After the Villain Lost His Cultivation - Chapter 14

Zheng—

The Heavenly Spiritual Weapon in Qu Rao’s hand was violently torn apart by those bony fingers. The broken sword fell heavily to the ground.

Qu Rao’s hand felt like it had been struck by lightning, and a numbing pain instantly spread from his fingertips to his chest, forcing him to stagger backward.

“Ah—”

The young master with delicate skin had never endured such agony, and he immediately let out a pitiful cry as cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

In Sheng Jiao’s hand, the Tianyan Bead silently emitted faint dark blue lightning patterns, reflecting a chilling, almost vicious gleam in his pitch-black eyes.

Qu Rao’s face turned ashen as a terrifying pressure washed over him.

This was definitely not the aura of a cripple…

He’s not Xi Jue!

Qu Rao’s confused mind went blank, terrified by the undeniable truth that was coming to light.

Who could he be then? 

In this world, apart from Xi Jue, who else would dare to walk around with this face?

With a “plop” sound.

Qu Rao stood frozen for a long moment. By the time his slow reaction kicked in, his legs had already gone weak, and he staggered to the ground, drenched in cold sweat. His gaze was unfocused, as if he had encountered an evil spirit, staring blankly at the figure in front of him.

Sheng Jiao looked down at him. Just one glance felt like standing atop a mountain blanketed in eternal snow, the air biting and cold, piercing his lungs like icy shards.

It was the scent of snow.

Qu Rao’s breathing almost stopped.

….is Sheng Jiao himself.

Sheng Wuzhuo, who had formed his nascent soul at the age of seventeen, was only half a step away from entering the Mahayana stage.

Sheng Jiao was the head of the Xiezhi sect, and even the leaders of Zhongzhou treated him with the utmost respect, fearing negligence.

Qu Rao’s mind went blank as the image of himself holding a sword across Sect Master Sheng’s neck and angrily uttering harsh words flashed through his mind. His legs trembled and he almost fainted.

At this moment, even if the ancestor of the Qu family were here, he probably wouldn’t be able to save him.

Sheng Jiao’s gaze was as cold as the tip of a sword, and he spoke each word with emphasis.

“Releasing your anger?”

Qu Rao’s pale lips had turned an alarming shade of purple with fear, desperately trying to suppress his trembling as he almost cried out, ”S-Sect Leader Sheng…”

Who would have thought that Sheng Jiao would actually come to Guchang Temple?!

Moreover, given Sheng Jiao’s cold and aloof demeanor, how could he possibly barge into someone else’s private room and pluck the Yutang flower right in front of the owner?

Qu Rao’s mind was a chaotic mess, he couldn’t think at all. All he felt was terror at Sheng Jiao’s nearly icy gaze, leaving him unable to muster even a trace of resistance.

“Y-Yutang flowers…”

Seemingly shocked, he suddenly blurted out something completely irrelevant.

Sheng Jiao frowned.

Qu Rao’s fingers trembled as he took out a bunch of Yutang flowers from his storage ring. With tears in his eyes, he handed them to Sheng Jiao, crying, “Here, here are the Yutang flowers. All of them are for you! I hope Sect Master Sheng will forgive my offense.”

Sheng Jiao: ”…”

Xi Jianglan, who was watching the spectacle, almost burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking slightly as he struggled to control himself.

What a fool Qu Rao was.

Did he really think that it was the real Sheng Jiao who had forcibly taken the Yutang flower from him?

It was rare for Xi Jianglan to see Qu Rao so utterly frightened. If his hands hadn’t been swollen from the blow, he would have definitely slammed the table in delight.

More than a dozen Yutang flowers were piled up for free. The Qu family must have taken their share from the collection of flowers collected over the past six years.

Xi Jianglan stared at the pile of flowers, unconsciously licking his lips with the tip of his tongue.

Qu Rao had no idea why Sheng Jiao was angry, thinking it was merely due to his offense of drawing his sword and questioning him.

Sheng Jiao was probably struck by Qu Rao’s stupidity and slightly closed his eyes to conceal the coldness within.

”Let’s go.”

Qu Rao was momentarily stunned.

The guards blocking Sheng Jiao’s path reacted quickly, their faces pale as they rushed forward to assist Qu Rao, bowing repeatedly in apology and saying in a hoarse voice, ”…We have offended Sect Leader Sheng.”

