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Capítulo 129

"The Divine Pearl of Youth was stolen from Mo Li by my senior uncle. He returned it to its rightful owner long ago. How could it be the villain you speak of?!" At this point, Yue Ruzheng didn't bother to think further and blurted out the truth.

Su Muchen chuckled and said, "You're really too green! Yu Hezhi has been chased all over the place by us, and even Yinxi Xiaozhu knows about it. If he doesn't hand over the divine pearl soon, won't he be able to clear his name? He's already extracted most of the essence from that divine pearl. By returning it to Jiang Shuying as a favor, he can not only clear his name but also save face for himself. He's certainly playing his cards right! Besides, that divine pearl wasn't stolen from Bliss Valley at all; it was already in his possession!"

"What?!" Yue Ruzheng was shocked.

Lian Junchu frowned and said, "Didn't Mo Li also improve his internal strength with the divine pearl? Is there some other hidden story?"

Su Muchen looked at the two of them with disdain. "It seems you really know nothing about this... Yue Ruzheng, four years ago when you went to Seven Star Island to steal the Divine Pearl, it was a plan that your senior uncle and our Valley Master had discussed."

His words surprised even Lian Junchu. Yue Ruzheng's eyes were filled with extreme disbelief as she exclaimed, "Isn't he and Mo Li sworn enemies?! How could they be discussing this together?!"

"Yu Hezhi had long wanted to retrieve the Age-Preserving Pearl from Seven Star Island, but he knew he lacked the ability to reach the island and could only sigh in vain. Coincidentally, you happened to know Lian Junchu, and it's said he also advised you to take advantage of this opportunity, but you didn't listen to his advice. So he came to Bliss Valley to find our Valley Master..." Su Mucheng squinted, recalling the past, "I still remember that year when he suddenly came, which surprised us greatly. We thought he came to seek justice for Jiang Shuying, but unexpectedly, he proposed that if we cooperated with him, we would have a chance to obtain the Age-Preserving Pearl. Although there is more than one pearl, we cannot obtain the others. Hearing him say this, the Valley Master was tempted. Yu Hezhi's idea was for the Valley Master to personally intervene, using Yinxi Xiaozhu to coerce you, Yue Ruzheng, forcing you to go to Seven Star Island to steal the pearl. After the deed was done, the pearl could be kept by the Valley Master for two years before being handed over to Yu Hezhi. In this way, both of them would benefit."

Upon hearing this, Lian Junchu gritted her teeth, barely suppressing her anger, but refrained from speaking because Yue Ruzheng was nearby. Yue Ruzheng trembled slightly, saying, "Could it be that Master Uncle had already colluded with Mo Li back then? How could he do such a thing for the sake of practicing martial arts?!"

She seemed dazed, then suddenly glared angrily at Su Muchen and said, "Did your master offend you in the past, so you're here maliciously slandering him, trying to use us to take revenge on him?!"

A hint of hatred flashed in Su Mucheng's eyes. "He did offend me, but not in the way you think." He turned to Lian Junchu and said, "To tell you the truth, that night Yu Hezhi hid behind the bushes, intending to ambush Mo Li. Unexpectedly, Lian Junqiu suddenly arrived. She probably thought someone was going to attack you, so she rushed over. How could Yu Hezhi let her see his whereabouts? So Lian Junqiu died at his hands. Lian Junchu, things have come to this, shouldn't you make some plans?"

Lian Junchu rarely spoke during this time, her eyes always filled with a murderous intent that sent chills down Yue Ruzheng's spine. Although Su Muchen's words had made her flustered, she was still unwilling to believe them emotionally, and even less willing to let Lian Junchu fight Yu Hezhi to the death over this.

For a moment, she wanted to stop Su Muchen from speaking, but was also afraid of angering Lian Junchu. Frustrated, she abruptly stood up and said, "You've said so much, but what concrete evidence do you have?"

"Ruzheng..." Lian Junchu suddenly looked at her, as if wanting to say something, but still remained silent. Seeing this, Su Mucheng couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Yue Ruzheng, I really think you're pathetically foolish! On Ziwei Mountain in Chaohu, it was Yu Hezhi who severely injured you, and you actually want to help him question me?!"

Yue Ruzheng's hands and feet turned cold, and she could no longer hold on, staggering back a step. Seeing her extremely pale face, Lian Junchu worried that she, still recovering from a serious injury, couldn't withstand such a shock and couldn't help but say, "Ruzheng, if you're tired, don't force yourself."

Although Yue Ruzheng had also had disagreements with Yu Hezhi, in her heart he was always a reclusive person indifferent to fame and fortune, and a highly respected elder. But now, according to Su Muchen, Yu Hezhi not only had Lian Junqiu's blood on his hands, but also colluded with Mo Li, and was the instigator of this series of events.

Although she wanted to ask more questions, her heart was pounding and she felt dizzy. Seeing her like this, Lian Jun could only half-comfort and half-force her to the door, whispering, "Go back to your room and rest. I'll ask Su Muchen for clarification."

Yue Ruzheng stared at him blankly and said, "Little Tang, why is my senior uncle like this... Have I offended him in some way?"

"Don't think about these things." Lian Junchu looked at her dazed eyes and felt a surge of unease, fearing that her recently recovered physical and mental state would be ruined again.

"But you..." Yue Ruzheng thought of Su Muchen's earlier urging for him to kill Yu Hezhi and couldn't help but worry. But Lian Junchu didn't allow her to think any further and took her back to the room before rushing back.

