Chapter 111 Seeing His High-Rise Collapse
Ignoring all formalities, Qi Chang waved his hand, clearing away the weeds, and helped Lu Yuanyuan, who was lying on the ground, to her feet. He let her lean against him, and her burning body temperature was transmitted to him through her clothes. He could tell at a touch that she had a fever.
Everyone rushed forward, some pushing her shoulders, others grabbing her wrists. She was very strong, and they couldn't forcibly dislocate her joints. They worked up a sweat before finally managing to pry her hands off her throat and manage to save her.
However, after only a short while, she frowned again and began to writhe in pain, like a fish out of water struggling on the shore. Her hand twitched stiffly before reaching for her neck again, as if she wanted to pinch herself once more.
Qi Chang stiffened, quickly pressed down her hand, and used his strong, long arms to firmly hold both of her arms at his sides. At the same time, he extended two fingers, touched her forehead, and silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra.
Several disciples gathered around and saw that the girl in Qi Chang's arms was pale, her eyes were closed, and there were several blue finger marks on her neck. They all shuddered.
"What happened to Senior Sister Lu? Did she commit suicide out of guilt?"
"Hey, don't talk nonsense. What do you mean by suicide out of guilt? We don't know what happened. Besides, didn't Senior Brother Duan say all along that he and Senior Sister Lu just had some unresolved misunderstandings, and that you shouldn't treat her like a criminal? Are you ignoring what he said?"
"I don't think it's suicide either. How much determination would a person have to strangle themselves to death? Strangulation is usually a method used when killing someone."
"That's true. If you really want to die, there are plenty of ways."
"Stop, stop, stop! You've all missed the point. Isn't the point that her left and right hands were fighting each other? Everyone saw it with their own eyes. She was trying to strangle herself with one hand, while the other hand was trying to stop her from doing so."
Qi Chang ignored the commotion. A faint green light bloomed between his fingers, illuminating his handsome face with a solemn expression. As the Heart-Cleansing Mantra was released, the girl in his arms suddenly went limp, as if a puppet's strings had been cut from afar. The unruly, fierce energy that had been fighting against him turned into ashes.
Seeing her reaction, Qi Chang stopped casting the Mind-Cleansing Mantra. A suspicion in his heart was vaguely confirmed. He let out a soft sigh, raised his head, and said, "You're right. She most likely didn't do this voluntarily."
A disciple filled in the gap in his meaning: "Senior brother, do you mean that someone else wanted to kill Senior Sister Lu?"
Someone nearby gasped in shock: "Could it be puppetry? Someone used puppetry to control Senior Sister Lu's body, trying to kill her to silence her?"
It wasn't that they made something up by connecting two completely different things. They originally knew very little about puppetry. However, they had only come into contact with that thing two days ago, and following its lead, they actually found the missing Yin Xiaozhu and Lu Yuanyuan. The former had revealed her true colors, and the latter was behaving so strangely.
Given all the clues, it's perfectly normal for them to associate it with puppetry.
Just then, the person who was leaning against Qi Chang's chest with their head tilted to the side suddenly let out a hoarse cough. Their pale face slowly turned around, and they opened their eyes, staring blankly at the sky.
Everyone's hearts tightened. Qi Chang lowered his head and asked, "Yuan Yuan?"
Lu Yuanyuan's gaze slowly focused, as if she needed a moment to discern his appearance before belatedly recognizing him. She spoke, "Qi...Senior Brother? Did you save me? That giant python...is it dead?"
His voice was low and hoarse, and he spoke in several parts before finishing a sentence.
Qi Chang was taken aback: "A giant python?"
It seemed that Lu Yuanyuan's memory was stuck at the moment when she was dragged underwater by the giant python. This was something he never expected.
Does she not remember anything after that?
Qi Chang suppressed his surprise, thought for a moment, and then told the truth: "We've already come out of the Spirit Treasure Secret Realm. You have no recollection of what happened after that?"
"What happened after that...what happened after that? I don't know. I only remember having a very long nightmare. Sometimes my head would ache like it was being pricked with needles, as if two forces were pulling at my brain..." Lu Yuanyuan murmured to herself, her face buried in her knees. Suddenly, as if the tendrils of her memory had touched a nerve, she clutched her head and screamed, "Aaaaaah—"
Seeing her so out of control, Qi Chang couldn't bear to press her further and patted her back: "Don't be afraid, it's safe here now."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Lu Yuanyuan's body go limp, as if she couldn't bear the burden and fainted.
