The roar was thunderous. It came from the base of the mountain. A thick rage and discontent were suppressed within the loud and sonorous voice.
Everyone in the village seemed to have angry expressions at the same time. Grand Elder Wen noticed that there was a strange expression on Wen Leyang’s face. He asked in a low voice, “What, you know that person?”
Wen Leyang smiled bitterly and nodded, “The voice is right, but the sentence, not quite.”
Wen Leyang was not the only one who was puzzled. Among the crowd, Xiaoyi, Bushuo Buzuo, Chi Maojiu and Luo Wanggen all had the same expressions as him. They could all recognize the voice’s master, it was the ugly youth who made their acquaintance at the edge of the Gold-Consuming Lair, Qin Zhui.
After a while, Qin Zhui’s voice came from the mountain’s base again, it was still as strong and sonorous, “How evil is the East Wind, thinning the thick joy. With my chest full of sadness, I have lived miserably in the years after we parted. Thinking back, it was all a mistake, mistake, mistake!”
After the first ‘mistake’, countless crows in the mountain were startled by the enthralling roar and flew in all directions.
After the second ’mistake’, the crows wailed. Their bodies shuddered as they tried to fly high.
After the third ‘mistake’, the roar like a surprise thunder abruptly vanished. The messy cawing which had just started in the skies also vanished, leaving behind a silence akin to death.
Only a few people with sharp ears like Wen Leyang and Bu Le could hear the sounds of falling objects far away. Who knows how many crows had shook to their deaths in mid-air!
Wen Leyang’s expression became more peculiar. He said to the few elders beside him, “This poem… The way he recited is even more unlike him!”
Not long ago, Qin Zhui had been training to use his sword to enter the force. When he had completed his training he met Wen Leyang’s group who was about to enter the Gold-Consuming Lair. He ran over and ‘competed’ without saying a word. That was how they had met. Although it was not like meeting a long lost friend, they left good impressions on the other’s part. To Wen Leyang, Qin Zhui was a man with profound cultivation base, honorable, rough and reckless. He did not think that this man would be reciting a poem at the base of the mountain, scaring a mountain-full of crows to death.
The brothers Bushuo and Buzuo went in front of Fourth Elder Wen, asking if they should bring men down the mountain to stop him. Wen Leyang shook his head at the elders, “This man shouldn’t be our enemy!”
Wen Buzuo chimed in, “I think so too. But we may know his face and not his heart. There are also some uncertainties in this situation…”
Fourth Elder Wen simply waved a hand and dismissed him.
Not long later, amidst the heavy but swift footsteps, a burly young man who looked to be the same age as Wen Leyang appeared at the village’s entrance. It really was the ugly man Qin Zhui. When he appeared, Xiaoyi exclaimed out of surprise in a low voice, “Qin Zhui, what happened to you?”
Wen Leyang also felt a chill in his heart! He had met Qin Zhui not long ago in the City God Temple of Shanghai, he did not look like this.
Although Qin Zhui had a big mouth, small eyes and nostrils which pointed to the sky, ugly as hell, his person was straightforward and did not bother about trifles. He always had a neat air about him. But now, his face was yellowish, his cheeks and eye sockets sunken, his lips full of dry cracks, even his brows had a thin layer of clear frost! They had parted for not more than thirty days, but he looked thirty years older.
Wen Leyang also asked Qin Zhui with eyes full of shock, “What… what happened to you?”
Qin Zhui turned and flashed an ugly smile towards XIaoyi, perhaps in greeting, but he ignored Wen Leyang. His gaze scanned the crowd and suddenly froze. He oddly opened his mouth, his voice was jerky like two pieces of dried cowhide were rubbing together, “I went to One Word Palace, then I found out… If that was the case, then why did you have to say those words during that time…” Qin Zhui stammered for half a day. He suddenly shook his head forcefully and changed his tone, “I’ve come as promised. If I win, you come with me!”
As he was saying this, he lightly detached the Tang knife from his back.
When Qin Zhui held the knife in his hand, the decadence of senescence was completely swept away. In an instant, his whole person turned biting cold. Compared to the happy-go-lucky, gallant Qin Zhui back in the Gold-Consuming Lair, he was less pure now and was more merciless!
His mannerism was imposing, but he did not conceal the longing in his eyes.
Well-behaved child Luo Wanggen explained to the disciples of Wen Bucao beside him in a low voice, “This man just likes to fight…”
Little Chi Maojiu was brighter than Luo Wanggen, “Didn’t you hear him say that if he wins, he’ll go with him? He didn’t seem to come here merely looking for a fight. There must be something else to this.” Chi Maojiu put on a professional frown, acting steady, but his face was full of irrepressible excitement.
A quiet and beautiful voice, with a hint of stupefied cold, came softly from among the crowd, “Nobody takes the words they said when they were young seriously!”
Low, surprised cries sounded. The womenfolk of the Wen family village and Wen Buzuo’s gazes were lit up by the flames of gossip, making their faces light up. The one who answered was impressively the beloved daughter of One Word Palace who had wanted to marry Wen Leyang no matter what, Nineteen.
Qin Zhui’s eyes were visibly bloodshot, turning into a ferocious red color. His voice was still like dried hides rubbing together, but another blood-dripping sound was mixed into it now, “You don’t take it seriously, but I do!”
As he said this, his sturdy body suddenly leaped high, doing a somersault in mid-air. Then, the Tang knife in his hand brought with it a fury that was unacceptable to the eyes and slashed mercilessly towards the empty space at the village entrance! The instant he slashed, the world seemed to turn into a fragile soap bubble, fracturing noiselessly but tragically. Under the biting cold of the blade, the knife was the sky, the knife was the earth, the knife was the dominator of all!
