Chapter 138
Chapter 138: What Identity Do You Ask With?
Looking at Shi Zi Chu, whose sobs came in desperate gasps, the woman felt a deep ache in her heart, so intense it nearly brought her to tears.
But she was a vicious ghost—tears were beyond her reach.
“My poor Qing Qing.”
Her beautiful fingers gently cupped Shi Zi Chu’s face, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “Don’t cry, smile for me. Mother wants to see you smile.”
Overwhelmed by sorrow, Shi Zi Chu struggled to find a reason to smile, but she obediently tugged her lips into a faint curve.
“Our time together was far too short,” the woman murmured, her forehead leaning softly against Shi Zi Chu’s. “Qing Qing, Qing Qing…”
Her voice was full of tenderness and an unmistakable sorrow.
Suddenly, Shi Zi Chu’s body was engulfed by dark energy and sent flying backwards.
Xing Lan moved to follow, but the dark energy wrapped around his legs like creeping vines, freezing him in place.
The figure that had been thrown soon disappeared from both their sights.
Xing Lan, unaware of any malice, did not summon his Life Bound Sword.
“I am called Jiaren,” the woman introduced herself.
She then raised her hand in a deep bow to Xing Lan. “Without your nurturing, Qing Qing would never have grown safely.”
Beauty is a weapon, yet it can also be a curse, a source of evil.
For example, she herself was a living testament to that.
Xing Lan, accepting the bow, lifted his own hand in a respectful salute. “Please, Senior, forgive me.”
The shift in their master-disciple bond was his fault. He owed an apology and reparations to Jiu Jiu’s mother.
Jiaren smiled faintly. “It is a good thing to have someone love Qing Qing.”
Her eyes could distinguish love from desire. In Xing Lan’s gaze, there was only pure love, not lust for Qing Qing’s beauty.
This was a relief.
Xing Lan straightened up, silently exhaling a breath.
“Could you promise me one thing?” Jiaren continued. “I know my request may be excessive, but I won’t ask you to agree for nothing.”
Love is the most unreliable of emotions. One may love today but not tomorrow.
Xing Lan’s fortune ran deep—he would become Qing Qing’s greatest ally.
She had to plan carefully for her beloved Qing Qing.
“Please speak,” Xing Lan replied.
“I ask you to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao that you will never harm her, not for any reason or through the hands of another. Should you break this oath, you will die, and your soul will vanish.”
Love may fade, but an oath to the Heavenly Dao would never waver.
Moreover, if his love was true, what fear could there be?
“I, Nan Rong Jun, swear to the Heavenly Dao that I will love Shi Zi Chu and protect her for the rest of my life. I will never harm her, nor allow another to do so. Should I break this oath, I will die, and my soul will be lost.”
His cold, steady voice rang clear, firm and resolute.
Looking at Xing Lan, who raised his hand to swear without hesitation, Jiaren let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Seeing Jiaren about to speak, Xing Lan interjected. “I understand your concerns, Senior. If you truly love her as you say, then I know this is for Qing Qing’s sake.”
Jiaren smiled softly.
“As I said, I won’t let you swear in vain.”
With those words, she formed a hand seal.
A pale blue light emerged from her brow, and a shard of ice-blue bone floated towards Xing Lan.
Water Yin Bone?
Xing Lan extended his hand, and the beautiful bone piece settled into his palm.
The cold bone felt like a piece of jade.
Xing Lan’s gaze grew deeper and more complex as he studied the bone.
Water Yin Bone—though it sounded strange—was a demi-god level heavenly treasure.
Yet this treasure, both righteous and sinister, could be a disaster, especially for one with a top-tier water spiritual root.
A mother’s worry often leads her to nag, and Jiaren couldn’t help but say, “Qing Qing will always have her flaws. I ask that you show patience, especially considering this Water Yin Bone.”
“Senior, I understand what Jiu Jiu is like.” Xing Lan raised his hand, his voice filled with authority, “I will inform Jiu Jiu about the Water Yin Bone.”
What happens next will be up to Jiu Jiu.
