Editor: Sahloknir
Puuuchh…
Fresh blood spurted out along the sword. Gong Wei staggered half a step backward and fell to the ground.
A crisp clang sounded, and the poisoned dagger slipped out from his hand and fell to his feet.
“Chief!”
“Lord Xu?”
“What is happening, what—”
The crowd on the Immortal Ascension Platform shuffled forward quickly but their terrified expressions could no longer be clearly seen. Gong Wei lay on the ground and looked towards the bloodstained sword. The sword’s hilt, which had three engraved words“Bu Nai He”, was held in a death grip by a slender yet strong hand with the distinct rippling of tendons on the knuckles. It was a terrifying sight.
Gong Wei’s gaze moved up the arm attached to that hand, and there was Xu Shuangtze with his lofty and perennially stiff face as he said, “…You want to kill me?”
Gong Wei shut his eyes and rapidly gasped, then opened his lids again to focus on the snow capped mountains and forest in the distance.
Xu Shuangtze’s voice seemed a little louder, but perhaps because he was close now, and the words he spoke seemed to be articulated with emphasis from between his teeth, “Why?”
Gong Wei did not respond. The chill, which had set in due the rapid blood loss had paralyzed his senses, and even his vision was now blurred. In a trance, he heard a heated clamour in the distance, and several other sect leaders rushed forward simultaneously and forcefully attempted to channel their spiritual power to prolong his life. Yet it did not help.
Xu Shuangtze had attained the highest realm of cultivation and was the world’s most formidable man. There was none who had survived under his sword, ‘Bu Nai He—No Way Out’.
“…I’m sorry.” Gong Wei forced out a smile. Though blood continued to gush from the corners of his mouth, the laugh lines on his pale face were evocative, “I’m sorry, you…you look…”
“Don’t move!”
“Lord Gong!”
“Don’t move!”
Gong Wei went on as if he was deaf to the surrounding cries, he gasped and lifted his hand. In the direction he pointed, were the winter mountains and forest—a land of grey and white solitude. The cold wind whistled and blew over the mountains and a sea of pine trees before dispersing into the distant horizon.
“Obbx, qfjmt yibrrbwr.”
—We Vtejcuahf’r ojmf, qfgtjqr fnfc tlr ygfjat, rffwfv ab yf ogbhfc ralii.
Pc atja wbwfca, Xbcu Qfl’r gluta qeqli kjr ragjcufis liiewlcjafv ys j ygluta, gfv uibk jcv ogbw atf alq bo tlr rifcvfg olcufg oifk j wliilbc rmjgifa qfajir. Pa ibbxfv jr lo atfs kfgf uilaafglcu yeaafgoilfr oieaafglcu lc atf klcv, rkfqa ogbw atf ktlaf pjvf qijaobgw vbkc ab atf fjgat, ktlmt kjr yijcxfafv ys atf tjgrt klcafg.
In a flash, it was as if spring had returned. The mountains, rivers, fields and peach blossom forests were lush and in full bloom, scarlet clouds of exceptional brilliance spread across the horizon and reflected in everyone’s frightened eyes:
“This…what is this?!”
“Illusion, illusion magic!”
“You will never be able to ascend in this lifetime.” Gong Wei lay in a pool of his own blood, grinning with his eyes curved as he stared at Xu Shuangtze. Every word he spoke was terrible and clear, “Your cultivation in this life…will end here.”
He could no longer see Xu Shuangtze’s expression. Casting the terrifyingly powerful illusion of Heaven and Earth had drained every last ounce of his spiritual power. Gong Wei’s hand fell back to the ground. Under the sky strewn with fluttering peach blossom petals, he closed his eyes for the last time and fell into an everlasting slumber.
In the final scene of his life, he remembered that Xu Shuangtze got down, reached his hand towards his throat. But he did not know what had happened after his death.
In the beginning of the twenty-eighth year of Taiyi’s reign, during the Immortal Ascension Ceremony, the Chief of the Immortal Alliance’s Department of Discipline, Gong Wei, armed with a sharp blade, attempted to assassinate the Cang Yang Sect Leader, Xu Shuangtze. He was slain by his target’s sword in the end.
The news spread to every corner of the earth and the world was shaken.
—
Sixteen years later…
“–“Shidi” “Shidi is awake!” “Quickly call for Dashixiong!”
There was complete chaos around him, like countless chickens clucking at the top of their voices. The noise tore into Gong Wei’s temples, giving him a sudden throbbing pain.
His first thought was, Dashixiong? My Dashixiong is here?
But he quickly realised something was amiss, because in the Immortal Alliance, other than the chief disciple Ying Kai, there could not be so many people of greater seniority to address him as ‘Shidi’.
Gong Wei barely opened his eyes and the first thing he felt was pain—it was as though all his limbs and bones had been broken and pieced back together. This was the classic aftermath of losing control during cultivation practice.
The pain made him dizzy and blurred his vision and it took a long while for everything to become clear. The first thing which appeared in his field of vision were plain, white bed curtains. Then it was a small, simple, but tidy room. A man who couldn’t have been more than twenty, with neatly bunned up hair and a sword, stepped forward from a group of five or six teenagers and asked, “How are you doing, Shidi? Quickly lie down! Don’t move too much!”
…It sounded much like the last, angry cry he heard before his death, telling him not to move, this uncanny coincidence gave him a sense of familiarity…
Gong Wei, feeling decidedly light-headed, lay back down, only to see that his Dashixiong instructed several teenagers to stand guard outside the door. Then, the lad grabbed one of his hands to carefully feel for his pulse and was subsequently overwhelmed with relief, “Shidi’s spirit pulse is weak but he is out of critical condition. This is really good news!”
Who am I?
Where am I?
Am I not already dead?
“Shidi, you must remember, the journey to immortality is the most treacherous of all risks. If you go off the rails again in your practice, loss of your cultivation is the least of your worries because you may even die! —Ah, I know that you must be very sad right now, but Yuchi Xiao’s marriage annulment is a done deal! Shidi must let this go. Your bloodline is not your choice, nor is it your fault; not to mention that you only have half of the Mei demon bloodline. Even if you were a pureblooded Mei demon, we would not change our opinion of you, let alone have any contempt…”
Gong Wei, who was lying down like a stiffened corpse, suddenly heard something absurd. “Hold on a minute!”
