Chapter 25 Youth escapade
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On Feng Jin’s shoulder, there was a tired and plump bird. Since then, whenever it saw him, it would squawk loudly. It made him feel like he was dealing with a wild animal or a big problem.
Later, because of the dispute over the Cloud Slayer Sword, he and Feng Jin became enemies.
In the Institute of Celestial Ascension, there were some older students who liked to interfere in other people’s affairs. They always tried to make peace and mend their relationships.
However, he and Feng Jin…
They lived in the same courtyard and would often get into fights.
When they sat at the same table, they would end up fighting.
Sometimes, they would argue in class and continue fighting.
Whenever they were near each other, chaos would ensue around them.
What was even more frustrating, bevause Feng Jin was too weak to beat him, their Master resorted to twisting his ear and accusing him of bullying others.
Pei Jing was truly at a loss for words, not bothering to consider who started the trouble.
Seeing the Institute of Celestial Ascension being thrown into chaos by him, their Master thought that young people always had their pride in front of their peers and would show some restraint. So, the kind-hearted Wu Sheng was placed between them, with Ji Wuduan and Yu Qinglian positioned in the front, hoping to make him behave.
Well, now Pei Jing didn’t have to worry about finding someone to fight.
It used to be offending one person, and now it was offending four. It didn’t seem to make much of a difference.
Later, Chen Xu sighed, “It’s rare that those four could endure for so long without teaming up to beat you.”
At that time, Pei Jing was being punished by their Master to copy sutras. He was holding three pens and copying three times in one go. The handwriting was extravagant, and he muttered while writing, “How could those four ever cooperate to fight me? Let’s not talk about Wu Sheng’s compassionate nature. The remaining three, each one more arrogant than the other—look at Feng Jin, he’s practically written ‘I’m the most awesome’ on his face.”
“The other two, Ji Wuduan has this ‘everyone, alive or dead, is an idiot’ look, and Yu Qinglian firmly believes that ‘I am the only beautiful flower among all living beings.’ I really don’t know where she get her confidence. What kind of flower is she? A dogtail flower?”
Chen Xu had a black line on his face. “You still have the nerve to criticize others. When it comes to self-obsession, who can surpass you?”
Pei Jing put down his pen halfway, rolled his eyes, and wanted to continue expressing his insights.
From behind, a sinister voice came from Yu Qinglian, “You have time to gossip behind others’ backs. I guess three times of copying is not enough. I’ll go tell Elder Hanxu to add a few more for you.”
Hanxu was his Master’s Daoist name.
Pei Jing’s body stiffened, and his face changed faster than flipping through a book. He turned around with an awkward smile and said, “I haven’t finished yet. How could ‘beautiful flower’ adequately describe your beauty? At the very least, we should add ‘like jade.'”
Yu Qinglian smiled insincerely, “No, I think ‘dogtail flower’ suits you just fine. You’d better save some energy for copying books.”
Pei Jing reached out in agony, trying to stop Yu Qinglian’s cold and distant departure. “Sister Yu” he called her, resorting to shameless forms of address, but it didn’t make any difference.
Chen Xu couldn’t stop laughing, reveling in the misfortune. “Do you know what they mean by ‘trouble comes from the mouth’?”
Just the thought of having to face their master’s nagging gave Pei Jing a headache. He shook his head and picked up the three pens again, saying to Chen Xu, “I’ll find some time to teach Yu Qinglian a lesson about how reading more is important for ugly people. Or in other words, she no longer possesses the external beauty, should she also give up her inner beauty? Well, she’s just failing as a woman.”
Chen Xu instinctively glanced towards the door, afraid that Yu Qinglian hadn’t gone far and might come back to whip Pei Jing on the spot. He needed to be prepared to make a quick escape, lest he gets caught in the crossfire. When he saw Yu Qinglian actually leave to file a complaint, Chen Xu turned his head and gave a thumbs-up to Pei Jing. “Your title as the most despicable person in the Institute of Celestial Ascension is well-deserved.”
Pei Jing pondered for a moment. “First Sword, do I have that title too? My swordsmanship is decent, but being praised so suddenly by you, it’s kind of embarrassing.” However, his lips cracked open in a wide smile, showing no signs of embarrassment at all.
