At that time, Xu Jingming firmly believed in the crown prince’s words.
It wasn’t blind faith. Children were naturally sensitive to dangerous creatures. Every time Xu Jingming approached Shi Jingzhi, he could feel that strong aversion.
The previous National Teacher* said that his destiny was weak. His mother feared he would die young, so she sent him to the National Teacher’s side every few days, claiming it was for “warding off evil spirits”. Because of this, Xu Jingming often overheard various conversations.
*It’s a title awarded by the emperor. They play a crucial role in the education, guidance, and advice given to the emperor and the crown prince, as well as the education and moral development of the royal family.
Such as the dialogue between his Emperor Father* and the National Teacher.
*[Fu wang] (父王) It is a term of address used by the emperor’s children, which literally means “father king”.
Regarding his terrifying older brother, the previous National Teacher once said such things—
[Your Majesty, if this child is not eliminated, he will become a disaster that topples the nation.]
Looking at the result, his Emperor Father didn’t heed the advice. Shi Jingzhi had a stroke of luck and managed to survive until today. When his eldest brother, Xu Jingxing, ascended the throne, given how much he disliked the influence held by the National Teacher, he naturally wouldn’t obey the National Teacher’s commands.
Xu Jingming prided himself on being a cautious person. After being crowned “Prince”, Xu Jingming sought out experts from all over the world to analyze Shi Jingzhi’s destiny. Those experts were genuine, and their answers were similar—this person was a great calamity, and if left unchecked, disasters would occur.
Great Yun had been prosperous for many years, with the people living in abundance. Xu Jingming lived comfortably and happily, having no desire to experience a chaotic era. The words of the National Teacher became a thorn in his side, occasionally causing him pain and preventing him from sleeping peacefully.
It would be best if Shi Jingzhi died.
However, the Emperor seemed to have his own considerations. Shi Jingzhi didn’t have the imperial surname, no fiefdom, and not even a royal palace, but he still had his life. If Xu Jingming were to take action openly, he would likely anger the Emperor.
But if Shi Jingzhi died in the Ghost Tomb, no one could find fault with it.
“Kill him.” Xu Jingming snapped his fan shut.
Shi Jingzhi gasped for breath and hoarsely said, “Are you giving up the Buddhist bead?”
Xu Jingming replied, “I came to the Ghost Tomb, firstly to search for treasures, and secondly to find an opportunity to eliminate you, a great evil. Even if I only kill you, this trip will still be worthwhile—our encounter here is fate.”
“As for the Buddhist beads, even if your explanations sound reasonable, it’s still just speculation. Am I foolish enough to believe your words? Moreover, even if the map of the Buddhist beads is incomplete, it doesn’t mean the items cannot be found.”
Shi Jingzhi fell silent and gradually showed a hint of sadness.
Xu Jingming sneered. “Stop pretending that we have brotherly love*. You—”
*(兄友弟恭) Idiom referring to the love and respect between brothers.
“It’s not like that,” Shi Jingzhi said sorrowfully. “You know about the Blood-Making Rope, and you recognize the Suffering From Parting. Just purchasing this information from the demonic sects has cost you thousands of silver taels, and you even took risks and entered the tomb yourself… In the end, even if the Buddhist beads aren’t complete, you only want my life.”
As they spoke, his sadness grew deeper. “Why didn’t you say it earlier? Even if we split the money in half, I would have been willing to meet you alone and let you kill me. Xiao Qi, even though you’ve had a mental deficiency for quite some time, this is just too…”
Xu Jingming became furious, and his hand holding the fan trembled. “What are you waiting for? Kill him now!”
The four masters rushed forward.
Only outstanding candidates with a clean background, carefully cultivated by major sects, had the privilege of becoming royal guards. Even if they were the leftovers unpicked by the Emperor, their strength was still formidable.
Shi Jingzhi stood up and stretched his legs. “What a pity. I was planning to rest a little longer.”
He kicked half of the flagpole on the ground with his toe, and as the flag rolled up, it became a longsword in his hand. The wooden pole was adorned with golden fire, shining brightly and somewhat dazzling. The flagpole cut through the air, leaving a trail of light in the darkness.
