As the two of them made their way out, Yang Ze kept on looking at Xiao Ruolan's face. He wanted to speak, but he was hesitant. Lin Yue's words were still ringing in his ears about the fate of that dog.

If that was true, then his fate was going to be even worse.

Wrestling with inner turmoil, he didn't even notice that the two of them were no longer walking towards the house. Instead, they had arrived at a secluded place at the very end of the cliff. One step more, and they would fall into the abyss with not even their bones intact.

By the time Yang Ze realised it, he was already standing there with Xiao Ruolan, grabbing his wrist.

"Okay... Spit it out." It was Xiao Ruolan who spoke first.

"Eh!?" Yang Ze, who was about to use his talent, Escape Master, to teleport away from this location so Xiao Ruolan wouldn't be able to push him down, stopped before looking at her in confusion.

It seemed like he was overthinking it. She wasn't here to push him down.

"You seem different." Xiao Ruolan just narrowed her eyes with a frown. "Almost... worried?"

"What is troubling you?"

Yang Ze didn't immediately answer but thought for a long time. After a few interactions with Xiao Ruolan, he found her to be a rather easy-going person. She might appear indifferent and cold on the outside, but from the inside, she cared about people.

This was the reason she agreed to Lin Yue's absurd request to sneak into the Duality Sect to rescue Lin Wan.

Even after getting caught and humiliated, she didn't blame her. On the contrary, she supported her.

Even when both Cang Yue and Yang Ze humiliated her, she didn't let it blind her with hatred.

She carried him to the Heavenly Sword Sect safely and even protected him from Lin Yue, who wanted to kill him.

After that, she even accompanied him to the Market and bought the spiritwing for him. No matter from which angle he looked... she didn't seem like a crazy person.

Biting his lips, Yang Ze was struggling in his heart. He couldn't decide whom to trust. On one hand, there was Xiao Ruolan, to whom he owed a lot. And on the other hand was Lin Yue, who, even though he wanted to kill him, gave him a way to get the thing he desperately wanted... Freedom.

'Forget it.' In the end, Yang ze gritted his teeth and just decided to ask Xiao Ruolan.

"Lin Yue talked a lot about you." He spoke with some hesitation.

"Hmm..." Xiao Ruolan glanced at him before opening her cherry lips to speak. "Judging by your reaction, it's nothing good."

"Go on... I don't mind."

Yang Ze nodded in response before slowly narrating everything that Lin Yue told him. The three of them are playing together... finding the puppy. Then Xiao Ruolan takes care of it before skinning it alive and throwing it into a pot of hot oil.

After finishing his sentence, he finally let out a breath of relief. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his chest.

He quietly looked at Xiao Ruolan, waiting for her answer.

"I see." There was no change in Xiao Ruolan's expression as she simply nodded in response.

"So..." Yang Ze raised an eyebrow before he asked in a nervous tone. "Is it all true?"

Xiao Ruolan thought for a moment before nodding in response.

"In a sense, it is."

She didn't even notice Yang Ze retreating a few steps after she accepted the accusation. Her eyes were filled with mockery as she spoke further.

"The only difference being that it wasn't me who did it all this."

"HuH!?" Now it was Yang Ze's turn to be surprised. What did she mean by that?

Sensing his confusion, Xiao Ruolan didn't give him a direct answer but asked him in a soft voice.

"Do you remember Lin Yue and my first meeting in the temple at the outskirts of the Yuyang city?"

Xiao Ruolan's question caught Yang Ze by surprise as the events of that day replayed in his memories.

"Mmm..." After a brief delay, he nodded in response before speaking, "I remember the two of you arguing with each other."

Although he couldn't perfectly recall what happened that day, he still had some fragments of memories. He knew that the two of them got into a heated argument. As for the reason... he had no idea.

"You could say that." Xiao Ruolan just nodded in response before adding further. "The two of us haven't exactly talked to each other in over twenty years. Do you know why?"

Yang Ze thought for a moment before answering with some doubt, "Because of some stupid childhood fight?"

"Yes." Xiao Ruolan let out a forced smile. "But do you know that stupid childhood fight was exactly because of that dog?"

"HUH!?" This time, Yang Ze was truly shocked. He was expecting a lot of things, but he certainly wasn't expecting it to be the case.

Ignoring his shocked reaction, Xiao Ruolan continued.

"What Lin Yue told you wasn't false..."

"She just changed one tiny detail."

Xiao Ruolan's eyes grew dim as she spoke further.

"It wasn't me but her who skinned and killed that dog."

Xiao Ruolan's words were like heavenly thunder in Yang Ze's ears. For a moment, he even forgot to breathe. He just stood there wide-eyed eyed looking at her in shock.

"Yes." Xiao Ruolan spoke gently. "I nursed the dog... raised it and even treated it like a family. But Lin Yue... She hated the dog. Her hatred for it only grew, and one day she snapped."

