Thousand Dusts Ferry Me - Chapter 75

As soon as they entered Guizhen Cave, both Yun Qing and Jiang Binghe felt their qi seas congeal, unable to circulate their cultivation.

Although the Jade River Sky-Shaking Mirror could be stored in the sea of consciousness, it was ultimately not a natal treasure, unlike the Golden Frost Jade Dew Lotus and Heaven Star Falling Earth Pearl. The latter two were equivalent to parts of the treasure holder’s body, so placing natal treasures inside the body naturally required no cultivation to maintain.

But the Jade River Sky-Shaking Mirror was different. Now without cultivation circulating, the Jade River Sky-Shaking Mirror separated from the sea of consciousness and directly ejected from between Jiang Binghe’s eyebrows.

After ejecting, it returned to normal size, and the mirror surface brightened, actually spitting out all the people it had previously absorbed.

Seeing the Jade River Sky-Shaking Mirror about to fall to the ground, Jiang Binghe reached out and caught it back in his hand.

When the people in the mirror first left the mirror surface, they were tiny like puppets, but when they rolled onto the ground, they had already returned to normal size, with snowflakes still clinging to their bodies.

Now everyone was at the same starting point, except for Ci Li.

Demon creatures would reveal their true forms in Guizhen Cave. If it were a tiger or leopard demon, transforming to original form would still have fighting strength, but what could a weak little cat do?

As soon as Hanlu Zi flipped over and stood steady, her Xuan sword immediately stabbed toward Jiang Binghe. The others were only an instant slower than her, also raising their swords to continue the deadly battle.

As the saying goes, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Generally, those who cultivated the Way of Longevity, from Huayang Zi to Yu Wanzhi to Jiang Binghe, including Jiang Baiyu, all had rapid cultivation advancement speeds, but found it difficult to achieve perfection in external martial arts.

Jiang Binghe had high cultivation and his swordsmanship was naturally superb by jianghu standards, but it was inferior to Hanlu Zi’s, even the currently aged Hanlu Zi.

Moreover, the opponent was more than just Hanlu Zi.

At this moment, Jiang Binghe felt extremely fortunate that the Jade River Sky-Shaking Mirror had mistakenly injured Yu Beiting earlier, otherwise with his swordsmanship alone against so many people, it would be hard to say if he could resist.

Although Yu Beiting had been stabbed by Hanlu Zi, presumably his protective jade had protected his vital points, so he still had fighting strength.

His relief didn’t last long.

Yu Beiting indeed still had fighting strength. The fresh blood on his chest didn’t affect his speed at all. The San Qi Sword struck out, one sword sealing the throat.

He killed precisely the Huayang Sect disciple who had accidentally been drawn into the mirror earlier.

That disciple was caught off guard by the sneak attack and fell in disbelief.

Jiang Binghe was greatly shocked, staring at him in amazement. “Yu Beiting!”

Then, Yu Beiting unhesitatingly pointed his sword at the other Huayang disciples.

He was originally Hanlu Zi’s most prized disciple, once also a sword genius praised by the elders. The reason he could be trusted by Jiang Binghe despite being a rebel was largely because his swordsmanship was superb.

These disciples had wolves in front and tigers behind, had already lost their fighting spirit, and couldn’t exchange more than a few moves with Yu Beiting before all being killed.

Yun Qing’s steel sword had already broken, so she didn’t join the battlefield, but instead jumped onto the large iron cage in the center of Guizhen Cave, sitting cross-legged to watch the excitement.

Seeing Jiang Binghe angry because of Yu Beiting’s betrayal, Yun Qing laughed. “Jiang Binghe, you yourself are a traitor—what’s so surprising about being betrayed?”

While speaking, she even took out a bag of pine nuts and began cracking them with crackling sounds, looking quite leisurely.

Ci Li was bored and also jumped onto the cage, walking lightly along the cage bars before being scooped into Yun Qing’s arms and petted.

Ci Li was already too lazy to resist, only snorting once in dissatisfaction to express its attitude. After Yun Qing finished petting it, she even took out a piece of dried meat and offered it to its mouth. Ci Li’s mind contained only two words: prostitution fee.

