Chapter 136: Lele: I am kind-hearted and soft-hearted, and I always miss the past
“It’s not a rumor.”
Mo Cunzhi, as still and silent as the dark bamboo grove behind him, continued in a calm tone. “I am of the demon race.”
Compared to a year ago, when he had been crushed by this revelation, the person who spoke now was strangely composed.
Bai Feishuang stood in shock, speechless.
The small fox at her feet, always affectionate, tugged at her skirt and let out a soft cry, snapping her out of her daze.
She barely noticed her pet, unable to believe what she had just heard. “What?”
“I am of the demon race,” Mo Cunzhi repeated, his tone softening slightly. “Master knows this as well. Feishuang, you don’t need to worry about me.”
The little fox, unhappy with the lack of attention, swished its tail and turned to Mo Cunzhi, letting out another delicate cry as it circled around him. Tentatively, it placed its two small paws on his knee.
Mo Cunzhi hadn’t made a move, so the little creature immediately took advantage, smartly slipping into his arms and tilting its head to call out to him.
Its furry little face looked so innocent and pitiful that it reminded him of someone.
Over the past year, Bai Feishuang had visited him several times, always bringing along this little blue fox. Mo Cunzhi already knew that it was a spiritual beast given to her by their junior brother.
Their junior brother had been thinking about this matter as early as the time at the Linzhou Immortal Market. Even before exposing his identity and heading to the Demonic Path, he hadn’t forgotten to bring his junior sister a spiritual beast. This showed how much she meant to him.
“Plop, plop.”
While Mo Cunzhi was momentarily lost in thought, the little blue fox, not receiving any comfort, squinted its eyes and started licking his fingers.
Mo Cunzhi raised his hand and pressed lightly on the fox’s head, the soft fur under his palm tickling him.
He picked up the little fox and returned it to its true owner.
Bai Feishuang silently took it back and suddenly said, “Senior Brother, you should go. Go to the Demonic Path and find our junior brother.”
Mo Cunzhi hadn’t expected this reaction from her. He looked up to see a certain clarity and understanding in her expression.
“I didn’t understand before, but now I do. Since that’s the case, Senior Brother, you really shouldn’t stay here any longer.”
“Even though I know you are still the same Senior Brother you’ve always been, if your identity is accidentally exposed, you will surely be harmed. This place… it’s too dangerous.”
“Senior Brother hasn’t done anything wrong; you shouldn’t be imprisoned here for the rest of your life. So go, Senior Brother. Go find our junior brother.”
She thought that if he could be with the one he loved, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing for him.
Ever since she saw that erotic painting on the bamboo house wall, Bai Feishuang had understood the relationship between her senior brother and their junior brother.
She knew her senior brother’s character well; he would never do something so reckless.
As for their junior brother, his sudden appearance in the forbidden area was strange. He likely hadn’t been unable to enter the area, but had just come out of it when she ran into him.
That erotic painting was undoubtedly also the work of their mischievous junior brother.
Reflecting on how the two of them used to come and go together, what was there left to misunderstand? They had likely been together in secret for quite some time.
Bai Feishuang had even noticed her senior brother’s brief daze when he stroked the little fox’s head just now.
In the midst of her heavy emotions, she found something amusing.
Could it be that her senior brother was actually jealous of her?
Holding the little fox, Bai Feishuang hinted, “If Senior Brother likes the little spirit fox, you could ask our junior brother to give you one.”
“If you don’t say you want one, how would he know?”
Mo Cunzhi averted his gaze, avoiding eye contact with his junior sister, feeling a bit uncomfortable as if someone had uncovered his secret.
“There’s no time to waste, Senior Brother. You should leave immediately,” Bai Feishuang said seriously.
Mo Cunzhi shook his head. “No need. I have my own plans. You shouldn’t get involved in this matter.”
He raised his hand, signaling for his junior sister not to speak further.
Bai Feishuang, knowing her senior brother’s stubbornness, realized that once he had made up his mind, no one could change it. Reluctantly, she closed her mouth, her heart heavy with worry.
*
“Oh? So, you’re saying that this time, you’ve come to invite me to stir up trouble with the Immortal Path?” Yu Le casually sat in his chair, smiling as he spoke.
The other envoys sent by the four nations adopted humble and flattering attitudes, trying to win his favor.
“The five nations have always stood together in solidarity. If we are to gain benefits from the Immortal Path, we certainly cannot forget the ruler of Kingdom of Bliss!”
