Fragrance rises to dance

Chapter 105

Suddenly, Shengxiang opened her eyes and, in a moment of distraction, pushed open the window with a "creak"—Li Lingyan's front was covered in blood. He had been struck by Shangxuan's "Gunxue" palm, which was destined to shatter his heart and lungs. Before dying, he glanced at Li Shiyu and then at Shengxiang, looking up as if searching for something in the crowd. Finally, he said nothing and closed his eyes to pass away.

When he died, he had no smile on his face, nor was he calm; there seemed to be a hint of confusion and bewilderment.

Perhaps even he himself didn't understand why he would shield Li Shiyu with his own body to save him.

If Li Shiyu hadn't rushed out, perhaps he could have achieved the kind of final ending he wanted—dying with a laugh?

But he didn't see it after all.

Saint Fragrance's eyes were filled with loneliness, as lonely as the silence that fell over the thousands of people the moment Li Lingyan died.

Xiao Yan... after all, he can't live for himself... He wants to live a life of passion and excitement for himself, but he can't.

He ultimately followed his own destiny and died for his family.

His lofty ambitions remained unfulfilled, leaving only his brother, who only now realized the pain, to hold him in the snow and cry like a child.

Wan Yuyue sighed softly. Li Lingyan was dead; he wouldn't be killed by Biluo Palace after all. After discussing the situation with the elders around her, Biluo Palace quietly retreated and slowly withdrew.

Saint Incense's eyes swept across the faces of everyone present. Some were horrified, some were saddened, some felt sympathy, some breathed a sigh of relief, some were resentful, and some were still dumbfounded. Everyone felt a sense of desolation, sorrow, and emptiness as they watched this once-powerful figure die.

What was it that Li Lingyan truly wanted in his life? Shengxiang gazed at the back of Li Shiyu, who was weeping over the corpse, watched Li Shuangli kneel on the ground, heartbroken, and saw Madam Li walk out of the crowd step by step, seemingly still unable to believe that Li Lingyan was dead... Perhaps what Xiaoyan could not obtain in life, he obtained in death?

The sound of groans suddenly roused everyone. With Li Lingyan dead, those who had been poisoned by "Holding Hands to Grow Old Together" began to suffer, writhing and thrashing on the ground in agony. Those with high skill could endure it, but those with lower skill screamed in agony. Soon after, many people lay motionless on the snow.

Shengxiang and Rongyin were startled. They saw Liu Ji rolling on the ground, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, someone handed Liu Ji a bottle and smiled tenderly, saying, "The antidote."

Liu Ji struggled to her feet and swallowed whatever it was. A moment later, she felt all the pain disappear. When she looked up, she saw that the person standing in front of her was handsome in white, with half of his face charred. It was Yu Cuiwei.

But there was only one antidote. Yu Cuiwei, facing the people rolling around on the ground groaning in pain, smiled and waved his fan slightly, seemingly ignoring them, remaining calm and composed.

Sheng Xiang stared intently at the "antidote" Yu Cuiwei had presented. Yu Cuiwei looked up and smiled at him. Sheng Xiang smiled faintly, a smile with too many indescribable meanings, just as his gaze had seen through the life and death, joy and sorrow that filled the room that night, and all of that was reflected in his eyes, shimmering with a kind of glass-like brilliance—a kind of understanding, a kind of clarity, and even more so, a kind of desolation.

How many times in life can one's wishes be fulfilled?

The sun shines brightly on the western embankment, and the moon shines brightly on the sand.

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Red Water Lily by the Silent River, a Place of Abundant Resources

Two days after the Battle of Luoyang.

They agreed with Zhuge Zhi on the day to capture Liu Ji alive.

Outside Bianjing city, on the outskirts of Zhuxian town.

As expected, Zhuge Zhi was punctual. This time, he brought his entire army from Shiqi Pavilion, along with the remaining members of the ten factions from the dungeon that day, numbering in the hundreds. They displayed their banners and waited for the incense to be burned. Many busybodies and idlers from various factions also watched from the sidelines. Someone even invited the martial arts writer "Qian Zhizi" to oversee the proceedings, so that it could be made public to the world.

Of course, they had already heard about the Battle of Luoyang, that Li Lingyan was dead, and that Biluo Palace had won. However, because many imperial guards had been involved, the true story of the battle was probably unclear to everyone. Biluo Palace handled the aftermath discreetly, never mentioning the battle again. Although the martial arts sects were uneasy, they still held Biluo Palace in high regard. This mysterious palace of the martial arts world was indeed mysterious.

"I heard that all those who were promised to 'grow old together' by Li Ling at that banquet are now dead, not a single one alive," a gray-clad old man behind Zhuge Zhi said ominously.

Zhuge Zhi's face was ashen; he had always thought it impossible to capture Liu Ji alive.

Opposite Shiqi Pavilion were several Taoist priests from Wudang. The old Taoist priest Qingjing was personally leading the formation, along with Tong Toutuo, the Four Friends of Qilian, and Weng Laoliu, among others. The reason the old Taoist priest Qingjing was leading the formation was because the old monk from Shaolin Temple was sitting next to him with his eyes closed and his brows lowered, which made him somewhat uneasy.

