Chapter 374: You Never Change
How would you describe that god?
Xu Qing wasn’t sure if this was the same question the others had been asked. Even if it was, he had no idea how they answered. As he hovered there in the starry sky, he looked down at the terrifying broken face of the god. He saw the golden spine wrapping around the continent, almost as if the continent were food to it.
He felt blank.
He suddenly envisioned himself, much younger, staring up into the sky as the eyes of that unsurpassable god opened. After that, his family was gone. Everything good in his life vanished. He was left alone in the blood rain, scared, hesitant, weeping, and powerless.
Xu Qing didn’t say anything.
He thought of his years as a kid on the streets. Back then, he would eat anything, whether it was food or not. Just to survive. There had only been one line he wouldn’t cross, and that was cannibalism. He’d smelled the aroma of human flesh being cooked. He had also watched people being eaten alive, or boiled into stew. There had been times when he was starving. But when he looked at the cannibalistic scavengers, and then the broken face of the god in the sky, he’d decided that it would be better to die than live like that.
There were two things he feared the most: being hungry and being cold. That was why winters had always been life-or-death struggles. He had seen a lot of people freeze to death. He had stripped dead people of their clothes to stay warm. In fact, back then, all of his clothes had been taken from dead bodies. That was one reason he had always prized new clothing.
And then there was mutagen. It was a slow torment that slowly burned away your bones down to the marrow, filling you with extreme agony. Back when he had been the lowest of the low, he had seen endless misery. And he had seen the most dismal aspects of humanity.
There were many people like that, people who lived in torment without any hope for the future. When he had hovered on the brink of death, he would look up at that broken face of the god, which seemed both majestic and cruel. Its face was clean, and its expression placid.
Xu Qing maintained silence.
He thought back to the time when he’d finally settled down in the slums of that small city. When the god’s eyes opened that second time, it was different. The city didn’t vanish. He saw numerous greenish-black corpses. He saw people mutated into vicious fiends. He saw people ripped to shreds. He saw rotting, stinking flesh.
He thought about the red moon, and that breathing entity atop it. He thought about how vicious that entity was.
Finally, he thought about the golden eye in the ghast hollow, and the young woman in red, seated in the log cabin and singing placatingly.
He thought about all of those things.
And they superimposed with the broken face of the god outside the Revered Ancient mainland. Then he thought back to the things he would say when he was younger.
How would he describe that god?
“A son of a bitch!” he said, looking up at the bright light and the figure just barely visible within it.
His words caused the light to tremble slightly.
“What did you just say?” asked the gentle voice.
“I said. That god is a son of a bitch!” He spoke the word earnestly. And then he followed them up with more words. “When I was young, I called that god a rat bastard!” Xu Qing pointed at the broken face of the god below. “And a damned asshat!” Xu Qing thought for another moment, then continued, “And a dog-fucker!”
With that, Xu Qing looked down at the god below and spat.
When he was young, he would usually curse the god and then spit to emphasize his words. Usually, his spit would land on the ground, so the idea that the spit might actually land on the god’s face made him happy.
As the spit dropped down, down, down, the light above pulsed dramatically, and then the gentle voice laughed uproariously.
“A god that’s a son of a bitch. And a dog-fucker!”
The laughter sounded profoundly carefree, and it grew louder and louder until the entire starry sky shook. As everything turned blurry to Xu Qing, he heard words of praise amidst the laughter.
“A lot of people curse that god. But not many people will do it like that in front of me. Little does anyone know that, back in the day, I uttered similar curses. But not even I can match up to you. Because I didn’t spit! Kid, you’ve got some flaws, but your pros outweigh your cons. I’m blessing you with a 30,000-meter pillar of light. I hope that no matter what happens... you never change!”
As the laughter boomed, Xu Qing’s vision swam. Then he found himself atop the staircase again, in front of the Grand Emperor’s divine likeness. The moment he looked up, the statue erupted with a huge pillar of light.
In the blink of an eye, it shot past 6,000 meters. Then it hit 12,000 meters, but it didn’t stop there. It went to 18,000 meters. 24,000 meters. Finally, it reached the ultimate height of 30,000 meters!
Brightly colored light flashed in heaven and earth and winds screamed. The dome of heaven was illuminated with incredible brightness that was visible even from a great distance.
This was absolutely unprecedented!
Everyone in Netherflight City was so shocked that, despite it being such a solemn occasion, they couldn’t hold back from shouting out exclamations of surprise.
“30,000.... 30,000 meters??”
Everyone was absolutely astonished and incredulous. Countless people gasped and cheered. Meanwhile, the swordsages up above were shaken to the core. First they looked at the Grand Emperor statue, and then at Xu Qing. They actually didn’t know if a 30,000-meter light had ever appeared in any of the other counties. But they did know that it was a first for Sea-Sealing County. It went beyond what any of them could possibly have anticipated.
