The Light of the Righteous Path 14

As if to clear Lin Qi's doubts, Du Chengying changed his previous undisciplined attitude, insisting on hurrying to Huayuan despite his injuries. How could Lin Qi actually let him do that? He pulled Du Chengying back, telling him to heal his injuries first.

"Huayuan is your home, Junior Brother. My minor injuries are nothing." Du Chengying had already changed into a new Dharma robe, covering the wounds on his body, but it couldn't hide the sheer exhaustion and pallor on his face.

Cultivators were also human. Whether Du Chengying was good or bad, the injuries on his body were genuine. How could Lin Qi bear to let Du Chengying run around? Naturally, they had to slow down. "How can you say such severe injuries are nothing, Senior Brother? If your condition worsens like this, how could I live with myself?"

Du Chengying's face was pale. His injured state stripped away the dazzling and sharp parts of his demeanor, leaving behind a pure handsomeness, tranquil and beautiful like a jade statue. "It's nothing," he raised his eyes, his thick, long eyelashes making his deep gaze stand out even more. "You don't need to feel apologetic towards me."

The more he said this, the guiltier Lin Qi felt. Supporting Du Chengying's arm, he lowered his face and sighed softly, "Senior Brother, just listen to me."

Du Chengying stood up straight, not leaning on Lin Qi's support. He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling onto Lin Qi's fair face. Lin Qi hadn't been sleeping or eating well these past few days. The face he had painstakingly nourished to be a bit fuller had grown thin again. Du Chengying's heart stirred, and his voice softened. "Alright."

The situation at Mount Yuelu was indeed worse than Lin Qi had expected. He brought Du Chengying to seek lodging at a nearby hunter's home in the woods, only to find the courtyard gates wide open. Right by the doorway, a shriveled corpse laid in plain sight, clearly the victim of a Demonic Cultivator.

Du Chengying immediately pressed Lin Qi's face into his chest. "Don't look."

"I've already seen it..." Lin Qi said in a muffled voice. He wasn't that fragile.

Having treated this world with an outsider's attitude in his previous life, whenever Lin Qi saw such dried corpses, the thought that usually drifted through his mind was 'Ah, this NPC's appearance is a bit exaggerated'. He had never felt afraid.

He still wasn't afraid now, just feeling a bit lamentful.

In places the 'protagonist' didn't see, this 'NPC' might have lived a very happy life. Unfortunately, in this story, he was ultimately just a background character, and reduced to such a state at that.

Lin Qi broke free from Du Chengying's embrace, his eyes landing on the dried corpse as he said softly, "I'll go bury him."

"Don't go," Du Chengying frowned, grabbing Lin Qi's hand. Lin Qi looked back, his expression revealing extreme disapproval. Du Chengying said faintly, "I'll do it."

Lin Qi's expression shifted, his eyes slowly widening. Undeniably, after the System's pointers, Du Chengying's image in his heart leaned more toward being 'cold-blooded'. He didn't care in the slightest about his fellow cultivator junior and senior brothers, so Lin Qi never expected him to be willing to bury a mortal.

Has there been a little bit of a change?

Lin Qi asked the System full of hope, but after receiving the ruthless and familiar answer of 'Blackening Value 100%', he wilted again.

"This house probably hasn't been lived in for a long time," Du Chengying pushed open the courtyard door and looked at the surrounding furnishings. He noticed the black shadow clinging tightly to the wall, like a mark left behind by scorching. Retracting his gaze, he said to Lin Qi, "Junior Brother, sit here for a while. Once I bury him, I'll go tidy up."

Lin Qi hurriedly said, "Let me go tidy up."

"No need," Du Chengying slightly furrowed his brows, saying in a resolute tone, "Just sit within my line of sight."

Lin Qi rarely saw Du Chengying act so overbearing towards him. Without thinking much about it, he regained his self-awareness as an underling and obediently sat on a low stool to the side.

Beside the low stool were two machetes, under which lay messy blocks of wood and a few uncleaned animal pelts. Lin Qi could imagine the scene of the original owner sitting on the stool, chopping wood and cleaning his catch, his sweat spilling on the ground.

Yet now, that person who had worked so hard to live had become a shriveled corpse.

The Water Qilin stretched out its sharp claws. One swipe dug out a large pit, and two swipes dug deep enough to practically make a well. Du Chengying expressionlessly picked up the dried corpse. He turned his back to Lin Qi, hiding the indifference in his eyes, and casually tossed the dried corpse into the pit as if discarding trash.

The Water Qilin shoveled the dirt back in, forming a simple burial mound.

