Chapter 23: CH 23

Translator: transcendentwings

Editor: teaff 

CW/TW

. . . What was he hiding?

Oh, that’d be plenty.

For example, the original owner was dead, or that he was a fake, or how he was still planning on trying to make a deal with Meng Chongguang to return to the real world and reunite with his father and little sister. 

It was likely that if he came clean about any one of those things, it may make Meng Chongguang smack him so deeply into the ground that he couldn’t even be dug out.

Now that this question was smashed straight into Xu Xingzhi’s face by Meng Chongguang, his heart beat loudly with a thump, and then fell heavily.

He forced a smile and asked: “Why did you ask?”

Meng Chongguang stared at Xu Xingzhi until his scalp turned numb, then he petulantly tossed Xu Xingzhi’s wrist aside in a fit of anger, his words also gave off a sense of distance: “Since Shixiong doesn’t want to tell me, then Chongguang just won’t bother asking. Return to the tower and gather your things, we’ll set out immediately.”

Xu Xingzhi: “. . .”

After he returned to the room according to Meng Chongguang’s orders, Xu Xingzhi sat on the bed in a daze.

He didn’t really have anything to pack, after all none of the things in the tower around him truly belonged to him. He only emblematically held the folded fan that original owner named “Xianbi” and toyed with it.

Meng Chongguang’s furious look just now really made one feel like they were on pins and needles. However, just based on Meng Chongguang’s attitude, it didn’t seem as if he discovered any of the extensive secrets that Xu Xingzhi tried so hard to hide, rather it seemed more like he was throwing a tantrum. 

Thinking back on it, when did Meng Chongguang’s attitude change?

Xu Xingzhi recalled that the color of his face seemed to have changed after he felt his pulse. As a result, he copied Meng Chongguang’s actions and took the pulse of his own right hand with his left, trying to figure out what was wrong.

After reading his pulse for a long while, Xu Xingzhi was finally able to come to a conclusion.

—Due to his recent excessive anxiety, tendency to overthink, and irascibility, he needed to take food supplements on top of medicinal ones and pay more attention to his overall well-being. 

He didn’t manage to actually find anything and felt depressed as he shook his left hand in anger. He naturally reached out for the folded-fan that he had set aside and considered drinking some water by the tableside to calm himself down a bit.

In the next moment, Xu Xingzhi’s left hand that held the fan was suddenly weighed down.

He lowered his head to take a look and found that the handle of the fan in his hand had turned into the handle of a finely painted porcelain teapot.

In addition to the round teapot, there was one large cup and two small cups neatly arranged on the bed. 

Xu Xingzhi: . . . Oho.

He had only seen the fan change shape in his memories, and this was the first time he saw its transformation with his own eyes.

Xu Xingzhi rocked the teapot and discovered that it was full. He tried pouring a cup and brought it to his lips to take a sip.

The taste of the water was very light and sweet, he only had a small sip yet felt very refreshed. 

Xu Xingzhi thought optimistically, well, even if Meng Chongguang discovers his true identity in the future and abandons him in the wasteland, at least he can fill himself up with water.

He picked up the teapot and started to study it meticulously.

If he remembered correctly, the thought of “wanting to drink water” had only just flashed through his mind when the folded fan morphed into a teapot.

Xu Xingzhi held his breath and concentrated, recalling the scythe that the original owner had used to split the mountain during that battle in his distant memories. 

The folded fan didn’t move and was motionless as if it was dead.

Xu Xingzhi reconsidered and settled for the best alternative as he tried to imagine the Yuchang Blade.

The folded fan remained indifferent and stayed as it was.

After a round of fanciful thoughts, Xu Xingzhi was sure that apart from this tea set, he could only transform the folded fan into a bundle of rope, a roll of silk brocade, a pot of old wine, and a feather duster. 

Ktf ofjatfg verafg mbeiv yf erfv ab wjlcajlc mifjcilcfrr, jr obg atf gbqf jcv ygbmjvf bo rlix, tf afwqbgjglis mbeivc’a atlcx bo jcs batfg erfr batfg atjc atf mbcnfclfcmf bo yflcu jyif ab tjcu bcfrfio ja j mglalmji wbwfca.

. . . Let me at least have a small knife for self-defense ah.

Meii bo wfijcmtbis ogbw atfrf atbeutar, We Wlcuhtl qbegfv tlwrfio j ijguf meq bo klcf ab gfilfnf tlr wlrfgs.

After downing it in one go, Xu Xingzhi started to study the cup in the palm of his hand. 

He was originally a mortal and didn’t understand the complicated method cultivators used to adjust the meridians and circulate qi, but at the very least, he was certain that someone who had their roots stripped and was emptied of their spiritual power could never have been able to change the shape of the folded fan like this.

