Free at Last

Where did such a massive suit of Luosheng Armor go? This evil armor, which had stirred up so many storms and wrought so much disaster across the Shanjin Plain—how could it have been so unceremoniously subdued and claimed by this guy? Furthermore, Fu Liushan knew that such a thing could not be placed inside a spatial artifact. Originally, the only way to carry it off was to wear it. Originally. Clearly, He Lingchuan had not donned it, but had forcefully collected it through some unknown method. As a Heavenly Master adept at subduing ghosts and monsters, Fu Liushan knew there were countless strange artifacts in this world with all manner of bizarre effects; what He Lingchuan had used was likely one of them. "I will purify it." Fu Liushan's expression went slightly blank. "Purify it?" Purify the Luosheng Armor?! Having purified many cursed artifacts himself, he found the claim all the more incredible. "It's been a thousand years! This thing is entangled with who knows how much wicked karma. How much merit could you possibly possess to purify it?" "If there's anyone left in this world who can handle it, it's me." Wearing a look of selfless compassion that proclaimed 'if not me, who?', He Lingchuan patted him on the shoulder. "If you trust A'xun's words, you won't go wrong." "..." "If you don't leave the evil armor to me, who will be the second Fu Tianlin to sacrifice themselves to seal it? You?" Dong Rui stood nearby, listening in silence. He understood very well what "purifying" meant, but he was certain He Lingchuan was talking nonsense. Given what he knew of He Lingchuan, this matter was definitely not that simple! "..." Fu Liushan's face practically screamed 'No, no, no, don't look at me!', yet he hesitated. "This is the Luosheng Armor. What if you fail..." "Without a diamond drill, who would dare take on fine porcelain?" He Lingchuan said solemnly. "Rest assured, the Luosheng Armor will never harm the world again. The unrest and cycles spawned because of it will not recur." On his own, of course, he couldn't do it. However, he had great confidence in the Dafang Pot. Fu Liushan sighed. Anxious though he was, seeing how the Luosheng Armor had desperately tried to flee earlier, it truly was terrified of He Lingchuan. It was hard to imagine that the evil armor, which had wrought countless disasters across this continent and swallowed innumerable lives, would be so easily subdued by a mere youth. Yet for now, entrusting the Luosheng Armor to someone it feared was better than sealing it away in the ruins. After all, Fu Tianlin had already scattered with the wind; the internal driving force resisting the Luosheng Armor was gone. How long could the Fu family's seal alone hold it? And of course, the established fact was that the other had already taken the armor. How could Fu Liushan possibly beat the two of them? Since he couldn't fight them, he might as well go with the flow. "You..." Fu Liushan hesitated. "You truly won't put it on?" He wouldn't spout all these grand platitudes only to turn around and try it on, would he? After all, who could resist the temptation of being "invincible"? He Lingchuan laughed. "I know what true invincibility is. A mere evil armor falls a hundred and eight thousand li short. Otherwise—" He said, word by word, "Why has the turmoil of the Shanjin Plain never ceased in a thousand years?" If wearing the Luosheng Armor truly made someone invincible, why had no one ever unified the Shanjin Plain? "Your head is quite clear," Fu Liushan grumbled. "I hope you can stay this clearheaded." He Lingchuan asked him, "Your ancestral mission was to seal the Luosheng Armor. Now that the armor is gone, what do you plan to do?" "Yeah, what do I do from now on? I guess I'm free!" Fu Liushan threw his hands out, then slowly clasped them behind his head and stretched. "Ah, free at last!" His face was the very picture of relief. He whistled, and his horse trotted out from the woods. Dong Rui asked him, "You're of the Ying people too, right?" "Yeah. My ancestor was a tribal elder of the Ying people back then." Fu Liushan picked at his ear. "After Fu Tianlin sacrificed himself to suppress the evil armor, most of the Ying migrated away from the Shanjin Plain. Only my ancestor's family stayed behind. The old man said the Ying had done far too many foolish things, so our branch had to make some amends and accumulate a little merit for our people. Besides, Fu Tianlin might not have been able to keep the Luosheng Armor pinned down all on his own, so we had to help him. In short, our branch stayed behind, mostly working as Heavenly Masters. Every generation would come here to sweep the grave and repair the seal. But the past few generations didn't fare too well, so now I'm the only Fu left." "Admirable," He Lingchuan said, slightly moved. "I thought the Shanjin Plain was truly a land forsaken by the gods, but I never expected there would be people like you." Fu Tianlin sacrificing himself to pin down the armor was deeply impressive; and Fu Liushan's branch of Ying descendants remaining on the Shanjin Plain generation after generation just to fulfill a promise—that spirit was truly worthy of respect as well. Surviving on this land wasn't easy, and the Fu family had dwindled until Fu Liushan was the sole sprout left. He Lingchuan was suddenly reminded of Fang Canran. It turned out there truly were forces that could span time and space, enduring endlessly. "Aiya, it's not that grand," Fu Liushan waved a hand dismissively. "I'm just muddling through the days. Muddled along until now and I'm still a bachelor—no wife, no kids. Sigh! "If you can really purify the Luosheng Armor, I'll be free, and even my descendants will be freed forever and ever—if I ever have any, that is." He cupped his hands to He Lingchuan. "You will be my family's great benefactor!" Over a hundred and sixty years—the ancestral burden of the Fu family had finally come to an end with his generation! From this moment on, he too could embrace a new life. He Lingchuan smiled without speaking. "But if you can't—" Fu Liushan swung leisurely onto his horse, "I will come looking for you." That was his duty. "Now that your burden is gone, Brother Fu, do you still intend to stay on the Shanjin Plain?" He Lingchuan smiled. "Why not follow in the footsteps of the Ying and head west? The sky is broad and the land wide out there." "Head west? Nah." Fu Liushan shook his head. "I'm a Heavenly Master. If I don't stay on the Shanjin Plain, am I supposed to go catch ghosts in the west? Ever heard that saying? 'Each land nurtures its own people.' And the Shanjin Plain might not be as bad as you all think." With that, he gave the reins a gentle flick. Without needing any command, the horse began walking forward slowly. Fu Liushan waved to them, then vanished into the distant darkness. "Let's go find Three-Tails." Calling to Dong Rui, He Lingchuan turned and set off toward Red Bean Ridge. Tonight's primary mission had yet to be completed. What he had just said about "purifying" was nothing more than complete nonsense. Purify, my foot—the Luosheng Armor had simply been swallowed by the divine bone necklace! While he was clashing with Fu Tianlin, the divine bone necklace had remained scalding hot the entire time, so impatient that it had practically been screaming at him: "Quick, quick, shove it into my mouth!" As to whether to claim this evil armor for his own use, He Lingchuan had weighed it repeatedly. First, he wasn't sure just how sinister the Luosheng Armor was, nor how much resentment and fear it had absorbed across the Shanjin Plain. Second, He Lingchuan was well aware that he was not yet capable of utter fearlessness. From love arises worry, from love arises fear. Deep in his heart, there still lurked fears and hidden anxieties; he was unwilling to submit himself to the Luosheng Armor's test.