The opponent was just an ordinary person. Lu Chengsha didn’t even draw his sword but still felt a bit guilty as he spoke.
The people around him were intimidated by his presence and noticed nothing.
He withdrew his hand and leaped onto the roof, intending to continue his search, when suddenly he heard a woman’s voice in his ear.
Hua Yan, with her arms crossed, was also standing on the roof and said, “When I’m not around, you’re quite daring with your words.”
The person in front of her turned to leave immediately, but upon hearing her voice, his body visibly trembled, and even his retreating figure appeared somewhat flustered.
Hua Yan laughed in exasperation at his bold yet unaccountable behavior. Just a moment ago, she even thought…
“Don’t run away! Is this how you act as a husband?”
Although Lu Chengsha had run, it was clear he hadn’t gone far.
“If you have the guts, say it again.”
Hua Yan knew he could definitely hear her.
Sure enough, after a while, Lu Chengsha’s voice drifted over, “…We are married.”
Is that all he knows how to say!
Hua Yan, irritated, retorted, “Even if we’re married, we can still divorce!”
Lu Chengsha seemed to be taken aback and said, “…No, we can’t!”
Hua Yan said, “If I say we can, we can! Last time when you followed me out of the sect, didn’t you see that widow? She could remarry, and no one said she had to be loyal to one man for life.”
Lu Chengsha muttered, “I’m still alive.”
Hua Yan angrily replied, “I don’t see much difference!”
Lu Chengsha was speechless for a moment, then finally said, “I can protect you.”
Hua Yan responded, “Who needs your protection! Can’t I protect myself?”
Lu Chengsha quickly corrected himself, “I want to protect you.”
Every time Hua Yan got mad at him, she would eventually soften. He was stubborn like an iron block, unyielding to any persuasion, yet occasionally he would show a bit of softness, carefully reaching out to her.
Sometimes, Hua Yan didn’t even know whether Lu Chengsha would compromise first or if she would.
She even crazily thought that maybe spending a lifetime just hearing but not seeing each other wasn’t entirely unacceptable…
After all, she really didn’t want anyone else.
Hua Yan took a deep breath and said, “Say something nice again, and not just about my looks.”
Although Lu Chengsha often said astonishing things without realizing it, he clearly struggled when he was supposed to speak seriously.
Hua Yan urged, “Hurry up, I still want to go back to shopping! Come on, since you were so bold to acknowledge it earlier, calling me a term of endearment shouldn’t be that hard!”
Lu Chengsha: “…”
Hua Yan pretended to leave.
Finally, Lu Chengsha’s voice came slowly and softly from behind her, tentatively saying, “…My lady?”
Good, Hua Yan was satisfied.
After coming down, she browsed through a shop selling rouge, powder, and jewelry. The shop assistant, seeing her generous spending, sweet-talked her as if their words were dipped in honey, praising Hua Yan from head to toe, and then unthinkingly said, “Madam, with your stunning beauty, any hairpin would suit you perfectly, guaranteed to make your husband unable to take his eyes off you.”
Hua Yan angrily replied, “He can’t see it!”
“Right, I’m sorry…” The shop assistant, accustomed to observing customers’ moods, saw her married woman’s hairstyle and assumed… quickly correcting themselves, “Guaranteed to make your next husband unable to take his eyes off you!”
Hua Yan hadn’t said anything yet when the assistant suddenly shivered.
They looked around, bewildered, wondering why they felt a sudden chill down their back.
“You’d better stop talking,” Hua Yan advised kindly. She toyed with a pair of earrings in her hand and suddenly asked, “How long have you been in Night City? Have you ever seen the owner, Jiang Louyue? I’m a bit curious.”
The assistant hesitated for a moment and said, “About seven or eight years, I suppose. With the owner’s status, how could someone like me have met them? At most, I’ve heard a bit here and there.”
Hua Yan, pretending to be a curious outsider, said, “Then tell me what you know.”
Probably many people were curious about Jiang Louyue, so the assistant didn’t find it strange and said, “The owner always wears a mask. Even though we work under the owner, we don’t know if the owner is male or female, old or young, only that the owner now likes to wear flamboyant clothes.”