[T/N] 第一贱 (di yi jian): first/most despicable; 第一剑 (di yi jian): first sword
Chen Xu’s tone turned cold. “I wasn’t referring to that sword.”
The pen paused, and after a moment, Pei Jing understood. His smile slowly froze, his face expressionless. He turned to Chen Xu with a solemn expression and said, “You see, in this world, there are always some people who, when they can’t win, resort to talking behind others’ backs. A kind and righteous young man like me unjustly carries this reputation. The envy that comes from the weak is truly terrifying.”
Chen Xu could only roll his eyes.
When Yu Qinglian was quite chubby, she was actually a beauty. As she grew older, her appearance became even more stunning.
Countless cultivators would cross the sea to Yingzhou every year just to catch a glimpse of her.
After parting ways with the Institute of Celestial Ascension, Pei Jing traveled the four seas. He once boarded a mortal ship and arrived at the island of Yingzhou.
Yingzhou was enveloped in white mist. Celestial music played on its own, as if it were a heavenly paradise.
When he arrived, Yingzhou was in a state of turmoil. Yu Qinglian’s mother, the island’s Lady, had been ambushed and fell into a deep slumber during a critical breakthrough period of her seclusion. The elders believed that Yu Qinglian was too young and inexperienced to fulfill the duties of the island Lady, so they seized power and acted as her proxies.
It was such a sudden turn of events that raised suspicions. How could someone like Yu Qinglian, with her temperament, willingly accept it? However, at that time, she had just reached the late stage of the Golden Core.
Outnumbered, she was imprisoned.
Pei Jing found Yu Qinglian in the palace.
She had become much more haggard, but the fierceness and determination in her eyes remained. She grabbed hold of Pei Jing’s sleeve and pleaded, “Help me!” Pei Jing pulled his sleeve back and replied, “Fine, but remember that you owe me a favor.”
With a sword and a whip, the two of them stirred up a century’s worth of turmoil and bloodshed in Yingzhou on a moonlit night. They exposed the traitor within the Elder’s Court and completely eradicated the stronghold of the demonic cultivators.
He held the sword at his side, watching as she personally settled the score.
With a single whip, the spiritual canal transformed into a pool of blood, bodies scattered everywhere.
Her emerald dress twirled, resembling the blossoming of flowers.
The title “Blooming Green Flowers in a Pool of Blood” was bestowed upon her just like that.
Amidst the wailing of countless ghosts, blood stains still adorned Yu Qinglian’s face. But as she turned around, a serene expression appeared, and she smiled at him.
Pei Jing pondered for a moment and said, “You shouldn’t smile. You were ugly to begin with, and now you’re even more terrifying.”
Yu Qinglian replied earnestly, “You’ve definitely never had to worry about not having someone to fight you.”
Pei Jing shook his head. “That’s only if someone can actually defeat me.”
Yu Qinglian rolled her eyes and said, “If it’s the four of us together—Feng Jin, Ji Wuduan, Wu Sheng—we still can’t deal with you?”
Pei Jing remained confident. “The four of you joining forces is impossible.”
Suddenly, Yu Qinglian had an epiphany and said, “Because among all living beings, I alone am like a flower?”
Pei Jing paused for a moment and added, “Exactly.”
The two exchanged a glance, and suddenly they couldn’t help but turn their heads and burst into laughter.
Blood flowed like a river, corpses piled high. The moon shone upon the valley as they chatted and laughed, as if they were passing through the mortal realm instead of traversing through hell.
Pei Jing watched all of this in the Chamber of Inner Demons and couldn’t help but find it both amusing and absurd. What kind of inner demon was this?
It was because he radiated righteousness from head to toe, without a trace of darkness, that the inner demons couldn’t do anything to him. So, they resorted to using past memories to fool him?
After that, there were intermittent fragments of memories.
During his travels, Pei Jing caught a painting of a ghost that couldn’t be burned or wiped away. He decided to present it to Ji Wuduan. Being fond of literature, Ji Wuduan didn’t realize Pei Jing’s intentions until he opened it and a pale hand emerged, reaching straight towards his face.
