Chapter 108

If we go by Pei Qingyan's account, the Joyous Union Sect killed her mother, and she has been serving the enemy as a father for eighteen years in the sect?

For a moment, Pei Chuyun lost her train of thought, and her mind was in chaos.

Her small hand suddenly fell into a warm palm. Lu Xingzhou squeezed it calmly. Pei Chuyun turned to look at him, and Lu Xingzhou blinked, signaling her not to panic.

Pei Chuyun's heart immediately calmed down. No matter what the specifics of this matter were, Lu Xingzhou definitely had an analysis in his mind. Now was not the time to talk; she could discuss it with him properly later.

Thinking of this, she put on a smile and sighed softly: "That's a pity."

The look in Pei Qingyan's eyes as he watched her was also indescribably kind, as if a sealed memory was rippling in his heart, but it wasn't the right occasion to express it, and he seemed to want to say something several times.

Pei Yu looked at his father and then at "A'lv," his expression becoming strange.

They were clearly here to invite Lu Xingzhou to discuss the Huo family matter, so why did the focus seem to be off...

Could it really be a debt of romance his father had years ago? An illegitimate daughter showing up at the door?

"Cough." Pei Yu finally coughed, trying to steer the topic back: "Um, Brother Lu... the matter of Huo Lu colluding with the Infant Ghost will be tried by the relevant authorities in a few days. As the person involved, you might be summoned."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "Brother Pei invited me to a family banquet, it shouldn't just be for this, right? You should just say it clearly if there's anything you need me to do."

Pei Yu said: "Brother Lu should know that the mere matter of Huo Lu can only ensure his own downfall, but it's not fatal to the Huo family. Even if we know that the collusion with the demonic cultivator might not have been Huo Lu's own doing—how would he have known the Infant Ghost when he first arrived in Menggui City? It's very likely that the Infant Ghost was a dog raised by the Huo family, and they might even have raised more than one. We are attacking the Huo father and son from this angle, but we lack solid evidence. If it only ends with Huo Lu, it would be a real pity."

Lu Xingzhou shook his head: "If we're talking about this, I can't provide solid evidence that the Huo family raises demonic cultivators. It would be more practical to search the Infant Ghost's soul."

"That's the problem. Governor Meng tried a shallow search of the Infant Ghost's soul, but found that his master was the Joyous Union Saintess, and it had nothing to do with the Huo family. Now we don't know if the Joyous Union Saintess is colluding with the Huo family or what. Governor Meng doesn't dare to search the soul deeply for fear of destroying it, so he's in a dilemma. Governor Meng sent us a message saying that finding you, Brother Lu, might be of some use."

Lu Xingzhou: "..."

Pei Chuyun's pretty face turned red.

Meng Guan in Menggui City was probably jumping with rage. The cat Lu Xingzhou was raising in his house was clearly the Joyous Union Saintess; why hadn't he grabbed her and asked more questions back then?

Lu Xingzhou coughed twice: "How about this, when they are brought here, let me see the Infant Ghost; I might have some other gains."

Pei Yu added: "In addition, the Huo family abuses their illegitimate children, leading to the death of their own flesh and blood. Once this kind of thing is brought to light, it will be a heavy blow to the Huo family's reputation. Huo Xingyuan will at least have to face a demotion and be confined at home to reflect. I wonder, Brother Lu..."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "You want me to come forward and file a complaint?"

Pei Yu tried to ask: "Does Brother Lu have any concerns? If you say them, perhaps we can try to solve them."

"No other concerns." Lu Xingzhou said lightly: "It's just that I don't want to bear the reputation of a son accusing his father. It was Huo Qi who beat Huo Shang to death, and every brother and even the evil servants had a part in the daily abuse. It's fine if you want me to accuse them."

The Pei father and son looked at each other, and Pei Qingyan finally spoke: "People from martial arts sects aren't afraid of bearing such a reputation... It seems that Young Master Lu's enrollment in the Alchemy Academy is actually to enter the imperial court?"

Lu Xingzhou said lightly: "It's hard to say what the future holds, but I can't block one of my own paths before I've even chosen one, right?"

Pei Chuyun glanced at Lu Xingzhou, thinking to herself that the Pei family clearly only saw Lu Xingzhou as a pawn to be used, and wouldn't consider his life. That was why Lu Xingzhou had to use her background as a stepping stone; if the Pei family owed him a favor, the relationship would be a little different.

But until now, Lu Xingzhou hadn't continued the topic of her background, and instead, the conversation had reached a dead end.

Was it for her?

Pei Yu finally said: "If the Pei family promises to provide you with support in the imperial court in the future, Brother Lu, what do you think?"

Lu Xingzhou shook his head and laughed: "I'm really not a greenhorn who just stepped out into the world... Brother Pei, it seems you all haven't thought it through yet. You can talk to me again when you have."

Pei Yu looked at his father. Logically, Pei Qingyan should have come forward to say something, but Pei Qingyan remained silent. This made Pei Yu very embarrassed; what should he do if his father didn't cooperate and the act couldn't continue...

He could only laugh it off: "No rush, no rush. Come, Brother Lu, try our Pei family's home-cooked food; don't just focus on chatting."

A home-cooked meal didn't take long to finish. Before long, Lu Xingzhou stood up to take his leave: "Thank you for your hospitality, Prime Minister Pei. I still need to study alchemy books, so I'll head back to the inn now."

Pei Qingyan didn't say anything else, just nodded: "Yu'er, see our guest out."

Pei Yu looked at his father strangely and saw Lu Xingzhou and his party off.

When they reached outside the courtyard, Pei Yu lowered his voice: "Brother Lu, I have a presumptuous request; I don't know if it's appropriate..."

Lu Xingzhou nodded: "Please speak, Brother Pei."

