Chapter 32 – Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me

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Chapter 32 – Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me

Chapter 32:  Chu Shuanghe

What? Chu Shuanghe? Who is that?

Chu Yu was stupefied He had never heard of this.

There was no such event in the original novel … is this a hidden plot?

When they heard the sound of “Chu Shuanghe,” many of the Chu family elders and Keqing’s complexions turned pale. Chu Sheng put a hand on his forehead pressing his fingers into his temples. His eyes were red¹ but he forced himself to calm down: “Please give me a moment alone with my youngest brother, I need to talk to him.”

The steward supporting with the dying messenger hesitated then said: “Honorable young master Chu…”

He seemed to realize that he was violating a taboo and paused, he nevertheless didn’t say the name out loud. He whispered: “… he woke up, I ask whether or not we should send a message to tell the family head …”

Chu Sheng coldly interrupted: “No one is allowed to report this matter to grandfather and grandmother. They are in life and death closed-door cultivation. They can’t be interrupted.”

All of the other people in the area were looking on silently as if they were taking pity on Chu Sheng. They bowed cupping their hands before their chests in respect and obediently left, taking the injured person with them.

When only two people were left in the room, Chu Sheng looked over at Chu Yu. His face was extremely pale and his bloodshot eyes were wild and full of terror. Chu Yu couldn’t help but worry: “Big brother, you …”

Chu Sheng silently reached out and hugged Chu Yu, lowering his head to Chu Yu’s neck.

After a long time, he whispered softly: “Little brother, Chu Shuanghe is our uncle.”

Chu Sheng was older than Chu Yu and knew much, much more.

Chu Shuanghe is Chu Shuangtian’s younger twin brother, but many years ago the Chu family head removed his name from the family records. Now there are not many people who know that the Chu family once had a person named Chu Shuanghe.

Once, those twins had been the pride of the Chu family. Although the elder brother’s qualifications were not that impressive, he was warm, conducted himself in a refined manner, and was kind to others. The younger brother’s qualification were excellent. Even if he was flighty and impetuous, yet still with a little polishing he would surely be one of the world’s most foremost cultivators in the future.

According to the Chu family tradition, the eldest son will inherit the position of the head of the family, but the younger brother Chu Shuanghe was just excessively eye-catching. At that time, the old family head couldn’t help but waver back and forth between them.

Chu Shuangtian had no interest in the position of the family head but Chu Shuanghe had a fanatical desire for power and was overly suspicious that the family head wanted to give the position to Chu Shuangtian. He thought that his twin brother, Chu Shuangtian, was scheming against him behind his back with his eyes on the leadership. His mind was unstable day and night until he suffered from a Qi Deviation.

Chu Shuangtian discovered this in the nick of time and did his best to help Chu Shuanghe restrain his spiritual energy that was running wild. Unexpectedly, he succeeded in saving his brother but Chu Shuanghe’s spirit veins were damaged and became crippled.

Since then, Chu Shuanghe changed.

He blamed Chu Shuangtian for his spirit veins being crippled. He believed that Chu Shuangtian was afraid that he might snatch away his position as family head and therefore used an underhanded method to damage his spirit veins.

Chu Shuangtian felt endlessly guilty that Chu Shuanghe’s spirit veins were crippled. After he found out what his brother thought, he told the family head directly that he didn’t want to inherit his position.

The head of the family can be a younger brother, even if his spirit veins are crippled … but not when there is an older, more capable brother, isn’t that so?

Chu Shuanghe flipped out there and then, deeply cursing Chu Shuangtian’s hypocrisy. The next day, he left Falling Maple Leaf Valley. He was gone for a decade.

Ten years later, Chu Shuanghe returned. He seemed like a completely different person. His personality had become cold and gloomy, not like he was in the past.

The most shocking thing was that his spiritual veins had recovered and his cultivation was in no way inferior to Chu Shuangtian’s.

Chu Shuanghe had returned to get revenge.

