Hua Yan, currently depleted of her internal energy, found it very strenuous to keep up. But the righteous hero she had longed to meet day and night was right in front of her. At this moment, countless legendary tales of the martial world that Hua Yan had read surged through her mind!
This was a real, living, and formidable hero!
She suddenly felt a surge of motivation and believed she could chase him for another five hundred miles.
At this moment, even watching Lu Chengsha felt like observing some rare and precious creature.
The hero stood with such a straight back, like a javelin, and was very tall. Hua Yan compared their heights and found that he was a whole head taller than her. His legs were long, and the long sword strapped to his back did not seem burdensome but instead made him appear even more tall and slender like a pine tree. The blue tassel on his sword hilt was also very unique, not fluttering in the wind like usual sword tassels but woven into a circle, with the ends tied into a bundle with a jade ornament.
The more Hua Yan looked, the more she felt: Yes! This was the person she was looking for!
The protagonists of the martial world legends she had read instantly took on a concrete form!
As she chased, she observed, and if her gaze could materialize, Lu Chengsha would probably have been turned into a hedgehog by now.
Fortunately, Lu Chengsha did not deliberately run too fast, but continued at his own pace, so Hua Yan managed to keep up and followed him all the way into the city.
Being in the wilderness was one thing, but entering the city attracted countless onlookers.
Anyone seeing a delicate, pretty girl breathlessly chasing after a cold-faced young hero would certainly look twice. Moreover, no matter how much the girl shouted “Wait,” the other party seemed not to hear at all and continued striding forward, utterly oblivious to her presence.
Although martial artists in the Jianghu are known for their boldness and decisive actions, this girl was perhaps too daring.
But upon seeing the cold-faced young hero, everyone fell silent.
Lu Chengsha finally stopped in front of an inn.
“One room.”
He paid with silver, and Hua Yan followed him in.
“What is the young lady doing…?”
Hua Yan tidied her slightly messy hair and smiled, “I’m with him.”
The innkeeper stared at Hua Yan’s face, stunned for a moment, and then stuttered, “O-one room?”
“Yes…” She was interrupted by Lu Chengsha: “Two rooms.”
The innkeeper, trembling with fear, handed over two keys, “Up-upstairs, first class…”
With the keys in hand, Lu Chengsha immediately headed upstairs. Though Hua Yan followed quickly, she was still a step behind, hearing a click as Lu Chengsha locked his door.
Hua Yan’s room was next door. Frustrated, she paced in front of Lu Chengsha’s door, thinking hard.
A moment later, a terrified scream came from Hua Yan’s room. In the blink of an eye, a dark figure burst through the door, Lu Chengsha’s sword flashing with a cold, fierce light.
Hua Yan sat on the ground, rubbing her ankle with an innocent expression. “I-I fell…”
Lu Chengsha, expressionless, sheathed his sword and turned to leave.
“Wait…” Hua Yan, in a moment of panic, said, “I… can’t stand up… could you… help me?”
She swore she wasn’t doing it on purpose, but the seductive tone her mother taught her involuntarily kicked in. Each word she uttered was infused with a bone-chilling allure. If her mother knew how well she performed, she’d be very proud because this was the best practical use of her training Hua Yan had ever achieved.
Sure enough, Lu Chengsha stopped.
Hua Yan’s heart skipped a beat, filled with anticipation and a hint of inexplicable disappointment.
A rough, crude iron sword was handed to her.
“….”
Lu Chengsha seemed about to withdraw the sword.
Hua Yan immediately grabbed the blade, her expression complex.
Lu Chengsha effortlessly pulled her to her feet.
“…Thank you.”
The result didn’t quite match what her mother had said. Didn’t her mother claim that using this voice would make anyone do anything for her?
She had tried it on others before, and it worked perfectly!
No, no… Hua Yan calmed down. Lu Chengsha wasn’t an ordinary person!
He was indeed the one she had her eye on!
He was different!
