First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2220 – A Heart Devil, a Final Farewell, Capture

To the best of Su Yi’s knowledge, techniques that let you seal seed for future use during dual cultivation really did exist. You could then produce children years later.

Such a feat would be completely effortless for an Undying Realm expert. Still, Su Yi found the idea of Lu Qingmei using such a method to produce Lu Zhanxuan absurd.

Suddenly, Lu Qingmei sighed, turned, walked to the cliffside, and stood there, just gazing into the distant night sky. She was facing away from Su Yi, and against the backdrop of wind, her voice was only barely discernible.

“The old-timers of the God Domain all know that I once attacked and almost killed Yi Daoxuan with my own two hands.

“Even I thought that I was a heartless, disloyal woman. I in no way believed that I’d regret plotting against Yi Daoxuan.

“But in the end, I discovered that I couldn’t move past it.

“People say the years are heartless, and that time washes away all things, and lets you see past everything. But even after all these years, every time I think about what I did, my heart fills with regret.

“I cannot sever it. My mind is in turmoil, as if besieged by a heart devil! My heart and mind are shackled, and even now, I know no freedom.

“The hairpin Yi Daoxuan gave me back then is called ‘At Ease’ because he wanted me to live my life carefree and at ease, but…

“It was only after it was too late that I discovered that he was the heart devil preventing me from a life at ease.”

She spoke ruefully, as if recalling the distant past, her voice full of heartache, bitterness, and melancholy.

Inwardly, Su Yi laughed coldly. Outwardly, he said, “Senior, ten minutes is almost up.”

Lu Qingmei turned. Two faint, almost indiscernible tear streaks vanished instantaneously.

“I’ll make up for what I’ve done, but the child is without sin,” said Lu Qingmei, suddenly dignified and imposing, the very picture of an empress of the nine heavens once more.

She gazed intently at Su Yi. “If anything happens to me, I just hope that his father will protect him.”

With that, she turned and left.

Su Yi stood there in silence, his brow tightly furrowed.

“Rest assured. No one could hear our conversation.” Lu Qingmei’s voice emanated from afar. “Also, your act might trick everyone else beneath the heavens, but you can’t fool me. Your performance was really crude earlier, you know, but I have to say, it was actually quite fun.”

Su Yi’s gaze shifted erratically, but in the end, he maintained his silence.

When that woman speaks, nine out of ten sentences are lies, and the remaining sentence is just to probe for further information. I can’t trust her lightly!

This was the biggest lesson Yi Daoxuan had learned from her. Lu Qingmei was just too volatile and unreadable!

“Take care,” said Lu Qingmei. It was the last sentence she said before she left.

They were just two words spoken calmly, yet it sounded like a final farewell.

The night was increasingly deep. The mountain winds blew past, rustling Su Yi’s white clothing and long hair as he stood there for a long time, lost in contemplation.

Even disregarding Yi Daoxuan’s feelings and calmly analyzing what had happened here, Su Yi reached a few conclusions.

Lu QIngmei had indeed come prepared with all manner of methods.

She’d used Fang Shuo’s Torch Dragon bloodline to probe him.

She’d used Unfettered Wanderer as an opportunity to question him.

She’d used the hairpin, At Ease, in a bid to break past his mental defenses.

But her biggest killer weapon was her son, Lu Zhanxuan!

This blow was simply far too lethal, and entirely unexpected, to the point that he’d struggled to maintain his composure during their conversation earlier.

But that didn’t matter.

After giving it some thought, Su Yi finally concluded that Lu Qingmei most likely really had seen through his identity.

The strange part was, she didn’t do anything about it. On the contrary, it seemed like she’d come here to entrust him with her last wishes.

He couldn’t help but recall what she’d said earlier, as well as her expression and mannerisms. ‘I’ll make up for what I’ve done, but the child is without sin. If anything happens to me, I just hope that his father will protect him,’ huh?

In the end, Su Yi shook his head. No matter how much of what she’d said was real and how much was fake, there was no denying how capable she was.

The son of unknown veracity, Lu Zhanxuan, was like a thorny problem, or rather, a bundle of riddles. In bringing him up, Lu Qingmei had succeeded in forcing Su Yi to pay attention!

She’d tossed him out like bait. Even if Su Yi didn’t want to take the bait, he knew that he’d have to sooner or later.

He had to know whether Lu Zhanxuan was really Yi Daoxuan’s son or not.

This was perhaps Lu Qingmei’s real goal!

But Su Yi didn’t feel any pressure or find it troublesome. Lu Qingmei didn’t understand this, but although he was indeed Yi Daoxuan’s reincarnation, he was no longer Yi Daoxuan!

“The Blue Rose Demon Master didn’t hurt you, did she, Xiao Jian?” Second Elder Bai Liyun walked over from afar and looked at Su Yi with concern.

“It’s fine,” Su Yi said with a laugh. “She really was curious about the Torch Dragons. I just answered all of her questions.”

Bai Liyun visibly relaxed, then inclined her head. “That’s good, then. That woman’s been in seclusion for far too long. Not even I could have anticipated that she’d take it upon herself to lead a group of disciples to Qingwu Divine Court for a sparring match. Fortunately, someone of her status wouldn’t sink to making trouble for a junior like you.”

The two of them chatted a while longer, but once she’d confirmed that Xiao Jian really hadn’t run into trouble, Bai Liyun bade farewell and left.

