Chapter 35: Zhang Yuan's Background

“Uh… well,” Chu Jianshan tried to explain, “last night, it must have been the incense burner that was the problem, that’s why…”

Cheng Yuan immediately grasped the meaning behind his words: "What did you remember?"

"No!" Chu Jianshan quickly denied, "I don't remember anything!"

Cheng Yuan's eyes, which had just lit up, dimmed again in an instant. He knew that Chu Jianshan must have remembered something, but his hasty denial showed that he was unwilling to bring it up at all.

Indeed, such things must be sordid and filthy to him; who would want to remember them?

Seeing Cheng Yuan's tearful expression, Chu Jianshan felt an urge to slap himself. Had he driven him to this state? What terrible things had he done to Cheng Yuan last night?!

Chu Jianshan couldn't keep up the act any longer. People who take advantage of others and then pretend to be stupid are simply shameless. So he resigned himself to his fate and said, "Okay, I admit it! I haven't forgotten what happened last night."

Cheng Yuan looked up instantly, his heart pounding again. He asked tentatively, "So... what are you thinking?"

"I think..."

Chu Jianshan spoke haltingly, trying to find words that wouldn't hurt him but would still comfort him.

“You don’t really need to worry about these things. Ultimately, it’s all because of that incense burner. I admit I started it, and I apologize for my mistake. You can have whatever compensation you want, but I hope that from now on, you can forget all of this and stop keeping these bad memories in your heart…”

Unpleasant memories—were all of these unpleasant memories in his heart?

Cheng Yuan's throat tightened, and he didn't know what to say. Before Chu Jianshan woke up, he had imagined countless possibilities. Maybe Chu Jianshan would not remember anything and the two would still be friends as before. Maybe Chu Jianshan would remember the absurd things he had done and would sever ties with him and become strangers.

But he didn't expect that Chu Jianshan, who clearly remembered everything, would make him forget it. Was this memory going to cause him so much pain?

The silence lasted for a long time. Cheng Yuan closed his eyes and nodded, saying in a hoarse voice, "Okay... I promise you, from today onwards, we'll both forget all this."

Then she added, "It's best to forget it all."

After saying that, he left Chu Jianshan's room directly, and the door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Chu Jianshan stood there, stunned, unsure of what to think. He didn't quite understand himself; Cheng Yuan had agreed, so why couldn't he feel happy?

After a whole morning of fussing, by the time they finally found Luo Qiu for questioning, it was already past noon.

Luo Qiu wasn't in a hurry. He just sat there tied to the chair, smiling as he watched them. He said softly, "You're only coming so late?"

Seeing that she seemed to know something, Chu Jianshan stopped testing her and asked directly, "Did you tamper with the incense burner?"

Luo Qiu nodded: "I originally planned to do it myself, but I didn't expect Young Master Bai to do me such a favor."

Chu Jianshan nodded with a cold smile, then glared at Bai Qianfan behind him. Bai Qianfan remained silent, only avoiding his gaze.

Luo Qiu, standing nearby, taunted, "Did you two enjoy yourselves last night? If not, I have more here."

Chu Jianshan knew she was trying to provoke him, so instead of answering her directly, he raised an eyebrow and asked her, "That's strange. Shouldn't your target be me?"

Luo Qiu feigned ignorance: "What does the young master mean?"

Chu Jianshan said, "You must have met someone else before we arrived. I guess the person he's trying to blackmail you into killing is Cheng Yuan."

Luo Qiu just smiled and said, "Young Master Chu is probably drunk and talking nonsense."

Seeing that she still wouldn't admit it, Chu Jianshan changed his question, pointing to the barrier outside and saying to her, "Then why don't you tell me first, who set up this barrier?"

"I don't know..."

"You know that!"

Chu Jianshan interrupted her, looking at her with a fierce gaze: "Because he set up this barrier specifically for you."

Luo Qiu finally lost her composure, her smile vanished, and she cautiously asked, "How much do you know about me and him?"

"It's not much, just enough to deduce your motives. I'm very familiar with this barrier. It's the legendary barrier that blocked the human and demon races. It must be from the same school."

