Two Fallen Cultivators—and a Vow Made in the Dark

A few days earlier, when Chu Jiao opened her eyes, she found herself lying on an ordinary bed.

She then discovered her own strange transformation, and also noticed the ring on her neck.

She knew her cultivation was completely lost.

At that moment, Li Wangyan walked in from outside.

“Li Wangyan, what exactly is going on?”

Li Wangyan explained the whole situation.

“You’re saying you were able to restore your cultivation because you possess an immortal artifact called the Mystic Maiden Mirror… that’s also how Master was saved before… You originally planned to meet me after the Great Demonic Extermination Campaign, but saw me leave, so you followed?”

“Exactly so.”

Li Wangyan spoke his “truth,” righteous and confident.

“I never imagined you would actually fight that old fiend Greenbeard to the death alone! Second Senior Brother, since when have you been such a person?”

“That old fiend has no hope of reaching Nascent Soul; he’ll die in despair sooner or later. Why would you risk your life against a dead man walking?”

Chu Jiao didn’t quite believe Li Wangyan’s words at first.

But…

After interacting for a while, she felt Li Wangyan might not be lying to her.

“About that incident back then…”

“Master has already investigated. It might be related to someone from Tianfa Peak. The Prison Law True Master might be a spy for the demonic sect… Master was secretly keeping an eye on the Prison Law True Master at that time, which is why he wasn’t on the flying boat.”

Seeing that Chu Jiao was finally willing to talk properly, Li Wangyan said, “Back then, I did indeed cooperate with the demonic sect. I won’t lie to you about that. But Second Senior Brother, I still have to say, at that time, I had no other choice. To bring the many disciples back, I could only do so. The Righteous Path Seven… it sounds impressive!”

Regarding his explanation, Chu Jiao couldn’t fully accept it, but she also couldn’t refute Li Wangyan at the moment.

After all, it was a fact that Li Wangyan had suddenly appeared and saved her.

“How long will it take for your injuries to recover?”

“I forcefully borrowed power at the late Golden Core stage; my meridians are completely severed… Although the Mystic Maiden Mirror can slowly restore my meridians, I need to be able to complete at least one full great Zhou Tian cycle before I can officially recover my cultivation. That will probably take at least two or three months.”

Of course, he was lying.

His injuries were indeed real, and his severed meridians were also real, but his dantian was fine.

After all, this was a controlled situation; he had the “Profound Light Sweet Dew” given by Jade Lotus.

This item could only be refined by Nascent Soul stage cultivators, and not Sword Cultivators like their Master either. It had to be concocted by a late Nascent Soul cultivator with many skills, like the Sect Leader, who could gather the essence of heaven, earth, sun, and moon. Taking it would allow him to recover.

“I… if I don’t take this ring off, I probably won’t regain my cultivation either.”

“But, Second Senior Brother, it’s alright. In this mortal nation, although we can’t use our cultivation, just our physical bodies alone are at least comparable to Qi Refining stage cultivators at the fifth or sixth layer. We won’t live in destitution. I, your junior brother, have also wandered in mortal nations before.”

“We just need to recuperate for a few months, then find a way to leave. The only problem is…”

Chu Jiao’s expression turned grave.

“If the Greenbeard Fiend isn’t dead, he will definitely try to find us and take the Mystic Maiden Mirror from you. As long as he isn’t dead, he absolutely won’t let this opportunity go.”

“Right, Senior Brother. That’s exactly it.” Li Wangyan’s expression also turned serious.

“If that Greenbeard Fiend is dead, then there’s nothing to worry about. But if he isn’t dead… he’s also desperately trying to recover his cultivation and find our traces…”

“It’s been seven days since we fell from the sky, and there’s still no news of the Greenbeard Fiend. I suspect he isn’t dead. He’s also hiding. This city has a population of a million. Once the Greenbeard Fiend catches his breath… then we… no, not just us, perhaps everyone in this city will die.”

The scene from that day surfaced in Chu Jiao’s mind.

That day when dark clouds pressed down upon the city, and the entire place turned into a wasteland.

“No…” Cold sweat broke out on her temples. “We cannot allow something like that to happen. We, we have to…”

Her hands were trembling. “We have to find him and kill him before the Greenbeard Fiend recovers!”

“Senior Sister truly lives up to being a righteous path leader.”

Chu Jiao sensed something off in Li Wangyan’s tone. “You… you don’t want to help me?”

“Kill him? The two of us have no magical power. How do we find the Greenbeard Fiend in a place with a million people? If you ask me, it’s better for us to flee from this city now while we can. Just pick a random direction; it’s unlikely we’d run into the Greenbeard Fiend by chance.”

“As long as we get some distance away, then we can hide. The immortal artifact conceals its own aura… even if the Greenbeard Fiend recovers his cultivation, he might not be able to find us. Once we recover our cultivation and return to the sect, we can discuss the matter of subjugating the Greenbeard Fiend then. After all, he’s just a Perfected Golden Core…”

Li Wangyan spoke very rationally.

“It wouldn’t be too late to come back and kill him after you, Senior Brother, and I break through to the Nascent Soul stage.”

“No!”

Chu Jiao instinctively objected.

Li Wangyan looked at her, puzzled. “Why?”

Chu Jiao didn’t speak.

