Chapter 102: Dropping the Disguise
Lou Yunxiao stood at the dilapidated hall doors, dressed in simple robes.
After leaving Beiming Mountain, he had realized that this place was the Demon Realm and not some secret realm. Along the way, he had slain Mo while searching for the ruins of the Liuyun Sect, and now he had finally found them.
To his surprise, everyone was here.
And everyone was safe.
This allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
His gaze landed on Ning Ke.
Lou Yunxiaoās eyes softened, yet they were tinged with excitement and tension.
He did not directly expose Ning Keās identity but instead emphasized: “Fellow Daoist Ming Xin and Fellow Daoist Wu Gou are actually here as well. Now, everyone who entered the Demon Realm is accounted for.”
The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat heavy.
Gao Ze was the first to react. He walked to Lou Yunxiaoās side, patted the young manās shoulder, and said, “Come with me.”
Ning Ke brushed past Lou Yunxiao.
The fingertips hidden beneath his robes trembled slightly.
A dream of ten thousand years.
The man who had shattered during the demonic war appeared before his eyes once more.
Without the memories from ten thousand years ago.
No longer remembering that little fox he had picked up and brought home.
No longer remembering that simple sachet he had hand-sewn…
This was for the best.
It was better if he never remembered.
Ning Ke lowered his eyes, and when he looked up again, his gaze was filled with ice.
He knew well that the A-Ke persona could no longer be hidden.
In that case, he would strip it off with his own hands and make Lou Yunxiao give up on him completely.
…
On the other side, Lou Yunxiao had already taken in the current state of the Liuyun Sect on his way in.
He was not an unreasonable person, so after hearing Gao Zeās account and seeing the broken stone monuments, he had already come to a conclusion in his heart.
There was indeed a very high probability that Ning Ke had killed everyone in the Liuyun Sect to exterminate the Mo.
He had likely hated the wrong person all along.
Realizing this, his hatred for Ning Ke faded.
However, he still couldn’t understand why Ning Ke had turned him into a useless cripple and a blind man. Nor why, back at Ning Village when faced with the siege of the Sect Leaders and his own questioning, Ning Ke had remained silent about the truth, allowing them to attack him in a mob.
Allowing him to vent his hatred upon him.
Did all of this mean nothing more than “fun” to Ning Ke?
Beyond that, Lou Yunxiao could think of no other possibility.
Ning Ke was a Nine-Tailed Fox who had lived for ten thousand years and was the strongest being in this world. No one could restrain him, and no one knew his thoughts.
Lou Yunxiaoās hatred had faded, but too many doubts remained.
He thought that if he could see Ning Ke again in the future, he would ask for an answer.
“I understand,” Lou Yunxiao said to Gao Ze. “Master, I will take all the remains within the Liuyun Sect back to the human realm to let them rest in peace. However, looking at these things alone is not enough to prove the Yao Lord has absolutely no connection to that Mo. I must find an opportunity to ask the Yao Lord for the full story.”
Gao Ze remembered Ning Keās earlier instruction. Wanting to dissuade Lou Yunxiao, he said, “The Yao Lord has a strange temperament. He likely won’t see you easily.”
“Then I will cultivate until I can stand as his equal, and then I will seek him out for the truth.”
In this world where strength was respected, this was the only way he could approach Ning Ke.
Gao Ze sighed lightly; he could only agree.
He knew that if Lou Yunxiao said he would do something, he would find a way to do it.
So he let go and stopped interfering.
Moreover, he had noticed Lou Yunxiaoās cultivation level.
A transition to the Heti stage at eighteen years oldāsuch talent was terrifying. Perhaps one day Lou Yunxiao really would reach a level where he could stand as the Yao Lord’s equal.
…
Afterward, Lou Yunxiao carefully collected the remains within the Liuyun Sect.
The hatred in his heart for Ning Ke shifted into hatred for the Mo.