Su Yi stood beneath the night sky for a long time before finally returning to his immortal cave.

……

That very night, Lu Qingmei led the disciples of the Severed Heavens Demon Court and set off.

Although Liang Lingxu, Wei Zhong, and the other higher-ups found this abrupt departure a bit strange, they didn’t push their guests to stay. Instead, they personally escorted them to the sect gates.

Once the group had boarded their treasure ship, Lu Qingmei called Lu Zhanxuan over. “Xuan’er, come here.”

“What can I do for you, Honorable Mother?” Lu Zhanxuan said respectfully.

“Tonight, I met someone of the utmost importance to the two of us,” said Lu Qingmei, watching the restrained, polite Lu Zhanxuan tenderly.

The boy really was a lot like that man. It wasn’t just his appearance, either. He too was as steady and unshakeable as a mountain.

It was just a pity that every time they met, he was far too reserved and polite.

Lu Qingmei couldn’t help but sigh over this.

“There’s someone that important to you in Qingwu Divine Court, Honorable Mother?” said Lu Zhanxuan, a bit startled.

“He isn’t a member of Qingwu Divine Court,” Lu Qingmei said warmly. “You don’t need to know who he is now. I just want to tell you that you are no longer called Lu Zhanxuan.”

“Why is that?” Lu Zhanxuan’s eyes widened.

“I chose that name to represent my hopes of severing my heart devil,” Lu Qingmei said tenderly. “The heart devil remains, but it no longer matters, while you… have revealed yourself to the outside world for the first time. Going forward, everyone in the Southern Flame Divine Continent will know that you are my child.

“To prevent you from drawing too much attention and trouble, I’m not just going to change your name. I’m going to send you to continue your cultivation in a place few people know about.”

Lu Zhanxuan was stunned, but nonetheless, he said respectfully, “It’s entirely up to you, Honorable Mother.”

Lu Qingmei thought for a moment, then said, “Going forward, you shall be known as ‘Yi Chen.’”

“Yi Chen?” Lu Zhanxuan murmured, then nodded. “Alright, my name is now Yi Chen.”

Lu Qingmei couldn’t help but chuckle. “Aren’t you going to ask why I chose that name for you?”

“I’m sure that there’s a deeper meaning behind the name you chose for me, Honorable Mother,” said Yi Chen. “And I’m equally certain that there’s a reason you haven’t shared that deeper meaning with me. If, one day, you’re willing to share it with me, I’ll naturally understand then.”

Lu Qingmei’s gaze was suddenly conflicted. She sighed. “Everything about you is wonderful, except that you’re too reserved in front of me.”

“Foster Father often says the same thing,” said Yi Chen, suddenly a bit sheepish. “But in my heart, you and Foster Father are like the rulers of heaven. It’s only natural that I look up to you.”

Lu Qingmei’s expression suddenly shifted, and she said coldly, “You are not to call the Severed Heavens Demon Master ‘Foster Father’ ever again! That old bastard is in no way worthy of being your foster father!”

Yi Chen stiffened, and he was visibly flabbergasted. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why Lu Qingmei was suddenly acting like this.

Lu Qingmei realized that she’d lost control. She grimaced and shook her head. “You don’t understand, but the Severed Heavens Demon Master and I are Dao Partners in name only. We’re using each other, and that’s the only reason we’re together.”

“You won’t cultivate in the Severed Heavens Demon Court going forward, so there’s no further need to recognize that crook as your father.”

A crook? Yi Chen was completely baffled. What’s going on here?

But Lu Qingmei offered no further explanation. She just waved him away. “Go on.”

“Yes.” Yi Chen turned to leave.

As soon as Lu Qingmei was alone, this long prominent and influential unparalleled demoness couldn’t help but recall her meeting with Su Yi.

After a while, a subtle hint of a smile tugged at her lips. Xiao Jian, huh? You sure know how to put on a convincing act!

……

Meanwhile, beneath the same night sky.

Clear Sky Divine Palace was thoroughly lamplit, but Third Elder Ku Zhen and Sect Leader Liang Lingxu were the only people here.

“Sect Leader, in the past, I was not certain, but after this, I’d bet my life on it! There’s something seriously wrong with Xiao Jian’s background!

“Weren’t we confused as to why a legendary expert like the Blue Rose Demon Master would pay us a personal visit?

“It’s simple! She wasn’t here for a trivial sparring match, but rather, for Xiao Jian!

“We were confused as to why the young mistress of the Qilin Race would take up residence, too. Try as we might, we couldn’t figure out her reasoning.

“But now, it’s easy to understand what happened. She’s here for Xiao Jian too!

“But that’s a riddle in its own right. He’s just a descendant of the Torch Dragons. As rare as his bloodline is, and as impressive as his talent is, how could he possibly be worthy of such attention from two such distinguished personages?”

Ku Zhen was thoroughly agitated, his gaze maddened and fervent, as if he’d finally found the answers he was bitterly searching for.

In the end, he said slowly and clearly, “All of this proves that something is seriously, seriously wrong with Xiao Jian’s background. This is no ordinary matter!”

“As the elder responsible for maintaining discipline in the sect, I request permission to arrest and question him immediately!”

Liang Lingxu just sat there in silence, his brow tightly furrowed. He said nothing.

His uncertain expression flickered in and out of view beneath the lamplight.