Chapter 58: Soul Returning Mushroom (I)

T/N: I previously made a mistake on the title of this chapter because I translated it as revival branch, but the correct translation is soul returning mushroom.. Anyway, thanks to the help that I get from my fellow translator from the Second Life translation team( smalpotats), I manage to correct it back… Sorry for the wrong translation, and thank you for reading my translation work.

Xie Changzhou’s gaze grew colder and colder, with his eyebrows furrowed and his hand tightly gripping Du Wang’s, feeling restless and slightly agitated, a faint heat burning in his lower abdomen.

“Jianzun?” 

A soft voice brought him back to his senses. His dark eyelashes trembled slightly, and the coldness in his eyes disappeared in an instant.

Sui Ning frowned slightly, her eyes full of worry. “Jianzun, what’s wrong with you?”

Xie Changzhou squeezed her hand and shook his head. “It’s nothing; I was just lost in thought.”

He turned his head as if he hadn’t seen Sui Ning’s skeptical gaze and calmly looked at Master Dingyuan. “Thank you, Master Dingyuan. Ziyue will leave first.”

He nodded slightly, and Master Dingyuan returned the gesture with a bow.

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Sui Ning’s gaze was focused and serious. The sword they were on, Du Wang, was carrying them towards the Limitless Sword Sect, with the whistling wind blowing on their faces. Xie Changzhou held her closer to his chest to shield her from the gusts of wind and waves.

His clear voice echoed in her ear but was somewhat muffled by the wind. “What did you say earlier, Jianzun?”

The gentle breeze blew her hair into disarray, the strands falling messily over her forehead and sticking to her face. He pulled her head back into his embrace, his voice sounding distant as he spoke, “It’s okay, Ningning; trust me.”

Xie Changzhou held her tightly around the waist with one hand, while the other hand clasped the back of her head, keeping her secure and sheltered from the cold wind.

Although Sui Ning had been reassured by the system that Xie Changzhou’s heart demon had been removed and all was well, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She spoke to the system quietly, “Is Xie Changzhou’s heart demon really gone? Didn’t you say it was gone before?”

The system replied, “[I have checked his programming, and there is no problem with Xie Changzhou. I have not detected any demonic energy.]”

Sui Ning felt a little more at ease but still wondered about the words of Master Dingyuan. She glanced up at Xie Changzhou, taking in his clear and gentle eyes and his strong jawline, which seemed unfamiliar to her for some reason.

The system reassured her that Xie Changzhou was fine and that Master Dingyuan may have been simply preparing for the possibility of demonic energy interference in the future. Despite this, Sui Ning still felt a sense of unease, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.

The system continued to insist that its programming was flawless and that Xie Changzhou was safe, but Sui Ning remained silent, comforted by the scent of his cool and refreshing body.

“Um.”

Sui Ning had to force herself to calm down and quietly bury her head in Xie Changzhou’s arms. The pressure around her waist increased, pulling her closer.

***

As soon as the two returned to the Limitless Sword Sect, they were stopped by a disciple at the mountain gate.

The disciple looked anxious and said, “Jianzun, the head of the Changming Sword Sect is here in the Mingjing Hall!”

Xie Changzhou’s expression suddenly turned cold, and he retracted his gaze and headed towards the Mingjing Hall.

Sui Ning hurriedly followed, holding up her skirt.

The main seat in the Mingjing Hall was empty, with six elders sitting on either side, their faces solemn and cold. The closest seat to the main seat, where the former head of the Tingjian Peak, Lu Guan, had sat, was occupied by a stranger.

He was dressed in a gold robe, exquisitely crafted and magnificent. He was of medium build, with fair skin and well-proportioned facial features. There were faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

He had a smile on his face, and his eyes carried a playful look. Although he looked extremely approachable, he inexplicably gave people the feeling of a smiling tiger.

He was Ji Zhiwu, the current head of the Changming Sword Sect, the younger brother of the former head, Ji Bai, and the uncle of Ji Qiu.

When Xie Changzhou walked in, Ji Zhiwu stood up quickly, holding a teacup and sipping lightly. “Jianzun has returned. I heard that Jianzun went to the Jing Chan Sect to kill a beast. It seems that this trip went smoothly.”

Ji Zhiwu’s face was full of smiles, and his eyes were full of light.

Xie Changzhou’s expression remained indifferent, his glassy eyes showing no ripples. But the hand behind his back quietly clenched, and the pressure around him also decreased slightly.

Sui Ning frowned slightly. After all, Ji Zhiwu was a sect leader, and it was not difficult for him to know that they had gone to the Jing Chan Sect to kill a beast. But it seemed that he had something else to say.

Xie Changzhou remained silent and stared at Ji Zhiwu. He was much taller than Ji Zhiwu, and at this moment, he looked down on him, giving off a sense of disdain.

