Chapter 18: How Many Good Brothers Do You Have Anyway? (…

Lu Hui looked at him in disbelief. It must be her ears playing tricks, or how else could she hear such absurd words from Yan Zhao’s mouth?

It was very humorous and ridiculous.

He actually said he fell in love with her? Isn’t that nonsense? Is the word “love” now so worthless? Anyone can casually say it, constantly declaring “I love you.”

First of all, Lu Hui could not accept Yan Zhao claiming to have fallen in love with her—such nonsense and rebellious words.

These three words can deceive naive young girls, but it’s impossible to fool her.

Thinking back, her friendship with Yan Zhao, her senior brother and fellow disciple for over ten years—childhood sweethearts, innocent in love—was not even worth mentioning.

Even when she entered from a white blade and came out with a red one, Yan Zhao didn’t say he loved her.

Moreover, being loved by Yan Zhao didn’t seem like a good thing. He was willing to personally cut open Lu Nuo’s heart for medicinal ingredients. When he just now said that the Ruthless Path couldn’t ascend and cut off emotions, the loved ones he once risked his life to save could also be killed on a whim — so ruthless and cruel.

She knew she hadn’t been wrong back then; Yan Zhao really was capable of great things.

Lu Hui’s face turned pale, and she asked with a frown, “Did you kill Lu Nuo?”

Yan Zhao slowly lifted his pure, snow-white face, his expression as bright and calm as a clear moon. He nodded and lightly curled his lips. “Yes, I killed her.”

The sword drew from its sheath; blood was inevitable.

One fluid motion in and out, quick and decisive, without even blinking, then he wiped the blood off the blade with a white cloth afterward.

His only focus was seeking immortality; he was truly unwilling to be only one step away from ascension. He had no familial, friendship, or romantic love.

If he did, he’d just cut them off—it’s not difficult.

Wanting to ascend is too hard, too difficult. The number of people who can ascend is also very few. Yan Zhao’s talent and cultivation far surpass others, and he would never settle to be an ordinary mortal.

Lu Hui genuinely wanted to give him a thumbs-up. She hadn’t seen a man with more ambition than Yan Zhao in all her lives!

Those who practice the Ruthless Path are truly the ruthless among the ruthless. Don’t mention childhood sweethearts, I’d even kill my wife!

She took a few steps back, “You really can do it.”

“I don’t like her that much.”

“Oh.”

With this comparison, Lu Hui felt she wasn’t as miserable anymore. She cheerfully thought that the heroine’s ending was probably similar to hers.

Lu Hui then realized the truth. She asked, “You didn’t ascend later, right?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t, and instead fell into demonhood; not only did his cultivation regress, but his reputation also diminished significantly.

“I have nothing left,” Yan Zhao said when mentioning this. His face showed no sign of sadness, and he looked very cold.

Lu Hui couldn’t help but think—was Yan Zhao here today to threaten her?! He fell in love with her, so he wanted to kill her.

If he couldn’t resolve his ascension problems, he’d just eliminate her. Is he a dog?

Lu Hui cautiously tested him, “Do you still have magic spells you can use now?”

Yan Zhao answered patiently and obediently, slowly shaking his head. “No, I can’t. Since coming here, I haven’t been able to use them. Only some basic cultivation methods still work.”

“Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will be victorious in a hundred battles.” So, Lu Hui continued probing, “What are the basics? Like, what exactly?”

“Flying with a sword, building a foundation and breathing techniques.”

She nodded in sudden realization, dragging out a long “Oh,” with a lingering tone.

That was fine, not too out of the ordinary, and not something that could randomly kill people.

Lu Hui held her umbrella, the sound of the heavy rain was like countless beads pounding against the umbrella’s surface.

Yan Zhao’s face was drenched with water, his wet hair became thick and smooth, and the raindrops slowly dripped down from the tips of his black hair. His posture was straight, his whole body tightly wound, and the sense of desolation in the heavy rain felt even more penetrating.

