Love & Redemption
Chapter 168: Volume 4 Hua Meng’s Sudden Rift - 25 Eve (Part 7)

Chapter 168: Volume 4 Hua Meng’s Sudden Rift Chapter 25 Eve (Part 7)

After she shouted, the hall fell into complete silence, not a single sound was heard. Half of the people in the hall were looking at her, the other half at Chu Lei, unsure of how he would handle the situation.

Chu Lei took a deep breath, just about to speak, when suddenly Linglong’s clear voice rang out, saying, "Xuanji, I’m not being petulant. I’m serious. So, you should stop being childish too."

How am I being childish?! Xuanji urgently said, "That’s not it! I... I’m serious too! Everything was fine... we all agreed, agreed to be together later, not to part... Since such a promise was made, aren’t promises meant to be kept?" Her face paled with anxiety, staring incredulously at Linglong.

Linglong slowly said, "Things in the world are unpredictable, no one knows about the future, promises... are merely words once sought for peace of mind. Human efforts are sometimes limited, how can one always adhere to promises."

"You..." Xuanji found herself at a loss for words.

Linglong smiled slightly, softly saying, "Xuanji, even if we are no longer considered part of the Shaoyang Sect, I am still your sister, and Min Yan is still your good friend, it’s not like we’re parting forever."

Xuanji shook her head, saying, "But... with Sixth Brother like this... why do you also want to leave the Shaoyang Sect?"

Linglong held Zhong Minyan’s hand tightly and said solemnly, "Because I understand what I need. If I have to choose between the Shaoyang Sect and Min Yan, except for him, I have no other choice. Leaving the Shaoyang Sect, I won’t die. But leaving him, I definitely will."

She had always been a rebellious and overbearing person, yet today she was able to say such words, shocking everyone present. Those few sentences were spoken lightly, yet they were profound and deeply moving, captivating hearts. She had never directly confronted her feelings, always responding to Zhong Minyan with avoidance and shyness. Now, suddenly opening her heart, speaking her mind, there was a sense of sudden enlightenment.

Zhong Minyan stared at her dumbfounded, as if he had only just come to know her today. Gradually tightening his grip, he encapsulated her tender hand in his palm, and after a while, he called out softly, "Linglong."

Linglong lowered her head and smiled, her eyes brimming with tenderness, whispering, "Since I can say this, I can definitely do it. My mind is made up, wherever you go, I will follow."

Xuanji watched the two of them in a daze, suddenly covering her forehead with her hand, her head bowed in silence. Yu Sifeng gently took her aside, quietly saying, "Linglong makes sense, you should listen to her this time." Xuanji silently nodded, two tears falling onto her sash, quickly dissolving.

Chu Lei slowly turned around, his gaze deep, looking at Linglong for a long while before saying, "Have you really decided?"

Linglong nodded, "Yes, my mind is made up. I am unfilial, failing to repay my parents’ kindness."

Chu Lei drew a deep breath, exhaling it slowly, his expression somewhat weary. Finally, he waved his hand and said quietly, "I understand. Let it be so. From today, you two are no longer disciples of the Shaoyang Sect... However, Linglong, Min Yan, Shaoyang Peak will always be your home."

The two tearfully bowed in affirmation, then stood side by side, looking into each other’s eyes, their gazes merging as if they had a thousand words to say.

Chu Lei said, "It’s getting late, it’s time to..."

He didn’t finish his sentence when a sudden uproar was heard outside the hall, followed by Dongfang Qingqi entering with a smile, loudly saying, "All suspicious persons have been rounded up. Everyone, come with me."

The crowd followed him out of the main hall and indeed saw the area outside crowded with people, with Shaoyang Sect disciples surrounding about a dozen individuals, all matching the search criteria: those with scars on their faces, blood on their bodies, or unfamiliar faces. A group dressed in white with green belts approached, the young man leading them saying, "I have also brought the list of disciples, please Sect Leader and the esteemed guests check it." Seeing their age, demeanor, and attire not matching ordinary disciples, they were likely from Yushan Hall.

The man waved his hand, and three or four people came forward, holding trays densely filled with scrolls, likely the list of Fuyu Island’s disciples. Dongfang Qingqi glanced over it, asking, "Are these people not on the list?"

The man replied, "No, some are listed, but their names are crossed out. Others are not on the list."

Dongfang Qingqi nodded and led the crowd forward, the disciples splitting to create a path. The dozen or so surrounded individuals looked terrified, each shrinking and bowing their heads. Dongfang Qingqi said, "Name yourselves!" The individuals had to announce their names one by one, and Dongfang Qingqi noticed many were disciples expelled from Fuyu Island for offenses, wondering how they managed to infiltrate the island again; additionally, several were people like kitchen staff and farmers, low-profile individuals. He then turned back and said, "Little Xuanji, come and have a look."

Xuanji and Yu Sifeng had confronted those individuals head-on before, so they began inspecting them one by one. Yu Sifeng looked around but saw nothing suspicious; several had scars, but their positions and lengths didn’t match the one he had seen on that person’s face. He looked back at Xuanji, who had stopped in front of one individual, bending down and speaking softly.

It was a small, frail girl, likely a kitchen worker’s family member, standing opposite Xuanji, shivering pitifully. He approached just as Xuanji asked, "Why are you trembling? Are you very scared?"

The little girl’s voice trembled, "No, no... I didn’t... I just find the sword on the lady a bit strange."

