Love & Redemption
Chapter 140: Volume 3: Heartless Xuanji - 47: Li Ze Palace (4)

Chapter 140: Volume 3: Heartless Xuanji Chapter 47: Li Ze Palace (4)

Xuanji retracted the Bengyu into its scabbard and was ready to conjure the Fire Manipulation Technique, when Ting Nu suddenly grabbed her wrist, "Use the Ding Kun Fire Manipulation! Do not let it go!"

Xuanji was taken aback and stared at him blankly. Ting Nu frowned, as if realizing he said something wrong, and quickly corrected, "Don’t let go... What’s the name of your sword?"

Following his words, she drew the Bengyu. It seemed alive in her hand, tremoring and whistling, its radiance spilling in waves as if urging her to act quickly. Almost instinctively, she knew what to do, running her fingers lightly over it, which drew a Fierce Fire-like color where her fingers touched.

She unfolded her sleeves, formed a sword technique and declared, "Its name is Bengyu—also called Ding Kun!"

The Ding Kun Sword seemed to be engulfed in flames in an instant, numerous little fire dragons coiling and twisting around it, their heat astonishing. Liu Yihuan watched with surprise and admiration, muttering, "Divine Artifact... This is a Divine Artifact!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Xuanji had already dashed out of the barrier’s range, weaving through the thick, corrosive black rain. Liu Yihuan watched, his heart in his throat, calling out, "Be careful! Over there, that side... Uh! Watch out!"

Ting Nu sighed, "I’m increasingly convinced that you’re not cut out to be a dad."

"What?" Liu Yihuan looked back at him innocently.

"You’re like a mom, and the nagging kind at that."

"..." Liu Yihuan actually blushed a bit.

Ting Nu said softly, "She’ll be fine. A long time ago, she used to fight like this, alone against thousands of troops... Even the Heavenly Emperor was astounded by her combat abilities."

"You sure know a lot," Liu Yihuan shrugged his shoulders, "Did you have some grudge with her in the past that has persisted into this life?"

Ting Nu gave a wistful smile and after a long pause, he gently said, "I just—wanted to see the War God General’s grace once more."

That dazzlingly powerful presence, the overwhelming aura of death, the supreme indifference— he wanted to take a good look at her, the her from those days.

Meanwhile, Xuanji had charged into the sea and leapt up; with radiant splendor, the Ding Kun Sword in her hand and the fire dragons coiling around it suddenly grew hundreds of times larger, as if the entire sky were about to be set ablaze. She lifted the fire dragons, traced a steady circle in the air with the Ding Kun, and declared sharply, "Break!"

The fire dragons howled, competing to be the first to pounce forward, binding the Snake Transformations tightly. Although not as large in size, their astonishing heat was enough to scorch the sky, making it hard for onlookers to breathe. The Snake Transformations let out earth-shaking roars and hurriedly dove back into the sea, with the fire dragons extinguishing upon touching water. Xuanji, without the fire dragons to support her, also fell from the sky.

Ting Nu’s brow furrowed tightly, "No, it’s not Samadhi True Fire! She doesn’t understand!"

Before his words finished, rough and grating howls from the Snake Transformations could be heard from the sea again. Although the common fire was fierce, it had only caused superficial wounds, and the Snake Transformations, urged by their master, emerged en masse from the sea, opening their wide maws to swallow Xuanji whole. She was alone in the water with seemingly nowhere to hide.

Liu Yihuan was so anxious that her hair nearly stood on end as she shouted, "Then you hurry up and make her understand! Hurry up!"

Ting Nu pressed her lips together tightly and remained silent.

In fact, what could she say?

Xuanji was swimming frantically in the sea, and it didn’t take long for the transformed snakes behind her to catch up. They suddenly burst out from the water’s surface and with a nudge beneath her, she flew up as if riding on a cloud. The snakes crowded around, extending their long necks and competing to devour her first.

She instantly panicked, realizing it was impossible to fight back in the air. As one of the transformed snakes hissed and lunged at her with its mouth full of densely packed, hook-like teeth—each larger than her entire body—she was seized by fright and instinctively closed her eyes, waiting for death.

