Chapter 7: “Fengzhi, it’s raining.”
In the jianghu, it was rumoured that Fu Hongye was originally an orphan adopted by a hunter in the mountains. Because he had been abandoned in the maple forest, he was given the name “Hongye”1.
It was as if Fu Hongye treats the maple tree that blocked the wind and rain for him as his own parents, because none of his sword moves lacked the intent of the frost-reddened2 maple forest. Thus, whenever he uses the sword, what fills everyone’s eyes is a dark-red. When accompanying the figure surrounded by clouds and mist, there was a certain, desolate beauty.
Fu Hongye’s swordsmanship was the first under the heavens, enjoying boundless brilliance from the human world. If one doesn’t personally fight against him, they wouldn’t expect his sword intent to be so quiet and bleak; as if the return of his sword meant the withering of all the living things in the world, like when young beauties grow old. Thus, it was as if his sword must be the final, breathtaking image a person will see before their death.
But for a sword attack like this, one that destroys indiscriminately and burns both jade and the common stone, Fu Hongye actually gave it a somewhat tender name—
Returning Together.
The swordsmanship of the Profound Sect were all moves that followed the heart. You Jiang didn’t know who Fu Hongye had created this sword move for, or who the youth was waiting to return.
What You Jiang knows, is how he had studied spells and laws for a hundred years, but still couldn’t block this one sword move.
In the past, Fu Hongye had precisely used this attack to break through layer upon layer of defenses. He directly struck the demonic way’s leader, making You Jiang bleed for the first time in forever.
As a result, a hundred years had passed, but the outcome was the same whenever they fought.
But there was still a difference. At least now, Fu Hongye had lost his reason and logic.
He wouldn’t release his enemy just because of some meaningless old affection he held toward his elders.
This time, the white-robed youth didn’t hold back. He pinched You Jiang’s neck, eyes filled with compassion for the vivid life that was on the verge of disappearing.
However, his five fingers weren’t affected by his feelings at all. They continued to tighten, just like the youth’s desire to eliminate all demons, a conviction that had never wavered.
Fu Hongye was the Sect Leader of the Profound Sect for this generation. It was necessary for him to support the righteous way and eradicate all demonic cultivators.
Thus, the first time the youth unsheathed his sword, the sword move Fu Hongye had originally created to save that person, ended up hurting him instead.
Fu Hongye thought he wouldn’t regret it. However, when he met the gaze of the demonic cultivator who was smiling, he still loosened his hands subconsciously.
Just like when he had failed to pass his calamity, Fu Hongye blankly retreated a few steps. In the end, he helplessly sighed. “Fengzhi……”
That’s right. When he was being strangled by Fu Hongye, You Jiang had been smiling.
He was the leader of the demonic way, the master of countless demonic cultivators. But despite having an identity like this, he was defeated multiple times by his junior.
It would be fine if he had just died in battle, but every time, You Jiang survived.
Being let off by his enemy, this was precisely the greatest shame for a demonic cultivator. You Jiang was so dedicated to provoking Fu Hongye, merely because he wanted to have a serious fight with the youth.
A battle that didn’t regard life or death, all so he could wipe away his past humiliation.
You Jiang originally thought he would finally obtain his wish today. Unexpectedly, the brat Fu Hongye withered, becoming dispirited again.
You Jiang really couldn’t understand why the youth—who had already qi deviated—had a reason to pull back. In the end, he couldn’t help but ask in anger, “Rotten brat, why won’t you kill me?”
Why must Fu Hongye let him go every single time, making You Jiang become the laughingstock of the entire jianghu?
You Jiang was someone who cultivated in a serious and bitter manner. All the effort he had once paid resulted in him becoming this generation’s leader of the demonic way. However, his hard work of many years was ultimately ruined by a single person.
As the loser, he was already miserable enough. You Jiang didn’t want to become the topic people would chat idly about during tea time. He was even more unwilling to become the green leaf, a supporting role that would set off the youth’s genius, one that would be repeatedly trampled.
To a cultivator with great ambitions, this was precisely the greatest humiliation.
However, no matter how much You Jiang was unreconciled with this ending, the current Fu Hongye no longer possessed any desires to fight.
Dispelling his sword intent, the youth stood silently among the maple trees. Without a single speck of dust on his white robes, Fu Hongye looked very serene as he softly said, “Fengzhi, come here. I’ll help you freshen up.”
After a righteous cultivator restrained a demonic cultivator, the only thing he wanted to do was help the demonic cultivator wash his face.
If you told anyone this, would they believe it?
So, exactly how much did this rotten brat hate the demonic motifs on his face?
This time, You Jiang finally confirmed that it wasn’t him thinking too much. The “Fengzhi” Fu Hongye kept calling absolutely had to be a person’s name.
