IVYSCP - Chapter 131
Chapter 131
After several exchanges, Lou Wudu's expression had grown impatient, and the ink-wash scenery around her only deepened her irritation.
It was still Shangtianqiong, but what it showed now was her past with Yue Zhiwei.
The Yue family had close ties with Shangtianqiong. Back then, Lou Wudu had just entered Shangtianqiong and taken Wang Changming as her master. She had witnessed the destruction of Yuelou Country and the death of her younger sister, then fallen victim to Lian Yange's schemes and lost all her cultivation. The hatred in her heart surged like a tidal wave. She trained day and night without rest, silent and withdrawn, never interacting with anyone.
Once, when forced cultivation damaged her meridians and she collapsed unconscious, it was Yue Zhiwei who happened to pass by and brought her back. She treated her injuries and kept watch over her for three days until she woke.
By all rights, Yue Zhiwei should have handed the person over to Wang Changming, but she did not. Instead, she hid her away in secret and told no one.
When Lou Wudu woke, she saw Yue Zhiwei sitting by the bed reading. Her first instinct was to reach for her sword and strike. Her hand grasped at empty air. The look she gave Yue Zhiwei grew even more guarded and wary, and she shrank all the way back to the foot of the bed.
Yue Zhiwei looked at this series of actions with astonishment. She could also see how resistant Lou Wudu was toward her. Politely, she rose and stepped further from the bedside, then spoke gently, "You don't need to be afraid. My name is Yue Zhiwei, of the Yue family. Three days ago, I passed by Duanxi Peak and saw you collapsed, so I brought you back."
Lou Wudu seemed to remember. She pressed her lips together and got out of bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her outer robe and sword to the side. She was just about to grab them and leave, but the moment she stirred her spiritual energy, a fierce pain tore through her meridians, and she pitched forward uncontrollably.
Before she hit the ground, a slender yet strong arm caught her across the shoulders, half-holding her close.
Once she steadied herself, Lou Wudu shoved Yue Zhiwei away hard, her eyes fierce. "What are you trying to do!?"
By now, she no longer believed anyone would be kind to her without reason. She assumed this woman was just like Ming Yuan, Lian Yange, and Wang Changming and was getting close only to scheme for something.
Yue Zhiwei raised both hands in a helpless gesture and explained, "I only saw you were about to fall and wanted to help."
Lou Wudu stared at her coldly, walked over, gathered her things, and made to leave. Behind her, the woman's soft voice came again. "You nearly suffered cultivation deviation during your training. Your heart and mind are unsteady. Right now you can't even use spiritual energy. If you don't rest and heal properly, your cultivation path may very well be severed here."
Lou Wudu gripped her sword tightly and turned back to look at her, as if trying to judge whether those words were true or false.
Yue Zhiwei smiled at her. "Don't worry. I haven't told your honored master about this. You can stay here, recover from your injuries, and then leave."
"Not necessary."
The next time they met was half a year later at the sect grand tournament. As the sect leader's chief disciple, Lou Wudu faced challenge after challenge. She accepted every one and lost not a single bout. Yue Zhiwei sat right beside Wang Changming, watching her turn peril into safety time and again, defeating senior disciples who had entered the sect many years before her.
"Changming, you've taken on a good disciple," Yue Zhiwei said, turning her head toward the person at her side.
Wang Changming propped her head on one hand, her expression unreadable. Her gaze was fixed unmoving on a single spot. She did not seem to hear what Yue Zhiwei said.
Yue Zhiwei knew what troubled her heart and said no more.
After the tournament ended, Yue Zhiwei had intended to return to the Yue family to divine the location of the next secret realm. She never expected that on the road, she would once again pick up Lou Wudu, coughing blood and unconscious.
Yue Zhiwei often visited Shangtianqiong, and Wang Changming had long since prepared a separate cave dwelling for her.
She carried the person back. Seeing that Lou Wudu's ritual robe was already drenched in blood, she tried to remove the outer garment, but before she could even touch her, a tremendous force clamped around her wrist and shattered the bone in an instant.
Caught completely off guard, Yue Zhiwei's forehead immediately beaded with sweat. A large patch of blue-purple bloomed across her wrist. Yet the unconscious person did not let go. She held on with a death grip.
With her free hand, Yue Zhiwei retrieved medicinal pills from her Qiankun Pouch, crushed one, and sprinkled it over Lou Wudu's wounds. Only then did she use her spiritual energy to heal herself.
