Chen Tanghe saw this and pressed his lips together.
The man in front snatched the whip and threw it to the ground.
“Here’s the ironclad evidence!” The man’s face was twisted with rage, his sword gripped so tightly it creaked.
“Rumor has it in the Jianghu that Leader Chen has always doted on his fellow disciple Luo Qingcheng.
Now she’s turned into a demon, a villain who kills indiscriminately without regard for right or wrong! Is the Alliance Leader really going to shield someone like that?”
“As Martial Arts Alliance Leader, I never play favorites!” Chen Tanghe looked at the broken whip on the ground, his tone hard.
“I will get to the bottom of this.
I ask everyone to be patient.
If it really was Luo Family Head who did this, I won’t let her off easily.
When the time comes, I’ll have your sect leader decide her fate personally.”
The man wanted to speak, but Chen Tanghe shot him a glare.
He swallowed his anger, whipped his sleeve, and turned to leave.
As he stepped out of the hall, a young servant carrying a letter hurried past, respectfully handing the paper to Chen Tanghe before stepping aside.
The hall quieted down again.
Only then did Chen Tanghe slowly unfold the letter.
Just a few lines, but his frown deepened.
“Unbelievable!” With a flick of his wrist, the letter was torn to shreds, fluttering through the air.
The Demonic Sect had incited the Langya Village chief to behead members of the Li Family.
The Li family’s daughter was heartbroken, and her husband’s sect got dragged in too.
The whole thing was a mess, and Chen Tanghe was so angry his face turned red.
One disaster after another, and all of them landed at the Wulin Headquarters.
For months now, there hadn’t been a single peaceful day.
He slumped into the grand chair, grabbed the teapot, and drank straight from the spout.
The cool tea calmed his anger a little.
Once he’d settled down, Chen Tanghe closed his eyes to rest.
As far as he knew, the Demonic Sect leader was cruel by nature, recruiting all sorts of villains over the past three years.
They harmed innocent people, but also killed evil Jianghu types.
What was the leader after? Disrupting the balance between good and evil? Or just killing for fun? It looked random, but there was a purpose behind it…
Chen Tanghe wiped the frustration from his face and walked out of the hall.
The bright sun in the courtyard cleared away some of his gloom.
Just then, a maid passed by carrying a tray piled with broken bowls and scattered rice.
He almost didn’t notice, but then his brows furrowed and he called out to her.
“What happened? She won’t eat again?” He stepped forward, looking down at the messy tray.
The maid sighed.
“It’s been two days, Alliance Leader.
She just won’t eat, no matter what we say.”
“Alright, take it away.” Chen Tanghe waved her off.
He hurried straight to the side courtyard.
The place was deserted except for a small house that looked like a woodshed, but inside it was just like any other bedroom.
Chen Tanghe carefully closed the door, went to the bed, and flipped up the mattress.
Underneath was a hidden trapdoor with an iron ring.
He pulled it open, revealing a dark stone staircase.
Only the Alliance Leader and the maid who brought food knew about this secret passage.
He went down the stairs, the only sound his own footsteps echoing in the silence.
It felt cut off from the world, so quiet it was unsettling.
He turned a corner, passed through a hidden door, and entered the secret room.
A torch flickered, lighting up the empty stone chamber.
On the left wall, several thick iron chains were embedded in the stone.
At the end of the chains, someone was slumped on the ground, tightly bound.
Her hair was a mess, her clothes in tatters, but her beauty was still obvious.
This was the woman the righteous sects were hunting—Chen Tanghe’s fellow disciple, Luo Qingcheng.
“Junior sister,” Chen Tanghe sighed helplessly, walking up to her, full of worry.
“Why won’t you eat again? Why do this to yourself?”
He tried to reason with her, but Luo Qingcheng just kept her head down.
“Look at you… it breaks my heart, you know.” For once, his eyes were gentle.
Dropping the Martial Arts Alliance Leader act, Chen Tanghe reached out to touch her face, but she dodged.
She glared up at him, her eyes colder than ice, impossible to read.
“…Heartbroken?” Her already low voice was now hoarse.