It was nearly midnight, and Yue Ruzheng was exhausted, but even with her eyes closed, her mind was in turmoil. She couldn't believe Yu Hezhi was such a person, and she feared that Lian Junchu would fight her master to the death after learning about these past events. If it really came to that, how would her master handle it? Her master already harbored prejudice against Seven Star Island, and Yue Ruzheng had originally planned to explain things properly, hoping her master could accept Xiao Tang, but now…

She lay in bed, her mind racing, her eyes stinging with tears, and eventually drifted off to sleep. She didn't know how many nightmares she had, but when she suddenly woke up, although the bed curtains were drawn, she could sense that it was already broad daylight, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares drifted down from the street below.

Yue Ruzheng sat up groggily, only to hear Lian Junchu's voice from outside the bed curtains, "Awake?"

She was startled, reached out and lifted the bed curtains, and saw him sitting sideways on the chair in front of the bed. Although he was dressed neatly, he could not hide a trace of fatigue.

"How did you get here? Where is Su Muchen?" Yue Ruzheng shook her head vigorously to try and clear her mind.

He got up and went to the bedside, saying softly, "He's gone."

"He's gone?!" Yue Ruzheng was stunned again, and said anxiously, "But I still have so many questions for him!"

Lian Junchu looked down at her and said, "I've already asked what you want to know... Ruzheng, don't be too anxious."

Yue Ruzheng frowned and nodded reluctantly. She knew that Lian Junchu was probably not having an easy time either, so she was even less willing to show him that she was too worried.

"Little Tang..." She reached out and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, and Lian Junchu sat on the edge of the bed. Yue Ruzheng touched his cheek with her fingertips and said, "Didn't you sleep all night?"

He lowered his eyes and said, "After you left, I went back to talk to him again..."

Yue Ruzheng had many questions swirling in her mind, but seeing how exhausted he was, she couldn't bear to leave him. She put her arm around his shoulder and said, "Why don't you sleep here for a while?"

He hesitated slightly, seemingly wondering why she wasn't in a hurry to ask about Yu Hezhi anymore. Yue Ruzheng didn't speak again, but simply leaned over and pulled him closer, lifting a corner of the blanket and covering his legs.

Sunlight shone brightly on the window paper, but Yue Ruzheng lowered the curtains, and the light dimmed slightly.

She leaned against Lian Junchu, her body turned to the side, her hand supporting her chin. He turned his head to look at her, unwilling to close his eyes.

"Aren't you sleepy?" Yue Ruzheng asked softly.

Lian Junchu shook her head, then suddenly said, "Ruzheng, lie down with me for a while."

Yue Ruzheng paused for a moment, but didn't ask any further questions. She then turned and lay down beside him. His breath brushed against her face, and at that moment, Yue Ruzheng seemed to forget all her worries, simply stroking his shoulder gently.

Lian Junchu remained silent throughout, while Yue Ruzheng put her arm around his shoulder, moved a little closer, looked up at him, and said, "Xiao Tang, you told me not to worry, but you yourself are so concerned."

Lian Junchu's expression softened slightly. He frowned slightly and said, "I was just thinking about how to see your master after we return to Luzhou..."

Yue Ruzheng's eyelashes trembled. She hugged him and said defiantly, "This is none of your business."

"But..." he nudged her lightly with his foot and said, "I said I would marry you."

Yue Ruzheng felt a surge of warmth in her heart, leaned against his shoulder, and said, "No matter what happens?"

Lian Junchu was slightly taken aback, then lowered her eyes, looked at her long, black hair, and nodded.

Inside the curtains, she held him like that until he seemed to fall asleep, at which point a hint of melancholy gradually crept across Yue Ruzheng's brow. She gazed at the man beside her; perhaps the slight shyness of his youth had faded from his eyes, but in her heart, no matter how time passed or how much hardship he endured, he would always be her Xiao Tang.

No one can replace him.

Chapter Eighty

On her way back to Luzhou, Yue Ruzheng learned more about Yu Hezhi from Lian Junchu.

Three years ago, after obtaining the Divine Pearl of Youth from Yue Ruzheng, Mo Li intended to get rid of Yu Hezhi and keep the pearl for himself. However, upon returning to the Valley of Bliss, Yu Hezhi reappeared. Mo Li attacked Yu Hezhi with poisonous creatures, intending to kill him. But seeing Mo Li's attempt to renege, Yu Hezhi didn't resort to violence, only saying, "Go ahead and try using this pearl to cultivate your internal energy." With that, he turned and left, his sleeves fluttering.

Mo Li initially thought he was bluffing, desperately wanting to use the divine pearl's power to cure his chronic illness. However, after a long time, he only felt the coldness within his body worsen, making him even more unwell than before. Left with no other choice, he sent Su Muchen again, this time to fetch Yu Hezhi from Yueqing. During their renewed conversation, Yu Hezhi explained that the Divine Pearl of Firming Face was inherently cold and yin, formed by Hai Qiongzi from the fusion of high-mountain ice and snow energy. Without the assistance of the Divine Firmament Palace's Thunderous Heart Sutra, it would only cause his pulse to become disordered. Mo Li secretly regretted his actions. Seeing Yu Hezhi's confident demeanor, he deduced that Yu Hezhi must possess the Divine Firmament Palace's Heart Sutra, and threatened him, saying, "If you continue to hide the Heart Sutra, I will expose your shameful deeds and make you, the Dragon Pool Hermit, lose all face!"

Unexpectedly, Yu Hezhi burst into laughter, "Go ahead and tell them, and see if the people of the martial world believe me or you. Besides, you've already gone mad with internal energy. If you don't learn the Junlei Heart Sutra in time, you might die before you even leave the valley!"