After the Villain Lost His Cultivation - Chapter 6
Xie Jianglan’s five fingers curled tightly.
It was those from the Xiezhi Sect again.
Clearly on the brink of death, Xie Jianglan’s first reaction was actually annoyance.
Why does the Xiezhi Sect always linger like a haunting spirit?
Sooner or later, I have to find a way to kill Sheng Jiao.
The blade was sharp and cold, pressed tightly against Xie Jianglan’s neck, freezing the moisture in his veins into a thin layer of ice.
Xie Jianglan, dressed in a single wet robe and frail from illness, felt the imposing presence of this person like the abyss of hell, yet his heart remained completely calm. He even boldly raised his gaze slightly, finally landing on the person’s face.
Heh, so ordinary.
This person had half of his ink-black hair tied up, and he was holding an ordinary sword, but he was filled with a cold, oppressive aura. Looking down at him, the feeling of pressure was overwhelming.
At his waist hung a jade order, faintly shimmering with a blue lightning pattern.
That was Xie Jianglan’s hunting order, and the Xiezhi Sect’s mark on his shoulder reacted because of this jade order.
Xie Jianglan’s heart instantly relaxed by half.
It wasn’t Sheng Jiao.
Indeed, no matter what Sheng Jiao did, he would always rely on ‘Way of Heaven’ to strike down with a thunderbolt, leaving no need to disguise his identity.
However, just as Xie Jianglan hadn’t yet let out a sigh of relief, he suddenly saw bl00d slowly dripping from the knuckles of the man holding the sword, a familiar sword intent rushing towards him along with the scent of bl00d.
Xie Jianglan’s heart skipped a beat: ‘It’s over.’
It was the sword intent of Chunyu.
Xie Jianglan’s life sword was called Chunyu. Anyone wounded by it would have a lingering sharp sword aura on the wound, making it difficult to heal.
Not only was this person from the Xiezhi Sect, but he was also an enemy that he had previously injured…!
Even though he was a wastrel in his youth, he didn’t like using Chunyu. Xie Jianglan racked his brain, but he couldn’t remember who he had actually hurt with Chunyu.
At that moment, the ordinary man spoke again.
”Xie Jue, you…”
Xie Jianglan’s earring, adorned with a delicate pendant, was soaked in water and didn’t move very smoothly, it made a few ‘zz’ sounds, and he didn’t catch the second half of what the man said.
Instinctively, he glanced at the shape of the man’s lips, but when he raised his head, the cold blade pressed against his neck drew a thin line of bl00d.
The man’s steady hand suddenly hesitated.
Xie Jianglan’s gaze shifted slightly.
Afraid of hurting him?
The girl named Shang Yuan from earlier was the same; her movements seemed fierce, but every time the Binding Silk struck him, it quickly retreated as if it was afraid of touching him.
What were they wary of?
In an instant, Xie Jianglan’s mind felt like an empty kite that had been whipped, spinning rapidly.
”My lord, do you know why the Xiezhi Sect’s hunting order for the thirteen provinces specifically mentions capturing me alive?”
The cold sword intent slightly intensified.
The man looked down at him, and after a long pause, finally spoke: ”Why?”
Just those two words, but he seemed to say them with great difficulty, his thin lips moving slowly, enunciating each word.
Xie Jianglan thought to himself: ‘So it really is about capturing me alive, I guessed right.’
He let out a mysterious light laugh despite still kneeling there, clutching the man’s hem to support himself, he maintained his composure: ”Naturally, someone within your Xiezhi Sect has too much personal interest in me and doesn’t want me to die.”
The man’s voice sounded rather strange.
”…Who?”
Xie Jianglan calmly replied, ”Whoever issued my hunting order is naturally the one behind it.”
The man’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
”Yes, you’re right,” Xie Jianglan continued. ”…It’s the Sect Leader Sheng.”
The man: ”…”
Xie Jianglan noticed that the man seemed taken aback, and continued to make up stories.
”Sheng Jiao is madly in love with me! He’s wise and powerful, the number one cultivator in the thirteen provinces! If you hurt me, you will suffer the consequences!”
The man: ”…”
Xie Jianglan relied on his tongue to flaunt and swindle in the thirteen provinces, managing to evade capture by the Xiezhi Sect for six years, his skills were evident.
Anyway, as long as the person wasn’t Sheng Jiao, he would dare to speak carelessly even to the emperor himself.
