Chapter 416 - 253: The Meeting (Part 2)

Chapter 416: Chapter 253: The Meeting (Part 2)

"..."

Su Xing suddenly realized that no matter how the competition played out, Yao Yixiao was always going to achieve his ultimate goal. Whether Su Xing competed or not, Yao Yixiao and Li Ye were destined to take first place, because Lin Tianhan and Ao Lin were no match for them at all.

’If their goals were aligned, the plan was indeed foolproof,’ he thought. ’But for some reason, Li Ye didn’t show up on the day of the competition. I wonder if something happened to him.’

CAW—CAW—

A familiar crow’s caw echoed.

"She’s here," Yao Yixiao said faintly as he gazed into the space before him. His calm voice, however, held a hint of an indescribable emotion.

"Ten years have passed, our lives adrift like weeds; we meet again, gray-haired, our tears overflowing."

"Uncle Yao, it’s been a while. You’ve certainly gained a few more wrinkles. But... in this little drama of a long-awaited reunion, why is there such an irrelevant person present?"

"It really is you..."

Su Xing gazed at the familiar figure before him. Her slender frame, the heavy, opera-like makeup on her face, and her habit of reciting verse upon her entrance—all of it confirmed the identity of the person before him: the daughter of Tong An, the mysterious Extraordinary Being known as the Yin Crow.

"I’ve seen you before, at the Cyan Cloud Sect, haven’t I? The little fellow from Cang City,"

the Yin Crow said, looking at Su Xing.

"Yes. Back then, you leaped onto the Cyan Cloud Sect’s grounds."

Su Xing replied without reservation. He noticed that she had not come in her physical body. It wasn’t a clone, either, but something more akin to a spatial projection.

He figured this must be Yao Yixiao’s doing. After all, she was a wanted criminal explicitly designated by the organization, while Yao Yixiao was the branch director of Luocheng’s special organization. Moreover, this was the organization’s headquarters; a direct meeting would be impossible.

"Hahaha, so you found Uncle Yao and lured me out. Are you looking to have a life-or-death battle with me?"

"Let me give you a fair warning: if you lose to me, you’ll have to stay and become my puppet,"

the Yin Crow said with a laugh.

"Yinyin, it’s rare for you to be willing to come to such a dangerous place to see this old man. Let’s not say such scary things,"

Yao Yixiao said, his expression somewhat complicated.

"If Uncle Yao doesn’t like it, then I won’t say it. But Uncle Yao, you were in such a state back then, and now you’ve reached the pinnacle of power in Luocheng. Why do you still seek me out?"

"Originally, that boy Li Ye and I had planned to find a life-saving Spirit Flower for you, but then this curious young man appeared. He retrieved the flower for me."

"You forcibly raised your cultivation realm. Although your power progressed rapidly, the side effects are significant."

"The Shadow Needle... That fellow Li Ye should have already given it to you, right?"

"Oh?"

The Yin Crow said with some surprise, "Brother Li told me he met a rather interesting and powerful young man in Desperate Gorge. That must have been you, right?"

"Li Ye..." An image of Li Ye’s face flashed through his mind. Su Xing said with a serious expression, "Back in Desperate Gorge, Li Ye insisted he needed this flower to save someone. That person was you, wasn’t it?"

"It was me. I received the inheritance of a Demon Cultivator and left myself with some hidden ailments by cultivating it forcibly,"

the Yin Crow said with a nonchalant air.

"A Demon Cultivator’s inheritance?" Su Xing said in a heavy voice.

Come to think of it, Tong Yin’s sequence was Puppet Manipulation. Combining such a sequence with a Demon Cultivator’s path would indeed be like adding wings to a tiger. This was, however, the first time Su Xing had ever encountered a Sequencer who also possessed a Demon Cultivator’s inheritance.

"Yes."

"That inheritance is called the Silent Extinction Demon Skill. It’s said to be a demon skill left behind by a Demon Sect that was destroyed a thousand years ago."

"This demon skill is exceptionally difficult to practice. Even within the Demon Sect that left it behind, few were ever able to master it, let alone reach a realm as formidable as Tong Yin’s."