Shi Jingzhi stopped smiling, and the oppressive feeling around him intensified. One of the masters approached but was struck by the fiery sword wind. Although he managed to dodge the sword qi in time, his clothes were grazed by a spark.
Yang fire wasn’t an ordinary flame and was difficult to extinguish. When the man’s attention was divided, Shi Jingzhi swiftly moved behind him, cutting him in half at the waist. He then grabbed the upper body of the man and turned, blocking the simultaneous attack of three swords.
While the others were disarmed, Shi Jingzhi used a new footwork technique, twisting and collecting the corpse neatly, throwing it into a sacrificial pit along with the sword.
“Xiao Qi, if you had sent them along with the Chigou Sect to chase me, I would definitely be dead by now.”
Then, he dodged a kick by bending his waist and swiftly struck, shattering another person’s skull.
“When I left Yidu, there were at least five thousand people in the martial world who could kill me. To this day, there should be no more than a thousand left. But among these thousand, there are none by your side.”
“Truly evil.” Xu Jingming spat. “You deliberately acted disgracefully along the way just to hide your true strength…”
“I was genuinely scared. Why would I pretend?”
Shi Jingzhi’s tone remained calm.
He grabbed the fronts of the remaining two people’s robes and slammed them forcefully into each other. Then, he singled out the one with a wide face and flattened his head with a palm strike.
“Of course, you can certainly feign composure and conceal your true nature. With time, when we meet again, those people will have a higher opinion of you… But I don’t have time. Unable to discern between truth and falsehood, you are inferior to my little disciple.”
Xu Jingming looked at the blood-soaked Shi Jingzhi and struggled to maintain his composure. “You yourself are a monster, so why are you afraid of ghosts?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” Shi Jingzhi didn’t kill the last person, allowing him to lie unconscious on the ground. “Since creatures like me exist, there might as well be vengeful spirits. I can kill humans and monsters, but if I encounter ghosts…”
He took a few steps forward and used his bloody hand to press heavily on Xu Jingming’s crown.
For a moment, Xu Jingming thought his brain would splatter everywhere. His knees gave out, and he sat on the ground, paralyzed.
Shi Jingzhi lowered his gaze but smiled again. “…If you encounter a ghost, you will experience this kind of ‘fear’.”
Then he took a step back. “Rest assured. If you die here, Eldest Brother will come after me. Look, I’ve left you with a bodyguard.”
It took Xu Jingming a while to regain his senses, and he clenched his teeth. “Aren’t you going to steal my Buddhist bead?”
“If I steal it now, how can I explain it to my disciple? Remember, you need to play along with me later, or else…”
Xu Jingming swallowed his saliva. “Or else?”
“I haven’t figured that out yet, but you can find out for yourself.” Shi Jingzhi waved his hand casually, breaking Xu Jingming’s sedan chair into several pieces and throwing it into the sacrificial pit.
Shi Jingzhi did it on purpose. He was absolutely deliberate. Xu Jingming looked painfully at the wreckage of the sedan chair—there were enough corpses on the ground, yet Shi Jingzhi insisted on destroying his sedan chair.
Losing the argument, Xu Jingming’s anger flared up. “Eldest Brother has shown you mercy by allowing you to leave the palace since he thought you were running out of time. I know you’ve established a sect, but if you dare to secretly train private troops…”
“I’m not that free. There are various bonds in the world that you still have time to experience, but I only have one year left.”
Shi Jingzhi looked at the slowly descending stone pillar, while keeping his tone flat.
“As for family affection, I don’t expect it from you. And as for longing, even if I were lucky enough to meet my destined person, I couldn’t afford to treat them seriously while struggling to survive. Friendship is also good, but deep relationships require time to cultivate… and I don’t have time.”
“People say that once you become someone’s teacher, you become like a father to them for a lifetime. Taking on a disciple is a good idea. However, children have short memories and fragile lives, making it difficult for them to accompany me into dangerous places. But now, this is just perfect. Even if I die a year from now, he will remember me for a lifetime.”
Xu Jingming was stunned for a moment and then reluctantly said, “If he’s willing to accompany you to the Ghost Tomb, he’s either incredibly foolish or has ulterior motives.”
Shi Jingzhi approached him, squatting down in front of him with a trace of blood still on his face. “So what?”
“What?”
