Chapter 85: Jinsheng (8)

Zhou Jinsheng’s methods of killing were always treacherous and bizarre.

Back when He Tingtong was muddling along in the Wuqi Road, he had witnessed him dealing with traitors.

Yes, dealing with them—just like preparing a dish. Peeling away the soul and refining the body, turning a living person into a puppet that obeyed orders.

Yesterday, when examining the corpse of the President of the Silver Moon Ancient Assembly, he had sensed something wrong with its condition, a suspicion confirmed when he actually bumped into Zhou Jinsheng.

“This person is extremely tricky,” He Tingtong warned Fu Fengyan. “His mind is deep, he is sinister and cunning, and his thoughts are unlike those of ordinary people. You need to be a hundred and twenty percent alert when facing him.”

At this, Fu Fengyan sat up straight.

“But what on earth did he come to Jialing City for?” He Tingtong pressed his forehead, deep in thought.

When Yuan Xiaoqing was moving and fleeing, he had told him that someone had placed an order with the Wuqi Road to assassinate him. He Tingtong felt that given his price—having been resold multiple times until only fifty spirit pearls remained—it shouldn’t be enough to invite the future Dao Master of the Wuqi Road to act personally.

This person absolutely had an ulterior motive for appearing in Jialing City, and appearing by Xu Jingzhen’s side was even more harboring unfathomable designs.

Jialing City would be wiped out on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Thinking with one’s toes, one would know this matter was absolutely inextricably linked to Zhou Jinsheng.

“He first killed the President of the Silver Moon Ancient Assembly, then went to provoke the master of the Mirage. His next step should be to deal with Xu Jingzhen.” He Tingtong frowned: “The Wuqi Road is the head of all evil paths in the world. If Zhou Jinsheng wants to climb up, he definitely needs to achieve some merits.”

And assassinating Xu Jingzhen, the Young Master of the Immortal Alliance, might just be the “merit” he was preparing.

However, even with his profound cultivation, facing so many experts all by himself, he would absolutely fall short.

“That ink paper said he would go take Uman’s life in three days,” Fu Fengyan reminded him. “But I observed that his body has already reached the end of its rope. If he faces the master of the Mirage head-on, he will die.”

“He won’t.” He Tingtong looked up at Fu Fengyan, his expression darkening. “He is staying with Lord Jingming. If Uman truly tracks him down, given Lord Jingming’s character, he will definitely be fiercely protective of his own.”

Xu Jingzhen would rather die himself than let him die.

At Qingyun Academy, a single bloody glance from Xiangli Lingze was enough for him to make an exception and recruit him into the Qingyang Hall, protecting him under his wing. For He Tingtong, an academy student he had only met a few times, a single word from Qin Tan to “look after” him was enough for him to actually step in and save his life.

And for an old acquaintance from his youth like Zhou Jinsheng, for whom he vaguely held subtle affections—unless the man was brimming with evil—Xu Jingzhen would absolutely protect him to the very end.

The Immortal Alliance had wanted to reclaim Jialing City for many years, but the people from the merchant guilds had been making trouble from within, which was why they had been delayed in succeeding. From Daoist Zhuji’s attitude, it was evident the two sides had been at odds for a long time. Xu Jingzhen’s refusal to reveal his tracks in Jialing City was also to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Zhou Jinsheng only needed to sell a flaw and let Xu Jingzhen confront Uman. At that time, the two sides would naturally start fighting.

Driving the tiger to devour the wolf, while sitting back and reaping the rewards.

Wait until both sides suffered heavy casualties, and then he would make his move. By then, naturally, no one in the city would be able to stop him.

But… if this was the case, how did Zhou Jinsheng die? Could it be that the plan was exposed, and then Xu Jingzhen, whose heart was just beginning to awaken to love, figured things out, severed his emotions and desires, achieved a great awakening and supreme mastery in the Dao of Ruthlessness, and slew him with a single sword strike?

But if he had achieved a great awakening, Xu Jingzhen’s path on the Dao should have been smooth and broad. Yet he committed suicide in the battle at the Biyun River.

He couldn’t figure it out.

He Tingtong furrowed his brows deeply.

Fu Fengyan also squatted beside him, shaking his head and sighing heavily: “Can’t figure it out.”

