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Volume 4 Chapter 25 / Chapter 299: Brother Zhuang, Everyone Was Once Young
The bamboo forest was eerily quiet, shrouded in a faint mist.
Zhuang Hu remained vigilant as he silently followed behind Jiang He, his gaze swiftly scanning between the bamboo stalks.
A dense bamboo forest usually gave people a sense of peace and serenity, especially in the height of summer, where the trees provided cool shade, and the air was free from the overwhelming heat of fire spiritual energy.
But perhaps due to his profession, Zhuang Hu never liked bamboo.
Especially bamboo that thrived in spirit-rich soil—since it grew fast and dense, carried wood spiritual energy, and obstructed spiritual sense detection, making it an ideal ambush location for cultivators.
For all he knew, there might be an enemy hiding in this very forest, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
That was the first reason why he disliked bamboo.
The second reason… was because bamboo reminded him of things he didn’t want to remember.
<+>
Boom—!
On a stormy night, a bolt of lightning split the sky, illuminating the darkness, and revealing the tense, weary face of a young man within the bamboo forest below.
The young man appeared to be around twenty-one or twenty-two years old, his face still carrying traces of youthful ambition and innocence.
In his right hand, he tightly gripped a broken sword, its blade riddled with countless nicks and cracks. He limped as he struggled forward into the depths of the bamboo forest.
Cradled in the crook of his left arm was a swaddled infant, crying loudly in the stormy night.
"Waaaahhh—!!"
"Hush… hush… once we get out of this forest, I’ll find you some milk… Don’t cry… shhh—"
Just then, a figure emerged from behind a bamboo stalk.
Boom—!
Another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the scene.
The young man reacted instantly—tightening his grip on the infant with his left hand, while his right hand reversed its grip on the broken sword, positioning it to guard his neck.
Clang—!
The wind from the clash of swords sent bamboo leaves flying.
The man who had attacked him locked eyes with him and shouted:
“Zhuang Hu!!! Do you even realize what you’re doing?!”
“Yue Longxing… Can’t you let me go? It doesn’t have to come to this.”
“You’re carrying the Second Princess!” Yue Longxing's eyes widened as he forced Zhuang Hu back. "The spiritual energy in the Central Region has been in chaos for several years, and now it is at the end of the road."
"So we have to let a little girl who is still in her cradle die?"
Clang—!
Their swords clashed once more.
"One life in exchange for peace in the entire region—what's wrong with that?"
“...I can’t stand by and watch. And besides… I wasn’t the only one who rescued the Second Princess.”
“I know that.” Yue Longxing gritted his teeth. "You, a mere bodyguard, could never have gotten the Second Princess out of the Zongshan Altar alone."
Then, his voice softened slightly.
"Zhuang Hu, it’s not too late to turn back. Hand over the Second Princess, and after that, you can go wherever you want—no one will come after you."
“…And if I say no?”
Yue Longxing’s expression darkened.
“Then don’t blame me for being merciless, Brother Zhuang…”
Swish—
Clang—!
The sound of clashing swords rang out again.
<+>
Above the bamboo forest, lightning flashed and thunder roared.
Not long after, the sound of swords clashing finally came to an end.
Kneeling in the mud, Zhuang Hu leaned on his broken sword like a crutch.
His body, already covered in countless wounds, now bore even more fresh cuts and gashes.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to lift his head and look at Yue Longxing, who now lay lifeless beside him.
His grip on the hilt of his sword tightened, making a cracking sound.
At that moment, his mind went blank, the world around him seemed to stop, and a high-pitched ringing noise filled his ears.
Boom—!
A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the bamboo forest once more.
Then, a wailing cry suddenly snapped him back to reality.
"Waaaahhh—!!"
"…Little Princess, what’s wrong…?"
As his consciousness began to fade, Zhuang Hu suddenly realized something—
During his battle with Yue Longxing, the infant in his arms had stopped crying.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhuang Hu pressed his bloodstained lips together and used his tongue to click against his teeth, making a sound:
Ting~~
The wailing infant in his arms instantly fell silent, her big round eyes blinking as she gazed at Zhuang Hu. But when she realized he had stopped making the sound, she soon started crying again.
"Waaahhh—!!"
Ting~~!
"Mmm…"
Zhuang Hu let out a bitter smile, propping himself up and sitting down, using his body to shield the little one from the rain and wind.
"You're such a strange little thing… From now on, you're no longer the Second Princess. How about I give you a name? I'll call you Atin—and you'll take my surname, Zhuang."
"Waaa~~"
"Was that a yes or a no? Well… I'll take it as a yes."
Zhuang Hu let out a soft sigh, glancing once more at Yue Longxing's lifeless body.
"We'll head to the Western Region… If we make it through tonight."
His voice grew weaker and weaker, his heavy eyelids could no longer resist the weight of exhaustion, and finally, they slowly closed…
<+>
If life gave him a second chance, Zhuang Hu swore—he would never make the same decision again.
It was too foolish.
Risking his own life just to save a baby he didn't even know?
Following behind Jiang He, Zhuang Hu gritted his teeth. He wished he could go back in time and punch his younger self in the face until it was black and blue.
If not for that baby, he would have already climbed the ranks in the Overclear Sect’s Xing Tian Division. His cultivation wouldn't have been stuck at late-stage Foundation Establishment, and he wouldn't have ended up as a nameless rogue cultivator, doing dirty work just to survive.
His once-bright future had been ruined by that reckless decision.
"Hah—"
Zhuang Hu let out a deep breath, pushing those bitter thoughts away. Instead, he focused on staying alert as they moved deeper into the bamboo forest.
He had no idea how long they had been walking when Jiang He suddenly spoke:
"Zhuang Hu, I heard that before you joined Xing Tian Division, you were a disciple of the Hundred Lotus Sect?"
"Yes."
"What do you think of the Hundred Lotus Sect?"
Zhuang Hu's brows furrowed slightly.
Ye Anping had given him several sealed letters before he left. Inside, there were pre-written answers for moments like this—so he simply replied as instructed:
"To be honest, staying there would have been a waste of my talents. It’s just a poor, broken-down sect."
"Heh… That's quite the arrogant statement." Jiang He smirked. "No matter how small, the Hundred Lotus Sect was still your sect—yet you speak ill of it so easily?"
"Cultivation is a pursuit of immortality, and sect ties come second." Zhuang Hu clasped his hands in respect. "I came to the Overclear Sect to seek a better cultivation opportunity."
"We'll see about that…"
Jiang He abruptly stopped walking, his expression darkening.
Zhuang Hu immediately tensed.
Not far ahead, beside a green bamboo tree, stood two fine horses—one black, one white—quietly eating bamboo leaves.
Both horses were saddled, but their riders were nowhere in sight.
"Why are there horses here?"
"Horses?"
Zhuang Hu narrowed his eyes and turned to look.
As soon as he saw the two horses, a sense of unease washed over him.
Without hesitation, he reached into his storage bag, pulling out a defensive magical tool and hiding it within his sleeve.
"Someone's in the forest?"
Jiang He chuckled lightly, taking a step forward.
Then, he infused his spiritual energy into his voice, making it resonate through the bamboo forest:
"Fellow Daoists, why the need to hide? I am Jiang He, Pacification Envoy of Xing Tian Division—would you two care to have a chat?"
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