A Torrential Downpour of 1980s Melodrama

Qin Yue straightened up and slowly walked out of the great hall, his gaze sweeping across the crowd: the subordinates of Heaven-defying Palace were lined up in perfect order, each with a member of the Yun clan tossed beside them. Some faces bore terror, others confusion, hatred, or streaming tears... All had been muted, so the entire square was silent, steeped in an atmosphere of grim severity.

Xuanjing followed behind Qin Yue, shaking his head, murmuring, "Amitabha, good, good. Lay down the butcher’s knife and become a Buddha. I hope you will think thrice, Qin Daoist, and not fall into the path of demons, never to return."

Qin Yue was silent for a long time before he spoke: "The Buddhist doctrine says, ‘All forms are illusory.’ If one lives without attachment, rejoices not in possessions, nor grieves for oneself... what difference is there between the demon’s path and the Buddha’s path?"

Xuanjing replied, "This... alas, my Buddha is compassionate, my Buddha is merciful, delivering all beings... Amitabha."

Qin Yue let out a cold laugh, turned to face the Red Emperor Palace, and with a sudden wave of his hand, two rows of wild, bold characters appeared on the pillars flanking the hall.

Xuanjing read aloud, "This is... ‘Attaining enlightenment beneath the blade of the Asura... Delivering all beings from the register of life and death’... Amitabha, what a sin!"

Qin Yue’s expression grew colder, his gaze swept the horizon: If Xiaoyu were still here... he would surely oppose my actions. If I let these people go, my heart would not be at peace—why could Xiaoyu die, but they cannot? If not for these people, how would Yun Jingdan have been tempted by greed?

The more he thought, the angrier he became, just about to give orders, when he sensed a faint fluctuation of energy in the air—a wave so familiar, like one encountered before—the secret passage! This was the same energy wave that appeared before the spatial rift!

Qin Yue instantly tensed: Why is it appearing here? Could it be... Xiaoyu isn’t dead?!

The thought flashed through his mind, his heart began to pound wildly, his skin tingling, and with a flash he appeared in the courtyard, scanning around, striving to sense the source of the energy.

Everyone saw him suddenly dash to the center of the square and spin about in confusion, leaving even the subordinates of Heaven-defying Palace puzzled: Is our master grieving so much he’s lost his mind?

Those of Red Emperor Palace secretly rejoiced: Has this demon lost his senses? With Master Xuanjing here, perhaps everyone will escape disaster?

Xuanjing and the others were also surprised: He was fine just now, but now he seems to be searching for something?

As they wondered, Qin Yue suddenly froze, staring blankly at a spot in the sky. Following his gaze, Xuanjing and the rest looked up to see a sparkling dot, gradually expanding. Suddenly, a golden wing stretched out, then a sharp beak, slender legs, a graceful body, and long tail feathers—the divine Phoenix!

Xuanjing and the others were dumbfounded: This ancient sacred bird hasn’t gone extinct?

The Phoenix had just emerged, and the glowing seam behind it quietly closed, leaving no trace. The bird landed and instantly transformed into an extraordinarily handsome youth, his lively eyes darting around, head tilted in surprise: "Huh? What’s this spectacle? A public trial?"

All the blood in Qin Yue’s body rushed to his head, and he lunged forward uncontrollably, clasping the youth tightly in his arms, refusing to let go. The young man looked a bit dazed, still processing what was happening, when Qin Yue seized his chin and kissed him fiercely.

Luo Yu saw the grand scene as soon as he landed, feeling rather pleased: Old man, you dared to provoke me! Now you know how formidable I am!

But before he could properly greet anyone, Qin Yue rushed up, and his mouth was ravaged. Luo Yu was stunned, barely able to react, then felt something hot prying his teeth open, wrapping around his tongue, greedily sucking as if trying to swallow him whole. Luo Yu’s mind turned to mush: He really does fancy me! So many people are watching! How can he be so direct... hasn’t even confessed... Ugh... This... a biting dog doesn’t bark... my tongue hurts...

Luo Yu struggled a few times, but it was futile; soon, he was muddled and limp, thoroughly ravaged by his own brother.

The two lingered in each other’s arms for a long while, oblivious to the crowd, until Qin Yue reluctantly let him go, then hugged his head, rubbing his cheek against Luo Yu’s soft hair.

Luo Yu buried his face in Qin Yue’s chest, his heart pounding: What now? This is... disastrous! This is totally gay! He really is gay! But why do I feel kind of happy... Can we still be good brothers after this? Or are we best buddies now? Damn, we’ve already kissed, so let’s do it—who’s afraid of whom!

Luo Yu lifted his face, glaring at Qin Yue: "You fancy me, so why didn’t you confess first? Biting people without saying a word!" With that, he stomped on Qin Yue’s foot in annoyance.

Qin Yue looked at that little mouth opening and closing, still bearing red and purple marks from the kiss, and couldn’t help but lean down and lick him, saying, "What’s the point of confessing—I know you have me in your heart, that’s enough."

Caught off guard by another lick, Luo Yu’s face turned beet red: This is so mushy!

He mumbled, "I mean... uh, why didn’t you confess to me!"

Qin Yue replied, "Now you know, don’t you?"

The two were wrapped up in their own world, completely forgetting everyone else.

Xuanjing, realizing the Phoenix was Luo Yu, was first shocked, then delighted: Now the Yun clan is saved! He waited patiently, but seeing the pair endlessly entwined, he finally stepped forward, clearing his throat: "Congratulations to you both. Young friend Luo, blessed by fortune, has returned safely—truly a blessing for us all. Amitabha, good, good."

