I Reborn on the Night I Divorced the Sword Deity, My Childhood Friend - Chapter 13

Gradually, the sky darkened, and a stretch of brilliant, golden-woven sunset clouds ignited across the horizon.

On the plains below, dots of villages appeared with wisps of cooking smoke curling upward, while a faint shadow of the moon emerged from the opposite direction. A city loomed indistinctly at the junction of the sky and the moon.

The demonic cultivator, who had been traveling in silence, looked at the city and finally spoke. “Flying on the wind is too taxing. Lingyun City is ahead; why don’t we go into the city to buy a spirit beast mount or a flying Dharma treasure before continuing?”

Shen Junyu’s heart stirred, and he couldn’t help but glance at the demonic cultivator.

Seeing this look, the man did not explain further. He offered a slight smile and simply asked, “Shall we go?”

Looking into the dark, smiling eyes beneath the silver mask, Shen Junyu knew the demonic cultivator himself was fine. He must have noticed that Shen Junyu had exhausted too much energy during his confrontation with Yuan Muzhou; after half a day of sword-riding, he was clearly struggling.

A flicker of gratitude rose in Shen Junyu’s heart. Without any pretension, he nodded.

Seeing that Shen Junyu agreed, the demonic cultivator added, “The reputation of the Young Sect Master of Yuheng is too great. If you enter the city like this, someone will surely report your presence within fifteen minutes. Let us change your appearance first.”

Shen Junyu understood. He silently performed a hand seal to alter his features, transforming into a young man with an ordinary yet clean-cut appearance. However, the transcendent and refined aura beneath his plain white robes did not change in the slightest.

Once Shen Junyu finished his transformation, the demonic cultivator stared at him, his gaze flickering with uncertainty as if lost in thought.

Seeing this, Shen Junyu couldn’t help but ask, “What is it? Is there a flaw in my disguise?”

The demonic cultivator snapped back to his senses and shook his head with a wry smile. “No, but your clothing and bearing still do not resemble a common cultivator. Instead, they make you stand out even more.”

This time, it was Shen Junyu’s turn to be speechless.

He was always one to take good advice, so he searched through his storage ring, took off his white robes, and found a set of ordinary green cultivator’s attire to wear instead.

The demonic cultivator scrutinized him for a moment and then nodded. “Though you are still somewhat eye-catching, this is much better.”

Finished, the man turned his gaze away. Without any hesitation, he reached up and removed his silver mask right in front of Shen Junyu. He also changed into a simple set of blue cultivator’s robes.

Shen Junyu watched the transformation in silence. He observed the man’s handsome face, which—like his own—could now only be described as average. He knew this was also a disguise. Yet, for some reason, he felt a strange curiosity about what the man’s true face actually looked like.

However, Shen Junyu was well aware that such things were not his concern right now. After a moment of silence, he asked a different question.

“Since we have known each other for this long, would you be willing to tell me your name?” After a pause, he added, “If it is inconvenient, it doesn’t matter.”

The demonic cultivator finally looked up at Shen Junyu. After a moment, he smiled candidly. “What is inconvenient about that? My surname is Wen, and my given name is Su.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Junyu was slightly surprised and nodded. “A good name. It is quite similar to a certain great power of the Demon Race. I almost mistook it.”

Wen Su went quiet for a second, then replied with an unchanging expression, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

By the time the two entered Lingyun City, the bright moon was already hanging high in the sky.

The streets of Lingyun City remained brightly lit and bustling, with many shops still open. With a clear goal in mind, they agreed to visit a shop that sold flying Dharma treasures.

At this hour, the shop owner was drowsy. Seeing customers arrive, he forced himself to wake up and attend to them. Just as Shen Junyu was about to ask for an introduction to the treasures in the shop, a loud, chaotic commotion erupted outside.

Vaguely, words like “Yuheng Sect” and “Young Sect Master” could be heard.

Both Shen Junyu and Wen Su had extremely sharp hearing. Hearing these words, they immediately locked eyes. They were of one mind.

Wen Su acted decisively. Before the drowsy shop owner was fully awake, he raised his hand and shattered the counter with a single palm strike! He reached out, grabbed a White Jade Boat, and bolted.

Wen Su moved with lightning speed. By the time the owner recovered, only a wrecked counter remained before him. The owner opened his mouth, his face twisting into a piteous expression as he prepared to scream. Suddenly, a magnificent, exquisite brocade pouch flew through the air and landed directly in his mouth, instantly choking back his cry.

Vaguely, the owner caught a glimpse of a green sleeve.

After several rounds of spitting, the owner yanked the pouch from his mouth. He was about to throw it away in a rage when he suddenly felt a surge of fresh spiritual energy emanating from it. Startled, he immediately untied the pouch.

Inside sat a night-luminescent pearl the size of a child’s fist, slowly radiating a soft, brilliant glow. Looking at the pearl, the owner’s mouth hung open in shock, unable to recover for a long time.

Above Lingyun City.

Two figures—one in green and one in blue—leapt across the rooftops on the wind. As they headed out of the city, they tilted their ears to listen to the activity in the taverns and on the streets.

After listening for a while, Shen Junyu felt slightly more at ease.

As expected, he and Wen Su were wanted fugitives with bounties on their heads. However, the bounty was issued neither by the Sword Sect nor the Yuheng Sect, but by the Lingbao Sect.

