Chapter 2: Mission

Chapter 2:
Mission

 

HAVING LEARNED HIS LESSON, Shen Qingqiu spent the rest of the trip stone-faced until they finally arrived at Shuang Hu City without incident.

Although the city wasn’t large, it was reasonably bustling. After gaining entry, they took up residence at the mansion of Old Master Chen, the city’s richest man. He was also the one who’d facilitated sending someone to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect to plead for assistance.

Two of Old Master Chen’s beloved concubines had died horribly at the Skinner Demon’s hands, so he’d been desperately looking forward to Shen Qingqiu’s arrival. He rubbed his beautiful third concubine’s small, white, jade-like hands as he moaned and groaned to their whole party, eyes overflowing with tears.

“Immortal masters, you must help us! Nowadays I dare not let Die-er leave my side for a second, for fear that the moment she’s careless, she’ll be killed by that wretched monster!”

At these NPC-like lines, a powerful sense of déjà vu made Shen Qingqiu’s face twitch.

He very much did not enjoy the sight of a sixty-year-old coot and a young girl in her teens cooing at each other right in front of him.

Luckily, Shen Qingqiu retained the divine air of a lofty master. After this perfunctory meeting, he aloofly took his leave to his room, leaving Ming Fan to make small talk with Old Master Chen. Certain privileges came with simply being a master; no matter how aloof you were, no one dared say anything. In fact, the more aloof, the more respectful the gazes that trailed after you.

Soon, Ning Yingying knocked and entered. “Shizun, Yingying wants to go and walk around the market,” she said sweetly. “Would Shizun like to keep me company?”

Speaking truthfully, no man could dislike being so prettily cajoled by a young girl. When she entered, Shen Qingqiu had his back facing her, but upon hearing her plea, his heart half-melted. He steeled the remaining half and glanced back with the air of one looking up from a book—the essence of a cold and detached intellectual—and said blandly, “If Yingying wants to go and walk around, she may ask several shixiong or shidi to accompany her. This master still has things to do before confronting the Skinner Demon.”

Who else would she ask to keep her company? How could Shen Qingqiu not know?!

At the same time, how could he not want to go out and play? Up until now, he’d been hunkered down inside Qing Jing Peak’s Bamboo House, forced to fake being an awesome master of arts and literature, meaning everything he did had to be done “blandly”: blandly speaking, blandly laughing, blandly practicing the sword, blandly being a poser—bland to the point that he often had the urge to scatter a handful of salt over his head! What a damn pain!

And now when he finally got a break to take a trip down the mountain, he was still trapped in his room because of the System’s stance that “the original Shen Qingqiu liked quiet and would be unwilling to mingle.”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t even want to pretend to meditate, so he lay on the bed, just pretending to be dead.

Shortly before sunset, Ming Fan entered the room to deliver a report.

Finally, someone had come to talk to him—to keep him company. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but want to weep for joy. Every perk belonged to the male lead, every loneliness to the cannon fodder. Accompanying young girls to view colored lanterns and such—none of that was for their lot.

“This disciple has closely examined the corpse,” said Ming Fan. With a solemn expression, he presented the items in his hand.

Shen Qingqiu took a closer look. They were two stacks of yellow talismans, written upon with cinnabar ink. The paper had blackened to a shade akin to necrosis.

“You used these talismans to assess the corpses for demonic energy?” he asked.

“Shizun’s eyes see all. This disciple used these talismans in two locations. The first at the soil near the grave of a victim who’d been buried, the second beside a yet unburied corpse still at the coroner’s.”

If even the grave soil was this saturated with demonic energy, then that confirmed that the Skinner Demon was undoubtedly of the demon race. Finally, Shen Qingqiu knew what they faced.

He cleared his throat, which made his following humph sound even colder. “They dare to harm the lives of people within a hundred kilometers of Cang Qiong Mountain? Since these demonic lowlifes came to our door, they can’t blame our disciples for enacting justice on behalf of the heavens.”

Listen, he really didn’t want to say this corny line so full of hot air. But he’d have been OOC if he didn’t!

Ming Fan gazed at him reverentially. “Shizun is wise! If Shizun took action, that demon would be taken care of in one strike, ridding the people of evil!”

Shen Qingqiu could say nothing. It seemed this master-disciple duo was right in the mold of “you reign, I’ll worship.” A most joyous union.

To tell the truth, Shen Qingqiu was extremely satisfied with Ming Fan as a disciple. Even though he was a rich young master and spoiled rotten, he was never even a little arrogant in front of his teacher. Instead, he was absolutely obedient and incredibly respectful. A man could never dislike being worshipped like a god.

Ming Fan had also single-handedly handled the travel preparations, from arrangements of food to lodging. If his IQ hadn’t inevitably plummeted whenever he laid eyes on the protagonist, transforming him into a schoolyard bully capable of any misdeed, he would also be a promising young sprout!

And moreover, as a fellow victim, Shen Qingqiu always felt a kind of pity for this cannon fodder disciple who, in the end, Luo Binghe would throw into an ant pit so that he would be bitten to death by tens of thousands of ants…

“This trip down from the mountain is for the sake of your training. Unless as a last resort, this master will not assist you. Ming Fan, as the most senior disciple, you must design careful strategies, lest you let that demon harm your fellow disciples.”

“Yes! This disciple has already devised a tactical formation. As long as that demon—”

Before Ming Fan could finish, a person rushed into the room, interrupting him.

“Shizun!” Luo Binghe’s face was stark white as he yelled.

Shen Qingqiu’s heart thumped once, but he feigned indifference. “What has happened to make you shout so loudly and in such a panic?”

“Ning Yingying-shijie went with me to the city’s market earlier today,” Luo Binghe said. “Once evening fell, I urged Shijie to return, but she refused—then somehow she suddenly vanished. This disciple…searched the entire street once but couldn’t find her, and he could only come back to plead with Shizun for help.”

If Ning Yingying had disappeared at this critical moment—this was no joke. Night had almost fallen.

Ming Fan leapt up right away. “Luo Binghe! You—”

Shen Qingqiu promptly flicked his sleeves, and the tea bowl on the desk exploded. As a deterrent, it wasn’t OOC, and more importantly, it prevented Ming Fan from further digging his own grave.

Shen Qingqiu assumed an expression of barely suppressed anger. “If it’s already come to this, there’s nothing more to say. Luo Binghe, come with me. Ming Fan, take a couple of shidi and ask Landlord Chen for assistance, then go look for your shimei.”

Ming Fan sent a hateful look at Luo Binghe but nodded and hurriedly left.

Luo Binghe remained, his head lowered, not saying a single word.

Shen Qingqiu knew this absolutely wasn’t Luo Binghe’s fault. Ning Yingying’s role as a female character wasn’t just to be lovable and cute but also to dig her own grave and be a burden.

In the original work, the number of plot twists caused by her sudden disappearances, blunders, or other messes, had allowed Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky to drag out the plot for hundreds of chapters.

At times, Shen Qingqiu had been rather impressed with Luo Binghe’s fortitude when it came to accepting harem members. He never refused anyone, daring to accept even the most troublesome of women, and he did this without being screwed over or killed. Shen Qingqiu could only say that, as expected, the brilliant protagonist truly was overwhelmingly cool, awesome, insane, and badass, with a dick longer than the heavens. A normal person definitely couldn’t have put up with such things.

Luo Binghe, who thought Shen Qingqiu had ordered him to stay so as to beat and yell at him, said quietly, “This entire affair is this disciple’s fault. If Shizun wishes to punish this disciple, he will neither resent nor regret it. He only wishes for Ning-shijie’s safe return.”

He looked incredibly pitiful. Shen Qingqiu wanted to pat his head, but as the System’s existence obstructed this, he forcibly held himself back. “Come,” he said coldly. “Take me to the place where your shijie vanished.”

Luo Binghe and Ning Yingying had lost each other at the most bustling corner of the market.

Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes, and he sensed a barely perceptible thread of demonic energy. He followed that thread, which seemed like it would at any moment fray or snap, until he opened his eyes again and found that he stood at the doors of a cosmetics shop.

Shen Qingqiu stared at it silently.

Could it be that the murderer worked here? Would it be that easy?

However, upon entering the cosmetics shop, the thread of demonic energy snapped, dissipating completely. Perhaps the murderer wasn’t hiding in the shop and had just come at some point recently? If they had patronized a cosmetics shop… Was the Skinner Demon a woman?

Shen Qingqiu made these stabs in the dark, and he sent Luo Binghe inside to ask a few questions, but this yielded no results.

This quest had been offered to him expressly so he could level up. Thus, none of its scenes had been in the original work, so he had no point of reference. Shen Qingqiu furthermore acknowledged that he wasn’t a master of deduction capable of deep analytical thought, who could infer a multitude of facts from a single clue. When playing room escape or detective games, he’d always run into dead ends.

As he was agonizing, the System thoughtfully notified him:

【 We notice that you have encountered difficulties. Would you like to spend one hundred B-Points to activate easy mode? 】

“Shit, if there was something like an easy mode, you should have said so earlier!” Shen Qingqiu snapped. “Activate, activate, activate!”

He fixed his gaze on the “Yes” option for three seconds. The option blinked green and disappeared.

Then something in the air sent goosebumps all down his back.

Such—such palpable demonic energy!

As if they were afraid that otherwise no one would find the target!

Calling this easy mode was no lie!

Shen Qingqiu wasn’t the least bit ashamed about using easy mode, and with spirits soaring, he strode in the direction from which the demonic energy emanated. A mere five hundred steps later, they had left the central district and arrived in front of an abandoned, neglected house.

This has to be the place! Just look at those ghastly white paper lanterns! Look at those dilapidated gates! A proper haunted house, don’t you see?!

Shen Qingqiu schooled his expression and turned to Luo Binghe, who’d been silently following behind him. “Return to Chen Manor and notify Ming Fan to bring all the disciples and their talismans here.”

Luo Binghe had yet to speak when his pupils suddenly contracted.

He was staring straight at something behind Shen Qingqiu. That didn’t bode well.

However, it was too late in the end, and a gust of foul wind blew past, slamming the gates open.

 

***

 

“Shizun, Shizun, wake up, quickly!”

Shen Qingqiu woke up.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw Luo Binghe opposite him, looking awfully distressed, arms and torso bound. As Shen Qingqiu roused himself, Luo Binghe heaved a sigh of relief, eyes brightening. “Shizun…”

“Shizun…” Ning Yingying echoed. She was tied up with Luo Binghe, her expression miserable.

Shen Qingqiu was a little dizzy, and he had no idea if whatever crap the demon had sprayed on them had any side effects.

He was in a foul mood.

This easy mode was straightforward to the point of mercilessness! It had delivered him straight into the boss’s mouth!

The worst part was that the dignified Peak Lord of Qing Jing Peak had been unexpectedly struck down by a mini-boss, and thus, shortly after he woke up, the System shrilly declared: 【 OOC, B-Points -50. 】

He’d just spent one hundred B-Points to activate easy mode, and now in a flash he’d lost another fifty. How could he not be distressed?!

The original Shen Qingqiu’s skill at facing down demons should have made this quest as easy as killing a chicken with a knife. Shamefully, the knife had failed to even hit the chicken.

In seconds, Shen Qingqiu discovered something that made his mood even worse.

His body felt a little strange. He was chilly, and he had a slight ache all over. Upon lowering his head, he almost couldn’t stop a “fuck” from leaving his mouth.

He’d! Been! Stripped! Naked!

Only his upper half had been stripped naked, but that was already horrifying enough.

Regardless of everything else, Shen Qingqiu was still a peak lord! This appearance, with his upper half stark naked, his lower half wearing only a pair of pants and white shoes, and his four limbs bound tightly with a thin rope as he lay sprawled on the floor—

What! Was! This?! He looked exactly like a tender pretty boy caught in bed during an illicit act. No wonder the System had deducted fifty points straight off the bat—it was deserved! Even taking him to zero would have served him right!

Shen Qingqiu’s face went from red to white and back. He wanted to dig a hole in the ground with his sword and bury himself for a while, but his sword had disappeared without a trace.

