4. The Fallen Star of Wendian (4)
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The weather was getting warmer.

Xu Jian had been at Heaven’s Crossing Pier for a month, and had gotten used to his routine. With his steadily increasing understanding of spiritual energy, he could push past the weight of wet clothing easily.

He still wasn’t sure how to skim along the energy current in the river like that demon did; it was one of the key skills of the unskilled protagonist, but a high-spec body like Xu Jian couldn’t come close even after seeing it first-hand.

...He didn’t need it at the moment, but it was annoying.

Xu Jian remained deeply vigilant. After being assaulted once, he knew people intended to do it again. He also knew the sect leader was doing his best to interfere, so even though those in sect were the ones with the most issues with him and the most power to hurt him, he stayed in the compound, only leaving to go home by climbing over the walls and jumping into the water.

It had been three days since he had kicked off the subplot, and he was preparing to leave. Food, mats, cloth, thread, Xu Jian stole as much as he could. He couldn’t expect an ounce of charity just because people were getting used to how pathetic he was.

He was also paying closer attention to the sect leader. In ‘Black Path of the Proud Immortal’, he had been an annoyance that made it harder to bring Xu Jian to justice the normal way. For every misdeed Lai Mingliao revealed, the sect leader had diligently covered it up. Eventually, Lai Mingliao had to gather his pride, return to Wendian, and collect as many sympathetic disciples as he could find. Then, they would work together to hunt down Xu Jian’s many victims for a group attack.

After Xu Jian and Lai Mingliao had their final battle in the wake of this massive storm of allegations, Xu Jian was killed like a dog. It was raining, and Lai Mingliao had pressed his face into the mud, slowly suffocating him to death as he repeated the words Xu Jian had said to him while he was strung up in the river rapids.

'The strong should kneel before the weak.'

Xu Jian’s victims all watched coldly, without hesitation or remorse. The crowds, who Xu Jian had previously manipulated against Lai Mingliao, couldn't bring themselves to speak. The world had finally turned against the Golden Star of Wendian, and he died choking on dirt.

Then the sect leader, distraught, began wailing ‘A-Jian’, ‘A-Jian’, and attacked Lai Mingliao wildly, even after seeing how far things had tipped in the protagonist’s favour. He was ruthlessly chopped into pieces, and thus Lai Mingliao was free to burn the scattered and confused Wendian sect to to ash.

It was one emotionally rewarding moment after another, and yet concluded with a sensation of heartache. Easily the highlight of any novel Xu Jian had read.

So, based on the novel, the current Xu Jian’s opinion of this sect leader was:

  1. Stupid
  2. Short-sighted
  3. Selfish
  4. Hot-headed
  5. Very stupid

But now that he was the subject of the sect leader’s selfish protectiveness, he couldn’t help but notice how the man would seek him out, seemingly just to look sad at him. It made Xu Jian’s skin itch.

Moreso than the threat of physical abuse, Xu Jian wanted to leave so he could avoid dealing with him.

His personally-set deadline was fast approaching. His storyline records in the forest were tied up so he could grab them quickly when he left, and he began packing up his shack. It was good timing. He was fine with cold, but heat had always bothered him, and he didn't want to do any labour while baking in the sun.

He had been too oblivious.

While Xu Jian was stuffing some of the laundry he just washed into his robes to bring with him later, he felt a hand snake through his hair and yank it so hard Xu Jian feared it might have been torn from his scalp.

He was thrown to the ground, and the clothes he had been attempting to steal fell at his feet.

“Not even Qi deviation will stop you, will it?”

It was easy to identify these people. Because they were important to Lai Mingliao’s revenge, they got enough description to make them memorable.

These were the rest of the original Xu Jian’s friends, who helped him torture Lai Mingliao in the river.

“It’s like you’re designed to cause trouble. How shameful,” their new leader sneered.

Xu Jian remained silent. He learned well from the novel; they were only speaking for their own sakes, and no matter what the reply was, they’d punish him for it.

The leader grabbed Xu Jian by the hair again and forced him to his feet. “So? Anything to say for yourself, thief?”

“I’m sorry,” Xu Jian said in a small voice.

The disciple struck him across the face.

It was a little harder than the one from before, he thought as he crumpled to the ground. His entire head felt shaken, and pain throbbed across the side of his face. Getting hit across the face was dangerous. He had to have his jaw wired shut the first time it ever happened to him, and he doubted that was an option in this ancient setting.

Well, getting hit as Xu Jian hurt a lot less as getting hit as his past self, so he couldn’t afford to worry about it at the moment.

“You think sorry is enough? You’re fed and sheltered and still steal? Who raised this scum?”

“Apologize properly! On your knees!”

“Hurry, now, Xu Jinyue!” His name was said with a condescending lilt.

Xu Jian quickly scrambled to his knees so he could kowtow to the four men.

“Please forgive me. I was wrong.”

It was nice, right? It felt amazing, right? The prideful tyrant was begging for forgiveness at your feet, dirty and dressed in rags. It felt quite good, didn’t it? Xu Jian had no face. If he was given it, he’d throw it away. You couldn’t buy anything good with pride. The less face he had, the easier it was to get by. People who valued pride over safety were fools.

However, he shouldn’t have underestimated how despicable ‘Xu Jian’ was.

The leader gave him a fierce kick to the stomach that made Xu Jian gag. Just as before, it was to his gut, so the damage wouldn't permeate through his organs, but getting punched was getting punched. He felt like his flesh had been minced all at once. Saliva dribbled out of his mouth, but he very bravely did not vomit.

“Do you realize how much trouble you’ve caused? Bastard…”

Xu Jian choked, and managed to grind out a reply. “If the sect leader hears of this…”

This only made them angrier. “Oh yes, the sect leader, the sect leader. No matter what you do, the sect leader will rescue you! No matter how heinous the crime, the sect leader will quickly cover it up! It must be nice, to avoid punishment so easily!”

Weren’t these dumbasses afraid of being punished?

“He also...for you…”

“Should we be grateful? Now that it’s turned on us? You’ve already disposed of half the people loyal to you. Don’t think we believe that you’ve turned over a new leaf just by going crazy! Did you even go crazy, you scum? Even though we all knew you were the thief, it was this hard to catch you!”

In regards to how hard it was to catch him in the act, he didn’t know anything. He wasn’t trying very hard to hide it?

A bag was thrown over his head. Xu Jian was haunted by a deeply uneasy feeling.

“It’s for the best if you were gone, and yet you have to linger around, getting people kicked out...adding stress to everyone…”

He was dragged out of the room, and through the halls. He had no idea where they were going, and struggled to keep track of the turns they made. There wasn't a lot of foot traffic in many areas of the compound, so he couldn't even use the process of elimination. The uneasy feeling grew.

They stopped inside a new room, and Xu Jian could hear wood being dragged against wood. Then a clatter.

He was shoved forward, and his dread was realized as he flew through open air before plunging into the cold waters below.

The feeling of being thrown into a hole, desperately trying to orientate himself while blinded by a hood, using the energy of the river to piece together where the surface was...it was chillingly familiar. He'd seen it described before.

This was the scene in Black Path of the Proud Immortal, where Lai Mingliao was brought up to the river rapids to be tortured!

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