Chapter 679: Qi Zhengyan’s Honesty
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Four-elegance Mountain, with its steep but not rugged terrain, beautiful scenery, and bubbling spring, was not only as gentle as River East but also as precipitous as Huan Province.
ng Qi was a bit overwheld by his worries. Once again, he ca to the gate of Huanhua Swords Sect, stating his visit to the guarding disciple.
“Young Master Su, Senior Brother Qi left just yesterday. What a pity!” The guarding disciple dared not offend him when he saw it was the “Killing Blade” Su ng.
He quietly looked at the famous young master and found him quite similar to what he had imagined—not that offensive, unruly and vigorously spirited, but more sophisticated, like a piece of white jade that made him comfortable.
ng Qi’s heart thumped as he thought. “Senior Brother Qi left again as soon as he ca back. Did he really encounter sothing?”
“Junior Brother, do you know where he went?” ng Qi asked.
The guarding disciple was flattered and surprised when he saw Su ng actively show friendliness. He quickly said, “I am flattered to be called like this, Senior Brother Su. Senior Brother Qi is said to have gone to Yedu.”
“Yedu?” ng Qi saluted the disciple in farewell. He then turned around, took several steps, and then flew into the air, heading toward the local governnt in Huan Province, Zhou County in Jun City, Yedu!
...
Yedu, the county office of Six Fan School, office of Silvery Badge Arresters.
ng Qi couldn’t locate Qi Zhengyan through Jade Virtual Divination, and experts of the Exterior of the Huanhua Swords Sect who were in charge of Yedu hadn’t seen him either. ng Qi, therefore, planned to find him via the intelligence system of the Six Fan School.
“Relax. As long as we find news, we will inform you,” said Kong Yu, previously a Green Ribbon Arrester, now a Silvery Badge Arrester. He was an acquaintance of ng Qi and he spoke with a smile. “After several years, you have already passed the first Celestial Ladder and have beco a Purple Ribbon. Your strength, realm and official position are all above mine. Alas!”
“Purple Ribbon?” ng Qi asked.
Kong Yu seed confounded for a while, and then he said, “You haven’t been to the contact location of Six Fan School yet? After you successfully passed the first Celestial Ladder, Luoyang headquarters promoted you to Purple Ribbon Arrester. If it weren’t because you have not finished any task within these past few years, you would have been promoted to the Gold Badge.”
“How much has the salary increased?” ng Qi went directly for the most important part.
Kong Yu replied with a smile. “You can exchange for almost three great exotic minerals and produce each year.”
He knew that when ng Qi got to the level of the Exterior, what mattered most were exotic minerals and produce, not money.
“Not bad.” ng Qi smiled. Together with the money he had saved, he should be able to ask for five exotic minerals and produce from Six Fan School after a year. It was indeed the imperial court that was in charge of half of the world and had a sound foundation. In order to draw him over, they spent nearly 20 or 30 percent of Ancestor Zhang Yuanshan’s wages on him who hadn’t achieved anything!
After so small talk, Kong Yu saw ng Qi to the door, treating him courteously as if he was a guest.
ng Qi had barely stepped out of the gate when he felt sothing that made him stop in his tracks.
At this mont, a black carriage covered with a thick felt carpet drove out from a nearby alley and stopped right in front of ng Qi. The charioteer was a man with a hump, but his breath was long and calm, his flesh and blood contained terrible power. He was an outstanding expert!
“Who will recruit an expert as a charioteer?”
Suddenly, ng Qi sohow rembered Gu Xiaosang. The first ti they t each other, her charioteer had been an Exterior expert!
The door of the carriage slowly creaked open. ng Qi’s perception that had been isolated now spread.
The decoration inside was simple and quaint. In the center of the carriage was a square table with a full cup of tea on top. A person sat upright on the left, dressed in a blue robe, with his hands on his knees and no expression on his face, calm and restrained—it was Qi Zhengyan.
“Senior Brother Qi...” ng Qi frowned doubtfully. He stepped up and entered the carriage, and sat opposite Qi Zhengyan.
The door was closed quietly. The charioteer raised his whip and drove the carriage to the end of the street.
Qi Zhengyan’s pupils were black and glossy like two dark gems. His eyes were particularly dark like an ocean undisturbed by blowing winds and waves.
His calm and steady breath did not escape ng Qi’s eyes, but he kept his mouth closed and showed no emotion.
