Chapter 45.2

Before his spiritual platform was shattered, he was a genius cultivator who could travel thousands of miles in a day. Throughout his battles with demons and monsters, he had ridden countless spiritual beasts, so handling a mere horse was second nature to him.

However, it was uncertain whether his body could still endure the jolting of horseback riding.

Chi Lu’s eyes darkened as a wave of frustration welled up in her heart. When she came to her senses, Jing Shuxing’s cool and clear gaze enveloped her from afar, drawing closer.

The man on horseback, radiant and handsome, wore bright red attire. His gaze was like a cool stream, clear but not cold.

For some reason, Chi Lu recalled a commentary she had seen scribbled in the margins of an illustrated book.

It spoke of gazing at each other from afar—one on the wall, one on horseback—and how, at first sight, one knew the pain of longing.

Jing Shuxing glanced at Chi Lu from a distance, then urged his white horse forward, heading towards the bride in green.

Chi Lu understood his intentions. Spiritual power wrapped around her, and with a swift motion, she slid down from the wall. And with light steps she walked toward the small sedan in the courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with scattered spiritual lights, presumably set up by the vengeful spirit to prevent anyone from rescuing the person inside the sedan.

For Chi Lu, however, it was as if she were walking through an empty place. She manipulated her spiritual power to conceal her figure, blending seamlessly into the spiritual vein as if she were invisible.

In just a moment, she arrived in front of the small sedan. After scanning the surroundings to confirm no one was nearby, she set up a barrier to isolate it from the outside world and lifted the sedan’s curtain with a flick of her hand.

A surprised and delighted shout immediately burst out, “Brother Yun, you’ve come to rescue me—huh?”

Chi Lu helplessly held her forehead, her mouth twitching as she grabbed the curtain and gave it a vigorous shake. “Young lady Yun, luckily I set up a barrier in advance, or I would’ve been in serious trouble because of you.”

Yun Pianpian sat stunned inside the sedan, with her limbs bound by spiritual power.

She was equally shocked by the sudden change, sitting there in a daze, meeting Chi Lu’s gaze with wide eyes.

Chi Lu furrowed her brows and instructed helplessly, “Don’t make another sound.”

She climbed into the sedan, holding the Red Soul Whip in her hand, and swiftly slashed through the spiritual bindings restraining Yun Pianpian, helping her out of the sedan.

Yun Pianpian obediently remained silent the entire time, not uttering a single word.

By this time, Jing Shuxing had already reached the green-clad bride. He dismounted gracefully and bowed respectfully.

“The little demons said you were searching for your beloved and forcibly brought me here, insisting that you take a look,” he said gently, with an unwavering smile.

The green-clad lady suddenly rushed at him, but Jing Shuxing was prepared and a barrier materialized in front of him, separating the human and the ghost.

When Chi Lu led Yun Pianpian out of the courtyard, she saw Jing Shuxing deftly tapping his hands together, increasing the distance between himself and the ghost.

His brows furrowed, and his voice, for once, carried a rare hint of sternness. “I have no ties or relation to you, Young lady, so please mind your words and don’t cause any misunderstandings.”

The bride’s spirit kept inching closer to Jing Shuxing, muttering incessantly. As she approached, the round fan covering her face trembled more and more.

“Found him, found him. Different from the one before,” the bride murmured. “The same person, the same aura.”

“I have something to ask you.”

The man before her maintained his faint, gentle smile, and steadily retreating. He then raised his hand and kindly said, “Please stop here, young lady.”

He instinctively curled his fingers but ultimately restrained himself, refraining from obliterating the ghost.

For him, making a spirit vanish completely required nothing more than a thought. Ever since his massacre in Fengyue City, his killing intent and malevolence had burst forth like a dam breaking, unstoppable and unrestrained.

Sitting in the teahouse, casually choosing whom he wished to kill was easier than dragging his pained body to walk unsteadily.

Yet, he could not act on impulse; if he truly followed his instincts, Chi Lu would certainly reprimand him.

Jing Shuxing narrowed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the killing intent that flashed within them. His fingers remained slightly bent, gently tapping the back of his hand. He stepped aside, providing Chi Lu with a clear view.

Chi Lu gripped the Red Soul Whip at her waist tightly, her gaze sweeping up and down, scrutinizing the bride in the green dress.

Reciting the cultivation techniques of the Linghua Sect, she brought her fingers together and drew them before her eyes. Upon reopening her eyes, she could fully observe the spiritual energy flowing around the bride.

“Huh?”

Chi Lu squinted her eyes, instinctively murmuring softly.

Beside her, Yun Pianpian gently took her hand, speaking in a soft, soothing manner, “Young Sect Leader, there’s no need to worry so much about Jing Shuxing.”

