Chapter 55 – Misunderstanding

Only after raising the fan did Hao Chen realize that something was wrong. Although he looked put-together on the outside, without even a scratch on his clothes, his actual losses were far greater than Feng Ye’s.

Feng Ye’s daoist robes were made of the most common cotton and linen fabric in the world. In terms of value, they were probably not worth a spirit stone of the lowest quality.

But this folding fan of his was several grades higher than a priceless heaven-grade magic weapon. Feng Ye had ruined daoist robes, and Hao Chen had a half-broken fan. No matter how he looked at it, he had lost money in this deal.

And it was a huge loss.

Hao Chen calculated this clearly, but refused to acknowledge it. The loss was minor; admitting that he’d lost to Feng Ye was a bigger deal.

But since he’d already taken out the mini fan, it would look too conspicuous if he put it back. Hao Chen was momentarily in a dilemma, lacking a clever solution for this awkward situation.

Just as he was in a bind, he suddenly heard a chuckle in his ear.

Feng Ye smiled and shook his head. He could basically guess what Hao Chen was thinking, and looked at the smooth broken edge of the mini fan. It was likely that Hao Chen had used it to block his sword attack, which was why he was unharmed.

Although he didn’t know what sort of magic weapon the folding fan was, the fact that it was able to block his attack proved that it was extraordinary.

The loss was obviously much greater than his own, but Hao Chen had only realized this once he took it out. Feng Ye couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Hao Chen’s complicated expression as he held the mini fan between his fingertips.

His laughter interrupted Hao Chen’s musing. It seemed he didn’t have to worry anymore – because Feng Ye had already caught on to his embarrassment. Since this was the case, Hao Chen simply waved the mini fan as he usually would, pretending like nothing had happened.

In order to prevent Feng Ye from rubbing it in, Hao Chen was eager to bring up another topic. His gaze drifted to Fang Yang, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground with a vaguely familiar person laying across his knees.

Hao Chen couldn’t help but wonder: “This is…..?”

“Ah, this is Cao Zirui.” Fang Yang was reminded by this question, and introduced him to Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage. Hao Chen successfully diverted his attention, and the youth forgot to ask what had happened to their respective tattered robes and half-missing fan.

Cao Zirui’s name was well-known in Lingxiao Sword Sect, and many people privately envied or hated him. Even if someone didn’t remember his appearance, they would immediately know who this was once Fang Yang spoke his name.

If Feng Ye were the only one here, Fang Yang would have only needed to introduce him like this. Although Feng Ye had long known about him, he pretended to know nothing.

But there was an outsider here who didn’t belong to Lingxiao Sword Sect. Hao Chen was from Tiangong Pavilion, and wouldn’t know much about their sect, so Fang Yang kindly gave a detailed explanation: “He’s also a disciple of our Lingxiao Sword Sect, and a direct disciple of Sect Leader Ji. He was standing on the viewing platform during the competition.”

“Ah, yes. I remember now.” Hao Chen came to a sudden realization. No wonder he looked familiar – it turned out that he had seen him before. Although most of his attention had been on Feng Ye during the Qi Refining level competition, he had also spared time to glance at the viewing platform.

That brief glance didn’t allow him to recognize Cao Zirui, but it had left a small impression on him.

“What are you two……” With the question of his identity answered, Hao Chen had a new concern. He looked at Fang Yang and Cao Zirui. Unconscious and with his eyes closed, it was obvious that Cao Zirui was seriously injured. Although Fang Yang was still in good spirits, his body was covered in wounds, and his dusty daoist robes were full of holes.

He had originally thought that he and Feng Ye were in a miserable state, but compared to these two, he realized that the two adults had at least retained their dignity and suffered no wounds.

“You’re injured. What happened?” Although Feng Ye knew everything, he was different from Hao Chen, who lacked professionalism and often forgot his fake identity. He had to put on a good show, and asked this question with a look of astonishment on his face.

This question unleashed the chatterbox. Fang Yang sniffled, suppressing the sudden sourness that welled up in his heart. He hadn’t felt anything before he was asked, but now that his injuries had been addressed, all of the grievance and fear in his heart rushed out at once.

He rubbed the corners of his eyes, refusing to cry in front of the others as he recounted his experiences of the past half day in detail.

“That’s what happened. We were chased by Lu Chengye the whole way, but somehow the earthquake just now caused the golden arrow to break, and Cao Zirui and I were lucky enough to survive,” Fang Yang summarized.

Feng Ye listened in silence, and said after Fang Yang finished speaking: “I’m glad you’re okay.”

He was no good at comforting people, and after wracking his brains, he could only squeeze out these four words. Although four words was short, Fang Yang could identify the concern in them, and his nose felt sour again.

Seeing this, Feng Ye was silent for a moment before saying gently: “You can cry if you want to.”

Fang Yang shook his head vigorously. He raised a hand to cover his eyes, masking the rising tears, and said stubbornly: “I don’t want to cry. Men don’t shed tears easily. A man who stands tall and proud sheds blood, not tears.” He didn’t remember where he had read this sentence. Perhaps it was from some fictional book, but he firmly believed it.

It was embarrassing enough that he had cried a few days ago over the enormous drop in his cultivation level, and he’d told himself that it would never happen again.

However, Feng Ye gainsayed him with a chuckle: “That may be true, but tears don’t equal weakness. And whether or not one cries isn’t the standard by which a person’s capability is determined.”

Fang Yang was unconvinced, and refuted: “But the powerful people in my stories would never cry about such a minor thing.”

“How do you know that those powerful people never cried themselves hoarse before they became powerful, sobbing on a dark and rainy night?” Feng Ye asked softly.

Fang Yang was taken aback by the question, and didn’t respond right away.

