La pluie écarlate submerge la ville

Chapitre 15

“Brother Ruan, this is the young master.” Lu Mingxiu didn’t notice the strange expressions on everyone’s faces at all. She just said angrily, “When I entered the city, I saw these few members of the Demonic Sect surrounding this young master, forcibly dragging him out of the city, and even fighting with him! Luckily, I ran into them!”

The alliance leader stared at Xiao Jiu with a blank expression.

Xiao Jiu's face was ashen, and he said coldly, "I only saw him and these few people fighting."

"Yes! It's all thanks to my master's timely arrival!" Lu Mingxiu looked at Xiao Jiu with increasing anger. "Master, if you hadn't come, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to save this young master!"

Brother Xiao Jiu was actually his master!

Seeing his righteous and awe-inspiring appearance, I couldn't help but sigh. I have always disagreed with my father's way of educating him. Because Mingxiu is the only son in the Lu family, my father has been strict with him since he was a child. He wanted to cram both literary and martial arts knowledge into his head and always instilled in him the chivalrous spirit of helping those in need. However, he was also afraid that he would get hurt or bumped, so he protected him very closely. He always had a large group of followers with him when he went out. As a result, he is now fifteen years old and doesn't even know the basic common sense of the martial arts world.

As expected, that scoundrel Yan Shu laughed at him mockingly, tapping her folding fan against her palm and saying, "The Lu family is indeed a chivalrous family... However, Alliance Leader Ruan, we have truly been wronged this time."

Look at you, silly child, even the Lu family is being laughed at now.

The poor man still protected the boy, and said indignantly, "Stop talking nonsense! How can you commit such heinous acts in broad daylight!" He then turned to the boy and patted his chest, saying, "Young master, don't be afraid, Brother Ruan will get justice for you!"

The alliance leader's expression stiffened further, but the young man smiled shyly and said politely to the alliance leader, "Then I'll have to trouble Brother Ruan to make the decision."

Seeing the leader's frozen, speechless face, I truly felt sorry for him. I turned to look at the young man, who winked at me.

I said... Young Master, my dear, what are you trying to do?! You can't bully an honest child like this!

"Alliance Leader Ruan," Yan Shu said with a smile, "you must also stand up for us."

The alliance leader frowned and said, "Mingxiu, let him go."

"Why?" Lu Mingxiu was both surprised and angry, clearly feeling that the Alliance Leader had bowed to the Demonic Sect. Her little face turned red with anger. "Is Brother Ruan going to hand him over to those people from the Demonic Sect?!"

Brother Xiao Jiu stepped forward first and said to Lu Mingxiu, "Stop fooling around and let go quickly."

Lu Mingxiu shielded her young master, taking a step back, feeling extremely aggrieved, "Master! Even you..."

"Mingxiu," the alliance leader said in a softened tone, "he doesn't need you to save him..."

"How could that be! He doesn't know martial arts!"

The alliance leader pressed down on his throbbing brow. "He is the young master of the Demonic Sect..."

The poor child's face turned pale instantly. He turned to look at Ruan Lianhua in astonishment and asked, "Are you... the young master of the Demonic Sect?"

Ruan Lianhua blinked and smiled at him, then shook her head and said, "No, I don't know them."

Hey! My dear young master, aren't you ashamed to lie like this? Don't you feel guilty for deceiving honest people like this?!

Sure enough, Lu Mingxiu turned to the Alliance Leader and Xiao Jiu and said decisively, "Look! He said it wasn't him! You're lying to me! How could the young master of the Demonic Sect look like this! You must be trying to trick me into handing him over!"

The alliance leader was completely speechless. He frowned and sighed deeply, his head throbbing with pain. "Mingxiu, release them first. We'll explain to you when we get back."

"Explain now!" Lu Mingxiu remained unmoved.

I really couldn't stand it anymore. I know this half-brother fairly well. He's simple-minded, but stubborn and a bit dim-witted.

I stepped forward with a gentle smile and said, "Young Master Lu, he is indeed my young master... Admittedly, he doesn't look like him, but you can't judge a book by its cover, can you?"

Lu Mingxiu glared at me with a red face, and after a long while, she suddenly grabbed Ruan Lianhua and turned to run away!

I heard a chorus of startled shouts behind me—

"Mingxiu, stop right there!"

"Release the young master!"

And that slut Yan Shu chimed in, "Oh dear, Alliance Leader Ruan, your brother-in-law has kidnapped our young master! You'd better stand up for him!"

