Script of Reincarnation

The wind chimes continued to ring beneath the increasingly violent wind.

Outside the courtyard, dark clouds had already mostly covered the sky as a few drops of rain began falling.

Lu Yang was still sitting beside Bai Qinglan, his hand resting gently against her hair.

He didn’t speak, and neither did Lu Tianhe, Lu Qingyu, or Fang Jinxing.

Several hours passed like this, the rain transforming into a steady drizzle.

At that moment, footsteps suddenly came from outside.

Lu Tianhe slowly lifted his gaze as a figure appeared at the entrance.

It was Lu Yuanfeng, the current Family Head of the Lu Family. But right now, he looked somewhat uneasy.

The moment he arrived outside the room, he sensed the atmosphere within.

He didn’t need to ask, already understanding that something had happened.

His gaze briefly fell upon Lu Tianhe, who had walked outside before he slowly spoke.

"Father."

Lu Tianhe looked at him, "What is it?"

Lu Yuanfeng hesitated for a moment before answering.

"News has arrived."

His voice was low but incomparably solemn.

"The Azure Spirit Sect and their allies are heading towards Canglan Prefecture."

Lu Tianhe’s expression immediately became serious.

"How many?"

"There are over a thousand Spirit Awakening cultivators and more than five Essence Gathering cultivators."

Lu Tianhe’s heart sank at these words.

"More than five..."

He immediately remembered Lu Yang’s conversation with that True Martial Sect senior from earlier.

The Azure Spirit Sect and several other factions had already submitted to the Misty Cloud Sect.

Their alliance was no longer hidden, and they were now openly moving against the True Martial Sect.

But there was something else he wanted to confirm.

"Who is leading them?"

Lu Yuanfeng’s expression became complicated as he answered.

"The Azure Spirit Sect’s Sect Master and Grand Elder are the leading cultivators among the Essence Gathering powerhouses."

Lu Tianhe’s pupils constricted, "Both of them? Are you sure?"

Lu Yuanfeng nodded, understanding why his father was so surprised. Even he was shocked when he learned the news.

"According to the information we’ve received, neither of them remained behind to guard the mountain gates of the sect. Right now, not a single Essence Gathering cultivator is stationed in the Azure Spirit Sect."

Lu Tianhe’s expression became extremely ugly.

This was too abnormal.

Even if the Azure Spirit Sect had completely submitted to the Misty Cloud Sect, it was still impossible for a sect of their size to casually abandon their mountain gate, even if only temporarily, just to curry favor.

Unless, of course, their objective was important enough to justify it.

Lu Tianhe’s gaze slowly shifted towards Lu Qingyu, who had also walked out of the room.

The same thought appeared in both their minds.

The Azure Moon Spirit Water Technique!

Destroying the True Martial Sect was indeed their original goal, and conveniently, they could also destroy the Lu Family and take away the Azure Moon Spirit Water Technique on the way!

Both of them were coming probably to verify the authenticity of the cultivation technique.

After all, the one who obtained the news of the cultivation technique was a disciple of the Grand Elder, and the most accurate judgement about the technique should belong to the successive Sect Masters.

This way, it wasn’t strange for both of them to be coming.

Lu Tianhe’s expression was extremely grim.

"How long do we have left?

"Less than a day." Lu Yuanfeng lowered his voice.

"They set off quite a while ago and should arrive within twenty-four hours."

The courtyard fell silent again at his words.

Just then, a calm voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Lu Tianhe, Lu Qingyu, and Lu Yuanfeng all turned and entered the room.

Lu Yuanfeng’s gaze immediately landed upon Bai Qinglan, shock evident on his face as he hurriedly lowered his head. There was a trace of sorrow within his eyes.

He had always respected Lu Yang, the Supreme Elder of the Lu Family.

To lose both his daughter and wife in such a short period of time... Lu Yuanfeng truly did not know what words could possibly comfort him.

Lu Yang finally spoke without raising his head, his voice hoarse.

"In my cultivation chamber, there is a jade box. Inside is the Qi Transformation Heart-Protecting Pill."

Lu Tianhe and Lu Qingyu’s expressions changed simultaneously.

Lu Qingyu immediately called out.

"Lu Yang..."

Lu Yang calmly continued.

"Take it and bring it with you."

Lu Qingyu stared at him for a few seconds.

"Why?"

Lu Yang answered calmly.

"You need it more than I do now."

Lu Qingyu’s eyes widened slightly.

"What are you talking about?"

Lu Yang finally raised his head, his gaze calm.

"Take the clan and leave."

Lu Qingyu’s expression changed drastically.

