Love & Redemption
Chapter 53 - 13 Lu Yanran

Chapter 53: Chapter 13 Lu Yanran

Xuanji had slept till the afternoon without waking up, while the other five who had risen early finally couldn’t restrain themselves and ran to knock on the door and call out to her as dusk approached.

When Linglong finally managed to drag a groggy Xuanji out, it was already time for dinner. Zhong Minyan was in a hurry to return to Sea Bowl Mountain to investigate further and was already impatient. He frowned and said, "You’re still so lazy after coming out! How can a cultivator sleep for so long!"

Xuanji was still half asleep, vaguely hearing someone speaking to her. She rubbed her eyes, looked up in his direction, and smiled blankly, leaving Zhong Minyan without the spirit to argue and forcing him to sulkily squat to one side without speaking.

Linglong pouted and said, "She was injured yesterday. What’s wrong with sleeping a bit more? Even if she slept until tomorrow morning, it would be fine! What are you fussing about!"

As she finished, Xuanji smiled blankly at her again.

Linglong sighed and said, "Look at how dazed you are! Come on, I’ll take you to wash your face with some cold water."

While Linglong took Xuanji to freshen up, Boss Zhao and the others from Zhao Family Manor had already returned and were busily preparing the meal, inviting them to join the table while eager to hear about their ghost-catching adventure from the day before.

Zhong Minyan finally found an opportunity to show off his eloquence, captivating the entire table as he dramatically described the Qu Ru Birds as even more fearsome than the Gu Diao, and portrayed themselves as heroic warriors who had fought their way out of chaos, detailing how tough and dangerous it was. The villagers from Zhao Family Manor listened with staggered disbelief, sweating on their behalf.

"What... what was the reason for those strange birds’ sudden attack? Did you young heroes manage to investigate this clearly?" Boss Zhao finally found an opening to interject carefully.

"Uh, well..." Zhong Minyan was momentarily lost for words, stumped.

Yu Sifeng said indifferently, "We suspect that someone is controlling demons behind the scenes, but we haven’t found out who yet. Don’t worry, old man, we won’t leave Wangxian Town until we have resolved this matter."

Zhong Minyan quickly nodded and said, "That’s right, that’s right! We’re going back there tonight to investigate further. Uncle Zhao, rest assured, with us Shaoyang Sect disciples here, we will surely prevent demons from disturbing the peace of the people."

Reassured by their promises, Boss Zhao finally relaxed and showed his gratitude by eagerly offering them drinks and dishes.

Lu Yanran, overhearing Zhong Minyan boasting, chuckled softly to herself. If Linglong were here, she probably would’ve already started arguing. Although Zhong Minyan also found Lu Yanran annoying, he restrained himself because she was a woman and because he was more composed than Linglong, simply bowing his head to drink without looking at her.

However, the more indifferent he acted, the more energized Lu Yanran became. She coquettishly said, "The Shaoyang Sect has such a prestigious reputation, Uncle, you can surely rest easy. We don’t even need to show up; just the three words ’Shaoyang Sect’ are enough to make the demons flee in terror."

Her words were quite irritating, causing even Ruo Yu to involuntarily shake her head. Zhong Minyan’s brow creased slightly, but still, he remained silent.

"If it were Fuyu Island or Lize Palace announcing their names, they certainly wouldn’t carry such authority~~"

Before she could finish, Ruo Yu interrupted her with a cough, forcing a laugh as he said, "Today the moon is bright and the night is cool, an excellent opportunity for investigating demonic disturbances. We should also prepare to set out."

"Hmph, at least you have some sense!"

Linglong’s voice came from behind, and everyone turned to see her leading Xuanji over. She had also heard Lu Yanran’s provocation and had cleverly turned her words against her, deftly outmaneuvering her.

Lu Yanran then smiled sweetly, saying softly, "Fuyu Island is just a little-known sect; how could it dare to compete with the Shaoyang Sect?"

Linglong seated the bewildered Xuanji on a chair, lifted her head with a snort, and said, "Thank you for the courtesy, we yield."

Lu Yanran felt extremely discontent in her heart, feeling at a disadvantage against Linglong. She turned around and noticed Xuanji’s forehead was damp, presumably from washing her face with cold water, indeed looking more awake than before but still somewhat dazed.

She softly laughed and said, "Miss Xuanji woke up so late, and we are about to set out. It’s a pity to miss a banquet, shall we ask Uncle to save it and reheat it for you when we return tonight?"

Xuanji was about to put a slice of bamboo shoot into her mouth when she heard this and paused, biting the bamboo shoot as she looked up at her.

"But I’m very hungry right now," she stated honestly, stuffing another mouthful of rice.

"It will soon be too late... what to do. Si Feng...? Shall we go ahead first? Since Miss Xuanji was injured yesterday, she likely won’t be able to exert much strength today anyway."

