In no time, Lu Chengsha tied his hair back up.
Hua Yan felt a bit disappointed. Although Great Hero Lu always looked good, she thought he looked even better with his hair down. Not only did he tie his hair up, but when Hua Yan snapped out of her thoughts, she noticed he had also moved a bit further away.
After realizing this, she followed suit and moved closer.
Lu Chengsha moved again.
Hua Yan moved closer once more. Just as Lu Chengsha was about to escape, she quickly grabbed the corner of his robe.
“Great Hero Lu, why are you running away?”
Caught red-handed, Lu Chengsha had no choice but to sit back down and look ahead.
Under the moonlight, Hua Yan noticed his face seemed slightly redder than before. On closer inspection, even the tips of his ears appeared flushed. As she stared intently, her large eyes unblinking, she noticed his ears seemed to turn even redder…
Lu Chengsha’s eyelashes fluttered quickly, and a hint of helplessness finally showed in his clear black and white eyes.
He sighed softly, as if he were sighing.
Then, he grabbed Hua Yan’s wrist and said, “Stop staring.”
Hua Yan responded, “…Huh?”
Lu Chengsha finally looked at her.
Only then did Hua Yan realize that ever since it had rained that day, he hadn’t really looked at her directly, always shifting his gaze away.
He raised her wrist slightly, moved his lips as if struggling to express something, and then fell silent again.
Hua Yan tilted her head, waiting for him to continue.
Even the night wind had quieted down.
Lu Chengsha looked at her and said, “I find it a bit strange.”
Hua Yan quickly asked, “What do you find strange?”
Lu Chengsha seemed to give up and honestly said, “It’s strange when you look at me, and it’s also strange when I look at you.”
Hua Yan blinked, “How is it strange?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “It… feels uncomfortable.”
Could it be that from taking care of her, Great Hero Lu had also caught a cold?
Hua Yan was startled. Yesterday’s heavy rain and chilly winds—she had taken Great Hero Lu’s clothes, and his face was so red. Indeed… She immediately reached out to check Lu Chengsha’s forehead.
But Lu Chengsha grabbed her other wrist.
Lu Chengsha said, “It’s even stranger when you touch me.”
Hua Yan was confused, “Great Hero Lu, could you be poisoned?”
Lu Chengsha pondered for a moment and replied, “I don’t know.”
This was not good!
Hua Yan desperately tried to recall if there was any poison in the sect that would make someone avoid physical contact. She thought of several possibilities but none seemed right.
She asked seriously, “Do you have any other symptoms?”
Lu Chengsha actually considered it carefully and said, “Rapid heartbeat, body heat, wanting to take a cold shower, and…” He thought for a moment and uncertainly added, “…restlessness?”
From the tone of his voice, this seemed quite unbelievable for Lu Chengsha.
Hua Yan listened and thought it sounded like the reaction after taking a super powerful tonic.
She pulled her wrist out of Lu Chengsha’s hand, thought for a while, and then hit her palm with her fist, saying, “I got it! Wait a moment!”
Hua Yan ran over to Ming Qi.
Ming Qi, who was beside the medicinal furnace, was so startled he almost fell over. “Young lady, slow down!”
Hua Yan said, “Great Hero Lu is sick. Can you prescribe some medicine for him?”
Ming Qi was shocked and asked in an unusually surprised tone, “Great Hero Lu is sick? Since when? Is it serious?”
Didn’t he look fine just now?
Hua Yan replied, “It’s manageable. He just needs some medicine to calm his mind, clear heat, and reduce internal fire. You should have some medicine for that, right?”
Ming Qi: “…”
Are you kidding me?
Seeing his silence, Hua Yan urged, “Do you have it or not? If not, I’ll find it myself!”
Young lady, please, don’t waste my medicine!
Though Ming Qi thought this, he said, “No need for medicine. Just keep your distance from him…”
Hua Yan was shocked, “You can tell he’s poisoned too?”
Ming Qi: “…”
Wait, is this beautiful young lady actually a bit foolish?
Ming Qi sighed and said, “Fine, fine, I’ll prescribe some medicine…” He picked out some calming and mind-soothing herbs, put together a prescription, handed it to Hua Yan, and pointed to the nearby medicine furnace, “Go and brew it.”
Seeing Hua Yan actually go to brew the medicine, he felt a bit speechless.
He looked at Lu Chengsha, who was still sitting on the boulder, enjoying the breeze, and then at Hua Yan, who was earnestly brewing the medicine. A feeling of concern inexplicably arose within him.
How could it be like this? Could it be that these two…
Ming Qi rummaged through his medicine pouch and took out a few red beans, handing them to Hua Yan.
These are often associated with longing, you’ve heard of that, right?
Hua Yan took them, saw what they were, and without hesitation, threw them into the medicine pot as well.
