Список самых красивых мужчин в мире боевых искусств

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Whether in the beginning or the end, she was a loser.

He couldn't defeat the dead Tang Weiqi, and he was even less capable than the living Tang Shijiu.

Chapter Fifty-Three: Life and Death

When Tianxiu mentioned the jade pendant, Tang Shijiu's heart immediately skipped a beat—she had never cared much about material possessions and hadn't even noticed when the jade pendant had disappeared.

What she was thinking was reflected in her facial expression.

Tianxiu blinked and deliberately said, "Nineteen, the thing I asked you to promise me was to take good care of the jade pendant. I think you must have treasured it very well."

Tang Shijiu's face turned green... She seemed to remember that the jade pendant was taken away by Tian Shu when they were at the Mountain God Temple, but she was completely clueless about the specifics.

Upon hearing Tianxiu's question, he was at a loss for words and could only stammer, "Tian...Tianxiu...I..."

Seeing that her face had turned bright red, Tianxiu stopped teasing her and took out the jade pendant from his pocket: "Alright! Put it away quickly, or my brother will snatch it away again."

Tang Shijiu's face lit up with a smile. She carefully took the jade pendant and hung it around her neck: "Tianxiu, why did you insist on giving me this jade pendant?"

Tianxiu raised her face and said, "I told you not to be angry. I originally planned to give this jade pendant to Weiqi, but she ended up taking a liking to my brother. Just keep it for now, it'll put my mind at ease."

Tang Shijiu nodded sympathetically: "Tianxiu, you're such a romantic. No, a true romantic saint."

Tianxiu looked miserable: "A heartbreaker no one wants, how about you take care of me?"

Tang Shijiu tapped him on the head: "Zi Nu adores you so much, but you don't like her. I'm your friend, who keeps a friend as a mistress?"

Tianxiu shrank back and stuck out her tongue: "If you won't take care of me, you'll just find an excuse to dump me on someone else. Nineteen, you're so heartless~~~"

She glared at him, smiled, and stopped talking. Although it was autumn, it was still a bit hot. Tianxiu glanced at her and saw fine beads of sweat on her slightly upturned nose. He couldn't help but reach out and wipe them away for her.

Nineteen instinctively intercepted his outstretched hand, grabbing it with his own. "You're touching me again, you deserve a beating!" As soon as he finished speaking, he saw that Tianxiu's palms were blistered from the reins, and some parts were even broken.

She frowned slightly and naturally took out a handkerchief from her bosom to press on his hand: "Spoiled young master, does it hurt?"

Tianxiu smiled and said, "It used to hurt, but now that you've pressed your handkerchief on it, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Nineteen complained, "Your palms are too delicate to handle such rough work, so you made me drive the car."

Tianxiu just smiled, quietly watching her carefully bandage the wound with a handkerchief, as if afraid of breaking something, without saying a word. Only after she finished bandaging did he say, "You're a girl, how can I let a girl drive?"

Nineteen glared at him: "If we're good friends, don't say things like that."

"Nineteen, you were so gentle just now. No one has ever cared about my wound so tenderly before." Tianxiu's seemingly incoherent remark made her blush. But the next half of his sentence made her want to kick the bastard in front of her off the stage.

Tianxiu said, "So gentle, I almost doubted that the person in front of me was you. Hey, Nineteen, were you actually possessed just now...?"

The two chatted and laughed, finding the journey quite pleasant. He couldn't help but look at her. Tang Shijiu's radiant smile and bright eyes seemed like the purest things in the world, making him feel ashamed of himself.

"Nineteen... Do you know why I like you and always help you?"

"Why?" Although Shen Yuntan repeatedly warned that Tianxiu was a dangerous person, Tang Shijiu never thought so.

“Because… there’s no mask on your face.” Tianxiu avoided her gaze and said slowly, “You’re real, direct. Even a little silly, innocent to the point of being foolish, sometimes so straightforward that I wish I could strangle you, but… that’s good. It makes me feel comfortable and at ease.”

Tang Shijiu was both amused and exasperated: "Are you praising me or insulting me?"

"Of course I'm insulting you, can't you even tell? You really are a little idiot." Tianxiu chuckled softly, flicking Nineteen's nose, but his eyes held a hint of melancholy: "Nineteen... it's a pity, your stupidity is something I can never have in this lifetime..."

Wearing a mask for too long will make it impossible to remove; it will stick to your face and become fused with your skin, making it impossible to distinguish between what is real and what is fake. If you really want to remove it, you have to tear it off along with your face, leaving your face a bloody mess, and you will no longer be able to recognize yourself.

His mask, and Shen Yuntan's mask, have become deeply ingrained, fused with his flesh and blood, and are probably inseparable from each other ever since.

"Nineteen, don't say 'good friend' or anything like that again." Tianxiu slowly closed his eyes, seemingly trying his best to suppress something. "You...you'll regret it."

He spoke in a very low voice, as if he were speaking to Tang Shijiu, or perhaps to himself.

Just then, a flock of geese flew across the sky. Nineteen looked up at the sky, unsure whether he heard them or not.

Tianxiu called out again, "Nineteen." Only then did she react and look at him.

He chuckled softly, a strange expression on his face. "Nineteen, you didn't keep your promise to me last time. You need to make up for it with another one." Before she could reply, he continued, "This one is... you must take good care of yourself. No matter the cost, no matter who you kill, you can't let yourself die..."

Drops of blood dripped from his lips, landing on his brocade robe and disappearing into the dark patterns.

"The reins are poisonous... Don't touch them..."

He seemed to want to say something more, but couldn't utter a single word. His vision went black, his body slumped, and he leaned heavily against Tang Shijiu.

The events unfolded too suddenly. One moment Tianxiu was laughing and joking, the next he was pale and collapsed on top of her. Tang Shijiu's mind went blank for a moment, and she didn't know what to do. Before she could recover, she heard the horse driving the carriage let out a mournful whinny, then foamed at the mouth and collapsed to the ground, its body still convulsing.

Tang Shijiu frowned, picked up Tianxiu, and jumped off the carriage.

They were in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of nowhere. She laid Tianxiu flat on the ground and found that his palms were completely black.

If this continues, he will die.

But she didn't even know what kind of poison she had been given!

The Tang Clan members were likely nearby, so Tang Shijiu dared not linger. She struggled to carry Tianxiu on her back and quickly left. She had no direction, no idea where she was or where she was.

A tremendous fear gripped her heart, as if Tianxiu had become a cold corpse, or as if Tang Clan assassins had surrounded her.

As the sun set and darkness fell, Tang Shijiu's steps grew heavier, and Tianxiu's breathing seemed to grow lighter as well.

Finally, she was too exhausted to walk any further and sat down against a large tree. Tianxiu curled up close beside her, constantly complaining of the cold.

Tang Shijiu took off her outer garment and covered him with it, then gathered many dry branches and leaves to light. As autumn approached, she piled all her warm clothes on Tianxiu, leaving him in only a single layer. The night wind made him shiver with cold.