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Published at 23rd of August 2022 11:22:19 AM


Chapter 25

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Feng Ci felt like he understood.

Before, when he didn’t reveal his identity yet, Pei QianYue had a bad attitude every time his name was mentioned. Once upon a time, Feng Ci believed that Pei QianYue probably hated him to the bones and because of this reason, he even doubted Pei QianYue’s trustworthiness. 

However, during these days, he gradually understood. Although his little snake was indeed irritated with him, if Pei QianYue didn’t care about him at all, why would he be so annoyed?

At the end of the day, it’s still because he had abandoned the other back then, so Pei QianYue was throwing a temper at him, that’s all.

If not, what other reason was there?

Feng Ci has seen these kinds of people in the last world he visited. 

Inside the orphanage that he had stayed for a short time, there were many children like this. They had been abandoned by their parents at a young age, so they developed very eccentric personalities. Withdrawn, indifferent, and insecure, causing trouble whenever they’re bored to attract other people’s attention.

Pei QianYue was about the same.

However, his personality was much more eccentric than the ones Feng Ci has seen before. He didn’t torment others; he only tormented Feng Ci.

Even amongst the melodramatics, he can be considered the very hard to handle type.

Thinking this, Feng Ci didn’t get annoyed with Pei QianYue’s offense and said soothingly: “I know. I shouldn’t have left you behind. So if you’re angry with me, I will apologize to you.”

Pei QianYue only laughed: “3000 years. You think such a light apology is enough to turn the page, Master?”

This was indeed very hard to settle cleanly.

Feng Ci had never considered back then that the little black snake would cultivate into human form, much less wait for him for such a long time. Feng Ci thought that he had provided the little snake a safe environment to spend its life peacefully. Therefore, he left without burden. 

The flow of time was different in each of the Sumeru worlds. By the time he remembered the little black snake again, hundreds of years have already passed in this world. If this were a normal little snake, it would have died long ago of old age.

Therefore, he didn’t think too much about it.

In the end however, the issue was that he had never treated the little snake accompanying him as an equal at that time.

But even if he did regard it as an equal, so what? Back then, he had even abandoned the fellow Daoist friends who fought beside him in battle. Why would he stay for a little snake that he had only raised for half a year? 

However, from Pei QianYue’s point of view, Feng Ci should indeed feel guilty and ashamed.

Feng Ci quietly coaxed him, saying: “It was I who wronged you. What kind of compensation do you want, I can promise you anything…… How about I help you heal your eyes?”

“No.” Pei QianYue refused decisively.

Feng Ci considered himself very patient: “Then what do you wan—” 

Before he finished speaking, he felt an ice-cold sensation to his ear.

At first, Feng Ci didn’t realize what that was. With a tingle to his back, he finally figured it out slowly in the aftermath.

Pei QianYue had licked him gently on the earlobe.

This one lick almost made Feng Ci bristle. He subconsciously wanted to push Pei QianYue away, however, Pei QianYue seemed to have already been prepared ahead of time. The hands he used to restrain Feng Ci even used a bit of spiritual energy to hold both of Feng Ci’s hands down by his side. 

Feng Ci’s cheeks swiftly turned red. However, it wasn’t due to embarrassment, but rather anger.

“Let go.” Feng Ci was really a bit irritated now.

Pei QianYue ignored him and continued to say: “I was indeed angry with you, but it’s not because of your departure back then…… I said it before, I hate being lied to the most.”

Feng Ci was stunned. 

“Since we met on LingWu Mountain, have you even spoken half a sentence of truth to me?” Pei QianYue asked: “During those days, I’ve given you many opportunities, tested you so many times, but you’ve never spoken honestly to me. If I didn’t do something, am I supposed to wait until you depart wordlessly again?

Thus, his reckless attempt to confirm Feng Ci’s identity was more because he wanted to know whether or not Feng Ci actually cared about him.

Coincidentally, those Immortal Alliance idiots delivered him the perfect opportunity.

“Master saved me again, I was very happy.” Pei QianYue said softly, his tone sounded extremely delighted: “That makes it meaningful.” 

