He didn't know how long he walked, until he had exhausted the last trace of his mana, before Shen Fu finally found a long-abandoned temple deep in the dense forest.
He stumbled inside in a daze, tucked himself into some random corner, and immediately felt his blood and qi churning violently. He lowered his head and spat out a mouthful of black blood.
"Damn…" Shen Fu raised a hand to press against his chest, the color gradually draining from his face. "Why does it hurt so much this time?"
His green robe trailed along the ground, stained with blood and looking somewhat disheveled. Fortunately, although the temple had been abandoned for some time, divine power still lingered in the vicinity, not yet dispersed.
In his previous life, Shen Fu had accidentally discovered during his cultivation that while his body couldn't absorb the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth like ordinary people to achieve spirit gathering and foundation establishment, he could instead use places protected by deities, like this temple, to absorb scattered divine power for his own use.
Unfortunately, in the original setting of this story, everyone held immense reverence for the gods, so borrowing divine power was considered a great disrespect to the deities in the eyes of the people here. Thus, even though Shen Fu knew he could use this method, he never revealed it in front of others lightly.
Just as Shen Fu settled into position and prepared to sit in meditation to absorb the remaining divine power in this place, a sudden commotion came from outside.
Shen Fu furrowed his brow. He was about to move and hide when a cold, gleaming blade appeared on his shoulder.
"Senior Brother, what a remarkable divine ability you have! There really is a living person hidden in this place!" A familiar voice rang out, and Shen Fu immediately realized it was the group he had encountered earlier.
The one addressed as Senior Brother twisted the hilt of his sword, pressing the icy blade against Shen Fu's chin. The signature cloud pattern on the sword brushed teasingly against Shen Fu's skin, making every hair on his body stand on end.
Someone in the darkness lit a fire starter, and a warm yellow light suddenly flared up, illuminating Shen Fu's face.
Shen Fu frowned slightly. His skin, white as jade, took on a warmer hue under the firelight—like the finest jade in the world, revealing only a glimpse of itself was enough to captivate everyone's gaze.
Cao Zhenhui's grip on the sword hilt unconsciously loosened, afraid that he might accidentally damage this exquisitely carved beauty.
Shen Fu was dressed in green robes, his waterfall-like long hair smooth and jet-black. His pale face was devoid of any color, making his lustrous red lips all the more alluring. He looked every bit the fragile, easy-to-bully type—yet those obsidian-like eyes were filled with disdain and contempt. Such an expression on that face was enough to make anyone's blood run hot.
Cao Zhenhui was so distracted by the sight that he didn't even react when his junior brother called out to him.
At the same time, Shen Fu also got a clear look at the people before him.
Of all the people he could have run into… he knew every single one of them. They had all participated in the Xuanji Mountain massacre back then, and even after Shen Fu had crippled their cultivation bases in his previous life, none of them had shown the slightest remorse.
As those familiar faces appeared before him again, a fierce surge of hatred rose from the depths of his heart. Shen Fu hadn't expected that, having been reborn into a new life, he would encounter the enemies he had personally sent to their deaths in his last life so soon.
"Pretty one, did you accidentally wander into a formation? How did you end up in such a state?" Cao Zhenhui, seeing Shen Fu in this condition, assumed he had no ability to resist. He sheathed his sword and crouched down, reaching out a hand to touch Shen Fu's face.
Shen Fu turned his head away in disgust, secretly gathering power in the palm of his hand.
"Senior Brother, wait—look at what's on him!" The person beside him seemed to have spotted something extraordinary and hurriedly alerted Cao Zhenhui.
Cao Zhenhui and Shen Fu both followed the direction of the man's pointing finger and discovered the jade token hanging from Shen Fu's waist.
"Xuan." Cao Zhenhui read the character on the token, and the lecherous look on his face instantly vanished, replaced by nothing but coldness.
"He's from Xuanji Mountain!" The person beside him also realized this and cried out in agitation. "Why are they here? Has our plan been exposed? What do we do? Should we report this to the master?"
At his words, the few people following Cao Zhenhui all fell into disarray, fear coloring each of their faces.
