Chapter 4: 4

Content warnings: Slight gore

At the summit of the Cliff of Rebirth, a cultivator dressed in white was surrounded by seven or eight disciples.

A small sparrow was cupped in his hands. His eyes were lowered and his gaze, unbeknownst to him, contained a trace of tenderness. 

His hands carefully encircled the little sparrow jumping about in the centre of his palms, as if what he had in his hands was a priceless treasure instead.

“It was bitten by a vicious dog that day and did not seem to have any chance at survival.”

The cultivator in snow-white robes had soft, gentle features and skin as pale as snow. Turning his head towards the nearest disciple, he continued, “Yet life is like so—tenacious and stubborn.”

His voice was soothing like slow-flowing spring water. Every word plucked at one’s heartstrings. The disciple who had a short dagger fastened to his waist couldn’t help but blush.

“Master1 Su’s words are right!”

“Master Su is still so beautiful and kind.”

“It’s always been like this. Sometimes, I hope that Master Su can be a little more selfish and bad; This way, he wouldn’t be bullied all the time by others anymore.”

“Are you talking about that person from Dawn Cloud Peak?”

“I didn’t say so! Anyway, Master Su sustained injuries to his dantian while saving the disciples in the sect and is struggling to advance in his cultivation. Us Qingling Sect disciples must treat him well, unlike that ungrateful rascal!”

Shen Liuxiang looked at the infuriated disciple who had spittle flying from his mouth and felt the urge to step forward.

Eh.

I’m standing right here, how could you not notice me?

“You guys, come here,” Ling Yue spoke, his tone neither light nor heavy.

However, the disciples instantly trembled when they heard it. A long moment later, they stiffly turned their necks and looked towards Shen Liuxiang and his group.

This look nearly brought the disciples to their knees.

Fuck. They had to call everyone here their daddy!2

Ling Yue punished the disciple for his crime of spouting nonsense about an Immortal. When that was done, he turned around, only to find Shen Liuxiang looking at him with great interest.

Ling Yue’s eyebrows immediately furrowed. 

“Don’t misunderstand. They made a mistake there.”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t misunderstand,” Shen Liuxiang responded. Raising his hands in a shrugging motion3, he said, “I’m sure you’re only punishing them because of their mistake.”4

Ling Yue froze. His face quickly turned green from anger.

At their side, Ling Hua was resisting the urge to laugh.

He’d never seen Ling Yue with such an aggrieved look before. In the past, despite being his junior, Ling Hua always had to flatter and coax Ling Yue excessively. 

After he was done laughing, Ling Hua stepped up as a mediator. 

“Alright alright, stop teasing Ling Yue. You might end up suffering a few extra hours in the Sifang Blood Pool.”

“Liuxiang, how are you?”

After setting the bird free, Su Baiche walked over with a worried look on his face and lightly held on to Shen Liuxiang’s hand.

“Why did you steal the forbidden technique? This is a serious crime. Is there some other reason for your actions that you cannot say?”

Up close, Su Baiche looked even more captivating. He had a clear and pure beauty. His light teal eyes were filled with worry and distress.

Shen Liuxiang nearly lost himself while looking at that face.

Su Baiche was truly beautiful.

His looks were outstanding. Few in the world could compare.

Shen Liuxiang finally understood why the Su Baiche in the novel seemed to be a walking aphrodisiac.

This face, this figure—A soft, gentle beauty like this—

Any man would want to protect Su Baiche in his arms and coax him all day long, okay?!

Seeing the two of them together, Ling Hua started to worry.

The last time Su Baiche was so close to Shen Liuxiang, he was directly slapped in public. Fortunately, their audience was small, else the matter would’ve gotten much larger.

Now, every single disciple in the sect was present. If Shen Liuxiang were to act in the same manner, he would probably cause a public outcry.

Ling Hua hurriedly stretched out his hand, wanting to separate the two.

Yet, at this time, he saw Shen Liuxiang flip his palm and take Su Baiche’s hand in his.

