How Could the Righteous Path Be This Shameless?
The moment Ling Fengqing’s head hit the ground, Ling Xiyue experienced a brief spell of dazed disbelief.
He had only just pulled his face out of the dog’s fur and had not yet caught his breath. Two fine black hairs clung to his lips—Xuan had been tormented so badly these past few days that he was shedding like mad.
In that brief instant, Shu Fu’s sword flashed down. The upward curve at the corners of Ling Fengqing’s mouth had not even had time to fade when his head was sent flying high into the air like a bridal ball tossed at a marriage ceremony. With a thoroughly undignified thump, it rolled to a stop right beside Ling Xiyue’s feet.
The dead man’s eyes remained wide open, one of them staring blankly and incredulously straight into Ling Xiyue’s. Brothers and sworn enemies faced each other across the gulf between life and death, each speechless.
“…”
At that moment, Ling Xiyue felt neither the satisfaction of revenge nor the relief of finally being free. He could not even say that he was experiencing mixed emotions.
He had only one thought—
That’s it?
That’s it?!
His elder brother, the mountain that had loomed over him since childhood, the shadow that had left him terrified, suffocating, and tossing sleeplessly in bed—had it really vanished just like that?
That easily?
He felt as though he were standing amid a mirage, one foot sunk into endless mist, without the slightest sense of reality.
And yet, at the same time, he could truly feel something that had accumulated in his heart over the years, seeped thread by thread into every crack between his bones—something black, rotten, murky, sticky, and foul. With Shu Fu’s clean, decisive stroke, it evaporated on the spot into a wispy strand of smoke, drifting aimlessly away to who knew where.
But reality left him no time for reflection. The demon cultivators and the guards of Lingxiao City had originally been locked in a bloody battle. When they saw Ling Fengqing become a dead chicken in the blink of an eye, they were first struck dumb with shock, then flew into a rage and immediately prepared to make trouble.
One side howled in grief and fury, “Young Master!!! You arrogant brat! I’ll fight you to the death!!!!”
The other shouted in exasperation, “Second Young Master, how do you intend to clean up this mess? Look at him! He’s been cut in two! How are we supposed to extract the yuan-chu blood now?”
“…”
Ling Xiyue let out a brief sigh, pulled himself together, and turned to discuss “splitting up” with the demon cultivators.
“How about I take his head back while you do whatever you like with the body? You demon cultivators have plenty of methods. You could steam him, pickle him, or, failing that, squeeze him. Maybe you can still wring out a drop or two.”
The suggestion was so vicious that even Shu Fu, who had just chopped off a head, choked slightly. She said nothing and shot him a sideways glance.
It seemed Ling Xiyue’s twisted nature had not completely changed. He had merely gone from being a yandere to a masochist where romance was concerned.
The demon cultivators still tried to bargain. “Second Young Master, we defied the Demon Lord’s orders to take this job from you. We’ve taken an enormous risk…”
Ling Xiyue knew exactly what they were after. They merely wanted to use the opportunity to line their pockets and make a fortune on top of their regular wages. But they had their own leverage in his hands. He could play along for now, then find an opportunity to wipe them all out later. What difficulty would that pose?
However, someone was unwilling to give him the chance to play along.
Before Ling Xiyue could speak, a distant, expansive qin melody suddenly rang out. Like lofty mountains and flowing water, like wind stirring through a vast forest, layer upon layer of sound swept toward him from afar. In a single instant, it wrapped around his soul and drowned his spiritual platform like a rising tide.
“Fuer, come behind me.”
Jiang Xuesheng arrived one step behind Shu Fu, his timing perfect. She had been allowed to settle her personal grudge with her own hands, yet he had also arrived in time to protect her from being surrounded by both sides.
In fact, the instant Elder Shengyang saw Jiang Xuesheng appear, he reluctantly regained his composure. Grinding his teeth, he said, “Jiang Tan, do you really think this matter can end peacefully? The Young Master has died a horrible death. The sect master will certainly be furious. Your Jiuhua Sect won’t escape…”
“Why not?”
Jiang Xuesheng held his qin in his arms, his long brows lifting slightly. His smile was clear and gentle, like moonlight spilling over the earth.
“I guarantee that Ling Fengqing will have died for nothing, and Jiuhua Sect will not lose so much as a single hair because of it. Elder Huayue, what do you think?”
As for his final two sentences, he turned his head toward another person behind him.
“In your opinion, how did Young Master Ling die?”
“How did he die? Do you really need to ask?”
That person was pale and thin, with the sickly, drowsy look of someone perpetually exhausted. He slouched listlessly in a wheelchair, one bony hand propping up his cheek, and replied with utter indifference:
“Young Master Ling colluded with demon cultivators to attack Wei City. Unfortunately, the demon cultivators harbored ulterior motives and coveted the yuan-chu bloodline. When they saw that the battle was turning against them, they turned on Young Master Ling and killed him. The evidence is conclusive—I, Xie Fangnian, witnessed it with my own eyes. I was held back by the demon cultivators and could not reach him in time. For failing to keep watch over him, I will naturally report to the sect master and accept my punishment.”
