A Touch Of Irony

Qi Shun quietly follows behind the Sect Leader, silence filling the atmosphere between them. The other servants had long left, leaving the two to themselves. Qi Shun doesn't care enough to start up a conversation, and it appears that Qin Jin feels the same as neither utters a single word.

The moment they walk into Qin Jin's chambers and the door closes behind them, the sect leader saunters over to the center of the room, stopping and turning to face Qi Shun. Wearing a gentle smile as usual, Qin Jin's eyes harden, and the two immortals face each other in silence. The tension is palpable, as though you could almost reach out and touch it, when Qin Jin speaks up.

"Isn't this robe of mine nice?" Qi Shun is slightly startled by the abrupt breach in silence.

"...En."

Qin Jin's smile grows into a manic grin, his subtle and delicate features taking on a sort of wild aura. He spins on his heel, swiftly removing his outer robes, and throwing them at Qi Shun's face. Taken by surprise for the second time today in under an hour, the robes catch the King of Spirits' face, blinding him momentarily.

"BEGONE LIKE IDLE THOUGHT!" Qin Jin bellows.

The master doesn't miss a beat, crossing the room without hesitation, and striking Qi Shun with an open palm just below the ribs. He proceeds to grab the King's shoulder, swinging his momentum into a sharp kick to the back of Qi Shun's knee, forcing him to kneel as he finally managed to rip the robes from around his face.

The King is livid, being forced to kneel by a mere mortal. However, the master of the Yun sect pays no mind. Taking advantage of his position behind his kneeling opponent, he seizes the taller male's throat and bends his head backward. Raising an arm, he swings his elbow downward, aiming to land an executioner's blow to Qi Shun's jaw.

"It seems like I won't have it that easy, ah." Qin Jin says with a touch of sorrow in his voice, as his elbow rests in the grip of the King's hand.

The King had caught the blow before impact.

Gripping like a vice, Qi Shun holds the sect leader in place, as Qin Jin struggles to break free. The King plants a foot on the floor, pivoting, and throws his opponent over his shoulder. Qin Jin is thrown forward with as much force as Qi Shun can muster from his awkward position. Launched headlong through the air, it's all Qin Jin can do to land on his feet before a familiar floating sword's silver edge is leveled at his throat.

"Well played. I see why one of my best disciples lost to you. Your strength is unparalleled, King of Spirits." Qin Jin raises his hands to show he has no intention of continuing.

After the whole ordeal is over, the two eye each other wearily before Qin Jin clears his throat and speaks up.

"So, what exactly are your intentions? Why did you decide to come to the human realm?"

The King of Spirits doesn't say anything for a while, his face cloaked with indifference. Qin Jin waits patiently—if the King is taking so long to answer, then the reason must be extremely important!

After another stretch of silence, Qi Shun finally opens his mouth, "I was simply bored."

Qin Jin: "....."

Qi Shun: "....."

"...Seriously?" Qin Jin's face fills with black lines. So it was just for a stupid reason such as that?!

The King doesn't falter and only answers with a nod of his head and an, "En."

Qin Jin already has his hand on the hilt of his sword; he really wants to beat this ridiculous King of Spirits to death!!! Who causes thousands to die just because of boredom? This is no laughing matter! Don't even mention the fact that this powerful spirit just defeated one of his disciples and a close friend...

Good thing he is a respectable Sect Leader, as he quickly composes himself and sighs, his hand falling back to his side. There is no need to let his emotions blind him. He must act rationally.

"So you did not have any intention of killing so many innocent people when coming to the human realm?" Qin Jin questions, raising an eyebrow. He must find out the King's true intentions.

Once again, the King of Spirits only shakes his head 'no.'

Qin Jin isn't stupid enough to buy this easily. He counters, "Then how do you explain the countless murders throughout these few years? It was clearly your doing!"

"..." Qi Shun doesn't have anything to say. Indeed, he only lived in the human realm and killed many people during his stay. However, it was only because they attacked him first—if they are posing a threat to him, then why should he not execute them on the spot? Why is it his fault in the end, if everyone wants to get rid of him?

He will kill, and kill without mercy if they are trying to kill him first.

In the end, Qi Shun only says this with sharp eyes: "Should I not eliminate those trying to kill me first?"

"..." Those words catch the sect leader off guard. It is true… ever since news spread across the lands that the King of Spirits came to the human realm, there has been a bounty for successfully defeating the powerful spirit. If one is able to defeat the King of Spirits, then they would not only gain fame, but also fortune! They will be highly respected by many cultivators, and be requested for many jobs. It had never occurred to Qin Jin that the King of Spirits only killed because he had to, not because he did it willingly.

After all, everyone tends to only see one side of the story, and then never listen to the other. Everyone had foolishly believed that the King of Spirits was a ruthless and murderous spirit, one that must be exorcized at all costs. With so many cultivators after the King, it would be even more idiotic to just stand there and let them destroy him.

Suddenly Qin Jin feels like he was the most foolish out of everyone around him. As a knowledgeable sect leader who had lived for more than a thousand years, how could he believe in those baseless rumors and not think about it twice? Truly an idiot, he is!

"...It appears I have misjudged you." Qin Jin finally replies, an apologetic gleam in his eyes. Although the King is innocent, it does not change the fact that because the King traveled to the human realm, the evil spirits were able to escape. The King of Spirits could not escape the blame entirely. "However, you still allowed the evil spirits to roam freely. Care to explain this?"

Qi Shun glances off to the side, his sharp gaze finally receding. "...I didn't want to go back to the Spirit Realm. That is all."

"Why? If you knew that everyone was suffering because of these evil spirits, why didn't you want to go back?" The sect leader continues with his interrogation with furrowed brows. Over his many years of life, he has seen death and life flash before his eyes. Just… no matter how many times he sees the death of his loved ones and disciples, he can never get used to it. The pain is always there.

Finally, Qi Shun's eyes meet with Qin Jin's. "If you lived for so many years, shouldn't you know of all people know why?"

Qin Jin is rendered speechless as he feels a pang of empathy well up inside him. It is true. The reason is quite clear to him, who has lived for more than a thousand years…

If you lived for so long, no matter how powerful you are, no matter how many followers you have, it will only give you indescribable loneliness. You cannot get too attached to others, because they will only die while you continue to live on with that pain. So you are forced to keep your distance from others, and only live life as it passes by in a blur.

Many believe that the gift of eternal life is a blessing, but it is only a curse for those who have it. Eventually, you will become bored—even tired of living the same immortal life.

This, Qin Jin understands quite well.

"...Hah," Qin Jin utters a small chuckle, "you are quite clever. Very well. I have decided you are not a threat to us, so you may leave now."

Satisfied with this answer, Qi Shun immediately turns around and takes long, quick strides out of the door. Not even a word of 'goodbye' is said.

The only thing on the King's mind is returning to Xu Jiyu's side again, before time runs out…