Chapter 111
As the head of the Five Sacred Mountains*, Mount Tai is also a place where the emperors of the past dynasties pay homage to the heavens. It has an irreplaceable status in the Jiuzhou region, but for millions of years, no great sect has been born here for no other reason than the lack of caves.
However, according to legend, Mount Tai was a propitious place. Not only did it have caves, but it also had a vast reservoir of spiritual energy like a sea, but after the disconnection between heaven and earth, the Great Emperor Dongyue, also known as the Official Lord of Mount Tai, sealed Mount Tai with his own hands in order to prevent the theft of the Golden Trunk Jade Policy by those with unscrupulous intentions.
Since then, although there were immortal families guarding Mount Tai, they were hardly capable. Later, with the emergence of Wuliang Sect, Mount Shu became the number one immortal mountain in the immortal cultivation world.
When they traveled hastily all night to reach Tai'an, they found that the largest city in Lu land was now very desolate. All the businesses and houses were closed and only a few pedestrians were on the streets. It was spring and summer now, and the climate should have been warm and pleasant, but the further they went into the city, the colder it became, and there was even ice on the ground which had not melted. In the distance, the mountains towering into the clouds are covered in brilliant white and silver snow.
"Qi Meng Sheng's cultivation has already reached this level?" Fan Wu She frowned, "It should be the addition of the ice crystal."
"Her ice crystal body hasn't even fused yet and she's already this powerful. If we really let her have her way, there will be no one left to stop her." Xie Bi An looked worriedly around the cold, chilly Tai'an City, "It's making the local people suffer ah."
"Let's find our master first." Fan Wu She pressed the belly of his horse on both sides and ran forward.
The confrontation between Qi Meng Sheng and the Immortal Alliance had spread across Jiuzhou, and those who didn't know the truth thought it was all because of Xu Zhi Nan, yet they couldn't understand why Mount Tai was suffering for no reason.
The closer they got to Mount Tai, the more frozen the land became, giving them the illusion of returning to Kunlun.
They soon found the Immortal Alliance stationed at the foot of the mountain, which was originally a tea house. After Qi Meng Sheng arrived, the owner of the tea house fled in haste with his family.
The gatekeeper was a cultivator of Wuliang Sect, and when he instantly recognized them, his expression suddenly looked strange. They looked at each other, as if he did not dare to let them in.
When Xie Bi An was about to open his mouth, Fan Wu She was already barging in with his horse: "Get out of the way."
The cultivators backed away to either side, and Xie Bi An followed him in helplessly.
When Zhong Kui saw them, he scolded, "Bastards, who told you to come here? Didn’t I ask you guys to stay at Fenglin Continent?”
"I was worried about you." Xie Bi An said with some grievance.
Fan Wu She, on the other hand, said, "Master, it is not safe for us to stay in Fenglin Continent. We have already been chased twice during this period of time, so we might as well come and find you."
When Zhong Kui saw that the two of them were exhausted from traveling, he could not get angry: "Who is chasing you?"
"Someone from the Cangyu Sect, but we couldn't catch him."
"Come inside and talk."
"Hold on."
An old voice came from behind them with an outstanding imposing manner. He is not angry but still can give people pressure with his temperament.
The two men turned around and saw that the man who was being escorted was none other than Li Bu Yu. They had to bow to Li Bu Yu out of respect.
While looking closely, Li Bu Yu's pupils were a little grey, as if covered with a thin layer of mist, but still his gaze was strict: "I have received a letter reporting that you have stolen the demon foal Wuya."
Fan Wu She said disapprovingly: "It was just borrowing that evil spirit to rush on our journey, how is it called 'stealing'?"
"To take without asking is stealing."
Fan Wu She mocked, "Ask who, King Chu or the Supreme Demon?"
Song Chun Gui rebuked, "At a young age, you have repeatedly disrespected your elders. You are too uneducated!"
Zhong Kui slapped Fan Wu She on the back of his head, "Nephew Song is right, you are uneducated. Quickly, apologize to Immortal Lord."
Fan Wu She disliked Li Bu Yu a lot. He had never looked up to this man, but he never thought that such a two-faced villain would be sitting in the position of commander-in-chief of the immortal cultivation world now, and he had to pretend to be respectful?
But seeing that Zhong Kui and Xie Bi An were both glaring at him, he had no choice but to arch his hand and say insincerely, "Junior was disrespectful, I hope Immortal Lord will forgive me."
Li Bu Yu looked coldly at Fan Wu She. Compared to getting offended by a junior, he had other concerns: "How were you able to control Wuya, and where is Wuya now?"
"Junior has a soul weapon in hand. All evil spirits are afraid of soul weapons, so junior had the intention of giving it a try, but to my surprise, Wuya really obeyed." Fan Wu She said without changing his expression. There didn't seem to be a single loophole, "Before we entered the Pass, we left Wuya outside and sealed it in a Soul Binding Formation."
Fearing that they would not believe him, Xie Bi An said, "It’s been snowing and windy in Kunlun for many days. Junior brother and I are both injured and were unable to use our swords, so we had no choice but to borrow and use Wuya. After everything has calmed down, we will hand it over to the Immortal Alliance to deal with it."
Li Bu Yu's hawk-like eyes darted back and forth between the two, and he suddenly felt that this pair of Immortal disciples of Zhong Kui seemed to look familiar, as if something was lightly touching his distant memory. But over the years his pupils had become increasingly cloudy, and a veil seemed to cover them when he saw people, which was not vivid, so he couldn’t think too deeply about it. He looked at Zhong Kui: "Heaven Master Zhong, can the Soul Weapon really make Wuya submit?"
"This ... I haven't tried. I don't know ah, but the Soul Weapon possesses the spiritual awareness of the Great Emperor Beiyin and no ghost would not be afraid of it." Zhong Kui was clearly avoiding the important and dwelled on the trivial.
"Is that so." Li Bu Yu sneered, "Wuya has a high cultivation level, a fierce temperament and serving two masters in a row, all of whom were figures who aimed to be the first in Jiuzhou and the world. Would it obey the orders of an unknown kid because of the Soul Weapon?"
Xie Bi An froze, suddenly feeling that Li Bu Yu had a point. Wuya was able to die on a hunger strike in order to follow its old master, and it even had centuries of profound cultivation. How could such a horse obey them just because of the Soul Weapon? Fan Wu She had not even used force to subdue Wuya, and Wuya was too quick to submit.
The people around them also looked clearly unbelieving and discussed in whispers.
Xie Bi An was feeling very uneasy, and looked at Fan Wu She.
Yet Fan Wu She looked bold and confident with justice on his side, "Maybe Wuya didn't want to stay in Fenglin continent either. When I lifted the ice seal, it came with me.”
Although the crowd thought it was absurd, they could not think of any other possibility for a while. After all, Zhong Kui had subdued Wuya with a single sword strike. Although they were not present, they had already heard about it.
Zhong Kui said, "These two disciples of mine are indeed mediocre, but with a soul weapon in hand, intimidating a single evil spirit is also the skill of being an Underworld General. Wuya is still a beast, so there’s no need to surmise with human thoughts."
Li Bu Yu pondered for a moment and turned to his disciple, "Chun Gui, last time I asked you to investigate the relationship between this Impermanence Immortal and the Zong clan. It was delayed because of the matter of the walking corpse at Diancang Peak. Now that you have met again, there is no need to delay any further."
Song Chun Gui said, "Yes, Master." He looked at Fan Wu She, "Black Immortal, the Zongxuan Sword Technique is a great taboo in the immortal cultivation world, I'm sure you're aware of that. I have received the agreement from Heaven Master that you need to cooperate with me in finding the master who raised you."
Fan Wu She glanced at Mount Tai: "Isn't this more important at the moment?"
"If there are any of the Supreme Demon's henchmen or descendants still roaming the earth, the Immortal Alliance must not allow it." Li Bu Yu looked grimly at Fan Wu She, "This matter is equally important. You need to give a full account of everything you know."
Following Zhong Kui back to the inner courtyard, the two of them were given a good scolding.
"You didn't listen to me when I told you to stay in Fenglin Continent, so why did you come here to cause trouble for yourselves and for me?" Zhong Kui scratched his scalp in annoyance, "You guys have grown your abilities, and even dare to fucking ride Wuya."
"Master, have you forgotten that Official Lord Cui’s Book of Life and Death has written your ..." Xie Bi An's brow knitted, "How can we feel at ease in Fenglin Continent?"
"Life and death have a destiny. If I am destined to die at the hands of Qi Meng Sheng, what good will it do for you guys to come?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Fate can be changed. Maybe after this calamity, your life expectancy will grow back."
Zhong Kui grunted with disinterest, "I’ll do what I have to do, I don't want to think so much about it. Right now we have to save Lan Chui Han and stop Qi Meng Sheng."
"What is the situation now?" Fan Wu She asked, "Has Qi Meng Sheng got the Golden Trunk Jade Policy?"
"Of course not, otherwise she would have left Mount Tai a long time ago. Mount Tai is so big that she would have to try everywhere for a long time even with the Qingfeng Sword."
"So how is Brother Lan doing now?"
"Li Bu Yu sent the sects that are good friends with the Cangyu Sect to negotiate. It's useless. Lan Chui Han is still alive, but half alive for a while ..." Zhong Kui looked at Xie Bi An and whispered, "That thing, it's still safe, right? "
Xie Bi An nodded: "Master don't worry. It concerns Brother Lan's life. I will pledge my life to protect it.”
Fan Wu She said with jealousy, "How is he worthy for you to pledge your life to protect?"
"I want to bring that thing up the mountain and exchange Lan Chui Han back first." Zhong Kui sighed, "Pavilion Master Lan is getting impatient."
"They don't know about Cheng Yan Zhi yet, do they?"
Zhong Kui shook his head, "I don't trust Li Bu Yu, and this matter is sort of a family scandal for Chunyang Sect. I haven't decided whether to tell Zhao Wen yet or not."
Xie Bi An nodded, "Master is right to consider it. It's just that, just handing Cheng Yan Zhi's body over, wouldn't that send him into the tiger's mouth again?"
"How can we as outsiders say anything about the grudge entanglement between the three of them? Even if it is related to Emperor Kong Hua, that was a matter a hundred years ago." Zhong Kui said, "Compared to knowing the truth, it is more important to save Lan Chui Han and stop Qi Meng Sheng from building her ice crystal body."
Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes slightly, "But if we just give her the thing, we will have no leverage in our hands."
"When we exchange hostages with her, perhaps we can find an opportunity to sneak attack." Zhong Kui pondered, "Let me think about it."
As the two men watched Zhong Kui's pondering appearance, they each had their own concerns in mind. One thinking about how to get revenge on Qi Meng Sheng and get the Golden Trunk Jade Policy, while the other was still troubled by the memories of his past life.
After a while, Zhong Kui seemed to come back to his senses: "By the way, how are your injuries?"
"Oh, much better. I can walk now." Xie Bi An shook his foot.
"I'm much better too."
"That's good, you guys take a good rest first."
"Master." Xie Bi An couldn't help but say, "Disciple has something to ask you."
"Go ahead."
"Master has traveled the world in your life, and has probably been to more places than anyone else under the heavens, right?”
Zhong Kui shrugged smugly, "That's right, the world is huge, yet there's hardly any place your master hasn't set foot in."
"Then, have you heard of a place called 'Gutuo'?"
Fan Wu She’s expression tensed.
"'Gutuo'." Zhong Kui thought for a moment, "I think I've heard of it. It seems to be in Chu land ah."
"Chu land?" Xie Bi An said in surprise.
"I think so. I have some impression of it." Zhong Kui wondered, "Why are you asking this?"
"I, I had a strange dream about this place, but I've never been there before."
Zhong Kui stroked Xie Bi An's head, "Don't think about these useless things. You’ve become thin from exhaustion. Go and get some rest."
"Yes." Xie Bi An thought to himself: If there really is a place called Gutuo in Chu land, then I can just find someone from Chunyang Sect and ask them.
Fan Wu She's heart was tense. Xie Bi An was really going to investigate his past life. He could not let Xie Bi An know how unpleasant their past life was.
----
PS: 2mr is my presentation day, so I won't be uploading anymore today. Pinky promise to upload more tomorrow :)
Five Sacred Mountains*[五岳]---- Five Sacred Mountains of the Daoists, namely: Mt Tai 泰山 in Shandong, Mt Hua华山 in Shaanxi, Mt Heng 衡山 in Hunan, Mt Heng恒山 in Shanxi, Mt Song 嵩山 in Henan
Chapter 112
After dinner, Song Chun Gui ‘invited’ Fan Wu She out alone. Before he left, Xie Bi An repeatedly warned him, fearing that he might offend someone or be bullied.
He wouldn’t mind if it’s someone else. After all, depending on Zhong Kui’s face, plus Fan Wu She has the ability to protect himself, he wouldn’t worry too much. But Song Chun Gui was different. At least on earth, Li Bu Yu's disciples care about their faces more than Zhong Kui's disciples, and they had a history of fighting in Fumenghui, and Song Chun Gui's cultivation and swordsmanship were higher than theirs. If Fan Wu She seriously offended Song Chun Gui, it is unclear how disadvantageous he will be.
Fan Wu She said comfortingly, "Senior brother, don't worry about me, I'm not stupid, I won't get into trouble with him."
"I'm not only just worried about you. Now Li Bu Yu is obviously targeting us, you can't give them anything that can be used against you and make thing difficult for master."
"Don't worry, I understand." Fan Wu She put both arms on Xie Bi An's shoulders and pressed his whole body towards him, acting coquettishly, "Senior brother is so concerned about me, why don't you come with me?"
"No, I have things to do." Xie Bi An laughed and pushed him, "Enough, don't lean on me. You’re heavy."
"It's already dark, what else do you have to do?" "I need to find the Chunyang Sect people and ask them if they know about this place called Gutuo."
Fan Wu She stood up straight after hearing his words and frowned, "That was just an illusion you saw, mostly an inn or restaurant you had been to, just that you don't remember it yourself, so why get so worked up about it."
