After Deceiving Shizun into Dual Cultivating, I Ran Away With His Bun 26

Chapter 26

The grand competition continued for another three days.
Lin Queli finally didn’t have to worry about huffing and puffing in the arena. He could also finally sit behind Helan Xue as a spectator and marvel at how good the view from up high was.
Many heroes emerged from this grand competition, and many also submitted letters of recommendation to the Myriad Sword Sect. They were either taken in by the Myriad Sword Sect’s elders or Shouyang, or they were politely rejected. After all, the Myriad Sword Sect was not a sect that one could enter just by wanting to. Wasn’t Qiu Heng a living example?
The news that Qiu Heng had tried to drug someone after his challenge failed, and was discovered and punished with twenty strokes by the Myriad Sword Sect, spread like wildfire. The Changming Clan felt ashamed and left, using the excuse of taking Qiu Heng back to recuperate.
There was no trace of Changming at the venue.
Lin Queli was a little worried, afraid that he had caused trouble. He secretly asked Ji Chun if Immortal Lord Changming would be angry if he knew about these things.
Ji Chun: “He would definitely be angry!”
Lin Queli: “…!”
Ji Chun: “He might be so angry that he’ll give Qiu Heng another twenty strokes.”
Lin Queli thought to himself, oh yeah, I forgot this person is Helan Xue’s friend.
Birds of a feather flock together. He must be an old-fashioned person too!
But after this incident, everyone now knew that Lin Queli was Helan Xue’s new disciple.
Taxue Xianzun taking in a disciple again after a thousand years, this was no small matter in the immortal world.
It was said that the disciple had crushed the Changming Clan’s Golden Core prodigy with his Foundation Establishment cultivation. It could only be said that he was worthy of being Taxue Xianzun’s disciple. This must be a piece of unpolished jade that would surely become a great talent in the future…
“Huh?”
Lin Queli blinked. What great talent?
Me? Watashi?
The Radiant Church elder before Lin Queli said with a grin, “Young Master Lin looks like a man of talent, with an extraordinary temperament. He will naturally become a great talent!”
“Thank you…?”
After becoming Helan Xue’s disciple, Lin Queli felt that his treatment had changed instantly. Before, he could still secretly eat vegetables in a corner of the banquet, but now, people would come to curry favor with him from time to time.
Lin Queli didn’t like this and hid behind Helan Xue to hide himself.
Today was the last day of the banquet, so Helan Xue also came. After today, the grand competition would officially end, and the Myriad Sword Mountain would return to its usual cold silence.
Helan Xue glanced at Lin Queli hiding behind him and shook his head slightly.
The elder probed, “I heard that the Immortal Venerable is about to go down the mountain with his disciple to slay demons and exterminate evil?”
The Myriad Sword Sect had not publicized or announced the matter of the Demon Sword, but after all, they were doing things in the mortal world, and the Demon Clan had caused so much commotion. It was impossible to keep it completely secret. Even if the other sects of the Righteous Path didn’t know the details, they knew that the Demon Sword had reappeared, and people were in a panic, and they also had their own plans.
For example, at this moment, the Radiant Church elder was the representative of everyone, coming to ask Helan Xue.
“Immortal Venerable… we heard that the demons this time are very close to the Mount of Demons. It’s so dangerous, how can we sit back and enjoy the fruits of others’ labor? It’s a good opportunity to let each immortal sect send some disciples to help the Immortal Venerable. This can also train these young disciples. This trip will definitely be very beneficial!”
Helan Xue did not speak.
How many of them truly wanted to slay demons, and how many had other purposes, that was unknown.
However, when Helan Xue killed the previous Demon Lord, the ones who helped him reach the top of the mountain were Immortal Lord Changming and the previous sect master of the Radiant Church. It was just that the sect master and Immortal Lord Changming were not as highly cultivated as Helan Xue and were approaching the end of their lifespan, so they often went into seclusion due to their health.
With this relationship, Helan Xue was willing to accept the disciple entrusted to him by Immortal Lord Changming, and he would also listen to a few words from the elder of the Radiant Church.
