Chapter 82
Chapter 82
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Bargaining with a Tiger
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Unlike Zhao Xuhe and Lu Yuanchun, Luo Wuya was not a man driven by lust, so he had only been observing the scene with his spiritual sense from beginning to end.
Even so, when he saw the woman, who had been as cold and pure as a snow lotus at the banquet, now lying disheveled on the bed like a ravaged flower, her exquisite face even stained with tears, the stark contrast still stirred a strange feeling within him.
"Junior Sister Yu..."
Luo Wuya took a deep breath, then with a wave of his hand, a brilliant light enveloped Yu Suzhen, somewhat alleviating the awkward atmosphere between them.
Luo Wuya clearly saw a trace of relief and gratitude on Yu Suzhen's face.
But soon, her expression turned to helplessness and self-mockery. "I never thought you'd see me in such a state, Senior Brother. Please don't let this matter get out."
"You worry too much, Junior Sister Yu."
Luo Wuya sighed. He had been watching the entire time. Although he didn't know the details, he was certain that Yu Suzhen had most likely been coerced by Lu Yuanchun.
"I will keep this matter a secret for you."
"Thank you, Senior Brother..."
At his words, Yu Suzhen's lovely face grew even more bitter, her beautiful eyes reddened, tear-streaked like a pear blossom in the rain. Her gaze seemed to brew with a thousand sorrows and ten thousand grievances.
Soon, Luo Wuya learned the whole story.
"So that's how it is... Junior Sister Yu, you and Junior Brother Zhao were originally in love. Later, after Junior Brother Zhao was accepted as a disciple by the Heaven Mending Peak Master, Junior Brother Lu made trouble for you. For Junior Brother Zhao's sake, you went to reason with him, but he plotted against you, took your innocence, and gained leverage, leading to your current predicament..."
Luo Wuya looked at Yu Suzhen and sighed.
As the second senior brother of the Three Rivers Association, he naturally knew that Zhao Xuhe was now the Heaven Mending Peak Master's designated son-in-law. How could he possibly become Dao partners with an outsider?
Without a doubt, Yu Suzhen had been deceived in love.
At the same time, Yu Suzhen forced herself to sit up and said in a low voice, "Senior Brother, it's getting late. I need to rest... Please don't take offense."
"I understand."
Luo Wuya nodded. He could naturally see Yu Suzhen's distress. He wanted to help but didn't want to get involved in this mess, so he could only sigh.
"I shall take my leave."
With that, he turned and left.
Only after he had departed did Yu Suzhen slowly rise and seal her cave residence. The sorrow and grief on her face quickly receded, replaced by a cold indifference.
"...This should be enough."
Zhao Xuhe, Lu Yuanchun, and Luo Wuya—these were the three big fish Yu Suzhen had targeted during this period. For them, she had specially arranged three different approaches.
The approach differed for each person.
For example, with Zhao Xuhe, Yu Suzhen determined he was a philanderer by nature, so she deliberately pretended to have fallen in love with him, willingly becoming his secret lover.
As for Lu Yuanchun, after several tests, Yu Suzhen saw that he secretly harbored jealousy towards Zhao Xuhe for gaining the favor of their master, the Heaven Mending Peak Master. Thus, she deliberately approached him in the guise of Zhao Xuhe's Dao partner. One was willing to strike, the other willing to be struck; they naturally hooked up smoothly.
As for Luo Wuya, Yu Suzhen's approach was different again.
After all, Luo Wuya was different from the other two. At the peak of Qi Refining, his ambition was set on Foundation Establishment. In his eyes, women were probably not far from being considered beautiful skeletons.
This type of person pursued emotional value.
To put it plainly, it was about saving a fallen woman from a life of vice. If Luo Wuya was truly fixated on this, he would have taken the bait, and Yu Suzhen naturally had ways to handle him.
If he wasn't fixated and truly intended to stay out of it, that was also fine. He was just a backup, after all. Yu Suzhen wouldn't pester him. Her pond was large, and she wasn't short on this one big fish. She would consider her previous efforts as planting a seed of good karma, which might yield unexpected results in the future.
Prescribing the right medicine for the ailment, tailoring the dish to the guest.
This was Yu Suzhen's self-cultivation as a superior being. And these were just the big fish; besides them, she was also raising many smaller fish who were utterly devoted to her.
If not for this, how could her cultivation progress by leaps and bounds?
"Incredible, truly incredible."
Within Skull Mountain, Lu Yang couldn't help but marvel at Yu Suzhen's exceptional talent. She had forged a unique path. If this continued, she might truly surpass all the other disciples.
"It's just a pity her moves are a bit too bold."
