Der Mond scheint hell über den leeren Bergen, und Blumen füllen den Himmel

Kapitel 16

Yu Cuiwei thought for a moment, then suddenly sighed, "I'm not afraid."

This time, Shengxiang also sighed and said something that no one but Yu Cuiwei could hear.

Xingxing's eyebrows gradually rose. Yu Cuiwei was a fearsome demon, and his training at Bingzhu Temple had only made him more ruthless and cruel. He was known for his cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness, killing without hesitation at the slightest provocation. Why was he chatting so happily with this young master? Though young, she had been with Li Lingyan for a long time and was cautious. She sensed something was amiss. The leader had placed all his bets on Bingzhu Temple; these people were risking their lives for Yu Cuiwei. If this demon broke free of Li Lingyan's control, wouldn't tonight's bounty for the murder be completely jeopardized? Her eyes fixed on Shengxiang, her face pale. Where did this young master come from? Everyone hated Yu Cuiwei; even men and women who wanted a night with him wouldn't consider him a normal person. Why wasn't this young master afraid? Lost in thought, she waved to Li Shiyu on the opposite bow of the boat and whispered the order: "Attack!"

Xingxing was still young and had not mastered the art of telepathy, but she had been relaying orders for Li Lingyan for a long time. Li Shiyu could tell what she was saying just by looking at her lip movements. He saw her point to the yellow-clad boy on the Yu Cuiwei boat.

Bi Qiuhan and Nan Ge stood back to back. Bi Qiuhan had just snatched a Miao-style crescent blade, and Nan Ge had barely managed to repel an enemy attacking with a single palm strike. A quick glance caught sight of the white-clad man standing at the bow of the large ship, his robes fluttering slightly. Bi Qiuhan shouted in a deep voice, "He's the one who ambushed me with that sword!"

Before Nan Ge could answer, he suddenly stepped back. With a clang, he parried a sword strike that had nearly killed Weng Laoliu. Then, he exerted his strength to push Weng Laoliu behind Bi Qiuhan, before shouting, "I know! Weng Laoliu, you protect him."

Before the words were even finished, a cry of "Ah!" came from the ship's side. Wan Yuyuedan, relying solely on her arsenal of hidden weapons, was tripped by a weapon on the ground as she retreated. In an instant, several swords and blades rained down upon her. Although a burst of silver light erupted from Wan Yuyuedan's body as she fell, creating a cluster of silver needles, the swords and blades were already upon her, and it seemed a mutually destructive situation was imminent!

With a "clang," the crescent-shaped blade that Bi Qiuhan had just seized flew from his hand, piercing the heart of one of the men in brocade robes who was attacking Wan Yuyuedan, killing him instantly. Immediately afterward, a series of clanging sounds followed as Wan Yuyuedan grabbed the weapon that had tripped him and parried two swords and a blade descending upon him. With a "bang," he was thrown back, his hand split open, blood streaming down his body, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Despite this barely managing to parry, the three men were wounded by his hidden weapons, collapsing silently after being struck, their fate unknown.

The battle was fierce. Nan Ge seized a sword and swung it, breaking through the encirclement of more than ten people to reach Wan Yuyuedan's side. Bi Qiuhan's eyes were bloodshot. Suddenly, he let out a long howl, and a halo appeared. He used his sword control technique to wound fourteen black-clad men from Bingzhu Temple around him! Blood splattered everywhere on the ship, and severed limbs were scattered all over the ground. The wet blood made it slippery underfoot. Bi Qiuhan had wounded fourteen people with a single sword strike. After killing the enemy, he stopped to catch his breath. He was also covered in blood, and it was unclear whether he was injured.

The woman in black leading the boat on the left smiled gently. "What a fine move, 'Reversing the Heavens'! The Biluo Palace's family swordsmanship truly lives up to its reputation." Her words were gentle, but a long black whip swept across the ground like a venomous snake, wrapping around someone's foot. With a "whoosh," the tip of the whip grazed their nose. A stench filled the air—the whip was poisoned!

“So much blood.” Yu Cuiwei exclaimed. He stood up from his chair, and with a wave of his fan, a gentle breeze swept over him. His thin silk robe fluttered even further in the wind. “Are you really not going to help?” he asked Shengxiang.

Shengxiang sat in the chair, squeezing a soft rabbit. "What do you think would happen if I jumped in this situation?" He closed his eyes, refusing to look at the horrific battle before him. "First, if I jump, I'll be chased, and Xiao Bi and Anan will have another person to save. Second, if I jump, Xiao Bi and Anan won't be able to save me in time, and I'll be hacked to death. To be honest, my martial arts skills aren't high enough to make me a hero. Just not implicating anyone would be the best outcome."

“There’s a lot of blood, it’s beautiful, aren’t you going to look?” Yu Cuiwei said softly. “Besides… your ship is about to sink, if you don’t look now you won’t see your friend and my kind brother-in-law. And also… for example…” Before he could finish, Shengxiang felt a sharp wind and a chill ran straight to her nose. Yu Cuiwei continued gently, “Like this, if someone stabs you with a sword, you won’t see it.”

