vrcanaries Chapter 1714: Drinking Under the Moon
Chapter 1714: Drinking Under the Moon
Ye Yan laughed heartily, stepped forward and patted Zhao Hu's shoulder, which was as solid as refined iron, so hard that his own hand went slightly numb!
"Alright! You've survived a calamity, so you're bound to have good fortune! From now on, you're truly one of us in the Wanchuan Sect! First, change out of these tattered clothes and get used to your new body. Then... it's time to think about starting your cultivation from scratch! I like you, so I might just teach you a thing or two myself!"
Zhao Hu nodded vigorously and stood up.
He seemed even more robust and imposing than before, his bronze skin radiating an aura of boundless power.
He felt the newborn body within him, brimming with infinite possibilities, and an unprecedented sense of belonging, security, and a strong desire to become stronger and to give back burned fiercely in his chest like wildfire!
"Alright! From this day forward, I, Zhao Hu, am truly reborn! I will certainly not let you down!!"
He will remain closely connected with the Wanchuan Sect, which embraced him and gave him a new life, until death do us part!
……
Qingcheng Yufa Sect, behind the main peak, cliffside pavilion.
The night was as dark as ink, the Milky Way was dim, and only a few thin rays of moonlight pierced through the clouds, casting their light on the cold and lonely pavilion.
Below the cliff is a bottomless abyss, where the howling wind sounds like a sob.
On the stone table in the pavilion, there were several simple dishes of spiritual fruits and side dishes, and two jugs of Qingling wine brewed by the sect itself.
The wine was half gone, but no one was truly enjoying themselves.
Su Hao and Luo Yang sat facing each other, both silent.
The horrific scene of Zhao Hu being dragged away, his flesh torn and bloodied, and Su Hongzhen's ferocious, furious, and unquestionable figure weighed heavily on their hearts like a stone, impossible to shake off.
Finally, Luo Yang broke the silence first. He picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. The spicy wine went down his throat, but it couldn't dispel the pent-up emotions in his chest.
He put down his glass and let out a long, weary sigh.
"Senior Brother," Luo Yang's voice was a little hoarse, his gaze fixed on the dark abyss outside the pavilion, "you say... those days when we adventured together with Zi'ang... no, with Mingchuan, were they all fake?"
Su Hao's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the wine glass, his knuckles turning white.
He also gazed at the night, his eyes filled with complex and unreadable emotions: "Fighting side by side is real, and his efforts to secure resources and win glory for the sect are also real."
He paused, his voice lowering, "But his identity is fake, and his purpose... might also be fake."
"Purpose?" Luo Yang smiled bitterly and shook his head. "If he really has ulterior motives, such as stealing our sect's secrets or simply seeking revenge against the sect leader... then why would he do so much for us? Why would he risk everything to fight for the sect's interests?"
"Senior Brother, you're smarter than me. Tell me, do such spies exist?"
Su Hao remained silent.
He couldn't answer.
Rationally, he should trust the sect leader's judgment and believe that Mingchuan is a traitor and enemy with malicious intentions.
But emotionally, those shared experiences are so vivid...
Can all those camaraderie and the kindness we received be so easily erased with a mere pretense?
"Zhao Hu today..." Su Hao changed the subject, his voice hoarse, "Although he is honest and straightforward, he is also the most stubborn. He is willing to risk his life just to follow Ming Chuan cleanly. In his heart, Ming Chuan... has given him far more than the sect has given him."
Luo Yang took another swig of wine, his eyes somewhat glazed: "Yeah, that kid Zhao Hu used to be a marginal figure in the sect, nobody paid him any attention. It was Ming Chuan who helped him break through when he was stuck at a bottleneck... Look at the look in his eyes today, he's made up his mind about Ming Chuan, not even ten oxen could pull him back. He's risking everything, including his life, just to get a clean identity to be with Ming Chuan."
He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "And us? We went through life and death with him, but now we're sitting here, drinking sect wine, discussing whether he's friend or foe... Senior Brother, tell me, aren't we... more cowardly, more ridiculous than Zhao Hu?"
“It’s not cowardice.” Su Hao finally finished the wine in his glass, put it down with a crisp clinking sound, and raised his head, his eyes filled with struggle and pain.
"It's about bonds. Zhao Hu's bond with the sect isn't deep; he's more like a neglected passerby, able to turn and leave without hesitation. But we..."
He looked at Luo Yang, and then seemed to see through Luo Yang the majestic outline of the entire Qingcheng Imperial Law Sect: "You and I entered the sect at a young age, were nurtured by the sect, received guidance from our teachers, and grew up together with many fellow disciples. This place is not only a place of cultivation, but also our roots, our home."
Even if the sect leader has a thousand faults, the sect has been kind to us. This kindness, this sense of belonging ingrained in our bones since childhood, cannot be severed so easily.
Luo Yang remained silent, knowing that what Su Hao said was true.
They are the best of the younger generation of the Qingcheng Imperial Law Sect, the future of the sect, enjoying the best resources, and also bearing corresponding responsibilities and expectations.
Their names and their path are already inextricably linked with the Qingcheng Imperial Law Sect.
“But Mingchuan…” Luo Yang murmured softly, “After this period of time… I really can’t imagine him as the kind of wicked, treacherous villain that the sect leader described.”
"He openly admitted his identity, faced the sect leader's questioning head-on, his cultivation methods were upright and honest, and he was almost domineering in protecting his own disciples... Could such a person really be our mortal enemy? Do we really want to be at odds with him and the Wan Chuan Sect to the death?"
This is the biggest problem in their hearts.
The conflict between reason and emotion, the clash between old favors and new acquaintances, and the divergence between sectarian stance and personal judgment.
Su Hao refilled his and Luo Yang's glasses, gazing at the swirling amber liquid, and slowly said, "Between the Sect Master and Mingchuan lies the hatred of a son's murder, a struggle for sect interests, and a profound loss of face. This enmity runs deep, with absolutely no room for reconciliation. And we..."
He looked at Luo Yang with a heavy gaze: "We are in a sect, and as core disciples, the sect leader's will is the sect's will."
“We don’t have Zhao Hu’s courage and excuse to go barefoot. If we show even the slightest sympathy or doubt for Mingchuan, we’ll probably end up no better off than Zhao Hu. The sect leader is currently… in a fit of anger and very suspicious.”
Luo Yang clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white: "Are we just supposed to stand by and watch? Watch as the sect leader might launch a war against the Wanchuan Sect? Watch as those who once fought alongside us become mortal enemies? Or even... face each other on the battlefield in the future?"
The thought of possibly facing Mingchuan with swords on the battlefield filled both of them with a suffocating discomfort.
"I don't know." Su Hao closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the chilly night wind. "Perhaps, the only thing we can do is, without violating the sect's principles, try our best to stay true to ourselves, refrain from doing evil, and not kick someone when they're down. If that day ever comes..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Luo Yang understood what he meant.
If one day they were to become enemies and fight each other, it would probably be the most difficult tribulation for them to overcome in their spiritual journey...!