Chapter 34

Holy hell, he’s here!

Shen Qingqiu’s mind seemed to boil over in an instant, burning white-hot. This was a living, breathing horror show unfolding right before his eyes! He snatched up his folding fan, executed a clean flip, and vaulted out through the wooden window.

So he’d finally shed that skin-crawlingly gentle facade from the day and come to settle accounts in his true nature!

Flight was pure instinct. Years of ingrained habit made him insist that even running away must be done with grace and poise. Landing steadily, he pushed off with the balls of his feet, his body shooting forward.

Luo Binghe’s clear voice, carrying a chilling thread of amusement, pierced the air and reached his ears. “By day, Shizun was so warm and gentle with Gongyi Xiao. By night, you kept a lamp burning, waiting for Uncle Liu until late, your affection so earnest. So why is it that when it comes to this disciple, you are so distant?”

Damn it! With every word, the distance between them shrank by a factor of n—this speed defied all logic!

Shen Qingqiu drew a deep breath. Whatever happened, he needed to find help first. Projecting his voice from his dantian, he shouted, “Liu Qingge!”

Luo Binghe’s voice drew closer again, but this time it held less warmth, edged with a cold sneer. “Uncle Liu is currently… occupied in combat. I’m afraid he has no leisure to come. If Shizun has any instructions, perhaps you could tell me instead?”

I wouldn’t dare!

Shen Qingqiu’s heart sank, knowing Liu Qingge had likely been detained by some method of Luo Binghe’s. Hopeless. He poured all his spiritual power into his lower body, hoping for a burst of speed.

But he’d forgotten—damn it all—he was in the throes of the Wukejie poison’s onset!

By the time he realized, it was too late. For an instant, it felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen. Shen Qingqiu’s body suddenly grew heavy.

The next moment, a hand clamped around his throat like a vice. His back slammed into a cold, hard stone wall. Pain exploded from his spine through his flesh, and his head rang with a hollow buzz.

Luo Binghe was now inches away.

Pinned to the wall by a single hand, the back of Shen Qingqiu’s head struck the stone with a dull thud, dazing him. His vision took a long moment to clear and focus.

Moonlight streamed down, making Luo Binghe’s features appear as if carved from ice and jade, flawlessly handsome.

He leaned in extremely close, his voice a soft, deliberate murmur. “It has been years since we last met, yet Shizun keeps calling other people’s names. This disciple is truly… a little hurt.”

He kept saying he was hurt, saddened, but his lips held a smile and his eyes held killing intent. It was blatant, barefaced lying!

Shen Qingqiu felt as if an iron band were tightening around his throat. His Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty; swallowing air was a struggle, let alone speaking.

His fingers could barely form a sword seal, but with his spiritual power clogged and stagnant, forming it was useless. No matter how perfect the seal, it wouldn’t summon Xiuyu Sword.

And Luo Binghe’s hand was slowly, steadily tightening.

Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed before Shen Qingqiu’s eyes. A massive dialog box popped up.

This box was completely different from before. The old one had been like a Windows XP error message. This one was simple, low-key, luxurious, and full of connotation… but the emphasis was the content!

System Prompt: 【Would you like to accept a friendly system tip to resolve the minor inconvenience currently facing the esteemed user?】

You call this a “minor inconvenience”?!

Shen Qingqiu roared inwardly, his mental voice hoarse. “Yes! Is there an easy mode?! I beg for easy mode!”

System: 【Privilege activated. Would you like to employ a key item to maintain survival status?】

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes were nearly bulging green. “There’s a key item?! How much B-Points or satisfaction do I need to buy it? Just tell me!”

System: 【The item is already among your equipped possessions. Would you like to use the ‘Fake Jade Guanyin Pendant’ item, consuming 100 points of Luo Binghe’s Rage Value?】

Holy shit! The fake jade Guanyin pendant—the only keepsake left by Luo Binghe’s foster mother!

The life-saving item, the high-level equipment he’d received when he first arrived in this world! How could he have forgotten it all this time? Carrying a golden rice bowl yet begging for food! System, you finally reminded me of something useful!

Shen Qingqiu: “Use it! Use it!” His throat felt like it was being squeezed into two separate pieces!

System: 【Friendly reminder: This item is single-use only, with a maximum capacity to consume 5000 points of Luo Binghe’s Rage Value.】

Shen Qingqiu reined himself in at the cliff’s edge. “Wait—!!!”

His Rage Value is only 100 points right now?! Are you kidding me?! If 100 points makes him this bewitching, wild, and unbridled, then what would he be like at 5000?! The mental image is too beautiful, I dare not imagine! The emphasis is—using an item that can cancel up to 5000 points on a situation worth only 100, and losing the chance to use it forever… Even with his life on the line, Shen Qingqiu needed a moment to feel the heartache and wrestle with the decision!

If this continued, he’d either suffocate or have his throat crushed.

