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Chapter 23
Editor: Sahloknir
In that silence, Gong Wei’s pupils constricted—only to see Xu Shuangtze looking back at him fixedly.
“When the Lotus Immortal was alive, he was close with the Golden Gate Sword Sect family.”
“So, the more you resemble him, the higher the chance of being taken over, understand?”
The blood rushed to his cold limbs, and the muscles in Gong Wei’s tense back finally loosened. And when he spoke again, no one could hear the slightest difference, except for the hoarseness and shame in his voice.
“Yes, this disciple understands!”
Xu Shuangtze nodded, yet he still did not let go. Each of his long, slender fingers contained an unimaginably strong spiritual power, and he was squeezing Gong Wei’s chin lightly. He then suddenly said, “Do you know who the Lotus Immortal hated most during his lifetime?”
“I don’t know.”
The corners of Lord Xu’s mouth curled slightly, but the same expression was not reflected in his eyes, “Naturally, it was me.”
There was probably no one in the world who would not think that Lord Xu and Chief Gong were each other’s greatest hatred. So Gong Wei, who opened his mouth slightly in an attempt to object, did not say a word, and closed it instead.
Xu Shuangtze said, “I think I told you that most of the descendants of the Yuchi family are unruly and not worthy of friendship.”
Gong Wei replied sincerely, “Shizun did tell me that.”
“Then why are you still secretly acquainted with them behind my back?”
The word ‘secretly’ used to describe the situation was a strange choice, but Gong Wei said with a shameful expression, “This disciple was not thinking straight, so please punish me, Shizun.”
But Xu Shuangtze asked in return, “Punish?”
Gong Wei’s white satin innermost robes draped loosely over his shoulders, revealing his long neck and firm chest. Only a length of silk ribbon hung loosely around his waist, barely maintaining a knot. Xu Shuangtze’s eyes fell on it.
In the dimly lit room, Gong Wei was unable to see his expression, and it was only after a long time that he released his grip on Gong Wei’s lower jaw. Without saying a word, he reached out to slowly and carefully straighten up the lapels of his inner clothes for him.
Gong Wei’s tone was frightened, “I really know that I am wrong! Shizun, please…”
“I find that no matter how well you make promises in front of me, once you turn your back, you still continue to do things that displease me.”
Xu Shuangtze then meticulously loosened and re-tied the satin ribbon on Gong Wei’s waist into a tighter knot. He was leaning over, so close to Gong Wei that he could clearly smell the scent of white sandalwood from the side of Xu Shuangtze’s neck.
In a tone of indifference, Xu Shuangtze said, “So as your Shizun, I have gone out of my way to deal with you.”
“Shizun—”
Before Gong Wei could complete his sentence, Xu Shuangtze stood up and commanded, “Guards!”
The sound of footsteps came from outside the door of the side hall, and the two disciples on night duty rushed in. They were none other than Wen Xiuyang and Sheng Bo.
Gong Wei watched as Xu Shuangtze’s stern gaze swept around and said, “Pack up his things and move them to the main hall.”
Xuanji Palace’s main hall!
That was Xu Shuangtze’s own residence!
Gong Wei’s expression changed, and before he could utter any words, he heard Sheng Bo blurt out, “But Sovereign…”
The next thing he knew, Gong Wei was being held down by Wen Xiuyang.
This was the eldest disciple, who had been with Xu Shuangtze for the longest of time and ranked first in this generation of Cang Yang Sect’s disciples. He looked tense as he stared down at the ground, “Yes, Sovereign!.”
In his past life, although Chief Gong was thrilled to sneak into Sovereign Xu’s bedchamber, it was really just for the fun of it. He would never have imagined that one day he would have to live, eat and sleep alongside this man.
With a face full of trepidation at his doomed reality, he said, “I implore Shizun to think twice, how dare this disciple interrupt Sovereign’s cultivation? I think it is better to—”
His words were interrupted once again as Xu Shuangtze turned around and pulled him up from the ground with hands which were firm and strong like iron. But he still spoke gently, “There is no need to be flattered, my beloved disciple. Under my exclusive care, you will no longer be in danger of having your body taken over.”
“But the greatest wish of this disciple is for Shizun’s peace and happiness, so how dare I impose on your life?”
“If you were really taken over by the Lotus Immortal, I would not be able to be at peace with myself.”
Immediately, Gong Wei bowed long and solemnly, “This disciple would rather kill myself than let him have his way!”
Xu Shuangtze asked coldly in return, “Since my beloved disciple is so filial, how can I bear to see you die?”
“Sovereign,” Wen Xiuyang came up quickly and whispered, “I’ve already finished packing.”
Xu Shuangtze’s sharp gaze swept towards Gong Wei and walked out with his arms tucked behind his back, “Let’s go.”
