Chapter 54

Qi Qingqi exclaimed, "Wait, what's going on?!" She pointed into the domed hall, "That one inside... isn't that Shen Qingqiu? Why is there another one?"

Luo Binghe seemed to be in a good mood and said, "Why don't we ask the former peak master of Anding Peak?"

Shen Qingqiu: ...Damn it, he knew it would definitely be thanks to that spineless and shameless Shang Qinghua!

Shang Qinghua chuckled. Mo Beijun glared at him, and he immediately stepped forward, gathering his strength in his dantian, raising his head and chest, and proclaimed loudly, "Senior Brother Shen once stumbled upon a place several years ago and obtained a treasure called the Sun and Moon Dew Flower Fungus. This fungus possesses spiritual power and can reshape the physical body. It was thanks to it that Senior Brother Shen was able to shed his body and escape his body in Flower Moon City! Therefore, the one inside is him, but only an empty shell remains, and the one outside is also him! Both are him!"

The summary is concise and clear.

Several pairs of eyes turned to Shen Qingqiu.

Liu Qingge immediately pointed the tip of her sword at him, her killing intent even stronger than when she had faced Luo Binghe.

After the initial shock, Yue Qingyuan's expression turned to bewilderment, and he said in a low voice, "If that's the case, why has Junior Brother been out of contact for five years and cut off all ties with the Twelve Peaks? Do you not trust or rely on any of your fellow disciples?"

Shen Qingqiu felt guilty: "Senior brother, please listen to me..."

Qi Qingqi said angrily, "Shen Qingqiu, do you know how badly you've harmed our senior brothers and the others! How much your disciples cried back then?! They were crying and wailing all day long, turning Qingjing Peak into a mess and a place of mourning for a whole year, making everyone not want to go up there! The position of Peak Master is vacant, while you're out there living a carefree life!"

Shen Qingqiu was most afraid of the fiery Qi Qingqi pointing her finger at him and scolding him, so he quickly said, "I really didn't mean to. I was buried in the ground for five whole years and only woke up a few days ago. He did it!"

Seeing that the blame was being placed on him again, Shang Qinghua felt even more wronged: "Why are you blaming me again? Didn't you say we should cook it as soon as possible?"

Liu Qingge pressed her temples: "Shut up!"

Shang Qinghua then shut up.

Their noisy group would have been quite comical in a different setting, but because the timing was wrong, Shen Qingqiu couldn't laugh at all.

On the summit, flames raged, and charred rocks and earth lay scattered. After two days of stalemate and siege, the once majestic and dignified hall was no more. Inside and outside the hall, disciples, covered in blood and supported by others, lay scattered about, the younger generation looking around in fear. Exhausted and on their last legs, they were clearly at their limit.

In the other formation, the black-armored demon generals and cavalry, forming a semi-encirclement, remained as sharp and gleaming as newly honed blades, their eyes fixed menacingly on the enemy.

Shen Qingqiu withdrew his gaze and said, "Luo Binghe, you said you came to the Cangqiong Mountain Sect to capture me."

Luo Binghe said, "That's right."

Shen Qingqiu said, "You've caught him."

The objective has been achieved; it's time to withdraw the troops.

Luo Binghe looked at him: "Not running anymore?"

“…” Shen Qingqiu nodded slowly: “I won’t run anymore.”

Luo Binghe's lips twitched, revealing a weak smile. This smile, at least, lacked the sarcasm that had been so clearly visible on his face just moments before.

He said softly, "I've thought that many times."

Liu Qingge suddenly asked, "What do you mean?"

He looked at Shen Qingqiu as if he wanted to stab him in the head: "You're trying to exchange yourself for this?"

Yue Qingyuan reached out and touched Xuan Su, solemnly saying, "The people of Cang Qiong Mountain are not for the Demon Clan to touch."

Mu Qingfang pressed him down and shook her head, saying, "Senior brother, you forcibly broke out of your seclusion during your closed-door cultivation and faced a powerful enemy, which already caused you great losses. Now you've even forced yourself to draw your sword, which I'm afraid will really damage your cultivation..."

A surge of dark energy rose in Yue Qingyuan's face, which he forcibly suppressed, and he said in a strained voice, "It has to be done, even if it's impossible. Junior Brother has already died once. We couldn't protect him then. Do you expect me to watch him go to his death again?"

These words stirred a powerful emotion within Shen Qingqiu. He turned to Yue Qingyuan: "Senior Brother, look at all these disciples. How many are injured? It's been two days. Shouldn't we send them down? Qiongding Peak is in such a state of chaos. Shouldn't we rest and recuperate?"

If Shen Qingqiu were to name the person he most admired and respected, Yue Qingyuan would be number one. This was not only because of Yue Qingyuan's dedication to the entire sect, but also because of his unwavering protectiveness. He truly couldn't bear to let the Cangqiong Mountain Sect and its leader continue to cause him trouble and clean up his messes.

