679 Qi Zhengyan's Honesty

Four-elegance Mountain, with its steep but not rugged terrain, beautiful scenery, and bubbling spring, was not only as gentle as River East but also as precipitous as Huan Province.

Meng Qi was a bit overwhelmed by his worries. Once again, he came to the gate of Huanhua Swords Sect, stating his visit to the guarding disciple.

"Young Master Su, Senior Brother Qi left just yesterday. What a pity!" The guarding disciple dared not offend him when he saw it was the "Killing Blade" Su Meng.

He quietly looked at the famous young master and found him quite similar to what he had imagined—not that offensive, unruly and vigorously spirited, but more sophisticated, like a piece of white jade that made him comfortable.

Meng Qi's heart thumped as he thought. "Senior Brother Qi left again as soon as he came back. Did he really encounter something?"

"Junior Brother, do you know where he went?" Meng Qi asked.

The guarding disciple was flattered and surprised when he saw Su Meng actively show friendliness. He quickly said, "I am flattered to be called like this, Senior Brother Su. Senior Brother Qi is said to have gone to Yedu."

"Yedu?" Meng Qi saluted the disciple in farewell. He then turned around, took several steps, and then flew into the air, heading toward the local government in Huan Province, Zhou County in Jun City, Yedu!

...

Yedu, the county office of Six Fan School, office of Silvery Badge Arresters.

Meng Qi couldn't locate Qi Zhengyan through Jade Virtual Divination, and experts of the Exterior of the Huanhua Swords Sect who were in charge of Yedu hadn't seen him either. Meng Qi, therefore, planned to find him via the intelligence system of the Six Fan School.

"Relax. As long as we find news, we will inform you," said Kong Yu, previously a Green Ribbon Arrester, now a Silvery Badge Arrester. He was an acquaintance of Meng Qi and he spoke with a smile. "After several years, you have already passed the first Celestial Ladder and have become a Purple Ribbon. Your strength, realm and official position are all above mine. Alas!"

"Purple Ribbon?" Meng Qi asked.

Kong Yu seemed confounded for a while, and then he said, "You haven't been to the contact location of Six Fan School yet? After you successfully passed the first Celestial Ladder, Luoyang headquarters promoted you to Purple Ribbon Arrester. If it weren't because you have not finished any task within these past few years, you would have been promoted to the Gold Badge."

"How much has the salary increased?" Meng Qi went directly for the most important part.

Kong Yu replied with a smile. "You can exchange for almost three great exotic minerals and produce each year."

He knew that when Meng Qi got to the level of the Exterior, what mattered most were exotic minerals and produce, not money.

"Not bad." Meng Qi smiled. Together with the money he had saved, he should be able to ask for five exotic minerals and produce from Six Fan School after a year. It was indeed the imperial court that was in charge of half of the world and had a sound foundation. In order to draw him over, they spent nearly 20 or 30 percent of Ancestor Zhang Yuanshan's wages on him who hadn't achieved anything!

After some small talk, Kong Yu saw Meng Qi to the door, treating him courteously as if he was a guest.

Meng Qi had barely stepped out of the gate when he felt something that made him stop in his tracks.

At this moment, a black carriage covered with a thick felt carpet drove out from a nearby alley and stopped right in front of Meng Qi. The charioteer was a man with a hump, but his breath was long and calm, his flesh and blood contained terrible power. He was an outstanding expert!

"Who will recruit an expert as a charioteer?"

Suddenly, Meng Qi somehow remembered Gu Xiaosang. The first time they met each other, her charioteer had been an Exterior expert!

The door of the carriage slowly creaked open. Meng Qi's perception that had been isolated now spread.

The decoration inside was simple and quaint. In the center of the carriage was a square table with a full cup of tea on top. A person sat upright on the left, dressed in a blue robe, with his hands on his knees and no expression on his face, calm and restrained—it was Qi Zhengyan.

"Senior Brother Qi..." Meng Qi frowned doubtfully. He stepped up and entered the carriage, and sat opposite Qi Zhengyan.

The door was closed quietly. The charioteer raised his whip and drove the carriage to the end of the street.

Qi Zhengyan's pupils were black and glossy like two dark gems. His eyes were particularly dark like an ocean undisturbed by blowing winds and waves.

His calm and steady breath did not escape Meng Qi's eyes, but he kept his mouth closed and showed no emotion.