He still remembered the time he had initially entered the savage wasteland when Zhou Beinan suspected that he was a reanimated corpse and swore that no one who had their roots removed would’ve been able to survive.

At that time, Xu Xingzhi used a string of vague excuses and was barely able to prevaricate in the past. Besides, Meng Chongguang also vouched for himself, observing that there was no fluctuation of spiritual power in his body, so Xu Xingzhi didn’t ponder over its authenticity at all.

However as far as the current situation was concerned, after Meng Chongguang cast a spiritual stone rain, causing the spiritual energy to scatter everywhere, this body was affected and actually recovered some spiritual energy due to some miraculous fluke? 

This was indeed a wonderful thing, but it also made Xu Xingzhi increasingly suspicious.

. . . For the first time, he truly started to doubt the words of “the Worlds’ Consciousness”.

According to “the Worlds’ Consciousness”, Meng Chongguang, along with Zhou Beinan and the others colluded together nefariously to steal the divine artifacts and kill his master, a group of extremely vicious and sinister villains. The original owner, Xu Xingzhi, deeply harmed by these events and stigmatized by his master’s murder, was purged of his roots due to incompetent guidance of juniors and died tragically in the mortal realm.

This was a story that was justifiable, but now, a contradiction had silently revealed itself. 

—The body “the Worlds’ Consciousness” gave him, was not actually one that had been deprived of its roots, but more like one that someone had sealed the spiritual power within.

Once this loophole was discovered, the words of “the Worlds’ Consciousness” were no longer believable.

If the original owner was framed for such crimes, how could the sect let him off so easily, letting him leave after just simply sealing his spiritual power?

And since the original owner wasn’t actually without his roots, why did he die? 

Or rather, did the original owner actually pass away?

In the midst of these miscellaneous conjectures, Xu Xingzhi was suddenly hit with an epiphany.

—”The Worlds’ Consciousness” deliberately provided him with an irrefutable reason to strike from the start.

On one hand, there was a deep grudge between Meng Chongguang and the original owner; on the other hand, he who took over the original owner’s body was eager to return home. These two reasons augmented each other, thus the act of killing Meng Chongguang himself simply became a foregone-conclusion. 

Considering this point, Xu Xingzhi abruptly felt a biting chill shoot down his spine.

However, no matter how much he speculated, they were still only speculations, and couldn’t be considered solidly.

Xu Xingzhi carefully pinned the dagger “the Worlds’ Consciousness” gave him to his waist, but he no longer had the intention of using it to kill Meng Chongguang for the time being.

Grasping the folded fan that had returned to its original state, Xu Xingzhi took note of Meng Chongguang with several glances as he joined the group before the tower. 

Meng Chongguang’s expression was cold and distant as he fixed his gaze straight ahead. He ordered Qu Chi to bring up the rear while he covered the front, distancing himself far away from Xu Xingzhi.

Zhou Wang carried her dual blades on her back, her hands hidden in her sleeves as she followed Xu Xingzhi. Her eyes wandered between the two, then she lowered her voice to ask Xu Xingzhi: “Did you quarrel with Meng-dage?”

Xu Xingzhi smiled bitterly.

. . . Come to think of it, it’s no wonder Meng Chongguang was displeased. 

From Meng Chongguang’s point of view, Xu Xingzhi hadn’t had his roots stripped and his spiritual power still existed, but he pretended to lack the power to even truss a chicken. It seemed obvious that he didn’t trust him enough, and refused to tell the truth. Then even after this secret was revealed, Xu Xingzhi still tried to fool him and was still unwilling to fess up.

. . . It would be stranger if Meng Chongguang’s fragile glass heart could withstand such a blow.

However, Xu Xingzhi himself was also pretty wronged.

He really didn’t know that his roots weren’t removed beforehand, so he never intended to deceive him. Besides, the spiritual power he was able to mobilize was pitifully thin. With petty little tricks like turning into a pot of wine and into a feather duster, no one would give him money even if he performed them in the streets. 

Xu Xingzhi answered Zhou Wang in a whisper: “He’s throwing a tantrum ne.”

Zhou Wang commented curiously: “Yi, I’ve never seen Meng-dage become angry ne.”

Xu Xingzhi was a little surprised. In his opinion, with Meng Chongguang’s personality of making trouble without reason, throwing a little tantrum would be as frequent as eating and drinking: “Has no one ever made him angry?”

Zhou Wang stated: “. . . Those who made Meng-dage angry are all dead ya.” 

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Xu Xingzhi: “. . .” . . . Suddenly terrified.

Not long after the group departed from the tower, dozens of dense black spots appeared on the vast plains of the savage wasteland.

As they approached the tower, the black dots gradually revealed their human silhouettes.

