When the Suona Sounds, All Your Parents’ Efforts Were for Nothing
The story splits in two, and we shall follow each thread in turn.
While Wei City was engulfed in war, Yao City—several dozen li away and already pledged allegiance to the Ling family—remained perfectly peaceful.
Several years earlier, the evil spirit of the Flower Children Temple had begun to wreak havoc. Children in the city died one after another, and the people were thrown into turmoil. The cultivators of Yao City were utterly at a loss, unable to find even the slightest clue.
Compared with the fierce and forthright people of Wei City, Yao City was steadier, more easygoing, and more peaceable. Its people were like lukewarm water—slow and languid, softhearted, and even softer-tempered. They lacked the ruthless determination of Wei Tianjiao, who would rather shatter like jade than remain intact as mere tile.
Lord Yao possessed a distinct aura of great compassion and saintly benevolence. He regarded the city’s inhabitants as his own children and could not bear to see another infant harmed. To avoid further sacrifice, he endured humiliation and accepted Ling Fengqing’s conditions, bowing to Lingxiao City from that day onward.
His daughter, Yao Huang, left home in fury and joined the Jiuhua Sect, which refused to yield to Lingxiao City. It was through this chain of events that she later met Shu Fu.
After the truth behind the Flower Children Temple spread, Lord Yao learned what had truly happened. He was heartbroken and tormented by regret, but by then, it was too late.
Still, after occupying the position of city lord for so many years, he was not entirely without plans in the face of Lingxiao City’s coercion.
There were indeed some cultivators in Yao City—such as his son and Yao Huang’s elder brother, Yao Jian—who coveted Lingxiao City’s power and were eager to ingratiate themselves with it, acting as its accomplices. But most people, including Lord Yao himself, regarded bowing their heads as nothing more than a temporary expedient. They had never once relaxed their vigilance and had been anxiously waiting for the right moment.
The moment to strike back and drive Lingxiao City from the Central Plains once and for all.
Just like Wei City, Yao City too had to give the dead an explanation and restore to the living a clear and open world in which they could hold their heads high.
“…And besides, this is also my way of repaying the sin of my own weakness and incompetence. I only wonder whether I’ll ever be able to repay it in this lifetime.”
“Yao Huang… she must be terribly disappointed in me.”
Within the Yao City Lord’s residence, the city lord—a middle-aged scholar with a bitter smile—gave orders to the loyal cultivators before him.
“Go. Don’t give them any chance to react. Drive everyone from Lingxiao City out of Yao City. Leave no one behind. I’ve made one mistake already. I cannot make another.”
One cultivator asked cautiously, “What if we run into Senior Brother Yao Jian…?”
Lord Yao let out a heavy sigh, a flash of pain passing through his eyes.
“Tell him he need not come back ever again.”
Thus, Ling Fengqing—and the power he had painstakingly cultivated over so many years—was doomed to suffer total defeat.
Until the very end, he never understood why he had lost.
From the moment he was born, he had stood high above the Phoenix Terrace, looking down from the heavens. All living beings seemed to him as small and mediocre as ants—hardly worth noticing, much less treating as people.
If an ant tried to live like a human being, or attempted to climb the sheer cliff all the way to his feet in the hope of standing on equal ground with him, he would feel an insulted fury. He would have to trample the other party until they were barely recognizable, then shove them into an abyss ten thousand zhang deep and watch them fall to their death.
Take Big Yellow, for instance. He was merely a stupid cat with incomplete intelligence, less clever than a three-year-old child. Yet he was also a descendant of the Five Phoenixes, just like Ling Fengqing. That alone was enough to make Ling Fengqing despise him. Whether Big Yellow was a white-winged orange cat, a black cat with blue wings, or a purple-winged tabby cat, Ling Fengqing would never have let him off.
Then there was Tong Yao. She was only a human cultivator, yet she showed him no respect whatsoever. She had openly challenged him and deliberately embarrassed him, making her even more unbearable in his eyes.
