Chapter 154: Days of Listening to Gossip

"Ladies and gentlemen, the demonic faction has been rampant of late. No doubt you all understand what their intentions are."

"The demonic faction is divided into the Northern Demon Realm and the Western Demon Realm. Now, these two great demon realms have united solely to awaken that ancient Demon Lord, to humiliate the scions of our hundreds of orthodox sects, and many sects have already been completely exterminated by their hands."

"Today, the purpose of gathering you all here is to emulate the sages of the past, to issue anew the Demon-Slaying Decree, and to restore peace to this world."

"Starting from this day, I declare that the Disciple Trials are about to begin. To the victorious disciple, Qinghe Mountain shall bestow our sect-protecting divine treasure, the Dragon-Subduing Sword, in the hope that a true hero of our righteous path may safeguard this firmament for us all!"

"Be mindful! Be mindful! The competition is about participation; friendship comes first, safety second, and results come last!"

"This Dragon-Subduing Sword is said to be forged from the primordial spine and bones of the demonic dragon Cangjie, and it possesses miraculous efficacy against the demonic faction," said Wei Qian, Palace Master of the Hundred Flowers Palace. "Everyone in Qinghe Mountain is mad. The current Mountain Master is slightly better than those deceased predecessors, but looking at him now, he is no different from a madman."

"Keep your voice down. Was yesterday's warning from the Profound Cloud Sect not enough for you?" reminded Hongri, Alliance Master of the Sun and Moon Alliance.

It had only been a warning during the day, yet who could have imagined that by nightfall, they had all been summoned to Qu Xiu's courtyard under the pretext that Wen Jingeda had demanded the trials begin a day early? However, judging by Wen Jingeda's helpless expression, it was likely Qu Xiu acting entirely on his own accord.

"I used to think your elders in the Hundred Flowers Palace were crazy enough, but coming down the mountain this time, I finally understand what true madness is."

The Master of the Talu Sect hailed from the northern frontier, reputed to be a ruthless and vicious novice. As these individuals huddled together, representing the more remote and unconventional fringes of the orthodox path, he continued, noticing everyone staring at him: "In my view, not a single one of those three millennial-old grand sects harbors a normal soul!"

"Has anyone from the Esoteric Sect arrived?" Hongri nudged Wei Qian. "I suddenly recall that the Esoteric Sect seems to be hunting down two monks? Among the people Shan Hongxing brought, there is a monk, and when they left yesterday, there seemed to be yet another monk in that courtyard. Those two hunted monks are said to be no ordinary mortals, either?"

"Do you know of the Monks under the Moon?" the Talu Sect Master said. "Two disciples, said to possess profound Buddhist affinity."

"One is unhinged and goes by the name of the Sorrow-Joy Buddha. When normal, he is just an ordinary little monk, but only when he goes mad can he find a way out."

"The other is called the Virtue-Sin Buddha, rumored to be able to communicate with ghosts and gods, seemingly stumbling across the threshold of ghostly cultivation. Like his junior brother, he too requires bouts of madness to attain Buddhist affinity."

"Otherwise, did you think the Esoteric Sect had lost its mind, choosing not to keep two such promising disciples, but instead dispatching people to hunt them down to the end?"

"Now think on that Diviner... Tsk tsk, even more fascinating."

"In what way fascinating?"

"Cough..." Before Qu Xiu could manage a warning sound, he was dragged away by Wen Jingeda.

"Shh!"

"What are you doing?" Since Wen Jingeda refused to let him speak, Qu Xiu had to use telepathic transmission. "You've lost your memories, so why are you still making fun of me? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to escape your shadow? Is it easy for me? I—"

"I just think listening to others talk behind my back is rather thrilling." Wen Jingeda initially intended to grab his shoulder, but remembering that crackling sound of static electricity, she shuddered. "Squat down in front of me."

"The disciples are all about to enter. Aren't you going—"

"Not going. Liang Si is there."

"That eldest disciple of yours?"

