Chapter 31

"Official Lord, you must not!" Bo Zhu rushed over and hugged Cui Jue's leg, looking at him pitifully, tears flowing out when his eyes were squeezed.

Xie Bi An begged immediately: "Official Lord, please don't be angry, though master's character is unruly, he has no evil intentions, just forgive him."

Zhong Kui was shocked too: "Zi Yu, don't be impetuous, I was wrong. We have been friends for so many years, do you bear to see me die an untimely death?"

Night Patrol also advised: "Official Lord, please think twice."

Cui Jue laughed coldly: "You ignored the underworld's laws, broke them countless times, looking at how the Emperor heavily relies on you, I have never punished you. Seems like I've been too lenient on you, such that you have been unbridled." He opened his lips slightly, blew a magical breath towards the book, the pages flipped with a rustling sound, finally a page was displayed, "Today I will let you know, the underworld's law..." He lowered his eyes and looked at the book, yet he was suddenly stunned.

Everyone was staring at Cui Jue's changing expression. The inner Jiuyun palace immediately became extremely quiet.

Fan Wu She broke the silence: "Official Lord, what's wrong?"

Cui Jue stared at Zhong Kui, his eyes were slightly bloodshot, his chest heaved heavily once, reprimanded: "You've always been acting in your own ways and don't listen to advice. Is it because you thought that you're very capable, so there won't be any taboos? As a martial judge, don't you know by randomly creating karmas it will lead to sufferings?!"

Xie Bi An has never seen this state of Cui Jue before, he had a bad feeling: "Official Lord, wh-what's wrong?"

Zhong Kui put away his smiling face, muttering to himself irresolutely: "My predestined lifespan has shortened, right?"

Xie Bi An froze. According to Zhong Kui's cultivation level, living over a hundred years is not a problem at all, if it's just decreased by ten or twenty years, Cui Jue wouldn't even react like this, unless...

Cui Jue closed the book, his lips shut tight.

"How many years left?" Zhong Kui asked and answered himself: "Oh, you can't say. Seems like there's not much left."

Xie Bi An anxiously said: "Official Lord, c-could you have seen wrongly? Take a look again, how can it decrease without any reason?"

"In this world, there is no ‘without any reason’." Cui Jue said softly, "You reap what you sow, you interfere with human matters frequently, you will only carry more and more karma."

Zhong Kui smiled: "I'm a living being originally, how can I be detached from the world of mortals totally? If it's because of a fear of death and am just hiding in the underworld, not getting involved in karma, then what's the point of cultivating in life? Life and death have their quota, there's nothing much, moreover, after I die, I'll officially be an Yin servant."

Bo Zhu hugged Cui Jue's leg, entreated: "Official Lord, can you increase Heaven Master's predestined lifespan? He has been chivalrous in the human realm, it's a blessing."

"Bo Zhu, don't speak rashly." Zhong Kui lightly reprimanded, "Official Lord Cui cannot be bribed."

"Someone who can increase predestined lifespan must have a huge amount of merits, you used the Eastern Emperor's Bell to reconstruct the enchantment of Fengdu, which has increased your life by 20 years, but you inadvertently created this cause and effect..." Cui Jue said angrily, "What did you do when you went to the human realm?!"

The three masters and apprentices went silent. At Mount Shu, Zhong Kui had conflicts with the leader of the world of immortality. It may be a possible reason for wanting Zhong Kui's life.

"Night Patrol said you all stayed in Mount Shu for several days. One night, a strong ghostly energy appeared in Cangfeng. What really happened to you all in Mount Shu? Is it related to this matter?"

Xie Bi An looked at Zhong Kui uneasily, eyes filled with anxiousness.

Fan Wu She whispered: "Senior brother, don't worry, karma can be reversed."

Zhong Kui replied: "In the cave of Cangfeng, we found a wild ghost sealed by a demonic formation, it’s likely that Li Bu Yu did it."

Night Patrol said, puzzled: "The yang energy in Mount Shu is very concentrated, I can't even get near Cangfeng. Why didn't that ghost get spotted before?"

"That night, there was a small movement in Mount Shu, the formation was destroyed, and then he was released."

Night Patrol frowned thoughtfully.

Cui Jue solemnly said: "Karma may indeed be reversed, your destiny depends on your choices in the future. Since you've been involved in this matter, you can only take one step at a time."

"No matter what, I will track it down." Zhong Kui laughed, "You guys don't have to be so serious, I really want to know, who can really kill me."

"Master, don't talk nonsense." Xie Bi An's expression was extremely unsightly, "We must never allow this karma to happen."

Zhong Kui patted Xie Bi An's shoulder: "Good disciple, it's okay, everything is fixed. Don't worry about it."

---

After Cui Jue left, Xie Bi An kept frowning, his mind in chaos.

Seeing his dazed expression, Fan Wu She called helplessly: "Senior brother, senior brother?"

"Huh?" Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She.

"It's time to change the dressings for me."

"Oh, right." Xie Bi An took the first aid kit, carefully treated Fan Wu She's wound, and said softly, "This injury heals more every day, it won't be long before your arm can move."