Just as Shen Qingqiu hardened his heart, ready to grit his teeth and use the life-saving item, the pressure around his neck abruptly vanished.

Shen Qingqiu braced a hand against the wall, barely managing to stand steady without collapsing to his knees on the spot. Since running was impossible, he might as well face the boss head-on.

Luo Binghe, who had nearly strangled him to death moments ago, now stepped forward with a smile to support him, his expression identical to when he used to help Shen Qingqiu down from a carriage or deliver pastries. For a moment, Shen Qingqiu actually forgot to pull away, feeling only that this schizophrenic behavior was utterly chilling.

Luo Binghe sighed. “Why did Shizun run so fast? This disciple almost couldn’t catch up.”

Hah. Catch up, my ass. Who was it that followed so leisurely just now, not even out of breath, playing a prolonged game of cat and mouse?

Shen Qingqiu took a few ragged breaths before speaking slowly, his voice slightly hoarse. “You have quite the nerve. Returning so openly, aren’t you afraid others will discover your true identity?”

A flicker passed through Luo Binghe’s eyes. “Is Shizun concerned about that, or worried about it?”

Shen Qingqiu found his wording interesting. “Concerned” and “worried”—was there a difference here?

He couldn’t help asking, “You don’t actually think I won’t tell anyone, do you?”

Luo Binghe looked at him, his tone almost pitying. “Shizun, others would have to be willing to believe you first.”

A cold stone dropped in Shen Qingqiu’s gut.

Was he planning to follow the original plot—first utterly destroying Shen Qingqiu’s reputation, then step by step, cornering him, playing with him slowly until death?

The original Shen Qingqiu had two major scum points: 1) Molesting numerous young girls and women; 2) Slaughtering numerous fellow sect members and outsiders.

But Shen Qingqiu was certain that since taking over this body, he had absolutely not inherited the original’s hobbies or ambitions. Could Luo Binghe still ruin his reputation, prestige, and social standing?

System: 【Friendly answer: Of course he can.】

Shen Qingqiu: “Shut up, please. There’s nothing the male lead can’t think of, nothing he can’t accomplish. I know he can, thank you.”

System: 【You’re welcome. This answer incurs no B-Point charge.】

Shen Qingqiu directly closed the popped-up dialog box.

He rubbed his throat and stood for a while, only to realize Luo Binghe was just… staring at him with wide eyes, showing no intention of continuing the attack.

Still looking?

It couldn’t be that after years apart, he was trying to make up for lost viewing time, could it?

System: 【Protagonist satisfaction +50.】

Shen Qingqiu: “You leveled up, and now you’re omitting the reason for point increases too? Don’t accuse me of point-farming later. I didn’t do anything—where did these satisfaction points come from? And can you temporarily not appear?!”

After a long pause, Shen Qingqiu said, “What exactly do you intend to do, now that you’ve returned?”

Luo Binghe replied, “Nothing more than missing the kindness Shizun once showed me, and returning to see you.”

Shen Qingqiu automatically interpreted this as: returning to settle old, long-standing accounts with him.

The back-and-forth with Luo Binghe was, surprisingly, somewhat harmonious. Shen Qingqiu’s courage gradually fattened. Moving his fingers imperceptibly to his sword hilt, he said, “Just to kill me? Then what of the plague in Jinlan City? Don’t tell me all the city’s residents also ‘showed you kindness’?”

Who knew that this sentence would touch some hidden nerve in Luo Binghe? Instantly, it was as if cold stars had fallen in his eyes. The faint, almost imperceptible trace of a smile vanished without a trace.

After a long moment, Luo Binghe said, “Shizun truly holds a deep and utter loathing for the demon race.” His tone held a trace of forcibly suppressed anger.

Not really, actually.

Luo Binghe gritted his teeth. “No. It should be said you hold a deep and utter loathing for me.”

See, you understand perfectly well… Wait, what?

I never said that. It hasn’t reached the level of ‘deep and utter loathing’—it’s just a bit of psychological shadow, that’s all. Don’t let your imagination run too wild, thank you!

Luo Binghe took a sudden, aggressive step toward him. Shen Qingqiu’s expression sharpened with vigilance, and he retreated a step in response.

Their gazes clashed in the air. Luo Binghe seemed to become aware of his own violent irritability, and when he spoke again, his voice grew even colder.

“Does Shizun truly believe that things like murder, arson, slaughtering cities, and conquering nations—that just because of the half of that bloodline within me, I am destined to do them all, sooner or later?”

Shen Qingqiu could only remain silent.

If he had a physical copy of The Arrogant Path of Immortals and Demons in hand, he probably would have smacked it right into Luo Binghe’s face by now.

Proof? Here’s your proof! The entire twenty-million-word epic later on is filled with the proof you want! Not just murder, arson, slaughtering cities, and conquering nations—you turned the demon and immortal realms upside down! ‘Leaving neither chicken nor dog’ loses its meaning as hyperbole when describing what you did!

