Chapter 108 – This Tragic Cultivation Genius – “Lend me your body” (05/06)
The atmosphere in the Wuji Sect began to grow tense.
Xie Chenyang and Yun Xuefeng, however, remained completely unfazed. They both knew that in the face of overwhelming martial might, no conspiracy mattered in the slightest.
Xie Chenyang conjured a massive, semi-circular, floating armchair and delighted in inviting Yun Xuefeng to join him for a sway every now and then.
“Get down.”
Xie Chenyang poked his head over the edge, holding onto the armrest. “It’s pretty comfortable up here. Do you want to–”
“Many days have passed.” Yun Xuefeng raised his eyes. “And you haven’t practiced for a single moment. Aren’t you being a bit too lax?”
Xie Chenyang jumped down and stood in front of him. “Practicing is both tedious and boring. Anyway, I don’t plan on ascending, so it doesn’t matter if I don’t practice.”
“Why not?
Xie Chenyang gave a guilty smile. He couldn’t tell the truth. “Well, shall we go practice now?”
Yun Xuefeng persisted, “Why don’t you want to ascend?”
Xie Chenyang: “…I’m just lazy.”
Xie Chenyang grabbed his hand and dragged him along. “Come on, come on, let’s go practice swordsmanship!”
Yun Xuefeng stood his ground.
Xie Chenyang spun around, about to wrap his arms around him.
Yun Xuefeng held him back. “If you don’t practice, when will you be able to come find me once I’ve ascended?”
“Ascend?”
Yun Xuefeng: “You don’t actually think I can’t ascend, do you?”
Xie Chenyang: “No…”
“As for the ‘heart demon’,” Yun Xuefeng said, looking at Xie Chenyang with a serious expression, “if it is accepted, it ceases to be a demon. It becomes one with me, and does me no harm.”
Xie Chenyang: “But aren’t you cultivating the Path of Emptiness…”
“There are three thousand great paths; if this one is blocked, I’ll simply take another.”
Xie Chenyang exclaimed in surprise, “Are you going to abandon your path and start over?”
Yun Xuefeng fell silent for a moment, a hint of a smile flickering in his eyes. “Why would I abandon my path and start over?”
Xie Chenyang: “…You don’t… have to?”
“You believe I practice the Path of Emptiness. Yet what is ‘emptiness’?”
“……” Why was he discussing philosophy with him all of a sudden?
“No matter which path one chooses, it is merely a method of cultivation. Before, I had no heart for love and was wholly devoted to the Great Dao. Now that I have found love, I shall simply adopt a different method of cultivation.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Chenyang whispered in protest, “But you’ve given rise to a heart demon! You’ve even shaken your resolve… Is changing paths really that easy? I’ve read in storybooks about people killing their lovers to prove their devotion to their Dao.”
“Read less fiction.”
Xie Chenyang asked skeptically, “Is it really that easy?”
“That’s merely because their resolve is weak. When the path they’ve chosen and practiced for a long time begins to waver, they panic. They only think about how to return to their original path; the new path is full of unknowns, so naturally, many choose the one they’re familiar with.”
“…Oh.”
“There have always been two ways to deal with heart demons: one is to eliminate them, and the other is to accept and embrace them, becoming one with them.” Yun Xuefeng paused, fearing Xie Chenyang might not understand, and rephrased it, “It’s like this: you were originally practicing the Way of the Sword, but one day you suddenly find the Way of Sound very appealing. Yet you know nothing about it, whereas you understand the Way of the Sword very well… Switching to the Way of Sound might not lead to success, but continuing to practice the Way of the Sword will assuredly yield results…”
Xie Chenyang lunged forward and hugged him. “All right, all right, I get it. Cultivate, cultivate, cultivate! Practice, practice, practice!”
At that moment, Ji Hong was at his wits’ end.
Lately, he had been tirelessly lobbying various sects, but things hadn’t gone as smoothly as he’d imagined. Fortunately, they’d given him some face; many sects had gathered together under his persistent persuasion.