Dashixiong turned a deaf ear, probably because he was too focused on repeating what he had rehearsed countless times while Gong Wei was unconscious. His speech sounded both passionate and wise, “Although since ancient times, Mei demons have never cultivated a golden core, Shidi you are at least half human, so there must be hope! As long as you are willing to work hard, we all believe that you will be able to attain immortality! We will await your success with pride. We—Shidi! What’s wrong with you? Are you unwell again? Somebody help!!!”
Gong Wei who was in a deathly state just a moment ago sat up in a wave of shock, pulling Dashixiong closer, an undisguised horror reflected in his eyes. “Mei demon?!”
Dashixiong grew more fearful, “Shidi! Have you lost your memory?”
It wasn’t until an hour later, when Gong Wei, relying on bits and pieces of information from conversations, and the scattered memories left by this body’s original owner managed to make out his current situation.
The body’s owner was known as Xiang Xiaoyuan, a junior disciple who had just built up his foundation in cultivation practice. He had mediocre talent and a low level of cultivation, yet he was surprisingly famous in the Sect.
Because he had a learning disability.
For most disciples who have spiritual potential, it is exceedingly common for them to have an above average level of intellect. Therefore, a disciple like Xiaoyuan was one in a million.
Sixteen years ago, disciples who were on duty found him at the foot of the mountain as a baby in a swaddle. He had a high fever, breathed faintly and couldn’t even cry. Other than a note with the eight characters of his Four Pillars of Destiny, there was nothing left on him.
The clan elders hired physicians and tirelessly fed him medicine for half a month before his fever subsided. However, it did cause some damage to his brain and consequently, his intellect. Since then, everyone believed that this was the main culprit for turning him into a slow learner.
Xiang Xiaoyuan learnt to speak only around the age of six or seven and barely built his foundation in cultivation practice at the age of thirteen or fourteen. At present, he was unable to cultivate a golden core, which was regarded as an entrance test to a formal discipleship. So he remained as an unofficial disciple of the Sect.
—However, it would also be false to say that the child was without merits. For example, he was obedient, diligent and no matter how challenging the training was, he would earnestly attempt to complete it, never complaining about hardship or fatigue. There were no elders in the Sect who did not like him.But there was one detrimental behavioural vice which could not be made up by every single one of his merits combined.
The child had a natural obsession for beautiful girls and liked to look at them.
If he were to meet one on the streets, he could trail behind her for an hour as if he were in a demonic trance, without reacting to anyone who attempted to speak to him. When he was younger, people paid less attention to the boy’s unbecoming behaviour towards women. The beautiful ladies themselves would laugh it off as a slightly odd demeanour and did not take him too seriously. As a result of getting away with these actions, his behaviour became worse and he was subsequently attracted to beautiful men as well.
—If it were sixteen years ago when Gong Wei, the Chief of the Immortal Alliance’s Department of Discipline was still alive, he would have berated Xiang Xiaoyuan at the very beginning and slapped him back to the training grounds to reflect and correct his ways. If he dared to reoffend, he would be tied up and sent to the disciplinary court to accept Gong Wei’s ‘raging love’ of repentance.
But surprisingly, the people around Xiaoyuan did not chastise nor punish him strictly. There was even once when he followed a group of disciples who specialised in medical practice down the mountain for their clinical duties. He followed them for a good twenty miles before realising that he had lost his way. The disciples took care of him with good meals and drinks for half a month before reluctantly sending him home with a bag full of elixirs.
Xiang Xiaoyuan’s life had been charmed and smooth sailing without any setbacks. He grew up excessively doted upon by everyone until he was sixteen. Half a year ago, he went down the mountain to purchase things with a senior disciple and consequently met the Madam of the Yuchi family, who was out travelling.
Shixiong merely turned away for a moment when Xiang Xiaoyuan promptly got on the Yuchi family’s horse carriage. For this inappropriate behaviour, it would not be unusual to have him dragged out on the streets for a heavy beating. However, Madam Yuchi was astonished by her encounter and was too startled to react accordingly. When she finally did, her displeasure had turned into pleasant surprise, her eyes gleamed and she gestured for Xiaoyuan to sit beside her. She reached out to stroke his hair and exclaimed, “The rumours do not lie, you are really very, very, very good looking.”
Her next sentence was, “I have a son called Yuchi Xiao. He is twenty and still single. Are you willing to be his life partner?”
Yuchi Xiao, the Sword Sect’s legitimate heir. Not only did he have a pristine reputation in society, he was also the next generation leader of Xuanmen.
With Xiang Xiaoyuan’s intellect, he was probably unaware of what it meant to form a lifelong partnership. But to everyone else, this union meant a great social climb for him. If not for the special circumstances which surrounded the Sword Sect’s internal family affairs, this match was not likely to happen. The Sect’s elders immediately agreed to the proposal by Madam Yuchi and speedily sent his birth characters as a token to seal the deal.
But as the marriage was about to be finalised, it was met with the violent objection of one man.
Who would that be? None other than Yuchi Xiao himself.
“I already have someone in my heart and therefore I cannot obey my parent’s wishes. Please forgive me. I am also aware that the Young Master Xiao has the blood of the Mei demons and is unusual in his behaviour and demeanour. I am unable to continue my path along with a non-human being. I humbly seek your forgiveness once again!”
Yuchi Xiao was too quick and sharp with his words, even his own mother was unable to stop him in time before the words ‘Mei demon’ came out and caused Xiang Xiaoyuan to be utterly dumbfounded.
Mei demons were the lowest class of demons. They had beautiful appearances but were lacking in intelligence. Other than charming the hearts of men, they did not have any devastating demonic abilities and were almost indistinguishable from a regular human being.
The laws of the Immortal Alliance were strict, and stated that demons must be vanquished on sight. But the Mei demons were an exception for two key reasons: Firstly, they were able to complement humans and boost their cultivation practice, which greatly benefitted human practitioners. Secondly, the Mei demons were not smart, which made it a challenge for them to accomplish tasks which required thinking, such as plotting and harming humans. They were simply too dumb for anyone to bear to destroy them.
Xiang Xiaoyuan had been persistently practicing for a number of years without knowing that he was half a Mei demon, which made all his efforts from the very beginning seem as futile as carrying water in a bamboo basket.
The elders were afraid that he would be devastated and kept this secret from him.
The boy went back in a daze only to throw up three litres of blood that night and lose control of himself, consequently suffering a qi deviation. Fortunately, his fellow disciples were well prepared, taking turns to watch over him twenty-four hours a day and found him in time to save his life. Otherwise, he risked dying from internal haemorrhaging.
After slipping into a coma for half a month, Xiang Xiaoyuan finally woke up and everyone was relieved.
