Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 119: Shocking Change

In the deep of night, all was silent.

The servants had gone to rest, leaving only Qu Duanyun alone in the room. Setting aside his book, he drew a scroll of paper from his sleeve. He ground the ink well before absorbing it with the nib of his pen, holding it above the paper.

He pondered for a moment, then clicked his tongue lightly. It took him a while to pen down the words “To the Esteemed…”

[Northern Shafu. The Great Prohibition in the northwest operates as usual, but due to the increasing sandstorms in the west, the market is not flourishing.]

Xu Jingming was talkative, but fortunately, he admired the emperor immensely. To avoid bothering the emperor, Xu Jingming rarely visited the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence after growing up. He could surely tell a harmless little lie to Jiang Youyue without being found out.

Jiang Youyue was an excellent master in many aspects but was overly bound by traditions and left things to fate. As the saying goes, indecision brings trouble upon oneself. Although Shi Jingzhi only had less than a year left to live, he shouldn’t be underestimated. Leaving things as they were wasn’t wise.

What if something happened to Shi Jingzhi? Then wouldn’t everyone’s efforts be in vain?

But whenever these concerns were raised, Jiang Youyue was always evasive.

“Once you inherit my mantle, you’ll understand the truth,” was always his answer to any query.

While Jiang Youyue highly valued him as a disciple, Qu Duanyun could sense that he had kept many secrets from him. The Great Prohibition in the northwest was one such mystery—where did this power from this seal come from? Even a disciple of the Imperial Preceptor couldn’t figure it out.

How could there be such “power” without reason?

Jiang Youyue mentioned that as long as the Great Prohibition of the Northwest exists, no matter how much Shi Jingzhi struggles, he cannot change his fate. Maybe by concealing some harmless information, he could slightly deviate from the plan set by his master.

There was no problem in the world he couldn’t solve, and no situation he couldn’t control. Qu Duanyun didn’t want to dedicate his life to that crafty “artificial demon”. Would his master still remain unfazed once Shi Jingzhi fails and he successfully takes over?

Thinking of Shi Jingzhi’s face, Qu Duanyun’s grip on the pen tightened, and rare anger appeared on his face. He took a deep breath to continue writing calmly.

[This morning, Wu Huai will ascend. With the closure of the Jianchen Temple, the dissolution of the Ling Sect, and both Chigou and Taiheng in our hands, everything is ready.]

The morning light was dim, and it was almost dawn. In the Chigou courtyard, smokeless celebratory firecrackers were lit.

All the followers changed into their brightest robes, gathering in the courtyard. The lower-ranked followers were cheerful, not knowing what the new leader looked like. Those of higher rank hid their concerns well.

The Protectors of the sect displayed a variety of expressions. Among the nine, Hua Jingchun was missing, leaving eight with different moods. They sat casually in the main seats, resembling a demonic version of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.

Although the ceremony was outdoors, numerous steel wires hung above the courtyard, with bone chimes floating among them. In the center stood an ancient cauldron, with three sticks of blood-red incense. The scent was so strong it was dizzying.

Protector Hua and her group hid in a nearby secret chamber. She sniffed the peculiar fragrance and said sharply, “It’s ‘corpse incense’. The ceremony has started.”

As Shi Jingzhi turned to Yin Ci, the latter explained as if reading his mind. “It’s a detoxifying incense used for corpse purification and during tomb visits.”

During major ceremonies with large crowds, there was a risk of poisoning. As Chigou was notorious for grave robbing and had many enemies, such precautions were necessary.

“What about the tea mixed with the drug…?”

“As it was chosen by Protector Hua, it won’t be detoxified.”

Yin Ci explained while examining the chamber. This was the execution room where he used different methods to kill himself during his “persistence period”. The spacious and hidden room provided easy eavesdropping. He wondered how Hua Jingchun found this place and thought that if she dug deeper, she might find many “old bones”.

Now, with Shi Jingzhi blinking and standing there, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Hua Jingchun couldn’t afford to be distracted. She counted the time bit by bit, chanting, “Remove the mask to show the true face, offer past commitments for peace. Respectfully announce to the world, a cup of wine disrupts the Yellow Springs… Six cups of tea, half an hour, and two incense sticks are still needed.”

Yan Qing was familiar the second time after the first encounter. He had caused a commotion in the Ling Sect once, and at this moment, he had already gripped the stone sword tightly. Only Su Si was playing with the butcher knife, his beautiful eyes wandering around, unknown of what was on his mind.

“Where is Shen Zhu?” After looking around for a long time, Su Si asked in a low voice.

“I don’t know. She said she had something urgent just now.” Yan Qing scratched his head. “Miss Shen is as smart as ice and snow. She must know the way… Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

“This place is gloomy, and the aura of death is too heavy, making me feel anxious. What’s wrong with that Su Zhi? Why does the Patriarch of Chigou have such weird rooms?” Su Si frowned, showing no sign of nervousness.

Yan Qing hesitated for a while, and the momentum he had built up was almost drained.

Their ability to hide their movements wasn’t as good as that of the master and disciple of the Kushan Sect. Hua Jingchun’s gaze immediately shot over. “You brats, be quiet!”