Two hundred years ago, the cultivators of the Righteous and Demonic Paths waged a large-scale war and there were countless casualties and injured people. Chu Shuanghe was one of the demonic cultivators who invaded the Righteous Path cultivator’s territory in those days. For what reason he turned to this fate and for what reason he changed into a demonic cultivator was not known. Chu Shuangtian had always felt remorseful and uneasy about his younger brother so he couldn’t be ruthless when dealing with him. When the two of them then fought, Chu Shuangtian fell for his brother’s devious scheme and almost died. Fortunately, the head of the Chu family arrived in time to save him.

However, how to deal with this Chu family traitor nevertheless was a problem.

The Chu family head didn’t hesitate. He sealed Chu Shuanghe in a solitary grave in the Jinhe river, setting up a tombstone for Shuanghe. Then he returned to Yuan Chen Peak and erased Chu Shuanghe’s name from the family records.

Grandfather’s work was so direct and efficient.

Listening to this story, Chu Yu was stupefied and said: “What about our brother Chu-Er?”²

The expression in Chu Sheng’s eyes became complex. “The death of our second brother… it was all my fault.’

Their second brother was five years younger than Chu Sheng. One day, when Chu Sheng was ten years old, he was playing with his younger brother in a valley. In that bleak and desolate valley, he looked up and saw a person who shared seven or eight similar features with his father, making Chu Sheng feel as though this was someone already close to his heart.

The man laughed and asked Chu Sheng how the Chu family had been faring. Chu Sheng merely spoke about some trivial matters but the man listened to it with relish. He looked gentle, kind, modest, and harmless.

He tried to carry Chu Er in his arms and smiled brightly at Chu Sheng who asked: “This your brother?”

Chu Sheng nodded ignorantly and, in the blink of an eye, he was covered in blood.

No one knew when Chu Shuanghe had climbed out of the grave but now he stood in front of Chu Sheng, stabbing Chu Sheng’s younger brother again and again with his sword, laughing savagely and happily.

When Chu Sheng recalled this memory, the expression on his face was so terrible that looking at it was heartbreaking: “Therefore… little brother, nothing must be allowed to go wrong with you.”

Although Chu Shuangtian rushed over to save him, this incident had become a demonic shadow in his heart. From an early age, the original Chu Yu character was unsociable and eccentric, similar to Chu Er. This subtle resemblance made the Chu family anxious, especially Chu Sheng. His treatment of Chu Yu could be explained by the fact that he always felt as though Chu Yu was in constant danger of dying.

Chu Yu was silent.

He finally understood why the Chu family was so fiercely protective of their little princess. This also explained why Chu Sheng was so worried and utterly devoted to his little brother that he became so foolish about Chu Yu’s possible Qi Deviation.

This lovable child really made people want to pamper him.

Chu Yu stroked Chu Sheng’s back to comfort him and whispered: “Big brother, what do we do next?”

“This matter cannot be revealed to other people.”

If it were known that Yuan Chen Peak’s Chu family leader and his wife were captured or killed, the fact that the Chu family would lose face was only a small matter, but it would transmit outwards and greatly decrease the morale of the entire Righteous Path faction.

Moreover, as a tall tree attracts the wind,³ the Chu family had a lot of enemies. Even though right now they had banded together to share a bitter hatred for a common enemy, who knows if some people might throw stones at someone who fell down a well⁴ and try to maliciously trample on the Chu family?

Trustworthy people are not easy to find but untrustworthy people are everywhere.

Chu Shuanghe was sealed again and was forced into a deep sleep in Jinhe. Since this matter had not been publicized before, this means that it’s considered the Chu family’s private business.

Chu Sheng’s tone was gloomy: “When he was sealed, he was at the Nascent Soul middle stage, but he was able to force mother and father into this state…” He paused then said in a bitter tone of voice: “He should be in the Nascent Soul late stage in order to do that.”

The Chu family had a total of five Nascent Soul cultivators. Two of them were Chu Shuangtian and his wife who had been in the middle stages. The rest were in the Nascent Soul early stage. Regarding the problem of dealing with Chu Shuanghe, the future looked bleak.

Chu Sheng took a deep breath and let go of Chu Yu. His face was solemn: “Little brother, big brother beseeches you to do one thing.”

