In an instant, Yin Ci considered many backup plans.
For example, first taking everyone to escape, then asking someone else to lead him to the Jianchen Temple. As long as he provided enough reward, finding an ignorant and innocent child who didn’t understand greed, hatred, and ignorance or an old person with weak desires shouldn’t be difficult.
However, the thought of getting close to a stranger made Yin Ci uncomfortable all over. On the other hand, if the monks saw that his sect leader was trapped outside the mountain, they would most likely become suspicious of anyone from the Kushan Sect. They were all eminent monks with observant eyes, so it wouldn’t be easy for him to ask freely while pretending to be a disciple.
Yin Ci lowered his eyes.
If he thought about it to the extreme, this matter wasn’t entirely without a solution. But he instinctively resisted further contemplation. Having lived for so long, Yin Ci no longer deceived himself.
…He didn’t want to give up on Shi Jingzhi.
Shi Jingzhi’s hand trembled, as if wrapped in the cold wind of the previous night. Even if he had attacked while deeply dreaming, Shi Jingzhi still held his other hand vaguely, as if searching for his disciple’s hand.
I won’t let you down.
Very well.
Yin Ci released Shi Jingzhi, and the empty darkness once again engulfed him. This time, he didn’t panic; instead, a smile appeared on his face. All the worries were gone, and he would cut through the tangled mess with a sharp blade.
If Yan Qing and Su Si dared to leak any information, he would kill them. At least for today, he wouldn’t give up on Shi Jingzhi.
He was offered a wooden peach and would repay with precious jade*. Time stretched on, and he almost forgot this feeling.
*This line comes from a famous Chinese poem “Papaya” from the Book of Songs by Wei Fang. The idea conveyed is of reciprocation and the appreciation of generosity. In this case, Yin Ci was offered a humble gift (Shi Jingzhi’s affection of sorts) and would repay in extravagance (revealing part of his true power to save Shi Jingzhi’s life).
Yin Ci tightly grasped the Hanging Shadow Sword but didn’t draw it. He slowly unleashed his qi, and the heavy bloodthirst instantly enveloped the entire scene, causing even the Greedy Butterflies in the air to pause for a moment.
The qi was mixed but clear. Under the overwhelming bloodlust, Yan Qing and Su Si didn’t dare to move. Shi Jingzhi, who was stumbling down the mountain, halted his steps and turned around.
A familiar sense of oppression emanated from Shi Jingzhi, meeting Yin Ci’s killing intent head-on. Compared to the time in Yuanxian Village, there was a hint of childlike grievance in this aura.
The two forces clashed, shaking the earth, rippling the scales on the lake’s surface, and startling countless birds in the forest.
“Shi Jingzhi, I don’t like disturbing peaceful dreams. I’m only taking you up the mountain, so endure it for now.”
When they came out of the Ghost Tomb, Shi Jingzhi had bought him a scabbard made of ambergris wood. Ambergris wood carried a faint, soothing fragrance that could calm the mind. Yin Ci knew that the fox had a sharp nose, and this scabbard probably acted as an invisible rope, serving as a marker to find his disciple.
Using it at this moment turned out to be a fortuitous move.
The scabbard swiftly scraped against the ground, colliding with rocks, creating sparks. The precious ambergris wood ignited, emitting a thick aroma. Shi Jingzhi’s movement paused, and Yin Ci soared up with the wind.
Yin Ci lightly tapped Shi Jingzhi’s shoulder with the scabbard, hitting three vital acupoints: qinghui, renshen, and yijing*.
*Clarity: As far as I can tell, these are not actual acupoints and are just made up by the author.
“Converge your desires and calm your mind! Let your true qi flow slowly!” Yin Ci sternly commanded, with a tone full of authority as someone in a superior position.
This was one of the Buddhist martial arts techniques derived from staff training. This method could eliminate distractions, guide one’s true nature, and help individuals face their own hearts directly, removing worldly influences and diminishing desires. Shi Jingzhi, being exceptionally talented and not burdened by inner demons, would naturally find ways to restrain his desires.
