After My Faked Death Failed, My Ex-Wife Came Chasing After Me - Chapter 29

Young Lu Ting’an: Back when she was a “Magic Pill” or a “Spirit Pearl”…

After the others had left, Lu Ting’an finally supported herself against the window sill, grimacing in pain as she stood up on her swollen ankle. A fierce internal conflict raged in her mind.

Judging by the situation, that little thief was no ordinary person who had accidentally wandered into the Stone Cliff Moon Pool to steal things; they had clearly come with a specific purpose. She subconsciously looked down at the nanmu box in her arms containing the Demon Core, and her heart skipped a beat. “Could they be here for this too?”

As she was lost in thought, a sudden, piercing pain shot through her ankle. Lu Ting’an gasped, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead as she cursed silently.

“Great. How am I supposed to explain this to Lin Zheng?”

With a long face, she dragged her injured leg and limped from the back window of the pharmacy toward the guest rooms. To avoid the night patrol disciples, she had to take a long detour. The night was dark and the ground was slippery; in a moment of carelessness, her foot caught on something, and she went crashing to the ground with a heavy “thud.” Her elbow scraped against the earth, stinging fiercely.

“Ow, I really am…” Lu Ting’an pounded the ground in frustration, gritting her teeth and muttering, “How can someone be this unlucky?”

She struggled to crawl back up, but as soon as she lifted her head, she unexpectedly locked eyes with a pair of familiar blue-grey pupils.

Lin Zheng stood before her, though Lu Ting’an hadn’t noticed when she arrived. Her figure was pulled long by the moonlight as she stood with her hands behind her back. She looked down at her and said coldly, “I waited for you in the room for a long time, but you never returned.”

Lin Zheng paused, her gaze lingering for a moment on Lu Ting’an’s disheveled state, before asking, “Where did you go?”

Lu Ting’an’s mouth twitched as she forced a smile, spinning a lie on the fly. “Sigh, it’s a long story… I’m still recovering from the residual poison, right? My body is weak. I went to the latrine and accidentally twisted my ankle, then I got lost. If you hadn’t found me, I probably would have slept outside tonight.”

Lin Zheng looked at her expressionlessly, her face practically screaming “I don’t believe you.”

Lu Ting’an felt a prickle of unease and quickly changed the subject. “Oh, right, how did you find me?”

Lin Zheng raised a hand and pointed at Lu Ting’an’s waist. The green, round, fox-shaped jade pendant glowed faintly in the night. “With that.”

Lu Ting’an looked down and smiled. “Oh right, I kept forgetting to return it to you. At least it came in handy now.”

Lin Zheng didn’t reply. Instead, she knelt down in front of her and reached out to pinch the swollen ankle. Her cool fingertips slid across the skin, sending a faint shiver through Lu Ting’an.

“It shouldn’t have hit the bone,” Lin Zheng said calmly. “It will heal after a few days of rest. Can you stand up?”

Lu Ting’an blinked, looking at the face so close to her own. The contours were soft, and her eyelashes cast faint shadows in the moonlight. A very subtle, fresh fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose, making Lu Ting’an’s mind wander involuntarily.

In a momentary lapse of reason, she blurted out, “I don’t think I can. Carry me on your back, okay?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Lu Ting’an regretted them. She quickly turned her head away, her ears burning with embarrassment, not daring to look at Lin Zheng’s reaction.

To her surprise, Lin Zheng only froze for a second before responding in a deep voice, “Okay.”

Hearing this, Lu Ting’an snapped her head back, her eyes wide with disbelief. However, Lin Zheng had already turned around and knelt down in front of her, saying, “Get on.”

Lu Ting’an opened her mouth to say something else, but in the end, nothing came out.

Midnight, The High Moon

Lin Zheng carried Lu Ting’an on her back, walking slowly along the stone path of the Stone Cliff Moon Pool. The moonlight fell upon them, stretching their shadows long across the ground.

Lu Ting’an wrapped her arms gently around Lin Zheng’s neck, pressing her face against the straight line of her spine. Lin Zheng didn’t walk fast, but she was incredibly steady; Lu Ting’an could barely feel any jolting, and the pain in her ankle seemed to fade away.

A sudden, indescribable warmth rose in Lu Ting’an’s heart. She couldn’t help but chuckle softly and say, “Lin Zheng, I think this is the first time you’ve ever carried me.”

Lin Zheng looked straight ahead, her voice flat. “It is not the first time.”

Lu Ting’an was stunned. She subconsciously tried to recall the original novel, but she couldn’t remember such a description no matter how hard she tried. Confused, she asked, “Then when was it?”

Lin Zheng was silent for a moment before saying, “Shortly after I entered the Baiyun Luying Sect, back when I was still an outer disciple.”

Hearing this, Lu Ting’an suddenly realized and remembered.

Lin Zheng had come to the Baiyun Luying Sect at the age of ten.

In the original novel, after years of infighting, the demon race had gradually weakened. Furthermore, the human race had suddenly surged in the path of cultivation, eventually surpassing the momentum of the demons. Hundreds of years ago, four members of the Taoist sects descended into the mortal world to slay demons and eliminate evil, becoming close friends. Later, they each founded their own sects, supporting one another like the legs of a tripod. They grew stronger and stronger, eventually suppressing the demon race until they had no dignity left.

To further consolidate their power, Sect Leader Song of the Juxian Danhe Bridge proposed at the Immortal Feast that various demon tribes must send their most outstanding children to these great cultivation sects every year to “receive education.” Anyone who disobeyed would be uprooted under the pretext of being a chaotic influence.

