Chapter 53
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“Stand there.”
These two words hit Gong Wei like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.
He halted his steps, only then realizing Xu Shuangce slowly rising from the shadows. The hand tightly gripping the No Way Out Sword seemed slightly unsteady, his gaze fixed firmly on Gong Wei.
Gong Wei instinctively stopped in his tracks. “Master?”
The young man tilted his head slightly, his posture confused and innocent, merging with the image from the illusion where he was broken and bloodied. He had no idea what kind of slaughter awaited him.
“Don’t come any closer,” Xu Shuangce took a half step back, his voice tense, barely audible. “Stay away from me.”
“Master? What’s wrong with you…”
Crash!
Xu Shuangce retreated hastily, knocking over a tea table in the rubble, but he paid it no mind. He tightly grasped the No Way Out Sword like a branding iron, his gaze alternating between clarity and confusion. He saw the youth, full of trust and pleading, welcoming him step by step, then being pierced through the heart by his own hand.
Even until the last moment, the youth clung tightly to the sword, tears in his eyes.
I like you so much, how could you treat me like this?
Gong Wei didn’t understand what was happening, but his ingrained trust was clear in his eyes. He reached out his hand eagerly, “Master, I…”
An invisible force struck his chest, unexpectedly pushing him away!
Bang!
Gong Wei crashed into tables and chairs, stumbling to the ground. Porcelain bowls shattered as they fell to the ground.
It felt like he had been slapped in the face, leaving him bewildered. Sitting on the ground, he watched in disbelief as Xu Shuangce took a sudden half step forward, then abruptly stopped, his stiff expression mostly hidden in the darkness as he stared down at him for a moment before turning and walking away.
“M, Master?” Gong Wei snapped out of his daze, suddenly overwhelmed by unfounded fear. He scrambled to his feet, staggering to catch up, not even caring about the intense pain caused by the wound in his heart from the No Way Out Sword. He hurriedly wrapped his arms around Xu Shuangce’s waist from behind. “I’m sorry, Master, I was wrong, I’ll change from now on!….”
He didn’t know why he had been abandoned, just like when he was a child and impulsively kissed Ying Kai in front of Xu Shuangce, who then turned and left without a word, not even a glance; or the time he promised joyfully that he would cry if Xu Shuangce died, but Xu Shuangce’s expression changed instantly, then he turned and walked away without looking back, never returning to comfort him.
He never knew what he did wrong.
But if Xu Bai was angry, he subconsciously felt that he must have done something wrong again.
Xu Shuangce’s chest heaved rapidly as he grabbed the hand tightly wrapped around his waist by the youth, exhaling two words: “Let go.”
But Gong Wei held on tightly behind him, unwilling to release his grip. “Master, I didn’t mean to, I won’t dare to do it again next time…”
“Let go!”
“Master, please don’t leave me alone at the Yanchuntai!”
Xu Shuangce took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the doubts, regrets, and needle-like fear lingering in his consciousness from the illusion. He wanted to pry the youth’s hand off him, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Even after several attempts, he couldn’t succeed. This action further stimulated Gong Wei’s sensitive nerves. He thought he was going to be pushed away again and blurted out in confusion, “I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself for me! I promise to be careful and not get hurt again!”
Unable to endure any longer, Xu Shuangce abruptly brushed his sleeve, and the No Way Out Sword instantly turned into a meteor disappearing in his palm.
With the disappearance of the sword spirit, the oppressive force on Gong Wei’s heart loosened. Xu Shuangce squeezed his hand to force him to let go, then turned and grasped Gong Wei’s chin, hoarsely asking, “You’re here for revenge, right?”
―― Many years ago, when you and I were not yet legends, I brought disaster to the world, and you fought back against the calamity, protecting the soul of the Iron Sect Master as it ascended to the heavenly realm, only to be slaughtered by me as I descended from the sky.
Years later, we were reincarnated as adults. In some unknown time and space, you once stood in a sea of blood, pleading with me, your hands tightly gripping the No Way Out Sword, almost cut open by its blade, yet ultimately pierced through the heart by my sword.
If those pleas and blood were real, then all the inherent murderous intent and inexplicable hatred finally found their reason at this moment ――
From the moment you abruptly appeared in the Peach Blossom Forest of Cangyang Mountain, from the moment we first met, you were here to seek revenge on me, right?
The lingering confusion from the illusion left Xu Shuangce’s mind in turmoil. He saw in Gong Wei’s eyes the desperate gaze of a trapped beast, but Gong Wei only looked up at him, puzzled and fearful. “What?”
Xu Shuangce’s fingers on the youth’s chin turned pale, and at that moment, a red token slipped from his sleeve, automatically activating dozens of intersecting miles of arrays in the air.
Without even looking, Xu Shuangce was about to extinguish the token, but Yuchi Changsheng had already appeared in the center of the array. He looked even worse than Xu Shuangce, paying no attention to what was happening on the side of Yanchuntai. His first words were, “Ying Kai is in trouble!”
“What?” Gong Wei blurted out.
Only then did Xu Shuangce turn back, his eyes faintly bloodshot.
