Chapter 228: Determination
"Senior Brother, are you... alright?" Cheng Lingshuang's quiet voice drifted from behind Rovel. This was the first time the stoic swordswoman had ever seen him in such a state. His dark eyes, usually calm and calculating, were now swirling with a tempest of complex emotions.
"I'm fine," Rovel replied, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Shouldn't you be more concerned about your disciple than me?"
He had already made up his mind during the journey here. He was going to investigate this master-killing conspiracy from beginning to end. And once he unearthed the truth... he would settle the score, one by one.
"She has a carefree personality. She should be fine," Cheng Lingshuang stated flatly.
The corner of Rovel's mouth twitched violently at her response. So that's how you raise a child? Just leave them be?
Then again, Cheng Lingshuang had never been good at comforting others. She was a brilliant swordswoman, but an absolute stoic airhead when it came to human emotions. It was already a small miracle that she hadn't accidentally discouraged Li Sushang further.
"I'd better go take a look," Rovel sighed, pushing himself to his feet. "It wouldn't be good if the kid gets stuck in a rut."
With that, he turned and began his descent down the mountain path. After learning of Qin Suyi's tragic death, Li Sushang had sprinted down the mountain in a desperate search for clues regarding the fate of Yijian Villa. Rovel hadn't even taken two steps in pursuit before he realized Otto was trailing right behind him.
"Why are you following me?" Rovel asked, glancing over his shoulder with a puzzled frown.
"You can't just leave me here alone to face that cold-faced Rakshasa, can you?" Otto spread his hands, his elegant features twisting into a mask of exaggerated helplessness. Apparently, even the famously silver-tongued man couldn't handle Cheng Lingshuang's impenetrable, emotionless personality.
"Besides, the resurrection of the Red Kite is excellent news for me. Do you still remember the deal between us?" Otto tilted his head, a calculating gleam in his emerald eyes.
"I lead you to the Red Kite, and you owe me a favor," Rovel recited, nodding in confirmation.
Otto smiled and nodded back. Their motivations were entirely different—Rovel sought the bloody truth behind the sect's betrayal, while Otto desperately needed to find the Red Kite for his own grand designs. Yet, their ultimate target was exactly the same. As long as Otto stuck close to Rovel, he would inevitably reach his goal.
"Fine." Rovel easily saw through the blonde man's thoughts. Otto was simply afraid that Rovel would ditch him halfway, so he felt the need to keep a close eye on his investment. Rovel found it internally amusing; if he truly wanted to vanish, how could Otto possibly stop him?
The two men traveled swiftly, soon arriving at a bustling small town a dozen miles away. They immediately sought out a local teahouse—the undisputed best place to gather rumors and information in Shenzhou.
The moment they stepped through the wooden doors, the scent of brewing tea was overpowered by a tense atmosphere. They spotted Li Sushang aggressively grabbing a patron by the collar, her youthful face flushed with raw anger.
"H-Heroine... it was just my loose mouth! Please, I beg you, let me go..." the man stammered, his face pale with terror as his feet dangled slightly off the floor.
"If I ever hear you slandering Yijian Villa again, I'll pull out your tongue myself!" Li Sushang shoved the man away, dropping him roughly to the floor. The patron scrambled to his feet and fled the teahouse in absolute terror.
"Why are you so angry?" Rovel approached, looking at the young girl in confusion. Although Little Li had a straightforward and fiery personality, she usually wouldn't go this far against an ordinary civilian.
"He insulted Yijian Villa!" Li Sushang snapped, crossing her arms defensively, the fiery indignation still lingering in her eyes. "He was spreading rumors that our sect did something outrageous in private, and that's why the Red Kite descended again to exorcise us like demons!"
"Taking your anger out on these commoners is useless," Rovel said, his voice calm and steady, attempting to soothe her turbulent emotions. "Gossip cannot be stopped by force, no matter what you do. You need to clearly recognize what it is you want to do, and what you should do right now."
Li Sushang lowered her head, her aggressive posture deflating. The truth was, she couldn't figure out what she wanted to do at all, which was exactly why her emotions were spiraling out of control.
Sensing her distress, Rovel gently led her outside the crowded teahouse, finding a quiet, empty space beneath a shaded awning where they could sit down.
"If it makes you feel any better, I am even more lost than you are right now," Rovel confessed softly. "The fellow disciples I used to spend my days with... decades later, they have walked down such a dark path. Some are dead, some are severely injured."
"Listening to that brat Ma Yanqing's absurd reasons for killing his own master... can you understand that suffocating feeling of disappointment? The realization that they completely failed to live up to expectations?"
"No matter what martial heights I reach, I am still a normal person at heart. I simply can't understand his twisted thinking. Or maybe... maybe it's because I never truly understood Su Mei at all."
