After I Play-and-Runned the World's Number One Sword Cultivator - Chapter 3

Qin Zhizhi turned her head to look. The person behind her stood tall and slender like jade, carrying a Fuxi ancient zither on his back. The pale green tassels of the zither swayed behind him, and a few stray silken threads rested upon the winter pine embroidered on his shoulder. His entire being resembled a green pine tree.

It was precisely the young man who had just played the zither to slice open the carriage compartment.

Qin Zhizhi closed her mouth just in time.

In truth, the original owner of this body had only met Jun Wuya a few times in total; she had merely known since childhood that she had a fiancé who practiced cultivation in the Heguang Sect. Everyone said she was blessed with good fortune—though her mother had passed away early, her marriage had been well-arranged, and her fiancé was a young talent with boundless prospects. The last time she saw Jun Wuya was when several Heguang Sect disciples came down the mountain to perform a mission and passed through Wudu City, prompting Jun Wuya to pay a visit along the way. Counting carefully on her fingers, that seemed to have been several years ago already…

Before Qin Zhizhi could figure out how to explain herself, the female cultivator who had been supporting her just now snapped at the man in displeasure, “Senior Brother Lu, what kind of time is it for you to be cracking jokes here?”

A question mark slowly materialized above Qin Zhizhi’s head.

After being exposed, the man rubbed his nose, appearing somewhat embarrassed. “Ahem, Miss Qin, that was just a joke earlier. I am Jun Wuya’s senior brother, Lu Yuandao.”

The female cultivator was named Su Qingyi. Seeing that Lu Yuandao had behaved himself, she finally spoke up, saying, “Miss Qin, please don’t take offense. Senior Brother Lu is just like this, but he has no malicious intentions.”

Qin Zhizhi scratched her head. “It’s quite alright.”

Does your Heguang Sect always play around in such wild ways?

“However, since you say you are Jun Wuya’s fiancée, Qin Zhizhi, do you happen to possess any token of faith?” Lu Yuandao inquired. Jun Wuya spent most of his time within the sect and did not have much contact with Wudu City, so it was nothing unusual that he could not recognize her immediately. Still, since they had rescued her, it was better to verify everything clearly.

Recalling the memories of the original owner, Qin Zhizhi replied word for word, “I possess a piece of Dushan jade, half of a set, carved with an auspicious treasure vase. Upon it are the four characters ‘Gui Fu Lan Xin,’ representing an exquisite aura. The other half is in his possession, carved with the words ‘Zhu Lian Bi He,’ symbolizing a perfect match.”

She paused, looking cautiously at the members of the Heguang Sect. “It is just that the jade is no longer on my person right now.”

Upon hearing this, Su Qingyi immediately pulled her close, gently stroking the back of her hand to comfort her. “It is fine now, Miss Qin. We understand everything else.”

Qin Zhizhi: ?

What exactly do you understand? Care to elaborate in detail?

“She really is Senior Brother Jun’s fiancée!”

The few Heguang Sect disciples spectating from behind felt deeply moved after listening to the conversation between the two. Seeing that there was nothing wrong with Qin Zhizhi’s identity, they called out to rest and reorganize at a nearby tavern. Now, a crowd of seven or eight people moved in a group, surrounding Qin Zhizhi in their midst, talking noisily. The faint, ephemeral scent of incense from between the cultivators’ sleeves lingered around the tip of Qin Zhizhi’s nose, making her suddenly experience a profound sensation of rebirth.

Qin Zhizhi could be considered relatively fortunate to have woken up before those two men could sell her off to the lands of the demonic cultivators. This place was a gray zone located right at the border where the cultivation world intersected with the lands of the demonic cultivators, named Fotan. It was a mandatory passage to go from the cultivation world to the lands of the demonic cultivators. Fotan was a famous lawless territory beyond the control of any faction; the area was a mixed bag, filled with all sorts of people from the lower rungs of society and various underground trades. Ahead lay the sanctuary of demonic cultivators, hidden in filth and harboring evil; behind lay the open and upright cultivation world.

The Heguang Sect disciples ushered her into a tavern and ordered a table full of excellent dishes, beginning to chatter as they asked her what exactly had happened and how she had been abducted to Fotan. Qin Zhizhi thought about it and replied, “I was walking on the street together with my younger sister. Who could have known that a sudden, sharp pain would strike the back of my head, causing me to lose consciousness. When I woke up, I was already inside the carriage.”

This was indeed what the original owner had encountered that day.

Yet, contrary to expectations, the moment she finished speaking, Su Qingyi instantly became furious. “As expected, it really is the fault of that Qin Zhijie!”

Qin Zhizhi was completely mystified, only to see Su Qingyi take her hand. “Miss Qin, you don’t know, but a while ago, your good younger sister Qin Zhijie brought half a piece of a jade pendant to our Heguang Sect, claiming she came to apologize on behalf of her elder sister from the first wife.”

Qin Zhizhi was blank. “What crime did I commit?”

“She claimed that you threw away the jade pendant and fled the marriage, and now no one can find you anywhere!”

Qin Zhizhi gasped. “I have been raised within the inner chambers since childhood, without even the strength to truss a chicken. How could I possibly do such a thing?”

