Chapter 24

Chapter 24

As the lanterns were lit and the moon shone through the window.

At the foot of Chongyao Mountain, however, was a cacophony of voices, with cultivators coming and going, and disciples from almost every major sect of Changsong Realm gathering here, discreetly probing for news of recent events.

Upon hearing the news, Lu Yuan immediately set out at night and rushed to the Chongyao Sect.

Along the way, he heard the cultivators talking, saying how majestically the Dragon Clan elder had burned Chongyao Mountain, leading Lu Yuanyin away gracefully. His heart ached as if being twisted, and he regretted it so much he could kick himself!

He rubbed his sore temples, his eyes full of regret. If only he had known earlier that Lu Yuanyin was so capable of charming a Dragon Clan elder, he would have flattered and pampered her, and never dared to let Mrs. Lu and the others bully her as they pleased.

After all, that was the Dragon Clan!

In the entire cultivation world, who could resist the Dragon Clan?!

The more Lu Yuan listened, seeing the envy and fervor on the faces of the crowd, the worse he felt. He was so mad he could have screamed. Now, their Lu family had not only lost an alchemist but also the opportunity to build a good relationship with the Dragon Clan.

The more Lu Yuan thought, the more remorseful he became. In just one night, his anxiety had caused several blisters to appear at the corners of his mouth.

By the time Lu Yuan rushed to the Chongyao Sect, he almost didn't recognize the place – the once heavenly sect was now a mess, with traces of fire everywhere. The waterfall behind the cliff had dried up, and the lush forests no longer existed.

The disciples wearily cleaned up the mess, looking dejected at the crowd passing by, their faces uglier than the next.

Lu Yuan's heart trembled. Originally, he only regretted losing the chance to ally with the Dragon Clan, but now, seeing the miserable state of Chongyao Sect, he started to worry that Lu Yuanyin might whisper in the ear of that Dragon Clan elder, inciting revenge against the Lu family...

After all, that little bitch had always been trouble – never a kind soul.

The Lu family did not have as many experts as Chongyao Sect; if that happened, their situation would only become worse...

Lu Yuan was feeling anxious and restless when he sighed heavily. Suddenly, he heard a furious roar from afar, "Well, well, Lu Yuan! You've got some nerve showing your face!"

Lu Yuan's heart jumped, sensing a bad omen. He looked up and saw an old man with a celestial bearing, white hair and a youthful face, glaring at him with anger.

The old man led a few young disciples forward, his finger practically poking Lu Yuan in the nose, as he scolded, "Back then, you insisted on taking that child home, promising to take good care of her. Is this how you take care of her? Digging out her spiritual root for your good daughter, pushing the girl to such a desperate point—is this your so-called gratitude?!"

Lu Yuan's expression changed as he recognized the old man as an old friend of Lu Yuanyin's father, Lu Rong. Back when the Lu family was massacred, this old man had visited, wanting to adopt his old friend's orphan.

At that time, however, they were too busy with the huge treasure left by Lu Rong to pay him any attention. They casually dismissed him and sent him out of Lu Mansion, and later simply refused to see him whenever he came.

Lu Yuan's face twitched with irritation. He wanted to argue, but at this moment, everyone was already resentful about this matter. Recognizing him, they all stared at him with indignation. He could only say in a deep voice, "Senior, there's been a misunderstanding..."

The old man glared at him hatefully but suddenly said, "There's no misunderstanding!"

"Lu Yuan, you will face retribution! Just wait—that girl is not a helpless orphan to be bullied!"

Lu Yuan saw the seriousness in his eyes and felt an inexplicable skip in his heartbeat. He wanted to ask more, but the old man had already swung his sleeves and walked away.

Lu Yuan's expression grew even more grim. Sensing the various strange gazes around him, he could only hang his head and head toward the courtyard where Lu Sisi was staying.

