Chapter 25: Father and Daughter’s Dark Secret
Lin Tianlu’s eyes swept across the cellar, noticing dried bloodstains in a corner.
“The eerie laughter in the Cheng mansion, it seems it was you, Mr. Cheng, and your daughter, Cheng Xinyin, who were responsible.”
“You misunderstand us, Master Lin.”
But Cheng Yanghua shook his head, bowing slightly. “The laughter and the sound of chopping meat at night weren’t caused by us. If it were, why would we invite you here? We wouldn’t be so foolish.”
“Then why are you hiding here?” Lin Tianlu chuckled. “This doesn’t seem like a comfortable place to rest.”
The atmosphere was so sinister and eerie, it practically screamed “evil deeds.”
No normal person would hide in such a place.
“…Sigh! I don’t know what Yishi was thinking, failing to delay you.”
Cheng Yanghua fell silent for a moment, then sighed, seemingly aware that his secret had been exposed. “We were hoping that you would find those lurking scoundrels and resolve this sudden crisis for our family. We never expected you to find us instead. Our plan has failed.”
Lin Tianlu’s brow furrowed.
Could it be that it wasn’t this father and daughter after all?
But that laughter…
“Enough!”
Cheng Yanghua sighed and slowly rolled up his sleeves. “Now that you’re here, Master Lin, I can’t let you leave.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he clapped his hands together.
A gust of Yin wind swept through the cellar, shadows flickering and shifting, the surroundings changing drastically.
Lin Tianlu glanced to the side and saw that Hua Shuya had vanished. Not only her, but even Cheng Xinyin, who had been standing beside Cheng Yanghua, was gone.
“You’re quite composed, Master Lin. Not even a hint of panic.” Cheng Yanghua grinned, spreading his hands. “What do you think of this change of scenery?”
“Quite fascinating.”
Lin Tianlu looked around, then chuckled softly. “Are you planning to divide and conquer?”
“Indeed.”
Cheng Yanghua nodded. “Everyone in town says you possess extraordinary talent, Master Lin, the makings of a top scholar. They say you’ve cultivated righteous energy through years of studying the Confucian classics, allowing you to defeat evil. But…
You’re just a scholar, after all. Even if you practice martial arts, your limbs are still as thin as twigs. I don’t even need my daughter’s help. I alone… can break your arms and legs, and then your neck.”
A cold smile appeared on Cheng Yanghua’s face as he drew a sharp boning knife from his sleeve, gripping it tightly.
“What a pity. I’m neither a demon nor a ghost. Your righteous energy is useless against me.”
“As for that Miss Hua, she seems to be a skilled swordswoman. But a mere mortal warrior with brute strength is no match for my daughter.”
“It seems you’ve planned this well.”
Lin Tianlu’s voice was calm. “What have you and your daughter been doing in Changling County?”
Cheng Yanghua chuckled coldly. “I’m not interested in having a heart-to-heart with you, Master. But it seems fate has brought us together.”
He wiped the knife, taking a step closer. “The ‘Evil Spirit’ that was haunting Changling County was vanquished by you, Master Lin. Although you saved the fabric shop, there are no other ghosts to hinder us now.
And we have such fine prey here, a talented scholar and a beautiful swordswoman. Tsk, tsk! We’ve never had such an opportunity before. Now… we’ll gladly accept this gift!”
With that, he lunged forward, his seemingly aged body moving with surprising speed!
But…
To Lin Tianlu, his movements seemed… slow and sluggish.
Like an old man struggling to jog.
As the knife approached, Lin Tianlu calmly sidestepped the attack and grabbed Cheng Yanghua’s wrist.
Before the man could react, Lin Tianlu twisted his arm, disarming him, and slammed his elbow into Cheng Yanghua’s face, sending him crashing to the ground.
“Ugh, cough, cough!”
Cheng Yanghua clutched his bleeding nose, coughing, and tried to get up. But a sharp knife was pressed against his forehead, his eyes widening in terror.
“—H-how is this possible?!”
This man… wasn’t a scholar?
What kind of scholar possessed such skill?!
Lin Tianlu’s voice was cold and emotionless. “Mr. Cheng, you’re an old man in your fifties or sixties. You move like a turtle, you can’t even defeat a scholar. Where did you get the audacity to terrorize Changling County and even harm innocent lives?”