The weird and unbreakably silent atmosphere pervaded the carriage. Meng Qi had no idea what to say.

They went along in silence. The clacking of the wheel against the stone floor echoed, as did the noise of the pedestrians outside.

The carriage drove out of the gate and went up along Yeshui, slowly carrying them away from the chaos of the world, leaving only the sound of rushing water.

"Whack!"

As the whip crunched, the brown horses pulling the cart came to a halt. A slight ripple appeared in the tea on top of the table.

Qi Zhengyan silently stood up and opened the door. A broad, wavy river unfolded in front of him. It was clear but not transparent, like time that was quickly passing by.

He slowly walked toward the shore, with the wind whipping his blue gown. Subconsciously, Meng Qi was in a low mood. He followed Qi Zhengayan and left the carriage, walking behind him. The charioteer, actually a Peerless Master Pro, silently drove away from them.

Qi Zhengyan turned around with his hands clasped behind his back, his hair fluttering in the wind. He finally spoke, calm as usual.

"I knew you would come and find me."

Meng Qi stopped ten paces away from him and took a gentle breath. He said, "I was worried there was something you cannot tell us."

Qi Zhengyan, still without expression, said, "I did hide something from you. Every time, I had concealed my strength and made the task more difficult without anyone noticing. If we did not have enough Karma points or preparation, someone would have died already. Therefore, I will leave the team once we finish this Death Task."

"Leave the team? Senior Brother Qi, what does it matter if the adventures improved our strength anyway? I've almost passed the five-fold Heaven and I am the one who should be blamed for the changes in the tasks. Why do you feel guilty?" Meng Qi asked.

Qi Zhengyan's mouth curled and smiled a once in a blue moon smile with unknown meaning.

"It would be fine if it were a fair adventure."

Just as he finished speaking, foul winds suddenly began to blow. Some red dots flew out from Qi Zhengyan's body and blended into the foul winds to become a Dharma Form. It was about 70 percent similar to Qi Zhengyan, with a human head, a dragon's body, and six arms.

If that was all, Meng Qi wouldn't be surprised, but the Dharma Form reflected crimson which made him feel unspeakable mystery and familiarity. The six arms either caused destruction or massacre, or held blood, or coagulate filth, either held an icy flower or coagulate evil fire.

Although it had no intention of degeneration, it still felt creepy.

"This... This is the Blood Shadow inside the shard of Celestial Court!" Meng Qi blurted out. It suddenly occurred to Meng Qi and reminded him of that familiarity. That was exactly the Blood Shadow that secretly killed the monsters inside the shard of Celestial Court!

Qi Zhengyan didn't answer. The terrifying Dharma Form seemed filled with tyrannical blood as it stepped forward and united with him. It shrank into a point and integrated a crimson blot in his mid-brows in the form of a half-moon-shaped Lotus Petal. Qi Zhengyan's breath soared as if about to pass the level four-fold Heaven. His blue gown fluttered, but this time he was more strong than calm.

When Meng Qi saw the blot, pictures suddenly emerged in his mind, and he couldn't help exclaiming.

"The Lord!"

Yes, that was the image of Devil Lord that they had once seen. It wasn't like a member of the Human tribe but had three heads and six arms. Its most obvious characteristic was that evil blot on its mid-brow, which though different from Qi Zhengyan's in color, shape, and position, the sense was almost the same!

"No wonder in the past the Devil Lord would say 'you're late', rather than disappearing immediately..." Meng Qi thought.

"However, I was with Gu Xiaosang at that time. Why did he say 'you're late' instead of 'you two are late'?"

He struggled to calm his tempestuous heart and stared blankly at Qi Zhengyan, not knowing what to say.

"Senior Brother Qi received the impartation of the Devil Lord?"

Qi Zhengyan calmly said, "Most of the strength, secrets, and acknowledgment of evil spirits are hidden in their flesh and blood. Sometimes a drop of blood or a part of the body would contain incredible power."

Meng Qi recalled the "Blood of the Evil Saint" that he once got. He did not doubt this.

"When I was in the Devil Tomb, I accidentally stepped into the lake which was formed by the blood of Devil Lord in order to avoid danger. My body got soaked in blood and was secretly remodeled, and I got skill impartation and the experience of Devil Lord from it." Qi Zhengyan's eyes were still dark and emotionless as if he was talking about things that had happened to somebody else. " Initially, I refused and thought I should be on the right side, unwilling to fall and associate with evil. However, when I was in Holy Mountain without any help, I asked myself whether I could resign myself to such a fate.

