Бессмертие, Бессмертие - Глава 91
Li Lingyan smiled and said, "My conditions are very fair, you can tell as soon as you hear them."
"What are the conditions?" Shengxiang asked.
Li Lingyan said softly, "If you want Liu Ji, kill me first."
Shengxiang was startled and stared at him, asking, "You love her so much that you're willing to die for her?"
Li Lingyan shook his head, smiling happily. His smile was innocent and beautiful, even childlike. "As long as you kill me, Liu Ji is yours."
Saint Fragrance gazed at him. "What if I refuse?"
“If you can’t kill me within a month, I’ll kill Liu Ji first, then everyone else in this manor—” Li Lingyan laughed gleefully, as if stating a fun game rule, “How about that?”
In that instant, though dozens of people were present, it was as if they had stumbled upon a night of ghostly apparitions. The biting wind swept through, and every leaf swayed in the breeze, seemingly imbued with an eerie aura. Shengxiang spoke of "exorcising demons and monsters," and Li Lingyan was, at that moment, a living "demon," terrifying everyone, friend or foe alike.
Shengxiang gave him a big smile and said, "Okay."
Rong Yin heard this from the high pavilion and frowned deeply. Li Lingyan wanted to defile the sacred incense. He had long harbored thoughts of death and wanted to force the sacred incense to bleed. He wanted to destroy the sacred incense.
"Then, starting from sunrise tomorrow, at sunrise a month from now, if you die first, she lives; if I live to see a month from now, I will kill her," Li Lingyan said softly. "If neither of you wants to die, then kill me." He glanced at Shengxiang, then at Liu Ji, whose face was deathly pale behind him, then at the direction Rong Cang had hidden. After letting out a long sigh, he suddenly and arrogantly flicked his sleeves behind his back, yawned, and said, "But even if I, Li Lingyan, were to deal with all of you by myself, the one who survives to the end might not be any of you—" He surveyed the crowd with a chilling gaze, "Every good person has weaknesses. You are all kind… If you want to be invincible and unstoppable, you must first kill yourself, then kill others—"
Li Lingyan's madness was already evident; his mind had lost its balance, teetering on the brink of insanity. Shengxiang watched his frenzy, her gaze gradually turning desolate.
Xiao Yan—perhaps he was originally a good person, perhaps even a saint… Why did he push himself step by step to this point, until now, from the inside out, he has become an evil and cruel villain? Why… to prove that his existence is meaningful, to prove that he is useful and strong? Perhaps… no one has ever thought that he was actually important, no one has ever truly loved or cherished him, so… what he yearned for was never obtained, he wasn't strong enough, and that's how he became like this.
“Xiao Yan…” Sheng Xiang’s eyes were truly lonely. “Who demanded that you be invincible and unbeatable?”
Li Lingyan turned to look at Shengxiang. Before he could answer, a cold, emotionless voice from the crowd said, "My son is naturally invincible and unbeatable. Whoever he is, Lingyan can kill him if he wants. Why all this nonsense?"
Shengxiang shuddered. That was Madam Li, Li Lingyan's mother.
Li Lingyan chuckled silently, his eyes filled with both arrogance and sorrow. Leng Zhuoyu looked at Madam Li with disgust, as if she were a termite. Li Lingyan slowly said, "Come, I think this month will be the most dazzling time in the world... You are very fortunate to witness this month..." He said the last sentence to the many people behind him, and surprisingly, he said it in a calm and cheerful tone.
Then he went back to his courtyard without looking at Saint Incense again.
Leng Zhuoyu couldn't help but tremble, "What...is he doing...what is he thinking..."
“He is pursuing the most brilliant moment of his life, proving the value of his existence,” Sheng Xiang said slowly. “His…long-cherished wish.” He raised his head and looked at the starry sky as usual. The people around him gradually dispersed. He did not show any pity. On the contrary, he was very solemn.
The brilliance of life that Li Lingyan longed to display, the culmination of all his talents, could not be so easily borne by a simple "death"...
He didn't underestimate Li Lingyan's madness; he respected this unrestrained, exquisite dance. Only when he truly valued the worth of this past month could he accept what might be a death dance filled with tacit understanding and gratitude, regardless of... whose death it was for...
There was no warmth in Xiao Yan's life, so he could only do this, he could only do this...
Shengxiang did not pity him. Li Lingyan walked independently, detached from the world, and did not need anyone's sympathy or pity.
Back at the inn, Shengxiang mentioned the death pact she had made with Li Lingyan. Yu Cuiwei, however, seemed quite envious, gazing out the window towards Zhou Family Village with his chin propped on his hand. He softly remarked that Lingyan truly had courage. Rongyin coldly remarked that he wondered how many more people would die in the coming month. Gushe sighed, saying that Tang Tianshu had mastered the "Bone-Melting Divine Skill," and with Yu Cuiwei severely injured, even if the four of them forced their way into Zhou Family Village, they wouldn't gain the upper hand. After talking for a while, Shengxiang told him he was tired and needed to sleep, so everyone turned off the lights and rested early.
