Lu Mingfeng resisted desperately, attempting to seal off the secret realm and drag everyone down with him.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Xie Wanting played a melody that threw Lu Mingfeng's mind into chaos. Taking advantage of this, Chu Changfeng and Mu Qinian moved in, sealing Lu Mingfeng's golden core one after another.

However, Lu Mingfeng became even more desperate and planned to self-destruct. Chu Changfeng, reacting quickly with the instinct of a healer, pushed Mu Qinian aside. Although it kept Mu Qinian unharmed, Chu Changfeng was injured by Lu Mingfeng's deadly move.

Thanks to everyone's combined efforts, they managed to capture Lu Mingfeng alive with the Binding Immortal Lock at the last possible moment, imprisoning him in the secret realm to await his fate.

When everyone regained their senses, they suddenly realized that Lu Yao was missing!

*

Hua Che leaned against the headboard, holding a bowl of medicine. A lock of black hair fell over his brow, and his expression remained unmoved. "Escaped?"

Mu Rongsa nodded. "He must have. He was an accomplice, after all. Elder Qianyang is furious and has ordered the disciples of Shangqing to search for him across the nine prefectures."

Hua Che, smelling the bitter aroma of the medicine, seemed lost in thought.

Mu Rongsa could guess what Hua Che was thinking and tried to comfort him. "You don't need to worry. What kind of trouble could a sixteen-year-old kid cause? His father is gone; where could he run to? He's a criminal now, unwelcome in the world of immortals."

Hua Che was shocked. "Unwelcome in the world of immortals, then in the world of demons..."

"Hey, hey, hey, you don't think that brat Lu Yao will seek refuge in the Fen Qing Palace, do you?" Mu Rongsa’s mouth gaped in disbelief. " Hua ge, are you so feverish that you've lost your mind? What qualifies Lu Yao to enter Yin Wuhui's sight? He wouldn't last three days in the harsh environment of the demon realm!"

Hua Che muttered to himself, " Mu Rongsa, foolish Mu Rongsa."

"Hey!" Mu Rongsa pretended to be annoyed. "Don't think I didn't hear you just because you whispered!"

Just then, Chu Binghuan pushed the door open. Hua Che quickly asked, "How is your uncle?"

Chu Binghuan avoided answering Hua Che's question. Seeing the bowl of medicine in Hua Che's hand, his face changed. "Why haven't you drunk it yet?"

Caught red-handed, Hua Che nervously made an excuse, "It's too hot; I'll drink it once it cools."

Chu Binghuan seemed to believe his lie, taking two steps closer and placing a packet of candied fruit on the table.

Hua Che's eyes lit up immediately, instinctively reaching out to grab it, but Chu Binghuan slapped his hand away halfway, ruthlessly saying, "Drink the medicine first."

Left with no choice, Hua Che reluctantly took a gulp of the bitter medicine.

The familiar taste, the familiar formula.

Hua Che suddenly felt that dying of a high fever would be happier than drinking Chu Binghuan's medicine.

Chu Binghuan believed that too many sweets were bad for the body. So, even though he knew Hua Che loved candied fruit and sweets, he tried to limit Hua Che's intake, only grudgingly allowing a little when Hua Che drank his medicine.

Seeing Hua Che's pitiful expression, Chu Binghuan couldn't help but soften.

Oh well, what's more important than being happy and content?

Chu Binghuan watched Hua Che drink the entire bowl of medicine, ensuring not a drop was left, before giving him a whole pack of candied fruit.

Hua Che, who had previously been making a face as if he'd rather die than drink the medicine, instantly lit up with joy. He started popping the candied fruits into his mouth one after another, his cheeks puffing up like a chipmunk's.

Chu Binghuan couldn't help but smile, his expression soft and tender.

*

Once Hua Che was able to get out of bed and walk, the first thing he did was go to the secret realm to visit Lu Mingfeng, the man who had once stood at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, looking down on all beings.

Just a day before, Lu Mingfeng had been a revered elder, praised by countless cultivators as a sage. Who could have imagined that in less than twelve hours, he would become a notorious criminal, a prisoner hated by all.

