The Path Toward Heaven

Shi Fengchen narrowed his eyes slightly. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” said he while looking at Jing Jiu.

He didn’t understand why Jing Jiu was so certain that he participated in this event.

“Last night I had calculated all the possibilities, but I couldn’t get the exact result of a variance.”

Jing Jiu continued, “But I still think that you should have participated in this matter.”

Shi Fengchen narrowed his eyes even more, and he said with a mocking tone, “You came barging into the home of an official of the imperial court because you think you should question me. To determine something based on conjecture alone, is that how you play chess, immortal master Jing Jiu?”

“Yes,” Jing Jiu replied.

Shi Fengchen sneered without saying anything.

Jing Jiu said, “Now it’s not conjecture anymore, because your breathing, heartbeat, and voice indicate that you have been involved in this event.”

Shi Fengchen’s pupils had shrunk a bit.

Jing Jiu added, “Including this reaction.”

It was quiet in the small courtyard.

The two thin chickens cackled once in a while, sounding very weak.

Shi Fengchen remained silent for a long time.

Then, he stood up behind the desk and straightened the official uniform he was wearing, as he claimed, “Yes, I’m the main conspirator of this event.”

His tone was very relaxed, and his expression grew more peaceful now.

Shi Fengchen said directly before Jing Jiu could ask more questions, “I hired the assassin of the Old Ones. The middle-man was in a small inn, but I think he should have already fled by now. The unexpected was that the assassin of the Old Ones was an elder of the Center Sect. I’m certain that this wasn’t the intention of the Center Sect. Now I begin to suspect that I might have been used by the Old Ones. You should understand what I mean.”

Even the most cowardly criminal wouldn’t confess so easily.

Shi Fengchen’s straightforwardness created an eerie feeling.

Jing Jiu didn’t sense it, though, and this was because he didn’t care. “You’re still worried about the internal struggle between the orthodox Cultivation sects to make the imperial court unstable in your current situation, so it looks like you are a loyal courtier,” said Jing Jiu.

“I’m not so noble. I just don’t want to have too many innocent people implicated in this case.”

Shi Fengchen lifted his head, and said proudly, “I’m different from you people. Though we are all Cultivation practitioners, I have never practiced the unresponsive Dao.”

Jing Jiu didn’t pay much attention to what he attempted to express, demanding, “Tell me about the person who ordered you.”

Shi Fengchen sneered, “There is nobody ordering me. I’m the one who wants her to be dead. You’re certain about it, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

Jing Jiu said, “If Wei Chenzi was a member of the Old Ones, you have no way to get his help.”

Shi Fengchen’s expression had changed slightly, but soon returned to the normal state, remaining silent.

Jing Jiu said, “I know it’s Jing Xin.”

Shi Fengchen’s sleeves trembled a bit.

He failed to comprehend how Jing Jiu could figure all this out.

“You don’t have any evidence to back your suspicion up. Even if you know the soul-searching method of the deviant sects, what you will get would be nonsense, which can’t be trusted.”

He said to Jing Jiu harshly, “Even if the earlier scene has been recorded by the Reversal Orb of the Green Mountain Sect, it still can’t be believed, because it has no sound recorded.”

In this world, only the Heavenly Retrieval Orb of the Center Sect had the ability to perfectly record the scene and sound at the same time.

Yet such a treasure couldn’t be in the hands of a young disciple of the Green Mountain.

Jing Jiu said, “You don’t worry so much because you think I don’t have the evidence.”

“That’s right,” said Shi Fengchen.

Jing Jiu said, “I don’t need the evidence when I act.”

“The Cultivation practitioners like you always act this way. I’m not surprised,” said Shi Fengchen after a moment of silence.

Jing Jiu took a step forward.

Shi Fengchen said, “It looks like I will definitely die today; but before I die, are you curious to know why I only want Zhao Layue dead, and I have never worried about you?”

Last night in front of Zhao Manor House, Mo Xi of the Water-Moon Nunnery had said something similar, but he didn’t listen; however, he stopped short at this moment.

