Why is the Demon Venerable Like That? - Chapter 4

Lingchuan Du rarely addressed Lu Yuan as “Senior Brother” unless the current situation called for it, specifically when he was being sarcastic.

Being inexplicably mocked caused Lu Yuan to freeze for a moment, unable to react.

The System was as anxious as a frantic grasshopper, hopping back and forth in the air. If it had a physical body, it would have been throwing punches at the empty air in frustration. Lu Yuan was already feeling lightheaded, and the System’s dizzying movements made him want to vomit.

The System rapidly scrolled through data: [What is going on? Is the deduction wrong? Why is Lingchuan Du meeting Xiao Jingchun right now?]

Shen Xun’an looked at the corpses of the Fengchi Sect disciples scattered across the ground, killed by evil spirits. He felt that he had to save the lives of the remaining survivors at any cost.

He steeled himself and said, “Sovereign Ling, please, for the sake of my Master, stay your hand. The Fengchi Sect has never offended the Hundred-Territory Demon Realm.”

Lingchuan Du stared intently at Lu Yuan and suddenly spoke: “Never offended?”

With a slight lift of his palm, Lu Yuan’s storage bag appeared in his hand. Then, a graceful and exquisite Yue Shui Yao floated before everyone’s eyes.

“A petty thief entered my Hundred-Territory Demon Realm to steal a Yue Shui Yao.” Lingchuan Du cruelly crushed the living medicinal catalyst on the spot.

Seeing this, Shen Xun’an realized that Lu Yuan had been hiding something. Lingchuan Du was known for his vindictiveness, and being lied to only added fuel to the fire.

Lingchuan Du said expressionlessly, “So, are you all together in this?”

What were they together in?

The Fengchi Sect disciples stared at the god of death as he questioned them, but their souls had already fled miles away in terror. No one could even process what he was asking.

Finally, one person snapped out of it and shouted at Lingchuan Du, “The theft was entirely his doing!”

At this point, the Fengchi Sect disciples abandoned all dignity. They began to wail and cry: “It has nothing to do with us! He was the one possessed by greed!”

“We have already reached Foundation Establishment; that thing is useless to us! Sovereign Ling, please see the truth!”

“We knew nothing about it! It should be that he did it to please Young Master Xiao!”

At the mention of Xiao Jingchun’s name, a spark of clarity pierced through Lu Yuan’s clouded mind.

Who had to bring that up now?

After hearing the System’s so-called “deduction,” he had developed a wary suspicion toward Xiao Jingchun.

Lingchuan Du looked at the faces around him, numbed by fear. Trembling, shrill explanations filled the deathly silent night. Even though he knew that once a person dies, they are gone like an extinguished lamp, a faint, undeniable sliver of hope had surged in his heart when his “Bujue” sense was triggered.

But now, everything seemed to mock his wishful thinking. He suddenly felt a surge of loathing for this farce.

“Who exactly caused the anomaly just now?”

The surrounding area was as silent as a graveyard.

“No one is speaking?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the evil spirits of Lin’an Town began to crawl forward again. Disciples standing nearby were touched by the spirits’ feet and retreated in a panic, swinging their swords wildly.

Shen Xun’an’s heart tightened. Lingchuan Du was forcing someone out. But who exactly was he looking for?

Xiao Jingchun saw an evil spirit about to grab his fox-fur coat. Two tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked at Lingchuan Du through misty eyes. His voice was timid and low, yet he dared to speak up: “You cannot do that.”

Lingchuan Du looked toward the source of the voice. Xiao Jingchun was so terrified that he choked back his tears. Lingchuan Du did not say a word, but his eyes, cold as the snow on a desolate mountain, said: I can.

Before the talismans in Xiao Jingchun’s hand could take effect, the stiff knuckles of an evil spirit touched his clean face. Smelling the foul stench of rot, his sanity neared a breaking point, and he pushed his hands forward in a frantic struggle.

Just as the spirit reached out to pierce through his chest, a flash of gold flickered in his pupils. The spirit closest to him instantly disintegrated into ash.

Lingchuan Du scanned the surroundings in disbelief. He had captured that faint, familiar aura.

Wherever his black robes went, he moved like a sharp sword piercing through the husks of the evil spirits, as if walking through a deserted land. In an instant, Lingchuan Du stood before Xiao Jingchun. He brushed his hand almost tenderly over the other’s face and asked, somewhat dazed, “Is it you?”