This was truly insulting—it angrily slapped away the dried meat with one paw.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Baiyu couldn’t help but smile. In the dim candlelight, his eyes were as brilliant and gentle as stars.

Cheng Suiyan accidentally saw this and couldn’t help saying, “You’re still flirting while there’s a fight going on.”

Fortunately, the situation was now one-sided. Although Jiang Binghe fought like a cornered beast, he ultimately couldn’t turn the tide. The battle didn’t last long—after taking two sword wounds, he was captured alive.

He was forced to kneel on the ground, with Cheng Suiyan and Jiang Baiyu restraining his arms and pressing him down, while Hanlu Zi stood before him with sword tip pointing at his neck.

“Beast, what else do you have to say!”

Jiang Binghe had taken a sword wound to his arm and a cut on his face. Now covered in blood, he raised his head to glare hatefully at Hanlu Zi, gritting his teeth as he said coldly, “The victor is king, the loser a bandit—naturally there’s nothing to say.”

“Shameless wretch, I’m going to gather the entire sect to expose your true face!”

“Heh heh, hahaha! My true face? Hanlu Zi, you’re truly laughable! Who in this world doesn’t toil for their own interests? So-called positions are merely synonyms for interests!

What right do you have to speak to me of justice? I, Jiang Binghe, have reached this point without complaint or regret. I only hate—”

As he spoke, he looked toward Yu Beiting standing to the side. “Yu Beiting, I’ve always treated you well, yet never thought I’d fall by your hand one day. If I’d known you were a thrice-betraying slave, I shouldn’t have shown mercy!”

“Mercy?” Yu Beiting smiled. “Wasn’t it because this blade was sharp enough, useful enough, and being a rebel with no one to protect me, I had no choice but to depend on you?

If you must ask for a reason, then I’ll borrow a phrase from Sect Master—” As he spoke, he raised the sword in his hand. “Your weakness is your greatest fault.” Having said this, he thrust the sword into Jiang Binghe’s lower abdomen.

Squelch.

Jiang Binghe’s body shuddered, then blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as the color gradually drained from his face. He gritted his teeth without making a sound, his narrow eyes staring deadly at Yu Beiting, as if wanting to bore two holes through him.

The  San Qi Sword stirred in Jiang Binghe’s dantian for a while, then Yu Beiting withdrew the blood-stained sword, knelt on one knee before him, and reached his hand into his lower abdomen.

At this point, Jiang Binghe, who had been gritting his teeth and enduring, finally couldn’t hold on. He let out piercing screams while gasping heavily, sweat rolling down his head like beads, covering his entire face.

Yu Beiting withdrew his hand—in his bloody palm lay a golden core.

Jiang Binghe stared at that golden core, his eyes reddening as two streams of bloody tears flowed down.

In his lifetime, he had been spirited in youth, rebellious in his young adulthood, imposing and triumphant in his prime years. Seeing the path to immortality was but a few steps away, he never expected to end up disemboweled for his core.

How could he accept this!

His face covered in bloody tears, he raised his head and screamed in collapse. “Ahhhhh!”

Hanlu Zi pointed her sword tip toward outside the cave, “Go, let’s question him outside.”

Cheng Suiyan and Jiang Baiyu dragged him toward the cave entrance, with Jiang Baiyu stepping out first with a stern expression.

Outside, the wind and snow had finally lessened somewhat, and the world was lit white as day by the snow’s reflection. Upon stepping out of the cave entrance, Jiang Baiyu felt his cultivation flowing again and immediately sealed all of Jiang Binghe’s meridians.

The dantian was the most important node for cultivation to flow throughout the body. Now that Jiang Binghe’s dantian was destroyed, it was like a crucial section in the middle of a river being blocked, inevitably causing chaotic water flow.

Those with shallow cultivation were fine, but for someone with deep cultivation like Jiang Binghe, if the meridians weren’t sealed in time, the chaotic cultivation flow would directly cause his meridians to snap and kill him.

The two dragged Jiang Binghe out of the cave entrance and threw him in the snow. This person now had disheveled hair, was covered in blood, and his face was pale as a ghost—where was even half the bearing of a renowned sect master?

