The Beautiful Pariah Thought He Could Be Loved - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: “Welcome the Young Master of Xuerong Palace Back to the Sect!”

Everything before his eyes was a void of pure black. Aside from the piece of fabric in his hand, all of his senses had vanished.

Huaqing counted five seconds in his head before light gradually returned to his vision. They were in a deep pit; only the two of them were there, with faint light filtering down through the gaps in the weeds covering the opening above.

Huaqing felt his cultivation being suppressed to only the late stage of Foundation Establishment. He must have been assigned the identity of the demonic cultivator by the array, who, at this point in the timeline, only possessed Foundation Establishment strength.

He gripped Xin Qishu tightly with one hand, not letting him stray a single step. Looking around, the most important task now was to rescue the villagers.

Since the master of the array was dead, he could forcibly destroy the array once the people were found.

The walls of the earthen pit had been intentionally smoothed with spiritual power. He Huaqing tested them; the weeds masking the entrance were enchanted with an array that prohibited exit.

This was a trap designed to lure spirit beasts. Spirit beasts have a keen sense of smell; He Huaqing and Xin Qishu—or rather, the “demonic cultivator”—were the bait.

Now they could only wait. The demonic cultivator couldn’t be trapped here forever. He had to wait for the “variable” in the plot to appear before he could act.

“Did that demonic cultivator use the array to trap us here?”

“No,” He Huaqing turned to look at Xin Qishu, who hadn’t said a word since entering the pit. “I killed him before I came in.”

Xin Qishu was slightly surprised and stood stiffly to one side.

Huaqing asked: “Who exactly are you, and why did you appear on Lychee Mountain? Do you have anything to do with the Soul-Snatching Array?”

A snow-white blade was placed against the side of his neck. Xin Qishu licked his dry lips and met the man’s gaze with calm composure.

“Think carefully before you speak. It would only take me an instant to kill you.”

Xin Qishu’s mind raced. He certainly couldn’t reveal the truth… how should he deceive He Huaqing?

Huaqing’s pale green eyes stared at him, his facial features sharp and clean-cut.

This difficult man…

Xin Qishu made up his mind and began: “I was originally a disciple of the Jinxu Sect. Because of a conflict with other disciples, I was kicked out two months ago. A month ago, I drifted to the vicinity of Lychee Mountain. I heard the rain and snow here have miraculous effects, so I came up the mountain out of curiosity.”

“The Soul-Snatching Array has nothing to do with me. I don’t even recognize it.”

“I played on the mountain for a few days, wandering around looking at the scenery. I didn’t know much about what was happening in Chu Village.”

“Once I’d had enough, I wanted to leave, but I found the foot of the mountain blocked by a barrier. I couldn’t get out. So I went back to Chu Village to check the situation, and as soon as I returned, I saw you.”

“Oh?” Huaqing let out a soft sound.

“When I was on the mountain, I hired a local from Chu Village as a guide. We got along exceptionally well. Just now, outside…” Xin Qishu said with a sob, “I couldn’t find him. He must have been captured and brought here. In my agitation, I remembered what the girl said and swallowed the herb…”

“And the puppet strings? You didn’t want me to save them?”

“Of course not,” tears welled in Xin Qishu’s eyes. “I was just… curious about you. Curious if you would kill those with thirteen puppet strings.”

Huaqing suddenly grabbed Xin Qishu’s wrist, checking his pulse.

Xin Qishu looked at him with feigned confusion, though his heart was pounding against his ribs. He had specifically disguised himself before coming up the mountain—he must not be seen through!

He Huaqing: “Who was your previous master?”

“He wasn’t famous,” Xin Qishu said softly. “You definitely wouldn’t know him. Why?”

“He didn’t teach you well; your foundation is unstable. Next time you seek a master, choose someone reliable.” He Huaqing released his hand, seemingly no longer suspicious.

He appeared to believe Xin Qishu’s words.

Xin Qishu breathed a sigh of relief and said casually: “I don’t plan on seeking another master. Being a rogue cultivator isn’t bad. Without biased elders, life is so much easier…”

He Huaqing said: “If you have the chance, you could try Fayu Temple. The sect discipline is very strict; there won’t be cases of favoritism.”

Xin Qishu gave a peculiar smile. “What if no one accepts me? Lord Sword Sovereign, why don’t you take me in?”

Huaqing looked at him with emotionless pale green eyes and shook his head: “Taking a disciple requires destiny.”