"Perhaps those two words are indeed irrelevant, but the clues I’ve gotten are too little. Nevertheless, I have to ask before I drop the matter."
Even though Fan Wu She did
not want Xie Bi An to investigate, he could not find a reason to stop him.
However, even if that place was still there, probably not many people would
know the matter that happened more than a hundred years ago, when both the
Demon Supreme and the Human Emperor were still teenage emperors, so he could
only hope for that. After all, the more Xie Bi An knows,
one day, he will inevitably suspect that he is the reincarnation of Emperor Kong Hua.
"Then be cautious when you ask around. We have many secrets that should not be told to outsiders, don't get wormed* instead."
Xie Bi An snorted a laugh, "I should be the one to remind you of this. Don't forget that I am your senior brother, always pretending to be matured."
"Yes, senior brother." Fan Wu She gave him a quick kiss and turned to run away. Xie Bi An stood in place for a while until the touch of that feather gently caressing his cheek was completely unrecognisable, before leaving with a smile on his face.
He found a cultivator he had connections with during the time at Luojinwu and asked about the name "Gutuo".
The cultivator said without hesitation, "Yeah, it's in our Chu land."
Xie Bi An did not expect an answer this easily: "Are these the two words?" He even deliberately traced the words on his hand.
"Yes, there is a mountain there, called Mount Gutuo. At the foot of the mountain is Gutuo Town. Why did White Immortal inquire about Mount Gutuo? There doesn't seem to be anything there."
"Master asked me to come and inquire about it. He has been travelling for many years and once befriended a casual cultivator and had a good conversation with him. That casual cultivator talked about his hometown, but my master couldn't really remember it, so he asked me to ask if this was the place. One day, he would like to look for his old friend."
"Oh, if that casual cultivator is a Chu person, then he should be from Gutuo. After all, this place name is not common either."
"That's great."
The cultivator said, "Does that casual cultivator have a name and a number? Gutuo Town is a small place, so if there's really someone who impresses even the Heaven Master, maybe I've heard of him before."
Xie Bi An made up a random name, which the other party naturally did not know. He then asked, "From what Zhen Ren is saying, that Mount Gutuo is really a small, unknown place ah."
"Its location is remote, mountain roads are everywhere to get in and out, and the area is very poor. You're asking the right person. My hometown is only about two hundred miles away from Mount Gutuo , so I've somewhat heard about it. Many Chu people probably never heard of that place."
"In this way, I understand. Thank you very much." "White Immortal is very kind."
Xie Bi An was about to bid farewell when the cultivator sighed, "I suddenly remembered something. The people of Mount Gutuo have bragged that the only place in the region that can be considered as a place of excellence is the place that the Human Emperor passed through when he was on a trip outside the palace a hundred years ago."
The cultivator also heard the story by ear and said it out casually, and the details were unclear. According to what Xie Bi An heard, it sounded like Song Zi Heng had passed through Gutuo Town after becoming the Human Emperor, so he naturally did not make any associative connections. He plotted in his heart; after this matter was over, he might as well go to Gutuo Town himself. Maybe he could find more clues.
Neither Xie Bi An nor Zhong Kui slept until midnight, when Fan Wu She returned.
The two of them looked at him impatiently.
"Master, senior brother, why aren't you guys resting?"
"Nonsense. Did Song Chun Gui give you a hard time?" Zhong Kui said unhappily, "I really regret taking in such a troublemaker like you."
"Master, don't say that." Xie Bi An whispered.
Fan Wu She said frankly, "He asked and I answered, remain silent when knowing nothing, what else can he does?"
Seeing that Fan Wu She was indeed intact, Xie Bi An was relieved: "Song Chun Gui is a big and stout person after all, so I don't think he would make things difficult for a junior like you." "It is not Song Chun Gui's intention to investigate this matter, but this man obeys Li Bu Yu and there is no guarantee that he will not use some extraordinary means to find your master. Now that you have violated Li Bu Yu's taboo one after another, first with the Zongxuan sword technique and second the demon foal Wuya, Li Bu Yu will definitely not spare anyone related to the Song clan." Zhong Kui looked at Fan Wu She, "Do you really not know where that master of yours is and who he studied under? If you don't help him and he is found by Song Chun Gui first, I am afraid it will be too late."
"Master, I really don't know where he is. With his cultivation, no one would be able to find him if he sincerely wanted to hide his trail." Fan Wu She thought to himself: what could Song Chun Gui find out about someone who didn't even exist? But precisely because that person didn't exist, Song Chun Gui would soon discover the loopholes in his set of excuses when he goes to Mount Qingcheng to investigate. By that time, it would be best if they had already gone back to the Underworld and saved themselves all this trouble.
"Now that this matter is still unresolved, Li Bu Yu can't spare his energy for the time being." Zhong Kui rubbed his chin, "We'll just go back to the underworld when it's over. If he wants to find trouble, talk after he dies."
Xie Bi An laughed out loud.
Fan Wu She also had something different in mind. This half-hearted drunkard Zhong Kui was always scolding and punishing him, but he was also defending himself every time.
He had lived two lives, and actually never had a genuine and sensible master before. In his previous life, he and Song Zi Heng had been taught by their Uncle, but his Uncle had gone into seclusion in his cave when Song Zi Heng became an adult. He was only six or seven years old at that time, and he never saw his Uncle again until his death. Song Zi Heng was the one who guided him in cultivation, sword training, whereas clearing doubts and achieve enlightenment on the method of Dao was depended on Song Ming He and plenty of elders. In this life, "that person" only raised him until he passed the infant stage and was able to take care of himself. He had memories of his previous life, so who else needed to teach him?
Therefore, Zhong Kui was at least the first person he called "master".
He didn't take this "Master" or "Senior brother" seriously, but these two people did.
As he watched the pair smile at each other, the corners of Fan Wu She's mouth could not help but rise. For a moment, he suddenly thought: maybe it's better this way. Xie Bi An won't become Song Zi Heng, they will just be little underworld generals, cultivating the Dao and collecting souls, and ... there’s nothing bad?
But as soon as this thought emerged, it was washed away by the obsession in his chest. The people who had harmed him were not only not dead, but also ranked as Immortal Lord. The defeat he had tasted under Mount Luofeng, the suffering he had suffered in the Infernal Hell, he had to get it back. He had supreme power and strength and the whole Jiuzhou trembled under his feet. His magical weapons, his cultivation, his roots, everything he had carried, all of them made him unwilling to do nothing. He can not be a Demon Supreme, but he still had to have, all, his, needs.
"Master, this matter of junior brother’s, let's forget about it for now. We should discuss how to save big brother Lan and stop Qi Meng Sheng."
Speaking of this, Zhong Kui's face was again clouded with sorrow, "Two days ago, Pavilion Master Lan came up to the mountain alone. Xianyue Pavilion and Cangyu Sect have always been good friends. He hopes that Qi Meng Sheng will think for old times’ sake and at least release Lord Lan first."
"And then what?"
Xianyue Pavilion could be said to be the closest to Cangyu Sect among the Central Plains sects. After all, one was a new sect with an unstable foundation, and the other was a demonic cultivator from the Pass who was scorned and ostracised by the Central Plains, so it was natural for them to huddle up. Even so, Qi Meng Sheng did not hesitate in the slightest when he used Lan Chui Han as a hostage.
"Of course it's useless. Qi Meng Sheng told Pavilion Master Lan that: if he wanted Lord Lan back, let him come to me. How wise was Pavilion Master Lan? After he came down from the mountain, he didn't tell Li Bu Yu, found me privately and learned that we had the same thing that can exchange hostages with Qi Meng Sheng."
"And how does Master intend to exchange?"
"Save Lord Lan before Qi Meng Sheng finds the Golden Trunk Jade Policy." Zhong Kui said, "If she finds the Golden Trunk Jade Policy, she will have more leverage in her hands, but she will also attract the siege of the entire immortal cultivation world. At that time, she will probably use Lord Lan to blackmail Xianyue Pavilion into working for her."
Xie Bi An gasped, his heart felt the chills non-stop.
"Pavilion Master Lan said that there is a person beside Qi Meng Sheng who is likely to be the disciple of the divine predictor Huang Dao Zi, and has the long-lost Luoshui Jade Armour in his hands, so it is only a matter of time before she finds the Golden Trunk Jade Policy."
Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She in amazement. This was not the first time that Fan Wu She seemed to have the ability to foresee, already guessing all these long before Zhong Kui.
Zhong Kui looked at the two men in confusion, "What?"
"Well, junior brother had guessed before that Qi Meng Sheng was so confident of herself, most likely because she had the Luoshui Jade Armour in her hand and knew she would definitely be able to find the Golden Trunk Jade Policy."
Zhong Kui also made a surprised face, "You can guess this too?" Fan Wu She said, "I grew up in the marketplace and have heard many true and false stories about Huang Dao Zi, but I guessed blindly."
Zhong Kui glanced at Fan Wu She suspiciously, "Anyway, I plan to go up to the mountain myself, save Lan Chui Han and let the Immortal Alliance take advantage of the opportunity to sneak attack."
"Master, what can we do then?"
Zhong Kui extended his hand towards Xie Bi An, "Give me the item."
Xie Bi An gave Zhong Kui the ice coffin containing Cheng Yan Zhi's body along with Gong Shu Ju.
Zhong Kui looked at the two strange objects in his hand, "This Gong Shu Ju, we can use it.”
-not edited-
Wormed*[套话]--- obtain
information from (someone) by cunning persistence.
Chapter 113
"Gong Shu Ju is a good assistant for ambush and sneak attack." Xie Bi An said, "Master, how should we act?"
Zhong Kui gave him a thoughtful look and did not speak.
"Wait. They say that that Luoshui Jade Armor can predict everything. What if Huang Dao Zi's disciple predicts that we are going to sneak attack?"
"There is no divine object in this world that can predict everything accurately. Even when there is, it is not something that a mortal can control." Fan Wu She snorted coldly, "Huang Dao Zi is a godly swindler himself. His disciple probably also not up to standard.”
"Well, it better be so, otherwise ..." Xie Bi An suddenly remembered something, "Yeah, if the Luoshui Jade Armor can really predict all things, then why would Qi Meng Sheng need to find the Golden Trunk Jade Policy? She might as well just straight away figure out who is the reincarnation of the human emperor. "
At this remark, both Zhong Kui and Fan Wu She froze for a moment, as if they too had only just thought of this.
But Zhong Kui quickly shook his head, "The human emperor is a reincarnation of a celestial being and the Luoshui Jade Armour is a folk object. It should not be able to predict celestial beings."
"But after reincarnation, he is a mortal in this lifetime ah." Fan Wu She's brow knitted up. Back then, after he had swept through the immortal cultivation world, killed his way back to Wuji Palace and unified Jiuzhou, Huang Dao Zi had taken the initiative to find him to be his strategist. He knew that Luoshui Jade Armour had some ability. Although that magical weapon was never wrong, it’s not able to predict to the point of meticulousness, otherwise it would not be a magical weapon but a divine object.
When Xie Bi An reminded him of this, he was a little worried. After all, even if he only helped Qi Meng Sheng narrow down the scope of her search, it was still a threat to Xie Bi An.
Fan Wu She's killing intent boiled at the thought of Qi Meng Sheng, and he looked at the ice coffin in Zhong Kui's hand, "Master, don't you plan to wake up Cheng ... Xu Zhi Nan? Given his relationship with Qi Meng Sheng, he should know how to deal with her."
"I would like to, but I'm not sure I won't hurt his life. Not only because this ice coffin was sealed by Qi Meng Sheng herself, but also the Seven Stars Life-Sustaining Lamp. None of us knows how to use this magical treasure. The human life is at stake, so we can’t trial and error." Zhong Kui played with the ice coffin, "What's more, this body and soul are not yet in one, and we don't know how well they have fused."
Xie Bi An agreed, "It's better not to take any risks. What Yun Xiang Yi said was not to scare us."
Zhong Kui put the things into his bag, "Tomorrow morning, you two should go back to Fengdu."
"What?" Xie Bi An’s eyes widened.
"Go back to Fengdu, go back to the Underworld, and don't even come out in the near future."
"Master, we've gone through a lot of trouble to come all the way from Fenglin Continent because we want to help you." "There are many talents here, I don't need your help." Zhong Kui had a rare tough attitude, "Leave tomorrow at dawn, no need to say more."
"I'm not leaving." Xie Bi An said with a stern face, "Otherwise we go back to the Underworld together. I am not going back by myself."
Zhong Kui frowned, "Since when is it your turn to talk back to Master?" "Master, this is the time to use people, why do you want to drive us
away?" Fan Wu She said, "If you are worried about our safety ..."
"Both of you have not yet recovered from your injuries. Do you still want me to be distracted from taking care of you guys?"
"If this small injury makes me a burden, then master really belittled disciple, and belittled yourself." Xie Bi An said obstinately, "I'm not leaving anyway. Even if you punish me, I will not leave."
"Bastard!" Zhong Kui shouted angrily, "What do you know!"
Xie Bi An froze. As far as he could remember, roughly when he was young and not sensible would Zhong Kui be this angry at him when he entered Jiuyou’s forbidden area without permission. He realised that his master, who was invincible and unrivalled in his mind, was not certain of winning this battle. Therefore, he could not allow them to stay behind and take risks. He whispered, "No matter what, I'm going to stay and help you."
Zhong Kui stood up furiously, "If you don't leave, fine, then you are not allowed to leave this tea house either." He took out two yellow talismans, used his spiritual power to draw with his hand and put them on each of them, "Don't blame me for locking you up if you dare to set foot outside the tea house." He slammed the door and left.
Xie Bi An stared in a daze at the lightly trembling door, his eyes slightly red.
Fan Wu She walked up to Xie Bi An and half-crouched down, wrapping both hands around his. Xie Bi An looked down at Fan Wu She and said in a deep voice, "Do you know, it's been a long time since Master has been so angry. He is worried about himself that what is written in the Book of Life and Death has come true, worried that, this place is his life-death calamity.”
