Chapter 14: “Do you want to watch me bathe?”
Immortal sects kept watch over all the cities in Jiangnan. Jiangdu City was monopolized by the Sky Master Mansion, the sect there that was the largest and most powerful. Thus, the Sky Master Mansion was naturally also the one who assumed the responsibility of protecting the common people.
The first moment Mo Pan saw Bi Qianren, he had already notified his sect. Thus, Jiangdu City had long been prepared for battle as they waited for the enemy to arrive.
As a result, when the two of them finally reached the city gates, they didn’t see a single person on the wide road. Only the willow trees on the two shores swayed gently with the wind, serene like the calm before a storm.
Humans were creatures capable of learning from past experiences. A hundred years ago, the demonic way had not yet declined. The moment the righteous and demonic factions encountered each other, they would fight.
Since ancient times, demonic cultivators didn’t have a place they could call home. Naturally, they were completely unrestrained when it came to battle. However, because common people were at the scene, the righteous cultivators would have their hands tied, causing them to fall into a disadvantageous position.
Afterwards, in order to avoid a situation like this from happening again, the Heavenly Alliance divided up the big cities for a few major sects to supervise them together. In the small and big streets of every city, spiritual arrays were drawn everywhere, while disciples were sent to supervise them at all times. Desolate, small alleyways in particular were covered in all kinds of spiritual formations and arrays.
This ensured that every movement in the city would be well under their control, and they could even use the spiritual arrays to stop escaping demonic cultivators. With this, the righteous way actually turned every city into their most advantageous battlefields.
Since then, demonic cultivators very rarely appeared in the city. Even the expert thieves and robbers were caught in the righteous way’s nets. Thus, Jiangdu City ended up becoming the place with the best security.
“It seems like the Heavenly Alliance hasn’t been idle in recent years.”
With Bi Qianren’s cultivation level, he only needed to concentrate a bit to sense that the spiritual arrays in the city were already activated. Under the guidance of the Sky Master Mansion, the common people had also entered a building to avoid the fight.
When comparing this to the disordered appearances of the demonic cultivators in Mobei, it wasn’t unexpected that the power disparity between the righteous and the demonic had become so large.
The Heavenly Alliance had completely taken root in Jiangnan. Even the imperial court had tacitly approved their orthodox status.
However, the demonic way was still using the old-fashioned strategy of relying on only their powerful members during a battle. If it wasn’t for how He Huan would hang around the demonic way from time to time, intimidating certain people, the entire jianghu would probably have been unified by the righteous way.
Unfortunately, the struggle in the jianghu wasn’t something that could be suppressed. He Huan would ascend to become an immortal sooner or later.
If Bi Qianren doesn’t prove his Dao and pass his calamity quickly, he was afraid that it wouldn’t even take ten years before the demonic way would completely disappear from the world.
Distinctively sensing a threat from the approaching hostile opponents, Qianren stood before the city gates and didn’t take any further actions.
The price of making him bleed was precisely a massacre of the entire city until not a single blade of grass could grow. Bi Qianren presumed that the Sky Master Mansion didn’t dare to fight him to the death here. Thus, it was fine for him to just calmly observe them.
Nowadays, those who still believed that the righteous and the demonic were completely incompatible were normally the young cultivators who did not have any experience. For these old experts in the jianghu, unless they were completely prepared, they absolutely wouldn’t make a rash move.
Sure enough, the moment Bi Qianren and Zhuge Qingtian stopped, they saw a group of white-clothed cultivators walk out from the city in a line. An old Daoist wearing yellow led them at the very front. In addition to a youthful face, his figure was like a pine tree while his hair was like that of a crane’s. With a sword made out of peach wood strapped to his back and a cinnabar brush hanging from his waist, this was precisely the Mansion Master of the Sky Master Mansion, Ling Sui Daoren.
It has already been a hundred years since Ling Sui Daoren reached the Nascent Soul realm. Regarding their cultivation levels, he wasn’t worse than Bi Qianren.
