Translator: Storm in a Teacup

  He stood at the top of the Yu Xiao Peak alone, gazing at the edge of the firmament, waiting, hoping his Second Disciple could bring his most beloved Great Disciple back.

  Xuan Lingzi was brought back to Tai Hua Mountain by his Master since he was little. The latter didn’t find a Supreme Spiritual Bone disciple until Xuan Lingzi came into this world when the old man was over three thousand years old. There wasn’t much time left for the Great Elder, so he taught everything he knew about cultivation to Xuan Lingzi, but forgot to teach his talented disciple things that were related to common emotions and worldly rules.

  There were only Xuan Lingzi and Luo Jianqing living on the magnificent Yu Xiao Peak. Back then, the situation was the same for Xuan Lingzi and his Master.

  The former Great Master of Yu Xiao Peak had only over a thousand years left in this world. The injures he got from the war only made things worse. He knew that the day he closed his eyes forever would come within several hundred years. Xuan Lingzi cultivated very hard, and he didn’t let his Master down. At two hundred years old, Xuan Lingzi achieved Deity Transformation Period – a miracle indeed – and his Master could finally enter the samsara contentedly.

  No one ever taught Xuan Lingzi how to educate his disciple, so he can only teach Luo Jianqing the way his Master did to him. He put all of his attention on this kid, cared about him, worried about him, and then…… he found himself holding a different feeling which should never exist toward Luo Jianqing.

  Then, he concealed all of his emotions, kept a distance from his disciple.

  Changes took place all too fast. Lots of things happened in the past eighteen years. Before Xuan Lingzi noticed something went wrong, his most cherished Great Disciple was exiled from Tai Hua Mountain. That day, he left Yu Xiao Peak and block the way of Sir Hao Xingzi.

  Ling Yun Palace, Cang Shuang Peak.

  “Senior Brother, Jianqing would never do such things!”


  Hao Xingzi looked at him in disbelief and was clearly enraged. “Brother, as the Great Elder of Tai Hua Mountain, you shouldn’t have lost your judgement with solid evidence of Luo Jianqing’s crucial action –he has degenerated himself to a Fiend Cultivator and killed hundreds of young cultivators mercilessly!”


  Xuan Lingzi felt a severe pain conveyed from the tip of his heart. “I believe in him! Senior Brother, you’ve known Jianqing since he was an infant. He would never do such a horrible thing.”


  Hao Xingzi frowned, “Three thousand years ago, no one ever knew that the well-respected Cultivator Lin Changyang who fell to fiend could be a devil like that.”


  Xuan Lingzi kept silent, didn’t respond.

  Ignoring his Brother, Hao Xingzi summoned all the disciples and gave orders to implement Tai Hua Decree, determined to arrest the traitor – Luo Jianqing. The cold words dropped in Xuan Lingzi’s ears. Pupils shrinking, the Master of Yu Xiao Peak kneeled before Hao Xingzi. The latter stared at him for a long time, totally shocked. Fingers trembling, Hao Xingzi pointed at his younger Brother who usually hold everything indifferent and questioned, “What…… what do you mean by this?!”


  Lifting his head, Xuan Lingzi looked back at him in calmness, “Brother, I believe in Jianqing!”


  At this moment, he suddenly sensed something. A wisp of thought emerged in Hao Xingzi’s mind which almost gave him a heart attack. He didn’t spare Xuan Lingzi from kneeling, so the latter kept the position for three days and three nights. Finally, Hao Xingzi looked like suddenly aged a hundred years. He stood in front of Xuan Lingzi and asked him in a hoarse voice. “When did you…… start to have this feeling toward Jianqing?”


  Lowering his head slightly, Xuan Lingzi was speechless.

  Seeing he react like this, Hao Xingzi was bitterly disappointed.

  None of them moved. At last, Hao Xingzi flicked his sleeves and gave orders, “Go to Penalty Cliff and atone for what he had done, now!”


