Hua Che didn't dare to think too much, fearing he might be fooling himself.

So, did Chu Binghuan really like him?

Was the reason Chu Binghuan always rejected him because of the "Red Lotus"?

Suddenly remembering that day years ago, when he was feeling a bit unsettled and had a few drinks, he flirted with Chu Binghuan with a hint of drunkenness. Chu Binghuan naturally remained pure and unmoved. Hua Che shamelessly threw himself at him, kissed him passionately, only to find Chu Binghuan suddenly taking control, punishing him firmly on the bed.

At that time, Hua Che was so drunk that he was quite fuzzy and didn't pay much attention to Chu Binghuan's appearance. Now, recalling it carefully, it seemed Chu Binghuan's burning gaze left a mark on his heart. His eyes were filled with restraint and reluctance, a long-suppressed expression like a dying trapped beast.

As emotions grew deeper, just before things could escalate, Chu Binghuan abruptly snapped out of it, forcefully pushing Hua Che away.

Hua Che remembered Chu Binghuan's expression at that moment—panic and fear, not the usual disdain Hua Che was accustomed to.

He thought Chu Binghuan was disgusted by him.

But in reality, Chu Binghuan was afraid to touch him.

Joy and sorrow, ups and downs.

He didn't know how long this continued until Chu Binghuan suddenly appeared. He couldn't tell what day or month it was when he saw Chu Binghuan hastily taking the konghou and hurrying from Yuntian Shuijing to the bamboo pavilion behind the Fen Qing Palace.

There was no one here.

Chu Binghuan played the konghou, using his own blood and soul as offerings, disregarding everything to gather and purify the scattered soul.

He tried again and again, without pause, until his fingers bled and his own true essence was nearly depleted.

Seven full days and nights later, he finally condensed that tiny, insignificant remnant of a soul.

"There is always hope," Chu Binghuan embraced the konghou, comforting himself, "It will all be fine."

A remnant soul cannot sustain itself in the mortal realm; without a physical anchor, it would dissipate. Chu Binghuan chose the konghou, allowing Hua Che's remnant soul to attach to it.

Suddenly, Hua Che understood something.

Not everyone playing the konghou would trigger this phenomenon—only he, Hua Che, could.

Because his past life's remnant soul was attached to it!

No wonder he fainted just from touching the konghou without even playing it.

As Hua Che thought this, his consciousness suddenly blurred, and then, with a strange force pulling him outward, everything before him brightened in an instant—

*

At the moment Hua Che touched the Water Jade Purple Mist, he lost consciousness, frightening Chu Binghuan to his core. With reassurance from Chu Changfeng, he barely stabilized his mind, attempting to play the konghou to retrieve Hua Che's wandering consciousness. However, in his nervous state, he must have played a wrong note, as everything went dark before he suddenly lost consciousness himself.

When awareness returned to him, he heard gentle laughter nearby, with a man's boisterous calls and a woman's coquettish teasing.

Chu Binghuan opened his eyes and found himself... in the marketplace!

The street was familiar; at least in his past life, during the three hundred years of Hua Che's absence, he had often come here. He knew it well enough to recognize every brick on the ground and every willow tree along the roadside.

Yes, it was indeed Hangzhou.

But this place was still some distance from the Drunken Mansion.

Calmly analyzing the time and place, Chu Binghuan easily deduced that all of this was caused by the Water Jade Purple Mist.

The legend of the Water Jade Purple Mist turned out to be half true and half false!

It could really turn day into night, truly make time cycle, and genuinely lead the performer's soul to traverse any era.

Unfortunately, it couldn't change the past to alter the future; performers could only use the Water Jade Purple Mist to observe, like mere spectators.

Chu Binghuan knew he was adept at music theory, but he couldn't claim mastery.

As a result, the efficacy of the Water Jade Purple Mist was greatly reduced. He gathered his composure, accepting the situation. After all, the cycle of time had its limits, and the shifting of time and space was not under the control of the performer, jumping back and forth between different points in time at will.

Suddenly, Chu Binghuan heard cursing coming from a nearby restaurant, "You little brat, are you doing this on purpose?"

Immediately after, there was a clattering sound, presumably bowls and chopsticks being dropped and broken on the floor.

Chu Binghuan walked over subconsciously. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he froze in place.

Despite the fact that the person standing by the table was young, dressed in coarse hemp clothes, and covered in coal ash and sand, Chu Binghuan recognized him at a glance.

That face, which had tormented him for lifetimes, how could he not recognize it?

"I already said to be careful of the hot soup. Why did you stand up?" Ten-year-old Xiao Hua Che looked aggrieved, lowering his head and muttering quietly, "It's not like I did it on purpose!"

"What did you say, brat? How dare you accuse me of setting you up!?"

The shopkeeper hurried out and advised, "Let's keep things peaceful. These gentlemen are all esteemed guests. Why argue with a little kid? Hua Qingkong, apologize to the customer quickly!"

"I want this kid to kneel down and apologize!"