The short distance from the side hall to the main hall had now become unbearably arduous, as if they were embarking on a path of no return straight to Hell.
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He would much rather go to the Eight Prisons of Cang Yang than enter the main hall of Xuanji Palace!
As Sheng Bo, who was carrying a stack of items—pillows and mattress taller than himself, walked past, Gong Wei took a deep breath and in a flash made a painful decision. He stuck out his foot, and Sheng Bo tripped and staggered before he fell over with a crash.
“—Ah!”
As he did so, Sheng Bo dropped the stack of items he carried in his arms. Among them, a dark blue book spun a short distance before stopping at Xu Shuangtze’s feet.
Time seemed to have been forced into a halt as Xu Shuangtze slowly looked down.
The large, bold title ‘The Underworld: A Story of Undying Love’, as well as the cover illustration of Lord Xu and the Lotus Immortal in love, appeared very prominently in front of everyone’s eyes.
“…”
Dead silence.
Wen Xiuyang’s expression froze, and Sheng Bo’s eyes, whose gaze had fallen to the book, nearly popped out of their sockets.
With a thud, Gong Wei fell to his knees and pleaded, “Shizun, please have mercy! I won’t dare to do this again!”
Xu Shuangtze’s face showed no emotion, and even if one measured with a ruler, there would not be the slightest shift in his sculpted eyebrows or even his thin, cold lips. He just stared fixedly at the cover of the book at his feet for a long time, before leaning down to pick it up. He held it in his hands and flipped through a few pages.
“Shizun…”
“Where did you get this?”
Gong Wei said sincerely, “I bought it in Linjiang City.”
“Why did you buy it?”
“This disciple got carried away for a moment and went astray!”
“Why didn’t you throw it?”
“…” Gong Wei revealed a look of shame.
Xu Shuangtze nodded and said without moving his head further, “It seems like an exciting read, can’t bear to toss it?”
Sheng Bo finally firmly closed his mouth, which had been constantly trembling from the excessive shock, and desperately made a wink to hint for Gong Wei to kowtow and admit his guilt. But immediately afterwards, Xu Shuangtze raised his hand and beckoned, “Come here.”
His hand was no different from a soul beckoning flag, and Sheng Bo shut his eyes reflexively at this action.
However, the next moment, the expected image of bloodshed and a new corpse on the ground did not materialise.
Xu Shuangtze’s hand softly landed on top of Gong Wei’s head and stroked it, saying in a harmonious voice, “Young children who work too hard on studying may sometimes be tempted by the curiosity of strange gossip.”
“…” Gong Wei’s intended sentence of “Please don’t send me to the Cold Mountain Prison,” was stuck in his throat.
“You are slow at memorizing, and this is a good opportunity to practice more.” Xu Shuangtze paused and placed ‘The Underworld: A Story of Undying Love’ in Gong Wei’s hand. “From tomorrow onwards, you should familiarise yourself with this book and memorise one chapter a day and recite it out loud for me to check. Remember to recite it fluently, clearly and emotively as the book intended, do you understand?”
If it was just a deathly silence earlier, now it had evolved into a terrible, hell-like atmosphere—enough to suffocate everyone present.
Their throats felt like they had been blocked by a piece of hot stone. They saw Gong Wei take in a long breath, then exhale deeply and slowly, as he stood still for a moment.
The accumulation of his lifelong acting skills were evoked at this moment.
Thud. Gong Wei knelt down gratefully and held the book high above his head with both hands. Each his words were heartfelt and sincere, “This disciple is extremely grateful for Shizun’s kindness, and will follow Shizun’s advice.”
Xu Shuangtze said indifferently, “Go on, beloved disciple.”
—Xu Shuangtze!!!
—–
Meanwhile, at the Golden Gate Sect…
“It’s almost 3AM, where is the young master going?” “Young master!”
When the voices of the guards came from outside the hall, Yuchi Rui was sitting cross-legged behind a wide table, reading a book.
Despite his actual age, the current Sword Sect Master, Yuchi Rui Changsheng, was in his peak form and looked no older than a twenty-year-old lad. In terms of appearance, Yuchi Xiao looked quite similar to him, but the Sword Master himself had a higher brow ridge and a sharper nose, giving off a colder, more untamed and less sociable feel.
At the moment, he had taken off his light armour of dark gold and placed it on the edge of the table. He wore his eagle-back brown robe, lined with shining golden trim, and his famous sword, Tower of Rakshasa, was leaning silently beside him, giving off a great sense of oppression.
He was holding a book in one hand and reaching out with the other, when the door was thrown open.
—Bang!