“Is being trapped in this pit together not destiny enough?” Xin Qishu laughed. His eyes curved, dimples appearing on his cheeks, bright and alluring.

Huaqing smiled. “I wouldn’t be able to keep you in line.”

A clear breeze blew through, relieving the stifling air.

“Sigh, I wonder when we can get out of this pit?” Xin Qishu leaned against the earthen wall with a hint of sorrow, muttering to himself: “Though staying here isn’t bad; at least it isn’t raining blades from the sky.”

Xin Qishu laughed a few times.

“Where would he have hidden the people of Chu Village?”

He Huaqing: “I have been identified by the array as the demonic cultivator of this moment. I just need a little time, and I will be able to sense their location.”

“When that happens, I can forcibly break the array.”

“Oh—” Xin Qishu tapped the earthen wall with his knuckles. “Then we wait. The demonic cultivator is dead; as long as we don’t break the array, it should keep running forever, right?”

“Not necessarily. When the plot in the array reaches the point where the master’s emotions fluctuate most violently, the array might shut down due to insufficient energy. We must find the villagers before then.”

“Awoo—”

The howl of a spirit beast echoed through the pit.

The light above vanished as a dark shadow descended from the sky.

Xin Qishu hurried back several steps as a four-legged animal with iron-gray fur brushed past his face and landed.

The beast wailed upon landing but quickly steadied itself, baring its teeth and snarling at the two of them.

The weeds at the opening had been smashed aside by its fall, allowing a beam of warm sunlight to pour into the pit.

Before them, a wolf demon as tall as a man glared at them, its eerie green eyes flashing with a sinister light.

Huaqing stood in front, his hand on his sword hilt. Behind him, a red glint flashed through Xin Qishu’s eyes as he watched silently, a dagger appearing in his palm behind his back.

The blade of the dagger shimmered with a cold light, and a pale purple spirit stone was embedded in the hilt. It was a top-grade weapon that could cut through iron like butter, named “Amethyst.”

This was something he had specifically prepared to kill the demonic cultivator.

The wolf demon took a step forward, letting out a piercing low growl. Its jaws opened, revealing rows of sharp, white teeth.

Saliva dripped onto the ground, causing wisps of white smoke to rise.

With a crisp sound, He Huaqing unsheathed his sword and struck at the wolf demon, the white sword-light arching through the air. Simultaneously, the wolf demon pounced.

The sword-light passed through the wolf demon’s neck like a phantom. The beast was completely unharmed.

Spiritual swords can’t be used here?!

Huaqing sidestepped, and the wolf demon slammed into the earthen wall. He Huaqing seized the moment, grabbed its fur, and slammed it into the ground. A large crater appeared, and the wolf demon curled up weakly inside.

Throughout the entire encounter, the wolf demon paid no attention to Xin Qishu.

Xin Qishu’s heart sank. He was unlucky and hadn’t been granted an identity by the array. The demonic cultivator must have hidden the people in the place he considered most important; Xin Qishu wouldn’t be able to find Fei Jia before He Huaqing did.

Three months ago, the two had split up. Xin Qishu went to the Southern Forest to find the demonic cultivator’s weakness, while Fei Jia followed him.

A month ago, Xin Qishu reunited with Fei Jia and learned that the heavily injured demonic cultivator had gone up Lychee Mountain.

Xin Qishu had refused Fei Jia’s help, taking the Amethyst dagger up the mountain alone. His original plan was to kill the demonic cultivator within three days, but he hadn’t expected the man to stay with mortals constantly—he actually wanted to set up a Soul-Snatching Array!

Xin Qishu abandoned his plan and triggered the Leaf Vein Sword he had hidden elsewhere to lure the demonic cultivator down the mountain. He then went down to the meeting spot to find Fei Jia, wanting him to help break the array.

But Fei Jia was not at the meeting spot. Fearing he had gone up the mountain to find him, Xin Qishu hurried back. Halfway up, his unease grew, and he thought of going back down to get reinforcements. But when he reached the foot of the mountain, he found the entire mountain covered in a barrier! Those inside couldn’t leave, and those outside couldn’t enter.

Fearing Fei Jia had gone up alone and been tied into the secret realm by the demonic cultivator, Xin Qishu climbed to the peak again to enter the realm and search. There, he saw He Huaqing speaking solemnly with the villagers.

Though they had become puppets, the master was too preoccupied to manage them, so the little girl’s words were actually true.

