49. Your Justice is Demonic!
A/N: This marks the end of mass updates since everyone is caught up to the public chapters in discord, questionable, , and webnovel. I will try and maintain a consistent update schedule but I won’t be able to update crazily unless I stock more and do mass update every other week or something. Thank you for being so kind. I hope you continue enjoying this crazy ride.
***
*Shhk*
A long wooden spear pushes the thicket aside, revealing a pair of cautious crystal-blue eyes. It’s Bai Ning Bing. But she looks different at a glance. The Bai Clan’s nurturing saw the girl grow into a beautiful fairy. She was slim yet curvaceous. Now?
She looks thinner and slightly malnourished. Bai Ning Bing possesses dark eyebags and wears her white hair in a ponytail. Lo Jik’s robes are baggy on the girl. There’s also a dagger strapped on her waist. Her gaze is sharper than before, revealing a more ruthless behavior born from dangerous circumstances. The woman’s wooden spear stabs the struggling bunny caught in her trap. The woman meticulously unties the trap before destroying every trace of it.
She returns to their temporary camp with the bunny in her hand.
Her eyes twitch when she sees Lo Jik setting his bowl down, burping loudly. Beside him is a neatly skinned antler several sizes more massive than the bunny in her hand.
Not only that, beside Lo Jik is a stick with a concoction slathered atop it.
“Oh,” he chuckles. “You finally caught something.”
She snorts. However, her expression eases when Lo Jik points out a few tips to skin the bunny.
Bai Ning Bing moves with slight experience, tossing some condiments and plants she foraged from their surroundings. However, Lo Jik’s expression turns weird. More observant than before, Bai Ning Bing stops.
“What?” She looks at the leaves in her hands. “These are apple leaves, right? They can add more flavor to the soup stock.”
“Apple leaves has many sub-classes. Look at the roots of the veins. They are slightly purple. It’s a poisonous variant.”
Bai Ning Bing frowns. She hesitates before asking other questions.
That’s how they spend their days. Bai Ning Bing was a woman who changed after the three days of her sickness. Lo Jik’s caring but otherwise indifferent and even cold treatments at times made her look at him in a different light. He taught her how to survive in the wilderness. Lo Jik also openly refused to teach her some things, like the recipe for mortal concoctions related to Beast Lures and natural repellants. But Lo Jik did not keep everything transactional. He offered several tips. To show their differences, he began hunting using mortal means, too. Of course, years of hunting experience favored Lo Jik.
But Bai Ning Bing proved to be a woman of focus and commitment. She learned hard.
Except for his experience, Lo Jik didn’t give her anything for free after the ‘last’ of his Primeval Stones and a dagger. Of course, Bai Ning Bing believes Lo Jik has another secret stash of Primeval Stones. Someone like Lo Jik will never be without a backup. But she underestimated Lo Jik’s wealth.
The two days they spent traveling on the river gave them a massive boost against any pursuers due to Blood Torrent Python’s speed. However, after their encounter with the Hound, their pace slowed.
Bai Ning Bing isn’t on the trip for destination alone.
She wants to learn and grow—even if at risk. To her, Lo Jik represents a pool of wealth she can only consume in the dangerous wilderness.
She’s the kind of woman who enjoys the ‘process’ just as ‘results.’
It’s been 10 days since then.
There were nights when the duo continued traveling and nights when Bai Ning Bing didn’t hunt a thing.
It only increased her thirst to grow better.
It also proved Lo Jik’s words from before.
She didn’t need a reason to exist.
She didn’t need a reason to win and survive!
She didn’t need a reason to grow.
It’s all instinct!
It soothed and cleared the last clouds of confusion in her heart.
“It’s so good!” Bai Ning Bing moans when she drinks the broth. She loves soup more than meat. But she also needs to eat to sustain herself. The warm food in her stomach instantly alleviates her mood before her expression changes.
She looks at Lo Jik, pursing her lips.
“I need that stick,” she clears her throat, glancing at the repellant-slathered item.
“Oh, sure,” Lo Jik shrugs. Bai Ning Bing grabs it before entering the woods for a few minutes.
‘She’s still embarrassed about shitting and peeing in the woods,’ Lo Jik’s thoughts are as blunt and concise as they can be. However, it’s the truth.
‘It’s almost been half a month. I would have left several clumps of Bladewing Blood Bats in different directions to confuse any pursuer. Alas.’ He shakes his head.
The duo didn’t encounter any other Mutated Beast after the hound. They did discover a few beast territories but stayed clear of them.
