After Crossdressing and Provoking Long AoTian

“Cough.”

The first attempt to break through failed. As the array eye, Wen Rubing had blocked most of the attacks. A thread of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and he had no choice but to circulate his energy to heal.

“Heh heh.” The yellow-robed Daoist laughed even more wildly. “Wen Rubing, try that a few more times and suffer a few injuries, and you’d better watch out—you may never form a Nascent Soul at all.”

He sounded as if he were earnestly advising him. “You should break through sooner rather than later. Otherwise, your Guiyi Sect won’t be able to take a single step.”

“You lot call yourselves Qingzhou’s greatest sect, don’t you? If you leave the Golden Core Competition empty-handed, won’t you become a laughingstock?”

“Even if you don’t care yourself, you should think about the junior brothers and sisters behind you. Since they call you Senior Brother, naturally they need you to protect them.”

Wen Rubing’s face was white as paper. His eyes were closed, and he did not say a word.

“Brother Wen, why force yourself to endure this moment?” said the Fire Cauldron Sect’s leader, the pill cultivator Cangzhu, who had not spoken until now. He sighed. “Originally, none of us wished to do anything so aggressive, but the Guiyi Sect’s conduct has gone too far. You wanted to use a full Golden Core cultivator to suppress so many prodigies. We had no choice but to... make other arrangements.”

“How about this?” He smiled. “If Brother Wen forms a Nascent Soul today, I will gift you a Core-Stabilizing Pill. I imagine that should make up for it somewhat.”

Wen Rubing opened his eyes, but before he could speak, Li Ling’er and several disciples had already raised their swords and blocked his path.

“Bah!” Li Ling’er pointed her sword at them. “One of you plays the villain and the other plays the good man. Everyone knows what you’re scheming!”

Her eyes were red as she gritted her teeth. “The Golden Core Competition depends on individual ability. If our skills are inferior, then even if you rely on superior numbers, our Guiyi Sect can afford to lose. We would accept it!”

“But in the Golden Core Competition, there has never been anyone as vicious as you—petty villains whose whole purpose is to sever someone else’s immortal path! Outside the Flying Immortals Ranking, fellow Daoists across the Nine Provinces are watching. Aren’t you afraid of being ridiculed?”

“Ha ha.” Cangzhu laughed despite himself and shook his head slightly. “What a naive little girl.”

He stood with his hands behind his back, smiling. “My Fire Cauldron Sect stands unmatched beneath heaven in the path of pills. As long as the cultivators of the Nine Provinces still need to come to us for pills, they won’t dare laugh at me.”

“The weak are prey to the strong. It has always been so,” Jin Yangzi said with his usual expression. “Even if I killed him today, what could you do about it?”

Wen Rubing lowered his brows and said quietly, “Ling’er, step back.”

“I won’t!” Li Ling’er clenched her teeth. “My father said that we sword cultivators only need to have a sword in our hearts. Magical artifacts, lucky opportunities—all of them are external things. If we don’t get them, then we don’t get them!”

She held back her breath, unwilling to cry in front of these people, and forced herself to look tough. “Senior Brother, don’t worry about us. No matter what, you can’t form a Nascent Soul!”

“Ai.” Wen Rubing sighed.

Supporting himself with his longsword, he stood and raised his head to look at the great mountain that almost blotted out the sun. Then he slowly closed his eyes.

His white robes snapped in the air. Though there was no wind, they moved on their own. Invisible pressure spread from him, and everyone’s spirit jolted.

“Senior Brother!” The Guiyi Sect disciples’ eyes filled with grief, but a gentle wind pushed them behind him, keeping them from approaching.

“Since I was raised by my sect and looked up to by my fellow disciples,” Wen Rubing said, eyes tightly shut, his longsword hovering before him, “then I should naturally protect my fellow disciples and guard my Guiyi Sect.”

Majestic spiritual energy flooded the valley. The yellow-robed Daoist’s joy showed plainly on his face. “He’s going to form a Nascent Soul!”

A {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} sharp glint flashed through Cangzhu’s eyes, and he smiled. “Jin Yangzi, your Golden Light Sect and the Guiyi Sect have been at odds for a long time. Why not... see this through to the end?”

The yellow-robed Daoist looked intrigued. “Oh? You mean to...”

Cangzhu chuckled and tossed several pills from between his fingers.

Those few unimpressive-looking thunderfire pills fell from his hand, then rapidly swelled in size. They slammed into the mountain wall and exploded with a boom, blasting loose a torrent of falling stones.

“Senior Brother!” The Guiyi Sect disciples’ eyes nearly split. They drew their swords one after another to block the falling rocks.

Cangzhu shook his head slightly. “A mantis trying to stop a chariot.”

More thunderfire pills rolled from between his fingers.

