Chapter 129: What He Asks For

After hearing Chen Jindong out, Zheng Zhuxi instinctively wanted to use Candle-Star Pupils to see whether he was Two-Faced, but then remembered that she was inside a dream.

Besides, this is different from a Two-Faced situation. Whether a true Two-Faced or one made by Tan Guanchan with a demon seed, the dominant face is always the cunning and selfish one—the kind and simple-hearted side is just a mask. There is no inner conflict... Uh, would there be a period of inner struggle right after someone is infected by Two-Faced, or just after Tan Guanchan planted a demon seed? Zheng Zhuxi’s thoughts drifted, drawing connections in many directions.

Out of habit, she tilted her head and looked at her junior brother.

Ding Songyan gave a solemn nod.

Zheng Zhuxi understood his meaning at once.

He had already looked at Chen Jindong with Candle-Star Pupils earlier, and Chen Jindong was genuinely not Two-Faced.

With Junior Brother Ding’s level of insight, unless Chen Jindong were a Supreme Master, he would be unlikely to hide anything from his Candle-Star Pupils... Zheng Zhuxi shifted her thinking in a different direction.

Ding Songyan was mentally running through the Hundred Species described in the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, searching for any group with traits like Two-Faced, when a piece of knowledge from his past life surfaced.

Split personality!

Chen Jindong had become obsessed with using dreams to manipulate others, and never sought help for it, until a sinister, evil alter ego developed? Ding Songyan thought for a moment, then looked at Chen Jindong’s grave expression.

"You sent Yan Peng to steal the Fuyu Mountain Cinnabar Grass because you didn’t want to enter the Dharma Realm too soon?"

Chen Jindong nodded heavily.

"With two conflicting wills sharing one body, how could there be anything but confusion and contradiction? The moment I eat the Fuyu Mountain Cinnabar Grass, Resolute will cause one of us to turn dormant. Given the current balance of power, that will most likely be me. He will then pass through the Dream Tribulation without losing himself, enter the Dharma Realm, and take full control of the body from that point on. No longer restrained by me, he will be free to commit any evil he desires.

"I had intended to wait until I regained the upper hand before advancing. Unfortunately, he has already taken possession of the Fuyu Mountain Cinnabar Grass."

Hearing this, Zheng Zhuxi felt as though she and her junior brother had done a good deed that backfired.

Ding Songyan, as always, refused to dwell on that kind of thing.

You didn’t say anything and chose to hide it. Is that my fault?

He watched the changes in Chen Jindong’s expression, then abruptly changed his question.

"Those visiting merchants and martial artists who died suddenly from illness—was that your evil alter ego’s doing?"

"Alter ego... evil..." Chen Jindong repeated the words and let out a breath. "Yes, it was him. Not just the merchants and martial artists, but also the beautiful young woman he enticed in her dreams.

"Killing in dreams works by terrifying the soul. Dream manipulation gradually reshapes a target’s emotions and thoughts. He decided that wasn’t enough and wanted to test whether making someone dream night after night of contracting the same illness would cause them to actually develop something similar and die from it. It would be far more concealed, harder to detect, and leave no trace whatsoever.

"He succeeded."

Pure evil... Zheng Zhuxi’s heart surged with emotion as she listened, her teeth clenching inwardly.

She could not stand people like that!

Ding Songyan thought for a moment and added, "Once you discovered the problem, why not seek help from your sect’s elders?

"You certainly wouldn’t be the first to develop this kind of condition from cultivating the Great Dream of Three Thousand Years. The Huangliang Sect has a long history. I’d imagine there are precedents."

Chen Jindong let out a short laugh.

"There are no precedents."

Before Zheng Zhuxi or Ding Songyan could ask, he explained seriously, "I cannot take any action that would directly harm him, and the same is true for him.

"The Huangliang Sect has certainly had people like me throughout its history, but they must all have done the same as me. They had been forced to keep the secret."

"Then why are you able to ask us for help?" Zheng Zhuxi cut straight to the contradiction.

Chen Jindong gave a self-deprecating smile.

"Asking you for help cannot directly harm him. Even if you spread what I’ve just told you, it’s only words with no evidence. No one would easily believe it. They might even suspect you of resenting me for becoming a Grandmaster before the age of thirty.

"Heroine Zheng, your swordsmanship may be outstanding and your junior brother’s abilities are also remarkable, but If you tried to act alone, your cultivation realms are too low. Together you still wouldn’t be my match, and he is about to enter seclusion, take the Cinnabar Grass, and advance to the Dharma Realm.

