Un cœur pur dans un pot de jade

Chapitre 63

"What do we do now?" I asked. The savages were clearly at odds with the number one Taoist in the world, Fang Ning, and there was also Xiao Honghong's father, Yan Tuliu—wearing a gray-blue outer garment, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, exuding a deep and reserved aura, clearly not an ordinary expert.

"Don't worry," Xiao Honghong said seriously, "My father is determined to resolve the feud and won't take action easily."

"But—" I cried out.

"I already said—good heavens!" Before Yan Chaohong could finish speaking, she exclaimed out loud herself amidst the gasps of the crowd.

Fang Ning, the unseen and unparalleled Daoist, was actually knocked back three steps by a single blow from the savage.

"How could this be..." Little Red murmured.

"Ha..." Palace Master Chen Gang burst into laughter, "Hahaha—! Who said that Zhu Ling is the best martial artist in the world? I think the number one martial artist in the world, Fang Ning, is nothing special. He can't even dodge a single blow from my disciple Yan He. How dare he claim to be the number one martial artist in the world?!"

Fang Ning Daoist was quite composed. I went to see the wild man, and his expression remained unchanged throughout. He strode forward and walked straight toward Yan Tuliu—"Don't hurt my father!!" Little Honghong finally couldn't hold back and rushed forward.

"Yan Chaohong, wait a minute—!" I was so excited that I was about to step forward, but someone grabbed my arms from the left and right from behind.

The one on the left is Song Guan, and the one on the right—is actually Xu Yi?!

"Xu Yi, what are you doing here?!" I tried to shoo the weak and helpless doctor away, but the doctor's gaze was firm, and he held my hand tightly.

"No." The miracle doctor shook his head at me.

The doctor's words always hold some truth, and I've long been used to it. When he's around, he analyzes situations and criticizes current affairs for me. But this time...

“Shao Yanhe,” Yan Tuliu said, shoving Xiao Honghong aside. “If you want to avenge your parents and wipe away the hatred of the Yan family, I am willing to offer my neck for death. But you must not collude with the Liao people to assassinate my lord. Don’t forget, you are a Song citizen. As a citizen of the Great Song, how can you betray your country and do such a thing that harms the people and the country?!”

Yan Tuliu's voice was deep and resonant, each word ringing with conviction, but Yan Chaohong pushed him aside—"You, surnamed Shao," Little Red pointed at the savage's nose, "you already knew the whole story. The Yan family's treasure concerns the lives of countless people. Anyone involved in this matter was caught in the crossfire. You forced Master Rao to his death, the head of the Nangong family perished in flames, and you wiped out the entire Shi family—are you still not satisfied? You won't stop until everyone is dead—I ask you, even if my father's hands are stained with blood, where has His Majesty gone wrong? Does Daoist Fang Ning also deserve to die? And what about you, who has killed countless people?!"

After Xiao Honghong finished her accusations, I thought it was finally time for the savage to respond, but then a lightly dressed figure rushed out from Yu Guangzhong and shouted, "Alliance Leader Shao—I also know a little about what happened back then. I can testify that ordering the extermination of the Yan family was not the fault of the late emperor. It was Prime Minister Zhao Pu who instigated it behind the scenes. The late emperor was only temporarily misled by villains. As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. If Alliance Leader Shao wants revenge, he should go find Zhao Pu's descendants. This matter has nothing to do with the current emperor!"

Is this ever going to end? I watched anxiously, but the savage grew increasingly indifferent. The more people appeared, the more amused he seemed. Meanwhile, Emperor Zhenzong of Song, still kneeling on the ground and being suppressed by the Lord of Chen Gang Palace, could no longer remain calm. His eyes were filled with rage as he angrily rebuked Wang Qinruo, who disregarded his own safety and was filled with righteous indignation: "You audacious Wang Qinruo—how dare you speak such arrogant words and slander our deceased ancestors?! Get out of here!"

Lord Wang immediately deflated, bowing his head mournfully, "Yes, Your Majesty..." before retreating to the rear.

"Have you finished speaking?" the savage continued, asking Yan Tuliu and Xiao Honghong, "Which of you is willing to offer your neck for execution first—why aren't you stepping forward?!"

Xiao Honghong stepped forward, and Xu Xiaoming, who was holding Empress Dowager Xiao hostage, was immediately shocked—"Young Master!!"

"You savage, how dare you?!" I yelled, and Yan Chaohong shouted at the same time, "Shao Yanhe, you want to perish with everyone—what about Sun Qingshan?!"

