Vindicated After a Wrongful Death - Chapter 21

Xiang Zhongjing said coldly, “Bother me again, and you’re dead.”

He was only halfway through his threat when he sensed something. The coldness on his face stiffened, and he suddenly moved his hand away.

“Hmm?”

Song Youqiu’s nose was bumped bright red, but after such a fall, the first thing he did upon scrambling up wasn’t to get angry. Instead, he hurriedly went to pick up the small coffins scattered on the ground.

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Seeing this familiar “coffins over life” style, Xiang Zhongjing rubbed his nose and gave a dry cough.

He had recognized the wrong person.

Gu Congxu burst out laughing shamelessly in the sea of consciousness, but he forgot he was still holding something in his mouth. The moment he opened his jaws, the Shared Destiny Knot fell. He nearly choked on his own laughter as he scrambled back into the depths of the mind to snatch the fleeing knot back into his mouth.

“That was close,” Gu Congxu thought. “If the knot got lost, I’d definitely be mocked again.”

The dignity of a True Dragon was not to be trifled with. His fangs snapped shut, biting down even harder on the item.

Xiang Zhongjing awkwardly helped Song Youqiu pick up the small coffins. When he handed them back, Song Youqiu’s hand actually trembled.

Song Youqiu thought his little scheme to scam Xiang Zhongjing had been exposed. Knowing when to fold, he immediately begged for mercy. “Sovereign, forgive me! I was possessed by a ghost, blinded by greed. Please, show some mercy.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing didn’t understand what he was talking about and wore a puzzled expression.

Over the years, Song Youqiu had dealt with all sorts of monsters and gods, and his ability to read people was top-tier. Catching a glimpse of Xiang Zhongjing’s confused, awkward, and apologetic gaze, his eyes narrowed. He asked tentatively, “Sovereign… did you just recognize the wrong person?”

Xiang Zhongjing nodded, pulled him up, and said, “My apologies, it was my fault. You aren’t hurt, are you?”

Song Youqiu was thick-skinned, and with his protective spiritual energy, he wouldn’t actually be injured by such a fall. Seeing that Xiang Zhongjing seemingly didn’t know about his plan, he immediately resumed his stance of trying to fleece the man.

“I am hurt,” Song Youqiu said with a pained expression, clutching his waist. “My waist, my back, and oh, my neck!”

Xiang Zhongjing saw right through his clumsy acting, but he wasn’t angry. He smiled and said, “Then shall I give you a massage?”

Song Youqiu: “How could I dare trouble the Sovereign… Ugh!”

With smiling eyes, Xiang Zhongjing grabbed the back of his neck. The strength in fingers that had held a sword for years was no joke; with just a bit of pressure, his fingertips almost sank into the flesh.

Xiang Zhongjing asked softly, “Does it still hurt?”

Song Youqiu: “…”

Song Youqiu had brought this on himself. He was squeezed until tears nearly came out, and he whimpered, “It doesn’t hurt anymore, thank you, Sovereign.”

Only then did Xiang Zhongjing pull his hand back.

Song Youqiu touched his neck in fear. Glancing to the side, he saw a stranger holding a pile of good-luck charms looking at him with a murderous expression.

Song Youqiu: “…”

The late-arriving Jin Chuling had witnessed the scene of Xiang Zhongjing gently placing his hand on the back of Song Youqiu’s neck. The body he had so painstakingly changed into a human skin once again showed signs of reverting to its original form.

He gripped the charms in his hand so tightly it was as if he wanted to kill Song Youqiu then and there.

Song Youqiu felt a sudden chill on the back of his neck. He clutched his throat and turned to run ahead with Xiang Zhongjing.

Instinct told him it was better not to stay where he was.

As they walked, Xiang Zhongjing asked, “In the secret realm a few days ago, you mentioned that Su Cansheng destroyed my coffin, right?”

Song Youqiu hopped along beside him. “Yeah, but I’m not covering the cost of a replacement!”

“Then just give the bill to Su Cansheng and make him pay for it,” Xiang Zhongjing thought for a moment. “Oh, right, while you’re at it, have him return my Soul-Stabilizing Coffin.”

Seeing that someone else would be paying the bill, Song Youqiu nodded frantically. “Done, done. Delivering a message costs ten jade stones.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Seeing that Xiang Zhongjing wasn’t pulling out his sword to cut him, Song Youqiu pushed his luck, smiling as he said, “Also, I’ve already had the Funeral Pavilion spread the word across Jiuzhou that First Sovereign Su’s Snow Wolf has a new master. In a while, everyone will know.”

As he spoke, he stretched out his claws, frantically gesturing at Xiang Zhongjing.