Cao Zhenhui, being the one called Senior Brother, at least didn't lose his composure like the others. He merely stared calmly at Shen Fu for a few seconds, then curled the corner of his mouth and spat out: "Why didn't anyone tell Xuanji Mountain that they have such a stunning beauty? If they'd offered him up to our Dongxu Sect for our amusement long ago, those fools wouldn't have been crushed by us all these years."
With that, Cao Zhenhui's hand teasingly tugged at Shen Fu's collar. "Almost forgot—isn't your Xuanji Mountain's sect leader also quite handsome? Why don't you call him over too, and the two of you can serve me together? Please me well, and I'll grant you a whole corpse…"
Before Cao Zhenhui could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp, searing pain in his abdomen.
He looked down in disbelief, only to find that a palm had completely pierced through his stomach.
Blood gushed from the gaping, pitch-black hole, and the one who had done it was none other than Shen Fu.
His movements had been so fast that no one present had even seen how he struck.
Shen Fu pulled his arm free, patting Cao Zhenhui's cheek lightly with his blood-stained hand, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Is that so? Isn't my company enough for you?"
He wouldn't have minded if Cao Zhenhui hadn't mentioned Dongxu Sect, but that single mention stirred up the intense hatred buried deep within Shen Fu's heart.
In his past life, the massacre of Xuanji Mountain had been none other than their handiwork.
Since they had come looking for death today, Shen Fu didn't mind sending these people to their graves a little early.
Mimicking Cao Zhenhui's manner, Shen Fu reached out and hooked his collar, then raised an eyebrow at the petrified crowd nearby. "Are you all coming too? I'll be happy to oblige."
With a clatter, the fire starter dropped to the ground, casting its last faint glow before the entire shrine was plunged into darkness.
The next instant, shrill screams mixed with the squelching sounds of flesh and blood splattering echoed through the desolate shrine, making it all the more bone-chilling.
After casually dispatching a few, Shen Fu realized that the divine power absorbable in this place had been nearly exhausted, yet several enemies remained. If they swarmed him all at once, it would likely turn into a fierce battle.
Moreover, since these people were all connected to Ji Yanzhi, Blood Trace had also begun to exert its force the moment he made his move.
Shen Fu pressed down on his left hand, which was faintly going numb, forcing himself to appear calm and composed as he cast a cold gaze at the remaining opponents.
A rough count showed about five left, but Shen Fu was already at the end of his rope. If they attacked together, he might not escape unscathed tonight.
Had these been anyone else, Shen Fu would have long since resorted to the best stratagem—fleeing. But these were Dongxu Sect disciples. With the experience of his past life's struggles, the mere sight of these people in cloud-patterned robes made him itch to fight them to the bitter end.
Seeing the opponents draw their swords in unison, clearly ready for battle, Shen Fu snapped to full alertness.
Just as Shen Fu prepared to unleash everything he had, the group shouted their sword techniques in unison and shot away on their flying swords, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Shen Fu stood frozen in place for a long while. Only after they had all disappeared did he finally let his strength give out and slump down against the corner of the wall.
Several corpses now lay in the shrine, and the stench of blood was heavy. Shen Fu covered his nose and mouth, using the last of his divine power to conceal his presence before collapsing to the ground and losing consciousness.
He slept for who knew how long. When he woke, the heavy snow outside had stopped, and the window revealed a world of silver-white. The smooth snow surface bore no traces of human footsteps, suggesting that those men hadn't returned with reinforcements last night.
After resting through the night, Shen Fu not only felt refreshed but had also recovered some of his mana—not much, but enough to escape this godforsaken place. He figured it was because the shrine still held traces of Spiritual Qi, which he had absorbed during the night.
After disposing of the bodies, Shen Fu didn't forget to bow to the statue—whose features had long been eroded beyond recognition by wind and snow—as a token of gratitude for the deity's shelter and protection the night before.
Relying on his memory, Shen Fu quickly made his way back to Xuanji Mountain.
The moment he stepped through the mountain gate, Shen Fu could hardly believe what he was seeing.
