Chapter 59. You will kill me

Proofread by Mika

After experiencing the Dance of the Deva-Mara on the second floor, Kuhe was intensely wary of this place.

When the black clouds rose up and his vision suddenly went dark, he held his Buddhist cane in front of himself and chanted a mantra, sending his spiritual power to all four sides.

“There are both law and lawlessness, shape and shapelessness; believe in the righteous and hold onto the faith, recite and chant, and any demon will be cleared out!”

As his lips were moving, the prayer turned into golden light, pouring in torrents, cutting through the murk and illuminating a clear path.

At the same time, he saw a white light coming from the side, like billows sweeping over the darkness and inundating it. Nothing could withstand such a brutal and resolute force, and it sluiced in unobstructed!

What a violent technique!

Kuhe gasped and took a few steps back subconsciously, giving way to the white light.

Upon supreme beings’ arrival, the common folk worshipped on bent knees; no one could get in front of the attack, and nothing could vie with it for being the most radiant!

A sword appeared in front of Kuhe’s eyes. Its blade was shining brightly enough to keep any demon of the dark at bay.

Afterwards, the sword owner’s figure appeared from the blinding sea of light.

It was Jiufang Changming.

His expression was indifferent, as if he was an exorcising deity that had descended from heaven, looking upon all mortal vicissitudes and pleasures with a cold detachment.

Kuhe seemed to be influenced by his mood. His expression and attitude became more solemn and respectful, and he was even breathing quietly, afraid to offend Jiufang Changming.

He closely looked at the thing Changming was holding.

The Basin of Plenty that had almost stirred up havoc was now lying peacefully on his palm, cute and frail like a sleeping baby.

“Has the senior sealed it?”

“No, I only dispersed the demonic qi around it. I want to do an experiment.”

What kind of experiment?

Changming did not answer the question that was plastered over Kuhe’s face.

He went down to the first floor, bringing the Basin of Plenty there.

Just like it was when they had entered the pagoda, the statue was sitting cross-legged on the lotus platform, faintly smiling, holding a sphere in one hand and the Void in the other.

When Kuhe saw it again, his heart skipped a beat.

Before the thought had taken form in Kuhe’s mind, Changming had put the Basin of Plenty in the hand that was turned upwards.

It’s!

Kuhe suddenly realised.

This “holding the Void” explanation he had come up with was of course plausible, but he always felt that it was somehow incompatible with the Treasured Celestial Library Pagoda.

The gesture of Fozun Xu Tiancang holding the Void in his hand was a reminder for his successors to study the dualism of the universe faithfully; but this place was a pagoda of the Empire’s Capital, so the statue’s purpose was to pray for prosperity to the world, as well as for fame and fortune to the common people. To put it bluntly, performing “Spring Snow” for simple and crude folks was undoubtedly nothing but playing the lute to a cow; when preaching to people, the content should be appropriate and comprehensible to the intended audience. In their case, the metaphor for the Void was far inferior to the symbolic holding of a treasure basin.

Dualism: lit. yin-yang. The concept is supposedly present in Mahayana Buddhism, not just Taoism

Spring Snow: a highbrow song of the elite in the state of Chu known for being very intricate

Playing the lute to a cow: casting pearls before swine

Now this complied with the original purpose of the Celestial Library Pagoda!

After the Basin of Plenty was placed on its palm, the statue became even more dazzling, and its face seemed to be glowing as well, becoming more and more amiable. Truly unfathomable.

Kuhe looked at the statue’s smile and vivid and lifelike features.

No, not just lifelike, it was alive!

Unexpectedly, Fozun Xu Tiancang, who had been sitting cross-legged for many years, turned towards Kuhe and gave him a smile; but, in a flash, that smile disappeared, as if it were a morning bell exhorting everyone to lead a righteous life and criticizing mortals.

“Kuhe, do you admit your mistakes?”

Kuhe felt as if countless drums were beating in his heart.

He collected himself, vaguely aware that this could be an illusion or relentless demons causing mischief.

