The carriage sped along the direction Lu Chengsha had indicated. Although it was slightly slower than riding a horse, it wasn’t significantly so. Moreover, thanks to the coachman’s skill, the ride inside was quite comfortable.
A few hours later, the coachman said, “We’ve arrived.”
The carriage stopped at a small town. Hua Yan, unfamiliar with the place, followed Lu Chengsha out, curiously looking around. They hadn’t been out for long before someone approached them.
“The tassel on your sword… You must be the hero from Tingjian Manor! It’s an honor to finally meet you!”
Leading the group was a short, plump middle-aged man. He had a square face, large ears, and his clothes, like his round face, spoke of wealth. At the moment, he looked deeply troubled, and he was followed by several servants.
Before Lu Chengsha could speak, Hua Yan bounced forward.
She spoke excitedly, “What do you need help with?”
The middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead, his chubby face quivering as he gritted his teeth and said, “Kill the demonic cultist who has been kidnapping women and children for us!”
Hua Yan, the demonic cultist, thought to herself, “…”
The middle-aged man, thinking Hua Yan was frightened, quickly added, “Don’t worry, noble lady! I was referring to that demonic cultist, not you!”
That only makes it more nerve-wracking!
Hua Yan forced a polite, if awkward, smile. “I’m not a heroine. I’m just here with Great Hero Lu. I can’t fight.”
The middle-aged man immediately turned to Lu Chengsha, smiling ingratiatingly. “Great hero, what do you think…”
Lu Chengsha finally spoke, his response blunt and simple: “Who do I kill?”
The middle-aged man’s name was Zhang Fusheng. He led the two into a hall.
It seemed the commotion had drawn people from all around. People of all ages, with families in tow, surrounded Lu Chengsha. Even Hua Yan found herself pushed to the outskirts.
“Hero! My daughter is only thirteen and she was taken!”
“Hero! You must kill that demonic cultist and rescue my daughter!”
Five or six voices spoke at once, some crying, some shouting, each more desperate than the last. Then, suddenly, everyone fell silent and retreated a few steps, creating a circle with Lu Chengsha at its center.
Hua Yan was puzzled.
She tapped the shoulder of a nearby woman. “What’s going on?”
The woman shuddered and gestured towards Lu Chengsha with her eyes. Moments ago, she had been speaking fluently, but now she stammered, “Th-this great hero… is a bit… terrifying.”
Hua Yan didn’t feel it, but the others could clearly sense a sudden, chilling aura of killing intent emanating from Lu Chengsha, like an invisible barrier that instinctively made them want to stay away.
“Terrifying?” Hua Yan remained confused.
She looked towards Lu Chengsha and saw a young man with a righteous and imposing demeanor, exuding the aura of a true hero. There didn’t seem to be any issue with him at all.
Isn’t it normal for a hero to have a bit of a killing aura?
Unaffected, Hua Yan bounced over in a few steps and asked the trembling Zhang Fusheng in front of Lu Chengsha, “So, what exactly happened?”
The situation was quite simple.
At this point, Zhang Fusheng sat several meters away from Lu Chengsha. He sighed, his chubby face quivering, and began to slowly explain.
It turned out that recently, young girls had been disappearing at night in the town. They suspected it was the work of the demonic cult, and coincidentally, they had discovered a sub-branch of a demonic cult leader nearby. They immediately contacted Dongfeng Buye Tower and sent a message to Tingjian Manor for assistance.
Hua Yan was puzzled, wondering which sect it could be.
In fact, under the current leader, the Zhengyi Sect had improved and no longer engaged in random robbery, murder, and arson. Even if they did cause trouble, they would find a seemingly reasonable pretext. After all, the Zhengyi Sect didn’t acknowledge themselves as a demonic cult—they considered themselves a group of mysterious individuals with harsh methods and unpredictable actions!
But she felt a bit guilty. After all, there were indeed many bad people in their sect, and it was possible…
Feeling a sense of righteous indignation mixed with guilt, Hua Yan patted her chest and said, “No problem! We’ll definitely help you rescue those girls!”
Lu Chengsha turned to look at her, “…Hmm?”
Hua Yan also turned to look at him, “Hmm? Is there a problem?”
A hero should help those in need!
Before Lu Chengsha could speak, Zhang Fusheng, full of gratitude, said, “Thank you, young lady. You truly understand justice! However, the demonic cultists only return at night. You two can rest in the town for now; I’ve already prepared rooms.”
So, they settled in first.
However, Hua Yan felt that Lu Chengsha seemed a bit displeased with her.
After thinking it over, she concluded it might be because she had eaten all the snacks in the carriage by herself. The snacks were so delicious that Great Hero Lu probably didn’t speak up out of politeness, not expecting her to eat them all in one go!
The more Hua Yan thought about it, the more it made sense.
She specifically asked Zhang Fusheng where she could buy some snacks.
Zhang Fusheng was surprised, “If the young lady wants some, I can have someone prepare them…”
Hua Yan waved her hand, “No need, just tell me where they sell them in town.”
Buying them herself would show sincerity!
Zhang Fusheng had arranged their accommodation at an inn near the town gate.
After buying the snacks, Hua Yan entered the inn and saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, trembling as she tidied up the guest room, doing everything timidly, almost curling herself into a ball.
“Where is Great Hero Lu?”
The girl continued to tremble, “O-on the roof.”
