Chapter 103
The pond water became a stormy rain as it fell. A rainbow ring formed under the sunlight’s shine.
Li Qingshan’s eyes were tightly shut, his expression solemn. The monster core restrained its entire aura and continuously sank down inside his body, resembling a spirit turtle shrinking back into its shell, submerging into the abysses of a sea trench, entering a hibernation extending to thousands of years, unperceived by anyone, its existence becoming legend.
Li Qingshan once again opened his eyes and jumped to the lake shore. By the time he’d come in front of Little An, he’d turned once again into that Li Qingshan from before. Saying it like this was perhaps inaccurate.
Because he currently didn’t have bulging muscles with clear outlines anymore. He didn’t have the hard-edged temperament either, anything outstanding about his person entirely hidden and understated. He was just like an ordinary mountain villager at first glance, without anything exceptional or peculiar about him any longer. There was merely a tranquil profoundness in the depths of his eyes.
He looked at his own pair of human hands and suddenly remembered that he was already sixteen years old.
His concept of time became blurred when he led the existence of a monster. It only became distinct once more all of a sudden after the recovery of his human form.
He’d come to this world for sixteen years. The experience he’d gone through during this half-year was more spectacular than even the fifteen years and a half before that all added together. From a human to a monster, and from a monster again to a human.
His entire monster qi had been curbed inside that monster core, not leaking out in the slightest. Even other cultivators would have no way to find out he was actually a monster. It was funny and ironic that he’d recovered everything of a human after comprehending the genuine dao of monsters and demons.
There were untold multitudes of creatures in the world. Why were humans unable to cultivate into monsters against all expectations? Then again, a cat who cultivated into a monster was called a cat monster, a tiger cultivating into a monster was called a tiger monster. What would a man cultivating into a monster be called? A manster1?
A burst of evil chills burst through Li Qingshan. He decided not to think about this issue anymore. He called Little An, “I’ve made you wait. We can depart!”
A happy brilliance ignited inside Little An’s eye sockets. He snuggled against Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan then took out that Sumeru ring the green bull had left for him. He had no idea what material it was made of. It was limpid and translucent, but it didn’t expose any spiritual light. Now his entire true qi had melted into monster qi and been repressed, so he simply couldn’t open this item. Although he was very curious what the green bull had truly left for him, he could only endure for now and slowly think of a way in the future. He tied the finger ring and treated it like a necklace, hanging it on his neck and hiding it beneath his clothes.
He touched in passing that locust wooden plaque charred black. “Let’s go. Rather than those far distant goals, let’s first help you recover a human body. However now you have to hide again.” Li Qingshan remembered at all times the duties he’d taken responsibility for toward this child. It was Little An who would do his best to lend him a hand at every critical juncture. He didn’t leave and didn’t give up even in the most dangerous of times.
Li Qingshan wouldn’t say grateful words, he would merely store these emotions in the bottom of his heart. Moreover the ties and the feelings between them had long ago gone beyond trivial gratitude.
He lifted his head and watched the rainbow. One silhouette after another emerged in his mind. The green bull, Little An, Gu Yanying, Halfmoon. These expectations, these pledges, these wild hopes, he would achieve them one by one.
The mountain forest once again recovered its quietness. The deep pool no longer swirled into whirlpools; it had been thoroughly pacified by Li Qingshan’s monster power.
This sixteen years old youngster combining the better aspects from the two monster and human races once again stepped into the world of humans. How many dangers would he be able to brave past once more, how many stormy waves would he pacify?
Li Qingshan carried Little An and came to the destroyed ruins of the Black Wind Camp. He couldn’t help but frown.
Since he was going to return to the world of mankind, he naturally couldn’t do without yellow gold and white silver paving the way for him. Moreover, those silver notes he had on him had been destroyed by the blaze during the mountain temple battle and could no longer be used.
He had then remembered that wealth left inside the Black Wind Camp and rejoiced at his own foresight back then. But he’d then come to have a look and discovered traces of excavation everywhere.
The secret room under Xiong Xiangwu’s bedroom had also been dug open as expected. The things inside had naturally been cleaned out.
