Ch115 - Surprise attack

Enemies walked a narrow path.

Of all the times to show up, it had to be now… Xie Zhiwei looked at Mu He, who returned the glance with one akin to a spring breeze. Obviously he was the center of this conflict, but he was acting like an outsider to it all. Chu Zhishi approached as fast as the wind, as violent as thunder. Before Xie Zhiwei could speak, he was already talking.

“Second senior brother should sit and rest over there.”

Xie Zhiwei naturally wouldn’t listen and didn’t budge. “Don’t be impulsive.”

“Me, impulsive?” Chu Zhishi lost his temper and raised his voice. “If I was impulsive, I’d smash my head and die in the dungeons already. Would I let this bastard abuse me to this point? I was afraid he couldn’t hold back and cause difficulties for you, but even when he came over I couldn’t do a thing!”

He was a big man and the city lord of Heavenly Sun City, but was actually captured twice. The first time broke his arm and hand while the second time nearly cost him his life. Even if he was broadminded, he couldn’t tolerate this. This wasn’t a matter that could be cleared up in mere words.

Chu Zhishi’s arm was still healing, but he couldn’t wait any longer. He simply summoned Thunderstrike into his hands. As a heavy sword, it weighed on his fingers.

Worried, Xie Zhiwei exclaimed, “Youngest junior brother, your arm!”

Xie Zhiwei’s sleeve was suddenly tugged back as Mu He said gently, “Shizun, let’s go. Disciple still needs to talk to you about the sponsor.”

Chu Zhishi’s expression turned uglier.

If he didn’t want the guy to show up in front of him and the other left, that was submitting. But here Chu Zhishi was severely condemning his faults and Mu He only cared about himself and leaving the scene. He clearly didn’t put Chu Zhishi in his eyes at all.

The Buddhist sect was quiet and calm at night, but this commotion sent the profound cultivators Yan Zhifei and Du Sheng hurrying over as well. Yan Zhifei understood the situation as soon as he saw the scene and landed directly in front of Chu Zhishi. “Zhishi, calm down.”

Chu Zhishi was unmoved. “Eldest senior brother, I can’t swallow this anger. None of you should stop me today.” He passed by Yan Zhifei and said to Mu He, “Brat, don’t hide. If you’re a man, then come fight me for real.”

Yan Zhifei’s voice was heavy. “He has Black, White, and Red Lotus on his body. What can you fight him with?”

Du Sheng had long regretted Xie Zhiwei’s death and was still somewhat doubtful of his claim to ascension. It wasn’t until he saw Xie Zhiwei in the flesh and learned of his identity as the masked man who helped them against Chi Yan that his admiration grew. Now he saw the man stuck between two extremes and tried to amend matters. “Shizi has not been to the Buddhist sect in a while. It’s fate for you to meet these seniors today, so I expect you haven’t had time to catch up. Please make yourself comfortable, I will not disturb you.”

This subtly blurred Mu He’s intentions in coming while diluting his involvement with Xie Zhiwei. Du Sheng didn’t leave when he was finished, but stood in place. For the sake of showing him face, Chu Zhishi wouldn’t openly bare his teeth and claws, either.

Xie Zhiwei was secretly grateful and tugged back at Mu He. “Go, just make amends with your youngest martial uncle.”

More and more people had come to surround them. Tantai Meng and Xia Zhiqi were in the middle of the crowd of daoist disciples, watching the scene expressionlessly. If Mu He made reparations before all these witnesses, it would be enough to save Chu Zhishi face. But he, as the king’s Shizi, would lose face in comparison.

Xie Zhiwei didn’t think it was a big deal. A wrong deed was a wrong deed and Mu He could justify the loss. What was the big deal about apologizing to someone? Even those who bumped into each other on the road would exchange sorries, while Cheese had tolerated enough by holding his anger in until now.

A long time later, Mu He finally spoke. “Shizun.”

“Hurry and go,” Xie Zhiwei urged.

Mu He’s voice was small, too. “Disciple can make amends, but shizun needs to promise this disciple something.”

“What is it?” Xie Zhiwei grew guarded.