Seeing that Helan Xue didn’t say anything, the elder added, “There are dozens of towns and villages in Liangchong Mountain and the Mount of Demons. The area is so large, it’s good to have more people to help search. After all, this is a serious matter, and we are racing against time with those things from the Mount of Demons!”
Shouyang paused and said, “Shizun, the elder is right.”
Helan Xue nodded.
The Radiant Church elder breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, good, good. This time we must protect the fragment. If there is any change, with Taxue Xianzun here, the Righteous Path is not afraid to go to the Mount of Demons to crusade against the demons!”
“We can kill the previous Demon Lord, so this fledgling Demon Lord is even easier!”
Lin Queli shivered behind Helan Xue.
Looking at the Radiant Church’s attitude, it didn’t seem like they wanted to defend peace, but rather to kill the Demon Clan and be done with it.
The Radiant Church elder’s words were obviously flattery, but it seemed he had flattered the wrong person. Shouyang disagreed this time. He frowned. “Although that is so, if the immortal and demon sects fight, the ones who suffer are the innocent people. Elder, don’t forget that after the last immortal-demon war, more than half of Cangzhou’s land lost its spiritual energy and was barren for fifteen years.”
The Radiant Church elder said resentfully, “Immortal Lord Shouyang is right.”
In any case, the elder’s goal had been achieved, and Helan Xue didn’t mind taking a look at the prodigies of each immortal sect.
Although everyone had shone brightly in the grand competition, their conduct and character could not be seen in the arena.

Three days later, Helan Xue and his party went down the mountain again.
Time was tight and the journey was long. They didn’t use the “mortal method” again, but directly teleported to a small town at the foot of Liangchong Mountain, called Youcheng, and gathered with Qiansui and the young disciples mentioned by the Radiant Church elder there.
Shouyang said to Lin Queli, “This place is naturally not as lively as the imperial capital and its surroundings, but this area connects the demon capital and the immortal capital. It’s a mixed bag, so you must be careful.”
Shouyang handed a veiled hat to Lin Queli. “Put it on.”
Lin Queli turned his head and saw that Helan Xue had also put one on. He thought to himself, that makes sense. Helan Xue’s temperament and appearance are extraordinary, and he has a head of white hair. He’s very eye-catching on the road.
But why did he and Shouyang have to wear one too?
And after Lin Queli put it on doubtfully, he found that Shouyang was not wearing one.
He thought all the Myriad Sword Sect members had to!
Lin Queli was about to ask when he smelled the fragrance of wontons from not far away.
…!
After entering Youcheng, there were small stalls everywhere, and the scents of different foods mixed together. The streets were lined with restaurants, teahouses, and various shops, and there were also vendors shouting. The crowd was endless, and everyone was dressed in “strange shapes,” making Lin Queli’s group not look strange at all.
The surroundings were hung with red lanterns. Lin Queli was dazzled, as if he had gone to an ancient red-light district.
He even saw a flower house, with beauties dancing gracefully or playing the pipa on the second floor to attract customers. There were both men and women, but their clothes were all uniformly revealing.
Lin Queli only found it novel, but after watching for a while, he went straight to the wonton stall.
He had long wanted to experience the feeling of the protagonist in a wuxia TV series eating wontons on the street!
“Boss!”
Just as Lin Queli was about to order, he was pulled back by Shouyang. “Junior martial brother…”
He said in a low voice, “Don’t forget the purpose of our trip.”
Shouyang had a feeling of letting a monkey loose in the mountains. Since Lin Queli had entered the city, he felt like he was about to jump up. His eyes had not moved away from these “mortal temptations,” looking at food one moment and beauties the next.
Shouyang nudged his chin towards Helan Xue. “Didn’t you notice the look on Shizun’s face when he looked at you?”
Lin Queli swallowed hard.
But he didn’t care!
It was a rare trip to transmigrate, and a rare trip down the mountain into the city. He would eat delicious food even if he got spanked!