“The larger the barrier, the stronger the spiritual power of the sacrificer must be. Compared to the Human-Demon Barrier, this barrier isn't that large, so I guess his spiritual power is just average. The cultivation technique for this barrier wouldn't be passed on to outsiders, so it must be someone from the Linyi Sect. Who could it be…”

Chu Jianshan rested his chin on his hand, pretending to think, then suddenly raised his hand and exclaimed in realization, "What do you think of He Kun?"

Luo Qiu stared intently at Chu Jianshan, remaining silent.

"He Kun?" Bai Qianfan sensed something was wrong: "But doesn't this barrier require a living sacrifice? He Kun is still alive and well."

Chu Jianshan nodded: "That's also something I don't understand. Who exactly is he, and what methods did he use to keep him alive until now?"

However, Cheng Yuan's focus was not on this matter. Instead, he asked Chu Jianshan, "How do you know about He Kun and Miss Luo?"

Chu Jianshan replied evasively, "Just some romantic tales I heard in my younger days."

The truth is that ever since he lost to "He Kun" at Linyi Gate seven years ago, he had made a special trip to investigate this person. He was surprised to find that this person was a great romantic. Rumors circulated that he was willing to betray his sect for a female demon, and even kill his own brother. In short, there were all sorts of versions, but the theme was the same: praising the great love between the two.

Chu Jianshan looked at Luo Qiu and said with a smile, "I'm not good at telling stories, so why don't you ask Miss Luo to tell us one?"

Luo Qiu lowered his head and remained silent for a while before slowly speaking: "I've known him for a long time. Back then, he was still very young and kept shouting that he wanted to eliminate demons and protect the world."

"But reality is always different from what people imagine. Gradually, he discovered that his so-called fellow disciples were no different from those villains. They talked about eliminating the remnants of the demon race, but many of them were keen on harming demons and killing demons to obtain their cores."

"He resisted, but it was no use. The last time was in this suburban forest, when our local demons were falsely accused and surrounded by those cultivators. He then committed suicide, using all his spiritual power to create this barrier, which has protected us for decades."

Chu Jianshan asked, "Then who saved him later?"

Luo Qiu shook his head and said softly, "That person is very mysterious and has a lot of power. After saving him, I helped him all the way to the position of sect leader. But I have rarely seen him since then. It seems that he is being controlled by someone."

Bai Qianfan, who was listening from the side, was dumbfounded. He ran his hand along his neck a couple of times and said, "He slit his own throat and they still managed to save him! I don't even have that kind of medical skill. Who is so amazing?"

Chu Jianshan had a plan in mind. This was the same person he had seen in the illusion array last time. With such great power, the opponent must be very strong.

He asked Luo Qiu, "Why did he want to kill Cheng Yuan?"

"I don't remember very clearly, I only vaguely recall him mentioning some secret technique, bloodline or something."

Bai Qianfan was the first to react, exclaiming in shock, "You mean Cheng Yuan is a descendant of the Linyi Clan?!"

This makes sense. Cheng Yuan is a descendant of the Linyi Sect, as is He Kun. He possesses the sect's secret techniques but has limited spiritual power. Cheng Yuan, on the other hand, is different. He has abundant spiritual power and is young. He Kun fears that the people behind him will choose Cheng Yuan and abandon him, so he is eager to kill Cheng Yuan.

The two of them turned to look at Cheng Yuan at the same time, unsure of what to say. Fortunately, Cheng Yuan did not react excessively; he simply lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.

In fact, Cheng Yuan didn't care about whose bloodline he was, but he figured out one thing.

No wonder his parents abandoned him one after another; it turns out he wasn't their biological child. This seemed to open a crack in the hatred he had held in his heart for over a decade, allowing him to let go of some of it.

Compared to Cheng Yuan, Bai Qianfan seemed even less able to accept it, shouting, "It might not be true, what if she's lying to us!"

Chu Jianshan stared intently at Luo Qiu and said, "I don't think so. If they were lying to us, why would they bother to put on a show for us?"

Bai Qianfan suddenly turned to look at Luo Qiu, only to see her smile gently and shake her arm, causing the hemp rope that had been tightly wrapped around her hand to fall off.

"You..." Bai Qianfan pointed at her, "Did you let me catch you on purpose?"