The man remained silent and looked at him for a long time before slowly and deliberately repeating.
”…Madly in love?”
”Yes,” Xie Jianglan nodded, lifting his hand to gather the pendant earring. ”This is the ornament of love your sect leader sent me, worth one hundred spirit stones.”
The man: ”…”
Xie Jianglan wasn’t wrong, this earring was indeed given to him by Sheng Jiao.
It was just that it had been forced on him.
But at this moment, in Xie Jianglan’s words, it was the ornament of love that Sheng Jiao wholeheartedly offered, and he didn’t even blush.
The man seemed to be somewhat moved, and the sharp blade was suddenly withdrawn.
Clang
It was the sound of the sword being sheathed.
Sheng Jiao calmly said, ”Is that so?”
Xie Jianglan thought to himself, ‘There is a way out, if you want to kill me, you should carefully consider whether you can defeat Sheng Jiao first.‘
Sheng Jiao looked at him indifferently.
Xie Jianglan’s soaked white robe clung to his body almost translucently, having been sick for too long, he looked like a youth just beginning to grow.
Xie Jue had a nascent soul at the age of seventeen, and his height should have remained the same for life. However, feeling it wasn’t imposing enough, he put in all his effort to consume spirit pills.
Later, he finally managed to grow a little taller, but when he turned his head, he found that Sheng Jiao, who was also seventeen, was actually half a head taller than him, making him so angry that he barely ate two bowls of rice that day.
Sheng Jiao’s focused gaze swept briefly over the ‘Burn’ character branded on Xi Jianglan’s right shoulder, without leaving a trace, he lightly opened his lips.
”Follow me back to the Xiezhi Sect.”
Xie Jianglan’s eyelashes had frozen into a layer of white frost, and upon hearing this, he frowned.
Wasn’t this person afraid of Sheng Jiao just now?
Could it be that such a tragic and beautiful love story between good and evil hadn’t moved this block of ice at all?
When he was young, Xie Jianglan relied on his ability to charm and tease others to offend Sheng Jiao to the core.
Later, after the Xie family was slaughtered, he was captured by the Xiezhi Sect and escaped from prison right under Sheng Jiao’s nose.
If he was caught again and brought back to the Xiezhi Sect, Sheng Jiao, that cold-faced and cold-hearted god of death, would probably be able to decapitate him and display his head for all to see.
Xie Jianglan did not dare to go back with him and immediately started talking nonsense.
”My lord, you don’t understand the true meaning of sect leader Sheng’s arrest warrant. Sheng Jiao is so obsessed with me that he gets jealous when others just put their arms around me and call down a heavenly lightning to strike them.. He naturally only wants to capture me himself. If you take action and go back to boast about it, you’ll probably be expelled from the Xiezhi Sect by the possessive sect leader Sheng.”
Sheng Jiao: ”……”
Sheng Jiao finally grew impatient and raised his hand to rip Xie Jianglan’s arrest warrant from his waist.
With a casual grip, the jade token instantly turned into snow-white powder, scattering to the ground.
At the same time, the mark on Xie Jianglan’s shoulder also shrank inch by inch, eventually turning into a red mole as if it had bled.
The burning sensation on his shoulder finally subsided.
Sheng Jiao turned and left without saying a word
Xie Jianglan stared blankly for a moment and covered his right shoulder.
The people from the Xiezhi Sect had recognized him, but they hadn’t taken any action to capture him, what a fortunate turn of events!
It seems that the reputation of ‘Madam Sheng’ can still be used for some time.
But before he could finish his moment of relief, he suddenly felt an invisible force tug at his wrist, knocking his slender body off balance.
He stumbled forward, running a few steps before he could stop.
Xie Jianglan stared in shock at Sheng Jiao’s wrist, and sure enough, he spotted a nearly imperceptible black iron chain hidden in the air.
It was the Binding Silk used by the Xiezhi Sect to capture criminals, draining them of all spiritual power, making escape impossible.
Xie Jianglan: ‘…I still got caught.’
Xie Jianglan had just soaked in the water, and his whole body was starting to feel faintly feverish. He stumbled a couple of steps before collapsing onto the ground with a ‘thud.’
The Binding Silk suddenly tightened, pulling his slender wrist upward.
Sheng Jiao stopped in his tracks, turning to the side to coldly look at him.
His eyes were so aggressive, like a cold wind seeping into his bones, filling him with chills.
