Chapter 4: Old Friends Meet, But Do Not Recognize.
After Liao Chen left, Yan Jingyu leaned against the stone cliff for a while longer. A cold wind blew past, and he couldn’t help but shiver. Only then did he realize that Liao Chen truly hadn’t killed him.
This was highly unusual.
Yan Jingyu quickly took stock of himself. Confirming that, apart from his own wretched life, he had nothing else of value to be exploited, he managed to put his heart at ease.
Whatever Liao Chen wanted from him, he was bound to fail.
So why hadn’t he killed him? Yan Jingyu pondered this question as he walked deeper into the valley. He finally concluded that his life was simply too worthless; the man must have felt it was beneath him to even bother.
He should have said so earlier. If he had known Liao Chen would look down on him this much, he would have laid his cards on the table from the very beginning instead of spending so many days in fear.
But on second thought, if Liao Chen had fallen into such a state, he probably wouldn’t have deigned to give him a second glance either…
At most, he might have spat lightly as he passed by. Evil is repaid with evil. Serves you right.
In his youth, Yaoguang Valley had never seemed particularly large. It was only now, unable to ride a sword, that Yan Jingyu realized his home was absurdly vast.
Time, it seemed, could truly wash everything away. A hundred years ago, Yaoguang Valley had been littered with corpses, the clear springs by the mountainside dyed blood red. But looking at it now, it was no different from how it had been before the disaster.
Yan Jingyu walked and reminisced, occasionally stroking the sword marks left on the trees, recalling the days when the clan’s disciples practiced their swordsmanship together.
As dusk fell, Yan Jingyu made his way to a long corridor that floated over a cliff. He suddenly saw the lanterns on both sides of the corridor light up, one after another. Looking into the distance, he could see clusters of faint light glowing from the buildings at the end of the corridor.
Yan Jingyu stopped in his tracks. The first thought that flashed through his mind was: The illumination arrays from back then are still intact, so they must light up at the designated time every day, just as they always have. But without someone to periodically feed them spirit stones, how could they have lasted a hundred years?
As he stood there in a daze, bursts of fireworks suddenly shot into the sky. He stared into the valley in astonishment. Before his mind could react, his feet had already quickened their pace.
There’s someone inside… Who is it?!
From the Yan Clan back then, did someone else survive besides me?!
Yan Jingyu’s chest throbbed, and he couldn’t help but hurry forward. But just two steps into the corridor, he suddenly ran into an invisible barrier. Caught completely off guard, he was flung backwards, his back slamming into a giant tree before he collapsed wretchedly onto the ground.
The mouthful of blood he had forcefully swallowed earlier when threatened by the sword’s aura could no longer be suppressed. He retched, vomiting it out.
He wiped the blood from his lips and scrambled up from the ground, once again heading for the corridor. Before he could get close, a youth in flowing white robes with a high-fastened jade belt appeared at the entrance, his hair practically standing on end with fury. “What sort of creature dares to cross me on this day of all days!”
A strong gust of wind was whipped up by his sleeve, sweeping towards Yan Jingyu.
It’s over… Yan Jingyu cursed his wretched fate. This blow would probably send him to see the King of Hell for real. Just as the gust of wind was about to hit him, it was suddenly blocked by something. A figure with a full head of white hair blocked Yan Jingyu’s view. If not for his ramrod straight posture, he would have looked like an old man in his dotage.
Then again, such people were not uncommon in the cultivation world; thousands-of-years-old monsters were countless.
What puzzled Yan Jingyu was when his home had gained such a person.
“Master!” the youth stomped his foot in anger. Yan Jingyu looked at him again, a brief flicker of a daze in his expression. The person who had saved him didn’t look his way, but walked straight towards the youth. “He is just a mortal. He must have wandered in by mistake.”
“Everyone knows this is the former estate of the Yan Clan, and now it belongs to you, the Tianyi Sword Master! This fellow’s origins are unknown; he’s definitely up to no good!”
Tianyi Sword Master…
Yan Jingyu abruptly stared at the man. The latter, as if prompted by the youth’s words, looked up at him.
The Qin Zhongyou of the past had been like a cold, hard mountain, impossible to melt. Now, the man was still cold, but the hardness in his expression had faded with age, replaced by a faint coolness that held the entire world in disregard.
