Ch60 - Righteous and Open Sentencing

translator: transcendentwings

CW: somewhat explicit kiss scene

When Tao Xiao extinguished the fire, he stepped on all the sparks that were scattered before he exited the cave.

Everyone had been waiting for him outside of the cave for a long time. Seeing this, he couldn’t help feeling slightly embarrassed and stammered to explain: “Over here the air. . . the air is dry and arid, if the remaining flames aren’t stamped out, before the spiritual energy dissipates, it’s easy. . . it’ll easily ignite again.”

No one would mind this and he also belatedly felt silly after explaining, so he just smiled apologetically: “. . . Let’s leave?”

Qu Chi held Qu Chi’s hand: “Go ya.”

In a blink of an eye, the group of them had sheltered in this cave for more than ten days. In actuality as early as three days ago, Zhou Beinan couldn’t stand it any longer and proposed to depart, but Meng Chongguang stated that he wanted to stay for at least three more days. If they were to encounter giants who hadn’t had their fill yet on the way to Huawai Territory, could it be that they had to risk their lives and fight again?

Zhou Beinan lost his temper and muttered: “But how do you know that there is a fragment at Huawai Territory?”

With a expressionless face, Meng Chongguang shirked from all responsibility: “The lord of Feng Mountain said so.”

Xu Xingzhi didn’t expose him in public. He only grabbed the other’s arm when they had separated a little further from the others while collecting firewood and commented with a smile curving the corner of his lips: “. . . You don’t need to draft a lie?”

Meng Chongguang’s back tensed up.

After he lied, he turned around and discovered that Xu Xingzhi wasn’t too far behind him and was flustered for a while.

He was extremely afraid that Xu Xingzhi would be angry and had been quietly observing Xu Xingzhi’s changes in expression from the corner of his eyes since earlier. At this moment, when Xu Xingzhi finally opened his mouth to question him, he immediately softened his posture after a jolt and turned around to rest his head on Xu Xingzhi’s right shoulder, fluttering his eyes in an attempt to act cute: “Shixiong. . .”

Xu Xingzhi put his finger against the other’s lips to stop his coquettish act: “I, like Beinan, very much want to know, how do you know that there is a key shard in Huawai Territory?”

Meng Chongguag pursed his lips remaining noncommittal.

Xu Xingzhi understood: “. . . You still can’t tell me?”

Last time, Xu Xingzhi and Meng Chongguang’s quarrel was also due to this matter. Xu Xingzhi hadn’t yet doubted his own identity at the time and there was also a rift between him and Meng Chongguang, therefore it was understandable that Meng Chongguang didn’t tell him the truth then.

Although, after so long, he had assumed that Meng Chongguang would be able to be frank with him now.

. . . It seems that it still won’t do ah.

He let go of Meng Chongguang, yet Meng Chongguang reversed his hold and captured his wrist instead.

Meng Chongguang tightened his grip, his gaze extremely focused, the area between his brow was furrowed as he confessed word by word: “Shixiong, there are indeed some things that I can’t tell you, but you need to know that I am not Jiu Zhideng and would never bring harm onto you.”

Xu Xingzhi chuckled: “I know.”

It’s just the fact that the other still couldn’t come clean to him made him annoyed and scornful at the same time.

. . . Wherever he went, there would always be someone who withheld information from him.

That is the case with Jiu Zhideng and it is the same with Meng Chongguang.

However, thinking of this, Xu Xingzhi abruptly thought of the devastating sorrow that made it seem as if the world was on the brink of collapse when he read Meng Chongguang’s memories in his dreams and couldn’t help but soften his heart.

. . . The other was unwilling to share it with him, could it be that there were still some hidden circumstances which made it really difficult to just reveal?

Then why should he pressure him ne.

Meng Chongguang noticed the gloomy look in Xu Xingzhi’s countenance and felt very discomfited in his heart. He lowered his head awkwardly: “Shixiong, don’t be angry. . . I don’t want to hide it from you. . . If possible, I wish I could please you all the time. . .”

“Make me happy with what?” Xu Xingzhi wasn’t actually displeased, he just wanted to tease this old rogue who would become terrified whenever he displayed even a slight emotional change as if the sky were about to fall.