But no one knew that the one who actually came back was the great Chief of the Immortal Alliance’s Department of Justice, Gong Wei, who died under Xu Shuangtze’s sword sixteen years ago.
There was a deathly silence in the room. Gong Wei placed the back of his hand on his forehead and did not speak a word for a long time.
Dashixiong was fearfully pinching the corner of the quilt, ready to rush out to call for help at any moment he showed signs of going into another qi deviation. “Shidi? Are you okay?”
Shidi is not okay, Shidi is already dead and his soul has already crossed the Naihe bridge!
“…” Gong Wei finally let out a long sigh, looked up at his Dashixiong and said sincerely, “Brother, there is one thing I must tell you. I am not—”
Shixiong stared nervously at Gong Wei.
Gong Wei stared back, expressionless.
“…No.” Gong Wei changed his mind the next moment and asked, “I want to meet Yuchi Xiao first.”
Shixiong immediately gave an ‘I knew you are still not well’ expression and said, “Never!!!”
Gong Wei compromised. “Madam Yuchi is fine too.”
“That’s even worse!!! The elders have instructed that you are to focus on recuperating and not be emotional, and you are forbidden from seeing anyone with the name Yuchi in this world!!!”
“…”
This time Gong Wei was silent for an even longer while before he looked up again earnestly at his Shixiong and said, “Then, let’s go back to that thing I had to tell you earlier. Actually, I am not—”
Knock, knock, knock!
The nervous voice of a fellow disciple came from outside the door, “Brother Qian, Brother Qian! The visitor from the Sword Sect has arrived at the front hall, and the Master has summoned you to update them if Shidi’s condition has improved!”
—The Sword Sect’s Yuchi family, what a coincidence!
Brother Qian immediately pressed Gong Wei back to the bed, fearing that he would create trouble. He then tucked him in with several layers of quilts. “Shidi, recuperate well and do not think too much. The elders and your fellow brothers and sisters will come to accompany you later. Do not run around, understand?”
Gong Wei nodded his head obediently. “Yes, I understand.”
Brother Qian would never have thought that this guy in front of him was a master at manipulation, speaking the human language to humans and even the ghost language to ghosts. Brother Qian rambled a while more to console him, replenished his water and tea before rushing out of the room.
As soon as he left, Gong Wei rolled out of his bed, straightened his attire, patted his sleeves and opened the door with a creak. Before he could step outside, two teenagers standing like javelins—unbelievably straight—outside the door turned around at the same time and with the same voice said, —”Why did you get out of bed and walk around, quickly go back to rest and recuperate!” —”Shidi must be hungry and thirsty, tell us where do you want to go?”
…Was there a need to be so tightly guarded?!
There were six eyes facing each other now, the air was still and the two teenagers’ faces turned bizarrely red at the same time.
Xbcu Qfl vlv j olra lc qjiw ufraegf, jqbibulrfv obg atf vlraegyjcmf, yfobgf gfaegclcu ab tlr gbbw. Lf uijcmfv jgbecv atf rqjmf jcv j klcvbk ibmxfv ys j mtjlc rbbc mjeuta tlr jaafcalbc.
C ofk ygfjatr ijafg…
Ktf wfaji mtjlc rbecvifrris ygbxf lcab rfnfgji qlfmfr jcv Xbcu Qfl gfilfv bc tlr iluta ybvs ab clwyis rdeffhf atgbeut atf cjggbk bqfclcu. Lf verafv tlwrfio klat j qja jcv j rabwq, atfc tjylaejiis qijmfv tlr tjcvr yftlcv tlr yjmx. Jjiwis jcv ectegglfvis, tf kfca ragjluta ab atf ogbca tjii.
In his previous life, Gong Wei presided over the Disciplinary Court. In order to promote education in the Immortal Cultivation field, improve the public image of the Immortal Alliance, maintain the peaceful and fair development of the major sects, he worked tirelessly until his death and made outstanding contributions—something which the major sects led by Xu Shuangtze denied—but it it was more or less the case.
Because of his work, he had numerous dealings with the Yuchi family. The head of the Yuchi family was Yuchi Rui, the great leader of the legendary Sword Sect, one of three major sects in the pugilistic world. He held formidable power, had immense strength and extraordinary status, and was also the uncle of Yuchi Xiao. He was the closest buddy in Gong Wei’s past life.
So many years have passed, Gong Wei did not know whether Xu Shuangtze was dead or alive. If he was not dead, it was very likely that he would raise his sword to slay him once again. But Gong Wei was not too afraid, for as long as he could regroup with his old buddy, by even shamelessly leeching onto him, he could be comfortably shielded by the Sword Immortal Yuchi Rui. The two of them could even think of a way to bring Xiang Xiaoyuan’s soul back from Hell and into his mortal body.
Gong Wei trailed Brother Qian from a distance and leisurely strolled from the back of the mountain to the front of the Hall. He was able to catch a glimpse of a stern looking disciple clad in green robes from another clan standing there. He had an unmissable aura of discipline around him, as if he would arrest any person of irrelevance loitering within ten feet.
Afraid that he might be caught, Gong Wei jumped up to the roof and carefully lifted up two glazed tiles to eavesdrop in secret.
“…This evil creature is exceptionally rare and behaves in a bizarre manner. Linjiang City already has twenty-eight strange deaths. I am aware of the Sect’s stand, but unless it was a matter of life and death, I wouldn’t dare to ascend the mountain to disturb…”
In the hall, there were several middle-aged practitioners sitting individually in a row, each one of them were clearly frowning. Brother Qian, who had just been summoned there retreated to the side, his brow was unconsciously furrowed. It seemed that he was discontented with what was said but did not dare to protest.
The person who was speaking was a young man barely in his twenties. Gong Wei carefully scrutinised him only to see that this handsome man had well-defined brows, shaped like a sword and clear bright eyes. He was certainly an imposing figure, but with a look of arrogance between his brows which was typical of someone his age. He was clothed in the Sword Sect’s official robe of an eagle back brown with a golden trim. On his left sleeve, there was a finely patterned embroidery of golden threads which went round the upper arm area six times forming six distinct rings. Gong Wei’s heart could not help but exclaim.
These six golden rings had an impressive meaning.
The disciples of the Sword Sect were not entitled to use golden threads at the start. Only when they had attained achievements of considerable merit of great impact to the people, could one open the ancestral hall to announce the deed and be rewarded with a tightly woven embroidered ring of gold thread on their sleeve.
