Chapter 57: Was it Worth it? (2/2)

Eccentric Song burst out laughing. It was the laughter of release, as if all of his pent up depression from the past few days had suddenly disappeared.

Wu Dingqiu was mad enough, but when he heard the price the two disciples had paid, along with Eccentric Song’s peals of laughter, his rage exploded. He suddenly let out a furious roar. “Good-for-nothing fools! This iron spear is a fake!”

It echoed out like thunder, shattering the Go board. Cracks appeared on the surface of the mountain beneath his feet. Qian Shuihen and Lu Song tumbled to the ground, blood spraying out of their mouths.Their heads spun as Wu Dingqiu’s single word echoed in their hearts.

“Fake…” They were stunned.

This word thundered out in all directions along with his roar, filling nearly half of the entire State Shield Mountain range and reaching even Eastern Refinement City.

It eventually reached the ears of Sun Hua, filling him with confusion. After a moment, his expression changed, and a look of shock filled his face.

“The spear was a fake?” He looked at his companions, and looks of realization appeared on their faces as well.

“It couldn’t be that the iron spear that was a fake, could it…?”

Inside the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Qiao Ling was in the midst of introducing a magical item to a Cultivator when she heard the noise outside. Amazed, she thought back to Meng Hao’s iron spear, and a strange look appeared on her face.

Next to the pill furnace, the middle-aged man opened his eyes, and they flickered with a mocking expression. Without a word, he closed them again.

Far away from the plateau in the State Shield Mountains, Meng Hao lowered his head and ran even faster.

Eccentric Song’s splitting laughter undulated throughout the mountains. Wu Dingqiu’s face couldn’t look more horrible. He, an Elder of the Violet Fate Sect, had been hoodwinked by a Cultivator of the Qi Condensation stage. Even though it didn’t directly involve him, he would definitely lose face when word spread.

He wanted to track Meng Hao down immediately. He turned to look at Qian Shuihen and Lu Song, who stood there terrified. He was disgusted, but in his heart he sighed. These disciples had spent all their days within the Sect, and didn’t have any experience dealing with outsiders. They were flowers raised indoors, inexperienced and incapable of dealing with schemes.

With a cold harrumph, he tossed the iron spear to the ground and took a few steps forward, casting his senses about in search of Meng Hao. But then, Eccentric Song stepped forward to block his way, laughing complacently.

“Fellow Daoist Wu, please don’t lose your temper,” he said. “Your Violet Fate Sect stresses the need to settle the Qi and calm the mind, to cultivating one’s disposition. Don’t allow a small matter like this to arouse your ire. When it comes to this type of cultivation, you should really do a bit more research into your Sect’s Moral Cultivation Manual.” Eccentric Song laughed heartily. Earlier, he had been prevented from leaving no matter what he said, so of course now he would do the same thing to Wu Dingqiu.

“You…” Wu Dingqiu’s face grew dark, and he stared fixedly at Eccentric Song. But he didn’t say anything.

“You broke the Go board, so now we can’t finish,” said Eccentric Song with a smile. “How about this: You were going to take me to your Violet Fate Sect, right? Well, let’s go! We can chat and play Go for a few months.” The depression had faded completely from his heart. Seeing Wu Dingqiu like this made him incredibly happy. As far as the treasures Meng Hao had taken, he didn’t care anymore. What was most important to him was the look of outrage and insult on Wu Dingqiu’s face.

He pulled at Wu Dingqiu, clearly having no intention of allowing him to resist.

Wu Dingqiu’s heart was filled with gloom. He glared at Eccentric Song, then let out a long sigh. He knew that the man wouldn’t let him pursue Meng Hao. He stamped his foot angrily, then allowed Eccentric Song to pull him up into the air.

“You useless imbeciles won’t be able to keep up,” said Wu Dingqiu, looking down at trembling Qian Shuihen and Lu Song. “The Inner Sect promotion is a failure. Return to the Sect and immediately go into secluded meditation!” The other disciples watched on, pale-faced.

“Damn you, Meng Hao,” said Lu Song, lowering his head, his face twisted with rage. “I will never forget this, you shameless bastard!” He ground his teeth when he recalled Meng Hao’s bashful expression, and it looked as if his eyes might erupt with flames. He had never met anyone so impudent in his entire life. The spear was obviously a fake. His face filled with pain when he thought of how much he had paid for it. When he thought about the lost chance to enter the Inner Sect, he was so angry that he almost spat up blood.

“Shameless! Despicable!” said Qian Shuihen, thinking about his precious items. He picked up the iron spear. “Meng Hao, you are a complete scoundrel!” As he thought about the failure of the Inner Sect promotion, he really seemed about to go crazy. And then he thought about all the medicinal pills and magical items, and his hatred for Meng Hao ascended to skies.

The two of them looked at each other, sharing a look of pain.

“We will place this spear up inside the Sect to remind us that we must kill Meng Hao!”

Fierce killing intent filled their eyes, and yet, the trial by fire was over, and they were required to return to the Sect. Their rancor and murderous thoughts could only be concealed in their hearts, never to be erased.

Meanwhile, Meng Hao was both scared witless and also felt that he was being accused wrongly. Sighing, he increased his speed, running as fast as he could for seven days straight. Eventually he found an Immortal’s cave in the deep mountains. Exhausted, he sat down cross-legged and began to meditate and do breathing exercises.

“Was it worth it…?” he sighed to himself. He was tired from the days of running, but had simply been too frightened of being caught. Now, he was on his last legs.

Two days later at dawn, he opened his eyes and began running again. For half a month, he didn’t dare to let anyone see him. Finally, deep in the remote mountains, when he felt it was safe, he used a flying sword to carve out a cave, then sealed himself inside to meditate.