Chapter 81, the Eighty-First Chapter: Starfall
Four or five days later, when Hua Manlou returned home, the room seemed no different from the day he left.
Reaching out to touch the table, she found it empty, but since the door wasn't locked, she must be home.
So he didn't go anywhere, but just sat in the hall and waited.
Although Lu Yusheng felt very sorry for Sikong Zhaixing's departure, he couldn't help but hope that Sikong Zhaixing would come back to collect his gift on New Year's Eve. So he continued to go to the game room on the second floor every day to continue making dungeons.
I had just finished tidying up my tools and was about to start when I vaguely remembered that I seemed to have forgotten to close the door after finishing my meal, so I turned around and went downstairs again.
As she wandered off to the first floor, lost in thought, she was startled by the figure sitting quietly inside before she even had a chance to look at the front door.
Although Hua Manlou and Sikong Zhaixing were about the same size, their clothing styles were very different. So she was only briefly surprised before recognizing the figure.
Overjoyed upon recognizing her, a smile instantly spread across her face.
"Lou Lou, you're back?!"
Hua Manlou had already heard her footsteps coming down the stairs while he was still sitting, and now that he heard her speak, he was overjoyed and got up to greet her: "Yes, I'm here."
Lu Yusheng did not sit down with him. She pressed him back into his seat forcefully and turned to pour tea and prepare snacks.
After the dishes were served one by one to the table in front of Hua Manlou, she found a chair nearby and sat down, staring at him as he ate.
Hua Manlou had been sitting and resting in the hall for a long time, so he was not tired at all. He had eaten at home before coming here, so he wasn't very hungry.
But sensing the overflowing expectation from those around her, she reluctantly took the snack and began to chew it in small bites.
After finishing the whole egg yolk pastry, he first praised its deliciousness before asking, "Has Sikong Zhaixing left?"
Lu Yusheng still felt a little uneasy when he thought about it. That guy just left without saying goodbye.
However, the reasons could not be explained in detail to Hua Manlou, so he could only helplessly hum in agreement.
She intentionally concealed it, unaware that her behavior had already alerted the other party to some clues.
So he comforted her, saying, "It's alright. Things at home have come to an end. I can stay here with you for a few more days."
Seeing that he didn't ask any more questions, Lu Yusheng breathed a sigh of relief. If Hua Manlou really pressed for the reason, she really wouldn't know how to bring it up.
The room fell silent. She didn't want to go back upstairs to play games anymore, so she casually picked up a piece of egg yolk pastry from the plate and started eating it.
Seeing that Hua Manlou only ate one piece and then kept drinking tea, I guessed that he was probably not hungry, and I unconsciously began to think about what to do to pass the time.
Did you bring your wood carving tools?
The latter smiled and shook his head slightly: "I was at home, and I was in a hurry to leave, so I forgot to take it."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yusheng could only give a dry "oh," indicating that his plan to learn carving from him to pass the time was temporarily out of the question.
They could have gotten together to listen to various recorded concerts, but she had just experienced being confessed to, rejected, and then having her boyfriend leave without saying goodbye after watching a movie with him. She was still a bit PTSD and had no choice but to give up.
After thinking for a long time, she pulled out a small bag from behind the door and piled the dozen or so red papers inside onto the table.
"What's this?"
Hua Manlou, who had touched a piece of paper but had not yet guessed her intention, asked this question.
"Couplet paper," Lu Yusheng replied. "I was just struggling yesterday with what couplets to write. Since you're here, why don't you help me finish writing them today?"
Upon hearing this, Hua Manlou moved to sit down next to her, making room for her to lay out paper.
Before putting pen to paper, Lu Yusheng hesitated and said he needed to practice first to get a feel for the writing style.
The latter naturally agreed: "Then I'll think about what suitable content I might have."
Because he paused for a moment before putting pen to paper, the first stroke was a large black dot.
Lu Yusheng looked at the ink blot and thought that luckily he had only written one horizontal stroke, so he could continue practicing and it wasn't a waste.
