After My Faked Death Failed, My Ex-Wife Came Chasing After Me - Chapter 22

Lu Ting’an: I’ve been caught by Senior Sister! What do I do? Seeking urgent advice!

After leaving Lin Zheng’s room, Lu Ting’an wandered aimlessly through the streets and alleys of Yuancheng. Her heart was pounding violently; the scene of delivering the medicine to Lin Zheng just moments ago lingered in her mind. That soft sensation seemed to still hover on her lips, and she felt a surge of restless heat rising within her. In a fit of frustration, she kicked the base of a wall.

“Damn, have I lost my mind? Why am I constantly thinking about these messy things?”

Lu Ting’an shook her head vigorously, as if trying to toss these improper thoughts out of her brain. By the time her consciousness returned to reality, she had unknowingly walked up to a small wonton stall.

An old man was huddled behind the cart, half-dozing. Under the dim oil lamp, he looked exceptionally lonely. Only then did she remember that after spending half the day fussing over saving Lin Zheng, her stomach was long empty. Feeling a sudden pang of hunger, she spoke up: “Vendor, give me a bowl of wontons.”

The old man startled awake and stood up quickly, smiling repeatedly: “Coming right up! Sit down, miss, I’ll cook them for you now.”

The stall was crude, with only two or three crooked tables. Lu Ting’an pulled over an old chair and had just finished haphazardly wiping the greasy tabletop with a rag when she heard a commotion nearby.

Lu Ting’an arched an eyebrow slightly and looked toward the source of the noise. It was late at night, and pedestrians were scarce, yet a group of teenagers came rowdily down the end of the long street. As they drew closer, she saw they were dressed in uniform blue robes embroidered with gold and silver threads depicting a clear autumn pool and a bright moon. Their accessories were extraordinary; one could tell at a glance they were disciples of a major sect.

When these youths approached, they naturally noticed her. Their steps faltered, and after making eye contact, several lowered their heads and began whispering. Lu Ting’an found it strange and simply raised her hand to wave, saying: “Hey, fellow cultivators, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?”

The disciples clearly hadn’t expected her to strike up a conversation. They were stunned for a moment, then their expressions shifted—disgust and impatience flashed across their faces. The leading boy, who held a sword in his arms, tilted his chin up. He scanned her with a cold, thin gaze, his tone carrying a hint of contemptuous mockery: “You’re Lu Ting’an? I saw you at Sect Leader Song’s Great Immortal Banquet.”

Lu Ting’an froze. Was this an old acquaintance? But she hadn’t read the book carefully and had completely forgotten who this person was. She scrutinized him closely. The young master wasn’t very old and was quite handsome, but the arrogance between his brows was too heavy, and the sharp curve of his mouth made him look difficult to get along with.

After thinking for a long time without success, she asked tentatively: “And you are?”

The young master exploded instantly, glaring at her with exasperation: “Lu Ting’an, are you doing this on purpose? You don’t even remember me? I am Cui Daorong!”

Once he said the name, Lu Ting’an had an epiphany. So, this young master was the youngest son of Cui Runian, the Sect Leader of the Shiya Yeyue Pond (Stone Cliff Night Moon Pool). He had grown up in the lap of luxury and was a match for Lu Ting’an when it came to being overbearing and arrogant. Furthermore, he was elitist to his core and deeply despised Lu Ting’an—a “trash” with low cultivation—feeling as though she brought shame to their circle of young sect leaders.

In his early years, Elder Cui had been a wealthy tycoon in Jizhou before a stroke of luck led him to the immortal path to establish a sect. However, most of the disciples came from merchant families, and the inherent extravagance and self-importance were impossible to hide, especially in their expenses. She vaguely remembered the original novel’s description of the Shiya Yeyue Pond: gold bowls, silver chopsticks, floors paved with gemstones, and jade nectar. Wherever they went, it was pure decadence, as if they wanted to tattoo “I am very rich” on their foreheads.

Lu Ting’an gave a soft sneer, thinking to herself how coincidental this was. In the original book, this Young Master Cui was the leading figure opposing the recruitment of disciples from demon backgrounds. Naturally, he loathed Lin Zheng. Technically, he was an antagonistic villain just like her, which she found strangely hilarious. She smiled and said: “Blame my poor eyesight. So, it is Young Master Cui.”

Cui Daorong huffed, eyeing her with displeasure: “What is Miss Lu doing here so late at night? I recall your Baiyun Luying Sect’s jurisdiction is in the Jinling area. Why have you come to Yuancheng?”

Lu Ting’an spread her hands helplessly: “You think I wanted to come? It’s all because of the Sect Exams; otherwise, I wouldn’t come to this dump.”

Cui Daorong’s eyes widened in disbelief: “A dump? My Jizhou is a land of spiritual grace, far better than your place! Do you know that the pillars of our sect’s inner halls are carved from solid spiritual jade? Your Baiyun Luying Sect is so shabby, yet you dare call this place a dump?”

Lu Ting’an found it amusing and dismissed his childish bragging with disdain: “Merchant air and official greed—is your Shiya Yeyue Pond an immortal sect or a bunch of nouveau riche?”

“You!” several youths gritted their teeth and shouted, drawing their swords and glaring at her.

Lu Ting’an looked at the sword in his hand, the corners of her mouth curling up playfully as she looked at him: “Young Master Cui, your father and my father are close friends. Do you really dare to make a move against me?”

Cui Daorong froze. Then, as if remembering something, his face turned gloomy. He stared at her for a long while before turning to the disciples behind him: “Forget it, do not entangle with her. We have serious business to attend to.”

With that, they glared at her viciously and turned to leave.

“Wait.” A spark of inspiration flashed in Lu Ting’an’s mind. she quickly called out to them, propping her chin on her hand, and asked with a smile: “Young Master Cui hasn’t answered me yet. What are you doing here?”

