Chapter 15 Free meals, accommodation, and employment
“It’s him,” Ruan Linglai said, also hiding behind Qingjue, “He…he just cast some kind of spell on me…”
The amulet must have been deflected at that time?
"Oh?" The little boy who called himself "this one" was a little surprised: "You didn't fall for it? It should have made you lose your memory and faint for two or three days."
Qingjue reached out, and Aju had no choice but to hand him the black sword.
"Is this your sword?"
"...Isn't it obvious?"
Seeing that he was about to get angry, Qingjue said, "Don't get so agitated. You haven't done anything wrong. We don't necessarily have to fight, right? Let's talk it over, and I'll return the sword to you."
The little boy frowned: "Who are you? I don't remember anyone like you."
"I would like to ask if I may." If Qing Jue remembers correctly, according to historical facts, the last demonic cultivator appeared more than fifty years ago, but the records of the Demon Lord are few and far between, and there are no reliable references.
In other words, like Tianyan, he is a figure shrouded in mystery.
However, he was clearly different from Wen Tianyu. Compared to a child who only knew about demonic arts, he was more like a real adult.
If it follows the conventional novel formula...
This seemingly fierce but actually weak little guy in front of me is probably the reborn Demon Lord himself, right?
"Did you know that more than fifty years ago, all the demonic cultivators were sealed away in Qianlun Mountain?"
...
Wen Tianyu's eyes flashed with a white light, which quickly dimmed and became somewhat stinging.
"Well……"
"Don't push yourself," Qinghuan said worriedly. She and Jie Zhoujian helped him up, trying to make their language as simple as possible: "You all have amulets drawn by your masters, so you'll be fine. We'll search slowly."
“Found…” Wen Tianyu tried to speak, and although his words were somewhat unclear, they were much better than before. “Yes, it’s safe, no need to worry.”
"That's good." Qinghuan was a little annoyed that he hadn't kept a close eye on the child. He shouldn't be soft-hearted next time, or at least he should have asked Qingfeng to come along... In short, he did a very bad job.
“I can sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy nearby,” Jie Zhoujian said. “There are only mortals here. If we look carefully, we should be able to find my junior sister.”
"Junior Brother Jie actually has this ability?" Qinghuan was very surprised and said, "Then thank you both very much. It makes me, the older brother, seem a bit useless."
Wen Tianyu tugged at Qinghuan's hand and shook her head.
He succinctly stated, "It's useful."
Qinghuan, who had been holding her breath, suddenly felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Jie found a secluded spot far from the market during the day to quietly feel the spiritual energy around him.
This was more difficult than he had imagined. Back in Huai Village, there weren't many living creatures around, and with Qingjue by his side, their spiritual power complemented each other and could influence one another. Now, he was all alone, and finding someone in such a bustling city was really not easy.
Jie Zhoujian's forehead was beaded with sweat when he suddenly sensed a significant fluctuation of spiritual energy, and his eyes lit up.
...
"...You mean, this is fifty years in the future?" The child, having lost his previous arrogance, looked somewhat bewildered. He stopped using telepathy and instead asked, "I...died fifty years ago?"
Ruan Linglai couldn't understand any of this, so Qingjue told him to find a little brother named Aju not far away.
Qingjue found a patch of grass and sat down facing the child. He nodded and said, "I'm afraid that's the case. I was also surprised. But judging from your self-identification, you don't seem like an ordinary demonic cultivator."
"...Qianlun Mountain..." He had a headache, clearly his memory was still very confused. He had been reborn into an unfamiliar place, and everyone around him had changed. He never expected to be told that this was already fifty years in the future.
He didn't remember exactly how he died, only basic information like his name and the sword he carried.
However, he could sense that his memories were not completely gone, but just needed time to slowly recover.
Not only was he reborn, but he also returned to the form of a child, and his power was significantly weakened... The person in front of him was probably a powerful figure of this era. He hadn't sensed it before, but now that he looked closely, he possessed considerable strength, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was at the peak of combat power in this era.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, even though he didn't know the full extent of this person's strength, he believed that even at his peak, he might not be able to defeat him.
It's true what they say, times have changed. Back then, he needed all the major families to gang up on him, but now one person can suppress him.
“Since we’ve been open and honest,” Qingjue said, “there’s no need to draw swords at each other. I’ll return your sword to you and apologize on behalf of that child. He’s just being immature and has suffered too much. He just wanted to exchange something that looks valuable for money.”
“…You are a righteous person, why should I believe you?” Although he couldn’t remember everything, he felt an instinctive aversion. “Back then, it was you hypocrites who called yourselves righteous who tore down my mountain, sealed off my land, and even took my life.”
To win by outnumbering the enemy is simply dishonorable.
Qingjue was speechless for a moment. Although he had not participated in the battle fifty years ago, it seemed that the Demon Lord did not recognize his face, which meant that the original Wuqing Immortal Lord had never seen him before.