Once everything was organized, he set up an offering table and incense altar in the center of the hall, lighting a stick of incense for all the fallen souls.
Gao Ze and Wu Gou also stepped forward and lit a stick each.
Only Ning Ke stood in a backlit corner, not approaching.
He knew he did not deserve to.
Lou Yunxiao walked to Ning Keās side. He did not question his behavior.
After spending this half a day together, he had already noticed A-Keās abnormality.
A-Keās gaze was very indifferent, as if nothing in this world could stir his emotions anymoreāor rather, he had suppressed all his emotions deep within his heart.
An A-Ke like this felt very strange to him.
The A-Ke he knew was cheerful, optimistic, loved playing tricks and jokes. Even when pretending to be Ming Xin during the battle at Beiyou City, his disposition was clearly the same as A-Ke’s, without much change.
But the current A-Ke was different.
Weather-beaten, cold, and indifferent to everything.
It was as if he had become a completely different person.
Seeing Lou Yunxiao, Ning Ke only pursed his lips and offered a single word: “Condolences.”
“Mm,” Lou Yunxiao said. “I already know who the real enemy is. In a moment, I will go search for the Great Mo hiding in the Demon Realm. If I find him, I will make him pay the price. If I cannot find him, I will seek an audience with the Yao Lord in the future to ask about the truth of that year.”
At this point, Lou Yunxiao paused. His eyes looked into Ning Keās, and he asked somewhat tentatively, “Will you come with me?”
“While in the Demon Realm, I will act with you. After all, following Sect Leader Gao is safer than acting alone.”
Ning Ke said, “However, once we leave the Demon Realm, I will depart.”
He placed the staff embedded with the Folian Lamp into Lou Yunxiaoās hand and said, “Take this Folian Lamp.”
“This was originally your mother’s property. Whether you wish to keep it for yourself or give it to someone else is for you to decide.”
“Why… are you leaving again?” Lou Yunxiao gripped the staff, staring at Ning Ke in a daze.
He used the word “again.”
He had already indicated that he had guessed this “A-Ke” identity.
“I know you’ve already guessed that I am A-Ke.”
Ning Ke met Lou Yunxiaoās gaze, his expression devoid of joy or sorrow.
“At this point, there is no need to hide anything.”
He spoke the narrative he had already prepared: “Your mother saved my life before. Therefore, after I learned of the Liuyun Sect’s massacre, I left my clone, A-Ke, by your side to protect your safety. That the clone died to seal the Great Mo was entirely my own choice; you do not need to feel guilty about it.”
He touched his own eyes and said, “Furthermore, since the clone’s eyes were given to you, my own eyes will not be affected. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“As for me pretending to be Ming Xin and joining the Buddhist sect, that was to retrieve the Folian Lamp, your motherās treasure, and return it to you.”
“Now, I have finished what I wanted to do. Once we leave this Demon Realm, there is no longer a need for us to stay together.”
Lou Yunxiao could hardly believe what he was hearing.
Yet Ning Ke’s words sounded so reasonable.
Every sentence overlapped with the things this person had done.
It was as if he had come to his side truly just to repay his motherās kindness.
Now that the debt was paid, he planned to leave without a second thought.
“Not… paid.” Lou Yunxiao forced out those words with difficulty. Meeting Ning Ke’s gaze, he gritted his teeth and said, “You haven’t seen me kill the Great Mo with my own hands. You haven’t seen me avenge my mother. So… you can’t leave.”
In his panic to keep Ning Ke, Lou Yunxiao could only think of such a reason.
And after saying it, he realized that his words made him sound like an insatiable villaināsomeone who had been saved so many times and received so much, yet still wanted more.
Shamelessly demanding more from his benefactor.
Realizing this, he looked at Ning Keās expression.
For the first time, he saw deep disgust on that person’s face.
He heard Ning Ke say:
“Lou Yunxiao, are you threatening me?”
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