Qi Chang supported her back, looked up, and said to Fu Xinguang, who had been drawn to the noise, "Xinguang, carry her to a safe place first."
Fu Xinguang nodded and, without saying a word, carried the collapsed man on his back.
One disciple whispered a question: "Could it really be puppetry? But if it is puppetry, why didn't the other party just make her run headfirst into a rock?"
Fu Xinguang frowned and turned to look at the disciple: "Because strangulation can prevent a person from making a cry for help and attracting attention. In this way, even if we are nearby, it will be difficult to find her in the bushes and rescue her in time."
No one knows how confused Fu Xinguang's mind has been since the incident.
That day, as Duan Lansheng's guilt seemed to be confirmed, Lu Yuanyuan remained silent in his defense. Then, Xiao Ruo suddenly appeared, revealing the whole story, and Lu Yuanyuan immediately turned and fled… Her actions were indeed highly suspicious. However, as Lu Yuanyuan's friend, he couldn't help but act on his emotions; he still refused to believe that she would deliberately frame Duan Lansheng.
Just now, after watching the familiar senior sister reveal her snake tail in the distance, hearing Qi Chang's guess, and witnessing Lu Yuanyuan's words and actions, Fu Xinguang suddenly felt a sense of relaxation throughout his body.
There can't be any mistake, this must be the truth.
He knew he hadn't misjudged the person.
Having said that, Fu Xinguang wasn't satisfied and continued to defend her, saying, "Besides, as you all saw, her willpower is very strong, perhaps related to her status as a Golden Core cultivator. Unlike the villagers over there, who were easily swayed from their senses. Even with one hand controlled, she would fight back with the other. If, as you suggested, we were to force her to smash her head against the rock to commit suicide, it wouldn't just be controlling one arm, but her entire body. That might not be successful, and the noise would alert us to her presence."
Fu Xinguang's attitude was assertive, and his words were reasonable. The disciples who were initially skeptical all fell silent.
Qi Chang patted his shoulder: "Alright, we can talk about this later. Let's not stay here any longer. You take her downstairs first. The rest of you, come with me."
This was certainly not a place for idle chatter, so the group split up. Fu Xinguang, carrying Lu Yuanyuan on his back, quickly walked towards several alchemists in the distance. No one saw that the soft, sprawling person on his back silently opened her eyes.
Her gaze swept into the distance.
In a one-on-one fight, the outcome might not be decided so quickly. But with Xu Yuanzi present, no matter how powerful Yin Xiaozhu is, she is likely outnumbered and will probably be captured.
Strangely, even though the battle was fierce and she should have been fully focused, she felt for a moment that Yin Xiaozhu seemed to look over and see her lying on Fu Xinguang's back. Their gazes even met for a fleeting instant.
The next second, the water in the distance suddenly exploded with a loud bang, sending a cloud of water mist flying high into the air. Everyone was thrown back, and those who were close by coughed up blood.
A shadow swirled through the mist, rising like mountain ranges. Those in the center of the battlefield only caught a glimpse of a thick, long snake tail swaying before it submerged into the river. Some tried to give chase, but Xu Yuanzi stopped them with a gesture.
Because of the change in her body orientation, Lu Yuanyuan could not see anything else.
...
Fu Xinguang quickly led her away from this place, accompanied by two alchemists.
Lu Yuanyuan lowered her eyes, watching the scenery beneath her feet recede into the distance, and silently clenched her fists.
Now there are far fewer people watching her. Xu Yuanzi, Qi Chang, and Duan Lansheng are all gone. Should she take this opportunity to escape?
She didn't underestimate herself, but she wasn't blindly confident either. Based on her assessment of her current situation, she had no more than a 50% chance of escaping from Fu Xinguang and the two alchemists.
Moreover, the people from Shu Mountain clearly didn't completely doubt the claims about puppetry, putting her in a favorable position. If she acted rashly and failed to escape, it would be tantamount to breaking ties with so many people simultaneously, rendering all her previous efforts futile.
