Xie Zhiwei knew exactly what Mu He was planning once he revealed Qingping Sword. This brat is black to the bone. Yin Wushuang was being provocative on her own, but heâs willing to kill an innocent bystander just because of a simple lobster.
This gave him a big problem.
After all, Xie Zhiwei had wielded Qingping Sword for over a hundred years. This was a divine weapon who was long familiar with his spiritual power. It wouldnât forget him even though it had changed owners. Its slash might kill anyone else, but it wouldnât hurt him a bit. Xie Zhiwei could feel the green light whistling towards him even under a layer of smelly mud.
Didnât I put on a show for nothing if Iâm getting exposed anyways?
Heâd never lost so much face in both his lives! Do you know how much this mud stinks? Itâs like cilantro and fish mint extract thatâs been buried underground for 100 years!
Meanwhile, a System alert blared in his head. âWarning! Foul-mouthed language does not fit the original settings of Xie Zhiwei. You have acted severely OOC and will be banned from speaking!â
Xie Zhiwei wanted to stuff a handful of mud in his mouth and just choke to death. Great, Iâm not only exposed but canât even defend myself when the time comesâŚ
Seconds before he was hit, a figure in a snow-white dress suddenly moved in front of Xie Zhiwei to block him.
It was actually Tantai Meng.
The green light came whistling in an instant and hit her straight on. Xie Zhiweiâs heart hung in his throat as he heard Yin Wushuangâs scream from shore. Du Sheng came over with the help of a few monks just in time to witness the scene and exclaimed in a quivering voice, âMeng-er!â
Tantai Meng was sent flying backwards by the light and crashed into Xie Zhiwei before both of them sank into the muddy water. Xie Zhiweiâs lips had been sealed shut by the System so he could only breathe through his nose, but now the rancid mud had sealed up his nostrils too. He almost passed out from the fumes but couldnât bother to care as he knelt in the water to search frantically.
Dammit, does the heroine and hero have a grudge? Mu He doesnât even cherish such a docile girl, the bastard!
Can she still live after taking a strike from Qingping Swordâs sword qi?!
Chu Zhishi was pained as he interrogated Mu He, âBrat, you kill innocent lives as soon as you strike. If my second senior brother was still alive to see this, heâd expel you from the sect!â
Mu He kept his eyes lowered. âIs that so.â
Xie Zhiwei heard them from afar and thought, How dare I expel him? Iâm glad enough he hasnât come to give me bad luck. Look at what happened to the heroine, could I be any better off?
Abruptly, a hand grabbed his sleeve. Thrilled, Xie Zhiwei gave a tug and dragged Tantai Meng up from the water. Her face was also covered in stinking mud and her snow-white robes had long been stained black. Xie Zhiwei didnât have time to ache over the embroidery and silk heâd spent silver to buy and quickly helped her to shore. In the process, his heart slowly sank to the bottom. Tantai Mengâs breath was gradually weakening and the wrist he held was turning coldâŚ
Beneath everyoneâs gazes, Du Sheng stepped forward to look at the two mud-covered figures in disbelief. Xie Zhiwei couldnât speak, so he just shook his head at him.
Chu Zhishi sighed. âItâs a pity that this girl died. Great Master Du Sheng, you have my condolences, ah.â
Yin Wushuang was in a daze. âI never wanted to kill her⌠I just wanted Mu He gege to scare her a bit, butâŚwhy did she jump in? She wonât become a ghost and haunt me, rightâŚâ Watery tears filled her eyes.
Du Sheng lifted his sleeve and coughed as his gaze flickered.
Tantai Meng suddenly moved in Xie Zhiweiâs arms before sitting up violently, almost crashing into his chin. âBenefactor you were right, it really does stinkâŚughâŚâ
Cold wind seemed to blow around Xie Zhiwei as he narrowly avoided falling back into the pond again.
âAh!â Yin Wushuang shrieked and burst into tears, clutching her head. âIf youâre going to die, then die! Donât come to me, donât come to me!â
Xie Zhiwei was frozen. The heroine actually survived. But thatâs not a fake Qingping Sword, ah. Did she practice some life-saving miracle technique? B-but just then she was clearlyâŚ
Mu He slowly raised his eyes to look at Tantai Meng. âTo survive unharmed from a strike from the Qingping Sword, Great Master Du Sheng has truly taught well.â
Yin Wushuang peeked at them through the cracks of her fingers before letting out a long breath. âSo youâre not dead ah,â she pouted, âThatâs good, thatâs goodâŚâ Halfway through speaking she saw Tantai Meng smiling lightly at her and suddenly puffed up her cheeks. With a hmph, she rolled her eyes and looked away.
Du Shengâs attitude was impeccable as he replied, âThis girl possesses natural innate talent. When this poor monk picked her up in the past, I only knew she was a cultivation genius. Today Iâve truly witnessed her depths, shanzai.â
Mu He smirked slightly. âIf thatâs the case, Great Master Du Sheng shouldnât bury such a great talent.â
âNaturally,â Du Sheng remained unruffled as he stood to block Xie Zhiwei and Tantai Meng from sight and politely asked, âShizi, the ceremony is over. Will you have the pleasure of enjoying a few days in these mountains?â
Mu He looked at him while retaining his smile. âAll right.â
Xie Zhiweiâs heart clenched. Du Sheng nodded and made a gesture of invitation. âThen may Shizi please move to the living quarters. I have not entertained you well these few days, so this poor monk will host a banquet tonight to make amends.â
As polite voices filled the crowd, Chu Zhishi said, âPerfect. Since this surnamed Chu needs to return to the mountain tomorrow, I can drink and chat with Great Master tonight.â
Du Sheng exhaled softly. âTrue, City Lord Chu.â
Since both of them lost senior brothers, they had actually chatted quite agreeably before the ceremony.
