Безымянный убийца

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The Road to Life and Death: A Soul-Stealing Experience in Sleep - Part 1

Anyone who has ever traveled the martial arts world knows the importance of breaking through numerous towers when first entering the martial arts world.

Those who know about Chongchonglou know that the owner of that towering building, which resembles an endless labyrinth, is a legendary figure, almost mythical.

Anyone who has met Du Cheshui will be won over by his kind and gentle attitude. The host, who should be stern, imposing, aloof and proud, always wears a gentle but somewhat sad smile, inviting visitors to drink, eat, and drink tea, or sharing the beautiful things in life.

Everyone knows he is loyal and righteous, and always repays kindness; they also know that although he is charming and carefree, he is cautious and strict in managing Chongchonglou; and they also know the two taboos of that man with a smile as clear as a spring.

First, it harms the Seven Stones Sect.

Second, there is the sinking sand.

Everything in the world is negotiable. Du Cheshui has always been generous and magnanimous, and he basically accepts all requests. However, there are only two things that should never be mentioned in front of him.

Five years ago, Shen Tiansha died tragically in Chongchonglou while trying to save him. Ye Shuangjing also lost all her martial arts skills and her love and youth in the process of securing his position as the leader of the tower.

He, however, suffered no loss and, as everyone had hoped, ascended to the throne, becoming the master of one of the three major gangs in the martial arts world. From then on, he was exceptionally talented and became a leading young hero in the martial arts world.

But no one knows what kind of pain and past lies hidden beneath that smile.

Young men and women looked up at him as if he were the sun on a mountaintop; martial arts practitioners spoke of him in hushed tones to conceal their envy; and wandering heroes looked at him with a sense of awe and admiration.

It is said that he attended the Moon Festival at Fengdai Pavilion dressed in a flowing white robe, and with a jade flute and a song called "Shuangquan Xixue" he captivated everyone present. However, the person under the crystal moonlight stopped abruptly halfway through the song and suddenly burst into tears.

It is said that, with a few words and a laugh, he commanded the eight vanguards of Chongchonglou to eliminate the Hongshan Gang, who had offended the Seven Stones Sect. The nine men, wielding wooden swords, crippled the martial arts of 132 people without shedding a drop of blood.

It is said that he stayed at Shen Tiansha's grave for ten days without eating or drinking, weeping blood. From then on, he became mad and promiscuous, but never looked at any woman again.

It is said, it is said, it is said.

Five years ago, Ye Shuangjing of the Seven Stones Sect and Shen Tiansha of the Ziwei Hall perished like meteors, and Xuan Sheng of Half Moon City disappeared from everyone's sight. Only Du Cheshui still shines brightly like a star, standing alone like a crane, radiating an unbearable light amidst everyone's admiration.

And now, such a legend stands amidst the ruins of the Thousand Heroes Pavilion, his gaze as cold as winter frost, his aura as fierce as a raging storm. Deep red blood drips from the silver fan in his hand, the thick, crimson liquid meandering down, forming jagged streams behind him. The man standing before him slowly falls, his eyes still wide open, clutching the fatal wound on his neck in disbelief. He cannot comprehend when his opponent struck; he never even saw him draw the iron fan.

Suddenly, two gusts of wind swept in from behind Che Shui, cracking the ground and sending sand and gravel flying. Several figures darted past. Che Shui frowned, leaping high into the air with a light touch of his toes. A silver light struck from his right, but he swung it back, his iron fan opening with a clang as it blocked the incoming sword. At the same time, his left hand struck out, scattering several darts on the ground. But the man was already upon him, grabbing Che Shui's left shoulder. The leader of Chongchonglou frowned, his silver fan slashing down, cleaving the man's arm. A heart-wrenching scream echoed throughout the surroundings, and blood splattered on Che Shui's body. But he had no time to worry about that. Before the man could react, he hurled the silver fan with his left hand, sending it flying forward like a meteor, piercing the throat of the man leaping from behind. The sound of bones cracking echoed in the darkness, followed by a muffled groan, and then silence.

However, before the blink of an eye could pass, the longsword on the right was already upon them, its sharp and fierce blade cleaving cracks in the rock walls on either side of the clear water. In the dim moonlight, they couldn't clearly see the other person's face, only a vague outline, but it appeared to be a woman dressed in ordinary robes.

However, Che Shui was not one to show mercy to women. With a light tap of his toes, he spun around and caught the woman's attack with his other hand. Clang! The iron fan and the long sword clashed, and the sparks that flew out illuminated the surroundings. The woman was blinded by the light, and in the blink of an eye, she only had time to feel a chill on her neck before blood splattered everywhere, her head flew off, and her body fell to the ground.

