Chapter 39

Chapter 39: A Song of Leftover Affection in the Mortal World

After a brief silence, the camp owner looked at Xu Qing before suddenly speaking.

“Kid, why don’t we let this matter go? You have rescued Captain Thunder, and his enemy is already dead. There’s no need for us to fight to the death.”

“Besides, I am an elder of the Vajra Sect. If you fight to the death with me, it’s equivalent to declaring war on the Vajra Sect. My ancestor is an expert in Foundation Establishment!”

Xu Qing was silent, but he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Staggering a little, he raised his right hand as if to wipe it off.

At that moment, the camp owner, who had just tried to make peace, suddenly had a cold gleam in his eyes.

His whole body exploded forth as he rushed towards Xu Qing. His whole body burst out with an unprecedentedly bright golden light, as if his body had transformed into the legendary Golden Body.

"Vajra Third Move!"

From a distance, the camp owner’s entire body was overflowing with golden light. His aura was astonishing, and his killing intent was extremely strong.

However, Xu Qing’s expression didn’t change at all. His slightly wavering demeanor disappeared instantly, as if it was all fake. The right hand he was raising didn’t wipe away any blood, but was lifted high above his head, and his bloodshot eyes narrowed.

In his mind, he visualized that statue that walked down like a divine being in the temple back then, as well as that blade strike that seemed to contain the profundities of the Great Dao.

He had imitated this blade strike countless times, but never really used it.

Now, he felt that he could use it.

A ray of purple light erupted from him, covering his whole body as well as that raised right hand.

Contrary to the statue’s golden color, Xu Qing’s imitation exuded a purple light.

As the camp owner closed in under the purple light, Xu Qing slowly lowered his right hand in a seemingly careless manner.

There was nothing unusual about this strike. It was very simple and very straightforward, but there seemed to be a hint of extraordinariness contained in this ordinary strike.

This hint of extraordinariness made all the purple light instantly converge onto Xu Qing’s right hand. The moment it fell, a huge blade shadow vaguely appeared above his head!

This immense shadow was like a heavenly blade!

The purple light intensified, replacing the sun, replacing the golden light, replacing everything. As it released a dazzling light, Xu Qing’s right hand suddenly… struck down!

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and the ground of the camp shook violently. The dazzling light was accompanied by a strong wind that exploded in all directions like a tide.

All the scavengers retreated involuntarily, and the camp owner, who had been approaching at a high speed, slowed down until he came to a stop one meter in front of Xu Qing.

The camp owner stared blankly at Xu Qing one meter in front of him before slowly lowering his head to look at the ground under his feet.

Beneath his feet, the ground split cleanly into a straight line… The line was tens of meters long, reaching from just below him to far behind him.

“This blade strike…” The camp owner muttered as a line of blood suddenly appeared on his forehead. The bloody line reached his chin in an instant, then spread across his chest and below his dantian. Blood erupted like a fountain as his body was instantly cleaved in two, directly falling to the ground.

The surroundings instantly fell silent. Only the sound of heavy panting could be heard, revealing the disbelief and terror in everyone’s heart.

The afterglow of the setting sun lazily shone down on the blood-stained ground, reflecting a young man’s lone figure. Drops of blood dripped down his fingers, splashing onto the blood pooling on the ground and creating ripples.

The figure reflected in the ripples was a little blurry, but the desolation and coldness in his eyes were very obvious.

Xu Qing silently put away the blood-stained dagger and iron skewer. Picking up the nearly exhausted talisman treasure, he turned and walked over to Cross and Luan Ya.

Cross and Luan Ya had awe in their expressions as they watched Xu Qing approach. They stared in silence as he placed the exhausted and unconscious Captain Thunder on his back and walked away.

Lowering their heads, they followed the young man into the distance.

Under the setting sun, Xu Qing’s shadow was long, stretching over the blood-covered ground and revealing an unspeakable melancholy.

The scavengers all around couldn’t help but look at his figure as well as the blood and corpses that filled the street.

This blood seemed to form a shocking blood trail behind Xu Qing’s back.

Some people recalled the blood trail left when Xu Qing’s figure dragged the giant horned python away from the beast fighting arena during his camp entrance trial.

The two figures, the two blood trails, seemed to overlap.

“Kid!” It wasn’t just one person. All the scavengers gathered here soon shouted out one after another.

"Kid!!"

"Kid!!!"

Their voices became louder and louder. There were old people, children, adults, and even the women with feathers on their heads.

Fanaticism appeared in their eyes, and their shouts gradually echoed into the sky.

This was... the scavengers’ unique salute!

…

When the sun was setting, Xu Qing arrived at the gate of the camp, carrying Captain Thunder on his back. He turned around to look at Cross and Luan Ya.

The two looked back at Xu Qing with awed expressions and complex looks in their eyes. They had clearly guessed something.

“Are you leaving?” Cross asked softly.

“I’m going to send Captain Thunder off on his final journey, and then… I’m leaving.” Xu Qing nodded.

Cross and Luan Ya were silent.

Xu Qing’s heart was filled with a sense of parting, and he took a deep look at the two before glancing over at the camp where he had lived for almost half a year.

“Take care.” Luan Ya stared at Xu Qing and stepped forward to help him tidy up his messy hair. She gave him a gentle hug, not caring about the blood all over his body.

"What about you?" Xu Qing asked softly. He didn’t reject Luan Ya’s hug.

“We’re also going to leave. Don’t worry, Cross and I have hands and feet, and our strength isn’t bad. It’s not a problem to find another camp.” Luan Ya said with a smile.

Cross didn’t speak, but he also stepped forward and gave Xu Qing a big hug.