The Bengyu sword in her hand whistled sharply and trembled violently, as if blaming her for her helplessness. Xuanji had no choice but to try one last time. As the snake’s jaws were about to close on her, she thrust the Bengyu sword vertically into its foul, wriggling mouth, kicked off its teeth for leverage, and rebounded back. With her hands making a seal, she summoned a new fire dragon to lift her up again.

Right, she couldn’t die yet. She hadn’t seen Si Feng, hadn’t rescued Linglong, and hadn’t brought Sixth Brother back from Buzhou Mountain.

There were still so many things she hadn’t done; how could she die in a place like this? Besides—she glanced at the transformed snake with disgust—she would rather take her own life than die in the mouths of these hideous demons!

For some reason, the thought of "taking her own life" sent a tremor through her heart, as if something had been touched. The Bengyu sword, lodged in the snake’s mouth, emitted a bright light and agilely popped out, landing deftly in her palm. The hot hilt’s sensation... it was as if she had once gripped it tightly, using it to end her life in a place of despair.

The transformed snakes, no longer afraid of the fire dragon, zigzagged before her eyes, looking for the best chance to strike. The salty sea breeze whipped around her as their saliva rained down, corroding a large hole in her clothes upon contact with her arm, causing her skin to burn with excruciating pain.

Xuanji cried out and leaped up.

It was a do-or-die moment!

She sliced her arm lightly with the back of the Bengyu sword, pouring hot blood onto the blazing blade, causing white steam to hiss up. Clenching her teeth, she gathered all the True Qi in her body at her fingertips and slowly brushed her fingers over the smooth, burning blade. Inch by inch, the Bengyu sword turned orange-red, as if it were being consumed by fire.

It was as though she held an extra heartbeat in her hand, thudding rhythmically. The unexpected heaviness almost made her lose her grip. Bright flame-like colors erupted from the blade, following the motion of her fingers, pulling out like soft silk threads, gradually shaping into thousands of red lines enveloping the Bengyu sword.

Her wrist trembled violently, overwhelmed by the sudden increase in weight. Finally, she gritted her teeth, lifted it, and with all her strength, swung it. The glistening threads of flame flung out, growing as they met the wind, instantly transforming into numerous small fire dragons, though countless in number.

The transformed snakes seemed extremely wary of these little fire dragons and hastily retreated, attempting to dive back into the sea. However, they were enveloped by the oncoming fire dragons that surrounded their heads. Screeching in agony, the snakes thrashed violently in the sea, churning the water as if it were boiling soup.

Strangely, these little fire dragons didn’t extinguish upon contact with water like the previous fire dragon did. Even in the sea, they continued to burn furiously, causing white steam to rise around them and creating a thick fog in an instant.

Seeing that the transformed snakes’ heads were burned to nothing, clearly beyond survival, Xuanji was exhausted. The fire dragons brought her back to the shore where she lay, unable to move. Suddenly remembering something, she struggled to sit up, her eyes shining. She turned back to Ting Nu and shouted, "Did you see? I killed them! I really killed them this time!"

Ting Nu smiled slightly, withdrew the barrier, pushed the wheelchair over, reached out to support her, and said softly, "Very beautifully done, but you will do even better in the future."

Liu Yihuan also scampered over, his eyes shining as he looked at Bengyu. He wanted to reach for it but didn’t dare, repeatedly saying, "That’s amazing! Little Xuanji... your sword... it’s so beautiful... Can I take a look?"

Xuanji smiled sweetly and was about to generously hand the sword over when suddenly, a flash of green appeared before her. Elder Luo, who had been watching the battle from the sidelines, suddenly made his move, grabbing Liu Yihuan by the scruff of his neck, dragging him back several feet, and yelling non-stop.

"Murder! Help! Murder!" His cries were even more pathetic than a slaughtered pig.

Elder Luo snorted coldly, throwing him to the ground with force and stepping on his chest, speaking sternly, "Today I won’t kill you, I’ll take you to the Punishment Hall to be judged! If the charges stand, then you will be sacrificed to atone for the Old Palace Master’s death!"