"No!"

Her voice was immediate, carrying a sense if urgency.

"We’ve already discussed this. The younger generation will leave, and the older generation will stay behind to cover for them."

Lu Yang shook his head.

"The journey ahead will be extremely dangerous; leaving Wuyuan Province is only the beginning. Going north means crossing several regions, and eventually, you may even have to leave Great Qian. Having a late stage Spirit Awakening cultivator and not having one will make a massive difference in such a situation."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"The True Martial Sect’s disciples should have already left. Don’t travel with them. Divide the clan into several groups and use different identities. Don’t let anyone know where you are from, even better if you disguise yourselves as mortals."

Lu Qingyu clenched her fists.

"You expect us to abandon you?"

Lu Yang looked at her, his voice calm to the extreme.

"The Lu Family cannot remain here. If you stay, everyone will die."

Lu Qingyu’s eyes reddened slightly.

"What about you?"

Lu Yang remained silent.

Lu Tianhe stared at him as well.

"What are you going to do?"

Lu Yang didn’t answer immediately.

After several breaths of time, he finally spoke.

"There are still some things I must do."

Lu Tianhe understood, letting out a sigh.

"We’ve already discussed this. The younger generation will leave, and the older generation will stay behind."

He shook his head slightly before saying.

"I’ll stay."

Lu Yang’s slowly looked up at him, staring straight into his eyes, but Lu Tianhe didn’t back down either, continuing firmly.

"It is fine for Qingyu to leave with them, but I won’t."

Lu Yang stared at him for a long time.

Neither of them spoke again.

Eventually, Lu Yang lowered his gaze towards Bai Qinglan once more, not arguing.

He knew Lu Tianhe just as much as the other party knew him. They had been rivals in their youth, after all.

Since he had already decided, then so be it.

Lu Qingyu’s eyes became redder, her knuckles turning white from how tightly she clenched her fists.

But even then, she understood that this was perhaps the only choice left.

She turned around slowly, "I’ll get the pill."

Not long afterward, Lu Qingyu returned with a jade box and placed it in Lu Yang’s hand.

He opened it to check as a faint medicinal fragrance spread through the room instantly.

Inside was the Qi Transformation Heart-Protecting Pill, the pill that could potentially allow a peak Ninth Stage Spirit Awakening cultivator to break through to the Essence Gathering Realm.

It was also the pill his daughter had gotten for him.

Lu Yang stared at it for a long time before closing the jade box.

"In the future..."

His voice was quiet as he spoke.

"If a genius with sufficient talent appears within the clan... give this to them."

Lu Tianhe’s expression changed slightly.

Lu Yang continued.

"Don’t waste it. Change your identities and live cautiously for several generations until the matter is completely forgotten."

Lu Qingyu slowly nodded, her eyes still slightly red, understanding that this might be their last conversation.

Lu Yang then looked at Fang Jinxing.

"You."

Fang Jinxing immediately raised his head.

"Uncle Lu."

"Go back to Wuyuan Provincial Capital." Lu Yang spoke calmly.

Fang Jinxing’s pupils trembled.

"Uncle..."

Lu Yang’s voice became colder.

"Go back. You’re connected to the Imperial Family. The Misty Cloud Sect may be powerful, but they will still have to consider the consequences before touching you."

Fang Jinxing clenched his teeth.

"But..."

Lu Yang looked directly at him.

"Go."

His gaze was calm as he continued.

"You should still have a chance to ask your grandfather to intervene."

Fang Jinxing’s eyes trembled.

He understood what Lu Yang meant, but Fang Jinxing didn’t want to leave.

He wanted to stay and avenge his childhood friend.

Yet, Lu Yang’s voice left no room for refusal.

"Go."

Fang Jinxing lowered his head, his fists tightening.

After a long silence, he bowed deeply.

"Uncle Lu..."

He swallowed before speaking.

"Take care."

Lu Yang nodded.

Fang Jinxing turned around and walked out of the courtyard, his footsteps gradually becoming distant.

Lu Tianhe watched him leave before he turned to look at Lu Yang.

Understanding that he needed time for himself, he didn’t say anything more and walked out of the room.

Lu Qingyu followed soon afterward.

Lu Yuanfeng also departed to organize the evacuation.

Soon, the courtyard became empty, leaving Lu Yang behind with Bai Qinglan alone.

...

A whole day had passed, but Lu Yang didn’t move from his spot, sitting beside Bai Qinglan.

By now, the last traces of warmth had completely disappeared from her body, but Lu Yang didn’t seem to notice, or perhaps he had noticed long ago. He simply didn’t care.