Though she spoke thus with her mouth, she was nearly laughing herself crazy in her heart. She had never seen anyone who loved digging holes for themselves so much. Qin Zhijie, you really are something.

Su Qingyi poured a cup of tea for Qin Zhizhi and continued, “Qin Zhijie even insisted that since this marriage was settled by the elders of both families, it could not be easily dropped just like that. She expressed her willingness to marry over in place of her elder sister.”

“Exactly, and she also pesters our Senior Brother Jun every single day. Originally, Senior Brother Jun was supposed to come down the mountain with us this time, but as a result, he was forced to remain behind in the sect.” Another disciple, perhaps remembering something, rubbed his arms with an expression that was somewhat difficult to describe.

Qin Zhizhi blinked her eyes rapidly, and by the time she raised her head again, tears were already condensing on her eyelashes.

She was naturally born with a delicate, gentle, and quiet appearance. Her palm-sized face appeared even more thin, weak, and haggard after enduring the jolting journey. With her large, round eyes brimming with tears, she looked exceptionally pitiful and helpless.

“Why would younger sister say such things? If she truly likes Immortal Cultivator Jun that much, I… I can just let her have him…”

Aside from Su Qingyi, the disciples of the Heguang Sect were all hot-blooded youths. The moment they saw the young girl shed tears, their emotions became somewhat stirred up and indignant. Furthermore, when they thought of Qin Zhijie, who had annoyed Jun Wuya to the point of utter exasperation, the scales in their hearts tilted completely to one side. They cried out one after another, “Miss Qin, rest assured! We will demand justice on your behalf once we return!”

Qin Zhizhi felt inwardly delighted, yet on the surface, she still expressed her gratitude while wiping away her tears. The instant she raised her sleeve, however, she noticed that Lu Yuandao, who had remained silent all this time, was holding his teacup and looking at her with a half-smile. Qin Zhizhi’s heart skipped a beat. Oh no, could it be that she overacted?

“Fortunately, Father once taught me how to write an Amplification Rune, and I also had your rescue…” Qin Zhizhi quietly reined in her tragic persona, silently changing the topic along the way. “It is just that Fotan is such a place of right and wrong, why are you all here?”

Seeing that she had changed the subject, Su Qingyi found it inconvenient to prick at someone’s painful spot further. She smiled and answered, “Miss Qin probably hasn’t heard of it yet, but we are all here for Xie Yutai of the Guiyuan Sect.”

Hearing the name Xie Yutai, Qin Zhizhi’s brow twitched.

What on earth is this? How did it get involved with Xie Yutai again?

“You have no idea how outrageous that bunch of demonic bastards are. They actually led a demonic army to attack the Guiyuan Sect on the very day of Xie Yutai’s wedding!” A disciple of the Heguang Sect grew furious as he spoke, slamming the table fiercely. “They are simply too subhuman! So many people came to observe the ceremony that day, and everyone was full of joy, yet they were caught completely off guard. That Right Protector of the demonic race, Jiang Yuanzhi, caused Xie Yutai’s fiancée to die right on the spot. Xie Yutai was still wearing his wedding garments when he took up his sword and pursued Jiang Yuanzhi all the way into the demonic realm…”

Qin Zhizhi: Wait, wait, are you speaking at double speed? Can you slow down a bit… What are you talking about?!

“Alas,” Su Qingyi let out a sigh of regret. “That female cultivator from the Tiantong Sect is truly a pity. Who didn’t know previously that she liked Xie Yutai? Now, after so much difficulty, she was finally about to marry her beloved, yet who could have expected this outcome. Speaking of which, it is quite a coincidence; that person was also named Qin Zhizhi, pronounced exactly the same as your name.”

Qin Zhizhi: “…Yes, it really is quite a coincidence.”

Ah, well, actually, even she herself hadn’t expected so many things to happen after her death. It seems that even without cutting open her dantian, it would have been very difficult to marry Xie Yutai smoothly.

“After Jiang Yuanzhi and Xie Yutai vanished, the sect masters of the Three Sects and Six Factions issued orders overnight, summoning the disciples of each faction back to their respective sects to discuss the matter. It just so happened that we were near Fotan, so Master sent a message letting us detour through here to check on the situation. If anything comes up, we are to contact them immediately, which also serves to provide support to Brother Xie, who is all alone.” Lu Yuandao finally set down his teacup, speaking slowly.

Qin Zhizhi: “…So that’s how it is.”

So after my death, the one who took up the female lead’s script was actually Xie Yutai? It’s quite spectacular, then.

Actually, regarding Jiang Yuanzhi, Qin Zhizhi understood a thing or two. She knew that the Right Protector of the demonic race seemed to be quite an important figure. According to the system, she possessed formidable strength, already reaching the Nascent Soul stage despite her young age. One must know that even the exceptionally gifted genius Xie Yutai was only at the Core Formation stage, yet he was already the sword cultivator with the highest prospects of ascending to immortality within the cultivation world in several centuries.

