Shi Li gave him the rest of the candy. Seeing his gloomy mood vanish in an instant, a relaxed smile curling at the corners of his lips as he tossed the sweets into his mouth one by one, Shi Li belatedly realized that this had been his tactic for getting more candy.
“Quite thick-skinned,” he muttered under his breath.
“Flattery. It’s just that you’re a good person.”
Side by side, they passed through the teleportation tree and arrived at the lakeside where the bounty was posted.
The night was deep, and the place was remote, with few people around. In the distance, however, the area around the bounty board was bustling with activity, illuminated by bright torchlight.
Shi Che’s vision was sharp, and he spotted Xue Zhun in the crowd at a glance. Just as he was about to head over, he suddenly halted.
The surroundings were thick with trees. Besides the rustling of leaves in the wind, there was another sound a breath, deliberately lightened yet unable to conceal its urgency.
Someone was hiding in the shadows.
If his senses weren’t mistaken, that person was watching them with a venomous, resentful gaze.
The little sister ghost on his back suddenly erupted into a frenzy, tearing away from Shi Che’s back with a furious roar as she lunged forward
The little girl shouted, “Sister!”
The figure hidden behind the trees swiftly darted away, fleeing into the distance. Shi Che leaped into pursuit, calling back over his shoulder, “Take the child to Xue Zhun!”
The figure dashed through the forest, while the little sister ghost let out a savage growl from her throat, chasing relentlessly.
This had to be the original owner of the eighty-thousand-merit bounty. The little sister ghost had suffered brutal torment, and her hatred for this person was instinctual.
Shi Che borrowed more spiritual energy from his jade token, instantly teleporting ahead to cut off the fleeing figure’s path.
Seeing him blocking the way, the figure turned without hesitation and fled back the way he came.
The little sister ghost was already in close pursuit. As the figure turned, she pounced, sinking her teeth deep into his arm.
He shook his arm violently several times but couldn’t dislodge her. Cursing under his breath, he began chanting, golden light gathering at his fingertips. His hands danced through the air, tracing intricate patterns before he abruptly vanished into the ground, disappearing in an instant.
The little sister ghost was thrown back by the sudden activation of the formation but not before tearing off a chunk of flesh, cloth and all, from his arm.
Shi Che landed where the figure had vanished, crouching to examine the lingering traces on the ground.
The person had used a spell to obscure his face. From Shi Che’s earlier distance, he couldn’t make out more details.
The figure had initially intended to shake off the little sister ghost and escape, never expecting Shi Che to give chase as well. Trapped between them, he had resorted to casting a spell and activating a formation to flee in desperation.
Casting a spell inevitably left traces, which revealed his considerable proficiency in formations. Yet, unable to break free from a high-level demonic ghost like the little sister ghost and easily losing a large piece of flesh, it was likely his cultivation level wasn’t particularly high a mismatch with his skill in formations.
In the Star Realm, formation abilities were considered supplementary arts for most cultivators. Aside from a few sects specializing in formations, few would focus on this path while their own strength was still relatively weak.
The little sister ghost leaped onto Shi Che’s shoulder, offering him the blood-stained piece of cloth from her mouth.
Shi Che rubbed the fabric between his fingers, its texture familiar, as his mind rapidly sifted through sects that specialized in formations.
Having an exceptional memory had its drawbacks instantly, no fewer than three hundred sects, large and small, sprang to mind. Any disciple from these sects who specialized in formations could achieve the instantaneous escape effect he had just witnessed.
Difficult to pinpoint. He temporarily stored the fabric away and returned with the little sister ghost to the bounty notice area.
With his permission, the little sister ghost hid inside his silver ghost mask.
It was already deep into the night, yet the notice area remained lively. Shi Che’s eyes immediately found the young lord, standing out like a crane among chickens in his silver robes amidst the bustling crowd.
