Since all these rules and superstitions are outdated, what's wrong with me indulging in some me

Lu Changsheng looked at Shen Ye and remained silent for a long time.

Shen Ye's eyes darted around, his hand still covering the wound on his left arm, blood seeping from between his fingers.

"Mr. Shen," Lu Changsheng's voice was soft, but every word was pronounced clearly, "you can't help Xiao Qingniao here."

Shen Ye's body stiffened abruptly.

"She's dead." Lu Changsheng sighed and said, "You're a smart man, you should have guessed it long ago, you know it in your heart, but you just didn't want to admit it."

Shen Ye's lips were trembling. He wanted to say something, but it felt like something was choking him.

"If you stay in the castle, you'll only become a sacrifice for Xiao Yuheng," Lu Changsheng continued calmly. "The longer you stay here, the more opportunities he'll have to make his move."

Shen Ye lowered his head and looked at his blood-stained hands.

"I know." His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "I know she's dead."

His shoulders began to tremble.

"But I can't leave. If I leave, who will avenge her?"

He raised his head and looked at Lu Changsheng, his eyes filled with endless pain and struggle.

"Mr. Lu, do you know what that feels like? I didn't spend enough time with her when she was alive, and now that she's dead, I can't even leave her name behind. If I can't get to the bottom of this and avenge her, how can I have the face to live in this world?"

Lu Changsheng squatted down to be at eye level with Shen Ye.

"So she would rather you live."

Shen Ye was stunned.

"If she is watching from heaven, she wouldn't want you to live in pain. She would want you to be better, to live well with her thoughts and will, and to continue to enjoy this world for her."

Shen Ye's fingers twitched slightly. He raised his head and looked at Lu Changsheng, his eyes filled with a complex and indescribable emotion.

"Mr. Lu, who exactly are you?"

Lu Changsheng remained silent for a moment.

"A passerby."

"I can't help Xiao Qingniao, she's dead. I can't bring the dead back to life. But if you want revenge, I do have a way."

Lu Changsheng stood up and looked at Shen Ye.

"Mr. Shen, don't you want revenge? Then escape. Escaping alive is revenge."

Shen Ye looked puzzled.

"Mr. Lu, are you trying to persuade me to leave?"

"Yes, because you're completely useless here and only a burden to us."

Because of the urgency, Lu Changsheng had no intention of wasting words with Shen Ye and went straight to the point.

"Xiao Yuheng has now activated his ninth level of consciousness. The fighting outside has already broken out. We suspect that only those who survive will be able to leave."

"But Xiao Yuheng sent Madam Song to kill you, either because he holds a grudge against you, or to show that if you leave during the ceremony, no one else in this castle will ever be able to leave again."

Shen Ye was suddenly stunned, overwhelmed by the barrage of information.

"So what do we do now?"

Although Shen Ye hadn't fully processed all the information at once, in his panic, his absolute trust in Lu Changsheng prevailed.

"Madam Song came by, but she didn't return to the main hall for a long time. Xiao Yuheng must know something's wrong. If our guess is correct, Xiao Yuheng will definitely not let this go; he'll send someone to kill you," Lu Changsheng said. "So let's leave now."

Shen Ye turned his head and looked at Lu Changsheng.

"Now?"

"Now," Lu Changsheng said, "the ninth-level ceremony is still ongoing, and the infighting in the hall is still going on. Everyone's attention is there; no one will notice the door. This is the only chance."

He turned around and looked at An Zhiyu.

An Zhiyu nodded. Her hand had already moved away from the sword hilt, but she looked even more dangerous than before.

"Which way?" An Zhiyu asked.

"The main gate," Lu Changsheng said.

An Zhiyu frowned slightly.

"The main entrance is the most conspicuous."

"The most conspicuous place is the least noticeable," Lu Changsheng said. "Xiao Yuheng thought we would climb over the wall through the side door or jump out of the study window. He didn't expect us to dare to come through the front door."

He walked to the door, leaned against the wall, and peeked into the hallway through the crack in the door.

The hallway was empty. The wall lamps were still on, their dim light illuminating the dark red carpet and highlighting the half-dried, dark red bloodstains. The bloodstains stretched from Shen Ye's room, meandering down the hallway before disappearing towards the stairwell.

"Walk."

The three people walked out of the room.

The corridor was quiet. Their footsteps pounded on the carpet, making almost no sound, while a commotion drifted from the distant lobby.