Liu Yihuan’s ribs creaked under his foot, and he screamed in pain, flailing helplessly. Xuanji quickly tried to step forward to help, but Ting Nu stopped her, whispering, "Don’t move, just watch him."

Elder Luo sneered and said, "What’s this? Weren’t you always boasting that you were Li Ze Palace’s bravest warrior? So many years have not seen you, and now you’ve become a common man with the strength of a clucking chicken?! Do you think that by acting pathetic I would spare you?"

Liu Yihuan, sweating profusely and ashen-faced as if he was about to breathe his last, spoke with a tone that was annoying and deserving of a beating, chuckling, "Hey, hey, hey... that wasn’t just empty talk... Old Luo, you know very well who lost to whom back then... Ah!" He screamed again, caught his breath, and then said, "Now you finally have the chance for revenge... I know you’ll torment me... you’re always one to hold a grudge... it’s because of your narrow-mindedness that the Old Palace Master never fancied you; even with all your relentless training, it was no use... Heh heh... the Palace Master still passed it on to your junior... now you serve as what, a Hall Master?... A Red Card disciple... isn’t that embarrassing..."

Although Elder Luo was wearing a mask, so his expression couldn’t be seen, everyone within ten feet could feel his towering rage. He said ominously, "You can argue all you want, but after today, you will no longer have the chance to speak."

He bent over as if to pick him up, but Liu Yihuan suddenly laughed and said, "What can you really do to me? Not so sure about that! You raised that spiritual beast for such a long time, but it was easily killed by that little girl... it seems you’ve regressed more than before!"

With that, he suddenly pulled a dagger from nowhere, swiftly stabbing toward Elder Luo’s calf. Elder Luo reacted incredibly fast, leaping up, landing on his right foot, and pushing forward to try to capture Liu Yihuan before he could get up. But the shaky, sleazy old man was quicker than him; with the blink of an eye, he caught his kicked leg, wrist flipping again, aiming for his knee.

Elder Luo was taken aback, feinted a move, and retreated. Liu Yihuan followed as if his shadow, his grey figure seemingly attached to him, making it impossible for Elder Luo to hit him no matter how he dodged or attacked. Over the years, Elder Luo had practiced relentlessly, and his power had surpassed that of Liu Yihuan. Yet the shadow of his defeat still lingered. Seeing Liu Yihuan’s same move from the past made him unable to touch him, leading to slight panic. He yanked hard at the sleeve where he concealed a divinely poisoned hidden weapon and with a "zest zest" sound, shot it towards the grey figure behind him.

Liu Yihuan gripped his dagger, circled it in front of him, and clanging sounds rang as he blocked all the hidden weapons, which fell to the ground. Elder Luo, seizing the opportune moment, turned to attack, but unexpectedly, he felt a chill on his neck—the dagger was pressed against it.

Liu Yihuan twisted his arm behind him and laughed, "Old Luo, I told you you’ve regressed, but you wouldn’t believe me. Over these years, I haven’t improved at all, yet you still can’t beat me. If the Old Palace Master knew, he’d probably be even more disappointed in you, right?"

Elder Luo felt a chill of despair. For years, nightmares of losing to him woke him up, and he practiced desperately, hoping to redeem himself and kill this traitor with his own hands. He had imagined their true confrontation countless times, meticulously studying every possible move and counter. But he never anticipated that when the moment came, he would still lose to this slippery character.

He had lost, not to him, but to the demon of his own making that had tormented him for years.

Seeing Liu Yihuan remaining silent, Liu Yihuan sensed something was amiss and quickly raised his hand to grab his chin, but it was a step too late—blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. Had he, like a woman, bitten his own tongue to commit suicide? Was the humiliation of defeat so unbearable?

"Elder brother..." Liu Yihuan sighed deeply, then suddenly changed his tone to a more solemn one.

At the sound of this title, Elder Luo shuddered all over, his mind involuntarily flashing back to when he and his fellow disciples would practice martial arts and play together. Liu Yihuan was the youngest disciple but also the cleverest. He could master any complex technique or spell in at most three days, and while the senior disciples were both envious and jealous, he, with his naturally rascally character, was also lecherous. Back when Li Ze Palace’s rules were not so strict, he often sneaked out to seek women, returning with the fragrance of makeup; the Old Palace Master scolded him day in and day out. But in the end, it was Liu Yihuan whom the Old Palace Master cherished the most.