On the other side of the boat, Bi Qiuhan and Nan Ge were covered in blood and sweat. Enemies kept coming in relentlessly. Weng Laoliu and Wan Yuyuedan were both injured, Wan Yuyuedan's injuries particularly severe. At this rate, even the best martial arts skills would eventually be exhausted. The boat beneath their feet rocked violently, on the verge of sinking. Sheng Xiang, surprisingly, sat on Yu Cuiwei's boat, chatting and laughing as if it were none of his business. It would be a lie to say he wasn't angry or resentful. Although Bi Qiuhan had told him to just stand by and watch, seeing Sheng Xiang sitting on the enemy's boat drinking tea as if it were none of his concern filled Bi Qiuhan with indignation! If Sheng Xiang had intervened earlier, Wan Yuyuedan might not have been injured, and he might not have had to force himself to use his weapon to catch the enemy's swords! "Sheng Xiang, you two are usually very close, how could you treat him like this? Do you think that being the son of the Prime Minister makes you superior to everyone else? Is your life more valuable than others'?"

Just as Bi Qiuhan and Nan Ge were harboring resentment towards Sheng Xiang, Li Shiyu silently launched a sword attack on Sheng Xiang, who was sitting on the Jade Peak boat. Bi Qiuhan was startled, but inexplicably paused, neither attacking nor issuing a warning. Perhaps his expectations of Sheng Xiang were too high, and Sheng Xiang had disappointed him too much. In that fleeting moment, like a shooting star chasing the moon, a muffled crack suddenly sounded, and the plank beneath his feet split open. He wanted to leap up, but the enemy before him, his eyes bloodshot with rage, brought down a blade, forcing him into the river as well.

The river overflowed, and the small boat that Bi Qiuhan was on was finally sank after being rammed by large ships on all sides. Many people on the boat who were fighting desperately also sank into the Han River.

Bi Qiuhan felt a sudden darkness engulf him; the river submerged him, and many others struggled and fought madly in the water. He wasn't a good swimmer and didn't know what had happened to the others. He struggled to the surface. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his ribs; someone had ambushed him with a sword. Losing his breath, he sank back into the river, his mind blank. Had he died? What had become of the others?

For a brief moment after he surfaced, he vaguely saw some strange scenes, but unfortunately, he couldn't see them clearly at all... His ribs were the air vents, and he couldn't hold on any longer. He seemed to smell the strong stench of blood in the water, and many people were struggling desperately in the water. Unexpectedly, a sense of absurdity rose in his heart. These people were risking their lives for Yu Cuiwei. Did they have any regrets when they died? Gradually, his consciousness also became blurred. He probably died like this.

Chapter Five: A Letter from Hometown Travels Thousands of Miles

When Bi Qiuhan woke up, he was greeted by a clean and tidy room, and a person he never dreamed he would see so close.

The man had changed into a light blue robe, still an unusually oversized one. A teardrop-shaped pearl dangled from his slender, bony neck, its color reflecting off his jade-like skin, making him exceptionally beautiful. However, with a flick of his fan, a gentle breeze brushed against Bi Qiuhan's cheek, revealing a rather frivolous and unrestrained air. He softly asked, "Great Hero Bi, you're awake?"

Bi Qiuhan suddenly sat up. How did he end up on Yu Cuiwei's ship? Had they all been captured by the Blood Sacrifice Society and become prisoners? As he sat up, he felt a sharp pain in his waist and ribs. He realized with a start that a sword had penetrated three and a half inches into the water, almost killing him. Now he was unable to move!

"You're all badly injured, don't move, I won't eat you." The fan pressed down on Bi Qiuhan as he tried to get up, and Yu Cuiwei said with a smile, "Awan, you explain to him clearly, I don't talk to stubborn moralists." With that, he got up and left, a gentle breeze stirred up by his sleeve, and closed the door behind him.

Awan? Is the Palace Master alright? Bi Qiuhan turned and scanned the room. He saw Wan Yuyuedan sitting against the wall, wrapped in a brocade quilt. Her face was quite pale, but she looked very cheerful. "Qiuhan, don't be nervous. We are not prisoners."

"Where is Brother Nan?" Bi Qiuhan asked weakly.

“Anan can’t swim and swallowed too much water. His brother-in-law helped him drain the water from his chest and he’s only just out of danger. Now he has a high fever and probably won’t be able to get up for a while.” Wan Yuyue smiled gently. “But Old Weng’s knife wound is not serious. He’s already brewing medicine for us.”

"Your brother-in-law?" Bi Qiuhan was completely confused. "Why would your brother-in-law save him? Isn't he a member of the Blood Sacrifice Society and Li Lingyan?" He felt like he was dreaming. How could the world have changed so much when he woke up?

"My brother-in-law saved us." Wan Yuyue stuck out her tongue slightly.