The old friends Jiang Fengzhi once knew had long died out. None of his enemies remained either.
It was reasonable to say that in this world, there shouldn’t be anyone who would still remember this name. Moreover, when Fu Hongye was born, You Jiang had long entered the demonic way.
But in spite of all of this, the person who was the least likely to know Jiang Fengzhi in this world, kept repeating his name over and over again after his qi deviation.
This situation was really too strange. You Jiang couldn’t help but vigilantly ask, “Who exactly are you?”
However, it was impossible to have a normal discussion with a lunatic. Fu Hongye completely ignored his question.
Instead, he raised his head to take a look at the sky that had darkened, before muttering, “Fengzhi, look. It’s raining.”
While cultivators wouldn’t resist water spell attacks on their own, You Jiang completely wouldn’t pay attention to a little drizzle like this.
However, Fu Hongye actually fished out an oil paper umbrella from who knows where, before directly pulling the puzzled You Jiang right under its cover.
While the youth didn’t say anything, the smiling intent between his brows and eyes were filled with a gentleness completely visible to the naked eye.
The Sect Leader of the Profound Sect always stood out from the masses. Thus, even the way he qi deviated was exceedingly atrocious.
As the person being watched by the youth, You Jiang only felt his scalp numb. He secretly thought; what exactly was wrong with this rotten brat?
Even if Fu Hongye broke his sleeves and became gay, he still needed to pick a good partner. There were so many good youths in the jianghu, so why did Fu Hongye insist on flirting with an old demon detested by gods and loathed by ghosts?
The two of them had been fighting in the sky, so Du Huo naturally didn’t dare to approach them. Only after it appeared as if the two of them had finished fighting did he silently emerge.
Toward You Jiang, the boy asked with extreme curiosity, “Leader, I already wanted to say this before. The two of you really have an affair, right? After all, why would he never kill you?”
Even now, this was precisely the puzzle all the cultivators in the world couldn’t figure out. For his entire life, Fu Hongye had always subdued monsters and defeated demons, with no exceptions to this rule.
All except for You Jiang, who was the only person who could leave a fight with Fu Hongye alive. This special treatment was really out of the ordinary.
If it weren’t for how Fu Hongye had always fought the demonic way whenever there was a need to, never once conceding to them, people would really suspect the two of them were fond of each other.
You Jiang was originally feeling annoyed. But after seeing Du Huo arrive, he suppressed all of his dissatisfaction before shooting him a look. “Although the thing on top of your neck is just a huge garlic head, occasionally, you can still use it and think on your own. Don’t you remember the way this lord treats him?”
How does You Jiang treat Fu Hongye? Naturally, it was to ambush him, assassinate him, and use lies and rumours to slander him.
In Du Huo’s memories, ever since he was three years old, this adoptive father of his would either be cursing Fu Hongye, or on the way to assassinate him every day.
Despite multiple setbacks, his leader kept on fighting extremely persistently. You Jiang was practically more ruthless than an abandoned lover.
It had been the same this time too. Even the disciples of the Profound Sect didn’t know Fu Hongye’s whereabouts, but You Jiang actually managed to set an ambush outside the city doors of Mingchuan at the earliest time possible. It truly made people gasp with admiration.
For such an annoying opponent, Fu Hongye actually didn’t kill You Jiang even to this day. Du Huo couldn’t help but admit that this righteous leader’s temper was really quite good.
Thus, at this moment, Du Huo very honestly said, “Leader, let me be honest. Standing in Fu Hongye’s shoes, the only words written on your face would be—I deserve a beating.”
“This lord can only see these words written on your face—I’m courting death.”
You Jiang knew he could never hear anything nice from the mouth of his right Protector. Du Huo, this brat, was practically created from the same mold as You Jiang’s own appearance during his youth. Just looking at him made one want to sort him out. If the boy spoke, it made people want to beat him even more.
Thus, You Jiang only needed to take a single look at his adopted son to feel relieved about himself. After all, when You Jiang was young and pretty, he was already in need of a spanking.
Now that You Jiang was a bag of old bones, how could he be afraid of men liking him? Even a dog wouldn’t want to f*ck him.
As for Fu Hongye, wasn’t it natural for this brat to be inferior to beasts?
Demonic cultivators only knew how to harm each other. Du Huo regarded his own adopted father as an old lunatic, while You Jiang also looked at Du Huo as if he was just a donkey.
Instead, when Fu Hongye saw the two of them arguing without sparing each other any mercy, he advised them in an extremely gentle tone, “Don’t use vulgar language.”
It would have been better if he didn’t speak. The moment he said this, You Jiang suddenly remembered that this person really f*cked him.
