NEBM Chapter 60: Treading Onward

Once these accidents started, it was endless.

First, when they passed through a small town, Little Yan Jin was falsely accused of killing a child.

A child was accidentally knocked down to the ground during a fight. He hit his head against a stone and died due to exsanguination. The child who was the culprit was afraid of being scolded by the adults and randomly blamed Little Yan Jin.

They’d tried to argue, but no one was willing to listen to them. The people in this town were narrow-minded and insular. They were paranoid and thought that this was a curse caused by visiting outsiders like Little Yan Jin.

During the scuffle that ensued, Little Yan Jin was protected by Sui Xian and was therefore unharmed. But, after they’d succeeded in leaving town, he saw the conspicuous bruises on the back of Sui Xian’s hands.

Little Yan Jin couldn’t help but clench his hands into fists. Usually, he wouldn’t be sad even when he’d suffered grievances. But, he couldn’t bear this, and his eyes became a little red.

Sui Xian saw his face and thought that he was injured. Worried, he asked, “Where are you uncomfortable?”

Little Yan Jin shook his head and said in a small voice, “I’m sorry…”

Sui Xian was surprised. After thinking about what had happened to himself, he felt amused. He came over and took the little guy’s hand, casually saying, “You mustn’t blame yourself for other people’s faults. You didn’t do anything wrong. Why should you apologize?”

Little Yan Jin hesitated for a moment. He understood the truth in Sui Xian’s words, but this time, the person who’d been wronged was Sui Xian…The curse that he was a calamity had followed him since he far back as he could remember. This thorn, which had been hidden for a long time, suddenly burst out and pierced him fiercely.

“Sui Xian Gege, I…” He hesitated for a long time, wanting to confess everything. But, in the end, he hesitated again. He was very afraid that once Sui Xian knew of his ominous life, he would also hate him and abandon him.

Sui Xian was the first person to show him kindness. Little Yan Jin was very reluctant for Sui Xian to leave and take away his warmth. It would be too unbearable if he had to return to that previous icy world.

Looking at Sui Xian’s doubtful eyes, Little Yan Jin swallowed and shook his head. He tightened his grip on Sui Xian’s sleeve. “I, I’m just afraid.”

Sui Xian didn’t doubt him. He pulled away with a smile and, after walking, he finally said, “There is nothing to be afraid of. I’m here…”

Just wait for a little while, just a little while more, Little Yan Jin thought. Just enough for him to remember for the rest of his life

This little incident caused Little Yan Jin to undergo many internal struggles. In this way, “a little while more” gradually stretched on longer and longer.

Sui Xian’s temperament was very good and, as a youth, he was easy-going and unrestrained. Although he could see through many things, he could also occasionally be very high-spirited. Whenever he went to an interesting place, he would take Little Yan Jin along so that they could play and look at the noisy sights together.

Little Yan Jin felt that he was like a bright moonlight, penetrating all the darkness and gently enveloping him in warmth.

He became deeply engrossed in such tenderness.

However, a sudden sharp blade once again brutally cut through all this happiness.

It was Little Yan Jin’s first encounter with a fiend. The ugly, filthy fiend’s face was malicious as it swallowed up a weak demon with unbridled, enthusiastic hunger. The sounds it made was enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

It was unknown where the fiend had come from, but it looked very cruel and vicious. Sui Xian held back his unease, his muscles tightening. He concealed Yan Jin in a corner and repeatedly urged him not to come out. Then, he raised his sword and turned to face the fiend alone.

That fiend looked very fierce and, in fact, it was indeed very fierce. Its strengths far surpassed the fiends that Sui Xian had encountered before. They fought for a long time, but neither of them could manage to win the upper hand.

Little Yan Jin looked at the battle, feeling anxious and worried, wanting to help but could only helplessly curl up in this corner. Unwillingness rose from the bottom of his heart, shredding the heart into strands. The thorn that had jabbed him from time to time reappeared.

If only I was stronger, he thought, gritting his teeth.

Fortunately, Sui Xian was more powerful. The fiend gradually could no longer endure, and it retreated again and again. But, just when Sui Xian was about to kill the fiend with a single, powerful strike, a little fiend suddenly appeared out of nowhere and latched onto Little Yan Jin’s body.

The cold and slimy sensation made Little Yan Jin scream instinctively. Although he’d covered his mouth almost immediately after, it was enough to distract Sui Xian. He snapped his gaze over and saw the ball of black qi clinging to Yan Jin’s body.

Little Yan Jin was not a cultivator. If he became contaminated by the fiend, his life would not be guaranteed. Sui Xian gritted his teeth. To separate the fiend, he slashed at the black qi with his sword.

He was some distance away from Little Yan Jin. The black qi felt danger, but was already attached to Little Yan Jin’s body. Just before the sword qi severed it, a small tendril penetrated into Little Yan Jin’s body.