“Shizun promised me that as long as I cultivate every day, I can eat delicious food.”
Lin Queli packed a portion of wontons, a roasted bun, and two skewers of roasted lamb from the boss to take away, and followed behind Helan Xue, eating happily.
After meeting up with Qiansui and the others at the inn, Qiansui began to report.
Besides the three of them and Qiansui’s group of disciples, there were also many new faces, all of whom were young disciples of the Righteous Path.
Qiansui spread out a map, which showed the terrain of Liangchong Mountain and its towns and villages. The neighboring Mount of Demons was replaced by a black fog. He pointed at Youcheng, where everyone was, and said, “The first to ask us for help was the city lord of Youcheng. He said that strange phenomena have been frequently occurring in the city recently. After our investigation, we found that a Six Roots Tree has grown underground.”
The Six Roots Tree, a demon nourished by resentment, evil qi, and the six desires of the seven emotions and six desires.
Lin Queli thought to himself, so this time it’s not a ghost, but a low-level demon that has not yet attained the Dao.
That’s-that’s good. At least I don’t have to worry about being scared in the middle of the night. It’s more friendly to my modern heart!
“The difficulty with this Six Roots Tree is… one, it’s hard to catch and uproot. This demon is very cunning. It comes out from the ground to bewitch people’s hearts, and it’s good at creating illusions and hiding. When it’s discovered, it retracts back underground, and we can’t find it.”
“Two, because the demonic energy is running rampant underground, we can’t find where the Demon Sword fragment is, and we have no way to start. Now, we are in the open, trying to catch the demon, while the Demon Clan is in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to create a disaster and snatch the fragment.”
Helan Xue and Shouyang both frowned.
It was indeed tricky.
It wasn’t that the enemy was strong, but that they were difficult and cunning.
It could only be said that Liangchong Mountain and the Mount of Demons were “rich in talent and spiritual energy,” and the demonic energy nourished demons…
Lin Queli raised his hand and asked, “Brother Qiansui, what exactly do you mean by bewitching people’s hearts?”
Lin Queli felt that he had to ask more clearly, because… the weakest person here was probably him, so what he cared about was not how to catch the demon, but how not to be a burden and not get hurt by the demon.
“Ah, Young Master Lin reminded me. I also need to explain this in detail.” Qiansui said seriously, “For example…”
Qiansui shared what had happened a few days ago.
One of his junior martial brothers went into a room and saw Qiansui waiting for him. He said that he had found traces of the tree roots and asked him to go and uproot it with him. But when they went to an uninhabited suburb together, he saw Qiansui suddenly turn into… a monster.
It was a bloody, mangled skeleton entangled in tree roots, its skin and organs almost completely devoured.
Later, after investigation, it was found that it was an ordinary person in the town who was addicted to gambling. He had attracted the tree demon because of his excessive greed, and he couldn’t resist the temptation and was tricked by the tree demon.
Lin Queli: “…”
My god.
Lin Queli imagined the scene and felt that this demon… was not so friendly to modern people either!
Everyone then discussed how to deal with this tree demon, which was to divide into teams to search for the source. As for the illusion, they could only keep their eyes open and be careful. The aura of a demon and a human was different after all. Now that they knew, they wouldn’t be easily deceived again.
“Teams of two.” Qiansui said, “Pay attention to your teammate’s condition at all times.”
Shouyang: “I can do it myself.”
For a high-level cultivator like Shouyang, bringing someone along was a burden.
Lin Queli’s eyes widened. Then wasn’t Helan Xue also…？
No way…!
Before Helan Xue could speak, Lin Queli said loudly, “I-I’ll go with Shizun!”
Shouyang paused.
Shizun is most annoyed by people following him when he’s out. Could it be that junior martial brother is scared? Then…
Shouyang said, “It’s okay, I can…”
Helan Xue: “Mmm.”
—With him.
Shouyang choked.
He looked at Helan Xue with wide eyes.
Hmm?
Hmm what hmm??
Hmm??
After finalizing the details, everyone dispersed. Helan Xue went to the surrounding area to set up a formation to defend against the demons.
