Chapter 47

Shen Qingqiu felt as if his very soul had been rattled loose.

The reason for this soul-deep tremor wasn't the fact that he’d likely just performed a miraculous escape right under Luo Binghe’s nose. No, it was because, in that split second, he’d heard a voice. A horribly familiar voice.

A voice as stiff and mechanically cadenced as a poorly tuned translation array.

For fuck’s sake!

What happened to ‘new hardware, no latent viruses’?!

What happened to ‘a clean slate, a fresh start, the wide world waiting’?!

Clapping his hands over his ears in a futile attempt to block it out, Shen Qingqiu shot from the demon realm like a loosed arrow, streaking across barren mountains and straight into the human borderlands. The voice clung to the inside of his skull, a parasitic echo drilling into his nerves.

[...Activating... Activating... Soul Bond Established...]

[...Repair required... Contact Customer Service...]

Was it because of the soul bond, reactivated by his proximity to Luo Binghe?!

Was it because he’d switched bodies, causing a faulty connection that now required a ‘customer service’ repair?!

The protagonist was truly the calamity of his existence!

He cursed inwardly the entire way. The only small mercy was that the System, seeming half-dead itself, could only repeat those fragmented keywords, never managing to form a complete sentence. Finally, he slowed his frantic pace to a walk, making his way back to the border town.

In daylight, the small border town held more life than it did at night. It wasn’t bustling, but the streets—neither too wide nor too narrow—held a decent flow of people. With shops open for business, it presented a picture of modest prosperity.

By a tea house, its banner fluttering, stood a young man and woman with swords at their hips. Seeing him, they approached. "Senior, why haven’t you returned to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect yet?" Liu Mingyan asked with a slight bow.

Yang Yixuan hurriedly added, "The disciples from other sects have all gone back. Now that we’ve seen you’re safe, we can be at ease."

Shen Qingqiu entered the tea house with them and found a table. At a nearby table, a group chatting suddenly fell silent. One man spotted him and gasped, "Ah! It’s… it’s…"

Shen Qingqiu glanced over. They were the border patrol disciples he’d rescued the night he’d clawed his way out of the grave. The one who first saw him stammered, unable to get the name out. Lu Liu quickly interjected, "So it’s Peerless… Mister!"

He definitely said two syllables after ‘Peerless,’ but they were mumbled and swallowed, utterly indistinct. The others hastily followed suit. "So it’s Peerless… Senior!"

Shen Qingqiu nodded in acknowledgement, making a firm mental note to choose a new, lofty title for himself. Immediately!

Yang Yixuan looked puzzled. "Senior, is your family name Huang? ‘Peerless Huang’? Or ‘Peerless Splendor’?"

Shen Qingqiu coughed twice, mumbling just as vaguely, "Something like that…"

After using this ID for so many years, this was the first time he felt a twinge of shame over it. He composed himself slightly. "Last night, disciples from various sects saw me at Chiyun Cave. While the cat’s out of the bag, if others ask about me, it’s best to say as little as possible. Ideally, say nothing at all."

"But why?" Yang Yixuan asked, bewildered. "Aren’t you acquainted with my master?"

"Well, acquainted is one way to put it…"

As Shen Qingqiu struggled for the right words, the conversation resumed at the next table. Someone spitting melon seed shells urged, "Brother Liu, go on! What’s this other interpretation you mentioned?"

Lu Liu took a sip of tea. "Now, this other version is far more interesting. It seems to have spread from… internal sources. It concerns Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu…"

Hearing those two names, Shen Qingqiu’s heart gave a violent lurch. He unconsciously straightened his back, ears straining, the fan in his hand slowing its rhythm. The two Cang Qiong disciples also turned their attention.

Lu Liu took a sip of tea, adopting the cadence of a storyteller. "Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu were master and disciple, correct? Now, this Luo Binghe came from humble origins, enduring hardship from a young age. Even after entering Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, he spent a long time overlooked, bullied and oppressed by his martial siblings. Fortunately, Shen Qingqiu treated him with exceptional kindness."