He didn't know the truth back then, so he couldn't make any conclusions. At least for now, the rumors of a righteous crusade might not be true.
Isn't this a common plot twist in novels?
“…Indeed, I know that,” Qingjue decided to get down to business, “but where can you go in your current state?”
"..."
"Your strength is not what it used to be. You can't even remember all your enemies. You can't possibly kill them all on sight, can you?"
"I will not be the kind of coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong. The grievances should be settled by the perpetrators and the debtors by the creditors."
"Looks like you're quite upright."
"Don't use your sycophantic, effusive language to praise me."
"Alright, alright, I was just making a suggestion..." Qingjue felt he had gotten used to it, and even had a bit of a "what's done is done" mentality. Anyway, he already had a few unlucky kids, so he didn't care about adding a couple more. "Whether you want to become my apprentice or not, you can live a legitimate life first."
"You...!"
This is a blatant humiliation for the Demon Lord. When has he, the dignified Demon Lord, ever bowed down to anyone?
The blood lotus on his forehead slowly took shape, and the baleful aura in the air began to gather again.
Qingjue remained kneeling motionless, but no one expected that justice would descend from the sky the next second.
Jie Zhoujian jumped straight off Qinghuan's sword, raised his hand and struck out, and the surrounding air not only lost its murderous aura but also became quiet.
Then, with lightning speed, they exchanged three blows, and the poor Demon Lord was severely countered, shouting at Qing Jue, "What did you eat to grow up in just fifty years?!"
“He’s not grown up yet…” Qingjue raised his hand: “During the day, let him go.”
He released his grip as instructed during the day.
Qinghuan landed safely with Wen Tianyu, then breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Ruan Linglai safe not far away, and asked, "Immortal Lord, are you alright?"
"It's nothing, just a little incident, and..." Qingjue coughed and said, "Qinghuan, tell me, how many disciples does the Grand Elder think I can accept at most?"
Qinghuan: "?"
Qingjue turned to the boy who was clutching his arm, on the verge of tears, and asked, "And you, what's your name?"
"...I haven't agreed yet."
Qinghuan was somewhat surprised. She knew that there were countless people lining up to become disciples of Immortal Lord Wuqing, but she never expected that there would be someone who did not want to join the sect.
"Then it seems we'll have no choice but to resort to some direct violence," Qingjue said sarcastically, "during the daytime~"
"Stop! Stop! Don't listen to him like that!" The boy immediately moved away from Jie Zhoujian, who was about to approach, and said, "And you, you don't look like a righteous person at all!"
Jie Zhoujian was very angry: "Master is very good, you can't be rude to Master."
He was speechless: "...Are you some kind of loyal dog?"
"If you can use your words, don't resort to violence," Qingjue said with his usual sly smile, raising an eyebrow. "So? Still considering it?"
"..."
"And that guy over there, is he called Aju? Since you have nowhere else to go, how about coming back to my Qing family to become my disciple and cultivate Taoism?"
Upon hearing this, Aju only asked, "...Is food provided?"
"It's all provided, including meals and accommodation. Plus, it's a permanent position with high social status. You can even get a full-time job and a salary when you grow up!"
Although he couldn't understand most of the meaning of his words, Aju only heard that food and lodging were included.
“Okay,” Aju nodded, “I’ll go.”
“…I’ll just stay here and recuperate, but once I’ve regained my strength and found my enemies, it’ll be none of your business,” the boy said, turning his head away. “Yan Shiqun, that’s my name. I’ll only say it once, and you’re not allowed to ask it a second time.”
"Oh, it's Little Goose."
"...What kind of weird name is that? You're not allowed to call me that."
Jie said during the day: "As long as Master is happy."
"Hey you!"
“Alright, since there’s nothing else here,” Qingjue said, “let’s go back. Oh, and just a reminder, Aju agreed a few seconds earlier than you, so Xiaoyanzi, you’re their youngest junior brother now.”
"?" Yan Shiqun asked incredulously, "Say that again??"
Later, it was found out that Qingjue went back to the library and saw the first draft as he wished. Well, he had been looking forward to it for nothing, as there were no useful spoilers.
The real Mr. Xie Dingfeng is a girl, just an ordinary person with outstanding literary talent. She started writing when she learned that Qingjue was taking on disciples. Her original intention was just to create a classic master-disciple pairing. Coincidentally, she caught a wave of traffic brought by the Demon Lord.
She hadn't expected the rumors to spread like that. Qingjue didn't make things difficult for her; she simply asked the bookstore owner to refute the rumors that needed to be refuted. As for the content of the storybooks, the common people could entertain themselves, and it was fine as long as they touched on it briefly.
This matter ended with a letter containing spiritual energy and a specific purification incantation written on it, which the person personally opened.
The letter also included the books Qingjue had bought. It seemed that the bookstore owner had expedited the process for him after learning his identity, and hadn't even collected the final payment.
[You stinky fox, what the hell did you buy for me?!]
A note from the author:
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I forgot to set the timer.
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