It was many years ago when Xie Lian himself encountered a Venerable of Empty Words.
That time, he had just finished constructing a small hut by his own handiwork. He was just standing there admiring his new abode, when suddenly, a tiny little voice came from one of the corners:
"This dwelling of yours will collapse in two months!"
"So what did you do?" Shi Qingxuan asked.
"Nothing," Xie Lian replied. "I said, 'Two months? If it's still standing in seven days, then it'd be a real miracle'."
"..."
Hua Cheng's lips curved slightly, but immediately that smile faded away.
That Venerable of Empty Words hid in the shadows, waiting to suck Xie Lian's fear, frustration, insecurity, and other such negative emotions. However, it sucked nothing but empty air. Even when Xie Lian had finished cleaning up and fell asleep in his new house, it still hadn't managed to suck anything.
Although Xie Lian never saw its form, he could still sense that it was probably quite angry.
Not a few days later, lightning struck down, and the entire hut was scorched.
That Venerable of Empty Words was pleased. It was probably thinking that, scorched was no different than collapsed, so its curse was technically fulfilled; Xie Lian must be afraid now. Yet, that didn't happen. It still didn't manage to suck anything that could fill its stomach. Disgruntled, it thus followed after Xie Lian, and waited for the next joyous occasion to come.
Who knew that this wait turned into over half a year. In that half a year, Xie Lian had not one joyous occasion!
If this was anyone else, they would've given up already. However, creatures known as the Venerable of Empty Words had a unique trait, and that was obstinance. If they should spot prey, they would be relentless in their pursuit, and so it starved pathetically for half a year. Finally, an opportunity came to pass.
One day, Xie Lian managed to collect a large bundle of junk and made a small fortune. The Venerable of Empty Words was overjoyed. Having waited this long, it immediately used all the tricks it had. Stream after stream of curses erupted: after Xie Lian struck it rich he would waste
his fortune on drinks and gambling and then fall sick with long strings of debt, and so on. Xie Lian counted his money and listened with indulgent amusement. After, he still only tidied up and went to bed, and that Venerable of Empty Words still sucked nothing.
That night, Xie Lian's pile of junk caught on fire.
After the fire was put out, ashen-faced, Xie Lian sighed. He said to the Venerable of Empty Words, "What a shame. It's all burnt. Not a single scrap left. I hadn't even gotten to experience that lifetime of riches, or any of those other drunken dreams you spoke of. I think the things you say are quite interesting, so how about you tell me some more?"
This happened several times. Towards the end, Xie Lian would actually ask it before it even spoke, "do you have anything to say? Do you want to say something?", until that Venerable of Empty Words couldn't take it anymore and fled.
To Venerables of Empty Words, a God of Misfortune like Xie Lian was extremely unfavourable. Either he'd have no happy occasions and it'd wait for nothing, or he'd already gotten used to all the bad luck and suffered neither fear nor anxiety. His luck was so bad, it was outside the imagination of that Venerable of Empty Words, so Xie Lian felt nothing of its curses, and even treated them like well-wishes or daydreams.
In any case, after that, Xie Lian never ran into any Venerable of Empty Words again. He suspected that maybe after having fled, that Venerable of Empty Words went back to its people and rudely publicized how awful he was.
Listening up to this point, Shi Qingxuan didn't manage to hold it in, and snorted a laugh.
"Is it very funny?" Hua Cheng said quietly.
Shi Qingxuan knew it was inappropriate, too, and instantly schooled his expression. He apologized with a serious tone, "Sorry, Your Highness."
Xie Lian laughed. "Don't worry. I think it's pretty amusing, too."
He concluded, "The Venerable of Empty Words suck power from fear in people's hearts; with this power, it manipulates its predictions to come true, then makes a new prediction. The cycle continues until the person is thoroughly broken, and their heart destroyed. So, the more unsteady the heart, the worse it gets; the more one has, the more one fears loss."
After a pause, he suggested, "Did my Lord Wind Master receive a prayer of this sort from a worshipper who is asking you for help? You're the God of Wind, something like this isn't under your jurisdiction. If you received this prayer, you can very well pass it on to a martial god."
However, Shi Qingxuan replied, "It's not a worshipper who ran into it, it was me."
Now Xie Lian was even more bewildered. "You ran into one yourself? Venerables of Empty Words usually don't dare to mess with heavenly officials. Even if they messed with you, as an esteemed heavenly official, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Shi Qingxuan sighed. "If I had run into it after my ascension, then of course there would be nothing to worry about, but...it's a long story."
This was many hundreds of years ago. When the Wind and Water Masters were still mortals, they were born and raised in an affluent and prosperous merchant household.