Fan Wu She reached out his hand and gently stroked his red eyelids. The touch of his fingers light, soft and warm, seemingly very fragile, yet righteously protective of what was important behind him, just like this person.
Xie Bi An said in a hoarse voice, "Without Qingfeng Sword, Master must also be feeling very uneasy, yet he cannot let us worry."
"Master doesn't have Qingfeng Sword, but he has us." Fan Wu She looked at Xie Bi An with a calm, power-filled gaze. He did not want Xie Bi An to be sad, and he also needs to use Zhong Kui to find his Heavenly Secret Talisman, so Zhong Kui must not die here.
"Yes, Master has us." Xie Bi An held Fan Wu She's hand back, the blood vessels stretched in his eyes formed an unswerving determination barrier, "We will definitely help Master get through this calamity."
"So don't be sad, senior brother. Master is not angry with you."
"I'm not sad. It doesn't matter if Master scolds me and punishes me. I know he's doing it for our own good." Xie Bi An forced a smile, "Master has never been one to lose his temper. He can't scare me." He stroked Fan Wu She's hair, "Wu She, with you around, senior brother's mind is much more at ease. Two people are always more helpful than one."
Fan Wu She rubbed Xie Bi An's palm with one hand and climbed up to the back of his neck with the other, and tilted his head to kiss his lips.
Xie Bi An hesitated for a moment, clutching the armrests with both hands, clumsily and sincerely attempting to respond.
Fan Wu She was incessantly happy. He did not intend to make it more difficult for Xie Bi An to "return the favour", but simply kissed him lightly and enjoyed the sweetness of the two lovers.
Outside the window, the bright moon was high in the sky. Hidden from view under the branches and leaves, among the candlelight, the black and the white were like the harmonisation of yin and yang, blurring the distinction between the two, as if the two were melting into this gentle kiss.
When Fan Wu She had tasted enough sweetness, he licked his lips and released him: "Senior brother, let's rest early."
Xie Bi An cupped Fan Wu She's face, having seen through his mind already, and snorted a laugh, "Scram back to your own room."
"Don’t want, I want to sleep with you."
Before Xie Bi An could say anything else, Fan Wu She said, "I won’t do anything, I just want to let senior brother hug me."
"You're not a child, always wanted to be hugged all day long, where’s the decency?"
"What do I need decency for?" Fan Wu She wrapped his arms around Xie Bi An’s thin, narrow waist, "Don't chase me away, senior brother."
"This isn't Kunlun. There are people from the Immortal Alliance everywhere, and Master lives next door." Xie Bi An pulled his hand away and took on the air of an elder brother, "Come on, go back to your own room."
Fan Wu She acted shamelessly, hugged Xie Bi An and entangled for a while longer before he left despite wishing to continue.
Xie Bi An blew out the light and lay in bed, tossing and turning all night.
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Chapter 114
Zhong Kui and Lan Zi Zhen, the Pavilion Master of Xianyue Pavilion, took Yun Xiang Yi and Hua Xiang Rong up the mountain. All the people from the Immortal Alliance thought they wanted to exchange Lan Chui Han using the Flying Plume Ambassadors. The secret of the ice coffin remained unknown to others, including Lan Zi Zhen, who was also kept in the dark --
- although he guessed that the hostages who could scare Qi Meng Sheng were not her two disciples, since Zhong Kui intentionally hide things from him, he discreetly let it off. To him, nothing was more important than his son's life.
Li Bu Yu was also ready. Once he received the news about Lan Chui Han being rescued, he will lead the Immortal Alliance to destroy the boundary set up by QI Meng Sheng and invade the mountain.
After Zhong Kui left, Xie Bi An and Fan Wu She were "invited" to a meeting. Without thinking, they also knew that Li Bu Yu was guarding against them.
The two of them walked unhurriedly through the courtyard. The spring breeze turned to rain and fell into the unique brown soil of Qi Lu, filling the garden with the scent of tea, mixed with the simple fragrance of the soil, elegant and refreshing, making people carefree and relaxed.
Xie Bi An can’t help to stop in his steps. He closed his eyes and let the cool raindrops lightly pat his cheeks. He took a deep breath, and when he exhaled, it seemed to take away a bit of the stuffiness in his chest.
"Senior brother, look." Fan Wu She's voice carried a hint of surprise. Xie Bi An opened his eyes and also froze.
This tea house is built near the mountain. At this time of the year when the apricot blossoms and the rain drizzling, the scenery is breath-taking, but if it’s just red flowers and green willows*, who has never seen it before? But the surroundings are overflowing with bluish-green colour, and in the distance is covered in snow. The rustling sound of drizzle is mixed with the fluffy snowflakes, as if spring and winter are in perfect harmony, no longer distinguishing between the two.
Xie Bi An looked at the impressive sight in awe and murmured, "It's so beautiful." But such beauty lurks a hidden danger.
"Such a view is rare to be seen in a lifetime." Fan Wu She could not help but recall a snowfall he had enjoyed with Song Zi Heng.
"How old are you? What kind of 'lifetime' are you talking about?" Xie Bi An teased.
Fan Wu She laughed, "I've never seen it in my previous life either." Xie Bi An snorted a laugh, "Still previous life."
Fan Wu She held Xie Bi An's hand and looked at him with gentle eyes, "In our previous lives, we held hands like this and enjoyed the snow."
Xie Bi An only thought he was talking words of love, and quickly looked around, pulling his hand back: "You should be steadier. Let's go, Li Bu Yu is still waiting for us."
"And how do you know I'm just talking nonsense?" Fan Wu She walked alongside him, "We have such a destiny in this life is likely to be continued from the previous destiny and is a step over the karma of reincarnation."
"You ah." Xie Bi An pursed his lips and smiled, "If you say so, so be it.
There is no way to verify it anyway."
"Aren’t you trying to verify it now? Aren’t you trying to find out what happened to you in your past life?" After learning that Xie Bi An hadn't asked for any useful information from the people of Chunyang Sect, Fan Wu She let his mind rest for the time being, but he knew that Xie Bi An wouldn't stop here; if he kept on investigating like this, or if Xie Bi An had any more dreams that were more specific and detailed, then it would only be a matter of time before he learned that he was the reincarnation of Song Zi Heng.
He didn't know what he will do at that time.
"Yes. If I want to be free from the memories of my past life, I must untie my obsessions."
"Aren't you afraid of being affected by your previous life?"
"No. To me, he’s another person." Xie Bi An said this with his mouth, but he felt diffident in his heart. The things that happened in his dreams are too real. He could not erase the memory of being violated by a man from his mind and body. Whenever he had intimate acts with Fan Wu She, he could not restrain himself from thinking of that "Xiao Jiu", of those kisses, those touches, those humiliations and predations. It was clearly not his fault, yet he was forced to bear the guilt of his sins and his guilt towards Fan Wu She.
He wanted to be free. Not only for himself, but also to be able to be with Fan Wu She without distractions.
The two of them walked in silence for some time, and before they could see Li Bu Yu, there was a sudden loud noise coming from Mount Tai, and an avalanche tumbled down halfway down the mountain, as if it had been lifted and scattered by the hand of the God of Heaven.
"So fast?" Xie Bi An frowned, "It's not even two hours since Master went up the mountain."
"A quick battle is a good thing." Fan Wu She said, "Let's go help the Immortal Alliance break the boundary first."
"Okay." After Qi Meng Sheng had taken over Mount Tai, she used the ice crystal to set up the Eight Directions Gathering Top Golden Dipper Formation. This formation comes from the ‘Yellow Emperor's Heavenly Secret Scripture’. It is a protective boundary that uses oneself as the eye of the formation while borrowing the spiritual energies released from heaven, earth and living things. It is also one of the forbidden arts, as this formation will suck the spiritual energy of the surrounding creatures, sparing not a single blade of grass or vermin, but it also has an obvious advantage. It can help one to set up a boundary that is far above one's own cultivation level, and not a fly can get in unless the person at the eye of the formation allows it.
Qi Meng Sheng had used every trick in order to find the Golden Trunk Jade Policy.
When they ran out of the tea house, the Immortal Alliance, led by Li Bu Yu, had already shown their skills and attacked the Golden Dipper Formation.
Even Mount Tai could not withstand such an attack, and the formation was soon breached.
Li Bu Yu said with great force, "It is our duty to eradicate the evils and uphold the righteous path. All of you will join me today to crush the demonic woman of the Cangyu Sect. Even offering our lives to sacrifice, we will protect the people of the earth and prevent the nightmare from a hundred years ago from repeating itself."
"A hundred years ago, Immortal Alliance Li and Wuliang Sect were the tower of strength against the Demon Supreme. A hundred years later, it is Immortal Alliance Li and Wuliang Sect again, who are leading the Immortal Alliance to crush the demonic woman. With Immortal Alliance Li around, it is a blessing for all the people in Jiuzhou, and we will be able to win!"
This boast drew a crowd of loud choruses of agreement.
Fan Wu She's face turned black, and he was sick to his stomach. When had Li Bu Yu ever had the guts to defy him? He was just a villain who acted pragmatically. It seemed that after his death, the immortal cultivation world had really gone downhill. There were no heroes for the time being, making a lad famous*.
The mountain was thundering with spiritual light, and the fight was already overwhelming. Li Bu Yu flew into the sky with his sword, and the crowd rose up in the wind, following close behind.
When they flew up to the top of the mountain and saw Zhong Kui and Lan Zi Zhen leading a bunch of cultivators from Xianyue Pavilion fighting with Qi Meng Sheng and the elders and cultivators of the Cangyu Sect, they all showed surprised expressions.
"Aren't Heaven Master and Pavilion Master Lan the only ones up the mountain? Where did all these people come from?"
"Yeah, when would Qi Meng Sheng let so many people up the mountain.
How did they get through the boundary?"
Li Bu Yu narrowed his eyes, towering and motionless, allowing the cold wind to mess up his white beard.
Zhao Wen said, "Could it be... Gong Shu Ju?" Gong Shu Ju had once been used by Xu Zhi Nan, and thus the people from Chunyang Sect had heard of this magical weapon.
"Gong Shu Ju? Seems like I've heard of it."
Qi Meng Sheng released her Cold Sky Technique, and the temperature plummeted, with knife-sharp ice and snow wreaking havoc and attacking everyone.
Li Bu Yu opened his mouth and transmitted his voice through a thousand miles, "Qi Meng Sheng, put away your ambition and give up."
"Li Bu Yu." Qi Meng Sheng’s wild laughter echoed in the snow and wind, "Finally, I see a familiar face. Fighting these youngsters who don't know anything is so boring. And you, who have been working for most of your life, have changed your roots and even become the leader of the Immortal Alliance. To select in this immortal cultivation world, only you can barely be my opponent."
Zhong Kui could not accept when he heard this, "Qi Meng Sheng, if you have the guts to return Qingfeng Sword to me, let's see if I can be your opponent."
"A person who is easily disarmed is not worthy of possessing a divine sword."
"How is it fucking 'easy' for you to threaten me with the Lan boy?"
Li Bu Yu held his ancestral divine sword, Wuliang, and pointed its blade straight at Qi Meng Sheng: "I'm not here to catch up with you."
Qi Meng Sheng sneered and asked in return, "What old times do you and I have to catch up on?"
"Qi Meng Sheng, do you really think you are a match for the entire Immortal Alliance?" Li Bu Yu said in a cold voice, "You are dreaming if you want to obtain the Absolute Human Emperor."
"I have been painstakingly planning for years, do you think that a mere Immortal Alliance can stop me?" Qi Meng Sheng's beautiful face was filled with sinister, "With a bunch of mediocre talents like you, what kind of schemes and sneak attacks are you playing with me? That Gong Shu Ju was originally my thing, I would not have guessed your little tricks? That's good, you all come together, so I can kill you all at once."
Li Bu Yu said expressionlessly, "Gong Shu Ju is not yours. You have already offered it to Emperor Kong Hua back then. Emperor Kong Hua has treated you and the Cangyu Sect well, but you have been coveting his golden core, how are you different from the Demon Supreme?"
"Shut up!" Qi Meng Sheng suddenly roared, "You are not worthy of mentioning the Emperor Kong Hua, it was you who betrayed him first!" Fan Wu She's heart sank, and the veins on his forehead popped up.
Li Bu Yu's grey eyes shone brightly, and his hair danced wildly with his hostility: "You are spouting nonsense! I have never betrayed the emperor!"
"Hahahaha " Qi Meng Sheng was obviously satisfied with Li Bu Yu's
reaction and laughed sinisterly, "That secret, only a few of us know it. If not you, who else could it be?"
The eyes of the crowd hurriedly went back and forth between the two. Unfortunately, no one could understand what they were saying, except for the two current Immortal Lords who possessed centuries of cultivation.
Including Fan Wu She.
What secret? What were they talking about?
Li Bu Yu's eyes were full of ominous glint and his murderous aura boiled back to the sky.
"As for this Gong Shu Ju." Qi Meng Sheng’s pupils seemed to have turned into ice crystals, without a trace of human warmth from beginning to end, "Back then I offered it to Emperor Kong Hua because Chen Xing Yong had used it to seriously injure the young emperor in Gutuo Town. Chen Xing Yong was a traitor to my sect, and Gong Shu Ju was always a magical weapon of my sect."
When Xie Bi An heard the words "Gutuo Town", the words that followed had already turned into a flood of bells. In his world, the sound was heard by heaven, rumbling so loudly that it almost shattered his wisdom.
Gong Shu Ju, Gutuo Town, the young emperor, the emperor's destiny, the reincarnation of the human emperor, big brother, Xiao Jiu.
Every single word resounded through the clouds.
Anyone who wasn't a fool and connected the clues one by one could come up with a possibility, a possibility that made his heart almost stop beating. Fan Wu She turned his face stiffly and looked at Xie Bi An. Xie Bi An’s expression was like grey from death, which already says it all.
