Chapter 61, Unwarranted Calamity and the Cause of Discord
by SilavinTranslator: Raznick
As Zhou Chun pursued Guo Dahu, he soon cought up with him.
It turned out that Guo Dahu was at the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining, wielded several decent artifacts, and was stronger than the bandit cultivator he had slain in the Red Rock Mountains back when he first acquired the Shooting Moon Edge.
His strength, however, had vastly improved compared to the past.
After fighting for a while, Guo Dahu was defeated using the Shooting Moon Edge, with two of his artifacts shattered and his head severed.
Upon killing Guo Dahu, Zhou Chun collected his belongings before cremating the body on-site.
By the time Zhou Chun returned to Liu Qingshan’s side, he found that the bald man had already been reduced to a pile of pulped meat, likely crushed by the Rock Turtle’s Rockfall.
Meanwhile, Liu Shiyun had also arrived at the scene. However, since the Rock Turtle did not recognize her, she was barred from approaching Liu Qingshan and could only anxiously wait from fifty meters away.
Spotting Zhou Chun return, both father and daughter eagerly looked towards him.
“Fellow Daoist Liu, you may rest assured. Guo Dahu has been dealt with.”
Upon seeing Liu Qingshan’s gaze, Zhou Chun understood his inquiry and smiled as he reported the outcome.
He then placed the Rock Turtle inside the spirit beast pouch, and nodded at Liu Shiyun, allowing her to approach.
“That reassures me.” Liu Qingshan said with a sigh of relief, his earlier worries lifting.
He thanked Zhou Chun, saying, “For saving our lives, we are grateful beyond measure. Please accept our humble gratitude!” He pulled his daughter down to their knees, intending to pay their respects by bowing.
“It’s alright, Fellow Daoist Liu. You needn’t trouble yourself!” Zhou Chun hastened to refuse, not wanting such a grand gesture.
Yet Liu Qingshan persisted, and they ended up bowing three times in unison.
At that moment, a streak of blue light suddenly flashed across the sky above the forest, revealing the figure of a blue-robed Daoist hovering mid-air. Strangely, he wasn’t equipped with any artifacts beneath his feet. This alone was enough to indicate that he was at least in the Foundation Establishment Stage of cultivation.
Before Zhou Chun and his companions could greet him, the Daoist gazed at them with a gloomy face and said, “Did you set the fire? Do you know what kind of crime it is to set fire to the mountain outside the market?”
Liu Qingshan hurriedly explained: “Senior, please understand. I did not deliberately set the fire. I was attacked by a villain, and the fire got out of control during the fight!”
Zhou Chun also quickly spoke up to testify, “Senior, I am Zhou Zhengchun, an assistant at the Spirit Beast Pavilion in the market. I happened to be hunting for my spirit pets nearby today. I can testify for Fellow Daoist Liu and his daughter!”
Unexpectedly, the Daoist snorted coldly: “Hmph, even so, you started the fire and must suffer the consequences!”
He did not give the three people a chance to argue. He waved his hand and three green lights fell on the three people, forming a green lotus mark on their bodies.
“Return to the market. I will adress your punishment after I put out the wildfire!”
Zhou Chun and the other two could not help but look at each other with unhappy expressions.
p[What a disaster!]
They were truly unlucky.
Generally speaking, in order to avoid being caught, bandit cultivators wouldn’t act too close to the market.
And usually, after they acted, if they didn’t succeed within fifteen minutes, they would abandon and leave, afraid of being caught by the patrol.
Gao Dahu and several others were able to successfully ambush and overpower the two precisely because they took advantage of Liu Qingshan’s relaxed mentality after entering this safe zone.
Now that the main culprits were killed, the responsibility of setting fire was shifted to Liu Qingshan and his daughter.
After staring at each other for a moment, Liu Qingshan looked at Zhou Chun with a serious expression and said, “Fellow Daoist Zhou, please rest assured. It’s my fault there’s a fire, and I will certainly explain this to that senior when the time comes. I won’t let you take the blame!”
“Now is not the time to talk about this. We should first return to the market and treat Fellow Daoist Liu’s injuries!”
Zhou Chun sighed and waved his hand reluctantly, indicating they should discuss later.
He put away the stuff left by that bald-headed man and then escorted the Liu father and daughter to the market.
Zhou Chun led them to the Spirit Beast Pavilion and explained the situation to the shop owner, Zhou Jiasheng.
Knowing that Zhou Chun might have set himself up by rescuing the two, Jiasheng Zhou furrowed his brow deeply. However, being a seasoned individual, he refrained from saying anything in person, merely offering a few comforting words before dispatching Zhou Chun to rest in the rear courtyard with them.
Zhou Chun waited as Liu Shiyun attended to Liu Qingshan’s wounds and administered some healing pills. Seizing the moment, Zhou Chun inquired about why their companions had turned against them.
“I don’t want to trouble you with this tale, Hero Zhou,” Liu Qingshan began, exhaling a heavy sigh before detailing the particulars.