Xiang Zhongjing finally understood what that murderous look on Song Youqiu’s face meant when he ran over earlier; it turned out he wanted to overcharge a customer.

Song Youqiu only cared about making money from coffins; he wouldn’t be kind enough to do such a thankless task for free. It had to be that someone who disliked Su Cansheng had paid him to do it.

Xiang Zhongjing didn’t call him out on it and simply nodded. “Fine. When the Soul-Stabilizing Coffin is returned, I’ll pay you for everything.”

Anyway, that gambler Qiong Eryi had plenty of jade stones.

Song Youqiu’s eyes disappeared into a smile. “Thank you for your patronage, Sovereign!”

Xiang Zhongjing ignored him and walked to a deserted area. The Nether Fire on his earring suddenly flared up, roaring like a swimming dragon as it lunged toward the person following closely behind.

Jin Chuling’s pupils shrank. Before he could release any spiritual energy, the fire was already in front of him. With a boom, the good-luck charms he was holding were burned to ash.

The ashes drifted down through Jin Chuling’s fingers.

Jin Chuling looked dazed, and the human skin he was struggling to control reverted to its original form.

Sixty years ago, no matter how much trouble Jin Chuling caused or how angry Xiang Zhongjing got, as long as he brought a pile of charms or lamps to make him happy, Xiang Zhongjing would immediately forgive him.

This was the first time Xiang Zhongjing had burned the charms.

Jin Chuling could barely catch his breath, a sudden sense of despair washing over him: He’s never coming back.

“Stop bothering me.”

Xiang Zhongjing’s gaze was filled with coldness; he couldn’t even be bothered to feel resentment anymore.

Jin Chuling took a few steps forward, his eyes rimmed with red as he murmured, “Zhongjing, back then you clearly. liked me the most.”

In the mind of this madman, no matter how many mistakes he made, as long as he was willing to compensate for them, they could surely return to how things were. That was why he tirelessly approached Xiang Zhongjing, hoping for a reconciliation.

Xiang Zhongjing was completely fed up with that look in his eyes.

He had already said everything that needed to be said to Su Cansheng, and the First Sovereign likely wouldn’t bother him again.

But this Jin Chuling, who simply didn’t listen to reason, had no sense of right and wrong. He ignored what others said and only cared about his own principles, making him even more difficult to deal with than Su Cansheng.

Xiang Zhongjing took a deep breath. He walked down the stairs and stood on a step above Jin Chuling, looking down at him. “Jin Chuling, do you know why I liked you back then?”

Jin Chuling looked up at him, bewildered. “Because A-Ling is smart and good-looking?”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Song Youqiu: “…”

No matter how angry Xiang Zhongjing was, he was nearly driven to laughter by that answer.

Song Youqiu tried his best to hold back his laughter, risking being silenced by Jin Chuling just to stay where he was and act as a bystander.

This was too exciting! He was going to go back and write a book about the love-hate entanglements of Su Cansheng, Xiang Zhongjing, and Jin Chuling. It would surely sell all across Jiuzhou!

He thanked Sovereign Xiang once again for putting him on the front lines of a great show.

“Wrong,” Xiang Zhongjing’s expression was indifferent. “The reason I liked you was that from beginning to end, you looked down on me.”

Jin Chuling blinked in confusion, not quite understanding the meaning of those words.

“What?”

“To the Quyi Sect, I was just a dog they raised. The sect leader named me ‘Lian’—meaning restraint—precisely so I would exercise restraint everywhere and not outshine Qu Weixian.”

Xiang Zhongjing leaned in slightly, looking into Jin Chuling’s vertical pupils as he whispered, “But once I stole the show at the Beast Taming Grand Ceremony and they realized they could no longer control me, they told me to marry into the Demon Clan.”

Jin Chuling stared at him blankly, not understanding why Xiang Zhongjing was telling him this.

“They called it a marriage, but in reality, I was just being sent as a cultivation vessel for the demons,” Xiang Zhongjing whispered into Jin Chuling’s ear. “I was already disheartened, but once I saw you, I knew my freedom had arrived.”

As the meaning of these words sank in, Jin Chuling’s face turned as pale as paper.

“No…”

“You… you aren’t that kind of person.”

Jin Chuling shook his head, as if denying something.

Xiang Zhongjing, however, broke through his self-delusion word by word.

“Jin Chuling, you were just a tool I used to escape the Quyi Sect,” Xiang Zhongjing said coldly. “Now that they can’t control me, you’re naturally of no use to me.”