While feeling gratified, she couldn't help but think that the calligraphy work for the signboard that Zhu Ting had prepared for her was actually taken over by Sikong Zhaixing.
Now that there are no helpers, he has to do it all by himself.
"hiss--"
Lu Yusheng let out a small gasp, prompting Hua Manlou to immediately come closer and inquire about the situation.
She shook her head again, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I probably messed up the first one."
Hearing that it wasn't a big deal, Hua Manlou felt a little relieved and comforted her, "We can just get another sheet. If we run out of paper, I can go into town and buy more."
It's really nothing serious, it's just really strange...
Lu Yusheng never expected that he would unintentionally write the four characters "Sikong Zhaixing" when he was distracted.
But it's understandable. After all, there aren't many characters that can be written after the first horizontal stroke, and he just happened to think of him, so he wrote it down on a whim.
Since it was just practice anyway, she thought she shouldn't favor one over the other, so she included "Lu Xiaofeng," who wasn't even in the area.
After I finished writing it, I took a closer look. Although I didn't use traditional characters, I didn't think it looked too bad, and the size and spacing were regular.
Or should we write another half to make a pair?
She racked her brains for a long time, and then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and cobbled together half a sentence.
In the end...
It's impossible to put up stickers on all the empty guest rooms upstairs. We'll put one on the main entrance and the kitchen door, and a little something on the back door. That seems to be all.
Thinking this, Lu Yusheng, who had already written down four couplets based on Hua Manlou's dictation, put down his pen.
"Not writing anymore?" Hua Manlou asked upon hearing the voice.
"Okay." Lu Yusheng nodded. "Let's go put it on."
"good."
After agreeing, the latter obediently picked up a pair and walked to the front door.
Hua Manlou was taller than her. Although he couldn't see, he had a general idea of the location in his mind. So after the two discussed it, Lu Yusheng would guide them from behind while he did the work.
"etc……"
Hua Manlou, who was about to brush rice paste onto the paper, stopped when he heard this. He turned around with a puzzled look on his face: "What's wrong, Xiaoyu?"
Lu Yusheng tapped his chin with his finger, looking troubled. "There are still about ten days until the New Year. Isn't it time to put up the decorations yet?"
Upon hearing this, the latter very patiently agreed, saying, "Should we put it up a few days later? Shall we put it away first?"
So the two of them took turns carrying the tools they had brought out back into the hall.
Just as he put down his things and stood still, Hua Manlou suddenly heard a strange sound coming from afar.
It sounds like music?
Moreover, the sound was not a melodious and gentle tune from Jiangnan, but rather the sound of folk instruments such as gongs, suonas, and trumpets.
The loud music grew closer and closer, and even Lu Yusheng could hear it.
She suspected that a funeral procession was passing by, and was about to ask the person next to her when she heard voices coming from the music.
"The Star Immortal has arrived! Hurry up and come out to greet him!"
Before they could react, several more people ran up and kicked open the half-open door. They then bowed and prostrated themselves before the outside, saying, "We respectfully invite the Starry Sky Immortal!"
Lu Yusheng's doubts deepened, and he had to take a few steps closer to see the situation clearly.
Beyond the figures on the ground, dozens of people were already lined up not far from her shop entrance. An old man with white hair was surrounded by them, and out of respect, they all kept a certain distance from him.
The old man had white hair and a youthful face. He held a carefree fan in his hand, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance. Behind him, several banners were held up by a few children and were fluttering in the wind.
The sounds of gongs, drums, and suonas clearly came from the group of disciples behind the old man, who were holding musical instruments.
Even though Lu Yusheng considered himself well-informed, he was still momentarily stunned by this situation.
...Are you crazy?
Hua Manlou had been listening intently to the sounds outside, and now he noticed that the leader was gradually approaching the two of them. His steps were light, as if he possessed martial arts skills, but his inner strength was so immense that even Hua Manlou couldn't fathom it. He guessed that this was probably the person the others had been praising.
His expression changed slightly, and he took two steps forward to block Lu Yusheng's path, saying, "Your Excellency is the Star Elder."
