In just a short while, over a hundred people from Baiya Peak had been killed or wounded.
More and more people joined the fray, including disciples from smaller sects and those who had lost friends and family in incidents like the Mysterious Dragon Cave. However, this situation was not like forming a sword formation; the more people there were, the more they hindered each other. The disciples’ martial skills varied, and their lack of coordination made it easier for them to inadvertently attack one another. Lu Zhusheng, however, showed no such concerns. He hacked and slashed at everyone indiscriminately, whether they were disciples of Tingjian Manor or his own death warriors.
He seemed to have gone mad with bloodlust.
The surrounding people, fearing harm to themselves, subconsciously retreated a bit.
But it was impossible to let him continue this slaughter unchecked.
At that moment, one of the men who had previously seemed to be on his side, holding a crimson Gu insect, suddenly had a red flash in his eyes. He drew his sword and, moving at an almost impossible speed, launched a sneak attack at Lu Zhusheng’s back.
He timed his attack perfectly, as Lu Zhusheng was engaged in a frontal battle and should have had no time to react.
But Lu Zhusheng, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, suddenly ducked. The sword passed just over his back, nearly stabbing another person. Lu Zhusheng then casually struck with a palm, the force of which sent the attacker flying. At his age, Lu Zhusheng was in the prime of his martial prowess.
The attacker flew back, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
With the impact, his mask fell off, revealing the face of You Weitian. Zuo Jingshuang immediately turned to help him, pulling out medicine to treat his injuries.
“It’s Young Hero You! How did he end up among Yin Xiangsi’s men?”
“He must have infiltrated them. What a shame he missed his chance!”
Before they could finish speaking, several of Yin Xiangsi’s masked male attendants rushed over, their tone urgent, “You dare defy the sect master’s orders, Little Two?”
“Entangling with this woman—if the sect master finds out, you’re dead!”
Sensing their ill intentions, Zuo Jingshuang immediately drew her sword, seemingly to protect You Weitian. But You Weitian straightened up, pushed her away, and said, “Leave me alone!”
Zuo Jingshuang hesitated, her voice weakening, “Senior brother…”
You Weitian’s tone was harsh, “Your senior brother is Chu Jun, not me. Move aside, now!”
Mu Xuelang also landed nearby, intending to help the two surrounded individuals. However, upon hearing You Weitian, he paused.
You Weitian noticed him too, and with a mocking look, said, “Don’t you like her? Take her away and stop getting in the way.”
Mu Xuelang, holding his sword, blushed slightly but said, “Young Hero You, Left Junior Sister wants to save you. I can’t just abandon her.”
The nearby male attendant laughed, “What did you call him? You Shaoxia? Since when did Little Two become a young hero? Does the sect master know about your philandering?”
Zuo Jingshuang suddenly asked, “What are you talking about?”
You Weitian got up, cutting her off, “It’s none of your business. I told you to leave, didn’t you hear me?”
In an instant, Gu insects began crawling up from Zuo Jingshuang’s feet. You Weitian quickly grabbed a pinch of powder and sprinkled it on the ground, freezing the insects in place.
The male attendant, realizing something, shouted, “You’re protecting this woman! I’m going to tell the sect master!”
Zuo Jingshuang looked up, still questioning, “Who exactly is the sect master?”
The male attendant sneered maliciously, “You foolish woman, how can you still pretend not to know? The sect master is naturally Yin Xiangsi. He, I, we are all under Yin Xiangsi…”
Before he could finish his sentence, You Weitian slashed at him with a sword. Though he wielded a sword, his technique was clearly that of a knife.
The male attendant, caught off guard, died with his eyes wide open in shock.
The other male attendants, however, seemed to go mad with excitement. “Little Two, you’re finished! The sect master will never forgive you!”
They immediately dashed towards Baiya Peak. You Weitian swallowed a few pills from his pocket and was about to chase them when Zuo Jingshuang grabbed his sleeve, still wanting to ask more.
You Weitian, out of patience, snapped, “It’s all been spelled out for you. Why do you keep asking? I’ll tell you one last time plainly—I am no longer the You Senior Brother you once knew. Don’t ever meddle in my affairs again! And I never liked you.”
