Chapter 124: Compensation
Before the Sword Tournament began, Yu Le finally managed to deal with his senior brother, allowing him to go out alone.
He disguised himself and slipped into the black market in Liexing City.
The black market was a chaotic place, with some demonic cultivators even openly using demonic energy.
Because of this, disputes frequently broke out, and no one cared if people were killed.
Some demonic cultivators intentionally exposed their demonic energy, luring people in to kill them.
Yu Le’s approach was quite similar to these demonic cultivators.
He acted innocent and inexperienced, openly displaying his pure spiritual energy and generously spending money, which attracted the greed of petty criminals.
Seemingly unaware of the malicious gazes he drew, he spent a large sum of money at a small stall, getting tricked into buying a useless broken stone, all while feeling quite pleased with himself.
This harmless and naive demeanor further solidified his identity as a “fat sheep” in the eyes of those who were watching.
After wandering around the black market, Yu Le reached a secluded spot, and someone eagerly followed him.
It was a small and skinny demonic cultivator with low cultivation.
Yu Le wasn’t particularly interested and lazily turned around to ask, “What do you want?”
The demonic cultivator chuckled twice, “Looks like you’re doing well, young master. I figured I’d ask for some spare change.”
Yu Le let out a soft “Oh,” and asked, “A beggar?”
He raised his hand and tossed a spiritual stone at the cultivator’s feet, generously dismissing him, “Take it and use it.”
The demonic cultivator was enraged and was about to strike when two others appeared.
A man and a woman. The man was shrouded in a black cloak, even more tightly than Yu Le.
The woman had only covered her face, but Yu Le could tell she was a demonic cultivator and one with a decent level of cultivation.
He immediately became interested, waiting for them to attack together.
Much to his disappointment, the man and woman weren’t there to attack him—they had come to rescue him.
“Not leaving yet?” the woman coldly said to the small demonic cultivator, her body surging with demonic energy for an instant.
Realizing he was no match, the small demonic cultivator’s face changed, and he immediately fled.
“Did this fellow cultivator accidentally wander into this place? It’s dangerous here. It’s unwise to be alone, so it would be best to leave as soon as possible,” the man said, approaching Yu Le.
His voice had been disguised, sounding a bit strange, but there was still a sense of warmth and kindness in his tone.
He was an immortal cultivator, and clearly one with a fragile body.
Yu Le noticed him suddenly bow his head and cough, then the woman beside him helped support him. The two quickly took their leave.
Before departing, the man reminded Yu Le once again, urging him to leave this place early and avoid going to isolated areas.
Yu Le considered for a moment whether he should capture this powerful demonic woman to help him increase his cultivation, but in the end, he regrettably decided against it.
Naturally, he ignored the man’s well-intentioned advice and continued playing with the stone he had purchased, heading deeper into the more secluded areas.
Behind him, he faintly heard footsteps again—it was still the small man who had left earlier.
“Hmph, kid, this time, let’s see who comes to save you!”
Yu Le sighed, “You were already saved once, and yet you came back. It seems this misfortune was destined for you, so there’s nothing I can do about it.”
With light, soundless steps, he suddenly appeared behind the small demonic cultivator. His nimble fingers clasped the back of the man’s head, and his demonic energy, like countless steel needles, pierced into the demonic cultivator’s brain.
The man couldn’t even let out a scream. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, barely hanging onto life.
Yu Le left him behind and continued in a different direction.
He wasn’t satisfied with the day’s haul—all he encountered were small fry. Yu Le rubbed his chin in thought. Could it be that the demonic cultivators weren’t planning to cause trouble at the swordsmanship competition this time?
Why was there nothing but these lowly types?
He was beginning to regret letting the female demonic cultivator go.
When Yu Le returned to the inn, his senior brother had already come back.
“You didn’t go to Wanglian Mountain to watch the sword match.”
“I didn’t go, but I know for sure that senior brother won!” Yu Le said with a cheerful smile. “I was out watching some excitement today and lost track of time. I didn’t make it to see you spar, so here’s a pretty stone as an apology.”
Mo Cunzhi glanced at him indifferently but didn’t dwell on it.
“When the Sword Tournament begins, I’ll definitely go watch you compete.”
Mo Cunzhi responded, “Lies. By then, who knows where you’ll have run off to.”
Yu Le laughed and leaned on his knee, exclaiming in surprise, “Senior Brother, how did you come to understand me so well!”
While Mo Cunzhi meditated, Yu Le rested his head on his lap. After a few jokes, he soon fell asleep.
Mo Cunzhi placed a hand on his abdomen, sensing that the “fetus” was constantly absorbing his blood essence, he couldn’t help but frown. He pulled out a blood-replenishing and vitality-nourishing pill and fed it to Yu Le.
