Jing Tian: You Three Don’t Look Like Good People

This statement was not only about the tree; Moon Worshipper was also talking about himself.

He admitted to his former ordinariness, and he also admitted that he was heading toward the position of a god.

Using the Water Demon Beast and the Five Spirit Orbs to destroy the world was the first step in creating a New World.

In Chu Yang’s view, Moon Worshipper’s failure was inevitable. Because he was not understood, he wanted to create a utopia filled with love and kindness, yet he could not accept the evil and ugliness of human nature.

The word Moon Worshipper used most often with others was "fairness," yet he had never given anyone the right to choose fairly.

Compared to a demon who abused violence and slaughtered at will, dealing with a person like Moon Worshipper might not even require force.

For Tang Yu and A Nu’s safety, Moon Worshipper was willing to talk about "reason" and "science," so Chu Yang would indulge him.

"First, you need to tell me whether that changing star you mentioned is a planet, a star, a satellite, or a comet."

Chu Yang spoke up and interrupted Moon Worshipper’s explanation.

Moon Worshipper’s face was full of question marks at Chu Yang’s question.

Moon Worshipper showed sufficient respect for knowledge he did not understand. With a solemn expression, he asked, "What is a star? And what are planets and satellites?"

"A star is a massive celestial body like the sun. It remains relatively stationary, undergoes energy reactions within itself, and radiates that energy into space in the form of light."

"Celestial bodies that orbit stars in a regular pattern are called planets, such as the Earth beneath our feet. Celestial bodies that orbit planets like Earth in a regular pattern are called satellites."

"That is the basic structure of the universe."

"Also, most of the stars you see in the sky are stars. The planets within the Solar System only reflect sunlight because they are illuminated by the sun; they do not emit light themselves."

Watching Moon Worshipper’s expression grow increasingly solemn, Chu Yang’s lips curled up slightly.

Just you wait. I’ll fool you silly. You ancient man actually thinks he can compete with me in astronomy?

"Then what about the moonlight currently shining upon us?"

"The moon reflects the sun’s light."

Moon Worshipper nodded. The question buried in his heart had been answered.

It was like expelling years of accumulated constipation. That utterly cathartic relief made him reveal a pleased expression.

"If the land beneath our feet is clearly round, why don’t people on the other side of the sphere fall off?"

"Because of universal gravitation!"

"Young brother, what is universal gravitation?"

"Any two particles exert an attractive force on each other along the line connecting their centers. Earth’s attraction toward objects is called gravity, but gravity is not entirely equal to universal gravitation. Since objects rotate along with Earth, part of universal gravitation is needed to provide centripetal force."

"Young brother, what is Earth’s rotation? And what is centripetal force?"

Chu Yang began answering Moon Worshipper’s questions one by one. Every time he answered one question, the other party would ask another, tireless in his pursuit.

At that moment, he no longer seemed like a demon trying to overturn the world, but rather a scholar seeking truth.

"Cult Leader, knowledge is infinite, but human life is limited. If we keep talking, Tang Yu and A Nu will die here."

"I am a very fair person. You have taught me much knowledge I never understood before, so whatever you wish to do, I will not stop you."

Chu Yang thanked him, pulled Tang Yu and A Nu out of the earth, then infused them with life force until their conditions returned to normal.

"How did you know my identity?"

Moon Worshipper asked curiously.

"Because there is no second person in this world who could understand the knowledge I spoke of."

That was Chu Yang’s answer.

Moon Worshipper’s lips curled upward, seemingly delighted. "Young brother, you are my kindred spirit. I would like to be friends with you."

The consequences of being Moon Worshipper’s friend were not good. Take A Nu, for example. Just because she had said, "Moon Worshipper Uncle and I are good friends," she had been tortured so terribly.

She had personally cut off her boyfriend’s arm, personally cut off her biological father’s head, and personally sent herself down the road to Yomi.

Good lord.

She had become good friends with King Yama!

Still, even with the death flag fully raised, Chu Yang nodded in agreement. "Of course. It would be my honor."

It’s fine. I’m a legitimate God of Death, so I’m not afraid of this stuff at all!

For now, becoming "friends" with Moon Worshipper was the optimal solution.

If Tang Yu and A Nu had not been there, Chu Yang would have fought him no matter what.

Moon Worshipper stood nearby, observing Chu Yang as he rescued the two.

The clothing Chu Yang wore caught his attention. Since the informants he had stationed in the Central Plains had all been removed, he still did not know who had been helping Zhao Ling’er.

Yet after seeing Chu Yang today, the confusion that had lingered in his heart was finally cleared up.