The Young Master of the Ghost Realm’s expression changed instantly, cursing and retreating in terror.
Ji Wuduan was afraid of ghosts. Pei Jing only discovered this weakness at that moment. It was quite amusing, considering that Ji Wuduan practiced corpse refinement, collected skeletons, and kept company with the dead, yet he was a pitiful soul who feared ghosts.
After a brief moment of confusion, Pei Jing understood and, clutching the painting, gasped for breath while laughing uncontrollably on the ground.
Ji Wuduan, in a fit of frustration, pushed and shoved him, trying to drive him away.
Pei Jing held up the painting and said, “Don’t go, Brother! I’ve brought you a lady. Don’t be frightened by her appearance. She has a great figure and is very charming.”
Ji Wuduan: “… Are you going to leave or not?”
Pei Jing refused to leave, and Ji Wuduan was the one who ended up leaving first. It was unprecedented for the esteemed Young Master to be so exasperated in the Ghost Realm, reaching the point of self-isolation.
On another occasion, the five of them accidentally stumbled upon a nest of demonic cultivators. It was filled with grotesque and eerie creatures—women with two faces, decapitated children, and ghosts that appeared out of nowhere.
Ji Wuduan forced himself to feign shock, his face growing incredibly pale. Pei Jing laughed so hard that he trembled all over. Then, he simply pressed Ji Wuduan’s shoulder, reached out his hand, covered Ji Wuduan’s eyes, and nudged him forward.
Feng Jin: “What are you doing?”
Pei Jing: “Oh, he wants to imitate Wu Sheng and asked for my help.”
Wu Sheng sighed, unable to laugh or cry. “Even if I wear this white silk blindfold, I can still see. Be careful not to bump into anything.”
Yu Qinglian: “Why do I feel like you’re tricking Ji Wuduan again?”
Pei Jing suddenly felt wronged and gave Ji Wuduan a push. “Quick, confess! You wanted to imitate Wu Sheng’s eyes and asked me for help, didn’t you?”
Ji Wuduan hesitated and reluctantly admitted, “Yes.”
However, his fear of ghosts didn’t stay hidden for long. The other three soon found out. Their expressions became incredibly peculiar, and a second later, they all burst into uproarious laughter, completely disregarding their image and Ji Wuduan’s face.
After the Trial of Challenging the Heavens, at the Shanyin Cottage, everyone got drunk and began discussing their lifelong wishes and pursuits.
At that time, Pei Jing no longer treated this world as a mere book, as every person he encountered had flesh and blood, and his mentors and dear friends were precious to him. His thoughts were focused on finding the protagonist, changing his own fate, and then he wouldn’t have to care about how extraordinary or amazing the protagonist became. He would devote himself to cultivation, slay demons, and seek enlightenment in the Great Dao.
However, he said with a smirk, “I’ve already claimed the title of the strongest in the world. So, I’ll strive to become the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator in the history of the cultivation world. I want everyone to know Pei Yuzhi, the outstanding talent who stands tall like a jade tree and is a formidable expert.”
Yu Qinglian rolled her eyes first and retorted, “Everyone knowing Pei Yuzhi, the arrogant and conceited person, sounds like madness.”
Ji Wuduan got drunk, and when he did, although his behavior didn’t show much, his speech became slow and sluggish. The gloomy and sullen aura he usually carried disappeared, making him seem like a foolish child. After asking for a long time, he couldn’t utter a single word. When it came to Feng Jin, who ranked second in the Trials, he grumbled and turned his head away.
Wu Sheng’s aspirations were much nobler. He wished to enlighten and guide people throughout his entire life.
When it was Yu Qinglian’s turn, she became spirited and slammed the table, causing the bells on her wrist to jingle. With great fervor, she declared, “I want to be the one in this world where no one is more beautiful than me, and no one is stronger than me.”
Pei Jing laughed and slammed the table in amusement. “In short, your dream is to become the strongest in the world.”
Chen Xu immediately grabbed Pei Jing and said to Wu Sheng, “Master, please enlighten him first. I’ve had enough of him.”
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