Wei Ying had been away from home for years.
When she returned, her hometown had already changed beyond recognition.
However, she had no time to stop and admire these new sights.
Because the environment outside the city was quite different from what she remembered, finding the place marked on the map wasn’t an easy task.
Fortunately, Huang Doudou had sharp eyes, discovering many clues left by the Wei along the way.
They avoided many detours and saved a lot of time.
Finally, the three of them arrived in front of a thatched hut in the mountains.
The hut was eerily silent, as if no one was inside.
As usual, Huang Doudou searched the surroundings.
After confirming there were no threats nearby, she reported to Yu Yi:
“Master, there’s nothing unusual around. What should we do next…”
Yu Yi nodded and pushed open the door to the hut.
“Bang!”
With a loud bang, the door flew into the sky like a shooting star and disappeared.
“Eh?”
Huang Doudou was dumbfounded, her little head filled with big confusion.
Wasn’t Master always cautious?
Why did she suddenly change tactics?
Yu Yi looked at her pale palm and frowned slightly.
She was certain she hadn’t used any strength just now.
Whether it was the door of the hut or the formation that had covered the martial hall earlier, both seemed designed to break at the slightest touch, shattering or exploding with just a light touch from Yu Yi’s hand.
No matter how she thought about it, it was strange.
If Yu Yi’s judgment was correct, Su Cheng must have done something to it.
The moment Yu Yi’s hand touched it, Su Cheng would receive the information from afar.
It was like a chess game, everything under Su Cheng’s control.
Every move Yu Yi made had been predicted by Su Cheng.
Perhaps she was hiding in some unseen corner, secretly watching everything unfold.
“This Su Cheng…is quite capable.”
Yu Yi thought to herself.
Before, she had only heard about Su Cheng’s actions from Yu Yi Jue’s memories and others’ accounts.
Now, experiencing it firsthand, she realized her sixth disciple was not to be underestimated.
Yu Yi pondered for a moment, then said softly,
“Su Cheng isn’t here. She should be somewhere else, and she already knows we’ve arrived.”
Wei Ying didn’t hesitate to believe Yu Yi’s judgment and rushed into the hut alone.
Huang Doudou followed closely behind.
The two searched inside but found no trace of anyone.
As Wei Ying grew more anxious and restless, a familiar voice suddenly reached her ears.
“Ying’er… Is that you, Ying’er?”
Wei Ying immediately recognized her mother’s voice, frantically looking around and shouting,
“It’s me! Where are you!?”
A moment later, a tremor ran through the hut.
A wall fell away, crumbling into a pile of mud.
From a hidden room behind the wall, members of the Wei appeared before Wei Ying.
Wei Ying couldn’t hold back any longer.
Tears streamed down her face as she embraced her family.
After the reunion, Wei Ying quickly realized someone important was missing.
“Father? Where is Father?”
“Ying’er…Father is here.”
A hoarse voice came from within.
Wei Ying looked into the depths of the secret room and saw her father slumped against the wall, covered in blood and weak.
“Father! What’s wrong, Father!?”
Wei Ying hurried forward to check his injuries.
But her father ignored his wounds and instead asked,
“Did you see that lady knight? Has she returned?”
“Lady knight?”
Wei Ying was confused.
“What lady knight?”
“She was…a delicate girl with orange hair. She told us what happened to you in Mingyue City. She said you would return to Jintang County but were already being watched…”
As her father spoke, Wei Ying was stunned.
She instinctively looked back at Yu Yi, who gave her a subtle signal.
Wei Ying understood and continued to ask,
“Then, Father, what happened after that? Why are you all here? And your injuries…”
“That lady knight feared for our safety, so she secretly led us out of Jintang County and hid us here. She said she would bring you back here too, but… A group of mysterious people wearing bamboo hats broke in.”
“They called themselves the Right Path and demanded to know the lady knight’s whereabouts. They even accused her of being a disciple of the Lady Demon Yu Yi Jue! Utter nonsense!”
As emotion overtook him, Wei Ying’s father coughed violently.
Seeing this, her mother didn’t want him to speak further while injured, so she continued to explain to Wei Ying.
“Your father’s injuries were caused by those self-proclaimed Right Path intruders! They tortured him, demanding he reveal the lady knight’s location!”
As she spoke, the Wei became uneasy, looking guilty.
“Your father tried to protect the lady knight by giving false information, but I feared they would discover the lie and return to hurt us all, so…”
Wei Ying’s mother’s voice trailed off, unable to continue.
Yu Yi finally understood why the Wei had asked if they’d seen “that lady knight”.
Perhaps the Wei believed they had betrayed the lady knight, preventing her from returning as promised.
“You two… If you’re with Ying’er, you must be the lady knight’s allies, right? We’re sorry… We didn’t mean to betray her, we only wanted to survive…”
The Wei pleaded with Yu Yi and Huang Doudou, seeking forgiveness.
Wei Ying looked conflicted, while Huang Doudou remained puzzled.
“Don’t worry. She’ll be fine.”
Yu Yi said calmly.
“I’ll bring her back.”
Her calm composure exuded both elegance and authority.
The Wei, comforted by her presence, felt an overwhelming trust.
They bowed deeply.
“Thank you. We entrust everything to you…”
“Doudou, take them back to the city, heal their wounds, and keep them safe.”
Yu Yi instructed.
“Eh? Me?”
Huang Doudou was reluctant.
She hadn’t had a proper fight yet, nor had she made a breakthrough.
“Complete the task well, and you’ll get the reward you want.”
“Disciple promises to complete the mission!!”
The little one was thoroughly manipulated.
As Huang Doudou led the Wei out of the hut, Wei Ying’s father stopped.
“For today’s kindness, the Wei will remember it forever. May I know the name of this lady knight?”
He looked back at Yu Yi, asking sincerely.
Yu Yi didn’t answer immediately.
She fell silent.
Everything Su Cheng had done was unexpected, as if she’d orchestrated a grand deception, fooling everyone.
Though Yu Yi didn’t know Su Cheng’s true intentions, she had not harmed Wei Ying’s family and, as a righteous lady knight, had earned their complete trust and loyalty.
Yu Yi had intended to use Wei Ying’s father, a well-known storyteller, to spread tales of the Lady Demon standing for justice, thereby redeeming her reputation.
However, if she revealed her and Su Cheng’s true identities, it would mean telling the Wei that Su Cheng was a liar from the start.
Yu Yi thought for a long time but ultimately decided not to expose Su Cheng’s lie.
“We have no special titles. We’re just ordinary passersby.”
She looked at Wei Ying’s father and smiled gently.