The weird and unbreakably silent atmosphere pervaded the carriage. ng Qi had no idea what to say.
They went along in silence. The clacking of the wheel against the stone floor echoed, as did the noise of the pedestrians outside.
The carriage drove out of the gate and went up along Yeshui, slowly carrying them away from the chaos of the world, leaving only the sound of rushing water.
“Whack!”
As the whip crunched, the brown horses pulling the cart ca to a halt. A slight ripple appeared in the tea on top of the table.
Qi Zhengyan silently stood up and opened the door. A broad, wavy river unfolded in front of him. It was clear but not transparent, like ti that was quickly passing by.
He slowly walked toward the shore, with the wind whipping his blue gown. Subconsciously, ng Qi was in a low mood. He followed Qi Zhengayan and left the carriage, walking behind him. The charioteer, actually a Peerless Master Pro, silently drove away from them.
Qi Zhengyan turned around with his hands clasped behind his back, his hair fluttering in the wind. He finally spoke, calm as usual.
“I knew you would co and find .”
ng Qi stopped ten paces away from him and took a gentle breath. He said, “I was worried there was sothing you cannot tell us.”
Qi Zhengyan, still without expression, said, “I did hide sothing from you. Every ti, I had concealed my strength and made the task more difficult without anyone noticing. If we did not have enough Karma points or preparation, soone would have died already. Therefore, I will leave the team once we finish this Death Task.”
“Leave the team? Senior Brother Qi, what does it matter if the adventures improved our strength anyway? I’ve almost passed the five-fold Heaven and I am the one who should be blad for the changes in the tasks. Why do you feel guilty?” ng Qi asked.
Qi Zhengyan’s mouth curled and smiled a once in a blue moon smile with unknown aning.
“It would be fine if it were a fair adventure.”
Just as he finished speaking, foul winds suddenly began to blow. So red dots flew out from Qi Zhengyan’s body and blended into the foul winds to beco a Dharma Form. It was about 70 percent similar to Qi Zhengyan, with a human head, a dragon’s body, and six arms.
If that was all, ng Qi wouldn’t be surprised, but the Dharma Form reflected crimson which made him feel unspeakable mystery and familiarity. The six arms either caused destruction or massacre, or held blood, or coagulate filth, either held an icy flower or coagulate evil fire.
Although it had no intention of degeneration, it still felt creepy.
“This... This is the Blood Shadow inside the shard of Celestial Court!” ng Qi blurted out. It suddenly occurred to ng Qi and reminded him of that familiarity. That was exactly the Blood Shadow that secretly killed the monsters inside the shard of Celestial Court!
Qi Zhengyan didn’t answer. The terrifying Dharma Form seed filled with tyrannical blood as it stepped forward and united with him. It shrank into a point and integrated a crimson blot in his mid-brows in the form of a half-moon-shaped Lotus Petal. Qi Zhengyan’s breath soared as if about to pass the level four-fold Heaven. His blue gown fluttered, but this ti he was more strong than calm.
When ng Qi saw the blot, pictures suddenly erged in his mind, and he couldn’t help exclaiming.
“The Lord!”
Yes, that was the image of Devil Lord that they had once seen. It wasn’t like a mber of the Human tribe but had three heads and six arms. Its most obvious characteristic was that evil blot on its mid-brow, which though different from Qi Zhengyan’s in color, shape, and position, the sense was almost the sa!
“No wonder in the past the Devil Lord would say ‘you’re late’, rather than disappearing imdiately...” ng Qi thought.
“However, I was with Gu Xiaosang at that ti. Why did he say ‘you’re late’ instead of ‘you two are late’?”
He struggled to calm his tempestuous heart and stared blankly at Qi Zhengyan, not knowing what to say.
“Senior Brother Qi received the impartation of the Devil Lord?”
Qi Zhengyan calmly said, “Most of the strength, secrets, and acknowledgnt of evil spirits are hidden in their flesh and blood. Sotis a drop of blood or a part of the body would contain incredible power.”
ng Qi recalled the “Blood of the Evil Saint” that he once got. He did not doubt this.
“When I was in the Devil Tomb, I accidentally stepped into the lake which was ford by the blood of Devil Lord in order to avoid danger. My body got soaked in blood and was secretly remodeled, and I got skill impartation and the experience of Devil Lord from it.” Qi Zhengyan’s eyes were still dark and emotionless as if he was talking about things that had happened to sobody else. ” Initially, I refused and thought I should be on the right side, unwilling to fall and associate with evil. However, when I was in Holy Mountain without any help, I asked myself whether I could resign myself to such a fate.