“Xiao Qi, do you know about the ‘Zhuazhou*’ tradition? When a child reaches one year old, they randomly grab something, and people believe it’s their destiny. I did something similar.”
*Zhuazhou is a Chinese ritual held at a child’s first birthday party, when the child is 1 year, i.e. typically twelve months since birth (although variable reckonings as to what constitutes a year of age for entitlement for zhuazhou exist), old. The parents put various objects before the child, often objects that symbolize career choices or personality traits. The child’s choice is used to forecast its future.
“I went to a desolate place and randomly picked someone as my disciple. Whether he’s good or evil, as long as he hasn’t already taken on a master, I will sincerely be his master… Isn’t that also destiny?”
Xu Jingming was shocked by his nonchalant tone. “But if he wants to cause trouble…”
Shi Jingzhi avoided answering, continuing with a smile, “You can reassure Eldest Brother that I will only take in this one disciple. I can’t handle more. Your bodyguard will wake up in a while; I’ll leave first.”
With that said, Shi Jingzhi climbed onto the stone pillar and prepared to leave.
Xu Jingming suffered losses on all fronts*; even his words were turned into a joke by Shi Jingzhi, and his chest felt stifled. He composed himself and continued with a sharp tongue.
*Losing both wife and army (喪妻喪軍). Idiom referring to a person who suffered multiple major losses or setbacks.
“Sincerely be his master… Sincerely? How much sincerity can a monster like you have?”
Shi Jingzhi paused for a moment. “I don’t know either, so I also want to see.”
His figure quickly disappeared at the entrance of the cave.
Xu Jingming wiped his sweat and looked around at the bloody scene, feeling anxious once again. With the prophecy of the “disaster that topples the nation” hanging over his head, and with the clear intention of treating his disciple kindly…
That person, Yin Ci, better be an ordinary person with integrity.
At this moment, Demonic Lord Yin, the “ordinary person”, was familiarizing himself with the surroundings at the exit, waiting for his ghostskin robe to dry.
There were four exits from the “Suffering From Parting”, leading to a wide hall. Inside the hall stood two rows of sturdy stone pillars, adorned with symmetrical giant stone sculptures, finally resembling a proper tomb.
However, he hadn’t noticed Yan Qing and didn’t know where that unlucky guy had been thrown by his ancestor.
A rumbling sound echoed, and the ground trembled slightly. Hearing more pillars descend, Yin Ci held his breath and quickly hid behind a pillar.
He had extracted some smoke bombs from Elder Lu’s fragments. If it wasn’t Shi Jingzhi who arrived, he could play some tricks, disappearing mysteriously, and create evidence of the existence of a “mysterious master”.
As a precaution, Yin Ci had previously walked around inside the hall, deliberately spreading bloodstains everywhere. Even if it was Shi Jingzhi who came, that fox wouldn’t be able to sniff out his location.
Unexpectedly, that person came running straight towards his hiding spot.
It would be too late to retreat to the room now. However, this was only the second person to emerge, so it shouldn’t be his naive master. Unfortunately, things didn’t always go as planned, and Demonic Lord Yin’s luck had never been good…
With a cold expression, Shi Jingzhi flashed in front of Yin Ci, pointing the broken half of a flagpole directly at his throat.
“W-W-W-What are you?”
His gaze swept over Yin Ci’s white clothes, making sure that Yin Ci was still catching his breath before he sternly asked his question.
“What… What did you do to my disciple? He’s in his early twenties and has no martial arts skills.”
Yin Ci raised an eyebrow slightly—since Shi Jingzhi was so sure that he met his ‘mountain disciple’, this kid must have done something.
Why not take this opportunity to test his words? Looking at the furious Shi Jingzhi, Yin Ci suddenly felt a playful impulse.
“Your disciple?”
Yin Ci deliberately feigned confusion, then burst into laughter.
“…Hmm, most likely I killed him.”
The author has something to say:
Fox Shi, Demonic Lord Yin: best friend (?) + true love + three-in-one apprentice—isn’t it surprising?
When a beauty faces another beauty, seduction is ineffective. After all, they have both looked in the mirror!
Yan Qing: Boss, stop flirting and come to rescue me. I’m facing a life-threatening crisis during the probation period——0(:3 )～ (;3_ヽ)_
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