Because he disliked them, he schemed to make Big Yellow shoulder a blood debt, tricked him and Tong Yao into killing each other, and even tried to take Big Yellow—who had been reborn without his memories—under his command. He gave him the name Jin Chuan’er, the name of a servant girl.
The intention behind it was nothing more than humiliation.
It was just like how he had given the stray dog he found by the roadside to his second younger brother as a spirit pet, then suggested naming the dog “Xiyue”—a name that also carried the meaning of “female slave.”
Ling Fengqing had never passed up an opportunity to belittle or humiliate others in order to satisfy his own sense of superiority.
“To treat people as people”—such a simple, self-evident thing—was something Ling Fengqing never learned, even in death.
And so—
When he died, it was only natural that no one treated him as a person either.
…
“Big Brother. Xiyue has been waiting here for you.”
In one corner of Wei City, where the sounds of slaughter shook the heavens, Ling Xiyue released his dog to block the road. He managed to stop Ling Fengqing and his party at an alleyway less than twenty zhang from the city gate.
“Second Brother, you…”
Ling Fengqing pressed one hand against his chest. His lips had turned blue, his single eye bulging so wide it seemed ready to fall from its socket. A line of murky blood mixed with tears crawled down his cheek.
What was going on?
What was going on with this dog of yours?!
How had an ordinary, filthy stray dog I picked up turned into a dark, monstrous beast like some kind of guardian hound from hell?!
You secretly swapped it for another dog, didn’t you?!
“Oh, Big Brother doesn’t know yet?” Ling Xiyue seemed to see the collapse of his inner world and helpfully explained, “Xuan is actually a high-level demonic beast called a Purgatory Essence-Devouring Hound. When young, it looks like a toy fox terrier, but once it reaches adulthood, it regains its true form.”
Ling Fengqing: “…”
I think you’re treating me like an idiot, but I have no proof.
“I’m joking. I was treating Big Brother like an idiot and making up nonsense to amuse you.”
Ling Xiyue spread both hands and admitted it without hesitation. “Xuan is just an ordinary demonic beast. It’s only that he’s been diligently cultivating all these years, and I prepared quite a few demonic cores to nourish him. Once all that accumulated power erupted at once, he naturally became like this. After Big Brother dies, he’ll return to his usual adorable appearance.”
Xuan: “Awooooo!”
Translated into human language, that howl probably meant:
“Don’t think I don’t know that you trust no one except dogs, so you forced a dog to cultivate until he became a dark, monstrous beast. One minute you make me act cute and win people over by delivering love letters, and the next you make me howl like a vicious wolf and send me into battle! I’m only a puppy, but I’ve suffered far too much at such a young age. To hell with you!”
Of course, Xuan was not fighting alone.
Besides him, a group of cultivators in dark-gray cloaks appeared silently in the street alongside Ling Xiyue. Without saying a word, they attacked Ling Fengqing’s guards.
Although Ling Fengqing had Elder Shengyang protecting him, the enemy had overwhelming numbers, and every one of them was highly capable. More than half of his lackeys became separated in the melee. Even Xie Fangnian had vanished without a trace. For a time, Ling Fengqing was completely unable to break through.
“Big Brother, don’t glare at me like that.”
Ling Xiyue was completely unfazed by Ling Fengqing’s venomous stare. With a faint smile, he pursed his lips and raised a hand to gently stroke the dog’s head—of course, “dog’s head” referred to Ling Fengqing’s head.
“You only have one eye left. If you’re not careful and your eyeball rolls out, wouldn’t that be terrible?”
“Demonic… aura…”
Ling Fengqing’s lips moved. Threads of breath leaked from his ruined throat.
“You… are… a demonic cultivator too…”
“Big Brother is so clever. You caught on immediately.”
Ling Xiyue smiled and clapped his hands. “That’s right. It wasn’t easy for me to make a move in Lingxiao City, and I couldn’t trust anyone except dogs, so I had no choice but to find demonic cultivators to help me. Guess where I found them?”
How the hell would I know?!
Ling Fengqing really wanted to spit in his face, but at that moment he was barely clinging to life. None of his limbs had the strength to move, and he could not even muster enough force to spit up blood.