When Lou Wudu woke, she saw her own hand gripping Yue Zhiwei's wrist and naturally saw the hideous blue-purple bruises marring that fair skin.
"Meddling in other people's business." She flung the woman's hand aside, threw out this cold remark, and left.
Lou Wudu's attitude toward Yue Zhiwei changed during an ancient secret realm expedition. It was there that Lou Wudu learned from others about the Yue family, heard Yue Zhiwei's name, and came to understand the existence of the Heavenly Divination Art.
In that ancient secret realm, Lou Wudu had encountered the legendary Soul-Returning Herb, which could gather scattered souls and condense the spirit. But the guardian yao beast protecting the herb was too fierce. Lou Wudu could not even get close. She took a direct hit and nearly lost her life.
Once again, it was Yue Zhiwei who saved her. This time, however, Yue Zhiwei was no longer gentle and kindly. Her expression was a rarely seen cold severity. She treated Lou Wudu's injuries and then, without a single word, turned and walked away.
"…Thank you."
This word of thanks was barely audible, but Yue Zhiwei heard it. She turned her head and said, "I truly thought you were someone who never knew gratitude."
"Lou Wudu, was it right here that you started planning how to use Sister Yue!?" Ling Qingyue demanded sharply.
Lou Wudu's gaze flickered for an instant. Ling Qingyue seized the opening. Her blade sliced across and cut a gash into Lou Wudu's shoulder.
Warm blood splashed onto her face. Lou Wudu hooked her lips into a smile, and did not deny it.
It was, in fact, the truth. From the very beginning, she had only wanted to use Yue Zhiwei.
Scenes flickered through the ink-wash illusion one after another. Every one of her encounters with Yue Zhiwei had been deliberately engineered by her. She would injure herself on purpose for Yue Zhiwei to find. She would let herself grieve and shed tears for Yue Zhiwei to see. For this, she even fabricated a tragic life story that became a secret just between the two of them. Yue Zhiwei's heart ached for her and began, intentionally or not, to assist her cultivation. Their relationship grew steadily closer. Yue Zhiwei's visits to Shangtianqiong became more and more frequent. Previously, she had always come to discuss secret realm matters with Wang Changming. Later, she came for just one person.
Lou Wudu had always been suspicious of Yue Zhiwei's motives in approaching her until the day a pot of Yueyang Orchid was placed before her and Yue Zhiwei confessed her feelings.
Lou Wudu accepted the Yueyang Orchid, but then avoided Yue Zhiwei for half a month. She claimed she was in secluded cultivation, but in truth, she had returned to Yuelou.
After coming back from Yuelou, Lou Wudu accepted Yue Zhiwei. The two moved together through Shangtianqiong, inseparable, their every gesture intimate. When Wang Changming learned of it, she even set a marriage date for them.
For a long time after that, Lou Wudu's disposition changed. She was no longer withdrawn and silent. She became the Shangtianqiong's most gentle and courteous eldest senior disciple. She respected her master, cherished her fellow disciples, and her good reputation spread far and wide.
She told Yue Zhiwei that Yue Zhiwei had changed her, had led her out of the darkness of the past.
"But there is still one regret in my heart."
Drunk on wine, Lou Wudu wept in Yue Zhiwei's arms, revealing her most vulnerable side.
Yue Zhiwei kissed away her tears, her eyes full of heartache. "Is it because of your younger sister?"
Yue Zhiwei only knew that Lou Wudu had a younger sister who had died unexpectedly. She too had a younger sister, so she could understand some of the grief in Lou Wudu's heart.
"If I could see my sister again, I would willingly give my life," Lou Wudu said, slurring drunken words. Yet where Yue Zhiwei could not see, her gaze was exceptionally clear. "If only my sister could live again…"
Yue Zhiwei held her, her eyes complicated and conflicted. At last, she murmured softly, "It is not that there is no way."
The sword blades clashed again. Ling Qingyue clearly felt Lou Wudu's hand tremble for an instant.
Because of Yue Zhiwei.
Ling Qingyue's expression was full of scorn. "So you do have a heart after all. You poured all that scheming onto the one who loved you most!"
Lou Wudu's eyes went cold. The intent to kill had already risen within her. She did not want this entanglement to drag on any longer.