Chu Yu said helplessly: “Big brother, tell me what’s on your mind.”

Since he took over the original Chu Yu’s body, he would take care of the Chu family. Now that there was a pervert enemy they needed to find, naturally he couldn’t sit by idly.

Chu Sheng said: “Help me request assistance from Elder Lu.”

In this continent, Lu Qingan, the second elder of the Tian Yuan Sect, was at the peak of the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. In the ranks as a sword cultivator, he was the most famous one among the seven major sects. It was said that he could touch the immortal realm at any time. However, he was unwilling to enter the ranks of the immortals because if he did then he would be sent far behind the front lines to keep watch over the sect as an officer. Lu Qingan thought that would be too troublesome so he didn’t want to advance his rank.

Therefore, Lu Qingan has the nickname: “Unbeatable Nascent Soul Expert.”

For the first time, Chu Yu felt that this cheap master was not cheap at all.

***

This was an important matter so they couldn’t merely send a note. Chu Sheng decisively took the initiative and asked two Nascent Soul stage seniors to wait for them outside the city. Then they all went to the Tian Yuan Sect’s camp.

When three people who were sitting in the courtyard saw the Chu brothers coming, they all had different reactions.

This Shidi immediately had tears streaming down his cheeks: “Da Shixiong, ahh, I thought you weren’t coming back. When you were away, Second Shixiong was terrible …”

Xie Xi kicked him away. He was both startled and delighted. He stretched out his arms, about to go and hug Chu Yu’s waist: “Shixiong, do you want to come back and stay here? There’s not much room so sleep with your Shidi. I’ve laid out the bedding so forget what happened before…”

It’s a tough job, but even during this time Chu Sheng still remembered to protect against fire, guard against thieves, and defend against this Shidi. He scowled and kept Chu Yu behind him. He looked at Lu Qingan.

Lu Qingan made light of the situation as his reaction was: “Xi-er, you won’t have to sneak out tonight.”

Chu Yu: “…”

It turned out that this kind of clandestine love affair had been exposed from the very beginning…

Although on the inside he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, Chu Yu still remembered his manners and earnestly bowed to Lu Qingan: “Shizun, please help your disciple.”

Chu Yu had never requested anything from Lu Qingan before. In one smooth motion, Lu Qingan decisively sheathed the sword that he was polishing and sprung up. He gestured to Chu Yu: “Go, tell me while we walk.”

Chu Yu was a little surprised: “Um?”

The expression on Lu Qingan’s face was solemn and his eyes were calm: “If you are asking for my help, it must be an urgent matter. So we will talk while we walk. It will save time and effort.”

Chu Yu was still a little bit muddled.

He was aware that this must be very important. How can he ask in a way that he will immediately agree to what we are asking him to do?

Lu Qingan gently said a few sentences to Third Shidi, ordering him to stay in the courtyard. He turned his head and looked at Chu Yu: “When a disciple runs into trouble, of course, the master will give his assistance.”

Tears welled up in Chu Yu’s eyes.

This Shizun is not really cheap at all! In the end, Chu Yu made a profit!

Chu Sheng obviously wanted to say something. The expression in his eyes was complicated but he didn’t dare interrupt Chu Yu.

Chu Yu knew that Chu Sheng wanted to leave him behind at the camp but he took no notice of it. He deliberately slowed down his speech so that by the time he finished talking, they had already left the Yuan Chen Peak’s camp.

Then Chu Yu suddenly realized that something was wrong.

Why had the protagonist joined their raiding team to kill the BOSS?⁵

Lu Qingan glanced at the Chu family brothers, whose moods were both quite complicated. He turned his gaze away and said gently: “First let’s take a look at the place where your mother and father disappeared.”

Since Chu Shuanghe had let one person leave to spread the news, he must definitely have left something to be found there. It might be a clue or it might be a trap. Whatever it was, they must have a look at it first.

Lu Qingan, as a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, was several times faster than all the others. All along the way to their destination, Xie Xi kept rubbing against Chu Yu’s body. The closer Chu Sheng got to the location, the more chaotic his mind became to the point that he didn’t realize that Xie Xi was holding Chu Yu’s hand right under Chu Sheng’s nose.

