Chapter 42: Melee
Shen Qingqiu asked in a deep voice, "...What happened to Gongyi Xiao?"
Logically speaking, Gongyi Xiao's exile to a desolate and hopeless region to guard the border should have happened after Luo Binghe and the young palace master had sex.
However, the plot is now so chaotic that even Xiang Tian, the father of the plane, doesn't recognize it anymore, so anything could happen ahead of schedule.
Before Luo Binghe could answer, the faceless people around Shen Qingqiu began to stir.
They were initially just standing there blankly, like idiots, or doing their own thing, but now they've started to gather around him.
Shen Qingqiu was squeezed in the middle, unable to simply blast them away. Looking at Luo Binghe, his brows were furrowed, one hand shielding his forehead, oblivious to everything else, seemingly enduring something assaulting his brain.
Shen Qingqiu immediately realized what was going on.
Rampage!
The Demonic Sword seized the opportunity to backfire, attempting to disrupt Luo Binghe's mind. He couldn't spare any more energy to maintain the barrier, and the dream began to run rampant.
If we don't leave now, when will we?
Now that Luo Binghe can't afford to be distracted by setting obstacles for him, he only needs to experience another illusion and overcome the hidden fear in his heart to break this crumbling barrier!
Shen Qingqiu left without a word, while Luo Binghe, who looked like he had a splitting headache and couldn't move, shouted, "You dare to take a single step?!"
Shen Qingqiu took more than a dozen steps.
After walking the rest of the way, he turned back and said leisurely, "How was it?"
Luo Binghe looked like he was about to vomit blood.
He spat out each word through his teeth: "...You wait!"
Shen Qingqiu, without glancing to the side, said with an air of noble aloofness, "Goodbye!"
You think I'll wait just because you tell me to?
I'm not an idiot!
Shen Qingqiu spotted another shop nearby, kicked open the door, and jumped inside.
No matter what comes out this time, Shen Qingqiu is absolutely confident that he can face it calmly.
It's much more reassuring than facing Luo Binghe!
As soon as the door behind him closed, all the noise and commotion outside seemed to be cut off by a sharp blade, and suddenly there was a deathly silence.
Shen Qingqiu held his breath and waited quietly.
After a long while, as if someone had lit a candle, the vision flickered and brightened. Shen Qingqiu lowered his head and met the gaze of a face that was both unfamiliar and yet strangely familiar.
A slender young boy was kneeling before him.
Her face was deathly pale, her chin delicate, and she was dressed in coarse cloth. She was kneeling with her head bowed in a dejected posture, and her hands were tightly bound with thick hemp rope.
The boy's gaze was almost blank; he remained motionless, staring at Shen Qingqiu, his pupils reflecting a black figure.
Shen Qingqiu stared intently at him.
This is definitely not his memory.
Yet this face is undeniably identical to his. Only, it lacks the refined elegance honed by time and cultivation, and possesses instead the naiveté of youth.
This is Shen Qingqiu, yet it is not Shen Qingqiu.
If I must make this clear—this is Shen Jiu!
Shen Qingqiu suddenly sat up from the wooden board.
After waking up, he looked around and realized that he was lying in an abandoned house.
The sky was already bright, and white light streamed in through the gaps in the old window frames and paper coverings.
Yes, he wandered around the festival last night and soon found an empty old house. He only intended to rest, but he accidentally fell asleep and was caught by Luo Binghe in his dream.
If it weren't for the Heart Demon Sword causing trouble, who knows how long Luo Binghe would have tormented them.
Recalling the illusion that Shen Qingqiu himself had shattered before the dream collapsed, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Although the original and he are two different people, he is still using someone else's body, so he will be affected to some extent.
What he saw last night was probably the memory of "Shen Qingqiu" or "Chen Jiu" when he was in the hands of human traffickers.
This could be considered cheating. Since Shen Qingqiu himself has no lingering trauma from this memory, he can easily break through it without any effort.
There was just one thing that bothered him.
At that moment, a figure was reflected in Shen Jiu's pupils. However, this figure was not Shen Qingqiu.
In other words, the illusion that Shen Qingqiu saw was not complete.
There should be two people in this memory. Besides Shen Jiu, there is another "person" who is also present. The image reflected in Shen Jiu's eyes is his shadow.
