Chapter Ninety-Seven: Yang Rong’s Past

“I’m not some blood-crazed killer. Why would I kill you? And I already told you, no one in this world can order me around, not even the emperor. Still, I am curious about your past. I wonder whether you would tell me.”

Chu Han smiled faintly. In Yang Rong’s eyes, he saw hatred—hatred that had sunk deep into her bones. Since he too carried a vendetta drenched in blood, he was quite curious about such things.

More than that, he could tell that when Yang Rong founded the Cult of the Holy Maiden, she must have already been through something terrible, something that drove her to take that path. And for her to have built it into what it was today, she was certainly no soft-handed woman.

Hearing Chu Han’s words, she froze for a moment. Her expression softened a little, though she still looked at him with disgust.

“Sorry, my business has nothing to do with you. If you’re not going to kill me, then leave. If you are, then do it.”

Yang Rong shook her head, still unwilling to speak. Chu Han knew her guard was extremely high. After all, this was only their first meeting, and asking her to reveal such things was indeed a little abrupt on his part.

Thinking of that, he gave a wry smile. He had overstepped, speaking too deeply with someone he barely knew. Then he stood up.

“I said I wouldn’t kill you, so I won’t. Since you still don’t trust me, I’ll leave for now. But though I don’t know what your hatred is aimed at, if you want revenge, I’m afraid your strength alone still isn’t enough.”

Chu Han rose, turned, and walked away, leaving those words behind. This was all his own reasoning. Since she still had not acted on revenge by now, it only meant that her enemy was very strong and that she did not yet possess the power to strike back. Otherwise, she would have done it long ago.

“Wait. Do you really want to know about my past?”

Perhaps Chu Han’s sincerity had moved her. She hesitated. Chu Han had not killed her; instead, he had actually understood the look in her eyes, something no one had ever done before. The other men who saw her always wore the expression of lust, and that was precisely what she despised most.

Yet Chu Han seemed truly different. No matter how she tried to seduce him, he remained unmoved, and instead took such interest in her history. After all these years, she had also begun to feel the urge to speak, to let it all out.

Chu Han stopped, nodded, and said nothing. Even he did not know why, but he was deeply interested in Yang Rong’s past. Seeing her like this, he even felt a faint ache of sympathy. It was an emotion he had never known before, as though he and Yang Rong had once known each other.

But his memory told him this was their first meeting. Having such a feeling was strange indeed. Since he could not make sense of it, he chose not to think about it further. At the very least, the truth would eventually surface.

“All right. Then come with me.”

Yang Rong nodded and led him back into the room. Chu Han extended his hand and drew back into his own body the power of thunder still lingering in the woman lying on the floor. The women rose to their feet and looked at him with awe. After all, in this world, women respected the strong even more.

“You all go out first. I have something to discuss with him.”

Yang Rong waved a hand. The women obeyed and filed out. The stone door slowly closed behind them. Yang Rong sat on the bed, while Chu Han sat in a chair.

Looking at her expression, he could tell it was a story difficult to speak of. They had not known each other long, and it was not something that could be said casually.

“Let’s get to know each other again. My name is Chu Han. I’m the adopted son of Tang Hao, who was just ennobled as a viscount. Though, in name, I work for the emperor, I don’t actually belong to any faction. I’m on my own.”

Chu Han smiled and introduced himself. The reason he mentioned Tang Hao was to win Yang Rong’s trust. Revealing everything honestly was the best way to earn it.

Sure enough, after he spoke, her expression softened a little.

“My name is Yang Rong. I am the leader of the Cult of the Holy Maiden, the one who controls tens of thousands of believers.”

Yang Rong also began to introduce herself. In a sense, the two of them were meeting anew. Chu Han did not speak; he waited for her to continue and tell him her story.

“I was born in Earth City, the city you visited before. It’s completely under my control now, but back then it was still a small, bustling town.”

“I could have lived a carefree life, grown up, married when the time came, and spent my days in quiet, ordinary peace. But a group of people changed my fate.”

“Earth City had no wealth worth plundering, and all we did was farm for a living, so very few outsiders ever came. Yet this time, more than a dozen people arrived, and everyone welcomed them warmly.”

“They said they came from a sect called the Taiyi Sect, a very powerful one. At the time, I even admired them. But that night, their true intentions were unleashed.”

“Their real purpose in coming to Earth City was to search for a treasure. I never learned what treasure it was. That night, they slaughtered the city’s residents in cold blood. Their weakest members were at least experts of the Sea Realm, while the people of Earth City were only ordinary folk. How could we possibly withstand their massacre?”

“In just a few hours, Earth City was wiped out. Only a small fraction survived. I was only thirteen then. They brutally killed my parents and younger brother, and when they saw that I had some looks to me, they wanted to take me by force.”

By then, Yang Rong was already sobbing uncontrollably. Even her voice began to tremble.

“Animals.”

Chu Han’s face darkened. He knew she was telling the truth. When emotion reaches its deepest point, tears fall on their own. After learning that the Taiyi Sect was such a sect, the little goodwill he had once felt toward them vanished completely.

“Yes, they were animals. But they did not succeed. An old man appeared and saved me. He was my master. He was a wandering cultivator, and I never knew how strong he was. But after I entered the Sea Realm, my master disappeared, and no matter how I searched, I could never find him again.”

“From that day on, the only thing that kept me alive was revenge. But I knew how powerful they were, so I never dared act rashly. Although I have now reached the Yang Realm, I’ve always cultivated on my own. Compared with a sect like the Taiyi Sect, which has a complete system of training, I’m certainly nowhere near their level.”

Hearing this, Chu Han nodded slightly. She was right. Great sects naturally had their own cultivation systems, along with all kinds of advanced pills and superior techniques for their disciples. A wandering cultivator could never compare. Of course, someone like Chu Han, with his own means, was the exception.

“So that’s why you founded the Cult of the Holy Maiden, hoping to use it against the Taiyi Sect. But you also know that even though the cult has many believers now, they’re still only a rabble and can’t truly stand against the Taiyi Sect.”

Chu Han had already guessed most of it. His expression grew cold. To him, the Taiyi Sect was no different from a sect of beasts. And more importantly, he was about to go there and become a disciple himself. After hearing this story, he truly no longer wanted to go.

He was no saint, but he knew the difference between right and wrong. Violently seizing women, slaughtering the innocent for a treasure—those were deeds no different from a demon’s.

“That’s right. I only later learned that the Taiyi Sect is the number one sect within the Great Chu, and that it also has ties to the imperial house. With my little bit of strength, how could I ever contend with them? Perhaps I will never have a chance to take revenge in this lifetime.”