CHAPTER 8 The difficult things at hand now take the priority.

He wasn’t clear about the situation he was in before, but now he was.

After realizing what place he was in, Fu Changling suddenly regretted the words he’d said just a moment ago. He explained himself, “I’m sorry, big brother, I’m at fault!”

The opposition obviously had no intentions of forgiving him. The muscular man heaved him up and shoved him aside. Raising his fist, it headed straight for Fu Changling. At the muscular man’s lead, everyone joined in, kicking and punching Fu Changling who was in the center.

These townspeople were extremely vile. Every punch and every kick contained the amount of strength of a cultivator in their core formation stage.

Fu Changling curled up into a ball in the centre of the townspeople. He had no leeway at all to fight back.

When faced before Qin Yan, his opponent was only a core formation cultivator at its peak; but when faced before these townspeople, they were an entire group of core formation cultivators!

Fu Changling cried tearlessly. At that moment, he regretted it, he extremely regretted it. What on earth had he eaten to have mustered something so bold? How dare he behave so atrociously before he knew what situation he was in?

Was this temple just any temple? And were these townspeople just any ordinary townspeople?

This was the number one most dangerous place of the Golden Light Temple in the legends, the place that caused him to lose his golden core in his last life—The Hidden Realm of Xuanji!

The Hidden Realm of Xuanji had never been kick started by the people of the Golden Light Temple, and why was that?

The reason was simple—very simple—and that is because in this hidden realm, any child passing by on the road was someone who could make you cry simply with bare fists. As the saying goes: golden cores filled the streets and nascent souls are aplenty as dogs. This hidden realm was extremely dangerous and one misstep might have you offering your life.

Fu Changling had thoroughly given up. All he wished for was to appease his opponents. He curled up on the ground and after everyone had their turn beating him up, he finally heard a maiden’s voice speaking in a sympathetic manner, “Leave it. He might die if we continue to hit him.”

Right, right, right.

Fu Changling’s heart instantly agreed. If the beatings continued, he might actually perish here.

“But he offended Venerable One and deserves to be killed without pity.”

The muscular man who started hitting him from the start spoke up. Fu Changling quietly scolded his ancestors of eighteen generations up.

“Still, the Venerable One should be the one deciding that.”

That maiden was a little displeased and mumbled, “Although his nose and face are swollen, his figure is not bad. How wasteful if he were to be beaten dead.”

As he listened to these words, Fu Changling’s heart skipped a beat. He raised his head and saw a maiden as broad as two ordinary people with two lumps of bright red shades on her cheeks and a hairy skin tag by the corner of her lips looking at him with squinting eyes.

Fu Changling was so frightened that he almost stopped breathing. That maiden looked at him from his head to his leg, then from his leg to his head, and finally sighed. She turned and placed her hand on the face of a man lying on the ground, and gently, she said, “This one is still the better looking one.”

Fu Changling’s gaze froze and realized that the man whose face was being touched by the lady was Qin Yan.

Qin Yan had passed out at this moment, but he was receiving far better treatment than Fu Changling did. He was lifted and placed on a wooden cart that was even made comfortable with hay. Red dyed his shoulder and his eyebrows were pinched into a troubled angle. His pale face, beautiful facial features, and the fresh red blood reflected him in the light of a very fragile beauty.

Fu Changling’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly turned his head over and didn’t hesitate to question the fact that Qin Yan’s special treatment was wholly because of his face.

He stomped his heart down and listened as everyone else engaged into a discussion. After a while, these people finally decided that Fu Changling and Qin Yan were both to be served as sacrificial tributes, to be offered to their ’Venerable One’ and let their fates be decided whether they should be punished as culprits who destroyed their temple.

When Fu Changling listened to these series of outcomes and knew that he would be temporarily safe, he was reassured.

At first, that muscular man surnamed Wang tied him up with immortal ropes and then he stood up, dragging him, and snorted, “Your life will be spared for now, let us go.”

