Death… and me

1352 Going Separate Ways

By the time they descended the mountain, it was already late in the night.

At the foot of the mountain, they discovered twelve Wind-Chasing Beast carcasses. Their cores had already been removed, leaving behind only their bodies, which were abandoned at the roadside.

Wan Renjie and the other two were rather distraught. They traveled in silence the entire way, constantly looking to their side or behind them, as if they were still searching for traces of Wei Wuyan.

It felt as if he was still around. Yet when they turned to look for him, he was nowhere in sight.

This was a feeling which made the sorrow in one’s heart the most unbearable.

They thought of how they and Wei Wuyan had accompanied one another and gone through countless life and death crises together this past year… Now, after much hardship, they had finally escaped from a doomed situation where they were sure to die.

Yet not long after they had escaped, Wei Wuyan died…

They finally reached the small restaurant that they had been talking about earlier. They went in, took a seat and ordered some wine and dishes. When they raised their cups for a drink, they thought of how Wei Wuyan had been the one to suggest coming here for a drink in the beginning. They couldn’t help but be unable to take even a bite.

Quietly, they poured cup after cup of wine on the ground. In an instant, the aroma of wine filled the restaurant.

Wuyan, are you able to drink these?

Are these enough for you to get drunk?

If it isn’t, then I’ll pour more!

Alcohol splashed onto the ground before it was greedily absorbed by the ground. After a long while, Bao Buhuan suddenly burst into loud and hoarse wracking sobs. Wan Renjie and Cheng Duying lowered their heads sorrowfully, their eyes red.

Wu Juecheng kept his silence and did not speak, displaying tremendous patience. If this behavior had been due to other reasons, he would most likely have lost his patience long ago. However, this truest and deepest sense of brotherhood was the only thing that Wu Juecheng displayed a rare show of tolerance and understanding toward.

In fact, he rather admired them for it.

It seemed as though even if such times lasted a little longer and a little more; even if it lasted till the end of time, it was alright.

The proprietor of the restaurant watched these strange people fearfully, not daring to speak.

After a long while, Wan Renjie forced a laugh and said, “People my age in the martial world… Ever since stepping onto this path, we’ve been prepared for this to happen any moment… Wei Wuyan has merely left a day earlier. Moreover, he has left with his wishes fulfilled… There is no need for us to be sad. Eventually, both you and I will also go… How laughable of us to behave like young people in love despite our age… Come, come, let’s eat.”

With his eyes red, Cheng Duying raised his wine cup. “You’re right. Wuyan once said that he wanted to drink to his heart’s content here until he’s drunk. Tonight, we shall drink our fill till we’re drunk!”

Everyone raised their wine cups and downed the contents in a gulp. A warm current gushed into their chests. At that moment, even their blood seemed to be burning!

“If Interrogation Officer One and the others knew… that right after they left, Wuyan…” After drinking a few cups of wine, Bao Buhuan said rather emotionally, “The four of them would probably pummel us to death…”

In a manner as though he was laughing and crying at the same time, Wan Renjie replied, “Being beaten up by them is something that I can’t ask for more…”

Without suppressing the alcohol content with their cultivation, Wan Renjie and the other two actually downed fifteen jars of wine during this meal. In a terribly drunken state, they had to be carried by Chu Yang into the guestrooms of the restaurant.

Chu Yang closed the doors behind him, drunken voices talking nonsensically still audible from the room behind his back.

“Wuyan, let’s have another drink!”

“Old Wei, come, come… Let’s get drunk together…”

“Old Wei, f*ck you, so you’re not dead… Come, come, let’s drink…”

…

As though they were still drinking with Wei Wuyan in their dreams, and chatting and laughing happily with people whom they got along with and facing the world together…

Chu Yang’s heart trembled as he shut the doors lightly behind him. He went into the courtyard of the restaurant, staring at the night sky as he sighed endlessly.

A shadow flashed and Wu Juecheng appeared quietly behind him.

“What are your plans?” Wu Juecheng asked quietly.

“What are Elder’s plans?” asked Chu Yang instead.

