Chapter 153 - System vs. System (III)

…… His shoulders shook, but he held firm and didn’t move.

His eyes narrowed as he took in his surroundings without a word.

In this world, I am wearing a plain white loincloth, a necklace of serpent’s teeth strung with a black cord, holding the lotus hand seal, and sitting under a waterfall meditating, my white shirt wet with water, clinging to my skin.

The surrounding grass is still covered with unmelted snow and the new willows are only tender yellow.

The waterfall has just thawed, and there is still a thin layer of ice falling on the shoulders and hair.

Chi Xiaochi’s first impressions of this new body were: headstrong.

The original owner’s body is really iron, probably used to this level of impact, did not feel the pain, but in the breathing and exhaling, the spiritual platform is clearer, and does not feel breathless.

A white deer drinks at the edge of the stream, looks up at him for a moment, and then leaps into the forest without a trace.

A suit of watery blue and plain clothing sits at the edge of the pond, with the bodice, sash and hairband neatly arranged, and a valuable green jade pendant pressed to the top.

In this situation, Chi Xiaochi already had a few things in mind, recalling in his mind the Wen textbook Wen Wen units he had studied in primary and secondary school.

Chi Xiaochi glanced at the monitor in front of him as he recited the words “The late emperor was demised before he was halfway through his career”.

At first glance, he felt something strange.

At second glance, he thought he was hallucinating.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

After the third look was confirmed, he thought Lord GOD was determined to screw him, not even the face of the base model.

The blue bar of remorse value shows a value, no more, no less, of 100% inflation, a full 200.

Chi Xiaochi said, “Teacher Six, look, your boss is shameless.”

Because of the ring issue, 061 and Chi Xiaochi had a cold war for a few days.

The so-called “micro-chill” means that the books are read, the fruit is cut, and the chatter continues, but there is little initiative to speak.

…… can say that the tantrums are also very mild.

He gave a “hmm” to calm Chi Xiaochi down, then went to look at the world line and read it for a moment and was surprised.

He said, “Xiaochi, look at the world line.”

With no one around, it was a good time to read the world line, and Chi Xiaochi was not slow to take advantage of the situation, tapping on the world line and getting a flood of messages into his head.

In ancient times, there were sharks in the East China Sea, who could weep tears and weave yarn into pearls, and whose temperament was so gentle that they lived in the deep sea, far from the world.

The host is not a human, but a shark from the Eastern Sea of Return.

When he was a young boy, a group of demons lusting after precious shark pearls somehow found the habitat of their family of sharks. When his parents died in front of him, the young shark followed their dying instructions and went to his parents’ other home, Zhendao Reef, to hide for a while, but he ran into a fishing net halfway and got his tail hooked deep into his flesh by the barbs in the net.

When he woke up again, he was being held in someone’s arms.

The young shark could not open her eyes in pain and could only smell the faint cold scent of pine needles on his body and the smell of blood and medicine on her own.

He only had enough to tell that it was not the demons that were hunting him that were holding him and that the embrace was warm.

Seemingly sensing that the little thing wrapped in his arms was awake, the man looked down with a pure and lively teenage voice: “Awake?”

…… also sounds good.

”Hush.” Without waiting for the little shark to speak, the boy lowered his voice and said, “When you enter the mountain gate later, don’t make any sudden movements. I fetched you back secretly, and if Master finds out, I will have to eat a bamboo whip.”

The little shark didn’t know what he was doing carrying her back, but she thought she was going to be skinned and eaten, so she shivered in fear. The tip of her tail feebly slapped the boy’s arm twice before she lost her strength and buried her face in his shoulder, shivering.

The young man hugged him upwards and stroked his cloudy hair: “Don’t cry, or I’ll laugh at you.”

The young man, Yan Jinhua, is the second disciple of Jing Xufeng Chi Yunzi, a great school of sword cultivation. He is recognized by his disciples as a playful and unmotivated cultivator, and has a natural pure water spirit root.