The savage's outstretched hand suddenly froze, and the white-bearded Taoist Fang Ning seized the opportunity to ask, "Shao Yanhe, has the death of Shao Qingyou not yet awakened you? Did he give you all his power, hoping that you would make one mistake after another, fall into the demonic path, and be doomed forever?!"

The savage froze completely. "What did you say..." He turned to ask Fang Ning Zhenren, his expression changing repeatedly, his eyes growing increasingly venomous—"It was you... Qingyou was killed by you. I'm going to kill all of you to appease his soul, as well as the nineteen lives of the Yan family. Today, I will settle this once and for all!"

"That's right!" Palace Master Chen Gang, still not satisfied with the chaos, fanned the flames from the side, "Kill Fang Ning! He's the biggest variable—kill him first!!"

I immediately realized that this was the biggest reason why Palace Master Chen Gang insisted on using the savage. They were essentially using him as a suicide squad. No one wanted to fight to the death against the world's number one expert, yet they were sending the savage as the vanguard to clash head-on with Daoist Fang Ning. Even if the savage's power had greatly increased, so what? When Daoist Fang Ning fell, the savage would be unable to get up either—"Savage, no!!" I shouted, desperately shaking off Xu Yi and Song Guan, "Palace Master Chen Gang is using you, don't fall for his trick—"

I stumbled, and at the critical moment, Yan Chaohong drew her knife, the back of which barely blocked my attack. However, the savage grabbed her wrist and flipped her over. Turning around, the savage stood in front of me.

"Honghong, are you alright?!" I asked, poking my head out. Suddenly, I sensed something was wrong and quickly grabbed the savage's waist with both hands. "You said you wouldn't touch Yan Chaohong!!" I shouted. "You can't kill him!"

"Let go!" the savage said coldly, his back to me.

"You savage, are you out of your mind?!" I refused to give up, even at the cost of my life. "What good will killing them do? You'll die too. What are you trying to do? You really don't care about anything?! What about me? You don't even want me anymore?!"

The struggle to break free from my arms suddenly stopped—"Savage...?" I whispered.

"Let me go." It's the same old phrase.

"I won't let go!!!"

He suddenly laughed, and I could feel the vibration in his lungs, faint and heavy. "...I have nothing left..." he said softly, "...Now the Yan family is down to just me...You're right, I don't care about anything, I don't want anything, I just want to kill all my enemies and avenge my family!"

"And what about me?!" I let go, abruptly turned him around, raised a slap, but couldn't bring myself to hit him—"You say you have nothing, then what am I?! Am I not an object, not a person?! You don't want me, so what am I supposed to do? Who else will want me—am I still just as penniless as you?!"

The savage's gaze was briefly blank; he stared at me for a moment, then uttered in a hoarse whisper, "...Green Mountain..."

"Have you forgotten what you told me?!" I pressed my advantage, "It has absolutely nothing to do with Emperor Zhenzong of Song, and the person who deserves to die the most isn't Yan Tuliu, much less Yan Chaohong—"

"Enough!" He seemed to suddenly realize something, and interrupted me in a deep voice.

"Shao Yanhe—!" I panicked when I saw his expression turn cold again. "So you lied to me?" I asked. "You lied to me from beginning to end? Saying you wouldn't seek revenge, wouldn't kill Yan Tuliu, wouldn't touch Yan Chaohong, and wouldn't want the treasure map—all of that was a lie?!"

"Lie to you?" He sneered. "So what if I lied to you?... Why did you believe me? It's not like this is the first time I've lied to you—"

"You've gone too far!"—"Slap!" A slap landed, but it was the divine physician Xu Yi who delivered it for me.

"Who do you think you are?!" the savage asked Xu Yi in a gloomy tone. "Who do you consider yourself to be Sun Qingshan's person?!"

I was furious and pulled the man surnamed Shao back—"The person who should be asking this is you! What do you take me for?! Do you take me for a satellite?!—Someone who has to revolve around you and be played like a fool by you—Do you take me, Sun Qingshan, for someone without a temper? Do you take me for someone who's really missing a screw in their head and likes to chase after you and suffer?—Am I just destined to be unlucky?!"

The savage listened, but didn't take it to heart at all. He glanced at me, his eyes glazed over, and suddenly shouted "Song Guan!" ordering Song Guan to grab me again.

Before the henchmen arrived, amidst the chaos and the battle between good and evil, with both sides' kings in enemy hands and each with their own concerns, I seized this moment, before I completely despaired, and grabbed the savage's hand fiercely, asking one last question: "You knew I wouldn't let you take revenge, so why didn't you just leave me at the foot of Sheshou Mountain? Why did you go through all that trouble to deceive me and bring me here—did you just want me to watch you take your revenge?!"

