T/N: This chapter was translated by Elysian Pit. I DO NOT own the translation and all credit goes to the original translator. I’ve picked up this novel to continue from where the previous translator left. Thank you ❤️❤️
“It…” Qin Wanwan held her breath, “It died?”
Jian Xingzhi ignored her. He drew his sword and strode back to the Ant King. Poking the fallen Ant King on the ground with his sword a few times, he glanced up at Qin Wanwan, “It fainted.”
Qin Wanwan heard his words and spun around on the spot, rushing away, “Hurry up! Let’s go!”
“Come back here.”
Jian Xingzhi beckoned her, “Hurry up, cut off its antennae.”
“What did it do wrong?”
Qin Wanwan was baffled at his insistence, “It always stays in the forest before. If I cut off its antennae without knowing if it has done anything harmful, won’t it be cruel?”
At the thought of this, Qin Wanwan thought of herself. Just like her, she was well-behaved, staying in Jishan quietly as she ate and drank to her heart’s content, until Jian Xingzhi smashed the mountain gate and chopped her to this place with his sword. What did she do wrong? Wasn’t that just plain cruel?
Jian Xingzhi heard her objection plainly and mulled it over. He eventually expressed, “No matter what, you have to take its antennae.”
Fine, fine. You and your NPC’s persistence.
Qin Wanwan understood that reasoning with him is equal to reasoning with a rock. So she took a deep breath and returned back to the Ant King. Then she tied the Ant King with an Immortal-binding Rope, and turned to Jian Xingzhi, “Wake it up.”
Jian Xingzhi kicked it over, making the Ant King jolted up from its slumber, darting around in a panic.
“Who? What are you doing? What are you doing!”
Qin Wanwan didn’t say a word. She raised her hand and made a drawing motion. An array lit up under the Ant King and three thin lines of blood emerged on its body.
“You are carrying three evil debts on your back.”
Qin Wanwan sat cross-legged on the ground. The exhaustion from before made her particularly irritable and her tone was impatient, “I will give you a chance to explain it.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“Then, die.”
The two answered at the same time. Two coercive pressures pressed down the Ant King.
The Ant King was crushed to the ground in an instant.
“I will confess! I will confess it!”
As soon as the coercion appeared, the Ank King understood he had provoked the wrong people. He began to confess, like pouring beans into the bamboo tube*. He shuddered and started his confession, “I scared a young couple. The man pushed the woman to me as a distraction and ran away by himself. I didn’t hurt any of them and let them escape. But after the woman returned, the woman chose to marry another man. The man then prepared to ruin the wedding and snatch the bride, but halfway, he fell into a river and died.”
[T/N: 竹筒倒豆子 – zhútǒng dǎo dòuzi. Straight. Idiom for being frank and unreserved.]
“I scared a child. The child peed at the entrance of my cave. As a result of my prank, the child lost a hun* soul. I heard that the child becomes stupid because of it.”
[T/N: In Daoism, a human’s soul consists of 3 hun (三魂) and 7 po (七魄). Hun is the Ethereal (Heavenly/Spiritual) Soul, while Po is the Corporeal (Worldly/Earth) Soul. Hun is responsible for all formless consciousness, like the mind, aura, and spirit, while Po is responsible for all tangible consciousness, like the seven apertures (two eyes, two ears, two nose holes, and mouth). Hence, losing/missing a hun soul can turn someone stupid, crazy, or sickly.]
“I also scared an old scholar. The old scholar was studying at my cave’s entrance. He not only studied there but also brought his students. I couldn’t bear it so I scared him… He also lost a hun soul. Now he is back in his homeland and tells people that there are huge ants everywhere…”
The Ant King wept bitterly, “Great Daoist Master, I was wrong. I repent. I will never scare people again.”
“You didn’t kill anyone?”
Qin Wanwan was dubious. The Ant King shook his head fast, “No, I just made my debut,” and he said with a flattering smile, “I was about to kill people, but righteous Great Daoist Masters arrived in time and stopped me from committing such a wrong.”
Qin Wanwan wasn’t flattered at all. Jian Xingzhi also unsheathed the sword in his hand and said calmly, “However, that’s also sin on its own. So, let me deliver your punishment.”
“Wait, hold up!”
