Suspicion

Nie Hua quickly walked to Shi Jing's side. "Even if you severed your arm, you still wouldn't be able to connect it to Fourth Junior."

Shi Jing nodded. "I know."

Nie Hua looked at Xie Xingmang, and after seeing that the injuries didn't worsen, he turned to help Shi Jing with the bandage. "Why do you make yourself suffer like this?"

"I made an error in judgment and implicated Fourth Senior and made Young Lady Ying suffer. I should receive this punishment." Shi Jing sounded rather weak but his tone was very calm.

Nie Hua sighed and said, "We have yet to escape from danger, and Fourth Junior has severe injuries. No matter what, you should have waited for everyone to be safe before doing such things. Aren't you just reducing your own strength for nothing right now?"

Shi Jing shook his head gently. "After today, there is tomorrow. After we escape from this danger, some might say that the Demon Cult existing is an excuse for me to keep my arm. After the Demon Cult is eradicated, some might say that the Other Tribe is the trouble. When the world is really at peace, some might say that I have to plan ahead and prevent the evil-doers from making a comeback."

The white-clothed youth looked at the unconscious Xie Xingmang and said, "Dragging from today to tomorrow, from this year to the next. There will always be an excuse. If things carry on, my clear mind will be muddled, and Intelligent Sword shall cease to exist. Even after severing my arm today, I might not be able to compensate for Fourth Senior's loss, but it will be a lesson to the Intelligent Sword. As long as I am able to fight, I can even risk my life to ensure that Fourth Senior can escape the danger."

Nie Hua looked at his youngest junior while staying silent. After a long moment, he said, "Fifth Junior, I have this suspicion that has been on my mind. During today's battle, you seemed a little… stubborn. You weren't as calm as before."

Shi Jing's expression dimmed.

"Young Lady Ying was resolute in forsaking her Clear Sky Sword Qi and has already made her decision. Even if she returns to the Demon Sovereign's side, it will be hard for her to aid the Demon Sovereign's recuperation." Nie Hua then said, "If we had followed the conditions for the exchange of hostages, Fourth Junior might have been able to return safely. The Demon Sovereign might be tyrannical, but he is normally a man of his words and keeps his promises."

Nie Hua looked at Shi Jing. "If you were just afraid that the Demon Cult wasn't credible, then wasn't your final decision still a little too… risky?"

Shi Jing replied softly, "Third Senior is right. Today's disaster is all my fault."

The white-clothed youth raised his head slightly and said, "My heart is in disorder. Therefore, my eyes are blurred. I have been muddled and stubborn in my methods, ultimately causing everyone to suffer…"

Nie Hua lowered his voice and asked, "Have you… fallen in love with Young Lady Ying?"

Shi Jing closed his eyes and spoke moments later, "I wasn't sure at first. I merely didn't want to watch as she went back into the nest of demons. Now that my mind is clear, I think… I have. Third Senior, I—I don't understand why. We've only just met…"

Nie Hua stared at him and raised his hand to slap the face of the white-clothed youth!

Shi Jing didn't dodge and received this slap while he had a rather sad expression as he looked at the unconscious Xie Xingmang.

Nie Hua let out a long sigh before raising his hand again. He didn't slap this time and had patted Shi Jing's shoulder instead.

"After all these years, it is only now that I feel you are acting like your age, unlike before when you behave like an adult when you are still so young."

Nie Hua shook his head repeatedly and said, "After 17 years, this is your first time you are involved in a relationship between a man and woman. It is very normal for you to be confused. After all, a relationship is something that cannot be measured. Furthermore, you have never experienced it before and will inevitably make mistakes. Previously, I had been worried about when you would pass this juncture…"

After speaking until this point, his voice gradually turned soft. Nie Hua took a side glance at the unconscious Xie Xingmang before he looked at Shi Jing's wound and couldn't help but sigh.

It was a pity that the price to pay for crossing this juncture was too hefty. Shi Jing was also looking at Xie Xingmang while his eyes were filled with shame. Nie Hua let out a long breath before he patted heavily on Shi Jing's shoulder.

"Lift your spirits and remember what you said earlier. Your arm isn't enough to compensate Fourth Junior. The highest priority now is to protect Fourth Junior and escape from the threat of the Demon Cult. Do not think about the other matters, and after we are safe, the two of you will then slowly settle the problem privately!"

Shi Jing took a deep breath. "I understand!"

Nie Hua then went close to Shi Jing and looked at him face-to-face. "Answer me, are you really calm right now? Are you the Intelligent Sword that I am familiar with right now?"

Shi Jing turned to look at Xie Xingmang and said in a deep voice, "Definitely."

"Tell me your ideas now." Nie Hua nodded before he took a few steps back to sit down. Shi Jing's heart was burning after feeling Nie Hua's trust and support. He steadied his mind, and his eyes had regained their brilliant clarity.

"The situation might not be that pessimistic." Shi Jing made his first statement while Nie Hua listened quietly.

"The Demon Cult experts that are chasing us have mostly scattered. We are able to deal with those enemies that are alone." Shi Jing then said, "The greatest pressure is actually coming from the Demon Sovereign who is at the back."

Shi Jing's face was pale, but his eyes were shining brightly. "But if you think carefully, does that threat really exist?"

