Chapter 153: The Dispute Between Che and Zhang

Brother Wuyou, do you really not plan to tell Master Li about what happened here? After a long silence, Zhang Qing'er suddenly said with a huff of anger, Yang Ping is so despicable. If Qingchi had such a scoundrel, there is no telling how many people he would harm... Were you just lying to Yang Ping? Actually, once you see Master Li, you will definitely tell him about this, right or not?

Hearing this, Che Wuyou snapped back to his senses. He turned his head and stared fixedly at Zhang Qing'er until a trace of doubt appeared in her expression, and then he said with a stern face, Qing'er, I will not tell Master Li! As for what just happened, I hope you can forget it too, and act as if it never happened at all. All right?

Zhang Qing'er's expression suddenly changed. She looked at Che Wuyou as if seeing him for the very first time, appearing deeply shocked as she said, Why? How can you do this...? The Qingchi Sword Sect is the sacred land of immortality in our southern frontier, and also the backbone of the Immortal Alliance. Now that a scoundrel like Yang Ping has appeared within the Sword Sect, both publicly and privately we should expose him. Otherwise, who knows how many more people will suffer from his actions? Besides, if we let Yang Ping go today, how are we any different from him? How are we any different from the people of the Demonic Sect? How can we stand proudly among the immortals in the future?

Shut your mouth! Che Wuyou suddenly shouted. Zhang Qing'er never expected Che Wuyou to speak to her like this. Her pretty face turned pale as she stood frozen in place, until a long moment later when she heard Che Wuyou let out another cold hum.

What do you know? Countless people wave the banner of the immortal path while doing things that do not possess even a fraction of the immortal essence. Since you put it that way, let me ask you: during our trial in the Tongtian Pagoda, not only did the Qingchi Sword Sect ignore the numerous youths who died in vain at the pagoda's gates, but they also did not restrict these youths from slaughtering one another. Is such conduct the behavior of the immortal path? They let these youths form deep hatreds even before entering the sect, so how are they supposed to get along once they are inside? Is this kind of practice the way of the immortals?

Zhang Qing'er was about to retort, but upon second thought, she found herself somewhat lost in confusion. It was true that inside the Tongtian Pagoda, had it not been for Che Wuyou's rescue, she probably would have died as well. But why must the selection of disciples by the Qingchi Sword Sect—the pillar of the immortal path and the champion of the righteous sects—be so cruel? How does what they do differ in any way from the people of the Demonic Sect?

Zhang Qing'er was naturally an intelligent person, but she had been indoctrinated since childhood with the absolute division between immortals and demons. Upon meeting members of the Demonic Sect, she believed one should naturally slay the demons and draw their swords to kill. Yet she had never once considered whether the various practices of the immortal practitioners had any flaws. Even when the struggles within the immortal path were brutal and blatant, she subconsciously dismissed them as internal conflicts among immortals that would naturally disappear if properly mediated. The people of the Demonic Sect, however, were fundamentally different from the immortals; they disregarded right and wrong, benefited themselves at the expense of others, possessed not a shred of humanity, and dedicated themselves to the destruction of all living beings under heaven.

After thinking this through, Zhang Qing'er recovered her faith in the immortal path and said, But our immortal path is fundamentally different from the Demonic Sect. The immortals do this simply to select more powerful individuals so they can resist the future invasion of the Demonic Sect. Besides, during every Tongtian Pagoda test, the Sword Sect adopts a principle of voluntary participation. If anyone is afraid of death, the Sword Sect certainly does not force them to enter the Tongtian Pagoda...

Furthermore, the Tongtian Pagoda is filled with opportunities, which naturally means it is filled with crises. If the immortal path had no crises, how could it cope with the great crisis of the Demonic Sect in the future? I believe the Sword Sect has its reasons for doing this, and those great figures must have profound intentions behind their actions. How could these be things for the likes of us to understand right now?

This was only because Che Wuyou had repeatedly saved Zhang Qing'er, earning her deep trust. If anyone else had debated the distinction between immortals and demons with her, she probably wouldn't have been so agreeable and would have simply drawn her sword to kill. After all, Zhang Qing'er had been nurtured in the ideology of the immortal path since childhood, and she always identified herself as a practitioner of the immortal path. No matter how many reasons she had to find, if anyone spoke ill of the immortals, she would naturally rush to defend the sect, because such a concept was deeply rooted in her bones. Che Wuyou, however, had never been instilled with this ideology from childhood, and coupled with his life experiences, he harbored suspicions about everything, including the conflict between immortals and demons.

How could Che Wuyou, in a debate, ever match the eloquence of Zhang Qing'er? Thus, after just a few rounds, Che Wuyou was defeated. Yet, wearing a furious expression, he raised his voice and spoke in an icy tone, No matter what you say, Yang Ping's matter is up to me. In short, you must not tell anyone, including the sect master. Do you understand?

Zhang Qing'er's face turned pale. Che Wuyou had never spoken to her like this before, but today, not only was he confusing black and white and losing his sense of right and wrong, but he was also repeatedly shouting and scolding her. Moreover, back at the Xuanqing Sect, everyone had always treated her with utmost politeness and deep respect; when had she ever suffered such grievances as she did from Che Wuyou?

Angered and indignant in her heart, Zhang Qing'er raised her delicate eyebrows and prepared to fly into a rage. But right as she was about to flare up, she suddenly remembered how she had wronged Che Wuyou in the past, having once spoken words that deeply hurt the affection between him and Liu Lanzhishi. Coupled with the fact that Che Wuyou had saved her time and time again, she had already sworn inside the Tongtian Pagoda that, no matter what, she would find a way to bring Liu Lanzhi and Che Wuyou together to repay Che Wuyou's kindness.

As for Che Wuyou's failure to distinguish between immortals and demons, she felt it could be discussed over time. As long as she slowly assisted and carefully guided him, was there any fear that he wouldn't return to the righteous path? After all, judging by Che Wuyou's willingness to continually protect her, his fundamental nature was not bad; he was merely lost for the moment.

Thinking of this, Zhang Qing'er could not help but say, Fine, I will listen to you. If you don't want me to tell anyone, I won't tell a soul. Although she said this aloud, she thought to herself that she would simply have to persuade him slowly. Given his current state of mind, it would likely be very difficult for him to listen to the advice of others. Zhang Qing'er still had some confidence in her ability to persuade Che Wuyou; after all, there was plenty of time ahead.

To her surprise, as soon as Zhang Qing'er finished speaking, Che Wuyou said in a flat tone, I hope you remember what you said today, and I also hope you will forever forget today's events. If you cannot do that... then from this day forward, we shall never know each other again.

Zhang Qing'er was struck by these words and involuntarily took a few steps back. After a long moment, with tears brimming in her eyes and her hand pressed over her heart, she murmured, Never know each other again? Never know each other again?

How familiar those words were! She remembered that just a few months ago, hadn't Che Wuyou said something like never seeing each other again? Back then, he had said it in front of three people, and now there was only one less—Liu Lanzhi. Yet he had spoken such words to her once more. Grievance filled Zhang Qing'er's heart, but she still said through her tears, I remember what I said today, and I will never mention it to anyone in this lifetime. Are you satisfied now? Are you satisfied?

Having said this, Zhang Qing'er covered her face, turned around, and was about to break into a run when she suddenly heard a loud, booming laugh: Good, good, good! I hope you both can keep your word. If you dare to violate today's pledge and mention this to anyone, I, Yang Ping, swear that as long as I draw breath, no matter the ends of the earth, I will surely hunt down and kill you both.