Jin Chuling suddenly cried out hoarsely, “You aren’t that kind of person! Back then, you truly wanted to become dao companions with me! You were so good to me…”

So… good?

After saying those words, even Jin Chuling was stunned.

He wondered blankly: If Xiang Zhongjing was so good to me back then, why was I so heartless as to seal him in that stone coffin to suffer in darkness for sixty years?

Only now did the high-and-mighty Jin Chuling truly realize just how cold-blooded and ruthless his actions toward Xiang Zhongjing had been.

How did he have the face to expect Xiang Zhongjing to return to the past?

“Sixty years ago, you only treated me as a plaything that you could summon and dismiss at will.”

Xiang Zhongjing raised his left hand and gripped a cluster of withered branches, it was the Shared Destiny Knot.

Fear finally surfaced in Jin Chuling’s eyes. He reached out a trembling hand toward the branches, as if trying to keep them.

“Zhongjing…”

“And now…” Xiang Zhongjing’s palm snapped shut, and the knot shattered into pieces. “We’re even.”

He lowered his hand and said with indifference, “Don’t bother me again in the future.”

With that, Xiang Zhongjing turned and walked away.

Seeing Jin Chuling’s devastated state, Song Youqiu let out a quiet snicker and hopped after Xiang Zhongjing.

Only once they were out of Jin Chuling’s sight did Song Youqiu burst out laughing. “That was so satisfying, Sovereign!”

Xiang Zhongjing’s mood wasn’t affected at all. He was still looking for the private box where Man Qiuxia was and didn’t say anything.

Song Youqiu’s nonsense came easily as he flattered him with a smile. “You were so majestic just now, Sovereign, crushing that knot with your bare hands.”

Xiang Zhongjing gave a dry cough and replied vaguely, “Mm, I suppose.”

In truth, he only looked majestic on the surface. It was Gu Congxu who had controlled his left hand to crush the branches, as the impact of doing it physically was much stronger than simply erasing it in the sea of consciousness.

Gu Congxu said in his mind, “It was my majesty; you didn’t do anything.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing agreed, “Yes, yes, the True Dragon is the most majestic.”

Gu Congxu held back his joy and went back to diving through the sea of consciousness.

Xiang Zhongjing was a bit dazed.

If someone had told him before that he could coexist peacefully with Gu Congxu without either of them plotting against the other, he would have thought they were dreaming.

Watching Gu Congxu rolling around in his mind, unable to hide his joy, Xiang Zhongjing sighed helplessly.

It seemed this dragon was simpler than he had imagined.

He just wondered why the world called him an evil dragon.

Xiang Zhongjing searched for a while but couldn’t find the private box. The second round of competition had already begun on the platform; there were far fewer people this time.

Knowing that Yi Junting would be in this round, Xiang Zhongjing found an empty seat and sat down to watch the boy perform.

The free-for-all began again, another round of amateurs fighting amongst themselves. Xiang Zhongjing was almost yawning.

It wasn’t until only a few people were left in the arena that a pitch-black panther suddenly appeared on the platform. It let out a thunderous roar, nearly scaring the spectators out of their seats again.

Xiang Zhongjing had been leaning against Qiong Eryi—whom he had summoned to use as a pillow—but now he perked up, sitting straight to watch the arena.

In the center of the platform, Yi Junting’s eyes were glowing. He was standing on the beast’s paw, looking at the pale-faced Quyi Sect disciples not far away. He let out a “ha!” and said, “Take a tail to the face!”

The beast had been about to swipe with its claws, but hearing its master’s words, it paused for a moment before spinning around to swing its tail.

With a boom, the beast’s massive tail struck the ground, sending cracks through the stone. The Quyi Sect disciples scrambled to escape, their cries of pain filling the air.

At that moment, from the front rows of the seating area, Sect Leader Yi of Linjiang Peak stood up, nearly stepping onto the railing. He shouted in a booming voice, “Son! Kill those bastards from the Quyi Sect! Leave no one standing!”

Everyone: “…”

The other disciples from Linjiang Peak weren’t afraid of losing face either. Watching Yi Junting’s beast send their rivals from the Quyi Sect fleeing in panic, they joined in the shouting with excitement.

“Go for it, Senior!”

“Avenge the insults we suffered from the Quyi Sect before!”

“Kill all those little brats!”

Everyone else: “…”

Yi Chihan: “…”

Yi Chihan held his forehead, resisting the urge to run away.

An exhausted Quyi Sect disciple stumbled along, desperately controlling his beast to flee for his life. But after running a long way, he realized there was no longer any noise behind him. He tentatively stopped and looked back, and his face immediately turned green.

