Chapter 31

She fought the urge to flee, but the God of Glory held her even tighter. His strong fingers pressed into Lu Yao's waist, and the more she struggled, the faster he walked.

The winding gravel path, laid out in twists and turns, was crossed in the blink of an eye. He carried Lu Yao with one arm and pushed open the door with practiced ease.

Lu Yao bit her lip hard, unaware it had already begun to bleed. Bright red blood stained her pale lips, adding a touch of color to her face.

She clutched the God of Glory's neck, tears welling in her eyes, and glared hatefully at the wooden beams overhead. Her nails scraped against his Adam's apple. He was completely unguarded at that moment, and she desperately wanted to strangle him.

But he paid no attention to the twisted hatred burning in her eyes.

...

"Have they left?"

"Yes."

Lin Yu whipped her head toward Fu Ming, who only then realized his hand had been covering her eyes and brow. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly withdrew it.

The two had been standing close together, and the heat was growing uncomfortable. So Lin Yu stepped aside, and as she moved, she felt something at her waist swing and dig into her. She stood up straight and saw it was a sword tassel.

Lin Yu tilted her head slightly, looking back at Fu Ming. This tassel was part of the betrothal gifts he had given her when they had pretended to marry in the illusion realm of the Li Kingdom to lure out the Mountain God.

The dark red beads were inconspicuous in the night. Lin Yu remembered that when the wandering soul had come for her back then, something had glowed to protect her. At the time, she hadn't had a chance to examine it closely, but now she realized it must have been this tassel.

She had actually forgotten this troublesome betrothal gift. Suddenly recalling the events of the illusion, Lin Yu immediately felt awkward looking at Fu Ming.

"This tassel..." Lin Yu said.

Fu Ming glanced at it. "What about it?"

Lin Yu shoved it into his hand. "Returning it to you."

Fu Ming didn't move. He looked at her, puzzled, clearly not wanting it back.

"Qing Xuan looks bare without a tassel..." Lin Yu made up an excuse, forcing an awkward smile at the thought of its identity as a 'betrothal gift.'

Fu Ming didn't respond. Instead, he simply took her and leaped over the wall of the Lu estate again. They walked through the streets, Fu Ming silent the whole way. Lin Yu followed quietly behind.

After a while, he finally spoke. "Keep it. That tassel is a spiritual artifact. It will certainly be useful to you in the future. Think of it as a gift to make up for missing your ascension ceremony."

Hearing that it had gone from 'betrothal gift' to 'compensation,' Lin Yu still found it somewhat off. So she quickened her pace, stepped in front of him, and blocked his path. He stopped.

Lin Yu stepped to the side, took out the tassel, and carefully tied it back onto the hilt of Qing Xuan. The pure black blade now bore a touch of dark red and black-gold, instantly making it look more ornate.

The tassel matched Qing Xuan perfectly. After tying it, Lin Yu gave the sword a gentle pat, and it flashed faintly in response.

Fu Ming said nothing more, and the two headed back toward the inn. Lin Yu glanced at the sky, estimating that dawn was about an hour away.

Back at the inn, Fu Ming asked, "What should we do with the corpse?"

Lin Yu thought for a moment. "Leave it for now. We'll see if he's truly dead."

Fu Ming nodded. After dealing with the body, they each retired to their rooms. Having gone without sleep all day, Lin Yu fell asleep quickly, and by then, the roosters were already crowing.

...

Everyone had gone to bed late the previous night, so this morning they all looked listless as they gathered downstairs for breakfast.

Zhou Yu arrived last, rubbing his bleary eyes as he shuffled to the table. He was about to pick up a flatbread when he saw a familiar face sitting across from him.

Once he got a clear look, Zhou Yu's eyes went wide. Your Majesty?!

He shot to his feet. Zhang Yulin had no idea why he was acting like this, and she shot him an annoyed look, elbowing him in the ribs.

Zhou Yu had stood up so quickly that he shook the table, sending the dishes sliding. A plate at the edge nearly fell off, but Lin Yu caught it just in time.

The whole table looked up at him. Zhou Yu stared at Fu Ming, whose gaze had turned cold.

His mouth fell open, and he instinctively started to kneel, but Yu Jia tripped him, and he stumbled to the floor. Yu Jia smoothly turned his back to the others, making a cutting gesture across his throat as a warning for Zhou Yu to keep quiet.

The commotion drew looks from the neighboring tables. A waiter passing by came over to help him up. "Careful, sir! Please, sit down slowly!" Suddenly, everyone's attention was on Zhou Yu, and some guests in the back even stood up to see what was happening.

Zhou Yu thought, "I'm doomed. His Majesty hates drawing attention!" He stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. It was clear His Majesty was traveling incognito, but Zhou Yu's rash behavior had displeased him. He couldn't kneel, but he couldn't not kneel.

Just then, Fu Ming set down his chopsticks and glanced at Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu gulped, his mind racing, and all sounds around him seemed to fade away.

Lin Yu said, "Senior Brother, aren't you supposed to be going to the Cultivation Academy to refine pills?"

Zhou Yu seemed to see a glimmer of hope in her words. He grabbed the waiter's arm and pulled himself up. "Right, right... Well, I'll be off. You all continue!" He fled without looking back.

Watching his panicked retreat, Lin Yu thought it was a bit over the top—just one look from Fu Ming had nearly scared him to death. She leaned in and whispered, "How do you usually rule as emperor to scare people like that?"

But then she thought about it—Fu Ming's public reputation was that of a ruthless, unpredictable 'living Yama' who liked to exterminate entire clans.