The standards for achievements to be considered great were terribly high, including but not limited to: resisting natural disasters, preventing wars, killing higher demons and ghosts, discovering and promptly informing the Immortal Alliance about traces of great demons, etc.
It was worth noting the standards could be subjective at times. There was one instance that the Sword Immortal Yuchi Rui himself travelled widely when he was young and coincidentally saved the little emperor who secretly visited a brothel and did not have enough money to pay the bill. He was almost caught and forced to wash dishes as a consequence. This deed was announced far and wide and Yuchi Rui was allowed to wear an embroidered golden ring on his sleeve.
Of course, it is not everyday that an emperor would appear at brothels needing help, so under normal circumstances, the golden ring was not easy to obtain. A Sword Sect disciple who had one ring was considered to be a rare talent and to have two rings was even more phenomenal.
The young man in front of him had six. His status in the Yuchi family and even the entire Immortal Alliance must be undeniably high.
Gong Wei was observing through the slit of the roof tiles, only to hear Brother Qian finally could not help but speak, “Yuchi Xiao’s words are extremely just, but you may not be aware that my Shidi has been in a coma for half a month after losing control and only just woken up. So how can he—”
“Mao Zhang! Don’t be rude!” The elder on the main seat rebuked.
Poor Brother Qian knelt down instantly and did not dare to say anything else.
Gong Wei was curious now. What does this have to do with the little Mei demon?
“I am well aware, but this matter cannot be helped.” The young man’s face was determined though he said in a softer tone, “I only know of one such person born in the Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, Yin hour and Yin minute. That person is your Shidi, Xiang Xiaoyuan. There is absolutely no time to find another like him. Linjiang City already has twenty-eight who died so recently that their corpses are almost still warm. At this point in time, it is critical that we capture the culprit. I guarantee—who is listening?!”
As soon as Gong Wei heard ‘Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, Yin hour and Yin minute’, his mind drifted.
With a body disposition that was so yin, he was a natural tool to complement and boost cultivation practice. It is no wonder Madam Yuchi cherished Xiaoyuan as a treasure—but this was not important. The key was that this unlucky child was born on the same day that he died sixteen years ago!
He only took a slightly deeper breath at this thought and it was enough for the young man below to detect him and look up. He then darted outside the hall shouting, “Stop where you are!”
Gong Wei reacted swift as lightning. He used his qinggong to flee, instantly darting twenty yards away into the distant peach blossom forest, only to hear the crowd of disciples behind him. “Who is there!”
“Ah, it’s Brother Xiang!”
“That Yuchi Xiao is after him! Stop him!!!”
Gong Wei rolled his eyes. “Pfft…”
Just then a strong gust of wind came from behind him, Gong Wei tilted his head, an unsheathed sword grazed his ear and hit the tree trunk in front of him like a bolt of lightning—boom!
The tree shook and petals scattered on the ground. Gong Wei’s escape was resolutely obstructed. He was forced to turn around and drift down.
He saw the young man with his sword-like brows.”It really is you!”
Gong Wei faced the man’s troubled expression calmly and even reacted with a smile, “Young Master Yuchi Xiao?”
There were faint noises of people coming into the peach blossom forest, but the other disciples had not caught up yet. The young man retracted his sword in a woosh.
Swish, swish, swish.
He moved back by three big steps. His line of sight then shifted towards the waist of Gong Wei, and he gritted his teeth and forced out a few words.
“Young Master Xiang, can you return me the token?!”
Gong Wei traced his line of sight and looked down as well.
There was a blood jade pendant hung on the waist area of his inner robes. It was originally hidden, but slipped into sight with all the movement earlier. The pendant was about half the size of his palm, and had extremely intricate carvings of the Sword Sect’s distinctive family crest, the Qiling.
It was Madam Yuchi herself who tied the token onto the body of Xiaoyuan. But when the young Mei demon slipped into a coma, the situation became chaotic and no one found the time to return it.
Gong Wei placed his hands behind his back and raised an eyebrow, “Young Master Yuchi, I thought that your first words should be ‘I’m sorry’.”
Yuchi Xiao frowned and retorted, “What do I have to be sorry for?”
“…”
That’s right, regarding the words Mei demon blood, inhuman being and not worthy—which one of them that Yuchi Xiao said was incorrect? So what was there to be sorry for?
Gong Wei opened his mouth, there were some words at the tip of his tongue, but he pondered for a moment then retracted them. Using two long and slender fingers to pick up the blood jade pendant, he dangled it mockingly in front of Yuchi Xiao. “Want this?”
Yuchi Xiao’s face was now mildly worried, “This blood jade Qiling is the Yuchi family’s token of marriage, passed down from our ancestors. Since you and I have no relations, I beseech the young master to return it immediately.”
Gong Wei nodded and casually tossed the pendant high up and onto the palm of his other hand. Pa. He finally gave an unmistakably evil look and a hit-me-if-you-dare smirk.“Hehe, not returning—”
Yuchi Xiao blinked. “…”
He stared at Xiang Xiaoyuan, his eyes reflected astonishment, as if he witnessed someone possessed by an evil spirit right before him.
Gong Wei cleared his throat immediately and speedily browsed through the memories of this body for a suitable reaction to put up a bluff. He instantly changed his facial expression to one of aggrievement and even teared up.
“Waa, waa~ I’m not returning.”
The air turned so quiet that Yuchi Xiao was about to suffocate and die.
Just then footsteps shuffled up from behind him, and the elders who were in the front hall just now finally rushed over with a group of disciples. The middle-aged cultivator who led the group was about to separate the two, but suddenly his eyes darted across them and caught a glimpse of something in the distance. He immediately displayed a solemn face and went down on all fours.
“Lord Xu!”
The crowd of disciples hurried to follow suit. Yuchi Xiao looked behind Xiaoyuan, his expression immediately changed, and with one knee to the ground he pressed his sword to the other side. “I humbly greet Lord Xu!”
Gong Wei’s pupils slowly dilated.
As the person behind him approached step by step, there was an unexpected soul-ripping pain that emerged from the left side of his chest. It was as though the same icy cold blade had pierced his heart once more, sending blood and flesh bursting out of his chest.
Bu Nai He—No Way Out.
No one around him noticed that Gong Wei’s inner robes began to flutter lightly. He forcefully pressed down on his chest, his fingertips digging into his flesh, his tendons rippling until his knuckle turned white, before he stumbled to the ground, landing on his knees.
The cold voice rang out again from over his head.
“What’s all this racket about?”