He had heard all the shouts clearly. Although he couldn't see the banners with words like "Starry Sky Immortal," "Boundless Magic Power," and "Unifying the Martial World," he could still tell who the newcomers were from their words.
This person must be Ding Chunqiu, the Old Monster of the Starry Sky Sect, who is infamous in the martial arts world for his various poisonous skills and has done all sorts of heinous and cruel things.
Fortunately, he couldn't see the person's face at that moment, otherwise he would probably have secretly praised the person's kind face, just like Lu Yusheng did.
Suddenly, a man from the crowd gathered behind shouted, "Since you recognize the Star Immortal, why don't you hand over all the treasures here with both hands?"
Immediately someone chimed in, "It's your good fortune that the Star Immortal has taken a liking to your things. Don't dawdle here."
Despite the constant shouts from his disciples behind him, Ding Chunqiu remained composed, like a detached hermit, uttering no words and only gently waving his feather fan.
He casually sized up the young man in front of him. He noticed that the young man was tall and had an outstanding temperament. He also seemed to possess a profound martial arts skill. The young man had spoken with respect and recognized him. He couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart.
Finally, Lu Yusheng saw the old man speak. As soon as he spoke, the chattering male and female disciples around him fell silent, listening intently and waiting for the next opportunity to flatter him.
Unlike his arrogant disciples, Ding Chunqiu didn't mention money at all. Instead, he looked at Hua Manlou with a kind expression and said, "Our sect is currently recruiting disciples. I think your aptitude is quite good. Although you have an eye ailment, it's not a major flaw. Why don't you join my Xingxiu Sect?"
When Hua Manlou spoke again, his tone was still polite, but very firm: "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Ding. It is a pity that I have already taken another master. If I were to take another master, wouldn't I become a person who betrays his master and ancestors and is ungrateful?"
Not only did he possess all the skills of a legitimate martial arts practitioner, but the Xingxiu Sect had also been poisoning the martial world for many years, committing all sorts of atrocities, including burning, killing, and looting. How could he possibly associate with such people?
Before Ding Chunqiu could react to the refusal, his disciples glared at him angrily.
"How dare you! The Starry Sky Immortal's appreciation of you is a blessing you've accumulated over eight lifetimes. Instead of quickly kowtowing to express your gratitude, you dare to act so arrogantly!"
Even worse, some with malicious hearts and cruel words uttered the phrase "ungrateful blind fool."
Previously, Lu Yusheng was mostly confused, finding the chatter of his disciples quite annoying. However, upon hearing these words, his expression immediately darkened.
Not content with their humiliation, one of the gray-robed disciples flicked his sleeve, sending a black shadow flying towards Hua Manlou.
These people were eager to impress their master, so they treated Hua Manlou like an ordinary blind man who couldn't recognize danger. Although their attacks were ruthless, they were not particularly skillful.
Lu Yusheng quickly took a few steps, swung his arm, and slashed out a wind blade to deflect the attack.
After the dark figure was severed in two, a small spray of blood rose into the air before it landed with a "thud".
Once it came to a complete stop, she realized it was a spotted venomous snake.
Fortunately, it was still winter, and the snake, split in two, simply collapsed limply to the ground instead of leaping up to attack again, driven by its central nervous system.
Of course, even if he jumped, it wouldn't have mattered, as Hua Manlou had already dodged away from his original position.
Only Ding Chunqiu, who was standing in front of him, was nearly drenched in snake blood. He managed to push the pool of foul-smelling blood that was about to fall onto the ground some distance away with a forceful flick of his sleeve.
He was extremely displeased. With a few light taps of his toes, he used his light footwork to arrive in front of Lu Yusheng and grabbed her in his hand.
Then, he secretly channeled his inner energy and activated the Dissolving Power Technique at the point where their bodies were in contact.
After a few moments of silence, he finally realized that apart from the slight pain from being gripped, his subordinates' bodies and expressions remained completely unchanged.
"You...you don't have internal energy?"