Everyone says that Yan Jinhua is a loser.

But the little shark thinks otherwise.

In his mind, Yan Jinhua was the most wonderful person in the world.

Yan Jinhua kept the homeless young shark in his own place of training behind the mountain, the Fisherman’s Pool.

The fisherman’s pool, which he named himself, is located under a waterfall of spiritual springs and is very suitable for his survival.

Yan Jinhua said to the little shark who was hiding under the reef at the bottom of the pool and wouldn’t come out, “Hey, let me give you a name.”

…… A small shark does not speak.

”Or do you already have a name?”

The little shark pokes its head out, two small gauze-wrapped hands holding the edge of the rock and silently wagging its tail.

Yan Jinhua raised his eyebrows, removed his clothes and jumped into the water.

The little shark was so frightened that it plunged headlong back into the spring and pricked under the waterfall.

Yan Jinhua wipes the water droplets off his face and laughs.

When he was first brought back by Yan Jinhua, he used to hide at the bottom of the pool like this and refused to see anyone.

Yan Jinhua came every day at first, and the little shark avoided him every time, but refused to let him get too close to him, and whenever he had the slightest intention of coming closer, the little shark would slip away.

His tail is badly injured.

The net was so fiercely set, with so many hidden spikes, that it hooked almost half of his tail, and each time Yan Jinhua had to force him ashore, lift his scales from the mess and apply powder to him.

After about a month or so, the young shark, who had almost recovered, suddenly noticed that the man came less often, sometimes every other day, sometimes only once every four or five days.

He began to lie on the shore for a long time, craning his neck and waiting for the man to come.

Because he had no one else to talk to.

It is not until Yan Jinhua ignores him that the young shark slowly realises that he has no friends, no family, and no one else.

The good thing is that Yan Jinhua does not leave him completely alone and always brings him some delicious spiritual fruits to eat.

But he also doesn’t tease the little shark as much as he used to, as if he has lost interest in him.

The little shark was lying on the reef, wondering bitterly why he hadn’t come to catch me.

A few days later, Yan Jinhua came again, holding a small black cat in his arms and looking very affectionate.

The little shark swam slowly around in the water and found that Yan Jinhua was not even looking at him, only cuddling and teasing the black cat with its fur.

He swam another big lap, deliberately slapping the water with his tail and splashing the water.

Yan Jinhua hugs and kisses the little black cat, who reluctantly meows shrilly and swipes his paws.

Yan Jinhua dodged it with ease, half minding, lifting the little black cat high in the air and calling it by name with a smile, “Silly cat, bite me, come and bite me.”

The little black cat meowed a few times in anger and refused to be teased by Yan Jinhua.

Yan Jinhua had overplayed his hand again, and was painstakingly teasing the little black cat to speak again, when the little shark mustered up enough courage to swim to the spiritual spring, open his mouth and whisper, “…… meow.”

Yan Jinhua was stunned to discover the source of the voice.

He asked, “You’re screaming?”

The little shark wanted to find a home for himself and to please Yan Jinhua, so he looked up at Yan Jinhua: “Meow meow meow.”

Yan Jinhua put the little black cat aside, came to the spring and cupped his face, his eyes curved into a crescent: “You can talk. I thought you were mute.”

Yan Jinhua’s hands are strong, and the little shark’s face is red from the squeeze, but it remains still, except for a small animal-like twitch of its slightly pointed ears.

The young shark, who is not mute, has since started calling Yan Jinhua “Brother Yan”.

He is a distant man who rarely speaks, but his shark blood makes his voice very pleasant, and each “big brother” is so clear and bright that it speaks to the heart.

He knew that Yan Jinhua had his own business and that he liked to travel around and play, so he waited in the Fisherman’s Pool, following the secret book Yan Jinhua had given him, and waited for him to return.

