Chà Chà Novel

Even so, Song Liang had never imagined that his husband could be nearly a hundred years old and still not be an adult.

3085: 【That’s because this is a cultivation world. And your rotten luck has nothing to do with nearly getting involved with a minor. It’s because your hidden mission changed the main plot too much…】

Song Liang: 【I was just making a joke to change the subject.】

3085: 【…Oh.】

The demon serpent was dead, and the demon domain overhead was slowly dispersing. When the cultivators who had been watching from outside the barrier saw Xu Moxing arrive, they flew over on their swords to pay their respects to Immortal Venerable Suyu.

Xu Moxing acknowledged them with a curt murmur.

Seeing his expression, they could more or less guess what was bothering him. They couldn’t help glancing at Immortal Venerable Shuanghua in his arms, privately alarmed.

Xu Moxing’s expression grew colder. “I hope none of you forget that my junior brother was gravely injured saving Xiushui City and everyone here.”

“Of course. We’ll never forget what Immortal Venerable Shuanghua did for us.”

They knew Xu Moxing was warning them not to reveal the sacred beast bloodline. But people were fickle. They could speak for themselves, not for anyone else, and a promise made now was no guarantee of what they might do later. All they could do was keep thanking him for saving their lives.

Xu Moxing knew it too. To put it bluntly, if everyone here today had been an unaffiliated cultivator, he would have had plenty of ways to silence them for good. But with major sects like the Taixuan Sect and the Tianluo Dharma Sect present, all he could do was warn them.

The unaffiliated cultivators knew how heavy-handed the Yaoshang Sect’s Immortal Venerable Suyu could be. Disciples of major sects like the Tianluo Dharma Sect and the Taixuan Sect had nothing to fear, but they did. Who knew whether he might suddenly decide to kill them to keep them quiet?

The more they thought about it, the more uneasy they grew. They turned to Song Liang. “Young City Lord, the greater demon is dead and Xiushui City is out of danger. You can take down the city’s protective array and let us leave now, can’t you?”

“Of course. Now that Xiushui City is safe, I’ll let you all go. I just feel terrible whenever I think about how I forced you to stay.” Song Liang looked suitably guilty. “Why don’t you stay a few more days and let me show my appreciation?”

Their expressions changed at once. “No need!”

They hadn’t even spent a month in this wretched city, and already they’d been cleaned out of spirit stones and nearly lost their lives and their cultivation too. If they stayed any longer, the man in front of them would probably pull something else.

“Very well. If you insist on leaving, I won’t keep you.” Song Liang looked regretful. Then he added, “In that case, I’d ask you all to swear a heart demon oath.”

“…”

Everyone stared blankly. Someone thought they’d misheard and asked, “What?”

“A heart demon oath.”

Song Liang took his time addressing the immortals who rode swords and strode on the wind. “Once you leave Xiushui City today, anyone who reveals that Immortal Venerable Shuanghua, Xue Yan, carries a sacred beast bloodline will be punished by the Heavenly Dao, plagued by heart demons, and forever denied rebirth.”

Silence fell over the ruins. The unaffiliated cultivators’ faces hardened, and even Chen You couldn’t help frowning. “Young City Lord, don’t you think this is going a bit too far?”

“We cultivators took pity on the hardships you mortals face and risked our lives to save the people of Xiushui City. It’s bad enough you haven’t thought to repay us, but now you make such an ungrateful demand.” Yun Yao’s voice was sharp and cold. “Do you really think you can push us around however you please?”

“You took pity on us poor mortals…” Song Liang gave a careless laugh. “If I hadn’t forced you to stay, you’d be a thousand li away by now. Why dress it up so nicely?”

“So what? Didn’t we save the people of your city?! You ungrateful wretch!” someone cursed.

“Without us, Xiushui City would already be a city of the dead!”

“Let us out now, or don’t blame us for what happens next!”