“Because I have studied you, and I found that you’re different from Zhao Layue. You’re not interested in this world, indifferent to the extreme.”

Shi Fengchen continued, “The regular people might think the likes of you are impersonal, but the officials of the Pure Heaven Bureau like me are fully aware that the Cultivation practitioners like you are actually not harmful to the world; but Zhao Layue is different. She is affectionate about this world, so she thinks that she can change this world.”

Jing Jiu understood what he meant as he recalled those young people Bai Zao mentioned last night, saying, “Many young Cultivation practitioners are similar to her.”

Shi Fengchen said, “Yes, but those young Cultivation practitioners are not as murderous as she is.”

Jing Jiu didn’t respond.

“I’m cautious of the Cultivation practitioners, because your strength is too powerful. Your random will could possibly cause a disaster for the mortals.”

Shi Fengchen stared into Jing Jiu’s eyes as he continued, “Zhao Layue is not afraid of killing people, and she kills people at any cost to practice her Dao. This is the biggest disaster.”

If he was the one to be reproached, Jing Jiu wouldn’t even bother responding, but it was Zhao Layue, so he wanted to say something on her behalf.

“All those people Zhao Layue killed were evildoers.”

Shi Fengchen sneered, “Not to mention whether the criterion of good and bad should be decided by the Cultivation practitioners like you, even if those she killed were all evildoers and demons, are these killings the benevolent acts? You and Zhao Layue had killed a few bodyguards working for a brothel in Shangzhou years ago. After the investigation I found why you two had done it. Two Cultivation practitioners passing through a place waved their hands, thinking that the tragic life of the common folk would be changed. You thought that you had saved that young girl, but do you know what kind of terrible life that girl is having right now? What you did is not the benevolent act, but to satisfy your desire of saving the world, which is hypocritical, disgusting!”

Jing Jiu responded calmly, “You’re right in some sense, I told her so at the time. What about you? Have you done anything after you learned the suffering of the young girl?”

The sneer on Shi Fengchen’s face had gradually faded away.

Jing Jiu said, “If you have done something, that young girl should appreciate you. If not, you shouldn’t be reproached, just like Zhao Layue.”

Shi Fengchen said after a long moment of silence, “Perhaps you’re right. I’m simply too scared of her.”

Jing Jiu asked, “What are you scared of?”

“I’m scared of her becoming the second Immortal Taiping.”

Shi Fengchen continued in a trembling voice, “You probably don’t understand why I say this. All you need to know is…horrible. It’s too horrible to the human world.”

Jing Jiu fell silent.

Of course he understood.

Back then, the entire human world didn’t hear the battle drums.

Taiping, he was the only one left in the human world.

It was soundless.

It was horrible.

…

…

Last night Bai Zao had said that she sensed someone wanted to use the assassination attempt of Zhao Layue to force the orthodox Cultivation sects to launch the attack on the Old Ones and then benefit from it. Her thinking was more profound than Shi Fengchen’s worry that the Old Ones intended to use the assassination of Zhao Layue to start the war between two leaders of the orthodox Cultivation sects. Yet, she could think of the Underworld at most due to the existence of the soul fire.

However, Jing Jiu thought in even broader perspective. He considered the conflict between the human race and the Underworld.

It was because he was quite familiar with this tactic.

This was the scheme that was soundless but could leave tens of thousands people dead.

That was the way that person had done it before.

Jing Jiu came directly to Shi Fengchen’s house that day in the attempt to find some clues.

As Shi Fengchen requested to say some last words, Jing Jiu listened silently

He stared into Shi Fengchen’s eyes as he inquired, “When you had this idea in the deep end of your heart, did anything strange happen?”

Shi Fengchen shook his head, wearing a faint smile on his face, saying, “I only hope there will be a different world.”

Having said that, he sat back in the chair.

Innumerable drops of black blood water flowed down from his eyes and nostrils.

No more breathing.

Shi Fengchen had broken his own meridians, and meanwhile swallowed the poison he had hidden beforehand.

Gazing at the corpse in the chair, Jing Jiu remained silent for a while. Then he turned around and left the room.

…

…