Chapter 73: Heading Back to the Lu Family

The grassland was vast and empty.

Only the sound of the wind occasionally passed through the fields, gently moving the strands of black hair scattered across Lu Qingxue’s pale face.

Eventually, Lu Yang slowly stood up.

He calmly bent down and carefully lifted Lu Qingxue onto his back.

Her body was already cold, and he could no longer sense any signs of life on her.

However, he still carried her with the same care he had shown when she was a little girl.

Fang Jinxing slowly stood up as well.

His injuries were severe, but after taking several healing pills and applying medicinal paste to his fractured leg, he was at least able to walk.

Lu Yang handed him another medicinal pill.

"Take it."

Fang Jinxing silently accepted it, swallowing the pill without saying anything.

The two then began walking towards Wuyuan Province, neither of them speaking for a long time.

...

After several hours of silence, Lu Yang finally asked in a voice that was calm to the extreme.

"What happened?"

Fang Jinxing lowered his head.

He knew that Lu Yang deserved to know everything, thus, he slowly began explaining.

From the confrontation between the True Martial Sect and the Azure Spirit Sect disciples to his arrival and the subsequent battle, he told him everything.

"The Wu Family Young Master kept asking Qingxue what cultivation technique she cultivated."

Fang Jinxing’s voice was hoarse as he continued.

"He said that if she told him, he would let her go, but we both knew he was lying."

Fang Jinxing’s fists tightened, his voice gradually becoming colder.

"After that, we fought again. Qingxue and I were already heavily injured by then, and the rest of the True Martial Sect disciples were unable to hold on. We barely managed to break through their encirclement. They chased us for a long time. We ran for days, I don’t even remember how long."

He lowered his gaze.

"Eventually, I lost track of everything else. I only knew that I had to keep running. Qingxue was already teetering on the verge of unconsciousness. I thought..."

His voice trembled slightly.

"I thought that if I kept running... I could take her back to the sect... maybe Hall Master Su could save her... maybe..."

His voice abruptly cut off as he lowered his head.

Lu Yang remained silent.

He had also thought the same thing. If he had arrived sooner, if he had been stronger and reached Tiannan Province earlier...

There were too many possibilities, but none of them mattered anymore.

Lu Qingxue was dead. That was the only fact that remained.

Lu Yang did not blame Fang Jinxing either. The boy had already done as much as he could.

Even the reason he could still see Lu Qingxue was solely because of him.

Although Lu Yang was in grief, he was not irrational.

After a long silence, Fang Jinxing suddenly spoke again.

"Uncle Lu, the Wu Family Young Master..."

Lu Yang’s expression remained unchanged, his voice betraying no hint of emotion.

"What about him?"

"He was determined to find out where Qingxue’s cultivation technique came from."

Fang Jinxing’s eyes became cold as he spoke, "He wouldn’t have chased us for so long otherwise."

Lu Yang didn’t answer, continuing to move forward at a pace Fang Jinxing could keep up with.

His daughter rested silently on his back, her arms hanging loosely around his shoulders, just like when she was little.

Back then, whenever she became tired from walking, she would climb onto his back, and he would carry her home.

Sometimes, she would fall asleep halfway, and he would then slow his pace, afraid of waking her.

Now, he didn’t have to worry about waking her, yet he walked the most carefully he ever had throughout his entire life.

...

Several days later.

Wuyuan Province, Canglan Prefecture.

Lu Yang entered the Lu Family estate without attracting anyone’s attention.

The journey had been unusually quiet after Fang Jinxing explained the cause and effect of the incident.

Now, Fang Jinxing’s injuries had recovered significantly with the various medicinal pills and the recovery speed of a Spirit Awakening cultivator.

Lu Yang had also regained his composure, at least on the surface.

His mind had become much clearer as well compared to that day; he couldn’t allow himself to collapse mentally.

There was still something he had to do, after all.

He still had to tell Bai Qinglan.

That thought alone made his heart ache.

He had already imagined her reaction countless times.

The moment she saw Lu Qingxue, the moment she realized her daughter was dead... Lu Yang knew something terrible might happen.

Bai Qinglan had only one daughter with him, whom they had in their later years.

She had spent her entire latter half of life watching Lu Qingxue grow and personally sent her off to the True Martial Sect.

She had waited for her return every single time, treasuring every moment they spent together.

How could she accept this?

But there was no choice, he couldn’t hide it.

She was Lu Qingxue’s mother, and she had the right to know.

The two quietly arrived in front of the Supreme Elder’s courtyard.

Lu Yang suddenly stopped, his feet seeming to have become rooted to the ground.

The courtyard was exactly as he remembered it from days ago, and it seemed as if nothing had changed.

The flowers beside the entrance were still blooming, and the wooden table where Bai Qinglan occasionally sat was still there, just like it always had.

