TDSDE 37

37. Back in the day…[extra]

This is about the move from back then—

As everyone knew, the vegetation in the westernmost part of Dajing was ridiculously lush… or to be precise, too lush.

The Sanxing Sect from the Western Regions had set up deep within those wild mountain forests. In the mountains, towering trees were everywhere, and sunlight rarely reached the ground. To avoid the infestation of snakes, insects, rats, and ants, the Demonic Sect had no choice but to carve into the mountain and live inside.

Over time, they all practically became cave dwellers.

At that year’s New Year banquet, when the Sect master asked what everyone’s wish was for the new year, one drunken member shouted at the top of his lungs, “Sect Master! I want to bask in the sun!”

Clutching his wine jar, the member bawled, “I’m only thirty-five! But yesterday, I suddenly couldn’t lift the purple gold hammer anymore! My back hurts, my arms hurt, my legs hurt!”

Another chimed in quietly, “Yeah, seriously. Even though we’re called a demonic sect, it doesn’t mean we have to actually live in caves…”

A sun-darkened man at the next table raised his hand with difficulty, “Sun or no sun, whatever. I just want normal temperatures.”

The Sanxing Sect had originated in the Western Regions. Back then, the Dajing court had ceded an uninhabited area to them as a gesture of concession—but that didn’t mean the sect had completely abandoned its claim over the west.

The deserts of the Western Regions stretched for thousands of miles. At noon, they could bake a man into jerky, and by nightfall, freeze that same jerky solid. The extreme temperature swings were sheer torture.

The Sect Master patted his great tiger’s head and made a decision on the spot. “Alright then, we’re moving.”

The decision was made—but where to move was the next issue. They couldn’t all just march out like an army.

The White Tiger Hall Master suggested, “Why don’t we send out a few people to scout first? Once we’ve picked a spot, we’ll all move.”

Everyone agreed. After all, you had to personally check the place to know what kind of climate it had.

So… who would go?

Ordinary members wouldn’t do. Their scouting range this time was the entire Dajing. What if they took a liking to some territory already held by the orthodox sects? If talks broke down, a fight could break out.

The Azure Dragon Hall Master shook his head. “Can’t go. I still have tons of medicine to make—can’t get away.”

The White Tiger Hall Master placed a huge basin of raw meat beside the tiger, then refilled the Sect Master’s cup with salty milk tea. “Me neither. White Tiger Hall’s swamped.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. White Tiger Hall wasn’t just busy—it was swamped to the point their feet barely touched the ground. Even the hall master had to moonlight as a zookeeper…

Everyone looked toward the lazy Sect Master on the throne and thought silently: Yup. In every sense, a zookeeper.

The Vermilion Bird Hall master tapped her crimson lip rouge with her finger, rubbed the color a little, then said calmly, “I’m fine either way. Do whatever you like.”

The Black Tortoise Hall master, who had been wolfing down food, lifted his chin to show he had no objections either.

Then suddenly, a cry came from the corner. Everyone turned toward the sound and saw the Right Protector—dressed in all black and wearing a black-gold mask—lying on the ground, reeking of alcohol and cradling his red-scratched hand, muttering over and over to the fat orange cat in front of him.

The Demonic Sect crowd: …

Everyone shivered, recalling the “glorious achievement” from the last time the Right Protector got drunk.

In the next instant, they all reached an agreement: You’re the one. Right Protector, you go!

And just like that, Bai Yuanxiu was hauled down the mountain without knowing a thing.

This relocation of the Demonic Sect wasn’t a small matter—not just for the martial world, but for the imperial court too.

Fortunately, the current Emperor was quite lenient toward matters of the martial world. He even invited respected martial artists into the palace to speak on common folk’s issues. So there was no trouble from the court.

The trouble lay with the myriad sects of the martial world.

If you looked at it from the righteous vs. demonic perspective, the Demonic Sect was undoubtedly the head of the demonic side. Letting them into the Central Plains might upset the delicate balance that currently existed.

Thus, most righteous sects opposed the move. Conversely, the demonic side naturally wanted to support it, hoping to push down the righteous sects and make the stubborn old geezers cede more resources.

They plotted and schemed for ages—meanwhile, the Demonic Sect didn’t give a damn.

As the Sect Master put it: “Huh? Who are you again?”

So when word spread that the sword-wielding Right Protector had directly stormed Yunhua Mountain—

All the sects: ????

Starting with the leader of the orthodox sects!? That ruthless!?

At that moment, the other Protector was enjoying water chestnut slices in a small fishing village courtyard. The fresh water chestnuts were crisp, tender, and sweet.

Then he looked up—only to see yet another carrier pigeon flying toward him with a flurry of wings.

Xiao Qing: …

How many is this now? Can’t I have one quiet day?

All the messages in the past two days had to do with the Right Protector. One said he was heading to Yunhua Mountain. The next said he vanished after entering the mountain’s inner grounds. In short—they wanted Xiao Qing ready to provide backup.

With a flick of his fingers, Xiao Qing crushed the note to dust.

