Chapter Six: The Depths of Disgrace Revealed

“Senior brother, are we really going to be alright? The elders won’t find out, will they?”
“Shut up and keep your voice down. Have you ever seen me make a mistake?” Hua Ku scoffed at Feng Xiao.
Hidden deep in the thicket behind Mo Shen’s hut, the two of them crouched low, determined not to be found by their fellow disciples. If anyone did see them, however, they would surely feel nothing but contempt, for these two were notorious for using the guise of ‘guidance’ as an excuse to torment Mo Shen.
This time, it was simply because Mo Shen had completed his task above and beyond their expectations, and, more importantly, had returned alive. The two decided to sneak into his crude straw hut to see if they could catch him in a compromising situation—should they find any dirt on him, Mo Shen would be ruined even if he survived.
Just then, a faint glow flickered, and suddenly there was movement inside the house. Hua Ku and Feng Xiao exchanged glances, arriving at the same conclusion. They had just sensed that the room was empty, but now, with these sudden noises, if it wasn’t a ghost, then what else could it be?
Meanwhile, Mo Shen, reluctant to let go of the delicate, warm hand in his own, took the initiative. “Come, let me show you around,” he said, not waiting for Su Raochen’s response before pulling him straight out the door.
“Shh, they’re coming!”
The two hidden in the grass watched as Mo Shen strode out of the simple hut. They were just about to leap out and catch him in the act, but then they saw that Mo Shen was leading someone by the hand. The moment the pair stepped through the door, both spies froze.
Bathed in starlight as delicate as mist, the youth in blue seemed almost ethereal. His skin was as flawless as fine porcelain, casting a haze over Hua Ku’s vision, while his cool, handsome features and deep, dark eyes, now softened with a gentle smile for Mo Shen, exuded a quiet tenderness.
Only after Su Raochen and Mo Shen had walked off did Hua Ku finally come to his senses. Feng Xiao nudged him, “Senior brother, should we follow?”
“Of course. We must,” Hua Ku replied, his mind full of thoughts of that beautiful stranger.
“Our sect, the Sect of Spiraling Wind, is actually made up of two divisions: the cultivation of the spirit and the cultivation of the body. The spirit side has three peaks—Spirit Insight, Spirit Stone, and Spirit Domain—while the body side has Qi Sail, Qi Ash, and Qi Brahman. We’re currently at Spirit Insight Peak. The Peak Master here is in seclusion, so…”
Mo Shen hadn’t finished explaining when the duo of Hua Ku and Feng Xiao appeared.
“Mo Shen! No wonder you’re still alive—you must have been off seducing someone. That Yunlin Flower you brought back must be a fake too.” From the moment Hua Ku emerged, his eyes were glued to Su Raochen, his gaze so sticky and revolting that it was hard to bear. Despite slandering Mo Shen, he never once looked him in the eye.

“I—it’s not like that.” Mo Shen instinctively turned to Su Raochen to explain, inexplicably unwilling for him to misunderstand, even if the accusations were baseless.
“I know,” Su Raochen replied, glancing back at Mo Shen. Though he didn’t know who the two newcomers were, he noticed Hua Ku’s persistent gaze and was immediately repulsed, choosing instinctively to side with Mo Shen, whom he’d spent a little time with.
“May I ask who you are?” Su Raochen, though displeased, was too dignified by nature to act discourteously.
“Who am I? Just come with me and you’ll find out.”
The flippant, teasing tone completely infuriated Mo Shen. He glared at Hua Ku in disgust, loathing not only the man before him but also his own powerlessness.
But Hua Ku was cunning; before speaking, he had tested Su Raochen’s cultivation and found nothing unusual. To him, this only meant Su Raochen was an ordinary mortal—clearly, Mo Shen, a low-level cultivator, was just trying to curry favor and climb higher. With this conclusion, Hua Ku became bold.
He never considered there were realms he himself could not sense—either demon cultivators or those whose power vastly outstripped his own, or perhaps both.
Mo Shen, too, doubted Su Raochen could handle these two, so he discreetly traced the word ‘run’ in Su Raochen’s palm, thinking it didn’t matter what happened to him, but nothing must happen to Su Raochen.
Su Raochen, naturally, sensed both the warmth lingering in his palm and Mo Shen’s intent. A ripple disturbed the still waters of his heart—for who would do such a thing for someone they’d only just met? As the feeling faded, Su Raochen resolved in turn to protect the youth beside him, and his gaze grew cold as he fixed it on Hua Ku.
“It’s late. We’ll take our leave now. Do as you please, sir.”
Mo Shen, sensing Su Raochen’s quiet protection, felt as if fireworks were bursting in his heart. But Hua Ku was not about to let Su Raochen go so easily. Taking advantage of Mo Shen’s brief distraction, he lunged forward, forced Mo Shen’s hand away from Su Raochen’s, and seized for himself the hand he’d been coveting.
Su Raochen had reached the limit of his patience. The nine-tailed foxes were proud, and though Su Raochen was unaware of his own sealed powers, some innate dignity could not be violated. An unexplainable murderous aura began to coil around him, lending a strange beauty to the air of slaughter.
Mo Shen stood transfixed, inexplicably certain that Su Raochen would never harm him, though others might not be so sure—especially not Hua Ku, who now found himself in the crosshairs of that killing intent.
Spiritual energy tinged the air a smoky blue, transforming into silky threads—soft yet unyielding. The trees all around rustled, though no wind stirred. Stunned, Hua Ku felt both fear and an odd infatuation as the faint spiritual energy twined around Su Raochen, his black hair rippling like water, his frosty eyes impervious to all else. When he looked, it was as if…

…as if he were looking at something utterly lifeless.
A tickle crept up Hua Ku’s neck and he reflexively reached to scratch it, only for his pupils to dilate in sudden terror. Su Raochen had withdrawn his hand, and the “silk” had wrapped itself in tightening rings around Hua Ku’s throat.
In a flash of spiritual light, Su Raochen gently covered Mo Shen’s eyes. “Hush, it’ll be over soon,” he whispered in Mo Shen’s ear, his soft words curling inside like a serpent, leaving a trace of blood in their wake.
Surrounded by the lingering scent of bamboo, Mo Shen thought to himself: Hua Ku, perhaps it’s best you don’t die too quickly.
Su Raochen noticed the ticklish sensation in his palm, like a brush stroking back and forth, and mused that this youth’s eyelashes were extraordinarily long. Neither of them paid any heed to Hua Ku, who crumpled slowly to the ground.
“M-murder… he killed someone…” Feng Xiao, rendered witless with fear, could only mumble, though he knew better than to cry out. If he did, he’d surely be silenced as well. He waited, motionless, for them to leave. Fortunately, Su Raochen paid him no mind.
Su Raochen kept his hand over Mo Shen’s eyes until he’d cleared away the lingering spiritual power, then led Mo Shen from the scene.

In a chamber on Spirit Stone Peak

“So, you saw with your own eyes that man kill Hua Ku?”
“Yes, yes, absolutely—I saw it myself, otherwise…” Feng Xiao nodded vigorously, but was cut off without mercy.
“That’s enough. Of course I believe you. Still, you might as well go keep Hua Ku company—wouldn’t want him to be lonely, right?”
A tall, slender figure appeared in Feng Xiao’s dying eyes.
“You…” He hadn’t time to finish before a sword silenced him, a single drop of blood marking his last memory—scarlet as life itself.