49. Nagatomo (Part 7)
◎ There are many unofficial historical accounts of Qingxiao. ◎
The old man replied, "Oh, unfortunately, fairness is the last thing I care about."
“Young people, since you know that your cultivation level is low, you should cultivate diligently instead of begging me to show mercy.”
You can't reason with someone who's gone mad with evil. Although the old man's words were infuriating, Ran Qinghe got the answer in just one sentence: the rift really was cleaved out by the old man with his sword.
To be able to cleave this deep valley crevice with just a sword, his cultivation level must be above the Nascent Soul Realm.
The group exchanged glances for a moment, a silent understanding spreading between them. Mingyu was the first to draw her sword and stand up.
Of the five, only he cultivated the way of the sword, while the other four had come in by chance and were not suitable to go on the field first.
"I will fight him first, and you can look for his weaknesses." Mingyu left these words with a tragic air, like the mournful cry of the wind and the cold of the Yi River.
Even though he was mentally prepared, he did not expect that with just one sword strike, Mingyu would be sent flying into the group of Qingxiao disciples, and the wooden sword in his hand would become one of the swords in Broken Sword Mountain.
He was panting heavily and was about to get up when he was pulled down by the Qingxiao disciple lying next to him: "Senior Brother Ming, it's me, Duan Ming."
Although the two were under different elders, they were quite familiar with each other in Qingxiao, so Duan Ming earnestly advised, "Senior brother, don't get up, otherwise you'll be beaten again, and it could really kill you."
Mingyu: "...So this is the reason why you're lying here all sprawled out?"
Duan Ming complained incessantly, "You don't know, before you came, all of us senior brothers and sisters, junior brothers and sisters, were beaten over and over again. It's thanks to you that we were able to catch our breath."
Mingyu: ...
So they were here to be targets. He turned his gaze back to the strange old man standing motionless in the center.
At this moment, Hua Jin had taken over from Ming Yu. He cupped his hands in a salute and said, "I am Hua Jin from Yunya Academy. Please enlighten me, senior."
According to the rules of sword cultivators, if the other party bows and announces their name, one must also return the bow and state one's own identity before the formal competition can begin.
The eccentric old man bowed slightly as a gesture of respect and said, "Qingxiao Qianji Bu, please enlighten me."
All the cultivators present were stunned upon hearing this. They had never expected that this person was Qian Jibu, the former vice sect master of Qingxiao Sect.
It is said that Qianji Bu, true to his name, can predict the secrets of heaven and calculate calamities with almost no omissions. Moreover, his swordsmanship is considered the third best in Qingxiao.
The first two were Qian Zhong, the head of the Qingxiao Sect, and Qian Xue, the former elder of Qingxiao who had already fallen.
The cultivators who lay down began to whisper among themselves.
"Isn't it said that this deputy sect leader has already gone on a journey to seek fortune? How come he's hiding in this small, deep valley crevice?"
"That's right, with his swordsmanship, who can rival him besides the sect leader? Are we just supposed to lie here and wait to die?"
"Who can argue with that? Who could endure such torment?"
After the exchange, everyone's faces were ashen.
They intended to rest for a while before launching a full-scale attack, but unexpectedly, they could only lie down and wait to die.
However, even on his deathbed, some people still gossiped:
"Hey, have you guys read Qingxiao Unofficial History?"
Mingyu pricked up her ears, while secretly activating the spirit leaf to send a message to Ran Qinghe.
According to this unofficial history, this deputy sect leader was…
Before the man could even begin to speak, the young man in red was kicked over into the midst of the Qingxiao cultivators within three moves.
He even added a sarcastic remark by Qianjibu: "You little brat, you're being too polite. You haven't practiced swordsmanship for more than a few days and you're already thinking of playing the hero."
Hua Jin crossed his legs and slowly lay down on the ground, trying to hide his embarrassment, saying, "It's not my fault. I'm not a sword cultivator. I was hit as soon as I raised my sword. It's not something shameful."
Two of the five had already been defeated. Qianji Bu felt bored and saw that his demonic energy was about to flare up again. Fu Ji pried open the hand that Shui Rong'er was holding and shouted, "Fu Ji of Yunya Academy, please enlighten me."
Shui Rong'er said in a huff, "Didn't we agree to observe this person's style before fighting? Now it's obvious we can't beat him. This idiot is unstoppable."
Ran Qinghe replied, "Indeed, relying solely on swordsmanship, we will find it difficult to win, so we can only try to win their hearts and minds."
Just now, Mingyu Lingye mentioned some unofficial historical terms in her telepathic message. She had also read through all the unofficial histories of Qingxiao, and perhaps she could find the reason why Qianji Bu went mad from them.
However, with so many unofficial historical accounts in her mind, she never knew how to distinguish them.
According to unofficial history, Qianji Bu was dissatisfied with Qian Zhong's stable position as sect leader, so he attacked Qian Zhong at night, but was defeated by Qian Zhong, who broke his limbs and exiled him. He only claimed to the outside world that Qianji Bu was traveling around.
Ran Qinghe looked at Qian Jibu's unharmed hands and feet: ...
Unofficial history also says that Qianji Bu was able to calculate all the secrets of heaven, and even foresaw that he would face a great calamity in his own destiny. Therefore, he transferred his great calamity to Qianzhong's daughter, Qianxue. As a result, Qianzhong killed Qianji Bu, but only called him a wanderer.
Even wilder theories exist, such as that Qianjibu was actually Qianzhong's son, who failed to usurp the throne and was thus exiled...
She stared at the extinguished spirit leaf in her hand. There were countless unofficial histories, but what exactly did that Qingxiao disciple want to say?
