Chapter 152: Truly, the Old are Wise

Translator: Minotauruz

Jun Xiaomo was thunderstruck by old man Chi’s reference to her as “fiancée”. This was already the second blow to her. After all, she was already extremely embarrassed by the old man’s allegations that she had lived together in the same room as Ye Xiuwen earlier.

Jun Xiaomo coughed dryly and managed to adjust her own expressions.

Ye Xiuwen patted Jun Xiaomo’s head and picked up his cup. He casually swept his gaze over the little packrat lying motionless on the table before he shut his eyes serenely. Then, he took a sip of the tea.

Shao Sirong silently sized up her son’s “love rival”, Ye Xiuwen, and she couldn’t help but exclaim in her heart. Although this man’s appearances had been ruined, he was nevertheless a warm, caring and dignified person with an air of steadfastness about him. These were all qualities that her own son did not possess.

Thus, Shao Sirong rubbed her temples helplessly – There’s no way our child can compare with Ye Xiuwen.

Everyone was deep in their own thoughts at this moment, and the air about them grew heavy and still. But this was only for a moment, because a new development broke the silence very quickly.

Rong Ruihan had just awakened.

Jun Xiaomo’s keen auditory senses immediately picked up on the rustling coming from behind her. She looked back, and she immediately saw Rong Ruihan rubbing his forehead with his clenched fists as he struggled to clear his mind.

“Rong Ruihan!”

Jun Xiaomo skipped over to his side and half-squatted to the ground. She paused for a moment, before she gently patted her shoulder.

“Rong Ruihan.” Jun Xiaomo called out again.

In his stupor, Rong Ruihan furrowed his brows; the veins on his arm throbbed...Then, his eyes suddenly opened wide! Just like that, Jun Xiaomo locked eyes with him.

Damn! Rong Ruihan has not come to his senses!

Jun Xiaomo drew this conclusion the moment that she noticed Rong Ruihan’s crimson-red eyes. Unfortunately, she was too weak. Even though her reflexes were quick, she could never match up to the speed with which Rong Ruihan threw his fist at Jun Xiaomo.

“Xiaomo!” Ye Xiuwen discovered this anomaly in the nick of time. He instantly unsheathed his sword and blocked Rong Ruihan’s attack.

Rong Ruihan had already lost all his senses by now, and his instinct told him to attack whoever blocked his attack. Thus, he quickly changed his target to Ye Xiuwen and lunged towards him. At this moment, strands of corporeal demonic energy seemed to flow out of his eyes uncontrollably.

Jun Xiaomo knew that her martial brother did not possess the ability to stand against a frenzied Rong Ruihan. Therefore, she unsheathed her own spirit sword and joined the fray as she and Ye Xiuwen attempted to draw Rong Ruihan’s attention away from the other.

Squeak squeak! The little packrat was incredibly anxious, but it knew that it could do nothing with that little body of its.

“Alright, alright. I know you’re worried about that little girl.” Old man Chi sighed helplessly as he stood up.

Truth be told, he was less than impressed by his great grandson’s choice of his “fiancée”. In old man Chi’s eyes, the relationship between Jun Xiaomo and Ye Xiuwen was hardly clear, and he was afraid that his great grandson would eventually get hurt by Jun Xiaomo.

That said, he remained helpless and exasperated by the fact that that young lady had somehow left an indelible mark in his great grandson’s heart and earned his great grandson’s wholehearted affection. Thus, old man Chi had no choice but to extend his aid to that object of his great grandson’s affection as well. At the very least, he could not stand by idly and watch her get herself hurt.

“Make way!” Old man Chi bellowed as he jumped into the fray. With two quick waves off his arm, he nudged Ye Xiuwen and Jun Xiaomo to the side and slammed straight into the vicious blows released by Rong Ruihan.

“Eh?” Old man Chi had initially intended to dispose of this matter quickly. But he very soon realized through Rong Ruihan’s attacks that he was a demonic cultivator.

Furthermore, Rong Ruihan’s bloodshot eyes told him that the demonic energy had already taken control of his senses.

Thus, old man Chi adjusted his abilities and regulated his attacks. He began to measure up Rong Ruihan’s capabilities with great interest. The more he observed Rong Ruihan, the more surprised he grew.

