Chapter 469 – My Master Is Not Human – Peach Blossoms Bloom Everywhere (16)
The two disciples slowly woke up. Seeing that their bodies were completely unharmed and sensing the abundant spiritual energy within themselves, along with the lingering sweetness in their mouths, they immediately knew that Bai Tang had saved them.
They were more familiar than anyone with the pills their master refined. Their master hated bitterness the most, so whenever he made medicine, he always added licorice root, making the pills taste sweet upon entering the mouth.
From their account, Pei Boyi was the greatest hero. If not for him, they might not have survived long enough for Yue Xiyin to arrive. Of course, their master had also played a crucial role, but since Bai Tang’s whereabouts were unknown, they had no idea what happened after they lost consciousness.
Next came Pei Boyi’s version of events. He concealed the parts about Bai Tang losing his memory and falling into demonic cultivation. He only said that Bai Tang had opened the exit, after which he himself lost consciousness and knew nothing of what later happened to Bai Tang.
In short, aside from the missing Bai Tang, Pei Boyi became the greatest contributor in eliminating the demonic cultivator who had harmed the righteous-path disciples. Moreover, despite possessing mixed spiritual roots, he had become a Golden Core cultivator within only a few short years, proving that his hidden talent was exceptional. This also explained why Bai Tang had insisted on taking him in as his sole disciple years ago—Daoist Heyi had possessed a discerning eye for talent and did not wish to see such potential buried, which was why he accepted him as a disciple.
Bai Tang had once told Pei Boyi that he hoped for peace throughout the world. Because of this, Pei Boyi revealed the Soul-Returning Jade Pill that he and Bai Tang had refined together over the years, a pill capable of repairing the damage caused by the Devouring Mist.
The disciples, who had originally believed they would become crippled for the rest of their lives, were overjoyed. After experiencing such intense sorrow followed by sudden happiness, they could not stop their tears from flowing, and they repeatedly thanked Pei Boyi with immense gratitude.
No matter how twisted and winding the plot became, the glory belonging to the male protagonist still fell upon Pei Boyi.
Pei Boyi’s fame spread far and wide. His famous battle within the Daji Secret Realm, along with the later incident of saving the righteous-path disciples, became widely known.
Standing atop the mountain peak, he gazed into the distance at waves of cultivators and disciples from other sects descending the mountain and returning home, and once again thought of Bai Tang, whose whereabouts remained unknown.
Tang Tang, are you doing well?
At that very moment, the Bai Tang whom Pei Boyi worried about was being hunted down by demonic cultivators. So what if he had fallen into demonic cultivation? Even as a demon cultivator, his constitution as a heavenly spiritual treasure could not be changed. In fact, becoming demonic made things even better—if they devoured him directly, they could absorb his power without needing to painstakingly convert spiritual energy.
Bai Tang had yet to recover his memories, and he could not clearly remember many cultivation techniques or combat skills. He could only rely on instinct to evade danger, suffering many injuries while fleeing from pursuit.
However, after countless battles with demonic cultivators, Bai Tang’s combat abilities rapidly improved. Three months later, he defeated the famous Demon Saint Gaoge of the demon realm and seized his cave dwelling. From that point onward, anyone wishing to make a move against Bai Tang had to carefully consider whether they were truly his opponent. Up to now, every demonic cultivator sent to hunt him down had never returned alive. In a world where strength reigned supreme, no matter how restless the demonic cultivators were, they could only suppress their desires for the time being.
The fall of Demon Saint Gaoge shocked the demonic cultivation world, while the rising new star who defeated him became known as Demon Lord Songzi.
“Demon Lord Songzi?” The name sounded rather ridiculous. After hearing it, the righteous-path cultivators laughed about it for quite a while. Who would use “Songzi” — pine nuts — as a title? Could it be that this person simply loved eating pine nuts and was terrible at naming things, so he used “Songzi” as his honorific title?
Still, jokes were jokes. The man himself was undeniably someone the righteous path feared. These comments were only spread privately within their own sects and never spoken publicly. The righteous path was currently weaker than the demonic path, and they feared attracting the vengeance of Demon Lord Songzi.
When Pei Boyi heard the news, he froze for a moment before breaking into a smile.
He was absolutely certain that the so-called Demon Lord Songzi was TangTang.
