Chapter 15: Killing to Stop Killing

The frozen world began to flow once more. Perhaps influenced by his usual calm tone, Qin Jiajia felt her basic thinking ability gradually return. She steadied herself and tried to repeat what she had said earlier in brief words.

"...After returning from the observation post, their attitude suddenly changed completely. They didn’t tell me the details, but I guess they must have uncovered something about your past."

Her words grew faster and faster, her heartbeat racing in sync.

"They sent me to show goodwill toward you. Their attitude seemed decent, but I don't know if it's a trap. Maybe they just want me to be a smokescreen to lower your guard, so they can secretly prepare an armed crackdown against you. I've seen how they treat cultivators at the observation post. If you get caught..."

Her voice faltered. She noticed Zhou Qing still had that look of a child listening to a story—but the expression had shifted from "a child convinced they've uncovered a hidden truth" to "a child convinced they've discovered a world-ending crisis."

In the end, she fell silent, feeling like a mere schoolgirl in comparison.

“Thinking for yourself is good, but you don’t always have to overthink everything,” Zhou Qing smiled. “Although the Sanitation Bureau has its faults, it does contain some insightful people. The one who spoke to you should be one of them.”

“But if they really mean to harm you—”

“Then the ones who’ll suffer will be them.”

Qin Jiajia was struck silent. The weight of that statement was too great for her to respond immediately.

Did he have the confidence to stand against the entire officialdom? She recalled the puppet she’d seen earlier, screaming “Zhou Fan, don’t kill me,” and Li Yulan’s deeply taboo attitude toward the matter sent a chill through her.

Though she had vaguely sensed Zhou Qing’s strength as a cultivator before, hearing those words suddenly made her realize what kind of monster he truly was.

“Since you’re already involved with the Immortal Way, they must have told you something about cultivation.”

Before she could react, Zhou Qing spoke again: “Besides this mission, what else have they told you?”

Such life-and-death matters were brushed over lightly by him. Qin Jiajia pursed her lips but continued along his lead: “There’s probably a lot to say...”

“Don’t worry,” Zhou Qing said, flicking a drop of water from his drink’s cup wall with his finger. The droplet fell on a stone bench in front of the greenery, as if stirring invisible ripples. The dusty, leaf-strewn bench instantly became clean and polished.

“Take your time,” he said as he slowly walked over and sat on the bench, “there’s plenty of time.”

...

[Next month, a disciple returns to the sect, claiming to have been expelled by Zhou Wuqing.]

[Later that month, the sect leader offers generous gifts and sends disciples again to find Zhou Wuqing, only to be rebuffed once more.]

[In August, Elder Lingchuan is dispatched to seek him out, is again rejected and reports back that this man is arrogant and uncooperative, ruthless in nature, and absolutely not to be trusted; the sect leader falls silent upon hearing this.]

In the secrecy room, the reading of historical records continued. A group of officials grew increasingly flushed, as if they had been following a story for hundreds of chapters, only to see the protagonist, whose entire family had been exterminated, train to become a god and vow revenge, then reach the enemy’s door but turn back because their shoes didn’t fit.

“This elder makes a good point. Zhou Wuqing really isn’t someone to be trusted,” one said, unable to help but empathize. “A major sect humbled itself to seek him out, and he treated them so disrespectfully. Even Zhuge Liang only needed three visits to the thatched cottage; this guy’s attitude is bigger than Zhuge himself! If it were me, I wouldn’t grovel to him.”

“That’s why you’re not Liu Bei. This is a ruthless man who single-handedly defeated over a dozen sects—and he’s an independent cultivator. A bit of a temper is understandable.”

Someone offered a differing opinion: “For a lone cultivator to survive such chaotic times and become a great power, his vigilance must be extremely high. He wouldn’t trust a sudden invitation casually.”

They exchanged a few words but soon fell silent under Lu Zhenhai’s gaze and resumed reading.

[October, 564 AD: The sect’s sacred maiden Ye Qiansheng petitions to go to Liang Prefecture and finds Zhou Wuqing. Despite being expelled multiple times, she persists and finally speaks with him, asking him to act to sweep away corruption and aid Jiuli in saving the world.]

[Wuqing replies: “The world is in chaos; people are either butcher or prey. So-called salvation is nothing but empty talk and delusion.”]

[Sacred Maiden: “If you believe salvation is an illusion, then how can this turmoil be resolved?”]

[Wuqing: “The world is collapsing; everyone is wary. To end the calamity, one must kill violence with violence.”]

[Sacred Maiden: “If that is so, I dare ask you to kill.”]

The breathing in the room suddenly grew quiet. The officials, who had been voicing opinions moments before, were silenced by this dialogue spanning over fifteen centuries.

“To end the calamity, one must kill violence with violence.”

This was his way of dealing with the world—simple and brutal, just like his own nature.

[End of October: Zhou Wuqing joins the sect, is granted the title of guest official, gifted a Six Paths Flower, a Tianji Jade stone, and several other treasures including Zhu Ming Wood and Yang Yan Feather...]

“...Is this guest official the same as what we usually understand it to be?” The officials exchanged glances.

In their understanding, a guest official was akin to an honorary professor—bearing the sect’s name but not under its control, stepping in as muscle only when needed, with loyalty close to zero.

Jiuli had paid such a heavy price only to recruit a guest official?

The group fell silent; Lu Zhenhai said nothing.

He recognized the names of the gifts bestowed upon Zhou Wuqing—all rare and precious treasures seldom seen in a century.

According to the material wealth of the cultivation world during the Wei and Jin periods, the value of these gifts equaled roughly thirty years’ worth of tribute income for a sect. For a smaller sect, not even the entire treasury might hold one such item. Given Jiuli’s circumstances at the time, this gift probably emptied their most treasured reserves.

Then there was the sacred maiden Ye Qiansheng sent to invite Zhou Wuqing... Sacred maidens were usually outstanding female cultivators with true sect transmission. Due to their yin constitution, they were often tasked with performing various rites and spells, serving as the face of the sect to some extent.

This record dated back more than fifteen hundred years; the sacred maiden described had long since passed into immortality. Lu Zhenhai had no prior memory of her deeds, but recalled once representing the Sanitation Bureau on an exchange visit to Jiuli Sect. There, on the ancestral memorial wall, he had seen stone portraits of past sacred maidens. When his gaze fell upon Ye Qiansheng’s statue, her stunning beauty left him momentarily frozen.

Rich treasures offered, a peerless beauty sent to welcome—such lavish treatment merely to win over an unknown, independent cultivator. Even knowing this man’s power to face thousands alone, Lu Zhenhai still marveled at Jiuli Sect’s immense investment.

The officials around him shared similar feelings. Though their minds urged focus on historical development, their eyes involuntarily fixated on the name “Zhou Wuqing,” eager to see how strong a horse this costly purchase really was.

Under their varied gazes, the records turned to the next page.