Hua Yan’s speed was undeniably fast, but to her surprise, Jiang Louyue’s speed wasn’t much slower. In an instant, Jiang Louyue’s finger intercepted Hua Yan’s hand that was reaching for the mask. Fingers and arms intertwined, and within the span of a breath, they had exchanged several moves, using their fingers as if they were swords.
Hua Yan was unsure whether to be more shocked that Jiang Louyue knew martial arts or that her skills were not weak at all—perhaps even stronger than the two guards outside. No wonder Jiang Louyue dared to travel with such a small entourage.
However, as Hua Yan looked more closely, Jiang Louyue didn’t seem like a woman. The wrist she was clashing against wasn’t delicate; it held concealed strength.
Hua Yan, with a wary tone, asked, “How did you know someone was following me?”
Jiang Louyue responded in an indifferent tone, “I also want to ask why the Holy Maiden of the Zhengyi Sect is sneaking into my Yecheng Auction House?”
Dongfeng Buye Tower is renowned for its ability to gather information from all over the world, a skill even their sect could not match.
Hua Yan, deciding to cut to the chase, asked directly, “Do you know Yu Ye?”
Jiang Louyue replied, “Are you referring to your former fiancé, who is now about to become the son-in-law of Ling Tianxiao?”
Hua Yan was startled, “He’s going to marry Ling Tianxiao’s daughter?”
Jiang Louyue said, “This news will spread soon, within a month at most.”
Hua Yan felt a bit disoriented. She finally understood why Ling Tianxiao favored Yu Ye so much.
It wasn’t a secret that Ling Tianxiao had a daughter. This young lady was probably one or two years older than Yu Ye and bore a strong resemblance to Ling Tianxiao. While Ling Tianxiao’s features might be passable on a man, they were less favorable on a woman. Additionally, Miss Ling Aoshué had been in poor health since childhood and had a notoriously bad temper. Even Chu Jun did not dare provoke her, which was why she remained unmarried at such an age.
Despite her disdain, Hua Yan couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration for Yu Ye. She even felt sorry for Miss Ling.
Hua Yan asked, “So, do you know him or not?”
Jiang Louyue said, “There’s no one in this world I don’t know.”
Hua Yan asked, “I mean, have you ever helped him?”
Jiang Louyue said, “I never help anyone; I only make deals.”
Hua Yan couldn’t determine the truth from Jiang Louyue’s tone, so she asked again, “Do you know how to use Gu?”
Jiang Louyue said, “Just a trivial skill.”
Hua Yan said, “In that case, can I make a deal with you?”
Jiang Louyue asked, “What deal?”
Hua Yan replied, “I want to know about the case of the Miyin Dragon Cave.”
Jiang Louyue said, “Everyone in the world knows about it. If our establishment had any special information, it would have been sold long ago.”
During this exchange, the carriage had already traveled quite a distance. Hua Yan was confident in Lu Chengsha’s abilities and wasn’t overly worried, but she found the person before her particularly difficult to deal with. She pondered for a moment and realized that it was just the two of them now. Taking a risk, she used her charming voice technique, lowering her voice and making it soft and persuasive, asking, “Do you harbor resentment, is that why you changed the play on stage like that? Tell me, what are you resentful about, please?”
She couldn’t see the other’s expression, but she sensed Jiang Louyue seemed to pause for a moment.
“Resentment? Who in this world can be without resentment? The river does not flow backward, and time does not move in reverse… Have you never harbored resentment?”
Jiang Louyue’s tone had always been calm, but now it carried a strong incitement.
Hua Yan had a moment of confusion, as if she had returned to that night at Tingjian Manor, watching helplessly as Lu Chengsha was on the verge of collapse, powerless to help, unable even to step forward.
How could she not have resentment?
She bit her lip, the years of immersion in poison making her instinctively sense something was wrong. Her lower lip was bitten until it bled, and the pain slowly brought her back to her senses. She noticed that the blue and white porcelain incense burner next to Jiang Louyue was emitting a fragrance, with wisps of blue smoke drifting and mingling with an indescribable scent that made her feel a bit dizzy. Forcing herself to stay alert, she quickly took out a pill and swallowed it, while trying to hold her breath and move away from the incense burner.
Jiang Louyue said, “Quick reaction. I wonder if that person is just as quick.”