The savage finally took my words to heart. In the midst of the chaos, he managed to answer me, "Of course I can't leave you alone!" At the same time, he gripped my hand tightly, his expression serious. "Sun Qingshan, you must stay with me forever—from now on, wherever we go, we must never be apart… I will take you with me, and I will never let go… Wait for me a moment," he smiled gently, "After I kill these people, I will return to Savage Valley with you…"

"You madman!" Yan Chaohong suddenly leaped out like a spring-loaded monster, trying to slap the savage across the face from another direction, but was easily blocked by him. Enraged, Xiao Honghong demanded sharply, "Shao Yanhe—aren't you Sun Qingshan's beloved? Didn't you cherish her like a precious jewel? Have you forgotten what you promised me? You said you would protect her with everything you have!—And what happened? You want her to come and die with you? You're so unwilling to accept this, you want to drag Sun Qingshan down with you?!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" The savage instantly flew into a rage. "What do you mean, 'seeking death'?! How could I let Green Mountain seek death with me?!"

After saying that, he looked at me, his manic expression immediately calming down. "It's dangerous here..." He grabbed my hand, "Stand back, let Song Guan shield you... Don't hurt the baby in your womb..."

"Sun Qingshan, you're pregnant?!"

"How could Sun Qingshan and Shao Yanhe do this?!"

"Left ear, right ear," Yan Chaohong and Xu Yi, both stunned, asked me at the same time.

I had been silent for a while now. My hands and feet felt cold and numb, and my chest ached slightly. "Savage, what's wrong with you..." I tugged at his clothes with my fingers, my whole arm trembling. Only then did I realize the seriousness of the situation... Was it too late? Should I not blame him for changing, but ask: Why did he become like this?!

It's not just about the child; his actions right now are completely unlike him. If it were just about revenge, I could understand, but to disregard me is unacceptable. I know him; if he had even a shred of reason left, how could he possibly disregard my life and death?

Was I truly too optimistic, constantly avoiding the real problems, believing that a roundabout approach, if useful once, would be useful forever? So I refused to confront what the savage was facing, everything that was far beyond his capacity to bear… There were so many opportunities. Before this, I had so many chances to talk to him clearly: the death of Qingyou's brother, the death of the child, my departure… But I ignored them. He didn't become like this overnight; he changed little by little around me… and I just watched him… let him go…

But I was right next to him!

"Didn't the child die?!" The miracle doctor sensed something was wrong, suddenly grabbed my right hand, and asked me urgently.

"What?! Sun Qingshan, you really had a child—and then lost it?!" Yan Chaohong suddenly grabbed my left hand, her face ashen. She turned around and glared fiercely at the stunned savage, saying, "I'm going to kill you!!"

"Wait!" I pushed past the two and pounced on them. "Savage, listen to me—look at me first..."

The savage shuddered when I touched him, and in his daze, he turned to me, his voice trembling as he asked, "...What's gone...? Green Mountain...what's gone?"

"No!" I shook my head violently. "Nothing's gone!!"

Just then, Song Guan broke through the encirclement, and the wild man finally calmed down and wanted to hand me over to Song Guan.

“Master,” Song Guan said, “do you still remember my origins? No matter how wrong you are today, I should have died ten thousand times to repay your life-saving grace—but in the face of national hatred, righteousness comes first, please forgive me for being unable to follow you any longer!” He then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, “From today onwards, I will certainly atone with my death!”

"No need!" The savage waved his sleeve, his expression changing drastically, and he sneered, "If I had known this day would come..." Before he finished speaking, he attacked, "If you are going to have to atone with your death someday, I'd rather kill you with my own hands today!"

The savage slapped Song Guan's back, about to step into the battle and join the fight against the Chen Gang Palace, but without even turning his head, he collapsed to the ground after three steps.

"That savage killed Song Guan?!"

"Something's wrong with him!" Xu Yi shoved me suddenly. "Don't go near him!"

Yan Chaohong pulled me along, "Come with me quickly! I'll take you away—"

"Where are you going?!" The savage turned around and blocked the way. His cheeks were sickly red, and his eyes were flashing with a sick light. He was unpredictable and his mood was unpredictable. Any little thing was enough to make him furious.

"Don't worry about me!" I stepped forward to protect the divine doctor and Little Honghong, but the savage immediately grabbed my wrist. "You come with me!" he said to me. "From now on, don't fall behind!"

After saying that, he pulled me into the battle, and we fought back and forth between swords and knives, with his target being Emperor Zhenzong of Song and Yan Tuliu. I was dragged along by him, and all I could do was stare blankly at his back amidst the flashing swords and shadows. He would step forward to block the swords for me, but I couldn't do anything for him!