Of course Luo Binghe looked both worried and a little embarrassed. He definitely assumed that having seen Shen Qingqiu in such a sorry state, he would inevitably suffer more vicious retaliation once they got back.

“Shizun, you finally woke up,” Ning Yingying sobbed. “Yingying is so scared…”

Scared? If you’re scared, then don’t go running off whenever you feel like it, young lady!

Shen Qingqiu gave up.

At this time, an unsettling chuckle came from behind him. A tall, dark silhouette emerged from the pitch blackness.

“The great Cang Qiong Mountain? The great Peak Lord of Qing Jing Peak? This is all you amount to. If the so-called greatest sect in the world is full of your sort, the day the demon race conquers the Human Realm is just around the corner.” This was followed by another bout of crazed laughter. The speaker’s head and face were covered with a black veil, and their voice was hoarse and unpleasant, as if their throat had been ruined by opium smoke.

Shen Qingqiu squinted. “The Skinner Demon?”

“That’s right! That’s me, I’m the Skinner Demon! How wonderful that the illustrious Xiu Ya Sword has fallen into my hands today! Shen Qingqiu, ah, Shen Qingqiu, even if you think until your wits give out, you won’t be able to guess my identity!”

“Why wouldn’t I be able to guess?” asked Shen Qingqiu.

The Skinner Demon said nothing.

“You’re Die-er, aren’t you?”

The Skinner Demon said nothing again as they lifted their veil—then she snapped in irritation. “Impossible! How did you guess?!”

Shen Qingqiu was speechless.

Did she think he was blind? That he couldn’t tell from her figure? Men loved to look at bodies first before the face, okay? With that curvy bust and bottom—plus that tiny waist in between—she could only be a woman. Also, the room’s furnishings smelled rich, and you couldn’t find that just anywhere. Of course he knew that they’d been transported back to Chen Manor! And while Chen Manor had many women in residence, he’d only seen a couple and only been introduced to Die-er, so if he had to guess, of course he could only guess Die-er. He didn’t know anyone else’s names! How could he guess them?!

But who knew you’d lose your cool so quickly, without denying it even a little, and jump right to lifting your veil?!

Could he say this? Could he?! Listen, how could he say this out loud?! He could only swallow it all down.

Die-er—or to be clear, the Skinner Demon—quickly adjusted her posture and donned the face of Old Master Chen’s beloved concubine, thusly recovering that infinitely tender, stunning, and delighted smile.

“Not bad, it was indeed me! But Shen Qingqiu, even if you guessed until your wits gave out, you couldn’t possibly imagine why a weak and delicate woman like me would be the culprit, right?”

Shen Qingqiu straightened, struggling to assume a posture that was more natural, less rule-violating.

Bosses traditionally received time to monologue. How could he not offer this courtesy?

Die-er didn’t need his encouragement and continued unprompted. “The Skinner Demon comes and goes without a trace, not because I can fly through the skies or disappear into the earth, but rather because every time I finish killing a person, I change into their skin. By wearing these women’s skins and imitating their behavior, I can blend into the crowd with none the wiser and search for my next target.”

“That’s not right,” said Shen Qingqiu.

Die-er’s expression darkened. “What’s not right?”

“Suppose every time you killed a person, you changed skins—for instance, when you killed Die-er and wore her skin, you became ‘Die-er.’ But Die-er’s skinned corpse would still be there. Wouldn’t someone find it strange that there are two Die-ers?”

Although, if he thought about it for a moment, he understood. It wasn’t like this world had DNA identification. After skinning someone, all you had left was a messy lump of bloody flesh. Pretty difficult to tell exactly who it had been.

“Looks like you figured that out too,” said Die-er. “Not bad. I use the current woman’s corpse to substitute for the last woman’s. For example, when I killed Die-er, I was wearing Xiang-er’s skin, so everyone at that time thought Xiang-er was still alive. After I donned Die-er’s skin, I disguised Die-er’s corpse to look like Xiang-er’s before it was found.”

This villain’s professional integrity was really impressive. Not only had she exposed her inner thoughts and feelings, she’d also explained her methods and line of criminal reasoning in detail. Offering examples, providing personal experiences—Die-er was more diligently thorough than a college-entrance-exam cram-school teacher!

Luo Binghe had been silently listening the entire time, his eyes glittering with a trace of anger. His juvenile sense of justice had been stirred by this perverse demon’s cruel actions.

Meanwhile, Ning Yingying’s head was spinning from all the “Xiangs” and “Dies.” She couldn’t understand it at all, but she didn’t dare interrupt.

“After a certain amount of time, you always change skins. Is this all whim, or do you have to?” asked Shen Qingqiu.

Die-er sneered. “You think I’d tell you?”

You’ve already told me plenty, all right, Sis? (Or is it Bro?) What’s one more?

Die-er walked toward where Ning Yingying and Luo Binghe were bound together. Luo Binghe remained calm, but Ning Yingying screamed, “Demon! Don’t come near! Shizun, save me!”

Die-er chuckled. “Your master has been bound with my immortal-binding cable. Spiritual energy can no longer flow anywhere in his body. He can’t hope to protect himself—how could he save you?”

Ah, that explained it. Shen Qingqiu had been secretly attempting to gather his spiritual power, but it seemed to be obstructed. It didn’t feel nearly as plentiful as it usually did.

Die-er had reengaged monologue mode. “Damn, if it weren’t for my damaged martial aspect, I wouldn’t need to constantly change skins and absorb human qi. You’re a brat, but your skin is lustrous and tender, and you’re a disciple from a prestigious sect. I expect I’ll be able to use you for a good long while. After I suck your skin dry, it’ll be your master’s turn. That way I’ll make sure the Xiu Ya Sword didn’t live his life in vain.”

Luo Binghe stared, silent.

Shen Qingqiu stared, also silent.

What was that she’d said? You think I’d tell you, right?

Not only have you told me, you also seem to have made the astonishing decision to reveal your plan! The professional standards of this world’s villains are beyond salvation!

“So, uh…” Shen Qingqiu said in his mind as he shamelessly called out to the System, “if I make a mistake during a quest, and I end up dead, will I get a chance to reload and try again?”

【 Only the protagonist is granted the privilege of plot armor, 】 said the System.

Great. Good thing this villain had the illustrious quality of “must answer every question.” If Shen Qingqiu wanted to stall for time, he needed only toss another question at Die-er.

“Haven’t you only targeted young, beautiful girls?” he asked.

“I never said I only pick young, beautiful women. As long as they’re good-looking and their skin is fine and smooth, I’ll take anyone. It’s just that most of the time, a man’s skin isn’t as good as a woman’s, and the skin of the elderly is never as good as that of the youthful.”

As expected, Die-er chattered on and on. Then suddenly her eyes flashed green with envy and her expression grew yearning as she began to run her hands, painted with scarlet nail dye, over Shen Qingqiu’s upper body.

“However, cultivators really are different. Even though you’re a man, your skin is so glossy and smooth. It’s…been so long since I had my male skin…”

As he was felt up by those searching hands, Shen Qingqiu broke out in goosebumps, though he strove to give off the air of the spotless and untouchable. Part of him was disgusted, but another part was sympathetic.

Honestly, this demon was quite pitiful. It sounded like Die-er had originally been a man, but they had to keep using the skins of women due to their condition. After such a long time, of course that would make you a little twisted…

In any case, right in this moment, the demon was wearing the infinitely lovely face of a concubine. Being felt up all over by those lovely hands, Shen Qingqiu inevitably became embarrassed, and he involuntarily shrank back a little.

This vision—that moment—struck Luo Binghe to his core.

Until now, he’d only ever seen Shen Qingqiu’s aloof and remote attitude, his derisive expression. But here and now, a faint, uncontrollable red flush formed on that face, and the way those eyes darted away… Also, Shen Qingqiu’s upper body was completely bare but for the thin yet unbreakable immortal-binding cable and the red marks it left, and for Shen Qingqiu’s long, disheveled, jet-black hair—neither of which concealed anything.

Luo Binghe’s chest was burning with a convoluted emotion that was impossible to describe.

If you had let Shen Qingqiu think up an analogy for this emotion, he would have said that it was like watching a beautiful romance movie—only to discover at the end that the protagonist was that English teacher who’d always picked on you to answer questions, and who, if you failed to answer, would give your palm three hundred lashes.

In short, it both shattered Luo Binghe’s worldview and did him great injury.

Shen Qingqiu suddenly grinned.

“Why are you smiling?” Die-er asked warily.

“I’m amused at you and your poor judgment,” said Shen Qingqiu, slow and deliberate. “Pearls before swine, as they say. There are three options here, yet out of them, you keep overlooking the most suitable vessel.”

At these words, Luo Binghe’s face went pale. He could never have imagined he’d be randomly thrown to the wolves!

However, Shen Qingqiu wasn’t speaking thoughtlessly.

Remember who Luo Binghe was: in truth, he was descended from a line of ancient heavenly demons.

Legend had it that these denizens of the heavens had fallen to depravity and become demons, so they were called “heavenly demons” for short. As the future princes of demonkind, their bloodline was first-class. If an ordinary demon got their hands on such a body, forget repairing a damaged martial aspect—would there be anything they couldn’t do?

Die-er looked Luo Binghe up and down. The latter strove to appear calm, but inside he was panicking and didn’t know what to do. Even though he thought until his wits gave out, he couldn’t figure out why he had suddenly become the star of this standoff.

“If you want to trick me, you need a better lie,” said Die-er. “This brat’s appearance and aptitude may be exemplary, and his skin fresh and tender, but how can he compare to you? You’ve reached the stage of Mid Core Formation!”

“With your level of insight, it’s no wonder your martial training was unsuccessful,” said Shen Qingqiu, smiling. “Think about it for a moment. What kind of person am I, Shen Qingqiu? If this child possessed excellent aptitude and a fine appearance but nothing else, why would I accept him as my disciple? If I only wanted a disciple with excellent aptitude, could I not have my pick of the talents who fight to enter Cang Qiong Mountain Sect every year? Though naturally, my thought process cannot be explained to outsiders.”

Die-er wavered.

Excellent! This villain’s IQ was truly ridiculously low. They were so easy to trick that even though Shen Qingqiu had conjured a hasty explanation riddled with logical holes, they actually seemed to half-believe it!

Shen Qingqiu struck while the iron was hot. “If you’re suspicious, there’s an easy test. Let me share a method by which you can verify my words. Go over there and strike him on the crown of his head. Then you’ll know whether I’m lying.”

Luo Binghe’s face turned a ghastly white. Though he was mature for his age, he was still a child. Even most grown men couldn’t stoically face their deaths, let alone a boy who was only fourteen years old.

Shen Qingqiu tried very hard not to look at him, and he desperately apologized in his heart over and over again.

Bing-ge—you’re a man of virtue, please magnanimously forgive my smack-talking and backstabbing just this once, okay, I’ll never do it again, I’ll definitely make it up to you in the future—

“Shi…Shizun, you…you can’t be serious.” Ning Yingying was scared witless.

Shen Qingqiu was on tenterhooks; it didn’t even occur to him to comfort her. He only smiled at Die-er. “You don’t know if I’m telling the truth now, but you’ll know as soon as you try. Why hesitate? It’s only a single strike against an insignificant boy. Even if I were lying to you, you aren’t risking anything, are you? Or are you worried that I’m telling the truth, so you dare not hit him?”

In the eyes of anyone who didn’t know the truth, these were the words of a man eagerly pushing Luo Binghe to his death.

Luo Binghe stared in disbelief. He wondered bleakly if Shen Qingqiu’s hatred for him had truly become so great.

But if that were the case, why had his master been just a little nicer to him on their trip to the city?

Luo Binghe couldn’t help but start struggling with all his might. The ropes restraining his body became tighter and tighter, biting painfully into Ning Yingying, but she didn’t dare to even breathe loudly and just quietly sobbed.

Shen Qingqiu’s words and tone were powerfully persuasive. Die-er thought for a moment and decided at last that, true enough, they had already killed so many people. How could they be afraid to kill one more?

They snorted. “I want to see exactly what sort of foolish game you’re playing.”

As they said this, they strode toward Luo Binghe and brought their palm down.

It would be over in an instant! Shen Qingqiu’s pupils contracted.