Editor: Sahloknir
Puuuchh…
Fresh blood spurted out along the sword. Gong Wei staggered half a step backward and fell to the ground.
A crisp clang sounded, and the poisoned dagger slipped out from his hand and fell to his feet.
“Chief!”
“Lord Xu?”
“What is happening, what—”
The crowd on the Immortal Ascension Platform shuffled forward quickly but their terrified expressions could no longer be clearly seen. Gong Wei lay on the ground and looked towards the bloodstained sword. The sword’s hilt, which had three engraved words“Bu Nai He”, was held in a death grip by a slender yet strong hand with the distinct rippling of tendons on the knuckles. It was a terrifying sight.
Gong Wei’s gaze moved up the arm attached to that hand, and there was Xu Shuangtze with his lofty and perennially stiff face as he said, “…You want to kill me?”
Gong Wei shut his eyes and rapidly gasped, then opened his lids again to focus on the snow capped mountains and forest in the distance.
Xu Shuangtze’s voice seemed a little louder, but perhaps because he was close now, and the words he spoke seemed to be articulated with emphasis from between his teeth, “Why?”
Gong Wei did not respond. The chill, which had set in due the rapid blood loss had paralyzed his senses, and even his vision was now blurred. In a trance, he heard a heated clamour in the distance, and several other sect leaders rushed forward simultaneously and forcefully attempted to channel their spiritual power to prolong his life. Yet it did not help.
Xu Shuangtze had attained the highest realm of cultivation and was the world’s most formidable man. There was none who had survived under his sword, ‘Bu Nai He—No Way Out’.
“…I’m sorry.” Gong Wei forced out a smile. Though blood continued to gush from the corners of his mouth, the laugh lines on his pale face were evocative, “I’m sorry, you…you look…”
“Don’t move!”
“Lord Gong!”
“Don’t move!”
Gong Wei went on as if he was deaf to the surrounding cries, he gasped and lifted his hand. In the direction he pointed, were the winter mountains and forest—a land of grey and white solitude. The cold wind whistled and blew over the mountains and a sea of pine trees before dispersing into the distant horizon.
“Obbx, qfjmt yibrrbwr.”
—We Vtejcuahf’r ojmf, qfgtjqr fnfc tlr ygfjat, rffwfv ab yf ogbhfc ralii.
Pc atja wbwfca, Xbcu Qfl’r gluta qeqli kjr ragjcufis liiewlcjafv ys j ygluta, gfv uibk jcv ogbw atf alq bo tlr rifcvfg olcufg oifk j wliilbc rmjgifa qfajir. Pa ibbxfv jr lo atfs kfgf uilaafglcu yeaafgoilfr oieaafglcu lc atf klcv, rkfqa ogbw atf ktlaf pjvf qijaobgw vbkc ab atf fjgat, ktlmt kjr yijcxfafv ys atf tjgrt klcafg.
In a flash, it was as if spring had returned. The mountains, rivers, fields and peach blossom forests were lush and in full bloom, scarlet clouds of exceptional brilliance spread across the horizon and reflected in everyone’s frightened eyes:
“This…what is this?!”
“Illusion, illusion magic!”
“You will never be able to ascend in this lifetime.” Gong Wei lay in a pool of his own blood, grinning with his eyes curved as he stared at Xu Shuangtze. Every word he spoke was terrible and clear, “Your cultivation in this life…will end here.”
He could no longer see Xu Shuangtze’s expression. Casting the terrifyingly powerful illusion of Heaven and Earth had drained every last ounce of his spiritual power. Gong Wei’s hand fell back to the ground. Under the sky strewn with fluttering peach blossom petals, he closed his eyes for the last time and fell into an everlasting slumber.
In the final scene of his life, he remembered that Xu Shuangtze got down, reached his hand towards his throat. But he did not know what had happened after his death.
In the beginning of the twenty-eighth year of Taiyi’s reign, during the Immortal Ascension Ceremony, the Chief of the Immortal Alliance’s Department of Discipline, Gong Wei, armed with a sharp blade, attempted to assassinate the Cang Yang Sect Leader, Xu Shuangtze. He was slain by his target’s sword in the end.
The news spread to every corner of the earth and the world was shaken.
—
Sixteen years later…
“–“Shidi” “Shidi is awake!” “Quickly call for Dashixiong!”
There was complete chaos around him, like countless chickens clucking at the top of their voices. The noise tore into Gong Wei’s temples, giving him a sudden throbbing pain.
His first thought was, Dashixiong? My Dashixiong is here?
But he quickly realised something was amiss, because in the Immortal Alliance, other than the chief disciple Ying Kai, there could not be so many people of greater seniority to address him as ‘Shidi’.
Gong Wei barely opened his eyes and the first thing he felt was pain—it was as though all his limbs and bones had been broken and pieced back together. This was the classic aftermath of losing control during cultivation practice.
The pain made him dizzy and blurred his vision and it took a long while for everything to become clear. The first thing which appeared in his field of vision were plain, white bed curtains. Then it was a small, simple, but tidy room. A man who couldn’t have been more than twenty, with neatly bunned up hair and a sword, stepped forward from a group of five or six teenagers and asked, “How are you doing, Shidi? Quickly lie down! Don’t move too much!”
…It sounded much like the last, angry cry he heard before his death, telling him not to move, this uncanny coincidence gave him a sense of familiarity…
Gong Wei, feeling decidedly light-headed, lay back down, only to see that his Dashixiong instructed several teenagers to stand guard outside the door. Then, the lad grabbed one of his hands to carefully feel for his pulse and was subsequently overwhelmed with relief, “Shidi’s spirit pulse is weak but he is out of critical condition. This is really good news!”
Who am I?
Where am I?
Am I not already dead?
“Shidi, you must remember, the journey to immortality is the most treacherous of all risks. If you go off the rails again in your practice, loss of your cultivation is the least of your worries because you may even die! —Ah, I know that you must be very sad right now, but Yuchi Xiao’s marriage annulment is a done deal! Shidi must let this go. Your bloodline is not your choice, nor is it your fault; not to mention that you only have half of the Mei demon bloodline. Even if you were a pureblooded Mei demon, we would not change our opinion of you, let alone have any contempt…”
Gong Wei, who was lying down like a stiffened corpse, suddenly heard something absurd. “Hold on a minute!”
