I had no intention of entering the martial world.

Chapter 36 Sword Pavilion Asks the Heavens

When Lu Chenzhou woke up, it was already evening.

As the sun sets, the sea of ​​clouds is dyed golden red, like a burning ocean.

He lay on the bed in the bamboo house, while Chu Xueya sat beside him, holding a damp towel and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"You're awake." She breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Chenzhou sat up, feeling sore all over, as if he had been run over by a carriage.

"What... happened to me?"

"The sword energy went berserk and almost got out of control," Chu Xueya said. "Fortunately, Master arrived in time and suppressed it with the Purple Lightning Sword."

"The Purple Lightning Sword?" Lu Chenzhou was taken aback. "Hasn't that been missing for a hundred years?"

"They haven't disappeared." Chu Xueya shook her head. "They've been in Emei the whole time. My master said that Emei is the guardian of the Purple Lightning Sword."

She paused for a moment, then told Lu Chenzhou everything that Master Qingwei had said.

Including that dead end—either he dies, or the gates of heaven open.

After listening, Lu Chenzhou remained silent for a long time.

Then he asked:

What do you think?

Chu Xueya looked at him with a complicated expression:

"I don't know. I don't want you to die, but I also don't want the gates of heaven to open and the world to descend into chaos."

"Then let me die." Lu Chenzhou said calmly, "I was destined to die anyway. Living these extra days is already a bonus."

"But……"

"No buts." Lu Chenzhou interrupted her. "Xueya, listen to me. The meaning of my life is revenge. I can't die now because I haven't gotten my revenge yet. But once I've gotten my revenge, I'll have no meaning to live. At that time, it'll be a good deal to exchange my life for peace in the world."

He spoke calmly, as if he were making a deal.

But Chu Xueya sensed the despair in his words.

That wasn't the heroic act of bravely facing death; it was... a weariness of life itself.

"Lu Chenzhou," she said softly, "have you ever considered that after taking revenge, there might be other ways to live?"

"What kind of life?"

"For example... together with me, we'll protect the Purple Lightning Sword, guard this secret, and prevent the Heavenly Gate from opening," Chu Xueya said. "For example... we'll practice swordsmanship together, watch the sea of ​​clouds together, and grow old together."

She spoke slowly and earnestly.

Lu Chenzhou looked at her for a very long time.

Then he smiled.

The smile was bitter, but genuine.

"Xueya, you're a good person," he said, "but I'm not. My hands are stained with blood, my heart is filled with hatred, and I'm destined for a bad end. You shouldn't be dragged down by me."

"Whether it's worth it or not is up to me to decide," Chu Xueya said firmly.

Lu Chenzhou remained silent.

He simply looked at her, at her clear eyes, at her earnest expression.

Suddenly, a rain fell on the barren wasteland in my heart.

It wasn't large, but it was dense and abundant, nourishing the parched land.

For a fleeting moment, he really wanted to say yes.

I want to live an ordinary life with her, watching the clouds rise and fall, and the flowers bloom and wither.

But only for a moment.

The next moment, hatred, like a venomous snake, crawled out from the depths of his heart and bit him.

pain.

It's not physical pain, it's pain in the soul.

"I'm sorry," he said, lowering his head. "I can't."

Chu Xueya's eyes reddened.

But she didn't cry.

He simply nodded.

"I see."

She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the sunset outside.

The sunset was beautiful, but it was about to go down.

Some things, once missed, can never be regained.

"Lu Chenzhou," she said softly, her back to him, "I will help you get revenge. But after I get revenge, I want you to promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Live." Chu Xueya turned to look at him. "Even if it's just for me, you must live."

Looking at her red-rimmed eyes and her stubborn expression, Lu Chenzhou felt a sudden softening in his heart.

Like a crack appearing on a frozen lake.

Although it quickly froze again.

But at least, it was cracked.

"Okay," he said. "I promise you."

Chu Xueya smiled.

Her smile was tinged with tears, but it was beautiful.

Like a rainbow after the rain, brief but magnificent.

"It's settled then." She held out her hand. "Pinky promise."

Lu Chenzhou was taken aback for a moment, but still reached out his hand.

Two little fingers hooked together.

It's childish, but very serious.

Like two children making a promise about a lifetime.

Although they all knew that this promise might never be fulfilled.

But at least for this moment, it is real.

This is enough.

---

Ten days later, one morning, Lu Chenzhou and Chu Xueya left Mount Emei.

Master Qingwei escorted them to the mountain gate, saying nothing more than handing them a bundle.

"Inside are dry rations, travel expenses, and a few bottles of healing medicine," she said. "The journey to Wenjian Pavilion is long, so please be careful on the road."

