Assassin sans nom

Chapitre 18

Deng Haitang said angrily, "This is practically going against the Central Plains! Has the leader of the White Bright Cult gone mad?"

Chapter 8

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The familiar bells of the Heavenly Slave rang incessantly in the dungeon. She hadn't heard such a sound for at least half a year, and now it sounded so jarring.

The White Cult's dungeons were clean and free of torture, which was something she was always very gratified about. She walked slowly behind Deng Haitang, who was dressed in wedding attire, while she was dressed in white—wasn't that a contrast of red and white?

The iron cages on both sides held Tiannu. As she passed by one of the cages, she glanced at it indifferently.

Inside, there was a tall, imposing slave, who was resting with his eyes closed, ignoring the approaching visitors.

A servant opened the iron cage next door and let the two of them in. Deng Haitang stumbled, and the servant quickly steadied her.

With a clang, the chains of the iron cage were pulled shut.

Deng Haitang said angrily, "This is practically going against the Central Plains! Has the leader of the White Bright Cult gone mad?"

Jiang Wubo nodded in agreement and sat cross-legged by the iron cage bars that connected to the next room.

"Miss Jiang, I'm sorry to have dragged you into this," Deng Haitang said in a low voice.

"It's alright," she said.

Hearing the sound, Tiannu next door suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the white figure behind the iron bars.

"We need to figure out how to get out of here!" Deng Haitang tore off her overly long wedding dress and groped for possible escape routes.

Jiang Wubo blinked, looking at the bride with great interest. So this was the female knight-errant of the martial world. She had clearly seen Fairy Haitang speaking softly to Xianyun that day, and now she was all alone, relying on herself—impressive!

only!!

"Miss Deng, if you can't find a way out, why don't you wait for someone to come and rescue you?" She's a parasite; it would be easier for someone to come and rescue her.

The tall, powerful slave's expression was even more unpredictable.

"Send someone to rescue us? When will that be? What are their motives?"

"Alas, the cult leader's main character is nothing more than Huangfu Yun, who has been brought back from the dead," Jiang Wubo sighed.

"Huangfu Yun?" Deng Haitang exclaimed in surprise, "Is that the Bai Ming Cult protector who was killed in the bombing half a year ago?"

"Sigh, yes." She lowered her eyes, fiddling with her belt. "Many people don't believe she's dead. The leader of the White Bright Cult doesn't believe it, nor does He Ronghua's brother. The leader has been waiting for the right opportunity, but unfortunately, he's gone mad and is on the verge of death; he can't wait any longer. As for He Yuehua, she's convinced that Huangfu Yue is still alive, so she returned to the White Bright Cult and willingly imprisoned herself in this dungeon. She believes that as long as she's alive, she'll come to rescue him sooner or later. Even if Tianhe Manor spreads the news that He Yuehua has returned, Huangfu Yue will still see through it all."

Deng Haitang was stunned for a moment, her gaze shifting from Jiang Wubo to the tall man behind her iron bars.

"Girl." The man said in a hoarse voice, his tone tinged with excitement.

Jiang Wubo kept his eyes downcast and said, "He Zai, do you think you can outsmart me?"

"I can't outmaneuver her." His face beamed with joy. "The girl is soft-hearted; she'll come back sooner or later."

"Where did I show any weakness?" she said calmly.

He remained silent. After a while, he said in a hoarse voice, "Young lady, it wasn't that I didn't want to save you... He was my father's last son, and will be his only son. He was rather weak-willed, and his will wasn't as strong as yours. I thought that you would never give up on any chance of survival, even if you fell off a cliff, even if you were hacked to pieces, as long as you had a breath left, you wouldn't give up. So, I... as soon as I saved him, I went down the cliff to find you... All that was left was his corpse, the Heavenly Slave Bell, and the Jade Flute." When he said the last sentence, his tone was filled with pain.

Deng Haitang's eyes widened. "You're Huangfu Yun? No, Huangfu Yun doesn't look like this. She has tattoos on her face too."

"I'm afraid of pain, I don't want to get stabbed. That's done with drawing," Jiang Wubo admitted.

"But, but the Heavenly Slave Ring can never be broken..."

"I took it off when I was fourteen, but I was afraid people would find out, so I've kept wearing it ever since."

Deng Haitang was speechless. Finally, she could only ask, "You...you really fell off the cliff?"

