A child appeared in the manor, but at first, no one paid much attention to this matter, and few people knew about it.
He was raised in a remote courtyard, but due to his special status, he couldn’t mix with the other children. Thus, he had to live alone and was not allowed visitors. Quietly, he grew to be four or five years old.
The young Lu Chengsha was a silent and emotionless child.
He was slow to perceive the outside world. Granny Xu, who took care of him, came daily, but since she had other children to look after, she couldn’t always stay with him. So, most of the time, Lu Chengsha sat alone in his small courtyard.
At that time, he was still not as tall as the table. He didn’t speak or make any noise and could sit for an entire day, sometimes forgetting to eat. Only when he was so hungry that he felt dizzy, his hands and feet cold, did he remember to eat.
Sometimes the food was cold, sometimes hot. Whenever he was hungry, he needed to eat, and he couldn’t think about anything else.
Perhaps he once had hopes, but later he gradually forgot them.
Lu Chengsha remembered the slow movement and changes of the clouds in the sky, the sound of leaves falling, the splashes made by heavy rain hitting the mud, and the small ditch in the corner of the courtyard filled with rainwater after the rain, the gurgling sound of flowing water. Gradually, he no longer felt bored or irritated; time seemed long.
For the little Lu Chengsha, the entire world was no bigger than a small square.
Later, Granny Xu told him that he was part of the Lu family and couldn’t go without knowing any sword moves. So he began to learn to read and got his first sword manual. Granny Xu’s voice was hoarse, and she knew few words and nothing about swordsmanship, so Lu Chengsha had to figure it out by himself.
Even the most basic sword manual was difficult for him at that time, but luckily, it had illustrated sword moves.
He didn’t have a sword, so he picked up a dry branch to practice.
Having something to do was better than sitting idly.
He didn’t think about anything, just practiced swordsmanship, not knowing if it was right or wrong, not caring about the passage of time, day after day. Later, the courtyard became too small for him to practice, so Granny Xu told him he could go to the training ground of Tingjian Manor.
That was also the first time Lu Chengsha saw so many people, including many children about his age.
“What’s your name, whose family are you from?”
“Why are you practicing swordsmanship with a tree branch, where is your sword?”
“Who are your parents?”
He had no experience in communicating with others, and after a long pause, he slowly said, “…I don’t know.”
“He said he doesn’t know! Is he stupid?”
“Look at him, he seems like an idiot!”
“Earlier, the instructor said his swordsmanship had some spirit. How could an idiot have any spirit?”
“He doesn’t even have parents. Isn’t he that so-called… bastard!”
Before Lu Chengsha could learn to distinguish between good and evil, he first experienced strong malice. They surrounded him, saying things he didn’t quite understand, mocking him as if everything he did or said was ridiculous. Some even pushed him.
He could ignore the words, but not the physical pushing.
Lu Chengsha immediately pointed the dry branch in his hand at his opponent’s throat. Having practiced many times, his movements were precise.
“…This bastard!”
“Forget it, why bother with a bastard who has no parents.”
Seeing that no one stepped forward to continue bothering him, Lu Chengsha put away the branch and turned to leave.
No one had taught him how to deal with others’ provocations, nor had anyone told him how to refute others’ harsh words.
The only thing he could do was not listen.
Over time, he ignored all the voices around him. No matter what others said about him, whether good or bad, he felt nothing, indifferent. Thus, Lu Chengsha’s world became quiet again.
It was still just him and his small branch, and Granny Xu.
Granny Xu would ask him how his sword practice was going, if he was unhappy, and would feel guilty for not being able to spend more time with him.
Lu Chengsha thought for a moment and told her, no, it’s okay.
His childish voice still carried a hint of innocence.
Granny Xu’s eyes would redden instantly, tears falling, and she would murmur that it would be better if his mother were still alive.
Lu Chengsha didn’t know how to comfort her, so he clumsily reached out, using his sleeve to wipe her tears, and softly said, it’s okay.
One day, Granny Xu came to deliver some winter clothes she had made for him, and a child saw her. The next day, someone pointed at him and said, “I saw an old woman visit him yesterday! Is that his mother? She’s so old, no wonder she won’t acknowledge him.”
“Are you serious? Is that old woman really that old?”
“Old and ugly, her face full of wrinkles. She called him young master. What kind of young master is he, he doesn’t even have a name!”
“Must be an old fool! Only an old fool could give birth to a little fool!”
At first, he could have ignored it, but by the time he came to his senses, he had already acted. Without holding back, he beat the three children until they cried loudly, breaking the tree branch in the process, before turning to leave.
When he returned, there were some scratches on his arm, which he hid under his sleeve so Granny Xu wouldn’t see them.
It wasn’t long before a stern-faced adult came to ask him about his swordsmanship. Later, he learned that this was his grandfather, Lu Zhenxing. It was then that he finally had a name, proper clothes, and a sword.
Lu Zhenxing took him to the Meditation Cave at the top of the mountain, personally supervising his daily sword practice. This was actually unnecessary—he had nothing else to do and didn’t know how to do anything else.
Lu Zhenxing would record his progress, point out his deficiencies, and explain the parts of the sword manual that were incomprehensible to him, word by word.
Lu Chengsha’s daily meals became rich with fish and meat, no longer cold. This new warmth made him somewhat uncomfortable at first, but after a while, he began to grow taller, and his hands and feet no longer felt weak by evening during sword practice.