"Heh. The sect elders might have their suspicions, but they would most likely keep quiet. From their perspective, it amounts to minor wrongdoing. On matters that truly affect the sect, even the evil version of me has done nothing to betray it."

So the standard for what counts as "directly causing harm" is your own self-perception. If Demoness Ji were here instead of us, she could certainly make it easy for you to ask your elders for help. But I can’t manage that. My Celestial Heart Art is imperfect. I can only deceive myself... Ding Songyan muttered inwardly, then probed carefully, "How exactly do you want us to help you? And what could we possibly do?"

Chen Jindong immediately became agitated.

"I will invite both of you to attend the ceremony inside the sect grounds.

"When I enter seclusion and take the Cinnabar Grass, I will do everything in my power to pull both of you into my dream. You will use the Candlelight Sword Intent to help me suppress my other will, help me overcome him, and make him the price of Resolute. That way, it will be me who enters the Dharma Realm. I will be the one who takes full control of the body."

Zheng Zhuxi was always quick to act on righteous impulse, but this situation was too bizarre to rush into. She looked to her junior brother.

Ding Songyan glanced at his senior sister, then carefully posed a question to Chen Jindong, "When the time comes, if you eliminate the other you and become a Grandmaster, will you turn yourself in to the authorities and accept responsibility for those crimes? If you’re willing to, I have a way to make sure you follow through."

Chen Jindong blurted out in disbelief, "Why would I turn myself in? He committed those crimes, not me!"

He was wary of Zheng Zhuxi’s junior brother’s unusual abilities and didn’t dare make empty promises.

When Ding Songyan had appeared at the noodle stall without warning, both him and the other "him" had been startled. Both were certain there was something extraordinary about this person.

Zheng Zhuxi’s expression subtly changed. Ding Songyan looked straight at Chen Jindong for a few breaths, then said with a soft smile, "My senior sister and I are both out of our depth when it comes to dream arts. Entering your dream is dangerous. On top of that, you’ll be taking the Fuyu Mountain Cinnabar Grass and entering Resolute. Allow us to give it careful thought. We’ll have an answer for you tomorrow or the day after."

Chen Jindong’s expression darkened slightly, but he nodded in the end.

"I should be returning to the mountain tomorrow. I’ll try to delay entering seclusion by two or three days.

"If both of you agree, come directly to our sect gate."

He didn’t linger. His figure faded and vanished from the shared dream connecting Zheng Zhuxi and Ding Songyan.

After a moment, Zheng Zhuxi said quietly, "He doesn’t exactly seem like a good person either."

"Great minds think alike." Ding Songyan chuckled. "It would be generous if we can believe 70% of what he just said. What if the Dream Tribulation is a trap to get back at us? Let’s wait for Marshal Zhong’s findings before deciding anything."

"Agreed." Zheng Zhuxi nodded firmly.

Acting on righteous impulse required first knowing who was good and who was bad.

...

The following day, before noon, Zhong Pinglan personally visited Zheng Zhuxi and Ding Songyan at the inn.

He glanced at the closed doors and windows, then got straight to the point.

"Since the start of this year, there have been four similar cases. Each victim reported dreaming of illness, and all died suddenly within a month. There may be more we don’t know about. Some people keep these things to themselves.

"Two were visiting merchants, one was a visiting martial artist, and one was the Shao family’s fourth daughter from this city. She was unmarried, but the coroner found she was three months pregnant at the time of her death."

What a monster... Ding Songyan couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

He glanced at his senior sister and saw that Zheng Zhuxi’s eyes were already burning with fury.

"I suspect Chen Jindong is responsible," Ding Songyan said plainly, then gave a brief account of the previous night.

Zhong Pinglan’s eyes lit up.

"So it really is him. I’ll report this immediately to the Martial Prohibition Bureau and the Ministry of Justice and have them send a Grandmaster who cultivates Wicked Punishment Decree to discern the truth.

"The imperial court has always been uneasy about arts like the Great Dream of Three Thousand Years, given how easily they can be used to harm people in secret. Every year they send a powerhouse in the Wicked Punishment Decree to assess Huangliang Sect members. Chen Jindong underwent one such inspection before the new year and was not found to bear any great evil.

"At the time, the warrior assigned to assess him was also at the perfected Great Proliferation Realm. That may be precisely how he managed to slip past undetected."