“After this disciple entered his sect, his devoted mind was resolute; he never gave up halfway, never oppressed the weak, and never did anything against the morals. The sun and the moon are his witnesses, and deities are observing him as well!”

Fozun Xu Tiancang smiled deeply, as if laughing at Kuhe’s lies.

“Then what about the time before you entered your sect?”

Kuhe said in a low voice: “There is a saying in Buddhism, ‘drop your cleaver and become a Buddha’. Since a murderer can be enlightened and cleansed, naturally, I can be as well.”

Fozun Xu Tiancang suddenly shouted: “A casuistic trick! Although you’ve never killed anyone, your soul is weighted with sins. Because of you, your elder brother’s family was broken up and decimated, and you entered a Buddhist sect only to flee from the responsibility. After all these years, you still haven’t come to your senses, thinking that the stronger your cultivation base is, the higher your position in the Qingyun School will rise; but you’ve never thought that no matter how much you cultivate, you can’t redeem the mistakes you’ve made! The fate of those who died because of you is even more miserable than it would have been if you killed them with a cleaver directly!”

Kuhe was silent.

“What else dost thou have to say!”

“What else dost thou have to say!”

“A-di, I beg you, stop tormenting us!”

A-di: younger brother; prefix “a-” shows familiarity, suffix “-di” means younger brother.

“A-di, whatever you want, I’ll give you anything, everything but A-Wan and her alone, do you understand?”

“What else dost thou have to say!”

…

Questions flashed like thunderbolts and lightning, one after another, making him feel dizzy.

A wave of memories enveloped him.

Kuhe took a few steps back and sat on the floor.

Sweat was running down him like raindrops, his face deathly pale.

…

Changming saw a completely different scene.

He saw his shifu.

The head of the Yuhuang Temple of the previous generation, the one who passed on the Yuhuang Temple to Changming, urged him repeatedly to bring their sect to greater heights.

And Changming did turn the Yuhuang Temple into a sect famous for having as many masters as there are clouds in the sky.

But this reputation was based on his own strength.

Before Changming left the Yuhuang Temple, he had handed it over to his shidi, so the Yuhuang Temple turned silent for several years. If it was not for Yun Weisi coming from this sect, it would have probably disappeared, nameless and inconspicuous once again.

Nevertheless, after Yun Weisi had left Yuhuang Temple for the Nine Layers of the Abyss, the sect inevitably fell into decline. It had not become a first-rate clan, and only shone brilliantly once, like a falling star.

From this perspective, Changming actually let his shifu down.

A first-rate clan should necessarily have first-rate masters; a sect cannot turn into a well-established and long-standing one simply by relying on one person.

“You definitely made a promise, but failed to keep it. Changming, you flaunt yourself as someone who values a promise more than one thousand in gold, but you couldn’t keep a word you gave to your shizun.”

The head of the Yuhuang Temple was gazing at Changming with a look of disappointment.

“If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have passed Yuhuang Temple to you back then.”

“You couldn’t have handed it over to anyone but me. My shidis’ aptitudes were only average, and they could hardly support themselves, let alone take over a sect. There was only me; no one else could take this responsibility. I never wished to have this position, and only agreed to it reluctantly because of our relationship as master and disciple. If you want to put my mind in disorder and attack me using my weakness, you should find a better candidate.”

The corners of Changming’s mouth were slightly raised, looking at his shifu as if the latter was a joke.

“With your skills in illusions, you can probably go and swindle common people on the streets, but if you want to deceive me…”

He flicked his fingertips, and a small cluster of white light fell, burning the statue instantly. But, after it was burnt, the previous head of Yuhuang Temple disappeared, replaced by Zhou Keyi.

One of his legs was bent, the other twisted; his whole body was covered in bloodstains, and he was definitely in dire straits.

Several strands of his hair fell loose on his forehead. The scarlet blood had already dried up. Zhou Keyi was sitting on the floor, leaning on a wall in the corner, with his lips tightly pursed. He opened his eyes for a moment to look at Changming, and then closed them again.

