Hua Yan waited so long for Lu Chengsha that her legs went numb.
Instead of him, Shui Se appeared first. She had been poisoned with a Gu worm, making escape or resistance impossible. Facing Hua Yan now, she was exceedingly respectful, calling her “Holy Maiden.” Hua Yan stomped her foot, at a loss for words. Their relationship could never return to what it once was, and now there was even a hint of wariness between them. She could only say, “You should go back.”
Shui Se nodded and turned to leave, but couldn’t help turning back again. She still couldn’t understand: “Do you truly feel no affection or attachment to him?”
Hua Yan was startled: “Do you still have feelings for him?”
Shui Se was taken aback and replied, “Only hatred. But back then…”
Everyone in the Zhengyi Sect knew how well he treated Hua Yan. There wasn’t a single woman in the sect who wasn’t envious.
Hua Yan said, “I did think about it, but I only truly understood when I met someone I genuinely liked. My feelings for him were mostly gratitude—though that, too, was false. Just because he was good to me, why should I necessarily like him? The person I like must have qualities that I find admirable.”
Shui Se couldn’t help but ask, “You like that Lu Chengsha? What’s so good about him?”
Hua Yan’s eyebrows shot up: “He’s exceptionally good!”
Shui Se unconsciously touched her neck and murmured, “…What’s so good about him?”
Hua Yan started counting on her fingers: “He’s righteous, sincere, doesn’t lie, stands firm in his principles, is skilled in martial arts, and he’s good-looking… Never mind, why am I telling you this? In short, he’s just exceptionally good! Now hurry up and leave. I’m still waiting for him to come back!”
Shui Se still found it hard to believe, but she didn’t press further.
Just before leaving, she said to Hua Yan, “Even though you probably won’t forgive me, I still want to say—I’m sorry. It was laughable how jealousy blinded me back then. Day and night, I dreamed of marrying him and taking your place. I envied you for many years, copying your style and appearance. Only in the end did I see him clearly… Now, I don’t even understand why I liked him in the first place.”
Shui Se left, but Lu Chengsha still hadn’t returned, making Hua Yan inevitably worried.
She knew that in a fight, Yu Ye was no match for Lu Chengsha. She had even given Lu Chengsha some antidote pills in advance, and he had taken them, but who knew what other tricks Yu Ye might have.
Hua Yan paced back and forth several times, growing increasingly impatient, when she finally heard Lu Chengsha’s voice.
“I’m back.”
Hua Yan let out a breath of relief and asked, “You’re not hurt, are you? What happened?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “It’s nothing.”
Hua Yan said, “The way you said that makes me not want to believe you. Unless you come down here and let me check for myself!”
Lu Chengsha was silent for a moment before saying, “He’s in a bit of trouble.”
Hua Yan asked, “Hmm? Did you beat him half to death?”
Lu Chengsha started to speak, “You…”
Hua Yan, sensing what he was about to say, quickly interjected, “I’ve told you before, I’m not concerned about him. Don’t get jealous for no reason! I only care about you!”
Lu Chengsha responded with a faint “Mm,” his tone slightly elevated.
Yu Ye was indeed in trouble, but Lu Chengsha also nearly fell victim to his schemes.
Seeing that Lu Chengsha was ruthless in his attacks, Yu Ye reverted to his old tricks, covering his injuries and dodging, saying, “Young Hero Lu, have you become so reckless after leaving Tingjian Manor? Kicking someone when they’re down, taking advantage of others’ misfortunes, venting your personal grievances? What would others say if they saw you?”
Yu Ye’s voice was clear and crisp, deliberately targeting vulnerable spots in his words.
Lu Chengsha hesitated momentarily, just as the poisonous mist spread. Yu Ye seized the opportunity to escape, but Lu Chengsha wasn’t about to let him go. Holding his breath, he blocked the exits, feeling poisonous insects approaching in the blur of his vision. Before he could react, a small black ball flew from his sleeve, devouring the incoming Gu worms.
Unexpectedly, seeing the little black creature made Yu Ye pause in surprise.
“Where did you get that? Did she give it to you?”
The little black creature, its belly bulging, returned to Lu Chengsha.
Yu Ye’s voice still carried a trace of astonishment: “Weren’t you two…”
Originally, Lu Chengsha didn’t want to say a word more to him beyond extracting information, but now he moved his lips and said, “We got married.”
Yu Ye laughed as if hearing a joke, speaking like someone who had been through it all: “How could you two get married? On that day, the old master of Tingjian Manor threatened you with his life not to see her again. Given your current statuses, how could you talk about marriage? Did you join the demonic sect for her, or did she betray the demonic sect for you, like me? Moreover, you are nothing now. What makes you think she would be willing to follow you?”
He thought Lu Chengsha would fly into a rage, revealing flaws just like before, providing an opportunity to exploit.
But to his surprise, Lu Chengsha was unusually calm.
Lu Chengsha said, “She likes me.”
Yu Ye replied, “She used to like me too.”
