Chapter 49

Chapter 49

This turn of events took everyone present by surprise, drawing a collective gasp. Qi Wuyu’s body was already numb; he didn’t even feel the pain. He only turned his head, puzzled.

Liu Nanzhou knelt on the ground, spiritual energy and demonic aura simultaneously overflowing from his body. As his hand moved, the Shejiang Sword withdrew from Qi Wuyu’s body and was recalled by Liu Nanzhou. The force of the sword’s withdrawal caused Qi Wuyu to stagger half a step back before sinking to his knees.

“What’s going on?”

“A falling out between master and disciple? Weren’t they always close?”

“Who knows?”

“Look! He’s turning into a demon!”

Someone shouted, and everyone saw the demonic aura pouring from Liu Nanzhou’s body, nearly swallowing him whole. Some had already drawn their swords defensively.

The demonic aura in Liu Nanzhou’s Spiritual Platform had almost completely corrupted it. He clung desperately to a sliver of clarity—he needed to borrow the Heart Demon’s power but had to remain conscious. Blood flowed from his nose and mouth as he lifted his gaze, tears of blood streaming down his face.

Qi Wuyu looked at him and gave a faint shake of his head. “Don’t…”

He was wrong. He had been arrogant and overconfident, thinking he could control and manage everything. In the end, he was merely a joke in others’ eyes.

If only he had cared more… He always thought there was still time, that by openly accepting Liu Nanzhou’s feelings, the Heart Demon wouldn’t amount to much.

He always thought…

“I was wrong…” Qi Wuyu murmured. “I was wrong…”

Liu Nanzhou looked at him, his expression cold and inscrutable. With a furious roar, he unleashed a violent surge of wild spiritual energy and demonic aura. The cord around his neck snapped, and the jade pendant he had worn since childhood fell to the ground. Only Liu Nanzhou heard the crisp sound of it shattering. At the same moment, the iron chains binding him broke apart.

Qi Wuyu, standing closest to him, was struck down by the force, while others below the platform were also swept aside. Those with lower cultivation were instantly sent flying; even Si Muyun and Yang Zhen were forced back several steps.

Xie Yongdao and Shen You sprang forward, just managing to catch Qi Wuyu but still pushed back by the power.

Shen You immediately gave Qi Wuyu a life-sustaining pill. Xie Yongdao watched the master and disciple, his brows furrowed tightly.

Liu Nanzhou stood alone on the execution platform, the Shejiang Sword in hand. He looked frail, the Heart Demon mark glaring between his brows, his face covered in blood—like a ghost freshly crawled out of hell. He looked down at Qi Wuyu from above. “You lazed around all day, either slacking off or causing trouble. What did you ever teach me?”

Xie Yongdao cried out urgently, “Liu Nanzhou!”

Liu Nanzhou felt as if something had broken in his chest. A cold wind seeped through his ribcage into his heart, sharp as a blade, flaying him from the inside out without drawing blood.

Qi Wuyu let out a self-mocking laugh.

Before Xie Yongdao could speak, Liu Nanzhou raised a hand to stop him. “The Tianyao Sect doesn’t want a demonic disciple either, right, Sect Leader? No need for false courtesy. I know my place.”

Xie Yongdao saw red. Whoever wanted to be sect leader could have the job! Today, it seemed everyone was rebelling!

Those present were confused, their attention shifting away from Qi Wuyu.

Liu Nanzhou carefully tucked the blood-stained jade fragments into his robe and drew his sword. “If you want revenge for your disciples, you’d better kill me here today. Otherwise, you won’t get another chance.”

“Arrogant brat! How dare you provoke us? Today, we will rid the world of this scourge!”

“Since you’ve turned demonic, we cannot let you live!”

Several people attacked him at once. Qi Wuyu weakly tugged Xie Yongdao’s sleeve, struggling to stay conscious. “Senior Brother, stop him…”

Xie Yongdao glanced at Liu Nanzhou, feeling aged with worry. “Do you think I can stop him? Don’t you know your own disciple? By choosing this path, he’s trying to shield the Tianyao Sect and you.”

Qi Wuyu knew, of course. “But…”

Xie Yongdao said, “Don’t worry. His Heart Demon is formidable. As long as Yang Zhen and Si Muyun don’t intervene, those others might not be his match. You should worry about yourself. Changxian, keep an eye on him.”

Yang Zhen stepped forward symbolically but was struck by Liu Nanzhou’s demonic aura after a few moves, collapsing to the ground and struggling to get up. Si Muyun remained still. Zhao Mingye snorted coldly and charged at Liu Nanzhou.

Against the others, Liu Nanzhou held back, not intending to kill. But seeing Zhao Mingye, he clearly struck with heavier force. However, using too much demonic energy destabilized his mind. Only a small circle of purity remained in his Spiritual Platform. The Heart Demon screamed at him, trying to devour his will. He clung stubbornly to consciousness—if he gave in, he would truly become a demon.

He plunged the Shejiang Sword into the ground. The sword thirsted for blood, now humming incessantly. Liu Nanzhou mustered all his strength, unleashing a storm of sword energy that sent everyone around him flying. They lay on the ground, unable to rise. Zhao Mingye vomited blood, feeling as if his organs had been shattered.

“That’s enough.”

Liu Nanzhou withdrew his sword, glancing briefly at the three from the Tianyao Sect before lowering his gaze.

From now on, he was an orphan again.

Liu Nanzhou turned and vanished like smoke.

The farce finally seemed to be over. The execution platform was in disarray, the demonic aura in the air gradually dispersing. Unnoticed, the sky had begun to brighten with dawn.