Hua Yan asked, “Now?”
The assistant replied, “Yes, the owner’s tastes change every few decades. I heard from the older employees that the owner used to favor green clothes and before that, yellow clothes. The masks would change accordingly. But the owner isn’t harsh with us. During holidays, those who have worked here a long time even receive gifts from the establishment, which is much better than working at other shops.”
Hua Yan calculated and thought to herself, it really has been passed down through generations.
Thinking about this, she continued, “So your owner hasn’t married or taken a spouse? No relatives or friends around? Someone has to handle the affairs, right?”
The assistant replied, “It’s true that I’ve never heard of the owner getting married. There are some relatives, but they keep to themselves, so we haven’t seen them. There are four chief stewards who handle most of the affairs, so the owner rarely needs to appear in person.”
Hua Yan asked, “Has no one ever seen the owner’s true face? Is the owner beautiful or not?”
The assistant shook their head, “I’ve never heard of anyone who has. There was a rumor decades ago that the owner was a tall, graceful woman, but that was baseless, and over time, no one believed it anymore.”
Hua Yan pondered, “That’s very mysterious. Has anything significant ever happened to your owner?”
The assistant thought for a moment and said, “Not to the owner, no. But there was an incident in the building itself. About ten or twenty years ago, I can’t remember exactly, there was a big fire in the Dongfeng Buye Tower. After that, it was rebuilt and completely repainted red.”
Hua Yan listened, somewhat confused, but made a mental note to tell Xie Yingxian later.
Typically, a lord and his concubine would share a room, but that demonic cult disciple was very insistent. Since he had arranged the inn rooms, Hua Yan agreed, and they ended up booking two rooms.
After moving in, she somewhat regretted it. She thought, if they had booked one room, it might have angered Lu Chengsha enough to reveal himself.
As her maid laid out the bed, tidied the room, and organized the new jewelry, she asked, “Madam, do you need to perform any rituals today?”
Hua Yan was pleased with her maid’s attentiveness but said, “No need! We can’t rely on rituals every day. The heavens should learn to fend for themselves!”
In truth, she didn’t know where Lu Chengsha would be staying that night.
The auction began the following afternoon.
They had acquired invitations from a wealthy merchant. The guards at the entrance scrutinized the demonic cult disciple for a while, making Hua Yan worry he might lose his composure. Fortunately, they were soon allowed in.
The auction was held in a specially built venue in Night City, spacious and well-suited for such events. Upon entering, Hua Yan noticed the luxurious private boxes for the elite and the distinguished guests below, making it a prime target for the Zhengyi Sect to rob.
Upon closer inspection, she saw disciples from other sects, all armed and vigilant, deterring any potential trouble.
To her surprise, Hua Yan spotted Zuo Jingshuang from the Dangshan Sect and Mu Xuelang from the Qingcheng Sect. She remembered feeling heartbroken over their imagined tragic romance in her mind, which now felt like a lifetime ago.
Their relationship seemed better now, as they were conversing.
Upon further inspection, Hua Yan noticed that Zuo Jingshuang was the only one from the Dangshan Sect.
What were they up to?
She was no longer interested in these romances fraught with sectarian conflicts!
Having personally experienced such a bitter reality, she now believed it was better to have a love where both parties were well-matched in background and mutual affection from childhood.
Had she not already fallen for Lu Chengsha, she would never have the courage to entangle herself with another righteous hero. It was all youthful ignorance and recklessness… but now that things had come to this, there was no point in regretting it.
Before long, she saw the owner, Jiang Louyue, again seated at the head of the hall. Dressed in the same flamboyantly extravagant robes and wearing a mask, Jiang Louyue’s stature was neither too tall nor too short, leaving the gender ambiguous.
Jiang Louyue briefly expressed gratitude to the guests and announced the start of the auction.
During the first half of the auction, many guests in the private boxes raised their paddles, bidding on various priceless pieces of jewelry and antiques, some from previous dynasties. There were people standing nearby, eloquently describing the items in exaggerated terms.
