Vallée Sauvage de Green Mountain (Transmigrée à la dynastie Song)

Chapitre 43

However, these stars are very hot.

It would be even hotter for wood.

A strange voice let out a sharp cry: "Young Master Shang—you!"

The puppets in the air remained motionless, while the flames grew larger and larger, turning into fireballs.

Finally, one of the puppets moved.

The puppet not only moved, but it moved with incredible agility. It immediately rolled onto the muddy ground, trying to extinguish the flames on its body.

With that roll, he fell wide open.

Whether one dies in a fire or under the blade of Qiu Shui, the outcome is essentially the same.

In the pitch-black night, a bright flash of light cleaved through the endless darkness.

In a flash, accompanied by a scream, it fell silent into the darkness.

Shang Shaozhang sheathed his sword and chuckled, "Yi—," but his smiling face froze instantly upon seeing me. His expression turned a terrifying, ashen blue.

My hands were tightly bound with steel wire, rendering me unable to move. A steel wire was also wrapped around my neck. And one end of the wire was held in someone's hand.

The man's black clothes were burned to tatters, and his hair was singed and disheveled, but a smug yet wicked smile appeared on his face. A few sparse, yellow teeth were also visible in his mouth.

He was the clown who handed me the puppet.

The murderous intent in Shang Shaochang's eyes grew stronger, the veins on his hand gripping the knife bulged, and the tip of the blade trembled slightly. It seemed that with each tremor, the chilling aura emanating from the blade intensified. He watched as the steel wire was wrapped around my neck, yet he ultimately dared not unleash that earth-shattering strike.

Shang Shaozhang didn't move, nor did Li Kuilei. I was restrained by that fake puppet, making it difficult to even breathe, let alone move.

The three people were like three clay puppets.

After a while, Shang Shaozhang suddenly burst into laughter:

"What a puppet Li!" he said, enunciating each word clearly. "I never thought that I, Young Master Shang, would be so mistaken!"

Li Kuilei grinned slyly, revealing yellow teeth: "I'm timid, very timid, but my luck is often good!" He suddenly turned to face me, his five cold, sticky fingers slowly tracing my face, chuckling shrilly: "This time, my luck is the best!... I heard this woman became famous throughout the twelve states of the north and south in just one year, but I never expected her to fall into my hands today..." His fingers roamed over my face like a venomous snake, the stench emanating from his mouth almost making me faint! "Skin—not bad, looks—so-so—if you scream a few more times, I'll be even happier! A woman's scream is like the most beautiful music in the world, truly never tiring to hear!"

I forced a smile, enduring the burning pain in my neck, and said haltingly, "Look...it looks like you're going to be disappointed..."

Li Kuilei's vaginal opening: "Is that so... little darling..." Suddenly, she pulled the wire in his hand—

I felt everything I saw suddenly vanish, replaced by utter darkness! My whole body felt weightless, adrift and unsupported. I could feel almost nothing—no hearing, no smell, no touch, no pain, no sight…

All that could be heard was Shang Shaochang's startled shout, which seemed to come from a great distance: "...Li Kuilei! I swear, once you fall into my hands, I will make you wish you were dead!"

Li Kuilei sneered, "At least eighty people have said that to me, but they're all dead now, and I'm still alive! And I'm doing quite well—"

I felt waves of sharp pain shooting through my neck, then my eyes suddenly lit up, and I could slowly make out Shang Shaochang's figure. I realized I was kneeling on the muddy ground, gasping for breath! A warm liquid slowly trickled down my neck and into my collar. I staggered to my feet and saw Li Kuilei holding a steel wire, laughing gleefully.

With the pull of the steel wire, I almost went through the gates of hell!

Seeing Shang Shaozhang's shock and anger, his eyes filled with anxiety and heartache, I smiled faintly to indicate that I was alright. But the anger inside me was almost burning out!

What a vicious puppet!

