Chapter 438 – Agu, The Last Straw
On a nameless mountain peak outside the Tian Mo Sect in the Eastern Domain.
A fierce cold wind blew over the dark mountains. Due to the demonic energy and the winter season, the mountain forest, which was usually devoid of greenery year-round, appeared particularly eerie. Even the vast white snow turned into small, black charcoal-like dots upon landing.
Inside the dilapidated mountain temple, Hei Ya stared blankly at the courtyard, seemingly searching for its lunch.
Swish—Swish-swish—
Suddenly, a series of faint footsteps in the wind and snow broke the silence of the temple.
Hei Ya spread its wings upon hearing the sound and fled in a panic.
Two demonic cultivators, clad in cloaks and bamboo hats, entered through the temple gate and into the main hall, which had a large hole in its ceiling. Beneath the headless statue of a Daoist priest in the temple, they lit a bonfire to ward off the cold snow.
Gu Ming Xin awkwardly removed her bamboo hat with one hand, shook her head, and let her long, heavy black hair cascade down. Then, she looked at He Ji Ming, who stood there blankly, and said, “Sit. Remember what I told you on the road.”
“Ah… Yes.”
He Ji Ming snapped out of his stupor, bowed to Gu Ming Xin with a posture completely contrary to his usual self, and then carefully sat down. He replied in a low voice, “After returning to the Tian Mo Sect, go directly to see the Sect Master and report the matter of Dong Huang to him verbatim.”
“Mhmm.”
Gu Ming Xin softly acknowledged him and no longer paid him any mind, her gaze falling to her bandaged, incomplete right arm.
In the bone-chilling snow of the Eastern Domain, she could feel the cold air all over her body except for her right hand. A relatively gentle wind blew upon her right hand. Though she could only feel it, she could already imagine Ye An Ping, with her hand hanging from his waist, flying his sword through a clear, dense forest.
Gu Ming Xin attempted to grasp with her right hand. As expected, she felt something resembling Ye An Ping’s thigh, and then felt a sharp pinch on the back of her hand.
“Hiss—”
Although it hurt a little, it relieved Gu Ming Xin’s nervousness.
It had been nearly a month since Ye An Ping’s junior sister had severed her right hand. She had traveled day and night with He Ji Ming, finally arriving at a place less than seven hundred li from the Tian Mo Sect.
Regardless of what Xue E said, Gu Ming Xin still firmly believed that Immortal Lord Yu Yan would understand that He Bu Qun was behind everything after hearing He Ji Ming’s account, and that she was innocent. Once He Ji Ming returned to the Tian Mo Sect to report, she could go back to her cave dwelling to rest and prepare for her next confrontation with Feng Yu Die and Ye An Ping’s junior sister.
Feng Yu Die aside, Ye An Ping’s junior sister was simply a monster. But the more monstrous she was, the more excited Gu Ming Xin became. Fighting swords with Ye An Ping’s junior sister was far more interesting than sparring with Tian Mo Sect disciples in the training grounds. As long as her master still believed in her, she would have no worries. She wouldn’t be held back like in Dong Huang, burdened by He Ji Ming, unable to unleash her full strength.
She wanted to prove to Ye An Ping that only she was worthy of him… She wanted Ye An Ping to know that he shouldn’t stand with that idiotic white-haired girl, but should have come to the Tian Mo Sect with her… Immortal Lord Yu Yan would surely value Ye An Ping highly and treat him and herself as direct disciples… As long as He Ji Ming reported truthfully to her master, she didn’t need to listen to Xue E and search for Ye An Ping, begging him to save her life as if admitting defeat.
Might makes right—this was the teaching she had heard since childhood. As long as she defeated Feng Yu Die and Ye An Ping’s junior sister, she could win Ye An Ping over.
Ye An Ping, Ye An Ping, Ye An Ping…
A strange smile gradually appeared on Gu Ming Xin’s face. She couldn’t help but reach out again with her right hand, thousands of li away, and then felt Ye An Ping flick her hand with a bamboo strip. She winced in pain, tucking her neck.
