Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 91: Yan Zheng

Zongwu Mountain had few sunny days, and it happened to be cloudier with the arrival of spring. Three people stood at the border of Zongwu Mountain, not far from where the mist rose up to the sky, mingling with the overcast clouds. The mist covered the entire mountain range, as if a corner of the sky had collapsed, burying the whole area in a torrent of dark clouds.

With the arrival of spring, there were some green shoots beneath the withered grass. However, the sparse patches of green were enveloped in an eerie aura, appearing feeble and lifeless, devoid of any vitality.

The archer quickly applied pressure to several acupoints, expertly stopping the bleeding. His gaze swept over at Yin Ci, still maintaining a high-and-mighty tone. “How interesting.”

Yin Ci was about to draw his Hanging Shadow Sword, but the archer smiled meaningfully at the two of them. He took a few deep breaths, fixed his longbow on his back, and then started running backward—his actions were odd, and he moved with an air of righteousness, making it hard to tell if he was escaping or preparing to perform some special technique.

The pair of master and disciple from the Kushan Sect waited vigilantly, watching the archer recede into the mist, until he disappeared.

Oh, it turns out he was trying to escape.

The disciples of Taiheng were usually known for their unyielding nature, but this was the first time they had seen someone escape with such an aura of charging forward. Sect Master Shi didn’t have time to grab his flagpole, and his hand remained suspended in the air, his action and expression freezing together. The wound on his head was still throbbing faintly, and Shi Jingzhi suddenly felt he had been wronged by the arrow.

He was met with a harsh response, only to be told to “Scram”, without even a chance to retaliate. Shi Jingzhi pondered for a moment but couldn’t figure out which master from Taiheng could be like this—even if the person was from Taiheng, he would be an outcast, unknown and unremarkable.

Yin Ci was at a loss as well. The archer’s actions were puzzling, and his unconscious reaction was hard to fake. The archer was indeed using Taiheng’s footwork, and his skill level was quite profound. However, the Fog Tomb Formation of Zongwu Mountain was designed to prevent outsiders from entering, especially guarding against righteous sects like Taiheng, yet the archer had brazenly slipped in.

But it was strange.

Yin Ci once attempted the “Fog Tomb Formation”, and its effect was peculiar. When entering the formation, it was like entering a tomb. Living people who entered the formation would have normal heartbeats and breathing and could still eat and drink. However, their flesh would start to rot methodically, much like a freshly deceased corpse. Before long, they would swell and emit a foul stench. If they didn’t leave in time, not to mention preserve their martial arts skills, just the agony of living with decaying flesh would be unbearable.

Unfortunately, Yin Ci was a monster that could revive from even a few remaining scraps. The Fog Tomb Formation rotted his flesh but left his bones intact, turning him into a living skeleton within the formation. His consciousness remained, but he had no choice but to give up on it.

Only the Ling Sect could devise such a sinister formation. The Fog Tomb Formation had countless variations, resembling a venomous concoction. To remain unscathed, one would need to consume a special “antidote” specifically crafted for countering this formation. Strictly speaking, this honor wasn’t bestowed upon ordinary disciples of the Ling Sect.

So what was going on with that archer?

Seemingly attracted by the commotion here, several figures approached not far away. Shi Jingzhi swiftly thawed from his frozen state and pulled Yin Ci. The two of them lightly jumped to the top of a nearby peak, holding their breaths in unison.

The newcomers were not disciples of the Taiheng Sect but rather several from the Ling Sect.

The one leading them wasn’t yet thirty years old and had delicate features, but his face was caked with thick powder, concealing the redness and swelling. His originally attractive features were marred by the red and white powder, making him not only unattractive but also exuding a touch of eerie weirdness.

However, his clothes were exceptionally luxurious and in the style of the Ling sect, indicating he was an elder from the outer branch.

“Strange, a moment ago, there were several figures here,” the man said in a fake, languid tone. As he spoke, he casually flicked his fingers, as if trying to evoke some immortal-like atmosphere. “… Have they escaped? I had wanted to bring a gift for the Patriarch to see, but alas.”

Beside him was a white-clad young man with a numb, emotionless expression. “Elder Huo, this place is dangerous. It’s better to ask the Patriarch for the ‘Fog Evading Pill’.”

The young man’s words were monotonous, as if reciting a book. But Elder Huo’s expression immediately softened, looking pleased. “What Xi’er said is true. It’s cold here. Let’s go… Ah, if it weren’t for the Patriarch’s orders, we could be taking a boat to enjoy the flowers in Boshui.”

