If it were summer tonight, there should have been a bright moon over the river at the border of Zhou Kingdom.
Unfortunately, spring had not yet arrived, and the air remained silently permeated with a biting cold.
Snowflakes drifted in from time to time, landing on Tantai Jin's face.
He brushed them away and walked inside, taking a seat on the solitary high throne.
Since Su Su had thrown the crossbow into the river, several red-eyed Crimson Flame Bees were poised beside him, ready to strike.
They had grown to half a person's height, their eyes crimson, and the vibration of their wings tormented the eardrums.
Several attendants knelt at Tantai Jin's feet, trembling uncontrollably.
Yet Tantai Jin seemed to be in a rather good mood.
"Where is the qin player? Have him come and play a piece."
Soon, a qin player in white robes entered and sat before the ancient instrument. "What would Your Highness like to hear?"
Tantai Jin said, "Something festive."
The qin player, his face pale, nodded and began to play.
Before long, Jing Lan'an appeared in the hall. She was clad in a white fox fur coat, holding a hand warmer.
"Your Highness summoned me. Is there something urgent?"
Tantai Jin studied her and said, "Jing Lan'an, you've grown old and have started to make foolish mistakes like the others."
A few silver strands occasionally mingled in her hair, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes spoke of the passage of fourteen years.
She was no longer young; she had begun to age.
Hearing this, Jing Lan'an remained relatively calm. "Why does Your Highness say such a thing so suddenly?"
Tantai Jin said, "The wolf demon sent by Qi Shuang had a highly toxic inner core. Unfortunately, it couldn't kill me. For now, I'll assume you misjudged the person, that exhaustion led to an unavoidable error. After all, it was you who taught me that a normal person should learn to think positively and practice forgiveness."
He found it amusing and curled his lips into a smile. "But the performer tonight was implanted with 'Overnight Sunrise.' Would you, Jing Lan'an, make two mistakes?"
Jing Lan'an remained silent.
"You want to kill me, but why?" Amidst the qin music, his tone carried a hint of confusion. Tantai Jin asked, as he had in childhood, with an inquisitive and humble attitude, "Do you regret killing Yue Kongyi back then, or have you remembered my mother being disemboweled?"
Jing Lan'an shook her head. "Your Highness, you understand nothing."
"Nor do I need to," Tantai Jin said. "You are different from Lady Liu. I will grant you a swift end."
The qin player struck a wrong note.
Tantai Jin smiled lazily, leaning back in his seat with a regretful expression. "Aunt Lan'an, farewell."
The Crimson Flame Bees flew toward Jing Lan'an.
Jing Lan'an did not move, but the bees collided with an invisible barrier, unable to advance any further.
A man in deep purple brocade robes laughed heartily as he strode into the hall.
"You little bastard, you actually tried to kill even Jing Lan'an. Jing Lan'an, too, was foolishly merciful, wanting you to die comfortably with hope in your heart."
The jade pendants at his waist clinked together. He had a heroic appearance, but his eyes were filled with a heavy, fierce aura.
The smile vanished from Tantai Jin's face as he spoke the man's name: "Tantai Minglang."
"I didn't expect you to remember me," Tantai Minglang said. "Then again, after living like a dog in Great Xia, you must have wished you could devour my flesh. Yet it proves that a monster will always be a monster. Look, even Jing Lan'an has betrayed you in the end."
Jing Lan'an kept her head lowered, her expression unreadable.
Tantai Jin let out a cold laugh, tapped his fingers on the armrest, and dark Blood Ravens surged into the hall.Tantai Minglang showed no trace of panic. "You bastard, I know you're different from ordinary people. I heard from my mother that you could only be born after killing Consort Rou. Did you think I came today unprepared? Jing Lan'an has long revealed your weakness to me. Just wait for death."
Several Taoist-robed figures stepped forward from his entourage.
The leading elder commanded, "Form the array."
The Taoists quickly took positions in an octagonal formation, each holding a bronze bell. As the elder priest summoned an incantation, the others rang their bells.
The elder priest held a square jade box while the incantation swirled around it, chanting under his breath.
The Crimson Flame Bees and Blood Ravens were immobilized by the bells, flying into the jade box and dissolving into black smoke.
Knowing Tantai Jin possessed a mortal body immune to their Taoist arts, the priests made no move against him, instead systematically dispersing all the dark creatures under his command.
As the Blood Ravens screeched mournfully, Tantai Jin's expression turned icy. Several black-clad attendants materialized around him.
"Your Highness."
Without hesitation, Tantai Jin ordered, "Retreat."
Swarming Blood Ravens formed an ink-black vortex. Seizing the distraction they provided, Tantai Jin attempted to break through.
Tantai Minglang let out a sinister chuckle.
"Guards."
Swordsmen had silently surrounded the cabin. Tantai Jin's remaining guards fought a retreating battle, escorting him to the deck until only two or three remained.
Tantai Minglang personally took up a sword and executed the loyal remnants. Their blood splattered across Tantai Jin's robes, his face turning ashen. Tantai Minglang kicked him, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Useless bastard." Tantai Minglang pressed his boot against the black-clad youth's shoulder. "A worthless cripple who can't practice martial arts—what could you possibly accomplish without others?"