Yuchi Rui snapped the book in his hand shut. Within a ‘Spirit of the Sword’ manual was a perfectly concealed pamphlet—’Kaiyuan Tabloid New Special Exclusive! : The Walking Fort of the World’s Patriarchal Battle Competition – Sword Sect Master, Yuchi Changsheng!’ — Expressionless, he looked up, only to see his own nephew, Yuchi Xiao, stride in.
“Sword Master,” Yuchi Xiao lowered his body and sternly said, “ This disciple has some duties to fulfil and must leave now. I am here to bid farewell.”
“…”
Three question marks appeared neatly on the top of Yuchi Rui’s head, but without saying a word, he withdrew his hand from a plate of melon seeds and led out a calm “Hmph.”
Yuchi Xiao spun around and walked away.
“Don’t die.” A sudden voice came from behind him as he stepped across the threshold of the Great Hall.
Yuchi Xiao turned back and smiled helplessly, “Why do you have to remind me of this every time I’ve gone out since I was little, Uncle?”
Without raising his head, the Sword Master waved his right hand to gesture that he could go.
The heavy door closed again with a loud bang, and Yuchi Rui’s hand stopped at a page before he mumbled in a low voice, “Because people die too easily.”
—–
—Twenty years ago, at the river which flows outside of the Correctional Palace, where the clear waters wash over mossy rocks, a familiar figure sat on a stone with his legs crossed, fishing.
His joyful laughter and voice scattered the tiny fish away, “By the way, Changsheng, I snuck into Cang Yang Mountain last night to look for Xu Shuangtze, and guess what? That guy ended up issuing a decree that both the Lotus Immortal and dogs are not allowed on the mountain. That really pissed me off!”
The young Sword Master held on to his fishing rod and said calmly, “That’s impossible.”
Gong Wei said, “Why is that impossible?”
“It’s not like the dog did anything wrong.”
“Yuchi Changsheng!”
Yuchi Rui dodged the fishhook on a string which came hurling towards him, and said with a scowl, “A dog like you will be killed by that man someday.”
“Nonsense, I would still be alive even after he dies, believe it or not I may not lose to him in an actual duel!”
“You won’t lose. You’ll just be killed.”
“Yuchi Changsheng!!!”
—–
“Are you alright?” Sixteen years ago, at the foot of the Ascension Platform, the lofty Correctional Palace hidden in the boundless sea of clouds, Yuchi Rui finally couldn’t help it as he turned his head to ask, “Where’s your sword?”
The ceremony was about to begin, and Gong Wei who stood beside him was dressed as grandly as he was. Gong Wei wore a rouge-red robe embroidered with gold maple leaves in and had two small gold coins adorned on his waistband.
It could be because his waistband was too tight that day, but his whole body looked perversely tense, his cheeks were as pale as ice, but his eyes were dark, staring straight at the Ascension Platform high above the mountain stream.
“Gong Wei?”
“…I’m fine.” Gong Wei seems to have woken up from a daze and suddenly looked away, “I’m fine.”
Yuchi Rui narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of Gong Wei’s gaze, only to see a figure standing against the wind on the distant platform. It was Xu Shuangtze, who was officiating the Immortal Alliance event.
“Didn’t you two recently call a truce?” Yuchi Rui asked suspiciously.
The question went unanswered for a long time, and when Yuchi Rui turned around, he saw that Gong Wei had one hand clasped rigidly on his sleeve, as if he was hiding something up there. His grip was so forceful that even the tendons on the back of his hand could be seen.
A sense of uneasiness came from nowhere, and Yuchi Rui lowered his voice, “Gong Zhiyu!”
Gong Wei suddenly asked, “Do you believe that some people are born just to accomplish a certain task?”
“What do you mean?”
“…”
Gong Wei opened his mouth at Yuchi Rui’s glare, but said nothing, and hastily laughed instead, “Do you think I’ll die?”
The word ‘die’ had appeared hundreds and thousands of times when the two of them were trolling and jesting with each other. But this was the only time that Yuchi Rui’s eyelids twitched for no reason at all, “Gong Zhiyu, you—”
“Just kidding,” said Gong Wei cheekily, interrupting Yuchi Rui.
A short while later he smiled again, though it looked like he was barely forcing out the expression before taking a deep breath. “…just kidding.”
“It is time—”
“Esteemed Lotus Immortal, this way please—”
Yuchi Rui watched as Gong Wei brushed past him, walking towards the magnificent, expansive platform amidst the drifting clouds and lush mountains. His crimson robe fluttered majestically in the wind and his figure gradually disappeared without a trace, just as he had first appeared in this world for no reason many years ago.
Everything that followed from this point was a swirling nightmare with details and images blurred and exaggerated to the point of grotesqueness and played out in a myriad of repetitions. All these were finally cut short by a hissing cry, “Reporting to the Sword Sect Master! There has been an incident on the platform!”
