CHAPTER 3 Young Master Fu is very strong, he doesn’t need protection!

From the moment Qin Yan spoke, his body spun in a synchronized movement; his long sword swept cleanly into the direction of the outside courtyard, and, shaking the entire manor with its force, he immediately split apart the black mist outside into two halves. The black mist let out a terrifyingly, ear-piercingly sharp shriek and repeatedly tumbled backwards. At the same time, Fu Changling rushed towards the direction of Shangguan Yuemin. He grabbed Shangguan Yuemin’s jaw and, under the gaze of everyone, pried it wide open. A cloud of black mist with a horrible stench surged up into the air from her mouth. But Fu Changling’s reflexes were quicker; a long stream of enchantments flowed out of his fingertips and vigorously filled themselves into Shangguan Yuemin’s mouth.

The black mist was unable to come out of Shangguan Yuemin’s mouth. Her stomach began to swell. Appearing to have expected these events taking place, where Fu Changling’s fan[12] passed by Shangguan Yuemin’s stomach, it left behind a stream of incantations which immediately forced that black mist back in. Then, Fu Changling heaved Shangguan Yuemin’s body and tossed it into the air. As she spun in midair, her back began to swell before another string of incantation forced it back down, thoroughly sealing up the black mist into her body.

These actions were done extremely quickly. However, within the span of a single breath, before anyone could see what had happened, Shangguan Yuemin fell back onto the wooden bed on her face. It was also at this moment that Fu Changling suddenly caught sight of strange incantations written on her back.

Fu Changling was extremely sensitive to enchantment. He raised his arm to cut open the clothes on the back of Shangguan Yuemin with his little fan. Upon the sight of this, Shangguan Yuan angrily howled at him, “What are you doing?!”

Fu Changling paid him no attention. His gaze was fixed upon the enchantments painted in black. It was a very long incantation, from her neck to the small of her back. There was a black thousand-leaf lotus at the small of her back. Fu Changling thought some of the words on the incantation looked familiar, but he could not recall from where he’d seen them before. What he was certain of, however, is that these were not incantations commonly found in Yunze.

“Don’t push your luck.”

Watching as Fu Changling paid him no attention, Shangguan Yuan rushed over on his own. He frankly covered Shangguan Yuemin’s clothes and angrily shouted at Fu Changling, “She’s already dead! Aren’t you going to let her off?!”

“Right,” the puppet on Yue Mingsi’s shoulder said in a sharp voice. “Eldest Young Master, the person is dead, let it go.”

Fu Changling paid them no attention. He stood next to the bed, looking at that incantation.

Yun Yu walked next to him and carefully called out, “Fu… Young Master Fu.”

Fu Changling turned around. Yun Yu gave Yue Mingsi a look, and whispered, “Rest assured. Shixiong and I are not busybodies. We won’t tell anyone your secret.”

A look of puzzlement appeared on Fu Changling’s face. His gaze begged for enlightenment.

Yun Yu wiggled his eyebrows at him, and said, “I understand. You are simply hiding your talents, just like a tiger who is pretending to be a pig. I understand where you stand, and I support you! Even in drama scripts they wrote that people like you own the most promising future! Rest assured; let me know if you have any plans, and I would definitely help you out. As long as after you ascended through the ranks, remember friends like me…”

Yun Yu mumbled to himself. When Fu Changling understood that this man was in a delusional world of the drama scripts he read, he smiled and turned away, couldn’t bother himself to pay this junior of his any attention.

At this moment, Qin Yan had already prepared the energy barrier. He turned around and walked steadily next to Fu Changling. He looked at Shangguan Yuemin, who was lying on the bed, and said, “What is it?”

Fu Changling raised his head to eye Qin Yan. He felt it was a little strange. This was the first time Qin Yan and himself met, but why did he trust him so?

Or was it to say that, this was how much Qin Yan from that year trusted the Fu Clan?

Taking into account the present, he didn’t have a very good reputation in the outside world.

He was still known as a good-for-nothing fop from a noble family back when he was seventeen; a bastard with the same level of cultivation as a foundation establishment cultivator who put in no heart to whatever he did. Whereas, Qin Yan should be the most capable and promising young man in his primes of the Immortal Realm of Yunze. Logically, a person like Qin Yan should have paid someone like him no attention. But aside from not looking down on him, Qin Yan fully trusted his every word when he spoke. As if whatever Fu Changling said, Qin Yan would believe it.

Fu Changling could not comprehend this attitude of Qin Yan’s, and thought these were the virtues of a capable young man.

He didn’t waste more of his time on that. In the end, he was completely ignorant of the life Qin Yan had before he turned into a demonic cultivator. In their last life, he got to know Qin Yan only after he’d turned into a demonic cultivator and got to know him as an enemy. Presently, regardless what Qin Yan does, Fu Changling would not find it strange.

