My Shijie Seems Intent on Destroying the World – Chapter 32

Questioning the Heart

What if our boat capsizes?

At that moment, Ling Qiansu did not speak the person’s name—she only mentioned Mount Han.

“…Mount Han?” Qi Zhi murmured, slowly lowering her lashes.

            

She gazed at the jade token in her hand and fell into deep thought.

This Mingyue Villa, which sounded so sinister, was actually connected to Mount Han?

They said the Master of Mount Han had an eccentric temperament—that no rule in the world could constrain her.

            

Those she wished to see, she would find even if she had to search across ten thousand rivers and mountains. Those she didn’t wish to see? Even the Three Venerables might not easily set foot on Mount Han.

It made sense. Mount Han was one of the Four Spiritual Veins—how many immortal sects had once flocked to claim it? Yet she had appeared out of nowhere, defending it with nothing but her own power, leaving others too intimidated to covet it ever again.

If she had cared at all for empty prestige, the Three Venerables of the mortal realm would have long become four.

            

With that kind of strength, why would she need to give anyone face?

And precisely because of that, the moment Mu Qingshi said she intended to go to Mount Han, Qi Zhi’s heart wanted to believe more than it actually believed.

Yet no matter how much she hoped, Qi Zhi couldn’t shake the feeling that things wouldn’t be that simple.

            

The Master of Mount Han wasn’t the type to happily throw open her gates just because someone had traveled far and endured hardship to visit.

So Mu Qingshi’s involvement in this matter—was she paving the way in advance?

Mu Qingshi had probably known all along who occupied Mingyue Villa. Even coming to Sui City was deliberate—not just to bring her to see a temple fair.

            

Then what was the purpose of deliberately befriending Ling Qiansu?

She’d heard Ling Qiansu was the Sword Venerable’s most accomplished disciple…

But what role could that identity play in Mu Qingshi’s plans?

            

For a fleeting instant, a flash of insight struck.

The story she’d heard in Xiaoshan County suddenly echoed in Qi Zhi’s ears.

Five hundred years ago, Demon Venerable Huiyue descended upon the mortal realm.

            

He sought to seize the Four Spiritual Veins, tap into the Heavenly Realm’s Spiritual Spring, and bring down the World-Destroying Tribulation…

Right, right!

Guizhen Sect, Mount Baopu—

            

That was also one of the Four Spiritual Veins!

Qi Zhi: “…”

No, no—this was too terrifying!

            

Qi Zhi couldn’t help biting her lower lip. She pinched her palm hard, dragging her attention back from her spiraling thoughts.

The person beside her was still saying something. She snapped back to attention and listened carefully.

“Miss Ling is the Sword Venerable’s most accomplished disciple, yet the spiritual runes hidden in this token and the barrier concealing the villa are things even she cannot see through. That alone shows the person behind this has remarkable cultivation,” Mu Qingshi said, her expression darkening. “I was wondering earlier—who could possess such ability? If they’re truly from Mount Han, it wouldn’t be hard to explain.”

            

Ling Qiansu: “…Yes.”

Mu Qingshi: “But even at Mount Han, aside from the Mountain Lord, the only one with such cultivation would be that one person, I’d imagine.”

Ling Qiansu frowned at those words. “Before I withdrew from the world with my Master, I met him twice. He was composed and steadfast, devoted to the Dao—he doesn’t seem like someone who would do such things…”

            

Over two hundred years, how many people had squandered their fortunes for a Mingyue Token? How many had attended the Mingyue Banquet and never returned to their families?

If Ah Yun’s guess was right, there might also be countless nameless people who, the moment they received a Mingyue Token, thought it would change their lives forever—only to have their wealth and lives stripped away along with it.

If it truly was that person, how could he do such things?

            

“Maybe it’s just a case of mistaken identity,” Qi Zhi offered softly in comfort.

Ling Qiansu nodded. “The spiritual runes have already appeared. Whether it is or isn’t him, we’ll know once we enter the villa and investigate!”

Saying so, she gripped the jade token, rose, and walked to the window, drawing in a long, deep breath.

            

Ling Qiansu said that to be safe, they should split up and act separately.

The three of them traveling together—all immortal sect cultivators—made them somewhat conspicuous.

Ah Yun had only brought back three tokens that day, also so they could infiltrate the villa through different means and adapt to circumstances as needed.

            

And so, Ling Qiansu departed for Mingyue Villa ahead of the others.

She rode her sword in urgent flight, leaving behind only a gust of wind that set the branches swaying gently.

Qi Zhi watched from the doorway as that streak of light grew ever more distant against the sky, finally vanishing altogether. Only then did she return to the table, leaning over the charcoal brazier on the floor to warm her ice-cold hands.

            

With Ling Qiansu leaving just like that, someone had to explain things to the Liang family.

Mu Qingshi left the guest room, leaving only Qi Zhi and Ah Yun in the room.

As Qi Zhi warmed herself by the fire, her ears filled with the sound of peanuts being cracked.