Xuanji smiled and said, "You have been on the island for so long, everyone here carries a sword, why do you feel uncomfortable when you see mine?"

The little girl hung her head in silence. Xuanji lifted her chin, examining her face closely, though dirty, it was smooth and unblemished, not a scar or even a mole. She looked left and right for a long time without speaking. Seeing that the girl was about to cry, Yu Sifeng, feeling somewhat sympathetic, approached and softly said, "Xuanji, she is just a child."

Xuanji released her chin, smiled faintly, and suddenly drew out Bengyu, chopping at her head and said sharply, "Even if you turned to dust, you couldn’t deceive my nose!" Everyone was shocked, only to see the little girl move quickly, rolling on the ground to dodge the sword; she slapped the ground with her hands, stood up straight, and dashed away.

Yu Sifeng grabbed the back of her collar in one swift motion. In her urgency, the girl struggled, and with a "rip", her entire back was exposed. It was indeed a woman’s body; Yu Sifeng hesitated for a moment and unintentionally let go of her. She didn’t care about her bare skin and frantically looked for a way to escape. This time it wasn’t just a few juniors like earlier in the afternoon; Dongfang Qingqi and Chu Lei were right in front, surrounded by countless disciples of Fuyu Island drawing their swords to attack. She looked around desperately and saw Linglong and Zhong Minyan standing on the other side, so she ran towards them.

Zhong Minyan hated this person to the bones, all the troubles he had faced were because of him. Seeing the person running in his direction, he immediately drew his sword, and together with Linglong, they blocked both sides, aiming to intercept him.

Unexpectedly, she rolled on the ground and when she stood up, she had transformed into a handsome, frail-looking man, who smiled faintly at him and said softly, "Min Yan, we meet again."

Zhong Minyan trembled all over, and exclaimed, "... You... Brother Ouyang?!"

He was supposed to be dead! Died by his own sword! His mind raced and he suddenly recalled that this person was skilled in disguise, likely adopting Brother Ouyang’s appearance to deceive him. Gritting his teeth, he lunged forward with his sword, while the man dodged his weak strike, chuckled and said, "What’s the matter, not recognizing your brother after half a year? The scar from the sword you stabbed me with that day is still here!" With that, he tore his worn clothes, revealing his bare chest, indeed near the heart there was a bright, red scar.

Zhong Minyan shouted harshly, "You are a fake! Stop deceiving people!"

However, as he spoke, his sword movements became increasingly feeble and filled with doubt. Suddenly, a terrifying thought seized him: had he been deceived since then? There was never any Brother Ouyang, it was indeed a demon in disguise, sent to confuse and use him.

While he was distracted, the man reached out to grab his sword, attempting to wrest it from him. Suddenly, a sharp voice from Linglong rang out, "Let go!" A severe gust surged towards the back of his head. Her Broken Gold was extremely sharp, and he didn’t dare meet it head-on. With a "tsk", he rolled on the ground again, clumsily avoiding it.

Suddenly, he was hit by a silent, powerful force from behind. The man was shocked, too late to dodge. If it were a weapon or palm wind, he could have evaded by hearing it, but he had no way to avoid such a silent attack. He was hit hard on the back, spat out a mouthful of blood, staggered a few steps with a vacant expression, and turned around to find it was Chu Lei.

By then, everyone had surrounded him, and he could no longer escape. His various transformations could no longer be sustained, his hair tied up on his head suddenly burst open, changing color bit by bit, finally turning a light brown. The face that was once Brother Ouyang’s, suddenly elongated, transforming into a demon with an unremarkable face and cruel green pupils.

Seeing that escape was impossible today, he couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh, saying, "You should be thankful it was me and not other demons with the ability to move mountains and seas. Otherwise, you all would have perished in an instant!"

Dongfang Qingqi shouted harshly, "Still trying to bewitch us!"

He swung a palm towards the demon’s crown. His Soft Palm could leave an imprint on rock; striking a flesh-and-blood body, it would likely shatter the skull on impact.

Chu Lei urgently shouted, "Don’t kill him! Keep him for interrogation!"

The words had hardly left his lips when a violent wind suddenly swept through, lifting all the dust from the ground. The piercing, hissing wind blinded everyone momentarily. Chu Lei, sensing the abnormality of the wind, quickly shouted, "Keep an eye on that demon!" Dongfang Qingqi made a lightning-fast move to grab the demon, but his hand met air, and he suddenly heard a sinister voice beside his ear softly say, "I spare your life once again, remembering that you once saved me."

He was intensely shocked, feeling the wind around him dying down, and in the moonlight, two figures soared upwards, lightly sliding across several meters. One of them was completely motionless, the badly injured demon from earlier. A man in black held him, and the familiar silhouette turned around.

The man suddenly turned his head, his gaze fierce like cold electricity sweeping over everyone. Dongfang Qingqi gasped and murmured, "It’s him!"

It was none other than Housekeeper Ouyang who had left Fuyu Island early! He glanced horizontally at Chu Lei and suddenly said, "You are quite capable!" Without finishing his words, his wrist abruptly flicked, and Chu Lei felt a sharp wind hit him unexpectedly fast, causing intense pain in his chest as if something had violently pierced him.

"Take care! Until we meet again!" As soon as the voice of Housekeeper Ouyang fell, his figure vanished in mid-air, truly coming and going without a trace, leaving everyone in shock. (To be continued, for further developments please visit www.qidian.com, with more Chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)