Chapter 73: Past Events, Shared Hardships / Ashes and Graves:)

Chapter 73: Past Events, Shared Hardships / Ashes and Graves:)

Lesser Shangqing struck a perfectly immortal and dignified pose, his wide sleeves swaying slightly as he followed Fu Yu into the small pavilion on the flying vessel.

The two sat facing each other across the tea table.

Suddenly, an awkward silence fell.

After waiting a good while, Lesser Shangqing glanced up nonchalantly, only to find no trace of an expression like "Shock! The Evil Path's Double Heaven is actually one of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Three Purities!" on the other's face.

Fu Yu picked up her tea, took a sip to steady her nerves.

She was genuinely startled, just from a slightly different angle.

She recognized this person.

His name was Yu Xiao.

The last time she'd seen him was over five thousand years ago, at his mother Venerable Wuyang's birthday banquet.

Venerable Wuyang was a highly respected elder of great seniority and standing, strict with others and with herself, fair and impartial in handling affairs, and held immense prestige within the immortal sects of that time.

Her two eldest disciples were like her, perpetually wearing icy, aloof, and lifeless expressions.

Her youngest disciple was her son, this Yu Xiao.

In his youth, Yu Xiao had been a playboy; now in his old age, he was an old playboy.

Never in a million years would she have imagined that Double Heaven was actually him.

A vein twitched at Fu Yu's temple.

She gave a light cough and took another sip of tea.

Since she, the host, wasn't speaking, Lesser Shangqing had no choice but to pick up his teacup and take a sip as well.

After the tea had been poured a few times, Fu Yu raised an eyebrow and forced a smile. "Since parting at the Human Emperor's tomb, Your Excellency's distinguished demeanor remains unchanged."

Lesser Shangqing: "..."

What 'distinguished demeanor' did his Bao Hai persona have that he didn't know about?

Lesser Shangqing replied modestly, "Ah, I'm old now, not like you young people, ah! You young people are the ones brilliant as the morning sun, with boundless futures ahead!"

He discreetly observed this cunning, black-hearted, and fiendishly intelligent woman.

Truly, he couldn't see through her at all!

Mindful of his status, he couldn't praise her "misdeeds" too bluntly either, so he simply picked up his tea again, raising it in a toast as if it were wine. "These past days, our cooperation has been pleasant."

Fu Yu gave a false smile and returned the toast with a cup of her own.

Although she never had much of a conscience to begin with, facing this particular victim, she truly couldn't bring herself to say "pleasant" against her conscience.

Her late husband—oh no, her family's dead ghost—had turned Venerable Wuyang's birthday banquet into a funeral feast.

Fu Yu: Couldn't muster a smile.

Back at that birthday banquet, Jun Bu Du was late. Long after the feast had begun, he still hadn't appeared.

Fu Yu thought he was going to be absent and casually made up an excuse for him, saying the Evil Spirits front was tense, he couldn't make it, apologies, apologies.

Who knew that the moment her lie left her lips, Jun Bu Du, "busy with official duties," arrived without a sound.

By the time Fu Yu noticed the atmosphere turning strange, Jun Bu Du was already standing before Venerable Wuyang, sword in hand.

He said, "I kill you for your own good."

That Jun Bu Du was already on the verge of mending the Heavenly Dao.

His power had reached an inhuman level; even Fu Yu hadn't seen clearly how he struck.

When she came to her senses, Venerable Wuyang was already dead by his sword, Nine Crossroads Dust was back in its sheath, unstained by a single drop of blood.

He had just walked in quietly, killed someone quietly, and walked out quietly, like a shadow detached from the world.

As he passed her, he glanced down. The wine cup in her hand had fallen with a "thud" onto the table. His voice was calm and faint. "Fu Yu, let's go."

Fu Yu: "..."

Dazedly, she rose and walked out shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

Once outside the banquet hall, she looked back. The guests present were still frozen in place, like a group of petrified clay statues.

Among them, the one who looked most thoroughly dumbfounded was undoubtedly Venerable Wuyang's only son, Yu Xiao.

The very same ally before her now.

Double Heaven.

Fu Yu raised her eyebrows slightly and forced a smile once more. "Might I ask which of the Lesser Three Purities Your Excellency is?"

Lesser Shangqing breathed a sigh of relief—finally, the self-introduction part.

"Lesser Shangqing," he said, then thought for a moment and added, "Double Heaven. My real name is Yu Xiao."

