Friends

Early the next morning.

After finishing some odd jobs, Luo Qingchen went to inform Tian Feng and prepared to head down the mountain.

Tian Feng was cultivating after a medicinal bath, and upon hearing this, he simply said indifferently, "Go and return quickly. If you run away, you should know the consequences."

"This disciple understands."

Luo Qingchen respectfully withdrew.

Zhang Dashan escorted him out of the cave dwelling, shoved a dagger into his hand, and urged him to be careful on the road.

"When going down the mountain, try to take the main road so as not to encounter wild beasts."

"Once you reach the town, speak little with people and do not reveal where you are now."

"Before it gets dark, you must return."

After expressing his thanks, Luo Qingchen took the dagger and walked down the mountain.

This cluster of caves was located halfway up a mountain in the Demon-Suppressing Mountain Range.

The road all the way was rugged with lush vegetation; only flying birds could be seen, not a single person.

After all, this was the stronghold of the dreaded Demon Sect, and even woodcutters did not dare approach easily, so naturally there would be no one else.

There were wild beasts, but most had been frightened away and rarely appeared during the day.

Even so, Luo Qingchen still did not dare to lower his guard.

He gripped the dagger and quickly descended the mountain along a path overgrown with weeds, not daring to stop for even half a moment.

At the same time, he kept his eyes on all directions and his ears open to every sound.

Fortunately, the journey was safe.

When he emerged from the woods and reached the wide-open foothills, he looked up and immediately saw the blurred outline of the distant town.

Clear Water Town was not too far from here.

That was why, when the incident happened that night, the people of the Demon Controlling Sect had been the first to arrive.

Of course, it was also possible that those demonic beasts had been deliberately lured by the Demon Controlling Sect so they could openly abduct people from the town to serve as cultivation materials.

After a brief rest, he continued on his way.

At high noon, he finally arrived at the town.

Yet that once-familiar town had now become completely unrecognizable.

Looking out, everywhere he saw collapsed houses, shattered rubble, scorched earth, and blackened bloodstains.

The air was permeated with a scent of dead silence.

When the wind blew, black ashes flew up from the charred ruins like a layer of grey mist drifting in midair, shrouding the entire town in a dim and gloomy light, resembling another dark world.

The once-lively Windchime Street was now left with only fragments.

Those colorful windchimes that used to hang in front of the shops, decorated in bright hues and making crisp sounds in the wind, were now all buried in the dust.

"Big brother..."

"A-Chen..."

Standing in place, scenes of himself in childhood playing and running along this street with his little sister and companions suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Yet everything before his eyes made those scenes seem distant and fragile.

Like bubbles, shattering at a single touch.

"My child—"

Suddenly, from the ruins not far away, a heart-rending wail rang out.

An old man was paying respects to his family.

Waking from his memories, Luo Qingchen bought spirit money and offerings at a nearby vendor's stall, came to the other side of the ruins, and knelt down before a small earthen mound.

"Paper money for sale—"

"Paper houses, paper horses, paper figures, everything is here—"

Today was the seventh day since the passing of the town's residents, so outside the town, many stalls selling ritual offerings had long been set up.

Many people had hurried over from nearby Clear River City and other towns to mourn their departed loved ones.

"A-Chen!"

Just as Luo Qingchen was lowering his head to silently burn spirit money, a familiar voice suddenly came from the path beside him.

Lifting his gaze, he saw five youths, boys and girls of his own age, each carrying a basket as they walked down the path.

The five looked at him with varied expressions.

The one who had just called out to him was a tall, thin boy in a blue gown. Seeing him, the other's face filled with joyful surprise as he started to come over.

At that moment, the girl in a jade-green dress beside him grabbed the boy.

"Wang Ziliang, what are you doing? You still dare to go and talk to a person like that? Aren't you afraid he'll hack you to death with an axe too?"

The girl's words were sharp and severe, and the look she cast at Luo Qingchen was fearful and estranged.

Another short, thin boy beside them also lowered his voice and said, "A-Liang, that fellow is vicious; he hacked off his own sister's head with an axe. Now that he has entered the Demon Sect, I'm afraid..."