Mu He quirked his lips into a grin. “Disciple hasn’t thought of it yet, but shizun should promise first.”

Xie Zhiwei rejected him instantly. “No. If you ask something I don’t want to do, won’t it be difficult for both sides?”

Mu He mused, “Then…then if shizun really doesn’t want to do it then, disciple will change the request.”

“Fine, that’s how it’ll be. Now go.”

To everyone else’s eyes, the whispering between master and disciple seemed especially rude. Xie Zhiwei was a bit better off since he kept glancing left and right as if aware of his own face, but Mu He treated everyone else except his shizun as air. Chu Zhishi’s hand trembled as it held Thunderstrike, either from weakness or anger. Tantai Meng averted her gaze to look elsewhere, while Yan Zhifei knitted his brows and prepared to speak. But then Mu He smiled and nodded at Xie Zhiwei before slowly walking towards Chu Zhishi.

Chu Zhishi gave him a cautious look and warily held Thunderstrike before him. Xie Zhiwei couldn’t help following over when he saw the cold light on the sword aimed towards Mu He.

It was remarkably quiet. Yan Zhifei and Du Sheng both looked serious, so no one else dared to speak. The crowd also felt that Chu Zhishi and Mu He were in the middle of a tug-of-war. How could someone like Mu He, who usually treated everyone else as dust, be willing to admit his wrongs?

Mu He ignored the sword in Chu Zhishi’s hand and directly lifted his robes before bowing down. “Youngest martial uncle, disciple will pay back for all the wrongs I did you before.”

Mu He might be cruel in his methods, but his image was excellent. Many passages in the original novel detailed how his personality was equally effective against men or women. He had a way of pulling people together. No matter what he said or did, he was inexplicably persuasive thanks to his natural halo as the main character. Currently he looked completely sincere and modest, making it hard for people to connect him with his ruthless, poisonous methods. They even felt he was being wronged for being forced to stoop so low.

Xie Zhiwei stood on the side, still waiting for Chu Zhishi to respond. Instead, it was Thunderstrike that began to shake instead. Xie Zhiwei stepped forward and asked, “Youngest junior brother, isn’t it tiring? How about putting the sword down, all right?”

Mu He had listened to Xie Zhiwei but was already a bit impatient. He couldn’t help straightening up a little now. Meanwhile, Chu Zhishi could only look at his own arm in shock. Soon surprise turned into panic as he stammered, “My, my arm, it’s not listening to me anymore…”

He was halfway through his sentence when Mu He felt a strange spiritual energy that didn’t belong to Chu Zhishi or anyone else on the scene—but came from Chu Zhishi’s broken arm. Xie Zhiwei felt it as well and stepped forward to investigate when he suddenly toppled sideways.

In an instant, the sound of a deafening explosion drowned out the shouts and screams that burst out around them. The wide walkway even shook from the impact while Xie Zhiwei’s ears buzzed. One after another, the repeated booms came far to near and far away, echoing nonstop. It took a while for him to crawl to his feet. His throat was flooded with a raw taste while the corner of his lips felt wet; he subconsciously wiped it with his fingers and came back with a handful of blood. Around him were people running about chaotically. Du Sheng’s face was pale as he shouted something. Tantai Meng had collapsed beneath the walkway with Tan Daoyao shielding her body. His back had been burnt completely and was covered in blood.

Xie Zhiwei looked blankly at the spot where Chu Zhishi and Mu He were standing in disbelief.

Chu Zhishi’s broken arm was completely gone, leaving a bloody mess of his shoulder. He was lying unmoving on the ground, either dead or alive. Yan Zhifei ran over in a hurry and said to Xie Zhiwei, “Zhiwei, it’s dangerous here. Find a place to take shelter first.” He didn’t have time to explain and went to call for a few disciples to lift Chu Zhishi up.

“This…what the hell is this broken plot?” Xie Zhiwei muttered to himself.

They were just holding a conversation when things started blowing up? And so ferociously? The Buddhist sect was reduced to a sea of flames in the blink of an eye. The buildings in the rear mountain, which had been 10 percent renovated, were mostly torched again. But that couldn’t compared to the human lives lost—both the Buddhist and daoist sects were hurt and injured miserably in the blast.

