Chapter 50
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As he watched the tears continuously slide from the corners of Chu Zhaoyi’s eyes, a small section of the bedsheet became stained.
Fu Nian remained frozen in place, staring blankly.
During the dream, did Chu Zhaoyi cry as well?
He lowered his head and stared silently at the bedding. After a long silence, he turned around, extended his left hand, and quickly and carefully tucked Chu Zhaoyi in with the blanket.
“I haven’t left,” he whispered softly in response to Chu Zhaoyi’s dream talk.
After helping Chu Zhaoyi with the blanket, Fu Nian hastily withdrew his hand, his gaze turning to the outside with a gloomy expression.
He laid there for quite a while, but eventually, he couldn’t resist turning his head to steal another glance.
As dawn approached and Li Gonggong came in to wake Chu Zhaoyi, Fu Nian finally dared to stand up.
“The representatives from the Northern Kingdom are already in the main hall, and we’ve served them tea as instructed… General Dou’s arrangements have been conveyed as well. By the way, Lord Chu is waiting outside…”
“Let Chu Yao come in.”
He saw the door to the outer room crack open slightly, and then a tall figure flashed in, adding an extra person to the room.
“Report to Your Majesty. Last night, news arrived from the capital that they have found the accomplices of Consort Qiao, the Xi Wangfei consort…”
“Have I given you permission to speak?” Chu Zhaoyi interrupted irritably before Chu Yao could finish.
Fu Nian stood still, not daring to move.
If they had found Consort Qiao, Xi Wangfei’s whereabouts, did it mean they had also discovered the true identity of the imposter?
He held his breath and stood frozen, not daring to move. If they found out he had been swapped… Fu Nian silently clenched his fists.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I was disrespectful.”
“First, report on the investigation regarding the Northern Kingdom, and we will discuss the news from the capital when we return.”
“Yes.”
…
Fu Nian waited for Chu Yao to report for quite some time before he noticed Chu Zhaoyi turning his gaze towards him.
Feeling Chu Zhaoyi’s eyes on him, he stood even straighter.
“Why are you standing here?” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice sounded somewhat puzzled.
“….” Fu Nian didn’t respond.
As he suspected, those words were not meant for him to hear.
He lowered his head and replied as calmly as possible, “I was summoned by Your Majesty to enter.”
“Did Zhen summon you in?” Chu Zhaoyi asked back.
After asking this question, Chu Zhaoyi continued on his own after a moment, pointing to the letterbox on the desk. “Oh, I remember now. Next time, please remember to leave on your own before Zhen wakes up. Since you didn’t take the opportunity to deliver the letter, the official post is in Shuzhou city. Go there quickly and return quickly.”
“Understood,” Fu Nian said before quickly taking the letterbox and leaving.
When he had been told not to leave last night as Chu Zhaoyi dreamt, Fu Nian admitted that he had felt a tremor in his heart at that moment.
At that instant, even the bizarre act of Chu Zhaoyi holding his corpse and sleeping together all night, the perverted act, became understandable, evoking a sense of pity.
He even considered whether he should stay in the palace to protect Chu Zhaoyi to prevent any possible assassination attempts by the people from the Northern Kingdom, to ensure Chu Zhaoyi’s safety.
And he even wondered whether his sudden departure in his previous life had indeed had a significant impact on Chu Zhaoyi, whether he truly held special significance to Chu Zhaoyi…
“Remember to leave before I wake up next time.”
This sentence echoed in his ears for a long time.
As he walked to the stable with the letterbox, Fu Nian extended his prosthetic hand and lightly slapped his left palm. “Being overly sentimental,” he muttered to himself.
Fu Nian’s movements were much faster than those of an ordinary person. While the rooster was still crowing, he had already delivered the letter to the inn.
Seeing that the letterbox was intended for Xi Wang, who was currently acting as the regent, Fu Nian didn’t know the specific contents of the letter. After delivering it, he received a return token and checked the time.
It was still early, so he decided to visit Pei Zhou, whom he had left in the medical clinic a few days ago.
