An inexplicable familiarity surged into his chestâŚâŚ
No, it couldnât possibly be that person.
This was just another one of his vain hopes, nothing more.
Xie Huai closed his eyes tightly. After a long time, he finally loosened his grip on the teacup in his hand.
With a crack, the teacup shattered into pieces.
Tao Lu had been sitting cautiously to the side the whole time. Seeing Xie Huai shatter the teacup with his grip, he quickly cast a spell to collect the tea that was spilling in all directions, managing to prevent the scene from looking too unsightly.
Now what was wrong with Shixiong?
Tao Lu took a look at Xie Huaiâs ice-cold face which seemed to be covered in frost and didnât even dare breathe too loudly. He let out a gloomy sigh in his heart, his expression complicated and pained.
He didnât know exactly what his Shixiong had suffered at the hands of that devil nine years agoâŚâŚ
In short, after killing the devil, his Shixiongâs meridians had been completely broken, and heâd sunk into unconsciousness for more than a month before waking up. After waking up again, it was like heâd become a different personâŚâŚ
Although Xie Huai still looked about the same on the surface, Tao Lu had been at his Shixiongâs side since he was little, and he could very clearly sense that his Shixiong had changed.
The most evident change wasâ
In these nine years, Tao Lu hadnât seen his Shixiong smile even once.
If one were to say that in the past, although his Shixiong had a cold exterior, he had actually been warm and gentle inside, then right now, this person was thoroughly frozen inside and out.
His Shixiong, who had always been scarce of word, spoke even less these days, like a ten thousand year old glacier that would never melt, causing anyone who approached to be unable but to feel reverence.
Gradually, all of the sect brothers who had been close to him before didnât dare to bother him anymoreâŚâŚ
Furthermore, after the devil on Hollow Ridge died, their master had told Shixiong to come back time after time, saying that he would forever be a disciple of Cloudbank Keep, but Shixiong refused to come back and would rather keep watch all by himself on Hollow RidgeâŚâŚ
Accompanied by loneliness night and day.
Why?
Why had Shixiong become like this?
Tao Lu truly couldnât understand it. Although everyone said that the devil was evil and black-hearted to the core with enough sins to warrant a thousand deaths, he remembered very clearly that Shixiong had even spoken on that devilâs behalf at Mt. Wanxun, saying not to blindly follow the words of others, and that that devil wasnât that kind of person. At that time, Shixiongâs eyes had clearly been full of light.
Yet now, he was like a frozen shell without a soul.
Tao Lu lowered his head and picked up the fragments of the teacup on the table one by one and threw them away outside of the inn, then lifted his hand and wiped at his reddened eyes.
So, just what had that devil done to torment Shixiong? To make such a fearless person like Shixiong who held fast to his Daoist heart and wasnât even afraid of death turn into such a half-head, half-alive state?
Tao Lu couldnât imagine it.
Heâd just known that in the end, a devil was a devil. How could he have been a good person? Back then, Shixiong must have been deceived to make him fall to this state!
There were still a few Cloudbank Keep disciples downstairs who didnât even dare to come upstairs. It wasnât that Yuyi-jun was very fierceâŚâŚ
Yuyi-jun would never do much.
But even if Yuyi-jun didnât speak, they still felt enormous pressure!
It was only because Tao Lu had more courage and had always been close with Yuyi-jun before that he dared to stay beside Yuyi-jun.
Seeing Tao Luâs reddened eyes, one of the Cloudbank Keep disciples hurried over to ask with concern, âWhat happened to you?â
Tao Lu sighed. âItâs nothing.â
The disciple said, âMaybe you shouldnât go upstairs after all. Shixiong likes peace and quiet. He must not want to be disturbed.â
Tao Lu nodded, in low spirits.
Actually, they hadnât seen Shixiong in a long time, either.
This time, after hearing that the demon lord had left his treasure vault at Grieving Wind Valley, all of the sects had been stirred up, so the four great sects were naturally also sending people over.
Cloudbank Keep wasnât actually sending people over to steal treasure, but as a role model for the righteous sects of the world, they naturally had to go along to maintain order and prevent the situation from descending into violence for the sake of looting and plundering.