He carried an extraordinary air, a magnificent sword hanging at his waist, arms crossed as he leaned against a tree. His blue eyes were slightly lowered, a trace of impatience etched between his brows. From time to time, people approached to strike up a conversation, but he paid them little mind. Even so, many still eagerly sought to warm themselves against his cold indifference.
Not far away, Xue Zhun sat on a stone bench meant for resting, holding a sleeping little girl in his arms.
Shi Li seemed worried the child might be cold, so he had draped his own outer robe over her.
Shi Che walked over and sat down, flicking the silver star-shaped dart on Xue Zhun’s sect uniform. “Did you ask him for it, or did he give it to you on his own?”
Xue Zhun had been lost in thought but snapped back to attention at the question. “Brother Che!” Remembering the sleeping girl in his arms, he quickly lowered his voice. “Just now, the Young Master suddenly appeared carrying this child. I saw she was cold and wanted to give her my outer robe, but he just took off his own and tossed it to me.”
Xue Zhun’s eyes were full of admiration. “He told me to wait here for you and went to stand under that tree. He must have thought that if he stayed here, admirers would keep bothering him and make us uncomfortable. The Young Master is truly a good person!”
Shi Che chuckled. “He has plenty of new clothes in his Qiankun bag. He gave you one he’s already worn?”
“Don’t get hung up on the details, Brother Che!”
Xue Zhun adjusted the robe around the sleeping girl. “By the way, who is this child.?”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“The Young Master didn’t say anything, just told me to wait for you.”
Shi Che briefly explained what had happened.
“I asked him to hand the child over to you because I wanted you to see if you could figure out where she’s from.”
The bounty only covered delivering the person to the designated location, with no additional specific information. Shi Che had recently noticed that the child’s accent sounded familiar.
After thinking for a while, he realized he had heard it from Xue Zhun in his previous life.
Back then, Xue Zhun clearly disliked him, yet during the time when Shi Che was at his most violent and no one dared approach, she sought him out to drink and chat.
Slightly tipsy, she had spoken to him in her dialect, telling stories about riding pigs into ditches as a child. She even revealed that her childhood nickname was Er Hua because she loved playing with the family’s spotted pig, which was named Da Hua.
At the time, Shi Che had told her to get lost and stop bothering him, but she ignored him and kept talking about her family’s pigs.
“She’s a child from a village under Tianquan,” Xue Zhun said with certainty.
Shi Che wasn’t surprised. “How can you tell?”
“Just now, she was restless in her sleep and started singing a lullaby to herself. It’s a song from our hometown my mother used to sing it to me when I was little.” Xue Zhun lowered her gaze, looking at the sleeping girl’s profile. “After my parents passed away, I sang it to myself too.”
Shi Che paused. “I’m sorry.”
Xue Zhun snapped out of her momentary melancholy and flashed him a bright smile. “It’s fine.”
Shi Che didn’t press further. He asked Xue Zhun to wait a moment while he went to fetch Shi Li so they could leave.
Just then, two people who had been rebuffed by Shi Li’s coldness turned away, muttering, “Who does he think he is? We just wanted to get to know him, and he acts all high and mighty!”
Shi Che happened to pass by them and snorted. “If you were him, you’d act the same way. Ask your sword if it trembles at the sight of Hua Jing.”
The speaker hadn’t expected a passerby to interject. Seeing Shi Che heading toward Shi Li, he gave him a once-over. “Hah, dressed like that, he probably won’t even glance at you. Still trying to suck up? You’ll learn your lesson soon enough.”
With that, he actually stopped walking, pulling his friend aside to wait and watch the penniless nobody get humiliated.
He saw the poor ghost standing beside the young master, saying a few words, then smoothly unbuckled the Huajing Sword from his waist, twirling it in hand a couple of times all while facing their direction, a smile on his lips, his eyes beneath the mask seeming to say, See if he glances at me or not.
“Hang it back.”
Shi Li had no mood to engage with him, his tone cold.
“Didn’t catch up, he got away.”
Shi Che rehung the silver sword at his waist, pressing down the hilt of the black sword at his own waist it had been vibrating since earlier.
