Chapter 142: The First Day of Missing My Junior Brother!
The four of them ran from the pawnshop into the large courtyard at the back. Jing Tian sprinted desperately toward the side rooms, panting heavily.
"This kid is missing a screw! We already told him we're not bad people!"
"With how fierce you look, who wouldn't be scared?"
"Li Xiaoyao, if you say that again, I won't be polite!"
"Come on then! Who's afraid of who?"
Xu Changqing finally lost his patience. His face darkened as he snapped, "If you two keep bickering, just go back! I can find the Five Spirit Orbs on my own!"
Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru immediately fell silent. This was the first time they had ever seen Xu Changqing this angry.
Meanwhile, Jing Tian, hearing Xu Changqing's outburst, ran even faster, muttering "Help!" under his breath.
Xu Changqing used his Sword Control Technique to lift his sword and intercept Jing Tian. But the next second, an eerie-looking sword suddenly flew in from nowhere and slammed into his weapon.
"This sword carries a strong demonic aura…"
Xu Changqing frowned as his flying sword tangled with the demonic sword in midair. He had no intention of harming Jing Tian, yet the demonic sword had instinctively flown out to protect him.
A sword that possessed both demonic energy and intelligence—this was the first time Xu Changqing had encountered such a thing, and he couldn't help but feel intrigued.
Jing Tian turned his head to glance at the "red-haired freak's" sword. He felt that running away alone seemed a bit ungrateful—even if his only companion was just a sword.
So, he stopped in his tracks, nervously watching his self-flying sword.
A moment later—
The two swords clashed in midair and then rebounded back to their respective owners. The demonic sword stabbed straight into the ground beside Jing Tian's feet.
"Look at that sword and tell me it's normal!" Lin Yueru huffed, glaring at him. "Now do you still think we're lying to you?"
Jing Tian scratched his head in embarrassment and chuckled awkwardly. "Big brother, big sister, I'm sorry. I haven't seen much of the world and misunderstood you all."
Xu Changqing finally sighed in relief and smiled. "Brother Jing, as long as you believe us, that's good. Now, will you come with us to find the Five Spirit Orbs?"
Jing Tian hesitated. His life at Yong'an Pawnshop wasn't particularly good or bad—it was just peaceful. He could live like this forever, and that would be fine.
The world outside was crawling with demons, some of whom even dared to kill people in broad daylight. In such chaotic times, how could he possibly venture out?
Even with Shu Mountain disciples accompanying him, his fear couldn't be erased.
Feeling helpless, Jing Tian asked, "Hero Xu, why does it have to be me? You saw earlier—I'm just an ordinary person."
Xu Changqing didn't know how to explain. Junior Brother Chu Yang hadn't given him much of a reason, only instructing him to make sure Jing Tian came along.
Lin Yueru suddenly spoke up. "Brat, didn't you say you wanted to open a pawnshop in the future?"
At the mention of a pawnshop, Jing Tian's face lit up with a goofy smile. He nodded. "That's my lifelong dream. I've loved antiques since I was little."
Lin Yueru smiled confidently. "If you come with us, I'll fund your pawnshop—whether or not we find the Five Spirit Orbs!"
Jing Tian stared at her, dumbfounded. Was this heroine really so generous after just meeting him?
Before he could respond, Lin Yueru pulled out a jade pendant and tossed it to him. "This jade is worth a fortune—consider it a deposit. Don't worry, I'm not scamming you. I'm Lin Yueru, daughter of the martial alliance leader, Lin Tiannan."
"Lin… Tiannan?!"
Though he lived in Yuzhou, Jing Tian had still heard of the martial alliance leader. He looked down at the jade pendant, his breathing growing rapid.
More than just valuable—it was priceless! Enough to buy Yong'an Pawnshop outright!
"This has to be real. Who would spend this much just to trick me?"
Jing Tian clutched the jade tightly, his whole body trembling with excitement.
Li Xiaoyao stretched lazily and yawned. "See? If we'd talked about money earlier, we wouldn't have wasted half the day."
Xu Changqing turned to Lin Yueru and said, "Miss Lin, Shu Mountain will reimburse you later. Please don't worry."
"Aiya, Brother Xu, no need to be so polite," Lin Yueru said with a wave of her hand. "Think of it as an investment. If the pawnshop does well, maybe I won't have to ask my father for money anymore."
She winked at Jing Tian. "Is that enough? If not, I can add more."
Jing Tian, afraid she would change her mind, nodded frantically. "Enough! More than enough!"
Li Xiaoyao threw an arm around Jing Tian's shoulders and grinned. "Then what are we waiting for? Pack your things!"
Jing Tian beamed. "No need to pack—let's just go!"
With money in hand, everything was negotiable.
The demonic sword suddenly flew up and landed beside Jing Tian, clearly intent on following him.
