Volume 5 Chapter 88

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Volume 5 Chapter 88: Under Heavy Burden, My Journey Is Tough (Part 2)

After slowly sharing the events of that year with everyone at Qingxu Gate, Lv Qingshang sighed deeply and said, "Since that time, Junior Brother Xu has become like he is now. Although he seems normal most of the time, whenever there is action, he completely changes. He becomes serious and cold, and even I, as his senior, feel afraid when I look at him. At that time, Junior Brother Xu hadn’t become famous yet."

In fact, the situation at Qingxu Gate is similar to that at Jiuhua. Under Liu Ziqing’s actions, Qingxu Gate also lost a lot of strength. As the leader of two major sects, Hua Xian did not realize what Xu Qingfan had thought. This has led to even more serious problems of injuries and losses at Qingxu Gate over the years. Now, they can’t even send out a complete small team and must merge into Xu Qingfan’s team, which shows how Hua Xian is not as capable as Xu Qingfan.

Of course, Lv Qingshang only thought these words to himself and did not say them out loud. He came to find Lv Ziqing and the others to comfort them, not to show off.

After hearing Lv Qingshang’s story, even the Qingxu disciple who had always opposed Xu Qingfan appeared stunned. The one who had been looking down in sadness also lifted his head, first glancing at Lv Qingshang, then looking far ahead at Xu Qingfan.

That thin figure now looked so weary.

"I don’t care why he has changed like this, but I do not agree with what he said today." The Qingxu disciple, who had always found Xu Qingfan disagreeable, paused for a moment before slowly speaking again, but after this, he finally did not attack Xu Qingfan anymore.

"Are you saying that Junior Brother Xu should have given up on Martial Sister Xu yesterday?"

The disciple nodded silently.

Lv Qingshang smiled slightly and said, "I don’t agree either. But I can tell you this: if he had been surrounded by Beast Madness cultivators yesterday, and you had come to save him, he would have been furious. Right now, all he cares about is keeping us alive; he doesn’t value anything else."

As he spoke, Lv Qingshang couldn’t help but remember Xu Qingfan kneeling in front of those fifteen graves, not moving for a month. He sighed quietly, thinking that Junior Brother Xu was putting too much pressure on himself, even though some of that pressure shouldn’t be his to bear.

However, because of this, both he and Li Yuhan were trying their best to help him.

Yet, amidst the surprise of the Qingxu Gate members, Lv Qingshang reverted to his usual carefree self, teasing a few people from Qingxu Gate before laughing and leaving, almost as if the serious storyteller from earlier was not him at all.

Just before Lv Qingshang left, he waved his hands discreetly, and a barrier suddenly wrapped around everyone from Qingxu without a sound. Also surrounded by this barrier was Li Yuhan, who had come with Lv Qingshang but had not spoken the entire time and did not follow Lv Qingshang out; he suddenly began to speak.

"I know Martial Uncle Xu’s words must have made you think he was cold-hearted, but please remember, during yesterday’s battle, Martial Uncle rushed into the fight and brought us together. Many friends, including Taoist Friend Xu and Taoist Friend Lu, were deep in the battle. It was very difficult to gather the two of them with the others. At the same time, the four Taoist friends who tragically died because help came too late were in much better positions than the two. Yet, Martial Uncle Xu still hesitated not at all in saving the two, while he could only watch the other four perish. Knowing Martial Uncle as I do, I can assure you that he will feel guilty for a long time."

Unlike Lv Qingshang’s teasing tone, Li Yuhan spoke in a calm yet somewhat stern manner. After saying this, Li Yuhan looked at the few people from Qingxu, his gaze lingering a moment on Xu Xiurong, Lv Qingshang, and the Qingxu disciple who had disapproved of Xu Qingfan before he slowly added, "I hope each of you friends will think carefully about the meaning behind this."

Saying this, Li Yuhan said no more and directly withdrew the barrier before leaving.

It turned out that the news of Xu Qingfan not saving the other four was very serious. If others found out and spread it, it would create more trouble. At that moment, there were also other people besides Qingxu and Jiuhua, so to be safe, Lv Qingshang added a layer of soundproof barrier before leaving.

After Li Yuhan left, only Qingxu and his group were left, looking a bit dazed. After hearing these words, they didn’t know whether they should dislike Xu Qingfan or not.

