He and It Chapter 176: Inquire Here (4)

Chapter 176: Inquire Here (4)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

Meng Xiaotang stepped forward, surrounded by a shimmering glow like flowing clouds. Sun Yinian looked down, secretly astonished.

Did the girl secretly practice on her own? No, the last time I saw her make a move was in the middle of last month when Master was guiding her in the Snow Peach Forest. Two months later, how could she suddenly seem like a different person?

“Good swordsmanship.” Liu Fuguang looked down at her, and a nostalgic expression gradually appeared in his eyes, as if through Meng Xiaotang, he saw another old acquaintance. “You see, I told you she has talent.”

The undead had lost all sense of pain, and only knew how to roar and seek food, but Meng Xiaotang’s killing spree even made the undead’s howls sound like cries of misery. In no time, the forest of undead was chopped down as cleanly as cutting vegetables, leaving only a few scattered fragments to wriggle on the ground. She then drew a clear crystal short sword, and squatted down to finish off any undead that were still moving. Finally, she stood up with a smile and asked Sun Yinian, “Senior brother, how many are there?”

Sun Yinian shook his head, unable to conceal his astonishment. “One thousand seventy-three. You’ve improved so quickly. Master will surely be delighted.”

“I don’t know what happened,” Meng Xiaotang said cheerfully. “I just felt incredibly calm, and my sword strikes were fast and accurate. Senior brother, do you think I could break through to the Foundation Establishment stage?”

Sun Yinian was speechless. “You think Foundation Establishment is like picking vegetables? It’s not that easy. Steady progress is the right path!”

Ignoring his dampening words, Meng Xiaotang was about to say something when suddenly, the pile of corpses behind her moved slightly.

Liu Fuguang furrowed his brow. “Be careful!”

Meng Xiaotang was still lost in thought, and didn’t hear his warning, when a pitch-black undead beast suddenly lunged at her back like lightning.

Sun Yinian’s expression changed. Although he had achieved perfection in the Foundation Establishment stage, the aura of that undead was fierce. In terms of cultivation base, it was only slightly lower than his, and its proficiency in hiding was such that Sun Yinian hadn’t noticed its lurking presence.

“Duck!” he shouted fiercely as he drew the long sword from his waist. In an instant, he swept toward Meng Xiaotang, ready to strike horizontally. However, before he could make his move, another figure ran out even faster, with a sharper sword-light, like a petal drifting lightly, as it blew past him.

The undead emitted a sharp howl. The sword, coming in from the side, was extremely deft as it pierced straight through the beast’s contorted spine from bottom to top, like a skewer through barbecue, ¹ and shattered the rigid bones it used to support its body. Panicked, Meng Xiaotang immediately threw herself to the ground, while Sun Yinian followed up with a powerful upward strike that sent the head of the attacking undead flying.

“Wu, wu!” With the crisis averted, Meng Xiaotang hastily jumped up and ran to Sun Yinian’s side, where she clung to the hem of his sleeve. “It’s, it’s so scary!”

Sun Yinian patted her head. His sword still wasn’t sheathed, and hung slightly downward.

“I wonder which fellow Daoist generously lent a hand?” Sun Yinian said loudly. “Sun Yinian of the Heavenly Yin and Yang Sect expresses his gratitude here!”

The wind whistled, and a tall and graceful young man walked slowly out of the woods. He was far away, yet moved swiftly. One moment, he was hundreds of steps away, and then, as if in a blink, he had calmly arrived just a few steps in front of them. He held a green cloth-wrapped long sword, and was accompanied by a fierce-looking teenager.

“Sun Yinian.” The young man nodded at him. “It’s me.”

“Fellow Daoist Xue Li?” When he saw the familiar face, Sun Yinian was somewhat surprised. “And Zhen Yue. It’s been a long time. How is it that you’re also here at Little Golden River?”

When she saw them, Meng Xiaotang no longer hid, and said somewhat defiantly, “Hmph! Ninefold Palace!”