Dashixiong turned a deaf ear, probably because he was too focused on repeating what he had rehearsed countless times while Gong Wei was unconscious. His speech sounded both passionate and wise, “Although since ancient times, Mei demons have never cultivated a golden core, Shidi you are at least half human, so there must be hope! As long as you are willing to work hard, we all believe that you will be able to attain immortality! We will await your success with pride. We—Shidi! What’s wrong with you? Are you unwell again? Somebody help!!!”
Gong Wei who was in a deathly state just a moment ago sat up in a wave of shock, pulling Dashixiong closer, an undisguised horror reflected in his eyes. “Mei demon?!”
Dashixiong grew more fearful, “Shidi! Have you lost your memory?”
It wasn’t until an hour later, when Gong Wei, relying on bits and pieces of information from conversations, and the scattered memories left by this body’s original owner managed to make out his current situation.
The body’s owner was known as Xiang Xiaoyuan, a junior disciple who had just built up his foundation in cultivation practice. He had mediocre talent and a low level of cultivation, yet he was surprisingly famous in the Sect.
Because he had a learning disability.
For most disciples who have spiritual potential, it is exceedingly common for them to have an above average level of intellect. Therefore, a disciple like Xiaoyuan was one in a million.
Sixteen years ago, disciples who were on duty found him at the foot of the mountain as a baby in a swaddle. He had a high fever, breathed faintly and couldn’t even cry. Other than a note with the eight characters of his Four Pillars of Destiny, there was nothing left on him.
The clan elders hired physicians and tirelessly fed him medicine for half a month before his fever subsided. However, it did cause some damage to his brain and consequently, his intellect. Since then, everyone believed that this was the main culprit for turning him into a slow learner.
Xiang Xiaoyuan learnt to speak only around the age of six or seven and barely built his foundation in cultivation practice at the age of thirteen or fourteen. At present, he was unable to cultivate a golden core, which was regarded as an entrance test to a formal discipleship. So he remained as an unofficial disciple of the Sect.
—However, it would also be false to say that the child was without merits. For example, he was obedient, diligent and no matter how challenging the training was, he would earnestly attempt to complete it, never complaining about hardship or fatigue. There were no elders in the Sect who did not like him.But there was one detrimental behavioural vice which could not be made up by every single one of his merits combined.
The child had a natural obsession for beautiful girls and liked to look at them.
If he were to meet one on the streets, he could trail behind her for an hour as if he were in a demonic trance, without reacting to anyone who attempted to speak to him. When he was younger, people paid less attention to the boy’s unbecoming behaviour towards women. The beautiful ladies themselves would laugh it off as a slightly odd demeanour and did not take him too seriously. As a result of getting away with these actions, his behaviour became worse and he was subsequently attracted to beautiful men as well.
—If it were sixteen years ago when Gong Wei, the Chief of the Immortal Alliance’s Department of Discipline was still alive, he would have berated Xiang Xiaoyuan at the very beginning and slapped him back to the training grounds to reflect and correct his ways. If he dared to reoffend, he would be tied up and sent to the disciplinary court to accept Gong Wei’s ‘raging love’ of repentance.
But surprisingly, the people around Xiaoyuan did not chastise nor punish him strictly. There was even once when he followed a group of disciples who specialised in medical practice down the mountain for their clinical duties. He followed them for a good twenty miles before realising that he had lost his way. The disciples took care of him with good meals and drinks for half a month before reluctantly sending him home with a bag full of elixirs.
Xiang Xiaoyuan’s life had been charmed and smooth sailing without any setbacks. He grew up excessively doted upon by everyone until he was sixteen. Half a year ago, he went down the mountain to purchase things with a senior disciple and consequently met the Madam of the Yuchi family, who was out travelling.
Shixiong merely turned away for a moment when Xiang Xiaoyuan promptly got on the Yuchi family’s horse carriage. For this inappropriate behaviour, it would not be unusual to have him dragged out on the streets for a heavy beating. However, Madam Yuchi was astonished by her encounter and was too startled to react accordingly. When she finally did, her displeasure had turned into pleasant surprise, her eyes gleamed and she gestured for Xiaoyuan to sit beside her. She reached out to stroke his hair and exclaimed, “The rumours do not lie, you are really very, very, very good looking.”
Her next sentence was, “I have a son called Yuchi Xiao. He is twenty and still single. Are you willing to be his life partner?”
Yuchi Xiao, the Sword Sect’s legitimate heir. Not only did he have a pristine reputation in society, he was also the next generation leader of Xuanmen.
With Xiang Xiaoyuan’s intellect, he was probably unaware of what it meant to form a lifelong partnership. But to everyone else, this union meant a great social climb for him. If not for the special circumstances which surrounded the Sword Sect’s internal family affairs, this match was not likely to happen. The Sect’s elders immediately agreed to the proposal by Madam Yuchi and speedily sent his birth characters as a token to seal the deal.
But as the marriage was about to be finalised, it was met with the violent objection of one man.
Who would that be? None other than Yuchi Xiao himself.
“I already have someone in my heart and therefore I cannot obey my parent’s wishes. Please forgive me. I am also aware that the Young Master Xiao has the blood of the Mei demons and is unusual in his behaviour and demeanour. I am unable to continue my path along with a non-human being. I humbly seek your forgiveness once again!”
Yuchi Xiao was too quick and sharp with his words, even his own mother was unable to stop him in time before the words ‘Mei demon’ came out and caused Xiang Xiaoyuan to be utterly dumbfounded.
Mei demons were the lowest class of demons. They had beautiful appearances but were lacking in intelligence. Other than charming the hearts of men, they did not have any devastating demonic abilities and were almost indistinguishable from a regular human being.
The laws of the Immortal Alliance were strict, and stated that demons must be vanquished on sight. But the Mei demons were an exception for two key reasons: Firstly, they were able to complement humans and boost their cultivation practice, which greatly benefitted human practitioners. Secondly, the Mei demons were not smart, which made it a challenge for them to accomplish tasks which required thinking, such as plotting and harming humans. They were simply too dumb for anyone to bear to destroy them.
Xiang Xiaoyuan had been persistently practicing for a number of years without knowing that he was half a Mei demon, which made all his efforts from the very beginning seem as futile as carrying water in a bamboo basket.
The elders were afraid that he would be devastated and kept this secret from him.
The boy went back in a daze only to throw up three litres of blood that night and lose control of himself, consequently suffering a qi deviation. Fortunately, his fellow disciples were well prepared, taking turns to watch over him twenty-four hours a day and found him in time to save his life. Otherwise, he risked dying from internal haemorrhaging.
After slipping into a coma for half a month, Xiang Xiaoyuan finally woke up and everyone was relieved.
