Chapter 8: 8

The abnormality of the sky shook the entirety of the cultivation world.

Countless cultivators emerged from their homes to take a look at the bizarre phenomenon. With an ever-changing myriad of expressions on their faces, they fervently discussed the matter.

“This aura seems to be fluctuating between the Nascent Soul and the Soul Formation Realms. Someone’s trying to break through to the latter.”

“Is it a rogue cultivator1Cultivators not attached to any sect or is it someone from one of the immortal sects? There are many immortal sects south of here, Qingling Sect amongst them. Could it be someone from Qingling Sect?”

“Although there are many Nascent Soul cultivators in Qingling Sect, there are few who are approaching the Soul Formation Realm. Only the two immortals and a few elders are coming close.”

“I hope it’s Master Su and pray for the heavens to take notice. It is truly rare to find a cultivator as kind-hearted as him in this world.”

“Immortal Ling Hua is the one closest to the Soul Formation Realm. It’s probably him.”

“Have you all forgotten about the one who entered the Sifang Pool earlier today? He was once acknowledged as the son of the heavens.2Referring to someone “blessed” by the heavens with extraordinary abilities If not for his injuries, he would’ve long entered the Soul Formation Realm.”

“That’s not good. Wouldn’t he become even more unscrupulous and shameless in his actions?”

“You’ve got a point. He’ll probably be up to no good again.”

Shen Liuxiang turned his head and sneezed, then wrapped the ill-fitting brocade robe tighter around himself.

On the opposite side, Ling Hua clenched his hand into a fist and pressed it hard against his lips, surveying him up and down.

Shen Liuxiang sat cross-legged on a chair, his tender white feet exposed to the air as no shoes of his size could be found.

The delicate and pretty little face was wrinkled slightly, looking very unhappy.

Finally, Ling Hua couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

“Hahahahaha!”

Raucous laughter sounded from the room.

Ling Jinye had just arrived and was stunned silly upon hearing the noise. Seeing Zhou Xuanlan turn around to leave, Jinye hurriedly stopped him and asked, “Was my Shizun’s laughing acupoint poked?”

After speaking, Ling Jinye took in Zhou Xuanlan’s appearance and his eyes widened slightly.

Zhou Xuanlan was dressed in his customary black robes. However, two dirty spots, both in the shape of a child’s footprint, could be seen on both sides of his belt. Furthermore, his robes were terribly wrinkled, as if they’d been pulled at with great force.

Ling Jinye looked around. “Did you pick up someone’s child?”

“No,” Zhou Xuanlan replied in a brusque manner and left. Ling Jinye could see at a glance that his fellow disciple was in a bad mood.

He told Ling Mushan, who followed closely behind, about the matter. “That footprint seemed to belong to a child younger than four years old. Since when did Qingling Sect have such a small child?”

The two stood outside the door and heard the laughter in the room gradually fade away.

Ling Mushan stared at the closed door. “Immortal Hua seems elated. Martial Uncle must have entered the Soul Formation Realm.”

“Of course; why else would Shizun laugh to such a degree?,” Ling Jinye said. “You haven’t yet answered me. Where did the little kid come from? Xuanlan’s expression was so disgruntled.”

Ling Mushan thought for a moment, then smiled like a fox. “Who knows? Maybe the kid popped out of nowhere.”

“Have you laughed enough?”

With a despondent expression on his face, Shen Liuxiang grabbed the voice transmission device that was bigger than his face, his cheeks puffed up from anger. “Have you laughed enough? If you have, please help me contact Senior Brother.”

Shrinking in size had never been mentioned in the novel.

Shen Liuxiang was bewildered.

“Alright, alright,” Ling Hua agreed and extended a hand. However, what he reached for was not the voice transmission device, but the top of Shen Liuxiang’s head.

His five fingers tousled the soft fine hair. “Oh my, this texture. I could touch it all night.”

Shen Liuxiang stood up from the chair and raised his foot, intending to kick someone.

“Okay okay, I’ll stop fooling around.” Ling Hua restrained his smile and cast a spell, a blue light flashing in the room thereafter.

The next moment, a soothing male voice sounded from the device. It was extremely gentle—just like a warm spring breeze that caressed one’s heart.

“I’m here, what’s the matter?”

Ling Hua immediately said, “Sect Master, Liuxiang has entered the Soul Formation Realm.”

“I’m aware,” the man replied evenly, his speech neither fast nor slow. “Are there any issues?”

Ling Hua was about to answer when a tender voice cut in and was transmitted through the device, “Senior brother, I’ve shrunk, what should I do?”

There was a long silence on the other side.

When Ling Ye spoke again, a hint of a smile could be detected in his words, “How small?”

Shen Liuxiang frowned. “About three years old.”

