Chapter Sixty-Two: Becoming a Disciple of the Red Cult

Wu Zhuyu slumped back, looking toward Li Yurang with a bitter expression, and said helplessly, "I haven't seen my father many times, and I have no idea what he does. Besides, I don't want to look for him anyway. What would be the point of finding him? My late mother told me to go to some place called the Nether Wolf Gate to find him, but even she didn't know what his profession was, so how could I? Moreover, why bother looking for him? He wouldn't care about me anyway."

Li Yurang and Wu Yuqiu exchanged an astonished glance. Sure enough, this young girl had some obscure and complicated connection with the Nether Wolf Gate. Judging by her words, Wu Zhuyu's biological father was likely a member of that organization. However, a strict iron law of the Nether Wolf Gate dictated that no member was allowed to take a spouse or have children, become entangled in romantic affairs, or harbor any worldly attachments. Every single person in the Nether Wolf Gate adhered to this without exception, and the sect leader even more so, daring to leave behind no such vulnerabilities. This rule was observed far more rigorously than the precepts of Buddhist monks. If an assassin of the Nether Wolf Gate had fathered an illegitimate child outside and Sect Leader Zhongli Jian found out, it would undoubtedly mean execution for the entire household. Li Yurang asked again, "Then do you know what your father's name is?"

Wu Zhuyu replied without hesitation, "Wu Ciren!" Upon hearing this, Li Yurang could not help but let out a snort of laughter. Realizing it was inappropriate, he quickly reined in his smile. Wu Yuqiu caught the meaning and remarked, "Wu Ciren—sounds like 'No Such Person'! It seems he is an assassin within the Nether Wolf Gate who broke the precepts by taking a wife and having a child outside, yet dared not leave behind his true identity and name, using this fake moniker to deceive the mother and daughter."

"Ah?" Wu Zhuyu scratched her head in confusion and retorted, "I don't quite understand. What are you two talking about?" Li Yurang cut in, "Never mind."

Wu Yuqiu could not resist asking, "How did your mother know he was from the Nether Wolf Gate?" Wu Zhuyu glanced left and right at the other patrons. They were all drinking on their own, some as drunk as heaps of mud, so she felt secure enough to lower her voice and tell the two men, "My mother told me not to tell anyone, but I trust you. She found a token inside my father's sleeve. The pattern looked like a flame, and inscribed upon it were those three characters: 'Nether Wolf Gate'! My mother secretly memorized it, yet pitifully, until the day she died, she never knew what my father actually did for a living."

Li Yurang sighed, "That is the Blazing Fire Token of the Nether Wolf Gate, used for dispatching assassins. An assassin who accepts the token is sent to kill. Furthermore, the Nether Wolf Gate excels in the art of disguise. Not only was your father's name fake, but his appearance was likely forged as well. Not a single person in the Wind and Cloud Pavilion is willing to take on intelligence regarding the Nether Wolf Gate, and the reason is that missions always fail, operatives always lose their targets or get mixed up in crowds and become impossible to distinguish. Especially Sect Leader Zhongli Jian—he is as crafty as a fox and utterly slippery." He then turned to ask Wu Zhuyu, "The move you used just now—did your father teach you that?"

Uncomprehending of what Li Yurang's string of words meant, Wu Zhuyu tightly gripped the hem of her garment. Startled by the question at first, she then asked back, "A move? What move? Do you mean those few flailing motions I made?" Recalling how she had been knocked down with just two punches, Wu Zhuyu suddenly felt humiliated, and her face flushed red all over again.

