Egaxo
Chapter 218: Esteemed Senior Dugu
Chu Liang had panicked a little when Yi Qiushui first arrived.
Even though another powerful diabolical cultivator had joined the scene, the Crimson Executioner could only deal with Chen Wuyin, not Yi Qiushui.
Once Chu Liang exposed his presence, he would inevitably become the primary target for the two diabolical cultivators. Regardless of any grudges they had with each other, they would definitely first kill off the righteous cultivator that walked out of the secret chamber.
So, when the two diabolical cultivators started fighting, Chu Liang breathed a sigh of relief and hoped they would both end up injured. Nevertheless, that wasn't because he wished to be like an old fisherman getting the catch after waiting patiently, reaping the benefits after the two diabolical cultivators had fought it out. Chu Liang just wanted to escape unharmed.
Yet, before either of them got hurt, the wall unexpectedly started to crumble. Once that wall collapsed... Chu Liang would no longer be able to hide.
He promptly decided that he had to fight his way out!
Chu Liang flipped his hand over and stored away the golden human skull containing the ancient sheepskin scroll. Then he consumed an Essence-Concealing PIll and put on his Aura-Concealing Robe.
Just before the wall collapsed completely, he charged out with his sword, poised to attack!
Chen Wuyin, right?
The sect leader of the Soul Destroyer Sect, right?
The immortal art Sacrificial Substitute, right?
Once the Crimson Executioner has locked onto you, you'd better prepare to repent for your crimes. Just because you haven't been served retribution doesn't mean you'll never get it. It's simply because the right time for it had yet to arrive!
With Yi Qiushui's assistance, Chu Liang killed Chen Wuyin swiftly with a formidable strike that was like the wrath of Heaven.
When the smoke cleared, Chu Liang and Yi Qiushui were the only ones still standing. A brief silence fell over them.
Chu Liang was extremely fearful of Enchantress Yi. The Crimson Executioner showed no interest in her, so summoning Old Fei[1] was the only way he could possibly be a match for her.
However, just like how Chu Liang was fearful of Yi Qiushui, Yi Qiushui was in great awe of Chu Liang. That terrifying sword strike earlier... If it had landed on her instead, she might have met a swift demise. Who was this black-robed person whose flow of qi remained a mystery?
After a moment of hesitation, Chu Liang spoke up first. "Don't panic, lass. I won't kill you."
He gained the advantage by taking the first move and setting the flow of the conversation.
Yi Qiushui glanced at the wall behind her and noticed there was a secret chamber behind that crumbling wall.
Has this black-robed person been in there all this time, watching us?
Yi Qiushui said softly, "I did not know you were here, esteemed senior. Apologies for my mistake."
"No worries," Chu Liang replied, deliberately lowering his pitch. "What happened here must stay a secret. I should have eliminated both of you, but I know your teacher, so I only took action against that one. You should leave quickly before I change my mind."
Upon hearing that, Yi Qiushui immediately wanted to turn and leave this dangerous place.
Nevertheless, she gave it some thought and ultimately said, "I'm grateful for your mercy, esteemed senior! Since you know my teacher, may I ask what your name is? I will tell my teacher about you. I'm sure she will want to express her gratitude to you, esteemed senior."
"You've seen that sword strike of mine, yet you don't recognize who I am?" Chu Liang asked, feeling rather baffled.
"I've only been cultivating for thirty-odd years, and I haven't experienced much of the martial world... Please forgive me, esteemed senior," Yi Qiushui said hurriedly with her head bowed.
"Hahahaha!" Chu Liang suddenly burst into laughter. "I don't blame you! I've been living in seclusion in the mountains for decades... People around the world must have long forgotten my name—Sword Devil Dugu Qiubai[2]! What a pity!"
"So, you're Esteemed Senior Dugu!" Yi Qiushui's eyes lit up. "My teacher did indeed mention your name when I was younger!"
"Oh, really?" Chu Liang uttered. Hidden under the shade of his hood, his lip twitched. He asked, "What did she say about me?"
"Uh..." Yi Qiushui stammered, pretending to recall that memory. "It was many years ago, so I can't remember her words clearly. But the gist of it was that she greatly admires your cultivation principles..."
"Ah, that's thoughtful of her," Chu Liang replied, shaking his head with a sigh. He then reminded Yi Qiushui, "It's fine for you to tell your teacher about what happened today. However, you mustn't tell anyone else. Got it?"
"Yes!" Yi Qiushui hurriedly agreed.
"If news of my return were to spread, it would inevitably lead to another bloodbath," Chu Liang muttered. "I shouldn't have let anyone know about my whereabouts..."
Hearing that, Yi Qiushui felt quite afraid and said, "Then I shan't disturb you any longer, esteemed senior. I'll leave first!"
She swiftly transformed into a beam of red light and left the cave dwelling.
Yi Qiushui left at a speed that was ten times faster than the speed she had used to get to there.
Chu Liang wasn't sure if Yi Qiushui was truly gone or if she was still observing him from the shadows. So, he calmly left the underwater residence in large strides.