“Chief Gong has passed away!!—”
The shrill trailing voice was like a heavy hammer which came crashing down, shattering the late winter of the twenty-eighth year of Taiyi. The effects of the incident of the Immortal Alliance years ago could be felt even now, shaking the perception of many young cultivators on their quest for immortality.
It was only then that people realised that even if they attain a cultivation level to freely summon the winds and rains, shift the stars up high and glimpse the will of the heavens, they would eventually die.
There are no certainties in this world.
Life, death and eternal parting are merely moments apart.
—–
Now, in the grand hall of the Golden Gate was a pin-drop silence. Yuchi Rui stood up and just as he reached towards his ‘Tower of Rakshasa’ sword, a sudden buzz came in mid-air.
A messenger token on the table suddenly flew up, bursting into an interlocking array of lights from a manifestation formation, and a man in a dark-blue robe with a gold hook around his waist stood in the middle. The man held on a greenish-copper sword in sheath which carried three distinct carvings ‘Ding Shan Hai’. It was Ying Kai.
What is it at this hour?
Before Yuchi Rui could say anything, he saw Ying Kai using his sword to support his body with a clang and gasped, “The Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm is not damaged.”
Yuchi Rui’s eyebrows jumped, “What does that mean?”
Immediately afterwards, he saw Ying Kai hold up an object in his left hand. Half the size of his palm, it was densely engraved with strange inscriptions. It was the bronze lens that Xu Shuangtze had ripped out from the heart of a ghost cultivator back in Lingjiang City!
“I went back to the Immortal Alliance and opened up the Forbidden Mirror Palace. None of the illusionary mirrors are broken, meaning that this particular fragment is not from the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm.”
“…” Yuchi Rui blinked in confusion, then pointed at the fragment in Ying Kai’s hand, “It looks exactly the same.”
Ying Kai seemed very tired and gasped, “I know. By comparing the inscriptions I even found the specific mirror which this fragment supposedly belongs to, but the mirror is perfectly intact. The only explanation I can only think of is the existence of a replica. But the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm itself is an ancient divine artefact and could never have been re-crafted by anyone—”
Thud! Thud!
Thud!!
There was a sudden sound from within the array, getting louder each time, and interrupting Ying Kai’s words.
Yuchi Rui wondered, “What are you doing?”
Ying Kai hastily turned his head, but through the formation, Yuchi Rui could not see what was behind his friend, and could only vaguely make out that his surroundings were extremely dark. However, the vibrations from Ying Kai’s end caused the ground around Yuchi Rui to gradually shake.
“…Xu Shuangtze mentioned that the ghost cultivators in Linjiang City were related to Gong Wei, and I didn’t believe it. I wanted to come down and verify this for myself.” Ying Kai swallowed before continuing, “But I’m probably down on my luck for tonight.”
Yuchi Rui lifted his sword, “Where the hell are you?”
Thud!
Thud!!
The ground shook violently as Kai spun around and pressed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, saying, “If there is no news from me within the next twenty-four hours, according to the laws of the Immortal Alliance, the Cang Yang Sect Master will be summoned as the next Alliance Master, with the ‘Three Sovereigns’ working together to assist him.”
Yuchi Rui shouted, “Ying Kai!”
Ying Kai gave a decisive wave before he could hear it, and the manifestation formation dispersed—
Together with the formation, Yuchi Rui’s figure turned into millions of sparks, and then quickly disappeared. The darkness of the underground palace returned, and all Ying Kai could hear was his own breathing, accompanied by the thick stench of the corpses around him.
Thud!
Like a million heavy objects hitting the ground at once, something was close.
Thud!
Even closer.
Thud—
The ground shook abruptly and violently, and then returned to a dead silence.
“…This junior, Ying Chenyuan, has disrupted the rest of the seniors.” Ying Kai’s pupils constricted tightly as he said softly, “My apologies.”
The next moment, Ding Shan Hai unsheathed itself, and the sword glare exploded swiftly, instantly illuminating into sight the countless pairs of dull and glassy eyes all around him—
In the darkness, all the pale green faces were close to Ying Kai, all of which were staring straight at him, lining stiffly for as far as the eye could see.
They were countless dead bodies that had risen from their coffins.
______________________________________________________________________
Sahl: Look, yes, it’s another cliffhanger, but it’s not as bad as the last one…
Takeaways and hilarity from this chapter:
Xu Shuangtze moving his wife Gong Wei into his bed.
Yuchi Rui reading tabloids under the pretence of studying.
The plot thickens with Gong Wei and his attempted assassination of hubby Xu Shuangtze.
Ying Kai needs rescuing and I have a new ship – Ying Kai x Yuchi Rui. (To go with my YunFei x Yuchi Xiao and Xu Shuangtze x Gong Wei ships – I now have a navy!)