Chapter 48

Chapter 48

A chill wind swept in from all sides, carrying a familiar, bloody scent. Liu Nanzhou trembled slightly, unsure whether it was from pain or the cold. He slowly lifted his head.

"Shizun..."

Qi Wuyu crouched down, brushing the stray hair from his disciple's face. After just a few days, he almost didn't recognize him. Liu Nanzhou had grown drastically thinner, his face pale and haggard. A pang of heartache pierced Qi Wuyu's heart like an awl, instantly reddening his eyes. He gently wiped the blood from the corner of Liu Nanzhou's mouth. "Don't worry, I'll take you home."

A square-faced man among the spectators watching the punishment below the platform shouted, "Qi Wuyu, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to shield him?"

Qi Wuyu stood up, placing himself firmly in front of Liu Nanzhou, and looked at the man. "I said I'll take it on. I'll bear his punishment."

"No..." Liu Nanzhou whispered weakly.

It was his fault to begin with. Whether intentional or not, willing or unwilling, the deed was done. Spilled water can't be gathered up. He couldn't bring the dead back to life. No matter what, his hands would never be clean again.

"He's not dead, so no one needs to take his place," the square-faced man sneered. "We are not unreasonable, and we don't implicate the innocent."

Qi Wuyu gave him a cold stare. The man felt his scalp crawl under that gaze. Only when others spoke up did that gaze, which felt like needles in his back, slowly shift away.

"Liu Nanzhou has long been plagued by a Heart Demon, and he forcibly controlled so many disciples of the righteous cultivation sects, making them slaughter each other. Such vicious methods are clearly demonic arts! Even if your Tianyao Sect is known for protecting its own, there must be a limit!" someone in the crowd accused loudly.

"Exactly! He probably cultivated the demonic path long ago!"

"Demons are despicable scum, everyone has the right to kill them. How did they become the darling everyone in your Tianyao Sect protects?"

"Forty-nine lashes are already merciful. Given what he did, dying a hundred times wouldn't be enough. If he survives, it's his fate. If he doesn't, it's heaven's justice!"

"..."

As these voices clamored, Qi Wuyu's hand tightened fiercely around his sword hilt, a suffocating anger clogging his chest.

"Shizun, go. I'll be alright," Liu Nanzhou said softly.

Qi Wuyu took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "Sorry, Senior Brother. From today onward, I am leaving the Tianyao Sect. Any actions I take will have nothing to do with the sect."

Xie Yongdao exclaimed urgently, "Qi Wuyu, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Liu Nanzhou stared at him, stunned. Qi Wuyu continued, "Since there's no room for discussion, I can only resolve this myself."

His wrist moved. The sword energy of the Frostwind Sword coalesced, surging forth like a torrent to slash at the iron chains binding Liu Nanzhou.

Feng Cong intercepted the strike. Startled by the violent sword energy, he was forced back several steps before regaining his footing, a taste of blood rising in his throat. He looked at Qi Wuyu in disbelief. In this world, the number of people who could wield such sword energy could be counted on one hand. His eyes widened. "You... are you really Qi Zhuo?"

The crowd began to murmur. In all the commotion of the past few days, they had almost forgotten this matter—that demon had called him Qi Zhuo!

"Is it true? Hasn't he always had little spiritual power? How can he wield such a weapon?"

"I've never heard that Qi Zhuo used a sword."

"The books don't record everything. They didn't say he could, but they didn't say he couldn't either."

"He sacrificed his own cultivation to power the sealing array back then. No one knew whether he lived or died."

"Impossible. Why would Qi Zhuo protect a demon?"

Ignoring him, Qi Wuyu only shouted, "Get out of my way!"

He swung his sword at the chains again. Feng Cong didn't dare block it head-on. "If you publicly snatch him away now, do you think he'll ever have peace in the future?"

Qi Wuyu couldn't worry about that now. If he didn't take Liu Nanzhou away now, whether Liu Nanzhou even *had* a "future" was uncertain. He struck twice more, but the chains remained unmoved, swaying slightly as if mocking him.

