Función clerical

Capítulo 53

"Enough, I understand."

The King of Southern Xinjiang lay on a couch covered with animal hair, his expression grim.

The man glanced subtly at Hua Jiuye, who was bound and whose fate was unknown, his eyes flickered, but he said nothing in the end.

The sound of wings flapping could be heard from afar.

The two men's expressions tightened simultaneously, and then a loud bang was heard as the stone door deep inside was blown open.

A scorching heatwave rushed in, kicking up thick smoke, and two figures gradually appeared.

"Zhi Li, I told you I wouldn't use the wrong dosage, give me a compliment!"

"Alright, I'll praise you... This should be the last one, right... Senior Brother!"

The woman gave a short shout and quickly walked towards where Hua Jiuye was.

The King of Southern Xinjiang frowned, about to stop him, when he noticed a sword in front of him. Looking up, he saw a face that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

After untying the rope, Shen Zhili carefully took his pulse.

Fortunately, though weak, he still had a breath left.

Shen Zhili forced Hua Jiuye to swallow the prepared life-saving medicine into his mouth. After swallowing the medicine, Hua Jiuye swayed and leaned weakly against Shen Zhili's shoulder.

Hua Jiuye was no small figure; when she pressed down on Shen Zhili, her weight was heavy, but so was her presence.

A faint voice rang in Shen Zhili's ears.

"...No...No...It hurts so much...Mother..." His voice was so fragile that it seemed as if it could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

Shen Zhili put her arm around him and said softly, "It's alright, it's alright."

The sounds of fighting behind them grew even more intense.

Hua Jiuye opened her eyes and suddenly smiled, "Little sister, you're still alive."

Shen Zhili touched his forehead; it was burning hot.

He has lost a lot of blood, is delirious from fever, and is hallucinating... We must get him out of here immediately.

Hua Jiuye, however, found strength from nowhere and hugged Shen Zhili tightly, nuzzling her head against her shoulder and unconsciously brushing her cheek with his lips.

Shen Zhili froze.

Hua Jiuye murmured, "...Mother is dead...Shen Tianxing, Shen Tianxing...Why didn't you tell me? Why did you hide it from me? Why did you use Zhi..."

Shen Zhili quickly covered Hua Jiuye's mouth and cautiously looked towards Su Chenche.

...=口=Is this even human?

Su Chenche kicked the King of Southern Xinjiang away, followed by a flurry of punches, the shadows of his fists so fast they were almost invisible. Finally, Su Chenche raised his left hand and delivered a powerful blow, slamming the King of Southern Xinjiang onto the ceiling of the cave...

This is a one-sided beating...

She clearly remembered that Su Chenche wasn't this powerful before she left...

Shen Zhili pressed her forehead and said to Su Chenche, "Stop fighting, let's finish this quickly and go back."

Su Chenche: "...Uh, okay...Zhi Li, should we kill him?"

Shen Zhili's heart sank.

The actions of the King of Southern Frontier could not be atoned even if he died a hundred or a thousand times, but...

—Hua Jiuye, if you kill me, you will never know where your mother is.

Shen Zhili sighed, "Let's take him up first."

******************************************************************************

Hua Jiuye was seriously injured. If it weren't for his good physical condition and youth, he would have been dead long ago.

The medicinal herbs in the Southern Frontier cannot compare with those in the Central Plains, but they have the advantage of having some herbs that are not found in the Central Plains. Moreover, the Southern Frontier Royal Palace has abundant reserves of rare medicinal herbs, which is why Shen Zhili was able to write the prescription.

In a daze, Hua Jiuye kept talking nonsense, his words incoherent and his mind was on the verge of collapse several times.

Sometimes he would call out "Mother", sometimes "Sister", and sometimes "Zhi Li" and "Shen Tianxing", but no longer with resentment, only pain and sorrow.

Shen Tianxing actually... didn't really hurt him, did he?

Shen Zhili remembered that the strange young man always spoke of his master with a sullen yet proud expression.

The resentment might just stem from feeling deceived. But really, what's there to feel hurt about? Shen Tianxing's motives for raising his two disciples might not have been pure, but he still did raise them, providing them with food, clothing, shelter, and teaching them medicine without reservation. He even imparted all his martial arts skills to Hua Jiuye.

Shen Zhili could understand the feelings of the once incomparably noble prince of the Southern Frontier when he discovered that the master he so deeply respected and loved had only shown him affection as a disciple in exchange for something from his mother. He could also understand that he knew...

Shen Zhili just smiled in the end. So he thought Shen Tianxing was a shameful liar, but in the end, Shen Tianxing only had one belief and one person in his heart. Everything he did was for that person...

Lowering her eyes, Shen Zhili's expression was hidden in the shadow of her bangs.

Hua Jiuye still hadn't woken up.

He was unconscious for several days, and Shen Zhili stayed by his side for those days.

He was the last person Shen Zhili could call family in this world, and she really, really didn't want to lose him again.

Just like her, who lost her adoptive mother many years ago... How tragic it would be if there were no one in this world you could wholeheartedly trust and rely on.

At least if she dies someday, someone will still attend her funeral.