Lu Chengsha said, “But she doesn’t like you anymore.”
He said it with such certainty, as if Hua Yan had told him herself.
Thus, the one who got angry was Yu Ye.
Yu Ye pulled out a smile tinged with mockery and asked, “What makes you so sure?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “You don’t understand.”
Back in Dangshan, Yu Ye had confidently told Lu Chengsha how well he knew her, how he was familiar with her past, her experiences, how she grew up, and how she couldn’t bring herself to kill him.
But who would have thought the tables would turn, and one day Lu Chengsha would be telling him that he didn’t understand her.
“Even if she likes you now, you can’t even give her a proper wedding, nor can you be together openly. How can this last?” Yu Ye laughed, “Moreover, Young Hero Lu, getting entangled with her again—aren’t you afraid of losing your reputation once more? I even pity you a little. Given your background and your rising fame, admired by countless disciples, is it worth giving all that up for a woman?”
In response, Lu Chengsha delivered a clean, decisive punch.
***
“So, did you get any information?” Hua Yan asked, not holding out much hope.
She knew Lu Chengsha had definitely fought!
Lu Chengsha said, “He told me some things, but I’m not sure if they’re true. I made him write them down.”
With that, some documents flew in front of Hua Yan. She picked them up and saw that it was indeed Yu Ye’s handwriting, though much sloppier than usual, clearly written in a hurry under duress.
Looking at the handwriting, Hua Yan asked, “How badly did you beat him?”
Lu Chengsha said, “Not too badly, he fears death.”
Hua Yan had no idea what Lu Chengsha’s “not too badly” meant, but she still read the documents carefully.
Yu Ye hadn’t written about his collusion with Jiang Louyue, but he did mention some things related to Jiang Louyue. He noted that he had some business dealings with Jiang Louyue and had met him a few times. Jiang Louyue’s temperament was unpredictable, sometimes good, sometimes bad. When speaking with Jiang Louyue, one always had to be very cautious. Jiang Louyue had asked him whose medical skills were better between him and Nian Yi, and whether he could poison someone. Jiang Louyue was not young, yet he had no interest in either men or women, suggesting he harbored feelings for someone from his past, though who it was remained unknown. Furthermore, Jiang Louyue didn’t show a clear preference for either the demonic sect or the righteous path.
Hua Yan roughly guessed that this meant Jiang Louyue didn’t despise Yu Ye for being a traitor to the demonic sect.
Yu Ye’s writing was ambiguous and neutral, not giving enough concrete evidence to cause trouble for Jiang Louyue.
Reflecting on the play she had watched that day, Hua Yan secretly speculated whether Jiang Louyue had been abandoned by someone, though no matter how resentful, it didn’t seem logical for him to hint at Lu Chengsha to kill her!
After some thought, she decided to leave it to Xie Yingxian to figure out.
The marriage between Yu Ye and Ling Aoxue fell through, disappointing the crowd outside Dangshan who had come to watch the spectacle—how could they cancel the wedding at this stage!
Later, they learned that the groom had a history of misconduct, with numerous romantic entanglements. His former lover showed up, causing the bride to react on the spot, leading to many sighs and lamentations.
“The groom didn’t handle his affairs with his mistress properly.”
“Exactly, being a live-in son-in-law is already a lower status, yet he didn’t even know to be cautious.”
After watching this farce, Lu Huaitian prepared to return to Tingjian Manor immediately. Then he heard the disciples below discussing: “It seems that Young Master Yu was beaten up? And the one who did it was Lu… Lu Chengsha.”
His expression changed slightly, and he asked, “What’s going on?”
A disciple quickly replied, “I don’t know exactly what happened. I just heard them say that Young Master Yu mentioned it…”
Why would he come to beat the groom? It couldn’t be to vent anger for Ling Aoxue, right?
Ling Tianxiao’s daughter didn’t seem to have such a beauty that could cause trouble.
Lu Huaitian asked, “Has anyone seen him? Has he left?”
The disciple stammered, “I don’t know…”
Lu Huaitian said, “I’ll go take a look.”
He said this and in an instant, he had leapt several feet away. Night had already fallen, and the guests outside were dispersing, heading out one by one.
If Lu Chengsha had come, he wouldn’t have walked the main road openly; he must have used the rooftops or trees. So Lu Huaitian also moved to the treetops, searching and observing from the shadows and high places.
Hua Yan was just talking to Lu Chengsha about her plan to return to the sect first, suggesting he find something to do on his own, when she suddenly heard Lu Chengsha say, “Someone’s coming.”
She immediately tensed and asked, “Where?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “Above.”
With that, his voice faded into the distance.
Hua Yan knew he had likely drawn the person away, but she was puzzled as to why someone would be pursuing him at this time.
Lu Chengsha’s lightness skill was fast, but the person behind him was not slow either. He had already sensed who it was, so he slightly slowed down.
The person behind him said, “Chengsha, what are you doing here?”