He is not a demon, his qi roots are pure and he is gifted, plus he is nourished by the spiritual energy of the fishing pond day by day, he grows up day by day and tries hard to separate his legs.

He didn’t want to be just a little pet, he wanted to grow up quickly and grow up to be able to protect his big brother, Banquet.

It is the ancestral motto of the Sailor Clan that kindness must be repaid and revenge must be paid.

But while he was working hard on his cultivation, an unexpected visitor appeared near the Fishing Light Pond.

A small black snake about the same age as him.

Like the little shark, it was picked up by his family’s big brother, Banquet, when he was seriously injured.

When he first saw it, the young shark was amazed by its beauty for a moment.

It is about half a foot long and slender, with densely packed black scales that scatter a colourful shimmer in the daylight.

The young shark had seen sea snakes and they were quite beautiful, but none as beautiful as this one.

…… It’s just a bit of an abomination.

Since the discovery of the little shark, the little black snake has been coming here to play with him day after day.

The little black snake crawled to the shore, “Hey, little fish.”

The young shark’s eyes opened, “What is it?”

Yan Jinhua was afraid that the young shark would be bored, so he brought many books for him to read, thus nurturing the young shark’s cool and clear Wen Shi style.

All in all, a polite and courteous fish.

The little black snake said, “Come out and play with me.”

The little shark said, “Sorry, I have to practice.”

Little Black Snake: “Cultivation is so meaningless. Come out and keep me company, I’ll go and steal the wine from that old mountain lord. That is a fine wine, known as the Thousand Golden Drunkenness. I’m still thinking of you, generous enough.”

Ignoring him, the little shark closed her eyes and dived into chanting.

The little black snake hemmed and swam along the water and wrapped itself softly around the little shark’s arm, holding its forehead gently against the little shark’s chin, forcing him to raise his chin slightly.

It was a charm technique it had learned from its predecessor, and having nothing else to do around, he used it on the little shark: “Stay with me.”

The little shark closed her eyes and formed a sword trick with one hand, her expression clear and cold: “Nonsense.”

Little Black Snake: “……”

The little black snake is a sturdy one, but after being defeated for the first time in its life by using a charm technique, it has become more inclined to run to the little shark.

Once the young shark has adapted to her environment, she is less likely to pamper herself and demand to be treated like an adult at all times.

By the time he was 17, he had learned to suppress his shark breath and was able to transform his legs and walk ashore.

With its talent, the little black snake managed to take on its form early on, despite not being very diligent and hardworking.

The 17 year old boy, who looks like a black snake, is holding a pipe he stole from somewhere, stuffing the neon grass that can be found everywhere in the valley into his pipe, lighting it on a nether flame, taking a deep breath and leaning bonelessly against the newly sprouting willow tree: “Little fish, you can go ashore now. Come with me.”

The young shark: “Where to?”

Little Black Snake: “Don’t you think it’s weird to stay here?”

The young shark frowned, “It was Brother Yan who saved us, we should know how to return the favour.”

The little black snake gave a laugh, “What? You’ve been saved by him once, so you’re even sold to him?”

Knowing that he and the little black snake were not on the same side, the little shark said gently, “This is a kindness that should be repaid, not a sale.”

The little black snake grunted, “Pedantic.”

He pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it into the young shark’s arms.

The black cord is adorned with a small, snow-white, snowy snake’s tooth, which looks exquisitely made.

”To celebrate you finally learning to walk after being out of your mother’s womb for so long, I have prepared a gift.” The little black snake clasped his arms and said, “It hurts to pull it off, so give me something to cherish.”

With a smile, the little shark handed him the string made of her tail scales and said, “Many thanks.”

He had known that the little black snake was wild and untamed, and that this day would come sooner or later.

Sure enough, soon after, the little black snake disappeared from the mountain.

When Yan Jinhua came back, he searched all over the fishing pond and found the black snake, but when he asked the young shark about its whereabouts, he replied that he did not know.