Li Yurang affirmed, "That's right, those gestures you made. Did your father teach them to you?" Only then did Wu Zhuyu nod and say, "Yes. Actually, sometimes he was quite good to me, teaching me some martial arts for self-defense, but I was slow and could never learn, nor could I understand what he was talking about. Moreover, every time he came back from the outside, he brought me delicious food and fun toys, and each time he left my mother so much silver. Yet my mother still hated him—hated him for taking a concubine outside, hated that bitch. That woman was no good either, putting on a pitiful act for who knows who to see, and my father was rarely home. Later on, it was that woman who killed my mother, tied me up, and slashed my face with a knife." At this point, hatred surfaced in Wu Zhuyu's eyes, and her features twisted as she continued, "I struggled with all my might to break free, killed that bitch with a counter-attack, and left that disgusting home. Afterward, my silver quickly ran out. No matter where I looked for a job, they thought my appearance was ugly and refused to keep me. Having an ugly appearance is not my fault; do I not deserve to live?" Saying this, Wu Zhuyu once more covered her face and wept.

Li Yurang reached out to steady Wu Zhuyu's shoulder and comforted her, "Who said you are ugly? I can tell that your true self is very pretty."

"Really?" Hearing Li Yurang praise her, Wu Zhuyu instantly stopped crying. She gazed at him with eager eyes and said happily, "Actually, I think so too! Those people who called me ugly and shunned me are completely superficial and short-sighted. They aren't even worthy of carrying little Zhuyu's shoes."

With that, Wu Zhuyu stared fixedly at Li Yurang as he drank, and asked earnestly, "However, putting that aside, would you fall in love with someone like me?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yurang failed to swallow his wine properly and coughed violently several times. Regaining his composure, he looked seriously at Wu Zhuyu and said, "Perhaps. I don't place a great deal of importance on a woman's outward appearance. You don't need to negate yourself because of the scar on your face; being a kind-hearted person is more important than anything else." Believing this was not merely comforting flattery on Li Yurang's part, Wu Zhuyu happily turned her head toward Wu Yuqiu. Wu Yuqiu answered bluntly, "Don't look at me, I'm not worthy."

Wu Zhuyu's smile immediately froze, and she muttered despondently, "I wasn't asking you. Whether you like me or not is none of my business; little Zhuyu already has someone in her heart." With that, she flashed a dry, cheeky grin at Li Yurang.

Wu Yuqiu glanced sideways at the embarrassed Li Yurang, chuckled softly, and took a sip of wine. Li Yurang raised his cup to clink it against Wu Yuqiu's and explained, "Saving a life builds a seven-tiered pagoda." With that, the two men drank another cup together.

Wu Zhuyu's smile froze as she asked, "What are you two talking about?" The men only smiled without answering. At that moment, a man in plain clothes walked up to Li Yurang's side and whispered in his ear, "The arena of the Demonic Ghost Concubine has been dismantled. She was severely injured and has returned to the inn." Li Yurang instructed, "Keep watching." The plain-clothed man acknowledged the order and turned to leave.

Li Yurang then said to Wu Zhuyu, "It is getting late, and the two of us brothers must be going. Please feel free to do as you wish, miss. By the way, since you are injured, remember to visit a physician for treatment and medicine."

Seeing the two of them stand up to settle the bill, Wu Zhuyu panicked and urged anxiously, "Where are you going? Can you take me with you? Little Zhuyu has nowhere to go."

Wu Zhuyu followed the two men out of the small tavern. Seeing that dusk was approaching and finding it hard to just leave her behind, Li Yurang cared for her well-being and advised, "Before dark, you had best find a place to stay quickly." Wu Zhuyu said sorrowfully, "But little Zhuyu has no money on her."

Li Yurang drew some silver from his sleeve, handed it to Wu Zhuyu, and said, "Find an inn to stay in by yourself, and you can look for a job slowly." Wu Zhuyu accepted the silver and asked their names and identities. She then watched as Wu Yuqiu impatiently urged Li Yurang to leave. Just before departing, Li Yurang reached out and patted Wu Zhuyu's shoulder before being forcibly dragged away by Wu Yuqiu.

Seeing the two men stride away lightly, Wu Zhuyu was too late to call out, and they vanished without a trace. Placing one hand on the shoulder Li Yurang had just touched, Wu Zhuyu felt utterly lost and depressed. Aside from the unsettled matter of employment, a fresh longing for Li Yurang took root in her heart.