A distant, ethereal sound of dripping water splashing against stones drifted by.

Thick, red blood flowed slowly between the cracks in the rocks and among the wild grass, gradually covering the land.

A sliver of moonlight pierced through the ruins, casting a hazy, smoky silver glow on the head of the man who had been chopped off, a cruel tenderness in its presence.

He glanced at her coldly, then walked forward without a word, slashing the iron fan from the neck of the person nailed to the wall. Before the blood could even splatter onto his robes, he had already swept forward several feet.

He moved swiftly past the piles of crumbling stone walls, slivers of silvery moonlight occasionally gliding across his pale purple robes, and the bloodstains on his double fans scattered in the air as he moved.

This is a desolate land, with a magnificent front hall and gate vaguely discernible. The walls and floors are covered with weeds and vines, and huge branches pierce through the dilapidated roof and then meander out of the windows like pythons. Clear water crosses the front hall and corridors and rushes straight into the darkness that sinks into the ground.

He was met with a sloping corridor, flanked by countless dilapidated doors. Thin streams trickled down the walls. Looking through the broken doors, now reduced to mere planks, he saw that the rooms rushing past him were all furnished identically, presumably former lecture halls. He frowned slightly, following the sounds ahead. The sloping corridor seemed endless, the air thick with a stifling, humid heat, and the chirping of insects and the slithering of snakes echoing from all directions.

Suddenly, a faint light flickered ahead. Che Shui shuddered and quickly quickened his pace to rush forward.

The space in front of him suddenly expanded, and he arrived at the door of a huge basement. Looking inside, he saw only a sliver of light in the center, and all around was silent darkness.

He gripped his weapon tightly and stopped at the doorway.

In the darkness, behind that faint light, Lady Han was smiling at him.

However, Xi Quan's appearance is quite different.

The woman I saw at Jianrou Manor a few months ago, even if she wasn't exactly beautiful and pretty, still had a dashing and heroic air about her. But the woman standing on the surface of the clear water holding a lamp now is bewitchingly beautiful, alluring and eerie. Her pupils are dilated, her skin is deathly pale, and her silhouette changes with the flickering flame, sometimes bewitching and sometimes sinister, with ghostly angles folding out from that strange smile.

"You've come..." she chuckled softly, her voice gentle and alluring, yet also hoarse and raspy. The sound echoed in the empty space, sometimes near, sometimes far, cold and seductive.

Che Shui felt a cold snake slowly crawling down his back, and he frowned involuntarily: "Hand over Shuang Jing quickly."

"What if I don't want it?" Xi Quan laughed sweetly, her voice like a nightingale's: "Du Cheshui... what are you going to do to me then?"

"Hmph. Then... don't blame me for being ruthless to those who don't know martial arts." The master of Chongchonglou sneered, "The master of Flying Eagle Fortress is in my hands."

"Hahahaha..." Xi Quan threw her head back and laughed. In the blink of an eye, she had moved to face Che Shui, right in front of him: "So what?"

"!" Che Shui's pupils constricted, completely unable to understand why she suddenly increased her speed, but still unwilling to fall behind, he smiled playfully, reached out and lifted Lady Han's chin, looking at her tenderly and affectionately: "Then..." He approached her lips, slowly following the line of her chin and gently touching her earlobe, his tone soft and lazy: "In an hour, I will give the order to cut off a piece of his flesh. If you want him to return unharmed... then hand over Shuang Jing, and I will only kill half of the disciples of Flying Eagle Fortress."

Lady Han turned around, smiled sweetly, and suddenly wrapped one arm around his neck. Her skin was as cold as ice, her breath as cold as mist, and her eyes flickered darkly like ghostly fire. She whispered, "It's a pity... you won't live much longer..." Before Che Shui could react, she had already floated several feet away and threw the lamp in her hand against the wall.

As the candle shattered on the wall, dozens of torches suddenly lit up, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.

Looking through the water, Che Shui saw that there were hundreds of archers surrounding him inside the room.

Behind them stood members of Flying Eagle Fortress, each wielding a torch in one hand and a longsword in the other, their eyes sharp and menacing as they glared at him.

kill.

He counted them one by one; there were a total of eighty-nine people, divided into two circles. One circle inside held bows and arrows and aimed at him, while the other circle outside held longswords and were ready to attack at any moment.

It should be used; it won't take more than half an incense stick's time.

Che Shui thought with a chilling smile.

"Don't think that there will be no consequences for what you're doing," he said calmly to the shrewish woman who was looking at him smugly.

