La cúspide del mundo de las artes marciales

Capítulo 53

"Kill him." I suddenly found it utterly ridiculous. Whether it was a scheme from the very beginning or just a notification I had just received, what did it have to do with me?

The moment he hesitated, nothing else mattered. What good would it do if I loved him with all my heart? He couldn't even sacrifice Gu Biyun, so how could he sacrifice the world to be with me?

I grabbed Yan Shu's collar and muttered, "Kill him. Don't you love me? Then kill him..." I had never wished for his death so much. My hatred was deep-seated and relentless.

Yan Shu held my hand with extreme pleasure. "I will kill him, but not now. Now we need Alliance Leader Ruan's help."

"Yan Shu!" Ruan Lianhua shouted again from downstairs, "I know you're here. Don't implicate Su Xie. You came out alone. You should know that Su Xie will only die if he stays with you."

Amidst the howling wind, I suddenly heard someone calling my name, "Girl! Girl, are you alright? If you're still here, answer me!"

Yan Shu reached out and covered my mouth, whispering, "Don't speak, it will be over soon."

He gave a slight signal, and the two men in black raised their hands to seal the pressure points of the alliance leader and Gu Biyun, each taking out a human skin mask from their pockets and sticking it on their faces.

In the dim moonlight, I couldn't see their faces clearly. After a moment, I heard the man in black report, "Sir, it's done."

Ruan Bicheng and Gu Biyun were pushed in front of me, and their faces were so familiar that I was stunned. They were none other than my and Yan Shu's faces.

Yan Shu nodded, bent down to help Bao Ze up, and said, "Everything in this world is based on equal exchange. You want me to let you go?"

Baoze didn't dare look at him, but nodded while holding on tightly.

Yan Shu smoothed his hair and said softly, "Then ask your father to release me and Su Xie. You don't want Su Xie to die, do you?"

Baoze blinked, looking at me with misty eyes, then nodded. Tears welled up in her eyes and swayed as she whispered to me, "Su Xie... Father won't hurt you, I promise..."

My heart and lungs suddenly ached as if they were being twisted. At that moment, I hated Yan Shu to the core.

Yan Shu waved his hand, and immediately men in black escorted Baoze to the window. Downstairs, someone cried out in shock, "Baoze! My son Baoze!"

The man in black held his sword to Baoze and said, "The high priest ordered you to step back and make way, or he will be killed immediately!"

"Stop! Don't do it! Don't do it!" The Prince of Licheng, downstairs, panicked and neighed his horse. He almost immediately ordered a retreat, but someone objected, and chaos erupted downstairs.

Yan Shu said in a very low and short voice, "Charge out! Split into two groups."

One of the men in black grabbed Baoze, while the other two helped the disguised Ruan Bicheng and Gu Biyun jump out of the window.

I heard someone shouting downstairs, "Save Baoze!"

Someone else shouted, "Catch Yan Shu! Don't let them escape!"

Amidst the chaotic sounds of war, Ruan Lianhua's voice could not be heard.

I watched their retreating figures, bathed in the pure white moonlight. They were in the moonlight's shadow. I don't know if Ruan Bicheng turned back. At that moment, I only hoped that Baoze would die tonight.

It would be better if they all died that night...

Suddenly my palm went limp, and something fell silently to my feet.

===============================================================================

How long did we wait? When the commotion downstairs reached its peak, Yan Shu pulled his cloak and wrapped me in his arms. In the warmth, I could only see a sliver of light. Yan Shu's damp breath came in, and he whispered, "Close your eyes if you're tired." He added, "Don't worry."

"Yan Shu." I suddenly called out to him, looking at him through the narrow passage, and asked, "What if Ruan Bicheng takes me away today?"

He looked at me in the dim light and said, "He won't."

"What if?"

“There are no ifs.” He answered with absolute certainty. “Do you think I would take such a huge risk to let you leave? Su Xie, you should give up. This is the limit of my tolerance for you. Even if you were an eagle, I would break your wings and make sure you can’t fly away.”

He was always so confident, no matter what.

He led me out of Tongrentang and galloped through the night. The wind howled, horses neighed, and swords clashed. I huddled in his arms, pulled my cloak tighter, and shivered with cold. All I could hear were these sounds beside my ears and the rapid beating of his heart in his chest.

The words crashed into my eardrums, making me dizzy and disoriented. Inside the cloak, I spoke to him in a weak and feeble voice, "Yan Shu, do you think there are things you can't control, things you can't obtain even if you try your hardest?"

