Chapter 142: The First Day of Missing My Junior Brother!

The four fled from the pawnshop to the big courtyard behind, and Jing Tian scrambled toward the side house, panting and exhausted.

"This kid's missing a nerve! We already told him we're not bad people!"

"You're so fierce, who wouldn't be scared seeing you?"

"Li Xiaoyao, if you say that again I'll have no mercy!"

"Come on, who's afraid of whom!"

Xu Changqing finally lost his patience, his face darkening as he shouted angrily, "If you two keep causing trouble, go back; I can find the Five Spirit Pearl on my own!"

Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yurou were instantly struck silent, as it was the first time they had seen Xu Changqing so angry.

Meanwhile, Jing Tian, hearing Xu Changqing's outburst, ran even faster, muttering "Help!" repeatedly.

Xu Changqing employed sword-wielding technique, raising a soaring sword to halt Jing Tian, but the next instant, a strangely shaped sword flew out of nowhere and slammed into him.

"This sword carries heavy demonic aura..."

Xu Changqing frowned as his soaring sword tangled with the demon sword; he had no intention of harming Jing Tian, yet the demon sword inexplicably flew out on its own to protect Jing Tian.

A sword that possessed both demonic and spiritual qualities was something Xu Changqing had never seen before, and he couldn't help his curiosity.

Jing Tian glanced back at the sword given by "Hong Mao Guai" and felt that fleeing alone was a bit unchivalrous, even though the other party was just a sword...

So he stayed where he was, his expression tense as he stared at the sword that could fly on its own.

After a while.

The two swords clashed in the air, each flipping back toward its owner; the demon sword plunged straight into the floor tile beside Jing Tian's foot.

"Take a look at this sword yourself—does it look normal?" Lin Yurou shouted, whiskers bristling and eyes wide, "Do you still think we're cheating you?"

Jing Tian scratched his head awkwardly and laughed, "Big brother, big sister, I'm sorry; I really haven't seen much of the world, I misunderstood you all."

Only then did Xu Changqing sigh in relief and smile, "Jing brother, as long as you trust us, we can now leave together to search for the Five Spirit Pearl, right?"

Jing Tian wore a troubled expression; his days at Yong'an Pawnshop were neither good nor bad, and he had lived a quiet life just fine.

Outside, there are now so many demons and monsters, some even daringly roam the streets killing people; in such chaotic times, how could he dare go out?

Even with Mount Shu disciples accompanying him, his fear wouldn't be dispelled.

Jing Tian asked helplessly, "Xu Great Hero, why does it have to be me? You just saw—I'm just an ordinary person."

Xu Changqing didn't know how to explain; junior brother Chu Yang hadn't given him much clue, only instructed that he must take Jing Tian on the road.

Lin Yurou suddenly spoke, "You stinky kid, you just said you want to open a pawnshop later, right?"

At the mention of a pawnshop, Jing Tian couldn't help but grin foolishly and nod, "That's my lifelong dream; I've been interested in antiques since I was a child."

Lin Yurou smiled confidently, "As long as you come with us, whether we find the Five Spirit Pearl or not, I'll fund you to open a pawnshop!"

Jing Tian stared dumbfounded at Lin Yurou; this female swordswoman was so generous on first meeting? Before Jing Tian could speak, Lin Yurou pulled a jade pendant from her body and tossed it to him, then said, "This jade pendant is quite valuable, consider it a deposit; you needn't worry I'll cheat you. I am Lin Yurou, daughter of the Martial Arts Alliance leader Lin Tiannan."

"Lin... Tiannan?!" Though he was in Yuzhou, Jing Tian had heard the Alliance leader's name; he lowered his head to examine the pendant, his breathing instantly becoming rapid.

It wasn't just valuable—it was priceless, enough to buy out this Yong'an Pawnshop! "It must be genuine; how could anyone possibly spend that much to swindle me?"

Jing Tian clutched the pendant tightly, his whole body trembling with excitement.

Li Xiaoyao held his head, stretched lazily, and said dejectedly, "If you'd mentioned money earlier, we wouldn't have wasted half a day."

Xu Changqing turned to Lin Yurou, "Miss Lin, Mount Shu will return this money to you later; please give us directions."

"Ah, Brother Xu, don't be so polite," Lin Yurou waved grandly, "Consider it business capital; perhaps the pawnshop will thrive, and I won't have to ask my father for money again."

She winked at Jing Tian, "Enough? If not, shall I add more?"

Fearing she might change her mind, Jing Tian hurriedly nodded, "Enough! Enough!"

Li Xiaoyao wrapped an arm around Jing Tian's neck and laughed, "Then what are we waiting for? Pack your luggage quickly."

Jing Tian beamed, "There's nothing to pack; we can set off right away."

With the money in place, everything's negotiable.

The demon sword embedded in the ground suddenly flew out, landing beside Jing Tian, seeming to want to go with him.

