Ha, Karma! – Chapter 107

【Extra Chapter · Ancient IF Timeline】

The Bright Moon of Bygone Years (9)

The winding river reflected the appearance of the man on its bank.

He wore a white eye covering, and the uncovered half of his face was quite handsome. Right now, he stood silently by the water, holding a white cane.

It seemed he was both leaning on it and just holding it, quite carelessly, as if it were merely an ornament.

He seemed to be waiting for someone.

After a long wait, what arrived was an icy sensation on his skin—a tracking spell.

Then, the sound of footsteps followed.

They’re here.

The person he was waiting for had arrived.

“Why do you all still insist on finding me? Didn’t I say in the letter not to look for me?” He faced the river, unmoving. “Just let me go with Ah Chen…”

“Stop acting.”

A clear female voice spoke, her words filled with disdain for him.

“We know what happened. There’s no point in you acting anymore.”

Lin Lan turned his head slightly, his face a picture of innocence. “What happened?”

Fu Lianxue raised an eyebrow. “Wow, such a tough nut to crack.”

Ye Zhaoqiu stared at him intently. “Why exactly did you murder Young Master Liao?”

Lin Lan was calm and composed. “Murder? I didn’t murder him. You’re wrongly accusing me.”

After speaking, he sighed softly, sounding very troubled. “Why would you suspect me? I’m clearly just an ordinary blind person. Ah Chen treated me so wonderfully, willing to give me anything. How could I harm him?

“If you accuse me like this, aren’t you afraid he won’t be able to rest in peace in the afterlife¹?

“Forget it, forget it. Since it’s come to this, I’ll go with him. No need to trouble you with suspicions anymore…”

He spoke earnestly, only to hear a voice suddenly call out from a certain direction:

“Zhu Lingxiao²!”

Almost instinctively, he turned his head and responded, “What?”

The next moment, he froze, his expression suddenly turning awful.

—He’d been tricked.

“Zhu Lingxiao,” Ye Zhaoqiu repeated the name, her expression extremely serious. “It really is you.”

From the moment she saw the flame mark on his brow, she knew this person’s background wasn’t simple.

Although she didn’t know if he could use magic, she could at least guess he was connected to mystical cultivation sects³.

Because the flame mark on his brow was a punishment mark unique to a certain sect.

Once someone within a sect violated its taboos, they would be punished, expelled from the sect, and all ties would be severed.

The Taxian Sect⁴ had one too, but Taxian Sect’s mark was a cloud pattern.

Therefore, she guessed this person must have violated some taboo in the past, so his sect had crippled his eyes and expelled him.

With a theory, the next step was to confirm it, so she asked her master, Elder Tianxuan, for help.

In her voice-recording letter, she described the mark’s pattern and Lin Lan’s appearance in detail, hoping her master could help narrow down the possibilities.

Even if he didn’t know this person, he could at least tell her which sect the flame mark belonged to.

Fortunately, Heaven never seals off all exits⁵.

Elder Tianxuan did indeed help her narrow it down, even precisely identifying the person.

Because he was very familiar with this person… this person had fought his eldest disciple.

Ye Zhaoqiu looked at the silent man and said word by word, “Zhu Lingxiao, you were originally a disciple of the Tian Sect⁶. To steal the sect’s secret manuals and spiritual treasures, you didn’t hesitate to destroy the gatekeeper’s eyes and even tried to murder him. For this, you were punished by the Tian Sect’s leader, your eyes destroyed, half your cultivation power stripped, and you were expelled from the Tian Sect.

“Do you admit it or not?”

This was the information Elder Tianxuan had told her.

Fu Lianxue was only hearing this now and was momentarily surprised.

No wonder he could even harm his lover; he was such a malicious person to begin with!

Liao Yueting was also present and felt her heart pound after hearing this.

His name was fake, and having enemies was also fake—he had deceived all of them!

But Lin Lan just chuckled and said, “Who is Zhu Lingxiao? I don’t know him.

“You’ve said so much, but it’s just your one-sided story. How are you going to prove I’m him?”

Fu Lianxue raised an eyebrow.

“Still talking tough when you’re about to die?”

Ye Zhaoqiu was unhurried. “In that case, let’s wait for my senior martial sister to come and recognize your face.”

Hearing this, Lin Lan slowly turned around. “Your senior martial sister?”

Ye Zhaoqiu said calmly, “Yes, my senior martial sister.

“The Taxian Sect disciple who defeated you in the sect grand competition held once every three years, and ultimately won the championship.”

At that time, she had been unwell and couldn’t attend, so she hadn’t seen what Zhu Lingxiao looked like.

She never expected to meet him under such circumstances today.

After she finished speaking, Lin Lan’s expression changed drastically. He said, almost with hatred, “You are Ji Hanyan’s junior martial sister?”

