Chapter 56

Chapter 56

At the break of dawn, the streets echoed with hawkers' enthusiastic shouts, mingling with the smell of food and a faint bitter scent. A few burnt-out lanterns from yesterday still lingered on the roads.

Lu Yuanyin slipped out of the inn silently. Before leaving, she couldn't help but look back, fixing her eyes on the exquisite inn behind her, where a clear stream trickled from the mountain into the courtyard, splashing droplets, and a thin mist shrouded the inn.

The morning breeze still carried a chill. Lu Yuanyin pursed her lips and slowly walked toward a baked pancake shop. The food here was good, and Qing Nong, knowing she liked it, would occasionally stand in line early to buy some for her.

Lu Yuanyin ate the pancake slowly. The crust was crispy, the meat filling savory—still her favorite flavor.

Yet she inexplicably found it hard to swallow. Sitting in a corner, she gazed absentmindedly at the sparse passersby outside the window.

She wondered how Huo Wuyan and Qing Nong would react when they discovered she was gone. They must be angry, she thought. Putting herself in their shoes, she hated it most when others left without a word...

And now, she had done exactly what she detested.

Resting her chin on her hand, Lu Yuanyin couldn't help but sigh softly. Truly, once a person had attachments, they became sentimental. In the past, she had faced life-threatening dangers many times. Though she had fought desperately to survive, she could also face death calmly.

But now, her heart was filled with reluctance and turmoil. Opening her storage pouch, she carefully inventoried the treasures inside. As the noise around her grew, she ceased hesitating after a moment, grabbed the sword on the table, and strode out of the pancake shop, heading southwest.

Surrounded by a bustling crowd, within a few minutes of leaving the inn, Lu Yuanyin sensed several gazes lingering on her. Expression unchanged, she swept her eyes over the noisy throng and silently tightened her grip on the sword.

Watching the changing scenery, she felt puzzled. She still couldn't understand why Lu Sisi, Gu Lingqiu, and Chang Ye were so fixated on her. Lu Sisi had already re-forged her spiritual roots and no longer needed her; her belly no longer held a dragon fetus. There was nothing left on her that they would covet.

Unless their target wasn't her at all—they only wanted to use her to lure someone else out...

The surroundings grew increasingly familiar, with sparse human presence. As she walked, startled birds took flight.

After a while, Lu Yuanyin paused before a dilapidated mansion. Half the wall had collapsed, thick vines crawling over the tall walls. A colorful snake darted swiftly into the grass.

Stepping forward, Lu Yuanyin used her sword to gently lift the vines clinging to the vermilion door. The rotting wooden door had long weathered, and with her movement, it shattered instantly, sending dust flying everywhere.

Coughing twice, Lu Yuanyin frowned and waved away the dust before her. Faint dark bloodstains remained on the ground, the courtyard overgrown with weeds, beams broken—the place had lost all trace of its former glory. The once-prosperous Lu Mansion was now desolate and dilapidated.

Perhaps because the entire Lu family had died too tragically, no one dared to take over this vast estate.

Staring at the desolate yard, Lu Yuanyin's expression turned dazed. After a moment of silence, she turned to leave. But then she paused, seeing several figures standing grimly at the forest's edge.

They had been standing there for who knew how long.

Lu Yuanyin's eyes flickered, and she silently tightened her grip on the sword.

The figures stood among the cliffs, where the wind howled fiercely.

The cold wind billowed their robes. One of them, a middle-aged male cultivator with a horn on his forehead and large black demonic patterns on his cheeks, stroked his beard and stared darkly at the dense forest below. After a moment, he remarked with some emotion, "Do you really think that person will come?"

Another burly male cultivator also expressed doubt, hefting his thousand-jin heavy hammer and grinning with an ambiguous smile. "Probably not. He's not some young man blinded by love and romance. Knowing there's a trap here, he won't walk right into it.

Chang Ye, not to criticize, but you might have miscalculated this time."

Though they didn't know Huo Wuyan personally, they had heard many tales of him—cold and heartless, never close to women, having killed his own ancestors and elders. Even rumors that he had set Mount Chongyao ablaze for a woman were just hearsay.

Until now, they still didn't believe Huo Wuyan would willingly walk into a trap for a human woman, knowing full well there was an ambush.

Their gazes shifted subtly, all landing on the male cultivator beside them. The wind lifted his long hair, revealing his handsome face, and a few withered leaves gently rested on his shoulder.

Chang Ye merely stared silently at the winding path below. His eyes were like thick ink, exuding a cold gleam.