He couldn’t help but say in anger, “Who allowed you to stand here? Scram! Be careful of this lord slaughtering you as a sacrifice to heaven!”
In the past, Fu Hongye never took You Jiang’s threats to heart. Naturally, he cared about them even less now.
Instead, the youth only smiled gently before warning again, “Don’t fight or kill.”
When You Jiang was young, his violence as a demonic cultivator made him famous in the jianghu. He would even point at the nose of his own demonic way’s boss, He Huan, and curse him out.
Afterwards, You Jiang lost a bet and had to swear an oath to not use dirty language again. But although his skills in cursing people had been cut down to some degree, his violent temper hadn’t changed at all.
However, although You Jiang could give demonic cultivators a bloody scolding, against Fu Hongye, this big Buddha, he was also powerless.
Luckily, as long as his anger passed, You Jiang would calm down again. Thus, he began asking Du Huo about proper business. “Tell me, in this world, who could force Fu Hongye to abandon his sword and flee?”
Fu Hongye’s current condition was very abnormal. Sometimes, he treated You Jiang as his sword, while other times, he would talk to him as if he was speaking to a real person.
But in any case, it was certain that his Fengzhi sword was truly not with him.
It was impossible for a swordsman to lose his sword by accident. If they wanted to find out exactly what had happened to Fu Hongye, they must first find his Fengzhi sword.
Since even You Jiang couldn’t figure out the culprit, Du Huo naturally didn’t have even the slightest clue at all. Hearing his question, he only said, “Firstly, Leader cannot do it.”
Sure enough, the moment he said this, You Jiang gave him a slap. With regards to the right Protector, if he goes three days without a beating, he’ll even dare to climb the roof and rip out the tiles.
Getting beaten was already a common occurrence. Du Huo stood up after patting his butt before he continued to speak, “Although, are you sure you want to keep this righteous leader by your side? And even help him investigate Mingchuan’s affair?”
Mingchuan’s matter was also very strange. It was reasonable to say that the prime suspect of people opposing the Heavenly Alliance must be demonic cultivators.
However, recently You Jiang was only focusing on the Profound Sect. He completely didn’t have the spare time to deal with such a tiny Azure Sky Mansion.
If demonic cultivators hadn’t made a move, where did the demonic thing in the Rain Monarch Cave come from?
Qiu Yuebai couldn’t find the traces of this matter, while Fu Hongye had qi deviated after entering the city.
In this lousy city You Jiang disdained, was there actually a big demon lord hiding about?
This matter was very odd. Although Cun Jie had already infiltrated the Azure Sky Mansion, You Jiang felt the truth behind everything wasn’t that simple.
If it was this easy to harm Fu Hongye, You Jiang would have bribed the righteous way to get this rotten brat killed a long time ago. However, the righteous traitors employed by the demonic way in the past all ended up as departed souls killed by Fu Hongye’s blade.
You Jiang didn’t think the youth would lower his guard in this regard. Thus, this matter wasn’t necessarily caused by Qiu Yuebai.
For the time being, You Jiang also couldn’t figure out who was the most suspicious. He could only speak to Du Huo in a low voice, “A demonic cultivator who isn’t part of our demonic way is here. Naturally, we can’t let them go.”
Regardless of whether one was righteous or demonic, as long as they didn’t pay allegiance to the demonic way, they would be their enemies. Since he could become the demonic way’s right Protector, naturally Du Huo wasn’t only prone to saying nasty things.
Hearing You Jiang’s words, he immediately understood his leader’s meaning. But although he already smiled tacitly, he still ridiculed, “That’s true. In any case, you’re an old cow who eats young grass3. We’re not losing out on anything.”
Indeed, You Jiang also thought that he wasn’t losing out if he slept with a talented and handsome youth like Fu Hongye. However, the problem was how he didn’t manage to top, and instead became the one who was slept with! He really suffered a double loss after tricking the enemy.
However, You Jiang couldn’t even complain about this to other people. Currently, both Du Huo and Cun Jie thought he was the one who took advantage of Fu Hongye. It wasn’t like he could tell his right and left Protectors; actually, your cold and ruthless leader got topped by a righteous brat in an even colder and ruthless manner, right?
Did he still want the dignity of the demonic leader?
Thus, the only thing You Jiang could do was swallow this bitter fruit, before pretending nothing happened and shouting, “Scram out of here! Go investigate the origin of that demonic thing in the Rain Monarch Cave.”
Ciao Ciao says:
LOL I’m living for Du Huo’s and You Jiang’s interactions. What a great pair of father and son. Du Huo, Fu Hongye is now your step father; you must treat him with respect.
Thanks for the update!