With a soft, mellow tone, he said, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t let blood splash on you.”

“Eh?”

Ling Hua’s hand froze in midair.

The others were also dazed. Only Ye Bingran stared at the clasped hands of the two and furrowed his brows.

Su Baiche was stunned.

This was far from what he had imagined.

Before he could get his thoughts straight, his chin was pinched and gently lifted.

Shen Liuxiang’s fingertips landed on the snow-white skin and he started to rub incessantly, unable to stop himself.

With a pained tone, he remarked, “Master Su is such an admirable person, yet he actually worries over me. This Immortal is truly undeserving!”

This hand! This face!

They felt exactly like how the book had described them—as tender and silky as soft tofu! Shen Liuxiang simply could not bear to stop.

Su Baiche cast his gaze down, held Shen Liuxiang’s wrist, and pulled the hand that was taking advantage of him away.

With a false smile, he said, “We are good friends. It’s natural to worry about you.”

His polite words were spoken quickly and spoken well. However, in his heart, he had long wanted to kill this person who always bullied him.

Shen Liuxiang opened his mouth and wanted to speak again, but was stopped by a sudden tug to his waist.

A long silk ribbon that glittered silver was wrapped around him, pulling him away from Su Baiche’s side.

The other end of the long silk ribbon was in Ye Bingran’s hands. He immediately handed it to Ling Yue. “It’s getting late.”

The silver silk ribbon was a renowned artefact—Zhaiyue. 5

Ling Yue did not accept the ribbon. Instead, he simply asked, “Does the Immortal wish to head over by himself? Or should someone ‘invite’ you over?”

Shen Liuxiang tugged at the long ribbon wrapped around his waist and found that he could not pull it off despite its high elasticity.

How magical!

Shen Liuxiang wondered how far the ribbon could stretch.

It was a pity that he did not have the time to act upon his curiosity.

Tamping down his interest, Shen Liuxiang waved his sleeves and strode towards Sifang Blood Pool in large steps.

He brushed past the Sword Venerable’s shoulders. The light breeze lifted his long hair slightly and a faint smile appeared on Shen Liuxiang’s face.

In the novel, Ye Bingran was not a nosy person. Yet this time, he couldn’t wait to get him into the Sifang Blood Pool.

There was only one reason—he’d gotten jealous over the fact that someone had approached Su Baiche.

Ye Bingran truly lived up to his reputation as the Beilun Vinegar King! 6

Shen Liuxiang sighed in his heart.

But to treat him like cannon fodder… Ye Bingran, wash your neck7 and wait for me to settle the score!

The entrance to the Sifang Blood Pool was on a high, spacious platform. One had to climb a long flight of bluestone steps to get to it.

Ling Yue held the scroll containing the Yushen technique in his hands and stood a slight distance away, convicting Shen Liuxiang of his crimes.

He also warned the disciples to never make the same mistake. Listening to the lengthy speech, Shen Liuxiang yawned a few times and nearly fell asleep where he stood. 

He only regained some of his wakefulness when the silver ribbon wrapped around his waist loosened and left.

Shen Liuxiang rubbed at his eyes and stuck his head out to look towards the clearing below. The crowd was slightly alarmed.

Shen Liuxiang suddenly spotted Zhou Xuanlan.

The surrounding disciples were all whispering to each other. Only Zhou Xuanlan had his back straight. His eyes were focused and his gaze did not shift away from them.

His attitude towards the lecture was perfect.

Noticing his gaze, Zhou Xuanlan looked up.

The two of them were separated by a significant distance. However, at this moment, Shen Liuxiang strangely felt as if the other had given him a cold snort.

“?” 

Shen Liuxiang did not understand.

After thinking about it, Shen Liuxiang figured that Zhou Xuanlan was probably worried about the Soul Protecting Robe.

Shen Liuxiang stretched his right pinky towards Zhou Xuanlan and bent it at the knuckle. 8

“What is Martial Uncle doing?” Ling Mushan asked.