If even the pregnancy was this difficult, the future would surely be even more arduous.
He didn’t want his junior brother’s foundation to be damaged because of this fetus, but he couldn’t bring himself to say these words to him.
His junior brother had been willing to endure union with someone he didn’t love, willing to endure loneliness by staying on his cold peak, giving up the opportunity to participate in the Sword Tournament, and not even caring that his cultivation had stagnated—clearly, he cared very much about this child.
Mo Cunzhi remained silent for a long time, finally pulling a thin blanket over Yu Le’s sleeping form.
*
On the day the Sword Tournament began, Yu Le indeed stayed seated on the spectator platform the entire time without leaving.
Mo Cunzhi glanced over several times and saw Yu Le resting his chin on his hand, as if daydreaming, but he truly had the patience to sit there.
The Sword Tournament was a challenge-based event. On the first day, famous disciples from all the major sects would face off, offering thrilling battles to determine twelve arena defenders.
Afterward, countless challengers would come forward, and the arena master who held out the longest would ultimately be recognized as the top contender.
The so-called Sword Tournament had its restrictions, namely that only sword techniques were used in the duels.
The sword cultivators in the stands watched in rapture, debating the finesse of the sword techniques displayed by the previous contestants.
Yu Le, however, found the overly restricted and “elegant, rule-bound” matches rather dull.
Yet, his senior brother stood on the platform, knocking down one challenger after another, maintaining a calm and unshaken demeanor—strangely captivating.
All the other disciples around him had already gone down to the arena, each challenging the opponents they favored, but Yu Le remained seated in the stands, unmoved.
With his striking appearance and especially unique aura, Yu Le attracted quite a few cultivators who approached him, eager to make his acquaintance.
The first few weren’t of much interest, and after a few words, Yu Le easily sent them away. But then, someone intriguing showed up.
Yu Le gave the man, dressed in white and full of charm, a once-over from head to toe, and a smile appeared on his face.
Amidst all these disciples from prestigious sects and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, there was actually a demonic cultivator disguised as an immortal cultivator trying to strike up a conversation with him.
This was a demonic cultivator who practiced a cultivation technique that involved absorbing life essence. Such cultivators favored the type of aura Yu Le exuded—pure spiritual energy and the seemingly innocent body of a young boy.
Moreover, though the demon core inside Yu Le was concealed by the Dingyang Ring, it still unintentionally attracted these demonic cultivators, who craved pure demonic energy.
For this demonic cultivator to reveal himself and hunt for pleasure in such a place, he must have been quite confident in both his cultivation and his disguise.
Yu Le, finally encountering a demonic cultivator with higher cultivation, wasn’t about to let him slip away, and the two hit it off immediately.
When the demonic cultivator invited him to watch some more “interesting” matches, Yu Le smiled and agreed.
Inwardly, he calculated that this demonic cultivator had reached the Xuan Dan stage and should have already formed an inner core. Conveniently, Yu Le wanted to experiment with letting the blood-born fetus directly absorb the inner core to nourish the demon core.
However, just as he stood up, a sword aura slashed down from the arena, cutting in front of the demonic cultivator.
The crowd had no idea what was happening. One moment, Mo Cunzhi was calmly dueling an opponent on the stage, and the next, after swiftly defeating him, he turned and attacked a cultivator in the stands.
Amid the startled gasps, Mo Cunzhi’s cold expression didn’t change as he leaped from the stage and charged at the disguised demonic cultivator.
The demonic cultivator’s face twisted into an uneasy smile as he exclaimed, “Fellow cultivator, I was merely having a conversation with him. Why the sudden fury?”
“What’s going on?”
“What happened?”
The spectators at the Sword Tournament became even more interested, eagerly turning their attention toward the commotion. Even some of the fighters still on the stage couldn’t resist stealing glances at the stands.
It wasn’t just idle curiosity that attracted them—this was Mo Cunzhi! Anyone who had encountered him knew that he was like a sword without emotions. Seeing him behave unusually was a rare spectacle indeed.
Someone in the crowd recognized the person next to Mo Cunzhi and said, “That’s Mo Cunzhi’s junior brother, right? I saw Mo Cunzhi sitting with him in the stands before the competition began.”
“Could it be that he noticed someone bullying his junior brother and decided to take action?”
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yu Le, who had lost all interest upon seeing his senior brother’s arrival, took a few steps back and found a seat. There was no need to guess—his new prey was about to be taken care of by Mo Cunzhi.
Now exposed before everyone, the demonic cultivator was drenched in cold sweat. He pleaded desperately, “Fellow cultivator, spare me! I won’t dare do anything again. I’ll leave immediately, just please let me go!”