But no one knew that the one who actually came back was the great Chief of the Immortal Alliance’s Department of Justice, Gong Wei, who died under Xu Shuangtze’s sword sixteen years ago.
There was a deathly silence in the room. Gong Wei placed the back of his hand on his forehead and did not speak a word for a long time.
Dashixiong was fearfully pinching the corner of the quilt, ready to rush out to call for help at any moment he showed signs of going into another qi deviation. “Shidi? Are you okay?”
Shidi is not okay, Shidi is already dead and his soul has already crossed the Naihe bridge!
“…” Gong Wei finally let out a long sigh, looked up at his Dashixiong and said sincerely, “Brother, there is one thing I must tell you. I am not—”
Shixiong stared nervously at Gong Wei.
Gong Wei stared back, expressionless.
“…No.” Gong Wei changed his mind the next moment and asked, “I want to meet Yuchi Xiao first.”
Shixiong immediately gave an ‘I knew you are still not well’ expression and said, “Never!!!”
Gong Wei compromised. “Madam Yuchi is fine too.”
“That’s even worse!!! The elders have instructed that you are to focus on recuperating and not be emotional, and you are forbidden from seeing anyone with the name Yuchi in this world!!!”
“…”
This time Gong Wei was silent for an even longer while before he looked up again earnestly at his Shixiong and said, “Then, let’s go back to that thing I had to tell you earlier. Actually, I am not—”
Knock, knock, knock!
The nervous voice of a fellow disciple came from outside the door, “Brother Qian, Brother Qian! The visitor from the Sword Sect has arrived at the front hall, and the Master has summoned you to update them if Shidi’s condition has improved!”
—The Sword Sect’s Yuchi family, what a coincidence!
Brother Qian immediately pressed Gong Wei back to the bed, fearing that he would create trouble. He then tucked him in with several layers of quilts. “Shidi, recuperate well and do not think too much. The elders and your fellow brothers and sisters will come to accompany you later. Do not run around, understand?”
Gong Wei nodded his head obediently. “Yes, I understand.”
Brother Qian would never have thought that this guy in front of him was a master at manipulation, speaking the human language to humans and even the ghost language to ghosts. Brother Qian rambled a while more to console him, replenished his water and tea before rushing out of the room.
As soon as he left, Gong Wei rolled out of his bed, straightened his attire, patted his sleeves and opened the door with a creak. Before he could step outside, two teenagers standing like javelins—unbelievably straight—outside the door turned around at the same time and with the same voice said, —”Why did you get out of bed and walk around, quickly go back to rest and recuperate!” —”Shidi must be hungry and thirsty, tell us where do you want to go?”
…Was there a need to be so tightly guarded?!
There were six eyes facing each other now, the air was still and the two teenagers’ faces turned bizarrely red at the same time.
Xbcu Qfl vlv j olra lc qjiw ufraegf, jqbibulrfv obg atf vlraegyjcmf, yfobgf gfaegclcu ab tlr gbbw. Lf uijcmfv jgbecv atf rqjmf jcv j klcvbk ibmxfv ys j mtjlc rbbc mjeuta tlr jaafcalbc.
C ofk ygfjatr ijafg…
Ktf wfaji mtjlc rbecvifrris ygbxf lcab rfnfgji qlfmfr jcv Xbcu Qfl gfilfv bc tlr iluta ybvs ab clwyis rdeffhf atgbeut atf cjggbk bqfclcu. Lf verafv tlwrfio klat j qja jcv j rabwq, atfc tjylaejiis qijmfv tlr tjcvr yftlcv tlr yjmx. Jjiwis jcv ectegglfvis, tf kfca ragjluta ab atf ogbca tjii.
In his previous life, Gong Wei presided over the Disciplinary Court. In order to promote education in the Immortal Cultivation field, improve the public image of the Immortal Alliance, maintain the peaceful and fair development of the major sects, he worked tirelessly until his death and made outstanding contributions—something which the major sects led by Xu Shuangtze denied—but it it was more or less the case.
Because of his work, he had numerous dealings with the Yuchi family. The head of the Yuchi family was Yuchi Rui, the great leader of the legendary Sword Sect, one of three major sects in the pugilistic world. He held formidable power, had immense strength and extraordinary status, and was also the uncle of Yuchi Xiao. He was the closest buddy in Gong Wei’s past life.
So many years have passed, Gong Wei did not know whether Xu Shuangtze was dead or alive. If he was not dead, it was very likely that he would raise his sword to slay him once again. But Gong Wei was not too afraid, for as long as he could regroup with his old buddy, by even shamelessly leeching onto him, he could be comfortably shielded by the Sword Immortal Yuchi Rui. The two of them could even think of a way to bring Xiang Xiaoyuan’s soul back from Hell and into his mortal body.
Gong Wei trailed Brother Qian from a distance and leisurely strolled from the back of the mountain to the front of the Hall. He was able to catch a glimpse of a stern looking disciple clad in green robes from another clan standing there. He had an unmissable aura of discipline around him, as if he would arrest any person of irrelevance loitering within ten feet.
Afraid that he might be caught, Gong Wei jumped up to the roof and carefully lifted up two glazed tiles to eavesdrop in secret.
“…This evil creature is exceptionally rare and behaves in a bizarre manner. Linjiang City already has twenty-eight strange deaths. I am aware of the Sect’s stand, but unless it was a matter of life and death, I wouldn’t dare to ascend the mountain to disturb…”
In the hall, there were several middle-aged practitioners sitting individually in a row, each one of them were clearly frowning. Brother Qian, who had just been summoned there retreated to the side, his brow was unconsciously furrowed. It seemed that he was discontented with what was said but did not dare to protest.
The person who was speaking was a young man barely in his twenties. Gong Wei carefully scrutinised him only to see that this handsome man had well-defined brows, shaped like a sword and clear bright eyes. He was certainly an imposing figure, but with a look of arrogance between his brows which was typical of someone his age. He was clothed in the Sword Sect’s official robe of an eagle back brown with a golden trim. On his left sleeve, there was a finely patterned embroidery of golden threads which went round the upper arm area six times forming six distinct rings. Gong Wei’s heart could not help but exclaim.
These six golden rings had an impressive meaning.
The disciples of the Sword Sect were not entitled to use golden threads at the start. Only when they had attained achievements of considerable merit of great impact to the people, could one open the ancestral hall to announce the deed and be rewarded with a tightly woven embroidered ring of gold thread on their sleeve.