Xiao Hu Cche looked left and right in confusion, pointing at himself, "Me?"

"What are you pretending for? I'm telling you, if you don't kneel down and lick up the spilled soup right now, this isn't over!"

Chu Binghuan couldn't contain his anger any longer. He threw a punch, but naturally, it missed.

Seeing Xiao Hua Che not moving for a while, one of the customers, in his frustration, swung a slap. Before it could land, Xiao Hua Che suddenly cried out in pain, fell to the ground clutching his mouth, and started coughing violently.

This sudden change startled not only the men and the shopkeeper but even Chu Binghuan.

Xiao Hua Che continued coughing uncontrollably, eventually coughing up blood.

"There's something I should tell you, though you may not believe it. Actually, I am the son-in-law of Yuntian Shuijing."

Chu Binghuan: "..."

"If I die, it doesn't matter." Xiao Hua Che lay languidly on the ground, his face pale. "After death, I will go to Yuntian Shuijing to find my fiancée. Then, I will complain to her that I was beaten to death. I hope she will remember our engagement and seek revenge with the power of Yuntian Shuijing."

This seemingly absurd statement actually sounded quite convincing upon closer inspection, enough to fool the customers. After all, for them, the world was vast, and the cultivation world even vaster. If a ten-year-old knew about Yuntian Shuijing, it either meant he was knowledgeable or indeed had some connection with Yuntian Shuijing.

In the end, the angry customer left, and the shopkeeper was at a loss whether to take Xiao Hua Che to a doctor. At that moment, the little rascal suddenly jumped up, patted the dirt off himself, and acted as if nothing had happened.

"Hehe, I learned this trick from the big brothers on the road. They use it for insurance scams, and I use it for when I'm being scammed."

Watching Xiao Hua Che's little trick, Chu Binghuan couldn't help but laugh and cry. He looked deeply at Xiao Hua Che, who was clearly the same age as himself but was half a head shorter and much thinner. His heart ached unbearably, wishing he could immediately take Xiao Hua Che away, pamper him with good food, good drink, and good living, and raise him to be healthy and chubby.

Suddenly, an external force dragged Chu Binghuan out. Before losing consciousness, he desperately repeated Xiao Hua Che's name in his mind, trying to stimulate the operation of the Water Jade Purple Mist with intense spiritual awareness.

Sure enough, his leap through time and space was once again related to Hua Che.

However, when Chu Binghuan woke up again, he found himself in a frigid pool.

In almost an instant, Chu Binghuan realized where he was and when.

In his previous life, after Hua Che defected to Shangqing Immortal Sect!!!

Is this the ability of the Water Jade Purple Mist to turn the world upside down?

It not only allowed the soul to return to the past but could even cross time and space to another world!

Had he returned to his previous life?

Chu Binghuan quickly left Yuntian Shuijing. Since Lu Mingfeng had just died, Hua Che, where was Hua Che!?

In Shangqing Immortal Sect?

While flying on his sword, he suddenly had an idea and decided not to go to Shangqing Immortal Sect for now, but to go to the mortal realm, to Hangzhou, to Drunken Mansion!

The historical records claiming that Drunken Mansion relocated were pure nonsense; Drunken Mansion was annihilated! Overnight, not even chickens or dogs were spared!

Chu Binghuan had a suspicion in his heart, it was probably as he had thought. After all, sometimes, demonic cultivators were more straightforward; they never hid their killings. Not only did they kill openly, but they also feared that no one would know of their great achievements, so they deliberately left signatures to proclaim their deeds to the Six Realms.

In contrast, the path of immortality was secretive, distorting history, all for the sake of so-called righteousness...

Chu Binghuan guessed right.

What met his eyes was a scene of bloodshed, devastation, and corpses everywhere.

On the wall of the shadows, the "Shangqing Palace" written in blood had long dried up.

Chu Binghuan felt like the sky was spinning and the earth was turning upside down. Something exploded in his mind, and something collapsed in his belief.

Chu Binghuan rushed to Shangqing Immortal Sect. He ran in a sorry state, desperately, afraid of being a second late!

When he arrived in front of Shangqing Palace, what he saw and heard was enough to crush his entire body from the inside out!

Many people had gathered in Shangqing Palace, tens of thousands, elders from various sects were all present.

At the Shangqing Paltform, there were only two people: one standing, facing the condemnation of countless cultivators; one kneeling, bound tightly by ropes.

He heard a cultivator say, "Even if what you said is true, even if it was indeed done by Yin Wuhui, so what? Can that prove your innocence? The debts of the father are to be paid by the son, the sins created by Yin Wuhui should be repaid by you!"

He heard an old Daoist say, "A mosquito flies past you, it doesn't bite you, but you still want to kill it."

Even more, he heard Hua Che's voice, full of despair and irony, "I understand now, I was born guilty, I was born to die! Even if there was no Lu Mingfeng's matter, no five thousand lives, I should still die!"

Finally, the "rope" that held Hua Che's lifeline voluntarily fell under the onslaught of the sharp blade, blood surging wildly.