Ji Zhiwu’s smile froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and adjusted so quickly that it was as if he had never shown any strangeness. 

Sui Ning sneered inwardly. Anyone who could abandon an entire city and its people for a grudge between sects that had happened a hundred years ago and allow them to be plagued by evil spirits was probably not a good person.

Just like Ji Bai and Ji Qiu, they’re a bunch of snakes and rats.

Ji Zhiwu seemed to have not seen Sui Ning behind Xie Changzhou at all, his gaze only on Xie Changzhou: “Jianzun can slay beasts, which is truly a great help to our cultivation world and also protects the people of Yong’an City. I thank the Jianzun here.”

As he spoke, he slightly bent his body and bowed to Xie Changzhou with a sincere and earnest expression.

Lu Guan, not far away, gave Xie Changzhou a signal with his eyes, and he understood, and he helped Ji Zhiwu up.

Xie Changzhou said calmly, “This is my duty; Master Ji need not be so polite.”

Ji Zhiwu’s sleeve moved slightly upward due to the gesture of cupping his hands. When Xie Changzhou’s cool fingertips touched his wrist, a hint of darkness flashed in his eyes.

Ji Zhiwu withdrew his hand, his face slightly stiff, but then he continued to smile and said, “Jianzun, thank you for saving the people of Yong’an City.”

Xie Changzhou looked at him with a distant expression, not even willing to put on a polite face. The heads of several peaks in the main hall were somewhat headache-inducing.

Lu Guan and Fu Ling desperately signaled to him, indicating that the person standing in front of him was the master of Changming Sword Sect, but Xie Changzhou seemed not to notice, and his brows and eyes were still full of coldness.

Sui Ning quietly stuck her head out from behind him and looked at Ji Zhiwu’s exposed skin. She could keenly perceive that since Xie Changzhou had helped Ji Zhiwu up, the pressure on his body had suddenly become colder, and his face had become even more distant and indifferent.

Being treated by Xie Changzhou in this way, the smile on Ji Zhiwu’s face faded slightly, and he said in a gentle voice, “Is it because of the Yong’an City incident that Jianzun has some misunderstandings about our Changming Sword Sect?”

Before Xie Changzhou could answer, he continued: “Jianzun, there is really a long story behind this. Our Changming Sword Sect is not really neglecting Yong’an City, but it’s a complicated matter.”

He sighed softly, and a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes: “The incident between us, Yougu and Moling’s two major families, was really ugly. My elder brother also declared that we were breaking off ties with the two major families and would no longer have any dealings with Yong’an City.”

“Who would have thought…” He shook his head slightly and sighed: “The two major families were wiped out overnight, and Yong’an City was divided among the Changming Sword Sect. There were many objections within the sect, and we were also afraid of losing face, so we didn’t interfere much.”

Xie Changzhou and Sui Ning looked at him coldly. Ji Zhiwu felt a bit of anger in his heart; his breathing became heavy, but he still forced himself to control his anger.

He smiled and said, “Actually, the sect has already sent disciples to investigate secretly this time, but I didn’t expect Jianzun to be one step ahead. Thank you for your help, Jianzun.”

He also bowed to Xie Changzhou with a fake smile on his face.

Sui Ning couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her mouth, her eyes mocking. It was really shameless. The incident in Yong’an City happened two years ago. If they really wanted to solve it, how could it take so long?

“Hmm.”

Xie Changzhou nodded slightly, passed by him sideways, and left behind a hint of fragrant pine.

Ji Zhiwu’s smile instantly disappeared; his face was cold, and his gaze was icy. His hand, which was raised to bow, paused.

Sui Ning raised her eyebrows, with no expression on her face, and coldly sneered as he walked past her and sat down next to Fu Ling.

It must be said that Ji Zhiwu was somewhat capable of being the head of this sect. He had been in high positions for many years, and everyone praised and respected him. But being embarrassed by Xie Changzhou in front of everyone and still maintaining such composure was quite rare.

Ji Zhiwu quickly adjusted his emotions, and when he turned around again, he had a smile on his face again.

He sat back down and looked at Xie Changzhou on the stage, saying, “Jianzun is truly a rare genius in the world. He can kill a beast that has been practicing for tens of thousands of years at such a young age.”

His words were sincerely admiring, as if he really appreciated Xie Changzhou, but it still made the several peak masters present change their facial expressions.

Sui Ning narrowed her eyes and looked at Ji Zhiwu across from her with a hint of solemnity and coldness in her eyes.

What does he want to say by doing this?

Ji Zhiwu looked at Xie Changzhou with a burning gaze, ignoring the eyes that were on him. He still had a gentle and easy smile on his lips.

Xie Changzhou gave him a faint glance and paused briefly at Sui Ning before quickly shifting his gaze away.

