The Light of the Righteous Path 13

"Chen Jin, this person's fate offends the Five Armies, truly a Lone Star of Heavenly Calamity. He shoulders the path of the common people, born in the extreme north where the sea hugs the fire. After passing through three calamities and experiencing partings of life and death, he will take on a great responsibility. You are the disciple I trust most; I entrust this matter to you. Find that child..."

"Master, how can I be sure that he is the person I am looking for?"

"When you see him, you will definitely know."

Baoshu searched according to the prophecy for a full few decades, leaving his unique token on every child who could possibly be the one.

On the night Du Chengying went up the mountain, the astrolabe imprisoned by talismans on the mountain burst forth with tremendous energy in an instant. Baoshu could absolutely not perceive it wrong; Du Chengying was the person in the prophecy who would save the common people from misery.

In the prophecy, Du Chengying had to pass through three calamities: Heaven's Severance, Human Humiliation, and Worldly Disgust. Du Chengying's relatives and friends had all died, leaving him entirely alone; he had passed Heaven's Severance. Everything Baoshu did was to make Du Chengying pass the second calamity.

Originally, he thought there was still a lot of time, but he never expected that the chaotic scenario of the world mentioned in the prophecy would be brought forward by at least thirty years.

The one who retrieved the Water Qilin also turned out to be an inexplicable Lin Qi.

Baoshu Zhenren absolutely did not believe the divination could be wrong. No matter what, Lin Qi was completely contrary to the savior prophesied in the divination. Baoshu cast a divination, but upon descending the mountain, he encountered a Spirit Butterfly playfully torturing and killing a Demonic Cultivator.

The Spirit Butterfly possessed intelligence, and its wings were tainted with its master's aura—an aura belonging to Du Chengying.

For many years, Baoshu had only schemed for this one matter. After making some connections from the beginning to the end, he figured out why Du Chengying entered the Mountain Shadow Heaven Pavilion without any gains, yet Lin Qi brought out the Water Qilin and the Spirit Butterfly.

What shocked Baoshu even more was that the Spirit Butterfly was covered in a tyrannical and bloodthirsty aura, which was much more severe than even that of a Demonic Cultivator.

"Zhenren, what is the meaning of this?" Lin Qi looked at the ball of black qi that Baoshu was stepping on, and a bad premonition arose in his heart.

Baoshu Zhenren was extremely disappointed and angry. The savior prophesied in the divination was such a person?

"Junior Brother, step back," Du Chengying interrupted the words, lowering his voice. "I suspect this is not the real Baoshu Zhenren."

Lin Qi suddenly thought of the Demonic Cultivator who had intruded into his dream that day, and couldn't help but take half a step back. Du Chengying had already gathered his qi and flown out. The door closed heavily behind him, isolating everything outside.

The Water Qilin stood at the door, its body slowly recovering. The massive beast blocked the doorway and turned its head to look at Lin Qi with its sparkling jade-green eyes.

Lin Qi felt his heart palpitate with fear from that glance. It was extremely quiet outside, quiet to a terrifying degree. Lin Qi reacted slightly and immediately wanted to rush out. Just as he took a step, his robe was grabbed by the Water Qilin's mouth. Lin Qi anxiously said, "Wuxia, let go!"

The Water Qilin applied a little force, tossing him onto its back. The long fur, as if alive, forcefully covered Lin Qi. Although the force was not enough to make Lin Qi feel pain, it absolutely made it impossible for him to break free.

Lin Qi's hands and feet were entirely bound by the long fur he usually loved petting the most. While feeling astounded, he strongly sought help from the System, "Is it Baoshu Zhenren or a Demonic Cultivator outside?!"

The System nonchalantly said, "What do you think?"

Lin Qi's mind was in turmoil. Without a doubt, the one outside the door was the real Baoshu Zhenren. He had always believed in his own intuition, yet his suspicions towards Du Chengying had been resolved like a frog boiled in warm water. He even felt guilty for his past suspicions of Du Chengying and had shed quite a few tears.

If Baoshu hadn't suddenly appeared... he might have really... really what? He didn't dare to think deeply about it.

The System suddenly said coldly, "Why are you overthinking so much? Reform him with love; didn't I teach you that from the very beginning?"

Lin Qi: "..."

After an unknown amount of time, the door was opened again, and the soft fur controlling Lin Qi's hands and feet finally relaxed. Lin Qi didn't move. Lying in the Water Qilin's soft fur, he wondered whether he should play dumb or question Du Chengying?