Few people had ever put Moon Worshipper in such a passive position, especially not a young man.

Moon Worshipper greatly admired capable and intelligent young people like Chu Yang, just as he would later favor Liu Jinyuan and regard him as a kindred spirit.

Chu Yang held a far higher place in his heart than Liu Jinyuan. Liu Jinyuan could not explain so much astronomical knowledge to him.

Moon Worshipper sighed. "Are all Shu Mountain disciples… as outstanding as you?"

Chu Yang shook his head. "I am not outstanding at all. It took me over ten years of hard work just to enter the sect. This is my first time descending the mountain to cultivate in the world, and I happened to run into this mess."

Moon Worshipper’s expression suddenly stiffened. He had heard of Shu Mountain’s strength, but he had never imagined it was this terrifying!

A genius like this actually needed more than ten years just to enter the sect?

Just what did Shu Mountain teach them?

Moon Worshipper fell into deep thought.

Chu Yang slung Tang Yu and A Nu over his shoulders, then turned to Moon Worshipper. "I shall be leaving now. Is there anything else the Cult Leader wishes to say?"

Moon Worshipper said, "I still do not know your name, young brother."

Chu Yang smiled. "Chu Yang of the Shu Mountain Sect."

Moon Worshipper nodded. "Then I shall call you Little Brother A Yang. I hope you will visit the Moon Worship Sect in the future. I still have many questions I wish to ask you."

"As for Tang Yu and A Nu, I have already seen some results from the experiment in them. You may take them away."

"After all, A Nu is my good friend. I do not wish to hurt her."

Chu Yang silently cursed in his heart. You almost played her to death, and you still say you don’t want to hurt her? What a lunatic.

He gave Moon Worshipper an awkward yet polite smile, then abruptly vanished into thin air.

"Interesting…"

Moon Worshipper walked with great interest to where Chu Yang had disappeared and murmured, "He left no traces of spiritual power. How exactly did he travel through space?"

The next second, a figure emerged from the darkness and said to Moon Worshipper, "That Shu Mountain disciple is strange. If you do not want him to obstruct your plan to destroy the world, you should have killed him just now."

Moon Worshipper looked at the pitch-black figure, his tone humble. "Mm. Little Brother A Yang has given me so many surprises. From the perspective of fairness, I cannot harm him."

The pitch-black figure continued in a bewitching tone, "A great man born between heaven and earth—how can he be bound by such rules? You are so powerful that you should do whatever you please and enjoy everything power brings!"

Moon Worshipper smiled, but his voice turned cold. "If you truly wish to cooperate with me, put away those little tricks of yours. Only frankness and honesty can allow a team to go farther."

"Wouldn’t you agree?"

"Evil Sword Immortal."

Moon Worshipper and Evil Sword Immortal gradually vanished into the wilderness.

The two most famous scientists and philosophers in the world of Chinese Paladin had actually met and even formed a cooperative relationship!

If Chu Yang had seen that epic scene, he would probably have sighed in amazement.

Fortunately, he had not acted impulsively. If he had needed to face Moon Worshipper and Evil Sword Immortal at the same time, he definitely would not have been able to protect Tang Yu and A Nu.

Elsewhere.

Chu Yang used Flying Thunder God to bring Tang Yu and A Nu back to Yuzhou City.

Seeing them unconscious, Shi Gonghu hurriedly asked, "Daoist Chu, what happened to them?"

Chu Yang replied, "They were buried in the earth for some time. Their bodies are extremely weak, and they need plenty of rest."

Zhao Ling’er asked, "Moon Worshipper did this?"

Chu Yang nodded.

Shi Gonghu’s expression turned grave, while the others revealed frightened expressions.

Shi Gonghu paced back and forth across the room and asked, "Daoist Chu, have you already encountered Moon Worshipper?"

Once Tang Yu and the others woke up, Shi Gonghu’s group would learn the details anyway. There was no need for Chu Yang to hide it, so he simply admitted, "I did encounter him, but he did not attack me."

Shi Gonghu was somewhat surprised.

Liu Jinyuan smiled. "He must have feared the prestige of the Shu Mountain Sword Saint, so Moon Worshipper did not dare make any further trouble."

At those words, relief flashed through Zhao Ling’er’s eyes.

Shi Gonghu felt that something was off. Given Moon Worshipper’s personality, he would not refrain even from attacking merely because he feared Shu Mountain. At the very least, he would test whether the Sword Saint would intervene.

But aside from that reason, Shi Gonghu could not think of why Moon Worshipper had not acted, so he could only focus his gaze on Chu Yang.

How had this young man, who possessed quite a few methods, managed it?