Luo Qiu stood up and gently brushed the dust off his dress: "Looks like he's not too stupid after all."

Bai Qianfan asked in confusion, "Why?! I thought my sneak attack was very successful!"

Chu Jianshan replied, "She is, after all, a powerful demon with some skill. Even if you could capture her, it wouldn't have been so easy. She put on this act to reassure us and make us believe what she says."

Luo Qiu nodded in agreement, saying, "I don't want to kill for him. I liked him back then because he was sincere and not someone who would kill innocent people indiscriminately. Now that he has changed, I don't mind ending his life myself."

Bai Qianfan's lips twitched: "Why are all the girls these days so ruthless..."

Luo Qiu cut to the chase: "I know what you want, and I know where it is, but whether you can get it depends on your abilities."

Chu Jianshan said, "I have no choice but to back down."

On their way to find the belongings, Chu Jianshan silently observed Cheng Yuan's reaction. First, there was what happened last night, and now he had learned about his true identity. Anyone would feel bad in that situation.

Chu Jianshan tentatively asked, "What are your thoughts on your background?"

Cheng Yuan didn't turn to look at him, but said calmly, "No matter what my bloodline is, I am a person of Changjin Mountain."

"That's not what I meant, it's..."

Cheng Yuan interrupted him: "I know what you're trying to do. Uncle Xie's death is closely related to Linyi Sect. Don't worry, use my identity to help you wherever possible."

"Cheng Yuan!"

Chu Jianshan reached out to stop him: "Stop being stubborn, okay? I never intended to use you for anything!"

Seeing that things were not going well, Bai Qianfan quickly retreated and found a place to hide and watch the show. It wasn't that he didn't want to stop the fight, but he was afraid that the fire at the city gate would affect the fish in the moat!

Cheng Yuan sneered and finally turned to face Chu Jianshan: "Never thought of using me? You dare say that our first encounter in Furong Town was really just a coincidence?"

"Or did you already know who I was? Otherwise, why would you rush to take the knife for me at the Liang residence? Would you be so willing to sacrifice yourself for strangers you've only known for less than two days?"

"I didn't! I was just..." Chu Jianshan wanted to explain himself, but the words wouldn't come out.

"What is it?" Cheng Yuan retorted, "Chu Jianshan, listen to me, I don't care what your relationship with Xie Yin is, or how much you want to avenge him, I will do everything in my power to help you!"

"I only beg you," Cheng Yuan gripped Chu Jianshan's shoulders tightly, "please trust me just this once, okay? I know what I'm doing and I'm confident I can help you with these things! You're not some invincible hero in the world, you don't need to do everything yourself! You don't need to shoulder everything!"

“Because of Master Xie’s death, I have already lost so much. I know you want revenge and to find out the truth. I am prepared to sacrifice myself to help you at any time, but at the very least, I cannot, I cannot lose you too…”

Chu Jianshan looked up at him blankly. This was the first time he had ever seen Cheng Yuan so emotional. His lips were trembling as he spoke. Chu Jianshan knew that it was not easy for a usually reserved person to say these things.

For once, Chu Jianshan was at a loss for words. After a long silence, he cautiously spoke softly.

"Actually... I just wanted to ask, after knowing about your background, will the pain in your heart be less?"

Cheng Yuan was stunned for a moment, then turned his head and said coldly, "What does this have to do with you?"

"How can it have nothing to do with me!" Chu Jianshan hurriedly explained, "I already saw your background in the fox demon's illusion last time, so I have to take responsibility for you."

"Ha, take responsibility?" Cheng Yuan seemed to have heard something ridiculous: "Then why didn't you take responsibility for what happened last night?"

"Huh?" Chu Jianshan was confused: "How did we get back to last night? Didn't we agree to forget about it today?"

Cheng Yuan pursed his lips, furious with Chu Jianshan, wishing he were a blockhead.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I admit it, I don't want to forget! I don't want to forget even a little bit!"

"Then what do you want to do?" Chu Jianshan was clearly lacking confidence, and his voice grew softer and softer.

Chu Jianshan retreated step by step, while Chu Jianshan pressed closer: "I want to remember last night forever. I want to etch those memories into my heart. I want to control your every breath. Chu Jianshan, don't you understand?"