Lu Changsheng glanced down.

The scene in the lobby was even worse than he had expected.

At least thirty corpses lay sprawled on the stone slabs, blood flowing from their wounds and forming dark red streams.

There were still seventy or eighty survivors, but they were no longer human. The scene was extremely chaotic and horrific; it was nothing short of a living hell.

Neither Meng Boyuan nor Xiao Yuheng were present.

The platform was empty except for that deep red chair.

Lu Changsheng withdrew his gaze and quickened his pace.

They went down the stairs. Third floor, second floor, first floor.

The gate is right in front of us.

Two huge wooden doors, dark brown in color, with intricate patterns carved on the door panels.

A group of people are dancing. Men's arms are around women's waists, women's skirts are spinning in the air, their faces are blurred by the sculptures, but their joyful postures are lifelike.

Lu Changsheng suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A person was standing in front of the gate.

It wasn't the butler, but Meng Boyuan.

He stood there, his back slightly hunched, his hands hanging at his sides, his fingers slightly curled.

Numbers were jumping on his forehead.

89——90——91——

It's still rising.

The fighting in the hall continued. Lu Changsheng stopped, with An Zhiyu on his right and Shen Ye on his left.

The three people stood at the top of the stairs, about twenty meters away from Meng Boyuan.

Meng Boyuan raised his head and looked at Lu Changsheng.

Those eyes were completely different from when they were weeding in the garden; they were no longer cloudy, but had become very sharp, faintly revealing a cold light.

"Mr. Lu," Meng Boyuan's voice was steady and strong, "you've arrived."

Lu Changsheng looked at him without saying a word.

"I've been waiting for you," Meng Boyuan said, a slight smile curving his lips.

Lu Changsheng was silent for a moment, then spoke, his voice calm.

"So you're here to stop us?"

Meng Boyuan shook his head.

"I'm here to see you off."

His gaze shifted from Lu Changsheng's face to Shen Ye. Shen Ye's body stiffened slightly, and his hand unconsciously pressed against the wound on his left arm.

"Mr. Shen," Meng Boyuan's voice was incredibly gentle, "you shouldn't have come here."

Shen Ye's lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

"You shouldn't have come here," Meng Boyuan continued. "After investigating for so many years, what have you found out?"

Shen Ye's face was as white as paper. His lips moved a few times, but before he could say anything, he stopped.

The old man opposite, Meng Boyuan, suddenly moved.

Without any warning, without any preparatory action.

One second he was standing twenty meters away, his back slightly hunched, his hands hanging at his sides, like an old man on his deathbed. The next second he was in front of Shen Ye, his right hand with its five fingers together, like a knife stabbing towards Shen Ye's chest.

At the same moment, the instant Meng Boyuan moved, An Zhiyu's sword moved as well.

The sword tip sliced ​​in from the side, precisely aiming for the radial bone of Meng Boyuan's right wrist. This strike was extremely cunning in angle, extremely fast, and extremely powerful.

If the stab hits, Meng Boyuan's right hand will be crippled.

However, Meng Boyuan showed no sign of stopping.

His wrist twisted at an incredible angle in the air, avoiding the sword tip, and with his fingers spread and palm facing down, he struck at An Zhiyu's sword.

"bite--"

The sound of metal clashing against a hand. An Zhiyu's sword was deflected, the tip grazing Meng Boyuan's sleeve and tearing off a strip of grayish-white cloth.

Meng Boyuan did not stop.

His left hand attacked from below, its five fingers forming a claw, aiming straight for Shen Ye's abdomen.

Lu Changsheng had already pulled a talisman from his sleeve with his right hand. The cinnabar patterns on the talisman glowed with golden light under the infusion of spiritual power. He didn't throw the talisman, but instead slapped it directly at Meng Boyuan's left hand.

The moment the talisman touched Meng Boyuan's fingers, golden light exploded, spreading directly along Meng Boyuan's fingers to the back of his hand, wrist, and arm, like a golden snake coiling around his entire left arm.

Meng Boyuan's expression finally changed. His pupils contracted slightly, the curve of his lips froze for a moment, and his body instinctively took a step back.

But they only took a step back.

He looked down at his left arm, which was enveloped in golden light.

Golden light danced on his skin, like something devouring his flesh.

The numbers on Meng Boyuan's forehead started jumping.

93——92——91——

Meng Boyuan raised his head and looked at Lu Changsheng.