Before Shi Gonghu could ask further, a figure burst in with great momentum. He instinctively moved to stop the intruder, only to be sent flying by sword qi.

"An expert! Princess, be careful!"

Shi Gonghu shouted loudly.

Zhao Ling’er immediately assumed a defensive stance, but the figure stopped before A Nu and did not move at all.

"Everyone, do not panic. This is my martial uncle, the Drunken Sword Immortal."

Chu Yang cupped his hands apologetically toward them, then walked over to the Drunken Sword Immortal. "Martial Uncle, what are you doing? Why did you suddenly appear here without saying a word? You gave everyone quite a fright."

The Drunken Sword Immortal shook his head. "I do not know either. I just had a feeling in my heart and could not wait to descend the mountain."

"Kid! Is this the girl you told me about?"

Chu Yang smacked his lips and said meaningfully, "Martial Uncle should already have the answer in his heart. Why ask me?"

The Drunken Sword Immortal turned and shot him a fierce glare.

Chu Yang said in surprise, "Martial Uncle, why are you crying?!"

The Drunken Sword Immortal wiped away his tears and snapped, "How would I know?! Damn it, maybe I touched scallions this morning and forgot to wash my hands…"

Chu Yang nodded in deep agreement. "That must be it. It couldn’t possibly be some strange witchcraft, like crying uncontrollably upon seeing your biological daughter…"

The Drunken Sword Immortal’s body trembled.

At that moment, Zhao Ling’er stepped closer and softly asked, "Senior Drunken Sword Immortal, do you know A Nu?"

The Drunken Sword Immortal immediately denied it. "No. Today is the first time I have seen her. There is nothing special about me; I am just rather emotional and tend to cry easily when I see others suffering."

Zhao Ling’er sighed. "Senior, you are truly kind-hearted."

The Drunken Sword Immortal wept bitterly. "That is what I think too."

Jing Tian sat in the pawnshop, sighing repeatedly.

Yong’an Pawnshop had not been peaceful recently. Some time ago, a red-haired man had come and torn down the front door, then insisted on stuffing a bizarre-looking sword into Jing Tian’s hands.

The sword had only been pawned for one copper coin, and Jing Tian had been scolded terribly by Manager Zhao. Later, a bunch of monsters had appeared out of nowhere and rampaged through Yuzhou City. No one even dared to go out on the streets, and Yong’an Pawnshop’s business had plummeted.

"At this rate, when will I ever become shopkeeper and open my own inn?"

Jing Tian sat in his chair with a miserable expression.

With a creak.

Yong’an Pawnshop’s front door was pushed open.

Jing Tian had not heard the sound of a door opening in a long time. He was so startled that he fell flat on his backside, baring his teeth in pain.

Jing Tian looked up and saw three people enter the pawnshop. The man in the lead had swordlike brows and bright eyes, carrying himself with an extraordinary bearing. One look was enough to tell that he came from an exceptional background.

The other two were a man and a woman. The man was high-spirited, while the woman was valiant and heroic. Both carried an air of chivalry and seemed to be a wandering couple of Jianghu heroes.

As a clerk at Yong’an Pawnshop, Jing Tian was not only skilled at appraising treasures; he was also good at judging and recognizing people. He kept his eyes and ears open at all times.

"They don’t look like bad people…"

Since public security in Yuzhou City had become terrible lately, Jing Tian was especially cautious.

After deciding that the newcomers were not bad people, he immediately climbed to his feet.

"Welcome to Yong’an Pawnshop, everyone! Whatever you wish to pawn, just hand it to me. I guarantee a price that will satisfy you!"

The outgoing Jing Tian walked over with a grin and patted his chest in assurance.

Xu Changqing glanced around. In the enormous shop, there was only the clerk before him, so he asked, "What is your name?"

Jing Tian chuckled. "This lowly one is called Jing Tian. Jing as in Jing Tian, Tian as in Jing Tian."

Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru exchanged glances and began whispering to each other.

"Big Brother Chu told us to find this guy? He doesn’t seem very reliable."

"He looks like an ordinary person. Will it really be okay to bring him along?"

"You can’t judge a book by its cover. What if he’s pretending to be weak?"

"Forget pretending to be weak. I just want to know why Demon Lord Chonglou is looking for him…"

Jing Tian leaned forward and stared at Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru in confusion. These customers did not seem to be here to pawn anything.

Xu Changqing cupped his hands. "Brother Jing, I am Xu Changqing of the Shu Mountain Sect. I came to Yong’an Pawnshop today specifically to find you."

"The Shu Mountain Sect?" Jing Tian was startled. The Shu Mountain Sect was no small matter. In Yuzhou City, their word carried more weight than the emperor’s.

