She remained silent for a while, but couldn’t help asking, “Why were you injured…”
Lu Chengsha replied simply, “When I was young.”
Hua Yan asked, “When you were young, was it while practicing swordsmanship…”
Lu Chengsha said, “Yes.”
When Hua Yan was young and practicing martial arts, at most she would get scolded by her mother for being lazy, but after a few words, her father would shield her, saying that it was already tough enough for a girl to practice martial arts and there was no need to be overly harsh. Even the former sect leader’s wife would come out to advise, comparing her with Xie Yingxian. They felt that Hua Yan was much more obedient and sensible, thinking her mother’s standards were too high.
Her mother, in anger, would drag Hua Yan up in the middle of the night, huffing, “You little fool, don’t listen to them! What if you grow up and get bullied because you didn’t practice martial arts well? If you marry someone weak, like your father, you’ll have to protect him!”
This was one of the reasons why her mother initially didn’t like Yu Ye—thinking he was too weak to protect Hua Yan.
But no matter how Hua Yan thought about it, she couldn’t understand why practicing martial arts would result in so many injuries.
As she pondered, she suddenly recalled what Lu Chengsha had told her earlier and hesitated, “Could it be… you fought with your grandfather?”
Lu Chengsha said, “Partly.”
Hua Yan couldn’t help but move closer.
With the firelight nearer, she could see more clearly. Beneath Lu Chengsha’s pure white inner clothes, many of the scars looked extremely dangerous. It was hard to imagine how he got them and why they would appear on him.
Could such wounds come from sparring with family?
Hua Yan was still confused.
“When you practiced martial arts, did you fight fiercely with your grandfather?”
“Yes.”
Hua Yan thought about the recent match she had witnessed, “Like the one between you and Chu Jun?”
Lu Chengsha shook his head and said, “That match wasn’t fierce.”
Hua Yan: “…”
Is that so?
If every time, even during practice, one faced life-and-death situations and fought with all their might, it would indeed lead to rapid improvement.
No wonder Great Hero Lu is so formidable; it turns out he trained this way.
Hua Yan sighed and felt a little sad, similar to the time she was driven out from the Tingjian Manor courtyard at Dongfeng Buye Tower…while such training would make one very strong, it must also be very painful.
She herself was most afraid of pain.
Therefore, she worked hardest on lightness techniques, so she could run away if she couldn’t win a fight.
However, during martial arts training, bumps and scratches were inevitable. Whenever she got a little hurt, she would go to Yu Ye to have her wounds bandaged, layer upon layer, and then go to her mother to cry and complain, taking the opportunity to slack off.
Her usually strict mother would soften at these times.
After thinking for a while, Hua Yan asked, “Wouldn’t your mother feel heartache for you?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “I’ve never met my mother.” His tone was very calm, without any fluctuation.
Hua Yan was stunned and felt she had misspoken.
“I’m sorry…”
But Lu Chengsha asked, “Why apologize?”
Hua Yan opened her mouth, but many words she wanted to say got stuck. For the first time, she wanted to know what Lu Chengsha was like before he met her, during his time at Tingjian Manor, when he was a child.
She fell silent again.
“With so many injuries, was it very painful when you got hurt?”
At this moment, Lu Chengsha also fell silent for a while.
Outside the cave, lightning and thunder continued, the wind and rain raged, the shadows of the trees flickered, and the rain kept washing over the earth, as if it would never end.
Lu Chengsha still looked outside and asked, “Why do you ask that?”
Hua Yan said, “Because it looks very painful.”
After she spoke, Lu Chengsha remained silent.
He seemed not used to being asked this and didn’t know how to answer.
Finally, he replied, “It hurts, but I can endure it. Once you’re used to it, it doesn’t hurt anymore.” His tone was still very calm, without any pain or sadness, as if he were talking about someone else.
But the more he spoke like this, the sadder it made her feel.
Hua Yan wrapped her clothes around herself, hugged her knees, and spoke with a trace of indignation in her voice, “I think they were unfair to you.” Realizing she was still wearing Lu Chengsha’s clothes, she felt a bit guilty.
Great Hero Lu had been so kind to her, she should be kinder to him too!
