Chapter 60

Chapter 60

With the arrival of the several giant dragons, the Chongyao Sect became unprecedentedly lively, surpassing even the previous Four Directions Alchemy Assembly. Various major sects dispatched their disciples to investigate the situation here.

Several celestial horses, their hooves ablaze and clad in golden armor, quickly plunged into the city. Accompanied by the crisp sound of bells, a slender figure slowly ascended a tall building, coldly observing the bustling crowd below. The wild wind lifted his loose robes, causing them to flutter noisily.

Soon, a beautiful woman with a cold expression entered the room. She looked at the male cultivator outside, thinking of the news she had received earlier, and could barely maintain her usual gentle smile. She couldn't help but raise her voice, "What exactly is going on? Wasn't it said that there was at least an eighty percent chance of success? How did it come to this?!"

Bai Qian walked angrily behind him, nearly grinding her teeth to pieces. She never expected such an absurd outcome this time. These people were utterly useless—not only did they fail to seriously injure or kill Huo Wuyan, but even those old fellows came out unscathed. Now, the group had gathered in the inn, and some of the dark guards and the Black Flood Dragon had been captured alive.

Once those people found any clues, it would expose her whereabouts. Even her husband wouldn't be able to protect her then.

Thinking of the consequences, she felt a belated sense of fear.

Bai Qian's face turned pale. She stared intently at the person before her and couldn't help but ask in a deep voice, "I wonder what you plan to do next?"

Chang Ye, however, seemed not to hear her words. He only looked coldly at the people coming and going below, his expression blank as he thought of the earlier scene. He lowered his eyes slightly, staring fixedly at the long sword in his hand.

He himself didn't know whether his years had been right or wrong.

Seeing Chang Ye's indifferent demeanor, Bai Qian grew increasingly agitated. She was about to lose her temper when she heard a hoarse, light laugh from behind. Turning around, she saw a stooped old man with a hideous face silently emerge from the inner room. He curled his lips into an ambiguous smile. "Don't worry, no one will expose your whereabouts."

Bai Qian was startled. The old man's face was gaunt, as if only a layer of skin clung to his bones, covered with scars—hardly a patch of good skin remained. His features were twisted, making him look like a vengeful spirit, unnerving to behold.

Bai Qian instinctively stepped back half a step, and the old man spoke again, "For now, you only need to stay at home and wait for our news."

Her fingers tightened slightly within her sleeves. Bai Qian looked at the eerie, terrifying old man, remained silent for a moment, and finally said in a deep voice, "Fine."

She then glanced at the slender figure outside the window, flicked her long sleeve, and strode out of the room.

As her figure gradually disappeared into the crowd, the old man chuckled hoarsely. "Aren't you going to see that girl? She just lost her parents and is looking for you everywhere."

"Last time, that Black Flood Dragon helped rebuild her meridians. She won't be so lucky this time. Do you really think she's useful?"

Chang Ye turned his head slightly, looking at him with a cold, disgusted expression. "Stop bothering me."

The old man shook his head helplessly. "Alright, alright..."

He walked slowly back into the inner room, his hands clasped behind his back. A strong smell of blood hit his nostrils. Inside, Lu Sisi and Gu Lingqiu sat silently in the corner, their expressions unspeakably grim.

The old man chuckled softly and left the room.

Hearing the sounds outside, Gu Lingqiu lifted his head, his expression dark as he stared at the closed door. After a moment, he picked up a bandage and wrapped his chest wound with fierce force, as if to etch the pain Lu Yuanyin had caused him into his memory.

Just thinking of the earlier scene made his heart feel like a hole had been torn open, an indescribable pain. If he hadn't sensed something wrong and crushed the jade talisman to escape, he would have ended up like Lu Yuan and his wife, dead under the sword formation, his body reduced to ashes.

Gu Lingqiu's face tightened, a red tinge creeping into his eyes. Overwhelming hatred surged through his chest, driving him nearly mad. He couldn't understand—just because he revealed the location of her parents' remains, Lu Yuanyin would attack him so viciously?

He was wrong!

But thinking back on their years together, didn't she feel even a trace of attachment for him?

Was a living person less important than two decaying corpses?

Gu Lingqiu found it bitterly ironic. When he first saw her, he should have severed her tendons and left her powerless. Every time he softened, it felt like handing her a blade to wound him repeatedly.

The room was deathly silent, broken only by the faint sound of Gu Lingqiu dressing his wounds. It wasn't until now that Lu Sisi seemed to wake from a dream. She instinctively moved to help him, but seeing his full body of sword wounds and the empty night, she belatedly realized she no longer had parents.

Just yesterday, they had been by her side, asking what she wanted to eat tomorrow, promising to take her to see the sunset once this was over. Now, everything had been destroyed by Lu Yuanyin.

Lu Yuanyin had killed her parents, personally ruining everything she had.

