The boy looked up again and saw a woman in a red dress leap down from the treetops. Her bright red dress was as flamboyant as blood, extremely eye-catching. Her embroidered shoes had anklets that jingled softly, accentuating her snow-white, delicate ankles. His heart skipped a beat as his gaze moved slowly from her feet up to her slender waist, bound tightly by a sash, and further up to her face. Suddenly, he felt completely overwhelmed!
His face flushed crimson.
His master had never told him that a woman could look like this!
She was nothing like the conservatively dressed, well-behaved women he had seen before. Her beauty was unabashed and captivating, like a bewitching spirit from the tales of gods and monsters.
The boy didn’t dare look again.
So… this was the infamous demoness from the demonic cult?
The Dangshan disciple beside him, likely accustomed to such sights, remained calm and said, “We are responsible for escorting the goods. Naturally, we cannot simply hand them over to you. No need for words. If you want to fight, then fight.”
The demoness replied, “I don’t want to either, but you keep delivering goods to Yufeng Hall. If you can deliver, can you also go back and tell Ling Tianxiao to stop sending goods to Yufeng Hall in the future?”
“That’s not for us to decide.”
With that, the two sides began to fight.
The boy gripped his sword but found that no one attacked him.
He heard someone say, “Holy Maiden, there’s a foolish boy here. Should we deal with him?”
“Ignore him. We’re here to rob Dangshan’s goods, and he’s not from Dangshan! What does he matter?”
As they spoke, the boy saw a flash of red moving like mist through the crowd. The demoness wielded an exquisitely beautiful silk fan, lightly tapping the Dangshan disciples. In no time, they were all lying on the ground.
The demonic cult disciples swarmed, brazenly dragging away the cart marked with the Dangshan seal, their arrogance unmistakable.
The demoness twirled her dress as if she was about to leave.
The boy couldn’t help but ask, “Are you… not going to kill me?”
The demoness paused, seemingly surprised. “Do you want me to kill you?”
The boy quickly shook his head.
The demoness seemed to understand after a moment and said, “Oh, I see. You think I have a bad reputation. I’m not trying to be a good person; I just don’t have any interest in killing people.”
Her voice softened slightly, making the boy’s heart tremble.
Having heard so many stories, he couldn’t resist asking, “Are you the demoness that Lu Chengsha fell hopelessly in love with?”
He had heard of several demonesses in the demonic cult and feared he might be mistaken.
Unexpectedly, his question seemed to freeze the demoness in place.
After a while, she responded, “What, are you here to scold me? Yes, it’s me. So what? Can’t he like me?”
The boy thought he detected a hint of emotion in her voice.
Feeling awkward as if he had made a girl cry, he stammered, “I didn’t mean it that way. I just joined the Jianghu and heard some rumors, so I wanted to ask…” He felt the demoness before him didn’t match the descriptions he’d heard. Still, he doubted his lack of experience might make him easily deceived. “Do you really have no feelings for Lu Chengsha and truly hate him?”
“Yes, of course! Why wouldn’t I hate him for refusing to do bad things for me and…” She gritted her teeth, seeming genuinely resentful. “Always hiding from me! Why should I like him? I don’t like him at all! Let him go back to being Lu Zhenxing’s good grandson!”
The boy was stunned.
The demoness seemed to grow more agitated, about to leave in a huff.
Despite his inexperience, he could tell her tone was off, similar to how his mother spoke when she was upset with his father.
He wanted to ask more, but the demoness had already used her lightness skill to leave. He then realized that, despite her young age, this demoness’s martial arts seemed no less than those of the young hero Chu Jun he had seen before.
The Jianghu was indeed full of hidden talents.
He wondered if he would ever have the chance to meet Lu Chengsha.
One of the demonic cult disciples, pushing the cart, cautiously asked, “Holy Maiden, are you sure we shouldn’t worry about that boy?”
Hua Yan, her eyes slightly red, replied, “He’s just a kid!”
“He actually dared to mention that person! How dare he upset you!” The demonic cult disciple was indignant. “If we weren’t so far away, I would have lost my temper and dealt with him myself! Such impudence. We should capture him and teach him a lesson!”
Hua Yan shot him a stern look.
The disciple immediately fell silent. “Holy Maiden, forget I said anything!”
Everyone in the cult knew that mentioning that person in front of the Holy Maiden was a grave mistake. Although she wouldn’t show it, the cult leader would always settle scores afterward.
They all silently cursed Lu Chengsha for his insensitivity!
Their Holy Maiden was a rare beauty, lowering herself to favor Lu Chengsha. Since he was already expelled from Tingjian Manor, now just an ordinary guy with decent skills, he should have gladly accepted the honor of becoming their Holy Maiden’s consort. Instead, he had the nerve to act aloof, making their Holy Maiden unhappy. Truly, he was guilty of a great offense!
Righteous people were indeed hypocrites!
They unloaded the goods from the cart into a warehouse the cult had purchased nearby. Soon, people would come to divide and sell these medicinal herbs.
