X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerFar from the clamor of Bluestone Town, a damp night wind swept through the mountain forest.
With Su Qinghan on her back, Lu Hongzhuang’s steps grew increasingly heavy.
She gently set Su Qinghan down on a flat rock before slowly sinking down herself, leaning against the thick trunk of an old tree.
Moonlight filtered through the sparse leaves, casting a frighteningly pale light upon her face.
“You’re badly injured.”
Su Qinghan’s voice had lost its earlier lightness, replaced by an edge of undeniable command.
“Stop the bleeding first.”
Lu Hongzhuang said nothing, merely lifting her arm in silence.
She tore open her outer garment to reveal her right arm.
A long gash stretched from her wrist to her forearm, the flesh torn open.
Blood had already soaked through her sleeve, appearing dark and black in the moonlight.
Without a word, Su Qinghan tore a strip from the hem of her own robe and retrieved a small cloth pouch from her sleeve.
She moved deftly, applying the herbs from the pouch onto the wound.
As the herbs made contact, a searing pain caused Lu Hongzhuang to draw a sharp breath, her jaw clenching as her body went rigid.
Without looking up, Su Qinghan wound the torn strip of cloth around the injury and tied it off.
“There.”
She withdrew her hands, and the tension in Lu Hongzhuang’s face finally eased.
“I don’t think… anything else unusual will happen tonight, right?” Lu Hongzhuang panted, her voice tinged with exhaustion and a hint of wishful thinking as she gazed toward Bluestone Town.
The words had barely left her lips.
“BOOM—”
A tremendous roar shook the very forest.
Above Bluestone Town, a blinding pillar of crimson light shot into the sky, instantly enveloping the entire town.
The light twisted and spiraled, forming a colossal array in the air—a gaping, bloody maw slowly opening.
Immediately after, five thick beams of light erupted from five different points in the town, piercing the night sky and weaving into the crimson formation.
It was as if an unseen hand had brutally ripped Bluestone Town from the mortal realm and plunged it into hell.
Lu Hongzhuang shot to her feet, ignoring the searing pain as the movement tore at her wound.
She stared intently at the bizarre spectacle, her pupils constricting.
“What is that?!”
Su Qinghan’s expression had also turned grave as she gazed at the crimson formation, a flicker of disgust in her eyes.
“Judging by its structure and fluctuations, it must be some kind of ghost-luring, soul-refining formation.”
She paused, her tone turning icy.
“That senior brother of yours… the ghost-channeling technique he cultivated ultimately led to him being devoured by ghouls. Now, it seems someone deliberately gave it to him as an experiment.”
Lu Hongzhuang swayed on her feet, the image of her senior brother’s bones, picked clean, flashing through her mind.
She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white.
“Ghost-luring and soul-refining? What… what does this formation do?”
Su Qinghan’s gaze left the sky and fell upon Lu Hongzhuang’s face, her voice carrying a cruel sort of calm.
“It’s probably something like raising a Gu. All the ghouls within miles will be drawn here to devour the townsfolk, feeding on their fear, resentment, and flesh.”
“Then, these ghouls will be forced to consume one another. Finally, the souls of the townspeople from the five corners of the town will be used as locks to bind the strongest ghoul, preparing it for soul-channeling.”
Her every word was like an icicle piercing Lu Hongzhuang’s heart.
“Soul-channeling?” Lu Hongzhuang’s voice trembled, scarcely able to believe what she was hearing.
“That’s right.” Su Qinghan nodded, saying no more.
Just then, Jiu Li’s anxious voice echoed in Su Qinghan’s mind.
“Stop staring! Let’s go! This is far beyond what we can handle right now!” Jiu Li’s voice held a trace of fear; clearly, even a thousand-year-old fox spirit like her was wary of such a malevolent formation.
Su Qinghan took a deep breath, trying to quell the turmoil within her.
She pushed herself up and shuffled over to the stunned Lu Hongzhuang, giving her a gentle nudge.
“Let’s go. If we go in there now, we won’t be of any help.”
Her tone softened with a note of resignation.
“As they say, where there’s life, there’s hope. Train hard with the orthodox arts I’m teaching you, and you can deal with situations like this in the future.”
Lu Hongzhuang’s body was stiff.
She turned her head to look at Su Qinghan, the ghastly pallor on her face now replaced by a look of resolute determination.
She suddenly smiled, a smile of unprecedented, carefree resolve.
“You’re right.”
She spoke, and her voice no longer trembled but carried an unshakeable strength.
“But I’m going back.”
Su Qinghan froze.
“To save the townspeople.”
Lu Hongzhuang’s gaze returned to Bluestone Town, the crimson light reflecting in her eyes, yet it could not sway her in the slightest.
“The people in town… I’ve known them since I was a child. I remember every one of their faces. When I’m on patrol, they give me all sorts of vegetables. They are my friends, my family.”
She whipped her head around to face Su Qinghan directly.
“I have to go back!”
Panic seized Su Qinghan, and she grabbed the leg of Lu Hongzhuang’s trousers.
“Are you insane?! You can’t save them even if you go back!”
She pleaded desperately, trying to appeal to Lu Hongzhuang’s reason.
“What can you possibly do alone?!”
“It would be better to…”
“I understand everything you’re saying!” Lu Hongzhuang cut her off, her voice ringing with a newfound passion.
“But at times like this, someone has to stand tall!”
In that moment, Su Qinghan’s composure shattered.
She abruptly released Lu Hongzhuang, spun around, and slammed her palm against a nearby tree.
The immense force shook the trunk, sending leaves showering down like a green rain.
“You’re not the one who’s supposed to stand tall!”
She practically screamed the words, her voice laced with an indescribable anguish and frustration.
Lu Hongzhuang looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
She smiled again, this time with a tragic and serene acceptance.
“But someone has to be a little taller.”
She said it softly, yet her voice carried the weight of mountains.
“Let me be the one to hold up the sky for ordinary people.”
Bluestone Town, East District.
In the carpenter’s home, the dim candlelight flickered.
He was hunched over, a blueprint in hand, carefully sanding a piece of wood.
His movements were meticulous, his eyes filled with concentration.
‘The benefactor has trouble walking. Lady Lu must be having this made as a mobility aid for her.’
He muttered to himself with an honest smile.
‘I have to finish this quickly. Can’t let the benefactor be inconvenienced.’
Just then, with a bang, the door was thrown open.
A young woman with a look of ecstatic joy rushed inside.
“Father!”
She threw herself at the carpenter’s side, her voice thick with tears.
“My face… My face is back to normal!”
The piece of wood in Old Li’s hand clattered to the floor.
His trembling hands reached out to touch his daughter’s cheek, and feeling its realness, he burst into tears.
“My girl… my dear girl…”
He dropped to his knees at once, faced the doorway, and kowtowed heavily.
“Thank you, benefactor! Thank you for restoring my daughter’s face!”
At that very moment, the whole of Bluestone Town shuddered violently.
Outside the window, a crimson light instantly consumed the sky, bathing the room in a hellish glow.
His daughter helped him up, his face still streaked with tears, but he was stunned by the sudden, terrifying change.
“What… what’s happening?”
You’ve got to see this next! Looking For My Child's Father will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : Looking For My Child's Father
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