She laughed, "Of course I fell off a cliff. My bones were broken, my internal organs were displaced, and I was bleeding from a head wound." She stood up, facing He Zai, and brushed her bangs aside, revealing the scars on her head. "You're right. That day, I thought I had no chance of survival, and I was clearly waiting to go to the Western Paradise, but at the last moment, my body instinctively tried to save itself, leaving me bedridden for four months. I was only able to recover so quickly because of my good endurance."

"Girl..." His pupils suddenly contracted.

She smiled lightly, hands behind her back: "He Zai, you don't need to feel guilty. Isn't that how the world is? You saved me, and I thank you; you couldn't save me, so let's go our separate ways. Back then, you were forced to serve me as a Heavenly Slave, and I feared day and night that you would murder me, a ten-year-old child. So everything was fair. You had the Heavenly Slave Ring, and so did I; you were forced to have a tattoo on your face, and from then on, I had the same tattoo on my face; I taught you martial arts, not so that you could make it famous, but so that you could protect me. That's the result of our ten years of friendship, each of us getting what we needed. Today I'm here to tell you that we owe each other nothing. I've removed the Heavenly Slave Ring from you, and from now on, we'll each go our own way."

He Zai gazed at her expression and slowly spoke: "That day at the bottom of the cliff, I saw the Heavenly Slave Bell and the Jade Flute, and I knew your feelings, Miss."

She remained silent.

"Have you been happy these past six months, young lady?"

"Not bad. Jiang Wubo is my current name. I have enough to eat and sleep, it's pretty carefree."

"Jiang Wubo?" He pondered, then chuckled bitterly, "No waves on the river, I should have realized it sooner. It really was Gongsun Yun who saved her. That day, I held onto a sliver of hope that he would intervene to save her, but the hidden weapons in the forest forced him to back down. He ultimately saved you, young lady... You've fallen for someone?"

She raised an eyebrow and laughed, "Am I that easy to see through?"

He Zai tenderly stroked the jade flute and said, "If it were a girl from the past, she would have simply left and never seen me again after surviving."

"So you're still determined to stay in a place like this, waiting for me to come back?" She was a little angry as she said it. From the moment she heard that He Zai had never been seen at Tianhe Manor, she knew that this guy hadn't stayed at Tianhe Manor at all.

Having known each other for ten years, how could she not know this person's character?

To force her to reveal herself and confirm her survival, he would absolutely return to the sect leader's side, even if it meant waiting a year or two. He Yuehua was no longer the young master of Tianhe Manor; ten years could change a person. If things continued like this, one day he might decide to kill righteous people without hesitation. That was He Zai.

He Ronghua couldn't see it, but she could. This kind of person could no longer stay at Tianhe Manor.

Should she be grateful that he insisted she was capable of protecting herself and wouldn't die, no matter what?

"Young lady, would you be willing to give me another chance? I have already repaid the debt of gratitude for being raised and have no further entanglements with you."

She looked at him indifferently and said, "Am I really that important to you?"

He Zai looked at her without answering, remaining silent as he gently stroked the jade flute that had once represented their affection.

She pretended not to see it, glanced outside the iron cage, thought for a while, and said, "He Zai, you are no longer fit to be a Heavenly Slave. I am no longer the Huangfu Yun I once was."

"I know," he said, his face grim.

She looked at him again, smiling, and took the jade flute from his bewildered yet delighted gaze.

"You and I shared ten years of companionship. Now you are no longer Tiannu, and I am no longer the Huangfu Yun of the past. However, this will not diminish our friendship for the next ten years. Wherever I go, this jade flute represents you. Wherever you go, as long as there is a sword within this jade flute, it means I have never forgotten you. Is that alright?"

"...The girl's tolerance is beyond imagination," he said hoarsely, his eyes brimming with excitement.

"If my belt still reaches the ground when I'm dressed today, I will never come."

He looked puzzled.

She laughed again, "I'm just making amends."

"make up?"

"You used to be a handsome young man, pleasing to the eye and making people's hearts flutter. But ever since you started practicing the Huangfu family's martial arts, you've become broad-shouldered and burly." She shook her head and sighed, "Luckily, I stopped practicing when I was fourteen."

He Zai glared at her, then insisted, "A man should have broad shoulders and a strong back."

She nodded in agreement; after all, men only ever emphasize that they are men, and others aren't. She touched the slightly damaged jade flute again, her expression softening. She casually said, "There are some things I need to clarify."

"May I ask, young lady?"

"When I was lying in the hospital bed recovering from my injuries, Gongsun Zhi would nag in my ear every day when he had nothing to do, until I thought to myself that I might as well just die at the bottom of the cliff."

"Does the girl want me to kill him?"

