Chapter 204: You Are Not a Weakness

Meng Yingxing’s injuries had mostly healed.

Since their business in Yelan City was largely settled, he and Xiu Qingcheng decided not to stay any longer.

They wanted to return to the sect and see exactly what kind of scheme the Sect Master was plotting.

Thus, Xiu Qingcheng and Meng Yingxing intended to bid farewell to Shen Xu and leave without looking back.

However, after circling the Shen residence, they couldn’t even find a trace of Mother Shen.

Had Shen Xu gone to the City Guard again?

They couldn’t afford to waste time searching for her.

Still, considering the hospitality Shen Xu had shown them over the past few days, it felt wrong to leave without saying goodbye.

Xiu Qingcheng had Meng Yingxing find paper and a brush to leave a note, letting Shen Xu know they had departed.

After finding the writing materials, the two began writing at the stone table in the courtyard.

“‘When the golden wind meets the jade dew, it is a joyful encounter! Miss Shen, we shall meet again if destiny allows!’ Mmm, write it exactly like that.”

Xiu Qingcheng instructed Meng Yingxing to write exactly what she said.

“Master, I don’t think that phrase is supposed to be used in this context…”

Meng Yingxing shook his head with a slight smile and used a more formal wording to set the ink on the paper.

Qingqiu Zhaoying’s figure appeared at the end of the long corridor; he stood there gazing into the courtyard, his dark, brooding eyes unreadable.

Xiu Qingcheng paced back and forth beside Meng Yingxing with her arms propped up, trying to use her “vast cultural knowledge” to think of a better farewell letter.

During her wandering, she caught sight of Qingqiu Zhaoying on the porch.

“Hey, little fox, where is Shen Xu?”

Xiu Qingcheng called out, questioning Qingqiu Zhaoying with a somewhat haughty air.

She remembered that Xie Yuguang used to call Xie Zhaoying that often, and she mimicked it perfectly.

Qingqiu Zhaoying’s brows knit slightly in displeasure, but he still responded to her.

“Her mother dragged her to Lannan Temple early this morning to pray to the Buddha.”

He recalled Mother Shen dragging Shen Xu toward Lannan Temple that morning despite her stubborn refusal.

It took Mother Shen’s persistent wheedling to finally pull Shen Xu away.

However, before she left, Shen Xu had given Qingqiu Zhaoying a deep, meaningful look.

Had she realized something?

Hearing this, Xiu Qingcheng nodded.

So that was it; since Shen Xu wouldn’t be back for a while, leaving this letter was indeed necessary.

Once the letter was finished under Meng Yingxing’s hand, he placed it securely, and then he and Xiu Qingcheng left the Shen residence.

Qingqiu Zhaoying’s gaze followed them as they departed, the darkness in his eyes deepening.

Just as Xiu Qingcheng and Meng Yingxing stepped out of Yelan City and prepared to depart via sword-flight, a pillar of fox fire suddenly erupted behind them, reaching into the heavens.

The fox tails bloomed like a lotus, radiating a heatwave that could be felt clearly even from miles away, licking at everything in the vicinity.

Simultaneously, countless fox spirits surged out from within that flaming lotus, treading upon the empty air as they rushed toward every corner of the city.

“Master!?”

Meng Yingxing’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively let out a low growl toward Xiu Qingcheng.

Xiu Qingcheng turned back to look at that astonishing, sky-reaching fox flame, her eyes slowly narrowing.

There was no doubt this demonic power came from Qingqiu Zhaoying, yet its intensity far surpassed the peak strength he had shown during his previous two clashes with her.

‘Xie Zhaoying, what are you doing…?’

The Xie Zhaoying who once protected Yelan City alongside Xie Yuguang, the Xie Zhaoying praised as a hero in the city’s stories, was now using his destructive power to set Yelan City ablaze.

Had he gone mad?

Or was this some lingering obsession to keep Meng Yingxing and the demon sword here?

On a small path south of Yelan City.

“What’s wrong, Xu’er? You’ve been distracted since this morning.”

Returning from Lannan Temple, Mother Shen looked with concern at Shen Xu, whom she had forced to come along.

It was rare to see her usually optimistic daughter wearing such an expression.

“It’s nothing, I just didn’t sleep well,” Shen Xu replied.

She was still very concerned about that strange dream from last night and Qingqiu Zhaoying’s odd parting words, which was why she hadn’t wanted to come out with her mother.

In the end, Shen Xu still couldn’t win against her own mother.

‘It should be fine. Who is Qingqiu Zhaoying?’

‘He is Xie Zhaoying, the close friend of the General Xie Yuguang she admired!’

‘The young hero from the stories the storytellers loved to tell!’

‘No one is more trustworthy than him… right? Probably? Maybe?’

Shen Xu comforted herself and let out a sigh.

However, in the very next instant, several pillars of fox fire shot into the sky from the direction of Yelan City, easily visible even from where Shen Xu stood.

Shen Xu’s face paled instantly, and a strong, ominous premonition thundered in her heart.

“Mother! Go back to Lannan Temple and wait for me! Do not go anywhere until I return!”

Shen Xu hurriedly tossed out those words and immediately sprinted toward Yelan City, leaving Mother Shen behind.

The Ting Tian Sword flashed past, and a pale blue fox spirit let out a piercing shriek before transforming into a wisp of dissipating demonic energy.