“―― Ying Kai is bleeding from all seven orifices, suddenly unconscious. The Medical Sect Master is doing everything to save him,” Yuchi Changsheng spoke straightforwardly, each word carrying a sharp edge. “At the same time, Law Flower Immortal’s coffin has been opened, and he has escaped on the golden ship, disappearing.”
Like a bolt from the blue, it struck the half-collapsed Penglai Hall.
Yuchi Changsheng half-knelt on the ground, one hand holding a sword and the other covering his head, blood continuously oozing from his forehead. The conceal corpse pavillion behind him was now almost in ruins, the ground completely collapsed, and the giant golden coffin half-sunk, its heavy lid stuck in the wall.
“…” Xu Shuangce finally released Gong Wei, stood up hoarsely, and asked, “Is the soldier thread inside the corpse still not completely drawn out?”
That soldier thread penetrated all the spiritual veins of the Law Flower Immortal. It had been completely drawn out under the witness of Changsun Chengfeng and Mu Duozhu, otherwise the body wouldn’t have been reburied. If there were still abnormalities in the corpse, could it be that they had both conspired?
However, Yuchi Changsheng shook his head and pointed to his chest.
“The final section remains here, hidden at the point where it pierced through the heart, hence it was not discovered.”
The soldier thread only existed within the spiritual veins. Unless there were openings in the flesh, it would be impossible for it to penetrate. However, the heart of the Law Flower Immortal did indeed have an opening—sixteen years ago, it was pierced, leaving behind a bloody hole.
Xu Shuangce’s expression seemed to suddenly freeze.
“The Alliance Leader has been ambushed, and his current fate is unknown. I have issued a decree to all sect masters to gather immediately,” Yuchi Changsheng said flatly, but every word carried the weight of an ironclad command. “Those who do not respond before dawn will be treated as suspects.”
After a while, Xu Shuangce closed his eyes, waved his hand, and extinguished the visible spell formation.
***
Gong Wei’s mind was in chaos: How could Ying Kai have been ambushed? What exactly happened? Can the situation be salvaged now?
Suddenly, he felt his arm being pulled tight, caught by Xu Shuangce’s vice-like grip, while the other hand made a gesture inward. With this motion, both Liu Xuzhi from the rubble and Meng Yunfei from the distant hall were flown in, both unconscious, floating in mid-air.
From Xu Shuangce’s expression, it was impossible to tell whether he was still angry or not. After observing him for a while, Gong Wei finally gathered the courage to ask softly, “….Master, do you want to return to the Immortal Alliance?”
“When the fate of the Alliance Leader is unknown, it is the responsibility of the Cangyang Sect Master to act on his behalf. Furthermore, to prevent turmoil throughout the realm, all noble families and sect masters must immediately go to Mount Dai as a guarantee. They must remain there until the safety of the Alliance Leader is ensured or until the culprit is found. This is the iron rule established by Ying Kai in his early years. However, Yanchuntai is located on the border, and it took them several days just to arrive. Taking two unconscious individuals back would only further delay their journey, wouldn’t it?”
Xu Shuangce did not answer, instead hoarsely said outside the hall, “Blood River Carriage.”
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the night sky, causing the ground to split apart. Shortly after, a huge carriage driven by four divine birds—Di Jiang, Bi Fang, Mie Meng, and Gu Diao—roared down and broke through the palace gates amidst the exclamations of the disciples outside, stopping dramatically in front of the two!
“…”
Gong Wei’s confusion was instantly resolved, leaving only one thought in his mind—what was the purpose of Xu Shuangce staying in inns and hiking all the way here? Was he worried about tiring his bird?
Xu Shuangce waved his hand again, and Liu Xuzhi and Meng Yunfei flew into the spacious carriage one after the other. Then he grabbed Gong Wei’s arm and stepped into the carriage. As soon as they settled down, the four giant birds spread their wings, chirping loudly, and burst out of the broken windows, soaring into the sky.
Gong Wei was pushed forward by the momentum, almost falling into Xu Shuangce’s arms, but he was grabbed by the wrist and pulled back.
The interior of the Blood River Carriage was enormous. The Music Saint Master and his disciple were left in the outer compartment. Once the door of the crane and golden nanmu wood was closed, only the two of them remained in the spacious inner chamber. Gong Wei quickly sat up straight, trying to withdraw his hand, but his effort was in vain. He suddenly heard Xu Shuangce ask without warning.
“Is this world real?”
Gong Wei was stunned, and as he looked up, he met the sharp, dark eyes opposite him.
Xu Shuangce repeated, “Is this world real?”
When Gong Wei was pulled into the carriage, he comforted himself, thinking that he must have apologized sincerely enough and that Xu Bai’s anger had dissipated. But then, upon hearing this question, he suddenly felt a ridiculous sense of something wrong with his ears. “…Master?”
Could it be that Xu Bai’s anger hadn’t dissipated after all?