“There are tens of thousands of people who like you and Shixiong’s close friends and confidants are all over the world.” Meng Chongguang mumbled softly, “. . . But without Shixiong, I would be left with absolutely nothing.”

Xu Xingzhi only felt a sudden twinge in his heart, then following that, his heart softened and felt soothed, but if he were to investigate it carefully, he would find that it was actually beating extremely violently.

Meng Chongguang scraped his foot against the ground in slow movements: “Shixiong tempted me since the beginning, compelling me to chase after you, and this pursuit ended up lasting for so many years, I was afraid that if I decrease my pace even a little, Shixiong would disappear.”

Feeling distressed, Xu Xingzhi couldn’t help but laugh: “When have you ever pursued me?”

Meng Chongguang was stunned momentarily and glared at him: “Shixiong, these words are so heartless to say! When we met for the first time, I asked Shixiong to stay, but Shixiong refused, so I traveled back to Fengling with Shixiong; The year I kissed Shixiong under the plum blossom tree, Shixiong became so infuriated and barred me from remaining at your palace to rest. Only after Chongguang sobbed for a long time did Shixiong agree to take me in again. . . . Later, I pestered Shixiong every day, and chased after you for such a long time before Shixiong finally agreed to become cultivation partners with me. . .”

Meng Chongguang sniffled, the rims of his eyes were red with grievance: “If I had known earlier, I should’ve imprisoned Shixiong in the mountains when we first met so as to save Shixiong the trouble of uttering such things again!”

. . . This little rascal sported a pitiful-looking dazed look, but his words were very roughish.

Xu Xingzhi chuckled, reached his hand out to touch the nape of the other’s neck and stroked it from the base of the other’s skull downwards in spite of himself then pinched the other’s chin with his index finger and thumb briefly before retracting it: “You have a lot of tricks, how wonderful would it be if this cleverness were used on the right things.”

Meng Chongguang couldn’t stand Xu Xingzhi’s teasing at all and instantly made a muffled sound when he was touched like this, his eyes glowing faintly with anticipation: “Shixiong is seducing me. . .”

“What? You don’t like it?”

Meng Chongguang nodded: “I like it, I like it so much that I’m going crazy.”

“Liar.”

Meng Chongguang seemed to be unable to accept Xu Xingzhi’s mockery in this regard and raised his voice: “Am not.”

“Aren’t you very good at this type of subterfuge?” Xu Xingzhi smiled, “When you pulled the wool over Beinan’s eyes just now, your face wasn’t flushed nor did your heartbeat speed up.”

Meng Chongguang felt his conscience twinge in guilt: “Shixiong, do you like holding grudges this easily?”

“You won’t mend your ways so I will naturally mark it down for you.” Xu Xingzhi questioned sternly, “When I called you over earlier, what did I scold you about?”

Meng Chongguang was unhappy and gave a vague and swift answer: “. . . I don’t need a draft to lie.”

Xu Xingzhi lifted his chin slightly: “Do you know how to write up a draft?”

Before Meng Chongguang could understand what he was hinting at with his gaze, Xu Xingzhi captured his lips and kissed him. Sticking out the tip of his tongue slightly, he slowly drew circles and entangled with the other in his mouth, his movements were so gentle as if he were kneading and teasing the throbbing soft pieces of flesh on Meng Chongguang’s chest.

However when Meng Chongguang became all riled up and was about to deepen the kiss, Xu Xingzhi withdrew, took a few steps back and placed his index finger against the other’s lips again: “Because you lied, today I will join Beinan during the night watch shift.”

Instead of retreating, Meng Chongguang advanced, opened his mouth and sucked on the tip of the finger on Xu Xingzhi’s left hand that was on his lips, softly and smoothly nibbling on the fine calluses that Xu Xingzhi had developed due to long-term writing.

Probably because of Meng Chongguang’s peculiar tongue, Xu Xingzhi only felt that every inch of his finger’s texture, every depression, every ridge and furrow, had been licked thoroughly by Meng Chongguang meticulously, it was terribly torturous.

Then at the moment when Xu Xingzhi was about to lose his mind, Meng Chongguang embraced him tightly, loosened his teeth and let the finger slide out of the corner of his lips naturally, dragging out a transparent line.

He leaned over and kissed the nape of Xu Xingzhi’s neck tenderly, forcing the other to hang back as if he were on the throes of death and while he was in a trance, he led Xu Xingzhi into a hazy abyss.

