Liu Yan frowned. "So what?" Yu Tuan'er said, "That's my father's cloak. Don't tear it!" Liu Yan grabbed both ends of the cloak, intending to rip it apart. Fortunately, his strength had been crippled, and his hands lacked the power to tear it. Yu Tuan'er was shocked and slapped him across the face in anger. "What's wrong with you? Why would you tear a perfectly good cloak? It's my father's, not yours!" Liu Yan replied coldly, "I tear what I want to tear. You hit people when you want to hit them. We each get what we want—what's wrong with that?" After slapping him, Yu Tuan'er noticed blood trickling from his face again and sighed. This man was utterly wicked, yet she couldn't bring herself to abandon him. She turned and plucked some herbs from the woods, applying them to his face. "Why are you so terrible?" Liu Yan said indifferently, "I treat people well or badly as I please. No one can control me." Yu Tuan'er shrugged. "Your mother... your mother must not have raised you properly." Unexpectedly, Liu Yan replied coldly, "I don't have a mother." Yu Tuan'er was startled. "Did your mother pass away too?" Liu Yan said flatly, "I heard the woman who gave birth to me was a very famous prostitute in the red-light district when she was young. But I've never looked for her—I don't even know her name." Yu Tuan'er asked curiously, "Red-light district? What's that? Are prostitutes the women in brothels?" Liu Yan gave her a once-over. "The red-light district is a wonderful place full of brothels." Yu Tuan'er gasped. "That's a terrible place! You're so pitiful, and I even hit you." She smiled apologetically. "I'm really sorry." Liu Yan snorted. "Even if you flatter me, I might not give you the life-saving medicine." Yu Tuan'er blinked. "I forgot about that medicine again! If you want to give it to me, you will. If you don't, there's nothing I can do." She picked Liu Yan up and dashed deep into the forest.
Good Cloud Mountain.
Shao Yanping waited anxiously for three days before the disciple finally returned—alone. "What happened? Where's the Divine Doctor?" Shao Yanping erupted in fury. "Speak! What did you do to offend Divine Doctor Shui? Why didn't he come?" The Sword Association disciple was pale. "Master Shao, please calm down! I—I—I didn't do anything! It's just that the young master said... the young master said..." Shao Yanping snapped, "Said what?" The disciple stammered, "He... he said, 'My luck has been bad lately. I'm going to Still Wisdom Temple to pray. Even if you gave me the entire Good Cloud Mountain, I wouldn't come.'" Shao Yanping was stunned. "He really said that?" The disciple looked as if he might cry. "How dare I lie to you, Master Shao? Young Master Shui said he was going to Still Wisdom Temple to pray first, then to Night Moon Garden to eat fish heads with Xue Xianzi. Good Cloud Mountain is too far, too troublesome, too boring, and too dangerous—he absolutely won't come, not even if he dies." Shao Yanping muttered, "Too far, too troublesome, too boring, and too dangerous... Smart people really know how to run far away. Ah, Night Moon Garden's fish heads..." He drifted into a wistful daze before sighing heavily. "Fine, fine. Go hire me some poor, old pharmacy assistant—the sooner, the better." The disciple was puzzled. "A pharmacy assistant?" Shao Yanping rolled his eyes. "I think they're more reliable than doctors. Hurry up."In three days, A Shui's health had improved significantly, and she was now able to take care of Tang Lici's daily needs without issue. Tang Lici's injuries, on the other hand, healed at an astonishingly rapid pace. It seemed mysterious events always surrounded him—just like how snake venom, burns, and internal injuries had all healed within mere days in the past. Now, in just three days, his wounds had improved considerably without any signs of infection, which was exceptionally rare for a severe injury like a sword piercing his chest. However, to aid in uncovering the traitor within the Sword Association, Tang Lici continued to feign being on the brink of death, lying in bed each day. Yu Furen remained secluded in his room, not stepping out for all three days. Shao Yanping was busy dealing with the prominent orthodox sects and senior clan members who came to retrieve their people, leaving him no time to ponder the broader situation in the martial world. Meanwhile, Dong Hubi, Pu Kui Sheng, Cheng Yunpao, Puzhu Shangshi, and Xifang Tao spent their days discussing the state of the martial world, gaining considerable insights.
In Tang Lici's room.
