The Scum Shou's Survival GuideChapter 89

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PSA: What I formerly referred to as the spirit wall (壁, bì) has now been changed to spirit jade (璧, bì). Up until this chapter, the author has been using the first character, which means wall, but as you can see, the two characters are pronounced the same and written very similarly, so I believe the previous uses of 壁 (wall) were typos. It makes much more sense for her to have meant 璧 (jade). So sorry I didn’t notice this earlier! I’ve edited all the previous chapters according to this change. Nz0Xtj


Ye Yin’s gaze was ice-cold. He didn’t expect Ye Ming to suddenly rush up, but he would certainly not give up on killing Zong Jun simply because Ye Ming was in the way.

From the moment he took Ye Ming away to when he verbally provoked Zong Jun…he and Zong Jun had already become mortal enemies!

Chrysanthemum Garden.

There wasn’t a shred of hesitation in Ye Yin, nor did he have any intention of stopping his sword!

Ye Ming closed his hands around Ye Yin’s sword; the sword’s glow burned his skin, but Ye Ming’s expression remained steady. The jade between his brows flared brightly and his eyes gleamed coldly. By using all the strength he had, he managed to block Ye Yin for a split second! rA0mDl

The sword’s sharp, powerful qi cut at him until he was covered in blood. Even the jade in between his brows sustained a tiny, nearly imperceptible crack.

Though he only managed to block Ye Yin for a second, it gave Zong Jun enough time to react.

Zong Jun was shocked by Ye Ming rushing headlong into danger to save him, but now wasn’t the time for him to wonder about it. This was an opportunity given to him by Ye Ming at the risk of his life. If he didn’t seize it, he might not be able to rescue Ye Ming from this place!

Zong Jun let out a low shout. All of the spiritual energy in his body gathered in the longsword in his hand, and he swept it at Ye Yin’s arm!

Ap5hsG

Ye Yin was forced to pull back to evade it. Zong Jun took that opportunity to scoop Ye Ming up into his arms, fling some talismans in Ye Yin’s direction, and quickly disappear into the stone wall!

Internally, he badly wished he could kill Ye Yin right now, but Ye Ming was injured, and he probably couldn’t afford to tarry—saving him was the priority!

The spells cast by the talismans obstructed Ye Yin for a short period of time, and then it was too late for him to chase after them. He could only watch as Zong Jun took Ye Ming away, the look in his eyes continuously fluctuating.

Today, Zong Jun fled in a sorry state, firstly because Ye Yin had been able to gain the upper hand by taking advantage of the shock that the truth had suddenly brought him, and secondly because he couldn’t fight freely with Ye Ming present. Once he settled Ye Ming down and came back to his senses, he likely wouldn’t let Ye Yin off. x9UOu

When he thought of that, Ye Yin laughed grimly. As if he was afraid of him!

Although Zong Jun was truly talented, able to reach such a high level of cultivation in only thousands of years, he was nothing in Ye Yin’s eyes. I was only giving you face, previously. If you dare come back, I’ll definitely put an end to you!

………………

Ye Ming had rushed right into the heart of the battle. His white robes were cut up into tatters by the sword light, and his entire body was drenched in blood. Even his face was littered with bloody cuts, and the palms of his hands were even more of a bloody mess. gac85X

In order to block Ye Yin, he hadn’t hesitated to burn up his own cultivation. On top of that, he’d been injured at such close range by Ye Yin’s sword light. By now, he was like an arrow at the end of its flight.

Zong Jun was carrying Ye Ming in his arms. Ye Ming looked weak, but in his perpetually cold black eyes, a rare warmth emerged, like gradually melting ten-thousand-year-old ice. Finally, he was letting down the walls around his heart and no longer arming himself with a mask of cold detachment.

His lips moved; his tone was complicated. “You came…”

The hands Zong Jun held Ye Ming with shook slightly. With a fiercely torn look in his eyes, he croaked, “I came.” FZoHDU

Even now, he still hadn’t calmed all the way down.

