CH 217

Chapter 217 – Luo River System

The surging tides of the river roared rapidly along. The waves crashed upon themselves like an avalanche, forming massive eddies that swirled and smashed heavily against the rocks. Frothy white foam sprayed up in its wake, returning to the river system.

The Luo River, while referred to as a ‘river’, was more like a sea, boundless and vast.

“Junior Martial Brother Ma,” Chu Luo called out, sounding a bit lost as he looked out over the watery expanse that stretched on as far as their eyes could see.

The Luo River was not only the border of the Anxi Province, but it was also the very edge of the territory under the Shangqing Sacred Sect’s jurisdiction, dividing the Shan Mountain Territory and the Quicksand Earth Territory.

There were countless monsters dwelling in the Luo River System. Even though the Anxi Province was a border Province of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, it was unquestionably still a land under their jurisdiction, so there were practically no monsters in the Luo River System that dared to trespass into their territory.

Ma Chen was looking out over the Anxi provincial city, eyeing the soldiers who were overseeing the civilians harvesting Icy Silkworm Illusion Essence. When he heard Chu Luo’s words, he replied dubiously, “What is it, Senior Martial Brother Chu?”

Chu Luo stared into the raging currents of the Luo River and sighed. “Do you also get the feeling that after Senior Martial Brother Xu became a Sacred Son, despite being more dignified and profound, he seems a little less softhearted?”

“Huh?” Ma Chen blurted out, not expecting Chu Luo’s words. For a while, he wasn’t sure how to respond.

Regardless of whether it was before he became a Sacred Son, or how lofty and elevated his status was now, Xu Disheng wasn’t someone that Ma Chen was able to truly get closer to. As a result, he didn’t have any such perception towards him.

Chu Luo had grown up in the Chu Territory. He was raised in a royal household, but he still had a soft spot somewhere deep in his heart.

Looking back on the matter several years earlier when Ming Ruoyun and He Rourou had violated sect rules, Chu Luo still had difficulty agreeing with Xu Disheng’s cruel, unfeeling way of handling it.

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In his heart, he felt that Senior Martial Sister Ming had a kind-hearted nature, and was a woman as delicate as a flower and refined as jade. But because she had tried to stop Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen from committing the brutal atrocities, she had died a tragic death. Right before her passing, she had been humiliated by the vile He Qiwen. The frustration and unwillingness in her heart at that time must have been unimaginable!

In the last few years, Chu Luo thought back to this matter so many times he couldn’t even count. And each time, he regretted inwardly that he didn’t take action himself to stop He Qiwen from humiliating her, and he blamed himself heavily for it!

Chu Luo was fond of women and was fickle at heart, but he didn’t think he could ever do what Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen had done. They had casually raped and defiled women, then slaughtered them and massacred their entire families in utterly heartless fashion.

Chu Luo didn’t even dare to entertain the possibility of being able to save the lives of the two women back then. The entire sequence of events back then was still vivid in his mind even now. He still remembered the cold gaze of the youth, clad in the Golden Moon Garment, looking down at them quietly from the towering head of the suanni spiritual beast.

Chu Luo was absolutely certain that if he had dared to speak up and plead their case to Xu Disheng, he would have met the same fate as the women in the end.

But ever since that occurrence, a kind of mental barrier towards Xu Disheng had been erected in Chu Luo’s mind. He was even more resentful of Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen, and thoughts of leaving Cloud Abyss Peak were even starting to surface in his mind.

“Ma Chen, would you still choose to follow me if I left Cloud Abyss Peak?” Chu Luo suddenly, idly channeling some profound qi to grab an orb of foamy river spume. It floated above his hands, where he began to play around with it, altering its form into an incessantly changing sequence of shapes and forms.