"Ah—ah—woo—" Feng Feng crawled on the table, pointing his chubby little fingers at A Shui, who gently stroked his head. "He has six teeth now, can crawl, and in a few months, he'll start talking and walking." Tang Lici smiled faintly. "Do you want to take him away?" A Shui stiffened slightly. "I..." She sighed softly. "Yes." Tang Lici's lips curved slightly. "Hao Wenhou is dead, and Liu Yan has been abandoned by the Dissolute Shop—his whereabouts are unknown. The circumstances that forced you to entrust him to me no longer exist. Find a peaceful place with green mountains and clear waters. I'll buy you a house and some fertile land. Take Feng Feng and live a good life." A Shui shook her head. "I only wish to return to Luoyang, to the Apricot Sun Study." Tang Lici smiled faintly. "That place is fraught with trouble." A Shui also smiled softly. "But it's my home. Even if no one is waiting for me there, I still want to go back." Tang Lici closed his eyes. After a while, he said, "I'll write you a letter of recommendation. When you and Feng Feng return to the capital, first visit the Prime Minister's residence before going back to the Apricot Sun Study." A Shui frowned slightly, puzzled. "The Prime Minister's residence?" The corners of Tang Lici's closed eyes lifted slightly, as if he were smiling. "To help me with a matter." A Shui gazed at him. "What matter?" Tang Lici opened his eyes, his faint smile deepening. "Must you ask so thoroughly?" A Shui fell silent for a moment before sighing softly. "You needn't go to such lengths for me. A Shui is but an insignificant woman among the masses, indebted to Young Master Tang with neither deep friendship nor the means to repay..." She understood Tang Lici's intentions—he was uneasy about her and her child staying alone in Luoyang, so he wrote a letter to the Prime Minister's residence. Though she didn’t know what the letter contained, its purpose was undoubtedly to request the Prime Minister's protection. The reason he didn’t leverage the influence of the Imperial Father-in-Law's residence was twofold: to avoid suspicion and because Tang Lici was embroiled in too many conflicts, which would inevitably implicate the Imperial Father-in-Law's residence. The Prime Minister's residence, however, stood outside these conflicts, making it less likely for anyone to dare act against them. That he had gone to such lengths for her was almost too much for her to bear."I do have something to entrust you with—a trip to the Prime Minister's residence, though perhaps not what you imagine." Tang Lici gazed at the ceiling beams. "Don't think too highly of me. There's one matter I've kept from the Prime Minister's residence for three years, all for the sake of possibly leveraging Zhao Pu's influence someday. Though the current situation is far from what I originally envisioned, your going might not only ensure the safety of you and Feng Feng but also preserve the well-being of Imperial Uncle Tang..." His voice softened. "Will you go?"
A Shui replied, "You always have a way of making it impossible for people to refuse."
Tang Lici smiled. "Good, then. Fetch the writing brush and ink. I'll write it now."
A Shui was taken aback. "Now? I'll wait until your injuries heal before leaving. How could I return to Luoyang with peace of mind while you're still wounded?"
Tang Lici's voice remained gentle. "If you must go, go sooner rather than later. If you make me fret over you, and one day my mood turns foul, I might just kill you both, burn you to ashes, and keep you by my side... so you can accompany me for the rest of my life..." His tone shifted seamlessly from detached strategizing to something twisted and venomous, as if it were the most natural thing in the world—utterly devoid of jest.
A Shui listened in eerie calm. After a long silence, she finally spoke, slow and measured. "I... my heart belongs to another. I cannot bear the weight of your affection, young master."
Tang Lici's voice remained tender. "You're not the only woman I've thought of killing and reducing to ashes. Don't trouble yourself over it."
Feng Feng crawled across the table toward Tang Lici, chubby pink fingers pointing at him, babbling incoherently. A Shui picked him up, kissed his cheek, and patted him gently. She seemed about to say something but held back.
In Tang Lici's heart lay many secrets. She didn't know whether she should ask about them—those secrets tangled with the hollow voids in him that no one dared touch. His nature was both extreme and restrained, fiercely competitive yet capable of cruelty and kindness alike. So perhaps... just because he hadn't shattered on the surface didn't mean he could truly bear the weight of those hidden truths.
"Bring me paper and brush," Tang Lici said.
Returning to Apricot Sun Study should have filled her with joy, but as A Shui rose, settled Feng Feng on the bed, and went to fetch the writing tools, her mind was in turmoil, weighed down by an unbearable heaviness. When she returned with the scholar's implements, Tang Lici remained silent for a moment before saying, "Never mind. I won't write it."