He Tingtong: “What can’t you figure out?”

Fu Fengyan looked at the sunlight that had already drifted to the tips of his toes, shrank back, and then pointed in the direction of the dilapidated little house, his gaze carrying a hint of confusion: “That person… that ghost, already has half a foot in the gates of hell, clinging to life with only half a breath. Any ordinary person would only be able to lie in bed, eking out a meager existence at this point. Yet he runs off to places where Yang energy is fierce and strong to commit murder and arson.”

“Those assassins from the Wuqi Road are really hard-working.”

He Tingtong: “…Truly hard-working.”

If he wasn’t hard-working, he wouldn’t have been able to stir up so many disasters.

In the eighteenth lifetime alone, within three years, Zhou Jinsheng slaughtered the Xiangli clan and the Wuhua Realm, resulting in 3,700 deaths.

Zhou Jinsheng set up a formation in Yuzhou to ambush and kill Xu Jingzhen, resulting in 87 deaths.

Zhou Jinsheng attacked the Biyun River; a hundred Medicine Sect disciples were injured, and Xu Jingzhen fell.

The four great sects of the Immortal Alliance united to kill Zhou Jinsheng and eradicate the Wuqi Road, resulting in 312 deaths.

And as for those mortal cities whose souls were extracted and refined into magical artifacts, the ones unrecorded in the files were too numerous to count.

In the few years after this person came to power, he almost didn’t stop for a single moment. Targeting the aristocratic families and immortal sects, he practiced the evil path on a massive scale, his crimes overflowing until his sea of consciousness and heart domain dissipated.

He walked the evil path from the start, neither human nor ghost. He neither cultivated his heart nor sought out Spirit-Cleansing Pills to wash away his evil karma. It wasn’t until right before he collapsed into chaotic spirits that he threw himself into the Heaven and Earth Furnace at the Mountain of Hengtian, reduced to ash and smoke.

Ruining the destiny of the aristocratic families for three hundred years, this person’s crimes were truly heinous; everyone had the right to execute him.

However, it was also during the years of his evildoing that the Immortal Alliance, firmly controlled by the Five Sects and Seven Surnames, cracked open a broad path for ordinary people to rise to power.

The sunlight had already swallowed half of Fu Fengyan’s foot. He looked at He Tingtong, who was lost in thought beside him with lowered eyes, and his breathing grew slightly more rapid.

“What do we do next?” Fu Fengyan curled into a ball, hugging his knees, leaving only his eyes exposed: “Should I go kill Zhou Jinsheng?”

“If this person dies, the crisis facing the Immortal Alliance can be resolved.” He Tingtong paused his fingertips: “But the crisis facing the common people remains.”

“Moreover… I keep feeling that there’s a trap in this.”

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Xu Jingzhen cut a peach into crescent moons and handed it to Zhou Jinsheng: “Here, your favorite crisp peach, taste it and see if it’s still that same flavor.”

Zhou Jinsheng lowered his eyes, picked up a piece, and put it in his mouth, his lips hooking up slightly: “It’s the taste from the past, very sweet.”

He was sickly after all. After tasting one bite, he stopped eating. Sitting on the stool, he watched Xu Jingzhen bite into the remaining half of the peach. Only, as soon as it entered his mouth, Xu Jingzhen’s face scrunched up, a thin, watery layer of tears welled up in his peach-blossom eyes, and he shuddered from the sourness: “You tricked me!”

Zhou Jinsheng covered his face and snickered.

Xu Jingzhen was afraid of sourness. In his childhood, he had many dietary taboos and had never tasted snacks. At that time, the two of them lived together in a side hall of the Xu family’s main residence. There was an apricot tree in the side hall, and in summer its branches were laden with fruit.

They were short and couldn’t reach it. Zhou Jinsheng had Xu Jingzhen step on his shoulders to climb the tree, picking a pocketful of apricots.

But those green apricots were sour, astringent, and bitter, not having reached their ripening days at all. Not knowing this, they forced themselves to share and finish a handful of the fruits in the study. Afterwards, their teeth ached just from drinking water.

From then on, Xu Jingzhen never touched sour things again; even hearing the word “sour” made him want to cry out in tooth pain.

Zhou Jinsheng’s tongue gently licked over his teeth, but there was only an empty, dull, astringent sensation, wooden and numb.