The one in the lead was Wen Xuechen. Thirteen years have passed and his face was still handsome and cold while his bearing was still confident and graceful. Compared with thirteen years ago, the only change was his now completely snow-colored hair. 

More than a dozen disciples followed behind him and wore varying robes belonging to the four sects.

The tower was empty and no one came out to meet them in battle.

Wen Xuechen seemed to have no intention of going in at all.

He parked his wheelchair dozens of meters away from the tower, bent down, and scooped up a large handful of the stardust shards from the ground that had been drained of all its spiritual energy and muttered to himself: “. . . I clearly told him before, Meng Chongguang wouldn’t leave Xu Xingzhi here, but he insisted on having me take a look. He really is overly petulant.” 

He lifted the handful of bits of sand casually then turned his wheelchair around to leave.

A disciple dressed in Danyang Peak robes called out to him: “Wen-shixiong, are we not going to check it out a little more? Perhaps they are huddled in the tower like turtles ne.”

“There is no flow of spiritual power here.” Wen Xuechen stated indifferently, “There is someone in the tower, but not one of them. It’s just a cripple with a broken spine, there’s no need to enter and waste our time.”

Another disciple, who wore a navy blue robe with golden gilding on the shoulders and judging by the robes, was a Yingtianchuan disciple whose position was many leagues away from Wen Xuechen, asked doubtfully: “Really? Since there is no one, why not go in to take a look?” 

Wen Xuechen lifted his head and proclaimed: “That’s courting death.”

That disciple smiled strangely: “Wen Xuechen, you wouldn’t still be holding onto your past relationships with these rebellious people, right?”

“Relationships with whom?” Wen Xuechen countered.

Before the disciple could say another word, Wen Xuechen rested his elbow on the armrest of his wheelchair and waved at him casually like he was shooing away flies. 

This slap seemed to have landed in empty air and dissipated, but in an instant, the person who had just uttered wild accusations at Wen Xuechen was knocked to the ground by some mysterious force, his cheeks swollen, blood flowing from his ears and nose.

Wen Xuechen’s tone was as frigid as ice: “Were you talking to me?”

After throwing this sentence down, he manipulated his wheelchair and left: “If you aren’t afraid of death, just go in. If you want to live, follow me.”

Two Qingliang Valley disciples exchanged looks and hurriedly followed, while dozens of others stayed where they were, unconvinced by Wen Xuecheng’s words. 

The Yingtianchuan disciple took a long time before recovering and spitting out a bloody tooth: “F*ck! That pretty boy!”

Another disciple with the same robes as him supported him up from the ground: “Why argue at all? After all, he was one of the four direct chief disciples back then.”

“Pei!” The Yingtianchuan disciple snorted in disdain, “If he really was that powerful, then why is he not listed on the Heavenly Rankings?”

Someone who had inside information answered: “At that time, Xu Xingzhi and Qu Chi were tied with each other; and although Zhou Beinan’s spear skills weren’t as good as his younger sister Zhou Xian’s, but he was still considered a master in that regard; then because of Wen Xuechen’s severe heart disease, he couldn’t withstand the compact ten days of continuous duels and gave up voluntarily, rejecting participation in the rankings.” 

The Yingtianchuan disciple sneered: “With all that said, he just loves to put on airs and proclaim to be a hero in front of us. He really believes that he’s some sort of thing that was worth putting on a pedestal.”

As he blabbered, he waved his arm: “Let’s go, go in. I’m doubtful of his alarmist rhetoric. Even if they fled at a moment’s notice, it’ll be good enough for us to at least demolish this tower and it’ll be something that we can report to the [tnc content=”master of the mountain”] aka Jiu Zhideng[/tn] at the very least.”

With the silver spear in his hand, he took the lead in approaching the tower. The group of people thought that what he said was reasonable and followed him one after another.

As they shortened the distance, the stardust of spiritual stones on the ground that seemed to be like ordinary sand and gravel began to float tremulously. 

A gust of wind formed along the flat ground and the layer of stardust rose and scattered all over the leading Yingtianchuan disciple’s face.

He was force fed a mouthful of wind and sand and couldn’t help but feel suffocated. He spat out the sand and gravel from his mouth, but realized that it seemed like it was glued to the inside of his mouth and he couldn’t spit it out no matter how hard he tried.

While he was stunned, he suddenly saw the sand rise off the ground and hualala pour down on him from his head. He frantically used the spear to block it horizontally and slashed away a layer of sand. Squinting his eyes, he tried to take a look and was horrified to find that every single grain available encased his spear.

In an instant, the silver spear made a kaka sound under the corrosion of sand and stone and started to shorten inch by inch, melting until it gradually disappeared. 

Seeing that his hand was about to be corroded as well, the Yingtianchuan disciple barked in fear and tossed the silver spear to the ground. Yet in the next second, he tore at the skin on his face in agony instead, howling like a pig.