Meng Yingxing looked up, watching more fox spirits leaping through the air, chasing the living residents of Yelan City to take their lives.

The blue fox fire, formed from pure heat, roared as it devoured everything in its path, the temperature searing to the heart.

“He’s actually killing innocent people… why!?”

A look of disbelief appeared on Meng Yingxing’s face.

Although his contact with Qingqiu Zhaoying was brief and mostly unpleasant, based on Zhaoying’s past experiences and his behavior over the last few days, he didn’t seem like the type of person who would do such a thing.

Qingqiu Zhaoying was once a protector of the city.

Even when Xiu Qingcheng snatched the Blood Kong Flower he needed, he hadn’t sought retribution.

Even when he wanted Meng Yingxing to hand over the demon sword, he initially tried to convince him with logic, only resorting to violence later.

Why had his personality changed so drastically now, resorting to indiscriminate slaughter?

Several fox spirits lunged at Xiu Qingcheng, but she didn’t even lift her eyes; the moment they touched her, they were shredded into nothingness by her power.

Xiu Qingcheng’s gaze was cold as she said casually, “Who knows? After living so long, one is bound to become a bit mentally abnormal. Except for me.”

“Let’s find him first.”

“But Master, what about the other civilians?”

“Do you think the City Guard is useless? Solving the root cause, Qingqiu Zhaoying, is the only way to save everyone.”

Just as Xiu Qingcheng said, the moment the anomaly in Yelan City occurred, Hong Chengliang had already assembled all the City Guards in the city to counterattack the fox spirits.

Though the City Guards were just ordinary people, their combat prowess was at the peak of humanity; by working in teams and coordinating, they weren’t entirely helpless against the fox spirits.

Furthermore, there were some scattered spiritual cultivators in Yelan City who, for the sake of their own lives, were forced to attack the spirits as well.

What Xiu Qingcheng and the others needed to do now was resolve the source, Qingqiu Zhaoying, as quickly as possible.

Though Yelan City was large, it wasn’t infinite; soon, Xiu Qingcheng and Meng Yingxing drew close to Zhaoying’s location.

However, just as Xiu Qingcheng wanted to continue forward, Meng Yingxing stopped.

“What is it?”

Xiu Qingcheng caught sight of Meng Yingxing stopping out of the corner of her eye and turned back to look at him with confusion.

“Master, I’ll stay here to deal with those fox spirits. On my own… I can manage.”

Meng Yingxing’s eyes flickered as he looked at the peerless woman with blackish-red hair.

“Aren’t you coming with me?”

Xiu Qingcheng tilted her head, puzzled.

Meng Yingxing shook his head.

“I really want to go with you, Master, but… I think if I go, I’ll only hold you back.”

“It doesn’t matter, I will protect you.”

The memory of himself being held hostage by Qingqiu Zhaoying to threaten Xiu Qingcheng flashed repeatedly through Meng Yingxing’s mind.

Against that version of Qingqiu Zhaoying, he was already a burden; now, according to Xiu Qingcheng, Zhaoying had become even stronger, so he would only be more of a liability.

Xiu Qingcheng could afford to be willful, but he couldn’t.

Meng Yingxing took a deep breath and shook his head again.

“No, Master, I’m not going.”

“You are unrivaled in this world, Master. I shouldn’t let my current self become your weakness.”

“I don’t want to be someone who drags you down.”

Meng Yingxing wore a bitter smile.

“It’s just that I’m still too weak right now.”

“But Master, one day, I will be able to stand and fight by your side without any reservations.”

‘Mutual support, rather than being protected by one person alone.’

Even back with Hua Bukai, he had only barely managed to exchange blows under his Master’s cover; it couldn’t truly be called helping her.

“Master, do you believe me?”

Xiu Qingcheng was momentarily stunned, and then a faint smile appeared on her face.

She nodded toward Meng Yingxing.

“Of course I believe you. I have always believed in you.”

“I understand. But remember, don’t wander too far from me. If anything unexpected happens, I will come to help you immediately.”

The Ting Tian Sword was in Meng Yingxing’s hand; even if something happened to her, she would return to the sword instantly. It was just that Xiu Qingcheng currently wasn’t sure exactly how far she could manifest away from him.

Hearing this, Meng Yingxing nodded, watching as Xiu Qingcheng walked into the searing blue flames.

“One more thing.”

Xiu Qingcheng suddenly looked back, her grey eyes reflecting the flames like flickering starlight.

“You have never been my weakness.”

“Remember your identity. You are my disciple.”

“When it comes to a disciple and a Master, how could there ever be such a thing as a weakness?”

Meng Yingxing froze. By the time he snapped out of it, Xiu Qingcheng had already stepped into the blue fire.

A smile finally touched his lips.

The smile held some joy, yet also a bit of helplessness.

‘A disciple is certainly good.’

‘But perhaps there is an even better position.’

Meng Yingxing shook his head, as if shaking off the thoughts in his mind.

He slowly turned around; behind him, several fox spirits were already lunging at him in coordination.

Cold light flashed in Meng Yingxing’s eyes as he swung his sword.

Simultaneously, a sweat-drenched Shen Xu had also arrived in the city.

The Yelan City of this moment had overturned its usual peace and tranquility.

Before Shen Xu’s eyes, fox fire burned in continuous patches, spirits ran amok, and the city was filled with wails of grief—a scene of utter devastation.

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