Shi Sheng sat on her sword as she observed the battle from above.
Dong Jing was dressed all in black and wore a black mask that covered his entire face. He was also attacking a group of people with a pitch-black sword. Basically, if one was asked to describe him in one word, it would be black.
Despite facing so many opponents at once, Dong Jing kept a very cool and calm demeanor. He defended and attacked with apt timing. Even when his opponents thought of new and tricky ways to disrupt him, they would still be the only ones suffering from the actual attempt.
Shi Sheng rubbed her chin before passing judgement enigmatically, “It would be a pity for this person to not conquer the world.”
‘Who knows? Maybe he’s my Feng Ci? Should I help him?’
[Host… what’re you planning to do?] System’s voice had even started fluctuating from how agitated it was.
“Well, not you, that’s for sure. Why’re you so nervous?” Shi Sheng sent System the thought version of a derogatory eyeroll.
[……] ‘Host, do you believe I’ll terminate you if you continue being this unfriendly?
This isn’t good. I have to add a restraining condition. But what?
No attacking? Then how is she going to stop Dong Jing?
No killing people[1]? That won’t do, there are monsters down there too…’
System felt like its programming was being scrambled. It seemed like there was no restraining condition it could impose without making the mission impossible. ‘Master, this is bad! Host is really going to break something this time! Requesting immediate assistance!!!’
While System was struggling with what restraining condition it should force her to adhere to, Shi Sheng had already taken out her lightning balls and positioned herself directly above the City of Ten Thousand Flowers. She began chucking them at the defensive wards of the city that were blocking Dong Jing’s way.
Bang!
System had already chosen to go offline. It didn’t wish to bear witness to the tragedy that was about to occur. ‘This Host is way beyond saving, okay?’
Shi Sheng only aimed for the defensive wards around the city. Noticing they had been broken, Dong Jing immediately made a beeline for the city.
He raised his head slightly to look up into the sky, but a thick layer of clouds obscured his vision so he couldn’t see anything.
Shi Sheng nonchalantly propped up her chin and watched as Dong Jing went on a massacre.
He wouldn’t kill women, children or the elderly—of course, that was under the condition that they didn’t attack him first.
Contrary to what one would expect, the ones who took advantage of the chaos to kill and steal to their heart’s content were a portion of the citizenry themselves.
Dong Jing wasn’t planning on stealing everyone’s cultivation. It was obvious that he had clear, predetermined targets for he knew the weaknesses and skills of every person he pursued like the back of his hand.
The more Shi Sheng watched, the more satisfied she was. If not for the main characters’ indestructible halos, Dong Jing would’ve already conquered the world, no sweat.
……
By the time Dong Jing left the city, his black clothes were completely drenched in fresh blood. It dripped onto the floor, causing a trail of blood to flow wherever he walked.
The world was abysmally silent, as if all life had been eradicated from existence.
Suddenly, Dong Jing’s steps paused and he focused on a point ahead of him.
It was as if someone had hit the slow button for the entire world.
In the middle of the main road, far into the distance, a woman wearing a dark green dress sat on a floating sword and looked at him with eyes that were curved into crescent moons from smiling.
“You were the one who helped me.” Dong Jing’s voice was rather hoarse, as if he hadn’t used it in a long time.
His words were a statement, not a question.
“Yep.” Shi Sheng leapt off her sword. “In return, let me touch you.”
“Why?” ‘Touch me? Touch where?? Why is there such an unreserved young lady in front of me…’
“I’m looking for someone and want to check whether you’re him or not.”
‘It’s best to get straight to the point with these types of people.’
Dong Jing fell silent for a long while before slowly approaching Shi Sheng. “How?”
He didn’t like to owe favours to others.
If she was planning on using this as an opportunity to harm him… Then he’d simply send her down to accompany the others.
Dong Jing’s reaction was within Shi Sheng’s expectations, so she spoke without hesitation, “Just stretch out your hand.”
Once you are strong enough to look down on everyone, it doesn’t matter what they do; their schemes become nothing more than minor, harmless tricks.
Dong Jing hesitated for a moment but still cautiously stretched his hand out in the end.
To guard against any sudden attacks Dong Jing might launch against her, Shi Sheng didn’t hold onto his wrist, but rather his hand.
