Love & Redemption
Chapter 141: Volume 3: Heartless Xuanji - 48: Li Ze Palace (5)

Chapter 141: Volume 3: Heartless Xuanji Chapter 48: Li Ze Palace (5)

Upon seeing Yu Sifeng, Xuanji’s eyes filled with warmth. She held back her tears and glared at him, biting her teeth. It seemed to her that he was also gazing firmly back, and when their eyes met, they stuck together and could not be parted anymore.

After a long moment, Xuanji finally waved her hand and opened her mouth to speak, as if to herself, her voice extremely low, "Si Feng... I’ve come to fetch you..."

He too waved his hand, his lips moved slightly, but no sound could be heard.

The Great Palace Master supported Yu Sifeng, surrounded by a crowd of people as they came over, looking indifferently at Liu Yihuan and the Elder Luo he was holding hostage, suddenly smiling slightly, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Junior has seen Senior Liu."

Back then, the token of Lize Palace was replaced every generation. Many disciples with Red Cards had become teachers to those with orange tokens; according to seniority, he should have called Liu Yihuan ’uncle master,’ but before the Old Palace Master died, he had expelled Liu Yihuan from Lize Palace, so he could only address him as senior, not ’uncle master.’

With the Great Palace Master behaving this way, the other Lize Palace disciples who were unaware of the truth were naturally shocked, but they had to follow their master and pay respect to Liu Yihuan as well. As a result, almost everyone at the scene paid their respects to this sleazy scoundrel; Liu Yihuan was triumphantly overjoyed, nearly lifting his nostrils to the sky with arrogance.

"Ah, dispense with the formalities! Little Palace Master, you seem to understand etiquette quite well! Not bad at all!"

His calling of the other ’Little Palace Master,’ with a somewhat flirtatious tone, infuriated most Lize Palace disciples, but they had to suppress their anger out of respect for their master.

The Great Palace Master was not annoyed at all but calmly said, "Junior has long heard of Senior Liu’s reputation, but has never had the opportunity to meet you. It is indeed an honor to witness your grace today."

He delivered this smooth, superficial speech without batting an eye, as if he hadn’t noticed Liu Yihuan holding Elder Luo hostage, resorting to the most despicable methods.

Liu Yihuan laughed heartily, winking and saying, "Good! I like what you say! No wonder you became the Palace Master!"

The Great Palace Master smiled and replied, "Senior is too kind."

Ting Nu, seeing that the two were just exchanging pleasantries, whispered, "Let’s not delay, for fear that the unexpected may happen."

Liu Yihuan merely smiled without a word, clearly knowing what he was doing.

"Let’s cut to the chase," he suddenly said. "Let’s drop the pretense. In a word, Elder Luo for Yu Sifeng, do we have a deal or not?"

The Great Palace Master seemed to have anticipated this, smiling slightly, "Junior begs your pardon for being so bold as to ask a question, Senior. Since you have already left Lize Palace, all affairs of Lize Palace should no longer concern you from now on. Yu Sifeng is a disciple of Lize Palace, what reason do you have to take him away with you?"

There it was! I knew he wouldn’t be so easy to deal with! Liu Yihuan shouted, "I have one reason, akin to that of a father to a son, and that should suffice! No matter how great your sect is, can it be greater than the bond between father and son? Oh, I know you’ll try to shut me up with some rule of Lize Palace, so let me tell you, from the moment you cast the Lover’s Curse on him, Yu Sifeng was no longer a person of Lize Palace! Moreover, his mask has been removed, signifying the completion of his punishment, and therefore he should no longer be involved with you. What kind of reasoning is it to forcibly keep someone?"

The Great Palace Master said lightly, "Although the mask has been removed, the spell has not been lifted. Thus, he is still a disciple of Lize Palace, and as the Palace Master of Lize Palace, I naturally cannot allow a stranger to abduct him."

Liu Yihuan sneered, "After all said and done, you just want to keep him by force. Lize Palace has been quite the trickster lately, doing some indecent deeds behind the scenes. I believe you want to keep him, not because of the rules, but for your own selfish desires! Don’t tell me you don’t know about the incident where Ruo Yu injured him; dare you put your hand on your heart and say you knew nothing about it in advance?!"

The Great Palace Master retorted firmly, "Junior swears, I had no prior knowledge of the affair with Ruo Yu! What’s more, whatever happens in Lize Palace is now none of the Senior’s business. Elder Luo is a person of Lize Palace, as is Yu Sifeng. Even if I have to be shattered into pieces, I will ensure the safety of those in my Palace!"

His tone was so firm, it seemed he was truly difficult to deal with. For a moment, Liu Yihuan couldn’t think of anything to argue back. If the other party turned hostile and forced a fight, they were only three people on this side, with Xuanji exhausted, himself unable to open the Heavenly Eye, and Ting Nu, a Merfolk who knew nothing of fighting, putting them at a clear disadvantage. Had it not been for him holding Elder Luo, perhaps the three of them would already be locked up in the dungeon by now.