"Tsk tsk, this sword is really something. It's basically free money—how about selling it to me?" Li Xiaoyao asked enviously.
"No way! This is a pawned item. Until the redemption period is over, the shop can't touch it. What if the owner comes back for it?"
Jing Tian shook his head firmly, sticking to his principles.
"I thought you were just money-hungry, but you actually have integrity. I like that."
"Hehe, you flatter me, Hero Li."
Li Xiaoyao and Jing Tian hit it off instantly. In just a few exchanges, they were already acting like close friends, much to Lin Yueru's dismay.
Jing Tian slung the demonic sword onto his back and left Yong'an Pawnshop with the others.
Since Jing Tian and Lin Yueru couldn't use Sword Control, and Li Xiaoyao had just started learning and couldn't carry passengers, the three had to take a boat to Leizhou.
Fortunately, Leizhou wasn't far from Yuzhou, and the boat ride wouldn't take long.
The Shu Mountain Sect had its own fleet, with boats of all sizes docked at the southwestern pier of Yuzhou. Many disciples who hadn't yet mastered Sword Control used these boats for travel.
Xu Changqing chose a small vessel, its cabin spacious enough for four or five people to rest.
Seeing how the pier manager fawned over Xu Changqing, Jing Tian's last doubts disappeared.
They traveled by water for a day, stopping at a riverside village along the Dadu River to rest.
Bored, Li Xiaoyao began teaching Jing Tian sword techniques—the exact same way Chu Yang had taught him.
He started with the fundamentals of the Lone Nine Swords before moving on to the Mysterious Sword Art.
Lin Yueru listened for a while before her head spun—she couldn't understand a word.
But—
Jing Tian nodded along as if he understood everything.
At first, Lin Yueru thought he was just pretending. But then, after watching Li Xiaoyao demonstrate a move, Jing Tian replicated it perfectly.
She finally realized—some geniuses simply defied common sense.
Watching the two of them happily sparring, Lin Yueru huffed in frustration. "These two are monsters!"
Xu Changqing chuckled. "Now I understand why my junior brother specifically insisted we bring Brother Jing. He must have more secrets we have yet to uncover…"
Just as he finished speaking, a cry for help rang out from the distance. Xu Changqing stood up and saw a young girl being chased by terrifying monsters.
Before he could finish speaking, a distant cry for help suddenly rang out. Xu Changqing stood up and looked over, just in time to see a young girl being chased by a terrifying monster.
"Why do these things keep coming after me?!"
Tang Xuejian was running for her life, on the verge of tears as the monster closed in on her. The uncertainty of her grandfather's fate made her feel even more desolate.
A few days ago, she had overheard a plot to murder her grandfather, Tang Kun, while sneaking through the secret passages of Tang Manor. Unfortunately, she was discovered and forced to flee. While trying to investigate the conspiracy, she inadvertently attracted these monsters.
The creatures were once disciples of the Thunderbolt Hall, but they had been transformed due to their hall master, Luo Rulie, learning demonic arts from the Evil Sword Immortal.
Humans who forcibly cultivated demonic arts would gradually undergo monstrous transformations until they completely lost their humanity.
Luo Rulie, along with Tang Kun's own son, Tang Yi, was behind the plot to assassinate him in order to seize control of Tang Manor. As a result, Tang Xuejian was cast out, never to return home again.
Feeling utterly hopeless, she slowed to a stop, ceasing her cries for help. After all, who would come to her rescue in the middle of this desolate wilderness? Perhaps it would be better to leave this filthy world and follow her grandfather in death.
Tang Xuejian closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate.
The sound of rushing wind and the monstrous roars of the corrupted Thunderbolt Hall disciples grew louder. Her body trembled, and she clenched her fists tightly.
She waited for the inevitable pain… but it never came.
When she cautiously opened her eyes, she was startled to find several figures standing before her.
Three men and one woman.
One of them was even a familiar face.
"Aren't you that shop assistant from Yong'an Pawnshop?"
Tang Xuejian stared at Jing Tian in surprise.
"What a coincidence, Miss Tang! I never expected to run into you here."
Jing Tian grinned and greeted her. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he reached into his clothes and pulled out the lid of a Yixing clay teapot.
"The lid you asked me to fix is done. I haven't seen you come to pick it up, so I've been carrying it with me."
He handed the lid to Tang Xuejian, expecting her to take it. Instead, she simply stared at it blankly before unexpectedly bursting into tears.
"H-Hey, don't cry! If you think the repair isn't good enough, I can fix it again! It's no trouble at all!"
Seeing her sobbing uncontrollably, Jing Tian panicked, thinking his craftsmanship had upset her. He hurried to reassure her.
