Орден Красного Лотоса

Глава 26

"You owe him?"

"good."

Li You clenched his fists: "What if he orders you to kill again?"

Hei Shiro stopped looking at him and lowered his head: "I will kill."

"What exactly do you owe him?" Li You couldn't hold back his anger any longer. "Does it have to be murder to repay him? Don't you know that there are things that are permissible and things that are not?"

A moment of silence.

He suddenly looked up and said, "We don't have to kill them."

Li You was stunned.

Before he could react, Kuroshiro swiftly raised his right hand, and instantly, the long sword, as white as autumn water, flashed and turned, thrusting back towards his own chest!

With a "clang," a gleaming blade appeared in front of him, its tip piercing the blade.

No one could wield a knife faster than He Bi.

Li You's face turned even paler: "You..."

"I owe him my life."

Hei Silang threw down his sword, took a few steps slowly, and said calmly, "Five years ago, I killed Liang Jinpeng, the 'Golden-Winged Twin Blades,' but I unfortunately fell into the hands of the Liang family. I'm sure everyone is wondering why I was able to escape alive."

After a while.

"He saved you."

“That’s right. If we want to repay him, we have to do it with our lives.” Hei Shilang looked at him and suddenly smiled. “I know you consider me a friend and would not want to take me to justice. I’m sorry.”

After saying that, he ignored the sword on the ground and turned to walk out of the courtyard gate.

Yang Nianqing was puzzled, but the other three's expressions changed simultaneously.

The sword is the assassin's life; with a sword, there is no life.

Without a sword in his hand, Hei Shilang would no longer be terrifying. He had killed countless people in his life, and there were countless people seeking revenge. I'm afraid that before he even left this door for a day, his corpse would already be fed to the dogs.

But now, he has easily abandoned this precious sword that he has carried for many years and cherished as his own life.

Looking at that lonely figure, He Bi's face grew even more gloomy, while Li You's face turned ashen. He moved his lips slightly, as if he wanted to speak, but he didn't utter a single word.

Because he didn't know what to say.

Nobody wants to watch their best friend go out and die.

However, it is only right and proper that a murderer should pay with his life.

Often, emotions and morality seem easy to choose between, but it's only when you actually face them that you truly understand the pain and helplessness involved.

finally--

Nangong Xue sighed softly, "Brother Hei, please wait!"

Kuroshiro stopped, but did not turn around.

Nangong Xue shook her head at Li You, walked over, bent down, and picked up the sword.

He stared at it quietly for a long time, then suddenly took out a clean white silk handkerchief and carefully wiped the sword several times. Then, he took the sword and slowly walked to Hei Silang's side: "These people have already paid him enough for their lives. All living beings are equal. Brother Hei's life is not worth that much. Why are you doing a losing business?"

As he spoke, he held the sword tip between two slender fingers and handed it over, a gentle and charming smile appearing on his handsome face: "Even if he didn't call you, he would have called someone else. It's a real pity to throw away such a fine sword. Since these lives were taken by others, it's still clean. Why should Brother Hei find it so unworthy?"

for a long time.

Kuroshiro slowly turned around and looked at everyone.

“Brother Nangong is right, it’s still fairly clean,” He Bi looked at him and suddenly said coldly, “Even if it’s not clean, it can always be wiped clean.”

The wind blew by.

A rustling sound of leaves filled the air as several sycamore leaves fluttered down from above, then rubbed and rolled on the ground, making an even louder noise.

The entire courtyard was eerily quiet, but the lights on the eaves seemed to shine even brighter.

In the light, those cold and sharp eyes shone even brighter—shouldn't you feel fortunate and moved to have made such a group of friends?

Finally, he reached out and took the sword: "Thank you."

Nangong Xue simply smiled slightly.

Hei Shilang looked down at his sword, then at Li You and He Bi for a long while, before suddenly turning around: "Even so, you'd better... stop investigating."

After saying that, he walked out.

A gentle breeze blew by again, and it seemed as if countless sighs echoed all around.

The person has left.

From then on, there would be no more Hei Silang in the martial arts world, nor would there be any more of the famous "Half-Pound Killer" who never did a losing business. His life, marked by bloodshed, would only occasionally appear in people's casual conversations.

"He never had a single friend."

Almost everyone says this when they talk about him. All he knows is killing, and he'll kill for you if you pay enough.

Assassins don't need friends.

What happened next?

Some say he killed too many people, so his enemies devised a clever plan to secretly kill him, dismembering his body into several pieces and feeding it to wild dogs; others say he was captured and executed by He Bi, the "Number One Detective in the World," and his friend Li You; still others say he finally grew tired of his life of killing, changed his name, retired from the underworld, married, and had many children; and some even say he fled alone to a remote, desolate place beyond the Great Wall to escape his enemies…

In short, his fate and whereabouts remain a mystery.

for a long time.

Li You finally let out a long breath and loosened his fist: "Thank you."

“He could have run away, but he didn’t,” He Bi reached out and patted his shoulder. “A friend like that is truly rare.”

