Chapter 120: Isn't it just a face? I don't want it anymore!

"Brother, is Master really dead?" For three days, Ling Yi had refused to believe that Wen Jingge could simply be gone. In his mind, his master’s death should have been a grand, tragic affair, not something so casual. Moreover, it had happened because of a single word from someone else.

"I don't know." Yang Wennan felt a knot in his stomach; even he couldn't understand why, after so much time had passed, he was still so anxious.

"Brother, were the things in your dreams events that actually happened in the past?" Ling Yi looked from one to the other, finally fixing his gaze on Qiao Yu. "Brother Qiao, why are you so silent?"

The eldest brother, Liang Si, was occasionally checking their route; Yang Wennan was sighing; Wang Xi was preoccupied with sand in her eyes. Only Qiao Yu seemed utterly hollow, as if he had yet to emerge from his previous state of mind.

"I don't know what to say." As he spoke, he looked at Liang Si. He didn't know why, but he found himself strangely afraid of this eldest brother, even though Liang Si had done nothing.

"Are you hungry?" Liang Si asked, pulling sesame flatbreads from his robes. "You all should make do with this. Junior Brother Yang, come here; I have something to ask you."

"Brother." Ling Yi tugged at Yang Wennan’s sleeve, reluctant to let him go. Aside from Wen Jingge, Yang Wennan was the person he was most familiar with among them.

"It's fine." Yang Wennan patted his arm reassuringly and divided half his bread for the dazed Beixi Buddha. "Eat something."

"This humble monk thanks the benefactor. Tee-hee."

"Hey! What about mine?"

"You are a demon; do you even eat human food?" Ling Yi looked curiously at the Holy Son of the Demon Tribe. "How strange. The monk has amnesia, but you have hands and feet—why do you keep following us?"

The Holy Son of the Demon Tribe: "..."

"What do you call the Northern Demon?" Children were always outspoken. Although the Holy Son considered himself a child, Ling Yi clearly appeared more childlike than him. The boy blinked, his eyes sparkling as if they held stars. "What's his title? Everyone in the Northern Demon Realm is called 'Northern Demon something.' Are you an exception?"

"Northern Demon Shadow."

"Beimoling at least has a bell, and her bell is formidable. What about your shadow?"

Beimo Ying felt a suffocating sensation, wishing he had never spoken. "I was born from a demon shadow, hence the name Northern Demon Shadow."

"Oh, I heard demon shadows are the lowest form of mindless creatures. Why are you different?"

Beimo Ying couldn't tell if the boy was praising or insulting him. "If you don't know how to speak, then don't."

His gaze remained fixed on Qiao Yu. If Beimoling had encountered this version of Qiao Yu in the past, things would have been resolved long ago. But now that Wen Jingge was dead, he had no heart for managing the affairs of the Demon Realm. Even with Qiao Yu—a natural talent—and Ling Yi—a modified semi-finished product—present, and knowing these boys were likely no match for him, he did not take advantage of their vulnerability. Regardless of anything else, his first life had been given by Wen Jingge, and his second as well, though neither had been particularly pleasant.

"I know how to speak quite well. My master even praised my eloquence. Master..." Ling Yi continued to study him curiously. "I know it was you who killed those people."

"And then?" Beimo Ying licked his lips, amused. "Do you want to kill me?"

"No." He shook his head and looked at the brothers and sisters scattered around. "I mean, you could take me away right now."

The heat was stifling and the desert winds were fierce, yet Beimo Ying was suddenly drenched in a cold sweat. This child... he actually made him feel the same pressure he felt when facing Wen Jingge.

"Take advantage of this moment..." The voice was full of temptation.

But Beimo Ying was a coward. He not only felt afraid but also retreated, sitting down next to Wang Xi.

"What are you doing?" She had no patience for demons other than her master. Besides, she held a grudge; after all, it was because they were pursuing him that her master had met with disaster. If not for Beimo Ying, her master would not have died.

"Who is your little junior brother closest to?" Beimo Ying cowered, wishing he could vanish into the earth. It wasn't for anything else, but the way Ling Yi stared was terrifying for a child.

"Master, of course!" Wang Xi stood up and drew her sword without a word. "You're following us—don't tell me you're still plotting against my second brother and little junior brother!"

"I am not!" Beimo Ying felt aggrieved. "You can't just attack me because I'm a demon! Isn't your Grand Master also a demon?"

"But he didn't—" Wang Xi paused. That wasn't right; the Grand Master had been forced into that position because he wanted to harm Qiao Yu. "He only harmed one person!"

"And didn't I only harm one person?" Beimo Ying looked at her pitifully. "In a way, I'm practically your master's own son!"

"Huh?" Wang Xi was stunned. She had never heard of her master ever being married. Who was that man? How dare he marry her master?

Beimo Ying, thinking she didn't believe him, added, "She really did mold me herself. I hate her only because she thought I was ugly."

"You are quite ugly." Wang Xi touched his face; it felt hard and artificial. "You should change your face."

Beimo Ying took a deep breath. "If I wasn't afraid of you being accidentally harmed by other demons, do you think I'd be willing to follow you? What a waste of my time. It's just a face, isn't it? I don't want it anymore!"

"..." Wang Xi sighed. "Demons really are demons; they discard their faces as if they were nothing."

Beimo Ying found a corner to squat in by himself. This group of brats were no disciples of a righteous sect; they were more difficult to deal with than the demons themselves. Why were they all so good at infuriating people?

"Brother, why did you call me over..."

"How much do you remember about the Soul Clan?"

"Brother..." Yang Wennan looked at him with profound scrutiny. If it were back when he first went up the mountain, this brother would certainly have held a higher place in his heart than the unreliable Wen Jingge. But after everything he had experienced since descending the mountain, his master’s status had risen significantly. Especially after seeing the handover between Ji Alao and Di Ruo, he felt this brother was much like those men guarding the outer walls of the snowy plains—like them, he was a man without a soul. Men without souls once had them, but their souls were those crows that came swooping in. As for Liang Si’s soul, he had no idea where it might be.

"I come from the past," Liang Si wrote on the ground.

Yang Wennan froze. Even with his eyes closed, he could see the outside world if he wished.

"Brother, do you mean..."

"I only just remembered. I remembered when Master stepped onto that red carpet... I know you are one, too..."

"But there is no evidence to prove I am the last of the Soul Clan. I have memories of a complete childhood, and the mark of the Soul Clan is branded onto the soul itself."

"I am different from you." A bitter smile appeared on his lips. "I returned with a changed appearance. Master... at this moment in time, she should not have died."