Liu Fuguang sat in the cloud carriage, and looked down upon the scene. He wasn’t sure what the Ninefold Palace was, but seeing those disciples armed with swords, it seemed to be a sect of sword cultivators.

Xue Li’s name was delicate, but his swordsmanship was vicious and cunning. He also spoke bluntly, “If there’s trouble in Little Golden River, everyone can come. Your junior sister’s progress is impressive. Indeed, she’s stronger than me.”

Hearing his senior brother extinguish his own pride with remarks that boosted others’ prestige, Zhen Yue couldn’t help but sneer, “Humph! How is she stronger? That little girl was still scared and crying on the ground, wasn’t she?”

His words were blunt and straightforward, and almost made Meng Xiaotang scrunch up her nose in annoyance. Xue Li frowned, and spoke coldly, “There are always people better than us. With your humble qualifications, do you have the right to challenge her? If you don’t agree, then fight her and see who ends up on the ground.”

Having been mercilessly rebuked, Zhen Yue could only take a deep breath, lower his head, and humbly say, “Yes. I understand my mistake, senior brother.”

Compared to the harmonious scene between the disciples of the Heavenly Yin and Yang Sect, the stagnant atmosphere among the Ninefold Palace disciples made it look as if everyone in the sect were enemies. Meng Xiaotang was initially angry, but now all her anger dissipated, and she just wanted to stay away from the cold-hearted sword cultivators.

Xue Li said, “Zhen Yue, go aside. Don’t eavesdrop on our conversation.”

The sword cultivators of the Ninefold Palace Sect were known for their independent personalities. Seeing Xue Li’s intention to exchange messages with him, Sun Yinian couldn’t refuse, so he reluctantly said, “Xiao Tang, watch the cloud carriage. Be polite to fellow Junior Daoist Zhen, understand?”

His words were ambiguous, but Meng Xiaotang glanced at the cloud carriage, knowing that Liu Fuguang was still on it. Senior brother wanted her to protect him, so she nodded in understanding.

After the two juniors ran off, Xue Li raised an eyebrow and said, “You seem to be in a good mood.”

Although sword cultivators usually only cared about themselves, he wasn’t blind and could see the change in Sun Yinian today. In the past, that person was like a standard human-shaped container measured with a ruler, always conforming to the rules and saying little. However now, he was suddenly speaking in an almost friendly way, and his rigid aura had softened somewhat; as if he had changed.

“Is that so?” Sun Yinian didn’t want to talk with him very much. “Did you come to me just for a chat? What’s the matter?”

Xue Li sneered indifferently. “Your sect didn’t tell you that the Dragon Patrol Day might start up early?”

The so-called “Dragon Patrol Day” originally referred to the Ghost Dragon Who Carried the Sun, waking up from its nest in Tang Valley and flying across the three thousand worlds to the Yu Oceanic Trench. Tang Valley was the place of sunrise, and the Yu Oceanic Trench was the place of sunset. For over three thousand years, the Ghost Dragon had been in a state of intermittent sleep, and refused to carry the sun every day according to the rules of rising in the east and setting in the west, but instead let the sun rotate on its own.

However, every time it did wake up, it would wreak havoc. Once the Ghost Dragon opened its eyes, it would inevitably charge out of Tang Valley, howling intermittently. Its voice was like the rending of metal and echoed in all four directions. It could leave permanent cracks on mountains, rivers, and all other things. At the same time, it would rampage through the worlds, with its army of ghosts and beasts, while they swarmed like headless flies and overwhelmed the entire realm. Therefore, Dragon Patrol Day had long become an extremely terrifying term.

What exactly was it looking for? 

Some immortals said the Ghost Dragon was searching for supreme treasures, such as the Yellow Emperor’s Golden Bird or the Jade Tree of the Emperor Yao – Daoist items of unparalleled value. Once it obtained them, it would truly be equal to heaven, eternal and unchanging. Others said it was looking for a person, its original companion from birth. Losing that companion had been like losing half of its life. Some even said that the karmic consequence of carrying the sun had crushed it, and made it unable to bear such great pain, hence its frantic search for relief…

In short, opinions varied, and no one could provide the correct answer. Only one thing was certain: whoever knew what the Ghost Dragon desired most would be rewarded with immense wealth and supreme power across the worlds.