The scent of blood wafted to his nose. Lin Qi's muddled consciousness instantly cleared up. Sliding off the Water Qilin's back, he saw Du Chengying looking completely wretched. Two wounds on his shoulder were bleeding, and he pressed one hand against his chest, blood still gushing out from between his fingers. With a deathly pale face, he said, "It is not safe to stay here for long. Let's go quickly."

Such severe injuries made Lin Qi feel completely at a loss. For a moment, he cast his suspicions of Du Chengying to the back of his mind. Supporting Du Chengying, he helped him onto the Water Qilin and gently patted its neck, "Wuxia, go."

Du Chengying was heavily injured. In Lin Qi's impression, he was always very capable of enduring pain and never made a sound when medicine was applied to him. But this time, he continuously let out pained groans, clearly injured to the point where it was unbearable.

Lin Qi supported him, his mind in extreme turmoil. He believed that the one who had just appeared should be Baoshu Zhenren, which meant Baoshu Zhenren had injured Du Chengying. But Baoshu Zhenren was actually considered a villain, so whether Du Chengying was innocent or what, Lin Qi's brain was in such a mess that it felt like it was going to explode.

The Water Qilin sprinted all the way, only stopping when it reached a misty stream. As soon as it stopped, Du Chengying slid off its back. Before Lin Qi could even reach out to grab him, Du Chengying plummeted to the ground, seemingly having lost consciousness.

Well, now there was no need to say anything.

Lin Qi suppressed all the doubts in his heart and first treated Du Chengying's injuries. Pulling open the robe, those bone-deep wounds were emitting black qi; they were marks left by a Demonic Cultivator. Lin Qi looked at Du Chengying's bloodless face, and wavering appeared in his heart once again.

Going back and forth like this, it almost wasn't like him anymore.

He used to be such a resolute tasker, so why was he so muddled and confused now?

Lin Qi was a veteran at treating injuries, and he quickly finished tending to Du Chengying's wounds. The clothes were all stained with blood, so he just haphazardly covered Du Chengying with them. The Water Qilin came over and nuzzled Lin Qi, but Lin Qi remained indifferent. He still remembered how the Water Qilin had bound his hands and feet to prevent him from going out.

Lin Qi quietly gazed at Du Chengying, whose eyes were tightly shut, and suddenly said softly, "Open your eyes."

Du Chengying remained motionless.

Lin Qi stood up. "I'm leaving."

Du Chengying still lay on the ground, his blood-stained clothes disheveled. Blood vaguely seeped through the bandages on his body. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his dark hair clung messily to his skin. His lips were tightly pressed together, and his chest heaved with difficulty. He looked as pitiful as one could possibly be.

Lin Qi slowly crouched down again, raising his hand to brush aside the sweat-soaked wet hair on Du Chengying's face. He thought, 'Du Chengying, you really put me in a very difficult position.'

Lin Qi had originally intended to keep watch over him, but unknowingly fell asleep again. When he woke up, it was already broad daylight. The Water Qilin was lying by his side, keeping guard. There was a pool of blood on the ground, and Du Chengying was already gone.

Lin Qi patted the Water Qilin. "Where is Du Chengying?"

The Water Qilin wore an innocent expression.

Lin Qi said in a low voice, "Stop pretending. Don't think I don't know that you guys are in cahoots."

The Water Qilin let out an aggrieved meow, feeling a bit guilty.

Lin Qi reached out and flicked the Water Qilin's whiskers, a helpless expression revealing itself on his face. "Can't things just be a bit simpler?"

The Water Qilin rested its large head on its paws, thinking to itself that it didn't understand why humans were so complicated either.

"Junior Brother, you're awake." A weak voice came from behind. Lin Qi turned around. Du Chengying had his robe draped over his shoulders, bandages slanting all the way down from his shoulder to his lean waist. He held a colorful wild pheasant in his hand. His face was still a bit pale, but he forced a smile towards Lin Qi, "You didn't eat well last night."

Lin Qi: "..."

He really didn't know what to say anymore.

While he was feeling vexed because of his suspicions towards Du Chengying, Du Chengying was actually thinking about him not having eaten well last night?

Lin Qi thought to himself that no one could possibly be that cold-blooded. He swallowed back the questioning words on the tip of his tongue and changed his tune, "Senior Brother, since you are injured, you should rest properly."

Du Chengying shook his head. "It's nothing."

