Chapter 108 Where does this heaven come from? A devout, kneeling fool waits.
Perhaps because he felt guilty, Que Zhifeng first looked away when he heard this, and then touched his nose rather awkwardly.
His pale face glowed red from the lava beneath the Ghost Cry River, and his narrow, elongated features revealed a sinister expression.
He raised his head towards Heng Qichun, probably wanting to refute, but then lowered his head the moment his eyes met Heng Qichun's, letting out a breathy sound from his nose with some dissatisfaction.
Heng Qichun immediately chuckled.
He stepped forward, raised his hand under Que Zhifeng's astonished gaze, and gently patted his shoulder.
Heng Qichun said, "He's hundreds of years old, how can he still act like a child?"
That was the most bizarre sight the Pixiu cub had ever seen in its lifetime.
Que Zhifeng's gloomy and miserable face changed several times, his smooth hair almost stood on end, he stiffened his neck and looked at Heng Qichun, then shrank back as if he had been burned by something.
If he were alive, his face would probably turn bright red.
"Don't..." Que Zhifeng huffed, puffed out his cheek, and said, "Gods and ghosts are not different, don't touch me."
"Gods and ghosts are not different, the Qin Mirror reflects all things." Heng Qichun anticipated his reaction and quickly followed up, "Your Highness, may I ask if you have seen my disciple in my Qin Mirror?"
Que Zhifeng couldn't stand his tone and raised her hand to touch her nose again, but after noticing Heng Qichun's gaze, she awkwardly lowered her hand.
He looked around, his gaze settling on the Ghostly Cry River, which was constantly wailing and moaning. Then he sighed very softly, almost without making a sound.
“My senior brother has already examined the six-nostril mirror,” he said.
Heng Qichun paused for a moment, then quickly nodded, "Yes."
"Then senior brother should also know that he is destined to have a bad end."
Heng Qichun did not respond.
No one spoke again. Even the usually talkative Pixiu cub knew what they were talking about. It tactfully grabbed a small piece of Heng Qichun's sleeve and waited quietly for the deity to speak.
For a long time, all I could hear was the sound of the Ghost Cry River churning and the lava surging.
It wasn't until Heng Qichun said, "It was precisely because I saw his death in the six-nosed mirror and knew that his death was unjust that I had no choice but to save him."
"Are you really determined to defy fate for him?"
"What heaven?" Heng Qichun retorted, but seeing the little thing's sullen expression, he unconsciously softened his tone. "You know, the gods all perished thousands of years ago. On the sacred mountain of Hezizhou, there are only countless desolate graves. The idea that the gods abandoned the five realms is nothing but a colossal lie fabricated by the gods to appease the people!"
He rarely got so emotional; by the end, even the corners of his eyes were red. He glared at them with cold eyes and asked, "If there are no gods in this world, then there is no heaven. Why must we follow the will of heaven?"
Que Zhifeng had lived for hundreds of years and this was the first time he had heard such outrageous words. What surprised him even more was that these words were spoken by Heng Qichun himself.
That was Heng Qichun, a god who was self-disciplined and followed the rules of propriety. He had saved a sword strike from Nanyu Mountain for him back then, yet he hadn't forgotten to rebuke him for disregarding propriety and morality...
Que Zhifeng frowned slightly.
The scene he had seen in the mirror suddenly became clear: a master and disciple turning against each other, repaying kindness with enmity, a young wolf swallowing the elixir of a god, and the master and disciple being buried together in the wind and snow.
Que Zhifeng suddenly realized—it was all for Lou Yan.
"I am his master."
But Heng Qichun said.
Que Zhifeng looked up and saw Heng Qichun finish speaking, then reach out to catch the little beast that was about to slip down, and turn to leave.
He probably sensed that Lou Yan was unwilling to reveal her whereabouts, so he decided to go find her himself.
The white robe gradually revealed the shadow of the Ghost Cry River, lotus fragrance spread, and the sleeves of the robe fluttered wildly under the impetus of spiritual power, overlapping with a scene in Que Zhifeng's memory.
"It can't be changed!" Que Zhifeng suddenly became anxious and shouted at Heng Qichun's back, "You've already tried, senior brother."
"His name is on the Book of Ghosts."
"His fate is sealed."
After saying this, Heng Qichun stamped his foot and suddenly looked back at Que Zhifeng.
——
The Nine Netherworld Realm.
Are there any survivors from the Hehuan Sect?
"That's all... That's good. Move these cultivators' corpses inside."
"Keep your voice down, don't disturb the Demon Lord."
The white tiger under your command has been refined into a half-human, half-beast form and is now directing its lesser demons to move the corpses of the disciples of the Hehuan Sect.
The corpse exuded a strange demonic aura and emitted a foul stench, rising unabashedly and spreading to every corner of the mountains.
Surrounded by mountains, the branches and leaves almost block out all the sunlight, and every step you take is filled with a deathly atmosphere.
This place is called Wuxiangyuan, a valley in the westernmost part of Kyushu. Immortal trees grow on the cliffs, but no grass grows in the valley, meaning it is an endless abyss, the second place after the underworld where one cannot be reborn.
"Where is the Demon Lord?" someone asked.
