Chapter Forty-Five: Hai Yuanyi
Li Ju wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with a cloth, then carelessly tossed Di Yuan—who was foaming at the mouth and rolling his eyes—onto the ground.
Hiss!
Clap, clap, clap!
At that moment, applause came from a nearby tree.
Three figures with extraordinary bearing appeared alongside the applause, and among them was someone Li Ju recognized.
“Junior Brother Li, you’ve truly suffered.”
Wang Lu strode quickly to Li Ju’s side and patted him as he wiped his tears.
“I never realized it before, but even though you always kept a calm exterior, you must have been grieving in secret all along.”
Looking at the deeply sorrowful Li Ju, Wang Lu’s own eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Yet, as Li Ju’s senior brother, Wang Lu forced himself to hold back his emotions and did not break down as Li Ju had.
“Junior Brother, if you need to cry, then cry. I know you’ve been holding it in for a long time.”
With that, Wang Lu pulled the much taller Li Ju into an embrace.
“Senior Brother Wang!”
Li Ju lifted his arms and picked Wang Lu up into the air, burying his head in his senior brother’s chest.
“Ah…” Wang Lu, observing Li Ju’s sorrowful, childlike demeanor, suddenly remembered that his junior was only sixteen years old. It was just that Li Ju’s recent surge in strength had made him forget how young he actually was.
“He’s still just a child…”
Wang Lu’s gaze grew even gentler as he looked at Li Ju.
Sniff!
The movement of Li Ju’s nose made Wang Lu’s body suddenly stiffen.
…
“Junior Brother Li, this is Hai Yuan’er, she’s my…”
Having changed into fresh clothes, Wang Lu scratched his head, unsure how to finish the introduction.
“I understand, I understand—sister-in-law, right?”
Li Ju looked at the beautiful young woman before him and patted Wang Lu’s shoulder repeatedly, indicating his complete understanding.
…
Wang Lu gave Li Ju an awkward smile, rubbing his shoulder where Li Ju had just patted him. Even though he had already reached the inner strength level and couldn’t be injured by Li Ju’s slap, it still hurt a bit…
“And, Junior Brother, this is…”
At the introduction of the last person, Wang Lu’s expression turned serious.
“So, you are the junior brother Wang Lu often speaks of? My name is Hai Yuanyi, and I am Hai Yuan’er’s father.”
The man interrupted Wang Lu, turning to Li Ju with a smile.
Li Ju focused his gaze and, at first glance, was struck by an unforgettable face: a flat nose, small mouth, narrow eyes, high cheekbones, hairless scalp, and a forehead riddled with bumps. The face was so ugly that one glance would imprint it in memory for a lifetime.
“Greetings, Alliance Leader Hai!”
Yet Li Ju showed no disrespect for the man’s appearance. After a brief look, he straightened and saluted with a grave expression.
Standing before him was none other than one of the three greatest martial artists in the land, the current Alliance Leader of the Orthodox Martial World, and the “Mighty Primordial Hand”—Hai Yuanyi!
“Rise. You are Wang Lu’s junior brother, so to me, you are like family. There’s no need for such formalities between family.”
Hai Yuanyi reached out a hand and gently lifted Li Ju up with an invisible force. Though this force was only at the level of an inner strength master—something Li Ju could easily break free from—he allowed himself to be helped up.
“Do you know why I’m here?”
Once Li Ju was fully upright, Hai Yuanyi spoke again.
“I have come at the invitation of the Seven-Three Sect, to eradicate the ‘Venomous Vajra,’ this rising star of the demonic path, before he can grow.”
Though these words made Li Ju’s heart clench, he showed no reaction, remaining respectfully before Hai Yuanyi.
The true assurance behind the Seven-Three Sect’s confidence in eradicating Li Ju was none other than the Orthodox Martial Alliance Leader, Hai Yuanyi!
This explained why the Seven-Three Sect was so certain of the mission’s success.
“However, because Wang Lu often spoke to me about you, I decided not to take the Seven-Three Sect’s word for it. Instead, I wanted to observe you first before deciding whether to strike you down.”
At that, Li Ju felt a surge of gratitude toward his senior brother for courting the alliance leader’s daughter. Without someone constantly defending him before Hai Yuanyi, he would likely have been crushed as a ‘demon cultist’ without a second thought.
“And after seeing your fight with Di Yuan, I believe you are right. We martial artists have long been too extreme in judging only deeds and not hearts. Some who stray into the demonic path are not truly evil; they only practice demonic techniques due to some misfortune—just like you.”
Li Ju nodded repeatedly.
Yes, it was all because the demon cult forced him to train in the Hundred Poisons Vajra Body that he ended up on the demonic path. It was all the cult’s fault.
“The techniques themselves are neither right nor wrong; only their practitioners can be judged. Moreover, your deep affection for the Flying Sword Sect, as shown at the end, convinced me that you have not fallen into darkness despite practicing demonic arts.”
Hai Yuanyi seemed very pleased with what Li Ju had said to Di Yuan.
Li Ju’s eyes grew moist.
How could he not feel deeply? At that moment, he nearly believed it himself.
At the same time, Li Ju felt secretly relieved.
If he hadn’t reacted quickly, sensing something was amiss and suppressing his urge to kill Di Yuan on the spot, he would probably be dead and starting over by now.
“Li Ju, disciple of the Flying Sword Sect!”
Suddenly, Hai Yuanyi’s expression became stern.
“Yes!”
“In the future, will you regard the demonic path as a mortal enemy, dedicating your life to upholding the orthodox way and eradicating the demonic path?”
“I will!”
After all, I still have a mission to kill the demon cult leader.
“In the future, will you hold firmly to the orthodox martial code, never bullying the weak or wronging the innocent?”
“I will!”
If they come seeking death, that’s their problem.
“In the future, will you see the restoration of the Flying Sword Sect as your life’s mission, willing to devote your entire life to its revival?”
“I will!”
This body of mine only has about five good years left in it anyway.
“Excellent, excellent!”
Hai Yuanyi, hearing Li Ju’s firm and immediate responses—so natural it seemed he hadn’t even needed to think—nodded in satisfaction.
“Rest assured, from today onward, I will personally vouch for you throughout the orthodox world, declaring that, though you have practiced demonic arts, your heart remains steadfastly on the side of light!”