Chapter 19 Yanghua Cloud Sea (Part 6)
After Jiang Gu fastened the wristband for him, Wei Feng admired it for a long time with great delight. By the time he came to his senses, Jiang Gu had already disappeared.
So he strolled off to find Xuan Zhiyan.
The group of junior disciples hadn't left yet.
"Wei Feng." Xuan Zhiyan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him return. Just now, when they were talking about the wrist guards, several junior brothers said that their senior brother had helped them put them on. However, he saw Wei Feng looking down at his sleeve for a long time before slipping out. By the time he chased after him, Wei Feng had already disappeared, which made him worry for a long time.
The man returned beaming, now sporting two pairs of silver wristbands.
"Look, my master just tied it on for me." Wei Feng proudly waved his wrist at them, a sly glint in his eyes.
He didn't have a senior brother, so naturally his master had to handle this matter. He was just using a clever trick and changing the way he phrased it. Judging from his master's reaction, he probably didn't understand these things.
Wei Feng fiddled with the red rope on his wristband. Jiang Gu had tied it very carefully, and not a single extra knot was visible. It was very neat.
"Senior Brother Wei, your wristband is made of Xuanjing Silver, isn't it? It's really beautiful," a junior disciple said.
Wei Feng laughed and said, "That's right. This Xuanjing Silver is soft and comfortable, yet impervious to blades and spears. I still have a large piece in my warehouse. If you want it, come and get it from me."
"Really? Then thank you in advance, Senior Brother Wei!" the sweet-talking disciple said. "I didn't expect Senior Brother Wei to be so generous. My name is Liu Xian, please don't forget me, Senior Brother."
Wei Feng was in a good mood, "It's just a trivial little thing."
Xuan Zhiyan nudged him subtly, and Wei Feng winked at him.
"By the way, have you heard, fellow disciples? It seems a senior brother from Xieyu Peak perished yesterday. He was at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, and it seems he was murdered." Liu Xian lowered his voice and said, "It was Senior Brother Xin Wen who greeted us at Touchun Peak before. Some people say it was done by a disciple from within the sect."
Several people exclaimed in surprise, but only Wei Feng's face showed a strange expression.
"Fighting and injuring fellow disciples are forbidden within the sect. Those who violate the rules will be punished with three hundred strokes of the cane and have their dantian destroyed," Xuan Zhiyan had been in Yanghua Sect since childhood and was more familiar with the rules than they were. "They should not be fellow disciples."
Generally speaking, major sects strictly prohibit internal strife, which is to protect the new generation of power. Destroying one's dantian is the most severe punishment for cultivators. The disciples of Yanghua Sect are warned about this every day, so they would not risk their lives.
Wei Feng's palms were damp with a fine sheen of sweat. Although it was that old pervert who forced him to do it, it was indeed he who killed Xin Wen.
He was later thrown out of Yunchi, and it's unknown whether that old pervert disposed of the body or not.
Recalling the ruthless and efficient methods the other party used in the Chaolong Secret Realm, Wei Feng felt that it was impossible for the other party to have considered things so thoroughly for him. If it were found out that he was the one who killed Xin Wen...
Wei Feng looked uneasy, but then he suddenly remembered that Jiang Gu also knew about this, and he immediately felt relieved.
With his master around, at least those people could give him a chance to defend himself.
But even after the banquet ended, Wei Feng still couldn't find Jiang Gu.
“Master only told me to go to Qingping Peak at 1:15 AM tomorrow.” Wei Feng lay sprawled on the soft couch of the flying boat, slightly tipsy from drinking spirit wine. He chuckled, “He probably doesn’t know that I usually don’t go to sleep until 3:45 AM.”
"Then he slept until three quarters past noon." Xuan Zhiyan laughed while hugging a soft pillow. He had also drunk quite a bit. He pointed at Wei Feng and said with a thick tongue, "Now that you have a master, you can't do this anymore, or your master will abandon you."
