THDP Ch 154 Part 6 – To Kill and To Believe (VI)

“He’s already dead,” Meng Qi stood up after a quick examination.

“!!!” Wei Yuanzhong was shocked. How could it be?!

“He was poisoned and hit in a vital spot, hence his quick death.” Meng Qi said as she glanced at the Jiuhuanyang Pill. “Even with the Jiuhuanyang Pill, it’s useless.” She picked up the pill, put it in the porcelain bottle, and placed it beside Wei Yuanzhong, “This is a pill refined by the Feng Alliance. Its efficacy is quite remarkable.”

“Fellow Daoist Meng!” Wei Yuanzhong finally caught his breath. They had barely entered Ten Absolutes Mountain, not even past the second challenge, and his junior brother had already died, killed by another junior brother. Wei Yuanzhong felt like crying, unsure how to explain this to their master.

“He…” He struggled to speak, looking at Meng Qi and then at Qin Xiumo, and took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm, “My junior brother was killed by Junior Brother Qin. Fellow Daoist Meng, I can’t repay your kindness for saving us from the poison just now, but I advise you not to get too close to such a horrible monster.” Wei Yuanzhong said through gritted teeth, “Who knows when he might find you troublesome and want to kill you too.”

He was still immobile and knew his life was in Qin Xiumo’s hands. Even so, Wei Yuanzhong felt an unbearable urge to express his frustration, fearing he might suffer internal injuries or damage to his moral integrity if he didn’t speak out. Although Meng Qi had taken treatment fees from them, she had indeed saved his life.

Meng Qi nodded, “I understand.” She paused, then added, “Previously, when Qin Xiumo was undergoing tribulation, this person…”

Meng Qi didn’t know Zhao Jianian’s name, so she turned to ask Qin Xiumo, “What’s his name?”

“…Zhao Jianian.”

“This Zhao Jianian disregarded the relationship of fellow sect members and stabbed Qin Xiumo in the back during the most dangerous moment,” Meng Qi continued.

“Eh?” Wei Yuanzhong was stunned.

“Your Anyun Summit specializes in both swordsmanship and spells,” Meng Qi continued. “Your spells mainly focus on water-based techniques. During the tribulation, let alone fire poison, even having a few charcoal stoves nearby would significantly increase the risk. He probably feared that Qin Xiumo wouldn’t die, and after injuring him, he disrupted his spiritual aura with another palm strike, preventing him from saving himself.” Meng Qi had treated Qin Xiumo’s injuries and knew how severe they were. If Qingfeng Valley didn’t happen to have a cold spring pond, and Qin Xiumo’s luck in reaching it, he would likely have been dead by the time she found him.

“So this killing is Qin Xiumo’s revenge. Isn’t it justified?” Meng Qi said.

Wei Yuanzhong stared at Meng Qi. In fact, he was almost convinced. Meng Qi had saved them earlier, and many rumors about her spoke well of her. “But…” Wei Yuanzhong opened his mouth, “Maybe this is just one side of the story…”

“He never said anything,” Meng Qi replied. “I treated his wounds myself and saw them with my own eyes.”

Qin Xiumo’s left hand at his side clenched into a fist, then slowly relaxed.

“But…” Wei Yuanzhong struggled to find words. He felt he should say something, but didn’t know what to say. He didn’t even know who he was trying to convince anymore. “Why are you telling me all this?” After a while, Wei Yuanzhong murmured.

Meng Qi frowned slightly. When she was about to speak again, another figure appeared at the edge of the grassland near them. “Junior Sister Meng?” The woman wore a pink long dress, her waist slender, her features delicate, and her black hair tied up with a jade hairpin.

It was Lu Qingran. She looked thinner than before, probably due to recent hardships, but even that made her look more charming.

“F-fellow Daoist Qin…” After calling Meng Qi’s name, Lu Qingran’s gaze quickly shifted to Qin Xiumo. Remembering Qin Xiumo’s indifference towards her, her face flushed, and she quickly looked away.