The words Ye Ming had said, the words Ye Yin had said…still echoed in his ears, like an ear-piercing devil’s melody, rattling him.

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How could things be this way?

The fortuitous opportunity he painstakingly secured for Ye Ming had in fact contained such a danger within it? He suddenly recalled the details from long, long ago that he’d forgotten…Back then, after he and Ye Ming left the ruins, Ye Ming’s long stagnated cultivation finally reached a breakthrough. At the same time, he began to grow more obsessed with cultivating. J6duSB

Because Ye Ming had always been a lofty and cold person, Zong Jun hadn’t thought it was at all strange for Ye Ming to treat him coldly in favor of cultivation.

After all, there was nothing more important to a cultivator than cultivation.

It was precisely because Zong Jun knew how pure Ye Ming’s Daoist’s heart was that he strove so hard to assist him and did everything he could to help him attain the Dao.

But…it was at that point that Ye Ming had begun to be affected? KR8EDT

Zong Jun didn’t want to believe this kind of truth, but when Ye Ming blocked Ye Yin’s sword for him, paying no mind to the danger…he couldn’t not believe it.

He’d originally thought Ye Ming didn’t care about him, didn’t love him. He could kill him mercilessly, and would never protect him without a second thought. It was precisely these resentments that turned him into what he was today.

But if Ye Ming didn’t love him, why would he risk his life to save him?

It turned out, Ye Ming did love him and didn’t actually want to kill him. mdlhTZ

Actually…he also felt pain and regret…But why did you never say anything?

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.

[Ding, Zong Jun’s blackening value -20, current blackening value 40]

Ibcu Aec’r ujhf kjr yglwwlcu klat qjlc jcv mbcoilma.

Pc atf fcv, tf ralii mbeivc’a obgufa jybea Tf Zlcu’r jqjatfalm fzqgfrrlbc jcv tlr geatifrr rkbgv atfc. Ufgtjqr Tf Zlcu tjv yffc lcoiefcmfv ys atf meialnjalbc wfatbv, yea lo tf gfjiis ibnfv tlw, tbk mbeiv tf tjnf vbcf atja? 53WeOP

Reason was telling him that Ye Ming didn’t love him enough, and that was why he’d been so easily influenced and done such a thing…

But there was another voice protesting inside of him, saying that Ye Ming did love him. If he didn’t, how could he have still said he loved him after he treated him so cruelly? How could he have risked his life for him?

So did he love him or not?

Was he heartless to the extreme, or was he loving to the extreme? All of a sudden, Zong Jun couldn’t tell. Zkvxmg

………………

Ye Ming had already fallen unconscious because of the severity of his injuries. Fearful of making his injuries worse, Zong Jun used his own spiritual energy to put up a shield around him, not letting even the tiniest wind touch Ye Ming’s body. He didn’t pay any mind to his own wounds and instead headed back to the Devil’s Palace on his flying sword at the fastest speed he could manage. The overexertion caused him to cough up blood.

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When the servants at the Devil’s Palace caught sight of Zong Jun returning, carrying Ye Ming, the both of them covered in blood and looking wretched, they all went silent from fear.

Zong Jun returned to his bedchamber and gently placed Ye Ming on the bed. He reached out a hand to brush away the blood on his face and took off his tattered clothes, revealing numerous bloody, gaping wounds. His fists clenched audibly. Ye Yin…you deserve to die! DNEsgt

Ye Ming’s body was a spiritual tool, so his healing ability was supposed to be very strong. But now, his wounds didn’t seem to be healing at all. On the contrary, his breaths were feeble. Zong Jun lowered his head and pressed his lips to Ye Ming’s, transferring his spiritual power to him.

This lasted for a long while before Ye Ming’s wounds finally stopped bleeding, while Zong Jun grew paler.

He fetched a clean set of clothes. Carefully, he wiped Ye Ming clean and changed him into them. Then, he scooped him up and gazed at his face, pained.

The man in his arms was quiet, with his eyes closed. His elegant, lofty features were just as they were in the past. His injuries were slowly starting to heal. Zong Jun hesitated for a long time, then gently stroked Ye Ming’s face. R9mW0q

For a split second, his expression turned frightened and fragile.

