Slag Shou Cultivating Manual - Chapter 52

The reason He Lang felt compelled to bring some joy to Ao Li was due to the unusual loneliness he perceived in him.

Ao Li’s response to He Lang’s answer caused a profound stir in his heart, and his mind became chaotic. Looking into those eyes, he felt a sudden urge to cry, as if a solid, impenetrable barrier had been shattered, leaving him with a fleeting sense of melancholy. However, this clarity quickly turned into anger.

As the leader of the sect, Ao Li was revered by others and considered himself superior. He had no need for the sympathy of this insignificant person!

Ao Li’s mood darkened, and with a hint of hostility, he said, “You are nothing but an ant to me. Do you still dare to offer your pity?”

He Lang remained silent, allowing Ao Li to vent his anger.

Ao Li’s anger only grew when faced with He Lang’s calm demeanor. It felt as if someone had intruded upon his territory, and he wanted to forcefully drive the intruder away.

Yet, why wasn’t he leaving?!

In a moment of frustration, Ao Li’s demonic energy surged, and he struck a palm towards He Lang. Instinctively, he pulled back, leaving only a gust of wind.

He Lang did not dodge and took the blow head-on.

Even though he used his true energy to protect himself, Ao Li’s strike was overwhelmingly powerful. The force was such that even a martial expert would struggle to fully withstand it. He Lang could only retreat repeatedly, eventually falling to one knee to avoid collapsing completely.

He looked at Ao Li’s pale face, his lips tinged with faint blood, and noticed blood seeping from his mouth.

Seeing the blood at He Lang’s mouth, Ao Li froze for a moment, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes. He muttered weakly, “Can’t you avoid it? How could there be such a foolish person in the world…”

His tone had softened considerably, but He Lang was unable to speak at the moment, only focusing on using his true energy to heal himself.

Kneeling on one knee for a long time, Ao Li, unable to restrain himself, eventually walked cautiously over to him and extended his hand as if testing the waters.

A wave of pure true energy descended from above, enveloping He Lang and instantly alleviating the pain and discomfort in his chest.

After transferring his true energy, Ao Li retreated to his own safe position.

He Lang’s complexion gradually returned to normal. Although his lips remained pale, a faint smile was on his face.

“The sect master tolerates my transgressions time and again. If you truly disliked me, you could have killed me already… but you haven’t.”

Ao Li had been repeatedly provoked by He Lang, testing his limits. If he were an ordinary person, He Lang would have been killed by now. Yet, Ao Li had kept him around for so long.

This made Ao Li ponder why he didn’t just kill him. Why did he refrain or seem reluctant?

Now quiet, Ao Li avoided looking directly at He Lang and continued to wrestle with his own thoughts.

After a while, Ao Li finally answered He Lang’s question.

“Because others fear me.”

And you, are different, he added silently in his heart.

He Lang probably understood the unspoken part of his answer. Suppressing the urge to smile, he pretended not to hear clearly, “Sect master, what did you say?”

Ao Li glared at him, tightening his grip on his sleeve.

Then, He Lang was once again expelled from the room by a gust of wind.

However, this time, Ao Li had controlled his strength perfectly, sending He Lang safely to the ground without harm.

He Lang smiled and brushed off the dust from his sleeve, calmly returning to the room.

—

That day, there was unrest on Pingling Mountain. From a distance, He Lang heard booming noises and vague curses. Within half an incense stick’s time, disciples hurriedly brought news.

It turned out that several factions, led by the Xuan Kong Sword Sect, had gathered, claiming to be righteous sects aiming to eliminate the Demon Sect.

He Lang realized that these were the people discussing their plans on the day he first arrived in this world.

He had expected that such an important matter would require the sect master’s involvement. However, seeing the disciples’ calm demeanor as they reported that the Left Protector had already taken several hall masters to handle the situation with excellent concealed weapons prepared to severely injure the enemy, there was no need to alarm the sect master.

Since the Left Protector was already handling it, He Lang, as the Right Protector, felt he should also take some action. But, given that he was originally from the righteous side and had supported Ren Bozhong’s view on attacking the Demon Sect, he now felt a sense of irony and embarrassment about the changing world.

His mind was in turmoil when Ao Li noticed his thoughts and immediately ordered him to stop.

“You are not allowed to go. Stay by my side, at all times.”

Indeed… the sect master needed someone by his side. He Lang sighed in resignation.

After the disciples left, only He Lang and Ao Li remained in the hall. He Lang considered carefully before speaking.

“Although the righteous path has invaded our sect, their methods are excessively harsh and cruel.”

“Cruel?” Ao Li finally spoke, questioning in return. “Isn’t this world inherently cruel?”