“Brother Jianian!” Lu Qingran suddenly saw Zhao Jianian’s dead body, screamed, and stumbled towards his corpse.

“Brother Jianian!” She knelt beside Zhao Jianian, shaking his shoulders, calling in disbelief, “Brother Jianian, what happened to you?!” It seemed she only then realized the gravity of the situation and hastily reached to check his pulse.

“Wuu—” Tears fell from Lu Qingran’s eyes, “What happened? Why is Brother Jianian dead here?!”

“Brother Jianian—” she sobbed, turning her head to look at Wei Yuanzhong lying nearby.

Lu Qingran seemed somewhat afraid of Wei Yuanzhong, involuntarily shrinking back even though he was lying motionless.

Wei Yuanzhong sighed and remained silent.

“How could he… Brother Jianian was so strong… how could he?!” Lu Qingran murmured in disbelief, “How could this happen?!”

“This matter is complicated,” Wei Yuanzhong had mostly believed Meng Qi. The main reason for his belief was that Qin Xiumo hadn’t killed him. If Qin Xiumo really harbored murderous intentions towards his fellow disciples for the sake of climbing the Ten Absolutes Mountain, he could have left him severely injured instead of just immobilizing him. But now, Wei Yuanzhong could feel his aura started flowing smoothly and guessed he would be able to move soon.

“But… but…” Lu Qingran’s tears rolled down her beautiful cheeks, “Why would someone kill Brother Jianian? He is such a good person, why would someone be so cruel?!” She looked in disbelief and suddenly turned to Meng Qi and Qin Xiumo. “Who killed Brother Jianian?” she demanded.

“…” Meng Qi was actually quite impressed; not long ago, Lu Qingran was with Wei Yuanzhong, and now she was calling ‘Brother Jianian’ repeatedly. And this whatever Jianian was also something. He already had a Dao companion, Meng Qi remembered. She had even treated his pregnant wife when she was poisoned and then had the misfortune of encountering Qin Xiumo coming for revenge.

Meng Qi remembered the wife telling her about her childhood friendship with her husband, their deep affection, and their promise to accompany each other’s cultivation journey as they grew up together. Meng Qi vividly remembered the glow on the woman’s face when she talked about her husband. Despite her pallor and frightening appearance due to the poisoning and pregnancy, there was a real light in her eyes whenever she mentioned her husband. Her expression was gentle and happy, and even Meng Qi, a total stranger, could feel the sweetness, which left a lasting impression.

Seeing that Meng Qi and Qin Xiumo ignored her, Lu Qingran slowly stood up, wiping her tears with her sleeve. Born beautiful, tears didn’t diminish her beauty. With her eyelashes wet, her eyes and nose red from crying, Lu Qingran looked even more lovely, like a pitiful pear blossom under the rain.

By now, several cultivators who had passed the second trial and returned to the grassland had noticed the situation and started to gather around.

“Did you kill Brother Jianian?” Lu Qingran asked. As she spoke, she opened her palm, and a medicinal knife appeared in her hand.

“Fellow Daoist Lu,” Wei Yuanzhong, his mobility hadn’t returned, hurriedly tried to dissuade her, “This matter is very complicated, don’t act rashly.”

He also noticed the cultivators gathering around. It’s not suitable to air the sect’s dirty laundry in public, and he couldn’t bring himself to speak ill of his junior brothers in front of outsiders, even if they wouldn’t remember anything after leaving Ten Absolutes Mountain.

“I must avenge Brother Jianian,” Lu Qingran said stubbornly, “He shouldn’t die so wrongly and unjustly.”

Wei Yuanzhong: “…”

“Is it you? Right?” Lu Qingran bit her lip, glaring at Meng Qi with resentment, “Why? Junior Sister Meng, why did you kill him? Is it because…?” She choked up suddenly, “Is it that anyone kind to me, you have to take them away, and if you can’t, you’ll kill them to satisfy yourself?!”

Meng Qi: “???”

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Translator’s Note: