Цзянху место, где не причинят вреда

Глава 35

Su Xing's eyes were filled with a chaotic and complex gaze as he stared at Ye Changsheng. His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his voice was hoarse, like a ghostly wail: "Give me back the Gu King!" Ye Changsheng looked at him strangely, and after a long while said, "Are you... relying on the Gu King to prolong your life now?" Su Xing seemed to be in great pain; he clutched his head, groaning incessantly. After an unknown amount of time, he stared straight into Ye Changsheng's eyes, stretched out his hand, and said, word by word, "—Give—it—back—to—me—".

Ye Changsheng offered an apologetic smile, but Su Xing remained coldly fixed on her, his eyes filled with a destructive hatred. Suddenly, he reversed his stance, raising two daggers high above his head, unleashing a torrent of killing intent. His figure flashed, and he came hurtling towards Ye Changsheng, aiming to pierce her skull—his skill far exceeded their expectations. Li Huangyin neither dodged nor evaded, not even unleashing her Seven Abyss technique. Facing Su Xing's attack, she barely managed to strike his six acupoints, each move aimed directly at his vital points. Su Xing roared, his black iron hook slashing and striking, sometimes like a hidden weapon, then swirling back to retrieve it. Li Huangyin's movements didn't slow at all; her red robes billowed, and she struck Su Xing's ribs with a palm strike, sending him flying three zhang away. Su Xing, leaning against the wall, struggled to get up, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His hand gripping his weapon trembled slightly, yet he still struggled to move forward—

"elder brother……"

Suddenly, a surprised voice came from behind them. Su Xing shuddered, hesitated for a moment, and slowly turned around, only to see Su Xiao'e standing behind them, coldly looking at them: "Could someone tell me what you are doing?" Su Xing's expression suddenly became hesitant. He quickly waved his hand at Su Xiao'e, wiped the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth, and smiled awkwardly: "Xiao'e, go back inside, it's alright, it's alright..." Su Xiao'e frowned, her gaze shifting to Ye Changsheng and Li Huangyin, and said with a charming smile: "May I ask why you two injured my crippled brother like this?" Ye Changsheng coughed lightly and smiled slightly: "This, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding... However, regarding this matter, it would be better for you to ask Young Master Su, for example... how he killed Master Su..."

"What did you say!" Su Xiao'e stepped forward and grabbed Su Xing's shoulder. "Did you kill him?" Su Xing moved his lips but didn't speak. Su Xiao'e shook him incessantly and demanded, "You actually killed him?"

“Miss Su…” Ye Changsheng kindly reminded her, “This ‘approximate’ is just an approximation. It’s for the sake of the Gu King, isn’t it? The Gu King has been at the bottom of the deep pool in the garden all along. Does Miss Su know that?”

"No, no, no..." Su Xing suddenly trembled all over, collapsed to the ground, his teeth chattering. He was terrified, so terrified that he was beyond control. He had a secret he couldn't tell anyone, a secret that had to rot in the soil with him.

"If you won't tell me... I'll tell you for you, okay?" Ye Changsheng's lips curled slightly, her smile gentle. She slowly said, "There are several unusual things about this Su residence. They're so unusual that we noticed them as soon as we entered—the first being the location of the Su residence. According to Master Su, the Su family only moved to Gutuo Town three years ago. Because their ancestral property was running low, they chose a secluded spot at the foot of a deep mountain to build their house. But if that's the case—why are there so many servants in the Su residence? The Su family consists of three men, father and sons, yet they have eight servants and seven maids, not counting those who have gone missing. This doesn't make sense. Of course, it could also be understood that Master Su is indulging in luxury and wants to hire more servants to serve him better..."

"The boundaries of the mansion and the number of servants are our own business, and it's none of your concern, Miss," Su Xiao'e interjected with a cold laugh. Ye Changsheng nodded without refuting, and continued with a smile, "Secondly, there's the Yunxiang Grass filling the garden. At first, I was a little curious as to why your garden didn't have peonies, orchids, or chrysanthemums, but instead was full of Yunxiang Grass. Until one day, I met a maid watering the plants in the garden, and she told me that the garden wasn't originally like this. It was only a year ago that the young master suddenly ordered all the flowers and plants in the mansion to be removed and replaced with Yunxiang Grass—so I naturally thought that something must have happened in your mansion a year ago. Indeed, if I hadn't mentioned it, the first servant to go missing in the mansion was also a year ago..."

Su Xing's expression changed: "It's just a coincidence. It's nothing special that they happened at the same time."