Yan Zhao’s ink-black eyes stared at her without blinking, like calm, deep ocean water, quietly watching her… and the umbrella in her hand.

Lu Hui didn’t notice the somewhat pitiable look in his eyes, her mind was focused on something else.

The system had said that the time-space chaos was caused by the deep resentment and obsession of the male protagonists in the book.

She hadn’t quite figured out the source of their obsession before, but now, she had a little more understanding.

Xie Ran was ninety-nine percent likely after her organs, while Yan Zhao was definitely here to kill her, to cut off the root of the problem because he couldn’t ascend.

Lu Hui looked up. “Yan Zhao, I need to repeat something to you: killing people is really illegal here.”

No killing quotas!

Killing someone means paying with your life!

Yan Zhao, who was already pale, almost coughed up blood when he heard this. How could someone as clever as him not understand the true meaning behind her words?

His pale lips moved slightly, and his voice sounded weak, “I won’t kill anyone now.”

Big brother, you’ve already killed so many people. Now you’re trying to say you won’t? Who will believe that?

Anyway, she didn’t.

Lu Hui’s tone was very dismissive. “Oh, okay, alright.”

Yan Zhao covered his lips, his throat felt sore and itchy, and he couldn’t help but cough a few times. His throat burned with pain.

He said, “I won’t kill you.”

He really wasn’t here to kill her.

He had long since lost his cultivation.

Lu Hui froze for a few seconds, deep in thought for a long time. She looked at his eyes, still clear, and said seriously, “We have a saying here that you might not have heard: domestic violence only has zero or countless occurrences. Similarly, killing a wife only has zero or countless times.”

Domestic violence deserves to die, and killing a wife deserves to die even more.

Yan Zhao’s throat hadn’t recovered yet, and the sound he made was hoarse and unpleasant. He stood still for a few seconds, unable to come up with anything reasonable to respond to her.

He had killed her, that was a fact.

He had dug out her heart, too. He hadn’t even bothered to collect her body.

Yan Zhao didn’t try to excuse his past crimes. He helplessly tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Fine.”

After more than ten minutes, the heavy rain still poured down, dark clouds pressing against the horizon, and thunder rumbled above.

Lu Hui didn’t speak to him anymore. She turned around in the rain, caught a taxi, and left with the address.

Yan Zhao stood in the rain, as if self-inflicting, for quite a while. His body felt as cold and hard as a block of ice. The winter wind and rain pierced through to his bones.

He had once hoped that Lu Hui would, like in the past, run over with a smile and jump up to hold an umbrella for him, lightly poking his waist, whispering in his ear about how he shouldn’t neglect his health. She’d tell him that constantly getting soaked in the rain would make him sick.

None of that happened. Lu Hui didn’t ask a single question of concern. Instead, she tested him and showed hostility.

Yan Zhao chuckled, seeming to mock himself.

The Kunpeng hidden in his sleeve seemed to sense his master’s deep sadness. It crawled out and jumped onto his shoulder, licking his neck and singing a few calls in a high-pitched tone.

Yan Zhao rubbed its head, unsure who he was comforting. “I’m fine.”

His ethereal gaze was turned toward the distance, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Kunpeng, highly intelligent, seemed to understand that its master’s emotions were far from as carefree as he claimed. It rubbed its head against his face.

Yan Zhao sensed its anxiety and gave another quiet reassurance. “I’ll bring her back.”

Yan Zhao knew that Kunpeng liked Lu Hui a lot. Back then, it had tirelessly chased after her, no matter how far. It would always find her. Kunpeng’s tail and wings were very sensitive and didn’t easily allow others to touch them, but it didn’t mind at all when Lu Hui grabbed its tail.

Kunpeng slowly calmed down and stopped calling out, staying quietly on his shoulder, motionless.

At the exit of the venue, people started leaving work one by one.

In the industry, where there are more women than men, the directing team always finishes the latest, ensuring all processes are settled before ending the day’s work.

The night was thick as ink, and after the rain stopped, a cold and damp wind hit their faces.