At the entrance stood a young man in disciple robes of white clouds on a blue background, wielding a broom taller than himself as he diligently swept the lingering snow from the previous night, step by step. The jade token carved with the character "Xuan" hanging at his waist swayed with each movement, occasionally letting out crisp, pleasant sounds.
From the main hall at the summit to the mountain gate stretched over five thousand steps, yet he swept each one with earnest care, not a trace of impatience on his face.
"Jiang… Jiang Lin." Shen Fu stared at that figure, his eyes instantly reddening. His lips trembled slightly, and his voice was so hoarse that even he couldn't make out what he was saying.
Jiang Lin, the direct disciple of Xuanji Mountain's sect master. When Shen Fu had first arrived on the mountain, it was Jiang Lin who hadn't minded that Shen Fu couldn't even truss a chicken and had stayed by his side to take care of him.
It was also Jiang Lin who had fought desperately to protect Shen Fu when the Chixiao Sword had bathed Xuanji Mountain in blood.
The image of Jiang Lin's limbs being severed and blood splattering on the spot was still vivid in Shen Fu's mind—he had never forgotten it. Now, seeing the whole, living Jiang Lin standing before him, Shen Fu finally felt a sense of reality about his rebirth.
The young man on the steps, sharp-eyed, spotted Shen Fu. Seeing him covered in blood and filth with exhaustion written all over his face at the mountain gate, Jiang Lin thought something had happened to him. He tossed aside the broom, formed a hand seal, and in a flash appeared beside Shen Fu.
"Senior Master Shen, what—what happened to you? Did the poison flare up again last night? But I clearly gave you a suppressing spiritual pill before you left. Or did you run into some formidable opponent?"
Jiang Lin had a rather heroic look about him. Though his skin was as pale as snow, he didn't appear frail at all. On the contrary, years of martial training had left him with well-developed muscles. When he grabbed Shen Fu with both hands to question him, his grip was so strong it felt like he might crush Shen Fu's bones.
"Yes—this is exactly the feeling. My muscle-bound angel, I've missed you so much, wuwuwu." Tears welled up in Shen Fu's eyes before he could even speak, and his clear teardrops carved two long wavy tracks down his scorched, blackened face, making him look utterly ridiculous.
Jiang Lin had long grown accustomed to Shen Fu spouting things he couldn't understand, so he didn't react much to the remark. Seeing that Shen Fu looked like he'd been thoroughly beaten up, he knew there was no point in pressing for answers right now, so he simply suggested taking Shen Fu back to his sleeping quarters first.
Shen Fu was still immersed in the joy of my little figurine actually didn't die, this is wonderful, so naturally he'd do whatever Jiang Lin said.
But on the way back to the sleeping quarters, Shen Fu couldn't help asking where the Sect Master had gone.
If there was anyone else on this mountain besides Jiang Lin that Shen Fu wanted to see, it would have to be Sect Master Xie Jiuzhang. The Sect Master had shown him such immense kindness that Shen Fu absolutely had to see him before returning to his quarters.
"Oh, Master had something come up last night. He left a sound transmission talisman to inform us and departed. He hasn't returned since." Jiang Lin explained in a gentle voice while pulling out a key to unlock the door to Shen Fu's sleeping quarters.
"He's not even here—you have no idea how much I missed you guys!" Shen Fu gestured wildly to express his joy at the reunion, nearly lunging forward to hug Jiang Lin and cry. But clearly Jiang Lin couldn't share his sentiment, since they'd only seen each other yesterday evening—in fact, Jiang Lin had helped cover for Shen Fu so he could go down the mountain for a drink.
"Your disciple misses you too, Uncle Shen. So can Uncle Shen please let go of my leg?" Jiang Lin tugged at his pants, which were nearly being pulled off by Shen Fu, and looked at the man on the bed with slight helplessness.
Shen Fu was crying a mess of tears and snot, desperately wanting to pour out everything he'd been through over the years, but all that came out was incoherent babble with scrambled word order. He talked for ages without making himself understood.
Jiang Lin couldn't follow any of it, but he carefully held up his pants and stood nearby, waiting for Shen Fu to vent.
Shen Fu sniffled and cried for quite a while before his emotions finally settled. He casually grabbed the hem of Jiang Lin's robe to wipe his tears, and Jiang Lin didn't resist, letting him do as he pleased.