"Senior brother, you don't need to think too much, a person who makes any choices will affect the future, so this matter still has many turns for the better."

"Of course, I know. One can become a Buddha or a demon within a moment. Karma always exists within one object, one word, and one matter." Xie Bi An said solemnly, "It's just that, with master's cultivation level, he's no longer suffering from illness and old age. Only accidents can take away his predestined lifespan, and this accident..."

And this accident could only be slaughter. In the human and ghost realms, there are not many who are capable of killing Zhong Kui, yet Zhong Kui happened to offend one just now, how can one not worry?

"Master definitely knows these worries in his heart. He's not someone who will have his hands tied, waiting to be captured. Now we all know this matter, it's actually a good thing, let us be more on guard of Li Bu Yu."

Xie Bi An nodded and sighed lightly: "Whatever you say. I just...Master raised me up. He's like a father to me, someone very important to me. I can't let anything bad happen to him."

Fan Wu She was silent for a moment: "Your most important person, even if he died, you can still meet again in the underworld."

And I...

"Nevertheless, master is nostalgic for the world. If master is lucky enough to ascend, it is good, but I'll never see him again. If he can't ascend and continue to be a judge, he'll never be able to travel around the world and taste the best wine again. He would be very sad. Who knows, maybe he wants to go through reincarnation. If he reincarnates, I also cannot see him." Xie Bi An rubbed his painful temple again, "Master cannot die, he shouldn't die."

"He won't die." Fan Wu She hasn't changed his voice completely, his voice has a childish, youthful tone, but with that determined tone, whatever he says can comfort people, "We will find out the truth and pre-empt so that Li Bu Yu has no chance to harm master."

Xie Bi An clenched his fists secretly: "Wu She, teach me the Zongxuan sword technique."

"You really want to learn it?"

"Yeah." Xie Bi An's gaze was firm, "I'm not strong enough. If I'm strong enough, you will not get hurt, and master can get an extra helping hand. Though master's Qingfeng sword technique is also powerful, I have a feeling the Zongxuan sword technique fits me inexplicably. I definitely can master it."

"You said you could guess my sword technique at that time."

"Yes, doesn't this mean that I have fate with this sword technique?" Xie Bi An said, "I won't display it in front of others easily, so don't tell master about it. Maybe both of us can integrate Qingfeng and ZongXuan sword techniques, and exert greater power."

Fan Wu She said: "Okay, I'll teach you."

Zong Zi Heng in the previous life had broken through the eighth heaven of the Zongxuan sword. This kind of talent engraved in the life grid may not even change if he was reborn.

Fan Wu She looked at Xie Bi An's eagerness to try and felt sentimental. This supreme talent is both a gift and a curse. He remembered what Shen Shi Yao said to him ----the sun and moon cannot shine at the same time. 

That is the root of all tragedies.

Fortunately, in this present life, they don't have any conflict of interest, Xie Bi An has no possibility to become Zong Zi Heng.

---

During Fan Wu She's recovery period, Zhong Kui and Chunyang Sect had contact twice. He strongly urged Zhaowen to wait for the elder to invite Xu Zhi Nan to come out early.

Originally, he was supposed to go there personally, but ever since the Book of Life and Death matter happened, Xie Bi An was more nervous than anyone, and doesn't allow him to go to the human realm easily no matter what. In the end, both of them took a step back, if after Fan Wu She fully recovered, Zhaowen still disagrees, the three of them will go to Chunyang Sect together.

So these days, Zhong Kui obediently stayed in the underworld, and Xie Bi An hardly went to the mortal world except for harvesting souls and making purchases. He practiced swords every day, and in private, Fan Wu She secretly guided him in learning the Zongxuan sword technique. Just as he thought, he seemed to have a certain perception of this sword technique by nature. He learns fast and improves every day.

After getting along for a long time, Fan Wu She realized, although Zhong Kui is a master, Xie Bi An is more likely the one who calls the shots. In and out, big and small, without omission. Everything is handled as if the sense of mission as the "eldest son" is born inside him. It's exactly the same as Zong Zi Heng in the past.

For example, during this period of time, in order to heal Fan Wu She, every soup was medicinal. In pursuit of efficacy, taste must be sacrificed. Zhong Kui and Bo Zhu both complained endlessly. Fan Wu She also found it unpleasant, but he never complained. One is that he likes Xie Bi An's intentions for him, and the other is that he knows that it's useless to complain. Xie Bi An has the final say in regards to eating.

It's just that his injuries have almost healed. All the blood that was lost has been replenished. It's inevitable that some uncontrollable reactions will occur if he continues taking the supplements.

Tonight, because his wound was growing new flesh, he was always itchy. It was still okay when he's awake, yet at night he has the urge to scratch in his sleep. In order to prevent him from scratching his wound, Xie Bi An slept with him. He fell asleep with the refreshing fragrance of orchids, his blood boiled and rushed in his body, and his consciousness was dim. There seemed to be an incomparably sweet thing around him, tempting him to approach...

----

PS: I translated this on 28 Feb, right after I translated chapter 2...

 

Edited on 21 Mar. 21 (Emzie)

Edited on 30 May 21 (changed Ye You to Night Patrol)

 

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