Chapter 0046

Chapter 46: Zhou Tong: Master, go play somewhere else

Mo Liu Su called out with her spirit power as it swept over a small wooden bead, then she froze, deeply moved: “Tong’er, my disciple…”

Waves of mental energy rose from the bead, mixed with a pure, steady power of wishes. A young man had poured in his spirit and written a great vow with true love. The bead carried his words: “I, Zhou Tong, ask Heaven and Earth for this: may my master face no disaster and live long in peace and joy.” “I, Zhou Tong, pray to the years: may my master’s name shine for a thousand ages, honored by all.” “I, Zhou Tong, bless my master before fate: may my master worry less and walk the great path smoothly.”

Such simple wishes had become an unbreakable wall. They blocked countless disasters for Mo Liu Su and shattered endless nightmares. Only now did she realize that she had not been protecting Zhou Tong; Zhou Tong had been protecting her. Each carved sentence was like a blade, cutting deep into her heart.

The disciple she once looked down on the most was the one she owed the most. And she had driven him away without mercy. Shamed, his cultivation ruined, he must have lost all hope, so he left without looking back. [At that time, Zhou Tong must have felt nothing but despair.] The one he trusted most betrayed him. The one he respected most despised him. The one he cherished most wronged him.

The more Mo Liu Su thought about it, the more it tore at her heart. She put herself in Zhou Tong’s place and could hardly breathe. [This feeling of having no one to rely on, of being alone in the world, I cannot bear it even for a second.]

Buzz. The little wooden bead flashed again, showing that another calamity had just struck Mo Liu Su. It was the tribulation of betrayal and loneliness, yet the bead stopped it for her.

She cupped the bead with care, threaded it with a strand of gold, and wore it around her slender neck. Up close, twelve faint points of light shimmered on the bead. They were twelve wish-seals, all of them her protective charms.

“Tong’er, be at ease,” she murmured, holding the bead tight: “no matter what, your master will bring you back. Forgive me. My methods may be harsh and may cause you some pain, but it will pass quickly. After that, I will treat you twice as well.”

If Zhou Tong were here, he would only feel disgust. These were crocodile tears.

Far away on Red Dust Mountain, Zhou Tong shivered and sneezed hard, grumbling to himself: “Who’s cursing me?”

The Joyous Union Sect had just gotten good news. The five great sects had paid compensation, and better yet, the Jade Purity Sect’s vice sect master had been executed, sent early to report to the King of Hell. Zhou Tong felt nothing about it. One vice sect master falls, another takes his place. The Jade Purity Sect has plenty of those. Not worth caring about.

Right then he was busy with a grand project. Under the amazed, admiring eyes of three girls, he was building a flying ship like nothing seen before.

The little demoness held the plans as if a dog staring at the stars, full of question marks. Mu Rong Ya also frowned in confusion. Different fields feel like different mountains; they had no way to understand.

Only Long Ling Yun grasped a little. After reading the blueprint, she praised him from the heart: “Senior Brother is number one under heaven!”

Zhou Tong smiled: “Of course. I never doubt that.”

The little demoness clicked her tongue: “Say you are smug and you start bragging even more.” She rolled her eyes at Zhou Tong, then looked at Long Ling Yun: “Aren’t you a total illiterate? How can you read something this deep?”

“Don’t look down on me,” Long Ling Yun said with pride, tipping her chin: “I’m not bragging. All paths under heaven enter my eyes. I just give my whole heart to the Sword Dao.”

“You’re just a silly junior sister and still dare to strut,” the little demoness shot back without mercy: “If you’re so great, why did someone beat you in one move?”

At that, Long Ling Yun drooped at once. Since joining the Joyous Union Sect, by sparring again and again with Zhou Tong, she had improved a lot. For a while she even believed her Sword Dao was closing in on his. But whenever they fought for real, she never saw his second move.

When she stood at the foot of the mountain, he was on the peak. When she climbed to the peak, he was already in the sky. The gap was just that big.

Zhou Tong waved them over: “You three look like statues. Can’t you see I’m busy? No sense at all. Come help me link the parts.”

This ultimate warship was harder than the Ninth-Grade Grand Array. It had hundreds of thousands of parts, and every connection had rules and craft behind it. Doing it alone would wear him out.

“Coming,” the little demoness and Long Ling Yun said as they rushed up. After Zhou Tong taught them the linking method, they started working by the plan.

“I will help too,” said Mu Rong Ya, her hands itching. She glanced at the drawing, then squinted and lifted a hammer. She gave a very light tap.

“Wait—” the little demoness blanched.

Boom. Fire and shock waves roared out and blasted all three away. The two girls flipped into the grass like planted stakes. Zhou Tong slammed headfirst into a wall. He yanked his head out with effort and stared at Mu Rong Ya in disbelief: “I was wrong. I will make it up to you. I’ll pay double. But tell me: how did you even do that?”

Zhou Tong had shocked many people many times, yet Mu Rong Ya kept shocking him back. How could someone’s control be this bad?

“I used to be very precise,” she said softly. “Ever since I got a heart demon, I turned into this.”

“So it’s the Unwarranted Calamity,” Zhou Tong said, understanding. A heart demon is counted among the Three Disasters and Four Calamities. It can be grouped under the Unwarranted Calamity or the Severed-Dao Calamity.

“In that case,” he added, pointing aside, “please go play over there. The three of us can handle this.”

Mu Rong Ya pouted like she had been bullied, but she obeyed. Her help only made trouble.

Yet even standing aside, her eyes were drawn to Zhou Tong and could no longer look away. The boy brimmed with confidence, bold and bright. She could never get enough of that sight.

“I want to keep this moment,” she whispered. She took a deep breath and used the Joyous Union Heavenly Art to paint in the air, tracing Zhou Tong’s brows and eyes.

But her control was so poor that every stroke went off in a strange direction, so wrong it made people laugh.

“Again,” she said. “Start over.” “Ruined… again.” “Whew. This one is a bit better, but still not enough. Next time will be better.”

She scrapped her work again and again, yet her heart stayed calm and steady. She was not proud or impatient. She just kept improving. She did not even notice that during this, her Unwarranted Calamity was slowly fading. She had taken one more step toward the peak version of herself.

After a long time, boundless light burst from inside the Joyous Union Sect. The ship was complete.

Just as they breathed out in relief, the sky thundered. Mountains shook. A terrible power spread through the heavens like it would erase all things and bring great disaster. If the Ninth-Grade Grand Array had not been holding the sect down, the whole world would have noticed.

“What is that?” The little demoness stared wide-eyed: “An acquired sacred artifact, Heaven’s might descending?”

The others stood stunned. This was too much. They had built this with their own hands, yet the Heavenly Dao itself had judged it an acquired sacred artifact and sent down a sign.

Zhou Tong and the girls were about to cheer when the painting slipped from Mu Rong Ya’s fingers and hit the ground with a soft slap. She stood there, mouth open, staring at the terrifying warship.

The ship’s body was deep black and coldly tough. It was only a few dozen yards long, yet Mu Rong Ya felt a huge pressure from it. This was no longer just a ship. It was a true artifact. With it, no matter how vast the sky, there would be nowhere they could not go.

“Hey, Master, what are you painting?” the little demoness asked, quick-eyed as always, spotting the scroll on the ground.

Mu Rong Ya’s face changed at once. She snatched up the scroll and guarded it carefully, full of alarm.