—The Wuji Sect—
“An exchange meeting?” The Sect Master looked at the invitation and said after a moment’s silence, “Could this be a trap? It specifically states that they hope my Great-Great-Uncle will attend if he isn’t in seclusion.”
“I don’t know… Should we ask our Great-Great-Uncle?”
Yun Xuefeng: “We’re not going.”
Sect Master: “Then I’ll decline…”
“Wait, let me see the invitation.”
The Sect Master didn’t hesitate and handed the invitation directly to him.
Xie Chenyang looked at it with a half-smile: [Dad, what do you think they’re up to?]
You Huang: “I don’t know.”
[They wouldn’t be stupid enough to invite us into a trap, after all.]
You Huang: “If you want to go, just say so.”
[Sigh, it’s just that I’ve been under constant supervision for my cultivation lately—I’m losing my hair! Isn’t it okay to get out and blow off some steam?]
Seeing him stare at the invitation for so long, Yun Xuefeng tilted his head to look at him. “Want to go?”
“Hmm, I’m a little curious.”
“Then let’s go.”
The Sect Master had already suspected the nature of their relationship. Now, seeing that Yun Xuefeng had changed his mind because of Xie Chenyang—and even elevated the importance of the matter—he bowed. “Then this disciple will prepare immediately.”
The exchange meeting was held at the Lei Kong Sect, where every member practiced Buddhism.
The Sect Master was at the Tribulation Stage and was one of the strongest figures in the cultivation world, second only to Yun Xuefeng.
On the day of the exchange meeting, sects large and small sent representatives.
As soon as the Wuji Sect arrived, they were escorted to a separate area by the Lei Kong Sect.
Led by Yun Xuefeng and Xie Chenyang, the disciples of the Wuji Sect sat on a balcony, watching as disciples from various sects gradually took their seats.
Xie Chenyang raised his wine cup and took a sip. Peering through the curtain at the bustling scene below, he chuckled softly. “So it wasn’t a trap to lure us in, but an invitation to watch the show.”
Yun Xuefeng: “Boring.”
In the past, whether it was an exchange meeting or any other gathering, he would never have participated.
Xie Chenyang set down his cup, the corners of his mouth curving upward. “It’ll get interesting in a moment.”
This Ji Hong was about to fall. By now, he had already figured it out.
Most of the other sects below must have known of their arrival.
It wasn’t that Ji Hong alone was worth such a massive mobilization; rather, they intended to use this to make their stance clear.
As everyone took their seats, Ji Hong stepped forward. “I’m sure you all know that I was once the Sect Master of the Wuji Sect. Of course, now I’m nothing more than a traitor. But why would a perfectly good Sect Master choose to betray his own sect?”
His expression was somber. “I’ve been explaining the truth for some time now, so I won’t go into details here. But Yun Xuefeng, who once relentlessly slaughtered demons and monsters without mercy, now protects a demon cultivator, leading to my son’s tragic death! If Yun Xuefeng falls into the path of evil, it will be a catastrophe for the cultivation world!”
Someone remarked coolly, “Is it because no one can match him?”
Ji Hong replied, “Though he has reached the Ascension Realm, he suffered severe injuries during the great war years ago. Since he hasn’t recovered even after such a long convalescence, he must have had no other choice but to fall into the demonic path. As long as we unite…”
“Want me to deliver a few more heads?
Ji Hong’s face darkened as he looked at the speaker. “What do you mean by that?”
The speaker was a man with a debonair expression, his robe wide open, leaning back in his chair with a jug of wine cradled in his arms. He narrowed his eyes lazily and said, “Come on, who doesn’t know the truth? Isn’t it just that your son is dead, you’ve lost your position as Sect Master, and you’re seeking revenge but can’t win, so you’ve come here to make a scene?”
His innermost thoughts exposed, Ji Hong’s face twisted in anguish for a moment.
His wife was dead, his only son had met such a gruesome end, and even his position as Sect Master…
He was a laughingstock just for staying in the Wuji Sect.