He was still pondering when Ting Nu suddenly spoke up, "Palace Master, why not ask the boy himself? Although he is a disciple of Lize Palace, he is still a person. How do we know he doesn’t want to leave?"

The Great Palace Master, upon hearing his sudden utterance, couldn’t help but be a bit astonished and gave him a careful once-over, then spoke in a low voice, "This one is..."

"Ting Nu." He blandly announced his own name, then swiftly pulled away the fine blanket covering his legs, revealing his fish tail instantly, "I am Merfolk."

The young disciples, who had initially perceived him as a refined and disabled scholar due to his being in a wheelchair, were now astounded to discover that he was actually one of the Merfolk, stirring a wave of commotion among them. The Great Palace Master’s gaze swiftly swept over his fish tail, a slight tremor flickering across his eyelids before he spoke, "So, you are Mister Ting Nu. As you are not a member of our Li Ze Palace, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to inquire further. Si Feng’s personal desires are unrelated to these affairs."

"How could it be unrelated?! He isn’t a wooden puppet!"

Another crisp voice rang out, and as the Great Palace Master looked up, he saw Xuanji stepping forward, still as undaunted as the young girl she had been four years prior, chest puffed out and staring steadily at him.

Xuanji continued, "As Palce Master, how can you deny him a voice? I removed his mask, and I will also break his spell! Once the spell is broken, he will no longer belong to the Li Ze Palace, right? I will certainly break it!"

The Great Palace Master chuckled softly, "Miss Chu..."

Before he could finish, she interrupted him with a wave of her hand, "I don’t want to hear it from you! I want to hear it from Si Feng himself! Si Feng! We were happy together, I... I don’t know what I did to upset you. But... if you choose to stay, I won’t blame you... Yet I will be in so much pain! Pain that makes me want to die! If you feel it doesn’t matter if I die, then you just stay!"

She had intended to sound generous, only for her words to grow more aggrieved as she spoke, eyes turning red, voice choking up, before ending with a spiteful threat. The thought of Si Feng staying in Li Ze Palace and never being able to see each other again demolished all her rational thoughts, leaving only a swirling mix of confusion and resentment. Although she had resolved before her arrival to support whatever his choice, when the moment came, she found herself regretting it after all.

She couldn’t even understand this possessive feeling herself. In any case, Yu Sifeng was supposed to be hers alone, and no one was allowed to take him away. They had promised to be together forever, a vow that should be upheld until death.

Yu Sifeng did not speak but merely gazed at her steadily, his eyes seemingly aflame with a sea of fire.

He took a deep breath and abruptly turned, bowing deeply with three kowtows to the Great Palace Master and announced loudly, "Palace Master, Si Feng is unworthy." He no longer referred to himself as a disciple, clearly indicating his intention to sever ties with the Li Ze Palace.

Without another word, he turned to leave, walking directly towards Xuanji, each step as though treading on clouds, barely able to sustain himself.

Those present were utterly astonished, for no one had ever dared to leave the Li Ze Palace so brazenly before! Even Liu Yihuan had chosen a quiet night to sneak away years prior. Now, with all the Elders and the Main Palace Master present, Si Feng was shamelessly switching allegiances, a boldness that demanded respect, yet bordered on outright defiance of authority.

Xuanji, overwhelmed with joy, let the tears flow unchecked, not bothering to wipe them away, and threw herself onto him, embracing him tightly. She felt the young man in her arms trembling slightly before he suddenly collapsed to the ground, coughing weakly.

"Your wound!" She fumbled to retrieve medicine, only to have her wrist firmly grasped by him, causing her to tumble down beside him. He stared at her intently, as if looking at a stranger, yet his gaze burned fiercely as if it could set the whole sky ablaze. After a long while, he finally said in a low voice, "You are not allowed to die. If we must die, we’ll die together."

Xuanji spread her arms wide and hugged him tightly, wishing she could merge him into her chest. Their reckless display of emotion made many of the younger disciples blush and throb with excitement, while others secretly envied them, hoping they could escape successfully and form a celestial couple—a truly beautiful affair.

It took a long time before Yu Sifeng gently released Xuanji, retrieving the mask from inside his robe—it still bore a sorrowful countenance. This time, as he looked at it, he simply smiled, utterly unfazed, and placed it on the ground before drawing his sword and shattering it with force.

"All these are but illusions; only now do I truly understand what is real," he said softly, picking up the fragmented mask and tossing it far into the sea without a second thought.

"Si Feng," Xuanji called out his name softly, holding his hand.

He looked down and smiled slightly, then, taking her hand, helped her to rise from the sand and said gently, "Let’s go, let’s leave this place." (To be continued... To find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)