Former Sweetheart — Chapter 5

Chapter 5: “Look, there’s a demonic scammer.”

Mingchuan City was located downstream of Rising Dragon River. It was home to the tea leaves that were famous across the world. 

Six mountains surrounded the city. As the water source, Rain Monarch Cave was located among the green hills, before coincidentally converging into Rising Dragon River. The finishing touch of this scenic place was precisely the way the city had mountains on one side and water on the other.

Since ancient times, the water of this place was filled with exuberant spiritual energy. It was the most suitable to water immortal tea leaves. In addition, the water from Rain Monarch Cave was the most fitting immortal water to soak tea leaves.

Immortal cultivators abstained from consuming food, never touching the five crops and other grains. However, social niceties inevitably lead to use of wine and tea, especially immortal tea in particular. 

This was because it was suitable for both the young and the elderly, in addition to being good for health. Throughout time, it was an indispensable expense for every large sect. 

If there was a need, then there was a business opportunity. A place that had business opportunities for cultivators naturally nurtured an immortal sect. This was how the Azure Sky Mansion had been founded.

The Qiu clan from the Azure Sky Mansion became prosperous through growing immortal tea plants. In addition, they weren’t stingy at all and actually taught the farming techniques to the local common people. They even established the chamber of commerce to shelter the local merchants, driving the growth of the entire city. 

It could even be said that Mingchuan was a city nurtured by Azure Sky Mansion. Naturally, this sect was extremely popular among the local people.

In fact, the sect wasn’t just popular locally. In the last century, every time there was a drought or flood, Azure Sky Mansion took the lead to collect donations to aid the victims. Every time the common folk encountered trouble, a disciple from the Azure Sky Mansion would rush over to help them.

Since the sect conducted themselves like this, the Heavenly Alliance began attaching great importance to them. Ten years ago, they became one of the ten Sects that decided matters within the Heavenly Alliance. Nowadays, they were already one of the core powers that made up the righteous way.

When talking about the Azure Sky Mansion, one could not avoid mentioning their Young Master Qiu Yuebai, who was also known as the number one Samaritan in the jianghu.

This Young Lord Qiu was also an extraordinary person. When he was born, the meridians of his legs were already crippled. The Old Sect Master had invited famous doctors from across the world, but no one had been able to cure him. He could only accept the sad fact that his heir would need to be accompanied by his wheelchair for his entire life.

Despite having such a formidable family background, Young Lord Qiu was unable to walk like ordinary people. If this was someone else, they would probably become depressed and embittered. 

However, Qiu Yuebai was at peace with himself. Since he was young, he had always been kind and charitable. In fact, throughout his entire life, he had never even looked angry before.

Rumour has it that when Qiu Yuebai was one year-old, during his Zhuazhou¹ ceremony, the Qiu Mansion had been giving out porridge to beggars. The young child actually turned a blind eye to all the treasures on the table, and only wailed as he reached for the fruit bowl.

When a family member tried putting a grape into his hand, the child immediately began struggling to go outside. Only after he personally put that grape into a beggar’s bowl did he stop crying and smile.

Since then, someone in Mingchuan claimed: Qiu family’s young lord was precisely the incarnation of Buddha who had descended into the mortal plane to experience his calamity. He was destined to save the common people, earning an enormous amount of virtue.

The credibility of the rumours in the jianghu were extremely low. In addition, You Jiang himself couldn’t believe that there could be such a clever baby in the world.

However, after Qiu Yuebai succeeded as the Azure Sky Mansion’s master, he truly did nothing but benevolent acts of kindness. Never was he ever involved in the disputes of the jianghu.

Even during wars between the demonic way and the Heavenly Alliance, Azure Sky Mansion only provided food and supplies to the Profound Sect. Claiming they didn’t wish to see blood, they never fought on the frontlines.

But although Qiu Yuebai’s reputation was like this, a rumour began spreading one month ago that he was harming the common folk. After an entire month, not only was Azure Sky Mansion unable to suppress the rumour, it actually became even worse. 

In the end, Fu Hongye had to personally come over to settle the matter. A situation like this sounded quite inconceivable.

In any case, Azure Sky Mansion was still a big sect in the righteous way. If demonic cultivators wanted to infiltrate them, it wasn’t easy. 

As the demonic way’s leader, You Jiang still needed to take his face into consideration. Du Huo’s personality……he reckoned the kid wouldn’t be able to live outside for an entire day before someone wanted to beat him to death. Thus, only Cun Jie was capable of taking up this heavy responsibility.

Luckily, Cun Jie was willing to go all out for this mission. Claiming it was for the honour of the demonic way’s Protector, he decisively disguised himself before sneaking into the crowd of beggars.

Cun Jie even seriously injured himself with a slap, and then ordered a few of his subordinates to cooperate with him. He wanted to wait until Qiu Yuebai appeared before collapsing beside the so-called number one Samaritan, just to see if the man would save him.

