Chapter 86.1
Editor: SimoB
When Shi Qing got back, he changed into the thin blue robes the original host usually wore at night. However, he didn’t go to sleep immediately, and instead sat on a round stool in the room to wait.
The System that had finished memorizing the song came out in high spirits. [Host, I–]
Its words faltered when it saw Shi Qing’s face. The System stammered nervously: [H-Host, why do you look so pale?]
Shi Qing paused in the middle of pouring himself some tea. He raised his eyebrows slightly: [Naturally it’s because I spent all of last night transferring spiritual energy to Rong Jue. Not falling over from exhaustion is already quite surprising.]
A cultivator’s cultivation depended on his spiritual energy, so pa.s.sing it to others was a very intensive process. The only reason Shi Qing was still standing was because of how high his cultivation was.
Even though it was only that high because of pills.
The System suddenly realized what its Host had done to save Rong Jue.
It urged Shi Qing: [Go rest quickly then! It’ll take a long time to recuperate from transferring spiritual energy all night].
Shi Qing: [No, I’m waiting for someone.]
System: [Didn’t the original host have little to no visitors?]
Shi Qing: [I’m waiting for Rong Jue.]
System: [Huh?]
Just when it was confused about how the supposedly bedridden Rong Jue could come find its Host, Rong Jue’s weak yet gentle voice came from outside.
“Disciple Rong Jue has come to ask for Shizun’s forgiveness.”
Then it was Qiao Lingyu’s voice: “Disciple Qiao Lingyu has come to ask for Shizun’s forgiveness.”
Shi Qing raised his eyebrows. [See? Told you he’d come.]
He stood up, only to immediately frown and look sharply at the door.
Shi Qing: [Something seems off.]
System: […Host, Rong Jue’s animosity value is…500/100]
System: [300 was already bad enough, but 500?! Where’s the logic in that?!?]
But after a momentary surprise, Shi Qing gradually calmed down. [Wu… Check to see if there are any hidden plotlines. I can tell that this Rong Jue isn’t the same as the one from before.]
System: [……]
It managed to find an extra chapter.
[Extra: After becoming a demon lord, Rong Jue was about to go to Chi Yun Sect to seek revenge on Shi Qing when he suddenly woke up one night, reborn! He had returned to the time when his spiritual root and cultivation had just been destroyed…]
System: [……]
It understood now.
This world was already difficult enough, but now that Rong Jue had been reborn, was clearing this world even possible?!
The System lost all hope. [Host, let’s give up.]
Shi Qing: [Give up? Why would we do that?]
The System wanted to crash its systems so badly. [There’s no way out now that Rong Jue’s been reincarnated!]
The Rong Jue from before just wanted to kill Shi Qing. This Rong Jue, however, wanted him to die by a thousand cuts! The worst part is, this version was capable of carrying out such a punishment!!
The System was about to go insane, but Shi Qing didn’t feel like this was even a setback.
Shi Qing: [Isn’t this great?]
Shi Qing: [It’s even easier than before.]
System: [……]
It still really didn’t understand humans.
Outside, after Qiao Lingyu shouted, she carefully peeked at the door. It was still firmly shut, with seemingly no intentions of opening.
She whispered to Rong Jue, who was beside her, “Da-shixiong, is Shizun in closed-door cultivation?”
Shizun would at least tell her if he was busy or not when she came before.
Why’s there no response at all now?
Rong Jue’s body was a bit stiff. He hung his head slightly without speaking.
He was Rong Jue, but not the Rong Jue of this moment in time.
He was the Rong Jue who had already removed Shi Qing’s restriction from his body, entered the Demon Realm, and claimed the position of demon lord.
But for some reason, after a short nap, he opened his eyes and found himself in this period in time when he was still weak.
The arrival of the demon lord coincided with when Shi Qing came to heal Rong Jue. Although this was technically still his body, he was a being from 100 years in the future. He could only be a spectator because he was unable to a.s.sume control.
Even so, this was enough for him to slowly influence his younger self.
And now, he completely occupied this body, replacing the present Rong Jue.
The handsome man kneeling on the ground did not reveal any of his alertness in his expression, but he was constantly observing his surroundings.
This was indeed Chi Yun Sect’s Qing Jian Peak.
He was sure that no one in the world could pull him into an illusion, but was this truly reality?
The demon lord’s memories slowly merged with those of the original Rong Jue.
He learned that the original had come here to kneel, to find out if Shi Qing was the one who had treated his wounds last night.
The demon lord had no recollection of Shi Qing ever tending to his injuries, but there was a time where he made a miraculous recovery in just one night.
