Oh sh**!
In a flash, Shen Qingqiu's brain seemed to heat up until it was boiling hot.
This was exactly like that part in the movies when the midnight bell starts tolling ominously!
He grabbed his folding fan, turned around, and nimbly escaped through the wooden window.
That gooseflesh-inducing disguise from earlier in the day was finally ripped off. Luo Binghe's true nature was exposed, and he's now come to settle accounts with Shen Qingqiu!
His escape was completely driven by his subconscious mind. Years of habit made him act gracefully and elegantly even though he was running away. After landing fluidly, he used the sole of his foot to spring up and his body flew off like a wild goose.
Like a cold wind, Luo BingHe's voice was clear and penetrating. His tone bore the semblance of a smile, transmitting directly to Shen Qingqui's ear as he said2 : "During the day Shizun converses with Gongyi Xiao tenderly and intimately. Then in the evening, he lights lamps and trims candles as he waits for Liu Shishu3 with sincere affection until very late into the night. But when this disciple appears, two people are so estranged?"
****! Every time you finish speaking a sentence, the distance between us is halved! This speed is unscientific!
Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath. He thought to himself that no matter what, he should first find a helping hand, so he used the energy from his Dantian to amplify his voice: "Liu Qingge!"
Luo Binghe's voice came again, but this time it was not so gentle. He said with a sneer in his voice: "Liu Shishu is busy fighting. I am afraid he is not at leisure to come. Shizun, if you have orders, why don't you tell me?"
I dare not accept your offer!
Shen Qingqiu knew that Liu Qingge had been dragged into a fight by Luo Binghe so he couldn't count on him. Thus, he poured his entire body's spiritual energy into his legs, expecting a burst of speed.
But he was so desperate that he had forgotten one thing: the poison in his body had just flared up!
It was too late for him to react. For a moment, all the blood in Shen Qingqiu's body seemed to stop flowing and his body suddenly sank down.
In the next moment, his throat was grabbed and his back slammed into a cold stone wall, making his spine hurt and his head swim.
Luo Binghe was very close.
Shen Qingqiu was slammed against the wall by one hand. The impact on the back of his head made him dizzy and it took a long time for him to regain his sight.
The moonlight shone down on him, making Luo Binghe's outline appear more and more like that of a jade ice sculpture, peerlessly beautiful.
He leaned very close and whispered softly, "Separated for many years, yet upon meeting each other under the golden evening wind and amongst the pure white early morning dew…4 Shizun only calls other people's names. This disciple is a little sad."
Though he said he was sad, his lips were curled up in a smile and the expression in his eyes was murderous. Anyone could see that his words were clearly a lie!
Shen Qingqiu felt as though his throat had been caught by an iron hoop. His throat was being choked and it was difficult to even breathe, let alone speak.
Contrary to what one might expect, with some effort, he could manage to form the finger sign to summon his sword, but because his spiritual power was stagnant due to the poison, it wouldn't be of any use. Even with the perfect finger sign, the Xiu Ya Sword wouldn't move.
Moreover, Luo Binghe's hand was gradually exerting more and more strength, slowly tightening.
Suddenly, Shen Qingqiu's field of vision lit up and a huge dialogue box popped up.
This dialogue box was completely different from before. It previously was like an XP system error message prompt box, but now some subtle changes made it look more luxurious… wait, one should focus on its contents! System Hint: [Do you wish to view the System's tips to address the minor problem you are facing at the moment?]
You call this a "minor problem"?!
Shen Qingqiu screamed inside his mind, "Do it! Is there an easy mode? Activate easy mode!"
System: [Permission requested to activate: Do you wish to enable key items to survive?]
Shen Qingqiu was already choked to the point where his eyes were turning green. "There are key items?! How many B Points do I need to buy some?!
System: [The item is already in your equipment storage. Do you wish to use the "Fake Jade Guanyin" to remove Luo Binghe's 100 anger points?]
****! That was the only thing Luo Binghe had left from his foster-mother: the fake jade Guanyin!
When he first arrived in this world, he got this life-saving key item and some advanced equipment. How could he have forgotten about it? He was currently begging for food while holding a golden rice bowl–System, you finally gave a reminder of this!
Shen Qingqiu: "Use it!" His Adam's apple had almost been broken into two!
System: [Please Note: The key item can only be used once and can remove a maximum of 5000 of Luo Binghe's anger points.]
Shen Qingqiu managed to rein in the horse at the very edge of the precipice:5"Hold it—— !!!"
Luo Binghe only had 100 anger points right now? Are you kidding me?! If this is what he looks like at 100 anger points, then I can't even imagine what a beautiful sight he must be at 5000 anger points! The important point here is: to use an item that can wipe out 5000 anger points just to deal with 100 anger points, especially when it can't be used again… even though his life was at stake now, Shen Qingqiu still needed a little time to deal with his distress and confusion.
