Chapter 500: 500. Damn good fortune
It was very quiet around him. Qi Yan only said to wait here and did not directly take him to the Yuanming Pavilion, although he had been there before and was no longer an enemy.
After waiting for a moment, Sheng Yue suddenly felt danger approaching. His eyes narrowed, and he dodged to the side, pulling out the longsword at his waist. When he turned around, he saw a woman in a blue dress attacking him with murderous intent.
Sheng Yue recognized Yan Shiba at a glance. He was especially familiar with Yan Shiba’s face, not only because he had captured her but also because his first real-time facial surgery was on her.
In the beginning, when Sheng Yue took Nian Ruxue away from Xingluo Island, he thought she might be of use. He later chose to turn Nian Ruxue into Yan Shiba, not because he thought she could help him accomplish anything significant, but because he wanted to try the “divine technique” his mother taught him and see whether Su Liang could find out that Nian Ruxue was fake.
Therefore, Sheng Yue was more familiar with Yan Shiba’s appearance than anyone else.
At this moment, seeing Yan Shiba appear meant something important to Sheng Yue: the problem he and Gu Ling had not solved when they parted in Jiaye City might have been solved – those who were trapped in Mo Yan’s space were all safe!
Did Su Liang successfully gain control of the space? Or did Su Liang and Gu Ling find a way to make Mo Yan release people? The latter possibility was not high because once Mo Yan regained control of the space, he would undoubtedly counterattack, which was his nature…
In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged a few moves, and numerous thoughts flashed through Sheng Yue’s mind.
In terms of strength, a healthy Sheng Yue was stronger than Yan Shiba. However, since he had lost his arm, they were almost equal now.
Sheng Yue knew why Yan Shiba had a grudge against him. They had private enmity unrelated to the Su Mansion.
However, Yan Shiba’s actions did not make Sheng Yue think that Gu Ling and Su Liang wanted to kill him. He dared to come because he knew that the couple would no longer see him as an enemy.
Sheng Yue also did not say anything, if they were going to fight, then so be it, he was not afraid of Yan Shiba.
The two fought more and more intensely. Soon, most of the people in the mansion gathered to watch.
Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu started to analyze the situation seriously.
“Aunt Yan’s move just now was so fast! I want to learn!” Ji Xiaoshu exclaimed.
“Sheng Yue, with one hand less, is still so strong. No wonder Master said that he is the key to solving the Xingluo Island problem.” Zhengzheng thought Sheng Yue’s swordsmanship was exquisite too.
“He’s not the key. The most important person is my little sister.” Ji Xiaoshu smirked.
Zhengzheng nodded, “Of course. Xiaoshu, who do you think will win?”
“Of course Aunt Yan will!” Ji Xiaoshu offered to bet with Zhengzheng.
Zhengzheng laughed, “That’s perfect because I think Sheng Yue will win. Aunt Yan is a bit too impatient, and Sheng Yue’s way of fighting is very calculated.”
Sheng Yue and Yan Shiba did not hear the audience’s comments.
At first, Yan Shiba didn’t show a real intention to kill Sheng Yue; her past experiences had made it easy for her attacks to appear fierce and murderous.
This battle lasted for half an hour without a clear winner being determined. In the end, it had become a test of their physical strength and stamina.
Yan Shiba was naturally competitive and not one to give up easily.
Sheng Yue knew Yan Shiba’s temperament, and if he lost, he would be taunted by her constantly in the Su Mansion. Therefore, he had no intention to stop first either.
Seeing the two grow increasingly slower, the other spectators lost interest and left, leaving only Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu.
Ji Xiaoshu rubbed his eyes, “When will it end?” He was already tired from standing and watching.
Zhengzheng said, “Sheng Yue just injured Master’s favorite tree with one stroke. He’s in trouble.”
“Which one?” Ji Xiaoshu looked in the direction of Zhengzheng’s finger, his expression baffled. “Master’s favorite tree? I didn’t know that. It doesn’t seem special.”
Zhengzheng chuckled, “Now that Sheng Yue has wounded it, it will be Master’s favorite tree.”
Ji Xiaoshu immediately understood and burst into laughter, “You’re right, Big Brother!”