Lu Yanran spoke very sincerely.

Xuanji looked at the sky, swallowed her food, and said indifferently, "It’s not yet 9 p.m., going early is useless. If you’re in a hurry, you can go ahead."

"..." Seeing that no one responded, Lu Yanran had no choice but to shut up.

She was very unhappy; originally, she planned to team up with Yu Sifeng, being the only girl with two grown men, naturally receiving a lot of attention along the way. Unexpectedly, some Shaoyang Sect disciples suddenly showed up, claiming to be old friends and stealing her thunder. Having Min Yan alone would have been fine since he was also a handsome man, but annoyingly, there were two sisters, and Sifeng seemed quite pleased with them. In her eyes, Linglong was detestable, Xuanji was foolish, and neither was pleasant to her.

Lu Yanran had been considered exceptionally beautiful among the disciples of Fuyu Island since she was young, and with her clever and charming personality, many older male and female disciples doted on her. She was used to being pampered and couldn’t tolerate anyone stealing her glory.

This time, the fellow disciples she teamed up with got lost because of their quarrels, and in a fit of anger, she left the group only to be attacked by Qu Ru on Sea Bowl Mountain and rescued by Yu Sifeng and his companions. Ruo Yu was a genuinely kind person, treating her gently and considerately, while Yu Sifeng, although usually reserved and taciturn, had never treated her harshly. She finally found the feeling of being treasured and cared for, but before she could enjoy it for two days, Linglong and her group arrived.

She saw Linglong’s striking appearance and blunt manner of speaking, realizing she was not someone to mess with. Min Yan seemed to especially protect her, and it would be pointless to cause a conflict with a grown man.

Turning to Xuanji, she seemed to be a quiet and timid person, appearing slow and dull, so she concluded she was an easy target. Little did she know, after just a few words, she was retorted lightly by Xuanji, proving true the warnings her masters had given before going out into the world: Shaoyang Sect disciples were not to be provoked.

Lu Yanran found it difficult to speak again and just sat there, propping her chin with her hand, incessantly tapping her fingers on the tabletop, making everyone restless.

To annoy her, Linglong deliberately ate slowly while serving dishes to Yu Sifeng and the others with a smile, saying, "So this is Zhu Yu Grass, it really tastes good. Min Yan, Sifeng, Ruo Yu, Xuanji, eat more."

She clearly skipped Lu Yanran, obviously making it difficult for her.

Seeing the few girls bickering, the men found it inappropriate to interject and just kept their heads down eating, not trying to mediate.

The unsuspecting Boss Zhao and others, hearing Linglong praise the deliciousness of Zhu Yu Grass, all said, "It’s good that the lady likes it. It’s just a pity that the vast fields of Zhu Yu Grass on Sea Bowl Mountain will be gone in half a month, and then no one in the manor will have any to eat!"

Yu Sifeng looked up at the sky, drained his cup of wine in one gulp, stood up, and said with a clasped hand, "It’s getting late. Old man, go rest. We’re about to head to the mountain."

Boss Zhao hurriedly said, "Young heroes are working hard! Are you sure you don’t need horses or torches? Many young people in the village are willing to help..."

Min Yan waved his hand with a smile, "We don’t need anything! Just sleep peacefully, we will surely find out the cause today!"

Upon hearing they were about to leave, Xuanji quickly stuffed down her last bite, wiped her mouth, and stood up. Yu Sifeng, seeing her rush, couldn’t help but smile warmly and said, "No rush. Look at you..."

He raised his hand to pick off a grain of rice stuck on her cheek, "Still a child."

"I was going to say I am a child..." Xuanji thought about saying this, but then suddenly remembered she was already fifteen and couldn’t be considered a child anymore, so she swallowed her words.

She looked at Yu Sifeng and suddenly realized something was odd about his face. She looked left and right but couldn’t pinpoint what was strange.

Yesterday when she met him, it was late at night, and having not seen him for four years, she failed to notice any difference in his mask during her excitement. Now, under the bright firelight in the room, she finally noticed some subtle changes.

Ruo Yu’s face also had a Shura mask, exactly like the one Sifeng wore four years ago. However, Sifeng’s mask had changed, still showing the fierce face of a Shura, but now with one side crying and the other smiling. In the firelight, it looked extremely eerie.

"Sifeng, your mask...?" she muttered.

Before she could finish, both Yu Sifeng and Ruo Yu were shaken.

"He..." Ruo Yu opened his mouth, as if to say something, but didn’t manage to speak, only giving a bitter smile.

Yu Sifeng raised his hand, gently touched the mask, and after a long time, said, "It’s just a change of mask. It’s nothing... Let’s not talk about this now, let’s get ready to leave. Xuanji, you’ll get to see Little Silver Flower soon."