After Sheng Jun Chapter 18 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 18 Going All Out (part 1)
Jiang Xingzhi momentarily forgot that he was in the middle of a formation.
Until a steady voice sounded from across, "Why are you standing there in a daze?"
In the misty forest, the other person's expression was unclear. He had no time to think and quickly moved to the next position.
It didn't take long for the two of them to lead Ping Lan out of the formation. The forest behind them returned to its static state.
After leaving the forest, Jiang Xingzhi stared at Zhong Ming for several moments. The figure from earlier still lingered in his mind, making his thoughts feel like a tangled mess.
Zhong Ming met his gaze, "What are you looking at?"
Jiang Xingzhi stared intensely at him, "Do you habitually use your left hand to reverse-grip the formation-breaking stone?"
Zhong Ming put Ping Lan down and replied calmly, "I usually use my right hand, but today I was holding this little guy and couldn't free my hand."
"How did you know I would first move northwest? Don't tell me you really have some mind-reading technique?"
"I wish I did." That way he could know which bastard Jiang Xingzhi actually liked.
Jiang Xingzhi remained silent, seemingly still conflicted.
Silence fell among the three of them until Ping Lan smiled to ease the tension, "What's wrong? Hasn't Immortal Lord Bai always understood Immortal Lord Jiang very well?"
Jiang Xingzhi shook his head. Some daily habits could be explained by keen observation, but breaking a formation required coordination between both parties, especially with such a similar posture.
Zhong Ming saw his furrowed brow, "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing, just reminded me of someone."
"Who?"
"I was thinking of my..."
Jiang Xingzhi suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Thinking of the person I like?
Ping Lan still thought he and Bai Mu were partners—how could he explain another "beloved" coming out of his mouth?
Zhong Ming's heart suddenly beat half a beat faster, "Your what?"
Jiang Xingzhi changed the subject, "My enemy." He then patted Zhong Ming's shoulder, "What a coincidence."
Clearly not forgetting that he also resembled the other's enemy.
Zhong Ming: "..."
Ping Lan couldn't understand this plot twist and stood awkwardly to the side with a complicated expression.
Jiang Xingzhi asked, "Are you interested in him?" If they were going to talk about Xu Jian, he would really get excited.
Zhong Ming turned and walked forward, "Not at all."
****
After leaving the forest, they came upon a stone gate backed against a mountain wall.
The sides of the stone gate were covered with aged vines and cracks, looking full of mechanisms. Ping Lan went forward and tinkered with it for a while, and the stone gate opened, revealing a passage behind it.
From the stone gate, they walked all the way in, avoiding mechanisms along the way. Soon they reached the end of the corridor where the ground below was hollow.
Ping Lan found a mechanism with his hand, "The entrance below is quite narrow, we can only go down one by one."
Zhong Ming stepped forward, "I'll go first."
Both being at the Mahayana level, the other man always went first. Even someone as thick-skinned as Jiang Xingzhi felt a hint of shame. He deliberately stepped back, "Then I'll bring up the rear."
Zhong Ming and Ping Lan looked at the empty corridor behind him.
Both kindly decided not to correct him. Ping Lan pressed the mechanism, and with a rumbling sound, Zhong Ming's figure fell down, instantly disappearing into the black hole of the passage.
After two breaths, a voice came from below, "Keep up."
Ping Lan jumped down next. When the sound of landing was heard, Jiang Xingzhi also leaped down. His vision suddenly plunged into darkness, with wind whistling in his ears.
His landing point was too far forward, and he was about to crash into two figures when one of them suddenly stepped across to meet him head-on. "Bang!" He almost collided fully with the person. The other didn't use spiritual power to block, but caught him firmly.
"Hmm—" A muffled groan mixed with warm breath came from his ear, and an arm wrapped around his waist. Warm heat enveloped him, and a man's voice fell from above his head, "Why did you jump so far?"
With darkness all around where one couldn't see their fingers, Jiang Xingzhi rose from his embrace, "I thought there was a broader space below."
Zhong Ming released him, "Bring out your True Fire for illumination."
Jiang Xingzhi wasn't stingy and released the Three Paths True Fire from his dantian.
The firelight suddenly illuminated the surroundings, making Zhong Ming's cliff-like profile appear even more three-dimensional.
