“Master, I want to change my name,” the youth held the Suzaku knife, his expression cold and solemn, his tone without much fluctuation.
“Why do you suddenly want to change your name?” Yan Jinzhou first looked puzzled, then nodded in sudden understanding, “I see, you want a new beginning.”
“No,” Ning Chengfeng looked at her expressionlessly, his tone slightly exasperated, “Because you often shout my full name on the street. This month, I have already been chased and killed five times by the Chongzheng Alliance members.”
“…Oh, then change it,” Yan Jinzhou showed absolutely no sense of guilt.
“Please give me a name, Master,” Ning Chengfeng said.
“Let’s call you ‘Buwei’, Ning Buwei,” Yan Jinzhou pondered for a few seconds, then punched her fist, completely satisfied.
Ning Chengfeng was stunned for a moment, “Knowing something cannot be done, yet still doing it?” (TL: bu wei 不为=not do/act)
“Fool,” Yan Jinzhou smacked his head without good humor, “What I mean is, if you can’t do something, don’t do it. When fighting, if you can’t win, run away to save your life. Stop showing off!”
Ning Chengfeng: “…Oh.”
“Also, the matters of the Ning family are complex and deeply involved. Those people from sects and noble families are all cunning. You, a young kid, won’t be able to investigate clearly,” Yan Jinzhou stared at him directly.
Ning Chengfeng frowned, “But I’ve already discovered that the evil formation is related to the Ning family’s defensive grand formation. Someone must have tampered with it. If I follow the clues, I can definitely find the culprit.”
“Hmm,” Yan Jinzhou thought for a moment, looked at him appreciatively, and said coldly, “You investigated well. Now stop investigating. I still want to live, even if you don’t.”
Ning Chengfeng silently lowered his head, even his hair whorl expressing stubbornness and resistance.
Yan Jinzhou clicked her tongue, “If you want to continue investigating, then don’t acknowledge me as your master.”
Ning Chengfeng kept his head down and said nothing. Yan Jinzhou thought he had listened, but the next day, he was gone.
Yan Jinzhou was so angry that her eyes were blazing. She paced around the empty room with her hands on her hips, “Little bastard with a donkey temper! Fine! Do as you wish! I’m not sick enough to run around taking care of someone’s child!”
She ran to the Jiting Sect with a heart full of anger.
When Zen Master Mingsang saw her, he was visibly surprised. Yan Jinzhou’s mood instantly improved, “Monk, are you going out?”
Mingsang nodded, “I’m going to the mortal realm.”
“Perfect, I’ll go with you,” Yan Jinzhou didn’t treat herself as an outsider and followed closely behind him.
Mingsang said, “Are you in a bad mood?”
Yan Jinzhou found it strange, “Oh? How could you tell? You haven’t even looked at me properly since I came in.”
Mingsang was silent for a moment and said, “Did you have a conflict with Chengfeng?”
Yan Jinzhou was surprised, “How did you know—”
“The Chongzheng Alliance members are everywhere trying to kill you both,” Mingsang said. “I just didn’t expect Ning Xingyuan to eventually entrust Chengfeng to you.”
Yan Jinzhou snorted coldly, “That kid is just big trouble. Pampered by Ning Xingyuan into a young master who doesn’t know the hardships of the world. Not only is he aloof and arrogant, but he also has a temper as stubborn as a donkey. Who would want to take care of him? I’ve been taking care of him for a few months, and I could have become a monk like you.”
Mingsang glanced at her dense and casual hair, “…Not really.”
Yan Jinzhou grinned, “Can you tell I have fewer hairs?”
Mingsang uncomfortably shifted his gaze, “Chengfeng is alone traveling through seventeen states—”
“Those old guys’ target is the Linglong Bone. They won’t truly try to kill him before seeing the Linglong Bone. Besides, Chu Linyuan is still maneuvering in the Chongzheng Alliance…” Yan Jinzhou crossed her arms, “He needs to learn a lesson. Otherwise, he’ll die without even knowing how.”
“And it’s only ten to fifteen days. What trouble could he possibly cause?”