Seeing Shen Qingqiu lower his eyes and lashes, remaining silent, Luo Binghe took it as tacit agreement. A cold laugh escaped him. “If that’s the case, then why did you say those high-sounding words back then? ‘It doesn’t matter the race, only good and evil’?”

His face suddenly darkened, a fierce, cruel aura spreading between his brows. He lashed out with a sharp cry. “Utter hypocrisy!”

Shen Qingqiu had been prepared. He hastily retreated, narrowly avoiding the blow. Glancing back, he saw the section of wall he had been leaning against was now a shattered ruin.

Although he had known that emerging from a place like the Endless Abyss would change Luo Binghe’s temperament drastically, he hadn’t expected it to be such a complete, ground-shattering transformation. Calling him ‘mercurial’ was an understatement.

Knowing how the story ended was one thing. But seeing someone he once knew so well twisted into this... that was something else entirely. Especially when he was, in essence, the cause.

Luo Binghe didn't seem to have actually intended to hit him. After that one violent outburst, some of his fury dissipated. He tilted his head and reached out as if to grab him. Shen Qingqiu yanked Xiu Ya from its sheath.

It had been a long time since he'd drawn his sword manually. In the past, he'd mostly summoned it with a sword seal. But with his spiritual power blocked, manual labor was the only option. He couldn't just surrender. Not now. He absolutely could not sit here and wait for death.

This was a monumental miscalculation. He'd thought Luo Binghe needed a full five years of training before clawing his way out of the Endless Abyss. Who knew his protagonist halo would burn even brighter, cutting that time in half? And counting the days, the Sun-Moon Dew Herb he'd been nurturing as his ultimate life-saving trump card wasn't ready yet.

Seeing this, Luo Binghe slowly raised one hand, letting Shen Qingqiu see the rolling, churning purple-black demonic energy swirling in his palm. His tone was leisurely. "Shizun. Care to guess? If I were to catch Xiu Ya, how many times would it take for the sword to be completely corroded?"

No need to guess! I'd bet my last copper it would only take one! A wave of bleak despair washed over Shen Qingqiu.

Luo Binghe took another step forward. Shen Qingqiu had no choice but to raise his sword to meet him.

He'd already steeled himself for Xiu Ya's destruction. But then, Luo Binghe suddenly seemed to see something. He froze for a split second, violently retracted the demonic energy from his palm, and intercepted the blade with his bare hand.

Shen Qingqiu hadn't expected to actually stab him. This was the second time! In that moment of stunned hesitation, Luo Binghe chopped at his wrist. Shen Qingqiu's grip loosened, the sword clattered to the ground, and was kicked away by a sweep of Luo Binghe's foot.

Luo Binghe's other hand clamped like a vise around Shen Qingqiu's wrist. Blood, fresh and dark, welled from his palm, soaking through Shen Qingqiu's sleeve. It kept flowing, an endless crimson stream that inexplicably tightened Shen Qingqiu's chest. As his mind reeled, Luo Binghe flipped his hand over. "Infected?"

Scattered across Shen Qingqiu's arm were a few small red spots, slightly more numerous than they'd been during the day.

Luo Binghe's slender fingers passed lightly over them. Under his touch, the red spots simply dissipated.

Of course. To Luo Binghe, such a minor thing posed no threat at all.

Luo Binghe's expression seemed to soften slightly. "This hand of Shizun's has seen quite its share of misfortune."

…They were actually thinking the same thing. Shen Qingqiu looked at his now flawless hand, more confused than ever about the labyrinth of Luo Binghe's thoughts. Judging by the current situation, perhaps he remembered this hand had also blocked poisoned barbs for him once? Was there still a shred of sentiment for old times?

Just as he was speculating, a fist suddenly drove into his gut.

Luo Binghe smiled. "One thing at a time. Since Shizun started this, you must swallow the bitter fruit yourself. The wound Shizun left… you should compensate for it properly."

Shen Qingqiu thought he was speaking metaphorically about the emotional scars left from years ago. But then a sharp pain erupted on his scalp as his head was wrenched back by the hair. Luo Binghe's hand was forced to his lips, and the metallic tang of blood flooded his mouth.

Shen Qingqiu's eyes flew wide open.

He finally understood. The "wound" Luo Binghe meant was the one Shen Qingqiu had just inflicted on his hand with Xiu Ya!

Holy fucking hell—can't drink it, can't drink it, must not drink this!

He slapped the hand away violently, bending over to retch up the few mouthfuls he'd already swallowed. Luo Binghe forced his head back up and continued pouring the blood. He'd even torn the wound on his own hand wider. Warm blood gushed forth in an endless stream, and he seemed to grow even more pleased. "Shizun, don't spit it out. Although the blood of a Heavenly Demon is filthy, drinking it won't necessarily kill you, right?"

It won't kill you. It'll make you wish you were dead!

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Author's Note: Just realized the last chapter was crazy long...