Ping Lan stood to the side with a look of lingering fear.
Jiang Xingzhi thought he had scared him, "Sorry, I almost crashed into you."
Ping Lan waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, no..." He was afraid that if Jiang Xingzhi had crashed into him, he would have been assassinated by Immortal Lord Bai.
He quickly walked in front, trying hard to play the role of a simple guide.
Jiang Xingzhi and Zhong Ming followed side by side. After walking for a while, Jiang Xingzhi became puzzled: didn't Bai Mu have any tools or techniques for illumination?
But thinking about it carefully, the latter had never shown his cultivation techniques. Though he claimed to be a sword cultivator, he had never drawn his life-bound sword.
Jiang Xingzhi's gaze moved over to him: keeping things so hidden...
Feeling the gaze like a physical touch, Zhong Ming glanced sideways, "How long are you going to stare?"
Jiang Xingzhi sighed lightly, "I finally understand why you kept staring at me in the inn before."
Having someone nearby who resembled someone deeply etched in one's memory made it truly difficult not to pay attention.
"Why?"
Seeing that Ping Lan was walking neither too near nor too far ahead, he moved closer to Zhong Ming. Warm breath brushed against his ear, causing Zhong Ming's earlobe to grow subtly hot.
A lowered voice sounded, "Glancing occasionally helps refresh this grudge."
"..." A vein throbbed at Zhong Ming's temple.
He pushed away Jiang Xingzhi's approaching face, "Watch where you're going."
****
The Three Paths True Fire led the way ahead, illuminating the ancient legends carved on both sides of the stone walls. All along the way, Jiang Xingzhi couldn't find anything related to the secret realm.
They walked until they reached a fork in the road, where the Three Paths True Fire stopped.
Ping Lan said, "We should take the left path." The flame remained still.
Zhong Ming spoke, "Follow what he said."
The flame flickered, as if nodding, then floated toward the left fork.
Jiang Xingzhi, who hadn't had time to speak: ???
He suddenly looked at Zhong Ming, "Why does it listen to you? Are you two secretly colluding behind my back?"
Zhong Ming remained calm, "It's not like we haven't met before."
Jiang Xingzhi remembered the previous warming incident, "Oh right, I forgot."
Ping Lan walked ahead, keeping his eyes on the ground and his heart to himself: Junior sister was right, these two's couple tricks really are endless.
After passing through this dark, narrow passage, the three of them suddenly found themselves in an open space—
They saw a curved stone chamber with cobwebs connecting everything. The ground was covered with a layer of dust, ancient vessels were arranged around the walls, and directly facing them was a skeleton.
The skeleton was solemnly enshrined, with a tablet inscribed with a few characters:
[Yuhua Sect, Ancestor Chongyu]
Ping Lan stepped forward and performed a grand bow, while Jiang Xingzhi assumed a solemn expression.
Zhong Ming walked over and stopped in front of the skeleton, frowning, "Look at his finger bones."
The two approached and saw that the white finger bones had a newly left mark, and there were signs of movement around the skeleton.
Ping Lan's face changed, "The jade thumb ring is gone!"
Jiang Xingzhi remembered, "Doesn't the Grand Elder have one?" That thumb ring was worn by the latter so ostentatiously that it had dazzled his eyes.
Ping Lan was so angry his hands trembled, gnashing his teeth, "Stealing the ancestor's relic—may lightning strike him!"
Jiang Xingzhi patted him, silently comforting him. Zhong Ming lowered his gaze and said, "Excuse me," then squatted down and turned over the back of the skeleton.
In the dim light of the Three Paths True Fire, the back of the white skeleton was densely covered with small characters. Jiang Xingzhi held his breath, then squatted down to carefully examine them.
Valley, Youpo Lake, souls that cannot cross over.
Further down, it mentioned the flower bud in the center of the lake, the "tribute" to awaken the blooming flower, and the formation were all recorded in the thumb ring. The last words carved in the bones were just one sentence:
[When the flower blooms, the secret realm will appear.]
Huff... In the confined stone chamber, Jiang Xingzhi let out a breath. He stood up and asked Ping Lan, "Have you seen the inscriptions on the back of the skeleton?"