Lu Sisi stared blankly at the bloodstains on her skirt. Her dry, cracked lips moved, but for a long moment, nothing came out. Then, a streak of bloody tears suddenly fell from the corner of her eye. She looked at Gu Lingqiu beside her with despair and murmured, "Brother Gu, I have no family anymore...

"Except for you, I have nothing left...

"I beg you, don't abandon me again."

Amidst the lush greenery, the forest was dead silent, broken only by occasional crisp bird calls. A cool breeze gently brushed through the treetops, rustling softly.

Hot fingertips pressed against her pointed chin, forcing her face up. The tall male cultivator stood with his back to the light, the twisted shadows of his antlers casting winding shadows across his face. His expression was hidden in the darkness, cold and expressionless. The overlapping golden scales gleamed coldly in the sunlight, making him look inexplicably frightening.

The familiar aura quickly approached. Lu Yuanyin swallowed back the words that had been on her lips. Seeing his red eyes, already turned into slitted pupils, and the dark tide surging in their depths, she instinctively averted her gaze, feeling a vague sense of guilt.

She had almost never seen Huo Wuyan so cold and detached—not even when she had forcefully drained his essence and humiliated him back then.

Lu Yuanyin was still pondering how to bluff her way out when a sharp pain shot through her chin. Huo Wuyan applied slight pressure, leaving a faint red mark on her fair skin. He leaned down slightly, watching her evasive eyes and trembling lashes, and said coldly, "Speak."

"Better that I give you a quick death than let you fall into someone else's hands."

Detecting the barely concealed anger in his voice, Lu Yuanyin raised her small face cautiously to look at him. Seeing his crimson eyes, her heart skipped a beat. "I don't want to die," she said softly.

She just didn't want to drag him into danger. Originally, she had gone to the meeting with the determination to die, not expecting that Grandma and those senior dragon clan members would come to help.

If she had known, she would never have sneaked off on her own. She even got beaten for it.

Lu Yuanyin rubbed her sleeve and said softly, "I won't disappear without telling you again."

Huo Wuyan looked at her slightly puffed cheeks, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment. Seeing her innocent expression, he let out a cold laugh. "What else are you hiding from me?"

Lu Yuanyin quickly shook her head. "Nothing, really nothing! How could I hide anything from you? About this matter, I just didn't want you to get hurt!"

Seeing his cold face, she extended a fingertip and gently tugged at his loose sleeve. "Huo Wuyan, don't be angry anymore," she said softly. Her voice was deliberately gentle, almost like coaxing.

Huo Wuyan stared at her pale face. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes messy, and she was still stained with blood, a shimmering hint of tears in her eyes. She looked like a lost little stray dog, pitiful.

After a long moment, he slowly released his grip.

Huo Wuyan stepped back. The spot where his fingers had just rested was now bright red. "Follow me," he said coldly.

With that, he didn't look at her again, turning and walking coldly into the forest.

Lu Yuanyin quickly trotted after him. "I'm coming!"

As she walked, she sneaked glances at Huo Wuyan. Watching his icy expression, a bold idea suddenly arose in her mind.

She quickened her pace, hurriedly blocking his path, and looked up at the tall male cultivator with focused eyes. "Are you worried about me?"

Huo Wuyan didn't stop, instead walking around her into the dense forest, only to have Lu Yuanyin trail him like an annoying little tail, chattering, "Huo Wuyan, were you just worried about me? Do you... like me a little bit?"

Huo Wuyan paused at her words. He lowered his eyes, looking down at the disheveled young girl beside him. At her beautiful almond-shaped eyes, he suddenly let out a scoff, finding it absurd.

Like her? Ridiculous.

How could he ever like such a noisy human being?

He didn't care whether she lived or died, or about her at all. He simply hated it when others kept things from him and acted on their own.

Lu Yuanyin trotted behind him. Thinking about that possibility just now, she kept sizing up the male cultivator beside her, her gaze unabashedly bold. She hadn't expected Huo Wuyan to give in so quickly; this virgin old dragon was really easy to fool.

Watching the tall male cultivator walking ahead of her, Lu Yuanyin couldn't help feeling a bit smug.

She was just thinking about how to explain things to granny when Huo Wuyan suddenly stopped. Lu Yuanyin quickly looked up, her eyes curving into a smile, but the next moment her expression changed as she realized they had walked into a dim cave with water dripping now and then. The scene before her was strangely familiar.

A vague sense of foreboding crept over Lu Yuanyin. Instinctively she wanted to leave, but then felt a chill on her wrist. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she saw a thin silver chain had been clasped around her wrist.

With her movement, the silver chain jingled.

Huo Wuyan's expression darkened. His rough fingertips slowly traced her slender white neck. Staring straight at the young girl before him, he said coldly, "You drained my cultivation and then went to your death, and you think a few words can gloss it over?"

"Do you take me for a fool?"

Lu Yuanyin looked at this eerily familiar scene, and her legs suddenly felt weak.

Author's note:

None.