Fu Changling quickly smiled in compliance and spoke in flattery, “Thank you, thank you big brothers and big sisters. I will definitely take the responsibility. I will definitely touch your god’s heart. Please rest assured.”

Muscle Man Wang smiled and said nothing more. He dragged Fu Changling and pulled him forwards.

The god’s shrine was located outside the village. It was quite a distance from the town. Together, they were quite a number of people and they had come on an ox cart. On their way back, everyone resumed boarding the ox cart while Fu Changling was dragged along behind them by a rope.

Fu Changling had just been heavily wounded by Qin Yan, then beaten up by the townspeople. He hadn’t felt it just now, but once he’d managed to slip out of peril, Fu Changling found it laborious when he was being dragged on like that.

He stumbled and fell. The sun was hanging high up in the sky, giving off an extremely malicious searing heat. Fu Changling followed behind the ox cart and watched as Qin Yan lay on it. The maiden who initially coveted their beauty, too, was on the ox cart. It was spacious and comfortable. He slept soundly and that maiden didn’t even neglect to feed some clean water from time to time and occasionally airing him with a fan…

Fu Changling’s eyes boggled upon seeing Qin Yan receiving such luxurious treatments. He was both hungry and tired and he was beginning to see shadows. He couldn’t help himself turning towards Muscle Man Wang who was closest to him, holding his rope. “Big bro…”

The muscular man sitting on the ox cart turned as he chewed on a piece of hay and impatiently asked, “What?”

“Big bro.” Fu Changling swallowed. “Could I have some water?”

“It’s already a privilege that you’re not beaten to death, and you dare ask for water?” Muscle Man Wang snorted.

“Then… Then why could he?” Fu Changling pointed at Qin Yan. “We’re all sacrificial tributes. How could you guys play favourites?”

“I’m not the one feeding him water. Be as good-looking as him if you’re capable of it and get water from Young Mistress Wu.”

As Fu Changling listened, he eyed that ‘Young Mistress Wu’ as she passionately observed Qin Yan. All of a sudden, a layer of sweat beaded on his back and he suddenly thought that Qin Yan was sacrificing far too much. Once Qin Yan woke up, he’d go mad. This sacrifice wasn’t worth it for a little bit of benefit.

Since begging for water failed, Fu Changling sighed and stopped thinking about the treatment Qin Yan was receiving. He proceeded to chat with Muscle Man Wang.

He was a person of many words to begin with. At first, Muscle Man Wang paid him no attention, but he was incredibly lovable when he spoke and after a few exchanges, Muscle Man Wang willingly chatted with him, even giving him some water. “Fine, take a mouthful.”

Fu Changling quickly thanked him. After he finished drinking the water, Fu Changling felt better, and so he discreetly tried to fish for information. “Big brother Wang, who is that Young Mistress Wu? Why is it that all of you seem to be frightened of her?”

“She is the daughter of our mayor, called Wu Sisi.” Muscle Man Wang eyed Wu Sisi and watched as she stared at Qin Yan, hopelessly in love, then he beckoned at Fu Changling with a hand. Fu Changling knowingly took a few quick steps forwards and leaned in close to Muscle Man Wang, surrendering an interested look. Muscle Man Wang nervously looked around before he whispered towards Fu Changling, “She’s almost thirty, and not married. Now the mayor is at the end of his wits. You must be careful!”

Fu Changling instantly understood. He gave a terrified expression and said, “Is the mayor looking for a son-in-law?”

“Shh!!!!”

Muscle Man Wang thumbed up and nervously said, “Quiet about it!”

Fu Changling incessantly nodded his head. Muscle Man Wang resumed whispering, “The mayor is looking for a suitor for her, but no one in the town dared to marry her. Thankfully, her standards are high and no victims have been elected yet. Young man, listen to my advice. Between becoming the son-in-law of the mayor and a sacrificial tribute, take the tribute. In another eighteen years you are another man wrought anew. If you married the Young Mistress, you will be begging for death.”