Yan Jingyu looked at his old friend, then at the youth by his side whose beauty surpassed the snow, his expression frozen.
“Who are you?” Qin Zhongyou asked coldly. “Why have you trespassed in Yaoguang Valley?”
It took Yan Jingyu a moment to react. He reflexively broke into a smile. “I came to… pay my respects to Immortal Lord Dufang.”
Qin Zhongyou’s eyes changed slightly, his gaze deepening. Before he could speak, the youth behind him stepped forward. “Everyone knows that Immortal Lord Dufang’s entire clan was annihilated, not even his bones were left. He’s been dead for a hundred years. You’ve come to pay respects? I think you were sent by the Demon Realm to gather intelligence!”
“No, no!” Hutian and the Demonic Domain had always been mortal enemies. Yan Jingyu waved his hands frantically, terrified of being slandered. “A hundred years ago, I was being hunted by Liao Chen on Cangmu Mountain and was fortunate enough to be saved by Immortal Lord Dufang. It’s true I’ve heard some news outside, but I always thought that even if I couldn’t see him, it would be good to at least pay my respects. That’s why I took the liberty of coming.”
“I believe you like I believe a ghost…” The youth drew his longsword, but at that moment, Qin Zhongyou spoke. “Since you are an old friend, come in.”
The youth’s face changed dramatically. “Master…” he said hastily.
Qin Zhongyou silenced him with a gesture and turned to walk onto the corridor first. Yan Jingyu sensed that something was not quite right, but the person before him was Qin Zhongyou. Qin Zhongyou would never harm him… The urge to go home overcame his reason. He pursed his lips and followed.
But just as he was about to step past the barrier, an angry shout came from above. “He cannot be allowed into the estate!”
In the next instant, he was yanked back forcefully by something and sent flying, landing on his rear on the grass behind him once more.
…Who did I offend now?!
Yan Jingyu grimaced, clutching his back as he looked up. He saw a man and a woman fly past overhead and land directly at the entrance to the corridor. The man had proper features and a grave expression; the woman was stunningly beautiful, her face ashen. “Liao Chen’s presence was detected in Hutian today! We rushed here as soon as we got the news. We even sensed the aura of that demonic sword at the entrance to Yaoguang Valley just now! This man entered the valley with Liao Chen! You mustn’t be deceived by him!”
Yan Jingyu: “…”
Although what they’re saying is true, do they really need to be this tense? If they would just open their eyes and look at this useless body, they would immediately understand that it’s impossible for me to pull any tricks in front of them, right?
But he quickly had another thought. Could it be that Liao Chen deliberately left me here so that I would follow Qin Zhongyou into the Yan estate? But why?
Sitting on the ground like this was rather humiliating. Yan Jingyu propped himself up with one hand on his lower back and forced himself to stand. He then heard the woman say, “If you wish to pay respects to the Immortal Lord, then do so from here. Leave the valley as soon as you are finished, otherwise don’t blame me for being discourteous!”
Yan Jingyu looked with a complicated expression at the three old friends blocking his path. Qin Zhongyou, Zeng Huacai, Ling Dannan… and one more, his young apprentice, who looked almost identical to how he himself had looked in his youth.
Qin Zhongyou said, “He was once injured by Liao Chen and looks to be on his last legs. I imagine…”
“I imagine he’s now a thrall!” Zeng Huacai cut in. “Zhongyou, the Grand Cultivation Assembly is underway. Millions of cultivators have gathered in Hutian. For Liao Chen to enter the city at a time like this, he is absolutely up to no good! Now that Jingyu is gone, we can only rely on you. You must not fall for that demon’s tricks!”
Ling Dannan also said, “Liao Chen has already reached the Demigod stage. In all of Hutian right now, besides the Grand Ancestor, you are the only one who can contend with him. You must guard your heart and focus on your cultivation. Do not be burdened by other matters.”
“I know you’re upset on his behalf that none of the people Jingyu saved in his life have come to see him in the hundred years since his fall. I’m just as indignant! But now, just as Liao Chen has emerged from seclusion, a string of so-called ‘old acquaintances’ of Immortal Lord Dufang have come to pay their respects. Don’t you find that strange?”