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red flowers and green
willows*[花红柳绿] all the colours of spring
There were no heroes for
the time being, making a lad famous*[ 时⽆英雄， 使竖⼦成名]----
meaning an incompetent
person became famous by chance
PS: I think I also called Lan Chui Han as Pavilion Master as well. He is the son of Lan Zi Zhen.
Chapter 115
A hundred years have passed since the era of Emperor Song. That was an era when talents emerged one after another and the world was in chaos to contend for supremacy. The internal strife in the Song clan, the mutual conflicts between each sect, the demonic cultivators of core theft were killing constantly, and everyone was at risk. Two ancient divine treasures have been buried for millions of years, which emerged suddenly along with the Demon Supreme of a generation and overpowered Jiuzhou. Finally, ending with Song Zi Xiao being devoured instead by his own infinitely expanding ambitions.
In those stormy years, The internecine strife between Song Zi Heng and Song Zi Xiao were the centre of a long and drawn-out storm. Both of them have supreme talents, but one was suffering from neglect and the other being highly favoured, yet suddenly one day, fate reversed. Song Zi Xiao was reduced to being the illegitimate child of a core thief, while Song Zi Heng concealed his strengths and bid his time* and usurped the throne in a move. If it’s not because of their lust for power, how could they have gone from being friendly and respectful as brothers to pointing swords at each other? Can’t avoid letting people say with sorrow: It’s a pity to be born in an imperial family.
From authentic histories, wild histories and folk tales, there are thousands of stories about the two brothers. Even after a century has passed, they are still widely circulated.
Like the majority, Xie Bi An grew up together with their stories. How could that legendary figure have anything to do with himself? But the three life stones could not display his destiny. He saw a bloodbath on the eight trigrams platform. In his dream he became an emperor, and had a younger brother called Xiao Jiu, who was close to him when he was young, but hated him to the bone when he grew up. The memories of his past life repeatedly harassed him, making him feel that there’s a jumbled jigsaw puzzle in front of him, and that "Gutuo" is a very important piece of this puzzle. The moment it returns to its place, although it is still not enough to recover the whole picture, it has already given him a glimpse of the truth.
How could he accept that he might be the reincarnation of a human emperor, and that in his previous life he had been related … related to the Demon Supreme Song Zi Xiao in a way that was contrary to human decency?!
He subconsciously put his hand over his abdomen. The golden core that was revolving inside his dantian and condensing his lifelong cultivation, might be the culprit of this fight. It is the thing that Qi Meng Sheng wanted to dig out alive!
Fan Wu She looked at Xie Bi An's changing expression, his gaze incessantly malicious. When he knew that Xie Bi An had touched his memories of his past life on the eight trigrams platform and would dream sporadically, he had been prepared for this day to come, but it was sooner than he thought. He watched as Xie Bi An was retrieving Song Zi Heng's memories little by little, but was unable to do anything about it, and at the same time was caught in a contradiction.
Li Bu Yu said grimly, "If it was offered to the emperor, why did it return to your hands? You are ruthless, fickle and harbouring evil intentions. It is evident."
"The Emperor passed away, so I have to leave it to you guys who are the ravenous wolves* who divided the Song Clan?" Qi Meng Sheng said sharply, "Do you dare to tell those who are present, what made Wuliang Sect the number one Immortal Sect in the world, and how did you become the head of the Immortal Alliance?” "Song Zi Xiao was tyrannical and lawless, and the emperor had effectively become his puppet. Under his control, the entire immortal cultivation world was plundered and oppressed by the Song Clan. When Song Clan was overthrown, everyone naturally wanted to get back what was theirs." Li Bu Yu said disdainfully, "So only your Cangyu Sect became righteous alone?"
"Cangyu Sect did not raid the Song Clan's treasure trove, nor did the Cangyu Sect drive the Song Clan's people to extinction, nor did the Cangyu Sect ban the Zongxuan Sword Technique, leaving the Wuliang Sword to shine alone."
A series of gazes drifted towards Li Bu Yu, both explicitly and implicitly. Li Bu Yu's expression was extremely unsightly as he gritted his teeth and said, "What the Wuliang Sect has done is to completely remove the remaining poison of the Demon Supreme and save the people."
Qi Meng Sheng let out a sneer, "Then you ate Song Ming He's human core, shed your mortal body and change your bones, is it also for the sake of people in the world?”
This statement shocked everyone.
Li Bu Yu's loosely hanging eyelids were instantly propped up, his clothes fluttering in the cold wind slightly concealing the trembling of his body, but his expression still betrayed him, "You ... you ..."
Zhong Kui's, his disciples, Zhao Wen and several Chunyang Sect elders were also shocked. Before Xu Zhi Nan passed away, they had just analysed that the walking corpse sealed by Li Bu Yu at Diancang Peak was Emperor Ning Hua, Song Ming He, and that Song Ming He's missing golden core was also most likely dug up by Li Bu Yu, but they didn't expect Qi Meng Sheng to know about it earlier and even confirmed it herself in front of the entire Immortal Alliance.
"You want to ask me, how did I know about it?" Qi Meng Sheng looked at him grimly, "If you don’t want people to know, then you don't do it yourself. You think that after a hundred years, when all the old people have died, no one will remember that you, Li Bu Yu, originally had mediocre qualifications? You hate the Song Clan to the bone, but your cultivation, your status, your merits that bring honour to your ancestors, were all given to you by the Song Clan."
"Qi Meng Sheng, do you think you can turn right and wrong upside down just because you experienced the era of Emperor Song with me?" Li Bu Yu's loss of composure was fleeting, and by now he had regained his composure, "That’s right, if compared to the Emperor, I, Li Bu Yu, am indeed of mediocre qualifications. What kind of roots did the Emperor have to let you betray and not hesitate to make enemies in the world just to seize the top qualifications? I have not been lazy in my cultivation for a single day in my life. Heaven rewards the diligent, and only today have I achieved something. You are making false accusations in order to achieve your own ambition. Who will believe a demonic woman like you who has gone off the rails!"
Song Chun Gui felt indignant and injustice, "Master, disciple sees this demonic woman is obviously stalling for time. Master's virtue is obvious to all, how can we tolerate this demonic woman to tarnish you!"
The others echoed, "That’s right, how could Immortal Alliance Li eat a human core, plus a core from Emperor Ning Hua? It is simply making a mockery of the world. Who in this world doesn't know that Emperor Ning Hua was killed by his own son's hand on the eight trigrams platform."
Qi Meng Sheng laughed
coldly, "Who in this world knows that a walking corpse, whose core was dug
out, was sealed by the Big Dipper Zhengji Demon Binding Formation at Diancang Peak, and
that walking corpse was Song Ming He."
This time, not only Zhong Kui's, his disciples and the elders of Chunyang Sect, who knew the inside story, all those who had been to Li Bu Yu's birthday party became silent.
The walking corpse at Diancang
Peak, the Big Dipper Zhengji Demon Binding Formation, the mere evil spirit that almost
killed the two Impermanence Immortals, and Li Bu Yu's use of the Thunder
Ancestor's Treasure Grant to "silence" it, were all things they had
seen with their own eyes. If that person is Song Ming He, all these will make
sense.
Fan Wu She only felt his mind in a mess. Unlike the people present who were concerned about whether Li Bu Yu had really eaten Song Ming He's core, what he wanted to know was who had killed Song Ming He,
If it was true as everyone knew, that Song Zi Heng had killed his father the emperor on the Eight Trigrams Platform, it would have been impossible for Li Bu Yu to eat Song Ming He's golden core, because once a person died, his spiritual energy would have dissipated and his core would have become useless, but according to their speculation and Li Bu Yu's reaction, he had indeed eaten Song Ming He's core, and Song Ming He must have been alive when the core was dug out.
His feelings towards Song Ming He were very complicated. He hated Song Ming He, but Song Ming He had doted on him for fourteen years, so how could he forget this father-son love? Compared to Song Ming He, he hated Song Zi Heng and Lu Zhao Feng even more. When he heard that Song Zi Heng had killed Song Ming He and usurped the throne, he felt that Song Zi Heng had killed both his parents.
But what is the truth? A hundred years later, the closer he got to everything related to Emperor Song’s era, the more he felt that there were still many things about Song Zi Heng that he was unaware of at the time.
Li Bu Yu said in a stern voice: "The walking corpse at Diancang Peak which had the Chunyang Sect’s ability to regenerate limbs is not Song Ming He at all. His true identity is unknown to anyone. Qi Meng Sheng, you are simply heartless!"
If not for the difference between the enemy and themselves at this time, Zhong Kui would have exposed Li Bu Yu on the spot, but now, no matter what, they had to join forces to defeat Qi Meng Sheng first.
"Master, she must be stalling for time and trying to mess with your mind. You must not fall for her trick." Song Chun Gui raised his sword, his eyes raging with anger.
Li Bu Yu took a deep breath: "That’s right, slandering me will not let your ambition has its way. Demonic woman, be executed." He bellowed and attacked Qi Meng Sheng.
A great battle began.
There were thousands and millions of confusions in Xie Bi An’s mind, but he had no choice but to let them go at this point. He flew to help Zhong Kui, and Fan Wu She followed him.
They looked at each other and both saw deep concern in each other's eyes.
Xie Bi An had told Fan Wu She almost everything about his dream, except for the unspeakable acts he had done with Xiao Jiu.
He had no time to think about what Fan Wu She would think. The most important thing at the moment was to stop Qi Meng Sheng.
Under Qi Meng Sheng's command were several elders, the Flying Plume Ambassadors and a group of high-ranking cultivators, each of whom used cold ice magic to create feathery wings, treating the sky as if it was flat. With a mere two dozen people, they did not show any weakness when meeting the hundred or so people of the Immortal Alliance. It seemed that as long as there were snow and ice crystals, their strength would skyrocket.
Zhong Kui and Li Bu Yu joined forces against Qi Meng Sheng. The ice jade was embedded in her longbow, and an arrow was as powerful as shooting the sun. The snow jade gave her the wings of a snowy owl on her back. Like a god descending from heaven, her power is unstoppable.
Zhong Kui used a normal sword to coordinate Li Bu Yu's Wuliang Sword, attacking left and right to block Qi Meng Sheng, but the sword was shattered to pieces by Qi Meng Sheng after several rounds of attacks.
Li Bu Yu summoned the Thunder Ancestor's Treasure Grant to bring down the heavenly thunder. This heavenly thunder was so powerful that neither man nor ghost dared to receive it. Qi Meng Sheng was also very scared and no longer attacked aggressively, but flew in between the mountains to avoid it.
It had been a hundred years since the battle between Song Zi Xiao and Great Emperor Beiyin on Mount Luofeng. Those who are present were high achievers, each displaying their own divine powers, and the rampant spiritual pressure gradually filled the mountain.
Suddenly, in an unremarkable mountain depression, there was a tremendous sound, and as the earth and mountains shook, a golden light, like a pillar, shot up into the sky.
Zhong Kui suddenly awaken and his expression changed dramatically, "No good, we've been trapped!"
Several people in the scene understood.
Qi Meng Sheng had deliberately lured them up the mountain to fight with her. The Luo Shui Jade Armour could calculate the approximate location of the Golden Trunk Jade Policy, but could not anchor it. The Great Emperor Dongyue had placed a boundary for the Golden Trunk Jade Policy, causing it to be hidden and invisible in the mountain. It will only react when it was attacked. A chaotic battle unleashed a huge amount of spiritual energy, as well as Li Bu Yu's heavenly thunder, which finally touched the Golden Trunk Jade Policy’s boundary, allowing Qi Meng Sheng to find it!
Xie Bi An's eyes widened as the golden light plunged straight into the clouds and shrinking slightly into two tiny pillars of light in his pupils, occupying his field of vision and left nothing else in his eyes.
He felt a vague pain in his dantian. A voice, like the whisper of a god or ghost, told him that what was in his belly was the source of all evil.
The Golden Trunk Jade Policy, be born!
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concealed his strengths and bid his time*[韬光养晦]--- to hide one's light under a bushel
ravenous wolves*[豺狼] evil person
Chapter 116
The world only knows that the Eastern Emperor's Bell, the Shen Nong Ding, the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman and the map of Shanhe Sheji are the Four Great Ancient Treasures of the World, but few people know that there is another thing that was left on earth by the Gods of Heaven when Zhuanxu Sect disconnects the heaven and earth, and that is the Golden Trunk Jade Policy.
Millions of years ago, the Great Emperor Haotian was the supreme master of the heavens, Jiuzhou and Jiuyou. The Gods of Heaven are above all demons and ghosts. The universe revolves, and everything born and dies in an endless cycle. Only the Gods of Heaven can transcend the cycle of reincarnation. But the Gods of Heaven only have long lives, not immortality.
In the Book of Life and Death, a miraculous book birthed from heaven and earth, the life spans of the Gods of Heaven are also recorded.
The Great Emperor Haotian could not allow the life span of the Gods of Heaven to be in the hands of others and forced the Great Emperor Dongyue, the Lord of Jiuyou, to hand over the Book of Life and Death. It was the height of the Great War between the Gods of Heaven and the Earthly Gods, and the fight between the three worlds was so intense that Zhuan Xu, the Human Emperor, proposed the disconnection between heaven and earth, and the three worlds should be divided and be ruled separately.
At that time, the Great Emperor Dongyue had already become a god. He did not want to disobey the Heavenly Law by allowing the Gods of Heaven to control the lifespan of the three worlds, nor could he disobey the Great Emperor Haotian, so he divided the Book of Life and Death into two and put the part that recorded the lifespan of the Gods of Heaven into a Golden Trunk and sealed it in Mount Tai, while the Book of Life and Death and the Judge's Brush, which can change the life span, were handed over to his eldest disciple, Bei Yin. Finally, the Great Emperor Dongyue returned to the Heavens and never descended to earth, while the Great Emperor Beiyin ruled over Jiuyou.
In the course of time, the Golden Trunk Jade Policy was gradually forgotten, with only a few scattered records in very old texts and very few people were interested about it. After all, it is useless to mortals compared to the Four Great Ancient Treasures of the world.