Zhuge Qingtian originally thought that a meeting between the righteous and demonic would be extremely tense. As a result, the old Daoist only glanced lightly at Mo Pan, who Qianren was still holding in the air, before saying in an extremely serene voice, “Major Protector, please set down my little disciple.”
When Bi Qianren didn’t have a mission, he rarely killed people. Thus, he didn’t plan on doing anything to this young cultivator. Casually throwing the boy over, Qianren was just about to speak when Zhuge Qingtian, who was standing beside him, suddenly pointed at Ling Sui Daoren and shouted, “Ah! It’s you, old Daoist!”
Zhuge Qiantian was a very open person. After travelling with him, thanks to his rambles, Bi Qianren had long been capable of reciting everything that happened to the ghost after his death. Thus, he immediately reacted upon hearing this, realizing that Ling Sui Daoren ought to be the Daoist who taught Zhuge Qingtian the way he could reincarnate.
Zhuge Qingtian had already been enlightened for ten years, and his current self was what he had achieved after suppressing his resentment. However, despite this, the ghost could still make Bi Qianren feel a sense of threat. It could be imagined just how fiendish Zhuge Qingtian had been before he started suppressing his resentment.
Bi Qianren had long predicted that the Daoist Zhuge Qingtian had mentioned before hadn’t been strong enough to deal with him, but he hadn’t expected that this person would actually be Sky Master Mansion’s Ling Sui Daoren.
However, after thinking about it carefully, Jiangdu was the closest place to the Zhu family within Jiangnan City. It was very reasonable for the Sky Master Mansion to investigate after obtaining news of a ghost saint.
But didn’t this mean that even Ling Sui Daoren, who had practiced spells to restrain ghosts for a hundred years, wasn’t able to deal with Zhuge Qingtian?
Immediately figuring out what the key points were, Bi Qianren looked at the old Daoist. “It was you who told him that marrying someone would allow him to reincarnate?”
If it was an ordinary malicious ghost, of course they would be able to reincarnate after resolving their obsession. However, with Ling Sui Daoren’s cultivation level, it was impossible for him to let a malicious ghost roam freely in the countryside.
The only reason Ling Sui Daoren would do this was because this ghost was too savage. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator like him was unable to tame him.
Ling Sui Daoren knew just by looking at Bi Qianren’s gaze that this matter could no longer be concealed. Sighing, he said, “Major Protector, do you know exactly what you have brought into this world?”
Their words were extremely vague and obscure. Zhuge Qingtian was immediately baffled. “What are you guys talking about? Why can’t I understand?”
When he saw how the ghost truly didn’t understand what was happening, Bi Qianren thought it was good for Zhuge Qingtian to be so silly. After all, whenever ghost saints appeared in the world, rivers of blood would follow.
Qianren only replied casually, “Is it strange for me to bring something troublesome into the mortal realm?”
With Bi Qianren’s identity as the deputy leader of the demonic way, it seemed like it would be relatively more odd if he was well-behaved and law-abiding.
Immediately understanding what he meant, Ling Sui Daoren looked as if he was witnessing the birth of yet another unscrupulous He Huan. Although his teeth ached very much, he unfortunately had the entire Jiangdu City behind him, needing his protection. Thus, the old Daoist couldn’t take advantage of how this demonic cultivator hadn’t yet matured to give him a beating.
Ling Sui Daoren could only say helplessly, “Forget it. The Sword Lord has already greeted us major sects in advance. Thus, this old Daoist specially invites the major Protector to rest for a while at our Sky Master Mansion.”
In the current world, the Sect Leader of the Profound Sect was the strongest swordsman under the heavens. The Sword Lord was precisely his little disciple He Ku, an existence whose swordsmanship was only second to his Master.
It was rumoured in the jianghu that the Sword Lord He Ku was actually Demon Lord He Huan’s transformed Nascent Soul. But although this was the case, He Ku’s personality was completely opposite of that devil’s, upright and straightforward.
Whenever he walked around the jianghu, He Ku always upheld virtue while condemning evil. Thus, the younger generation of the righteous way gave him the title “Sword Lord”.
