Zhu Yan was chasing ahead into the dark tunnel.
"It seems Xue Tao isn't dead after all—what an unexpected piece of good news. But why would Peach Girl torture her? And why take her facial skin to wear as her own?" Shen Langhun was deeply puzzled. A Shui whispered, "I noticed her movements weren't agile when she walked. She might truly be ill. Peach Girl... Yu Konghou hid her away, perhaps to treat her illness." Shen Langhun gave a bitter smile. "Would someone who wanted to treat her peel off half of Xue Tao's face and stick it onto their own? Would they try to make themselves look exactly like Xue Tao? I think Yu Konghou is the one who's sick—twisting Xue Tao into something inhuman." A Shui fell silent. Some people's thoughts were forever beyond ordinary comprehension—like Yu Konghou's, like Tang Lici's.
The large room was still filled with enormous porcelain vases, cold air seeping from them. Shen Langhun listened intently—there were indeed no human sounds nearby. He pulled out a handkerchief, pressed it against the porcelain lid of one vase, and lifted it open.
Under the dim glow of the oil lamp, the vase contained a severed arm. Yet the limb was pale and delicate, the fingers slender—not at all gruesome. Shen Langhun and A Shui exchanged glances, then looked around at the countless vases surrounding them. Could it be that each of these Frozen Jade vases held dismembered human body parts? What kind of horrifying place was this? A Shui's eyes flickered slightly. "These... these... can they be reattached to a person?" Shen Langhun's expression darkened. "These... these are from the dead. How could they be attached to the living? Unless... unless..." A Shui murmured, "Unless within the Dissolute Shop, there's a physician with bizarre medical skills—someone who could graft Xue Tao's skin onto Yu Konghou's face and reattach these to living bodies..." Shen Langhun shook his head repeatedly. "Who could possess such ability? If such a physician truly existed, the limbless could be made whole again, the blind could regain sight. If such a doctor existed, how could they remain unknown?"
"They were just talking about Liu Yan," A Shui continued softly. "When Liu Yan painted Xue Tao's portrait, her face was still unharmed. They said, 'If Liu Yan isn't here...'—does that mean without Liu Yan, there's no way to treat Yu Konghou's facial wounds? Does it mean... this hidden physician is Liu Yan himself?" Shen Langhun shook his head. "If Liu Yan knew such skin-grafting arts, why wouldn't he use them on himself?" If Liu Yan simply gave himself an entirely new face, what could the martial world's hunters do to him then? A Shui thought for a moment. "If we tell Young Master Tang, he might deduce the truth."
"At least we know Xue Tao and Yu Konghou gathered here earlier—there must be something in this place that can treat his wounds and illness," Shen Langhun remarked offhandedly. "But the exact method is likely a closely guarded secret, unknown even to most high-ranking members of the Dissolute Shop." A Shui nodded. "Let's go forward. There should be a path ahead leading to the surface. Perhaps we can find Miss Xue's room."Shen Langhun uncovered another porcelain jar, which contained a foot severed at the knee. The toes were delicate, and the skin was snow-white—clearly a woman's foot, confirming that these jars indeed held human remains. A Shui continued to lead the way, gripping the Willow Slayer in her right hand. After walking a stretch down the tunnel, she suddenly reached out and triggered a hidden mechanism in the wall. A secret door silently opened, revealing another passage. She whispered, "This should lead to the surface. If Zhu Yan chased ahead, the end of this tunnel leads to a pit, usually filled with venomous snakes and scorching flames." Shen Langhun gave a low chuckle, recalling the mechanisms within Piaoling Mei Yuan—truly extraordinary.
The upward passage showed signs of recent use. At the corner of the steps hung strands of multicolored silk thread. A Shui plucked one and murmured, "This is from a silk garment." Shen Langhun seized her shoulder and pulled her aside, both of them slipping into a blind spot in the passage. Not far up the steps, someone was walking by but suddenly seemed to sense something. Holding a candle, they descended step by step. "Who's down there?"
The voice was youthful—it was Guan'er. "Who's down there? If you don't speak, I'll cut you down!" she threatened in her childlike tone, sharp and vicious. "Come out!" The candlelight drew closer step by step. A Shui suddenly called out softly, "Guan'er."
