Chapter 109: Is This Fair?

Pei Chuyun's heart was filled with despair.

If someone had told her that "the last time" was called a flag and shouldn't be set casually, she certainly wouldn't have come.

She could think of why Meng Guan wouldn't participate in the Huo Lu battle, and couldn't imagine what power Lu Xingzhou still had available, yet she never expected that her own appearance was precisely what caused Meng Guan to participate again; that power had always been there.

Worldly affairs change according to changes in circumstances; there is no rule that one who wouldn't act initially must never act. This was the lesson the young demoness, fresh from the nest, learned at the bitter price of being captured, but the young demoness didn't know if she would have the life to use this lesson.

As soon as her vital points were sealed, A'nuo excitedly pulled out a hemp rope and tied her up tightly, then grabbed a sticky rice cake and stuffed it into her mouth.

Pei Chuyun angrily bit down on the sticky rice cake, glaring at A'nuo without speaking.

Is this how you humiliate someone? Trying to gag me with a sticky rice cake? What do you take me for?

A'nuo said, "Sister, you misunderstood. I'm asking you to eat something. Are you hungry?"

Pei Chuyun chewed with her mouth moving, letting out a "Hmph" and turning her head away as if facing death.

Over there, Lu Xingzhou sealed her points but didn't pay her any further attention; his first move was to grab Huo Lu, who was rolling on the ground, and punch him in the chest.

"Crack-crack-crack" came the sound of bones shattering; Huo Lu's eyes widened in pain, his entire skeleton shattered, his dantian broken, clearly ruined.

"Is this all Fourth Brother has?" Lu Xingzhou smiled as he patted his face: "Very impressive when bullying children, but why do you fall apart when fighting an adult?"

Huo Lu's mouth was full of blood; he glared at him hatefully and mumbled unclearly: "You... aren't afraid... of Father..."

"Yo..." Lu Xingzhou slapped him across the face again, knocking out two teeth: "Take care of yourself first."

Huo Lu was in too much pain to even find the strength to speak.

Uncle Lin above noticed the sudden change below, frantically shook off Jing Ge, and rushed down, but it was already too late.

Meng Guan had captured the evil infant, using one hand to block Uncle Lin. The surrounding prefectural guard units were vaguely visible, completely surrounding the area: "Mr. Lin, do not go mad. You conspired with the demonic cultivator Huo Lu; there are countless witnesses. Let us discuss this slowly in the great prison."

Huo Lu still couldn't speak; Uncle Lin's eyes widened as he angrily shouted: "We don't know this demonic cultivator woman at all!"

"So the infant ghost has nothing to do with you either?"

Uncle Lin opened his mouth but couldn't answer.

Denying it now is easy, but the infant ghost has already been captured; once the soul is searched, everything will be exposed. At the very least, Huo Lu instructing the infant ghost to kill Lu Xingzhou is as solid as a nail in a board.

Meng Guan sneered: "Take them all away! Before Your Majesty, I must properly question Grand Preceptor Huo on how he raised his descendants!"

Lu Xingzhou smiled as he searched Huo Lu's body, finally removing his ring and tossing the paralyzed Huo Lu to Meng Guan: "The spoils of war belong to me, no problem?"

Meng Guan looked at him deeply: "Mr., do not rush to leave; I still have matters to discuss with Mr. Lu."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "I actually have matters that prevent me from leaving anyway. Prefect, arrange a place for me to stay?"

Meng Guan looked at Pei Chuyun with a strange expression; theoretically, he should take this demonic cultivator away too, but at this moment everyone knew Lu Xingzhou wanted to "enjoy the spoils of war," and only a fool would argue with him over such a thing, so he smiled slightly: "I will leave a guard to take Mr. Lu to arrange a quiet room. However, Mr. Lu should be careful; the women of the Chana Harmony Sect are not so easy to enjoy... Don't let it happen that when I need to find Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu is gone..."

"Ahem, Prefect my lord, rest assured..."

Huo Lu, Shadow, Uncle Lin, and those third-grade guards who hadn't been able to help at all during the battle were all arrested and taken to the great prison.