In the plot, this enchantress seemed to have taken a fancy to Xie Yutai, having long held the intention to abduct him. It was only a pity that she could never find an opportunity. Now that Xie Yutai was getting married, how could she not seize the perfect opportunity immediately?

Thinking of it this way, Qin Zhizhi could not help but feel somewhat melancholy.

The duck she had been cooking for so long had flown away just like that, before she could even have a single bite. Thinking of Xie Yutai’s ascetic, immortal-like face, her heart felt a bit itchy after all.

While Qin Zhizhi was still fantasizing about random things, the table they sat at suddenly vibrated violently. Amidst a clattering noise, cups, bowls, and chopsticks smashed all over the floor, startling her so much that she almost fell off her stool. “What is this? Is it an earthquake?”

Outside the main doors of the tavern, there seemed to be bursts of wild wind, blowing the tavern doors open and closed with creaking sounds. The light inside the tavern flickered between bright and dark, accompanied by the rising and falling sounds of boisterous, wild laughter that made one’s heart tremble with fear. Shocked by this laughter to the point where her scalp went numb, Qin Zhizhi simply plopped down to sit on the ground. With one hand clutching her chest and the other holding a table leg, she unexpectedly failed to endure it and threw up a mouthful of blood with a “wah.”

The person emitting this laughter possessed at least a Core Formation cultivation. A useless person like the current Qin Zhizhi had absolutely no resistance against it; if the laughter continued any longer, she would be dead.

At this moment, a bizarre transformation abruptly occurred. The eyes of the waiter originally behind the counter and the scattered customers in the lounge gradually went blank amidst the laughter, their black pupils filling their entire eyes. Resembling puppets, they stood up slowly from their seats with stiff postures, gradually surrounding Qin Zhizhi and the others.

As they drew near, a dense stench of corpses could be smelled on them, indicating they had clearly been dead for a long time.

Under this bizarre transformation, Lu Yuandao was the first to react. His seven-string zither was already laid across his knees. With a “dang” sound, his five fingers plucked the seven strings. The zither music, blended with spiritual energy, carved out a musical domain in midair, enveloping everyone within it.

Su Qingyi reacted immediately afterward, clutching her own zither body as she sat cross-legged beside Lu Yuandao. Carving out another musical domain, she cried out with some anxiety, “Senior Brother Lu!”

Lu Yuandao spoke in a deep voice, “Disciples of the Heguang Sect, form the array!”

The other disciples all returned to their senses and sat down in sequence, using the zither music to block this terrifying laughter. Every single musical note that leaped from their fingertips caused the musical domain to expand by a fraction. Clashing against the laughter in midair, it actually formed two forces confronting each other. Meanwhile, the surrounding corpses were unable to approach because of this musical domain; they merely kept their heads lowered, standing at the outer perimeter of the domain while making “he-he” sounds from their throats.

“Has the cultivation world run out of people, sending you all to scout for information?” Outside the tavern, the laughter gradually subsided, and an effeminate voice exploded beside everyone’s ears, making it impossible to discern whether it belonged to a male or a female. “I see you all don’t even seem capable of passing through Fotan.”

Outside the tavern, the yellow sand stretched endlessly. Within an expanse of dust and smoke, many silhouettes appeared to be swaying as they walked toward this place. Their eyes were a solid, deathly black, and faint corpse spots were even revealed upon their faces. The Fotan that had been perfectly normal just moments ago had already transformed into a coliseum filled with walking corpses, while they were the fish upon the chopping block.

Qin Zhizhi’s eyelids twitched. Seeing this situation, how could she still not understand? There were no living people left in the current Fotan.

This demonic race had clearly obtained information from somewhere that cultivators were coming to provide support. Using Fotan as a lure, they had laid a trap here precisely to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

However, how could the demonic race obtain information so quickly, even laying down killers in Fotan so far in advance? Could there be a traitor within the cultivation world?

Having just sorted out some clues, Qin Zhizhi was completely numbed by this internal force shock. She truly hated herself for only obtaining an S-grade rating; if she had been able to get an SSS-grade, would she still have to suffer this grievance?

Just as the Heguang Sect disciples were preparing to deliver a desperate strike, a flash of sword light suddenly sliced through the dust and smoke. Accompanied by an all-enveloping, chilling sword intent, all sounds instantly ceased. Suppressed by this cold, severe sword intent, the surrounding corpses actually bent their waists one after another, faintly trembling.

The zither bodies hummed, vibrating violently as if they felt something.

The newcomer was clad in a dark ink-colored cloak over clothes as white as snow. Upon his lapels, a white crane spread its wings, returning by riding the clouds, making his entire being appear like the incarnation of a white crane. Intertwined with a majestic sword intent, he arrived gracefully from the clouds.

He possessed bright teeth and red lips, with a well-aligned brow bone. Over his eyes was bound a layer of white silk fabric. Although he could see nothing, he held his sword and walked step by step from the yellow sand, looking as though he were strolling leisurely in a courtyard, existing within a painting.

When Qin Zhizhi saw that the man’s eyes were covered with a layer of white silk, she fell abruptly into a daze. In the next instant, she heard that effeminate voice say with some astonishment, “Xie Yutai, how can you be here?”