Love & Redemption
Chapter 167: Volume 4 Hua Meng’s Sudden Rift - 24 Eve (Part 6)

Chapter 167: Volume 4 Hua Meng’s Sudden Rift Chapter 24 Eve (Part 6)

Everyone immediately rushed back to the main hall. They were so anxious they didn’t even wait to be announced, and just barged in to see Chu Lei sitting with Dongfang Qingqi, enjoying tea and catching up. Across from them sat Ting Nu and Liu Yihuan, while the gluttonous Tengshe was busily devouring the surrounding pastries. Upon seeing the group of kids charging in haphazardly, everyone was startled. Chu Lei’s face fell, and he said, "How disrespectful! Won’t you apologize to the Island Master?"

Before entering, Zhong Minyan had still held onto a sliver of hope, praying that he hadn’t committed such a grave error. However, the moment he saw Chu Lei’s face, his heart ached so intensely it was as if he had been stabbed straight on, leaving him almost breathless. It felt as if something in his mind had shattered. No longer able to stand, his legs gave in, and he knelt down, his voice trembling as he said, "Master... Disciple... Disciple..." He didn’t know what to say. Before he could finish, he was already in tears.

Surprised by his reaction, Chu Lei asked in a concerned tone, "What’s wrong?" His gaze shifted to the few young people behind him, his shock apparent.

Yu Sifeng quickly recounted the recent turn of events, concluding by saying, "Junior here has injured that person’s face, which serves as the biggest clue to identify them. Dare I suggest the Island Master immediately inspect everyone on the island?"

Hearing this, everyone was greatly shaken. Chu Lei glared at Zhong Minyan and said, "We will talk about this later! Get up now, and stand aside!" Zhong Minyan dared not disobey but was also too scared to stand up, so he crawled to a corner, pressed his forehead to the ground, and stayed motionless. Linglong stood by his side lovingly and with sympathy, holding his hand tightly as she said, "Father, that man was so bold to transform into your likeness! And he looked so much like you that even I was nearly deceived! You can’t blame Minyan for this!"

Chu Lei was internally furious, but he could not show it outwardly. He turned around and said, "Brother Qingqi, the Flower Pinning Conference is imminent; we cannot let these evil heretics create disturbances. What do you suggest we do?"

Dongfang Qingqi pondered for a moment before declaring loudly, "Call Pian Pian and Yu Ning here!"

An external disciple immediately complied, and in just a short moment, the renowned Dual Swordsmanship pair appeared in the main hall, still dressed in their respective red and white. However, Yu Ning had her hair pinned up in a woman’s coiffure. Seeing her and Pian Pian looking as though they had hastily wed, Xuanji instantly recalled their encounter in the apricot blossom forest. She inadvertently looked up at Yu Sifeng. He evidently had the same thought, and their eyes met. Xuanji quickly turned away, her face reddening slowly.

"Notify Yushan Hall to gather everyone on the island, not letting a single one miss. Anyone with an injury on their face, strangers, those with bloodstains, bring them all here. You two assist Yushan Hall and search the far corners as well."

He worried that the demon had numerous accomplices and that the members of Yushan Hall might not handle it, so he dispatched his proudest disciples to aid in the search. Upon receiving the order, they departed at once. Although Fuyu Island was an isolated isle at sea, conducting a thorough search would still take significant time. For a while, the main hall fell into an odd silence. Knowing that the master and disciple had private matters to discuss, and that his presence would be inappropriate, Dongfang Qingqi stood up with a smile and said, "I will go check if dinner is ready. Please make yourselves comfortable." He then turned and left.

Now, only those directly involved in the matter remained in the main hall, aside from Tengshe, Ting Nu, and Liu Yihuan. But Tengshe was greedy, Ting Nu reticent, and Liu Yihuan played dead; none of them showed any intention of leaving. With so much on his mind, Chu Lei paid them no heed and said, "Minyan, come here."

Zhong Minyan responded but was still too afraid to stand up. He crawled over and lay at Chu Lei’s feet, silent.

"Lift your head!" Chu Lei said sternly. "I do not remember teaching you to be so subservient!"

With tears in his eyes, Zhong Minyan said, "Disciple is ignorant and committed such a grave mistake. I am too ashamed to face Master."

Chu Lei rubbed his forehead, looking exhausted, and said softly, "I’ve heard that line many times already and do not wish to hear it again. Now tell me about everything that has happened these past days, and don’t leave a single detail out."

"Yes... That day, disciple left Fuyu Island without permission to save someone at Buzhou Mountain. While I was staying overnight in Germu Town... that night, Master, you came," Zhong Minyan began, his speech disjointed.

He continued, "At that time, I didn’t know the person was fake and believed it was truly you, Master. That person said that there was a major task for me, expressing doubt in my capabilities due to my rash nature. With Master’s command, I naturally agreed without hesitation. He also said, if I succeeded, he would not only forgive our unauthorized departure from Fuyu Island but also promised..."