“I am going to die soon. You finally came.”

“I was just going to save you. They bathed the Jianxue Clan with blood, and said that you’re at the Wanlian Buddhist Temple.”

“The Wanlian Buddhist Temple?” Zhou Keyi sneered, his breath weak, “When you get there, you’ll only see my dead body. They’ve already seized my immortal souls, and trapped my souls here, so that I can neither live nor die even if I begged for either.”

Changming raised his eyebrows: “With your skills as the master of the prominent Jianxue Clan, how could you let someone exterminate your lair without even fighting back? If you listened to your teacher’s words back then, would you have been reduced to such a state?”

Zhou Keyi’s anger flared up after he heard such casual words.

“Isn’t the Jianxue Clan of today your fault all around?! If you hadn’t meddled into others’ business and hadn’t started investigating the Sacred Mountain Wan, would it still have turned out this way? You can’t go down alone, and simply have to drag others into trouble!”

At first, Changming thought it to be another illusion, only a bit more skillful.

But Zhou Keyi’s fierce fury made him doubt it a bit.

Could it be that Zhou Keyi being caught by Wanlian Buddhist Temple was a lie, and this one was real?

He took a step forward and grabbed Zhou Keyi’s wrist.

It was a bit warm, and his pulse was beating faintly.

“What happened to you?”

Changming inserted some spiritual powers, but Zhou Keyi rejected them instinctively.

Changming’s heart fell.

It wasn’t a good sign. There was a proverb among the common people, ‘final radiance of the setting sun’. The more ruthlessly Zhou Keyi rejected his powers, the weaker he actually was.

Final radiance of the setting sun: brief glow of health before passing away

“Jiufang Changming, I’ve always hated you,” Zhou Keyi mumbled.

“I know,” Changming’s hand was grabbed by Zhou Keyi, but he did not break free, “Tell me who did this, and I will get revenge for you.”

Zhou Keyi laughed coldly, coughing non-stop. His blood splashed on the back of Changming’s hand, as hot as boiling water.

“Is it important? I want to get revenge myself, I don’t need you.”

“Alright, you don’t need me,” it looked like Changming was trying to placate a child.

In his heart, Changming deemed Zhou Keyi his most immature disciple, the one he had to look after the most.

But back then, Changming had neither the patience nor the time to coax a child gently. He thought that everyone should overcome their difficulties by themselves; the path of cultivation was incomparably cruel, and if someone needed to be comforted all the time, even if they achieved something, they would be cut off from other cultivators.

That was why when Zhou Keyi rebelled against him, Changming remained completely unmoved, only thinking to himself with a disdainful smile that Zhou Keyi had deprived himself of the chance to succeed, and, apart from becoming obsessed, he had no other path.

Everything went according to his prediction indeed.

After so many years, Changming had also been through many near-death experiences, so his character changed. Finally, he reflected on his past relationship with Zhou Keyi.

A master and their disciple should never lead each other towards disaster.

“The Jianxue Clan was destroyed entirely,” Zhou Keyi mumbled with his eyes closed.

Even if at first he only wanted to prove himself better than his shizun, showing that he was able and could establish a Demonic sect with his own hands, the Jianxue Clan had ended up turning into a place every Demonic cultivator looked up to.

Able: it’s also his name, so ‘showing he was Keyi’

Although Zhou Keyi was moody, and every famous sect could rightfully send people to kill this Demonic cultivator, in Demonic cultivators’ eyes, he was great and capable.

Just like it was for Xu Jingxian. If it wasn’t for the Jianxue Clan, perhaps, she would have still wandered about destitute.

So, towards Zhou Keyi, she felt fear, awe and reverence at the same time.

Changming sighed and patted him on the shoulder.

“The Jianxue Clan was destroyed, but you can create a new one.”

“But the people are dead, and their souls annihilated. Even a deity would have a hard time saving them,” bloody tears were dripping from Zhou Keyi’s eyes, “They could have avoided all of this. If only it wasn’t for you. Jiufang Changming, you’ve caused the deaths of so many, and it’s still not enough?”

