BW Chapter 153

Fuluo (5)

This child, ever since coming out of the Purple Flame Blade, had gradually changed from being cautious and steady at the beginning to becoming more and more lively and boisterous. He even knew to wail when crying now, but after wailing once just now, he lay quietly on Ning Buwei’s shoulder and shed tears silently.

Ning Buwei held Cui Yuanbai with some heartache. He had finally managed to fatten him up a bit, but now he had become thin again with no visible flesh.

Although Cui Yuanbai was young, he had the highest cultivation among the four children. Yet he had been injured like this, and the deep wound on his neck that reached the bone would have been fatal for any ordinary person.

“Huanhuan?” Ning Buwei sighed. After all, he was just a five or six-year-old little child. He might really be frightened. He held him and coaxed him for a while before Cui Yuanbai sniffled and raised his head.

“Dad…Big Brother was killed by bad people!” Cui Yuanbai cried while speaking. “I couldn’t beat him!”

Ning Buwei’s heart sank. “Who killed your Brother Zizhang?”

“Wuwu, I don’t know him. Big Brother called him Chu Xin! Bad person!” Cui Yuanbai wiped his tears while crying, “Second Sister was also drowned. I’m sorry, Dad. I’m too useless. I couldn’t save Brother and Sister…”

The murderous aura on Ning Buwei’s body was a bit hard to control, but he was afraid of frightening Cui Yuanbai, so he forcibly suppressed it. “It’s okay, it’s not your fault… Where’s Lingzhu?”

“Father!” A clear voice came from the distance.

Ning Buwei turned his head and saw Yang Lingzhu carrying a basket, running toward him with a face full of joy, then throwing herself into his embrace.

The little girl who was usually quiet and wished she could stay eight zhang away from him now seemed like she had taken the wrong medicine, clinging tightly to his arm, and her whole body was trembling slightly.

Ning Buwei patted her head. “It’s okay, don’t be afraid.”

Yang Lingzhu sniffled and said tensely, “Dad, we were originally following the head teachers in the Fuluo secret realm, but Big Brother suddenly went into qi deviation, injured many disciples, and kept talking to himself. The head teachers tried to subdue him, but all had their cultivation absorbed.

Later, a strange person suddenly appeared. Sister Yizheng called him Chu Xin. That Chu Xin killed many head teachers and disciples, and also… dug out Big Brother’s spiritual root and golden core. Yuanbai and Little Black were both injured trying to save Big Brother, but Brother Zizhang’s body was still taken away by Chu Xin… Sister Yizheng was also severely injured protecting me and fell into the water. Da Huang went to save her, but hasn’t returned until now.”

Yang Lingzhu’s combat ability wasn’t high, but she was obviously much calmer. Even though it was chaotic at the time, she still remembered clearly everything that happened, and even accurately provided directions and timing when Ning Buwei asked for details.

“…That Chu Xin appeared and disappeared like a ghost, launching sneak attacks. To let more disciples survive, the head teachers ordered us to scatter and escape. Yuanbai was severely injured and couldn’t run far, so I could only hide with him nearby first. Little Black and I took turns looking for herbs and people, but never found any.” Yang Lingzhu hung her head dejectedly.

Just now he had been stunned by Cui Yuanbai’s miserable injuries all over his body and his resolute few sentences. Now hearing Yang Lingzhu tell the complete story of what happened, he actually felt relieved.

Feng Zizhang had his spiritual root and golden core dug out. Normally speaking, given this boy’s level of luck, it should be dangerous but safe. But considering that Chu Jun had previously said he needed to cross a fate tribulation, it was probably half auspicious and half inauspicious. As for Jiang Yizheng… with Da Huang there, her life should be safe.

Although Ning Buwei felt relieved, he still picked up a few small stones from the ground and cast a divination.

His divination technique was taught by Chu Jun, but because he wasn’t very interested, he learned poorly. It was sometimes effective and sometimes not, completely dependent on luck.