This tree demon was cunning. The rooms Qiansui had arranged for everyone were all for two people, excluding Helan Xue and Shouyang’s. But this didn’t stop Lin Queli from moving a soft couch in.
When Helan Xue returned to the room, he saw Lin Queli lying on the soft couch, swinging his legs and eating a roasted lamb leg.
The room was filled with the smell of lamb. Helan Xue frowned.
“Shizun…! You’re back so soon!” Lin Queli was startled.
Helan Xue sat down on the bed and glanced at Lin Queli. “You haven’t practiced your sword yet today, but you’re eating here?”
Lin Queli gave a dry laugh, quickly stuffed the lamb into his mouth, and then choked from eating too fast.
“Cough… sob, sob… cough, cough!”
Lin Queli quickly took the ancient version of milk tea he had just slipped out to buy and drank it with a slurp, slurp, slurp.
Helan Xue: “…”
Helan Xue: “Since you’ve already eaten, there’s no need to rush this moment.”
Lin Queli said with delight, “That’s great.”
He then continued to finish his food.
Helan Xue: “…”
After Lin Queli had eaten and drunk his fill, he remembered something.
He handed a sword to Helan Xue and said, “Shizun, look! This is the sword senior martial brother gave to this disciple. He also asked this disciple to ask you to give it a name, saying that cultivators must name their own swords.”
Helan Xue studied the sword in Lin Queli’s hand and frowned. “Shouyang gave it to you?”
Lin Queli said, “Ah, actually, senior martial brother wanted this disciple to carefully choose from the Myriad Sword Sect’s treasury, but this disciple felt that any sword would be a waste in this disciple’s hands, so I wanted the one I used for practice before. But senior martial brother said that it was really not presentable, so he had senior martial brother Qiansui give this disciple the one he had received from the villagers of Yangjing Village, saying it would be good as a transition, and that in the future, if it was fated, I would naturally encounter a sword that belonged to me.”
Helan Xue: “Since it’s just a transition, you can name it yourself.”
“Oh…” Lin Queli thought, “Lin Quede?”

(TN: A pun. “Lin Quede” (林缺德) means “Lin Lacks Virtue,” which sounds similar to his name, Lin Queli.)

Helan Xue: “…”
Lin Queli blinked. “Is it not okay?”
Helan Xue: “…Since you have a new sword, you should practice diligently.”
Lin Queli rubbed against the soft couch. “But this disciple is so tired… sob, sob, sob, so tired I can’t even crawl. Can I practice tomorrow?”
Since passing the grand competition, Lin Queli had no goal for cultivation and had completely slacked off.
After all, cultivation was too hard, sob, sob… even military training was not this hard!
Lin Queli’s laziness, his casualness towards his sword, his perfunctory cultivation…
Helan Xue naturally saw all of this. He said with stern eyes, “Is this the attitude you should have after becoming a disciple?”
Lin Queli jumped up and shook his head vigorously. “This disciple, this disciple is just tired! This is the first day out, I want a holiday…”
Helan Xue: “How will you become an upright cultivator in the future like this?”
Lin Queli scratched his head.
But he didn’t plan to become an upright cultivator. He had no future here. He would leave after completing his mission.
So Lin Queli said with a grin and held out his hand, “Then Shizun, can you hit me once, and after punishing me, let me have a holiday today!”
I can even earn points!
Helan Xue’s gaze grew even darker.
Lin Queli trembled all over.
W-what’s wrong… did I say something wrong? But I’ve already accepted the punishment, isn’t that enough?
Lin Queli said in a small voice, “If I really have to cultivate, this disciple, this disciple can also do it. I’ll go now, but…”
He moved closer to Helan Xue, leaned against the bed beside him, blinked, and said softly, “I have to hold Shizun’s hand and touch Shizun to cultivate.”
The aura around Helan Xue… completely turned cold.
Lin Queli: “…!!”
Did I say something wrong again?!
Helan Xue said with a straight face, “The discipline ruler, take it out.”