“Elder Huo has just been promoted as an elder, and he received a summons from the Patriarch. This is an auspicious sign of being favored,” the white-clad young man continued, flattering him expressionlessly.

Someone from the Boshui branch? Yin Ci raised a brow.

Boshui was located at the southernmost point of Great Yun, a rather insignificant place. Even though they were stronger than the Chigou Sect, they wouldn’t bother assigning someone with little skill to Boshui. Not to mention that the Ling Sect was now in decline and all the formidable masters were at the main branch. This “Elder Huo” might hold the title of an elder in a branch, but his combat strength was inferior to Yan Qing’s.

However, with this level of strength, dealing with ordinary Taiheng disciples would be more than enough.

Yin Ci withdrew his gaze and made a judgment. He realized that it was unnecessary for Taiheng to send top masters to investigate Zongwu Mountain through the mist. Those exceptional individuals of the Ling Sect wouldn’t bother with small fries like them. Instead, they would let these mediocre individuals come and sacrifice themselves, making use of their uselessness. This “Elder Huo” seemed even more pitiful, as he had just taken up the new position and was probably being used as a scapegoat as the newly appointed elder.

Suddenly, Yin Ci had an idea that wasn’t quite ethical. He turned his head slowly and looked at Shi Jingzhi beside him, detecting a similar aura of mischief from him.

“A’Ci, how about we…”

“Not a bad idea.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Shi Jingzhi flicked a few pebbles. Elder Huo’s eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground. The rest of the Ling Sect disciples also collapsed in various positions, except for the white-clad young man who was still standing. He didn’t possess any martial skills and displayed no coquettish behavior. He seemed like either a recently initiated male companion or a commoner abducted for some purpose.

The young man looked at the elder Huo with rolled-back eyes, but instead of fear, he showed relief. After hesitating for a while, he nervously kicked Elder Huo and then bowed haphazardly to those around him, saying, “Are you heroes from Taiheng?”

Shi Jingzhi appeared, clearing his throat and speaking with a righteous tone. “Indeed, we are.”

The young man kneeled down on one knee, knocking his head loudly on the ground. The white clothes on his body instantly became dirtied with mud. “I was just an ordinary scholar in Boshui. I don’t know how I offended this scoundrel. He harassed men and women in Boshui, acting arrogantly. My older sister was killed by this beast, and my younger siblings are still young. Pressured by the tyranny of the demonic sect, I…”

“Enough, it’s okay,” Shi Jingzhi waved his hand, rudely interrupting the man’s lament. “When you came here, did you see any other Ling Sect members?”

“No, we just arrived at the border of Zongwu Mountain, and we hadn’t had a chance to climb up. That scoundrel said he felt battle intent and wanted to capture two Taiheng disciples to gain some reputation.”

Shi Jingzhi: “……” Elder Huo’s face was so shiny that he could be used for palace lighting.

He pretended to sigh. “The demonic sect is too tyrannical! The situation here is chaotic, and your all-white attire is too conspicuous. I fear you might get involved in conflicts. I have some silver, so Young Master* should change into coarse old clothes and leave as soon as possible.”

*[Gong zi] (公子) Term addressed to a young master of a high official.

The young man believed him without suspicion. He hurriedly changed into shabby clothes and took the half-string of coins, expressing his thousand thanks before departing. Shi Jingzhi was satisfied and picked up the white clothes, proceeding to deal with Elder Huo’s poorly worn robe.

The demonic sect disapproved of interpersonal relationships, so Elder Huo didn’t bring much luggage. Besides a yin wooden plaque with his name and proof of his elder status and a longsword tied with a bright red ribbon, he only carried a small amount of silver.

This couldn’t be more perfect.

After all, the Kushan Sect wasn’t considered a righteous sect. Right after the young man left, Sect Master Shi immediately skipped the step of exorcizing the evil spirits—the two simply killed Elder Huo and his confidantes, then burned their bodies to ashes with yang fire…

That night, “Huo Changying” of the Boshui branch continued to embrace the white-clad young man, accompanied by a few attendants, cheerfully entered the Ling Sect’s gate.

Shi Jingzhi smiled on the surface, but his heart was bitter.

Sect Master Shi was quite confident in his plan. After all, his high-level disciple had once been the Patriarch of the Chigou Sect and had more experience dealing with members of the demonic sect. As for himself, he hadn’t had much contact with the secular world, so he didn’t have much confidence in acting well, but pretending to be an innocent scholar wasn’t a problem.