However, everything had already changed the moment he saw Lu Qingxue’s lifeless body that day.

Lu Yang stared at the entrance, his expression showed a trace of hesitation, his fingers tightening slightly.

He couldn’t bring himself to do it, to tell his wife that their precious daughter was no longer in this world.

Fang Jinxing noticed this as well, stepping forward silently as he reached out.

"Uncle Lu, I’ll do it."

Lu Yang remained silent for several breaths before slowly releasing Lu Qingxue.

Fang Jinxing carefully carried her, taking a deep breath before walking towards the courtyard.

The door opened as Bai Qinglan stepped out, clearly having sensed the movements outside.

Her gaze immediately fell upon Fang Jinxing, but seeing his torn clothes, some injuries that had yet to heal, and his pale face, her expression changed slightly as she asked.

"What happened?"

Fang Jinxing didn’t answer, lowering his gaze.

Bai Qinglan took another step forward before she saw the person on his back, making her entire body freeze in place.

"Xue’er...?"

She called out softly, her voice barely audible.

Fang Jinxing lowered his head.

Bai Qinglan stared, and for several breaths of time, she didn’t seem to understand what she was seeing.

Her Divine Sense slowly spread, approaching Lu Qingxue.

The instance she did so her entire body went rigid before she disappeared from her spot.

The next instant, she was already standing before Fang Jinxing.

She immediately took Lu Qingxue from his back, her voice trembling as she called out again.

"Xue’er!"

Bai Qinglan immediately took out medicinal pills one after another, crushing them and pouring the medicinal powder into Lu Qingxue’s mouth.

Then, she began circulating her Blood Qi.

Her Blood Qi surged into Lu Qingxue’s body as she attempted to stimulate every meridian and organ, any trace of vitality that might still exist.

"No... wake up, Xue’er, mom is here. Wake up."

Bai Qinglan’s hands shook violently, her voice becoming louder.

"Wake up!"

However, the person in her arms remained motionless.

Eventually, Bai Qinglan stopped, her body seeming to lose all strength as she stood there blankly.

She lifted her gaze mechanically, her gaze landed on Lu Yang, who was silently standing several meters away.

Bai Qinglan’s lips trembled as she slowly began to walk towards him.

"Husband... Xue’er... she..."

She swallowed, her voice breaking with each word.

"She’s going to be... fine, right...?"

Lu Yang lowered his gaze, not answering.

Bai Qinglan stared at him, her voice becoming louder.

"Lu Yang! Tell me! Tell me that she’s alright!"

Bai Qinglan’s eyes slowly filled with tears.

She already knew the answer. She knew the moment her Divine Sense found nothing, yet she still wanted him to deny it.

"She’s... she’s not dead... right?"

Her voice became faint as her body swayed, as if a mere gust of wind could blow her away.

Lu Yang’s lips moved slightly, but no words came out.

Bai Qinglan’s knees finally gave out.

Lu Yang immediately stepped forward and caught her, her body collapsing into his arms, having fainted.

Lu Yang held her silently, lowering his eyes to look at her.

There were still fresh tears remaining on her face, but he didn’t wipe them away immediately.

At that moment, two figures rushed over from the distance none other than Lu Tianhe and Lu Qingyu.

The two arrived almost simultaneously, their expressions changing when they saw the scene.

Fang Jinxing briefly explained what had happened in a few short sentences.

Lu Tianhe’s expression changed drastically while Lu Qingyu’s face turned pale.

Both of them looked towards Lu Qingxue lying on the ground.

The girl who had once been the pride of the entire Lu Family, the genius they had watched grow and the child whom the entire family had once surrounded was no longer in this world.

For a long time, no one moved.

Lu Yang slowly carried Bai Qinglan inside.

He entered their room and carefully placed her on the bed, pulling the blanket over her body.

Spirit Awakening cultivators were already impervious to ordinary heat and cold, but he did so anyway, standing there silently for several breaths of time.

Only after making sure she was breathing normally did he turn around and walk back outside.

Carefully, he picked up Lu Qingxue and entered her room.

Everything, from the books and furniture to the decorations, was still there. Nothing had changed in the slightest, looking untouched, and the bed was also neatly arranged.

Bai Qinglan had ordered someone to clean it every day even though Lu Qingxue had been away from home for years.

Lu Yang gently placed her upon the bed and also pulled the blanket over her.

For a moment, he simply stood beside her, his gaze fixed upon her pale face.

After a while, he slowly turned and walked outside.

Lu Tianhe, Lu Qingyu, and Fang Jinxing were still standing there.

Lu Tianhe looked at Lu Yang for a long time before he walked over.

Looking at the house behind him, Lu Tianhe gently patted Lu Yang on the shoulder with shaky hands, his voice hoarse as he spoke.

"Pull yourself together... had Xue’er seen you like this... she would have probably laughed at you."