Translated by Hua Li ^_~
Consciousness intact, he was strung up by Gou Liang on the character “Desolation” on the tower of Wumo City. He paid the price for his past deeds, and, in a way, was tortured by Gou Liang, hacked alive by ants or toys, repeatedly on the brink of death and then saved from the ghost gate. Until a month later, when those righteous sects who had lost their loved ones and masters finally vented their hatred toward the Demonic Cult and signed a treaty of reconciliation, promising not to provoke the Demonic Cult, they left Wumo City.
Gou Liang appeared before him again.
Looking at Bao Shi, a mess of rotten flesh yet still completely conscious, he said with pity, “Master, you’re very valuable in death. From now on, the martial world will be calm, and you must be pleased, right? Don’t worry, after your death, your disciple will bury you and Master Lóu Huān together. Didn’t you promise her a life of shared beds and a death in the same grave?”
Bao Shi’s face distorted in defiance, but he was finally suffocated to death.
Whether it was because of the pitying gazes he hated, or because his decades of efforts that plagued the martial world were destroyed, or perhaps it was because his unworthy disciple was going to bury him with his lifelong shame, the woman who once raised him, his end came with bitterness…
*
Ten years later.
Mountains of the Nanshan Sword Sect, below the Endless Cliff.
The birds were tranquil, the wind never ceased, the sound of flowing water, like tinkling bells, intermingled with a collision of flute and zither, creating a devastating effect that split a low mountain standing in a lake in two!
The mountain collapsed with a rumble, crashing into the water, creating a violent roar!
The beautiful scenery was destroyed. The young man playing the zither frowned, his fingers producing a wind and thunder-like melody.
The melody from the flute was intimidating. Its undulating and tumultuous tune stirred up waves.
The actions of these two caused the man who had been meditating indoors to become restless. He took his sword and stepped outside, standing next to the black-robed man who was fighting on the lake. Together, they watched the intense battle on the water’s surface.
The two sides were still deadlocked as before. Just when the onlookers thought that this encounter would end in a draw like the dozens of previous clashes, the flute music changed unexpectedly. It turned into a soft and gentle melody, concealing its sharpness. The sound of the zither did not spare any mistakes of the opponent, immediately pressing forward. But unexpectedly, this time, as the zither music’s assault was about to reach the owner of the transverse flute, it was dissolved into nothingness!
The flute music blended with nature, harmonizing with the sounds of the wind, water, and even the rustling of the grass and trees, creating an invisible web of silence that narrowed the space where the zither music could attack. When the combined attack of the flute music and the natural sounds came within three yards of the young man playing the qin, he suddenly broke into a cold sweat, and his inner energy became chaotic. Despite his efforts to sustain it, the qin music eventually faltered.
The young man with the sword moved, but Yue Qian stood in his way.
The young man playing the zither stopped at this moment and sighed, “I concede.”
The owner of the transverse flute put down the jade flute and smiled, “You’re too kind.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Ktf akb fzmtjcufv j rwlif.
Ktf sbecu wjc klat atf rkbgv rqbxf mbivis, “Vlcmf sbeg qegqbrf tjr yffc jmtlfnfv, sbe mjc ifjnf cbk.”
Ktf sbecu wjc qijslcu atf hlatfg ibbxfv tfiqifrr jcv jqbibufalm jr tf uijcmfv ja Xeb Oljcu. Ljnlcu fjgcfv wliilbcr bo rbei mblcr, Xeb Oljcu ufcfgberis reuufrafv atja atfs rtbeivc’a tbiv ugevufr jujlcra atfw. Qlat j riluta rcloo, tf qbecmfv lcab Tef Hljc’r jgwr jcv rjlv, “P rwfii atf jgbwj bo tba jcv rbeg olrt! P’w rb tecugs~”
Yue Qian’s stern expression had already softened when facing him. He smiled and kissed his head, saying, “Greedy little one.”
Seeing Yue Qian holding Guo Liang and entering the house, jealousy filled the eyes of the young man with the sword. Then he looked at the young man playing the zither with a touch of grievance. The latter shivered involuntarily and shot him a glare, as if to say: even if I’m an elder, even if I’ve lived in seclusion for decades, I can’t achieve that level of “affectionate intimacy” like Guo Liang and Yue Qian’s, don’t even think about it!