The Ant King shouted in panic at the sight of his sword, “Take me with you!”
The movement of Jian Xingzhi paused at the sudden request. The Ant King raised its front-row feet and put them on its two sharp antennae, “Since the two Great Daoist Masters took an interest with my antennae, you might as well take me away with you. I am ready to be your chicken and dog*, your spirit beast, your most loyal servant! You two don’t know but,” the Ant King cried out. “It took me a lot of spirit stones to transform my antennae. It’s really not an easy feat for me.”
[T/N: Willing to be/do anything. Be your servant.]
Jian Xingzhi was not moved. He looked at Qin Wanwan, waiting for her decision. The Ant King quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Qin Wanwan, “Great Daoist Master, I can fight, cook, sing, dance, and make you happy! I can also warm the quilt! Please take me away!”
“Warm whose quilt?”
Jian Xingzhi glared at him, “Don’t instill her with these ideas.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the Ant King kowtowed to Jian Xingzhi. “The task of warming the quilt is yours. This little one dares not rob the task.”
Jian Xingzhi expressionlessly lifted his sword again. Qin Wanwan sighed, supported her forehead with her hand and said in a dismissive manner, “Forget it, just take it away.”
She painted a seal on her hand and it on the Ant King’s head. After sealing the spirit beast contract on the Ant King’s head, she waved her hand and the Immortal-binding Rope vanished. The Ant King kowtowed again on the ground in human form. Qin Wanwan looked at him, “What’s your name?”
“This little one’s name is Nan Feng.”
“You go return the missing souls. If you have done it, go to Xunxian Town and find me in Yuelai Inn.”
“Yes.”
Nan Feng replied and shortly disappeared in place. Qin Wanwan inclined her head and glanced at Jian Xingzhi with a hard-to-swallow expression, “Let’s go back?”
“You can go back, I have something else to do.”
Jian Xingzhi turned and went into the woods. Qin Wanwan plastered a worried look on her face, “Will you be alright alone?”
“Just take care of yourself.”
Jian Xingzhi waved and walked away. When Qin Wanwan saw him leave her sight, she pumped her fist and ran out merrily, enthusiastically conveying to 38, “I have my Qiankun bag in my hand. This time I will run far away! He will be a civil servant and I will return to the Immortal Realm! We will have nothing to do with each other from then on!”
Qin Wanwan could already foresee her joyous and leisure life after her ascension. After thinking for a moment, she thought of her Qiankun bag and decided to check if Jian Zhiyan had spent her money indiscriminately.
Just as she held the Qiankun bag in her hand, she sensed the weight was wrong. When she shook it, only a note flew out of the bag.
[I will keep the money for you. See you at the inn.]
Qin Wanwan froze like a statue.
Soon afterward, she collapsed and hollered, “Jian Zhiyan!! I will kill you!!!”
By this time, Qin Wanwan’s cries could not reach Jian Xingzhi’s ears.
He chopped a tree and made it into a plaque. Then he carved the words ‘Yuelai Inn’ with his sword and carried it back to the town on his shoulder.
Qin Wanwan calmed down after a short period of madness.
She must wrap this matter up quickly. Tomorrow, whether Jian Xingzhi wants to or not, she must send him away!
Pondering on how to do so, Qin Wanwan returned to the town in a fierce manner.
The two people entered the town together from two different gates, one through the East and other through the West. Both of them collided* at the entrance of the inn.
[T/N: 狭路相逢 – xiá lù xiāng féng. Meet on a narrow road. From a saying that enemies are bound to meet head-on on a narrow road; One cannot avoid one’s enemies in this small world.]
Jian Xingzhi gripped a sword in one hand and a plaque in the other, looking at Qin Wanwan stoically.
Qin Wanwan had a scabbard hanging on her waist. She straightened her back and glared fiercely at Jian Xingzhi.
The two were like experts that were ready to compete against each other.
“Zhang San is back!”
Someone shouted, and the innkeeper rushed out aggressively, “You dare to come back? I……”
The innkeeper just opened his mouth when Jian Xingzhi flung the plaque he was carrying to the empty door of the store. Under everyone’s surprised eyes, it landed securely in place. The Sword Intent flowed freely from between the lines, which made The Sword Cultivators in the scene kneeling down in place one by one.
