Chapter 66

Two snow-white direwolves loped through the ranks of beasts, coming to a halt at Tianlang-jun's feet. One lifted its head and spoke with a human voice, "My Lord, it's Liu Qingge, Peak Lord of Bai Zhan Peak from Cang Qiong Mountain Sect!"

Tianlang-jun nodded. "So that's it. No wonder his swordsmanship and spiritual power are so astonishing. I just wonder, what brings the Lord of Bai Zhan Peak so suddenly to the Southern Border?"

Liu Qingge tilted his body slightly, and Cheng Luan flew back into his hand. He flicked a droplet of blood from its tip, his voice cold. "Is Shen Qingqiu here?"

Shen Qingqiu was both flattered and alarmed. Was Brother Liu here to rescue him?!

Luo Binghe glanced at the expression on his face and pressed his lips together.

A look of understanding dawned on Tianlang-jun's face. "So you've come looking for Peak Lord Shen. He is indeed here with me."

"Bring him out," Liu Qingge demanded.

Tianlang-jun's tone turned ambiguous. "I'm afraid he's not in a position to see you right now. And even if he were, he likely wouldn't want to return to Cang Qiong Mountain with you."

Shen Qingqiu could only offer a silent, strained laugh.

Liu Qingge narrowed his eyes. One of the direwolves at Tianlang-jun's feet spoke up. "Bai Zhan Peak? I'm not so sure it deserves the name. I heard this Liu Qingge has fought that brat Luo Binghe countless times and lost every single one. He's long since disgraced the title. He should be called the Lord of 'Ninety-Nine Battles Peak' now."

The other wolf chimed in. "Wrong. It should be 'Ninety-Eight Battles Peak'. If he faced our Lord, defeat would be just as certain!"

What vicious, bootlicking beasts!

Words failed, and violence erupted.

Liu Qingge pushed off with his foot, his form shooting forward like white lightning. Tianlang-jun was in no hurry to meet him head-on. He calmly extended a hand. Dark red blood dripped from between his fingers, first in drops, then in a thin stream. The blood didn't soak into the earth but instead congealed and took shape. In the blink of an eye, six crimson-furred wolves of blood formed, surrounding Liu Qingge in a tight circle, lunging and snapping at him like a ring of fiery wind.

Liu Qingge handled them with ease. A single sweep of Cheng Luan sent all six heads flying, the creatures dissolving back into liquid. But as his sword completed its arc, the blood wolves rapidly reformed, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws once more. His attacks were precise, powerful, flawless—yet they had no lasting effect. Tianlang-jun didn't retract his bleeding hand either; he simply held it out, blood continuing to fall, new savage beasts constantly taking form.

He'd shed that much blood without even paling. Was he a mobile blood bank?!

Shen Qingqiu turned his head. "Go help him."

Luo Binghe responded reluctantly. "Didn't Shizun just say that if I'm discovered, it will be bad for both of us?"

That was then. Now that Liu Qingge was involved, it was a different matter. The man had, after all, come to rescue him. Out of sheer courtesy for that intention, Shen Qingqiu couldn't just stand by and watch. But Luo Binghe showing himself wasn't ideal either. Shen Qingqiu thought for a moment. "Fine. You stay. I'll go."

Before he could move, Luo Binghe had already flashed out ahead of him.

Tianlang-jun focused his gaze, a flicker of surprise crossing his features. "So you did come."

Luo Binghe's voice was icy. "With my Shizun here, how could I not?"

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury. Nearby, Liu Qingge was about to speak when he suddenly caught sight of Shen Qingqiu. Whatever reprimand he'd prepared was forgotten, replaced by a stunned moment before he shouted, "Hey!"

Shen Qingqiu waved in greeting. Tianlang-jun's astonishment only deepened as he looked at Luo Binghe. "So... just now... inside... the three of you...?"

The sentence, fractured into five pieces, still conveyed its meaning clearly enough for Shen Qingqiu.

Whether Luo Binghe understood or not, his face darkened as he surged forward to meet the attack.

The battlefield amidst the beasts of the wild plains instantly became a three-way free-for-all. Tianlang-jun fought two, Liu Qingge fought two, Luo Binghe focused on one, ignored the other, and still had to deflect attacks meant for both. Explosions of dark energy and blinding white light erupted, the shrieks of swords and beasts piercing the sky.

Liu Qingge wanted to reach Shen Qingqiu, but the encirclement grew thicker by the moment. Cheng Luan spun into a miniature tornado, a dozen blood-beasts caught within its vortex and shredded into a spray of crimson droplets. "Shut your mouth!" Shen Qingqiu yelled. "Don't swallow any of that!"

Liu Qingge didn't need to shut anything—the blood couldn't even touch him. But Tianlang-jun laughed. "Ah, I'd almost forgotten. Peak Lord Shen is here too."

Shen Qingqiu wished he had been forgotten... The moment Tianlang-jun remembered, Shen Qingqiu's situation worsened. A cramping, twisting pain crawled through his abdomen, dense and prickling.