The spirit of the Huajing Sword sensed the Huajing Sword and was eager to emerge.
“Hmm.” Shi Li’s tone remained indifferent.
“What’s wrong?”
Shi Che could tell he was in a bad mood, likely irritated by the earlier interruptions.
Shi Li asked, “Did you tell that carefree sword cultivator about what happened earlier?”
“I did.”
“Even the eighty thousand merits?”
“I did.”
Shi Li: “Oh.”
“…”
Shi Che fell silent for a moment, then chuckled. “You’re even jealous of this.”
“I just don’t understand why you’d get so close to a carefree sword cultivator, holding nothing back from her.”
Shi Che rarely trusted someone’s character so completely and said sincerely, “She’s not an outsider.”
“Then am I an outsider?”
“You’re even less so.”
Shi Li scoffed coldly.
The three of them departed, and along the way, he maintained a subtle distance from the other two. At the fork in the road one path leading back to the Xuanqing Sect, the other to the inn he didn’t even glance at the other two, channeling spiritual energy into his feet as he strode away. Before long, he realized he was expending twice the spiritual energy. Turning his head, he saw Shi Che carrying the child, also channeling spiritual energy into his feet, following him step by step.
“Why are you following me?”
“You left on your own without caring for the child. We’re here to study at the mountain we can’t bring a child along. You have to take responsibility.”
Seeing him follow, Shi Li’s expression had softened slightly, but upon hearing “we,” he sneered again.
“What does it have to do with me? You accepted the bounty, so you keep the reward.”
“That won’t do. You accepted the bounty, but you dealt with the demon. The reward should be split between us.”
“Don’t give it to me. I have nowhere to raise it.”
“Even less so for me. You can take it back to the sect and figure something out.”
As they spoke, they reached the foot of Xuanqing Mountain. A little further ahead lay the Ninety-Nine Steps of the Celestial Pivot.
Shi Li slowed his pace. Shi Che’s words along the way had their effect if he didn’t take responsibility, the two of them truly had no way to properly care for the child.
“Give it to me.”
“You’re such a good person.” Shi Che praised sincerely.
On Luanxue Peak, Huan Yao sat alone on the rooftop of the mountain gate, admiring the moon, with Jin Ao’s tail draped over his shoulder.
The aura of the Xuanqing Sect had always been a spectacular sight in the Star Realm snowflakes dancing wildly, a galaxy stretching endlessly, and divine beasts showing extraordinary closeness to the sect, a testament to their approval.
From afar, Huan Yao spotted Shi Li approaching through the snow under the moonlight. Two of them.
The slight dissatisfaction of waiting alone vanished instantly. He immediately rose to greet them, descending halfway down the stone steps before meeting Shi Li.
Shi Li had deliberately refrained from ascending in a single step, choosing to meet him halfway. He hooked Huan Yao’s finger and said, “You could’ve just waited for me sitting down. Now we have to climb back up together.”
Huan Yao lowered his head to observe the child in Shi Li’s arms, carefully brushing away the snowflakes clinging to the child’s hair with a gentle glow of spiritual light.
Shi Che stood before the Ninety-Nine Steps, looking up. Beyond the two young masters whispering intimately on the steps, he took in the majestic sight of the mountain gate towering into the starry clouds.
No matter who stood at such a height, they would feel as though the moon were within reach.
This was the most prosperous and flourishing era of the Xuanqing Sect.
At this time, the young lord’s eyes were set higher than the heavens. He could not yet see the treacherous schemes and sinister calculations hidden beneath the surface of this splendor, and he still clung to his own little secret, quietly rejoicing.
He was bound to fall.
Who knew if he would cry when he fell hard.
In one day, he would attend the sect’s recruitment, where he would ascend the stone steps alongside a large crowd.
Shi Che decided to rehearse in advance, controlling his pace.
If he were to reach the top in a single step like he did at fourteen, it would be too ostentatious, and Shi Li would likely give him trouble.
