Chapter 38 Reencounter with He Kun

When Chu Jianshan was little, he liked to be carried on his father's back so that he could see many, many things. His mother would support him and smile at him. When he got tired, he would snuggle in his father's neck and sleep soundly no matter how noisy it was outside.

Since the Chu family was wiped out, he and his sister were taken in by Changjin Mountain, and such simple yet luxurious warmth has become a rare sight even in his dreams.

He thought he had long since stopped caring about these things, but now Cheng Yuan had picked him up again and turned to him, saying, "Take a nap if you're tired."

Chu Jianshan stubbornly replied, "I'm not tired at all."

But not long after, he gently leaned against Cheng Yuan's back.

Cheng Yuan felt the warmth coming from his back, and couldn't help but smile. He then pulled him up a little more.

Cheng Yuan asked with a smile, "Why are you being so obedient this time?"

Chu Jianshan simply retorted shamelessly, "You're not allowed to ask."

"Okay, I won't ask."

Cheng Yuan carried him on his back, swaying and staggering for an unknown amount of time. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard Cheng Yuan gently call his name. After getting off, he saw a blood-red gate blocking their way.

Cheng Yuan grabbed his arm and asked, "Are you still feeling unwell?"

Chu Jianshan shook his head, indicating that there was no problem.

The two of them pushed open the door together. The room was strange. The floor was covered with a shallow layer of water, and a path was made of several stone slabs in the middle. At the other end of the door, a black wooden box was conspicuously visible.

Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow: "It's so obvious, as if you're afraid we won't see it."

Chu Jianshan asked in confusion, "The more I look at it, the more I feel like it's a trap?"

Cheng Yuan turned his head and asked, "When does it start to be considered a trap?"

Chu Jianshan replied, "Perhaps it can be considered as soon as we entered Mu Mu's place. This is not her father's heirloom, and it may not even be from Qingyao City at all."

Cheng Yuan lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "But I don't think she wants to harm us."

Chu Jianshan nodded: "So this is a test. As long as we can get out of here alive, she will give me the antidote, regardless of whether we get the item or not."

Chu Jianshan took two steps forward, paused for two seconds, and then continued walking forward. Cheng Yuan followed him, and their shadows were reflected in the still water.

As they approached the wooden box, Cheng Yuan stopped him and said, "Let me do it."

Chu Jianshan nodded and stepped aside to make room. Cheng Yuan reached out to touch the box, and as expected, he heard the sound of a sharp sword cutting through the air the moment it was opened. He pulled Chu Jianshan back and dodged, and saw a familiar figure slowly walking out from behind the stone wall.

Chu Jianshan laughed and said, "It seems that the person behind the scenes is unaware that his subordinates are already acting against his will."

The candlelight illuminated half of the man's face. He took two more steps forward, and the shadow quickly faded from his face, revealing his full features.

He Kun replied to them, "How I act with the Lord is none of your business."

Chu Jianshan nodded and then asked, "Where are your accomplices? Why don't they come out and meet us?"

He Kun feigned ignorance: "I don't understand what you're saying."

Cheng Yuan continued, "This tomb chamber can only be entered in pairs. A third person is absolutely not allowed to enter unless you find another person."

Chu Jianshan looked up and saw a figure vaguely hidden behind the stone wall, so he shouted, "Come out!"

Cheng Yuan chuckled lightly: "Looks like it's someone I know."

Luo Qiu slowly walked to He Kun's side and smiled at Chu Jianshan and Cheng Yuan: "We meet again."

Chu Jianshan considered himself to be quite good at judging people, but he never expected to make a mistake this time. This Luo Qiu was actually He Kun's accomplice.

He said, "It's my fault for being careless and misjudging the person."

Luo Qiu lowered his head slightly: "I am grateful for your kindness, but He Kun has been kind to me and I must repay him."

Chu Jianshan asked in confusion, "Is it just repaying a debt of gratitude?"

Luo Qiu smiled and nodded, and Chu Jianshan could see some unusual emotions in her eyes.

She was lying. If it was just to repay a debt of gratitude, it would have been enough to lure them in. Why did she have to get herself involved in this mess?

Chu Jianshan asked He Kun, "So you're here to stop us from taking this?"

He Kun shook his head: "The item is important, but what's more important is that I must take his life."

He pointed his sword at Cheng Yuan, and Chu Jianshan instinctively stepped aside to block him. He Kun's hatred for Cheng Yuan came out of nowhere. Even if Cheng Yuan was blocking his way, there was no reason to do something that would hurt the enemy a thousand while harming himself eight hundred.

"I'm very curious, why exactly do you want to kill Cheng Yuan?"

He Kun's eyes instantly filled with gloom: "If he doesn't die, many more people will die because of him in the future."

Chu Jianshan frowned, wanting to get to the bottom of it: "What do you mean?"

He Kun seemed to have lost interest in playing verbal games with him and charged forward with his sword. Cheng Yuan reacted quickly and stood in front of Chu Jianshan, while Chu Jianshan stopped Luo Qiu, who was about to come to help.

In an instant, the four of them were locked in combat, the stagnant water on the ground was constantly being slashed and stirred up by the sharp swords, and water splashed all around.

Cheng Yuan was not having much trouble dealing with He Kun, and could even occasionally come over to help Chu Jianshan deflect Luo Qiu's attacks. He thought victory was in the bag, but who knew that He Kun would suddenly change tactics and charge straight at Chu Jianshan like a madman.

