Chapter 23: Questions Never Considered Before
“Young Mistress.”
When Luo Hongyu came back to her senses, Gu Jing had already finished examining Shen Huai’s corpse, her cyan sword outfit stained with blood.
“There’s something strange about Shen Huai’s death, and… not all leads are necessarily lost. The Crescent Moon Sect’s Su Huanhuan might still have information.”
“Mm.”
“You needn’t worry too much, Young Mistress. Luohe… isn’t one to get into trouble easily.”
“…Mm.”
Yes, Luo Hongyu herself knew this better than anyone.
Wasn’t Luohe always disappearing from her side for a few days at a time? How was this time any different?
Luo Hongyu still didn’t know what Luohe was doing or why he disappeared, because she didn’t care.
But this time, she wondered why Luohe, facing such a major problem, didn’t try to tell her about it.
Then she immediately realized—what use would telling her be?
Could she help him? Or could the distant Tianzhen Sword Sect help him?
Besides, he had never told her about these things before, so why would he tell her now?
What was she… in his heart?
This brief conversation with Huoxin forced Luo Hongyu to confront many questions she hadn’t noticed before—or had deliberately ignored.
Who was Luohe? What was his identity? What was his background? And most importantly, what Huoxin had asked…
Why did he stay by her side?
She had been curious before, but before that curiosity could be satisfied, the feeling changed to disgust, and even a trace of fear she herself hadn’t noticed.
These emotions made her deliberately avoid, deliberately ignore these questions.
Hastily, she had drawn a conclusion she considered relatively reasonable—one that allowed her to continue hating him justifiably.
That he was born with defects, was her father’s illegitimate son, was her brother.
But the argument she had used to convince herself for over a decade began to wobble when Gu Jing explained about the Hong Yu; and today, when confronting Huoxin, its foundation completely crumbled.
The questions she had ignored for so many years needed to be faced now.
“Senior Sister Gu.”
Luo Hongyu looked at the Deer Orchid Sword in her hand. From its hilt came the familiar, trusted feeling she had always known.
Her sword heart could see through swords, but not through people.
“Shen Huai said that Luohe should hate me to the bone.”
“He said he personally gave the Demon Relic to Luohe because he thought it was an opportunity for Luohe—a chance to kill me.”
“Why is that?”
Luo Hongyu raised her head, her eyes flowing with nameless emotions.
“I know I haven’t been particularly tolerant or considerate toward Luohe, but what have I done that would make him want to kill me?”
“And what exactly is the relationship between my Hong Yu and Luohe?”
“…”
Finally, it had come to this.
Gu Jing didn’t know if what she now faced was a release.
The secret of Luohe and Luo Hongyu that she had been keeping all this time had reached the moment when Luo Hongyu would unearth it herself.
The Young Mistress certainly wouldn’t know that this was an unsolvable spiral corridor—the more she dug, the more pain she would feel.
And Gu Jing would be the guardian of this corridor.
This was her own choice.
“Young Mistress, all answers will be revealed after the Ascension Trial.”
“Senior Sister Gu, that day when I punished Luohe, you were protecting him. It’s always been that way.”
“But now, you seem quite composed.”
“Is there some reason I cannot harm him?”
“My answer remains the same, Young Mistress.”
“Fine.”
Luo Hongyu nodded, looked again at the Hong Yu at her waist, and then put away the Deer Orchid Sword.
“Let’s go find Su Huanhuan.”
“With both Xiao Yang and Shen Huai dead, the Star Moon Pavilion may cause us considerable trouble.”
“Then let them come. For now, we find Luohe first.”
Luo Hongyu said indifferently.
She stopped halfway, turned back to look at Gu Jing.
“Senior Sister Gu, have you ever done anything that you deeply regret now?”
This question struck Gu Jing like lightning. She froze, never expecting Luo Hongyu to ask her such a thing.
After a moment of silence, she lowered her eyes, her smile revealing traces of cold despair.
“I don’t know, Young Mistress, I don’t know…”
“Is that so.”
…
The heavy night seemed like a flowing river.
Flute sounds came from the distance as a rocking boat rode the night, ferrying across like a ghost.
Huoxin sat in the cabin, still with that indistinct silhouette whose appearance couldn’t be clearly seen.
After discovering that Luo Hongyu wasn’t affected by the demon seed, Huoxin understood that the name Shen Huai could no longer be used.
An identity she had carefully cultivated for so long was now discarded because of Luohe… It was truly frustrating.
Had she known, she wouldn’t have gone beyond her orders at the Water Lord Ceremony. She had overthought things.
Now, with the demon seed wasted and Shen Huai’s identity lost, trying to deal with Luo Hongyu from the shadows again would be as difficult as climbing to heaven.
Sigh, but who could have guessed that Luohe would swallow the demon seed himself… He must be crazy. This task was truly difficult.
Moreover, she had thought that even if the demon seed couldn’t be used on Luo Hongyu, eliminating Luohe would still make it somewhat useful.
But after hearing from Luo Hongyu that Luohe was missing… she became uncertain of this thought.
Normally, after knowing the power of the demon seed inside him, his natural reaction should have been to quickly find a way to solve this problem.
Yet now he had gone missing… Although the reason was unclear, Huoxin had to pessimistically assume that Luohe had likely found that solution and was trying to resolve the issue.
She also thought of Su Huanhuan, who had appeared with Luohe at the Water Lord Ceremony…
Huoxin frowned.
She didn’t know what relationship Su Huanhuan had with him, but even if she was willing to pass on her techniques to him, it shouldn’t be enough… The power of the demon seed was no small matter.
Clearly, Huoxin wasn’t aware of the killing energy in Luohe’s body.
This was something only those who had observed Luohe’s internal condition, like Gu Jing and Su Huanhuan, could see.
Ah, how difficult, how difficult.
While thinking this, Huoxin tapped the head of the flute-playing child beside her. The child smiled, and a dead soul controlled by Huoxin flew out of the yin flute, floating to Huoxin’s side.
“Ha… Go tell those people of the Demon Sect that the demon seed failed, was wasted. Tell them to think of another plan. I did my best.”
Having received the order, the dead soul immediately disappeared into the night shadows.
Although she said this, she still needed to prepare for the next step. Otherwise, the favor she owed under heaven’s witness wouldn’t be easy to repay.
The relationship between Luo Hongyu and Luohe might be a good entry point, but how should she proceed… Oh?
Huoxin suddenly had a mental stirring. She waved her hand to put away the yin boat beneath her and stood on the shore of the Point of No Return.
She smiled toward the front, at the white fox mask that appeared strikingly in the darkness.
“So it’s you. Do you know that many people are looking for you right now?”
“…”
…