Chapter 41: Hanhai’s Golden Sands
Hu Si picked up his teacup and gestured toward Meng Xueli.
As he raised his hand, the edge of his plain outer robe shifted, revealing a glimpse of deep red inner garments, contrasting starkly with his pale wrist and slender fingers—an oddly decadent sight.
Meng Xueli’s face flushed, then paled, but he refused to lower his head. His neck stiffened as he snapped, “So what? It has nothing to do with you!”
He quickly regained his composure. “I didn’t come here for that. What exactly are ‘Weary of Rain’ and ‘Tired of Wind’? Where are they now?”
Hu Si arched a brow and drawled, “I don’t know either. I called you up here hoping you’d tell me. Didn’t Ji Xiao, your deeply devoted Dao companion, give them to you?”
At his words, Meng Xueli instantly sobered, all traces of embarrassment vanishing. Now that the news of the Sword Sovereign’s relics had been publicly revealed, who would believe him if he claimed ignorance after leaving the ship?
What was Hu Si’s true intention behind all this?
Meng Xueli didn’t trust him and had no intention of revealing Xiao Tingyun’s special identity.
He calmly sat back down. “Before Ji Xiao left, he did mention he had a gift for me upon his return… But he never came back. Naturally, the items aren’t with me. You’ve known him for over two hundred years—far longer than I have. You, being so generous, surely wouldn’t mind pointing me in the right direction?”
“Clap, clap, clap.” A crisp applause echoed through the quiet chamber.
Hu Si clapped his hands and said, “Brilliant. You’re still as adaptable as ever. Unfortunately, I’m not Junior Brother. That trick doesn’t work on me. Ji Xiao and I… we walk different paths. Don’t try using the same approach on me that you did with him.”
Meng Xueli fell silent.
*”Walking different paths”* wasn’t the issue. The real question was—what consequences would follow?
It could be a case of “having irreconcilable differences,” leading to distance and estrangement. Or it could be “a gentleman seeks harmony but not uniformity,” where mutual respect remains despite differences.
They were taught by the same master—how could they turn out so differently?
Meng Xueli grew curious at the thought and asked, “How is it different?”
Hu Si thought for a moment before replying, “Many years ago, when Ji Xiao and I were young, we were ostracized and bullied in the Hall of Legal Principles. Our master took pity on us and accepted us as disciples, but he didn’t know how to teach us because neither of us liked following rules.
“Ji Xiao refused to follow rules because he believed they were flawed. He wanted to be the one to set the rules and make the world a better place. But what exactly is ‘better’? Was what he believed to be good truly good? As for me, I disliked both following rules and making them. Just the thought of it was exhausting. The mortal world itself is wearisome. It would be far better to ascend to the heavens and create a world of my own…”
Hu Si shook his head. “But why am I telling you this? You were originally a demon—you wouldn’t understand.”
With that, he pushed open the window. Below, the countless flying artifacts in the air remained completely motionless, as if frozen by an invisible force, forming a majestic and awe-inspiring scene.
Hu Si said, “You all seem busy, so don’t mind me—”
His voice rolled through the clouds like the rumbling of spring thunder, spreading far and wide.
Yet, even after a moment, not a single artifact moved.
Hu Si sighed and slammed the window shut with a loud *snap.*
Meng Xueli said, “I am human now. I have lived as one for three years, yet you still hold onto your prejudice against me and refuse to change your opinion. Isn’t that just another kind of ‘rule’ you have set for yourself?”
Hu Si burst into laughter. “Sharp-tongued as ever. You’re even more articulate than my pet Qiuguang.”
Seeing that Hu Si was utterly unfazed by both hard and soft approaches, Meng Xueli suppressed his frustration and said calmly, “I am Ji Xiao’s bonded Dao companion.” How could he be compared to the concubines in Hu Si’s chambers? That remark was far too frivolous.
“No need to remind me—I know! The whole world knows!” Hu Si raised his cup again. “Come, let’s toast to Ji Xiao’s Dao companion returning victorious from the secret realm and obtaining the Sword Sovereign’s relic soon.”
Meng Xueli downed his drink in one gulp and stood up. “Did the Realm Master invite me aboard today just for idle chatter? No serious matters to discuss?”
