Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 376 363: Lu Ruoxi's Collapsed Dao Heart

A gentle breeze rustled the dark hair on Pei Yuhang's forehead, a few strands swaying softly over his striking brow.

As he turned his head slightly, sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled light across his chiseled profile. Squatting beside him, Lu Ruoxi found herself unconsciously holding her breath.

"What's wrong, Senior Sister?"

Pei Yuhang suddenly turned his head, his clear eyes catching her gaze before she could look away.

"Oh, it's nothing…"

Lu Ruoxi hurriedly covered half her face with her sleeve, but she couldn't hide the blush that spread from the tips of her ears down her neck.

'Drat it, how can this new Junior Brother be so good-looking! He's unsettling my Dao Heart. What a heinous crime!'

She pretended to choke on the mountain wind, coughing until the corners of her eyes shimmered with tears.

"Ahem… Are you done resting? Let's continue practicing our swordsmanship! The path of cultivation is long; we must forge ahead and not slack off!"

Lu Ruoxi put on a serious expression, her youthful face attempting to look stern. She picked up a small tree branch, ready to instruct her junior brother in his basic swordsmanship.

Pei Yuhang obediently stood ready, assuming the pose of the Sword Technique as Lu Ruoxi instructed.

It was Lu Ruoxi's first time being a teacher, and she was very serious about it.

She patiently helped Pei Yuhang correct the minor errors in his form.

But this hands-on method of teaching meant she couldn't avoid frequent physical contact with Pei Yuhang.

Lu Ruoxi felt her head grow hot for the first time.

'Do I have a fever?'

'And… what is that scent? It smells so good… It seems to be wafting from my junior brother. I feel dizzy.'

'I must have a fever...'

Lu Ruoxi's vision blurred, her legs gave out, and her body fell backward.

"Senior Sister, Senior Sister, what's wrong!"

The last thing Lu Ruoxi heard before consciousness faded was Pei Yuhang's frantic cry.

'This junior brother… he actually cares about me. My efforts weren't wasted after all...'

"Ngh…"

When Lu Ruoxi opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was Pei Yuhang wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Senior Sister, why did you suddenly faint?"

Pei Yuhang's voice was filled with concern.

But Lu Ruoxi's eyes were fixed on the long fingers of her handsome junior brother as he wiped away her sweat. On his hand was a stark, jagged scar from a bite mark.

"This scar…"

She drew in a soft breath and subconsciously reached out a fingertip to touch it.

The bite mark was clearly human. The uneven indentations still bore the marks of tearing, as if one could almost see the blood seeping from the wound at that moment.

But before Lu Ruoxi could touch it, Pei Yuhang snatched his hand back as if he'd been shocked.

The young man's thick eyelashes cast an anxious shadow beneath his eyes. His pale lips were pressed into a thin line, and even the knuckles clutching the handkerchief had turned white.

"Please don't mind it, Senior Sister."

Lu Ruoxi looked at the wary and tense Junior Brother Pei, and suddenly, a thought struck her.

She had once traveled the world with her Master and had seen all aspects of human life.

Including its fair share of depravity and ugliness.

She had once seen noblewomen and their daughters with silver chains on their wrists, the other end attached to handsome pleasure boys purchased from human traffickers…

Her junior brother had refined manners and was clearly worldly.

He was peerlessly handsome and deeply respectful toward their Master, yet he always seemed slightly on guard around her. Lu Ruoxi could feel it; whenever her fingers touched Pei Yuhang to correct his form, his body would stiffen.

'Is he afraid…?'

A thousand possibilities flashed through Lu Ruoxi's mind, and her gaze upon her junior brother softened, now filled with a complex mix of emotions.

"Junior Brother."

"Hm?"

"I'll protect you from now on!"

Lu Ruoxi said earnestly.

"Senior Sister, why are you saying that all of a sudden…?"

Pei Yuhang's fingers, which were adjusting the tassel on his sword, paused. He sensed Lu Ruoxi's sincerity and passion, and for some reason, he shrank back, not daring to trust it.

But at that moment, Lu Ruoxi gently took his hand.

"I promise, I will protect you!"

She repeated earnestly, making a solemn vow. Her eyes held not a trace of frivolity or any other impurity.

"Don't you believe me, Junior Brother?"

Pei Yuhang pursed his lips, then finally broke into a smile.

"Senior Sister, I believe that right now, you are genuinely good to me."

…

…

In the dim room, the candle had long since burned out, leaving only a wisp of smoke curling in the air. A few slivers of bleak Moonlight filtered through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the disheveled bed.

Lu Ruoxi slowly opened her eyes. Her black hair cascaded over the pillow like a waterfall, a few strands clinging to her damp neck.

Her eyelashes trembled, and a mist clouded her eyes as if veiled by a thin gauze. The drunkenness had not faded, yet she seemed to be steeped in some deeper emotion.

"So… Junior Brother saw this coming all along…"

Her voice was hoarse, a result of drinking herself into a stupor.

The corners of her lips twitched, now utterly devoid of pride and spirit. She was like a spent workhorse, filled with an air of finality.

"Did he know all along… that I would betray the person I was when we first met?"

The Moonlight on Lu Ruoxi's face revealed the daze and self-mockery in her eyes. A single tear clung to the corner of her eye, refusing to fall.

Outside the window, the night wind moaned, rustling the bronze bells on the eaves and making a soft, tinkling sound, like someone sighing softly.

BUZZ—BUZZ—

The Transmission Token vibrated.

Lu Ruoxi glanced at the sender's name and answered the Transmission Token.

Chen Sixuan's panicked voice came through, but Lu Ruoxi's heart had long since withered and dried up. She was too numb to care about anything anymore.

"Go ahead, Xiaoxuan."

Chen Sixuan could tell her Master wasn't herself, but she had no time to dwell on it and quickly relayed the urgent news.

"Master, you challenged Alchemist Huang at the Grand Alchemy Tournament, and only won your position as an Elder after defeating her."

"But that old hag has probably been holding a grudge this whole time!"

"She knows she can't beat you when it comes to Alchemy, so she's resorting to dirty tricks!"

"She just had someone deliver an envelope to me. It says she has critical evidence that could ruin both you and Junior Martial Uncle Pei—unless you resign your position as an Elder…"

"I'll step down. Tell her not to involve Pei Yuhang."

"Master, you… Wait, what did you just say?"

"I'm tired. Nothing… matters anymore."

Lu Ruoxi stared lifelessly at the ceiling and whispered,

"Don't let her bother Pei Yuhang… This is the last thing I can do for him."

"As for being an Elder or whatever… it's not important anymore."

"Wait, Master, what are you saying! The Pavilion Master intends to name you his successor—"

CLATTER—

Lu Ruoxi indifferently cut the connection and tossed the Transmission Token into a corner.

Outside, the night wind moaned, swirling a few dry leaves that tapped faintly against the window lattice. Lu Ruoxi slowly closed her eyes, her long lashes casting a shadow beneath them, like an utterly exhausted butterfly.

'I don't have the will to walk the path to immortality any longer.'

'As I am now, I can't bear to face him.'

'If that's the case, what's the point of immortality?'

The Moonlight filtered through the window screen, spilling over her frail figure, as if draping her in a layer of desolate frost.

That night, Lu Fairy's Dao Heart shattered. Overnight, her aura plummeted from the cusp of the Void Refining realm to rock bottom.

With the collapse of her state of mind, the gate to the Void Refining realm closed completely, leaving no more hope of a breakthrough.

The next day, it was announced she had entered seclusion, cutting herself off from the world.