The Great Emperor Dongyue would never have imagined that one day the Golden Trunk Jade Policy would reappear on earth, not caused by the Gods of Heaven, but by a frenzied mortal cultivator who wants to use it to find the golden core with the imperial destiny.
Among the mountains, a hooded man wielding icy feathers held a radiant, bejewelled golden box in his hand. It was none other than the long- lost Yun Zhong Jun, whose other hand was holding Zhong Kui's Qingfeng Sword.
"Congratulations to Master for obtaining the Golden Trunk and Jade Policy." Yun Zhong Jun's voice was as cold and stern as himself.
Flying Plume Ambassadors and a group of Cangyu Sect cultivators arched their hands and said in unison, "Congratulations to Master for obtaining the Golden Trunk Jade Policy!"
Qi Meng Sheng laughed loudly for a long time, in that arrogant laughter contained a hint of desolation.
Zhong Kui said in a chilling voice: "Qi Meng Sheng, even if you get the Golden Trunk and Jade Policy, you still have to find the reincarnation of the Human Emperor, then take his core, and finally use Shen Nong Ding to refine this core. You have just started your journey of a thousand miles, perhaps you've dreamt that you've already succeeded?" "As long as I get the human emperor's core, there will be wise people who know how to choose an ideal tree*." Qi Meng Sheng looked down on all the people, "The sects outside the Pass have had enough of your Central Plains' people's hypocrisy and shamelessness. Asking the Dao and cultivating immortality is supposed to be a separate path, yet you call us demonic cultivators. When my ice crystal body is complete, I will show you how does the 'crooked way', as you call it, attain the Dao! "
Li Bu Yu said righteously, "The Immortal Cultivation World will never recognise the 'Dao' of a core thief! I advise you to be aware of your mistake and return to the right path. If your selfish desires bring harm to the people, you will never become an immortal!"
As if she had heard some kind of joke, Qi Meng Sheng sneered, "A villain who changed his roots by eating a human core has the face to call others a core thief."
Without waiting for Li Bu Yu's reply, the wings of the snowy owl behind Qi Meng Sheng's back flapped hard, and a fierce wind mixed with bone- chilling ice and snow swept over the mountain, like thousands of sharp knives and waves with murderous aura in the air, and the crowd had to concentrate on protection.
Qi Meng Sheng took the opportunity to take her disciples and fled towards the sky without looking back.
Song Chungui wanted to chase after them, but Li Bu Yu raised his hand to stop him.
In fact, everyone understood that of the four great immortals of the world, Xu Zhi Nan had died, Zhong Kui had lost his Qingfeng Sword, and Li Bu Yu might not be able to defeat Qi Meng Sheng, who had already semi-fused with the ice crystal, even if he tried his best. They cannot stop her.
Li Bu Yu stood motionless in the wind. Looking at the direction where Qi Meng Sheng had disappeared, his hair was grey and his face was pale, and he seemed to have aged even more. Song Chun Gui hesitated for a long time before saying, "Master, the Heaven Master is right. Qi Meng Sheng has only obtained the Golden Trunk Jade Policy and has neither found the reincarnation of the Human Emperor nor obtained the Golden core. It will be even more difficult to use the Shen Nong Ding to refine the core. We can definitely stop her."
"No matter what the cost is, we must stop her." Li Bu Yu's weary voice scattered in all directions in the wind, "The Immortal Cultivation World must not have a second Demon Supreme.”
"We should find the reincarnation of the Human Emperor before she does, and protect the person." Lan Zi Zhen looked at Zhong Kui, "Heaven Master, it is said that Official Lord Cui knows everything from heaven to earth, is it possible for him to find the reincarnation of the Human Emperor without using the Golden Trunk Jade Policy?"
Zhong Kui's sword brows were furrowed and his face was unusually grave. He did not answer Lan Zi Zhen, but turned his gaze to his eldest disciple.
Xie Bi An took a deep breath and walked over to Zhong Kui. He listened to his heart beating like a drum, thumping loudly as he said, "Pavilion Master Lan, Official Lord Cui is in charge of the Book of Life and Death and the Judge's Brush. To ensure his impartiality, he never interferes with mortal realm’s matters."
Song Chun Gui said with a stern face, "But once Qi Meng Sheng completes her ice crystal body, I'm afraid it will be more than just mortal realm’s matters. Have the Heaven Master and Impermanence Immortal forgotten how the Fengdu boundary was broken?"
Zhong Kui remained silent.
Fan Wu She said with a cold face, "The human emperor is a celestial being. The Three Life Stones cannot be illuminated. The Book of Life and Death does not record it, and there is nothing Official Lord Cui can do about it." Xie Bi An’s identity must not be known to this group of people, especially Li Bu Yu. The golden core with the imperial destiny is possibly the only immortal core that can help people ascend, who would not covet it?
The crowd looked at Zhong Kui, waiting for him to make a statement.
Only after a long time did Zhong Kui says, "I'll ask Official Lord Cui, but you all don't need to hope for that. As I see it, it's crucial to protect Shen Nong Ding."
"Right, without Shen Nong Ding, she will not be able to refine the Absolute Human Emperor."
A group of people started discussing. Some said they should send someone to track and find the reincarnation of the Human Emperor, others said they should immediately go to Kunlun and snatch the Shen Nong Ding from the control of Cangyu Sect.
Xie Bi An clenched his fists tightly, frozen like a statue in the wind and snow.
Until a hand wrapped around his fist, infusing him with warmth.
Xie Bi An turned his head and his gaze met with Fan Wu She's, whose gaze was firm and strong as he whispered, "Don't be afraid."
---
The three of them were sitting in a guest room, and the atmosphere was oppressive.
Xie Bi An suddenly raised his head: "Master, is there any way for Official Lord Cui to know, whether I am…?"
Zhong Kui shook his head, "We would have to ask him about this." "Then, if I really am ..." The words "reincarnation of the human
emperor", Xie Bi An could not say no matter how hard he tried, as if once he said it, the mountain would really fall on him. "As long as you returned to the underworld, Qi Meng Sheng will not be able to hurt you." Zhong Kui said.
Xie Bi An rested his forehead on his hand and said soberly, "I still can't believe it. How can this be, how is it possible? Master, I must confirm this personally, otherwise I can't have a peace of mind at any moment."
"With what you saw in your dream, all the clues match up." Zhong Kui sighed, "We have to start our journey back to Fengdu right away, or else ..."
Or else, once Qi Meng Sheng knew the truth, she would probably come back and kill.
"Then my golden core, can really be refined to become some kind of absolute human emperor?" Xie Bi An once again covered his abdomen, his core was still well in place, but he already felt chills all over his body. He thought of Meng Ke Fei's abdominal cavity that had been gouged with a large hole; To a cultivator, there could never be anything more cruel and painful than dying from having one's core dug out.
"Some ancient texts say so, but who has confirmed it, no one knows." Zhong Kui looked at his disciple with worry and pain in his eyes, "But if this secret is exposed, Qi Meng Sheng will not be the only one who covets your core."
"... I know."
Fan Wu She was sitting on pins and needles on the side.
He had also once coveted this core. His cultivation had reached a bottleneck and he wanted to break through the ninth Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword and attain the Dao of the Great Ascension, which might be hopeless in this life, and only the Absolute Human Emperor could help him. He had thought that if he really ate Song Zi Heng's Core, perhaps he would not have lost to the Great Emperor Beiyin, and it was this greed and ambition that had killed Song Zi Heng. He had suffered a hundred years of extreme punishment, crawled back from hell to earth and was given a chance to start again. Even if he had to risk his life, he would never let this man go again.
"There is one more thing that confuses me." Zhong Kui said, "Qi Meng Sheng knew that Li Bu Yu had dug up Song Ming He’s core and sealed him in Diancang Peak, which must have been known a hundred years ago. Cangyu Sect had little dealings with Wuliang Sect, so this matter must have been told to her by Xu Zhi Nan. Xu Zhi Nan is the beloved of Emperor Kong Hua, is this something that Emperor Kong Hua knows about?"
Xie Bi An also showed a puzzled expression, "Yeah, if Emperor Kong Hua didn't know, why didn't Xu Zhi Nan tell him? And if Emperor Kong Hua knew, then Song Ming He wasn't killed by him, so why did he have to bear the eternal infamy of killing his father the emperor?"
Fan Wu She's brows knitted together. He wanted to know the answer to this question too whether Song Zi Heng had killed Father or not.
After ten years of exile, he had killed his way back to Wuji Palace without asking about the cause and effect of the feud between the father and son, Song Zi Heng and Song Ming He. When he had defeated Song Zi Heng, pinned his big brother on the throne and violated him for a night, the possibility of the two of them speaking to each other in peace had almost been cut off.
What had happened on the Eight Trigrams Platform that year?
"Perhaps it had something to do with the entanglement between Qi Meng Sheng, Xu Zhi Nan and Cheng Yan Zhi."
"When Master interrogated Cheng Yan Zhi, did he say anything about it?"
Zhong Kui shook his head, "You must understand that although a human soul cannot lie, what he says may not be the truth, or, it may not be the whole truth." What one person sees and hears is only one side of the story, and the truth, which is so well-spoken and believed, may have been clouded and distorted by others.
The true face of Lushan is lost to one’s sight, for it is right in this mountain that one resides.
"Master is right. Cheng Yan Zhi and Xu Zhi Nan shared a body for over a hundred years, and when it was his turn to be trapped in the square inch of the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp, it would have been impossible for him to know all that Xu Zhi Nan knew. In between, there must be an inside story." Xie Bi An let out a long sigh, "All Qi Meng Sheng could do was to use this fact to play the two of them."
Fan Wu She thought back carefully on the limited number of meetings he had with Xu Zhi Nan since he had taken control of Wuji Palace. Perhaps what he had seen was the real Xu Zhi Nan, or at least he hadn't noticed anything different, but that was because he didn't know Xu Zhi Nan well in the first place. Song Zi Heng cited Xu Zhi Nan as his confidant and regarded him as his support, didn't he also feel that something was wrong?
Zhong Kui suddenly scratched his head hard and cursed a city foul language, "What a mess. My head hurts from thinking about it. That demonic old woman even took my Qingfeng sword, how am I going to explain to the emperor? Cui Zi Yu will scold me to death."
Xie Bi An said with a bitter smile, "At least big brother Lan is back safe and sound."
Zhong Kui stood up, "I'm going to see Li Bu Yu. I want to ask him personally about Song Ming He. In front of me, he won't be able to play dumb."
"Master." Fan Wu She stopped him, "We have a common enemy. Now is not the time."
Zhong Kui's beard flew up in annoyance. Xie Bi An said, "I'll go and see Brother Lan, then, we'll go back to Fengdu."
-not edited-
-not edited-
How to choose an ideal
tree* [良禽择⽊⽽栖] birds will choose the ideal place to
own trees as habitat. As an analogy, excellent talents should choose a good
organisation that makes use of your talents and a good leader who makes good
use of you
Chapter 117
Lan Chui Han was sealed in the ice for a few days, and when he woke up, he was not seriously hurt except for his weak body. When he learned that Zhong Kui had handed over his Qingfeng Sword because of him, he was very ashamed and said with an ashen face, "Junior is incompetent and held back Heaven Master."
"Your defeat at the hands of Qi Meng Sheng is no disgrace." Zhong Kui said soothingly, "She hasn't been in the Central Plains for twenty or thirty years, but I didn't expect she was this powerful already."
Xie Bi An looked at Lan Chui Han's sickly pale face. Apart from the physical discomfort, it should be more of humiliation and unwillingness. Lan Chui Han came from a privileged background and has natural great talents, even his appearance is outstanding. Winning the championship at Jiaolong Assembly at the age of fifteen, and before twenty years old, he had the divine sword forged by the Shen Nong Ding that everyone aspires to have. He is a person with outstanding talent among his peers, not to mention the fact that many people who have devoted their entire lives to cultivation may not be as good as him. He had a smooth life and never suffered such a defeat since he was a child, and to be frozen in ice like an object as a hostage was simply a lifelong shame.
But being defeated by Qi Meng Sheng, indeed cannot be called incompetent.
Everyone in the world respect Zhong Kui as the "Number One Man in the World" because of the Eastern Emperor's Bell. Other than their reverence for this divine object, which was the first of the four ancient magical treasures, it’s also because of their respect for his contribution to the peace of the mortal and ghost realms by giving up his selfish desires. In terms of cultivation, Zhong Kui indeed has top-notch roots, but in the path of immortality cultivation, there are no shortcuts if one follows the right path. What kind of genius is not backed by year after year, day after day of sweat? Great natural talent means higher enlightenment, which also determines the upper limit of a cultivator, but it doesn’t allow one to soar to the sky. The other three people who were also ranked as Immortal Lords had all trained for decades longer than Zhong Kui, and without the Eastern Emperor's Bell, it would have been surprising if Zhong Kui could have tied with them in a match.
Zhong Kui was still like this, let alone Lan Chui Han.
Xie Bi An couldn't bear to see him like this, so he spoke warmly and comforted him, "Brother Lan, Qi Meng Sheng's flesh is augmented by ice crystals, and her spiritual power is inexhaustible. I’m afraid in the whole immortal cultivation world, no one can defeat her. The most important thing is that you came back safely. Evil will not prevail, and with the combined efforts of all of us, we will be able to stop her.”
"But, from what father said, she has already obtained the Golden Trunk Jade Policy." Lan Chui Han glanced at his father.
Lan Zi Zhen sighed heavily.
"Mm, but that doesn't mean she can get the Absolute Human Emperor." Zhong Kui said, "Her flesh body has reached the end of its life, and now it's all relying on the ice crystal to hold her up. These two battles have worn her out a lot, so maybe she'll die first before she gets her way."
"That's why she wants to snatch the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp." Lan Chui Han said in a deep voice, "And indirectly killed Immortal Xu."
At the mention of the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp, the expressions of several people in the room were all a little odd. Lan Zi Zhen looked at Zhong Kui for a moment, wanting to say something but then stopped.
Zhong Kui said, "There are no outsiders here, so if Pavilion Master Lan wants to ask, just ask."
