After Escaping From Death, He Went Even Crazier By Criticizing Black Lotus Chapter 20
byThe two people in the room were dreaming the same dream but thinking different thoughts.
Suddenly, a familiar female voice came from outside the door, tinged with impatience—
“Five days is long enough. If Fourth Junior Brother doesn’t wake up soon, his soul will scatter. When exactly are they going to wake up?”
Another clear, crisp male voice replied from outside: “Don’t rush, Chi Jing said it would be within the next few days…”
Su Huan, who was dying of shame and indignation, recognized Feng Jiangyue’s voice, and his eyes instantly lit up.
So when Feng Jiangyue quickly entered the room, she was immediately embraced by the young man, who cried heartbreakingly: “Senior Sister, Senior Sister! I missed you so much!”
Feng Jiangyue couldn’t help but tear up as well, hugging the junior brother she had watched grow up since childhood. She comforted him: “Don’t cry, Junior Brother. It’s Senior Sister’s fault for not protecting you…”
As she spoke, a frail, scholarly young man in green robes gracefully entered the room. He looked Su Huan up and down. Seeing no major injuries, he finally let out a sigh of relief and muttered as if having narrowly escaped disaster: “That’s wonderful. Now Feng Jiangyue won’t tear me into eight pieces, and Chi Jing’s head is safe…”
Su Huan: “?” Who is this? And who is Chi Jing?
Unexpectedly, after Feng Jiangyue checked her junior brother’s pulse, spiritual consciousness, and Golden Core, a roar like a lion from the east of the river was directed at the newcomer: “Liu Zhejun! Didn’t you say that damn illusion dream could heal my junior brother! Why is his Golden Core still shattered!!!”
Liu Zhejun was greatly alarmed. He rushed forward and personally placed two fingers on the young man’s wrist, realizing with a shock that the pulse was weak, sickly, and floating, showing a state of powerlessness. He checked the Dantian—it was empty!
His face instantly turned pale, and he subconsciously shook his head like a rattle drum: “This, this shouldn’t be… Logically, after breaking the heart tribulation, one should receive a blessing from the Heavenly Dao. How could the fortune bestowed by the Heavenly Dao fail to repair this Golden Core…”
Heavenly Dao blessing?
Su Huan blinked. It seemed… something was indeed different.
Feng Jiangyue grew even angrier seeing Liu Zhejun’s scholarly appearance. Just as she was about to punch him, her peripheral vision caught sight of the other person in the room. She instantly remembered that this person was the reason her junior brother nearly died. Her steps shifted immediately, and she drew her sword, rushing straight at Xiao Jianming: “It’s all your fault that Fourth Junior Brother is like this, you heartless scoundrel! Take your life!”
Xiao Jianming instinctively fought back, but his gaze passed over Feng Jiangyue and met Su Huan’s eyes behind her. Those clear, shallow eyes showed no joy of having escaped death, nor did they seem affected by the illusion. There was not a shred of love or hatred in the way he looked at Xiao Jianming, and his tone was terrifyingly calm: “Senior Sister, attack three fingers below his left rib.”
Feng Jiangyue followed the instruction without hesitation. A flicker of surprise crossed Xiao Jianming’s dark eyes. How did Su Huan know the location of his primordial soul?
Su Huan saw Xiao Jianming’s erratic footwork and knew he had guessed correctly. The black lotus’s vital point was indeed there.
He then turned to look at Liu Zhejun and immediately spotted his vital point at the Baihui acupoint, which was conspicuously bright like starlight.
Su Huan stroked his chin, musing that this must be the so-called Heavenly Dao blessing—his cheat!
Hahaha, he finally had a cheat!
…
At the same time, thousands of miles away in Cangxuan Continent, at the Myriad Manifestations Sect.
A blind girl sitting cross-legged beneath an ancient giant tree seemed to sense something. She suddenly awoke from her meditation and stepped barefoot off the jade platform.
“Hua Wuyou.”
“I’m here, Senior Sister!”
A young man who was gnawing on a fruit in the tree answered. He finished eating in a few bites, casually tossed the pit, and jumped down beside the girl, responding with a grin: “What is it, Senior Sister? Do you want to hear me play music? I just learned a new…”
“Silence.”