"Tsk tsk, this sword is really spirited; it's just a penny anyway—how about selling it to me?"

Li Xiaoyao said enviously to Jing Tian.

"No, this is something a customer pawned; the pawnshop can't move it before the term expires—what if he wants to redeem it someday?"

Jing Tian, very principled, shook his head in refusal.

"I thought you'd be the type who opens his eyes for money, but you actually stick to principles—nice, just my taste."

"Hehe, the great hero flatters me."

Li Xiaoyao and Jing Tian were truly kindred spirits; after a few words they became close friends, which made Lin Yurou exclaim in disgust.

Jing Tian slung the demon sword onto his back and left Yong'an Pawnshop with Xu Changqing and the others.

Since Jing Tian and Lin Yurou couldn't wield swords, and Li Xiaoyao was still a novice unable to lead, the three could only take the water route to Leizhou first.

Fortunately, Leizhou isn't far from Yuzhou, so traveling by water wouldn't take long.

The Mount Shu Sect owned many vessels, ranging from large to small in various designs, all docked at the pier on the southwest side of Yuzhou City.

Many disciples who hadn't yet mastered sword-wielding traveled on these boats when they went down the mountain for errands.

Xu Changqing chose a small boat, its cabin spacious enough for four or five people to rest.

Seeing the dock official bow and nod to Xu Changqing, Jing Tian's last doubts vanished.

Thus, after sailing for a day, they stopped at a river mouth called Dadu River to rest.

With nothing to do, Li Xiaoyao began teaching Jing Tian martial arts, the content identical to what Chu Yang had taught him.

First he laid the foundation with the Lone Nine Sword, then passed on an inexplicable sword technique.

Lin Yurou listened for a while beside them, then her eyes glazed over; she couldn't understand a word of what Li Xiaoyao was saying.

But.

Jing Tian, however, kept nodding frequently, as if he understood.

At first, Lin Yueru thought Jing Tian was just putting on a show, until Jing Tian perfectly replicated the sword move after Li Xiaoyao demonstrated it.

She finally realized that some geniuses are beyond ordinary measurement.

Seeing one teach happily and the other learn joyfully, Lin Yueru grew furious and said, "These two guys aren't human at all!"

Xu Changqing laughed, "Now I understand why my junior brother specifically called for this brother Jing; perhaps he harbors more unknown secrets…"

As soon as the words fell, a cry for help echoed from afar; Xu Changqing rose and looked, spotting a girl being chased by a terrifying monster.

"Why do these guys keep chasing me!"

Fleeing wildly, Tang Xuejian saw the monster about to catch up, became so frantic she was about to burst into tears, and thinking of her grandfather's uncertain fate made her even more sorrowful.

A few days earlier, she overheard a plot to kill her grandfather Tang Kun in a secret passage of Tang Family Fortress; when the conspirators discovered her, she fled, trying to investigate, only to run into these monsters. The monsters were transformed disciples of Thunder Hall, because their hall master Luo Rulie had learned demonic arts from the Evil Sword Immortal.

Humans who forcibly practice demonic arts gradually become demonic themselves, eventually turning into monsters.

The hidden conspirators against Tang Kun were also Luo Rulie and Tang Kun's own son Tang Yi, seeking to seize the Tang Family Fortress's inheritance.

As a result, Tang Xuejian was ostracized, never able to return to Tang Family Fortress.

Trapped in a dire situation, Tang Xuejian grew increasingly sad, gradually stopped moving, stopped calling for help; in the desolate wilderness no one would come, so she might as well accompany her grandfather in leaving this filthy world.

She closed her eyes, ready to die.

The sound of howling and the snarls of the demonic Thunder Hall disciples rang in her ears; Tang Xuejian's body shivered, and she clenched her fists tightly.

After a while, the imagined pain never came; she opened her eyes and suddenly saw several figures appear before her.

Three men and a woman.

One of them was an acquaintance.

"Aren't you the little buddy from Yong'an?"

Tang Xuejian looked at Jing Tian in surprise.

"Miss Tang of the Tang family, what a coincidence, I didn't expect to meet you here."

Jing Tian gave a goofy smile and greeted.

Then, recalling something, he pulled a Yixing teapot lid from his chest.

"The lid you asked me to repair is finished; you haven't come to collect it these days, so I've kept it on me."

Jing Tian handed the Yixing teapot lid to Tang Xuejian, expecting her to take it smoothly, but instead she stared blankly at the lid and suddenly burst into tears.

"Don't cry! If you think the repair is unsatisfactory, I can redo it; this is easy!"

Tang Xuejian's sobbing made Jing Tian think he hadn't repaired the lid properly, so he grew anxious and kept trying to comfort her.

Lin Yueru, also a girl, sensed Tang Xuejian's emotional shift, reminding her of herself as a child when her mother died, feeling the same sorrow.

