The man in green led Ren Qingchou away at a swift pace. Ren Qingchou felt the man moving faster and faster, his strides eventually becoming as fluid as drifting clouds, light as if treading on air. Ren Qingchou was astonished—this man's martial prowess far surpassed what he had displayed during his brief exchange with Yu Konghou earlier. With such cultivation, he was certainly no green youth. Who was he?
Yet the man in green had hastily covered his face with a sweat-soaked cloth, an act done carelessly but effective nonetheless. Ren Qingchou could only see the man’s black hair and a widow’s peak at his forehead, suggesting he wasn’t too old.
Behind them, flames roared. Ren Qingchou could see Yu Konghou and Raging Orchid No Trace locked in mutual destruction. If this man had wished to intervene, killing both would have been effortless.
Why did he flee?
Why didn’t he kill?
Ren Qingchou gathered his strength bit by bit, silent and determined. He had clung to life for one purpose—to shoot Yu Konghou and Raging Orchid No Trace each with an arrow from his Bow of Sorrow and Joy.
The man in green was caught off guard when the seemingly dying man suddenly struggled. With a surprised “Huh?”, he watched as Ren Qingchou took a deep breath, wrenched himself free from his grasp, raised his bow, and loosed two arrows toward Raging Orchid No Trace and Yu Konghou amidst the flames.
The arrows were still Gazing at the Moon.
The Life and Death Together arrows streaked like meteors through the inferno, each aimed at their targets.
Two sharp clangs rang out. The near-death Raging Orchid No Trace seized his Strange Halberd, swinging it in a wide arc to deflect both arrows. He didn’t even rise—with a single sweep of his long arm, he sent Ren Qingchou’s life’s work flying. The halberd was then plunged forcefully into the earth beneath him, standing like a banner.
With both arrows loosed, blood gushed from Ren Qingchou’s chest wound. The five golden needles could no longer restrain his inner energy from rupturing through his meridians. The Bow of Sorrow and Joy slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground as he collapsed beside it, utterly spent.
The man in green, momentarily distracted, only realized Ren Qingchou had fallen when he heard the thud. “Ah!” he exclaimed, swiftly scooping up the bloodied figure with a sweep of his sleeve, inwardly cursing the situation.
Within the ring of fire, Raging Orchid No Trace sat upright, gripping his halberd. His face was scorched black, his body drenched in blood, yet Yu Konghou made no move to finish him off. Instead, he sat cross-legged, pressing both palms against Raging Orchid’s back, channeling his inner energy to heal Zhu Yan.
As the man in green glanced back, he saw Yu Konghou’s clothes and hair burning amidst the flames. His peach-pink women’s robes blazed fiercely, yet as he circulated his energy, the ashes of the garments scattered, forcing the flames back and revealing pristine white undergarments. These were clearly no ordinary fabric—they did not burn. Under the flickering firelight, Yu Konghou’s appearance slowly transformed.
His frame lengthened, his skin cracked, and the delicate face resembling Xue Tao’s peeled away. The loose white undergarments gradually fit snugly, and the wounds inflicted by the Essence of Demon's Pearl Spit seemed to miraculously heal, the dark energy dissipating. Under Yu Konghou’s true power, Raging Orchid No Trace swallowed a miraculous pill, his complexion rapidly improving. Whether Yu Konghou had neutralized the snake venom or administered some potent remedy remained unclear.
The crisp crackling of the black oil-fed flames intensified, consuming the sparse trees and grass. The man in green, his face obscured by the sweat cloth, stood motionless, silently observing the changes within the fire.
The wind whipped the black smoke, obscuring the figures within the fiery ring.A moment later, a long cry rose from the flames as two figures soared upward like butterfly wings from the inferno. Two streams of Inner Energy rolled forth, causing the fire on the ground to dim momentarily. Then, with hands on each other's shoulders, they fluttered their sleeves and shot through a gap in the flames, vanishing into the darkness.
"The Rebirth Scroll..." sighed the man in blue.
He removed the sweat-soaked cloth casually draped over his face and pressed it against Ren Qingchou's chest wound.
But how could an injury from Ten Thousand Miles of Peach Blossoms —piercing through the chest and then withdrawn—be ordinary? The small sword had spiraled in and twisted out, not only severely damaging Ren Qingchou's meridians but also severing his vital energy. It was a fatal wound. Had Ren Qingchou struck his own acupoints and waited quietly for rescue, there might have been a fifty-fifty chance of survival. Yet this youth had used that slim chance to shoot two arrows at Yu Konghou and Raging Orchid No Trace .
Ren Qingchou still clutched the Bow of Sorrow and Joy , unwilling to relent, his gaze fixed on the direction where Yu Konghou and Raging Orchid No Trace had fled. His throat could produce no sound—only blood gushed from his mouth.
The man in blue knelt on one knee. "Yu Konghou possesses secret arts—he is not easily killed." He looked at the youth and said softly, "But today, his secret arts have been broken. There will be no next time."
Ren Qingchou's gaze slowly turned from the direction of their escape to the unfamiliar "senior" before him.
This man in blue had delicate features, appearing youthful yet ageless. Ren Qingchou tried to speak, but all that emerged was the blood bubbling from his chest wound.
The man in blue nodded. "I do not kill. But when those two meet their end, I will inform you."
Ren Qingchou tightened his grip on the Bow of Sorrow and Joy left behind by Qu Zhiliang. His eyes still held determination—he did not want to die. He had yet to avenge Xue Xianzi, had yet to hear a word from Wen Hui, had yet to understand where his path would lead. He was still so young. Anyone could see... with his temperament and insight, he would have become a master of his generation.
But some youths... remain youths forever.
He should have had everything in the days to come. The only thing he lacked was "the days to come."
Ren Qingchou's fingers dug deep into the bowstring, the cord cutting into his flesh, leaving bloody marks. His gaze remained unyielding—he did not regret his choice, yet he was also so unwilling to die.
The man in blue swept aside his robe and sat heavily on the ground, cradling Ren Qingchou like a child against his chest.
Ren Qingchou's grip only tightened further. A single tear seeped from the corner of his eye—colorless, lightless, yet more piercing than all the blood staining his body. The man in blue patted his back gently, as if soothing an infant. After a while, the small arrow of Life and Death Together slipped from Ren Qingchou's body and fell into the dust.
Even in death, he still clutched his bow.
The bowstring had bitten into his finger bones. His blood had run dry.
A handful of yellow earth buries sorrow and joy,
A youth's heart now rests within white bones.
Pitiful the spring breeze and fresh green grass—
They'll never see next year's fallen blossoms.
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