Jing Ge landed before Lu Xingzhou with a complex expression: "So helping you beat Huo Lu really lets me see the infant ghost again. Good thing I trusted you and didn't make a bet, otherwise I'd have lost even my underwear."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "What are your plans for the future, Brother Jing?"

"Are you trying to trick me into joining Tianxing Sword Sect?"

"I won't hide it from Brother Jing; that is indeed my meaning."

"Forget it. I carry the identity of a wanted man, which would be disadvantageous to you... Besides, I don't want to be trapped in one place just for cultivation; that is not my wish."

Lu Xingzhou nodded, not forcing the issue, and clasped his hands: "Then I wish Brother Jing travels the world and fulfills his own Dao. Perhaps we may meet again in the Jianghu; when that time comes, I will treat Brother Jing to wine."

Jing Ge laughed heartily: "When that time comes, I will treat you to wine. We shall meet again!"

"We shall meet again."

The man with the long sword on his back leaped into the air and departed; Lu Xingzhou watched him disappear into the horizon before turning his head with a smile to look at Pei Chuyun.

Pei Chuyun, tied up tightly, angrily turned her head away.

The prefect's personal guard beside them smiled: "Mr. Lu, the quiet room is ready; please follow me."

Inside the quiet room, the incense and candles were warm.

Pei Chuyun, bound hand and foot, was thrown onto the bed.

Lu Xingzhou sat beside her with a smile, reaching into her bosom to rummage.

Pei Chuyun bit her lower lip, glaring at him hatefully.

Lu Xingzhou pulled out the poetry collection, flipped through two pages, and shook his head gently: "Indeed, it is very mediocre."

Pei Chuyun said nothing.

Lu Xingzhou casually placed the poetry collection by the pillow, tilted his head to examine her for a long while: "Your original appearance is even more beautiful than Miss A'nuo. Miss A'nuo is already considered a thousand charms and a hundred graces; your original appearance... saying it could topple nations and cities is not an exaggeration."

Pei Chuyun's eyes rolled, and she simply spoke in a seductive voice: "Since I have fallen into your hands... the strong devour the weak; this humble one is willing to offer her pillow and mat."

"Huh? What do you think I want to do?" Lu Xingzhou's hand swept over Shanfeng: "Like this?"

Pei Chuyun gritted her teeth and spoke in a seductive voice: "Doesn't Mr. want to?"

Lu Xingzhou said: "You are dreaming."

Pei Chuyun: "?"

"Trying to trick me into harmonizing with you, only to be controlled or turned into a dried corpse?"

Pei Chuyun felt something strange in her heart.

You fear this? Then you could have ruined me first. Don't tell me someone as smart as you hasn't even thought of this?

As if seeing what she was thinking, Lu Xingzhou said leisurely: "Truly never thought of it... couldn't bear to."

Pei Chuyun: "..."

"Hey, I ask you, during the battle in the temple guest courtyard, why didn't you act?"

Pei Chuyun finally dropped her feigned seductive manner and said gloomily: "You were prepared."

"Then I was prepared for this battle too." Lu Xingzhou smiled: "It's because you also feel that people like the infant ghost shouldn't be alive, right?"

To be honest, Pei Chuyun really didn't know why; somehow, she actually retorted: "You judged Hongfa Temple to be a nest of Infant Ghosts simply because I casually mentioned wanting to visit Hongfa Temple?"

"Of course. Even if you had researched the attractions beforehand, given your identity as a Witch, how could you possibly choose to visit a temple first? Buddha-light has a certain suppressing effect on your kind; you should have subconsciously avoided it. Saying you wanted to visit a famous tower or garden would have been far more normal. The moment I heard that, I figured there was likely something wrong."

"But the premise is that you know Ah Su is me. Where did I slip up?"

Lu Xingzhou pulled out an embroidered shoe: "It told me."

Pei Chuyun's face flushed like blood: "Give it back!"

"Then I'm at a loss. What will you use to exchange for it?"

Pei Chuyun had long since given up; in fact, the moment she was caught, she hadn't expected to remain chaste: "I can't resist you. If you want to do something, can I stop you?"

Lu Xingzhou indeed reached his hand under the hem of her clothes.

Pei Chuyun's body trembled as she bit down hard on her silver teeth.

