Unjust Debt

Wu Yi's face turned pale, looking particularly strange under the dim moonlight.

His pupils were dark as he stared at Yunxiu without any emotion, and suddenly he sneered.

The wind against the window suddenly grew stagnant. The figure outside, who had been standing stiffly just moments before, seemed to have his bones and muscles pulled out. His figure was shrouded in a thin, almost invisible black mist in the moonlight. The mist snaked up along the hem of his clothes, and in the blink of an eye, it enveloped his entire face.

When they dispersed again, where was the gentle look of the Wutong spirit left?

The black cloak was put back on his shoulders, and the hood was pulled down very low, revealing only a cold white jawline. It was the man in black who had caused a bloody storm at the gate of Yaoxi Mountain.

Yunxiu's sword vibrated with a "humming" sound, and the coolness from his fingertips climbed up the hilt.

When did this happen? Yunxiu's suspicions began to mount the moment she realized she was in this illusion. She clearly didn't sense any unfamiliar presence, even in the surroundings. Was it really because she was too inexperienced to distinguish friend from foe, or to discern the mysterious-clothed man's celestial power?

Even tonight, when the black-robed man was standing right outside her window, she didn't notice anything...

Had this person been following her the entire time? Were the Yan Xiu and Wu Yi she saw today both transformed by the black-robed man?

No, that's not right.

Animals recognize each other by their scent. For the Yaoxi Mountain Man, immortal power could be concealed, but the smell of blood was unmistakable. The Yan Xiu of this afternoon was definitely not an imposter.

But this afternoon Wu Yi...

"What have you done to Wu Yi?" Yunxiu's voice was tense, the sword blade pointed diagonally at the ground, and the green light flickered in the candlelight.

The man in black didn't answer immediately, but raised his hand and brushed his fingertips across the laces of his cloak.

His movements were extremely slow, with a deliberate calmness, as if he wasn't afraid of her sudden attack. After a moment, he finally spoke, his voice lower than when he had spoken at the mountain gate, as if deliberately suppressing it, less violent and more calm and distant:

"Don't worry, he's fine. I just used an illusion to borrow his form."

"Who are you? What do you want to do?"

Yunxiu's eyes were fixed on the shadow under the hood.

"I have a blood feud with you. If you come to me, you should know that we will fight to the death."

Yunxiu couldn't see the face of the person before him. The dark hood hid most of his face in an indelible shadow, leaving only a vague, ink-like arc. The thin lips that were exposed were sharp, like a knife tempered by cold light.

Despite Yunxiu's hostility, he smiled.

"Yeah?"

He didn't even plan to say more, just waiting for Yunxiu's response in the afterglow of the laughter.

The night wind blew his cloak, echoing between the two people's fragile silence.

Yunxiu suddenly clenched his sword and gritted his teeth in hatred.

Of course she knew, no one understood better than she did. That move at the mountain gate—merely taking a palm strike from the man before her that wasn't even at full strength—had made Yunxiu understand everything, from her body to her heart. The difference between the other man's power and hers was so vast, so vast, it wasn't even worth comparing.

But Yunxiu did not retreat a single step.

It was strange. When she realized the person in front of her wasn't Wu Yi, her instinct for danger sent chills down her spine, and it took everything in her to not turn and flee. Simply standing in front of him had drained away all her rationality.

Yunxiu's heart was beating fast, but gradually calmed down.

She knew that she had come down the mountain to get medicine. Yan Xiu was seriously injured, and Yao Xishan also needed to recover urgently... The most suitable method at the moment was to deal with it, to escape, or to hide and wait for the next day. She also needed to get medicine,

But when Yunxiu thought of everything that happened in Yaoxi Mountain that day, she couldn't turn around and leave.

Perhaps she hated him, hated him for disrupting her peaceful life. Hiding alone in the darkness, Yunxiu had thought countless times that if he weren't there, she could live a carefree life as a junior sister in the mountains, free from all the responsibilities.

It’s a pity that she can’t be cruel, and it’s a pity that she can’t deceive herself.

In the other person's unseen gaze, she slowly raised her sword and pointed it directly at the black-clothed man's throat:

"Who are you? Yao Xishan has no grudge against you. Yet you have harmed my fellow disciples and destroyed my home..."

The man in black looked at the tip of the sword pointing directly at his throat. Instead of feeling any fear, he let out a low sneer from his throat.

Wrapped in coldness, it felt like ice particles hitting a bluestone slab. He tilted his head slightly, the shadow under his hood swaying, and the exposed jawline tensed even more:

"No grudges or hatred?"

He repeated it, as if savoring a joke.

"Xiao Que'er, you don't even know why you're alive in this world, yet you have the nerve to say 'no grudges, no hatred'?"

She frowned and was about to speak when she was interrupted by the man in black clothes.

"Do you know the Ancient Gods?"

He lightly tapped the window and turned to walk into the house. Yunxiu immediately drew her sword to block the attack, but the other party didn't even raise his hand, just glanced at her.

“clang!”

Yunxiu used all his strength to hit an invisible wall, and the sword was directly bounced away and stuck in the wooden floor.