A carriage slowly approached, kicking up a little dust and a bit of cold wind.

Several people got off the carriage: Rong Yin, Yu Xiu, Yu Cuiwei, and Ze Ning.

After a while, two more people came down: one was a woman in a blue dress, and the other was Shengxiang.

As the group approached, both sides were taken aback: after a month apart, Shengxiang had become so haggard and thin.

He placed a hand on Ze Ning's shoulder, his face pale but still smiling as he waved to Tong Toutuo and the others. Tong Toutuo and the others rushed over, asking what had happened. Sheng Xiang smiled and said, "Haven't you ever seen someone sick?" He then sat down on the ground, saying, "This young master has no strength and won't get up."

Rong Yin and Yu Xiu frowned as they patted him down with a fox fur coat. After the battle in Luoyang that day, everyone dispersed, and Sheng Xiang had been unconscious for a day and a night. His health had not improved since then, but he was in good spirits and did not show the weakness and exhaustion he had experienced during the battle. Whether this was a good or bad thing, no one could say for sure. When he was struggling to walk, it seemed as if he might leave at any moment, but when he smiled, it seemed as if he could stay with everyone forever and would never die.

Ze Ning glanced at Zen Master Yi Chong and pushed Liu Ji forward.

“Amitabha.” Zen Master Yizhong spoke first. “I have come here today to testify for Benefactor Yu that the person who opened the prison and rescued people that day was indeed Benefactor Yu. I went into seclusion after returning to the temple and was unaware of the changes in the martial world. I am truly guilty.”

Liu Ji shivered in the cold wind, though she was actually dressed warmly. "I testify on behalf of Young Master Yu that he was undoubtedly the one who broke through my Iron Prison to save people that day. Although Young Master Yu has a bad reputation, he is... he is a very kind person..."

The moment the two spoke, Zhuge Zhi's face turned ashen, and Qian Zhizi immediately took note. Although Zhuge Zhi argued that his pursuit of Yu Cuiwei was to rid the martial world of a scourge, Qian Zhizi refuted this, stating that Yu Cuiwei had ventured into the martial world alone since the age of fourteen, and had only had romantic relationships with five women and three men. While he occasionally displayed excessive bloodlust, he was not seen as a murderous monster. The accusations of rape, kidnapping, prostitution, and other such acts were baseless and fabricated. Qian Zhizi had martial world history to back up his claims, leaving Zhuge Zhi dumbfounded. He had no choice but to admit his mistake, hand over the tiger tally, and admit his narrow-mindedness and resentment at being saved by evil demons. Only now did he realize that even the evil path could have good people.

Yu Cuiwei watched as he transformed from a "wicked demon" into a "benevolent outsider" in an instant, and laughed inwardly. Then he threw his head back and laughed loudly, "Hahaha!" three times in a row. "To see you all in such a sorry state today, Yu Cuiwei's wish is fulfilled! Holy Incense, Holy Incense, with such a friend, Yu Cuiwei's life has not been in vain!"

After he laughed heartily, he closed his eyes and sat down. His lowered eyebrows and eyes gave him a dignified air, and he remained silent and still.

After a while, the Shaolin Zen Master Yizhong was slightly startled, put his palms together, and said, "Amitabha, excellent, excellent! Benefactor Yu is a remarkable person of this era; this old monk is completely convinced."

Everyone was stunned. Shengxiang sat there watching him, and finally smiled slightly and whispered, "Dayu is dead."

Zhuge Zhi exclaimed in utter astonishment, "He's dead?" The devil he regarded as a thorn in his side was dead, but he only felt astonishment and surprise, without feeling any joy or relief.

Shengxiang slowly raised his head to look at the sky and said leisurely, "To save everyone from danger, he was stabbed by Pu Shidong, a fatal wound. However, Da Yu's internal strength was profound, and his body was different from others, so he didn't die on the spot... Later, he was chased by Qu Zhiliang and you. To save Master Jindan, he was stabbed by Qu Zhiliang again, making his injury even more serious and hopeless. Nuan Yatou said he needed to recuperate for three years, but in fact, he only had three years left to live... Later... he followed me to track down Li Lingyan and was poisoned by Li Lingyan's 'Holding Hands to Grow Old Together' poison..." He spoke very calmly, but Liu Ji suddenly cried out, "Ah! He... but he... gave me the antidote!"

Shengxiang glanced at her slowly, her eyes filled with a strange look. "If he wasn't poisoned, where would he get the antidote?"

Liu Ji was taken aback. "But...then..." Why would Li Lingyan give Yu Cuiwei the antidote?

Shengxiang's gaze passed over Liu Ji and she continued calmly, "After Li Lingyan died, the poison in Da Yu's body would naturally take effect. However, he was not deeply poisoned and had profound internal strength, so no one could tell that he was poisoned. Until today, today... he died."

The entire hall fell silent, gazing at Yu Cuiwei's lowered posture. This man, so full of smiles and affection in life, was now dignified and solemn in death.

After a long while, Zhuge Zhicai asked, "Since he knew all along that the injuries were incurable, why...why..."

"Why did you work so hard and suffer so much, dragging it out until today?"