No sooner had Lu Yuan entered the door than Mrs. Lu, pulling Lu Sisi, came crying, "Husband, you have to take care of Sisi! What are we going to do now? It's all that little bitch's fault for turning her into this. Sisi is everything to me..."

Lu Sisi's eyes instantly reddened, tears glistening as she looked at Lu Yuan, her frail figure swaying as if about to fall.

Ordinarily, Lu Yuan would have had the patience to comfort her.

But now, he was full of impatience, exhausted by everything that had happened that day. The crying annoyed him, and he couldn't help but snap, "Cry, cry, cry! All you do all day long is cry!"

“If it weren’t for you wanting that spiritual root, how could things have escalated like this?! How could Lu Yuanyin have turned against our Lu family! You still have the face to cry! Even the Sect Leader and your master are at their wits’ end—what can I do?!”

Lu Sisi’s mother and Lu Sisi were stunned by his outburst, standing there dumbfounded as they stared at Lu Yuan, tears still on their faces but forgetting to cry.

Lu Sisi nearly fainted on the spot. She had always been coddled and adored, the envy of everyone wherever she went. Yet recently, everything seemed to have changed.

Lu Sisi bit her lip and, feeling wronged, covered her face as she ran into her room.

Her mother tried to follow, but Lu Yuan grabbed her arm. Irritated, he said, “She’s just a useless piece of trash with a ruined spiritual root. Don’t bother with her.”

Lu Sisi paused mid-step, turning back in disbelief, never imagining she would hear such words from Lu Yuan.

She stood blankly at the door, staring at her father outside, her expression full of confusion and helplessness. The two of them were whispering to each other at the doorway, showing no intention of coming in to comfort her.

Lu Sisi sat dazed in the corner, her heart filled with confusion and an indescribable fear and panic. Now, the Sect Leader of Chongyao Sect, who had always doted on her, was injured and in seclusion, Immortal Lord Changye had changed drastically and vanished without a trace, Brother Gu was trapped in a secret realm with no way to contact the outside world, and her own father was shouting at her.

Lu Sisi felt as if the sky were collapsing. She hugged her knees in helplessness. Then, as if a lifeline had appeared, she looked at the black line on her palm.

She tried to summon Senior Heijiao, but with her spiritual root destroyed, she had no spiritual power at all. No matter what she did, the black line remained unresponsive, and the hope in her eyes faded.

For the first time, she regretted listening to Tong Lanyi’s advice, going to such extremes to get revenge on Lu Yuanyin...

Lu Sisi clawed desperately at her palm until it was bloody and torn, then collapsed weakly to the floor.

Staring at the dark ceiling, she even thought about simply dying to end it all. If she died, maybe everything could return to how it was before. Just as she was on the verge of breaking down, her palm suddenly grew hot.

Lu Sisi looked down in surprise. The black line on her palm burst forth in thick black mist, and dark spiritual power flowed slowly across her palm. As the power dispersed, the black line seemed to come alive, slithering across her palm and winding its way onto her meridians.

A terrifying aura slowly spread through the entire space.

Lu Sisi’s eyes widened. The black mist thickened, rapidly filling the room. Then, accompanied by a mocking laugh, a tall male cultivator with black scales on his cheek and a sinisterly handsome face stepped out of the mist with a smile.

He looked at the disheveled Lu Sisi and said lazily, “What’s this? Crying like this?”

Lu Sisi’s eyes lit up at the sight of him. The tears that had been clinging to her cheeks finally fell. She tugged pitifully at the Black Flood Dragon’s robe, her voice choked with sobs. “Senior, please save me!”

The Black Flood Dragon glanced at her bloody fingertips, a flicker of disgust in his eyes, but he didn’t push her hand away. His smile faded slightly. “Tell me who did this to you.”

It was an open secret that Lu Sisi was about to form a bond with him. You have to consider the owner when beating a dog...

The Black Flood Dragon crouched down slightly, a dangerous glint in his bright yellow slit pupils.