Hua Yan wasn’t interested and told the demonic cult disciple to handle the bidding as he saw fit, warning him that if he won, he would have to figure out what to do next. After that, she slipped out.
The auction venue had about three or four floors, with a high ceiling. The surrounding area was a circular corridor, with refreshments and tea masters constantly brewing and pouring tea. Hua Yan grabbed two pieces of peach blossom pastry and strolled around, appearing to take a break while calculating Jiang Louyue’s approximate position, then slowly started to move upward.
As Hua Yan walked, she noticed the corridor was not lacking in women.
Many wealthy families had brought their families along, and those who were uninterested in the auction came out for some fresh air. The corridor had discreet resting areas, though some women deliberately stood outside, half-hidden, but still revealing some of their beauty.
Even though Hua Yan had seen much of the world, she knew that most women in secular society were very conservative. Such an auction was like a gathering for wealthy families; if someone was noticed, it might lead to a marriage proposal, even if not as a wife, then as a concubine.
She thought for a moment, then quickly ducked into a corner to change her hairstyle to that of a young girl, applied some rouge and powder, and removed her veil. She called out her maid to accompany her, and as she walked back, Hua Yan could clearly feel the varied gazes directed at her.
Some were subtle, some were bold and heated.
Hua Yan hadn’t paid much attention to this before, but ever since Lu Chengsha started appearing and disappearing mysteriously, she became more aware of the gazes around her, mainly to catch him. After realizing she couldn’t, she was frustrated for a long time.
She even went to a crowded market where no one knew her, carefully dressed up, and wore a dress recommended by Ning Yin that highlighted her figure, looking more enchanting. However, before she could sense Lu Chengsha’s gaze, he appeared out of nowhere and threw a cloak over her head.
He swooped in to drape it over her and disappeared again.
Hua Yan, clutching the cloak, was delighted for a moment and found a secluded place, saying, “You were spying on me!”
Lu Chengsha responded, “No.”
Hua Yan said, “If you didn’t look at me, why give me a cloak? It’s not like you thought I was cold!”
It was June!
Lu Chengsha was silent for a while before saying, “They were looking at you with ill intentions.”
Hua Yan savored his words, feeling both happy and stubbornly said, “Anyway, we’re demonic cult enchantresses, being looked at won’t hurt us.”
Lu Chengsha said, “…No.”
He’s really impossible, always saying no to everything! Such a bother!
But now, he couldn’t control her anyway!
Her maid was initially shocked by her appearance, but Hua Yan’s confident demeanor convinced her.
Hua Yan said, “The time has come for you to be useful. Don’t worry about the master! I picked you because I trust you.”
“Re-really, are you sure?”
Hua Yan reassured her, “Don’t be afraid, nothing will go wrong. There will be a reward for you once this is over.”
The maid swallowed hard, glanced sympathetically at the demonic cult disciple’s location, and finally nodded resolutely, “Alright!”
Before long, someone approached Hua Yan. She smiled silently and had her maid deflect them, knowing that truly influential families wouldn’t come personally. Sure enough, shortly after, someone sent a servant. Hua Yan calculated and had her maid deflect them again.
Ignoring the subtle murderous aura from Lu Chengsha, after a while, a servant dressed as one from the Dongfeng Buye Tower came over and politely asked her maid, “Excuse my rudeness, but which family does your young lady belong to?”
Hua Yan smiled and pinched her maid’s waist from behind. Her maid immediately caught on and fluently recited their prepared story.
The servant said, “There is a gentleman upstairs who would like to invite the young lady to the corridor for a chat. He promises not to offend.”
Hua Yan glanced around for any lurking shadows and then nodded, agreeing to go.
She wasn’t really interested in the nobles, just curious if anyone could take her to see Jiang Louyue.
Upstairs, the resting area in the corridor was separated by a translucent beaded curtain. She sat across from the gentleman. Though Hua Yan didn’t like small talk, having spent a lot of time with Xie Yingxian, she had learned a bit about dealing with people.