Lin Yueru, being a fellow woman, quickly picked up on Tang Xuejian's emotional distress. It reminded her of her own childhood—when she had cried just as sorrowfully after her mother passed away.
"Jing Tian, just let her cry for a while." Lin Yueru stopped him from trying to comfort Tang Xuejian, understanding that the girl simply needed to release her emotions.
Meanwhile, Li Xiaoyao and Xu Changqing swiftly dispatched the monstrous disciples. However, upon closer inspection of their corpses, Xu Changqing noticed something unusual and knelt down to examine them.
Li Xiaoyao curiously asked, "Brother Xu, what's wrong?"
Xu Changqing furrowed his brows as he carefully inspected the bodies. "These were once humans… but now they are part human, part monster."
"It's as if they suddenly transformed…"
Li Xiaoyao felt a chill run down his spine, his expression darkening. "Is this some kind of disease or…?"
"I can't say for certain." Xu Changqing shook his head before using a spell to incinerate the corpses. He then turned toward Tang Xuejian.
By now, she had calmed down somewhat. Though her eyes were still red, she no longer seemed as defeated.
Xu Changqing clasped his hands in greeting. "Miss, do you know where these monsters came from?"
Tang Xuejian took a deep breath and replied softly, "They were disciples of Thunderbolt Hall. At first, they looked completely normal… then they suddenly turned into monsters."
"Thunderbolt Hall…" Xu Changqing's eyes flashed coldly. "Once we've settled things here, we must investigate that vile place."
"Daoist, are you from Shu Mountain?" Tang Xuejian asked, noticing that Xu Changqing's attire and mannerisms resembled those of demon-slaying disciples from Shu Mountain.
Xu Changqing nodded. "I am Xu Changqing of the Shu Mountain Sect."
Without hesitation, Tang Xuejian fell to her knees. "Master Xu, please save my grandfather! He was harmed by Luo Rulie of Thunderbolt Hall. I beg Shu Mountain to seek justice for him…"
Before Xu Changqing could respond, Jing Tian scratched his head and said, "Miss Tang, the Daoist and his companions have urgent matters to attend to. They might not be able to help you. Besides, Shu Mountain is struggling right now, too."
On their journey, Li Xiaoyao had explained to Jing Tian the reason Shu Mountain needed the Five Spirit Orbs, making him realize the immense responsibility he now carried.
Tang Xuejian immediately turned to Xu Changqing, her eyes filled with desperate hope.
Xu Changqing hesitated before sighing. "Miss Tang, I truly cannot intervene at this moment. As Brother Jing said, Shu Mountain is facing a crisis of its own…"
"I can wait!" Tang Xuejian declared firmly. "I'll wait until Shu Mountain's crisis is over—just promise me that you'll help!"
She had no other choice. Xu Changqing was her only hope.
Seeing how determined she was, Xu Changqing felt that outright refusal would be too cruel. In the end, he nodded in agreement.
With that settled, the four of them prepared to continue their journey by boat to Leizhou. Just as they reached the dock, Jing Tian suddenly heard footsteps behind them. Turning around, he saw Tang Xuejian hesitating as she followed them.
"Miss Tang, you're not thinking of coming with us, are you?"
"Of course I am! How else can I be sure you'll keep your promise?"
"They're honorable Shu Mountain heroes! They wouldn't deceive a little girl like you—you're overthinking it!"
"Mind your own business! If you can travel with them, why can't I? My martial arts are way better than yours!"
"Heh! I was personally invited by Brother Xu himself. He even said I could save the world!"
"Pfft! As if I'd believe that! You might as well claim to be a reincarnated deity."
The two bickered fiercely, their faces turning red with frustration.
Xu Changqing suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. He turned to glance at Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru.
Good heavens.
They were exactly the same.
Imagining the endless arguments that would fill their journey ahead, Xu Changqing felt a headache coming on. For a moment, he seriously considered abandoning his duty to protect the world.
Forget it. Maybe destruction wouldn't be so bad…
Junior brother, where are you? Please, come back soon—I can't handle this much longer!
Xu Changqing's eyes reddened.
The first day of missing his junior brother…
Meanwhile, Chu Yang was already flying his sword toward the capital, searching for the Spider Demon's whereabouts.
The Thunder Spirit Orb might be in her possession—or it might not. But to Chu Yang, it didn't matter. His true target was the thousand-year cultivation of the Spider Demon herself.
In a birch forest on the outskirts of the capital…
A butterfly fluttered gracefully among the trees, only to accidentally land in a spider's web, unable to escape.
A jet-black, jade-eyed spider crept toward its trapped prey.
The butterfly trembled in despair, awaiting its doom.
Just then—
A sword's radiance descended from the heavens, carrying divine might.
A pitch-black ancient sword pierced through the spider, pinning it to the ground.
The web dissolved.
The butterfly spread its wings and soared into the sky.
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