Can it be true that such a style has emerged from the Hengtian Sect in recent years?

 

Junxiao's sudden move not only scared the chicken boy who was being grabbed by the neck, but also startled Bai Ke and Bai Zixu who were nearby.

They had sensed Junxiao's dislike for this little chicken before. After all, if one were to investigate the matter of Bai Ke's danger, he couldn't escape the suspicion. Although he didn't mean to, Junxiao still didn't look kindly upon him.

However, despite his cold demeanor, Junxiao hadn't shown any murderous intent before. But now, he changed his attitude faster than turning a page in a book.

It seemed that something about that "Hengtian Gate" had touched upon a sensitive nerve in Huo Junxiao.

The chicken boy obviously hadn't expected that boasting about his sect would lead to someone else holding him by the neck.

When he was tied up before, he cried out in distress, but now his life was really in danger. He couldn't even scream, only widening his eyes with fear, staring at Huo Junxiao's wrist, afraid that if this ancestor got upset, a slight squeeze of the wrist would send him to heaven without needing to cultivate.

It was fortunate that the chicken boy wasn't present last night to see how casually Huo Junxiao had taken away three heads with a sweep of his sleeve. Otherwise, he wouldn't just be frightened now; he would have fainted outright.

But he hadn't seen it, yet Bai Ke had, and it was vivid in his memory. He was also afraid that Junxiao might lose control and kill the chicken boy right then and there. Subconsciously, he grabbed Junxiao's arm and asked, "Why are you suddenly so angry?"

He didn't exert any force with his hand; it was just a subtle way of restraining.

Junxiao turned his head, intending to answer Bai Ke, but then hesitated for a moment, and just stared at him blankly.

Bai Ke initially thought he was looking at the red birthmark at the corner of his eye, so he smiled self-deprecatingly, "Is it a bit scary up close?"

Junxiao was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head immediately, "No, not at all. I've never paid attention to it."

"Then..." Bai Ke felt that besides this birthmark, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about his face.

Junxiao: "I just..." Just that he had never seen you from this angle before.

Back then, the Yunfu Peak towered high, and sometimes he would see the figure in white standing quietly on the mountaintop.

In front of him were the clouds stretching for miles, and behind him, the world of mortals. It seemed that standing like that was just a fleeting moment in a hurried century...

At that time, he always thought, if one day he could have the fortune to see what that person looked like in his youth, wouldn't it be wonderful?

Would he be just like any other young man, with unbridled ambition and vigor, dressed in fine clothes, full of spirit...

He never expected that such a reckless thought would now become a reality. Although it was in this way, Junxiao was still very satisfied.

But amidst his satisfaction was a deep sadness, because the young man before him not only didn't act like an ordinary person at this age, but he also couldn’t even appreciate the world like an ordinary person.

When Bai Ke was unconscious and hadn't woken up, Junxiao had heard Bai Zixu rambling about their life over the past decade, including Bai Ke's blind eyes.

He had lightly placed his palm over Bai Ke's closed eyes, and the world, with its pure black and white, only contours of light and shadow, seemed like a series of photos, flickering past so quickly that he couldn't see the contents clearly. After just a moment, he suddenly withdrew his hand, feeling as if his palm had been burned by fire. The burning sensation pierced his chest and heart, making him dare not look a second time.

He could empathize, but was powerless to change it, because he knew deep down that this was no ordinary blindness.

Even before he truly found Bai Ke, he knew that Bai Lingchen, reincarnated as a human, was destined to be missing something. Because he was born missing a soul.

Without a complete soul, one's life was not auspicious, so where would the vigour and spirit come from?

And the absence of that soul, intertwined with the Hengtian Gate that this chicken boy was apprenticed to, was inseparable. How could he not hate it?

But unfortunately, he couldn't say it, he dared not say it. Except for a few sentences he blurted out last night when he couldn't contain his emotions, he hadn't even called him "Master" again.

Because he feared that the accumulation of some imposed fragmented experiences would one day inadvertently evoke some memories of Bai Ke.

Intersecting and confusing lifetimes of memories was the most taboo thing, because entirely different identities and experiences, along with blurred and fragmented pieces, would almost certainly drive a person mad.