Fu Yu fell silent for a moment before introducing herself. "Green Cloud Sect, Xie Fuyu."

Another awkward silence ensued.

Fu Yu also knew how ridiculous this sounded.

A perfectly ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator, killing Venerable Yunshang, Ghost Lingjun, Lord Zhiwei, Qin Qianzhu, releasing the monkeys, framing Little Yuqing's faction...

It didn't add up.

*Thud.*

She slowly set down her teacup, partially revealing her hand. "My biological father is a Sage, He Yingkong."

Lesser Shangqing's pupils contracted slightly in shock. Amidst his surprise, sudden understanding dawned. "So that's how it is!"

Fu Yu smiled.

Whatever he understood, as long as he understood, that was fine.

Lesser Shangqing: No wonder He Yingkong retreated without a fight earlier; it was because of this.

Both sides revealed expressions of understanding, exchanged a smile, and gave a slight nod.

Fu Yu finally managed to get past the awkward moment.

She quickly regained her composure: "To think Double Heaven hails from the Guangling Yu Clan. May I ask your relation to that former Venerable Wuyang..."

Lesser Shangqing sighed: "Ah, Venerable Wuyang was my mother, alas!"

Feigning surprise, Fu Yu asked: "Venerable Wuyang... wasn't she slain by Jun Bu Du? Why would you, Your Excellency..."

Lesser Shangqing downed a cup of tea in one gulp.

"Thud!"

He set the teacup down heavily.

"Why would I protect his disciples and followers?" he gritted his teeth, enunciating each word slowly, "Jun Bu Du is dead. The common people are dead. With death, debts are cleared."

Fu Yu was momentarily stunned.

She let out a soft laugh, closed her eyes with a light sigh, and clasped her hands in a sincere gesture: "Your Excellency's magnanimity is truly admirable."

"Ah!" Lesser Shangqing waved his hand dismissively, heaving a long sigh. "You know as well as I do that the Divine Court doesn't act like decent people. When faced with certain situations, if one does not intervene, one's conscience will not rest easy... Alas!"

Speaking of this truly disheartened him.

He merely intended to do a few small deeds of punishing evil and promoting good. Who could have guessed that among the younger generation he admired and valued, eight out of ten would turn out to be "Evil Cultists"?

The disciples and followers of his enemy were each unyielding and righteous. Their actions aligned perfectly with the "righteousness" he himself upheld.

It was hard to imagine what kind of internal struggle he had undergone back then.

In the following years, under the Divine Court's relentless persecution, the leaders of the Daoist Sect sacrificed themselves generation after generation. By the time he came to his senses, he had unwittingly become the de facto leader of the "enemy" faction.

He was utterly helpless! Alas!

Fu Yu chuckled with a mix of emotions.

Lesser Shangqing sighed, shook his head, and waved his hand: "The Divine Court may seem all-powerful, but in truth, its days are numbered."

Fu Yu raised an eyebrow: "You're right."

Both she and Jun Bu Du had returned. The Divine Court was indeed a fading force.

Give him credit for having good insight!

Seeing her matter-of-fact expression, Lesser Shangqing inwardly exclaimed, finding a kindred spirit.

The Divine Court tightly controlled the world's resources, teeming with powerful figures, its influence at its zenith. To anyone looking, it seemed an absolutely invincible existence.

Yet this young woman before him possessed such profound insight at such a tender age.

Truly, the younger generation is to be feared!

Lesser Shangqing raised his tea in lieu of wine, toasting Fu Yu: "The Divine Court's actions run counter to the very concept of justice. What unsettles them most is that intelligent and upright individuals always find themselves at odds with them."

Fu Yu smiled: "The Divine Court dares not trust good people, so they can only employ scheming, petty individuals. How could we not triumph over them?"

Suppressing the urge to slap his thigh in excitement, Lesser Shangqing said fervently: "Exactly so!"

He looked at this junior, finding her more and more agreeable, and had already mentally regarded her as a friend transcending age.

Recalling her background, he could only sigh, remarking that sometimes a fine shoot grows from a bad bamboo.

"You truly don't seem like someone from the He Ying family," Lesser Shangqing shook his head. "Alas!"

Fu Yu stated plainly: "I take after my mother."

After a pause, she added, "My mother was killed by He Yingkong."

Lesser Shangqing understood: "Ah, I see."

Mentioning this person, he couldn't help but click his tongue and shake his head.

"This man's conduct is entirely that of a petty person."