The other teammates who had explored together came forward to offer congratulations as well; Luo Yu, realizing their kiss had been witnessed by everyone, blushed furiously, sneaking a glance at Qin Yue, whose expression remained perfectly natural. Luo Yu grumbled inwardly: He’s really thick-skinned! Not embarrassed at all!

Yun Jingdan saw Luo Yu and couldn’t help but call out, "Young friend Luo—is it really you?"

Luo Yu, hearing this, turned angrily: "You bastard! I’m not your friend!" He rushed up and kicked Yun Jingdan several times, cursing, "You dared to strike while I was down and attack my wife! You nearly got us killed, you know?"

Yun Jingdan endured the abuse, replying, "This was my fault, but your partner was about to bury my entire clan with you! Now that you’ve returned safely, can you really ignore all this?"

Luo Yu swept his gaze around the courtyard, then back to Qin Yue, incredulous: "You really wanted to kill so many people? ...Could you actually do it?"

Qin Yue held his hand tightly, replying calmly, "Yes."

Luo Yu gritted his teeth, shrank his neck, and muttered, "Should I praise you for loyalty, or call you insane... I knew from the start you were a latent criminal! *** I’ll have to keep a close eye on you... You’ve been corrupted by Lampez!"

Qin Yue’s lips curled into a smile: "Alright!"

Seeing his look, Luo Yu felt his face grow hot—so shy! What the hell is happening?

Yun Jingdan, observing the exchange, was overjoyed: This Luo kid is soft-hearted, a perfect breakthrough!

He donned a repentant expression, saying, "It’s all my fault for losing my wits in a crisis and making a grave mistake; now that young friend Luo has returned safely, we can turn hostility into harmony. Qin Daoist need not stain his hands with blood—what a joy. If you persuade your partner to reconsider, I swear here and now, all of Qin Daoist’s actions today will be forgiven; Red Emperor Palace will never pursue them."

Luo Yu said, "Even though I’m back, you still attempted murder—do you think I’m a three-year-old? Kicking me in a panic is one thing, but what about that palm strike at my wife?"

Qin Yue glanced coldly at Yun Jingdan, remarking, "Those I wish to kill—none have escaped death yet. Prepare yourself."

Luo Yu heard this, glanced at Qin Yue, and said nothing.

Yun Jingdan’s face changed; seeing Luo Yu unwilling to mediate, he knew his cause was lost, and shouted, "You demon! You’ve killed several of my clansmen—how do you explain that?"

Qin Yue’s face remained wooden: "You brought disaster upon yourself. If you’re dissatisfied, try your luck."

Yun Jingdan realized Qin Yue was shamelessly flaunting his power, his anger flaring: "Demon! Bullying the weak—how can anyone accept it? I will avenge this, even as a vengeful spirit I won’t let you go!"

Qin Yue sneered, gave Yun Jingdan a fleeting look, then pulled Luo Yu away.

Yun Jingdan continued to curse: "I’ll eat your flesh, sleep on your bones, you’ll never..." But his words faded, replaced by Xuanjing’s voice: "Amitabha, karma turns, retribution is certain. Yun clan master’s fate ends today, all transforms into myriad Buddhas, good, good."

Qin Yue led Luo Yu to the bottom of the hall, gestured for Yun Jingdan’s disciples to be released, and declared, "Today’s actions at Red Emperor Palace—if you bear any grudge, come for me."

The crowd remained silent; after a long look, they knew their master had caused this disaster, though the loss of several Golden Core cultivators was indeed regrettable. Yet, in a cultivator clan, kinship was thin—the close relatives of those Golden Core elders had died a century ago, and they spent their days in seclusion, aloof from the rest. What affection remained? With Qin Yue so powerful, revenge would be suicide; not a single person stepped forward to demand justice.

The scene was awkward, until the lone remaining Golden Core cultivator stepped out and said, "Greetings. Today’s vendetta has its causes. Red Emperor Palace was at fault first, you were at fault later; thus, the feud ends here, all else is written off. If we meet again, we owe each other nothing. What do you say?"

Qin Yue squinted at him, recognizing the one who had tried to persuade him at the start, and replied, "That is agreeable."

He then took from Yun Jingdan’s person the bag of holding—Xuanjing’s, in fact—pulled out a bracelet, glanced inside, pocketed it, tossed the bag to Xuanjing, and swaggered off with his Heaven-defying Palace cronies.

Xuanjing and the others stared after Qin Yue in disbelief: He... just took the bracelet like that? Did he forget something?

They exchanged glances, none daring to chase after the demon for a share of the spoils—he’d returned the bag but nothing else, clearly unwilling to share. Chasing after him would be trouble. They grumbled a while, then shook their heads: Well, at least we found some herbs and materials... whatever’s in that bracelet... sigh! Best pretend we never saw it, or else the more we think, the more unfair it feels. Even if we report to the sect, it’s too late—once eaten, who spits it out? No point making the sect an enemy.

Luo Yu, hand in hand with Qin Yue, kept sneaking glances behind, whispering updates, "They didn’t chase us~ hehehe! These ancients are so thin-skinned, letting you gobble everything up! Not cool... Oh, they’re heading back! Hahaha~"

Qin Yue glanced over his shoulder, replying nonchalantly, "Hmph... They simply didn’t have the guts to ask."

The two scoundrels privately pocketed the treasures, happily holding hands, heading home together.

Author’s note: Why did little Luo Yu appear... explanation coming soon~ Goldfinger activated again~ Cultivation Chronicles of Best Buddies 80_Buddy Cultivation Chronicles full free read_80 chapters of melodrama completed!