Ming Qi: “…”
…Forget it, he had done his best.
***
After brewing the medicine, Hua Yan watched as Lu Chengsha drank the black, bitter concoction without any reaction, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.
“Don’t you find it bitter?” She even had two sweet fruits ready in her hand.
Lu Chengsha put down the medicine bowl, hesitated for a moment, and said, “It’s okay.”
As expected of Great Hero Lu!
Hua Yan asked with concern, “Do you feel any better after drinking it?”
Lu Chengsha hesitated again, “…Yes.”
Hua Yan finally felt relieved.
The other disciples were sitting around the fire, some patrolling the area, some chatting idly, and some already fast asleep. It was a rare moment of leisure, and the chaos of the day seemed like a distant memory.
After chatting with Lu Chengsha for a while, Hua Yan also started to feel sleepy. She washed up a bit with some spring water and then fell asleep leaning against the boulder.
The second night of the sect war passed just like that.
Hua Yan was awakened by a commotion.
“Wake up! There are poisonous insects! Someone has already been bitten!”
Hua Yan jumped up at the sound. The sky was still not fully light. The camp, which had been peaceful before she closed her eyes, was no longer quiet. Some disciples were swinging their swords, some were jumping in panic, and some had even climbed trees.
She looked down and saw the ground crawling with countless tiny, crimson insects.
These little bugs were no larger than a fingernail, but they looked extremely poisonous.
Hua Yan immediately had a headache.
Who on earth did this? Who released these things?
Some disciples were holding torches, ready to burn the poisonous insects. Hua Yan quickly shouted, “…Don’t!”
But it was too late.
As soon as the flame touched the insects, they exploded, causing a chain reaction of explosions and a cloud of blood mist.
The blood mist was even more poisonous than the insects and corrosive. When it splashed on a person, it instantly corroded through their clothes and then their skin, leaving raw, bloody wounds. The disciple who had held the torch screamed in agony, dropping the torch to the ground.
Immediately, the flames engulfed the insects, causing an even larger wave of blood mist, which completely enveloped the disciple.
In the blink of an eye, he turned into a bloody figure, unable to even scream as his throat was also corroded.
Clutching his throat, he let out a gurgling sound before collapsing to the ground.
The sight of him, covered in blood, was too horrific to bear, stunning the other disciples into inaction.
They dared not move rashly, and one by one, they climbed up the trees.
The disciples who were poisoned and lying on the ground had no way out. The others could only watch as the insects swarmed all over them.
Behind Hua Yan, Lu Chengsha fearlessly prepared to move forward, but Hua Yan quickly stopped him, “Wait, it’s dangerous—” She looked up and asked, “Does anyone have any strong alcohol?”
The people in the trees looked at each other.
“I have some, do you need it, young lady…”
Ming Qi, clinging to one of the trees, shouted, “I have some in my medicine basket! I use it to sear knives when treating rotten flesh!”
Hearing this, Lu Chengsha swiftly and gracefully grabbed Ming Qi’s medicine basket, his feet barely touching the ground.
Hua Yan took out a jug of alcohol and poured it out from a distance. The insects seemed to sense it and avoided the area, leaving a trail of alcohol.
The other disciples with alcohol followed suit, and indeed, the insects retreated.
Hua Yan wiped the sweat from her forehead, thinking, Thank goodness it worked.
These insects were called “Bloodthirsty,” the beloved pets of an elder in the sect. They were extremely poisonous and had a high reproductive rate, crawling everywhere. The elder himself was immune and even liked to lie in the insect pile as if getting a massage, enthusiastically trying to sell them to other hall masters. After the insects had crawled around and killed several disciples, Xie Yingxian had ordered the elder to keep them confined to his courtyard, where he reluctantly sprinkled alcohol all around.
Hua Yan instructed Lu Chengsha to sprinkle alcohol on the unconscious disciples to drive away the insects. Just as everyone began to relax, someone shouted, “Damn it, what are these things?”
The voice sounded quite familiar.
Before they could react, Lu Chengzhao appeared, followed closely by Lu Chengyang and another disciple from Tingjian Manor. They all looked disheveled, their clothes torn and tattered. Behind them were hundreds of giant bees, each the size of a fist, creating a deafening buzz and presenting a terrifying sight.
***
Lu Chengzhao was almost fuming with rage!
He knew he shouldn’t have come! It was all his father’s fault!
Getting ambushed in a fight was bad enough, but what the hell were those things? That night, when the mist rolled in, he saw his father turn into a man-eating monster who scolded him for not practicing his swordsmanship properly. With every insult came a bite, causing him to roll on the ground in pain, snot and tears streaming down his face—utterly humiliating.
When the mist finally cleared, Lu Chengsha was nowhere to be found. One of their disciples was lying unconscious, bleeding from the nose and eyes.
