"You've recognized a thief as your father for twenty years; you can't change your ways overnight."
Situ Qingliu remained silent for a long time, then gave a bitter smile:
"So right now, I don't feel particularly happy."
Even though Situ Yebai didn't dote on him much, he still owed him a debt of gratitude for raising him. Twenty years had passed, and even through trials and tribulations, some deep-seated feelings remained that could not be erased.
Hua Chongyang glanced back at Lan Wuxie and asked in a low voice:
Why push people so far?
Lan Wuxie stood like a stone statue, his face deathly pale, his eyes vacant and misty. Though he was clearly leaning against the stone wall, motionless, Hua Chongyang saw only that he was about to collapse, as if he would fall to the ground at any moment.
Situ Yebai remained silent.
Hua Chongyang appeared relaxed, but her expression was sorrowful.
"Your Highness, aside from the time Ye Qinghua died, I have never asked anyone for anything in my life."
Situ Yebai stared at her for a long time, then turned his face away, his voice low and deep:
"...Then, Chongyang, I have only one question."
"What?"
"If he were alive, he would be separated from you by the ends of the earth—"
He stopped talking.
Hua Chongyang was taken aback.
Therefore, Situ Yebai's condition for releasing the person was--
"In my entire life, I can never let go of a second person in my heart."
He spoke slowly, looking at Hua Chongyang.
Lan Cao, Liu Da, and Chu San stared at Hua Chongyang together.
Situ Yebai's meaning couldn't be clearer: Spare Lan Wuxie's life, fine.
Hua Chongyang suddenly understood and burst into laughter:
"This won't do."
She shook her head without hesitation:
"Others are worth considering, but the heir apparent, Situ, is not an option. If he dies, I will go with him; if he lives, I will never be separated from him again. It's either live together or die together; there is no third way."
Situ Qingliu seemed to have anticipated this, and said without turning his head:
"I can't bring myself to do it."
He called out softly:
"velvet."
Pin Lan drew his sword and stepped forward in response.
Situ Qingliu turned and left, leaving Pinlan and several others with swords to surround the group. Only after Situ Qingliu walked out of the cave did Pinlan draw her sword.
"Master Hua, my apologies--"
The sword shot straight at Lan Wuxie.
Hua Chongyang leaped aside from the tip of the sword.
Pin Lan's martial arts skills were also formidable, and with the help of several guards, Hua Chongyang was overwhelmed, struggling to maneuver left and right. Seeing the sword's edge locked with Lan Wuxie, he finally couldn't raise his right shoulder to block. With a "thud," Pin Lan's longsword pierced through her right shoulder and then plunged into Lan Wuxie's left shoulder. Pin Lan swiftly withdrew his sword, and several guards dragged Hua Chongyang away from behind. Pin Lan cried out "Excuse me!" again, and was about to plunge his sword into Lan Wuxie's chest.
Hua Chongyang closed his eyes in despair, and then heard another "plop" sound in his ear, followed by a cry from the orchid:
"Anping!"
She opened her eyes.
Lan Wuxie remained leaning against the stone wall, but Anping stood blocking his way. Pinlan's sword pierced Lan Wuxie's left hand, but was stopped by a knife in his right. Pinlan was clearly surprised as well.
Anping! You!
Anping's eyes were bloodshot, and he roared hoarsely, his voice sounding as if it were being roasted over a fire, almost shattering:
"I can't bear to see... I can't bear to see him die! He's the son of my enemy! The son of my enemy! Ah—kill me first! Just kill me!"
After shouting, Anping drew his knife with his right hand, stood up abruptly, laughed wildly, and swung the knife out.
Pinlan's right arm hit the ground, and blood gushed out three feet.
Hua Chongyang watched in astonishment as Anping laughed wildly and began slashing wildly with his sword. Several guards with swords, Liu Da, Chu San, and even Lan Cao—the only one who avoided Lan Wuxie with that large sword. Liu Da, Chu San, and Lan Cao barely managed to block a few blows, and Anping then slashed at Pin Lan; Pin Lan, wielding a sword in his left hand, joined the attack with several guards, but they were clearly no match for Anping.
Hua Chongyang had never seen such insane swordsmanship.
At first, she had the courage to look, but when blood and flesh began to splatter before her eyes, she dared not look anymore. She scrambled and struggled until Lan Wuxie grabbed her, taking advantage of the situation to avoid Anping's knife. A moment later, the "thud" sound of the knife cutting into flesh faded away. She secretly turned around and saw that the ground was piled with human heads, arms, and hands.
The orchids opposite looked up at the same time, saw this scene, and then turned their heads and began to vomit uncontrollably.
Anping's face was covered in blood, but he was still laughing wildly.
It couldn't be clearer; Anping had clearly gone mad.
Hua Chongyang stared at him, fearing he would hurt someone again, but then he saw Anping finish laughing, raise his blood-stained broadsword, and plunge it straight into his own chest.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Anping, with a maniacal smile on his face, slowly collapsed.
