Love & Redemption
Chapter 191: Volume 4: Sudden Rift in the Chinese Dream, - 48: Riot (10)

Chapter 191: Volume 4: Sudden Rift in the Chinese Dream, Chapter 48: Riot (10)

Fourth Update.

Starting from July 1, I will be busy with certain matters and could no longer manage to release two updates a day. From now on, it will change to one update per day.

I guarantee that each Chapter will not be less than three thousand words.

I apologize for any inconvenience caused. I will finish my tasks as soon as possible and return to two updates a day.

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Ever since he learned the true identity of Lize Palace on Fuyu Island, Zhong Minyan had been preoccupied with thoughts of Ruo Yu. If Lize Palace was really orchestrated by Buzhou Mountain, was Ruo Yu’s decision to join him on Buzhou Mountain all an act?

He really wanted to ask him about all this. Had he regarded him as a true brother only to be deceived from beginning to end?

Zhong Minyan was not someone who believed much in fate, and thus he had never taken to heart what Liu Yihuan had said when she used the Heavenly Eye and everyone had spoken a stream of words. However, today, he suddenly recalled those words. Liu Yihuan had called him a fool who would be deceived. Was she referring to Wu Tong deceiving him, or Ruo Yu deceiving him?

Ruo Yu halted at a distance within a pile of chaotic rocks, his green robe fluttering elegantly, his silhouette exceptionally dashing. Zhong Minyan slowed his pace and walked up to him, standing behind him. For a long time, neither of them spoke; there was only the howling wind. Finally, Zhong Minyan could not restrain himself any longer and just as he was going to speak, he heard Ruo Yu murmur, "Min Yan, I gave the bracelet to my sister, and she is very pleased. I thank you on her behalf."

Zhong Minyan paused, it took him a while to remember such an event had occurred; he had bought a bracelet to give to Ruo Yu’s sister. He forced a smile and replied, "It’s just a trifle, hardly worth mentioning."

Ruo Yu slowly turned around, his eyes intense behind the mask, firmly fixing on him. Such a gaze gave Zhong Minyan a bad premonition, and he involuntarily stepped back, whispering, "What is it?" Ruo Yu shook his head, then suddenly said, "We can be considered as friends who have been through life and death, and it is disrespectful of me to still wear the mask in front of you." With that, he raised his hand and took off the Shura mask.

Zhong Minyan hurriedly said, "Ah, there’s no need! Isn’t it said that the mask should not be removed in front of outsiders? Please put it back on! I do not mind."

Although he said so, he still curiously took a glance, noting Ruo Yu’s pale complexion similar to Yu Sifeng’s, obviously a result of long-term lack of sunlight. However, with long eyebrows extending into his temples and a straight nose, though not as eye-catching and elegantly handsome as Yu Sifeng, he was still a scholarly and handsome young man. Yet, those deep, dark eyes felt too menacing which made them somewhat unapproachable.

Zhong Minyan was stunned for a moment before asking, "Are all from Lize Palace..."

Ruo Yu did not deny it and nodded, "Indeed, we are all demons, suppressing our demon energy with the seals under our ribs so that cultivators would not notice. The Golden Winged Bird... do you know? They were prideful demons who preferred solitude, but due to the great kindness received from a person, those Golden Winged Birds who were part of that kindness assembled together and established Lize Palace, with the goal of one day rescuing that person— and you should know by now, that person is Wuzhiqi who is imprisoned in the Netherworld."

Zhong Minyan muttered, "Why tell me all this... there’s no need... you know so much, even Si Feng doesn’t know these..."

Ruo Yu said, "They had Liu Yihuan protecting him, who once made the Great Palace Master swear not to tell Si Feng about the origins of Lize Palace, as the cost for erasing his memories for one year away. Do you know why?"

Zhong Minyan almost couldn’t understand what he was saying and could only shake his head in response.

Ruo Yu continued, "An ordinary Golden Winged Bird, once transformed into a demon, grows three giant feathers behind each wing. Six feathers emitting golden light from behind the wings signify their demon energy. However, it is rare among Golden Winged Birds to bear the lineage of twelve feathers, which is an extremely valuable lineage. Even if both parents are twelve feathers, the offspring do not necessarily inherit twelve feathers. Thus, for Lize Palace, a twelve-feather Golden Winged Bird is an omen never to be released. Twelve feathers have double the demon power of six feathers..."