After considering that this trip would be extremely dangerous and would require someone who could watch over things, Elder Ming Yin had personally written to Xie Huai to ask him to lead the group during the journey.
Originally, everyone had thought that Xie Huai wouldnât go. After all, Yuyi-jun never paid attention to these mundane affairs, and it was even more impossible for him to be interested in the demon lordâs treasure vault. For the past nine years, he had never asked about what was going on in the world and rarely left the ridgeâŚâŚ But what surprised everyone was that this time, Xie Huai had actually agreed.
Their party had set out for Grieving Wind Valley, and Hualin Town was an unavoidable stop on the way to Grieving Wind Valley. Theyâd hurried on the road for over ten days in a row and were finally stopping to rest for a night at the inn in town.
Atop the inn.
Xie Huai sat alone with eyes closed, the air all around him grave like unmeltable ice.
After a long time, a trace of derision appeared at the corners of his lips.
So, exactly what was he looking forward toâŚâŚ
Going anywhere that that person had once been, searching for traces of that person in every crumb and pebble left behindâŚâŚ
But, in the end, he was only fooling himself.
Even if he flipped the whole world upside-down, he would never be able to see that person again.
Because that person was long gone.
He had been killed by his own hands.
His soul scattered to pieces, not a trace of his corpse left behind.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ
Only after Fang Li had returned to his own room did his face finally pale, his body wavering slightly.
He had only just arrived in this body and had been left with no choice but to use the power of his consciousness to forcefully apply spiritual power to the leaf and scare those two demonic cultivators away. Right now, waves of dizziness crashed against his mind.
Moreover, using this type of bluff once or twice was fine, but if used continuously, sooner or later, it would be exposed.
If those two demonic cultivators came to their senses and came back for a sneak attack, or if he encountered a stronger demonic cultivator next time, he was afraid he wouldnât have the power to protect the whole family.
Although this body of his had good potential for cultivating, unfortunately, the last ten plus years had been wasted, and this body had been continuously attacked by spiritual power, so his damaged meridians needed time to recover.
Furthermore, after being reborn, he didnât have a cent to his name. Forget these types of cultivation resources, he didnât even have half a spirit stone. Under these circumstances, regaining his power would require at least a few yearsâ time.
Originally, Fang Li had been indifferent about it. He wasnât in a hurry to gain accomplishments, only wanting to cherish his present life. But looking at it now, he still needed to recover his strength as soon as possible.
After all, he was no longer all alone without friends or family.
Fang Li pondered to himself for a moment, his expression wavering.
He recalled what was inside Grieving Wind Valley.
Back then, Yan Sui had truly collected too many spiritual stones and items, and many of them had been thrown into Grieving Wind Valley. Those things were useless to the Yan Sui of the time, but Fang Li remembered that there were a few types of spiritual herbs within them that would be perfect for helping his body recuperate right now.
Seeing as everyone who went would get a piece of the treasure, it wouldnât be overboard for him to grab a few things that had originally belonged to him anyways.
Fang Li made his decision after a bit of contemplation. Only, his current identity was that of a fool. Wandering around Hualin Town was well and fine, but if he were to go to Grieving Wind Valley on his own, his family definitely wouldnât agree. That was indeed a bit tricky.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ
These few days, Fang Li would wander around outside whenever he had nothing to do.
Every time he was about to leave the village or strayed a bit too far, the servant girl by his side would immediately grab hold of him and shepherd him back home with coaxing and persuasion.
His family treasured him like the apple of their eye and feared nothing more than that he would wander off and get lost, so they watched him extremely closely.
Later on, Fang Li simply stopped going outside.
These days, he would stay at home. He heard noises coming from the front gate, indicating that a guest had arrived.
He headed to the front hall where guests were entertained and saw a middle-aged man in long, yellow robes with a short beard. The man had two long blades at his waist, and although those blades appeared low-quality in Fang Liâs eyes, they were in fact genuine spiritual weapons. This man should be a cultivator.
Eldest Young Master Fangâs memories did include this person. In the past, heâd frequently come to their home, and he was Fang Liâs fatherâs good friend. Every time he came, he would bring delicious treats, so Young Master Fang liked this uncle very much.
