“Second Elder!”
Supported by the eunuch, Zhao Chengze staggered over to Lu Qingming. “My second brother’s head…”
“Your Highness, you should first consider how to compensate the Xuantian Sect.” Lu Qingming smiled bitterly and waved his hand. “As for the Second Prince’s head… don’t even think about it.”
“Huh? Second Elder, why is that?” Shi Jing’s face showed reluctance. “Although the Second Prince’s crimes were heinous, he has already received his punishment. The Tianyan Royal Family is willing to compensate. The dead should be laid to rest. Why can’t he be buried in peace?”
Lu Qingming glanced helplessly at this Sixth Elder.
“Then go try to take his head down yourself.”
Buried in peace…
The people who were abducted didn’t even have their bodies intact. Try letting them rest in peace!
Although Shi Jing looked confused, he still leaped into the air to see if he could remove Zhao Chengyan’s head.
After a while, he flew back, but now had several sword scars on his body…
“Second Elder…” Shi Jing, still shaken and slightly resentful, looked at Lu Qingming. “Why didn’t you warn me…”
Lu Qingming chuckled. “I told you, you might not believe me. Now you’ve tried it yourself, you understand?”
Ye Li had left, but that sword intent was the “Tyrant Sword”’s sword intent. It would cut anyone who touched it.
“So, Your Highness, do you understand now?” Lu Qingming looked at the bewildered Zhao Chengze. “If you want to take your brother’s head down, then prepare the compensation for the Xuantian Sect.”
As for face…
Zhao Chengze: “…”
You have to survive first before you can consider face.
The next day, the Kingdom of Tianyan announced a major event.
Evil cultivators had caused chaos in the Kingdom of Tianyan, slaughtering innocent commoners. Fortunately, disciples of the Xuantian Sect and elders of the Starsoul Sect arrived to save them, defeating those evil cultivators. It was a pity, however, that the Second Prince of Tianyan died at the hands of the evil cultivators.
To bring justice for the Second Prince and the innocent commoners, the Starsoul Sect and the Xuantian Sect decided to cut off the evil cultivators’ heads and hang them on the gates of the Imperial Capital of Tianyan as a warning to others.
As for whether anyone would question why the Second Prince of Tianyan was killed and how he was killed…
No one cared about that.
The words had been released; whether people believed them was another matter.
Two days later, Xuantian Sect, Duan Tian Peak.
Luo Xing slowly woke up. The surroundings told him he was back at the Xuantian Sect, back at Duan Tian Peak.
“Sigh… hmm…” He slowly sat up, holding his head as he let out a painful groan. “I’m…”
His injuries had fully healed, restored to their original state by Pei Qingshuang’s pills, with no trace left. The only problem was the headache leftover from the evil qi that had invaded his body.
Luo Xing sat holding his head in silence for a while, then memories flooded back like a tide…
Kingdom of Tianyan… the training… Zhao Chengyan… the blood pool… and… Er Ya…
BANG!
Just as Luo Xing was lost in thought, a sound of something hitting the ground came from outside the door.
“Sister?” Luo Xing turned to look and saw his sister Luo Han standing there with a surprised expression.
“Xiao Xing!”
“Wuwuwu… you’re finally awake…” Luo Han rushed to Luo Xing’s bedside, hugging him and crying tears of joy.
She had been truly frightened this time. Although her master said Luo Xing was fine—just invaded by evil qi, which was why he hadn’t woken so quickly—still, seeing her only brother lying unconscious in bed made Luo Han unable to rest easy.
After all…
He was her only family in this world…
“Alright, sister…” Luo Xing gently patted Luo Han’s back and comforted with a smile. “I’m fine now, aren’t I?”
“You dare say that?” After her joy, Luo Han turned angry at her brother. “Why did you go over there alone back then!? Couldn’t you have waited for Senior Brother Hong!?”
Did you think you were some great cultivator?
You’re only at the Foundation Establishment stage!