"Don't waste your energy. Be careful not to wake up your senior brother." The man in black walked straight to the table and poured himself a cup of tea.

Yunxiu gritted his teeth, but knew that he was powerless to do anything.

"Why, do you want me to invite your senior brother to come over and have a chat?"

Despicable and shameless!

The black-robed man didn't want to argue with her about this issue. His eyes, through the slit in his hood, were fixed on Yunxiu's face, as if he was examining something.

Of course Yunxiu knew about it. His master had mentioned it, and Yan Xiu had also mentioned it.

The ancient gods are the gods who created this continent in legend, but the master said that the ancient gods disappeared between heaven and earth ten thousand years ago, and not even a remnant soul was left.

Yunxiu asked cautiously, "Master said that the Ancient God has long since dissipated. Why are you mentioning him?"

"Dissipate?" The man in black laughed again.

"He dissipated, but not naturally—he consumed himself trying to save you ungrateful creatures."

Seeing that the other party had no intention of getting up, Yunxiu took three or two steps over, drew his sword, and stood opposite the man in black.

He looked at the sword in front of him and even leaned forward. The tip of Yunxiu's sword almost touched his cloak, but he didn't care and continued:

"Ten thousand years ago, magma surged beneath the continent, causing the sky to collapse and the earth to split. Mortals, immortals, and even the vegetation in the mountains were about to be burned to ashes. It was the ancient gods who transformed their divine bodies into the earth, blocking the cracks in the magma. They also broke their divine power into pieces and scattered it in the mountains and rivers, nourishing all living things and preventing the world from complete destruction."

The night wind swirled the candlelight, and the shadows on the wall flickered, reflecting the turbulent emotions of the man in black. His voice was lowered, but every word was clear, hitting Yunxiu's heart:

"In the beginning, people still knew to worship him and knew that he gave them a way to survive. But what happened later?"

He suddenly raised his voice: "You people of Yaoxi Mountain relied on the divine power scattered in his spiritual veins to transform and cultivate, and relied on the barrier he left behind to avoid natural disasters, but you let the world forget him!"

Yunxiu's pupils suddenly contracted, and the familiar dull pain in his heart surged up again.

She remembered her master's words: the spiritual veins of Yaoxi Mountain were unlike any other. The spiritual energy was so abundant that even plants and trees could easily transform...

"You're talking nonsense! Our brothers and sisters also came down the mountain to help the world, but we never..."

"Help the world?" The black-robed man interrupted her mercilessly:

"What do you use to help the world? The power of the Ancient God! You heal the sick with the herbs he nourished; you set up barriers with his remaining divine grace. But what about the world? They remember the 'Immortal of Yaoxi Mountain' and your kindness. Who will remember the foolish Ancient God who was buried in the ground?"

He stood up and took another step forward. The tip of the sword was already against his cloak, but he still didn't care. Instead, he leaned forward slightly and moved closer to Yunxiu.

"Why do you think you can transform? Is it because you happened to be born in Yaoxi Mountain? Is it because you are lucky?"

Yunxiu was controlled by some unknown magic and could not move at all.

"You're wrong. You transformed thanks to the last bit of divine energy he left in your spiritual veins—you yourself are a part of his divine power. But what about you? You don't even know his name, do you?"

Yunxiu struggled violently, using all his strength to break free from the invisible restraints.

She suddenly lost her balance, took a step back, and bumped into the corner of the table behind her, frowning in pain.

She suddenly remembered the strange power in her body.

The man in black raised his hand, and a ray of cold white light condensed at his fingertips.

Something within Yunxiu's body stirred, as if sensing something. Her breathing quickened as she realized something.

"This is the divine power within you. Do you believe it now?"

The man in black stood up straight, and his tone returned to that cold and distant tone.

"You enjoyed his gifts, stole his glory, yet he was completely forgotten. You are nothing but a bunch of ants parasitic on his divine power, yet you dream of being worshipped as 'immortals'. How ridiculous and pathetic!"

"Master said that when the people of Yaoxi Mountain come down the mountain, they always say it's the guidance of the ancient gods..."

"Guidance?" The black-robed figure acted as if he had heard a monstrous joke. "A fleeting 'guidance' can negate everything you possess? Can it make the world remember him? Go ask those worshippers at the 'Yaoxi Immortal Temple' in the front hall. Do they know who the Ancient God is? They only know how to beg you 'immortals' for help; they don't even own his statue!"

The man in black looked at Yunxiu's reaction, but his tone became even colder:

"I have guarded him for over ten thousand years, watching his divine power being consumed by you, and his name being forgotten by the world. You, Yaoxi Mountain, are nothing more than a bunch of ants who steal things with a clear conscience. What right do you have to live in this world? Why do you stand in my way of reviving him?"

Yunxiu froze in place, her body cold. She wanted to protest, but couldn't find any reason.

The candlelight crackled, burning out, and the room instantly plunged into darkness. Only the moonlight from outside the window shone through, illuminating the dark cloak of the man in black, like a ball of indissoluble ink. He looked at Yunxiu, who was frozen in place, and his tone grew graver.

"Now, do you still think we have no grudges against each other?"