Lost in thought, he lifted his foot.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, he froze, his gaze fixed on the first step as if in disbelief, trying again and again.
It felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, impossible to move even an inch.
He couldn’t even ascend the first step.
What did this mean? Did the laws of heaven and earth deem him unworthy of learning the sword, not even granting him the right to enter the Sword Sect’s gates?
He furrowed his brows, wanting to forcefully break through this restriction, but the thunder scars on his back throbbed faintly, warning him not to continue.
Sensing his resistance, a sharp pain shot from the thunder scars. Just as the lightning was about to spread, a warm hand grasped his wrist.
Looking up, he met the eyes of the Illusion Demon, who stood on the first step, slightly higher than him, gazing down with concern.
“Give him a candy.”
Shi Li’s voice came from the stone steps.
He had given all his candies to Shi Che earlier, and when the Illusion Demon asked for one, he couldn’t produce any.
Shi Che took out a candy and offered it, but the Illusion Demon didn’t accept it.
In the past, Shi Li would unwrap the candy and feed it to him he never gave him candy with the wrapper still on.
Shi Che sighed, unwrapped the candy, picked it up, and fed it to him. The Illusion Demon leaned forward slightly, his lips brushing Shi Che’s fingertips as he took the candy.
“Alright, go back now,” Shi Che whispered. “He’s waiting for you.”
The Illusion Demon pointed at the candy wrapper in his hand, indicating he wanted another.
Shi Che had only one left. He took it out, unwrapped it, and was about to feed it to the Illusion Demon when the demon lifted his hand and fed the candy into Shi Che’s mouth instead.
The sweetness spread between his lips and teeth, and in that moment, he saw the Illusion Demon’s lips curve upward in happiness.
The Illusion Demon gripped his wrist tightly, trying to pull him up the stone steps and back to the Xuanqing Sect together.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move him.
The Illusion Demon didn’t have the ability to bring someone up the stone steps. Confused as to why this Shi Li wouldn’t move, he turned his head, seeking help.
Shi Che felt a surge of frustration mixed with anger and shame rise in his chest. He abruptly shook off the demon’s hand and turned to leave.
The Illusion Demon stood there in a daze, watching the figure stride away until it disappeared from sight.
Shi Li had never been so harsh with him before.
Even the candy in his mouth turned bitter.
He followed Shi Li, who was carrying a child, back in low spirits. Shi Li needed to settle the child first and told the Illusion Demon to wait in the room, promising to return home soon to accompany him.
When Shi Li arrived home, he found the room tidy, the bed made, and tea added to the pot, but there was no sign of the Illusion Demon.
He opened the wardrobe, where a crystal-clear silver-white radish lay quietly inside. This was the Illusion Demon’s true form originally an inanimate object, given consciousness by Shi Li’s soul.
“Out of spiritual energy?”
Shi Li picked up the radish and sprinkled a great deal of spiritual light over it. The radish trembled slightly, and most of the light spilled out, clearly not lacking in spiritual energy.
He frowned. Under normal circumstances, as long as the Illusion Demon had enough spiritual energy, he wouldn’t willingly revert to his radish form. This seemed more like a sulking tantrum.
“What’s wrong? You’ve even learned to sulk in silence.”
He sat down, placed the radish on the table, and gave its slightly cool body a couple of gentle squeezes.
The phantom spirit ignored him, hopping on the table. Shi Li found it amusing this silly little radish was becoming more and more human-like, even developing a bit of a temper.
He hadn’t possessed this treasure for long, and it was only recently that he had separated the wisp of soul carrying affection, allowing it to take human form.
In the past, they had always been intimate within the sea of consciousness, their souls intertwining and lingering close, emotions controlled by a single consciousness, never diverging.
Now, this wisp of soul was sulking on its own. Shi Li had no experience dealing with such a situation and tried to coax it but didn’t know how.
He opened the spiritual talisman and asked Shi Che, “He turned into a radish and won’t talk to me. Do you know how to coax him?”
This old man must have more experience.