Yan Jinhua sighed and muttered, “Oh, pity, pity, one less little brother.”

The loss of the little black snake really made him hang his head for a while, but it wasn’t long before he picked up his spirits and turned to the little shark, “Hey, want to be my little apprentice?”

The once-in-thirty-years Jingxu Sword Meeting will be held in March.

The Jingxu Sword Meeting is a ceremony to recruit and select new disciples for the Jingxu Mountain, and a trial for all disciples in the mountain.

There is more than one mountain in Jing Xufeng, and the mountains and rivers that it belongs to are unbroken, and there is an ancient sword buried in the middle of it, which has no name, called the sword in the stone.

The seven levels of the mountain’s guardianship are infinite, and each level is full of dangers, the deeper you go, the higher your grade will be; if you can reach the Sword in the Stone, you will be the winner.

But this is no more than a convention.

After all, no one has been able to draw the Sword in the Stone for a thousand years, not even the current Lord of the Mountain, Chi Yunzi.

Yan Jinhua had the intention of making the young shark cross the clear path and officially become his young apprentice through the Jingxu Sword Society.

This is exactly what the little shark was begging for.

He is very keen to help Yan Jinhua and this is an extremely important opportunity for him.

On the day of the sword meeting, the young shark was dressed by Yan Jinhua in an ordinary manner, trying not to draw attention to himself, but he was still nervous and raised his hand to grasp the sleeve of his family’s feast brother, shivering imperceptibly.

Yan Jinhua teased him flirtatiously, “You’re so scared. Then you should stay close to me, so that you don’t get abducted by some cat or dog.”

The little shark: “…… won’t.” As he spoke, his legs shook again.

He unconsciously looks up at Yan Jinhua again, trying to draw inspiration and strength from his feast brother.

A senior disciple noticed the little shark beside Yan Jinhua and teased, “Senior Brother Yan, the sword meeting hasn’t even started yet and you’ve already chosen your disciple?”

Yan Jinhua smiled, “What, no?”

He said, “Just don’t pick one of the injured ones too.”

At these words, the little shark’s fingers tightened slightly around Yan Jinhua’s sleeve.

When the sword meeting began, the young shark, who had been quietly practising her swordplay for a long time, struck down two sons sent by a family of immortal cultivators, momentarily drawing the admiration of the crowd in awe.

But after all, he only practised alone in the back of the mountain, and his only long-term playmate, the little black snake, was too lazy, causing him to be more offensive than defensive.

When the young shark wakes up, he is on Yan Jinhua’s back, walking with him through the mist, step by step.

As soon as the young shark was awake he thought about the battle, “Brother Feast, how did it go?” Did you get the sword?

Yan Jinhua turned back halfway across his face, a bloody scar on his face from the sword, which looked slightly grim against his white, clean face.

But he was smiling, and raised his right hand.

When the young shark looked at him, he saw that he held in his palm a sword that could be called a divine weapon at first sight.

The sword’s hilt was of ancient jade, but its body was as if it had been newly forged, and the light flowed through its body like ripples of water, so what was it if not the legendary sword in the stone?

The little shark was overjoyed, a million times more delighted than if he had won the sword himself.

He pressed his ear somewhat indulgently against Yan Jinhua’s back, thinking, “If only I were stronger and could help Brother Yan Jinhua some more.

Suddenly, he seemed to catch a hint, if any, of a third person’s voice.

The shark’s ears were always keen, and he thought there was something strange about the voice, the accent was all over the place, but he raised his eyes and looked around, but he didn’t know who was speaking, so he worried all the way for his big brother Yan Jinhua, fearing that someone would jump out of nowhere to snatch Yan Jinhua’s sword.

Yan Jinhua’s success in acquiring the Sword in the Stone was a shock to the world.

His spiritual roots were not outstanding among his peers, and he had been lazy and indulgent for so many years, so why would the Sword in the Stone recognise him as its master?