Xin Qishu had stopped him from entering the secret realm because he feared Fei Jia was inside. If He Huaqing found the villagers’ hiding place, he would immediately kill Fei Jia for being a demon.

Compared to that, the current situation was only slightly better.

Suddenly, a flash of white light occurred, and Xin Qishu appeared at the opening of the pit. The sky was azure, the sun was dazzling, and blue butterflies fluttered past.

Xin Qishu looked down. In the pit, He Huaqing was covered in wounds, his clothes stained crimson with blood. Huaqing looked around in confusion. Under the blazing sun, a bizarre sense of heartache bloomed in Xin Qishu’s chest.

This was an emotion that did not belong to him.

His hands involuntarily formed an incantation. A pale blue glow flew into the pit, weaving into a large net that fished out the blood-covered He Huaqing.

The net brought He Huaqing into Xin Qishu’s arms. Xin Qishu was forced to hold a man heavier than himself. “This isn’t my spiritual power.”

Huaqing’s expression was strange. He actually felt his heart flutter for Xin Qishu; his heart was pounding. What identity had the array given Xin Qishu?

“Elder Tang! Why did you pull him out again?!”

A complaining male voice appeared in the air.

“Exactly. You ruin our plans every time. Even if you’re an elder, you can’t act like this!”

“We know you adore your disciple, but who told him to draw the short straw? Xiao Wu, go see if the wolf demon is still alive.”

“It’s dead?! Susu, how did you lose control of your hands again?”

Many more voices appeared in the air.

Huaqing opened his mouth and spoke in a voice that wasn’t his: “I… I’m sorry, Senior Brother.”

It was vaguely recognizable as the demonic cultivator’s voice. The cowardly tone was completely at odds with He Huaqing’s face.

Xin Qishu also spoke uncontrollably in a female voice: “How can it be Susu who draws the short straw every time? You’ve rigged it!”

“Do you have proof?”

The voices became increasingly noisy, eventually turning into a mess of static. The sky grew darker, the range of vision narrowed, and unknown animals called out in the night. As the two were forced to look at each other, an indescribable emotion was born.

I feel at peace seeing you. I want to hold you…

Suddenly, one sentence rang out particularly loud: “Tang Chen, you haven’t fallen in love with Susu, have you?”

The air suddenly froze.

“You haven’t fallen in love with Susu, have you?”

“Susu, do you like Tang Chen?”

These two sentences repeated constantly in their ears. Everything else in the world fell away, leaving only these words. The words transformed into long silk ribbons, wrapping around the two layer by layer. The light grew dimmer, and Xin Qishu’s gaze couldn’t help but turn fearful.

“Enough!” Cracks suddenly appeared on He Huaqing’s face as he gave a great shout. The voices stopped.

He tapped Xin Qishu. After a moment of daze, Xin Qishu felt much lighter. He Huaqing was flying him away on a sword.

He looked back. Beside the pit sat two figures in the same pose they had just been in.

A gentle woman in white was holding a bleeding youth.

“I’ve sensed where the demonic cultivator hid them!” Huaqing could only briefly pull them out of their roles, but it was enough to get them there!

As the emerald forest flew beneath them, Xin Qishu stood close to He Huaqing. After a while, he said: “Really? Where are they?”

“A cave in the back mountain!”

“I don’t think so. You said before: ‘When the plot reaches the point where the master’s emotions fluctuate most, the array might shut down.’ The demonic cultivator must have hidden them in the place he considers most important. Wouldn’t that be the place where his emotions were most intense?”

Amidst the sound of the wind, He Huaqing looked at Xin Qishu.

“Actually, I know Susu,” Xin Qishu said rapidly.

“The Jinxu Sect and the Xiaoshan Sect are very close.”

“Susu was Tang Chen’s disciple. The master and disciple didn’t have a high status in the sect; things like what happened just now were frequent. Every time Susu was hurt, Tang Chen cared for him diligently. Gradually, they developed feelings for each other and secretly became cultivation partners, but they were discovered by the sect.”

“The Xiaoshan Sect wanted to protect Tang Chen. Just as a beast tide was approaching, they sent Susu away from Tang Chen to handle the relocation of mortals before the tide hit.”

Xin Qishu pointed toward a distant village. “Susu was completely separated from Tang Chen there.”

The houses in the village were unremarkable.

Huaqing hesitated, and Xin Qishu said: “I’m telling the truth. I want to save my friend as soon as possible too.”

“Are you from the Southern Forest? Your accent doesn’t sound like it,” He Huaqing said suspiciously.