“Hiss—”
It was just a touch, why so stingy…
Gu Ming Xin gently rubbed her right forearm, trying to ease the stinging sensation. Seeing her staring at her handless right arm, He Ji Ming on the side was startled and quickly took out a pot of blood wine from his storage bag. He offered it with both hands, saying weakly, “Young Master Gu, this is my treasured wine. It has a pain-relieving effect. Would you like some? I’ll pour you a cup…”
Looking at He Ji Ming’s fawning demeanor, Gu Ming Xin coldly waved him away and sneered, “What is the meaning of this?”
“This…” He Ji Ming found it difficult to speak. After a moment, he said apologetically, “Young Master Gu, I was wrong before. I was jealous of you and always held a grudge against you in private. I even slandered you, saying you were an informant for the Immortal Family, and so on. After witnessing your fight with that immortal cultivator girl earlier, I finally understood…”
“Oh?”
“I realized that when you fought me in the training grounds, you didn’t even use your full strength when you defeated me, who was of a higher cultivation level. If my father hadn’t pleaded, your sword would have already severed my head at that time.”
Gu Ming Xin looked at He Ji Ming, who seemed to have truly shed his airs as the third young master of the He family, and felt inexplicably uncomfortable. Although it was a good thing that He Ji Ming was apologizing to her, she found the current cowardly He Ji Ming less pleasing to the eye than the former He Ji Ming, who was full of foul language and mockery.
Gu Ming Xin did not respond.
Seeing this, He Ji Ming quickly added, “After we return to the Tian Mo Sect, I will definitely help Young Master Gu clear your name of collaborating with immortal cultivators and praise you among the Tian Mo Sect disciples. If it weren’t for you, Young Master Gu, I probably wouldn’t have been able to return to the Tian Mo Sect…”
“Cowardly and incompetent,” Gu Ming Xin squinted slightly and sneered, “How are you still alive in the Tian Mo Sect? If I were your father, I would have refined you into a blood pill and fed you to your eldest brother.”
This time, He Ji Ming truly understood his own limitations and nodded noncommittally, “Ah… Yes…”
“Heh…”
Gu Ming Xin found him very boring, but hearing that he was willing to help clear her name gave her a little more hope. Regardless, she still wanted to stay in the Tian Mo Sect, by her master’s side.
Gu Ming Xin took the cup of wine He Ji Ming was holding, swirled it, and brought it closer to smell. It smelled quite unpleasant, so she simply handed it back to He Ji Ming and stood up, walking out into the courtyard of the temple.
“Ah… Young Master Gu, where are you going?”
“To get some fresh air. I can’t stand being in the same place as trash like you. My nose can’t take it.”
“Ah… Yes…”
He Ji Ming froze for a moment, then slowly nodded, utterly subservient. He said no more and extended his hands towards the bonfire, intending to rest for a while before returning to the Tian Mo Sect alone as Gu Ming Xin had instructed, to help clear her name of colluding with immortals.
Black clouds pressed down on the sky, and the wind and snow fell like a waterfall.
Gu Ming Xin walked out of the threshold alone, standing under the eaves, gazing at the purple spiritual light above the main hall of the Tian Mo Sect in the distance, known as the “Eye of Hell.” After watching for a while, she glanced back over her shoulder. Seeing that He Ji Ming had no intention of following, she quietly called out, “Xue E…”
“Mhmm, I’m here.”
Xue E immediately appeared from between her eyebrows. Since He Ji Ming had been with her all along, transmitting sound was too troublesome, and it was difficult for her to speak with Xue E. Now, amidst the sound of the wind and snow, she wanted to discuss the upcoming matters with Xue E.
“Did you hear what He Ji Ming just said?”
“Mhmm.”
Xue E nodded slightly and glanced at He Ji Ming in the temple, warming his hands by the bonfire. “I heard it. But Ming Xin, whether what he said will be effective is another matter. For now, you hide here, and I’ll accompany him back to the Tian Mo Sect. If anything seems wrong, I’ll come back and tell you, and then we’ll go find Ye An Ping.”
“I believe in my master.”
“Speaking of which, I asked you earlier to leave a hand for Ye An Ping’s junior sister. Did Ye An Ping receive it?”
Gu Ming Xin hesitated for a moment and nodded, “…He received it, why?”
“Did he use that hand to say anything to you? For example, ask you to find someone? If we need to go to the Western Regions later, we’ll need someone to meet us. Otherwise, we won’t even be able to cross the southwestern regions without being discovered by immortal cultivators. It won’t do to be caught by those powerful cultivators.”