"Xiao Tian, let her cry on her own for a while!" Lin Yueru stopped Jing Tian from comforting Tang Xuejian, knowing the girl just needed to vent.

Li Xiaoyao and Xu Changqing quickly dealt with the demonic Thunder Hall disciples, but Xu Changqing noticed something odd about the two bodies, so he crouched to examine them carefully.

Li Xiaoyao asked curiously, "Brother Xu, what's wrong?"

Xu Changqing didn't answer immediately; he frowned and fumbled for a while, then puzzled, "They were clearly two people, why did they become monsters? Half of their bodies are human, half demonic."

"It seems they transformed from human to monster suddenly…"

Li Xiaoyao felt a chill, his face grim, "Is this a disease, or…"

"Uncertain for now." Xu Changqing shook his head, cast a spell to incinerate the two demonic corpses, then turned toward Tang Xuejian.

After venting for a while, Tang Xuejian's eyes were still red, but she no longer felt despondent.

Xu Changqing clasped his hands and said, "Miss, do you know the origin of these two monsters?"

Tang Xuejian inhaled deeply and softly said, "They were disciples of Thunder Hall; they started out looking human, then suddenly turned into monsters."

"Thunder Hall…" a cold glint flashed in Xu Changqing's eyes, "Now that this matter is settled, we must go see this place of hidden filth."

"Daozhang, are you a Shushan disciple?" Tang Xuejian thought Xu Changqing's attire and speech were familiar, similar to the Shushan disciples who often descend the mountain to exterminate demons.

Xu Changqing nodded, "I am Xu Changqing of the Shushan Sect."

Tang Xuejian fell to her knees with a thud, "Daozhang Changqing, please save my grandfather; he was harmed by the Thunder Hall master Luo Rulie. I beg the Shushan Sect to intervene for my grandfather…"

Before Xu Changqing could speak, Jing Tian scratched his head and said, "Miss Tang, the Daozhang has urgent matters to attend to, may not be able to help you, and Shushan is in a difficult situation now."

On the road, Li Xiaoyao explained to Jing Tian why Shushan needed the Five Spirit Pearls, making Jing Tian realize how heavy his burden was.

Hearing that, Tang Xuejian immediately looked up at Xu Changqing, her eyes full of hope.

Xu Changqing was at a loss, could only shake his head and sigh, "Miss Tang, regarding your grandfather's matter, I truly am powerless now, just as Brother Jing said, Shushan can barely protect itself…"

"I can wait!" Tang Xuejian said firmly, "I can wait until the Shushan crisis is resolved, as long as Daozhang Xu agrees to me!"

Besides relying on Shushan, Tang Xuejian had no other recourse; Xu Changqing was her only lifeline.

Having come this far, refusing would be unreasonable, so Xu Changqing nodded in agreement.

After rescuing them, the four planned to board a boat to Leizhou; just as they reached the dock, Jing Tian sensed a sound behind him, turned and saw Tang Xuejian hesitantly following.

"Miss Tang, you don't intend to follow us, do you?"

"Of course I want to follow you; who knows if you'll keep your promise after completing the mission."

"We are great heroes of the Shushan Sect; how could we deceive a little girl like you? You're overthinking!"

"Mind your own business! You can follow them, why can't I? My martial arts are far stronger than yours!"

"Hehe! I was specially invited by Great Hero Xu, and the great hero said I could save the world!"

"Ugh! Let me believe you? I'd rather say you're a reincarnated deity."

The two argued, faces flushed, necks thickening, giving Xu Changqing a sense of déjà vu; he couldn't help but glance back at Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru.

Good fellows! It's as if they were molded from the same mold!

Thinking of the upcoming journey and the four's noisy quarrels, Xu Changqing felt a headache and an urge not to concern himself with the world's affairs.

Forget it, destruction is better! Junior brother, where are you? Come back quickly; I can barely hold on.

Xu Changqing's eyes reddened at the corners.

Missing my junior brother on the first day…

At the same time, Chu Yang has already ridden his sword to the Capital, searching for the whereabouts of the Spider Spirit.

The Thunder Spirit Pearl may be on the opponent, or it may not be, but for Chu Yang it makes no difference; the Spider Spirit's thousand‑year cultivation is his true goal.

In a birch forest on the outskirts of the Capital.

A butterfly is fluttering gracefully through the woods, but it accidentally becomes tangled in a spider web, unable to free itself.

A jet‑black, jade‑eyed spider, as dark as ink‑black jade, crawls from the other side of the web, slowly approaching the beautiful yet tiny butterfly.

The butterfly shivers in the web, trembling in despair as it awaits impending doom.

At that moment.

A blade of sword light descends from the heavens, radiating brilliant heavenly might.

The black ancient sword pierces the black spider with a single thrust, pinning it firmly to the ground.

The spider web shatters.

The butterfly spreads its wings and soars upward.

(End of chapter)