When the gentleman learned she wanted to meet Jiang Louyue, he was a bit surprised but indicated it wasn’t entirely impossible.
He said that they had connections with the Dongfeng Buye Tower and could arrange for her to visit under the guise of a formal call.
Hua Yan naturally showed a look of being flattered and pleasantly surprised, which the gentleman clearly enjoyed. Though he had only been wearing a light spring shirt, he put on an extra robe before they went out.
She instructed her nervous maid to wait outside and donned her veil before following the gentleman alone, as he mentioned that Jiang Louyue did not like seeing many people and could only bring one person.
Hua Yan clutched a silk fan in her hand, thinking to herself that if he dared to deceive her, he was finished!
As they walked, the gentleman subtly moved closer to her and said, “May I ask what fragrance you use? It smells wonderful.”
Hua Yan replied reservedly, “Sir, it would be best if you didn’t stay too close to me.”
The gentleman asked, “Oh, why is that?”
Hua Yan smiled, “Because someone will hit you later.”
The gentleman laughed as if hearing a joke, “Your father? Miss, you have a great sense of humor.”
She held her patience, and they finally arrived. Upon opening the door, it really was Jiang Louyue inside.
Through the mask, Jiang Louyue’s expression was unreadable. The gentleman courteously greeted him, while Jiang Louyue responded in a neutral tone. The conversation was polite but mundane, with the gentleman addressing him as “Master,” and Jiang Louyue referring to him as “dear nephew.”
Hua Yan carefully observed but still found it difficult to discern Jiang Louyue’s gender or age. The voice seemed altered by some kind of pill stuck in the throat, and the appearance was likely deliberately disguised. The decor in Jiang Louyue’s private room was simple, giving no clues to his preferences or identity.
Though her current role as a maid prevented her from speaking, it didn’t stop her from secretly placing a tracking insect. Almost immediately after she set it down, the gentleman was already escorting her out.
Relieved, Hua Yan’s demeanor turned cold. The gentleman, feeling proud, asked, “Well, how was it?”
Now that the task was done, Hua Yan turned on him and coldly said, “I’m leaving.”
The gentleman was taken aback, “Miss, didn’t you say you wanted to accompany me further…”
Hua Yan replied, “I’ve changed my mind.”
The gentleman’s expression darkened, “Using me and then discarding me, Miss, do you not know my identity? This is rather heartless.”
Hua Yan thought for a moment and decided to teach him a lesson. She suddenly lifted her hand, touched his chin, leaned in close, and then swiftly pulled back, disappearing in an instant.
The gentleman, whose heart had started racing, was left dumbfounded. As he regained his composure and was about to react, he saw a stern-faced man in black rounding the corner, his eyes fierce. The gentleman shivered involuntarily.
***
Hua Yan, having disguised herself anew, waited for the tracking insect to move. Around the midpoint of the auction, the insect’s position began to change.
She immediately and silently followed the tracking insect. Hua Yan prided herself on her exceptional lightness skill, so she wasn’t particularly afraid. The tracking insect’s position kept moving upward, so she ascended accordingly. Strangely, when she reached the top, the insect suddenly moved downward.
Could there be a hidden ladder leading down?
Hua Yan quickly pursued the direction.
At the top of the auction venue, there was a platform near the eaves, with a small door at the edge. Hua Yan, confident in her abilities, hesitated only briefly before pulling open the door and following the path. Inside, there was another corridor, and the insect’s position continued to change.
Having come this far, Hua Yan was determined not to give up.
She continued forward, but suddenly, the ground shook. Caught off guard, Hua Yan felt herself becoming weightless. She initially thought to cling to the wall, but at the last moment, a different thought crossed her mind, and she let herself fall. A shadow followed her down.
Moments later, Hua Yan landed and, upon opening her eyes, saw Lu Chengsha.
He immediately turned his head to leave.
But it was clear this trap wasn’t meant to be easily escaped. Lu Chengsha hadn’t taken more than a couple of steps when Hua Yan’s chilling voice rang out from behind him, “Run, run! Why aren’t you running now? Weren’t you running so fast before!”