There was no reply for a while. Shi Li patiently waited for the other to give him a useful solution.
He was impatient with everyone, but he wouldn’t treat his own wisp of soul coldly.
After a long while.
Shi Che: “Spoiled. Boil him.”
Shi Li: “?”
Shi Li: “He didn’t do anything wrong. He waited for me obediently at home and even tidied up the place so nicely. It’s normal for him to be upset after waiting so long. Just coax him a little. Why are you so harsh?”
Shi Che: “Are you proud of yourself?”
Shi Che: “What are you showing off?”
Shi Li was baffled: “I’m asking for your advice. Didn’t you say you coaxed him back then? How did you do it?”
Shi Che: “Send him to me. I’ll help you coax him.”
Shi Li: “Get lost.”
After a moment, Shi Che: “Give him a kiss. Don’t kiss the leaves, kiss the radish head. Hold him tenderly and say, ‘Baby, I’m sorry. Don’t ignore me. It makes me feel terrible.’”
Shi Li: “?”
How ridiculous.
Shi Che: “Don’t believe me? Fine.”
With no other options and desperate to coax the radish, Shi Li gritted his teeth and followed the advice.
It actually worked. The phantom spirit returned to human form and sat down beside him.
Shi Li: “It worked.”
Shi Che: “Mm.”
Shi Che: “Let’s discuss something.”
Shi Che: “I don’t want to participate in the sect’s recruitment. Pull some strings for me and get me directly on the roster. I won’t go through any review process. You can fabricate my aptitude and cultivation level, but my ranking can’t be too low. If you can handle the pressure, I wouldn’t mind being first.”
Shi Li: “Do you dare read what you just wrote?”
Shi Che: “Thanks, bro.”
Shi Li: “Who’s your bro? No.”
Shi Che: “Then I won’t go. I’ll leave Tian Shu tonight, and you’ll never find me again.”
Shi Li’s knuckles cracked twice as he sent a cold smile: “You wouldn’t dare.”
Shi Che: “See if I dare. Pulling strings to get someone in is easy for you. I’ll be more helpful than you think. You’re about to hit a streak of bad luck. You can’t do without me. Choose.”
Shi Li: “This is a matter of principle.”
Shi Che: “Principles are worthless. If I have connections, why not use them? Remember to arrange it.”
“…”
Shi Li closed the spiritual talisman, his breath unsteady from frustration, feeling nothing but shame.
He had been a prodigy since childhood, and in the two hundred years since joining the Xuan Qing Sect, he had never slacked in his cultivation. His strength was solid, and any honor he desired was earned through genuine effort and skill. He prided himself on having a clear conscience.
Yet Shi Che wanted him to tamper with the sect’s recruitment, to pull strings and get someone in through the back door. This was no different from surrendering without a fight, giving up on oneself.
How could someone fall so low?
Shi Li was deeply troubled. He despised the changes in Shi Che, felt uneasy that he could speak such words so lightly, and feared that he himself might one day become like that.
Compromising, showing weakness, acting shamelessly.
Utterly defeated.
His gaze gradually darkened as he suppressed the myriad of displeasure in his heart. He opened the Spirit Tome and wrote: 【Wait for it.】
Shi Che: 【Thank you Can you arrange first place for me?】
Shi Li was so angry he laughed. Closing the Spirit Tome, he gave the Illusion Demon a stern lecture, telling it to stay away from this person in the future. The other had already mutated, and he couldn’t let him contaminate their pure spiritual souls.
Visibly agitated, he paced back and forth in the room. Even cursing aloud didn’t ease his discomfort. He felt the other was shameless and unreasonable, not content with his own corruption and now trying to drag him down too.
“This is infuriating,” he hugged the Illusion Demon tightly, taking a deep breath but unable to calm down. “He’s satisfied now, probably laughing in his dreams, while I can’t sleep. What a bastard.”
The Illusion Demon hugged him back, thinking to itself: That’s not true at all.
That Shi Li was also Shi Li both of them were equally miserable.