Transmigrated as the Villain and Driven Crazy by the Vengeful Male Lead - Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Long Distance (Part 2) — You want to eat my bait that much? Then I’ll give it all to you…

“In this season, it is indeed rare to find them in Luzhou…” Lyu Qingsong truly began to ponder a solution. “I’ll order men to search—”

“No need,” Lyu Shurao cut him off, laughing at himself for making such a nonsensical and unreasonable request. He thought for a moment, remembering that on his way back, he had seen fishermen angling on the cold river.

“Traveling makes one nostalgic. The winter fish of the Lyu River are plump. Fishing alone amidst the cold current and sleet doesn’t lack a certain refined charm. How about I—”

“Wonderful,” Lyu Qingsong said, his enthusiasm piqued. “Rarely are we free today. How about we father and son go cold-fishing together?”

Lyu Shurao hadn’t expected Lyu Qingsong to want to go with him. Flattered and somewhat overwhelmed, he accepted.

The north wind howled over the Lyu River. The Lyu father and son came on a whim, neither riding swords nor using light-body techniques. Just two men in straw raincoats on a tiny boat, swaying as they reached the center of the river amidst cheerful conversation.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived, a fine snow began to fall. Now, it truly was snow-fishing.

Lyu Shurao didn’t know how to fish. When he was little, Lyu Yizhou had said he’d teach him when he was older, but those words were later swallowed whole.

He narrowed his eyes, opened the fish basket, pulled out a rod, picked the fattest piece of bait to tie on, and swung it out with a flick of his wrist.

“A-Yao, you…” Lyu Qingsong was stuck between tears and laughter. “Before angling, you must observe the wind and water currents. Choose the best spot to cast your bait. If you just toss the best lure anywhere like that, even if there’s a fish willing to follow you, it won’t be able to cross the thousands of miles of water to get there.”

Lyu Shurao brushed back the long hair kissed by the wind onto his cheek and smiled. “If it’s truly my fish, it won’t fail to cross such a small distance. It’s just a matter of ‘the fish that is willing will take the hook.’ Besides…”

“Besides what?”

“Father, you haven’t even cast your hook yet,” he reminded him with a grin.

Lyu Qingsong had been so absorbed in the conversation he nearly forgot his own bait. He turned around, seriously studied the conditions of time and place, and finally cast his hook in a position facing away from Lyu Shurao.

The moment the rod was cast, Lyu Qingsong felt regret. He clearly wanted to spend more time with his child, yet he had gotten so caught up in fishing techniques. He’d chosen a back-to-back position—was he supposed to chat with his son using the back of his head?

He said regretfully, “I’ll change spots—”

“Father,” Lyu Shurao called softly from behind him. “Thank you.”

Lyu Qingsong froze. What a silly thing for the boy to say.

“I thought I would never feel a father’s love again in this life. Coming here was strange, bizarre, and terrifying, but fortunately, I met you.”

Lyu Qingsong turned his head in confusion. Because they were back-to-back, it was a struggle to look; he could only catch a glimpse of a broad, straight shoulder wrapped in a straw raincoat, hiding the fragility within.

“I have many things suppressed in my heart—things I loathe, things I flee from. Even if something beautiful and lingering descends upon me, I am unwilling to face it. Father, can you understand me?”

Lyu Qingsong didn’t fully understand, but he remembered this adopted son of his. He was abducted by a snow demon at Kunlun Mountain when he was so young and suffered such heavy injuries. He had barely survived and was saved with great difficulty after being brought back to Xifeng Ferry. Since then, he had been cold and reclusive, walking alone and ignoring almost everyone.

He truly did seem suppressed, evasive, and weary of the world.

So, what has he encountered now that has moved his heart?

Whatever it was, since he felt it was beautiful, it was worth encouraging him to pursue it bravely.

“I understand.” Lyu Qingsong nodded into the direction of the snow. “The human heart is a mirror to the world; everything has two sides—one of joy, one of sorrow. If there is something that brings your heart joy, go ahead and do it. As for the thousand twists of sorrow on the other side, just as in this current scene, your father is behind you to dissolve them for you.”