But what if Yin Xiaozhu is captured alive?
When the time comes, what will he say to Xu Yuanzi during the interrogation?
If he drags her into this mess, can she still follow the current script, clear her name, and put all the blame on him?
No, she can't hope that others will take pity on her and let her go.
We still have to leave here, using this hard-won time to get away.
Lu Yuanyuan felt dizzy and drenched in cold sweat. She pinched her palm hard to clear her mind and secretly gathered a ball of spiritual energy. But just then, she suddenly sensed a voice behind her. Fu Xinguang had also heard it, stopped in his tracks, and turned around: "Duan Lansheng!"
Lu Yuanyuan's heart leaped into her throat. In what felt like a fraction of a second, she abruptly withdrew her attack and closed her eyes.
Without sight, her hearing became exceptionally sharp. She heard the sound of grass being trampled, and then a familiar voice rang out in front of Fu Xinguang, as if a gaze lingered on her face: "How is Yuanyuan?"
Fu Xinguang sighed, "She had a high fever and fainted. Look, both her fists are swollen, and there's a big bump on the back of her head for some reason. It's so pitiful. Her memory seems to only stop when she was dragged into the water by the giant python. She was definitely under a puppet spell and has been controlled ever since. By the way, how is it over there? What about Senior Sister?"
Lu Yuanyuan's nerves trembled silently. After a long while, a cold voice rang in her ears: "She ran away. That person wasn't Senior Sister."
They ran away?
Did Shushan fail to capture Yin Xiaozhu?
After a pause, she heard Duan Lansheng say, "Give her to me."
The tone of that statement wasn't so cold anymore.
Fu Xinguang seemed to hesitate for a moment and let out an "ah," but the other party did not give him time to refuse. She walked to his side and gently moved Lu Yuanyuan from his back to her own body.
Lu Yuanyuan was extremely upset, and slowly loosened the fingertips that were stuck in her palm.
With Duan Lansheng carrying her, there was even less chance she could escape. But the fact that Yin Xiaozhu hadn't fallen into their hands was a good thing for her. It meant that no one would expose her for a while, and she could catch her breath and think about how to leave, without having to force her way out at this moment.
At this moment, more people started walking this way.
Fu Xinguang looked around but didn't see the villager. Just then, Qi Chang and Xu Yuanzi arrived from behind the crowd. He quickly stepped forward and asked, "Master, Senior Brother, where is that villager? Has he woken up? Perhaps he knows a lot?"
Qi Chang closed his eyes and shook his head.
Looking at the faces of his disciples, Xu Yuanzi said in a deep voice, "Let's go back to Mount Shu first."
.
In the long-peaceful world of cultivation, a sensational event has occurred.
Yin Xiaozhu, the eldest disciple of Danqing Peak and daughter of the Shushan Sect Master, was secretly impersonated by an outsider. Even more absurdly, this person was not only male but also had a snake tail, suggesting they were not human.
Over the years, none of the original senior sister's biological father, master, or fellow disciples noticed anything amiss. The only one who had ever raised suspicions with the sect leader, Master Xugu, had mysteriously disappeared in the Spirit Treasure Secret Realm. Now, he has vanished without a trace, and it is feared that he is likely dead.
Such an absurd thing happened in Shushan, the number one sect in the cultivation world.
The outside world was in an uproar, and Mount Shu, at the eye of the storm, was like a spark that had been splashed into a pot of boiling oil, exploding with a bang. Not only ordinary disciples, but even the immortals who had not shown their faces for a long time were shaken and came out of the mountains upon hearing the news.
Five days after returning to Mount Shu.
Lu Yuanyuan opened her eyes in bed.
This was a neat and tidy room, empty of anyone. Lu Yuanyuan slowly sat up, several layers of clean white gauze wrapped around her neck, the gauze smelling of medicine.
Her throat was very thirsty, but she didn't call for help. She slowly got out of bed, went to the table, poured a bowl of cold water, and gulped it down.
When you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up before you.
Her initial plan was to use Yin Xiaozhu to drive away Duan Lansheng, then expose his secrets and bring them all down in one fell swoop. But Xiao Ruo's appearance shattered her plan.
Life is unpredictable, and by some twist of fate, the order has been reversed, with Yin Xiaozhu falling down first.
