After the Villain Lost His Cultivation - Chapter 1
At the northernmost border of Yuchuan, on the summer solstice, an unexpected snowstorm arose.
The Yuchuan River, which flows through the entirety of Wuyin City, was sheathed in a thin layer of ice. Within the city, the tall buildings and pavilions were buried under a thick blanket of snow, blending seamlessly with the frozen river, resembling the cracks of ice spreading across its surface.
At the city gate, the night had deepened, and the number of passersby dwindled.
Dozens of monks from the Punishment and Pardon Court had spent the entire day inspecting those entering the city. Now, somewhat relaxed, they huddled together in groups, chatting as snow continued to fall around them.
“This snow is far too strange. It must be another snow disaster. What rotten luck.”
“Who cares about the snow disaster? Once we catch that Xi guy, we won’t have to freeze out here anymore.”
“Xi Jianglan is the true disaster! Damn it! Spit!“
The group vented their frustrations with a torrent of curses.
A young monk holding a cup of hot tea asked curiously, “Master, hasn’t Xi Jianglan lost all his cultivation? Why go to so much trouble just to capture a useless person?”
His master, who leaned against the wall smoking a pipe, cast him a sideways glance.
“…A useless person that even the Xiezhi Sect failed to find after scouring all thirteen provinces?”
The young monk muttered, “But they say he has already lost all his cultivation.”
”When the Xi family ruled over the three regions, they had wealth and power beyond measure. It’s no surprise if they left him some artifacts to disguise his appearance and whereabouts,” the master replied.
The boy nearly spilled his tea. “If that’s the case, couldn’t he be walking right under our noses without us ever realizing it? How long will it take to find him?”
“You think too much,” the master chuckled. “The Xiezhi Sect officials will arrive tomorrow to conduct a thorough search. Then it won’t be our problem anymore.”
The boy finally relaxed.
As they spoke, a man wearing a veiled hat and holding a lantern emerged from the snowstorm.
The warm yellow light of the candle reflected off the falling snowflakes, resembling moths drawn to a flame, only to scatter as his dark robes swept past.
The man’s presence radiated an icy menace, akin to a soul-reaping messenger come to claim a life in the dead of night.
The monks, who had just been chatting idly, immediately drew their swords and moved to block him.
“Stop! By order of the Punishment and Pardon Court, show your household registration token!”
The man in the veiled hat did not respond. Instead, he gently lifted the edge of his veil with the hilt of his sword, revealing the golden embroidery of the Xiezhi Sect’s divine beast on his sleeve.
Everyone froze, stepping back half a step before bowing respectfully.
“So, it is someone from the Xiezhi Sect.”
The Xiezhi Sect, which oversees the punishment of the thirteen provinces and operates prisons for the most heinous criminals, was often referred to as the “Gate to Hell.” For decades, few who entered their prisons ever left alive.
The monks of the Punishment and Pardon Court hadn’t expected the Xiezhi Sect to arrive so soon.
They exchanged nervous glances.
One of them, who had been smoking, stepped forward respectfully. “My lord, you must be here for Xi Jianglan. The head of the Punishment and Pardon Court has been expecting you. The night is cold and deep, allow me to escort you.”
The man lifted the veil slightly, revealing a cold, stern face. His lips did not move, yet a voice echoed clearly.
”No need.”
The monk froze, and a chill ran down his spine, drenching him in cold sweat.
”Sh-Sheng Jiao… the Sect Leader?”
The person who came from Xiezhi Sect turned out to be Sheng Jiao?!
Throughout the thirteen provinces, no one is unaware of the name Sheng Jiao, the leader of the Xiezhi Sect in Zhongzhou. He oversees the world’s punishment and amnesty, upholding justice and integrity with unmatched authority, a figure revered as much as the heavens themselves.
The monks were stunned.
Sheng Jiao’s name carried an immense weight, far beyond what they could handle. Without even checking his household registration, they respectfully opened the gate.
Sheng Jiao, his figure sharp as frost and sword, moved slowly through the swirling snow, his robes fluttering as he entered the city.
The group watched his retreating figure in silence for a long time, only exhaling once he disappeared into the distance.
Just now, they all lowered their heads and dared not look directly at Sheng Jiao, but the young boy with a childish face who was not afraid of tigers, dared to steal a glance.
He saw Sheng Jiao vanishing into the darkness, and a hint of confusion flickered across his face.
Sheng Jiao, the revered leader of the Xiezhi Sect…
A figure as lofty and untouchable as snow on a mountaintop, yet, why was there a cat’s paw on his shoulder?
***
The street was covered in snow.
Even though this was Sheng Jiao’s first time visiting such a remote city, he navigated its intricate streets with ease. In the Wuyin city, the streets and alleys were all named after money. Soon, he reached the entrance of a narrow alley named ‘No Way’ and entered.