Lyu Shurao leaned against Lyu Qingsong’s broad back and lowered his head. His nose felt sharp with a sting, and the long rod in his hand gradually blurred. He breathed out into the winter wind, gave a small laugh, and his vision cleared again.

“Father, what do you think the Second Young Master will be like after he gets better?”

“In this mortal world, for a man, the ultimate pursuit is nothing more than starting a family and establishing a career.”

“Starting a family and establishing a career…”

“The Su family’s century-old immortal legacy was built on the contributions of Cheyue’s father and grandfather. After Su Chen passed, the brilliantly talented Second Young Master should have succeeded him, but he was young then, so his uncle Su Xun took charge. If not for the incident at the Ghost Prison, he would have been the rightful Sect Master of Baoshan long ago.”

Lyu Shurao nodded in agreement.

“As for starting a family, although the cultivation world doesn’t have strict hereditary rules stating a Sect Master must produce heirs—otherwise I would also…”

Lyu Qingsong cleverly skirted his own topic. “But Cheyue’s parents were deeply in love; he himself must be influenced by that. He will likely find a partner—one person for a lifetime—receive the world’s blessings, and have a child with extraordinary talent and looks…”

Lyu Shurao said, “Yeah, you’re right.”

“What’s this?” Lyu Qingsong laughed. “Are you worried he won’t be willing to dissolve the engagement? A-Yao, do you have a girl you fancy? Tell your father?”

Lyu Shurao looked down and touched his Adam’s apple, denying it: “Not really.”

If he could generously forgive me and let me go, that would be a blessing enough. How could I dare crave more?

The small boat fell silent for a while. Suddenly, Lyu Shurao’s fishing rod trembled slightly. He followed the line with his eyes.

The water of the Lyu River wasn’t clear—it was even murky—but Lyu Shurao could clearly see that beneath the surface, at the spot where he had left his bait, there was an extra fish, pure white all over. This fish ignored everything else, focusing intently on Lyu Shurao’s bait, its body swaying as it tried with all its might to bite and reach it.

“A Red-Cap Koi!” Lyu Qingsong whispered.

Lyu Shurao stared blankly for a moment.

His father was right; he hadn’t chosen a good spot. A small wave hit, and a motley crowd of other fish swarmed over, surrounding the white fish. They began to fight it for the bait. The Red-Cap Koi refused to back down, its tail spinning in the river as if threatening, declaring that this bait was its own and no other fish could touch it.

But it was, after all, fighting alone and without help.

A few fish in the school were particularly vicious, biting it. Holding onto the baited hook, the koi didn’t even dodge, preferring to let its fins be bitten and bleed, staining its snow-white scales. It was just a tiny bit, and it dissolved instantly into the water.

But Lyu Shurao saw it. He saw this fish was willing to let itself be harmed just to get close to him.

—”If there were someone who didn’t care about falling into ruin or harming themselves just to keep me, then I would definitely fall for them, without a second’s hesitation.”

He suddenly dropped his rod, tore off his straw raincoat, stood up, and jumped into the river with a splash.

“A-Yao—!”

…

Frozen world.

Suddenly, a giant shadow descended from the sky. The vicious fish beneath the river were so startled they scattered in all directions, leaving only that white koi waiting in place, wagging its head and tail, blowing bubbles at Lyu Shurao.

Lyu Shurao swam over and easily scooped it up. Most of his body was submerged in the water, frozen to the point of numbness, yet he was in the mood to joke with a fish: “You want to eat my bait that much? There’s plenty more on the boat.”

“Mine… I’ll give it all to you.”

“A-Yao, are you crazy?! Jumping into such a cold river just like that! Get up here!” Lyu Qingsong abandoned his “old fisherman” posture, threw down his rod, lay flat on the boat, and reached out to pull him up.

Lyu Shurao swam closer, tossed the koi to his father, and was about to climb onto the boat when—

Crack, crack, crack.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

Lyu Qingsong looked at the river’s surface, and his face instantly paled. “A-Yao!”

For ten miles around, the river surface froze instantly!

Lyu Shurao didn’t have time to react before something dragged him down from below. Amidst his father’s screams, he plummeted, watching helplessly as solid ice sealed over his head.