His face instantly turned black, and the whole person began to shake.

The larger fiend saw that Sui Xian was distracted and immediately took the opportunity to strike.

Little Yan Jin endured the pain through clenched teeth. Suddenly, his pupils enlarged sharply and he shouted hoarsely, “Sui Xian Gege–”

Sui Xian didn’t turn around and, instead, withstood the attack as he rushed to pick Little Yan Jin up. As he did so, he reverted his hand backward and used all of his strength to throw his sword at the fiend. The force of this counterattack pushed him forward a few steps and he slammed into a wall.

The fiend was almost split in half. It roared angrily. But, it hesitated and then turned and ran.

Exhausted, Sui Xian held Little Yan Jin and watched the fiend escape, not bothering to chase after it. He’d just received a powerful blow from the fiend and his qi and blood were in chaos. He gasped and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Little Yan Jin’s situation was not good. The strand of devil qi had raged through his body and, because his spirit root was unprotected by spiritual power, he was easily overwhelmed by the devil qi. He panted and, seeing a touch of red on the ground, his pupils gradually turned a blood red.

“Sui Xian Gege…” he stammered. The self-loathing that fermented in his heart was magnified by the devil qi. He clenched his fists. “I’m sorry. I….I was born a scourge….”

Sui Xian held his hand and passed a small amount of spiritual energy to him to drive out the devil qi. “Nonsense.”

Little Yan Jin’s body was in terrible pain, but this pain could not even compare to the thorn that had taken root in his heart. He painfully muttered, “Don’t save me. Don’t save me. I’m useless. I’m a waste and am destined to bring many evils…”

The villagers had said that he’d killed his mother and father. Fearing he would bring more trouble in the future, they’d kicked him away. Now, he could see again and again and again that this was true…

Little Yan Jin began to struggle. There was only one thought in his heart. It was better to leave Sui Xian. He would rather die alone than allow Sui Xian to suffer because of him.

Sui Xian held him tightly and forced the devil qi out. “A’jin, don’t fuss.”

But, even though the devil qi was forced out, there was no noticeable difference in Yan Jin. It appeared that there was something that had been slumbering inside him and was now awakening.

Sui Xian realized that this turn of events wasn’t good. He let out a small breath and then re-visited Yan Jin’s body.

This time, he discovered something astonishing. He could faintly sense a spirit pellet inside Little Yan Jin’s body. This spirit pellet was brimming with devil qi.

Shocked, Sui Xian continued to investigate. After thoroughly searching, he finally discovered the little spirit pellet.

The red, bean-sized spirit pellet hid within Yan Jin’s blood vessel, slowly revolving. Because Little Yan Jin had no spiritual power, once the spirit pellet was awakened, it could only gain energy by drawing the vitality from his blood.

In other words, it would suck Little Yan Jin dry.

As Sui Xian was hesitating, Little Yan Jin suddenly lost consciousness. He looked at the little boy’s pale face, gritted his teeth, and condensed his spiritual power into a restriction, sealing the spiritual pellet.

The spiritual pellet was very fragile. After being sealed, it would no longer be able to absorb Little Yan Jin’s vitality. Sui Xian hurriedly took his pulse and saw that he was back to normal. Then, he sighed and held the little guy in place, quietly waiting for him to wake up.

On the surface, this accident seemed to cause more fright than harm.

Sui Xian didn’t tell Little Yan Jin what was in his body so Little Yan Jin didn’t know. But, he speculated that Little Yan Jin might be…a natural born devil.

This situation was rare, but it was not without precedent. People born with a devil body were destined to be unable to cultivate as an immortal. These people only had two paths. The first path was to become exhausted by the awakening spirit pellet and die. The second option was to enter the devil’s path and become a devil cultivator.

Sui Xian didn’t hate all demons and devils. He only hated those who were evil. Little Yan Jin was obedient and hadn’t done anything bad. As a result, he treated Little Yan Jin the same as always, without any difference. Though perhaps, with a bit more kindness.

But, Little Yan Jin became silent. Originally, he rarely spoke. Now, he became even more silent and would often seem as if he’d fallen into a daze. Sui Xian asked him a few time if anything was wrong, but he only shook his head and refused to say anything.

With the appearance of the first fiends, more fiends began to appear one after another. It was as if a signal had been transmitted.

Sui Xian frowned, thinking that it was very unusual. He couldn’t help but think that these fiends…were specifically blocking them?

More and more monsters intercepted them, and each monster was stronger than the next. Even if it was just Sui Xian himself, he couldn’t avoid being slightly overwhelmed. Not to mention that he still needed to protect Little Yan Jin.

After Sui Xian destroyed yet another powerful fiend, the spirit pellet inside Little Yan Jin’s body was once again awakened by devil qi.

The timing of this awakening was very unfortunate. It happened when several immortals came after the fiend. Instead of catching the fiend, they’d instead collided with the devilized Little Yan Jin.