"Who?" Guan'er hurried toward them. A Shui stepped forward. "It's me." As Guan'er raised the candle, Shen Langhun swiftly seized her. Guan'er shrieked in shock, "Ghost—!" A Shui hushed her. "It's me." The candle fell from Guan'er's hand, igniting a small flame on the ground. When she saw A Shui's face clearly, she gasped, "You... Sister A Shui!" She suddenly threw herself forward. "Sister A Shui, you're not dead? In the water dungeon at Good Cloud Mountain, I thought they'd killed you..." Shen Langhun was taken aback—this ruthless little girl actually knew A Shui. He casually pressed a few acupoints on Guan'er's body and let her cling to A Shui. A Shui embraced her and gently stroked her head. "I'm alive. Young Master Tang saved me."
Guan'er clung tightly to her, then paused at the words. "Young Master Tang?" A Shui nodded. "Have you met him?" Guan'er whispered, "Yes... he didn’t kill me." A Shui's gaze grew distant. "Is that so..." Tang Lici hadn’t killed her. Killing Guan'er would have been effortless for him. Was sparing her an act of mercy from Tang Lici?
Tang Lici had killed many, but only those who sought to harm him. For a child like Guan'er, incapable of harming him, he chose not to kill.
Was that the truth? No different from ordinary people. The reason he gave the impression of indiscriminate slaughter and ruthlessness was because he was too relentless—unafraid of bloodshed when he struck, devoid of any pity. Just like when he killed Chi Yun.
But... in the end, killing was killing. What difference did it make whether it was done with remorse and pity, or without emotion?
It was all the same—one lives, one dies. Or one lives, and many die."Sister A Shui, I've been locked up. They said they're going to keep me down here, locked up until... until I die," Guan'er said tremulously. "Because I promised the master to delay Tang Lici, but I couldn't do it. He took away Miss Xue's portrait—that painting was supposed to be replaced with a Bodhisattva image..." A Shui frowned slightly. "Locking you here alone? Was it Dong Princess's idea?" Guan'er nodded. "But I heard... she was killed by Young Master Tang." A Shui sighed. "That's right. Have you been locked here all night? Is there no way out?" Guan'er glanced at Shen Langhun. "Who is he?" she whispered. "Are you... here as spies? How did you get in?"
"We're looking for Miss Xue," A Shui said, releasing her and smoothing her hair. "Do you know where Yu Konghou is hiding her?" Guan'er's eyes darted around before dimming. "Sister A Shui, you're the only one who's ever been kind to me. Take me away from here. I promise I won’t kill anymore once we’re out. I’ll... I’ll go back to find my mother, I’ll be obedient, I’ll never run away again." A Shui held her hand. "Guan'er, I just don’t want you to die here. What you just said only matters if you believe it yourself. If you’re lying to me, it’s truly meaningless." Guan'er shuddered. "I... I..." She patted her head. "I don’t know where Miss Xue is hidden, but I know what they’re doing!" She clutched her sleeves tightly. "I know the master locked Miss Xue up because she tried to escape. He tied her to the bed—for a year... two years... for many years. Then her limbs slowly became immobile. She developed a strange illness; her hands and feet trembled uncontrollably. One day, the master severed her tendons. After that, though she stopped trembling, she could no longer walk or write. Wherever she went, she needed maids to tend to her, and she could never escape the Dissolute Shop. To make up for the pain of severing her tendons, the master promised he would cure her illness. So he took many young women, cut off their limbs, and stored them in Frozen Jade jars, hoping to graft them onto Miss Xue..." She covered her ears and screamed. "That’s impossible! But no one dared say so. Whoever said it was impossible, he killed them, so no one spoke up. Until the Revered Master came. He’s an incredible person. Do you know why I... why we maids are so grateful to him? We insignificant children, once we reached the age the master deemed suitable, might also... have our limbs severed... But the Revered Master came! He made a medicine that slowly allowed Miss Xue to stand again. If the master hadn’t severed her tendons back then, maybe she really could have been like a normal person. No more testing on young women’s tendons—we were saved! But the master wasn’t satisfied. He still wanted to graft tendons onto Miss Xue. He wanted her to stand. Once, Miss Xue, relying on her slightly improved legs, escaped from Wangting Manor..."
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