Chapter 85

After a night of chaos, the fire in Luojinwu was finally extinguished.

It turned out that the explosion came from the Thunderfire Stone, and the Seven Stars Life-Sustaining Lamp was indeed stolen, plus the death of Xu Zhi Nan threw the century-old famous sect into an unprecedented panic.

Everyone had many questions in their minds, such as how the two Flying Plume Ambassadors from the Cangyu Sect had managed to bypass the strongly fortified boundary and infiltrate Luojinwu, and why they had been so bold as to steal the Seven Star Lamp at the risk of 2 sects fighting to their last gasp. But they were still in shock and grief over Xu Zhi Nan's death. They couldn’t come back to their senses and had no time to ponder over.

While the Chunyang Sect disciples were cleaning up the mess, Zhong Kui opened the Gate of Yin and Yang with his Qingfeng Sword and personally guided Xu Zhi Nan's human soul to the Underworld.

Xie Bi An and Fan Wu She helped to put out the fire until dawn.

Xie Bi An's white clothes and jade face were covered in dust, as if he had rolled in the mud before, and his hands were burnt with blisters, making him look like a mess.

The two of them sat opposite each other by a little candlelight, while Fan Wu She used a needle to gently prick the blisters, applied medicine and wrapped them in loops of white gauze.

"Hey, don't wrap it so many times, I can't even move my fingers."

Fan Wu She gave Xie Bi An an oblique glance: "You don't want to be wrapped like this, then why don't you back off when I want you to?"

"We had to put out the fire no matter what."

"There are thousands of cultivators in the Chunyang Sect, are they still short of you to put out the fire?"

Xie Bi An whispered resentfully, "How can you talk to your senior brother like this."

"Don't touch the water or the wound for a few days. I will change your bandage every day. Don't move it by yourself."

"Mm."

Fan Wu She looked at Xie Bi An's dirty face, got up to get a cloth towel, moistened it and then sat back down, gently wiping his face.

Xie Bi An cooperated and closed his eyes.

Fan Wu She's hand trembled and his breathing instantly became urgent.

Xie Bi An's face was tilted up, his eyelashes fluttering, his nose flaring, his red lips naturally opening slightly, as if he was giving his mouth up for someone to kiss.

Fan Wu She couldn’t restrain himself from reaching out and gently cupping his jaw, his gaze tracing these lips over and over again.

He remembered the way these lips had looked when he had ravaged them to the point of glistening red and swollen, and the image of them being forced to open to their fullest extent, humiliatingly gulping his manhood. He knew how soft they were, how sweet they were, how good they sounded when they called out, and what sorrowful words they could utter.

He always loved to kiss him. Occasionally, on an afternoon when he was tired of them hurting each other, he would hug and let Zong Zi Heng sit on his lap and kiss the man in his arms until he became weak. Compared to the rough and predatory lovemaking, kissing gave him a good illusion, like they were in love with each other.

But then Xie Bi An's eyes opened, shattering a pleasant and romantic dream.

The blazing heat in Fan Wu She's eyes had not yet receded. Xie Bi An was startled at the nearness of his face, and could not help but shrink back.

"... Junior brother?" Xie Bi An felt his heart pounding. Lately he always felt that Fan Wu She’s gaze on him was a bit unusual, like now, as if he wanted to stare into his flesh. What kind of person looks at people like that?

Fan Wu She clenched his cloth handkerchief, "I haven't finished wiping yet."

"Uh, I'll wipe it myself."

"You can't move your hands." Fan Wu She held the back of Xie Bi An's neck with one hand and yanked his face back.

Xie Bi An was startled, once again forced to get close to Fan Wu She again. He blinked his eyes, feeling his heartbeat still unable to calm down.

Fan Wu She wiped his face clean before reluctantly releasing his hand and adding, "Your clothes are dirty too. Stand up."

"... Oh."