As if he were a prisoner lost inside of a labyrinth. All this time, he’d held onto a determination that allowed him to press onward, but right when he finally thought he could make it out and untie the knot in his heart, he realized that he’d been going down a dead end.

Everything he thought he knew was falsehood, luring him down a bottomless abyss…while the truth was hidden somewhere he couldn’t see.

Zong Jun closed his eyes, anguished, and lowered his head to gently kiss Ye Ming on the lips. You’ll definitely be okay. You have to wake up…because I need to hear it from you again. I need you to tell me that it wasn’t what you really wanted. v Ywdg

Tell me that you actually love me.

………………

Ye Ming slept fuzzily, but it was as if he were stuck in a nightmare, unable to wake up. He couldn’t help but call out for 888.

[Ye Ming: Ge, what’s going on with me? It’s true that I like to sleep, but it’s boring to sleep for too long…] CVQHG

[888: Didn’t you think of the consequences when you rushed over? Didn’t you consider that while you were trying to act cool, you were squeezing yourself in the middle of a battle between two top cultivators? If your body weren’t so durable, a single shockwave would’ve hacked you dead.]

[Ye Ming: …]

[Ye Ming: Ahem, I didn’t die, though.]

[888: You didn’t die, but you were badly injured. Also, your spirit jade got damaged. Your body in this world won’t last much longer.] Eb6ei5

[Ye Ming: (⊙o⊙) Ah! Then I have to hurry up and eliminate the blackening value!]

[888: Hehe.]

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

[Ye Ming: Luckily, I made preparations long ago! I have a good trick up my sleeve. Now I just have to wait for my good shidi to appear on stage. I assigned him a really important part to play! I trust he’ll be able to play it well!]

[888: …] zG0OfS

Silently, Ye Ming thought, Thank goodness I left behind a hint of foreshadowing before I left. I never thought I’d need to use it someday.

Back when he’d maxed out the affection value, he’d had to leave this world within three days. Thus, his brain thought up the idea of killing his husband for the Dao, and after that he would get ready to leave.

Coincidentally, the spirit jade came into being at the same time. This spiritual treasure had the ability to condense the soul. The Xuanguang Sect was preparing to send someone after it—though not him, originally.

Ye Ming thought that he was living well. It wouldn’t be logical for him to inexplicably commit suicide or die some other way. But if he led the Xuanguang disciples to seize the treasure, it couldn’t possibly be out of the ordinary for him to be killed in the chaos. So he voluntarily offered to seize the spirit jade. DR8rsY

His shifu, Yuan Ming shangren, had always indulged him. Furthermore, this wasn’t any serious matter; as long as Ye Ming asked to do it, who in the Xuanguang Sect would fight over the assignment with him? Thus, he got the assignment without any difficulty.

At the time, Mu Yuanqing really couldn’t understand. He thought Ye Ming was an apathetic person, not the type to volunteer to seek the treasure. He was wholeheartedly devoted to cultivating and didn’t like to participate in activities like fighting or killing. In any case, he didn’t lack cultivation resources…Plus, he also had Zong Jun out there working hard for him. Puzzled, he went to ask Ye Ming about it.

At the time, Ye Ming was possessed by his own melodramatic spirit. Looking sorrowful, he said he needed the spirit jade. He needed to go.

Mu Yuanqing asked him why he needed it, but Ye Ming wouldn’t say. He just looked as if his heart had turned into ash. Eegxrc

Mu Yuanqing then asked, What about Zong Jun? If you want it, why isn’t he going to get it for you?

Because Zong Jun always helped Ye Ming find everything he wanted. It was simply too strange for him not to show up at a time like this.

Ye Ming was silent for a long moment. Then he said that in this life, he’d relied on Zong Jun too much, and he wanted to do something for him, too, to make up for some past mistakes. When he was done speaking, he promptly left and never came back; after the desperate struggle for the treasure, not even his remains could be found.