A stream of energy that couldn’t be called gentle poured into Dong Jing’s body from his palm. His first reaction was to resist it.
The killing intent surrounding him abruptly spiked, but the woman in front of him didn’t show any reaction at all, as if she couldn’t even feel it.
Shi Sheng frowned and glared at him. “What’re you resisting for?”
“What do you intend to do?” Dong Jing countered.
Sending one’s energy into another’s body was one of the most tabooed practices of the cultivation world. He’d be mad to not resist.
“Just checking something,” Shi Sheng spoke contemptuously, “Not everyone’s out to off you. Killing you would only dirty my sword. You’d best not resist—else, don’t blame me for being rude.”
‘Dirty her sword… This woman is really too detestable!’
Dong Jing’s body shook suddenly as the eyes under his mask surged with tumultuous waves. His blood roiled inside his body. Only after he took a moment to adjust his condition did he manage to speak, “You’re a Highgod.”
Shi Sheng’s eyes curved upwards. “Told you not to resist. The consequences of not listening.”
Dong Jing’s breathing turned heavier. He couldn’t remember any Highgod in the Heavenly Realm that matched her description. But her power was truly that of a Highgod…
The stream of energy didn’t do anything to his body, merely swimming around casually. Seeing it do no harm, he gave up on resisting. If this woman really was a Highgod, he wouldn’t be able to beat her in his current state. Although he had just gathered a lot of energy in his body, he couldn’t utilise it for anything since he hadn’t tempered it yet.
“What’s your name?”
“Qing Guan.”
“Qing Guan…” ‘This name seems familiar. I think I’ve heard it somewhere before.’
Shi Sheng’s brows furrowed slightly as she felt somewhat disappointed. ‘It’s not Feng Ci.’
She withdrew her hand, causing the energy in Dong Jing’s body to disappear, as if it had never been there in the first place.
Dong Jing could read the answer from her expression: he wasn’t the one. But he was rather surprised that she had really just been checking if he was who she was looking for.
‘Qing Guan… Oh yeah!’
“You’re the Qing Guan from Verdant Palace?” Dong Jing asked doubtfully.
“Sounds like you’ve heard of me. It appears I’m quite famous!”
‘Villain-sama knew Qing Guan? What’s up with that? I’m(bbb) a wee bit confused…
Though I suppose he could’ve just heard of her from rumours. After all, he used to be an inhabitant of the Heavenly Realm.’
Thinking thus, Shi Sheng didn’t continue to ponder on the matter too deeply.
‘Too bad Qing Guan died so early in the plot. There was nothing in the story about what relationship she had with Dong Jing.’
Dong Jing, “…”
‘It really is that lass from Verdant Palace. Huh, and she’s all grown up too. Her character is…strange to say the least.’
……
Having failed in her quest to find Feng Ci, Shi Sheng was planning on heading back to the Heavenly Realm to mess around with the female lead more.
But Dong Jing seemed to have a screw or two loose in his head, for he trailed along behind her. Of course, he didn’t forget to continue his mission to kill people.
Shi Sheng wasn’t very familiar with The Great Desert, so every direction looked the same to her. Naturally, she was unable to shake the long-time resident, Dong Jing, off her tail.
She stopped and turned to glare irritably at the persistent person following her. “Why’re you following me instead of advancing your murderous career?”
‘This fellow couldn’t be following me because he plans on secretly offing me to steal my Highgod cultivation, could he? I never thought you were this kind of despicable villain! *disdain*’
Dong Jing, who had never thought his bloody and violent actions could be interpreted as advancing a certain type of career, “…” ‘What’s with that expression?’
“I’m telling ya, don’t you dare covet my cultivation. I don’t feel like dying yet.”
“I won’t kill you.”
“Then why are you following me?!” Shi Sheng flared up. ‘There were so many roads along the way, yet you still insisted on following me! How am I supposed to believe you have no ulterior motives?’
“I’m headed this way too.”
“Headed—” ‘—this way your grandpa!’
Shi Sheng charged over with sword in hand.
[1] In Chinese the word for people is the same as human. So races other than human are literally not people. None of that animals-are-people-too deal.