The Forsaken-Grade Cultivator
Chapter 34: Truth

Chapter 34: Truth

"It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Xian Shan?" Ying queried, all the while framing a treacherous sort of innocence.

He visibly beamed, as he witnessed the Young Lady’s eyes quake from tiny internal tumours. Her body quivered, and her face seemed devoid of life.

Her countenance froze, and her teeth chattered out of fear. The most primordial kind – The fear of the unknown....

The ’unknown’ in question being the plans which the former had in store for her. Earlier, she had betrayed him without batting an eye. Now, it was time to face the music.

The question remained, however, was she prepared for the consequences?

Of course not.

No one is ever truly prepared for their death, especially not at such a blooming age. But it was too late for that. The moment she’d let him in here, her fate was already sealed.

Ying, it seemed, was quite the villain himself..... I mean, just how irrevocably terrible did a smile have to be to incite such an ancient emotion?

He took a step forward.

In that instant, a million sirens blared in Xian Shan’s head, and she scurried away at speeds she didn’t even know she was capable of. In the blink of an eye, she had crossed the width of the empty room, and her back pressed hard against the cold, unfeeling, wall.

She began hyperventilating, trembling uncontrollably as her wide eyes dashed across the room. Trying to see if there was anything that could help her situation. But she knew, perhaps better than anyone else in the entire compound....

It was all futile.

The room was built with the intentions of keeping things out, viz-a-viz locking them safely in. Therefore it was the embodiment of the saying, less is more. It was a lone, simplistic room, with but a single entrance.

With no other choice, she summoned a weapon from thin air. It was a glistening steel sword,

"D-d-d, don’t c-come any closer!" She stuttered, pointing the blade at the ever approaching Ying.

But her actions, and her words, were about as effective as a human watering a tall mountain – pointless. Ying didn’t slow down. Neither did he increase his pace. His steps were steady, and so was his nefarious smile...

Eventually, he was upon the still fretting young Lady, and then he crouched down to eye level. He pushed his face closer to hers, all the while maintaining eye contact.

His actions... Or, Inaction, depending on how one looked at it, reduced Xian Shan’s already crumbling mind to indiscernible splinters.

She attempted yelling, but her brain was too frightened to conjure up anything. As a result, her words devolved into incoherent babble.

In the end, she just decided to shut her mouth, and simply pressed her sword against Ying’s neck. Her grip, and hold, was everything but firm.

Ying didn’t even spare the blade a glance, though he made a mental note to pilfer it later......

He stared straight into Xian’s Shan eyes, then said: "You know (He gestured to the blade), this little thing doesn’t scare me..."

"You can feel it too, can’t you. I’m no longer on a level which the likes of you can kill. I’m stronger now... Strong enough to brutalize you in ways you can’t even imagine. Just answer my simple question truthfully, and perhaps I’ll settle on just a few limbs of yours."

He bluffed, obviously. Well, half-bluffed, really.

But it was effective nonetheless.

Xian Shan gulped.

Taking this as affirmation, Ying smiled brightly, and then swiftly turned expressionless, before continuing....

"Good. Riddle me this then... ’The pathways through which Qi flows are extremely volatile, which allows for easier energy transmission, but at the same time, leaves it subject to extreme changes in the body’s internal temperature.’... From what book, did you read this line?"

At this, Xian Shan’s face scrunched up, but meeting Ying’s icy glare, she ended up stuttering once again. "I-I d-d-don’t—."

"Answer the question," Ying said coldly. He didn’t want to waste anymore time here, "Oh, and I strongly advise against lying."

"I-I d-don’t know!" Xian Shan yelled. An act which persisted when she saw Ying’s sceptic glare, "I DON’T KNOW! I swear by the heavens! I have never read or even HEARD such a line before in my life! Please!"

Ying’s face suddenly tensed in internal deliberation, and then he sighed before standing up, "I see now...." He thought aloud, then turned to the young lady, the smile returning.

"....I’m sure you’re wondering how I came to figure this plot of yours, and since I’m so generous, I’ll let you in on a few of the details... Just a tiny bit though, teeny tiny bit." Ying said as he made a miniscule gesture with his fingers.

"...."

"You see, aside from the last attempt at poisoning, my first clue was actually the relationship, between Lady Shan and Jiang Chu. They didn’t seem to align as your ideal couple. One was a nobleman’s daughter with a bright future ahead of her, while the other was a commoner disciple of the same Sect. Albeit a little talented, he was quite your ordinary guy. Nothing wrong there...."

"...That is, until, I found out that the so called nobleman’s daughter didn’t have such a glisteningly bright future ahead of her. She only pretended so as not to make herself a target for other wolves, but of course, that failed. Seeing as that idiot brat still decided to target you."