Li Qingshan took a deep breath in. “What’s this about, Tomb Raider2?”
Inside Suncheer City, a wildly happy Ye Dachuan was madly kissing a transfer order. “Haha, I can finally leave this damned place!”
Leveling Black Wind Camp. Also putting down the Dragon Gate Sect as one of the local evil forces, treating it as his merit. The report went to the Clear River capital, and after layer upon layer of thorough audits, it was sent to the lord prefect’s desk.
Even the lord prefect was a little astonished that Ye Dachuan could achieve things like these. Moreover he couldn’t resist his beloved concubine’s bout of pillow talks either. Finally he approved a transfer order, moving Ye Dachuan away from Suncheer City.
Of course, it was impossible if he were to think about going back and stir troubles in the Clear River capital, but he still managed to be transferred to the most prosperous place inside a radius of several hundred miles, Blessed Peace City. How could Ye Dachuan not be wild with joy.
The adviser said, “Congratulation master, congratulations master!”
Ye Dachuan rejoiced for a while, then said sadly, “My poor brother Qingshan!” He could still be said to be someone who didn’t forgot those who dug the well when he drank from it.
The adviser said with a sigh, “My lord please restrain your sorrow. All of this is fate, no one can go against it!”
Ye Dachuan thought a while and very quickly walked out from these shadows. “Don’t forget to burn a lot of paper money before departure and let my brother Qingshan properly bribe the ghost messengers, so that he can live a good life in the netherworld and be sent into a good family in his next life.”
“Sent into what good family?” Li Qingshan climbed past the wall with a strange complexion, falling inside the yard.
“Of course a great wealthy… Great ghost!” Ye Dachuan had casually replied. His voiced had gradually slowed down and he’d looked at the newcomer’s face, then finally cried in alarm. Like a whisper of smoke, he hid behind the adviser’s chair.
The adviser said, “My lord, calm down, calm down, what ghost would there be in broad daylight. It’s constable Li who came back!”
Ye Dachuan threw a glance at Li Qingshan. He saw the glorious summertime sun drag a long long shadow under Li Qingshan’s feet. Only then did he sigh in relief and drill out from behind the adviser’s chair. He grabbed Li Qingshan’s hand: “Brother Qingshan, you actually came back. Where have you gone during all this time?” His eyes brimmed with tears as he spoke on.
Li Qingshan pulled his hand out and said, “I suffered a little injury and went into closed door cultivation in the mountains for a while. Did you think me dead?”
Ye Dachuan said, “It’s all good if you’re alive, all good if alive!” Then he told him the full story soon after. It turned out the news about Feng Zhang taking a bunch of first-grade masters to besiege Li Qingshan had spread out like wildfire. In the end everyone had disappeared from inside the mountains.
There had been quite a few people searching in the mountains during these few months, but they all merely found a mountain temple burned to ashes. There had been simply no way to tell who the broken bones left behind belonged to, hence rumors sprang up in every corner.
Some said Feng Zhang had killed people and silenced them for good after snatching the spirit ginseng, then gone into hiding. There were also some who said that another master had acted and killed everyone.
But Li Qingshan was a dead man no matter which rumor it was. No one believed he could survive in such circumstances, therefore everyone regarded him as dead. But they hadn’t thought that Li Qingshan would actually truly walk out from inside the mountains, and the only one to walk out of the mountains at that.
“It’s all the better since you came back. It just happens you can follow me to Blessed Peace. Look, what do you think this?” Ye Dachua proudly patted the transfer order, his fat face smiling until his eyes were about to disappear. He was happy from the bottom of his heart that Li Qingshan was able to return. Li Qingshan was his lucky star general.
Li Qingshan said in an odd tone as soon as he saw the transfer order, “County commissioner? Isn’t that even half a grade lower.”
Usually a small county city didn’t have a county commissioner. Only the big ones did, some even had two or three of them. They stood under the county magistrate, and naturally couldn’t compare to the power of a county magistrate who was the one who monopolized the final say.
