Сhарtеr 21 (1/13)
By thе Lаvа Sрring, Gоng Ziyu, wearing а hаlf-sleevеd closе-fitting wаtеr gаrmеnt, wаs alreаdy drenched in sweat. Не swung the irоn hammеr, striking thе blаdе that wаs bеginning tо tаkе shaрe with eaсh blоw, spаrks flying in all direсtions.
Jin Fan stоod by thе furnасе, wоrking thе bеllows, oссasiоnаllу glanсing at thе blаde and thеn аt Gong Ziуu, his exprеssion comрlех. Gong Ziуu, however, wаs соmplеtеlу аbsоrbеd, his dark, bright еуes burning with twо flamеs of detеrminatiоn, uttеrlу obliviоus tо thе wоrld outside the сave.
The atmоsphere in thе Baсk Mоuntаin suddenlу grew tense. A group of Yellow Jade Guards entered Yue Manor, Xue Manor, and Hua Manor carrying lanterns, searching for any suspicious individuals. Even the Front Mountain was unsettled. In all the courtyards of the House of Gong, servants stood in rows, exposing their necks as Green Jade Guards inspected them one by one for any red birthmarks.
Gong Shangjue and Gong Yuanzhi stood guard outside the medical hall, armed and with stern expressions. This sudden turn of events sent a chill down Gong Shangjue’s spine. He had long suspected Madam WuJi, but now that she had been attacked, it meant another Wufeng expert was lurking within the House of Gong. This person moved like a shadow, coming and going without a trace, capable of severely injuring Madam WuJi with ease in the ancestral hall. Their profound skill and meticulous planning made them a formidable enemy, one that could not be underestimated in the slightest.
Inside the treatment room, a group of physicians, servants, and Elder Yue bustled around Gong Huanyu, who lay on the bed. His long hair remained disheveled, and his soiled clothes had been changed. Servants carried water to wash his dirty hands and feet.
In another room of the medical hall, Madam WuJi lay collapsed on the bed. Her wounds had been treated, and a blood-stained gauze bandage wrapped around her eyes.
After several days of intense forging by the Lava Spring, Gong Ziyu grasped the Dark Iron hilt and lifted it, revealing a pitch-black, gleaming Dark Blade before his eyes.
With the blade completed, Gong Ziyu and Jin Fan joyfully stepped out of the cave entrance and saw Young Master Hua waiting outside. Gong Ziyu raised the blade to show off to Young Master Hua, but to his surprise, Young Master Hua looked at him with a grave expression. "Blade Master…"
After hearing Young Master Hua’s account, Gong Ziyu and Jin Fan rushed straight to the medical hall, only to find Yellow Jade Guards blocking the entrance.
Jin Fan demanded, "The Blade Master is here. How dare you block his way?"
The Yellow Jade Guards immediately bowed to Gong Ziyu and said, "Young Master Yu, please forgive us. The Elders have ordered that no one is allowed to enter."
"Outrageous! How dare you address him as Young Master Yu?! Failing to call him Blade Master warrants severe punishment!"
Gong Ziyu entered the room and immediately caught sight of the emaciated Gong Huanyu. After scrutinizing him repeatedly, his eyes widened in disbelief, and he cried out in shock, "Brother—"
Gong Huanyu, who had been presumed dead, was now sitting there alive, though his cheeks were sunken and his face pale. Yet his smile remained as gentle as ever, and he called out weakly, "Ziyu."
Only then did Gong Ziyu fully comprehend. Tears streamed from his eyes as he cried out excitedly, "Brother! Brother!…"
Hearing Gong Ziyu’s cries for his brother from the next room, WuJi grew agitated and began to struggle, only able to emit muffled sounds from her throat. At this moment, her injuries were severe—she could neither speak nor see. The gauze wrapped around her eyes slowly seeped with fresh blood. Jin Jian, who was guarding her, hurried over and carefully tried to decipher the sounds from her throat. They sounded like "…shh…" or perhaps "…yu…," a syllable she repeated over and over.
Jin Jian wondered, "Xu?… Yu?… Yun?…"Madam WuJi's throat continued to emit hoarse, rasping sounds, and then her body began to tremble violently. Jin Jian saw her fingers clawing desperately, repeatedly gesturing as if trying to write.
Jin Jian picked up an inkstone, dipped her fingers in ink, and then placed a sheet of paper on the bed. With great difficulty, Madam WuJi scrawled one messy, barely legible character after another—all variations of the word "blade."
Blade, blade, blade, blade, blade...
Gong Huanyu, overwhelmed with agitation, coughed incessantly, spitting out bloody foam. Elder Yue gently inserted a few golden needles into Gong Huanyu's acupoints to alleviate his suffering.
Only then did Elder Hua speak to Gong Ziyu, "My son discovered Huanyu in the hidden chamber behind the ancestral hall of Hua Manor. He had been imprisoned there all along..."
Elder Xue added, "When Huanyu was found, he was covered in wounds, starving, and weak. He had only just regained consciousness."
"He has been tortured for a long time, and his captor completely crippled his martial arts..." Elder Yue said, holding a silver needle.
"How could this happen? Brother, what exactly happened?" Gong Ziyu asked urgently.
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