Since Qin Suyun was willing to come out for some air, Yue Yao didn’t mind it.

After all, as long as this person was alive, the form in which they lived didn’t matter much.

Now that she was here, Yue Yao decided to bring up another matter.

She turned her head toward Chu Xinghui: “Cultivator Chu, you plan on going to Changyang Mountain, right?”

Chu Xinghui glanced at Yue Yao.

He had only mentioned this plan to Xie Liufeng the day before, so it was surprising that Yue Yao knew about it so quickly.

Seeing his confusion, Yue Yao quickly explained: “I’m not like Cultivator Qin, who enjoys spying on others. I merely saw Cultivator Chu when I was running some relevant calculations.”

Qin Suyun dared not make a sound anymore, and shrank her soul a little.

Xie Liufeng noticed her and moved to seal her perception of the outside world.

Yue Yao glanced at Qin Suyun, then looked at Chu Xinghui and explained what she had seen: “This journey will yield something, but there also exists a deadlock, which may or may not have a solution. If Cultivator Chu still wishes to go… remember to bring the token of Bihai Taohua Island, and, oh, also your sword spirit.”

Finally, she thoughtfully added: “This is a divination, it won’t be a lie.”

Chu Xinghui pondered the items she emphasized, feeling a bit confused: “Does your Bihai Taohua Island… have a habit of hiding things in four places?”

Yue Yao responded coldly with a sneer: “Who knows? After all, Bihai Taohua Island has many exceptional people. It’s not surprising that some unspeakable things are hidden in desolate places.”

If this calamity could pass… she would definitely reform the atmosphere under her sect.

“I still have things to deal with, so I’ll come find you all again in a few days.” Yue Yao cupped her head, feeling inconvenient, and decided to end the conversation quickly: “Also, please help fix this body of mine, I’ll need it for something else… to deal with my good master.”

Once the conversation ended, Xie Liufeng casually released Qin Suyun.

As Qin Suyun’s perception of the outside world was restored, he saw Yue Yao about to leave and immediately stopped her: “Wait! Then… what about me?”

He couldn’t keep drifting outside.

Yue Yao turned her head toward him, her tone polite but with a touch of sarcasm: “Hmm… it’s indeed tricky. Without a vessel to house your soul, it must be a strain, right? And without the protection of this world’s body, Cultivator Qin’s origins…”

Seeing that Yue Yao was about to reveal his origins, Qin Suyun hurriedly interrupted her: “Cultivator Yue!”

Yue Yao smoothly changed her words: “Ah, I meant, Cultivator Qin’s bloodline is special. Without a vessel, you wouldn’t survive.”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

She still loved to talk nonsense.

Is there anything in this world that can survive without a body?

Qin Suyun was quite amazing.

His soul’s outer golden light had been so obvious just now, yet he still insisted on concealing his already-leaked identity.

Chu Xinghui spread out his consciousness and found a brand-new dead rat nearby.

He showed the rat to Xie Liufeng.

Xie Liufeng looked at the rat’s quality, felt it was decent, and then turned to ask Qin Suyun for his opinion: “What does Cultivator Qin think?”

Qin Suyun expressed his resistance and opposition: “No, this won’t do…”

How could such a noble identity be turned into a rat?

Xie Liufeng smiled and casually compressed his soul: “Ah, sorry, I was just asking. I wasn’t planning to follow your opinion.”

Qin Suyun’s soul was once again placed into the new rat.

Fang Yan focused on calculating the cost of repairs, then looked at Yue Yao and politely said: “If you need the vessel repaired… it’s not impossible, but the cost might be a bit high.”

Yue Yao understood his hint: “I’ll pay double.”

Fang Yan happily agreed without hesitation.

With the matter here nearly settled, the people present dispersed temporarily to do other things.
Chu Xinghui, still concerned about what Qin Suyun had said earlier, did not immediately head to the library. Instead, he took Xie Liufeng aside and asked: “Was what Qin Suyun said earlier true?”

Xie Liufeng knew what he was referring to and confessed: “I don’t know either. Maybe it’s because he hasn’t lived long enough yet, so he hasn’t reached the point of weakness?”

Chu Xinghui observed him carefully, confirmed he wasn’t lying, and then said: “You need to remember something.”

Xie Liufeng, not realizing the seriousness of the matter, pinched Chu Xinghui’s face, smiling mischievously: “Hmm, what you say, how could I not remember?”

Chu Xinghui looked at him seriously and said: “I will always be with you. If something happens to you one day, I’ll go with you.”

Xie Liufeng looked at him, falling silent.

After a long pause, he rubbed Chu Xinghui’s head: “Yue Yao also said there’s a deadlock in your future journey, but right now, you seem to be the one in more danger.”

He was so powerful that even if he started weakening, he could still live for many more years.

Chu Xinghui thought seriously about the two situations and replied: “If you die, I will die with you. But… if I am the one to die, I still hope you can live.”

Xie Liufeng poked his head, scolding him: “You’re double-standard.”

Chu Xinghui honestly said: “I don’t know, but I can’t think any other way.”

Xie Liufeng sighed: “How do you know… I’m not thinking the same?”

Chu Xinghui looked up at him, gazing seriously, then blinked.

He then reached out and hugged Xie Liufeng, solemnly promising: “Then… let’s live together.”

No matter what happens next, he would do everything in his power to ensure both of them could live.

Xie Liufeng couldn’t help but laugh, also holding him tightly: “In a few days, when you go to Changyang Mountain, I’ll go with you.”

Chu Xinghui nodded.