The voice was calm and stern, with no other emotions. It was Lu Huaitian.
Lu Chengsha’s voice was a bit hoarse, but he still replied, “Nothing.”
He had indeed come just to watch the spectacle.
Lu Huaitian asked, “Did you beat that demonic sect traitor?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “Yes.”
Lu Huaitian asked, “Why?”
Lu Chengsha paused and said, “I don’t like him.”
Lu Huaitian was merely asking casually, but Lu Chengsha’s response took him aback. If it had been Lu Chengzhao saying this, it wouldn’t have surprised him, but hearing it from Lu Chengsha felt odd.
In the past, Lu Chengsha had neither liked nor disliked anyone. It was just sword practice and killing.
Even though he knew Lu Chengsha was his sister’s son, Lu Huaitian often found it hard to connect him with Lu Huaixian. Even when he defied orders for that demoness, he had never seemed so… human.
Lu Huaitian said, “You’ve changed a lot. What have you been doing these days?”
Although being expelled from the sect technically severed ties with Tingjian Manor, Lu Chengsha was different. No matter what, he still carried Lu family blood.
Lu Chengsha replied, “Practicing swordsmanship, killing, saving people.”
And protecting the one he loved.
Lu Huaitian asked sternly, “Do you now understand right from wrong? Do you regret what you did back then?”
He was actually trying to give Lu Chengsha a way out.
Many people had criticized Lu Zhenxing’s methods in training Lu Chengsha—though they didn’t know who Lu Chengsha’s biological father was, they knew he was Lu Huaixian’s orphan. However, Lu Zhenxing’s orders were hard to defy, and no one dared approach Lu Chengsha, except for the wet nurse who had once nursed Lu Huaixian and dared to take care of him despite risking Lu Zhenxing’s wrath. As Lu Chengsha grew, fewer dared to get close to him.
But in the end, Lu Zhenxing was still most concerned about him.
When Lu Zhenxing expelled him from the sect, it was to protect him, to force him not to meet that demoness, and to save him from being deceived and used, ending up like his mother.
Now that he hadn’t joined the demonic sect, if he was willing to admit his mistakes, there might still be a chance for redemption.
However, Lu Chengsha fell silent. Through the shadowy trees, Lu Huaitian could see the young man in black slightly lower his head. Even after leaving Tingjian Manor, he still wore black, with habits unchanged from before.
No resentment, no downfall, no self-destruction.
He was still a model disciple of Tingjian Manor, yet because of a single wrong thought, he ended up like this—a pity.
Lu Huaitian couldn’t count how many times he had used Lu Chengsha to admonish Lu Chengzhao, urging him to learn from Lu Chengsha. Even if he could only learn a fraction, it would make him immensely gratified. But that little rascal was truly incorrigible.
And this pride of Tingjian Manor, how could he have gone so wrong?
As he was thinking, he heard Lu Chengsha move his lips and say, “Not heeding advice and developing feelings for someone from the demonic sect was my mistake… but I don’t regret it.”
If Lu Zhenxing were here, he would probably scold him loudly again, calling him stubborn and incorrigible! “This boy cannot be taught!”
But Lu Huaitian was not Lu Zhenxing. Although he similarly disliked the demonic sect, he was not as extreme. He remained silent for a moment before saying, “Do you really think that way? You know your grandfather is still worried about you. His health is not great now, and he may not have much time left.”
This was half true and half false; it was true that Lu Zhenxing was still worried about him, but his health was still robust.
Lu Chengsha pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time. It was clear he was struggling, and his expression showed some confusion. Lu Huaitian thought that maybe, with a bit more effort, he could make him yield.
He had received little affection in his life, and even if Lu Zhenxing had ulterior motives, it was probably still precious to him.
Lu Chengsha’s fingers repeatedly clenched and relaxed. After a while, he slowly said, “I’ve thought about… one thing, but I can’t figure it out.”
Lu Huaitian asked, “What is it?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “I just… want to be with her. Why does it seem like… I’ve done something intolerable?”
He was usually reticent, and such long sentences were rare.
From his broken sentences, Lu Huaitian could hear the utmost seriousness.
Lu Huaitian sighed softly and said, “And her feelings towards you…”
Lu Chengsha said, “She’s sincere as well.”
“Whether her feelings are genuine or not, she is from the demonic sect, and you are from the righteous path. You two should never have been together in the first place,” Lu Huaitian said. “I don’t know what makes her so special to you, to make you so devoted. Are you willing to be used and abandoned by her, to lose your reputation, and never return to Tingjian Manor, without any regret?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “…Yes.”
Lu Huaitian was silent for a long time before suddenly saying, “You really are like your mother. I was shocked when she wanted to elope.”
Lu Chengsha was taken aback.
Lu Huaitian said, “Take care of yourself and hope that you don’t end up miserable.”
As he spoke, they heard a female voice saying, “He won’t end up miserable! Can’t you wish something good for him? It’s all your fault that I can’t even see him now!” The voice was filled with grievance.