Ma Chen glanced over at him, bewildered. He couldn’t grasp the meaning behind Chu Luo’s words, but in the end, he probed, “Why would you do that, Senior Martial Brother Chu? Soul Suppressor Sacred Son treats disciples like us very well. The share of cultivation resources he gives us is higher than that of other Mountain Peaks by nearly 20-30%, and there are many vacant intermediary disciple and Deacon positions. If you chose to leave Cloud Abyss Peak, you would only be bringing yourself harm. There really wouldn’t be any benefits whatsoever, you know?”

Chu Luo understood what Ma Chen was implying, causing his heart to turn even more restless. He let the ball of river foam dissipate and said, “I may not be a good person myself, but even with my barely adequate level of understanding and common sense, I know that Senior Martial Brother Xu, with his status as Sacred Son, could have easily let Ming Rouyun and He Rourou live, especially with how remote and isolated this Province is!”

After finally speaking his mind, Chu Luo felt the burden on his heart ease up a bit. There were many nasty characters in the Anxi Province with them. Not only was there Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen, but there was also Yuan Qi, as well as Li Zhao and the others who had subordinated themselves to him. Because of that, he never dared to say what he truly thought.

The two of them had been sent to retrieve Icy Silkworm Illusion Essence, and that was why they were now standing here, watching over the torrential current of the Luo River. At this moment, Chu Luo finally voiced his true thoughts, the troubling feelings that he had been keeping bottled up in his heart for the last few years.

Ma Chen’s expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly looked around them. Only after seeing that there was no one else around aside from the martial artists and commoners off in the distance did he finally settle down a bit. “Please watch your words, Senior Martial Brother Chu! What if the Sacred Son hears you?!” Ma Chen hissed.

“I was only speaking the truth. Why are you so frightened?” Chu Luo replied, his gaze filling with disappointment as he stared at Ma Chen. “Was what I said wrong? The status of Sacred Son comes with many special privileges. Even after Senior Martial Brother Xu committed such a serious crime in the Zhao Realm, he still emerged safe and sound in the end. In a place as remote as the Anxi Province, someone of his status and strength would have only needed to casually lift a finger and he would have been able to save Ming Ruoyun and He Rourou. What reasons would he even need to give?”

Ma Chen’s face shuffled through a series of expressions, stopping when he noticed the indescribable look in Chu Luo’s gaze. In the end, he said, “Senior Martial Brother Chu, are you perhaps not feeling well today? How about we go back a little early after collecting the Icy Silkworm Illusion Essence within these 10 li?”

Chu Luo shook his head, deciding to stick to the feelings in his heart. “Several years later, when this post is concluded and we return to the sect, I will inform the Sacred Son that I will leave Cloud Abyss Peak and return to Morning Dew Peak.”

In the past, Chu Luo would always call Xu Disheng ‘Senior Martial Brother Xu’ when talking about him with others in private conversations, showing their closeness due to their shared roots in the Chu Territory.

However, with the way that he now called him ‘Sacred Son’, it was plain to see how complicated he now felt towards him.

But he didn’t notice that as Ma Chen was looking upon him at this moment, his gaze was becoming more and more distant and unfamiliar, as if he was looking at a stranger.

“You and the Sacred Son both came from the Chu Territory, and in these past few years, we have really received a lot of favors from him. The high-grade Spirit Tools and the hundreds upon thousands of spirit stones in our storage pouches are all from him. You better not be mistaken!”

Ma Chen had followed Chu Luo for quite a long time now, otherwise he wouldn’t have even bothered to make this one last attempt to persuade him.

Chu Luo looked down, reflecting on what he owned. His several Spirit Tools were all high-grade ranked items, and they all came from Cloud Abyss Peak. He gave a wistful smile and said, “I may be greatly indebted to the Sacred Son, and I might never be able to pay him back. But in the end, I can’t bring myself to agree with his methods.”

Chu Luo turned to look off into the surging tides of the Luo River. A hint of subtle emotion entered his voice as he spoke. “I never considered myself a good person by any means, but I have never seen someone with as indifferent a temperament as Soul Suppressor Sacred Son. Senior Martial Sister Ming… She easily could have been allowed to live!”