“I plan to bring Le’er with me and travel around the martial world,” replied Wu Juecheng without much emotion. Then, he glanced at Chu Yang and continued. “Needless to say, you cannot come with us.”

Chu Yang nodded. “Yes, I can’t.”

As the person whom Le’er relied on the most, there was no way Chu Yang could go with them for training. With him by her side, Chu Le’er would end up not wanting to do anything and would push everything onto him instead.

Toward Chu Yang, Chu Le’er had already formed a psychological dependence.

Both Wu Juecheng and Chu Yang were very aware of this.

“Is it alright if Wan Renjie and the other two go with you?” Chu Yang said, “I had originally intended for them to return to the south-east… but since you are here now, it seems like it would be better for them to follow you instead!”

Wu Juecheng was silent for a while, his expression somewhat reluctant. But when he thought of how the three of them were so heartbroken over their brother, his heart softened and he replied, “Fine!”

Then, he asked, “What about you?” But right after, he shook his head self-mockingly and said, “I needn’t ask that at all. No matter where you go, nothing will happen to you. Even if something does, you’ll be able to turn danger into fortune…”

Chu Yang was perhaps the only one who would understand the meaning behind his words. Letting out a wry laugh, he said, “You certainly have a lot of confidence in me!”

Wu Juecheng smiled with complete confidence. Then, he said, “Since you’re not coming with us, then you can go now.”

He actually chased Chu Yang away at once!

It certainly didn’t slip his mind that Le’er had wanted to give Chu Yang all the Heavenly Treasures that she had gleaned from the Ye Clan. To Wu Juecheng, it was fine giving away his things but his disciple’s things… How could she give them away? The little girl’s foundation wasn’t that strong in the first place.

Therefore, he’d better chase this fellow away as soon as possible.

Besides, he just didn’t feel very good when facing him…

Chu Yang was taken aback. “Don’t you know it’s still late at night right now? Surely you should let me bid farewell to Le’er first?”

“What’s there to bid farewell about?” There was a dangerous glint in Wu Juecheng’s eyes. “Get lost!”

An angry shout and a violent energy current later, Chu Yang very unfortunately found himself high up into the air and being thrown backward. He flipped and turned in mid-air without control of his body for an unknown distance before he finally landed flat on his face. When he got up and took a look at his surroundings, he was actually at the other end of the mountain…

The shout had actually sent him out a few hundred feet?

Chu Yang was horror-struck. He thought to himself, “Wu Juecheng is definitely no so-called ‘ninth-grade Supreme Martial Artist’! A ninth-grade Supreme Martial Artist isn’t capable of something like this yet!”

Was he already at a level beyond what was accepted by this continent?

Then why was he still here?

What Chu Yang didn’t know was that his guess was absolutely right! Wu Juecheng had indeed surpassed the acceptable level long ago. However, for the sake of revenge, he had stayed on in this continent. The price he had to pay for doing so was that every once in a while, he would need to suffer divine punishment…

Rubbing his bottom, Chu Yang got to his feet. With no other choice, he could only continue on his way. If he were to return… he would probably be taken apart by that old geezer.

During the talk the previous evening, the thought of killing him had already crossed that old geezer’s mind no less than a hundred times…

He bowed in the direction of Wei Wuyan’s grave at the mountain summit. “Brother Wei… We shall meet again in our next lifetime!”

After that, Chu Yang sped off and disappeared into the dark of the night…

…

The next morning, Chu Le’er, who woke up to her elder brother missing, threw a huge tantrum. She grumbled incessantly at Wu Juecheng, to which he held his hands out in resignation. “It’s not like I could do anything when your Big Brother insisted on leaving, right?”

Chu Le’er kicked the rocks on the pathway sulkily. “Big Brother the idiot! I hate you!”

Wu Juecheng, however, got a shock at this point. “Le’er, your storage spatial ring… Why does it look different? It became smaller?”

Chu Le’er’s eyes were big and innocent. “Big Brother said that he was giving me a ring, so I exchanged mine with him…”

“Exchanged?!” Wu Juecheng felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Even his eyes were wide with shock. “What happened to the things inside?”