With the girl’s two faint words, the young man couldn’t speak anymore. He just shrugged and waited quietly for his Senior Sister’s instructions.
The girl asked: “Is this year’s Immortal Sect Grand Assembly being held at the Xuanji Sect, in Huayao Continent?”
The young man nodded carelessly, assuming his Senior Sister was just asking casually. To his surprise, the girl nodded lightly, and her next sentence was—
“Go tell Master that I intend to attend this year’s Immortal Sect Grand Assembly.”
What?! How could that be?
His Senior Sister had only been recuperating in Cangxuan for a few years, and she hadn’t fully recovered yet. How could she go to such a distant place and participate in such a dangerous trial competition?
The young man was extremely worried, but his Senior Sister never changed her mind once she decided something.
He could only pack his bags and sacrifice delicious food and beautiful scenery to accompany his Senior Sister.
*
Liufang City, basement.
Xiao Jianming blocked Feng Jiangyue’s sword, seizing the opportunity to defend (and quibble) for himself: “Senior Sister Feng misunderstands. How could I kill Senior Brother Su? It was entirely due to me accidentally inhaling demonic energy…”
Feng Jiangyue gritted her teeth in anger: “Bah! Who is your Senior Sister! You beast in human skin! When I found the two of you, there was no trace of demonic energy in your body! You spin lies so easily, no wonder you managed to trick my Junior Brother into secretly pledging his life to you. Wait until I sew that mouth of yours shut, then let’s see who else you can deceive!”
Liu Zhejun paced anxiously nearby: “Stop fighting, stop fighting! If you keep fighting, you’ll attract the demons…”
Su Huan was stunned, wondering how the demons from the illusion dream could appear in reality. After a while, he searched his mixed memories and recalled that before Xiao Jianming killed him, there was indeed a demon hidden in Liufang City. But now that his Senior Sister was here, why would they fear that demon?
He spoke up to comfort them: “This Fellow Daoist Liu… don’t be afraid! My Senior Sister is very powerful. With her here, we don’t need to fear that demon!”
Liu Zhejun wiped the sweat from his brow and held up three fingers: “Not one, but three hundred!”
Th-three hundred?!
Su Huan’s eyes widened. That was practically an advance squad of the demon race!
Oh heavens, why so many!
Meanwhile, Feng Jiangyue’s swordsmanship consistently targeted the location of Xiao Jianming’s primordial soul, forcing him into a defensive position. Furthermore, reality was different from the illusion; Xiao Jianming was only in the Nascent Soul stage, while Feng Jiangyue was in the Soul Transformation stage. He quickly became overwhelmed, showing signs of defeat.
Feng Jiangyue kicked him onto the ground, threw out an Immortal Binding Rope, and added another charge against Xiao Jianming: “You clearly achieved the Nascent Soul stage long ago, yet you disguised yourself as being in the Qi Condensation stage. You are indeed harboring malicious intentions!”
The Immortal Binding Rope used by a Soul Transformation cultivator had a completely different effect than one used by a Golden Core cultivator. Xiao Jianming tried to struggle, but it didn’t budge.
Xiao Jianming gave up resisting, lying on the ground. He laughed: “Senior Sister Feng, that’s not fair. I haven’t harmed the sect, nor am I a criminal. How can I be harboring malicious intentions?” He then looked at Su Huan with smiling eyes and said, “Moreover, I truly didn’t intend to harm Senior J- Senior Brother. Senior Brother Su can vouch for me on this…”
A telepathic message sounded in Su Huan’s mind: Cooperate with me, and I won’t kill you in the future.
“Senior Brother Su, isn’t that right?”
Su Huan’s round eyes widened slightly. The black lotus, he… was threatening him, wasn’t he?
Was he crazy? He had just been stabbed in the chest, and he still dared to threaten him?
Feng Jiangyue looked over suspiciously.
Su Huan glared fiercely at Xiao Jianming. He was going to let him know what it meant to see a different kind of red lotus in the sun!
Just as he was about to speak, a thought flashed through his mind: the other party was the protagonist, and the most classic type of pig-eating-tiger protagonist from a certain web novel. These protagonists were especially vengeful, and Xiao Jianming was even more so…
Haha… It seemed he couldn’t afford to provoke him.
