Estranged - CH 128

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Jiang Li was not some naive person from a remote village who had not seen anything of the world. If he was so startled, obviously, it must have been because he had seen something awful. Chi Bijiang had been looking at him all this time, so she noticed the change in his expression, and could not help but turn her eyes to Sir An as well.

In a moment, she seemed terrified too, even more so than Jiang Li.

Under Sir An’s low hood, which had been covering most of his face, was a black mask. He had taken it off and revealed his face, which could no longer be called a human one. Most of his face had rotted away, and even the white of his bones could be discerned in the darkness. Out of two places where his eyes had originally been, one was pitch-black and empty, and in the other one, they could still see the outline of an eye, but only very vaguely, because the flesh around his eye sockets had already darkened as well.

Chi Bijiang gave a gasp of astonishment and wanted to step back, but Jiang Li grabbed her arm tightly.

The warmth of his hand returned her to her senses.

After standing still for a while, Sir An put his mask back on.

The lowered hood that was covering his face and the darkness of the night created an eerie atmosphere, as if they were having a hallucination.

But Yun Weisi knew this was not the case.

It was obvious that Sir An had suffered incredibly cruel torments before his death and died while experiencing excruciating pain. When ghost cultivators reached his level of cultivation, they could change their appearances according to their will, just like Linghu You, whose face was beautiful despite him being a ghost cultivator as well. However, some of them, like the person in front of their eyes, could never get rid of the mark left by the pain which had been carved deep into their memories, thus influencing their appearances.

Seeing Jiang Li’s panicked expression, Sir An sneered quietly.

“Did your shixiong look like this?”

Jiang Li did not answer.

“Your shixiong was not only a ghost, but also a resentful one?”

Sir An raised his head and burst out laughing. This laughter sounded like the hooting of an owl on a quiet night and could send a chill down a person’s spine.

“If you don’t want to admit it, I won’t force you. For years, I was convinced that you were dead, but I’ve never forgotten the day when the Library of Scriptures was set on fire. Do you still remember? Two days prior to the incident, we quarreled. You asked whether I wanted to take your position from you and said many cruel things that were hard to listen to. At first, I was angry, but when I look back at this, I only feel that it was strange. I wasn’t like you. At worst, when you were in a bad mood, you would vent your anger, but what could put you in a bad mood? Was it that something had gone wrong while you were cultivating, or were there any other hidden reasons?”

Jiang Li’s tone was light but also steady, resounding clearly in the night air.

He even took a step forward in Sir An’s direction.

“I felt that something was wrong, but had not pursued the thought, hoping you’d get better in a few days. After what happened later, I regretted my decision. If only I didn’t dismiss it, perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided. Dashixiong, I miss you a lot, and shifu does too. If he knew you are still alive, he’d definitely be happy.”

“Alive?” Sir An smiled strangely, “I’ve been dead for a long time, and I’m not your dashixiong. However, the person you’re talking about has a shidi just like you. What a coincidence!”

While they were talking, Yun Weisi noticed a black mist that was half-transparent was lingering around the yard, as if it was wandering about in search of a chance to intrude.

This mist did not resemble ghost qi. It was difficult to notice its presence as it would disperse one moment and gather in another, but it would blend into the darkness of the night all the same. Even Yun Weisi could not tell when exactly they had appeared.

“Someone with superb skills has placed a restriction on this place. It’s not purely a formation—it’s interlaced with illusions and talismans.”

Chi Bijiang had also noticed it. She raised her hand, and golden sparks which shone like stars appeared with the gesture. These shiny and beautiful “stars” turned into golden threads upon landing to the ground. When the black mist moved forward slightly, trying to cross the lines, it seemed like there was an invisible barrier pushing them back.

But the mist only got bolder when obstructed, and soon it gathered into even denser black fog, which kept bouncing off the golden lines. Nevertheless, the fog returned over and over again, while the glow of the golden threads grew dimmer and dimmer until it was consumed by the darkness.

“What is this!” Jiang Li asked Sir An in a high voice, “Dashixiong, do you hate me so much?”

Sir An sneered coldly: “I wasn’t the one who created this. I wouldn’t need to try so hard if I wanted to kill you. Even if you’re the master of the Wanjian Immortal Clan these days, you still haven’t crossed the boundary into the realm of a great master, so this status is only for show!”

By saying this, he was indirectly admitting his identity.

Jiang Li laughed bitterly, but did not get angry: “My skills have always been by far inferior to yours. If you were still with us, no one else would dare to take the position of the clan master.”

Yao Wangnian said coldly: “Even if I stayed, the title would not have been mine.”

Jiang Li sensed that his words contained some hidden hints and wanted to inquire further, but saw what was happening to the three circles that Chi Bijiang had formed by scattering the golden threads around them. The black mist had quickly reached the first circle, before it got pushed back several times. However, the mist was relentless, so the first circle was soon exhausted. It had stopped before the second golden circle, and no matter how much it tried, it did not seem able to break through it. Not only that, for some reason, it was not attacking as fervently now.

Jiang Li activated his flying sword. The sword’s qi flowed freely, and in a flash a bright light lit up the place around them. Chi Bijiang felt a cold wind surge around, and thought to herself, in a daze: Is this the power of the legendary Guyue Sword?

Despite that, at this moment, she heard Yao Wangnian laugh coldly. Not only did the sword light not manage to disperse the black mist—on the contrary, the light was quickly sent back, and it rushed directly at Jiang Li and Chi Bijiang!

Chi Bijiang was astonished, but Jiang Li created a seal with his hands, driving the light away a moment before it reached them, which averted a dangerous situation.