"Thank you, senior." Lu Chenzhou took the bundle and bowed deeply.

Master Qingwei looked at him with a complex expression:

"Lu Chenzhou, remember what you promised Xueya. Come back alive."

Lu Chenzhou nodded: "I will."

"That's good." Master Qingwei looked at Chu Xueya again, patted her head, and said, "Xueya, your master isn't around, so you must take good care of yourself. Think things through before you act, and don't be reckless."

"Disciple understands." Chu Xueya's eyes were slightly red. "Master, please take care as well."

"Go ahead," Master Qingwei waved his hand, "Return soon."

The two turned around and walked down the stone steps.

Halfway up the mountain, Lu Chenzhou looked back.

Master Qingwei was still standing in front of the mountain gate, the wind blowing her Taoist robe, like a crane about to ride the wind away.

Lonely, yet upright.

Like Mount Emei, it has remained unchanged for thousands of years.

---

Wenjian Pavilion is located in Jiangnan, more than two thousand li away from Emei. The two hired a carriage and traveled day and night for half a month, finally arriving at their destination one evening.

It was a pavilion built on an island in the middle of the lake, surrounded by water on all sides, connected to the shore only by a winding covered bridge. The pavilion was very tall, with seven stories, flying eaves and brackets, carved beams and painted rafters, and it shimmered with a golden-red light in the setting sun, like a fairy palace from a myth.

But upon closer inspection, one can sense a chilling atmosphere.

At the entrance to the covered bridge stood two swordsmen in blue robes, long swords hanging at their waists, their eyes sharp as eagles. They were not ordinary guards, but true masters of swordsmanship—Lu Chenzhou could sense that the sword energy emanating from these two was far stronger than that of the black-clad men he had encountered in Jiangling.

"Who goes there?" a swordsman asked, his voice icy.

"Chu Xueya of Emei requests an audience with the Pavilion Master." Chu Xueya clasped his hands in greeting.

"Emei?" Another swordsman glanced at her. "Do you have a token?"

Chu Xueya took out a jade pendant from her bosom—a piece of mutton-fat white jade, with the words "Emei" engraved on the front and cloud patterns on the back. This was a token given to her by Master Qingwei, representing her identity as the leader of the Emei Sect.

The swordsman took the jade pendant, examined it carefully, and his expression changed slightly:

"So it's Miss Chu. The Pavilion Master instructed that if you come to visit, please come in directly. But this lady..."

He looked at Lu Chenzhou.

"This is my friend, Lu Chenzhou," Chu Xueya said. "We've come together for the visit."

The swordsman stared at Lu Chenzhou for a long time, his brows furrowed slightly.

"This young master possesses a very unique aura. May I ask which sect or school he belongs to?"

"I belong to no sect or faction," Lu Chenzhou replied calmly.

"That……"

"Let him in." A cool female voice came from the other side of the covered bridge.

The three of them looked up.

A woman in purple walked across the covered bridge. She was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with stunning beauty and a cool, aloof demeanor. A dot of cinnabar between her brows resembled a third eye. She walked slowly, but each step followed a certain rhythm, as if she were stepping to an unseen beat.

Lu Chenzhou's pupils contracted.

He recognized the woman.

In the stone chamber of the Jiangling Prince's Palace, there lived her—Yuehua.

"Master." The two swordsmen quickly bowed and paid their respects.

Pavilion Master?

Lu Chenzhou was shocked. Yuehua was actually the head of the Sword Inquiry Pavilion?

Yuehua walked closer, glanced at Chu Xueya, and smiled slightly:

"Miss Chu, I have long admired your name. How is your master, Master Qingwei?"

"Master is well, thank you for your concern, Pavilion Master." Chu Xueya bowed. "I apologize for my unauthorized visit."

"No need to be so polite." Yuehua looked at Lu Chenzhou again, her eyes deep. "Young Master Lu, we meet again."

Chu Xueya was taken aback: "You two know each other?"

"We met briefly in Jiangling," Yuehua said calmly. "I never expected that Young Master Lu would be Miss Chu's friend. What a coincidence."

Lu Chenzhou didn't speak, he just looked at her.

He wondered, what was Yuehua's status in the Jiangling Prince's Mansion? A guest of the manor? Or... the master of the manor?

"Please come in, both of you." Yuehua stepped aside and gestured for them to enter. "Let's talk inside."

The three walked onto the covered bridge.

The covered bridge was long, winding and turning, with emerald green lake water on both sides, lotus flowers in full bloom, their fragrance filling the air. But Lu Chenzhou had no mood to appreciate it; his attention was entirely on Yuehua.

This woman is so mysterious.