Chapter 107: Crimson Flowers Hidden in White Bones (7)
Bai Chunsheng: “…”
Did this idiot even know what he was saying?
Loose Cultivator Liaoji looked puzzled. “Yan Jingqiu wasn’t dead?!”
Bo Yan let out a soft chuckle. “As everyone knew, Yan Jingqiu’s body had still not been found to this day. Logically, he should have been considered missing, his life or death uncertain. But why had the Yan family and the Taixu Sect so early on announced to the world that their Sword Sovereign was dead? One must know that a tribulation-crossing cultivator could move mountains and seas with ease, enough to shake the entire cultivation world—let alone…”
The name “Yan Jingqiu” felt almost too hot to utter. If Bai Chunsheng hadn’t been sitting right beside Bo Yan, he probably wouldn’t even have heard it clearly.
Bai Chunsheng: “…”
He told himself to endure it—he absolutely couldn’t laugh.
Bo Yan, “Why had the Yan family been so eager to declare that Yan Jingqiu was dead? The Drunken Death Sea was an immortal-level secret realm, sealed off from the outside world. Only Mahayana cultivators could enter it. No one had found any trace of Yan Jingqiu—so on what basis had the Yan family concluded that he was dead?”
His words immediately stirred an uproar. The discussions grew even louder than before. Earlier, when Jiang Ji had directly called Bo Yan “Yan Jingqiu,” the entire banquet had fallen into silence, no one daring to utter a single word. But now, many had begun to believe that Bo Yan merely resembled Yan Jingqiu, and the debate reignited in full force.
—If he truly were Yan Jingqiu, would there even be room for discussion? The Sword Sovereign’s word would have been absolute.
Bai Chunsheng truly wanted to leap up and clamp a hand over this man’s mouth.
Among those seated below were several members of the Taixu Sect. One young disciple, unable to suppress his anger, stood and retorted, “That conclusion was reached after the elders entered the Drunken Death Sea and investigated the Sword Sovereign’s cave abode. Though none of us wished to accept it, we had no choice but to face reality.”
Bo Yan spread his hands and asked, “I only have one question. If he lived, you should see the man; if he died, you should see the corpse. Where is Yan Jingqiu’s body?”
—Right here.
Bai Chunsheng sighed inwardly. He was no longer nervous. Instead, he wanted to see just what other tricks Bo Yan could still pull.
Seeing that the Taixu Sect disciple could not answer, the mocking smile on Bo Yan’s face grew even brighter. “As the renowned ‘Little Immortal Venerable’ of the cultivation world, Yan Jingqiu’s death should have been met with heavy skepticism before a body was ever seen. Yet strangely, in just a few short days, the news spread across the land, and everyone’s opinions were remarkably unified—that Yan Jingqiu was dead.”
“Wasn’t that strange?” Bo Yan asked.
Lord Cuixia of Cuiwei Palace also looked grave. “It was indeed peculiar.”
Bo Yan said, “I had looked through ancient records. If it were a large-scale hypnosis technique, it would surely have had no effect on cultivators at the Mahayana stage or above. But I had also heard that in the Demon Realm there existed a kind of demon skilled at manipulating human hearts. Their deception and guidance required no spiritual power or magical force—such was their innate ability.”
“Previously, I had not connected these two matters. But just now, after hearing Fairy Yue Bai of Tianqing Sect speak of Emperor Qinghua, I had a rather unbelievable thought. If it were true that after an Immortal Venerable fell, his corpse could transform into a new Demon Realm—then perhaps after ‘Yan Jingqiu’ failed his heart tribulation, he might likewise have become an unprecedented and terrifying demon.”
“At that time, he would have stirred storms in the cultivation world, raising bloody winds and rains. And who would suspect a dead man? Someone without an identity would be the best assassin in the world. Especially with an unlucky wretch like me, who resembled him so closely, taking the blame on one side…” and bearing the love on the other.
The latter half of the sentence, Bo Yan simply could not bring himself to say.
Yet in his malicious thoughts, whether Yan Jingqiu was dead or alive, anything that had fallen into Bo Yan’s hands would never be returned. Bai Chunsheng was already his. Even if Yan Jingqiu leapt out of his coffin, it would be useless. Let him regret it until his guts turned green.
Bo Yan turned to Bai Chunsheng. “Everything above was merely my personal conjecture and may not be true. However, if Yan Jingqiu truly was not dead… then this person must be treated with utmost caution. If he had plotted things to such an extent, and truly wished to ascend as a Venerable, then the first ones he would kill would be people like you and me.”
He paused, then ground his teeth and added, “You must never be deceived by Yan Jingqiu’s sweet words.”
Bo Yan even let out a disdainful snort. “He merely relied on his outstanding reputation and formidable cultivation, pretending to be modest and courteous to attract the worship of children. A shameless scoundrel.”
Bai Chunsheng: “……” Right. Of course.
After Bo Yan’s entire speech, Jiang Ji had scarcely found any opportunity to interject.
Only once he finally paused did Jiang Ji hastily ask, “What proof do you have that you are not Yan Jingqiu?”
Bo Yan laughed lightly. “How was I supposed to prove that I was myself and not Yan Jingqiu? Fairy Yue Bai, your question was rather amusing.”
His smile was open and candid. “If you claimed that I was Yan Jingqiu, then you must present evidence proving beyond doubt that I was indeed Yan Jingqiu. One’s Dao body alone did not count as proof.”
