Radiant Blade of the Wilderness

Chapter 57: Disreputable Companions

One thought after another flashed through Ding Songyan’s mind. He chose his words carefully and said, ”I do not know, Master.”

Without waiting for Tao Wenshu to ask further, he volunteered, ”When I was attacked at the ruined temple outside the city, I lost many memories. All this time I’ve been treating Ding Qingyan—that is, Ji Hanyi’s disguise—as my little sister, and have been quite protective of her...”

He selected a few everyday moments of the ”siblings” getting along and recounted them briefly, including telling bedtime stories, gifting a silver hairpin as a keepsake, and so on. He emphasized the three ”nightmares” that ”Ding Qingyan” had last night and the oath he’d sworn.

Finally, he gave a simple summary of the conversation between Ji Hanyi and Yan Changqing, as well as what Ji Hanyi had said to him before leaving, ”I’ve had great fun these past few days. I’ll let you live a while longer.” He concealed only the secret of his own death and resurrection and his peculiar ability to make contact with the netherworld.

”Master, what does it mean to sever mortal bonds?” Ding Songyan asked once he’d finished.

Tao Wenshu, who was wearing a heavy iron crown, said thoughtfully, ”Among the orthodoxy, severing mortal bonds means renouncing the world—taking monastic vows, ceasing to involve oneself in matters of kin. For the unorthodox, well...”

She paused briefly and said, ”It means leaving you with nothing but yourself. No family, no connections.”

Isn’t that just massacring someone’s entire family? Ji Hanyi’s first ”nightmare” had a bit of that implication... Yan Changqing also said his own clan had been wiped out, that he alone had escaped by sheer luck... Now it seems more likely that his clan was wiped out precisely because he was identified as having exceptional talent. He didn’t escape by luck. He was taken away by a previous-generation master of the Sage-Severing Way... At this thought, Ding Songyan suddenly felt a sense of absurdity.

Could the demoness have let the act become real? Does she actually see me as something of a real older brother?

My predecessor knew part of the truth about the ”Ding family” and must have been timid and fearful toward everyone, including her. I knew nothing at all, and instead felt sympathy for her losing her brother—I genuinely treated her as a little sister...

Then again, Ji Hanyi is cunning and full of schemes. None of this is necessarily real. She may have ulterior motives; perhaps, she glimpsed something from Legend of the White Snake?

Surely I’m not going to end up with a demoness for a little sister...

Tao Wenshu looked at Ding Songyan and said gently, ”I think I understand the general picture.

”But I must remind you—Ji Hanyi is an unorthodox demoness, long known for her schemes. Her words and actions are a mix of truth and falsehood, reality and illusion, and cannot be taken at face value. You should know that in the jianghu she has a nickname: the Nine-Evils Demoness. That tells you something about the kind of person she is.”

”I will keep it to heart, Master.” Ding Songyan himself thought the same.

Though the demoness had spared his life, keeping his distance was still the better policy. In order to guard against the other party, he planned to take the risk of eating the Chaos remains.

Tao Wenshu’s gaze swept again over Yan Changqing’s disemboweled corpse. She was about to ask something more when Su Qingli’s urgent cries came from outside the courtyard, ”Ding Songyan! Ding Songyan!”

By now the downpour had nearly subsided. Su Qingli came running in, her dark hair damp and her fitted clothes slightly wet.

Seeing Ding Songyan standing there unharmed, her expression relaxed and she let out a breath of relief.

”You’re all right, thank goodness.

”I was looking everywhere for you. I was even thinking I could use my aunt’s name to get on Yan Yong’s good side and ask him to spare you—wait, he’s... he’s dead?”

Feeling Xiao Qing’s concern and worry, a sudden warmth rose in Ding Songyan’s heart.

He’d only transmigrated for about ten days, yet he’d experienced so much, frequently feeling oppressed and constantly being surrounded by darkness. To receive such sincere and pure care and help in the midst of danger, how could he not be deeply moved?

”Yes. I killed him.” Moved as he was, Ding Songyan did not hide this from Xiao Qing.

”You?” Su Qingli’s eyes went perfectly round, her face full of shock.

At this point, Tao Wenshu spoke up.

”Miss Su, where is Young Hero Ren of the True Spirit Sect?”

Su Qingli seemed to have already known Tao Wenshu was here, yet she still looked a touch embarrassed about her earlier urgency.

