Chapter 53
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“I should make you a new prosthetic limb. The last time I made you one was over a decade ago. Which wood should I use…”
He wolfed down the tasteless meal and sat motionless, silently listening to the man next to him muttering to himself.
“I’ll go to the storage room and have a look.”
He watched Fu Zhen leave and breathed a sigh of relief.
After the repeated near-death suffocation, he realized that confronting this madman head-on was futile.
Regardless, he needed a prosthetic limb before planning his escape, or so Fu Nian thought.
Alone with his thoughts, Fu Nian began to contemplate whether there were any weaknesses in this man that he could exploit.
When he was a child, this man had mostly been normal, or at least not as crazed and self-absorbed as he was now. He had followed a code of killing only for money and never engaged in killings beyond business transactions.
“Fu Nian, do you like a prosthetic limb made from a mix of cedar and ebony?”
Before he could figure out any weaknesses, Fu Nian heard approaching footsteps.
He didn’t respond.
“Alright, it’s decided then.” Fu Zhen seemed to be in a good mood. After saying that, he hummed a tune and took out a file, starting to work on the wooden pieces. “I’ve thought it through. I won’t send you on any more missions or let you interact with others. In the previous life, I was wrong, exploiting you for profit and becoming insatiable, and your punishment was being left to rot in the wilderness. So, the prosthetic limb doesn’t need to be too sturdy. It should be flexible and convenient for daily life.”
Fu Nian continued to remain silent.
He had thought that staying silent would keep him out of trouble, but in no time, he saw Fu Zhen putting down the file and wood and leaning over to his side. First, he lightly touched the severed limb on his right leg with his fingertips, then he tried to lift the pant leg.
“What are you doing?” Fu Nian cautiously moved back.
“Since we’re making a new prosthetic limb, we need to measure it properly. Your position on the bed is just right.” Fu Zhen paid no attention to his evasion and took out scissors, cutting the pants from the bottom up. After he finished, Fu Zhen suddenly stopped and his smile disappeared. “Remember the lesson from earlier, how to address me?” He said this while locking his sharp gaze onto Fu Nian.
Fu Nian remembered. Since childhood, when his master looked at him with such a gaze, it meant he was close to being punished. Coupled with the near-death suffocation he had just endured, he quickly corrected himself, “Master.”
After saying “Master,” Fu Nian pinched his own palm and noted down another mark in his heart.
“You have a good memory.” Fu Zhen praised lightly, then refocused on the severed limb of his right leg.
It made Fu Nian somewhat uncomfortable to have this man staring at the severed limb, especially with such a lecherous gaze.
“You, have you finished measuring it?” Fu Nian asked cautiously, trying to restrain the rising anger within him.
“…”
Fu Zhen remained silent, holding the severed limb in his hands and looking at it with a stunned expression. There were many abrasions on the skin, some already scabbed over, and some still had bloody streaks running through the reddened skin. This part of his body hadn’t seen daylight for a long time, and the blood-red color seemed particularly vivid.
Fu Zhen gazed at it for quite some time before suddenly bending down, approaching with his nose to lightly touch the limb.
Fu Nian frowned and clenched his fist.
Once he got the prosthetic limb, he could kill this man. Everyone has weaknesses, and while Fu Nian wouldn’t claim to be a master of the art, he had honed his skills over many years.
“How could such a soft spot endure a stone prosthetic limb? Even though it looks good when it bleeds, it must be painful, right?” After closely examining the severed limb for a while, Fu Zhen reluctantly lifted his head, a hint of delight in his smile. “Indeed, the Fu Nian I raised even makes bleeding look so beautiful.”
Fu Nian tuned him out and kept repeating the word “endure” in his mind.
It seemed that as long as he didn’t provoke this man, he wouldn’t resort to violence.
In simple terms, he requires coaxing rather than resisting.
He waited for countless hours until he began to feel drowsy. Finally, he heard the sound of grinding stop.
Raising his head, he saw Fu Zhen meticulously examining the two sections of prosthetic legs he had just finished shaping and adjusting the joint movements.
“We won’t continue today. We’ll continue tomorrow,” Fu Zhen said, sensing Fu Nian’s gaze. He put down the half-finished prosthetic limb. “It’ll be quite cold tonight. Would you like to come to Master’s to rest?
Fu Nian was about to answer that there was no need, but before he could speak, he was grabbed under the armpit.
He quickly shifted to the side, saying, “No…” He hadn’t even finished refusing when the gaze from above suddenly turned serious, so he hastily changed his tune, “The night dew is heavy, and I’m afraid of disturbing Master. If Master has any orders late at night, I can wait outside the room.”