“You, you—”
“If you don’t want to die, tell me about your daughter.” Lin Tianlu narrowed his eyes, pressing the knife against Cheng Yanghua’s forehead, drawing blood.
Cheng Yanghua’s face paled, but he forced a smile.
“Do you really dare to kill me, Master Lin?
Don’t forget, my daughter is fighting Miss Hua. If I die, she won’t last long against her.”
“You call this… an illusion?”
Lin Tianlu’s expression turned strange.
In the next moment, he waved his hand in the air, as if grabbing something, then pulled with force.
Rip—!
A sound like tearing fabric echoed through the cellar as the invisible barrier that had separated them was torn apart, revealing Hua Shuya and Cheng Xinyin locked in a fierce battle.
Clang, clang, clang—!
Palm strikes and sword clashes, sparks flying, the fight intense and fierce.
But Hua Shuya’s attacks were relentless, her swordsmanship aggressive and powerful, forcing Cheng Xinyin to retreat. She was clearly winning!
“Ah… ah?!”
Cheng Yanghua stared in disbelief, his body frozen in shock.
“It seems not only is your illusion pathetic, but even your daughter, whom you placed so much hope in, is just a half-baked practitioner.”
Lin Tianlu’s voice was deep. “Do you have anything else to say?”
“…”
Cheng Yanghua was silent for a moment, his face pale.
Then, his expression suddenly changed, and he said urgently,
“M-my daughter… she needs human blood to survive.”
Lin Tianlu was speechless. “There’s no trace of human life force in your daughter’s body. She’s clearly already dead. What survival are you talking about?”
“No! She’s not dead! She’s just weak. She needs human blood to live!”
Cheng Yanghua quickly wiped the blood and sweat from his face. “Please forgive me, Master Lin! I was just desperate to save my daughter. Please spare my life!”
He fell to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly.
“Please spare my daughter too! She’s innocent. I’m the one who led her astray! I shouldn’t have let her drink human blood… No, although Xinyin and I collected human blood, we never killed anyone. Those people just felt weak for a few days. They recovered quickly after taking our money!”
“Is that so?”
Lin Tianlu’s gaze turned even colder.
“I would never lie to you, Master Lin!” Cheng Yanghua’s face was streaked with tears as he raised his hand in a gesture of oath. “I swear on the name of my ancestors that everything I said is true. Xinyin and I have sinned, but we don’t deserve to die. Please spare our lives—”
Thud!
He was kicked to the ground.
Clink—
The boning knife landed beside him.
Cheng Yanghua scrambled to his feet, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes. But then he heard Lin Tianlu’s cold voice.
“Kill yourself.”
“What… what did you say?”
“If I believed your lies, I would be disgusted with myself.” Lin Tianlu’s hands were clasped behind his back, his gaze cold and indifferent. “Haven’t you noticed?
The blood of dozens of lives stains your hands, like a butcher covered in gore. And those you killed, they’re all around you, staring at you.”
Cheng Yanghua froze, cold sweat dripping down his back. He fearfully glanced to the side.
“N-no, that’s impossible… There’s no blood, no dead people…”
But after a moment of silence, he suddenly grabbed the knife, his face contorted with rage.
“I’ll fight you to the—”
Thud!
A sword pierced through his chest.
Cheng Yanghua gasped, his eyes losing their focus as he collapsed onto the ground, his lifeblood staining the floor crimson.
Lin Tianlu looked at the figure who had appeared silently, his eyes filled with surprise. “Miss Hua?”
“There’s no need for you to get your hands dirty, Senior. This man deserves to die for his crimes.”
Hua Shuya’s face was cold as she flicked her sword, sending a spray of blood across the ground. “I have a warrant from the authorities. I can execute criminals without question. Leave this to me.”
“Thank you.”
Lin Tianlu nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to the side.
The female ghost, who had been radiating a menacing aura earlier, was now sprawled on the ground, her clothes torn and tattered, a pitiful sight.
“Miss Hua, your swordsmanship—”
“Thanks to your guidance, Senior, I now have the means to fight against evil.”
Hua Shuya smiled sweetly, her eyes filled with gratitude.
Then, she turned to look at the female ghost, her gaze sharpening like a blade. Her fighting spirit surged as she said in a low, determined voice, “No more fear, no more hesitation. I am invincible!”
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