Sparked by insight, Zhong Minyan quickly said, "Si Feng has twelve feathers!" When he appeared in his true form, everyone saw that he had six feathers behind each of his two wings, making him a twelve-feathered Golden Winged Bird.

Ruo Yu smiled slightly and said, "You are very astute. The Great Palace Master also has twelve feathers, and it’s extremely rare for Si Feng, as his child, to inherit the twelve-feather lineage. When Si Feng was born, the Old Palace Master wanted to kill him because Lize Palace does not allow half-bloods with mortals. However, upon lifting the baby wrapper and seeing the twelve feathers behind him, he immediately changed his mind, and Si Feng thus escaped that fate and was exceptionally allowed to become a formal disciple of Lize Palace. With his twelve feathers, he naturally learned much faster than others. By the age of seven or eight, he could defeat adult disciples if he didn’t restrain his power. Both the Old Palace Master and the Great Palace Master had high hopes for him... Unfortunately, by all mischance, he met Liu Yihuan who was imprisoned at that time."

"Wait!" Zhong Minyan interrupted him, his voice stern, "Why are you telling me all this? I would prefer to hear about Si Feng’s past from him, not second-hand from someone else! You must have another reason for seeking me out, right?"

Ruo Yu smiled and said, "First, let’s finish talking about these matters, and then I will tell you why I came to find you."

"Liu Yihuan had just lost his daughter, so he doted on Yu Sifeng to the core, transferring all his love for his daughter to Yu Sifeng. On the day he fled Lize Palace, he took Si Feng with him and left behind a letter stating that the rules of Lize Palace kill people and he could not let Yu Sifeng be trapped alive in this cage forever. You can imagine how furious the Great Palace Master and the then Old Palace Master were, with the Old Palace Master even vomiting blood on the spot and dragging out his last half year before dying. After being appointed as the new Palace Master, the first thing the Great Palace Master did was to look for Liu Yihuan and finally found him in Qingyang. Naturally, Liu Yihuan was no match for the Great Palace Master of the Shieryu, but he had somehow stolen the Heavenly Eye somewhere. Once he opened the Heavenly Eye, even the Great Palace Master couldn’t defeat him and was left severely injured. In the end, Liu Yihuan said he could take Yu Sifeng away, but the matter of the Sea Stabilizing Iron Chain must not be disclosed to him. He probably heard something when he stole the Heavenly Eye from the Upper Realm, convinced that sabotaging the Sea Stabilizing Iron Chain would violate Heavenly Dao and would inevitably lead to great disaster, thus he demanded the Great Palace Master to promise not to let Yu Sifeng get involved in this matter. The Great Palace Master agreed, and the condition exchanged was to erase the memories of Yu Sifeng’s year outside. Because Liu Yihuan, this blabbermouth, had already told him everything, and Yu Sifeng was still young at that time, naturally crying for his parents. However, apart from a few people knowing he was the son of the Great Palace Master, others were kept in the dark. It’s an iron rule in Lize Palace that those who enter may not marry, and if others knew that Yu Sifeng was the son of the Palace Master, the impact would be extremely bad. Thus, the Great Palace Master took Yu Sifeng back, accepted him as his own disciple, meticulously instructed him until he was thirteen years old that year he went to the Shaoyang Sect to watch the Flower Pinning Conference and met you all..."

Zhong Minyan couldn’t imagine there were so many twists in the story, and after a long while, he said, "Since... sabotaging the Sea Stabilizing Iron Chain is an act against Heavenly Dao, why do you still insist on it? Your Great Palace Master took Si Feng away this time, he will surely tell him everything, right? Wouldn’t that mean breaking the vow?"