"Wuwu, you're the best. Both of you are sixteen, but someone like you is the cute one." Shen Fu sniffled, then blinked his swollen, tear-stung eyes a few times for good measure.
"Uncle Shen, we cultivators of the Way of Emotionlessness can't just love casually. Falling in love will bring death upon—"
Before Jiang Lin could finish his sentence, the door was kicked open.
Sensing danger, he instinctively reached for his sword, but in the next second he detected something familiar and obediently withdrew his hand, standing still by the bed.
BANG—
A heavy impact landed on Shen Fu's bed, jolting the entire man into the air.
A fierce gust of wind carried a surge of overwhelming mana fluctuations, dispersing outward with Xie Jiuzhang's movement. Before anyone could even see who had arrived, a hearty laugh rang through the room: "Hahaha! Brother, look what I brought back for you! This youth has exceptional innate talent—use him as a furnace cauldron and he'll surely cure the strange poison in your body!"
A blood-soaked youth was slapped down onto Shen Fu's clean, tidy bed by Xie Jiuzhang.
Shen Fu whipped his head around and met a pair of amber eyes. Already emotionally stirred, the moment he recognized Ji Yanzhi's grimy face, he felt a sharp, searing pain shoot through the center of his palm.
Damn it, Jiang Lin really called it—the death sentence really is here!!
The Blood Trace suddenly deepened, and excruciating pain surged through his blood vessels to every corner of his body. Before Shen Fu could even cry out, his vision went black and he collapsed.
"Hey hey hey, what's going on—no need to get that excited just because I found you a furnace cauldron." Xie Jiuzhang flipped his robe aside and sat down beside Shen Fu. He reached out to lift Shen Fu up, only to find that Shen Fu had already toppled over, lying stiffly in the arms of the person beside him.
The filthy youth lowered his gaze to look at the man in his lap, his eyes flickering a few times, but he didn't move away.
Seeing this, Xie Jiuzhang flicked his sleeve and withdrew his hand. "I don't know which sect's disciple you are, but I've already said everything I could on the way here. Now that you've seen my brother in person, have you made up your mind? Becoming his furnace cauldron—you'd only stand to gain, kid."
Xie Jiuzhang counseled him earnestly, but the youth on the bed didn't seem to be listening at all. His eyes were glued to Shen Fu, and in the span of two short sentences, he'd already scanned Shen Fu's entire body.
The unbridled, slightly predatory look in his eyes made Jiang Lin, standing nearby, feel vaguely uneasy.
He stared at Ji Yanzhi's profile for a long while before something finally clicked.
"Master, having him serve as Uncle Shen's furnace cauldron might not be appropriate." Jiang Lin, who had been acting as a decorative ornament all this time, suddenly spoke up.
"How so?" Xie Jiuzhang tilted his head to look at him, as if waiting for Jiang Lin to elaborate.
At Xie Jiuzhang's question, Jiang Lin immediately straightened up, respectfully performed a disciple's bow, and only then replied: "To answer Master, this disciple believes he has seen this person before."
"Oh? When, where, and under what circumstances?"
"On the seventh day of the first month, at the gathering of disciples from various sects organized by the Immortal Alliance. I saw him at the arena."
The Immortal Alliance disciple gathering is held once every three years, with the purpose of selecting outstanding disciples from various sects to join the Alliance and receive personal instruction from the Alliance Leader. Those with exceptional results may even have the opportunity to stay directly in the Alliance as formal disciples.
This was a tremendous honor for every sect, so each year at the gathering, many sects would send their most outstanding disciples there.
Xuanji Mountain hadn't been particularly fortunate with talent in recent years—over the past few decades, only Jiang Lin had emerged as someone truly presentable. So every gathering, Jiang Lin was the one sent. Having seen Ji Yanzhi at these gatherings a few times wasn't unusual.
"Is that so? Since he attended the disciple gathering, he must have formally joined a sect. Which sect does he belong to, and what's his name?"
Jiang Lin clasped his hands in salute, pondered for a few seconds, then replied, "Dongxu Sect. Ji Yanzhi, the chief disciple of Cheng Ping."