He wasn't going to die of suffocation, he was going to die of a crushed throat.
Just when Shen Qingqiu steeled himself to use the life-saving key item, the hand on his neck suddenly relaxed.
Running away was not possible, so the only thing he could do was to continue to act cool.6 Shen Qingqiu leaned against the wall and was barely able to stand. After a while, he fell to his knees with a plop.
Luo Binghe, who had almost choked him to death, only smiled and helped him up the same way he used to help him get out of a carriage or give him a snack. Dazed, Shen Qingqiu temporarily forgot to break free and felt that this solicitous behavior was extremely creepy.
Luo Binghe sighed. "Why did Shizun run away so quickly just now? This disciple almost couldn't catch up."
Couldn't catch up my foot! Who was the one so calm and unruffled in the midst of chaos? Who was the one playing a game of cat and mouse for a long time without even breaking a sweat?
Shen Qingqiu gasped for breath for a while. When he finally opened his mouth, his voice was a bit unsteady. "You've got a lot of guts to come back openly. Aren't you afraid of others discovering your true identity?"
Luo Binghe's eyes flashed as he said, "Is Shizun concerned or worried about this?"
Shen Qingqiu thought that these words were quite interesting. What was the difference between "concerned" and "worried"?
He couldn't help but ask, "Do you think that I won't tell other people?"
Luo Binghe looked at him and, in a tone as though he pitied Shen Qingqiu, said: "Shizun, your words would have to be trusted by them."
Shen Qingqiu's heart started thumping wildly.
Does that mean he intended to ruin Shen Qingqiu's reputation just like he did with the original, then slowly, step by step, force him down the road to his own destruction, killing him slowly and painfully?
The original Shen Qingqiu had two major scum points: 1 – trying to get involved with many girls and women; 2 – killing many cultivators from the same sect as well as cultivators from other sects.
However, when he took control of this body, he absolutely did not inherit the original's hobbies and ambitions. Could Luo Binghe still ruin his reputation and social status?
System: [Friendly Answer: Of course.]
Shen Qingqiu: "Shut up, OK? You don't have to remind me of this fact. Thank you."
System: [You're welcome. This answer did not cost any B Points.]
Shen Qingqiu immediately x-ed out of the pop-up dialogue box.
He rubbed his throat and stood for a moment. Unexpectedly, he found that Luo Binghe was simply staring at him intently with no intention to continue.
Still looking?
It's been a few years since we parted, are you trying to make up for it?
System: [Protagonist Cool Points +50]
Shen Qingqiu: "You've been upgraded. How can you omit the reason for the points? Don't say that I got some points. I didn't do anything but the cool points increased? And can you not show up for a while?"
After a long time, Shen Qingqiu said, "Now that you're back, what exactly do you intend to do?"
Luo Binghe said, "I missed the way Shizun treated me so well. I've returned to see him."
Shen Qingqiu immediately understood that he had come back to settle some old scores.
He'd asked one question of Luo Binghe and received one answer; their interaction was actually quite harmonious. Shen Qingqiu gradually became more courageous. Not batting an eyelid, he moved his fingers to the top of his sword hilt and said, "Just to kill me? What about the plague in Jinlan city? It can't be that all the residents of this city have all 'treated you well.'"
Who would have thought that the moment he finished speaking, it seemed as though he had hit a nerve?7 In an instant, Luo Binghe's eyes turned cold, as though they were two stars that had fallen from the sky and froze. The faint smile on his face disappeared without a trace.
Luo Binghe sneered. "Shizun really abhors the demon race." There was a trace of intense, suppressed anger in his tone.
Nothing of the sort, actually.
Luo Binghe gnashed his teeth. "No. It would be more correct to say that he abhors me."
You see, you do understand… What, what, what? Shen Qingqiu was unable to speak in his own defense: I never said that!
Luo Binghe suddenly stepped closer to him; Shen Qingqiu stepped back in response. Right behind him was the wall, leaving him no way to retreat further.
Sparks seemed to fly when their eyes met.8 Luo Binghe seemed to realize that he was acting too anxious and closed his eyes. It was a while before he opened them again.
"Does Shizun really think that because of half of my bloodline… sooner or later I will be doing such things as murder, arson, massacring everyone in a captured city, and destroying countries?
Shen Qingqiu could only remain silent.
If he had a physical copy of <> in his hand, he would have slapped his face with the book a long time ago.
Where there's smoke, there's fire!9 There were twenty million characters that could be used as evidence. Not only did he commit murder, arson, massacre everyone in a captured city, and destroy countries—it was impossible to exaggerate Luo Binghe's misdeeds.
