After Being Certified by the Immortal Lord on the Path of Ruthlessness - Chapter 34

“The love between this departed pair remains unbroken,” the storyteller sighed, speaking slowly and deliberately.

Upon hearing the tragic news of her beloved, Ming Gui, though heartbroken, suppressed her grief, mindful of her family’s authority and honor.

She accepted the imperial order to reclaim the borderlands.

Long ago, when their love first blossomed, the two had made a pact: once they overcame her mother’s objections, they would flee the capital together.

Their plan had been to journey to Penglai.

Legend spoke of Penglai as a paradise of unparalleled beauty, with towering mountains, emerald waters, and a tranquil, habitable sanctuary.

Yet misfortune struck too swiftly, and the dream of reaching Penglai vanished like a fleeting illusion.

General Ming Gui, clad in armor and answering the call to battle, proved invincible on the battlefield.

In the final conflict, her valor knew no bounds as she quelled the rebellion at the ultimate cost of her own life.

Thus, the fated lovers ultimately met their end together.

It was said that when General Ming’s body was brought back, her hand remained tightly clenched around something.

No matter how hard Old General Ming tried, he could not pry it open.

In the end, Chancellor Yue stepped forward, earnestly pleading for the two to be buried together.

Yet the Empress refused, permitting only a funeral procession for General Ming to circle the city.

Once again, the streets were filled with bustling crowds and splendid scenes.

But this time, there was no dashing young general on horseback, nor was there the radiant young lady.

Among the pallbearers was an old servant of Ming Gui, who, aware of her mistress’s true wishes, resolved to risk everything to guide the procession faithfully.

Ming Gui’s funeral cortege eventually passed by Yue Ming’s grave.

And just as the coffin aligned with the tombstone, the tightly clenched hand slowly loosened.

Clatter!

A white jade love knot, stained with blood, fell from her palm.

The crowd froze, halting the coffin in place, too stunned to move.

Chancellor Yue, having rushed to the scene upon hearing the commotion, inspected the area and noticed something unusual beneath Yue Ming’s tombstone.

A large rock had been placed before the stone, and when it was moved aside, an envelope tumbled out.

Tears streamed down his face as Chancellor Yue, trembling, opened the letter.

The fiery red stationery seemed to blaze all the way to the horizon.

This was the tenth letter. The marriage certificate that had been meant to arrive that very night!

The storyteller struck the table sharply with his gavel.

The old man sighed deeply and continued.

The two were reincarnated.

Those who guarded their love and died by suicide attained enlightenment, ascended, and became immortals.

Those who betrayed true love and took another fell into the cycle of reincarnation, becoming spirits.

This immortal and this spirit had to endure eighty-one cycles of reincarnation, missing each other eighty times before they could finally meet.

By reckoning, this lifetime marked the eighty-first encounter between them.

The old man heaved a long sigh and did not strike the block again.

The melancholic strains of the erhu rose behind him, filling the room with sorrow.

Just then, the door behind him was violently kicked open.

A waiter who tried to block the way was sent flying, crashing into a listener’s chair.

The once quick-witted waiter now coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Damn it! This swindling old fool. Smash the place!!!”

With an angry roar, a chaotic crowd surged inside.

Those still lost in the story had no time to react before iron clubs struck their heads.

“Heavens! Did they ever meet?” Jiang Mianhao had just sighed when she heard the commotion. “Lu Jiu, is it the troublemakers from earlier?”

Hearing the question, Ye Qingge glanced over. The newcomers were not the same group of ruffians as before.

Jiang Mianhao saw it too and couldn’t help exclaiming, “How unscrupulous! Why are these people so brazen?”

To encounter such incidents twice in a single day…

Ye Qingge coldly raised her eyes, preparing to strike.

But the ice blades did not fly forth as her gaze intended.

Instead, a surge of powerful internal energy shot straight toward her heart and lungs.

Ye Qingge was jolted by the immense force, closing her eyes briefly to steady herself.

It felt as though a breach had been torn open in her body, allowing spiritual energy to surge uncontrollably outward.

Was it related to this storytelling house?

She took a deep breath and slowly reopened her eyes.

The moment she attempted to gather her spiritual energy to summon ice blades, that powerful force rampaged violently within her once more.

This backlash was even fiercer. Struggling to suppress it, Ye Qingge barely managed to keep the rising blood from spilling from her mouth.

It seemed her spiritual energy couldn’t be utilized inside this storytelling house, as if her body had been forcibly hollowed out.

Why was this happening?

She inhaled deeply, regulating the turbulent spiritual energy coursing through her.

