It was really frustrating to have someone right next to you, yet unable to say a word.
Lu Chengsha was being held by her, and after a while, he patted her back and handed her some dry rations. Hua Yan finally let go of him.
Even now, she had to constantly be on the lookout for anyone approaching. Hua Yan took a piece of the rations, which were cold and hard, making them quite unappetizing to chew. She looked up at Lu Chengsha, who seemed completely unbothered as he ate. Noticing Hua Yan’s gaze, he seemed to remember something and said, “I’ll go find something…”
Hua Yan tugged at his sleeve. “…Forget it.”
It was best not to cause trouble at a time like this. It wasn’t unbearable.
She took a few difficult bites and swallowed. Her mouth began to feel dry, and just as she was about to speak, Lu Chengsha handed her a water pouch.
He’s so considerate now.
Hua Yan took a couple of gulps and handed it back. Lu Chengsha took it and drank a few sips himself before hanging it back on his waist. This natural intimacy made her feel inexplicably shy.
As they ate, both suddenly tensed, their eyes meeting as they sensed someone approaching.
Lu Chengsha immediately wrapped his arm around her waist and leaped into a tree.
Soon, two disciples walked by, chatting. As they settled on the branch, Hua Yan heard a rustling sound. She was about to look when Lu Chengsha covered her eyes.
She soon understood why.
The two disciples had come to relieve themselves.
The situation was both embarrassing and slightly amusing. The disciples left quickly, and Hua Yan removed Lu Chengsha’s hand. She was about to say something with a smile when her expression suddenly turned serious.
Lu Chengsha said to her, “Do you want to leave first?”
He could clearly see she felt aggrieved and unsafe.
Hua Yan knew it too.
But… she bit into the dry ration, remained silent for a while, and then said, “I’m here to deal with Yin Xiangsi as well, not just to accompany you.” Besides, she was also worried about Lu Chengsha.
Lu Chengsha was silent for a moment and then said, “I will go back and confess my guilt.”
Hua Yan was stunned and looked up sharply. “What are you going to confess?”
Lu Chengsha said, “I married you.”
Hua Yan realized what he was saying and her voice involuntarily rose, “You’re going back to tell your family?”
Lu Chengsha calmly replied, “Yes.”
Hua Yan immediately said, “No! Absolutely not! You absolutely cannot say anything!”
Just thinking about it made her head feel like it was going to explode. Being with her unknowingly had already gotten him punished so severely. If he knowingly did it in this situation, her grandfather would probably kill Lu Chengsha.
Lu Chengsha seemed surprised by her reaction. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Why?”
“Why are you even asking!?” Hua Yan had thought he had become more flexible, but now it seemed he hadn’t at all. Her voice was tinged with anxiety. “I’m a demonic sect witch! If you tell them you married me, do you know how severely you’ll be punished?”
Unexpectedly, Lu Chengsha nodded and said, “I know.”
Hua Yan was dumbfounded.
Although she liked Lu Chengsha’s straightforward nature, there was no need to be straightforward at a time like this!
Hua Yan immediately said, “I don’t care, you absolutely cannot say anything! If you get punished and something happens to you, what am I supposed to do? Even if you’re okay, if they keep you on the mountain for years and I can’t come up, then what?”
Lu Chengsha was silent for a while, seemingly contemplating her concerns.
After a long moment, he quietly said, “…We can’t hide it forever.”
Hua Yan also quietly said, “Why can’t we hide it forever?”
Lu Chengsha said, “That’s not right.”
He had lived straightforwardly for over twenty years and had never thought there was anything that needed to be hidden.
Even now, he still felt that way.
Hua Yan had to use scare tactics, “It’s not about right or wrong! Do you know you’re from a righteous sect, especially from Tingjian Manor, which despises the demonic sects? If others find out… never mind how severely your grandfather will punish you, the other sects, no, the entire martial world will target you. And then…”
She tried to exaggerate the consequences.
Hua Yan remembered the feeling of despair when she was besieged in Cixin Valley. The kindness and friendliness they had shown her before turned into ruthless cruelty afterward.
But Lu Chengsha seemed to completely not understand her words.
He said in a low voice, “I know.”
If they weren’t in a tree, Hua Yan would have been so frustrated she’d stomp her feet.
Lu Chengsha, undeterred, added, “I don’t want to hide it.”
Why on earth was there someone so inflexible in this world?
Hua Yan almost wanted to have Xie Yingxian give him a lesson.
But there was nothing she could do about him.
In the end, Hua Yan could only say helplessly, “Then just hide it for now, okay? Wait until we find a solution first! Don’t go and say it directly!”
Lu Chengsha knew she was angry, and this time, he didn’t argue.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, “This way, you won’t have to disguise yourself and hide among the crowd.”
“I don’t mind, so why should you?” Hua Yan couldn’t help but say, “If you really say it, I’m afraid I won’t even have the chance to disguise myself in the future.”