Feng Ci closed his eyes: “You’re really a lunatic.”

“For Master, it’s worth it. Oh right, didn’t Master ask me what I want for compensation just now?” Pei QianYue pressed against Feng Ci’s ear and said word by word, voice slow and hoarse: “I want…… you.”

Feng Ci abruptly opened his eyes.

The room was very still, so much that even the flow of air seemed to have stagnated. Feng Ci heard the slight pant next to his ear and turned his head to look over. His eyes narrowed. 

“Pei QianYue.” Feng Ci frowned and said gravely: “Let go.”

Unknowingly, black serpent scales have slowly appeared on the face of the man pressing down on him. The red mark between Pei QianYue’s brows was bright red. When he finally opened his eyes, a red light flashed in those clear transparent eyes.

Another qi deviation.

The man seemed completely unaware of his own abnormality. He held down Feng Ci’s wrists with both hands, motionless. 

The next second, an even stronger force exploded from the body of the person within his arms.

The two people instantly flipped positions.

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A bit of spiritual energy passed through where their skin touched and entered Pei QianYue’s Sea of Awareness like a warm and gentle current.

This wasn’t the first time Feng Ci has pacified his Sea of Awareness for him. Not to mention the fact that he had discovered it early, the inner demon has yet to create any waves in the depths of Pei QianYue’s Sea of Awareness. With ample experience and familiarity, Feng Ci very quickly calmed down the restless Sea of Awareness.

A moment later, the red light in Pei QianYue’s eyes vanished. The snake scales on his face also gradually retreated.

Feng Ci released him and sat up: “Are you okay?” 

“Just now, I……”

Pei QianYue’s expression was still somewhat dazed. Feng Ci didn’t wait for him to finish and interrupted first: “Your Sea of Awareness is somewhat unstable. I will help you pacify it on a fixed schedule in the future. You’ll be fine.”

He definitely didn’t dare to let Pei QianYue continue their previous conversation.

Although he still didn’t know the reason for Pei QianYue’s qi deviation, the topic just now was capable of agitating this person’s inner demon and causing his emotions to fluctuate; there was no doubt about this. 

Since this was the case, then those things can no longer be mentioned again.

Right now Pei QianYue still hasn’t qi deviated fully yet, but if his inner demon continues to fluctuate like this, after a few more times, even Feng Ci might not be able to control it so easily. Therefore, before the complete removal of the inner demon, Feng Ci can’t keep agitating him.

The incident with Pei QianYue scheming against him— it’s better to drop it for the time being.

As for the offense from Pei QianYue just now…… Usually when people qi deviate, their personalities always change greatly. Not to mention, Pei QianYue has a labile temperament anyways. Any kind of manifestation of behaviors was possible. 

Although…… that was really a bit too strange.

Feng Ci gazed at the person below him with a complicated emotion.

Demons(魔) were truly quite terrible.

After a difference of 3000 years, Grandmaster QianQiu once again reached this conclusion with firm certainty. 

To prevent Pei QianYue from continuing the previous topic and possibly entering qi deviation again from the agitation, Feng Ci directly used the reason of “The City Master still has many important things to handle, so stop wasting time chatting idly here already” to kick him out of the room.

But under his Xiao Hei’s sulky, aggrieved expression, Feng Ci’s heart softened again and he agreed to accompany the other to LinXian Terrace to deal with affairs.

The person happiest with this decision… was probably Xiao Que.

The unfortunate young man had been left behind by his City Master to hold down the fort in LinXian Terrace for three days. Losing so much weight, he was practically one size skinnier. If he didn’t normally behave in such a calm and composed manner, Feng Ci even felt like he might start crying on the spot. 

Feng Ci couldn’t watch this anymore and waved his hand to dismiss Xiao Que to get some rest, deciding to manage some of the other trivial matters himself.

During the past few days when Pei QianYue had tossed all work aside, there’s been a backlog of many minor and major issues. However, Pei QianYue didn’t deal with these miscellaneous inner sect chores, but instead, selected a messenger bird to first send news to LingXiao Gates.