"Your master doesn't want you!" Wei Feng raised his foot to kick him, but the flying boat wobbled and he missed.
Xuan Zhiyan chuckled twice, then lowered his head, clutching the soft pillow, and mumbled, "My master... my master is dead. He abandoned me a long time ago. Wei Feng, Wei Feng, tell me, his cultivation was so high, he went to the Chaolong Secret Realm so many times, how could he have perished there? He was so powerful, I... I really regret not going back with him. The first time he took me into the secret realm, he said he wanted to train me, that he thought I was too comfortable... Now that he's dead, I can't be comfortable anymore..."
He spoke incoherently, and finally hugged his pillow and sobbed, "I miss my master."
Hearing his cries, Wei Feng slowly opened his eyes.
Xuan Zhiyan was raised by Qi Fengyuan from a young age. He was the youngest among all the disciples. Qi Fengyuan, a strict and unapproachable person, doted on him. He was no different from a father than a master.
Wei Feng's mind flashed with the bloody image of Qi Fengyuan being cleaved in two, and the shaking of the flying boat made him feel nauseous.
He still doesn't understand why Qi Fengyuan wanted to take his life, nor does he understand why that old pervert let him go.
Xuan Zhiyan let out a long sob, as if fueled by alcohol, to release all the pain that had been building up for half a year, and then hugged Wei Feng and wailed.
“You have now become Shen Yuxin’s disciple, and he will be your master from now on.” Wei Feng said in a low voice, “Zhiyan, it’s fine to say this to me, but if Elder Shen hears it, he might be displeased.”
“…I understand.” Xuan Zhiyan hugged his knees and leaned against the couch. “I’m just feeling sad.”
After a moment of silence, Xuan Zhiyan spoke again: "You were a bit too ostentatious today. When you handed those apprenticeship gifts to your master, the vice sect leader's face turned green."
"I'm going to show off a bit." Wei Feng grinned, his eyes closed, smelling the alcohol emanating from him. "To piss them off."
Xuan Zhiyan said, "You still need to be careful during this time, try to stay by your master's side and cultivate diligently."
"It's a quarter past the hour of Mao (5:15 AM)," Wei Feng lamented. "It would have been better to just kill me."
He recalled the focused expression on Jiang Gu's face as he bent down to tie his wristband, and raised his arm to cover his face.
The flying boat swayed and landed gently on the summit of Lianyun Peak.
On the other side...
Wu Tuo lay in the little grass nest he had built, watching his master who was changing his form, and asked in confusion, "Master, why didn't you bring Wei Feng back?"
Based on its understanding of Jiang Gu, it was absolutely impossible for him to wait until tomorrow to start teaching his apprentices.
Jiang Gu changed into black clothes. "We can't push people too hard."
"So the apprenticeship attempt failed?" Wu Tuo asked with an "I knew it" expression. "So you didn't manage to coax him properly after all?"
It knew that Jiang Gu, a cold and aloof person, could never have a Daoist partner.
Jiang Gu glanced at him indifferently, "You've appeased him."
"Oh, I knew it—hmm?" Utuo tilted his head in surprise.
Jiang Gu hooked his hand and pinched the back of its neck. "Have you rested enough?"
Wu Tuo was immediately shocked. "No, no, no, Master, I fought to the death with those people from the Spirit Dragon Sect for you, and my injuries are still very serious!"
"It's good that you're injured." Jiang Gu tossed it into the pet pouch. "Make sure your fur is clean."
Utuo suddenly felt a sense of danger, as if he was about to be sold.
But Jiang Gu didn't give it a chance. He covered his face and left Qingping Peak.
The night was deep, but the light was still on in Wei Feng's room.
He lay on his back on the bed, barefoot on the bedpost, with a book covering his face. It was the basic cultivation manual of the Benyang Hua Sect. Usually, he could fall asleep after reading less than three pages, but now he had read nine pages and his mind was becoming more and more clear.