Having known each other for more than a decade, they had set out on their usual herb and ore gathering expedition in a certain mountain range when they stumbled upon an exceptionally secluded valley teeming with valuable herbs.
Yet, amidst these wilds, wherever valuable herbs fLiurished, demon beasts inevitably lurked to guard them. Within that very valley dwelled of potent group of Green-crowned Flying Snakes, with two boasting an aura comparable to that of cultivators in the Twelfth Layer of Qi Refinement.
Though Liu Qingshan and his companions were no pushovers, they found themselves woefully inadequate against such a venomous serpent menace. They retreated together to Red Cliff Market to recruit additional, more formidable allies. Their aim was to gather sufficient artifacts and talismans to combat the Green-crowned Flying Snakes before returning to harvest the herbs.
Unexpectedly, Guo Dahu and the other two had evil intentions on the way and secretly joined forces to kill Liu’s father and daughter and silence them.
Zhou Chun grimaced, looking at Liu Qingshan and asking, “But what would they have to gain by killing you? Without Fellow Daoist Liu’s presence, wouldn’t they find it even more challenging to eliminate snakes for medicinal herbs? Wouldn’t they still need to invite outsiders to share in the work?”
“Th-that…”
Liu Qingshan glanced at his daughter, Liu Shiyun, hesitated for a moment, and then whispered, “It’s because the herb valley was first discovered by my daughter. According to our rules, those who discover spiritual resources can claim an additional tenth of the haul. Perhaps they didn’t want for the two of us to have so much!”
“Is that all?”
Zhou Chun furrowed his brow and gazed deeply at Liu Qingshan, sensing that the latter was not telling the whole truth.
Liu Qingshan lowered his head under Zhou Chun’s gaze, clearly appearing uneasy.
Meanwhile, Liu Shiyun, seeing this, did not want her father and their benefactor to have a strained relationship. She immediately spoke up in a cheerful tone, “Father, there is no need for any hesitation. Fellow Daoist Zhou, who came to our aid despite only meeting us once, has already proven himself to be a man of integrity. There’s no harm in speaking the truth!”
She addressed Zhou Chun with a respectful bow: “Fellow Daoist Zhou, please forgive us. It is not that my father intended to deceive you. Rather, this matter concerns my honor, which has led him to hesitate.”
She then proceeded to explain the other reason why Liu Qingshan had not mentioned.
It turned out that on their way back to the market, Liu Shiyun had been bathing in a hot spring with Third Aunt He, and during that encounter, Third Aunt discovered that she possessed an extraordinary quality known as Mystical Yin Bone Charm. According to Third Aunt He’s account after their argument, this rare and precious quality was highly desired by high-level cultivators practicing dual cultivation. These practitioners regarded such women as the ultimate cauldrons for dual cultivation, far more valuable than even the most precious herb in that valley.
Therefore, Third Aunt He had convinced the others to capture the Liu family members and arranged for her to be sold at a secret underground auction house.
Liu Shiyun’s face beneath her veil flushed red with embarrassment. Clearly, despite her courage in revealing such a personal secret, she found it difficult to remain composed.
Zhou Chun, after listening to her story, also appeared somewhat awkward. He immediately paid his respects to Liu Shiyun by cupping his hands and said, “I was rash earlier, Fellow Daoist Liu. Please rest assured, I will keep this to myself and not spread a single word about it.”
Liu Shiyun hurriedly returned the gesture and replied, “Fellow Daoist Zhou, you are too kind. If it were me in your position, I would have asked the same questions. This is not your fault.”
Relieved that the tension had eased, Zhou Chun quickly shifted the subject and asked, “Speaking of Third Aunt He, there’s something on my mind. Why did her companion go mad after I killed her? Even if they were Dao companions practicing dual cultivation, this seemed beyond reasonable.”
Liu Qingshan replied with a sigh. “Wang Ben was quite a pitiable man as well!”
“He used to be a woodcutter in the mountains, but after obtaining a cultivation method from the body of a deceased rogue cultivator, he began his path as a cultivator. He cultivated all the way to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining before realizing the dangers of Savage Qi. By then, his mind had already been deeply influenced by the Savage Qi, and any intense stimulation would send him into a frenzy.
“He and Third Aunt He hadn’t formally become dual cultivation Dao companions, but I suspect they had engaged in some form of dual cultivation privately. Upon learning that Fellow Daoist Zhou had killed her, how could he not go mad right then and there?”
“Oh, is that so?” Zhou Chun nodded slightly, finally resolving a point of confusion he’d been harboring.
Individuals like Wang Ben—rogue cultivators whose minds had been affected by Savage Qi—weren’t particularly rare in the cultivation world. Compared to some others, Wang Ben was actually one of the fortunate cases. At least when he wasn’t experiencing intense stimulation, he could still act normally within the market.
However, many other rogue cultivators who had been deeply influenced by Savage Qi hadn’t fared as well. Even though they weren’t dead, they had completely devolved into madmen and fiends. The moment they stepped outside the market, they were immediately dispatched, to prevent them from harming others.
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