“I am Wei Yuanzhong of the Anyun Summit. Qin Xiumo is my junior brother,” the male cultivator said with a constant smile, maintaining a friendly attitude towards Meng Qi.
Meng Qi looked at him, and he looked at her in return, wearing a smile that appeared relaxed, as if he was simply inviting her as a guest. However, she knew that as soon as she had any intention of turning away, he would catch up immediately.
Surprisingly, Meng Qi wasn’t particularly worried. They were in Jingyuetian’s territory, the strongest spell sect in the Three Thousand Worlds. Qin Xiumo’s sect was undoubtedly strong in the Southern Realm, especially with their dual cultivation of sword and spell, but compared to the Jingyuetian, they were still lacking.
And Meng Qi was currently a guest invited by the Jingyuetian sect leader. If Wei Yuanzhong wanted to do something against her, Yan Shunbei would definitely not stand still and allow it to happen.
Meanwhile, the young male cultivator who had been thrown down by Wei Yuanzhong earlier had also managed to stand up by now. Although he hadn’t been injured in the end, he still looked disheveled after the fall, with his blue robe covered in dust. His originally handsome face now appeared somewhat dispirited, especially with a few strands of hair falling over his forehead, making him look even more dejected.
At this moment, Lu Qingran had also jumped down from the restaurant building. She glanced warily at Wei Yuanzhong, then took a brief look at Meng Qi before hurriedly rushing to the young male cultivator. “Are you okay?” She asked with a worried look, her face filled with concern. “Are you injured?”
The man didn’t answer. He lowered his eyelids in silence; his gaze shifting towards Meng Qi.
Lu Qingran stood in front of the man, as if shielding him with her slender figure, and then turned to look at her former junior sister. “Ju—… Junior Sister Meng…” she murmured, her lips opening and closing as she struggled to find her words.
Meng Qi cast a brief glance at Lu Qingran. Her gaze was somewhat cold, and although she didn’t say anything, Lu Qingran couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment.
“Junior Sister Meng,” Gritting her teeth, Lu Qingran took a deep breath, as if mustering the courage to speak again. She then cupped her hands and bowed slightly to Meng Qi. “The incident just now was sudden, and I had no choice but to call for your help. Everything happened because of me. Please don’t blame him.”
As Lu Qingran spoke, she moved to the side to better shield the male cultivator behind her.
Meng Qi still didn’t look at Lu Qingran this time. All her attention was on Wei Yuanzhong. The other party now simply folded his arms around his chest, watching this scene with a smile, as if enjoying a performance.
“It’s all my fault…” Lu Qingran looked around. Seeing that the two ignored her, she mustered her courage and spoke louder: “This incident started because of me, so… so please…”
“How is it, Fellow Daoist Meng?” Wei Yuanzhong didn’t even wait for Lu Qingran to finish speaking. Or rather, he was completely ignoring her. All his attention was on Meng Qi, easily noticing when she reached for the storage pouch at her waist.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of making it difficult for you. It’s just that our master has been searching for my junior brother for a long time, and he’s quite worried. As long as my junior brother appears, we naturally won’t stop Fellow Daoist Meng from continuing your journey.”
Meng Qi was unable to perceive Wei Yuanzhong’s cultivation level, but he could see hers at a glance. The first realm of the Nascent Soul stage was nothing in his eyes. Even if Meng Qi had some means of self-protection in her storage bag, it would be limited. He was already at the ninth realm of the Spirit Severing stage, only one more step before breaking through into the Void Comprehending stage. This time, among those to enter the Ten Absolutes Mountain, he was one of the most likely candidates to reach the summit.
In front of an absolute difference in strength, any tricks were useless.
Wei Yuanzhong didn’t take Meng Qi seriously, and he actually also looked down on his junior brother Qin Xiumo, who was highly valued by their master.
So what if they were geniuses?!
What’s so great about the so-called talents?
The road ahead was unknown!
In this world, strength surpassed everything, and the big difference in cultivation bases put them beneath his feet.
Wei Yuanzhong’s gaze swept over Meng Qi’s slender figure as his lips curled up slightly. If he could successfully reach the summit of the Ten Absolutes Mountain, he would undoubtedly become the most outstanding disciple of the Anyun Summit and the uncontested candidate for future sect leader. By then, who would still remember his so-called genius junior brother? Qin Xiumo was probably still struggling at the Nascent Soul stage just like this Meng Qi, far behind him, all because they were all immersed in the useless romanticism of youth.
He had thought it through, and he truly had no enmity with Meng Qi. On the contrary, he felt a hint of favor towards her because Qin Xiumo had chosen to follow her and had even forsaken their sect for her sake.
Even when he watched Meng Qi taking something out of her storage pouch, Wei Yuanzhong remained relaxed. In his eyes, something that a mere Nascent Soul cultivator could bring out was not worth him to be vigilant.
Of course, Wei Yuanzhong’s turn of mind was far from Meng Qi’s understanding. She had dredged up all her memories related to Qin Xiumo, but she couldn’t recall who Wei Yuanzhong was. However, it wasn’t surprising, as Qin Xiumo had always been taciturn, and there had never been such a friendship between them in the previous life. All Meng Qi knew was that Qin Xiumo had conflicts with his sect and that his close friend, who had betrayed him and plotted against him from behind, was also a fellow disciple.
Qin Xiumo had been hailed as a genius within his sect, which had earned him the jealousy of his fellow disciples and eventually led to his best friend’s betrayal. After Meng Qi in the previous life had healed his internal injuries, he threw himself into cultivation like a madman, paying absolutely no attention to other things save for Lu Qingran. He spent two years like that, and in such a short time, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, becoming a true top cultivator of their generation.
The timing of Meng Qi’s travel to the Southern Realm coincided with Qin Xiumo’s return to the Anyun Summit. With just his sword and himself, he began to seize power, slaughtering his former fellow disciples and mentors, until he finally claimed the position of sect leader. His deeds spread his name far and wide, making him infamous in the Three Thousand Worlds as the Little Devil Lord.
During that time, Meng Qi had been in the Southern Realm, treating a severely poisoned pregnant woman. It was there that she encountered Qin Xiumo again. Perhaps it was because he had finally avenged himself, but his mood had been quite pleasant. Qin Xiumo had not known in his previous life that Meng Qi had saved him, but he was aware that she was Lu Qingran’s junior sister. Therefore, even though the person Meng Qi was saving at the time was the wife of his former close friend who had betrayed and plotted against him, he didn’t harm Meng Qi. Instead, he allowed her to help the woman detoxify and safely give birth to her child while also saving the woman’s life.
Later on, Qin Xiumo had taken away the child. At that time, he was likely in a good mood despite Lu Qingran not being by his side. He had come for revenge, and he certainly didn’t want her to see his bloodthirsty side.
During that period, Qin Xiumo didn’t have many people around him with whom he could talk with. Perhaps because of this reason, not only did he not harm Meng Qi, but he even came several times to chat with her when he had free time. Most of what Meng Qi knew about the Anyun Summit came from those conversations with Qin Xiumo. She couldn’t remember Wei Yuanzhong, but she did recall that Qin Xiumo had mentioned he did not have any friends left at the Anyun Summit after his close friend’s betrayal.
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next >
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