In Hua Che's memory, Lu Mingfeng was always stern and dignified, impeccably groomed, with his black hair neatly tied and his luxurious robes spotless. The only time he had appeared dishevelled was in the previous life, when he had knelt at Hua Che's feet, covered in blood and mud, before Hua Che had cut open his golden core and dispersed his soul.

Yet even then, Lu Mingfeng had been imposing.

Why? Despite his outward disarray, his inner resolve was unshaken, his gaze piercing and arrogant. He showed no fear of death, instead laughing wildly and recklessly, using the vilest language to utter the most venomous curses.

——I placed a curse on Lu Yao, offering my soul as the sacrifice, cursing the two of you to be inseparable! If he dies, you die. If you die, he lives!

——Killing me doesn't matter, but the bloodline of this master still endures in the world! It is this master who triumphs, and it is this master who shall live forever!

This time, Lu Mingfeng was equally dishevelled.

Unlike his previous life... Lu Mingfeng was no longer proud and domineering. He resembled a tiger stripped of its teeth, trapped within a confined space by numerous enchantments, futilely licking at his body riddled with holes; it was decadent, ironic, and pitiful.

Due to excessive blood loss, he was severely injured, his complexion more terrifying than that of a malevolent spirit; lips cracked and peeling, hair dry and straw-like draped behind him. Thick reins tightly bound his bones, and any slight movement would cause the cone thorns hidden within the ropes to protrude and pierce flesh and blood. A once proud figure now reduced to this state.

"What does it feel like to be destroyed?" Hua Che's voice remained clear and calm. If one listened closely, they might detect a faint unreal gentleness in his tone.

"Why?" After what seemed like an eternity of staring and sizing each other up, Lu Mingfeng finally spoke, perhaps a stick of incense or an hour later.

His voice was dry and hoarse, as if he might cough up blood at any moment.

With a pallid complexion, Hua Che sat cross-legged three feet away from Lu Mingfeng and replied, "Care to guess why?"

Without hesitation, Lu Mingfeng opened his mouth and asked, "Who is An Yu?"

Hearing this, Hua Che chuckled softly, "Do you think I'm seeking revenge for An Yu?"

"Isn't that it?"

"He is just one of the many blood debts in your long life," Hua Che said. "There are also the one hundred and twenty-six disciples, and the thirteen innocent mortals who died unjustly in Mingyue Valley."

Lu Mingfeng was taken aback, "So you knew at that time..."

Hua Che interrupted calmly, "Even if you were dressed in black at the time, even if you turned to ash, I would still recognize you."

Lu Mingfeng trembled all over, his teeth grinding audibly, and he suddenly lunged forward, crashing his entire body into the barrier!

In an instant, the Immortal Binding Lock emitted spiritual light, and countless spikes densely pierced into every acupuncture point on Lu Mingfeng's body. The profound spiritual power surged through his veins, causing excruciating pain that forced Lu Mingfeng to kneel on the ground. He resembled a dying fish, gasping for air to alleviate the agony. His eyes were bloodshot, and his eye sockets almost cracked open: "When have I offended you, Hua Qingkong? When have I offended you to the extent that you would harm me like this, like this!"

Hua Che lowered his gaze, a faint hint of mockery curling his lips: "If you don't want others to know, don't do it yourself. Harm you? What have I done to harm you? Aren't these things your own doing? Now that the truth is out, and your reputation is in tatters, it's just retribution!"

Lu Mingfeng seemed to go mad. Ignoring his bodily pain completely, he shouted hoarsely at Hua Che: "Why do you know about the secret chambers in the Shangqing Pavilion? Why do you know about the underground passages beneath the secret chambers? How could you open the boundary around the secret passage? How did you break through the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Array? How did you enter the secret realm? How do you know the Shangqing Immortal Arts!!!"

"Who are you really, answer me!!"

Hua Che just coldly stared at him.

Lu Mingfeng's face turned pale, almost frenzied: "Who are you! Who are you! It's all fake! Are you Wei'er? Or are you Kai'er! Have you come back for revenge, have you taken over the body of this youth named Hua Che, just like An Yu, crawling back from the underworld to seek revenge against me!"

"Wei'er, Keai'er..." Hua Che sighed sadly, muttering to himself, "Elder Brother and Second Sister, either they have reincarnated long ago, or... perhaps at the moment they fell into the underworld, they were already being devoured by the souls guarding the entrance to the underworld!"