“Incredible. Incredible! This young man’s talent is actually higher than my great grandson’s?” Old man Chi exclaimed as his eyes glistened with pleasant surprise.

Although old man Chi doted on and spoiled his great grandson, he was not the kind who would oppress cultivators who possessed talents greater than his own great grandson.

Having lived for over five thousand years, old man Chi had long since understood the principle that one could always find someone more talented in the vast world out there. Furthermore, old man Chi knew that talent was not everything – things such as diligence, opportunities and willpower were three other important aspects to a person’s success. Therefore, he had always viewed with contempt the rigid entry requirements by the upper-tier sects that arbitrarily allowed entry to only cultivators who had achieved the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation before the age of thirty-five.

Who says that those who only attained the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation after the age of thirty-five were necessarily trash? Anyone who had lived for a thousand years or two would very well understand that the further along a person was on the path of cultivation, the less there was a correlation between his prowess and his talents. On the other hand, the importance of diligence, opportunities and willpower often far outweighed the so-called “talent” that was so prized by the world.

That said, old man Chi nevertheless admired juniors who possessed incredible talent for cultivation.

Isn’t it? Isn’t there one in front of me right now?

Then, with a single move, old man Chi pulled Rong Ruihan over towards him and swiftly slapped three talismans on him. Instantly, Rong Ruihan froze where he was and remained completely motionless.

Rong Ruihan could only widen his eyes and glare at old man Chi as he made peculiar, beast-like yowls where he stood.

Old man Chi ignored the strange sounds he was making. He placed his hand on Rong Ruihan’s wrist and sent a thread of demonic energy probing about Rong Ruihan’s Dantian and meridians. During this process, he even drew a cold breath several times.

Jun Xiaomo slowly minced her way over to old man Chi’s side as she worriedly asked, “Senior, his condition right now...is there any way to resolve it?”

Jun Xiaomo already knew that the more Rong Ruihan lost his senses, the more irreversible the damage to his meridians and Dantian.

After all, she was also a demonic cultivator, and she was well aware of the corrosive and destructive effects of demonic energy to a demonic cultivator’s mind. Once the undulations of a demonic cultivator’s spirit and willpower swelled too greatly, there was a good chance that the cultivator would experience a demonic upheaval, which would in turn irreversibly transform him into a simple-minded killing machine that was devoid of any rationality.

But old man Chi did not immediately answer Jun Xiaomo. After he finished examining the condition of Rong Ruihan’s meridians and Dantian, he looked at Rong Ruihan’s palms, flipped up and examined his eyelids, and then cast his eyes on Rong Ruihan’s collarbone. Then, he recoiled slightly in shock.

There was a totem at the collarbone near the base of Rong Ruihan’s neck. Old man Chi found it extremely familiar. After examining it for some time, he sighed heavily as he remarked, “I never thought that you would be the child of an old friend of mine. It’s no wonder, it’s no wonder...”

Jun Xiaomo’s heart shuddered as she interjected, “Senior, would you perhaps be referring to...the Jiang Clan?”

She connected the dots extremely quickly. It would not be surprising if the old man knew senior Jiang Yutong and the Jiang Clan. After all, the Jiang Clan had always been a well-known clan of demonic cultivators. It was their misfortune that senior Jiang Yutong had loved the wrong person, thereby ushering a calamitous end to her entire clan.

Old man Chi glanced at Jun Xiaomo with some peculiarity in his eyes as he exclaimed, “I never expected a young girl like you to know about the Jiang Clan.”

“To tell you the truth, martial brother and I inadvertently discovered senior Jiang Yutong’s cavern some time back. She left several priceless treasures behind for us, but in exchange she had but one request from us – and that was to find her child and pass a token to him. Senior, the man in front of you is none other than senior Jiang Yutong’s only son, the first prince of the Inferno Kingdom, Rong Ruihan.”

Jun Xiaomo could tell that old man Chi was not a greedy or avaricious person, so she revealed everything about their discovery within senior Jiang Yutong’s cavern to him.

“A token?” Old man Chi furrowed his brows, “Could it be a piece of Blood Jade?”