"Hmph!" Xi Quan laughed seductively, "You don't naively think you can actually escape from here, do you?"

“If the opponent were you, I would consider things more carefully, but…” The Lord of Chongchonglou raised his chin and looked around disdainfully: “They are another story.”

"Then... I'll wait for you inside..." The fierce lady smiled gently and lazily, her eyes looking at him with a dreamy and infatuated look, sweet yet venomous as if coated with honey. She gently retreated towards the door while laughing, her skirt swaying gently like a flowing spring. She kept giving Che Shui a flirtatious smile until her figure disappeared into the darkness.

"Okay... let's have some fun." After she left, Che Shui gripped her weapon and smiled easily.

A chilling aura, like a sharp knife, slowly emanated from every inch of his skin. Those surrounding him suddenly felt the air around them grow colder and colder, as if they had suddenly entered an ice cave. The damp, stuffy heat they had felt earlier vanished, and they could almost see the stone walls gradually emitting wisps of cold air. They exchanged glances and tightened their grip on their bows.

"Ahhh—!" A scream suddenly came from behind. The shrill cry made everyone turn their eyes. There stood a tall man who was still holding a bow and arrow and was shouting. His eyes were wide open and he looked around in great fear. On his face and other exposed skin, bloody cuts were slowly opening, as if he was being cut with a thin knife!

"Aaaaaahh ...

"What's going on?! What's going on?!" someone shouted in terror.

The man began to struggle involuntarily, but the more he moved, the deeper the wounds became. As the crowd looked at his blood, they discovered that countless silver threads were wrapped around him, rendering him unable to move.

"What the hell—!" One of them was raising his knife to save his companion when he suddenly screamed, "Ah—!!" Before he could finish speaking, two of his fingers were severed off!

Immediately, several people around also screamed in agony. They too were entangled and bound by silver threads that appeared out of nowhere. Their arms, wrists, faces, necks, and lower bodies were all covered with bloody lines. The wounds became deeper and deeper as they struggled and resisted. Some even had large chunks of flesh cut off. A series of screams rang out, and the ground was covered with bloodstains. The remaining people were stunned and stood there, unsure whether to rush forward to help for fear of being entangled by the silver threads.

The leader suddenly turned around, but it was too late when he looked towards where Che Shui was. A strong gust of wind suddenly swept in, like a fountain of water gushing from the ground, or like a giant bird spreading its wings and soaring into the sky. Sand and stones flew everywhere, and the sound of the earth cracking could be heard. Some people lost their footing and fell backward, but were caught and hooked by the silver threads all around. Their skin was immediately torn open, and blood splattered everywhere. Piteous screams rang out in the howling wind.

A few people stared wide-eyed, wondering what had driven them into this predicament, but before they could even see two streaks of silver light cleave a path through the blood-stained silver threads. Before they lost consciousness, the chilling figure had already vanished behind Xi Quan.

"How was it? The formation I set up wasn't bad, was it?" Plum Blossom said with a smile as she followed behind Che Shui, who was running wildly.

“It’s none of your business.” Che Shui frowned, glancing at her slightly. Seeing that the other woman’s hair was disheveled and her clothes were covered in dust, he knew that she had been struggling to keep up with him all the way. He frowned even more: “I can handle this by myself.”

"Hmph! Would it kill you to give me a compliment?" Lin Meihua glared at him and muttered, but she didn't argue with him as she usually did. Knowing that he had been in a very bad mood these past few days, she didn't show any signs of fatigue or hardship from following him. She simply quickened her pace so as not to be left far behind.

"Did you see where she went?" Seemingly feeling a little guilty about her attitude, Che Shui changed the subject without any expression.

"Aren't you following her scent right now?" Plum Blossom looked at him speechlessly, but still answered, "It seems to be going that way, I can still hear it... Wait..." She focused her attention and listened carefully, then suddenly stopped and turned to the right: "This way! Listen, even the direction of the airflow is different, there must be another exit here!"

Knowing that her lightness skill and perception were extraordinary, Che Shui hurriedly followed without thinking.

The two walked along the winding corridor, where collapsed doors and furniture were everywhere, indicating that the former residences of the disciples of Qianxia Tower were located beneath them. Tea sets and chessboards, jewelry boxes and combs used by women, bronze mirrors and counters were also buried on the ground, swallowed up by the sand and dust, their former exquisite and noble appearance swallowed up.

“How…how strange…Qianxia Tower, wasn’t it destroyed by the imperial court back then?” Mei Hua said thoughtfully, looking at the ruins around her. They happened to pass by a relatively well-preserved room. Looking through the broken door, they saw an open book on the table and a set of tea utensils neatly arranged beside it, with wisps of steam rising as if to welcome guests.

