Chapter 9 The Truth

Before entering Zuichunlou, Hua Rong had been wandering around, and she had no memory of her past, who she was, where she came from, or where her home was.

Gradually, she discovered that she was different from others. She had a sallow complexion, a thin figure, and was not afraid of the cold at all. More importantly, she seemed to know some magic, but she couldn't control it very well.

But one day, she was surrounded by people. In desperation, she used magic to injure several of them, who then hurriedly ran away, calling her a remnant of the demon race.

"Demons...So I'm a demon?"

After that, she was constantly hunted down by some self-proclaimed righteous rogue cultivators who claimed to be eliminating evil for the people, until... she met Yueyan.

Yueyan treated her very well, took her in, and never hit or scolded her. She would even dress her up beautifully.

Hua Rong told Yue Yan that she might be a demon, but Yue Yan wasn't afraid of her and told her that no matter who she was, she was still her sister.

Hua Rong thought she would stay with Yue Yan for the rest of her life, but Yue Yan met Liang Shide and from then on, things got out of control.

Hua Rong thought to herself that this vile woman had a fox demon by her side, and that it must be this fox demon who bewitched her sister, which was why she wanted to follow Liang Shide!

Later, Yueyan really left. She left enough money for the mother of Zuichunlou to redeem herself, and then planned to elope with Liang Shide.

The mother was unwilling to let the top courtesan of Zuichunlou get away so easily, so she led a group of people to search for her overnight.

Yueyan waited for Liang Shide for a long time at the agreed place, but he did not appear... He broke his promise, and when Yueyan was taken back, he spread rumors that she was a prostitute who ruined his relationship with Miss Tang and was willing to redeem herself just to become his concubine.

From then on, fewer and fewer people visited Yueyan at Zuichunlou. In a fit of anger, Zhao Mama whipped Yueyan more than thirty times and refused to let anyone call a doctor for her.

Yueyan didn't make it through that night. Before she died, she held Huarong's hand tightly, said nothing, and just breathed her last with her eyes open.

Hua Rong's hatred could no longer be quelled, so she killed Zhao Mama and everyone who had bullied them before. However, the culprit, Liang Shide, had a six-tailed jade fox by his side, so she couldn't touch Liang Shide.

"Who are those people?" Cheng Yuan asked.

"What?"

"The men who surrounded and killed me and Ji Shi in the Drunken Spring Pavilion."

To be honest, Cheng Yuan wasn't interested in Hua Rong's past stories. He just wanted to know who this group of mysterious men in black were and what their purpose was in killing him and Ji Shi.

Hua Rong slowly shook her head. She had little strength left and said softly, "I don't know who they are, and they won't let me know... They just promised me that as long as I help them trap you... they will help me kill Liang Shide."

Hua Rong took another deep breath, her voice growing softer and softer: "But I... didn't completely trust them. I placed my last hope in you. I really... should thank you."

Hua Rong's strength had completely dissipated, and she could no longer hold on as she collapsed to the ground. When she closed her eyes, she was still tightly clutching Yue Yan's handkerchief.

Chu Jianshan's forehead was covered in beads of sweat, and his wound was starting to hurt more and more. He stood up and walked to Cheng Yuan's side.

Cheng Yuan instinctively supported him, using his hands to help him stand up, and asked, "What about the fox demon over there?"

Chu Jianshan took two steps toward the fox demon and asked, "Why are you helping Liang Shide?"

The fox tilted its head, and after a long while it finally understood Chu Jianshan's words, and said, "He saved me to repay... repay a debt of gratitude."

Chu Jianshan took a deep breath. Although this kind of demon was born with great demonic power, it was slow to develop intelligence. It only knew how to repay kindness, but it did not know how many people its naivety had harmed.

"Cheng Yuan, give me your sword." Chu Jianshan reached behind him, but his eyes remained fixed on the fox demon.

Cheng Yuan was stunned for a moment. Chu Jianshan's commanding tone seemed somewhat familiar to him. He didn't ask why and simply handed the sword to Chu Jianshan.

Chu Jianshan raised his hand, turned the sword around, and precisely located the fox demon's inner core, then thrust it straight down.

The fox demon let out a sharp scream, and after a struggle, it transformed into a white fox in a flash of white light. It looked no different from an ordinary fox.

Without its inner core, the fox demon would have to start cultivating all over again, which would take at least several hundred years, before it could continue to do evil.

Chu Jianshan turned and returned the sword to Cheng Yuan. He staggered a couple of steps as he walked, feeling a little dizzy, and had to hold Cheng Yuan's wrist tightly to steady himself.

"A-Yuan! Chu Jianshan!"

Ji Shi rushed out of the bridal chamber in a flurry of energy. Seeing how energetic he was, Chu Jianshan figured that there was probably nothing seriously wrong with his health.

"Chu Jianshan! What... what's wrong with you?"

Ji Shi ran up to him, her face filled with worry: "How did you get so badly injured? You...you won't die, will you?"

"Thanks to your good fortune, I won't die for now."