Unfortunately, the youth were often curious. Once Yan Qing was led away by Su Si, he couldn’t hold back. He moved closer to Su Si and whispered, “Doesn’t she recognize you?”

Su Si snorted back like a mosquito. “Chigou fears that the Protectors and the Great Protectors will try to woo the Young Patriarch in advance. According to the rules, the Young Patriarch won’t reveal his true face easily. Many people have been chased by Chigou, and those who chase me don’t even know why.”

He smirked coldly.

“The token is the most tangible evidence. Insiders in the sect vouched for it, probably because Matron Wuxue knew many secrets of the Chigou Sect, and her strength wasn’t weak.”

After the two finished chattering, they waited quietly for an incense stick’s time.

“Miss Shen hasn’t come back yet. Did she encounter something?” Yan Qing sounded worried, seeing that Shen Zhu hadn’t appeared for a long time.

Su Si was distracted and said, “The Sect Master isn’t in a hurry, why are you? San Zi, did you fall for her?”

Yan Qing’s face instantly matched the color of his eyes, and he finally managed to reply, “Maybe the Sect Master might not know, I…”

“San Zi, let me teach you something. Shen Zhu is a subordinate of the Sect Master. If the master doesn’t care about the actions of his subordinates, there are only two possibilities—first, he knows exactly what the subordinate is doing and believes everything is under control. The second…”

Su Si laughed mischievously.

“Second, he knows that whatever the subordinate does, it won’t hinder his main business.”

Qu Duanyun was sitting in the guest seat, carefully watching the ceremony in front of him.

Bells rang in the wind, making a crisp sound. The smoke from the corpse incense was dense and heavy, forming a milky mist that flowed from the ancient cauldron to the ground, covering the ground in a foggy wave. The singers from the sect sang the folk songs of Shafu, melodious and smooth. The tune was mixed with the roughness unique to the desert land, and every melody seemed to have been polished by the wind and sand.

His eyes watched and his ears listened, but his heart wasn’t there. Since he sent back the word cloth, Jiang Youyue hadn’t responded. The word cloth in his sleeve was quiet, without any warmth from magic activation.

As always.

Most of the affairs of the martial world were handled by him. Although figures like Juefei, Qi Xundao, and Matron Wuxue died due to the Twin Roots, he had been leading the efforts to destroy the Ling Sect and deal with Taiheng. Despite this, his master always looked at the sky, murmuring words like “fate” and the “immortal path”.

It seemed as if, just by relying on the word “fate”, all these troubles would resolve themselves.

He couldn’t understand why the Imperial Preceptor didn’t want to learn from their past mistakes. They revered the rules left by the Saint, yet they weren’t willing to be flexible.

In his opinion, the Hundred-Year Project didn’t necessarily have to involve the “Child of Desire”.

The melody reached its climax, and the women’s voices were strong, singing with the might of thousands of troops. Qu Duanyun smiled calmly, but under his sleeves, his hand slowly clenched into a fist.

Finally, Wu Huai stepped onto the stone platform in the middle. He took off his mask and picked up a stick of corpse incense.

Wu Huai had a handsome face, and combined with the mist on the ground, it gave him a somewhat celestial appearance. He deliberately imitated the attire of Su Zhi, wearing all black with delicate gold embroidery at the edges. As the hem of his robe flowed through the mist, his original fierceness was masked, turning into a harmless cold aloofness.

In the innermost part of the courtyard, there hung a large portrait of Su Zhi. The person in the painting wore a mask, only showing a chin. However, he had a dignified posture and an extraordinary aura, as if a flying immortal had descended to the world. Compared to the demonic sect courtyard, this painting was more suitable for being placed in a shrine.

Wu Huai held the incense in both hands, paying his utmost respects to the portrait with a bow. Then, with a twist of his body, he inverted the incense and placed it back into the censer. A burst of vital qi swept over, reigniting the tip of the incense.

“I am Wu Huai, the Patriarch of the Chigou Sect, successor to our third Patriarch, Su Zhi. With all of you as witnesses today, from this moment onward, Chigou is my Chigou.”

He gripped the handle of the Bone Sweeping Sword and turned to face the guests from Taiheng and the Yueshui Pavilion.

“Servants, bring the wine and tea!”

A mute and blind servant presented a tray to Wu Huai with six cups on it. At the same time, everyone in the guest seats received a cup of Shafu herbal tea. Wu Huai glanced over the cups, picked up the one infused with honeysuckle and mint, and raised it in salute to the sky. As his lips touched the rim and he was about to down it in one go—

“Stop!” Qu Duanyun shouted.

Wu Huai paused his movement, almost instantaneously stopping his hand. “…Sect Master Qu, what advice do you have?”

Qu Duanyun narrowed his eyes at the teacup in his hand, gently swirling its contents, and took a slight sip. Immediately after, he slammed the cup down on the table, revealing for the first time a stern expression in public.

“Patriarch Wu, something has been added to this tea. It would be wise to check the one you’re about to drink.”

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The author has something to say:

Fox Shi: The painting is not bad. Once the fight is over, I’ll take it back and hang it in my Kushan Sect—

Demonic Lord Yin: …

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