Their seats were close to the entrance, and the fierce glint in Ye Qingge’s eyes caught the attention of the troublemaker.

“Staring at me? Damn it, you trying to be a hero?” The leader of the thugs, nicknamed Tooth Gap for his gapped teeth, had come to collect protection money.

He was startled by the glare that halted his actions.

Tooth Gap sneered, turning to see the one who had spoken; a stunning beauty.

His mood shifted instantly.

“Well, aren’t you a looker,” Tooth Gap said, licking his teeth, sizing her up with a lecherous gaze.

The look made Ye Qingge extremely uncomfortable. If not for her inability to use spiritual energy, those perverted eyes would have long been gouged out by ice blades.

“Green Wine, be careful,” Jiang Mianhao said anxiously, rustling the leaves in her arms. “Should I come out? I can help you!”

The little grass in her arms wobbled, as if eager to emerge.

Ye Qingge tucked the grass deeper into her bag, tightening the drawstring until not a single leaf was visible.

She tied the strings into a neat bow.

“Stay put,” Ye Qingge said calmly.

Jiang Mianhao’s world turned dark. She could see nothing outside, only hear the howling wind roaring past her ears.

Then, she was lifted into the air.

Ye Qingge’s punches were faster than her ice blades.

The thug who had approached to provoke her didn’t even get close before his face swelled under the blows.

Blood dripped from his lips as he spat out a tooth.

Losing a tooth was like a merchant losing face—a blow to his pride, striking where it hurt most.

Tooth Gap spat out blood and roared, “Put the debt collection on hold! Deal with this bitch first!”

The sound of metal pipes striking flesh ceased, and the old erhu player’s cries of pain died down.

All iron rods were now pointed at the young woman in white.

The first-floor hall descended into chaos.

Guests in the private seats on the second floor were disturbed, leaning out to watch the commotion.

Ling Lan peered down through the window Fu Wanyin had pushed open and immediately spotted the brown bag.

The white-robed immortal stood amidst the crowd not summoning ice blades, but coldly watching the rods swing toward her.

“Green Wine!” Ling Lan sensed danger, shoving the private room’s window wide open and leaping down.

The young girl moved with astonishing agility, her wooden sword flowing so skillfully it seemed an extension of herself.

Wherever the wooden sword passed, iron rods clattered to the ground, replaced by the thugs’ wails.

Controlling the loss of her spiritual energy, Ye Qingge glanced sideways at the person beside her.

Ling Lan had landed right behind Ye Qingge, pressing close to the backpack.

“Mianhao, how are you?” Ling Lan asked, staring at the little pouch tied with a butterfly knot, her view slightly obscured.

Hearing the voice, Jiang Mianhao immediately responded, “I’m fine, Lanlan! You and Lu Jiu need to protect yourselves!”

Ling Lan hummed in acknowledgment. “Alright! Stay hidden in the pouch. Don’t let yourself be seen.”

With that, Ling Lan tightened her grip on the wooden sword and softly asked, “Lu Jiu, are you hurt?”

Hearing the concerned inquiry from behind, Ye Qingge merely hummed faintly in response.

Another wave of attackers charged forward, having just put down their clubs.

Ling Lan raised her sword and thrust it forward.

The girl’s self-taught swordsmanship was unique, each move catching her opponents completely off guard.

Ye Qingge watched the yellow figure before her, the girl and the sword moving as if they were one.

Her dress fluttered with each movement, like a butterfly taking flight.

“Sword, come!” Ye Qingge raised her hand, and the sword that had been hanging on the platform flew steadily into her grasp.

The sharp blade was drawn, a cold glint flashing.

The iron rod aimed at her was cleanly sliced in two.

Many onlookers around them cracked melon seeds and cheered.

Gazes also fell from the private room on the second floor.

Fu Wanyin’s eyes were fixed intently on Ling Lan’s movements, her expression full of worry.

“Miss, don’t worry. Look! Miss Lin’s swordsmanship is so beautiful.”

Fu Wanyin remained uneasy and didn’t respond, her eyes nervously following Ling Lan’s every action.

“Miss, look at the figure in white beside Miss Lin!” Huanxi stared at the one who had just struck, her eyes wide with astonishment. “I’ve never seen such fierce and decisive swordsmanship. It’s like what you always praise the eldest young master for something about clouds and water?”

“Flowing like clouds and water,” Fu Wanyin replied, her gaze still fixed on Ling Lan, though she couldn’t help but be distracted by Ye Qingge.

Ling Lan’s swordsmanship carried a wild, untamed quality, yet it bore a hint of immaturity and restraint.