“Ultimately, I just don’t understand why Senior Brother wanted to fight the Greenbeard Fiend to the death in the first place? Clearly, the sect’s mission is more important. The Life-Severing Sect is a den of demons—even if weighed on a scale, which is heavier, I thought there was no need to deliberate. It’s obvious at a glance. Why did Senior Brother act like this?”

Chu Jiao felt she should tell Li Wangyan about the past events, but for some reason—she couldn’t get the words out.

She could only remain silent.

She found it ridiculous. Why couldn’t she say it?

“If you’re unwilling, then I’ll go look for him myself—you go on your way. If I win, I’ll return to the sect. If I die and don’t return, you can report to Master.”

Li Wangyan looked completely bewildered.

“Senior Brother, stop fooling around.”

“I’m not fooling around with you!”

Chu Jiao seemed angered by his words, like a kitten hissing.

“Do you think I’m stupid?! Do you think I’m laughable? If that’s what you think! Then why did you save me in the first place?”

Li Wangyan stood up.

“You’re not calm enough. I’ll go out for now and come back later.”

He left the courtyard.

Chu Jiao sat there alone, looking at the food Li Wangyan had brought back.

She grabbed a chicken leg, about to throw it on the ground, but in the end…

Tears streaming down her face, she ate it all.

She remembered the past.

When she had run away from home and decided with her Mo Ling to start a life together, it seemed they were also in a remote courtyard like this—the two of them had ordered a lot of food at a restaurant but found it unexpectedly expensive, so they packed it all up and brought it back. They realized their financial straits compared to their past life of wealth and comfort.

But both were very happy. They discussed their future life and plans together in the courtyard.

“Sniff… Mo Ling…”

At night, Li Wangyan returned.

An oil lamp was lit in the guest room. Li Wangyan stepped over the threshold and entered.

“Aren’t you resting?”

“I’m truly sorry about what happened during the day.”

At this moment, Chu Jiao suddenly apologized to Li Wangyan.

The dim yellow light of the oil lamp fell on the young woman’s somewhat youthful face. Her expression looked very bitter, as if she were about to cry.

“Senior Brother…”

“I once had a lover. You should know; it’s not a secret. She died in a demonic sect attack. The one who acted back then was the Greenbeard Fiend.”

“Such a thing? If that’s the case, then Senior Brother’s eagerness for revenge is understandable.”

“No… I went after him, thinking that just maybe, her soul was still in his Ten Thousand Soul Banner… I thought Master had a Yin-Yang Rebirth Pill… but it seems now that was your Mystic Maiden Mirror, Junior Brother—if her soul entered your immortal artifact, could a physical body be reformed?”

“Yes.”

Li Wangyan gave a direct answer.

“But Senior Brother, what realm was your lover at?”

“Qi Refining, fifth layer.”

“It’s been twenty years, Senior Brother.”

Chu Jiao naturally understood what Li Wangyan meant—it had been twenty years. A soul of only the fifth layer of Qi Refining couldn’t possibly survive for twenty years within a Golden Core cultivator’s Ten Thousand Soul Banner. It had probably long since scattered and turned into resentful energy.

“But I… I still can’t help but hope…”

Li Wangyan sighed. He took out an iron token.

“What is this?”

“It seems to be called the Wind and Rain Pavilion. An intelligence organization in this mortal nation, claims to know everything… these mortals love to boast like that. But, you join them, complete tasks, earn contribution points, and can use those points to obtain information. If we want to find the Greenbeard Fiend, this is the only way I can think of.”

“Junior Brother, you…”

“I can’t just leave you alone, Senior Brother, can I? When I go back, am I supposed to tell Master, ‘I couldn’t do anything about Second Senior Brother seeking death, so I just came back by myself’? I could never say such a thing. Besides, that Greenbeard Fiend covets my Mystic Maiden Mirror. As long as that old thing isn’t dead, even if I return to the sect, my heart won’t be at ease. I can’t just never leave the sect before reaching the Nascent Soul stage, can I? That’s not realistic.”

After all, breaking through to Nascent Soul required going out to seek opportunities.

“So, after thinking it over, I still believe it’s better to eliminate the Greenbeard Fiend. And… you, Senior Brother, have your cultivation sealed by a treasure, while I have severed meridians… but our physical bodies are fine.”

“The Greenbeard Fiend’s body must have been severely injured. He also used the Blood Ignition Great Art. His condition is definitely worse than ours. Perhaps killing him is easier than we imagine.”

This was clearly Li Wangyan’s excuse.

Chu Jiao knew it. He said this because he couldn’t let go of her. Someone who would cooperate with the demonic sect when necessary probably didn’t really want to provoke someone like the Greenbeard Fiend.

Her little junior brother might not be a proper righteous path cultivator, but he wasn’t a demonic sect member either. He might not be perfect, but… he was a very gentle person.

In comparison—she, who constantly claimed to be a righteous person… had said such cruel words to him in the past…

She suddenly felt she wasn’t human.

‘Junior Brother, if you and I can survive this calamity and kill the Greenbeard Fiend, I, your senior brother, will come to ask for your forgiveness.’

She didn’t voice these words, only recited them silently in her heart.

Li Wangyan reached out and pinched out the oil lamp’s flame.

“Senior Brother, let’s rest. Tomorrow we officially start doing tasks. We’ll have to live as mortals for a while.”

“It’s alright. I’m good at it.”

“What a coincidence! So am I.”

In the pitch-black night, the two smiled at each other.