"Talk nonsense!"

The boy named Wang Ziliang immediately said, "You must all be misunderstanding A-Chen. A-Chen would never do such a cruel thing! He loved Xiao Yu more than anyone, how could he possibly hack off her head?"

Another boy wearing a scholarly robe and dressed like a scholar sneered and said, "Brother Tian saw this with his own eyes. Brother Tian even saw this fellow kneeling before a white-haired demon of the Demon Sect, weeping and begging the other to take him as a disciple. Hmph, this fellow probably hacked off Xiao Yu's head with an axe just to show off his viciousness and cold-blooded ruthlessness."

"Definitely!"

The girl in the jade-green dress glanced secretly in that direction again, lowering her voice as she said, "I heard the Demon Sect loves taking vicious people as disciples. To enter the Demon Sect, this fellow severed all family ties and chopped off his own younger sister's head with his own hands; he's already become a demon. Let's hurry up and leave, stay far away from him."

Another stout boy said with hatred in his eyes, "Everyone says the demonic beasts that slaughtered our town were released by those demons of the Demon Controlling Sect. Those demons wanted our blood for cultivation..."

The distance between the two sides was not very great.

Luo Qingchen heard all of these words, but his face did not display any emotion.

After hesitating for a moment, the boy named Wang Ziliang finally shook off the girl's hand and walked toward him.

"A-Chen..."

The boy's voice trembled slightly, and his heart seemed to hold a trace of fear.

A trace of a smile appeared on Luo Qingchen's face. "A-Liang, you've come too."

Wang Ziliang's racing heart calmed somewhat, and a sense of relief washed over him. He then knelt beside Luo Qingchen, took a stack of paper money from his basket, and placed it into the fire.

As the paper money caught fire, he turned his head to look at his old friend and asked, "A-Chen, are... are you doing well?"

Luo Qingchen said, "Quite well. And you?"

A smile also appeared on Wang Ziliang's face as he said, "I'm doing quite well too. I'm currently in Clear River City helping my second uncle with his business, and my second uncle and the others treat me very well."

Luo Qingchen nodded. "That's good."

Then silence fell between the two of them.

The crimson flames burned the paper money, and black ashes swirled in the wind.

The memories of yesterday seemed to have gradually blurred.

After long hesitation, Wang Ziliang finally mustered the courage to ask the question that had lingered relentlessly in his mind: "A-Chen, they all say that that night... that night you killed Xiao Yu and chopped off her head. Is that true?"

Luo Qingchen looked at the burning flames before him and remained silent.

Forcing a smile, Wang Ziliang said, "It must be fake. You were so good to Xiao Yu, she's your sister, how could you possibly kill her? Brother Tian must have seen wrong."

Luo Qingchen was silent for another moment before he spoke. "I did indeed chop off Xiao Yu's head."

Wang Ziliang's smile froze on his face, but quickly, he said, "A-Chen, you must have your reasons, right? I believe you wouldn't hurt Xiao Yu. You must have been forced at the time, forced by those murderous demons, right?"

Luo Qingchen's eyes reflected the leaping flames, his expression numb and devoid of an answer.

Wang Ziliang stared closely at the expression on his face for a long time, not daring to bring up the matter again. He squeezed a smile back onto his face and began to talk about their other companions: "Wenzu went to a medicine shop to be an apprentice, A-Cui entered a noble household to work, A-Nian got his wish and entered the academy to study, and he's preparing for the imperial examinations next year. The most impressive is Brother Tian, who went to a martial arts hall to practice..."

He smiled as he spoke of each companion's current life, and then of his life with his uncle, his tone overflowing with yearning for a bright future.

Then, hesitating once more, he looked at his friend and said, "A-Chen, why don't you come with me to Clear River City? I'll speak to my uncle and have you go work there too, alright?"

Luo Qingchen remained silent, not uttering a word.

Wang Ziliang's face filled with worry as he lowered his voice. "I heard the people of the Demon Sect are vicious and kill without blinking. Brother Tian also said that once you go to the Demon Sect, you're likely to become a blood medicine for those demons..."