He shook his head, adopting a dismissive attitude, and lazily leaned back in his chair, leaving the matter to his subordinates.

He Lang carefully placed a soft cushion under Ao Li’s elbow and spoke cautiously, “Although the sect master has no intention of committing evil, there are many bloodthirsty and violent subordinates within the sect. Over time, this has led to our sect being labeled as the Demon Sect—”

He recalled that originally, the Hunyuan Sect did not identify itself as a Demon Sect. However, due to its unrestrained and free-spirited nature, it attracted many lawless villains who violated sect rules. This led to criticism from the righteous path and the accumulation of a notorious reputation.

Ao Li seemed indifferent to this, closing his eyes and continuing to rest, his tone as cold as ever. “All the evil and cruelty are the result of their actions. Even if they are despised and hated, it is their own fault. I have no right to interfere with their lives.”

Seeing his nonchalant demeanor, He Lang was unsure how to respond and simply sat down next to him.

“In that case, I must mention again that many boys and girls have disappeared from the villages below. Numerous families are heartbroken, and the righteous path claims that this is the sect master’s doing. They use this as an excuse to rally large forces and repeatedly attack the Demon Sect—”

Before He Lang could finish, Ao Li immediately denied it. “No.”

He Lang was momentarily stunned but did not doubt Ao Li’s words. He had no reason to lie and did not even care to.

Although Ao Li was indifferent to the affairs of the sect, there would always be disciples reporting on every detail of their actions.

Seeing that He Lang remained silent after much consideration, Ao Li turned over and closed his eyes again. “I am a villain beyond redemption; if you don’t believe it—”

“I believe it.” He Lang replied.

Ao Li turned his head, slightly raising his eyes, and met He Lang’s gaze.

He Lang nodded in affirmation.

He observed Ao Li day and night and knew well whether he engaged in practices involving young children.

Ao Li was extremely bored, spending his days in the hall reading and painting, and recently had taken to staring at his pet rabbit. Apart from these activities, he did nothing else.

There was indeed no evidence to suggest he used children’s blood in his cultivation.

He Lang’s heart eased significantly. It seemed Ao Li was not beyond redemption and not as irredeemable as he initially thought.

The fact that Ao Li, with his closed-off personality, could discuss such matters with him suggested he might be gradually placing some trust in him.

He Lang’s eyes held a faint smile as he asked, “Does the sect master think I am a trustworthy person?”

Ao Li’s body stiffened noticeably for a moment. He then opened his eyes and glanced at He Lang, firmly denying it.

He Lang stopped teasing him and, taking advantage of the fact that Ao Li was willing to talk, promptly pressed on, “If not, how does the sect master cultivate his demonic skills?”

Ao Li’s face showed a natural pride. “This sect master is inherently talented.”

Indeed, Ao Li was a rare Hunyuan Demon Body, born with a unique constitution perfectly suited for demonic cultivation, which naturally led him down this path.

Where had the missing boys and girls gone? He Lang pondered this question.

Although the outside world had long blamed the Hunyuan Sect for these crimes, Ao Li, the head of the sect, had denied it. It seemed there were hidden truths behind these evil deeds. The Hunyuan Sect had long been in a position where it could not defend itself, often unjustly accused and blamed.

He Lang voiced many concerns, but Ao Li remained unapologetically confident.

“Our sect has never bothered to argue with others.”

He Lang held his forehead, unsure how to persuade this willful and carefree sect master.

Their indifference had indeed solidified their evil reputation, leading to widespread notoriety. He Lang felt great pressure to bring Ao Li back to the right path.

Although Ao Li remained obstinate, He Lang found a glimmer of hope, realizing that many of these evil acts were not committed by Ao Li himself. With the truth to support him, he had reason to clear Ao Li’s name. Moreover, there was much more about Ao Li to discover, which made He Lang look forward to it.

The most curious aspect for He Lang was Ao Li’s daily habit of viewing art collections.

If outsiders knew that the leader of the Hunyuan Demon Sect was a person of literary temperament who spent every day reading and appreciating art, it would truly be astonishing.

Initially, Ao Li did not answer when asked about this, but over time, He Lang came to understand.

Ao Li seemed to have a subtle yearning for the outside world. Perhaps having been confined to this mountain for so long, he knew little about the human world and could only catch glimpses through books and paintings sent by disciples.

He Lang asked with curiosity, “Has the sect master never thought of going outside to truly experience the beauty of the world?”

“……” Ao Li was silent, pushing aside the painting in front of him, realizing that his unusual behavior had been noticed.

After a long pause, he finally spoke with difficulty, “I… cannot.”

Author’s Note: The sect master is not a big bad guy ╭（╯^╰）╮ but a little cutie.