"By the time both Lin Wan and I realised, it was already too late."

"Her family's elders caught the wind of it and wanted to punish her. But she..."

"She wanted me to take the blame."

"In the end, I refused, and she was punished."

"And from that day on, the two of us never spoke to each other."

By the time she finished speaking, Yang Ze's back was drenched with cold sweat. Now that he thought about it, Lin Yue's words seemed forced and didn't make a lot of sense.

Perhaps she was worried about him getting closer to Xiao Ruolan. In that case, it would be hard for her to take action against him.

Which was why she handed him the token to leave the sect.

The more Yang Ze thought about it, the more it seemed to be the case.

Xiao Ruolan didn't speak another sentence and quietly looked at the scenery in front of her. The gentle breeze there caressed her face as her black hair danced gently with the wind, turning it into a picturesque scene.

-------------------

On the other hand, Cang Yue, after parting ways with them, directly walked towards the most luxurious manor in the entire Heavenly Sword Sect, which was located at the peak of one of the sword peaks in the centre region.

It was the place where Heavenly Sword Sect's leader, Jian Yu, lived.

Usually, this place was heavily guarded by the normal members, but because Jian Yu was at the banquet, the security was rather lax at the moment.

Other than the two guards sitting there in meditation, there wasn't another soul present.

Cang Yue just gave them a glance before heading up.

The two of them wanted to stop her, but upon looking at her face, held back before giving her a respectful bow.

In less than two minutes, Cang Yue was already standing at the top of the mountain. She ignored the luxurious manor in front of he and wanted to shout for Jian Yu, but before she could even open her mouth to speak, the door in front of her opened, revealing a simple courtyard with a small patch of grass upon which the old lady was sitting with a smile on her face while dipping her toes in the pond underneath her.

"Back so soon?" She couldn't help but chuckle at Cang Yue. "Have you started to miss me already?"

Cang Yue ignored her snarky remarks before storming inside and sitting beside her.

The two of them sat there in silence for a long time.

It wasn't until almost half an hour had passed that Cang Yue spoke first.

"Can you answer something for me?" This was the woman who possibly killed her sister or was involved in it. And yet, here she was, asking for help.

But Cang Yue didn't feel it was wrong. On the contrary, she felt like there was no other person who could help her out. The old woman might be her enemy, but her wisdom was unquestionable. If she could get her help, she wouldn't have to worry about those two sluts.

"Shoot." Jian Yu nodded carelessly.

"I... I have a friend." Cang Yue carefully put her words together.

"I have a friend who likes a boy."

"But the thing is... she can't express herself first. She needed the boy to make the first move."

"I mean, she wants the boy to fall in love with her desperately."

"The boy should only have her on his mind and shouldn't think about any other woman."

By the time she reached the end of her sentence, she was almost shouting excitedly.

"Do you have a way to make it happen?"

"....." Jian Yu raised an eyebrow at this peculiar request as she gazed deeply at Cang Yue beside her before a smile ran across her face.

"Your 'friend' has a peculiar taste."

Cang Yue could feel the sarcasm in her words, but at the moment she couldn't care less about it. What she wanted was an answer... a way to make that little bastard fall in love with her.

She wanted him to follow her around. She wanted him to be so intoxicated by her that he wouldn't even look in the direction of any other woman.

She wanted him to kneel before him and bury his face between her legs.

"She does." Cang Yue just let out a cold snort before adding further. "Do you have a way to make it happen?"

"In a short span of time, if possible."

"....." Jian Yu thought for a moment before asking in a puzzled voice.

"What is the personality of the boy? What is he like?"

Her question stumped Cang Yue for a moment. She closed her eyes as every single interaction with Yang Ze played out in her mind. It took her a few minutes to finally give an answer.

"A gentle heart and a clean mind without any schemes or plans. He is just a simple person, though he had his moments."

"I see." Jian Yu nodded with a smile as her hazy eyes looked at the pond in front of her.

"Do you know what is greater than love?"

This sudden question startled Cang Yue. She didn't know why this old hag was asking it, but she decided to answer anyway.

"Hate?"

She wasn't too sure. After all, she had never fallen in love before.

"It's guilt and responsibility."

Jian Yu's answer was different from what she had imagined.

"It is hard to make someone fall in love, but it is so simple to make them feel guilt."

"And once there is guilt... There is a sense of responsibility."

"And together, these two easily overwhelm the feeling of love."

Speaking till here, she went silent before turning around and gazing deeply in Cang Yue's eyes.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

"...."

Cnag Yue's heart was beating with excitement as she understood the meaning behind those words.

Truly... her choice to come here to ask for help was absolutely correct.

"Ha..."

"Hahahahahahaha."

She suddenly let out a burst of laughter.

It wasn't until five minutes had passed that she stopped, wiped the corner of her eyes, looked in the eyes of Jian Yu and asked in a charming voice.

"Say... sect leader."

"Where is the ruin under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Sword Sect located?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.