Hualin Town had a little cultivation sect called Golden Blade Sect, and todayâs visitor was the Golden Blade Sectâs sect master, Lu Hongdao.
When he saw Fang Li come over, his expression was full of fondness, and he laughed in a bright voice, âSo little Li is also here. Perfect, Iâve brought your favorite Golden Silk Pear Blossom cake.â
Fang Mingyuan laughed and said, âYouâre still so polite.â
Lu Hongdao took a look at Fang Li, then turned back to Fang Mingyuan and said, âThis childâs life hasnât been easy. He should have some more delicious things to eat while he canâŚâŚ Thatâs right, is he about to turn twenty this yearâŚâŚ?â
Hearing that, Fang Mingyuanâs expression dimmed, and he nodded.
Lu Hongdao also immediately fell silent.
For a time, the atmosphere was a little solemn.
Because Fang Li was a fool, the two of them didnât hide their conversation from him in the least. He couldnât help but feel a bit puzzled. What was wrong with turning twenty?
Lu Hongdao let out a sigh and changed the topic, switching to formal matters. âIâve heard about Grieving Wind Valley, and I also plan to head over to try my luck.â
Fang Mingyuan said with a bit of worry, âIâve heard that there are hundreds of sects rushing over there. Who knows, maybe some leftover demonic cultivators will go, too. It would be better if you didnât join in, itâs still hard to say if it will bring good fortune or misfortune.â
Lu Hongdao said with a laugh, âThe four great sects have all sent people over, so nothing big should happen. Iâm just going to take a look. What if I really am able to pick up a little somethingâŚâŚ Donât worry, Iâll just follow behind the four great sects, I definitely wonât stick my neck out. Besides, if a cultivator never struggles for anything at all, then what kind of piss-poor cultivating would they be doing?â
Fang Mingyuan said helplessly, âI think that living a good, honest life is pretty good, too.â
Lu Hongdao said with a laugh, âYouâre always like this. Thatâs why back then, you wouldnât enter the sect even if someone were to stick a knife to your throat. You only wanted to become a rich old man.â
Fang Mingyuan said, âBeing a rich old man has its own delights. I knew full well that I donât have that ability, so I didnât want to bother wasting my efforts.â
Lu Hongdao smiled. âAnyways, I only came to give little Li some treats today, and also to tell you that it might take a while before I return from this trip.â
Fang Mingyuan said, âBe careful on your way.â
After that, Lu Hongdao left.
Fang Liâs expression shifted, and he turned to head out the door.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ
Golden Blade Sect was only a little cultivation sect, but it still had hundreds of members. Lu Hongdao had brought a good number of people with him this time, and they stopped periodically as they went. It was only after about ten daysâ time that they finally arrived at Grieving Wind Valley.
That day, when a disciple went to the back of the horse-drawn cart to get some dry rations from a basket, he suddenly cried out in alarm.
Lu Hongdao immediately went over to take a look. When he saw what was happening, he also got a fright!
Fang Li was hiding in one of the baskets, arms wrapped around a pile of corn, sleeping soundly. Probably because heâd been woken up by the cry of alarm, he slowly opened his eyes and revealed a disoriented expression, then looked at Lu Hongdao and gave him a slight smile.
Lu Hongdao: ââŚâŚâ
This old man is about to have a heart attack!
When did this child hide in here!
Fang Li smacked his lips and said, âGolden Silk Pear Blossom cake, I still want.â
Lu Hongdao: ââŚâŚâ
He immediately felt a terrible pain in his skull. What was he to do now? Heâd only brought Fang Li a piece of cake, and Fang Li had ended up following him all the way here!
It would be one thing if they were going anywhere else. At worst, they could just bring Fang Li with them, but this was Grieving Wind Valley! Right now, both righteous and demonic cultivators were gathered here, and aside from the numerous dangers lurking around, a fight could also break out at any time. If Fang Li ran into some kind of mishap, how was he to explain it to Old Fang?!
Lu Hongdao felt like his heart was being crushed by a mountain, feeling an unprecedented pressure, and even his back seemed to hunch a bit moreâŚâŚ
They were already at Grieving Wind Valley now, and it was too late to send Fang Li back. How had this child managed to hide for so many days without being discovered?
