Chapter 23
The night wind screamed, it was still in the midst of the mountain forest, thick and massive clouds accumulated in the sky, it covered the stars and the moon, and a thunderstorm rose up. It was precisely an austere time between heaven and earth.
With every step, Mo Qing stepped forward that created a gale that became stronger like a burst of oppressive force. As he approached nearer and nearer, I could feel Jiang Wu’s hand clutching my wrist more and more rigidly.
Mo Qing was exerting pressure on him.
Although like this, the arrogant smile on the corner of Jiang Wu’s mouth still did not diminish at all. He narrowed his eyes to look at Mo Qing up and down, and then his eyes fell on the sword at Mo Qing’s waist.
I only saw that long sword compared to him and the Wan Jun Sword at his waist was about the same length. Yet the hilt of that sword was coarse and the body of the sword was like a bolt of lightning. It was accompanied by the sounds of “crackling” echoes and gave off a constant glow.
“Oh, Liu He Tian Yi Sword. That lightning bolt just now was the formidable power of this sword.” Jiang Wu laughed, “So yesterday, Li Sect Leader actually went out in search of this sword.”
It was genuinely an extremely ostentatious sword that dazzled the eyes. My eyes lit up and my heart told itself that it certainly was not wrong at all. This sword was extremely suitable to my taste!
And within such a short period of time, Mo Qing had unexpectedly brought this sword back from overseas!
I lost my soul and advanced forward with the desire to hold that sword in my hand. Good swords could only be discovered by chance and not sought after! But I was swiftly and rigidly dragged back by Jiang Wu. I was a little unhappy and scowled, but an even more unhappy voice could be heard from over there: “Let go.”
Mo Qing ordered.
Jiang Wu sneered: “So what if I don’t let go?”
“I’m not negotiating with you.”
Mo Qing went forward with a single step and the pressure in the air suddenly increased. What came next was a sharp blade that condensed together from the pressure. It tore directly through the air and went straight towards Jiang Wu’s neck. Jiang Wu tilted his head to dodge and avoid the first shot. But the second blade that came after sliced his cheek creating a deep wound. Fresh blood dripped down and made his complexion a little unsightly.
But over there, it looked like Mo Qing was silently enduring a raging fury that rose to the heavens and a dense dark mass that was burning alongside his body.
I saw these two people single-mindedly faced each other fiercely. I gathered up my power and seized the opportunity to utilize the Instant Shadow Technique once. In a blink of an eye, I landed behind Mo Qing but then this body of Zhi Yan came under that pressure that the legs were already weakened to fall directly onto the butt and sat down on the ground.
I raised my head to look up, I saw Mo Qing’s back was directly in front of me and my heart immediately became calm. Then I looked across the distance, I saw Jiang Wu’s gloomy eyes staring at me. The corners of his mouth curled up with a domineering and sinister smile while fuming with rage between his gritted teeth: “Little Beauty, didn’t you say that you admired me? Why are you running now?”
‘Ai yo! You want my ghostly life!’
Right now, Mo Qing was indeed an individual that possessed a wildly jealous nature, you saying these words would make him misunderstand me more! Although I had said this before but at the moment, even if I was beaten to death, I would not admit it!
My mind went around in a circle, I thought about how I would explain this in a relatively reasonable way when I heard Jiang Wu’s smothered groan. He quickly unsheathed the sword at his waist and suddenly used it for support against the ground. He was unexpectedly pressured to bend down on his knees by the imposing energy around Mo Qing’s body.
Step by step, Mo Qing approached him. Every step taken was like adding ten million catties onto his body. It caused Jiang Wu to struggle and clench his teeth while his blue veins protruded. His knees could not withstand it and slowly knelt onto the ground, too.
* catties – ancient Chinese unit of measurement, equal to 0.5kg – 0.6kg
“Xin Mountain Jiang Wu, you just ventured from your thatched hut for the first time but you have an arrogant disposition, and created a rift between the two paths of celestial and demonic sects.” As Mo Qing coldly spoke, he walked closer to Jiang Wu. A huge pressure forced Jiang Wu to kneel down in defeat, “Your tranquility in these few years, who did you think allowed it?”
It was a phrase that I used to say before. If it was not possible to make someone be sincerely convinced, then that person’s all five body components must be indoctrinated.
‘Just let him kneel and talk.’
Mo Qing governed the sect and did not learn my other skills but on this point, he learned it quite well.
As far as Jiang Wu was concerned, Mo Qing’s power was absolutely stifling. From start to finish, he did not move a single finger.
I thought Jiang Wu’s strength was at least equal to or even higher than North Mountain Lord’s dimension. Yet unexpectedly, Mo Qing could completely dominate him with such superiority.
In these past years, the Demon King’s son who broke the seals, in the end, what form had he changed into…
Perhaps I should re-examine Mo Qing again.