Only Lan Zi Zhen saw that although he had taken Yun Xiang Yi and Hua Xiang Rong up to Mount Tai in exchange for hostages, it was Gong Shu Ju and something else that had actually exchanged his son back. That "something" was the same as the ice coffin that had sealed Lan Chui Han, but Gong Shu Ju had turned it into the size of the palm of his hand, with a person inside and seven tiny candle flames. Because the object was so small, he could barely make out that it was a man sealed inside, along with the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp.
Qi Meng Sheng had gone to great lengths to have her disciple steal the Seven Star Lamp from Luojinwu. Instead of using it on her own ageing body, she had used it to sustain the life of a man.
Zhong Kui knew that he could not hide it from him, and he was afraid that he would become suspicious because of his concealment. At the same time, considering that the father and son of Xianyue Pavilion were the only force in the Immortal Alliance that he could rely on and trust, and that he still needed their assistance in many matters, he decided to confess to them.
After listening to the cause and effect, the Lan family’s father and son were really shocked.
"This ... this ..." Lan Zi Zhen said in dismay, "is too absurd."
"So, that person, although it is Cheng Yan Zhi's body, it is inhabited by Immortal Xu’s human soul?" Lan Chui Han said with some effort, "What died was Immortal Xu’s body, but was Cheng Yan Zhi's human soul."
"That’s right."
"Has such a thing ever happened in the Underworld?" Lan Chui Han frowned deeply, "Wouldn't that mess up the Book of Life and Death?" "It is unheard of. From the Book of Life and Death, both of these people are actually dead."
Lan Zi Zhen lamented, "Zhu Ge Kong Ming* is worthy of being a once- in-a-thousand-year wonder to have created such a magical treasure. How could he have manipulated life and death if he hadn't calculated the mysterious principles of the heavenly path?"
"No one can truly manipulate life and death, otherwise he wouldn't have left behind the Wuzhang Plains*." Zhong Kui said, "But he did take a glimpse of the mysterious principles, even able to deceive the Book of Life and Death, which is truly terrifying."
"Why did Qi Meng Sheng do this, does she still have feelings for Xu Zhi Nan?" Lan Zi Zhen was confused, "No ah, did she even know that the person in that body was Xu Zhi Nan? Is it Xu Zhi Nan or Cheng Yan Zhi that she wants to keep?"
Zhong Kui smiled bitterly, "I don't know. Cheng Yan Zhi said that Qi Meng Sheng was caught between the two, and that he didn't know who Qi Meng Sheng loved, or who she didn't care about. She only wanted to use them to obtain Emperor Kong Hua's golden core. Xu Zhi Nan told him that Qi Meng Sheng tried to assassinate Emperor Kong Hua once, but Xu Zhi Nan found out and stopped her. For the past hundred years, Qi Meng Sheng had been waiting for the reincarnation of the human emperor."
"Then I'm afraid her intention for keeping that body is not pure. It must be that he still has utilisation value."
"We think so too." Xie Bi An said, "Whatever the purpose is, he is important to Qi Meng Sheng."
Lan Chui Han said in a deep voice, "We lost an important hostage, all because of me."
"Brother Lan, you should stop blaming yourself." Xie Bi An gripped his shoulders and exerted slight force, "It will be a great help to us if you can come back!" Fan Wu She looked askance at Xie Bi An's hand, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
After his reincarnation, because this body had not been immersed for a long time in the concentrated Yin energy brought about by the Heavenly Secret Talisman, his mind was clear, but his desire for exclusivity over this person had not diminished in the slightest, which meant that the person in front of him was his true demon in his heart.
"I will do my best to repay Heaven Master for saving my life." Lan Chui Han arched his hand towards Zhong Kui.
Zhong Kui said solemnly, "Not for me, but for the sake of the people." Lan Chui Han nodded solemnly, "For the sake of the people."
"Then, what does the Heaven Master plan to do next?" Lan Zi Zhen unconsciously lowered his voice, "Immortal Alliance Li doesn't know about this yet, does he?"
"I don't know, and at the same time I hope you two can keep it a secret." "Is it because ... Immortal Alliance Li has really eaten Emperor Ning
Hua's core as Qi Meng Sheng said?" Lan Zi Zhen had a hesitant look on his face, "What if she is the one stirring up trouble?"
"Pavilion Master Lan, you should know that we were at Luojinwu when Immortal Xu died."
"I know."
"We went to Jingzhou because of this walking corpse’s matter at Diancang Peak." Zhong Kui briefly recounted what had happened, "The one who most likely had the motive to seal Emperor Ning Hua in Diancang Peak and dig up his core was Li Bu Yu, and now Qi Meng Sheng has confirmed our analysis."
Lan Zi Zhen gasped and fell silent. Lan Chui Han is accommodating and thoughtful, a point he had inherited entirely from his own father. Xianyue Pavilion was founded by the grandfather of Lan Chui Han, the old Pavilion Master who started the Junlan Sword Technique, which rose rapidly in the post-Emperor Song era. Though Lan Zi Zhen’s talent was not that great, he was extremely smart. He’s knowledgeable about the external and lawful about internal management. The Junlan Sword Technique built a solid foundation for Xianyue Pavilion. The wealth, connections and disciples that Lan Zi Zhen had accumulated for Xianyue Pavilion were the reasons why this new sect had become a famous sect in the immortal cultivation world in just a few decades. How could such a person choose the latter between Li Bu Yu and Zhong Kui if he did not have sufficient reasons to do so?
"Pavilion Master Lan, firstly, what I, Zhong Kui, said is true. Zhao Wen and several elders of Chunyang Sect were present at that time. Secondly, I understand your concerns. How Emperor Ning Hua died, whether or not his core was eaten by Li Bu Yu cannot shake Li Bu Yu's position today. He is still the head of Wuliang Sect and the leader of the Immortal Alliance." Zhong Kui said in a deep voice, "But, a person who ate a human core once, experienced the transformation and taste the sweetness of great increase of cultivation level, will develop an addiction."
There was silence in the room.
Asking Dao and cultivating is a difficult, boring, lonely and painful journey. The vast majority of people gain very little rewards despite devoting their lives to it. It is like walking alone on a road with no visible end, not knowing whether you will reach the other end of your heart's desire in this lifetime. At this time, if there is a fork in the road that can save years or even decades of time, who would not be tempted?
Having taken the shortcut, how could one go back to carry the weight? According to what they knew about Core Stealing Demonic Cultivators,
having eaten one human core, it was impossible to eat just one.
"Pavilion Master Lan, this is why we can't trust Li Bu Yu." Xie Bi An said softly, "Moreover, from Qi Meng Sheng’s words, in the era of Emperor Song, they still shared a secret. No one knows what conspiracy is behind it, so I hope that you and Brother Lan will keep today's matter a secret."
"Li Bu Yu drove the Song clan to extinction at first, saying that he wanted to eradicate the remnants of the Demon Supreme’s party, and now it seems that if he has also consumed the human core, he might have something to do with the Demon Supreme’s biological father, so he wants to silence them."
"Han Er!" Lan Zi Zhen shouted, "What nonsense are you spouting without evidence?"
Lan Chui Han knew that he had slipped his tongue and lowered his head.
Fan Wu She said coldly, "Nonsense, Song Zi Xiao never recognized Lu Zhao Feng. Li Bu Yu killed the members of Song Clan, what does it have to do with Lu Zhao Feng?"
Lan Chui Han was upright and frustrated, and would normally not argue with Fan Wu She, but at this moment he could not help but choke out, "What do you know, as if you had met Song Zi Xiao."
Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes. If it’s in his previous life, just the fact that Xie Bi An and Lan Chui Han had a good friendship was enough for him to cut Lan Chui Han to pieces.
"Han Er, stop talking." Lan Zi Zhen said, "Heaven Master, I am grateful to you for the trust you have given us. I also swear here that what has been said in this room today will never be passed on. However, without solid evidence, we cannot casually convict Immortal Alliance Li. I will go and find Elder Zhao Wen and also keep an eye on Immortal Alliance Li and continue to look for evidence. If he is really a demonic cultivator who eats human cores, the immortal cultivation world will never tolerate him."
Zhong Kui arched his hand and said, "Pavilion Master Lan is a sensible man. I am going to take my disciples back to the Underworld to see if there is a way to find the reincarnation of the Human Emperor before Qi Meng Sheng. You guys wait for my news, I will be back as soon as possible." -not edited-
Zhu Ge Kong Ming* [ 诸 葛 孔 明 ] ----
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuge_Liang
Wuzhang Plains*[五丈原] are plateaus near the
Wei River in China.
Chapter 118
Zhong Kui agreed with the Lan family’s father and son on some matters, and then prepared to leave with his two disciples.
Only before leaving was he stopped by Song Chun Gui, who wanted Fan Wu She to give an account of the location of the demon foal Wuya first.
Zhong Kui chided nonchalantly, "Why do you care about the Demon Supreme’s horse at the moment. A new Demon Supreme will be born soon!"
Song Chun Gui had only one arm and could not bow with his hands held in front, so he bowed his body to Zhong Kui and said with a straight face, "By order of my master, I ask Heaven Master and the two Impermanence Immortals to tell me where Wuya is, and I will go and bring back the demon foal to prevent future trouble. This matter is equally important."
"Future trouble, what future trouble?" Fan Wu She snorted a laugh, "Fear of the magical weapon being robbed by others?"
"Master did this for the peace of all the people in Jiuzhou. Even if it's the Demon Supreme’s horse, it can't be taken lightly." Song Chun Gui stood in front of the three, his words were polite but his expression was very cold and hard, in the manner of not letting them go until they said so, "Heaven Master and two Impermanence Immortals, please tell me."
Zhong Kui snorted coldly, "Wu She." Fan Wu She made up some nonsense, "After you leave Shazhou, go twenty miles west. There is a short rock, and Wuya is underneath."
Only then did Song Chun Gui back away.
They were about to walk out of the tea house when they saw a disciple of the Wuliang Sect fly into the tea house, and as soon as he landed, he ran inside in a frenzy, "Sect Leader Master, Sect Leader Master, something bad happened!"
The master and disciples looked at each other and turned back again.
Li Bu Yu walked out in a stroll and said with a frown, "What's the matter with all the shouting?"
The disciple said urgently, "Qi Meng Sheng, Qi Meng Sheng may have found the reincarnation of the human emperor!"
The faces of those present changed greatly, and Xie Bi An was even more dazed. His first thought was that Qi Meng Sheng might be on her way back to kill him.
"Speak clearly!"
The disciple gasped, "On the orders of master, the disciples tracked Qi Meng Sheng and the others. They originally flew towards the hinterland of the Central Plains. Yesterday they arrived at the Yuzhou, and after resting for a night, they did not go deeper into the Central Plains, but instead started to return to the Pass. I then sent my junior brother to poke around where they had landed, but to my surprise, they took advantage of the night to attack Biyun Hall in Yuzhou, killing many people and digging up the golden core of Biyun Hall's young master Yang Yu!"
"Biyun Hall?" Li Bu Yu was shocked, "The young master of Biyun Hall is the reincarnation of Emperor Kong Hua?"
Although Biyun Hall also belonged to the same Immortal Alliance, it was only a small sect. Yuzhou was close to Daming and once belonged to the realm of the Daming Song Clan. With the destruction of the Song Clan, the Immortal Alliance strictly forbade anyone to go near the old site of the Wuji Palace and blocked off the Song's cave. Since then, the Central Plains hinterland had fallen into ruin, scattered with many large and small sects, but none of them had become accomplished.
"When Qi Meng Sheng got the Golden Trunk Jade Policy, she went straight to Yuzhou, took this core, and immediately turned back and flew towards Kunlun, which ... does seem to be the case."
Xie Bi An glanced at Fan Wu She with trepidation, who also had an unsightly look on his face.
No one knew better than him who was the reincarnation of Song Zi Heng, and that person was beside himself, and there was no way it could be any young master of Biyun Hall.
"This Yang Yu, I have seen him at Jiaolong Assembly before." Zhao Wen said suspiciously, "Because he happened to have a match with my disciple at that time, so he had some impression."
"How is his natural talent?"
In fact, the answer to this question, even if the crowd didn't ask, they knew in their hearts that if Yang Yu had been born with superior roots and bones, the word would have spread throughout the entire immortal cultivation world as soon as he was born. If a small sect got a highly gifted offspring, they would most likely be sent to a top immortal sect such as Wuliang Sect, and if they were lucky enough to be the disciple of the Sect Leader, it would be like taking chickens and dogs and the whole family to ascend. Even if they didn't make it, with their qualifications they could at least be the disciple of the elders, and for the small sect, that’s also a great way to honour their ancestors.
But this Yang Yu, no one had ever heard of him.
Zhao Wen said cautiously, "At that time he was still young, maybe just turned twelve, and was just brought by his father to experience a little. His roots and bones, well, it’s considered good quality, but ..."
But far from the top immortal roots of the legendary Emperor Kong Hua. Such a descendant, outstanding is outstanding, but not rare.
So everyone was confused.
"This ... reincarnation won't change the roots, will it?" Lan Zi Zhen looked at Zhong Kui.
Zhong Kui shook his head, "Appearance, male or female, and body, all may change a bit, and the root and bone may naturally change as well."
"All of them may change? Then the previous life and the next life would really be two different people."
"No, there is only one thing that remains the same." Zhong Kui said, "That is the destiny."
Fan Wu She stole a glance at Xie Bi An, thankful that the two had not changed, whether in appearance, male or female, or in their roots and bones, so that he could be found by him.
"So, although that child has mediocre qualifications, as long as he is of imperial destiny, he will still be useful to Qi Meng Sheng." Li Bu Yu said in a deep voice, "Oh no, Qi Meng Sheng must be going to Shen Nong Ding to refine the core as soon as possible."
"Then is Yang Yu really the reincarnation of Emperor Kong Hua?" Xie Bi An couldn't help but question, "It's only been one night, would Qi Meng Sheng be too quick to find him?" Although he did not dare to assert that he was definitely the reincarnation of Song Zi Heng, all the clues overlapped. He was reluctant and even fearful, but he already believed it.