So he transmitted: I don’t believe you, unless you swear an oath.
Xiao Jianming glanced at him. Su Huan nearly exploded, thinking he disagreed and was about to attack, but then he saw Xiao Jianming transmit a faint message without much emotion: Fine.
His Senior Sister was still waiting for his answer. Su Huan cleared his throat: “Junior S- cough, Junior Brother was indeed influenced by demonic energy when he attacked me. It wasn’t his fault.”
After saying that, he slyly added, “If you don’t believe me, ask him to swear an oath.”
Fearing Xiao Jianming might go back on his word, Su Huan finished speaking and looked over with bright, sparkling eyes.
Feng Jiangyue was half-convinced and looked over as well.
Xiao Jianming gave Su Huan a meaningful look and spoke, making his vow: “I, Xiao Jianming, swear to the Heavenly Dao that I absolutely did not intentionally harm Senior Brother Su, and I will never harm Senior Brother Su again. Should I break this oath, may my soul scatter immediately and my body perish.”
As his words fell, a Heavenly Dao connection formed between the two of them. Su Huan was so delighted he almost cried.
From now on, he wouldn’t have to live in fear anymore, hahaha!
Xiao Jianming felt the joy in the young man’s eyes almost overflowing, and his gaze grew even more meaningful.
To be so happy over such a small thing, Su Huan truly liked him very much.
It was a pity that he already had someone in his heart.
Recalling the lotus petal water jade deeply hidden in his chest, Xiao Jianming lowered his eyes, concealing the trace of tenderness that appeared there.
He would definitely find that young man.
After personally witnessing the Heavenly Dao restriction fall, Feng Jiangyue finally dispelled her doubts. She snorted coldly: “Death may be avoided, but living punishment is inevitable. He injured you so severely; even if he returns, he won’t escape a trip to the Cold Pool Sin Prison.”
Cold Pool Sin Prison?
Su Huan recalled what Xiao Jianming had said:
“However, murdering a fellow disciple is a serious crime. The lightest punishment is expulsion from the sect, and the heaviest is the destruction of one’s cultivation and being thrown into the Cold Pool Sin Prison to suffer eternal cold punishment…”
A brilliant idea suddenly popped into his mind: “Hey, Senior Sister, I remember that those who harm fellow disciples are either expelled from the sect or locked in the Cold Pool Sin Prison. But that prison is known for being a place of no return. Why don’t we report everything to the Sword Venerable when we get back, asking him to expel him from the Xuanji Sect and spare his life? How about that?”
This way, he could show his goodwill toward the black lotus and keep him far away. He truly was a little genius!
“No.”
Before Feng Jiangyue could speak, Xiao Jianming suddenly looked over and spoke first, his tone cold. He stared at Su Huan for a long time before compromising: “I volunteer to enter the Cold Pool Sin Prison… to atone for my sins.”
Su Huan’s heart sank. Had he misjudged the situation?
That wasn’t right. The novel clearly stated that Xiao Jianming disliked the Xuanji Sect, didn’t it?
*
The matter concerning the three senior and junior disciples was finally settled.
Liu Zhejun let out a long breath. He looked at one, then the other, confirming that everything was fine before walking toward Feng Jiangyue and bowing: “Fellow Daoist Feng, since your junior brother has been rescued, can you fulfill your promise and help me avenge my father?”
Feng Jiangyue glared at him: “What do you mean, ‘already rescued’? My junior brother survived, yes, but what about his Golden Core? Shattered like this, how is it any different from being dead? If Chi Jing hadn’t acted on its own, I would have taken my junior brother back long ago!”
Liu Zhejun flinched and couldn’t help but mutter: “Without Chi Jing, whether your junior brother could even live is questionable…”
Feng Jiangyue’s eyebrows shot up: “What did you say!”
Liu Zhejun quickly shook his head, panicking: “Nothing, I didn’t say anything!”
After scolding him, Feng Jiangyue wasn’t satisfied. She turned and saw the culprit lying immobile on the ground and angrily kicked him again.
Xiao Jianming let out a muffled groan.