“I was unwilling to. I had struggled to remold myself from an unnoticed disciple who couldn’t get impartation of advanced skills, only possessing ordinary body potentials, to one who had a chance to beco an expert of the Exterior. I was unwilling to die in such desperate circumstances.
“Whether it was destiny or God’s arrangent, I was unwilling to accept it.
“So I chose to rge the blood of Devil Lord and inherited his skills, experience, and will.”
Qi ZHengyan spoke calmly, flatly describing things that were actually shocking.
“No wonder Senior Brother Qi covered his eyes when he entered the palace where the bluish white lamp was located...” So subtle details occurred to ng Qi when he thought this.
“Details reveal everything!”
ng Qi took a deep breath and said: ” Senior Brother Qi, possessing evil skills has nothing to do with the moral integrity of a person. If you still think you should be on the right side, it doesn’t matter even if you inherited evil skills as long as you use them for good!”
Qi Zhengyan silently stared at ng Qi for a mont before speaking again.
“I have already suffered Qi-deviancy Derangent.”
ng Qi’s heart sank. Before he could persuade him, he saw Qi Zhengyan beco solemn and start speaking.
“From my point view, evil spirits have good or bad effects. So evils violate nature, so evils massacre. The only thing they have in common is that both are unacceptable to God and the public.”
He stepped forward, looked at ng Qi seriously and said,
“My body potentials were ordinary, so I did not receive advanced skills nor enough training materials from our sect. If I hadn’t encountered the adventure, my whole life I would have watched other people standing out while I achieved nothing.
“Even if I had striven to improve myself, how effective would I have been? The way forward was already full of outstanding masters with strong parents. How many people are desperate to practice a skill but are unable to?
“They told that outstanding body potentials were bestowed by God and the strength of their parents accumulated over the years. That is called destiny. But I don’t accept this theory.
“I don’t envy them. I just want an opportunity for everyone to share the sa skill, and then persistent persons go upward and lazy persons are knocked out!
“If it was destiny set by the gods, then I would fight all the way to the heavens! If it was my fate, then I would change my karma!”
Qi Zhengyan finally showed so emotion. He looked at ng Qi’s eyes and asked.
“Junior Brother ng, these are my evil thoughts. What are the kind thoughts in your heart?”
“These are my evil thoughts. What are the kind thoughts in your heart...” ng Qi blankly thought about this and couldn’t say a single word.
Suddenly, he burst out laughing, stepped forward, and patted Qi Zhengyan’s shoulder. Then he spoke.
“These were your evil thoughts?
“There is nothing to worry about. Do I look like a pedantic person? As long as you don’t do evil things that violate your morality, we are still good brothers and allies!”
ng Qi appeared relaxed as he looked at Qi Zhengyan’s eyes and tried to resolve the estrangent with a few laughs.
Qi Zhengyan kept silent. After a long ti, he smiled happily.
“Junior Brother ng, I know that you are not a pedantic person, but the road that I have chosen is dood to be hostile to sects and families. If everyone gets the chance to receive advanced skills, as Heaven’s movent is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive along. Those gentlen would be a threat to them fundantally.
“Your master is a Shaolin monk, your Junior Brother is a rising star in the Shaolin Temple, your family is an aristocratic family, you are friends with the heir of Sword Washing Pavilion and the legal wife’s daughter of Langya Ruan. Will you give them up?
“I was born to an underprivileged family, so there are few things that I can hold on to. I can even exchange skills of sects to the Six Taoist. It is exactly because I have few things that I can hold in my hand that when I et them, I am particularly stubborn and won’t give up until I die. Maybe this is the only glory that can shine in my humble life!”
ng Qi watched Qi Zhengyan’s mouth opening and closing, and his mind suddenly beca chaotic.
Qi Zhengyan’s expression beca calm again as he said, “I don’t want to cheat you anymore, so I’m not joining The Immortals.”
“Senior Brother Qi...” ng Qi opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything.
Qi ZHengyan presented a smile again, his voice was a bit dull.
“Junior Brother ng, birds of different feathers do not flock together.”
He then turned around and left by stepping on the water, his gown fluttering. He had been aboveboard and didn’t worry about ng Qi’s removal of evil spirits. The only sound left echoed to the shore:
“Birds of different feathers do not flock together.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)