“Actually…” Ye Changsheng smiled and continued, “I also found a body in the bushes by the pond in the garden—at first I suspected it was Master Su, but I gradually felt it might not be him. Now that he’s dead, some things are even more impossible to verify. And that burial pit, judging from the clothes on the body—it’s very likely the final resting place of those so-called 'lost' servants. Later I discovered that there’s a secret room beneath the pond… This made me connect the two things; the secret room might hold the key to solving all the mysteries… And I’ve found that key—” Her gaze fixed on Su Xiao’e: “Miss Su, it’s you—”

Su Xiao'e sneered, "Absurd, I have never killed them."

"...Miss Su, did anything happen a year ago?" Ye Changsheng approached Su Xiao'e and asked softly. Su Xiao'e frowned, staring intently at Ye Changsheng, and resolutely replied, "No!"

Ye Changsheng shook his head and said regretfully, "There's really no need for you to hide this from me, Miss. Everyone in the manor knows about it—Miss Su was seriously injured a year ago and almost died—but she miraculously recovered..."

Su Xing rushed forward, his twisted face full of anger: "Stop talking, stop talking..." Ye Changsheng said softly: "The Gu King is in my hands, I can return it to you, but you, are you still unwilling to confess?" Su Xing hesitated for a long time, until his corrupt face was devoid of joy or sorrow.

Suddenly he stood up, raised his hand and struck, knocking Su Xiao'e unconscious.

Su Xing knelt on the ground, holding Su Xiao'e in his arms. His hands trembled as he tucked her slightly disheveled hair behind her ears, murmuring, "You're right. A year ago, something terrible happened. That night, Xiao'e was drugged by Su Du, who dragged her to his room and violated her. When Xiao'e regained consciousness and found herself... she grabbed a dagger to kill him. That beast, Su Du! That beast... he actually severely injured Xiao'e, who didn't know martial arts... That night, I held Xiao'e in my arms, and she floated away, dying in my arms..." Su Xing suddenly roared, "How could I let her die! I... I stole Su Du's Gu King. I wanted to prolong Xiao'e's life... Haha, that idiot Su Du, he died without ever knowing that I stole the Gu King, and he didn't know that Xiao'e... Xiao'e... she was already dead... I used the Gu King to absorb the life force of the living, and then secretly transferred that life force to her at night, thus keeping her 'alive' for a year..." He suddenly laughed foolishly again, "No, Xiao'e doesn't know she's already dead... She's still alive, still alive..."

"Who exactly is Su Du? He's not your father." Li Huangyin asked after a moment of silence.

"Hahahaha..." Su Xing burst into loud laughter, laughing until his voice was hoarse, "How could that beast be our father? What father would do that to his own children..."

Looking at Su Xing, who was crying and laughing intermittently as if he had gone mad, Ye Changsheng felt a pang of sorrow from the bottom of his heart: "So... you are the Medicine King..."

"Yes, I am the Medicine King..." Su Xing laughed loudly, "That's why I've become this inhuman and ghostly state. The Medicine King is not a doctor. When Su Du was practicing the Medicine King, I was not even as good as a dog... Doctor Ye... Hehe, the number one doctor in the martial arts world, do you understand?"

With a loud "bang," the sound of rocks cracking came from behind. Ye Changsheng turned around and saw Helan Ronghua standing in the courtyard, her face as gloomy as a knife and frost, cold and sinister.

The spring is deep and the soul cannot return.

“Master…” Ye Changsheng turned around and looked back. He saw Helan Ronghua walk slowly over, pass through him and go directly to Su Xing. She looked down at the people on the ground as if they were nothing but weeds. After a long while, she asked indifferently, “Are you Ye Junshan’s people?”

Su Xing looked at the newcomer warily, his arms around Su Xiao'e tightening: "So what if it is, so what if it isn't?" He seemed to suddenly remember something, and burst into laughter, "Don't forget that you have the light of youth on your body, if we die, you won't be able to live either!"

Ye Changsheng's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. He looked up at Helan Ronghua—his handsome face remained expressionless. He glanced at the person in Su Xing's arms and said calmly, "She's a dead person." Su Xing chuckled, his cloudy yellow eyes revealing an intense fascination: "Xiao'e isn't dead. Her heart is still beating, her blood is still warm. As long as there's enough life force, she can keep living...keep living..."