Lu Hongdao was completely baffled.
But thinking about these things was of no use anymore. He carefully lifted Fang Li out of the basket. When touching the young manâs thin frame, Lu Hongdao was terrified that he might shatter him by accidentally using a bit too much strength, and he rubbed his hands uneasily as he said, âThere arenât any Golden Silk Pear Blossom cakes right nowâŚâŚâ
He saw Fang Liâs eyes immediately redden.
Lu Hongdaoâs words promptly turned into, âBut Iâll buy some for you as soon as we get back!â
Lu Hongdaoâs disciples were also very at a loss.
Wasnât this the Fang familyâs foolish young master? How come heâd secretly followed along? Now what were they to do?
Lu Hongdao muttered to himself for a moment, then waved his hand and said, âLetâs enter the valley first and talk later.â
Although the valley might be dangerous, it was even more impossible for them to leave Fang Li outside by himself. Leaving aside the demonic cultivators, he wouldnât even be able to bear it if a wolf came along and carried Fang Li away.
Fang Li smiled cheerfully and followed the Golden Blade Sect members into the valley.
The entrance of Grieving Wind Valley was covered in thick fog, and after one walked inside and the fog dispersed, there was a ravine entrance shaped like the mouth of a gourd. In front of the entrance, there were plenty of sects already gathered.
Because Cinnabar Gate had been destroyed, there were only four great cultivation sects in the world today.
The four great cultivation sects currently all had representatives present.
Dressed in tight-fitting silver and black robes were Jade Hawk Palaceâs female cultivators. Wearing black Daoist robes were the cultivators from Heavenâs Summit. Dressed in plain green garments were the cultivators were Black Star TowerâŚâŚ and lastly, the ones wearing white robes with jade swords on their backs were the sword cultivators of Cloudbank Keep.
The four great sects each occupied a corner, and the other little sects were all settled around them.
Lu Hongdao looked around.
Jade Hawk Palaceâs female cultivators could be ruled out first, as they prioritized protecting female cultivators, and the cultivators around them were all women. It wasnât too appropriate for them to go over.
Black Star Towerâs cultivators had arrived early, and the area around them was full of people, most of them from the Black Star Towerâs subordinate sects.
Because theyâd made a name for themselves back then when marching against Hollow Ridge, Heavenâs Summit vaguely had the posture of being leader of the righteous sects, but because their reputation was too great, the area around them was crammed so full that there wasnât even a crack to be found. There was really absolutely no way for them to squeeze in!
Lastly, Lu Hongdaoâs gaze fell in the direction of Cloudbank Keep.
Cloudbank Keepâs sword cultivators had arrived last, and they were situated right by the valley entrance. Although this bunch of sword cultivators were a bit too aloof, each of them took evil as their sworn enemy and had incredible battle power. Most importantly, Yuyi-jun was also there!
At the very least, if they followed Yuyi-jun, they couldnât die.
Lu Hongdao promptly decided to bring his disciples to squeeze on over. Their luck wasnât bad, and there was still space. If they had been any later, they wouldnât have been able to squeeze in!
When Fang Li saw that Xie Huai was also here, he was actually extremely surprised. To his understanding, Xie Huai didnât seem like the kind of person who liked to join in on this kind of excitementâŚâŚ But with Grieving Wind Valleyâs treasure vault making an appearance, the leftover demonic cultivators might make an appearance, and the righteous sects might also break into a fight at any time over treasureâŚâŚ
Some who cared about the living beings of the world as much as Xie Huai certainly wouldnât watch as this place descended into slaughter, so it wasnât unreasonable that he was here.
Because Xie Huai was present, Fang Li didnât really want to go over to where Cloudbank Keep was. He sure didnât want to expose his identityâŚâŚ But right now, he was a fool, and there truly was no easy way for him to express his dissent. He could only follow along and sit down in the corner furthest away from Xie Huai.
He snuck a peek at Xie Huai, his emotions complicated.
Although it had only been a short moment to him, to Xie Huai, nine years had already passedâŚâŚ Although heâd long heard from other peopleâs mouths that Xie Huai was doing very well right now, he hadnât thought that theyâd meet again so soon.
