Chapter 134: So It Was You

Noon sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, spilling into the mountain forest. Occasionally, the sounds of birdsong and beasts' roars echoed through the woods, mingling with the soft whispers of two people.

"Set me down, won't you? Aren't you tired?"

"This section of the mountain path is far too rough. Let's wait until we've passed it."

On the steep slope, Zhou Qing carried Lin Yunxi on his back, climbing toward the summit. A sudden mountain breeze tousled his hair, blowing it across his face. The woman behind him, smiling, reached out to gently brush the unruly strands aside.

"Yunxi, do you think your master will approve of us?"

"She will. My master has cherished me since I was young—I believe she will never oppose our union."

"Do you think our meeting was destined? Under this vast sky, in this boundless world, how many truly find the right person and walk together as we do?"

Their conversation was tender and sweet. As Zhou Qing carried Lin Yunxi near the top of the mountain, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Lin Yunxi slid from his back, clutching his robes as she stared intently at the peak ahead.

At the edge of the summit stood a young man dressed in black. His face showed a fleeting surprise as he gazed at Zhou Qing, then slowly twisted into a strange smile.

Zhou Qing, upon seeing the black-clad youth, was first startled; then a deep sense of danger arose within him.

He recognized the young man standing atop the mountain. Seven years prior, at the wild lake outside Jinling County, he had encountered him once.

He remembered clearly: this youth had once been sealed within a stone coffin, and Zhou Qing had managed to frighten him away with a Heavenly Thunder Talisman.

There was some unsettled business between them, but no true enmity. Still, the youth was known for his ruthless methods. Zhou Qing recalled the old sorcerer who had died so miserably back then, intensifying his sense of peril.

Moreover, Zhou Qing detected a faint trace of demon aura emanating from the youth—so faint it was nearly indiscernible, only noticeable with the keenest scrutiny.

"So it’s you. It seems fate truly brings us together," the youth said.

On the summit, the black-clad youth, seeing the flash of surprise on Zhou Qing’s face, coupled with a sense of déjà vu and the distinctive red robe Zhou Qing wore, quickly recalled the events from seven years earlier, when he had emerged from the stone coffin’s seal.

He remembered Zhou Qing as a mere child, yet able to summon a bolt of heavenly lightning effortlessly. This memory stayed his hand—he did not attack rashly now.

Although Zhou Qing felt some panic upon seeing the youth, he maintained a facade of calm, knowing well that his only chance was to appear unruffled; otherwise, the youth might strike.

Judging from the almost undetectable demon aura, Zhou Qing knew his opponent’s cultivation must be formidable. Seven years ago, at the wild lake, he had witnessed the youth’s abilities firsthand—the intensity of his aura matched his power.

There was only one possibility: the youth’s cultivation vastly outstripped Zhou Qing’s, allowing him to conceal his demon aura.

Since Zhou Qing began his cultivation path, he had met no demon capable of hiding its aura. Even the snake demons he had encountered in Dadian Village and later in the Wildman Forest, though powerful, could not veil their presence before him.

But the youth before him could. This alone proved that his power surpassed any demon Zhou Qing had met thus far.

"Have you two met before?" Lin Yunxi whispered in Zhou Qing’s ear, casting a glance at the black-clad youth.

"We crossed paths many years ago—I never imagined we’d meet again in these woods," Zhou Qing replied, composing his features into a calm smile. He took two deliberate steps toward the youth and spoke.

"Indeed, fate is curious. Seven years apart, and now we meet again in this ancient forest."

The youth instinctively took a step back at Zhou Qing’s approach, though he no longer felt as fearful as he had seven years ago.

Back then, freshly emerged from the seal, his power had been reduced to only a fraction. Now, most of his strength had returned; even if Zhou Qing could summon thunderbolts, he felt confident he could withstand them.

"Are you here to challenge the Myriad Demon Peak? And those human cultivators at the foot of the Demon Mountain—what is your connection to them?" The youth’s eyes flicked to Lin Yunxi, suspicion evident in his tone.

Zhou Qing had never heard of the Myriad Demon Peak, but the youth’s question implied the place held significance for him.

Moreover, Zhou Qing gleaned from this that Yunxi’s elders—her sect—were likely among those human cultivators the youth mentioned.

"I have no wish to meddle in the conflict between humans and demons. I came into this forest only to seek an old friend, long unseen."

"Is that so? I know these woods well. This friend of yours—who might he be?"

"Master of Flowing Waters."

This Master of Flowing Waters was none other than the uncle of the carp spirit Zhou Qing had slain—the water god spoken of by the old turtle Xuanwu.

Zhou Qing replied, observing that the youth did not answer immediately. When he had advanced, the youth had taken a step back—clear proof of his lingering fear.

Zhou Qing recalled how, years ago, he’d driven this youth away from Jinling County with a Heavenly Thunder Talisman. Though he no longer possessed such a talisman, the memory of its power still weighed on the youth’s mind.

As long as the youth remained wary, Zhou Qing knew, he had only to hold his ground and he could bluff his way through, just as he had done before.

"I don’t care who you are. I bear you no malice—but if you dare provoke me, don’t blame me for responding with equal ruthlessness," Zhou Qing declared, his tone both arrogant and threatening.

At these words, Lin Yunxi glanced at the youth in black and saw a complex expression on his face—a mixture of panic and indignation.

Indeed, the youth was torn between fear and anger. He feared Zhou Qing’s ability to summon heavenly thunder, a power that spoke to unfathomable cultivation.

But what angered him was this: as a vanguard of the demon realm, neither before nor after his release from the seal had anyone in this world dared address him so brazenly. The humiliation was intolerable.