Cannot Bear This Wrong

Looking at Lu Chen's smiling face, Huang Rong pressed her pink lips together, then suddenly dashed up to him, her voice a mix of worry and playful reproach:

"You idiot, when my father came, why didn't you wake me up right away? You just had to be stubborn and fight him blade to blade. You've only been training for a little over a month, and you've only ever sparred with wooden weapons—never a real life-or-death duel with true swords. Blades have no eyes; what if you'd taken a cut?"

"I didn't get cut, did I? Besides, my swordsmanship was taught by you, Rong'er. You should have some faith in me—and in yourself."

Lu Chen smiled, gazing into her eyes:

"Most importantly, the martial world truly is treacherous. If I hadn't shown Senior Huang the ability to put him at ease, would he have allowed you to accompany me on this journey? He might well have taken you back. I'm not afraid to walk the martial world alone, but in my heart, I still hope to travel with you, Rong'er."

"..."

Huang Rong gave a light snort, her heart sweet, but her face put on a tsundere air:

"You, always knowing how to make me happy."

Lu Chen nodded:

"Mm, I do want to make you happy."

Having been single for two lifetimes, Lu Chen felt that tonight, he'd finally had a breakthrough.

"Who needs you to make me happy? I'm not a child."

She made a cute, playful face at him, then grumbled about her father:

"My dad is really something—pretending to let his guard down, but he was still secretly watching me. Hmph, playing mind games with his own daughter. And I didn't even hold a grudge about him yelling at me on Peach Blossom Island a while back; I've been so nice to him these past few days..."

Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh to himself, thinking, Aren't you playing mind games with him too?

It's just that Little Master Rong's cleverness hadn't outmatched Teacher Huang's more seasoned cunning.

Huang Rong puffed out her cheeks, hands on her hips, feigning anger:

"What are you laughing at?"

Lu Chen shook his head: "Nothing."

"You laughed, I saw it."

"Mm, I laughed because I'm happy."

"Happy about what, for no reason?"

"Just thinking that I can travel the martial world with you, Rong'er—it makes me happy, and I can't stop smiling."

"Really?"

"Really."

"That's more like it."

Huang Rong broke into a smile, then grabbed his hand and led him toward the cave:

"After a life-or-death fight, you must be exhausted, right? Don't stay out in the wind; go inside and rest well."

"But, the cave's too small..."

"A disciple of the Eastern Heretic doesn't fuss over trivialities. Father has already allowed us to travel together—why are you still being shy? Just go in and rest. I'll keep watch tonight..."

That night, Lu Chen slept especially soundly.

When he woke, he sensed something off. Sitting up, he saw Rong'er using his thigh as a pillow, sleeping just as sweetly.

Normally at this hour, he'd be up practicing his sword, but seeing Rong'er's gentle, obedient sleeping face, he couldn't bear to disturb the moment. So he sat quietly, watching her pretty face, counting her long, curling eyelashes for a while, then lay back down, closing his eyes to contemplate the Sword Intent Imprint.

After who knows how long, Huang Rong's long lashes fluttered slightly, and she finally woke.

Opening her eyes, she found herself pillowed on Lu Chen's thigh. Her pretty face flushed faintly. Stealing a glance at him and seeing he was still "fast asleep," she playfully stuck out her tongue, quickly got up, and tiptoed out.

Outside the cave, she greeted the fresh morning breeze through the woods, stretched comfortably, and went to wash her face in the stream. Then she called into the cave:

"Get up~! The sun's burning your butt! Time to wash up and train!"

Lu Chen, who had been contemplating the Sword Intent Imprint all morning, opened his eyes and sat up. Looking out of the cave at the white-clad, graceful girl in the morning light, a bright smile spread across his face.

Now that they had Huang Yaoshi's permission, the two no longer needed to skulk about in secret. They traveled openly along the main road heading north.

While walking, they practiced their Movement Technique. When tired, they stopped to rest and practice swordsmanship. At night, they stayed at inns or guesthouses, or sought lodging in village homes. If no shelter could be found, a small wilderness temple or a campsite by a river or stream would do.

Both were skilled in Movement Technique, so even without any transport, they traveled swiftly. In just seven or eight days, they had crossed the Yangtze River and arrived at the banks of the Han River.

That evening, they set up camp by a mountain stream that fed into the Han River.

Finding no ready-made cave, Lu Chen cut bamboo and wood to build a suspended bed on a thick tree branch about ten feet off the ground.

While he lashed the bamboo together with vines, Huang Rong caught fish and shrimp in the stream, preparing dinner.

After more than half an hour, he finished the crude suspended bed, and Huang Rong had nearly finished dinner. They ate heartily, then sat by the stream chatting to aid digestion.