He’d noticed Shen Liuxiang when he peeked out from the high platform. He found his Martial Uncle’s gesture of curling his little finger in their direction interesting.

“Is that a secret code between the two of you?”

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“I don’t know,” Zhou Xuanlan retracted his gaze, raised his thin lips and spoke coldly.

“Maybe his fingers are just spasming.”

With a loud bang, the situation at the summit of the cliff abruptly changed.

Shen Liuxiang was the closest to the Sifang Blood Pool. 

In that instant, he felt an overwhelming chill. The entrance to the pool was dimly lit and the pool itself was shrouded in endless darkness. It was simply too creepy.

A loud cry was heard from some unknown corner of the sect. It sounded like a wolf’s howl.

“Awoo~”

The first region in the Sifang Blood Pool was filled with purple lightning.

Shen Liuxiang picked up a pebble by his feet and threw it in, only to see a flash of brilliant purple.

Sizzle—

The stone turned into ash. A puff of green smoke slowly dissipated.

“…” 

Shen Liuxiang wrapped his robe tightly around himself and glanced back.

Ling Yue stood at the entrance. Seeing Shen Liuxiang’s unwillingness to move, he raised his hand with an indifferent look in his eyes.

An irresistible force9 shoved Shen Liuxiang into the lightning field.

Immediately after, Ling Yue closed the entrance and walked away without a single glance back.

Faint yells could be heard from behind. Thinking that they were screams of pain, Ling Yue’s ears twitched slightly and he listened intently for a while.

“Fuck you, Ling Yue!”

“When I come out, I’ll beat you until you call me Grandpa!”

… …

Ling Yue took a deep breath and cast a spell that increased the Sifang Blood Pool’s power.

The summit of the Cliff of Rebirth was filled with dead silence. 

After Shen Liuxiang entered the pool, the disciples started to shiver all over and dared not say a word. 

The pained howls from Ao Yue back then was still a shadow over their hearts despite the passage of time.

Once the Sifang Blood Pool was shut, the outside world would no longer be able to observe the happenings within.

At this moment, all they could see were violet streaks flashing in the sky above the Sifang Blood Pool and the deafening roar of thunder echoing in the clouds.

Everyone was terrified. However, a while later, they vaguely sensed that something was wrong. Something was missing.

“Ao Yue’s wails could be heard through the entire Sect. Yet Im…Immortal Shen isn’t making any noise!”

“That’s right! It’s an enhanced version of heavenly lightning. Even a large, thick-skinned demon like Ao Yue couldn’t stop his pained howls!”

Ling Jinye didn’t know whether it was caused by fear or caused by the cold wind, but his body was trembling all over. 

He stuttered out, “Immortal Shen’s willpower is…is amazing. If I was in his place, I’m afraid my screams would be loud enough to pierce your eardrums.”

He looked at the person next to him and saw him frowning. “Are you worried about Immortal Shen?”

Zhou Xuanlan nodded slightly.

He was worried that… the lightning would be too weak and the Soul Protecting Robe too effective. He was worried that Shizun would have it too easy.

Ling Jinye thought that Zhou Xuanlan, as Shen Liuxiang’s disciple, would definitely not be in a good mood while his Shizun was being punished.

Not wanting to disturb Zhou Xuanlan, he turned his head and made conversation with Ling Mushan instead.

“Did Sect Master say anything after this matter was made known to him?”

“Shizun said that he couldn’t see it clearly, but things are moving in a good direction.”

Ling Mushan squinted slightly. 

“You don’t understand what that means, right? Me neither. However, on my way to the Cliff of Rebirth, I saw and heard some things. I think I can understand Shizun’s words a little now.”

Ling Jinye was stunned and thought for a while. 

“Are you also worried about the Immortal?”

Ling Mushan chuckled lightly and replied, “Martial Uncle is someone blessed by the heavens themselves. There is no need for me to worry. Besides, perhaps Marticle Uncle Shen is strolling around in the Sifang Blood Pool as we speak.”

Achoo!

Shen Liuxiang suddenly sneezed.