Did I offend them somehow?

Jing Tian broke into an anxious sweat.

Xu Changqing saw Jing Tian’s panic and quickly explained, "Not long ago, Demon Lord Chonglou broke open Shu Mountain’s Demon Imprisonment Tower. After descending the mountain, you were the only person he met. We wish to know why he sought you out."

Demon Lord Chonglou?

Demon Imprisonment Tower?

Jing Tian was utterly confused, but he could sense that he had somehow become entangled in something enormous. Thinking of the reason monsters had been running rampant lately, his legs began to tremble.

"Daoist Xu, I don’t know any Demon Lord Chonglou…"

Jing Tian’s facial features scrunched together as though he were about to burst into tears at any moment.

"Someone like him?" Li Xiaoyao shook his head. "Even if you beat me to death, I still wouldn’t believe he could be of any help to us."

Lin Yueru silently nodded.

Ever since entering, Xu Changqing had been examining the spiritual power within Jing Tian, repeatedly confirming that he was indeed an ordinary person.

Perhaps he truly did not know who Demon Lord Chonglou was.

Xu Changqing probed, "Has Yong’an Pawnshop received any strange customers? People whose speech… clothing, and other aspects seemed unusual?"

At his words, a figure suddenly flashed through Jing Tian’s mind. He cried out, "I remember now! A red-haired freak really did come by a while ago! He threw down a sword, pawned it for one coin, and left!"

"Manager Zhao even scolded me over it for ages, saying I’d taken in a piece of junk…"

Xu Changqing drew a deep breath. His instincts told him that the red-haired freak Jing Tian spoke of was, nine times out of ten, Demon Lord Chonglou.

"He pawned you a sword? Other than that, what else did he say?"

His excitement made him speak much faster.

Jing Tian tilted his head and thought for a moment. "That red-haired… customer said something to me—"

"How did you end up reduced to this?"

"I have no idea what that meant. I’ve worked as a clerk at Yong’an Pawnshop since I was little. How could I possibly be reduced to anything? It was like he knew me…"

Jing Tian scratched his head, his eyes full of innocent stupidity.

The three of them looked at one another.

Li Xiaoyao asked quietly, "What’s going on here?"

Xu Changqing shook his head. "I’m afraid only our junior brother knows. We should ask him later."

Seeing the three of them asking one question after another with no intention of pawning anything, Jing Tian quietly backed toward the inner room.

Lin Yueru, who had been watching Jing Tian all along, noticed his intentions and strode forward to grab him by the back of the collar. "Trying to run? Take out that sword and let us have a look first!"

Jing Tian nodded frantically. "So long as you spare my life, esteemed heroes, I’ll give you whatever you want."

Lin Yueru glared at him and snapped, "Who are you calling bandits? We just want to see the sword Demon Lord gave you!"

Jing Tian said miserably, "Heroine, the way you’re acting makes it hard not to get the wrong idea…"

Lin Yueru’s face reddened. Mortified and furious, she grabbed Jing Tian and slammed him to the floor.

"Hahaha, you wicked woman! See? I’m not the only one who thinks you’re scary, am I?"

Li Xiaoyao gloated from the side.

"Say one more word and I’ll cut you down with one swing!"

Lin Yueru finally exploded. Drawing her sword, she charged at Li Xiaoyao.

The two leaped and bounded around the pawnshop.

Xu Changqing’s head throbbed. Without Zhao Ling’er at his side to keep an eye on him, Li Xiaoyao’s rotten temper was truly irritating. And Lin Yueru was a powder keg who ignited at the slightest spark.

"Brother Jing, this concerns all living beings. I need you to leave Yuzhou with me and search for the Five Spirit Orbs."

Xu Changqing placed both hands on Jing Tian’s shoulders and spoke earnestly.

Jing Tian only felt that this group was insane. First they were looking for some Demon Lord, then they wanted to see a sword, and now they were saying something even more ridiculous—they wanted him to save all living beings.

This man was definitely no disciple of Shu Mountain. Maybe he had stolen those clothes from somewhere…

"Hahaha, Hero Xu, I’m not a man with any grand ambitions. Something as serious as saving all living beings—you should find someone else."

"I got up a little early today, and I’m sleepy now. I’m going to take another nap."

Grinning, Jing Tian removed Xu Changqing’s hands, bowed, then swiftly turned and fled.

Xu Changqing froze.

Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru stopped fighting and hurried after him.

"Why are you running?"

"You all look like bad people. Why wouldn’t I run?"

"Stop right there! Who are you calling bad people?"