Luo Qingchen did not hide it, speaking in a calm tone. "I am indeed their blood medicine now."

Wang Ziliang's face instantly turned pale, and he trembled as he asked, "A-Chen, then you..."

"I'm fine."

Luo Qingchen's expression was very calm as he looked at him. "A-Liang, thank you for your concern. I'm truly fine."

Wang Ziliang opened his mouth, wanting to continue persuading him to enter the city together, but suddenly he recalled the things Brother Tian had said—once anyone entered the Demon Sect, it was exceedingly difficult to leave unless they died there.

He lowered his head, not daring to urge him further, and thought with a secret, sorrowful pity: I'm afraid A-Chen has no choice in the matter. How could those demons let him leave so easily?

"A-Liang, it's getting late. I should head back, and you should return early as well."

Luo Qingchen stood up and patted his shoulder.

Wang Ziliang rubbed his eyes, holding back the grief in his heart as he prepared to bid farewell. Suddenly recalling something else, he hastily said, "Right, A-Chen, do you remember Feixue? I ran into her in the city a couple of days ago. If she hadn't taken the initiative to call out to me, I really wouldn't have recognized her. She's grown very tall now, and even prettier than when she was little. She's even become a disciple of Snow Jade Palace, with many people following her around, looking just like a fairy!"

"Feixue?"

Hearing this, Luo Qingchen was slightly stunned, and the slender, petite figure immediately surfaced in his mind.

Wang Ziliang asked in surprise, "You couldn't have forgotten her already, right? Didn't you two even get engaged? My mother said that back then, Feixue and her mother took the initiative to propose marriage at your house, and your family even wrote up a marriage contract and exchanged engagement tokens. Xiao Yu was so happy back then, showing it off everywhere, and she'd often call her sister-in-law right to Feixue's face, asking her to buy candy to eat."

Luo Qingchen fell into a brief trance before pulling back the ripples in his heart, speaking calmly. "I remember she left the town five years ago, right?"

Wang Ziliang was startled and couldn't help sighing. "Yeah, it really has been five years."

He immediately understood his friend's meaning.

Five years; anything could change, let alone a decision made in the ignorant days of childhood.

The two had not seen each other in five years.

Now, one had become a disciple of Snow Jade Palace, one of the five great sects of Yu Kingdom, radiant and with a bright future; while the other had his family destroyed, became a blood medicine of the Demon Sect, and bore the infamous reputation of murdering his own sister.

One was an orthodox righteous sect, the other an evil demon sect.

What use was remembering the other person?

Since ancient times, righteousness and evil could not stand together; who was to say that if the two met one day, they wouldn't cross swords against each other?

Wang Ziliang said no more.

When he saw the young girl two days prior, she had been cold and aloof, seeming unwilling to bring up matters of the past, and hadn't even proactively asked about anyone else from the town, including her "fiancé."

Clearly, she and they were no longer in the same world.

"I'm leaving."

Luo Qingchen lingered no longer, patted his shoulder, and departed.

After he had walked far away, the other few youths finally came to Wang Ziliang's side and asked with curiosity.

"A-Liang, what did you talk about with him?"

"Did he admit that he killed Xiao Yu? Hmph, he definitely wouldn't dare admit it."

"What does he do in the Demon Sect? A handyman or a blood medicine?"

Wang Ziliang did not answer. He gazed afar at the lonely figure gradually fading into the distant vegetation and thought quietly to himself: A-Chen must have been forced, he definitely was... He just wanted to stay alive...

The sun sank downward, and the town grew blurry.

Luo Qingchen turned his head back to take one last look at the town, and the innocent, radiant smiling face of his younger sister inevitably surfaced in his mind once more.

Dazed for a moment, he carefully took out a thick, folded piece of white cloth from a spot close to his chest.

The white cloth was slowly unfolded, tightly wrapping a tattered little banner inside.

The surface of the banner had faded, turning grayish-yellow, and two small holes were torn where a white skull was embroidered in the center. The slender flagpole was also cracked.

This was the most ordinary magical artifact of the Demon Controlling Sect, the Ten-Soul Banner.

And his younger sister's soul was inside it.