Immortalis

Meat Well I

"Wu Jian... Wu Jian?"

When Yang Wujian regained his senses, thick fog enveloped everything. Beyond his own palms, he couldn't see anything just a few feet away.

"Wu Jian?"

The voice in the fog continued calling him—not from one person, but many voices twisted together into something inhuman, low and strange, emanating from the fog's deepest reaches.

"Come here."

Yang Wujian recognized Gu Yun's voice among them. As if pulled by an invisible thread, he stepped into the fog, where he saw numerous pale, indistinct faces. They walked alongside him through the mist, all moving toward the source of the voice.

Yang Wujian's consciousness felt frozen, his steps numb and mechanical, until a massive shadow loomed in the fog.

It resembled no living creature of this world, yet every living thing was part of its flesh and blood. It was all beings, all creation, heaven fallen to earth, the celestial descending upon the terrestrial.

"Wu Jian."

The voice resonated again, like a bell tolling across heaven and earth. Baihe, Gu Yun, Mingshan, and all the dead of this world called out to him from within the giant entity.

"Come here."

It was then that Yang Wujian opened his eyes.

His hair was disheveled, his body wracked with excruciating pain—he didn't know how many bones were broken. Yet even in this state, someone had tightly bound his hands, preventing him from sitting up. He could only stare at the thatched roof, confusedly wondering where he was.

Was this... Zhaoming Prison?

No, his wounds had been carefully bandaged. He couldn't believe Cao Zhao would show such kindness.

Could it be that someone had saved him?

Yang Wujian vaguely recalled that in the stone village, an expert had been secretly assisting them. Was it this person who had pulled him from the vertical well?

Though he understood the cause and effect, Yang Wujian felt no gratitude.

With Longevity Palace gone, why should he still be alive?

Memories from before his fall into the well slowly returned. Just thinking about the contents of that box and those staring, lifeless heads made him wish for immediate death.

He remembered Shen Qingshi's pale face receding into the distance—the last thing he'd seen.

He had kept watching her, thinking that if he could truly become a ghost, he would never let this person go.

But reality was that he hadn't even managed to die.

In utter agony, Yang Wujian repeatedly tried to break free from the restraints but failed. Overwhelmed by despair, he curled into a ball on the bed until someone pushed the door open.

"You..."

Yang Wujian stared blankly at the newcomer, never expecting that after all that had happened, the person appearing before him would be Zhou Huai, who had been missing for so long.

Yes... who else could it be?

Yang Wujian realized belatedly.

Superior martial skills, clearly following them yet afraid of the dark, sneaking into the stone village at night to light fires for courage.

It could only be Zhou Huai.

Having known each other for so long, Zhou Huai had never seen Yang Wujian in such a wretched state—not only covered in wounds but with tears streaming down his face, unnoticed by Yang Wujian himself.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Finally, Zhou Huai, holding a water basin, said nothing but pressed Yang Wujian back onto the bed. As he wiped Yang Wujian's face, he remarked, "You're badly injured. Fortunately, the vertical well wasn't fully excavated, so you didn't fall deeper. I managed to mimic my father's craftsmanship to temporarily rig a mechanism and used external force to pull you out."He pointed at an object in the room that closely resembled the wooden mechanism Yang Ye had used to deliver items to them earlier at White Rainbow Tower, though this one was considerably cruder, clearly made by someone with less refined craftsmanship.

"Why did you..."

As Yang Wujian spoke, he realized his voice was so hoarse it was nearly inaudible. As Zhou Huai began changing his dressings, excruciating pain quickly robbed him of the strength to continue speaking.

Zhou Huai said, "Most of these injuries were from your fall into that Meat Well. I had a physician examine you and used the finest medicine available, but you'll need at least ten days before you can leave this bed."

With his hands still bound and Zhou Huai applying considerable force, Yang Wujian could no longer endure the pain. He rasped, "Could you... untie me first?"

"No."

Zhou Huai refused without hesitation. "When I first pulled you out, you were burning with fever, covered in wounds, and your clothes were so soaked with blood I could wring it out... The physician I summoned said you'd lost the will to live. It took tremendous effort to pull you back from death's door - I won't permit you to do anything foolish now."

