"Are you a member of the Loulan royal family?" He bent down to look at the only surviving child among the corpses scattered on the ground, his voice carrying a demonic power. "You beg me to save your life? Then, poor child, would you like to come with me?"
He stretched out his hand to the child: "If you give me everything, I will give you everything in return."
He shrank back, staring at the handsome man for a long time, noticing the huge gemstone ring on the man's finger. He suddenly vaguely remembered what such a ring represented in the Western Regions, and after sobbing for a moment, he finally carefully grasped the outstretched hand and pressed his lips to the gemstone.
The man laughed, his eyes gleaming like a wolf's in the darkness.
The trajectory of fate took a turn here.
He transformed from Yami, the son of the last king of Loulan, into "Miaofeng," one of the five disciples of the Great Bright Palace, the talisman of the patriarch—having lost his family, friends, and even his homeland, he now lived only for one person.
How many years passed after that?
The child who feared the dark and blood finally grew up immersed in the pool of blood. As Sister Wang had requested, he never shed a tear again. The endless killing and absolute loyalty made him calm and indifferent. He always smiled, seemingly gentle and unassuming, yet he often took lives with the ease of turning his hand.
He rarely even recalls the past anymore; the silence is as still as water.
The reed pipe left in the blood pool was secretly kept in his bosom, never shown to anyone, yet never lost.
More than twenty years later, the blue-clad Miao Shui Envoy laughed wildly on the jade throne in the main hall, his sword piercing through the Pope's chest.
"Sister Wang... Sister Wang..." A voice whispered in his heart, growing louder and louder, almost shattering his eardrums. Yet he stood frozen, his mind blank, unable to utter a single word to the woman laughing maniacally before him.
That's Sister Shanmi? How could that alluring and ruthless woman be Sister Shanmi!
The woman sneered, her eyes filled with terrifying malice, and spoke word by word to the old man nailed to the jade throne: "Twenty-one years ago, my father was defeated by the Uyghur Kingdom, and the Loulan clan had no choice but to abandon the city and flee—while you took money from the Uyghur King and sent assassins disguised as bandits to exterminate our clan along the way!"
"One hundred taels of silver for the head of a male, and fifty taels each for women, children, and the elderly. Have you forgotten?"
"—But they shouldn't have forgotten me, right? Each member of the royal family gets ten thousand taels!"
The Blood-Draining Sword churned within the Pope's body, pulverizing his internal organs. The poison of the dragon's blood was enough to kill even gods and demons. The Pope's hair and beard turned white in an instant, his skin turned wrinkled and his appearance withered, no longer possessing his usual ethereal and otherworldly air. After a burst of wild laughter, Miao Shui, exhausted, released her grip, took a step back, and looked with a cold smile at the old man who slumped against the jade throne with his head drooping.
"Hmph." She suddenly snorted coldly and kicked the dead pope to the ground. "Get lost."
With a slender twist of her waist, she sat on the empty jade seat, giggling, "Now, this place belongs to me!"
Miao Shui looked down from her high jade throne, her expression haughty and smug. Suddenly, she paused, startled—a pair of eyes had been watching her every move, filled with indescribable, complex, and unfathomable emotions.
Miao Feng? She was secretly startled and gripped the blood-dripping sword tightly.
So focused on dealing with the Pope, they've neglected this second-in-command! After the Pope's death, this man is the most troublesome and powerful figure in the Great Bright Palace. We must deal with him as soon as possible while he's still unable to move, to prevent any unforeseen changes.
She sat on the jade throne, sword in hand, and suddenly smiled, "Envoy of the Wind, wasn't your purpose in existing to protect the Pope? Now that the Pope is dead, you have no need to exist anymore."
Her voice was sharp and venomous, but Miao Feng remained silent. She simply stared at the beautiful woman sitting on the blood-stained jade throne with an inexplicable expression in her eyes, making Miao Feng feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Miao Shui!" Xue Ziye, who was lying on the ground, suddenly jolted, struggled to raise her head, and said sharply, "You promised me you wouldn't kill them!"