From start to finish, he never explained it clearly to Mu Yuanqing, but as long as Mu Yuanqing knew that Zong Jun was dead and Ye Ming steered him ever so slightly in a certain direction, he was sure to understand the situation in the way Ye Ming wanted him to—completely flawless and seamless! adF1do

Ye Ming slept for another two days. He could feel a constant stream of spiritual power flowing into his body. Finally, one day, he opened his eyes.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he was met with a handsome face right within reach, and he sank into those deep, blue eyes.

In the depths of those eyes, there seemed to be very profound, complicated emotions. Pain, confusion, and struggle steeped together into an infinite blackness.

It turned out that Ye Ming was currently in Zong Jun’s embrace, and Zong Jun was in the middle of kissing him, transferring spiritual power into his body through his lips. When Zong Jun noticed Ye Ming wake up, a trace of panic flitted through his eyes, and he quickly let go, clenching his jaw. sRaZFv

Ye Ming was somewhat absent. He gazed at Zong Jun and couldn’t speak for a long time.

In the end, Zong Jun spoke first. His voice was hoarse and carried a deep sense of constraint. “There…was a problem with that cultivation method. Why didn’t you tell me?”

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Ye Ming was silent for a beat. With a sad, guilty expression, he quietly said, “The cultivation method was only an external influence. When all is said and done, I was lost in the heavenly Dao and made a mistake because of it…There was no need to quibble over that.”

If he’d killed him, he’d killed him. He did it with his own two hands. He couldn’t exonerate himself from that. jbdXc8

Veins pulsed on Zong Jun’s forehead. He clenched his fists tight. He rasped, “Why wouldn’t you tell me about the Tianhai Palace Master possessing you…? If you told me, I wouldn’t have…”

Wouldn’t have treated you like that.

Ye Ming’s calm tone was laced with helplessness. “He’s Ye Yin. The ruins we went to were left behind by him, and so were the spirit spring and cultivation method…Back then I could only faintly feel my temperament being affected by the cultivation method, but I wasn’t sure. I also had no idea he’d latched onto my body. He only volunteered that information after finding out I was still alive. He probably thought that my past business would have some effect on his cultivation. It wasn’t that I…didn’t want to tell you.”

I was also very shocked and surprised. And even if I did tell you…you probably wouldn’t have believed me. 3h2Gfy

Zong Jun watched as Ye Ming calmly stated these past events, which he couldn’t bear thinking about, without the slightest sense of blame…and he felt even more pained. Suddenly, he opened his mouth. “Do you hate me?”

I humiliated you, tormented you, tortured you…

Ye Ming stared at Zong Jun in a trance and suddenly smiled. That smile made that lofty, proud face seem like a blooming ice lotus. His pale lips parted subtly. “Do you still hate me now?”

Zong Jun vehemently hated him, originally. However much he once loved him was how much he hated him then. He hated him so much he was ready to dedicate his entire life to torture him…but when he found out that Ye Ming hadn’t actually wanted to do that, when he found out that he regretted it, when he found out that, even now, he would risk everything to save him, valuing his life over even his own… C4WAe7

He was suddenly unable to voice the word “hate”.

Were there truly no ill-feelings remaining in his heart? Could he really forget that sword strike back then? No. He might never be able to forget it. The pain had already turned into a scar on his heart, a brand seared into his bones. Even if it had healed, the marks still remained.

But he couldn’t so easily say the word “hate” anymore, couldn’t hate this—person that loved him still, and who was the person that he deeply loved as well.

Zong Jun’s lip quivered. He was silent for a long time. KXDZsj

But even though he didn’t say anything, Ye Ming understood the sentimental, yearning look in his eyes. This person…was still so gentle.

Even after suffering the pain of betrayal, even after sinking down to the demonic path, even after changing his appearance, his love for Ye Ming had never changed…He loved him so tenderly, so carefully. And it was precisely this kind of love that allowed him to forgive Ye Ming’s past mistakes.

Ye Ming gazed intently at Zong Jun’s eyes and asked, “If you don’t hate me, why…would I hate you?”