Yin Wushuang knitted her brows. âMu He gege isnât leaving yet? I want to go home, thereâs nothing fun here!â
âWushuang wants to go back?â Mu He nodded slowly. âKing Yin has been separated from his beloved daughter for a long time, so he must miss her very much. Then I wonât trouble you.â As he spoke, he used the corner of his eyes to examine Tantai Meng.
For some reason, he felt the woman looked familiar. As for the other personâŚ
That figure was currently standing with his head bowed while covered in sludge, dull and lacking bearing. Disgust flashed on Mu Heâs features as his grip on Qingping Sword unconsciously tightened. He looked like heâd seen something unpleasant and turned away.
Chu Zhishi was undisguised in his contempt. âHurry and leave, youâll spoil the mood if you stay.â
Yin Wushuang glared at him before making a face while hiding behind Mu He. Chu Zhishi just arched his brows and ignored her.
Du Sheng said, âTrue enough. The King of Nine Provinces must be awaiting Shiziâs return as well. This poor monk wonât leave you behind.â
Mu He always had clear goals and was determined to get what he wanted. He wouldnât stay simply because Du Sheng asked him to, nor would he leave just because Yin Wushuang wanted him to. He never intended to remain at all beyond testing the waters with his words. Xie Zhiwei was all too clear of his intentions: just then Tantai Meng had clearly died under the Qingping Sword, but suddenly came back to life. What did that prove?
A spiritual spring needed to soak a body for four years to resurrect one from the dead, but stronger than that would be one of the Five Treasures. Nie Ting had to figure things out before he managed to make Mu He travel back in time, while the Golden Lotus controlled the power of life and could be used directly.
The old monk had played a good game, leaving Golden Lotus in Tantai Mengâs body. Although he claimed to be sending her as a bodyguard to their benefactor, he was actually diverting the attention of the Demonic Sect. Who would expect Golden Lotus to be in the hands of a young maiden and a loafing cultivator?
But no matter how well the old monk acted, the hero had grown suspicious. He may have left today, but he would return in the future.
Xie Zhiwei was all about matchmaking in the past, but now he was afraid to let Tantai Meng meet him. After being pushed into the water and then surviving a great catastrophe, he worried that the brat might chop someone in half just to steal Golden Lotus.
The hero was heartless, the heroine uninterested. With both main characters ruined, how could they progress the plot? But that was too much to think about now. He had no sense of joy after his brush with death.
Foul-mouthed, jumping into mud, looking uglyâŚ
He couldnât help disdaining himself even before Mu He left. Now that the man was gone, he was all but soulless. A few young monks brought some hot water so he could clean himself up, but there was still a lingering stench he couldnât get off. It seemed like itâd take a few more days before it dissipated.
Tantai Meng changed back to her coarse cloth robes and ran over to check on him in worry. âBenefactor, you havenât said a word. Are you uncomfortable somewhere?â
Xie Zhiwei tried to say he was fine but found the murderous System had yet to lift his speech ban. He sadly waved his hand and continued to lean against the long couch, looking disheveled and unloved.
His face was still tightly masked.
Tantai Meng lowered her head sadly. âIâm sorry ah, Benefactor. You gave me such valuable clothes, yet I dirtied themâŚbut Iâve already washed them many times, so they donât even stink anymore.â
Xie Zhiwei nodded and didnât open his eyes.
He had been part of the entertainment industry for nearly 20 years. In his heyday, he dominated the screen in various ways and even won the title of âNo. 1 Big Bro.â This was earned not only through his extraordinarily handsome looks, but also his acting skills and professionalism.
And now?
His looks? Covered up.
Acting skills? Donât mention it.
ProfessionalismâŚhe was severely OOC and even did it on purpose.
He had never acted such an embarrassing, foul-mouthed character even in his first life, to say nothing of the original Xie Zhiwei! Nor did he ever speak those kinds of lines in TV series and films!
Whereâs my heart for the business? What about my dreams?! Didnât I say Iâd steal scenes with my life?!
Xie Zhiwei suddenly opened his eyes, startling Tantai Meng to jump up. After a while, she asked tentatively, âBenefactor? YouâŚwhatâs wrong?â
Xie Zhiwei shook his head and sighed before pointing wordlessly at the door. Understanding this, Tantai Meng sighed softly as well.
âThen Iâll put the congee on the table, Benefactor. Remember to drink it while itâs hot.â
As the door shut, Xie Zhiwei squeezed his eyes shut again and laid facing the wall. At last, his desire to act overcame his desire to live. He came to a resolution: acting first, surviving second. Maintain Xie Zhiweiâs good image even if I go undercover and change my face. Also, build up his original character.
And no matter what, the hero takes precedence, the hero takes precedence, the hero takes precedence! Important things had to be repeated thrice!
â
Translatorâs Note: This is the second time in the story that Tantai Mengâs gone âoffline.â Thank goodness the heroineâs life is hardier than she looksâŚ