At the same time, for some unknown reason, his heart suddenly sank. A terrifying sensation that made his hair stand on end arose from the depths of his being.
“Wait… could it be… you… He…”
“Figured it out? That’s right. He Xiuwen. More precisely, I secretly struck another deal with the black-market killers under his command, without his knowledge.”
Ling Xiyue answered readily. The more he spoke, the more suspicious Ling Fengqing became. He rasped, “You… what did you offer…”
“‘What did I offer?’ Oh, you’re asking what conditions I, a second young master in name only with no actual status, gave the killers to make them obey me?”
Ling Xiyue helpfully translated his broken question, then curved the corners of his eyes and gently beckoned with one hand.
At once, a demonic cultivator understood and leapt out of the melee. Without the slightest mercy, he hoisted Ling Fengqing into the air. The force in his hands twisted tendons and dislocated bones, nearly crushing Ling Fengqing’s shoulder blades.
The demonic cultivator gave a harsh, hoarse cackle in his duck-like voice. “Second Young Master, may I begin? You promised that as long as we helped you eliminate him, we could strip the yuan-chu blood from his body and use it to refine pills.”
Ling Fengqing: “…………!!!!!!!”
“You may.”
Ling Xiyue waved his hand indifferently, as though discussing a chicken waiting to be slaughtered. “In any case, there’s no way that blood can be exchanged for anything from me. Do as you please.”
“Ling Xiyue… you…!!!”
“Big Brother, I told you, there’s no need to glare at me. If you want to glare, I have mirrors here, as well as portraits of you from your younger days. You may glare to your heart’s content.”
Ling Xiyue glanced back at him and smiled with gentle amiability. “Good boy. Use your head and think carefully. Do you still not understand who was responsible for bringing you to this state?”
“You… I…”
How could Ling Fengqing possibly not understand by now?
Back then, jealous of Ling Xiyue’s precocious intelligence, he had taken advantage of the boy’s youth and innocence, tricked him into being kidnapped, and sold him into the demonic cultivators’ black market run by He Xiuwen.
Now fate had come full circle. The brothers’ positions had been reversed, and the middlemen were still He Xiuwen’s subordinates. The only difference was that this time, he was the one being sold.
“You… don’t… dare…”
Ling Fengqing was proud and arrogant by nature. How could he endure such humiliation? In that instant, he resolved to stake everything on one final struggle.
Although his injuries were severe enough to leave him on the verge of death, and the Golden Core within him had sustained considerable damage, it had not yet shattered completely. If he threw caution to the wind and used the destruction of his Golden Core as the price, he might still be able to fight for a slim chance at survival.
A shattered Golden Core could be rebuilt. But if he lost his bloodline, it would be the equivalent of having his foundation ripped out from beneath him—like a crown prince in an ancient dynasty being rendered incapable of performing his marital duties.
No matter what, he could not lose that bloodline!
With this thought, Ling Fengqing did not hesitate any longer. He immediately poured the last shred of strength in his entire body into his dantian.
In the cultivation world, there was a technique commonly known as “self-detonating one’s Golden Core.” What Ling Fengqing was doing was similar, and it was also one of Lingxiao City’s secret arts. He was not using his Golden Core like a grenade. Instead, he was using it as fuel, channeling the immense energy produced by its shattering into every meridian in his body to temporarily reconstruct his physical form and cling to that final breath of life.
Simply put, it was a manually induced last burst of vitality—a three-second miracle of masculinity.
Though it sounded rather useless, during those “three seconds,” even if his hands and legs were broken, he could move about as if nothing had happened, creating a genuine medical miracle.
Even Ling Xiyue, with all his deep schemes, could not help frowning slightly at the sight. “Big Brother, I suppose I underestimated you.”
Starting over from scratch after destroying one’s cultivation took, at the very least, a certain amount of courage and resolve.
“…Get out of my way! Once I return to Lingxiao City, I’ll report this matter to Father. Let’s see how long you can keep gloating!”
The medical miracle was indeed astonishing. The spiritual power released when his Golden Core shattered repaired his throat, restoring Ling Fengqing’s ability to roar.