At first, they thought Yan Jin was also a fiend. As they rushed to attack him, they were intercepted by Sui Xian’s sword. The bearded sword cultivator angrily said, “Who are you? Why are you protecting this fiend?”

Sui Xian pulled Little Yan Jin behind his body and said coldly, “The fiend is dead. He is not a fiend.”

The sword cultivator’s expression was harsh as he glared angrily at them. “Lies! Just look at him? How can any normal person have red eyes? He’s a fiend! Give him up quickly and allow us to behead this fiend in the name of morality!”

Little Yan Jin’s face was filled with black qi, and his eyes were red like blood. He was in agonizing pain, tortured by the spirit pellet that circulated around in his body. He clutched Sui Xian’s hand, teetering on the edge of collapse.

Sui Xian’s heart was burning with anxiety, but he had to calmly deal with the sword cultivators in front of him. When the sword cultivators saw that he was reluctant to hand over the person, their face darkened and their attitude got increasingly worse.

They saw that Sui Xian was still young and, since they couldn’t see his cultivation stage, they thought he was useless and incompetent. The sword cultivators decided to talk less nonsense and jumped straight into attacking.

Sui Xian held Little Yan Jin with his left arm and held his sword with his right hand. Normally, regardless of whether it was ten or eight people, he wouldn’t fear fighting with them. But, this time, he was worried about Little Yan Jin, worried that a sword might hurt him. As a result, he restrained himself and didn’t put his entire concentration into the fight. He was forced to retreat a few times and was almost injured.

Little Yan Jin clung to his neck, gritting his teeth with pain. He was afraid to make a sound for fear of distracting Sui Xian. But, those cultivator’s mouths were not clean. First, they only scolded Little Yan Jin, but upon seeing that they couldn’t beat Sui Xian, they began to also scold Sui Xian.

All these terrible words rang in Little Yan Jin’s ears. A bloodied veil slid over his eyes and a force inside his body seemed to be surging faster and faster. Suddenly, a seductive voice sounded in his mind.

The fiend whose head had been detached from its body laid nearby, its dead eyes staring and its ugly face distorted with malice. Its mouth seemed to open and close.

“Become a devil…you are a natural born devil. You should destroy the human world. They deceive you and insult you. Force them all to shut up.”

The spirit pellet spun frantically in his body, absorbing the vitality within his blood. Suddenly full of energy and strength, Little Yan Jin broke away from Sui Xian’s arms, and a mass of black qi condensed in his hand. With a snap of his wrist, he threw it at a sword cultivator.

The sword cultivator fell backward and slammed into the person next to him. His sword flashed, slashing at the cultivator.

As the cultivators were in momentary disarray, Little Yan Jin gathered another ball of black qi, intending to throw it again. But, this time, he was blocked by a sword.

“A’jin!” Sui Xian gently shouted, a flash of anxiety snaking across his eyes. “Put your hand down!”

Little Yan Jin paused and slowly turned his eyes to Sui Xian. His voice was cold. “You want to stop me?”

A trace of viciousness flashed across his blood red eyes. It was as if he’d completely lost his awareness, not even realizing that he was looking at Sui Xian. “You’re courting death!”

Even as he blocked Little Yan Jin, Sui Xian still had to intercept several cultivators. Fortunately, although Little Yan Jin was caught up by the spirit pellet, his spiritual energy was insufficient. The moment his energy ran out, he noticeably weakened and was quickly picked up by Sui Xian.

Holding him, Sui Xian escaped. He no longer cared about the cultivators and was instead more concerned with re-sealing the spiritual pellet inside Little Yan Jin’s body. If he didn’t, Little Yan Jin would soon be drained by the spiritual pellet and die.

He was too focused on running, deeply aware that the other sword cultivators were chasing after him. As a result, he didn’t pay attention to the road and didn’t know where he was headed. He only felt that the sky was gradually getting darker, and the movements behind him seemed to be dropping further and further away.

Sui Xian let out a breath of relief and took a step forward. He suddenly felt a silent fragmentation. Darkness slid in front of his eyes and silence filled his ears, so quiet that he could hear his and Little Yan Jin’s short, rapid breathing.

He suddenly felt an ominous foreboding and stopped. He stood in the darkness, his arms tightening around Little Yan Jin.

What he didn’t know was that, outside the darkness, the other cultivators suddenly skidded to a halt, fear flashing across their faces. After a moment, a few strands of black qi slid out of them in sequence.

——————————–
Xixi: I’m halfway through reading Want to Ascend, Then Fall in Love and it’s so good. Coincidentally, the MC’s name is Shen Qingxian, very similar to Shen Zhixian. He also reminded me a lot of Shen Zhixian as well. If no one picked it up by the time I finish this novel, maybe I’ll consider translating it. But, it’s a little over 200 chapters. (ʘᗩʘ’) Edit to note: It got picked up by another translator already.

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