Chapter 59

Chapter 59

After the Flowing Cloud Ravine incident, Rong Yu swiftly returned to the sect with Lu Shitu. Upon their arrival, Rong Baichuan informed them that the sect leader had once again entered seclusion to recuperate. Rong Yu didn't even get to see him.

Rong Yu had been puzzled ever since receiving the message talisman and asked Rong Baichuan, "How did he suddenly fall so gravely ill? Wasn't the sect leader perfectly fine before?"

Rong Baichuan sighed, "I'm not sure either. The sect leader has always had health issues, said to be a congenital condition. When he first joined the sect to seek divine guidance and immortality, it was primarily to extend his lifespan."

Rong Yu suddenly recalled Lu Shitu's earlier remark—it seemed the sect leader indeed had health problems, which was why he had such a down-to-earth name.

"But it's a pity. Perhaps due to his physical limitations, the sect leader has been stuck at the Soul Division stage for so long, unable to advance further. And his lifespan... is said to be at least fifty percent shorter than that of normal Soul Division cultivators..." Rong Baichuan's face showed a hint of worry.

Rong Yu did a quick calculation and was startled: "If that's the case, then the sect leader seems to have..." *not much time left?*

Rong Baichuan sighed and shook his head. Only then did Rong Yu begin to understand why they had been urgently summoned back.

After a pause, Rong Baichuan remembered something else and added, "However, this time the sect leader's seclusion seems different. I heard he didn't go to the back mountain but is staying in his cave abode on Shouzhong Peak. I also overheard some junior disciples guarding the mountain gate discussing that they saw Ling Xiao go up there. It's strange—in the past, when the sect leader was in seclusion, no one was allowed to disturb him."

Rong Yu also frowned. He immediately thought of the part in the original story where Lu Shitu was imprisoned in the water dungeon. At that time, the sect leader was also said to be in seclusion, but he actually wasn't. He was the one who gave the orders to imprison Lu Shitu, have him tortured, and eventually release him.

This made Rong Yu feel somewhat uneasy. After some thought, he suddenly asked, "Senior Brother, do you remember... when I first joined the sect? I want to look into that old case."

Rong Baichuan looked puzzled at first, but upon hearing the last sentence, his expression turned serious. He thought carefully and replied, "At that time... Master went down the mountain to travel. Before leaving, he told me to prepare, as he had calculated that he might bring back a junior brother. When he passed by your hometown, that incident had just happened... so he rescued you and brought you back to Mount Taiqing, which is now your Broken Peak."

The original host's background wasn't extensively described in the book. Rong Yu nodded, taking note, but suddenly felt a pang of suspicion. *How could it be such a coincidence?* And it seemed similar with Lu Shitu—his family suddenly met with disaster, and then he was sent to the Taixu Sword Sect by his remaining relatives.

As Rong Yu fell into thought, Rong Baichuan remained silent. Finally, as Rong Yu saw him out, Rong Baichuan seemed to remember something and added, "If not for the sect leader's sudden summons, you probably would've stayed down the mountain a while longer this time, A'Yu."

Rong Yu absentmindedly replied, "Hmm?"

Rong Baichuan asked curiously, "Weren't you celebrating your disciple's birthday down the mountain? Do you have other plans this year?"

Rong Yu let out an "ah" and only then did he remember that Lu Shitu's eighteenth birthday was in a few days.

Eighteen years old—in his old world, that meant adulthood. Although it wasn't particularly special in this world, Rong Yu still wanted to celebrate it properly for him.

How time flies. Rong Yu vaguely felt as though just yesterday, Lu Shitu was that thin, small child curled up in his arms like a kitten, clutching his clothes tightly, never saying it out loud but always afraid of being abandoned.

From the very beginning, Rong Yu had held an extremely important place in Lu Shitu's heart. It was easy to imagine—in such a desperate situation, someone suddenly appeared to pull him out of the abyss. Anyone would want to hold on tightly.

Lu Shitu was such a loyal and devoted child, always thinking about repaying him. Perhaps after thinking about it too often, those feelings had taken a different turn.

It didn't matter. He was only eighteen. Everyone makes mistakes when they're young. With proper guidance, he could be steered back on the right path.

Rong Yu had originally planned to stay on the mountain, wait for the sect leader to emerge from seclusion, rest for a few days, properly celebrate Lu Shitu's birthday, and then consider other matters. But lately, it seemed his luck had been bad—one thing after another kept happening without pause.

Not long after returning to the mountain, Wang Yi sent him a message talisman. It first detailed the various clues he had gathered over the years investigating the massacre of Rong Yu's family.

Further down, it said: "Xiao Yu, there has been strange activity in the Abyss of Eternal Sorrow recently. I think the situation might not be good. You may need to come as soon as possible."

Rong Yu frowned, feeling both weary and helpless. He thought, *Does it have to be one thing after another without a break? Always on missions—can't a person rest for a few days?*

At the same time, his right eyelid twitched abruptly. A subtle premonition flashed through his mind, as if something major was about to happen.

Rong Yu tossed the message talisman aside and laughed, scoffing inwardly: *Left eye twitches for wealth, right eye... Screw superstitions!*

Rong Yu had no choice but to head out to Western Region again. Unsurprisingly, Lu Shitu insisted on coming along, and Rong Yu agreed.

The Abyss of Eternal Sorrow was the deepest place on the front side of the continent and the closest to the reverse side. In the original story, it was a place where demons were sealed. All the most vicious demons and monsters from the front side of the continent were sealed here. As such, it was extremely dangerous, layered with countless seals, and only the foremost expert of each generation could open it.