But the exact reason for this is not known. The thousand-year-old sword intent hidden in the sword in the stone had long since been incorporated into his body, making his spiritual roots feel like a withered wood springing back to life, breaking the shackles of cultivation one after another and surpassing Chi Yunzi to become the most promising person of the younger generation in the current Immortal Dao to achieve the Dao and ascend to Immortality.

All the crowd could say was that no one need covet it, the chance was such that not everyone could ask for it.

As for the reason for his victory, Yan Jinhua was tight-lipped with the others but not with the young shark, taking a precious pearl and showing it to him.

It was an extremely beautiful pearl that contained the spirits of the sky, earth and sea, and when I held it in my palm, I felt the pure spiritual energy diffusing into my body like water mist.

Yan Jinhua said that he had found this pearl when he was playing outside and that it could be shifted at will. He had relied on this pearl to break through the seven levels of the Great Formation and arrive near the Sword in the Stone.

The first reaction of the young shark was that this was not a falsification.

But soon, he was much relieved.

It seems that Yan Jinhua is destined to receive this sword, and no one needs to say anything about it.

Since the Jingxu Sword Meeting, Yan Jinhua has taken on the young shark as his pupil.

The young shark’s nickname could no longer be used, as he was going to cross the clear path. Their family name was Duan, but the parents died before they could give the young shark a name.

On the day he was accepted, Yan Jinhua stroked the young shark’s hair, which had been tied up with a long hairband, and said, “You have no father or mother, so as your master, it is my duty to give you a name. From now on, you will be called Duan Shujue, okay?”

…… Duan Shujue .

Yan Jinhua pronounced the name as smoothly as if it had been in his mind a hundred times before and should have belonged to the little shark.

The young shark tilted his head and stared at his big brother, the feast, with unblinking eyes.

Yan Jinhua lowered his voice to ask his opinion: “I’ve been thinking about this name for a long time. Do you like it?”

The ever-cold Duan Shujue’s eyebrows arched gently as he folded his hands and bowed deeply, ” Duan Shujue, thank you, Master.”

Since becoming Yan Jinhua’s pupil, Duan Shujue has become more and more diligent.

However, I don’t know if it was due to the limitations of the shark’s physique, but his training became more and more difficult as time went on, and even though Yan Jinhua nourished him with heavenly treasures, it was still difficult for him to make any progress, and his development was far less than that of Yan Jinhua, who was always playing around.

Rumours have been circulating that Jing Xufeng’s future pupil is an unworthy and unsuitable candidate.

There are those who argue that Yan Jinhua was also a nobody’s man back then. But when he was blessed with a chance, he was able to rise to the top.

There are those who scoff at this kind of talk: chance is not a cabbage, and if it were easy for everyone to get, what kind of chance would it be?

Duan Shujue has taken in the diverse debate and listened to it in his heart.

He only wanted to do what was best for his master and for his Brother Yan Jinhua. If someone else had scolded him, he might not have minded, but when it came to Yan Jinhua, he could not bear it.

Duan Shujue’s heart stabbed him as hard as it did when he saw his master shaking his feather fan and gossiping with the female disciples.

He had always been good at enduring, and even if he felt uncomfortable, he would not say so easily to his master. He only secretly prolonged the time and intensity of his practice, even to the point of fainting several times.

When Duan Shujue wakes up from exhaustion, he always sees Yan Jinhua sitting beside him, his feet dipped in the pool, flipping through a book of inappropriate words.

Seeing that Duan Shujue was awake, Yan Jinhua waved his hand grumpily and said, “I’ll soak my feet, do as you please.”

Duan Shujue leaned over the shore and took his tail to carefully reach Yan Jinhua’s ankle, quietly wrapping it around a loop before asking, “What is Master looking at?”

Yan Jinhua turned the page of the book with the colourful figures without changing his face and casually lied, “Profound sword techniques. You can’t read them now, but when you get better, I will teach them to you.”