Mingsang wanted to say something more, but Yan Jinzhou directly interrupted, “If you try to persuade me again, I’ll go find Sang Yun and won’t accompany you to the mortal realm.”
Mingsang: “…………”
“Saying one thing but meaning another,” Yan Jinzhou teased with a smile. “Don’t worry, I have real business in the mortal realm and won’t stick to you.”
Mingsang looked up at her, “Where are you going in the mortal realm?”
“Secret,” Yan Jinzhou winked at him.
****
A desolate village, withered forest, a cold wind blew through, carrying a lingering bloody scent.
Yan Jinzhou walked alone on a quiet dirt path, accidentally stepping on a dry branch. The crisp cracking sound startled a large flock of cold ravens from the forest.
She stopped at the end of the path, facing a stone stele half a person high, covered in wild vines crisscrossing its surface. Withered yellow leaves swayed gently in the cold wind.
She raised her hand, pushing aside the dry branches and grass, wiping away the thick dust from the stone stele. The mottled surface revealed faded vermilion characters, with only a few blurry characters barely discernible.
Shuangjing County, Yuquan Village.
She stood before the stone stele for a long time, finally sighing, “So that’s how it is.”
As Yan Jinzhou was about to walk forward, a sudden sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air came from behind. She abruptly turned back—
****
The memory in the water mirror stopped abruptly.
The small pearl containing Yan Jinzhou’s memory turned to dust in front of Ning Buwei, but another pink pearl suddenly appeared. He held the pink pearl, but no water mirror appeared before him.
This memory pearl was not meant for him to see.
Yan Jinzhou’s scattered memories, at first glance seemingly without pattern, became obviously purposeful upon careful consideration. She was leaving clues for herself.
Ning Buwei put the new pearl into his storage ring. As his divine consciousness returned and he opened his eyes, he saw the familiar tomb passage.
The fierce blood lines that had been approaching dissipated with his opening of eyes, and the illusion formation showing Yan Jinzhou’s corpse also disappeared.
Although Ning Buwei felt like much time had passed, receiving the memory was actually an instant. The cultivators in the tomb passage hadn’t even fully reacted when the horrifying writhing blood lines vanished.
“The blood lines on our hands are still here! The battle formation hasn’t ended!” Someone who hadn’t fully caught their breath saw the deepening blood lines on their wrist, “Who is trying to put us to death!”
“Everyone, calm down,” Shen Xi said in a deep voice. “Zen Master Mingsang, do you have a way to resolve this predicament?”
Only now did the panicked cultivators suddenly remember there was a great master present. Zen Master Mingsang was ranked first on the Tianji Ranking, currently the top Fusion stage cultivator. Even the Wushi Sect Master Chu Linyuan was inferior to him, so he must be much stronger than them.
But when they looked at Zen Master Mingsang, they also saw Ning Fan standing opposite him. This unknown figure had become famous due to the fall of the Venerable Jinghe, who was already a Hinayana stage powerhouse. Zen Master Mingsang might not be his match. And in the far distance, the great demon Ning Buwei was eyeing them menacingly…
Mingsang lowered his eyes and shook his head, indicating he had no solution.
In an instant, the cultivators felt their path was almost hopeless, their prospects bleak.
****
Flying ship.
Ning Xiu sat on a small couch, biting a small wooden puppet, tilting his head to look at the unconscious Yang Lingzhu lying on the couch.
“Ah~da~” He curiously pointed at Yang Lingzhu’s right arm, which was missing half a sleeve, and looked up at Jiang Yizheng.
“This little sister is injured. Her small arm is gone,” Jiang Yizheng reached out and patted Ning Xiu’s little head. “It’s okay. She will get better.”
Ning Xiu looked down, seemingly half-understanding, and tugged at the right arm of his small wooden puppet.
The wooden puppet was a gift from Shang Nuanwei upon their first meeting, successfully replacing the little duck in Ning Xiu’s heart and becoming his favorite toy. He carried it everywhere, whether eating or sleeping.
The puppet was incredibly lifelike, with joints as flexible as a real person. Even the veins on the fingers were carved with meticulous detail. Jiang Yizheng had sewn a small outfit for it using Ning Xiu’s drool cloth, and from behind, it looked charmingly childlike.