That was what Yin Ci originally thought.
As the saying goes, even the wisest can make mistakes. Shi Jingzhi indeed revealed his true nature.
However, this nature was like a collapsing mountain and a boiling sea.
The madness beneath the Ghost Tomb that day suddenly magnified a thousandfold. Shi Jingzhi’s momentum surged, nearly devouring Yin Ci’s robust qi.
The force felt like a roaring mountain and a raging tsunami, and a premonition of destruction swept over Yin Ci’s spine like a needle. After a moment of shock, Yin Ci not only didn’t retreat, but his cold blood slowly ignited.
Shi Jingzhi stood still in place with his hands hanging unnaturally. His cotton outer garment had long been blown away by the wind, leaving only a thin gray robe. Now, his robe fluttered in the wind with his ink-black hair, while the butterflies on his head remained eerily motionless.
No fear, no restraint.
The previous trembling Shi Jingzhi seemed like a mere shell. Now, that shell had completely shattered, revealing an overwhelming torrent inside.
Yin Ci had witnessed this madness before.
In the history of Great Yun, there was a notorious tyrant who ruled for only a year. In a short span of a dozen months, that person plunged the world into war, causing the people to suffer. Yin Ci had seen that person riding in a golden chariot. Its golden wheels crushed decaying corpses and scorched the land, grinding countless pleading and cursing hands beneath the rumbling of the wheels.
The tyrant laughed heartily, wearing his yellow robe in the wind.
That young emperor, whose appearance was as divine as an immortal, had lost his sanity and fallen into madness. That madness was like a sticky vortex, engulfing all living beings around him and crushing any resistance.
At that time, Yin Ci descended from the sky and stopped in front of the golden chariot, slashing the tyrant’s throat with his sword. Blood splattered on the golden relief, and as the person died, their face still bore a mad smile, disdainful of the heavens and the earth.
In terms of strength, the tyrant was far inferior to Shi Jingzhi, but their madness was equally terrifying.
However, at this moment, Shi Jingzhi’s madness had no origin and no target; it simply lingered in the air. Yin Ci faced the catastrophic momentum head-on, tearing open a path with his own strength and advancing once again.
He could still continue.
This set of techniques emphasized calming the mind. It was harmless to others, and yet the Greed Butterflies had already shown a negative response. Now that things had come to this point, it would be a waste to give up halfway. It was better to wait until the smoke and dust settled, until the snow melted away, and see what his master would be like.
The scent of the scabbard became stronger as it struck several major acupoints on Shi Jingzhi’s waist, thighs, and the back of his neck. Shi Jingzhi, like a skillfully reacting puppet, adhered smoothly, as if it were an integral part of him. Yin Ci’s strikes broke several of his ribs in succession, leaving behind extensive bruising.
Amidst intense pain, Yin Ci’s voice didn’t tremble. “All gods become one, winds calm, rain stills.”
Shi Jingzhi’s momentum grew even stronger, but his aura was like a fire without a source, burning and dispersing in an even more peculiar manner. His hands seemed guided by a divine will, and although he had lost his inner force, each move seemed to resonate with the heavens and the earth.
Relying on the flow of energy, Yin Ci narrowly evaded, with the wind blades causing a few lacerations on his side.
Perhaps due to the inability to see, there was a fleeting moment where Shi Jingzhi seemed to merge with the heavens and the earth.
Yin Ci didn’t cease his movements. If confronting the opponent head-on was futile, then he would use softness to overcome hardness. He tried to soften his actions, transforming the sharp hostility into a gentle drizzle, so as not to further agitate the irrational Shi Jingzhi.
“Ask the heavens, ask oneself, but don’t ask the world.”
The scented scabbard struck again. This time, targeting the upper arm, chest, forehead, and lower back. The movements became increasingly gentle, akin to the touch between lovers.
Shi Jingzhi attacked while retreating, as if something within him struggled and resisted the process of “clearing the mind”. Unfortunately, Yin Ci’s headlamp presence was like a mountain, leaving Shi Jingzhi with no room to retreat. As soon as he collided with that immense inner demon, he was bound in place by countless shadowy hands.