“If in the past no two people had ever possessed the same Dao body, and then one day, at the same time, two individuals in opposite corners of the world happened to share an identical Dao body—could that prove they were the same person? Just because something had never occurred before did not mean it could never occur in the future. Tianqing Sect’s method of judgment was still far too subjective.”
Kneeling below the stage, Su Xiaojing seemed unable to comprehend the exchange at all. He kept his head lowered, continuing to kneel on the ground.
After a moment of silence, the Taixu Sect’s senior sister said, “After today’s banquet, I will remain in Lumen City for two more days. I have already sent a message to our Patriarch and do not know when he will arrive. However, the matter of the Sword Sovereign’s passing has indeed been confirmed multiple times by the Yan family. It is not false. I hope everyone will refrain from harboring doubts.”
Someone in the crowd murmured in a low voice, “If the Yan family had long known that Yan Jingqiu wasn’t dead, then it wouldn’t have been impossible for them to have colluded in fabricating everything.” His voice was too soft and too distant to be heard clearly, almost like the collective voice rising from the depths of everyone’s hearts—they had been thinking the same thing.
Bo Yan’s words successfully drove the situation into a stalemate. Then he added lightly, “But whether it’s me, or whether Yan Jingqiu is dead or alive, these are merely Tianqing Sect’s speculations. They can’t truly serve as proof. The most urgent matter now is to deal with the chaos caused by the demons in the Shattered Stone Mortal Realm, and then to root out those fiends who have already infiltrated the cultivation world.”
“No matter how much we argue, it will only lead to internal strife and mutual suspicion.”
Bo Yan let out a long sigh and muttered mysteriously, “I saw that the stars shifted north tonight. It was time to retire.”
After saying that, he stood up and pulled along Bai Chunsheng—who had barely had time to react—and left.
The crowd bustled behind them, yet no one dared to stop him. The two of them walked out without obstruction.
Seeing that Bo Yan was in a rather good mood, Bai Chunsheng couldn’t help but wonder whether he would still be in such spirits once he learned that he was actually the amnesiac Yan Jingqiu.
They had originally intended to return to the Ten Thousand Demon Sect, but after walking some distance, Bai Chunsheng saw Bo Yan flick his finger. The soil on the ground piled itself up into two clay figures as tall as grown men. Bo Yan then took Bai Chunsheng’s hand and turned in another direction—toward the cliffs at the entrance of the former Wutong Tree Sea: “Let’s go. We’ll avoid them,” Bo Yan said.
“Why?” Bai Chunsheng asked.
With absolute certainty, Bo Yan replied, “Yan Jingqiu wasn’t dead.”
“I know,” Bai Chunsheng said.
Afraid that Bo Yan might grow suspicious, he cleverly added, “You just said so yourself.”
Bai Chunsheng asked again, “So what does that change?”
Bo Yan answered, “Once this Lumen Assembly ends, if Yan Jingqiu truly is still alive, he will come looking for trouble with me.”
“I have been suffering from amnesia and haven’t recovered. My current memories only begin from when I woke up in the Yunhai Small World. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to contend against him. It’s better to avoid him early on.”
Admitting one’s shortcomings wasn’t shameful, but his next words carried a trace of irritation. “If I can’t defeat him, are you going to run off with him?”
Bai Chunsheng: “…You’re overthinking it. Besides, why are you so certain that Yan Jingqiu is the one pulling the strings behind all this?”
It wasn’t even certain that there was a mastermind at all, yet this fool Bo Yan insisted on taking the blame onto himself.
Now it was perfect. After tonight, those who believed Yan Jingqiu was dead would lament his tragic end, while those who believed he wasn’t dead would certainly think he was no good person.
When Yan Jingqiu eventually recovered his memories, what would he do?
Jump out and claim it had all been a joke? Forget it. Something this complicated—let Yan Jingqiu figure it out himself.
“No,” Bo Yan said. “This entire setup was arranged by Yan Jingqiu. Su Xiaojing didn’t have long to live. Instead of using him to track down the escaped demons, Tianqing Sect insisted on coming here to confirm my identity. That alone proved this matter wasn’t simple. Whether it was the demons or the fate of the world, Yan Jingqiu didn’t care about any of it.”
Everything that had happened tonight left Bai Chunsheng feeling confused. Whether it was Bo Yan angrily accusing Yan Jingqiu of being the mastermind, or Bo Yan claiming he was a sinister villain—since the man himself was saying these things, Bai Chunsheng could only quietly take note of them. “But according to what you said earlier, you and Yan Jingqiu shared the same Dao body. That shouldn’t mean anything.”
“It shouldn’t,” Bo Yan said. “But I can’t let Tianqing Sect confirm that I share the same Dao body as Yan Jingqiu. Truth aside, once they have even a piece of ambiguous evidence in their hands, they’ll have an excuse. I’m not particularly afraid of that rabble, but it would still be irritating. It’s better to avoid it.”
Bai Chunsheng found it strange. “Why do you always think… that Yan Jingqiu wants to harm you?”
Bo Yan said nothing. In his understanding, Bai Chunsheng didn’t know that Yan Jingqiu liked him as well.
If Yan Jingqiu were truly still alive, and he were to expose that unspoken truth, wouldn’t that just fulfill the tragic lovers’ reunion? Then what would he be? No—he absolutely wouldn’t tell Bai Chunsheng.
So Bo Yan said, “How would I know? He’s probably just crazy.”
At the thought of it, his entire expression visibly darkened. Even after returning to the Water Abyss Realm, he still seemed to be seriously pondering how to deal with Yan Jingqiu.
“…”
For the time being, Bai Chunsheng decided not to tell Bo Yan the truth after all. He would wait a little longer.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