Ye Dachuan said, “That’s something you don’t know. It’s better to beg for food in a golden lair rather than be called king in a doghouse. What profit is there in a lousy place like Suncheer City? And if you earn money, you can’t find any pleasure house to drink with women in even if you wanted to…”
Li Qingshan couldn’t help but laugh despite himself when he heard county magistrate Ye yak about wining, whoring, and gambling. But inside it actually gave him a little more of the feeling he’d genuinely returned to the human world. Perhaps it could be said to be vulgar, but weren’t these things precisely what mankind pursued?
The three words Blessed Peace City actually stirred his heart. He touched the iron wolf badge in his bosom. That Red Eagle captain “Old Wang” once said to go to Blessed Peace City and report to Zhuo Zhibo if he could live on, and then he could become an Eagle Wolf guard. But he hadn’t entirely thought this matter through and couldn’t make a decision for the moment.
No one could be sure that the Feng Zhang he’d done in wouldn’t have some colleagues and old friends in Blessed Peace City. The Zhuo Zhibo who’d sent Feng Zhang to Suncheer City wouldn’t necessarily have a good opinion of him either.
The adviser was indeed worthy of being the adviser. Although he wasn’t aware of that much inside information, he still thought of this and warned Ye Dachuan, “That Feng Zhang who didn’t put anyone in his eyes came precisely from Blessed Peace City. Moreover we haven’t found his whereabouts yet, even now. It’s hard to guarantee the Eagle Wolf Guard won’t investigate.”
Ye Dachuan’s expression also changed. “That’s right, brother Qingshan you have to be even more careful. Or else you better flee and we’ll pretend none of us saw you come back.” With his status, he still didn’t know the news about Feng Zhang being fired by Wang Pushi face to face. The disappearance of an Eagle Wolf guard, that was a matter of major concern.
Li Qingshan said, “Many thanks for my lord’s care. But there’s actually no need to worry about this matter. I have something I wish to consult for advice?”
“What?”
Li Qingshan said, “Who dug the Black Wind Camp?” It was impossible such a great amount of work hadn’t stirred any news about its activity. He couldn’t lack money no matter where he went. One had to pay some price for plucking hair from the tiger’s ass.
Ye Dachuan said, “It’s, it’s the Iron Fist Gate who took people there. Qingshan don’t be impulsive.”
“There’s actually nothing to be impulsive about. I’ll just ask my money back, would they dare refuse?” Li Qingshan was a little curious about Ye Dachuan’s attitude. He was the one who’d leveled the Black Wind Camp and the Dragon Gate Sect, would the Iron Fist Gate still dare to make things difficult for him?
Ye Dachuan said, “I heard a protector recently came to the Iron Fist Gate, apparently it’s to investigate hall master Wu’s whereabouts. Liu Hong excavated these things precisely to show respect and give him presents. I heard it’s also an innate master, maybe not so good to deal with.”
Li Qingshan said, “I’ll be careful.” He disappeared outside the walls as soon as his voice fell. He crossed over roof tiles after roof tiles and arrived inside the Iron Fist Gate. He wasn’t in a rush to make an appearance however, but bent his ears and listened carefully.
After he’d repressed his monster qi and transformed into a human shape, his five senses and six consciousnesses3 all couldn’t compare to when he was in a demon state, but they were still far superior compared to ordinary people. Within a thousand feet, even the sounds of mosquitoes clearly came to his ears. He immediately found Liu Hong’s location.
Hundreds of children stood tidily and neatly in the the martial training field lighted by a dazzling sun hanging high above. They stepped forward one by one.
1. A joke totally lost in translation I couldn’t find an equivalent of. A “man monster,” 人妖, is slang for a crossdresser, an effeminate homosexual, a ladyboy, a transsexual, something like that.
2. The original text says Gold Stealing Officers instead of Tomb Raider. The “Gold Stealing Officers” was a sect of grave robbers toward the end of the Han dynasty, allegedly established by Cao Cao to fund his armies during the era of the Three Kingdoms.
3. “Five senses and six consciousnesses” can be understood as merely an expression that means “all the senses,” but if you’re curious the six consciousnesses, or six viññāṇa (yes I had to google the term :P), are Buddhist concepts derived from the six base senses recognized in Buddhism: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.