Duan Shujue then believed it.

Four years of time have passed, and Duan Shujue has become a young man in blue and white, carrying a sword on his back, a gentleman with a distinguished style.

His swordplay has reached a state of perfection, but unfortunately his spiritual power is insufficient and he is unable to maximise the power of his swordplay, so he has not even been able to form the Golden Elixir.

Now he felt he was a mature shark and could look into the “high art of swordplay”.

When Yan Jinhua came back to the Fisherman’s Pool, he saw Duan Shujue, who had not even taken off his coat and was huddled in the pool, trembling and chanting the meditation recitation.

Duan Shujue’s cheeks are flushed, the corners of her eyes glisten, and she has to grit her teeth and hold back a paragraph as she recites it, her twins quivering, one moment transforming into fish tails that can’t stop moving, the next into tightly pressed legs that are being rubbed together in impatience.

…… When the sharks are not yet aware of the human condition, they are cold-hearted and absolutely free of distractions.

However, once the emotions are triggered, it is a thunderstorm that sets off the fires of the earth, and every now and then it is necessary to have a severe attack and a great relief.

Yan Jinhua was slightly surprised to see this, and only when he got closer did he realise what was happening. He changed his expression a few times and looked like he wanted to turn away, but after a moment’s hesitation, he not only turned back, but also took a step towards Duan Shujue.

Duan Shujue gritted his teeth and drew in a breath of cold air, “Master, you go quickly, my …… apprentice ……”

Yan Jinhua instead undid his shirt and let it go down the river: “What will you do when I’m gone?”

Yan Jinhua hugged Duan Shujue from the front, sliding his fingers down his spine, tracing a string of scalp-tingling sparks of electricity down Duan Shujue’s back, smiling, “Listen to Master’s words. …… Open the scales there.”

Yan Jinhua was also doing this for the first time, so Duan Shujue could not stop whimpering in pain, but kept it to himself and did not let out a single cry of pain.

His benefactor, his master, his ……

The shame and pleasure of this treachery was about to drive him mad.

A tear fell from the corner of Duan Shujue’s eye as he grabbed Yan Jinhua’s sleeve and called out in a low voice, “Brother Yan…”

When the tears fall into the water, they are transformed into white, warm shark pearls, which sink to the bottom of the spring.

Duan Shujue’s face was still streaked with tears, ashamed that he had read the “sword book” and thought of his master, and incredulous that this dream had come true.

He said in a mute voice, “Master, I have you in my heart.”

Yan Jinhua hugged his hair, which was soaked in ice water, and groomed it: “Master likes you too.”

Yan Jinhua’s likes, he never dared to ask for them.

But once he got it, Duan Shujue wanted more.

Can sharks be so insatiable?

Duan Shujue, who has always been a self-disciplined man, is a self-loathing man, but at the same time he is a sweetheart.

He noticed that since they had a fish and water relationship, Yan Jinhua came to the fishing pool more often, and although he spent most of the time cuddling and making love to him, he would also sit and watch him practise his sword.

This is a rare gift for Yan Jinhua, who is not a professional.

Duan Shujue is a man of fairness and courtesy. Yan Jinhua does not like the boring practice of swordsmanship, so he is able to withdraw his mind and accompany him, so he cannot stay here and should accompany him on his travels.

So the two of them went out in company to visit the area of Ba Shu.

When he arrived in Pashu, Duan Shujue unexpectedly met an acquaintance.

Some people say that a black snake demon, called Ye Jiming, roams the area of Ba Shu, doing mischief. He used to take over one of the most scenic hills and often came down to catch people, but did not use them for food, and after teasing them for a while, he would send them back down the mountain with horrified faces and broken hearts.

After hearing this description, Duan Shujue had a vague feeling that he might know this demonic creature.

He went up to the mountain with Yan Jinhua and knocked on the door.

