CHAPTER 3

Immediately after he finished his words, Qin Yan abruptly whirled around and swung his long sword fluidly towards the courtyard's exterior, instantly tearing down the courtyard wall with his sword Qi and directly slashing through the dark Qi outside. The dark Qi let out a piercing, terrifying shriek as it backed away. Meanwhile, Fu Changling dashed over to Shangguan Yuemin, cupped her chin, and forced open her mouth before anyone could react. A foul-smelling dark Qi immediately shot out as soon as Shangguan Yuemin's mouth opened, but Fu Changling was even quicker. He raised his hand, and a lengthy chain of charms materialised from his fingertips. Then, he fiercely poured them into Shangguan Yuemin after slamming them hard on her mouth.

Shangguan Yuemin's stomach immediately bulged as the dark Qi was unable to exit her mouth, but Fu Changling appeared to have foreseen this. The Qinggu fan with talismanic scripts slashed across Shangguan Yuemin's abdomen as soon as her stomach bulged, instantly suppressing the dark Qi. Then Fu Changling threw Shangguan Yuemin upward, and Shangguan Yuemin flipped and rose into the air. Another talismanic script struck Shangguan Yuemin before her back could bulge, completely sealing that dark Qi inside of her.

He completed all of this in a matter of moments, very quickly, and before anyone could witness the actions, Shangguan Yuemin slammed heavily back onto the bed board, face down. It was at this precise moment that Fu Changling suddenly noticed some bizarre talismanic scripts, which were faintly visible on her back.

Fu Changling was very perceptive of talismanic scripts. He raised his hand and sliced the back of Shangguan Yuemin's garment open with his tiny fan. Seeing this, Shangguan Yuan immediately roared in anger, "What are you doing?!"

Fu Changling didn't bother to pay attention to him as he continued to focus on the black talismanic scripts. The lengthy string of talismanic scripts was written from the neck all the way to the sacrum and ended with a black Thousand-leaf Lotus. Fu Changling couldn't place where he had first seen the characters on the talismanic scripts, but they appeared to be familiar to him. The only thing he was certain of was that these were not Yunze's commonly used talismanic scripts.

"Don't go too far!" When Shangguan Yuan saw Fu Changling ignoring him, he hurried over. He hastily covered Shangguan Yuemin up and glared at Fu Changling indignantly, saying, "You still won't let her go even though she is dead?!"

"Yes," the puppet on Yue Mingsi's shoulder said in a shrill voice, "Da Gongzi, let's forget it because the person is dead."

Fu Changling was thinking about the charm he had just cast as he stood on the edge of the bed board and paid them no mind.

Yun Yu approached him and cautiously called out, "Fu... Fu Gongzi."

Fu Changling turned his head as Yun Yu glanced at Yue Mingsi and lowered his voice, whispering, "Don't worry, Shixiong and I are not talkative people and won't spill your secret!"

Fu Changling was a little puzzled and cast an inquiring glance.

Yun Yu winked at him and said, "I understand that you are keeping a low profile and biding your time, impersonating a pig to entice the tiger. I can relate to your struggles, and I support you! It's written in the narrative books that people like you are going to have a great future! Don't worry. Let me know what plans you have, and I will definitely assist you. Just remember me later, after you've achieved fame and success..."

As Yun Yu babbled on and on, Fu Changling understood that this was probably another one of those people who read narrative books like a fool. He turned his head away with a faint smile, not bothering to pay attention to this junior at all.

Qin Yan had already set up the enchantment by this point. When he came back, he walked straight to Fu Changling's side, looked at Shangguan Yuemin, who was lying on the bed board, and said, "What is it?"

Fu Changling looked up at Qin Yan. There was something strange about him. This should be the first time Qin Yan and he had met, and yet he had placed such high trust in him.

Or was it that the original Qin Yan trusted the Fu Clan so much back then?

By all accounts, he has a bad reputation out there today.

At seventeen, he was still the infamous good-for-nothing rich boy of the Fu Clan, with his status as an illegitimate son, Zhuji-level cultivation, and untamed reputation. Whereas today's Qin Yan ought to be a promising young man who was in the limelight in the immortal realm of Yunze and should have despised people like him. But not only did Qin Yan not look down on him; he even asked him in a tone of voice that was devoid of any doubt. It seemed that Qin Yan believed everything he said.

Fu Changling was baffled by Qin Yan's attitude and surmised that it might be the result of a promising young man's personal cultivation.

He also thought no more of it. Qin Yan's life prior to becoming a demon cultivator was essentially unknown to him anyway. In his previous life, he also only met this person after Qin Yan became a demon cultivator and recognised him as an enemy, so whatever Qin Yan did now didn't surprise him.

He gave Shangguan Yuan a quick glance, and without any uncooperative attitude, scribbled three words straight away: "Wushi Luo."