"No, neither my master nor I have ever disturbed the ancestor's remains."
The case was solved. Indeed, the Grand Elder had been here. He probably wanted to monopolize the secrets of the secret realm, which is why he harbored evil intentions and eliminated obstacles.
Jiang Xingzhi nodded, "Let's go, we should leave."
The records in the jade thumb ring weren't important to him. He had already confirmed what he wanted to know.
Ping Lan's eyes were red, "Immortal Lord, I—!"
Jiang Xingzhi said, "I will keep my promise to you."
****
After sending the emotionally agitated Ping Lan back to his quarters, Jiang Xingzhi instructed him not to inform others for now, then returned to Mist Pavilion with Zhong Ming.
Guards were still stationed outside. After they returned, they didn't light any lamps.
Brilliant moonlight filled the pavilion's furnishings, creating a contrast of light and shadow. Jiang Xingzhi sat by the table, supporting his head and looking out the window.
Having confirmed the time when the secret realm would open, his mood was not light.
Tonight's discovery really wasn't something to be happy about.
Zhong Ming sat across from him, "What are your plans?"
Jiang Xingzhi said, "It's not just the Grand Elder who needs to be dealt with, but those who collude with him. Moreover, the sect leader's fate is still unknown—I fear they may be reluctant to act."
Zhong Ming said, "The simplest method is to assassinate them one by one."
The light words fell as if he were discussing tomorrow's menu.
Jiang Xingzhi was amused by this déjà vu, and his somber mood lifted a bit.
Zhong Ming asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"Sometimes the way you talk and act is quite to my liking."
The bright moonlight filtered through Jiang Xingzhi's long eyelashes, dancing on his eyelids. Clear, moist laughter rippled from the corners of his eyes, and for a moment, Zhong Ming's mind went blank.
He swallowed, lowering his eyes to avoid the other's gaze.
If I'm so much to your liking, why don't you transfer your affections quickly?
"However," Jiang Xingzhi spoke again, "assassination lets them off too easily and dirties one's own hands."
Zhong Ming looked up, "So?"
The slender figure rose by the window, bathed in moonlight, immaculate like a banished immortal.
Jiang Xingzhi placed one hand on his belt, "It's time to manifest my noble identity."
"......"
The next day.
Jiang Xingzhi unusually rose early, sitting by the desk and sending messages one by one.
A row of waist tokens were neatly arranged on the table, waiting to be attended to.
Zhong Ming was brewing tea nearby. Since the weather had gradually turned to autumn, Jiang Xingzhi increasingly enjoyed holding something warm to warm his hands. He prepared a cup of tea and handed it over.
While sending messages to sect masters, Jiang Xingzhi skillfully accepted it, his voice becoming lazier from the warmth.
"Hmm….yes, this venerable has found information about the secret realm at Yuhua Sect, but is currently under house arrest by the sect's Grand Elder..."
"After all, I'm just a remnant soul, so my actions are inevitably restricted..."
"Then I'll trouble the sect leader."
"Divine Lamp Daren, what are you saying? You're an honorary elder of our sect. Rescuing you is our duty!"
"......."
Familiar conversations went on for several rounds, and the tea in the pot had already been steeped three times.
When the last communication ended, Jiang Xingzhi, as if having experienced a tremendous labor, collapsed in his seat and let out a sigh.
Zhong Ming, who had heard all those identical conversations, paused before asking, "You've made so many….honorary elder positions, do those sects know about each other?"
Jiang Xingzhi collapsed in a heap, "Of course not."
Clang! The tea lid knocked against the edge of the pot.
Zhong Ming's typically composed face showed a rare expression of disbelief. He stared at Jiang Xingzhi, his slightly opened mouth not closing for a long time.
The morning breeze blew in from the open window.
Jiang Xingzhi turned his head to meet the man's gaze, seemingly containing thousands of words. He couldn't help but reach out to close the other's jaw, kindly saying, "Aren't you afraid the wind will twist your tongue?"
"........."
Zhong Ming looked at him with a complex expression for a long time, "Have you thought about what will happen when all parties gather together?"
(TL: "风大闪了舌头"- is a sarcastic way of telling someone to watch their words, implying that speaking recklessly or arrogantly might bring trouble.)