Ch33 - The end of the road

“In that case, let’s not beat around the bush,” Ming Kong started coughing up blood again, but forced it back down. “and speak openly.”

“It’s long overdue,” Xie Zhiwei nodded.

The sullen Nie Ting finally turned around to stare daggers at Ming Kong. “Pay for my junior brother’s life.”

Hearing “life,” Xie Zhiwei looked back at the unmoving Shen You and felt remorse. “So Sect Leader Shen is truly already…”

Ming Kong’s face seemed to pale even more at his words. He lost control and spat up more blood. Behind Xie Zhiwei, Mu He suddenly found the nerve to say, “It must have been difficult to forcibly move a corpse around these past three years.”

“Naturally,” Xie Zhiwei continued, “Although Master doesn’t understand the mysteries of Heart Sway Arts, something as vile as controlling human hearts and souls will usually incur backlash for the user. Sect Leader Shen died on the day he cried blood…and then was controlled for three years. Honestly speaking, this hurt himself as much as it harmed others.”

“Stop talking.” “You shut up!”

Two voices chorused at him. Xie Zhiwei finally closed his mouth. Oops, I stabbed a sore spot by accident. Sorry, ah.

But this was the truth.

Shen You and Nie Ting’s personalities might not have meshed, but they had been close for years. Their relationship back then was akin to Xie Zhiwei and the protagonist now. After Shen You killed his own mentor, his heart must have turned into ashes. Ming Kong’s vicious words further pushed him to the brink of collapse. Then the man forcibly used Heart Sway Arts against him, but he resisted. Yet how could anyone withstand such unbearable mental pressure? The only reason he cried tears of blood was because of fatal damage to his heart and veins. After being tormented by Ming Kong for three years, his soul had to be ruined as well.

Or perhaps it had been destroyed three years ago on that mountain top.

Why else would Ming Kong be so quickly devastated by the backlash from his technique?

Nie Ting slowly crouched down, slipping through the white light to help straighten out Shen You’s robes. His hands couldn’t stop shaking the entire time—either from anger or some other emotion entirely.

Mu He’s expression was heavy. “You’re forbidden from disrespecting shizun.” He’d hardly finished when the wretchedly smiling Ming Kong shrieked miserably. He was already dying, but this noise came from his throat. It wasn’t harsh, but still dreary to hear.

Helping your shizun vent, ah? How filial.

Xie Zhiwei patted Mu He’s shoulders, but the teen was still wary. “Shizun, did disciple use too much force…”

Xie Zhiwei shook his head, his tone light. “Master isn’t blaming you. I just want you to know that one lives not just to promote goodness, but punish evil.” Hero, although I’m no saint, you still have to blacken according to the plot. Don’t worry about your shizun!

Mu He’s reply was bright, his eyes dancing with joy. Shizun didn’t blame him! Did this mean he wouldn’t blame him after he avenged himself and explained his story?

“Punish evil? Well said, you can take my life,” Ming Kong wiped blood from the corner of his lips before saying hoarsely, “But before that, you have to promise me one thing.”

“Apologies, but this surnamed Xie refuses,” Xie Zhiwei rejected.

Ming Kong’s shoulders shook as he threatened to vomit blood again. “You haven’t even listened to my terms!”

Xie Zhiwei sighed. “White Lotus floated out of Shen You’s consciousness because it was nothing but a pool of stagnant water, so now it has to find a new host. I don’t need to say why the consciousness ended up as stagnant water, right?”

Because the current host was dead! Dead thorough and thorough! All because a bastard like you wrecked him, yet you still have face to talk terms!

Ming Kong clutched at his heaving chest and spoke extremely fast. “As long as I refined the souls of all those people, I can make up for Lanxiu’s—”

“You killed so many disciples in my sect,” Nie Ting spoke with his back to them, his tone controlled and smooth. He even had some of the solemnity of the past. “I expect you’ve already tried this countless times. Still won’t give up?”

“What do you know?” Ming Kong shouted back, “This time I’ve found so many high-level cultivators. Their souls must be top-tier. How could I be sure before I tried? It will definitely…most certainly…”

Xie Zhiwei disagreed. It was like a cell phone. If you broke a corner you could glue it back and use it, but once the whole thing was shattered, even soaking it in superglue wouldn’t do anything. Of course, superglue didn’t exist here. Nor could Ming Kong try with the souls of Lu Zhanyun and Du Sheng if he wanted to. This sidestory was a rhetorical existence to begin with.

Xie Zhiwei said, “This surnamed Xie won’t let you do that.”

“Why?!” Ming Kong growled.

Even if Shen You was bitterly unlucky, foolish, and pitiful, there was no way to reverse the will of Heaven. Besides, if Shen You counted as a life, shouldn’t everyone else’s too?

Xie Zhiwei concluded, “Taking innocent lives for such a risk is already losing virtue. Moreover, Great Master Du Sheng and the rest are all well-known in their various schools, you can’t—”

“So what? They’re only ordinary people with some reputation, how can they compare to Lanxiu?” Ming Kong was stubbornly set on his views. When he turned back to look at the white canopy of light, his eyes reflected nothing but Shen You.