They had sent up a signal smoke, but no one came to their aid. So, they had to carry the unconscious disciple while trying their luck, hoping to run into some disciples from the Zhengyi Sect.
Along the way, they encountered two more traps—one of poisonous gas, the other of blinding mist.
Fortunately, his unparalleled skills had kept him safe, but they had lost their provisions and luggage, making their journey feel like an escape from disaster. And now, early in the morning, they were confronted by these giant bees, making him furious to the point of bursting.
He ran for his life, the buzzing behind him making his scalp tingle.
Lu Chengzhao felt like he had used up a month’s worth of curses in just one day here!
Wouldn’t he have been better off lying in an inn, enjoying fine food and listening to a beautiful woman play the qin? Why did he have to suffer in a place like this? His father must be out of his mind!
If anything happened to his beloved son, his father would surely regret it!
The only comfort he had was the thought that Lu Chengsha was probably in a worse situation. Since the traps were set by the demon sect, Lu Chengsha would surely be more targeted and thus even more miserable and disheveled…
Damn it, why did this person look so much like Lu Chengsha?
And the person next to him…
As his vision blurred, Lu Chengzhao saw the two figures quickly dive into the water.
***
Hua Yan saw the giant bees and the oncoming Lu Chengzhao, feeling a sense of impending doom. She grabbed Lu Chengsha and jumped into the water.
Who was behind all this? Why was everything being dumped here?
She recognized the giant bees, created by another hall master who had a hobby of enlarging various poisonous insects, centipedes, and the like while retaining their original characteristics. His most successful creation was a spider half the size of a person, which he kept in a cave, visiting and feeding it daily with the affection and devotion one might show a lover, his eyes filled with deep emotion…
Hua Yan felt a bit uncomfortable just thinking about it. She truly was the only normal person left in the Zhengyi Sect!
Xie Yingxian had even tried to persuade her to accept her fate, saying that since she couldn’t choose her birth, she might as well choose to accept it—then he gave her two spiders the size of bowls, claiming they were quite cute once you got used to them.
At least she could be sure now that these giant bees, like ordinary wasps, wouldn’t go into the water.
Before jumping into the water, Hua Yan hadn’t had time to explain, but fortunately, Lu Chengsha had no objections.
The current was rapid, and she clung to Lu Chengsha’s arm as they were swept downstream, struggling to keep her eyes open in the water. She could only vaguely see Lu Chengsha’s black robes billowing in the water. Worried they might be separated, she felt something tighten around her waist.
Lu Chengsha was suddenly very close.
Hua Yan tried to open her mouth, releasing a stream of bubbles, but in the water, they couldn’t hear each other speak.
She sighed inwardly in resignation and moved closer, holding tightly to Lu Chengsha’s waist.
Even in this situation, Hua Yan could feel Lu Chengsha’s body suddenly stiffen, like an iron board.
Although it was inappropriate, she couldn’t help but laugh in the water, releasing another stream of bubbles.
The current surged through the mountains, swift and uncontrollable, finally sweeping them towards a small waterfall. Hua Yan felt her body lift and then plummet with the rushing water.
Then they stopped.
Lu Chengsha had driven his sword into the waterfall’s rock wall. They were now not far from the water’s surface, with Hua Yan held by his arm. Both were soaked, their bodies almost pressed together. Lu Chengsha, eyes closed, said, “You go down first.”
Hua Yan was puzzled, “Why not go down together?”
Lu Chengsha said nothing, using his internal strength to gently lower her.
Hua Yan landed on the ground, wondering if his condition hadn’t improved.
Lu Chengsha soon joined her, his back turned, his body steaming as his clothes dried almost instantly. She saw him start to remove his outer robe again.
Remembering the uncomfortable feeling of wearing wet clothes, Hua Yan quickly said, “Wait! No need! Let’s find a place to sit and dry our clothes.”
Lu Chengsha paused and said, “…Alright.”
They began to search for a cave nearby, and this time they were in luck. Not far away, they found a spacious stone cave.
Hua Yan was in high spirits, ready to enter, but then noticed there were already people inside.
A man and a woman.
Lu Chengsha stepped in front of Hua Yan protectively.
Hua Yan took a closer look and was stunned. The two people in the cave were familiar faces.
You Weitian was sitting in front of the fire, wearing only his inner garments. Zuo Jingshuang was draped in his vermilion robe, her Qingshuang Sword lying beside her. By the fire, roasting, was what was clearly Zuo Jingshuang’s Dangshan Sword Robe.
Hua Yan: “…”
Zuo Jingshuang: “…”
Lu Chengsha: “?”
You Weitian reacted the quickest. After a brief moment of surprise, he threw his head back and laughed heartily, “Hahaha! What a coincidence! Would you two like to come in and sit?”