Chapter 450 - 270: 2 Choices

Chapter 450: Chapter 270: 2 Choices

As Li Ye turned to leave, the sound of a faint song drifted over from the distance, flowing into Su Xing’s ears like a gentle breeze.

"You are like dust on a clear road; I am like mud in sullied water."

"Our fates rise and fall apart; when will our paths ever align?"

"CAW— CAW—"

The song ended with the caw of a crow, and then silence fell. They had clearly left. But their words weighed on Su Xing, and he couldn’t help but wonder what they were planning.

’What else could they be doing here in Hang Lake?’

Just then, a text message popped up on Su Xing’s phone. The sender was anonymous, but they had left a simple message.

Two a.m. By the lake.

"..."

Su Xing stared at the message, an inscrutable expression on his face. He forwarded the details of the encounter, along with the text message itself, to Ling Zhongxing back at the Cyan Cloud Sect. Ling Zhongxing’s reply was brief, just two short lines.

"It can’t be anyone but Li Ye."

"If that’s the case, you should go."

With Ling Zhongxing’s affirmative reply, Su Xing thought it over and decided to go. Li Ye had only just left, yet he had already sent a message like this. It was clear he wanted Su Xing to meet him.

Naturally, Su Xing had no reason to refuse.

So, Su Xing immediately found a deserted spot. He first glanced at the progress bar for his Sword Dao Points on the system interface, then began to cultivate.

But halfway through his cultivation, Su Xing suddenly remembered how he had shattered a boulder in Luocheng with a single word. An unconventional idea sparked in his mind. He immediately channeled a bit of his Righteous Qi and said softly:

"Gather."

The moment the word left his lips, immense Spiritual Qi converged around him as if drawn by a mysterious force. If his Righteous Qi hadn’t been so depleted, Su Xing suspected he could have drained all the Spiritual Qi from Hang Lake itself, rather than just gathering it from his immediate surroundings.

Still, Su Xing realized just how formidable the Extraordinary system of a Confucian Scholar was. This method of converting words into power was almost like making his words law.

With enough Righteous Qi, he could accomplish almost anything. The only problem was that Righteous Qi could only be cultivated through reading books. It wasn’t like a Martial Artist’s Qi and Blood, which was gained by honing the body, nor was it like a Qi Cultivator’s power, which came from absorbing external energy. For Su Xing, cultivation through study was clearly the most difficult path.

However,

Su Xing didn’t need to worry.

As long as he had enough Sword Dao Points, no bottleneck could stop him. He put the matter aside and focused on his cultivation.

「Time flew by.」

When Su Xing opened his eyes again, the appointed time had arrived. Almost at once, he heard a familiar cawing sound.

"CAW— CAW—"

"Have you made your decision?"

Li Ye asked earnestly, his gaze fixed on the single flower before him. If Su Xing had been there, he would have immediately noticed how remarkably similar it was to the Spirit Flower. But unlike the great commotion it caused last time, no one seemed to have noticed the Spirit Flower appearing here now.

"This flower is exceptionally rare. To have found a second one... perhaps it’s fate," Tong Yinyin said with a nod.

"Fate? Fate isn’t important. What’s important is the choice you make."

"You should remember what Ning Shang told you," Li Ye said, looking at Tong Yinyin’s face.

"My memory is just fine. But when I chose to accept this legacy, I was already prepared for the consequences. It’s a great blessing to even have this flower to extend my life."

"Brother Ye, you know me best," Tong Yinyin said, staring back at Li Ye.

"You and I... around the same time, we were both betrayed by those we trusted, and we both watched the ones we loved die horribly."

Li Ye was only halfway through his sentence when Tong Yinyin cut in, "Which is why you, more than anyone, should understand me. So are you really going to try and stop me now?"

"I won’t stop you from making any decision. I just hope you won’t regret it," Li Ye said, shaking his head.

"Brother Ye, this might be the last time I call you that. Thank you for letting me leave the Cyan Cloud Sect, and for helping me in Jile Valley."

As she spoke, she reached out to take the flower. But before her fingers could touch it, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.

"Were you trying to keep this from me?"

With those words, Su Xing’s figure materialized between them. Tong Yinyin fell silent upon seeing him, then asked in bewilderment:

"Why are you here?"

"If you were looking for this flower, I have more experience than either of you. Why keep it a secret from me?"

Su Xing deflected her question. Since Li Ye was the one who had tipped him off, Su Xing certainly wasn’t going to betray his confidence.

"..."

Tong Yinyin turned her head away, refusing to speak.

"Li Dao You, I’ve heard a few things about Tong Yinyin. I know her health is poor, but how bad is her condition, exactly?" Su Xing asked seriously.

"The flower you sent was a great help, and she took it already. However, she was forced into several battles soon after, and its effects are no longer enough to suppress the backlash from the Silent Extinction Demon Skill."

"Right now, she’s experiencing a final burst of life. Her power is greater than ever, but once the flower’s effects run out, she will die on the spot."

"And if she takes this second flower?" Su Xing asked.

"Ning Shang once told me that if the first dose failed to suppress the backlash, I would be left with only two choices."

"The first choice is to completely abolish the Silent Extinction Demon Skill. The second is to take another dose of a healing medicine," Tong Yinyin said slowly. "If I choose the second option, the Silent Extinction Demon Skill will no longer have a backlash, but I’ll only have one year left to live."

"..."

Su Xing fell silent. Although it had been less than a year since he’d become Extraordinary and gone through so much, he knew all too well that one year was an incredibly short amount of time.

"From what I know, you’re not just a Qi Cultivator; you’re also a Sequencer. Even if you disperse the demonic skill, you’ll still have the potential to pursue the Great Dao."

"Why are you unwilling to give up the skill?" Su Xing asked.

"Do you care so much about whether I live or die?" Tong Yinyin didn’t answer, instead posing a question of her own. "You’re a branch chief in Cang City’s special organization, a friend of the Sword God Li Longxuan, and you even have deep connections with the Dove Faction of the Martial God Hall. I imagine you’ll soon be a figure known throughout the world."

"But me? I’m just the dreaded Yin Crow, a magnet for disaster. Why would a young man like you be so concerned about me?"

"If Yinyin really wants me to, I can say all sorts of pleasant things."

"Heh, what a clever answer," Tong Yinyin glanced at Su Xing and smiled.

"Hang Lake is a world-renowned city. Even though it’s the middle of the night, we could still go see the sights. It’s much better than standing around bickering in this cold, gloomy place."

"I hear that coastal cities are completely different from places like Luocheng in the Central Plains."

"..."

Su Xing glanced at Tong Yinyin. ’Isn’t Cang City also a coastal city?’ he thought, but he kept the words to himself.

Tong Yinyin was probably just saying that because she wanted to find a quiet place to think about her future. Naturally, Su Xing had no reason to refuse.

"An invitation from a beautiful lady? I’ll certainly accept. What about you, Li Dao You?" Su Xing said jokingly. He wasn’t actually interested in Tong Yinyin, of course. While she looked quite young, the tragic events of her past had happened ten years ago. That meant she was probably more than a decade older than him. No wonder she kept calling him "young man."

"Very well. Let’s all go together."