"Huh?" He couldn't hear me clearly and asked me through the soft sound of the wind.

I looked up at him and asked, "Where are we going?"

Yan Shu didn't answer me. Instead, he leaped onto the city wall, pulled back a sliver of his cloak to show me, and said, "In our Muslim community, what is mine is mine, and no one can take it away."

A cold wind blew in through the cracks, and I saw many dark figures in the deep night. Yan Shu simply clapped his hands, and the dark figures below suddenly lit torches and knelt down on the ground.

"How long have I been in the sect? How long have you been in the sect, young master?" Yan Shu laughed in the cold wind on the city wall. "He was too impatient. He should have waited patiently until he was in power before eliminating me in one fell swoop."

That's terrifying.

These are all people I know, yet they feel terrifyingly unfamiliar. They are cunning and calculating, every move meticulously planned. Each person is a pawn, and you may not even realize it yourself.

"Su Xie." He looked down at me and said, "You can hate me if you want, but you can't live without me in your heart. You can hate me for the rest of your life if you want."

He carried me as he leaped off the city wall, through the crowd, mounted his horse, wrapped me in his arms, and commanded, "Return to the faith!"

I looked up through the gap and saw someone standing on the majestic city tower, looking at me and at Yan Shu.

In the darkest corner, I couldn't see him clearly, and I wasn't sure if it was Ruan Lianhua...

Author's Note: Seeing the comments made me feel so happy! I love you all! I'll definitely continue updating daily! Daily updates!

I also want to end this... but I have to take responsibility for the priest. After playing this far, it's time for him to understand what "love" really means (don't get the wrong idea!). It's time for him to find a good person to marry!

Qingchui Girl, your comment touched me deeply. Thank you so much for liking me so much, and thank you to everyone who has always liked and supported me! Not cheesy, not cheesy at all, I just saw the comment and got a little smug~ If you love me, just praise me~ I'll continue to smug on Weibo~ (Get lost...)

Sixty-three

Yan Shu carried me as we galloped through the night, the sound of hooves and the wind whipping my cloak. I tried to curl up as much as possible.

"Su Xie?" Yan Shu suddenly called out to me, tightening his grip on my arm and urging me onward, "Are you cold? Why are you shivering?"

In Yan Shu's arms, I saw through a gap in the cloak that it was snowing suddenly in the deep night, the snow falling on Yan Shu's lowered eyelashes, a crystal-white expanse. I peeked out from inside the cloak and saw the dense forest in the distance and the mountains nearby. Tiny snowflakes twirled down, like snow and rain at the same time.

This scenery is unfamiliar to me; clusters of withered vines and creepers climb the towering cliffs. "Should we go back?"

"We're almost out of Licheng's territory." Yan Shu gripped my cloak tightly, not even looking at me. "Go to sleep. We'll be there when you wake up."

"Stop for a moment." I grabbed the horse's mane and sat up from his lap. "Stop for a moment, Yan Shu."

"Don't move." Yan Shu pressed me down with one hand, forcing me to sit down, and said in a low voice, "We'll talk about it when we get back. Just sit still and don't move."

The wind howled against my chest and face, carrying fine snowflakes. My fingers were numb with cold. I turned to look at him, my voice faint as I said, "Yan Shu, I've lost my antidote."

My voice swept across the wind, and I saw his eyes lower instantly. He suddenly reined in his horse, which neighed loudly. I was jolted so badly I almost lost my balance. He held me tightly around the waist, staring at me with wide eyes. "What did you say?"

His expression was one of surprise, his wide eyes filled with panic. I finally saw the look on his face that I hadn't expected. I couldn't help but laugh while lying on the horse's back, laughing so hard that my whole body convulsed.

"Su Xie!" He abruptly reined in his horse, stopping it in the light snow. Ignoring his bewildered subordinates behind him, he stared intently at me and asked, "You didn't take the antidote? Where is it?"

He panicked. The more I laughed, the more panicked he became. He grabbed my chin, his fingers were icy cold. "Su Xie! Answer me!"

I lay on the horse's back, laughing uncontrollably. My chest convulsed and resonated, my heart hung in the air like a withered corpse, swinging back and forth. It felt like hundreds of termites were gnawing at my stomach, my flesh, and every bone in my body, a numbing and painful sensation. I could almost hear the rustling and gnawing sounds.

I was in excruciating pain, trembling in waves, curled up like a dying shrimp.

"Su Xie?" He held me tightly, his face deathly pale, gripping my hand tightly, his voice urgent as he called out to me, "Su Xie... what's wrong with you?"