Shen Qingqiu gave a slight, internal nod. True enough. Before he’d kicked the kid down, he’d prided himself on having a decent conscience regarding him.

Yang Yixuan snorted. "What good did that kindness do?"

Someone at the other table sounded surprised. "But doesn’t that contradict the rumors of Shen Qingqiu abusing his disciple?"

Lu Liu chuckled. "That surprises you? What if I told you the story goes that this master and disciple, spending their days and nights together, developed… hidden feelings? What then?"

At Shen Qingqiu’s table, three cups of tea had just been raised. Upon hearing this, Shen Qingqiu and Yang Yixuan sprayed theirs in unison. Liu Mingyan didn’t spit hers out, but her hand jerked, sloshing tea all over the table.

A chorus of sharp intakes of breath came from the other table. "There’s such a version?!"

"Precisely," Lu Liu said gravely. "Though, strictly speaking, it was Luo Binghe who harbored these… improper thoughts. A one-sided obsession."

One-sided? One-sided?!

"And what kind of man was Shen Qingqiu? The Peak Lord of Qing Jing Peak. And what is Qing Jing Peak’s way? Pure heart, few desires, a mind devoted solely to cultivation and the classics. Luo Binghe’s affections were unrequited! Thus, love turned to hatred!"

A vein throbbed on Shen Qingqiu’s temple and the back of his hand.

Yang Yixuan stammered, "L-Love turned to hatred?"

Lu Liu continued, warming to his tale. "This explains everything perfectly. The Immortal Alliance Conference must have unfolded thus:

"Luo Binghe, competing as Qing Jing Peak’s head disciple, achieved remarkable results. Feeling newly confident, and with the conference in chaos due to demonic beasts and the mountain sealed, he saw his chance when Shen Qingqiu entered the Juedi Valley. Blinded by obsession, he chose that moment to confess his feelings to his master."

Shen Qingqiu buried his face in his hand.

Why did it feel like nine out of ten sentences this guy uttered had a grain of truth, but that final, crucial one twisted everything into something bizarre?

And it was that one sentence that poisoned the entire well!

Lu Liu said solemnly, "Shen Qingqiu, being a man of pure conduct, naturally rejected him sternly."

Shen Qingqiu was genuinely moved. He never thought he’d live to hear the phrase ‘man of pure conduct’ applied to him again.

But then the plot took a sharp dive. Lu Liu continued with dramatic fervor. "Who could have predicted that, upon rejection, Luo Binghe—despairing and deranged—would conceive a wicked plan? In an act of utter madness and treason, he attempted to force himself upon Shen Qingqiu!"

Shen Qingqiu dug his fingers into his disheveled hair, sinking his head low.

Yang Yixuan was speechless, a young man whose worldview had just been violently expanded. Liu Mingyan, however, let out a soft, "Ah."

Then she said, "So that’s how it was."

How what was?! What ‘that’?! Don’t think being the female lead means I won’t write you into a villainous role!!!

Unnoticed, a crowd had gathered around Lu Liu’s table, melon seed shells and stools scattered about, everyone listening with rapt attention. They now sighed in unison. "What a beast!"

"Truly worse than a beast!"

Their sighs, however, were tinged with deep satisfaction.

Brother, are you the captain of the border patrol or the captain of the gossip brigade?!

Lu Liu slammed his teacup down like a storyteller’s gavel.

"Shen Qingqiu would never submit! Master and disciple clashed, and the master proved superior. Luo Binghe fled in defeat, leaving in despair.

"Though their relationship was shattered, Shen Qingqiu could not bear to ruin his beloved disciple’s reputation. Unable to speak the truth, he claimed Luo Binghe had died at the hands of demons.

"And that," Lu Liu concluded with a flourish, "is the true reason Luo Binghe vanished for years after the Conference, alive yet never returning to Cang Qiong Mountain.

"He didn’t dare face his master!"

What a dramatic plot!

Who were these two characters—the would-be rapist and the pure white lotus?! And the key point was, the rape didn’t even succeed! How pathetic! That couldn’t possibly be Luo Binghe! If he wanted to force someone, they’d willingly spread their legs themselves!