When she was awake, Shen Zhili would feed Hua Jiuye medicine and wipe her sweat. When she was sleepy, she would lean against the bedside and take a nap.

However, when she wakes up, she often finds herself sleeping on the other side of the bed, with Su Chenche looking at her with pitiful eyes.

Shen Zhili hardened her heart and refused to look at him. Originally, Su Chenche did not want her to take care of Hua Jiuye at all, but Shen Zhili said, "If you don't let me take care of him and he dies, then I will never forgive you in this lifetime," and he completely gave up.

Despite this, Su Chenche still occasionally lurked around spying.

Shen Zhili had no choice but to let him go.

When Hua Jiuye woke up, Shen Zhili was still fast asleep.

A blush of red had just begun to bloom on the horizon as the crimson sun rose.

Noticing the person beside her get up, Shen Zhili quickly opened her eyes and tugged at his sleeve. Hua Jiuye stared at her for a moment, his expression softening, but the question that came out of his mouth was still: "Where is the King of Southern Xinjiang?"

Anticipating that the first thing he would do upon waking up would be to go find the King of Southern Xinjiang, Shen Zhili sighed softly: "Get dressed first, and I'll take you there."

The King of Southern Xinjiang is in the dungeon.

This dungeon was originally built by the King of Southern Xinjiang; he probably never imagined that one day he would be imprisoned here.

Upon seeing Shen Zhili, the guard who had been replaced quickly opened the door and led her straight to the end.

Hua Jiuye's lips were tightly pressed together, her fingers were clenched, and her face was deathly pale.

The sky was still dark, with only a faint light.

The once spirited King of Southern Xinjiang was now strapped to a stone frame, his hands and feet tightly bound, completely unable to move. His long, disheveled hair was tangled and draped over his shoulders. If it weren't for his face, Shen Zhili would hardly have recognized him as the King of Southern Xinjiang.

Hua Jiuye stepped forward and pinched his cheekbone hard: "Where is my mother?"

The King of Southern Xinjiang raised his cloudy eyes and suddenly smiled: "Of course he died long ago."

Hana Kuya: "Then tell me..."

His jawbone shattered inch by inch in Hua Jiuye's hands, making a chilling sound, but the King of Southern Xinjiang seemed completely unaffected, simply staring at him with his eyes wide open.

After Hua Jiuye stopped, the King of Southern Xinjiang finally managed to squeeze out a muffled voice from his throat: "Of course I was lying to you, you fool."

Hua Jiuye's hand slid to the Southern King's throat, his bangs falling to cover his forehead. His expression was cold: "Then I'll make you wish you were dead. I'll torture you bit by bit, and then slowly kill you."

King of Southern Frontier: "Torture me? Just like I tortured your mother and your sister..."

Hua Jiuye threw a punch, and the Southern King's face turned to the side. Blood flowed from the corner of his lips, and with a crisp sound, a tooth burst out, filled with blood.

The King of Southern Xinjiang chuckled in that pose.

Hua Jiuye raised his hand and punched the King of Southern Xinjiang repeatedly, almost with all his might, until his arms gave out and he finally relaxed.

Shen Zhili grabbed Hua Jiuye's hand: "That's enough, just kill him."

Hua Jiuye stood straight: "No, killing him directly would be too easy on him."

Shen Zhili: "But...aren't you the one suffering now?" She looked into Hua Jiuye's eyes, "Kill him, and it will all be e back to Spring Valley with me and forget all this."

Her voice was seductive as she said, "...Do you still remember the days we spent in Spring Return Valley, those carefree days, the flying blossoms and willows of spring, the lotus blossoms in the pond of summer, the autumn..."

Hua Jiuye lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. After a long while, he said in a low voice as if he had made a great decision, "Fine, I'll kill him."

He gripped the dagger at his side and slowly raised it.

“Wait,” said the man locked up on the other side. “You can’t kill him.”

Hua Jiuye's hands never stopped moving.

The man blurted out, "He's your biological father! So you can't kill him, that's patricide!"

Hua Jiuye and the King of Southern Xinjiang both said at the same time, "Nonsense!"

Hua Jiuye's voice was icy: "To save his life, you'd even utter such a ridiculous lie?"

The King of Southern Xinjiang's chest heaved violently: "I only have one son, Yun'er. He is not my son!"

The man said repeatedly, "It's really true, back then the princess..."

Hua Jiuye's dagger sliced through the man's throat, and the sound abruptly ceased.

"I don't want to know, and I don't need to know!"

Despite saying this, a complex emotion still flashed in Hua Jiuye's eyes.

The dagger was raised again, now trembling slightly.

The King of Southern Frontier, his greatest enemy is his own father—how could this be? Absolutely not! Absolutely impossible!

At this moment, the King of Southern Xinjiang stopped speaking. He closed his eyes, adopting a posture that seemed to seek only death.

His expression was extremely peaceful.

The scene seemed to freeze for a moment.

Hua Jiuye's face faintly contorted with rage, yet he hesitated to strike with his knife.

This won't do...

Shen Zhili bit her lip, took a deep breath, snatched the dagger from Hua Jiuye's hand, and plunged it into the throat of the King of Southern Xinjiang.