"You brought this on yourself, so you have to bear the consequences." Shen Qingqiu said, "The disciples I taught and the trouble I caused are enough for me to bear alone. As the head of the sect, you, the sect leader, have the safety and lives of all the disciples of the twelve peaks on your shoulders. You must know how to make the right choice."

The hall was deathly silent, the atmosphere heavy.

Yue Qingyuan's face was full of helplessness, but as the leader of his mountain, his choice in this unfavorable situation was self-evident. The other peak masters shared the same consideration. It was Ning Yingying who rushed out.

She grabbed Shen Qingqiu's arm and shouted, "I disagree!"

Shen Qingqiu said, "Mingfan, take care of your junior sister."

Ning Yingying sobbed, "I don't want anyone to take care of me! Whether it was back then with the demon witch or when Jinlan City and Huanhua Palace were at odds, it was always you, Master, who stepped forward. Why is it you again this time? Why does it always have to be you who suffers?"

Shen Qingqiu was stunned.

Yeah, why is it always him who's unlucky?!

He couldn't quite figure this out in a short time. He put on a calm and collected facade: "What kind of behavior is this, a grown man crying like this? I'm not going to die." He added in his mind, "Probably."

Mingfan's face was filled with grief and indignation: "Master, for the sake of the Cangqiong Mountain Sect, to hand myself over to this demon is worse than death! I've only ever heard of sacrificing one's life to accompany a virtuous person, never of sacrificing oneself to feed a demon!"

How dare you speak like that?!

Mingfan, you brat, can't you speak like a human being?!

After dragging on for so long, Luo Binghe had probably lost his patience. He grabbed Shen Qingqiu's hand and placed the other hand on the Heart Demon Sword sheath, saying, "Take Master's immortal body with you."

Another peak master said angrily, "Don't push your luck. Taking the person away isn't enough, what do you need the corpse for?"

Luo Binghe didn't answer, but only raised his hand to Mo Beijun, giving an order. Shen Qingqiu saw that he had finally compromised, but a single wrong word seemed to be starting another dispute. He wanted to stop him, and wanted to grab his arm, but felt awkward. Instead, he tugged at his sleeve. After a moment of hesitation, he said with a stiff upper lip, "I'll go with you. Why do we have to go to such lengths?"

Shen Qingqiu felt extremely humiliated when he said these words.

He was a man, yet he had to humbly ask another man about whether or not to "follow" him in front of so many people. Especially since this man had once been his apprentice, it made him feel even more humiliated and ashamed.

However, showing weakness has a certain effect on any man. Luo Binghe's expression brightened considerably; not only did he loosen his grip on him, but his tone also softened.

His tone was gentle, but the content remained firm: "After all, it is Master's original body, and it involves many things. If Master were to pull off another escape, this disciple would truly not know what to do."

He turned his head and his voice turned cold: "Take him away."

Before Mo Beijun could move, Qi Qingqi turned her head and heard Liu Mingyan whispering as she quietly entered the hall. She was first surprised, then shouted, "No need to argue!"

She raised her head and said, "Luo Binghe, there's no point in fighting anymore. Even if we're willing to let you take him away, you won't get your wish."

Shen Qingqiu knew that she had a fiery temper and might do something extreme to provoke Luo Binghe, which gave him a headache. But then, she gestured for Liu Mingyan to step forward: "Mingyan, you speak."

Liu Mingyan said, "Master Shen's immortal body has disappeared."

After she finished speaking, she stepped aside, and several disciples were carried out from the back hall. These were the people who stayed behind to guard the altar and watch over the body. At this moment, they were all unconscious, and their faces and fingertips were all strangely bluish-black.

A commotion erupted in the hall. Yue Qingyuan's expression changed instantly, and Luo Binghe also raised an eyebrow.

Qi Qingqi said frankly, "Luo Binghe, you don't need to look at me. I did think about hiding it, but unfortunately, when I asked Mingyan to move it in the back hall, the altar was already empty. The body that we had carefully preserved on it has disappeared."

She felt a sense of satisfaction, even preferring her body to vanish rather than be taken away by Luo Binghe. Mu Qingfang leaned over to examine her and said, "Completely unconscious, but not in danger of death. Poisoned."

Yue Qingyuan asked, "What kind of poison?"

Mu Qingfang said, "I can't tell right now. There are no wounds on your body. Let me take a blood sample to test it."

Qi Qingqi said, "If it were poison from the human realm, Junior Brother Mu could tell at a glance. Since he couldn't tell, I'd like to ask if you were the one who tampered with it?"

Luo Binghe said calmly, "I don't like using poison."

This is indeed true. Moreover, given the current situation, Luo Binghe has no reason to lie. Since he said it wasn't him, then it wasn't his doing. In other words, some unknown person actually took advantage of the argument between the two sides in front of the hall, sneaked up the mountain unnoticed, and, through several walls, stole Shen Qingqiu's body right under both sides' noses. It's truly shocking.