An execution platform like this wasn't so easy to escape from. The chains were incredibly sturdy. Forget Qi Wuyu's current weakened state, relying solely on the Frostwind Sword—even at his peak, destroying them would require considerable effort.

Defiant, Qi Wuyu struck again. The web of his hand split, blood dripping from his palm and splattering on the ground, stinging Liu Nanzhou's eyes.

Exhausted, Qi Wuyu fell to one knee onto the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He pushed himself up with his sword. He had never hated his own powerlessness so much.

"What a touching master-disciple pair!" Zhao Mingye's voice rang out, dripping with sarcasm.

Qi Wuyu tilted his head slightly, lifting his eyes to look at him, his gaze filled with undisguised ferocity.

Zhao Mingye continued, "If not for him, many people here could be like you two, instead of being separated by life and death."

The disciple whose throat Liu Nanzhou had slit in the end was his favorite—obedient, clever, barely an adult, who had never even left Chaowu Tian, yet died inexplicably in this farce.

Someone asked, "Is he really Qi Zhuo? Shouldn't Qi Zhuo hate demons the most? Why protect Liu Nanzhou knowing he has a Heart Demon?"

"Right. Even if he's his disciple, this is too reckless."

Zhao Mingye sneered. "Back when demons ran rampant, everyone knew Qi Zhuo sacrificed himself to save the common people, suppressing the Demon Lord in the Thunder Abyss, bringing a century of peace to the world. But, back then, did the Four Major Sects truly have no method to kill the Demon Lord when they joined forces?"

Si Muyun caught the implication in his words, her brow furrowing as she shouted to stop him, "Zhao Mingye, mind your words!"

Zhao Mingye turned a deaf ear, continuing his line of thought, leading the crowd. "Was there truly no method, or did someone take matters into their own hands, choosing to suppress the Demon Lord first, sparing his life?"

His words were like a stone thrown into a pond, causing three layers of waves. The crowd instantly erupted.

"Is it true? Did Qi Zhuo collude with the demons to spare the Demon Lord's life, leading to today's situation? He didn't want to kill Dan Cangke?"

Qi Wuyu swayed, feeling as if his heart were being squeezed tight. The blood in his limbs seemed to freeze, his hands and feet turning icy cold.

He colluded with demons...

He never knew such a thing existed.

Qi Wuyu let out a soft chuckle, then, as if unable to control himself, burst into loud laughter. Yet the laughter held no joy; it sounded hoarse, like a withered leaf in late autumn.

Liu Nanzhou immediately shook his head. "No, he didn't! He isn't!"

But his voice was too soft, scattered by a gust of wind.

Qi Wuyu possessed almost no spiritual power now. That once glorious figure had accepted being ordinary, mediocre, willingly becoming a common man. He who loved bustle and activity had confined himself to Rifu Mountain for decades.

For the sake of that little conviction in his heart, he had given up almost everything, never complaining or regretting, instead feeling it was worth it. And in the end, he was to be rewarded with the accusation, "He colluded with demons"?

Weren't these words carving out his heart?

Liu Nanzhou felt his heart ache more fiercely than the lashes of the Frostwhip, the pain making him tremble uncontrollably, causing the chains to clatter noisily.

"So it's true! That explains it. Knowing his disciple cultivated demonic arts yet still protecting him—he must have been in league with the demons long ago."

"And we've been treating him as a hero all this time!"

Zhao Mingye hadn't actually experienced that war. He was born after Dan Cangke had already been suppressed. The younger disciples present certainly hadn't witnessed it either. Everything they knew came from books, so it was all speculation.

But Si Muyun, Zhuang Yanming, and Xie Yongdao present had all lived through that nightmarish battle. They were barely in their twenties then. They knew exactly how perilous and brutal that war had been.

If not for Shen You holding him back, Xie Yongdao would have drawn his sword. "How can you say such inhuman words!"

Si Muyun snapped, "What nonsense is this? That was the only way back then!"