His silhouette, from the thin and forlorn figure I saw when we met again, to now, reckless and desperate... I suddenly remembered when I was recuperating, I was half asleep and saw him resting his head on my lower abdomen. Soon after, I felt a warm patch under his clothes... If I had been able to wake up then, if I had been able to hold his head and let him cry, perhaps everything would be different today...

Why am I always so self-righteous?

Is there anyone who can stop everything? Is there anyone who can make the savages stop? In the instant I was thrown into the air by the savages to dodge their arrows, I closed my eyes and prayed. When I opened my eyes again, a dazzling sword light disarmed everyone. A person in red, with white hair and a covered face, stood high on the top of a distant, ancient tree...

Leaves fell from the branches, swirling in the autumn wind. Everyone stopped fighting and looked up at the figure standing in the thin twilight, like a deity suddenly appearing, his dark red robes billowing in the wind… He should have been sublime and solemn, but as I squinted, trying to discern that disdainful gaze, I felt he was looking at me, and only two words came to mind:

Cold and aloof...

Chapter 86

This is a society where there are always people more capable than you, and mountains beyond mountains.

Before landing, the red-clad expert retrieved the sword that was stuck at Empress Dowager Xiao's feet. A drop of blood clung to the sword—phoenix blood flowing from the wound on Empress Dowager Xiao's cheek…

While some were still speculating about the man's identity, Emperor Zhenzong of Song suddenly shouted, "A divine being!! A divine being has arrived just in time, quickly come and save me—!"

Could there really be gods in this world besides aliens?! My first reaction was disbelief, and even out of habit, I leaned closer to the wild man and asked, "Could he be the divine being who bestowed the heavenly book upon Mount Tai? The divine being in crimson robes—could it really be him?!"

The savage immediately replied, "Although I have not seen him with my own eyes, I have heard rumors that he is dressed in red, carries a sword, has white hair and a blue face... He is not some kind of deity, but the Heavenly Sword of the Western Heaven."

"The Western Xia sword?" I exclaimed in surprise. "What are the Western Xia people doing here? Besides, isn't he supposed to be on leave and staying home? Are they here to assassinate Emperor Zhenzong of Song?!"

The savage didn't speak again. "Savage..." I called out, belatedly feeling wronged. The savage was still a savage, and in this time and space, he was the only one I was truly close to...

She reached up and rubbed her eyes, wanting the tears to stream down her face so that he would feel sorry for her.

But I was powerless. The savage turned his head, removed my hand, and frowned, "...Stop rubbing it."

“I’m sorry, savage,” I said, “but you’re wrong. No matter what, I’ll be with you… So if you want to test me, go die and see if I’ll die with you!”

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" He frowned even more deeply.

He used to have big, clear eyes, but now those eyes are filled with too many things and are no longer pure.

"I'm serious." I said earnestly.

"Then don't talk nonsense..." He smiled, his eyes crinkling with sadness.

“Come here…” I reached out my hand.

Just as the savage was about to take a step, a sudden clap of thunder struck from a clear sky. The savage's terrified expression froze in my eyes. A bolt of lightning struck at my feet, and my whole body stiffened.

At the same time, a gust of wind rose behind me, and someone grabbed me horizontally and held me between their arms. In a flash, the scenery before my eyes blurred, and I was already flying away.

I should have screamed, but everything happened so suddenly. The earth shook in an instant, dark clouds covered the sun, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and then a torrential downpour began.

"Let me go—!" When I regained my senses, I realized that the person who had taken me hostage wanted to save me. The lightning in the sky was like a tracking device, relentlessly pursuing everyone under the sky. Those who were hit were either instantly turned into charcoal or turned into dust and vanished into nothingness.

A stranger—Xi Tiantian Jian—wearing a red outer robe and a black inner garment, with his white hair tied into a bun with a wooden hairpin, entered the palace. With a flick of his hand, he lifted me upright and placed me on the ground.

I turned to go back to find the savage when I heard a crashing sound from the roof above me. I looked up and was narrowly pulled away from a falling beam.

"Are you hurt?" the other person asked. I looked up and saw a mask with bronze trim.

A mask covered his entire face, and the gaze emanating from behind it was cold and indifferent...

The savages said that Xi Tianjian was actually at least seventy or eighty years old, but his voice was low, hoarse, and rough, not like that of a real old man. Instinctively, I checked his neck and found that even his collar was completely covered... This man with a blue face and red clothes gave me a strange feeling for a moment. Even though he was close, his aura was icy. He inexplicably saved me, spoke words of concern, and the look in his eyes was chilling yet... I was tempted by him and intimidated by him...