Huang Rong took off her shoes and socks, baring a pair of crystal-clear, delicate feet. Rolling up her pant legs, she revealed two straight, slender, snow-white calves and dipped her feet into the clear stream, splashing the water with delight.

Lu Chen sat beside her, vividly telling the story of Havoc in Heaven. Huang Rong listened with animated joy. When Sun Wukong leaped out of the Old Lord's furnace, kicked it over, sent the Old Lord stumbling, and charged all the way to the Hall of Divine Mist, she got so excited she kicked her little foot hard, sending a huge splash of water right into Lu Chen's face.

"..."

Lu Chen wiped the water off his face and looked at Huang Rong speechlessly.

Huang Rong stuck out her tongue apologetically, gave a playful grin, then tugged his arm and urged him on:

"What happened next? What came after that? Keep going!"

Lu Chen cleared his throat and continued the tale.

When she heard that Sun Wukong lost the bet and was pinned under Five Elements Mountain by Tathagata, with a Buddhist seal stuck on top so he couldn't flip the mountain over and escape, Huang Rong's mood immediately soured. She pouted and said glumly:

"That ending's no fun at all! The mighty Great Sage Equal to Heaven ends up like this? Boring, boring. Lu Chen, you'd better change it to a good ending right now."

Lu Chen spread his hands:

"That's how the story goes here. Besides, this isn't the end—there's more after..."

Huang Rong scrunched up her pretty face, very unhappy:

"No, I can't listen to the rest of the story like this. I can't stand this injustice, and neither can the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Are you changing it or not, Lu Chen?"

Lu Chen looked troubled:

"Well... if I change this part, the rest of the story will..."

"Just change it a little..."

Huang Rong shook his arm with both hands, acting coy.

Her soft, sweet voice, the faint intoxicating fragrance of her body, and the occasional brush of her budding chest against his forearm as she tugged him—all of it sent a jolt through Lu Chen, stirring his blood and qi into a frenzy. He quickly said:

"Rong'er, stop shaking. I'll change it. Let me think... Mm, just then, a Black Sword Hero appears at the foot of Five Elements Mountain. He raises his hand and unleashes a Sword Light, cleaving the mountain in two with one strike. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven is overjoyed, shoots into the sky, and laughs at the Black Sword Hero: 'Thanks for the rescue, much obliged. Why don't we storm Heaven together, snatch the Jade Emperor's throne? I'll be the Jade Emperor, and you'll be the Dao Ancestor...'"

"Hey, where did this Black Sword Hero come from? He wasn't there before!"

"Well, since Rong'er asked me to change the plot, I had to step in and throw myself into the story..."

"..."

Huang Rong blinked:

"So you're the Black Sword Hero?"

"That's right."

"You can cleave Tathagata's Five Finger Mountain with one sword strike?"

"The me in the story can."

Huang Rong giggled: "That's one huge boast!"

Lu Chen laughed too: "It's just a story. I can brag all I want."

"What about me? You're in the story now, so I have to be in it too!"

"You... Mm, of course Rong'er is in the story too. So, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and the Black Sword Hero join forces and charge up to the Heavenly Court. Tathagata is about to press down with his Buddha palm again when suddenly, a mysterious light descends from the Ninth Heaven. A fairy in robes as white as snow, with a golden circlet binding her hair, drifts down gracefully. She points a finger, and countless divine thunders blast out, crashing down on Tathagata's head..."

"Ha, I've made my entrance!"

"Exactly, the White-clad Fairy is none other than Rong'er..."

Lu Chen had stopped caring about plausibility. Since Rong'er couldn't stand the Great Sage Equal to Heaven being crushed under Five Finger Mountain and insisted on joining the story, he had no choice but to start wildly improvising. Even so, Rong'er listened with great relish.

Before they knew it, the story had spiraled into absurdity, losing all connection to Journey to the West. It became a tale of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven sweeping through the Heavenly Court and battling the Jade Emperor, while Lu Chen and Rong'er fought Tathagata together and overwhelmed Spirit Mountain...

"If you want to know what happens next, tune in for the next installment!"

After spinning a completely unfounded yarn, Lu Chen decisively ended today's story.

Rong'er still looked unsatisfied:

"That's how a story should be! Who wants to suffer injustice? Mm, keep going tomorrow."

"..."

Lu Chen was speechless. He really couldn't keep making this up!

Over the next few days, the two continued traveling by day and resting by night, enjoying a leisurely journey until they unknowingly reached the territory of Xiangyang.

Now, it was time to seek out the Bosiqu Snake, which could help boost one's cultivation.