He had lost his sense of taste long ago.

Opposite him, Xu Jingzhen finished the peach in two or three bites and picked a plum from the basket. This time, he cut a wedge and tasted it first before handing it over: “This one is sweet.”

Zhou Jinsheng ate it from his hand.

The plum was fully ripe, its texture somewhat sandy and soft, juice overflowing in his mouth, like a lump of rotting meat. He chewed for a long time, wanting to vomit, but ultimately swallowed it down along with the pit. He then curved his lips, revealing his most gentle and harmless smile: “It is indeed very sweet.”

The roof of the small house was broken, missing quite a few tiles. As the sunlight shone down, it filtered a room full of shattered light. Xu Jingzhen sat in the light peeling fruit. His fingers, bearing thin calluses from years of practicing the sword, pinched the fruit and turned it left and right. Rings of fruit peel fell, and his voice possessed a tenderness as if from another lifetime: “Ah Jin, when your body is better, where do you want to go?”

“To get revenge.” Zhou Jinsheng’s answer lacked even the slightest hesitation. He looked at Xu Jingzhen, revealing a somewhat cruel smile: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. My enemies slaughtered my entire family; I must naturally return the favor in the most painful way possible… Young Master, you will help me, right?”

Xu Jingzhen put down the small knife and said seriously: “I will help you. Slaughtering sects and wiping out families is a great taboo of the Immortal Alliance to begin with. I will definitely investigate this case thoroughly.”

Zhou Jinsheng nodded, then continued to stare at Xu Jingzhen with eyes full of tenderness, whispering as if in a dream: “Since we last parted, you and I haven’t seen each other for twenty years. Although I have been wandering outside these years, I have missed you very much.”

“Whenever I couldn’t endure it anymore, I would think of the words you said to me when we parted back then.”

Xu Jingzhen sat unmoving, but his eyelashes suddenly trembled.

Supporting himself on the table, Zhou Jinsheng slowly stood up. Dressed all in white, as translucent as melting snow, he grasped Xu Jingzhen’s hand and gently placed it against his cheek, his voice carrying an almost sacrificial reverence: “Young Master, do you still like…”

Suddenly, with a bang, the dilapidated main door was pushed open. Blinding sunlight, accompanied by billowing heat, barged into the room, and entering along with it was He Tingtong, carrying bags large and small.

“Brother Zhenzhen, I’ve brought my little companion to seek refuge with you!”

Xu Jingzhen abruptly sprang up, smoothly freeing himself from Zhou Jinsheng’s grasp, and walked to the door with large strides to take the things.

“Did you move your entire net worth over here? The sun is so big, aren’t you afraid of the heat? This little friend looks familiar, what is your name? After graduating from the academy, do you have any interest in joining my Immortal Alliance?”

He Tingtong’s voice was very loud, crisp, and hearty, carrying the unique passion and vitality of a youth: “Brother Zhenzhen, this is Fu Fengyan, my good friend from the academy…”

The room instantly became noisy.

The conversation over there was fervent, as loud and clamorous as if a hundred birds had squeezed in, chirping incessantly. Xu Jingzhen helped He Tingtong tidy up their belongings and sent a gust of cool wind over the two heavily sweating individuals. The youth bounced around, shaking his clothes, intimately and disgustingly calling out “Zhenzhen” in a drawn-out tone.

Zhou Jinsheng’s fingers, hanging down within his wide sleeves, curled up involuntarily, clenched tightly, and dug fiercely into his flesh.

Yet when Xu Jingzhen called him, he had to put back on his gentle smile, suppressing a stomach full of resentment and murderous intent. Approaching the noisy area, he feigned a gentle and graceful demeanor, saying softly: “Hello there, two little Immortal Lords.”

He Tingtong raised that smile devoid of any haze: “Hello, Brother Ah Jin. Ah Fu and I have nowhere to go, so we can only bother you two for this period of time.”

Stepping sideways to yield the floor, He Tingtong revealed the wooden-faced Fu Fengyan beside him: “Come, Ah Fu, call him Brother.”

Fu Fengyan: “Brother.”

Forcefully suppressing the desire to strangle them to death, Zhou Jinsheng: “Mm, good.”

And stuffed a fruit into each of their hands.