Watching Bai Ke's expression, Huo Junxiao silently processed all the words he wanted to say in his heart, but when he spoke again, it was a disjointed sentence, "The Hengtian Gate has always been cunning, taking a crooked path, and excelling in the art of seeking advantages from others. If it were any other sect, I could barely believe that they were seeking someone born on an inauspicious year, month, and day to change their luck, but if it's the Hengtian Gate... heh!"

He sneered, then tightened his grip on the chicken boy's neck once again.

Bai Ke: "..."

This erratic train of thought and the disjointed way of speaking, it was no different from Bai Zixu's, truly living up to being a lunatic.

As Huo Junxiao and Bai Ke were speaking, the chicken boy, noticing that Huo Junxiao's grip had relaxed a bit, was about to take the opportunity to cry for help to try and appeal to Bai Ke and Bai Zixu's sympathy, knowing full well they weren't the type to kill. But before the word "help" could fully leave his mouth, Huo Junxiao suddenly exerted force again, forcibly breaking his voice, distorting it into a heart-wrenching "ji—"

Chicken boy: "..." Can things get any worse? Qaq

Bai Ke: "..." Hmm, I forgot there was another one of these just now.

Huo Junxiao: "..." The Hengtian Gate has actually produced this kind of style in recent years?

Bai Zixu smiled and patted the chicken boy's head, comforting him, "It's okay to break your voice. We'll have another chance to redo it later. I'm in need of a wake-up call anyway."

Bai Ke felt that he didn't need to participate in this lunatic gathering, so he let go of Huo Junxiao's arm and waved his hand, "You guys talk, I'll go first—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Huo Junxiao toss the chicken boy to the ground aside. He probably felt there was no point in confronting such a stupid person, so he casually threw him away like garbage.

After tossing him aside, with a flick of his sleeve, the chicken boy, who was struggling to sit up with a face flushed from coughing, was suddenly pressed back down by an invisible force.

Chicken boy: "..." Can't you just let go properly? What's with this on-off nonsense? Can't you be more decisive?!

"Once I let you go, you can leave," Huo Junxiao looked down at him, his voice cold, "Lead the way."

Chicken boy: "Lead the way to where?"

Huo Junxiao enunciated each word, "The Hengtian Gate."

*

Mini Theater:

The legendary master who disappeared without a trace for over three months, Lord Yu Xian, one day returned to the Yusheng Gate and went straight to the Yunfu Palace. However, Bai Lingchen was not there. Instead, the usually quiet hall suddenly had a few small figures.

Yu Xian sat on the window sill, scratching his chin.

From afar, Junxiao rushed over and grabbed a handful of Yu Xian's beard, "Master salted Fish!" (NT: lazy person)

Yu Xian: "...You little brat, I heard my dense disciple formally took in three personal disciples a few days ago?"

Junxiao: "That's right."

Yu Xian glanced around: he saw a kid sitting at the threshold, holding a book and reading, similar to Junxiao, about six or seven years old like him. When he saw him coming in, the kid pursed his lips shyly and smiled. Yu Xian then left him a pat on the back of his head. Another one was even better, still crawling on the floor, sweating profusely. He grinned at Yu Xian with only two sticky rice teeth in his mouth, drooling profusely.

A twitch formed at the corner of Yu Xian's mouth, "That stupid disciple never takes in disciples, how did he suddenly take in three debt collectors like you?"

Junxiao pointed to the one reading the book, "Because Brother Wu Nan looks like the jade-carved big-headed rat that master lost." Then he pointed to the one crawling on the floor, "Sister Shen Han looks like the bald little monkey that master picked up and then died of old age."

Wu Nan continued reading his book, completely ignoring him.

Shen Han, who was crawling on the floor, stopped and looked at Junxiao, then opened his mouth and cried heartbreakingly, causing a commotion.

At that moment, Bai Lingchen, who had just entered the door, looked at Junxiao with some annoyance.

Yu Xian asked, "...So what do you look like?"

Bai Lingchen: "A club."

Junxiao: "..."

Bai Lingchen turned around and left without looking back, "Instead of joking around with your junior and junior sister, you might as well go memorize the books on the first, second, third, and fourth shelves of the library."

In the third year of Nanhua, Huo Junxiao, a direct disciple of the twelfth generation head of the Yusheng clan, passed away.

 

Translator : DarNan