Chương 34: Within Lust, there is regret (Part IV)

Lucian's thoughts moved swiftly as he followed Tai Tai toward the pit once more. While they walked, his mind dissected every fragment of the repeating scene, searching for what he could be missing. If the pit isn't the source of regret, what could it be? Tai Tai talked to him, light and excited as always, but he only waved a hand dismissively, not even registering her words.

"Yes, yes, beautiful." Next, he was taken out of his thoughts as Tai Tai grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Why are you ignoring me, Huang'er?" she asked, her brows furrowed in concern.

"You are acting strange. Are you sick?"

"I'm not," he dismissed.

"Now that we arrived—""You are always mean to me," she interrupted him, clicking her tongue. Lucian's eyes sharpened, giving her his full attention. Then he thought, That kid who blushed and was scared of picking a flower was mean to you? That's not right.

"Hey," he said, staring at her.

"Tell me your name." Tai Tai blinked, genuinely confused.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Did I shake you too hard? Such a weird question!"

"Your full name." Lucian insisted, his gaze narrowing as he observed her reaction.

"If you don't want to, then tell me your age." Tai Tai groaned in annoyance, crossing her arms and stomping one foot on the ground.

"Why are you asking such things? You are being weird, Huang'er!" Lucian let out a faint smile as he thought, I see. Xu Hua does not remember everything clearly. I should have known. A mortal's memory is imperfect, fragmented, unreliable. Even in regret, even in obsession, there are bound to be gaps. Xu Hua's memories wouldn't be much different. He felt the irony was almost amusing. After all, it took him a while to remember how unreliable a mortal's memory could be.

Because of his current weakened state, his memories were also imperfect, and he lacked the means to recover the oldest and more complex ones.

"Talk to me, Huang'er!" Tai Tai shouted when Lucian didn't answer her. But Lucian kept silent, turning his gaze to the edge of the clearing. There, the two robed figures approached once more, their presence creeping into the scene, like impending doom. This time, Lucian did not move. He waited for the two men to approach, one lunging and seizing him, and the other holding Tai Tai.

The little girl struggled under her assailant's grasp, her small hands clawing uselessly at the air until a sharp blow struck her face, silencing her instantly. Lucian, however, remained still even as iron fingers wrapped around his neck, lifting him effortlessly.

"The Young Master of Peacock Mountain is in our hands," one of the faceless men said, his mouth stretching unnaturally as he spoke.

"We are rich!" Lucian's gaze lingered where a face should have been. Unfortunately, there was nothing except a mouth, and all other features were hidden by a mysterious haze. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Let's go," the other said, laughing harshly.

"We must make it look like demonic beasts devoured them! So funny, and poetic! These noble cultivators, killing their own kin, are more demonic than anything else in these woods!" A different darkness descended as a cloth was pulled over Lucian's head. He thought something would change, but after a pluck of a string sounded from outside, the familiar darkness signaling the end of the scene consumed his view.

"Huang'er, come see what I found!" Lucian allowed himself to be pulled by her once again, but this time, a faint smile curved his lips. So that's how it is, he thought. Xu Hua, or Huoxing Huang… His deepest regret isn't about this girl, but about what happened to him. When they reached the pit again, Tai Tai began to turn, ready to repeat the same words, but Lucian quickly stepped ahead and questioned her.

"Point to Peacock Mountain," he said calmly.

"Point to my home." She blinked, caught off guard, her nose wrinkling slightly.

"You want to go back?" she asked.

"It's lesson time! You hate it! That's why you were near the lake!"

"Just point." Tai Tai shrugged, muttering under her breath about his strange behavior, then raised her hand and pointed toward the east. Lucian's eyes followed the direction, memorizing it. She cannot state her full name, yet she can locate the mountain, he thought. Mortals' minds are indeed peculiar. Xu Hua put his home deep in his heart, more than this girl's full name. Next, having formed a clear understanding of the situation, he turned back to her.

"Tai Tai," he said, his tone light.

"Let's play a game." She frowned, giving him a strange look and asked, "What game?"

"Hide and seek." Tai Tai snorted softly, unimpressed. She crossed her arms.

"That is a children's game."

"Entertain me for a moment," Lucian said, taking two steps to the side, his back turning to the east.

"If you win, I will pick those flowers for you."

"How did you know about the flowers?" she asked in surprise. But then, understanding what he said, she smiled excitedly.

"Doesn't matter! You promised, you promised! I will hide—""No, no," he interrupted.

"You go there and count to ten, and I will hide." Lucian pointed to the west. Specifically to the bushes where the robed men had appeared in the previous scenes. Tai Tai agreed without suspicion, nodding to him and hopping toward the bushes, preparing to count. Shortly after she arrived there, the two robed men jumped forward, and one of them grabbed her by the neck.

"Huang'er, run!" she screamed, searching for Lucian with desperate eyes. When she found him, her gaze froze. Huoxing Huang, or rather Lucian, had run away in the opposite direction long before she was caught!

"Don't let him flee!" the man holding Tai Tai shouted, his arms bulging as he threw her into the star lake pit before chasing after Lucian. Meanwhile, Lucian ran through the crimson forest, heading in the direction Tai Tai had pointed earlier. His goal was to get to the Peacock Mountain and escape the robed men! Knowing the exact path was unnecessary. What mattered was following the thread of Xu Hua's memory, and if this was truly the original regret, everything would be solved regardless!

Behind Lucian, the chasers closed the distance quickly. He noticed how they moved with silent steps, avoiding noise during the hot pursuit. The men slipped between trees without breaking branches, clearly afraid of leaving tracks. Perceiving their fear, he screamed, "Help!" The sound made the duo's pace quicken immediately.

"Help me!" Lucian shouted again.

"They want to kill me!"

"Oh no!" one of the men suddenly cried out, and a thunderous roar followed. A wave of heat crashed into Lucian's, a violent force causing him to stumble. He fell and rolled across the ground for three seconds before stabilizing himself and turning around. Behind him, two charred bodies lay near a tree. The grass became ash, and the tree trunks nearby had scorch marks. Lucian's gaze lifted, following the scorched path among the treeline.

Above, perched on a branch, sat a man holding a paper fan painted with a peacock, leisurely watching him. The man's eyes curved in a smile, his expression warm at first glance. Nonetheless, to deceive someone like Lucian, one would need more than fake sympathy. It was clear to him that, beneath that surface, there was nothing but cold animosity.

"Young Master—" the man began to talk, but Lucian didn't wait for him to finish. Standing up, he turned and ran again, pushing forward toward the east. To the Peacock Mountain.

"Help!" Lucian shouted.

"I'm going to die!" Behind him, the warmth on the cultivator's face vanished, replaced by a scowl.

"This brat," he muttered, clicking his tongue.

"Killing you myself will be troublesome, but I don't have much of a choice." With a flick of his hand, Qi gathered in front of him, forming a fireball the size of a human head.

"Blame yourself for being born as that monster's heir," he said, throwing the projectile in Lucian's direction.

"Die." As the word left his lips, a faint sound echoed. It was not from the man's technique, and he did not seem aware of it. The sound was soft and distant, akin to a pluck of a string, coming from Lucian's side.