Jiang Wu bowed his head and kneeled in humiliation but his mouth remained firm. He laughed coldly and said: “Heh, the Demon King’s son…” He said with difficulty and finally spewed out a mouthful of blood, “It’s just that he depended on the power of Wan Jun Sword to oppress others, that’s all.”
“Correct.” Mo Qing confronted Jiang Wu’s contempt and provocation. He returned it with a thousand-fold of disdain, “Precisely just to oppress you.” Finally, he raised his hand, separated the crown of Jiang Wu’s head from a distance, and coldly said, “If you have the ability, then try to stand up.”
When his voice dropped, his five fingers opened slightly, and only heard a muffled “boom” as it burst forth into the sky. Among Jiang Wu’s head full of short hair, blood rushed and flowed out and made several bloody trails, as if his skull had been crushed by the living.
Fresh blood meandered down his face. His body slumped onto the ground and the insolent smile was fixed onto the corner of his mouth.
He actually…
Died?
I open my eyes wide to gaze at Mo Qing. In my heart, I only thought that the present Mo Qing actually handled matters even more brutally decisive than my old self.
In the past, if I met a talented young person who practiced the demonic cultivation, I would want to recruit that person! Even if his temperament was difficult to tame, I would certainly still capture him back to Chen Ji Mountain for several months. If he was truly not tamable, then he would be killed. But if by any chance he was tamed, then he would be a great assistant general!
I looked at Jiang Wu lying on the ground and thought it was such a pity… So wasted.
But at this moment, a gust of wind blew past Jiang Wu’s corpse on the ground. His flesh and bones quickly turned into a fine powder and drifted away in the breeze. When the wind swept away the last traces of dust, Jiang Wu’s voice suddenly rang in the air, like he was next to the ears but also like he was very far away. He still laughed impudently:
“Li Sect Leader, our first time fighting, I learned a lot.” He said, “We will meet again someday.”
As the wind blew the dust away, a drop of rain in the sky fell on the tip of my nose. It was like Jiang Wu’s voice borrowed this drop of water to get inside my head. He said: “And you, Little Beauty, wait for me to come back and find you.”
I was startled and came back to myself. I turned my head around and around to look in all four directions. I only saw a torrential downpour of rain that suddenly slammed into the earth. As for Jiang Wu, traces of him had already disappeared completely.
“It’s unexpectedly the Marionette Technique!” I suddenly realized it and immediately bit my teeth. Hmph, it was true that I was not as good as before. From the beginning, I surprisingly did not see through his Marionette Technique right away. I was deceived by a puppet pretending to be a living person for so long and I just now managed to react!
Then so to speak, Jiang Wu’s real body surprisingly had never even appeared before! He surely hid his true body somewhere. Therefore, he dared to act in such a brazen manner because even if he died, it did not matter!
“This Jiang Wu is truly a cunning character.” I muttered this remark but did not receive anybody’s response. At this moment, I raised my head and across the canopy of rain, I saw Mo Qing staring straight at me.
Compared to the day he left, his eyes were now dampened by the raindrops, so it looked a little cold.
He just gazed at me like this and did not say anything, but it looked like he had many questions to ask. For a while, I was unexpectedly a little at my wit’s end with the emotion he expressed in his eyes, he gazed at me with indifference mixed with a little sadness and mistreatment.
It looks like I did something wrong and it had hurt him.
Although from the beginning, I really had considered using evil intentions to harm him but I did not want to hurt his heart. I just wanted to harm his body!
My mind was spinning at lightning speed, what excuse could I gather to explain to him, why Jiang Wu spoke so vaguely to me just now.
But that big bastard that I had just mentioned was just fought off. So I took the initiative to explain to him that between me and that big bastard, there had never been any sort of affection. But this sounded more like that there was once something resembling to it!
“You really admired him?” Finally, Mo Qing opened his mouth to ask this question.
I followed these words of his and hurriedly got up to explain: “I only said that he dared to oppose you, Master. I respected him as a fellow man! How can I admire him! He talked nonsense!”
I saw that Mo Qing listened to my words but standing under the canopy of rain, his expression was difficult to decipher as he stared at me. I knew that he was jealous again. Moreover, his jealousy became even slightly more ferocious. I immediately covered my wrist and shouted: “It hurts so much.”
As I yelled and flashed a glance at him, I saw the light in Mo Qing’s eyes flickered and his footsteps slightly moved. Once again, I drew in two cooling “hissing” breaths, “It hurts. It hurts.”
The raindrops fell on my wrist as his warm palm held it. He opened his mouth, half sighed and half inquired: “Where does it hurt?”
I did not explain it. I rushed straight into his arms and hugged him: “Master! My heart hurts. I almost thought that I was going to be taken away. I won’t be able to see you anymore.”