But before he could go back to the Underworld and find a way to confirm it, he got the news that Qi Meng Sheng had found the reincarnation of the Human Emperor? If he was not the reincarnation of the Human Emperor, that would be good, but if Qi Meng Sheng had really gotten hold of the reincarnated Song Zi Heng's golden core, then it would be doomed.
"It's indeed too soon." Zhong Kui gave a complicated look at Xie Bi An. "But the Golden Trunk Jade Policy is in their hands. If it wasn't written
clearly and plainly on it, how would Qi Meng Sheng have purposely flown to Yuzhou to kill someone and dig up the Core?" Song Chun Gui said gruffly, "She got that Core, and the Cangyu Sect is skilled in using the Shen Nong Ding to refine cores ..."
The faces of those present went pale.
They had originally thought that it would not take a moment for Qi Meng Sheng to find the reincarnation of the Human Emperor and then obtain the Core, and that they would still have time to make more preparations, but they had not expected her to be so fast, catching them off guard.
Zhong Kui asked, "How long does it take for the Cangyu Sect to refine the Core?"
"It is said that the slowest is 49 days, but if it is fast, it will only take 7 days."
"We still have a chance to stop her." Li Bu Yu clenched his fist, "I will issue an alliance order and call everyone in the world to fight the demonic woman."
Zhong Kui said, "Immortal Alliance Li, you go to Kunlun as soon as possible. I have an important matter and must return to the Underworld. In three days, I will meet you at the Shen Nong Ding."
Li Bu Yu looked deeply at Zhong Kui: "Okay, see you in three days."
---
The three of them did not dare to delay and flew into the sky on their swords, returning to Fengdu City as quickly as possible. Fengdu was still as lively as usual, but the people here would never have imagined that a thousand miles away, in Kunlun, the biggest crisis in a hundred years is breaking out.
Xie Bi An used Wuqiongbi to open the Yin Yang Monument, and the three of them finally returned to Jiuyou.
When Bo Zhu saw them, he jumped up and down in excitement, screaming, "Oh my God, you're back! Heaven Master! Little White Master! I missed you guys so much!" He stifled his head and threw himself into Xie Bi An's arms.
Fan Wu She grabbed him by the back of his neck.
Bo Zhu was a little scared of Fan Wu She and mumbled, "Black Master
..."
Fan Wu She pushed him aside: "Senior brother is injured, don't be reckless."
"Little White Master, you're injured? Where are you injured?"
Xie Bi An gently smoothed Bo Zhu's collar and smiled, "It's nothing, it's almost healed."
Bo Zhu sniffled and wept, "Why have you all been gone for so long at once? It's been months. I've been worried sick. I thought that even if you guys had died, you guys should have come back already."
Zhong Kui knocked Bo Zhu on the head, "What broken mouth."
Bo Zhu held his head, feeling aggrieved, "Heaven Master, you came back and left in a hurry last time, and the human soul you brought back is still with King Qinguang*."
They walked into the Heaven Master's Palace and Zhong Kui frowned, "There's another breach in my boundary, is Jiang Qu Lian here again?" "Probably. With my cultivation level, I wouldn't know if the Red King had come." When he heard the name "Jiang Qu Lian", Bo Zhu subconsciously shivered. There was no one among them who was not afraid of the Red King, "That goose we kept for New Year's Eve cried out several times out of the blue, maybe it noticed the Red King."
Xie Bi An couldn't help but be angry, "Master, in your absence, the Red King has been too arrogant. I’m afraid it seems that he has come more than once?"
Zhong Kui grunted heavily, "Want to steal my magical weapon? Dream on."
If Jiang Qu Lian wanted to break through Zhong Kui's boundary, he would have to make a big fuss. Then he would be breaking the precepts of the Underworld and would certainly be punished. So, he only dared to come stealthily, yet unable to get his way.
Fan Wu She said, "He wanted that puppet that badly?"
"I don't know what he wants to do in the mortal realm, it’s nothing good anyway."
"He's really stupid." Fan Wu She said, "A magical weapon that important, Master would surely keep it on his body. Master's Qiankun Pouch is the safest."
"Hey, what kind of important magical weapon is that. He's the only one who wants it."
Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes, remembering that cupboard inside Zhong Kui's bedchamber, it was full of weapons and magic treasures. When Zhong Kui gifted him the sword and the hooking rope, he just swept through it, but it was too messy and he didn't see any puppet for a while.
"Right, I have to go and get a sword to replace Qingfeng Sword for the time being." Zhong Kui said, "Bi An, Wu She, you guys go back and rest." "Master, we have an appointment with the Immortal Alliance to meet at Kunlun in three days. After shaving off the time on the road, we have to leave tomorrow night at the latest. Time is so tight, I want to meet with Official Lord Cui as soon as possible."
Zhong Kui looked at Xie Bi An, his expression was calm: "You don't need to see him."
"Why?" Xie Bi An said in disbelief, "Only Official Lord Cui may have a way for me to determine whether or not I was Emperor Kong Hua in my past life."
"Whether you are or not, you must stay in the Underworld, in the Heaven Master's Palace, and must not leave."
Xie Bi An stared in disbelief.
Fan Wu She frowned. He understood Zhong Kui's intention. Right now, this was indeed the best way to protect Xie Bi An. Although the Golden Trunk Jade Policy should not be wrong, Zhong Kui, including Xie Bi An himself, did not quite believe that Yang Yu was the reincarnation of the Human Emperor.
"I have already reset the Heaven Master Palace’s boundary, so neither of you can get out." Zhong Kui did not allow a word to be said, "Be good and stay in the Heaven Master's Palace to cultivate and wait for my return."
"Master!" Xie Bi An shouted, "You are simply muddle-headed! I want to go with you. No matter what enemies I face or what happens, I want to stand with you."
Zhong Kui's usual laziness was restrained and his expression was grave and stern, not angry but powerful: "My mind is made up, stay obediently." After saying this, he walked away without looking back.
"Master!" Xie Bi An let out a low roar of unwillingness.
-not edited- King Qinguang* [秦⼴王]---he’s a mythology
figure: https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/秦⼴王/31812
Chapter 119
"Little White Master, don't be angry." Bo Zhu squatted beside Xie Bi An like a puppy and laid his chin on Xie Bi An's thigh, "Although I don't know why Heaven Master did this, he must have done it to protect you. Who doesn't know that he loves you the most."
Xie Bi An said gloomily, "But I'm worried about him." "Heaven Master is so powerful, he will be fine."
Xie Bi An stroked Bo Zhu's head, "Bo Zhu, do you listen to me, or do you listen to master?"
"Er ..." Bo Zhu was a bit naive but not stupid and immediately shook his head, "I won't help you escape. Heaven Master told me that your life will be in danger if you go out."
"I'm not asking you to help me escape, and you can't help me, but I have something very important to do. I must see Official Lord Cui."
"What is it?"
"I can't tell you, but it's really important." Xie Bi An said seriously, "Bo Zhu, I have never begged you before, but this time you must help me."
Bo Zhu said hesitantly, "Then, we will have to wait until Heaven Master left."
"Bo Zhu, thank you." When Fan Wu She came in with dinner, he saw Bo Zhu sitting on Xie Bi An's lap, and he kicked Bo Zhu's butt: "Get out."
Bo Zhu jumped up from the floor: "You, you." He saw the fierce look in Fan Wu She's eyes and ran off in a huff.
"Why are you always bullying Bo Zhu?" Xie Bi An scolded, "Don't go overboard."
"He's not a child." Fan Wu She put the dinner on the table, arranged the chopsticks properly and poured some wine, "He was just a child when he died, so his looks have not changed, but he is about the same age as me."
Xie Bi An smiled, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten.
But his heart and mind haven't changed either. He's still a child."
"Then you can't let him stick to you either." Fan Wu She glared at him, "Come over and eat. Throwing a fit at master and not eating, are you a child too?"
Xie Bi An wanted to retort, but gave up again.
He walked over, "Who made the food? It can't be you again..."
Before he could finish his words, he was dragged by Fan Wu She to sit on his lap, and his waist was bounded tightly.
"Wu She!"
Fan Wu She said dominantly, "You let him stick to your leg, then you have to stick to my leg as well and make it up to me."
He had scolded and punished Fan Wu She for his nonsense, rashness and willfulness, but it was totally useless. He pinched Fan Wu She's face, which clearly had a jealous expression, and was feeling angry and amused. There was a bit of pampering in his rebuke: "You ah, are really unreasonable."
The tip of Fan Wu She's nose pushed against Xie Bi An's neck: "Only to you." Xie Bi An was feeling a little ticklish and shrank back to avoid it: "Enough, I don't want to argue with you. You are even more like a child than Bo Zhu with all your words and actions."
Fan Wu She paused for a moment, and his lips gently sucked on Xie Bi An's earlobe, whispering flirtatiously, "When will senior brother let me be an adult?"
Xie Bi An's cheeks burned slightly.
"What we did in the cave last time, senior brother liked it, right? I liked it too." Fan Wu She's hand which was around his waist slowly moved down.
Xie Bi An held his wrist and whispered, "Wu She, restrain yourself, I'm not in the mood to mess around with you right now."
Fan Wu She suddenly felt deflated. This time Xie Bi An's tone was serious, unlike his usual self which has a bit of desire. He said, "I understand you are worried about master, but what is the point if you don't eat? Master will not let us out."
"Bo Zhu promised me that as soon as Master leaves, he will go and invite Official Lord Cui to come. I hope that Official Lord Cui can help us."
"How can Official Lord Cui undo the Master's boundary."
"If we can't undo it, we'll think of another way." Xie Bi An said worriedly, "Official Lord Cui must be able to help me, or at least, I must know if I am Emperor Kong Hua in the previous life or not."
Fan Wu She's body stiffened and his eyes gradually darkened.
"Never mind, let's eat first. You're right, what's the use of starving myself."
Fan Wu She still clutched Xie Bi An's waist: "Just eat like this."
Xie Bi An laughed helplessly, "Alright, let me try junior brother's cooking for the first time." Fan Wu She cooked three simple dishes, and they look good surprisingly. Xie Bi An took a bite of the stir-fried pork with green asparagus and he brightened up, "It tastes good.Wu She, I really couldn't tell that you actually know how to cook. Why didn't you do it last time?"
"I want to eat the food you cooked for me." Fan Wu She took the turnip cake with chopsticks again and brought it to Xie Bi An's lips, "You should love this." He loathed outsiders coming near, both in his previous life and present life, and had lived alone for many years, so how could he not know how to cook?
Xie Bi An took a bite. The taste was soft and delicious. He looked at the dishes on the table and found that every one of them was his favourite, as if Fan Wu She had been born knowing what he liked to eat.
Could this be empathy? He thought about it with some embarrassment.
This meal was being eaten very sweetly. Xie Bi An felt that Fan Wu She was comforting him in his own way, and he really didn't feel that depress now.
---
That night, Zhong Kui left the Underworld, and Xie Bi An couldn't wait to ask Bo Zhu to invite Cui Jue.
Cui Jue still didn't know they had returned, and when he saw Xie Bi An, he gave him a lecture first, but when he saw that he didn't look quite right, he asked where Zhong Kui had gone.
With a serious face, Xie Bi An told Cui Jue everything.
Qi Meng Sheng had taken the Golden Trunk Jade Policy, Zhong Kui had lost the Qingfeng Sword, and Xie Bi An might be the reincarnation of a human emperor. Each of these things was like a Thunderfire Stone's explosion, which made him unable to come back to his sense for quite some time. He had been having a headache for a long time over the matter of Cheng Yan Zhi and Xu Zhi Nan, and had not yet found a way to set things right. He didn't think that the things that happened in the mortal realm was scarier one after another, and he almost couldn't sit still on the stool.
Xie Bi An said gloomily, "Official Lord Cui, master has locked me and my junior brother in here and won't let us go out, afraid that I am really the reincarnation of the human emperor, and afraid that Qi Meng Sheng will dig up my core, but I am worried about him. How much life does he have left in his book of life and death?"
Cui Jue bit his lip, his face showing a difficult expression.
"Tell me, Official Lord Cui, I'm so worried that I couldn't sleep and eat in peace." Xie Bi An pleaded.
Cui Jue said in a low voice, "I, Cui Jue, have guarded the Book of Life and Death for a thousand years and have never bend the law for my personal interests or to help my friends or relatives. Today's matter is not trivial and may involve more than Zhong Kui's life and the peace of the earth, so I will make an exception and ask for punishment afterwards."
Xie Bi An and Fan Wu She looked straight at Cui Jue.
Cui Jue took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "It will be this battle." Xie Bi An's face turned white.
Fan Wu She took Xie Bi An's hand in his and said quietly, "Senior brother, don't panic. Official Lord Cui, you can increase the life span of master, right?"
"To increase one's life, one must have great merit and virtue, and I, Cui Jue, will never do anything that goes against the Way of Heaven." Cui Jue said with a stern face, "If Zheng Nan can stop this calamity, it will be considered a great merit."
If Zhong Kui wanted to make merit, he would have to stop Qi Meng Sheng, but to stop Qi Meng Sheng, he would have to die, which was simply contradictory! Xie Bi An's eyes were red, and he gritted his teeth, "Master cannot die. If he cultivates for another hundred years, he has a chance to ascend."
Even though they were the underworld generals, they could still be reunited in the underworld even if their lives were ended, but once Zhong Kui became a ghost when his cultivation was not enough, there were only two ways to go, either his past life would be nullified and he would be reincarnated again, or he could cultivate Yin, and the difficulty of cultivating Yin was far, far greater than cultivating Yang. With Zhong Kui's talent, how could he be willing to do so?
"Everything is fate." Cui Jue rubbed his sore brow, "If you guys hadn't gone to investigate Meng Ke Fei and visited Wuliang Sect, he wouldn't have had such karma originally."
"Does Master ... know?" Fan Wu She asked in a low voice. Xie Bi An held his breath.