"Chen Jindong is about to enter the Dharma Realm and become a Grandmaster," Zheng Zhuxi reminded Marshal Zhong.

If Chen Jindong truly had a method to evade the discernment of good and evil, a practitioner at the same major realm might not be able to see through it once he advanced.

Zhong Pinglan looked somewhat deflated.

"We’ll have to take it one step at a time. The court has no Supreme Masters who cultivate such arts."

From what Zheng Zhuxi knew, Supreme Masters of such arts were to be found in the Vinaya, the Reward and Punishment Order, and the Imperial Ruins. The first two were top-tier powers outside the territory of Great Zhao, while the Imperial Ruins, as one of the Sacred Grounds, had always kept its distance from worldly court affairs.

"That’s all we can do now." Zheng Zhuxi let out a breath.

After seeing Marshal Zhong off, the two of them headed out together to find something to eat.

As they walked, Zheng Zhuxi’s expression remained subdued. Then she softly asked, "Does it happen often? Good people going unrewarded, and evil people going free?"

"All the time," Ding Songyan said plainly.

Seeing his senior sister look at him with bewilderment, he lifted Frostshade and drew the blade halfway out with a smile.

"That is precisely why we carry our swords!"

Something changed in Zheng Zhuxi’s eyes several times over before gradually settling.

She pressed her lips together and nodded quietly.

"I understand."

As they passed an inn, she glanced inside and said with some hesitation, "This is the inn where Escort Leader Yu is staying. I’d like to check on the siblings and see if they need any help."

"Of course." On matters like this, Ding Songyan always deferred to his senior sister.

They had barely stepped inside when they spotted the Lü siblings, dressed in mourning white, speaking with Yu Jinhong by the staircase.

"What’s going on?" Zheng Zhuxi asked, drawing closer.

Escort Leader Yu let out a sigh and gestured toward Lü Huaijin and Lü Woyu.

"The caravan needs to stay in Qisong Prefecture another five or six days to pick up goods for the trip back to Guangning Prefecture. They’ve cremated their elder’s remains and placed them in an urn, but other guests find them wearing mourning attire at an inn inauspicious. I was thinking of helping them rent a small courtyard nearby for a few days."

"We don’t want Escort Leader Yu to pay for it himself. Yet, they insist on blaming him," Lü Huaijin quickly added on his behalf.

Thinking of her father’s death, and of how little silver they had left—only enough to carry the ashes home—her nose stung and her eyes reddened.

Transporting a coffin home would mean the caravan would never let them follow along. It was too inauspicious. And hiring an escort, or finding a corpse-driver who specialized in the trade, would be far too expensive.

"Consider it a condolence gift from Escort Leader Yu," Zheng Zhuxi offered in his defense.

Just then, two people walked through the inn’s entrance. One was Chen Jindong, now dressed in a cyan robe. The other was an elderly man with white-streaked hair.

The elder was tall, with broad shoulders and a powerful frame, horse-shaped eyes, a serpentine face, and blue-black scales across the skin.

"Elder He, Young Hero Chen, you’ve come again?" Yu Jinhong greeted them with a surprised and pleased bow.

Elder He... The name allowed Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi to identify the man beside Chen Jindong.

One of the Huangliang Sect’s four Grandmasters. Chen Jindong’s master, He Yuanzhi.

Chen Jindong wore a genial smile.

"I am returning to the mountain today to enter seclusion. I wanted to come once more and express my thanks to Escort Leader Yu, as well as to Heroine Zheng and her junior brother."

After a few pleasantries, Chen Jindong turned his gaze toward the Lü siblings.

"And who are these two?"

"Caravan passengers. Ah, their father fell ill and passed away here in Qisong Prefecture..." Escort Leader Yu briefly described the siblings’ situation.

Chen Jindong looked at the delicate-featured Lü Huaijin and the sharp-jawed Lü Woyu, nodding with a sigh.

"My condolences."

As he said it, the corner of his mouth lifted imperceptibly.

Zheng Zhuxi’s sharp eyes caught it. Her hand tightened on the hilt of her sword.

Chen Jindong accepted the Lü siblings’ thanks with an unchanged expression, then turned to Zheng Zhuxi and Ding Songyan. He tilted his chin toward them with a visible smile.

"I must return to the mountain. I will not leave the sect until I have entered the Dharma Realm. Until we meet again."

Without waiting for Zheng Zhuxi or Ding Songyan to respond, Chen Jindong swept his gaze across their faces, turned away with a triumphant air, and followed He Yuanzhi out of the inn.

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