“Sweep away the dust and let the myriad of thoughts be calm.”
With the completion of Yin Ci’s response, Shi Jingzhi’s momentum instantly froze.
The dancing butterflies fluttered away from his head, revealing a teary eye. Yin Ci couldn’t see this sight, but the overwhelming sorrow and confusion replaced the oppressive aura, dispersing with the scattering butterflies, pricking his skin like needles.
Shi Jingzhi finally broke free.
However, desires gathered and dreams shattered. The intensity of his longing was matched by the weight of despair.
And Yin Ci was most familiar with this despair. Withdrawing the scabbard, he unilaterally altered the final step of the technique—
Instead of issuing a forceful command, Yin Ci grabbed Shi Jingzhi’s hand and pulled him directly into his embrace.
“Shh.” He coaxed like one would comfort a child. “Don’t think about anything. It’s all over.”
Shi Jingzhi closed his eyes, and the waves of emotions finally receded, leaving behind a heart full of ruins.
Initially hindered in his steps, Shi Jingzhi felt angry—countless desires wrapped around him like cocoons. All fears and anxieties were shut out, and he didn’t want to move at all, only wanting to continue forward in that ease.
He had never felt so at peace since birth.
Why disturb him?
Wasn’t he deserving of this moment of tranquility?
“Converge your desires, calm your mind. Let true qi flow slowly. All gods become one, winds calm, rain stills.”
Someone unknown employed a demonic technique, gradually peeling away layer after layer of his desires. In that fleeting moment, Shi Jingzhi wished to destroy the heavens and the earth, to kill every living creature that took breath, just to have a moment of quiet around him.
…But why could he hear these things?
The familiar headache resurfaced, and within the colorful illusions, a red leaf drifted slowly.
Compared to the overly vibrant colors, that red leaf appeared dull. It was like a sharp blade, slicing through his heart.
[Little brat, coming to a place like this. Are you seeking death?]
Shi Jingzhi saw a person dressed in black—a figure with disheveled ink-black hair and half-unfastened black clothing. Leaning against a giant tiger demon, he appeared relaxed, reclining with several empty wine jars strewn haphazardly. The tiger demon had its six eyes closed, peacefully napping on the ground. The person and the tiger leaned against a massive maple tree, surrounded by scattered white bones stained with fresh blood.
It was deep autumn, and the ground was covered in red leaves. Bathed in the lingering rays of the setting sun, the entire world seemed to radiate.
In his memories, Shi Jingzhi couldn’t clearly see the person’s face, but he remembered the scent of blood-soaked alcohol emanating from him.
Just the recollection of this scene caused his head to ache unbearably.
It felt as if countless voices were questioning him. What do you seek in life? If you seek to live, what is it that you seek in the remaining years?
This person intruded into his mind without reason, undoubtedly connected in countless ways to his “wish”. Shi Jingzhi thought dazedly as his ears were filled with the vibrations of fluttering butterfly wings.
…No, wasn’t what he wanted was to “live”? Where did all these messy thoughts come from?
[Converge your desires, calm your mind. Let true qi flow slowly. All gods become one, winds calm, rain stills… Kid, don’t think about it too much. Just focus on this mantra. Don’t keep nibbling on your fingers. If you’re left with all sorts of scars, the girls won’t like you in the future.]
In the next fragmented scene, he was embraced by that person. The person’s voice merged into a jumble, but it undeniably carried a hint of laughter.
However, he only remembered the warmth of the person’s chest and busied himself catching the red leaves before him, with the words entering one ear and leaving the other.
Perhaps that was the most at ease moment in his life.
But did such a moment truly exist? Why had he never remembered it before?
As various desires were slowly extracted, Shi Jingzhi felt as if he stood exposed in the frigid, snowy landscape, gradually becoming panicked. His headache worsened, seemingly determined to prevent him from seeing what remained—
His most persistent and profound true self.
In his memories, the person extended their arm, catching a red leaf floating in the air and handing it to him.
[Stop grabbing aimlessly. Take it.]
