Chapter 29.4 Shangyang Peak
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Ji Wuyou, still a chubby little boy, wasn’t cute even when he was sad.
Pei Jing regarded him like he would a spirit mouse in his hand—timid and pitiful. He lazily smiled and said, “It’s almost dark. Aren’t you leaving?”
Ji Wuyou turned around and saw the young boy in black clothes leaning against the stairwell. His black hair was adorned with a wooden hairpin, and his smile was radiant and bright. As the wind passed, it carried a clean and refreshing fragrance reminiscent of grass and trees.
He stared blankly and said, “Oh, it’s you.” The bright aura emanating from the young boy evoked another emotion within him, one he didn’t yet recognize as inferiority. Hiding his hands in his sleeves, Ji Wuyou instinctively moved back.
Pei Jing: “Yes, it’s me. Shouldn’t you thank me for letting you beat up the person you wanted to on the arena first?”
Ji Wuyou was dumbfounded and asked, “Huh?”
Pei Jing tilted her head and smiled at him. “That person who was sarcastic and insulted you earlier. There’s no need to get angry. He said a few words to you, and you gave him a good beating. Well done.”
Ji Wuyou also smiled foolishly.
Midway through his smile, he realized, “I still don’t know your name.”
Pei Jing: “I’m Zhang Yiming.”
Ji Wuyou almost lost his balance and nearly fell from the steps at the edge of the corridor. He grabbed onto a pillar, his eyes wide open, and said, “Zhang, Zhang, Zhang Yiming.”
Pei Jing tilted her head and said, “Indeed, it is I. I don’t change my name or my surname.”
Ji Wuyou: “…Did they just mention you?”
“Yes, they did. People despise me, considering me wicked and cunning. I heard it all.”
Ji Wuyou was stunned and said, “But I don’t think you’re like that. You’re a good person.”
Pei Jing laughed out loud, thinking how adorable the protagonist with his dormant demonic bloodline was acting foolishly.
Pei Jing: “Of course, I’m not like that.”
“And what about them?”
“They’re blind,” Pei Jing decisively concluded, carrying the spirit mouse and moving forward. “So why would you take to heart the words spoken by this group of blind individuals?”
Ji Wuyou remained dazed for a while, chuckled twice, and then looked up at him with sparkling eyes. “You’re really kind. When can I become someone like you?”
Pei Jing was almost startled by his words. He exerted some force, waking up the spirit mouse, which emitted an angry chirping sound. Pei Jing’s expression became somewhat peculiar as he told him, “You don’t need to become anyone else. Just be yourself and have a clear conscience.”
Ji Wuyou nodded firmly.
Pei Jing didn’t want much interaction with the protagonist at the moment. Carrying his spirit mouse, he returned to his cave. He and Chu Junyu had joined the Sect at the same time, and their caves were adjacent. However, Chu Junyu kept his door closed, refusing him entry. Thus, Pei Jing had to find another way and used a shovel to create a hole in the wall.
The cave turned out to be quite spacious.
After finishing, he could even stick his head through the hole.
On the other side of the cave, the room was dimly lit by candlelight. Chu Junyu, dressed in a silver-white robe, sat cross-legged on a stone bed. Sensing the movement, he slowly opened his eyes and met Pei Jing’s gaze.
Pei Jing froze for a moment, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Why did he feel like a peeping Tom?
He quickly said, “I just wanted some light. I’ll fix it immediately.”
It was indeed a different kind of “light from a hole in the wall.”
So, after painstakingly creating the hole, Pei Jing now painstakingly filled it back up.
Chu Junyu leaned back, his silky hair falling on his pale face. His eyes showed mixed emotions as he softly said, “You’re truly foolish.”
The next day, during mealtime, Pei Jing still sat together with Chu Junyu. The dining hall on Shangyang Peak was quite large. Xu Jing, a sociable person, looked around in the crowd for a while, his eyes gleaming, and sat down next to them. He had a talent for getting to know people quickly, and in no time, he had gathered all the gossip and information about Shangyang Peak. He eagerly shared the details while they ate.
