Preparing for the Duel

A day and a night passed, and hundreds of new graves appeared in the barren mountains.

Su Chunyi used her sword light to carve stone, erecting markers for the new graves, each inscribed with a dozen names.

Within the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, only these few vengeful spirits could still remember their own names; the others had long since lost their sanity amidst years of endless torture.

According to the confession of the monk Ku'e, the earliest batch had been trapped inside the Ten Thousand Soul Banner for nearly twenty years.

Beyond proving that the monk Ku'e was guilty of heinous crimes, this also served as evidence that he had nothing to do with the forced conscription of young boys and girls in Cui County. Twenty years ago, Princess Hongyu hadn't even been born yet, and Cui County was still a dilapidated little town.

If everything were truly the scheme of the monk Ku'e, there would be no need to dig a pit in the middle of nowhere. It would have been better to hide it directly within the city—perhaps beneath the prison or near the execution grounds—using the aura of death to mask the aura of death, making it even harder to discover.

According to the monk Ku'e's own confession, he didn't visit Cui County often. He usually killed and practiced his arts elsewhere; a devilish cultivator who had committed countless evils would naturally stay far away from his place of rebirth to avoid being wiped out in one fell swoop, only returning once a year to fill the pit with corpses and nourish the Cursed Spirit Child.

Yet, who could have guessed that Su Chunyi and Chen Ye would happen upon this corpse pit, and that Su Chunyi would be able to lock onto the location of the monk Ku'e from three hundred miles away.

One can only say that good and evil eventually meet their retribution; the heavens truly did not spare him.

With the new graves established, Su Chunyi carved the final line of names.

Su Chunyi looked at the tombstones and sighed, "Perhaps someone will find this place, see these markers, and understand what transpired. If they are relatives of the victims, they will know their enemy has been brought to justice, and perhaps they can finally let go of the hatred in their hearts."

Chen Ye nodded; this had been his suggestion.

Often, the difference between karma and retribution lies in a single thought. Perhaps one day in the future, these tombstones might resolve the entanglements of others, which could be considered a virtuous deed.

After finishing the task, Su Chunyi bid farewell to Chen Ye.

"I will take the Cursed Spirit Child to the Qinghe Sword Sect now and beg my master to save his life. I leave the affairs of Cui County to you, sir."

This young woman was truly swift and decisive; having just returned, she was already leaving again.

However, she could fly on her sword, so a round trip would take at most half a month. Chen Ye could use this opportunity to investigate the truth, and he imagined that by the time they met again, everything would be brought to light.

Watching Su Chunyi fly into the high sky, Chen Ye was about to turn and leave when he saw a phantom of a green lotus blooming nearby.

Walking closer, he saw it was the Sword Box Su Chunyi had gifted him earlier, along with a jade token.

Chen Ye was a man of some experience and recognized this as a message-transmitting jade token, capable of recording information.

Injecting his spiritual power into it, rays of light projected outward, forming the image of Su Chunyi.

The phantom said to Chen Ye, "Sir, your righteousness in seeking a path of survival for the innocent is admirable, but the Ten Thousand Soul Banner is not accepted by all righteous cultivators. It would be best to use it sparingly."

"The Sword Box is a gift for you, and the jade token belongs to the Qinghe Sword Sect. If you encounter trouble from cultivators of other sects, show them the token to explain yourself. Most righteous sects will give the Qinghe Sword Sect some face, which will save you much trouble."

"Please, sir, take care of yourself. When we meet again, I wish for both of us to have advanced our cultivation further."

The light dissipated, merging back into the jade token.

Chen Ye stared at the Sword Box and the jade token left by Su Chunyi for a long time, remaining silent until the voice of Mo Ci drifted over: "Don't get any wild ideas, you little devil. The deeper you get entangled, the faster you'll die when your identity is exposed."

Chen Ye gave an awkward smile but said to Mo Ci, "Master, why can't you see your disciple's good intentions?"

Mo Ci: ...

Judging by that tone, it felt like this wicked disciple was about to spout some twisted logic again.

Chen Ye didn't care what Mo Ci thought and continued on his own, "My friendship with Miss Su is already quite good. Not only is she helping me save the Cursed Spirit Child, but even the Ten Thousand Soul Banner in my hand has received the 'certification' of the Qinghe Sword Sect."

Because this secret technique might be able to salvage those vengeful spirits who had lost their minds—though it might not bring them back to life, it could perhaps barely sustain them. Chen Ye had argued that perhaps one day someone would create a method of reincarnation, and these innocents wouldn't have to have their souls scattered, giving them a chance to be reborn.