When Chi Lu turned to look at her, Yun Pianpian immediately smiled with her eyes bending into crescents. “Since you were able to escape from Jing Yi’s grasp, it must be because the First Young Master is hiding his true strength. Doesn’t the Young Sect Leader want to see just how powerful the First Young Master really is?”

Chi Lu, who was focused on observing the vengeful spirit, turned her gaze back to Yun Pianpian upon hearing her words.

The charming and adorable young girl widened her beautiful eyes, looking as gentle as water.

“Don’t deliberately seek protection.” Chi Lu, accustomed to being with Jing Shuxing, nearly reached out instinctively to tap Yun Pianpian a few times on the forehead.

“He and I walk this path together. If I were to force him to use all his strength to protect me, that would be my problem. It would mean I’m too weak and only a burden to him.” Chi Lu wrapped the Red Soul Whip around her hand, twirling it a few times.

“Besides, his health is not good; he should avoid fighting as much as possible.”

When the bride’s ghost, ignoring all else, took a step towards Jing Shuxing, Chi Lu swiftly pushed Yun Pianpian into the protective barrier and swung her whip.

With a smile on her face, fully armed, she positioned herself protectively in front of Jing Shuxing. The magical artifacts on her body shimmered with a pearly glow, and the burst of spiritual light forced the ghost to retreat.

“Sorry, young lady, but you’ve really mistaken him for someone else, because he is here with me.”

With her other hand, Chi Lu formed a seal, and as the bride’s ghost grabbed the Red Soul Whip, her resolve was set.

Chi Lu silently chanted, “Weave the net.”

A spiritual net as fine as spider silk descended over the ghost. One wasn’t enough—almost instantly, Chi Lu’s hands continued moving, creating countless spiritual nets in one breath. She gathered them in her palm and tightened them, firmly trapping the ghost.

The bride in the green dress halted her steps, one hand still holding the fan to cover her face. Through the fan, Chi Lu could feel the chilling gaze sweeping directly at her.

“Futile,” the vengeful spirit said coldly, suddenly bursting with golden light, attempting to break free from the spiritual bindings.

The Red Soul Whip lashed heavily against her.

“What do you think my weapon is for?” Chi Lu raised her brows, with an unchanging expression.

When selecting a weapon, the elders had insisted on giving her the Red Soul Whip precisely because it could compensate for the Linghua Sect’s lack of combat power. As long as a powerful cultivator infused it with spiritual energy, the whip’s internal power could be utilized by Chi Lu.

While she was still helpless against formidable opponents like Jing Yi, it didn’t mean that she had to be limited by the shortcomings of Linghua Sect’s techniques in ordinary situations.

Her expression turned solemn as she fixed her gaze on the bride. “May I ask, young lady, what connection do you have with the Linghua Sect?”

“The spiritual energy within you is pure, far from being the so-called ‘vengeful spirit.’ Moreover, you are reinforced by our sect’s Life Glyph and should be someone on the verge of revival.”

However, she bore no signs of someone whose lifespan was yet unfinished; on the contrary, it appeared that someone had deliberately extended her life.

Chi Lu gripped the whip in one hand and tightened the spiritual net with the other, attempting to pull the spirit toward her.

She pulled, but it didn’t budge.

An invisible force struck from behind, causing the spirit to stumble forward. She struggled to lift her head, seeing a surprised young girl in front of her, and behind her, a man with slightly lowered eyes, gazing gently at the girl.

The force on her shoulders pressed her spirit to the ground. She struggled to stand up, but it felt as if her neck was being pulled by iron chains, forcibly anchoring her in place.

She tried to straighten her body, but after several failed attempts, she ended up in a position that was almost like crawling on the ground.

Beside her, the panicked voice of the young girl rang out, “Didn’t I tell you not to make a move? What about the magical artifacts I gave you? Those can also ward off the yin energy of malicious spirits. Why aren’t you using them?”

Chi Lu clutched his sleeve tightly. “What difference is there between what you’re doing now and just charging in head-on? All the effort of putting on a wedding robe, disguising as the groom, and sneaking in here in the sedan—wasn’t all of that meant to keep you from having to act directly and needlessly suffer?”

Recalling the scene from her dream, she grew both angry and anxious. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

She heard Jing Shuxing’s response, with unrestrained joy evident in his voice, “So that’s what the Young Sect Leader was thinking.”

He shook his head gently. “You’re overthinking it. I’m not in any discomfort. As for why I went to such great lengths to find a clever way to enter this place.”

As he raised his elbow, a striking swath of red filled their sight. Jing Shuxing shifted his gaze slightly, avoiding eye contact with Chi Lu. “Didn’t the Young Sect Leader say… you hadn’t seen me wearing this kind of clothing before?”

“Luckily, it all turned out well, and you seem to like this outfit of mine.”