Lu Mingfeng stiffened all over: "You—"

"Let me tell you a story, Master Lu," Hua Che gazed at the sky, his eyes distant, "There was a child who, out of stubbornness, entered the most illustrious and glorious sect of the immortal cultivation world. He was lucky enough to pass the entrance assessment, and even luckier to be noticed and taken in by the sect leader. Many envied and resented him, and he himself was in awe and fear, kneeling before ancestral tombs releasing green smoke, saving the Nine Provinces continent in his past life."

"At that time, he was young and ignorant, mischievous and causing trouble frequently. Because of this, his master punished him a lot, kneeling and copying books. In fact, thirty percent of this was deliberate on his part. He intentionally appeared stubborn, unruly, and disobedient, wanting only to attract his master's attention. Whenever that happened, he could use the excuse of 'apologizing to his master and admitting his mistakes' to personally hand over the blood ginseng tea he had brewed for a day and night."

"Because he knew that only at that moment would his master have time to drink that cup of tea."

Unseen, Lu Mingfeng seemed to be crushed by an invisible force, sitting down on the ground, staring blankly at Hua Che: "What... what are you saying?"

Hua Che smiled faintly, his tone cool. He closed his eyes and reopened them after a while: "In this world, there were few people he truly cherished. If you count them, there were only four. Granny Jiang counted as one, the betrothed Dao companion counted as one, the innocent and naive junior martial brother counted as one. The last one left was the master he regarded as his biological father."

"So when that so-called biological father came knocking at his door, during his sudden fall from grace, when his master stepped forward to defend him... he felt that the most correct thing he had ever done in his life was to join the Shangqing Sect, to become a disciple under Lu Mingfeng's guidance."

Lu Mingfeng was struck as if by thunder: "What... what are you saying! What nonsense are you spouting!"

Hua Che replied calmly, "But how could he have anticipated it! The reason his beloved master helped him, loved him, protected him, was merely to ensure that his years of effort were not wasted. He didn't want to see the 'livestock' he had cultivated fall into someone else's hands."

"That youth eventually discovered his master's secret. So, his master silenced him. Unfortunately, he didn't expect the intervention of the one from the Fen Qing Palace who saved him. Even more unexpectedly, that youth would return alone, daringly breaching this tiger's den! And he never expected that in his madness, that youth could deceive his master and even involve Lu Yao..."

"Stop! Stop it!" Lu Mingfeng finally shouted like a madman, blood gushing from his mouth in torrents. He stared with crimson eyes, hatred burning as if he wanted to tear Hua Che apart!

"What are you talking about? I don't understand! What are you saying, who are you!!!"

Hua Che pursed his lips lightly. After a moment, he slowly rose, supporting himself on his knees. His clear gaze met Lu Mingfeng's frenzied one directly. Suddenly, he smiled lightly, as bright as the morning sun: "It's just storytelling, I'm speaking casually, and you're just listening casually. Don't take it too seriously."

"Stop right there, don't go, you can't go!" Lu Mingfeng yelled hoarsely, "Where is Lu Yao! Where is Lu Yao!"

"He's fled in fear, hasn't he?" Hua Che said lightly. "A coward like him, guess how long he can survive? All major sects are hunting him worldwide. Where can he hide? The Demon Realm? Heh heh heh..."

Lu Mingfeng's teeth trembled, his heart filled with despair.

Lu Mingfeng's teeth chattered, his heart filled with despair.

Hua Che: "Compared to intruding into Yin Wuhui's territory and seeking death on your own, perhaps finding a remote corner to commit suicide would be the easiest way to die, don't you think?"

Every word cut to the heart, every word shattered the soul.

Lu Mingfeng slumped on the ground, silent.

Hua Che was right. If Lu Yao didsn't go to the demon realm, but if he did...

Yin Wuhui had always been his mortal enemy. If his son ventured into Yin Wuhui's territory, anyone coud imagine Yin Wuhui's reaction.

"Instead of worrying about Lu Yao, you should worry more about yourself! Facing the hundreds of immortal sects and tens of thousands of cultivators in the cultivation world, a public execution... how does that taste?" Hua Che glanced back with a smile that was strangely enchanting, "It's beyond satisfying!"

 

Translator: DarNan