Xiao Jingchun stared in sheer terror at the face inches from his own, not daring to move an inch.

Lingchuan Du’s iron-gray pupils were trembling for reasons unknown, and in the depths of his eyes lay a flickering hope he had not even realized he possessed.

Xiao Jingchun felt instinctively that when this faint light burned out, it would be his time to die. He could only stammer, “The anomaly just now was me. I caused it.”

Lingchuan Du stared silently at the face beneath his palm, which was weak, fragile, and as harmless as a reed. It bore no resemblance to Lu Yuan at all.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he had recalled Lu Yuan’s appearance.

What was Lu Yuan supposed to be?

What was he supposed to look like?

He seemed to have almost forgotten.

Lu Yuan had sharp features. He looked arrogant, rebellious, and difficult to get along with. In truth, he was difficult to get along with. He had a sharp tongue, and most people hated what he had to say. Furthermore, Lu Yuan was extremely proud. Lingchuan Du had never seen him look afraid, except for…

Lingchuan Du’s thoughts shifted as he looked down at Xiao Jingchun, who resembled a frightened rabbit about to die of terror.

“Prove it.” Lingchuan Du withdrew his hand and whispered, “Prove it to me.”

If Lu Yuan’s body were not so broken and he were not gasping in pain, he would have shouted: Junior Brother, are you blind? What part of this pretty boy looks like me?

The System desperately clung to Lu Yuan’s leg, wanting to scream as well: [Host, stay calm! If you die, I will be fired!]

Please do not go jumping in front of Lingchuan Du! Stop performing your “landmine-stepping” stunts! After all, a System that lets its host die is only one step away from the unemployment office.

Xiao Jingchun was so nervous his eyes stopped moving. He said in a voice as thin as silk, “I do not know how to prove it.”

The disciples of Baiyu City dared not breathe. They knew perfectly well that when the celestial music and divine light had appeared, they had not even reached Lin’an Town yet. However, at this moment, no one dared to say it had nothing to do with Young Master Xiao. No one knew if Lingchuan Du would go even more insane if they did.

They could only grit their teeth and wait for Lingchuan Du’s next move. Whether they lived or died was no longer up to them.

Lu Yuan looked at this scene of “tender affection” with unbearable disgust. He stared fixedly at the System, his voice low and laced with an unreadable intent: “What use are you, exactly?”

The System scratched its head, missing the murderous intent in Lu Yuan’s eyes. [I am useful! I am useful! As long as you complete tasks, I can give you so many things!]

[For example, I can increase your cultivation right now! But the prerequisite task is that you need to kill a Hundred-Eyed Spider at the bottom of the Hundred-Foot Cliff.]

Lu Yuan: “…”

He said in a deep voice, “I have killed one before.”

In his past life, to test his newly sharpened blade, he had specifically chosen a Hundred-Eyed Spider because of its hard shell. It was durable.

The System: [!]

It frantically checked the interface. It found the display: [Side Quest: Kill the Hundred-Eyed Spider at the bottom of the Hundred-Foot Cliff? / 1, Completed.]

It did not have time to analyze what the question mark meant. It immediately allowed Lu Yuan to jump from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Nascent Soul stage.

A power like a clear spring diligently repaired Lu Yuan’s withered meridians. Like a heavenly rain, his parched spiritual energy could finally drink its fill.

Seeing Lu Yuan’s grim expression, the System felt a mix of joy and worry. Its feelings were complicated. [Chief Lu, I understand your desire to kill the villain, but right now, it is impossible for you to kill Lingchuan Du. Let us plan this carefully.]

Lu Yuan gave the System a look that said Are you sick? “Who said I am going to kill him now?”

The System thought his expression was so terrifying it looked like he was about to mince someone.

It still asked with a glimmer of hope: [Then your initiative to complete the task is for…] Lu Yuan sneered: “To give him a lesson. To let him know the meaning of respecting his Senior Brother.”

If he were not currently unable to beat him, would he let him push his luck like this?

Lu Yuan reached out and snatched the sword from a fallen Fengchi Sect disciple. An awe-inspiring aura erupted from him. The longsword drew a stunning arc in the night air, and with a casual wave from Lu Yuan, a surging sword qi shot directly toward Lingchuan Du.

Lingchuan Du did not even dodge. He allowed the tangible sword qi to pass by his side, severing a lock of his black hair. Along with it, a withered arm of an evil spirit fell behind Lingchuan Du.

