Chapter 8: Past Years — The Once Best Friend
The calf-high Three-Tailed Demon Fox held the Water Spirit Pearl in its mouth, staring at him warily with wild, vertical pupils.
Perhaps sensing no pressure of a powerhouse from him, the wariness in its eyes vanished. With a flick of its three snowy-white tails behind it, scorching hot flames suddenly erupted around its body, tongues of fire licking straight toward Su Huan.
Su Huan stood motionless. A glint of cold light unsheathed in his hand, and the Three-Tailed Demon Fox, comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage, had its throat slit by a single sword strike. It fell stiffly to the ground, the greed in its eyes not even fully fading before death.
The Spirit Pearl held in the fox’s mouth rolled out, gurgle-gurgle, landing by his feet.
The bloody water seeping into the Spirit Pearl stained the tender green grass buds. Though cracked, it still dutifully emitted a cool and clear water spiritual energy.
Su Huan’s gaze swept over the trace of blood, and the expression in his eyes went blank for a moment. He sheathed his sword, took out a handkerchief, and wrapped the pearl up.
“Fellow Daoist Su, did you find traces of the Demon Race?” Nangong Yi asked.
Su Huan shook his head, mentioning absolutely nothing of the discord between him and the owner of the Spirit Pearl. He only said, “No, I just happened to come across… something lost by an old acquaintance.”
Although they were no longer friends, he hadn’t forgotten the kindness the other had once shown him. Perhaps it was just a casual act for the other party, but for him, it was a life-saving grace he would never forget, not to mention that the other had told him the method to revive Little Zhao.
So, for now, calling him an old acquaintance would do.
It was just that this old acquaintance might be in danger right now.
Su Huan’s grip on his sword tightened, his heart torn with indecision.
Yue Jiusi flew leisurely in the sky, hands resting behind his head. “If you ask me, we should just set off a firework spell to tell everyone and be done with it. Tracking here and there is really troublesome.”
Nangong Yi was evidently accustomed to his personality and said helplessly, “No. If we alert the enemy, the loss will outweigh the gain.”
They didn’t know how the opponent had snuck in. To be safe, apart from the three of them, this matter absolutely could not be leaked to anyone else.
Hearing this, Su Huan couldn’t help but look up at the cloudy sky overhead.
Above the clouds, a gigantic golden spiritual scroll floated in the distance, unfurled. On it, golden hooks and iron strokes wrote the names of all the trial disciples, followed by their constantly changing scores, with the rankings fluctuating accordingly. This was the ranking board for the elders outside to see.
Although one couldn’t slaughter competitors indiscriminately, life and death were not forbidden.
This was the Immortal Sect.
Cultivators both comply with the Heavenly Dao and act against the Heavens. To struggle with the Heavens is endless joy; to struggle with the Earth is endless joy; to struggle with people is endless joy.
A place like the Immortal Sect was both a sanctuary and a colosseum.
In the flash of a thought, the ranking on the spiritual scroll changed abruptly.
A name suddenly shot straight up into the clouds, firmly occupying the first-place position.
The instant he saw it clearly, Su Huan’s pupils contracted unconsciously, and he clenched the Spirit Pearl tightly.
Perhaps the change in his expression was too obvious, prompting Yue Jiusi beside him to look curiously as well, reading it aloud—
“Xiao, Jian, Ming.”
“Isn’t this that Heavenly Spirit Root genius from your sect? I heard he was ordered by the Sword Venerable to preside over this Immortal Alliance Conference; why did he come to participate in the trial too?”
Before Su Huan could speak, Yue Jiusi had a sudden realization and said incredulously, “Oh, you Xuanji Sect people are shameless! As one of the Four Great Immortal Sects, you’re openly cheating!”
Nangong Yi was also somewhat surprised, but upon hearing this, he said with some amusement, “Although Fellow Daoist Xiao is already a Nascent Soul, he is still within the ten-year limit for Golden Core disciples.”
Yue Jiusi found it hard to believe. “Hah? Does that mean he formed a Golden Core in just ten years and even advanced to Nascent Soul?! Is… is… is he even human?!”
Otherwise, how could he be called a genius even among geniuses?