Xie Bi An stood up and let Fan Wu She help him remove his outer clothing. Luckily his inner clothing was still intact, and the two of them both secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

Xie Bi An walked to the window, looked at the sky and said to himself, "What is Master doing now?"

Fan Wu She rested his chin and looked at Xie Bi An in silence.

Returning to the Chunyang Sect and seeing Xu Zhi Nan again reminded him of many, many things from his previous life. The days and months had gone by, and all those figures who had once been outstanding throughout the world had disappeared with the wind, yet he could still sit here and watch this man alive in front of him. A hundred years in hell, perhaps was worth it.

It was only Xu Zhi Nan's mention of "Emperor Kong Hua" on his deathbed that kept him distracted for the whole night. When one is dying, what one cares about is the most important thing or the regret of one's life. Even if Xu Zhi Nan had no children, shouldn't he be concerned about the Chunyang Sect? Why would he mention Zong Zi Heng to Zhong Kui, an outsider? And why would Zhong Kui personally lead Xu Zhi Nan's soul to the Underworld?

Zhong Kui's reaction must also be that he was hiding something.

And Xie Bi An looked even more anxious than he did.

Fan Wu She said, "Senior brother, don't stand up. Sit down and take a rest."

Xie Bi An sighed, "Aren't you worried about master?"

"Master personally sent Xu Zhi Nan's human soul to the underworld, what is there to worry about?"

"Before Immortal Lord Xu died, he mentioned 'Emperor Kong Hua', and I don't know what he actually said. After master heard that, he had a worried look. Even when I asked him what was wrong, he wouldn't say. It was too fishy." Xie Bi An wrinkled his eyebrows, "Don't you think that everything that has happened recently seems to be related to the Daming Zong Clan from a hundred years ago?"

"... Indeed. Zong Ming He, Li Bu Yu, Xu Zhi Nan, and even Qi Meng Sheng, are all from the era of Emperor Zong. They are also related to the overthrow of the Zong clan."

Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She hesitantly, "Why don't we also go back to the Underworld and take a look as well?"

"Master wants us to stay. And if he doesn't want us to know, there's no use going back." Fan Wu She also wanted to know what was going on. Everything that had to do with Zong Zi Heng. He wanted to know, but he couldn't arouse Zhong Kui's suspicion.

"The two female cultivators of the Cangyu Sect are really daring. Snatching away the Chunyang Sect's magic treasures and killing the Chunyang Sect's head, which will inevitably lead to a great war between the two sects." Xie Bi An said gruffly, "I'm afraid that it will wreak havoc on the entire Jiuzhou."

"Why did Qi Meng Sheng have to take the Seven Star Lamp to sustain her life? At her level, she should have taken life and death indifferently. Moreover, Xu Zhi Nan and Qi Meng Sheng..." Fan Wu She could hardly imagine that these two would have an affair.

"Listening to them, it seems that Xu Zhi Nan was unwilling to give up his Chunyang body and let down Qi Meng Sheng." Xie Bi An shook his head, "Xu Zhi Nan didn't save her from death. Whether Qi Meng Sheng had feelings or not, at least Xu Zhi Nan was heartless."

Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes slightly, "Qi Meng Sheng is not an ordinary woman. She may not cling to the value of love. Back then, it was she and Xu Zhi Nan who helped Zong Zi Heng kill his father, the king, and usurp the throne. Later on, both sects have since benefited greatly. The Chunyang Sect annexed the power of the Wuyun Sect and dominated the Chu land alone, while the Cangyu Sect almost unified beyond the Pass*."

"If it wasn't for the Supreme Demon appearing out of the blue, it would be hard to predict who would rule the world now." Xie Bi An pondered, "It's just that those things that happened a hundred years ago are inconsistent with the stories we've heard since we were young. For example, it's said that Zong Zi Xiao was a demon cultivator who ate human cores, but why did Zong Ming He eat cores from the Chunyang Sect? If we say that they were a nest of snakes and rats*, but they weren't father and son with blood relations, and in the end, they even turned against each other. His biological father was the one who stole the cores ah."