  Old memories flashed back in his mind like burbling spring running down from mountain. The end of reminiscence dragged him back to reality in which he embraced the young cultivator tightly in his arms. Tongue licking the pearl-like teeth, followed by a wet kiss, Xuan Lingzi tasted the light sweet liquid in Luo Jianqing’s mouth. Jianqing’s smell surrounded him; Jianqing’s temperature could be detected from where he touched. It was warm, even scorching, sharing little in common with a corpse, which was cold, freezing cold, with no…… breath.

  Luo Jianqing’s lips became swollen and red. When they finally disengaged, the disciple was panting drastically. Scarlet light was kindling in Xuan Lingzi’s eyes. The Master was gazing at the young cultivator, and while Luo Jianqing was still lost in the aftertaste, his eyes were kissed by Xuan Lingzi, with all the gentleness in the world.

  This time, their lips were like being fused , and they remained kissing each other passionately when they entered the house. Xuan Lingzi never went so wild before. He kept kissing Luo Jianqing’s tender and soft body. Blood humming in his veins, Luo Jianqing was drowning in the searing need, and, because of that, he didn’t realize that Xuan Lingzi was trapped by his Internal Demons.

  Bleak wind was whizzing among the cliffs. Blood dyed everywhere scarlet. A young cultivator was lying beside the edge of cliff, breathlessly, with a long sword ruthlessly pierceing through his chest.

  When Xuan Lingzi realized what had happened, the Spiritual Power roared inside him. He felt unbearable pain as if his heart was torn into countless pieces, which almost sent him to the gate of death. He could see no more, nor that he could hear anything. Gazing at his beloved one, his, already-dead, beloved one, Xuan Lingzi was devoured by tremendous sorrow.

  The air seemed to be full of the smell of blood, which billowed out from Luo Jianqing’s body like crimson flowers. Tongue stiffened, Xuan Lingzi stood beside the cliff, fixed his eyes on his disciple, and finally belched a mouthful of blood.

  Someone was calling his name, perhaps, but he couldn’t manage himself to turn his eyes away.

  He had no idea how he made his way toward Luo Jianqing’s body. Xuan Ling Sword saw him coming, flying to him with joy. The sword floated in front of his master, waiting for him to grip the hilt, but Xuan Lingzi gazed at the sword which served beside him for hundreds of years, stretched out his hands, and broke it apart!

  Xuan Ling Sword let out a groan, couldn’t believe that his master treated it like this. The blade fell down to the ground and left a gash on Xuan Lingzi’s finger.

  At this moment, no one dared to utter a word on the Duan Qing Cliff.

  The debris of Xuan Ling Sword was letting out Sword Whisper one after another, but Xuan Lingzi ignored it completely. After one groan with grievance, Xuan Lingzi suddenly turned back and stared at it with extreme detestation, “Why did you hurt him?! Why did YOU hurt HIM?! WHY DID YOU HURT HIM?!?”


  Xuan Ling Sword went quiet. It stayed silent, waiting for death after being destroyed by its own master.

  Xuan Lingzi’s finger tips gently touched Luo Jianqing’s cheek. As if falling into a deep sleep, the disciple still had a light smile with relief. Face covered by blood and dirt, the once winsome Great Senior Disciple of Tai Hua Mountain was marred, but, with trembling fingers, Xuan Lingzi still carefully wiped away a tress of hair from his face.

  He was just holding him at first. Gradually, however, he embosomed him tighter and tighter.

  “I will…… take you home……”


  “Let’s go back to Tai Hua Mountain, huh? Let’s go back to Yu Xiao Peak……”


  “Only you and me, let’s go back, Jianqing, let’s go back……”


  A kiss was gently sealed on Luo Jianqing’s forehead. Forty years ago, when he saw the seventeen-year-old youngster, his heart beat faster, urging him to kiss his disciple. He managed to hold back the desire till today, but now his beloved one could never respond to this kiss, how ironic.

  Would Jianqing feel disgusted? Or, would Jianqing deny him as his Master?

  Xuan Lingzi could never find out the answers.

  He tried to held Luo Jianqing’s hand which became heavier than he thought. the disciple’s hand fell and hit the ground all of a sudden.