Pine nuts were TangTang’s favorite. If anyone tried to snatch pine nuts away from him, he would bare his claws and fight them desperately.
After months of searching, there was finally news of his little lover. Pei Boyi cast aside the oppressive gloom that had surrounded him, and all the disciples on Medicine Peak breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since Pei Boyi returned from the Daji Secret Realm, his aura had become increasingly intimidating.
Since the events of the Daji Secret Realm, countless people had come seeking medicine. If Pei Boyi had not kept them in check, Medicine Peak would probably have become as chaotic as a crowded marketplace.
After arranging the defenses of Medicine Peak and instructing his eldest disciple to guard the mountain gate carefully, Pei Boyi informed the sect master and descended the mountain to search for Bai Tang.
Bai Tang’s whereabouts were not difficult to discover, but entering demonic cultivator territory while concealing his own aura was a major problem.
This made him think of the Dianxing Sect. The sect possessed a treasure called the Radiant Pearl, which could conceal one’s aura and cultivation level. Even Tribulation Transcendence cultivators could not discern the true strength of someone using the Radiant Pearl. Ordinary people had little use for such an item, but for Pei Boyi, it was exactly what he needed.
Halfway through his journey, Pei Boyi changed direction and headed toward the Dianxing Sect, hoping to exchange pills for the Radiant Pearl.
At the same time, the demonic cultivators who held grudges against Bai Tang realized they could not confront him directly, so they resorted to underhanded schemes—framing him.
Several of them pretended to submit to Bai Tang while secretly observing the timing of his secluded cultivation. Taking advantage of the opportunity, they placed the Asura Ice they had stolen from Demon Saint Biguang inside Bai Tang’s cave dwelling. Then, when Demon Saint Biguang began searching for the thief, they deliberately led him toward Bai Tang.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Bai Tang was forced out of seclusion. His cultivation technique backfired, and although surging blood rushed up his throat, he forcibly suppressed it. Yet Demon Saint Biguang refused to let the matter go.
“Demon Lord Songzi, I respected your exalted status, yet I never expected you to behave like such a petty villain, constantly resorting to theft and sneaky tricks…”
Bai Tang swept his gaze across the crowd. Several guilty individuals nervously turned their faces away. Instantly understanding the situation, Bai Tang let out a cold laugh.
“If you say it’s me, then it’s me. So this is all you’re capable of.”
With that, he tossed the Asura Ice back.
The Asura Ice traced a beautiful arc through the air, but halfway across, a black-robed figure suddenly appeared and snatched it away. Without leaving behind a single word, the figure threw down a cloud of smoke and swiftly retreated.
The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard. By the time they emerged from the smoke, the black-robed figure had already vanished without a trace.
Because Bai Tang had been forcibly interrupted during his secluded cultivation, he suffered internal injuries. In his current condition, he could not guarantee that he would be able to face Demon Saint Biguang—the strongest of the Four Great Demon Saints—and retreat unharmed. Moreover, all the demonic cultivators who had once sworn loyalty to him had now turned against him. Fearing they might still have further schemes prepared, Bai Tang acted before they could speak, publicly declaring that he would retrieve the Asura Ice for Demon Saint Biguang. He then dealt with the traitorous demonic cultivators on the spot.
Those few had believed Demon Saint Biguang would save them, but even at the moment of their deaths, they never heard him say a single word on their behalf.
Demon Saint Biguang was no fool. These people had deliberately plotted to pit him against Demon Lord Songzi. Whether one side died and the other was injured, or both sides suffered greatly, it would only benefit the schemers. The current situation was far better than expected; at least no one had completely fallen out with the other. A Demon Lord was not feared solely because of strength, but also because of talent and the fortune bestowed upon them by the Heavenly Dao. If they completely tore relations apart now, things would become difficult in the future.
Demon Saint Biguang said, “In that case, I’ll trouble Demon Lord Songzi with this matter.”
Demon Saint Biguang had arrived with several followers, and he departed with the same number. As for the demonic cultivators who had defected to him midway, he left them all behind for Bai Tang to deal with. However the Demon Lord chose to handle them was his own affair.
“Demon Lord, spare us! Demon Lord, spare us…”
Their pleas for mercy rang out continuously as they knelt and kowtowed. Before long, blood appeared on their foreheads.