But she discovered Lu Xingzhou was reaching behind her; he loosened the ties at the back of her dudou, then brought them around to the front and gave a tug.

Pei Chuyun: "?"

A dudou was quietly pulled out; it was pink.

"Exchanging this is about right." Lu Xingzhou solemnly put away the dudou and returned the shoe to her: "Here, yours."

Pei Chuyun: "..."

Somehow, she actually wanted to laugh, yet her face burned hot, her neck turning red as well.

Lu Xingzhou stretched, naturally leaning against the headboard beside her, casually putting an arm around her shoulders and chatting like a young couple: "I had someone investigate you. Unfortunately, the money was wasted; the information I received left me very unsatisfied. This only proves one thing: even within the Nü Hehuan Sect, your information is a secret, and most people are completely unaware."

Pei Chuyun leaned helplessly against his shoulder, held by him, bewildered by this natural, casual atmosphere: "What do you want to say?"

"This isn't an attitude for cultivating a Holy Maiden... You repeatedly risk yourself alone, which is even less like someone holding high authority." Lu Xingzhou said: "What are your own thoughts on this matter?"

Pei Chuyun's expression was strange and inexplicable: "Do you mean you want to help me succeed?"

I am bound hand and foot, my hands tied behind my back, and then you act as if we are very close, hugging me and saying you want to help me?

Are you sick?

Lu Xingzhou answered naturally: "I need to know your situation first before I can say what my thoughts are."

Pei Chuyun fell silent for a moment, then slowly said: "The sect cultivated me in the name of a Holy Maiden. My status is noble, resources are abundant, yet no authority was granted to me. I can't order anyone around, nor can I build authority. As we discussed during the day, creating a talented lady identity while secretly being the Hehuan Holy Maiden is a common practice from past years... But when I proposed this, my master rejected it. I cannot understand why."

Lu Xingzhou gazed at the ceiling in thought: "This operation can roughly only be understood as not wanting you to attract too much attention... Do you know your origins?"

"I don't. Memories from before a few years old are very blurry."

"Have you considered that you are a daughter of the Pei family, stolen by the Nü Hehuan Sect?"

"I have considered it. I also investigated the Pei family in secret; no child was lost."

Lu Xingzhou shook his head: "That is not necessarily so... A magpie swaps the Crown Prince; even the Pei family might not know."

Pei Chuyun said: "Then what is the point of doing this? Moreover, if that were the case, they should have changed my name. Why keep the surname Pei?"

"It requires investigation; random guessing is meaningless." Lu Xingzhou said: "I am going to the capital this time and need to stay for quite a long while. You can go with me to investigate."

"No..." Pei Chuyun simply couldn't hold back and asked: "What exactly is our relationship?"

Lu Xingzhou finally smiled: "The relationship where you want to take revenge on me but keep failing. Actually, after thinking left and right, I also feel we have no deep hatred."

Pei Chuyun gritted her teeth.

Wrong, we do.

Lu Xingzhou turned his head, his lips lightly kissing her ear: "Actually... if you hadn't just seized my Jianjing acupoint, but had directly used your ultimate technique to kill me, I might not have been able to cope. My hard strength is far inferior to yours."

A wave of numbness and itching spread; Pei Chuyun's breathing began to quicken: "I... I should have killed you..."

"Regardless of what you were thinking, whether you wanted to capture me or tame me, since you didn't deal a killing blow, it counts as showing mercy. Naturally, I will accept that kindness." Lu Xingzhou gently stroked her body, speaking slowly: "You only wanted to capture me, so I only captured you. Does that count as even?"

Pei Chuyun, made weak all over by his touch, gritted her teeth and said: "Then what are you doing now?"

"Having finally caught a witch who could topple nations and cities, I must gain something, right? Do I look like a fool to you?"

Pei Chuyun had no words.

Lu Xingzhou asked again: "Hey, if you had caught me, would you have drained my essence?"

"No!" Pei Chuyun gritted her teeth: "My chastity will not be wasted on this!"

"Then rest assured." Lu Xingzhou continued touching: "Since you won't, I won't either. Isn't that fair?"

Pei Chuyun was so angry she almost broke through the acupoints: "I would rather you would!"

(End of this chapter)