Yu Le chuckled. “In the past, the rulers of the five nations were all born of the demon race, so they banded together to exclude the Demon Palace. But I am a demonic cultivator—shouldn’t I align with the one from Yeyuan City?”
The speaking envoy, feeling awkward, hurriedly tried to recover. “Whether demon race or demonic cultivators, we are all part of the Demonic Path. How could we draw a line between us?”
“Our ruler has long heard of the bravery of the King of Bliss and has admired you from afar. He hopes to take this opportunity to meet you and strengthen ties with the King of Bliss.”
“Yes, yes! Our ruler has also sent many gifts, a true sign of sincerity.”
The group enthusiastically flattered him, “If the King of Bliss steps in, how could this plan possibly fail?”
Yu Le listened to their chatter with little interest.
These people were all at the Mohe realm, with not a single Xuandan realm cultivator among them.
Perhaps the last group of Xuandan realm demons or demonic cultivators they sent had been drained dry by him, leaving them hesitant to send anyone stronger, so now they only dared to send these weaker ones.
After they had talked for a while, Yu Le asked, “So, who do you plan on targeting this time?”
“Hehe, this time, with the alliance of the five nations, we naturally want to deal with a prestigious sect from the Immortal Path. Only then will we uphold the reputation of our Demonic Path.”
There were only a few prestigious sects in the Immortal Path. Among them, Wuyue Immortal Sect stood out because it had a senior disciple of the sect master who was notorious for eliminating demons, solidifying its place as the prime target of hatred. Yu Le guessed as much.
“Wuyue Immortal Sect?”
“Exactly!” The envoy speaking carefully watched Yu Le’s expression, but seeing no clues in his smile, grew increasingly anxious.
These people had come to stir up trouble with Wuyue Immortal Sect, likely because they had finally uncovered his background and wanted to test his stance, Yu Le thought.
If he didn’t care, they could attack Wuyue Immortal Sect together, forming an alliance and proving that he was truly loyal to the Demonic Path.
If he did care, all the better—they would have something to use against him.
He remained silent, and the envoys grew more nervous. One of them, watching Yu Le’s face closely, spoke up:
“King of Bliss, you may not know, but Wuyue Immortal Sect claims to be a great sect of the Immortal Path and has often opposed our Demonic Path. It is said that a former ruler of the Demonic Path was even killed by them.”
“Indeed! Our lord has sent many skilled operatives to the Immortal Path, only to have them killed by disciples of that sect, ruining many of our plans!”
“Especially that senior disciple of the sect master—he has killed countless members of the Demonic Path, acting arrogantly and recklessly!”
“Everyone in the Demonic Path despised them deeply, which is why the lords set this plan to attack.”
Yu Le shifted his position and said, “Don’t you know that I was once a disciple of Wuyue Immortal Sect? How could I attack my former sect?”
He hadn’t expected to say it so directly, leaving the envoys speechless.
“But… but, King of Bliss, you are now the ruler of a demonic nation. Do you still hold loyalty to the Immortal Path sect?”
“Oh, it’s just that I’m soft-hearted and sentimental. You know me—I don’t even like killing people.”
The envoys: “…”
True, he didn’t kill people outright, but he tortured them, making their lives worse than death, scaring many demon leaders so much that they couldn’t stay in Kingdom of Bliss and fled to the other four nations.
The four nations couldn’t figure out what he truly thought. Some said he still cared about Wuyue Immortal Sect, but even when he heard about the plan to attack with the four-nation alliance, he didn’t stop it.
Others said he didn’t care, yet he didn’t take the opportunity to profit from their troubles either.
After having the envoys sent away, Xiao Niang came over, smiling as she handed him a sealed letter.
“My Lord, this is from Wuyue Immortal Sect.”
Yu Le took it, opened it, glanced at it, and let out a couple of mocking chuckles before casually tossing it into the wine vessel in front of him.
*
Wuyue Immortal Sect was the first sect of the Immortal Path to launch a large-scale investigation for Demonic Path spies. Their efforts sparked a wave of internal investigations across the sects.
No one had anticipated that the situation would escalate so dramatically.
Since losing their ruler, the Demonic Path had been causing minor disturbances in secret, but for such a large-scale confrontation, surrounding a sect, it hadn’t happened in over a hundred years.
Wuyue Immortal Sect had still been openly recruiting disciples when the demonic forces suddenly arrived, catching them completely off guard.