“You tricked me into drinking huagong powder, framed me for murder, and locked me in this dungeon where I’ll never see the sun again… Where was your heartbreak then? You did all this to me, and now you say you care?”
She spat the words out, furious.
But with her martial arts gone and chained up, all she could do was lash out with her tongue.
The tenderness in her eyes was long gone, replaced by violence.
She, Luo Qingcheng, once the proud Luo Family Head, had ended up like this.
Chen Tanghe’s face darkened.
“You forced me to do this…”
“Forced you? Hah, when did I ever force you to lock me up here?” She snorted, full of contempt.
“Three years ago, I helped you fulfill your family duty.
After that, you pushed me away, even threatened to cut ties! Did you ever think about how I felt? For you, I was willing to ruin my own reputation as Alliance Leader, but you didn’t care at all.” Chen Tanghe gritted his teeth, then softened his tone.
“Don’t worry, once I prove that sect really is working with the Demonic Sect, I’ll clear your name.
Then I’ll marry you properly, and never let you suffer again.”
Luo Qingcheng suddenly gave a cold, mocking smile.
“Marry me? You want to marry me?” The Martial Arts Alliance Leader, marrying a ruined woman?
Chen Tanghe reined in his aura, speaking softly.
“Don’t you understand how I feel?”
What a joke! Why should she care?
“I don’t like you.” Luo Qingcheng said it clearly, one word at a time.
“I know,” Chen Tanghe gave a bitter smile, “It’s fine.
Once I marry you, I’ll spend ten, twenty years… a lifetime… making you understand how I feel.”
Given enough time, feelings would grow.
Luo Qingcheng had taken huagong powder—now she was just an ordinary woman.
What was there to fear, that she might escape?
Luo Qingcheng stayed silent.
Seeing this, Chen Tanghe could only sigh and leave.
The secret room returned to its usual silence, leaving Luo Qingcheng curled up in the corner.
Her delicate arms were covered in bruises from the chains.
Every movement made the iron grind and screech, echoing through the stone chamber.
But the chains weren’t the heaviest thing—her heart was weighed down by hatred and helplessness.
Yes, she’d settled the Luo Family’s grudges, but her mind was never at peace.
And what did the rise of the Demonic Sect have to do with her Luo Family? Yet Chen Tanghe had dragged her into it…
He’d even tricked her into drinking tea laced with huagong powder.
She’d forced most of it out with her inner strength, but the drug had blocked her meridians, sealing her martial arts.
Now she was just an ordinary woman—how could she break these chains? And even if she escaped Wulin Headquarters, with the reputation of a murderer, how could she survive in the Jianghu?
Where did it all go wrong? Which step was the mistake?
—”Why are you keeping me here? Do you want to kill me? Or do you hate me that much? Is that it?”
Suddenly, she remembered a blurry face.
Back then, she’d chained up Xi Fuhong too.
Hate?
“No, I don’t hate you… not at all…” Luo Qingcheng hung her head, muttering to herself.
Three years had passed.
Whenever she was exhausted, she always thought of that innocent face.
Even though the memories were bitter, they gave her a little comfort and sweetness.
She laughed at her own strength, her own naivety… Whenever she closed her eyes, it was as if that heartbeat was still beside her.
She couldn’t forget the warmth of riding together on horseback.
She missed it so much now…
—”Even villains fear other villains?”
She’d said before that Xi Fuhong was in league with Gui Po, so she was a villain too.
She knew it was just an excuse.
Now, with the murder charge on her back, Luo Qingcheng really was a villain.
“Hah… haha… hahahahaha!” Suddenly she threw her head back and laughed, letting it all out.
She laughed at her own stupidity! Her own arrogance! Her own self-destruction! Had she been happy these years? Never.
Ever since Xi Fuhong sank into the cold pool, she’d never had peace of mind.
Wasn’t that also killing the innocent? She’d even driven a Fog Valley girl to suicide.
Pathetic! She’d let hatred blind her…
If she was doomed to a ridiculous life, so be it.
But fate had forced her to wake up from her hatred.