—According to Feng Ci’s suggestion, he informed them that Elder Cheng Chao had died and told the Sect Leader of LingXiao Gates to come in person to pick up the corpse.

Immediately afterwards, he summoned a person. 

Wen HuaiYu.

Feng Ci was still somewhat surprised by QingJing Sect’s participation in this rebellion— and to even participate as one of the main conspirators. Although that day in QingJing Sect, he only had a one-time encounter with Wen HuaiYu, Feng Ci still had a pretty good impression of him.

Ultimately, it was due to that person’s elegant and flawless music, which was filled with a magnanimous air.

Feng Ci never would have imagined that he’d participate in the rebellion. 

As they waited for Wen HuaiYu’s arrival, Feng Ci spoke his thoughts out loud to Pei QianYue.

“Magnanimous? His character is indeed quite magnanimous.” While saying this, Pei QianYue poured tea for Feng Ci. He sat in the main seat of the Great Hall. Feng Ci had moved over a small stool and sat next to the table while he flipped through the documents that LangFeng City had backlogged these few days.

Originally Pei QianYue wanted Feng Ci to sit in the main seat, but Feng Ci really didn’t want to recall how everything was awaiting his approval back then after the great war— all sorts of miscellaneous issues, a nightmare that couldn’t even sorted out and completed after 7 days and 7 nights of hard work. He still felt that listening in from the sidelines was much more relaxing.

As for the documents… Pei QianYue had trouble with his eyes, but Feng Ci didn’t want to listen to that recitation device, which used YuChi Chu’s recorded voice, so he had no choice but to bear the burden and help Pei QianYue read them. 

Hearing Pei QianYue’s evaluation of Wen HuaiYu, Feng Ci looked up from the documents and asked curiously: “He conspired together with LingXiao Gates in this rebellion, yet you still think he’s magnanimous?”

Pei QianYue said calmly: “Since the first day he entered the cultivation world, Wen HuaiYu has never concealed his wild ambition.”

Wen HuaiYu’s original surname was Qin. He had also entered the cultivation world through the Immortal Alliance’s entrance selection.

Of the fresh batch of disciples that year, he had the best innate constitution. In the beginning, he had actually joined LangFeng City. 

The teenage Wen HuaiYu only stayed in LangFeng City for a year and he had already jumped from a normal inner sect disciple into a personal attending disciple of a sect elder. Then he seized the opportunity during one of the Old QingJing Sect Leader’s visit to LangFeng City, where he had brought along his daughter, to become familiar with the Old QingJing Sect Leader’s only daughter.

“He probably already set his sights on that girl much earlier.” Despite saying this, Feng Ci still couldn’t figure it out: “Wait, if this were the case, why did he not pick QingJing Sect from the start?”

With Wen HuaiYu’s innate constitution, if he had expressed clearly that he wanted to go to QingJing Sect during the entrance selection, QingJing Sect shouldn’t have rejected him.

If he entered QingJing Sect at the start, why would need he need to spend all this effort. 

Pei QianYue fell silent for a moment and asked: “Do you think everyone can be like you, bold enough to refuse an Immortal Alliance elder under that kind of public venue?”

Feng Ci: “…… that’s true.”

Feng Ci: “You can continue.”

“Not to mention, at the beginning, Wen HuaiYu’s first choice should have indeed been LangFeng City.” Pei QianYue said: “LangFeng City was the #1 sect at that time after all, and it was the head of the Immortal Alliance. Who would refuse? However, after entering, he discovered that things weren’t the same as he thought.” 

“…….LangFeng City was good, but as long as I am here, he’d never have the opportunity to stand out.”

Feng Ci said in surprise: “His ambition……”

“His ambition has always been only one.”

“The position of the Immortal Alliance Leader.” 

Wen HuaiYu was only a teenager back then. To have such a wild ambition already.

Feng Ci understood: “He felt that the path of LangFeng City wouldn’t work, so he decided to switch paths and chose QingJing Sect.”