"So there was only one choice left, if you still wished to ascend to status, you had to build your own renown. And that’s where Jiang Chu comes in. A talented young commoner with no background, who also happens to possess a precious Legacy scripture. I’m sure the simple minded fool didn’t think twice when a beauty like you approached him. Eventually, he fell in love with you, and then—!"

Ying was abruptly cut off.

"N-no, you’re wrong! Me and Jiang... we have something special!"

Somehow, Xian Shan had mustered up enough courage to refute the claims..... But that was of little consequence, Ying simply shook his head.

"Tut, Tut, Tut. How saddening. You got too immersed in your role and actually fell in love with him, didn’t you. Well, I can’t say I blame you. He’s a really great guy. But the truth remains that your original reason for courting him was to obtain the Great Tidal Sword Arts’ scripture, nothing more."

"I—"

She tried to speak up for herself, but Ying didn’t let her.

"That is the truth. One which even you can’t deny... And from your expression, I know I am right. But even your greedy desires were worth nothing in the face of the Zhao Family’s Patriarch. Perhaps, once, in the past, you could have done something. But that time has long passed..." Ying stopped talking.

He seemed to be waiting for something to que him in... Or perhaps he was just building suspense?

"H-how did you know...? That incident.... how did you find out about that...?" Xian Shan asked with a quivering voice. She was honestly shocked. Ying smiled.

"Oh? You mean THAT great incident? Where the two most powerful dragons of the Xian Family had their wings clipped by a peerless expert, and fell to the earth, reduced to mere earthworms? How could I not? After all, everyone, from the guards to the stewards... Even the longstanding maids knew a thing or two about what happened that day."

Ying said, and after scrutinizing his every word, as well as identifying the hidden details hidden in certain stressed syllables, it all started to become clear to the Young Lady.

She grit her teeth.

’T-those damned bitches!! They couldn’t keep their mouths shut, could they?!’ She thought in spite.

Honestly speaking, the truth about what happened that day was by no means a secret. The top elders of the sect, the leaders of its main clans, a few disciples, and even the Xian’s servants had a general idea of what transpired.

The day that her father, as well as his greatest ally, had their entire Cultivation destroyed, by a single fearsome expert. At first, everything was lull, but all that soon changed, as the entire family lost its standing in the Sect.

As a result, everyone. Even the other families of their own clan looked down on them. This enraged the Patriarch—Xian’s father— and that’s why.... Fuelled with the desire to rise once more, he and his wife set off on a Quest, while Xian Shan herself set her eyes on the promising new prospect of the Flowing Sword Sect.

"The opportunity of the Legacy was snatched from you, since you could not harm me in my circumstances, but Jiang Chu still held promise in your eyes. Faced with the decision of a stranger whom you barely even knew, and the future of your Family, it’s quite obvious which you would choose."

"In the end, you sold me off to the enemy, even going as far as confessing to him yourself I’d reckon, so you didn’t incur his wrath. You co-operated with him, and everything has led up to this point. Honestly, you’re not completely at fault. After all, I was the one who killed Zhao Ming back then..."

Ying spoke. His tone showcased a deep confidence in his own words, like he was completely sure of himself. But it wasn’t as simple as he let on.

Though it eventually came, the realization was not easy. Ying had to take a good look at himself, and acknowledge that these supposed NPCs were much more that. Each had a past, a goal, and an ideology that aligned with their every action.

Only then did the reality of his situation become strikingly clear to him. There were clues, and a few minor details as well, Ying simply had to piece them together. Accompanied by his newfound epiphany, everything was laid bare before him.

In a nutshell, he had to stop treating them like mere 1s and 0s... And that, that proved to be a lot harder than he would have expected.

"I can’t say I blame you.... But at the same time, I can’t say that I DON’T blame you. You stabbed me in the back, the circumstances that led up to that are irrelevant. You of all people should know by now, that every action has a consequence."

Ying raised his sword, then looking down of the still trembling Xian Shan, he said in a barely audible whisper,

"Good bye."

Then he brought down his blade.

Whoosh!

Swoosh!!

Two sounds of the air being cut erupted, and Ying suddenly stopped his sword mid-swing. A split second later, he twisted his body, and raised his sword. Locking himself in a fierce sword bind with another.

Ying smirked.

The attacker didn’t linger, as he swiftly moved with exquisite technique. Circling Ying’s frame, he positioned himself in front of the shaken young Lady, simultaneously forcing Ying to retreat backwards.

Dark clothes which melded perfectly with the deep shadows in the room, such was the attire of this new personality..... but his aged face was all too familiar.

There was a short silence, before Ying shattered it:

"I was wondering when you would show up. You know, being the main protagonist of this entire operation and all..... Qing Lo or perhaps you would prefer the nickname— Xian Dragon instead?" Ying taunted the former expert, his characteristic grin never leaving his face.