Feng Ye’s eyes were vacant, staring unfocused at the ground as if he was recalling something: “No one is born powerful. Even the most powerful gods have experienced disasters you can’t even imagine before they became deities.”

He raised his eyes and looked directly at Fang Yang: “Fang Yang, only after a hundred rounds of forging can iron be made into steel, and only after a hundred rounds of hammering can a sword take shape. Only after you have shed all of your blood and tears will you truly be indestructible.”

Fang Yang was stunned by his words. He lowered his head in silence, mulling over the words in his heart.

Fang Yang’s account of the entire process was like an old lady’s foot-binding cloth, tedious and messy. He spoke of every little thing, even the emotional experience of discovering the Yuanling grass. Thus, it had taken more than an hour for him to finish his story.

The three of them had long since switched from standing together to sitting together.

Only after listening to Fang Yang’s account did Hao Chen realize that while the sea had been turbulent, so many things had happened on land as well.

He suddenly understood the so-called urgent matter Feng Ye had mentioned to him at that time. Filled with shame and anger at having his identity exposed, he hadn’t listened to Feng Ye at all, nor had he cared.

Feng Ye had likely been so anxious to leave because he wanted to go ashore and save this person, but he had been obstructed in every possible way. At this thought, Hao Chen couldn’t help but wave his mini fan again with a guilty conscience.

But very soon, he found an excuse for himself. In the end, all of this was Feng Ye’s fault. If Feng Ye hadn’t tricked him into the monsters’ lair, he wouldn’t have been angry enough to call a group of monsters to attack him.

Feng Ye had clearly just claimed that he would save him, but in the next moment, he turned into a floating daoist robe painted with array patterns inside the monster’s lair. He’d flipped even faster than turning the page of a book!

If he wasn’t a strong, powerful Kunpeng, he would have died here today facing those hundreds of monsters. Feng Ye’s move had clearly been a fatal one.

Hao Chen waved his mini fan faster and faster, reigniting the sputtering rage in his heart.

He was not actually angry at Feng Ye for tricking him into the monsters’ lair. Setting Feng Ye’s previous words aside, he really had to admire his methods. This series of deceptions had been brilliant.

But Feng Ye had spoken those words, and Hao Chen had believed them to be true. He was deeply moved, and had made an equally important promise in return – but what he got in return was deception. It was inevitable that this big fish, who wasn’t that big anymore, would be angry.

Due to this rekindled anger, Hao Chen ceased to listen to the conversation between Feng Ye and Fang Yang, and instead stared at Feng Ye, attempting to discern his expression. He wanted to see the difference on his face between when he lied and when he told the truth.

After watching for a long time, he came to the conclusion that there was no way to tell at all.

Feng Ye usually told him lies, and they were easy to distinguish. But at the bottom of the sea, he had clearly been speaking very seriously, and his expression was exactly the same as it was now.

What Feng Ye had said just now to Fang Yang shouldn’t be a lie, but what he’d said to Hao Chen likely was.

The same expression, but two results. Hao Chen couldn’t figure it out, and could only conclude that Feng Ye was a cunning and treacherous person with superb acting skills.

Fang Yang pondered for a long time, but before he could fully comprehend Feng Ye’s meaning, he suddenly realized that night was approaching. “Ah, it’s getting dark. I’ll go to the river to wash my face and pick up some firewood.”

He gently moved Cao Zirui from his lap to the ground, then stood up and prepared to leave.

Feng Ye looked at the dried mud all over Fang Yang’s clothes and face, and commented: “You should bathe.”

Fang Yang was also aware of how slovenly he looked, and scratched his head with a bit of embarrassment. In order to prevent Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage from misunderstanding him as an unhygienic person, he justified himself: “I wanted to bathe earlier, but he wouldn’t wake up. I was afraid that moving him would disturb his wound, so I just stayed here to make sure he wasn’t carried off by some monster.”

Fang Yang left after saying this, and only two people remained, not counting the unconscious Cao Zirui.

The word “monster” once again touched Hao Chen’s nerves. Gazing after Fang Yang’s departing figure, he said enigmatically: “Afraid he would be carried off by a monster? Your shixiong knows exactly where a monster lair is. Better than I do, even.”

Feng Ye had already set the fatal trap before Hao Chen realized the location of the monsters’ lair. It seemed his insight was far superior to Hao Chen’s own.

Fang Yang didn’t hear this as he walked away, but Feng Ye was sitting near him and heard it clearly.

He was puzzled: “What monster lair?”

Hao Chen scoffed and said accusingly: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, there’s no one else here, so don’t bother pretending anymore. One moment, you were sweet-talking me, and the next, you revealed your murderous intent and used an illusion to lure me into the lair of sea monsters. A man’s thoughts are like a needle at the bottom of the sea.”

Feng Ye: “……” What on earth was going on, ah!

He filtered out Hao Chen’s excessive adjectives and grasped the key point: “You think I used the illusion to trick you into a monster lair?”

It was Hao Chen’s turn to be confused: “What else?”

Their eyes met, filled with identical question marks.

After a long silence, both sides promptly came to their senses.

“The direction of the movement array was random?” Hao Chen got straight to the point with his question.

Feng Ye nodded.

Hao Chen: “……”

He stood in front of the other party, stiffly holding his mini fan. Who would have thought that the anger he held in his heart was all because of a misunderstanding?

Meanwhile, Feng Ye’s thinking was: Hao Chen had led that group of monsters to find him because he thought he had been deceived, and wanted to take revenge? And the result was that he was almost too late to save Fang Yang.

In the vast, open ocean, the daoist robe had actually led Hao Chen right into a monster lair, which in turn triggered the series of subsequent events.

Feng Ye didn’t know whether to say that Hao Chen was unlucky, or that he himself was.

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Chapter 54 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 56