“This ought to be an aftereffect of the demon poison in your body.” Ling Ye pondered for a moment and slowly continued, “The demon poison restrains the movement of your spiritual power. Your spiritual powers must’ve gone out of control due to your breakthrough—causing the demon poison within your body to erupt and your body to shrink.”

Shen Liuxiang gritted his teeth. “What kind of demon poison is it?”

“I do not know. Yours is a unique case that has never been seen before.”

Shen Liuxiang sensed the slight heaviness of Ling Ye’s tone and sullenly replied, “Will I be unable to change back?”

Am I going to remain in the form of a child forever?3Raws: 天山童姥, a reference to a character from the novel 天龙八部 (Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils). She was already 96 years old when she first appeared in the story, but outwardly still resembled an eight or nine-year-old child.

Despair.jpg.

“Since the cause is your spiritual power going out of control, all you have to do is slowly manipulate the spiritual power in your body to suppress the demon poison once more.”

Shen Liuxiang’s eyes widened. A pale face leaned towards the voice transmission device, so close it almost touched it. “Senior brother, please elaborate further.”

“Practice diligently.” After these two words were spoken, the glow of the voice transmission device dimmed.

“Hey, Senior Brother called you lazy.” Ling Hua took the sound transmission device and gloated at Shen Liuxiang’s misfortune.

“Who asked you to chase after Ye Bingran’s tail 4Raws: “Chase after Ye Bingran’s butt” for the past ten years and disregard your cultivation? Have you realised your mistakes?”

Shen Liuxiang pouted. “This gentleman5SLX is referring to himself is going to sleep now.”

“Eh, now you’ve gone all grumpy,” Ling Hua said, grinning from ear to ear. “But your grumpy look is pretty cute too.”

Shen Liuxiang grabbed a teacup and wordlessly hurled it over. Ling Hua caught it off-handedly and safely placed it back on the table. “Alright, I won’t bother you any longer. How do you plan on dealing with the two disciples from Sword Sect?”

Resting his cheek on one hand, Shen Liuxiang replied, “Just let them go.”

“You’re pretty kind.” Ling Hua closed the door and left.

Holding on to the armrest, Shen Liuxiang slowly climbed down from his seat and pulled out a black cloth bag from the pile of clothes. The corners of his mouth lifted as he scrutinised it.

This was, without a doubt, the Star Cluster bag.

Those two disciples had brought him a treasure.

Putting away his prize, Shen Liuxiang repositioned a low stool and stepped on it. With both hands braced against the edge of the bed, he gathered all his strength and flipped himself onto it with an “oomph”.

Shen Liuxiang rubbed his eyes, wrapped the quilt around him, and combed through his memory.

In the book, he was unequivocally a villain who would make things difficult for Su Baiche both openly and secretly. Again and again, Shen Liuxiang would put him in life-or-death situations—only to get caught up in his own ploys and suffer double the losses.6Raws: Lose one’s wife and one’s troops. Means to suffer heavy losses when trying to take advantage of someone/something.

Towards the latter half of the novel, Su Baiche’s followers were all powerful beyond measure. Shen Liuxiang should have become cannon fodder long ago, but his identity as the son of the Lord of the Imperial Palace kept him alive until almost the end of the novel. Finally, in that large battle between humans and demons, he lost his life in the process of saving Ye Bingran.

Even after going to such extremes, Shen Liuxiang was unable to move Ye Bingran’s heart. In spite of all he’d done, that person had still immediately turned away to hug Su Baiche.

Unfortunately for him, Ye Bingran was on the losing side as well.

Not only him, but all the supporting male leads had lost. Only one person stood glorious in the end, the winner who obtained both the beauty, and the power to rule the world along the way—Zhou Xuanlan.

Respected forevermore, Zhou Xuanlan became an existence with great renown, surpassing even that of the Imperial Palace’s.

No way!

Shen Liuxiang tugged at the sheets.

He didn’t even want to be a villain, let alone a cannon fodder.

In the past, he’d repressed himself in all sorts of ways for the sake of his public persona. Now, all he wanted was to live happily without worries in this world—carefree till the end!

The prodigal son Shen Liuxiang’s first step towards his goal?

Cover himself with the quilt and sleep.

Curling up into a ball of glutinous rice, Shen Liuxiang instantly started lightly snoring away.

He slept till the next afternoon. Shen Liuxiang woke up to the smell of chicken drumsticks; it was an extensive display of how sensitive a cultivator’s five senses could be.

Ling Hua had tasked his disciples to head out for some children’s clothes. At Shen Liuxiang’s behest, he’d also asked them to make a clean sweep of the restaurants’ dishes.

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Before Ling Hua even reached the door, Shen Liuxiang’s head was already poking out. Black and bright eyes peeked from within.