Elder Shengyang: “????”
The demon cultivators: “!!!!”
Shu Fu: …There’s really a maneuver like this?!
As the saying went, old ginger was the hottest—and apparently old crab was the fattest, too. This time, she had truly seen it all.
Xie Fangnian had no prior connection with the Brightmoon Peak. Yet he had fabricated this entire story out of thin air. Combined with his earlier suggestion that Ling Fengqing be allowed to live one more day, as well as his repeated warnings for Shu Fu to beware of Ling Shanhai, it was obvious that he had long intended to help her avoid disaster.
Shu Fu did not understand his reasons. She secretly glanced at Jiang Xuesheng, only to see him subtly shake his head without changing expression. His voice sounded in her mind through their spiritual connection:
[This was something Xie Fangnian proposed of his own accord. After weighing the situation, I decided it would benefit you without harming you, so I agreed for the time being. If he has ulterior motives, I will deal with him myself.]
Although Jiuhua Sect had no cultivator at the Mahayana stage, Master Qiu, Ming Xiao, and Jiang Xuesheng stood guard over it. Even Ling Shanhai could not easily shake the sect unless he was determined to drag everyone down with him.
In other words, even if Xie Fangnian had not spoken up, Jiang Xuesheng was confident he could ensure Shu Fu’s safe retreat. She would merely have had to hide for a while.
But when someone handed you a pillow while you were sleepy, there was no reason to refuse it.
“Fuer, what do you think?”
“Well…”
Shu Fu raised one finger and lightly tapped it against her chin. Her pose held a hint of a charming young girl’s coyness, but paired with the blood covering her face, it only made her look eerie.
“I take responsibility for my own actions. And if I can’t handle the consequences, I have Mister to face them with me. There’s no need to find someone else to take the blame…”
The demon cultivators all breathed a sigh of relief. But before the hearts in their throats could sink back into place, Shu Fu continued:
“Still, I do love watching dogs turn on each other. If this story works, I’ll be more than happy to go along with it.”
The demon cultivators: “…”
—What a miscalculation! Who would have thought these so-called righteous cultivators would be even better at framing and shifting blame than we are?!
—You people aren’t righteous cultivators at all, are you?!
Elder Shengyang was so furious that he nearly transformed into a flaming sweet potato on the spot.
“Huayue, you—you actually joined forces with Jiuhua Sect to scheme against the Young Master! You’ve betrayed the sect and shamelessly turned against your own people! You’ve completely failed the trust the sect master placed in you!”
“‘Failed the trust’? Hearing those words from Elder Shengyang is truly surprising.”
Jiang Xuesheng cut in, “Sect Master Ling is in the prime of his life and should have no trouble living another thousand years. Elder, aren’t you a little too eager to follow the Young Master Ling? It almost sounds as though you’re hoping he’ll die soon.”
Elder Shengyang’s throat tightened. “You…”
Xie Fangnian was even less tactful. “I’ve always thought highly of Sect Master Ling, but he went and fathered Ling Fengqing, that revolting excuse for a human being. It was a profound disappointment. Out of consideration for our past friendship, I couldn’t bring myself to blame him, so I helped him put the thing back where it belonged.”
Elder Shengyang: “…”
Were all their mouths blessed by some evil god? How could they be so vicious?
He decided to change the subject rather than engage in any more pointless verbal sparring and humiliate himself further. “Don’t think you’ve won. No matter what, I, Shengyang, will never sink to your level…”
Jiang Xuesheng said mildly, “You are ‘that level’ itself. Don’t worry—I’ll never let you contaminate even a speck of me.”
Elder Shengyang: “…………”
No, seriously, could you not speak without insulting people? Could you grow another mouth for discussing matters peacefully?
“Master Tanhua.”
This time, Xie Fangnian also seemed mildly displeased. He lowered his eyes, then raised them a fraction. “That was exactly what I wanted to say. You’re too quick.”
Shu Fu tried translating this in her head. It came out roughly as: “Move over, I want to insult him first,” or “Delete that and let me post.” It was childish and petulant, and he sounded very much like a squabbling grade-schooler.
Elder Shengyang desperately tried to steer the conversation back on track. “Don’t get carried away. I will expose you all…”
Jiang Xuesheng nodded amiably. “Is that so? How worrisome. We’d better kill you quickly, then.”
Elder Shengyang: “?”
The final line of his life was that baffled, rather foolish question mark.
…
In the end, some of the guards Ling Fengqing had carefully selected were separated from the group, some had always been loyal to Xie Fangnian, and the rest accompanied him to total annihilation, becoming his companions on the road to the underworld. They died together in neat, orderly rows.
The demon cultivators had originally intended to put up a desperate resistance, but after paying the price of several lives, they had no choice but to agree—humiliatingly—to give false testimony and take the blame for this chicken-killing bloodbath, even though that was exactly what they had wanted to do.
