Chapter 26: Farewell to the Water Dungeon

“Why? Why won’t you let me go?” Shu Wan became anxious. “Uncle-Master Zhou, please help me, I just want to go to the Jingtong Pavilion and take a look. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease…”

“He’s not in the Jingtong Pavilion.” Zhou Yuan sighed. “Senior Brother Shu locked him up in the water dungeon. I originally disagreed with it, but without this, everyone was going to kill him directly. So, I had no choice but to agree to lock him up for now. We’ll deal with it after we catch Shi Tianlei.”

“In the water dungeon?!” Shu Wan’s eyes turned red. “Didn’t you say he was seriously injured? How could he be locked up in the water dungeon?! How could he be involved with Shi Tianlei? I’m with Senior Brother Ah Lan every day. I know he didn’t do it. You know it too, Uncle-Master Zhou…”

“It’s useless talking to me about it.” Zhou Yuan said helplessly. “I also think it’s impossible, but this is the best outcome right now. That day… sigh, forget it, you didn’t see it…”

Shu Wan fell silent. Zhou Yuan sighed again and whispered: “You should first focus on recovering from your injuries. When your father returns, talk to him. He’ll listen to you.”

“I’m leaving now. Take care of yourself. Don’t go to the water dungeon; Senior Brother Shu has people watching it. No one is allowed inside. I gave Chen Lan two pills, which will protect his heart veins. He’s not in any immediate danger.”

Zhou Yuan left, but Shu Wan remained in a daze.

This time, she had tried her best, but the result was disappointing. Yi Chenlan ended up with the same fate as in the book.

Severely injured, imprisoned.

Although the process was very different from the one in the book, she still couldn’t escape this outcome. Shu Wan’s heart gradually tightened. How did he manage to escape from Shi Tianlei’s hands with her? How was he seriously injured by Shu Qi? He saved people, only to be wronged—how aggrieved must he feel?

Shu Wan forced herself to calm down, taking a few deep breaths. Then, she stood up from the bed, put on her clothes, and walked toward the door.

“Sister Wan Wan, why are you up?” Before she could reach the door, she saw Song Fang bringing Song Yuan in.

Song Yuan happily added: “Sister Wan Wan is awake! I’ll go tell Father!”

“Wait, don’t tell Third Uncle.” Shu Wan said weakly, waving her hand at them. “…Come here, come over here.”

A moment later.

The childish chatter continued inside the room, while Shu Wan secretly slipped out through the window.

This was her second time coming to the water dungeon. The difference this time was that two serious-looking young men stood at the gate, though she didn’t recognize which two senior brothers they were.

Shu Wan walked straight up to them, but the man on the left immediately stopped her. “Sister Shu, please wait.”

Shu Wan bowed. “May I ask for your name, Senior Brother?”

The man replied: “My name is Yan Dongyun, and this is my junior brother, Ge Qing.”

So it was Yan Dongyun.

Once his name was mentioned, Shu Wan immediately remembered who he was. Yan Dongyun was the disciple of one of her masters. His family had once been greatly helped by Jiang Xuanfeng, but he had a tragic fate. His parents died during a battle against the Demon Lord Yi Heng in an encirclement. Since then, he had been raised by his master. Over the years, influenced by his master, he despised Yi Chenlan but showed constant care for Jiang Yang, the son of his benefactor.

After the truth of the exchange of children was exposed, he had tried to persuade Jiang Yang, who had become a close companion of his, to let Yi Chenlan go, to spare the real son of his benefactor. However, he failed. In the end, Yan Dongyun, overwhelmed with guilt, committed suicide in front of Jiang Xuanfeng’s grave.

As for Ge Qing, he was not a character Shu Wan had created and was likely an unimportant minor character.

Shu Wan respectfully said: “Greetings, Senior Brother Yan and Senior Brother Ge. I… I would like to go in and take a look. May I ask if it’s possible for the two of you to allow it?”

Yan Dongyun coldly sneered and immediately refused: “Sister Shu, don’t you know that Sect Master has ordered that no one is allowed to see this Demon Lord? He has caused you so much harm; why would you want to see him?”

Shu Wan’s brow furrowed slightly. She couldn’t stand hearing Yi Chenlan spoken of like that. As soon as she heard it, she felt like exploding, but her body was not cooperating. She couldn’t release her anger, and instead, her breathing became rapid. She couldn’t speak, and bent over, coughing a few times.

“Sister Shu, your injuries are not fully healed. You should go back and rest.” Yan Dongyun said with a frown, unable to help himself from speaking.

Shu Wan exhaled deeply and straightened up, about to speak when the young man named Ge Qing suddenly raised his hand to stop her, smiling at Yan Dongyun. “Senior Brother, Yi Chenlan has harmed Sister Shu so terribly. How could she be here to visit him? Look at Sister Shu’s face, it’s red from anger. Clearly, she just wants to go inside to vent. Isn’t that right, Sister Shu?”

Shu Wan was a bit confused, but she sensed that Ge Qing seemed to be trying to help her, so she took the hint and played along. “Yes… yes, that’s right.”

Yan Dongyun glanced at Shu Wan with suspicion but still didn’t relent. “But Sect Master has ordered that no one is allowed to go in. If Sister Shu wants to vent, it’s better to wait until Sect Master returns.”

Ge Qing glanced at Shu Wan and then smiled at Yan Dongyun. “Senior Brother, Yi Chenlan has harmed Sister Shu so much. How could she want to visit him? Look at her face—it’s red from anger. Clearly, she just wants to go inside to vent. Isn’t that right, Sister Shu?”