Gu Ming Xin was slightly displeased and asked, “Do you not trust my master that much?”
Xue E floated in front of her, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke, “Ming Xin, I’ve been with you and seen it all. Old Man Yu Yan hasn’t done anything bad to you, and he raised you. But it’s always good to have a backup plan. Ming Xin, just tell me, did Ye An Ping tell you anything? I’ll figure it out later. I’m not like Jin Sha Zi, who is so foolish…”
“Mo Chi Ling.”
“A person’s name?”
“It should be,” Xue E nodded and quickly pulled out the Tian Mo Book Scroll from under her skirt. She licked her finger and flipped through it, her dark eyes scanning left and right, but her brows furrowed slightly. “Did he say anything else?”
“No.”
“The Tian Mo Book Scroll states that Mo Chi Ling was the direct disciple accepted by Immortal Lord Yu Yan seventeen hundred years ago, but she died six hundred years ago.” Xue E said while flipping through the book. “However, this is what the previous owner of the Tian Mo Book Scroll heard. The book’s description of this person only mentions her Celestial Root aptitude and that she was female, with no detailed explanation of the reason for her death.”
“So?”
“After all, she was the former Young Master of the Tian Mo Sect. The book meticulously details how many famous immortal cultivators she killed, yet the reason for her death is recorded so vaguely, suggesting she might still be alive. If Ye An Ping mentioned this name to you, he probably wants you to find her…”
“That person is… my senior sister?”
“Mhmm. I’ll flip through the book for a while longer. Regardless of whether He Ji Ming is useful later, I think we can look for that person. I didn’t pay much attention before, but after Ye An Ping mentioned it, I’m starting to see something isn’t right…”
“…”
Gu Ming Xin frowned slightly, not having any particular feelings, but only thinking Xue E was rather useless. If that “Mo Chi Ling” was so important, why hadn’t it seen her after flipping through the Tian Mo Scroll for over twenty years? Yet, the moment Ye An Ping mentioned her, Xue E felt something was amiss. What a hindsight!
But this also indicated that Ye An Ping’s insight was remarkable. He must have seen this name in the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao, right?
Gu Ming Xin savored the gentle breeze emanating from her right hand in a foreign land and looked again at the dazzling “Eye of Hell” above the distant Tian Mo Hall.
The cold wind whipped against her face, ruffling her bangs, and made the bonfire in front of the headless Daoist statue in the temple flicker precariously.
Whoosh—
However, in the next moment.
A dissonant sound mixed with the sound of the wind.
Whoosh—
?
Gu Ming Xin froze, suddenly feeling a surge of deathly energy. Her eyes widened, and she immediately summoned her natal spirit sword from the Soul Realm, holding it in her left hand. She then turned and charged towards He Ji Ming behind her.
Xue E seemed to sense it too, and hurriedly shouted, “Ming Xin!! Be careful…”
Before she could finish, Gu Ming Xin quickly reached out to He Ji Ming, shouting, “He!!”
He Ji Ming, who had been facing away from Gu Ming Xin and warming his hands by the fire, turned his head in confusion upon hearing the shout. He looked at Gu Ming Xin charging towards him with her spirit sword and seemed puzzled, “Hmm?”
Until—
He saw the reflection of his own disheveled, bewildered face in Gu Ming Xin’s wide, crimson eyes, and a black dagger at his neck.
Whoosh—
Clang—!
Sparks erupted before He Ji Ming’s eyes.
Gu Ming Xin gritted her teeth and, in an instant, crossed five steps, reaching He Ji Ming’s side and parrying the dagger at his neck with her sword. The one holding the dagger was a cultivator wearing a black mask and a black bamboo hat, completely obscuring their face. They seemed to be carrying some kind of item that concealed their aura, and Gu Ming Xin couldn’t see through their cultivation level at a glance.
However, Xue E, piercing through the protective spiritual energy with its spiritual sense, warned, “Ming Xin, it’s a Nascent Soul stage Gu Cultivator, be careful!!”
“…Haaargh—!”