You…
Furious, Luo Han raised her hand, but seeing Luo Xing’s still somewhat tired expression, she bit her lip and lowered her hand.
“Sorry, sister. I won’t do it again.” Luo Xing smiled slightly, then asked Luo Han, “By the way, sister, what happened after I got injured and fell unconscious?”
Luo Han wiped her tears. “Senior Brother Hong brought you back. After that…”
After that, Luo Xing was treated. Hong An, being the main person in charge of this training, was punished by his master with three months of confinement.
The Starsoul Sect carried out a large-scale cleanup within the Kingdom of Tianyan to ensure no evil cultivators remained.
The main culprit, Zhao Chengyan, was executed, but to save face, the Tianyan Royal Family could only announce that the Second Prince had died at the hands of the evil cultivators…
Luo Xing listened quietly as Luo Han recounted everything that had happened while he was unconscious, his face expressionless.
“Xiao Xing? What’s wrong?” Luo Han asked in confusion. “Is there… still something uncomfortable?”
“No… nothing.” Luo Xing shook his head. “It’s just…”
Just as he spoke, a graceful figure abruptly appeared in the room, interrupting Luo Xing’s words and startling Luo Han.
“Elder Ye…” Luo Han quickly stood up and bowed to Ye Li.
“Mm.” Ye Li nodded slightly, then looked at Luo Xing. “Your body is fine?”
Luo Xing: ‘Master’s Phantom Step technique is truly at its peak…’
‘I should back off.’
Luo Xing nodded. “Yes, thanks to Master’s concern.”
Ye Li did not reply, only thought to herself:
‘After this incident, he shouldn’t leave casually anymore…’
A brief silence fell over the room. Finally, Luo Han said she would go get some pills for Luo Xing to recuperate, then walked out.
“Your master…” Ye Li seemed not to want to stay long either. “After you recover, continue your cultivation.”
“Master…” Luo Xing suddenly spoke up, interrupting Ye Li. “Disciple has a question and hopes Master can enlighten me.”
Ye Li gave Luo Xing a deep look, her gaze lingering on his eyes for a long time, as if trying to see something from them. “Ask away.”
“Why… do cultivators cultivate?”
Luo Xing asked with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
This question he had thought about before, but many times he couldn’t find an answer.
He had transmigrated to save Luo Han, to prevent her from suffering the fate of being tortured to death, and incidentally to experience the life of a cultivator soaring through the heavens.
Later, he was accepted as a disciple by Ye Li. To avoid becoming the second Luo Han, he started desperately cultivating.
Of course, there was also the factor of being forced by Ye Li…
Then…
There was this training…
As a cultivator, due to insufficient strength, he failed to notice that Er Ya had talent for cultivation, leading to her tragic death at the hands of the evil cultivator…
If he had confirmed it earlier and taken Er Ya away, perhaps…
So just now after waking up, recalling the events of this training, he suddenly had a question…
Why did he cultivate? Why become a cultivator? Why grow stronger?
To save his sister Luo Han?
But she had already become Pei Qingshuang’s disciple. Unless something unexpected happened, she should no longer suffer the fate of being tortured to death by Ye Li as in the original story.
To save himself, to avoid becoming the original novel’s Luo Han when Ye Li eventually turns dark?
But now Ye Li was perfectly normal, without any signs of abnormality. Luo Xing even suspected he had transmigrated into a fake book…
Of course, it was possible the plot hadn’t reached the part where Ye Li turns dark—after all, in the original novel, it was around the 100,000-word mark when Ye Li started acting off…
Then came this training experience…
The evil cultivators that should have been caught weren’t caught. The people that should have been saved weren’t saved…
At this moment, Luo Xing was lost.
But rather than confusion, it was more like uncertainty, because he vaguely sensed something—a feeling that could answer his doubts.
Unfortunately, this feeling was too vague, too faint, like a wisp of ethereal gauze—impossible to see clearly, impossible to grasp…
So he wanted to ask Ye Li, to see if she could answer his question.