He stumbled over his words, revealing that the impersonator made him a promise on that day: If he succeeded, Linglong and Xuanji would be betrothed to him, and he would inherit the Shaoyang Sect. Hearing such a promise, the joy in Zhong Minyan’s heart was beyond expression. His deepest and most private desires could be fulfilled, akin to a sudden enlightenment. The prospect of inheriting the Shaoyang Sect became secondary.

"That person promised substantial rewards if I succeeded. I was deceived in the moment and agreed. Then, he instructed me to become a spy at Buzhou Mountain, stating that the recent turmoil over the Sea Stabilizing Iron Chain necessitated intelligence, so we wouldn’t be caught off guard. The reasoning sounded valid to me, but I feared the demons of Buzhou Mountain wouldn’t trust me, so he said that when we entered Buzhou Mountain, he would appear and pretend to expel me from the sect. After that, no matter what they asked of me, even... killing Second Senior Brother!"

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this. Xuanji and Yu Sifeng immediately recalled what happened that day. No wonder he was so resolute in severing Chen Minjue’s arm—it was all because he thought these were Chu Lei’s orders!

Zhong Minyan went on to say, "Upon hearing this, I felt it was a good plan but too cruel. Second Senior Brother has been like my own family, we grew up together and were both taught by Master. I told that person I couldn’t do it. He became angry, accusing me of being soft-hearted like a woman, and said he would expel me that very day if I didn’t comply. I had no choice but to agree. This led to the events at Buzhou Mountain... It never occurred to me that Ruo Yu would come to my aid. Only later did I realize he had overheard our conversation. Fearing I would face danger alone in Dragon Pond and Tiger Cave, he joined me in this endeavor..."

Frowning, Chu Lei asked, "That Ruo Yu... is he a disciple of Li Ze Palace? Why would he help you?"

Zhong Minyan said, "Ruo Yu and I are as close as brothers... His help was purely out of friendship."

As the words came to this point, everyone else remained silent, except for Liu Yihuan, who let out a cold snort, mumbling something under his breath, impossible to discern. Overcome, Xuanji whispered, "Sixth Brother! He’s not as good as you think! That day, the sword he thrust was aimed at Si Feng’s vital part! He almost took his life! He truly intended to kill Si Feng! How... how can you still think of him as a good person?"

Zhong Minyan was stunned for a moment and then said, "Given the circumstances of that day, he had his difficulties, didn’t he? No matter what, during the time on Buzhou Mountain, he helped me a lot. Wu Tong never trusted us, only assigning us the most trivial tasks, and frequently interrogated us about the affairs of the Five Great Sects... Without him, Wu Tong might have killed me long ago..."

Xuanji urged, "That person impersonating your father could very well have been sent by Wu Tong! If he meant to deceive you into going there, why would he kill you?"

Zhong Minyan’s face turned pale, clearly in extreme turmoil. Struck by her words, he found himself unable to utter a single word. Chu Lei gestured dismissively and said, "Don’t ask any more, Min Yan, you continue."

Zhong Minyan fell silent for a long while before finally continuing, "Ruo Yu and I stayed on Buzhou Mountain for some time, and suddenly one day he said the time had come. He ordered us to kill Second Senior Brother and toss the corpse in front of the Shaoyang Sect’s gates. Naturally, I absolutely refused, which infuriated Wu Tong, and he had both Ruo Yu and me locked up. When we got out, Wu Tong handed me that locked chest and instructed me to throw it at the entrance of the Shaoyang Sect. I suspected that Second Senior Brother’s corpse was inside and utterly refused to comply, but then Wu Tong said that if I was unwilling, he’d really kill Second Senior Brother. Believing that he had not yet killed Second Senior Brother, I agreed..."

"I carried the chest, flying towards the Shaoyang Sect using Sword Control. At that moment, suddenly... Master appeared again. He asked me what was inside the chest, and I replied that I didn’t know, Wu Tong had instructed me to drop it at the entrance of the Shaoyang Sect. He nodded, complimenting my efficiency and expressing his satisfaction. He then inquired about the situation on Buzhou Mountain, but despite my lengthy stay there, I wasn’t able to gather any useful information, only knowing where the demon’s lair was located, its scale, and so on... He didn’t blame me for being useless and offered a few words of comfort, then told me that there was another task for me. He advised me not to continue undercover work at Buzhou Mountain and to return to the sect openly when the Flower Pinning Conference was convened, when he would take me back. Such an action would certainly provoke a backlash from Wu Tong, leading him to disrupt the Flower Pinning Conference. Then we would seize the opportunity to capture Wu Tong with all the elites gathered, and even if he did not show up himself but sent others, it would still hurt his essence. Afterward, he wanted me to lead the way to Buzhou Mountain, to exterminate the demons in their lair. I... although I felt that the plan was not perfect, I dared not raise any objections. Besides, returning to the sect was what I longed for, so I agreed right away. That’s... what happened... This afternoon, Linglong and I received a summons and were about to leave when Master came to find me, saying he had a new task. I followed him, and before he could explain, Si Feng and the others arrived... saying that person was an impostor... I was deceived... I... disciple..."