Over the past month, Zhou Huai had undergone some transformation. His hair was simply tied back, and the arrogance he'd displayed as young master of White Rainbow Tower had completely vanished from his features, leaving only the faint scar on his forehead clearly visible.

His wound-dressing technique was remarkably efficient. Though his movements were rough, he swiftly rewrapped all of Yang Wujian's flesh wounds.

"You need rest. Although the physician says you can't use Bone Shrinking now, I don't trust you. Let me be blunt - don't even think about using Bone Shrinking to escape... I've bound you with leather cords. If you shrink your bones, they'll cut into your joints and cause extreme pain."

After speaking, Zhou Huai fed him some water, then stood and walked to another part of the room. Only then did Yang Wujian notice he was feeding a snow-white rabbit.

It was the rabbit he had given Shen Qingshi.

In that instant, he recalled Shen Qingshi's expressionless face from their final encounter. A piercing, heart-rending pain made Yang Wujian curl into a ball again. He struggled to ask, "How did you..."

"Miss Shen asked me to follow you."

Zhou Huai fed Xue Qiu two vegetable leaves. Fortunately, Shen Qingshi had made a nest for it and left it outside Stone Village, where he eventually found and retrieved it.

"Shen Qingshi..."

Yang Wujian couldn't understand how Shen Qingshi had become involved with Zhou Huai. Back in Yongyi, Zhou Huai had clearly vanished right before their eyes.

Could it be...

He frowned. "Did Shen Qingshi seek you out?"

After feeding the rabbit, Zhou Huai returned to sit by the bed and said calmly, "I came looking for you."

Several days earlier, while Shen Qingshi was helping Yang Wujian escape Yongyi and hide in a mountain cave, Zhou Huai had been lingering outside the city walls.

He had stabbed Yang Wujian in a moment of impulse but quickly regretted it.

After all, it was White-faced Guest who had led Zhou Jinglei astray, not Yang Wujian. And it was Zhaoming Division that had brought White Rainbow Tower to ruin, not Shen Qingshi.

Zhou Huai had spent nearly twenty years living in deception. Whether it was Zhou Jinglei or Yang Ye, they had both told him numerous lies, yet they had never intended him harm.

Perhaps Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi were the same.

Regardless of their origin, when White Rainbow Tower was surrounded by enemies, in all the vast martial world, only these two had stood by his side, willing to shield him from stones and Flying Daggers.That day, Zhou Huai had been searching outside Yongyi City, concerned about Yang Wujian's injuries, when he encountered Shen Qingshi gathering herbs for Yang Wujian.

According to Shen Qingshi, Yang Wujian's severe wounds had triggered Blood Deficiency Syndrome, leaving him unconscious. Feeling guilty, Zhou Huai helped gather some medicinal herbs and wanted to follow to the cave to assist, but Shen Qingshi said they might be pursued by the Zhaoming Guard. If Zhou Huai truly wished to travel with them, it would be better not to reveal himself, so they would have a backup plan in case of emergencies.

"You've been following us since Yongyi?"

"Indeed. At Miss Shen's request, I've been trailing you. She gave me this."

Zhou Huai pulled out a small vial from his robe; shaking it produced a buzzing sound from inside.

"Miss Shen said this is a Messenger Bee used by the Zhaoming Guard for communication. As long as you carry the corresponding Sweet Nectar, this bee will guide me even from afar."

Yang Wujian recalled how Shen Qingshi occasionally left alone during their journey, and he had suspected she was secretly contacting the Zhaoming Division.

Could it be she was actually meeting Zhou Huai?

He asked, "Then why didn't Shen Qingshi tell me the truth?"

Zhou Huai smiled bitterly, "It was me who didn't know how to face you... After all, I was the one who inflicted those severe injuries. I asked Miss Shen not to tell you, thinking I'd apologize in person later, but I never mustered the courage. So when you were looking for me in Stone Village, I could only hide."

"What..."

Yang Wujian, weakened, processed the information slowly. "Wait, you've been following us all along? That means when we set off for Longevity Palace, you were also..."