In the midst of his confusion, Xie Zhiwei suddenly recalled the strange spiritual energy he had sensed coming at him. Mu He had been the one who shoved him away at the last second to block the fatal blow.

So where was Mu He now?

He was standing in the epicenter of the explosion!

While everyone was running away, Xie Zhiwei dashed straight for the center of the blast. He held Qingping Sword in one hand to block the strange spiritual energy and wisps of fire flying his way from all directions, fiddled twice, and finally spotted a flash of white in the flames. Mu He was surrounded by sky-high fire on all sides. His front lapels were covered in blood as well the corner of his lip. White and Blck Lotus opened and closed nonstop behind his body, but their light was weak; Red Lotus’s petals shook but couldn’t unfurl. The treasures on his body were ill-fused to begin with and all relied on Xie Zhiwei’s spiritual power to maintain stability. It had been some time since he channeled energy to Mu He, so coupled with this sudden attack, his disciple was now seriously hurt.

Xie Zhiwei shouted at him before swiping away the fire with Qingping Sword. Mu He followed the sound of his voice to stagger towards him.

“Shizun.” He grasped Xie Zhiwei’s hand and examined him from head to toe before resting his gaze on his lips. “You’re injured?”

“I wasn’t prepared for the two aftershocks, it’s fine. Let’s leave first,” Xie Zhiwei had no time to dilly-dally and dragged him along to run out of the fray. “How did this happen?”

As the protagonist, Mu He only shook his head and said, “Disciple doesn’t know either.”

Crap, the protagonist said he doesn’t know? What a joke. Someone’s tampered with the Buddhist sect, Du Sheng is completely clueless, an extremely dangerous hidden boss might exist, and the hero has no clue. The difficulty of this plot is too counter-intuitive!

The explosions kept on going, leaving Xie Zhiwei with no room to think. “Come, let’s find a place for me to channel spiritual energy for you.”

The protagonist’s current state was being wounded with low spiritual power. He was simply a walking target. If the mastermind or whatever showed up, wouldn’t he be…

Another flash of fire headed their way in the middle of Xie Zhiwei’s thoughts. He quickly grabbed Mu He and dodged to the side while giant cracks appeared on the road. He turned to flee—since the rear mountain had become a hidden minefield, they’d head for the front instead. Past the rickety layers of buildings he saw the Mahavira Hall standing serenely in front of the mountain.

—

All of Aureate Sect was bounded by a mountain range, with half in chaos and half in peace. The people who escaped were all taking refuge at Mahavira Hall in the front. The buildings that had caught on fire were residential halls that didn’t house any important items, so Du Sheng’s expression eased slightly. Still, he couldn’t help but lament the monks who’d died.

Tantai Meng joined the survivors with Tan Daoyao on her back. Her face was smudged with dust but the rest of her had survived unscathed. She placed Tan Daoyao gently on the steps and used her hand to cover the bloody hole on his back, but couldn’t stop the bleeding. Xia Zhiqi shook her head and said something, but Tantai Meng simply remained staring woodenly at the boy. It was unclear whether she heard her.

Xie Zhiwei supported Mu He towards the same hall, but his disciple’s expression suddenly turned grave.

“Shizun, something’s wrong.”

Xie Zhiwei gave a start. “What is it?”

He also felt something amiss. The rear mountain underwent indiscriminate bombing first to leave its victims out of action before the rest fled like headless flies to the front of the mountain. Why did it feel like they were ducks being herded into the water?

As if something else was waiting for them at Mahavira Hall instead.

Xie Zhiwei’s heart seized before he nodded. “Let’s leave the Buddhist sect quickly.” But before he could toss out Qingping Sword, a question rang out from behind them.

“Royal Son, where are you going?”

—

Translator’s Note: Surprise. Problematic characters and emotional entanglements aside, this is where the last story arc of the novel really kicks into gear. There’s going to be a lot of assumptions going on (mistaken or otherwise), so my advice is to take everything you read with a grain of salt.

Because I got fooled at least twice, and I’m sure some of you will fall into the same traps as me…（πーπ）

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