Unfortunately, just as Shen Qingqiu was about to take a closer look at the figure's appearance, the barrier was broken, and he woke up.
Shen Qingqiu jumped down from the bare wooden bed and subconsciously touched his body; thankfully, his clothes were still on.
However, even though the clothes were intact, he absolutely did not want to wear them again!
Wearing it gives me a feeling of being threatened that it could be torn off at any moment!
Shen Qingqiu decided to "borrow" some clothes from others. But no sooner had he finished "borrowing" than he climbed over the wall, landed on the ground, and turned around to find several people staring at him.
...What a small world! Those miscellaneous disciples I encountered at the memorial service last night!
Before he could utter a single word, the leader of the group immediately drew his weapon and roared, "Shen Qingqiu, you really are in this city! Today, let the disciples of my Overlord Sect act on behalf of Heaven!"
Do you have the standard lines?
By the way, what exactly is the Overlord Sect? I've never heard of it before!
And what's this talk of "acting on behalf of Heaven"? Didn't we agree yesterday that it was for the bounty offered by the Illusion Flower Palace? What's the point of saying one thing to your face and another behind your back?!
Shen Qingqiu was too lazy to argue with them. With a few snaps, he threw out several freshly made talismans, instantly leaving one person with a talisman on their forehead, their limbs stiffening, without even a chance to block.
Shen Qingqiu was in a bad mood. After finishing pasting, he slowly made a "tearing" motion.
The next moment, the disciples found that their bodies were moving on their own, as if they were not under their control.
Why did you tear my clothes?!
"Aren't you tearing me apart too?!"
"I'm sorry, senior! But I couldn't control my hand!"
Shen Qingqiu patted his newly changed, simple white clothes and walked forward without looking back.
I just want to mess with clothes!
After walking only a few steps in the city, Shen Qingqiu discovered that, as expected, quite a few people had flocked to Huayue City because of the wanted notice.
Even though many cultivators pretended not to wear their sect's uniform and acted like ordinary people, their demeanor alone, sitting at a roadside stall, was quite different from that of ordinary people. It seems that asking Gongyi Xiao to inform Liu Qingge to come was an extremely correct move. Even if Luo Binghe couldn't come in person, these mixed-race cultivators from various sects would be troublesome enough if they bothered him.
Shen Qingqiu felt that this couldn't go on, so he simply found a corner, painted his face yellow, and then haphazardly stuck on a few whiskers.
Xiu Ya Jian... well, he'll just have to make do with being wrapped in his clothes. It might look a bit shabby, but it's better than being pointed at and shouted, "Ah! Look! It's Xiu Ya Jian!"
Once everything was ready, he slowly made his way back to the street.
Shen Qingqiu looked up at the sky; the clouds were thin and soft, seemingly gradually dissipating.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, noon today should be the optimal time.
He looked down again, and in the crowd ahead, a tall, slender, snow-white figure flashed by, fast and light, with a handsome profile.
Liu Qingge!
"The bodyguards are here!" Shen Qingqiu's eyes lit up, and she was about to chase after them when suddenly, a sharp shout came from the tavern next door.
"What are you saying with such foul language?!"
Immediately following was a series of loud bangs and crashes.
The voice was delicate and clear, and very familiar. Shen Qingqiu was stunned and involuntarily stopped in his tracks, his gaze drawn to it.
At this moment, another girl snorted and said, "What, you dare to do it but people aren't allowed to talk about it? No wonder, the Cangqiong Mountain Sect produced such a scoundrel, so naturally they are ashamed to speak out."
The girl who had spoken earlier immediately retorted, "Master is absolutely not the kind of person who would do such a thing. Don't you dare slander me!"
Who else but Ning Yingying would still speak up for him like this?
Although Shen Qingqiu wanted to find Liu Qingge, seeing the strange atmosphere here, he hesitated for a second, but fearing that the disciples of Qingjing Peak would be at a disadvantage, he decided to stay and observe from the side.
On the first floor of the tavern, the two sides were clearly divided.
On one side, Ming Fan and Ning Yingying led the way, followed by the Qingjing Peak disciples, all with unfriendly expressions. On the other side, the young palace master stood with her hands on her hips, glaring coldly, while the Huanhua Palace disciples behind her had already drawn their weapons, their gazes filled with even more resentment.