Sensing there was more to his words, Fu Yu felt a stir in her heart. She raised a cup of tea in salute: "Meeting a kindred spirit makes a thousand cups too few. I offer tea in place of wine, toasting Senior Yu."

A "Toast of a Thousand Cups" was openly offered to Lesser Shangqing.

With a sigh, Lesser Shangqing drained his teacup.

When conversation flows, a thousand words are not enough.

Fu Yu smiled wryly: "He abandoned my mother and me for wealth and status. I don't even know what kind of person he truly is. And he dares not acknowledge me."

Rarely encountering a kindred spirit, the tea tasted like fine wine to Lesser Shangqing. Heaving a long sigh, he opened up.

"Ah, this man is actually slick and worldly, quite capable in his own way. When he married Goddess Yuetong, the only daughter of Emperor Wugu, he was just an utterly unremarkable, ordinary cultivator."

Fu Yu nodded: "A favorable wind borrowed its force, sending him soaring to the azure clouds."

"Exactly," Lesser Shangqing sneered. "He leveraged his wife's family's influence to climb step by step to the position of Demi-god. Among fellow Demi-gods, one might mock him as a 'man who married into power,' but out in the world, who wouldn't address him respectfully as 'Sage'?"

Not long ago, when He Yingkong brought up that matter, it truly stuck in his craw, something he had to get off his chest.

"He himself is a petty person, so he assumes others are the same," Lesser Shangqing said with a resentful expression. "Speaking of this will also help Little Friend Xie see his character more clearly—back when Jun Bu Du died mending the Heavenly Dao, and the Divine Shaman perished with him, He Yingkong masterminded the plan to have the Divine Shaman's bones ground to dust. Alas! Little friend, did you know he actually sent a handful of that ash to me?!"

Fu Yu looked up, shocked: "?!!!"

Ashes! Her ashes!

Lesser Shangqing laughed in anger: "Just because my mother died by Jun Bu Du's sword, he assumed I would vent my fury on the Divine Shaman's remains. Alas!"

Fu Yu was so agitated she nearly overturned the tea table.

Lesser Shangqing: "Ah, you find it outrageous too, don't you?"

Fu Yu downed three cups of tea in quick succession, suppressing her excitement: "How did you handle it, Senior Yu? If it was troublesome to deal with..."

She could genuinely take care of it!

Lesser Shangqing chuckled and waved his hand: "Ah, that was so many years ago. I don't know what I was thinking at the time, but I buried it in my mother's tomb."

Fu Yu: "..."

Her eyes flickered slightly, her fingers lightly tapping the table.

If she directly asked, "May I dig up your mother's grave?" she wondered if it would provoke the thunderous wrath of a Demi-god.

After a moment of contemplation, Fu Yu spoke slowly: "Senior, what kind of person do you believe Jun Bu Du was?"

Lesser Shangqing remained silent for a good while.

It was hard to say what kind of person Jun Bu Du was.

Once he set his mind to something, no one could stop him—a dictator who believed in "those who submit shall prosper, those who resist shall perish."

Yet, in the long run, the things he did always proved to be right.

To be fair, he himself had once revered that man deeply.

But that man had killed his mother for no apparent reason.

Seeing his silence, Fu Yu spoke up, "Jun Bu Du was a clear-sighted and just person. Venerable Wuyang was a respected elder as well. Aren't you curious about the truth of what happened back then?"

Lesser Shangqing smiled bitterly, "Both of them have perished, body and soul. How could we ever find out?"

Fu Yu volunteered, "I have a way."

She smiled mysteriously.

"You must have guessed it by now—Li Xueke by my side is the reincarnation of the Human Emperor, Li Daoxuan."

She stood up and beckoned to the Paper Effigy Boy.

"You're no stranger to this boy, I presume. He is the Kingly Way, who has enforced the rules in the Human Emperor's tomb for thousands of years. Whipping up a secret realm to investigate the truth would be child's play for him."

Paper Effigy Boy: "???"

Fu Yu narrowed her eyes at him, her tone gentle, "Tell him, can you do it? Hmm?"

The Paper Effigy Boy straightened up instantly, "I can! I can!"

Fu Yu turned back, smiling brightly at Lesser Shangqing.

"Senior, I've calculated—today, tomorrow, and the day after are all auspicious for breaking ground."

"Pick a day, uncover the truth of your mother's death, and let her soul rest in peace."

Lesser Shangqing: "..."

Wait, how did we end up agreeing to dig up my own ancestral grave so easily? Sigh!

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