With their Little Uncle-Master presiding over the scene, Nan Zhu felt emboldened, and the matter naturally had to be recounted from the beginning.
As he began telling the story from the moment the three martial brothers left their mountain, Nan Zhu started listing all of Yu Qing’s faults in great detail.
Yu Qing exploded at the words. “Fatso, make yourself clear. Who wronged whom first? When we just left the mountain, I did not have enough silver on me. You two ate and drank lavishly all the way, yet you would not let me join the table. I sat alone on the side, gnawing on flatbread the entire journey. Did I ever complain about you two?”
Chong’er’s gaze immediately fixed on the seventh and ninth brothers, his brows slightly furrowing.
He clearly remembered that even when he was a servant, Yu Qing would secretly slip him good food to eat. That warmth was something he would never forget.
“Silence,” the Little Uncle-Master warned, pointing at Yu Qing again. “Let him finish. I know exactly what sort of characters you all are. I will judge right from wrong myself. There is no need for you to clamour.”
Yu Qing had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure it, letting the others speak.
Nan Zhu continued his chatter, recounting everything from their departure, to the decision to come to Youjiao Port to obtain a You residence identity for entering the Demon Realm, all the way until their identities were exposed at the Wen clan and they had to leave. Only then did he finally finish.
The overall account was fairly objective, though it inevitably carried his personal emotions, and he even exaggerated his own contributions from his own perspective.
At this moment, Mu Aotie was firmly on Nan Zhu’s side, occasionally chiming in with a few words.
In certain parts, the Little Uncle-Master could not help but interject with questions, such as the details of their battle of wits and strength with Yun Xi inside Jianyuan Mountain.
The thrilling ordeal inside the ancient tomb truly made the Little Uncle-Master and Chong’er’s hearts pound. They realised that these fellows had genuinely escaped with their lives. They were indeed willing to risk everything for money. The key point was that even knowing the address for the Little Cloud Realm given by Yun Xi might be problematic, the three of them still dared to venture in with their heads held high.
Furthermore, they kept accusing each other of wanting to hog all the benefits and trying to slip away alone. Each of them was so fiercely reckless in their pursuit of death that it truly opened the master and disciple’s eyes.
Since the matter was already in the past, the Little Uncle-Master did not wish to blame anyone for now. He simply fixed his gaze on Yu Qing and asked, “Was your identity exposed because of that woman named Wen Xin?”
Chong’er blinked as he stared intently at Yu Qing.
Yu Qing denied it on the spot. “Nonsense. Little Uncle-Master, do not listen to their rubbish. I was exposed because I happened to run into a colleague from the capital’s Censorate, who was also the second-place scholar of our examination year. He is also the son-in-law of the Wan clan, the Wen clan’s rivals. Someone saw through me at the time. Otherwise, how could I possibly have been exposed?”
Nan Zhu immediately spat. “Little Uncle-Master, do not believe him. You did not see him. After leaving the Wen clan, he looked utterly lost. He even called out ‘Wen Xin’ in his sleep. If not for that, how would we know about him and Wen Xin?”
Yu Qing, enraged and humiliated by the accusation, pointed a finger at him. “Fatso, I have never had the habit of talking in my sleep. You are spreading lies and nonsense here. You will eventually get poisoned sores in your mouth and a rotten tongue for it.”
Nan Zhu scoffed. “If I did not hear it, let alone get sores in my mouth, I would gladly be struck by five heavenly bolts of lightning.”
Mu Aotie added, “I heard it too. He called out the name ‘Wen Xin’ more than once in his sleep.”
“Two malicious bastards!” Yu Qing roared, rolling up his sleeves. “I dare anyone to talk nonsense one more time!”
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie both puffed out their chests at the same time, making their intention to team up very clear.
Nan Zhu sneered. “We are only telling the truth. You dare to do it but not admit it, yet you call us liars. Come at us then. Do you think we are afraid of you?”