After saying this, he heard Fu Zhen laugh.
The laughter was soft but sent shivers down his spine.
Fu Nian remained silent. He saw Fu Zhen stand up and motioned for him to follow. He had no choice but to get off the bed and hop on one foot as he moved towards the door.
His shoes from earlier had disappeared, probably thrown away by Fu Zhen. So now, he had to walk barefoot on the gravel path. The gravel was unpolished and sharp, causing discomfort with every hop. After a few steps, Fu Nian couldn’t help but furrow his brows and slow down.
Even when he slowed down, he could still feel the sensation of gravel piercing his skin and the blood seeping out.
Suddenly, Fu Zhen, who had been walking ahead, stopped and looked back at him. “What’s the matter? Why are you walking so slowly?”
Fu Nian hesitated to ask where his shoes were, but decided against it. He continued to hop along, moving slowly.
“Seeing that you don’t need Master to carry you, you must think you have some capabilities.” Teasing him, Fu Zhen looked amused as he observed Fu Nian’s left foot. He noticed the blood seeping out onto the gravel, the curling toes, and the long bloodstain left behind as he moved.
Fu Nian tried to divert his attention as much as possible, observing the surroundings.
The rooms around him were mostly different from the one that had been modeled after the old Distant Moon Sect. They seemed to be of a new and grander style, probably built not long ago.
It seemed that Fu Zhen had not hesitated to use them, his “picked up” disciples, to earn money.
From the howling night wind and the temperature difference between night and day, Fu Nian deduced that this new place was on top of a mountain. He had been dragged here by Fu Zhen, so it shouldn’t be too far from the old Distant Moon Sect.
“What’s the matter? Can’t move anymore?” Fu Zhen noticed that he was standing still and asked.
Fu Nian thought for a moment and then suddenly knelt down, disregarding his dignity, and started crawling on the ground.
Crawling like this, although it looked utterly humiliating, at least it ensured that his left foot wouldn’t get injured any further.
He could feel that the man he had once called “Master” was staring at him with increasing intensity as he saw him crawling on the ground. His gaze became even more fiery.
Fu Nian knew that because he lacked one arm and one leg, crawling like this was akin to a worm wriggling on the ground. In fact, he had seen this kind of humiliating punishment in historical records—capturing prisoners and amputating their limbs, forcing them to crawl on the ground to the amusement of others.
Back then, he had been curious about how someone could find humor in such a deformed sight. But now, seeing this man, not only could people laugh at it, but they could also derive other pleasures from it.
Fu Zhen enjoyed the sight before him for an unknown amount of time. When he finally came to his senses, he leaned down and approached Fu Nian on the ground, smiling, “Alright, you’ve suffered enough today. I’d feel sorry if you bled anymore.” With that said, he didn’t care about any objections, lifted Fu Nian, who was covered in bloodstains, and walked briskly towards the main house.
Because he had stopped the bleeding in time, the wounds on Fu Nian’s feet weren’t deep. He sat on a cushion, enduring his nausea, and reluctantly accepted Fu Zhen’s cleaning of the wounds, applying medicine, and bandaging.
However, it had to be admitted that the location of Distant Moon Sect was indeed a Feng Shui treasure trove. The herbs here were a hundred times more abundant than in the outside world. As soon as the medicine was applied, the pain was reduced by half.
As Fu Zhen was halfway through wrapping the bandage, Fu Nian sensed movement outside the room.
Before Fu Nian could distinguish the source of the commotion, Fu Zhen had already stood up and quickly walked towards the outside.
With a moment of respite, Fu Nian hurriedly finished bandaging the remaining gauze by himself, crawled closer to the window, and strained his ears to eavesdrop.
However, apart from the ghostly howling of the wind, he couldn’t hear anything, not even the sound of people that had been there a moment ago.
Fu Nian wasn’t ready to give up yet, so he continued to lie there for quite a while. Suddenly, he heard a noise.
But the sound wasn’t coming from outside; it was from behind him.
He jumped in fright and quickly turned around.
When he met Fu Zhen’s face, his nerves tensed even more.
Fu Zhen was still smiling. “What are you listening to?”
“Nothing.”
“If you want to know who I met and what we talked about, you can simply ask. You don’t need to eavesdrop so hard. As long as you obediently ask, I won’t hide anything from you.” After saying that, Fu Zhen tilted his head, and his smile became even more radiant.
It had to be said that when Fu Zhen smiled, not only could you not guess his actual age, but he also looked somewhat harmless.