Lu Liu wasn’t finished. "After this romantic defeat at the Conference, Luo Binghe had another fortuitous encounter. He cultivated peerless skills and even won the favor of the Huan Hua Palace Master. Yet, his obsession with Shen Qingqiu remained. He returned, leading to the incident at Jinlan City.

"Cang Qiong Mountain insists Luo Binghe is a demon, right? There may be some truth to it. They likely discovered traces of his collusion with demons to frame Shen Qingqiu. Unable to reach the lofty heights Shen Qingqiu occupied, Luo Binghe sought to drag him down and shatter his pride!"

…Shen Qingqiu didn’t know what he had let go of, but he suddenly felt a profound sense of relief. He didn’t want to hear anymore. He didn’t want to care.

He turned a gentle smile to his two companions. "Let’s order."

Lu Liu glanced back. "Peerless… Mister, this table’s on me." Then he turned back to his captivated audience, his expression one of grave sorrow.

"Luo Binghe exhausted every scheme to imprison Shen Qingqiu in Huan Hua Palace’s water dungeon. And what is Huan Hua Palace? He’d already turned it into his personal domain. Claiming Shen Qingqiu was detained pending a joint trial by the four sects was just sending a lamb into the tiger’s den. For those days in the water dungeon, bound by Immortal-Binding Cables, his spiritual power sealed… who knows what that unfilial disciple did to him?!"

The crowd clicked their tongues in a discordant chorus. "Truly an unfilial disciple!"

"Raised a tiger to court disaster!"

Shen Qingqiu pushed the menu away. "How about we find another place?"

Lu Liu pressed on. "Unable to endure the humiliation, Shen Qingqiu risked his life to escape, only to be intercepted in Huayue City by the arrest warrant Luo Binghe issued. He had no choice but to seek help from the Lord of Bai Zhan Peak. United in purpose, Liu Qingge agreed.

"Luo Binghe, narrow-minded and seething with jealousy, fought Liu Qingge to a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering duel. Just as he was about to deliver the killing blow, Shen Qingqiu, left with no alternative, chose to self-detonate on the spot… and thus…"

He trailed off meaningfully, leaving the tragic end unsaid, evoking another wave of sighs from his listeners.

Finally, Lu Liu delivered his verdict. "This is the other, far more widely circulated interpretation in certain circles. While it sounds utterly absurd, a baseless fantasy, many of its details have points of verification. Remember, my friends, sometimes the unofficial history holds the real truth."

Shen Qingqiu decided then and there that he was done with tea houses. Forever.

"Not a single reliable detail in that entire story!" Shen Qingqiu fumed inwardly. "What do you mean 'unofficial history is the real history'? Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!"

"Gossip deserves to die! Die a thousand deaths!"

"Even if I were destined to be tragically single forever, I wouldn't stoop to that!"

Seeing Yang Yixuan and Ning Yingying still sitting there in a daze, he snapped at them, "Eat. Now. And then get yourselves back home."

Every extra moment spent in this place was another assault on his sanity.

After escorting the two youngsters out of the border region, Shen Qingqiu chose a path in the opposite direction.

He traveled until the moon hung high in the midnight sky. It was then that his keen ears caught it—a faint, ghostly tinkling of bells.

"You really are a persistent haunt," he said without turning around.

Her cover blown, Sha Hualing made no attempt to continue hiding. She stepped out openly, red gauze draped over her arm, a smile playing on her lips. "You were so careful with those two. What exactly is your connection to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect?"

Shen Qingqiu turned and wagged a finger. "I'm not fighting you. And don't even think about trying anything with me."

Given Sha Hualing's current level of skill, she couldn't hope to touch him anyway.

Her smile turned strange. "Trying to slip away now? Too late."

Shen Qingqiu had just been about to give her a little scare when a violent tremor wracked his body.

A familiar, terrifying sensation unfurled from his lower dantian. It felt like a thousand-legged centipede was burrowing through his heart, liver, lungs, and guts.

His legs went weak for a moment, but he locked his knees, holding his ground.