When he arrived at the clinic, Fu Nian hadn’t even said anything yet when the shopkeeper approached him.
“Your friend was left here a few days ago, right? Finally, you’ve come.”
“How is he?” Fu Nian hadn’t expected the doctor to be so proactive and quickly asked.
After asking, Fu Nian noticed that the doctor seemed hesitant. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Little brother, your friend… the poison in his body is the most vicious I’ve ever seen in all my years of practicing medicine. It only leaves a little time for survival and provides no room for recovery.”
Fu Nian stood still, not moving a muscle.
A poison like that was something he had learned about in his sect. It was only used when the employer repeatedly demanded it and paid extra for it.
Pei Zhou was just a scholar. What did he know about the Distant Moon Sect’s secrets?
“You should go see him. His time is running out, and it seems he’s been waiting for you…”
After the doctor’s warning, Fu Nian reluctantly forced himself to move.
When he entered the inner room, Fu Nian saw the young man lying on a low bed, clutching a porcelain jug. He quickly approached. “Young Master Pei?”
As he got closer, Fu Nian saw that Pei Zhou’s eyes were still open, his lips trembling continuously as if he wanted to say something.
“Young Master Pei, don’t worry…” Fu Nian began to speak but suddenly felt at a loss for words. No matter how he searched in his mind, words of comfort eluded him.
“You, don’t worry. The doctor and I will save you. Don’t worry,” he could only repeat, trying to reassure the young man who was barely hanging on.
“Ah…” Pei Zhou opened his mouth, clearly trying to say something. Perhaps he could only manage to produce a single, weak syllable. Fear was evident in his expression.
Fu Nian quickly brought a glass of water from the nearby table and held it to Pei Zhou’s lips, encouraging him to drink.
Seeing that Pei Zhou could still drink water, Fu Nian continued to ask, “How did this poison happen to you?”
“That person, the one who killed many, many people…” After drinking some water, Pei Zhou was finally able to speak haltingly. “It’s that man, the one who shouts ‘Fu Nian.’ He used gu worms, used gu worms…”
Gu worms?
Fu Nian recalled that his own strange poison had been obtained in a similar way.
However, his master should have died long ago, or else how could his senior brother have become the sect leader…
He couldn’t make sense of it.
“The one I mentioned earlier, my sword brother, Fu, Fu Zhen, he has a problem,” Pei Zhou continued, his voice weak and his breathing becoming heavier. “If you encounter him, run…”
Fu Nian dared not interrupt and hurriedly picked up the bowl of medicine from the table.
“Run…”
Before Fu Nian could bring the soup to his lips, he watched in disbelief as the young man in front of him closed his eyes weakly.
His eyes widened in shock, staring blankly ahead, holding the bowl of medicine motionless in mid-air.
No way.
That was Fu Nian’s first thought.
“Doctor! Doctor!” Almost instantly, Fu Nian reacted and abandoned the bowl of medicine. He stumbled towards the door, shouting hoarsely, “Doctor! Something’s happened!”
“There’s still a bit of life left. However…”
“Money is not a problem.” After dragging the doctor over, Fu Nian quickly said.
This was different from the people he had killed with a single strike of his knife, he thought.
“Little brother, life and death are determined by fate, and it’s not something money can solve,” the doctor said as he checked the pulse. “It seems you are outsiders. Make preparations as soon as possible. With this medicine, I can only extend his life for a few more days at most.”
Fu Nian sat in a daze for a long time before finally walking out of the clinic.
Return to Distant Moon Sect. He had to return to the Distant Moon Sect first.
Find Fu Zhen first then talk.
Once this thought occurred to him, Fu Nian sped up his pace as he ventured deeper into the mountains.
This time, there was no threat of a high fever, and his footsteps became much quicker.
Running from noon to evening, Fu Nian finally saw the boundary stones of the Distant Moon Sect’s territory, and he slowed down his pace.
As the sky darkened, the wind howled in the mountain ravine like a wailing ghost, adding an eerie chill to the already desolate valley.
