Chapter 101: An Unexpected Ally, the Ruthless Fu Yao
Chapter 101 – An Unexpected Ally, the Ruthless Fu Yao
“The one who slaughtered my clan was my master—the very man who treated me as his own flesh and blood.”
“He feared my younger brother’s talent would eclipse mine, threatening my seat as the Saint Son. So, he took action. He murdered them all.”
“It was a night of torrential downpour. My master disguised the carnage as a revenge killing by our enemies, then vanished into the storm.”
“Half an hour later, I stood before the cooling corpses of my father and mother.”
“I had long suspected he would strike, yet I did nothing to stay his hand. I was no match for him then.”
“It was in that moment of ruin that I discovered a sliver of life remaining within my eight-month-old brother. I carved him from the wreckage and raised him in the shadows.”
Chen Changsheng remained silent.
Even for a man of his experiences, this twisted tale of familial blood and betrayal caused him to rub his temples in weariness.
“And then?”
“What followed was simpler. I played the part he wrote for me, pinning the massacre on my greatest rival.”
“With my master’s ‘help,’ I eradicated that rival and his entire lineage.”
“Since that day, no one in the Yaoguang Holy Land has dared to stand against me.”
The Yaoguang Saint Son turned his gaze toward Chen Changsheng.
“Do you understand now why I have shared this with you?”
“I didn’t, but I’m sure you’re about to enlighten me.”
The Saint Son did not seem to mind Chen Changsheng’s nonchalant air. Instead, his eyes fell upon Little Black, cradled in the other man’s arms.
“You are rarely seen without that spirit pet. It is clear you hold it in high regard.”
“However, its wounds are grave—so grave that common remedies cannot hope to sustain its life.”
“You came to the Kunlun Stone Workshop to gamble on stone, likely seeking a Saint Medicine sealed within a God Source to save its life.”
“In all my years, I have never seen anyone with your level of insight regarding God Source mineral veins.”
“There are only two paths to save my brother: the lost Heaven-Mending Paste of the Butterfly Valley, or a Saint Medicine unearthed from a God Source.”
“Now, do you see why I have bared my past?”
Chen Changsheng clicked his tongue, his expression shifting into something more contemplative.
“Your eyes are sharp, I’ll give you that. Little Black and your brother share a similar plight, but I’m afraid you’re destined for disappointment.”
“Neither a Saint Medicine nor the Heaven-Mending Paste will be enough to save him.”
The Yaoguang Saint Son’s brow furrowed, a cold edge returning to his gaze.
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because I happen to possess both.”
Chen Changsheng closed his eyes and tilted his head back, inhaling the air deeply.
Detecting a faint, ethereal fragrance lingering in the breeze, he opened his eyes once more.
“You didn’t tell me the full truth just now.”
“The Heaven-Mending Paste of Butterfly Valley is indeed lost to the world, but some dregs of the old stock remain. I can smell its medicinal scent clinging to your brother’s skin.”
“He has been clinging to life all these years because you’ve been feeding him small amounts of it.”
“Since it prolonged his life, you naturally assumed a greater quantity would provide a cure.”
“But I am telling you clearly: that path is a dead end.”
The Yaoguang Saint Son’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. He spoke with a chilling calm.
“How do you come to possess Heaven-Mending Paste?”
“Six centuries ago, the Medicine Old Man of Butterfly Valley forged that miraculous salve. But shortly after its creation, the old man passed into the Void.”
“The formula died with him. The remaining batches were scavenged and divided among the great Holy Lands.”
“Do not tell me the paste in your hand was stolen from a Holy Land.”
“A man must have his secrets,” Chen Changsheng replied with a faint, enigmatic smile. “I won’t tell you how I found it.”
“But I will tell you this: I have plenty. If you want it, I can give you a jar right now.”
With a flick of his sleeve, Chen Changsheng produced a small ceramic jar, the potent aroma of ancient herbs wafting from it.
The Yaoguang Saint Son’s Divine Sense swept over the vessel. In an instant, he recognized the unique spiritual resonance of the medicine that had kept his brother alive.
Heaven-Mending Paste!
“What is your price?”
The Saint Son did not waste words, his gaze fixed on the jar.
“I cannot make a demand of you yet,” Chen Changsheng said, shaking his head.
“The Heaven-Mending Paste is about to become useless to your brother.”
“If it cannot save his life, it is nothing more than scented mud in your eyes. How can I trade with you using a worthless item?”
Disappointment flashed through the Saint Son’s eyes.
Paradoxically, he had hoped for a steep price. A demand would have meant Chen Changsheng had a solution.
“Is there truly no hope for such a wound?”
“As it stands? No. I once believed a Saint Medicine was the answer, but when I finally held one, I realized it wasn’t enough.”
“Otherwise, Little Black wouldn’t be in this state.”
“Perhaps I simply haven’t found the right Saint Medicine. The Dao is vast, and the effects of such treasures are myriad. Who knows what wonders lie hidden?”
“Tomorrow, the Heavenly Talent Assembly begins. Geniuses from across the Middle Heavens will gather. If we cannot find a way there…”
“Then my Little Black and your brother are truly lost to the yellow springs.”
The Yaoguang Saint Son looked Chen Changsheng directly in the eye.
“During the Heavenly Talent Assembly, I shall sweep aside every obstacle in your path. If you find a way to save my brother, I will grant you any condition you name.”
“And if we fail, you will give me that jar of Heaven-Mending Paste.”
Whish!
Before the Saint Son could even finish his sentence, Chen Changsheng tossed the jar through the air.
“Consider this a deposit, purely out of respect for your reputation.”
“But there will be many monsters attending tomorrow. Are you truly certain you can suppress them all?”
Fu Yao offered a thin, shadow of a smile. He turned to leave, his steps light but heavy with sovereign intent.
For Fu Yao, his invincibility was an objective truth that required no proof to others.
Watching his retreating back, the corners of Chen Changsheng’s mouth quirked upward.
Securing such a powerful guardian for free was a stroke of luck he hadn’t anticipated.
“By the way, is that master of yours still breathing?”
“If it’s inconvenient for you to strike, I can handle it for you. You’d owe me a favor—how about it?”
“He is dead,” Fu Yao’s voice drifted back, cold as a winter gale. “He died five years ago. I personally escorted him to the afterlife.”
His voice lingered in the air, but his figure had already dissolved into the distance.
“Tsk, tsk.”
“He looks like a pleasant enough fellow on the surface, but he’s a ruthless one at heart.”
“That girl, Gongsun Huaiyu… she’s done me a massive favor without even knowing it.”
Chen Changsheng turned and strolled away, feeling exceptionally pleased with the turn of events.
As for Gongsun Huaiyu, he had no intention of disturbing her. Let the young couple enjoy their fleeting romance; he wasn’t about to play the part of the unbidden guest.
Woo—!
The deep, mournful blast of a great horn echoed through the peaks of the Kunlun Holy Land.
The long-delayed Heavenly Talent Assembly had finally begun.
Skree!
A colossal shadow suddenly blanketed the earth. Looking up, the cultivators saw it was no cloud.
It was a divine bird with plumage of five brilliant colors, radiating a sacred light.
Standing atop the creature’s head was a woman whose beauty rivaled the immortals.
She was Yao Yingying, one of the three legendary beauties of the Middle Heavens and the successor to the Hateless Pavilion.