Right as Die-er’s strike came down, by curious coincidence, a ceiling beam broke.

If Shen Qingqiu had still been reading Proud Immortal Demon Way, upon seeing this described, he definitely would have thrown down his cell phone and started screaming curses.

The System had already declared it so: the one unbreakable, ironclad rule was that the protagonist could not die. Meaning that, as soon as the protagonist’s life was threatened, a death flag would be triggered!

Shen Qingqiu purposefully goaded Die-er into attacking Luo Binghe in order to take advantage of this rule. He just used someone else to do his dirty work. Admittedly this was…rather unscrupulous, but Luo Binghe probably hadn’t been in real danger. And if Shen Qingqiu hadn’t done this, he would have had to pay the price himself. In the long-term, even if he threw Luo Binghe under the bus this one time, there would be more chances to farm his favor in the future.

However.

To “Great Master” Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky:

What do you think of your readers’ IQs?! How could a ceiling beam suddenly snap in a perfectly fine, splendid, and beautiful new mansion?!

Even if it was to let the protagonist escape with his life, this twist was still downright contrived. What’s the difference between this and a third-rate melodrama where the male and female leads are just about to marry when they’re suddenly hit by a car in a tragic twist ending? Downvote!

The practically brand-new ceiling beam fell straight down and just happened to coincidentally smash into Die-er, smacking them flat onto the ground and rendering them unable to get up. The beam also coincidentally smashed into the pillar Luo Binghe and Ning Yingying were bound to, causing it to slant. Ning Yingying had already fainted from shock, but after some struggle, Luo Binghe’s ropes had, further coincidentally, loosened.

After this string of coincidences, Shen Qingqiu, who was still on the ground and bound by the immortal-binding cable, watched as Luo Binghe stared, unmoving, at the fallen Die-er in a puzzled silence.

Was this…it?

Just as Shen Qingqiu thought that, Die-er overturned the ceiling beam and sprang up.

“Shen Qingqiu!” they snarled, enraged. “The schemers of Cang Qiong Mountain are truly shameless and despicable! What sort of dirty trick did you just use to ambush me from behind like that?”

Shen Qingqiu was in fact completely innocent. This had nothing to do with him, really. If anything, the chief culprit was Luo Binghe.

“So you really were lying to me, trying to draw my attention away so you could sneak attack me,” Die-er snapped, unforgiving. “Otherwise, why would a perfectly good ceiling beam come crashing down and just happen to smash into me?”

They also had the wits to notice the parts of this scene that were illogical. So their IQ wasn’t beyond saving! Shen Qingqiu was a little relieved.

Die-er sneered. “You thought this would be enough to stop me? Keep dreaming. The immortal-binding cable can only be cut by an immortal’s sword. You can forget about breaking it via any other means.”

I just praised you, and you goof up again. Don’t reveal how to free the enemy, dear!

Also, did Die-er think that no one could see where they’d put Xiu Ya? They even specifically drew back their cloak to show its place on their hip and patted it.

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t contain his exasperation, and he took a chance to communicate a little with the System. “I need to ask. Are all villains in this mold?”

【 To guarantee your ability to clear the beginner-level quest, activating easy mode set the villain’s IQ to below average. 】

So not all bosses would be this easy to fumble through. Shen Qingqiu thought it was a bit of a pity, but he still smashed the like button—thumbs up, thumbs up. “This easy mode of yours is still a bit too user-friendly.”

Dier-er gritted their teeth. “I won’t listen to you no matter what you say this time! Accept your death, Shen Qingqiu!”

“One last thing!” Shen Qingqiu shouted.

Sure enough, governed by easy mode, Die-er stopped. “What last words do you still have?”

Shen Qingqiu thought for a while. “How does it feel to sleep with a sixty-year-old coot?”

Die-er was struck silent. But they were subsequently so enraged that their expression twisted, their entire body trembling.

Luo Binghe took the chance to suddenly rush the demon from behind. He snatched Xiu Ya from Die-er’s hip and drew the sword, filling the entire room with pure-white light. A curved flash of silver and the immortal-binding cable on Shen Qingqiu’s body was neatly severed.

Once more betrayed by the IQ loss of easy mode, the mini-boss Die-er had completely ignored the existence of a living, breathing Luo Binghe standing right behind them.

Die-er cried out in fear. “This is impossible—”

Enough! I’m not the listening type! I don’t want to hear a rote analysis of the boss’s true motives right before their death!

The corner of Shen Qingqiu’s mouth twitched, and he gathered all his spiritual power into his right hand, lashing out with a palm strike and smacking Die-er in the chest. The demon flew back like a kite with a snapped string.

This was the first time Shen Qingqiu had killed someone. But he didn’t hold back, not even a little. First, because this was a book; second, because this was a demon who’d killed countless people; and third, because if he didn’t, he’d be the one who got killed.

Shen Qingqiu gazed down at the horrible state of “Die-er”: four limbs twisted and broken, bleeding from the seven facial apertures. He turned away, bombarding his own brain with a barrage of his three reasons until they blocked out the screen of his mind.

Striving to remain calm, he slowly stood and straightened, settled his heart and breathing, fixed his posture, and turned to Luo Binghe.

“This is your first time seeing someone ‘eliminate demons and uphold justice,’” he said. “Were you scared?”

Luo Binghe’s still-childish face was slightly pale.

“If you wish to ‘uphold,’ you must ‘eliminate,’” said Shen Qingqiu, composed.

Luo Binghe gritted his teeth. His voice quavered. “Shizun, if this disciple may be so bold as to ask, just now…”

When the second half of the sentence didn’t arrive, Shen Qingqiu spoke. “You want to ask, if that ceiling beam hadn’t suddenly come crashing down, what was this master’s plan?”

Shen Qingqiu had no choice but to suffer in silence. He yearned to tell Luo Binghe: Don’t worry, even if the ceiling beam hadn’t collapsed, perhaps the wall would have. Even if the wall hadn’t, perhaps the pillar would have. Long story short, you definitely wouldn’t have died, the boss definitely would have, and that’s all there is to it.

But he couldn’t speak these words, so he could only adopt an unpredictable air and evade the question by changing the subject. “If you’re asking this, are you blaming this master?”

Luo Binghe shook his head. “No,” he said, his expression sincere. “If this disciple could give up his life for Shizun, it would be an honor.”

Shen Qingqiu was shaken. This kid really was too much of a white lotus!

“Then this master will promise you in kind,” he said after thinking for a moment and settling on properly ambiguous words. “Even if an accident befalls this master, no misfortune will come to you.”

This was an absolute truth. Even if Shen Qingqiu died one hundred times—ah, one hundred times—Luo Binghe, the protagonist with impervious plot armor, would go on living in perfect health.

“On this matter, I speak nothing but the truth.” His voice resounded as he said this, his expression confident and collected, without the slightest hint of falsehood.

When Luo Binghe heard these words, it was as if his life force had been ignited. The sunflower that had begun to wilt revived, full of renewed vigor.

Holding Xiu Ya in both hands, Luo Binghe lifted the blade until it was even with his brows and presented it to Shen Qingqiu. “Shizun, your sword!”

Shen Qingqiu grasped Xiu Ya, taking it from him. Internally, he wiped away his sweat. For now, this child was way too easy to dupe. He’d been thrown under the bus and frightened out of his wits, but a couple of words were all it took to restore him to full health in the blink of an eye.

But in the future, he wouldn’t be so easy to fool. The path to adulthood truly was tangled with thorns and suffering…

Then a series of System notifications came at him like a succession of cannon blasts, sending Shen Qingqiu to cloud nine.

【 Ning Yingying’s favor increased. Protagonist satisfaction points +50. 】

【 Obtained high-level item: Immortal-Binding Cable. Villain’s strength +30. 】

【 Completed beginner-level quest, B-Points +200. OOC feature unfrozen. From this point on, you have full command over the Shen Qingqiu account’s controls. Congratulations! Please continue to work hard! 】

Shen Qingqiu had fallen a little in love with the sensation of these dramatic ups and downs, the intense joys and sorrows—it was basically gambling.

And now the OOC feature was unfrozen. From this point on, he could finally carry out the great and glorious task of clinging to the male lead’s thighs!

 

***

 

Upon returning to Cang Qiong Mountain, the first thing Shen Qingqiu did was ascend Qiong Ding Peak, which was safeguarded by the sect leader, and report his work to Yue Qingyuan.

Previously, Shen Qingqiu had thought Zhangmen-shixiong’s existence was basically that of a quest-giving NPC. But as soon as he entered the mountain gates, this impression disappeared without a trace.

Shen Qingqiu had yet to enter the main hall when Yue Qingyuan descended upon him, leading a retinue of Qiong Ding Peak’s disciples to welcome him. They had just come face-to-face and smiled at each other, and hadn’t yet even said anything, when Yue Qingyuan’s right hand grasped Shen Qingqiu’s wrist.

Shen Qingqiu was instantly surprised, however Yue Qingyuan made no further movements and instead examined him attentively through his pulse, even inserting a mild spiritual flow of his own to investigate Shen Qingqiu’s. He realized then that Yue Qingyuan was only inspecting his spiritual circulation, and he relaxed.

After a moment, Yue Qingyuan let go. He smiled and walked with Shen Qingqiu into the main hall. “How was the training?”

His tone was like that of an eldest brother, which made Shen Qingqiu remember his former self’s two brothers. He felt a slight sorrow, but greater still was the comforting sense of warmth, to the point that even his dejected report came out cheery. “Unsatisfactory.”

His disciples hadn’t so much as glimpsed the Skinner Demon’s shadow. Speaking from the angle of disciple-training, the trip really had been a bust.

“No need to rush,” said Yue Qingyuan.

Shen Qingqiu nodded before suddenly changing the topic. “Zhangmen-shixiong, I wish to go to the back of Qiong Ding Peak and enter secluded cultivation within the Ling Xi Caves.”

Qiong Ding Peak was the head of the Twelve Peaks, and naturally it collected the essence of the heavens and earth. As for the Ling Xi Caves, they were Qiong Ding Peak’s best location for cultivating, giving twice the results in half the time. Therefore, the sect’s most senior members and outstanding disciples could request permission from the sect leader to enter the caves for secluded cultivation. Only with the sect leader’s approval could they act upon this desire.

If Shen Qingqiu wanted to enter seclusion in the Ling Xi Caves, he was sure Yue Qingyuan wouldn’t refuse. But the smile on Yue Qingyuan’s lips froze a little, his expression changing slightly.

Shen Qingqiu sensed something strange, but this strangeness flashed by quickly.

“For the Immortal Alliance Conference?” Yue Qingyuan asked gently.

“That’s correct.”

It wasn’t only because of the Immortal Alliance Conference, though. The incident with the Skinner Demon had made Shen Qingqiu realize the importance of diligent cultivation. In this world, you only had the right to think about the future if you had the strength to meet it. After all, bosses wouldn’t always be on easy mode and saddled with below-average intelligence.

Before entering seclusion, Shen Qingqiu called over Luo Binghe and handed him an actual cultivation manual.

“Why is Shizun giving this disciple a completely different manual?” Luo Binghe asked as he received it.

“Your constitution is a little different, so you can’t cultivate properly by following ordinary methods,” Shen Qingqiu bullshitted solemnly.

He didn’t want to personally reveal the truth—that Shen Qingqiu had inspired Ming Fan to give Luo Binghe a fake cultivation manual—even though eventually the truth would be exposed.

As he stared after Shen Qingqiu’s retreating back, Luo Binghe held that manual in both hands, his heart profoundly shaken.

Shizun had specially given this manual only to him!

Shen Qingqiu glanced back a couple of times and saw Luo Binghe still standing there, dumbstruck. He rubbed at the spot between his brows and kept walking.

He didn’t know what Luo Binghe was thinking, but the boy was almost certainly thinking too much.

 

***

 

The Ling Xi Caves were labyrinthine. After traveling down a thousand twists and turns, Shen Qingqiu emerged in what seemed like a different world, strange and beautiful. Here, there was neither wind nor moon, yet it was cool and quiet. Together, white stones like clouds and green stones like jade created wonders large and small as well as natural stone beds. At the center lay a pool of clear water that reflected this other world like a mirror.