"Then I will make her die completely—" Helan Ronghua said calmly, her face expressionless, raising her sword. As soon as she finished speaking, she flipped her sword and thrust it straight at Su Xing. In the moonlight, the sword light transformed into an endless rain of white light, falling gently. Su Xing let out a cold shout, neither dodging nor avoiding, but meeting Helan Ronghua's arrow head-on. Although he had been struck by Li Huangyin's palm and was seriously injured, his movements did not slow down at all, like a demon weaving through the sword shadows.

Helan Ronghua wielded his longsword, his wide sleeves fluttering lightly, a white shadow swirling in his hand. A sword as white as jade turned up and down, hooking, slashing, and killing, its sword aura intimidating.

Su Xing retreated hastily, slowing his pace, but still unwilling to put down Su Xiao'e in his arms. After several back-and-forths, he was forced by Helan Ronghua to the edge of the pool. Seeing that there was no way to retreat behind him, he gritted his teeth, turned around, and carefully placed Su Xiao'e on the ground. Then he took out a bottle from his pocket, poured out a bright green pill, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole.

He stared intently at Helan Ronghua, the light in his eyes gradually burning, eventually becoming scorching!

In a moment, a bluish-black aura rose from his face, and dark currents surged beneath his skin, circulating throughout his body. His expression was one of extreme pain; his already decaying face became even more distorted. He clutched his forehead and groaned softly, as if singing some ancient ballad.

Suddenly, Su Xing's body swelled up, his originally short stature almost tripling in the blink of an eye. His clothes were torn to shreds, and the grass and trees beneath his feet had already withered and turned yellow as if they had exhausted their life force.

The night wind howled all around, the blue light flickered, sand and stones swirled, and every dancing fallen leaf was crushed into dust, scattered all over the ground. Even the moonlight seemed to be stained with ink, leaving only darkness.

Boundless darkness—

Ye Changsheng looked at Su Xing, who resembled a newborn demon, as he pleaded earnestly and gazed at his resentful eyes… A wave of sorrow suddenly washed over him—the bluish-black wisps that writhed beneath his skin like tiny snakes, the black miasma swirling around him—what was the purpose of all that he had given his life for?

Suddenly—the sky was filled with sword light that formed countless white lotuses, and the falling leaves were like rain. Helan Ronghua lightly thrust her long sword forward, about to cleave the kneeling Su Xing open with a single stroke!

Su Xing grinned, and in the next instant, he was already ten feet away—

He is Su Xing, yet he is not Su Xing.

He is a monster carrying Su Xing's soul, a poison master with extremely high martial arts skills and internal strength—that pill is not an ordinary pill, but a pill that was made and produced together with the Medicine King, and its name is Poison King.

Helan Ronghua stood with her sword drawn, her brow slightly furrowed. Watching Su Xing suddenly shift like a phantom, she lightly touched the ground with her toes, about to raise her sword again. Suddenly, a figure flashed before her eyes; Ye Changsheng had appeared before her without her noticing, her two fingers gripping his sword. A bead of crimson blood rolled from her fingertips. Her eyes held an unprecedented seriousness as she said, word by word, "Master, don't go..."

Helan Ronghua gazed into those dark, deep eyes, gradually loosening his grip on the sword. His gaze shifted to Ye Changsheng's bleeding right hand. After a long while, he slowly raised his eyes and said in a deep voice, "This place is under a security gate. As long as they live, you will never be able to leave the Su residence..." Ye Changsheng smiled bitterly, "Don't think I don't know what he just ate—even if you kill him, Master, what about you? If Su Xiao'e dies and we leave, what will you do?"

Helan Ronghua did not answer. His clear eyes were filled with desolation. After a long while, he seemed to smile sadly. He pushed Ye Changsheng onto Li Huangyin with one hand, turned around and smiled. With a few leaps, he reached Su Xing's side, picked him up and, with a "plop," jumped into the water together.

The cold pool water rippled gently.

Ye Changsheng stared at the shimmering pool water, and his heart suddenly trembled.

"Master—" Ye Changsheng's gaze sharpened, and she struggled to step forward, but Li Huangyin grabbed her from behind and wouldn't let go no matter how hard she tried. After an unknown amount of time, her eyes closed in the moonlight, and she simply gazed quietly at the rippling lake.

The ripples on the lake gradually subsided and eventually returned to silence. The dark lake water was tranquil in the night breeze, reflecting the vast sky and the desolate landscape.

Ye Changsheng's hair ribbon had long since come undone, her long, black hair cascading down, dancing wildly in the night wind, obscuring her vision. Every sound in the night sky felt like a direct blow to her heart. She closed her eyes, her face devoid of any emotion. Yet, she felt an unprecedented fear within her, a fear of the suffocating silence around her. Li Huangyin whispered something in her ear, but she could no longer hear it.