He put his mask back on. In the chaos, few noticed what was happening here, and even fewer heard their conversation.
Zuo Jingshuang didn’t understand, but Mu Xuelang had figured it out. He looked at You Weitian with a complex expression and said, “Young Hero You, if you… our Qingcheng Sect can…”
Since You Weitian had attacked Lu Zhusheng, there must have been a compelling reason for him to stay by Yin Xiangsi’s side.
You Weitian laughed at his simplicity, “Thanks, but I have no way back.”
With that, he gave one last glance at Zuo Jingshuang’s pale face. He hated the perpetrators of the Miyin Dragon Cave just as much because they forced him and his fellows to scatter after their master and senior uncle died. If they were still alive, even if they were small, they would have stayed in the Shishan Sect…
You Weitian forcefully shook off her hand and flew away without hesitation.
Before disappearing, Mu Xuelang heard You Weitian’s voice in his ear, “Take care of her.”
***
Lu Zhenxing, supported by Lu Huaitian, sat down to the side. Qingcheng Sect’s leader, Xu Bujing, had already engaged Lu Zhusheng in combat.
Xu Bujing had an unremarkable appearance and was known for his lazy demeanor. It was rumored that the previous head of Qingcheng Sect, recognizing his extraordinary talent, insisted on taking him as a disciple. Xu Bujing, finding it troublesome, refused several times before reluctantly agreeing. He became a young yet senior disciple, referred to as “Little Master Uncle.” Xu Bujing only wished to lead a leisurely life, but after the Miyin Dragon Cave massacre, where all his senior brothers and the sect leader perished, he had no choice but to take over as the head of Qingcheng Sect.
He usually kept a low profile and never participated in competitions, so no one knew his true strength. Yet now, he alone was managing to hold off Lu Zhusheng, who had been effortlessly fighting everyone else.
Xu Bujing sighed, “I have great sympathy for Miss Lu’s plight and think she was a good person. However, I cannot ignore the deaths of so many disciples under my care. If I don’t avenge them, my master might never rest in peace and could come haunt me at night.”
Lu Zhusheng responded, “Oh, let’s see if you have what it takes.”
Lu Huaitian watched their fight with concern, his reaction mirroring that of Lu Zhenxing. Today’s events had left him equally shaken.
In the past, Lu Zhusheng’s swordsmanship was no match for his. Lu Zhusheng didn’t love practicing swordsmanship, often shirking his training despite Lu Zhenxing’s encouragement, preferring to pick flowers to amuse Lu Huaixian. But now, both he and Xu Bujing were clearly far superior to him in martial arts.
As he watched, a familiar female voice suddenly reached his ears.
Hua Yan was directing the demonic sect disciples to help deal with Yin Xiangsi’s remaining venomous Gu insects. Though their sect typically operated under a single command, a few disciples couldn’t help but voice their opinions, “Holy Maiden, why are we saving them? Let them fight among themselves; we should just watch the tigers fight from the mountain.”
The demonic sect disciples carried antidotes for Gu insects and had methods to counter them.
Hua Yan snapped, “For once, our Zhengyi Sect isn’t being blamed. Do you want to go back to being attacked by everyone? Of course, we need to save them. Watching them grudgingly apologize to us will be satisfying. Besides, we’re dealing with Wan Gu Sect. Don’t you have any grudges against Wan Gu Sect?”
“Holy Maiden is right!”
“That old hag Yin Xiangsi caught another small sect for her sinister practices last time and blamed it on us! It’s so unfair! Because of the sect leader’s orders, we’ve only been targeting truly evil people recently!”
“Do you think Tingjian Manor will apologize to us?”
“If they do, I’ll go kill a few more of those black-clad men right now! They look just like Tingjian Manor’s men anyway…”
“Nonsense, those are Second Master Lu’s men, of course their clothes are similar. Speaking of which, Tingjian Manor made us take the blame! They’ve been cursing us for so long, but we didn’t cause the Miyin Dragon Cave massacre!”