She felt a chill run down her spine and her whole body went cold: "This...this looks like...the people here just vanished in an instant!"

Suddenly she stopped in her tracks. She noticed that the door next to her was not as dilapidated and dusty as the others. Under the silvery moonlight, the wooden door gradually revealed its bright colors and exquisite carvings. Plum Blossom stood there, stunned, staring at it.

She reached out to touch the door, and as her fingertips touched the cold wood, everything around her changed.

It was as if a ball of fire was gradually spreading from the center of the door, and other things were slowly returning to their original forms as the flames spread.

The sandalwood doors displayed a deep purple hue and were carved with floral vines. Behind the doors hung a jade-green curtain adorned with pearls and beads. The interior room was small, containing only a table and a few bookshelves. Several gleaming longswords hung on the walls. The windows were covered with soft green gauze, allowing a few rays of sunlight to gently stream in, bathing the entire room in a warm, golden glow.

Mei Hua suddenly turned her head and saw that behind her and in front of her was a seemingly endless corridor, with pale purple doors standing quietly. There was no trace of the century-old ruins from before.

maze?!

She frowned and looked around, unconsciously trying to call out, "Che Shui—?"

Just then, someone lifted the curtain and stepped out. Plum Blossom turned around and stared intently. She saw a person with bright eyes and white teeth, eyebrows like willow leaves and a face like a lotus flower, walking gracefully towards her with a gentle smile. Plum Blossom was so frightened that she almost screamed, and involuntarily took several steps back, crashing into the door behind her and falling to the ground. Yet, her eyes remained fixed on the door, her face filled with shock and fear as she cried out:

"Third...Third Sister?!"

The Road to Life and Death: Unspeakable Soul-Stealing in Sleep (Part 2)

Shuangjing was dragged along, and after the sound of clear water echoed throughout the area, the white-haired woman had already disappeared by the time she turned around. Eight disciples of Flying Eagle Fortress rushed in from outside, dragging and pulling her out of the room, hurrying her away. Along the way, she was closely watched by people on all sides, and every now and then someone would reach out and push her from behind, making her follow the person leading the way.

Having not been treated so rudely and unreasonably for so long, she suddenly found it somewhat amusing.

I never imagined I would have such a day, being treated like a hostage as a prisoner.

Perhaps it was at this moment that she realized that her former brilliance had truly fallen into the abyss and turned to dust.

They crossed a winding wooden bridge with railings that had long since turned to rotten wood, fragile and decaying. Under the thick, lush vines, the once exquisite carvings were still faintly visible. The water beneath the bridge had long since dried up, leaving only a few thin streams trickling by, making a faint murmur.

The person in front of her suddenly stopped, and she almost bumped into their back.

Looking up, she immediately saw their destination.

In the silvery moonlight and light mist, she initially mistook the building for a distant mountain, only to discover upon closer inspection that it was actually an attic covered by branches, vines, weeds, and other plants. In the dark, gloomy night, it resembled a desolate, sleeping giant sitting amidst ruins, surrounded by a thick, silvery-gray mist like heavy, labored breathing. A few lights flickered faintly, like the last rays of light from the eyes of a dying beast.

They arrived at the door of the attic, where broad, thick branches intertwined and covered the stone-carved door like countless hands. The leaves on the branches were large and wide, and the vast expanse of green was indistinguishable in the night, like clumps of ink smeared on the ground. Under the illumination of a few lamps, they looked like a ferocious beast with its jaws wide open, ready to devour any who entered.

The leader and the person guarding the door nodded to each other. The latter looked Shuang Jing up and down before expressionlessly stepping aside. The two walked up, brushed aside a few leaves, stuck them to the door, and forcefully pushed open the heavy, clumsy door.

A putrid, sweltering smell assaulted their senses. Shuang Jing stared blankly at the pitch blackness before her, and suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

Even with her stubbornness and determination, she couldn't help but feel a little panicked.

She was not afraid of going through fire or water, and she had endured all kinds of tortures when she was a wanderer in the martial arts world. For her, death was not suffering but liberation.

But if she were imprisoned in this dark abyss, left to wander alone between hope and despair, she would surely go mad before long.

Thinking of this, her face paled slightly. Looking around, she saw that there were people guarding everywhere. Judging from their skills, they must be disciples of Flying Eagle Fortress with extraordinary martial arts. Even if she could use all her strength to use her lightness skill in the blink of an eye, she definitely wouldn't be able to last long.