“I want to buy you a drink tonight.” Qin Wanwan raised her chin, “Dare you drink it?”
Tonight, she would get him drunk, then stuff him in the carriage tomorrow and part their ways.
Jian Xingzhi smiled at her words, “There is nothing in this world that I dare not do. ”
Tonight, he would get her drunk and make her say the sentence that she would ‘protect him until his ascension’, and complete his task.
The two hit it off immediately and reconciled on the spot. Qin Wanwan stepped forward and took his hand, “Oh, right Zhiyan, why did you only return now? I was so worried that I couldn’t stay still. So, tonight, let’s have a good drink, okay?”
“Let’s go inside first.”
Jian Xingzhi agreed, “We won’t rest until we get drunk tonight!”
As they spoke, they walked inside.
When Nan Feng came to the Inn, he saw Sword Cultivators kneeling at the door, with mouths full of praise.
“This kind of rich Sword Intent must be comparable to the one from Immortal Realm, I have never seen such a Sword Intent in my life before this!”
“I’m afraid that even the Sword Intent of the Tian Jian Sect’s founder is not comparable to this one…”
“Ah!”
A loud exclamation was suddenly heard from the crowd, “I have been enlightened! I have reached the Foundation Establishment!”
“Master!”
Someone simply kowtowed to the plaque and directly worshiped it as a teacher. “Please accept this disciple’s kowtow!”
Nan Feng looked up at the signboard hearing their sugarcoated words. A familiar Sword Intent breezed past his face.
He was very proud when he realized whose Sword Intent was it. His Master was truly powerful!
He took a deep breath of Jian Xingzhi’s Sword Intent. Then entered through the backyard of Yuelai Inn and located Qin Wanwan’s position. When he entered the designated room, he saw that Qin Wanwan was sitting at the table with a box in her hand.
“Master.”
Nan Feng asked with a cheerful smile, “Where is the other Master?”
“His surname is Jian and his full name is Jian Zhiyan. You can call him Great Daoist Master Jian in the future,” Qin Wanwan introduced to Nan Feng, “My surname is Qin and my full name is… Qin Wan. Then again, it’s meaningless to introduce these things.” Qin Wanwan looked out the window and sighed, “After tomorrow, we will not see each other again. Regardless, before that, you should remember that you must not disclose my strength to anyone, including Great Daoist Master Jian.”
Nan Feng nodded obediently, “Master, Nan Feng understands.”
“He went to fetch wine and snacks. We are going to have a good drink in the backyard tonight. Go help him.”
“Yes.”
“Bring more wine,” Qin Wanwan specifically instructed, “You have to make sure the amount can get him drunk.”
Nan Feng was taken aback. A rich imagination* flashed past his mind. He didn’t show anything on his face and nodded calmly. He then went downstairs to find Jian Xingzhi.
[T/N: 一辆豪华马车 – yī liàng háohuá mǎchē. Lit. A luxurious carriage. A reminder that car is slang for sexy stuff. So a luxurious car means… *cough* and QWW’s instruction really enriched the imagination.]
When Nan Feng arrived downstairs, Jian Xingzhi was arranging the wine in the yard. Nan Feng came over to help, “Great Daoist Master Jian, let me help with it!” ”
Jian Xingzhi glanced at Nan Feng and stopped his work. Nan Feng took a look at the wine jar on the ground and blinked, “Great Daoist Master, can you drink so much?”
“There are still some more preparations to be done, make sure it can get a person completely drunk.”
Jian Xingzhi nonchalantly replied, which made Nan Feng look up blankly at Jian Xingzhi, various fragrant works* he had seen materialized in his mind.
[T/N: 香艳作品 – xiāng yàn zuò pǐn. NSFW works.]
Jian Xingzhi didn’t notice his abnormality. He just focused on his own business, “There is one more thing you need to remember.”
“As the Great Daoist Master orders.”
“You must not disclose my strength to anyone,” Jian Xingzhi emphasized, “including your Master.”
Nan Feng: “….”
Nan Feng suddenly realized.
So it’s like this! It’s a two-way secret crush of big bosses who pretend to be weak chickens!
[Mini Theater]
Nan Feng: “I see, I understand. So it’s like that.”
南风 – Nan Feng means South Wind.