Su Huan gasped. Good heavens, this was the Killing God in his pre-adult form!
He quickly comforted his Senior Sister: “Senior Sister, don’t be angry. If it weren’t for that… Fellow Daoist Chi, I probably would have died long ago. I should thank that Fellow Daoist…”
Liu Zhejun burst out laughing, quickly covering his mouth, though his shoulders still shook.
Su Huan was confused: “What are you laughing at, Fellow Daoist Liu?”
It wasn’t until Liu Zhejun took him to see the legendary “savior” that Su Huan understood why he was laughing.
It was a giant beast head, three meters high, embedded in a wall of greenish-white stone. Seeing him, it snorted a breath from its rough nostrils, stirring its tangled mane. Its voice was ancient and deep:
“How about that, crazy girl? Didn’t I say he would live?”
Feng Jiangyue rolled her eyes, completely unwilling to engage with it.
Liu Zhejun awkwardly scratched his head and introduced it to Su Huan: “This is Chi Jing, the divine beast worshipped by my Liu family for generations. It can send cultivators into the heart tribulation illusion dream. After waking up from the dream, one can receive a Heavenly Dao blessing, which can break through realms, temper cultivation, and if one is luckier, even receive a special opportunity bestowed by the Heavenly Dao. As for what makes it special, I only know that it varies from person to person.”
“You were severely injured, and you shouldn’t have been allowed to enter the heart tribulation illusion dream. But Chi Jing took the liberty of using Xiao Jianming’s opportunity to compensate for the wrong he committed against you. That’s why you entered Xiao Jianming’s dream.”
Su Huan suddenly understood. Recalling his experience in the dream, he couldn’t help but feel a chill, especially the part where he faced the Demon Venerable at the end. As expected of the future Killing God, the content of that dream was terrifyingly bloody!
Speaking of which, the opportunity he received wasn’t just the eyes; the spiritual techniques and formations he learned in the illusion were also imprinted in his mind, just as if he had truly experienced them.
Exchanging a Golden Core for these things was definitely worth it!
Feng Jiangyue’s expression was still poor. Su Huan thought for a moment and told his Senior Sister everything. The frown that had been knotted on her brow finally loosened, and a hint of surprise flashed in her bright apricot eyes.
A moment later, Su Huan received a telepathic message from his Senior Sister: This Chi Jing finally did something good. However, don’t easily tell anyone else about these things. This is your trump card.
Su Huan transmitted back: Senior Sister isn’t just anyone! Of course, I wouldn’t hide it from you! Senior Sister will keep my secret, right?
Feng Jiangyue felt a warmth in her heart and replied: Of course. Senior Sister will always protect you.
Su Huan smiled sweetly. He knew that in the novel, the disciples of Lichen Mountain were the kindest to the original owner. They even died one after another at Xiao Jianming’s hands while trying to avenge the original owner. Now that he was the original owner, he naturally had to repay their kindness!
The two senior and junior disciples fell silent. Liu Zhejun observed Feng Jiangyue’s gradually relaxing expression and guessed that although Su Huan’s Golden Core hadn’t been repaired, he must have received other opportunities. It wasn’t a wasted trip after all.
A Golden Core could be cultivated again later, but this kind of opportunity only came once.
Liu Zhejun breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally managed to stabilize Feng Jiangyue’s volatile temper.
So, he cautiously, tentatively, brought up the matter of slaying the demon to avenge his father.
Feng Jiangyue let out a cold snort, but at least she stopped scolding him.
Su Huan was puzzled and asked: “May I ask who your esteemed father is?”
Liu Zhejun proudly lifted his head: “I am unworthy, but my father is the City Lord of Liufang City, Liu Mingsheng!”
After speaking, his straight posture suddenly slumped again, and he said bitterly: “It’s all my fault. If I had cultivated properly, I wouldn’t have had to hide for over a month and still be unable to avenge my father!”
Su Huan: “?”
Based on his words, City Lord Liu had been dead for over a month, but Su Huan had seen City Lord Liu at the welcoming banquet before he fell unconscious, hadn’t he?
Author’s Note:
[Dog head holding a rose] No ranking, but a small update.