In the city, unfounded and unkind rumours about Qiu Yuebai had been spreading for an entire month. Who knows how many of these beggars had been gossiping about him with glee just yesterday. However, the moment it was time for the Samaritan to bestow food and silver onto the poor, they all came to Qiu Mansion’s doorway like a swarm of bees.

In their hearts, the beggars were still harping on about the rumours, but what came out of their mouths were the words “Buddha! Buddha!” as they thanked Qiu Yuebai. It sounded almost as if they considered the Azure Sky Mansion as their greatest benefactor.

A scene like this made You Jiang feel ironically amused at first glance. Coincidentally seeing how Fu Hongye—who was sitting beside him—was also attracted by the lively scene, he turned his head toward the youth and sneered.

“You drove away all the evil creatures under the heavens while firmly suppressing my demonic way in Mobei until no one can take a single step into the central plains……Just like this, you protected the world for a hundred years, giving everyone peace and security. However, the nickname of the number one Samaritan was snatched away by someone else. It can be seen that one cannot be a good person for too long. The moment they become used to your existence, the protection of a hundred years becomes no match for a free meal by a stranger.”

The demonic motifs on You Jiang’s face had not yet been dispersed. Once, the only things seen in Jiang Fengzhi’s eyes were poetry and the distant future, but now they were only brimming with malice. He wished for nothing more than to see this youth mentally collapse.

You Jiang’s current expression appeared to have evoked Fu Hongye’s remaining strands of consciousness. He seriously met You Jiang’s gaze, before suddenly asking, “How do you define a good person?”

The Sect Leader of the Profound Sect asked the demonic way’s leader what a good person was. If you told other people this, absolutely no one would believe you.

You Jiang too gave him a harsh look. “You want this lord to answer that question?”

But Fu Hongye had never once responded to his anger, and this time was no different. Instead, the white-robed youth smiled gently before picking up the vegetable bun that was left on his plate. Tearing off a piece from the bulging steamed bun, he held it to the demonic cultivator’s lips. 

Fu Hongye’s voice was still as light as before, like the clouds during a gentle breeze. “In the eyes of people near death, the strongest sword under the sky is the same as a steamed bun that can allay one’s hunger. The most precious thing in the world is life, life is what has true value.” 

The youth’s action appeared excessively intimate. Since it was also done by his sworn enemy, it made You Jiang feel even more nervous. He subconsciously used his fan to swat away Fu Hongye’s hand.

Only after he did this, did You Jiang suddenly realize that the youth’s reply didn’t sound like the words of a lunatic. He couldn’t help but ask with suspicion, “Fu Hongye, you’re awake now, right?”

You Jiang’s expression made him look like a small bird within the forest who had been suddenly startled. It actually made Fu Hongye smile unconsciously. 

Currently, the youth was in a confused trance. In his eyes, You Jiang was sometimes his sword Fengzhi, but also sometimes that former friend of his whom he could never forget.

Even Fu Hongye wasn’t sure who exactly he was calling at times. But the only definite thing was—he couldn’t recognize this person as the demonic way’s leader, You Jiang.

You Jiang was the demon he could not eliminate, the tribulation Fu Hongye could not overcome.

Since he could not forget him, then he could only avoid seeing him. 　　

As long as the person before his eyes wasn’t a demon, Fu Hongye had no need to unsheathe his sword. He wouldn’t need to use silence to create a boundary between them. 

Instead, he could talk softly, like how he treats normal bystanders, and answer in a low voice, “I am guarding you, how could I fall asleep?”

Of course, You Jiang only had one reaction to his reply—this rotten brat has become even more insane!

If he wasn’t crazy, how could the righteous leader say something like this to the old devil?

Currently, even You Jiang himself would feel his eyes hurt if he looked into a mirror. Naturally, he wouldn’t doubt Fu Hongye’s aesthetics, so he only thought the youth still remained delusional. 

You Jiang was too lazy to try angering a Dispersed Immortal who had no reason. Instead, he only asked, “Tell me who was the one who hurt you.”

Those with a high status were destined to be schemed against by other people. You Jiang wanted to grab control of the entire situation, so he didn’t have the mood to discuss the Dao with Fu Hongye. 

The demonic leader mulled over the entire situation seriously. He suddenly thought, was it possible that this brat also thought You Jiang was the one who harmed him? 

This could be why the youth used his last strand of rationality to look for him.

But this didn’t make sense ah. Even if this was the case, why did Fu Hongye go into estrus afterwards?

No, to be more precise, there was absolutely no reason for Fu Hongye to want to roll in the sheets with him. 

Unless, this rotten brat secretly had a lover that looked like him?

You Jiang kept feeling that Fu Hongye’s current attitude didn’t seem like he was just regarding him as his sword. The “Fengzhi” he kept calling might be a person instead.

The moment You Jiang thought of this—how he, the majestic demonic way’s leader, was being treated as someone’s stand-in—his complexion immediately darkened.

Lifting his hand to pinch the youth’s chin, You Jiang began in a deep voice, “In this world, there are numerous cultivators who wish to replace you. If you continue to be so muddled, the entire world will end up belonging to my demonic way. At that time, don’t blame this lord for letting the Heavenly Alliance become a river of blood.”