A Shui bit her lower lip, her thoughts in disarray. Suddenly, she burst out, "You... your schemes run too deep. You make me... make me... what am I to do?"
Tang Lici had seen how unwilling she was to accept his protection, yet she couldn't refuse his heavy request—her reluctance was plain. So he abruptly changed his mind about entrusting her with the letter. But if he didn't send her, he would surely find another way, and the outcome would be the same—only perhaps more discreet, leaving no trace for her to detect.
She understood his painstaking efforts, but the thought of involving others in protecting her against their will was already unbearable. And for Tang Lici to go to such convoluted lengths, his intentions so agonizingly intricate—it was more than she could bear. She felt undeserving, burdened by guilt."If you want to go home, I'll let you go home." Tang Lici's teeth lightly grazed his lips, leaving faint marks behind. "If you don't want to deliver my letter, I won't make you; if you want to take Feng Feng away, I'll let you take her; you can do whatever you wish." His face remained expressionless, his tone indifferent. "Yet you ask me what you should do?" A Shui's eyes suddenly burned with unshed tears. She had always been resilient, enduring countless humiliations and hardships without ever crying, but now her eyes stung. "You... you... what exactly do you want from me? I... I could never..." Tang Lici murmured softly, "I want you to worship me as a god in your heart, to believe in me, care for me, swear to die for me in this lifetime, kiss me at the right moment, and willingly climb into my bed..." A Shui gasped, the inkstone and brushes slipping from her hands and crashing to the floor, ink splattering everywhere. Her face turned deathly pale. "You... how can you say such things?" Tang Lici lifted his gaze to meet hers, his dark eyes unreadable. Though his face showed no emotion, she could see a deeply hidden, mad laughter lurking in the depths of his eyes. "This is the honest truth of men. When a man admires a woman, isn't this what he desires? Haven't the men who forced you done the same? Did you truly believe that between men and women, there could be only refined pursuits like poetry and music, without a trace of carnal desire?"
"You—" A Shui whispered, "Are these words... sincere?" Tang Lici replied, "Utterly sincere." A Shui bit her lip hard. "These things I could never do, Young Master Tang. I shall take my leave tomorrow. I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life, but I pray... never to trouble you again." She picked up the scattered writing tools, carefully placed them back on the table, wiped away the spilled ink, gathered Feng Feng into her arms, and silently left the room.
Tang Lici stared at the ceiling, the hidden laughter in his eyes fading, replaced by a weary emptiness—like a man who had journeyed thousands of miles, endured countless hardships, yet still found no place to rest, no destination in sight. After a long while, he let out an almost imperceptible sigh, sat up, took paper and brush, and wrote a few lines before folding the letter and tucking it beneath his pillow. He lay back down, closed his eyes, and remained still.
"Young Master Tang, Young Master Tang." After some time, a soft voice called from outside the window. Tang Lici neither moved nor responded. The caller repeated the summons over a dozen times, confirming his lack of reaction, then suddenly tossed something into the room before departing. The object entered without a sound. Tang Lici's eyelids lifted slightly, his gaze flickering toward it. It was a creature neither quite a bee nor a butterfly, its wings small and slow-moving, producing no noise. Was this the legendary "gu"? Or merely some unknown venomous thing? He held his breath, motionless. The creature circled the room several times before alighting lightly on the bedding, its touch lighter than a falling leaf.The creature remained motionless on him for a long while. Tang Lici lay calmly, as if nothing unusual rested upon him. After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the thing finally twitched its tail, depositing numerous translucent eggs upon Tang Lici's quilt. Soon, tiny insects hatched from them. The sensation of countless transparent larvae crawling over one's body would be unbearable for most—let alone when they were venomous creatures of unknown origin. Anyone else would have been terrified out of their wits, yet Tang Lici remained still, watching as the larvae writhed and squirmed slowly across the bedding.