Chapter 19, Part 18

The leader and his group chased after him, shouting for him to stop while pushing and shoving through the crowd.

However, they overlooked the psychology of children. The more you chase them, the more they run away. Lu Mingxiu just grabbed the young master and ran away with great joy.

I chased after him for a few steps and looked back. Yan Shu was standing there calmly, showing no intention of protecting the young master. Although I knew that Yan Shu desperately wanted the young master to die, he didn't have to be so obvious about it. After all, he was the one who brought him up. If anything happened to him, wouldn't the loyal Left Protector fight him to the death?

I hesitated for a moment, then Yan Shu suddenly turned his head and looked at the two characters 'Licheng' on the gray-yellow city wall, and began to play the melancholy card...

The setting sun cast a hazy, enchanting shadow, its crimson hues illuminating his temples and shoulders. I heard him say, with a half-smile, "I'm back... Licheng."

He then turned and walked away. I tried to call him back, but he didn't turn around and said, "I'm leaving the young master to you. Don't forget what you promised me... I'm exhausted."

Is it really okay to leave your young master and darling like this?

I watched him strut arrogantly down the street with his men, then head towards the largest inn on the side of the street. I stood there for a moment, pondered, and then followed the leader of the alliance.

You bastard! You've clearly got him cornered. I was bound to the young master through thick and thin, even losing my unborn child, before I brought him out of the Demonic Sect to show off! What good would it do him to kill me?

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Following the directions of the onlookers, I chased after them all the way, and was startled to find a group of fully armored soldiers standing in front of me at the end of the street.

Lu Mingxiu and the young master were surrounded by guards with knives, while the alliance leader and his entourage were outside.

How did we end up being surrounded by military guards while we were chasing them?

"Which of you is the young master of the Saluo Sect?" the leading officer asked Lu Mingxiu and the young master, the drawn sword in his hand making him look anything but benevolent.

Lu Mingxiu, protecting the young master, frowned and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'll ask you one more time, which of you is the young master of the Sahara Sect?" The officer, who was not in a good mood, asked again impatiently.

I couldn't figure out what was going on, and I was afraid of hurting Ruan Lianhua, so I hurriedly stepped forward. But the leader of the alliance secretly grabbed my wrist and said in a very low voice, "They are soldiers from Licheng. They seem to be after the Demonic Sect. Don't go out."

He stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "May I ask what brings you gentlemen here? Perhaps you have mistaken me for someone else?"

"This is none of your business, you Central Plains people!" The officer turned around and shouted angrily, "We are here on the King's orders to arrest the young master of the Saluo Sect. Those who are not involved, step aside!"

The alliance leader wasn't angry, but Gu Biyun wouldn't have it, and she shouted, "Are you all blind?! Can't you tell the difference between good and bad people?! It's clearly..."

I spoke first, pointing at Lu Mingxiu and saying, "He is! He is the young master of the Demonic Sect!" I saw Lu Mingxiu's handsome eyes looking at me in surprise, and I felt so guilty that I dared not look him in the eye.

Forgive me... Everyone looks out for themselves. Admittedly, you are my only brother, but at this critical moment, I can only prioritize my own survival. Besides, the Alliance Leader is so holy that he will definitely save you. But if Ruan Lianhua is captured, she will surely die.

Without even looking up, I could feel the disdainful gazes of this group of righteous people. Gu Biyun angrily shouted, "You vile witch!" She pointed her sword at Ruan Lianhua, "He is the young master of the Demonic Sect! Arrest him!"

The officer, accused of being short-tempered, cursed, "Damn it, who's the real jerk here?!"

"It's him!"

"It's him!" Gu Biyun and I said in unison, pointing to different people.

The officer completely lost his temper, brandishing his knife, and yelled, "Damn it, arrest them all!"

The clanging of blades drew closer to Lu Mingxiu and her companion.

I thought the Alliance Leader would definitely make a move, but he stopped Xiao Jiu from stepping forward and said in a deep voice, "Don't make a move. We are outnumbered in Licheng. They only want to capture the Demonic Sect's young master and won't hurt Mingxiu. I have my own plans."

Another plan! Alliance Leader, can't you just cut to the chase? What if Mingxiu and the young master get hurt?

Seeing Lu Mingxiu struggling and gradually losing her strength, I couldn't help but shout, "Young Master, don't move! Don't resist! Go with them! I... I'll think of something..."