Jun Xiaomo’s eyes widened, “Has senior seen the Blood Jade before?”

“It’s not that I’ve seen it before. But I know that whenever members of the Jiang Clan bloodline give birth, they would always carve out a piece of Blood Jade from a special material belonging to their clan. This Blood Jade can be used to control the demonic energy within the body of these Jiang Clan members. This would allow them to avoid any potential dangers of a demonic upheaval.”

Jun Xiaomo: ...... Are you saying that the reason why Rong Ruihan would lose his senses from time to time is precisely because of his refusal to accept that piece of Blood Jade?!

Old man Chi did not notice the complicated feelings swelling up within Jun Xiaomo’s heart. He continued, “The Jiang Clan are a well renown clan of demonic cultivators. However, it is difficult for them to bear children, so their bloodline are but few in numbers. Nevertheless, each member of their bloodline possesses incredibly high talent for cultivation. This is what secures their stature and position in the world of demonic cultivators. But it’s a pity...it truly is a pity...I’m afraid this child must be the only surviving member of the Jiang Clan now, isn’t he?”

Old man Chi couldn’t help but sigh as he thought about the Jiang Clan’s demise.

“Senior, then what if we gave Rong Ruihan that piece of Blood Jade now? Would that change his present condition right now?” Jun Xiaomo asked expectantly.

Old man Chi cried out in surprise, “You mean you haven’t given him that piece of Blood Jade?”

Jun Xiaomo rubbed her nose sheepishly as she said with some measure of exasperation, “The first prince refused to believe my words at the beginning. He was afraid that I was out to hurt him, so he refused to accept that piece of Blood Jade. Later on, we were so preoccupied with running for our lives that the matter pertaining to the Blood Jade had also slipped my mind. This piece of Blood Jade is still inside my Interspatial Ring.”

“Nonsense! What’s the point about engaging in insipid talk about belief or disbelief?! Without that piece of Blood Jade, Rong Ruihan is headed straight to his own demise!” Old man Chi’s eyes widened as he bellowed, “He can count it on his own dumb luck that he’s encountered me right now. First, his cultivation technique is completely incompatible with him. Secondly, he swallowed that demonic wolf’s core that had already wreaked havoc within his body for some time now. Then, he even lost himself amidst the illusions in these Mystic Woods. No matter how high his talent is, he’s headed straight for his own demise at the rate he’s going!”

“His cultivation technique is incompatible?”

Jun Xiaomo knew about the latter two things, but this was the first time she had heard about Rong Ruihan practicing an incompatible cultivation technique.

“Hmph! This is obvious from the conditions of his Dantian and meridians. I’ll bet he’s picked up all these nonsensical, trash refinement techniques because he’s never had anyone who’s pointed him in the right direction. He’s not only practiced demonic cultivation techniques – his arsenal includes even some techniques that are only suited for spiritual cultivators. It’s a complete mess! It’s a hodgepodge in his body! What’s most important to him right now is not to increase his cultivation level, but to give him some medicinal pills to nourish his body and purge him any traces of scars left by this mess. If he goes on like this, even a talent like him will become completely wasted!”

Old man Chi had been on fairly good terms with the Jiang Clan, especially Jiang Yutong. After all, he had watched her grow up. Therefore, the indignation swelling up within his heart right now arose out of a concern that a senior would have for a junior.

Unfortunately, the object of his indignation was still yowling incoherently. Everything that old man Chi had said had been wasted on him.

Jun Xiaomo retrieved the Blood Jade from her interspatial ring and placed it on her palm. Then, she bashfully added, “Rong Ruihan didn’t believe me previously, and he even wanted me to make a promise to him on the Heart-Oath Array. I wonder whether his level of trust for me is sufficient for him to accept this Blood Jade from me right now.”

Old man Chi raised his eyes as he commented dispassionately, “If he doesn’t accept it, why don’t you just force it onto him? He’s already devoid of rationality now anyway. Make an incision on his thumb and drip of drop of his blood onto the Blood Jade. Then, thread a string through the Blood Jade and hang it over his neck. That would do.”

Jun Xiaomo: ......

Is that all I had to do?!!

Then what did I put myself through all this trouble for...

Truly, the old sure are wise.