He eyed Shangguan Yuan. Fu Changling had no reason to refuse Qin Yan, and so he immediately said, “A wraith.[13]”

The wraith was one type of vengeful ghost. They were wronged before they died, and their corpse could not rest in peace. After their death, the coincidentally suitable conditions would turn them into such entities. If one were to thoroughly destroy them, it was arguably easy, as well as difficult. It was easy because the wraith would have a request. As long as the request is fulfilled, the wraith themselves would finally rest in peace. It was difficult because their requests were usually to kill all their enemies and then have their remains buried in peace.

The second condition could be easily done, but the first… would depend on who their enemies are.

If one failed to placate the wraith, then it would continue eating people and absorb their life energy in order to obtain a physical body and avenge itself. Upon taking a physical form, it would kill all living things within its radar.

Presently, this wraith, who dared to take revenge in a place where two core formation cultivators are, had obviously taken a physical form after it absorbed Shangguan Yuemin’s life energy. It was extremely malevolent, and if Yue Mingsi was the only core formation cultivator here, then he might not even be capable enough to save the Shangguan Clan. Thankfully, Qin Yan was also present, and so their chances of victory had increased.

As he thought until this point, Fu Changling felt himself relaxing—

In this case, was it Qin Yan who annihilated the Shangguan Clan back in that year? If it wasn’t Qin Yan who annihilated them, then why did traces of the Zhenxue Sword appear in the vicinity? When exactly did Qin Yan begin allying himself with the Avici?

Fu Changling slapped his little fan close. Qin Yan’s gaze fell upon Shangguan Yuemin, who was currently being held down by Fu Changling’s incantations, and said, “This is her original body?”

Fu Changling nodded his head and pointed towards the outside. “If the two of them merged into one, it would pose a dangerous threat.”

As he spoke, he thought for a moment, looked at the colour of the sky, then wrote in midair, “It’s the hour where the rats are foraging[14]. The time when the yin energy is at its peak. It’s hard to neutralize it.”

“What should we do?”

It was Yun Yu, who felt a little anxious now. “That wraith outside doesn’t look like a pleasant fella to fight with.”

As Yun Yu asked this question, everyone felt a little anxious. Everyone looked at Fu Changling, and all of a sudden, Fu Changling had turned into the pillar that placates the hearts of everyone present. Fu Changling leaned against the side onto a pillar next to him, both his hands crossed over his chest, as he tipped his chin into the direction of Qin Yan and Yue Mingsi.

His meaning was clear. There were the only two cultivators who ranked in the core formation stage. Everyone else would be merely just at their foundation establishment stage and wouldn’t be much help when faced against such a malevolent entity. They could only hope to be protected by these two.

Qin Yan and Yue Mingsi would have no problem with protecting themselves and running away for their lives. If they had to fight a head-on battle, then a bloody battle would be awaiting them. So, whether these two core formation cultivators were willing to make this effort for the Shangguan Clan would depend on their conscience.

“Master Immortal Yue…” As he thought until this point, Shangguan Yuan looked at Yue Mingsi, and pitifully begged, “See for yourself...”

“Lord Shangguan[15].” Yue Mingsi was obviously aware of what Shangguan Yuan wanted to say. He canted his head to the side and his puppet immediately said, a little regretfully, “This wraith is far too malevolent. This inferior one is too incapable, and there is nothing we could do. Why don’t we take our leave first and have the Fu Clan come this way.”

“How could this be?!”

Shangguan Yuan could tell immediately that Yue Mingsi wanted to escape, and loudly, he said, “If you leave all of us behind, couldn’t you tell how malevolent that entity is outside? When you come back, won’t we have already become nothing more than mere pulps?”

“Wouldn’t Fellow Cultivator Qin and Eldest Young Master be still here?”

Yue Mingsi eyed Qin Yan, and as the puppet made gestures with his wooden shoulders, it sang, “This inferior one could not have guessed that the Elder Young Master possessed such extraordinary talents. It seems that he had hidden it for a long time. Since Eldest Young Master and Fellow Cultivator Qin had such capabilities at their age, one would hope for the both of you to be able to hold it up for a while, at the most for a night, as I would be returning quickly.”

“Yue Mingsi!” Watching how Yue Mingsi insisted on leaving, Shangguan Yuan hastily took a step forward and grabbed Yue Mingsi’s sleeve. Angrily, he shouted, “If you insist on leaving, then don’t give off too much hope about the matter you and I have agreed upon!”

Upon listening to those words, Yue Mingsi curled the corner of his lips.

There was a cold look in his eyes, and his puppet mocked, “Are you threatening me?”

Shangguan Yuan froze. Just as he was about to explain himself, Yue Mingsi vanished, leaving behind his laugh resounding in the air. The puppet’s ear-piercing voice shouting loudly, “That’s only possible if you could even survive the night!”