Yan Shiba gasped for air across the clearing, finally spoke, “You despicable man! If you don’t admit defeat, I’ll leave you without both hands today!”
Ji Xiaoshu sighed as he saw Sheng Yue’s calm face. “Yan Auntie was too aggressive at the beginning. It seems she’s going to lose.”
In the next moment, Sheng Yue attacked again. Yan Shiba dodged but fell to the ground, her neck now held at sword-point by Sheng Yue.
Sheng Yue remained expressionless. “If it’s because of our previous grudges, I formally apologize to you. Our positions were different then. You should be able to understand me with your past experiences.”
This kind of apology infuriated Yan Shiba. Pushing away Sheng Yue’s sword, she stood up and scolded him, “If you truly want to apologize, kneel down and kowtow for me! I’ll forgive you then!”
Sheng Yue frowned slightly and shook his head. “If you had won today’s contest, I would have knelt down to apologize with no complaints. But you’ve lost, just as I once defeated you and captured you, without any help and in a fair and square fight. I thought you’d understand the law of the jungle in the martial arts world better than anyone.”
Ji Xiaoshu rubbed his forehead, “He’s actually kind of right. Auntie Yan really lost this time.”
After all, back then, Yan Shiba was still the leader of assassins, not a person of Su Mansion, and had not yet retired from the underworld. Sheng Yue didn’t know Yan Shiba’s connection with Su Liang during their fight, and only spared her life afterward because of that.
Whether it was before or now, in terms of intelligence and martial arts, Yan Shiba couldn’t suppress Sheng Yue.
Upon hearing Sheng Yue’s words, Yan Shiba was even more furious. She was angry at Sheng Yue, but also at herself for not defeating him even though he had only one hand left!
Sheng Yue was right. Yan Shiba was proud, and if she lost, she lost. Even one point weaker was still weaker, and she wouldn’t rely on Su Liang and Gu Ling’s support to oppress Sheng Yue, as that would hurt her self-esteem!
“Ah! Bastard! Scoundrel! You wait! One day, I’ll make you kneel before me!” With that, Yan Shiba picked up her fallen blade and vanished in an instant.
Zhengzheng sighed, “Auntie Yan’s pride has been hurt.” She had forgotten her bold words to ask Sheng Yue a question in front of Su Liang and how she would handle Sheng Yue.
Ji Xiaoshu shrugged. “It can’t be helped. If Sheng Yue wasn’t so strong, Master would have severed more than just one arm. Is there anyone still alive who Master truly wants to kill?”
“Mo Yan is alive, but his situation is special. Besides, he should be dying soon.” Zhengzheng replied.
Sheng Yue sheathed his sword and walked toward the two children. They had met before, also here, and that encounter had been unpleasant. The children had pelted him with snowballs at that time.
“Was it your Mistress who got Mo Yan’s space?” Sheng Yue tried to make his expression friendlier. He knew that both kids held special status in the Su Mansion and shouldn’t be offended.
Zhengzheng smiled, “Actually, it was my Master. When he got home, he tried again, and it worked.”
Sheng Yue was taken aback. “Gu Ling? Impossible.”
Ji Xiaoshu grinned. “Big Brother, don’t lie to him. You’ll have to tell him the truth sooner or later, anyway.”
Sheng Yue looked at Ji Xiaoshu as he continued. “Actually, the chosen one is right under our noses.”
Sheng Yue froze again. “You guys…”
“It’s me!” Ji Xiaoshu pointed at himself. “What? You don’t believe me? Do you look down on me?”
Sheng Yue: …Ale and Axin are more obedient. He should be able to meet them soon since he knew that the Peng Family had moved to the capital.
Sheng Yue, of course, didn’t believe Ji Xiaoshu had obtained the space. In his eyes, besides Mo Yan, the only one who might have the space recognize them was Su Liang. Even then, Su Liang might fail, and the others had no chance at all.
However, the two children’s words only made Sheng Yue even more confused. If it really was Su Liang, why would he hide it?
The two children didn’t say anything offensive to Sheng Yue anymore. Seeing that he didn’t believe them, they took him to the Yuanming Pavilion.