He couldn’t continue, his tears flowing freely, he stood there, head bowed, motionless.

Listening to his extraordinary experiences, everyone was filled with complex emotions. Undoubtedly, the person impersonating Chu Lei and Zhong Minyan must have been from Wu Tong’s side. To go through such elaborate schemes was truly baffling. They could really pick the right targets. If they had chosen Yu Sifeng, with his astuteness, he would have been able to spot the flaws; if they had chosen Xuanji, her indolence would certainly have led her to refuse. Only Zhong Minyan, who looks intelligent but is actually only clever in trivial matters and becomes stumped by major ones, would be the easiest to fool.

But what they didn’t know was that the bait used to tempt him was far too alluring, indeed it was the deepest secret harbored in his dreams and heart. Once someone pointed it out and confirmed it, not only him but even Yu Sifeng could be disoriented.

Chu Lei was taken aback for a moment and then suddenly asked, "How did you retrieve Linglong’s soul?"

Zhong Minyan said in a tragic voice, "I followed Wu Tong, running errands for him like a servant. I found out by accident that the soul he gave that day was fake, and the real Linglong soul was still in his bedroom. I couldn’t keep my composure and wanted to confront him right away, and if Ruo Yu hadn’t been holding me back... But later I still couldn’t help myself, and while Wu Tong sent us on a mission, and with his spiritual beast, the Ba Snake, to cause trouble for Xuanji and the others—his exact words were to test the strength of the two young ones, to see how far they had come—I took the opportunity while cleaning the bedroom to steal Linglong’s soul. I didn’t dare to give it to them face to face, so I secretly slipped it into Si Feng’s arms. After returning, Wu Tong seemed not to have noticed anything, and it just so happened that at that time the fake master called me to leave Buzhou Mountain, and that night I told Ruo Yu about it, who agreed. We both fled Buzhou Mountain under the cover of night. Ruo Yu said he had to return to Li Ze Palace, and we would meet again on Fuyu Island... I then went to Fuyu Island alone and waited for more than half a month before Master and the others arrived."

Chu Lei listened to the end with a poker face, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "In your opinion, how should this matter be settled?"

Zhong Minyan’s heart trembled, and in a mournful voice said, "The disciple’s sins are unforgivable. I should take my life as an apology!" With that, he drew the long sword from his waist and, without hesitation, slashed at his own neck. Linglong screamed and rushed forward to stop him, only to hear a "snap" as Yu Sifeng used Iron Marbles to knock the sword from his hand. Nevertheless, it was still a bit too late, and his neck was dripping with blood, a piece of flesh cut through, the wound frighteningly sharp.

Linglong cried hysterically, tore off a strip of cloth to bandage his wound, and her fingers touched his fresh blood, causing her to cry even harder. She pounded her fist against his chest, yelling fiercely, "Do you think you can just die like this?! Who gave you permission to die? Who allowed it?!"

Zhong Minyan had no words, and could only cry.

Chu Lei shook his head, slowly stood up, and with his hands behind his back, said softly, "You are still young, don’t be so quick to speak of death! From today, you are no longer a disciple of Shaoyang Sect. You don’t need to call me Master anymore."

With these words, everyone was greatly shocked, and Xuanji cried out, "Father!"

This time Chu Lei was very stern, and said coldly, "No one is to plead for him! Everyone be quiet!"

Xuanji was still defiant, but was firmly held back by Yu Sifeng, preventing her from moving. Zhong Minyan gave a wretched smile, propped himself up, and with great respect kowtowed nine times to Chu Lei, saying in a low voice, "Zhong Minyan is unworthy, having failed to live up to my benevolent master’s expectations. I have no complaints about being expelled from the sect!"

Linglong, in a departure from her usual demeanor, didn’t plead for him but instead gripped his hand and after a moment, suddenly said resolutely, "From today, I am no longer a disciple of Shaoyang Sect either! I am still the daughter of my father and mother, but not a disciple of Shaoyang Sect!"

"Linglong!" Xuanji was even more surprised, looking at the two on the ground with their expressions of steadfast sorrow, and then at the unmoving Chu Lei with his hands behind his back, her heart suddenly hardened, and said sharply, "Then I am not a Shaoyang Sect disciple anymore! Starting today! Let’s all just go our separate ways!"(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more Chapters and you can support the author and legitimate reading!)