“They were inside the ring too…” Chu Le’er went on innocently. “Those were meant for Big Brother in the first place…”

Wu Juecheng was speechless to the max at once.

Wasn’t it precisely because of this that he had hurriedly chased that bastard away, as though he were guarding against a thief? Yet now… Wu Juecheng wanted to cry. Even if he wanted to go after him now, he didn’t even know which direction he should be going…

“That bastard!” Wu Juecheng was so mad that he swore aloud. There were so many good things in there; that bastard got such a good deal just like that? No wonder that fellow left so quickly…

“Big Brother gave me a lot of presents too. They are all in here.” Extremely content, Chu Le’er was all smiles.

“Presents?” Wu Juecheng pursed his lips derisively. He thought to himself, “He has gotten such a good deal. No matter how many trinkets meant to entertain little girls he gives you, they aren’t worth anything.”

“Let me take a look!” Wu Juecheng took the ring from Chu Le’er. But after taking a look, he fell silent for a moment.

Inside, Purple Crystal Cores filled the entire space, including even a few large pieces of Purple Crystal Jade Essence. Other than that, there were also a few bottles of elixirs.

When he took the elixirs out for a look, Wu Juecheng took in a sharp breath of air at once.

As someone who had ‘experienced’ it before and was the most familiar with the details, Wu Juecheng recognized these elixirs the moment he saw them. There were elixirs that could improve one’s cultivation, elixirs that could increase one’s mental energy, elixirs that could let one recover his vitality, as well as three incomplete versions of the Nine Tribulations Pill!

Just these three Nine Tribulations Pills alone could make up for all of Chu Le’er’s losses!

Not to mention that there were so many other elixirs and a small mountain of Purple Crystal Cores, as well as Purple Crystal Jade Essence… Out of the Purple Crystal Jade Essence, there were even two pieces of Soul of the Purple Crystal…

Wu Juecheng was stupefied for a brief moment before he uttered, “This is no loss at all…”

Not only was it no loss at all, but they had also practically gotten a great deal!

Admittedly, Wu Juecheng doted on and cared for his disciple a great deal. However, Chu Yang’s love for his younger sister was something that permeated his entire being. How could he possibly let his own younger sister lose out?

“Oh right, Teacher, Big Brother also left me a bag of wine. He said that it’s for the five of us. He also said that every time we drink it, the four of you are to drink a cup each while I drink two… and that you are to supervise me when I drink it.”

Pouting, Chu Le’er said, “Big Brother is actually starting to want me to drink…”

“Let me take a look!” Wu Juecheng didn’t in the least think that Chu Yang intended to cultivate his younger sister’s interest in wine. Judging from how much he doted on her, if Chu Le’er became a female alcoholic, Chu Yang would probably be the first to come after him, so why would he possibly allow his younger sister to drink?

There must be something special about this wine.

Chu Le’er brought out a huge leather pouch, which easily weighed five kilograms.

Wu Juecheng took the pouch from her. The moment he opened the pouch, he detected a fragrant aroma. When he took a tentative sip, he immediately jumped about, as though flames were burning his bottom. “This, this, this… There’s so much of it?!”

Wu Juecheng finally got an understanding of the extent of Chu Yang’s generosity!

After staying in a state of shock for quite a while, he finally regained his senses.

Where did Chu Yang get something as fantastic as this? Wine that gives a hundred years’ worth of cultivation with just a cup…

And this was merely a small cup.

There were easily five liters worth of it here!

This…

Chu Le’er craned her neck and peered at Wu Juecheng. When she noticed how her Teacher went into a daze after taking a sip of the wine, she couldn’t help but be filled with curiosity. “Teacher…”

There was no reaction from Wu Juecheng whatsoever.

Curiosity brimmed within Chu Le’er at once and she took the leather pouch. In line with the principle of trying out something, she took a large swig.

When Wu Juecheng finally came to with a start, this scene was what entered his sight. He got the shock of his life and quickly snatched the leather pouch from her hands.

“Oh my god, my grandaunt… Are you trying to frighten me to death… You can’t just drink this wine like that… Oh my goodness…”