LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 15:
Chapter 15: It’s Time to Be Myself Again!:
Lu Chen withdrew his gaze, his expression calm.
Back then, when he first met Meng Yu, she had only been a ten-year-old child. Now, she had grown into an adult.
Yet in Lu Chen’s eyes, she was still the same playful little girl.
Just like now—she wasn’t worried about the danger ahead, but rather whether her clothes had gotten dirty.
It was a stark contrast to her previous determined expression.
“Senior Brother, what are your plans after visiting your hometown? When will you return to the sect?”
Meng Yu’s clear voice pulled Lu Chen from his thoughts.
Return… to the sect?
Lu Chen was puzzled. He couldn’t understand why this little girl would even have such an idea.
“Xiao Yu’er, do you know what happened in the sect while you were in seclusion?”
“Of course! Isn’t it just that you got into an argument with the Sect Master? The whole sect knows about it.”
“It’s not that simple. I’ve already left the sect. The Mystic Spirit Holy Sect has nothing to do with me anymore.”
Lu Chen’s tone was indifferent, as if he were discussing something completely unrelated to him.
Meng Yu’s beautiful eyes flickered with emotion, a hint of sadness in her gaze.
Unlike in the sect, Meng Yu felt most at ease when she was with Lu Chen.
Lu Chen never forced her to follow the sect’s rigid rules, so she had always believed that only when she was with him could she be herself.
Otherwise, she was just the cold and distant junior sister of Tianji Peak’s Celestial Pavilion.
“Senior Brother, I’m sure the Sect Master must regret it by now. If you return, everyone will be very happy.”
After saying that, Meng Yu whispered softly, “And so will I.”
Lu Chen stopped walking.
His eyes fell on Meng Yu’s face.
He didn’t care what the people of the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect thought.
But as for everyone being happy—he knew that the only person who would truly be happy was her.
Feeling Lu Chen’s gaze on her, Meng Yu frowned slightly.
“Actually, I also think the sect went too far… Senior Sister Lingxiao and the others—”
Before she could finish, Lu Chen interrupted her.
“It’s all in the past. There’s no point bringing it up.”
Meng Yu stomped her foot, the silver bells at her waist jingling crisply.
“But it’s just so unfair! Senior Brother did so much for Senior Sister Lingxiao—has she really forgotten?”
Everyone in the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect knew that because of Lu Chen, Chi Lingxiao, Qi Ze, and even many elders and hall masters had all benefited greatly.
Especially Chi Lingxiao—more than half of her treasures came from Lu Chen.
Yet in the most crucial moment, it was Chi Lingxiao who fanned the flames the most.
If it weren’t for her and the others spreading wild speculation, Meng Yu firmly believed that things wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Lu Chen chuckled.
It wasn’t because he was thinking along Meng Yu’s train of thought.
It was because the sound of the bells colliding made him laugh uncontrollably.
Meng Yu was truly angry.
Otherwise, why would a pair of decorative bells without clappers be ringing so loudly?
That silver bell was a gift he had given Meng Yu years ago.
He never expected that she had always kept it with her.
Meng Yu suddenly felt awkward, unsure of what to say.
Lu Chen stood upright, his gaze steady.
“Xiao Yu’er, after we visit my hometown, you should go back.”
“I will not return to the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect.”
“For me, a carefree life is far more desirable.”
Meng Yu froze, her heart sinking little by little.
Finding Lu Chen had filled her with immeasurable joy, but she had been avoiding one question.
When would Lu Chen return to the sect?
Deep down, she dreaded bringing it up.
Because she knew the moment she asked, it would be the moment she and Senior Brother parted ways.
So, throughout their journey, she had felt both excited and uneasy.
Now, she had finally asked.
And now, she finally had the answer she had feared.
A hint of disappointment flickered in Meng Yu’s eyes.
“Fine, if Senior Brother doesn’t want to go back, then don’t go back!”
“Those people wronged you, so they should be the ones feeling anxious!”
“But Senior Brother, don’t forget—no matter what happens, I will always stand by your side.”
Her words were firm and unwavering, spoken with absolute determination.
The sunlight fell upon Meng Yu’s figure, making her already ethereal beauty seem even more sacred.
That isolated coldness, the feeling of being untouchable by the world, not even the sun’s warmth could reach her.
“This is the version of you your master hoped you would become.”
Hearing this, Meng Yu smiled faintly.
“Senior Brother, over the years, you have become exactly the person everyone envisioned you to be.”
“But now… it’s time to be yourself again.”
At that moment, Meng Yu felt as if she had gained a deeper understanding of Lu Chen.
—
Northern Li Imperial Palace.
Imperial Study.
The Northern Li Emperor stared at the hourglass, watching the sand trickle down for the time it took to finish a cup of tea.
Beside it lay a golden command token.
The men had been sent out.
A few hours ago, word came that Lu Chen had been located.
Yet until now, there was no further update.
The Nine Great Shadow Guards of Northern Li—taking down a crippled man should have been as easy as crushing an ant.
So why was there no news?
The Northern Li Emperor’s expression darkened, a faint sense of unease rising in his heart.
Suddenly, a sharp cracking sound echoed through the chamber.
“Crack!”
The golden command token on the dragon table split in two!
It had been forcibly broken apart!
“What?! How could this be?!”
The Northern Li Emperor was stunned, his face full of disbelief.
Upon witnessing this, an old minister beside him immediately fell to his knees.
“Your Majesty, this… this is an omen of great misfortune!”
The emperor’s gaze remained fixed on the broken command token, unable to look away.
All nine men… were dead?
“Send men to investigate immediately!”
“Find out whether someone is secretly protecting Lu Chen, or if something else happened.”
“How could my Northern Li Shadow Guards be so useless?!”
His voice was cold and furious.
The ministers hurried to obey, their backs already soaked in cold sweat.
The breaking of the golden command token didn’t just mean mission failure—it meant that the dignity of the Northern Li Imperial Family had been challenged.
Whoever dared to kill the Shadow Guards had already declared war on Northern Li itself!
This matter had to be thoroughly investigated!
As the ministers hurried away, the Northern Li Emperor’s expression turned frigid.
“Lu Chen… you truly are hard to kill.”
He clenched the golden command token in his palm, and in an instant, it crumbled into dust.
“My son, the rest is up to you.”
—
At the same time, Qi Ze received the same news.
Standing beneath a tree, his brows furrowed in deep thought.
“How could they fail? Did Lu Chen really recover his cultivation?”
“If that’s the case, things are about to get very interesting…”
A smirk tugged at his lips, a look of anticipation appearing on his face.
Lu Chen had left the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect on his own accord.
But in the end… it was the sect that had truly wronged him.
If Lu Chen had truly regained his strength, then…
The Mystic Spirit Holy Sect was doomed.