After the meal, the young man with the sword repeated his words, “Leave your things here, and you can go.”
This young man was once the senior uncle of Situ Zhangtian, so he chose to live under the Endless Cliff of the South Mountain Sword Sect. This place was a world unto itself, with scenery like a mirage.
For the sake of defeating these two men, Guo Liang had stayed here for three years. In order to achieve the original owner’s ambition of becoming the number one martial artist, Guo Liang had challenged several people from Xuan Du. He finally won today.
For someone who enjoys food, there are numerous gourmet ingredients accumulated over the span of three years. These include sauerkraut for preparing sauerkraut fish, an array of delectable sauces—even if you lack culinary expertise, adding a small amount can yield remarkably tasty results.
Although Gou Liang wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the request, he didn’t find it overly bothersome. After all, the two of them had diligently trained as partners for three years, so offering some form of compensation seemed appropriate.
However, he was more concerned about the remaining one-sixth of the lingering soul force of the original owner, which was almost ten million.
Guo Liang asked, “Do you know any other secluded experts?”
The young man with the sword answered decisively, “The people you’re talking about don’t exist.”
Guo Liang nodded, lost in thought.
He didn’t doubt the young man’s words. If there was anything they didn’t know in the world, the original owner would be even less likely to know.
The reason was simple – these reclusive martial arts experts were the true masters behind the scenes of the Jiuming Tower!
They had appeared in Wumo City back then because they held too much internal information and knew that this battle was sure to be spectacular. And when the monk Xuan Du referred to Guo Liang as Ye Gui instead of Bao Jiu, it was because he had known the original owner’s identity.
As for how Guo Liang knew these hidden truths, it was because not long ago, he and Yue Qian had been invited to become one of the masters of Jiuming Tower.
Yue Qian was quite helpless about Guo Liang’s “competitive spirit.” Seeing him looking a bit disappointed, Yue Qian patted his head and said, “The junior sister’s wedding is in a few days, and we should attend it. After that, wherever you want to go, whoever you want to find, we have plenty of time to do it slowly. I’ll accompany you. Don’t be in a hurry, alright?”
Guo Liang responded with a bright smile.
Ten years had passed, and the little girl from before had grown into a mature woman.
Situ Shuang, among the women of marriageable age, was already considered quite old. But considering her criteria for choosing a husband – someone better than her eldest martial brother – it wasn’t very surprising that she was still unmarried.
In contrast, Guo Liang was surprised to learn that she had a fiancé. After going through the ancestral history of the man provided by Bai Xiao, he couldn’t help but marvel at the mysteries of love.
Her husband was not a renowned martial hero, not even remotely skilled in martial arts, and his legs were even impaired for walking. He was also a cunning and shrewd merchant. Of course, no matter how cunning he looked with his foxy appearance, he couldn’t hold his ground against her powerful martial artist brothers-in-law from her maternal family. Wealthy as the Lin Dong family was, they had to admit defeat when facing them.
For the sake of treating her husband’s legs, after their marriage, Guo Liang and Yue Qian stayed here for a while.
At the time, Guo Liang told Situ Shuang that if the man’s legs were uncontrollable and that it was better to just break them. She waved her hand and said, “If he dares, I’ll break his legs again, including the third one!”
Her husband’s expression at the time could hardly be described.
On this day, Zhu Fengyi, who had succeeded as the master of Fan Yin Pavillion, specially came seeking advice. He had improved quite a bit over the years, inspired by Guo Liang’s whistle-based sonic attacks. Upon hearing about Guo Liang’s news, he hurriedly came to seek guidance.
Zhu Fengyi’s singing voice was very pleasant, but beautiful things often concealed dangers. This song of his was a hypnotic tune.
After singing a song, he looked at Guo Liang expectantly.
Without saying anything, Guo Liang repeated the song he had just sung:
“Affection between lovers runs deep, who fears the fleeting passage of time when we pledge three lifetimes? The prime of our youth will last forever, unyielding to the spring colors. Only wishing for our souls to be in harmony. With our white hair, the years will run out. Yet, by the bridge, you wait for me. In the next life, it’s hard to find this kind of love to share…”
In a moment of silence, Situ Shuang, who had been enchanted just a while ago, suddenly clutched her belly and said with difficulty, “Husband, it seems like… I have a bellyache.”