The stones fell to the ground. Ning Buwei lowered his head to look. Although Cui Yuanbai and Yang Lingzhu didn’t understand, they also looked along. Seeing Ning Buwei frowning without speaking, Yang Lingzhu asked quietly, “Father, how is it?”

“Great misfortune.” Ning Buwei’s expression was tense.

Normally speaking, fate tribulations would be split between life and death, half auspicious and half inauspicious. Like Chu Jun’s inevitable death tribulation due to cultivating the Path of Slaughter was extremely rare. For Feng Zizhang, with such heaven-reaching fortune, to not even have half a chance of survival was truly strange.

Ning Buwei looked at the two little ones who were both solemn and bewildered, covered in dust all over, and said, “I’ll send you out first.”

“No, Dad, I want to stay and help!” Cui Yuanbai grabbed his hand. “Although I can’t beat him myself, I can transform into the Purple Flame Blade and fight together with Dad!”

Ning Buwei couldn’t help but smile. “I have a blade. I don’t need you to risk your life.”

“Dad, you can teach me.” Cui Yuanbai clenched his small fists and said firmly, “That way, next time even if there’s only me, I can still beat the bad people!”

Yang Lingzhu nodded. “I know the specific locations. I’ve placed poison in many places. I can guide you.”

Ning Buwei remembered his original intention for bringing them in and still nodded.

Although he and Chu Jun said they wouldn’t always be by their side, in reality, whenever something happened, they would instinctively shield the little ones behind them.

But there would always be times when they needed to stand on their own.

Ning Buwei brought them onto the Heavenly Wave Ruler and flew toward that place overflowing with evil qi in the distance.

Little Black Dragon listlessly crawled to Ning Buwei’s side and extended its short little paw to poke him.

Ning Buwei looked down and saw it huffing and puffing as it climbed onto his leg, lying on its back with its belly exposed, making pitiful sounds. “Ying~”

Belly hurts~

Many scales on Little Black Dragon’s belly seemed to have been pried open by something sharp, looking bloody and shocking.

Yang Lingzhu said with red eyes, “I tried many methods and herbs, but they still won’t grow back.”

Ning Buwei thought for a moment and manifested a ball of spiritual power in his palm, planning to wrap the wound first. Who knew that the originally black spiritual power was actually mixed with wisps of pale golden spiritual power. There wasn’t much, like it had been accidentally leaked… A fragment flashed quickly through his mind, but because it was too fast, he couldn’t grasp it. No matter how he tried to recall, he couldn’t remember.

“Ying~” Little Black Dragon began slowly licking the spiritual power in his palm.

“It’s not food.” Ning Buwei used his other hand to press against its forehead’s fluffy little dragon horn and covered the spiritual power in his palm over its belly.

Little Black curled up its tail comfortably and hummed as it burrowed into his sleeve, curling up and staying still.

Cui Yuanbai tried to transform into a blade but was stopped. Finally, he lay on Ning Buwei’s leg and fell deeply asleep, still worriedly grasping two of his fingers.

Yang Lingzhu sat beside him, quietly grabbing a corner of his clothing, and before long also leaned against his arm and fell asleep.

Just now, both little ones had sworn they wanted to follow him to fight, but now they were sleeping soundly. The old father who had made up his mind to train the little ones didn’t dare move for fear of waking them up.

Ning Buwei: “…………”

Forget it. He’d handle the fighting himself.

The Heavenly Wave Ruler quickly approached that area where the evil qi grew increasingly dense.

****

In the center of a cold mountain cave, a youth who looked seventeen or eighteen was meditating. Dense black evil qi gathered above his head, and many living souls struggled in the formation array around him. Their piercing screams were bone-chilling to hear, but he paid no attention whatsoever.

In front of him floated a crystal-clear spiritual root still shrouded in purple auspicious qi, and above the spiritual root was a round golden core.

In the corner of the cave lay a young man, his whole body seemingly dyed through with blood, obviously more breathing out than breathing in.

A small mushroom stood on his shoulder, desperately pushing his cheek.