It’s not strange at all… Yan Jingyu grumbled internally. The clan annihilation back then had been exceptionally tragic; it was normal for people to avoid it like the plague. As time passed, it was also normal for everyone to forget about him. But with Liao Chen emerging from seclusion as a Demigod, such a grand affair would inevitably lead people to talk about the Yan Jingyu who had repeatedly opposed him. They would add their own embellishments, and those people would belatedly remember someone like him. Wasn’t it only human for them to want to come and have a look?
All I want is to go home. Why is it so difficult…
“Moreover,” Ling Dannan turned to Yan Jingyu again, his voice cold. “This person has not a shred of cultivation, yet he was able to easily pass through the barrier of Yaoguang Valley. Aren’t you the least bit suspicious that there’s something wrong with him?”
That was indeed a problem…
Seeing the three of them begin to scrutinize him, Yan Jingyu couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. He said quickly, “I will pay my respects from here immediately. I will leave as soon as I am done.”
He took a few steps forward. Under their probing and hostile gazes, he came to the edge of the cliff. He looked out towards the mansion in the depths of the corridor where he had grown up, let out a soft sigh, and bowed deeply.
“Hmph.” A soft chuckle suddenly came from behind him. The faces of the others changed simultaneously, and Yan Jingyu’s heart clenched.
“How amusing, how truly amusing.” Liao Chen had appeared at some point, leaning casually against a maple tree. “Who would have thought that after all the trouble Immortal Lord Dufang went through to finally return to his own front door, the ones to block his path would be the very people he once trusted most.”
Aside from Qin Zhongyou, who came to a sudden realization and instantly looked at Yan Jingyu, Zeng Huacai and Ling Dannan both frowned. “What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Yan Qi, you should just come back to the Demon Palace with me. This place is no longer your home.”
Following Liao Chen’s gaze, Zeng Huacai and Ling Dannan also turned to look at Yan Jingyu. Their expressions were a mixture of shock and bewilderment as their eyes sized him up. Qin Zhongyou even took an instinctive step forward, but was abruptly grabbed by Ling Dannan. “He can’t be Jingyu!”
“That’s right, he has no cultivation whatsoever! How could this kind of waste be Jingyu?” Zeng Huacai also grabbed him. “And if he were Jingyu, how could he be mixed up with Liao Chen? There is a feud between them born from the annihilation of his clan!”
This sentence seemed to snap Qin Zhongyou out of it. He stared at Yan Jingyu for a few moments more. In the next instant, a golden martial-spirit longsword suddenly descended from the sky. The turbulent sword aura bent the nearby trees to the sides. Before Yan Jingyu could react, Liao Chen’s figure had vanished from the maple tree.
“Qin Zhongyou, look clearly! Is this man Yan Jingyu or not!”
Yan Jingyu felt a heavy push on his back. The Tianyi Sword was already pointed straight at his face. Qin Zhongyou’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared at him, unblinking.
Almost by reflex, a smile spread across Yan Jingyu’s face. It was a reflexive smile, the kind unique to those long accustomed to weakness—a look of submission and appeasement, tinged with a fawning servility, a touch of crudeness, and a hint of uneasy awkwardness.
Qin Zhongyou stared at him, stunned. The golden glow of the sword’s blade began to surge again, its killing intent frigid. “He is not.”
“Then kill him!” Liao Chen gave Yan Jingyu another push forward. Qin Zhongyou’s face changed slightly, the hand holding the sword trembling, when he suddenly heard Ling Dannan shout, “He’s bluffing!”
In that instant, the sword’s edge pierced through Yan Jingyu’s chest.
Qin Zhongyou’s breath caught, and just as his expression began to soften, he saw that the person he had just stabbed was slowly dissipating—
It was an illusion!
Ling Dannan shouted again, “Watch out!”
“CLANG—!!!” The two swords collided. The resulting explosion of sword energy swept through the area like a hurricane, affecting every tree in Yaoguang Valley. The crowns of the closer trees were sheared clean off, while those further away were forced to bend.
Yan Jingyu had been tossed under the maple tree. The sword energy passed all around him, yet did not harm him in the slightest.
“Qin Zhongyou…” Liao Chen’s voice was laced with deep meaning. “You actually killed Yan Jingyu with your own hands.”