At this moment, Fu Ji, who was standing on the field, had already withstood three swords from Qianji Bu. Although he had broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, he cultivated talisman techniques. Sword techniques and talisman techniques can be said to be two completely different paths. It was already not easy for him to withstand three swords with just the basic sword cultivation mental techniques.
He casually wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth, gripped the hilt of the Soul-Suppressing Sword tightly, and supported his swaying body. Shui Rong'er also seemed to have forgotten the quarrel between the two of them. She gripped her dress with both hands and stared intently at the scene without blinking.
But Qianji Bu, who had already gone mad with evil, disregarded all of this. Since he was still alive, he could fight again.
The sword energy in his hand surged out along with the demonic energy, sweeping away Fu Ji, who was still kneeling and struggling to hold on.
Fu Ji's body, like a kite with a broken string, gently crashed onto a group of Qingxiao disciples.
After decisively eliminating an opponent who could hardly be called a match, Qianjibu turned his gaze to the two remaining female cultivators, his eyes already bloodshot and swollen, as if being devoured by demonic energy.
Those who go astray in their cultivation will initially have their minds harmed by demonic energy. As time goes by, the demonic energy will gradually invade their meridians, internal organs, and dantian, until they are completely corrupted by demonic energy.
"It's your turn."
Unexpectedly, a broken sword came from behind Qianji Bu. He tilted his head slightly, about to go berserk, but Fu Ji forced himself to stand up: "Senior, I have not yet admitted defeat."
Qianji Budao said, "If a sword cultivator's sword, which he uses to make a living, is broken, doesn't that count as a loss? Where did this rule come from? I've never heard of it before."
Fu Ji coughed up blood. "As long as the sword is broken and the person remains, I can fight."
At this point, Shui Rong'er couldn't care less about anything else. She knew why Fu Ji had managed to stand up again; he was worried that she wouldn't be able to withstand even one sword strike from the old man. Even so, she couldn't help but burst into a tirade:
“Do I need you to stand there like a savior all the time? Fu Ji, you’re just a dog. I tell you to bark, and you can only bark. I tell you to lie down, and you have to lie down. Get out of here, get out!”
This curse seemed to have stirred up the demonic energy within Qianjibu, causing him to uncontrollably lash out with his sword at Shui Rong'er. The sword energy carried the force to shatter mountains, clearly aimed at taking her life.
Without thinking twice, Ran Qinghe pushed Shui Rong'er aside and used the Soul-Suppressing Sword as a shield. She wasn't being selfless; after a moment's consideration, she realized that this sword strike would kill Shui Rong'er but only severely injure her, so she stepped in to block it.
However, the turning point happened in an instant. Just as she parried with her sword, the sword energy that Qianji Bu had originally unleashed suddenly stopped. Due to the backlash of the sword energy, all the spiritual power he had unleashed was used against himself.
He forcefully resisted the spiritual power, and the demonic energy on his body seemed to be inexplicably suppressed. His eyes regained their clarity for a moment, and he slowly walked towards the two of them.
Fu Ji disregarded his own safety and flashed to protect Shui Rong'er.
Shui Rong'er angrily kicked his already injured internal organs: "If this happens again, I will return to my Bai Xu, and you can forget about seeing me again."
Although she was ruthless in her words, she still considerately channeled spiritual energy into his body.
Fu Ji distanced himself from her, resisting her treatment, his gaze fixed on Qian Jibu as she slowly approached.
But Qianji Bu's target was not Shui Rong'er, but Ran Qinghe.
His expression was sluggish, and his aged, hoarse voice grew even deeper: "Why do you carry her scent on you?"
Ran Qinghe was completely confused by what he said, but she remained vigilant: "What 'her'?"
Qianji Bu stepped forward excitedly: "You are a cultivator who has attained enlightenment in the mortal realm? Is that right?"
Ran Qinghe held her sword horizontally, pointing it at his throat: "I don't understand what you're saying."
Qianji Bu continued without stopping, "You're from the Xuan Shui Sect, aren't you?"
He paid no heed to her threats and kept getting closer, but he stopped when his throat was only a millimeter from the tip of the sword.
As if suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly squatted down and covered his face: "By the way, you probably wouldn't recognize me now."
He frantically wiped his face, grabbed his hair, and paced around in agitation.
Enlightenment in the mortal realm, the Xuan Shui Sect, going astray in cultivation... Ran Qinghe strung these words together in her mind, seemingly conjuring up something extremely impossible.
She thought she might know what kind of unofficial history the Qingxiao disciple wanted to tell.
She had once read a book called "The Love Stories of Qingxiao Mountain," which recorded that Qianji Bu, the deputy sect leader of Qingxiao, had cast a divination for himself. According to the divination, he would fall hopelessly in love with a mortal woman and would stop at nothing to get her.
According to unofficial history, that was the first time Qianji Bu suspected that his divination was wrong. Therefore, disregarding any divine retribution, he divined for himself three more times, but each time the result was exactly the same.
In a fit of anger, he smashed the tortoise shell used for divination into pieces. Even if he couldn't control the divination results, he could control his heart.
So he went to see the person who had divined the future.
Ran Qinghe asked uncertainly, "On the Lantern Festival, at the Nine Dragons Chasing the Moon Lantern in Tianhai Valley, the Azure Sky Sword Technique was taught..."
With each word she uttered, Qianjibu's face paled a little more.
Until she pulled out the sect leader's jade token that she had forgotten in the corner of her storage bag, and she opened her palm and handed it to him.
His reaction said it all.
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