Yufeng Hall, once backed by the demonic cult, had offended many and now dared not say a word against them. It had become their moving treasure trove, frequently targeted for plundering. Their cult leader had ordered them to avoid unnecessary evil deeds, focusing on robbing the rich to aid the poor, except when it came to Yufeng Hall, where there were no restrictions. This had led to a significant reduction in Yufeng Hall’s size and influence, with many members resigning. The cult leader even advised them to let Yufeng Hall recover a bit before raiding again to ensure they still had spoils.
The disciple rubbed his hands together. “Holy Maiden, what shall we do next? Shall we go mess with Tingjian Manor?”
This was their favorite part!
That person’s lack of cooperation had infuriated the Holy Maiden, prompting them to frequently trouble Tingjian Manor. The old master could no longer manage things, and the other elders, as long as they didn’t go too far, wouldn’t intervene. The acting manor master Lu Huaitian and the remaining disciples were hardly a challenge, making the harassment especially entertaining!
For instance, they would sneak in at night and release bugs that caused itching and rashes in the disciples’ quarters, watching them panic and scream in the morning.
Or, they would sabotage the preparations for the induction ceremonies of new disciples, creating chaos.
Such actions were truly maddening.
Hua Yan said, “Forget it. I have other matters to attend to. If you want to go, go ahead, but don’t get yourselves killed.”
With permission granted, the demonic cult disciple eagerly began planning with the others.
Hua Yan felt a bit listless. She only wanted Lu Zhenxing to come out and fight her. Yet, after falling ill, Lu Zhenxing had shown no response, seemingly withdrawing from the world. Even the daily affairs of the sect were now handled by Lu Huaitian.
If not for the lack of an official notice from Tingjian Manor, she would have thought Lu Zhenxing was dead.
He couldn’t be dead. He absolutely couldn’t be dead. If he died, who would retract those words against Lu Chengsha!
Hua Yan fumed at the thought, almost wanting to present herself for Lu Zhenxing to strike, as long as she survived, everything could be settled!
Why did it have to be like this…!
Lu Huaitian’s attitude toward Hua Yan was no different from Lu Zhenxing’s, except for the fact that he was always ready to fight. They had clashed back in Lishan City when Hua Yan had no internal energy and was no match for him. Now things were different; she could hold her own in a fight. But she found herself in a frustrating realization: she didn’t get along well with any of Lu Chengsha’s relatives. The only one who was slightly better was Lu Zhusheng, but even they were separated by a deep blood feud.
Oh, there was one good relationship.
If Xie Yingxian could be counted.
Xie Yingxian, surprisingly indifferent to his newly found brother, held no particular feelings towards Xie Changyun nor resentment towards his father’s numerous romantic entanglements. If it were anyone else, he would have dismissed it with a simple “oh.”
Because of his entanglement with Hua Yan, he paid a bit more attention. “He has good martial arts talent?”
Hua Yan nodded, hesitatingly, “He’s on par with you, perhaps…”
Xie Yingxian smiled, “You’re quite protective of him.”
Hua Yan immediately protested, “I am not! Why don’t you spar with him and see!”
Xie Yingxian refused at once, “No, it’s troublesome.” After a pause, he asked, “Has he recovered from his injuries?”
Hua Yan lowered her head, “I don’t know.”
She really didn’t know if Lu Chengsha was eating well, drinking well, or sleeping well because he wouldn’t let her get close.
Thinking of this made her want to go to Tingjian Manor to cause trouble again, but she had matters to attend to.
The investigation into the Miyin Long Cave case was progressing slowly, mainly because it had happened so long ago. Many pieces of evidence and people had been lost to time, like the swordsmith Duan Yan’s family, who, after being relentlessly interrogated, couldn’t withstand the pressure and the guilt, ultimately hanging themselves.
Of course, the demonic cult still bore the blame for this.
That incident had wide-ranging implications, resulting in many deaths. Even trying to investigate through the toxic incense proved difficult, as it had only appeared briefly and then vanished from the Jianghu.
Xie Yingxian took a unique approach, suggesting she investigate another matter related to the sect battle. Back then, Yu Ye orchestrated such large-scale traps during the sect battle; it was impossible he had no help. Given that Xie Yingxian had just seized power and no matter how many people he could mobilize, he couldn’t have kept it secret from so many in such a short time.
This led to another possibility:
The organizers of the Sword-seeking Tournament, Dongfeng Buye Tower, might themselves be involved!
If that were the case, this matter would have been easy for Dongfeng Buye Tower to handle.
Therefore, she had to investigate the legendary host, Jiang Louyue.
Dongfeng Buye Tower was hosting a grand auction in their Night City soon, attracting many dignitaries and high-ranking martial artists. The host, Jiang Louyue, was also expected to attend. He was usually elusive, rarely seen, making this a rare opportunity.
She hoped at least to have a chance to approach and speak with Jiang Louyue.
Moreover, Dongfeng Buye Tower had been gathering information for years and might have some unknown clues about the Miyin Long Cave case. Naturally, as a despised member of the demonic cult, she couldn’t attend as the demoness.
Just as Hua Yan was preparing to leave, she noticed a shadow swiftly passing through a barely noticeable spot. The shadow moved so quickly that if she hadn’t had exceptional eyesight, she wouldn’t have noticed it at all.
She gritted her teeth in frustration!
Great! Just great! Runs pretty fast!