"In this vast world, they were my family," Rovel murmured, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "But this home has been twisted into this unrecognizable, ghostly shell of what it once was..."
"So, my only goal right now is to figure out their reasoning. No matter the cause, I just want a clear reason. And whether that reason is justified or utterly wicked, I will do exactly as I did decades ago—"
"I will act on behalf of the Red Kite's duties."
"But this time, there is no room for humanity, no grand illusion of justice. As long as it follows my heart and clarifies my intent, even if the Red Kite herself stands in front of me to stop me... I will kill."
Rovel casually spun the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand. The golden blade carved a flawless sword blossom through the air, radiating a chilling, razor-sharp murderous aura.
The reason he had let Ma Feima return alive wasn't just out of lingering consideration for their past fellowship. More crucially, he wanted the battered disciple to serve as a messenger to Su Mei. He wanted to deliver a very clear message: Your strictest senior brother has returned.
And there was one fundamental difference between Rovel and the Red Kite. The Red Kite Immortal would never raise her blade against "ordinary people" who had not succumbed to mara.
From the very first time she had brought Rovel down the mountain to test his sword, the Red Kite had laid down the absolute law. The Taixu Sword Sect does not concern itself with mundane affairs. Therefore, even when facing mortal tyrants, great villains, and evil people, the Red Kite would never intervene.
But Rovel... he was entirely different.
Hearing his cold declaration, Li Sushang, who had been wallowing in depression just moments ago, suddenly shivered. Why did she suddenly feel that her Senior Uncle Rovel was even more terrifying than the legendary Red Kite Immortal?
"I don't feel sad, and I don't miss them..." Li Sushang whispered, lowering her eyes as her voice trembled slightly. "But... when I want to go home, I just want to see Mother waiting for me at the door. I want to see Father sitting in his chair, telling me that I make them proud..."
"Since that's the case, let's go back and take a look," Rovel said softly. "I refuse to believe Master would do such a thing. Even if she has died once, I still don't believe she would orchestrate this slaughter."
He reached out, gently stroking Li Sushang's head, effectively making the heavy choice for her. "So you need a truth, and I... also need a truth."
"Mm..." Li Sushang nodded, a tiny, fragile movement.
"Let's go. We're heading back," Rovel declared, his tone lightening. "Don't let your master worry."
"Will she actually worry about me?" Li Sushang's eyes widened in genuine surprise.
"I have no idea," Rovel replied with a shameless amount of self-awareness. "But she should definitely be worried about me."
After all, he was one of the very few people in the world who could actually stir Cheng Lingshuang's stagnant emotions. Still, a part of him couldn't help but wonder. How did that adorable little girl who used to grab his hem and beg him to take her to practice swordsmanship grow up to be such an emotionless block of ice?
"...Senior Uncle, has anyone ever told you that you have a very punchable face sometimes?" Li Sushang crossed her arms, her cheeks puffing out in a cute display of dissatisfaction.
"Oh, absolutely. There were plenty of martial artists who succumbed to mara and wanted to kill me just to prove their strength," Rovel smirked. "But in the end, they all died..."
"As for you, if you want to teach me a lesson, you'd better master the Eminence of the Taixu Sword Qi first! Hahaha!" Rovel laughed loudly, turning on his heel and striding forward with renewed vigor.
"I will definitely master it!" Li Sushang vowed fiercely, jogging to keep up with Rovel's long strides.
A few paces back, Otto watched the two of them interact, his emerald green eyes unreadable. He said absolutely nothing, merely adjusting his coat and following behind them in silent amusement.
Meanwhile, far away at Tianqiong Peak—the sacred grounds of the newly established Taixu Sword Sect.
Ever since the Red Kite Immortal had allegedly ascended to immortality, her first disciple, Lin Chaoyu, had founded the sect here. It was a holy land that martial artists across Shenzhou all longed to visit., the "Taixu True Formula," heavily modified by Ma Feima, was widely considered the orthodox inheritance of the legendary Taixu Sword Qi after the original, pure techniques had faded into obscurity.
But at this very moment, the sprawling courtyards were eerily silent. All two hundred and seventeen members of the Taixu Sword Sect had vanished without a trace. Only one person—someone entirely unrelated to the current Taixu Sword Sect—remained standing amidst the empty pavilions.
At the base of Tianqiong Peak, a lone figure began the long, arduous trek toward the summit.
Su Mei paused on the stone steps, raising her hands to tie her vibrant red hair back into a tight knot, ensuring her bangs wouldn't block her vision.
The practical significance of such a small action might have been minimal, but she knew the upcoming battle would be the most crucial fight of her life. She couldn't afford to overlook a single detail—not even one.
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