LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 100: Have You Touched It?
Chapter 100: Have You Touched It?
Three days had passed since You Su awoke from his coma.
The thick fog that had enveloped Chuyun City had long since dissipated. The small city, surrounded by mountains on three sides, was now bathed in golden sunlight, lifting the gloom that had settled over its people after the recent upheaval.
The changes in Chuyun City were not immediately obvious. The rooftops stretched out in a continuous line, their upturned eaves and flying corners unchanged. Only a few scattered areas bore the scars of battle, with broken walls and rubble. The casualties among the ordinary folk were similarly limited, with only a small number of people mourning the loss of loved ones.
For most, returning to normal life was not difficult. However, the fear that had taken root during the strange fog had not vanished with its dispersal. It lingered deep within the hearts of the people.
On the long streets, patrols of cultivators mingled with small groups of pedestrians, but the atmosphere was heavy, and everyone remained silent.
You Su walked among them, pondering where Ji Lingruo, who rarely ventured out, might have gone. The somber mood around him dampened even his own sense of relief at having survived the ordeal.
“You Su!” Suddenly, someone called out to him.
It was Zhou Li, his face lit up with excitement. Behind him trailed a group of cultivators. Notably, these cultivators, who had previously been indifferent or even hostile toward You Su, now looked at him with admiration and warmth.
“Zhou Li,” You Su greeted in return.
“Are your injuries all healed?” Zhou Li asked, taking a few quick steps to close the distance between them.
“Injuries?” You Su was puzzled. The fact that he had been severely injured and nearly killed by City Lord Liu shouldn’t have been known to others.
“Yes, your Master’s Wife said you were injured and needed rest, so she turned away all our visits. You’re the great hero who saved Chuyun City! We’ve all been worried about you!”
“Me? A great hero?” You Su was even more confused.
“Yes! The Exorcism Bureau has taken control of the city lord’s mansion, and they’ve told us the truth!” Zhou Li was practically bouncing with excitement, thrilled to expose You Su’s modesty. “It turns out everything was a plot by City Lord Liu! That Auspicious Cave was a den of demons! Luckily, a masked fairy rescued us from the cave, and many of us saw you kill City Lord Liu with a single sword strike, saving us all!”
Zhou Li had once felt a twinge of jealousy toward You Su, the top disciple of the Ascension Assembly. But after witnessing You Su’s sword strike that had cut through the fog enveloping the city, all he felt now was respect.
When a mountain is so high that you can only look up at it in awe, how can you feel jealousy?
The cultivators around them, men and women, young and old, all echoed Zhou Li’s words, thanking and marveling at You Su. No one would have guessed that this usually reclusive blind youth was the hero who had saved them all.
You Su felt a bit embarrassed by the praise. He didn’t feel he deserved the title of “great hero.” At the time, he had only wanted to save himself. Killing City Lord Liu had been a matter of survival, not an act of heroism.
“I don’t deserve such praise. I was just trying to protect myself. It was all a matter of chance,” You Su explained.
“If you don’t deserve it, who does? A gentleman is judged by his actions, not his intentions. You saved us all, and that’s a fact,” Zhou Li said, clapping You Su on the shoulder.
The weight of Zhou Li’s hand and the gratitude in his words reminded You Su of the words he had heard as his consciousness faded: You are the source of all sin, and only you can sever the sins of this world.
You Su couldn’t help but reflect on the weight of that responsibility. He shook his head inwardly, not wanting to dwell on it. Right now, nothing was more important than finding his Junior Sister.
“Brother Zhou, you flatter me. I truly don’t deserve such praise. Please treat me as you always have,” You Su said, clasping his hands in a polite gesture. “By the way, has anyone seen my Junior Sister?”
“Your Junior Sister? The one in the green dress, stunningly beautiful?” a young female cultivator in the crowd asked.
“Yes, that’s her!”
The young cultivator tapped her chin, thinking. “I saw her earlier at the Zhaoyun Clothing Store.”
“Thank you!” You Su’s spirits lifted, and he turned to Zhou Li. “I have urgent business to attend to. Brother Zhou, let’s talk another time.”
Without waiting for Zhou Li’s response, You Su was already several steps away. Zhou Li could only shake his head in resignation.
“Senior Brother Zhou, what’s the relationship between You Su and his Junior Sister?” the young female cultivator who had provided the clue asked, pouting.
“What do you think?” Zhou Li replied with a question of his own.
“Ah? Does that mean… we don’t have a chance?” another female cultivator chimed in.
“One must know their limits.”
Zhou Li chuckled and then led the group to continue their patrol for any hidden dangers.
The road to the Zhaoyun Clothing Store was damaged, forcing You Su to take a detour.
Along the way, he encountered a funeral procession. Listening to the wails of the old man at the front, he realized it was Wu Cheng’s grandfather.