"Stop!!!"

Chu Binghuan felt himself shouting, but in reality, he couldn't make a sound at all.

He had actually lost his voice...

Under the dark clouds obscuring the sun and torrential rain pouring down, he disregarded everything and rushed into the ancient formation. He desperately attempted to embrace Hua Che, but only found himself grasping at empty air in despair.

It was as if he was bewitched, ignoring all attempts, repeatedly trying to hold Hua Che close, to touch his face, to soothe his shattered heart, to keep this person full of wounds securely in his embrace.

But he couldn't do it.

He could only watch helplessly as the ancient formation activated. Even if he shouted until he was hoarse, Hua Che couldn't hear him. Even if he unleashed his Listening Spring technique, the ancient formation remained unyielding.

Finally, the ancient formation swallowed Hua Che, destroying his cultivation and annihilating his spirit.

Chu Binghuan's knees went weak, and he knelt down stiffly on the ground.

Everything around him became quiet. He couldn't hear anything anymore; this world had shut him out, or perhaps he had abandoned the entire world.

Was this the piercing pain that cut deep into his heart and bones?

Suddenly, he felt like laughing.

Why did that person who was so bright and noble change? Why was he now a demonic cultivator upon his return? Why did he give up on himself, why did he willingly fall into depravity?

Because he was betrayed by his Master, betrayed by his beloved junior brother. Everyone he cherished in his life disappeared, destroyed one by one!

Lu Mingfeng, Lu Yao, Yin Wuhui, and even the entire cultivation world, even the entire realm—they all couldn't accept him!

Why!?

And where was he at that time?

He knew nothing about all this, he... actually let Hua Che face it alone!!!

Back then! If only someone had stood by Hua Che's side, if only someone had listened to him, nodded and said, "Don't be afraid, I believe in you," Hua Che would never have reached that point!

What crime did Hua Che commit? How innocent he was!

"Wake up! Wake up! My goodness, don't scare me with your 'deathbed awakening' during such a crucial battle!" Mu Rongsa was jubilant, suddenly Chu Binghuan sat up straight.

"What's the matter? Pretending to be dead?" Mu Rongsa looked bewildered, reaching out to wave his hand in front of Chu Binghuan's vacant eyes. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

A cold smile curved Chu Binghuan's lips. "Good, very good."

Mu Rongsa felt a bit scared inexplicably. "Good? What's good? Are you possessed by a demon?"

Chu Binghuan spread his palm, touching the blood-drenched ground, feeling the bone-chilling coldness. "Since you have destroyed my 'world'..."

A crimson coldness glinted in his eyes, and suddenly an ominous black aura surged around him.

"Then I will destroy your 'world'!"

"What the hell!?" Mu Rongsa was caught off guard. In an instant, the black mist spread out like a collapsing mountain, directly pushing Mu Rongsa away. "Holy shit!!"

The entire camp was violently torn apart by a powerful surge of true energy. The surroundings, unable to withstand such a formidable impact, collapsed completely.

Everyone was stunned. Chu Changfeng and Mei Cailian, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, were particularly shocked. They stared in disbelief at Chu Binghuan, who was enveloped in dark aura.

In the chaotic crowd, someone shouted, "He's been demonized!"

These two words struck everyone like thunder.

"Lord Chu has fallen to demonic influence!?"

"How could this be? No, Lord Chu, please don't do this!"

Mei Cailian shouted hoarsely, her voice strained, "Binghuan! Do you know what you're doing!?"

Chu Binghuan seemed to be completely unaware. His eyes lost focus, empty pupils staring blankly at something, yet the crimson hue in his eyes grew even more eerie.

In the distance, a demonic cultivator who seemed to have been pushed towards Chu Binghuan came flying in. Without even glancing at him, Chu Binghuan slowly raised his hand and firmly gripped the demon cultivator's neck.

There was a piercing scream, as the demonic energy within the cultivator's body was sucked dry alive!!!

Among demonic cultivators, it was common practice to mercilessly drain others' cultivation, souls, and golden cores. This was the way of the demonic path!

"Lord Chu has awakened!"

These four words shook Chu Binghuan out of his unaware state, as if a blind man suddenly stumbled upon something rare and precious. His eyes, which had been as lifeless as dry wells, finally showed a glimmer of vitality.

In the distance, a figure dressed in red rushed over.

"Ice Cube!!"

"Hua Che, you're courting death, come back!"

"Hua Qingkong, step back quickly! Lord Chu, he's already..."

As the person ran towards him, Chu Binghuan, filled with resentment and despair, was suddenly overwhelmed by another emotion called "sadness." He murmured involuntarily, "One is the eldest son of the Yeyou Mansion, noble and peerless in cultivation; the other is the shame of Yuntian Shuijing, who forgot his heritage and fell into the demonic path."

Trembling, he reached out and gently caressed the pale face of the approaching figure, as if gazing upon a sacred object, every glance feeling sacrilegious.

"This time, I am not worthy of you."

 

Translator: DarNan