Upon hearing the news, Sun Yinian hurriedly asked, “Has the specific date been calculated?”

“Calculated? Tell me how you would calculate it,” Xue Li sneered. “Everyone calls it the Ghost Dragon, but who knows if it’s a real dragon god? Even if a true immortal, like Zhou Yi, was asked to calculate, he wouldn’t be able to figure out when the Ghost Dragon will go mad.”

Sun Yinian sighed helplessly, “Then why did you tell me?”

Xue Li glanced at him strangely. He didn’t know if the other had truly changed his attitude or if he had encountered too many good things recently to care about his own bad behavior. “The news of the Dragon waking up early was guessed by Zhou Yi,” Xue Li said. “The Patriarch of the Ninefold Palace managed to get this information from the true immortal with a favor larger than the sky, so I also know a little about it. My master has always been on good terms with the sect leader, so I also have some knowledge.” He paused for a moment before he continued. “However, it’s strange. Over the years, the Ghost Dragon has been sleeping longer between each time, but every time it does wake up, it is more berserk than before. I don’t know what kind of magic Zhou Yi used to guess that it would wake up early this time.”

Sun Yinian sighed softly. “Whether it’s early or late, when the Ghost Dragon wakes up, most people will end up dead, unable to escape.”

They were still young and hadn’t experienced the horrors of a Dragon Patrol Day, so they could only understand a little from jade slips and the accounts of eyewitnesses. After a pause, he couldn’t help but say, “I wonder…why the Dragon went mad like that. What is it really seeking? Logically, it should have no regrets and lack nothing, as it holds the Dao and stands as a great deity in the center of everything.”

“Do you follow logic with it? Does it follow logic with you?” Xue Li sneered coldly. “Perhaps its wife ran away with its son, otherwise it wouldn’t go so crazy.”

Sun Yinian was exasperated with his temperament. “Mind your tongue. You dare to joke about the Ghost Dragon? Aren’t you afraid it might sense you and strike you with a thunderbolt?”

When he thought about that, he suddenly remembered Liu Fuguang and couldn’t help but feel a little regretful. He had been fine in the jade coffin. If they hadn’t disturbed him, he could have continued to sleep peacefully and might have gone through the Dragon Day event without any harm.

“You told me this news for a reason,” Sun Yinian said. “So, what’s your plan?”

After he heard that, Xue Li smiled faintly. “Not bad. I’m telling you this news because I want to ask for a favor. Since the Dragon Patrol Day has come early, the ghost beasts under the Ghost Dragon’s command have also been affected, and are already gradually awakening in various places. However, that is still a huge secret to small sects and factions. I haven’t reached core formation yet. Perhaps one person is not enough to do it, but with you, there might be a chance. To be honest, I already have a location. I want to kill a ghost beast, bring it back to the sect for research, and if we’re successful, I’ll split the reward with you. Are you in or not?”

Sun Yinian frowned. Ghost beasts were not like the undead. What they carried was the aura of the Dragon God. Although the Dragon God had long become a terrifying ghost that frightened people, it was still a divine being, and possessed a power far beyond humans.

“You are quite bold,” he said. “To be honest, if it were just me, I would accompany you. But this time, I have a task from the sect, and I’m escorting my junior sister and another guest…”

As he said that, Xue Li’s eyes flashed, and he glanced at the cloud carriage above. He didn’t sense a cultivation base from anyone inside the carriage, and thought that Sun Yinian was making excuses to evade him.

“…I can only decline. Fellow Daoist Xue Li, please understand.”

“I never knew that the Mountain Breaking Swordsman, Sun Yinian, had become such an indecisive person,” Xue Li said impatiently. “Let’s go together, and instead have the younger ones accompany your guest in the carriage. After we finish, we can come back. What’s the delay? Besides, you are also on the verge of core formation. Is it more important to seek opportunities for a breakthrough, or to act as a nanny for the juniors? Think for yourself.”

