I had no intention of entering the martial world.

Chapter 31 A Demon Within

Monk Wangyou looked in the direction where the Azure Dragon Envoy had disappeared, coughed a few more times, and then turned around to look at Lu Chenzhou and Chu Xueya.

"Are you two alright?"

Lu Chenzhou shook his head, and Chu Xueya also shook her head.

"Thank you for saving me, Master." Chu Xueya bowed.

"No need," Monk Wangyou waved his hand. "I was just passing by and happened to be there."

Just passing by?

Lu Chenzhou didn't believe it.

But I didn't ask.

"Does the master know the Azure Dragon Envoy?" Chu Xueya asked.

"I know him." Monk Wangyou nodded. "I've known him for fifty years. Back then, he wasn't the Azure Dragon Envoy yet, he was... well, let's not dwell on the past."

He walked up to Lu Chenzhou, looked him over carefully, and suddenly reached out and pressed his hand against Lu Chenzhou's forehead.

Lu Chenzhou tried to dodge, but failed.

The monk Wangyou's hands moved very quickly, faster than he could react.

The moment his fingers touched his brow, Lu Chenzhou felt a gentle power surge into his body, flowing along his meridians and finally converging at his chest—the place where the Azure Nether Sword Qi resided.

That power was gentle, like the spring sunshine, slowly melting away the coldness of the sword energy.

Very comfortable.

But Lu Chenzhou became wary:

"What are you doing, Master?"

"I'll help you suppress the sword energy." Monk Wangyou withdrew his hand. "After you swallowed the jade pendant, the sword spirit awakened, and the sword energy has begun to erode your mind. If it's not suppressed, you will completely lose yourself within three months."

Three months.

Just like Lu Jinghong said.

"How do we suppress it?" Lu Chenzhou asked.

"Two options." Monk Wangyou held up two fingers. "First, have your martial arts crippled, dissipate your sword energy, and live as an ordinary person from now on."

Lu Chenzhou shook his head.

Impossible. He still wants revenge.

"Secondly," Monk Wangyou looked at Chu Xueya, "find another person with sword bones to balance the sword energy using the method of yin and yang harmony."

Chu Xueya's face flushed slightly.

Lu Chenzhou didn't understand: "What do you mean?"

"It means," Monk Wangyou patiently explained, "that the Azure Nether Sword is of the highest yang, while the Ice Marrow Sword is of the highest yin. Only when yin and yang are in harmony can balance be achieved. If the two of you cultivate together..."

"Master!" Chu Xueya interrupted him, her face turning even redder.

The monk Wangyou laughed: "I misspoke. In short, the two of you together can suppress each other's sword energy and slow down the erosion. But this is only a temporary measure, a temporary solution, not a fundamental cure."

Lu Chenzhou looked at Chu Xueya.

Chu Xueya turned her face away, not looking at him.

"Then what's the fundamental solution?" Lu Chenzhou asked.

"We've found the other two swords," said Monk Wangyou. "With all three swords gathered, we can reseal the sword spirits using the Three Powers Formation. But..."

He paused, his expression grave:

"But when the three swords are gathered, the Heavenly Gate will open. This is a dead end—either you will be devoured by the sword energy, or the Heavenly Gate will open wide, plunging the world into chaos."

There is no third way.

Lu Chenzhou fell silent.

Chu Xueya also fell silent.

The only sounds were the rushing of the river and the faint chirping of insects in the distance.

After a long silence, Lu Chenzhou spoke:

"What if I choose the first path?"

Which one?

"Engulfed by sword energy."

The monk Wangyou looked at him for a long time, and finally sighed:

"You will become a sword. A sword that only knows how to kill. You will kill everyone you care about, destroy everything you cherish, and in the end... destroy yourself."

Lu Chenzhou nodded.

"What if I finish what I'm supposed to do before I'm swallowed up?"

"What is it?"

"Revenge," Lu Chenzhou said. "Kill Zhao Wanshan, kill everyone who deserves to die. Then, before I completely turn into a monster, I'll end my own life."

He spoke calmly, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs.

Chu Xueya suddenly turned her head to look at him, a hint of...pain flashing in her eyes?

"Young Master Lu..."

"This is the best way," Lu Chenzhou interrupted her. "I don't care how long I live, or whether I'll turn into a monster. I only care whether I've finished what I needed to do."

The monk Wangyou stared at him for a very long time.

Then, he put his hands together in prayer position:

"Amitabha. Benefactor, there is a demon in your heart."

"I know," Lu Chenzhou said. "Then let the demon do what it has to do."

The monk Wangyou fell silent.

He simply looked at Lu Chenzhou with a complex expression.

There was pity, there was a sigh, and there was a trace of... an emotion that Lu Chenzhou couldn't understand.

Finally, he turned and walked into the night.

