Chapter 89: Stubborn Determination

Chapter 89: Obstinate

Wei Jue'an looked at the junior martial artist before him, his expression resolute; in a trance, it was as if he saw the light and shadow of yesteryear.

He very much wanted to praise Li Jun's blood-spirit, but suddenly lowered his eyes to glance at his own right hand; the words that had reached his lips turned into a dense, bitter smile.

"Actually, sometimes one need not court difficulty; survive, and there is hope for a turnaround."

Li Jun pressed his lips tight and said nothing.

Wei Jue'an turned his head aside, avoiding that piercing gaze, looking toward the dragonfly vibrating its wings alone under the eaves.

"Back then, the Martial Dao Sequence incurred public wrath; the entire sequence was nearly uprooted. Practitioners either died or fled, barely one in ten survived."

"Some were scared until their martial courage shattered, their genes relocked, regressing into ordinary men. Some chose to be dogs, willing to guard doors for a living. And some, like me, relied on court identities to preserve their lives."

"You are now a Captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, one step away from formal enrollment. With that identity, even the Three Teachings wouldn't dare touch you easily."

Wei Jue'an squeezed out a reluctant smile. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard answers directly to the Imperial Household; though imperial power wanes, that much face remains."

Where the Sequence struggle was concerned, that bit of imperial face wouldn't amount to much.

Li Jun didn't expose it, instead saying: "My handler is Yu Kou; he won't give me that chance."

"The chance I can help you find, merely..." Wei Jue'an paused, voice rasping: "You must abandon the thought of Breaking Seven."

Wei Jue'an didn't wait for Li Jun to speak, urging: "The Chongqing Prefecture Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander is of the Vertical and Horizontal School sequence, a fanatical restorationist, vowing to restore the Guard's former glory."

"Allying with the weak to defeat the strong is the creed of this sequence; with your talent he will surely accept you. When the Three Teachings' power wanes, there will still be a chance to Break Seven."

"Moreover, Chongqing Prefecture has strange, towering terrain, a mix of dragons and snakes, all three teachings and nine streams swarming within; no single sequence can dominate. You going there needn't fear being targeted."

Wei Jue'an spoke his heart in one breath; that heroic bearing had long vanished, his whole person withered considerably. "But if the Three Teachings remain at their zenith, what then?"

Li Jun fell silent for a long time, finally speaking slowly.

Wei Jue'an's face flushed slightly. "Men evolve constantly; no sequence prospers forever. Isn't the Martial Dao Sequence a living example?"

"But how long must this process take? Ten years, a hundred, or a thousand?"

Li Jun grinned, tone softening. "Brother Wei... I understand your kindness. But 'killers and arsonists wear golden belts; bridge-builders and road-menders die without bones.' I have a bad temper, don't like picking up others' wisdom, prefer making others' families fall by my own hand."

At this moment, that shaft of light falling through the green tile gaps shifted with the sun, leaning toward Wei Jue'an's side.

Li Jun stood in a patch of gloom, yet a ruthless, bandit-like ferocity roiled between his brows.

Wei Jue'an, bathed in radiant light, wore a face pale as paper. "Too many have died on this road."

"At least they fell facing forward."

The road ahead...

Wei Jue'an's expression dazed for a moment; his fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly, finally he sighed darkly.

If he had possessed such ruthlessness back then, perhaps he wouldn't have had his pure flesh and blood broken, reduced to the Soldier Path he once despised most.

Wei Jue'an exhaled long, as if expelling the stifled qi in his chest, looked at Li Jun and laughed cursing:

"I've muddled through so many years, need you brat to lecture me on grand principles? Seek death as you please; anyway, down there later, don't blame me for not warning you."

"Impossible. Right and wrong I still distinguish. Brother Wei, this bond I remember; if you need me later, just say the word, Brother."

Li Jun bit off the rest, turning to say: "I will not refuse."

"Forget it. You can't even clear your own debts, yet help me?"

Wei Jue'an's face turned serious. "Watch out for Yu Kou. Don't be fooled by that fat man's nonchalant air; his background and strength are not to be underestimated."

Li Jun's heart sank. "Besides his Embroidered Uniform Guard identity, Yu Kou has other backing?"

"Of course. No backing, how be an official?"

"This dead fatty is a scion of the Yu family, one of the shareholders of the Qingcheng Group, the Daoist oligarchs of Chengdu Prefecture. Though not a major shareholder, they have a Dao Seven elder on Mount Qingcheng."

"Families like theirs differ from clans like the Gu; they aren't so prolific. This generation of the Yu family has only Yu Kou as a scion, so he is precious; messy magical treasures on him are a given."

Wei Jue'an warned Li Jun with a stern face, then seemed to recall something, laughing: "But this sole heir's Dao blood... generally a great tonic."

"Xiting Lang, a trinket that confuses the senses. Wear it normally; long standby, soak in water when dead. Gifted to you."

Wei Jue'an stood, beckoning the dragonfly back from the eaves and tossing it to Li Jun, then walked out the courtyard.

Li Jun rubbed the Xiting Lang in his palm—likely worth a thousand gold—watching Wei Jue'an's retreating back, couldn't help asking:

"Forefathers fell trees, descendants suffer calamity. Past martial artists forged too many grudges, making us this generation outcasts. Brother Wei, have you ever hated?"

Wei Jue'an stood at the threshold, didn't turn back, only laughed loudly.

"Why hate? This road I walked was damn satisfying. I only hate my own incompetence, unable to scatter those bastards' ashes."

Long after Wei Jue'an left, Song Li, who knew not where he hid, finally arrived belatedly.

He held a scroll in one hand, walked to the eaves, face indifferent, utterly unlike that previous humble look.

"Just leave the goods. Money will be transferred to Boss Song's account later."

Li Jun was still playing with the Xiting Lang, totally missing Song Li's oddness.

"This painting carries quite a few lives."

"The latest, just as I collected this scroll. That pedant dared fob me off with a fake; I chopped off his four limbs on the spot, found a wild grave and buried him."

"This is a filthy thing; Great Ming law forbids its trade. Don't you know this much law?"

Li Jun finally raised his eyes. "You sick?"

"I'm not sick. You are. Knights break bans with force; Scholars disrupt law with words; Buddhists confuse hearts with compassion; Daoists beguile people with longevity. You are the empire's lesions."

What dogshit is this? An antique dealer with such high awareness?!

Li Jun froze, suddenly seeing Song Li's eyes.

Vacant yet shadowed, as if covered with a layer of frosted glass over the eyeballs; a word flashed in his mind: Possession!