Pei QianYue nodded: “The old QingJing Sect Leader’s daughter had an arrogant and willful personality. Very quickly she fell deeply in love with Wen HuaiYu and came to me directly without telling her father to ask me to hand him over.”

Feng Ci hissed and praised: “This girl was quite brave.” 

“Indeed.” Pei QianYue smiled and said: “I also admired her for that.”

Feng Ci: “So you gave him to her?”

Pei QianYue said coolly: “On the grounds of being disrespectful to the Immortal Alliance Leader, I locked her up.”

Feng Ci: “……” 

As expected of you.

“Stop procrastinating, then what?” Feng Ci rushed him.

The one who answered him, however, wasn’t Pei QianYue.

A refined voice spoke up from outside the door: “Then I naturally came to plead with the City Master in all sorts of manners, hoping he’d spare Yan-er.” 

The door to the Great Hall was pushed open. Wen HuaiYu arrived.

The young man had been imprisoned in the dungeons for several days. His expression was somewhat haggard; however, his clothes and hair ornament were still neat and meticulous. There was still a thick chain tied around his neck. When he walked, the chain made sharp, clear clanking sounds.

Wen HuaiYu walked up the Great Hall and greeted the two people at the front respectfully: “Greetings City Master Pei, greetings…… Saint Sovereign.”

He was also on LinXian Terrace that day, so naturally he already knew Feng Ci’s identity. 

Feng Ci waved his hand: “Sect Leader Wen, don’t call me that. If other people hear you, the Blood Oath Parasite in your body will activate.”

Wen HuaiYu nodded: “HuaiYu understands.”

Already completely intrigued with Wen HuaiYu’s story, Feng Ci said: “We can discuss other stuff later. Let’s finish the story first. What happened after that?”

Pei QianYue said: “To express sincerity, he destroyed his own cultivation right here on LinXian Terrace, and then shattered his personal sword.” 

Feng Ci froze.

Destroying one’s cultivation was an extremely dangerous act for cultivators. A slight carelessness can result in harm to one’s spiritual roots. In more severe cases, it can even be fatal.

Even if the person rebuilds their foundation later on and starts cultivating again, the difficulty level would far surpass the past.

Not to mention, the most important aspect of cultivating was opportune timing and chance. Some people can be stuck without breakthrough for more than 10 years or even 20 years if it’s not their time. If Pei QianYue refuses to step aside, or if Wen HuaiYu’s cultivation does not go smoothly this second time, even if he marries the old Sect Leader’s daughter, QingJing Sect would still not allow this kind of person to become the Sect Leader. 

For Wen HuaiYu to go to such an extent, it was no different than gambling with his life.

Just for that little ambition of his?

Feeling complicated, Feng Ci couldn’t help but take a glance at Pei QianYue.

He finally understood why Pei QianYue still held a pretty good opinion of Wen HuaiYu despite knowing that he had rebelled. 

It’s not because he felt the other was magnanimous. It was that Wen HuaiYu was also a lunatic.

One lunatic to another lunatic, they could be considered birds of a feather.

Pei QianYue continued to say: “The old QingJing Sect Leader thought that since this person was willing to go to such an extent for his daughter, he could be entrusted with her. Since they were all happy to facilitate this marriage, I naturally had no reason to object. Not to mention…… I was also very curious how QingJing Sect would develop if it landed in this kind of person’s hands.”

Reality proved that he didn’t misjudge this person. 

After Wen HuaiYu succeeded as Sect Leader, he expanded the sect and made friends with the rich and powerful aristocrats. Up to this point, QingJing Sect’s reputation within the mortal world even surpassed that of LangFeng City and WanFa Pavilion.

But Feng Ci still felt a bit uncomfortable.

After all, Wen HuaiYu had only approached the old Sect Leader’s daughter for personal gains.

This was somewhat unfair to that woman. 

As if knowing his thoughts, Wen HuaiYu said magnanimously: “Saint Sovereign, please don’t misunderstand. Although I did have ulterior motives when I first approached Yan-er, my affections for Yan-er have been recognized by the Heavens and Earth. Furthermore, she already knew about this before coming to LangFeng City. As for my father-in-law, perhaps he wasn’t completely in the dark either.”