The Ling Sect had many masters, and disguising themselves came with risks. Fortunately, Huo Changying was still young and came with a male companion, so their appearances could barely be justified.

Unexpectedly, the opinions of the Kushan Sect members were somewhat unanimous—the eldest disciple looked as clear as a flying immortal, while the sect leader, in terms of temperament and appearance, was clearly more like a “demon”. If they distributed the roles like this, it might arouse suspicion. For some reason, even Yin Ci didn’t stand by his side and remained suspiciously silent.

Sect Master Shi struggled for a while, but he had no choice but to wear Elder Huo’s clothes, put his arm around Yin Ci’s shoulder, and try to play the role of a registered disciple. Shen Zhu applied some light makeup on them, making their appearances look more ordinary and less eye-catching.

The mist on Zongwu Mountain never dispersed throughout the year. Even without the Fog Tomb Formation, the milky white mist would still flow everywhere. The main altar of the Ling Sect wasn’t difficult to find, standing ominously in a valley of Zongwu Mountain. At the entrance of the valley hung two dark red lanterns, as if afraid that others might not notice them.

Shi Jingzhi’s face forced a smile, but he couldn’t help feeling anxious. Huo Changying’s abilities were really not that impressive, and even if Taiheng wouldn’t stoop to killing or pretending to be someone else, the Chigou Sect would be capable of such things. He couldn’t believe that the Ling Sect didn’t have any defenses. It wasn’t like he hadn’t speculated, but taking shortcuts was tempting. At this point, they could only counter whatever came their way and see how far they could go.

The decline of the Ling Sect could be seen from its appearance alone. Two red lanterns swayed, adorned with numerous desolate tears. The stone steps of the valley were also filthy, as if they hadn’t been cleaned for many years. The main branch of the Ling Sect was originally a majestic vermilion wooden tower, exuding a grand aura. But now, the vermilion paint was mottled and dark, spiderwebs drifted about, giving off a creepy atmosphere.

Along the way, the group didn’t encounter a single fellow traveler. If it weren’t for the lights in the building and the shadows moving inside, Shi Jingzhi would almost think they had fallen for an empty city trick.

At the entrance of the main hall, there sat a lifeless old slave. As the group approached, he turned his lifeless eyes and sang in a singsong manner, “Welcome, welcome…”

Even the entrance of a Ghost Tomb in the mortal realm was livelier than this place, causing Sect Master Shi to shudder involuntarily. Yin Ci, on the other hand, kept his head down, frowning in silence.

Something was definitely amiss with the Ling Sect.

When Yan Budu was still alive, there were even more lunatics in the Ling Sect. However, Yan Budu was skilled, and he had tamed those weird individuals. The vermilion tower of Ling Sect used to be imposing, and the stone steps were polished to a shine by the constant flow of people. There was always a hint of a faint bloody smell in the air. Even the most arrogant ruffians had to lower their heads in front of the two red lanterns and climb the steps politely, offering their respects.

Otherwise, within five steps, they would see their own blood splattered on the spot.

Even if the Ling Sect was declining, if the inherent arrogance remained, it wouldn’t have become so casual. The current Ling Sect was more like some third-rate bandit stronghold than the past demonic sect. Although this comparison seemed strange, the thought flashed through Yin Ci’s mind for an instant.

The Ling Sect had lost its divine presence.

It didn’t disintegrate due to self-destruction or inaction leading to decay. Yan Budu had only been dead for about a hundred years, and a dead camel was still bigger than a horse. Destroying a sect’s soul wasn’t something that could be accomplished in a moment—it must have been intentionally done by someone.

Not to mention verifying their identities, the old slave guided them in without even glancing at their identity tokens. He just took a look at Shi Jingzhi’s “doesn’t look like a good person” face, snorted, and let them in.

The first few floors in front of the vermilion tower were in a mess, with some food and wine already spoiled. Corpse fragments were mixed with gold and silver, jade stones stuck in white bones, and pearl strings soaked in corpse water. Corpse insects crawled everywhere, and flying insects buzzed around. When they reached the top of the vermilion tower, the scene became even more absurd—valuable tables and chairs were overturned, and wine and water were splashed everywhere. A group of weird people dressed in flashy attire, pretending to wear the Ling Sect’s robes, were making a commotion like a bunch of monkeys. Several elders sat in the main seats, drinking and having fun, ignoring the mess in front of them.