Two young girls, one with delicate features and the other with striking beauty, faced each other gracefully. Even though the air was thick with the crackling and hissing smell of burning gunpowder, the scene was still incredibly pleasing to the eye.
Luo Binghe's backyard is on fire again! — No, even the disciples of Qingjing Peak have arrived! And they've run into Huanhua Palace; this is truly a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road!
Shen Qingqiu was certain that if he left now, Qingjing Peak would suffer a huge loss. After all, this young palace mistress was so arrogant that there was no one in the world she wouldn't dare to beat, except for Luo Binghe. Injuring or crippling her was her entertainment!
The young palace mistress snorted, "Not that kind of person? Then why did he flee from justice? And...and..." She gritted her teeth in resentment. Ning Yingying retorted, "Master did this for his own reasons. He wasn't even convicted, so how can he flee from justice? Besides, it's all your fault for being so gullible and insisting on imprisoning Master in the water dungeon, which led to this mess!"
The reason for the tearing [beep] wasn't the male lead, but him?! Although I'm very touched, what has Shen Qingqiu done to deserve this?!
At the same time, his ominous premonition grew stronger.
Something must have happened at the Illusion Flower Palace again. And judging from the situation, they're blaming him for both old and new grievances.
My knees are riddled with holes. [Sigh]
The young palace mistress flew into a rage (in fact, Shen Qingqiu felt she was always furious): "According to you, our Illusion Flower Palace has only ourselves to blame?! This is outrageous!"
Ming Fan sneered: "You people from Huanhua Palace are blind and deaf, but you're first-rate at making up nonsense."
Shen Qingqiu was shocked: The disciples of Qingjing Peak used to be so obsequious in front of him, not daring to utter a word, and they wouldn't even dare to walk the dog when asked to feed the chickens. It turns out that they are quite good at talking outside.
The young palace master turned pale with anger. Suddenly, she turned around and a dark shadow, like a venomous snake, slithered out from her sleeve.
Holy crap, I got a new whip!
As the fight finally broke out, the customers who had been sitting on the first floor of the tavern quickly withdrew. They passed by Shen Qingqiu with calm expressions, as if they were used to it. It seemed that the people of Huayue City were already used to this kind of scene. The waiter even skillfully pasted a bill on a pillar before coming out.
The young palace mistress was, after all, the old palace mistress's beloved daughter, and her martial arts, personally taught to her, were incredibly fierce. Ning Yingying, wielding her sword, struggled to parry, and was starting to feel overwhelmed. Ming Fan wanted to help, but couldn't get into the fray and could only watch helplessly. Seeing this, Shen Qingqiu casually plucked a green leaf from the vase at her feet and flew it away.
The soft green leaf, infused with spiritual energy, collided with the refined iron whip, producing a piercing metallic sound. The young palace master didn't even see it clearly; she only felt her hand go numb from the impact, and the whip flew out of her grasp. Ning Yingying was also startled.
Even without her weapon, the young palace master reacted extremely quickly, shifting the force in her hand and delivering a slap.
With a slap, Ning Yingying covered her face and turned to the side.
Damn it!!!
Seeing the five finger marks on Ning Yingying's cheek, and how half of her cheek was swollen, Shen Qingqiu felt heartbroken.
You dare to hit my apprentice?!?!?!
Mingfan drew his sword and roared, "This is outrageous! Let's fight them!"
The disciples of Qingjing Peak had long been unable to hold back any longer. Their junior sister had been beaten; how could they tolerate it?! At this moment, they all shouted in unison, drawing their longswords, their blades gleaming brightly.
Shen Qingqiu was now in a real bind. Just as he was debating whether to continue meddling, he suddenly noticed that one of the disciples of the Illusion Flower Palace was acting very strangely.
Shen Qingqiu stared at the man for two seconds, then his heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.
It seems there's no way to leave now.
Author's Note: Thank you to Jellyfish GN for the grenade and to orli, Guo Xiaoyuan, Bao Mibai, Ye Lian, Su Xiaoruo Q, Xia Dian, Balai and Guang Tongchen V, Pipi Q, Xiao Huozi, Su Shi Fanchen Ji Wushuang, Youyou Shui Ru Tian, and Jellyfish for the landmine!
"You just wait!" This isn't a joke. ^_^
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