…

“To Second Young Master Su Cheyue:

I hope this letter brings a smile to your face. Please don’t be mad at me.

Today I went cold-fishing in the Lyu River with my father and met a Red-Cap Koi. It’s white, very much like the white clothes you wear.

I don’t dare say that seeing it makes me think of you, because I’m afraid you’d be angry.

While catching it, I accidentally fell into the river, but don’t worry about me. I’m an expert swimmer; I’ll be back very soon.

Eat well and sleep well at the He Mansion. Focus on your recovery. Don’t be mad at me. Stay safe and happy at all times.

In fifty-four days, I will bring you home.

Hand-written by Lyu Shurao.”

In his unconscious state, Lyu Shurao had already planned out today’s letter. He had originally intended to write only that one letter from last night, but somehow, once he started, he wanted to share every moment that happened.

Fine. When I get back to town, I’ll buy more stationery.

“The little young master just arrived, and already wants to go back?” A female voice giggled in his ear.

Lyu Shurao opened his eyes and saw a woman in white sitting nearby, smiling at him. Her face was snow-white, her pupils deep black, and the whites of her eyes were minimal, as if two unnervingly large grapes were stuffed into her sockets.

Lyu Shurao jolted and scrambled backward.

As he retreated, his palms were suddenly poked by something painful and hot. He looked down and questioned his existence. He should have fallen into the Lyu River, not a pit of magma.

Is the riverbed supposed to look like this—parched ground with magma occasionally bubbling up?

“…Who are you?” Lyu Shurao turned his head stiffly with a dry smile.

“Forgotten me so soon?” The woman said, then realized something was wrong. “No, you were so small back then, how could you remember?”

She shook her head again. “That’s not right either. You aren’t ‘you’ at all; it’s normal you don’t recognize me.”

…What on earth was she talking about?

“You’ve grown so big; Yun-niang would be happy to see you,” she added. “A pity she can’t see.”

Lyu Shurao: “Who exactly are you?”

“I am the Kunlun Snow Demon.”

The Kunlun Snow Demon? The one who nearly ate the original Lyu Shurao years ago? Lyu Shurao saw her wearing white and couldn’t help but think of a certain person. Both wore white, but the impression they gave was vastly different. One was attractive; the other was terrifying.

“Did you freeze the river surface?” Lyu Shurao asked.

The Snow Demon said, “Yes. Impressive, right?”

“Why did you drag me down here?” It couldn’t be for a stroll down memory lane.

The Snow Demon said, “My child asked me to.”

And who was her child? “Where is this place?”

“You’ll know when you get there. Are you coming?” The Snow Demon reached out her hand. It was covered in frost, like a cluster of mutated snowflakes.

Lyu Shurao stood up silently, putting his hands behind his back. “I can walk myself.”

“Fine.”

The ground was filled with cracks and magma, and the air was warped by the heat; it looked nothing like the bottom of a river. Lyu Shurao walked until he was sweating, his clothes and skin parched. Just as he was about to ask when they’d arrive, the Snow Demon stopped and turned. “Go in.”

Under her guidance, Lyu Shurao passed through a wall of energy. Behind it was a door, surrounded by thick black mist and a heavy, fishy stench that felt familiar. As soon as Lyu Shurao touched the door, it began to writhe, turning into a barrier made of millions of overlapping human arms!

Lyu Shurao: ????

Having experienced several “instances” before, his threshold for ghosts and corpses had gradually risen. He didn’t feel like vomiting this time, but it was still mind-blowing.

“Master Lyu.”

A strange voice came from within the door of arms. The arms let go and slowly unfurled, revealing three figures standing inside…

“Are you… human or ghost?”

Three figures in black—one tall, two short. They wore masks of different shapes. A short one approached first, groping around before tremblingly taking his hand, though without speaking.

Lyu Shurao frowned. “You are…?”

The Snow Demon stood outside. “You truly don’t recognize her?”

“He couldn’t possibly,” the person holding his hand said in a thin voice. “He was too small…”

The Snow Demon said, “She is Yun-niang, your mother. Your biological mother.”

Lyu Shurao was startled and jerked his hand away, staring at Yun-niang for a long time before he realized. She wasn’t talking about his mother, but the original Lyu Shurao’s mother.