Ji Hanyan… Ji Hanyan.

The name he hated most in his life!

If it weren’t for Ji Hanyan, the one who won the competition that day, basking in boundless glory, should have been him, Zhu Lingxiao!

He hated this woman to the core.

This woman had comprehended the Asking the Immortals⁷ technique and the Ten Thousand Swords Clear the Path⁸ before him!

It was these two moves that made it difficult for him to withstand, leading to his crushing defeat!

Since then, Ji Hanyan had become an unresolved knot in his heart.

He couldn’t believe he would lose to her, lose to a woman!

He wanted to become stronger, to become stronger by any means necessary, to one day wipe away his former disgrace!

Therefore, he didn’t hesitate to destroy the gatekeeper’s eyes, frantically wanting to obtain the sect’s secret manuals and treasures, so his cultivation could advance by leaps and bounds.

Those old fossils, hiding so many good things from him, and telling him to cultivate diligently, clear his mind and calm his spirit—what a load of crap!

With secret manuals and treasures, wouldn’t his cultivation be faster?!

He figured they just didn’t want to give them to him!

But he was so close, so close to seeing them…

He was discovered.

The sect leader destroyed his eyes.

The last thing he saw before he went blind wasn’t the secret manuals, but the sect leader’s utterly disappointed face.

But he didn’t care.

He only cared about himself.

One day, he would definitely regain his sight and seek out Ji Hanyan to wipe away his former disgrace!

Now, he had already achieved the first step.

Ye Zhaoqiu and the others saw him raise his hand and remove the eye covering, revealing under the daylight a pair of eyes as translucent as amber.

Those eyes should have been clear and bright, but now they were filled with malice.

“I really didn’t expect to meet that woman’s junior martial sister here.”

He tossed away the burdensome eye covering in annoyance, his hostility surging.

“You’re just as disgusting as she is.”

Their arrival had disrupted his plans, forcing him to rearrange things, but they were still disrupted.

According to his later plan, they would have seen him commit suicide by jumping into the river in the name of dying for love. Then, no one would investigate whether he had harmed Liao Muchen. After that, he would reappear elsewhere with a new name and a new identity, his sight restored.

But they didn’t follow his plan; they didn’t.

Ye Zhaoqiu raised her hand, signaling Liao Yueting and the others to step back, then with a backhand motion, materialized a longsword. “The one who is truly disgusting is you, who has harmed so many people.

“You should atone for your sins with your death.”

“Atone with my death?” Zhu Lingxiao curled his lips. “On what grounds?

“It was Ah Chen who said he liked me, he said he would give me anything. Then he should have kept his word.”

As his voice fell, the sharp sword was already upon him.

He raised his white cane to block.

He blocked the attack, but he couldn’t block the anger in the eyes behind the sword.

“Zhu Lingxiao, do you think you’ve lived up to the Tian Sect’s efforts in nurturing you, or Young Master Liao’s affection for you?!”

“How did I not live up to the Tian Sect? If those old fools had given me the secret manuals earlier, how could I have lost to Ji Hanyan?! They were clearly hiding things from me!”

“You had already developed an inner demon⁹. They didn’t want you to go to extremes, so what was wrong with having you focus on calming your mind and cultivating first? It was clearly you who was too anxious for quick success, misunderstood their intentions as selfish, and even unscrupulously harmed others!”

“I don’t care!”

“—Then what about Young Master Liao?”

Young Master Liao…

Zhu Lingxiao’s white cane wavered for a moment, and was instantly pressed down by the longsword.

Liao Muchen.

He was an accident in his life.

This man liked him immensely. After he arrived in Yunshui Town, he took very good care of him, willing to give him anything. He hadn’t expected such a person to appear.

And what about him?

“I liked him,” Zhu Lingxiao’s tone suddenly softened. “I even brought his body back, didn’t let it be exposed in the wilderness. How is that not liking him?”

He had given Liao Muchen enough love.

He couldn’t give him a lifetime.

A response was enough; he should be content.

“Absurd!” Ye Zhaoqiu swung her sword down. Seeing him nimbly jump away, she gripped her sword hilt tightly, her knuckles white from the force. “What kind of liking is this? It’s utterly absurd!”

Zhu Lingxiao sneered upon hearing this. “You little girl.

“Then you tell me, what is liking someone.”

Ye Zhaoqiu was stunned for a moment.

She couldn’t say what liking someone was either.

She was single-mindedly pursuing the Dao and had never liked anyone. How would she know what liking someone felt like?

But she knew one basic thing—

“Liking someone isn’t about plundering and harming.”

Liao Muchen was sincere, willing to pluck the stars and hold the moon for him, hoping every day that he was well, hoping to grow old together with him.

That was liking.

But he not only used Liao Muchen, but also ruthlessly took his eyes and caused his death.