For a pervert like Ming Kong, even superglue for him would just be glue, whose sole purpose was to fill up Shen You’s empty holes. Though Xie Zhiwei felt that his comparison sounded a little strange somewhere.

Light footsteps sounded from behind him as Mu He slowly walked forward. “In other words, if shizun wasn’t tone-deaf enough to resist your flute, you’d be refining his soul right now?”

That’s right, ah, Xie Zhiwei realized, If laozi didn’t have such good luck and got captured by Ming Kong, he’d be using me as glue to patch up Shen You.

And he’d even be the useless kind.

Your mother, Xie Zhiwei fumed, Even if I’m not part of the story, it should be the plot or hero kicking me out. What’s sidestory scum like you doing making such a fuss? Everyone’s lives are hard enough, so why should cannon fodder hurt other cannon fodder?!

Ming Kong froze before he said stiffly, “Isn’t Xie zhenren standing there perfectly fine?” When he saw Xie Zhiwei was unmoved, he tried Nie Ting next. “Surnamed Nie, you and Lanxiu are from the same sect. You should at least say something.”

“Me?” Nie Ting had already straightened up Shen You’s clothes and still had his hands clenched into fists. “Of course I disagree.”

“You…” Ming Kong’s eyes widened before laughing out loud. Xie Zhiwei wanted to cover his ears. The raspy, hoarse noises he made from lack of air was awful to hear.

Nie Ting slowly stood up and struck with his palm without turning back. Ming Kong was sent rolling along the dirt before falling amongst the grass like a clump of mud. He couldn’t move any more, but his eyes remained staring and his lungs still breathed.

Nie Ting borrowed spiritual power to barely maintain his soul so his strength was limited. If he was still alive, that strike would’ve shattered Ming Kong to nothingness, Xie Zhiwei observed.

Ming Kong was struck dumb by the attack, because he didn’t even have the strength to spit up blood. It was some time before he managed to roll his eyes back and utter another guttural laugh.

“What are you laughing about?” Nie Ting asked.

“I’m laughing for Lanxiu…if he could hear…” Ming Kong couldn’t crane his neck, so he could only strain his eyes in the direction of the white light, “Lanxiu, I know you can hear me, cough… At this point, even the man you respect most won’t bother with you. See, I’m the only one who treats you well in this world…”

There was a flash of black shadow before Nie Ting appeared in front of Ming Kong. He wanted to choke the man, but pursed his lips in disgust and ended up stepping on him again. Gnashing his teeth, he cried, “So what if he lives again? After knowing how much you ruined the sect and the filthy things you forced him to do…making him neither human nor ghost?”

Ming Kong shook his head with defiance under Nie Ting’s heel, his face filled with despair. “I’ll find a way to make him forget everything…and live well…you, what are you doing?!”

Xie Zhiwei looked over and saw that Mu He had stopped to stand in front of Shen You. The light from his body was slowly moving to circle around the teen before condensing in front of chest. Gradually, it began to enter into his body. At the same time, the White Lotus floating above Shen You’s forehead floated to Mu He’s side, about to be absorbed with the light.

“Stop!” Ming Kong hollered, “That belongs to Lanxiu!”

Dammit bro, you’re already doomed. Can you stop courting death? “That belongs to Lanxiu?” Everything in this world belongs to the hero! You have to offer what he wants with both hands! The only thing you should worry about is whether to give it to him standing up or kneeling.

Xie Zhiwei quickly made a shushing motion. “Don’t spook him.”

This was the original deal between Nie Ting and Mu He. One would get revenge while Mu He picked up the slack. In view of Mu He’s current status as a weak chicken, he wasn’t picky about his food; moreover, White Lotus was a supreme secret treasure that’d be a waste not to take.

Mu He quickly absorbed White Lotus into his consciousness, which combined with Black Lotus to create a newly hued flower above his forehead. The petals were white but the center was black.

A black-hearted lotus, Xie Zhiwei appraised, just like the hero himself.

Ming Kong’s mouth was still muttering curses like “vile” and “thief,” but he quickly lost all ability to speak. Mu He opened his eyes and black qi soon swarmed to wrap Ming Kong’s entire body in hundreds of thousands of dark threads. He looked dazed and confused as he spoke. “It was the white light that pulled me over there. How could you blame me?”

Hero, you’re still acting good and innocent? Forget about it already.

Xie Zhiwei didn’t speak, nor did he dare. With his new level up, the hero had access to much more tricks. Ming Kong couldn’t move within the black qi, but his mental defenses were in extreme pain as if he was being stabbed by thousands of knives. The pain was probably worse than that since the threads were directly strangling his soul.

Xie Zhiwei hoped he never had the chance to experience that feeling.

—

Translator’s Note: Rest in peace, sweet prince Shen You… 🙏 😢