Shen Qingqiu was puzzled: Why steal his corpse? Why was he unwanted while alive but so sought after after death?

Or are there really that many perverts in this world?

Seeing that there was no point in continuing the conversation, Luo Binghe frowned and said, "Fine. Whoever took it, we'll find it eventually."

The inner demon was unsheathed, black energy billowed, and the sword's edge cleaved a gash in its wake. Shen Qingqiu warned, "Withdraw the encirclement."

Luo Binghe glanced at him and said stiffly, "As Master wishes."

Liu Qingge involuntarily took a step forward and moved his lips. Shen Qingqiu looked back at the Cangqiong Mountain Sect members, then at him, unsure of what to say.

As the tip of the Phoenix Sword touched the ground and moved upwards, Liu Qingge's hand clenched tightly under her sleeve, blood flowing freely from her ruptured tiger's mouth, dripping down the sword.

He paused for a long time before uttering two words.

"Wait!"

These two words were like two ice spikes thrown out, carrying with them a deep anger and an overwhelming fighting spirit.

Luo Binghe sneered, "Come on then."

The inner demons returned to their sheaths.

The rift between the two worlds connects to a spacious stone corridor. Pairs of torches stretch endlessly forward, into the deepest part, where darkness is indistinct.

Judging from the style of the murals on both sides of the stone corridor and the gloomy atmosphere, one can tell that this is Luo Binghe's demon realm headquarters.

After the crack was sealed, Luo Binghe stopped restraining Shen Qingqiu and slowly released his grip.

Shen Qingqiu straightened up, patted his sleeves, and remained silent.

Neither of them spoke, their eyes fixed straight ahead, walking silently one after the other, the atmosphere stiff and cold.

Shen Qingqiu found it very strange.

He had assumed that seeing Luo Binghe again, with all those physical interactions, would make him even more thrilled—well, that was a shameless thought. No, it was utterly shameless.

But the system remained completely silent, not uttering a single word.

The forks in the underground palace did not affect Luo Binghe's speed at all. After wandering around for a while, the view suddenly opened up before him.

Most of the buildings in the Demon Realm are located underground, hollowed out from the ground, where the sun, moon, and stars never shine. But this place has a hole drilled through the ground at the top, allowing sunlight to shine down directly, which adds a lot of life to the area.

Upon entering, the furnishings and layout of the room looked very familiar, surprisingly similar to those of Qingjingfeng Bamboo House.

Shen Qingqiu was inexplicably annoyed.

He really wanted to say to Luo Binghe: What's the point? Just like a stage play, set up the scene, keep them in captivity, pretend nothing happened, and continue playing the little theater of the loving master and disciple in the dream?

Unfortunately, when you're under someone else's roof, you have to swallow your pride.

Luo Binghe took a step closer to Shen Qingqiu.

A few days earlier, Shen Qingqiu would have definitely avoided it like the plague, taking one step forward and three steps back. But now, he didn't want to dodge or cower in a ball anymore. That would make him look like a girl being held hostage by thugs—too pretentious, too ugly, too affected. Even if he was a dragon in hiding or a tiger fallen into the plains (how shameless!), he just wanted to maintain his last bit of elegance.

But he couldn't help feeling nervous; his heart was taut, his knuckles twitched, and his eyelids twitched.

Author's Note: Thank you to Hui Nantian, Ye Lian, Fan Shu's Rocket Launcher, zzzsl, Xi, Ye Lian, Chestnut Fried Rice, Shadow, orli, Unreliable Pig, 1ku, Ding Ge Sha Zi Zao Hao?, Xiao Tian Mi, San Cun Ri Guang, Guo Xiao Yuan, Liu Liu, Su Xiao Su, Ruo Xi Bei Bei, Men Tu Shi Er, Yan Yan Yi Xi, Hui Mo Se, Bao Mi Bai, Rou Bao Zi, Xi Feng Ling, Mo Yi, Du Huan, Siren, A Qi, Yan Li De Shan Dian Lu Wei, and Balai Gn's Landmine.

I have a very important exam tomorrow TAT. I'll update tonight and reply to comments later.

Because the comments section is really choppy, I can only view the latest comments from the previous chapter. So if Gn has written any long reviews in previous chapters, please let me know! I'll give you points.

Below is fan art time.

Luguang Gn merchandise is now on sale! Is shipping included? ( )

Gn, back in time, a daily life of a head-patting maniac and someone with ulterior motives.

Σ(xue克"a... Uh, Ling Xiaoyun's, Chapter 42, The Death of the Master. Still a very impactful scene.

Yukka-chan's super cute little lamb ┏(┏ ^q^)┓

The mischievous demon king depicted by HuiyanGn looks quite sinister.

Haruko Gn, lotus flower and a dot of cinnabar between her eyebrows~