“Speaking of which, he should be your junior brother. He had a similar personality to yours when he was young, always cold and indifferent, only obeying orders and taking lives for money. After you left, I raised many children, but I never met anyone like you again. Despite your severe physical disabilities, your martial talent surpassed many fully abled children. Fu Nian, you are truly the sharpest and most satisfying blade I’ve honed over the years.” Fu Zhen paused for a moment at this point. “But this time, when you come back, I don’t want you to be a heartless blade again… Do you remember the first time you returned from a mission? You kept washing your hands, vomiting, and naively asking me how many people you needed to kill to have a stable life—”
“So, what did junior brother say to you?” Fu Nian interrupted his reminiscence and asked directly, “You said you’d tell me as long as I behave.” After speaking, Fu Nian, enduring the chill on his back, added weakly, “If I am not obedient enough, please instruct me, Master.”
“He talked about the old fox. If everything goes according to plan, the ‘Northern Kingdom Assassin’ should have already succeeded… but he seemed to have anticipated his own death in advance. Now, the one in the palace who is taking over his position will ensure that the world won’t fall into chaos.” Fu Zhen spoke nonchalantly.
Fu Nian stiffened.
Something had happened to Chu Zhaoyi?
Fu Zhen noticed the subtle change in his expression, and his voice immediately lowered. “What’s wrong? You worry as soon as that old fox is mentioned?”
“Not at all.” Fu Nian regained his composure. “When you posed as my senior brother earlier, you saw it too. I avoided him whenever I could, even when he was seriously ill. I never acknowledged him. When I heard that something happened to him, far from being worried, I was relieved.”
Fu Zhen chuckled. “If that old fox dies one day, I’ll make sure to steal his body and let you have a look. That way, you can be happy.”
Fu Nian suppressed the twitching of his expression.
“All right, it’s time to rest. Go to bed; the blankets are soft, just the way you like them.”
“No need, I’ll lie on the floor.” Fu Nian replied and added with a reasonable tone, “It’s not that I’m intentionally going against your wishes, but I am used to sleeping on stone slabs in the palace for so long that I got used to it. I can’t sleep well on a soft bed; the floor is more comfortable for me.”
“That old fox… He made you sleep on stone slabs for so many years?”
“Yes.” Fu Nian grunted in agreement, silently apologizing to Chu Zhaoyi in his heart.
“Tsk, doesn’t know how to cherish things. So, are you still going to—”
Before Fu Zhen could finish his lecture, Fu Nian curled up on the floor, shrinking into a small ball. With his physique already smaller than most, this position made him appear even tinier, like a pitiable figure who had been oppressed in the palace for a long time.
He heard Fu Zhen let out a sigh, and then a quilt was placed over him.
So, Fu Zhen fell for this trick. It seemed that he had found a weakness. Fu Nian thought to himself.
Since he couldn’t escape for the time being, and the incense inside the room made it difficult to stay awake, Fu Nian decided to take a short nap and recover his energy.
The charcoal brazier provided plenty of heat, and he could hardly feel the cold outside. If it weren’t for Fu Zhen’s presence, it would have been a suitable place to sleep.
When he woke up, the sky outside was still dim. Fu Nian got up, but just as he had steadied himself, he heard footsteps outside the door.
The sound of footsteps didn’t seem to belong to Fu Zhen.
He was just wondering when there was suddenly a tall figure at the door.
The newcomer was not very old, probably around fifteen or sixteen years old, judging from his posture, it was easy to tell that he was a fellow disciple.
“Hello, Senior Brother,” the young man greeted softly, without much emotion. “Master said that today I will take care of your daily life. Besides leaving this room, you can do anything else.”
Fu Nian:…
“What if I want to go out?”
“I advise you not to do that,” the young man replied. He walked to the main door of the house and threw a throwing blade outside.
In an instant, a rain of arrows fell from the eaves and the side of the door. The throwing blade was cut into pieces, and some pieces even fell back into the room.
“There are many backup arrows in the mechanism, and the arrowheads are poisoned.”
Fu Nian didn’t respond, but arrows were shot from three directions. It seemed that even if he dismantled something to use as a shield, it wouldn’t work.
Fu Nian didn’t want to experience the poison of that old man again, so he reluctantly sat back down and asked, “Where did he go?”
“Are you referring to Master?”
“Yes. Where did he go?” Fu Nian repeated.
“Master said that you must address him as ‘Master,’ otherwise, no need to answer.”
Fu Nian endured it and changed his words, “Where did Master go?”
“Master said there was an urgent matter last night and he had to go down the mountain. He won’t be back for a couple of days. Since your prosthetic isn’t ready yet, he instructed me to take care of you for these two days. The food is stored in the ice cellar, and you can heat it up on the stove when you want to eat.”
