After leaving the Transmission Hall, Lu Chengfeng returned directly to Bixiao Peak. The gifts he had received had not yet been completely absorbed, and his strength still had tremendous room for improvement.
In this situation, going into seclusion to train diligently was the right path.
Upon returning to Bixiao Peak, the first person he saw was his little junior sister, Zhao Ling'Er. The sixteen-year-old junior sister wore a red, waist-fastened dress with small boots, her skin snow-white, her appearance delicate, but her face no longer bore the once-spoiled and mischievous expression.
She used to be Zhao Changzhen's treasured pearl, the little junior sister cherished by all the disciples of Bixiao Peak, but now, with Zhao Changzhen's sudden accident, consecutive changes happened, making her seem to grow up overnight.
"Senior brother, I have something to say to you."
Lu Chengfeng noticed her eyes were bloodshot, her usually meticulous hair was a bit disheveled, clearly she hadn't slept all night, and his heart couldn't help but feel some pity.
In the past, Zhao Changzhen often went out. When he joined the sect, Zhao Ling'Er was only seven or eight years old. The two could be considered childhood sweethearts, growing up together.
He matured early as a child and had a steady temperament. When Zhao Changzhen was not around, Zhao Ling'Er often relied on him to take care, and over time, their feelings grew ever deeper.
Lu Chengfeng always thought that he treated Zhao Ling'Er as both a father and a brother, taking good care of her. However, on the day Luo Suyi got married, the little junior sister seemed to have drunk too much and suddenly pulled him aside and said, "Senior brother, would I look just as beautiful if we get married and I wear the bridal dress?"
Lu Chengfeng was momentarily stunned, but before he could answer, an incident occurred on the mountain. Someone barged into the bridal chamber and brutally killed Zhao Changzhen.
Bixiao Peak fell into chaos, and everything changed!
Even though it hadn't been long since that day, it seemed as if everything had changed, people and things were different, and even Lu Chengfeng had already gotten married.
Looking at Zhao Ling'Er, Lu Chengfeng felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, opened his mouth, and in a slightly hoarse voice said, "Little junior sister… you…"
Zhao Ling'Er, however, without saying a word, started walking into the forest, and Lu Chengfeng sighed, only able to silently follow. Before long, they arrived at a lush bamboo forest.
Zhao Ling'Er navigated skillfully to the depths of the bamboo forest, where there stood a small hut made of bamboo, looking somewhat crooked and on the verge of collapse.
"Senior brother, do you remember? This is the little hut the two of us built together." Zhao Ling'Er spoke with her back to Lu Chengfeng, continuing before he could respond, "I had thought since then that I would live with senior brother, never to be apart."
"But… it can never be…"
"Father is gone, and I never thought, senior brother, that you would abandon me and leave too…"
Lu Chengfeng sighed, "Little junior sister, I would never abandon you."
"But everything is different from before, isn't it?" Zhao Ling'Er's tone was calm, "Don't worry, senior brother, I won't cling on to you."
"I just don't understand why you were in such a hurry to marry eldest senior sister?"
"Do you really like her that much? Or do you just dislike me, senior brother?"
For a moment, Lu Chengfeng didn't know what to say, feeling a deep bitterness. The gift from the widow was his most fundamental secret, never to be disclosed to anyone, not even the closest person.
The main reason he married Luo Suyi was naturally because of this, but these reasons were not for outsiders to know, so to others, it seemed as if he hastily married Luo Suyi.
Lu Chengfeng remained silent, suddenly remembering the day his little junior sister drank and her white, charming face flushed with red, tilting slightly, looking so charming at him, "Senior brother, would I look just as beautiful if we get married and I wear the bridal dress?"
Clearly, it was not long ago, yet he felt as if it were a lifetime ago; people and things are different, rendering him melancholy.
"Little junior sister, I will always be your senior brother!"
As he said this, Zhao Ling'Er's body trembled slightly, with her back still turned to Lu Chengfeng, tears had long unknowingly filled her face.
"Yes, senior brother, I know."
"I asked you here today to tell you that I am leaving, leaving Bixiao Peak."
Lu Chengfeng's expression changed. After Zhao Changzhen's death, chaos ensued on Bixiao Peak. To quickly enhance his strength, he swiftly married Luo Suyi.
But towards Zhao Ling'Er… he couldn't help but feel guilt and remorse because he could never forget the charming way his little junior sister tilted her head to look at him, nor the years of shared experiences the two had grown up with as childhood sweethearts.
If Zhao Changzhen hadn't had an accident, perhaps everything would have been different!
"Junior sister, where are you going?" Lu Chengfeng felt a sense of stuffiness in his heart, an unexplainable oppression.
Without turning her head, Zhao Ling'Er said, "I plan to go to Rakshasa Peak and take Elder Jade Rakshasa as my master."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chengfeng couldn't help but be stunned. Among the many outer peaks, Rakshasa Peak could definitely rank in the top three. Elder Jade Rakshasa, it was said, had been heartbroken over love in her early years and deeply resented unfaithful people, mastering the Bright Moon Duanchang Saber profoundly, reputedly rivaling Inner Peak Elders, incredibly formidable.
If little junior sister could take this person as a master, not only would she gain protection from a high-ranking person, but her status and prospects would be no less than that of an Inner Peak True Inheritance.
Given the current precarious situation of Bixiao Peak, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Even knowing this, Lu Chengfeng still felt an unexplainable bleakness, only forcing a smile and saying, "When did little junior sister connect with Rakshasa Peak?"
Zhao Ling'Er slightly raised her head, a crystal-clear teardrop sliding down her cheek, but she feigned a relaxed tone, "Senior brother, you don't know, right? Elder Jade Rakshasa came to Bixiao Peak three years ago, intending to take me as a disciple."
"She said my physique suited her Inner Cultivation Heart Method, and, given my destiny filled with emotional tribulations, it was better to follow her to Rakshasa Peak for an early peace."
"At that time, I naturally refused, but now I have to swallow my pride and enter her gate."
Lu Chengfeng couldn't help but blurt out, "Since you didn't choose to leave then, why not stay now?"
Zhao Ling'Er turned around to face Lu Chengfeng, a bright smile suddenly blooming on her tear-stained face, "Because senior brother is no longer mine, and this place is no longer my home."
"Senior brother, I'm leaving, take care!"
She smiled as she walked past Lu Chengfeng, a tear sliding down her cheek, falling onto his sleeve.
As they brushed past each other, Lu Chengfeng's hand moved, yet ultimately only remained stiffly in place. He had no reason to lead Zhao Ling'Er to stay.
Instead of letting her stay in this heartbreaking place of Bixiao Peak, it's better to go to Rakshasa Peak, which is the best path and result.
After an unknown time, Lu Chengfeng suddenly turned around, Zhao Ling'Er's figure had long disappeared. He stretched out his hand, only feeling a sense of loss.
Lingering for a moment, he stepped slowly into the small bamboo hut, where a simple stone table held a bamboo dragonfly.
Originally, it should have been a pair.
A sudden realization hit him; the little junior sister had taken one bamboo dragonfly, bringing a bittersweet sense of joy, inexplicable even to himself.
Carefully storing this bamboo dragonfly, he stepped out of the bamboo hut, suddenly drawing his sword. With a clang, sword light flared up.
Feeling uneasy and not wanting to see anyone else, he started practicing his sword in the bamboo forest.
The sword light danced, bamboo leaves fluttered; Zhao Changzhen's gift began to be rapidly absorbed.