Seeing this, Lu Sisi looked even more aggrieved. She wiped the tears from her face. “It’s my cousin. I took her in out of pity and brought her to the sect to heal her injuries. But she held a grudge against me and destroyed my spiritual root in the secret realm. Later, my master and mother tried to switch my spiritual root...”

She sobbed slightly. “But my cousin secretly formed a bond with a dragon—and she’s even carrying his child. She made that dragon elder gravely wound the Sect Leader and the other elders, and burn down Chongyao Mountain.”

The Black Flood Dragon, who had been nonchalant, suddenly stiffened. He fixed his gaze on Lu Sisi, a fervent look flashing in his amber pupils. He grabbed her arm urgently, almost eagerly demanding, “You said that woman is pregnant with a dragon child?”

Lu Sisi was taken aback by his question. After a moment’s hesitation, she answered softly, “Yes. The dragon elder said it was his child.”

The Black Flood Dragon stared at her intently, a wild gleam in his eyes. He licked his lips and glanced at the dappled shadows of the trees outside the window. Then he said in a low voice, “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely help you. You’re really my little lucky star...”

Lu Sisi was confused by his reaction. She bit her pale lip and asked hesitantly, “But that dragon elder is very powerful.”

The Black Flood Dragon’s face twisted in scorn. He sneered.

“He’s just lucky to have been born into a good lineage. What’s so great about the dragon clan?”

Lu Yuanyin finished watering the roots of the spiritual herbs, and as it was still early, she began to refine pills again with her furnace.

These days, she had been rushing around everywhere, and disciples from other nearby sects usually placed orders for her spiritual pills. Having been confined at Reflection Cliff recently, she hadn't had time to prepare, and her stock was almost depleted.

As the temperature inside the furnace quickly rose, Lu Yuanyin took out the herbs and threw them in one by one. She had refined these pills thousands of times before; she could do it even with her eyes closed.

Seeing that the batch of pills still needed time, Lu Yuanyin took out her jade token and prepared to contact the disciples to confirm where to meet. She saw that Lu Yuan had sent her many messages in just one day. Glancing at them casually, she read, "This time, your aunt and Si Si were wrong. When you return, I'll have them apologize to you, alright? I'll certainly make it up to you."

"I just found your mother's keepsakes recently and was going to bring them to you. When do you have time to pick them up?"

Reading his words, Lu Yuanyin couldn't help but find it amusing. This Lu Yuan always hid behind his wife and daughter, wanting both advantages and a good reputation. Now that problems arose, he pushed his wife and daughter forward to bear the blame. He was nothing but a coward.

Putting away her jade token, Lu Yuanyin looked expressionlessly toward the room where Huo Wuyan was, but saw he was no longer at the window.

She withdrew her gaze, propped her cheek on her hand, and gazed at the closed furnace. Warm flames flickered, and a faint scent of medicinal herbs slowly wafted from the furnace. Her mind wandered for a moment. She took out a jade bottle and leisurely filled it with the refined pills.

By the time the sky was completely dark, Huo Wuyan still had not returned.

Because of the medicinal brew she had drunk in the afternoon, Lu Yuanyin felt drowsy. The warm candlelight swayed gently in the night breeze, and drowsiness overcame her. She yawned, freshened up quickly, and then burrowed into the soft bedding.

The night was deep, but near the Chongyao Sect, lights still blazed brightly, and disciples were bustling to and fro.

After a moment, a tall figure pushed open the door and silently entered the room. His robes still carried the lingering cold moisture. Huo Wuyan took two steps forward and looked down at the bulging mound on the bed. Slightly rapid breathing came from beneath the covers.

Reaching out a finger, he pulled aside a corner of the quilt, revealing a small face reddened from stuffiness.