And so, the whole team became silent during their journey.

Just as Li Yuhan and the others from Qingxu Gate were parting ways, Lv Qingshang also hurried to Xu Qingfan’s side, just like Jin Qinghan.

"Have you calmed them down?"

Xu Qingfan turned to ask, a faint smile on his face, but it carried a hint of deep weariness.

"They’ve been calmed down. From now on, they shouldn’t openly oppose you," Lv Qingshang said with a cheerful smile.

"Are you telling stories again?" Xu Qingfan frowned and asked. To be honest, he didn’t like being the main character of a story that people passed around.

Lv Qingshang’s smile remained unchanged as he said softly, "Even though you don’t like it, it’s the most effective way."

Xu Qingfan was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "One day, when your story is uncovered, we’ll see what you do."

Lv Qingshang smiled wider and said softly, "I don’t have such a rich imagination. Stories are always based on facts. Besides, I just hid a few things." He paused and added, "Some unimportant things."

"Maybe they are unimportant to you, but they are not to me."

They did not speak along the way.

About ten days later, Righteous Alliance’s headquarters "Ronghua Mountain" finally appeared faintly in front of everyone. Though they were far away, they could still feel the majestic mountains.

Lv Ziqing, who had only joked and chatted with Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan all the way, couldn’t help but hesitate slightly and asked Xu Qingfan, "Junior Brother Xu, do you really plan to tell Martial Sister Xu’s situation to Qinglingzi? You should know that the punishment from ‘Qingxu Gate’ is very strict. That girl seems very gentle, and I’m worried she might not handle it well."

Xu Qingfan nodded slightly, indicating he had already thought of this, and said, "I will suggest to senior Qinglingzi that she let her enter seclusion for reflection. I believe senior Qinglingzi will give me this little favor. Besides, this time, seven people died because of her. Without punishment, she might feel even more uneasy. Furthermore, her personality is not suited for fighting in a disaster. As for her inner struggle, I will find a way to help her."

Lv Qingshang nodded slightly. He understood that many of Xu Qingfan’s punishments were not really punishments, but a form of protection. For example, the six Jiuhua elders under Xu Qingfan, including one of his Martial Uncles, were heavily punished by Xu Qingfan for making mistakes during a mission, causing them to enter seclusion for a hundred years.

As mentioned before, the emptiness and monotony during seclusion are difficult for even cultivators to endure. Spending a hundred years in seclusion for reflection is also a very harsh punishment for cultivators.

But in fact, the reason Xu Qingfan punished them was more about protection. He believed that these six people were not suited to survive in a disaster. With their personalities, they would soon meet a terrible fate. So, by punishing them to isolate for a hundred years, he was really trying to keep them safe during this calamity.

However, after that incident, Xu Qingfan’s character became very strange. Even though he had good intentions, he did not let anyone know. Only Lv Qingshang and Li Yuhan had a faint guess about his true purpose. Even Jin Qinghan didn’t understand, thinking Xu Qingfan’s punishment was too harsh, which made Xu Qingfan’s image seem even more frightening to everyone in Jiuhua and the Righteous Alliance.

Thinking of this, Lv Qingshang sighed softly in his heart. After Xu Qingfan’s character changed, whenever he faced Xu Qingfan, he would often sigh, feeling both helpless and regretful.

"The disaster should almost be over, so let’s forget about punishing Martial Sister Xu."

Just then, Li Yuhan happened to arrive and, hearing the conversation between Xu Qingfan and Lv Qingshang, couldn’t help but interject.

Xu Xiurong had a gentle and wise image that easily made people feel fond of her, so at this moment, even Li Yuhan couldn’t help but plead for her.

"The disaster is almost over?" Xu Qingfan’s smile grew wider, but so did his weariness. He said softly, "Seven years ago, Fan Xiaoyao from the Xingyin Sect told me the same thing. But what happened? The Eight Wilderness Hall had just been suppressed, and then the Beast Madness appeared suddenly. Now that the Beast Madness is about to be eliminated, the Eight Wilderness Hall is still barely holding on. Moreover, even if we destroy the Eight Wilderness Hall, what other disasters will arise?"

"Do you mean…"

Li Yuhan paused for a moment and asked hesitantly.

"This disaster might have just begun."

Xu Qingfan looked into the distance, where the clouds hid what lay ahead. After a moment, he sighed softly.