Only then did You Su learn that the Wu family had suffered greatly in the recent events. The family head, his wife, Wu Ping, and Wu Cheng, who had been seen as the family’s future, had all perished. A sense of sorrow welled up in You Su’s heart.
Although Wu Cheng had occasionally clashed with him, he had ultimately been a righteous and talented individual. His death was truly a loss. As for Wu Ping, his death was no great loss. He had not only conspired with evil spirits and killed his own brother but also caused the death of his mother. Such a person was far more terrifying than any evil spirit.
You Su sighed softly and bowed from a distance to the funeral procession, silently wishing that Wu Cheng would not encounter such a brother in his next life.
You Su quickened his pace. Along the way, many people recognized him and greeted him warmly, but he managed to slip past them, avoiding being caught in a crowd.
Before long, he arrived at the Zhaoyun Clothing Store.
As the largest clothing store in the city, it was now eerily quiet. Not even a single maid was around to help organize the merchandise. Only the still-charming proprietress stood at the entrance, calling out in an artificially sweet voice:
“Don’t miss out! Zhaoyun Clothing Store is having a big sale!”
Her enthusiasm went unanswered, but she continued undeterred. Her eyes, however, were vacant, so much so that she didn’t even notice You Su approaching until he was right beside her.
“Auntie,” You Su called out to get her attention.
The proprietress was startled by You Su’s sudden appearance but quickly regained her composure, her lips parting in surprise.
“You Su?!”
“It’s me. Why are you out here calling for customers by yourself?” You Su asked gently. The entire street was lined with clothing stores and tailor shops, but only Zhaoyun Clothing Store was open.
“Ah…” The proprietress sighed, lowering her head as if talking to herself. “After such a disaster, who knows how long it will take for the city to recover? Some people want to give up, some want to flee, and some even want to die. The whole city is filled with sorrow. I’m one of the lucky ones—my family and business were spared. So I thought I’d come out and try to sell some of the clothes that people wouldn’t normally buy, at a discount, to bring a bit of joy back to the city.”
You Su understood her intentions. Seeing how the proprietress had been calling out almost mechanically, he was moved by her determination. Even if her kindness went unappreciated, it was still worthy of respect.
“Enough of that. Our great hero of Chuyun City is here! Are you here to buy clothes? Well, you can take whatever you want from Zhaoyun Clothing Store, and I won’t charge you a single coin!”
With that, the proprietress tried to loop her arm through You Su’s and pull him into the store.
“Auntie, you’re too kind,” You Su said, deftly sidestepping her. “I’m no great hero. I’m not here to buy clothes either. I’m looking for my Junior Sister. Has she been here?”
The proprietress’s face fell slightly when she realized You Su wasn’t there to shop, but her interest was piqued when he mentioned his Junior Sister.
“Of course she’s been here. In fact, she’s the only customer I’ve had today—your stunningly beautiful Junior Sister.”
“Do you remember when she was here? And where she went after?”
“It wasn’t too long ago,” the proprietress said, glancing at the sky. Then, with a playful look, she added, “As for where she went, I do know, but you’ll have to answer a question for me first.”
You Su was puzzled but eager to find Ji Lingruo. “Please, ask.”
The proprietress covered her mouth with her hand, leaning closer to You Su and whispering, “Those undergarments I sent you for her… have you touched them?”
Seeing You Su’s raised eyebrows and silence, she added, “If you lie to me, I won’t tell you.”
She spoke with confidence, her certainty stemming from an earlier encounter that morning:
The stunningly beautiful young woman had come to buy clothes. The proprietress noticed that the girl’s demeanor had lost some of its innocence compared to when she had last seen her in the cave. The way she walked was also slightly awkward. As a woman of experience, the proprietress could guess the reason. At first, she had marveled that even cultivators couldn’t escape the pain of losing their virginity. Then she remembered that You Su was also a cultivator, likely vigorous and extraordinary, so it made sense that he would leave his Junior Sister in such a state.
The proprietress wiped a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth. Seeing You Su’s upright and proper demeanor, she couldn’t resist teasing the usually aloof young man.
You Su, aware of the proprietress’s insatiable curiosity, didn’t feel particularly embarrassed. He coughed lightly and said, “My Junior Sister and I share deep feelings for each other. You already know the answer, so why ask?”
“Tsk tsk, so do you like it?”
“I’ve answered your question. Now, please tell me where my Junior Sister went,” You Su said, not hiding the urgency in his voice.
“Alright, alright. Your Junior Sister went east, saying she was going to buy breakfast. You’d better hurry and find her.”
The proprietress’s teasing tone suggested she had already concocted a dramatic scenario in her mind: the Junior Sister, awkward after the change in their relationship, had run off, and the Senior Brother was desperately chasing after her.
As You Su’s figure disappeared into the distance, the proprietress licked her lips and murmured to herself, “If you don’t like it, why would your Junior Sister come to buy so many new ones this morning? But that Junior Sister of yours, with her seductive looks, is quite something. Who would’ve thought she’d dare to buy that kind of style…”