Cui Jue nodded gently.
Xie Bi An's eyes became teary. Zhong Kui had known. He knew he was going to die. He knew he couldn't protect his disciples, yet he said nothing, left them in a safe place, and without a second thought to...meet death?
He could have avoided this calamity of life and death!
"He ... Master..." Xie Bi An choked out, "just leave like this? Without saying goodbye to me?"
"Zheng Nan is such a person." Cui Jue turned his face away, his tensed jaw trembling slightly.
Fan Wu She's heart was also touched. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Senior brother, Official Lord Cui, now is not the time to despair. Karma can change, and Master may not die."
"Yes, yes!" Xie Bi An suddenly flung himself down on his knees in front of Cui Jue, grabbed his lapels and begged, "Official Lord Cui, will you help us get out of here? We have to go and help our Master."
Cui Jue grabbed Xie Bi An's arm and dragged him to his feet, "Bi An, calm down."
"Master is on his way to Kunlun now. He'll see Qi Meng Sheng soon and he doesn't have much time."
"Bi An, calm down." Cui Jue pressed him into a chair and stroked his head, "If you want to save your master, what's the use of just relying on you guys to risk your lives?"
Xie Bi An clenched his fists, "Then what should we do? Am I the reincarnation of the Human Emperor or not? The core Qi Meng Sheng wants, is it this one in my stomach or not? This is our biggest bargaining chip now."
"That's right, we have to confirm this first."
"Does Official Lord Cui have any idea?" Fan Wu She's pupils were cloudy, and his heart was also overwhelmed. He had originally tried his best to stop Xie Bi An from knowing his past life, but now, he was afraid that nothing could stop Xie Bi An from being determined to save Zhong Kui.
"Bi An, have you really been to the Three Life Stones and nothing can be seen on them?"
"Yes."
After hearing those words, Cui Jue turned his back and looked out the window in silence.
The two of them didn't say a word, waiting patiently.
After a long time, Cui Jue turned around, "You said that you occasionally dreamt of your past life, and after being caught in Yun Zhong Jun's illusionary spell, you also saw fragments of memories from your past life, even mixing them with your own memories of your current life." "Yes."
"But it is written in the Golden Trunk Jade Policy that Yang Yu of Yuzhou is the reincarnation of Emperor Kong Hua, so why are you still certain that you are the one based on these mixed memories?"
Xie Bi An's eyes looked ahead vacantly: "I have ... a very strong premonition. There are indeed confusions with reality in those memories, especially after being struck by illusions, and probably compiling some of them by myself, but I believe many of them are true because they are so real, as real as if I were experiencing them myself."
"I can find out who you really were in your past life, but it's very dangerous. Once it is done, you will see more and more memories of your past life, and the situation may worsen, causing you to be unable to distinguish between your past life and present life. If it continues to worsen, you will be mentally disturbed, and you will have to end up drinking the five flavours of ecstasy, forgetting your past life as well as your present life, and start all over again."
"That's too risky!" Fan Wu She shouted, "No way, senior brother." But Xie Bi An's face was very calm: "Okay."
"Senior brother!" Fan Wu She shook Xie Bi An's shoulder fiercely, "What are you thinking? Is it so important to know your past life? In fact we can already be sure that you are the reincarnation of the Human Emperor. As long as Yang Yu's core doesn't take effect, we will have a way to deal with Qi Meng Sheng."
"I don't just want to know if I am Song Zi Heng or not, I also want to know what regrets I have from my past life that make these memories haunt me repeatedly."
"You're going to risk the possibility of having your mind disordered and eventually forgetting about us just for that?! Master won't allow it either!" Fan Wu She roared in his heart: You have already drunk Meng Po soup once. You have already forgotten me once. You shall never forget us again in this life. You shall never forget Xie Bi An and Fan Wu She again!
Xie Bi An grabbed Fan Wu She's hand and said soothingly, "What Official Lord Cui said was just a possibility. I don't believe that I will lose to my memories. Instead, I feel that only by knowing what happened before and understanding cause and effect can I truly be liberated. It's not just for Master's sake, it's for my sake too." It's even more for you, Xie Bi An thought to himself. He didn't want to have recurring dreams of a man, who wore Fan Wu She's face but wasn't Fan Wu She, humiliating himself in that way; he didn't want to have those unpleasant memories lingering in his mind one day when he and Fan Wu She had fallen in love and a canal is formed when water comes*.
Cui Jue said, "Yes, it's just a possibility. If you have a strong heart, you'll be able to get through it. However, it is unlikely that you will recover all your memories of your previous life, and will still only remember bits and pieces."
"I understand. The more I see, the more I can piece the story together on my own."
"Xie Bi An!" Fan Wu She was so angry that he called him by name, "I forbid you to take that risk!"
Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She gently but firmly, "Wu She, I have already decided. Believe me, I will never forget you."
You said the same thing in your previous life.
Fan Wu She's pupils were grey and his heart was bleeding. It was ridiculous that he even had the idea of just being a pair of little Yin servants with Xie Bi An and living out this life in peace. All the lessons he had learned in his two lifetimes were telling him that the only way to get what he wanted was to be supremely powerful. Fearful of losing this person as he had in his previous life, he had to take back the power of his previous life and defend some that he cherished. After Xie Bi An had reassured Fan Wu She a few more times, he looked at Cui Jue: "What needs to be done, Official Lord Cui?"
"I'm going to summon the remnants of your previous life’s soul." Fan Wu She turned pale from distress.
The remnant of the previous life’s soul. Song Zi Heng’s prana.
Emperor Kong Hua, Song Zi Heng, his big brother.
Two remnant souls, rubbed together by fate, were going to meet a hundred years later?
The past rolls and rushes.
SQC’s notes: End of Volume 3. Back to the previous life tomorrow!
-not edited-
-not edited-
a canal is formed when
water comes*[⽔到渠成] sth. achieved without
effort.; what happens without extra effort; when conditions are ripe, success
will come
Chapter 120
Since the beginning of autumn, the rain has been falling on Daming. The sky is thick with black clouds, and in the evening, it is even darker.
It is said that spring is the plan of the year, and morning is the plan of the day. Then in contrast, autumn and sunset are the coolest, so "since ancient times, autumns are sad and lonely*", the autumn dusk combined with the overcast rain makes the earth feel apathetic.
Song Zi Heng also disliked autumn. Although autumn has its own beauty, his orchids will wither. Plus, he is afraid of the cold.
He remembered again that he no longer had any orchids.
He stood on a high building and looked far away, but his eyes were drawn to the raindrops bouncing off the eaves.
Sweet dew fell from the sky, yet became mud when it landed on the ground. Why do they still strive to be first for fear to be last and scramble down?
A cold wind swept through the curtain of rain violently, blowing into the high building as the rain followed the wind and turned the corner. Song Zi Heng felt a chill on his face.
"Emperor, it's windy and cold at night, go back."
Cai Cheng Yi used to be the Head of Housekeeping at Qinghui Pavilion. When he first entered the palace, he had good looks, and strength. He originally had a good future, but unfortunately, he hurt his back once and could not serve his master properly, so he was transferred to Qinghui Pavilion. Everyone in the Palace knew that the Consort of the Qinghui Pavilion had offended the late Empress and was not well received by the late emperor, so he was equivalent as being "exiled".
But he resigned to his fate. Although this job was a poor one, he had no family and no troubles, so he's satisfied with a mouthful of food. Plus, he also sympathized with the mother and son of the Qinghui Pavilion who had no one to rely on.
Fortunately, the eldest prince was determined not to fall short, and was born with a natural talent that is rarely found in a hundred years. The status of Qinghui Pavilion in the palace climbed to a higher point steadily, and they were not bullied much.
As a bystander, he has watched the eldest prince grow from an infant to a well-behaved and sensible child, to a clever and gentle teenager, to a youth like a eucalyptus against the wind*, and finally to the reserved, powerful and dignified Emperor Song before him. At the same time, he has witnessed the feud between two generations of the Song clan. How they have stirred up the sea and shook the mountains in Jiuzhou until there is no more peace.
The young emperor was no longer as gentle and smiling as before, nor did he tend to flowers. The people in the world were free to imagine how sinister and malicious a person, who killed his father, killed his younger brother, seeking power and usurping the throne, should be, but he clearly remembered that Emperor Kong Hua had been a pure and gentle child, filial and sensible, caring and protecting towards his younger siblings, loved by all, and never ever shouted at his subordinates. Why did that eldest prince turn out to be like this today?
Perhaps it was because he had grown old, and ordinary people without spiritual energy accompanying them had become dizzy and eyes dimmed at this age, so he could not see clearly with his conscience and naked eyes.
Song Zi Heng's slender body remained unmoving, allowing the autumn breeze and rain to blow on his gold-encrusted imperial robes. He said softly, "This is the highest point of the Wuji Palace. When the weather is good, you can see dozens of miles away."
"Yes."
"When Zi Xiao returns, I can see him from afar." Song Zi Heng's voice was so light and thin, as if it would diffuse when the wind blew. A layer of gentleness appeared on that pair of eyes that were always frozen with a sorrow that was too thick to melt.
Cai Cheng Yi sighed in the dark. "It's been ten years. It's so fast ah."
"In these ten years, we haven't met each other, and I don't know if I can recognize him at first glance."
"When he was a child, he always said that he would grow taller than me.
Is he taller than me now?"
"Has he been married yet? I don't think so."
"Everyone in the world says that the image of him riding the demon foal Wuya with thousands of Yin soldiers behind him is horrifying to the extreme. Everyone in the world also says that he will definitely lead the Yin soldiers to trample down Wuji Palace. I rather think that he will not use the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman against me."
Cai Cheng Yi listened quietly to these undulating words, thinking that the young emperor did not need an audience and was only speaking to himself.
But then the emperor suddenly asked him, "Eunuch Cai, do you know why?"
“This old slave doesn’t know."
"Because he has been competitive ever since he was a child. He wanted to defeat me with the Zongxuan Sword." Back then, after Song Zi Xiao had escaped, he then took advantage of their departure to Kunlun to sneak back into Wuji Palace and steal the Song's greatest treasure, the Map of Shanhe Sheji. At that time, no one thought that a teenager could master an ancient divine treasure, yet ten years later, he had manipulated two. If he had used this magical weapon, he would have won too easily and would have an unfair advantage in a battle.
"Emperor, aren’t you ... going to get prepared?"
Ten years ago, the ninth prince, Song Zi Xiao, fled from Daming and disappeared without a trace. Ten years later, the Demon Supreme, Song Zi Xiao, reappeared with two ancient magical weapons, sweeping the immortal cultivation world, and no one could beat him. Everyone knew that he would definitely return to Daming because he wanted to take revenge on his big brother.
"Prepare for what?" "Uh ..."
"Escape? Do you think I will be defeated too?"
"No, that's not what this old slave meant." Cai Cheng Yi explained in a flurry.
Song Zi Heng said indifferently, "I would like to see how much he has grown in ten years."
"Ninth Highness he ..."
"Don't call him Ninth Highness." Song Zi Heng interrupted him, "He is no longer the Ninth Highness."
"This old slave’s tongue had slipped, this old slave’s tongue had slipped." Cai Cheng Yi said in fear, "Emperor, this old slave is just very worried about you."
"There is nothing to worry about. Life and death are dependent on destiny." Song Zi Heng looked far away through the dreary rain. The shadows seemed to be the darkness that Song Zi Xiao would bring to the Wuji Palace. His chest seemed to be pressed with muffled thunder, "Every emperor wants to build a legacy that will last forever, but the period between dynasties kept transiting. The Daming Song Clan’s time has come."
Cai Cheng Yi felt awful in his heart, and he did not know how to comfort the emperor. The Demon Supreme's irresistible force was so overwhelming that he beat the entire immortal cultivation world until it didn't have the ability to fight back. In today's immortal cultivation world, the imperial power of the Song Clan already exists in name only, and the various immortal clans are divided and fighting all the time. To put aside grudges and prejudices and join forces against the enemy is not something that can be done overnight.
There was no one left to fight against the Demon Supreme.
Cai Cheng Yi thought that a better ending would be for the Demon Supreme to take away the throne and crown himself emperor, and a worse ending would be for the majestic palace that stood here today to be reduced to a shovelful of yellow earth the next. No matter what, his emperor would bear the deepest hatred and anger for the Demon Supreme, so how could he be preserved?
However, he clearly felt that the emperor still remembered his brotherly love in his heart.
The emperor was usually cold and reticent, yet he would occasionally talk to him about stories from his childhood, stories that included Song Zi Xiao, and only at that time would the emperor's tightly furrowed brow be relaxed.
Also, the only orchid pot that the emperor kept in his bedchamber ...
Song Zi Heng stretched out his hand and caught a small handful of rainwater in his palm. He looked down at his reflection in the water. That small water mirror was unable to illuminate his full appearance. He could only see a grey, hazy eye with a layer of vapor appearing underneath it, as if it was also raining. Xiao Jiu ...
You're on your way here, right? We'll meet very soon.
It's been ten years. The world has changed. You and I have both changed beyond recognition.
How have you been in these ten years? My body is in a cold, deep palace and my heart is in the infernal hell. How about you? You must have suffered a lot too, right? Has anyone asked about your health, fed you and clothed you?
It is a pity that when we meet again in ten years, you and I as brothers are destined to fight to the death. After all, the sun and the moon cannot shine together.
If I die, will I be able to revive your heart’s nature and cleanse you of your demons in your heart?
If I die, would you not hate me anymore?
I often think, if I had been as strong as I am today ten years ago, I would have been able to protect you.
Yet there is no if.
Xiao Jiu, big brother has always missed you.
since ancient times, autumns are sad and lonely*[⾃古逢秋悲寂寥] a
poem: http://chinesepoetryinenglishverse.blogspot.com/2013/06/single-
crane-shoots-through-clouds-up.html
eucalyptus against the wind*[⽟树临⻛]--- means handsome, generally, it's not only good looking, but also tall and good shaped. This word is only used to describe a man