The furnace in the corner was still warm. Perhaps because she had been too long under the covers, or the room was too hot, her face was flushed, a fine layer of sweat beading on her forehead. Damp black hair stuck to her snow-white cheeks, and her pale lips had regained some color. A faint, subtle fragrance lingered around his nose.

Feeling the coolness, the sleeping Lu Yuanyin unconsciously turned over, tugged at her robe, and rolled out from under the quilt, frowning slightly.

Huo Wuyan watched the drowsy Lu Yuanyin, and after a moment of silence, he took out a drop-shaped jade from his sleeve and stiffly tied it around her wrist.

Her wrist was slender—just a delicate piece. Holding it, Huo Wuyan felt that with a little force, he could easily snap it.

The cool jade settled on her snowy-white wrist. Lu Yuanyin's fingers twitched, and she unconsciously tugged at the pillow under her head.

Huo Wuyan paused, noticing her white skin suffused with a faint flush, her fingertips soft and pink. Under the candlelight, they were even more smooth and radiant than the jade.

On the side of her pale wrist was a small, deep-red mole like pigeon's blood, which somehow looked seductive.

The subtle fragrance seemed to grow stronger.

Huo Wuyan frowned slightly, feeling inexplicably agitated. He instinctively stepped back two paces, his crimson eyes dimmed slightly. She always carried a faint scent of grass and wood—normally, it was almost imperceptible. But whenever she was aroused, the fragrance became thick and alluring.

Those deliberately forgotten memories surged back into his mind like a tide. Huo Wuyan averted his gaze slightly.

The night was thick, leaving only the faint sound of breathing, softly brushing his ears. His Adam's apple bobbed.

The next day.

It was bright daylight. Qing Nong had finished brewing the medicine and bought some famous street snacks. After thinking it over, he also went to look at baby clothes. He was charmed by the tiny shoes and little clothes, his heart fluttering with adoration.

He couldn't help but slap spirit stones down on the stall owner's table and waved his hand and announced, "Send them all to Wangchen Pavilion!" Then he happily returned to the inn carrying bags of purchases.

When Qing Nong came back to the inn, he saw a tall figure sitting quietly by the window, his eyelashes lowered, his expression solemn as he studied an ancient book. Warm sunlight softly fell on his face, but it did little to soften the coldness in his eyes.

Looking at that cold face, Qing Nong still couldn't imagine how a girl like Lu Yuanyin could have taken a liking to such an annoying, wretched guy.

Could it be that Huo Wuyan had forced himself on her? Or did he coerce and bribe her?

Then Qing Nong thought again—although Huo Wuyan was moody, malicious, and ruthless, he wasn't the kind of vulgar, lustful monster.

Lost in thought, Qing Nong found the whole thing too bizarre and off in every way, so he simply stopped pondering. He carried his bags over to the window and asked in a low voice, "When are you going to take her back to the dragon clan? Those old geezers must be getting impatient."

But Huo Wuyan just stared expressionlessly at the ancient book in his hands.

After a long moment, just when Qing Nong thought he wouldn't answer, Huo Wuyan suddenly asked in a deep voice, "How do you turn down a woman without making her too embarrassed or completely broken?"

Qing Nong's mouth fell open. "???"

Seeing Qing Nong staring blankly with wide eyes, Huo Wuyan frowned in disgust and looked away. "Are you deaf?"

Qing Nong scratched his head. "I'm just curious—which woman came to you again? Your stepsister?"

Besides, when had Huo Wuyan ever cared whether refusing a woman would embarrass her or crush her spirit?

Huo Wuyan put down the ancient book and said coldly, "It has nothing to do with her."

For once, Huo Wuyan hesitated. He had been thinking last night about how he would refuse if Lu Yuanyin confessed to him, showed him affection, or sought intimacy.

Although he didn't like Lu Yuanyin like that, he didn't want her to be greatly hurt or destabilized in her cultivation path.

Author's note:

Dragon: troubled, jpg.

Here it is!

From now on, updates around 11 PM every night. _(::3」∠)_