These years, although there were rumours of how the Sword Lord had an ambiguous relationship with He Huan, anyone who had seen He Ku before wouldn’t believe them at all. In the past, Ling Sui Daoren had even scolded his disciple because of this, saying: “Stop thinking such despicable thoughts! A person like the Sword Saint, such an upstanding person living a solitary life, has given his entire self to the people. Even if your father becomes a cut sleeve, he wouldn’t!”
Of course, as the very person who had been frequently tormented by both his Masters in the past, Bi Qianren was very certain that He Ku was a cut sleeve. In fact, he was a very troublesome cut sleeve.
Right now, the moment he heard the name ‘Sword Lord’, Bi Qianren’s complexion immediately darkened. He said in a firm tone, “May I tentatively ask what he said?”
In reply, Ling Sui Daoren fished out a communication stone. A man’s clear and bright voice, one like a spring breeze, began flowing out——
“My poor disciple has been exploited by the demonic way until he ran away from home. Currently, he’s loitering about in the jianghu, alone and penniless. He Huan, this demon, has been so worried about him, he’s almost become bald.”
“I request us fellow cultivators in the jianghu to give He Ku some face. If you meet my disciple, please at least vacate a room and shelter him for a while. Otherwise, I’ll fly onto your own rooftops to pass my calamity, oh!”
Like he was worried about their sect, as if the Sword Lord would really fly over here to pass his calamity, Ling Sui Daoren added, “The same communication stone has been sent to the Sect Leaders of the ten major sects in Jiangnan.”
These years, in regards to the devastating decline of their demonic way’s cruel image, He Ku’s contributions definitely cannot go unnoticed……
Silently holding his head, Bi Qianren, who was regarded as someone who ran away from home, knew he couldn’t take his two Masters too seriously. He also understood what Ling Sui Daoren had meant.
The Sky Master Mansion would naturally give the Sword Lord some face. However, a dangerous cultivator like the demonic way’s major Protector can only move around within their line of sight. They definitely couldn’t let him sneak into the crowd.
Bi Qianren originally came to Jiangnan for a casual stroll, so he didn’t intend to reject these arrangements. Although his meddlesome Master made him feel quite speechless, he only said, “Prepare a change of clothes for me and hot water.”
“As long as your distinguished self does not harm the common people, the Sky Master Mansion will definitely let you feel at home.”
Seeing how he didn’t intend to cause trouble, all the righteous people there sighed in relief. They immediately stopped entangling over this matter and brought them back to their Sky Master Mansion.
Since they had different Dao, there wasn’t much they could chat about. After disciples of the Sky Master Mansion sent over the hot water and change of clothes, they immediately withdrew. They even casually closed the door, as if they were afraid this demonic cultivator would do something outrageous to disturb Sky Master Mansion’s peace and quiet.
Bi Qianren had two Post-Calamity cultivators supporting him from above. His own cultivation level was very impressive too. Thus, although he was living in the enemy’s camp, his expression was still extremely calm.
After sweeping his eyes around the room and noticing there weren’t any problems, he sat down to meditate.
On the other hand, it was the first time Zhuge Qingtian encountered a situation like this. He sighed with emotion and said, “Wife, it seems like you’re really a powerful person.”
“The powerful people are my Masters.”
Bi Qianren wasn’t lying. The jianghu has always been a place that relied on a person’s strength. If one didn’t have strong cultivation that went against the heavens, nobody would be able to order someone to do anything.
Qianren was very fortunate to encounter the best Master in the world from a young age. Nowadays, he could only do his utmost to increase his cultivation, striving to not become his Master’s weakness.
After devoting himself to cultivation for so many years, Bi Qianren had long lost interest in external objects. But Zhuge Qingtian felt that being in a cultivator’s room was a fresh experience. After turning around in a circle, he pointed at the chicken egg on the table and asked curiously, “Why do you city people always put a red chicken egg in the room1?”
“Don’t pay attention to these things.”
After returning to the Profound Sect, Fu Hongye naturally reported the matter with Zhuge Qingtian. Bi Qianren didn’t even need to think to know whose idea this was.