Luo Binghe, who had been attacking Tianlang-jun with the most vicious, focused blows, suddenly slowed his assault, his concentration split. "Keep fighting!" Shen Qingqiu barked. "Don't mind me!"

He didn't cry out or yell. Feigning complete nonchalance, he retreated into the tent, dragged Zhuzhi-lang out, thinking he might serve as a hostage if needed. His smile was twisted. "You won't throw yourself under my sword this time, will you?"

Zhuzhi-lang sighed helplessly. "My bloodline is impure, my origins lowly. If not for my Lord's patronage, I would never have reached my current station. And yet, Immortal Master Shen saved me from dire peril. Why must you always put me in such a difficult position?"

Cold sweat beaded on Shen Qingqiu's back from the pain. He made idle chatter, trying to distract himself. "I suppose, then, you show no mercy to those you consider enemies either."

"Correct," Zhuzhi-lang said. "My Lord is the same. Therefore, Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, Zhaohua Temple, Huan Hua Palace, Tianyi Temple... my Lord intends to leave none of them standing."

Enemies. Those he hated.

A rather unpleasant memory suddenly surfaced in Shen Qingqiu's mind, successfully diverting his attention.

After his escape from Huan Hua Palace's water prison, in Huayue City, he had heard that all the disciples guarding that prison had been killed, Gongyi Xiao among them. That particular crime had been pinned on him at the time. And he, in turn, had pinned it on Luo Binghe. Truth be told, it had never been cleared up just who was responsible.

Zhuzhi-lang was treating him well now because Shen Qingqiu had stopped Gongyi Xiao from killing him back then.

Therefore, to Zhuzhi-lang, Gongyi Xiao would have been an enemy.

"Tell me," Shen Qingqiu said slowly. "Do you remember a person named Gongyi Xiao?"

Zhuzhi-lang looked at him. "Do you mean that disciple from Huan Hua Palace?"

He remembered indeed.

"At that time, when I went to the water prison to receive Immortal Master Shen, I initially mistook that disciple for Luo Binghe."

Shen Qingqiu could understand. Gongyi Xiao's build and silhouette did bear some resemblance to Luo Binghe's. Even their faces shared a passing similarity at first glance. It was why Shen Qingqiu had felt an unusual sense of closeness to him for a time.

Zhuzhi-lang continued. "Later, I realized he was the head disciple of Huan Hua Palace who entered the Lushi Marshlands with Immortal Master Shen at Bailu Forest. So I killed him."

Killed him.

Gongyi Xiao's death was so unjust!

He had only intended to kill, not actually done it!

Shen Qingqiu was at a complete loss for words.

Looking at it this way, Zhuzhi-lang truly was a simple demon, just as his uncle had said—"his mind doesn't make the turns." Tianlang-jun raised him up, so he followed with utter loyalty. Shen Qingqiu inadvertently saved him once, so he kept repaying the debt in his own way.

By the same logic, he repaid every slight with vengeance.

Shen Qingqiu's gaze toward Zhuzhi-lang grew increasingly complex, but the earlier sense of relaxed camaraderie was gone.

The moment Zhuzhi-lang sensed this change, Shen Qingqiu stood up and began walking forward.

Zhuzhi-lang was taken aback. "Where are you going?"

"I have to leave," Shen Qingqiu said. "If I stay here any longer, I'll get sick."

The entire Tianmo bloodline was insane. Being with one insane person was still better than being with two. At least that one would listen to him!

Zhuzhi-lang raised his voice. "I only wish to be good to those who have helped me. What is wrong with that?"

"The problem," Shen Qingqiu replied without looking back, "is that what you think is good for me, I do not."

With every step, he felt his meridians twitch and spasm, as if ten thousand worms writhed and gnawed within. Luo Binghe kept glancing back at him, nearly missing several blows in the process.

Zhuzhi-lang couldn't comprehend it. "Even if it leads to a bad end, you are determined to walk their path?"

Shen Qingqiu didn't answer, continuing forward.

"...I understand," Zhuzhi-lang said softly.

The moment the words left his lips, Tianlang-jun's voice rose, tinged with displeasure. "What are you doing?"

Shen Qingqiu was equally baffled, unsure who had done what. But suddenly, the clogged, agonizing sensation within him vanished completely.

Only those of the Tianmo bloodline present understood what had happened.

Originally, three strands of Tianmo blood contended within Shen Qingqiu. Luo Binghe, facing two against one, had been at a slight disadvantage. But just now, Zhuzhi-lang had stopped using the blood parasite to oppose Luo Binghe. Instead, he turned his efforts, joining forces with Luo Binghe to suppress Tianlang-jun's blood.

With the 'monthly pains' gone, what reason was there to stick around and fight?

Shen Qingqiu drew Xiu Ya, leapt upon the sword, and shouted, "Junior Brother Liu, let's go!"