Yu Beiting suddenly said, “I suggest you first ask about the Jade River Sky-Shaking Mirror’s incantation.”

Jiang Baiyu glanced at Yun Qing, who nodded. She was naturally also anxious to know her master’s whereabouts, but Yu Beiting’s words should have their reasoning.

At this time, with Jiang Binghe’s dantian destroyed and all meridians sealed, he was equivalent to a person without cultivation—anyone with even slight cultivation could use the Incantation of Truth on him effectively.

However, concerning the Jade River Sky-Shaking Mirror, everyone naturally kept sensitively back and waited for Jiang Baiyu.

After Jiang Baiyu used the Incantation of Truth on Jiang Binghe, he asked, “What are the incantation and usage method of the Jade River Sky-Shaking Mirror?”

Jiang Binghe answered weakly, “The incantation is: ‘The frosted silver mirror remains unopened, A lone figure lingers, pacing in solitude. Lightly brushed snow upon the brows, All just to await your arrival. Open!’

…The usage method is to gather power through mental focus. The longer the power gathering time, the wider the silver river and slower the flow speed. The magic rules within the mirror are completely determined by the holder’s will, but cannot manipulate human hearts.

After first use, it can be stored in the sea of consciousness. If the treasure holder personally enters the Jade River Sky-Shaking Mirror, this mirror will escape into the void and cannot be captured.”

After hearing this, Yun Qing again marveled in her heart—this treasure, Huayang Zi had truly thought of every possible escape route.

She also thought that fortunately they had risked choosing this Guizhen Cave plan, otherwise even if they had the strength to defeat Jiang Binghe, he could escape into the void when seeing the situation turn bad, and they would never catch him.

Seeing Jiang Baiyu nod to her, she also used the Incantation of Truth on Jiang Binghe, then asked, “Who exactly kidnapped my master Le Chenzi, and where is he now?”

As soon as Jiang Binghe opened his mouth, before even uttering a single syllable, he suddenly grasped his own throat, fell to the ground struggling in pain, eyes wide with fear written all over his face.

Just as everyone was about to step forward to check, his body mysteriously burst into flames!

This fire came too fast and fierce, as if oil had been poured on dry kindling. The flames instantly shot up several feet high, the firelight making the swirling snowflakes particularly conspicuous. Everyone had to step back.

The person wrapped in flames twisted and struggled painfully on the ground, unable even to make sounds. The world was completely silent.

This fire quickly disappeared, leaving a charred corpse on the ground, with a strange smell of roasted meat permeating the air.

Yun Qing silently looked at that blackened corpse. The snow layer beneath the body had also melted, exposing a large patch of bare ground.

Jiang Binghe could be considered a hero of his time. Now, first disemboweled for his core, then burned by fierce fire and dying unnaturally—it was truly lamentable.

Jiang Baiyu looked toward Yu Beiting and said, “You knew all along.”

Yu Beiting admitted readily. “After so many years, I had some awareness.”

Hanlu Zi stared at him blankly. “What exactly is going on? How much do you know?”

“I know you hate me, but you wouldn’t want me to become like him, would you?” Yu Beiting said, pointing at Jiang Binghe’s charred corpse.

Hanlu Zi fell silent.

Yu Beiting stood up, walked to the charred corpse, and swung his sword to sever the head.

Yun Qing asked, “What are you doing?”

Yu Beiting spoke in a tone like dividing spoils: “I want his head. You can dispose of the rest as you wish.”

Yun Qing’s mouth twitched—it was just a charred corpse. How could they dispose of it? Eat it as roast meat?

Yu Beiting used his sword tip to lift up that burned head, shouldered it, and swaggered away.

Cheng Suiyan watched his retreating figure, saying inexplicably, “What does he want Jiang Binghe’s head for?”

Fu Xue shook her head: “Don’t know. Maybe to use as a chamber pot.”

Ci Li’s eyebrow twitched. “You humans are all perverts.”

Yun Qing looked at the headless charred corpse on the ground and suddenly said, “It’s not Huayang Zi.”