The events in Autumn Wind City had come to an end.
As if following the script, Lin Xuan had gained a great deal of prestige.
Although the explosion on the battlefield had attracted a lot of attention, no one knew who was responsible, so it was impossible to build any reputation around it. People could only marvel at how powerful the explosion was, but there was no substantial discussion.
The hype simply couldn't be sustained.
But Lin Xuan was different. He was the first to charge into battle.
He slaughtered his way through the hordes of demonic beasts, his performance far surpassing that of his peers. In fact, aside from the city lord, Su Chengkong, he was the most formidable.
He had also requested reinforcements from the Seven Stars Sword Sect. Although they only arrived to mop up the aftermath, the presence of so many experts brought a great sense of security.
Everything he did was visible for all to see.
How could people not be grateful to him?
As for Su Luo?
After finishing her role as Nan Gongxi, Su Luo headed home to complete the farewells she had left unfinished.
She bid farewell to Autumn Wind City.
She bid farewell to her father.
Li Siyi had also spoken to her when the war ended, saying that she would return to the sect first due to her tarnished reputation.
She didn’t say much else, only reminding Su Luo to be careful on the road.
Finally, the only one left to bid farewell to was Little Yu.
Little Yu was currently recovering from her injuries at Su Luo’s home.
Su Luo knocked on the door.
"It’s me. May I come in?"
"Mm."
Little Yu responded, and Su Luo entered the room.
Little Yu was lying in bed. Her injuries weren’t too severe, but she had overexerted herself.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better."
"Don’t push yourself. I can tell."
"...I’m not."
Little Yu denied it, but Su Luo didn’t press further.
Su Luo understood that Little Yu had truly lived up to her words: "Just wait and see, I’ll help you kill more demonic beasts."
"I came to tell you that I’ll be returning to the sect first."
"Why?"
"You should pay more attention to your surroundings. Right now, I’m being scorned by everyone."
"I’ll go argue with them." Little Yu reached for the sword beside her.
Su Luo immediately pushed her back down.
"You’re being a bit extreme."
"But they shouldn’t speak ill of you, Su Luo."
"It’s not their fault. Just understand that I’m doing this intentionally. It’s what I deserve."
"I know, but I still can’t help feeling angry."
In truth, Little Yu had noticed before that Su Luo sometimes did inexplicable things that made her look bad in the eyes of others.
She had seen it many times and had a vague idea that Su Luo had her own reasons.
But she couldn’t help feeling angry on Su Luo’s behalf.
Su Luo looked at Little Yu and, hearing her response, found herself at a loss for words.
Yes, she had only saved Little Yu by chance, yet Little Yu trusted her unconditionally. Even when Su Luo was doing something wrong, Little Yu still stood up for her.
What immense trust that was.
But wasn’t it cruel to Little Yu to have that trust go unreciprocated?
It shouldn’t be like this.
Su Luo extended a finger.
"Little Yu, watch closely."
A small explosion erupted from Su Luo’s finger.
Because it was a system-generated explosion, the effects were quite impressive, with a rainbow of colors, making it highly recognizable.
"Su Luo, it was you!" Little Yu immediately recognized it as the explosion from the battlefield.
"It was me. I didn’t want to tell anyone, but Little Yu, you’re the exception."
"Really?" Little Yu’s face lit up with a smile.
"I’m telling you this so you know I have my own goals and my own strength. You don’t need to worry too much about me. In the future, if I do something foolish again, you don’t need to stand up for me. I have my reasons."
"So this is our secret?"
That’s not the point. You’re missing the main idea.
"I’m saying you don’t need to go out of your way to offend others for my sake. I’ll only get more reckless in the future."
"Mm-hmm."
Su Luo pinched Little Yu’s cheeks on both sides and tugged lightly. "Don’t just brush me off."
"Hehe (〃'▽'〃)."
Su Luo: "..."
After emphasizing it multiple times, Little Yu finally seemed to understand. Probably.
Everything that needed to be said had been said.
But then, Su Chengkong arrived. He had heard from the servants that Su Luo had gone to see Little Yu, so he came to check on them.
"Son, you’re still here? You made such a big speech earlier, don’t tell me you were just teasing me."
"I’m leaving now." Su Luo turned to Little Yu. "That’s it for now. I’m heading out. Once you’ve recovered, return to the sect with the others."
Little Yu grabbed the hem of Su Luo’s robe. "I’ll go back with you."
"This is non-negotiable."
"Su Luo..."
"No use. I’m leaving. It’s not like we won’t see each other at the sect."
Su Chengkong looked at Su Luo, then at Little Yu, and suddenly pretended to be angry.
"Son, our Su family doesn’t support freeloaders. Little Yu is in no condition to be of any use. She’s just wasting our resources. Take her with you."
"Father, stop joking around. Little Yu doesn’t understand, but you should."
"What’s wrong, Little Yu? Are your injuries serious?" Su Chengkong asked Little Yu.
"Not at all!" Little Yu stood up from the bed and answered loudly.
"See? She’s fine. What’s your problem?"
Her injuries weren’t severe, but she should still be resting.
"This is non-negotiable."
"Take her with you. That’s an order from your father."
"I won’t listen."
"Ungrateful child!"
"Joke’s on you. Since when have I ever been filial?"
And yet, outside Autumn Wind City, Su Luo was carrying Little Yu on her back.
"I can’t win against you two. Let’s go."
"Mm."
Little Yu knew that Su Luo could have left directly without worrying about them.
But Little Yu also knew that Su Luo had her tender moments.
......
Time passed little by little.
Lin Xuan and the others had also recovered from their injuries and began their journey back to the Seven Stars Sword Sect.
Along the way, they heard their fellow disciples speaking disdainfully of Su Luo, wanting to report her and have her expelled from the sect.
Lin Xuan wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what to say. In the end, he remained silent.
Su Luo had succeeded in tarnishing her reputation, making it as bad as those of the demonic path.
But was it really worth it?
To even abandon her own family—how was that any different from the ideology of the demonic path?
Lin Xuan was confused about Su Luo. He couldn’t understand why she would go to such lengths.
Was it really necessary to infiltrate the demonic path to this extent?
Lin Xuan didn’t get it.
He had asked Elder Yan about it.
Even Elder Yan couldn’t come to a conclusion. Despite having seen countless people in his life, he had never encountered someone as contradictory as Su Luo.
In fact, the more they discussed it, the more Elder Yan felt that Su Luo was simply foolish and lucky, not someone who truly intended to infiltrate the demonic path.
But Lin Xuan still believed that Su Luo could be trusted.
Lin Xuan sighed, unsure of who to share his frustrations with.
......
Su Luo and Little Yu took their time on the road, in no hurry at all.
After some time, they finally returned to the sect.
Calculating the time, there was still plenty of it. Lin Xuan and the others hadn’t arrived at the sect yet, and it would take time for the reports to be processed and for the situation to escalate.
In short, there was no rush.
But Su Luo could start writing her diary now. She opened her diary and began to write.