Seeing him flying over on his sword, Liu Qingge also flipped onto Cheng Luan. Tianlang-jun finally stopped his blood-letting game. A palm strike wreathed in demonic energy shot toward them, only to be deflected by Luo Binghe. As Shen Qingqiu passed by, he reached out and grabbed. Luo Binghe raised his hand—the sequence of movements seamless, their hands clasping perfectly—and with a pull, Shen Qingqiu hauled Luo Binghe onto Xiu Ya behind him.

Two streaks of sword light shot beyond the heavens in an instant.

Howls echoed across the wild plains. Tianlang-jun snapped his fingers. The several dozen remaining blood-beasts lost their animation, their fur and fangs rapidly melting. In moments, they became pools of stale, dark red blood, soaking into the soil.

He looked at Zhuzhi-lang. "You just let them go?"

Zhuzhi-lang offered no reply, dropping to one knee before him.

Tianlang-jun didn't seem overly concerned, motioning for him to rise. "Well, no matter. Each person has their own path. It cannot be forced. He will understand your good intentions one day."

Zhuzhi-lang knew in his heart that 'one day' meant the day the four great sects were annihilated. To have exhausted such effort, only for the object of his gratitude to show no appreciation and rush headlong toward ruin, was truly the height of helpless frustration.

Tianlang-jun gazed again toward the distant horizon, murmuring to himself, "Still, I truly never expected... Peak Lord Shen actually prefers a crowd. Does it always have to be at least three people?"

Zhuzhilang said nothing.

His lord had probably been reading some of those strange, illustrated pamphlets circulating in the human realm again.

The three of them flew by sword for miles, heading straight for the borderlands.

Liu Qingge hadn’t expected Shen Qingqiu to bring Luo Binghe along. “What did you pull him up for?!” he snapped.

The history of bitter enmity between Liu Qingge and Luo Binghe was too complicated to explain in a moment. Shen Qingqiu settled for, “There’s a reason…”

Luo Binghe’s eyes crinkled, a smile tugging at his lips—Shen Qingqiu hadn’t denied the words “together,” after all. Seeing that inexplicable grin, Liu Qingge formed a seal with his fingers. Spiritual power crackled at his fingertips. “Shen Qingqiu,” he warned, “get over here!”

Luo Binghe’s expression shifted faster than a flipped page. One moment he was all tender affection, the next brimming with mockery as he tightened his arm around Shen Qingqiu’s waist. He was already holding on tight; with this extra force, Shen Qingqiu nearly lost his breath. He slapped the hand loose before saying, “Junior Brother Liu, it’s… a bit complicated to explain. Let’s just get out of here first. I’ll tell you everything later. You have to trust me for now.”

“I trust you,” Liu Qingge said flatly. “I don’t trust him.”

Without thinking, Shen Qingqiu replied, “I trust him.”

Liu Qingge’s brow sharpened, his expression turning severe. “What happened the last time you trusted him?”

Luo Binghe’s smile was sweet as honey, laced with needles. His tone was neither warm nor cold. “Shizun already said he trusts me. Why waste your breath?”

Looking for another fight?!

“Is that any way to speak to your martial uncle?” Shen Qingqiu chided.

Liu Qingge, a man of few words to begin with, had hardly been wasting breath. He truly said no more—simply hurled a blast of condensed energy their way.

They were flying at high altitude! Was fighting on top of swords fun?! Safety first!

Shen Qingqiu veered slightly off course, calculating the dodge. A low grunt came from Luo Binghe behind him.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Qingqiu glanced back. Did it actually hit him?

Luo Binghe shook his head. “It’s nothing. Doesn’t hurt.”

Logically, even if it had hit, it shouldn’t have done much. Shen Qingqiu studied him carefully. A faint shadow of darkness seemed to linger between his brows. “You don’t look well,” he murmured.

Luo Binghe’s voice was soft, almost frail. “My head felt a little dizzy when I faced that old demon. It’s worse now. But it’s fine. Just one little blast.”

For some reason, Liu Qingge suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to fight someone to the death. After all the battles they’d been through, one little blast made him dizzy?

“Shen Qingqiu,” he said, voice dangerously low. “Move.”

Shen Qingqiu hurriedly offered a placating smile. “Junior Brother Liu, he was injured before, and he’s only just recovered. Please, don’t take it to heart. He doesn’t know any better. If he offended you, I apologize on his behalf.”

Liu Qingge looked ready to cough up a mouthful of blood right there in mid-air. Seeing his stormy expression, Shen Qingqiu pressed on. “He’s made many mistakes in the past, but he won’t anymore. I’ll make sure to discipline him properly…”

Liu Qingge’s face finally paled. “…You really believe him?”

Shen Qingqiu’s conscience twinged. Luo Binghe was still holding his waist, wearing that slightly anxious, vulnerable look again, as if waiting for his answer.

To be honest, he had never truly trusted Luo Binghe before. That was why he kept misunderstanding, kept causing unintended harm. But now…

A wry smile touched Shen Qingqiu’s lips. “It’s better to believe there’s a chance, than to assume there’s none at all.”