The same place, the same people.
Yang Ruying looked down at the two of them, his face dark.
Luo's Father and Luo's Mother, meanwhile, looked deeply uneasy.
"Both of you, I clearly told you how important this matter was. I told you to be cautious, to spare no effort. But why?" Yang Ruying said coldly. "You still dared to lie to my face?"
The two elders shuddered and hurriedly defended themselves. "This old man has spoken nothing but the truth, without a single false word. Has the Immortal Master misunderstood?"
"Still trying to argue!" Yang Ruying slapped the armrest furiously.
He had already looked down on these two for their feeble strength and vile character. On top of that, if this plan went wrong in the slightest, he would surely lose his life. That made him all the more enraged.
"I already sent people to investigate. You said you treated Luo Qingdie and her younger brother equally? If her brother had a new outfit, she had one too. If her brother had a bite to eat, she had one too?" Yang Ruying said.
"Yes." Luo's Father looked baffled, as if he could not understand what Yang Ruying was angry about.
Yang Ruying said coldly, "When her brother got new clothes, you patched up his old rags and gave them to her. When her brother ate chicken, she ate chicken bones. You call that treating them equally?"
"Yes." Luo's Mother also looked confused. "That is treating them equally. We did not lie. Her brother had a new outfit, and she had one too. Her brother had a bite to eat, and she had one too."
Yang Ruying flew into a rage. "You still dare to tell such blatant lies with your eyes wide open! The things were not even the same—how was that equal treatment?"
"But we gave her a share too, didn't we? Isn't that equal treatment?" Luo's Father said, frightened and aggrieved.
"That's right. Immortal Master, how have we offended you? Just tell us, and we'll apologize. But could you not find some inexplicable excuse to scold us like this?" Luo's Mother complained as well.
Yang Ruying froze. Looking at their expressions, which did not seem feigned, a strange thought suddenly rose in his heart.
Did these two truly think they had not played favorites?
"Fine, fine. Let's put that aside for now." Yang Ruying rubbed his forehead. "You said that when Ji Xiangshan took Luo Qingdie away, you were reluctant to part with her in every possible way. That must have been false too, right?"
"No. We wanted to follow them. When we failed, we really did cry terribly." Luo's Father shook his head. "All the neighbors saw it."
"That's right, you did want to follow them, but it had nothing whatsoever to do with worrying about Luo Qingdie." Yang Ruying said. "You wanted your son to enter the Inquiry Sword Sect as well, so you clung to them like a leech. Later, you wept bitter tears because you failed. You thought Luo Qingdie had stolen your son's immortal opportunity, and you hated her so much you cried!"
"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!" Luo's Father immediately flew into a towering rage.
Luo's Mother wore a ferocious expression as well. "Who is spreading lies to slander us? I'll tear his mouth apart!"
Yang Ruying said coldly, "Your son said it."
"Ah?" The two of them froze.
Then Luo's Mother shook her head and said with absolute certainty, "Impossible! Or else he remembered wrong. He was still young then—what did he know?"
"Besides that, your parents, your uncles, nephews, brothers, all your relatives—every person who was there at the time and is still alive now—said the same thing." Yang Ruying said. "They said you two stood at the door, jumping with rage and cursing loudly. You cursed Ji Xiangshan for being blind with age and choosing trash. You cursed Luo Qingdie for knowing how to seduce people at such a young age, calling her a beast. Then you wept over how outstanding your son was, yet his opportunity had been snatched away."
The two stared blankly for a moment. Luo's Father said nothing.
Luo's Mother, however, flew into a rage. "Lies! All lies! Why don't I remember saying any of that? I was clearly crying because my poor daughter had to leave her homeland at such a young age! They were jealous of me—they wanted to harm me!"
"Is that so?" Yang Ruying stared straight at them, gradually coming to understand their true nature. "Then when you traveled thousands of miles to the Inquiry Sword Sect claiming that you missed your daughter, it was not because you wanted to squeeze benefits from her. And Luo Qingdie's frequent visits back home were not because your relationship was good, but because of your threats and inducements, along with pressure from members of the Inquiry Sword Sect who did not know the truth. And though you seemed close on the surface, you were secretly cursing her all along... You deny all of that too?"
"If it never happened, how do you expect me to admit it?" Luo's Mother replied righteously. "Isn't this an unfounded accusation?"
"Heh." Yang Ruying could not help laughing. "Impressive. Truly impressive. No wonder Luo Qingdie was once completely under your thumb."
Luo's Mother's face turned livid, and she looked furiously aggrieved, as though she had suffered an enormous injustice.
Yet after remaining silent for a moment, Luo's Father spoke. "Immortal Master, why don't we make things clear? What exactly are you thinking by saying all this? What are you worried about?"
"What am I worried about? Isn't it obvious? There is no familial affection between you at all. How am I supposed to trust that you can successfully lure Luo Qingdie into the trap?" Yang Ruying said.
"That's all? You're worried Luo Qingdie will not listen to us just because of these matters? Immortal Master, forgive my presumption, but may I ask you something?" Luo's Father said. "Have you ever raised a child?"
Yang Ruying shook his head.
By mortal years, he should have had children long ago. But by the years of cultivators, he was still a child himself.
"So that's why. No wonder you don't understand." Luo's Father said. "Immortal Master, raising a daughter is the same as raising a dog. You must raise her cheap. You must make her understand rank and hierarchy. If you treat a dog too well, cradle it in your hands, give it good food and drink, then it will think it is the master of the house. It will dare to bark at you, and if it is displeased, it may even dare to bite you. It will grow into a stray dog."
"But if you raise it cheap—give it leftovers, kick it twice whenever it displeases you, and if it bares its teeth at you, grab a stick and smash it down—then it will become obedient, compliant, sensible, filial. It will become a good dog."
"Immortal Master, you think those things would weaken the affection between us and our daughter, but you are wrong. It is precisely because we did those things that she is so obedient and filial. Think about it, Immortal Master. You could investigate all those matters. Could Luo Qingdie not investigate them too? Yet hasn't she still obediently shown filial respect to us?"
Yang Ruying's expression turned subtle. His emotions told him this reasoning was absurd beyond belief, yet his rational mind told him that Luo's Father and Luo's Mother being alive to this day proved their words were not false.
After pondering for a while, Yang Ruying said, "But times have changed. Luo Qingdie's personality is no longer the same."
Luo's Father smiled. "A dog is a dog. No matter how its temperament changes, it cannot stop eating shit. A daughter is a daughter. Change her identity, change her status, change her personality, and she still cannot escape our grasp. Immortal Master, please do not worry too much. Leave it to us with peace of mind. We will handle everything flawlessly."
Yang Ruying's expression shifted between light and dark, his gaze constantly changing, as though he could not make up his mind.