"Tang—" Suddenly, a purple-clad man drenched in sweat burst through the door—it was Shao Yanping. The moment he stepped inside and saw the bizarre insect, he gasped in shock, "What is that thing?" Tang Lici's gaze flickered slightly toward the door, and Shao Yanping immediately understood. He then let out a loud cry, "Young Master Tang! Young Master Tang! Someone, come quick! What is this thing?" Amid his shouting, the strange insect fluttered away, slipping out through the window. Shao Yanping punched himself twice in the face, instantly reddening his nose and eyes, then turned and rushed outside, wailing, "Young Master Tang, you mustn’t die…"
His cries quickly drew others into the room. The first to charge in was Pu Kui Sheng, only to find Tang Lici lying stiff on the bed, his face ghastly pale, with countless tiny insects burrowing and crawling all over him. Suddenly, one of them dropped from the bed with a plop , leaving a puddle of slime on the floor. Pu Kui Sheng shrieked and stumbled back five steps, throwing his arms out to block Cheng Yunpao, who was about to enter. "Don’t move recklessly! This is the Burden-Bearing Intestine Silk Gu! The gu lays eggs on a person’s body, and the larvae hatch immediately, burrowing into their veins. The victim dies instantly, their entire body becoming food for the larvae. Once the larvae devour all the flesh and blood, they gnaw through the skin and crawl out—it’s the most horrifying thing imaginable!"
Cheng Yunpao replied coldly, "All I see are larvae. I don’t even know if he’s dead yet. Let me check his pulse."
Pu Kui Sheng paled. "You’ll be poisoned too! Absolutely not!"
As the two argued, Shao Yanping hurried in with an elderly physician in tow. "The patient is here—quick, this way!" The old doctor took one look at the swarm of insects in the room and turned green. "Th-this… this…" Ignoring his stammering, Shao Yanping shoved him forward. "What is that thing?"
The physician stepped inside and pressed his fingers to Tang Lici’s wrist. "This man is already dead! You—you dragged me all this way to examine a corpse? Preposterous… His limbs are stiff, his pulse is gone, and his body is covered in maggots…" He hastily retreated from the room. "This man is beyond my skill—I doubt anyone in the world could save him. My condolences."Shao Yanping looked at Tang Lici with a bitter smile. "How could this happen?" Pu Kui Sheng let out a long sigh. "Young Master Tang somehow contracted the Burden-Bearing Intestine Silk Gu—the most extraordinary poison from Miaojiang. Those afflicted die a most gruesome death. For someone of his brilliance to perish from such venom is truly a sorrow for the martial world and a great misfortune for all." Shao Yanping could barely manage a smile. "Now that he's dead, what about those insects?" Pu Kui Sheng replied, "The only way to prevent further contamination is to cremate the body along with the insects." Shao Yanping hesitated. "This... this... Let me think about it a little longer." Cheng Yunpao frowned. The situation had changed too quickly, and he couldn't quite believe it—was Tang Lici really dead? Someone like him, gone just like that? His gaze fell on Tang Lici's face, which was unmistakably that of a corpse, with no rise or fall in his chest. Yet... something felt off. Shao Yanping quietly instructed everyone not to spread the news of Tang Lici's death and to carry on as usual. He would arrange for a cremation furnace to be built that night, and Tang Lici's body would be burned at noon the next day. The group nodded and dispersed. Shao Yanping closed the door to Tang Lici's room and ordered two disciples to stand guard at a distance, strictly forbidding anyone from entering.
It was sunset, and before long, night fell, the sky filled with stars and moonlight.
Shao Yanping went to Cheng Yunpao's room, murmuring about something unknown. A Shui had not yet learned of Tang Lici's "death," nor did she have any intention of visiting him that night. Puzhu Shangshi and Xifang Tao were also unaware of the situation. The old servant who knew the truth had already been sent down the mountain by Shao Yanping. Everything in the Hall of Sharp Virtue proceeded as usual, with no one noticing any unusual events.
Thud, thud. The two guards at Tang Lici's door suddenly collapsed. A shadowy figure appeared before the door in an instant, pushing it open with a light touch. Under the bright moonlight, the figure saw Tang Lici's corpse still lying on the bed, the transparent insects nowhere to be seen. The bedding was riddled with tiny holes, clearly indicating the insects had burrowed through into Tang Lici's flesh. The figure exhaled deeply but remained uneasy, reaching out to check his pulse.
The touch was icy cold—Tang Lici was indeed dead. The black-clad, masked figure let out a low hum and turned to leave when suddenly, the "dead" wrist twisted, fingers sharp as blades, instantly seizing the intruder's pulse point. The masked figure recoiled in shock, raising a palm to strike Tang Lici, but with a tightening grip, the blow landed weakly, barely a tap. In the dim light, the corpse's eyes remained closed, but the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile. That smile sent chills down the masked figure's spine. "You—you're not dead—"
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