Is it my stomach? My heart? Or my brain? Which part of me will the centipede eat first?

No one knows how much I wish it would devour my brain completely, leaving nothing behind, or even my heart.

I wasn't in pain. I've died once and I shouldn't be afraid. But on a night when the first snow was falling, I was lying on the back of a horse and suddenly started trembling uncontrollably.

My face must have looked terrible. Yan Shu was so scared that his hands were trembling as he held me. He pressed me down and held me tightly, and shouted, "Find someone nearby! Now!" He then bent down and cupped my face, wiping away the cold sweat on my face. He comforted me in a soft and weak voice, "Su Xie, you're tired. You must be exhausted. Don't be afraid. Let's rest for a bit before we continue our journey."

I opened my mouth but couldn't speak. My tongue was frozen between my lips and teeth, unable to move. I could only clutch Yan Shu's clothes, my fingers so tightly that the blood on my fingers stained his white robe.

Someone on horseback reported that there was a hunter's hut not far ahead.

Yan Shu wrapped me up tightly and spurred his horse to go over, when someone called out from behind, "My lord!"

I couldn't see anyone, but I heard someone riding up behind me, their voice anxious and tense, "My lord! Young master... young master is catching up!"

The reins were pulled, and a voice rang out not far from me, "My lord, there's no time to lose! Miss Su's injuries can be treated by Pharmacist Shen back at the sect! Now, if the young master catches up, a fierce battle is inevitable. You cannot touch the young master yet. If we lose the opportunity to return to the sect first and seize control of the situation, I fear..."

I couldn't quite make out the reasons he was giving me; all I could hear was the soft, grating sound of bones being gnawed at. Yan Shu didn't move; he was thinking, pondering, and weighing his next move.

Die, die, all of you die tonight...

I was in his arms, and I reached out and grabbed his collar, forcing out a sentence from my throat: "Yan Shu, kill me... kill me..."

I saw myself in his eyes, my face pale and I looked like a ghost, in extreme pain. What should I do if one day living is more painful than dying?

“Yan Shu…”

He abruptly ripped off his cloak and threw it to the man beside him, his brows furrowed as he said, "If you do this, I'll take my men and leave first, to distract Ruan Lianhua. I'll return to the sect tomorrow."

"My lord!" Before the man could say anything more, Yan Shu suddenly whipped his horse and galloped past.

I saw the mountains flash by on both sides, clutched Yan Shu's clothes tightly, struggled to breathe, and then, unable to hold on any longer, closed my eyes and fainted.

Die, all of you...

===============================================================================

What dream did I have that made me suddenly wake up in the middle of the night, covered in cold sweat? What was that terrifying dream?

But the moment I woke up, I suddenly forgot, I couldn't remember, my head was blank, and there was a rustling sound in my head. When I tried to think about it again, it hurt like it was being twisted.

"Su Xie!" someone called to me from the side, holding my hand.

I turned my head and saw Yan Shu squatting by the bed, looking at me with a tired but happy expression. It was still dark outside the window, and a lamp was lit inside. The warm light shone on the wispy hair on his neck, soft and quiet.

He reached out to wipe my sweat and asked, "How are you feeling? I thought you'd sleep until dawn. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

I looked up at the room; it was small and very simple, but it had everything I needed. A tiger skin was spread on the bed, making it warm and cozy.

“Su Xie…” He rubbed his cheek against the back of my hand and said in a low, hoarse voice, “Did you really lose the antidote? Hmm?” He looked up at me, his brows furrowed deeply.

I glanced over his shoulder at the room, and inadvertently landed in a corner not far from the threshold. There was something piled up there, and chairs were lying haphazardly in my view, blocking my view. I could only see dark red liquid slowly snaking out from under the chairs, like small snakes. Looking to the side, I saw a pale white hand reaching out from behind the chair.

"Su Xie?" Yan Shu called to me, asking in a gentle voice, "Didn't you take the antidote? Where is it?"

Is it one or two?

I stared at the hand behind the chair for a long time, then looked at Yan Shu. Who in this world could kill him? I looked at him closely and smiled, "Yes, the antidote was lost in Licheng."

The joy in his eyes vanished in an instant. "Where? Tongrentang? Why didn't you eat?"

Won't you be angry?

I tilted my head to look at him. "I gave it to Ruan Bicheng."

He tightened his grip on my hand, so much so that I frowned slightly, and only then did he slowly loosen his grip.

I said again, "There is only one antidote in this world. I gave it to him. Yan Shu, kill me. Strangle me like you used to."