"Hahaha... Female healer, I admire your courage, but your foolishness makes me laugh." Miao Shui laughed loudly, her voice echoing in the empty hall, extremely smug. "What right does someone who doesn't know martial arts have to make a contract with me? A contract needs strength to uphold it, otherwise it's just an empty promise."
“You…” Xue Ziye shouted angrily, trying to stand up several times, but fell back down on the cold ground.
Her body had been deteriorating ever since she left the Valley of Medicine Masters. Now, after being poisoned and struck by the King of the Sect, even though she had been taking the Jade Spirit Pill to maintain her vital energy, she could no longer sustain herself.
“Female healer, you’re really strange,” Miao Shui laughed, pointing the Blood-Draining Sword at Miao Feng, whose acupoints were sealed, and asked with interest, “Why bother about this person’s life or death? Don’t you know he’s the murderer who wiped out the Moga clan—why are you still trying to save him now?”
Miao Feng, who had been silent all along, suddenly jolted, abruptly raising her head to look at Xue Ziye in disbelief—what? She...she knew? She had known all along that she was the murderer?!
Even so... she still wants to save him?
“He is nothing more than… a sword used to kill. And what I want is… to sever the hand that holds the sword.” Xue Ziye lay on the ground, panting heavily, but her voice was unwavering. “Besides, he has already suffered because of this.”
"..." At that moment, even Miao Shui stopped laughing and scrutinized the dying woman beneath the jade throne.
"Alright, female healer, I admire you—but even if you don't kill him, I absolutely must take the life of Envoy Miaofeng!" Miaoshui stood up, picked up the Bloodstained Sword again, stepped down from the jade throne, and exuded a chilling killing intent.
—Keeping a master like Miaofeng alive is definitely a hidden danger. If we don't kill him today, when will we?
Miao Feng watched her approach with her sword drawn, but there was no fear in his eyes; instead, a smile he hadn't seen in many days appeared on his lips. He kept staring at the woman on the jade throne: watching her speak, watching her smile, watching her wield her sword... his gaze was unfocused and distant, as if he were looking at nowhere in particular.
This isn't Shanmi... This woman laughing wildly is not the Shanmi I remember at all!
Miao Shui left the jade throne, carrying a blood-dripping sword, and walked down the steps. She stepped on Miao Feng's shoulder, turned the long sword upside down, and pressed it against his back. She sneered, "Envoy Miao Feng, it's not that I'm trying to kill you—you are the King's confidant. If I spare your life, I'll be cutting off my own escape route!"
"Stop!" Fear finally appeared on Xue Ziye's face. "Please!"
However, Miao Feng showed no fear. He simply raised his head and looked at Miao Shui quietly, a strange smile playing on his lips—was she going to kill him? Very well, very well… Now that things have come to this, it would be best to wipe the slate clean.
In a mere instant, he experienced so much upheaval and confusion: his benefactor became his enemy, and his adversary became his family... A torrent of intense emotions surged forth like waves of joy, anger, sorrow, and rage.
Suddenly, he felt utterly hopeless.
“Miaoshui,” he laughed, looking at his sister standing in front of him. Even at this critical moment of life and death, he still had no intention of revealing the truth. He simply asked calmly, “After I die, can you spare this female healer who doesn’t know martial arts? She poses no threat to you, and you will need medical help someday.”
"Ha, even at this point, you're still speaking up for her?" Miao Shui's eyes flashed with sarcasm, her words sharp and cutting. "I never imagined, Feng—it turns out that besides the King, you could love a second person!"
Miao Feng calmly raised her eyes: "Miao Shui, please let her go. I will be grateful to you."
Miao Shui chuckled and raised her sword, pointing it at his chest: "Well, that depends on whether I'm happy or not."
Before she could finish speaking, she swiftly raised her sword and swung it down!
"Ya Mi!" Xue Ziye cried out in alarm, her heart breaking.
She stretched out her hand with all her might, her fingertips barely touching the golden needle at his waist, but she was powerless to stop the deadly sword strike, which was about to sever his head—
However, that sentence was like an invisible lightning bolt, striking the sword-wielding murderer in an instant!