There were no booming blasting sounds under the ferocious blade, even when the knife had made contact with the ground, nothing seemed to have happened. Old demon rabbit squinted his eyes abruptly. He said to the people around him in a low voice, “He can execute and retrieve with ease, not even stirring up a cloud of dust. The force of this one slash was all dispersed in the air. From substance to void, the blade followed the wind. Hehe, when did such a master appear among the young ones?”
After Qin Zhui made that slash, he stood back up on his original spot. His expressions had calmed down tremendously. He turned and looked at Wen Leyang, “Thanks to you, I have learned Force-Hide from Force-Enter.” During that time in the Gold-Consuming Lair, Wen Leyang had repeated Guo Huan’s words and instructed Qin Zhui in a grand fashion. During that time, nobody would have expected Qin Zhui to realize everything so quickly.
Wen Leyang chuckled and nodded, “Congratulations!” The issue between Qin Zhui and Nineteen was unrelated to him. As long as Qin Zhui does not kill Nineteen in a fit of madness, he would not interfere.
Old demon rabbit Bu Le was a great expert in cultivation. Although he did not cultivate ‘Force magical power’, he knew about the theories behind it. He swayed his head and exclaimed, “Enter the Force, melting the world into the blade, turning the blade into the world; Hide the Force, melting the blade into the world, with one slash, the world is the blade! Although these two levels sound awkward, they cannot be compared with each other.”
When the monk Bu Le looked at Qin Zhui again, his gaze was full of genuine keenness. His greatest hobby was to recruit disciples. When he saw a promising new shoot, he could not help but feel especially elated.
Wen Leyang was not interested in other people’s method of practice. He was even less interested in Qin Zhui’s cultivation base. What he was interested in right now was to know what had conspired between Qin Zhui and Nineteen.
Qin Zhui had a dried-up appearance and his gaze was unfocused. He was looking at Nineteen with a complicated expression, but when he heard old demon rabbit Bu Le’s words, his eyes lit up suddenly. As if suddenly forgetting about Nineteen he turned and looked at Bu Le. “You know about the Force? Then let me ask you, after Force-Enter comes Force-Hide, after Force-Hide is Force-Void, but what is Force-Void?”
In an instant, the onlookers all had anxious expressions. All of them were silently cursing in their hearts. Wen Leyang also did not know whether to laugh or to cry. He knew that Qin Zhui was a martial maniac, but he had not expected him to be as maniacal as this. Once he heard the method of practice of his magical power, he tossed Nineteen who wrenched his heart to the back of his mind.
A layer of irritation surfaced on Nineteen’s initially stoic face. Maybe her pride was wounded.
When old demon rabbit heard Qin Zhui’s words, a puzzled expression surfaced on his face, “Who told you that Force-Void comes after Force-Hide? If there is no Force then what will you be refining?”
Qin Zhui’s spirits had seemingly plunged into his cultivation all of a sudden. He looked at Wen Leyang again, “Is Force-Void really the one that comes after Force-Hide?”
Wen Leyang smiled bitterly with playful eyes. How should he know if it was right or wrong? Guo Huan was the one who told him about Force-Hide and Force-Void. If it was before, he would have nodded confidently and told Qin Zhui, “It is Force-Void. Go and train.” He did not dare to say so now. Guo Huan had been lying to him from the start. Wen Leyang dared not believe everything that he said anymore.
Old demon rabbit spoke after muttering for a while, “I think, after Force-Hide, should be Force-Break. If you have the time, think through it carefully!”
Qin Zhui stood riveted on the spot. He hit his head lightly on the hilt of the Tang knife. After a few minutes, he suddenly lifted his head. His gaze was full of infatuation and excitement, with a tinge of puzzlement. He bowed deeply towards old demon rabbit, a genuine joy apparent in his tone, “Many thanks for the old god’s enlightenment! This junior has learned something here, if there’s anything you want me to do, I’ll not refuse!” As he said this, he gave a small wooden bell that was used for communication to old demon rabbit. He turned and descended the mountain with a great laugh.
Everyone was bug-eyes. Qin Zhui was leaving? Just like that?
Nineteen had saved Ah Dan and Mumu during the battle with the Weeping Buddha. She also had an exquisite idea. She had mingled wonderfully with everyone while she was resting her wounds in Wen family village. Half a month ago when Wen Leyang ascended the mountain with his wounds, she truly did show that she could risk her life. Although her motives for staying in Wen family village to marry Wen Leyang no matter what was very suspicious, everyone had given her some face. Even the four elders did not show any signs of repulsion towards her. That was why even Wen Buzuo was shy to call out to Qin Zhui…
Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen who had always been silly were not silly now. They moved close to Nineteen and asked in hushed tones, “He’s… he’s leaving just like that?” There was an unconcealable disappointment in their tones.
Ninteen’s face was full of anger. She stamped her foot forcefully, “He’s always been like this. Later, after he thought it through, he’ll come back…” She had not finished when an angry yell echoed from outside the village. Qin Zhui brandished his Tang knife and came running back with exasperation. He entered the village, pointed rudely at old demon rabbit Bu Le’s nose and cursed, “The old man’s intentions are too evil! You almost deceived me!”
Everyone let out a relieved sigh. Seeing that Qin Zhui had returned, they were genuinely happy.
Old demon rabbit almost vomited blood. He angrily waved his sleeve, “You are a vile man. I shan’t argue with the like of you!”