Chapter 101: The Untrustworthy Man's Confession (Part 1)...
The woman in the blue-black robe and the man called the head of the household were still discussing something when suddenly, a streak of fiery red flashed across the sky, strikingly bright in the dead of night. The two of them sharpened their eyes and looked up at the horizon.
It wasn't a momentary lapse of judgment, or a meteor during an unusual celestial event. It was a premeditated act of arson; the red flame didn't burn slowly, but in an instant, it shot into the sky, igniting the deepest forbidden forest of the Wuma family.
"What..." The woman in the ordinary blue-black robe's pupils shrank, her face turned pale instantly, and even her breathing became disordered for a moment.
That's the direction of the Forbidden Forest! Is there anything there...?
"Something terrible has happened, Master!"
A servant rushed over in a panic and knelt down in front of one of them with a thud. Her hands trembled as she kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy.
“Master, today I was responsible for guarding the Forbidden Forest, but... but there was absolutely nothing unusual just now... I don’t understand why…”
"Don't panic, hurry and put out the fire!"
The head of the Wuma family exhaled a deep breath, interrupting the servant's explanation. She knew this was premeditated and likely the work of someone within the clan; even killing the servant to vent her anger would be futile. She gave orders to those around her.
"Go! Immediately take men to protect the Mother Worm! Regardless of whether she dies or is injured! Then seal off this place immediately, and don't let any of your people leave!"
By the time the fire was extinguished, it was already the next morning. The Forbidden Forest had been burned to a desolate wasteland, a scene of charred black.
"Master, I have failed in my duty. Our clan has suffered a great loss. Eleven people have died, four were seriously injured, and the rest have minor injuries."
The woman in the blue-black robe looked at the patriarch with despair, gritted her teeth, and continued speaking, her voice trembling. She was ashamed to utter the next sentence, but under the patriarch's cold gaze, she still managed to utter a few words.
"And also, the dormant mother beetle and her offspring beetle were all stolen!"
This is the source of the Wuma family's evil, yet it is also their only means of survival in the martial world. Without it, all their secret techniques would be meaningless.
The Wuma family... will probably have to retire from public life from now on...
"And what else?" The patriarch gritted his teeth, supporting his forehead with his fingers, but suddenly felt that his head was incredibly heavy, and the bone inserted under his head was about to fall off.
"Wu Ma Yi has gone missing!"
"How could this be..."
The head of the family was stunned for a long time. Her composure and self-control, which had been maintained since the incident, suddenly crumbled. She stood up and staggered a few steps, saying in disbelief.
"Could it be her? But she's only...fourteen years old, still a child..."
...
"Wait a moment."
When Qin Ruoliu got to this point in her story, Lin Chengye frowned and raised his hand to interrupt her.
How did you know these things? You shouldn't know them.
Qin Ruoli paused, thoughtfully pinching her chin for a while. These things were too far in the past, and since she had been controlled by the Mother Worm, her mind had become increasingly dull. She said.
"This is what Wuma Yi told me himself. After all, for the two of us to form an alliance, we must have a so-called heart-to-heart talk. That is, to bring out our shameful past and thoughts so that the other party can feel closer to us."
"Actually, this mentality is quite strange. It seems that people can only appreciate each other if they feel that the other person has flaws."
Qin Ruoliu couldn't help but say one more thing.
"But this isn't her actual statement; I've tried to glean her full picture from her words. In Wuma Yi's own account, she's far too blatant..."
"It's okay, I know." Lin Chengye shook his head.
"But you should just repeat what she said exactly as you see fit, without paraphrasing it. I will be able to tell the difference."
"Okay." Qin Ruoliu nodded and added.
"On the day I spoke with Wuma Yi, she also said..."
...
"……child."
Wuma Yi chuckled, picked up the wine pot beside her, filled Qin Ruoliu's wine cup, and then filled her own as well. Ignoring Qin Ruoliu's expression, she picked up her own wine cup, gently clinked it with Qin Ruoli's, and drank it all in one gulp.
"They always use those two words to brush me off, whether it's the long-delayed position of the young master, or whenever I ask why they don't use the Mother Corruptor to control the martial arts world and make the Wuma family the number one in the world, they always think it's just child's play."
"Fortunately, that's why they weren't too wary of me, and my plan went smoothly."
Qin Ruoliu disliked the madness that always lingered in this person's eyes, but because she needed her help, she had no choice but to continue to endure and listen.
"What did I do wrong? I clearly gave them a chance."
Wuma Yi smiled, but his eyes were cold.
“If the patriarch were willing to appoint me as the young master, even if she had favored me even once, I would not have resorted to such extreme methods to harm my fellow disciples. But no matter how much better I am than that fool Wuma Kui, she still favors Wuma Kui…”
"You tell me, is this my fault?"
Qin Ruoliu remained silent, simply gripping the freshly filled wine glass and downing it in one gulp. She watched as Wuma Yi's mouth opened and closed; though the sounds he uttered were calm, they were somehow indescribable.
...
