Simiushan Mountain, with its steep terrain yet not wild and untamed, was picturesque and charming, with streams murmuring gently. It possessed both the gentleness of Jiangdong and the precipitous majesty of Huanzhou.
Meng Qi felt a bit worried and heavy-hearted as he descended once more before the gates of the Huanhua Sword Sect, explaining his purpose to the gatekeeping disciple.
“Junior Hero Su, what a pity! Senior Brother Qi left the sect just the other day.” A person’s reputation precedes him, and upon recognizing “Wild Blade” Su Meng, the gatekeeping disciple showed not the slightest negligence.
He secretly examined this young expert whose fame had spread throughout the land. He found him largely as he had imagined, yet without the sharpness, wildness, and exuberance he had expected. Instead, there was a sense of smooth refinement, like jade polished over years—gentle and unimpetuous.
A chill passed through Meng Qi’s heart. Senior Brother Qi had rushed out immediately after returning from “seclusion.” Had something really happened?
“Junior Brother, do you know where Senior Brother Qi went?” Meng Qi pressed.
Seeing “Wild Blade” Su Meng take the initiative to be familiar, the gatekeeping disciple was flattered and quickly replied, “I dare not bear such an honorific from Senior Brother Su. Senior Brother Qi is said to have gone to Yedu.”
Yedu? Meng Qi clasped his hands in farewell, then leapt into the air and flew toward Yedu, the capital of Huanzhou Prefecture and the seat of Zhou Commandery!
…
At the Six Gates Prefecture Office in Yedu, in the office of the Silver Seal Investigator.
Meng Qi could not determine Qi Zhengyan’s whereabouts through the Yuxu Divine Calculation, and the external expert in charge of Yedu affairs from the Huanhua Sword Sect had not seen Qi Zhengyan either. Thus, he intended to use the Six Gates’ intelligence network to help locate him.
“Don’t worry. As soon as we have any news, we’ll inform you immediately.” The speaker was a familiar face—Kong Yu, once a Blue Ribbon Investigator and now a Silver Seal Investigator. He smiled and added, “It’s been years since we last met. Now you’ve crossed the first heavenly threshold and become a Purple Ribbon Investigator. Your strength, cultivation, and rank have all surpassed mine. It’s truly moving.”
“Purple Ribbon?” Meng Qi asked in confusion.
Kong Yu paused slightly. “You haven’t visited the Six Gates liaison point yet? After you crossed the first heavenly threshold, the Divine Capital headquarters promoted you to Purple Ribbon Investigator. If it weren’t for the fact that you haven’t completed a single mission in the past two or three years, you might even have been promoted to Gold Ribbon.”
“How much has the salary increased?” Meng Qi got straight to the point.
Kong Yu laughed heartily, “Enough to exchange for three high-grade rare treasures per year.”
Knowing that at the external expert level, money was trivial, he substituted rare treasures instead.
“Not bad,” Meng Qi smiled slightly. Adding to his previous savings, in a year’s time, he should be able to collect five rare treasures from the Six Gates. No wonder it was said that the imperial court, which ruled half the land, had profound resources. To win him over, they had practically given him a salary equivalent to two or three tenths of the wealth accumulated by an old master like Zhang Yuanshan, even though he had done practically nothing!
After a few pleasantries, Kong Yu escorted Meng Qi to the door with the respect due to a guest.
Just as Meng Qi stepped out of the prefectural office gate, a sudden feeling made him halt.
At that moment, a black carriage, completely covered with thick woolen cloth, rolled out from a nearby alley and stopped in front of Meng Qi. The coachman was a hunchbacked man, yet his aura was deep and enduring, his flesh brimming with terrifying power—he was a peerless expert!
A peerless expert as a coachman?
For some reason, Meng Qi suddenly thought of Gu Xiaosang. Her coachman had also been an external expert!
With a creaking sound, the carriage door slowly opened, and Meng Qi’s perception, which had been blocked, extended inward.
Inside was simply and anciently decorated. In the center was a low table with a teacup filled with tea. Sitting on the left was a figure in a blue robe, back straight, hands resting on his knees, calm and restrained, expressionless—none other than Qi Zhengyan.
“Senior Brother Qi…” Meng Qi furrowed his brow in confusion, stepped forward, entered the carriage, and sat opposite Qi Zhengyan.
With a soft click, the door closed. The coachman raised his whip, and the carriage began moving toward the end of the street.