Feng Ci realized in a flash.

It’s true. The QingJing Sect was the only Six Sects that passed down their Sect Leader position through the family lineage. Although the cultivation world didn’t have any rules stating that women couldn’t become Sect Leaders, in this time period, most of the Sect Leaders were still dominated by men.

The old QingJing Sect Leader only had one daughter as his heir. How could he not know that other people would approach his daughter for the sake of targeting that Sect Leader position. 

But despite knowing this, he still accepted Wen HuaiYu as his son-in-law.

There was probably an inside story here that Feng Ci still didn’t know.

However, Feng Ci no longer wanted to look further into it.

He only felt somewhat complicated. 

Sure enough, there was not a single normal person in this cultivation world.

After finishing this story, Pei QianYue finally cut to the chase: “Do you know why this Venerable One summoned you here?”

Wen HuaiYu seemed to have already predicted he’d ask this question and answered calmly: “Because City Master needs me.”

Pei QianYue: “Therefore, you must prove your usefulness to this Venerable One” 

Wen HuaiYu said: “HuaiYu will do my best.”

Feng Ci: “……”

Are you two lunatics talking in riddles here?

But it’s not like he couldn’t understand anything at all. The main thing was that Pei QianYue’s action here was truly a bit familiar— extremely similar to what he did 3000 years ago. 

Feng Ci had a vague idea. He saw Pei QianYue raise his hand. The chains around Wen HuaiYu’s neck fell in response.

Immediately afterwards, Pei QianYue said coolly: “You’re now in charge of making follow-up arrangements for those sects in the dungeons. Also the destruction left behind by the Immortal Alliance’s rebellion is yours to clean up.”

“This Venerable One will give you half a month. After half a month, if there’s still any sects or disciples within the Immortal Alliance who wish to oppose me, this Venerable One will instruct Wen Yan come collect your corpse.”

Wen HuaiYu bowed and saluted: “HuaiYu understands.” 

Pei QianYue dismissed Wen HuaiYu, who left. Feng Ci watched with a pretty complicated and indescribable expression.

Sure enough, just look at how Pei QianYue tossed the mess to someone else, wasn’t this exactly the same as him back then?

Only the two of them remained inside the great hall now. Pei QianYue took the stack of documents from Feng Ci’s hands and said: “There’s no need to look at these anymore. When Xiao Que returns, just give them all to him and let him deal with it .”

“……” Feng Ci couldn’t help but ask: “Now that you’ve thrown everything to others, what do you plan to do yourself?” 

Pei QianYue raised his head slightly, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he didn’t say anything and only asked back: “Master, what do you plan to do now?”

Feng Ci fell silent.

For the time being, he still didn’t plan to tell Pei QianYue about the premonition that the Heavenly Principles gave him.

Not willing to say it, and also unable to say it. 

The so-called premonition couldn’t be told casually to others anyways.

Currently there was still no obvious clue for the impending calamity that’s to destroy the world. Feng Ci didn’t make much progress in his investigations regarding this. Rashly speaking about it right now could very easily affect its development.

‘The mysteries of the Heavens cannot be divulged’ spoke of this concept.

Feng Ci thought briefly and picked the most important thing to him right now: “I need to return to my physical body first.” 

He turned his head and asked Pei QianYue: “Where did my physical body go?”

When he left, he had stored his physical body inside LingWu Mountain. Other than Pei QianYue, no one else can touch it.

The exact location of his physical body and why he couldn’t return to it, Pei QianYue was the only clue to these answers.

But Pei QianYue remained silent for a very long time. 

So long that Feng Ci had planned to ask again, that’s when he finally said quietly: “In other words, Master also has no idea regarding the current whereabouts of your physical body?”

Feng Ci frowned, an ominous feeling arising faintly in his heart: “Just what exactly happened to my physical body?”

Pei QianYue: “300 years ago, it was stolen.”

The author has something to say: 

Xiao Hei: Why toss the mess to others? Of course, it’s to chase the wifey, why else? You straight men are so annoying.




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