“Exactly, they always bring up that incident whenever they criticize us. I’ve been in the sect for so long, and I’ve never heard of us committing such a major crime! It turns out it was Tingjian Manor’s doing all along!”
Several demonic sect disciples intentionally spoke loudly.
Not far away, Lu Huaitian: “…”
Hua Yan, maintaining decorum, scolded them, “Stop arguing!”
Xie Yingxian had already gone after Yin Xiangsi towards Baiya Peak. Their action against Wan Gu Sect was justified, as it was originally a branch of Tiancan Sect, and Xie Yingxian had long intended to reclaim it.
Yin Xiangsi’s remaining male attendants and subordinates were few, clearly aiming to cause trouble on Baiya Peak.
Hua Yan glanced in the direction of Lu Zhenxing and, unexpectedly, met his gaze. The moment their eyes met, Hua Yan unhesitatingly glared back.
Lu Zhenxing, initially expressionless, suddenly flared with anger at her glare.
But this time, Hua Yan wasn’t afraid of him.
She walked over and greeted, “Long time no see, Elder Lu.”
Lu Zhenxing, hand on his sword, began, “You demon…” He paused and said, “What do you want to say?”
Hua Yan smiled sweetly, “Nothing much. My father taught me from a young age that if you make a mistake, you must apologize, especially as a man of honor. When he mistakenly thought the Miyin Dragon Cave massacre was my mother’s doing, he apologized to her for more than half a month after realizing it wasn’t. Elder Lu, being so distinguished, must also be a man of honor who wouldn’t deny his mistakes, right?”
Lu Zhenxing knew exactly what she was implying. Lu Huaitian tried to speak on his behalf, but Lu Zhenxing stopped him.
His voice was deep as he said, “Tingjian Manor will issue a notice to apologize for wrongfully accusing the demonic sect.”
“It’s not the demonic sect, it’s the Zhengyi Sect!” Hua Yan corrected him, pointing to herself. “And what about me? You wrongfully killed me twice and forbade me from seeing Lu Chengsha. Don’t you owe me an apology too?”
This statement, coming from a junior, was quite audacious.
Before Lu Zhenxing could respond, Hua Yan continued, “Of course, if you’re willing to acknowledge my identity, then there’s no need for an apology as we’d be family.” She had provided him a way out!
Lu Zhenxing stared at her intently.
Hua Yan stood confidently, allowing him to scrutinize her.
She felt there was nothing shameful about herself!
Lu Zhenxing looked at her for a while, moved his lips, and said, “Let him come and tell me himself.”
Almost as soon as Lu Zhenxing finished speaking, Lu Chengsha’s voice rang out.
“I want to marry her.”
Lu Zhenxing was taken aback by how quickly he arrived and momentarily choked on his words.
Lu Chengsha had actually been there all along, just waiting nearby.
Today’s events had left him bewildered. He wasn’t entirely sure what to do, trying hard to understand his parents, who were quite foreign to him. When he heard the Baiya Peak master’s words, a surge of killing intent rose within him. Even Lu Chengsha himself didn’t understand why; he just felt a sense of discomfort and powerlessness.
This discomfort only subsided when Hua Yan held his hand.
Now, he realized that he finally had the chance to confront this matter directly.
Lu Chengsha walked step by step, standing firmly beside Hua Yan.
He was much taller than Hua Yan, his black attire accentuating his slender and upright figure, like a pine or a cypress. His expression was less cold than it had been more than two years ago, with an indescribable softness. The girl beside him appeared particularly delicate and petite in contrast, her smiling face exuding a unique charm. Apart from being excessively beautiful, she had no flaws in her appearance, making it unsurprising that anyone would fall for her.
Once, Lu Zhenxing had only seen the demonic sect women as hideous, but now she seemed like a young girl not much older than a child.
Ignoring everything else, the two standing together seemed a perfect match.
His grandson, who didn’t understand social norms and was never taught them, had learned everything on his own. Now, he carefully held the hand of the beautiful girl beside him, his black-and-white eyes fixed on Lu Zhenxing, and he repeated earnestly, “I want to marry her.”