            

Many of the dark thoughts that had flashed through her mind earlier nearly resurfaced at that moment.

Qi Zhi quickly sat up straight and looked at Ah Yun with a face full of earnest concentration, trying to find a topic of conversation to distract herself.

That near-blazing gaze instantly caught Ah Yun’s attention.

            

She tilted her head and looked back at Qi Zhi. “What’s that look for?”

“Ah Yun, let’s chat!” Qi Zhi said, sliding the peanuts from Ah Yun’s side to her own and bending her brows at her in a smile. “I’ll peel peanuts for you!”

“How kind of you.” Ah Yun took a sip of tea, cleared her throat, and sat up a little straighter. “Go on—what do you want to pry out of me?”

            

Qi Zhi blinked, then quickly shook her head and waved her hands. “I’m not trying to pry!”

Ah Yun: “Really?”

Qi Zhi: “Really!”

            

Ah Yun eyed her suspiciously, tilting her head. “Then what do you want to chat about?”

Qi Zhi: “Anything!”

Ah Yun: “So casual—how is anyone supposed to chat with that?”

            

Qi Zhi thought for a moment, then asked curiously, “Do you know who that person from Mount Han that Miss Ling and shijie were talking about is?”

“Of course it’s Hanshan Beilu!” Ah Yun replied, raising her brows. “Have you heard of him?”

Qi Zhi shook her head. “Sounds like a place name.”

            

Ah Yun: “It does!”

Qi Zhi: “Is he someone impressive?”

Ah Yun: “Mm, not bad!”

            

Qi Zhi blinked, then flattered her: “Ah Yun is even more impressive, right!”

That little bit of flattery hit the little bird right in the heart.

“I wouldn’t go that far—you’re overestimating me!” Ah Yun was modest on the surface, but her eyes crinkled with undisguised pleasure, and the floodgates of conversation flew open.

            

“Beilu—the Xu Mansion¹.” Ah Yun said, “He was once the young lord of a small kingdom. When he was born, the Xu Mansion blazed bright, startling the heavens and the earth in all directions. They said his spiritual root was extraordinary—every major immortal sect wanted to take him as a disciple, and even the Three Venerables of that era were no exception.”

“So many people fought over him, yet he said he had no interest in cultivation and only wanted to be an ordinary mortal.” Ah Yun leaned toward the table, resting her chin on one hand, and spoke casually. “But if he’d truly lived an ordinary life, that would’ve been that. In the end, he still set foot on the path of immortality, entered Mount Han, and became the disciple of the Master of Mount Han—Yihuyue.”

“Yihuyue never joined the Immortal Alliance, had barely any disciples, yet occupied an entire spiritual vein. Among the immortal sects, her reputation was always notorious.” She couldn’t help chuckling as she spoke. “Such a fine prospect snatched right out from under them—how many old men in the immortal sects beat their chests and stomped their feet in fury, their legs suddenly much more spry with rage.”

            

Qi Zhi: “If her reputation was so notorious, why did he choose her?”

Ah Yun: “So-called reputation—it’s nothing but other people flapping their lips, isn’t it? Fu Qingsong had a great reputation, but was he worth a damn?”

Qi Zhi: “…”

            

So reasonable. No argument to be had.

“As for why this person chose to enter Mount Han—” Ah Yun paused here, tapping her fingers on the table, then turned her palm upward.

Qi Zhi hurriedly placed the peanuts she’d just peeled into her palm.

            

Ah Yun ate one with satisfaction and continued: “Some say he was forcibly taken by Yihuyue. Others say that within Yihuyue’s Force of Vitality, he saw his own Dao.”

Qi Zhi: “What do you mean, ‘saw his own Dao’?”

Ah Yun grinned. “That’s another story.”

            

Qi Zhi held up two peanuts in her hand. “I’m peeling!”

Ah Yun gave a sly little laugh and continued the story.

“I heard that when Yihuyue left the mountain and sought out the young man herself, the small kingdom he lived in was in the grip of a severe drought…”

            

That year, the sky was a pale gray. A few wisps of cloud drifted through, so thin they looked like the ashes of something already burned.

The earth was cracked open, riverbeds laid bare, and the farmlands had yielded nothing. Even the sweltering wind carried a grit of fine sand.

And the Master of Mount Han—she merely swept her sleeve, and it was as though all things surged into spring.

            

In a single instant, new green burst through the soil, dead branches sprouted anew, and scattered motes of spiritual light dissolved into boundless fine rain, washing the faded sky clean.

Then, suddenly, black clouds massed at the horizon, and day turned to night.

Over a dozen bolts of heavenly lightning fell upon the mortal realm. The Master of Mount Han stood suspended in the air, raising her hand to form seals—her robes whipping in the wind as she gathered every last bolt into her palm.

            

To tamper with the karma of the mortal world was to invite heaven’s punishment.

Yet she did it anyway—because a thought moved her heart, and she followed only her heart, knowing nothing of the Heavenly Way.

When the lightning tribulation dispersed, the young man finally understood: a single catastrophe in the mortal realm, one that harmed millions—was no more than a passing whim of an immortal.

