Chu Hongluan returned the power she had absorbed from the blade, and her cultivation level returned to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Her pupils also returned to their original black color, and the bloodthirsty aura around her dissipated.
She followed Liu Jinghong into the room, and was deeply hurt by what she saw.
How ruthless Liu Cheng'an was! He actually used the Spirit-Binding Hook to pierce through the Lady of the Pavilion's collarbone, sealing her spiritual power! He then handcuffed and shackled her to the foot of the bed!
Liu Jinghong rushed to the bedside, but her mind was in complete chaos. She was at a loss, her whole body trembling uncontrollably, and she had no idea where to begin.
Chu Hongluan strode over, broke the chains with her bare hands, and pulled the Pavilion Master's wife into her arms: "Senior Brother probably can't bear to see this, so I will remove the Spirit-Binding Hook for you. It will hurt a little."
The lady of the pavilion smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble."
The bloody hook was slowly pulled from the flesh of the Pavilion Master's wife. The Pavilion Master's wife tilted her head slightly, her temples soaked with cold sweat, but she remained silent throughout.
Liu Jinghong turned her face away, her eyes red-rimmed.
The spirit-binding hook was thrown to the ground with a clanging sound.
Liu Jinghong finally dared to turn around. He gently hugged the mistress of the pavilion and quickly stepped back, afraid of hurting her wound.
"It's because I'm useless that I've caused my mother to suffer."
"Why blame you?" The mistress of the pavilion slowly calmed her breathing, but still smiled. "You have done very well. Liu Cheng'an falsely conveyed my orders and sent many peak masters and elders to the Eastern Region, Western Region, and Northern Region respectively. Thanks to your timely arrival, you exposed the traitor of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, saved your mother, and also saved the entire Heavenly Mystery Pavilion."
As she spoke, she turned to Chu Hongluan and said, “When I took you into the Tianji Pavilion and made you a disciple of the Blade Peak, I never taught you anything. Instead, I made you suffer repeatedly and saved the Tianji Pavilion from dire straits. For such a great favor, please accept my bow.”
Chu Hongluan was shocked! She repeatedly cried out that this was unacceptable and helped the mistress of the pavilion to prevent her from bowing down.
"Madam, you flatter me. Now that I have joined the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion and obtained the position of elder, this is simply my duty. There is no need for thanks."
The Pavilion Master's wife felt both guilty and moved. She patted Chu Hongluan's hand, saying, "Young friend, you have done me a great favor, both to my son and to the entire Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. Since you won't accept my courtesy, please don't be so distant with me." She reached out and gently brushed the stray hairs that had fallen across Chu Hongluan's cheek during the fight behind her ear. "Since you don't mind, may I call you A-Luan? And please don't call me 'Madam' anymore. My name is Yunzhu. From now on, we will address each other as sisters..."
"Mother!" Liu Jinghong exclaimed in shock!
Yunzhu glared at him with displeasure, only then remembering that her unfortunate son had fallen in love with the girl at first sight, and upon seeing her again, he was so infatuated that he seemed determined to marry her.
"Sigh..." Yunzhu sighed deeply and had no choice but to back down and change her words, "I'm over a thousand years old, and A'Luan is still so young. Calling you 'sister' would be taking advantage of you. Do you have any other relatives?"
Chu Hongluan blinked and shook her head, "No father or mother, all alone."
Yunzhu tenderly ruffled her hair and said softly, "From now on, you will call me Aunt Yun. This Tianji Pavilion is also your home."
Chu Hongluan couldn't quite describe her feelings at that moment.
I feel that the word "home" seems to be very far away from me now.
But the warmth on my head made me inexplicably nostalgic.
"Aunt Yun."
Yunzhu's eyes seemed to glisten with tears as she embraced Chu Hongluan, saying, "Good, good child."
Liu Jinghong felt that all the grief and despair she had felt earlier had vanished, and she even felt that she was somewhat superfluous standing there.
He tried to hold back, but finally couldn't help pulling Chu Hongluan behind him. "Mother, you are still injured. The most important thing is to go into seclusion to heal your wounds."
Yunzhu rolled her eyes at him and reluctantly instructed, "These past few days, Liu Cheng'an has been carrying out a major reshuffle within the sect. Disciples who disagree with him have been imprisoned in the dungeon. Those remaining outside are all traitors who have surrendered to the demonic cultivators. Since you are the young sect leader, this matter is entrusted to you."
When she turned to Chu Hongluan, her gaze softened again. "Aluan, keep an eye on this brat for me. If he acts recklessly, then beat him up. Don't hold back for me."
"mother!"
Chu Hongluan nodded, suppressing a laugh.
"Alright, you can go now. I'm going into seclusion to heal my injuries."
Yunzhu sat down cross-legged and closed her eyes.
Chu Hongluan and Liu Jinghong exchanged a glance and walked out the door side by side. They saw that the once lush and elegant courtyard was now littered with corpses, rivers of blood, severed limbs, and even splattered pieces of tofu pudding...
Tsk. How could a young girl like her be so cruel?
Chu Hongluan frowned, feeling deeply regretful.
Liu Jinghong seemed to see through her thoughts and comforted her, "It's alright, I'll get a few junior brothers from the dungeon later to clean this place up."
Oh, thank you on behalf of your fellow disciples.
The two strolled leisurely towards the dungeon.
Liu Jinghong never asked her why she could raise her cultivation to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage during the battle, nor did she ask why she was surrounded by bloodthirsty energy, just as Yun Zhu never asked her why a Nascent Soul cultivator could kill Liu Cheng'an and protect the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion from the demons.
They all knew that Chu Hongluan had many secrets, but they never inquired about them.
The two did not encounter anyone along the way.
It seems that during the great battle, those disciples who surrendered to the demons must have already fled in the chaos. This saves Liu Jinghong the trouble of simply going to the dungeon to take stock of everyone; those who aren't there should have their soul lamps smashed and be expelled from the sect.
In addition, he would have the Gale Intelligence Agency issue a notice listing the names of all the disciples who had defected to the Demon Clan, so that from then on, there would be no place for them in the territories under the jurisdiction of the Nine Great Sects.
Soon, the two arrived at the dungeon.
Each of the small, dark rooms was packed with disciples.
"Senior Brother! Elder Chu!"
"Elder Chu!"
"Senior brother!"
Everyone gasped in surprise.
Looking at these nearly 70% of the sect's disciples, Liu Jinghong was quite pleased and hurriedly opened the cell doors one by one.
They were all covered in injuries, big and small, and as soon as they came out, they surrounded the two of them, chattering and asking about the situation outside.
"It's so noisy. Elder Chu has killed everyone outside. While the corpses are still fresh, you can go out and smell them."
"..."
"Come on, don't just stand there! You all seem to be in good spirits, so go outside and clean up the mess. Don't let that filthy blood dry and pollute my land!"
"..."
The disciples left dejectedly, their heads hanging low.
Liu Jinghong, who had been feeling gloomy all night, was finally happy now.
Chu Hongluan felt a girl brush against her arm, initially thinking it was unintentional, but then suddenly felt her buttocks being pinched quickly...
...
Chu Hongluan stared at the girl's back with a dark expression. She was petite and delicate; who else could it be but Qiao Yue?
Are you crazy?!
Gu Chunxiao stopped beside Chu Hongluan, and Chu Hongluan softened her gaze and patted her head.
"How did it get like this?"
The little girl was covered in injuries, looking much worse off than the others.
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