After taking a few steps, he stopped and looked back:

"Go to Emei. You'll find the answers you're looking for there. As for your final choice... that's up to you."

After saying that, he really left.

They disappeared into the night, as if they had never existed.

Only Lu Chenzhou and Chu Xueya remained by the river.

silence.

A long silence.

Only the sound of the river and each other's heartbeats could be heard.

Finally, Chu Xueya spoke:

"Are you really... going to choose that path?"

Lu Chenzhou looked at her. In the moonlight, her face was beautiful and clean, like spotless snow.

"Do I have any other choice?"

"Yes," Chu Xueya said. "Come back to Emei with me, and we'll figure something out. There's always a way."

"What method?" Lu Chenzhou asked, "Dual cultivation?"

Chu Xueya's face turned red again.

But this time she didn't turn her face away; instead, she looked directly at Lu Chenzhou:

"If...if there really is no other way, I'm willing."

Lu Chenzhou was stunned.

He didn't expect Chu Xueya to say that.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because we are the same kind of people," Chu Xueya said. "We are all carrying burdens we shouldn't bear, and walking paths we shouldn't walk. Perhaps... if we're together, we won't feel so lonely."

She spoke softly, but very earnestly.

Lu Chenzhou stared at her for a long time.

Then, he shook his head:

"It's not worth it."

"What?"

"I'm not worth you doing this," Lu Chenzhou said. "I'm a man destined to die, a man turning into a monster. You're different. You're the hope of the Emei Sect, the future of the martial world. You shouldn't be dragged down by me."

"Whether it's worth it or not is up to me to decide," Chu Xueya said firmly.

Lu Chenzhou remained silent.

He didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, a ripple stirred in the desolate wasteland of my heart.

It's very faint, but it definitely exists.

Like a tender sprout suddenly emerging in the desert.

Although it will soon wither and die, at least... it existed.

"Let's go." Chu Xueya turned and walked into the night. "We need to reach the next town before dawn."

Lu Chenzhou followed.

The two walked side by side under the moonlight.

This time, we're closer.

It's just one step away.

They could smell each other's scents—Chu Xueya had a faint sandalwood fragrance, while Lu Chenzhou had a faint smell of blood.

The two flavors mixed together are strange, but... not unpleasant.

After walking for a long time, Chu Xueya suddenly spoke:

Lu Chenzhou.

"Um?"

"If one day you really can't control yourself anymore, remember to tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me, and let me kill you," Chu Xueya said. "I promised you I would stop you before you become a monster."

Lu Chenzhou stopped in his tracks.

Chu Xueya also stopped and turned to look at him.

Under the moonlight, their shadows stretched long and intertwined.

"Okay," Lu Chenzhou said, "I promise you."

Chu Xueya smiled.

Her smile was faint, but beautiful.

Like a flower suddenly blooming on an iceberg.

Then she turned around and kept walking.

Lu Chenzhou stared at her retreating figure for a long time.

Finally, he smiled.

The smile was bitter, but genuine.

---

Five days later, Mount Emei.

The mountain is high, shrouded in mist, like a veiled fairy. The stone steps wind upwards, disappearing into the depths of the clouds, their end nowhere in sight. Ancient trees reach for the sky along the way, birdsong is melodious, and occasionally a squirrel leaps from a branch, curiously watching the people on the mountain path.

Chu Xueya walked ahead, her steps light as if she were floating. She had changed back into the attire of an Emei disciple—a plain white Taoist robe, her black hair tied into a Taoist bun with a wooden hairpin, and an ancient longsword slung over her back. She was clearly still the same person, but upon returning to Emei, her entire demeanor had changed.

Colder, quieter, more... alienated.

It resembles a jade statue, beautiful as it is, but lacking the warmth and humanity of everyday life.

Lu Chenzhou followed behind her, still carrying that tattered bundle, with the Qingming Sword wrapped in oilcloth and hidden inside. He had changed into a clean set of clothes—ordinary coarse cloth shorts that Chu Xueya had bought in town, a dark gray color that was inconspicuous.

But his face was too conspicuous.

Pale and thin, the red mark at the corner of his eye looked like it had been drawn with cinnabar, particularly glaring in the sunlight. Not to mention his eyes—a faint blue light flickered deep within his pupils, and when he looked at people, they were like two bottomless ancient wells, sending chills down one's spine.

Along the way up the mountain, every Emei disciple they encountered would stop and bow to Chu Xueya:

"Senior Sister Chu."

"Senior sister is back."

Then, they curiously sized up Lu Chenzhou and whispered among themselves:

"Who is that?"

"Never seen them before, they're not from Emei."

"He's handsome, but those eyes... they're kind of scary."

Chu Xueya ignored them all, merely nodding slightly and continuing on her way.

Lu Chenzhou didn't care.