She gazed at Tang Lici, her eyes filled with desolation. "What did I do wrong... that it had to come to this?"
Tang Lici slowly lowered the arm covering his left eye. He opened his eyes but didn't look at her, instead staring quietly at the ceiling beams. The room was pitch dark, yet his eyes shone brilliantly in the darkness, like the stars outside the window.
Two soft knocks sounded at the door. Yu Tuan'er gently rapped and whispered, "Sister A Shui, is he dead?" A Shui gave a faint smile, pulled Tang Lici's hand away, stood up, and went to open the door. Yu Tuan'er stood at the doorway, pointing inside. "Is he dead?" A Shui shook her head. "He's fine, just heartbroken." Yu Tuan'er looked puzzled. "He can feel heartbroken too?" A Shui took her hand. "Everyone feels heartbroken sometimes. Even you, right?" Yu Tuan'er hummed in agreement, then added, "But no matter how sad he is, he still doesn't think of me as much. Oh, it's almost midnight. Young Master Lin is asking how we're going to rescue them. If we don't hurry, only heads will be left outside Wangting Manor."
Rescue? A Shui felt dazed. It had only been a day, yet it felt unbearably long. How could they rescue anyone? She brushed her hair back. "Little sister, how skilled are you with hidden weapons?" Yu Tuan'er widened her eyes. "I don't know! I've only shot birds and wildcats in the woods." A Shui reached into her robe and pulled out the "Willow Slayer" Bai Suche had given her. "This is a treasured blade that cuts iron like mud. Since Dissolute Shop has hung people from trees, there must be ropes. If you shoot the ropes, they should be able to come down." Yu Tuan'er took the "Willow Slayer" but asked, "What if their acupoints are sealed? What if their hands and feet are tied too? None of them know martial arts! Even if they come down, how can they outrun Dissolute Shop's pursuers?" A Shui murmured, "Just having you shoot the ropes is already dangerous enough. What if Dissolute Shop's men come after you? I don't know how to protect you, or Young Master Lin either." Yu Tuan'er gasped. "Sister A Shui, there's something you don't know how to handle? I thought you weren't afraid of anything!"
A creak sounded at the threshold as Lin Bu arrived with his hands behind his back. "Many torches have been lit outside Wangting Manor. Even sneaking close won't be easy. Two people have already been strung up, with blades at their necks..." He shook his head, a faint sorrow in his eyes. "I fear..." The three exchanged uneasy glances. How could they bear to let innocent people die for their sake? Suddenly, A Shui spoke up. "There's one way. I'll turn myself in and say Young Master Tang has already left, so they should release those people." Yu Tuan'er didn't even want to hear it. "Nonsense! They'll kill you the moment they catch you. Why would they listen to you?" A Shui shook her head. "They won't kill me. But if it's you or Young Master Lin they find, survival isn't certain." She clenched her teeth and glanced inside. "Feng Feng, I entrust her to—" Her words cut off abruptly. Lin Bu turned. "What is it?"A Shui pointed at Tang Lici's door. Feng Feng was still sitting on the bed, but Tang Lici, who had been lying there moments ago, had vanished without a trace. "He was in such agony—how could he go save someone?" Yu Tuan'er exclaimed in disbelief. "Just now, I thought he was going to die! How did he disappear so suddenly?" A Shui stared blankly at the empty bed. Had he gone to rescue someone?
When a person's mind is as deranged as his... would he still remember to save others?
He could only save others, yet he could never save himself.
Raging Orchid No Trace had left.
But the terror he brought to Azure Fall Palace had not yet dissipated. The palace's fatal weakness remained—the lack of a first-class master to serve as its pillar. Though martial artists as formidable as Zhu Yan were exceedingly rare, numbering no more than a handful in the world, had Fu Zhumei not been present today, Zhu Yan might have truly swept through the palace unimpeded. Though Zhu Yan had already departed, the bloodstains he left behind had yet to be wiped away. For a time, the palace was thrown into panic, but soon, the fear faded as everyone turned their concern toward Bi Lianyi's injuries.