Lu Zhenxing not only gave him sword manuals but also some esoteric scriptures, instructing him to stay calm and focused, and to avoid distractions.
He taught him that besides practicing sword techniques and internal energy, the most important thing was to refine his sword intent, to remain single-minded, with a heart set solely on the path of the sword.
He told him that the mission of those in Tingjian Manor was to kill all members of the Demon Sect, who were all evil and deserving of death. Every one of them, without exception, should be killed. He must not hesitate or be swayed by their deceitful words; his sword must be swift.
He also told him that besides focusing on practicing the sword, he need not concern himself with anything else. He didn’t need to care about what others said or did, all those trivial matters could be left to others; he didn’t need to learn them.
Lu Chengsha followed his instructions.
Those days passed simply and peacefully, with no memories other than practicing the sword and paying respects to Granny Xu.
The path to the Meditation Cave, Lu Chengsha walked from the age of six until he was in his early teens, through wind, frost, rain, and snow. He could even clearly remember the exact number of steps it took from his courtyard to the cave, a number that decreased each year as his speed increased.
Even so, Lu Zhenxing still criticized him for his slow progress, not being strong or fast enough, and his sword not sharp enough.
So, he practiced even harder.
Lu Zhenxing’s sword energy was domineering and overflowing with killing intent. Lu Chengsha lost count of how many injuries he had sustained, both internal and external. At his worst, he could barely get up the next day, writhing in pain and unable to sleep in the Meditation Cave, gritting his teeth and sweating through the night. Occasionally, he felt confused. Lu Zhenxing would then prepare the best healing medicines for him, telling him that as a member of Tingjian Manor, he should not be so weak. Over time, his ability to endure pain and his speed of recovery improved, until he hardly felt the pain anymore.
One day, he suddenly realized that in his sparring matches with Lu Zhenxing, he could gradually hold his own. The killing intent in him grew stronger, and those who used to gossip in front of him began to show fear when they saw him.
Lu Zhenxing told him he could go and kill the members of the Demon Sect.
So, Lu Chengsha went. Those wicked people, dressed in blue or purple, were no match for him.
He remembered Lu Zhenxing’s teachings and never showed mercy.
Until one day.
He received news that a team of Demon Sect soldiers had left their main camp and entered the heart of the righteous martial world, seemingly in pursuit of someone. He happened to be nearby and followed the trail. In a dense forest, he intercepted them.
Only then did he realize they were chasing a young girl.
Lu Chengsha, wielding his sword, slaughtered the enemies. As he approached her, he brushed past her side. She stood there, stunned, her wide eyes blinking slightly as he passed.
It was just a very subtle movement.
He shouldn’t have, but he noticed it. In that moment when she blinked, Lu Chengsha’s heart fluttered slightly.
The feeling was fleeting, disappearing without a trace.
He didn’t understand it and quickly put it out of his mind.
Unexpectedly, the girl persistently followed him afterward.
Lu Chengsha had never had such a problem before. He wouldn’t go easy on women, and no woman had ever dared to follow him. Usually, just a few words would scare them away. He thought she would be the same and would soon be frightened off. However, no matter how much killing intent he exuded, she remained unfazed, looking at him with shining eyes, showing neither malice nor fear.
It seemed as though she simply wanted to follow him.
She had no internal energy and couldn’t use lightness skills. As long as he ran fast enough, she wouldn’t be able to keep up.
Lu Chengsha truly considered doing just that.
When she smiled and offered him a bun, when she followed him closely, chattering away, when she earnestly helped him arrange an inexplicable straw bed, he gradually felt that if he didn’t shake her off soon, it might be too late.
So he walked straight out, intending to leave.
She remained oblivious, even smiling brightly, telling him she would wait for him to return there.
Even though he had no intention of coming back.
With every step he took, it felt like his heart was sinking. Lu Chengsha had never walked so slowly in his life. He began to forget Lu Zhenxing’s instructions, hesitating and wondering, was he really going to leave her here?
Leaving her alone in the wilderness, waiting for someone who might never return?
His indecision made him stop in his tracks.
Lu Chengsha, swayed by an emotion he couldn’t identify, turned back. He thought he shouldn’t leave without saying anything. At the very least, he should explain things to her. Then he saw her being attacked by several men, in a perilous situation—
In that instant, a rush of heat mixed with an unfamiliar but intense fear gripped him.
His sword was already drawn.
“Great Hero Lu, you’re finally back!” She looked up at him with a joyful smile, completely unaware of what he had been planning.
—What if I had really left?
—Why aren’t you afraid of me?
Lu Chengsha found his voice rough and strained.
This feeling was still unfamiliar, a kind of thought that couldn’t be severed by a sword, an emotion that couldn’t be controlled by reason. The words of dismissal and farewell could no longer be spoken, perhaps never again in the future.
Yet he felt a secret and strange sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted.
So he finally moved his lips and said to her, “Come with me.”
The girl paused, all her words halted, then she smiled at him, her steps light and cheerful as she followed.
“Alright.”
The End.
Translator’s Note:
Dear Readers,
Thank you for joining me on this journey through the story of Hua Yan and Lu Chengsha. This novel has been a labor of love, and I hope it has brought you as much enjoyment as it has brought me in translating it. Your support and enthusiasm for this translation mean the world to me. I hope this story has touched your heart and sparked your imagination as much as it did mine. If you can, please rate or add a review of this novel on novelupdates.
Until our next adventure together,
All Things Fluff