There was no hunger in his stomach, and all he saw was a brilliant golden red. The young him was held tenderly in someone’s arms, seemingly seeing the world clearly for the first time.
The red leaves fluttered like butterflies, and the stream sparkled with golden light. There were no curious or hostile eyes around; only a warm breeze and an endless sense of security from behind. That person gazed at him with utmost sincerity, eyes filled with laughter. Shi Jingzhi played with the red leaf for a while, then released it, watching it soar with the wind, resembling a cluster of burning flames.
It was as if, in that moment, he was truly born into the world.
Only at that moment, it seemed like he didn’t want anything anymore… For over twenty years, was his sole desire really just to “live”?
[Ask the heavens, ask oneself, but don’t ask the world. Sweep away the dust and let the myriad of thoughts be calm. Remember it well, Little Mute. If you bite your fingers again, I’ll hit you every time I see it.]
At that time, he still couldn’t escape from his abnormal desires. Whenever he unconsciously bit his fingers or suppressed his desires, that person would lift him up, pull his hand out of his mouth, and repeat the mantra… Although the person had made many threats, they had never truly hit him.
How could he have forgotten?
“Ask the heavens, ask oneself, but don’t ask the world. Sweep away the dust and let the myriad of thoughts be calm.”
The outside voices became clearer.
Yes, this splendid dream was ultimately just a dream. Stepping out of the cocoon of desires, he still had to face the nearing end of his life and the suffocating reality.
But he had no choice but to move forward. He didn’t have time to escape anymore.
Shi Jingzhi sobbed and finally broke free from that gentle dream. His head throbbed, and his heart felt like it was going to burst. Just as he was about to collapse, he fell into a warm embrace.
The blurry memories seemed to find a fulcrum and abruptly pierced into reality.
“…A’Ci.” He instinctively clung tightly to the person in his arms.
Where did you learn your mantra? Who are you, really?
And who am I?
Shi Jingzhi had a thousand words to ask, but the intense pain in his head almost drove him crazy. So he could only hold onto his disciple tightly, like a drowning person clinging to the last piece of driftwood, gasping for breath.
Truly, all thoughts were in despair, with only a flickering flame of his true intentions remaining.
Shi Jingzhi had a few remaining butterflies scattered over his head, but there were hardly any left. Looking at the mess on the ground, Shi Jingzhi was left with an emptiness akin to being drained. He struggled to lift his eyes and looked at Yin Ci’s face.
That face remained calm and undisturbed, the ink-black pupils still without focus, but there was a hint of concealed concern.
Unlike before, a Greed Butterfly landed on the tip of Yin Ci’s hair and quietly folded its wings.
Not far away.
“Is… Is everything alright now?” Yan Qing, who hadn’t been affected much by the Greed Butterflies, felt a bit dizzy and disoriented. However, when faced with the extraordinary pressure emanating from the disciple of the Kushan Sect, he immediately snapped out of it.
Under the oppressive forces, Yan Qing’s whole body turned cold, and his knees went weak like melting sugar. He couldn’t even stand properly.
As for Shi Jingzhi, that could be expected, but Yin Ci had just turned twenty, right? Had he spent too much time in the Taiheng Sect, leading to unnecessary misunderstandings about the martial world?
Normally, at a time like this, Su Si would be bouncing around, telling him they couldn’t stay in the Kushan Sect. After going through all of this, Yan Qing missed his friend’s noisy presence a bit. At least it could bring him some sense of reality.
However, Su Si’s face was solemn, his brow furrowed.
His condition wasn’t much better than Yan Qing’s. He was half-kneeling on the ground, in a slightly more dignified posture. Su Si didn’t rush to persuade Yan Qing. Instead, his gaze was fixed on Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci, murmuring to himself.
“Why…” He looked at the shaky light behind Shi Jingzhi with an expression that had never been so serious before. “Why is there an Immortal Sect ban on Sect Leader Shi?”
“A’Si, what are you talking about?”
“…It’s nothing. Maybe I saw it wrong.”
Kinky Thoughts:
I love this chapter.
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