Feeling despondent, she wanted some comfort.
Hua Yan reached out her hand, wanting Lu Chengsha to kiss her. Just as he lifted the veil on her hat, they suddenly heard several screams from below.
Someone was shouting, “Where’s Young Hero Lu? Where has Young Hero Lu gone?”
The two exchanged glances and immediately descended.
The disciples below were in chaos, and they saw a dark figure carrying an unconscious disciple, moving swiftly. Lu Chengsha immediately gave chase. Hua Yan, wanting to see what was happening, had no choice but to follow him.
The dark figure moved quickly, but not as quickly as the two of them.
After an unknown amount of time, they were about to catch up when the dark figure, growing anxious, threw the person they were holding backward. Lu Chengsha caught the disciple effortlessly but didn’t slow down.
“This person is suspicious,” Hua Yan suddenly said.
Lu Chengsha felt a surge of killing intent and immediately let go. The unconscious disciple in his grasp suddenly opened his eyes, which glowed red, and drew his sword to stab at him. Lu Chengsha dodged and drew his own sword to strike.
Hua Yan said, “He’s been infected by Yin Xiangsi’s puppet gu.”
The disciple under the influence of the gu was much more troublesome than usual. Although Lu Chengsha had already knocked him out, he seemed unaffected. His joints creaked, and he attacked with contorted movements impossible for a normal person, his combat strength far exceeding his usual capabilities.
At that moment, a small, round, black shadow rolled out from Lu Chengsha’s sleeve and flew directly onto the other person’s face.
The little gu worm named Xiao Hei latched onto the disciple’s mouth and seemed to suck something out. Then, it quickly rolled back into Lu Chengsha’s sleeve. The disciple immediately went limp, the red glow in his eyes disappeared, and blood oozed from his limbs.
Lu Chengsha caught the disciple, who began to scream in pain, “It hurts! Why does it hurt so much? It’s killing me…”
Hua Yan approached and quickly applied pressure to the disciple’s acupoints to stop the bleeding, skillfully applying medicine. The disciple seemed to recover somewhat, a look of urgency flashing across his face as he said, “Young Hero Lu… I… they also captured my senior brother. Hurry and go after them, don’t worry about me…”
After placing the disciple down, the two of them resumed their pursuit.
Hua Yan intentionally led him towards the direction of the abandoned temple, calculating the odds of winning if they fought two against one. Even if they couldn’t kill Yin Xiangsi, severely injuring her would be a significant gain.
As they approached, they saw another dark figure carrying someone.
Just as Lu Chengsha was about to move forward, Hua Yan stopped him and said, “Wait.”
Letting the other party demonstrate how to get in was much easier than her explaining it. Lu Chengsha understood. They waited until the dark figure went down, then stealthily entered the abandoned temple. However, upon seeing the statue of the Joyful Buddha, Hua Yan blushed.
Lu Chengsha also noticed it.
He seemed a bit surprised and was about to say something when Hua Yan quickly interrupted him, “Let’s go down.”
She pulled a hidden ornament, revealing a passage, and the two of them stepped inside. The stairs twisted and turned, showing no immediate issues. However, at the final turn, Hua Yan felt something was off. She listened carefully but couldn’t pinpoint anything, so she suppressed her anxiety and continued downward.
Below was the same spacious, brightly lit courtyard.
Almost as soon as they stepped down, they heard voices, many voices. From all directions, numerous young disciples appeared, their eyes blood-red. Some were neatly dressed, others in rags; all were the disciples who had gone missing over the past days.
They wielded various weapons, their intent to kill clear as they rushed at Lu Chengsha.
Hua Yan thought it was bad and shouted, “They’re all under the influence of puppet gu!”
Yin Xiangsi had gone to great lengths.
Puppet gu were extremely delicate and hard to cultivate. Even Hua Yan, with her interest in such things, hadn’t raised many.
She felt a bit regretful, thinking she should have been more cautious. Her lack of worldly experience showed.
Lu Chengsha swept his sword, knocking several disciples aside. Normally, they would be incapacitated, but now they seemed to feel no pain, getting back up with joints creaking, faces expressionless, knowing nothing but to attack like true puppets.
On closer inspection, many disciples were already at their limits, unable to withstand more of Lu Chengsha’s attacks.
Yin Xiangsi’s girlish voice echoed from above, “Since Young Hero Lu is so skilled, why not kill them all?”
Hua Yan knew something was wrong and quickly said, “No! You can’t kill them! They’re just ordinary disciples. If they die, the gu inside them dies too, and it will be impossible to explain!”
Lu Chengsha responded, “Understood.”
But this made it even harder. He had to control his strength while dodging all attacks.
People under the control of puppet gu fought until death. Even poison wouldn’t help, but continuing like this wasn’t a solution.
Xiao Hei, the little gu worm in Lu Chengsha’s sleeve, flew out again, consuming two puppet gu. Hua Yan quickly dragged the incapacitated disciples away, but there were too many. This approach would take forever.