The stream water flowed with a babbling sound. Lin Qi made Du Chengying sit down and handled the wild pheasant in his hand himself. His expression was somewhat dazed. Du Chengying pressed his hand down. Lin Qi looked up and met Du Chengying's consistently tolerant gaze. "Let me do it."

Lin Qi suddenly felt powerless. "Du Chengying, you..." After locking eyes with Du Chengying's profound eyes for a long time, Lin Qi ultimately conceded defeat. Lowering his head, he said in a somewhat stiff tone, "Don't worry about it. I said I'll do it, so I'll do it. Go lie down on the side."

Du Chengying slowly withdrew his hand and sat on the ground. The wound on his shoulder was still bleeding, but he couldn't feel any pain at all. It was a wound he had inflicted on himself, and he was perfectly willing to accept it. As long as Lin Qi stayed by his side, nothing else mattered to him.

The campfire crackled, popping with sparks. The two sat facing each other, and the Water Qilin lay in front of them, its massive body blocking out the darkness and chill from the dense forest. Lin Qi took a branch and aimlessly drew lines on the ground. Du Chengying sat on the side, his cast shadow dancing on the ground. The dim, yellowish firelight illuminated his jade-like side profile and his lowered eyes that looked deep in thought.

"Junior Brother," Du Chengying slowly spoke, "that Demonic Cultivator just now disguised himself as Baoshu Zhenren, and I do not know what his motives were, nor do I know if other Demonic Cultivators will disguise themselves as other people. For the sake of safety, I think no matter what happens, we must not separate from now on."

"En." Lin Qi replied listlessly. His head was filled with the Demonic Cultivator under Baoshu's feet, the struggling and falling Spirit Butterfly, Baoshu Zhenren's sentence of disappointment, and Du Chengying's wretched one hundred percent Blackening Value.

He really wanted to just lay all his cards on the table with Du Chengying. The movement of his hands suddenly paused. Lin Qi grasped the branch and forcefully stabbed it into the ground. He turned his head to look at Du Chengying. Noticing his focused gaze, Du Chengying also slowly turned his head. No matter the time or situation, he would never avoid Lin Qi's gaze.

Those profound eyes were open and peaceful. Lin Qi gripped the branch tightly, thinking to himself that if he kept avoiding it, he wouldn't know where the ending would head towards. Hardening his heart, he said, "Du Chengying, stop deceiving me."

His words were resounding and forceful. The sitting Water Qilin couldn't help but straighten its body as well. Its dragon-like face smoothed out, and an erratic light flickered in its jade-green eyes. Its usual dull and cute appearance disappeared, and the true pressure of a Spirit Beast was slowly released.

Du Chengying cast a cold side-glance, and the Water Qilin instantly shrunk back down again.

"I deceived you?" Du Chengying spoke with a slow intonation. "What did I deceive you about?"

Lin Qi's palms were trembling. Du Chengying's expression was calm, his face deathly pale, and the wound on his body was still bleeding. Lin Qi steeled his heart, clenching the branch tightly, and said word by word, "That was clearly Baoshu Zhenren."

Du Chengying's face grew a little paler. A faint, almost imperceptible bitter smile appeared on his face, and his voice was weak. "Just because of this? Junior Brother, you question me like this?"

Lin Qi was dumbfounded by Du Chengying's attitude. He had thought that Du Chengying would be very panicked instead.

"Baoshu Zhenren has always felt a deep disgust towards me." Du Chengying turned his face away, seeming unable to bear the bitterness of it, his voice growing deeper. "He is a lofty Zhenren. By injuring me, I have nothing to say. But I didn't want you, Junior Brother, to become disheartened with our sect, stand up for the injustice done to me, and end up clashing with the Zhenren, which would implicate you instead." Du Chengying looked at Lin Qi with a pained expression. "I didn't expect... that you would blame me, Junior Brother..."

Lin Qi: "..."

"So in Junior Brother's heart, I am just a liar." Du Chengying coughed lightly, covering his chest, and stumbled as he stood up. "Then I'll go..."

"Senior Brother," Lin Qi hurriedly stood up and grabbed Du Chengying's arm, saying anxiously, "You're so heavily injured. What if you encounter some danger? Quickly, sit down!"

Du Chengying's expression was gloomy. He slowly shook his head. "I deceived you; even if I encounter danger, I deserve it."

Lin Qi gritted his teeth. "I was wrong."

The corners of Du Chengying's eyes dropped for a brief moment. "Junior Brother, you don't have to be like this. No matter how you view me or what you say about me, I will never blame you."

Lin Qi: "..." Heavens, he really felt so guilty!