A Spirit Awakening cultivator, no matter how powerful, was ultimately still a mortal.

A Spirit Awakening cultivator could normally live to around one hundred and twenty years, but Bai Qinglan hadn’t even reached a hundred years of age.

Her Dao Heart had shattered, and her will to live had disappeared.

Had it been a young or even middle aged cultivator, they wouldn’t have died directly after the collapse of their Dao Heart.

But because Bai Qinglan was already approaching the twilight of her life... her body simply couldn’t withstand the shock brought to her by Lu Qingxue’s death.

Cultivation at the Spirit Awakening Realm couldn’t improve the state of mind much, and the mental resilience of a cultivator at this level was usually not much better than a mortal.

Had she been at a higher realm, she might have survived, but now...

Lu Yang slowly looked down at the corpse of his wife.

Their marriage was originally nothing more than a political arrangement, and neither of them had expected anything from it, just respecting each other and their preferences, being together because their personalities didn’t conflict and even complemented one another.

But now, decades had passed.

They had eaten together, argued, laughed, raised their daughter, watched her grow, and did many things ordinary mortal couples do in that time period.

At some point, the arrangement had long since transcended politics or alliances, becoming something much more genuine.

Lu Yang truly loved her.

At this moment, he slowly stood up.

His hand gently straightened her clothes and then fixed her hair. At last, he wiped away a faint trace of moisture from the corner of her eye.

Finally, he lowered his head.

"Qinglan, I will keep my promise."

He turned around and walked outside.

The moment he stepped out, rain poured down upon him from the heavens, but he didn’t seem to care.

It had been raining since yesterday. The entire world was dark as wind howled through the courtyard, causing the wind chimes to swing violently.

Lu Yang stood beneath the rain, his white hair quickly getting drenched as the rain flowed down his face.

For some reason, looking up at the dark sky, he suddenly remembered that woman, Madam Shu.

"Still... there are always some things that must be done, no matter how terrible they seem, no matter how much they cost, no matter... how resistant you are to them."

"One day, you’ll face such a choice too."

"When that day comes, I wonder... what choice... will you make?"

He still remembered her words to this day.

That day had also been just like today.

Lu Yang lowered his head, having unknowingly approached a puddle.

A reflection appeared within it.

In the reflection, he saw an old man, his face covered in wrinkles and his eyes dim. He looked like someone standing at the very end of his life.

Lu Yang stared at that reflection as the image slowly began to change.

The old man became a middle aged man.

His aura became calm and majestic, and there was an indescribable dignity within his entire being, like someone who had spent a long time standing in a position of authority.

Then, the figure changed again.

This time, it was a handsome young man.

His eyes were calm yet carried a faint, deeply hidden sharpness.

There was an unmistakable aura belonging to a supreme genius nurtured by a powerful clan exuding from him.

Then, the figure became a child, barely five or six years of age.

His face was exquisite, but his eyes were still calm, as calm as the depths of an ancient well.

Finally, all of those figures overlapped, converging together before returning to the old man standing before the puddle.

The memories of Lu Yang’s life seemed to flash past his eyes.

He remembered Lu Qingxue, her first cry, her first smile, the first time she called him father, and her lifeless body laying inside the funeral hall.

He remembered Bai Qinglan, the day they married, their decades of ordinary life together, and he also remembered the promise he made to her.

He remembered the Supreme Elder and his final instructions before passing.

He remembered Guard Zhou, that man who once called him the Rising Sun of the Lu Family before dying in front of him.

He remembered his parents and the promise made to them before he stepped onto the path of cultivation.

"Don’t worry, mom, dad, I will definitely not do anything to reach a point of no return."

All of these memories resurfaced one after another.

Lu Yang remained silent, the rain continuing to fall.

Then, he took a step forward.

His foot landed directly in the puddle.

*Splash!*

The reflection shattered, the old man within the water breaking into countless fragments.

Lu Yang lowered his gaze and then slowly raised his head.

Far away, he could sense a faint disturbance relying on the powerful senses of a Spirit Awakening cultivator.

Hundreds of miles away, in the direction of the True Martial Sect, there had been a battle, a terrifying battle.

But now, it had already subsided for a while.

Lu Yang stood silently beneath the rain, his expression gradually returning to calm as he glanced towards the funeral hall and his courtyard for one last time.

Having already made a decision, he slowly stepped forward.

His white robes were soaked through, his white hair hanging beside his face, yet his back was straighter than it had been for many years.

Behind him, under the violent wind, the wind chimes no longer made a pleasant sound, but instead sounded like a death knell continously ringing in one’s mind.