Down below, Sir Bloodsmelter was stunned. “Seventh Sib... got an apprentice this ferocious?”
They weren’t the only ones to react in that way. The swordsage elders up above were deeply moved, and were looking at Xu Qing as if he were a precious treasure. That was especially true of the grand elder, who had noticed Xu Qing much earlier. His eyes were glittering brightly.
The swordsages all knew that this heart assessment and swearing-in had come to be called a ‘blessing’ by people who participated in the event. But the reality was that it was really just a test that would have an effect on later promotions. It was only if the light reached a certain height that it could be considered a true blessing. For instance, Qing Qiu had immediately become important to the Swordsage Court thanks to her result.
But... for a light to reach the unprecedented height of 30,000 meters was something that the word ‘blessing’ couldn’t even cover. That was more like veneration from the Grand Emperor! Nothing like this had ever happened.
For a person like this to appear was a big win for the Swordsage Court of Emperor-Receiving Prefecture. Everyone above and below was shaken to the core.
Qing Qiu was stunned, and her feelings were impossible to describe as she stared at Xu Qing, her eyes shining.
In her mind, the evil ghost scythe said, “No. Let’s not end in mutual destruction with him.... He scares me.”
Off to the side, Ning Yan trembled, and his eyes shone with deep fear. After all, he had previously attacked Xu Qing, and that made him so nervous he was sweating.
The Captain was also dumbstruck. All he could do was stare at that 30,000-meter light and wonder what was going on.
But why? Why did I only get one meter? I gave a good answer. I wonder what answer little Ah Qing gave?
The Captain looked at Xu Qing and felt incredibly curious. Of course, he wasn’t the only one. Everyone wanted to know how Xu Qing had answered his question.
Furthest off to the side was Zhang Siyun, whose head was bowed as he clenched his hands tightly into fists inside the sleeves of his robe.
As for Xu Qing, he stood there quietly, the center of all attention. He looked at the 30,000-meter light shining from the statue, and noted the commotion it caused among the onlookers. As far as he was concerned, his answer hadn’t been anything special. He’d just uttered some curse words that he’d heard people use even when he was young. When life got hard, even people who feared that god would vehemently utter curses. It was the courage of a nobody, and also, the sorrow of a nobody.
Then Xu Qing thought about what the Grand Emperor’s divine likeness had said. It made him think of his time in the slums, and how people who were about to die would become fearless enough to sarcastically mock the city magistrate. Of course, when they had enough to eat, then they would act just like the rich people, and would be polite and respectful to the magistrate.
In the heat of the moment, Xu Qing hadn’t been sure if his answer was correct. Until the divine likeness responded to him.
I hope that no matter what happens... you never change!
Xu Qing nodded.
***
Meanwhile, outside of Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, in the distant capital of Sea-Sealing County, in the Swordsage Palace, the Dao Bell tolled.
The Dao Bell of the Swordsage Palace was a gift from the imperial capital, and it would only toll when something momentous happened.
Today, it unexpectedly rang.
Although it only tolled once, it provoked a visible reaction of surprise from everyone in the Swordsage Palace. All were shocked. And soon, people found out why.
“In Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, a new swordsage by the name of Xu Qing was blessed with a 30,000-meter pillar of light by the Grand Emperor. As a result, our Dao Bell tolled a single time!”
That information was a big shock to all the swordsages in the palace, and it fixed one name in their minds.
Xu Qing!
At the same time, numerous irritated auras flared within the Swordsage Palace. They came from the current generation of chosen there. They were people who came from prefectures all over Sea-Sealing County, and who had come to report for duty after becoming swordsages. Emperor-Receiving Prefecture was far away, near the sea, and was thus the final location to host a swordsage recruitment event. Since the new swordsages from there had just been selected, it would be some time before they checked in at the Swordsage Palace. Now, before Xu Qing even arrived, people there knew his name.
***
In a mountain behind the Swordsage Palace, a woman in white strolled through a sword forest. She was gorgeous, with cinnabar lips, an alluring body, and a stylish demeanor. Especially noteworthy was that, just beneath her right eye she had a tear-shaped birthmark. However, her expression was as cold as autumn frost. She was the devastating type of beauty who could lead to the downfall of an entire city or state.
As she strolled through the sword forest, she turned to look in the direction of Emperor-Receiving Prefecture. When she spoke, her voice was as crisp as the flowing waters of a spring.
“Emperor-Receiving Prefecture.... Yun’er should be coming back soon. Mom’s waiting for you.” [1]
1. She uses the “Yun” character from Zhang Siyun, making it clear she’s referring to him. ☜