Hu Si raised an eyebrow. “Chatting with my sister-in-law over tea—what could be more ordinary than that? Who said it wasn’t allowed?”
…
Of course, no one dared to say it wasn’t.
Under countless astonished and envious gazes, Meng Xueli ascended on a red lotus and then stepped down onto a rainbow bridge.
Though no one dared to openly criticize Hu Si, they couldn’t help but whisper among themselves in private, turning their scrutiny toward Meng Xueli instead.
“Is he really here to participate in the grand competition? What’s even the point? They might as well just hand him the title of champion already. Why put on such a show?”
“Could he have used some kind of demonic technique? He bewitched the Sword Sovereign back then, and now he’s doing the same to the Realm Master?”
Unlike the younger disciples, the elders of various sects were visibly solemn.
With the Realm Master personally present, the relics of Ji Xiao—*Weary of Rain, Tired of Wind*—must be extraordinary. What kind of divine artifact were they? Were they in Meng Xueli’s possession?
Regardless, if the Realm Master claimed Meng Xueli knew about them, then it had to be true.
Hu Si spoke again, “My sister-in-law has already left. What are you all still waiting for?”
In past competitions at the Hanhai Secret Realm, Ji Xiao had always stood high above on the clouds, silently overseeing everything. Though he never said a word, his presence alone was enough. With *Endless Sky Sword* watching, everyone adhered strictly to the rules, not daring to make a single misstep.
Now, there were two sages in the world, shining like the sun and moon.
The cloudship of Mingyue Lake, its deep blue-black hues resembling ink, was anchored at the farthest end of the sky from Tianhu Lake’s grand crimson treasure ship. It looked on like a detached spectator, utterly unimpressed by the spectacle before it.
A distant, ancient voice drifted from the ship: “Activate the jade talisman. Enter the secret realm.”
Once both sages had spoken, the many sects that had remained neutral, unwilling to take sides too hastily, finally began to move. Countless flying artifacts descended one by one.
Before long, the disciples of various sects received their permissions. Streaks of light shot out from the cloudships, diving toward the desert sea below.
Meng Xueli had yet to master sword flight, so he stood quietly and waited for the Han Shan cloudship to descend, cursing Hu Si two hundred times in his heart.
His teammates, the three disciples from Chongbi Peak, stood on the deck alongside him, shielding him from the probing gazes filled with all kinds of speculation.
The Han Shan cloudship was swift, arriving ahead of all other sects.
Meng Xueli gazed into the distance. Beneath the somber, deep greenish-black sky, not a single blade of grass grew. The sand dunes shifted with the wind, and at the farthest edge of his vision, where the sky met the earth in a thin, curved line, the last rays of the setting sun cast a golden-orange glow.
At last, the boundless golden sands of Hanhai were revealed in their true form.
As everyone surveyed the surroundings, a sudden streak of light appeared in the northern sky, rushing closer with a long tail that seemed to be burning.
Someone shouted, “Look!”
“A meteor in the desert?”
“No, it’s Senior Brother Cui’s Scarlet Fire Sword—he’s arrived!”
Meng Xueli turned to the three people traveling with him and asked, “Who is he?”
Zhang Suyuan answered, “That is Senior Brother Cui Jing, the head disciple under the sect master. He has spent years in seclusion and rarely appears in public. Elder Meng may not recognize him.”
Meng Xueli had only heard of him before. Although Cui Jing was Han Shan’s top disciple, he took no interest in sect affairs and was indifferent to anything outside of cultivation.
“I remember that according to the rules, disciples of the same sect should travel together,” Meng Xueli remarked.
Li Wei sighed. “Geniuses always get special privileges.” Cui Jing had already reached the pinnacle of the Barrier-Breaking Realm, just one step away from the Xiao Sheng Stage. Today, he had departed later but arrived ahead of them—his sword flight was even faster than flying artifacts, proving how profound his cultivation was.
Zhang Suyuan frowned. “Elder Meng, don’t listen to his nonsense. When we departed, Senior Brother Cui was still in seclusion. He must have hurried here as soon as he emerged.”
However, everyone understood the unspoken truth—Xiao Tingyun had yet to mature, and his timing for joining the sect had been unfortunate, ensuring he had no fate with the Hanhai Secret Realm.
For Han Shan to claim victory in this trial, they would have to rely on Cui Jing.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