However, other sects also had such geniuses among geniuses. Just from what Su Huan knew, there were two.
One belonged to the Myriad Manifestations Sect, and the other was right beside him.
Sure enough, Nangong Yi chuckled lightly. “Why are you so surprised? Your Young Sect Master isn’t bad either.”
Yue Jiusi scratched his head with a silly smile for a moment, agreeing, “True. So what if he’s a Nascent Soul? In my heart, the Young Sect Master is the most powerful!”
Nangong Yi shook his head with a laugh, scolding him for flattering.
Yue Jiusi hurriedly said, “What flattery? These represent my sincere thoughts, just speaking the truth.”
Saying this, he suddenly had a brainwave. “Hey, isn’t this perfect? We don’t know if other people are demons who snuck in or moles, but this person is Su Huan’s fellow disciple and so powerful; he’s someone we can trust! Let’s ask him to join us in killing the demon. That way, we won’t alert the enemy, and we’ll gain a fierce general…”
Su Huan blurted out subconsciously, “No.”
Slaying the demon might affect the trial score ranking; he couldn’t let Xiao Jianming get involved.
Perhaps his refusal was a bit too swift, causing both disciples from the Sword Cleansing Sect to turn and look at him simultaneously. Yue Jiusi asked in confusion, “Why not? Could it be you have some unknown deep grudge against him?”
Seeing Su Huan’s good looks, he raised an eyebrow with a roguish smile and teased, “Or were you two old lovers who see red when you meet after a bad breakup?”
With every sentence he spoke, Su Huan’s body stiffened a bit more. Fortunately, Yue Jiusi was careless and couldn’t see anything wrong with him.
Su Huan lowered his eyes and said, “The Secret Realm has restrictions by law; the three of us are enough.” Not wanting to say too much, he found an excuse to gloss over it. “Dashixiong… his score is already high enough.”
Yue Jiusi didn’t believe it at all and wanted to dig deeper, but Nangong Yi seemed to notice his discomfort and stopped him in time: “Jiusi, this is Fellow Daoist Su’s private matter.”
“Since Fellow Daoist Su is unwilling, then let it be.” Nangong Yi looked at Su Huan and smiled slightly. “Let’s go; finding the tracks of that Demon is the priority.”
He didn’t distance himself due to the narrow-mindedness Su Huan had displayed.
Su Huan couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He didn’t know how to explain the complicated relationship between him and Xiao Jianming to the two of them.
Could he say that Fellow Daoist Yue was right, and then tell others that he broke ties with this genius because he couldn’t bear the humiliation?
But who would believe that this bright and moon-like Dashixiong privately wanted to make him a forbidden plaything?
Anyway, they would only think he was crazy.
However, the person Su Huan didn’t want to find just happened to run into the three of them.
Nangong Yi’s compass was a product crafted three hundred years ago by the head of the Nangong family—the number one family of the weapon-refining sanctuary, Liujin Continent—specifically targeting the Demon Race’s smuggling incidents. It was extremely sensitive to demonic energy. If the captured demonic energy had been emitted within the last three days, it would definitely be able to track the Demon’s trail.
However, this time the compass didn’t seem to work well. The direction it finally pointed to was actually… Xiao Jianming’s location.
Xiao Jianming had just killed a wolf demon half the height of a mountain and was leisurely wiping the blood from his sword. After hearing the three’s explanation, he lifted his eyelids and scoffed, “So, do you think I’m a Demon, or a mole?”
Stared at directly, Su Huan couldn’t help but shiver.
Yue Jiusi was also dumbfounded, firmly believing: “It must be a problem with the compass!”
The Chief Disciple of every sect held the same status as a Young Sect Master, being the designated heir of each Immortal Sect Master. The Chief Disciple of the Xuanji Sect was not only the most powerful disciple in the entire sect but also had to walk the Path of Questioning Immortals on the main peak, Yuxiao Peak.
The Path of Questioning Immortals was an ancient relic left from antiquity. Legend had it that it was created in grief and indignation by an Immortal Lord who had been bewitched by the Demon Race into causing the death of a close friend. It was composed entirely of nine hundred and ninety-nine bluestone steps. If one’s karma was tainted by even a fraction of involvement with the Demon Race, they could not walk the complete Path of Questioning Hearts.