One didn’t need to be a genius to know that Lin Shuyi was behind this. The bounty was accompanied by many ridiculous rumors, mostly claiming that Shen Junyu had been possessed by a demonic cultivator and that his personality had changed drastically. It stated that if he could be captured—dead or alive—and delivered to the Lingbao Sect, a massive reward would be granted.

At that moment, a cultivator in a tavern shouted boastfully, “Nonsense! I was there at the scene, and what I saw was not like that at all!”

The crowd immediately egged him on to tell the story.

The drunk cultivator shook his head and said, “The truth is that the Young Sect Master of Yuheng was cheated on by Young Sect Master Yuan. The one he was cheated with was his own younger brother! Ha! In a fit of rage, Young Sect Master Shen simply hooked up with a demonic cultivator, and the two of them flew off together.”

Someone immediately expressed disbelief. “Wasn’t it possession? No matter how sad Young Sect Master Shen was, he wouldn’t destroy his own future by running off with a demonic cultivator, would he?”

“Pah! I saw it with my own eyes; how could I be wrong? At that time, Young Sect Master Shen and that demonic cultivator were making eyes at each other, and they even held hands in broad daylight. In private, they might have already finished the deed. Otherwise, why would he follow him so willingly? Most likely, he was bedded—”

Before the cultivator’s boastful, smug voice could finish, a thunderous roar erupted. The roof of the tavern was smashed through, creating a massive hole!

Immediately following, a streak of black-red demonic energy pierced down like a sword, striking the smug cultivator squarely in the chest. The man’s eyes widened and his lips parted, but before he could say a word, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood and fell straight from the upper floor.

Chaos instantly broke out in the tavern!

The crowd was terrified to see the black-red demonic energy. Someone immediately shouted, “It’s the demonic cultivator! Could it be the one who made off with Young Sect Master Shen in the secret realm?”

“It’s him! It’s definitely him! The color of that demonic energy is different from ordinary demonic cultivators!”

As the shouts rang out, the tavern fell into further disarray. Countless Dharma treasures and spiritual tools lit up as people began to fight and give chase. However, Wen Su struck once and retreated. Taking advantage of the chaos, he and Shen Junyu had already fled Lingyun City.

Now, they stood in the wilderness, watching the turmoil in Lingyun City from afar. In the distance, numerous streaks of light rose above the city’s tavern as people searched in all directions, but none headed toward them.

Standing in the wind, Wen Su saw this and breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Shen Junyu and said in a low voice, “My apologies. I lost my temper just now and nearly exposed us.” After a pause, he added coldly, “It was just that man’s mouth; it was so foul it made me irritable, so I acted.”

Shen Junyu was silent for a moment before looking at him. “Why are you apologizing?”

Wen Su was slightly startled.

Shen Junyu’s glazed eyes were clear and bright. He met Wen Su’s surprised gaze and, after a moment, smiled faintly. “You stood up for me. I am happy; why would I blame you?”

When Shen Junyu smiled, his expression was very calm, and the light in his eyes was extremely soft. Having lived a second life, he never hesitated to express his likes and dislikes.

Watching this look from Shen Junyu, Wen Su’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly looked away as if trying to hide something, his lips pressing down into a faint, uncontrollable line. “That’s good. I was afraid you’d think I, a demonic cultivator, was leading you astray.”

Shen Junyu found this strange. “Am I not a demonic cultivator now as well? How can you lead me astray?”

“Besides, they all say I am the one who abducted you. Perhaps I am the one getting the better end of the deal.”

Hearing this, Wen Su was even more surprised. A different kind of emotion surged within him, and he couldn’t help but look at Shen Junyu again.

But this time, Shen Junyu was no longer smiling or joking. His disguised, clean-cut profile looked calmly toward Lingyun City under the moonlight, carefully observing the movements of the cultivators. Wen Su watched him for a while but could see nothing more. At first, he felt a slight sense of loss, but as he continued to watch, a strange sense of stability gradually grew within him.

Sword Sect, Lingyun Peak.

Yuan Muzhou returned to Lingyun Peak exhausted. Before he could even tend to his injuries, he ran straight into Yun Suyi.

Yuan Muzhou, who had just managed to steady his emotions, felt an anonymous fire of rage surge within him at the sight of her. He closed his eyes, wanting to tell her not to block his path.

However, Yun Suyi spoke first with a face full of reproach and anxiety. “Muzhou, I heard Junyu was possessed by a demonic cultivator? How much do you know about this? Is he unwilling to save Siyuan because he was possessed?”

Yuan Muzhou snapped his eyes open, his gaze as cold as ice as he looked directly at her. Even though Yun Suyi was a powerful master in the Void Refinement Realm, she couldn’t help but feel a chill down her spine under his gaze.

Thinking of Shen Siyuan’s worsening injuries, she hesitated for a moment but still intended to speak. But at that moment—

“Junyu has not fallen into the demonic path. I tried to stop him, but I failed.” Yuan Muzhou said every word slowly, his eyes devoid of any ripple.

Yun Suyi was shocked. “How can that be? How could you fail to stop Junyu?” In the next second, suspicion arose. “Muzhou, you were mindful of your past feelings and let him go on purpose, didn’t you?”

Yuan Muzhou did not answer. He simply looked at her expressionlessly. It wasn’t until Yun Suyi showed signs of being unable to withstand his gaze that he slowly took a step forward. He stared directly into her eyes with a gaze as cold as iron and asked:

“Aunt Yun, regarding the matter of borrowing Junyu’s Golden Core, I have three questions.”

“Can you answer them for me?”