“…”

“And what exactly will happen next? Will you kill me or destroy the city?” Song Liang met their gazes calmly. “Xiushui City is already in ruins. I’m crippled and don’t have long to live. All that’s left are the people in the surviving half of the city. The Yaoshang Sect’s Immortal Venerable is still here. Do you intend to slaughter mortals right in front of him?”

The crowd started and turned as one to look at the icy Xu Moxing. Only then did they remember that there was still a god of slaughter in their midst. No wonder this mortal dared make such an outrageous demand!

The members of the Tianluo Dharma Sect and the Taixuan Sect realized it too. Their hearts sank as they all looked toward Xu Moxing.

Xu Moxing had already risen into the air with Xue Yan in his arms. Now he stared down at the wounded mortal standing amid the ruins of the city lord’s residence. He had to admit that he hadn’t expected him to make such a demand.

He had lost his city and his authority, and he was covered in wounds. Yet this mortal still dared lay down terms to a sky full of immortals. He did it for one reason alone: his junior brother.

Xu Moxing suddenly understood why this man was his junior brother’s destined tribulation, why he could summon the Shuanghua Sword, and why his junior brother had been willing to reveal his true form as a sacred beast and lose his reason for him.

He also realized that today’s tribulation belonged to the man before him. It wasn’t his junior brother’s. Only after today would this man truly become bound to his junior brother’s destined tribulation, with little hope of escaping it.

As Xu Moxing remained silent, the crowd grew more uneasy. Yun Yao finally ventured, “Immortal Venerable Suyu.”

“Only by following the righteous path can we keep heaven and earth at peace. Anyone who slaughters innocent mortals is acting as a demonic cultivator, and I will show them no mercy.” Xu Moxing swept a stern gaze over everyone present. “The Yaoshang Sect will expose their crimes throughout the Nine Provinces and execute them on the spot. There will be no pardon.”

The crowd went pale. His words forbade the slaughter of mortals, but the warning was clear: they were not to use the people of Xiushui City to threaten Song Liang. There was no doubt whose side he was on.

Yun Yao’s gaze turned cold. Knowing she had no way to threaten Xu Moxing, she looked back at Song Liang. “Very well. We’ll swear the heart demon oath today. For your own sake, Young City Lord Zhong, I hope our paths never cross again.”

With a sweep of her sleeve, she lifted her gaze to the sky and declared, “I, Yun Yao, swear before the Heavenly Dao that once I leave Xiushui City today, I will reveal Immortal Venerable Shuanghua’s true form to no one. If I break this oath, may the Heavenly Dao punish me, may heart demons plague me, and may my soul be forever denied rebirth!”

The other disciples of the Tianluo Dharma Sect swore after her, followed by the Taixuan Sect disciples and the unaffiliated cultivators. Their voices rang out as though they might pierce the clouds and reach the Ninth Heaven.

A moment later, heaven and earth answered, sealing the heart demon oath. Song Liang kept his word. He took out the city lord’s token and released the protective array. “The array is down. You’re free to go.”

Yun Yao gave him a cold look, swept her sleeve, and rode the wind away with her disciples. The unaffiliated cultivators didn’t even stop to curse him. Afraid something else might happen, they took to their swords and left as fast as they could.

Chen You looked at Song Liang for a while, his expression conflicted. In the end, he sighed and flew off on his sword with his fellow disciples.

Before long, only Song Liang and the people of the Yaoshang Sect remained among the ruins. Jing Feishuang looked at the wounded young city lord and remembered how spirited he had been when they first met. Her heart ached, and at last she couldn’t keep herself from asking, “Young City Lord, what exactly do you feel for my master…?”

“Why are you still asking?” Song Liang broke into a fit of coughing. He wiped the corner of his mouth, then joked, “Didn’t I tell you ages ago? I want to be his Dao companion.”

Jing Feishuang could hardly bear to say it. “But you… you have no path to cultivation left.”