Shi Qingxuan was the second son, and when he was born, the entire family rejoiced. They gave the second son the baby name¹ "Xuan", and they widely distributed porridge and such fare to feed the hungry, in order to build merits through acts of compassion. At the time, there was a fortune-teller who ate the porridge and saw the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. He asked for the birth details, and said this:
"Since I've taken a meal from your household, I will say this. This son of yours might have a good life, but it's hard to tell you the whole story. Just know, if you want to save him, he must be kept low-profile. Don't raise him to be the boisterous, flaunting kind; don't give him the chance to shine. Remember to build fortune in muffled quiet; this will ensure he lives a life of peace. Be sure to never host any feasts for him, or it will bring something bad."
Those were not pleasant words, and very much like something a Venerable of Empty Words would say. The Shi family was a merchant household, and all of the qualities he described were especially valuable to them. The fortune-teller was shooed away immediately, and his words were not taken seriously. A few days later, a feast was held in Shi Qingxuan's honour. The lanterns shone and the banners flew, drums roared and gongs sounded.
At the feast, the guests were at the height of hollering their congratulations, singing songs of praise to the second young master of the Shi family wrapped in swaddling clothes. But then, a singsong voice suddenly rang out from the ground:
"WRETCHED BEGINNING, WRETCHED END!"
That voice really did come from the floor, but it overtook the voices of everyone present. All became dumbfounded with shock.
The feast ended with apprehension thick in the air. That very night, the baby Shi Qingxuan became hot with fever, crying nonstop, even dry heaving at times. The heat refused to go down no matter what was done, and the entire family was terrified. The Shi family remembered that, not long ago, there was that fortune-teller who spoke strange words and was kicked out. They hastily searched all over and invited him back.
That fortune-teller said, "I told you to keep a low profile, but you wouldn't listen. Now that the child has caught the eye of the Reverend, his entire life will be filled with misfortune. This bout of fever is nothing, it will go away on its own. But this, it's nothing more than a greeting gift!"
Of course, he was talking about a Venerable of Empty Words. But this wasn't a typical Venerable of Empty Words that could be chased away so easily; it was one that was extremely old in years, one that was strongest in cultivation. How strong? Even without joyous occasions, it could still mourn. Thus, it was called the Reverend of Empty Words.
This Reverend was the very embodiment of the phrase, "the shop that can close for three years, but eats for three years once it opens." Its eyes were sharp and malicious; the prey it clung to were never any less than characters whose lives were destined for greatness, wavemakers and legends. Some managed to win against it, but they would still have to devote their entire lives to the battle, providing it with significant portions of food as they struggled. Some were defeated thoroughly, and became a source of its powers. Having hoarded power for close to a thousand years, its foundation was deep and thick. After having rested for over a hundred years, it was time to stretch its legs. When it opened its mouth to feed, it was eager to take a large bite.
Coincidentally, Shi Qingxuan had just been born, and was exactly to its taste. Thus, he was "reserved" by this Reverend. Although the tiny baby couldn't understand its predictions even if he heard them, there would come a day when he could understand, and there would come a day he would know fear. Once this fear was planted in the boy's childhood, it would burrow deep, unable to be uprooted.
Fortunately, monsters like these didn't have much in the way of brains, and the way they thought was bizarre, quite abnormal. Thus, the fortune-teller thought of a way to trick it: have the Shi family send Shi Qingxuan away and pretend he was given to another family, then change the appearance of the son to that of a female baby before bringing him back. Have the family claim that the female babe was a kept daughter, and have the whole Shi Family call the little young master "little lady", raise him as a girl. As long as the Reverend of Empty Words could not find the male baby it reserved, after time passed, it surely wouldn't be able to remember who it picked.
Thus, Shi Qingxuan matured to ten years of age in peace.
Within those ten years, the once-wealthy merchant household had gradually declined. The parents of the two masters passed away; internal conflicts raged in the family, fighting over inheritance. Shi Wudu was tired of it all, so the year he turned sixteen, he left home, bringing with him the little Shi Qingxuan, who was younger by many years.
The brothers depended on each other to survive. Shi Wudu was the first to enter the mountains to cultivate under a master, and settled his little brother in a town at the foot of the mountain. Every day he'd cultivate and train 'til late; not descending the mountains until deep into the night. There was nothing to eat in the mountains, and he could only eat at home. One evening, sparring with another, Shi Wudu lost track of time. Shi Qingxuan waited for a long time, and still his brother hadn't come home. Worried that Shi Wudu would be hungry, he decided to deliver the food up the mountain.
Shi Qingxuan was still a child at the time, and didn't know how to hike the mountain paths. The night was dark, and after having walked a long time with the food box, he suddenly needed to relieve himself. Anxiously, he pulled up his skirt at the side of the road.
Just then, a black shadow approached from the far end of the mountain road, asking, "Is it Xuan-er up ahead?"
Hearing someone call his baby name, Shi Qingxuan thought his brother had sent someone to come find him. He hurriedly dropped his skirt again, acknowledging the call.
"IT'S ME!"
That foreign voice asked again, "Is your birth such year such month such day such time?"
Shi Qingxuan was puzzled. First, why the sudden request for his birth information? And second, that person had it all correct. So he acknowledged again:
"That's right! How did you know? Who are you? Do you know my brother?"