He did make sense. Sun Yinian pondered for a moment, and was about to speak, when suddenly he heard sharp arguing behind him. He could guess even with his toes that Meng Xiaotang and Zhen Yue were fighting.

Meng Xiaotang was hot-tempered, while Zhen Yue was extremely proud and arrogant. The two of them would never get along. Without her senior brother’s order, Meng Xiaotang couldn’t be bothered to deal with the other party and only wanted to return to the cloud carriage to sit with Liu Fuguang and have a good chat. She was extremely curious about Liu Fuguang’s background story and hadn’t had the chance to ask yet.

Therefore, she wanted to get rid of her unwelcome guest, but Zhen Yue had a prickly temperament. If he liked you, everything was fine; if he didn’t, he would find ways to trouble you. Meng Xiaotang always clashed with him, and she had just been scolded by him, having naturally categorized herself as someone he didn’t like.

When he saw that she was eager to leave, Zhen Yue quickly stepped forward with a smirk.

“Hey, where are you going? You’re in such a hurry, who are you rushing off to see?” Zhen Yue raised his chin. “Is there someone waiting for you on the carriage?”

Meng Xiaotang’s expression remained unchanged. “That’s none of your business.”

The more she hurried to leave, the more Zhen Yue opposed her wishes. When he saw Meng Xiaotang walk towards the cloud carriage, he adopted a slick posture he had learned from his experiences in the market, and teased, “Ah, I’ve heard that the head of the Artifact Division in your Heavenly Yin and Yang Sect is quite good at collecting things. Is the stuff in the carriage something you stole from the outside? Look at you, at your young age…”

His words were frivolous and vulgar, and immediately infuriated Meng Xiaotang. She retorted sharply, “Who do you think you are, to come up with such nonsense about–”

She was about to say “Brother Fuguang,” but then thought that the brat shouldn’t know Liu Fuguang’s name, so she tightly closed her mouth, swung her arm, and directly summoned twenty-seven flying swords, and swiftly thrust them towards Zhen Yue.

The Azure Wave flying swords were both offensive and defensive, and with their myriad iterations, coupled with sword formations, their power was boundless. Meng Xiaotang attacked fiercely, which worried Sun Yinian. He was about to intervene, but Xue Li reached out and stopped him. He watched with great interest, saying, “Let them fight.”

In the Ninefold Palace Sect, the strong were always respected. Even if they were disciples of the same master, there was no camaraderie between them, only focus on diligent cultivation. If it weren’t for the strict governance of the Immortal Snow Sword and the straightforward nature of sword cultivators, that atmosphere would have led the entire sect astray.

Zhen Yue wielded a single sword, his cultivation base shallow, and he was soon at a disadvantage against Meng Xiaotang’s aggressive attacks, but he stubbornly refused to admit defeat. Meng Xiaotang, who was already proud, became even more arrogant with her significant advantage, and seeing her opponent being mouthy in front of her even as he could barely hold on, a malicious idea suddenly emerged in her mind; she fully intended to punish Zhen Yue.

—Cutting off your tongue is going too far, but why not remove your lips? Then see if you can still speak nonsense?

With that thought in mind, a flying sword rotated, and swiftly brushed past Zhen Yue’s cheek, about to deliver a painful blow. Sun Yinian’s spiritual sense had already sensed the vicious intent in that moment, and he was prepared to stop it, when suddenly a voice came from the carriage, “Xiao Tang, sidestep.”

This voice was gentle and melodious. Meng Xiaotang was stunned, but involuntarily followed the suggestion, and sidestepped. As a result, her flying sword plunged into the ground some distance away.

The strong wind that accompanied the movement knocked Zhen Yue’s body over, and although he fell heavily, he ultimately didn’t suffer any injuries.