‘There’s still time till reaching the Bai Gu Mountain. I think it’s possible—’
A strange sensation blooms from the Hope Gu. Vital Gu Worms are known to warn the Gu Master in an intense life-death situation. Such a phenomenon is rare among high-ranked Gu. His body shudders, stepping sideways.
A golden lance suddenly punctures the ground from the sky. The golden lance reveals the brilliant seven lights of a rainbow. Shock grips Lo Jik’s heart as he hears a loud, majestic cry echoing in the sky.
Rank 4 Seven Lights Lance. This Gu hails as one of the top-tier attack Gu in Rank 4!
The lance disperse in gentle motes of light. Lo Jik ignores the half-eaten antler. His head jerks to the sky, meeting the elegant gaze of a creature shining like the second sun in the dusk sky.
“Stay where you are and hide for now,” Lo Jik shouts loudly. “That’s a Xuan Yuan Divine Pheasant, and it solely focuses on one target when it sees one. I’ll direct when to attack.”
Lo Jik doesn’t fear that Bai Ning Bing will run away.
Xuan Yuan Divine Pheasant, a mutated creature. Although on the same level as the Pink Mantis and Pepper Hound…
Well, those two don’t compare to this beast. After all, this creature is a massive attraction for all Light Gu. Its vision is sharper than a Lightning Crown Wolf, and it can innately see-through disguises, making the Stealth Scales Gu useless. Lo Jik cannot outrun this creature, and his python won’t last a few seconds before it locates Lo Jik again!
He licks his lips.
Lo Jik cannot run, but he isn’t fearful.
Heck, Bai Ning Bing, and he could have cooperated to kill the hound! But they were poisoned and caught lacking.
He has many Gu Worms. And he knows another thing.
“One of the materials for the Yang Gu is the Xuan Yuan Divine Pheasant’s heart!”
Lo Jik encourages Bai Ning Bing as the beast flaps its wings before diving down.
‘It has once Lance Gu that is lightning-quick. However, it takes time to form the Lance and only flies in one direction.’
He hurriedly uses Battle Instinct Gu and one burst of Peak Snow Silver essence from the Heavenly Treasure Lotus to fill his mind with Lightning Thoughts using the Lightning Thoughts Gu. A blood-red mist enters his nostrils as his body becomes excited.
‘There,’ Lo Jik uses the Heaven Piercing Eye Gu to locate the Gu on the beast’s body. He compares the shapes with his knowledge and assumes a few different Gu.
‘No defense?’ Lo Jik’s expression turns grave. This beast’s defense IS offense!
*Whoosh*
A plume of dust fills his surroundings as the Golding pheasant adorned by flashing rainbow lights lands on the ground. It lets out a chirp. Formless soundwaves disperse the cloud of dust when a red shadow tears from the distraction. The blood-red armor looks out of its time with a strange round helmet and a blocky body. His momentum and full-powered jump allow him to approach the hill-sized monster’s face. He latches on the beast before swiftly grabbing its beak and tugging its head down.
The creature barely moves despite Lo Jik’s strength!
The Divine Pheasant’s multi-colored, flashing feathers shoot like a divine rain.
*Ting* *Ting* *Ting* *Ting* *Ting* *Ting* *Ting*
Thousands of feathers leave small ‘dots’ on Lo Jik’s armor. The Pheasant snaps his head, causing Lo Jik’s body to fly high in the sky!
Gold light blooms, brightening the forest. A long, divine lance emerges from the light—aimed at Lo Jik.
Glowing feathers emerge from Lo Jik’s heels as he stabilizes mid-air before sidestepping the attack. He revokes the Gu as his body freefalls.
*Chirp*
A loud call shakes the forest as the Xuan Yuan Divine Pheasant flaps his wings in Lo Jik’s direction. Two massive waves of rainbow lunge at Lo Jik.
‘Rank 4 Rainbow Stream Gu.’
He snorts. This Gu is similar to his Blood Jade Change Gu and can form into several objects. However, how can a beast be flexible in the use of Gu? The Gu are not in the Beast’s control. They have a symbiotic relationship.
Lo Jik curls his body, forcefully enduring the attack as he’s shot into the sky again.
The Pheasant’s outstretched wings flap gently. However, its flight is lightning quick!
Golden light surrounded by rainbow sheen bursts from its body as the Pheasant opens its beak, about to consume Lo Jik.
Lo Jik smirks coldly in the intense life-and-death situation. A pair of red feathered wings the shape of a butterfly’s wings sprout from his back. It flaps and swiftly avoids the Divine Pheasant as Lo Jik’s body shakily survives the attack.