I bestowed upon him a tight embrace. Mo Qing’s hand came to rest gently at my side. He appeared to have distractedly lost his soul.
I rubbed and rubbed my cheek against his chest, “That Jiang Wu, he captured me, imprisoned me, made me drink alcohol, and also wanted to seize the opportunity to take advantage of me! He is a really wretched bastard! Master, the next time you see him, you must help me beat him to death!”
In short, it was the right choice to push this whole matter onto Jiang Wu. Anyways, he had no way to refute it. Later if he and Mo Qing truly met again, it still would be impossible for them to sit down for a drink, have a heart-to-heart chat, and talk about what happened in the past, right?
I pretended to bawl and whimper for a spell and did not see Mo Qing patting my back in comfort. I only heard him respond with a reply: “Okay.”
I took a step back slightly and wanted to look at Mo Qing’s facial expression, but I saw him turned his face away and immediately tugged at my hand: “Let’s first return to Chen Ji Mountain.” When his voice ended, he instantly traveled away. But in that brief moment of travel, I seemed to have vaguely seen the base of his ear displayed a little bit of redness when he turned his head away from me.
By the time when the instant travel came to an end, I stood firmly on my feet at Wu E Hall. I raised my head to look; Mo Qing’s expression was still as indifferent as before. Where did I see that little bit of blushing?
Forget it, who cares that a moment ago he was embarrassed or not. Anyhow, Jiang Wu’s ambiguity was considered resolved this time. I managed to stabilize Mo Qing’s moodiness. I felt I was very successful: “Master.” I sweetly called out to him. I was about to tell him to get the sword at his waist, but then I saw the color of the horizon brightened and Zhi Yan’s soul swiftly returned. I was knocked out of her body.
Zhi Yan raised her head to see Mo Qing. She promptly became stupid and immediately turned into a wooden person.
The light in Mo Qing’s eyes stared at her indifferently.
I hurriedly gestured to Zhi Yan: “Hurry, I, uh, fall into his chest, act coquettishly towards him, and show him obedience. Make him give you the sword!” But when Zhi Yan heard my words, she only stiffened up and dragged out a smile: “Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma…” She trembled and stuttered repeatedly. Finally, she gave up and said, “Excuse me for my impropriety… I feel a little tired. It seems like I need to rest for a bit… “
‘Ah…’
Mo Qing withdrew back a step and recollected the light in his eyes: “Then return to your room.”
It appeared that Zhi Yan had not managed to recover where this place was yet. So like a headless fly, she turned around in a circle, eventually found the direction, and went into Zhuo Chen Hall. She walked in that direction to return to her room and I was not worried at all. But on this side with Mo Qing, Gu Han Guang found his way here.
Gu Han Guang glanced at Zhi Yan’s back and immediately murmured a remark: “Oh, it’s actually true that she was in Jiang City on Liu Street?”
When I heard these words, I immediately felt a little awkward.
Mo Qing asked him: “Who brought the news to you?”
“Lu Zhao Yao.” Gu Han Guang smiled and said, “She entrusted me with the dream.”
When Mo Qing heard what was said, his complexion was indeed once again changed for the worse.
Yet Gu Han Guang still continued to say, “I heard Qin Qian Xian said that the reason he went there, too, was because an old friend entrusted him with the dream. It was probably Lu Zhao Yao, too.” Gu Han Guang laughed, “She still is indeed an undispersed soul.”
I looked up and down at Mo Qing’s complexion. I watched it intently; his coloring had become even more severe. He knew that Lu Zhao Yao was still operating at his side, and she still was able to mobilize his South Mountain Lord and Qin Qian Xian. He must surely felt that his own position was threatened!
This loathsome youngster, Gu Han Guang! I gave you a job but you did not do it well and you still in return brought trouble to me!
Mo Qing was aware that Zhi Yan and I have such a good relationship, he would be on guard with Zhi Yan! He probably would not give Liu He Tian Yi Sword to me anymore!
Apparently, the next thing to do was to show loyalty towards Mo Qing. This type of matter should not be drag out, even if I made Zhi Yan go do it, it had to be done quickly. The more suspicious he was, the more doubtful he would be, and then the more difficult it would be to dispel the apprehensions in his heart.
I floated back to the room to find Zhi Yan and talked to her. She was a little baffled and used the emotions in her eyes to ask me: “So, how can I show a semblance of more loyalty?”
“North Mountain Lord’s matter, you can tell Mo Qing and also some details about my current situation, you can explain to him the appropriate details. Provide some intelligence for him. Let him think that you are on his side.”
Zhi Yan nodded and gathered up enough courage to go, but only a moment later, she was sent back. She looked at me: “He’s busy. He said to come back in the evening.”
In the evening… Then did that not mean that it was still me!
If it was not for this substitute body of Zhi Yan’s, then I thoroughly thought that Mo Qing was deliberately targeting me!