He did want revenge, but if he actually tried to act, he feared he’d be beaten to a pulp before he even got close to Yun Xuefeng.
But he wasn’t willing to just accept defeat like this.
He didn’t want to stay at the Wuji Sect and face everyone’s pitying glances, and he feared he’d be unwelcome if he defected from the sect.
That was why he came up with this scheme—to give it a shot.
“Of course I want revenge, but the fact remains that he has fallen into the demonic path,” Ji Hong declared loudly. “If it were you, would you defend a demonic cultivator, or would you defend your own junior?”
“To be honest, I don’t defend people based on seniority, only on preference. Whoever I like, I’ll protect.”
“Shut up!” Ji Hong glared at him. “Drink your wine! Everyone, Yun Xuefeng has been in seclusion; he didn’t even know that demonic cultivator to begin with. If he hadn’t fallen into the path of evil, why would he defend him?”
“What if he just simply couldn’t stand your son?”
“I told you to shut up!”
“Pfft.” Xie Chenyang spat out a mouthful of wine and coughed several times. “This guy is… interesting.”
Yun Xuefeng looked at the man who had spoken up against Ji Hong. “Don’t you think he’s a bit too bold? What do you find interesting?”
Clearing his throat, Xie Chenyang replied, “I mean, it’s interesting how he’s standing up to Ji Hong.”
“Shut up?” The man set down his teapot, his narrow eyes widening fully. “Don’t you understand the situation here?”
Ji Hong looked at the crowd: “You all…”
“Haven’t you noticed?” The man snorted derisively. “Has anyone here agreed with you?”
Ji Hong’s expression changed. He looked towards the Patriarch of the Lei Kong Sect. “Patriarch Lei, do you think–”
The Patriarch stood up and gazed at the pavilion not far away. “What does Senior Yun think?”
Ji Hong: “!”
He suddenly looked toward the pavilion. Its curtains fluttered in the wind, revealing a faint silhouette.
Yun Xuefeng said coldly, “Just kill him.”
Ji Hong exclaimed in horror, “Great-Uncle…”
The man who had just confronted him spoke up again, “That’s not how you referred to him earlier. You kept calling him by his name. You were quite arrogant.”
Ji Hong: “……” I’m as good as dead!
Xie Chenyang let out a soft sigh: [Dad, the Ji family is just too underwhelming. They’re not even worth it.]
You Huang remained silent through it all.
Ji Hong’s death was of no consequence.
The Lei Kong Sect disciples invited them to come down. Yun Xuefeng didn’t move, a look of reluctance crossing his face.
The Sect Master stood up of his own accord. “I’ll go with the other disciples. You should return to the sect first, Great-Uncle.”
You Huang: “Go.”
Yun Xuefeng and You Huang’s voices rang out simultaneously.
Xie Chenyang paused, then grabbed Yun Xuefeng’s hand. “Let’s go down and take a look.”
Yun Xuefeng lowered his gaze to their clasped hands. “Alright.”
And so, Xie Chenyang walked onto the field hand-in-hand with Yun Xuefeng, with the Sect Master following behind them.
The people on the field turned a blind eye to the demonic energy emanating from Xie Chenyang and greeted Yun Xuefeng one after another. After all, many of them had only heard his name but had never seen him in person.
The man who had just been arguing with Ji Hong took a lazy sip of wine, leaned back in his chair, and muttered to himself, “So it really was because he liked him. Well, then his son didn’t die in vain.”
Everyone present was highly skilled, and they all heard him clearly.
Yun Xuefeng looked at him. “He thinks you’re interesting as well.”
Xie Chenyang waved his hands repeatedly: “No way. He’s not my type.”
[Dad, why did you ask me to come here?]
You Huang: “…No reason.”
[Are you treating me like an outsider?]
You Huang: “Can I borrow your body for a bit?”
[Okay, Dad.]
Xie Chenyang squeezed Yun Xuefeng’s hand, then let go. “I’ll be back soon.”
Yun Xuefeng: “?”
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
