Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 292 A woman’s kindness
Just as he was thinking this, Mei Qiulu spoke.

"Our sect has never been a one-man show by the sect leader, but I know that you all have doubts at this moment—if you mistakenly believe Li Wuxiang and bring up a fierce god, you will be ashamed before the world. But if you abandon the position of the Great Calamity True Lord, and it is later obtained by someone else, you will also be ashamed before the world."

She sighed: "Now that I have become the leader, as I said before, I must take on the responsibilities of my position—today I will make a decision. Our sect will include the Great Calamity True Lord's position in our offerings. If this position truly becomes a malevolent god that brings disaster to the world, it will also be my responsibility. At that time, even if I die and my cultivation dissipates, I will certainly punish evil and eliminate wickedness without hesitation."

Xiao Suo finally nodded and said along with the others, "Yes. By the decree of the Archbishop."

She turned to look at Li Wuxiang: "You said before that you didn't want to stay in our sect anymore, what are you thinking now?"

Li Wuxiang glanced outside the cave, then thought for a moment: "Emperor Ye told me that the Great Calamity Alliance still needs to exist. I think so too. We are in the end times now, and if we abandon it, countless people will die. The Thirty-Six Sects don't value human life, unlike us. So to reduce the number of deaths, the area outside the sect must be led by our sect—Emperor Ye asked me to be the leader of this Great Calamity Alliance, and then pass the position of leader to you, Senior Sister."

Mei Qiulu nodded: "Now that you've become the alliance leader, the Great Calamity Alliance can rightfully and legitimately worship the Great Calamity True Monarch's position, which is only right. As for passing it on to me, there's no need for that. You didn't want to stay in the sect before because of the misunderstanding in You Jiuyuan. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, you don't need to leave anymore."

Li Wuxiang shook his head: "Senior sister, it's not because of that. It's because I have to see someone."

Mei Qiulu was taken aback: "Who are you seeing? Is it more important than becoming the leader of this alliance?"

Even though the people in the Sword Sect are close, matters of family and personal feelings are not something that should be discussed openly at this time.

But Li Wuxiang thought about it and decided that it was better to speak than not to.

Swordsmen roam the martial world, their hands stained with blood and lives. Even if they harbor chivalry, it is the chivalry of this world. When Li Wuxiang spent time with them in the courtyard on Mount Dajie, he overheard a conversation between a swordsman named Deng Xi and another swordsman named Zhao Fanghu.

Zhao Fanghu once joked with Deng Xi, saying that he was a womanizer who left his mark everywhere he went in the underworld. He added that one day he might even forget his loyalty for a woman. Deng Xi laughed and retorted, "Brothers are like limbs, women are like clothes. If one day you, Zhao Fanghu, really become untouchable, even if that woman is my wife, I'd give her life for yours. At worst, I'll commit suicide to atone for my sins."

After he said this, the swordsmen around him laughed. At that time, Li Ke said to Senior Brother Deng, "You're too cruel." Deng Xi laughed at Li Ke for being too soft-hearted and said that he should travel more in the martial world to gain experience and get rid of this bad habit.

At that moment, Li Wuxiang thought of Zeng Jianqiu—the first time he met him in Jinshui, Zeng Jianqiu had also tried to use him as bait.

Thus, he understood the nature of these swordsmen. Among fellow disciples, they were known for their unwavering loyalty and righteousness, yet deep down they all harbored some cold-hearted emotions. However, these emotions were restrained by the discipline of the Taiyi Sect and lay dormant.

He felt he couldn't use these things to blame them. Different upbringings naturally lead to differences in temperament and values.

However, when such people think about "what would happen if Li Wuxiang became the Great Calamity True Lord in the future", they inevitably use their own thoughts to judge their own thoughts. They think that Emperor Ye was originally for the sake of the common people and protected all living beings, but after becoming Donghuang Taiyi, he slowly changed into something else.

Li Wuxiang asked himself if he were one of these swordsmen, and he would also think – if I had become Donghuang Taiyi and held such power, would I have done better?
The answer is most likely no.

Therefore, like Xiao Suo, they worry about what kind of person Li Wuxiang will become in the future.
These swordsmen are no exception to the common human tendency. When they hold the power of life and death, they want to be seen as "true heroes." But when others are in that position, they fear such "true heroes." Li Wuxiang smiled and said, "Since you all intend to serve me, the more you know about me, the more at ease you'll feel. So... actually, it's like this—"

“I was saved by a girl when I was in Jinshui. The girl’s name was Xue Baoping. She had a pitiful background and was an ordinary person with little cultivation. If it weren’t for her, I might not have survived back then.”

"When I left Jinshui, I promised her that I would go back and spend the New Year with her. Now it's autumn, and we'll finish up the matters of the Great Calamity Alliance here, which may take another ten days or so. Then I'll go down the Great Calamity Mountain and go back to find her, which will be around winter."

Li Wuxiang paused here, then sighed, "Before I left, I asked her what she liked to eat during the New Year, and I also said I would bring her some seafood when I returned. Dajie Mountain is far from the sea, so I have to factor in the time it takes to get some seafood. In that case, Senior Sister Mei, it will probably take two or three months for her to go and come back. So I really can't be the leader of the Dajie Alliance—I promised her I would go back, and with my current identity, it's best for me to hide myself to avoid attracting the attention of the Xuan Sect."

The dozen or so swordsmen frowned as they listened to his words, seemingly waiting for him to continue, but Li Wuxiang stopped talking.

After a while, seeing that he didn't move, Xiao Su frowned and asked, "You... want to go back to spend the New Year with her? At a time like this?"

Li Wuxiang smiled and said, "I promised her."

Xiao Suo's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to say it, so he only said, "And then? And after the New Year?"

“I probably won’t come back. I’ll stay with her. Whether it’s for cultivation or saving people nearby—Brother Xiao, Sister Mei should know that my personality is indeed not suitable for working with you. I told Sister Mei before that I want to establish my own sect. I won’t stay in the Taiyi Sect—you must find it strange that you worship a living person and see them every day, and I feel the same way.”

Li Wuxiang then saw his reaction, which was similar to what he had expected—he looked at his companions around him and saw similar puzzled expressions on their faces.

But there was still some reassurance. The one who felt reassured was Li Wuxiang, who seemed to have little ambition, was sentimental and easily swayed by family, and was the owner of the Great Calamity True Lord position.

Mei Qiulu nodded: "That's fine. This way you can avoid many great calamities in the world. If the sect is facing a life-or-death crisis, it won't be too late for you to come out of seclusion."

Then she turned to look at Lou He—this was the first time in days that Li Wuxiang had seen Mei Qiulu look at him directly, and with such a gentle expression—"I think what you just said came from the bottom of your heart. You should know where you went wrong in the past, and you should also understand what you should do for the future."

Lou He smiled and said, "Yes, Senior Sister, I've gradually figured it out these past few days."

Mei Qiulu then stood up: "I told Li Wuxiang outside Coffin Mountain that Lou He deserved to die for harming his fellow disciples. But at that time you wanted to infiltrate the headquarters of the True Form Sect, and I thought it would also be of some benefit to our sect, so I said I would give you twenty years."

"Now you can't do what you wanted to do back then, but you've figured out all the things that were bothering you in your heart, so there should be no regrets. Lou He, are you ready?"

(End of this chapter)