However, except for Ning Xiu, nobody else particularly liked this puppet. Even Cui Yuanbai, who feared nothing in heaven or earth, had been startled by it in the middle of the night. The reason was simple: the puppet’s face was carved too realistically and sharply, looking quite eerie upon close examination.
Ning Xiu gnawed on the puppet’s forehead several times, covering its face with saliva. The little black dragon nearby rolled up with its yarn ball, indicating it wanted to play together.
Ning Xiu stretched out his small hand, shaking the yarn ball up and down, happily shouting to Little Black. “Ah da~”
Ball ball~
Little Black’s dragon whiskers swayed with his movement, opening its mouth to bite the yarn ball.
Ning Xiu grabbed the yarn ball and threw it forcefully, landing it on the dragon’s tail. Little Black circled around, bit the ball, and returned it to him. The two young ones played back and forth happily.
Jiang Yizheng watched them with great interest, then untangled the little dragon that had tied itself into a knot. Noticing the frowning Yang Lingzhu still asleep, she placed both of them on a blanket-covered surface, whispering, “You two play nicely here and don’t disturb the little sister’s rest.”
“Ya? Yi ah?” Ning Xiu pointed at her, then at Yang Lingzhu on the couch, “Ya~”
Sister? Also a sister?
So many sisters, just like brothers~
Seeing his small face serious yet bewildered, Jiang Yizheng couldn’t help pinching his chubby cheeks, laughing, “They’re all sisters. I’m the big sister, and she’s the little sister.”
Ning Xiu nodded his little head, seemingly half-understanding, and returned to gnawing his wooden puppet. Little Black tried to bite it but was pushed away by a small hand, “Da!”
I da!
Little Black protested, curling its tail with the yarn ball and angrily calling out.
I let you play with all my favorite toys, but you won’t even let me bite once!
“Yi ya~ Da! Ah~” Ning Xiu hugged the puppet tightly, refusing to let it be touched. He took out a jade maple leaf from his small silver lock.
This is only for me to bite~ Your teeth will damage him! This is what Mother made~ Here, you can bite this~
Little Black sniffed the maple leaf, whimpering disappointedly, curling itself into a ball and refusing to play with Ning Xiu.
I never want to play with you again!
Ning Xiu put away the leaf, looked at his beloved puppet, hugged it tighter, with tears welling in his eyes, “Ah~”
I also! Don’t want to play with you anymore!
As a contract beast, Big Yellow clearly heard the boring conversation between the human and dragon youngsters. He lazily wagged his tail and pretended to fall asleep.
Childish.
Feng Zizhang had just dragged Cui Yuanbai, who had tried unsuccessfully to leave the ship, back from the deck. He saw Ning Xiu and Little Black sitting back-to-back, each turning into a round, puffy ball. He immediately burst out laughing, “Hey, what’s happening?”
Jiang Yizheng propped her chin, watching with great interest, and smiled, “They’re fighting again. How adorable.”
Cui Yuanbai jumped down from Feng Zizhang’s shoulder, walked to Ning Xiu, squatted down, and patted his head seriously, “Xiao Shan, let’s eat roasted dragon meat. I heard it’s delicious.”
Ning Xiu looked at him with teary eyes, “Ah~”
Cannot eat Little Black~
Cui Yuanbai nodded seriously and told Feng Zizhang and Jiang Yizheng, “Xiao Shan says okay.”
Then he rolled up his sleeves, grabbing the little dragon’s head with one hand and transforming his other hand into a purple flame knife, ready to chop down. Feng Zizhang and Jiang Yizheng were shocked and rushed forward to try separating them. Ning Xiu, anxious, stood up hugging his wooden puppet but lost his balance and fell straight down. Big Yellow suddenly lunged and bit Ning Xiu’s small clothes, but because his mouth opened too wide, he also caught half of Ning Xiu’s head inside.
Just at that moment, Yang Lingzhu, who had been unconscious on the couch for a long time, slowly opened her eyes.
She looked at the group of people and animals before her. Her gaze, initially confused from just waking up, gradually transformed into pure terror.
Is this what hell after death looks like?