Whoosh—
A bloody spiritual light curved past He Ji Ming’s cheek, accompanied by a splash of black blood, and a finger flew out from the hooded cultivator’s sleeve. After Gu Ming Xin’s sword swept past the person’s finger, her eyes widened slightly. The bloody spirit sword, halfway swung, abruptly stopped mid-air and then swung towards the hood’s neck.
But the person didn’t seem interested in fighting and quickly leaped back, transforming into a mass of pitch-black spiritual energy and dissipating.
Whoosh—
Gu Ming Xin immediately stopped her sword, retreated to He Ji Ming’s side, and unleashed her spiritual sense to scan the surroundings vigilantly.
“He Ji Ming, protect yourself with your blood energy! That person was aiming for you…”
Gu Ming Xin glared at He Ji Ming, but then noticed a trace of bloody spiritual light appearing on his neck.
“Young Master Gu…”
He still seemed dazed, his expression somewhat blank. In the next moment, He Ji Ming’s tall body began to swell like a balloon.
Bang—!
With an explosion, He Ji Ming’s deformed upper body instantly burst open. Flesh and blood splattered all over Gu Ming Xin. A plump pupa worm, using the remaining lower half of He Ji Ming’s body, twisted and stood before Gu Ming Xin.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Then, it protruded its snake-like tongue at Gu Ming Xin, as if in mockery. Gu Ming Xin stood frozen, her ears buzzing. Looking at the pupa worm before her, the grip of her left hand holding the sword loosened slightly. She had gone to great lengths to bring He Ji Ming back safely from the Central Domain to the vicinity of the Tian Mo Sect, hoping he would help her regain Immortal Lord Yu Yan’s trust and clear her name of betrayal.
And yet…
“Ming Xin!!!”
Xue E’s roar brought her back to her senses. Gu Ming Xin finally understood what Elder Fu had meant by “abandoned child” when he spoke to her in the Central Domain. An abandoned child was someone who had already been cast aside. Not about to be abandoned, but already was!
“Aahhh—!! He Bu Qun!!! He Bu Qun, He Bu Qun, you old bastard!!! Aahhh—!”
In just one breath, Gu Ming Xin unleashed countless sword lights with her left hand, cutting the pupa worm occupying half of He Ji Ming’s lower body into mincemeat.
“Aahhh—!!”
“Come out!! Come out!!”
Even though the pupa worm had turned into mincemeat, her spirit sword did not stop. It swept across the temple walls, flashed past the headless Daoist statue, and broke through the already dilapidated temple roof—
Her heart-wrenching cry echoed throughout the mountain peak, causing even the wild beasts hunting in the mountains to flee. Xue E kept calling her name from the side, trying to calm her down, but Gu Ming Xin couldn’t hear it at all. She almost struck Xue E.
“Ah? Ming Xin!! Calm down… Calm down!! Ming Xin…”
Finally, a sharp pain on the back of her right hand, thousands of li away, made Gu Ming Xin’s left-hand spirit sword stop. She felt Ye An Ping tightly gripping her hand at that moment. Then, he slowly pried open her stiff right fingers and wrote five words on her fingers: “Go find Mo Chi Ling.”
“…”
“Ming Xin…”
Seeing her suddenly freeze, Xue E rushed over and gently stroked the back of her head, comforting her. “It’s okay, it’s okay… I’m with you, just like when we were little. I always stroked your head like this when you had a tantrum… Don’t overthink it. He Ji Ming was useless trash to He Bu Qun. If you go crazy over this matter, wouldn’t that play right into He Bu Qun’s hands? He wanted to expel you from the Tian Mo Sect. This… Ming Xin, stop thinking, look at me. Shall I tell you a story? Once upon a time…”
“Shut up!”
Gu Ming Xin closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, then threw the bloody spirit sword aside. She raised her left hand to wipe the flesh and blood of He Ji Ming from her face, then lowered her eyes to pick up He Ji Ming’s storage bag from his waist before putting the bloody spirit sword back into the Soul Realm.
“Hiss—Huff… Xue E, go find Mo Chi Ling.”
“Mhmm… Ming Xin, wear a hat. It’s snowing heavily outside…”
Gu Ming Xin slowly walked to the extinguished bonfire, picked up her bamboo hat, put it on her head, and let the blood flow down her forehead. She walked out of the temple and into the wind and snow, “He Bu Qun, I will kill you… I will annihilate your entire clan!!!”
… …