Bai Tang remained unmoved by their miserable appearance. He hated being deceived more than anything.
If it were A-Yi, he would never deceive me.
The thought had only just surfaced when Bai Tang frowned.
Who is A-Yi? Why did I suddenly think of this person?
Thinking did not hinder his movements. The begging demonic cultivators soon followed the same fate as the traitors before them. Watching their lifeless bodies collapse to the ground, Bai Tang pulled out a handkerchief in disgust and wiped his hands.
As the soft fabric brushed against his fingertips, Bai Tang suddenly froze. A scene flashed through his mind—a man gently wiping his hands for him with tender care.
Go away. This Lord doesn’t need these things. Get lost…
Bai Tang clutched his head in pain, yet the images continued to surface endlessly.
The Dianxing Sect.
Back then, the Dianxing Sect had once been a great sect as famous as the Le’an Immortal Sect. However, after the incident in the Daji Secret Realm a hundred years ago, the sect lost many disciples. In their attempts to uncover the truth, several powerful elders also perished one after another, greatly weakening the sect. From then on, it gradually declined.
Pei Boyi had sent ahead a formal visiting card in advance, so when he arrived at the Dianxing Sect, not only was he not obstructed, he was warmly welcomed because he was the most outstanding disciple of Daojun Heyi.
The sect master of the Dianxing Sect, Daoist Jiayi, personally received him.
“I’ve long heard of Fellow Daoist Pei’s reputation. Now that I’ve finally met you in person, it truly proves that heroes emerge from the young. Hearing of your fame cannot compare to seeing you for oneself.”
“Daoist Jiayi flatters me. I’m only fortunate to have received the praise of my seniors. This title of ‘young hero’ is something this junior truly does not dare accept.”
Who didn’t know how to be humble? Pei Boyi was especially skilled at exchanging polite formalities.
After exchanging polite formalities for a while, Pei Boyi no longer wished to continue circling around the matter and said directly, “This junior has come today with an improper request. I hope the Dianxing Sect can lend me the Radiant Pearl for a time.”
“This…” Daoist Jiayi pretended to look troubled. “The Radiant Pearl is one of our sect’s treasured artifacts. Lending it out is truly somewhat…”
Watching the Dianxing Sect gradually decline, to the point that even new disciples no longer chose it as their first option when seeking a master, how could Daoist Jiayi, as sect master, not feel anxious? Since Pei Boyi had come seeking his help, he naturally began entertaining a few small schemes of his own.
However, before Daoist Jiayi could fully put on his troubled expression, an “Ow!” suddenly sounded from behind.
“Xiao Qiu, stop pushing me! What if Father finds out later?”
Cultivators possessed sharp senses, so the young woman’s whisper was clearly heard by both Daoist Jiayi and Pei Boyi.
Embarrassment burned across Daoist Jiayi’s face. Losing face in front of Pei Boyi was bad enough. He immediately scolded toward the source of the voice, “Zhenzhen, come out this instant!”
Seeing that she had been exposed, the girl named Zhenzhen stuck out her tongue playfully and ran over to Daoist Jiayi’s side, shaking his arm.
“Father~”
Xiao Qiu lowered her head obediently and knelt before Daoist Jiayi.
“Sect Master, it was Xiao Qiu who wanted to witness Daoist Pei’s elegance and reputation for herself, so I dragged Miss out with me. Please punish me, Sect Master.”
Clearly, Xiao Qiu was already accustomed to taking the blame for Zhenzhen. Daoist Jiayi, however, felt even more embarrassed. It would have been one thing if this had happened in front of their own people, but the person beside him was from the Le’an Immortal Sect. This was truly losing face before another sect.
Zhenzhen, on the other hand, did not think so at all. As Daoist Jiayi’s daughter born in his later years, she had been spoiled since childhood. This time, after hearing that Pei Boyi had arrived, she had deliberately run out to see him.
She lifted her head and saw the young man standing beside her father. His sharp brows slanted into his temples, and his face was handsome and resolute. His deep obsidian-like eyes carried both unruliness and sharpness.
Zhenzhen was at precisely the age when young maidens admired handsome heroes. She had already developed favorable feelings toward Pei Boyi after hearing countless stories about him. Now that she had seen him in person, she plunged headfirst into the emotion known as love.