With the Little Uncle-Master present, their confidence was absolutely solid.
Of course, even if the Little Uncle-Master were not here, they would still stand their ground. At most, they would just get beaten up a bit more severely. His previously broken ribs had not even fully healed.
The two sides instantly became like dry wood and a raging fire, the atmosphere clearly on the verge of ignition.
Yu Qing in particular was about to strike right then and there. “Hey, I will teach you to keep running your mouth…”
His voice cut off abruptly as a sharp glint suddenly appeared between them.
None of the three opponents noticed the sword’s appearance. It was already frozen before their eyes before they felt the ripple of the sword swing reaching them.
The sword was in the Little Uncle-Master’s hand. Its blade shimmered with a cold, soul-chilling light, and its surface was dotted with many irregular fine holes.
All three martial brothers knew this was the Linglong Temple’s sect treasure, named the ‘Void-Walking Sword’, passed down through generations.
Its miraculous feature lay in its ability to be soft or hard, entirely controlled by the wielder. It could normally be hidden within a belt, which was why the Little Uncle-Master appeared to never carry a weapon.
What Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie did not know was that the sword’s most remarkable trait was the ability to control the sound and movement generated when it rubbed against the air. This would cause severe misjudgement in opponents during combat. Not just anyone could wield it. Only disciples of the Linglong Temple who cultivated the Sound Mantra could master its effects proficiently.
This point was clear to Yu Qing as a true disciple. Although the ‘Void-Walking Sword’ was the sect treasure, it was generally only passed down to Sound Mantra disciples for use, even if he was the sect leader. Only if the Sound Mantra lineage temporarily broke would it be kept by a disciple of the View Mantra.
If one could not unleash its miraculous effects, keeping it was useless. It would be better to simply find any sharp sword and be at ease.
With a single sword strike, the movements of the three martial brothers were instantly frozen. Their eyes fixed tightly on the gleaming blade, none daring to make a rash move. They all knew the Little Uncle-Master was not someone to be trifled with.
“Come on, continue. What are you staring at? Fight!” The Little Uncle-Master’s gaze swept across the three men’s reactions, then he said coldly, “Whoever strikes first will get a floral carving on their body. Those with thick skin can try it.”
The three martial brothers made no reaction, stayed silent, and all calmed down.
The Little Uncle-Master tapped the tip of his sword against Yu Qing’s chin. “What is the meaning of keeping that little moustache? Do you not know how ugly it looks, or are you saving it to scrub dishes?”
Yu Qing turned his head aside, adopting an attitude of a gentleman who would rather die than be insulted.
The Little Uncle-Master retracted his sword. The blade flipped in his hand, held upside down, and slid into his waist with a soft hiss, vanishing beneath his black cloak in front of everyone. He then untied his cloak, threw it to Chong’er, drew the folding fan from his belt, walked over to a chair, and sat down. “Continue with how you found the Little Cloud Realm later.”
“Later we found Shiji Bay, but we did not even dare to step onto the shore…”
Nan Zhu, the chatterbox, was the most suitable person to explain this. He rattled off the detailed events that followed, including how they found the entrance, how long they hid, how they were captured, how the Little Cloud Realm was opened, and what they encountered inside.
Upon hearing that Big Head could neutralise the evil aura inside the Immortal Peach, even the Little Uncle-Master listened with wide, shining eyes. Chong’er, standing nearby, was also greatly surprised.
The subsequent thrilling experiences inside the Little Cloud Realm naturally sounded heart-stopping to those who had not been there.
After listening, the Little Uncle-Master could no longer sit still. He stood up, waving his folding fan continuously, and stared at Yu Qing. “You mean that disgusting bug you used to boil water for drinking in the capital?”
Yu Qing replied, “Disgusting? Who here has not drunk it? You are just the one who thinks you are clean. Having Big Head boil water is so convenient and practical.”