The only thing that marred the beauty was that some cultivator who’d previously gone into seclusion here hadn’t properly cherished this public facility. The cave walls were covered in countless gashes and gouges made by both blade and sword glares. The stone walls were further plastered with swathes of dried blood, and the stains had already blackened.

This was only one cavern of many, and though it looked a tad like a murder scene, Shen Qingqiu was very satisfied and had no plans to find another location. He sat on the stone bed and began to cultivate, carefully following the methods he’d memorized from manuals.

Then, as if the heavens didn’t want him to try to honestly farm B-Points, not long after he began meditating, he heard a strange sound.

Panting.

The panting of a person in pain.

At the same time, he sensed a burst of nigh-rampant spiritual energy.

All right. He knew what had happened.

The Ling Xi Caves were gigantic; of course Shen Qingqiu couldn’t be the only person who’d asked permission to enter seclusion. Someone else was cultivating here as well…and they had entered a qi deviation, which was currently at a critical juncture.

I! Only! Wanted! To! Cultivate! In! Seclusion! And! Farm! Martial! Skill! Points! That’s! All! Can you not do this?! Can! You! Not!

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes snapped open as he decided to investigate. He followed that sound and the waves of spiritual energy as he navigated the various twists and turns. As he went, the disturbances became larger and larger.

At last, he arrived in another cavern. As soon as he entered, he saw a figure clothed in white facing away from him, their longsword stabbed into a rock, all the way to the hilt.

Sword glares flew in every direction, without order or pattern. The smears of blood on the person in white said “victim,” but their movements said “crazed murderer.”

This person’s qi deviation was pretty horrifying!

Shen Qingqiu mulled it over. With his half-assed knowledge, if he tried to smooth this person’s spiritual circulation, it was hard to say whether he would be more likely to help or accidentally stab another spiritual knife into the fellow’s back.

It was then that he caught sight of that sword. With its master’s spiritual energy out of control, the sword trembled unceasingly, pulling itself free a sliver at a time, all while emitting an ear-piercing shriek. Silver light ran down the hilt’s engraved incantations and phoenix ornamentation in an unending stream.

Shen Qingqiu needed only a single glance to recognize which sword it was—whose sword it was.

Fuck! Of all people, he had to meet that guy! Before, he’d wanted to help, but now all he wanted was to flee for his life.

It was too late. The person in white swung his head around, having already detected his presence.

In any other state, Shen Qingqiu might have declared, “What a beautiful man!” But a man could be as beautiful as he wanted, and if he glared at you with crimson eyes and bulging veins, you’d scramble to kneel, okay?!

Shen Qingqiu fled with a flick of his sleeves, but the man slapped the stone wall and sent rubble flying. The longsword finally broke free of the rock, and it shot through the air to stop before Shen Qingqiu’s eyes, blocking his path. He barely managed to brake in time. Had he been running even a little faster, he would have been beheaded. In the next instant, the white-clad man rushed him, his eyes devoid of reason.

Shen Qingqiu knew it was too late to run, and he could only steel himself to meet this fight head-on. He drew spiritual energy into his right hand. Putting everything into this one blow, he struck the man’s chest.

If this person really was the man the rumors painted him to be, with enough martial prowess to take on the protagonist’s OP abilities, this hit would be damn near useless. Not only damn near useless, Shen Qingqiu might be the one sent flying ten meters back while coughing up fresh blood or something.

However, it wasn’t useless—and the one sent flying a meter back while coughing up blood wasn’t Shen Qingqiu but the other guy.

Shen Qingqiu raised his right hand while staring at the person he’d knocked flat. To think he was already this badass even without making the effort to fake it!

In truth, while those who entered qi deviations were terrifying when berserk, they were also terribly fragile. With luck, a single strike could be the last straw that broke their back.

Expression conflicted, Shen Qingqiu watched the man half-kneel in pain, straining to rise and rip into his foe, only to collapse back onto one knee. At last, Shen Qingqiu sighed and moved closer, placing a hand on the man’s back.

“Let me say this first.” Shen Qingqiu didn’t concern himself with whether the man could understand him; he was saying it for himself. “If I don’t help you now, it’ll be too late. I’m not familiar with how this works, though, so if you…you know. Anyhow, I’ll have tried my best, so don’t blame me.”

After who knew how long, Shen Qingqiu felt the man’s spiritual circulation gradually even out and return to normal. His worry slowly eased, and he withdrew his palm. All that remained was to pray that his slapdash, desperate attempt to help hadn’t impaired the man’s cultivation.

The man he’d miraculously managed to save remained with his head lowered, still not yet fully conscious.

To be honest, Shen Qingqiu had already guessed this person’s identity, but the System’s notification provided absolute confirmation.

【 Congratulations! System notification: The scenario “Liu Qingge’s Death” has been changed. The villain Shen Qingqiu’s grave-digging and hatefulness ratings have decreased, B-Points +200. 】

Yup. Called it.

This was his shidi from the same sect. He was also a sucker who had been done in by the original Shen Qingqiu.

The Master of Bai Zhan Peak of Cang Qiong Mountain’s Twelve Peaks, Liu Qingge. He was a character who personified badassery.

The twelve peaks of Cang Qiong Mountain each had their own long histories and distinctive characteristics. For example, the head, Qiong Ding Peak, coordinated the big picture and oversaw the entire group; Shen Qingqiu’s Qing Jing Peak was the favorite of scholars and young artists; Wan Jian Peak, with their perfect environment, had produced legions of master swordsmen since time immemorial; Ku Xing Peak’s name, “ascetic practice,” spoke for itself (even if you whipped Shen Qingqiu, he still wouldn’t want to go); Xian Shu Peak, meanwhile, was a droolworthy heaven.

That was because this last peak only accepted female disciples, and historically, their disciples were highly attractive. It was therefore filled to the brim with beautiful girls. There’d been no shortage of lewd fanworks written by perverted readers, blossoming en masse like flowers. Of these, A Tyrannical Xian Shu Fell in Love with Me and My Days Sleeping around on Xian Shu Peak had been particularly outstanding, filled with grade-school level writing and erotic scenes with no bottom line. The circulation and impact of these fanfics had been enormous, to the point that their popularity compared to that of the original work.

But out of all the peaks, the one youths loved the most, revered the most, and were the wildest about joining was definitely Liu Qingge’s Bai Zhan Peak.

It was the most warlike of Cang Qiong Mountain’s branches, as well as the branch with the greatest martial ability. Every single generation’s Bai Zhan Peak Lord was a world-class swordmaster, a victor of countless battles, an undefeated legend. How hot-blooded—how dashing!

Male readers always fervently admired strong characters. Even though Liu Qingge never officially debuted on page, he hadn’t lacked for fans, and Shen Yuan had been especially fascinated with him. In his headcanon, Liu Qingge had been a sharp and manly man, powerful and magnificent. A war god, right?!

Shen Qingqiu looked down at that face, as beautiful as a fine woman’s, and his dreams shattered and died. The fantasies he’d always held, destroyed.

How could the invincible Bai Zhan Peak Lord look like his spiritual antithesis? This was clearly the face of a charming young master who arranged flowers and plucked farewell willow branches!

With this appearance, you’ve totally betrayed the headcanons of your martial prowess fanatics!

Then again, it made sense. Liu Qingge was the older brother of the number one true female lead, the peerless beauty Liu Mingyan. As the protagonist’s wife, she absolutely had to be first-class from top to bottom. It was just science for her to have such powerful genes.

Undefeatable in battle, an arrogant disposition, and an attractive face. With Bing-ge around, a second character in the same mold was unnecessary. No wonder “Great Master” Airplane had offed him so early.

Not even the protagonist, yet you dare to share those qualities? Of course you’d be either exceptional cannon fodder or dead in seconds!

It hadn’t occurred to Shen Qingqiu in the moment, but as he thought about it now, how might saving this person impact Luo Binghe’s satisfaction points?

There were few details on Liu Qingge, but he played a very important role in highlighting the depths of Shen Qingqiu’s general scumminess.

Even though the Liu-Shen pair were sect siblings, they didn’t get along. This was why Shen Qingqiu had tried to flee at first. Already unable to see eye to eye on a normal day, throwing Liu Qingge into a qi deviation was just asking him to either chase down and hack Shen Qingqiu to death or, like in the original work, to have Shen Qingqiu sabotage and kill him instead.

Though no one knew why their hatred ran so deep, it was a sure fact that the original Shen Qingqiu had been Liu Qingge’s murderer. The exposure of this incident was (one of) the inciting incident(s) that marked the start of Shen Qingqiu’s downfall. The specific line they used to condemn Shen Qingqiu went something like, “Taking advantage of an opening during another’s cultivation, he intervened, driving the man to his death.” So this very moment was likely when he’d made his move.

The original Shen Qingqiu killed the female lead’s only family, so of course Luo Binghe took revenge for his wife. Shen Qingqiu’s hatefulness quotient was truly extraordinary!

While Shen Qingqiu was crouching there, worrying over his future, Liu Qingge had finished coughing up blood and finally regained consciousness.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Shen Qingqiu sitting before him with a bored expression, looking down his stuck-up nose at him. He definitely didn’t look like someone with good intentions.

Alarmed, Liu Qingge violently jerked upright, ready to defend himself. The motion jarred his badly injured internal organs, throwing his qi circulation into chaos. Another mouthful of blood sprayed out of him.

“Shidi, regulate your qi; don’t be so agitated,” Shen Qingqiu said coolly. “You’re the Bai Zhan Peak Lord, how could you let yourself look so wretched? Here! Wipe yourself off.” He passed Liu Qingge a handkerchief.

Liu Qingge coughed up more blood. “Shen… What the hell are you planning now…?”

Seeing how much he was suffering, Shen Qingqiu lightly clapped him on the back.

Liu Qingge instantly assumed that Shen Qingqiu intended him harm, but he was helpless to avoid the touch. Only after the palm connected did he feel a clear, steady stream of spiritual energy enter and flow through his body, smoothing his circulation.

Liu Qingge was more aghast than he would have been if Shen Qingqiu had stabbed him in the back. After all, he was used to the backstabbing.

Shen Qingqiu continued to pat his back. “Liu-shidi, to tell you the truth, lately Shixiong has been in seclusion, and he’s come to realize many things,” he said earnestly. “Seeing you at death’s door, a beauty fading—ahem, dying so young, it brought back so many memories. Shixiong is deeply ashamed and filled with regret.”

Liu Qingge began to hack up blood even more profusely.

“From this point on, how about we leave our disagreements behind us and move forward hand in hand as a pair of model sect siblings, full of the affection due to fellow sect members?” Shen Qingqiu suggested, tactfully expressing his goodwill. “How do you feel about this, Shidi?”

Laying his objective out straight was a little shameful, but since he hadn’t killed Liu Qingge, and had thereby changed the scene and avoided its evil karma, he figured why not go all the way and simply build a good relationship? Maybe Master Liu could even back him up in the future?

Liu Qingge’s complexion was abnormally poor. He looked Shen Qingqiu in the eyes for a while. Then, as if he’d finally reached the limits of his tolerance, he said, “You. Go away.”

Shen Qingqiu nodded in understanding. After all, they’d hated each other for so long. You couldn’t farm favor points so soon after a heel turn. He couldn’t rush this thing, only take it slow.

He went as asked, waving behind him without looking back as he walked away. “If Shidi runs into more trouble during training, there’s no need to be shy; you can call Shixiong for help. Since we’re so close, we should take care of each other.”

Liu Qingge looked like he would cough up more blood if Shen Qingqiu said anything further. His glare was terrifying.

Shen Qingqiu wisely shut his mouth and did as he had been told. Liu Qingge was left alone, and he painfully hacked up another mouthful of blood.

They’d always been at odds. Ever since he was young, Liu Qingge had been unable to stand Shen Qingqiu. Both parties had deeply despised each other.

It wasn’t the type of vitriol you’d see when a belligerent but happy couple fought and argued, but the type where one wrong word could escalate into violence, even to the point of trying to kill each other. The fact that Shen Qingqiu hadn’t kicked him while he was down was inconceivable in itself—but to go so far as to help, even save him?!