Most people wouldn't believe such rhetoric, seeing it only as Chen Ye not wanting to destroy the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, marking him as a proper little devil. But Su Chunyi believed it. She also felt that the innocent commoners harmed by the devil were already pitiful enough, and to destroy them by hand now would be too cruel, so she agreed with Chen Ye to temporarily preserve these spirits.

Chen Ye said to Mo Ci, "The spirits I have here are now 'washed clean'; I could even take them before the Sect Leader of the Qinghe Sword Sect and ask for his help. Miss Su doesn't know you exist, Master. If I were to say that you were originally a spirit within the Ten Thousand Soul Banner..."

Hearing this, Mo Ci trembled and asked, "I... I could also be saved by the Qinghe Sword Sect?!"

Don't let his indifferent attitude when he dissipated his cultivation fool you; hearing that he still had a chance at salvation, he was overcome with excitement.

Chen Ye comforted him, "Don't get too excited, Master. My relationship with Miss Su isn't good enough yet to ask the Qinghe Sword Sect's leader to restore your soul. Besides, it's hard to say what that leader might think; what if he refuses? Still, it's a method, at least it seems hopeful for now."

Mo Ci quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, you've done well. I will teach you some more methods for dealing with women; you must win this girl over."

Chen Ye's expression stiffened, and he refused, "Master, let's skip that."

Since it concerned his own life, Mo Ci became agitated.

"You wicked disciple, do you think I don't know? You have a Pure Yang body and have never even touched a woman; how would you know how to please one? You think just being handsome is enough? In the eyes of mortals, perhaps women would flock to you with a crook of your finger, but in the eyes of cultivators, looks are unimportant—what matters are the methods!"

Chen Ye: ...

This old devil really had no sense of propriety.

Listening to Mo Ci's nagging, Chen Ye let it go in one ear and out the other. How could he use deceptive tactics on Su Chunyi? He'd rather slit his own throat than do that.

Besides, relying on a powerful backer was one thing, but Chen Ye was a devilish cultivator by origin; he would only lean on her lightly, never daring to truly cling on.

In this path of immortality, one must ultimately rely on oneself. Depending on others is merely having an extra path to retreat to.

Chen Ye listened with a feigned expression, taking down the white banner that housed Mo Ci and hanging it alongside the pitch-black Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

Mo Ci shouted in anger, "Wicked disciple, what are you doing? Are you trying to refine your master?"

Chen Ye explained, "I can't very well carry two long banners. I've worked hard to build a reputation as an otherworldly expert in Cui County; I have to mind my image, don't I? Don't worry, Master, my Ten Thousand Soul Banner won't harm your noble body."

Mo Ci pondered, "Are you really going to investigate this matter of the young boys and girls?"

Chen Ye heard the shift in his master's tone and hurriedly asked, "Master, do you have some concerns? Didn't we agree to cling tightly to the Qinghe Sword Sect?"

Mo Ci lost his earlier excitement and pondered, "This whole affair reeks of strangeness."

Chen Ye countered, "I know it's strange, but a promise made is a promise kept. I've already swallowed the Qi Condensation Pill and saved myself over a decade of grueling effort; I can't exactly spit it back out now. Besides, the Qinghe Sword Sect might have follow-up rewards. If I don't go, it's a loss."

For an old devil like Mo Ci, one could not use morality or rules to persuade him; one had to speak in terms of profit. An investigation was certainly necessary, but Chen Ye also understood the principle of self-preservation. He would first return to Cui County to assess the situation, and if there were a crisis he couldn't handle, he would simply be upfront with Su Chunyi.

This Miss Su was worth Chen Ye's honesty; resorting to deception would only ruin their rapport.

Hearing Chen Ye put it this way, Mo Ci no longer objected.

The benefits of the Qinghe Sword Sect were indeed difficult to secure, but if one truly obtained them, the gains would be immense.

"Fine, you brat are smarter than me. How you handle this is up to you. I need to rest, but there are three things you must listen to me on."

Chen Ye heard the change in Mo Ci's tone and quickly asked, "What are your instructions, Master?"

"First, before wading into murky waters, refine that Sword Box. That young girl has already left the refinement method on it; it shouldn't take much time. Second, you must choose one spell to study diligently in preparation for combat."

Chen Ye nodded; his master was concerned for his safety.

Combat was the most perilous trial in cultivation. Taking down the monk Ku'e this time had been a fifty-fifty split of luck and effort—it could be called a fluke. If he encountered other cultivators in the future and things turned hostile, Chen Ye needed a way to save his own life.

"Alright, I agree. And what is the third thing?" Chen Ye asked.

"The third thing: remember to wear a mask. With your current appearance, returning to Cui County will invite many unnecessary troubles."

Chen Ye: ???