Wushi Luo was a type of fierce ghost—those who suffered injustice prior to death, died tragically, and whose remains were never laid to rest. They could easily turn into this kind of thing after death if Heaven and Earth, by chance, catalysed them. Wushi Luo was easy to eradicate but also difficult. The easy part was that Wushi Luo would have a request, and as long as this request was met, Wushi Luo could free its own soul of suffering. The difficulty, however, comes from the fact that Wushi Luo's request was to kill all of its enemies and be laid to rest.

The second one should be no problem, but the first one—it would depend on who its enemies are.

If the Wushi Luo's request wasn't fulfilled, it would continue to devour people and absorb their spiritual energy before eventually catalysing itself to take physical form and exact revenge. All living things in his immediate vicinity would be killed when it returned.

Now, it was clear that this Wushi Luo had taken shape after absorbing Shangguan Yuemin and was extremely dangerous because it had dared to come seeking vengeance when two Jindans were in charge. It would be nearly impossible to protect the Shangguan Clan if only one Jindan, Yue Mingsi, was in charge. Luckily, Qin Yan was still here, so the chances of winning were much higher.

Thinking of this, Fu Changling's heart suddenly felt a tiny bit of relief.

So was it Qin Yan who exterminated the entire Shangguan Clan back then? Why were there traces of the Zhenxue Sword at the scene if it wasn't Qin Yan who exterminated the clan? When exactly did Qin Yan join the Karma Prison?

Fu Changling flipped his little fan open and shut. Qin Yan gazed at Shangguan Yuemin, who was suppressed by Fu Changling's talisman, and then said, "Is this her body?"

Fu Changling nodded and pointed outside: "It is harmful if it merges into one."

With that, he thought for a moment, gazed up at the sky, and then scribbled in the air again: "At midnight, the Yin energy is at its strongest; it is tough to fend off."

"Then what should we do?" Yun Yu became a little anxious. "That Wushi Luo outside—doesn't seem to be easy to deal with."

When Yun Yu posed this question, everyone was a little on edge. Everyone looked at Fu Changling, who had imperceptibly become the main backbone of this place. Fu Changling leaned against a pillar on the side, crossed his arms, and raised his chin towards Qin Yan and Yue Mingsi.

It was clear what this meant—only the two of them here were above Jindan level. The others weren't much help against such a deadly creature because they were only at Zhuji level and could only rely on the two of them for protection.

It didn't matter if Qin Yan and Yue Mingsi fled to save themselves. The battle would be bloody if they actually fought hard, and the decision to put up this effort for the Shangguan Clan would depend on those two Jindan cultivators' consciences.

"Yue Xianshi..." As soon as he realised this, Shangguan Yuan immediately looked at Yue Mingsi and pleaded, "You see..."

"Shangguan Zhuangzhu," Yue Mingsi obviously knew what Shangguan Yuan was going to say, and the puppet on his shoulder spoke up right away, rather regretfully, "This Wushi Luo poses a very great danger. I'm afraid that with my low cultivation level, staying would be pointless. How about I leave first, go to the Fu Clan, and ask the Elders to come over?"

"How does that work?!" Shangguan Yuan immediately saw that Yue Mingsi was attempting to flee and exclaimed, "Can't you see how dangerous that thing is out there when you've gone and left the rest of us here? Will we still have any remaining bone fragments when you come back?"

"Aren't Qin Daoyou and Da Gongzi still here?" Yue Mingsi looked at Qin Yan, and the puppet swung its wooden arms in a decent manner and drawled in a joking tone, "I had no clue Da Gongzi was that skilled. He seems to have been keeping things a secret for quite some time. Since Da Gongzi and Qin Daoyou are both young and skilled, I hope that you two will persevere for a little while longer—at most one night. I'll be back shortly."

"Yue Mingsi!" As Shangguan Yuan saw that Yue Mingsi was adamant about leaving, he stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve, saying angrily, "Don't blame me for what you and I agreed upon if you insist on leaving!"

The corners of Yue Mingsi's mouth curled up at these words.

"Are you threatening me?" the puppet asked mockingly, his eyes a little frigid.

Shangguan Yuan's expression froze, and he was about to say something to save the atmosphere when Yue Mingsi's figure vanished into the air. Above, only his laughter could be heard, as well as the puppet's shrill voice yelling, "Only if you manage to survive!"

"Yue Mingsi!" Shangguan Yuan dashed after him and yelled angrily, "You get back here!"

However, Yue Mingsi's figure had entirely vanished into the black mist. Shangguan Yuan wanted to give chase again, but when he saw the black mist peeping outside Qin Yan's enchantment, he immediately came to a complete halt.