Lyu Shurao said, “Actually, I’m not—”

“No, I’m not,” Yun-niang suddenly explained anxiously. “I am not your mother. Looking like this, I am not…”

“Your mother waited for you for decades to find you, never willing to enter the cycle of reincarnation,” the Snow Demon said. “Do you have the heart to not recognize her?”

…But he really wasn’t her son.

“Stay here, Yao-yao,” the Snow Demon said. “Stay here with your mother.”

Lyu Shurao’s heart trembled, thinking of his true mother, Shen Yun. Yao-yao, you are a home all by yourself.

Lyu Shurao shook his head with difficulty. “I am not your Yao-yao.”

The Snow Demon sighed. “What a cruel-hearted boy.”

“Going back is fine, too,” Yun-niang’s face behind the mask showed no expression, but her voice was incredibly gentle. “The human world must be warm and beautiful, right?”

Lyu Shurao felt a twinge of sadness. “Yes, the human world is very beautiful. You can go back, too.”

Yun-niang shook her head repeatedly. “If I go back, I won’t remember my child.”

“The last time I saw him, he was only as big as my arm.” Yun-niang lowered her head, though it was unclear if she was looking at her own hands or Lyu Shurao’s. But the Snow Demon had said she was blind.

“He was soft, smiling in my arms. He’d just been born, yet he knew how to smile at me…”

“He is so optimistic, so kind; he must be living very well in the human world.”

The entire time, she used “he” instead of “you.” This place was too dim, and her appearance in black robes didn’t look like a mother’s, to the point that even with the child standing before her, she couldn’t see or recognize him.

Suddenly, the other two black-clad figures behind her—wearing donkey and dog masks—began to fight. The tall one easily subdued the small one, who had seemingly tried to rush toward Lyu Shurao just now.

“Are you rebelling?” the Snow Demon raised her voice behind Lyu Shurao. “Aren’t you afraid my son will return and punish you? You two share the same name; show some brotherly love.”

“You,” the Snow Demon pointed at the donkey mask, “a grown man laying hands on a weak woman—humans and ghosts alike will laugh at you.”

Lyu Shurao said, “I’m going back.”

As he turned, the Snow Demon tried to stop him, and the dog mask stepped forward to help. Yun-niang cried out into the void, “Don’t hurt my child! let him go!”

The Snow Demon countered, “If I let your child go, what about my child?! Yun-niang, you are so selfish!”

“If I were truly selfish,” Yun-niang sobbed, covering her face in pain, “if I were truly selfish… my child wouldn’t have been left all alone in this world…”

The donkey mask stepped forward to pull Lyu Shurao, seemingly wanting to lead him out. The Snow Demon shouted, “Disobeying me again and again—my son shouldn’t have kept you by his side!”

With that, countless six-pronged spikes looking like snowflakes flew from her palm toward them!

“Watch out!” Lyu Shurao reached out, and his long whip lashed out with a whoosh, glowing with a blue-purple light as it smashed the spikes!

The Snow Demon said, “Don’t let him run—”

The donkey mask led him to run faster. Reaching the energy wall, he shoved something into Lyu Shurao’s hand and then pushed him hard outward. “Go.”

Lyu Shurao: “You—”

“Go quickly!”

The donkey mask cast a spell. The energy wall roared backward, and the magma cliffs around them receded along with it. Lyu Shurao was instantly thrown back into the river, the freezing water pressing in from all sides!

“A-Yao!”

Lyu Shurao’s consciousness returned, and he lunged out of the water with a gasp.

“A-Yao!” Lyu Qingsong was standing on the river’s surface, slashing with the Zhanquan sword. Seeing Lyu Shurao surface, he finally let out a sigh of relief. “You scared me to death! Get up here!”

Lyu Shurao climbed onto the boat. “Is Father alright?”

“I’m fine. Are you hurt?” Seeing him shivering from the cold, Lyu Qingsong quickly conjured some true fire from a few meters away to warm him up.

“I’m fine, too.” Lyu Shurao tucked the object into his sleeve and looked down to search the boat.

The Red-Cap Koi was nowhere to be found.