On the way, Zhengzheng said, “If I have the chance, can you teach me those powerful sword techniques you used earlier?”
Sheng Yue nodded, “Sure.”
“Hey! Was it that easy for you to wipe out the remnants of Xingluo Island? Weren’t they all masters, yet all of them were taken care of by you alone?” Ji Xiaoshu asked.
Sheng Yue’s expression was light, “If it was a fair and square fight, I wouldn’t have been able to kill them. But they were out in the open, and I was hidden. It was easy to strike.”
“That’s true,” Ji Xiaoshu nodded. “You were there to kill, not to compete. With your strength, taking them down one by one in secret was just a matter of time.”
Upon hearing this, Sheng Yue realized that the two children had remarkable knowledge and insight for their age. They truly were Gu Ling’s and Su Liang’s disciples.
“Is Cheng Yun here?” Sheng Yue asked.
“Yes.” Zhengzheng answered. “And Uncle Cheng Yun is getting married this year.”
Sheng Yue was stunned again, pausing mid-step, “Getting married? To whom?”
After all, Cheng Yun was his own younger brother. Now that he wanted to live a different kind of life, some of his ideas naturally differed from the past. It wasn’t accurate to say that he was concerned about Cheng Yun since Cheng Yun was in a better situation than him now. Rather, he paid more attention to Cheng Yun compared to others.
When they were on Xingluo Island, Cheng Yun had yelled at Sheng Yue to fight, which left Sheng Yue speechless. They had actually met when Cheng Yun was a monk, but it was a one-sided encounter. He had visited Cheng Yun, who hadn’t seen him and didn’t know about him. Now, Cheng Yun had changed so much that it was as if he had become a different person.
Sheng Yue had considered the possibility of Cheng Yun getting married and having children in the future, but he didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.
“Aunt Weng Ran,” Zhengzheng said.
Sheng Yue knew who Weng Ran was – the granddaughter of the Divine Doctor Weng Ming. In the past, Xingluo Island had dedicated elders searching the world for famous doctors, capturing them to serve as their exclusive doctors. All the doctors captured were aged and inevitably died on Xingluo Island. As for Weng Ming, he had been a target for investigation but they hadn’t found him at the time. By the time they found Weng Ming, Xingluo Island was already on its way to ruin. Sheng Yue hadn’t been involved in those specifics and was unaware of the details.
“Congratulations to him,” Sheng Yue thought it was nice, just a bit unexpected. Although Cheng Yun had said he wanted to kill Sheng Yue, Sheng Yue had never thought of harming Cheng Yun. Sheng Yue didn’t have any feelings for Pu Cheng; their past interactions were just using Pu Cheng for his own benefit. But Cheng Yun was different from Pu Cheng.
As they were talking, they reached the entrance of the Yuanming Pavilion.
Gu Ling approached from another direction.
“Master, Miss Yan fought him and lost,” Ji Xiaoshu immediately reported to Gu Ling.
Gu Ling gave a slight nod, “You two go back.” After saying this, she looked at Sheng Yue and said, “Come with me.”
Then, Sheng Yue followed Gu Ling to a pavilion by the lake to talk.
Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu ran to the second floor of the Yuanming Pavilion and sat on the windowsill, staring out, but they couldn’t hear what was being said.
The last time he visited Su Mansion, Sheng Yue had sat in the same spot and discussed cooperation with Gu Ling. Now, his state of mind was very different.
“The account book,” Gu Ling said with two words.
Sheng Yue raised his eyebrows slightly and took out a book from his chest, handing it to Gu Ling. He was a bit surprised that Gu Ling knew him to such an extent. After all, only he knew about the record keeping of his killings; Gu Ling could only have guessed it.
Actually, it was Su Liang who had guessed, but Gu Ling didn’t explain. She took the account book and started reading it.
Sheng Yue sat silently, watching the sparkling lake beside him.
Gu Ling quickly finished reading. Sheng Yue recorded everything clearly: the date and time he killed someone, the evil acts that person had committed to the best of his knowledge, and the related women and children he had saved and how he settled them.
Upon checking, Gu Ling found that the amount recorded in Sheng Yue’s account book for resettling women and children was exactly the same amount he had given, not a penny more or less. Indeed, this was an account book. Gu Ling was the payer, and Sheng Yue used the money to do his job, keeping a record of the expenses.