”When Ren Youyang and I tracked you to nearby, he suddenly said Sect Master Tao has arrived, so Brother Ding should be fine, and turned to go help my second uncle and the Dingjiang Prefecture magistrate at Riverwaves Hall.”

Ah, Brother Youyang was also frantically looking for me, wanting to save me? Ding Songyan was moved again.

Truly worthy of Brother Youyang’s spirit of ancient chivalry!

Amid these swirling thoughts, an odd notion occurred to him.

Brother Youyang has canine ears. Xiao Qing, whether or not she’s actually a yao, she’ll inevitably develop nine-tailed fox characteristics when her cultivation of the Myriad Transformations, Beguiling All Living Things Grand Method reaches the middle-to-late stages. So does this count as running with the foxes and dogs? They do say that’s disreputable company.

Having this pair of disreputable companions in one’s life is more than enough!

Forcibly pulling his thoughts back on track, Ding Songyan finally picked up on something from what Xiao Qing had just said.

Brother Youyang already has a degree of ”foresight”?

Is this the formidable power of ”divine after death”?

The Useless Divine Art really does defy the heavens...

Hearing Su Qingli’s reply, Tao Wenshu nodded slightly.

”Then I needn’t rush to Riverwaves Hall.”

She turned her gaze back to Yan Changqing’s corpse and said to Ding Songyan with a touch of regret, ”It’s a pity that you obviously had to give it everything you had at the time, leaving Yan Yong no chance whatsoever. Otherwise you might have asked about the whereabouts of Kunlun.”

”The whereabouts of Kunlun?” Su Qingli blinked in surprise.

Tao Wenshu glanced at Ding Songyan, also somewhat taken aback.

She had assumed this newly recruited disciple, having been trying every avenue to seek rescue, would surely have mentioned the matter of the complete Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas to Su Qingli, with whom he was on good terms. That was why she’d spoken so openly about the mystery of Kunlun’s whereabouts. Evidently not.

She’s not going to kill Xiao Qing to silence her, is she? Ding Songyan’s first instinct was to quietly retrieve the Chaos remains, forcibly boost his own strength, and—even at the cost of turning against the Brightnight Sect—protect Xiao Qing until she could reunite with her second uncle and leave Dingjiang Prefecture.

However he treated others depended on how they treated him, especially while he was still in this state of being moved.

But recalling Zheng Zhuxi’s forthright character and the special nature of the Brightnight Sect’s arts, he decided his master wouldn’t go that far.

After a moment’s thought, Tao Wenshu said, ”Yan Yong once found the lost Kunlun and entered the Celestial Thearch’s palace.”

Su Qingli was equally sharp. She let out a ”gosh” and turned to Ding Songyan.

”When you asked me before where in the world one could find a complete Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas—that was because of this?”

”Yeah.” Ding Songyan relaxed slightly, seeing that his newly sworn master harbored no killing intent.

Su Qingli’s brows and eyes brightened. She couldn’t resist glancing at Yan Changqing’s corpse—wanting to look yet not daring to—before quickly averting her gaze.

”What a shame. That’s the lost Kunlun...”

She seemed less interested in the Celestial Thearch’s palace itself than in finding the legendary vanished land.

Still a child at heart... Ding Songyan thought inwardly with amusement.

Su Qingli’s eyes flickered, and she murmured to herself, ”Actually, if someone who could reach the netherworld were here, they could question Yan Yong’s remnant soul...”

Abruptly, the girl looked at Ding Songyan, her face full of regret.

”If only your yin eyes could activate right now...”

Yin eyes? Tao Wenshu’s gaze shifted to Ding Songyan.

Ding Songyan felt helpless. Miss Xiao Qing, you really haven’t changed one bit.

This also reminded him that he could communicate with Yan Changqing’s remnant soul.

He’d been so preoccupied with finding a chance to consume the Chaos remains that this hadn’t even crossed his mind.

After brief deliberation, Ding Songyan said to Tao Wenshu, ”Master, after I survived the attack that day outside the city and lost most of my memories, I somehow gained the ability of yin eyes. But I cannot control when it activates and when it doesn’t.”

Even as he spoke, thoughts continued colliding in his mind—should he communicate with Yan Changqing’s remnant soul right here in front of Tao Wenshu, performing the act of reaching into the netherworld?

He too wanted to find Kunlun and explore the Celestial Thearch’s palace, but judging from Yan Yong’s reaction before death, that matter concealed enormous, hidden danger. That being the case, it was better to openly question Yan Yong’s remnant soul with the Brightnight Sect as witness. With the maxim, ”sharing is caring”, he could get more capable people to address the dangers lurking beneath, while he claimed his share. One mustn’t be too greedy.