But the reality was right before him. Liu Qingge’s face couldn’t help twisting.

He was unable to remember what had happened after the moment he lost control. But now his spiritual circulation was smooth. He couldn’t have straightened it himself during his frenzy. He must have had outside assistance.

Could Shen Qingqiu really have helped him?

Just thinking about this possibility filled Liu Qingge with revulsion. He would rather have died.

 

***

 

Even though the person he’d worked so hard to save was disgusted with him, Shen Qingqiu was incomparably satisfied.

Liu Qingge should have died by his hand, but Shen Qingqiu had saved the man through a series of freak coincidences.

If he could befriend Liu Qingge, even if his plan to raise Luo Binghe into a top-ten best disciple didn’t succeed, as the master of Bai Zhan Peak, Liu Qingge could at least stand beside him as a fellow sect sibling and help shield him a little!

Although this was a little utilitarian, as his own sorry life was on the line, it was no time for moral dilemmas.

There was no sense of time within the caves. Shen Qingqiu felt like he hadn’t done anything at all when the day to end his seclusion arrived.

Shen Qingqiu sat cross-legged on a stone platform, eyes shut. He kept them closed until the last wisp of spiritual energy had finished circulating through all his limbs and bones.

Having intensively cultivated for several months, he could freely control his spiritual energy and had risen one level above his original cultivation base. This told him that he had obtained one hundred percent command over this body, and even the last shreds of discoordination had been annihilated. Both his eyes shone brightly, and his immortal figure now felt distinctly different from how it had been.

Shen Qingqiu jumped down from the stone platform, his body all the more graceful—as if his four limbs had been instilled with a breeze and filled with vigor.

Of course, it was possible this was only his subjective feeling. After all, the days in seclusion had passed so quickly, as if he’d jumped ahead in the video progress bar. If this were a novel, and not one padded out like that of “Great Master” Airplane’s, the plot would have finished in one chapter.

Before leaving, he thought he ought to greet his neighbor, and so he knocked on the stone wall.

“Shidi, how is your situation over there?” he asked. “Shixiong will be leaving first.”

His voice echoed in the empty cavern. While not loud, it could be clearly heard by a cultivator like Liu Qingge.

As expected, he received no response. Shen Qingqiu didn’t mind. It was enough to express his kind wishes(?). With a sweep of his hem, he exited the caves like the wind whispered beneath his feet, ready to welcome the approaching storm.

If he had correctly calculated the time and date, it was about time for an upcoming story event of critical importance. It could have been considered the first small climax of the early narrative.

The demons would arrive, armed and eager to provoke a fight, thereby triggering mass panic. This small climax also included a brief glimpse of two of the book’s important female leads, whereupon they’d start paying attention to Luo Binghe.

The Ling Xi Caves were isolated from the outside world, and the interior of the caves was tranquil—but as soon as Shen Qingqiu exited them, he found the entirety of Qiong Ding Peak consumed by the fire and smoke of war. Panicked disciples ran every which way, and the alarm bells rang in united clamor.

Shen Qingqiu instantly understood: They’d already appeared.

Perfect timing. He’d arrived at just the right moment.

As soon as they saw him, several disciples from some peak or another threw themselves at him.

“Shen-shibo! Shen-shibo, you’ve finally left seclusion! It’s a disaster—monsters from the Demon Realm sneaked onto Qiong Ding Peak and injured many of our sect siblings!”

Shen Qingqiu patted a disciple with each hand. “Settle down. Where is Zhangmen-shixiong?”

“Zhangmen-shibo left the mountain on important business,” Disciple A said tearfully. “Otherwise, how else could those monstrous demons have used this chance to invade?!”

“Those monstrous demons are truly despicable!” Disciple B said furiously. “Not only did they take advantage of our vulnerability to invade, they also severed the Rainbow Bridges connecting the Twelve Peaks and set up some strange barrier. Now Qiong Ding Peak is completely unable to receive support from the other peaks!”

Shen Qingqiu knew all of this. He was just asking while passing through. As of now, he had gone through cultivation training—and on top of that had experience punching Luo Binghe and kicking Liu Qingge (eep!). With a bearing of heroic resolve that reached the heavens, he said, “No need to panic. Our Cang Qiong Mountain is a majestic, unparalleled sect that has produced countless heroes. We would never fear the dregs of the Demon Realm!”

The disciples instantly felt like they’d found a pillar of support, and they followed behind Shen Qingqiu like a train. Along the way, the disciples who’d been flailing around like headless chickens also rushed to follow—and the ones who didn’t know what was happening followed as well. In the end, the procession kept growing longer and longer, until they arrived before Qiong Ding Peak’s main hall.

Every single member of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect on Qiong Ding Peak had come to encircle and exterminate the demons who had overtaken it deep within. Due to plot requirements, the disciples of Qing Jing Peak were all “coincidentally” at Qiong Ding Peak to greet Shen Qingqiu as he left seclusion, and they had been gathered there a while now. Shen Qingqiu first sought out Luo Binghe’s figure, and indeed he saw him standing within the group, expression solemn.

It had been some time since he’d last seen the boy. He’d grown taller by a fair amount, his youthful figure like a graceful, elongating stalk of bamboo. Along with that handsome little face, he drew a great deal of attention. Having confirmed that the protagonist was at the scene, Shen Qingqiu’s heart settled, and he turned his focus to the enemy.

Before the elegant, magnificent Qiong Ding Hall stood more than a hundred unknown individuals, roiling with demonic qi. The leader of this invasion was in fact a young girl who appeared to be no more than fifteen or sixteen.

Shen Qingqiu’s heart thumped with excitement. She’s appeared! She’s finally appeared!

Demons loved exotic and unusual dress, but even among them, this girl’s fashion sense was exceptionally unorthodox. Her jet-black head of hair had been combed into many small braids; her complexion was fair, her eye makeup bold, her lips abnormally scarlet. Although she was young, it was self-evident that she would grow into a woman of overwhelmingly glamorous bearing.

As it was a hot day, she had dressed lightly, having essentially only wrapped herself in several bolts of gauzy red cloth. Her wrists and ankles were decorated with silver bangles, the tiny bells on every limb jingling with her slightest movements. Her bare, snow-white feet directly touched the ground. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help side-eyeing them a couple of times.

His thoughts weren’t indecent, but rather…

You’ve traveled thousands of miles from the Demon Realm, crossing land and sea, and after arriving you even climbed this tall mountain barefoot? Young miss, do…do your feet really not hurt?

Wait. That wasn’t the point!

The point was that this was (one of) the most popular female lead(s) in the novel of Proud Immortal Demon Way—Demon Saintess Sha Hualing.

Sha Hualing was a pure-blooded demon, vicious and merciless, crafty and proud, yet she was madly in love with Luo Binghe. After getting involved with Luo Binghe, not only did she kill for him, she even dared to commit an offense as monstrously treasonous as betraying the demon race.

Though these days, a good number of people often denounced this trope of a brainless, lovesick girl, there was nothing you could do. An even larger number of male readers loved it. A pity that a girl this spicy could only be enjoyed by the male lead.

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help glancing at Luo Binghe. At the same time, Luo Binghe inadvertently swept his gaze about as well. Their two gazes met, and they both startled. Luo Binghe seemed about to speak, but he said nothing. Shen Qingqiu nodded at him.

The Rainbow Bridges had been severed. Of the various peak lords, the ones sleeping still slept, the ones in seclusion remained in seclusion, the ones strolling kept strolling, and the ones away on official business did not return. The arrival of Shen Qingqiu, a member of the older generation, was as such powerfully reassuring. The disciples regained confidence.

Ming Fan was the first to yell. “Demoness! My master is here—let’s see if you’ll dare to be so arrogant now!”

More and more people joined the gathered crowd. Several hundred disciples in uniformly colored robes and furious expressions surrounded the invaders, trapping them in the space before the hall.

Several demons tried to use the chance to break through—perfect training targets for Shen Qingqiu. He casually grabbed them, lifted them up, and threw them back to land at Sha Hualing’s feet.

Sha Hualing had always been clever and resourceful. Her earlier arrogance had derived from the fact that, having long enjoyed being the number one sect, Cang Qiong Mountain’s defenses were lax and loose. She had also seen Yue Qingyuan depart on official business, leaving Qiong Ding Peak without one of its senior members to guard it.

Sensing that things had taken a turn, she changed her tune. “My people didn’t climb this mountain for the sake of battle. It’s just that we’ve long heard that Cang Qiong Mountain produces many talented individuals, so we were curious. We wanted to ascend the mountain for a look, as well as to spar and learn from you.”

“How kind of you.” Shen Qingqiu flapped his fan. “But if you’ve come to spar, why do so when the sect leader is away? Why sever the Rainbow Bridges? And why injure so many of our sect’s disciples? I’ve never seen this method of sparring.”

Sha Hualing bit her lip, utilizing that weapon exclusive to young girls. She twirled a stray lock of hair dangling beside her cheek around her finger. “This must be the renowned Xiu Ya Sword, Senior Shen Qingqiu,” she said, drawing out each word. “As expected, hearsay can’t compare to seeing the real person. Ling-er is young and unable to manage her subordinates. If we have offended you or caused misunderstandings, we beg the immortal master to be magnanimous and forgiving.”

No matter how softly she spoke, Shen Qingqiu wouldn’t be moved the slightest bit. The truth of the situation was clearer to him than to anyone else.

To lay it out plain, this trouble had begun when Sha Hualing was granted the title of a “Demon Saintess”—which had just happened. Being proud and arrogant, she had an exaggerated opinion of her own abilities. She had intended to slaughter the entirety of Cang Qiong Mountain’s first peak in one go, then seize the nameplate hanging over Qiong Ding Hall as a war trophy and bring it back as proof of her achievement. At the same time, her exploit would be a demonstration of force directed at the Human Realm.

“Then what is the young miss’s conclusion now?” asked Shen Qingqiu.

Sha Hualing pursed her lips in a smile. “Though right now my people are at a disadvantage, that’s only because your sect has such great numbers. Ling-er is unable to ascertain who between us would be the victor.”

“Oh? Then what would you need to do so?” Shen Qingqiu asked, putting on the air of an elder as smoothly as a fish took to water.

Parting her red lips, Sha Hualing elegantly suggested a method that seemed fair and just: “Why don’t we each choose three representatives and hold three matches?”

This suggestion was solid. For many years, the Human and Demon Realms had maintained an uneasy balance and had yet to drop the pretense of peace. Eliminating Sha Hualing and her mob wouldn’t be impossible, but it would likely light a fuse. The demons definitely wouldn’t let her death go unanswered, and it wouldn’t be worth it if they stirred up an even greater conflict. On the other hand, simply letting them go would also generate trouble. They couldn’t allow outsiders to come and go as they pleased from Qiong Ding Peak. By setting conditions and holding some matches, each teaching the other party a lesson or two, both parties could back down and save face. It would be the best way to handle this.

Since this was the first small climax in the original work, Shen Qingqiu still remembered it fairly clearly.

The first match was Shen Qingqiu versus the demon Elder “Single Arm” Dubi. To highlight Shen Qingqiu’s scummy nature, he of course used despicable and underhanded means to achieve victory. By comparison, Luo Binghe’s honorable and upright actions in the third match illustrated a strong contrast for the readers.

Now, however, Shen Qingqiu wasn’t about to so pointlessly tarnish his image.

Elder Single Arm’s entire body was a dark purple color, and he was taciturn and reticent. At Sha Hualing’s command, he walked toward a stretch of open ground.

The sect’s disciples cheered and shouted for their Shen-shibo. Shen Qingqiu knew the extent of this Elder Single Arm’s strength. “You only have one arm,” he said, smiling. “Even if I defeat you like this, it’d be due to an unfair advantage.”

“Oh?” Sha Hualing said from behind her hand. “Actually, Ling-er has a solution. How about…you also cut off one of your arms? That way there won’t be an unfair advantage anymore!”

Angry protests rose all around them. Unconcerned, Shen Qingqiu smiled slightly and slowly spread his fan. “How about this—I won’t use a single hand.”