When she jumped off the cliff, she never imagined things would turn out this way—she returned to Mount Shu, but didn't follow the same path as in her previous life. Because now, she was a tainted witness.
She climbed back from hell to the human world, stepping on the Yinxiao bamboo, and returned to Mount Shu.
That day, at the critical moment, her gamble was right—or more precisely, it was based on her judgment of the information she already possessed. She wasn't a reckless gambler; she wouldn't have done it if she had known the path was blocked.
As expected, no one on Mount Shu knew what puppetry was; the only explanation was in her hands.
Upon her return, she naturally did not go back to her former residence, but was taken to the guest house on Danqing Peak, which was used to house seriously injured disciples.
Lu Yuanyuan wasn't so badly injured that she needed to lie in a place like this. She knew very well that Shushan had placed her here to monitor her.
After all, she used to be Yin Xiaozhu's servant and was inseparable from him. This time, she was also the only witness to have survived the puppet technique. Although they didn't say it aloud, Xu Yuanzi and the others clearly still had doubts about her.
But things didn't turn out the way they did in the original story; she wasn't punished.
In the past few days, several groups of people have come to inquire about what happened. They weren't direct disciples like Duan Lansheng or Qi Chang, but rather people from Xu Yuanzi's generation. Once, she even saw the sect leader of Shu Mountain through a veil.
No matter who came, she firmly stated that after being pulled into the water by the giant python, her memory became fragmented, and she couldn't remember what she had done. Besides this, she knew nothing about Yin Xiaozhu's secrets, such as whether he was a man or had a snake tail.
Since no evidence had been found that she was an accomplice in the past few days, and during this time, Duan Lansheng had said something to them—she guessed that Duan Lansheng might regard her various abnormalities in the past period as the aftereffects of Yin Xiaozhu using her as a puppet for experiments.
Unexpectedly, the very thing she used to lure Duan Lansheng into the trap could now be used as evidence to clear her name.
In short, after a few days, Xu Yuanzi and the others had relaxed their attitude. One of the female cultivators even kindly told her that once she felt better, she could go for a walk. It seemed that as long as she didn't do anything outrageous, she could stay in Shu Mountain as before.
But, does staying in Shushan still have any meaning for her now?
The same prey will only be fooled by the same trap once. Duan Lansheng had indeed fallen for her trick before, but the plan ultimately failed. It would be difficult for her to use the same method to take revenge on him again. And apart from violating the sect's precept against lust, she couldn't think of any other way to drive him out of Mount Shu and block his path to success.
If she didn't want to stay in Shu Mountain, she could run away at any time. Although so many things had happened recently, it was highly unlikely that Xu Yuanzi and the others would allow her to leave in the short term. Of course, she had legs to run, and as long as she took it by surprise and chose a time to sneak away, no one could stop her.
But if we leave like this, it would be like tearing apart the surface harmony and cutting off the way back to Mount Shu.
Yin Xiaozhu's whereabouts are currently unknown, but he is eyeing her covetously. Once she leaves Shu Mountain, he is very likely to come looking for her. Moreover, if she leaves, she will probably never have such a good opportunity to get close to Duan Lansheng again. She certainly cannot take revenge on him from afar.
I still vividly remember the moment when I came so close to succeeding in my revenge.
Even though all the favorable conditions had disappeared, and even though the road ahead was full of thorns, she was still unwilling to give up, unwilling to leave like a deserter who surrendered before the battle even began.
With a muffled thud, Lu Yuanyuan braced herself heavily on the table, lowered her head, and took a deep breath. Glancing at the corner of a small garment peeking out from her clothes, she suddenly remembered something. She paused, then slowly pulled out the garment, and from a hidden pocket inside, retrieved a sky-blue plant.
Because the box was too conspicuous, she was afraid of being searched, so before bringing Qi Chang over that day, she threw away the box and hid the nameless plant close to her body.
For the past few days, she has been feigning confusion and avoiding anyone getting close, thus successfully preserving the item.
She needed to know what this plant, which had spanned her two lifetimes, really was.
There was no relevant record in the books of Shushan, and combined with Yin Xiaozhu's friendship habits, Lu Yuanyuan guessed that this was very likely a product of the demon realm.