Wasn’t it the little black snake who was sitting and standing on the throne?

He has long since grown into a handsome and sinister young man, a magnificent black robe buried with dark gold snake prints framing his slender figure, still holding a pipe in his hand, and a black swastika of snake scales beneath his left eye, beautifully set against the pale gold pupils of his eyes.

Both recognised each other at once.

The little black snake didn’t even look at Yan Jinhua, but with one hand on his face, he looked at Duan Shujue: “Little fish, your kung fu has regressed.”

”…… Duan Shujue .” Duan Shujue gently and courteously gave his current name and pointed to his left eye, “No scales back?”

”You’re the one with no scales!” Ye Jiming, the little black snake, spat at him and nodded twice at the scales, “Nice! Do you know how to appreciate it?”

Duan Shujue smiled and said, “Yes, it’s quite pleasing to the eye.”

Ye Jiming stared at the tips of his ears, which twitched slightly as he spoke, and at the corners of his lips, which curled up a little, and watched with a little fascination.

Yan Jinhua, seeing how the two were chatting back and forth, took the initiative to intervene: “Little Black Snake, do you remember me?”

Ye Jiming was having a nice conversation with Xiao Yu when he was interrupted by someone, so he gave him a cold glance from the corner of his eye: “Who are you?”

Yan Jinhua : “……”

Yan Jinhua didn’t look too good when he came down the hill.

Duan Shujue spoke kindly for Ye Jiming for a while before Yan Jinhua puffed up and said, “Snakes are really badly bred!”

Duan Shujue Crying and laughing.

Yan Jinhua is like this, a volatile woman, occasionally gentle and considerate, sometimes childish and mischievous, pulling him by the hair and making him repeat his name over and over again, saying in full, “I am Duan Shujue and I love Yan Jinhua”.

Duan Shujue is by nature conservative and cannot say the word “love”, but as his body and heart are in Yan Jinhua’s hands, he has no choice but to admit it and blush and learn to speak with him, saying that he loves and likes him.

Although Yan Jinhua is his elder brother and master, as an adult it is Duan Shujue who takes care of Yan Jinhua and fulfils his quirky whims.

Duan Shujue doesn’t want much more than for everything to go on as usual.

However, things do not always turn out as the heart desires.

Yan Jinhua’s spiritual energy far surpassed Duan Shujue’s, and with the effect of dual cultivation, Duan Shujue’s spiritual power also rose, and within two years, he had broken through to the Golden Dan realm.

But I don’t know who told Chi Yunzi that when Duan Shujue’s golden elixir was attained, the sky was not filled with clouds, but with dark clouds, and that he suspected that Duan Shujue was not a righteous man.

The rumour of Duan Shujue’s status as a ‘demon’ grew worse and worse, and gradually everyone on the mountain heard the gossip, which eventually reached the ears of Chi Yunzi, the current mountain master.

How could Yan Jinhua, who would succeed Jing Xufeng, be the first disciple of a demon?

The disciples, who did not know that Duan Shujue had lived in a spiritual spring on an immortal mountain since childhood and had no trace of evil in his body, surrounded the pond and blocked it, demanding that Yan Jinhua hand over the demon and give everyone an explanation.

Yan Jinhua kept Duan Shujue in the Alchemy Pavilion and told him not to leave the house easily.

Duan Shujue was calm: “Master, it’s all right, I have a clear conscience and am willing to be questioned by Master Tai.”

Yan Jinhua said, “They are angry, how can they allow you to defend yourself? Don’t move, sit still and burn this potion, and don’t worry, I will give you an explanation.”

With that, Yan Jinhua stepped out of the alchemy pavilion and placed an additional seal on it with his hand.

Duan Shujue is facing the furnace, keeping the fire burning while his ears are attentively listening to the outside movements.

Unfortunately, there was a seal and it was not possible to hear what was happening outside the pavilion, except for Chi Yunzi’s angry accusation, “Do you know about his concealment of identity?”