He gritted his teeth, turned around, and walked over to Qin Yan, who was standing nearby, where he instantly knelt down and said, "Qin Xianshi, I have heard of the Hongmeng Heavenly Palace's reputation of benevolence and righteousness. Right now, nearly four hundred members of the Shangguan Clan rely on Qin Xianshi. As long as Qin Xianshi is willing to help save the Shangguan Clan today, the Shangguan Clan will repay the favour in the future. My clan's youngsters will become slaves and servants, and I will make offerings of spirit stones and valuables every year. I beg you to save me, Xianshi!"

"Xianshi!" With these words, all of them fell to their knees, anxious and panicked, saying, "Xianshi, please save us!"

Only Madame Shangguan remained standing among this group of people, and she was gazing at the enchantment with tears in her eyes. The dark Qi grew thicker and thicker beyond the enchantment, appearing to be gradually taking shape. It resembled a large serpent circling around the perimeter of Shangguan Estate, and the outline of a human face was faintly revealed in that black mist, appearing as though a pair of eyes had sprouted on that large serpent, which was terrifying to see.

Fu Changling cast a thoughtful glance towards Madame Shangguan, his Qinggu fan resting against his lips.

Qin Yan pursed his lips as he gazed at these folks kneeling on the ground, as though contemplating a difficult decision. And Yun Yu looked at Qin Yan nervously, waiting for him to give the order whether to leave or stay, but now he couldn't wait any longer.

Qin Yan was silent for far too long that Fu Changling couldn't help but glance at him.

Qin Yan's hesitancy didn't surprise him. Even if Qin Yan hadn't taken action today to exterminate the Shangguan Clan, he was, after all, still a demon cultivator. It seemed absurd to preach moral righteousness to a demon cultivator.

Yue Mingsi, too, had fled. If Qin Yan was staying, he might have had another plan.

Fu Changling was mentally calculating while his fingers kept drawing the teleportation array under his sleeve. Everyone else was whispering around him, and he could faintly hear the sound of little boys crying. Inadvertently, he looked up and swept his gaze over Shangguan Mingyan, seeing the youngster flanked by two boys who appeared to be his younger siblings. As Shangguan Mingyan lowered his head to console them, they gripped his sleeves.

Fu Changling paused in what he was doing and couldn't help but be a little stunned.

Compassion is in everyone's heart. He was furious at first that the Shangguan Clan was out to kill him back then, but now that he thinks about it, although Shangguan Yuan and Yue Mingsi worked together to harm him, the rest of the Shangguan Clan was innocent.

Fu Changling turned his head with a sudden tinge of interest in Qin Yan's decision.

Qin Yan, who was next to him, thought about it for a while before looking at Fu Changling, who was sizing him up. His gaze fell on Fu Changling's, as if inquiring.

Fu Changling panicked and quickly turned his head away. After a brief moment of consideration, Qin Yan seemed to have made some kind of decision before turning to Yun Yu and saying, "Take the swift boat out. I have a sword tactic from my Shizun here. You escort Fu Gongzi and the rest of the Shangguan Clan out first."

Jiang Yebai, the Leader of the Hongmeng Heavenly Palace and the present-day number one sword cultivator, was Qin Yan's master. Now, he was one of the four cultivators who had overcome the heavenly tribulations, so escorting a swift boat out using one of his sword tactics was no problem at all.

Fu Changling didn't understand why Qin Yan was so bent on protecting him and sending him out, but his teleportation array was nearing completion, and Qin Yan's intentions were unclear. Plus, it was essential that they save as many people as possible, so he shook his head.

He lifted his hand and scribbled: "Send the ordinary people out first."

Yun Yu, who was watching from the side, hurriedly remarked, "Fu Gongzi is right. Let's send the ordinary people out first. He is incredibly strong and doesn't need any protection!"

Fu Changling: "..."

No—he needed protection. He just didn't want Qin Yan's protection.

While he was contemplating, he noticed Qin Yan giving him a light gaze and simply said, "Send the ordinary people out first. I will protect Fu Gongzi."

Fu Changling kept a smile on his face, but inwardly, he didn't know whose entire family he should condemn.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Yun Yu: There's no need to say more. I get it, Fu Gongzi. You are a present-day prodigy who is oppressed by your stepmother and has to conceal your capabilities and bide your time in order to survive! You've been hiding your talent all this time, all in order to stay alive! One day, you will exact your vengeance, you will rise, and you will become a legend of Yunze!

Fu Changling: ...You're a better blowhard than I am.

Then—

Qin Yan: How do you know so much when your level is merely Zhuji?

Fu Changling: Will you believe me if I say I'm trying to stay alive? I'm actually a present-day prodigy who is oppressed by my stepmother...

Qin Yan: ...You are indeed a prodigy.

In the beginning, it's actually quite easygoing.

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