I Might Be a Big Shot — Chapter 12
If not for Changkong Zhuoyu being an unfathomable expert, Rang Cencen would have already struck. In her heart, Xue Qianjie was a man unparalleled in this world — how could someone dare claim to be him without even looking at their own face…
Wait a moment. Changkong Zhuoyu was indeed extremely handsome! Although his style was different from the legendary Xue Qianjie, he truly was a sight to behold.
Honestly, with looks like that, even the firm-hearted leaders of the righteous sects might have their minds shaken upon seeing him. Cultivators could indeed adjust their appearance slightly at Nascent Soul stage, so no high-level cultivator was ever ugly. But to be as stunning as Changkong Zhuoyu was not something that could be achieved just by changing one’s looks.
One’s appearance came from the heart — many factors determined it: clothing, manner of speaking, bearing, temperament, all added points. Even a beauty like a celestial maiden, if she cursed and screamed like a shrew in the street, would still earn disgust.
Rang Cencen originally wanted to speak harshly, but seeing his face, she swallowed it back for the moment and restrained herself. She said coolly, “Then, Changkong Zhuoyu, why do you think you are Sect Master Xue himself? What proof or evidence do you have? Could it be that you were possessed by a heart demon during cultivation and mistakenly believed yourself to be him?”
“Of course I have proof,” Changkong Zhuoyu, once exposed, couldn’t stop anymore. “Sect Master, you may not know — I actually came from the bottom of the Soul-Breaking Gorge.”
Li Xinglun: “…”
Was it okay to reveal a secret so easily? He quickly pressed on Changkong Zhuoyu to stop him from speaking further.
Changkong Zhuoyu instantly understood his meaning, waved him off indifferently, and said, “I know you worry for me, but the Sect Master is no outsider. In the previous jade slip, the Hundred Flowers sect recorded: if it were ever to join the demonic path, it could only be under Sect Master Xue. Back when I still had my memories, the Hundred Flowers sect followed only Sect Master Xue.”
In other words, the Hundred Flowers sect was one of the subordinate forces he’d been looking for all along!
Li Xinglun: “…”
He was already calling himself “I”… forget it, he couldn’t control him anymore. {Changkong Zhuoyu stops speaking modestly or hypothetically and outright starts claiming “I am Xue Qianjie”}
Rang Cencen’s face darkened, and the entwined serpents at her cuffs glowed an even deeper red, about to materialize and strike. These were not like Scholar Bai’s serpent staff — the two snakes at Rang Cencen’s cuffs were actually Twin Serpents, the sacred beasts of the Hundred Flowers sect. They had always been hidden in the sleeves of the sect master, cultivating together with her, receiving the offerings of the Hundred Flowers Sect, and also protecting this sect.
But Changkong Zhuoyu continued: “I was just thinking — in this world, only Xue Qianjie could stand against the divine formation. So if I escaped the divine formation at the bottom of the Soul-Breaking Gorge, who else could I be but him? I’ve forgotten my past, leaving only the words ‘Sever the past; in the death tribulation discover life’ before I lost my memory. But ever since I awoke, I knew I bore a great responsibility in this world. How could someone like me be nameless? And such a name must be the highest — so I must be Xue Qianjie.”
“Well said! Truly, ‘When the mountain has no tiger, the monkey calls himself king!’ No — it’s as if the monkey drew a ‘king’ character on his forehead and fancied himself a tiger!” A simply dressed Miao man walked in and sneered at Changkong Zhuoyu. “Since you insist you’re Sect Master Xue, then show the strength of Sect Master Xue!”
“Master!” Upon seeing this man, Rang Cencen immediately stood, and the Twin Serpents slithered from her cuffs onto the man.
“You are?” Changkong Zhuoyu remained calm and cupped his hands.
“Rang Weiran,” the Miao man said. “Changkong Zhuoyu, whether you truly believe or are just talking nonsense, the Hundred Flowers sect cannot allow anyone to defile Sect Master Xue’s name. I, as an elder of the Hundred Flowers sect, once saw the Sect Master’s face in my youth — and you are completely different. Of course, you might say there are many ways to change your appearance, and we can’t refute that. But the Sect Master’s sword cannot be imitated. If you believe you are him, then show us your sword.”
“No problem at all.” At last someone appeared to give him a chance to prove himself. Changkong Zhuoyu wasn’t angry — he was actually quite pleased.
Li Xinglun didn’t even have the energy to worry anymore and muttered: “Master, Rang Weiran is the Hundred Flowers sect’s fifth-generation elder — a man from two thousand years ago.”
Li Xinglun wasn’t an expert on every famous figure, but he knew well enough. Rang Weiran was currently only at the peak of Soul Transformation, but his mastery of Gu poison arts was profound and formidable. It was said that in his youth he had already reached Great Ascension, but knowing he couldn’t survive the ascension tribulation, he used the Hundred Flowers sect’s forbidden Gu art to destroy his cultivation and forcibly extend his lifespan, living on for centuries.