The Pheasant cries angrily before stabilizing its body.
A battle in the air?
How can Lo Jik compete?
Humans are not born with wings. They cannot fly like a bird without training for years! Even now, Lo Jik’s wings fail to stabilize him. However, two pairs of wings emerge from his heels, creating an ‘invisible’ platform for Lo Jik.
Another Golden Lance flies in Lo Jik’s direction as he’s already flapped his wings, avoiding the attack.
The Lightning Thoughts in his mind are almost exhausted in this short bout!
Tackling a Myriad Beast is too intense!
Even the beast’s head is twice the size of Lo Jik!
Rainbow streams, lances, sharp feathers, decisive pecks, dangerous claws—
Lo Jik survives through it all with one goal!
He can never deal with the Pheasant by confronting it headfirst.
No, all he did—
All the thoughts he spent—
All his efforts—
‘Finally!’
Lo Jik sharply exhales as he grabs a fistful of feathers before mounting the Xuan Yuan Divine Pheasant! The Myriad King gets anxious!
The Pheasant is rare due to its elegant nature. It flies alone in the sky and only lands to feed. It’s also one of the cleanest beasts in the Southern Border! Its repulsion to other creatures often extends to their kind, making fully-grown Pheasants fly away from their nests to meet a tolerable specimen of their kind. Lo Jik isn’t a hot piece of pheasant that the Myriad Beast will allow to climb atop him!
Does Lo Jik care?
Nope!
‘Let’s see what you’re capable of without your Gu.’
Lo Jik snickers coldly. He lets the Blood Jade Change get injured under the constant barrage of feathers before nearing the Pheasant’s rear. He viciously grabs a beautiful rainbow-colored crystal.
‘Rank 4 Rainbow Mist Gu.’ It’s a healing Gu and Lo Jik’s priority. That’s why Lo Jik didn’t care about hurting the beast but climbing it. Spending time and effort to kill the Xuan Yuan Divine Pheasant is only worth AFTER taking this healing Gu!
The Divine Pheasant suddenly dives down before flying erratically to stop Lo Jik from plundering it. However, Lo Jik coldly collects the Gu on its body. He moves from the Pheasant’s rear to his head. Winds whip against Lo Jik’s body as he takes a deep breath. He stabs his hand into the creature’s ears, pushing his Blood Jade Change Gu inside. The rank 3 Gu has a limited body. So, the blood armor on Lo Jik’s body starts flowing into the creature.
‘Ugh!’
He grits his teeth as the wind hits his body. His body can handle it. But his ears and eyes feel a sharp pain. However, Lo Jik grits his teeth and pushes the Blood Jade Change Gu inside the creature.
The Xuan Yuan Divine Phoenix stops mid-air before free-falling on the ground as if short-circuited.
*Boooommmmm*
Lo Jik’s body is tossed aside as a ragdoll. He crashes into multiple trees as a massive cloud of dust rises from the impact.
“It’s not dead yet!”
He forces a shout, feeling his body ache. The impact of the beast still made his refined body feel intense pain! But the Xuan Yuan Divine Pheasant will heal due to its vitality if given the time to recuperate.
The Pheasant chirps weakly. Its eyes observe the cloud of dust disperse as a white shadow with cold blue eyes slip out. Her hands carry two ice daggers.
It’s Bai Ning Bing!
She doesn’t use her Ice Blade Gu to create long katanas but daggers to preserve her essence. Her body swiftly ascends the creature’s face through its beak before unleashing a storm on the pheasant’s right eye.
The creature instinctively closes its eyes.
Bai Ning Bing’s Rank 2 Gu barely leaves a mark on the pheasant’s eyelashes. Lo Jik controls the Blood Jade Change Gu inside the creature, snorting weakly as his mind feels tired after using Lightning Thoughts.
“Open your fucking eyes,” he grunts.
The pheasant suddenly feels a sharp pain, causing its eyes to snap open and pupils to shrink!
*Puchi*
Bai Ning Bing’s dagger reflects in the creature’s divine eyes. She keeps stabbing! She doesn’t stop, forcing her body inside the gooey mixture and entering the Pheasant’s body to reach its brain! Blood and brain matter lather Bai Ning Bing. She only stops when the Pheasant’s body stops moving several dozen minutes after his demise.
“Phew! Almost suffocated me!” She pulls back.
“Good work,” Lo Jik chuckles. A strange light flickers in Bai Ning Bing’s gaze before she sighs and groans. “Nah,” her shoulders slump. “You did the most.”
Lo Jik narrows his eyes before smirking.
“I’m still not sharing my recipes.”
