After Sheng Jun Chapter 43 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 43 Choose One of Two (part 1)
The face before them had extremely high recognition value. Although they had only met once, Jiang Xingzhi quickly recalled, "It's another 'Zuo'!"
——The demonic cultivator who competed with them for the "Yuan Sui" on the night of the Prayer Festival!
Upon hearing this, Zhong Ming's teeth ached. He tugged at the wheat ear cord and whispered in Jiang Xingzhi's ear, "What do you mean 'another one'? We follow the principle of one lamp, one seat."
Jiang Xingzhi thought he was unwilling to have his title stolen, so he quietly explained, "I don't know what he's called."
"You can assign him a number—he's Passerby Number One."
As their conversation gradually drifted off topic, the atmosphere in the scene remained tense.
"So it really is you..." came an aged voice from behind the mask, clearly recognizing the person opposite.
Blood-red robes fluttered as a slender hand removed that half-mask, casually tossing it at his feet.
Under the red moon, the man's entire face was revealed as he smiled provocatively.
The entire scene fell silent for several breaths. *Thud*—someone was the first to kneel in worship, and the surrounding people seemed to awaken, all falling to their knees in unison toward the blood-robed man suspended in mid-air——
"Greetings to Demon Lord Daren!"
Su You glanced down with lowered eyes, "Mm."
After speaking, he raised his hand and swept his sleeve, the blood-colored sleeve hem rustling. Dozens of guards hidden in the crowd instantly removed their masks and quickly surrounded the man who had seized the Thousand Goblet Bell.
Judging by this formation, it was clearly well-prepared.
Jiang Xingzhi watched as the situation changed dramatically in an instant, quite entertainingly. He was holding the wooden box and planning to find a good spot to watch the show when Su You cast a sideways glance at him.
"Still not leaving?"
The aged man's voice said harshly, "It seems you know who they are... Want to let someone take the Thousand Goblet Bell away first?"
"Don't know. But so what?" Su You said lazily, "Either way, I'm just not giving it to you~"
His attitude looked infuriating, and the atmosphere immediately became tense with swords drawn.
Jiang Xingzhi hesitated somewhat—would it really be okay for him to just leave like this? Just as he was considering whether to intervene, he heard a casual voice transmission message fall into his consciousness.
"Don't join the commotion, take the thing and leave quickly."
He looked up at Su You, who happened to be looking over as well, his raised eyebrow pressing down as if urging him.
"Go, go, go, don't get in this Lord's way here."
Jiang Xingzhi: ...Well then, okay.
Their eye contact lasted no more than a breath before the wheat ear cord in his hand was tugged again. The man beside him leaned close with a shadowy gaze, "What are you two talking about?"
Jiang Xingzhi pulled him along and turned to leave, "Nothing, let's go first."
Zhong Ming just glanced at Su You once, "Mm." Then he let Jiang Xingzhi drag him away.
The two quickly left the Midnight Gathering.
The man in the scene wanted to chase after them upon seeing this, but was blocked by Su You's people.
****
Two figures concealed their auras and transformed into streaming light, landing in a secluded small alley somewhere.
The end of the alley was a dead end, the entire lane empty and deserted. Far from the bustling noise, the two removed their masks and returned to their original appearances.
Before Jiang Xingzhi could speak, the man in front of him looked down and asked in a muffled voice, "What did he whisper to you secretly?"
"What do you mean secretly..." Jiang Xingzhi looked up.
The alley was deep and the light dim. Zhong Ming's profound and handsome features were half-hidden in shadow. The two were very close, face to face, creating an ambiguous atmosphere.
Jiang Xingzhi choked for a moment and hurriedly stepped back, his back nearly touching the wall, "He just told us not to interfere and to leave with the Thousand Goblet Bell."
Zhong Ming looked at him sourly, "Why did he only send voice transmissions to you?"
Jiang Xingzhi speculated, "Because I was holding the Thousand Goblet Bell?"
It was better when he didn't mention it, but once he did, Zhong Ming became even more sour. He couldn't help but reach out to touch the wooden box in Jiang Xingzhi's arms, his fingertips stroking the smooth edges, "Why did he throw the Thousand Goblet Bell to you? Showing kindness without reason... you should be careful."
His low voice entered his ears like silk. Jiang Xingzhi listened to his muttered "conspiracy theories" and was so speechless he almost laughed in exasperation, "Mm, yes indeed. Showing kindness without reason means ulterior motives."