"I was unwilling to. I had struggled to remold myself from an unnoticed disciple who couldn't get impartation of advanced skills, only possessing ordinary body potentials, to one who had a chance to become an expert of the Exterior. I was unwilling to die in such desperate circumstances.

"Whether it was destiny or God's arrangement, I was unwilling to accept it.

"So I chose to merge the blood of Devil Lord and inherited his skills, experience, and will."

Qi ZHengyan spoke calmly, flatly describing things that were actually shocking.

"No wonder Senior Brother Qi covered his eyes when he entered the palace where the bluish white lamp was located..." Some subtle details occurred to Meng Qi when he thought this.

"Details reveal everything!"

Meng Qi took a deep breath and said: " Senior Brother Qi, possessing evil skills has nothing to do with the moral integrity of a person. If you still think you should be on the right side, it doesn't matter even if you inherited evil skills as long as you use them for good!"

Qi Zhengyan silently stared at Meng Qi for a moment before speaking again.

"I have already suffered Qi-deviancy Derangement."

Meng Qi's heart sank. Before he could persuade him, he saw Qi Zhengyan become solemn and start speaking.

"From my point view, evil spirits have good or bad effects. Some evils violate nature, some evils massacre. The only thing they have in common is that both are unacceptable to God and the public."

He stepped forward, looked at Meng Qi seriously and said,

"My body potentials were ordinary, so I did not receive advanced skills nor enough training materials from our sect. If I hadn't encountered the adventure, my whole life I would have watched other people standing out while I achieved nothing.

"Even if I had striven to improve myself, how effective would I have been? The way forward was already full of outstanding masters with strong parents. How many people are desperate to practice a skill but are unable to?

"They told me that outstanding body potentials were bestowed by God and the strength of their parents accumulated over the years. That is called destiny. But I don't accept this theory.

"I don't envy them. I just want an opportunity for everyone to share the same skill, and then persistent persons go upward and lazy persons are knocked out!

"If it was destiny set by the gods, then I would fight all the way to the heavens! If it was my fate, then I would change my karma!"

Qi Zhengyan finally showed some emotion. He looked at Meng Qi's eyes and asked.

"Junior Brother Meng, these are my evil thoughts. What are the kind thoughts in your heart?"

"These are my evil thoughts. What are the kind thoughts in your heart..." Meng Qi blankly thought about this and couldn't say a single word.

Suddenly, he burst out laughing, stepped forward, and patted Qi Zhengyan's shoulder. Then he spoke.

"These were your evil thoughts?

"There is nothing to worry about. Do I look like a pedantic person? As long as you don't do evil things that violate your morality, we are still good brothers and allies!"

Meng Qi appeared relaxed as he looked at Qi Zhengyan's eyes and tried to resolve the estrangement with a few laughs.

Qi Zhengyan kept silent. After a long time, he smiled happily.

"Junior Brother Meng, I know that you are not a pedantic person, but the road that I have chosen is doomed to be hostile to sects and families. If everyone gets the chance to receive advanced skills, as Heaven's movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive along. Those gentlemen would be a threat to them fundamentally.

"Your master is a Shaolin monk, your Junior Brother is a rising star in the Shaolin Temple, your family is an aristocratic family, you are friends with the heir of Sword Washing Pavilion and the legal wife's daughter of Langya Ruan. Will you give them up?

"I was born to an underprivileged family, so there are few things that I can hold on to. I can even exchange skills of sects to the Six Taoist. It is exactly because I have few things that I can hold in my hand that when I meet them, I am particularly stubborn and won't give up until I die. Maybe this is the only glory that can shine in my humble life!"

Meng Qi watched Qi Zhengyan's mouth opening and closing, and his mind suddenly became chaotic.

Qi Zhengyan's expression became calm again as he said, "I don't want to cheat you anymore, so I'm not joining The Immortals."

"Senior Brother Qi..." Meng Qi opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

Qi ZHengyan presented a smile again, his voice was a bit dull.

"Junior Brother Meng, birds of different feathers do not flock together."

He then turned around and left by stepping on the water, his gown fluttering. He had been aboveboard and didn't worry about Meng Qi's removal of evil spirits. The only sound left echoed to the shore:

"Birds of different feathers do not flock together."