“Tch.”
“Let’s dismember it and get out of here,” Bai Ning Bing grunts.
“We can’t. I don’t have more storage,” Lo Jik narrows his eyes. “We will have to leave some materials.”
Bai Ning Bing frowns. Leaving the materials to others for their hard work is a distasteful feeling. She scoffs. “It’s alright. Didn’t we get its Gu Worms? That’s the greatest reward.”
“We? I did most of the work,” Lo Jik snorts as he uses the Dismemberment Gu on the hill-sized creature. They need his heart.
Bai Ning Bing’s gaze widens furiously.
“I killed it!”
“Tough shit. You couldn’t make a dent on its eyelids.”
“You’re still injured by the last impact,” Bai Ning Bing snorts. “You couldn’t have ended the beast without me.”
“You ungrateful bitch! I taught you how to hunt and the means to shit peacefully without poisonous bugs crawling up your fruity ass!”
Bai Ning Bing’s body freezes before she blushes a storm in anger, snarling, “I’ll fight you!”
“Fine by me!”
<<<>>>
Lo Jik and Bai Ning Bing decided to pick pace after the sudden battle with Xuan Yuan Divine Pheasant. They would have been dead meat if not for Lo Jik fighting with his head rather than brawns and his ability to locate the other Gu on the beast’s body. But they also left massive traces.
As Lo Jik displayed, humans with Gu are more dangerous than anything. Bai Ning Bing also has a massive weakness. Encountering another Gu Master can be their fortune or misfortune. Even if Lo Jik has the confidence to deal with others, he doesn’t want to take unnecessary risks.
Their path to Bai Gu Mountain was riddled with other beasts they decided to ignore. Heck! Lo Jik felt it was a pity they found a thousand-beast group of White Apes so late. He could have tried prolonging the White Ape Strength Gu’s life and fed it there.
His Kindling Will Gu continued to be a massive asset as it controlled and slowly refined the other Rank 3 and 4 Gu he snatched from the Xuan Yuan Divine Pheasant. His priority was the Rainbow Mist Gu due to its healing properties against internal injuries, something the Spider Gu cannot tackle effortlessly.
But they also suffered other losses on the path. Bai Ning Bing’s Plunder Gu perished. However, unconsciously, Bai Ning Bing did not have thoughts of feeling like a dead weight. Despite their arguments, the duo have survived too much together in the short duration. The turning point was getting poisoned by the Mantis and being hunted by the Pepper Hound. Their relationship firmed when they killed the Xuan Yuan Divine Pheasant. Because they knew dealing with the beast at their peak strength would have been easier!
Lo Jik was also more careful. He double-checked everything before leaving. He was sure they must be leaving some traces unconsciously. The Heaven Piercing Eye Gu was beneficial in noticing things he would have ignored otherwise. Lo Jik also used some methods he learned from other Gu Master’s journals to leave false tracks.
Their trip paused while moving around one of the mountains. They encountered Gu Masters!
<<<>>>
His eyes snap open, and his body jerks. He sorrowfully shouts—
“Brother Qing!”
His hands grab empty air. The youth’s vision swims as he grunts, clutching his head. A low whimper emerges from his lips.
The strange ‘creature’ sobs uncontrollably, unable to focus on his surroundings.
Some time passes as Fang Zheng regains his composure. He looks around. The room is lavish and somewhat rustic in ambiance. The walls are painted brown with two potted plants near a closed window. A soothing incense quietly burns on the table beside the door. A wooden foldable panel is beside the cupboard for someone to change their clothes.
A quiet knock breaks his concentration before he can observe further.
“May I come in, Elder Fang?”
Fang Zheng seems to recall the owner of the voice, croaking hesitantly.
“Tie… Ruo Nan?”
The door opens, revealing a familiar figure whose face hides behind a copper mask.
The woman nods at Fang Zheng, pulling a chair close to the bed and taking a seat.
“How are you feeling?” She gently questions.
Fang Zheng seems to understand something. His eyes turn dim, and he looks at his hands.
“That was no nightmare. Where… am I?”
“Wan Cheng Mountain,” Tie Ruo Nan replies. “The Tie Clan.”
Silence descends in the room as Fang Zheng trembles.
“O-others? What about them?”
“The Tie Clan barricaded Qing Mao Mountain to prevent the Blood Calamity from spreading. We are spending efforts to scour every corner of the mountain. However, we haven’t recovered any survivors.”
Fang Zheng grits his teeth as Tie Ruo Nan whispers. “That’s not all. I have some news.”