If even the Chief Disciple of the Xuanji Sect, the designated future Sect Master, had become a mole for the Demon Race, wouldn’t the entire Immortal Realm be done for?
Su Huan also didn’t believe he could be a mole, simply because Xiao Jianming had once said his family died because of the Demon Race.
Xiao Jianming valued emotions heavily, even to an extreme degree, and would absolutely never wish to be associated with the executioners who killed his family.
Nangong Yi frowned slightly, looking at Xiao Jianming. After hesitating for a moment, he put away the compass and bowed gently with cupped hands. “Presumably, the compass erred due to lack of maintenance over the years. We apologize profusely for disturbing Fellow Daoist Xiao’s hunt.”
After saying that, just as he was about to turn and go elsewhere, Xiao Jianming called out to the three of them: “Wait.”
He said with a smile, “Since I already know about this matter, I should join you in capturing the Demon. How could there be any reason to leave it be?”
Casually flourishing a sword flower, Xiao Jianming’s gaze swept over a certain someone whose body stiffened. Then, glancing at the famous Nangong Yi, he was happy to display his special treatment of Su Huan in front of outsiders to reduce the obstacles that might hinder his plan.
Hearing this, Su Huan froze entirely. At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind him: “Even if it’s for Junior Brother Su’s sake, I cannot sit idly by.”
“Junior Brother, don’t you agree?”
An arm slowly draped over his shoulder, followed by a voice transmission in his mind—
“With me here, you won’t get first place at all. It’s not too late to regret now.”
“As long as you agree to my conditions, I will leave the Glazed Immortal Grass to you. How about it?”
Su Huan: “…” He knew it.
This lunatic was getting crazier.
One moment ignoring him with extreme coldness, the next leaning in with smiling eyes as if nothing had happened, speaking threatening words unchanged for years. His laughter and anger followed his whims entirely.
Clearly, five years ago, the other party wasn’t this crazy.
Five years ago.
Su Huan dragged his heavy steps, burying Little Zhao beside that ancient, dilapidated wooden hut.
Xiao Jianming had left and returned, seemingly still angry with him, watching coldly as he weeded, dug the earth, and waited for him to place the child’s body into the pit.
However, Su Huan had no mood to pay attention to him, his eyes reddening unconsciously.
After his brother died, he couldn’t even set up a tombstone or a coffin. No one would sell a coffin for a child who died prematurely, saying it would offend the ancestors and was unlucky.
But Su Huan couldn’t bear to let Little Zhao sleep in the cold ground, so he carved a “door” leading to the surface for him. Worried that insects would eat away at Little Zhao’s body, he used his sword to carve out a “home.”
Xiao Jianming stood aside holding his sword. Not knowing what he thought of, his expression looked less angry. He even spoke to comfort him: “Stop crying. When the Immortal Alliance Conference comes, you can revive him.”
Su Huan was stunned and couldn’t help asking, “Can that Glazed Immortal Grass… truly bring the dead back to life?”
Xiao Jianming smiled and replied, “Of course. You are my best friend in the sect; would I lie to you?”
He even took Su Huan to the highest floor of the Library Pavilion, entering the confidential inner chamber accessible only to the Sect Master and the Sect Master’s heir. He personally dug out the jade slip inscribed with that secret technique and handed it to Su Huan.
His face was full of a helpless smile: “I told you, you are my best friend.”
Best friend.
Su Huan couldn’t help but tear up. He hurriedly turned his back, trying his best to keep the sobbing tone out of his voice as he whispered, “Mn, you are too.”
His heart felt warm.
He thought that from now on, besides Little Zhao, Dashixiong was his closest family in this world.
Little did he know, hearing his words, a smile that could be called malicious appeared on the face of the person behind him.
Author’s Note:
Note [1]: This sentence adapts a line from our respected great man’s Four-Character Poem: Struggle. The original line is: “To struggle with the Heavens is endless joy; to struggle with the Earth is endless joy; to struggle with people is endless joy.”
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