Will his murder of Xin Wen be discovered?
Where exactly is that old pervert hiding in Yanghua Sect?
His comprehension was really average; he couldn't understand the lectures given by the elders even after listening to them several times.
If Master knows that his physique is not suitable for cultivation, will he abandon him?
He was lost in thought when a fine, persistent itch came from his shoulder blades. This feeling was not unfamiliar; he had been tormented by this itch before going to the Chaolong Secret Realm, but it had gotten much better since he became a mermaid. If it got really bad, he would transform into a mermaid tail and soak in the water for a few hours, and it would be fine. But recently, the itch on his back had become more and more severe, and sometimes even soaking in the water all night didn't help.
Wei Feng scratched himself vigorously, then sat up irritably, took off his undergarments, and prepared to soak in the bath for a while.
As soon as Jiang Gu entered the room, the first thing that caught his eye was the boy's slender, fair back. There were several long red marks on his shoulder blades. He was bending over to get up, his trousers loosely tied around his waist, and the silver-blue scales covering his lower back could be vaguely seen.
The scales were cool and soft, with a slippery feel unique to fish. Jiang Gu couldn't help but frown when he thought of that touch.
Wei Feng grabbed a coat from the bed, turned around, and was immediately confronted by a dark shadow. Startled, he plopped down on the bed. "Who!?"
Jiang Gu gave a cold laugh.
The familiar voice sent chills down Wei Feng's spine. He almost instinctively pulled his clothes up to shield himself. "Old man—what are you going to do?"
He vividly remembered that this old pervert had once boasted that he wanted him to be his furnace cauldron!
"..." The scene and conversation before him made Jiang Gu fall into an eerie silence for a moment. He lowered his eyes and chose a stool furthest away from Wei Feng to sit down.
"Let me tell you, my master is Jiang Gu! He's currently at the late Nascent Soul stage. If you dare kill me, he'll definitely not let you get away with it!" Wei Feng glared at him fiercely, his hand hidden behind his back secretly reaching for the wooden plaque under his pillow.
“Magic artifacts won’t work within this barrier.” Jiang Gu looked at him calmly. “If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have waited until now.”
This was also a question that Wei Feng had been wondering about. He looked warily at the dark humanoid figure in front of him and said carefully, "Then what do you want? If you want the magic weapon left by my father, I can't even break the contract that binds it to its master myself. If you have the ability, then take it."
"Is this how you negotiate with others?" Consultant Jiang asked.
Wei Feng, like a little hedgehog covered in sharp quills, gritted his teeth and said, "You've already removed my protective scales, so I don't have any treasures left on me."
Jiang Gu found his appearance extremely interesting. He was clearly obedient and cute in front of "Jiang Gu," and would often get red-eyed and shed tears, showing no sign of violence. But now his eyes were full of ruthlessness and vigilance, and he showed no sign of crying at all.
“Since you are a divine kite shark, how could you only have the Heart-Protecting Scale as your treasure?” Jiang Gu stood up and saw Wei Feng retreating into the corner in fright. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you before your wings grow out.”
"What wings?" Wei Feng was stunned. He suddenly remembered his shoulder blades, which had been itchy for the past few days, and his face immediately turned ugly.
"Although the kite bird clan is a low-level bird, mostly used by cultivators for alchemy or as mounts, kites birds that have cultivated into human form have the Fire-Separating Pill inside their bodies," Jiang Gu said. "The Fire-Separating Pill can widen the meridians, making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort."
Wei Feng gripped the wooden plaque tightly in his hand.
"Once you grow wings, the Fire-Separating Pill will be ready. At that time, you won't be able to hide your aura at all. Guess how many people will come to fight for it?" Jiang Gu threatened him unhurriedly.
Wei Feng's face turned deathly pale. "My master—"
"Your master is from the Jiang family. They were also involved in the previous robbery of the Divine Kite Shark Scale. What do you think he will choose?" Jiang Gu chuckled. "You don't completely trust him either, otherwise why would you risk most of your fortune to test him?"