She picks up the mirror on the table and holds it across Fang Zheng’s features. “We found you in a state of a strange mutation. You were already a half-tree spirit, and your aperture was destroyed. But our clan healers used everything to save your life and revert the changes. They said it was due to the overuse of the Wood Charm Gu.”
Fang Zheng watches a strange creature staring back from the mirror.
The left side is still Fang Zheng. But his left ear tip is elongated. On the other hand, the right side of his face is covered in thick, ancient barks. It’s like a monstrous wooden mask! His right eye is also a dull green.
“I remember Brother Qing Shu fighting against the Bladewing Blood Bats and those locusts. He handed his Gu to me before his death, and I fought till the end.”
Tears stream down his left side while his mask is unmoved.
“I’m sorry,” Tie Ruo Nan whispers.
Suddenly, Fang Zheng throws his head back and howls.
“Hahahahaha! You’re sorry?! This happened because of you! Brother Qing Shu said your Father might have arrived to capture that scum of an Ancestor of ours! You’re sorry?! The last memories of my family and Cui’er are broken and ruined because YOU wanted justice for a dead Jia Jin Sheng!”
Fang Zheng laughs uncontrollably as Tie Ruo Nan’s stoic expression shakes behind the mask.
“What a Tie Clan! So Righteous! So Just! Pfft! This Junior admires your Righteousness, Hero Nan! Oh, did you find the killer? Was it my Brother or someone else? Hehehehe! Was it worth it ruining my marriage and my relationship with my family?”
Tie Ruo Nan slightly lowers her head.
“Our clansmen found something suspicious in Gu Yue Village. Someone dug a grave. It was suspicious. We had to uncover it. Inside, we found Miss Shen Cui’s remains. You must have done it for her. Rest assured, we dug graves for everyone on that mountain and buried everyone according to Southern Border’s traditions.”
Saying so, Tie Ruo Nan stands. As she reaches for the door, she hears Fang Zheng mumble to himself.
“A grave for Cui’er? I never got a chance to get near the Village.”
Ruo Nan leaves. Her body seems feeble. She leans against the door while chewing her lips.
What she did was to efficiently find a murderer. Fang Zheng’s biting words may not have changed her opinion of righteousness and why her father needed to sacrifice himself. However, it shook her justice.
‘Is Justice so heartless? Why was I so cruel? Why did I not question myself twice before doing what I did?’
Shen Cui had an affair. She was wrong. That was ‘black.’
Fang Zheng’s adoptive parents were the same.
Tie Ruo Nan always saw the world as white and black.
‘World is more complicated than White and Black, Nan. It’s grey.’—her father used to say that.
She never believed it.
Tie Ruo Nan is smart. She understood the concept of Grey. However, she also believed that thin streams of white and black formed this grey. If one looks closely, the world would still be divided in two.
Not anymore.
‘What I did was wrong,’ she accepts. Fang Zheng turned the world grey for her.
‘So, Fang Zheng didn’t bury Shen Cui.’
She walks down the hall.
Tie Ruo Nan recalls the hauntingly scenic memory of a youth holding a mangled corpse with a sad and broken smile. He looked so lost at that brief moment.
‘The only other person who would remotely care for Shen Cui is him.’
Why didn’t Tie Ruo Nan tell Fang Zheng the truth?
Why didn’t she tell him about Shen Cui’s affair?
Tie Ruo Nan doesn’t have the answer except to realize that it’s a moral thing to do. But it would also hurt a grieving man. It’s so grey and confusing, like a thick fog covering her path.
***
Alternate Title: Bai Ning Bing Enjoys the Unga Bunga Lifestyle; Catching a Bunny; Growth; Getting Together; Cat and a Suppressed Tiger; Teaching Bai Ning Bing; A Good Meal; Getting Further; Xuan Yuan Divine Pheasant; Hope Gu Heaves a Sigh of Relief; The Dangerous Ride; Not Afraid; A Good Set of Gu Overcomes Myriad Difficulties!; Using All His Braincells To Ride the Beast; Stripping Its Gloriour Gu; Kindling Will Worm For the Win; Massive Gains Amongst Danger; Bai Ning Bing Digs A Pheasant; Never Let Bai Ning Bing Cook; The Ungrateful Little Bitch; Shitty Dilemma; Lo Jik’s Violent Rizz; Moving On; Losses and Gains; The Pepper Dog Merely Caught Them Lacking; Fang Zheng Awakens; A Tree-Elf; Masked; Sorrow; Sorry?; The Grey World; Shen Cui’s Grave; Only One Man Cared Enough; Unknowingly Broken
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