"..."

’A dual cultivator of the Sequencer and Qi Cultivator paths?’

Su Xing instantly realized just how terrifying this Yin Crow’s power must be. His own strength was formidable, partly due to the depth of his Martial Dao, but the fact that he possessed both immortal and martial roots was the fundamental reason he could continuously increase his strength without advancing his realm.

’In that case, the Yin Crow’s strength is not to be underestimated.’ At this thought, Su Xing’s expression turned a few shades more serious.

Although the two of them seemed to be getting along amicably, Su Xing didn’t know the person before him. A fight could break out at any moment. After all, it was always wise to be on guard against others.

"Uncle Yao is certainly well-informed. And you, little fellow... I can smell a hint of a Qi Cultivator on you. Would you like to learn this Silent Extinction Demon Skill?"

"..."

"Yinyin!"

"Su Xing, I know your talent is extraordinary. People like you might have all sorts of quirks, like collecting secret manuals, but this Silent Extinction Demon Skill is no ordinary martial art. I advise you not to entertain such thoughts,"

Yao Yixiao said sternly.

Su Xing wasn’t an idiot. While he was somewhat tempted—his self-healing abilities were, after all, exceptionally rare—he wouldn’t dare practice a cultivation technique handed to him directly by her. Who knew if she had tampered with it?

Ultimately, the two of them were still on opposing sides.

"Tsk. How boring."

The Yin Crow twirled a lock of her black hair around her finger and pouted.

"Yinyin, I know that fellow Li Ye has already given you the Shadow Needle. This Spirit Flower will be a great help to your Silent Extinction Demon Skill. I’ll give it to you now."

Yao Yixiao placed the box on the ground and pushed it toward her. The box slid a short distance before stopping at Tong Yinyin’s feet.

"Heh, then I’ll accept it."

The Yin Crow’s expression remained unchanged. She took the flower from the box, tucked it into her clothes, and then looked at Yao Yixiao.

"Yinyin, what is it you truly want to do? Neither you nor Li Ye are the kind to kill innocents, much less are you vicious criminals."

"..."

The Yin Crow was silent for a moment before speaking. "Uncle Yao, you found a life-saving flower for me, and for that, I am truly grateful. But we shouldn’t see each other again. You are the branch director here in Luocheng, and the Yin Crow is no longer Tong Yinyin."

"Besides..."

"I have things I want to do."

"It’s getting late. I should be going."

As she spoke, the Yin Crow’s figure rapidly dissipated. The box that had held the Spirit Flower fell to the ground with a THUD, as if nothing had happened at all.

"..."

Yao Yixiao stared at the empty space before him and finally sighed after a long moment. He turned his head to look at Su Xing, who was standing to the side, and said,

"Su Xiaoyou, Tong Yinyin has agreed to tell you what happened back then. However, those events took place many years ago and involve a great deal. Please do not speak of them casually to others."

"Huh?"

"She agreed?"

"When did that happen?"

Su Xing asked, confused.

"Yinyin opened the box and took the Spirit Flower, but I had left a Spatial Letter on the box. She didn’t destroy it. That’s how she agreed to tell you,"

Yao Yixiao said seriously.

The term "Spatial Letter" made Su Xing recall Yao Yixiao’s special technique—the one that could form lines of text out of thin air. The letter must have been written using that same method.

As he spoke, Yao Yixiao picked up the box from the ground and handed it to Su Xing. "You were able to see the words I wrote for you before, so you should be able to see the letter on the box as well. If you still have questions after reading it, you can come and ask me."

"..."

"Alright."

Su Xing took the box and nodded.

He held the box before his eyes. An entire letter was much harder to make out than a single line of text, so Su Xing had to focus his perception for a long time before he could see it clearly.

The letter described Tong Yinyin’s past: how she came to this place, how she met Yao Yixiao, and how she became the person she was today.

But the more he read, the more silent Su Xing became. Finally, he simply raised his head, looked at Yao Yixiao, and murmured,

"Back then..."

"To think something like that actually happened."