The current head of the Wuma family is so cowardly. He possesses something that could unify the martial arts world, yet he doesn't know how to use it, and instead insists on making Wuma Kui the young master. I am utterly disappointed in her and cannot bear to be subservient to someone as stupid as a pig. So I left the Wuma family with my mother.
That was in the thirtieth year of Zhenping, when I was fourteen. At that time, the late emperor was still alive and in good health. However, the Lai Kingdom was not powerful; it was only barely on par with the Northern Yan and Southern Qi, and the two kingdoms were locked in a tug-of-war.
The situation in Litao Prefecture was not yet stable, and the same was true for Jiangjin Border, which was frequently harassed by those two countries.
To escape the Wuma family's pursuit, I fled south all the way to the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Gate.
This is probably the choice of many people like me who come from the martial arts world and the demonic path. After all, the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect is the head of the righteous path, and it is especially hypocritical, as if it is happy to see the surrender of the demonic path people.
I forgot the exact words, but it seemed to say something like the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect does not reject people from the demonic path. After all, one cannot choose one's birth, but if one is willing to repent and turn to the righteous path, the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect will not discriminate against any person from the demonic path and will provide protection.
This sect is quite clever, projecting an aloof and compassionate image to the world, thus garnering praise. At the same time, it keeps the martial arts world and its demonic sects uneasy, fearing their descendants will be deceived by this supposedly righteous sect.
Of course, I didn't care about all that; I was just using their feigned goodwill to avoid the Wuma family. As expected, I passed the entrance exam very smoothly and joined their outer sect to study.
"...Isn't this a good thing? Why do you insist on the hypocrisy of the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect? How can you see the word 'hypocrisy' here?"
Qin Ruoliu couldn't stand it and retorted.
"Lord Qin is even more naive than I imagined."
Wuma Yi smiled and shook her head; if one could see into her eyes, they would notice a hint of disdain. She continued.
"If the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect is truly such a kind-hearted group... then why have they only allowed me to enter the outer sect? I am clearly far superior to those inner sect disciples and could have entered to learn a great deal, but simply because my surname is Wuma, I am rejected? I studied there for three years, and now they want me to become a blacksmith? What a joke! What a huge joke!"
As she spoke, Wuma Yi suddenly stood up and burst into laughter at the moon. She spread her arms wide, as if she were the only person in the world, and the moon that shone on the whole world was just a tiny sliver in her eyes.
Therefore, they are all hypocrites, yet they insist on portraying themselves as righteous. Where in this martial arts world, or even in this mortal realm, is there any true goodness? If there were, they would have ascended to immortality long ago. But as long as they remain immersed in the darkness of this mortal world, they are nothing more than hypocrites in disguise.
The last time I went to the person in charge of the outer sect to reason with them, all I got in return was a sentence: "The sect leader has given an order," or "This is a rule left over from the founding of the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect," and they advised me to let go of my resentment.
What knot in my heart do I want to let go of? And what gives me the right to let go?
"So I killed her, took her token, peeled off her face, disguised myself as her, and took her place in the Hundred Faces Tower of the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Gate in the night."
Wu Mayi spoke casually, as if it were as commonplace as the wine she had just drunk.
Although I didn't think about it much, it's the thing I regret the least.
The treasures in the Hundred Faces Building exceeded my expectations. Compared to the methods of making a living from the outer sect, this place contained true martial arts, formations, mechanisms, and even hidden weapons. I could only stay for one night, memorizing the basics and taking away an extremely complex and confidential diagram.
Sure enough, before I had gone very far, I heard people around me discussing the bounty that the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect had placed on me.
The reason, well, is that the cleverly designed picture was lost.
It was so ridiculous that I laughed when I heard the reason for the arrest warrant. They actually treasured something that could be found everywhere in the Hundred Faces Building, without considering anything else.
Actually, I didn't care about the coincidence at all; it was just something I grabbed randomly. What was really important was that I accidentally saw a messy handwritten note in that building, like a diary, piled up in a corner, with writing on it.
"...The only place where one can become a semi-immortal is the Azure Phoenix Medicine Valley, the Azure Phoenix Branch-Carrying Temple, and the Northern Yan royal family. Some say that the secret to becoming a semi-immortal is known only in these three places."
You see, this thing is nothing but a piece of waste paper to those fools from the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect, but to me, it's a clear path. I'm fortunate that everyone here is utterly stupid; no one has realized how precious these words are.
In that instant, I understood why I couldn't stand the patriarch or Wuma Kui. It was because those idiots were blocking my way, and the same went for the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect.
I should have been at the top of the martial arts world. What I want is power, status, and the fear and admiration of the world.
"At that time, I wondered if I could become a demigod and get everything I wanted...?"
Wuma Yi turned around, and against the moonlight, she bent down, casting a shadow that completely enveloped Qin Ruoliu. Qin Ruoliu felt the pressure and inexplicably held her breath.
But this person could easily be crushed with a flick of her wrist. Why... is she afraid?
She's a born ambitious person, for no reason at all.
＼(;□｀)/ This chapter is not meant to whitewash her, and she doesn't need to be whitewashed at all.
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