Disgust flashed in Fan Wu She's eyes, "Rumors are not supposed to be believed. However, the fact that Zong Ming He has eaten human cores is indeed surprising."

"If both Zong Ming He and Zong Zi Xiao had eaten human cores, could it be that Zong Zi Heng had also eaten them? Could it be that all those people back then were in collusion with the Wuyun Sect?"

"He hasn't eaten them before." Fan Wu She retorted without a second thought.

Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She in confusion.

Fan Wu She frowned, "Zong Zi Heng is highly gifted. If even Zong Ming He can break through to the Eighth Chongtian, how difficult would it be for him?" He had cultivated with Zong Zi Heng since he was a child, and no one knew Zong Zi Heng’s strength better than he did. If he hadn't relied on the Xuan Yuan Heavenly Secret Talisman to open the Underworld Cave, his cultivation would have increased greatly, and the victory or defeat in that duel between the two might not have been known.

To say that Zong Zi Heng had relied on eating human cores was also a humiliation to himself.

"Junior brother, how can you be so sure?" Xie Bi An asked in surprise.

"... I heard what other people have said." Fan Wu She avoided Xie Bi An's questioning look, "However, I am not surprised that Zong Ming He ate human cores. He has mediocre talent. Back then, his elder brother was the most powerful cultivator of the Daming Zong Clan and had yet to break through the eighth Chongtian, yet he was the first to break the boundary. I'm afraid no one would have expected that Emperor Zong would commit such an evil deed."

"That’s right. But in that case, Li Bu Yu is also very suspicious." Xie Bi An sighed, "After all, Zong Ming He's core was also dug out. However, Li Bu Yu also has god-given talents, and he doesn't need to rely on ..."

Fan Wu She sneered, "God-given talents? He sealed it himself? I heard that back then, he lost miserably to Zong Zi Xiao at the Jiaolong assembly."

"Is there anything else?" Xie Bi An said in surprise, "Junior brother, I really didn’t think that you knew so much about the events back then, did you specifically delve into it?"

"No, I just heard people talking about it when I was at the wine shop." Fan Wu She pulled Xie Bi An up from his chair, "You've been working all night, you must be tired, go and get some sleep."

"It's going to be daytime soon, why sleep?"

"Then it's even more important to rest." Fan Wu She sat Xie Bi An down on the bed and naturally knelt down to remove his shoes.

Xie Bi An was stunned for a moment: "Junior brother, there is no need to ..."

Fan Wu She lifted his feet onto the bed, pressed his shoulders to make him lie flat, covered him with the quilt, and finally, carefully placed his two white bandaged hands on his side. That meticulous and gentle appearance was as if he was treating something fragile, which made Xie Bi An very touched.

 

"I'm right next door. If you need anything, just call me."

Xie Bi An gazed into Fan Wu She's eyes and smiled faintly, "Junior brother, you are so kind to me."

That untainted, frank and pure smile made Fan Wu She’s heart flutter. He bent down and propped his hands on the blanket, looking down at Xie Bi An with a powerful gaze that could pierce through the long night, and said softly, "Senior brother, I am only good to you."

Xie Bi An was suddenly frozen like a clay sculpture.

 

 ----

PS: would probably reach chapter 100 by the end of this week. It's Qingming festival today so I'm a little busy. If there's any part of the story you're confused about or any part of the translation is not good, feel free to DM me on Instagram. I will try my best to explain and edit the parts.

PPS: There are a few chapters on NU that have the wrong links, kindly refer to the Table of Contents in my blog for the correct chapter links

 

beyond the Pass*[一统关外]---the region north and east of Shanhai Pass [山海关] or the region west of Jiayu Pass [嘉峪关] or both

a nest of snakes and rats [蛇鼠一窝]----to describe bad people colluding with each other, or to describe the behaviour of two related people doing bad things in the same way

Edited on 4 Apr. 21 (Emzie)

 

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