His actions had confirmed that the black mist could scarcely be driven away by brute force, and thus, it was no wonder that Yao Wangnian sneered at his attempt.

“Dashixiong, I know that you’re not the culprit, but the one who has conspired with nightmare demons and fox spirits obviously has a strong backing. We have to lure them out to solve this Hongluo case. You’ve come here earlier than I, and the town supervisor is on your side, so, surely you know more than I do. Could you tell us something?” Jiang Li said sincerely.

Yun Weisi used to think that this master of the Wangjian Immortal Clan was only mediocre, and far behind Immortal Luomei in terms of his cultivation as well as his ruthlessness. Perhaps, this was also the reason why Luomei had managed to take over his body and pretend that no such thing had happened for so many years. But now, watching and hearing Jiang Li talk to Yao Wangnian, he saw that Jiang Li was not subject to mood swings, he never got startled or angry, and even Yao Wangnian’s scathing remarks did not annoy him. He either had a good temper, or he was quite proficient in concealing his true emotions. Judging by the last interaction, the former was the case. However, while this temperament of Jiang Li would be great for a common person, he still lacked the skills and energy to be a clan master.

Yao Wangnian stared at Jiang Li for a while, and then suddenly said: “Jiang Li, I didn’t expect you to remain so naive after taking over the position of the clan master. In your hands, the Wanjian Immortal Clan will fall sooner or later.”

Chi Bijiang was irritated: “If your excellency has enough free time to talk so much, wouldn’t it be better if you used it to help us drive the black mist away? We can talk later after we’re out of here. If we all die here, what’s the point of saying all this!”

Yao Wangnian said indifferently: “It’s not like this black mist only appeared here recently. Someone just decided to direct all of it to this place and use it to set up a trap to capture me here. Even if I don’t die, I’ll at least go mad. Your presence is nothing but a coincidence. Still, catching several fish with one net is a good thing, so no one will be left alive.”

Jiang Li’s eyes froze: “Who wants to kill you?”

The only answer to his question was silence.

Yun Weisi, who had not said anything up to this moment, suddenly spoke: “I’m sure that you’re both familiar with this person, and even know him well. Ever since what happened at the Library of Scriptures, he’s been chasing Yao Wangnian. When he realizes that your dashixiong’s still alive, he will kill him with no mercy or hesitation.”

“Who are you!” Yao Wangnian looked at him quickly. The gaze from beneath his mask was piercing, as sharp as a sword.

“A traveler who was coincidentally passing by,” Yun Weisi’s expression did not show his feelings. “Yao Wangnian, you’ve known the answer for a long time, you just don’t dare say it out loud. As matters stand now, you’ve been forced to this state where you can call yourself neither a human nor a ghost, and we’ve all been trapped here with slim chances of survival. How long are you going to continue to help him hide the truth?”

Jiang Li and Chi Bijiang were alarmed, especially Jiang Li. His gaze kept moving from Yun Weisi to Yao Wangnian and back again.

“Daoyou Yun, what do you know?”

Yao Wangnian stared at Yun Weisi intently.

“You’re not from the Wangjian Immortal Clan. Who on earth are you?!”

“As I’ve said, I have nothing to do with you. We’ve just met each other by happenstance. I learned the truth by accident. If you don’t come clean about what happened, in the future, your shidi might follow the same path to his death. You, he, the Wanjian Immortal Clan, and even the whole world might be turned upside down because of this. You should understand it well— if he could do something so atrocious to you, such as breaking off your close relationship without a trace of compassion, would he be any more merciful to any other person in this world?”

Yun Weisi looked back at him coldly. His aura was not inferior to Yao Wangnian’s in any way.

Although his cultivation was somewhat limited compared to what he possessed in the future, he used to be the respected leader of a Daoist sect and the master of the Nine Layers of the Abyss. His presence and demeanor were even more refined than those of the other three people here. Before, he had deliberately held back his aura, and Yao Wangnian’s attention had been focused on Jiang Li. Now, Yun Weisi had both revealed his true strength and made Yao Wangnian wary of him .

A cultivator’s senses were sharp, especially if they were a demonic cultivator, who was someone that was detached from the realm of mortals and wandered in the darkness. Yao Wangnian had vaguely noticed something from Yun Weisi’s manners and qi, but did not say anything. This unexplainable feeling forced him to stop asking questions and keep quiet for a while. Then, he said, “Even if I say, he won’t believe it.”

Yun Weisi: “And if you don’t say it, he’ll never know.”

Jiang Li did not understand the riddles they were speaking in, but just as he opened his mouth to say something, a warm hand suddenly held him tight.

“These three golden circles I’ve set up can only buy a little time,” Chi Bijiang whispered in his ear.

Although she did not understand what was going on, she managed to pick up on Jiang Li’s anxiousness in time.

Jiang Li quietly hummed in acknowledgement, and his worries stopped bothering him so much for now. He saw that Yao Wangnian’s attitude had relaxed somewhat, and he was no longer as stubborn and harsh as before. Yun Weisi’s words seemed to have changed something in him. It was just that Jiang Li could not tell how much hearing Yao Wangnian’s words now would affect him in the future.

While this took place, Jiufang Changming, on the other hand, had just fended off the sneak attack launched by Hua-Shan and several other fox spirits, but a new strong enemy replaced them.

Jiufang Changming took three steps back, lowered his head, and vomited a mouthful of blood.

“Senior!” A-Rong paled and supported him hurriedly.

Tn:

Hi, sorry for the long break!

Chinese quarantine is a very peculiar experience, 1 out of 10 would not recommend to a friend…