Fu Ming seemed exasperated. "The rumors are false. They're slandering me."

What Lin Yu didn't know was that if she hadn't intervened today, Zhou Yu's erratic behavior might have led someone to guess Fu Ming's identity and bring unnecessary trouble—in which case, Zhou Yu would have been dead for sure. Fu Ming was decisive when it came to dealing with anyone who interfered with his plans.

Zhang Yulin spoke with her mouth full. "Xiao Yu, I'm also heading to the Cultivation Academy in a bit. I won't be able to keep you company today."

Lin Yu put down her bowl. "Is Xiao Ta acting up again?"

Xiao Ta had been brought out of the illusion. All of its kind had gone extinct, and although it was extremely powerful in combat, it was hard to fully tame, so it tended to go berserk or disobey orders.

Zhang Yulin sighed. "Last night, I poured a lot of spiritual energy into Xiao Ta, but its condition is still unstable."

Suddenly, shouts interrupted their conversation. People outside were running wildly!

"Fire! Help!" someone yelled.

At once, the diners in the inn stood up and crowded at the entrance to look outside. The street was getting more chaotic! People were shoving each other, all rushing toward the Rain Goddess Temple!

"Fire! The Rain Goddess Temple is on fire!"

"Help! Fire!"

Lin Yu shot to her feet, disbelief written all over her face. The Rain Goddess Temple on fire...

Lin Yu said, "I'll go check. You don't need to come."

When there are a lot of people, things tend to go wrong. Fu Ming tried to stop her, but she slipped through the door and was gone, squeezing through the crowd. The temple was a street away from the inn, but from here, she could see thick smoke billowing from a nearby tower-shaped building!

The flames began to devour the sky. Lin Yu followed the crowd running toward the Rain Goddess Temple.

As she got closer, she could finally see the full extent of the fire. It was bigger than she had imagined, nearly scorching half the sky. Some people charged in with buckets of water, while others, seeing the danger, turned back in a panic.

In the chaos, people collided with each other, and soon it was a mess!

"There's someone inside! Miss Lu is in there! If you save her, you'll be richly rewarded! Hurry!" someone in the crowd shouted.

Those who had been about to flee, upon hearing that Lu Yao was inside, were swayed by greed and turned back. Lin Yu finally reached the temple's front, but the thick smoke was rolling out so forcefully it made people cough and retreat.

A young man yelled, "Forget it! With a fire this big, even if you save her, she'll be burned to death!"

But others quickly chimed in with different opinions: "Even if we can't save her, there are countless treasures in this temple! Rather than letting them burn, let's split them among ourselves!"

A plump middle-aged man in an apron slapped the back of the person in front of him. "Move! The person inside is Lu Yao! Do you know how much wealth she has? Even if we just drag out the corpse, we can still demand money from her sister!"

An elderly woman in her fifties, carrying a bucket, rushed into the temple. "Let's put out the fire first!"

After a long, chaotic struggle, a few men finally charged in and brought out a charred black object. Along with it, they hauled out boxes full of gold.

Lu Yao was burned to death!

But now, no one cared about that. The crowd swarmed to seize the gold, fighting tooth and nail, some even coming to blows!

Lin Yu blended into the crowd, quietly observing the corpse on the ground. Meanwhile, Zhang Yulin finally squeezed her way to the front. She slapped Lin Yu on the shoulder. "Why are you so fast? I'm exhausted."

Lin Yu crossed her arms and asked, "Yulin, given all the effort she put in, do you think this is a real death or a fake one?"

Zhang Yulin thought for a moment. "She wouldn't go to such extremes on herself, would she? With a fire this big, even if it were fake, she'd have a hard time escaping."

Lin Yu didn't commit to an answer.

In the distance, Fu Ming stood atop a tall building, watching Lin Yu's movements. His gaze fixed on the charred corpse on the ground, but he looked away almost immediately.

One of his Mingzhao guards came to report: "Your Majesty, we have found traces of the young master of the Xie family. He's still alive."

Fu Ming tapped his fingers lightly on the cold wooden railing, his eyes on Lin Yu in the crowd. "Bring him back as soon as possible. I want him alive."

All the suspicion now fell on the young master of the Xie family. He was the one who claimed the Rain Goddess had revisited his dreams; he was the one who arranged to meet Yu Jia and lead him to see the massacre; the entire Xie family had died, and he was the sole survivor. He couldn't possibly be innocent.

Fu Ming said to bring him back alive, but the guard wasn't sure whether he meant the young master should be in one piece or just barely breathing. So he asked, "Your Majesty, if he resists arrest..."

"Then turn him into a human jar."

The Mingzhao guard acknowledged and left. Fu Ming glanced over at the distance. Lin Yu was already gone. The people in front of the temple were bickering endlessly, a group of them turning the blackened corpse this way and that, each claiming the credit for saving Lu Yao. Fu Ming had no interest in listening to their squabbling, so after a moment, he left as well.

...

Lin Yu and Zhang Yulin avoided the crowd and headed back.

Zhang Yulin didn't take Lu Yao's death to heart. She figured that since Lu Yao was dead, their earlier agreement about the living sacrifice was null and void, so she felt light and carefree.

Zhang Yulin: "I'll be leaving with Senior Brother in a bit. When we get back, the Soul-Renewing Pill can be refined into cultivation and transferred to you. Then our mission here will be complete."

Lin Yu, however, was worried. She didn't reply, feeling that things were developing strangely.

Back at the inn, after saying goodbye to Zhang Yulin and Zhou Yu, Lin Yu passed through the lobby and was about to head upstairs when someone called out to her. "Miss, a letter was left for you!"