At some point, a black cat appeared and sat on his shoulder. It spoke in a human voice.
“Xi Jianglan, in all the thirteen provinces, I’ve never seen anyone as bold as you, you even dare to impersonate Sheng Jiao. Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?”
The lantern at the entrance, which was about to burn out, suddenly flared up and burst into flames. Fresh oil was quickly poured into the lantern, and the flame flickered twice before burning brightly again.
The candlelight spilled into the dark alley, and the black veil around the man quickly receded like a receding tide, gradually revealing a slender figure. The once fearsome face of “Sheng Jiao” peeled away like a mask, completely transformed.
It was none other than Xi Jianglan, the man being hunted across all thirteen provinces.
He looked as if he had been ill for a long time. His bone structure and features were inherently striking, but his illness added a layer of frailty and weariness. His long ink-black hair was scattered, wrapped in a few snow-white petals.
Xi Jianglan said lazily, “How else do you think I’ve survived for six years by hiding and running? If I didn’t have enough courage, I would have died eight hundred times by now.”
”Pah!” the black cat cursed. “What were you doing outside the city this time? The Punishment and Pardon Court is searching everywhere. Aren’t you afraid?”
”I went to another city to find a medicine.”
Xi Jianglan answered indifferently, as if he had been born without knowing what fear was, and walked slowly through the long and quiet streets.
The sweet smell of freshly baked goods wafted from a nearby pastry shop.
A girl of about eleven or twelve, dressed in white, sat on the doorstep watching the snow. With a slight lift of her delicate fingers, the snowflakes twirled in circles as if caught by the wind, dancing endlessly in her palm.
A crow flapped its wings and landed on the eaves, causing the icicles to fall with a jolt. With quick eyes, Xi Jianglan quickly blocked with his hand, deflecting the sharp dangling icicles.
The girl gasped in surprise and, upon seeing him clearly, exclaimed happily, ”Lan Gege is back!”
”Why are you still watching the shop so late? Where’s your father?” Xi Jianglan casually ran his long, slender fingers through his ink-black hair, then bent down to examine the pastries on display.
The girl giggled, ”Father went gambling.”
Xi Jianglan chuckled as well. He reached out and gently tapped her forehead. ”Silly girl, do you even know what gambling means? With your father’s temper, he’ll end up gambling you away someday.”
The girl, unfazed, cheerfully grabbed two sheets of oiled paper. ”No way, Lan Gege, do you still want some osmanthus-flavored crystal cake?”
Xi Jianglan nodded.
The girl skillfully wrapped several pieces of osmanthus-flavored crystal cake and osmanthus sugar in the paper and handed them to him.
”Put it on the tab?”
Xi Jianglan took a bite of the osmanthus crystal cake and mumbled, ”Put it on the tab, put it on the tab.”
The girl couldn’t stop laughing.
Xi Jianglan, a fully grown man shamelessly eating her pastries for free, showed no embarrassment. After exchanging a few idle words, he wandered off down the alley, holding an umbrella.
The girl remained seated on the doorstep, waiting for her father to return. She unconsciously spread her fingers, letting the snowflakes fall gently into her palm, but at some point, the invisible swirl of wind had disappeared.
Confused, she tilted her head.
Behind Xi Jianglan’s neck, the black cat poked its head out and rolled its eyes.
”Didn’t you hear? Tomorrow the Xiezhi Sect will come to recheck the household registration tokens. What are you going to do then?”
Having spent years on the run, Xi Jianglan was well prepared. He lightly licked the crumbs of cake from the corner of his lips, his eyelashes lowering to reveal a striking red mole on his eyelid.
”As long as the one from the Xiezhi Sect isn’t Sheng Jiao, I won’t die… for now.”
With Sheng Jiao’s current esteemed status and frequent supervision of the Xiezhi Sect, where would he have the time to wander around such a remote and impoverished place?
Xi Jianglan was confident.
The black cat sensed something wrong in his tone and asked, “I’ve always wanted to ask, what kind of grudge do you have against Sheng Jiao?”
By now, Xi Jianglan had reached the end of the alley and gently opened the door. Every gesture exuded the refined grace of someone raised in a noble family, a stark contrast to the shabby medical shop.
”An old grudge, you say?”
He tilted his head, pondering seriously for a moment before suddenly breaking into a mischievous smile.
”Deceiving Sect Leader Sheng’s affections…”
The black cat froze.
Xi Jianglan’s smile was full of wicked amusement. ”…Would that count as a grudge?”
The black cat: ”…”
➜ In the original, the name of the city is “此地无银城” (literally “This place has no silver City”) So I left it in the pinyin form > Wuyin City
➜ Punishment and Pardon Court – In the original, the term 惩赦院 is used, where 院 translates to “court” or “institute,” depending on the context. I left as ‘‘Court’’