“Is she really so… terrifying?”

Fu Changling gave Wu Sisi another look. She was a little plump and her overall tastes were extremely eccentric; the thick makeup on her made it impossible to see how she originally looked like, and the flowery dress she was wearing made his eyes hurt. Her hair appeared to have never been washed before as the sun’s rays were reflected in its grease. She was supporting her chin with a palm and smiling as she looked at Qin Yan.

There was, however, one thing that was very strange about her. She had a very special cyan-coloured fragrant sachet with swirling cloud patterns the colour of jade and the pattern of a sword in the middle. This fragrant sachet looked old and worn as if it was frequently used. Fur has curled up along its sides. It looked unsuited hanging on the obviously wealthy albeit terrible taste Wu Sisi.

Fu Changling’s gaze lingered on the fragrant sachet and he turned to Muscle Man Wang. Without Muscle Man Wang having to speak, he nodded. “I understand now.”

The two of them chatted until they arrived in town. Muscle Man Wang then led Fu Changling and Qin Yan towards the place they would be imprisoned in.

Fu Changling had fallen into the Hidden Realm of Xuanji from the Shangguan Manor in his last life.

The Hidden Realm of Xuanji was a small town to begin with. There were still some locations within a ten li perimeter of this little town, but after ten li, there was nothing more.

This little town was almost identical to the one in Fu Changling’s memory. The stalls were still in the same place as they were in the past. Pedestrians wandered to and fro and gathered around as they watched Fu Changling being brought in tied up. A group of people with no pupils steadily looked at Fu Changling, making his skin crawl.

But other than having inhabitants with no pupils, this little town was crowded like any ordinary town.

The townspeople lead Fu Changling and an unconscious Qin Yan into a huge courtyard.

There was a large vermillion door outside of the courtyard and there were two nascent souls standing guard there. Muscle Man Wang told them both about the current situation and after nodding, they let Fu Changling carry Qin Yan in and followed them inside.

Although Qin Yan was a sword cultivator, he was incredibly skinny. Fu Changling carried him slumped over his shoulder as he walked into the large courtyard.

There were many wooden cages in the plaza and there were a few people imprisoned in them. Fu Changling and Qin Yan were shoved into one wooden cage by that nascent soul and Fu Changling scolded in displeasure, “Gently!”

“Speak less nonsense,” Muscle Man Wang coldly said. “Stay here obediently and await the Venerable One’s final verdict!”

Fu Changling answered with a ‘Tch’, and said nothing more. The muscular man locked up the wooden cage, turned and left.

After the muscular man left, Fu Changling looked over his shoulders at Qin Yan.

The cage wasn’t large. After Qin Yan was tossed inside, he had been sleeping against Fu Changling’s body. He was still unconscious without any evidence of having woken up. His shoulder was oozing with black mist. Fu Changling’s gaze froze on him and confirmed that the wraith’s yin energy was feeding on his injury.

The most tiresome part of sinister entities lay here: if nobody tended his wounds then Qin Yan might have never woken up.

Fu Changling quietly looked at Qin Yan.

In the past, he thought Qin Yan was skinny. Originally, he thought that he’d grown skinny after practicing demonic cultivation. But presently, he realized that Qin Yan was born so skinny to begin with. With his height, Fu Changling felt an uneven balance of weight leaning onto him.

Compared to the past version of him as a demonic lord, the present version of him appeared to be extremely tender. The most conspicuous part was the curved lines on his face that looked far more youthful.

Fu Changling couldn't refrain from smiling, then realized that it was too undignified.

His heart sank and he regathered himself, turning his gaze over to his side.

The most important matters at hand take priority for now.

Author’s Notes:

Fu Changling: This isn’t fair. He is well-loved no matter where he goes.

Qin Yan: So?

Fu Changling: I like you too!