Hua Yan dismissed her casually, and the girl fled as if she had been saved, disappearing in an instant. Hua Yan couldn’t help but wonder again, was Great Hero Lu really that difficult to serve?
Looking up as she stepped outside, Hua Yan saw the figure dressed in black sitting on the roof.
Outside the inn, the street was bustling with people. Looking down was a scene of worldly clamor, while looking up felt like a world apart.
On the ink-black tiled roof, a breeze blew, lifting Lu Chengsha’s hair. He had one leg propped up, his hand resting lightly on his knee. His expression remained cold, but from a distance, he seemed ethereal, lonely, as if he didn’t belong to this world. It felt as if a gust of wind could blow him away.
Hua Yan was momentarily stunned.
Oh no, it was all her fault!
She had eaten all the snacks and made Great Hero Lu so angry!
Thinking this, Hua Yan immediately waved the snacks, shouting, “Great Hero Lu, I brought you some snacks!”
Lu Chengsha turned his head slightly, looking over. In his black-and-white eyes, a brief flicker of confusion flashed. Then he saw the girl, biting an oiled paper bag, climbing up the nearby ladder with both hands and feet, and sitting beside him without any hesitation.
“Here!” Hua Yan grandly shoved the oiled paper bag into Lu Chengsha’s hands. “Don’t be mad at me!” She added, trying to cover up her guilt, “I’m not usually this greedy, really…”
“…”
“Sitting on the roof feels so nice…”
At that moment, a gentle breeze caressed her face, making Hua Yan feel comfortable and relaxed. If she were sitting like this at the Zhengyi Sect, she would have a mouthful of yellow sand by now!
Lu Chengsha held the oiled paper bag in silence, feeling quite out of place. He even exuded a bit of killing intent, hoping to make Hua Yan uncomfortable enough to leave on her own.
But after a long while, Hua Yan continued chattering away.
“…Great Hero Lu, try these snacks. They’re delicious!”
“…Great Hero Lu, I just asked around. They said the demonic cult leader is in the north of the city. It seems he isn’t there during the day but comes back at night. When are you planning to go? I’ll go with you!”
“…Great Hero Lu, what’s the usual process for heroes like you?”
Lu Chengsha didn’t know how to respond. He had never encountered such a situation before.
He stood up, tapped his toe, and leaped onto another rooftop. With a few more leaps, he reached the branch of the tallest tree, then sat there, his black clothes blending into the foliage.
Hua Yan’s eyes widened.
What had she said wrong this time?
Looking at the shadow above, she tried to jump up and down.
Oh, without any internal energy, she really couldn’t fly up there!
Feeling regretful but with no other option, Hua Yan decided to continue exploring the town.
She didn’t realize how conspicuous she was as a young girl wandering around the town.
Her butterfly-shaped ruby earrings, strung together by fine chains, jingled in the wind. Her light pink ruqun swayed with her lively steps, blooming like a flower. Her bright eyes seemed to sparkle, and her fresh, radiant beauty resembled a flourishing peony, both vivid and flamboyant.
“Big sister…”
Looking down, Hua Yan saw a seven or eight-year-old girl tugging at her skirt, cautiously saying, “Big sister, you’re too eye-catching. It’s not good.”
“Eye-catching?” Hua Yan blinked, puzzled. “Really?”
She had already chosen the plainest dress she had!
The little girl seemed unsure how to explain further, only tugging at her skirt again, saying, “The sisters who were taken were all very beautiful. Big sister, be careful.”
Then she scampered away.
Hua Yan didn’t even get a chance to say “thank you.”
After wandering around until she was tired, Hua Yan returned to her room to rest. She glanced next door; Lu Chengsha hadn’t come back yet.
Could he still be on the tree?
As it was getting dark, Zhang Fusheng had the girl bring her dinner and kindly asked if she needed anything else. Hua Yan requested an extra meal, walked to the tree, shook it a few times, and called out loudly, “Great Hero Lu, are you still there? Are you hungry?”
The branches shook violently.
After a while, a faint voice drifted down, “Not hungry.”
He was really still up there!
Hua Yan was surprised and continued loudly, “Aren’t you tired?”
“…Not tired.”
“Okay.” Hua Yan put the food box on the ground. “I’ll leave it here. Great Hero Lu, remember to come down and eat. After you finish, I’ll help you take it back!”
Back in her room, she started eating her own meal, but the first bite made her realize something was wrong.
—The food had been laced with knockout drugs, and a hefty dose at that.
She immediately checked Lu Chengsha’s portion. The food box was still on the ground, and his food had no issues, which meant only her food was tampered with.
Hua Yan became intrigued!
She took out an antidote and swallowed it, then boldly finished all the food before collapsing onto the table, pretending to be unconscious.
About half an hour later, there was a knock on her door, followed by a quiet voice, “Miss, are you there?”
Hua Yan continued to feign unconsciousness.
When she didn’t respond, the people outside carefully pushed the door open. Judging by the footsteps, there was more than one person.
“She’s asleep.”
“With the amount of drug we used, she should have been out a long time ago! She shouldn’t wake up even if there’s thunder now!”
“Do you think Great Hero Lu will notice?”
“That girl is just tagging along with him. She doesn’t even know martial arts. I saw that they’re not familiar at all, and Great Hero Lu is avoiding her. She’s probably just a nuisance to him. By helping him get rid of her, he’ll probably thank us!”
After saying this, the person let out a sinister laugh.
Hua Yan, who had been eagerly watching the drama unfold, now found herself genuinely stunned.