In addition, the way they were only given one room had to be the rotten idea of two certain Masters as well.
Unfortunately, Bi Qianren still underestimated his Masters’ degree of troublesomeness. Facts prove that even though they were far away in Yuncheng, they were still able to send things via flying sword to harass their disciple.
Zhuge Qingtian flipped over the chicken egg before asking with doubt, “But there’s even a note here——Disciple, if there’s anything you don’t understand, do not hesitate to ask Master via flying sword. Regardless of whether it’s the top or bottom, we have ample experience!”
As he looked at these words with profound meaning, Zhuge Qingtian only half-understood. He sighed, “Your Masters treat you really well.”
Using a flying sword to send things was extremely wasteful. It was something normal sects never used unless it was at a critical moment.
Only the Post-Calamity He Huan could be so unscrupulous, using a flying sword to send an ordinary thing like a red chicken egg.
Of course, as the disciple being looked after with the utmost care, Bi Qianren only had one thought in mind——
What do those two people want him to do to a dead guy? This kind of unnecessary concern was completely not needed!
However, not only did Bi Qianren underestimate his Masters, he also underestimated Zhuge Qingtian’s level of proactiveness. The ghost only took one look at the bathing basin before he said with anticipation, “Wife, you want to take a bath? How about I rub your back?”
Bi Qianren glanced at him. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was being influenced by his Masters’ message, but he kept feeling as if this scene wasn’t very pure. Qianren immediately said, “That’s for you. After you’re finished washing, change out of your mourning robes.”
Zhuge Qingtian has died for many years. Although the appearance of his body was preserved by his resentment and stayed the same as when he had just died, he had long lost all his senses. Thus, he couldn’t feel pain nor the cold.
In the past, to clean his body, Zhuge Qingtian would just casually jump in a river. Following that, the ghost would let the flow of the river water clean his body, washing his clothes in one go as well. He only pursued convenience and less trouble.
Zhuge Qingtian never would have expected there would be someone who would specifically prepare warm water for him. Reaching out, the ghost stirred the steaming basin with his hand.
Even though he clearly couldn’t feel anything anymore, for some reason, Zhuge Qingtian felt as though his soul finally felt some warmth.
The youth’s gaze lowered slightly. Accompanied by a chilly wind scraping past, white mourning clothes along with red happiness robes flew over to the shelf by themselves.
As he bathed like a normal living person, something he hadn’t done for a long time, Zhuge Qingtian suddenly didn’t want to take off his head to clean like he always did in the past. Although that was more convenient, it wasn’t something living people could do.
The ghost touched the scars on his neck before looking at the black-clothed man who closed his eyes in meditation. Somewhat unable to stand the silence in the room, Zhuge Qingtian immediately smiled before saying, “Wife, do you want to watch me bathe?”
“No, scram.”
Sure enough, Bi Qianren immediately rejected this suggestion in a cold way. In fact, to thoroughly express his refusal, he actually changed directions so his face would face the wall. Qianren used his actions to prove that he didn’t have any desires for this suggestion at all.
However, on the contrary, Zhuge Qingtian actually became happier upon seeing this. Lying on the edge of the basin, the ghost looked at his red and white clothes.
Zhuge Qingtian thought, his identity and his name weren’t important. In any case, for a person to become a malicious ghost, they definitely didn’t experience anything good while dying.
However, his wife had so many enemies. Perhaps, it would be better if he could become a bit more powerful.
arwah98 says:
BQR’s masters sure are (is?) doting 😂
I keep forgetting that zhuge Qingtian’s head has returned and imagined this chapter’s scene with his watermelon head… (・–・;)ゞ
Thank you for the update, stay safe and healthy~ (人´∀｀)｡ﾟ+
Ciao Ciao says:
Reading more about He Huan and He Ku is pretty fun, haha… and they even want to help BQR’s love life. What supportive masters!
Thank you for the chapter!!
Sakhyu says:
He Huan actually makes an appearance later on instead of just being mentioned, hehe. Thank you for all your support every week!!