Continuing forward, he saw that the stone-paved path was overgrown with weeds and moss, as if it hadn’t been trodden on in a long time.
Fu Nian found it strange.
During the reign of the late emperor, disciples of the Distant Moon Sect had reached their peak. Even if they had declined later on, it shouldn’t have become completely abandoned.
Moreover, from the moment he entered the sect’s territory, he hadn’t sensed the presence of any living beings.
He continued walking and noticed that the training ground he once used was also covered in weeds, and the residential buildings were dilapidated and collapsed. It seemed that no one had repaired them for a long time.
Could it be that the sect had undergone a major relocation?
However, this thought was quickly dismissed because on that day, he had clearly seen Fu Zhen walking in this direction.
The main hall of the Distant Moon Sect was also empty, and Fu Nian returned to the room where he had lived as a child. The kang bed was covered in dust and rats, and as soon as he entered, the rats scattered and hid in the corners.
Just as Fu Nian was full of doubt, he seemed to sense some movement underground.
The frequent seismic activity in the mountains was something he had grown accustomed to since childhood, so he didn’t pay it much mind. However, after a while, he felt a rhythmic trembling underfoot.
It was artificial. Fu Nian squinted his eyes and gripped the dagger in his hand.
Yes, there was a hidden passage leading underground behind a painting in his master’s study.
Fu Nian suddenly remembered this and quickly rushed towards the direction of the study.
Sure enough, unlike other places, the painting was covered in thick dust.
Fu Nian tore the painting off and, relying on his memory, opened the hidden door behind it without much hesitation. He then ran down the seemingly bottomless stone steps.
He remembered that this passage used to be sealed, only used for storing food and wine.
But now, it extended deep underground, with numerous twists and turns. After running for a quarter of an hour, he still hadn’t reached the end.
The further he descended, the more uncertain Fu Nian’s heart became.
In his previous life at the sect, he had never been to this unfamiliar place.
After running for who knows how long, his field of vision gradually turned into a dimly lit and spacious plain.
The wall-mounted lanterns were faintly lit, completely inadequate to illuminate the vast stone chamber.
Fu Nian adjusted to the darkness for a moment before he could see the entire scene in the stone chamber.
It was just as Pei Zhou had described…
Numerous eviscerated and disemboweled youths hung in the air, each with a grotesque expression. Many stone coffins laid open, and occasional muffled moans of the dying could be heard. Some unidentified insects crawled on the ground, making rustling sounds.
Fu Nian was used to life and death situations, but when he encountered such a shocking scene, he couldn’t help but take a half step back.
He gathered his composure and mustered the courage to continue moving forward.
Suddenly, something furry brushed against his head, and Fu Nian squinted and looked up to find a young man hanging upside down, his hair hanging down.
He hurriedly brushed it aside and lit a flintstone to illuminate a small area in front of him before continuing forward.
Fu Nian carefully examined the people lying in the stone coffins. Unlike those whose bodies were eviscerated, these individuals hadn’t shown signs of decay, but their faces were twisted in grotesque expressions, and many had died with their eyes wide open.
However, they were still in stark contrast to those covered in blood above.
He wanted to check if there were any survivors he could gather information from.
Suddenly, Fu Nian seemed to recognize a familiar face, and he couldn’t help but stop in his tracks. He quickly retreated.
Inside the stone coffin laid a young man dressed in moon-white robes. His face was pale as snow, and his jet-black hair was neatly tied with a hairpin. He tightly clutched a long sword and a broken wooden prosthetic limb in his arms. The wooden limb was covered in numerous knife marks and showed signs of decay. There were both leg and arm limbs, indicating they were meant for a child. His age seemed frozen at around eighteen or nineteen. He laid there quietly, in stark contrast to the terrified and grotesque expressions of the others. It was as if he had been prepared for this moment of slumber, and he looked like he had already made peace with it.
Fu Nian immediately recognized him. The prosthetic limb he was clutching was the first prosthetic limb he had received when he first joined the sect.
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