***
The next day, before dawn, Lu Chengsha was already dressed, washed, and ready. He silently pushed open the window and leaped from the second floor.
“Great Hero Lu, you’re up so early!”
Lu Chengsha stiffened and turned around to see Hua Yan, in a new skirt, waving at him from the shop opposite, smiling brightly. “I’ve already ordered breakfast. Want to join me?”
Lu Chengsha pressed his lips together, but Hua Yan fearlessly approached with two buns, stuffing one into his hand. “Here, for you. Eat it while it’s hot.”
The freshly steamed bun was warm, almost hot to the touch. Lu Chengsha looked down at it, then at Hua Yan, who was happily munching away. Torn between throwing it away and eating it, he finally took a bite.
Red bean bun, sweet and soft, leaving a lingering fragrance.
Mumbling around a mouthful of bun, Hua Yan said, “Boss, these buns are really good… delicious!”
The stall owner laughed cheerfully, “Of course! Little girl, come again next time and I’ll give you two more buns for free.”
“Sure!”
While eating, Hua Yan didn’t forget to cozy up to Lu Chengsha.
“Great Hero Lu, don’t worry, I definitely won’t cause you any trouble! I can do all kinds of…” She paused, realizing she couldn’t make the bed, wash clothes, cook, or clean. She was much better at poisoning, drugging, and extracting confessions!
But the problem was, Lu Chengsha wouldn’t need those skills at all!
Or rather, if he knew, she’d be done for!
“…Ahem, I can learn! I learn things very quickly!” That part was true.
“You see, traveling the Jianghu alone, you need someone to take care of your daily needs. I can do that!”
Lu Chengsha finished his bun, stayed silent for a moment, then said, “No need.”
“How do you know you don’t need it if you don’t try!”
Hua Yan wiped her hands after finishing her meal and smiled brightly, “Where are we going next?”
For a moment, Lu Chengsha’s expression seemed confused, but it quickly disappeared as if it had never been there.
He carried his long sword and continued on his way without looking back, treating Hua Yan as if she didn’t exist.
Hua Yan didn’t mind. After resting for a night, she had regained her strength.
Lu Chengsha bought two sesame cakes from a roadside stall, then purchased a horse, and continued on his journey without stopping.
Hua Yan, following his example, also bought two sesame cakes and rode a horse, trailing behind Lu Chengsha. Riding a horse was much easier than chasing on foot, and Hua Yan even had the leisure to enjoy the surrounding scenery.
Although she didn’t know where Lu Chengsha was going, it didn’t affect her enjoyment of following him and experiencing the adventure of roaming the Jianghu!
Along the way, Lu Chengsha stopped only to feed his horse and refill his water pouch at a relay station, taking almost no rest.
Hua Yan realized for the first time that being a hero was incredibly strenuous!
Though it was tough, she gritted her teeth and managed to keep up. Riding for long hours did make her legs sore, though.
They traveled like this for a whole day and into the night. As darkness fell, they had just sped through a desolate area with no village or inn in sight, not even a place to rest.
Lu Chengsha looked back seemingly unintentionally.
Hua Yan smiled and waved at him, a half-eaten sesame cake still in her mouth.
She was really hungry.
As Hua Yan finished the last bite, Lu Chengsha had just dismounted.
On the hillside, a few sparse trees stood, and nearby there was an abandoned, dilapidated hut. The roof was gone, leaving only a few broken wooden beams. Lu Chengsha tied his horse to a tree and sat down against the only remaining wall of the ruined hut.
Hua Yan immediately followed suit, dismounting under a tree next to Lu Chengsha.
Under the sparse moonlight and stars, Hua Yan admired the night sky and took out another sesame cake to eat. Meanwhile, Lu Chengsha also finally started his meal.
After quickly devouring a flatbread, he untied his water pouch and had just taken a sip when he noticed a hand holding an oiled paper package extending towards him. Above it was a smiling face: “I bought some peach blossom pastries this morning. Try one!”