You Jiang was now quite old. As a result, his temper was no longer as fiery as it had been when he was young, making him seem quite indifferent to everything. Sometimes, it even gave people the misconception that he had a gentle personality.

Only the old subordinates who had helped him establish the demonic way knew; this leader was very decisive at killing and fighting, far surpassing his seniors in the previous generations.

The first Demon Lord had a family, while the Demonic Monarch succeeding him had been righteous. 

Only You Jiang was cold and ruthless, undisciplined with no morals. 

In fact, apart from himself, he didn’t care about anything else. You Jiang was truly an evil scourge. 

Fu Hongye had the strongest cultivation under the heavens, but he was never able to do anything to You Jiang. In the past, when the two of them fought, the only thing the youth could do was beat You Jiang back before helplessly waiting for the angry demonic cultivator’s retaliation.  

Fortunately, Fu Hongye had now gone mad. In his illusion, the devil who used to give him a headache was merely a sharp blade flickering with a frosty aura. 

As the number one swordsman under the sky, he was naturally good at taming his sword. Smiling gently, he pressed down the sword hilt. Following along the sword blade, Fu Hongye’s finger caressed his entire sword as he softly placated, “Be obedient. No one is doing anything evil here, so there’s no need for you to be unsheathed. When the time comes, I’ll let you battle till your heart’s content.” 

With his mind in chaos, Fu Hongye only thought he was soothing his spiritual sword. 

What he didn’t know was that what he thought was his sword hilt was actually You Jiang’s wrist. Furthermore, the sword blade he was seeing in his mind was actually a slender waist.

His caressing ended up angering You Jiang until he nearly qi deviated along with Fu Hongye. It also stunned Du Huo, who had been waiting for orders beside them.

The right Protector of the demonic way subconsciously sucked in a cold breath of air. In the end, he couldn’t restrain himself and asked with much doubt, “Leader, are you sacrificing your body for the demonic way’s great cause?”

It was impossible for You Jiang to obediently let himself get harassed. The moment Fu Hongye approached him, he had already slapped the youth. 

Unfortunately, the cultivation level of a Dispersed Immortal was truly unreasonable. The youth had effortlessly received his spiritual attack and came out completely unscathed. In addition, Fu Hongye directly grabbed onto the lifeline of You Jiang’s right hand. With only some pressure, he would be capable of completely crippling this hand.

Taking down a lunatic with him to their deaths wasn’t a good idea. Like this, You Jiang had no room to advance or retreat. 

Thus, when he heard his subordinate’s sarcastic remark, You Jiang only sneered coldly, “Right Protector, this lord will give you a mission. Go dine and dash right now and let Fu Hongye beat you.”

“Leader, you think I’m stupid? Courting death is your hobby, I have no interest in learning it.”

Don’t be fooled by how Fu Hongye appeared polite and amiable right now. The moment he discovers someone committing a crime, this righteous leader’s sword wouldn’t be the least forgiving. 

Du Huo wasn’t someone who liked courting death. Since You Jiang was embarrassed but hadn’t suffered any injuries, he happily stayed beside them to watch the show.

The Right Protector always betrayed the leader like this. Luckily, the extremely devoted Left Protector promptly came to help You Jiang out of his embarrassment.

In the midst of the awkward atmosphere, a burst of noise suddenly came from below them. 

This was precisely Cun Jie who was acting according to their plan. He very accurately fell down right beside Qiu Yuebai’s feet.

The scent of someone committing a crime immediately made Fu Hongye’s expression turn severe. Releasing You Jiang, he used a posture reminiscent of pulling out a sword to neatly rip off the demonic leader’s sleeve. 

Holding onto the now unobstructed wrist, the youth said in a righteous tone, “Fengzhi, there’s a scammer²! Unsheathe!”

Fu Hongye, do you think you’ve lived for too long?! Stand there and don’t move, this lord will send you to death right now!

You Jiang really couldn’t understand why this youth just couldn’t reconcile with his clothes. Although the taste of these clothes were questionable, the materials used to make them were priceless.

If Fu Hongye continued to shred them like this, there will be pressure on the demonic way’s treasury. 

But although You Jiang was already gritting his teeth with hatred, he suddenly remembered how the Sword Saint had entrusted this brat to him before ascending. In the end, he finally managed to restrain himself.

Instead, he knocked his fan on the back of the youth’s head before he spoke in a slightly angered tone, “Scram, you stupid watermelon! That “scammer” was sent by this lord! Hit this lord if you dare!”

1. This is an old Chinese tradition. When a baby reaches one year-old, people would put a bunch of items on a table (books, sword, powder, etc) and let the baby grab something. It’s said that whatever the baby grabs would predict their inclinations in the future (for example, if the baby grabs a book, they will be a scholar). For more information, check: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuazhou.
2. The raws were more specific and said “touching porcelain”, which is a saying for a certain type of scamming. More info for this saying can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pengci.