Hua Yan suddenly stood up, her head nearly hitting the top of the carriage.
Jiang Louyue said, “You followed the Gu, but you don’t know that there are actually three or four identical carriages on the road now. There is fog tonight; it will be hard to distinguish them.”
Indeed, the fog was gradually rising at night. Lu Chengsha had been almost following the carriage closely, but slowly, the distance had increased.
The bell hanging from the rear of the carriage tinkled softly in the wind, blending into a continuous sound in the fog. The rolling of the wheels became more pronounced, and Lu Chengsha realized that there was more than one carriage, and these carriages were confusing his vision.
Hua Yan suddenly realized, “Is it Jingmeng? No… it’s different. You really are in collusion with Yu Ye!”
Jiang Louyue said indifferently, “More than one person knows how to use confusion incense.”
Hua Yan immediately attempted to remove Jiang Louyue’s mask again, but this time, Jiang Louyue reacted even faster. Pressing some mechanism, Jiang Louyue’s seat retracted backward, almost detaching from the carriage entirely. Hua Yan leapt to pursue, but almost simultaneously, a mechanism within the carriage activated, shooting out numerous silver needles as fine as cow hairs aimed directly at Hua Yan. She swiftly used her silk fan to deflect the needles, but then a red poisonous mist erupted from within the carriage. Hua Yan held her breath, covered her face with her sleeve, and retreated from the carriage. In the chaos, Jiang Louyue had already escaped.
However, Hua Yan could still hear Jiang Louyue’s voice trailing off.
“We of Dongfeng Buye Tower have no quarrel with your Tiancan Sect. Tell your leader to tread carefully.”
“And here’s a little parting gift for you.”
***
Lu Chengsha was certain he was hallucinating.
One moment, he was tracking the carriage, and the next, he seemed to sink into a dream. Looking up, he saw the third-story rooftop of Tingjian Manor, where a girl in a red dress held a torch, her smile both sinister and carefree, utterly unfamiliar.
Flames engulfed most of Tingjian Manor.
Lu Zhenxing’s voice rang in his ears, loudly commanding, “Kill her!”
Looking down, Lu Chengsha found a sword in his hand. He was neither injured nor restrained, and the people around him echoed the command, “Kill her!”
It was like the roar of a tidal wave.
The fire grew more intense, and everyone seemed to be in a fevered frenzy, urging and forcing him to act for the honor of Tingjian Manor, to uphold the righteousness of the sect. A voice persistently tempted him.
—Just kill her, and all your troubles will be gone.
Everyone would believe he did the right thing, that he was just. He should do it.
Emotion seemed to peel away from him, and he grew cold and indifferent, becoming as emotionless as the sword in his hand. So, he struck.
The sword pierced through soft flesh, her smile froze into an expression of disbelief.
Blood gushed out in torrents, and the surrounding people cheered as if he had accomplished something monumental.
Even Lu Zhenxing smiled and said, “Chengsha, well done. You have finally not disappointed me.”
She lay on the ground, body cold, her face blurred.
In front of him were faces full of kindness and warmth, reassuring Lu Chengsha that he needn’t worry anymore. He would forever be Tingjian Manor’s finest sword, and they began to celebrate joyfully.
Lu Chengsha’s back was drenched in cold sweat.
He could almost smell the metallic scent of blood on the sword, a scent he was all too familiar with. Blood ran down the blade onto his hand, cold and sticky, like a hissing snake with its tongue flicking.
He suddenly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he heard the sound of a woman gasping. She looked at him with a complicated expression, her chest covered in blood.
Lu Chengsha’s arm stiffened, and he nearly dropped the sword.
She slowly walked toward him.
A chilling, terrifying sensation crept up his spine to his brain. He couldn’t have done it; he couldn’t possibly have done it—
He grabbed the woman in front of him tightly.
Hua Yan was startled, “…Ah?”
She was scared out of her wits!
When Jiang Louyue said she had a gift for her, she didn’t think it was anything good. After getting off the carriage, she fought with Jiang Louyue’s two guards before hurriedly looking for Lu Chengsha, despite her disheveled state.
In the night fog, he was almost invisible.
Hua Yan searched for a long time before finding him, only to see Lu Chengsha with a dark, murderous look, holding his sword and seeming not to see her at all. Hua Yan didn’t dare approach.
It was clear Lu Chengsha was trapped in an illusion.