In contrast, the figure in white had reached a level of swordsmanship that was nothing short of miraculous.

The sword intent she unleashed was pure white; her long hair lifted in the wind of her strikes, the flowing strands and sharp blade combining into an astonishingly beautiful sight.

Even more striking was the small brown pouch at her waist.

Despite the swift, precise, and fierce sword techniques, the pouch remained perfectly still.

Her swordsmanship was sharp and ruthless, her presence cold and stunning—like a celestial being stepping out of a storybook.

By the time Fu Wanyin belatedly shifted her gaze, the commotion downstairs had already ended.

Ling Lan had only disarmed her opponents without taking their lives.

The person beside her had also refrained from killing, merely slicing through the ruffians’ clothes and shaving off their hair.

The once-ferocious men were now reduced to pitiful strays, scrambling on the ground to gather their hair and torn clothes.

The little grass in the pouch curiously peeked out a leaf, unable to hold back laughter at the sight of their embarrassment.

“Lu Jiu! Did you use an ice blade to shave them?” Jiang Mianhao swayed her leaves inside the pouch, praising, “I could only catch glimpses through the pouch earlier.”

Ye Qingge replied calmly, “I used a sword.”

“A sword!” Jiang Mianhao exclaimed in surprise. “Was it Lanlan’s wooden sword? Is Lanlan here too?”

Before Ye Qingge could answer, Jiang Mianhao spotted Ling Lan herself and called out, “Lanlan! I saw you earlier too!”

“You’re flying so fast!” Jiang Mianhao praised. “Your sword skills are getting more and more impressive!”

The compliment made Ling Lan a bit shy; her ear tips turned slightly red as she softly replied, “I’m not that good. But Lu Jiu, today was the first time I saw her use a sword, and I was completely amazed.”

Ling Lan spoke sincerely, lifting her gaze to the person beside her, her eyes filled with admiration.

She had only known before that Lu Jiu possessed powerful spiritual energy, but after witnessing her swordplay today, Ling Lan was utterly captivated.

She had always assumed Lu Jiu focused solely on cultivation and didn’t use any other weapons.

In daily life, she had never seen Lu Jiu wield a weapon.

But today, she discovered that Lu Jiu was not only formidable in spiritual power but also astonishingly skilled in swordsmanship.

Absolute talent combined with relentless, arduous training. This was what Ling Lan had been striving for.

“Lu Jiu,” Ling Lan said, her gaze falling on the sword as she sighed, “Why was your sword hanging there?”

Reminded by her, Ye Qingge realized she was still holding the sword from the stage.

She sheathed it, and with a wave of her hand, the iron sword flew back to hang steadily on the wall.

“This is the first time I’ve seen this sword too,” Ye Qingge said indifferently, paying no mind to the awe and admiration in Ling Lan’s eyes.

Jiang Mianhao rustled her leaves inside the bag and exclaimed, “It’s your first time! Lu Jiu, your sword skills are incredible! If I hadn’t secretly seen it, I would have thought you were just standing there using ice blades.”

“Lu Jiu, your sword skills are amazing. Can I learn from you?” Ling Lan’s eyes were full of reverence.

Just from that brief moment fighting side by side, she had been completely won over by Lu Jiu.

Ye Qingge hummed in agreement. “On the way to Mount Hua, I’ll start teaching you.”

“Great!” Ling Lan agreed immediately. “So, when are we going to Mount Hua?”

“Yay, yay!” Jiang Mianhao chimed in. “Then, Lu Jiu, do you know how to use a whip? Last time you said I’m suited for soft weapons!”

Ye Qingge suppressed the turbulent spiritual energy raging within her body, her brow furrowing slightly.

Even after regulating her breathing, the energy continued to clash violently inside her.

It seemed to be searching for a breakthrough point, eager to burst forth.

Her long lashes half-covering her eyes, Ye Qingge steadied her mind.

“Let’s go back,” she said, taking a step and walking straight out.

Jiang Mianhao sensed something was wrong and rustled her leaves anxiously. “Lu Jiu? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” But before Ye Qingge could finish, she vomited a mouthful of blood.

The blood dripped onto Jiang Mianhao’s leaves, startling her. “Lanlan! Quick, take me out! Lu Jiu isn’t doing well!”

Seeing the blood gushing from the mouth of the person beside her, Ling Lan drew her sword and sliced open the bag at her waist.

The little grass fell to the ground and transformed into a young girl.

Before she could speak, she opened her arms and caught the collapsing Ye Qingge steadily.

The immortal lord in her arms had her eyes tightly shut, her face deathly pale.