Qi Zhengyan’s pupils were black and lustrous, like two dark gems. They were deep and unfathomable, like an ocean without waves.
His breath was long and steady. He did not avoid Meng Qi’s gaze, but remained silent, lips sealed like an ancient well without ripples.
A heavy and eerie atmosphere filled the carriage, leaving Meng Qi momentarily at a loss for words.
They sat in silence, the only sounds being the rumbling of the wheels over stone and the distant chatter of pedestrians.
The carriage passed through the city gate, following the Yeshui River upward, gradually leaving behind the noise of the mundane world, replaced only by the ceaseless sound of rushing water.
Crack!
At the sound of the whip, the brown horses halted in unison, and the tea on the table rippled slightly.
Qi Zhengyan silently rose, opened the carriage door, and faced the wide expanse of river before him—clear but not transparent, flowing like time itself.
He slowly walked toward the shore, his blue robe fluttering in the wind. Meng Qi’s mood involuntarily grew heavy as he followed behind. The peerless coachman silently drove the carriage away.
Qi Zhengyan turned with his hands behind his back, the river breeze lifting his hair. Finally, he spoke, his voice steady as ever:
“I knew you would come looking for me.”
Meng Qi stopped ten paces behind him, took a deep breath, and said softly, “I was worried you might have some unspoken difficulties.”
Qi Zhengyan remained expressionless: “Indeed, there are unspoken difficulties. Every time I must conceal my strength, the difficulty of our missions unknowingly increases. If not for sufficient merit and careful preparation, someone would have died long ago. Therefore, after the deadly mission, I will leave the team.”
“Leave the team? Senior Brother Qi, if it’s just an unexpected increase in strength from a lucky chance, what does it matter? I’m almost at the fifth Heaven already, and most mission variables stem from me. Why do you feel guilty?” Meng Qi was astonished.
A rare smile flickered across Qi Zhengyan’s lips, ambiguous in meaning:
“If it were just a lucky chance, it would be fine.”
As the words fell, a sudden evil wind rose around them. Points of red light flew out from Qi Zhengyan’s body, merging with the evil wind to form a dharma image—human head, dragon body, six arms, its face bearing a striking resemblance to Qi Zhengyan’s.
If that were all, Meng Qi wouldn’t have been surprised. However, this Dharma image was blood-red, emanating an indescribable aura of eerie strangeness and familiarity. Its six arms wielded destruction, slaughter, a blood pearl, filth, a flower of icy cold, and a crimson flame of evil.
Though it bore no sign of corruption, it sent chills down Meng Qi’s spine.
“This… the blood shadow from the Tian Court fragment!” A realization struck Meng Qi—he had seen this familiar presence before, in the mysterious killing demon within the Tian Court fragment!
Qi Zhengyan did not answer. The terrifying dharma image, seemingly formed entirely of powerful blood, took a step forward, merged with him, and condensed into a single point—a blood-red mark on his forehead shaped like a crescent moon or lotus petal. His aura surged rapidly, approaching the fourth Heaven. His blue robe fluttered, exuding calmness and newfound dominance.
At the sight of that mark, a series of images flashed through Meng Qi’s mind, and he blurted out:
“The Demon Lord!”
Yes, the image of the Demon Lord he had seen before was not human in appearance, but had three heads and six arms. The most distinctive feature was a demonic mark on his forehead, nearly identical in shape, position, and sensation to Qi Zhengyan’s blood mark, differing only in color!
No wonder the Demon Lord had said, “You came too late,” rather than having long since vanished…
However, at that time, he had been with Gu Xiaosang. Why had the Demon Lord said, “You came too late,” instead of “You came too late”?
His heart churned with emotion, unable to calm. Meng Qi stared at Qi Zhengyan, at a loss for words.
Senior Brother Qi had actually inherited the Demon Lord!
Qi Zhengyan’s face remained calm as he said softly, “Most of the power, secrets, and knowledge of evil lie within the flesh. A single drop of blood or piece of flesh often contains unfathomable mysteries.”
Meng Qi thought of the “Blood of the Demon Sage” he had received and had no doubts.
“During the time in the Demon’s Grave, to avoid danger, I accidentally entered a lake formed from the Demon Lord’s blood. My body was soaked and subtly transformed by the blood, and from it, I obtained the Demon Lord’s cultivation techniques and insights.” Qi Zhengyan’s gaze remained deep and ripple-free, as if speaking of someone else. “Initially, I resisted, upholding righteousness, unwilling to fall into evil and merge with demons. But at Ling Mountain, when I was cornered with no escape, I asked myself—was I willing to give up like this?”