Du Chengying clapped his hands and stood up. He turned around to see Lin Qi sitting obediently, a look of compassion on his face. A hint of warmth revealed itself in Du Chengying's eyes. "Let's go inside."

The hunter lived alone; the furnishings in the house clearly stated this fact. A bamboo bed, not too large, huddled in the corner. Many pieces of cured meat and clean, smooth pelts hung inside the room. Things were scattered messily, as if thrown wherever whenever he came home. A thin layer of dust had accumulated on the table.

Lin Qi touched the corner of the table and rubbed his fingers together, muttering softly, "It wasn't like this when I went up the mountain to become a disciple."

"The ways of the world are unpredictable." Du Chengying's expression was calm. He pulled a soft handkerchief from his sleeve and formed a hand seal. The handkerchief stood up like a little person, flew onto the table, and swam about with a swish swish swish, first wiping a stool clean. Du Chengying pulled Lin Qi down to sit and carefully examined him. Looked at like this, Lin Qi lowered his head in embarrassment.

"You've lost weight," Du Chengying said softly.

Lin Qi didn't speak.

The room was incredibly quiet. There wasn't even the slightest sound of the wind, only the breathing of the two men.

Du Chengying said slowly, "Junior Brother, actually... don't you think living like this is nice?"

Lin Qi looked up, surprised to see earnestness in Du Chengying's eyes. "Living like this?"

Du Chengying's gaze was focused. His eyes when looking at Lin Qi were always as gentle as water, but at this moment, an unusually passionate intensity rippled within them. "Just like this hunter. Working at sunrise, resting at sunset, living the simplest of lives."

Lin Qi ruined the mood, saying, "And then get sucked dry by a Demonic Cultivator?"

Du Chengying tightly grasped his hand, saying firmly, "I won't let anyone hurt you."

His palm was tightly cupped. The unspoken cherishment oozed from the man's every movement and every word.

Lin Qi couldn't stand this the most and withdrew his hand. He didn't use much force; when Du Chengying noticed his intention, he had already let go first.

Lin Qi stood up abruptly, the stool suddenly making a loud noise against the ground. "I'm tired."

The house wasn't large. Lin Qi turned his head, not knowing where to hide. The Water Qilin paced over and took the initiative to sit cross-legged. Lin Qi immediately dove into its fluffy embrace and played dead.

Du Chengying sat in place unmoving for a long time. The soft handkerchief diligently wiped all the way to his feet, carefully scrubbing the ground along the edges of his boots. Unexpectedly, the lifted boot stomped down on it. The soft handkerchief straightened its four corners and struggled forcefully for a few moments. The boot's owner crushed it once more before finally lifting his foot and walking out.

Outside, there was neither wind nor sound; it was terrifyingly silent.

Du Chengying stood tall and imposing. He raised his hand to close the door. After confirming that Lin Qi had fallen asleep in the Water Qilin's embrace, he cast a sideways glance toward the wall.

The black shadow by the wall trembled, slowly peeling off the wall to form a blurry humanoid figure. It knelt on one knee, "Paying respects to the Demon Lord."

The moment Du Chengying was reborn, the divinatory hexagrams of Mount Yuelu inverted, and demonic qi in the world surged wildly. At that moment, all the Demonic Cultivators clearly understood: their master had arrived.

Du Chengying looked coldly at the black shadow. "Scram."

"Lord Demon Lord," the black shadow shivered, refusing to leave. "Please return to the Demon Realm."

Du Chengying remained indifferent.

The black shadow said in a low voice, "For many years, we Demonic Cultivators have been oppressed by these orthodox sects. My Lord, don't you detest them as well? The Demon Realm has been waiting for its master to rule. It was merely someone having eyes but failing to see that led them to lay hands on the one inside..."

His palm instantly choked the black shadow. Du Chengying's eyes were cold enough to exude ice. As he tightened his grip, he said calmly, "You are not worthy to mention him."

The black shadow dissipated in his hand. Spirit Butterflies flew out from his sleeve, pecking and feeding on the remnant demonic qi like birds or beasts, fluttering up and down in a lively manner.

Cultivating the Dao and cultivating the Demonic Arts—in Du Chengying's heart, there was no difference between the two.

The weak are prey to the strong; as one falls, another rises; dog bites dog.

Humans can feed on livestock, so why couldn't Demonic Cultivators feed on humans? It was all the same.

Thinking themselves to be on the same path as him, relentlessly hounding him the entire way—just like Baoshu, who wishfully wanted him to be the savior—it was truly annoying.