As Chu Liang walked, he recited, "Heroes of this world that emerge from our generation—they join the martial world with grand ambitions, only to find themselves in a relentless fight with time...[3]"
His sonorous voice was bold and imposing!
...
Meanwhile, Yi Qiushui flew over a province in a beam of rainbow-colored light and arrived at a deep crimson pool.
"Esteemed Teacher! I, your disciple, have returned!" she exclaimed loudly.
After a moment, there was a rumbling sound as bubbles gushed up from the surface of the pool. Green roof tiles and red walls slowly emerged from the water, eventually revealing a pavilion!
Once the large pavilion fully emerged from the pool, it floated steadily on the surface of the water as if the water's surface was solid.
Then a voice called out from inside the pavilion, "Come in."
Hearing that, Yi Qiushui pushed open the door of the pavilion and entered. At the center of the ground floor, a woman dressed in an extremely gorgeous crimson robe was sitting quietly with her hair down. She had her back to Yi Qiushui as she combed her hair and groomed herself in front of a mirror.
The hall was furnished beautifully. However, everything was crimson; it was a dizzying display of red.
Yi Qiushui immediately lowered her head, afraid to look at the mirror.
According to legend, the master of the Dark King Sect's Scarlet-Robe Hall was the incarnation of a malicious ghost. Anyone who even glanced at her would die suddenly in the night!
Before Yi Qiushui could speak, the Scarlet-Robe Hall's master said, "You failed?"
"Your disciple is incompetent! Please punish me, Esteemed Teacher!" Yi Qiushui said, immediately dropping to her knees.
"Don't panic. First, tell me what happened," the Scarlet-Robe Hall's master said leisurely as she continued to comb her hair. "You should have been able to deal with Chen Wuyin. Did something unexpected occur?"
"Yes," Yi Qiushui replied. "After Chen Wuyin opened up Elder Reaper's cave dwelling, I fought with him. However, a mysterious black-robed man suddenly appeared and killed Chen Wuyin with a single sword strike! The man said he should have killed me too, but he spared me because he knows you, Esteemed Teacher."
"He knows me?" the Scarlet-Robe Hall's master uttered.
Her fair wrist suddenly froze. She seemed to have realized something.
The Scarlet-Robe Hall's master said, "I instructed you to seize the the Divine Ruins' scroll because of a certain person... It's quite possible that he took it. He's disappeared for so long. Has he finally reappeared in the mortal realm?"
"Yes!" Yi Qiushui nodded. "That esteemed senior said that his return to the world this time has to be a total secret. The moment news gets out about his return, it will undoubtedly lead to a bloodbath, so it's crucial to keep it a secret."
"Of course. Back then, even the Jiang Family, such a monstrous family..."
The Scarlet-Robe Hall seemed to recall something and trailed off, leaving her sentence incomplete.
Then she sighed and asked, "Did he say anything about me?"
"He said..." Yi Qiushui began. Having sensed the anticipation in her teacher's tone, Yi Qiushui paused for a moment before saying, "He said that you are a thoughtful person, Esteemed Teacher."
"Hehe." The Scarlet-Robe Hall's master smiled sadly. "Of course, I am. I wonder who is the heartless one... Well, anyway, since the scroll is in his hands, it saves me some trouble. But I thought I would have a chance to meet him because of this."
She let out a soft sigh.
Yi Qiushui lowered her gaze.
After a long while of silence, she finally dared to speak up. "Esteemed Teacher, you will surely have the opportunity to meet Esteemed Senior Dugu again."
"Hmm?" The Scarlet-Robe Hall's master was stunned. "Who is Esteemed Senior Dugu?"
"Huh?" Yi Qiushui was confused as well. "Esteemed Teacher, weren't you talking about Sword Devil Dugu Qiubai?"
"Sword Devil? Dugu what? Qiubai? Who dares to have such a provocative name[4]?" The Scarlet-Robe Hall's master stood up. "Just who exactly took the the Divine Ruins' scroll??"
...
"Achoo!"
Chu Liang, who had returned to the office of the Misty Waters City's city supervisor, suddenly sneezed.
Then he rubbed his nose and turned back to face Shang Ziliang and Lin Bei.
Chu Liang said, "There's no way you guys can guess what I just experienced. It was so exciting."
1. Fei Qi, the Battle Soul ☜
2. A fictional character from Jin Yong's novels. Jin Yong is the author of The Legend of the Condor Heroes. ☜
3. It's the first line of the poem "人生·江湖", which translates to "Life, jiang hu (the martial world)". The poem is basically about getting hit with the pain of reality after entering society with grand ideals and dreams and then regretting how short life is. It's written by renowned lyricist and songwriter 黄霑(黄沾) Huang Zhan, also known as James Wong. ☜
4. In Jin Yong's novels, the character Dugu Qiubai's basically this OP undefeatable guy who hopes to find someone that can defeat him. That's the explanation for the Qiubai 求败 part. Dugu 独孤 means alone/lonely. So, his name can be interpreted as he's lonely being at the top by himself, which seems arrogant and like he's asking for a beating. Well, he is literally asking for one. ☜