The standards for achievements to be considered great were terribly high, including but not limited to: resisting natural disasters, preventing wars, killing higher demons and ghosts, discovering and promptly informing the Immortal Alliance about traces of great demons, etc.
It was worth noting the standards could be subjective at times. There was one instance that the Sword Immortal Yuchi Rui himself travelled widely when he was young and coincidentally saved the little emperor who secretly visited a brothel and did not have enough money to pay the bill. He was almost caught and forced to wash dishes as a consequence. This deed was announced far and wide and Yuchi Rui was allowed to wear an embroidered golden ring on his sleeve.
Of course, it is not everyday that an emperor would appear at brothels needing help, so under normal circumstances, the golden ring was not easy to obtain. A Sword Sect disciple who had one ring was considered to be a rare talent and to have two rings was even more phenomenal.
The young man in front of him had six. His status in the Yuchi family and even the entire Immortal Alliance must be undeniably high.
Gong Wei was observing through the slit of the roof tiles, only to hear Brother Qian finally could not help but speak, “Yuchi Xiao’s words are extremely just, but you may not be aware that my Shidi has been in a coma for half a month after losing control and only just woken up. So how can he—”
“Mao Zhang! Don’t be rude!” The elder on the main seat rebuked.
Poor Brother Qian knelt down instantly and did not dare to say anything else.
Gong Wei was curious now. What does this have to do with the little Mei demon?
“I am well aware, but this matter cannot be helped.” The young man’s face was determined though he said in a softer tone, “I only know of one such person born in the Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, Yin hour and Yin minute. That person is your Shidi, Xiang Xiaoyuan. There is absolutely no time to find another like him. Linjiang City already has twenty-eight who died so recently that their corpses are almost still warm. At this point in time, it is critical that we capture the culprit. I guarantee—who is listening?!”
As soon as Gong Wei heard ‘Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, Yin hour and Yin minute’, his mind drifted.
With a body disposition that was so yin, he was a natural tool to complement and boost cultivation practice. It is no wonder Madam Yuchi cherished Xiaoyuan as a treasure—but this was not important. The key was that this unlucky child was born on the same day that he died sixteen years ago!
He only took a slightly deeper breath at this thought and it was enough for the young man below to detect him and look up. He then darted outside the hall shouting, “Stop where you are!”
Gong Wei reacted swift as lightning. He used his qinggong to flee, instantly darting twenty yards away into the distant peach blossom forest, only to hear the crowd of disciples behind him. “Who is there!”
“Ah, it’s Brother Xiang!”
“That Yuchi Xiao is after him! Stop him!!!”
Gong Wei rolled his eyes. “Pfft…”
Just then a strong gust of wind came from behind him, Gong Wei tilted his head, an unsheathed sword grazed his ear and hit the tree trunk in front of him like a bolt of lightning—boom!
The tree shook and petals scattered on the ground. Gong Wei’s escape was resolutely obstructed. He was forced to turn around and drift down.
He saw the young man with his sword-like brows.”It really is you!”
Gong Wei faced the man’s troubled expression calmly and even reacted with a smile, “Young Master Yuchi Xiao?”
There were faint noises of people coming into the peach blossom forest, but the other disciples had not caught up yet. The young man retracted his sword in a woosh.
Swish, swish, swish.
He moved back by three big steps. His line of sight then shifted towards the waist of Gong Wei, and he gritted his teeth and forced out a few words.
“Young Master Xiang, can you return me the token?!”
Gong Wei traced his line of sight and looked down as well.
There was a blood jade pendant hung on the waist area of his inner robes. It was originally hidden, but slipped into sight with all the movement earlier. The pendant was about half the size of his palm, and had extremely intricate carvings of the Sword Sect’s distinctive family crest, the Qiling.
It was Madam Yuchi herself who tied the token onto the body of Xiaoyuan. But when the young Mei demon slipped into a coma, the situation became chaotic and no one found the time to return it.
Gong Wei placed his hands behind his back and raised an eyebrow, “Young Master Yuchi, I thought that your first words should be ‘I’m sorry’.”
Yuchi Xiao frowned and retorted, “What do I have to be sorry for?”
“…”
That’s right, regarding the words Mei demon blood, inhuman being and not worthy—which one of them that Yuchi Xiao said was incorrect? So what was there to be sorry for?
Gong Wei opened his mouth, there were some words at the tip of his tongue, but he pondered for a moment then retracted them. Using two long and slender fingers to pick up the blood jade pendant, he dangled it mockingly in front of Yuchi Xiao. “Want this?”
Yuchi Xiao’s face was now mildly worried, “This blood jade Qiling is the Yuchi family’s token of marriage, passed down from our ancestors. Since you and I have no relations, I beseech the young master to return it immediately.”
Gong Wei nodded and casually tossed the pendant high up and onto the palm of his other hand. Pa. He finally gave an unmistakably evil look and a hit-me-if-you-dare smirk.“Hehe, not returning—”
Yuchi Xiao blinked. “…”
He stared at Xiang Xiaoyuan, his eyes reflected astonishment, as if he witnessed someone possessed by an evil spirit right before him.
Gong Wei cleared his throat immediately and speedily browsed through the memories of this body for a suitable reaction to put up a bluff. He instantly changed his facial expression to one of aggrievement and even teared up.
“Waa, waa~ I’m not returning.”
The air turned so quiet that Yuchi Xiao was about to suffocate and die.
Just then footsteps shuffled up from behind him, and the elders who were in the front hall just now finally rushed over with a group of disciples. The middle-aged cultivator who led the group was about to separate the two, but suddenly his eyes darted across them and caught a glimpse of something in the distance. He immediately displayed a solemn face and went down on all fours.
“Lord Xu!”
The crowd of disciples hurried to follow suit. Yuchi Xiao looked behind Xiaoyuan, his expression immediately changed, and with one knee to the ground he pressed his sword to the other side. “I humbly greet Lord Xu!”
Gong Wei’s pupils slowly dilated.
As the person behind him approached step by step, there was an unexpected soul-ripping pain that emerged from the left side of his chest. It was as though the same icy cold blade had pierced his heart once more, sending blood and flesh bursting out of his chest.
Bu Nai He—No Way Out.
No one around him noticed that Gong Wei’s inner robes began to flutter lightly. He forcefully pressed down on his chest, his fingertips digging into his flesh, his tendons rippling until his knuckle turned white, before he stumbled to the ground, landing on his knees.
The cold voice rang out again from over his head.
“What’s all this racket about?”