Blood trickled from Tantai Jin's lips as he coughed weakly.
Tantai Minglang used his boot to lift Tantai Jin's chin.
"When I killed our eldest brother, he had far more spine than you. Even with his kneecaps shattered, he refused to kneel."
"Our second brother's hands were crushed and his mouth sewn shut—he died with wide-open eyes."
"I heard your mother, Consort Rou, was once hailed as Huai Zhou's greatest beauty. Look at your pathetic, feeble state. You'd be better off as a princess, serving others with your looks."
His followers roared with laughter.
Jing Lan'an emerged, leaning against the doorway. Witnessing the scene, she closed her eyes briefly.
Light snowflakes drifted through the night as lanterns glimmered on the river. Someone obsequiously brought a chair, and Tantai Minglang sat down leisurely, in no hurry.
"Someone, sever this waste's tendons."
Tantai Jin struggled violently but was pinned down. Lifting his head, he fixed his slightly reddened eyes on Jing Lan'an. "Aunt, you raised me. I swore I wouldn't kill you again. Please, save me."
His pale lips pressed together, snow-pale skin contrasting with jet-black hair, he appeared heartbreakingly fragile.
Jing Lan'an's lips trembled.
Tantai Jin continued, "I never had a mother. You fed me goat's milk and raised me. In my heart, you are my mother."
Jing Lan'an turned away.
Tantai Minglang laughed uproariously, seemingly delighted by Tantai Jin's desperate pleas for survival. "Why are you standing there? Do it."
A swordsman's blade flashed, severing Tantai Jin's tendons.
Tantai Jin grunted in pain. Realizing Jing Lan'an would never side with him again, all vulnerability vanished from his face. His fingers dug fiercely into the floorboards.Realizing he could no longer deceive Jing Lan’an, he abandoned all pretense of frailty, his expression now filled with chilling ruthlessness.
“Sever his tendons,” Tantai Minglang commanded.
The swordsman raised his blade and precisely cut through Tantai Jin’s wrist tendons.
The boy on the ground, crawling on his arms this time without making a sound, dragged himself toward the ship’s railing. The corners of his eyes were red, yet he seemed impervious to pain, driven only by the will to survive.
As Tantai Jin stared at the churning white waves of the river, he suddenly recalled Su Su, who had leaped into the water that day.
Winter snowflakes settled on his hair, and in that moment, he let out a low, bitter laugh.
He wondered if she was dead.
Tantai Minglang, composed and leisurely, turned to the pale-faced Jing Lan’an and said, “I’ve heard this bastard has never cried since the day he was born. A few days ago, I obtained a treasure called the Profound Ice Needle. When driven into a person’s eye, it not only blinds them but also causes them to weep uncontrollably. As the cold energy seeps into their body, their flesh becomes as brittle as ice.”
As he spoke, someone presented the Profound Ice Needle.
“Hold him down. I will personally gouge out his eyes,” he declared, rising to his feet and stepping on Tantai Jin’s chest.
Tantai Jin’s gaze was icy as it swept coldly over Jing Lan’an before settling on Tantai Minglang. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining his lips crimson, then opened his mouth to catch the falling snowflakes.
As the snow melted on his tongue, Tantai Jin burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.
His voice was hoarse, and the nearby Taoists shuddered, a chill running down their spines.
Tantai Minglang, inexplicably enraged, released his grip, and the Profound Ice Needle shot into Tantai Jin’s left eye. The boy on the ground convulsed briefly, yet the corners of his mouth remained twisted in a grotesque, exaggerated smile.
Fresh blood gushed from Tantai Jin’s left eye.
Instinctively, he tried to raise his hand to cover his blinded eye, but with his tendons severed, he could no longer lift it.
Snowflakes settled on the boy’s face as Tantai Jin trembled, his low laughter persisting.
For reasons they couldn’t fathom, the Taoists felt uneasy. A person born without the ability to weep, his meridians severed, rendered a cripple; the Profound Ice Needle piercing his eye—he bled but shed no tears.
Either his heart was as unyielding as stone, or he was a madman.
Clad in black, the boy resembled an Evil Ghost, drenched in blood, yet he continued to smile coldly.
It was as if he were silently mocking Tantai Minglang’s earlier remark about how he might as well have been born a princess.
Tantai Minglang’s expression darkened with malice as he picked up another Profound Ice Needle.
He raised his hand, intending to destroy Tantai Jin’s other eye, but the next moment, a sharp pain wracked his body, and he collapsed to the ground.
“You!” Tantai Minglang turned his head and saw Jing Lan’an, her face streaked with tears.
Jing Lan’an shouted, “Yiyue Night Shadows, appear!”
A group of silent shadows, as if materializing from nowhere, landed lightly on the deck.
“Protect His Highness and get him away from here!”
The Night Shadow Guard began slaughtering Tantai Minglang’s men, and the swordsmen hastily raised their blades to defend themselves.
Tantai Minglang’s lips turned black as he glared venomously at Jing Lan’an. “How dare you betray me! Aren’t you afraid your son will die?”
