Chapter 1317: Capitulation

“The audacity of youth!” Papersmith scoffed.

“No, it’s simply confidence.”

Ye Qing said, “It has only been a few years since this junior began practicing martial arts, and I am already a Half-Sage.”

“Today, I am the possessor of the Earthly Sovereign Bell and the successor of the Earthly Sovereign. To me, becoming a Sage is anything but difficult.”

Papersmith opened his mouth to ridicule Ye Qing only to realize that there was nothing to say.

After all, Ye Qing was simply stating facts.

“So, will you join me, senior?” Ye Qing asked.

“I—”

Papersmith wanted to say more when a gentle, wonderful voice suddenly rang behind him. “Why are you wasting your breath on such a man? If he won’t submit, then I can simply turn him into a puppet for you.”

The instant he heard the voice, Papersmith felt chilled to his very core. However, he did not dare to move a muscle. He had a strong feeling that he would die if he did.

“I... I will join you!” A pale-faced Papersmith hurriedly said, “I will become your guardian!”

In fact, he wanted to accept Ye Qing’s proposal almost from the beginning. After all, who would choose death if they could live, much less a way of living that was worse than death?

The reason he didn’t accept it immediately was because he wanted to sound out Ye Qing’s bottom line and improve his situation as much as possible.

It wasn’t until the voice suddenly appeared behind his back, and he saw the unfeeling smile on Ye Qing’s face, that he realized that he was just a fish on the chopping block, not the cook. He never had the right to negotiate to begin with.

“Good boy,” said the feminine voice. But before he could let out a sigh of relief, she continued, “You wasted much of my time though. You deserve punishment.”

As soon as the word “punishment” came, Papersmith hit the ground so hard that it felt like the entire city had shaken once. Strangely, the ground itself was perfectly unharmed. Not a speck of dust was kicked up.

The same could not be said for Papersmith. He felt as if he was struck by an unbelievably heavy mountain and sat on top by an entire realm. His body hurt, his internal organs were out of position, and dark red blood was seeping out of every orifice including his pores.

Just when Papersmith’s consciousness blurred, and he was about to fade into blackness, the impossible strength abruptly disappeared into nothing.

“Thank you for showing mercy, senior!”

It took a while before Papersmith finally regained enough strength to thank the voice for not killing him.

“Stand up if you’re still alive.”

Papersmith dared not dilly dally. When he climbed to his feet though, he realized that his body felt light and free. The pain and soreness that tormented before were nowhere to be found. Not only that, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the Taisui Ghost Flame that occupied his body earlier had disappeared completely.

In other words, he was completely healed.

“Thank you senior! Thank you senior!”

Papersmith was overjoyed. Although his injuries were completely gone, the thought of turning against Ye Qing or the mysterious woman never crossed his mind. There was only fear and respect.

After all, the woman had suppressed him and eliminated the Taisui Ghost Flame that tormented him so all in a single sentence. Just how powerful was she?

He could not even imagine.

When Papersmith lifted his head, he saw a woman so beautiful that he could not be described with any word; could not feel any desire toward.

That was why he bowed his head immediately after one look. To look at her for even a second longer felt like an act of blasphemy.

“At least you’re smart enough not to dwell in foolish thoughts,” the woman a.k.a Murong Xianxian remarked.

Papersmith bowed and replied, “This junior wouldn’t dare.”

“No need to bow to me. Simply do your best to serve my younger brother.” Murong Xianxian waved. “Joyless, you may continue on with whatever you wish to do now.”

“Sorry to trouble you, big sis.”

Ye Qing saluted Murong Xianxian and looked at Papersmith. “I’m going to plant a restriction inside your mind. So long as you keep to your promise, the restriction will not affect you in any way whatsoever. I hope you won’t mind, senior.”

Would it matter if I mind?

Papersmith was reluctant as a matter of course, but did he have the right to reject Ye Qing?

Unfortunately for him, the answer was no.

So, Papersmith lowered his mental defenses immediately and said, “If you please, young master.”

“Thank you for understanding, senior.” Ye Qing smiled as his eyes slowly turned pitch black. At the same time, a demonic lotus bloomed amidst the darkness.

The demonic lotus looked a little different from before. Its petals were darkness incarnate, and its stamen was dark yellow. It looked mysterious and profound, anomalous and grand.

What an anomalous and profound art. Is this the legendary “Paranirmitavaśavartin Heavenly Demon Sutra”? How curious!

Murong Xianxian watched the demonic lotus in Ye Qing’s eyes with a clear look of interest.

When the demonic lotus bloomed, an invisible, enigmatic power washed out. At the same time, Ye Qing slowly closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, the darkness and the demonic lotus in his eyes were no more.

“It’s done.” Ye Qing smiled and saluted Papersmith. “I’ll be in your care from now on, senior.”

“Zhang Quan greets you, young master.” Papersmith returned the salute. He did not notice that his hostility, resentment, and wariness toward Ye Qing had decreased significantly.

“You’re welcome, senior.” Ye Qing wore a delighted smile on his face. “From now on, just call me Joyless. It sounds like a rift exists between us when you address me as young master.”

“As you wish.” Papersmith’s favorability toward Ye Qing increased dramatically even though he didn’t understand why. “You should address me as Old Zhang as well, Joyless.”

“Got it... I’ll be in your care, Old Zhang.” Ye Qing smiled and put a hand on Papersmith’s arm. Papersmith usually loathe being near others, but not this time. He did not seem to mind Ye Qing’s gesture at all.

My younger brother has a lot of secrets, it seems!

Murong Xianxian beamed as she observed the Sage who had no idea that his personality had undergone a dramatic change.

“Now, the only one left is Ghost Taisui.”

After conversing with Papersmith for a bit, Ye Qing suddenly looked toward the distance as if sensing something.

“I really hope you won’t disappoint me.”

......

“Motherfucker! He escaped again?!”

Xiahou Zun cut the hill beside him in half and turned every grass and tree on it into ash. “Is their zodiac animal a loach or something? Fuck!”

Xiahou Zun, Wan Lingxiao, and Long-browed Divine Monk had been pursuing Ghost Taisui and Xuanyuan Kun relentlessly since the day at East Radiance Mountain.

Since they had dealt the duo a grievous blow, the three Sages believed that catching them was just a matter of persistence and time.

They were wrong though. Ghost Taisui’s astuteness and circumspection combined with Xuanyuan Kun’s unpredictable Magia and secret arts had made them as slippery as a loach. As a result, they were unable to capture the duo despite chasing them for nine days and nine nights straight. Even worse, they had completely lost track of them now.

“Did you find them yet, old monk?”

Xiahou Zun looked at Long-browed Divine Monk.

Right now, Long-browed Divine Monk had manifested a six-eyed, eight-eared image that could see the six roads with its eyes, and hear the eight directions with its ears.

This was a Lanke Temple Magia called “See and Hear”. The six eyes allowed him to observe the front, the back, left, right, up and down. The eight ears allowed him to listen to the east, south, west, north, and other directions. To put it simply, it allowed him to see and hear anything and everything within a radius of thousands and thousands of kilometers. It was an unparalleled Magia in terms of tracking and finding others.

This wasn’t the first time Ghst Taisui and Xuanyuan Kun had managed to escape them and disappear. It was all thanks to Long-browed Divine Monk’s “See and Hear” Magia that they were able to pick up their track again.