These words threw the crowd into an uproar. Among them, Luo Binghe also stood shocked.

Wouldn’t use a single hand?

Sha Hualing snorted, thinking Shen Qingqiu was being full of himself, but she was also secretly filled with endless glee. If her side could win a match so easily, why wouldn’t they go for it? “Since Senior Shen is so ready, let us start!” she said hurriedly.

A number of bystanders realized then that this girl was actually quite brazen. Though her manner was pure and innocent, her words were vicious and sinister, and she rushed to take advantage of others. As a reader enjoying the drama, Shen Qingqiu had come away with one impression, but experiencing the situation for himself, he came away with another. He’d never really been charmed by Sha Hualing’s way of dealing with things, but between her youth and her daintiness, he had at least been able to force himself to regard her behavior as cute loli willfulness—until now.

Under all those gazes, Shen Qingqiu stayed true to his words and didn’t draw his sword. Instead, he played with the fan in his hand, smiling at Elder Single Arm.

Elder Single Arm only had the one arm, but that didn’t even slightly hinder his ability to swing his beheading saber. But his savage swing didn’t actually hit its target. He whipped around to find Shen Qingqiu was already standing behind him, still smiling. In truth, Shen Qingqiu’s face was getting sore.

However, Xiu Ya had already left its sheath. Shen Qingqiu hadn’t directly touched his sword at all. His left hand had subtly formed a sword seal, commanding Xiu Ya to fly and turn over, brandishing itself.

Elder Single Arm’s eyes were struck with pain from the flashes of the sword’s snow-white gleam. He rushed to lift his saber and attack again.

Saber and sword clashed in a succession of incessant ringing clangs while sparks sprayed and danced.

The crowd was unable to tear their eyes away. In reality, this was just a competition, but anyone would have called it both captivating and captivating.

The first captivating encompassed the impressiveness of the fight, where the use of real weapons made it a matter of life and death. But what made it captivating were the magnificent visual effects—especially Shen Qingqiu, who moved with such skill and ease in his pure and scholarly way, surrounded by the glint and flash of blades. On top of this, he continued to gracefully and leisurely fan himself with his paper fan. It was as if any instant, he would compose a poem within seven steps,3 like a figure of legend. Such utterly breathtaking style! No, achieving this level of badass was far too perfect!

As Luo Binghe watched, his heart practically galloped and his soul trembled. He’d known Shen Qingqiu was incredible, but he’d never anticipated that he was this incredible.

So strong!

Surrounded by the cheers of the sect’s disciples, Shen Qingqiu attained a complete victory in the first match.

At this moment, Shen Qingqiu realized why the original flavor had clung to being a poser like it was his lifeline—it was unbelievably satisfying.

The disciples’ gazes formed a sea of sparkling stars. What an inspiring experience! Shen Qingqiu was certain now—a scum villain could also gain reputation points!

At the same time, the System also gave him good news:

【 Demonic invasion of the immortals’ mountain, first match of the competition, Shen Qingqiu’s victory, martial skill rating +50. B-Points +50. 】

Shen Qingqiu’s pleased smile didn’t last long. The System’s next notification came like a slap to the face.

【 System alert: If Luo Binghe does not participate in the competition, one thousand points will be deducted from the protagonist’s satisfaction points. 】

“What?!” Completely unprepared, Shen Qingqiu turned pale with shock.

He’d been laboring to earn satisfaction points, huffing and puffing like an old ox dragging a broken cart, and only managed to earn somewhere in the three hundreds—and in an instant he risked losing one thousand?!

System, are you trying to get people killed?!

This competition was an important part of the plot. At the same time, it also served as a small, early-stage climax that debuted two female leads and pitted their splendor against each other—and the consequences of it later enabled the protagonist to get an underling and also allowed him to learn secret techniques. All important things! If Luo Binghe didn’t make it on stage this time, he would miss the limelight and be unable to grab everyone’s attention. Hence, negative one thousand satisfaction points.

But if Shen Qingqiu named him a sect representative and sent him out to fight, what would he be doing?

The original flavor pushed Luo Binghe onto the battlefield because he was shameless! He didn’t care about the sect’s reputation! He hated Luo Binghe to the bone, enough to want to vicariously torture him via the hands of demons!

The current Shen Qingqiu didn’t share any of those three motives!

And at the end of everything, why was someone else responsible for the oh-so-mighty protagonist’s satisfaction points?! Shen Qingqiu was still angrily rebuking the System for its unscientific approach when the time came for the start of the second match.

Sha Hualing had been afraid that Shen Qingqiu would fight all three matches himself and swiftly said, “If the same representative competes in all three matches, we would lose the chance to truly learn from each other. I will be my people’s representative for the second match.”

No doubt Sha Hualing had entered first because she believed in her own strength, but she also likely thought that Shen Qingqiu wouldn’t use his senior position to bully a girl who was his junior. Shen Qingqiu didn’t want to concern himself with her thoughts at all and demonstrated as much. Even if he’d originally had the ambition to fight all three matches to earn martial ability points and reputation, the System’s notification had extinguished those hopes.

However, the second match did have an impressive, attention-worthy highlight.

“You’ve all heard her,” said Shen Qingqiu. “Who is willing to bear this heavy duty?”

Even though he was asking all the disciples of the sect, his gaze fell on a certain pocket of the crowd.

Within that pocket stood a collection of graceful female disciples. Without a doubt, they belonged to Xian Shu Peak. In this group of pretty girls, each fairer, more beautiful, and more refined than the last, one stood out, a veil draped over her face.

Immediately after Shen Qingqiu asked this question, she slowly stepped forward from the crowd.

Despite himself, a burst of excitement fluttered in Shen Qingqiu.

It’s here! It’s almost here! The two biggest female leads in this book, their first 1 vs. 1!

Liu Mingyan was a great beauty—a heaven-and-earth-shattering great beauty at the sight of whom both gods and ghosts would weep. Even though she belonged to Xian Shu Peak, which had produced generations of beautiful women since ancient times, she was still a crane among chickens, rising above and beyond them all.

Her older brother was Bai Zhan Peak’s master, but because she was younger, she’d entered the sect later and become a disciple of Xian Shu Peak’s next generation.

Because her face was excessively beautiful, capable of stealing souls, she had to hide it behind a veil all year round, rendering her like unto a flower on a high cliff, unattainable and out of reach.

In brief, for the purpose of describing this character’s appearance, Master Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky had probably used every single flattering vocabulary word and idiom he’d learned from elementary through to high school. He must have had it hard.

Shen Qingqiu was very fond of this female lead, and it wasn’t only because Liu Mingyan’s beauty points were the highest. It was also because she had great poise. She always understood the big picture and grasped the general situation, and her conduct was fair and honest. Even in Luo Binghe’s gigantic harem, a wife with both intelligence and moral character was rare.

There was one more appeal factor. Liu Mingyan was the only female character for whom Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky didn’t write detailed sex scenes. Many readers had been highly dissatisfied with this arrangement, to the point that they spammed the comments with their ranting, but this had given Liu Mingyan something no other female lead had: an image as clear as ice and pure as jade!

Can’t be helped, the unobtainable ones are always the best.

╮(￣▽￣”)╭

This was what made the second match worth watching. An evil demoness naturally demanded a righteous saintess as a rival. Every man dreamed of being caught between an angel and a devil. To watch them jealously vie with each other over him one moment, then risk life and limb for his sake in the next—that was the highest, most sacred, perverted fantasy of every male organism. He could get drunk off the wild, untamed charm of the wicked seductress, and at the same time his heart would ache for the austere taste of the pure saintess who kept pulling him closer only to push him away!

One had to admit, “Great Master” Airplane was genuinely good at nailing what people found satisfying. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help giving Luo Binghe another glance.

Luo Binghe found it very hard to not care about that gaze. Why exactly did Shen Qingqiu keep looking at him? Was it possible that Shizun…really had an interest in him?

What a pity that, under “Great Master” Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky’s pen, battles between female characters usually lacked any standout moments, other than ripping [beep—] for the male gaze.

Ah, no, actually, if Shen Qingqiu thought about it, as written by the “Great Master,” none of the battles had any memorable moments. It was always the same tired phrases, like “light like a lightning flash,” “colorful as a rainbow,” “sword glares of every color,” “horrifying as a monster,” etc.

Several incense times later, Liu Mingyan lost. After all, at this time she hadn’t yet gone to Wan Jian Peak to claim her personal sword. Even though she did her utmost, her weapon was only a slender, ordinary blade, while Sha Hualing was already a demon saintess with saintly weapons in ready supply at her beck and call. Naturally, there was a gap between their abilities.

Liu Mingyan approached Shen Qingqiu. “This disciple has lost. For failing the mission, I request Shen-shibo’s punishment.”

“When no one else would come forward, you assumed this responsibility,” said Shen Qingqiu. “This fight would never have been easy. Whether you attained victory or suffered defeat, both were acceptable outcomes. You need not be concerned. You need only take back the victory in the future.”

Having taken the second round, Sha Hualing’s face was glowing, and she laughed delicately. “This last match will decide the overall victor! I wonder who Senior Shen will send out? This time, you must choose carefully.”

Shen Qingqiu stood with his hands clasped behind his back. “The young miss need not worry,” he said with a profound air. “This one has long since decided on a representative and can guarantee that, no matter if he wins or loses, he will become your life’s bane.”

Sha Hualing took these words as merely his attempt at intimidation. She clapped her hands. “Which brave warrior will take the third match?”

From the crowd of demons, a giant elder slowly walked out.

He was “giant” because he really was unfairly tall! Definitely more than three meters, wouldn’t you say?!

Built like a bear, he had a head of disheveled hair and armor that covered him from head to toe with spikes. He dragged a giant iron hammer behind him. Shen Qingqiu was positive that the ground quaked lightly with every step he took.

“First, to give you all a warning, the spikes on Elder “Sky Hammer” Tianchui’s armor are coated with a highly toxic poison,” Sha Hualing said gleefully. “This poison is ineffective against demons, but if it enters a human body, there is no cure.”

The first thought Shen Qingqiu had was: Shit, “Great Master” Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky, don’t just name things whatever without thinking! Calling the one with only one arm Elder “Single Arm” Dubi, then calling the one whose weapon was a giant hammer, Elder “Sky Hammer” Tianchui—are you afraid of naming things properly?!

Meanwhile, Sha Hualing’s words had had triggered a wave of rage in the onlookers.

“Piece of shit demoness! If you want to compete, then compete! How can you say it’s fair to use poison?!”

“I didn’t conceal the information, did I?” Sha Hualing retorted. “If you think it’s unfair—or are afraid of losing your life—then forfeit the match and admit defeat. Then you won’t need to compete anymore. We demons won’t mock you—it’s human nature to value your lives. But my people value glory over everything else!”

Between the demons’ roaring laughter and the disciples’ cries of condemnation, Shen Qingqiu rubbed the crease between his brows and silently sighed.

From the reader’s perspective, where you could live in the fantasy of being the protagonist, of course you’d love a woman like Sha Hualing and find her satisfying. But once you were a person facing off with her in reality… He couldn’t believe anyone could bring themselves to like her!

It wasn’t that she was different from how she had been described in the story—in fact, the problem was that she was exactly as advertised!

Cruel and vicious, combined with an infatuation that made her throw her brain away—if you weren’t the protagonist, you’d better run the hell away. The moment you threatened her or Luo Binghe’s interests even the tiniest bit, she’d want your life. She wouldn’t even think of alternatives like chopping off your hands or feet, or gouging out your eyes. Even if you were her father, you had to be careful. In the original work, to help Luo Binghe gain standing in the Demon Realm, she backstabbed the guy…

Shen Qingqiu remained unflappable in the face of Sha Hualing’s provocations. He maintained his silence for a stretch, using the time to stare intently at the crowd of demons. Only at the end did he turn, fixing his gaze in a certain person’s direction.

“Luo Binghe, come here.”

Qing Jing Peak’s disciples fell into an uproar.

The disciples from the other branches were calmer, as they weren’t familiar with Qing Jing Peak’s internal politics. They even thought that Shen Qingqiu had certainly selected a disciple he was proud of, an unparalleled talent. That was the only way they could hope to best this demon elder who appeared to be in his hundreds. It was strange that they’d never heard of this person, and he did seem rather young. Was it possible that Qing Jing Peak’s disciples weren’t yet aware of Luo Binghe’s true abilities?

