Chapter 26: Not an Outside Enemy

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Chapter 26: Not the Enemy Outside

“Hongying!”

Fu Qiushui appeared beside Fu Hongying like a ghost and began chattering away.

“Just listen to your aunt and go back to meet that old ancestor of the Azure Cloud Sect. Why not have a proper romance with him?”

At this, Fu Qiushui grew visibly excited. Her eyes shone brightly, and the moment she thought of that invincible Transcendent Realm powerhouse, her voice rose several pitches.

“Hongying, a man as outstanding as him can surely take a few more companions. Besides, the matter of taking a concubine has fallen through, so he’s still all alone. If you go back soon, you can be with him. Even if anyone else comes along, they’ll have to wait their turn!”

“What a scoundrel. I don’t want to be with him!”

Fu Hongying gave a cold snort.

Her voice was as frigid as a thousand-year-old glacier, yet after saying those words, ripples appeared in her autumn-clear eyes.

Ever since returning to the Fu family from the Azure Cloud Sect, Fu Hongying had been torn by conflicting emotions, plagued by gains and losses, and living each day in profound remorse.

Whenever she closed her eyes, that bloody scene rose before her. Wang Ye’s tragic gaze before his death had left her unable to sleep or eat in peace.

If it had been her who had taken a sword and carved pieces of flesh from her own body before finally ending her life—

She did not think she would have possessed such courage.

Yet Wang Ye had done precisely that in order to win her forgiveness.

Although she did not know how he had managed to come back to life, Fu Hongying had already felt, with terrible clarity, the agony of death.

Her returning disciple had also told her that she had been afflicted with the Seven-Star Soul-Breaking Poison.

The poison was terrifying. Without its antidote, she would never awaken for the rest of her life.

“Sigh. Aside from being a bit of a scoundrel, Wang Ye really isn’t a bad person…”

Gazing at the bustling crowd in the distance, Fu Hongying’s icy heart softened.

In essence, she and Wang Ye had merely shared a romance. Both of them had given something, and neither owed the other anything.

Wang Ye had sacrificed so much for her. How much had she ever sacrificed for him?

At that thought, guilt rose in Fu Hongying’s heart, and her mind grew even more troubled.

Seeing that her niece’s tone had softened somewhat, Fu Qiushui was overjoyed and hurriedly pressed her advantage.

“Hongying, I know you’re still angry, aren’t you? There’s no need to rush. Think it over carefully. After a few days, I’ll take you to the Azure Cloud Sect.”

Fu Hongying said nothing.

Fu Qiushui took her by the hand and led her to the third floor of a nearby teahouse. They sat beside the window, ordered a pot of tea, and drank while admiring Moonfall City’s prosperous streets.

After taking a sip, Fu Qiushui set down her cup and suddenly sighed. Her expression turned solemn as she transmitted her voice.

“If you go to the Azure Cloud Sect this time, Hongying, don’t come back to the Fu family again.”

Hearing her aunt speak through voice transmission in such a grave tone, Fu Hongying’s heart tightened.

“Aunt, what has happened to the Fu family?”

“Nothing.”

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Fu Qiushui shook her head and gave a desolate smile.

“You must remain in the Azure Cloud Sect. Under no circumstances are you to return to Youzhou.”

“Is the Fu family about to face an invasion by a powerful enemy?”

Fu Hongying frowned.

The Fu family did have several hostile enemies, but its strength was formidable now, and it was not a family anyone dared provoke. Surely those enemies would not dare make a move.

“It isn’t an enemy from outside.”

Fu Qiushui’s voice abruptly fell silent. She lifted her teacup and began taking small sips, her expression heavy with hidden worries.

Fu Hongying’s mood grew solemn.

Her aunt’s words had already pointed to one possibility: the force threatening her life came from within the Fu family itself.

Confusion filled Fu Hongying’s heart.

She had lived within the Fu family all her life. She had always been on good terms with her relatives and had never made an enemy of anyone.

Who, then, wanted her dead?

From her aunt’s manner, it seemed that even a highly respected supreme expert of the Fu family was completely powerless to stop it.