Because everything that happened was only right. Repay kindness with kindness, repay enmity with enmity. Cultivators should not be afraid of karma. 84R6js

No matter what the excuses, I should pay the price for my past mistakes. And also…how could I hate you? You’re the one I love the most…

Zong Jun met Ye Ming’s eyes. In those black jade-like eyes, there seemed to be a faint affection. This affection seemed to be present, yet at the same time not. Like a slight breeze brushing past, it left a trace on one’s heart that felt like it wasn’t there, but actually was…

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Zong Jun gave a bitter laugh. Suddenly, he was very afraid. He didn’t know how to face everything that would come next…What had he done?

Zong Jun stood up miserably. He wanted to leave for now; he couldn’t face Ye Ming anymore. DdqXmr

Ye Ming watched as Zong Jun got up. He sighed quietly and asked, “Mu shidi—could I see him?” Perhaps it wasn’t a good time to mention Mu Yuanqing right now, but he just couldn’t bear the thought of Mu Yuanqing being hurt because of Ye Ming implicating him.

Zong Jun paused in his steps. Rigidly, he turned around and said, “Yes.”

He once envied Mu Yuanqing. He envied Ye Ming’s concern for him, envied that Ye Ming would risk his life for him, envied everything Mu Yuanqing had…but now he finally knew that there was in fact nothing for him to be envious of, because Ye Ming could treat him the same way—and even better…

But he didn’t feel any joy or pride; he only felt sad and powerless. BWtrhQ

It was one’s good fortune to learn about some things earlier on. To learn about them late…it would only be a lesson on the meaning of despair and regret…

Zong Jun shut his eyes. He gently picked Ye Ming up and brought him to the dungeons of the Devil’s Palace, where he instructed someone to bring Mu Yuanqing out.

These days, Mu Yuanqing had been undergoing torture at the Devil’s Palace. The previously radiant, elegant cultivator was now covered in blood and much skinnier than before. When he saw Zong Jun carrying Ye Ming in, he immediately recalled the sight of Ye Ming pressed underneath this devil and being humiliated. His eyes went red with hatred and he shouted angrily, “You brute! Let go of shixiong!”

Ye Ming thought of that ordeal as well. He’d always had a cold, lofty temperament, and that ordeal did indeed remain a sore point for him, but in the end, it was a matter between him and Zong Jun and had nothing to do with Mu Yuanqing. There was no use avoiding it; he could only face it head on. NKJUdg

“Let me down,” Ye Ming told Zong Jun.

Zong Jun set Ye Ming down wordlessly. Mu Yuanqing’s words were a reminder to him as well. As soon as he thought of his own cruel behavior, it made the blood of his yet unhealed injuries seem to want to flow in reverse again.

Ah…what had he done? While under the control of his internal demons and his hatred, what repulsive, vile things had he done?

He hurt…the one he loved most in that way. rBjZVW

Ye Ming was still very weak, but he braced himself to walk up to Mu Yuanqing. Quietly, he said, “Leave. Go back to the Xuanguang Sect.”

Mu Yuanqing cried heatedly, “I won’t leave, I’m staying here with you! Shifu will come save us!”

Truthfully, he knew that what he was saying wasn’t reasonable, but the long-term torture had caused him to gradually lose his rationality, and internal demons began to form inside of him—how could he leave on his own and let shixiong stay here to be humiliated and tormented by this fiend?!

Ye Ming gazed at Mu Yuanqing’s red eyes, knowing that if he didn’t have a strong enough reason, he might not be able to convince Mu Yuanqing to leave. His expression changed. He leaned closer to Mu Yuanqing’s ear and slowly said, “Don’t worry, he won’t hurt me anymore. He’s—” O6xwGL

Ye Ming paused. Finally, he said that name. “He’s Zong Jun.”

Mu Yuanqing’s pupils dilated, and he revealed an expression of disbelief. How was that possible?! Wasn’t Zong Jun dead?