Meng Xiaotang hesitated, “Brother Fuguang…”

Liu Fuguang, draped in a lynx fur cloak, emerged from the cloud carriage. The crimson edges of the fur contrasted with his snowy complexion, his eyes gentle as the spring breeze caressing the water’s surface were tender enough to make people’s hearts flutter. Zhen Yue lay on the ground, too shocked to react.

“The young lady acted swiftly, so I’ll let you off with a scolding this time,” Sun Yinian said. “But if you harm fellow Daoist Xue Li’s junior brother, I won’t spare you.”

Looking at Liu Fuguang, Xue Li couldn’t help but be moved. When he first entered the sect, he was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the Patriarch of the Ninefold Palace, who was said to be as unmatched as Immortal Snow Sword in the cultivation world. Since then, whenever he encountered beautiful women, he could remain indifferent. When he examined the person before him, just from his complexion, one could tell he was frail and not destined for a long life. However, his unique aura was something he had never encountered in his lifetime.

Having gathered up his pride, Zhen Yue crawled to his feet with lingering fear, and wanted to save face for himself. He muttered, “You look so terrifying, you might as well be a cauldron…” ²

“Little master,” Liu Fuguang said softly. With just one call, the stubborn young man raised his head hastily as if struck by lightning. “I have no personal grudge against you, so I won’t speak roughly, but deliberately using harsh words to provoke others is indeed very rude and dangerous behavior.”

Zhen Yue’s lips moved dumbly, and his face instantly flushed purple-red, as if he had swallowed a piece of hot coal. For some reason, the slight reproach in the other party’s words hurt him more than all the wounds, rebukes, and disdain he had endured in the past. It felt like soaking frostbitten arms in hot water; the sensation stung his whole body bitterly. 

Tears welled up in his eyes, but he neither wanted to embarrass himself by crying in public nor was he willing to bow his head in apology. Who was this person anyway? He didn’t even know his name, so why should he apologize for a single sentence? All he could do was hold back the tears with great effort, and gasp for air.

Haha, he was scolded by Brother Fuguang, serves him right! Before Meng Xiaotang could revel in schadenfreude, Liu Fuguang turned to her, and sighed helplessly.

At the sound of his sigh, her triumphant smile instantly turned into a wet-eyed expression of nearly weeping. She pursed her lips, held back her tears, and hastily said, “Brother Fuguang, please don’t scold me. I really know I was wrong! I won’t dare next time!”

“I know you’re a good kid,” Liu Fuguang said, as he patted her back to calm her down. “Unless it’s a matter of life and death, it’s better to have some restraint in everything you do. When you made that move just now, intending to disfigure his face, what was the point?”

As he watched from the side, Sun Yinian understood everything clearly. With the young master’s consolation, his junior sister’s tail was about to wag again. He also noticed Xue Li’s unusual expression. His hand was already on his sword hilt, and he was probably thinking the same thing as he had earlier, that Liu Fuguang was some kind of unnatural demon…

When he thought of that, he abruptly had a mischievous idea. He cleared his throat, and loudly exclaimed, “Young master, this is Fellow Daoist Xue Li, the eldest disciple under the name of Master Muyang Zhenren of the Ninefold Palace. He is known for his cold appearance but has a warm heart, and is fond of lending a helping hand. You see, the one who just saved Xiao Tang was him.”

Before he finished speaking, Xue Li’s phoenix eyes slightly widened, and he said, surprised, “What are you talking about…?”

Liu Fuguang raised his eyes and smiled at Xue Li, “Fellow Daoist Xue, your sword just now showed the grace of Hou Yi’s archery. ³  Thank you for saving Xiao Tang.”

Xue Li, “…”

When he saw Xue Li’s stiff-necked, bewildered appearance, neither advancing or retreating, Sun Yinian couldn’t help but laugh inside. After a silent moment, a blush rose on Xue Li’s cheekbones, and he reluctantly said, “I….um. Cough, cough!”

Coughing and stumbling over unclear words, Xue Li’s tongue twisted. Finally, he muttered, “…No need to thank me, I just like to act chivalrously.”