Ch11 - Nie Ting

Mu He had been thoroughly beaten this time. Although his tendons and bones were intact, his body was littered with bruises like his face. Though the Pill Furnace City disciples had ganged up on him in the last life, they never acted blatantly against him in public. Still, it was better to be beaten in the open than strung along as an oblivious fool. Moreover, Xie Zhiwei not only didn’t lie to him, but even offended the Bai duo to protect him. Mu He’s heart swelled with gratitude at the thought. Currently, his master was sitting in front of the chaise while two young novices carried out the basin of water and cleaned up the table.

Xie Zhiwei told them, “Ah-Yao, Ah-Yuan, go and rest. There are no more tasks here.”

The young novices assented and left respectfully. Mu He sensed that Xie Zhiwei had sent them away on purpose. He waited until the door was closed before asking, “What are shizun’s instructions for this disciple?” Meanwhile he tried to sit up.

Xie Zhiwei pressed him back down with a small smile. “You’re quite sharp.”

Although it was only fingers brushing against his shoulders, Mu He felt his skin heat up. He had been semi-conscious on the way back and now recalled that Xie Zhiwei had been embracing him the entire time they flew on the sword. All the places where he’d been touched reacted strangely.

Xie Zhiwei poked his forehead. “Your face is so red. Did you catch a chill?” Crap, crap, the hero can’t get sick now. We haven’t finished the Ashen Sword Sect storyline yet! Keep your chin up, ah!

Mu He’s body shook as his face flushed even redder. “It seems like…” Although he didn’t know why he was blushing, he loved the fact that his master was asking after him. If I really caught a chill, wouldn’t shizun care even more…

Xie Zhiwei sighed. “I was going to give you some cultivation manuals, but I suppose we’ll have to wait until another day.”

Mu He immediately sat up, sucking in a pained hiss. Noting Xie Zhiwei’s worried look, he blurted out, “Disciple meant to say it seems like it’s not serious. See shizun, I can even sit up. Besides, cultivation is more important. Disciple wouldn’t slack off because of some minor injuries.”

No wonder he’s the hero. He doesn’t forget to improve his skills even when he’s beaten half to death. Xie Zhiwei nodded in admiration before taking out two volumes from his sleeves. This was the secret manual that the original Xie Zhiwei had split in two. Seemingly independent, the two volumes actually complemented each other. In the original timeline, Bai Yu stole the first half while Mu He found the second. Now Xie Zhiwei was going with the flow to give both halves to Mu He at the same time.

Everything will belong to the hero in the future anyways. It doesn’t matter whether I give it to him now or later. I can just give the sect the first half when my deadline’s up in a year. There would be more than just Bai Yu studying the writings then, so Yan Zhifei should avoid getting murdered in secret and Xia Zhiqi wouldn’t die. It was all a domino effect.

Wait, doesn’t this prove I’m necessary to the plot? Xie Zhiwei grew cheerful. So what if the production company didn’t give me any scenes? I’ll steal them back even without any lines.

Mu He looked calm when he accepted the books, but his blood was boiling in excitement. He could already see himself stepping over the corpses of the Bai duo.

“These secret manuals are the only ones of their kind in the world, understand?” Xie Zhiwei exhorted. Hero, you better train well. Don’t fall into the villains’ hands or else it won’t be exciting when you climb the peak later! The System won’t let me share spoilers, so this is as far as I can help you.

But Mu He understood it differently. Shizun gave me a peerless treasure like this so soon. He must attach great importance to me. He nodded vigorously and declared, “Disciple will keep them safe and practice hard!”

However he took it, Xie Zhiwei was satisfied with his answer. Mu He was about to say more thanks when Black Lotus began to stir in his consciousness. He carefully slid the volumes into his robes, but actually transferred them to the storage ring that the soul in the Black Lotus had given him. Then he feigned a spell of weakness and laid back on the bed, calling out for his master one last time before closing his eyes.

Seeing this, Xie Zhiwei smirked inwardly. Faking it again. He looks pretty convincing, but I’ve already read the script. I bet the Black Lotus spirit wants to tell him something about the precious manuals.

Still, he made a show of taking Mu He’s pulse and muttering to himself, “So he fell asleep.”

Anyways, Ashen Cloud Sword Sect was already on the agenda. He had to get some nice things to bolster the hero’s health so he wouldn’t start the journey half-dead. Otherwise, people might assume a good samaritan like Xie Zhiwei actually abused his disciple.

“Rest well. Master will see you tomorrow.” Xie Zhiwei smiled and lightly closed the door.

He felt exhausted.

—

Because Xie Zhiwei’s strength was deep and profound, his steps were soundless when he walked. Mu He waited a long time until he was sure the coast was clear, then asked in a low voice, “Senior, have you studied those manuals?”

The voice that answered was filled with emotion. “Xie Zhiwei really does treat you well. He even gave you the innermost secrets of his treasure box.”

Mu He’s heart instantly settled back into his chest. “Shizun is truly… So it turns out good people still exist in the world.”

But his companion was less convinced. “Anyone who masters these manuals will become a worldwide sensation. Xie Zhiwei hasn’t coveted anything for centuries—not even the jade pendant on your person. Why does he treat you differently from everyone else?”

Mu He tensed again. “Shizun said I had miraculous innate talent. Could that be it?”