"Good tactic," he said, his voice still steady, but with a hint of apprehension in his tone.

Lu Changsheng remained silent. His right hand had already grasped the second talisman, while his left hand fumbled for the third one inside his sleeve.

As spiritual energy circulated within his body, every meridian operated at its maximum capacity, and he could feel his physical strength being consumed at a visible rate.

Meng Boyuan made a move.

This time, he didn't rush towards Lu Changsheng, but towards An Zhiyu.

His judgment was accurate: Lu Changsheng was a ranged attacker, while An Zhiyu was a melee fighter. Dealing with the melee fighter first would trap the ranged attacker. He moved even faster than before, so fast that An Zhiyu's sword had only been raised halfway before his palm struck her blade.

"clang--"

An Zhiyu's sword was knocked away.

The sword spun in mid-air, its silver arcs drawing circles under the moonlight before embedding itself in a stone pillar a dozen meters away. The blade was mostly embedded in the stone, with only the hilt protruding and vibrating.

Anzhiyu did not retreat.

She loosened her grip on the sword hilt, leaned back, and dodged Meng Boyuan's follow-up claw attack.

Then she drew a short blade from her waist with her right hand. The moment the blade was drawn, she was already close to Meng Boyuan, and the short blade slashed upwards, heading straight for Meng Boyuan's throat.

This cut was perfect; there was nothing wrong with it from any angle.

Meng Boyuan did not dodge.

He stretched out his right hand, fingers spread, palm facing outward, directly meeting the blade of the short sword.

"laugh--"

The blade sliced ​​open his palm.

Dark red blood gushed from the wound, but Meng Boyuan did not pull his hand back. He closed his five fingers, gripped the blade of the short knife, and twisted it forcefully.

The short blade twisted in his hand, making a sharp, tearing sound, like metal being ripped apart.

The blade bent in the middle and broke in two. The broken blade fell to the ground with a crisp clinking sound.

Meng Boyuan gripped the broken blade and stabbed at An Zhiyu's abdomen with a backhand.

An Zhiyu leaned back, the blade grazing her clothes. Without panicking, she tapped her toes twice on the ground and retreated nearly five meters.

Her right hand was still gripping the broken hilt of the knife.

Meng Boyuan didn't chase after her. He looked at An Zhiyu and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"Excellent swordsmanship," he said, his voice filled with genuine admiration. "If your sword hadn't been knocked away, I wouldn't have been able to dodge that strike."

An Zhiyu didn't speak, but instead drew another short blade from her waist.

"There's another one?" Meng Boyuan raised an eyebrow.

Anzhiyu did not answer.

She rushed towards Meng Boyuan.

This time, she was even faster than before. So fast that Lu Changsheng's eyes only caught a blurry shadow, so fast that Meng Boyuan's right hand only had time to raise halfway before her short blade was already piercing in front of him.

Meng Boyuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

He tilted his head, and the blade grazed his temple, severing a lock of gray hair.

Anzhiyu didn't stop.

With a flick of her wrist, the blade traced an arc in the air, slashing horizontally from right to left, heading straight for Meng Boyuan's neck.

Meng Boyuan tilted his head back, the blade grazing his chin and cutting a shallow gash. Blood seeped from the wound, trickling down his jawline.

Anzhiyu's third cut.

Every cut was flawless; every movement, angle, and muscle activation was incredibly precise.

Meng Boyuan suddenly shifted his body to the side, and the blade pierced his left shoulder, sinking into the muscle and getting stuck in the bone, unable to be pulled out.

Anzhi Yu loosened the knife handle and retreated several steps backward.

Meng Boyuan looked down at the short blade embedded in his left shoulder, reached out, grasped the hilt, and pulled hard. The blade emerged from his body, drawing out a stream of dark red blood that splattered on the ground.

He threw the short blade on the ground; the metal struck the stone slab with a crisp clang.

Then he looked up at An Zhiyu.

But at that moment, unexpectedly, An Zhiyu made another move. A phantom figure identical to An Zhiyu appeared behind the old man Meng Boyuan and stabbed him in the back of the neck with a sword.

Meng Boyuan's body stiffened.

His mouth was open, his eyes were wide open, and his hands were still pressed against the door. His expression was frozen in that moment between astonishment and relief, like a still frame of a painting.

The numbers on his forehead also stopped.

88.

I'm not jumping anymore.

The latest chapter has ignited the plot! Stay tuned for more updates.