The answer to that roar did not come from Ling Xiyue, but from a flash of dazzling sword light.
Shu Fu had arrived.
“Don’t get in my way. Move!”
She had fought her way through the ranks of the demonic cultivators. Her robes were already drenched in blood from head to toe, and vivid crimson streaks stained both her cheeks and the corners of her lips. It looked as though she had applied a layer of brightly colored rouge—or as though she were an evil spirit from hell, choosing her prey before devouring it.
The blood-soaked evil spirit had barely touched down before she swung an elbow, knocking Ling Xiyue, who was blocking her path, to the side.
Ling Xiyue lost his footing and was sent flying several yards by the blow. He plunged headfirst into the Pomeranian’s fluffy black fur, fortunately avoiding the tragedy of landing face-first, though he inevitably ended up with a mouthful of hair.
Ling Xiyue spat out the dog fur, nearly unable to catch his breath. “Miss Jiang???”
“You second young master are pretty awful. You stole my kill. Consider yourself officially criticized.”
Shu Fu had arrived late but overtaken him at the finish line, snatching the prize right out from under his nose. She did not feel the slightest bit embarrassed. Instead, she pointed at him and reprimanded him with complete justification, displaying the full hooligan spirit of Yaoguang Peak.
She then turned to Ling Fengqing. “Young Master Ling, before I take your head—actually, never mind, I won’t insult dogs today—before I take your chicken head, I have one question to ask you.”
“The Flower Children Temple in Yao City was destroyed, but the vengeful ghost inside did not disappear. It is still wandering the world. Where have you hidden that vengeful ghost?”
“Hmph. Do you think I’ll obediently tell you?”
Ling Fengqing was currently in his “three-second miracle of masculinity” state. If one had to sum it up in a single sentence, it would be this: he thought he was invincible again.
He could tell that Shu Fu genuinely wanted to help the Flower Children’s soul pass on to the next life. That meant she needed something from him, which gave him every opportunity to bargain.
Since that was the case, he naturally had to make good use of the opportunity. First, he would trick her into letting him leave Wei City. Then he could make his plans at leisure.
If he could coordinate with his subordinates stationed in Yao City and lure her into a trap, killing her in one stroke, that would be even better.
The Flower Children?
Such a convenient and useful puppet—there was no way he would hand it over to her.
Besides, he had already made all the necessary arrangements. As long as he could leave Wei City safely, he would notify his subordinates to activate the formation and drag everyone into the bottomless resentment of the vengeful ghost.
The method consumed an enormous amount of energy. Since Wei City had been so foolish as to offend him, he could hardly be blamed for resorting to extraordinary measures.
Thus, Ling Fengqing deliberately cleared his throat, straightened his back, and put on a calm, confident air, as though everything were already under his control.
“Of course, if you beg me to tell you, it’s not impossible. However, you must promise to spare my life and escort me safely out of—”
Shu Fu said, “Oh, I don’t agree. If you won’t tell me, then forget it.”
Then her sword flashed.
Ling Fengqing watched helplessly as the Guguang Sword in Shu Fu’s hand swept through the air like a startled swan. In the blink of an eye, it passed across his neck and made a light, graceful circle around his slender throat, as though performing a spinning dance.
A breath later, his field of vision tilted.
“…Huh?”
In his upside-down view, he first saw his own chest, then his waist and abdomen. Next came the ancestral jade pendant hanging at his waist, followed by his legs, clad in expensive leather boots.
Those feet had trampled countless desperate, helpless people. Even he himself could no longer remember how many had crawled at his feet, weeping and begging for mercy.
In the end, what came rolling to rest beside those feet was his own head.
—He had reached the same destination as the “ants” he had never once thought worthy of his notice.
Now, Young Master Ling was finally on the same level as those he had trampled beneath him, able to experience their feelings firsthand.
The consolation was that he still had a very, very long time—so long it was nearly eternal—to savor that feeling in hell.
“Stop saying ‘huh.’”
Shu Fu slid her sword back into its sheath, then gave the bewildered head on the ground the middle finger.
“You’re already dead.”