"That's good, that's good." He patted his chest and let out a sigh of relief.

Just as Chu Jianshan was about to feel a little touched, he heard Ji Shi mutter softly, "If you die, I'll find someone to pay me back."

Chu Jianshan: "..."

Perhaps because he had been speechless too many times today, his head was getting increasingly dizzy, and he even became unsteady on his feet, swaying a couple of times in place.

"Chu Jianshan, are you alright?" Ji Shi noticed that something was wrong with him and thought, "Could it be that serious? Did he really anger someone like this with just one sentence?"

"without……"

Before he could even finish saying "I'm fine," Chu Jianshan's vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

He landed in a familiar embrace and heard the two people calling his name, but he had no strength left. So be it, let him get some sleep, he was too tired…

When he opened his eyes again, it was already dusk of the next day. The last rays of the setting sun pierced into the room, shrouding everything in a golden veil. He looked down at his clothes and realized he had changed back into his previous blue outer robe.

Just as Chu Jianshan was about to get up, a sharp pain shot through his wounds.

"hiss……"

Chu Jianshan frowned slightly. He hadn't suffered such an injury in a long time. The last time was seven years ago, during his battle with Linyimen.

He was badly wounded in that battle. He never knew that some wounds could hurt so much that even seven years later he could still clearly remember the feeling.

Footsteps sounded at the door. As the door was pushed open, Chu Jianshan looked up and saw Cheng Yuan carrying a bowl of medicine as he walked in.

Sunlight streamed through the crack in the door, illuminating his profile. Cheng Yuan had a high nose bridge and deep-set brow bones. His already light-colored pupils shone with an amber-like transparency under the sunlight.

He had always thought Cheng Yuan was good-looking, but he was still young then, so he attributed his good looks to cuteness. But looking at Cheng Yuan now that he's grown up, he gradually felt a sense of unreality.

How could he have grown up so suddenly? All that stubbornness and naivety he used to have is gone. Now, facing the grown-up Cheng Yuan, Chu Jianshan's assessment is that he is steady and thoughtful. Moreover, based on the past few days, he feels that Cheng Yuan seems to like the feeling of having everything under his control. And the only person he can't be sure of or control is Chu Jianshan.

Chu Jianshan suddenly realized that the young Cheng Yuan of the past would never return, and he seemed to have to face this disciple with a new mindset and approach, one with whom he had missed seven years.

"woke up……"

Cheng Yuan walked in and saw that he was a little dazed. Thinking that he was still dizzy, he came over and helped him sit up.

Chu Jianshan looked at Cheng Yuan and suddenly laughed for no apparent reason. Cheng Yuan was also confused and thought he had a fever, so he raised his hand to touch his forehead.

Chu Jianshan grabbed his hand, let go, and looked him in the eye.

Cheng Yuan felt uncomfortable under his gaze, so he picked up the medicine on the table and handed it to him, saying, "Drink the medicine first; the antidote is in here too."

Chu Jianshan didn't take it, but changed the subject: "I think you have something to ask me."

Cheng Yuan remained silent for a moment, then placed the medicine back on the table.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Last night, I was trapped in an illusion, but actually, I still retain some memories..."

After he finished speaking, he looked up to observe Chu Jianshan's reaction.

Chu Jianshan appeared calm and composed on the surface, but his hands under the blanket were already tightly gripping his sleeves.

If he truly has memories, then his identity can no longer be concealed.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Cheng Yuan spoke again: "I heard you call me, A Yuan..."

Chu Jianshan breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, it was just a name he called.

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Chu Jianshan asked in return.

Why do you call me that?

"Why is there a reason? That's what I heard Ji Shi call you. What? He can call you that but I can't?"

These words silenced Cheng Yuan once again. Indeed, Chu Jianshan was right. It wasn't a taboo, and there was no reason why he couldn't call out to it.

"Any other questions?" Chu Jianshan pressed.

"have."

"you say."

"Who exactly are you? Why are you in the teahouse? Why did you save me? Why are you traveling with us?"

Chu Jianshan lowered his head and chuckled helplessly, "You're asking too many questions now."

"Still unwilling to answer?"

“It’s not that…” Chu Jianshan raised his eyebrows slightly and said, “This medicine is almost cold, so why don’t we finish it first? After all, I’m still injured…”

His tone rose slightly during the last sentence, making it sound a bit like he was being coquettish.

Cheng Yuan picked up the medicine again, handed it to him, and simply said, "Drink it."

Chu Jianshan frowned slightly but did not make a move.

"I'm a patient, can't you take better care of me?"

As he spoke, he slightly raised his left shoulder, gesturing for Cheng Yuan to look at the injury on it.

Cheng Yuan: "..."

Well, he resigned himself to his fate, picked up the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of medicine, gently blew on it to cool it down, and then put it back to his lips.

Chu Jianshan was finally satisfied, a smile on his lips, as he lowered his head and drank the medicine. But the next second, the medicine was so bitter that he immediately wiped the smile away.