Chu Yu turned around to face Xie Xi and saw that his eyes were tender and comforting. The intense grief that he had felt that was left over from the remnant of the original Chu Yu had long since passed. Although Chu Yu felt sad, he was not as distraught as Chu Sheng. Seeing the protagonist wanting to comfort him, Chu Yu couldn’t help but stare blankly.

In Xie Xi’s eyes, there was no doubt that Chu Yu was out of his mind with grief. Xie Xi’s heart suddenly softened with pity. He whispered: “Shixiong, be at ease.”

He will never leave Chu Yu.

Chu Yu was inexplicably comforted and puzzled. He stroked Xie Xi’s head.

As they approached the place indicated by the star chart, Lu Qingan randomly glanced down at the location and his face suddenly became stiff.

In front of them was a desolate wasteland. There were sword marks cut into the ground and powdered stone everywhere. Some corpses whose blood had long dried were quietly lying on the soil.

In the middle of a pile of bodies, a solitary sword stood upright.

The blade of the sword glowed with a chilly green-blue light of the netherworld. The hilt was decorated with exquisite and intricate engraved patterns. The thin blade of the sword swayed gently in the cold wind and revealed the words engraved on the sword — Bu Heng.⁶

Lu Qingan stared at the sword and involuntarily clenched his hands on Yan Han.⁷ He seemed startled and pleased but also angry and frightened.

Chu Yu was frightened by Shizun’s facial paralysis that had been cured for the second time asked: “Shizun, what is it?”

As though he hadn’t heard the question, Lu Qingan slowly took two steps forward as if he was going to pull the sword out. In spite of themselves, everyone’s eyes were drawn to the sword. Realization dawned on the faces of those who knew this sword. To the people who didn’t know what it was, like Chu Yu, their faces simply looked blank.

Chu Yu was puzzled. When all of a sudden, a white light started to glow under his feet.

Lu Qingan jumped back: “It’s a teleportation formation! Get away from it!”

What?

In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed rapidly. When it had stopped changing, it was dark.

Chu Yu’s heart was full of complex feelings. He wondered: Is this like that time in the Mausoleum Ruins? Was he teleported into a strange place again?

He tentatively stretched out his hand and he hadn’t managed to touch anything yet when his hand was firmly caught.

Chu Yu said: “Big brother?”

In the darkness, there was no response.

********

Translator’s Notes:

• Congratz, you found your way to the correct version of today’s chapter! I hope it wasn’t too confusing. Sorry for the inconvenience.
• I currently have up to chapter 35 (first drafts only) on my Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/bcnovels.
• I realize now that it might have been better to call it the “Chu clan” rather than “Chu family” though I know many other stories also use “family.”
• “His treatment of Chu Yu could be explained by the fact that he always felt as though Chu Yu was in constant danger of dying.” <— Brocon is actually perceptive, isn’t he? Since the real Chu Yu is, in fact, dead or whatever it is you call it when his soul was replaced. I’m glad the story of why Chu Sheng is such a brocon (and why the parents/grandparents were so protective) was explained.
• LOL, their Shizun knew that Xie Xi was always sneaking around at night to be with Chu Yu, wanting the 🍌🕳.
• If you use Reddit, I made a thread there for discussion.

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1. 眸底一片血色 – A spot of blood-red color settled down at the bottom of his eyes.
2. 楚二 – literally “Chu Second.” I guess it’s a nickname.
3. Meaning “a famous or rich person attracts criticism.”
4. 落井下石 – literally “throw stones at someone who fell down a well” meaning “hit someone when they are already down.”
5. 刷副本 – this is gaming slang. 副本 (instance) is a special map that a group can enter where they can kill a BOSS. The loot in that instance is normally better than in regular maps. The raws said “join the instance” but the task is to kill the BOSS (Chu Shuanghe) so I altered it slightly to make the meaning clearer.
6. 不衡 – Unbalanced
7. 掩寒 – his sword. It means something like “masking the cold.”