For a long time, no man-killing beasts had appeared on the mainland, so the seal hadn't been opened in ages. Over the years, the top martial artist of each generation had only guarded the seal, and nothing had ever gone wrong. With such tight sealing, it truly was impossible for anything to happen.

Thus, over thousands of years, very few people still remembered the purpose of the Abyss of Eternal Sorrow, knowing only that there were several dangerous, impassable terrains near Xizhou.

After arriving at the City Lord's manor in Xizhou, Wang Yi did not appear; instead, an unfamiliar middle-aged man came to greet Rong Yu. Upon meeting Rong Yu, he arranged accommodations for the two and then said straightforwardly, "Senior, the City Lord has already entered the Abyss of Eternal Sorrow ahead of you."

Rong Yu asked curiously, "Why didn’t Uncle Wang wait for me to go in together?"

The middle-aged man gave a bitter smile. "He’s an impatient person. He’s used to navigating the Abyss of Eternal Sorrow, and if there’s a problem, it’s best to deal with it early. He couldn’t wait, saying that once you arrived, you should go find him, and then he went down first."

Rong Yu was taken aback but had no choice but to agree. "Alright, then I’ll prepare to go down right away."

He hadn’t expected to enter the Abyss of Eternal Sorrow so soon. A single trip into the Abyss of Eternal Sorrow takes half a month. If he went in now, he would miss Lu Shitu’s eighteenth birthday. But Senior Wang Yi had already descended into the abyss, and in principle, he was going in Rong Yu's stead, since Rong Yu was now the rightful keeper of the seal. Thus, Rong Yu had no choice but to follow immediately.

Rong Yu hurriedly set off for the Abyss of Eternal Sorrow with Lu Shitu, working out what to say to address Lu Shitu’s feelings before descending.

Originally, he had planned to say these words on Lu Shitu’s eighteenth birthday. But since circumstances had changed, he could only offer some guidance now to avoid future complications.

The two made their way to the Abyss of Eternal Sorrow.

The Abyss of Eternal Sorrow was sandwiched between two massive mountains, flanked by nearly vertical cliffs and very narrow in width, so it was often described as a deep gash across the land. The abyss seemed endless, but it was said to connect to the Sea of Bitterness, sharing the same source of water.

As Rong Yu and Lu Shitu slowly approached the edge of the cliff, Rong Yu had roughly figured out what to say and began, "Shitu. Before I go down, there are some things I need to tell you."

Lu Shitu had been following Rong Yu like a shadow throughout the journey, barely noticeable. Hearing this, his expression stiffened.

Rong Yu acted as if he hadn’t noticed, his attitude unchanged from before, and smiled. "In a couple of days, it will be your eighteenth birthday. I’m afraid I might not make it back in time to celebrate with you, so I’ll have to make it up to you later. I’ve picked up some small tricks from your martial uncle to apologize to you then."

Lu Shitu seemed completely unprepared for such words and visibly froze.

Rong Yu took a step closer and said gently, "I’ve been thinking about what you said these past few days. Actually, these kinds of things aren’t a big deal."

Lu Shitu’s expression shifted again, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something.

Rong Yu continued softly, "Let me finish first. You’re still young; matters of the heart are tricky. Many people go their whole lives without understanding them, so it’s normal for you to feel confused for a while."

Lu Shitu frowned and slowly raised his eyes to look at Rong Yu.

Rong Yu met his gaze calmly, without flinching, and went on, "I’ve raised you all these years. Your eyes have only seen me, and your heart has only held feelings for your master. That might have clouded your perspective, making you think this is love. When you grow up and see more of the world, you’ll see more, and gradually you’ll understand who you truly love—and that person isn’t me."

But instead of showing the thoughtful or enlightened expression Rong Yu had expected, Lu Shitu’s face turned extremely pale, the light in his eyes extinguishing. His chest heaved, and he even seemed unsteady, taking a step back.

Rong Yu’s expression remained unchanged, but he felt a bit nervous inside. *Had he said something wrong?* This was the conclusion he had reached after days of reflection.

In the original story, Lu Shitu had loved You Weiwan so deeply. If he missed out on his true feelings because of a temporary confusion over Rong Yu, wouldn’t he regret it for the rest of his life?

*Perhaps he needed some time to process this? After all, changing such feelings was like breaking bones and tearing muscles—it was normal not to react immediately.*

Rong Yu glanced back at the Abyss of Eternal Sorrow below and felt it was time to descend, leaving Lu Shitu to work through this on his own.

He stepped forward, automatically reached to ruffle Lu Shitu’s head, and said goodbye, "I must be going now, Shitu."

But Lu Shitu instantly stepped back, avoiding Rong Yu’s hand. His emotions seemed agitated, his eyes reddening, and he blurted out uncontrollably, "If Master doesn’t feel the same way, it’s better to keep your distance from me."

As soon as the words left his mouth, both of them froze. Lu Shitu’s face went blank for a moment, then turned completely pale.

Rong Yu stood there stunned, slowly withdrawing his hand, suddenly seeming lost. He looked at Lu Shitu blankly for a while before finally sighing softly. "I’ve let you down..."

Without another word, he turned and stepped into the barrier.

"No, no, Shizun, Shizun!" Lu Shitu immediately chased after him, but couldn't even grab the edge of Rong Yu's robe. He threw himself against the barrier, only to be instantly pushed back.

Lu Shitu stood there, staring numbly at the spot where Rong Yu had disappeared. After a long moment, he collapsed to his knees, defeated, and slapped himself hard across the face.

Then, he slowly lowered his head and pressed his face into his hands.

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for your support. I will continue to work hard!