"Miss Shen did inform me you were returning to Longevity Palace, but I didn't follow closely. I only saw you enter the mountains from a distance... After that, I waited outside, practicing swordplay to pass the time."

Seeing Yang Wujian's expression darken abruptly, Zhou Huai explained frankly, "Miss Shen said Longevity Palace is crucial to you. She had me follow to check if anyone was tailing you and strictly instructed me never to reveal its location to outsiders, or it would be equivalent to betraying you... By then, I had realized: White-faced Guests are White-faced Guests, Longevity Palace is Longevity Palace. If I condemned them all indiscriminately, I'd be no different from those who blindly attack White Rainbow Tower, wouldn't I?"

"She..."

Yang Wujian was momentarily confused.

Shen Qingshi had said this to Zhou Huai, yet she had secretly sent a message to Cao Zhao.

No... It could only be her.

Only she in this world knew about the Aconite Kiln affair.

Tasting blood in his mouth, Yang Wujian snarled viciously, "Shen Qingshi wrote the secret letter handing Longevity Palace to Cao Zhao! How dare she hypocritically entrust you with such instructions, claiming Longevity Palace matters to me!"

"What are you saying?"

"Don't you know? Thanks to her, Cao Zhao slaughtered everyone at Longevity Palace! I'm the only one left!"

Yang Wujian's eyes turned crimson, his breathing grew ragged in an instant, and he clenched his fists tightly.

"And why did you listen to her and save me? I was the one who brought her back to Longevity Palace, letting the wolf in! Even dying a hundred deaths couldn't atone for the palace members' lives! I should have died at Aconite Kiln!"Speaking with agitation, Yang Wujian felt a sweet taste in his throat and coughed up another mouthful of blood. Seeing this, Zhou Huai hurriedly pressed several of his acupoints and forced him back onto the bed.

Zhou Huai gritted his teeth and said, "Yang Wujian, I went through great trouble to save you—you are not allowed to die so casually! Even if you want to die, I won’t allow it! Besides, don’t you know that Cao Zhao is most skilled at sowing discord? Why would you believe his one-sided account? These past few days, I’ve been following you every day, and I’ve never once seen Miss Shen alone, releasing any messenger pigeons. You say she betrayed you, but when did she even have the chance?"

"What?"

Hearing this, Yang Wujian, with blood in his mouth, suddenly froze in place.

He stared blankly at Zhou Huai. "Say that again."

Zhou Huai looked at him and repeated word by word, "I followed you every day, which is why I was able to intervene in time when Sun Eryuan captured you at the Aconite Kiln. It’s also my fault—I went after Sun Eryuan afterward, so I didn’t have time to take you and Miss Shen away before Cao Zhao arrived. But Yang Wujian, I’ll say it again: I never saw Miss Shen alone, releasing any messenger pigeons. Her Messenger Bee has already been given to me, so she couldn’t have sent any messages to the Zhaoming Division."

"Shen Qingshi, she…"

Yang Wujian couldn’t help but feel confused.

He hated himself for still wanting to believe Shen Qingshi even now, so when Zhou Huai said this, he immediately wavered.

But if it wasn’t Shen Qingshi, then who could it be?

The letter clearly bore her name as the sender. Though Cao Zhao was skilled at sowing discord and could have forged the letter to deceive him, someone had indeed informed on him first.

Yang Wujian’s injuries were still severe, and even a little thought made his head ache unbearably, draining all color from his face. Seeing this, Zhou Huai knew he couldn’t push him further. He forced a Blood Replenishing Pill into Yang Wujian’s mouth and made him swallow it, then added, "Yang Wujian, you must recover quickly. If you die now, I’m afraid the world will fall into chaos."

"What do you mean…"

"That day on the mountain, I knew the disparity in strength was too great, so I didn’t show myself. I planned to rescue you after they left, which is why I kept watching from afar… Then, in Cao Zhao’s ranks, I saw him."

Finally, Zhou Huai’s expression turned serious. "In his search for the Longevity Heart Sutra, the White-faced Guest has likely joined forces with the Zhaoming Division."