Lu Chengsha: “…”
Hua Yan persisted, “I tried them earlier. They’re sweet but not too greasy, really delicious!”
Lu Chengsha finally looked up at the girl who had somehow moved to sit next to him.
“Why are you following me?” His voice remained cold and clear.
Hua Yan’s response was confident and earnest: “I’m being chased by the Demon Sect! They’re very ruthless! You saved me, and I have no one else to follow…”
Previously, she and Zhao You had been pursued all the way here. Ever since Lu Chengsha appeared, the pursuers hadn’t dared to show themselves.
Of course, based on her knowledge of her own people, Hua Yan was sure they hadn’t given up.
Lu Chengsha was silent for a long time before taking out a token inscribed with the character “Lu.”
“Go to Tingjian Manor. It’s very safe.”
Hua Yan immediately shook her head: “I don’t know the way, and if I travel alone, the Demon Sect will kill me on the road!”
Traveling alone couldn’t be as fun as following Lu Chengsha!
Lu Chengsha was silent for a while longer.
Seizing the opportunity, Hua Yan extended her hand again and continued to persuade him: “Try one! If it’s not good, blame me…”
After much persistence, Lu Chengsha finally accepted the pastries.
The small, petal-shaped pastries were delicate and cute. He ate them in one bite each, giving no indication of whether he liked them or not.
Hua Yan was already very satisfied. After quickly finishing her meal and resting for a while to regain her strength, she started to get busy.
She scavenged some wooden planks from the broken hut, made a pile of firewood, and lit a fire with a fire starter. Standing with her hands on her hips, she admired her handiwork for a moment, then went to find some straw to spread on the ground, creating a makeshift bed. She stomped it down to firm it up and sprinkled a few freshly picked leaves on top for decoration.
During this process, Lu Chengsha watched her silently, wordlessly observing her busywork.
Finally, Hua Yan clapped her hands, satisfied with her work, and made an inviting gesture towards the straw bed: “Great Hero Lu, the outdoor bed is ready. Come and try it!”
Lu Chengsha: “…”
Lu Chengsha closed his eyes.
Hua Yan pondered for a while longer. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her, and she exclaimed, “I got it!”
She searched the area and found a stone roughly the size of a pillow that suited her needs. She placed it on her straw bed and, with a touch of creativity, picked a small red flower to set beside her stone pillow.
“That should do it!” Hua Yan said, very pleased with herself. “Great Hero Lu, take a look! What do you think?”
Lu Chengsha stood up.
Hua Yan’s face was full of anticipation.
Lu Chengsha began to walk away.
Hua Yan blinked. “Great Hero Lu, where are you going?”
Lu Chengsha paused his steps.
The quick-witted Hua Yan quickly figured it out. “Oh… going to relieve yourself? Great Hero Lu, go ahead. I’ll wait for you here!”
As soon as Lu Chengsha left, Hua Yan pulled out her copy of The Righteous Hero’s Tales of Deep Affection and sat down on the ground to read.
She hadn’t finished the story yet, due to their long and tiring journey!
Hua Yan was deeply engrossed in her book when she suddenly heard footsteps.
She flipped her silk fan in hand and sighed, thinking the pursuers were really persistent, only to realize that the newcomers were not from the Zhengyi Sect.
“People in this desolate place! Well, well, look at this, where did this little girl come from?” The tone was oily and slick.
Hua Yan turned to see four men approaching from not far away. Their attire reeked of banditry, with weapons strapped to their waists. The speaker was a short, skinny man on the left.
Originally just making fun, their eyes changed upon seeing Hua Yan.
A delicate, charming girl like her was rare even in high-class brothels, let alone one with such a lively and bright demeanor. They figured she was probably a runaway miss from some wealthy family, a prime target for ransom or trafficking.
Immediately, the four men approached cautiously, grinning.
Hua Yan was all too familiar with that kind of smile. She had seen countless bad guys in her time, but it was the first time she encountered ones foolish enough to target her.
How could there be such reckless fools!
Hua Yan thought excitedly.