Only then did Qu Rao realize that Sheng Jiao no longer cared. He quickly covered his right arm, which was numb from the pain, and was carried away, sobbing while trying to hold back his tears.

He had come in with such high spirits and left in such a miserable state.

Xi Jianglan watched the spectacle unfold, his eyes still shedding tears uncontrollably curving into a smile.

Sheng Jiao turned around and looked at him coldly. “Is that all you can do to ease the pain of longing?”

Are you so desperate for love that you break into someone’s place and forcefully pluck the Yutang flower?

Xi Jianglan choked: “Uh…”

He blinked his wet eyelashes slightly and softly explained, “My heart is not a cold stone, and over time, I will naturally develop feelings for Sheng Jiao.”

Sheng Jiao: “…”

Sheng Jiao had no idea what he was trying to explain.

But the most likely possibility was that this guy wasn’t explaining anything at all, he was just using this sentence to deceive himself.

Sheng Jiao frowned and subtly glanced at Xi Jianglan’s slightly reddened fingertips. He seemed to want to say something, but his lips tightened the moment he opened them, and he turned around to walk away.

Xi Jianglan tapped his fingertips again, and seeing this, he casually followed.

The Yutang flowers that Qu Rao had were nowhere to be seen, leaving only a few pitiful leaves behind.

Xi Jianglan blinked.

The Yutang flowers… had been taken away by the “tough guy”?

Tsk tsk.

Shang Yuan had never seen the Sect Leader so angry before, so he quietly sneaked over to Xi Jianglan and whispered, ”Are you and our Sect Leader… really taoist companions?”

Xi Jianglan, completely shameless, looked at her with deep affection and said, ”My heart is not a cold stone, and over time, I will naturally develop feelings for Sheng Jiao.”

Shang Yuan asked curiously, ”Did feelings really develop over time?”

The Sect Leader, that ice block…

Could someone really have feelings for him?

Xi Jianglan rolled up his sleeves, excitedly wanting to share his heroic deeds of secretly sneaking onto Sheng Jiao’s bed at Tianyan Academy during the night. But after gesturing frantically for a while, he realized that Shang Yuan didn’t understand sign language at all, so he had to stop, frustrated.

The three of them walked in silence through the long corridor, heading toward the abbot’s residence behind Guchang Temple.

Before they even reached the meditation room, Sheng Jiao suddenly looked at Shang Yuan.

Shang Yuan obediently stood still and reached out to grab Xi Jianglan’s sleeve.

Xi Jianglan stood there, confused.

Sheng Jiao raised his hand, revealing the slender Binding Silk: ”Don’t even think about escaping.”

Xi Jianglan: ”…”

He nodded silently, swallowing his anger.

Only then did Sheng Jiao slowly walk toward the distant meditation room.

With no way to escape, Xi Jianglan glared at Sheng Jiao’s retreating back, venting his anger that way.

But after thinking it over, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this person was too skilled at impersonating Sheng Jiao.

Sheng Jiao was a completely cold-faced and heartless killer. Even if the people of the Xiezhi Sect were bold, they wouldn’t be so blatant as to flaunt the Sect Leader’s name in public, would they?

Could it be that the abbot of Guchang Temple needed Sheng Jiao’s identity to extract something from him?

Having suffered greatly over the years, Xi Jianglan always expected the worst.

If this person really was Sheng Jiao…

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Xi Jianglan’s heart began to race, and he felt a vague burning sensation on the back of his shoulder.

If it truly was Sheng Jiao…

Then why was he hiding his identity?

When two people meet, it should be me, the guilty one, who needs to hide my identity.

There’s no need for that.

Shang Yuan skillfully found a step and sat down to wait for the Sect Leader.

Xi Jianglan rolled his eyes and, smiling, sat down beside her, using a small wooden stick to write a few words in the dirt.

”Is Sect Leader Sheng all right?”

Shang Yuan nodded blankly, not realizing she was being led into conversation. ”He’s fine.”

Xi Jianglan scratched again: ”I heard he went to Wuyin City?”

Shang Yuan instinctively wanted to shake her head, but a chilling aura suddenly rushed over her back, causing her entire body to freeze.

It was Sheng Jiao, who had already departed, sending a message back.

Shang Yuan continued shaking her head. ”No, the Sect Leader is in seclusion at the Xiezhi Sect.”

Xi Jianglan: ”Really?”

Shang Yuan: ”Really.”