            

He thought: the world is vast. If he too could become an immortal, a god, he would ensure that no suffering remained wherever he walked.

In one who had no inclination toward the Dao, a Dao-heart was born in that moment.

And so, that person let go of his attachments to the mortal world and followed Yihuyue back to Mount Han.

            

As Ah Yun spoke, she rose to her feet entirely, her tone rising and falling with dramatic cadence, telling the story so vividly it was as if she had witnessed it with her own eyes.

“The Master of Mount Han is that incredible?!” Qi Zhi couldn’t stop marveling. It took her a good while to come back to herself before she hurriedly pressed on. “Th-then what happened after?”

“Once you enter an immortal sect, you sever your ties to the mortal world. Hundreds of years pass in a flash. By the time he was permitted to descend the mountain, the mortal realm had changed beyond recognition—his former kingdom was no more. He had long since lost his original name and become the most cherished direct disciple of the Master of Mount Han.”

            

Qi Zhi let out a long breath and sighed softly. “If the Master of Mount Han is that incredible, then her most cherished disciple must be extraordinary too!”

“He is!” Ah Yun sighed, clasping her hands behind her back as she paced beside the table. “The Sword Venerable once said that among the new generation of disciples in the immortal sects, only two had the potential to break through the Heavenly Tribulation Realm before their lifespans ran out and become true gods. And one of those two was this guy!”

“And the other one…”

            

“Qingshi, of course!” Ah Yun raised her chin proudly. “Compared to Qingshi, this guy doesn’t even come close!”

Mu Qingshi’s spiritual root had been destroyed five hundred years ago—whether that was true or not, at least that was how it appeared to outsiders.

To compare anyone to her would have to be a matter of five hundred years ago.

            

If the Mu Qingshi of that time was not the same Mu Qingshi as now, then Ah Yun wouldn’t have spoken of it in this comparative tone.

By that logic, the Mu Qingshi she knew must have been, from beginning to end, the same Mu Qingshi that everyone else saw.

The Daoist Venerable’s favorite disciple. Tiandao Sect’s once most renowned, then overnight dimmed, Second Senior Sister.

            

If so, what had turned her into what she was now?

And what was her relationship with the Demon Venerable Huiyue?

Qi Zhi racked her brain—until a hand waved vigorously in front of her face.

            

Ah Yun plopped back down at the table. “How did you zone out again?”

Qi Zhi came back to herself, instinctively picked up her tea for a sip, and said quietly, “I’m just a little worried. You said that person was already that incredible back then—is shijie still a match for him now?”

Hearing this, Ah Yun tilted her head and stared at Qi Zhi with a half-smile for a long moment.

            

Qi Zhi’s scalp went numb under the scrutiny. She couldn’t suppress a shiver. “Why are you l-looking at me like that?”

Ah Yun laughed. “And you claim you’re not here to pry!”

Qi Zhi: “…”

            

Ah Yun: “After all that, aren’t you just suspecting that Qingshi’s spiritual root was never truly destroyed?”

Qi Zhi opened her mouth, then couldn’t help blinking with a guilty conscience.

After a long bout of guilt, she steeled herself, gathered her courage, and blurted out: “Yes, I am! So are you going to tell me?”

            

“This matter… it’s complicated.” Ah Yun frowned and shook her head. “Qingshi forbade me from speaking of it.”

“Oh…” Qi Zhi pressed her lips together and fell silent for a long while before mumbling, making excuses for herself: “It’s not like I want to know that badly anyway. You’re all hiding plenty from me—I can’t figure it out, and I can’t escape it. I’m used to it by now.”

“That’s the right way to think about it.” Ah Yun let out a long, quiet sigh. “One day, she’ll tell you everything you want to know… but not now.”

            

“I—I’m just worried, that’s all.” Qi Zhi fiddled with the peanuts in her hand, her brow knitted tight. “We’re all in the same boat, tied to the same rope. I don’t have any ulterior motives. I’m just afraid—what if shijie isn’t a match for that person… then what if our boat capsizes?”

She added in a tiny mumble, “He does sound really impressive, after all…”

Ah Yun: “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that!”

            

Qi Zhi: “I don’t need to worry?”

Ah Yun: “That guy’s been dead for ages.”

Qi Zhi: “Huh?”

            

Ah Yun nodded, took a sip of tea, and said casually, “Dead for a long, long time. Dead and gone, completely!”

She even laughed after saying so. “He just died so quietly that even his Master never knew.”

Qi Zhi’s eyes went wide with shock. “Th-then… the person in Mingyue Villa is…”

            

Ah Yun curled her lips in a smile and slowly let out three words.

“Is. The. Killer.”

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The author has something to say:

            

Qi Zhi: So we’re here to do someone a favor!

Ah Yun: Yep, yep!

Qi Zhi: The Master of Mount Han is so incredible, I’m fiercely yearning 🥺🥺🙏🥺🙏

            

Mu Qingshi: In shimei’s eyes, what rank am I 🥺

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