Xie Huai was still in that full set of white robes, his features cold and clear as icicles atop a towering mountain. His eyes were closed in meditation, looking as though asleep, and where he sat, the disciples around him sat with backs straight as a pen, not speaking a word, the atmosphere unusually solemn.
Fang Li pressed his lips together. Xie Huai seemed to be the same as before, with no change at all, but he also seemed to have changed somewhatâŚâŚ The air he gave off seemed to have become a little colder?
Perhaps it was just his misperceptionâŚâŚ
A powerful master like Xie Huai would be able to sense it as soon as someone started watching him. Fang Li didnât dare to look too long and quickly withdrew his gaze.
As long as Xie Huai was still doing well, then he was at ease.
Lu Hongdaoâs party took a seat on the ground, each of his disciples full of excitement. Who wouldâve thought that theyâd be able to see the real, live Yuyi-jun with their own eyes! Even if they didnât obtain a single thing on this trip, it was worth it!
One of the disciples said in a small voice, âYuyi-jun is even better-looking than the rumors. He really is just like a celestial.â
Another disciple said, âIsnât he basically a living celestial, able to kill the demon lord with one strike of his sword? Itâs said that nobody in the world is his match right now!â
The disciples sobbed, âBeing able to see Yuyi-junâs magnificence with my own eyes, I can really die without regrets!â
A smile hung off the corners of Fang Liâs lips, and he listened boldly and openly.
It hadnât been a waste of all of his painstaking efforts to hand off his life to Xie Huai. Everything was just like in the original book, and Xie Huai was still the Yuyi-jun admired by the whole world.
Fang Li listened and listened, then let out a sigh, a little regretful.
It was a pity he couldnât brag that Xie Huai had once been his good brother.
On the other hand, the Cloudbank Keep disciples nearby sat at attention, holding their breaths, unable to sit at ease. None of them dared to look in Xie Huaiâs direction.
The conversation nearby couldnât escape their ears, and they all felt agitation in their chests. These outsiders didnât know, but as fellow sect members, they couldnât be more clear that the demon lord was a forbidden topic that couldnât be brought up in front of Yuyi-jun!
As soon as Shixiong heard the words âdemon lord,â his aura would become extremely frightening, so in all these years, the thing they feared most was speaking those two words in front of Xie Huai.
Yet it turned out that as soon as they went outside, everyone was talking about itâŚâŚ
They couldnât even hide from it.
Tao Lu watched as everyone spoke with increasing vigor, his heart sour. The world only knew of the glory of Shixiong striking down the demon lord in one blow, but they didnât know of the things that Shixiong had suffered in secret, those humiliations and torments unknown to anyone. Although these seemed to be words of praise, every single sentence was pouring salt into Shixiongâs wounds!
They were reminding Shixiong of that unbearable past!
Tao Lu finally couldnât bear it any longer and quietly stepped over, arriving at the crowd nearby to carefully implore them one by one.
The Golden Blade Sect disciples on this side were just in the middle of a fiery discussion when they saw a Cloudbank Keep disciple come this way. That disciple had a cute baby face, but right now, his expression was solemn, and he entreated in a very low voice, âYuyi-jun doesnât like noise, so please be a little quieterâŚâŚ Especially, you mustnât bring up the demon lord in front of Yuyi-jun, understand?â
Fang Li was sitting silently to one side, and when he heard those words, his heart immediately went ba-thump.
After waking up and seeing that the mission was complete and that everyone was doing well, heâd only had celebrating in mind and hadnât had time to think much about anything. Besides, although heâd only made Xie Huai kill a devil who was already supposed to dieâŚâŚ But, after all, his methods hadnât been too honorable, and heâd gone against Xie Huaiâs will.
With Xie Huaiâs stubborn, proud personality, being controlled by the love parasite to kill someone whom he didnât want to killâthat time, heâd definitely offended Xie Huai miserablyâŚâŚ He was afraid that what little camaraderie theyâd had before was completely gone now.
Fang Li couldnât help but recall before his eyes the image of Xie Huai being forced to pierce him with his sword, those ghastly, savage, bloodshot red eyesâŚâŚ
He immediately felt a shiver go through his whole body.
He definitely couldnât allow Xie Huai to recognize him!