"..." Zhong Ming paused for a moment, then defended himself, "I'm different. I'm openly and honestly pursuing Deng Deng."
Moreover, they already had mutual feelings for each other—how could that be called showing kindness without reason? He clearly had legitimate reasons for his kindness.
Jiang Xingzhi saw right through him: So many twisted arguments, one after another.
He skipped this topic and brought the focus back on track, "What should we do with this Thousand Goblet Bell?"
"Of course we'll find Fan Xiu to refine it. What else can we do?"
"That Demon Lord didn't say he was giving the Thousand Goblet Bell to us. He probably has some entanglement with both parties, and rather than let it fall into the other party's hands, he'd rather throw it to us two outsiders first."
Zhong Ming didn't care about other people's affairs. He was domineering and unreasonable, "If he gave it to you, then it's yours. Let's go, hurry up and get it refined."
Jiang Xingzhi: "..."
He wasn't as much of a bandit as Zhong Ming, "At least ask first before deciding." He looked back in the direction they came from, "I wonder how the battle went. If I'd known, I should have helped a little, maybe..."
"Maybe what?"
A voice suddenly fell from overhead.
Jiang Xingzhi looked up to see a large expanse of blood-red filling his vision, covering the red moon overhead. With clothes fluttering, the newcomer instantly appeared before the two.
Zhong Ming stared over expressionlessly: The person showing kindness without reason has arrived.
Su You bore no injuries and looked completely at ease.
Jiang Xingzhi was still holding the man's Thousand Goblet Bell, so he politely greeted him, "Demon Lord."
"You can also call me Su You." After Su You finished speaking, he saw Zhong Ming's eyebrow twitch and chuckled before continuing to address Jiang Xingzhi, "Beauty, what fate this is."
As he spoke, his tone lifted at the end, seeming to carry an intimate, teasing quality.
*Clang*. A hand gripped the ancient sword, Zhong Ming's eyes darkening, "Try calling him that again."
Su You retorted, "Then what should I call him, ugly ghost?"
Jiang Xingzhi: "..."
He really wanted to sew both their mouths shut.
"Surname Jiang, Jiang Xingzhi." He provided an appropriate form of address.
Actually, even he felt his scalp tingle from being called "beauty." In the past, people around him either respectfully called him "Sheng Jun" or simply "Xingzhi." Being called "beauty" was a first——probably because after his rebirth, he looked somewhat paler overall, always giving people a delicate impression.
Su You readily accepted, "So it's Jiang Xingzhi. Xingzhi... good name."
Zhong Ming's grip on his sword tightened again. That tone really made him want to cut someone down.
Jiang Xingzhi pressed his hand down and sent a voice transmission to remind him, "We're still holding his Thousand Goblet Bell. We need to be civilized, harmonious, and polite..."
Concerning Jiang Xingzhi's soul, Zhong Ming's knuckles moved, then he loosened his grip on the sword.
He looked at Su You, "Surname Bai, given name Mu."
At the end, he added another question, "How is it? Is this name good or not?"
Su You also looked at him, "Quite good, but not as good as 'Xingzhi'~ What do you think?"
Zhong Ming said word by word, "Xingzhi's name is naturally the very, very best."
...Incredible, even "very, very" best.
Jiang Xingzhi didn't understand why this round of praise came so inexplicably. Seeing that this topic seemed to have a tendency to continue extending, he couldn't help but speak softly, "What exactly are we discussing right now?"
Both men fell silent simultaneously, "..."
The topic returned to the main track.
Su You put away his playful attitude and looked at the wooden box in Jiang Xingzhi's arms, "You want the Thousand Goblet Bell?"
Jiang Xingzhi nodded, "I'm willing to pay a high price for it."
"This isn't a matter of high or low prices." Su You's eyes showed an unclear expression, momentarily revealing a dangerous aura. After pausing briefly, he didn't reveal more.
He paused again and asked, "What do you need it for?"
Jiang Xingzhi: "I'm terminally ill and need it to save my life."
"..."
The small alley fell quiet for a moment.
As soon as Jiang Xingzhi spoke, even he could taste a hint of moral blackmail in his words.
He coughed and explained, "It's a request."
The scrutinizing gaze lingered on him for several breaths before withdrawing. Su You said slowly, "Originally, this matter wasn't negotiable... However, for this Lord, good-looking people always have some privileges."
He reached out and temporarily took back the Thousand Goblet Bell, tucking it into his robes. Then he turned around with a flourish, his blood-red robes swaying.
"Come on, follow this Lord back to the palace for detailed discussion."