The little girl's move of knocking down the poisonous snake was colorless and formless, not a hidden weapon. How could she have used it without internal force?
Ding Chunqiu was secretly suspicious, but he was extremely experienced in fighting. When his first attack missed, he flipped his hand and used his poison technique to attack Lu Yusheng, who was bound by his other hand.
Just as Lu Yusheng couldn't bear to see him attacked, Hua Manlou, realizing the danger of this move, couldn't ignore it either.
He had already approached when Ding Chunqiu tried to neutralize Lu Yusheng's internal energy. Knowing that this move was difficult to dodge, he instantly sped up and snatched Lu Yusheng back from his unpreparedness.
He also knows the signature move that made Lu Xiaofeng famous, so seizing people is naturally no problem for him.
However, the Starry Night Old Monster's attacks were even more ferocious and fierce. In order to ensure Lu Yusheng's absolute safety, Hua Manlou's dodging action was a beat behind, and he was hit by the palm wind, immediately spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Fortunately, Xiaoyu was pushed away and should be alright.
【go back. 】
Before Lu Yusheng could even stand up straight, the system issued a reminder.
Unbeknownst to her, she had changed positions several times and had already arrived outside the store.
Lu Yusheng glanced at Hua Manlou, who was forcing himself not to show any pain, and said nothing. He even took a few steps closer and, seeing that no one stopped him, went straight to Hua Manlou's side.
Go back to the shop, you'll be fine.
Seeing that she ignored him, the system spoke up again.
Lu Yusheng heard what it said very clearly, but he couldn't just leave Hua Manlou alone, so he anxiously asked how the other party was doing.
Hua Manlou felt a tickle in his throat and involuntarily spat out a mouthful of blood. Only after feeling slightly better in his throat did he shake his head and say, "It's nothing."
But a sense of unease settled in my heart; I feared things wouldn't end well today.
Seeing this scene, what did Ding Chunqiu not understand? This girl and that blind man were actually lovers.
His heart stirred again, and he was about to say something when another tactless disciple interrupted from behind.
"Quickly offer up the treasure, then kneel down and kowtow eight times, and today the old immortal will show mercy and spare your lives."
Ding Chunqiu glanced at the disciple with some displeasure. Flattery was one thing, but when had he ever allowed others to make decisions for him?
But since there was no need to comply, I didn't argue at that moment.
After dealing with the two people in front of them, the disciple who spoke up would also be dead.
Having said all that, Lu Yusheng understood perfectly well that the things he had lost earlier had ended up in their hands.
None of these people seemed like the type to obediently pay up; in reality, they were likely victims of double-crossing while trying to sell stolen goods.
Thinking about this, she felt a mix of displeasure and a sense of satisfaction.
But still worried about Hua Manlou's situation, he secretly pondered how to escape the danger.
Thinking of his own skills, he had just used one, and although the effect was far better than before, the speed was still insufficient. Judging from the old man's reaction speed, he probably wouldn't be able to hit him even if he tried a few more times.
And another move...
She reached into her clothes and took out her short cane.
By now, it was broad daylight, and everyone present could clearly see the item in her hand—
A thin, short wooden stick, only slightly thicker than a chopstick, with a blood-red gemstone inlaid in the handle. It looked somewhat valuable, but not exactly a treasure.
Seeing that Lu Yusheng had taken out the wooden staff, he not only did not offer it with both hands, but also pointed the tip of the staff at Ding Chunqiu in front of him. Not far away, a disciple shouted: "What are you? How dare you point a stick at our master!"
Ding Chunqiu watched the girl's slightly moving lips without speaking, but secretly he became more vigilant.
Dark clouds, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, obscured the sunlight in that small patch of land. Without looking up, a growing sense of unease and fear gripped him. Without waiting any longer, he prepared to take it down first.
He had barely moved an inch when, accompanied by a loud bang, he felt an invincible and irresistible force rushing towards him.
The electric python roared as it fell from mid-air.
The blinding electric light startled everyone present except Hua Manlou, including Lu Yusheng himself, who was casting the spell.