“Did you travel all the way here without eating or drinking?” Gu Ling asked indifferently. Sheng Yue had to spend money on food and clothing too.
“I sold the jade pendant Mo Yan gave me. It was worth a lot of money,” said Sheng Yue.
“Thank you for your hard work,” said Gu Ling.
Sheng Yue was stunned for a moment. Since he entered Su Mansion, he had been stunned several times. He hoped Gu Ling would say such words, but hearing them from Gu Ling’s mouth felt a little strange. After all, it was agreed that Sheng Yue was atoning for his sins. It was normal for Gu Ling not to be friendly, and Sheng Yue didn’t care too much. As long as they were not enemies in the future, peace would suffice.
Sheng Yue asked the biggest question on his mind, “Did Su Liang succeed with the space?”
Just then, Ji Xiaoshu’s voice came from the Yuanming Pavilion, “Master, your little sister is looking for you!”
As if he hadn’t heard Sheng Yue’s question, Gu Ling got up and left the pavilion, “We’ll talk later.”
Seeing Gu Ling flying across the lake and quickly entering the Yuanming Pavilion, Sheng Yue sat there waiting, feeling more and more strange. If Su Liang had made the space recognize the master, he wouldn’t be surprised. Why did he ask three people and none of them would tell him?
After a while, Gu Ling reappeared, holding Gu Xiaonuan in his arms, crossing the lake, and entering the pavilion.
Seeing Sheng Yue as a stranger, Gu Xiaonuan smiled and called out, “Uncle!”
A faint smile appeared on Sheng Yue’s face, “My last name is Sheng.”
“Uncle Sheng!” Gu Xiaonuan waved her little hand at Sheng Yue.
Sheng Yue felt that this little girl was much cuter than Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu, and she looked so much like Gu Ling.
After greeting Gu Xiaonuan, Sheng Yue repeated the question he had asked earlier.
Instead of looking at Sheng Yue, Gu Ling picked up the account book from the table and gave it to Gu Xiaonuan to play with.
Gu Xiaonuan took the account book, smiling happily, and waved it at Sheng Yue.
In the next moment, Sheng Yue’s eyes widened as he watched the account book disappear into thin air! Of course, he knew what this meant! It wasn’t Su Liang but Gu Ling and Su Liang’s daughter, a baby only a little over a year old, who controlled the space!
Sheng Yue then saw with his own eyes Gu Xiaonuan ‘transforming’ the account book back — it was obvious that although she was very young, she was already the space’s master and used it freely.
Gu Ling looked at Sheng Yue’s stunned face, the corners of his lips lifting in amusement, “Do you have any other questions?”
Sheng Yue clenched his only fist, his voice full of resentment and indignation, “It’s so unfair! I’m also a child of a transmigrator! Why can’t I do it? Why!?”
Gu Ling said calmly, “The reason is actually quite simple.”
Sheng Yue stared at Gu Ling intently, “What reason? What possible reason could there be?” He was about to explode from anger. This was a million times more heartbreaking than Su Liang getting the space! After all, he had once pursued such treasures so hard, putting in immeasurable effort and time, only to end up empty-handed, doing everything for someone else, someone who should be similar to him based on their relationship with transmigrators!
Sheng Yue wanted to know the reason; he truly felt like a joke at this moment.
Then, Gu Ling spoke again, “Because my Xiaonuan is beautiful.”
Sheng Yue: …
Gu Xiaonuan didn’t know what the adults were fighting about. She saw the beautiful ring on Sheng Yue’s hand and wanted to have a closer look. She climbed from Gu Ling’s leg onto the table and held Sheng Yue’s hand.
Sheng Yue was full of anger, but not towards Gu Xiaonuan. Seeing her smile sweetly and take the initiative to approach him, he thought she wanted the ring, so he took it off and gave it to her, “This is a gift for you, for our first meeting.” It was left by his mother, but it didn’t matter now.
Gu Xiaonuan sat on the table and played with the ring, while Sheng Yue glared at Gu Ling, grinding his teeth, “Gu, you really have a damned good luck!”