What kind of liking was that?

This was clearly selfishness, guilty of heinous crimes!

She really didn’t know what Liao Muchen would be feeling right now if he heard these words.

But Zhu Lingxiao didn’t listen at all.

“No, he did it willingly. He said he was willing to give me anything. He said it himself.

“People have to keep their word, understand?”

“You simply don’t understand how painful it is to be unable to see,” he said.

Even if magic could help him sense changes around him, he still couldn’t see things. He couldn’t see if the flowers Liao Muchen planted for him were growing well, couldn’t see any of the faces that passed by him.

This feeling was terrible, very lonely, very helpless, very suffocating.

Liao Muchen was an accident, and also possibly an opportunity sent to him by heaven.

Since it was an opportunity, he had to grasp it firmly and regain his sight.

Ye Zhaoqiu saw his severe madness escalating, her brows furrowed slightly, and her heart sank.

“To this day, you still show no remorse. You’re incorrigible.”

Today, she would enact justice on behalf of Heaven!

The battle grew more intense.

Fu Lianxue and Liao Yueting did not participate from the rear.

Liao Yueting watched them fight, looked at Fu Lianxue with great worry, and asked, “Aren’t you going to help her?”

Fu Lianxue sat on a large rock, cupping her cheeks as she watched the battle, and shook her head. “No need, she can beat him.”

Elder Tianxuan had more than just Ji Hanyan as a capable disciple.

Ye Zhaoqiu hated evil as if it were her enemy, and cared so much about her senior martial sister Ji Hanyan. This anger might even boost her combat power, making her fight more fiercely, more ruthlessly.

Besides, she would definitely prefer to end this matter with her own hands.

So, she believed in her.

She just needed to watch quietly from the back, keeping an eye out. If Ye Zhaoqiu was in any danger, she would step in to help.

Things went just as she expected. Ye Zhaoqiu’s moves were sharp and fierce, and she even used techniques Fu Lianxue had never seen before.

The sword wind could split mountains and calm seas, its aura sweeping across the eight wildernesses¹⁰, awe-inspiringly unmatched.

When the fierce wind swept over, even she couldn’t help but raise her hand to shield herself, let alone Liao Yueting and Xiao Tao, who could no longer stand steady.

Just then, with a “pfft” sound—the longsword pierced his heart.

The wind stopped; victory and defeat were decided.

They quickly looked towards where the two were.

Zhu Lingxiao looked down in disbelief at the sword embedded in his chest.

How could this be…

He had clearly recovered and resumed his cultivation. How could he lose to Ji Hanyan’s junior martial sister…

His legs gave way, and he slowly knelt on the ground, struggling to raise his head to look at Ye Zhaoqiu.

This person had ruined his plans.

From the moment she appeared here, nothing had gone smoothly for him.

But it shouldn’t have been like this; his plan should have proceeded without a hitch…

He saw her standing in the sunlight, radiating a brilliant light, as dazzling as Ji Hanyan had been that day.

That day, Ji Hanyan had extended her hand to him, a smile on her lips, saying, “This battle was thoroughly enjoyable. It was my honor to fight you. I look forward to our next meeting.”

A very warm sentence.

But he didn’t like hearing it; it sounded like mockery of his incompetence.

Today, her junior martial sister stood before him.

No hand extended to him, no gentle smile, her eyes as cold as frost.

He saw her lips part slightly, her awe-inspiringly cold voice falling upon his ear—

“Evil demons and monsters, Heaven will surely strike them down.”

Their coming to Yunshui Town was the will of Heaven.

The Eastern Mountain squirrel accidentally saving Liao Muchen’s soul was also the will of Heaven.

Her killing him today was also the will of Heaven.

It’s the cycle of cause and effect¹¹; those who harbor evil intentions, Heaven will surely repay them.

Zhu Lingxiao had lost.

He couldn’t defeat Ji Hanyan back then, and now he couldn’t defeat Ji Hanyan’s junior martial sister either.

He lost, lost completely and utterly.

He slowly lowered his head, his glass-like eyes filled with disbelief. Finally, amidst this doubt, he died, unwillingly and reluctantly.

Even at the very end, he felt no remorse for Liao Muchen.

From beginning to end, he only cared about himself.

Liao Muchen remained silent within Ye Zhaoqiu’s magical artifact.

Fu Lianxue sat in the back, watching quietly. Only when Zhu Lingxiao died did she let out a soft sigh of relief.

Her gaze involuntarily shifted from Ye Zhaoqiu’s sword to Ye Zhaoqiu herself.

She remembered what Ye Zhaoqiu had just said, and a doubt suddenly arose in her heart:

Evil demons and monsters, Heaven will surely strike them down… In her list of “evil demons and monsters,” will she include me in the future?

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