Shu Wan blinked, and immediately seized the opportunity, speaking with a domineering tone: “Yes, Senior Brother Yan, I’m not trying to make things difficult for you. I’ll only go in for a little while. The water dungeon is so cold, do you think I would want to stay in there for long? And I’m only coming this one time. Would I come every day? What kind of place is this anyway?”

Yan Dongyun said nothing, seeming to hesitate. Ge Qing patted his shoulder and leaned in, whispering: “Let Sister Shu go in. I know Senior Brother hates Yi Chenlan with all his heart, and so do I. Isn’t it better for him to suffer a bit more? I just want him to be trampled by the world so that the hate in my heart might ease a little.”

Yan Dongyun thought for a long time before finally stepping aside.

—

The Yi Chenlan she saw this time was no different from the last. He was still chained by iron ropes, his hands suspended, his handsome face pale. His hair was loose, falling into the water. With his wet green robe, he looked like a fragile and beautiful exiled immortal.

But when Shu Wan glanced at him, her nose tingled, and she felt a wave of sorrow. After a few days, she thought Senior Brother Ah Lan seemed to have grown thinner…

Yi Chenlan was not unconscious this time. He kept his eyes half-closed, not bothering to look at the newcomer. It wasn’t until he smelled a familiar, warm fragrance in the air, the scent of the little girl he had been constantly thinking about…

He lifted his gaze in disbelief and saw Shu Wan stepping forward, seemingly about to approach—

“Don’t come over!” Yi Chenlan’s voice was sharp and commanding. “If you dare come down into the water, I’ll never pay attention to you again!”

Shu Wan froze in place, startled. After a while, she cautiously said: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, are you cold? I… I just wanted to bring you down.”

Seeing that she seemed frightened by his harsh words, Yi Chenlan felt helpless. “Wan Wan, you’re injured internally. You can’t withstand the coldness of this water. I… I was too anxious earlier and wasn’t angry with you.”

He added: “Don’t come into the water. If you do, I will really get angry, and I will never speak to you again. I promise I will do it.”

His words were harsh, and Shu Wan felt a little aggrieved, almost on the verge of tears, but she truly didn’t dare to step into the water. “Senior Brother Ah Lan… then what about you? You’ve also been injured internally, how can I help you?”

Yi Chenlan’s voice softened. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

Although he said he was fine, it wasn’t entirely a lie. That day, in order to repel Shi Tianlei, he had used Blazing Sun True Qi to activate the Snow Mountain Technique, a martial art of extreme cold. His dantian and meridians were thoroughly destroyed, and the Blazing Sun True Qi, unable to remain stable, wandered through his body, adding a sensation of searing pain everywhere.

Being immersed in the cold water, he found it almost soothing by comparison.

Shu Wan knew that when he said he was fine, it wasn’t the whole truth. She sniffled, then moved around to the other side of the water dungeon, getting a little closer to Yi Chenlan. She crouched down, though she was still a little taller than him. “Senior Brother Ah Lan, when you encountered Shi Tianlei that day, did you suffer any injuries? Where did he hurt you?”

Shi Tianlei was already dead, but Yi Chenlan didn’t want her to know the full extent of the dark things that had happened. He simply said: “I’m fine. He was insane, and before he could make a move, he just ran off on his own.”

He said that Shi Tianlei hadn’t harmed him. Shu Wan bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. She didn’t dare ask about how Shu Qi had hurt him, so she just said: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, can I give you some of my Internal Energy to help heal your wounds? Don’t move, I’ll be very gentle, I won’t hurt you.”

Yi Chenlan’s body trembled slightly. He immediately lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes casting a shadow over his eyes, which shimmered with an almost fleeting, watery light. His lips quivered, and after a long pause, he quietly said: “There’s no need.”

That one gentle sentence was enough for him. He didn’t want Wan Wan to see his ruined dantian and his body, which now felt as though it had been completely shattered.

He said there was no need. Shu Wan stood frozen in place for a long time, unable to suppress the growing lump in her throat. Her voice quivered as she softly asked: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, do you dislike me now?”

“I don’t.” Yi Chenlan immediately denied it. Seeing her desperately holding back tears, his heart ached. He softened his voice: “How could I dislike you? Don’t cry for me…”

“Then… why won’t you let me heal your injuries?”

Yi Chenlan maintained his calm demeanor and gently smiled, speaking slowly: “This place is cold and damp. Blazing Sun True Qi won’t be able to work here, it would be a waste. Wait until I get out, then you can help me, alright?”

Out… last time, it had been a year. How long would it be this time? By then, Wan Wan would have grown up, would she still treat him like this? Would she forget him?

Yi Chenlan’s words sent a jolt through Shu Wan, and her mind immediately tightened. She focused only on Yi Chenlan’s storyline and suddenly remembered that if Yi Chenlan, like in the original book, was imprisoned here for over a year, once he was released, he would soon face the memorial gathering.

He would be taken to Snowy Night Mountain, where furious martial artists from the Wulin would torment him until he was nearly dead.

Shu Wan’s hands trembled. Her eyes, slightly red and still wet with tears, looked determinedly at Yi Chenlan. “Senior Brother Ah Lan, don’t stay in Zhongshan Sect any longer. I’m afraid… have you thought about escaping Zhongshan Sect?”

She spoke as though she were offering all her warmth without hesitation, filling the darkness with her light. Yi Chenlan couldn’t help but shiver slightly.

She said: “I’ll help you escape Zhongshan Sect.”