Chapter 8: What Path to Seek for Survival?

Shu Wan had originally planned to stay and talk with Yi Chenlan, boosting his favorability as she went. 

However, seeing that Yi Chenlan seemed uninterested, she decided to give up. 

Before leaving, she reminded him to take his medicine properly and told him that if there was anything, he should come to her.

After Shu Wan left, Yi Chenlan stared at the manual for a moment, then casually flipped through it. 

In the matter of martial arts, Yi Chenlan had once reached a height that was beyond what ordinary people could imagine. 

Now, looking at the Blazing Sun Manual, it was effortless for him.

The martial art described in it was fluid and profound, each part intricately linked with no signs of being altered. 

Yi Chenlan carefully examined the key sections where one could easily go astray, looking through them several times, but he still did not detect any flaws.

Was the trap hidden too well? 

Or was it… that this Blazing Sun Manual truly had no issues?

For the moment, he could not tell. 

Yi Chenlan gently closed the book and stroked it twice with his fingers. 

Whether it was Shu Wan’s own intentions or Shu Qi controlling her, the fox would always reveal its tail in the end. 

He had patience and interest to play with these people. He will go along with them to the very end.

No matter how hard they try to get something from him, they would inevitably fail. 

Their disappointment and suffering would bring him nothing but joy and satisfaction.

——

The next day, Shu Wan arrived at the private martial arts arena at the agreed-upon time. Yi Chenlan was already waiting for her.

He wore a simple yet elegant green robe, his long black hair neatly tied back with a white jade crown, his fair skin and tall posture made him appear like a bamboo shoot ready to bloom.

Wow, with a face like that, can you even call him human? 

Shu Wan nearly had stars in her eyes. Had she known her villain looked this good, she wouldn’t have written him as a tragic beauty. 

She would have definitely written him as a heartthrob!

Shu Wan walked up to greet him, slightly nervous from being overwhelmed by his beauty. “Ah, Senior Brother Ah Lan, good morning.”

Yi Chenlan looked at her and smiled gently. “Good morning, Wan Wan.”

Shu Wan sized him up from head to toe. Seeing that his demeanor was calm and his expression unchanged, she still asked: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, how is your injury? Does it still hurt when you walk? Have you applied the medicine that Uncle-Master Zhou sent?”

“Mm, it’s fine.”

Yi Chenlan replied in a low voice, avoiding eye contact with Shu Wan. 

He could handle mockery or insults without issue, but this new behavior of hers was something he had never seen before. 

He felt a vague, strange sensation in his heart and didn’t know how to respond, so he chose to keep his answers brief and move past it.

Talking to a beautiful man really put a lot of pressure on her, especially one who was so cold and aloof. Shu Wan rubbed her slightly flushed face. “Well… then let’s start. Senior Brother Ah Lan, since you’re just beginning to practice the first level, you need to be careful. If there’s anything that’s too difficult to understand, let me know. Don’t force yourself to push through.”

After Shu Wan had arrived, the memories of the original “Shu Wan” hadn’t been inherited, but all her martial arts skills remained intact, including her understanding of martial arts in her mind and how to use them. 

It was like an underachiever suddenly reaching level eight in English overnight—there’s no learning process, but she simply knew it.

Yi Chenlan nodded. “Wan Wan, you don’t need to worry about me. Just focus on your training. If I don’t understand something, I’ll wait until you’re done and ask you.”

Shu Wan agreed and happily ran to the side. 

Yi Chenlan, though, watched her discreetly and noticed that she hadn’t started training yet. It seemed like… she was stealing glances at him?

Yi Chenlan couldn’t tell what she meant, so he flipped through a few pages of the Blazing Sun Manual’s introductory techniques, closed his eyes, and pretended to begin his practice.

He wasn’t intending to actually practice the Blazing Sun Manual. 

First, he didn’t know what kind of trap this might be, so he wasn’t about to blindly dive in. 