Ming Fan’s face had gone white. “Shizun…” he stammered. “To send this little mon—to send Luo-shidi, isn’t it…unbefitting?”

“Oh?” said Shen Qingqiu. “Then will you go?”

Ming Fan repeatedly shook his head. Even though he didn’t want to offer himself, and he would be happy to see Luo Binghe beaten to a pulp, this matter concerned their sect’s honor! To let themselves be invaded and a peak’s nameplate taken, and to set themselves up to lose this competition? Cang Qiong Mountain would lose face—and Qing Jing Peak would lose a massive amount of face!

Ning Yingying was even more anxious, to the point that she teared up. She defiantly grabbed Luo Binghe’s arm while stomping and yelling. “No, no, no!”

Luo Binghe had no real battle experience. And if he had to face a demon elder covered from head to toe with spikes and poison, carrying a hammer that weighed at least several hundred kilograms? He’d definitely be beaten to death!

You lot think I want him to enter? I was also forced into this! I have no choice! Even so, Shen Qingqiu stated, “I said he’ll be our representative, so he will. Are you unsatisfied with this master’s decision? Yingying, let go of him.”

Ning Yingying saw the stony look on her master’s face and knew there was nothing she could do.

Luo Binghe patted her soothingly. “Don’t worry, Shijie.” He spoke in a steady voice even though his face was stark white. “I may be untalented, but if Shizun has chosen me, I will spare no effort. Even if I must stake my life, I won’t lose face for the sect.”

Ning Yingying rubbed away her tears and let go of Luo Binghe’s arm. As if she couldn’t stand to stay there and watch her crush take a beating, she stomped her feet several times and ran off, whimpering.

Shen Qingqiu was overjoyed. Good, run! If she ran, then the trouble she was supposed to make after this drama wouldn’t crop up!

The crowd saw that although the youth who approached was upright and honorable in body and spirit, with good potential and foundation, he was clearly a young disciple with shallow cultivation. In contrast, the demon representative Elder Sky Hammer loomed with his bear-like build. Compared to Luo Binghe’s still developing figure, he radiated an oppressive aura, his entire body emitting dark, roiling demonic qi. Everyone felt hesitation. Some hypothesized that perhaps Luo Binghe was hiding his strength. But when the fight actually started, they were rendered speechless.

Hiding his strength?! No—this kid really wouldn’t be able to beat that guy! This wasn’t a match, it was a one-sided beatdown!

From the moment Luo Binghe stepped forward, he essentially had no chance to strike. The demon elder’s strength was incomparable, his swings filled with the vigor of a tiger. Even though Luo Binghe did his best to dodge and searched for an opening to attack, from time to time the hammer still managed to smash into him.

Not only were Cang Qiong Mountain’s disciples dumbstruck, the demons were also at a loss for words. This was too horrible…

“Isn’t this outcome predetermined…?” someone murmured. “What’s the point of continuing the match?”

Elder Large Hammer—ah, no, Elder Sky Hammer laughed skyward, the sound like a great bell. “Well said! The child should hurry up and admit defeat, then this elder can still spare his life.”

“He will win,” Shen Qingqiu said lightly.

Bullshit. Luo Binghe was the overpowered protagonist—of course he was going to win. It was only that the path to victory would be difficult.

Shen Qingqiu’s voice was neither loud nor soft, but it had just enough volume to carry to the center of the match area. Luo Binghe had directly taken multiple heavy blows, and he was holding back several mouthfuls of blood. When those confident words entered his ears, he somehow managed to swallow it down.

He would…win? Shizun had called on him to enter…because he really thought Luo Binghe would win?

The horde of demons laughed and jeered. They shouted at Luo Binghe to hurry up and admit defeat.

Yet Luo Binghe did not heed their wishes. Even as he took several more blows in a row, he became more and more poised, turning a deaf ear to the jeers and shouts from the crowd. His steps became lighter and more graceful. Soon, nine times out of ten, Elder Sky Hammer’s giant weapon couldn’t so much as brush him.

The only places on Elder Sky Hammer’s body that weren’t covered with spikes were his face and fists. This wasn’t actually good news. It doubtless meant that the elder had extensively trained these two places so that they wouldn’t be vulnerable even without the protection of the poisonous spikes.

At the same time, this was also very likely the only breach in his defenses.

Luo Binghe slowed his breaths and attentively studied his opponent.

On the surface, it had seemed that Shizun had chosen Luo Binghe only to make things difficult for him. However, if Luo Binghe lost this round, not only would he lose face, but the entire sect would as well—and furthermore, as the one who’d chosen to put him forward, Shen Qingqiu would be especially at fault.

That meant that Shizun would only have chosen Luo Binghe for this match if he really did firmly believe he would win!

Thus did Student Luo Binghe’s colorful imagination successfully activate the Massive Fog of Misunderstandings System.

No one had ever believed in him like this. If only because he’d been entrusted with something so vitally important, he absolutely had to win and make everyone see!

Once again, that huge hammer came whistling toward him. Luo Binghe’s pupils shrank, and gathering energy within his palms, he condensed his qi into an attack.

The audience had been enthralled by this youth who kept persevering without hesitation. Though Luo Binghe had no opportunities to counterattack, he never gave up looking for a chance to do so, and he furthermore refused to admit defeat. At this instant, when the chance to counterattack finally came, Luo Binghe seized it with incomparable precision.

The deadlock had lasted for nearly an hour, but the third match finally came to an end. Other than Shen Qingqiu, no one had anticipated this conclusion.

Elder Sky Hammer, who was covered from head to toe in poisonous spikes and boasted a hundred years’ worth of skill, had been defeated by a youth of fifteen years.

Sure enough, Liu Mingyan and Sha Hualing were drawn to Luo Binghe. Two pairs of beautiful eyes fixed neatly upon him, gazing at Luo Binghe’s form and unwilling to divert their attention.

【 Captured Liu Mingyan and Sha Hualing’s interests. Became famous in a fight during the battle with the demons who invaded Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. Protagonist satisfaction points +500. 】

Shen Qingqiu was furious.

How dare you! The deduction would have been one thousand, but the profit was only five hundred?! Black-hearted System! Double-standards-holding dog!

However, it was fine, because now everyone was thinking the same thing: Though young, Luo Binghe was truly worthy of respect! Shen Qingqiu truly had inscrutable depths!

Sha Hualing held herself back for a long while, then finally squeezed out her concession. “Cang Qiong Mountain is certainly full of talent and has produced generations of young heroes. Ling-er…is indeed impressed.”

“Well said, well said,” said Shen Qingqiu. “Since we have our result, could the young miss withdraw with her people? Please excuse us for being such a mess right now. We’re unable to continue entertaining our guests from faraway.”

The meaning hidden within his words—well, it wasn’t hidden. This was his direct command telling them to get out.

Sha Hualing was filled with anger, but there was nowhere for it to go. Her fingers clenched in the gauzy red cloth on her body for a moment, then she suddenly exploded.

She reached out and gave Elder Sky Hammer a fast and violent slap. “To face Senior Shen’s young disciple and yet lose so badly?” her sweet voice said angrily. “You’ve lost every last bit of face for the demon race!”

Elder Sky Hammer was also pitiable. Hierarchy within the Demon Realm was strict, and Sha Hualing was a saintess of noble birth. He took the slap and could only grovel. He dared not fight back, only saying again and again, “Your subordinate is incompetent and begs the saintess for punishment!”

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t stand watching anymore. “Miss Sha, if you wish to discipline your subordinates, please do so somewhere else. Qiong Ding Peak is not a place for the nobility to throw their weight around.”

With that slap, Sha Hualing had vented her anger, finally releasing some of her resentment; she turned back, full of smiles. “It is as you say, Senior Shen. It was just, when Ling-er saw the incredible young talent you foster, then looked at the trash under her, her heart was filled with disappointment, so she lost control for a moment. I beg you not to laugh.”

She then turned, facing Elder Sky Hammer with the expression of a wicked stepmother, one as cold as a refrigerator. “For Elder Single Arm to lose to Senior Shen in their match was a matter of course. Yet you also lost your match. There is no need for me to say anything; figure out what to do yourself.”

As to what she meant by this, Elder Sky Hammer clearly understood.

His heart chilled on the spot. When they arrived, he’d thought that other than Shen Qingqiu, the people of Qiong Ding Peak were a bunch of half-grown children, disciples with shallow cultivation. Hence he’d wanted to take advantage of easy pickings to earn favor before the new saintess. He’d never thought that he’d fail terribly instead, to the point that he would lose his life. He looked up and saw Luo Binghe surrounded by the crowd, all asking concernedly after his well-being. Malice surged within him.

He didn’t dare touch Shen Qingqiu, but this child who’d brought him so much misfortune—he absolutely had to make him take his fair share of the blame, to drag him to death as well!

Shen Qingqiu had been paying close attention to the demon’s every movement and expression. He didn’t miss the flash of nefarious intent in Elder Sky Hammer’s eyes. But demons were truly a bold race, taking action immediately and without even the slightest bit of buffering time. Only a second after coming up with the idea, Elder Sky Hammer careened forward, swinging his weapon.

Elder Sky Hammer’s body was large and tall, and he quickly closed the distance, like a mountain of metal hurtling toward Luo Binghe. Luo Binghe’s injuries weren’t light, and so his movements were sluggish. He would certainly be hit. Yet Shen Qingqiu let out a cold humph, and in a flash, his figure suddenly appeared in Elder Sky Hammer’s path. With the tip of his fan, he tapped the bend of Elder Sky Hammer’s knee.

Elder Sky Hammer collapsed on the spot.

He really collapsed! His entire body crashed to the ground, unconscious. As for that giant hammer, Shen Qingqiu casually scooped it up and held it in his hand, weighing it. As expected, it was a tad hefty. However, given the elegant quality of his image, holding a giant hammer wasn’t very aesthetic, so Shen Qingqiu immediately hurled it into the horde of demons. With a muffled thud, the head of the hammer slammed into the ground. The display was significantly shocking, and his intimidating air became even more terrifying.

Shen Qingqiu’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You wanted to kill him? The disciples under my tutelage are not yours to bully.”

When he spoke these words with awe-inspiring righteousness, not only were the demons at a loss for words, Shen Qingqiu himself felt that his inner face reddened slightly.

Immortal Master, weren’t you the one who sent your disciple out to be abused by others?!

Luo Binghe stared at the teal-clothed back before him, having forgotten to even say thanks. He only knew that his master had saved him yet again.

Shizun was always like this. He would seem to be harsh on Luo Binghe, yet when it came down to the critical moment, he always stood before his student.

Shen Qingqiu threw a glance behind him. “Are you all right?”

Gonna shamelessly try to farm some more favor points…

“This disciple is fine!” Luo Binghe said in a rush. “Many thanks to Shizun for the assistance.”

Aiyaaa, this child is so foolishly sweet. Shen Qingqiu’s inner face grew even redder, and he quickly turned back to Sha Hualing. “Miss Sha, you need to properly discipline your subordinates. If you can’t stand losing, why set yourself up for the potential of it with these three matches?”

Sha Hualing also hadn’t predicted Elder Sky Hammer’s attack and was slightly embarrassed. She was just about to say a couple of perfunctory words appropriate for an apology, when at that instant, something happened that no one could have predicted.

Elder Sky Hammer, who’d been lying motionless on the ground, suddenly leapt up and hurled himself at Luo Binghe a second time.

Shen Qingqiu had already taken his hammer—did he intend to use his body to crush Luo Binghe?

But as Shen Qingqiu took in Elder Sky Hammer’s open arms, and his pose that seemed like he was about to embrace Luo Binghe, his thoughts suddenly made several lightning-like turns, and his entire body broke out in a cold sweat.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck me! He’s still wearing the poison-spiked armor!

In that instant, Shen Qingqiu completely forgot about Luo Binghe’s plot armor. At the moment of truth, subconsciously, he once again moved to protect his student.