This is a life-or-death battle—

Whether Su Xing is one of Ye Junshan's men is no longer important.

Suddenly, with a deafening roar, waves burst open on the water! Immediately afterwards, a spray of scarlet blood gushed forth from the water…

Immediately afterward, a ripple spread across the water, and a white figure emerged from the water.

"Master!" Ye Changsheng cried out and rushed forward immediately.

Helan Ronghua stood on the shore. He saw a figure rushing towards him like an arrow. A gentle smile appeared on his lips. He slowly reached out his hand, stood still, and waited for Ye Changsheng to walk over. Just as his fingertips touched Ye Changsheng's hand, his body swayed, and then he fell down helplessly.

His pale fingers slipped from hers and she could no longer hold them.

Ye Changsheng trembled, seemingly in disbelief. After an unknown amount of time, she helped Helan Ronghua up with trembling hands and asked, "What's wrong with you..."

Helan Ronghua slowly raised his head, his face almost bloodless, his eyes somewhat unfocused. He reached out and touched Ye Changsheng's cheek, a gentle smile playing on his lips. He murmured, "I'm sorry..."

Ye Changsheng looked down in astonishment, only to find a black iron spur piercing through his body. His chest was covered in crimson blood, and warm blood kept gushing out. Ye Changsheng stared blankly at his blood-soaked hands, at a loss for what to do.

She was almost in terror, her voice trembling slightly, "No!"

“Master… Master…” Ye Changsheng gripped his clothes tightly, finally unable to hold back her words, “Don’t die, don’t die…” Her expression finally broke, leaving only a deathly pale face.

In the starlit night, the wind was silent, and only the sound of raindrops falling on Helan Ronghua's cheeks could be heard. In the hazy moonlight, his handsome face shone with a captivating radiance. His long hair was loose, fluttering in the wind; his face was as pale as paper, his eyes closed, as if he were merely asleep…

Ye Changsheng held him, and one by one, memories surfaced in her mind, one by one, one by one... No matter how small the matter, it all came to mind, everything about her master, about her mother, and even about Ye Junshan...

Once lost, it's gone forever...

Suddenly… suddenly her nose stung, and she burst into tears. For the first time in eight years, she cried… She knelt on the ground, holding Helan Ronghua's body, crying like a child…

When Helan Ronghua died, his face was neither smiling nor calm; it seemed to hold a hint of loneliness and reluctance. His hands were empty, as if trying to grasp something, yet grasping nothing at all…

Behind him stood Su Xing, who was soaking wet.

His cloudy yellow eyes gleamed with a maniacal pleasure—the pleasure of a demon devouring blood! He laughed wildly: "My entire body is poisoned. Anyone within three steps of me will be paralyzed by the poison. You think you can kill me underwater? Hahahaha... Kill me then... Hahahaha..."

Li Huangyin kept watching Ye Changsheng, who was holding Helan Ronghua and weeping bitterly. A wave of sadness and desolation washed over him. He couldn't believe that Helan Ronghua was really dead. How could such a person die at the hands of such an ugly monster?

But it's not over yet...

Li Huangyin slowly walked behind Ye Changsheng, looked at Su Xing ten steps away and said coldly, "Are you abandoning your sister?" Upon hearing this, Su Xing quickly suppressed his smile, only then remembering that he had placed Su Xiao'e on the riverbank before entering the water. He hurriedly looked around and was overjoyed when he saw the figure by the pool. Before he could make a move, he saw Li Huangyin instantly move and draw a sword from her waist. With a "whoosh," she pointed it at Su Xiao'e's neck.

Su Xing's eyes were bloodshot, and he almost rushed forward. He was trembling all over and pleaded in a tearful voice, "Don't hurt her...you! Don't hurt her!"

At this moment, Su Xiao'e, who was under Li Huangyin's sword, slowly awoke. She propped herself up and sat up, her eyes falling on a stunningly handsome man in a dark red robe—and a sharp sword held to her neck. She heard Su Xing calling her name joyfully, and also heard broken cries from not far away. She turned her head blankly and saw Ye Changsheng kneeling on the ground, tightly embracing a man in a moon-white robe—that spotless white robe was now covered in blood, flowing down like a stream, like a crimson lotus in full bloom.