Guo Liang: “…”
Yue Qian: “…”
Only Zhu Fengyi said solemnly, “I’ve lost. Thank you, Senior Ye, for your guidance.”
He turned and walked away, his hypnotic voice, which he had been so proud of, now filled with despair. If others only learned the singing technique of Gou Liang, his hypnotic voice would be easily broken, leaving him with nothing to train for.
Gou Liang looked at his desolate figure, turned to Yue Qian, and asked with a smile, “How was my singing?”
Yue Qian nodded sincerely, “This melody should belong only to the heavens; it’s rare to hear it in the mortal realm.”
Gou Liang’s smile immediately brightened countless times, “Then I’ll sing it to you often from now on. Is that alright?”
Yue Qian’s fingertips trembled, and with a smile that earned him +100 goodwill, he said, “…Alright.”
Situ Shuang: …Senior Brother, take care!
Following Zhu Fengyi, others also loosened up and came to seek guidance from Gou Liang and Yue Qian. As days passed, Gou Liang happened to hear someone say, “Between Senior Brother Yue and Master Ye, their martial skills are probably unmatched in the current martial world. However, it’s uncertain who is superior between them.”
Caught in this unexpected situation, Gou Liang suddenly turned to Yue Qian. He realized where the original host’s remaining soul strength could be found.
And so, thirty years later.
After capturing Yue Qian’s initial move, Gou Liang lightly laughed and asked him, “Do you admit defeat?”
Reluctantly, Yue Qian, who had always been fully invested in every match against Gou Liang, nodded. It was clear that Gou Liang’s skill had surpassed his.
At the moment he nodded, the lingering remnants of the original host’s negative soul strength were finally purified. Gou Liang was overjoyed, “Haha, go fetch the wine cask we buried thirty years ago. Tonight, we’ll drink and celebrate!”
Yue Qian readily agreed.
The thirty-year-old aged wine was potent. The two of them drank to their hearts’ content. Gou Liang leaned against Yue Qian’s chest and, in a muddled state, sang, “Drunken papaya, wooden wooden papaya, papaya papaya, my beloved big papaya, rub, rub, and rub again…”
Yue Qian had never been so drunk before. Hearing him sing while swaying back and forth, he suddenly kissed him, saying somewhat vulnerably, “Xiao Keng’er, a lifetime isn’t enough… I want to be with you in this life and every life after. A hundred years aren’t enough, even a thousand years aren’t enough…”
“We’ll be together always and forever, longer than a thousand years, longer than ten thousand years,” Gou Liang said with a silly smile. “No matter where you are, no matter who you become, I will find you and make you mine again. I won’t give any part of you to others, not even a single strand of your hair.”
“Okay.”
Yue Qian smiled too, and a drop of liquid warmer than body temperature slipped onto the neck of the person he held tightly.
[Ding, mission progress bar advancing, current mission progress: 100%.]
Gou Liang suddenly shivered, instantly sobering up. He cradled Yue Qian’s face, who was now drunkenly weeping, his expression twisted.
Damn it!!!
And yet another arc comes to an end…..Next up is Beastmen
Woah yea!!!! Beastmen! So excited I’m rolling in place!
Thank you for your hard work!!! It was worth waiting 1+year for translation
AHHH yes the arc im really wanted!!!
Guo Liang should be happier — instead of being capped at 10, they’ve spent over 40 years together in this world. Though it’s also understandable to not want to part from your lover for even a minute, but still… You just promised him eternity, okay.
Thank you for the chapter! 🙂
Thank you for the translation! Excited for the next arc
Woahhh one of my fav setting is next!!! Can’t wait!!!
End of an arc but aaahh so glad that with every arc their time together lengthens ;> I wa sso traumatised by the first arcs ending, so I am glad we get more sweet ones like this!!!
Uhhh I just skim through the entire last four chapters.. Kind of boring if you say
Almost tempted to do that but I fight against it and read them. I love how clever MC is, to be honest, so I wanted to savor everything💜
The arch I was waiting for..I’ve been binge reading till now so I could reach it
This arc was so good 🥺😭🩷
Thanks for translating 🩷🩷💗