World-Shaking Wisdom

The night wind blew softly.

Ye Shu stood alone on a blue stone.

He looked up, gazing at the bright full moon, his mind wandering with who knows what thoughts.

He had finally obtained news of the Qingxuan Sect.

He had even seen Lu Shouzhuo.

Unfortunately, it was only a spiritual body on the verge of fading—no sooner had they met than they had to part ways. To make matters worse, due to time constraints, they couldn't even exchange information. All he knew was that Lin Qingxue and the others were no longer in the Wuzi Pavilion.

If, as he speculated, they had been taken in by the Zhao family, that would be fine.

But what if it wasn't the case?

The only good news for now was that even the Mo family didn't know where the people from the Qingxuan Sect were. They, too, were searching.

"If the Mo family finds them first, it'll be trouble."

Ye Shu stared at the moonlight, murmuring softly.

This wasn't impossible. No matter how powerful the Wuzi Pavilion was, it was only a newly rising force—it couldn't be stronger than the deeply rooted Mo family.

"Unless... unless there's a force equal to the Mo family."

"Preferably one that can intercept their information before they find anything and take the people away first."

Ye Shu rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

"But where would I find such a force? The Zhao family? I don't even know where they live..."

Just as he was pondering, a beast's roar suddenly came from afar—clearly the fleeing Mo family disciples had run into a magical beast in the valley and were locked in battle.

Looking toward the direction of the sound, Ye Shu was suddenly struck by a flash of inspiration.

"Wait!"

"A force with both the Mo family's intelligence network and the ability to intercept their internal information early... What other force could that be but the Mo family themselves?"

He clapped his hands, his eyes lighting up.

Right now, aside from the demonic path, no one knew he had been resurrected. In their eyes, he'd already died again, and they certainly wouldn't go around spreading news of a dead man. And now, he happened to need a new identity.

So then.

What identity could be more suitable than that of a Mo family disciple sent out to hunt down the remnants of the Qingxuan Sect?

Once this brilliant idea came to him, it wouldn't stop.

Ye Shu grew more and more smug, more and more pleased with himself, overwhelmed by his own masterstroke. He covered his face with one hand and let out hearty laughter under the moonlight.

"Ghehe... ghehahaha!"

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!"

He couldn't even imagine the expression on the Mo family's and the System's faces when they realized that the Chosen One, long thought dead, was right under their noses.

The laughter echoed through the valley, startling a flock of birds.

Meanwhile, deep in the mountain forest.

Several Mo family disciples, fleeing for their lives, were gulping down healing pills while their ears twitched.

"Do you hear that? Someone's laughing?"

"It must be that Lu guy—a Qingxuan remnant! Killed the protector and now he's gloating! Damn lunatics!"

"Let's get out of here before he finds us!"

"Right, right!"

The disciples nodded hurriedly, quickening their pace. "If that emotionless bastard catches on and kills us all, we're good as dead!"

Hearing the inhuman laughter behind them, a chill ran down their spines.

They wished they could sprout eight legs, running faster and faster until, in no time, they were hundreds of miles away.

"Pant... pant..."

Finally, by a stream surrounded by dense woods, they stopped, gasping for breath. Their spiritual power was drained.

"Are... are we far enough that he won't chase us?" a lanky disciple asked, leaning against a tree as he panted.

"Probably... right?"

The others looked back at the path they'd taken. It was silent—no one, not even a stray dog.

"Honestly, if he can still catch up and kill us after all these miles, then I've got nothing to say. I'd just give up—take my life if he wants it!" one disciple said in exasperation.

"How did things get this bad?"

"Think about how many enemies the Mo family has right now."

"Never mind the old ones—look at now. Out of nowhere, this Wuzi Pavilion shows up, badmouthing us everywhere, and we can't even find them. It's like they're everywhere. I'm scared I'll get killed in my sleep one day."

"Life's getting harder by the day. And that idiot of a young clan leader—always causing trouble, never doing anything decent. Ever since he took a bunch of people to wipe out that Qingxuan Sect and got half the Soul Lock Hall killed, we've been forcibly conscripted to fill the ranks. And now? We run into some demon and almost die too."

"Screw Mo Yu! Damn bastard!"

"Yeah, yeah."

The others chimed in, venting their frustrations with a few curses to feel better.

"Hey, didn't Old Thirteen get married today?" one disciple leaning against a tree suddenly asked, looking at a tall, skinny figure in the distance.

"Don't even bring it up!"

At that, the one called Old Thirteen spat immediately. "As soon as the clan heard there were Qingxuan remnants, they dragged me straight out of the bridal chamber. Leaving my poor, beautiful bride alone inside, probably fuming."

Upon hearing this, the disciple who had asked grinned.

"Oh, come off it. Everyone knows that bride was forced into marrying you. Why would a young widow with a kid agree to marry someone who's never home?"

"Fuming?"

"More like she's hoping you croak out here!"

"Enough, enough! Cut the crap!" Old Thirteen flushed red, defending himself. "I was just being kind—she was struggling alone with a kid, no father in sight. What do you bunch of idiots know?"

"Oh, isn't Thirteenth Brother such a good man?"

The others burst into laughter again.

Irritated but unwilling to argue, Old Thirteen grumbled while loosening his belt. "You're all just jealous because I married a beautiful new wife."

"Dammit, after all that running, nature calls."

"I'm going to take a leak."

"Taking a leak?" The others exchanged glances, smirking. "Or is it that you were so scared by that guy earlier that you pissed your pants, and you're just remembering to—"

"Shut it!"

Old Thirteen waved them off impatiently, cursing under his breath as he walked behind a tree, unbuckling his belt.

"Me, scared?"

"That's called a tactical retreat!"

Muttering about those clueless fools in his head, he finally felt a bit better.

Hmph, let those idiots be jealous.

Once he got home, he'd get intimate with his new wife—that would show them. He could just imagine their sour faces. Lost in his thoughts, he prepared to relieve himself.

But an untimely voice broke the silence.

"Hey, brother, I was sitting peacefully in this tree, and you come to take a leak right under it. Isn't that a bit disruptive?"

Old Thirteen jerked his head up suddenly.

A man draped in a bright red wedding robe sat perched on a tree branch, gazing down at him with a playful smile.

“Don’t be afraid. Feeling dizzy is only natural.”