Lingchuan Du had been so focused on Xiao Jingchun that he had not noticed his guard had slipped, allowing an evil spirit to creep up behind him.

Seeing the evil spirit shattered by the aura surrounding Lingchuan Du, Lu Yuan let go of the longsword as if bored.

Xiao Jingchun remained in the position of holding a talisman. He had intended to summon a sword curse to repel Lingchuan Du and buy time, but he had not expected such a massive commotion.

He was scared witless. His eyelashes fluttered, tears fell like rain, and his legs gave out as he sank to the ground. He hurried to make amends: “Sovereign Ling, I was not doing it on purpose.”

The sword qi beside Lingchuan Du had carved a deep trench into the ground, flipping up the stone slabs. The crushed stone dust caught the wind and drifted through the air. The sword intent appeared subtle and crafty, yet it possessed an ancient strength capable of supporting mountains and seas. It felt more like saber qi wielded through the intent of a sword.

He was momentarily stunned. This was Lu Yuan’s habit.

His Master had once said that Lu Yuan was not good with a sword but loved using a saber. However, his martial skills were like his personality, unrestrained and free-spirited. But beneath that grand style, there were always fatal weaknesses. Thus, his Master had made him refine his swordsmanship.

Lu Yuan had nothing to do with words like obedient or conventional. When practicing, he still took the sword techniques that were supposed to be as graceful as a swan and as agile as a spirit and made them heavy, solemn, and filled with murderous intent.

He had been dismissive of the critique, explaining: “Before anyone finds my weakness, I will simply kill them first.”

When his Master reached the limit of his patience and wanted to discipline the disobedient student, Lu Yuan would clutch his head in anticipation of a strike and start acting pitiful and helpless. “Oh, do I not still have my Junior Brother? He definitely would not just stand by and watch me die, right?”

At the time, Lingchuan Du had pretended not to see Lu Yuan’s winking. He had said quite sincerely that his eyesight was poor and his talent was dull, so he feared he could not help in time. He suggested his Senior Brother should simply practice his sword well.

Then, his Master’s sword hilt had struck Lu Yuan’s head just as he had hoped.

Lingchuan Du’s gaze rested on Xiao Jingchun’s face, but it did not seem like he was looking at him. That gaze was ancient and deep, crossing mountains, seas, and forests, transcending a hundred years of time before finally finding a place to land.

Lingchuan Du usually lacked expression, but Xiao Jingchun could see a trace of life returning to his face. In those pupils that had looked like they belonged to a dead man, that small spark of light began to dance once more.

He lowered his noble stature and extended a hand to Xiao Jingchun.

Although Lu Yuan was standing behind the crowd, with his Nascent Soul cultivation, he could clearly see this nauseating scene.

Lingchuan Du’s voice was very soft, almost a murmur. It was unclear if he was speaking to someone else or convincing himself. “Very well.”

“Then I shall prove it for you.”

Xiao Jingchun was stunned. What did it mean to prove it for him?

But he did not have time to think. Overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, he placed his hand on Lingchuan Du’s. The moment he touched the back of the other’s hand, Xiao Jingchun shivered.

It was cold.

Lingchuan Du’s body temperature was not like that of a living person at all.

Seeing Lu Yuan’s face grow darker and darker, the System held onto Lu Yuan’s feet to stop him from stepping forward. [Chief Lu, do not be angry. No one can take your place if you ruin your health with rage!]

Lu Yuan gritted his teeth and kicked the System. “Let go.”

He could not move it. This thing was incredibly strange, visible but intangible. Only it could touch people; he could not touch it.

Lu Yuan’s face was like frost, and a hint of impatience grew in his heart. Violent blood surged through his body once more. Just as the golden light was about to appear in his eyes, the System suddenly wailed as if at a funeral.

It desperately tried to stop his suicidal impulse. [No! No! If you go over there, he will definitely kill you! You were killed by him in your last life! Have you forgotten?]

Lu Yuan’s hand tightened on the sword hilt. He heard nothing but the System’s piercing pleas and his own sudden, rapid heartbeat. He immediately drew the sword and pointed it at the System. With a sharp sound, the blade landed right next to the System.

The tip of the sword sank into the ground, emitting a clear, humming vibration.

Standing against the blood-red moonlight, his features hidden in darkness, Lu Yuan looked down at the System. “What did you say?”

Amid its trembling, the System heard Lu Yuan’s question.

He asked, “Say it again. Who was it that killed me?”