Li Kuilei grinned at me, "How did death taste? Want to try it again?" His cold, wet fingers slapped my face repeatedly as he sneered, "If you kneel at my feet and lick my shoes clean, maybe I'll treat you better..." He turned back and laughed loudly, "Now I'm your master. That so-called number one assassin, Young Master Shang, can't save you now! He can only watch you worry helplessly. If you please me and make me happy, maybe I'll let you die a little more pleasantly."

Shang Shao gritted his teeth and roared, "If you hurt Bai Yi today, I'll make you regret ever being born!"

A flicker of fear flashed in Li Kuilei's eyes, then vanished, replaced by a wicked grin. "Is that so? But your little lover has already been injured by me—ouch, look at this blood, dripping down her snow-white neck little by little—my martial arts are certainly inferior to yours, but this steel wire is my lifeline. You must be cursing me in your heart right now, calling me despicable and a scoundrel, but you upright people can't do anything to me!" With that, he suddenly twitched his hand!

I felt everything go black, and I could no longer scream.

It felt like an eternity before the pain and sorrow returned to me. For the first time, I felt death so close!

I gasped for breath, watching Li Kuilei's smug, grinning face as he smugly tugged at the wire. A surge of pride welled up within me, growing ever stronger—

Li Kuilei! The pain you have brought upon me, I will repay you a thousandfold!

I knelt on the ground, trying to regain my composure. The steel wire was wrapped around my arm and then around my neck. The two pulls had already cut my neck, blood gushing into my collar, staining my black clothes. There were many arteries in my neck; if it had been pulled a couple more times, I fear I would have bled to death. I heard Li the Puppet say smugly, "Young Master Shang, I've changed my mind. I want you to kneel at my feet and kowtow ten times!" This cunning and vicious puppet said, word by word, "Once you've kowtowed, I'll consider whether to release her."

Shang Shaozhang remained silent, his eyes almost turning blood red! The aura on his blade grew stronger and stronger, and his killing intent became increasingly intense. Even I felt a chill permeating the air around me, yet I couldn't draw my blade!

After a long while, Shang Shaozhang slowly took a step forward.

I saw Li Kuilei's eyes light up with delight. I was terrified; it seemed Young Master Shang was really going to kneel before this bastard! I cried out urgently, "Young Master Shang! You can't!" I gritted my teeth and said, "Li...Li Kuilei...cough cough...I...I'll kneel before you!"

Before I could finish speaking, Young Master Shang cried out in alarm, "Yi Yi! -- You --"

I chuckled softly and said slowly, "A man's knees are worth gold; how can you kneel like that? I'm a woman, so it doesn't matter who I kneel to." With that, I slowly bent my knees and knelt down. Suddenly, my bound fingers touched something small in my sleeve—

Li Kuilei laughed loudly: "Young Master Shang, I know you secretly wish you could tear me to pieces, because without the wire, no matter how close I am to your little lover, you could still cleave me into seventeen or eighteen pieces with one stroke! But... all I have to do is pull the wire before I die, and this woman will have to go to hell with me! You see, even though I'm this far away from her, you can't do anything about it! Hahahaha—"

I coldly replied, "Go to hell, or you can go yourself!"

Upon hearing this, Li Kuilei burst into laughter, saying, "You little bitch, still dare to talk back!" With that, he pulled the wire—

The steel wire suddenly drooped down, and the other end broke!

Li Kuilei exclaimed in surprise, "How did you—" but then he saw that my hands were freed from the steel wire restraints and my body rolled to the ground.

The last thing he saw before going to hell was these things, and also the bright light and shadow cast by the Autumn Water Blade!

This strike, imbued with boundless rage and killing intent, was of immense power once unleashed! The Autumn Water Blade, trailing a streak of light like a waterfall cascading from the heavens, swept towards the vicious puppet!

Chapter Twenty-Three: Chu Guanfeng

All I saw was a vast expanse of autumn water and sky before me. A cold glint of light flashed by, followed by deathly silence and darkness.