Those who couldn’t escape in time, and who hadn’t yet been formally accepted as disciples, were temporarily taken into the sect for protection. Terrified, they watched the dark, shadowy clouds of demonic energy looming over the mountain.
All the disciples of Wuyue Immortal Sect, regardless of their level of cultivation, held weapons and defended the sect, not allowing the enemy to take a single step into the sect.
…
The forbidden area in the back mountain was far from the front, so no sounds of battle or shouting could be heard. It remained serene and peaceful.
“Senior Brother, something has happened.” Bai Feishuang rushed over. “The sect is surrounded by the Demonic Path, and Master wants to see you.”
Mo Cunzhi stood up, sword in hand.
…
At Quxing Peak, the sect master, Xu Bingjiu, had replaced his cumbersome and formal robes with martial attire.
When the Nine Desires realm demons from the Demonic Path showed up, he too would have to go out and confront them, likely facing a fierce battle.
When Mo Cunzhi arrived, Xu Bingjiu said, “I raised you until now, and the sect has nurtured you for so long. Today is the day for you to repay that debt.”
“I want you to stand at the front of the sect and eliminate the demons, and even with your dying breath, you are not to take a single step back.”
The implication was clear—he expected him to die at the front of the sect.
Mo Cunzhi looked his master directly in the eye and said, “After today, whether I live or die, I will no longer be a disciple of Wuyue Immortal Sect.”
…
As Bai Feishuang followed him out of Quxing Peak, she couldn’t help but call out, “Senior Brother…”
Everyone knew that it would be impossible for him alone to hold off so many demonic cultivators.
“I won’t die.” With each step Mo Cunzhi took, his aura grew stronger.
He looked at the demonic energy gathering in front of the mountain gate and said, “After this battle is over, I will leave.”
“I want to go see the Demonic Path.”
“For so many years, countless demons and demonic cultivators have died under my sword, yet I’ve never truly seen or understood them. I will go and see.”
…
In front of Wuyue Immortal Sect’s gates, many had already died. A number of disciples, who had never experienced such a scene or even seen a demonic cultivator with their own eyes, were pale with fear.
Someone couldn’t help but ask, “At a time like this, where is Senior Brother? Isn’t he the best at eliminating demons? If he were here, these demons wouldn’t dare be so arrogant!”
“Yes! Why hasn’t the sect master sent Senior Brother? Is he just going to let us junior disciples die?!”
The demonic cultivators surrounding Wuyue Immortal Sect, led by over twenty Xuandan stage cultivators, shouted at the disciples, “We’ve heard that your sect has some Senior Brother who’s killed many of our people from the Demonic Path. If you hand him over, we’ll spare the rest of you!”
This caused immediate unrest among the Wuyue Immortal Sect disciples. Some cursed that it would never happen, while others hesitated, shrinking back.
Seeing this, the demonic cultivators burst into laughter and deliberately added, “We’re here for revenge! It’s all because your sect master’s top disciple is so famous. He brought this trouble on your sect!”
“Exactly! All the fame went to your Senior Brother, but now that trouble has come, you’re all suffering for it!”
Although most of the disciples knew the demons were trying to sow discord and provoke them, a small number of them couldn’t help but feel dark, resentful thoughts.
In that moment, they forgot the pride they once felt because of their Senior Brother’s reputation.
They forgot how much they had benefitted from his fame, how even when they traveled outside the sect, people treated them with more respect simply because of his presence in their sect.
The current prestige and standing of Wuyue Immortal Sect were largely due to Mo Cunzhi’s years of tireless fighting.
But today, that had all become his guilt.
As more disciples fell in battle, more unreasonable resentment started to grow.
“Why hasn’t Senior Brother appeared yet?”
“Aren’t these demonic cultivators here because of him?”
“Silence! Listen to what you’re saying! There’s nothing wrong with killing demonic cultivators. Senior Brother is our role model, how can you blame him just because of a few words from the enemy!”
Several of the direct disciples spoke harshly, and the junior disciples, looking at the corpses of their fellow sect members, with red eyes, didn’t dare to speak again.
“Senior Brother is here!” someone suddenly shouted in surprise and delight.
“It’s Senior Brother! Senior Brother has really appeared!”
No matter what they had thought in their hearts, the sight of that familiar figure in black filled the disciples with excitement.
Mo Cunzhi landed at the blood-stained mountain gate.
He held his unremarkable sword, standing alone before so many demonic cultivators. Without saying a word, his presence exuded the power of one man standing firm against thousands.
