Chapter 55: Passing Through the Official Road (Part 6)
Yan Yi’s voice came from behind. “Fifteen seconds.”
Bai Chunsheng froze. He turned around in disbelief to look at Yan Yi. The lantern had been placed on the ground, its light still cold and dim. Yan Yi had found a piece of cloth from somewhere and was now wiping down his new sword.
Bai Chunsheng stammered, “W-what do you mean?”
“As expected of a family dedicated to the sword….” Yan Yi said, though Bai Chunsheng detected no admiration for Yan Fengxing—only disdain and scorn. “He lasted fifteen seconds longer than Shen Yuying.”
Yan Yi thought for a moment and corrected himself. “But it seems Shen Yuying managed to escape with her divine consciousness.” He took a few steps forward and tapped the headless corpse of Yan Fengxing with the tip of his foot. “He’s definitely dead, though.”
Bai Chunsheng’s mind was in chaos. He couldn’t understand why Yan Yi was this powerful. This was his first time witnessing Yan Jingqiu, Yan Yi fight up close. The formidable enemies that Bai Chunsheng had to approach with extreme caution were nothing more than a casual strike for Yan Yi.
Thinking back to the pride and arrogance he once displayed in front of Yan Jingqiu, it felt like a slap across his face, delivered across the vast stretch of time.
Bai Chunsheng didn’t know what to say. After a while, his voice came out hoarse and dry. “Are we going back?”
Yan Yi sensed something was off in Bai Chunsheng’s tone. He paused briefly before replying, “Mm.”
He sheathed his sword and picked up the lantern once more.
Bai Chunsheng wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the lantern seemed brighter than before. In truth, the previous dimness was due to the formation that had isolated this area from the outside world. Now that Yan Yi had killed the one maintaining the formation, the barrier was gone, and the path ahead was finally visible.
Bai Chunsheng followed behind him, his gaze fixed on Yan Yi’s elongated shadow beneath the lantern—darker and heavier than the night itself. Fear and unease threatened to consume his heart. Yan Jingqiu and Yan Yi were still only at the Nascent Soul stage… so how was he capable of this?
What did he need to do to reach the same level of strength?
Bai Chunsheng was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice Yan Yi had stopped walking.
He kept his head down, taking one step after another, already envisioning his grim fate once Yan Jingqiu regained his memories. Not to mention deceiving Yan Jingqiu—convincing him they were sworn friends and having him escort him to the Southern Region.
Since Yan Fengxing had been here hunting down Jiang Ji, this was undoubtedly the Yan family’s doing. Who knew how many of his kin Yan Yi had slaughtered this time?
And then…
Even putting aside Yan Yi’s attitude toward him, Yan Jingqiu would surely despise him. Bai Chunsheng nervously licked his dry lips beneath his mask.
At this moment, he could no longer afford to be repulsed by the fact that Yan Yi claimed to like him. Because once Yan Yi regained his memories, all of his so-called fondness would inevitably transform—multiplied by dozens, hundreds of times—into sheer disgust, fueled by the deep loathing he once held for Bai Chunsheng.
And when that time came, no one could blame the amnesiac Sword Sovereign. Every single debt would be settled, one by one, on Bai Chunsheng’s head.
—After all, he was a fraud.
Bai Chunsheng had once believed that once he reached the Wutong Tree Sea and obtained the treasure passed down by his ancestors, he would be able to safely transcend his tribulation and ascend to the Mahayana Stage without worry. But at this rate, even if he did reach Mahayana Stage, he would still be no match for Yan Jingqiu.
What was he supposed to do now?
The only way was to strike first. Yan Jingqiu’s weakness… his weakness…
What was Yan Jingqiu’s weakness?
Suddenly, lost in thought, Bai Chunsheng felt a tug on his belt. He instinctively assumed an enemy was attacking and prepared to draw his sword, but before he could, Yan Yi’s fingertips pressed against the hand gripping his weapon. “What are you thinking about?” Yan Yi asked.
Bai Chunsheng realized his own abnormal reaction. Forcing a smile, he said, “Nothing.” He still didn’t understand why Yan Yi had stopped. Assuming it was just another one of Yan Yi’s idle pranks, he lifted his foot to continue walking.
Yan Yi sighed, shaking his head in resignation. He grabbed Bai Chunsheng’s hand and pointed his lantern toward the left side of the road. Bai Chunsheng focused his gaze. The sides of the path were lined with tall, dense trees, and at the base of one—dry, shriveled, and skeletal like a shadow—lay a person.
The moment Bai Chunsheng saw her, it was as if his numbed senses suddenly returned. A thick, metallic scent filled his nostrils. His instincts as a half-demon told him that this was not the blood of those Yan Yi had just killed—it was fresh.
Which meant this person was still alive.
A woman.
Jiang Ji.
As Bai Chunsheng and Yan Yi approached, Jiang Ji still retained some consciousness. She heard footsteps and assumed it was the pursuers toying with her, their intent to prolong her agony by making her aware of her own helplessness in the face of death.
If that was truly their plan, then they had succeeded. Jiang Ji thought bitterly. But even in this state, she refused to surrender without a fight. She struggled to turn over, forcing her eyes open. Blurry figures stood in front of her.
A strange voice asked, “Is she still alive?”
The other voice was familiar. “She is.”
“Can she survive?” the unfamiliar voice asked again.
“She can.”
Hearing that voice, Jiang Ji felt a spark of hope. She strained her eyes in the darkness, trying to focus. Slowly, slowly, the two figures became clearer.
She focused all her energy on the one who felt familiar. She had never believed he was dead.
—She was doomed to be disappointed.
It wasn’t Yan Jingqiu.
The two men before her—one wore a mask, while the other was a strange young man she had met once before in the group heading to the Southern Region, the one carrying a white duck. The former was in the early Dao stage, and the latter was only at the late Nascent Soul stage.
But ultimately, neither of them seemed capable of breaking this predicament. Jiang Ji’s disappointment deepened. The injuries she had forcefully suppressed surged back, and she coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Oddly enough, after coughing out the blood, she seemed to feel slightly better, as if the pain had lessened enough for her to speak clearly.
Her three companions were either dead or missing, and even she wasn’t sure if she could survive. Jiang Ji sighed. “You should run…” Her words cut off midway as she realized something—if even she couldn’t break free from this barrier, how could two Nascent Soul cultivators possibly manage? These two weren’t here to save her. They were just looking for an escape route.
Jiang Ji wasn’t embarrassed by this realization. In such dire straits, she even found a strange sense of calm: “If you’re here hoping I can save you, then I should tell you—I don’t have that ability.”
Yan Yi said, “I know.”
Jiang Ji: “…”
—
Author’s Note:
Bai Chunsheng: “What the hell is Yan Jingqiu’s weakness?!”
“Damn it!”
After much deep thought, Bai Chunsheng had a sudden stroke of inspiration. He quickly realized, with sharp intuition, that his lifelong rival’s weakness was actually himself. To gain leverage over Yan Jingqiu, the beautiful yet foolish Bai Chunsheng decided to seduce him first and then use it as blackmail.
However, Bai Chunsheng’s so-called “brilliance” ended up backfiring. Instead of gaining the upper hand, he found himself being relentlessly blackmailed by Yan Jingqiu and forced into endless rounds of intimacy.
Just kidding. This entire scenario was based on the assumption that Bai Chunsheng could even recognize that Yan Jingqiu’s weakness was him.
Unfortunately, Bai Chunsheng was just a dumb duck.
—Yan Jingqiu thought regretfully.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