He weakly grabbed Changming’s collar, and pulled him closer.

“You’ve incurred so many disasters. If it wasn’t for you, the Jianxue Clan wouldn’t have become like this, and I…”

Blood was flowing down from his mouth. Zhou Keyi’s eyes turned scarlet, as if he had thousands of words left to say, and no one could understand the depth of his hatred.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes widely, his face revealing his disbelief. He was staring at Changming.

“That’s enough.”

Changming slowly pulled his hand from his chest, and started carefully wiping the blood off of it with Zhou Keyi’s sleeve, missing not a single finger.

“Trees crave calm but the wind won’t abate. If it’s not my fault, why would I force myself to admit it? Moreover, Zhou Keyi’s character is different. He wouldn’t be talking endlessly about his Jianxue Clan, full of remorse. He takes an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, and wouldn’t cry and complain to his shifu like an old widow on his deathbed.”

He got up, kicking “Zhou Keyi” at that.

“You only have his shape, but not his spirit. At first, you almost made me believe it, but unfortunately, you overacted and fell into my trap. Did you know that memories and impressions can also be faked?”

Changming revealed a mysterious smile to “Zhou Keyi”, lying limply on the floor.

“Did you think that the memories you absorbed from me are surely true? You can create an illusion, but I can turn it upside down as well, taking control over your fake illusion.”

“Zhou Keyi” was gasping feebly and blood was oozing from all over his body. He gradually turned into sand, scattering on the floor; finally, his flesh and blood disappeared from Changming’s sight as well.

The world became bright once again, and the statue of Buddha with the Basin of Plenty was sitting cross-legged with composure in front of his eyes.

The candlelight was flickering, creating a sense of warmth.

But Kuhe had disappeared somewhere.

The door to the first floor of the pagoda was pushed open, and Yun Weisi went in.

“How are things here?”

“Fine,” Changming noticed that the expression in his eyes was different from before, “You are Yun Hai?”

“It seems that Shizun doesn’t want to see me?” Yun Hai simply could not learn how to speak seriously, so they could easily be told apart.

Changming frowned: “If you change frequently, you will exhaust your spiritual power, inciting the obsession.”

Yun Hai sneered, and did not reply to this remark: “I met Xiao Cangfeng. He lured me out to the outskirts and wanted to isolate me.”

“And then?” Changming could not help but concentrate after hearing this name.

“Then he was killed by me.”

“Xiao Cangfeng is a key figure.”

“He lured me out to separate us and kill me there. He was wholeheartedly devoted to Jiang Li, so there was no way to learn any useful information from him.”

Changming said with a sigh: “What a pity.”

Yun Hai: “It wasn’t too bad, he showed me the future.”

Changming: “Future?”

“Yes, the future where you will kill me.”

Yun Hai came closer and put Changming’s hand on his chest.

“The Sifei Sword pierced me right here. I still remember that feeling vividly.”

Changming wanted to say, it was only an illusion to confuse you, but felt something was wrong immediately.

Because another Yun Hai, exactly the same as the one in front of him, hugged him from behind, and put his chin on Changming’s shoulder, cheek to cheek.

“Did Xiao Cangfeng want to tell us that even after all these years, we still won’t be able to evade our fate of killing each other?”

Changming could not move. His body and limbs had been tied up tightly already; the rope turned into a sharp blade, slashing a thousand cuts, cun by cun, all over his body.

The Yun Hai in front of him pinched Changming’s chin, and covered his lips, letting demonic qi pour in.

The black qi was scorching hot, and surged forward in billows, twining around his hair, and entering his clothes, forceful and overbearing.

An excruciating pain flickered through his expression, but his body had already sunk into the darkness; blood was dripping down the corner of his mouth, and his eyes became dimmer.

What seemed to be an extremely tender and intimate embrace from the side was actually a ruthless struggle with his life on the line.

It was as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff, while a storm was rampaging and stones were rolling down in a landslide.

In the blink of an eye, he was already doomed!