Wen Rubing suddenly rode his sword into the air. Wherever his sword light passed, the thunderfire pills detonated midair, but his face turned another shade paler. The spiritual energy around him shook violently, and he could only support himself on his sword as he half-knelt in the air.

Cangzhu was just about to speak when a longspear tore through the air behind him. He blocked in haste, but was smashed straight into the mountain.

Ye Chenyan stood at the front of the spirit boat, his face frosty.

“What did I say!” Chi Yantian could not read the atmosphere at all. He rubbed his hands together excitedly. “That spear’s definitely strong!”

Yu Qingtang worriedly dragged him back. “Could you shut up already? Keep talking nonsense and he might beat you up too.”

When the smoke and dust dispersed, the retempered silver battle spear had actually pierced straight through Cangzhu’s chest and abdomen, nailing him to the mountain wall.

Delight appeared on Li Ling’er’s face. “Senior Brother Ye!”

Then she burst into tears with a loud “wah.” “Senior Brother Ye, beat those bad people to death!”

Wen Rubing froze. “Junior Brother Ye...”

His brows knitted tightly. “Go! Don’t act rashly!”

“Cough!” Cangzhu’s expression twisted. His trembling hands tried to pull the spear out, and he forgot all decorum as he roared, “What are you all doing! Help!”

Ye Chenyan beckoned, and the longspear returned to his hand without a trace of blood on it.

Cangzhu fell to the ground in a sorry state. He could not care about anything else and hurriedly took out several pills, stuffing them into his mouth.

Ye Chenyan smiled, but no matter how one looked at that smile, it was dangerous. “This is exactly what I like about pill cultivators.”

“As long as I don’t beat you to death, you can heal yourself so I can beat you a few more times.”

Cangzhu shuddered. His wound ached terribly, and he glared at the Golden Light Sect. “Jin Yangzi! Huang Tiandao! Are you just going to watch?”

“Useless.” Jin Yangzi shook his head slightly, rose into the air, and fixed his gaze on Ye Chenyan. “If you hadn’t come, the Guiyi Sect might not have been wiped out completely.”

“If I hadn’t come,” Ye Chenyan said, twirling the spear with unrestrained arrogance in his smile, “who would teach you how to write the word death?”

The battle in front was on the verge of erupting. Yu Qingtang could not help looking at Scholar Xiao, who was writing furiously. “What are you recording?”

“Harsh lines.” Scholar Xiao smiled shyly and scratched his head with the shaft of his brush. “My teacher always says I have enough cleverness but lack domineering presence. Since there happen to be two people here who are good at it, I’m learning from their strengths to make up for my weaknesses.”

Yu Qingtang: “...”

He really was strangely studious.

Yu Qingtang sneaked a look at the surrounding situation—Golden Light Sect, Fire Cauldron Sect, large numbers on both sides. Meanwhile, the Guiyi Sect’s people were all trapped under the Mountain-Moving Seal and could not help for the moment.

Ye Chenyan had to hold off so many people alone. Even for a Long Aotian, that was a little difficult.

Yu Qingtang looked at Chi Yantian, who was single-mindedly waiting for Ye Chenyan to test the spear, then at Scholar Xiao, who was writing with all his might.

He quietly asked, “When the fight starts, are you two going to help?”

“I want to fight Jin Yangzi,” Chi Yantian said, arms folded. “But he has to test Ye Chenyan’s spear first. Forget the others.”

Scholar Xiao clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Wolves ring us on every side, and they’ve come with ill intent. We can’t clash head-on. The best plan is to rescue the people and run.”

Yu Qingtang’s gaze instantly grew affectionate. “That’s what I think too. Do you have any ideas on how to rescue them?”

Scholar Xiao smiled bashfully. “No.”

Yu Qingtang turned his head away numbingly. “...”

Heh. Men really were all unreliable things in the end.

He paused.

Except himself.

Then he glanced at Ye Chenyan, who was holding off the encirclement alone...

He could be an exception too, maybe.

“Junior Brother Ye...” Wen Rubing half-knelt in the air, pain showing on his face. “You shouldn’t have come. Leave quickly!”

“Cut the nonsense,” Ye Chenyan said, alert to the attacks from all sides.

Jin Yangzi had not yet entered the field. After seeing Ye Chenyan’s spear strike just now, the Golden Light Sect and Fire Cauldron Sect people did not engage him in close combat. They only attacked the people in the valley, forcing Ye Chenyan to turn back and reinforce them.

Yu Qingtang watched for a while, gripped the wall of the spirit boat, then suddenly turned and threw both Chi Yantian and Scholar Xiao off the boat.

“Hey!” Neither of them understood what was happening.

Yu Qingtang suddenly raised his voice and shouted, “Jin Yangzi! Those two said you’re a coward!”

Then he drove the spirit boat—whoosh—straight behind Ye Chenyan.

“Miss Yu—!” Scholar Xiao screamed in disbelief. “How can you be this kind of person?”