Zhao Mingye turned to look at her. "Oh, really? Was it truly the only way, or did someone tell you it was the only way?"

Si Muyun paused for a moment. It was indeed Qi Zhuo who had said that. She looked toward Qi Wuyu.

Qi Wuyu, having laughed himself weary, had already quieted down. A bitter smile hung at the corner of his mouth as he silently watched her. Si Muyun said, "Suppressing the Demon Lord was not Qi Zhuo's proposal; it was the result of discussions among the sect leaders. The only thing Qi Zhuo proposed was to sacrifice himself as the offering for the formation."

Zhuang Yanming said angrily, "Without Qi Zhuo, would you even have today? And now you're making up stories about him, talking as if you were there yourself."

Zhao Mingye spread his hands. "Today? What is today like? The major sects are in shambles, with casualties everywhere." He pointed at Qi Wuyu. "Even if he wasn't back then, what about now? He is Qi Zhuo. He doesn't eliminate demons; instead, he aids the villain. What makes him a hero? Now his true nature is exposed—he is helping demons!"

"That's right. With so many powerful cultivators present back then, was there really no way to kill Dan Cangke?"

"And with so many people, why was it Qi Zhuo who sacrificed his own cultivation base? Now he's even protecting his disciple who has become a demon..."

"I actually admired him so much."

Was there really no way to kill Dan Cangke back then...

Qi Wuyu suddenly felt as if he couldn't clearly hear the surrounding sounds, as if separated by a layer of water. He closed his eyes, and his mind recalled that day—the day he would never forget.

Dan Cangke was formidably powerful. Even the combined forces of the Four Major Sects were at a disadvantage against him, especially since they had to divert part of their energy to protect the civilians. Since killing him was difficult, the leaders of the Four Major Sects changed their strategy, deciding to suppress Dan Cangke instead. Although it wouldn't be a permanent solution, it was better than the current situation.

So, the four sect leaders set up the formation, and Qi Zhuo lured Dan Cangke into it. He watched as the four leaders strained to suppress him, blood seeping from the corners of their mouths, yet the Demon-Subduing Formation still wouldn't seal shut. They couldn't hold him down. If this continued, Dan Cangke would eventually break free. Qi Zhuo was the closest and naturally didn't hesitate to help them. He hadn't thought much about it at the time.

Cultivation was for the sake of all living beings, for peace under heaven. Even if he died, it would be a death for his path, a worthy death. He had been at peace with it.

"I never wanted to be a hero."

If he truly sought fame, he wouldn't have hidden his identity, holed up in the Tianyao Sect. He would have long been flaunting his status everywhere, planting a flag on a mountaintop to tell everyone he was Qi Zhuo.

He seemed utterly exhausted and sighed. "Say whatever you want. Today, I am taking him away."

"Look, he admits it! He's truly birds of a feather with Liu Nanzhou."

Liu Nanzhou looked at Qi Wuyu, a tear tracing down the corner of his eye. Because of him, Qi Wuyu had already suffered too much.

He laughed mockingly in his heart. He really was still a burden, destined by fate to be a lone star of calamity. Everyone should be cold and ungrateful toward him; otherwise, they would inevitably bring disaster upon themselves.

It was enough. Liu Nanzhou, these last ten years have been gift enough. You even received a response to your most reckless feelings. This brief peace and warmth should last you a lifetime. What more could you be dissatisfied with?

Do you have to have everyone around you die before you're content?

Only by staying away from him. Only by staying away from him.

He lowered his head. His pupils turned blood-red, and the Heart Demon mark between his brows flickered. Before anyone could react, with a sickening 'thwump—' a long sword pierced toward Qi Wuyu from behind without any warning.

Liu Nanzhou said in a low voice, "Cut the act. I don't need you to save me."

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Author's Note: Two consecutive days of updates, praise me quickly! Happy Qixi Festival! [Erect-eared bunny emoji] Today's chapter doesn't seem very suitable for Qixi... Wait a moment, I'll make up for it with a sweeter little extra later. [Shrugs]