Chapter 228: Could Wu Ya Zi Live a Second Life?

Li Qiushui smiled.

The laughter made Ding Chunqiu deeply uncomfortable, but Ding Chunqiu had long known this woman's temperament—he covered his face, bowed his head, and said nothing.

The Old Witch of Tian Shan glanced at Wang Lady and Wang Yuyan, then fell into sullen silence.

"Mother!"

Upon seeing Li Qiushui, Wang Lady immediately moved forward, eager to throw herself into Li Qiushui's arms.

"A Luo is already this grown?"

Li Qiushui studied Li Qingluo, examined her features, nodded, and drew her into her embrace; as she lifted her, she felt Li Qingluo's entire body icy cold—not from Xiao Wu Xiang Gong—and asked in surprise: "A Luo, why haven't you practiced Xiao Wu Xiang Gong?"

Li Qiushui had left Xiao Wu Xiang Gong at the Manuo Manor specifically to pass it on to Li Qingluo.

Wang Lady blinked and said: "It's for preserving youth."

During this time, the Old Witch of Tian Shan had pressured her excessively; for safety's sake, Gu Qing had been forced to help Wang Lady reach the Eighth Level of Mingyu, achieving a balance of yin and yang, hoping she could survive a sudden encounter with the Old Witch.

Li Qiushui studied Li Qingluo's expression, noticing a faint chill in her eyebrows—truly a look of frozen youth.

"Grandmother."

At this moment, Wang Yuyan also spoke the title.

Li Qiushui nodded, her gaze sweeping over Wang Yuyan, seeing in her the reflection of her own self from decades past.

"You seem gloomy—do you have something on your mind?"

Li Qiushui asked.

Having not seen her daughter for years, and meeting her granddaughter for the first time, Li Qiushui noticed Wang Yuyan's unhappiness and wished to soothe her, as she might soothe herself.

"I have no worries."

Wang Yuyan said coolly: "I only wish to enter the Valley of Deaf and Dumb as soon as possible."

Wang Yuyan wanted to resolve this matter quickly, then sever ties with Gu Qing and Wang Lady.

Li Qiushui stroked Wang Lady's hair; though her face was veiled, the rounded chin and pale neck revealed her age to be merely thirty or forty—standing beside Wang Lady, they looked like sisters. After studying both Wang Lady and Wang Yuyan, Li Qiushui commanded: "Open the gate!"

The bamboo grove rustled wildly, as if concealing an array; after Li Qiushui's sharp cry, several rows of bamboo fell with a crash, and the path instantly became clear.

The Old Witch of Tian Shan and Li Qiushui both snorted, each entering the Valley of Deaf and Dumb.

"Sigh…"

Ding Chunqiu resignedly closed his eyes.

As the group entered the valley, they saw many pine trees and three wooden huts; there sat Su Xinghe, a withered old man. The Eight Friends of Han Gu immediately approached him with A Bi, paying their respects; Su Xinghe then bowed to the Old Witch of Tian Shan and Li Qiushui, and upon seeing Ding Chunqiu, let out a cold snort.

The Xiaoyao Sect had one rule: the leader must be the strongest.

Back then, Wu Ya Zi was stronger than the Old Witch of Tian Shan, so he became the sect leader; but Wu Ya Zi, having studied widely, took on Su Xinghe and Ding Chunqiu as disciples, insisting on teaching them all his ultimate arts, and declaring that the sect leader must possess comprehensive mastery.

Su Xinghe learned everything, while Ding Chunqiu falsely claimed lack of talent, focusing solely on martial arts; after Ding Chunqiu pushed Wu Ya Zi off the cliff, Su Xinghe had no choice but to feign deafness and muteness for many years.

"Rascal!"

The Old Witch of Tian Shan rushed into the hut and saw Wu Ya Zi seated there, his face like a jade crown, beard black and handsome—she cried out again.

"Sister, you've come."

Wu Ya Zi looked at the Old Witch of Tian Shan and spoke her title, as if recalling the past.

"Brother…" Li Qiushui stood nearby, her eyes glistening, tears on the verge of falling.

When Wu Ya Zi saw Li Qiushui, he nodded gently and said: "Little sister, you've come too."

"Brother."

The Old Witch of Tian Shan, seeing Wu Ya Zi's crippled state, said with pity: "I've brought Ding Chunqiu to you—just as he injured you back then, we'll injure him the same way now!"

Wu Ya Zi nodded at the Old Witch of Tian Shan and said: "That traitorous disciple has grown powerful, and Xinghe has been led astray by me—he can never defeat Ding Chunqiu. For thirty years, I've been searching for another disciple to kill Ding Chunqiu."

As Wu Ya Zi, the Old Witch of Tian Shan, and Li Qiushui spoke, Gu Qing, Wang Yuyan, Wang Lady, and Mu Wanqing all gathered around; Wang Lady, upon seeing Wu Ya Zi, was deeply moved, while Wang Yuyan, never having met her grandparents, stood silently watching.

"Brother."

Li Qiushui said gently: "Look at Qingluo—she's grown so fast."

The Old Witch of Tian Shan was playing the gratitude card; Li Qiushui was playing the family card.

Wu Ya Zi looked at Li Qingluo and nodded gently: "Yes, she's already this grown."

!

"Wretched woman, you stole Ding Chunqiu back then and didn't cherish him—what's left to say now?"

The Old Witch of Tian Shan, seeing them reconnect, flew into a rage.

At the mention of the green hat, Wu Ya Zi's earlier warmth faded; his gaze toward Li Qiushui grew heavy with unspoken gloom.

"Brother, I was wrong—I truly know it."

Li Qiushui knelt before Wu Ya Zi, speaking softly: "I feared you'd kill me, so I joined Ding Chunqiu to push you off the cliff—but I immediately regretted it, brother. In the Wuliang Cave, I left the secret manual of Bei Ming Shen Gong, hoping someone would use your arts to kill Ding Chunqiu."

Li Qiushui spoke gently, tears welling, appearing truly repentant.

"Brother, look at Yuyan—she's our granddaughter. Look at her face—doesn't she resemble me from back then?"

Li Qiushui coaxed gently.

Wu Ya Zi's gaze turned to Wang Yuyan, studying her features, recalling the joy of his days in Wuliang Cave: "Little sister, I've always wanted to find a young talent and send him to Wuliang Cave so you could teach him martial arts."

This woman, Li Qiushui, always softened when facing a man—and if the man was handsome, she became even more submissive.

That was why Wu Ya Zi had insisted on inviting Duan Zhengchun to the Zhenlong Chess Puzzle—he knew old Duan's roguish charm could soothe Li Qiushui.

This carried strong overtones of self-inflicted green hat.

Li Qiushui immediately understood Wu Ya Zi had forgiven her; she leaned against him, whispering softly: "All those handsome young men from back then—I killed them all."

Wu Ya Zi smiled and nodded.

The Old Witch of Tian Shan felt she wasn't bizarre enough—she was utterly out of place among these two.

"Actually, Yuyan is different from the jade statue."

Gu Qing, seeing the old master about to revive his second youth, quickly spoke: "The jade statue has a black spot; Yuyan is flawless."

Though spoken as an expression of affection toward Wang Yuyan, these words caused the faces of the Old Witch of Tian Shan, Li Qiushui, and Wu Ya Zi to change.

Under the stares of the Old Witch of Tian Shan and Li Qiushui, Wu Ya Zi actually blushed.

Back then, Little Li was not yet old.

Gu Qing smiled inwardly—still hoping to live a second life?

Let me send you straight to social death!

(End of Chapter)