Liu Nanzhou hadn’t gone far. His body could no longer hold up. He collapsed in a forest, vomiting blood. Every part of him ached. Lying on his back, he felt close to death. With a strange sense of relief, he thought dying might be better—at least the pain would stop.

He faintly heard footsteps, his mind alert. He tried to reach for his sword, but his body wouldn’t respond. His hand lifted slightly before falling back. A shadow fell over him, his vision blurry. “Who are you…”

“Qi Wuyu!”

The hand gripping Xie Yongdao’s sleeve suddenly went limp. Xie Yongdao was startled. Shen You checked Qi Wuyu’s pulse—it was almost imperceptibly faint. She had already used needles to seal several of his major acupoints. Yang Zhen approached. “Come with me.”

They moved Qi Wuyu to a room. Si Muyun and Zhuang Yanming rushed over. Working together, they barely stabilized Qi Wuyu’s heart meridian. Yang Zhen took Shen You to prepare medicine, leaving the other three sitting together, unsure what to say.

Si Muyun spoke first. “I apologize. Zhao Mingye’s words were hurtful. I’ll speak with him properly when we return.”

If words couldn’t resolve it, then they simply walked different paths.

Xie Yongdao said, “You should talk to him. How can he slander someone without knowing the facts?”

“But he was also provoked by what happened to his disciple.”

Xie Yongdao: “You all should see it clearly. This was obviously a trap set by the demon clan. You can’t blame Xiao Zhou for it. He’s a victim too.”

Zhuang Yanming and Si Muyun nodded.

Zhuang Yanming: “We know. This must be accounted to the demon clan.”

Si Muyun: “This time, the sects will likely need time to recover. The demon clan also suffered significant losses. They probably targeted Jiang Ce because his Heart Demon is severe and he excels at formations, capable of altering the Fourfold Array. They likely intended to create a diversion, using the chaos to release Dan Cangke. Fortunately, we arrived in time. Relying on Ning Lantiao and the others alone wouldn’t have been enough. The consequences would have been unthinkable.”

“We’re too passive,” Yang Zhen said as she entered. “But given the state of the major sects, we can’t exactly go settle scores with the demon clan now.”

The four sighed inwardly.

Si Muyun looked at Qi Wuyu and asked, “How has he been these years? Last time at the Qingmang Conference, there wasn’t time to ask in detail.”

Xie Yongdao said, “He was unconscious for a long time after that. My master saved him. Later, he stayed alone in Fengsheng Wutong. When he first woke up, he was almost like an ordinary person—carefree and laughing all the time.”

But such a sudden fall from grace—how could he truly not care?

At that time, Xie Yongdao had just taken over the sect and was overwhelmed, but he still made time to visit. Though Qi Wuyu often annoyed him, at least he wasn’t alone.

“Later, he gradually regained some ability to use spiritual energy, and things got better.”

Things got even more worrying.

"That kid Liu Nanzhou…" Zhuang Yanming said, "He doesn't strike me as the type to develop a Heart Demon."

Xie Yongdao shook his head. "I'm not sure about that either."

Each of the four was preoccupied with their own worries, so after discussing it, they decided to go drink some wine that evening. Shen You had spent the whole day preparing medicine and fed it to Qi Wuyu.

The next day, the various sects rested up before heading back. Xie Yongdao and Shen You brought the unconscious Qi Wuyu home. Ying Nianling and Zhou Ren were startled to see Qi Wuyu in such a state, and when they didn't see Liu Nanzhou return with them, Xie Yongdao gave them a brief rundown. Ying Nianling was at a loss for words.

Zhou Ren asked, "Has Xiao Zhou been found?"

Xie Yongdao replied, "He injured everyone at the scene. No one was in any condition to chase him. Later, some tried to track his aura but couldn't locate him."

"What about the sect token or the Spirit Language Jade? Couldn't they track him?"

Xie Yongdao shook his head.

Ying Nianling glanced at Qi Wuyu. "When he wakes up and can't find his disciple, won't he be frantic with worry?"

Whether Qi Wuyu would be frantic or not was unknown, but Xie Yongdao was nearly driven mad with worry over the two of them.

"Fine! If none of you want to be here, then just go! All of you!"

He flicked his sleeve and stormed out.

Ying Nianling and Zhou Ren exchanged a helpless, bitter smile.

The pear blossom tree in the Fengsheng Wutong courtyard remained bare. As the weather grew colder, it seemed to shrink from the chill too, refusing to grow a single leaf.

Auspicious Snow perched by the bedside every day, watching over Qi Wuyu, waiting for him to wake up. Ying Nianling came daily to feed it, but he lacked a delicate touch and paid no attention to the other plants. With no one to tend them, the flowers in the courtyard gradually withered and fell. The entire Fengsheng Wutong seemed to have lost its vitality.

It was only when Shen You came that she managed to revive those barely surviving flowers. But no method worked on the pear blossom tree.

Qi Wuyu remained unconscious for about a month before he finally deigned to wake up. When he opened his eyes, he almost couldn't adjust to his own body and didn't even recognize where he was. Auspicious Snow was the first to approach, nudging him with its head. Qi Wuyu patted its head and only then remembered he was home.

Memories slowly trickled back. Qi Wuyu stared dryly at the ceiling for a long time until his eyes grew somewhat parched, then closed them. Auspicious Snow wouldn't let him sleep again, covering his face with its wing. Qi Wuyu opened his eyes to look at it. "Are you asking about Xiao Zhou?"

Auspicious Snow nodded.

Qi Wuyu said, "It seems he's gotten lost."

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Author's note: Who did Xiao Zhou see? [Shrugs] [Shrugs] Ah… I think I said I'd add a little extra scene…