But she didn’t know what he was seeing to make him act like this.
Worried more than happy to see him, Hua Yan tried to clear the surrounding fog. Seeing he was slightly more lucid, she dared to get closer. For some reason, she always felt that Lu Chengsha might cut her with his sword, making her nervous for a long time. She didn’t expect to be suddenly hugged!
Lu Chengsha still held his sword, the hilt pressing against her back, causing some discomfort.
He hugged her tightly.
Hua Yan, nearly suffocating, finally whispered, “You’re going to strangle me.”
Lu Chengsha’s voice, anxious and soft, said, “…Don’t die.”
Hua Yan had never heard Lu Chengsha sound like this, as if he were truly scared. She was stunned for a moment, then pushed his head slightly, asking, “What’s wrong with you?”
Hearing her usual voice seemed to bring him back to his senses. He slowly released her and said, “You…”
Following his gaze, Hua Yan looked down at the large bloodstain on her chest, “Oh, this isn’t my blood. It’s from the poisonous mist Jiang Louyue released. It got on my clothes. Be careful not to touch it; it’s poisonous.”
Lu Chengsha was stunned for a moment.
Hua Yan, curious, asked, “What did you just see?”
Lu Chengsha quickly averted his gaze.
Hua Yan speculated, “I guess this fog is similar to the one you encountered during the sect war. It causes hallucinations, but you didn’t seem too affected back then…”
Lu Chengsha, his voice rough, asked, “What does one see?”
Hua Yan kindly explained, “It’s usually scenes of what you fear the most. Seeing too much can drive a person mad, inciting a desire to kill… If you’re prepared, it usually helps. Are you okay now?”
She moved closer to inspect him.
“Did Jiang Louyue intend for you to kill me?” Hua Yan quickly pieced together his reaction, continuing her speculation, “So when you saw blood on me, you thought you had hurt me?”
Lu Chengsha pressed his lips together, looking a bit embarrassed at being figured out.
Hua Yan couldn’t hold back a laugh, “If I’d known, I would have pretended to be weak a bit longer! It’s not too late now. How about you hug me again? Hey, don’t leave! You’ve already seen me like this. Why are you being so awkward? Were you really that scared?”
She noticed the tips of Lu Chengsha’s ears turning red from her teasing.
“Can you be a little less awkward? You feel regret only after thinking you stabbed me to death…”
At this moment, Hua Yan was in high spirits.
After a long pause, Lu Chengsha finally asked, “You’re really not hurt?”
Hua Yan replied, “I’m really fine. Although I didn’t get much out of Jiang Louyue, it wasn’t a total loss. When I fought Jiang Louyue’s guards, I managed to swipe something from one of them. We can check it out later.”
Lu Chengsha asked, “Swipe something?”
Hua Yan clarified, “I didn’t steal anything. I just felt around for clues… I couldn’t expect him to hand it over to me willingly!”
Lu Chengsha was silent for a while.
Just when Hua Yan thought he wouldn’t say anything, Lu Chengsha asked, “…How did you feel around?”
Hua Yan was speechless.
So that’s what you’re fixated on?
Hua Yan immediately said, “You stay still, and I’ll show you how I felt around.”
Lu Chengsha: “…”
Hua Yan knew that Lu Chengsha could get jealous, but she had no idea about the extent of his jealousy. So she added, “You care so much about me being close to others? To what extent can you tolerate it? Let me try to push that boundary a bit.”
Lu Chengsha seemed agitated, “You…”
Hua Yan, feeling justified, said, “Well, since you won’t see me, teasing you balances my mind!”
After a moment of thought, she continued, “Speaking of which, when I go back to the sect, you won’t see me. Won’t you be worried? There are a lot of people I know in the sect, many whom I grew up with, so there will inevitably be some closeness…”
Lu Chengsha remained silent, but his breath was heavy, making Hua Yan feel she had struck a nerve.
She couldn’t help but laugh, and seeing him like this, she softened, “Alright, I’m just kidding. Even with close friends, I’m not that intimate. Only with you. Though I have thought…”
Lu Chengsha, with his back to her, softly asked, “Thought about what?”
“I’ve wondered if liking someone else would make things less difficult, less frustrating every day. But there’s no way…” Hua Yan sighed softly, her voice gentle, “I even like the stubborn parts of you.”