In silence, Fu Hongying set down her teacup, her worries growing heavier by the moment.

“Hm?”

She suddenly paused, and her eyes lit up. But almost immediately, the light faded.

On the street below, she had seen that scoundrel from the Azure Cloud Sect.

At this moment, a beautiful young woman accompanied him. The girl’s figure was so full and striking that it far surpassed her own.

A surge of fury rose within Fu Hongying.

“Scoundrel!”

She snorted coldly, a layer of frost settling over her handsome face.

Scoundrel?

Sensing that something was wrong with her niece, Fu Qiushui immediately turned her head. At once, she spotted Chen Ping’an.

“It’s that senior…”

The moment she saw Chen Ping’an, Fu Qiushui’s eyes brightened. Respect appeared in her expression, and excitement spread through her entire being.

“Hongying, he must have come looking for you. Hurry and go down!”

“There’s a woman beside him. I’m not going to humiliate myself.”

Fu Hongying lifted her head proudly. Under the sunlight, her snow-white chin gleamed with crystalline radiance. At that moment, she resembled an arrogant swan, enough to make any ordinary man in the world lose the courage to pursue her.

“Hongying, listen to your aunt…”

Seeing how stubborn her niece was being, Fu Qiushui was not angry. She remained patient and continued persuading her in a low voice.

…

“Ancestor, would you like some candied hawthorn?”

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Xia Xiaoliang chewed on a steamed bun as she walked with a lively bounce, casually buying two skewers of candied hawthorn.

Chen Ping’an accepted one skewer and ate as he walked, his eyes filled with emotion.

He had not visited Moonfall City for more than a century, yet the place remained as prosperous and bustling as ever, as though the passage of time had left no mark upon it.

“Ancestor, the Red Cloud Cult Master seems to like you, doesn’t she?”

While eating her candied hawthorn, Xia Xiaoliang quickly overtook Chen Ping’an. She suddenly turned around and asked with a mischievous smile in a lowered voice.

“Is that so? Why haven’t I noticed?”

Chen Ping’an rubbed his nose.

If this had been the Taotie Saintess of years ago, with her fierce temper, how could she possibly have tolerated another woman standing beside him?

He gazed at the dazzling young girl a short distance away. Her round, bun-like face was smooth and radiant, carrying an indescribably innocent smile. His vision blurred for a moment, and Chen Ping’an let out a soft sigh.

The flowers fall despite all efforts; familiar swallows return once more.

That was more or less the state of his heart at this moment.

Over ten thousand years, he had experienced far too much.

There were certain people and certain things he no longer wished to think about for the rest of his life.

Licking the ice from her candied hawthorn, Xia Xiaoliang chuckled and said something astonishing.

“Ancestor, you could represent our Azure Cloud Sect and marry into the Five Poisons Divine Cult. Then our Azure Cloud Sect would become even stronger!”

“Stop dreaming, little girl.”

Chen Ping’an reached out and rubbed her bun-like head in exasperation before striding forward.

“This girl is quite something. She’s truly beautiful, and that figure of hers is especially impressive…”

Not far away, atop a restaurant, a white-robed young man gazed down at the street, a trace of heated desire in his eyes.

“Young Master, those two are dressed so plainly. They probably have no significant background. Shall I go capture that girl for you?”

Beside him, a man wearing a mask shaped like a ghost smiled.

“Just what I had in mind.”

The white-robed young man laughed heartily.

The masked man nodded and gave a light wave of his hand. Several figures flew out of the restaurant and landed steadily in the street.

“Ancestor, be careful!”

Seeing several men in black descend from the sky and block their path, Xia Xiaoliang drew her sword and stepped in front of Chen Ping’an, her expression turning cold.

The black-clad leader folded his arms across his chest and gave a sinister grin.

“Little girl, our young master would like to invite you for tea. Come with us obediently.”

“No!”

Xia Xiaoliang rejected him without the slightest hesitation.

“Tsk, tsk…”

Chen Ping’an walked forward with his hands clasped behind his back. Looking at the men in black, he gave them a mocking smile.

“Is public safety in Moonfall City really this poor? You dare abduct people in broad daylight?”

End of Chapter