“I was unwilling. From an ordinary disciple with mediocre talent, ignored and unable to receive profound techniques, I gradually advanced to the point of bodily transformation, with external cultivation within reach. To die like this—I was unwilling.”
“Whether it was fate or the will of Heaven, I was unwilling.”
“Therefore, I chose to merge with the Demon Lord’s blood, inheriting his techniques, experiences, and will.”
Qi Zhengyan did not speak with hysteria, but in a calm, detached tone, describing something that should have been shocking.
No wonder Senior Brother Qi had covered his eyes when entering the hall of the Green Lantern… A small detail flickered in Meng Qi’s mind.
Details revealed everything!
Meng Qi took a breath: “Senior Brother Qi, demonic techniques have nothing to do with good or evil. If you uphold righteousness in your heart, what harm is there in cultivating demon techniques? If used for good, they become good!”
Qi Zhengyan fixed Meng Qi with a steady gaze, then after a moment of silence, said gravely, “I have already become a demon.”
A chill gripped Meng Qi’s heart. Before he could speak, Qi Zhengyan’s expression turned solemn:
“In my eyes, demons can be good or evil—some defy Heaven itself, others bring destruction and slaughter. The only commonality is that they are not accepted by Heaven or the world.”
He stepped forward, his gaze serious as he looked at Meng Qi:
“My talent is ordinary, so I could not receive profound techniques or sufficient resources from the sect. Without lucky chances, I would have lived my life in mediocrity, watching others shine.”
“In such circumstances, how much could my efforts achieve? The path forward was already blocked by those with superior talent, those with wealthy parents. How many people in this world yearn for even a single technique to cultivate?”
“They tell me that superior talent is Heaven’s blessing, and wealthy parents are the result of past lives. But I refuse to accept that.”
“I don’t envy them. I only wish everyone had equal access to techniques, so the strong could advance and the lazy would fall behind!”
“If this is Heaven’s decree, I will slay my way to the heavens! If it is fate, I will reverse cause and effect!”
Qi Zhengyan’s emotions finally stirred as he stared at Meng Qi:
“Meng Junior Brother, this is the demon in my heart. What is the Buddha in your heart?”
This is the demon in my heart… What is the Buddha in your heart… Meng Qi felt lost, speechless.
Suddenly, he burst into laughter, stepped forward, and patted Qi Zhengyan’s shoulder:
“This is the demon in your heart?”
“What’s there to worry about? Do I look like a narrow-minded fool? As long as you don’t commit evil against your conscience, we’ll still be brothers, bound by life and death!”
Meng Qi feigned ease, looking into Qi Zhengyan’s eyes, trying to dissolve the distance with humor.
Qi Zhengyan did not speak for a long time before finally offering a rare smile, filled with brightness and emotion:
“Meng Junior Brother, I know you’re not narrow-minded, but my path is destined to oppose the sects and noble families. If everyone had equal access to profound techniques, ‘The movement of Heaven is ever vigorous.’ The virtuous strive unceasingly, and this would fundamentally threaten them.”
“Your master is a senior Shaolin monk, your junior brother a rising star of Shaolin, your family a noble house, your friends include the direct disciple of the Xijian Pavilion and the daughter of the Langya Ruan clan. Will you abandon them?”
“I was born lowly, with little I could hold onto. Even the sect’s techniques could be exchanged for the Six Paths. But precisely because I have so little to hold onto, when I do find something worth holding, I cling to it fiercely, never retreating, even in death. Perhaps this is the only brilliance my humble life can offer!”
As Meng Qi watched Qi Zhengyan’s mouth open and close, his mind suddenly became chaotic.
Qi Zhengyan’s expression returned to calm as he said flatly, “I don’t want to deceive you anymore, so I won’t join the Immortal Traces.”
“Senior Brother Qi…” Meng Qi opened his mouth but could not speak.
Qi Zhengyan smiled faintly again, his voice slightly hoarse:
“Meng Junior Brother, our paths differ. We cannot walk together.”
With that, he turned and walked across the water, his blue robe fluttering, upright and fearless, not worrying that Meng Qi would slay him for righteousness. Only his voice echoed along the shore:
“Our paths differ. We cannot walk together.”
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