Lying in bed, Rong Yin did not close his eyes.
In a month, Li Lingyan certainly wouldn't sit idly by in Zhou Family Village waiting for Shengxiang to kill him; he would definitely take action. What made Rong Yin uneasy was that if Li Lingyan wanted to stir up a bloodbath, he had too many leverage.
Lured by Leng Zhuoyu and drawn by the treasures of Leshan, the disciples of various sects remained hidden and motionless. The ten thousand soldiers, leaderless, were now all under Li Lingyan's control. Whatever Li Lingyan desired, a single order could trigger anything—unless Rong Yin possessed the forces to hold off this army of ten thousand. Otherwise, no matter how talented or skilled, anyone could only be a second or third casualty. How could they stabilize this remnant army of ten thousand and prevent Li Lingyan from using such a deadly weapon?
First, it would cause Li Lingyan to lose control of the army; second, another army of 10,000 men must be formed within a month!
Is that possible?
Rong Yin stared intently at the simple roof beams of the inn; he was not entirely without options!
That night, a great uproar swept through Zhou Family Village. After Li Ling returned to the village, he ordered everyone to prepare themselves, extinguish their candles, and await orders in the main hall. As soon as the candles went out, everyone noticed a faint blue light emanating from certain parts of each other's bodies. After a meal, everyone was horrified to discover that everyone, from Tang Tianshu and Leng Zhuoyu to the former commanders of Jiang Chenming's army, was more or less covered in a blue light.
What is that?
Tang Tianshu stared at the blue light in his palm and suddenly laughed, "Ling Yan, could this be 'growing old together'?"
Li Lingyan slowly lifted the curtain and came out, looking at Tang Tianshu with a hint of admiration in his eyes, "This is the best 'growing old together'."
Tang Tianshu looked at the diamond-like thing around his neck, laughed loudly, "Ling Yan, Tang Tianshu has followed you for four years, and only today have I truly come to admire you! I told you that the day you cast aside the worries of your family and start your own business, you will surely become a powerful and ruthless tyrant! The world will then be yours! I entrust my life to you!"
Leng Zhuoyu's face was pale. She was far less composed than Tang Tianshu. After a long while, she murmured, "Ling Yan, I'm entrusting my life to you..."
In the hall, everyone rushed to kneel down before Li Lingyan, shouting "I pledge my loyalty to Lord Li!" and "I swear to follow the leader to the death!" By midnight, Zhoujiazhuang had become not only a den of ghosts, but also a den of mad ghosts.
Li Ling smiled amidst the crowd's expressions of loyalty, seemingly quite calm.
Leng Zhuoyu's eyes welled up with tears, wanting to cry but unable to shed a single one. "Holding Hands in Old Age," the foremost of the ten most potent poisons in the martial world, posed no harm to the body, even possessing the power to preserve youth and strengthen the body. However, the life of the poisoned person was inextricably linked to the poisoner's; if the poisoner died, the poisoned person would follow, as if committing suicide for love, hence the name "Holding Hands in Old Age." The poisoner could kill any poisoned person at any time; when the poison took effect, bones would shatter, causing excruciating pain. The poisoner could also bring the poisoned person to life and provide an antidote, but only the poisoner could concoct the antidote. She was still young, she didn't want to die, but… she didn't want to die now either; she had to protect Li Lingyan from death.
Everyone here must ensure Li Lingyan's survival!
At this point, Li Lingyan had firmly grasped control over everything concerning Jiang Chenming and Liu Ji. This included everything about his original Blood Sacrifice Society, all of which were under his control and could not be overturned.
Then, with a smile, he issued his first order: The Han army should break camp and immediately disperse into smaller units to move north. A month later, they should assemble at the southern foot of Mount Hua. Those who desert will be executed, those who are late will be executed, and those who leak secrets will be executed.
The Han army commander departed with his orders. Tang Tianshu and Leng Zhuoyu knew in their hearts: the Luo River originates from the southern foothills of Mount Hua, and Li Lingyan's northward march was to challenge the increasingly powerful young man from the Biluo Palace—who was truly the greatest tyrant in the world today? He made a death pact with Shengxiang, and then chose to confront Wan Yuyuedan, to see who in the martial world could truly dominate the world—and who would die within this month?
Who will be able to dominate the world after that?
Li Lingyan issued a second order to Leng Zhuoyu: "Members of the Blood Sacrifice Society of each sect are to assassinate the leaders of their respective sects. Anyone who dares to do so will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold!"
Leng Zhuoyu bit her lip and vowed to do it.
Then Li Lingyan gave Tang Tianshu a third order: Kill Shengxiang and Rongyin!