Thinking this, Hua Yan took off the clothes she was wearing and handed them back, saying, “Great Hero Lu, you should wear these. I’m not cold!”
Lu Chengsha: “…”
But unexpectedly, her body betrayed her; she shivered, and her teeth chattered.
Lu Chengsha said, “Put it back on.”
She was surprised to hear a trace of sternness in Lu Chengsha’s voice for the first time.
Seeing Hua Yan not moving, Lu Chengsha finally stood up and walked over. He took his clothes and draped them over Hua Yan’s head.
Caught off guard, Hua Yan found herself wrapped even more tightly.
Lu Chengsha’s clothes were indeed a bit too big for her. After a moment of struggling, Hua Yan managed to poke her head out, only to find herself face to face with Lu Chengsha’s eyes, so close she could see the individual lashes.
In the cold night, with their close proximity, she could almost feel Lu Chengsha’s breath on her cheek, slightly warm.
Just a bit closer and they would touch.
His pitch-black eyes quickly averted from her gaze.
Lu Chengsha sat back down.
Then he fell silent, and Hua Yan didn’t speak either. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
Hua Yan inexplicably felt a bit nervous.
Just now, being so close, she had caught Lu Chengsha’s scent again—a clean, crisp smell, like pine needles that had rolled in the snow. It was quite pleasant.
Hua Yan touched her slightly warm face with her cold hands, feeling that the atmosphere was now oddly tense.
The silence continued.
Hua Yan felt she should say something, but her mind was blank.
Outside the cave, the rain had unknowingly lessened.
No one expected the silence to be broken by a rumbling sound.
Lu Chengsha said, “You’re hungry.”
Hua Yan immediately said, “I’m not!”
Lu Chengsha replied, “I’ll get something to eat.”
Hua Yan protested, “No need!”
She angrily clutched her disobedient stomach.
Cold and hungry, she was indeed too delicate!
She had just been thinking about being nicer to Great Hero Lu and not troubling him with everything!
If her inner strength were still there, she would have rushed out to hunt a wild boar right away!
Lu Chengsha took a black knapsack from the side. Hua Yan recognized it as the one prepared for the disciples at the Sword-Seeking Tournament. Lu Chengsha took out the rations prepared inside and placed them in front of Hua Yan, saying, “This isn’t very tasty. Wait for me.”
Hua Yan hurriedly said, “No need! This will do…”
But Lu Chengsha had already stepped out into the rain.
Wrapped in his clothes, Hua Yan looked at the three days’ worth of rations placed in front of her, feeling very conflicted.
She didn’t know whether to marvel at how kind Great Hero Lu was to her or to lament that despite her resolution not to trouble him, she had still inadvertently done so.
Half-dazed, she thought it would be best to regain her inner strength soon. As she thought about it, she started feeling sleepy.
The rain outside showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. With an extra layer of clothes, Lu Chengsha’s inner strength, and the wooden barrier he had made, Hua Yan didn’t feel as cold anymore. However, her clothes underneath were still wet and clinging to her skin, making her very uncomfortable.
Her face still felt a bit hot.
Hugging her legs, she rested her chin on her knees, telling herself to stay alert, but she soon drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up, the sky was already a bit light.
The rain had stopped.
Hua Yan opened her eyes groggily, catching a whiff of an enticing sweet fragrance. She saw Lu Chengsha leaning against the cave entrance, vigilantly watching outside, as if he had guarded the cave all night.
She felt deeply moved, but her head was still foggy.
When she spoke, she realized her voice was soft and weak, “Lu… Great Hero Lu…”
Lu Chengsha turned at her voice, something flickering in his eyes. He asked, “You’re awake?”
Hua Yan gently nodded. As she turned her head, she saw several large fan-shaped leaves spread on the ground beside her, holding various edible fruits and… a beehive. There were no bees, only the swaying golden honey inside, emitting the sweet fragrance she had smelled earlier.
She felt a little like laughing but was still dizzy.
Her mind turned slowly. She softly said, “Great Hero Lu, I think I’ve been poisoned…”
This poison was formidable, more effective than anything Yu Ye had administered. She didn’t even have the strength to reach into her clothes for her medicine. She couldn’t figure out when she got poisoned; she had been so careful along the way…