While complaining about the day’s work, they walked outside. An intern saw the long-haired man from earlier in the morning and grabbed her companion’s hand, urging her to look.

“Why is he still here?! Has he been waiting the whole day?” The intern whispered, not daring to speak too loudly, afraid of disturbing the man.

“Isn’t he waiting for his fiancée? Other groups finished work a long time ago.” Another person was excited, looking at the handsome man in front of them.

A cold, beautiful man, whose every frown and smile could captivate anyone.

“Wow, his fiancée is so lucky. Who is she? Who is it?”

“Did anyone from the crew get engaged?”

After a brief silence, they realized this was an astonishing discovery. In the entertainment industry, let alone fiancés, most people didn’t even have boyfriends or girlfriends. With the exhausting work schedule, when would they have time for romance?

“Is there a traitor among us?”

“No, I feel like one of the contestants is in a relationship.”

The guests on this show were all idols. Who would have the guts to date? And to fool such a handsome man?

They started to eliminate candidates, first crossing Lu Hui off the list.

Don’t ask.

There’s no reason.

Just trust a woman’s intuition.

A junior director, blushing, walked up to Yan Zhao, pulled a packet of tissues out of her bag, and handed it to him, then gave him her umbrella. “You’re soaking wet, you should wipe off, and here, take this umbrella for now.”

The man said the politest words, “Thank you, but no need.”

He inexplicably distanced himself from them, a strong sense of detachment surrounding him.

The junior director shivered under his cold demeanor, mustering the last of her courage to ask, “Would you like to join our program? It’ll definitely be a hit.”

With his face and that high-class aura, he was destined to become famous.

You should know, it isn’t easy to get into this industry, and most people can’t resist the temptation of becoming a star overnight. But the man in front of her didn’t even blink, saying, “Thank you, but I’m not interested.”

“Alright then.”

The junior director deflated, watching him walk away with his tall, slender figure and sighing, “His conditions are really too good, and his long hair looks great. If he goes on the show, it’ll definitely explode.”

“His personality is also really cold. I suspect he’s only interested in his fiancée, and doesn’t care about anything else.”

“Stop staring at his back like that. He doesn’t belong to you.”

“Hey, I’m just admiring.”

Yan Zhao waited for Lu Hui every day, except on this rainy day. He had not seen her since.

But he wasn’t discouraged. He still kept himself neat and composed, calmly enduring all kinds of gazes.

A lot of people came to talk to him one after another, and then some fans began taking photos of him.

Yan Zhao despised their eyes and cameras, glaring coldly at the lenses, his face showing clear displeasure.

The photographers were both frightened and reluctant to part with such a handsome man.

Scattered photos made their way online, gradually attracting attention.

“So S, I could be his dog.”

“What kind of talk is that, I’m sold.”

“Does he have a Weibo?”

Yan Zhao didn’t, of course.

He endured the foolishness of these common folk.

His good looks did indeed make it easier for him to gain attention. The production team gave him a ticket, inviting him as an audience member to watch the recording of the second episode of the program.

Yan Zhao held the ticket and asked one question, “Will Lu Hui be there?”

“…”

So his fiancée was Lu Hui, wasn’t she?

Heavens, this handsome guy had his eyes closed at such a young age. Lu Hui’s rumored romantic partners were countless.

If emotions had a color, it would definitely be green!

She sighed, holding back tears. “This episode will have Teacher Lu.”

“Okay.”

The person giving the ticket was a bit dazed and immediately posted this explosive news in the staff gossip group.

Her colleague urgently told her to delete it, “The mentors are all in the group!!”

She deleted it just in time.

It seemed the four mentors hadn’t noticed.

Gossip, once it had wings, would fly on its own.

The message in the group—[The mystery is solved, the fiancée of the cold and beautiful man is Lu Hui.]—spread everywhere.

Idols dating were practically a death sentence.

They’d be killed off before they could even fall in love.

Her Weibo was bombarded with mentions.

“@Lu Hui, wow, wow, sis, how many good older brothers do you have?”