The two made their plans and then temporarily parted ways to handle their own affairs.

*

Chu Xinghui spent several days in the library, quickly skimming through all the related materials, and specifically found and organized everything related to Changyang Mountain. He made some simple plans for the trip to Changyang Mountain and then returned home.

He packed up his things, remembered the sword spirit he had to take with him, and glanced into the black bird’s nest.

The nest was empty, and there was no sign of the bird.

He casually called out to Xie Liufeng: “Have you seen that bird?”

Xie Liufeng opened the window and looked outside: “Hmm? Not in the nest?”

Chu Xinghui shook his head: “Not there.”

Xie Liufeng briefly guessed: “Maybe it went out to play. It should be back soon.”

Chu Xinghui agreed.

The bird often flew outside, so there was no need to specifically look for it.

He decided to call it back using the contract when it was time to leave.

He continued with his tasks.

*

Meanwhile, the wandering black bird was hunting outside.

It had found a very fresh and tasty prey within the sect and had successfully entered the place where the prey was kept.

It passed through layers of restrictions with ease and landed on a table, using its beak to push open the box that was holding Qin Suyun.

Ever since Qin Suyun was placed in the mouse’s body, Fang Yan had found a box to put him in. Qin Suyun had been in there for a long time without any air.

After several days, Qin Suyun finally saw light again.

And then he saw a black bird peering into the box.

He had some impression of this bird—it was the one that Chu Xinghui raised.

But now was not the time to think about whose bird it was, it seemed… he was free.

Qin Suyun was overjoyed and immediately jumped out of the box, intending to escape first.

The black bird squinted at him, standing on the table and lightly sharpening its claws.

Qin Suyun, still not fully accustomed to the mouse’s body, ran awkwardly and even bumped into the table legs twice.

He ran while trying to find a way out.

The black bird followed him slowly.

Seeing that the bird kept following him, Qin Suyun extended his short mouse claws and tried to shoo it away: “Go, go!”

The black bird did not leave as he wished, but instead, it moved.

It perched high up, silently diving down, and used its claws to grab the mouse’s body.

Qin Suyun was startled and immediately began struggling fiercely.

The black bird flew high and dropped the mouse from the air.

Qin Suyun fell from the sky in fear.

His whole body ached, and he didn’t know how many bones in the mouse’s body had broken.

But it wasn’t over.

The black bird dove down again from the sky, grabbed the mouse, and threw it down again.

…

After several falls, the black bird finally caught a motionless prey, sneakily carrying the mouse back home.

Chu Xinghui, who was preparing his things, looked up and saw the bird finally returning. He took a closer look.

It seemed the bird had brought back something strange.

Chu Xinghui set aside his work for a moment and walked over to see what it had brought.

The black bird hopped on a branch, turned its back to him with its tail feathers facing him, and began to focus on eating its prey.

Chu Xinghui circled around it and finally saw what it had brought back.

A half-dead mouse.

And this mouse looked quite familiar—if he wasn’t mistaken, it was the one used to contain Qin Suyun’s soul.

Chu Xinghui: “…”

The black bird pecked at the mouse twice, and it seemed like it was about to swallow it whole, just like it would with a pill.

Chu Xinghui quickly snatched the mouse from the black bird’s beak and shouted for Xie Liufeng.

Upon hearing Chu Xinghui, Xie Liufeng walked out of the room: “What happened?”

Chu Xinghui stepped aside and showed him the scene.

Xie Liufeng finally understood what had happened and couldn’t help but laugh.

One had to admit, this bird was quite capable.

Chu Xinghui looked at him, signaling him to hurry and help solve the problem.

Xie Liufeng coughed lightly, stopped laughing, and walked over to take the mouse.

Just as he was about to take the mouse to Fang Yan, he suddenly furrowed his brows.

Chu Xinghui grabbed the black bird’s wings, planning to deal with it and stop it from disturbing the sect’s restrictions. But seeing Xie Liufeng’s expression, he stopped.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Xie Liufeng immediately pulled Qin Suyun’s soul from the mouse’s body.

The soul still appeared intact, but most of the golden light around it had disappeared, as if it had been “eaten” by the black bird.

Xie Liufeng and Chu Xinghui exchanged a glance.

Chu Xinghui released the black bird.

Xie Liufeng threw the unconscious soul back to the black bird and simply said: “Eat.”

The black bird hesitated for a moment, but when it saw the encouraging looks from both of them, it lowered its head and ate a few more bites.

Soon, it had completely consumed the golden light that wrapped the soul.

The black bird visibly grew larger.

Without the golden light, strands of black gas began to emanate from Qin Suyun’s soul.

Chu Xinghui and Xie Liufeng’s expressions gradually became more serious.

This was… karmic retribution.

Ordinary karmic consequences wouldn’t create such a burden, only someone who had committed evil beyond their fate would have such a thing.

Such deep karmic debt… one could only wonder how many wrongdoings it took to accumulate.

A person with such heavy guilt would be particularly targeted during tribulations, whether they faced heart demon tribulations or lightning tribulations. Such a person should never be able to ascend, let alone become a god.

But Qin Suyun indeed came from the Upper Realm.

Seeing the black gas, the black bird showed some disdain, dropped Qin Suyun’s soul, and flew to the side.

Chu Xinghui grabbed it back.

Man and bird stared at each other for a while.

The black bird tilted its head, clearly unaware of what had happened, and made a chirping sound.

Chu Xinghui gave its head a light pat, unable to suppress his doubts about the origin of his spirit sword again.

What on earth was this thing?

 

Support translation: