Chu Qingcheng took Zhuo Fan to a barren hill. Three lonely graves struck a dreadful image in the midst of harsh and cruel winds.
“They are my parents and my younger brother!” Chu Qingcheng sighed.
Zhuo Fan noticed that the graves had written on them: beloved mother, beloved father. However, the foremost one was a blank slab, with a black cloak fluttering on it.
On a closer look, there were some words on the cloak, ‘heaven toppling pill’!
“Such audacious words!”
Zhuo Fan cried. Every cultivator knew that alchemy was a wide and long winding road. Even if you invested all your energy in it, you’d only pick up a few things along the way.
What’s more, refining skills abided by Heaven’s laws. How arrogant could one be to say the words, heaven toppling pill? Not even that narrow-minded Vicious Pill King would dare utter such a thing.
He turned puzzled to Chu Qingcheng, who replied with a warm smile, “You must find them self-centered, right?”
Zhuo Fan nodded. Chu Qingcheng walked to the grave and caressed the cloak, “This is my younger brother, Chu Qingtian! And this cloak is something I made for him!”
Chu Qingtian?
Zhuo Fan’s raised an eyebrow as he recalled. Wasn’t he the spy sent by Drifting Flowers Edifice to the Vicious Pill King? [It turns out to be her brother!]
[But sending her own brother as a spy… Seems Drifting Flowers Edifice has run out of talents!]
Zhuo Fan smacked his lips.
“Song Yu!”
Chu Qingcheng turned to him with a soft gaze, catching him by surprise, “Did you know? When you gave me fruits in the slums, when you fought for my sake, I saw Qingtian in you! Especially when you fought Yan Fu. Your reckless and stubborn nature is his spitting image.”
Chu Qingcheng had tears glistening in her eyes, recalling the past.
Zhuo Fan blushed from shame. He always thought he got close to Chu Qingcheng thanks to Dong Tianba’s skirt-chasing skills. It turned out he was only a substitute for her brother.
Embarrassed, Zhuo Fan muttered, “So sister Chuchu took me for your little brother?”
Glaring at him, Chu Qingcheng reproached, “I told you to stop saying sister. Did you forget?”
Zhuo Fan was baffled.
[A substitute little brother can’t call you sister?]
Chu Qingcheng noticed his reaction and shook her head, “Perhaps I did consider you as my younger brother at first. But after today…”
Chu Qingcheng’s blushed and muttered, “Now, you aren’t my little brother anymore…”
She digressed so badly that Zhuo Fan had no clue what she was saying. Though it didn’t look like she’d explain as she spoke, “My parents were normal disciples of Drifting Flowers Edifice which fell from Pill King Hall’s poison. From a young age, I and Qingtian vowed revenge. Grandmother found our talent worthy of her attention and taught us herself!
“However, Qingtian was a man and Drifting Flowers Edifice had only one use for such people, marry their disciples and carry on Drifting Flowers Edifice forward. Qingtian’s refining skill was beyond mere talent. He was unwilling to waste away living like this and defied Drifting Flowers Edifice in becoming Pill King Hall’s disciple.”
“Wasn’t he a spy? How come you use ‘defy’?” Zhuo Fan interrupted.
Chu Qingcheng nodded, “You are correct, but we were unaware of the ploy at that time. I even wrote a letter to break all ties with him! Only three years later did he return to Drifting Flowers Edifice. We then understood this was Grandmother’s plan all along. He did not abandon his mission and stole the Pill King Hall’s Rainbow Cloud Palm’s antidote formula. Because of Pill King Hall’s strict guard, he used a concoction to carve the formula on his back. It would never be visible unless a special liquid was poured on it.”
“You’re saying that human skin in the cave, is your brother’s?” Zhuo Fan’s heart shuddered. Chu Qingtian went through inhuman lengths for Drifting Flowers Edifice.
He had to use human skin to take the formula with him. It was obvious how dangerous, how hard this mission was.
This also gave Zhuo Fan some plans he could use for the Luo clan. [Should I also get some diehards and send them inside the other houses as a contingency?]
But his plan would have to have far more impact than Drifting Flowers Edifice’s. While Drifting Flowers Edifice wasted a decade for a formula, he had greater plots developing in his mind. Like getting his spies in the houses through some special means and reporting their every movement.
The Nine Serenities Secret Records had a secret art pertaining to demonic cultivators to aid in this endeavour but it was too cruel. The secret art wasn’t used on enemies but on his own men. He could only harden his heart if he were to handle the seven houses.
Zhuo Fan’s eyes flashed with coldness.
Chu Qingcheng continued, oblivious of his reactions, “Qingtian’s return had everyone excited. With Rainbow Cloud Palm’s antidote, we had no reason to fear Pill King Hall. While everyone was eager, Aunt Tao and Qingtian began refining it.”
“However, the formula was too much of an oddity! The overseers who were already poisoned died when taking the refined antidote, while the refiners got poisoned themselves! “
“And your brother died from poison? Heaven can be so cruel to geniuses!”
Zhuo Fan sighed. That was the truth of it and he felt close to tears. The antidote was a 7th-grade pill. He was a freak of an alchemy genius to participate in its refining at such a young age.
[It is truly a pity his life ended so soon.]
Chu Qingcheng shook her head, eyes downcast, “No, he was killed by the other overseers.”
“What, but didn’t he earn great merit? Why…”
Zhuo Fan was startled but soon figured it out.
[Who was the most unfortunate in this world, the nameless hero!]
[Why?]
[Ha-ha-ha, because, neither side got what they wanted!]
Chu Qingcheng confirmed it, “My other sisters suspected him as being Pill King Hall’s spy, that he brought a fake formula to ruin the house. They took advantage of me, Peony Overseer and Iris Overseer’s absence and beat him to death. This is Drifting Flowers Edifice’s shame. We had no choice but to say he died from poisoning. While Aunt Tao still believed the formula is real, studying it painstakingly.”
Tears fell from Chu Qingcheng’s eyes. Zhuo Fan wanted to comfort her but she waved her hand to refuse, stopping him in his tracks.
“Because Qingtian’s body was in such condition, I could only bury him here. I was afraid he would be cursed and reviled so I didn’t leave his name behind. Later, I moved my parent’s graves to have them reunited here.”
Chu Qingcheng pulled Zhuo Fan’s hand into kowtowing three times before the graves, “Song Yu, when I die, please bring my body here to rest with them.”
Chu Qingcheng’s words were filled with sorrow and sounded very much like a dying wish, leaving Zhuo Fan puzzled, [What is she planning?]
“Silly girl, with me here, there’s nothing to worry about!” Zhuo Fan showed a rare serious expression.
Chu Qingcheng was startled. She rarely saw the stubborn Zhuo Fan display any semblance of reliability like right now.
She soon rolled her eyes, “You are never satisfied, are you? I told you to call me by my name and now you dare call me silly?”
“Uh, ha-ha-ha. Bro Dong said this will bring women a feeling of safety. What, you don’t like it?” Zhuo Fan scratched his head, playing the fool.
She glared at him, “That brother of yours is a wastrel. Stay away from him!”
Zhuo Fan shrugged.
“Now, follow me to the last place.”
After seeing Grandmother and paying respects to her family, Chu Qingcheng took the cloak and pulled Zhuo Fan as she soared.
Fifteen minutes later, they were at a familiar place.
Zhuo Fan was amazed to find this place was the slums where they first met. Because of the scourge woman, none dared to get close.
“Uh, why are we here again?”
Zhuo Fan was baffled, “Right, why is the great Edifice Lord hiding here as a scourge woman?”
Chu Qingcheng took a deep breath, “I had no choice. Enraged by what happened to Qingtian, I went to Yan Song to settle the score, only to be wounded and poisoned as well. I didn’t let anyone know this, afraid of affecting Drifting Flowers Edifice’s stability. I claimed to enter seclusion when in fact, I have been using the moon’s yin power to suppress the poison. This was how I came to be known as a scourge woman.”
Zhuo Fan nodded and Chu Qingcheng suddenly draped the black cloak on his shoulders.
Zhuo Fan looked at her, startled.
Chu Qingcheng smiled, “Song Yu, I don’t have much time. I hope you can take Qingtian’s place, letting me feel the warmth of a family.”
“Ha-ha-ha, so I’m still your brother in the end…” Zhuo Fan laughed in spite of himself.
Bam!
Suddenly, Chu Qingcheng embraced his broad back and closed her eyes. Zhuo Fan was startled and did not continue to speak.
“I told you, you are not my brother. Just let me feel the warmth of a family one last time.”
Chu Qingcheng stared into his eyes. She hesitated before removing her veil.
Her outstanding beauty was once again revealed to him, making his heart freeze. He was plunged into a daze a second time, despite seeing her once already.
Chu Qingcheng noticed and a hit of red colored her cheeks, “Song Yu, Qingtian told me my smile can topple cities. His pill can topple heaven. I hope you will let me relive our short warm memories together.”
(StarReader: Qingcheng= city toppling)
(Star Reader: Qingtian= heaven toppling)
Zhuo Fan could not even process her words. He was too confused and lost, only nodding unconsciously.
Chu Qingcheng showed a smile of gratitude, “Thank you!”
The two began experiencing the lives of a man and a woman in a quiet and decrepit house. They were like average people, with Zhuo Fan repairing the house and Chu Qingcheng washing and cooking before eating together.
The following three days, Zhuo Fan never felt so at peace.
He would’ve never thought it possible before. How could the grand Demonic Emperor live his days in such a vile way? Yet, these days were spent without any bit of worry or remorse, as if he was living a dream.
Unfortunately, this was an act that fell in a pair of vicious eyes hiding in the darkness.
He was a Profound Heaven expert.
The figure left and soon arrived at Drifting Flowers Edifice’s guest rooms. He quietly entered one that was filled with people.
Vicious Pill King, Merry Woods’s Lin Zitian, Hell Valley’s 5th elder, were all here. And leading them was none other than Regent Estate’s second young master, Huangpu Qingyun.
The figure whispered in the second young master’s ear.
Bam!
The teacup in his hand was shattered into pieces. Huangpu Qingyun was enraged.
“Second young master, what happened?” Vicious Pill King asked.
Clenching his fists, Huangpu Qingyun spat, “That bitch took off her veil for that punk!”
Huangpu Qingyun ran out, flying straight to the slums…