After a moment, he extended a fingertip to lightly touch the faded sword tassel on his blade, and said coldly, "He will come."

The burly male cultivator paused, glanced at Chang Ye imperceptibly, then sneered coldly. "Let's hope so."

As his words fell, a glaring flame suddenly erupted from the foot of the mountain. The fire shot into the sky, then exploded mid-air, bursting with dazzling brilliance.

The group's expressions shifted. Watching the blazing light, a glint flashed in their eyes. One of them exclaimed excitedly, "They're here! They've come!"

The burly male cultivator paused in his speech and couldn't help but snort coldly.

They exchanged glances, seeing the same determination in each other's eyes.

"Didn't expect they'd really dare to come! This old man will make sure they never leave alive!"

Channeling their spiritual power, they leaped and dove swiftly into the forest below. Only a graceful woman remained in place, with an elegant demeanor. She gently brushed aside the disheveled strands of hair by her ears, her expression slightly emotional.

Bai Rongrong stood silently behind Bai Qian, her heart growing more anxious as she listened to their conversation. Looking at the figure before her, she couldn't help stepping forward and saying, "Mother, I'm a little scared now..."

Bai Qian looked at Bai Rongrong tenderly, smiled, and said gently, "What's there to be afraid of? Those dragons won't trace it back to us. You just need to cultivate well and become the Dragon Queen in peace."

Bai Rongrong was silent for a moment, her red lips tightly pressed. Under Bai Qian's heavy gaze, she finally couldn't help but whisper, "Mother, let her go. I don't want to be the Dragon Queen anymore."

Bai Qian's expression suddenly turned cold. She stared straight at Bai Rongrong, her gaze icy, her face thunderous with anger. She let out a cold laugh. "Do you know what you're saying?"

Bai Rongrong nodded firmly. She understood that if she wanted to become the Dragon Queen, she had to eliminate Lu Yuanyin. But now, she realized she wasn't as happy as she'd imagined.

In fact, she felt a strange unease in her heart. She didn't want that human woman to die, even if it meant giving up the Dragon Queen title. Moreover, if they killed that human woman, once Huo Wuyan discovered the truth, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Over the past few days, she had tried to persuade Bai Qian many times, but each time it was in vain. Bai Rongrong looked at Bai Qian almost pleadingly. "If brother finds out, he will really kill you..."

And what shocked her even more was that those people had used such dirty tricks to force Lu Yuanyin to appear, threatening her with the bones of the dead. Though she wasn't from a righteous sect, she despised such low-down tactics!

Bai Rongrong clenched her palms tightly, staring at Bai Qian's cold face and the darkness in her eyes. She said solemnly, "Mother, didn't you teach me before that a woman must live honorably?

Now using such methods, how are we any different from Uncle and the others?!"

At her words, Bai Qian's expression drastically changed. Her beautiful eyes widened, her face flushed red with anger. She stared at Bai Rongrong, her chest heaving violently.

Her fingers trembling, Bai Qian suddenly lifted her palm and slapped her hard across the face.

The blow was so strong that Bai Rongrong felt a sharp pain in her cheek and was sent flying. She crashed heavily into a pile of rubble, her palms instantly bloodied, the strong smell of blood spreading in her mouth.

But Bai Rongrong turned her head, stubbornly looking at Bai Qian. "Mother, even if you're angry, I still have to say it. What you're doing is wrong!

I beg you, stop this!"

Seeing her stubbornness, Bai Qian laughed coldly several times. Looking at Bai Rongrong on the ground, she shouted sternly, "Think carefully about what you should and shouldn't do! You've been living too well, and you've lost your mind!"

With that, Bai Qian flicked her sleeve and, with a cold face, flew into the forest.

Only after her figure completely disappeared into the dense woods did Bai Rongrong silently pick herself up from the ground. Her hair was disheveled, black strands falling messily, her appearance haggard. She held her cheek, standing in place with a complicated expression, as bright red blood dripped from the corner of her lips.

This was the first time Bai Qian had hit her since she was a child.

In that moment, many thoughts flashed through Bai Rongrong's mind. She thought of the loving days between her parents, the terrifying faces of her clansmen, the scene when she first met Lu Yuanyin, and the swaying tassels on her cheek.

She stood there for a long time, her lips quivered, tears welling up in her eyes.

But thinking about Lu Yuanyin's situation, she quickly tied up her long hair, transformed into a white crane, and silently flew off into the distance.