She glanced at him. "Patience is the best policy, but it's not that bad yet. I mean, thanks to him, I've heard many tales of the martial world, including those about the Gongsun family. The Gongsun family has always had a bad habit: they only marry relatives, like sworn brothers and sisters, cousins, and so on. Of course, it's not intentional, but somehow they still end up together." So many people have always wanted to become sworn brothers with Gongsun Yun, and unfortunately, she was the one chosen.

He Zai narrowed his eyes. "What does the young lady mean?"

"Your He family, tell me what bad habits you have first, so I don't fall into a trap."

"...No." Absolutely not.

She said earnestly, "That's good. Now that I've taken the jade flute, what you have, I must have; what I have, you will have too, without distinction. In the past, I always regarded you as family, yet I also suspected that you would eventually betray me. But today, you've become sworn brothers with me, and from now on, we'll be considered close relatives, relying on each other, regardless of age, just calling each other by our names. If you have a wife someday, I'll respectfully call her sister-in-law." After speaking, she extended her hand.

He looked at her, then spoke softly, a rare occurrence for him: "We've become inseparable: after I abandoned you, you've finally begun to trust people again, and Gongsun Yun deserves a lot of credit for that." His voice was somewhat bitter, but he still readily gave her a high five. Then, he added: "From now on, if I ever abandon you again, may I be struck by lightning."

She blinked, touched the jade flute again, and finally smiled, "I really want to say I believe you, but you have to give me some time. Right now, all I can say is that I'm not afraid. Even if you abandon me again, I will still consider you family. Family never abandons you, and you, He Zai, will always be the number one family member in my heart."

Two weeks later!!

His figure blended into the deep night like a flying duck, swift as a god. Even if the believers suddenly came face to face with him, he would rush away like a gust of wind, without disturbing anyone.

He leaped onto the building, the black roof tiles providing him with better cover. Six years ago, when he escaped unscathed from Tianbi Cliff, he drew a map based on his memory, though it was not entirely accurate. Fortunately, his tendency to get lost didn't cause any trouble tonight, so he found the dungeon in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

He slowly bent down, his expression cold, and gently removed a corner of the tile.

It really was a dungeon.

A faint sound came from inside. He got up again, estimated the location of the sound, moved forward twenty steps, and then lifted the half-tile under his feet.

"Young Master He, are you awake?"

"Thinking." He Zai leaned against the iron railing, closing his eyes to rest.

Deng Haitang was a little anxious. "Miss Huangfu... no, Miss Jiang has been taken away like this, will she be alright?"

The man on the rooftop had a sharp glint in his dark eyes.

"If the cult leader didn't summon you, then everything is fine."

"Did Che Yanyan discover Miss Jiang's identity?" Deng Haitang gritted her teeth and asked, "What good could come of sending Tiannu to escort her in the middle of the night?"

"The young lady has excellent patience; she will be fine."

"but……"

The man on the roof silently got up, stared at the dungeon below his feet for a while, took out a small brocade box from his waist, put a piece of broken jade into the box, and then gently flicked it into the dungeon.

He Zai sensed something was amiss almost instantly and grabbed the brocade box.

"What..." Deng Haitang quickly covered her gasp and stepped forward to watch He Zai open the small box through the iron bars.

Inside were two pills and a piece of broken jade.

She was completely bewildered, but then He Zai handed her one of the pills. He Zai said loudly to her, "Young lady, you were taken away by Protector Che, who questioned you about Young Master Xianyun. Given Protector Che's personality, taking you away is definitely for this man." A smile played on his lips as he stared at the broken jade. "I've seen this broken jade before. A perfectly good piece of jade, broken into four pieces by you, yet it has finally been returned to its rightful owner."

The people on the roof remained silent.

He Zai continued, "If Protector Che wants to conduct a private trial, it will naturally be at her residence. Go east from the dungeon, and you'll see a red pavilion."

Upon hearing this, the man on the roof, regardless of whether they had taken the pills or not, chose to head east.

After flying for a while, he finally saw a red-tiled roof, dimly lit inside and out, and a dozen or so Heavenly Slaves lined up and entered the hall one by one. He pondered for a moment, unable to guess Che Yanyan's thoughts, and then lifted the red tiles.

Inside the hall, candlelight flickered.

"You don't even like him?" L Che Yanyan pursed her lips. "Jiang Wubo, I'm giving you a chance. These Heavenly Slaves are all top-notch. Although they have tattoos on their faces, they are by no means inferior to Xianyun."

"Sigh, Protector Che, you said you're no less capable than Xianyun, why don't you let them accompany you?"