Nie Hua responded, "The Demon Sovereign doesn't have anyone in his eyes and holds his status with importance. The only opponents in his eyes are our master and the Saber Sovereign. At worst it would be the Five Emperors. As for the rest of the people, he doesn't think it is worth it for him to make a move. But if someone provoked him, or if the Demon Cult members weren't able to solve the problem, he would then make a move. That Demon Sovereign wouldn't be polite with us either."

"That might be so in appearance." Shi Jing nodded and said, "But did Third Senior notice that since the battle with our master, he would only make a graceful move and would stop immediately after?"

Nie Hua frowned and didn't say anything else.

Shi Jing then said, "During the process of the Demon Cult seizing the Golden Summit's Huayan Temple, the Demon Sovereign's actions were truly bizarre. He might have defeated Black Emperor Xiuzhe afterwards and made it look easy, but the exact process was actually just a cheap trick. There are subtle signs that he is bluffing.

"In today's battle, the Demon Sovereign might seem to be displaying his prowess again to use Demon Palm to defeat Demon Palm and crushed Demon Monk Mingfa in a single move. But he didn't win with strength as the fifth move of the Demon Palm just happened to counter Mingfa's Steps of Hell.

"After summarizing his battle with Black Emperor Xiuzhe, the result of the battle might be a complete victory, but the two parties didn't clash with their full strength. The Demon Sovereign simply targeted the Black Emperor's weakness and took advantage of the opportunity."

"So you suspect that the Demon Sovereign isn't as powerful as he appears to be?" Nie Hua asked.

"To be more accurate, I am suspecting that he cannot battle for long. He is actually severely injured like Black Emperor Xiuzhe, and if he didn't have to make a move, it would be for his own good. However, he has some certain demon technique that allows him to concentrate his power for a single attack." Shi Jing then said, "If it was only once or twice, then it wouldn't be a problem. But it was the same for each battle, and it is definitely worth the suspicion."

Nie Hua remained silent.

Shi Jing then said softly, "Especially today. When he made his first move, he was obviously trying to capture all four of us. However, Demon Monk Mingfa's Steps of Hell was outside of his expectation, and it forced the Demon Sovereign to execute his move with all his strength. Mingfa might be dead, but it was fortunate that me, you, and Sixth Highness survived. Afterwards, the Demon Sovereign didn't make any more moves.

"I am actually suspicious whether his martial emperor's strength can only be maintained for a short period of time. In fact, he might only be able to make one or two moves, and he would need to rest for a certain period of time before he was able to fight again."

"Even if your guesses are correct, with just the two of us, we aren't able to deal with the Demon Sovereign either." Nie Hua continued speaking, "We are routed and still have to take care of Fourth Junior. The Demon Sovereign doesn't have to make a move personally. The pursuit of his Demon Cult members is enough for us to die from fatigue."

Shi Jing said, "I might have made a serious mistake previously, but the outcome of the battle isn't decided yet. We still have one more backup move, but I don't really wish to use it."

Nie Hua raised his brows slightly and said, "Fifth Junior, this move that you prepared is truly concealed very well and has tricked all of us."

Shi Jing explained, "It isn't concealed as I didn't actually prepare it. I am not able to contact that side, and I merely know of their location. Right now, we just need to lead the Demon Cult pursuers over there."

Nie Hua asked, "Do you need me to go ahead and contact them first?"

"No." Shi Jing shook his head in a determined manner. "I might have made a mistake in today's battle, but the Demon Sovereign came fully prepared, and this isn't normal."

He looked at Nie Hua and said, "I am not talking about a traitor."

Nie Hua could hear the implied meaning in Shi Jing's words. "What do you mean?"

"The Demon Cult's Azure Dragon Hall has infiltrated the Central Province and spread their connections everywhere. There is also the proven rumor of the Three Dragons outside of the Azure Dragon Hall. Mingjing defecting to the enemy had caused the people of the Central Province to become anxious." Shi Jing then said, "Back then, I was also suspecting whether a traitor was reporting to the enemy in secret. But after thinking it through carefully, the incident with Mingjing and the Shu Prefecture's Golden Summit made us cautious about traitors but also made us overlook the other problems."

Shi Jing looked at Nie Hua and said, "Perhaps the Demon Cult has some special method to monitor our movements. Seeing how closely the Demon Cult members are chasing us, it means that they have a special method to keep track of our whereabouts."

Shi Jing was naturally able to trust Nie Hua and Xie Xingmang. Nie Hua had the same feelings and nodded at Shi Jing's explanation.

"That's why we have to move as little as possible. The best possible method is to not alert the enemy and lure them into our trap. The simpler it is, the more concealed it is," Shi Jing finally stated.

The two stopped their conversation and started to move again while carrying Xie Xingmang.

…

In the Six Dragons Sovereign Carriage, Chen Luoyang was in his quiet room and had started the concoction to produce the Ten Revolution Primary Elixir. Once he concocted the elixir, he could use it along with the shard of the Sword Sovereign's whetstone to provide a significant recovery to his injuries.

He was carefully going through the process; it required a lot of effort and trouble. When Chen Luoyang saw faint purple smoke coming out from the cauldron, he finally revealed a smile and was relaxed.

He had succeeded. Right now, he just had to wait for 20 hours before the spirit elixir would be ready to come out from the cauldron. Chen Luoyang relaxed himself and worked out his limbs.

He walked to the seat by the side and watched as the cauldron was emitting purple smoke while feeling elated.