“Your body has mixed divine-demonic bloodlines, so you only need to spend half the effort to cultivate. But your demonic bloodline’s been sealed away. If I hadn’t entered your consciousness, I wouldn’t have detected it either. How could Xie Zhiwei know these things when he’s only met you recently?”

“Could it be…that shizun was reborn too?”

That was immediately rejected. “Impossible. The Black Lotus’s death qi can only rebirth one person. I would’ve used it myself instead of finding you if I hadn’t broken its seal and assimilated with it.”

Mu He looked out the window at the swaying bamboo in the wind and seemed to spot a glimpse of a gray-robed figure amidst the shoots. It was a long while before he replied.

“If that’s the case, may Senior stop suspecting shizun.”

The other gave a start and sneered, “What, he won you over so soon?”

“Won over?” Mu He’s gaze solidified. “It’s more like I don’t doubt shizun’s motives.”

“Indeed…he’s quite unpredictable. Could such a selfless fool really exist in this world?” the voice grew heavy. “Forget it, act as the occasion demands. Do you need to deal with the ones who moved against you today?”

“My thanks to Senior, of course I do,” Mu He’s expression cooled. “But not now.”

Currently they were at Summit City. If anything happened to that crowd, the Bai duo would seize the chance to throw dirty water on his shizun.

The days before him were still long.

—

Xie Zhiwei opened up the System. “Gallant Outlaw, you there?”

Immediately there was a reply. “Here, here, Idol. After Cheese found you today, I lost visuals on the plot. What happened after that?”

Xie Zhiwei told him all about “persuading” Bai Yu. A long silence greeted him before he heard Gallant Outlaw slapping his thigh. “That’s more like it! That’s how you teach him a lesson! The plot’s progressing so fast, swoosh.”

Xie Zhiwei cut him off mercilessly. “Stop ranting. Besides that weird cat, you skimmed past Ashen Cloud Sword Sect in one stroke. The hell’s up with that?”

“Idol, lemme tell you,” Gallant Outlaw cleared his throat, “This is called ‘leaving things up to imagination.’ I didn’t write it because I wanted everyone to mull over it.”

Xie Zhiwei chuckled. “It’s not only ‘mulling.’ The comments section still curse you whenever someone mentions Ashen Cloud Sword Sect. Hurry up and spill, I might have to live the events myself.”

“That’s more than I could ever wish for! But…” Gallant Outlaw spoke as a matter of course. “as the saying goes, spoilers thrill for an instant before cursing the whole family to burn. I need to keep the story fresh for your sake.”

“Don’t care, start talking already.”

“I am an author with a conscience,” Gallant Outlaw stuck to his guns. “and I will never spoil the plot. Idol, you should savor it slowly.”

“Hey—”

Ding! The System disconnected from the other end.

“….” said Xie Zhiwei.

It was already vexing enough that Mu He hid things from him, but now Gallant Outlaw was shutting down the system chat in his face. How was he supposed to keep living like this?

Fine, Gallant Outlaw. You won’t tell me anything? Wait ’til the plot goes off track and panic then!

Xie Zhiwei suppressed his rage and forced himself to calm down before sorting out his thoughts. Although Ashen Cloud Sword Sect wasn’t as large as other daoist or Zen Buddhism sects, it had a good reputation. Daoist cultivation sects taught a wide range of martial arts and had disciples who learned anything. Like its namesake, Ashen Cloud Sword Sect specialized in sword cultivation. Every three years it hosted a conference to discuss the ways of the blade, and this year was one of them.

But Ashen Cloud Sword Sect hadn’t sent out any invitations for a conference. The original novel mentioned that Ashen Cloud’s original sect leader was Nie Ting (聂霆) who was replaced by his junior brother Shen You (沈幽) in a conspiracy with one of the elders, Ming Kong (溟空). Nie Ting’s spirit was so angry after his death that his ghost lingered on Earth.

The whereabouts of the Black Lotus was a worldwide mystery. Everyone wanted to take a peek at the treasure, whose death qi was capable of bringing back the dead. However, it turned out the Black Lotus was also one of Ashen Cloud Sword Sect’s treasures alongside its White Lotus. Only the sect leaders were privy to this secret, passing it down through successive generations.

Because Shen You took the leader position through dishonest means, he had no idea of Black Lotus’s existence, nor did he look for it. Thus, Nie Ting’s soul assimilated with the treasure unimpeded and lived within it. Then a stroke of fate had Xie Zhiwei finding Black Lotus by chance.

In other words, the person secretly advising Mu He now was the departed soul Nie Ting.

Without an invitation or sword conference, Xie Zhiwei had no idea why Yan Zhifei wanted to send him to Ashen Cloud Sword Sect. The original Xie Zhiwei had long retired to seclusion and was perfectly innocent in these affairs, but now he had nowhere to hide from his duties. On one side was the hero and a ghost, on the other stood a murderer and his accomplice.

Xie Zhiwei looked at the sky and gave a long sigh. Your mother, I can’t offend either team.

Can I just not go?

But the next day a disciple from Ascension City came to seek him out. “Second Martial Uncle, Master Sect Leader invites you to meet him.”

“For what?”

“To discuss the matter of Second Martial Uncle going to Ashen Cloud Sword Sect.”