Fu Nian didn’t respond.
It seemed that this young junior brother had gained Fu Zhen’s trust deeply. Perhaps he could extract some information from him.
“I didn’t see you for the past two days. Don’t you live here?”
“I’m here to take care of Senior Brother. Another Senior Brother, Fu Nineteen.”
Taking care of Fu Nineteen?
Fu Nian couldn’t help but frown.
That day, he had seen Fu Nineteen lying weakly in a stone coffin. Although he hadn’t decomposed, he was ice-cold, showing no signs of life.
“Fu Nineteen, is he still alive?” Fu Nian asked.
The young man shook his head, “He’s dead. Master said he’s already dead, and I think so too. I take care of him by feeding him non-rotting soup at regular intervals and trying to remove the two wooden sticks he’s holding in his hands without damaging his body. It’s often said in books that people will only hold onto the most important things before they die. I don’t know why he held onto those two wooden sticks.”
The wooden sticks in Fu Nineteen’s hands…
He immediately realized that those weren’t just wooden sticks; they were the prosthetic limbs he had used as a child. Although the prosthetics were made by Master, the subsequent repairs were mostly done by Senior Brother. They had used these prosthetics to pick bird eggs, fish in streams, and even ignite fireworks. They had used them to dig beehives and more. Therefore, when these prosthetics were retired, they were riddled with wormholes and scars.
But undoubtedly, these prosthetics held the most memories.
“Do you go to take care of Senior Brother Nineteen every day?” Fu Nian patiently asked in a soft voice, trying to gather more information.
“Not every day, just every few days.”
He thought for a moment. When he touched Fu Nineteen, the skin on his body was soft, with the texture of a living person. He had seen many dead bodies, even if the corpses didn’t rot and they held onto something important before death, they would still relax slightly after death.
He decided not to ask further for now. Once he escaped from this place and found Senior Brother, this question would be answered.
After a moment of silence, Fu Nian continued, “By the way, I haven’t asked your name.”
The young man responded indifferently, “Fu Bie.”
Fu Bie? A single character?
Fu Nian thought for a moment. All the brothers and sisters in the sect were named with numbers. Even he, the “Perfect Blade” who had caused Fu Zhen to go on a killing spree, was named with numbers, he wasn’t worthy of having a meaningful name.
It seemed that this junior brother had earned even more trust from Fu Zhen than he had imagined, as he had been given a name, which was an exception.
“Fu Bie? That’s a good name,” Fu Nian said sarcastically, “In our sect, everyone is named with numbers, but you’re the only one with a name. It seems that Master values you highly. However, your name… which character is it?”
After asking, Fu Nian saw the young man fumbling on his body for a while, and finally pulled out a metal waist tag and handed it to him, “I can’t write, so I’ll trouble Senior Brother to look at it himself.”
Fu Nian took the waist tag from the young man and scanned it. However, he couldn’t find any character that sounded like “Bie.”
He thought he had read it wrong, so he leaned in closer and carefully read every line.
“Disciple of Distant Moon Sect
…
Date of Birth: Unknown
Year of Entry: Year of the Pig, Minor Fulfilment
Name: Fu Bai”
When Fu Nian found the name, he paused for a moment. “Is this your waist tag?” he asked.
“Yes,” the young man answered crisply.
Fu Nian doubted that he had misheard earlier. “What did you say your name was?”
“Fu Bie.”
“Wait a minute, is your name these two characters?” Fu Nian turned the waist tag over and pointed to the line with the name.
The young man looked at his waist tag and confidently pointed to those two characters, reading, “Fu, Bie.”
“Isn’t it Fu Bai?” Fu Nian asked.
The young man looked at the last character, “Bai,” for a while, seeming very puzzled. “It’s Fu Bie.”
“What are the numbers after ‘Ninety-Nine’?” Fu Nian belatedly realized.
“One Bie,” the young man replied in the cold, typical tone of their sect, his face filled with confusion.
Fu Nian stared at him, suppressing the urge to laugh. “Who taught you to pronounce this character like that?”
Just a moment ago, he was wondering why he had his own name while all the other disciples were named with numbers, thinking it might be due to Fu Zhen’s trust in him, and so on.
“My Master taught me.”
“Okay,” Fu Nian said, gritting his teeth to hold back his laughter.
When he was a child, he was so focused on martial arts that his education in reading and writing was a mess. If it weren’t for his senior brother forcing him to read medical books, he probably wouldn’t even recognize characters.
Now it seemed that skipping those classes wasn’t just about avoiding lessons, but also a fortunate escape.
Fu Bie looked puzzled and couldn’t help asking, “Senior Brother?”
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