That voice didn't answer, but in the end it said, "Come over here and let me see your face properly."
That was the tone of a command. At this point, Shi Qingxuan finally noticed something amiss.
He hugged that food box and dashed away. As he ran, he could hear whirls of wild winds behind him, laughing like crazy. That thing was chasing him, and was close behind!
It shouted, "YOU'RE GOING TO FALL RIGHT NOW!"
Shi Qingxuan was thoroughly horrified, and when it said "fall", he tripped and fell, breaking the food box. Rice spilled all over the ground. Just as that creature was about to pounce, Shi Wudu arrived.
Seeing someone had come, that Reverend of Empty Words disappeared out of sight. Shi Wudu hugged his little brother, whose face was covered in blood and rice from the fall; both of them shocked and terrified.
It still found him!
After having hidden for so many years, the Reverend of Empty Words finally had its first taste of sweetness. From then on, it would appear regularly, each time more mysterious than the last. The cultivation of that creature was too strong; the Shi family fortune was already depleted, and the cultivators that Shi Wudu managed to hire could do nothing to it. He hadn't the power to throw out a million merits to have his voice heard directly by the heavens. Although that creature never demanded Shi Qingxuan's life, still the two brothers knew that it was only biding its time; waiting to butcher only when the prey was fattened. Right now, it was only slapping his face gently, reminding him to fear it, but there would be one day when the slap would hurt. This was like a hunter who wouldn't kill its prey with just one arrow, it had to brush many against it; thoroughly terrifying the target, feeding off its terror.
This was nothing more than death by a thousand cuts².
Fortunately, a turning point finally came. After many years of aggressive training, Shi Wudu ascended.
The moment he ascended, he immediately brought Shi Qingxuan to the Middle Court, aggressively throwing rare treasures and divine riches all over him. A few years later, Shi Qingxuan also successfully ascended. That Reverend of Empty Words thus quieted and disappeared.
Shi Qingxuan naturally believed that it finally gave up and backed off, knowing when it'd been beat. Yet, it seemed he was too optimistic.
A few days ago, he invited a bunch of friends to drink. As he was inebriated, he suddenly heard a malicious voice in his ear:
"You will never be able to see your brother again!"
That voice was exceedingly familiar; between his tenth year and before his ascension, he would hear that voice at least once or twice every year. His fear of it was sunk deeply into his bones, and this was like an explosive had detonated next to his ear. Shi Qingxuan sobered up instantly. He rushed to Pei Ming's domain in terror, only relaxing when he personally saw Shi Wudu well and hanging out with Ling Wen and Pei Ming.
Afterward, he wondered if that voice was simply his own delusion. After all, that creature had planted a deep shadow in his heart when he was young. However, after some thought, he was still worried. So, he dragged Ming Yi over to find Xie Lian to ask for assistance. He hadn't expected to bump into Hua Cheng at Puqi Shrine; truly, the road is narrow for enemies.
After hearing the story, Xie Lian commented, "So, the one Lord Wind Master met and the one I met were on completely different levels."
After some thought, he turned to Hua Cheng.
"San Lang, have you ever seen that Reverend of Empty Words before?"
Hua Cheng was toying with a pair of chopsticks in his hand, and replied, "Hm? I've never seen it personally. But, I know someone who has."
Although Xie Lian was curious who this "someone he knows" was, he didn't ask after it. He only said, "Just how strong is its cultivation? Is it really that powerful?"
Hua Cheng tossed the chopsticks and replied lazily, "Very strong."
Hearing this, both Shi Qingxuan and Ming Yi's expressions grew solemn.
Hua Cheng added, "It's not like a regular little minion. It's definitely hard to deal with."
Although he said "hard to deal with", still his expression remained neutral, like he was only saying it out of courtesy. However, to receive such a comment from Hua Cheng, it was definitely something.
Xie Lian said, "Lord Wind Master, this problem doesn't seem like a trifling matter. Why not tell Lord Water Master?"
Shi Qingxuan waved his hand. "No, no. You have to know, my brother is about to undergo another heavenly calamity. If he should go fight that Reverend of Empty Words during this time, what if he loses focus? I have to keep this a secret, no one must know. I didn't tell a single official who has a good relationship with my brother."
A heavenly official didn't just go through a heavenly calamity once. The more calamities passed, the greater their divine state, the more unshakable their status, and the stronger their spiritual powers. Shi Wudu was a heavenly official who had passed two calamities already, and Xie Lian had heard in the leisurely chats in the spiritual communication array that he was waiting for the third one now. It definitely wouldn't be favourable, should he lose focus. After all, if one failed to pass a calamity, their divinity would be lost.
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Translator Notes:
¹Baby names are nicknames given before a formal name is decided
²The torture described in the original text is Ling Chi. It's a torture technique that appeared in the early tenth century, where the executioner would slice the flesh of the condemned with a small knife bit by bit until the person is dead