Moreover, and most importantly, whatever ”valuable information” he obtained would have Tao Wenshu’s firsthand corroboration. It would spare him considerable interrogation and scrutiny later, effectively making everything aboveboard.

”Master?” Su Qingli keenly identified the crucial point and was quite startled.

Ding Songyan explained, ”Sect Master Tao just removed the Celestial Heart imprint for me. Pitying my circumstances, she offered to take me as her disciple. I still have lingering fears about the Celestial Heart imprint and hope to cultivate the Candlelight Sutra to counter it, so I’ve already acknowledged Sect Master Tao as my master.”

”The Celestial Heart imprint... Ah right, it’s the Celestial Heart imprint.” Su Qingli smiled in understanding. ”If you can join the Brightnight Sect, that’s truly wonderful. Once you’ve completed your training and I’ve made progress in my own cultivation, we’ll meet again in the jianghu and right wrongs together.”

Ding Songyan smiled and agreed, then turned to Tao Wenshu.

”Master, Miss Xiao Qing. Actually, relying on the Celestial Heart imprint earlier, I already found a way to open my yin eyes at will. I can even converse with ghosts.”

He omitted the role of the hazy ”seed” as catalyst.

Tao Wenshu’s face showed a rare hint of pleasant surprise. Su Qingli’s delight was even more apparent.

She urged Ding Songyan, ”Then hurry—before Yan Yong’s remnant soul gets dragged into the netherworld and wanders off into the depths! Otherwise you’ll have to wait seven days!”

Ding Songyan looked to his master, his expression asking a question: Should Miss Xiao Qing be present for this?

It wasn’t that Ding Songyan didn’t want her to know Kunlun’s secrets—he feared it might bring her mortal danger. She was in a foreign land, after all. Even a powerful family background couldn’t always help.

Tao Wenshu looked at Su Qingli and considered for a moment.

”Miss Su, if you wish to listen, you must agree to two conditions.”

Only then did Su Qingli realize the gravity of the matter. She said hastily, ”Please state them, Sect Master Tao.”

”First, whatever you hear today may only circulate within your Su family—you may not tell anyone else in the Celestial Maiden Sect.” Tao Wenshu spoke at an even pace. ”Second, should your family gain anything from the matter of Kunlun in the future, I hope you’ll share a word of it with us.”

Su Qingli did not blurt out an answer. She thought it over seriously before responding, ”I can agree. The first condition is certainly no problem. Our Su family wouldn’t want more people knowing either. As for the second, if others in the family refuse, I’ll tell you in secret!”

Tao Wenshu wore an expression of an elder regarding a junior, then turned to Ding Songyan.

”Miss Su already knows this involves Kunlun, and I have no desire to kill her over it, so the only option is to draw the Su family in as well.

”If we truly can learn Kunlun’s whereabouts, this is not something a small sect like the Brightnight Sect can shoulder alone. I will promptly report it to the Flame Capital and seek only a share of whatever comes—or even trade the information directly for benefits. You will have a share of the benefits in this. Given all that, whether or not the Su family knows becomes irrelevant—we’d even be doing them a favor. Right, in the rivalry between the two nations, the Celestial Maiden Sect has always remained relatively neutral.

”On the other hand, if what we learn amounts to only a few clues, and the information leaks out—having a credible second party as witness means the Brightnight Sect won’t be plagued with visitors day after day, even if we lay everything bare, people still wouldn’t take our word for it alone.”

The Brightnight Sect’s leader laid out her reasoning openly in front of Su Qingli, simultaneously intending it as education for her disciple.

That’s right. The matter of Kunlun is already known to multiple people and can no longer be kept completely secret. If Xiao Qing weren’t here today—if there were no Su family, no Brightnight Sect, and only me—then if I actually learned Kunlun’s location, fine, I could simply share it. But if I failed to learn anything, I’d forever be suspected. And once suspected, there’s no shortage of scheming powerhouses who’d use every method to probe me. Before I’ve had the chance to grow in strength, that would be extremely dangerous... A secret one can no longer keep, or lacks the ability to keep will only invite disaster if I attempt to guard it by force... Ding Songyan cupped his fists and thanked his master for the lesson.

Under Su Qingli’s expectant gaze, he transferred the hazy ”seed” to the space between his brows.

Once again, he saw Yan Changqing’s bewildered, wandering ghost.