Chapter 117: Fire
Li Xixing, who was silent but powerful, dark yet careful, wore thicker robes than any other students, looked like a lone wolf as he walked forward.
He was not famous in Changling. Up until now, most students in the trials did not know his status, and thought he was just someone from the border. But Xu Lianhua and Xia Wan naturally knew Li Xixing’s status… It was because of Li Xixing’s silence and unobtrusiveness that she finally thought of how they had missed such a strong person once he walked out of the crowd.
In these years, Li Xixing had not been in Changling, and no one had seen him. But before he had been exiled to Yuezhi, Li Xixing had been one of the top among his age.
If she was facing Li Xixing alone, she did not have much confidence in winning. She could not understand the meaning in Li Xixing’s actions right now.
Ding Ning had not met Li Xixing before this, and did not know that Fu Su had once stopped him from meeting Li Xixing. However, when he heard Xu Lianhua and Xia Wan speak this person’s name, he immediately knew this person’s identity.
His brow rose slightly but he did not speak as he looked at Li Xixing.
Li Xixing also did not speak.
He walked next to Ding Ning and the others, finding an empty spot on the ground to sit down.
Xu Lianhua’s brows slowly furrowed and he was about to speak. But a situation like this seemed not an obstacle to a gentleman like Zhang Yi. Looking at the seated Li Xixing, Zhang Yi bowed with gratefulness and some bashfulness. He asked softly, “You also want to help my junior sect brother Ding Ning?”
Li Xixing still did not speak or return the bow. He just nodded.
“Why?”
Xia Wan looked at Li Xixing, still suspicious.
Dugu Bai’s breathing also unconsciously paused.
He had left Changling in childhood and not interacted much with Li Xixing. Yet, he had heard many rumors concerning Li Xixing. He felt a person like Li Xixing actually had fragile feelings. Xia Wan’s attitude may cause bad consequences.
Unsurprisingly to Dugu Bai, he saw strong hostility appear immediately in Li Xixing’s eyes. Li Xixing did not say anything to Xia Wan, just slowly turned and looked at Ding Ning.
“My father hopes I will oppose you.”
Hearing his opening words, Xu Lianhua, Zhang Yi and the others were shocked.
“So I did not come here before.” Li Xixing continued. “I like people with principles… In Changling, one must obey at many times, but I do not like to obey. I want to go with my heart.”
“Just like Duanmu Jingzong that day. Everyone thought I should not have beat him, and did not allow me to beat him, but I still broke two of his ribs.”
“Just now, when I heard your conversation with that person, I confirmed that you are not willing to obey, so I came here. Also, there are enough swords against you. My additional one would not be interesting.”
These words sounded especially strange. Or, the reason was especially strange.
At the side, Yi Xin could not help but frown.
But inexplicably, to a person like Li Xixing, this kind of reason sounded especially convincing.
Ding Ning looked at Li Xixing. He did not ask questions and said seriously, “You have not returned to Changling for long.”
Everyone reacted. Their gazes towards Li Xixing changed.
Ding Ning’s words pointed out the consequences of Li Xixing’s action, being exiled again.
Li Xixing was silent for a moment and said, “Changling may not be as good as the Yuezhi, at least in my eyes.”
Hearing his response, Dugu Bai’s frown relaxed and he felt respect rise.
“Well said!”
Xu Lianhua moved his eyes away from Li Xixing towards the other students. Seeing the figure of Chen Liqiu in the twilight, he said with slight disdain, “Obey or not, when one lives, the key is if they are happy or not. If one has power and cultivation but is not happy, then what is the use in cultivation?”
Zhang Yi relaxed completely and grew more respectful of Li Xixing. He bowed again. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me,” Li Xixing said coldly. “Standing on your side may not be helping you. Duanmu Jingzong, many years ago, became a disciple of Min Mountain Sword Sect.”