In truth, he himself never had much affection for Liu Yihuan. Unlike the other senior disciples, he didn’t speak ill of him behind his back or trip him up. Once, he had even stood up for him in front of their master—not out of a desire to help him, but because he disdained framing and dishonesty.

After that, the shameless slicker latched onto me and insisted on doing everything together— he even dragged me to see those women...

At the thought of it all, he couldn’t help but feel his chest tightening with anger, and he said in a harsh voice, "I am not your kind of shameless brother! You angered the Old Palace Master to death with your antics. What face do you have to call me brother?!"

His tongue was bitten halfway through, making his words unclear, yet his momentum did not falter. The disciples of Lize Palace wanted to step forward to help, but they didn’t dare to and could only form a circle around, silently watching the situation unfold.

Liu Yihuan clicked his tongue and sighed, "This is what I dislike about you old-fashioned people and your old-fashioned rules. If one is to live, they should do so with joy and integrity, otherwise what’s the point of living? Brother, didn’t you once say, when we were drunk atop the tavern, that those days were exhilarating?"

Exhilarating?

Yes, at that time, reveling with him, though he constantly complained, he had somehow enjoyed an unprecedented sense of joyful freedom in those wild days. His reason kept reminding him that such behavior was wrong, not permitted, a violation of the laws. Yet, every time they flouted the rules, there was a delicious thrill in the danger and regret, and it was intoxicating.

He thought he would live like that forever, but one day, Liu Yihuan suddenly left, quietly departing from Lize Palace. Although later captured and thrown into the dungeon, he had infuriated the Old Palace Master who had high hopes for him, causing him to vomit blood and die within a few days.

As for what was right and what was wrong, to tell the truth, he had no idea. But if one is to live, they must have beliefs, and if one path is wrong, bringing sorrow to many, then a different path must be chosen. A perfect solution, those exhilarating memories, could only be regarded as a wistful dream.

Elder Luo was silent for a long time before he said, "You only care about your own pleasure, oblivious to how many people your pleasure has harmed! There is no one more selfish than you in this world!"

Liu Yihuan raised an eyebrow and retorted, "How am I selfish? I too want what’s best for Lize Palace! With the way you all enforce these oppressive rules, are you even teaching humans? Why don’t you ask these young disciples how many of them have seen women, how many have seen the outside world? You deny them even these most basic things, who is really the selfish one here?"

Elder Luo’s voice trembled as he said, "I will not argue with you! Today, my defeat at your hands is fate. Just kill me quickly!"

Liu Yihuan tsked and said, "You can’t win the argument with me, so you resort to using death to pressure me. You are just like the Old Palace Master. I live for myself, not to meet your expectations. Your life is in my hands; if I want to kill you, I will, and if I don’t, I won’t. What can you do to me? Heh!"

He pressed the dagger firmly against his throat, suddenly turned around, and everyone from Lize Palace, fearing for Elder Luo’s safety, stepped back.

Liu Yihuan declared loudly, "Hey! If you don’t release Yu Sifeng soon, I’m really going to kill him! I, Liu Yihuan, am already deemed a heartless traitor who has killed one already; killing another makes no difference to me now!"

After his shout, there was a deathly silence behind the gates of Lize Palace, not a single sound.

Liu Yihuan didn’t move, just stood waiting, then said again, "If you think a junior disciple is more important than an elder, then I have nothing to say. I am not a patient man. I will count to five, and if the person isn’t released by then, I will make my move!"

No sooner had he spoken than the heavy gates of Lize Palace creaked open slowly, pushed by someone.

Countless disciples streamed out, and finally, a group of about ten leaders wearing orange tokens or red tokens emerged. Among them, two who were not wearing masks, one about forty with bright, shining eyes, and one a handsome youth radiating an air of refinement—it was none other than the Great Palace Master and Yu Sifeng.

(To be continued. For what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)