When Luo Binghe saw that Shen Qinqiu remained silent and his eyelashes swept down to veil his eyes, he took it as agreement. He sneered. "In that case, why did you say that I shouldn't care about someone's race? Why did you say such pompous words as 'There is no one on this world who is intolerable by both heaven and earth'?
Suddenly, the expression on his face turned gloomy. Scowling angrily, he shouted, "You're such a hypocrite!"
Shen Qingqiu had already been on the alert for some time, so he was quick to retreat and narrowly avoided the danger. He looked back to see that the wall he had just been leaning on had been smashed into pieces by Luo Binghe's strike.
Although he had known that Luo Binghe's temperament would change when he returned from the abyss, he hadn't expected that it would change this much. Saying that he had become extremely moody would be an understatement.
It was one thing to know the outcome based on his knowledge of the book, but it was another thing entirely to see this change in a once-familiar person—especially since this was the result of his own actions.
Luo Binghe didn't seem to truly want to hit him. After that sudden outburst, he appeared to have let off some steam. He turned his head and moved to grab him, but Shen Qingqiu suddenly pulled out Xiu Ya.
He hadn't manually unsheathed his sword for a long time. In the past, he preferred to use his spiritual energy to summon it, but now he had no spiritual energy and could only operate it manually. There was nothing he could do, he couldn't let himself get caught. At least at this time, he couldn't sit idly by.
He'd made a huge mistake. He had thought that Luo Binghe would have to cultivate for five years before climbing out of the abyss. Who would have imagined that his (protagonist's cheat) talent was so amazing and growing ever better every day?10 Luo Binghe actually finished his task in half the time! Shen Qingqiu's life-saving trump card, the Sun and Moon Dew Flower Seed, was not yet ready.
Seeing the current situation, Luo Binghe slowly raised his hand to reveal the swirling purple and red demonic energy in the palm of his hand. He said slowly, "Shizun, guess: if I caught Xiu Ya, how long would it take for the sword to be corroded until its spiritual power is exhausted?"
No need to guess, I bet 50 cents it will only take one try for Luo Binghe to break Xiu Yao! Shen Qingqiu felt even more miserable in his heart.
Luo Binghe stepped closer; Shen Qingqiu had no choice but to use his sword.
He had already mentally prepared himself for Xiu Ya to turn into scrap metal, but to his shock, Luo Binghe seemed to suddenly realize something. He froze for a moment and suddenly removed the demonic energy from his palm, directly intercepting the edge of the sword with his hand.
Shen Qingqiu didn't think the sword would actually pierce him. This was already the second time! As Shen Qingqiu stared blankly in shock, Luo Binghe chopped down on Shen Qingqiu's wrist. The pain made Shen Qingqiu's grip loosen. The sword fell to the ground and was kicked away by Luo Binghe.
Luo Binghe held Shen Qingqiu's wrist tightly in one hand. Fresh blood flowed down from his palm, soaking Shen Qingqiu's sleeve. The blood kept on flowing down continuously, filling his heart with panic. In the midst of this confusing situation, Luo Binghe turned his hand over: "You've been infected?"
Shen Qingqiu's wrist had a few more scattered little red spots compared to earlier in the day.
Luo Binghe's long slender fingers swept over the red spots. Under his fingertips, the spots began to fade away like ink being washed away by water.
Sure enough, for Luo Binghe, this little thing was not a threat at all.
The expression on Luo Binghe's face relaxed a bit. He said, "This hand of Shizun's is really plagued with misfortune."
The two of them unexpectedly had the same thought. Sheng Qingqiu looked at his now smooth and clean hand, confused by the way Luo Binghe's mind worked. Perhaps the current situation had reminded him of friendlier times when this hand had blocked those poisoned barbs for him and brought up some old feelings of affection?
He was still speculating about this when, suddenly, he was punched in the stomach.
Luo Binghe smiled and said, "What's done is done. Shizun must reap what he has sown. Shizun must properly compensate me for the wound that he made."
Shen Qingqiu still thought he was using symbolic metaphors to express the trauma from that wound back in the day when he felt a pain in his scalp. His head was pulled back and Luo Binghe put his hand on Shen Qingqiu's lips, pouring blood into his mouth.
Shen Qingqiu's eyes suddenly opened wide in shock.
He realized that the "wound" that Luo Binghe was referring to was the wound on his hand that Shen Qingqiu had just made with Xiu Ya!
****! He absolutely mustn't drink, mustn't drink, definitely mustn't drink this stuff!
He suddenly swatted that hand away, bent his head over, and vomited out a few mouthfuls of fresh blood. However, Luo Binghe forcefully picked him up from the ground and continued to feed him his blood.
Luo Binghe tore the wound in his hand wider, making even more hot blood flow out. This actually seemed to raise his spirits. "Shizun, don't spit it out. The blood of Heavenly Demons is dirty but it won't necessarily kill you if you drink it, right?"
It won't kill you, but death would be preferable!