"...When did you dose me?" he gritted out.

Sha Hualing's tone was flippant. "Was the food and wine in town today not to your liking? Lucky for me you partook. If you'd been too proud, thinking your high realm made you above such things, I would have been rather stuck."

Damn it. I got careless.

She circled him, preening with satisfaction. "Do you know what's inside you right now? This is no ordinary poison."

...No shit! I know it better than you do! I've swallowed the Heavenly Demon's Blood twice now. Twice!

Usually once is enough to kill you. Who's won that lottery more times than me?

No one but the original owner could control the Blood. And right now, the blood-worms inside him were stirring restlessly. That could only mean one thing.

Sha Hualing suddenly bowed deeply toward a spot behind and to the side of Shen Qingqiu. "With the blood you bestowed, this subordinate has not failed in her task. The target is subdued."

Shen Qingqiu turned his stiff neck.

The air had been sliced open by a crack like black lightning, and it was slowly sealing shut.

A tall, slender figure stood behind him. As Shen Qingqiu turned, their eyes met directly.

Luo Binghe looked down at him, his face an expressionless mask. Yet under that icy gaze, Shen Qingqiu felt utterly exposed. The extra layer of beard was nothing. He had the distinct sensation that no amount of disguise would have hidden him.

Shen Qingqiu swallowed.

The Luo Binghe of before had been like warm sun on fresh snow. Even in Jinlan City and the water prison, there had been a trace of something human. But the young man before him now, in both face and bearing, resembled a glacier frozen for a thousand years, reaching down to the earth's core. The sight of him chilled the blood.

Luo Binghe... had changed completely.

A long silence stretched between them.

At first, a flicker of confusion passed over Luo Binghe's features, softening them for a bare instant. It vanished as quickly as it came.

Luo Binghe's pupils contracted. A thread of crimson light traced across his forehead.

He didn't even move his sleeve. Suddenly, Sha Hualing was lifted into the air as if by an invisible hand clenched around her throat. She choked, coughing in agony.

At the same moment, the single drop of Heavenly Demon's Blood in Shen Qingqiu's organs erupted, splitting into thousands of frenzied threads that drilled in and out of his flesh. Cold sweat drenched his back.

Luo Binghe's voice was deceptively light. "You have quite the nerve."

Though softly spoken, anyone could sense the seething, violent fury roiling beneath the words.

Who has nerve? Me? Or her?

Luo Binghe didn't seem to recognize him.

This face, while still very similar to Shen Qingqiu's, retained a hint of Shen Yuan's features. Given Luo Binghe's obsessive attention to detail, he should have been able to spot even the slightest discrepancy through a beard. It seemed he'd mistaken him for someone who merely looked alike.

But not being recognized was its own kind of disaster!

The cramps won't stop!

Sha Hualing, bewildered by Luo Binghe's sudden rage, struggled in the air. Her tear-filled eyes fixed on Shen Qingqiu's face for a long moment. Then her expression shifted to one of sheer horror.

"T-this subordinate had no idea!" she stammered in panic. "It's a complete coincidence! Please, my Lord, spare me! This time, I truly didn't plan this!"

Shen Qingqiu was utterly lost. How did Sha Hualing end up in such a state? Shouldn't she be one of the most favored in the harem?

Sha Hualing, however, was inwardly cursing her wretched luck.

Because she had a prior offense.

After being taken under Luo Binghe's command, she had seen him fixated day and night on a corpse. Not understanding why, but thinking herself clever, she had scoured the human realm for someone with even a fifty percent resemblance to Shen Qingqiu. With a little artistic enhancement, she had created a near-perfect replica, a masterpiece of forgery. She had presented this imitation to Luo Binghe.

The result had not been favor, but a cataclysmic rage. Luo Binghe had nearly razed the entire Scarlet Cloud Cavern to the ground.

Sha Hualing would never forget—and never wanted to see again—the look on his face that day.

And now, this man before her bore an eighty percent resemblance to that very same dead person.

She had unwittingly stumbled directly into Luo Binghe's greatest taboo.