“Yue Mingsi!”

Shangguan Yuan frantically ran out and exploded in fits of rage, “Come back, you!”

But Yue Mingsi had already vanished completely into the darkness. Shangguan Yuan still insisted on pursuing him, but once he saw the black mist hovering outside Qin Yan’s energy barriers, he stopped dead where he stood.

He grinded his teeth and turned around. Walking towards Qin Yan, he knelt and begged, “Master Immortal Qin, this old man had long heard of the kindness of the Heavenly Palace of Hongmeng. Presently, near a hundred lives within the Shangguan Manor would all have to depend on you. As long as Master Immortal Qin is willing to save us, the Shangguan Clan would most certainly return the favour—the disciples of our clan would be willing to be your servants, our spiritual gems and precious stones are yours to take. I beg you to save us!”

“Master Immortal!”

As they spoke, everyone knelt, and frantically begged, “Master Immortal, please save us!”

In this group of people, only Madam Shangguan still stood. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at black mist hovering outside the energy barrier. It was as long as a great snake, swirling outside the territory of the Shangguan Manor as faces of different people became visible amid it, like a great snake who had grown a pair of eyes, a sight that could make one’s heart thump frighteningly.

Fu Changling gave Madam Shangguan a look. The fan was at the side of his lips, and he was deep in thought.

Qin Yan looked at these people who were kneeling on the ground. His lips pursed, as if he was making an extremely difficult decision. Whereas Yun Yu was anxiously looking at Qin Yan, awaiting his orders. Whether it was to leave or to stay, there was no longer time to think about it.

Qin Yan was in silence for far too long. Fu Changling eyed him.

Qin Yan being in a predicament was nothing strange. Even if it wasn’t Qin Yan who annihilated the Shangguan Clan today, he was after all, a demonic cultivator. It was a little bit ridiculous to speak of virtues and morals to a demonic cultivator.

Even Yue Mingsi had left. If Qin Yan wanted to remain, it’s doubtless that he had other intentions of his own.

Fu Changling analyzed in his heart as his fingers sketched a transportation array under his sleeve. Everyone around him was speaking in rumbling voices. He could vaguely hear cries and sobs. As he raised his gaze to look at them, unaware, it had fallen upon Shangguan Mingyan, and he saw that two men were next to the child. Those two men appeared to be brothers. They nervously clung onto Shangguan Mingyan’s sleeve as the latter comforted them.

Fu Changling’s gesture paused. He was momentarily frozen on the spot.

Everyone had their own sense of pity. At first, he was furious at the Shangguan Clan for wanting him dead, but now, although Shangguan Yuan and Yue Mingsi had intentions to cause him harm, the rest of the clan was innocent.

Fu Changling turned his head around and was suddenly curious of Qin Yan’s decision.

On the other hand, Qin Yan had thought about it. He looked at Fu Changling, and after catching Fu Changling watching him, his gaze fell upon Fu Changling’s eyes, as if he was asking him something.

Fu Changling’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned his head around. Qin Yan thought for a moment, and as if he’d made a decision, he turned to Yun Yu and said, “Take out the flying ship. I have one of Shizun’s sword seals with me. Escort Young Master Fu, as well as everyone in the Shangguan Manor, out of here.”

Fu Changling didn’t understand why Qin Yan so stubbornly wanted to protect him and deliver him out. However, his transportation array was quickly done, and Qin Yan’s intentions were unclear. Additionally, to save a life is to save a life, and so he shook his head.

Fu Changling wrote a single line of characters, “Escort the common citizens first.”

Upon the sight of that, Yun Yu immediately said, “Young Master Fu is right. We should escort the common citizens first. Young Master Fu is very strong, he doesn’t need protection!”

Fu Changling, “.....”

No, that’s not true. He needed protection. He just didn’t want Qin Yan’s protection.

Just as he was thinking about this, he caught sight of Qin Yan approaching. Qin Yan lightly eyed him, and said, “Just escort the common citizens. I will protect Young Master Fu.”

Fu Changling retained the smile on his face, unsure of whose ancestors he should be scolding.

Author’s Notes:

Yun Yu: No further words are needed, I understand. Young Master Fu, you are simply a prodigy who had to hide his talents due to having a bully as a stepmother! You have always kept your talents hidden, all for the sake of living! One day, you will avenge yourself; you will stand back up; you will become a legend of Yunze!

Fu Changling: ....You know how to blow the trumpet better than I do.

And then—

Qin Yan: As a mere foundation establishment stage cultivator, you know so much?

Fu Changling: If I said I’m doing this for a living, would you believe it? Actually, I am a prodigy bullied by my stepmother…

Qin Yan: ….You really are a prodigy.

It’s more relaxing in the front.