“Do you know who the most powerful person on Shangyang Peak is, aside from the Peak Master?”
Pei Jing poked at his rice with his chopsticks and said, “Me.”
Xu Jing: “…I’m serious! Can’t you be serious too?”
Pei Jing: I am serious, but I’ll give him some face. “Please, do tell me more.”
Xu Jing looked satisfied. “There’s a Senior Sister, known as the Traceless Fairy. She’s already at the half-step Golden Core cultivation level! She’s the most beautiful, talented, and powerful person on Shangyang Peak, and she has the most admirers! With her strength, she could have entered the Inner Peaks fifty years ago, but the Traceless Fairy has always refused. Do you know why?”
Pei Jing: “I would like to know the details.”
Xu Jing: “Because Senior Sister Traceless Fairy fears that once she enters the Inner Peaks, her Dao heart will become unstable!”
Pei Jing: “…Are there man-eating demons in the Inner Peaks?”
Xu Jing chuckled with a meaningful smile, “No, but according to a few Senior Sisters, there are heart-stealing thieves in the Inner Peaks.”
Pei Jing found the humorous term amusing and laughed so hard he almost stabbed the bottom of his bowl with his chopsticks, “That’s impressive and interesting. Please, continue.”
Xu Jing grew more excited, banging on the table, and a hint of jealousy and sigh escaped, “Have you heard of Pei Yuzhi’s name?”
Pei Jing, unable to maintain his amusement: “…”
Chu Junyu, setting down what he held: “…”
“This Pei Yuzhi is the heart-stealing thief hidden in the Inner Peaks. The Senior Sisters of Shangyang Peak all say that one should not look at him too much. With just one glance, you’ll be infatuated; with a second, you’ll be enamored; and with a third, you’ll be completely smitten. Senior Sister Traceless Fairy has seen Pei Yuzhi twice, and each time she returned, she was restless for quite a while. If she were to see him again, she would be beyond redemption.”
Indeed, quite formidable.
Watch me defy the odds.
Pei Jing: “…”
He wondered if he could reject such a cheesy nickname. If his Master were to find out, would he even have a chance to survive?
Xu Jing continued, “When we were at Yinghui Peak, hardly anyone discussed Pei Yuzhi because we were all newly initiated and knew little about each other. But now, here on Shangyang Peak, you can hear his name being mentioned everywhere.”
“Yunxiao’s Chief Disciple, the first in the Trial of Challenging the Heavens, with an air of elegance and grace, One Sword Soaring through the Frost of Wuwang Peak. Tell me, what does he really look like?”
Pei Jing felt a bit embarrassed by the praise and politely replied, “He’s probably just a little bit more handsome than me.”
Xu Jing looked at him seriously and quickly said, “So, he’s still not as good-looking as Brother Chu!”
Pei Jing: “…” This kid really needs a beating.
Xu Jing was observant and noticed that after accidentally speaking the truth, Pei Jing was about to hit him. He quickly changed the subject, “Let’s not talk about that. Let’s discuss another topic related to Pei Yuzhi, something I heard from other Senior Sisters.”
“They say that Pei Yuzhi is a ‘broken sleeve’.”
Smack.
This time, the bottom of the bowl was truly crushed as Pei Jing poked it, producing a crisp sound.
Startled, Xu Jing asked, “What’s wrong with you? Who upset you?”
Pei Jing’s facial muscles twitched stiffly as he replied, “No one. Please continue.”
