Chapter Forty: Liu Jianchen in Shock

“Oh my god, even pretending to be cool riding a fierce beast comes with risks!” Ye Qiu’s face turned pale with fright, and it took him quite a while to adapt before he could finally strike a pose. The celestial bird soared across the skies, a trail of fire blazing behind it, painting the abyssal heavens with a crimson glow.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the Heaven-Devouring Sparrow’s fierce visage swept across the world, and upon its head, faintly visible, stood a man clad in fluttering white robes. With a gentle flick of his folding fan, an aura of righteousness shook the very firmament, making him seem inscrutable and unreachable. His lofty bearing commanded the awe of all present.

“What a sight... Truly like an immortal exiled from the heavens, peerless and aloof! Such immortal grace is captivating…”

“A master indeed— even a creature bearing the blood of a primordial fiend, the Heaven-Devouring Sparrow, submits at his feet…”

For a moment, the entire assembly was left in utter shock, their hearts wholly subdued. Was it truly he who had just slain eighteen demon gods with a single sword? There had been doubts before, but now, beholding such immortal poise, none could question it.

High above the nine heavens, Ye Qiu forced himself to suppress his fear of heights, cold sweat soaking his back, forcing a strained smile as he struggled to appear calm. Inwardly, he was panicking: “Oh my god, this act is really hard to pull off! It’s too high up— can’t I come down a bit?”

Though he was terrified inside, outwardly Ye Qiu remained as composed as an old hand, offering a faint smile as he gazed down on all living things, displaying the demeanor of a true master. Such presence, such bearing— it was simply unmatched. He might not be skilled in anything else, but he certainly knew how to make an entrance.

Ye Qiu had already mastered the art of striking a pose; as long as he remained unruffled, it was everyone else who would be thrown into disarray.

“We pay our respects, Elder…”

With Ye Qiu’s appearance, the crowd erupted, led by the Wang clan and the Tianfeng family, who were first to bow. The others, though uncertain, could sense the overwhelming pressure Ye Qiu exuded, and lowered their heads in turn.

It was a spectacular scene— no one dared act rashly in the face of Ye Qiu’s intimidating presence.

Meanwhile, Yue Chan wore a face of confusion as she looked toward Ye Qiu, murmuring inwardly, “Is it really him?”

She was unsure. At first glance, she too was stunned by the immortal aura Ye Qiu radiated, and his features did carry a faint resemblance to that scruffy beggar boy from years past. But that alone wasn’t enough to convince her.

“It probably isn’t him.” Yue Chan frowned, recalling the lecherous look and indecent expression of that little beggar.

Looking again at Ye Qiu, his air was utterly incongruous— too dazzling, too righteous, entirely unlike someone capable of such vulgarity. It must not be him… Yue Chan’s heart gave a slight tremor, her gaze tinged with disappointment.

Unlike the others, she did not step forward to flatter him, but remained standing on the distant edge of the abyss, feet upon a lotus, watching from afar.

As for Liu Jianchen, the moment he saw Ye Qiu, he was beside himself with excitement.

“Heavens, it really is my benefactor!”

Liu Jianchen’s heart surged with emotion. Wasn’t this celestial figure before him the very man who saved his life all those years ago? He could still remember, after the tragedy that destroyed his family, how he nearly perished in a freezing blizzard.

A youth had appeared before him then, addressing him as “the protagonist?” Liu Jianchen hadn’t understood what that meant, but the youth explained that the protagonist was the favored son of fate, destined to be the master of all.

He had seemed rather peculiar, and Liu Jianchen never quite grasped what he kept muttering about protagonists. He’d heard him say things like, “Parents sacrificed to the heavens, a tragic past, handsome looks, scorned by all, enemies everywhere! Damn, this is the perfect protagonist script… You must be the protagonist, right? At last, I’ve found you— come, let me cling to your coattails, help me soar…”

To this day, Liu Jianchen still didn’t know what “protagonist” meant, but he remembered clearly that Ye Qiu had saved him, and even granted him a fateful opportunity.

After so many years, seeing Ye Qiu again filled Liu Jianchen with overwhelming gratitude. Though Ye Qiu’s appearance had changed in the past decade— from a ragged beggar to a white-robed immortal— Liu Jianchen recognized at once that this was his benefactor.

“Benefactor, Elder, I have finally found you…” With trembling excitement, Liu Jianchen flew straight to Ye Qiu, bowing deeply, his heart brimming with thankfulness.

Ye Qiu was taken aback, “Benefactor? What the— how did I become his benefactor?”

He looked carefully at Liu Jianchen, certain he didn’t know him, though the face did seem somewhat familiar. But over the years, Ye Qiu had crossed paths with too many people to remember them all.

“And you are?” Ye Qiu asked calmly.

Liu Jianchen replied eagerly, “Elder, it’s me! The boy you dug out from the mass grave in that blizzard! Don’t you remember?”

“Ah?”

Ye Qiu was momentarily stunned, but upon reflection, it did ring a bell. Back in his wandering days, he had indeed saved many, and it seemed this young man was among them.

“Oh, I remember now! Yes, that did happen…” Ye Qiu searched his memory and found a faint recollection. After leaving the Divine Capital back then, he had journeyed through the Great Wilderness, arriving in the Celestial Domain. While passing through Heavenly Sword Mountain, he’d found this boy buried in a snowy graveyard, and dug him out.

At the time, Ye Qiu had been scouring the world for a protagonist to attach himself to, and this boy had seemed a perfect fit. Believing him to be the protagonist, Ye Qiu had saved him, even gifting him a painting— the “Taibai Sword Dance”— which he’d idly sketched himself. Seeing the boy’s fondness for it, he’d handed it over, and, eager to curry favor with the supposed protagonist, had also given him a few peaches he’d grown.

To his surprise, the boy’s wounds truly healed, confirming Ye Qiu’s suspicion— he had to be the protagonist; otherwise, he’d have died long ago.

“Hmm… that frail youth from back then has become a sword immortal? See, I told you he was the protagonist and you wouldn’t believe me. Parents sacrificed, tragic past, a miraculous rise— if that’s not a protagonist, what is?”

The more he thought about it, the more excited Ye Qiu became. The protagonist! He had finally found the protagonist.

And what’s more, he was the one who’d saved him— wasn’t it time for his own luck to soar? Wahoo, it’s finally happening…

Marvelous! Truly marvelous— it seemed all his efforts in the past had not been in vain. Now he could finally relax.

Ye Qiu was so elated that he nearly burst out laughing, but managed to contain himself just in time, lest he break character.

“Ahem, yes, I recall now— it was you! It has been a long time. To think the frail boy of yesteryear has become a sword immortal! Excellent, excellent— you have not disappointed the trust I placed in you. I am very pleased…”

Ye Qiu smiled faintly, adopting a profound demeanor, outwardly composed while inwardly jubilant.

No, no, he thought, I mustn’t let my excitement show— I have to maintain my image.