Xi Jianglan asked again, ”Where is Lord Juan?”

This girl seemed very gullible, she believed whatever others said, but her emotions were too gentle and slow. Even when she told lies, she appeared to be well-behaved, not nearly as easy to see through as Juan Xunfang, who would explode at the slightest provocation.

Shang Yuan said, ”He went to Wuyin City. They said there was a snow disaster, and he wants to find the source.”

Xi Jianglan was absentmindedly fiddling with the branches, lost in thought.

At that moment, a voice as gentle as a spring breeze suddenly drifted over from nearby.

The words seemed to carry a strong spiritual power, clear and distinct even from a distance.

”Trapped.”

Xi Jianglan suddenly stood up.

In the open space of the meditation room in the distance, jade slips as crystal clear as colored glass shot out like sharp arrows from a fixed point in the sky, drilling into the moss-covered bluestone slabs.

The hard stone was pierced by the glass, leaving faint cracks.

In an instant, a glazed birdcage descended, trapping Sheng Jiao inside.

Sheng Jiao turned to the side with a gloomy expression.

Heng Yudu seemed to have been waiting for this moment. He sat under an osmanthus tree and smiled at him: ”Wuzhuo, don’t blame me. The Tianyan Academy and the Xiezhi Sect could have cooperated, but you…”

Sheng Jiao didn’t wait for him to finish his nonsense. Impatiently, he moved, and the Tianyan Bead in his hand floated up, causing the dark blue lightning patterns to hiss.

”If you strike the cage with a thunderbolt, the Twelve will immediately discover your identity,” Heng Yudu said calmly. ”Sheng Jiao, he is afraid of you.”

Sheng Jiao’s fingers, which held the Tianyan Bead, suddenly froze.

Unfazed, Heng Yudu continued slowly, ”…Ever since your Tianyan Bead determined that he was guilty, there may be other reasons. He is extremely afraid of you and harbors hatred towards you.”

Sheng Jiao’s expression darkened like sinking water, and a ball of spiritual power materialized in his palm, rushing toward the cage that was shrinking around him.

However, this “birdcage” was constructed using the innate mark “Changing Moon,” and it was impossible to contend with it using pure spiritual power.

Seeing that he really wasn’t moving the Tianyan Bead, Heng Yudu’s gaze gently flicked to the Tianyan Bead hanging from Sheng Jiao’s wrist, and he suddenly smiled.

”That Tianyan Bead…”

Sheng Jiao’s long hair was blown away by the fierce wind. He stared coldly at the fragile glass, and an invisible sword slowly materialized in his palm.

This was his rarely used life sword, Dong Rong.

Heng Yudu softly remarked, “…Did you take it?”

When the “bird cage” appeared, Xi Jianglan immediately realized that Heng Yudu must have arrived.

His first instinct was to flee, but upon further reflection, he remembered that he was still bound by the “tough guy,” and he could not escape completely on his own.

Heng Yudu might hold a grudge against him for what happened to Rang Chen, but he wouldn’t really resort to cruelty.

However, if there was even a one in ten thousand chance that the “tough guy” was actually Sheng Jiao…

As Xi Jianglan was weighing the pros and cons and deciding who to use as a shield, a cold hand suddenly grabbed him.

“Why are you using an illusion again? I almost didn’t recognize you!”

When Xi Jianglan turned around, it was his good brother, Feng Yu.

Going with Feng Yu is much safer than being with the “tough guy” or Heng Yudu.

He was so moved that tears streamed down his cheeks as he gestured desperately: “Help! The people from the Xiezhi Sect are so cruel, they’ve been beating me and torturing me! My delicate fingers were almost broken by them! That tough guy even said he would take me back to the Xiezhi Sect and make me experience all sixty-two types of punishment again!”

Feng Yu looked at Xi Jianglan’s swollen fingertips and the tear streaks on his almost dry face, gasping in shock.

“The Xiezhi Sect is simply inhumane!”

Xi Jianglan nodded vigorously: “That’s right! Brother, please save me!”

Feng Yu immediately drew a formation on the ground, preparing to take him underground.

Xi Jianglan: “I have Binding Silk on my hands. No matter where I flee to, the people of the Xiezhi Sect can track me down by following the Binding Silk.”

Feng Yu responded with an “Oh,” and swiftly drew his ghost blade: “Then why not just cut off your fingers?”

Xi Jianglan: “…”

It seems that being with Feng Yu isn’t safe at all.