Yin Xiangsi’s voice rang out again, “Hmm? That Xiao Hei cutie is quite something. You gave it to him out of deep affection… How does Young Hero Lu taste? My Xiangsi Wujie must be quite useful.”
Hua Yan blushed and shouted, “Shut up!”
Yin Xiangsi laughed, “I am your elder. Don’t you know any manners? Your gu king is too small. Even if it ate itself to death, it couldn’t consume all the puppet gu here. When those disciples wake up, how will you explain it?”
Hua Yan retorted angrily, “Mind your own business!”
She carefully knocked out the disciples who had been freed from the gu, fearing that if they woke up and saw the current situation, it would be hard to explain.
“I’m really doing this for your own good. You’ve already tasted his flavor, so why cling to it?” Yin Xiangsi said in a melancholic tone. “A noble holy maiden living so timidly, what’s the point? There are so many excellent men in this world. Why be like your mother, sticking to one sickly man? Why not find more to enjoy? Life is short; seize the day. Don’t you agree?”
Her last sentence seemed directed at Hua Yan but also at everyone else.
Lu Chengsha said, “Shut up.”
Hua Yan was immediately startled.
Despite fighting so hard, he still paid attention to what she was saying!
Yin Xiangsi laughed coquettishly. “You two are truly interesting. Young Hero Lu, even knowing her true identity, you still choose to be with her. Are you also captivated by her charms?”
Hua Yan thought this old witch’s ideas were really problematic.
She immediately retorted, “He’s not! He loves me!”
Yin Xiangsi laughed again, “How naive. How much is a man’s love worth? Only a naive girl like you would believe that. If he really had to choose between the righteous path and you, let’s see what he’d choose.”
Hua Yan didn’t quite understand her meaning.
She and Lu Chengsha struggled for a long time, finally managing to clear about half of the disciples. Even Xiao Hei had eaten so much that its belly was round and swollen, its antennae twitching as if about to turn its belly inside out.
Yin Xiangsi’s voice suddenly disappeared.
The disciples attacking Lu Chengsha abruptly stopped, their eyes gradually returning to normal. As they woke, they cried out in pain, some immediately collapsing to the ground, weapons clattering. Others, less injured, looked around in confusion, not knowing what had happened.
In the midst of the crowd, Lu Chengsha stood out the most.
“Young Hero Lu, did you save us?”
“Has the demonic sect villain been killed?”
Xiao Hei had already slipped into his pant leg. Hua Yan also wanted to leave, but a sudden gust of wind blew, lifting her hat and letting it fall gently to the ground.
Beneath it was an extremely beautiful woman’s face, her cheeks flushed, adding to her allure.
After Hua Yan fled from Cixin Valley, the righteous sect had once drawn a portrait of the demonic sect witch and posted it alongside the portrait of the demonic sect leader on the wanted board. The artist’s skill was exceptional, capturing the young girl’s charming and beautiful smile vividly.
Because of the incident with Lu Chengsha, the newly posted portraits attracted many onlookers curious to see how stunning the witch who had enticed Lu Chengsha was. Upon seeing it, many remarked that it was no wonder even Lu Chengsha couldn’t resist her beauty.
Now, that unforgettable face was right in front of them.
Hua Yan’s mind raced. They had only seen her appear here, which didn’t necessarily link her to Lu Chengsha. If she escaped quickly, she could take the blame alone.
With that thought, she prepared to run.
Immediately, voices rang out.
“I recognize her! She’s the demonic sect witch!”
“Stop her!”
Just then, the sound of grinding stone was heard, and a wall slowly turned around. The crowd realized that the seemingly ordinary wall had a hidden mechanism. As the wall turned, it revealed a small room with a very comfortable, soft pink lounge chair. The room was empty, indicating that Yin Xiangsi had just been there but had escaped.
Next to the lounge chair was a man in white hanging from a beam. His hands were bound, and he was suspended between two pillars, dressed only in his inner garments. His clothes were in disarray, and his face was pale and unsightly, a far cry from his usual refined appearance, as if he had been mistreated. However, his handsome face was clear and sober, and his gaze was cold as he looked at Lu Chengsha and Hua Yan. This was none other than Bai Yujiang, the young master of Baiya Peak.
—How much had he heard of their conversation just now?
The thought flashed through Hua Yan’s mind, and she panicked.
But there was no time. She didn’t even have a moment to look at Lu Chengsha before using her lightness skill to flee.
Not long ago, she and Lu Chengsha had fought desperately to save these disciples, but now she seemed to have become the chief culprit.
Behind her, the noise of the crowd grew louder.
“Chase her!”
“Who still has strength? Don’t let the witch escape!”
As Hua Yan escaped underground, the last thing she heard was Bai Yujiang’s cold voice.
“—Young Hero Lu, she’s the witch who deceived you. Why aren’t you chasing her?”