Ling Xiyue took the opportunity to give them a slap and then a date, signing a long-term cooperation agreement with them and preparing to continue raising this group of hired thugs.
—Were they being treated as tools? The kind you tossed away after using?
Of course, he kept that thought off his face.
As for how to ensure that these tools wouldn’t turn against them or let the secret slip, that was something Xie Fangnian and Ling Xiyue would have to worry about.
Shu Fu wanted to ask Xie Fangnian what he was planning, but the soul of the flower boy from Yao City was still missing and time was pressing. She went straight to the point.
“Elder Xie, do you know where the ghost from Yao City is?”
Xie Fangnian replied succinctly, “Ling Fengqing set up a grand formation in Yao City, intending to use the resentful energy of the ghost as its source and create an illusion covering both Yao City and Wei City. However, the illusion does not distinguish friend from foe, so it had to be activated by a messenger after Ling Fengqing left Wei City.”
“Now that he has died in Wei City, he can’t send the message. Presumably, there’s no need to worry—”
Before he could finish speaking—
A strange, uncanny sensation suddenly flickered through the smoothly flowing air.
It was as though the sunlight had abruptly dimmed, the wind had stopped dead, and the riot of color before them had instantly turned black and white.
The scenery clearly hadn’t changed at all, yet for some reason they suddenly felt as though they had fallen into another realm. A chill seeped up through the soles of their feet, while a needle-like prickling sensation crawled across their skin.
“…Sigh.”
Xie Fangnian pressed one hand to his temple and shook his head, looking somewhat exhausted. “I forgot. Ling Fengqing’s subordinates are just as useless as he was. We can’t judge them by ordinary standards. If Lord Yao took advantage of the situation to counterattack, they might activate the formation without regard for anything else, simply to save themselves.”
“Master Tanhua.”
He turned to Jiang Xuesheng. “Although this was not my intention, the formation cannot be broken by my strength alone. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you all to make the journey. As for everything else, we can discuss it later.”
“…”
Jiang Xuesheng gave him a long, penetrating look, as though he wanted to pierce through that unruffled exterior, pull out his heart, liver, spleen, and lungs, hang them right before his eyes, and examine them carefully.
In the end, however, he only replied with a single word.
“Fine.”
Then he naturally stepped forward and took one of Shu Fu’s hands. “Fuer, let’s go. The illusion is unpredictable and dangerous. You must not leave my side.”
Shu Fu was not coy about it. She curled her fingers around the back of his hand and replied openly, “All right.”
Ling Xiyue silently swallowed a lemon. Seeing the two of them preparing to leave, he couldn’t help calling out to Shu Fu.
“Miss Jiang! If, after you left the Jiang family, I had been the first person you met, and you had come back with me to Lingxiao City, would you have…”
Shu Fu cut him off. “First, there is no ‘if.’ Second, even if there were, the answer would still be no. Third, ‘no’ means I would not go to Lingxiao City, and I would not become your little sweetheart who healed your wounded heart.”
Without waiting for Ling Xiyue to respond, she continued rapidly, “Young Master Ling, you’re not my type. That’s not something you can force. Besides, I actually don’t think you like me.”
Ling Xiyue was baffled. “If it isn’t me, then who else could it be?”
Shu Fu: “Er…”
How was she supposed to know? After all, he had fallen in love with her at first sight only after taking a blow from the socialist iron fist. Perhaps, deep down, what he really loved was socialism.
Naturally, she did not say that aloud. She merely waved over her shoulder without turning around. “Regardless, today is a good day for you, so I won’t ruin the mood. Lingxiao City can’t do without you right now. As for the things you’ve done… I think you know perfectly well what you ought to do.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Ling Xiyue gave a bitter smile. “The Eighteen Levels of Hell await me and my elder brother. We’ll meet again there sooner or later. Until then, let me struggle on in the human world a little longer.”
…
Ling Xiyue watched Shu Fu and Jiang Xuesheng’s backs disappear into the distance, standing alone where he was. For a moment, he felt strangely lost.
To the east, Xiao Tieyi and Ye Shusheng were fighting side by side, killing enemies. Like Shu Fu, they were stained with blood, their clothes dyed a dazzling, passionate red. With one careless glance, they almost looked as though they were wearing unusually distinctive wedding clothes.
To the west, Shi Xiaolou, Ji Shaoguang, and the others from the Tianyan Sect had already set up a formation to resist the illusion. One disciple after another pulled people inside. Zhao Yun was not very sensitive to illusions and was deeply displeased, shouting that she still wanted to go out and “throw hands.” Ji Shaoguang had no choice but to coax and cajole her into leaving.
Ling Xiyue: “…”
The liveliness belonged to everyone else. All I had beside me was one dog and a suspiciously aloof master of sarcasm watching the show.
After being single for too long, one returns to simplicity. The mountains are still mountains, the dogs are still dogs—and sure enough, this dog was still easy on the eyes.
Ling Xiyue: “Xuan, I’ve suddenly realized that you really are very cute…”
Xuan: “A-Yue, get lost.”