Feng Zizhang opened his eyes with difficulty. Intense pain immediately struck, making his whole body tremble. The world spun before his eyes, and the nausea brought by the pain left him without even the strength to open his mouth.

He laboriously raised his hand and groped for a long time before catching the anxiously circling little mushroom, placing it on the ground and saying in a breathy voice. “Don’t worry about me anymore. Go… escape by yourself.”

The little mushroom desperately pressed its cap against his hand, as if trying to help him up, but being too small, it could only lift one of his fingers.

Feng Zizhang opened his eyes but couldn’t see the scene in front of him clearly. He could only struggle to hide it behind himself, then immediately felt a sharp pain in his wrist that made him cry out unexpectedly.

A dagger pierced through his wrist and pinned it to the stone wall. Blood flowed down his arm into his sleeve, quickly soaking through and dripping onto the little mushroom’s cap.

Footsteps approached. The little mushroom had just run two steps behind Feng Zizhang when it was picked up by a hand and held in front of Feng Zizhang.

Chu Xin half-knelt in front of him, shaking the little mushroom in his hand and smiling. “Feng Zizhang, at a time like this, you’re still thinking of saving such an insignificant little thing? How pretentious.”

Feng Zizhang tried hard to open his eyes wide but still couldn’t see the scene clearly. He could only see a blurry black shadow. He raised his other hand trying to snatch back the little mushroom, then immediately his other wrist was also pierced by a dagger and pinned to the stone wall.

He was already in so much pain that he couldn’t make a sound. His pale face was covered with beads of sweat, and his lips kept trembling.

“Tsk tsk.” Chu Xin grasped his chin and looked left and right, saying cheerfully, “When you captured me before, I advised you to kill me, but you wouldn’t listen. You even thought you could reform me, didn’t you?”

Feng Zizhang struggled angrily twice. The intense pain from his wrists and abdomen made his whole body tremble, but he was easily pressed back into place by Chu Xin with one hand.

“It seems I acted quite convincingly – washing my heart and reforming to be a new person… Ha, pretty convincing, wasn’t it?” Chu Xin laughed mockingly. “Calling you brother a few times, and you actually believed it. Who do you think you are? You’re just a complete and utter fool, Feng Zizhang.”

Feng Zizhang frowned and said in a breathy voice, “The Chu Xin I know… is not you.”

The smile on Chu Xin’s face suddenly turned cold. The dagger stuck in the stone wall flew out, and he single-handedly pulled Feng Zizhang up from the ground, dragging him to the formation array and forcing him to open his eyes.

“This is your spiritual root and golden core! Dug out by me alive! And these living souls are those classmates and head teachers who came to the Fuluo secret realm with you!” He stared at Feng Zizhang with a sinister air. “This is what Chu Xin has done. This is the kind of person you know!”

“If you hadn’t been soft-hearted and refused to kill me, if you hadn’t been foolish and ignorant thinking I had changed for the better, they wouldn’t have died.” Chu Xin threw him in front of the formation array, lifted his foot and stepped on the bloody hole in his abdomen, grinding it hard. “Open your eyes wide and look clearly!”

Feng Zizhang spat out a mouthful of dirty blood, his whole body curling up in pain.

Chu Xin crouched in front of him and patted his face, throwing the little mushroom in his hand into the formation array. Feng Zizhang suddenly rushed into the formation array trying to reach the little mushroom, but Chu Xin firmly pressed down on the back of his neck, pinning him in front of the formation array.

The little mushroom’s piercing screams came from within the formation array, then the mountain cave fell into complete silence again.

“A broken mushroom, heh.” Chu Xin looked down at him with a half-smile.

Before he finished speaking, Feng Zizhang suddenly rose from the ground, a blood-stained dagger shooting straight for Chu Xin’s forehead, but Chu Xin easily caught it and immediately tried to plunge it into Feng Zizhang’s heart.

Feng Zizhang frowned and closed his eyes, but heard a mocking light laugh.

“I know you want to die now. Don’t dream. I still need to keep you alive to deal with Ning Buwei… Brother Zizhang.”

Then he completely lost consciousness.