Xu Lianhua, Dugu Bai and the others exchanged looks. They knew this was the truth. Duanmu Jingzong of the Duanmu Marquessate Establishment had passed the trial of Min Mountain Sword Sect many years ago, and cultivated for many years in the sect. But they had not thought of this immediately.
Zhang Yi stilled. “You mean… You feel if you help, if my junior sect brother Ding Ning enters Min Mountain Sword Sect, Duanmu Jingzong will get revenge on my junior sect brother due to you?”
“Maybe you feel this is not possible.” Li Xixing did not look at Zhang Yi, gazing into the distance. “But Duanmu Jingzong is a person like this.”
Li Xixing was not good at conversing. In both expression and tone, he felt unreasonable and inaccessible.
But Zhang Yi did not feel so. In his eyes, Li Xixing had become a friend. Since this was a friend, he could have tolerance.
He could not help but ask curiously, “I heard when you broke Duanmu Jingzong’s ribs, he was just five. Why would you have such a conclusion?”
“Five?”
Li Xixing could not help but laugh in scorn. “Perhaps you cannot imagine how a child, five years old, could be so malicious and vicious. He would do some evil things and then lie to blame others because he does not like someone. Perhaps something dirty will appear in their drinking water, or something would be done to the stairs in hopes of breaking their arms and feet.”
Everyone stilled.
Even Ding Ning was stunned.
Zhang Yi’s limbs inexplicably felt cold.
After a long moment, he looked in disbelief at Li Xixing and said in a trembling voice, “You said that Duanmu Jingzong wanted to harm you when he was five?”
Li Xixing did not answer.
He was not skilled at talking to others so he did not feel the need to answer.
“So the time you broke his ribs was not a one-time conflict, but he had done many things before that… you had endured him for a long time?” Zhang Yi started to understand and his body trembled. He started to feel if this was true, then Li Xixing’s many years of exile was unjust.
Li Xixing remained silent for a moment.
Perhaps if that was the case, I would not have been so severe.”
Suddenly, he lifted his head in anger. “I had a dog, a puppy that had been abandoned before weaning. But just as that dog started to grow, when I did not have to feed it goat’s milk, and it could run around with me, it appeared dead in a well.”
Ding Ning’s gaze flashed.
Xu Lianhua, XIan Wan and the others inhaled sharply and exchanged looks.
Zhang Yi paled. “Duanmu Jingzong threw him into the well?”
“It is hard for a child to not leave traces behind when doing something and not difficult to find out. Many people could easily discover it… Even my father knew Duanmu Jingzong had done it. So he specifically asked me to not do anything over the line. It is only because a person of such birth like Duanmu Jingzong did it that my father particularly warned me.”
Li Xixing laughed. “The Duanmu Family gifted me a more adorable dog… But they did not know that this made me more certain it was Duanmu Jingzong. I agreed to all of them, but I did not want to obey. So I broke Duanmu Jingzong’s ribs.”
“If I was not so young back then, not strong and vicious enough, Duanmu Jingzong would have died then.”
Li Xixing’s eyes flashed with indescribable bitterness. He took a deep breath and continued. “Because I did not want to break his ribs then, but to kill him.”
Wanting to kill someone because of a puppy, this seemed too vicious. Yet, when it occurred between a six year old and a five year old, it did not seem to be wrong.
At least, even Zhang Yi felt that it was not possible to judge Li Xixing in the wrong on this matter. He just felt that Duanmu Jingzong should not have done so, and this matter should not have occurred.
“To that woman, you are all dogs. I am just a dog. I can be casually strangled, or thrown into the well. But, even if I die, I do not want them to be as pleased.”
Li Xixing did not know why he would say so many things today, and become so angry due to the old matter he had almost forgotten. But he felt especially happy. There seemed to be fire burning in his chest.
Ding Ning turned to glance at him and smiled.
“Then we will fight.”
He laughed and then stood up.
In this moment, everyone around him felt fire burning in their chests.
Translator Ramblings: Duanmu Jingzong is a bit of a psychopath …