He spoke with a clear and crisp voice, “Master Ji, you are too kind.”

Sui Ning raised an eyebrow, her heart sinking suddenly.

Ji Zhiwu seemed to be questioning whether Xie Changzhou was really the true culprit who killed the beast.

Xie Changzhou said lightly, “Is Master Ji here just to praise me?”

“If that’s the case…” He paused, glanced at Ji Zhiwu indifferently, and said coldly, “I already know; please leave, Master.”

Ji Zhiwu was choked by his words; his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, and his expression was a little ugly.

What did Xie Changzhou mean by repeatedly giving him no face?

Ji Zhiwu’s face turned a little red with anger, and Lu Guan quickly stepped forward to be a mediator. “Jianzun is not used to speaking directly to others. If Master Ji has anything to say, our Limitless Sword Sect will listen respectfully.”

Lu Guan raised his hand, and the disciples came in slowly to serve tea for Ji Zhiwu with a respectful and humble expression.

Ji Zhiwu smiled, and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes piled up. “Elder Lu is too kind. I also know the temperament of Jianzun.”

He looked up at Xie Changzhou again and asked softly, “I already know about the beast. Shen Jie and the Devil King Lian Heng probably also know that the beast is dead. Jianzun, have you thought about what to do next?”

Xie Changzhou replied in a calm voice, “Does Master Ji have any suggestions?”

He lazily leaned back on the chair, his tone calm and collected: “There might be a mastermind behind the beast incident. If Shen Jie and Lian Heng take action, it might be difficult for the Limitless Sword Sect to handle it alone.”

Xie Changzhou remained silent, as did the other peak masters, who all had their eyes fixed on him. Ji Zhiwu received attention, and the smile on his lips grew a bit deeper.

“If Jianzun needs assistance, my Changming Sword Sect can send disciples to help.”

Xie Changzhou’s eyebrows twitched, and his fingers trembled lightly on the armrests. He looked calm and indifferent, only staring straight at Ji Zhiwu without saying a word.

Ji Zhiwu felt a bit intimidated by his gaze, and his throat inexplicably became hoarse. He tried to sit up straight to make himself look more imposing.

He cleared his throat and continued: “Jianzun helped us, the Changming Sword Sect, and we should stand with Jianzun in times of need. Some of our inner disciples have good cultivation techniques, and if the Limitless Sword Sect is willing, they are also willing to come and help Jianzun.”

Sui Ning finally understood what he meant and added that the Limitless Sword Sect should send people to the Changming Sword Sect as well.

She was speechless. Just now, she thought that Ji Zhiwu had some ability as the sect master, but now it seemed that he was not very bright.

Xie Changzhou’s distance from him was meant to show his attitude toward keeping a distance from the Changming Sword Sect. However, he still wanted to send people to the Limitless Sword Sect.

After Ji Zhiwu finished speaking, the Mingjing Hall fell into silence, and no one spoke.

He couldn’t sit still and tentatively asked, “What does Jianzun think?”

Lu Guan and Fu Ling, the peak masters, looked coldly at Ji Zhiwu with an unpleasant expression.

The Martial Arts Competition had been canceled this year, yet he still dared to send inner disciples to the Limiltess Sword Sect. Was he trying to tell the cultivation world that the Changming Sword Sect and the Limitless Sword Sect were forging an alliance or…

Was he planting spies?

During the silence, a clear and cold voice came from the high platform.

“Thank you, Master Ji.”

Ji Zhiwu’s eyes brightened, but before he could feel happy, Xie Changzhou’s clear voice suddenly turned cold.

“But it’s not possible.”

Ji Zhiwu’s smile froze on his lips, and his gaze became unclear. “Jianzun?”

Xie Changzhou slowly stood up, his tall figure towering over him. Although his face remained gentle, his words were commanding and resolute, and his gaze towards Ji Zhiwu was oppressive.

He spoke slowly and deliberately: “The Limitless Sword Sect is the head of the sects and does not form alliances with any other sects, nor does it participate in the factions of the major sects. The inner disciples of the Changming Sword Sect cannot come to the Limitless Sword Sect.”

“Furthermore, if Master Ji really wants to help, it’s better to send more disciples to guard the human realm to prevent another situation like what happened in Yong’an City.”

“However, before that, Master Ji should pay more attention to the strength of the sect. After investigating for two years, the issue of the Green-faced Ghost has not been resolved. Is the Changming Sword Sect really the second sect?”

His voice was cold and emotionless in the quiet hall, and Ji Zhiwu’s expression became increasingly gloomy.

He looked at Xie Changzhou across the long steps and high platform, his face difficult to read and his smile slowly disappearing from his lips.

T/N: the mushroom here refer to lingzhi a type of herb often use in Chinese culture