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At first, Mu Yuanqing hadn’t understood why Ye Ming had unexpectedly volunteered to seize the spirit jade or why he’d looked so sad while doing so…Later, after Ye Ming died, he went to tidy up Ye Ming’s cave in grief, which was when he finally discovered the fated spiritual sword left behind by Zong Jun. The spiritual sword was lifeless, which meant only one thing: Zong Jun was dead, and his spirit entirely gone.

It was also at that moment that Mu Yuanqing realized why Ye Ming, who was entirely devoted to cultivating and nothing else, would risk his life to seize the spirit jade. sa32fW

It was so that he could revive Zong Jun!

That was the extent of his love for him—for him, he ended up dead with his cultivation vanished…

But now, not only was Ye Ming alive, Zong Jun was alive as well. And Zong Jun’s appearance and temperament had both undergone drastic change; he was cruel to Ye Ming now. Mu Yuanqing thought of the way Zong Jun treated Ye Ming and of his cold-hearted ways, and his chest flooded with rage and resentment for Ye Ming’s sake! He could no longer hold himself back anymore!

Ye Ming saw Mu Yuanqing’s expression change dramatically and worried that he would do something irrational because of the severe shock. He was certain Zong Jun wouldn’t hurt them anymore, but he still didn’t want Mu Yuanqing to complicate things further, so he grabbed his hand and gave him a gentle push. “Go and don’t come back. You don’t have to worry about me.” rW0qnS

Mu Yuanqing’s chest heaved violently. He studied Ye Ming intently, then abruptly shook him off. Without any fear, he spoke to Zong Jun, his tone cold and sinister. “So you’re still alive?”

When Zong Jun heard Ye Ming’s words, he wanted to go along with Ye Ming’s wishes and send Mu Yuanqing off, so he nodded and conceded, “Yes. Don’t worry, I won’t…” I won’t do anything to Ye Ming anymore.

But before he could finish his sentence, he saw Mu Yuanqing’s expression grow even icier. The loathing in his gaze was infinitely stronger now than it was before. He ground out, “You’re actually still alive! Why didn’t you just die a clean death?! Do you know why shixiong wanted to find the spirit jade, why he died?!

“Because he wanted to resurrect you! He died to save you!” Three thousand years of resentment had accumulated in Mu Yuanqing’s heart. The moment he found out Zong Jun’s identity, all of it transformed into hatred. Shixiong died for this person; that was how much he loved him…But him? eqc9kV

He tormented him to the greatest extent possible!

Zong Jun went pale. He looked directly back into Mu Yuanqing’s eyes…These were merely words; they didn’t possess any power behind them, and yet they gave him the illusion that he couldn’t stand straight. He staggered backwards a step.

No, impossible…

Three thousand years ago, Ye Ming died because of him? N5jZao

He died in order to save him.


konswa: I’m starting to ship the google docs spell checker with Mu Yuanqing here… It always wants to autocorrect to “My Yuanqing”. How intimate (ꈍ ꒳ ꈍ✿)

beansprout: ahhhh, the true hidden cp ✧⁺⸜(●′▾‵●)⸝⁺✧

Etn6V4

Translator's Note

Specifically, a bi is a jade disk with a hole in the center. Historically, they were buried with the dead as a “sky” symbol to accompany the dead into the afterworld. They were placed ceremonially on the bodies of persons of high status. (Source)

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22 comments

  1. We all know how sssg and scsg go and their patterns for each stories but why are are they so addictive??? I am never bored reading them ahhh

  2. Ahhh 😌, the ecstasy of the bitter suffering of the gong! So addictive! 💕

    Thanks for your hard work!

  3. HAHAHAA I’m dying, the hidden CP hahahahha

  4. LMFAOOO THE ML JUST GOT STABBED AN KILLED BY HIS OWN LOVER AND YET HE’S THE ONE FEELING MISERABLE WAHHHHHHHH NO DON’T DON’T BUT LOLOL GOOD JOB YE MING FOR FILLING IN ALL THESE PLOT HOLES WITH UM…MADE UP REASONS? HAHAHAHAHA