Heart Protection

HEART PROTECTION: CHAPTER 100

 Tian Yao, dragon body still wrapped around Yan Hui, broke through the wind wall. They fell onto the ground in a heap. In the next moment, Yan Hui heard a loud sound. She looked back and saw Zhenren Qing Guang's wind wall had completely dissipated. Zhenren Qing Guang was still in mid air, clutching his chest. His face was deathly pale like he had suffered a major injury.

And Ling Xiao.........

There was no trace of him.

Zhenren Qing Guang looked over. When he saw Yan Hui and Tian Yao were still there, his eyes immediately hardened. He sneered: "Ling Xiao thought going all out would save you........" He just said those words when from a distance came a rush of demon power.

Qing Guang turned to look. It was the demons' main army bearing flags. A thick demon aura could already be sensed from a distance.

Tian Yao's gaze sharpened. He gathered the last of his strength and in an instant flashed into the thick of the army. His aura was immediately obscured by the collective, heavy demon auras.

Qing Guang already sustained heavy injuries. He closed his eyes at once, and without another tremble he disappeared with a flash of white light.

That night, the news of the battle between the xian and demons spread everywhere---the strongest xian barrier behind San Chong Mountain was broken by Dragon Demon Tian Yao. The demon army advanced more than 3 miles into Central Plains. Zhenren Qing Guang was severely hurt. Zhenren Su Ying and Zhenren Ling Xiao had disappeared in chaotic battle.

The xian cultivators in Central Plains were greatly alarmed.

The demons were wild with joy. Countless demons voluntarily wanted to give Tian Yao and Yan Hui rewards. For awhile, their names were cheered loud and clear.

 However when the two returned from Central Plains, the next thing they did was seclude themselves in their room.

Yan Hui lifelessly sat in the room. At all times the image of Ling Xiao forming the jian and leaping upwards played in her mind. His last words that he never regretted having her as a disciple was like a spell that couldn't escape her mind.

She still wasn't clear what happened after she left Chen Xing Mountain. Perhaps 20 years ago.........what happened back then? In the end, Ling Xiao didn't reveal even the slightest bit.

But she knew regarding Ling Xiao, her thoughts always seemed to be wrong.........

Just a few days later, Zhu Li suddenly brought some news. He said some demons brought back a snake demon that cleansed his essence from Central Plains. The snake demon said he had important news to report to the princes. Furthermore, he mentioned he wanted to see Tian Yao and Yan Hui.

A snake demon who had cleansed his own essence?

After Yan Hui heard that, she washed her face and finally left the room.

Yan Hui was shocked after seeing the snake demon: "It's you."

It was the snake demon who loved Zhenren Qi Yun........the last time Yan Hui saw the snake demon, she had just been kicked out of Chen Xing Mountain. It was actually because of him that she met Tian Yao. In a blink of an eye, it didn't seem like that much time had passed. However what was experienced in that period of time was too much to explain clearly and still ongoing.........

The snake demon's expression remained very calm after seeing Yan Hui. He just nodded at Yan Hui, and then he nodded at Tian Yao behind her: "I came to talk about Chen Xing Mountain's matters."

The crown prince frowned: "A snake demon who washed his marrow to cultivate the xian pathway. Now you come to me with a xian aura to discuss Chen Xing Mountain's matters? You first tell me why I should believe your words?"

The snake demon silently looked at Yan Hui. Long moments passed before Tian Yao spoke up: "He can be considered a former acquaintance. For now, let's hear this so-called words."

The hall was silent, and then the snake demon spoke: "After you two left Tong Lou Mountain, I cleansed my essence in Central Plains. I entered the xian pathway, infiltrated Chen Xing Mountain, and became a disciple. After I advanced, I entered the 28th Peak's group and became an inner disciple."

They were simple words, but it wasn't hard to imagine the long, difficult challenges he faced in that time. Perhaps it wasn't even easier than the journey Yan Hui had.

"I investigated the cause of Zhenren Qi Yun's death." The demons in the hall started to grow restless at his words. That was because aside from Tian Yao and Yan Hui, no one else was certain if Zhenren Qi Yun was indeed dead. The snake demon didn't pay any attention to the other people. He just continued to look right at Yan Hui: "Qi Yun indeed died by Ling Xiao's hands. However, the main culprit isn't Ling Xiao." A cold light appeared in the demon's eyes. "It is Qing Guang."

"Several months ago, Su Ying gave a nine-tailed fox demon's neidan to Qing Guang."

The demons in the hall were in an uproar. The crown prince's gaze grew heavy. There was no need to say it out loud for everyone in the room to know whose neidan it was ----- Princess Yun Xi.

Su Ying really..........didn't waste a single bit of the demons that fell in her hands.......

"After Qing Guang received the neidan, Chen Xing Mountain called a xian sect conference. Every head of a sect arrived. However, the true purpose of the banquet was for Zhenren Qing Guang to determine the dissidents. He wanted to restart the xian-demon war at that time."

 "Why?" Yan Hui didn't understand. "Why wasn't easy to keep the 50 years of peace. Why would he personally want to destroy it?"

The snake demon's expression was apathetic: "Think about Chen Xing Mountain's heart techniques and also how your shifus teach their disciples. If they wanted peace between demons and xian, would they call demons evil?"

Yan Hui's heart tightened. The past years of how Chen Xing Mountain's shifus taught their disciples and the disciples' attitudes towards demons all at once appeared in her mind. She thought about the snake demon's words if the disciples were deliberately taught like this. Couldn't this also be considered..........a signal of war preparations?

There more Yan Hui thought about it, the more her heart tightened in fear.