Second, even if this wasn’t a trap targeting him, if he were to practice alongside Shu Wan every day, and Shu Wan were to disappear, the suspicion and attention on him would be overwhelming. 

However, if he didn’t take action against Shu Wan, no one in the Zhongshan Sect could really throw Shu Qi off balance.

He had no choice but to claim that he couldn’t practice, making them give up on him voluntarily, so that he could return to his solitary ways and quietly wait for the right moment to act.

Shu Wan noticed Yi Chenlan had closed his eyes, seemingly entering a state of focus, and she relaxed her body, openly gazing at him.

Recalling the content of the novel, Jiang Yang had learned the Blazing Sun Manual, which was originally meant for Yi Chenlan. 

He had superior resources, receiving care from his martial uncle today and guidance from his martial grand-uncle tomorrow, growing carefree and without worries. 

Meanwhile, Yi Chenlan had to painstakingly work hard and endure much suffering to gradually improve himself.

At that moment, watching Yi Chenlan practice the Blazing Sun Manual, Shu Wan felt a great sense of relief. 

He was meant to be a dazzling pearl, a dragon soaring in the sky. The days of his being covered in dust had been truly regrettable.

‘Go ahead, practice freely, my little white flower. With your mother-author here, I’ll ensure your life isn’t as tragic as it was in the book. A situation where the male lead gets all the attention—such unfairness will never happen again.’

Shu Wan felt she was being very fair in her thinking—she stretched her muscles, and getting ready to begin her own practice. 

Suddenly, a familiar loud voice rang out in the distance: “Little Junior Sister, why did you suddenly stop practicing with me?”

Shu Wan looked up and, as expected, it was Jiang Yang, who was walking toward her with a look of grievance on his face.

Yi Chenlan also opened his eyes. Jiang Yang’s face matched the face he had last seen through the blood-red mist, and he instinctively placed a hand on his chest, slowly revealing a smile. “Senior Brother Jiang.”

“Ah Lan.” Jiang Yang nodded at him. “I heard that you’ve started practicing the Blazing Sun Manual as well?”

Yi Chenlan replied with a quiet “Mm.” the corners of his mouth curving slightly. “Unfortunately, I’m too foolish, and no matter what, I just can’t break through.”

Jiang Yang nodded knowingly. “This martial art is too profound; it’s not something that can be mastered in a day or two, and not everyone can even comprehend it. Just take it slow.”

Shu Wan furrowed her brows slightly and reminded him: “Senior Brother Ah Yang, Senior Brother Ah Lan just started practicing the first level. If you barge in like this, you might unintentionally lead him astray.”

Shu Wan’s tone was displeased, and Jiang Yang naturally picked up on it. “Oh… Sorry, Little Junior Sister. I was a bit anxious just now. Also… Master scolded me this morning, saying I wasn’t gentle enough when I helped you clear your meridians. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I really didn’t mean to.”

Shu Wan said. “I’m not angry with you, you don’t have to apologize.”

This excuse was something she had come up with so Yi Chenlan could practice the Blazing Sun Manual freely. “If anyone should apologize, it should be to Senior Brother Ah Lan. From now on, the three of us will practice together, but you can’t be so reckless like today.”

“I understand.” Jiang Yang smiled at Yi Chenlan. “Sorry, Ah Lan.” He then went to the side to continue his training.

Yi Chenlan slightly lowered his head, his expression already icy. The Blazing Sun Manual required two people to assist in the training. It seemed Shu Qi had this in mind, intending for him to be a stepping stone for Shu Wan. Jiang Yang had been careless, but Yi Chenlan understood where to draw the line. By the time Shu Wan’s Blazing Sun True Qi reached the seventh level, he would likely no longer be of much use.

Shu Qi only needed to find a reason to disable his martial arts.

As expected, Shu Qi had never failed to disappoint him. Yi Chenlan chuckled softly. His thoughts shifted, and he changed his mind. He would focus on his training, not wasting Shu Qi’s intentions.