Xie Jianglan’s greatest strength was his ability to assess the situation and adapt, seeing that he was caught with no way to escape, he quickly shifted tactics and looked up pitifully, saying, “My lord, the arrest warrant issued by my taoist companion does indeed specify that I should be captured alive, right?”
Sheng Jiao seemed to be stunned by the mention of “taoist companion,” his gaze uncharacteristically blank for a brief moment.
After a long pause, he finally asked, “…What?”
“…I’m meant to be captured alive.” Xie Jianglan shivered slightly, his long hair coated with thick white frost, and innocently said, ”If you don’t save me soon, I’ll freeze to death here. By then, your Sect Leader will definitely cry and hold my body, and in a rage, he will kill you to bury you with me.”
Sheng Jiao: “…”
After a long silence, Sheng Jiao asked, “What do you want?”
“Clothes,” Xie Jianglan naturally extended his hand. “I see that this crane cloak you’re wearing is quite nice, could you please take it off and lend it to me?”
Sheng Jiao: “…”
Sheng Jiao looked down at him, seemingly unable to understand how this person could talk so brazenly about the indecent act of stripping someone.
He raised his hand to perform the binding technique, intending to drag him away.
Xie Jianglan acted quickly, as if he was used to such tricks, he simply collapsed flat, feigning death in a state of utter exhaustion.
“I am dying, my parents are here to take me away. Ah, the underworld is just ahead, my Lord, if you see sect leader Sheng, be sure to tell him to burn more paper money for me at the Zhongyuan Festival.”
Sheng Jiao: “……”
Xie Jianglan had a pale face, his whole being radiating the message: “About to go to the underworld, burn paper money for any matters.”
Suddenly, the warm crane cloak and the dark robe were thrown directly over him.
Wearing only a black shirt, Sheng Jiao had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, showing no fear of the biting cold wind.
“Put it on and let’s go.”
Xie Jianglan shivered from the cold and stopped talking. He looked around the surroundings and found no one nearby, then tremblingly removed the inner robe that had frozen solid like ice chips.
The Yutang flower that had been hidden in his sleeve had already fallen with the outer robe into the water and disappeared without a trace.
Today is really a bad day, everything is going wrong.
Sheng Jiao glanced back unintentionally and suddenly turned to the side.
The sword sheath swept out a circle of spiritual energy, violently splashing the nearby lake water into dozens of feet of white spray.
“You!”
While ‘mourning’ the Yutang flower, Xie Jianglan tied the belt of his long robe. His black hair had frozen into ice, and as he rubbed it a couple of times, the icy fragments fell away like powder.
Hearing the noise, he looked up in surprise and saw the man with his back to him, gripping the hilt of his sword, his whole body tense. He thought, ‘Oh, oh, oh, this man is really the same type of person as Sheng Jiao.‘
Even taking off a piece of clothing made him feel shy.
The thick-skinned Xie Jianglan, no longer knowing what embarrassment was, casually put on the outer robe, wrapped himself in the heavy crane cloak, and smiled as he said, ”Are you trying to avoid seeing something inappropriate, my lord?”
Sheng Jiao said nothing and turned to leave.
Xie Jianglan laughed loudly and sauntered after him.
The robes of the Xiezhi Sect had silver thread patterns woven into them, forming a formation that repelled cold and heat, gradually warming up Xie Jianglan’s almost frozen body.
After regaining his senses, he lifted his head to scan the surroundings and finally realized that he was at the outskirts of Gu Chang Temple.
Gu Chang Temple is not a true temple, but rather the ruins of a Buddhist monastery near the snow-capped mountains in the northern region of Yuchuan. Due to the constant trade of spiritual items, countless cultivators have gradually settled and established their roots here.
Outside Gu Chang Temple is a vast ghost forest, covered with paper money and yellow papers are scattered across the ground, while eerie ghostly flames flicker and dance among the trees.
The surrounding atmosphere is filled with a chilling aura, punctuated by the intermittent sounds of ghostly wailing and laughter echoing in the air, sending shivers down one’s spine.
“Sir?” Xie Jianglan sensed that something was wrong. “Aren’t you taking me back to Xiezhi Sect?”
Sheng Jiao took a step towards the thousand stairs and spoke sparingly: “First, let’s go to Gu Chang Temple.”
Xie Jianglan smiled with curved eyes.