"Mm. If he goes, it's cheating. If he doesn't go, Number Four doesn't go either; Number Four is a half-demon, which is also cheating."

"Are you certain the rest aren't cheating?" Qu Xiu glared at her in displeasure. "Number Two and Little Six are ordinary mortals, but don't Number Three and Number Five both have suspicious backgrounds?"

"Wang Xi? When she parted ways with me, she was still at the eighth rank, and now she's at the fourth rank. Jumping four tiers in a little over a month, and showing signs of advancing to the third rank—that is indeed somewhat suspicious," Wen Jingeda mused thoughtfully.

Qu Xiu: ......

"Do tell, hurry up?" Hongri was already growing impatient. "I recall that pharmaceutical cultivator is supposed to be a healer with a benevolent heart, but when I saw him yesterday, he reeked of a murderous aura, looking rather like a sword cultivator himself."

"Then you are mistaken. Those seven peaks on their mountain were dug up by me clear to the bottom. That pharmaceutical cultivator belongs to the Azure Rainbow Peak, ranking second among the Diviner's disciples, and he used to be a thoroughly unruly scoundrel."

Qu Xiu couldn't help glancing at Wen Jingeda, only to find her squinting with an expression of utter enjoyment. Had he not known she had lost her memory, he truly would have taken her for a pervert.

"Did you hear what was said last night? Originally, that Immortal Wen was about to come to blows with the Qinghe Mountain Master, but later she traded some demonic entity from a spirit carriage for peace. It is said that demon was meant to have its blood drained for Fan Zifan."

"Long ago, before this fellow even entered the Profound Cloud Sect, he didn't practice the sword; he practiced the saber—and a butcher's cleaver at that."

"..." Wen Jingeda's mouth twitched slightly; her facade of calm could no longer be maintained.

Qu Xiu was just as bewildered as she, having known nothing of this past history concerning Fan Zifan at the time.

"Later, after entering the Profound Cloud Sect, he seemed to have broken some taboos for a period, frequently capturing demons to torture them. It was the Diviner who severed one of his heel tendons as a warning to make him learn his lesson, so that he never touched swords or sabers again and instead poured his heart and soul into those pharmaceutical mountains."

Fan Zifan's foot did indeed possess a slight limp.

Wen Jingeda had discovered this purely by chance; had Fan Zifan not constantly stared at her feet inadvertently, she would never have noticed.

Qu Xiu nudged her, his own gossiping soul thoroughly ignited, "Is it true?"

"He does have a limp. How it was ruined, I've forgotten."

He nodded, seemingly finding a justification for his own slacking off, and his mood brightened considerably.

"Now, regarding that third one, back in the day—"

"No, no, no, you haven't even mentioned the current Sect Master yet!"

"The Sect Master?" The Talu Sect Master laughed, a most peculiar laugh. "Only the likes of you would consider him human. Just an utterly mediocre person, if you ask me. Let me tell you, the heirs of these three millennial-old grand sects are all exceedingly strange."

"One heir apparent defected to the demonic faction; one sect master forced his talented disciple to die alongside him; another passed the position of sect master to the most mediocre one among them. Truly bizarre!"

"The Esoteric Sect, Qinghe Mountain, and the Profound Cloud Sect?"

"I'm not stupid; I can understand," Wen Jingeda waved her hand irritably. Suddenly, her hand was caught in a grip.

"Hmm?"

Qu Xiu had already raised his fist, but Wen Jingeda pushed his hand back down. She made a silencing gesture, asking neither whether Lu Wei was still Lu Wei nor where he had vanished to for an entire day.

Lu Wei sat quietly perched upon the rooftop, making no fuss, listening to the gossip right along with them.

"How can you call him mediocre?"

"You all just listen to me finish speaking of these seven disciples, and you will truly agree he is the paragon of mediocrity."

"Stop keeping us in suspense, speak quickly! Are you trying to torture us with curiosity?"

"Sigh!" The Talu Sect Master sighed. "Very well, very well. The disciples have all entered, leaving only us few castoffs huddled together. It truly is getting somewhat dull."