Yi Chenlan glanced at Shu Wan, barely noticeable. The fifth level? Don’t worry, he would catch up soon enough.

At that time, he would deliver a great gift to Shu Qi.

———

The three of them trained together for two days. 

On the third day, Shu Wan finally felt something was off. Taking advantage of Jiang Yang’s closed eyes as he meditated, she stealthily approached Yi Chenlan.

Was he practicing smoothly, or had he not been practicing at all? 

Shu Wan crouched beside Yi Chenlan, scrutinizing him carefully, her curiosity piqued. 

Did Senior Brother Ah Lan encounter any of the difficulties that come with practicing the first level?

She had been staring at him for quite a while, and Yi Chenlan, having waited for her to finish, finally realized that she hadn’t moved even after a long time. He couldn’t help but ask: “Wan Wan, is there something on your mind?”

“Huh? Did I disturb you?” Shu Wan hadn’t expected Yi Chenlan to still be aware of the surroundings despite not being in a meditative state. “I… I just came over to check. Senior Brother Ah Lan, is your training going smoothly?”

Yi Chenlan smiled. “It’s going relatively smoothly.”

Shu Wan felt uneasy. Although she feared hurting Yi Chenlan’s pride, she still carefully probed: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, may I take a look?”

Yi Chenlan paused for a moment before giving a gentle smile. “Of course.”

He extended his hand toward Shu Wan. 

His hand was long, clean, and the joints were well-defined. 

Shu Wan silently swallowed, marveling at how even his hands were so beautifully shaped. There was nothing about him that wasn’t perfect.

She took Yi Chenlan’s hand and used a bit of her Internal Qi to feel him out. 

Since Yi Chenlan was still at a weaker foundation at this stage, she wanted to check and make sure there were no issues that could cause problems later on.

Shu Wan’s Internal Qi circled through Yi Chenlan’s body once, and she looked up at him in disbelief, blinking her eyes before probing again.

It was the same. Shu Wan couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement. “Senior Brother Ah Lan, you’ve already broken through the first level so quickly! It looks like the second level is almost complete. How are you so amazing?!”

It was only the third day. Shu Wan knew she had set Yi Chenlan up as a martial arts genius, but this was just too impressive!

Her eyes sparkled, openly showing her admiration.

Yi Chenlan watched her joyfully delighted expression but didn’t know how to retract his hand. He turned his head away, looking in another direction.

Seeing this, Shu Wan thought that Yi Chenlan must be embarrassed, as at this moment he seemed like the kind and gentle little white flower. 

Since he was fine and training well, there was nothing for her to worry about. “Senior Brother Ah Lan, you should continue with your training. I won’t disturb you.”

Shu Wan ran back to her spot, eager to focus on her own training. Yi Chenlan waited for a moment before casually glancing at Shu Wan.

At this age in her previous life, Shu Wan had not been so childlike. 

Though her appearance hadn’t changed, it felt as though the current Shu Wan was a completely different person from the one in his past life.

Yi Chenlan lowered his gaze, deep in thought. 

She had once been clingy and affectionate toward him when she was very young. 

But as she grew older, due to his special status and the subtle guidance from people like Shu Qi, she gradually began to despise him and humiliate him.

In truth, Shu Wan…

Sensing the faint shift in his own thoughts, Yi Chenlan immediately bit down hard on his tongue, tasting the sharp, metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

Why couldn’t he learn to be more guarded? Hadn’t he suffered enough? 

She had said a few nice words, and now he was thinking of excusing her?

He should have killed Shu Wan, killed her to create chaos and escape from Zhongshan Sect. 

That had been his plan from the very beginning. 

Showing her mercy now was equivalent to cutting off his own path to survival.

Yi Chenlan clenched his fists tightly, his dark phoenix eyes devoid of any light. 

Slowly, he closed his eyes, but his raven-like lashes trembled slightly.