Frustrated, he crunched the water chestnut between his teeth, the sound loud and sharp—like he was chewing not fruit, but the Right Protector’s bones.

Before this year’s New Year banquet, Xiao Qing and the Right Protector had gotten into the most destructive fight in their history.

It all started over their nicknames in the martial world. The Left Protector wore white and used Cold Frost Palms. The Right Protector wore black and used a strange sword style.

Together, they were dubbed “Black and White Impermanence.” Separately, Xiao Qing was called “Cold Asura” and the other “Sword Demon.”

Sounded cool—but the two of them could bicker over anything.

That day, the quarrel got heated. Xiao Qing directly shot back, “You’re a sword idiot.”

The Right Protector exploded instantly. They fought from the great hall, through a dozen mountain caves, then to the rear peak, and even into the medicine valley—nearly tearing apart the herbal greenhouses.

…And then both of them got beaten up by the Sect Master and the Azure Dragon Hall Master.

Every time Xiao Qing recalled the Sect master’s expression that day, he felt awkward. He’d been praised by the Sect master for years, yet that was the first time he ever got hit since joining.

It’s all the Right Protector’s fault!

Xiao Qing snorted inwardly, fed the carrier pigeon a full bowl of food, then returned to his small stool and sat down.

Wasn’t the Right Protector always causing trouble? Let him! If he stirred things up enough, the people of Yunhua Sect would definitely give him a beating. Best if he cried from it!

—

Half a month later, Xiao Qing was on the verge of dozing off at the bedside when a faint noise snapped him awake. Only after realizing that the person on the bed was just dreaming and hadn’t taken a turn for the worse did he breathe a heavy sigh of relief.

He wrung a cloth and gently wiped away the sweat from Bai Yuanxiu’s fever. But when he saw how the bandages covered nearly his entire body, his movements gradually slowed.

He reached out, carefully brushing his fingers against the blood-stained bandage. The pain in his eyes almost overflowed.

Xiao Qing had always thought Bai Yuanxiu was a fool—whenever he saw something unjust, he would rush out to uphold righteousness.

But the world held too much darkness and injustice. How could one man bear it all?

Xiao Qing wanted to tell him not to work so hard, that nothing was more important than his own life. Everyone suffered in this world—each person was both suffering and sufferer—there was no way to save them all.

Yet, whenever he saw Bai Yuanxiu’s expression, that smile as bright as sunlight, he found himself unable to say a single word.

All he could do was hide better—ever better—terrified that one day Bai Yuanxiu would discover who he truly was.

If he ever learned the truth, someone as radiant and kind as Bai Yuanxiu would surely hate him.

While Xiao Qing was lost in his thoughts, a faint tapping came from the window. The sound was crisp at first, then dulled as it echoed—clearly a signal from someone in the Demonic Sect.

Xiao Qing gently pulled the thin blanket over Bai Yuanxiu’s body, then turned and stepped out of the room.

In the courtyard stood a figure in gray, a ghostly face embroidered on their robe—like a patch of dim, lifeless fog. Only on the shoulder was there a hint of blush-like red, the mark of a disciple from the Vermillion Bird Hall.

Xiao Qing’s expression turned frighteningly cold. “Did you find out?”

Like the others in the Sect, the figure feared this Left Protector deeply. Without delay, they repeated the report word for word. “The injuries were sustained on Yunhua Mountain. The timing… coincides exactly with when the Right Protector attacked Yunhua Sect.”

Xiao Qing remained silent for a long moment before giving a faint nod. The disciple, too afraid even to wipe the sweat from their brow, quickly fled.

Bai Yuanxiu had been brought back by a swordsman surnamed Xu, who couldn’t explain how he had gotten so gravely wounded. But now, having heard the news, Xiao Qing could guess the rest.

Bai Yuanxiu must’ve heard about the Sect planning to stir trouble with Yunhua Sect and rushed over—only to run straight into the Right Protector.

A few breaths later, seething with fury, Xiao Qing slammed his palm down on the small stone table in the courtyard, shattering it into pieces. The noise startled the guard dog of a nearby farmhouse into barking.

Heart skipping a beat, Xiao Qing leapt onto the wall and darted toward the barking black dog, glaring at it.

The black dog whimpered twice, tucked its tail between its legs, and scurried into its kennel without another sound.

Satisfied, Xiao Qing returned to their temporary courtyard. Confirming that Bai Yuanxiu hadn’t woken, he silently stepped back outside.

He looked at the shattered stone scattered all over the ground, let out a resigned sigh, and crouched down. One by one, he picked up the pieces, crushed them to powder in his hands, dug a hole in the ground, and mixed the dust with mud, filling the hole back up with a few thuds.

Throughout the process, Xiao Qing’s face remained taut. All he could think about was that damn Right Protector. How dare he hurt Yuanxiu like that? Next time they met, he’d make sure that bastard paid!

Time flew. Now, remembering that humiliating mess from back then, Xiao Qing just hugged his arms in silence, looked up at the crescent moon in the sky, and refused to speak.

Tch.