“A demonic cultivator daring to show himself here and harm others—you must be executed,” Mo Cunzhi declared coldly, leaving the crowd stunned.
The demonic cultivator had no chance to escape. After being severely injured by Mo Cunzhi, he was captured by the crowd and taken away by the City Lord for interrogation and punishment.
The earlier gossip quickly turned into admiration, with people praising Mo Cunzhi for his keen senses and decisive action.
Mo Cunzhi sheathed his sword and walked over to Yu Le. “Are you alright?” he asked.
Yu Le blinked innocently. “I was shocked! I didn’t expect him to be a demonic cultivator. I didn’t notice at all.”
Mo Cunzhi took hold of his arm and helped him up. “I’ll take you back to rest.”
At that moment, a handsome man approached. Overhearing the conversation, he chimed in, “Brother Mo! My family has a residence nearby. Why not take your junior brother there to rest?”
He seemed quite familiar with Mo Cunzhi, speaking in an easy and casual manner.
Mo Cunzhi, unusually, didn’t refuse. “I’ll trouble you, then.”
The man smiled. “With our relationship, there’s no need to mention trouble.”
Meeting Yu Le’s curious gaze, the man added warmly, “Shangshan’s Xie family. I’m Xie Ji, an old friend of your senior brother. You can call me Senior Brother Xie.”
Xie Ji—it was indeed him.
Yu Le smiled politely, “Senior Brother Xie.”
Xie Ji was Mo Cunzhi’s only friend. With Mo Cunzhi’s typically solitary nature, their friendship had endured solely because of Xie Ji’s warmth and persistence. He had made numerous efforts to connect with Mo Cunzhi, which eventually led to a lasting bond.
Though Mo Cunzhi appeared indifferent, he actually valued this friendship greatly.
In the original story, when Mo Cunzhi was burdened with suspicion and accusations from his sect, Xie Ji had reached out for help. Despite the immense pressure Mo Cunzhi was under, he immediately rushed to aid Xie Ji in dealing with the demonic cultivators hidden within the Xie family.
It was during this time that Mo Cunzhi’s demonic energy was exposed. Later, his friend Xie Ji revealed Mo Cunzhi’s true identity as the child of a demon and an immortal cultivator, calling upon various sects to demand that the Wuyue Immortal Sect deal with him.
All of this stemmed from Xie Ji’s deep-seated hatred for demonic cultivators.
Because of this hatred, he had befriended Mo Cunzhi, who was renowned for his skill in eradicating demonic cultivators. And because of that same hatred, when he discovered the truth about his “friend,” his attitude changed completely, turning him into a fervent opponent, calling for Mo Cunzhi’s death.
In the original storyline, after Xie Ji discovered Mo Cunzhi’s true identity, he grew to loathe him, feeling utterly deceived. He even wanted to personally cut out Mo Cunzhi’s demon core.
However, in the heat of battle, Mo Cunzhi, whose mind had been affected by a surge of demonic energy, ended up killing Xie Ji with his own hands.
This act marked the beginning of Mo Cunzhi’s descent into madness—killing his friend and mentor and fully succumbing to demonic corruption.
Before this incident, Mo Cunzhi had still been struggling with his dual identity. But after that, he completely turned to the demonic path.
“I never expected that even in a setting like this, a demonic cultivator would dare cause trouble. These demonic cultivators really are lawless! Brother Mo, you’re truly incredible. If not for you, we would have all been deceived.”
“There may be more demonic cultivators lurking about. Be careful,” Mo Cunzhi warned.
“Of course, I will heed your advice,” Xie Ji replied. “But Brother Mo, you refused to stay at my residence when you arrived in Liexing City. Yet today, it seems you will be staying after all!” he said with a hearty laugh.
As Yu Le listened to their conversation, a faint smile lingered on his lips.
How amusing, he thought. Friends with such deep affection could turn against each other in the blink of an eye.
He wondered, when the illusion between him and Mo Cunzhi was finally shattered, how would his senior brother react then?
…
Xie Ji escorted the two to the residence and then left without further interruption.
Mo Cunzhi placed his hand on Yu Le’s back to support him. “Go inside and rest. If you feel unwell, I’ll call a healer.”
He paused and added, “Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone else find out about this.”
Yu Le didn’t respond, but suddenly, he hooked his hand around Mo Cunzhi’s belt and gave it a tug.
Mo Cunzhi immediately grabbed his hand. “…Weren’t you just frightened?”
Yu Le deftly freed himself from Mo Cunzhi’s grip, unfastened his belt, and tossed it aside. “I was. So Senior Brother should comfort me properly.”
Since his demon core cultivation had been delayed today, his senior brother owed him some demonic energy compensation, didn’t he?
