"Just what I wanted."
The Black-Robed Man chuckled and raised his hand. A dense ball of dark light emerged, but then a sudden change occurred.
His pupils suddenly constricted.
"You..."
"Let her go, or else... you won't get either of us." Lu Cheng glanced gently at the girl who had fainted in his arms, then slowly raised his head and stared coldly at the black-clothed man.
"Kid, are you joking?" The Black-Robed Man's expression froze, his heart churning with waves of shock, but he put on a playful act and laughed loudly.
Buzz...
Lu Cheng's expression was indifferent as a blazing fire arrow condensed in his palm. He placed it against his neck. "You can't stop me from committing suicide. Right now, I am speaking to the person behind the scenes of your Holy Spirit Cult."
"Long Xiaoyao, or... Mu En."
"..."
In the dark night, there was silence.
The Black-Robed Man's face turned pale, his expression shifting uncertainly. It seemed they had botched the task from above.
"Hahahaha, what a clever boy."
A voice echoed from all directions.
Lu Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had gambled correctly, but he didn't know if the newcomer was Mu En... or Long Xiaoyao.
Most likely the latter. According to his guess, the mastermind of this grand play should be Mu En, and the so-called Holy Spirit Cult was merely a villainous role borrowed temporarily because of the good relationship between Mu En and Long Xiaoyao.
Therefore, with Mu En presiding over the Sea Gods Pavilion, he shouldn't need to personally intervene; he just needed to wait for the prey to fall into the trap.
As for Long Xiaoyao... he might have come to take a look.
To prevent his subordinates from failing and causing trouble for his close friend.
The sound of stepping on leaves rang out, and a dark figure appeared behind the Black-Robed Man at some unknown time. An old voice rang out leisurely: "Go back. You cannot be blamed for this; it's just that this kid is too much of a prodigy..."
"Yes!" The Black-Robed Man wiped the sweat from his forehead, bowed his head, retreated a few steps, and vanished.
"Why go through all this trouble... If you had seen through it but kept quiet, I could have left you a way to live, but now..."
The dark figure took only one step, yet it was as if he had shrunk the distance, appearing right in front of Lu Cheng.
The old man was tall, with a face as smooth as an infant's and long silver hair falling to his shoulders. He looked down at the indifferent youth, a flash of pity and regret in his eyes.
Between the two of them, only one could remain.
If the youth had seen through it but had kept quiet, Mu En would naturally have treated him as a successor of Shrek Academy, with an extremely bright prospect and future. But now that the youth had exposed everything...
It meant that no matter how much of a prodigy his talent was, his old friend would absolutely never let him live.
Shrek wanted a legacy successor without any attachments, not a ticking time bomb harboring resentment. The more terrifying his talent, the more necessary it was to crush him before he could rise.
He gently waved his hand.
The Crimson Arrow tightly gripped in Lu Cheng's hand instantly shattered, turning into a cloud of fire mist that was scattered by the cool breeze in the forest.
"Kid, do you have any last words? Considering you are a genius rarely seen in centuries, even I have felt a sense of appreciation for your talent. You might as well state your final wishes..." Long Xiaoyao looked at the youth, who held the young girl in his arms even tighter while remaining expressionless, and shook his head gently, speaking with a sense of melancholy.
[Side Quest]
[Join the Holy Spirit Cult]
[Reward: Twin Spirit (Blood Pupils), Failure: Simulation End.]
As expected, chapter two also had a quest.
It also happened to coincide with his future plans.
"Is Pavilion Master Mu here?"
Lu Cheng let out a long breath and looked at Long Xiaoyao with an indifferent gaze.
"..." Long Xiaoyao was stunned and was about to speak but was interrupted by a voice.
"Child, do you have something for me?"
A kindly old man with a hunched figure, graying temples, and a withered face appeared, leaning on a wooden cane. He examined Lu Cheng with a complex expression.
For Shrek Academy, he had no choice...
Regardless of whether he would bear an ill reputation in the future, he had to do it.
The gap in Shrek Academy's generations was too severe. Now, the decline was becoming more apparent. After Yan Shaozhe, no genius capable of bearing the heavy responsibility had appeared for nearly a hundred years.
Ma Xiaotao, the only hope in recent years, though barely qualified in talent, was still unsuitable due to her personality. His time was almost up, and holding on for another twenty or thirty years was the limit. If a successor still couldn't be found, the entire Shrek would likely...
"After I die, you probably want to bring Lexuan into Shrek Academy and make her an alternate-generation Sea Gods Pavilion successor. Am I right?" Lu Cheng's face showed no joy or anger as he spoke softly.
"Yes." Mu En nodded.
"Aren't you afraid she'll discover all this and then take revenge on Shrek Academy?" Lu Cheng revealed a smile.
"There will always be clues... As she grows up, she will increasingly recall the flaws in today's events."
Mu En fell silent. Indeed, what he wanted was someone absolutely loyal to Shrek Academy and with a "clean background."
And now that Zhang Lexuan had witnessed all this, it was ultimately a hidden danger.
Although he had countless ways to make the girl cultivate diligently and join Shrek Academy once she woke up, there was... after all, a hidden danger.
"Keep me, and I will appease her."
Lu Cheng said indifferently.
"Hahahaha..." Mu En smiled and shook his head, clearly somewhat disappointed.
"I am the person present who least wants to see her die," Lu Cheng continued.
"I will take all the blame for tonight upon myself, letting her turn all her hatred and attention toward me. That way, all the flaws of tonight can be explained."
"If I Join the Holy Spirit Cult..."
"..." Mu En's eyes narrowed, and he actually began to think seriously.
If the youth didn't cherish the girl, he wouldn't have given up his only chance of survival and chosen to fight with his life.
And if all the blame was placed on Lu Cheng, how could the girl survive in the hands of an evil soul master and how could the two escape from Heaven Dou City... it seemed it could be explained.
"Give me a reason." Mu En stared intently at Lu Cheng. If everything before was just play—after all, it was just toward a person bound to die—then now... he had to re-examine this near-monstrous youth.
"I don't want her to harbor hatred toward Shrek Academy after finding out about this and then seek revenge..." Lu Cheng said softly, "That would be no different from an egg striking a stone. I only hope she can forget all hatred and live peacefully. After all, the dead cannot be brought back to life."
Mu En gripped his staff tightly, showing the struggle in his heart.
Everything was indeed as the youth said. Even though he had been observing from behind, he couldn't detect any flaws, but there was an indescribable feeling lingering in his heart...
If this youth joined the Holy Spirit Cult and his hands were stained with blood, then no matter how well he spoke, Zhang Lexuan would not trust him in the future and might even turn against him.
Tonight's evidence would also inevitably be completely destroyed by him, leaving not a single handle on him...
This meant that this youth clearly had a bright future, yet he voluntarily broke his wings and fell into the abyss.
Just for the girl in his arms?
"For her, I am willing to do anything..." Lu Cheng's gaze fell on the face of the girl sleeping soundly in his arms, revealing a gentle expression for the first time.
Notes:
ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
Read advance chapters at p@atreon/holyangelicdemon