Chapter Twenty-Five: The Death of Ruoxue's Parents (Another update tonight)

"Where are your parents?" Tang Yi asked from behind Hua Ruoxue.

"There, right in front of that stall, buying something," Hua Ruoxue pointed to where her parents were.

"Ruoxue, don't run around, be careful..." Hua Ruoxue's father saw little Ruoxue running on the street and suddenly stumbling.

"Ruoxue, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself? Let me see!" Her parents hurried to her side and helped her up.

"Father, Mother, I'm fine," little Ruoxue said with a cheerful smile. "But my candied hawthorn is dirty now."

"Good girl, if your candied hawthorn is dirty, then we won't keep it. I'll buy you another one," Hua Ruoxue's mother said, brushing the dust from her daughter's clothes. She then took her to buy another skewer of candied hawthorn. The family of three went home together.

"I say, Ruoxue, were you always this well-behaved as a child?" Tang Yi teased. But Hua Ruoxue didn't respond, as if she hadn't heard him at all. Tang Yi sensed something was wrong. He pressed her shoulders and turned her to face him.

"Ruoxue, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Don't cry, don't cry. If someone sees, they'll think I'm bullying you. Come now..." Tang Yi saw tears streaked across Hua Ruoxue's face, still streaming from her eyes.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, Tang brother. It's just that I haven't seen my parents in so long. I'm a little too happy," Hua Ruoxue wiped her tears as she spoke.

"Alright, alright, no more tears. Let's find a place to stay for now. It's getting dark," Tang Yi comforted her while helping her wipe her tears.

Across the street from Hua Ruoxue's home, there was a small inn. Tang Yi and Hua Ruoxue took two rooms and settled in. In Tang Yi's room, he and Hua Ruoxue were eating together, chatting and laughing. Meanwhile, in the Hua household, the faces of Ruoxue's parents—Hua Liwan and Qin Dongxiu—were clouded with worry.

"Wan brother, what should we do now?" Qin Dongxiu's brow was furrowed tightly.

"Sigh, debts must be repaid, after all. At worst, we pay with our lives to satisfy Brother Chu," Hua Liwan patted Qin Dongxiu's hands, which were clutching his arm.

"Our deaths don't matter, but what about Ruoxue? She's only eight. How can we leave her all alone?" Qin Dongxiu's voice began to tremble with tears.

"Sigh, maybe tomorrow we should send Ruoxue to her grandmother's place first. I think she's a clever child, likely to have a spiritual root. Coincidentally, this year the Hundred Flowers Sword Sect is once again selecting children with spiritual roots for the cultivation world. If her grandmother helps arrange it, Ruoxue might be chosen. Only if Ruoxue is selected and goes to cultivate, then the problems will all be solved—cultivators often train for decades or centuries. By then, everything will be resolved," Hua Liwan suggested. But if Ruoxue went to cultivate, she would be heartbroken over her parents.

Yet fate rarely aligns with wishes. That night, in the dead of night, the "Brother Chu" Hua Liwan spoke of arrived at the Hua residence. In that clear, star-scattered night, all was silent. On the rooftop of the Hua residence, Hua Liwan and his wife faced a man with wild hair and a giant sword strapped to his back. His hair was streaked with black and white, fluttering in the cold night wind, and his face was marked with crisscross scars. Under the pale moonlight, he looked sinister and terrifying.

"Brother Chu, visiting so late, perhaps we should go inside and have a drink," Hua Liwan addressed the man.

"Hmph. Chu Tianwei has no brother like you. I've come tonight to settle our feud, not to drink and reminisce. Both of you, make your move," Chu Tianwei replied disdainfully.

"Tianwei, it was our fault back then, but it was only an accident," Qin Dongxiu tried to explain.

"Don't call me that. The moment Ai Ya and her unborn child died slowly in my arms, all ties between us were severed. Now, all that's left is the debt of two lives," Chu Tianwei's eyes began to redden as he spoke.

"Brother Chu, I know, because of us, an irreparable mistake was made. Ten years have passed. Since you're here tonight, there's no need for you to act—I will offer my life, and my wife's, to you, to console Ai Ya and my nephew," Hua Liwan said, drawing his sword to end his own life.

"Wan brother, don't!" Qin Dongxiu tried to stop him, but Hua Liwan was quicker. As the sharp blade was only 0.01 centimeters from his neck, and Qin Dongxiu's hand was still twenty centimeters away from his sword hand, it seemed too late. Yet in that moment, everything froze—including the silvery moonlight.

"Should I save her parents or not? Would it be too selfish not to? If I save them, will I lose Ruoxue?" Tang Yi appeared on the rooftop of the Hua residence, struggling within himself over whether to save Ruoxue's parents. He hadn't fallen asleep, but lay in bed using his superpower to monitor the Hua residence. Whether by luck or fate, he stumbled upon this pivotal event.

"Forget it, I can't just watch them die. As for Ruoxue, let things take their course," Tang Yi murmured. He moved the sword away from Hua Liwan's neck, pulled Qin Dongxiu's hand to the hilt, and slipped away, restoring time.

Qin Dongxiu slapped the sword from Hua Liwan's hand. Though both felt something strange had just happened, at least Hua Liwan hadn't succeeded in his attempt. What happened next caught everyone off guard, including Tang Yi.

"Don't act for my sake in front of me. Don't think this will make me forgive you—" Chu Tianwei stopped mid-sentence, for he saw blood pouring from Hua Liwan's lips, his face ghastly pale in the moonlight.

"Wan brother, what's wrong?" Qin Dongxiu noticed something amiss.

"Cough, cough, I just took poison. I suddenly feel so light—ten years, I've never felt so relieved. Cough, cough, now I only worry about you and Ruoxue. Cough, cough. Brother Chu, I repay what I owe you now, but please don't dwell on it anymore. You can start your new life. Cough..." Hua Liwan struggled to speak.

"Wan brother, why did you do this? How can you abandon Ruoxue and me? You can't, you can't," Qin Dongxiu wept.

"Hahaha... Hua Liwan, do you think your death is enough? No, it's not. You owe Chu Tianwei two lives! Make your move, I want to take them myself," Chu Tianwei suddenly went mad.

"Hahaha... If Wan brother's life isn't enough, then I'll repay you with mine as well," Qin Dongxiu, seeing Hua Liwan had stopped breathing, lost hope and, drawing her dagger, stabbed it into her own heart with both hands.