After attacking with its tail, Yi Junting’s beast had suddenly been overcome by instinct. Completely ignoring the enemy, it began happily spinning in circles to chase its own tail.

Yi Junting gripped the beast’s fur to keep from being thrown off. He was being shaken so hard he was about to vomit, and he screamed, “Stop! Stop it right now, ahhh!”

The beast had developed a taste for the game and spun even faster.

Yi Junting: “…”

Blegh!

Everyone: “…”

The disciples from Linjiang Peak: “…”

The people who had been cheering so loudly sat down with expressionless faces, remaining silent.

Xiang Zhongjing laughed until he was slumped against Qiong Eryi’s arm. Qiong Eryi narrowed his eyes at the frolicking beast and suddenly opened them wide, sending a cold, sharp sword intent like an arrow toward the happy creature.

The beast suddenly stiffened, stopping in its tracks. Its pupils shrank as it looked around in panic.

It finally stopped moving.

Yi Junting breathed a sigh of relief and gave the beast’s paw an angry kick.

Knowing it had messed up, the beast hurriedly nuzzled against Yi Junting to apologize.

Yi Junting was easy to appease and soon let go of his anger, continuing the competition.

Qiong Eryi retracted his gaze. Meeting Xiang Zhongjing’s mischievous look, he quickly explained, “That kid is too soft-hearted; even his own spirit beast can bully him.”

Xiang Zhongjing smiled but didn’t say anything.

With Su Cansheng and Jin Chuling gone from his world, it seemed that everything brought him joy.

Barring any accidents, Yi Junting would win this match. Xiang Zhongjing didn’t stay much longer, lest Man Qiuxia start lecturing him again like an old mother.

After searching a bit more, he finally found the private box.

Xiang Zhongjing stepped inside, only to see Song Youqiu, who had split off from him earlier, sitting next to Man Qiuxia. He had stuck a flyer for the Funeral Pavilion onto his face to avoid annoying Man Qiuxia.

He was holding a stack of papers and talking incessantly. “It’s very simple. Master Man, you just need to stick one of my pavilion’s flyers onto the pillar at the entrance of the Wujin Building, and that’s it! Anyway, the people who come looking for you are all near death, and you won’t treat them. Telling them to just come to the Funeral Pavilion to buy a coffin will save everyone a lot of trouble, don’t you think?”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

It was truly a miracle that Song Youqiu had lived this long without being beaten to death.

Any other doctor would never have agreed to such a rotten idea, yet the lazily lounging Man Qiuxia actually tilted his head, thought about it, and said, “That makes sense.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Man Qiuxia was an even bigger miracle.

When two madmen got together, they only became madder; Xiang Zhongjing couldn’t even be bothered to manage them.

Man Qiuxia was boredly chatting with Song Youqiu when he saw Xiang Zhongjing return. He immediately stood up to greet him. “Why were you so slow?! My eyes were starting to hurt from waiting. Come, come, let’s change you into another outfit.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing shot him a look. “The match is over. The second round is tomorrow. Let’s go back first.”

Man Qiuxia: “Change clothes first.”

Xiang Zhongjing glared at him.

Song Youqiu watched from the side as Xiang Zhongjing reluctantly allowed Man Qiuxia to fuss over him, feeling strangely sentimental.

Sixty years ago, Xiang Zhongjing’s expression would never have been so lively. Back then, he was more like a sword from the peak of a frozen mountain—cold, distant, and solitary. Except for Su Cansheng, Jin Chuling, and Qu Weixian, he never had any unnecessary interactions with anyone.

Song Youqiu remembered that Man Qiuxia had pestered Xiang Zhongjing for a long time back then, but every time, Xiang Zhongjing had remained indifferent, treating the constantly buzzing Man Qiuxia as if he didn’t exist.

After being imprisoned for sixty years and suffering so much, things had changed, yet his personality had actually become more vibrant than before.

After being forced to change his clothes, Xiang Zhongjing tossed his shoulder-length hair behind his back and turned to leave, intending to return to the Wujin Building.

As he stepped out the door, he suddenly felt a hand tugging at his sleeve.

Xiang Zhongjing turned his head.

Qu Weixian, who had been sitting quietly by the window, had somehow stood up and followed him. His slender fingers gripped a corner of Xiang Zhongjing’s sleeve as he looked at him with a vacant gaze, his face devoid of any expression.

Before Xiang Zhongjing could react, the Gu Congxu in his sleeve could no longer tolerate Qu Weixian’s approach. Furious, he dived deep into the left sleeve, crawled along Xiang Zhongjing’s collarbone to the right sleeve, and lunged out, biting Qu Weixian’s hand with bared fangs.

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”