Every sect master of the Hundred Flowers sect was his disciple, and the sect’s immunity to provocation was thanks not only to its poisons but also to this venerable figure. No one dared provoke someone who had lived so long, because no one knew how many techniques he had mastered.
“Since this is our Hundred Flowers sect, the dueling ground is naturally ours to choose. Since you dare claim to be Sect Master Xue, you won’t mind this little matter, right?” Though old, Rang Weiran looked quite young. He wasn’t particularly handsome, just passable.
“Of course, no problem.” Changkong Zhuoyu nodded calmly.
Li Xinglun suddenly thought the bottom of the Soul-Breaking Gorge wasn’t so bad. Why had they even come out?
So Rang Weiran led them to the Ten-Thousand Poisons Cavern — a dark, twisting cave that struck fear into people’s hearts, its depths crawling with who-knew-how-many deadly creatures. Inside was a relatively spacious chamber, which he chose as the dueling ground. Normally, duels took place in open spaces — otherwise, buildings would just get destroyed. But Rang Weiran was confident, clearly thinking Changkong Zhuoyu lacked the ability to break the sect’s formation.
“If you are truly Sect Master Xue, even if this cavern collapses, the Hundred Flowers sect won’t mind,” Rang Weiran said.
“Don’t worry, I won’t damage this place,” Changkong Zhuoyu replied.
“Then please, show us your sword.”
A cultivator’s sword could be stored in the body, so Changkong Zhuoyu being empty-handed wasn’t unusual.
Yet Changkong Zhuoyu truly had nothing — no sword, nothing but his clothes. He looked around and finally clasped his hands behind his back, saying profoundly: “I hold no sword in my hand, but there is a sword in my heart. Xue Qianjie needed an iron sword — but I no longer need a sword. This is the highest stage of the sword path.”
“Hmph!” The more he spoke, the angrier Rang Weiran became. Not only was he comparing himself to the brilliant Sect Master Xue, he even claimed to surpass him — intolerable!
At that snort, the Twin Serpents slid from Rang Weiran’s shoulders into his palms, transforming into Twin-Serpent sword.
Li Xinglun couldn’t take it anymore. He removed a wooden sword from the ring on his thumb and tossed it over. “Master, catch your sword!”
This ring was an heirloom of the Li family. Though called a treasure, no one in the family could use it, nor did anyone know what it actually did. When Li Xinglun inherited it, it became rooted to his thumb, impossible to remove, so he just kept wearing it. It wasn’t a storage artifact, but it did contain a small space about the size of a box. He didn’t have much use for it.
The wooden sword was one Changkong Zhuoyu had carved several of at the bottom of the gorge, intending to replace them as they broke. They’d only used two before leaving (the first was destroyed when he cleaved a mountain), and the rest were stored in the ring.
As soon as Changkong Zhuoyu caught the sword, his entire aura changed.
Though the cave had no wind, his long hair rose as if pulled by an invisible hand. A red cord appeared, tying his hair high atop his head. As his hairstyle changed, his white robes became stained with blood-red.
In an instant, the graceful, jade-like gentleman in white vanished, replaced by a man clad in blood-red, exuding a chilling murderous aura.
Rang Weiran’s face showed disbelief.
In this world, many things could be faked — past deeds, appearance, even personality — but that unique murderous, bloody aura could not.
The wooden sword rose lightly, and Changkong Zhuoyu said slowly: “I know the Hundred Flowers sect is loyal. This battle is only a sparring match — I won’t harm the cavern, the sacred beasts, or you.”
With that, the tip of his sword flicked, and a streak of scarlet became a blood shadow in the air, flashing before Rang Weiran in the blink of an eye. The man in blood-red even gave a mocking smile. “But I really don’t like this environment. You can choose the arena, but where we fight is up to me.”
He grabbed Rang Weiran by the collar and, in a flash of light, vanished from the cave. Rang Cencen and the others hurried to chase after the shadow. By all rights, they shouldn’t have been able to keep up, yet somehow they managed to follow him all the way to the Hundred Flowers Miasma.
The blooming flowers seemed to part for them, bowing wherever they passed. Within several miles around Changkong Zhuoyu, not a single flower remained standing. To him, the miasma was just a thin mist, dispersed instantly by his sword intent.
Dragged into the miasma, Rang Weiran stared blankly at Changkong Zhuoyu. A light breeze stirred, and a single blood-red petal danced playfully among his hair, clinging to his aura.
It felt like a scene from a painting — but no mortal brush could capture even a fraction of this man’s bearing.
Rang Weiran and Rang Cencen closed their eyes in resignation, knelt, and bowed respectfully. “Sect Master Xue.”
~ Chapter End ~
Comments
Post a Comment