Bai Suche gazed at him indifferently, her eyes flickering with a faint glow, yet seemingly cold from start to finish. "Understood." Tang Lici smiled. "Good." His hand slowly withdrew from Bai Suche's blade. "If I ever witness something like today again, I'll kill anyone I see—no one's wretched life will be spared."
Bai Suche sheathed her sword. Fu Cui's expression was a mix of shock and unwillingness, unable to comprehend how someone could truly be omniscient and omnipotent to such an extent. Tang Lici turned his head slightly, casting a faint glance at Fu Cui. "Do you wish to die?" Fu Cui spat out a mouthful of blood. "I'll fight you to the death!" She leaped up again, unleashing the Thirty-Three Styles of Three Blades toward Tang Lici. With a flick of his sleeve, there was a loud "thud" as Fu Cui was sent flying backward, her back slamming into a large tree. Blood gushed from her mouth. Seeing the situation turn dire, Bai Suche shouted sharply, "Retreat!" She and the remaining forces swiftly withdrew to Wangting Manor. With a loud "creak," the manor's gates slammed shut, as if that thin layer of wood could truly bar the demon outside.
Fu Cui continued to vomit blood. "You—really—cough cough..." Tang Lici lowered his sleeves, staring coldly at the tightly shut gates of Wangting Manor, his eyes filled with icy killing intent, yet he remained motionless. Fu Cui laughed between coughs. "Haha... cough cough... With your abilities, charging in and slaughtering everyone wouldn’t be difficult. So why don’t you go in? Are you guilty? Haha... You're afraid. Wangting Manor is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers—you're scared..." Suddenly, a dull "thump" silenced her laughter. Her mouth gaped into a grotesque grin as a longsword shot from behind Tang Lici, piercing through her chest and embedding itself into the tree behind her.
Blood splattered, falling to the ground like droplets returning to the sea. Fu Cui's blood had already pooled beneath her. While she cackled wildly, Tang Lici's right foot moved slightly, his heel striking the hilt of a longsword—thus ending Fu Cui's life.
He didn’t even turn around.
Should he charge in?
Tang Lici stood motionless, his icy, murderous gaze fixed on Wangting Manor.
"Young Master Tang." A woman's voice came from the woods. "You..." The words abruptly stopped. Tang Lici turned slightly, catching sight of A Shui standing among the trees.
A ground covered in blood... and corpses.
A Shui stared blankly at Tang Lici. Once again, he stood amidst a sea of blood and corpses. The look in his eyes as he turned was like that of a soulless demon—if he lost control, he might slaughter the entire world.
"Are you... alright?" she asked softly. Perhaps it would have been better not to ask, but she had always been like a puppet, doing what was expected of her. So she asked mechanically, without any expectation of an answer.
"Why have you come?" Tang Lici asked gently, his voice elegant and light, carrying a faint, ethereal tone that sounded almost luxurious.
"I came to find you," she replied woodenly. "You're still unwell. You haven’t eaten anything today, and everyone is worried since you came here alone."Tang Lici did not respond. His silence was natural—Young Master Tang, whether smiling, gentle, sober, or frenzied, always remained aloof and untouchable. To him, most people were like ants beneath his feet. He saved or killed as he pleased, just as he acknowledged or ignored others' concerns on a whim. A Shui sighed unconsciously. From the woods, Yu Tuan'er poked her head out. "Hey! You're not dead yet? Why did you kill so many people again?" Lin Bu stood beside her, his gaze equally concerned.
"What are you doing here?" Tang Lici said slowly. "This place is dangerous." Yu Tuan'er rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, it's dangerous—because you sneaked off here without a word and made everyone search for you! If you weren't hurt, I wouldn't even bother with you! You're such a mess—one moment you're bedridden, the next you're here killing people. Freak! Big freak!" She stuck out her tongue and glared at him, looking thoroughly disgusted.
Tang Lici stared at her for a long moment before suddenly laughing. "Heh..." Yu Tuan'er frowned. "What's so funny?" He reached up to tuck his long hair, tousled by the cold wind, behind his ear. "It's been a long time... since I've heard words like that." A Shui watched him in confusion as he turned leisurely to walk back. "Let's go. It's cold."
Yu Tuan'er and A Shui exchanged glances. This man always said things no one could understand. As Tang Lici passed A Shui, he abruptly reached out, grasped her wrist, and led her along. She followed silently, letting him manipulate her as he pleased—it was his amusement, after all. Besides... if she resisted, he would act as though he were dying.
It had been a long time since anyone called him a "freak." When he was young, because he never feared injury, people often labeled him as such. Only one person had never seen him as a monster—someone who stood by him in fights and stayed with him for a very, very long time...
Holding A Shui's wrist, Tang Lici walked ahead with a faint smile. In some ways, the little girl who now called him a freak resembled the one who had once insisted he wasn't.
Suddenly, it seemed Tang Lici was in a good mood. A Shui tried not to think about the hand gripping her wrist. If he had the strength to charge in and save people, why didn't he leave Riding-the-Wind Town? This was a stronghold of the Dissolute Shop—wasn't it still dangerous? Lost in thought, she suddenly felt a weight on her hand. Tang Lici slumped against her shoulder and collapsed."Tang—" A Shui quickly tried to support him, only to see his lashes droop and his breathing grow faint. It was unclear whether he had fallen asleep or fainted, but his entire body collapsed forward. Yu Tuan'er reached out to catch him. "What's wrong?" A Shui shook her head. "I don't know..." Yu Tuan'er touched Tang Lici's forehead. "Wow! He's burning up." A Shui also felt it. "He's been feverish since earlier. After vomiting so much water and eating nothing all day, running so far in just a thin robe in the middle of winter... Ah..." She sighed softly. Yu Tuan'er carried Tang Lici swiftly ahead. "But he really did save so many people! Not a single villager in Chengfeng Town was killed—they all escaped." A Shui smiled faintly. Yes, he always saved so many, yet people always doubted him, feared him, called him a monster—herself included.
After bringing Tang Lici back inside, his high fever showed no signs of breaking soon. A Shui prepared a meal, and everyone ate a little. She cooked extra rice porridge, half for Feng Feng and half reserved for when Tang Lici woke.
"If those villains from Wangting Manor find out he's unconscious again, they'll definitely come for him," Yu Tuan'er muttered, poking at the greens on her plate with her chopsticks. "What do we do?" A Shui shook her head. "Right now, Wangting Manor wouldn’t dare make a move. They’ll likely wait until tomorrow to test Young Master Tang’s condition, and by then, he’ll be awake." Lin Bu interjected, "I have an idea, though I’m not sure if I should say it." A Shui paused, then replied gently, "Young Master Lin, there’s no need for such formality with me. Please, speak freely." Lin Bu said, "I think Young Master Tang stayed in Chengfeng Town not just because of his injuries, but also because he might be planning something against Wangting Manor. Perhaps he’s probing them. So whether he wakes or not, we shouldn’t leave yet. Maybe we can help him uncover the secrets within Wangting Manor."
OpenNovel