"Cheng Ping? When did that old bastard take on a disciple?" Xie Jiuzhang was somewhat incredulous. In his memory, Cheng Ping was an extremely arrogant man who, relying on his good relations with several elders of the Immortal Alliance, had more than once thrown his weight around the Xuanji Mountain area.
Because Xuanji Mountain and Dongxu Sect were situated very close to each other—a mere incense stick's burn away by Sword Kinesis—the Cheng family, seeking to expand their sphere of influence, had long coveted this precious land of Xuanji Mountain. Yet they never dared to make a move, only resorting to underhanded tricks along their shared border.
Xie Jiuzhang had grown weary of contending with him for so many years. Matters concerning Dongxu Sect he simply delegated entirely to Jiang Lin, and it had been a long while since he'd heard anything about what went on over there.
"He certainly knows how to spot good seedlings." Xie Jiuzhang said, turning his head to look at the young man on the bed.
This Ji Yanzhi, though he appeared ordinary in appearance and his cultivation base wasn't even considered exceptional, Xie Jiuzhang could faintly sense a power within him that ordinary people did not possess.
If this power could be transferred to Shen Fu through a cauldron contract, perhaps it might yield benefits beyond just neutralizing the poison. No doubt that was also part of the consideration when Cheng Ping took this person as his disciple.
"Since you're a disciple of Dongxu Sect, how did you end up drifting here?" Xie Jiuzhang spoke, but the words were directed at Ji Yanzhi.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yanzhi merely lifted his eyelids to cast a faint glance at Xie Jiuzhang without answering. Instead, it was Jiang Lin beside him who picked up the thread. "He stole the sect's secret manual. After being discovered, he fled with it. A few days ago, Dongxu Sect just put up a bounty notice for his capture."
"Master, are you truly at ease having someone like this serve as Senior Uncle Shen's furnace cauldron?" Jiang Lin tried to persuade him a few times, but seeing that Xie Jiuzhang seemed unconcerned, he didn't press further.
"Stole the secret manual? You've got some nerve, boy. He guards that manual more preciously than his own eyeballs…" Xie Jiuzhang mused, then leaned sideways and said in a low voice, "So the fire they set last night—that was meant to burn you."
"…" Ji Yanzhi didn't reply, merely watching Xie Jiuzhang in silence.
"Alright. Just now I was worried that with Cheng Ping's backing, you might refuse my request. But since you've already become a stray dog with nowhere to go, I have nothing left to worry about."
As Xie Jiuzhang spoke, he pulled a pill from his robes and broke it in half. One half he stuffed into Shen Fu's mouth, the other he tossed to Ji Yanzhi.
"Cauldron contracts are too troublesome. My brother is severely injured right now and may not be able to perform the ritual himself. Eat this pill and the contract will form automatically—saves us the trouble."
Ji Yanzhi caught the pill and raised his head to meet Xie Jiuzhang's gaze with complete calm. "What makes you think I'll definitely eat it?"
Xie Jiuzhang let out a cold laugh. The hand hanging at his side gently brushed against the sword at his waist.
His long fingers applied slight pressure, and the blade slid half an inch from its sheath.
In that instant, an invisible but immensely powerful pressure radiated through the room. Aside from the unconscious Shen Fu, the other two were nearly crushed breathless by the sudden force.
Jiang Lin strained with all his might just to keep his footing and avoid collapsing to his knees. But Ji Yanzhi on the bed wasn't so fortunate—having just narrowly escaped death with his vitality severely depleted, the moment the pressure slammed into him, he coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
Xie Jiuzhang looked at Ji Yanzhi, utterly powerless to resist, and spoke slowly: "Because you have no one to rely on now. Because I can take your life with the twitch of a finger."
"Is that so?" Ji Yanzhi stared at Xie Jiuzhang, not a single ripple in his eyes—not even a trace of fear.
Xie Jiuzhang raised an eyebrow but didn't respond.
Ji Yanzhi, with evident interest, rolled the pill between his fingers, then swallowed it without the slightest hesitation.
"Interesting," Ji Yanzhi said. "Though I hope you won't come to regret this."