Three days later, the bunch of them stomped out the campfire and set off to Huawai Territory.

Huawai Territory was a vast and swampy wilderness. The reason why it was called “Huawai Territory” was because it was desolate and cold, with only large swaths of dull, foamy marshland that burbled year-round and small silver four-legged snakes hissing with a shishi crawling in and out, leaving thin trails of crusted mud on the ground.

Huawai Territory was bleak and uninhabited, as such who knew what kinds of beasts and underwater creatures were roaming around and swimming underneath its morass ne.

On the way, they also encountered one or two origin giants, but their stomachs were already full of all sorts of corpses so they didn’t release torrents of wind and sand, thus upon seeing the few of them pass by, they also couldn’t be bothered to give chase. They just walked leisurely while searching for the next place they could hibernate peacefully for the next five years.

Per the usual, Tao Xian was carried around on Qu Chi’s back and in order to take care of his physical wellbeing, they just casually mounted their blades for half a day at a sedate speed and then the next half was traveled on foot. As such, the speed of their journey could be imagined.

Although, even the most irritable Zhou Beinan, after the collision with the origin giant, learned to behave a little better and no longer went on a rampage, only occasionally letting out a few frustrated breaths when he calculated the mileage they covered.

The bunch of them repeated this cycle of walking and stopping for days on end regardless of night or day and still only covered a mere distance of five hundred kilometers after spending more than ten days on the road.

According to Meng Chongguang, they were only fifty percent of the way to Huawai Territory.

In order to preserve their strength, Meng Chongguang and Xu Xingzhi haven’t spent an intimate night together since that time in the wild. How could Meng Chongguang bear it? The eyes that locked on him were always extremely resentful, which made Xu Xingzhi secretly cackle in laughter unceasingly.

Fortunately, there was no brat to stir up trouble anymore and Xu Xingzhi could finally breathe a sigh of relief at night and properly sort out all the strange things he had encountered since entering the savage wasteland before lights out.

At times he would be lying by the blazing fire, feeling as if he were cleanly separated from the world, and his thoughts would be very chaotic, drifting in all directions, brought up to the heavens and then down to the earth.

For some reason, after going to rest on this day, Xu Xingzhi abruptly recalled that Meng Chongguang had declared such a sentence prior to the last time they had been intimate.

—“I am not Jiu Zhideng, I would never bring harm upon you.”

What did that mean?

The Jiu Zhideng he saw in his memories didn’t seem to be able to do any wicked things at all, let alone harm him, the person who had raised the other since he was a child.

The deeper he dove into his thoughts, the dizzier Xu Xingzhi became.

He hadn’t felt this kind of reeling sensation for a very long time. He thought he was just drowsy and raised his hand to rub his temples twice, only to see the rocky roof of the cave above him flip upside down like a kaleidoscope.

Before he could curse, he had already passed out, drowning in the deep sea that was his consciousness.

At the same time.

In the present world, it was currently twilight.

Jiu Zhideng was presently in the discipline hall at Fengling Mountain. Only a single ray of light slanted into the hall from the sky whose glow was inherited by the torch in the hall, casting lush shadows on the wall.

The hall seemed quiet, but in actuality there were six or seven people crowded together.

A group of disciples dressed in Fengling Mountain’s robes escorted a demonic cultivator in shackles, who kneeled silently on the floor.

The demonic cultivator had red pupils and messy hair, even his uniform was unconventional, distinctly marking him as a wandering cultivator of the demonic path. He stared nonchalantly at Jiu Zhideng on the platform high above, and then pursed his lips as if he were looking at a dog in contempt.

Jiu Zhideng wasn’t very interested in how the other viewed himself, and when he snapped the bamboo slips closed with one hand, his cold and dignified voice sounding like a king rang out immediately after: “Crime?”

The disciple of Fengling Mountain who brought the demonic cultivator over felt his knees soften reflexively before hurriedly reporting back: “This demonic cultivator has harvested the blood essence of more than a hundred civilians and used the bloody energy to aid in his cultivation. . .”

“Are there any among the common people who are still living that can identify his misdeeds?”

“None. . .” The disciple replied, “But he had once sucked out the blood essence of a young girl’s father in front of her which she witnessed clearly. According to her, her father’s death could be attributed to this demon.”

