Amid the ruins, Liu Xian'er had somehow narrowly escaped death yet again.
Naked, covered in filth and blood, Liu Xian'er lay sprawled miserably in the ashes. Her eyes filled with terror as she watched her master, the Immortal Venerable, slowly descend into the ruins, his face icy...
"He destroyed the Heart-Piercing Curse jade talisman? That damned human trash actually came to save those vile wretches in the Wild Spirit Land! And he destroyed my collection while he was at it... yet deliberately left you alive?"
"This means... he understood that, to me, your life was the lowliest, most worthless thing of all! He destroyed my treasure vault, yet left a piece of trash like you behind just to mock me? That damned Wei Wuchen... damned... Wei Wuchen!"
Beside himself with rage, the Immortal Venerable threw back his head and roared. His terrifying aura burst across the island with such force that it scattered the clouds overhead! Terrified almost to death, Liu Xian'er knelt on the ground, struggling to endure it, not daring to lift her head.
"This was all brought on by you, you cheap whore, and Liu Xuanli. Get back there and tell Liu Xuanli! My losses must be repaid twice over. And... go back and bring your mother, your younger sister, and that little niece of yours here together! If you want to appease my wrath, you Liu whores will all serve me with the tricks of your mortal brothels! Otherwise, I will reclaim the Investiture Stele and doom your Liu to eternal damnation!"
Liu Xian'er knelt there, dumbstruck. Images flashed through her mind: her mother, still graceful and beautiful, accomplished in cultivation; her younger sister; even her lovely, innocent little niece, only twelve years old! And then... herself and these closest relatives surrendering every shred of dignity to serve this Venerable, letting him abuse and sexually humiliate them however he pleased...
Having arrived at some unknown point at the imperial talisman-armored army's camp outside Mount Yuekong, Sima Da, the Prince of Linhe, and the young man in a python-patterned robe were now gazing into the distance at the earth-shaking crashes and chaotic spiritual energy north of the capital.
The young man in the python-patterned robe shook his head. "Uncle, that Immortal Venerable won't take his anger over this out on our Sima Clan, will he?"
"No. Immortals... know what matters, too. The Twelve Immortal Sects cannot compare with the Sima Clan. At worst, the imperial family can send the Venerable some extra Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures afterward as compensation."
"The restrictive formation at the Jinhu Immortal Abode was placed under his Mount Zhilin Immortal Sect's supervision three years ago. Those stupid old fools of the Liu even thought they had stolen the limelight from our Sima imperial family. Hmph! Little did they know that standing too far in the limelight invites retribution. They brought this upon themselves! Besides, even that boundary-sealing formation failed to stop Wei Wuchen! And the Immortal Venerable and the Liu secretly laid this trap to lure Wei Wuchen in and kill him without informing our Great Jin court beforehand. How could our Sima Clan have known that Wei Wuchen would charge straight into the Jinhu Immortal Abode?"
The young man in the python-patterned robe smiled, then glanced, seemingly casually, at a boy lying unconscious beside a distant campfire, his face covered in blood. Sima Da, the Prince of Linhe, frowned and asked quietly, "Why did Your Highness send your personal guards to bring out this useless Wei Clan boy?"
The young man in the python-patterned robe said softly, "No particular reason. Unlike the other two, who meekly accepted their fate and waited to die, this Wei Clan boy actually turned around at the critical moment and bit through that burly Steward Liu's throat! He has a trace of the fierce, unyielding spirit the Wei Clan once possessed... Sparing him can count as a little kindness from our Sima imperial family! Those at the Land God Temple on Two-World Mountain may take an interest in this orphan of the Wei Clan someday. After all, Wei Wuchen sacrificed himself this time, his soul scattering into nothingness, to destroy the Heart-Piercing Curse talisman and save several cultivators in the Wild Spirit Land who were waiting to die under its torment! By keeping this Wei Clan boy alive, our Sima Clan has preserved a bond of goodwill. Perhaps it will prove useful someday..."
The Prince of Linhe fell silent for a moment, then nodded in gratification. "Your Highness's intelligence and foresight are a blessing to our Sima Clan!"
The young man in the python-patterned robe chuckled. "Uncle, you brought me here so suddenly because you wanted to test me too, didn't you? If I, Sima Xiu, had done nothing but watch the excitement and failed to gain a single benefit in the end, would you have secretly gone to my imperial father and told him this fellow wasn't worth cultivating? Heh..."
The Prince of Linhe's expression turned stern. "I wouldn't go so far as to tell him secretly. I would go openly and inform His Majesty that there was no longer any point in cultivating you!"
"Uncle, why must you be so rigid? Ah..."
Before daybreak, Master Ming looked at Lü Bufan, whom he had just woken and who still wore a bewildered expression, and said hoarsely, "Brat, if one day I'm gone, remember to go to the City God Temple on this day every year and burn some paper money for someone on my behalf!"
Seeing the solemn expression on his master's face, Lü Bufan nodded firmly at once. "All right! What's his name?"
"The previous Village Head, Wei Wuchen..."
Lü Bufan took a small pouch from inside his robe. Inside it was that lifelike mask of a handsome man's face...
"Master... the white-robed Village Head, he..."
"He's dead..."
At the village entrance, the old skeleton crawled out of the little Land God Temple. He spat out a glob of thick phlegm, then slowly crawled onto the large rock, his face somber as he watched the fish-belly white of dawn spread along the horizon...
Master Ming appeared beside him at some unknown point and stood there quietly.
The old skeleton glanced at Master Ming. "What? Want revenge? With just you?"
Master Ming shook his head. "I'm not as foolish as that shameless fellow. Since I can keep living perfectly well, I can't sell my death too cheaply. There are plenty of days ahead to avenge our wrongs and wash away our hatred..."
The old skeleton lay down, pillowing his head on his sole remaining arm and crossing his legs.
"That's true enough. As long as you don't die, every day you live is another day you stick in their craw..."
Master Ming crouched down, his gray, clouded eyes fixed on the old skeleton. "Can't you do something about what happens in the village?"
"I told you long ago. I only look after my temple and Black Dog... As for the rest, live if you like, die if you like... It's none of my business."
Master Ming bared his teeth in a grin. "Then if I make a move, you won't interfere either, right?"
The old skeleton eyed Master Ming sidelong. "Will those fellows in the Wild Spirit Land let you off if you dare touch these few bastards here? Let me make this clear beforehand: do whatever you like, but don't get any ideas about Black Dog!"
Master Ming rose and walked away, his voice drifting back softly... "Don't worry about that. Black Dog is being saved for my disciple. Those two hit it off!"
"Pah! Just look at that disciple of yours-a common mortal of flesh and blood! Would Black Dog take a liking to him? If Black Dog ever leaves with him, I'll eat every bit of shit Black Dog drops!"
"Then you'd better get some water ready! Black Dog's been a little constipated lately..."
The old skeleton spat a glob of phlegm at him, but Master Ming flickered aside and vanished into the morning mist...
The old skeleton craned his head to look at the big black dog lying beside the little stone pagoda, belly exposed, still sleeping soundly. Suddenly, for no reason he could explain, he felt a little uneasy...
Carrying a bamboo staff, Master Ming walked slowly through the deserted Two Realms Village, carefully examining the bamboo houses and thatched cottages, large and small, on either side of the dirt road...
"Some things still have to be done! Some people still cannot be allowed to live! The people of Two Realms Village cannot have died for nothing..."