Of course, the demon realm no longer exists in this world. Once upon a time, demons did have their own territory. But now, that glorious scene is gone; great demons and monsters alike are scattered like sand across the land. Finding out where they came from and what their effects are would probably be harder than finding a needle in a haystack.
Lu Yuanyuan hid the plant back in her clothes, took out her coat from the wardrobe, and simply combed her hair up.
She needed some time to think about her next step. Before that, she wanted to go back to her old place to get some things. Keeping the plant hidden in her clothes wasn't a long-term solution; she needed a storage ring and to replenish her personal supplies. That way, she could be prepared for any unexpected situation.
Stepping out of the house, the bright sunlight shone on me, giving me a kind of ethereal warmth that seemed to exist outside the mortal world.
The two younger female nuns outside the guesthouse did not stop her, but asked her with concern if she wanted to accompany them.
Lu Yuanyuan shook her head: "I want to travel around by myself."
The scenery of Danqing Peak was familiar to her. She walked down the path and when she was almost back in the same place, she heard a commotion and a lot of noise ahead.
Lu Yuanyuan stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.
Ahead lies the place where Yin Xiaozhu once lived, which was also her residence.
At this moment, the two doors of Yin Xiaozhu's bedroom were open, and many servants were going in and out, carrying things out in baskets and clearing out the old items inside.
After Yin Xiaozhu's identity was exposed, he naturally no longer had a place in Shu Mountain. It's unlikely he would be foolish enough to walk right into a trap and return to Shu Mountain.
This bedroom has become an abandoned residence, and no one will live here for at least a long time. The furniture and personal belongings inside will naturally be cleared out.
Meanwhile, useful written records, such as letters, notes, and books, will be unearthed, laid out in the sunlight, and carefully examined.
Where did the original senior sister of Shushan go? Is she alive or dead? When did Yin Xiaozhu take over this position? Perhaps we can find the answers in the few words he left behind.
As for other unimportant items, they will be thrown away as trash.
Lu Yuanyuan stood quietly in the distance and saw many familiar things being thrown into the basket like junk.
Two unfamiliar disciples were carrying out a very heavy box. Perhaps feeling it was unlucky, they packed it carelessly, leaving the contents in a mess.
The food box that used to hold her snacks was lying crookedly inside, with a corner sticking out and the lid missing; the textbooks she reviewed on the eve of her selection as a personal disciple contained annotations written by Yin Xiaozhu, and now those books were pressed into the cracks, the pages curled and deformed...
Previously, Yin Xiaozhu was the undisputed ideal man of the entire Shu Mountain region; everyone spoke of him with praise and admiration. However, once people discovered that the sage was not the sage they had imagined, their illusions shattered, and they began to collectively portray him in the opposite direction, their attitudes turning extremely disdainful. Many disciples who actually had no direct connection to Yin Xiaozhu also joined the wave of condemnation against him.
I wonder where Yin Xiaozhu is now, and whether she regrets jumping into the Spirit Treasure Realm with her that day?
Otherwise, his secret wouldn't have been exposed so quickly, and he'd probably still be the senior disciple of Danqing Peak. Although she didn't understand why, with such power, he didn't roam the vast world but instead chose to remain at Mount Shu as the senior disciple?
Once everyone who had been tidying up had finally left, Lu Yuanyuan emerged from behind the tree, lowered her eyes, and stepped onto the stairs. Just as she was about to enter her room, she suddenly noticed a flat, dry, orange object stuck to the floor near Yin Xiaozhu's door.
Lu Yuanyuan turned her head and looked at it for a while before recognizing it as the little orange lamp she had given to Yin Xiaozhu that winter solstice.
Unlike the simple orange lamp that Princess Manjushri made out of boredom to give to the little monster during her time as Princess Manjushri, this one was made of bamboo sticks by a vendor outside the Temple of Martial God, and it looked much more exquisite. However, no matter how exquisite it was, it was still made of cheap dried orange peel. Over time, most of them would inevitably crack or deform, and once the children's interest in playing with them wore off, they would be forgotten.
No one knows how Yin Xiaozhu preserved it, but several years have passed and its shape and color have hardly changed. Sometimes, she would even see her handling it.
But those who cleaned up the area clearly didn't think it was anything of value, and it was ignored when it fell to the ground. It's been trampled on countless times by passersby and is now completely flattened.