Xu Qing took a deep breath and waved to them before turning around and striding out of the camp gate. He walked further and further in the direction of the forbidden area.

Behind him, Cross and Luan Ya stood silently under the setting sun, watching him as he continued to go far away. Once his figure disappeared into the horizon, Luan Ya murmured.

"Cross, will we meet him again in the future? Unfortunately, we still don’t know his name."

"We will… As for names, they aren’t so important." Cross said softly, holding Luan Ya's hand.

Xu Qing left the camp far behind and walked to the forbidden area.

He carried Captain Thunder on his back as he walked forward silently, just like that time when Captain Thunder was seriously injured by the Blood Shadow Team and he carried him back to camp. It was also the same as the time when Captain Thunder went to Pinewind City, with Xu Qing carrying him on his back as he saw him off.

The same path, the same people.

But Xu Qing could feel that Captain Thunder’s breathing was growing fainter, and the vitality of his body was also fading. The old man’s deathly aura spread uncontrollably.

The sadness in Xu Qing's heart grew more and more intense.

He silently stepped into the jungle, silently walked through the forbidden area, and silently moved in a singular direction. Time passed slowly as he kept walking, and soon the sun set and night arrived.

However, no mutated beasts dared to appear in front of Xu Qing, possible because of his bloody aura and residual killing intent. Thus, Xu Qing simply walked desolately forward without any obstacles in his way.

Two hours later, a weak voice came hoarsely from behind him.

“Kid, I just had a dream.”

Captain Thunder had woken up. His expression was dazed as he muttered in a low voice.

He didn’t ask where he was, why Xu Qing was there, or what had happened.

“I dreamed of Red Peach, and I dreamed of you.”

Xu Qing’s eyes were a little red, and the sadness in his heart intensified. He moved a little faster, but tried his best to keep steady. They were getting closer and closer to his destination.

“In the dream, you were very well-behaved, and you were always first in your class.”

Captain Thunder wanted to laugh, but it seemed that these few words had consumed most of his strength. His voice gradually weakened, and he murmured softly before falling unconscious.

“What a dream.”

“Kid, I can’t hold on much longer.”

Xu Qing lowered his head and galloped at full speed. As he ran, he tried to use the purple crystal to help Captain Thunder, but it was useless.

Finally, an hour later, he arrived at the place where they met the singing fog that day. The place was still the same, and the big tree was still there.

When they arrived, Xu Qing gently put Captain Thunder down and helped lean him against the tree. Looking at the wrinkled, burnt out old man in front of him, Xu Qing’s eyes were red and his nose was sore.

"Captain Thunder." Xu Qing said softly.

The old man leaning against the tree slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were cloudy, and he stared blankly at the world in front of him. It took him a long time before he recognized where he was, and a smile gradually appeared on his face. His eyes seemed to regain some of their light.

"Kid, do you have any wine?"

Xu Qing nodded silently and took out a jug of wine from his leather bag. He put it near the old man's mouth and let him take a big gulp.

This gulp of wine made the light in Captain Thunder’s eyes brighter, like the final blaze before a candle winked out.

At this moment, he saw Xu Qing’s reddened eyes and laughed.

“What are you crying for?”

Captain Thunder seemed to have regained some strength, and with Xu Qing’s help, he struggled up into a sitting position.

Leaning against the big tree, he seemed to want to raise his hand and touch Xu Qing’s head, but his arm didn’t have any strength. However, just as he gave up, Xu Qing took the old man’s hand and placed it on his own head.

The old man smiled.

“Actually, I’m quite lucky. At least right now, there is someone accompanying me, there is wine to drink, and there is someone to bury me after I die.”

“And among all the people in this world, how many have died alone and desolate, silently leaving tehir corpses in the wilderness?”

“Actually, death is not terrifying. The terrifying thing is if there is no one familiar in front of you before you die…”

Speaking to this point, Captain Thunder’s eyes gradually dimmed, and he suddenly spoke.

"Kid, I want another sip."

Xu Qing’s heart was filled with sadness as he took the wine jug and gently placed it to Captain Thunder’s lips. As wine flowed from the jug into his mouth, Captain Thunder looked behind Xu Qing with a dazed expression and murmured.

"Red Peach, have you come to pick me up..."

The wine spilled onto the old man’s robes and dripped into the soil, but he didn’t drink it. The light in his eyes went out along with his fire of life.

Xu Qing’s body trembled, and he lowered his head. The sadness in his heart couldn’t be held back any longer, uncontrollably spreading through his entire body.

He gripped the jug of wine tightly, not noticing how it warped in his hands.

After a while, Xu Qing bit his lip and silently put the jug aside, looking up at the old man in front of him who would never wake up again.

He involuntarily thought back to the ruins of the city, when the old man had suddenly turned back and looked at him.

"Kid, would you like to leave here with me?"

Tears slid down Xu Qing’s face one by one.

The blood stains on his face were washed away, leaving two clear trails as they dripped onto his robes.

Growing up in the slums, he had long forgotten what it was like to cry.

But today, he couldn’t hold it in. Tears streamed down his face as he spent the night staring at the old man’s corpse. When the sky finally brightened, he buried Captain Thunder under the tree along with the jug of wine.

Scavengers didn’t need gravestones because there was no one to mourn their deaths.

But the old man had a gravestone.

Sitting in front of the gravestone, Xu Qing stared blankly.

After a long time, he took out a ball of sackcloth from the leather bag, carefully opening it and taking out the singular piece of candy inside.

Silently putting it in his mouth, he leaned against the big tree and closed his eyes.

The candy was very sweet.

Someone had told Xu Qing that if he ate it when he was sad, he would feel better.

Previous Chapter

Table of Contents

Next Chapter