Not knowing what Yan Jinhua had said, Chi Yunzi said angrily, “What if a demon had deliberately infiltrated the temple after so many years of concealment? What kind of a master are you?”

Yan Jinhua said something more, and Chi Yunzi’s anger subsided: “If you say so, I’ll wait for an account of what you said!”

A short while later, the doors opened again and Yan Jinhua strode in, the pavilion doors slamming shut behind him.

Duan Shujue got up and asked, “Master, how is it?”

He was really afraid that he would be a drag on Yan Jinhua, who had a bright future ahead of him, the future Lord of Jing Xufeng, the ……

Before he could finish his thought, Yan Jinhua came up to him, hugged Duan Shujue and kissed the tip of his ear.

Duan Shujue’s cheeks flushed.

It was because of this sloppy kiss that he failed to notice at first a strange wave of heat pounding behind him.

–The blazing eight-trigram elixir opens the door silently.

One side of a dead door.

The moment Duan Shujue was pushed into the furnace, the door of death closed and he was completely sealed between the tongues of fire that surrounded him.

…… He has, just now, added a few handfuls of spirit wood to the dan furnace.

It all happened so suddenly that Duan Shujue was dumbfounded for a long time before he felt the fire burning in his body and the pain was so intense, but he could not scream out.

For he heard Yan Jinhua’s voice shouting, “My disciples, I did not know that the evil disciple Duan Shujue was a wolf demon! This creature deliberately deceived me and sneaked into the mountain. I am guilty of negligence and have already killed the evil disciple with my own hands. I hope that Master will punish him as an example to others, and that all the disciples will learn from me and never trust others again!”

Wolf demon? What wolf demon?

…… Why?

Why?

Brother Yan, Master, it was you who brought me into the mountain, it was you who raised me in the Fishermen’s Pool, you know very well that I am ……

Numerous questions came to Duan Shujue’s mind at first.

In just that moment, he became aware of many suspicious points that he had never noticed before.

The place where he and his parents live has always been secluded, so why was it discovered?

Why had he entered a barbed-wire fishing net? He was panicking, but still exercising a minimum of caution, when he had looked around very carefully ……

Why did Yan Jinhua happen to be there?

Why did Yan Jinhua pick him up, seriously wounded, and bring him back to the mountains without a care in the world, where he was kept for years, but never let anyone know about him?

Was he afraid that his identity would be revealed and cause offence?

Then why did he offer to involve himself in the Jingxu Sword Guild again when he came of age?

Why did Yan Jinhua, a man who has never been one to do his job, win the sword fight and come out on top?

Why has my cultivation progress slowed down dramatically since I became an adult, almost becoming half a waste?

How is it that he can sleep with himself without a care in the world and kill without shame?

These questions were interrupted by a sudden, strange sound.

Mature shark ears are already exceptionally sharp, especially on the eve of death.

He heard a one-panel voice.

…… It was a voice he had heard before.

Just after Yan Jinhua had drawn the sword in the stone, he had heard it in the mist.

It’s just not as clear as this one.

”Drop, congratulations to host Yan Jinhua! Main line progress is 100% complete, achievement ‘Qi Luck Plunderer’ and ‘Crazy Collector’ have been achieved. Item Inventory: Obtained the ‘Son of Qi’ Duan Shujue’s Sword in the Stone x 1, the Pearl of Fixing the Sea x 1, the Tears of the Shark x 10, the Sword Manual of Junshan x 1, the Divine Wood of Xiang Shui x 1, and the Longevity Shark Pill made from Duan Shujue’s body x 1… …Please, do you accept the transmission?”

This was the last voice Duan Shujue heard.

He swayed and disappeared into the blaze, never to be seen again.

The white coat is burned and the heart is broken.

A tear slips from the corner of her eye, into her dark hair, and rolls down between the roaring flames, a shark’s tear, half burnt.