By the time Lu Yuanyuan realized what was happening, she had already walked up to it as if by magic, bent down, picked up the dirty orange peel, and gently brushed off the dirt and sand.
But soon, she stopped brushing off the dust. She paused for a moment, unsure why she'd picked it up. She frowned, deciding to find a place to throw it away.
Turning around, I found a figure behind me.
Duan Lansheng.
He looked at the broken orange peel in her hand, and a hazy ripple seemed to appear in his dark blue eyes. Although he was bathed in the warm sunlight, his face looked even paler than hers, who was just recovering from a serious illness.
A sense of unease rose within Lu Yuanyuan.
This was the first time the two had met face-to-face since that incident.
Her public version of events was that after being pulled into the water by the giant python, all her actions were under the control of Yin Xiaozhu in a daze. And all of this was because she had fallen into the hands of the Shu Mountain sect, and in order to escape punishment, she had no choice but to do so.
However, she didn't know if Duan Lansheng believed her. As someone who had experienced this firsthand, he would always have a deeper understanding than outsiders.
But whether he believes it or not, he has no evidence, does he?
Rather, out of a kind of desperate malice, she was actually somewhat looking forward to Duan Lansheng coming to confront her.
From Duan Lansheng's perspective, he was risking his life to help his friend through a difficult time. If all of this was a scam, it would be a disgusting blow to someone as pure and innocent as him—even just suspicion would be enough to make him feel like he had swallowed a fly.
She really wanted to see him lose his composure and break down up close, just like Yin Xiaozhu did that day.
Make it even more ferocious, even uglier.
However, Lu Yuanyuan did not expect that Duan Lansheng would slowly lower his eyelashes, then raise his eyes again, as if coming back to his senses, before walking up to her and asking, "After that day... how is your body recovering?"
There was no sign of displaced anger.
Right, she remembered that before she was found by the Shu Mountain, Duan Lansheng seemed to always tell others that there was only some misunderstanding between him and her...
This person actually believed her completely.
Even now, he still believes in her.
Putting aside acting impulsively, this was actually a good start, but for some reason, Lu Yuanyuan clenched her fists secretly, feeling an indescribable irritation and disappointment, as if she had punched cotton. She took a deep breath and turned her eyes away: "The fever has subsided. How about you?"
This was just a casual rhetorical question. It's like when you meet a foreigner on the street and they say "How are you?", you reflexively reply "I'm fine, thank you, and you?"
Duan Lansheng remained silent.
After a while, Lu Yuanyuan turned her gaze in confusion and was surprised to find that his earlobes were tinged with a light pink, as if he had applied rouge. Seeing her looking over, he softly hummed in agreement, his eyes curving into a barely perceptible smile, as if he was pleased that she cared about his health.
Lu Yuanyuan's eyelids twitched, and she felt even more irritated, muttering to herself, "What a lunatic."
However, in that instant, a thought flashed through her mind.
By the way, didn't Duan Lansheng make her eat that stuff in her previous life?
Although the same thing can't happen again in this life, since Duan Lansheng could find this thing in his previous life, he might know what it is in this life. Isn't that better than her searching like a needle in a haystack?
Thinking of this, Lu Yuanyuan decisively spoke up: "That's right—"
Quite coincidentally, Duan Lansheng spoke almost simultaneously with her: "About that day—"
But as soon as he bumped into her, Duan Lansheng stopped talking and let her speak first.
Lu Yuanyuan pretended not to hear him mention that day and continued, "I have something to ask you, come here for a moment."
She stepped into the sunlight, squatted on the steps, picked up a twig, and drew a picture on the ground with great detail. She then described its color and asked, "Have you ever seen this plant before?"
Seeing that she was getting down to business, Duan Lansheng temporarily put aside his other thoughts, carefully examined the drawing on the ground for a moment, and shook his head: "I've never seen it before."
Never seen it before?
Indeed, there are many differences between past and present lives.
Lu Yuanyuan frowned and dropped the branch: "Never mind then."
Because he couldn't help her, she seemed to lose interest in him instantly, her expression turned cold, and she turned and left.
Duan Lansheng slightly opened his eyes, quickly stood up, and grabbed her wrist: "But I might know where to find it."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com