Actually.......Zhenren Qing Guang didn't want 50 years of peace. He wanted 50 years to rest, reorganize, and prepare for war.......

"Qi Yun was the head of one of the three big xian sects and completely didn't agree with Qing Guang's methods. However by then, Qing Guang had already secluded himself to cultivate using the nine-tailed fox demon's neidan. The situation was discussed between Ling Fei and Qi Yun. In the end, they argued. Su Ying wanted to get rid of Qi Yun on the stop to prevent any future troubles. Ultimately, Ling Xiao and Su Ying worked together to injure Qi Yun. Ling Xiao cast a curse spell on Qi Yun, so she would forget who she was and become a stupid person. Only that made Su Ying spare Qi Yun's life." The snake demon paused. "I never thought that it would be us in the end to make her remember the past and cause the curse to activate......."

The demons in the hall were a bit dizzy from the news, but Yan Hui was extremely clear on the meaning. Qing Guang was the mastermind behind the scenes. And when the situation started to go downhill, it was Su Ying who wanted to kill Qi Yun, but Ling Xiao chose to let Qi Yun go.

Yan Hui remained stunned for a long time: "This matter.......how do you know about it......"

"Just a few days ago, the Chen Xing Mountain shifu who accepted me into his inner sect died on the battlefield. He told me the story before his dying breath. At that time, he was drunk and went outside to take a break. He just so happened to come across what Ling Xiao and Su Ying did to Qi Yun. Su Ying aptly wanted to kill him too. It was also Ling Xiao who saved his life. He originally planned to never tell another person, but he always felt that he let down Qi Yun, let down his own morality."

The snake demon didn't care about how Yan Hui was feeling and continued on: "If you don't believe my words, then you can compare what happened after Chen Xing Mountain's banquet. After that, there was a great hunt and murder of fox demons in Central Plains. It's said that the jianghu sects wanted fox demon blood to refine into pills for the nobility."

Yan Hui personally experienced that matter. She was more clear on the entire process than anyone else.

"After the fox demons were captured, the cultivators cut out the demons' neidan. Everything is sent back to Chen Xing Mountain, but no one knows where the neidans go after arriving. That's because the neidans are transformed into Qing Guan's cultivation to help him advance and reach another level."

"However, the xian-demon war broke out sooner than planned. Qing Guang's cultivation reached a critical point, and he couldn't come out of seclusion. He needed large amounts of neidan to help. Thus, Su Ying commanded an attack on the demon clans that guarded San Chong Mountain to carve out their neidan."

Yes, that's right.........

Every matter, every situation, all matched up.........

"But then not long ago, Ling Xiao returned and for unknown reasons suddenly surprised attacked Qing Guang who was in seclusion. It forced Qing Guang, who still hadn't reached the next level, to leave seclusion."

She knew, Yan Hui knew why Ling Xiao would suddenly do that.

Because right before that, Ling Xiao captured her away. After he saved her from Su Ying, he wanted to her hide away at a xian island........He wanted her.........to protect the neidan in her heart. He knew Qing Guang wanted her neidan. That's why Ling Xiao wanted Yan Hui to run away, to hide. But she........

Wasn't willing to.

That's why Ling Xiao went and launched a surprise attack on his own shifu. That's why he went in an all out battle against Qing Guang. It was all to protect the faraway, clueless, subborn, and obstinate her.

When Ling Xiao wanted Yan Hui to hide away on the xian island, she even asked him--- "Zhenren, do you still care about your own disciple?"

Did he care?

He did care.

Even though in the end he left everything without explanation, he did leave behind one last sentence. He never once regretted accepting her as his disciple.

Even though she had a fuzzy love for him, adored him, shamed him, embarrassed him, did many hurtful things to him, and said many hurtful words to him, Ling Xiao still never regretted accepting her as a disciple.

For a moment, Yan Hui felt like the ground dropped away from her. She could only lean on Tian Yao, who silently supported her to keep her upright.

Following that, Yan Hui didn't pay attention to whatever else the snake demon talked about. Her ears were filled with buzzing, and she, still muddleheaded, was supported back to her room by Tian Yao. She didn't even look at Tian Yao before the room's door closed.

She could sense Tian Yao always looking at her face with worry and silent forbearance. However she couldn't make herself say to him, "It's okay. I'm fine. Don't worry."

In her despondence, she couldn't control body, movements, and even her own expression.

She rigidly walked into the room with a blank expression and immediately bumped into the bookcase in front of her. The bookcase immediately started to tip towards Yan Hui when a hand came from the side and supported the bookcase up. The bookcase returned to its original position, but the books and ornamental vase on the shelves all fell onto the floor.

The vase shattered with a crash.

Yan Hui automatically looked down. In the mess of books on the floor, she saw a letter slowly floating downwards. Written on it in big letters was "To Yan Hui". Underneath that was two tiny cinnabar words----

"Qian Shuo"

Feng Qian Shuo.......

A memory broke though Yan Hui's muddled mind. It was back when she met with Feng Qian Shuo. She would help him take Xian Ge away if afterwards he would tell her everything about Ling Xiao's schemes. 

Feng Qing Shuo agreed.

Then......

This was a letter he sent? In this letter was Ling Xiao's......everything?

The corners of Yan Hui's mouth tightened. She almost hurriedly knelt down. She didn't care if she knelt down onto the broken porcelain shards. They pierced through her skin, and blood flowed out.

Tian Yao felt a chill run though him. He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms. However, he saw her name on the letter. Yan Hui's body couldn't stop trembling, and her face continued to pale until it became deathly white........