Jiaren smiled, faintly amused.
Xing Lan suddenly asked, “Do you know?”
“Yes,” Jiaren replied.
There’s an old saying: no one knows a daughter like her mother.
Qing Qing was a born villain. She had dared to poison Qin Da when she was still young, and as time passed, her actions grew even more extreme.
But so what?
Qing Qing was her treasure, her daughter.
Even knowing that Qing Qing’s thoughts were far from pure, everything she owned was still Qing Qing’s.
Except for the Water Yin Bone.
Jiaren lifted her gaze to the sky. “It’s getting late.”
Before the words had even left her mouth, the dark energy dispersed.
And she vanished from sight.
Xing Lan looked at the Soul Revival Array, his hand appearing to hold the like of the He Ling Sword.
…
“AAHHH!!”
A shrill scream echoed across Water Road Village, reaching even the ears of Xing Lan, who had just descended the mountain.
Before he could return to his courtyard, several cultivators rushed towards him.
“Venerable Xing Lan, help!” they cried, breathless and frantic.
The cultivators looked disheveled, each one more desperate than the last.
“The villagers have rioted again!”
“The vicious ghosts are attacking with purpose this time!”
“We don’t know why, but the Jade Void Sect disciples have become live targets!”
…
The cultivators exchanged hurried words, and Xing Lan quickly understood the cause of the chaos.
It was because Jiu Jiu had accused Jiaren on the mountaintop, and the protective mother had hastened the massacre in response.
But where was Jiu Jiu?
“Lead the way,” Xing Lan commanded.
Some cultivators, terrified of dying in the secret realm, refused to go, while others, eager to gain favor in front of Xing Lan, boldly took the lead.
Meanwhile, Ye He Qi faced only a handful of vicious ghosts, but Chu Zhi Rou and her group were surrounded by layers upon layers of dark spirits.
Ye He Qi’s thoughts wandered as he observed the chaos.
Looking around, he saw that cultivators who had past grievances with Shi Zi Chu were suffering the most—chief among them, Chu Zhi Rou and Xu Zhou Ye.
But those without grudges were mostly just targeted randomly by the vicious ghosts.
What had Shi Zi Chu done?
Xing Lan had arrived ahead of her, and his He Ling Sword had already sent countless vicious ghosts flying.
Chu Zhi Rou, in her misery, looked up at the spirit sword and instantly burst into tears of joy. “Master!”
Xing Lan called back the sword and fixed his gaze on Clan Chief Nan Rong and the others.
“There’s the village entrance, the stone is over there,” Clan Chief Nan Rong pointed, his face full of frustration. “How did it get out of control again?”
Xing Lan’s cold voice rang out, “Perhaps you should ask the one who started the fire.”
Seeing the look of dread in Chu Zhi Rou’s eyes, she gasped, her voice trembling, “Master…”
Xing Lan flicked his finger, and a slap landed in midair, striking Chu Zhi Rou across the face.
In the face of her sorrowful gaze, his voice remained ice-cold. “No discipline.”
According to the rules, an outer sect disciple should address him as Peak Master, not Master.
Did she think he hadn’t heard?
Jiang Wan Sheng looked on, sensing that something was off with the older man’s mood.
But who cared?
“Venerable Xing Lan, where is Qing Qing?” Jiang Wan Sheng finally asked.
Xing Lan’s cold gaze shifted toward him.
When it came to Shi Zi Chu, Jiang Wan Sheng would not back down. With a mocking laugh, he asked, “You took her away, so where is she now? Why do I only see you and not Qing Qing?”
Could it be that the old man had lost her?
He truly deserved to die!
If only Xing Lan knew where Shi Zi Chu was, he wouldn’t be so frustrated.
“Younger Master Jiang, you seem to be meddling in matters that are none of your business,” Xing Lan’s voice was cold. “What identity do you have to inquire about this?”
His mood was foul, and Jiang Wan Sheng wasn’t about to have it easy.
The words struck Jiang Wan Sheng deep, and his anger surged.
If only he had a position to stand on!
No. He had to secure his place before this old man did!