The tiger demon replied impatiently, "I'm personally watching over that shark."
Inside the Demon Palace, a deep pool of water occupied most of the palace, with a golden birdcage hanging above it. Below that, a young mermaid was swimming happily in the water.
The dark blue pool water began to splash as it throbbed, landing precisely on the toes of the person sitting cross-legged on the edge of the pool.
He suddenly moved, his dark robe with its intricate sleeves and a very low neckline, revealing a small patch of his chest, which contrasted with the string of vermilion prayer beads hanging around his neck.
Lou Yan stared at the water stain on his shoe, bared his teeth fiercely at Xiao Yu, and said, "If you keep causing trouble, I'll stew you."
The shark, which was about to dive, immediately stopped, floated on the surface of the water and thought for a while, then decisively turned its plump body and swam towards Louyan by swinging its tail.
Lou Yan reached out and dipped his fingers into the pool water, scooping up the swimming fish fry into his palm.
Looking at the shark that he had once swallowed and that Heng Qichun had fed its flesh and blood with divine blood, his expression inexplicably became profound.
He didn't speak, but just stared for a long time.
The posture of bowing and reaching out his hands resembles that of a devout, kneeling idiot waiting before a Buddha.
Through a layer of dark blue water film, the shark twisted its body and then looked up, finally able to get a close look at the man who had inexplicably tied it up.
The first thing that catches the eye is a pair of unusually sinister eyes.
His dark pupils gleamed with a dim light, the corners of his eyes slightly upturned, lifting the prominent beauty mark under his eye. Further down, there was his distinct jawline, framed by the man's curly braids, and his thin lips, already slightly pursed.
The shark immediately shrank back.
It remembered this man; back on Crane Island, it was he who had people release it, allowing it to reunite with its mother.
But for some reason, he had an innate fear of this person, especially his lips.
It's as if he'll swallow you whole if you don't obey.
He had been captured by that white tiger and brought here for several days. The man in front of him always fed him good food and drink. Except for occasionally restricting his playful behavior in the water when he was emotionally unstable, he did nothing else to him.
So the shark looked up and observed for a while, and finally made up its mind. It spoke its first words to the man in front of it in days, a demonic language that Lou Yan could understand perfectly: "I want to go home."
Lou Yan seemed to chuckle, raising an eyebrow in surprise before lowering her gaze, looking rather forlorn.
He sighed, still staring at the shark in his hand with his dark, bright eyes, and suddenly said, "I also really want to go home."
The young shark, still not fully intelligent, immediately looked up at Lou Yan upon hearing this.
Perhaps sensing the desolation in Lou Yan's eyes, it became even more puzzled. "Then go back."
Lou Yan gave a bitter laugh and touched the fish scales on its back through a layer of water. The slippery and cold touch made him feel even calmer.
“I can’t go back,” he said. “I have to wait for him to come.”
"who?"
Lou Yan did not answer.
Realizing he wasn't as scary as she'd imagined, the shark seemed to open up, saying incessantly, "Fine, if you don't want to talk, fine. But why did you lock me up here?"
"The tiger demon that captured me was so fierce, I thought it was going to eat me."
"Seriously, don't you wolves eat small fish?"
With a "plop".
Louyan pressed the shark's head against the water, completely submerging it. The water film grew thicker and thicker, completely blocking out the little fish's "whimpering" sounds.
"That stinky fish talks too much nonsense," Lou Yan said through gritted teeth.
Almost the instant the water splashed, Lou Yan's most capable tiger demon rushed in in a panic, letting out a deafening roar: "Demon Lord!!!"
Lou Yan's ears twitched upon hearing this. He let the mermaid swim to the bottom of the water and blow bubbles on its own. Then, he lifted his robe, stood up, and walked to the ebony chair at the head of the table, where he sat down. Only then did he prop his chin up and lean down to look at the demon below him.
A pair of eyes narrowed slightly. Though her heart was churning, she still feigned composure and asked, "Something happened? Tell me slowly."
"Something's happened!" The tiger demon knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and emphasized, "There's...there's someone outside!"
Lou Yan immediately tensed up, his fingers gripping the armrest of the ebony chair, veins bulging on his hand.
He heard his own voice, hoarse from trying to suppress his urgency, ask, "...Who is it?"
“Yes…” the tiger demon gestured with his hand, “it was a slender…”
Lou Yan rolled his Adam's apple.
"He looks like a hermit."
Lou Yan held his breath.
"The one wearing green..."
Lou Yan released his grip and slumped back into his chair, listening as the tiger demon continued his labored description: "It was a Taoist priest in green! Yes! A Taoist priest!"
Lou Yan immediately thought of an old friend.
He immediately frowned. "What's he doing here?"
The tiger demon pondered for a moment, then tried hard to recall, "He said... he came to deliver a message to the Demon Lord."
"What did you say?"
"Uh... well... I'd like to advise you..."
They can't even speak clearly.
Lou Yan was so angry that he laughed. With a loud "bang," he chopped off a piece of the chair armrest, stood up, and walked out cleanly past the tiger demon.
"I'll go ask him myself!"
-----------------------
The author's note: You can think of Xu Shengzi as a "wandering knight" who helps those in need and not his own.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