When Xin Qishu spoke again, he used an accent. “I just don’t usually speak this way. People around here don’t understand the Southern Forest dialect.”

Huaqing was still hesitating. Xin Qishu said: “Then how about I go to the village, and you go to the back mountain?”

Huaqing glanced at him. “Let’s stay together.” The village and the back mountain were in nearly opposite directions. The two turned and flew toward the village.

As soon as they landed, they felt the ground vibrate. The village was almost empty.

“This is bad. The beast tide is coming. Hurry and find the villagers!” Xin Qishu said.

“It’s too late.” Huaqing scooped Xin Qishu up and hid in the nearest straw hut. Soon, a multitude of spirit beasts galloped past, their demonic aura surging to the heavens.

Only a flimsy wall separated the two from the beast tide.

The excited cries of the beasts overlapped. Xin Qishu’s face turned pale, and he huddled into He Huaqing’s arms.

The straw hut was small, and Xin Qishu huddled at He Huaqing’s side.

His back rested against He Huaqing’s shoulder, and a voice whispered in his ear: “Don’t move.”

Xin Qishu’s heart skipped a beat.

A cloud drifted over, blocking the moonlight.

A gap suddenly appeared in the beast tide. Xin Qishu looked out; it was Tang Chen, who had appeared to protect Susu, forcibly carving out an opening with his sword-light. But how could she withstand a beast tide?

The gap grew smaller and smaller.

It was hard to say if the array would automatically close if the woman in white died. He Huaqing closed his eyes to perform a divination; he had to find those mortals before then.

A blue butterfly flew stumblingly through the beast tide toward them. Ten kilometers from the hut, the butterfly paused and suddenly crumbled into powder.

Xin Qishu sensed the message transmitted by the butterfly and breathed a sigh of relief. Fei Jia was indeed in the back mountain cave. Furthermore, Fei Jia said he had broken free from the demonic cultivator’s binding ropes and was preparing to break the array.

Xin Qishu looked at He Huaqing, pursed his lips, and thought: I’m sorry.

Then he thought a bit mischievously: Who told you not to remember me?

Huaqing suddenly opened his eyes. Xin Qishu’s heart jolted, his hand resting on the man’s arm, ready to push him away at any moment.

Huaqing grabbed Xin Qishu and pulled him; a steel needle embedded itself into the earthen wall where Xin Qishu’s back had just been. Xin Qishu was shocked.

A great wind blew open the dilapidated wooden door of the hut. Susu stood at the door, covered in blood and laughing incessantly. The beasts running outside seemed not to see him, passing straight through his body… no wounds appeared on the demonic cultivator’s body.

This was a portion of Susu’s soul left in the array.

Susu did not enter the room. He raised his hand slightly, and several steel needles flew from his sleeve.

Huaqing raised his hand and used spiritual power to deflect them; the needles fell to the ground.

Xin Qishu: “Why is he still laughing…”

Huaqing also frowned. Suddenly, a glint of silver caught the corner of his eye. Without thinking, he raised his arm to block! The silver needle that had been aimed at Xin Qishu’s back pierced He Huaqing’s left arm.

“He Huaqing!” Xin Qishu hurriedly moved from his position, shouting in alarm.

A silver needle no thicker than a hair was embedded in the skin. Huaqing frowned and looked down to pull it out. Although the needle only left a tiny hole, a large amount of blood flowed out. “This needle is strange. It doesn’t hurt. Xin Qishu, check quickly to see if you were hit.”

He looked at Xin Qishu with concern.

Xin Qishu froze.

“Xin Qishu? Hahahaha—fine. If there is a next life, just you wait!” Susu’s figure at the door gradually faded.

“It’s fine. It’s about to disappear completely. Let’s go find the villagers.” He Huaqing took Xin Qishu’s hand.

The demonic cultivator was still laughing wildly. Suddenly, a great boom echoed from the sky, as if the heavens were cracking open.

“Someone is breaking the array?” Huaqing looked at Xin Qishu, who hadn’t done anything. Was there a third cultivator in the secret realm?!

Another flash of black light lasted five or six seconds. When he opened his eyes again, dozens of voices rang in his ears like thunder:

“Welcome the Young Master of Xuerong Palace back to the Sect!”

Huaqing turned his head. Xin Qishu’s face was as white as paper. The faint shimmer in his eyes slowly faded from brown. Amidst the vast world of white snow, his eyes were a crystalline, gem-like red.