Su Xiao'e was stunned and somewhat dazed, but in that daze, she seemed to understand—she clenched her fist and pressed it to her lips, her vision blurring with tears. She wanted to go to his side, but completely forgot how to stand up. Her blank, empty eyes moved to Su Xing, and she cried out in a pitiful voice, "It was you...it was you...you killed him!"

Su Xing didn't speak. He trembled and awkwardly clasped his hands together, looking timidly at Su Xiao'e. Su Xiao'e laughed wildly while tears streamed down her face, "Brother...didn't you say that you would give me whatever I wanted?" Su Xing stood silently, looking at Su Xiao'e, and nodded hesitantly.

"Fine!" Su Xiao'e laughed loudly, "I want...your life...I want you to die!"

Su Xing stared at Su Xiao'e, watching her almost manic laughter, paused, and then shook his head: "I can't die..."

He couldn't die. He took that deadly poison that would shorten his lifespan by ten years, just to send Xiao'e out of the manor. He couldn't die. He risked his life to survive when he was refining the Medicine King, afraid that Xiao'e would be lonely in the world. He couldn't die. Back then, when Su Du raped her, he hid outside the window, because he couldn't kill Su Du, and he was afraid of dying before her...

He gave Xiao'e whatever she wanted—except for one thing—his life.

He wanted Su Xiao'e to live in a place without Su Du, without Ye Junshan, without conspiracies—therefore, he couldn't die. If he died, Xiao'e would have no family left in the world; if he died, no one would gather life force for her; if he died, no one would protect her…

He stood there, frozen in place, neither advancing nor retreating, neither drawing his sword nor surrendering. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally stammered, "Xiao'e, I didn't..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence—because several white lights suddenly appeared ahead, and Li Huangyin leaped to a high place, where she found herself facing a row of gleaming silver needles.

Su Xing hurriedly dodged to the side, but unexpectedly, the silver needles that hit the artificial rock behind him bounced back from all directions. Li Huangyin's cold voice rang out from in front of him: "Even without getting close to you, I can still kill you..."

Su Xing's agility was inferior to Li Huangyin's, and even to Helan Ronghua's; even after consuming the Poison King, he remained the same. However, he possessed a body riddled with poison, enabling him to kill everyone within three steps—Helan Ronghua used his death to show Li Huangyin how to kill Su Xing…

Li Huangyin naturally knew this and took advantage of Su Xing's weakness. He couldn't help but turn around and glance behind him—

Amidst the shimmering lake, Ye Changsheng's tear-filled eyes remained as clear as ever, just like the young man who called to his friends by Yanggongpan years ago... The breeze of many years ago had also lifted her long hair in the same way, and the laughter and joy carried on the wind, like the fleeting time, could never return...

He paused slightly, then turned to look at Su Xing in front of him, only to find him expressionless. His hand continued to fire out silver needles, handful after handful…

The night wind whistled softly, and I don't know how much time had passed.

Su Xing dodged the dense barrage of silver needles once again, leaning against the wall and panting heavily. He didn't know how much longer he could hold on, nor when Li Huangyin's silver needles would run out. He was determined to leave with Su Xiao'e. He didn't know what he was fighting for; in the end, it seemed he was only fighting to kill—killing the man in white and the man in red.

Suddenly, a sharp sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out—Su Xingzheng gasped for breath, feeling a chill in his chest. He paused, then looked down incredulously at a gleaming white blade piercing his chest, the tip trembling slightly, dripping blood with a "plop, plop" sound…

He turned his head with some difficulty and saw that Su Xiao'e's face was ashen, but she was smiling very happily. She released her grip on the sword and slowly, slowly fell down...

"Xiao'e—" Su Xing held Su Xiao'e, crying his heart out. He trembled, clutching Su Xiao'e's body tightly, sitting on the blood-stained gravel beach, tears streaming from his eyes. He murmured, "I said no...no...why, why don't you believe me..."

The moonlight was as white as snow.

Su Xing cried until his voice was hoarse, until he was completely exhausted, and he slowly collapsed amidst tears and blood...

Better to go back

Looking at the two people who had inexplicably perished together, Li Huangyin felt neither joy nor sorrow, only a sense of emptiness. Some things come unexpectedly. When he had someone he wanted to protect for the first time in his life and was ready to fight for them, he found that his opponent had suddenly disappeared.

He paused for a moment, gazing at the two siblings embracing in a pool of blood, his eyes utterly silent.

Life is more bitter than sweet, so death... isn't necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps true happiness will only come in the next life, when they no longer remember those unbearable past events...