The Little Uncle-Master turned to look at Chong’er and asked, “You drank it too?”
Chong’er nodded repeatedly. “Master, Big Head is very convenient for boiling water.”
Yu Qing chuckled. “She was actually the first one to drink it.”
Back then, he did not dare to drink the water boiled by Big Head either. He used Chong’er as a test subject. Among those present, Chong’er was indeed the first to drink it.
Thinking about the experiment, his gaze wandered over Chong’er again, pondering that he might need to use her for another test.
He currently did not know how long the effect of neutralising the evil aura would last after drinking the water. It was probably not permanent, but none of the three martial brothers dared to stop drinking it to conduct an experiment.
It worked out perfectly. Since Chong’er had drunk the water before, he could just have her eat the Immortal Peach later as a test.
The only issue was that Chong’er used to be very obedient to him. He did not know if she would still be so compliant now, or if she would actually eat a peach tainted with evil aura if directly ordered to.
The Little Uncle-Master pondered this for a moment, a look of suspicion gradually appearing on his face. He turned back to Yu Qing. “Come on, do I not know your nature? If this bug was truly that useful, would you have gone through all those roundabout methods to sell it to me at a dirt-cheap price?”
“…”
Yu Qing was instantly stunned, a hint of embarrassment crossing his face. He remembered it now. It was indeed true. Back in the capital, he had been trying to sell Big Head for money, but he just could not find a buyer.
Chong’er knew a bit about this too. She had seen Yu Qing constantly trying to sell Big Head to Xu Fei.
Nan Zhu suddenly chuckled. “Little Uncle-Master, need you even ask? This fellow definitely did not know about Big Head’s miraculous use before. When we first arrived at Youjiao Port, did he not already sell Big Head once? He just did not expect to run into Big Head flying back on the road.”
Having his secrets constantly exposed was highly embarrassing. Yu Qing became enraged and humiliated again, glaring coldly at him. “A fat, stupid thing like you would not understand what a scheme or strategy is. If I did not know Big Head could fly back on its own, would I have sold it so easily? I let it roam freely for so long, how could I not know if it would return? I was simply so destitute I had no choice but to use that poor tactic. Besides, that Qin Jue was no good person anyway!”
Chong’er listened and nodded slightly, thinking it was indeed true.
Nan Zhu was stunned for a moment, then looked utterly exasperated, pointing at him. “Fifteenth brother, can you not have any shame? Do you think we did not see how Big Head returned? You had no idea if it was actually Big Head coming back, and you were just squatting by the road testing it. We witnessed it with our own eyes and were part of it. How can you lie with your eyes wide open?”
Mu Aotie nodded. “Exactly. Do not deceive yourself.”
“Enough, enough. Save your dog-eat-dog squabbles for later,” the Little Uncle-Master interrupted. He pointed his fan at Yu Qing. “That bug… there is also a Chong’er here, which makes the naming awkward. It is called Big Head, right? Yes, Big Head. Bring it out so I can take another look.” He looked as if he had misjudged it last time and wanted to examine it carefully now.
Yu Qing looked up at the roof and called out, “Big Head, I am calling you. Come down.” He reached his hand upwards.
Several people looked up together and saw a bug resting on the crossbeam. It was indeed Big Head, though it was unclear if it was watching them.
Upon hearing the voice and seeing the gesture, Big Head suddenly flapped its wings and flew down, landing gracefully in Yu Qing’s palm before folding its wings.
Chong’er suddenly let out a delighted cry. “Ah, it really is Big Head.”
She recognised it instantly, her eyes shining with the feeling of missing someone dearly after a long time.
She was also quite surprised to find that Big Head no longer needed to be tied with a string. She still remembered how she used to hold a string like she was carrying a hanged corpse to make Big Head boil water. Not to mention, she had now heard of Big Head’s many heroic deeds.
He was already somewhat impatient to get reacquainted with Big Head, wondering if the bug still remembered him.