“Huh? When did I say...” Chi Yantian looked utterly baffled, but Jin Yangzi’s golden wheel had already cleaved toward him. His face instantly changed. “So what if I did!”

Ye Chenyan froze, then laughed despite himself. “You...”

Yu Qingtang had already taken out his qin with a very loyal expression. “I’m here to help you!”

A flash of laughter passed through Ye Chenyan’s eyes. He pressed down Yu Qingtang’s hand and gently shook his head. “No. I can hold them off.”

Rarely, he lowered his head and asked for help. “Qingtang, please. Play the Heart-Cleansing Melody for Senior Brother.”

Yu Qingtang froze, then turned to look at Wen Rubing.

In the original plot, the Guiyi Sect’s Eldest Senior Brother had been surrounded and heavily injured by the Golden Light Sect and their allies, leaving the Golden Core Competition early. In the end, Ye Chenyan alone had to carry the Guiyi Sect’s banner, seize first place in the Golden Core Competition, and fiercely avenge the Guiyi Sect.

But perhaps—perhaps now, it had not yet reached the point where revenge was necessary.

Yu Qingtang slowly pressed his fingers to the strings. True, by a strange combination of circumstances, he had already knocked many parts of the plot crooked, but none of that had been by his own initiative.

This time...

Yu Qingtang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, raised his hand to tap his own shoulder, and nodded to him. “Don’t worry. Leave your senior brother to me.”

Ye Chenyan’s eyes curved with his smile. “All right.”

“I trust you.”

Yu Qingtang took a deep breath. He took a big bottle of Spirit Recovery Pills out of his storage ring, stuffed his mouth full until his cheeks bulged, then held his breath and focused his spirit as he greeted the qin—Brother Qin, you’d better do your part. At least hold on until I finish playing this piece!

The sheet of golden paper Miaoyin Xian had given him appeared. This time, he would not play the Heart-Cleansing Melody.

He would play the Heart-Questioning Melody!

Wen Rubing’s mind was already in utter chaos. His spiritual platform had grown muddled, and he fell from midair.

“Senior Brother!” The Guiyi Sect disciples caught him, and Li Ling’er looked up, almost crying. “What do we do?”

TWANG—

The qin music rang out.

Wen Rubing trembled slightly. Struggling, he lifted his head. He knew Yu Qingtang was helping him form a Nascent Soul, so he forced himself to sit cross-legged. His longsword lay across his knees.

At this moment, pain tore through his sea of consciousness, stirring up towering waves. Amid the churning bitter sea, a golden Nascent Soul slowly condensed, but its shape was loose and faint, as if it might shatter at any moment and scatter with the wind.

He knew this was what he should do.

As the Guiyi Sect’s Eldest Senior Brother, he should save people. He should protect his junior brothers and sisters. All of that was what he should do.

Even if his immortal path grew distant, even if he knew perfectly well this was a trap...

Still, he would feel unwilling.

“I should never have, never have...”

The qin music entered his ears. He trembled sharply. The boiling bitter sea and howling gale were all cut off beyond him. Only he and his Nascent Soul sat facing each other.

Sitting face-to-face, he questioned his heart and looked back upon the road he had traveled.

In his youthful ignorance, he had stepped into Sword Valley. A longsword had hummed, drawing him closer one step at a time.

He had pulled out that sword and met Sword Sovereign Tianyi’s approving gaze.

He remembered. He had said—

“This sword is named Utmost Sincerity. It suits you best, and only you can lift it.”

In an instant, the bitter sea calmed. The wild wind lowered its flags and stilled its drums. The sword Utmost Sincerity hung within his sea of consciousness and swept everything flat.

Wen Rubing finally opened his eyes. Nascent Soul pressure covered heaven and earth. The Mountain-Moving Seal shook wildly, as if it might be overturned at any moment.

He slowly exhaled, as if breathing out all the unwillingness that had been pent up in his chest.

Then he abruptly tightened his grip on his sword and slashed out. The mountains were leveled, and the Mountain-Moving Seal split apart with a crack.

“This sword is Utmost Sincerity. This heart is Utmost Sincerity.” Wen Rubing stood with his sword in hand and saluted Yu Qingtang from afar. “Thank you, Miss, for letting me question the Dao through your qin music.”

Yu Qingtang let out a long breath.

He had saved a person from the book. He had rewritten the direction of this story. Who knew how chaotic the plot would become after this...

He lifted his head and met Ye Chenyan’s smiling eyes.

Whatever.

If the sky fell, Long Aotian would hold it up.

Yu Qingtang also broke into a smile.

Wen Rubing gazed over with focused eyes. Yu Qingtang sat on the boat holding his qin and smiling lightly, just like an immortal from beyond the heavens—

Except his cheeks were bulging. Who knew what he was holding in his mouth?

Author’s Note:

Yu Qingtang: If the plot collapses, I’ll sleep. I’m done!

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