Bi Qiuhan's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

Wan Yuyue's voice was most soothing to agitate people. "Qiuhan, you are the most righteous, but also the least understanding of human nature." He smiled pleasantly. "Because you resent your brother-in-law, you don't understand..." He sighed slightly and said softly, "What can Li Lingyan do to win over my brother-in-law? What promises can he make? As the most wicked man in Bingzhu Temple, what does he lack? What could possibly move him, even to the point of offering his body as alms?" His gaze slowly shifted to Bi Qiuhan. Perhaps he couldn't see anything, but Bi Qiuhan felt as if he were seen through from head to toe by those eyes. "Qiuhan, your brother-in-law may have truly everything in his life: money, wealth, power, status, the power of life and death, even unwavering love. He has everything... or perhaps much more. What has he never received in his life? Do you know what it is? It's just the word 'respect,' which ordinary people have day and night. Do you understand?" He said softly, his tone gentle. He didn't blame anything, nor did he express any sentimentality; he simply spoke slowly.

Bi Qiuhan was slightly shaken. The thought of Yu Cuiwei immediately brought a feeling of disgust to everyone, like a snail crawling on their skin. The first thing that came to mind was the word "freak," making it impossible to treat him like a normal person. But no one ever thought of it—"One must respect oneself before one can respect others." He still said firmly.

A faint look of pity appeared in Wan Yuyue's eyes. "Perhaps a lack of self-respect is just a form of self-defense, something neither of us understands... Li Lingyan didn't promise my brother-in-law anything. He knew my brother-in-law lacked nothing; the only thing he didn't have was a confidant." He said softly, "Someone... who could understand his pain. Qiu Han, do you understand? I'm not saying my brother-in-law is a good person, but even a bad person is just a person; he's not a devil. Li Lingyan only acted as a confidant once, and he gained such a powerful ally in my brother-in-law because he understands people's hearts and human nature."

"Since he considers Li Lingyan a kindred spirit, why does he want to come with us?" Bi Qiuhan had never heard of such a reason before, and his heart was filled with turmoil, as if the world he had known clearly for more than twenty years had also become chaotic.

"A scholar will die for one who understands him." Wan Yuyue said softly, "The reason why my brother-in-law took up arms on the battlefield is simply because... Shengxiang understands people's hearts better than Li Lingyan."

“Sacred Incense?” Bi Qiuhan was taken aback.

“I don’t know what Shengxiang and her brother-in-law said, but if it were me,” Wan Yuyuedan smiled slightly, “I would be very angry.”

Bi Qiuhan shut up, waiting for Wan Yuyue to explain.

“No one who considers themselves my brother-in-law’s friend would ask him to sell his body. If they truly understood my brother-in-law’s sorrow, they would know that such a body is my brother-in-law’s… sin that can never be accepted by anyone.” Wan Yuyue sighed softly. “My sister loves my brother-in-law so much because she understands him. Li Lingyan shouldn’t have deliberately offered a reward for my brother-in-law’s actions. That only proves that he has never respected my brother-in-law at all, and all his confidants are fake.”

Bi Qiuhan remained silent. He had never understood the sorrow that a transvestite like Yu Cuiwei could experience, nor had he ever wanted to. But listening to Wan Yuyue speak so gently, it seemed as if... Yu Cuiwei, the most wicked of all, who had been despised by the martial arts world for decades, truly deserved sympathy.

"Where are we?" He didn't want to hear any more and immediately changed the subject. If he listened any longer, his moral compass, built up over twenty years, would be completely thrown into disarray.

“My brother-in-law’s boat,” Wan Yuyuedan said.

“Junshan…” Qiu Han frowned. Had they already missed the Junshan Gathering?

Wan Yuyue frowned slightly, causing Bi Qiuhan's heart to tremble slightly—his palace master rarely frowned. He said, "The Junshan Gathering was yesterday. I heard… Li Lingyan planted hundreds of kilograms of explosives there, causing the mountains and rivers to change color and the sun and moon to lose their light. We'll have to go to the site to find out the actual situation!"

"What?" Bi Qiuhan exclaimed in surprise, "Explosives?"

“Hmm.” Wan Yuyue responded, “Li Lingyan said that if we can’t find the murderer of his father, it’s fine to use the heroes of the world to accompany Li Chenglou in death.”

"What..." Bi Qiuhan was shocked and her face turned pale. "Li Lingyan is a madman..."

"Don't worry, Qiu Han." Wan Yuyue smiled. "I only said that Li Lingyan bombed Junshan, but I heard that 'Tianyan' and 'Baifa' led the heroes to split into two groups and disappeared somewhere. Li Lingyan bombed an empty city." He was always good at understanding people's hearts, and his tone was always reassuring. "We'll only know the specifics when we get there. Don't worry, it's alright."

Bi Qiuhan let out a long breath, feeling inexplicably exhausted. He lay down and murmured, "I just hope they're all alright. It was my poor planning that dragged them into this." Closing his eyes, he asked wearily, "Where is Shengxiang...?"

"You don't blame him anymore?" Wan Yuyue smiled slightly. "He lost his suitcase and was throwing a tantrum, but luckily my brother-in-law promised to compensate him with a lot of clothes..." As he spoke, he laughed first, "It's just that my brother-in-law can't afford to compensate for that rabbit hutch, hehe."