Shen Liuxiang’s whole body was immersed in the pool of water. 

This water, according to rumours, was able to dissolve human flesh and bone. 

However, Shen Liuxiang’s body was covered in a mysterious light that protected his body. He was not affected at all and decided to treat the pool as a hot spring.

It just so happened that the water was warm.

Unexpectedly, after soaking for a short time, a rumbling sound was heard from above. A colourful light appeared.

The pool was about to reopen.

Half an hour had passed. Ling Yue was about to let him out.

Shen Liuxuan immediately stood up in the pool with a sloshing sound. The figure reflected in the clear water was unscathed. He could not go out like this—it was too obvious that he’d played a trick.

He pondered for a moment. The cold light of his sword flashed.

Outside, the wind was howling. Dark clouds gathered above the Sifang Blood Pool and snow drifted down.

The blood pool was open again.

Ten thousand people held their breaths. Shen Liuxiang walked out step by step.

Bloodstains bloomed where his feet fell.

His previously white clothes were now dyed red with blood. From a distance, it looked like he was wearing scarlet robes. 

He held a sword in one hand. The tip of the sword dragged against the ground and let out ear-piercing screeches.

Apart from that, there was only dead silence.

Some disciples trembled in their hearts.

Shen Liuxiang had actually walked out on his own two feet! This was unheard of! How high did his cultivation have to be?!

Zhou Xuanlan frowned when he saw Shen Liuxiang’s bloody figure. 

Did the Soul Protecting Robe not live up to its name?

Right as such doubts surfaced, Zhou Xuanlan saw Shen Liuxiang’s face suddenly pale. 

Pwah—

He vomited a mouth of blood. His thin figure swayed and his steps were unsteady. It looked as if he would fall to the ground in the next second.

Ling Hua’s expression changed instantly and he was about to step forward when he was blocked.

“Wait,” Ling Dan said. “Look.”

Above the Sifang Blood Pool, Shen Liuxiang untied the silk ribbon around his hair. The ink-dark hair fell in waves, fluttering in the wind and snow.

He flicked his other hand and a sword array unfurled like a flower.

“Ten years ago, I was rescued by Sword Venerable Ye and have admired him since then. Up till now, I’ve done a lot of absurd things. Now, I’ve finally woken up from my delusions. My dreams in the past are nothing more than absurd fantasies.”

Shen Liuxiang grabbed a lock of hair that was almost long enough to touch the ground. Across the crowd, his phoenix eyes stared straight at Ye Bingran.

“In the future, if I were to entangle with the Sword Venerable again—”

The cold light of his sword flashed.

The red silk tore and fell to the ground together with a lock of dark hair.

“Then let me be cut down like this lock of hair!”

 

TN: That 1 star review on NU was removed!!! Villainous Shizun’s score went up again!!! I’ve been injected with chicken blood, pls accept my humble offering!!!!!!1!

1

Not master like “shizun”, but rather a form of address, such as how SLX is referred to as Immortal, Ye Bingran referred to as Sword Venerable etc.

2

Chinese novels like to use 爸爸/爷/老子 (Daddy/Father, Grandfather, Laozi) to refer to important and powerful characters

3

THIS EMOJI ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

4

Raws: 此地无银三百两, “300 taels of silver are not buried here”. Idiom referencing an old story about how someone buried 300 taels and, hoping to prevent thieves, wrote upon the ground: 300 taels of silver are not buried here. Used to describe how, the more people try to hide something, the more suspicious/likely something is.

5

Literally means “plucking the moon”

6

Beilun – name of his Sect, was mentioned in Ch 3 once or twice. Vinegar – eating vinegar in chinese = feeling jealous

7

Wash it and prepare it for chopping hahahhahahahaha

8

I cannot say for sure, but I’m assuming that SLX is trying to “pinky promise” ZXL that he’ll keep the robe safe

9

Reminder that people will have their cultivation reduced by a lot in the blood pool. That’s why SLX can’t resist LY even though SLX’s cultivation is above his

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