Xiu Ya left its sheath, blade flash bright as snow, and pierced Elder Sky Hammer’s hulking body. But the demon had an entire body’s worth of brute force and all-out effort within him, and he didn’t back down even when skewered. Instead, he seemed overjoyed, relentlessly careening forward, forcing Xiu Ya to run clean through him and out his back, his face stretched in a sinister grin.

And he threw himself at Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu swiftly made his decision. He promptly withdrew his attack, but it was already too late.

From his right arm came stabs of pain, and his heart chilled down to its depths.

Sky Hammer collapsed to the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood, and laughed madly. “Shen Qingqiu, I’ve taken you down with me, ha ha ha ha. Worth it! It was worth it!”

“Shizun!” Luo Binghe grabbed Shen Qingqiu’s right hand. “You’ve been pierced?!”

Shen Qingqiu wrenched his hand free. “Nothing’s wrong. I wasn’t pierced. Don’t listen to the ravings of a blowhard.” As he spoke, he glanced down, and his heart was once again blotted out by a frantic screen of fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck.

From the back of his hand to his forearm were rows and rows of tiny pinholes. They were already turning red.

Luckily, he didn’t have trypophobia. However, once Luo Binghe saw his arm, his face went completely white.

No one could hear the raging waves in Shen Qingqiu’s heart: Motherfucker, how many times has the male lead screwed you over?! You were already told that he won’t die! Remember?! He won’t die! Why did you go out of your way to rush to rescue him?! Fuuuuuuck!

Elder Sky Hammer had finally dragged someone down with him, and it was a heavyweight. “This elder has never spoken only to scare,” he said gleefully, no longer even a bit depressed. “If I say this poison has no cure, then it has no cure. Peak Lord Shen, sit back and await your death!”

A blade flashed. Luo Binghe pulled out Xiu Ya and held it to the demon’s throat, his movements so matchlessly agile that Shen Qingqiu nearly missed them.

It seemed suddenly as if Luo Binghe were another person. “Your people must have a cure,” he said coldly. “If you don’t hand over the antidote, I’ll definitely kill you first!”

“Young master, Elder Sky Hammer truly isn’t lying,” Sha Hualing interrupted. “This poison is called ‘Without a Cure.’ When it comes to humans, it indeed has no cure. The elder has lost his match and done something truly disgraceful—he knows only death awaits him. Why would he fear your threat?”

Without a Cure!

Never had less effort been put into naming a poison!

Even though Shen Qingqiu had read the original work and had long known about this rare poison, he couldn’t help lampshading and ranting at the pragmatism of “Great Master” Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky’s naming sense!

Sha Hualing’s eyes flashed. The sudden twist in circumstances had clearly inspired her to resume scheming something malicious. Shen Qingqiu nursed no illusions about her character.

He circulated his spiritual energy to suppress the continuous waves of pain and twitching in his right arm while his lips curved in a smile, purposely putting on a mask of effortlessness. “Your words aren’t wrong, but has Miss Sha forgotten that I’ve already cultivated for many years? Having achieved Mid Core Formation stage, can I still be considered a common person?”

Sha Hualing’s expression tightened. However, it quickly settled again, and she laughed delicately. “Whether you’re common or not, I don’t know. But I do know a method by which we can determine whether Senior Shen has been successfully poisoned. When a person is affected with Without a Cure, starting from their wound, their spiritual flow becomes disconnected. This schism slowly spreads to their entire body. In the end, not only does their spiritual qi coagulate and stagnate, so does their blood. I ask Senior Shen to unleash a spiritual blast with his right hand. Then we will understand.”

A spiritual blast, as the name implied, involved amassing a large amount of spiritual energy into a single point, then letting it violently explode, using the waves of the spiritual energy’s powerful oscillations as an attack. The effect was similar to pulling a trigger and firing a bullet or hurling a detonator. It seemed that in reality, the impact depended on the cultivation of the user.

Shen Qingqiu had attempted it privately himself and had been able to achieve an effect equivalent to throwing a grenade. But now his right arm was akin to an intricate robot’s whose parts had short-circuited.

He nevertheless exerted himself, but his spiritual flow had been completely cut off. Goddammit, he couldn’t have been crippled just like that, right?!

Upon hearing the description of Without a Cure, Luo Binghe’s lips trembled. In this moment, all the wrongs Shen Qingqiu had committed against him in the past were wiped clean from his heart. The only thing he knew with absolute clarity was that the demons had harmed his teacher to the point that he might be crippled—he might even lose his life.

And all because of him.

Shen Qingqiu saw Luo Binghe’s expression fluctuate, and he nonchalantly patted his student’s head. “No need to worry.”

Then Shen Qingqiu lifted his eyes, smiling slyly. “There’s no harm in trying. Only I can’t do this without some recompense. Miss Sha, today you ran amok on Qiong Ding Peak, and this one has put up with it thus far. Now I’ve changed my mind: I can’t let you come and go as you please. If I do, won’t Cang Qiong Mountain Sect be a laughingstock? How about we exchange a single palm strike under a contract of life and death? No matter who is injured and how, we bear all the blame ourselves. Whatever the result, we must accept it completely. Well?”

He couldn’t show weakness now.

All of Qiong Ding Peak was depending on him, the only available member of the older generation, to support them. Sha Hualing would be too merciless to pass up the opportunity if he fell. Best-case scenario, the demons would destroy Qiong Ding Hall, then carry its nameplate and mountain gates back to the Demon Realm, and thereafter their sect’s reputation would plummet. Worst-case scenario, it would be a massacre.

He had no doubts that this woman was entirely capable of doing something like that. Better by far to take a desperate risk and make this one last gamble. He could totally take her out too!

Shen Qingqiu hadn’t noticed that, unconsciously, he no longer considered the disciples around him—whether they were anxious, resolute, furious, or indecisive—to be mob characters the novel had described in a scant number of words.

Sha Hualing bit at her lip, incredibly torn.

If Shen Qingqiu hadn’t really been poisoned, this exchange of blows would directly pit their spiritual strengths against each other, and she would definitely be killed. But if he was only bluffing, and she missed this chance to wipe out Qiong Ding Peak, wouldn’t she regret it for the rest of her life?

Shen Qingqiu calmly regarded her. His expression was neither that of anticipation nor avoidance as he awaited her decision.

Luo Binghe tugged on his sleeve. “Shizun, this disciple is willing to take Shizun’s place and receive this strike.”

Shen Qingqiu yanked his sleeve back, expression unchanging. “In what universe is it acceptable for a master to cower behind his own disciple?”

“Shizun was injured for this disciple’s sake…”

Shen Qingqiu glared at him. “Since you know it was for your sake, then put some effort into protecting your life.”

Luo Binghe’s heart suffered a heavy blow. He was unable to speak, but the rims of his eyes reddened.

At last, Sha Hualing gritted her teeth. “Then, Senior Shen, please forgive Ling-er’s rudeness!”

“Come, come, show no mercy and let fate decide who lives or dies!” Shen Qingqiu replied.

Sha Hualing’s heart thundered in her chest, and she didn’t dare respond. Her fire-red figure rose with a leap and she charged forth, her snow-white, jade-like palm billowing with potent, black demonic qi.

Shen Qingqiu kicked Luo Binghe aside, having made his preparations. With this one strike, he’d ensure there were no winners.

However, he was not sent flying by Sha Hualing’s palm strike, nor did he cough up fresh blood as his body self-destructed and killed him.

Roiling with killing intent, the master of Bai Zhan Peak, whose sword had already left its sheath, without even lifting a single finger and using only the spiritual energy bursting forth from his body, blasted away Sha Hualing even as she was attacking with her full strength.

After a short silence, Qiong Ding Peak boiled over.

“Liu-shishu!”

“Liu-shishu left seclusion!”

“The Bai Zhan Peak War God has left seclusion! You demons, let’s see if you can still be arrogant now!”

The cheers were greater than the total amount of badass poser points Shen Qingqiu had painstakingly farmed up until now.

A rain of tears showered down on Shen Qingqiu’s heart: You damn show-off! Would it kill you to arrive sooner?! How about you leave some Badass Points for me?!

Next, this world proved itself to be truly that of a fanservice-packed stallion novel. After Sha Hualing was blasted away, she let out a single delicate scream, and the gauzy red cloth draped over her body—that had barely covered anything in the first place—also tore to shreds, eliciting a series of alarmed cries from the onlookers. She cushioned her landing with a beautifully executed roll, propelling herself to standing in a single movement. Demons were indeed bold and unrestrained; even though her entire body was censored out, Sha Hualing wasn’t ashamed in the slightest. She spitefully tore off the cloak of a subordinate beside her, carelessly throwing it over herself.

“I underestimated you today,” she said. “But we will definitely meet again in the future! Let’s go!”

Liu Qingge sneered. “Coming and going as you please. How shameless! Dream on!”

His posture shifted, and his sword Cheng Luan soared into the sky, summoning sword glares by the hundreds and thousands, which arranged themselves into a glowing array before stabbing downward, descending like rain and hail on the demon horde.

Sha Hualing led her troops and fled while summoning a bolt of red gauze over her head, which she threw upward. Unfortunately, it simply couldn’t block the fierce rain of sword glares. The red gauze was quickly pierced full of holes. On top of that, Cang Qiong Mountain Sect’s disciples were hemming the demons in, so most of the horde suffered great injuries or were captured. Only the small heart of the group that had kept near Sha Hualing managed to escape down the mountain, thoroughly battered and humiliated.

After returning his sword to its sheath, Liu Qingge turned, stone-faced, to examine the condition of the wound on Shen Qingqiu’s arm. The Qing Jing Peak disciples also came to surround them. More than ten faces, all filled with the same anxious expression.

Shen Qingqiu sighed. “It was definitely the right decision to send Yingying to copy Xue Yi and pound on the wall of Ling Xi Caves, wailing until you came out.”4

“Who’s Xue Yi?” asked Liu Qingge.

“World’s greatest beauty,” said Shen Qingqiu. “How am I?”

Liu Qingge humphed. “You won’t die for now.”

Though he said this, he didn’t stop sending spiritual energy into Shen Qingqiu’s body through his left hand, and his expression became increasingly grave.

Shen Qingqiu looked at his hand, and Liu Qingge emphatically clarified, “I’m repaying my debt from the Ling Xi Caves!”

So damn tsundere!

His plan to recruit Liu Qingge as a teammate had promise! But the meridians of Shen Qingqiu’s entire body subsequently underwent a series of convulsions, and he was unable to smile.

“Liu-shishu, does the poison ‘Without a Cure’ truly have no cure?” Luo Binghe asked.

Liu Qingge glanced at him, but before he could answer, Shen Qingqiu’s knees wobbled, and he almost fell into a kneel.

Luckily, Luo Binghe had been supporting him the entire time. But Shen Qingqiu really couldn’t stand anymore. He waved his hand. “Let me lie down…let me lie down for a while.”

Luo Binghe had never seen Shen Qingqiu so weak. He knelt beside Shen Qingqiu with bloodshot eyes, choking on sobs. “Shizun…”

With great difficulty, Shen Qingqiu lifted an arm and patted Bing-ge’s head like he’d always wanted to. The mouthful of fresh blood he’d been holding back finally spilled falteringly forth.

Even if it was going to be like this, he persisted and tenaciously offered a crucial line to farm more favor. “I knew that…you’d definitely win.”

Upon hearing this, a tremor traveled through Luo Binghe’s entire body.

Thinking about it afterward, Shen Qingqiu concluded that if he’d been looking at this from an omniscient reader’s point of view, he’d have had an outburst, smashing the book down and cursing: The fuck is with this character, huh? Hurting him one moment and saving him the next! He’s messed up in the head! Multiple personalities! Nutjob!

At this time, the System sent a notification.

【 Shen Qingqiu’s character complexity rating +20, character depth rating +20, character suspense rating +10, total B-Points +50. 】

Shen Qingqiu was horrified. This was how character depth was calculated?

Also, please don’t randomly create strange point types, thank you!

His vision going dark, Shen Qingqiu lifted his head, and he thought he saw Luo Binghe’s tears falling from his eyes like pearls.

He had to be mistaken.

That was his last thought before he lost consciousness.