The cave fell silent, except for the half-arm of someone high up, dripping blood down the stone wall onto the ground.
Whether out of fear or from excessive blood loss, Hua Chongyang felt dizzy and lightheaded, and finally collapsed onto Lan Wuxie.
92. Recuperation
When Hua Chongyang woke up, he was already lying in a brothel room.
The room was quiet and silent. After a moment of stunned silence, she closed her eyes, and the bloody scene in the cave flashed before her eyes. She suddenly sat up, threw off the covers, and ran out.
Just then, Ye Laoqi, who was carrying something in, stopped her.
"OP!"
Hua Chongyang, with disheveled hair, grabbed her and asked:
Where is Lan Wuxie?
"Master Lan has been coughing up blood incessantly--"
Hua Chongyang suddenly felt dizzy. Before she could finish listening, she let go of his hand, turned around, and rushed out again, only to bump into Huang San, who was following behind her. Huang San grabbed her and pulled her back.
"It's alright, it's alright! What's the rush?"
Hua Chongyang stood firm.
Huang San grabbed her arm and said slowly:
"That divine physician said—something about salty or bland—ah, Zu Xian! He said, Pavilion Master Lan is alright."
Where is he now? Not at the brothel?
"The divine physician examined him last night and gave him some pills for now. However, he seemed dazed, probably due to the sudden pain affecting his heart meridians. So, Zu Xian brought him back to Lan Ying Palace, saying he would slowly unblock his meridians. He'll be alright. Absolutely alright."
As Huang San spoke, he kept an eye on Hua Chongyang's expression.
She had no choice but to keep this a secret for the time being.
Yesterday, seeing no one emerge from the cave, and then Situ Qingliu going in and out with a grim expression, she went in with Bai Lu and Ye Laoqi to investigate. To their surprise, they found severed limbs and blood everywhere, and Bai Lu and Ye Laoqi immediately vomited. Huang San, suppressing his nausea, searched the cave, first finding the bodies of Bo Jiang and several others, then discovering the only survivor, Lan Cao, whose eyes were still open. Fortunately, Lan Cao hadn't completely fainted and had regained consciousness. The group worked together to drag her out of the cave and, under cover of darkness, went to Lan Ying Manor in the nearby suburbs to have Zu Xian, who was there, heal his wounds.
Others are fine, suffering only external or internal injuries, which can heal in ten days to a month.
Only Lan Wuxie, after taking the pill to stop the bleeding, still sat there with her eyes half-closed, making Zu Xian shake his head in disbelief.
"This is troublesome."
Lancao was so frightened she almost cried.
Zu Xian took the pulse, inquired about what had happened in the cave, and still shook his head:
"Practicing the Yellow Springs Martial Arts had already nearly ruined his body. This sudden, intense pain has affected his mind, and I'm afraid he's lost his sanity as well. If he could cry, curse, or kill, it would be somewhat better—but he's usually a quiet, reserved person, so who knows when he'll regain his senses."
The orchid grew even more anxious:
"What exactly happened?! How could this happen? Doctor, please give me a clear explanation!"
Zu Xian looked at him, raised an eyebrow and said:
"To put it bluntly? It means your sect leader has gone mad."
"...What? But he was so quiet--"
"How can Lan Wuxie be like an ordinary person?" Zu Xian shook his head and sighed. "This person is probably too cunning; even in his madness, he goes mad without making a sound. It's not surprising. Anyone would go mad if they turned their own father into something inhuman."
"……"
The orchid was temporarily unable to be cultivated.
He also feared that Situ Qingliu would send men to hunt him down. With Lan Wuxie mentally unstable and the group leaderless, Lan Ying Palace might be wiped out. So he discussed with Lan Shu and decided to take a few trusted men that very night to escort Lan Wuxie back to Lan Ying Palace.
Huang San and the others then carried the unconscious Hua Chongyang back to the brothel overnight.
Seeing Hua Chongyang's expression, Huang San added:
"Bo Jiang is dead, and none of the men from Yanzu Valley escaped Lan Wuxie's clutches—one of them was still breathing when he went in, but I finished him off. Situ Qingliu probably isn't in the mood to clean up the mess right now; something has happened outside the pass, and he's already on his way back to the capital—Master Lan will be alright."
After listening, Hua Chongyang turned around blankly, sat back down by the window, and after a long while said softly:
"...It's good that you're alright...it's good that you're alright."
Huang San stood to the side, observing Hua Chongyang's expression for a while, before finally sitting down and patting his hand:
"...OP. Actually... there's something else."
Hua Chongyang looked up, his face pale, but his voice was already very calm:
"What's up?"
Her mind had been racing with questions, but what Huang San said was the most unexpected thing she could think of:
"...When the doctor took your pulse last night, he said...you're pregnant again."
Hua Chongyang was stunned.