Xu Jing patted his chest and continued, “There is, in fact, some reasoning behind that claim. If Pei Yuzhi is truly as exceptional as the rumors suggest, he must have garnered countless admirers. Cultivators in the realm of cultivation are more liberated in matters of romance compared to mortal women, and engaging in relationships wouldn’t pose an issue. In fact, we have a Senior Sister from our Shangyang Peak who even wrote love poems directly to Tianqian Peak, but they were met with indifference! So, think about it. Over hundreds of years, whether he was traveling or cultivating within Yunxiao, how many female cultivators must have thrown themselves at him? Yet, despite all that time, he remains celibate. Yunxiao doesn’t enforce abstinence. Some people claim to have witnessed Pei Yuzhi’s casual interactions with his close friends. Clearly, he isn’t someone who practices abstinence. The only plausible explanation for rejecting hundreds of female admirers is that his ambitions lie elsewhere.”
Pei Jing: “…Impressive.” What nonsense logic. Being celibate attracted so much trouble. With his Master keeping a close watch, it was difficult for him to indulge in romance.
Xu Jing: “It’s said that he’s been involved in a love-hate relationship with Feng Jin for hundreds of years, who is the second in the Trial of Challenging the Heavens. But no one knows the true reason behind their relationship.”
Pei Jing: “…”
If that sentence reached Feng Jin’s ears, it would probably result in his immediate death and lingering resentment.
Pei Jing calmly placed his chopsticks down and spoke in a serene manner, resembling a Buddha. “It’s not worth prying into irrelevant matters. You shouldn’t go around seeking unnecessary information. I believe I can provide an explanation on behalf of Pei Yuzhi.”
Xu Jing stuffed a piece of cabbage into his mouth and asked, “Why?”
Pei Jing: “Ugly people have their own happiness, while handsome people have their own cross to bear.”
Xu Jing: “…”
He was reminded of the time when this bstard Zhang Yiming had made a fool out of him in the Yunlan Mountain Range.
Pei Jing: “After all these years, if he is still celibate, it’s probably because he hasn’t found the right person. As for Feng Jin, who would love and kill their own little brother? A fight would settle it.”
Xu Jing: “What do you mean by ‘little brother’? They have a blood relation?”
Pei Jing: “Let’s just call him useless.”
Xu Jing: “…” He had considered himself just as handsome as Pei Yuzhi, yet here he was, calling the Divine Phoenix Emperor useless. Zhang Yiming, are you asking for trouble?
Pei Jing felt increasingly uncomfortable listening to Xu Jing’s nonsensical rambling about heart thieves and broken sleeves. He quickly urged him to change the topic and refrain from discussing anything related to Pei Yuzhi. Xu Jing, taken aback by Pei Jing’s shamelessness, decided it was best to switch the subject. In the midst of this transition, he noticed that Chu Junyu had remained silent all along.
Xu Jing suddenly asked, “I’ve noticed that Brother Chu hasn’t shown much expression. Is it because he already knew about all this or simply because he isn’t interested?”
Pei Jing: “…He’s definitely not interested.”
Xu Jing, realizing his tardiness in understanding, let out an “Oh” and slowly continued, “There’s another matter that I heard from the Senior Sisters. They were so kind and enthusiastic.
“They mentioned that recently there seems to be a demonic cultivator appearing outside of Yunxiao. Their cultivation methods are extremely cruel, with a preference for human bodies, especially those of cultivators. Some disciples from smaller sects have gone missing, and when they were found, their bodies were submerged in a pool, their organs and entrails brutally removed. They had a terrified expression, indicating that they were still alive when their bodies were mutilated. It’s particularly brutal. Now, some Elders are investigating the matter. Although such incidents haven’t occurred in Yunxiao yet, with each peak having Golden Core Elders guarding, the rampant presence of demonic cultivators raises concerns that disciples might fall victim to deception. We should be extra vigilant.”
Pei Jing: “The demonic cultivator is outside of Yunxiao?”
Xu Jing: “It seems so, just outside of Yunxiao. We don’t know when it started. It only drew attention when disciples from several smaller sects went missing consecutively. Soon, the Elders should come down to inform us about it.”
Pei Jing: They dare to infiltrate the area within a hundred li of Yunxiao. What kind of audacity does this demonic cultivator possess?
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