Gong Wei really didn’t know what he had done wrong, but before he could wrack his brain to find the right words to apologize again, Xu Shuangce suddenly said: “Since the incident at the Ascension Immortal Platform sixteen years ago, there has been a question that has troubled me for many years, and I have never been able to find peace.”
He brought up the events of sixteen years ago once again.
Gong Wei’s heart skipped a beat for a moment.
Xu Shuangce stared straight at him and said, “I want to know why Gong Zhiyu wanted to kill me.”
In fact, for the various factions of the Immortal Alliance, the fact that Gong Zhiyu wanted to kill Sect Master Xu was unexpected but understandable, given the extreme and irreconcilable conflicts between them. Moreover, if the Ascension Immortal Platform sixteen years ago had truly opened the path to ascension, then with Xu Shuangce’s cultivation at the time, it was possible for him to undergo tribulations and ascend at any time, making it impossible for Gong Zhiyu to take revenge in the future—after all, he couldn’t go to the heavens to seek vengeance.
So, the Ascension Immortal Platform was Gong Zhiyu’s last chance, and everyone could understand this reasoning.
Except Xu Shuangce couldn’t.
“I don’t understand why Gong Zhiyu wanted me dead. Everyone says it’s because he hates me, but I refuse to believe that. There must be some unknown reason in his heart, but I haven’t figured it out yet.”
Xu Shuangce leaned slightly forward, looking at Gong Wei’s widened eyes, and said softly, “Until today, I finally found another possibility for myself.”
“…” Gong Wei had no idea what had just happened to Xu Shuangce, but he keenly sensed the unease. “What possibility?”
The carriage was dimly lit, but Sect Master Xu’s sharp eyes were unusually bright. Perhaps because they were too bright, there was a strange hint of paranoia. “If I had committed heinous crimes in a previous life, brutally killed countless people, and then unleashed a massacre on another Ascension Immortal Platform somewhere, causing the near destruction of the Immortal Alliance, and even stabbed him to death as well…”
Despite the absurdity of his words, he said them so clearly and calmly. The stark contrast made people shudder, yet he stared at Gong Wei as if he were completely oblivious.
“So, all the regrets I’ve had for sixteen years finally have an answer. At least I deserve punishment. When I die by his hand in the future, I can finally find peace.”
“――What do you think, Xiang Xiaoyuan?”
The carriage was eerily quiet, and a sense of absurd and extreme fear suddenly surged in Gong Wei’s heart. He tried to break free from the grip on his wrist, but Xu Shuangce’s fingers were as heavy and cold as shackles. “There’s nothing like that, Master. You’re just overthinking things, you…”
Xu Shuangce’s deep contours were almost swallowed by the shadows, except for the bright glint in the corner of his eye. “Overthinking?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just let go…”
“Just overthinking?”
“I really don’t know, let go of me!” Gong Wei struggled to break free from the tightening restraints. His hand was already marked with four intertwined bruises, and his wrist bones were trembling with pain. “You’re hurting me!”
Xu Shuangce suddenly relaxed his grip, and Gong Wei pulled his hand back, revealing four bruised imprints on his wrist.
“…”
Gong Wei held his wrist tightly, staring at Xu Shuangce in astonishment, wondering why he had suddenly been dragged into this bizarre nightmare. The air in the room seemed to have frozen, and after a while, the faintly surging violence around Xu Shuangce slowly faded away. He closed his eyes and exhaled, and when he opened them again, aside from the barely noticeable bloodshot eyes, there was nothing unusual.
He opened his palm and said softly, “Give it to me.”
Gong Wei hesitated due to the excruciating pain in his wrist, but eventually placed his injured wrist back into Xu Shuangce’s palm.
However, Xu Shuangce did not infuse any spiritual power to smooth out the bruises, nor did he alleviate any of the pain. He just held it, lightly rubbing the segment of the wrist with his thumb, his eyelashes falling, his expression so focused that it was alarming. After a long time, his fingertip suddenly pressed against the inside of Gong Wei’s left wrist.
A faint golden glow flashed, and a “Xu” character appeared, then disappeared beneath the skin.
It was the substitution technique again!
“….Master?!”
“With this talisman, even if pierced through the heart by a sword, it will pierce my heart.”
The confusion from earlier finally completely dissipated from Xu Shuangce. He remained silent under the lamplight for a moment before smiling faintly. “Perhaps on that day, all the ‘overthinking’ will finally come to an end.”
In Gong Wei’s understanding, a smile represented happiness and joy. However, for some reason, when he saw the hint of a smile in Xu Shuangce’s eyes, he felt a poignant sense of sadness rushing towards him. He had initially wanted to joyfully call out “Xu Bai” as he ran towards Penglai Hall, but the inexplicable heaviness in the air suppressed that impulse.
“…That day will never come,” he whispered almost inaudibly.
Xu Shuangce asked, “What?”
There’s only one Xu Bai in this world, and I won’t let the day come when you’re pierced through the heart by a sword.
Gong Wei shook his head without answering, gently touching the engraved “Xu” character on his wrist, then looked up and called out, “Master.”
Xu Shuangce’s warm hand slid down from his cheek, and he responded wearily, “Beloved disciple.”
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