The peach blossom trees were blooming abundantly this year. Ling Hua was busy picking flowers to make wine and left not long after delivering the items.

Before leaving, Ling Hua ordered Shen Liuxiang not to expose his identity. Qingling Sect gaining another Soul Formation cultivator was big news, and other immortal sects would definitely send people to inquire about it. If his current state were to be discovered, it would undoubtedly cause waves.

Shen Liuxiang took a bite of a chicken drumstick and nodded in agreement.

Having been chastised by Ling Ye to cultivate more, Shen Liuxiang took his words to heart. He’d planned to practise his techniques after eating his fill and getting drunk, 7Slight pun. 吃饱喝足 is a commonly used Chinese phrase meaning ‘eating and drinking one’s fill’. However, perhaps to better emphasize SLX’s… slacker personality, the author has used 吃饱喝醉 (eating one’s fill and getting drunk) instead. but his mind drew a blank. He could barely recall a few basic techniques.

Shen Liuxiang reluctantly picked up the return jade and summoned his almighty disciple.

A flash of blue light later, a wooden log as tall as a man appeared in the room with a jade tied around it. A few words were engraved upon the wood—Shizun, refrain from disturbing me.

Shen Liuxiang was dumbfounded.

The Zhou Xuanlan at this point in time should still be an obedient kid who was cold on the outside and warm-hearted on the inside. Why was he suddenly going against his Shizun?

“Eh, I guess he’s at his rebellious age now.”

At a remote area of Qingling Sect, ripples appeared on the water surface. In the middle of a pond, a tall man was bound by eight dark iron chains8The author has not specified what spells have been cast upon the chains or how the chains have been treated/forged. Please just assume that these chains are somehow capable of binding people with high cultivation.. A harsh expression could be seen on his face and he exuded killing intent.

“You again? Scram!” An iron chain slid across the ground, making a sharp screeching sound.

Su Baiche, dressed in snow-white robes, turned a deaf ear to that furious yell. His fingers plucked at the strings of his zither9A stringed Chinese instrument. Commonly seen in Chinese dramas set in ancient times. If you’ve watched Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Lan Wangji uses this as a weapon. unhurriedly, producing a gentle, melodious tune that echoed in the otherwise silent place.

A continuous stream of music drifted into Ao Yue’s ears.

The savage look in his eyes gradually dissipated. After a long while, he snorted coldly, “Don’t even think about gaining my favour with your little tricks. It’s useless.”

Su Baiche raised his eyes and smiled lightly. “All I hope to do is resolve a small portion of the hatred you hold in your heart.”

“Dream on!” Ao Yue’s expression suddenly changed and he viciously spat out, “Ling Ye has imprisoned me here. I must kill that man! Not only him—none in Qingling Sect will escape from my grasp once I’ve broken free of these chains!”

Su Baiche sighed, rose to his feet and picked up the zither. “If that’s the case, then I have nothing more to say.”

Ao Yue was momentarily stunned. With a complicated expression on his face, he asked, “Will you come tomorrow?”

Being trapped here had gnawed away at his rationality and he was on the verge of insanity. The human currently standing in front of him was the only one who would visit him daily, play the zither for him and talk to him.

“Of course.” Su Baiche laughed lightly.

To Ao Yue, that smile was as beautiful as a blooming flower, alluring and moving beyond measure. “Ao Yue, there will definitely come a day whereby I have fully resolved the resentment in your heart. At that time, I’ll show you the world in a new light.”

This human was calling his name.

It sounded so nice.

“Ao~Ao~Ao~” Excited, Ao Yue10嗷 is onomatopoeia for the sound of wolf howls in Chinese. 敖 is the character for “Ao” in Ao Yue. Though they’re different characters, they’re pronounced the same way. It’s the author’s pun on his identity as a dog demon xD shifted back into his original form and howled happily at the Su Baiche who was leaving.

Su Baiche hid the disgust in his eyes and left with a flick of his sleeves.

The scorching sunlight fell on Ao Yue’s body and he lay on the ground once more, closing his eyes in boredom.

Too quiet. It was so uncomfortable.

At this moment, the rustling sound of the bushes broke the silence. Ao Yue’s ears perked up and his green eyes widened.

A little boy in a blue robe emerged from the wild greenery with two leaves stuck on his head. He peered at Ao Yue curiously.

Shen Liuxiang was stunned.

This dog looked extremely majestic. It could probably kill him with a single swipe of its paw.

Was this the legendary Heavenly Dog?!

Though he was shocked, Shen Liuxiang did not forget to offer greeting gifts. He reached into his sleeves, stepped on the rocks emerging from above the water and walked towards Ao Yue.

Ao Yue coldly watched him.

Hmph. A little brat like this was so weak that he couldn’t even be bothered to lift his eyelids.