Pei Yu glanced at Pei Chuyun: "I wonder if you would be willing to part with this Miss A'lv?"

Lu Xingzhou raised an eyebrow, and Pei Yu hurriedly said: "Brother Lu, please don't misunderstand... I saw that my father was a bit distracted tonight, and I'm afraid it was because Miss A'lv stirred up his longing for his old friend. As a son, I want to share my father's worries, so I thought if Miss A'lv could enter the Pei residence... we would definitely not treat her as an ordinary maid. I wonder, Brother Lu..."

Lu Xingzhou smiled and shook his head: "Brother Pei... A'lv is called a maid, but she is actually my friend. She is free to come and go, not a piece of merchandise to be weighed on a counter. So, Brother Pei, that sentence from just now is still valid; it feels like you all haven't thought many things through, so you can talk to me again when you have."

Pei Yu was stunned; he really hadn't thought that Lu Xingzhou would refuse such a trivial matter as buying a maid.

Refusing to "accuse his father" earlier was already considered offending the Pei family, but it was ultimately reasonable, and the Pei family had the stature not to hold it against him. This time, any normal person should have used this maid matter to ease the relationship, but he didn't expect a second refusal...

He didn't know what to say for a moment, and after a long time, he cupped his hands: "Then take care, Brother Lu."

Anuo pushed Lu Xingzhou away, and Pei Chuyun followed behind with her head bowed, not saying a word.

"What's wrong?" Lu Xingzhou said lightly: "Do you want to stay in the Pei residence?"

"No..." Pei Chuyun whispered: "I was thinking, wouldn't it be more useful for you to leave me in the Pei residence to stir up trouble? Anyway, the Pei family can't trap me; I can still leave whenever I want. Why be so blunt and offend people?"

"Ha?" Lu Xingzhou smiled: "What we want is to clear up your mystery, not to stir up trouble for the Pei family. My affairs... don't need to use you as a bargaining chip."

Pei Chuyun hummed: "The plan from the beginning was clearly to use me as a bargaining chip."

"But I already said, not now."

Pei Chuyun pursed her lips and stopped talking.

Lu Xingzhou said leisurely: "To put it bluntly, the Pei family doesn't really look up to me right now; everything is just because my suspected identity as Huo Shang makes me a rare commodity to them. This is meaningless... Face is something you earn yourself. If it weren't for your matter, I wouldn't have even eaten this meal today; I already knew an unequal negotiation wouldn't have any results."

Pei Chuyun didn't reply, and Anuo smiled: "But the Pei family's food is delicious; it's a free meal."

Lu Xingzhou laughed: "That's right, a free meal."

The capital at night was still very lively, with lights everywhere and crowds of people. The three of them temporarily stopped talking about these topics and walked happily through the spring night of the capital.

"Bang!" Fireworks shot into the sky in the distance. Pei Chuyun looked up, her eyes gradually becoming hazy.

Lu Xingzhou was asking Anuo: "It's not the Lantern Festival today, is it?"

Anuo shook her head: "The Lantern Festival passed while we were on our way to the capital. The first lunar month is almost over, Master."

"Then why is someone setting off fireworks..." Lu Xingzhou looked up at the fireworks for a while, then turned to look at Pei Chuyun's profile.

The pretty face of the literary little demoness with confusion in her eyes was actually much more beautiful than the fireworks.

Lu Xingzhou suddenly laughed: "I feel like these sudden fireworks are just to prove they aren't as good-looking as you."

Pei Chuyun blinked, turned to look at him with some lingering confusion, and finally burst into laughter: "Hey, you should save these sweet words for Shen Tang; they don't work on me."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "Truthful words are always taken as false."

While talking, they had already returned to the inn. The three of them entered the small courtyard and closed the gate, cutting off the lights and noise of the outside world. The dark courtyard seemed even more secluded.

Pei Chuyun entered the room, lit a candle, and stood by the table in a daze.

Lu Xingzhou pushed his wheelchair in and put his arms around her waist: "What are you thinking about?"

Pei Chuyun said: "Can you tell me now about what you signaled to me during the banquet?"

"If it really was the Joyous Union Sect that killed your mother, why didn't they root you out? Raising you and letting you keep the surname Pei, are they waiting for you to find clues and take revenge in the future? This seems very strange; there should be some other issues behind it, not as simple as Pei Qingyan said..."

Pei Chuyun exhaled slightly: "I think so too; this matter is a bit strange. But... Pei Qingyan's attitude... doesn't seem like he's lying."

"So don't make a judgment just by listening to one side, regardless of whether Pei Qingyan is lying or not. Even if everything he said is true, the information he knows might not be correct. After all, he wasn't at the scene, and he didn't even bury her. I think if you have the chance, you can try to probe your master and compare the two accounts... um, remember not to ask directly..."

"Am I that stupid?"

"Sometimes, yes..."

Pei Chuyun sighed, leaned softly into his arms, and said powerlessly: "I didn't expect that what I thought was the most direct clue would turn out to be even more confusing..."

"No matter what the trick is behind it, Pei Qingyan is very likely your father. If you only care about your background, it's actually almost revealed, so you didn't come in vain." Lu Xingzhou said: "But I also know that you are investigating your background not just for the sake of it, but to resolve your situation within the Joyous Union Sect. This matter isn't over, and I will continue to help you investigate."

Pei Chuyun smiled lazily: "Of course, who my father is doesn't matter at all. He hasn't raised me for a day, so why would I care? But... now I really believe you are considering things for me."

Lu Xingzhou kissed her profile: "What I said was the truth from the beginning."

"You clearly still want to deceive me..."

"Hmm? What else am I deceiving you about?"

"You want to trick me into bed."

"..."

Pei Chuyun turned around, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said with a smile: "Tell me, do you want to? If you don't, then that's it."