If not, I'll split the sky open and send you one.

A flicker of emotion stirred in the depths of Chu Xinghe's eyes.

A person he had originally intended to use, someone he had helped on a whim...

...was willing to betray his Sect for him.

That person was the very Shi Jingfeng standing before him.

Every time Chu Xinghe's heart grew cold,

someone like this would appear to heal him.

Seeing the determination in Shi Jingfeng's eyes,

Chu Xinghe let out a sigh.

"I am not him."

Shi Jingfeng grinned.

The scar on his face twisted like a centipede, sending a chill down one's spine.

But Chu Xinghe felt no disgust.

He even felt a bit of warmth.

"Right, you aren't him. You are you."

Chu Xinghe walked up to Shi Jingfeng.

"How did you end up in such a sorry state?"

Amusement rippled in Shi Jingfeng's eyes.

"It was in the way, so I cut it myself."

Chu Xinghe fell silent.

"Why did you admit it?"

Chu Xinghe thought for a moment.

"Perhaps I didn't want to hide it from you."

Shi Jingfeng grinned.

"I really am quite lucky."

Chu Xinghe raised an eyebrow.

"How did you recognize me? They didn't even recognize me."

Shi Jingfeng took a deep breath.

"Intuition. The kind of intuition that comes from the heart."

"Even if you change your face, your temperament, and your strength, I feel that you are him."

Chu Xinghe hadn't expected his disguise to be such a failure.

"You don't want others to know you're alive. You haven't done enough; I can help you."

"I swore an oath before: if anyone wants to kill you, they'll have to step over my corpse first."

"I failed last time, but this time the heavens have been kind and given me another chance."

"I can help you. I'm familiar with your methods; I can even hide it from Wen Rushui and Zhongli Qingmeng."

A warm current flowed through Chu Xinghe's heart.

He didn't speak.

He only reached out and patted Shi Jingfeng's shoulder.

Shi Jingfeng felt the warmth on his shoulder.

He grinned.

Even that twisted centipede on his face became almost endearing.

"Thank you."

Shi Jingfeng shook his head.

"It is I who should thank you."

Chu Xinghe was taken aback for a moment.

"Indeed, you should thank me. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to walk your own path."

Shi Jingfeng took a deep breath.

"Which Family?"

"The Wang Family."

Shi Jingfeng nodded.

Just as he was about to turn and leave,

Chu Xinghe pressed down on his shoulder.

"It's true that you're familiar with my methods, but Wen Rushui and Zhongli Qingmeng are also very clever. I still need to step forward myself."

"However, this time you need to stay in the shadows. You'll only need to step forward at the very end."

"In fact, don't even think about exposing yourself this time."

"I haven't taken back the few things I lost yet. You can't die yet."

After Chu Xinghe finished speaking, he patted Shi Jingfeng on the shoulder.

"I'll make the first move. It's not your turn to take the stage yet."

Shi Jingfeng thought for a moment and nodded.

Chu Xinghe turned and left.

After walking a few steps,

he suddenly stopped.

"I hope I can have a brother I can trust. I wonder if the heavens will treat me that way."

Having said that, his silhouette disappeared from Shi Jingfeng's sight.

Shi Jingfeng withdrew his gaze.

"There will be. And if there isn't, I'll split the heavens to send you one."

With that, he also turned and left.

Since one needed to be in the light and the other in the shadows,

he needed to perform his duties in the dark well.

Now that a substitute had appeared,

Chu Xinghe became even more cautious.

He couldn't afford to be careless just because Shi Jingfeng had shown up.

Chu Xinghe walked into the Hidden City.

He didn't care about the watching eyes around him.

With so many people coming and going, it was impossible for every single one to be thoroughly investigated.

Chu Xinghe didn't head toward the Wang Family.

Instead, he walked to the Guanxin Tower.

Chu Xinghe was also curious about which power this Guanxin Tower belonged to.

After entering,

Chu Xinghe found a random seat and sat down.

However, there was a strange look in his eyes.