Lu Yang formed a hand seal, and a halo of light spun behind him, reflecting countless possible events, all of which pointed to a single outcome—
"What are you doing?"
In an instant, the sudden voice made Yu Suzhen jump. She whipped her head around, and even Lu Yang, who had been prepared, couldn't help but swallow.
A young man in a black and white Daoist robe, with white hair and a youthful face, exuding an immortal aura, appeared without warning inside Yu Suzhen's cave residence. He wore a gentle smile, but his eyes were ice-cold, fixed on Yu Suzhen as if they could see through a person's heart.
In that moment, Yu Suzhen's lovely face froze in place.
Not only that, but even her thoughts, intentions, and even the feeling of fear were frozen solid, as if she had instantly turned into a cold, hard statue.
This was merely the aftershock.
Because at this moment, the person the Heaven Mending Peak Master was looking at was not her. The spiritual sense attached to his gaze was truly locked onto the one behind her—Lu Yang!
"Which fellow Daoist dares to scheme against my disciple?"
"Where did you obtain the art of Stealing Heavenly Secrets?"
Faced with the Heaven Mending Peak Master's questioning, Lu Yang remained calm, unsurprised by his appearance. After all, both Zhao Xuhe and Lu Yuanchun were his disciples.
Moreover, the art of Stealing Heavenly Secrets was something he had obtained from Zhao Xuhe in his previous life.
However, where did Zhao Xuhe get such a marvelous secret art? Considering its dual cultivation characteristics, the answer was self-evident.
It was actually created by the Heaven Mending Peak Master!
Therefore, from the very beginning of grooming Yu Suzhen into this "Daughter of Destiny," Lu Yang had been prepared for the Heaven Mending Peak Master to discover him and come knocking.
Of course, he himself couldn't possibly meet with the Heaven Mending Peak Master.
So, he could only let Yu Suzhen suffer a little first, using her as bait to lure out the Heaven Mending Peak Master, and then use her as a proxy to meet with him.
"...A petty trick. I've made a fool of myself in front of you, Senior."
With a thought, Lu Yang activated Stealing Heavenly Secrets and took direct control of Yu Suzhen's body, chuckling lightly. "I just wanted to discuss a deal with you, Senior."
"...It's you?"
Before Lu Yang could finish, the Heaven Mending Peak Master raised an eyebrow. "So that day, it wasn't Hong Ju, but you who secretly seized Perfected Being Panlong's karmic inheritance?"
Following that, the Heaven Mending Peak Master showed no anger, but smiled instead. "Interesting."
"On what grounds do you think you can make a deal with me?"
"On the grounds of your blood relative, Senior."
Lu Yang said calmly, "I saved Senior Brother Chen, and now he has a sliver of hope for rebirth. Surely, Senior, you wouldn't want to see your son's soul scatter, would you?"
"Xin'an!?"
At these words, the Heaven Mending Peak Master's expression changed instantly.
He immediately began to deduce the karma, and soon, he unearthed Liu Xin, who had lost the protection of the divine talisman.
However, no matter how he tried to divine the heavenly secrets, he could not obtain any further information, nor could he grasp Chen Xin'an's current state.
This made the Heaven Mending Peak Master even more curious. After all, to be able to block his divination meant that the other party either had a Foundation Establishment Perfected Being behind them or possessed a rare treasure that obscured heavenly secrets. But regardless of which it was, for this person to dare threaten him, they could only be described as audaciously bold.
Worthy of being a disciple of my sacred sect!
"...Speak."
After a moment, the Heaven Mending Peak Master finally spoke. "What do you want in exchange for sending Xin'an back? A Foundation Establishment artifact? Or a grand divine ability..."
"Neither."
Lu Yang shook his head. "I intend to have Yu Suzhen use the art of Stealing Heavenly Secrets to plunder Xiao Shiye, but I need a senior to conceal the karmic consequences for her."
"...Oh?"
At these words, the Heaven Mending Peak Master's expression finally changed noticeably. He looked at Lu Yang with great interest. "You want to scheme against Hong Ju?"
Lu Yang smiled. "Precisely!"
Xiao Shiye was Hong Ju's bait. If Yu Suzhen recklessly plundered him, she would definitely be discovered, and he himself was incapable of concealing the heavenly secrets.
Therefore, to snatch food from the tiger's mouth, the only way was to cooperate with a Foundation Establishment Perfected Being. The Heaven Mending Peak Master was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate, partly because he had Chen Xin'an as a hostage, and partly because the relationship between the Peak Master and Hong Ju was clearly not good.
Of course, Lu Yang was also well aware of the risks of cooperating with the Heaven Mending Peak Master.
A single misstep, and the cooperation could turn into a dog-eat-dog situation.
This was a bargain with a tiger!
(End of this chapter)