Within moments, he was completely silenced, eaten away by the sand until only his clothes remained.

After the wind and sand subsided, the set of clothing collapsed onto the ground before the tower.

The wind brought the disciple’s torturous screams into the ears of the two Qingliang Valley disciples who had escaped from death. They were numb all over from the successive screams and hurried forward as if they were flying, but they still couldn’t outrun the speed of the current of sand. 

When they were about to be devoured by the sandstorm, Wen Xuechen, who was slowly moving his wheelchair forward, raised an arm and a jade-green glowing wheel flew out of his sleeve. The light of an eight trigram talisman shone through and shrouded the three of them within it.

The torrential sands violently struck outside of it, but weren’t allowed to enter. The offensive strike then rapidly subsided and sprinkled onto the ground.

The two disciples shifted their gaze in the direction of the tower with lingering fears, only seeing the hair crowns and clothing cast all over the ground. How would they dare to go back and collect the pieces for the burial of the dead?

Wen Xuechen placed the wheel back into his sleeve. His complexion did not look good. 

The formation just now made him overuse his energy and a sickly pale blue color tinged his lips as the color drained from them as well, his breathing also became more hurried.

Like the two Qingliang Valley disciples, he turned his gaze towards the tower and fell into a daze.

No one knew what he was thinking of at the moment.

With Tao Xiao and himself acting as a burden, the group naturally couldn’t move forward using their spiritual weapons; Tao Xian was weak, so Qu Chi carried him the entire way, thus they couldn’t walk fast either. 

After walking and stopping intermittently for half a day, Xu Xingzhi still hadn’t spoken a word to Meng Chongguang.

Xu Xingzhi could see that Meng Chonggung was having a hard time enduring it and had secretly turned his head to look at himself several times, but after he was caught by him, he’d hastily turn back around and bite his lip in grievance.

When everyone was resting by a creek, he sat farthest away in solitude, refusing to drink even a sip of water. He had the words “come quickly and coax me” written all over his body in big, bold letters.

Xu Xingzhi originally wanted to transform the fan into a kettle and pour him a cup of water to wheedle him, but when he remembered that the others present were under the impression that his roots had been stripped, if he utilized his spiritual power so casually and had to spend the effort to give an explanation, it really would be too troublesome. 

He had no choice but to obediently take a cowhide water flask to the stream to draw water.

Noticing Xu Xingzhi’s movements, Meng Chongguang already couldn’t hold back any longer. His face was full of joy as he hugged his knees and obediently waited to be cajoled.

Zhou Wang took full view of all of this and went to Zhou Beinan to report her findings: “Uncle, Xu-shixiong watched Meng-dage the entire way ai.”

Zhou Beinan: “Shh, don’t look at those two cut-sleeves, you’ll develop a stye in your eyes.” 

Zhou Wang, who had already learned what a “cut-sleeve” was after repeatedly pestering the Bone Maiden Yuan Ruzhou, covered her mouth to snicker.

However, before the merriment on her face could fade, she heard the sound of something falling into the water from the direction of the stream.

Qu Chi was crouching by the stream and washing his face properly when he suddenly heard the sound of something falling into the water. He didn’t wait to completely raise his head and exclaimed in alarm, his face dripping with water: “Tao Xian! Was it Tao Xian who fell into the water?”

Tao Xian, who was only a sixth of a meter away, didn’t know if he should laugh or cry: “Qu-shixiong, I’m here ne.” 

Lu Yujiu put down his pot of water: “Who fell into the water?” He looked around, “Where’s Xu-shixiong?”

“Who else would there be besides him?” Zhou Beinan looked towards the place Xu Xingzhi had just been, “. . . Wei, Xu Xingzhi, the water isn’t even knee-deep ne, what are you playing dead for?”

However, no one responded back except for the ripples of water spreading out in circles.

Yuan Ruzhou, who was picking fruit from the wild fruit tree nearby, furrowed her brow: “. . . Where is Shixiong?” 

Without waiting for the others to pick up on the abnormality, Meng Chongguang had already rushed to the side of the stream. After sweeping his gaze all over, his voice trembled as his tone changed: “. . . Shixiong? . . . Shixiong!!”

The knee-deep stream quickly returned to tranquility, even the ripples disappeared without a trace.

. . . But where could even a trace of Xu Xingzhi still be found?

The author has something to say:

Chongguang: One Shixiong with one mouth, two eyes and two legs, jumped into the water with a putong~

Shixiong: . . . mdzz.

Author's Chapter Summary: 

Peeved, misgivings, sandstorms.

The translator has something to say: the plot thickens. . . And sorry for the cliffhanger!

The editor has something to say: Will Xu Xingzhi one day gain all his spiritual energy back?

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