Compared to them, Shi Jingzhi and his pretend disciple looked normal and harmless. No one paid them any attention or questioned them. Instead of venting their hatred that couldn’t be fulfilled, Yin Ci felt that these people in front of him were more like revelers during chaos.

Only four people from the Kushan Sect came up—Shen Zhu was good at investigations but not very skilled in martial arts, so she stayed outside to provide support. Yan Qing and Su Si had indeed come, with Su Si still retaining some of the instincts from the Chigou Sect, immediately clutching his butcher knife warily. Yan Qing slightly opened his eyes, looking at the dilapidated place left by his old ancestor, unable to conceal his disgust.

The master and disciple found an empty seat and sat down casually. The gaze of those around them occasionally swept over them. Shi Jingzhi sat up straight, as if his claws were sewn into Yin Ci’s shoulder, and he didn’t dare to move.

If it were anyone else, Shi Jingzhi would have just played along. Even if he wasn’t proficient, with his abilities, he could deceive these wicked individuals. But he was completely helpless with Yin Ci—he had just gotten used to being intimate verbally, and he couldn’t do anything intimate in front of so many people. Not to mention flirting, Shi Jingzhi’s hand had only tried to slide down a little, and his neck had already turned red.

Yin Ci could only helplessly lean towards Shi Jingzhi from time to time, so that the two of them wouldn’t end up sitting there like two monks meditating.

Demonic Lord Yin sighed inwardly. If he had known that this person’s face was so thin, he might have chosen another role for him, which might not have attracted so much attention. Shi Jingzhi sat with great dignity, looking just like a secular disciple from the Jianchen Temple. One of the elders had already looked at them with suspicion.

Where were the physical cravings? Where was the abyss of desire?

Shi Jingzhi also realized that this approach could be detrimental. He took a deep breath, mustered up the courage, and wrapped his arm around Yin Ci’s waist. He grabbed a cup of wine, his expression contorted looking somewhat sinister, and said, “Here, let’s have a d-drink…”

But midway through his sentence, Shi Jingzhi couldn’t help but start scrutinizing Yin Ci, and in the process, he choked on his own saliva, nearly coughing aloud.

If it weren’t for the crowd around them, Yin Ci would have almost let out a laugh. He put one hand on Shi Jingzhi’s face and teased, “Little Mute, going mute again?”

This hit a nerve with Shi Jingzhi. He gulped down the cup of wine and grumbled, “Just a momentary lapse.”

Yin Ci couldn’t help but tease him softly. “It’s my oversight. I should have known earlier and told you how adorable you are when you kiss the corner of my mouth.”

Then he leaned closer to Shi Jingzhi’s ear and blew softly. “Nevermind, kids will be kids. This time, I’ll teach you a lesson that’s not like…”

Before he could finish his sentence, his waist was suddenly held tightly. A pair of lips carrying the scent of wine pressed against his, stopping the rest of Yin Ci’s words. Shi Jingzhi kissed him decisively and firmly, though it was a brief and affectionate kiss.

“Not a ‘kid’.” Shi Jingzhi’s voice sounded surprisingly calm. “This place is full of lunatics and alcohol stench. It’s not where you should be. What’s wrong with me valuing you and not wanting you around such frivolous people?”

This sincere confession caught Yin Ci off guard, and the playful words he was about to utter got stuck in his throat, leaving him choked instead.

Fortunately, at this moment, the chaotic hall suddenly fell silent.

The members of the Ling Sect turned their gaze to the empty main seat—a young man walked out from the inner chamber, adjusted his sleeves, and sat down at the table. He was quite handsome, bearing a slight resemblance to Yan Qing. His crimson eyes swept across the messy hall with no visible emotions.

Yan Qing, standing behind the master and disciple, straightened his back and tightened his lips.

That was the Ling Sect’s current Patriarch, Yan Zheng.

This man wasn’t particularly famous and rarely appeared in the martial world. Yin Ci had thought of him as a puppet manipulated by the Ling Sect’s elders, but now that he saw him, this puppet had commendable strength and no sign of weakness in his demeanor.

However, his eyes were unfathomably dark, devoid of any vitality, and seemed somewhat familiar.

Yan Zheng scanned everyone with his eyes, and his gaze stopped on Shi Jingzhi, who was wearing elder robes. After scrutinizing him for a while, Yan Zheng straightforwardly asked—

“Who are you?”

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