Chà Chà Novel

The two old men who had been kicked outside scrambled straight back into the array.

They behaved as though another second outside would see them devoured alive by the demons.

“I will not go to the Demon Realm with you. Give up on the idea.”

Lin Huaiqing’s resolute refusal sent a dull ache through even Qin Du’s hardened heart.

In the end, he had overestimated his place in Lin Huaiqing’s heart and underestimated Lin Huaiqing himself.

Once the bitter disappointment passed, Qin Du’s gaze gradually turned cold. Red light flashed in his eyes.

“If we can’t reach an agreement, there’s nothing more to discuss!”

Everyone present could feel his anger.

It looked as though he was about to unleash a massacre.

Beside him, Xiao Sha suddenly smiled.

It seemed he had underestimated his master after all.

His master might be a little lovesick, but he was not entirely hopeless. When it came to matters of real importance, he could still keep his priorities straight.

Once he conquered the cultivation world and became supreme over immortals and demons alike, how could a mere Lin Huaiqing remain beyond his reach?

Demonic energy surged around them—the signal for an attack.

“Junior Brother! Come back!” Chu Xiuyuan shouted.

But Lin Huaiqing stood rooted to the ground.

“You intend to… attack me? Don’t forget, I’m still your master!”

He had allowed Qin Du to go to Bitter Cold Peak, but he had never formally expelled him.

Ultimately, they were still master and disciple.

At those words, Qin Du laughed like a man possessed, despair and desolation woven through the sound.

“Master? Weren’t you the one who ordered the Western Elder to kill me without mercy? Why didn’t you remember you were my master then?!”

“Kill… without mercy?”

When had he ever said that?

“Lin Huaiqing! You’re coming back with me today, whether you like it or not! We’ll settle this debt properly!”

Before he finished speaking, Qin Du appeared in front of him.

Overwhelmed by the towering demonic energy, Lin Huaiqing stumbled back several steps. The next instant, Qin Du seized his waist and pulled him into his arms.

Demonic energy formed a dense cloud of black and purple smoke around them. Choking, Lin Huaiqing hurriedly covered his mouth and nose to keep it from entering his body.

“Are you frightened now, Master?”

“Cough… Qin Du, you’ve… misunderstood…”

Lin Huaiqing wanted to explain that he had never given such an order, but waves of weakness washed over him.

The area he could sense around him shrank steadily. In the end, all he could tell was that someone had lifted him into their arms.

Then he knew nothing more.

“Xiao Sha, withdraw!”

He had the person he wanted. There was no reason to remain.

“Withdraw?! Where to?”

“Back to the Demon Realm!”

“What?!”

Qin Du did not repeat himself. Holding Lin Huaiqing, he teleported straight back to the Demon Realm.

Xiao Sha stood as though struck by lightning.

They were on the verge of victory, and now they were simply abandoning the battle?

“Military Adviser Xiao, are we withdrawing now?” a subordinate asked.

Xiao Sha had nowhere to vent his anger, and someone had just volunteered.

“Withdraw! Don’t you understand the Demon Venerable’s orders? He said withdraw!”

In moments, the mass of demon troops stationed below the Xuantian Sect receded like an ebbing tide.

Lin Huaiqing had no idea how long he slept before his own coughing woke him.

He had accidentally inhaled some demonic energy, and his throat now burned.

He wanted water so badly…

He sat up, only to discover that his spiritual perception no longer worked. Nothing but complete darkness lay before him.

After feeling around for some time, he finally found the edge of the bed and pushed himself up.

“Are you thirsty, Master?”

A cup of warm tea was offered into his hand. Lin Huaiqing accepted it and drank several eager mouthfuls. As the tea soothed his throat, the dryness eased.

“Slowly, Master. There’s more…”

Qin Du turned to pour another cup, but Lin Huaiqing waved it away.

“Where are we?”

“The demon palace.”

“What exactly did you bring me here for? Qin Du, I don’t believe I owe you anything.”

Why did he keep ruining his plans, again and again?

The mission in this world should have been fairly simple. How had Qin Du turned it into such a tangled mess?

“You saved my life, Master. Of course you owe me nothing. But there’s something I don’t understand…”

Someone suddenly gripped Lin Huaiqing’s wrist hard and yanked him forward.

Even without sight, he could feel a burning gaze examining him from head to toe, missing nothing.

“Whether you have a heart at all.”

Lin Huaiqing’s wrist reddened under the pressure, as though Qin Du might snap it at any moment.

But his spiritual energy seemed completely sealed away. He could not use even a trace of it, leaving him powerless to break free.

He could make no sense of Qin Du’s words. The sharp pain in his wrist left him no room to think, and he could only shout angrily.

“Qin Du, have you gone mad?! Let me go!”

“Yes, I have! You should never have sent the Western Elder to kill me! You saved this life anyway. You might as well take it yourself! I promise I wouldn’t resist!”

Seeing that Lin Huaiqing was truly in pain, a fine sheen of sweat covering his forehead, Qin Du released his wrist despite his anger.

“Now that you’re in the demon palace, don’t imagine you can escape. I’ve sealed your spiritual energy. You’d best behave yourself.”

A door closed behind him, and the room fell silent.

Qin Du was gone.

Lin Huaiqing tried moving his aching wrist. It hardly felt like part of his body anymore.

With everything quiet, he could finally think through what Qin Du had said.

Apparently, Qin Du believed he had sent the Western Elder to hunt him down and kill him.

But Lin Huaiqing knew he had never said anything of the sort.

He had pleaded with all four disciplinary elders not to kill Qin Du, asking them merely to bind him and bring him back.

How had that become an order to kill without mercy?

The Western Elder must have been responsible. But Qin Du had killed him years ago, leaving no one who could confront him over the lie.

If Qin Du had spent all these years believing Lin Huaiqing wanted him dead, wasn’t this the perfect opportunity for revenge?

He could simply strike him down as he had the Western Elder. One palm strike, and it would be game over.

Why go to all this trouble, only to seal his spiritual energy and imprison him in the demon palace?

Could Qin Du believe he was no match for Mu Yunting and intend to use Lin Huaiqing as a hostage?

Hmm… That was a good idea! Clever boy.

The protagonist valued personal bonds above all else. Such a threat might genuinely work on him.

Having reached that conclusion, Lin Huaiqing relaxed a little. Since Qin Du did not intend to kill him for now, he should find him and clear up the misunderstanding first.

The room holding him was exceptionally large. After painstakingly following the wall to the door, he discovered it had been locked from outside.

“Is anyone there? Open the door! I want to see your Demon Venerable!”

“Our Demon Venerable has instructed you to reflect on your actions. Once you understand why he is angry, he will come to see you.”