Bi Lianyi was gravely wounded. Aside from the internal injuries inflicted by Zhu Yan's formidable True Power, the most critical was the "Essence of Demon's Pearl Spit" that had struck squarely in his chest. The wounds left by Zhu Yan's five fingers quickly turned black, yet the blood that flowed from them was unnaturally red—a horrifying sight. Wenren He had him take medicine to treat his internal injuries, but against the sinister "Essence of Demon's Pearl Spit," he was at a loss. The wound on his chest refused to heal, bleeding incessantly as scorching Inner Energy corroded his organs through his veins. Were it not for Bi Lianyi's profound foundation, he might have already been reduced to a charred, withered corpse under the effects of the "Essence of Demon's Pearl Spit."
In the room, Fu Zhumei was channeling his energy to expel the "Essence of Demon's Pearl Spit" from Bi Lianyi, while Wenren He assisted by guiding the flow with acupuncture. But this sinister technique was extraordinarily potent—whether it could be overcome was anyone's guess. Wan Yu Yuedan stayed in Bi Lianyi's room for a while before quietly withdrawing, not wishing to disturb his rest.
Separated by several courtyards from Bi Lianyi's room, Hong Guniang sat in her own chamber. She had heard the commotion outside for quite some time but had not gone out to investigate what had happened. Watching as the disciples of Azure Fall Palace hastily gathered and then dispersed, she overheard their hushed discussions—Raging Orchid No Trace had stormed into the palace, intent on killing Wan Yu Yuedan. Everyone was indignant. Raging Orchid No Trace had clearly been saved by Azure Fall Palace, yet this act of repaying kindness with enmity was nothing short of madness.
Listening, Hong Guniang thought to herself: Zhu Yan's attempt to kill Wan Yu Yuedan must have been incited by Peach Girl. She had never met the real "Raging Orchid No Trace" Zhu Yan—only the poisoned, mindless version—but she had heard a few rumors about him. It was said he was infatuated with a woman, that he had joined the "Seven Cloud Traveling Guests" for her sake back then, and now his attempt to kill Wan Yu Yuedan was likely also for her. That woman's surname was Xue, and her name was Xue Tao. Hong Guniang had once seen a portrait of Xue Tao—she looked almost identical to Peach Girl.She didn’t know what exactly made that Miss Xue so special, but to have someone like Raging Orchid No Trace willing to risk life and limb for her, she must indeed be an extraordinary woman. She lost herself in thought for a long while, so much so that even she didn’t know what she was thinking about anymore. With a soft sigh, she reflected that while there was news of the Revered Master, his whereabouts remained unknown. She had to find a way to get Wan Yu Yuedan to locate Liu Yan and then hide him away where no one could find him. Within the Dissolute Shop, she still had a small group of loyal followers. With the Revered Master’s Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill and her scheming on his behalf, there would still be a chance for him to dominate the martial world in the future.
“I think we should go take a look…” Voices drifted faintly from outside the courtyard as several Azure Fall Palace disciples who had just left now returned. “Brother Bi is gravely injured. If we don’t go see him now, perhaps… perhaps…” Another hushed them, “Don’t say it. It’s too sad to hear.” A third added, “Yes, though Brother Bi always followed the palace master and wasn’t close to us, just now he stepped forward to save others. Even if he was no match for that Raging Orchid No Trace, he truly had the bearing of a hero.” The first speaker’s voice was mournful, “I’ve always looked up to Brother Bi as a role model…”
As they spoke, the group gradually passed by.
Hong Guniang stared blankly at the doorway. Bi Lianyi was severely injured and about to die? It had been days since she last saw him, but she remembered his appearance clearly—a handsome, upright man, resolute, composed, and gentle. If there was any flaw in him, it was simply that he wasn’t Liu Yan. Bi Lianyi’s martial skills were exceptional, surpassing many in the Azure Fall Palace, but when he said he would devote himself entirely to the palace, he meant it without the slightest pretense.
Of course, Bi Lianyi wasn’t as strikingly beautiful as Liu Yan. Of course… he didn’t have Liu Yan’s brooding melancholy that seemed perpetually joyless, nor that inexplicable emptiness. He couldn’t play the qin or compose poetry, but… but how could he just die like this? She rushed to the doorway, watching the figures of those disciples fade into the distance. Bi Lianyi was about to die—was it really true?
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