360 Bluecloud Progenitors Doubts (1/2)

Jiang Zhiwei wiped her sword, cleaning the blood that stained the blade, as she walked next to Meng Qi. ”Are you okay?” she asked.

She paused momentarily, feeling rather embarrassed. After all, she was the one who caused the injury on Meng Qi's left shoulder.

”Don't worry. It's just a minor wound. At most, it was the last burst of Sword Qi that hurt my meridians. I've taken a Hundred-herb Bolus earlier. It wouldn't take long for me to recover,” said Meng Qi, trying to comfort her. He smiled and continued, ”If not for your hesitation in that instant you wielded your sword, I would be crippled if not dead by now.”

He was gratified to know that Jiang Zhiwei still remembered him even as she was possessed by evil spirits and felt a sliver of hesitation before giving him a deadly blow.

Jiang Zhiwei was still suffering from the lingering fear, though she was also feeling emotional. Her face flushed red as she said, ”It was like I was trapped in a never-ending nightmare where everything was hazy and unclear. I couldn't remember anything, only feeling the thirst for flesh and blood and the desire to kill. Even when I encountered something that felt familiar, the sense of familiarity came too slow for me to regain control of my body. It wasn't until I was about to use my Anatta Sword that the sense of familiarity became strong enough to influence what was beyond that nightmare.”

”I'm incredibly flattered that you still remembered me even after being possessed,” Meng Qi said jokingly. He then added more seriously, ”If you met someone else, we'd have a serious problem in our hands…”

”I would've caused a really huge mistake…” she replied, putting it in a way that he had deliberately tried to avoid.

”It's over. Don't keep it in your heart.” He instantly shifted the topic immediately and said, ”I thought Mr. Su would have given you some kind of amulet to shield you from the invasion of Primogenitor Devil's awareness.”

Jiang Zhiwei was quiet for a moment. ”He did give me one…”

She paused before continuing, ”It probably won't work for such possession by other awareness, though. After all, there's not much value for the enemies to possess my mind except during a Samsara task. If they try to sneak into Sword Washing Pavilion, Master will notice. If they try to learn the Supreme Methods of the Sword through my memories, they will only find the parts that I've understood.”

”Besides, Master is always secretive on this matter. I never knew why, so I never relied on it.”

”To be honest, your will and swordsmanship should put you close to the level of the Great Master. If Primogenitor Devil hasn't been at Dharmakaya level during his peak, your swordwill would've crushed his one trace of awareness. He wouldn't have succeeded in possessing you otherwise.” Meng Qi couldn't help saying so for he worried that this incident might affect Jiang Zhiwei's confidence.

She chuckled. ”Still, I'm no match for you with your spiritual mystiques and Buddha's Lamp. I've been thinking of studying a spiritual mystique after this task, but since my Nine Acupores would be open by then, I could start studying the Dharma Access in the Supreme Methods of the Sword straightaway. It concentrates on the acupore point of my mid-brows.”

She had nearly reached her last natural acupore point. Once this task over, she would go into seclusion and open it.

Her gaze suddenly drifted and she looked around as if she was looking for their companions. ”Little monk, you used the Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth to rouse my memories the last time we were in Zhenwu's Decoy Grave. You used it again this time to stimulate my mind. What did you see?”

She had been holding this question back for some time, but who didn't have a sense of privacy?

Meng Qi coughed a little. ”Chicken-slaying Sword God.”

Jiang Zhiwei kept a straight face, but eventually couldn't help laughing. ”That's the first nickname in my life.”

”Seriously? Not even one nickname from all your seniors and juniors in the Sword Washing Pavilion?” Meng Qi asked in surprise. Wasn't nicknaming others a hobby that all humans shared?

Jiang Zhiwei lamented, ”I consider myself an outgoing person, but perhaps Master's reputation was too grand and my talent was considered outstanding. The elders were fond of me and treated me like their own disciples, while my peers and juniors admired and complimented me. Few tried to befriend me.”

Meng Qi sighed to himself. So talents had their own set of problems...

The two didn't continue their conversation, both agreeing to stop in consensus. They focused on finding their companions and guarding against any sneak attacks.

Meng Qi felt a lot more confident about what would come next now that he had rescued Jiang Zhiwei first. As long as they didn't encounter all three of their possessed friends at once, it shouldn't be too risky to win them in a fight.

After a while, they saw someone dashing out from behind the wall in front of them. That person held a long sword that glowed with a dark gold light, displaying a dashing sense of elegance and extravagance. It was the fifth Imperial Prince of the Great Jin Dynasty, Zhao Heng.

He spotted Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei as well. He stopped in his tracks and his momentum seemed to rise. He adopted an imposing stance, appearing to fade into his surroundings. He seemed very alert.

”Brother Zhao, are you okay?” Meng Qi noticed that Zhao Heng's eyes were clear. He didn't seem to be possessed by Primogenitor Devil.

Zhao Heng replied in a deep voice, ”You aren't possessed by Primogenitor Devil?”

Meng Qi burst out laughing. ”How can a mere Primogenitor Devil possess someone like me?”

He knew Zhao Heng would believe them more if he said so.

Zhao Heng felt himself relax after sensing Meng Qi's confidence and pride, as well as the Buddha's Lamp hanging in front of his chest. ”A trace of Primogenitor Devil's awareness tried to possess me but happened to have a talisman. They destroyed each other.”

What coincidence? He probably had plenty of talismans ready for all sorts of situations, Meng Qi thought. This was the way the rich handle such incidents.

He held Buddha's Lamp and said, ”Fourth Prince, no, Fifth Prince, prevention is always better than cure. I hope you'll allow me to shine the lamp on you, lest there's any filthiness or part of Primogenitor Devil's awareness left.”

The light from this bluish white lamp could reach every corner of the world. Devils could never hide from it.

Zhao Heng's face twitched when he heard the way Meng Qi casually changed the way he addressed him. Though he still called him a prince, Meng Qi showed no sense of respect at all as if he was talking a hooligan. Nonetheless, he nodded. ”That's a good idea. I can see if there's any awareness left in you two as well.”