Knowing that He Kun's target was Cheng Yuan, Chu Jianshan didn't pay attention to his movements. However, by the time he realized what was happening, he could no longer dodge He Kun's sword.

Just as the blade was about to reach Chu Jianshan's heart, Cheng Yuan swung his sword upwards, causing He Kun's hand to deviate from its direction. However, both of their swords were forced to shake off their hands and fell into the water.

He Kun did not stop there. Instead, he drew another soft sword from his sleeve and stabbed at Chu Jianshan. Without a weapon, Cheng Yuan could only block with his hands, no matter how fast he reacted.

He gripped the sword's edge tightly with his left hand, and a horrifying gash was instantly sliced ​​into his palm, blood gushing out and splashing into the water, staining the clear water red. But He Kun's sword could not advance any further and stopped in front of Chu Jianshan's neck.

Chu Jianshan froze for a moment, then kicked He Kun several meters away. He Kun clutched his chest and knelt on the ground, not coming any closer.

Chu Jianshan grasped Cheng Yuan's wrist, looking at his trembling hand that was still bleeding, his eyes filled with heartache.

He used his sword to cut open his robe, quickly bandaged the wound, and whispered, "If you call me crazy, you're not much better."

Cheng Yuan even had the mood to laugh: "Isn't it... an emergency?"

Chu Jianshan glared at him, and Cheng Yuan shut his mouth and didn't dare to say anything more.

He turned around and shouted to the people behind He Kun, "If we don't get the stuff soon, we're going to die here!"

He Kun turned around abruptly and saw Luo Qiu holding a wooden box, smiling at him: "Thank you both for the time you've given me."

“Luo Qiu…” He Kun gritted his teeth as he looked at her: “What are you doing?”

Luo Qiu calmly said, "Do what I think is right. He Kun, you should stop."

As if he had heard something amusing, He Kun suddenly burst into laughter: "Stop? In all these years, when have I ever had the chance to stop?"

Luo Qiu said, "You have it now. I can give it to you, as long as you release them and promise me you won't hurt any more innocent people."

"You were once willing to give up your life for these demons who had nothing to do with you, so why do you now want to exterminate them all?"

He Kun stood up and walked step by step toward Luo Qiu, his eyes filled with undisguised ruthlessness: "I have never changed, except that I am no longer as stupid as before. Luo Qiu, he must die today!"

"You dare!" Luo Qiu quickly took two steps back, his right hand gathering demonic power as he threatened He Kun, "I suspect the thing here is not simple. If it's gone, your master won't let you off the hook either."

He Kun looked at her without reacting, and after a long while he slowly spoke.

"You still don't understand my determination to kill him. As long as he dies, what does the contents of this box matter? Even if you and I, even if the entire Water City is sacrificed, what does it matter!"

Luo Qiu stared at him in disbelief. He knew what He Kun wanted to do. He had created the barrier here, and he could take it back. Once the barrier was gone, everything here would be destroyed.

She asked, trembling, "When...when did you become like this?"

From a righteous young cultivator to the dignified sect leader of Linyi Sect who doesn't care about anything, what exactly did he go through in between?

He Kun remained silent, only recalling the sword that Cheng Yuan had knocked away. He ran his index finger across the blade, leaving a bloody mark, and in an instant, the sword in his hand began to glow.

Chu Jianshan was the first to react: "Oh no! Stop him!"

Luo Qiu rushed forward first, but He Kun seemed to have gone mad and showed her no mercy, directly knocking her back with a palm strike.

He must have used some secret technique to significantly enhance his cultivation in a short period of time, but the price he paid was definitely not small.

Cheng Yuan switched to wielding the sword in his right hand. Although his moves remained the same, they felt somewhat awkward. Chu Jianshan tried to coordinate his attacks with Cheng Yuan, but Cheng Yuan used his powerful spiritual energy to blast them away. The two of them fell to the ground and rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.

Before they could even get up, He Kun attacked again. The two exchanged blows, using the force of the impact to scatter to either side. This time, He Kun was only targeting Cheng Yuan, and every move was aimed at killing him.

Chu Jianshan rolled on the ground to get up, looked at Cheng Yuan who was about to be overwhelmed, and rushed over.

Another sword slashed down, knocking the sword from Cheng Yuan's hand. In desperation, Chu Jianshan didn't think of anything else and used Mo Yang to block the sword for him.

The two were locked in a stalemate. Chu Jianshan had no spiritual power, and his hands were no match for the strength of the crazed He Kun. So he forcibly mobilized his spiritual power again to try and hold his own against He Kun.

However, he underestimated He Kun's abilities and overestimated his own ability to withstand the mobilization of spiritual power again. The stabbing pain in his heart struck again, and a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat, unable to be spat out or swallowed.

With a soft splatter, the sound of a sharp sword piercing through flesh and blood.

Chu Jianshan slowly opened his eyes. He felt no pain. The one who had been pierced through the heart by a sword was He Kun.

Luo Qiu held the sword behind him, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

He Kun's sword fell from his hand. He slowly turned around, looked at Luo Qiu whose eyes were filled with determination, gave a bitter smile, and softly asked, "Why..."

Luo Qiu could no longer hold back his tears, which welled up in his eyes and he choked out, "You killed the person I loved most, and now I will kill you too."

She drew her sword in a flash, and He Kun could no longer hold on and collapsed to his knees.

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but he laughed: "That's fine, you killed me with your own hands, so I don't owe you anything."

He raised his head, his eyes filled with fierce determination as he looked at Luo Qiu: "Let's... die here together!"