Wei Feng looked at him with suspicion and uncertainty.
The gifts he gave as a disciple were quite valuable. Part of it was because he genuinely liked Jiang Gu as his master, but he also inevitably had some intention of testing him. If Jiang Gu really wanted those treasures to take him as a disciple, he would know the answer. This was a trick he often used to test others. So far, only Xuan Zhiyan had remained unmoved, which is why they became good friends.
Jiang Gu naturally knew about his little tricks, but he didn't care, because in his eyes, not only these things, but even Wei Feng himself belonged to him, so it didn't matter how much.
Wei Feng's thoughts were written all over his face, and Jiang Gu lost interest in negotiating with him, saying directly, "Give me the Fire-Separating Pill, and I'll save your life, how about it?"
"Why should I believe you?" Wei Feng felt cold sweat break out on his back as he watched him get closer and closer, the painful memory of having his protective shield ripped out still fresh.
Jiang Gu raised his hand and formed a true word contract in mid-air. With a flick of his finger, the contract's pattern landed on Wei Feng's shoulder blade.
“The True Word Contract is a covenant witnessed by the Heavenly Dao, and I cannot deceive the Heavenly Dao,” Jiang Gu said solemnly.
Wei Feng reached back and touched his shoulder blade, only to find some slightly protruding bones covered with a layer of soft down. He exclaimed in astonishment, "What is this?!"
"The wings that are about to grow in your body," Jiang Gu said slowly. "I don't have much time to waste with you. I will use some methods to accelerate the growth of the Fire Pill in your body."
"What do you mean?" Wei Feng suddenly had a bad feeling.
“The phoenix undergoes a near-death rebirth, and your kite bird clan is closely related to them. Death will greatly stimulate the potential within you.” Jiang Gu swept his long sleeves, and the luxurious and magnificent room around him transformed into the Cloud Pool at the summit of Yanghua Sect. “I will suppress my cultivation to the first level of Qi Refining.”
"Wait, wait! What do you mean? I haven't agreed to your request yet—" Wei Feng looked at the long sword that had appeared in his hand, and backed away barefoot. Unexpectedly, his foot slipped and he fell straight into the Cloud Pool.
The damp mist rushed past his eyes, and a long sword pierced straight through his shoulder, the intense pain almost making Wei Feng lose his voice.
Jiang Gu did not hold back. "If you die in this illusion, you will be no different from a cripple in reality, and I will not be considered to have violated the True Word Contract."
Wei Feng gripped the sword tightly, blood splattering from his fingers. He gritted his teeth and glared angrily at the blurry figure before him. "I knew it... you weren't that kind! You... bastard! I will never let you succeed!"
Jiang Gu twitched the corner of his mouth. "Then try your best to live."
Thump!
After a dull thud, the blood in the cloud pool slowly dispersed.
Jiang Gu looked at Wei Feng, who had transformed into a little mermaid, pulled the sword from his shoulder, kicked him to the bottom of the pool, and without giving him any chance to catch his breath, aimed the second sword directly at his heart.
Amidst the intense killing intent, Wei Feng awoke from his daze. Fortunately, the old pervert had also suppressed his cultivation. Before the second sword could strike, the shark swung its tail to dodge it, its entire body trembling as it clung to the stone wall.
Jiang Gu was not good at swimming, and even though he only had the first level of Qi Refining, he was much stronger than Wei Feng. Wei Feng relied on his tail to escape around in the water, but his physique was too poor. Before long, his tail started to ache and he couldn't lift his arms.
Jiang Gu showed no signs of fatigue. Taking advantage of Wei Feng's moment of respite, he grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the mud and sand, coldly saying, "Is all you can do to run? Your merman bloodline is of no use to you at all?"