Cui Daorong replied coldly: “What business is it of yours?”

Lu Ting’an wagged a finger in front of him. “It has everything to do with me. A few months ago, because of the negligence of your disciples, the bloodthirsty snake demon Liyin escaped from Shiya Yeyue Pond and hid in these Hanqiao Mountains. The guard, fearing Elder Cui’s punishment, gave Jin Youdao, the Hall Master of Fusheng Hall, three gold ingots to help search. Unfortunately, that old toad was incompetent and found nothing after a long search.”

The more Cui Daorong listened, the stranger he felt. He couldn’t help but ask: “How do you know this?”

Lu Ting’an smiled. How else? I know because I read the original book. She cleared her throat and continued: “That old toad didn’t want to lose those three gold ingots, so he sent an Immortal Invitation to the Baiyun Luying Sect, asking us to find Liyin in the Hanqiao Mountains for him. Coincidentally, we actually found it. Not only did we find it, but we also had a fight with it.”

“You found Liyin? Where? Take me there quickly!” Cui Daorong said urgently.

Lu Ting’an looked at him playfully: “Don’t be in such a hurry, Young Master Cui. Even if you can’t catch Liyin, it’s not your fault. Why are you so anxious? Could it be… that the one who let Liyin go was you?”

Cui Daorong’s throat bobbed, but he was suddenly silenced. A few months ago, he was playing around with a group of disciples in the sect. Who would have thought they would accidentally stumble into the forbidden back mountain? Seeking a thrill, they opened the seal suppressing Liyin, resulting in the snake demon’s escape. He had been so anxious he hadn’t slept for days. Originally, he approached Jin Youdao because he didn’t want to make the matter public; he didn’t expect the old monster to be so incompetent and greedy that he would involve the disciples of the Baiyun Luying Sect.

Cui Daorong pondered for a long while, then looked up at Lu Ting’an. The contempt in his eyes faded slightly as he said: “Miss Lu is indeed resourceful. It was indeed I who accidentally released Liyin. Since you have already fought it, you should know that this demon is ferocious and possesses deep cultivation. If not eliminated in time, I fear it will bring calamity to the region.”

Lu Ting’an was delighted, knowing she had achieved her goal.

After Lin Zheng was poisoned and injured, the few of them would never be able to subdue Liyin alone. Lin Zheng was stubborn; she would never return to the Baiyun Luying Sect without successfully eliminating this scourge for the people of Jizhou. With her own low cultivation, Lu Ting’an couldn’t guarantee that heartless lot like Chen Yunxiao would help when things got critical.

Now, with the disciples of Shiya Yeyue Pond joining in, they had a better chance of winning.

Lu Ting’an nodded at them and said with satisfaction: “Fine. Follow me back to Fusheng Hall first. This matter requires careful planning.”

Cui Daorong and the others whispered among themselves for a moment and finally agreed.

At this point, the wontons Lu Ting’an ordered were ready. She smiled at the old man: “Thank you. Please pack them up for me.”

Inside Fusheng Hall.

Lin Zheng had slept for a long while and finally regained some energy, though her head was still heavy and groggy. She struggled to sit up from the couch. Seeing the bowl of cooled medicinal soup, Jin Youdao’s words uncontrollably surfaced in her mind.

The Pure Breath Restoration Lamp did not have the effect of neutralizing poison. So, how was her snake venom cured? And why did Lu Ting’an lie to her?

As she was lost in thought, there was a soft knock on the door. Lin Zheng’s expression sharpened: “Who is it?”

“Me.” Before the words even landed, Lu Ting’an had unceremoniously pushed the door open. She set the steaming wontons on the table and smiled: “You’re awake? Come eat something to nourish your body. You have a fierce battle to fight in a few days.”

Lin Zheng stared at her blankly, seemingly unable to react: “…What do you mean?”

Lu Ting’an reached up to haphazardly wipe the sweat from her forehead. Her small face was flushed red from the cold outside. She said: “I ran into the disciples of Shiya Yeyue Pond. They said they are willing to deal with that snake demon with us.”

Lin Zheng nodded, seemingly relieved. “I am currently injured, and Chen Yunxiao and the others are definitely no match for that snake demon. If they are willing to help, it is for the best.”

Lu Ting’an poured herself a cup of tea and took a small sip. “That’s what I thought, too. So, I managed to trick them into coming. You should be smarter next time—don’t always charge in alone. Let them take the lead, and you just strike at the critical moment.”

Lu Ting’an originally thought her painstaking considerations for Lin Zheng’s sake would move her, but Lin Zheng only shook her head faintly and said: “This is inappropriate. The snake demon is ferocious. Since they are helping out of goodwill, how can we let them face such danger? I will fight the snake demon again once I have recovered my strength.”

Once again, Lu Ting’an’s kindness was treated like dirt. She was almost used to it. She curled her lip unhappily: “Suit yourself. Always playing the hero—you’ll learn your lesson one day when no one is there to save you!”

Lin Zheng quietly watched her huffing face. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she asked: “What did you use to cure my poison?”

“Ah… ah? Oh, it was that Pure Breath Restoration Lamp thing. Didn’t I tell you before?” Lu Ting’an didn’t react in time and almost let the truth slip.

Lin Zheng sighed and said: “Even if you don’t say it, I can probably guess. It was that Life-Preserving Pill you’ve carried since childhood, wasn’t it?”

Lu Ting’an opened her mouth to argue, but looking into Lin Zheng’s incredibly pure eyes, she found herself unable to speak.

Lin Zheng remained silent for a long moment, then said: “Lu Ting’an, that Life-Preserving Pill was specially refined for you by the Sect Leader using decades of his cultivation. Why… why go to such great lengths to save me?”