But while it was called “education,” it was actually a form of humiliation. How could these cultivators tolerate demons seeking the Tao just as they did? To put it bluntly, the purpose of cultivation was to slay demons; to be brothers-in-arms with demonic filth was considered a reversal of the natural order. Therefore, these demon disciples usually walked on thin ice within the sects, living in fear every day that they might offend a cultivator and die an unexplained death.

But Lin Zheng was an exception.

Because her mother had been sealed under the Demon Locking Tower by the heartless Lin Qingyao—an array that no demon could break—and because she had heard that the world’s greatest master of Qimen Dunjia, Yan Shuce, was at the Baiyun Luying Sect, she was desperate to save her mother. When Lu Qingchen came to Qingqiu to recruit demon disciples, she fought bitterly for days, finally successfully overpowering the other disciples. She earned Lu Qingchen’s appreciation and was personally brought back to the Baiyun Luying Sect.

However, upon her return, new problems followed one after another. Lu Qingchen had stopped taking disciples for many years, and the other eighteen elders of the sect harbored prejudices due to Lin Zheng’s demon origins. Not a single one was willing to take her under their wing.

Finally, Lu Qingchen sighed and said to Lin Zheng, “If no elder is willing to take you after this, I’m afraid you can only return to Qingqiu.”

Seeing her last bit of hope about to shatter, Lin Zheng was consumed by anxiety. She knelt before the Welcoming Immortal Pavilion and refused to rise, no matter how others tried to persuade her. Eventually, Lu Qingchen felt a flicker of compassion and relented, allowing her to stay in the sect for the time being as an outer disciple.

Lin Zheng wept with joy, choking back sobs as she bowed in gratitude.

However, being an outer disciple at the Baiyun Luying Sect had always been the hardest job. One had to sweep the courtyards, move heavy objects, and serve the daily needs of the various elders. Moreover, their clothing and food were never fixed; for the most part, they had to find their own ways to survive.

Yet, Lin Zheng never uttered a single word of complaint.

She squeezed into a narrow communal bed with over ten people every night and rose quietly before dawn. First, she would sweep the martial arts arena. While Elder Luo taught the disciples sword techniques, she would stand to the side with lowered eyes, her hands working while her gaze unobtrusively followed the sword paths, silently committing every move and style to memory.

Once her chores were finished, she would head alone to the bamboo forest behind the mountain to practice her sword.

Outer disciples were not qualified to enter the Lingyan Pavilion to listen to the elders’ lectures. She would quietly crouch beneath the window sill, kneeling on the ground, straining to tilt her head up to listen to the explanations inside through the half-open window slit.

Day after day, through winter and summer, she never slacked.

The reason Lin Zheng worked so hard was that the Baiyun Luying Sect had a rule: outer disciples were assessed every three months. If they performed exceptionally well, an exception could be made to admit them into the inner sect.

She thought to herself that since the elders disliked her because of her demon origins, she would put in ten times, a hundred times more effort than others. As long as she was diligent and outstanding enough, there would come a day when an elder would be willing to set aside their prejudice and recruit her.

But reality poured a bucket of freezing water over Lin Zheng.

During every assessment, the elders would set up a stage in the arena where outer disciples would duel, with the winner advancing. Although Lin Zheng had joined late, her talent was extraordinary. She had a near-photographic memory for sword techniques, and her comprehension far surpassed her peers. Many moves she had secretly learned and repeatedly rehearsed often became three times more sharp and fierce once she executed them compared to the person who originally taught them.

On the stage, she often forced her opponents back repeatedly, deciding the victory within a few moves.

Every time, after the victory was decided, she would sheathe her sword and stand tall, bowing respectfully to the elders on the viewing platform, her heart full of expectation.

But despite her performance being far superior to her opponents, the eighteen elders on the platform remained indifferent. Their gazes barely lingered on her for a moment. They would rather pick disciples who couldn’t even last a few moves against her sword than give her a second look.

Lin Zheng gradually became disappointed.

Later, even disappointment vanished, leaving only a cold sense of despair.

Until one day, Elder Feng once again chose the person she had defeated and rejected her. The twelve-year-old Lin Zheng could no longer hold it in. She ran alone to the back mountain, hid deep within the bamboo forest, and began to wail.

“Ow!”

As she was crying, an exclamation suddenly came from nearby. Lin Zheng froze, immediately wiping the tears from her face. She stood up with her sword drawn and shouted sharply, “Who’s there?!”

There was a rustling sound from the depths of the bamboo forest. Messy grass and leaves were pushed aside, accompanied by a few muffled sobs. Lin Zheng grew wary and walked toward the sound. Pushing aside layers of weeds, she suddenly froze in place.

A little girl, carved like pink jade and looking no older than four or five, had two round buns in her hair. Her little face was dirty, her eyes were red and swollen, and she was shrinking beside a bamboo shoot, crying softly.

Lin Zheng paused, the tip of her sword lowering slightly. She couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong with you?”

Hearing someone speak, the little girl immediately looked up with large, watery eyes. Seeing her, she seemed to have finally found a savior. She staggered a few steps and threw herself directly into Lin Zheng’s arms, crying out with a “wah.”

“Sister…” she stammered through her sobs, “I was playing and fell down the slope. My foot hurts so much, I can’t walk.”

Being hugged like this, Lin Zheng’s heart jolted. Only then did she notice that the little girl’s azure short robe had been torn, and one of her shoes was missing. She knelt down and gently pinched the foot, finding it burning to the touch. The top of the foot was swollen high; she had clearly twisted it badly.

Forgetting her own sorrow, Lin Zheng softened her voice and asked, “Little girl, what is your name? Where is your home?”

The little girl rubbed her eyes and pointed a chubby little finger toward the Welcoming Immortal Pavilion, saying aggrievedly, “My name is Lu Ting’an… I live in that palace with my Daddy.”