There’s always a way out, Feng Yu is also at Gu Chang Temple.
He had no idea what kind of spirit item Gu Chang Temple was selling today that made this person determined to take a criminal like him there, no matter how long the night might last.
As long as he could find this unfortunate person with the surname of Feng, he was sure that he could escape from this person’s clutches.
Completely relaxed, Xie Jianglan jogged a few steps on his bare feet and approached Sheng Jiao without hesitation. “Do you have a grudge against me, sir?”
Sheng Jiao tensed up and took half a step to the side.
He had used his spiritual power to forcibly heal the wound at the base of his right thumb, but the sword intent still surged within him, and before long, it broke open again. Bl00d trickled down his pale hand.
Xie Jianglan thought to himself, how pitiful.
The sword intent violently tore through the flesh, reopening the healed wounds, almost like a form of torture.
With this thought, Xi Jianglan sighed silently and suddenly grabbed Sheng Jiao’s wrist.
Sheng Jiao’s forearm instantly tensed, almost unable to suppress its spiritual power, threatening to hurl the frail figure several kilometers away.
”Thank you, my lord, for sparing my life.” Xi Jianglan seemed oblivious to his resistance, meeting Sheng Jiao’s gaze with eyes that seemed to have hooks, and softly said, ”Let me draw out the sword intent for you.”
Sheng Jiao still curled his fingers, hiding the wound, and looked at him indifferently.
“This injury seems to have lasted five or six years.” Xi Jianglan felt a surge of guilt, his usually hypocritical eyes unexpectedly showing some genuine emotion. “It’s probably because I hurt you when I was young and ignorant. You saved my life today without holding a grudge against me. Such a virtuous act in return for harm, how can I just watch you suffer from the torment of the Chunyu sword intent?”
Sheng Jiao was like snow on a mountain, unmoved no matter what Xi Jianglan said.
Since Xi Jianglan had the life-saving love ornament of “Madam Sheng”, he boldly raised his hand and forcefully opened Sheng Jiao’s clenched fist.
Sheng Jiao’s fingers twitched, and suddenly the wound healed and the bloodstains disappeared.
He was forced to open his palm, revealing the jagged scar at the base of his thumb.
Under normal circumstances, the wound would heal for at least half a month before breaking open again, but now, with Xie Jianglan beside him, the Chunyu Sword Intent was wildly swirling around the wound.
In an instant, the scar cracked open with a fine line of injury, and a thin stream of crimson bl00d slowly oozed out.
Xie Jianglan cupped the hand covered in sword calluses and unexpectedly pressed his lips against it, his crimson tongue gently licking the wound.
Sheng Jiao’s pupils constricted sharply.
Xie Jianglan, this sickly person, had soaked in icy water for a while, and now his entire body was burning up, with his lips and teeth feeling scorching hot. The heat made Sheng Jiao’s fingers instinctively curl for a moment before he forced himself to relax.
The sword intent from the wound was being gathered in one place, as if it was slowly being drawn out.
Sheng Jiao’s gaze was heavy as he fixed his eyes on Xie Jianglan’s face.
Xie Jianglan had a stunningly beautiful face that could astonish all thirteen provinces. At this moment, with his disheveled hair and the tattered crane cloak piled around his graceful neck, his face looked even paler.
Due to the fever, a flush appeared on his cheeks, and he looked at Sheng Jiao with an almost lustful gaze, his thick, feathery eyelashes accentuating the expression.
He was full of color and vitality.
…Like a seductive spirit that could lure souls to the underworld.
Xie Jianglan’s beautiful eyes glimmered like those of a succubus, flowing with charm as he fixated intently on Sheng Jiao. After licking the bl00d away, he quietly parted his lips and slowly brought his two small fangs closer to Sheng Jiao’s palm.
Just as he was about to bite down, Sheng Jiao suddenly reached out and grabbed his chin.
Xie Jianglan was taken aback.
Sheng Jiao’s expression was emotionless as he forcibly opened Xie Jianglan’s teeth with his thumb, probed into the heated mouth, and rubbed firmly against one of the sharp little fangs.
Xie Jianglan was forced to tilt his head back and parted his lips, his eyes wide as he looked at him.
“Mm…”
Sheng Jiao’s face was cold as ice, his fingertip pressed between Xie Jianglan’s canine teeth, faintly feeling a tiny poison pellet no bigger than a sesame seed.
“You want to kill me?”