Darkness flashed by in his eyes. Maintaining his upright posture, he loudly repeated the words of his past self:
“Disciple Rong Jue has come to ask for Shizun’s forgiveness.”
He knew that Shi Qing had no interest in socializing and spent most of his days around Qing Jian Peak. What were the chances that he happened to be away today?
Besides…
The demon lord looked down as the faint scent of phoenix wood entered his nose.
Qiao Lingyu, who was kneeling at the side, could not notice the fragrance, but Rong Jue could detect its rich scent. Someone inside must have lit phoenix wood incense recently.
One phoenix tree took 3000 years to mature, and only a handful of components could be taken from each tree to be made into incense. In addition, phoenix trees only grew under certain circ.u.mstances which could not be replicated by humans, meaning that money alone was not enough to acquire some.
Ten years ago, someone found a hundred phoenix trees in a small oasis. At the incense auction, the previous Supreme Elder Shi spent quite a sum to purchase a large batch, just because his son enjoyed the fragrance.
Even so, phoenix wood incense was so rare that his ‘wonderful’ Shizun only used it when he was at home.
A hundred years later, everyone knew that the demon lord hated phoenix wood and would destroy it on sight.
Why, you ask? Well, his hatred for his former Shizun obviously also applied to phoenix trees.
Rong Jue deduced that Shi Qing was inside based on this fragrance.
He was just refusing to see them, that’s all.
The original him might have left, but the Rong Jue kneeling on the cold stone path only raised a hand to brush against the cheek that should’ve had a small scar.
Fingers lined with thin calluses from dedicated sword practice fell gently, and Rong Jue’s eyes looked up.
“Disciple Rong Jue has come to ask for Shizun’s forgiveness.”
Qiao Lingyu: “Da-shixiong, I don’t think Shizun is home.”
Only then did Rong Jue turn to look at her.
This was his little Shimei, who he had once cherished. She had helped him when he was down, but that didn’t stop him from pointing his blade at her after joining the demonic faction.
After a hundred years, the demon lord was no longer the same Rong Jue. Looking at this little Shimei now, no lingering affections stirred in his heart.
He hung his head slightly, as if very weak, and whispered.
“Shimei, I have disgraced Qing Jian Peak. I must apologize to Shizun today. But since he isn’t here, could you go down the mountain and find out where he has gone?”
Qiao Lingyu didn’t suspect anything. She thought it made sense that her weakened Da-shixiong couldn’t go down the mountain himself. She quickly helped Rong Jue to a nearby stone bench.
She promised confidently, “Don’t worry Da-shixiong, I’ll go ask Shizun to come back!”
After making sure her Shixiong was comfortable, she went down the mountain.
Rong Jue’s dark eyes watched his little Shimei disappear into the distance. Then he turned to the elegantly elaborate yet quiet place of cultivation.
Shi Qing’s residence was on Qing Jian Peak’s highest cliff. It looked more like a house from the human realm than the minimalist residences of other immortals. Even some of the furnishings inside were similar.
As a child, Rong Jue had wanted to live with Shizun because his house was so much like a mortal’s. But he was punished to swing his sword 10,000 times after he brought it up with Shi Qing.
Yes, ten thousand times.
Even though he was already able to draw in energy from the environment by then, that kind of harsh training was too much for a child.
Rong Jue still remembers the grievance and sadness he felt when he had to keep swinging his sword with sore and stiff arms. It still affected him whenever he recalled it when he was older.
Cold emotions surfaced in Rong Jue’s eyes.
He wanted to leave the Chi Yun Sect and become the demon lord again before coming back to kill Shi Qing.
With his past experiences, Rong Jue would have an even easier time than before.
But first, he wanted to find out why Shi Qing had saved him.
Based on his memories of last night, the demon lord presumed that Shi Qing did not want him to die.
Even though he was the one who destroyed Rong Jue’s cultivation and nearly killed him.
In that case, there was a very simple method to lure his ‘wonderful’ Shizun out.
Rong Jue coughed a few times as if he was unwell. He wobbled to his feet and walked slowly away from the house while holding onto the stone table.
He stood at the edge of the cliff and looked down.
There was nothing but white mist below.
Rong Jue could jump from here without receiving any injuries when he was just the Da-shixiong on the cusp of Void Refining stage.
Of course, he would be fine after becoming a demon lord as well.
But now, he was as weak as any ordinary mortal.
“Ah!”
The handsome man, who had been enjoying the scenery on the cliff’s edge, seemed to stumble as his legs gave out. He looked like he was about to fall off any second now!
The scream, as well as its location, was enough to make the people in the house think that he had fallen off the cliff.
Not a moment later, the door that had been closed this whole time whipped open.