Du Chengying lightly flicked his sleeve. Raising his hand, he used demonic qi as a blade and forcefully stabbed it into his wound again. The wound was healing far too quickly. Heaven's favored son—how ironic. Du Chengying tilted his head to look at the gloomy sky and couldn't help but sneer. Heavenly Dao, you chose me, but I may not be willing to obey you.

Lin Qi didn't know if he was just too tired. Lying in the Water Qilin's embrace, he seemed to have fallen into another deep sleep. When he woke up, he was already lying on the bamboo bed, covered with a thin Dharma robe. Sitting up, he noticed a faint glow in the center of the room. Du Chengying was sitting there, changing his own bandages.

The clothes on his upper body were completely stripped off, exposing strong arms. The muscles on his body were clearly defined, black demonic qi lingering around his physique, and fresh blood poured down from the darkness. Just looking at it made Lin Qi feel an indescribable pain, yet Du Chengying, without changing his expression, raised his hand and tore away the gauze over his wound.

"Be gentler!" Lin Qi couldn't help but shout.

Du Chengying looked back and smiled slightly. "You're awake."

Lin Qi got out of bed straight away, walked to the table, and took the gauze on Du Chengying's shoulder. Having just woken up, his voice was hoarse and soft. "Why didn't you call me if you needed to change the dressing?"

"I was afraid of scaring you," Du Chengying said softly.

Lin Qi replied, "I'm not that easily scared either."

Du Chengying pursed his lips, curving them into another smile. His gaze slowly shifted from Lin Qi's forehead to his cheek. He raised his hand, lightly brushing Lin Qi's cheek with the back of his hand. Touched by him, Lin Qi's hand trembled, but he didn't move away. "What are you doing?"

"On your face..." Du Chengying's tone carried a hidden smile, "You slept and left a mark."

Lin Qi lifted his eyes. Having been treated with such an ambiguous attitude by Du Chengying so many times, he finally grew thick-skinned for once and said, "Even if you touch it, the mark won't disappear."

Du Chengying was stunned. After saying that, Lin Qi felt a bit embarrassed, but seeing Du Chengying's rare dazed expression, he forced himself to act as if nothing had happened and lowered his head to continue treating Du Chengying's wound.

As the protagonist of a minor world, Du Chengying's figure was top-notch. Even heavily injured, he still exuded a dense masculine scent of hormones. His wounded body even possessed a sort of bloody allure. Lin Qi thought to himself, 'Where exactly did the harem of this male-oriented novel go, why isn't there a single girl, otherwise would Du Chengying go to such lengths focusing solely on me?'

Du Chengying seemed completely stunned by Lin Qi's sudden 'openness', remaining perfectly silent until Lin Qi finished applying his medicine.

Lin Qi bundled up his blood-stained Dharma robe and the removed gauze, frowning as he muttered to himself, "How is this wound from a Demonic Cultivator supposed to heal? Should we just go back?"

The continuously silent Du Chengying suddenly said, "You touch it."

Lin Qi looked up, meeting Du Chengying's smiling eyes. "Maybe the wound will heal."

"Du Chengying," although Lin Qi's face turned red, his voice was still loud as he tightly gripped the fabric in his hand. "Don't say things like that."

Du Chengying softened his voice, his eyes affectionate. "Say what? That I like you?"

Lin Qi's ears were practically smoking. Throwing caution to the wind, he said, "I told you, don't like me, and I won't like you either."

Hearing these words, Du Chengying didn't show a sad or angry expression. He was happy from the bottom of his heart. This was the first time Lin Qi... truly, without beating around the bush or being vague, had spoken about this matter.

Du Chengying raised his hand. Under Lin Qi's watchful eyes, he gently pressed his palm against his cheek. Lin Qi didn't dodge, forcefully looking straight at Du Chengying. Even though his hands and feet were trembling, he didn't want to run away anymore. It was impossible between him and Du Chengying. He had to make Du Chengying understand this clearly, toss aside these messy entanglements, and go back to being that decisive tasker.

"Lin Qi," Du Chengying smiled slightly, his tender gaze containing a glimmer of light. "You might not understand. What I want has never been your response. I just want you... to live well, and let me stay by your side. No matter in what capacity. Without love is fine, and being fellow disciples is enough."

"What if..." Lin Qi tightly gripped the gauze. The dried blood flakes fell off, staining the gaps between his fingers black. Gritting his teeth to control himself, he said cruelly, "What if I don't want your company?"

Du Chengying shifted his palm, gently caressing Lin Qi's face. It was truly a very simple and very clean face. He closed his eyes and could still see this face carved into his soul. Du Chengying opened his eyes again, the light in his eyes faintly seemingly about to fall, as he sighed with a bitter smile, "Do you really hate me that much?"