“At least he won’t have to do these things anymore,” Nangong Xue turned around and smiled. “It’s really lucky for someone to have friends like Brother Li and Brother He. In any case, he probably won’t have any regrets in his life.”

He Bi deliberately glared at her: "Aren't you one?"

Nangong Xue smiled.

Li You smiled too.

Looking at her close friends, Yang Nianqing felt a warmth in her heart, almost forgetting the series of dangerous events that had just occurred around her...

After a long while, her eyes dimmed, and she silently lowered her head.

"...Don't investigate anymore." It's unexpected that Kuroshiro left these last words, still wanting to protect the murderer. Who could be putting him in such a difficult position? Could it be someone else's friend? Perhaps, there is a kind of friend who is always worth protecting.

However, in this world, besides emotions, there is also morality.

Although Kuroshiro is gone, if the four continue their investigation, many more innocent people will surely lose their lives. Perhaps, they should really give up the investigation?

Several people thought of this problem at the same time.

Nangong Xue looked somewhat saddened as she slowly gazed at He Bi and Li You. On her handsome face, her noble and gentle phoenix eyes revealed a great deal of hesitation and sorrow.

Li You frowned.

He Bi's eyes flashed, and he tightened his grip on the hilt of the knife.

There are many kind people in the world, but there are also some heartless ones. They may be too principled and unlovable, but they know that if they compromise with evil because of kindness and compassion, then there will never be justice in this world.

Volume 1 is now complete. Those hoping for romance, don't worry, there definitely will be in the next volume! If there's no romance, I'll stand here and let you all get a good slap!

Volume Two: Forgetting Each Other in the Jianghu - The Price of Curiosity

Early in the morning, Yang Nianqing was awakened by the commotion on the street below.

She opened her eyes and looked out. A wet, dark branch lay across the window, with a few glistening dewdrops clinging to it, like an ancient ink painting. Thinking about what had happened last night, she couldn't fall back asleep. She got up, washed up, and looked out the window again. Feeling bored, she went out and walked downstairs to the inn.

Nangong Xue's door was actually half-open.

"He's up so early too?" Yang Nianqing couldn't help but feel curious and peeked inside secretly—"I, Yang Nianqing, absolutely did not mean to spy on handsome guys..."

Nangong Xue stood quietly by the window, seemingly lost in thought.

Although it was just his back, his innate peaceful and noble air remained undiminished. Yang Nianqing looked at him for a long time and felt that beneath his gentle temperament, there was a hidden kind of majesty.

After hesitating for a moment, she knocked on the door anyway: "Brother Nangong?"

Nangong Xue was startled. She turned around and saw that it was her. She couldn't help but smile and say, "Xiao Nian."

Yang Nianqing then went inside with peace of mind. She was about to close the door, but remembering that he was a gentleman who respected propriety and avoided suspicion, she immediately opened the door wide.

She walked up to him and said with a smile, "You're up so early, what are you thinking about?"

Nangong Xue paused for a moment, then shook her head: "This matter all started at Nangong Villa, and now it involves so many innocent lives. I suppose this was not his original intention."

His phoenix eyes gazed into the distance, his handsome face filled with hesitation and sorrow: "No one wants to kill more people, but if this case continues to be investigated, who knows how many more innocent lives he will take? Brother He and the others..."

Yang Nianqing shook her head and comforted him: "These were all planned by the murderer. It has nothing to do with you. Even if he didn't frame you, he would have framed someone else. So we need to investigate even more, otherwise those who died will be wronged."

Nangong Xue nodded.

A person who possesses such a heartfelt and compassionate heart is worthy of respect.

Looking at the approachable young nobleman in front of her, Yang Nianqing was suddenly moved. She had heard that he was not very close to women, so she had not taken the initiative to approach him. But after hearing what he said last night, she realized that this gentle and elegant man was not as rigid and feudal as she had imagined.

He had no martial arts skills. However, his meticulous analysis, wise judgment, broad knowledge, and approachable manner made him absolutely someone no one dared to underestimate.

While secretly admiring her, Yang Nianqing asked curiously, "You've been thinking about this the whole time?"

After a while.

Nangong Xue shook her head, looked at her with a slight smile, and said, "Today is my twenty-seventh birthday."

"So it's your birthday!" Yang Nianqing was genuinely happy for him. "Happy birthday!"

Upon hearing this fresh and modern blessing, Nangong Xue paused for a moment, then smiled again, her smile still elegant and gentle, with a hint of melancholy.

Thank you.

Looking at that touching smile, Yang Nianqing rolled her eyes and suddenly a thought popped into her head... After a moment, she changed the subject: "You guys are really good friends. Last night, I've never seen Li You so sad."

Nangong Xue nodded: "Hei Silang is Brother Li's friend."

Yang Nianqing thought for a moment and said, "Hei Silang was just being used by the murderer. Even if he hadn't come, the murderer could still have killed them. You people in the martial arts world should repay kindness, right? The fact that he didn't run away is considered a surrender, which is already quite commendable."

As she spoke, she shook her head again: "I never thought that a 'god' like He Bi could be so reasonable. If he hadn't stopped him, Hei Silang would definitely be dead."