Jing Lan’an’s eyes were hollow and despairing. Without a word, she went to help Tantai Jin up from the ground. “I have wronged you, Your Highness.”
The ship shuddered violently as the old Taoists employed some unknown method to transport Tantai Minglang instantly to another vessel. Furious, Tantai Minglang, now protected by his subordinates, roared, “Blow them up!”
Jing Lan’an took a peace lock from her sleeve and placed it in Tantai Jin’s embrace.
Tears streamed silently down her face as she said, “In this lifetime, I have committed many wrongs. This peace lock is the token that commands the Night Shadow Guard of the world. It will protect you, Your Highness, and ensure your escape. It is also the command seal of the Yiyue tribe’s chieftain.”Blood streamed down half of Tantai Jin's face from his left eye.
Jing Lan'an said, "Jing Lan'an is a sinner. I have wronged Her Majesty, wronged Yue Kongyi, and wronged you. But most of all, I have wronged my son..."
"You have a son?" Tantai Jin asked softly, his heart filled with mockery.
"Two months after Yue Kongyi's death, I discovered I was pregnant. I originally intended to abort him, but in the end, I let him be born. He was born weak and was not expected to live past ten. When he was eight, I gave him the Eternal Blossom, froze him, and sent him to Tianshan Mountain." Jing Lan'an wept. "Tantai Minglang possesses the medicine that can awaken him and allow him to grow."
Tantai Jin smiled as he looked at Lan An. "So you betrayed me."
Jing Lan'an knelt and kowtowed forcefully.
"Jing Lan'an does not seek forgiveness. I only hope that if, by some chance, you both survive these turbulent times, Your Highness will show mercy. Remembering these years of mutual support and the Yiyue tribesmen who died fighting for you, spare my son."
Tantai Jin remained silent, gazing at the oppressive, ink-black sky. So this is what mothers are like beneath heaven—how laughably noble.
In the final moment before the ship exploded, Jing Lan'an sobbed—
"His name is Yue Fuyai."
The vessel on the river burst into flames, and the longevity lock emitted a moonlight-like radiance. White light engulfed Tantai Jin.
Snowflakes drifted down, and this warship ultimately never returned to its homeland.
Su Su led the little chestnut horse and picked up the water pouch to drink, only to find it completely empty.
She sighed.
The Desolate Abyss was at the northernmost peak. She had been traveling for three days, sometimes passing through towns, other times forced to traverse wild mountains and desolate forests.
With a mortal body, she could neither practice Sword Control to fly nor command spiritual beasts. Su Su was increasingly realizing the difficulty of reaching the Desolate Abyss.
She had already been walking through the mountain forest for a day, and even the little horse was thoroughly exhausted.
Su Su patted its head, letting it stop to graze, while she stared worriedly at the empty water pouch.
So thirsty.
Wondering if there was a stream nearby, she stood up, tethered the horse, and decided to go look.
Snow still lingered in the mountain forest. Before Su Su could find a stream, she heard the voices of several children.
"Is that beggar still there?"
"Yes, he's covered in blood."
"I don't think he's a beggar—his clothes look nice."
"Enough, stop talking. You promised to avenge Ahuang. Are you backing out now?" a boy said angrily. "Ahuang licked his blood and died from poison. I don't care—we have to beat this person to death too."
"But he's an adult."
The boy said, "I've been watching him. He can't move."
A little girl waved her hands and shook her head. "I'm not going. I want to go home."
With that, she hurried back. When she passed Su Su, the girl widened her eyes, then quickly lowered her head and ran off in another direction.
Seeing her clothing, Su Su guessed she was a child from a nearby village.
She had actually encountered a group of children plotting to harm someone.
Following the sounds, she walked over and indeed saw a cluster of children hiding behind a tree—about three or four boys, each holding a stick, cautiously approaching a dark, motionless figure lying on the ground.
Snow had buried a quarter of his body. Someone threw a stone at him, but he didn't move.
"Hit him!"
Just as the boys rushed forward and raised their sticks, Su Su grabbed one boy by the ear.
"Does your parents know you're up to no good?"
The boy howled in pain, and all of them jumped in fright.Su Su smiled at them. "Your dog tried to eat someone and ended up poisoned, and now you want to hit people?"
The boy covered his ears. "You... where did you come from!"
Su Su wore a simple lotus-root-colored dress for traveling. But her lively eyes, delicate lips, and spirited gaze were something the village boys had never seen before.
To make matters worse, she had appeared out of nowhere. The boys stared at her wide-eyed.
After a long pause, one stammered, "Are... are you a Sprite?"
Su Su grinned, curling her fingers like claws, and said in mock surprise, "Oh dear, you guessed right! I haven't eaten tender boys like you in days—I'm starving."
She pretended to chase them. The boys dropped their sticks and fled screaming.
Once they had run far away, Su Su walked over to the motionless figure.
A black cloak covered his body, his ink-black hair was disheveled, obscuring his face. Though his clothes were black, blood had dyed the snow crimson.
Su Su quickly knelt down, turning him over to check if he was still breathing.
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