Clutching the silver Li Yurang had given her and reluctant to spend it, Wu Zhuyu looked about in all directions and stamped her feet in anxious distress, muttering, "What is little Zhuyu to do? Where is little Zhuyu supposed to go?"

After turning it over in her mind, she had no choice but to wander the streets alone. Recalling the brawl in the tavern, Wu Zhuyu felt profound regret, thinking to herself, "If I had known Young Master Li was going to save me, I should have cursed right back at him—something harsher! Taking advantage of the scolding, I should have quickly struck him across the face. Even if he hit me back, it wouldn't have been a loss."

As she walked, Wu Zhuyu fabricated even harsher curses in her mind, as if she had already talked back to those tough men, leaving them speechless and kneeling in kowtow before her. Her face then inexplicably displayed a look of smug triumph.

Finishing her daydream, Wu Zhuyu lifted her gaze to see groups of women, some dressed in red, roaming the streets. She knew instantly they were disciples of the Crimson Goddess Cult. Wu Zhuyu had heard a thing or two about the Crimson Cult, knowing that many women voluntarily defected to join them, and even the famous Jiangnan opera performer Li Yaorao had run off to become a disciple there.

Wu Zhuyu did not know what was so good about the Crimson Cult. Although the martial arts world was filled with curses directed at the Demonic Ghost Concubine, some women were still willing to abandon their families and homes to join her. Wu Zhuyu hesitated; she also wanted to learn some martial arts, holding a treasured sword and looking imposing so that no one would dare provoke her. But could the Demonic Ghost Concubine possibly accept her as a disciple? The disciples under her command all looked so stunningly gorgeous. Yet, second thoughts arose: since even Li Yurang could find her appealing, why should she continue to belittle herself?

Making up her mind, Wu Zhuyu strode up to the entrance of the inn where the Crimson Cult was staying. She stopped in front of a woman in red, then suddenly lost her confidence, lowered her head, twiddled her fingers, and asked in a delicate voice, "Can I see Sect Leader Meng? I want to take her as my master."

The woman in red had not clearly heard what she said at first and asked her to repeat it. After looking Wu Zhuyu up and down, she said, "What do you take the Crimson Cult for? You can just waltz in whenever you please?"

Feeling a surge of resentment, Wu Zhuyu retorted in an extremely faint voice, "Wasn't the Crimson Cult founded for the women of the world? It accepts women in all kinds of misery—why can't I be taken in?"

Hearing the dispute from the main hall, the opera performer Li Yaorao walked out of the inn. Spotting Wu Zhuyu, whose ugly face could not be concealed even by a sheer veil, she asked, "Do you truly wish to join the Crimson Cult?" Seeing this breathtakingly peerless beauty, Wu Zhuyu instantly felt inferior to the point of shame, and she stammered in a small voice, "Uh, yes. I don't know if that's allowed?"

"Of course it is," Li Yaorao affirmed. "The Crimson Cult rescues all suffering women in the world. However, once you enter the sect, there is no such thing as leaving. If you are willing, I will take you to see the Sect Leader."

Ecstatic, Wu Zhuyu rejoiced, "Of course I'm willing! If I can go, little Zhuyu will be overjoyed." Li Yaorao smiled contemptuously and said, "Follow me."

Wu Zhuyu followed Li Yaorao into the inn and arrived at a superior guest room. Li Yaorao reported to Wu Yu. After going inside to announce her and returning outside, Wu Yu did not let Wu Zhuyu enter the room, merely stating, "The Sect Leader said that since she is the person you brought in, there can be no mistake. Stay under your command, and per the old rules, she shall not be given important responsibilities." Li Yaorao cupped her fists and said, "Then Protector Wu Yu, please thank the Sect Leader on my behalf." Wu Yu gave a knowing nod.