"Ling Qingyue, it was you…"
She never finished. From the distant direction of Zhaoyang Hall came a sudden disturbance. Lou Wudu's face went pale.
Yanchun!
She could no longer spare a thought for these people before her. She swung her sword with full force, forcing Ling Qingyue back, shattered the surrounding formations, and vanished on the spot.
Ling Qingyue exchanged a glance with Pei Yin and understood. The grandmaster and the others had succeeded.
"Go!"
Using the teleportation arrays set up on both Chu Qianshan's and Pei Congyi's sides, they arrived at the hidden place beneath Zhaoyang Hall at almost the exact same moment as Lou Wudu.
Except that when Lou Wudu rushed in, they were already standing beside the crystal coffin.
In a single glance, Ling Qingyue saw the person kneeling on the ground, vines wound all around her body. Tears she could not control welled up in her eyes. "Master…"
She crouched down and carefully reached out a hand. Her fingertips were trembling. She did not dare to touch her.
She called out two or three times, but the person kneeling with her head lowered gave not the slightest reaction. Ling Qingyue swallowed her sobs, suddenly rose, and leveled her sword at Lou Wudu. "Lou Wudu! You deserve to die!"
Lou Wudu could no longer control her expression. Cold fury erupted as she raged, "You are the ones who deserve to die!"
She lifted her sword to advance, but Ling Qingyue shifted the tip of her blade and aimed it squarely at the crystal coffin.
Lou Wudu stopped dead in her tracks and fixed Ling Qingyue with a venomous glare. "Ling Qingyue, don't you dare!"
Ling Qingyue thrust her sword forward another inch. "Watch me!"
Lou Wudu laughed coldly. "If you dare harm Yanchun, I will kill everyone. Not just the people here, but every single one outside as well."
She knew Ling Qingyue had a soft heart and would not act so rashly.
As she spoke, her gaze swept over those present. Suddenly, her eyes froze. She furrowed her brow, puzzlement rising within. "Xiao Yue? Why are you here?"
Her expression gradually darkened. A suspicion had already formed in her mind.
Yue Shouming acted as though she had not heard anything. She raised a hand and stroked the crystal coffin, letting out a low laugh that went on and on.
"The Torch Dragon's Heart Crystal can gather lost souls. How wonderful. Your sister's scattered soul can be gathered. Then what about my sister? How is she supposed to come back?"
"They told you everything?" Lou Wudu said.
Yue Shouming laughed until tears streamed down her face. She slammed her palm hard against the crystal coffin. The coffin body instantly erupted with countless cracks, and the soul inside was affected as well.
Lou Wudu's eyes constricted. She barked sharply, "Xiao Yue!"
"Don't call me that!" Yue Shouming whipped her head around to face her. She could not see, but she could still perceive spiritual energy and knew exactly where Lou Wudu was.
"Lou Wudu, do you think I only found out about these things because they told me? Do you think I'm that stupid? Kept in the dark and deceived by you for over a hundred years!?"
Yue Shouming raised a hand and touched her own eyes. "When you used demonic blood to dissolve my sister's soul and cover up the Heavenly Punishment she had suffered, did you ever think that one day you would be deceived the same way?"
The coldness in Lou Wudu's eyes deepened degree by degree. "You knew all along? Since when?"
"Since the day my sister's body was sent back to the Yue family."
A flicker of shock passed through Lou Wudu's eyes, then disbelief. "This whole thing was a trap you set?"
From the moment Ling Qingyue returned to life in Linshui Town and Liu Qingtang was discovered, she had known someone was trying to oppose her. She had even wondered who was behind it, nearly suspecting Wang Changming herself. But never, ever would she have thought it was Yue Shouming, who had been at her side all along.
"Lou Wudu, you wanted to resurrect your sister, but you could never find the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart. You had your sights on the Yue family, didn't you? Since I could no longer use the Heavenly Divination Art, you wanted to use the Yue family disciples."
"You probably don't know this, but the whereabouts of the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart were divined by my sister over a hundred years ago." Yue Shouming slammed another palm against the crystal coffin, screaming through her tears. "She was afraid you would act rashly and go up against the Formless Demon Lord, so she didn't tell you! That's why she decided to go to the Great Wilderness, to evade the Heavenly Dao and search for another way!"
"Bang!"
The thunderous sound erupted, and the crystal coffin burst apart.
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