Through the flashing swords, I saw Ruan Lianhua standing obediently behind Lu Mingxiu, who was fighting desperately, and winking at me.

I feel like crying but can't...

The leader of the alliance calmly watched as Lu Mingxiu and Ruan Lianhua were captured and taken away, without showing the slightest expression from beginning to end.

Suddenly, I realized that although I had been by his side for three years, I had never truly known him.

"And now?" Xiao Jiu asked him.

He simply said, "Let's go back to the inn first. If they don't release Mingxiu tonight, then we'll make further plans."

I couldn't help but laugh. He really is the leader of the alliance. He had planned from the beginning that Licheng would release Lu Mingxiu once they realized they had arrested the wrong person, so he never intended to take any action.

That's true. Expecting the leader of the martial arts alliance to save the young master of the demonic sect must mean I've been in the demonic sect for too long and lost my mind.

I pried the leader's hand off my wrist, grinned at him, and said, "I'll go ahead now."

“Miss Su…” the leader called out to me, looking as if he wanted to explain but hesitated.

I smiled at him with great enthusiasm and said, "Farewell, Alliance Leader."

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Feeling dejected, I turned into a rather unassuming pharmacy on the street and got some medicine for Leng Baichun. I returned to the inn in low spirits, borrowed the small kitchen, and brewed the medicine while deep in thought.

I feel like my life has been a complete failure. I haven't done anything worth being happy about. I've liked the leader of the alliance for three years, and now I realize I don't even know who he is. To this day, when I think about what I liked about him, I don't even know.

Perhaps it's because she's good-looking?

Judging people by their appearance is truly a bad idea; I can only blame myself for being young and foolish back then.

I brewed the medicine and brought it to Leng Baichun. After she finished drinking it, she looked at me with some surprise, "Why do you look so miserable? It's more painful for you than for me when I drink medicine."

I looked at her sadly and said, "I'm afraid I won't live much longer."

She put down the medicine bowl, reached out and touched my forehead, and teased me, "You don't have a fever? How come you look even more foolish after going out for a walk?"

I grew increasingly distressed and placed a few packets of medicine beside her, saying, "This is your medicine. I've already told the waiter to brew it for you. Only drink his, and absolutely do not drink the Alliance Leader's... Brother Jiu is a good person; he will take care of you..."

Leng Baichun chuckled, followed by a light cough. "Is this your dying wish? Who are you going to die for, you idiot?"

I smiled at her with a wistful expression.

Her brow furrowed, and she asked in surprise, "Could it be... that the young master has arrived?"

How could they even guess that?! I was amazed.

She looked at me with disdain, "Who else in this world would make you, Su Xie, risk your life for them? Isn't it just your life-and-death bond with the young master? Has the young master encountered some trouble?"

I clicked my tongue in admiration. The Right Protector truly lived up to his name. I recounted the chaos on the street, the capture of the young master, and Yan Shu's sorrow to Leng Baichun, finally adding my own exclamation: "Yan Shu is such a scoundrel! He abandoned the young master and left him to me!"

Leng Baichun leaned against the soft pillows, his brows furrowed in thought. He murmured, "Logically speaking, Licheng has always been on good terms with the Saluo Sect, relying on each other and never turning against them. This shouldn't have happened..."

I also find it strange. The leader didn't directly call it the Demonic Sect, and the Saluo Sect... that name doesn't sound like an enemy relationship, but they were definitely after our young master.

“Didn’t Yan Shu just arrive in Licheng? How could the young master’s identity be exposed and him being targeted so quickly?” Leng Baichun asked me again. “Unless… someone instructed him to make preparations before the young master arrived, so that he could be targeted as soon as he entered the city.”

Suddenly, everything became clear to me, and Yan Shu's flamboyant face was the first thing that popped into my mind.

“Besides…” Leng Baichun added slowly, “Yan Shu seems to be from Licheng.”

"Huh?" I exclaimed in surprise. "Yan Shu is from Licheng?"

During my relatively short time in the Demonic Sect, I heard all sorts of gossip and scandals about everyone, but I never heard anything about Yan Shu's background.

It is said that Yan Shu was brought back from a mass grave by the old leader when he was six or seven years old, and his background is unknown.

Seeing my excited expression, Leng Baichun said, "I also heard it from... from the Left Protector. Yan Shu was found in the mass grave outside Licheng. At that time, there was chaos in Licheng during the power struggle, with countless deaths and injuries. There were many half-dead people among the piles of corpses, but the old leader saw Yan Shu at a glance."