Quite a few familiar faces.

On the day he had become the Saint of the Tianyan Holy Land,

those prodigies who had come had actually appeared here as well.

The Sixth Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Zhou Yuantian.

Feng Wudong of the Cang Yue Holy Land.

Xu Sanwei of the Tianlu Academy.

Yang Zhonghai of the Shengwu Dynasty.

And Linglong Yunyou of the Linglong Pavilion.

They were all familiar faces.

Back then, Chu Xinghe's Heart Demon Lure had made Lu Lingfeng of Great Yu reveal his inner secrets.

The others who had wanted to challenge him had all fled.

He hadn't expected them to gather here again.

How interesting.

However, the atmosphere between them seemed a bit off.

"Your Qinglu Academy is so 'impressive.' Zhongli Qingmeng went there, set up a stage, and your academy was utterly defeated."

Xu Sanwei's expression was quite unsightly.

"It's just that the prodigies of our Qinglu Academy haven't awakened yet."

"Laughable. You're not talking about those who aren't from this era, are you? How amusing, using prodigies from a previous era to challenge those of this one."

"It's not that they don't dare to awaken; they're probably just afraid they won't be a match."

Zhou Yuantian had clearly been studying these past few days.

After being mocked by Chu Xinghe last time,

he had hated how his tongue wasn't sharp enough.

"Zhou Yuantian, you think you're so great? You're just the Sixth Prince of the Great Zhou; that throne has nothing to do with you. I heard the woman you liked was even snatched away by your imperial brother."

"She was supposed to be your princess through an arranged marriage, but in the end, she became your brother's concubine."

Zhou Yuantian's expression was grim.

"You're right about that."

That one sentence left Xu Sanwei completely stumped.

Chu Xinghe sat nearby.

People like this, who only attacked without defending, were truly something else.

"Xu Sanwei, your sister sold herself into a Brothel just to pay for your schooling."

"A pair of jade arms served as pillows for a thousand men, and her red lips were tasted by ten thousand, all to send you to Qinglu Academy. Once you got in, you drove your sister to her death, feeling that she had brought shame upon you."

"And you still pride yourself as a gentleman? A fool like you wanting to be the Saint of Qinglu Academy is pure nonsense. Even dog shit would have a better chance than you."

Xu Sanwei's face was so dark it looked like it could drip ink.

"Say that again if you have the guts."

Zhou Yuantian stood up.

"Living, you're a waste of air; dead, you're a waste of land. You heartless creature, someone like you will never be the Saint of Qinglu Academy in this lifetime."

"And you'll never be Emperor."

"I know. I've already given up on that."

"You'll be pinned to a pillar of shame for the rest of your life."

"She was my sister. That was her choice; it had nothing to do with me."

"Bullshit. You're the one who drove her to her death. I'll have someone write it into a book and circulate it throughout the Grand Void Heaven Realm. Maybe then Qinglu Academy will kick you out."

"You... you... you..."

Xu Sanwei spat out a mouthful of blood.

He stumbled back several steps.

Chu Xinghe looked at the blood dripping onto his table.

His expression instantly soured.

Had his luck been particularly bad lately?

How could he even get caught in the crossfire of this?

But this drama was certainly entertaining to watch.

"Zhou Yuantian, you just wait."

Xu Sanwei was just about to leave.

"Wait."

Chu Xinghe suddenly spoke up, stopping Xu Sanwei.

"What do you want?"

Xu Sanwei asked, his voice full of irritation.

"Lick your filthy blood clean before you get lost."

Chu Xinghe looked at Xu Sanwei coldly.

You have a bad temper? Well, don't assume mine is any better.

Xu Sanwei laughed out of pure anger.

It seemed every random nobody thought they could bully him, Xu Sanwei.

"You're really looking for death."

Xu Sanwei clenched his fist and swung it toward Chu Xinghe.

Chu Xinghe's lips moved slightly.

Xu Sanwei performed a sliding kneel, landing right in front of Chu Xinghe.

"I'll lick it."