Feng Yu raised his blade and swung it toward Xi Jianglan’s wrist.

With a loud “bang,” the Binding Silk suddenly manifested, appearing like water sliced in two.

But as he withdrew the blade, the thread reconnected silently.

“Huh?” Feng Yu pulled at it in confusion but couldn’t grasp the Binding Silk at all. “Why does this look different from ordinary Binding Silk?”

Xi Jianglan saw Heng Yudu wheeling himself over while Sheng Jiao continued to strike the jade slips in the cage with his spiritual power, creating a loud and clattering noise.

“Hurry!” Xi Jianglan gestured, “If it falls into Yudu’s hands, my life will be at stake.”

Feng Yu showed no signs of nervousness, not bothering to look up: “Let me study what this red thread is.”

Xi Jianglan: “…”

Shang Yuan still sat there. Her sect leader was trapped, but without hearing any command, she didn’t step forward to help. Instead, she tilted her head at Xi Jianglan and asked curiously, “Xi Jue, are you planning to escape again? The leader said that if you run away again, you’ll be caught and thrown into Wisteria Prison.”

In the midst of all this, Xi Jianglan shook his head at her, indicating that he wasn’t trying to escape.

After thinking it over, Shang Yuan also agreed.

The Heart-Binding Silk connected to the soul could never be severed unless the sect leader died.

With this thought, she continued to watch the spectacle with a sense of calm.

Feng Yu studied for a long time, using all his weapons but still failing to cut the Binding Silk.

Xi Jianglan furrowed his brow, staring at the strange silk binding, almost tempted to chop off a hand.

Heng Yudu slowly approached in his wheelchair, soon arriving at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled and said, “Twelve, it’s been many years.”

Xi Jianglan forced a smile and gestured gently.

“Yudu, are your legs feeling better? When will you be able to walk?”

Feng Yu paused, glancing at Xi Jianglan, rendered speechless.

This guy always brings up topics that are best left untouched.

Heng Yudu was no longer the same person he once was; as the head of Tianyan Academy, he held a high position of power and dignity. Over the years, no one had dared to ask him about his legs in front of him.

Did Xi Jue want to die faster?

But surprisingly, Heng Yudu showed no signs of dissatisfaction, in fact, the tenderness in his eyes deepened.

“It’s alright, I can’t really walk.”

Xi Jianglan said, “Then you need to get proper treatment.”

Heng Yudu replied, “Okay.”

Feng Yu was left speechless.

No one had ever asked about Heng Yudu’s legs, yet most people, upon seeing him, would unconsciously glance at his legs, their eyes filled with sympathy, pity, or even arrogance.

They envied and feared his spiritual level innate mark, and because of his leg defect, they wore a condescending sympathy that satisfied their twisted jealousy.

Perhaps Xi Jue was the only person in the world bold enough to ask him about his legs so straightforwardly.

As usual, Xi Jianglan greeted Heng Yudu and then desperately kicked Feng Yu’s foot, urging him to quickly untie the Binding Silk.

Heng Yudu’s “Changing Moon” was unlike Feng Yu’s playful “Ghost Sound”; even if you tore off your ears, you would still be unable to resist its influence.

A sense of dread washed over Xi Jianglan.

Sure enough, Heng Yudu gently raised his hand to touch the jade slip hovering nearby and uttered something.

Xi Jianglan’s sleeves billowed in the wind, and his fingers moved so rapidly they became mere blurs as he gestured frantically.

“No, brother, no, no, no, wait a minute.”

But it was already too late.

“Changing Moon” transformed into a bird and flew right in front of Xi Jianglan.

Heng Yudu’s voice echoed softly: “Twelve, what is your innate mark?”

Xi Jianglan instinctively tried to cover his mouth to stop himself, but the power of the spiritual level innate mark was overwhelming, rendering him rigid and forcing his lips to part against his will.

“Damn you, Heng Yudu,” Xi Jianglan thought expressionlessly, “I’d rather die.”

The bird from “Changing Moon” transformed into glowing stars of spiritual energy, falling on Xi Jianglan like fireflies.

Xi Jianglan felt utterly disheartened, gritting his teeth as he spoke each word with great emphasis.

“My heart is not a cold stone, and over time, I will naturally develop feelings…”

“…feelings for Sheng Jiao.”

Heng Yudu: ”?”

Feng Yu: ”…”