Out of the entire Qingling Sect, only that little rascal Ling Ye was able to barely take him in a fight. Even in the entire cultivation world, there were only a few who had the ability to trade blows with him.

He was a Heavenly Dog—a descendant of the primordial demonic beings and a powerhouse in the demon clan, with thousands of dog demons under his command!

Once he escaped, he would definitely drench the cultivation world in the blood of slaughter and clear every obstacle in his way…

“Tut tut tut.”

In his heart, Ao Yue had already eradicated the human race. However, at this moment, a strange sound entered his ear.

Ao Yue was silent for a while and looked towards the child standing not far away. The other party pursed his lips and made a tutting sound once more.

Ao Yue tilted his head. He couldn’t believe it.

What was this kid doing… Teasing a dog? Bastard!!

Before he could roar, a golden and fragrant object was thrown in the air, making a perfect arc before landing right in front of him.

Ao Yue took a closer look and his eyes turned red with anger.

A chicken drumstick?!

This ignorant child! How dare he humiliate him with food as vulgar and inferior as chicken drumsticks?! Never had Ao Yue been humiliated to this extent in all his long years of life!

And it was a human child to boot! Disgraceful! Simply disgraceful!!

He had never been so shamed!!!

“Quickly eat it, it’s delicious.” Shen Liuxiang squatted on the ground and smiled very kindly.

Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Dog rushed towards him as if he’d gone crazy.

Uncaring of the dark iron chains keeping him tightly bound, Ao Yue pounced at Shen Liuxiang with all the strength he could muster, baring his teeth and growling ferociously as if he wanted to tear the boy in front of him to shreds right that instant.

“A chicken leg can make you so excited?”

Shen Liuxiang grinned and took out what he’d saved earlier. Taking a bite of the still-warm chicken drumstick, he continued teasing, “Tut tut tut, be good, I’ll throw you a bone later.”

A bone?

He was being treated like a house pet? Was the child insane?!

“AO AO AO AO AO!!” Ao Yue was beyond furious and thunderous roars escaped his throat. He was so enraged he turned back into his human form.

With blood-red eyes and a crimson mark faintly glowing in the middle of his forehead, Ao Yue shouted, “Ignorant child, I dare you to take a step forward!”

Shen Liuxiang blinked. “You take a step first.”

Was he mocking him about being trapped here, unable to move even half a step forward?

Ao Yue’s whole body started shaking. Unprecedented wrath filled his heart and his hatred for the blue-robed child in front of him far surpassed his hatred for any other human being.

“I, Ao Yue, hereby swear: If I don’t tear you to pieces, I will never call myself a human!11Reference to the phrase “兽人永不为奴” from World of Warcraft, translated literally to “The beast people will never be enslaved!” I believe the line in english is “We will never be slaves.”

Shen Liuxiang was stunned and swallowed his last mouthful of meat.

“You are a Heavenly Dog, you’ve never been a human… Forget it, I won’t argue with you. This bone is for you, you must be starving.”

After saying this, Shen Liuxiang threw the bones over, patted the dust off his buttocks and walked away.

The next instant, Ao Yue’s thunderous roar resounded through the sky above Qingling Sect. Not knowing what had caused his sudden fury, the disciples in the sect felt anxiety and fear creep upon them.

1

Cultivators not attached to any sect

2

Referring to someone “blessed” by the heavens with extraordinary abilities

3

Raws: 天山童姥, a reference to a character from the novel 天龙八部 (Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils). She was already 96 years old when she first appeared in the story, but outwardly still resembled an eight or nine-year-old child.

4

Raws: “Chase after Ye Bingran’s butt”

5

SLX is referring to himself

6

Raws: Lose one’s wife and one’s troops. Means to suffer heavy losses when trying to take advantage of someone/something.

7

Slight pun. 吃饱喝足 is a commonly used Chinese phrase meaning ‘eating and drinking one’s fill’. However, perhaps to better emphasize SLX’s… slacker personality, the author has used 吃饱喝醉 (eating one’s fill and getting drunk) instead.

8

The author has not specified what spells have been cast upon the chains or how the chains have been treated/forged. Please just assume that these chains are somehow capable of binding people with high cultivation.

9

A stringed Chinese instrument. Commonly seen in Chinese dramas set in ancient times. If you’ve watched Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Lan Wangji uses this as a weapon.

10

嗷 is onomatopoeia for the sound of wolf howls in Chinese. 敖 is the character for “Ao” in Ao Yue. Though they’re different characters, they’re pronounced the same way. It’s the author’s pun on his identity as a dog demon xD

11

Reference to the phrase “兽人永不为奴” from World of Warcraft, translated literally to “The beast people will never be enslaved!” I believe the line in english is “We will never be slaves.”

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