Ding Chunqiu was immediately terrified. In a flash, he frantically circulated his internal energy, unleashing both poison and internal power. He realized he could not defend himself and reached out to grab a disciple to block him, but it was too late.
As the lightning flashed, all the disciples of the Starry Sky Sect fell silent. When the lightning dissipated, they slowly opened their eyes.
When they caught sight of Ding Chunqiu's chest still heaving, they finally snapped out of their daze and exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of heretical and unorthodox methods?! How dare they show off their limited skills in front of the Starry Sky Immortal!"
Those eager to make a name for themselves knelt before the old man who had collapsed, clutching his chest.
At this moment, Ding Chunqiu's long, snow-white beard was charred and mottled, with most of it falling off. His robes were tattered, and countless wounds of all sizes covered his body. He was no longer the graceful and ethereal figure he once was.
Fortunately, just before the lightning struck, he seized that brief moment to gather all his inner strength at the top of his head and reacted quickly by moving half a step away, thus finally saving his life.
Some people couldn't tell whether he was alive or dead and assumed he was in grave danger.
At the very end of the crowd, two of the kidnapped disciples immediately threw down their flags and fled into the forest as if their lives depended on it.
Although the others did not take any action, they each had their own plans.
However, he had accumulated prestige over a long period of time. Although most of his disciples were rabble, there were at least some obedient and capable ones like Zhaixingzi and Shihouzi.
Seeing that the man was covered in wounds and lying on the ground, unable to determine his condition, and noticing that the others were too intimidated by the strange phenomenon to move and remained a little distance away, Lu Yusheng decided to go over and check on him.
Suddenly, three disciples appeared and stood in front of the old man on the ground. They threw several small pill-like objects to the ground, and a cloud of colorful smoke immediately rose up.
Fearing a trap, even though she knew the other party wanted to escape, she could only stay in Hua Manlou to observe the situation.
When the smoke finally cleared, there was no one left to look out.
Lu Yusheng, feeling uneasy, tried to take two steps forward, but Hua Manlou grabbed his wrist from behind.
He coughed as he tried to dissuade him, saying, "There's poison in the cigarette, step back."
She finally came to her senses and immediately helped Hua Manlou back into the shop to carefully examine his injuries.
Since they hadn't fought much, Hua Manlou didn't have any obvious external injuries at the moment.
He wasn't directly hit by Ding Chunqiu's poisonous palm, but a small amount of toxin entered his body along with the palm wind. At this moment, half of his arm was numb. He took a few of the various antidote pills he carried with him before he recovered slightly.
Lu Yusheng bit his hand and searched the store for suitable medicine, but unfortunately the medicine section only had the most common external injury and cold medicine. He could only come back and use a handkerchief to wipe the blood left on his mouth.
She was both angry and anxious, her fingers were still trembling slightly, but when the handkerchief touched Hua Manlou's lips and chin, it was extremely light and gentle.
The latter helplessly grabbed her hand: "I'm fine now, don't touch it, be careful there might still be poison in the blood."
Lu Yusheng was already heartbroken to see him injured, so he couldn't listen to anything else. He made up his mind, put his hand down, closed his eyes, and kissed him.
This suddenness startled not only her, but even Hua Manlou was momentarily stunned after realizing what had happened.
My heart started pounding like a drum.
Lu Yusheng simply touched his lips to his, paused for only a few seconds, and then withdrew, leaving him speechless.
Seeing his silence, Lu Yusheng suspected that the previous vomiting of blood was due to some other injury, and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Does your rib hurt or your lungs hurt?"
Hua Manlou remained silent until a long while before breaking into a smile, this time overflowing with joy that threatened to infect Lu Yusheng with his emotions: "You promised me?"
"Promise what?"
This time, Hua Manlou repeated himself almost word by word with utmost seriousness and patience: "I like you. Will you agree to be with me now?"
At this point, avoiding the issue would be hurtful, and since Lu Yusheng had finally understood his own feelings, he gave a positive response.
She first hummed in agreement, but feeling it wasn't enough, she added, "I like you too."
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