After half a day, Huo Wuyan had yet to see Lu Yuanyin. He initially thought she was just shy and avoiding him, but soon he sensed something off. She hadn't even shown up for lunch.

Even the secret guards he sent out found nothing. Huo Wuyan stared at the empty room next door, his expression frosty.

After a moment, he lowered his gaze slightly, masking the turbulent undercurrents surging in his eyes. Just last night, they had made love fiercely, yet when he woke, she had simply vanished.

He couldn’t help but get suspicious—had his behavior over the past few days failed to meet her expectations, leaving her unhappy?

Yet the next moment, he immediately dismissed the possibility.

Lu Yuanyin rarely went out on most days, and even when she did, she would only stroll around the inn a couple times, never straying far. But today, even Qing Nong and the Old Medical Cultivator claimed they hadn’t seen her.

Their expressions turned grim. Qing Nong quickly went to summon the nearby secret guards, and when he asked, learned that Lu Yuanyin had left the inn early that morning, right after Qing Nong. Assuming they had departed together, the guards hadn’t paid it any mind.

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions shifted. Qing Nong immediately said grimly, “I never saw her today!”

A trace of worry flashed across his face. He quickly called in all the secret guards within the city and paced back and forth, looking worried.

Huo Wuyan stared darkly at the bustling crowds outside the window. He lowered his eyes, a storm brewing in his eyes as his slender fingers tapped impatiently on the table.

He pressed his fingertips together, and after a moment, his brow furrowed slightly.

He found that Lu Yuanyin’s tracks seemed deliberately obscured; he couldn’t track her.

Huo Wuyan’s face darkened. The spiritual power he had left on Lu Yuanyin was perfectly normal, and she was in no danger now—so why had she left?

She liked him so much—how could she leave him without a word? What was going on that he didn’t know about?

His gaze grew darker, a knot of restless irritation in his chest, leaving him strangely agitated. And with the one who caused this not before him, he had no outlet for his frustration.

His expression grew colder still. The room fell dead silent, everyone looked uneasy.

Qing Nong was silent for a moment. He glanced at the people passing by the window, then strode out of the room. “I’ll go find her.”

He rushed out of the inn. Just as he stepped outside, a white crane landed gracefully. With a flash of spiritual light, it transformed into a coldly beautiful woman. She walked into the inn with an icy expression and blocked Qing Nong’s path.

Bai Rongrong said coldly, “I’m looking for my brother. Take me to him, now!”

Qing Nong was worried about Lu Yuanyin’s whereabouts and had no time for her. Impatiently, he replied, “You’d better leave. Huo Wuyan won’t see you.” With that, he tried to walk around her.

But Bai Rongrong suddenly said firmly, “I know where Lu Yuanyin is.”

Qing Nong froze. He lifted his head and stared straight at Bai Rongrong.

Bai Rongrong continued, “I know where she is. I want to see Huo Wuyan.”

Qing Nong was silent for a moment, staring at her. After a pause, he said quietly, “Follow me.”

The two walked into the inn in silence. The usually lively inn was eerily quiet. Along the way, Bai Rongrong felt an indescribable unease in her heart. She didn’t know if Huo Wuyan would go to save Lu Yuanyin, or if he could defeat that group of people. She didn’t know how it would all end.

She didn’t want anyone to get hurt…

Bai Rongrong lowered her eyelashes and followed Qing Nong to a guest room. There, she saw a tall figure standing gloomily by the table, a tortoise shell laid out before him. His long hair hung loose, and the warm sunlight fell on his brows, but it couldn’t dispel the chill in his eyes. The air around him felt strangely oppressive.

Bai Rongrong felt a terrifying pressure weighing down on her, like a suspended blade ready to fall on her head at any moment. Faced with the imposing Huo Wuyan, panic welled up inside her.

But thinking of Lu Yuanyin, she forced down her fear and pretended to be calm. “Brother.”

“I know where Lu Yuanyin is.”

Huo Wuyan paused in his movements. He raised his eyes and looked at Bai Rongrong with a somber, sinister gaze. His eyes were deep and lifeless, like an abandoned well in the woods, sending a chill down her spine.

Bai Rongrong couldn’t help but feel a pang of fear.

Although Huo Wuyan had always treated her and her mother coldly, he had merely ignored them and never made things difficult. She had never seen him with such a terrifying expression.

She clenched her fists nervously. “I saw it. It was the Chongyao Sect and those jiao dragons. They threatened her with her parents’ remains, forcing her to come out.”

“I’ll take you to her, but can you promise me one thing…”

Author's note: None.