Wei Feng swished his tail weakly, his mind a complete blank. The hand gripping his neck tightened its grip, and just as he was about to lose consciousness, the hand that had been hanging limply by his side suddenly turned into a claw, its long, sharp black nails piercing towards Jiang Gu. Jiang Gu easily snapped his wrist with his other hand, but then a soft, white dragon silk wrapped around Jiang Gu's eyes.
The mermaid poison spread rapidly, and Jiang Gu's movements slowed for a moment. Wei Feng flicked his long tail and darted away, looking at the dragon silk that had reappeared in his hand with lingering fear. The poisonous mist wrapped around it dissipated in the water without dissipating, which had a strange beauty to it.
He looked up at the old pervert whose eyes were bound by dragon silk, but suddenly his vision blurred.
After a moment of dizziness, he collapsed onto his soft bed.
Wei Feng looked at the familiar room in surprise and doubt. The old pervert had disappeared, but the stinging wound on his shoulder reminded him that he was not dreaming. He had been running for his life in the Cloud Pool Illusion, and in reality, his arms and legs were also sore and painful, not to mention the countless wounds all over his body.
He leaned against the bedpost, panting heavily. He raised his trembling hand and carefully recalled the ritual he had performed in the Cloud Pool. With a thought, his fingernails suddenly grew several inches long and became incredibly sharp. A piece of soft, snow-white dragon silk emerged from his palm, slicing through the bed curtains. Black poisonous mist filled the entire room.
His legs did not transform into mermaid tails.
Wei Feng was initially at a loss, but then he couldn't help but laugh. With this trick, at least he could take the initiative to attack when he encountered danger, instead of only being able to run away with his little wooden sign.
But when he thought of that freak who had suppressed his cultivation to the same level yet was still terrifyingly powerful, his mood inevitably became heavy again.
Inside the hidden barrier, Wu Tuo looked at Wei Feng, who was studying the dragon silk, and then turned to look at Jiang Gu, who was wiping his sword. He said with mixed feelings, "Master, I don't understand."
Jiang Gu wiped the mermaid blood off his sword. His eyes, still faintly bloodshot from the mermaid poison mist, gave it a cold, indifferent look.
Wu Tuo shuddered under his gaze and cautiously asked, "Aren't you afraid that if Wei Feng finds out that the Jiang family is also looking for the Divine Kite Shark, he might become suspicious of your true identity?"
It seems that Wei Feng has no intention of telling his master about his identity as the Divine Kite Shark, and now he's even less likely to do so.
“He never really trusted me much to begin with.” Jiang Gu sheathed his longsword and looked at Wei Feng, who had collapsed from exhaustion. “He will tell me willingly.”
Wu Tuo seemed to understand, but not quite. "He's been driven to live in constant fear because of your identity. Sooner or later he won't be able to hold on, and then he'll have no choice but to seek help from his master..."
Jiang Gu remained noncommittal, casually tossing away the blood-stained handkerchief, and looking at Wei Feng with the same gaze one would give to a prey that had long since fallen into a trap and was beyond saving.
Wu Tuo felt a chill run down his spine. "That Fire-Separating Pill—"
“Of course it’s mine.” Jiang Gu said firmly, without the slightest hesitation.
Looking at the battered and bruised boy on the bed, Wu Tuo felt a pang of sympathy.
This guy must have had terrible luck for generations to end up with such a scoundrel as Jiang Gu as his master.
Wei Feng, fast asleep, was completely unaware of what was happening. In his dream, he was desperately trying to escape, but after only a short while, someone shook his shoulder, causing him to scream in pain.
Xia Ling was startled by him. "Young Master, it's already dawn. You should set off for Qingping Peak."
Wei Feng looked as if he had been beaten eight hundred times over, his eyelids heavy and his breath weak as he grabbed Xia Ling. "No... I'm afraid I can't go... You don't know I almost died last night... Get the communication talisman so I can ask my master for leave..."
“But—” Xia Ling hesitated, “Elder Jiang came to pick you up personally.”
Wei Feng immediately snapped back to reality.
"What did you say!?"
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