Ruo Yu did not answer, and after a long silence, he softly said, "Since choosing to be human, one must have something to persist in, otherwise why bother being human? Min Yan, I have never spoken of my hometown... The Golden Winged Bird is a solitary demon, and only special circumstances bring those at Lize Palace together. Prohibiting marriage is to show resistance to the temptations of the mundane world. Every year, Lize Palace goes overseas to gather capable young Golden Winged Birds as new disciples of Lize Palace. Many of these disciples’ families do not agree with Lize Palace taking people away, but they are too strong, and no one can resist the combined force of the Golden Winged Birds. I was also taken away from my parents just like that. Although every year Lize Palace allows family members to come and visit, how can the agony of homesickness be alleviated by just once a year? Our situation is no different from being in prison."

Zhong Minyan said softly, "I did not know before... It turns out you have also endured much hardship..."

Ruo Yu continued, "My little sister, according to the age calculations of you mortals, should already be fourteen years old, capable of transforming into human form. She was supposed to, like other Golden Winged Birds her age, be joyously flying outside, seeking a beloved mate, and breeding her own children. But now she can only be confined in a sunless dungeon, every day only looking at the blue sky through the window above. She has already stopped speaking and is frighteningly thin."

Zhong Minyan, seeing his tone become increasingly bleak, couldn’t help but feel alarmed and said softly, "That’s truly pitiful... Why is she in a dungeon?"

Ruo Yu smiled slightly, suddenly gently putting on the mask, and leisurely said, "Because she is used as a tool to restrain me. As long as she is alive and in the dungeon, I am forced to do many things I am reluctant to do. For example... playing that extremely foolish undercover agent. Or, going to kill Yu Sifeng. And also, coming to kill you..."

Before his words were finished, he had already moved close to him. Zhong Minyan was greatly shocked, stumbled back several steps, and frantically tried to draw his sword to resist. But his movements were astonishingly fast, a glint of cold light flashed before his eyes, and his sword had reached his chest.

In that moment, Zhong Minyan suddenly had a chaotic thought. It was vaguely many years later—he had married Linglong, had two children, and the children were giggling and running around on the steps. Linglong and Xuanji were whispering in the room about their reunion after a long separation. He, wearing a summer robe, along with Yu Sifeng and Ruo Yu, sat at the stone table in the courtyard, drinking from one cup to the next, discussing the world in great delight.

If such a day ever truly came, it would be wonderful.

He stared vacantly at his own hand, which was resting on a sword hilt. The majority of the blade had already pierced his ribcage. Drip, drip, blood trickled down through his fingers onto the ground. He stubbornly watched his hand, as if he still couldn’t believe the sword had pierced him, and wanted to discern the truth.

Ruo Yu gently supported his slipping body, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "I have been keeping these secrets in my heart for many years, and I have found no one to tell. Now, telling you who are about to die, I truly feel relieved."

Zhong Minyan just stared at his hand, as if he hadn’t heard him speak.

Ruo Yu softly said, "Minyan, you are truly a good person. I have always been deceiving you, and for that, I am truly sorry."

After speaking, he fully withdrew the sword, sending blood splattering. He casually shook the blood off the sword, stylishly sheathed it, and took a few steps away. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned back with a reluctant look and glanced at him. After a long while, he sighed softly, his eyes seeming to well up with something, blurring his vision.

The wind suddenly picked up, and behind the pile of rocks, it seemed as though another person was standing there, in a green robe, long hair, hands tucked inside his sleeves. Ruo Yu paused for a moment, then slowly walked over and knelt down, whispering, "I greet the Vice Palace Master."

Before he finished speaking, his face was gently swept by a hand, and he fell forward, blood trickling from the corner of his lips. He quickly straightened, bowing his head in silence.

The Vice Palace Master softly said, "Who allowed you to talk so much to him? Who allowed you to remove your mask? The task on Buzhou Mountain to probe information about Wu Tong was also poorly done, and this affair has been sloppily handled. You are very good at making me angry."

Ruo Yu responded in a deep voice, "Yes! It is the disciple’s mistake, please punish me, Vice Palace Master!"

The Vice Palace Master turned and walked away, saying, "Punish you how? Your sister has been locked up by me; you are filled with resentment. If I press you too hard, wouldn’t you, this dog, jump over the wall?"

Ruo Yu did not speak, and after a while, he slowly got up and followed behind. He quickly disappeared from view. (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available there; support the author, support genuine reading!)