mortal guise.

“Wraith……” Qin Jun repeated the word, a look of ridicule in his steel-gray eyes. “And what about you? You stink of blood, just like a devil beast.”

Chang Ye’s face showed none of his anger. He laughed while nodding, “Shixiong must love to hunt beasts like me. Like these wind devils, or that guard dog back at the sect, and even……”

He raised his hand, revealing a lustrous pearl that shone with an inner light. It was being rolled between Chang Ye’s fingers.

“……A dragon from the depths of the sea.” Chang Ye stared at him and said, “Qin-shixiong, did you really think the Shizun treasured your little gifts?”

His fingertips tightened and shattered the dragon pearl. Dust rained down from his hand.

“Qin Jun,” there was a wicked smile on Chang Ye’s fair face, “you have no place in Jiang Yinghe’s heart, so you might as well give up on your dreams to deceive or eat him.”

The remains of the pearl were scattered by the wind.

The gray youth in front of him was motionless, his eyes open but unseeing. Cold air was drawn into his lungs.

Qin Jun’s murderous intent reached a crescendo as the noise emanated from his silver sword became louder.

From a certain perspective, Chang Ye accomplished his goal.

This wraith was truly angry now.

—-

The dimensional array he put down visibly rippled.

Li Huanhan raised his head to where Qin Jun used to be standing. He could sense a strong devilish energy from inside the layer of enchantment.

It was that little shidi of his.

Li Huanhan set another layer and glanced at the unsuspecting Peng Lai disciples on the other cloud vessels. He moved to stand above the array and expressionlessly watched as the two exchanged blows.

A chilling column of miasma crept up one side of the dimension’s boundaries, sticky and viscous like tar. And the supposedly ‘innocent and pure’ shidi who ‘just started to cultivate’ had characteristic devil markings appearing on his face. He gave off the aura of an ancient archdevil.

Li Huanhan observed dispassionately from the sidelines. Trying to decipher the identities of the other two, he turned his attention to his palm.

A blood-red eyeball appeared from a crack in the middle and exclaimed, “How did you manage to contain devilish energy this pure in a dimensional array?! Xuehe? Xuehe?!”

Li Huanhan replied, “This lord merely secured it with a second layer of enchantments. Can you discern anything about their origins?”

The eyeball spun for a bit, like it wanted to haggle prices with Li Huanhan. In the end it backed off and started to work. “That gray-haired one resembles the Spirit Patriarch from three thousand years ago who was able to subsume thousands of worlds with the Zhanyun sword. I heard that he was born a resentful ghost, so his spirit was scattered by heavenly lightning during ascension…… Can’t believe this guy came back from that.”

Li Huanhan confirmed his guess. He asked, “And the other one?”

“The other one is like…..his markings are like Tianhou’s from historical records. That thing used to be huge……”

“Understood.” Li Huanhan clenched his fist. The eyeball immediately sunk back into his flesh. With a gesture, he summoned his blood sword and glided past the dimension’s boundaries, stepping in between the two.

He raised a hand and collapsed the array while saying in a cold voice, “Settle down. You won’t be able to kill anyone like this.” His tone shifted slightly before continuing, “Besides, you’ll disturb Shizun’s tea time.”

Author’s Corner

Jiang Yinghe: My disciples are obedient and kind, warm and loving…… I’m not blind you guys!

Everyone else: .…..Xianjun, please get the prescription on your rose-coloured glasses checked.

Jiang Yinghe’s just chilling and drinking tea while all this is happening below him lol.