The demonic practitioner was straightforward and smirked provocatively, shaking the heavy iron chains on his wrists: “Indeed, it was me. What does this young lord want to do with me ne?

Jiu Zhideng lowered his head, unfolded the bamboo scroll in his hand again, as if the handwriting on the bamboo slips were more pleasing to the eye than the face of the person before him.

He fumbled around the table with one hand and drew two simple and elegant slips from the slip holder with a xixisusu. One he placed at his fingertips to play around with and the other he tossed onto the ground.

Without raising his head, he commanded casually: “Execute him.”

The demonic cultivator was stunned for a moment then dazed in the next as he instantly yelled: “. . . You want to execute me?! Who gave you the right?! Look at me clearly, I’m a demonic cultivator!! I am a practitioner of the same path as you!”

Jiu Zhideng patiently read the words on the bamboo scroll and slowly explained: “I have issued a public decree, that after I become the leader of the four sects, those of the demonic path are no longer allowed to practice the same way as usual and harvest essence. If one feels that the speed of their cultivation is too slow, then they can cultivate using the Hehuan method, the Jingxin way, the Jueyu technique, practice whatever one likes, but the Xue approach you chose has long been explicitly banned. The evils that you have committed up to this day, with this edict as precedent, I cannot tolerate you.”

The demonic practitioner was blue in the face and then wane, he struggled in an attempt to leap to his feet. After being knocked over and pinned down by several disciples, he kept roaring: “You think you’re clean now ah? Is this how you treat members of your fellow clan? You grew up in the immortal sects and so turned around to bite the hand that fed you, harboring differences in your heart, how could a bastard like you, who helps outsiders, be born of the demonic sects!”

Following that, he launched an angry tirade full of obscenities at Jiu Zhideng’s face.

However, these words weren’t enough to move Jiu Zhideng and even the tone of his voice failed to fluctuate in the slightest: “Raising your voice in the discipline hall is a serious crime. Detain him, execute him tomorrow.”

The demonic cultivator saw that he was really going to become a victim at Jiu Zhideng’s deadly hands, his end about to be settled, but it only made him sneer testily as he continued crudely: “Yes, that’s right, you grew up under the hands of Xu Xingzhi. Xu Xingzhi bestowed upon you great kindness and virtue, who in the world isn’t aware of that ah, but towards even him, you dare to—”

Hearing this, Jiu Zhideng’s brow sank and his fingertips swiftly swiped down. The slip that he had been leisurely fiddling with his five fingers spun out and the blunt surface accurately sank into the demonic practitioner’s right eye socket. With wisps of sticky fluid attached to it, it was then withdrawn from his left eye.

Jiu Zhideng flicked his wrist and lowered his head, ignoring the howl like that of a pig being slaughtered, he bowed his head again to look at the bamboo scroll in his hand: “. . . Take him away.”

Although the disciples didn’t notice any hints of rage from Jiu Zhideng’s face, they knew better and quickly dragged the demonic cultivator out of the hall, then helped Jiu Zhideng shut the door in a hurry.

When the disciple closed the door, Jiu Zhideng, sitting up above abruptly asked: “Has Wen Xuechen returned?”

The disciple swiftly replied: “Not yet.”

Jiu Zhideng waved his hand, motioning for the other to step down.

Soon, only Jiu Zhideng was left in the hall.

He put down the bamboo scroll, sat back on his heels, and leaned his sore neck backwards, letting the fluttering light of the torch flicker across his face.

—Shixiong, obviously I had already cleansed your soul for you, so why is it that after you’ve seen Meng Chongguang, you are reluctant to return again?

—Everyone in the world may harm you, even Meng Chongguang is the same, but how would I be willing to hurt even a hair on your head?

The author has something to say:

Shixiong: Come, open your mouth, I will teach you how to draft your lies.

Guang-mei: Ah—

Jiu-mei: (*/ω＼*)

Tomorrow is another Shura field-like flashback, only that it’ll be very short~ Three chapters at most.

Author’s Chapter Summary:

Wildlands, execution, making drafts

The translator has something to say: JZD and MCG are both accusing each other of being the bad one, who do you guys think XXZ should trust more, after all they are both lying and concealing things from him, JZD more obviously and MCG by withholding the truth