The room was empty, with only broken window frames scattered on the floor.
The inn’s owner and waiter only dared to watch the man filled with murderous aura in the room from afar, not daring to approach at all. The owner quietly nudged the waiter, signaling with his eyes for him to report to the authorities.
The waiter scrambled down the stairs, when suddenly a sword appeared in front of him. He immediately fell to his knees in fright, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy, hoping the other party would spare his life.
Whether it was because his pleas were too sincere, or the other party had no intention of taking his life, they simply grabbed him by the collar and threw him under the table.
Just as he landed, a sound of something shattering came from upstairs. The faint sounds of guests barricading their doors could be heard from their rooms – in these times, watching a commotion would only cost one’s life.
The bed was still warm, with slightly messy blankets on which a tiny insect lay. Upon closer inspection, one would find this insect nearly identical to the mother-child Gu. There was a small pool of blood under the insect, and some blood spatter on the bed curtains.
Someone extremely knowledgeable about gu worms by Wang Dian’s side had forcibly cut off the connection between the mother-child Gu temporarily using another gu worm.
This angered him even more than Wang Dian’s escape.
The troublesome gu worm turned to powder. With a bit of blood on his fingertip, Liang Ye stared for a long time, suppressing the restless gu worm inside him. Then he reached under the pillow and pulled out a smooth, shiny copper coin.
He had noticed long ago that Wang Dian always liked to put things under his pillow when sleeping. Sometimes it was a smooth small pebble, sometimes half a thumb-length stick whittled very smooth, sometimes the jade pendant he had given him… In short, he felt secure only with something there. He had felt for it many times, and quietly put it back.
It was clear he left in a hurry this time, forgetting even the copper coin under his pillow.
Of the three copper coins his master had given him, one was used to buy a lantern, and the remaining two were taken by Wang Dian. He had turned a blind eye to it.
Wang Dian always liked to collect little trinkets, just like he did as a child. It was childish but not annoying. He would occasionally feel around when no one was looking or when they were sleeping, always finding some new little things. Sometimes he would secretly slip something in, or exchange a couple of small stones, and Wang Dian would never notice.
That copper coin carried a chill that penetrated to the bone. If Wang Dian had left, he would never return.
Liang Ye understood this better than anyone.
“Master,” Chong Heng cautiously called out to him from the window.
Liang Ye raised his head, his gaze gloomy. The frosty moonlight gave his entire being a piercing chill. “Zhen will not let him go.”
Chong Heng opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.
Liang Ye clutched the copper coin in his palm, neurotically rolling his hollow eyes, and slowly curled his lips into a smile. “Even if he dies, his bones must lie beside Zhen.”
Though he was smiling as he spoke, it made Chong Heng feel a chill down his spine.
****
Wang Dian coughed harshly twice, choked by the damp and cold musty air. A sweet and salty taste rose in his throat.
Quan Ning lit a fire stick, illuminating a corner of the secret passage. He looked back at Wang Dian, “The gu worm has stopped. It seems Emperor Liang didn’t really want you dead.”
Wang Dian’s limbs were numb, unable to feel any pain. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“What’s wrong?” Quan Ning looked at him nervously.
Wang Dian felt his sleeve again, confirming that only one of the two copper coins remained. He said in a muffled voice, “We left in such a hurry, I lost a copper coin.”
Quan Ning strongly resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “You merchants are really stingy. I’ll give you one for free.”
“It’s not the same,” Wang Dian felt around once more, not giving up. “That one was Liang Ye’s. He carried it with him for over ten years.”
Quan Ning’s entire face was filled with incomprehension. “Come to your senses. Liang Ye nearly took your life just now.”
“Hmm.” Wang Dian looked back rather regretfully, but could only see the pitch-black secret passage. “Never mind.”
This secret passage, built who knows how many years ago, was long and cold. The chill crept straight into the marrow of their bones. After walking for an unknown length of time, Wang Dian finally felt the lingering pain after the gu worm’s attack, though it wasn’t particularly intense. He even had the presence of mind to inquire about the history of this secret passage.
“Years ago, during the civil unrest of the Da’an Dynasty, there were years of war and the people could barely survive. Qingsong City happened to be in a strategic location, caught in the crossfire no matter which side was fighting. It was miserable. The citizens of the city, unable to bear it any longer, dug many secret passages underground. These passages were interconnected and had exits scattered outside the city. Although the emperor later had many of them filled in, some were inevitably missed,” Quan Ning explained.
Wang Dian suddenly understood. “No wonder you chose to rest here.”
“Although Emperor Liang is capable, he’s not omniscient after all,” Quan Ning said smugly. “He won’t think of such minor details so quickly. Once we’re out of the secret passage, he won’t be able to find us even if he turns Qingsong City upside down.”
Wang Dian frowned just imagining Liang Ye’s rage when he couldn’t find them, but quickly suppressed that untimely feeling of sympathy.
He had always been decisive in his actions, never imagining that one day he would personally experience what it felt like to be indecisive.
But the hesitation lasted only a moment. As long as he didn’t see Liang Ye, reason would always overwhelmingly occupy the high ground.
As they emerged from the secret passage, both of them took a deep breath as if having survived a calamity. The long-neglected passage had an unpleasant odor. However, before they could fully catch their breath, dozens of black-armored guards in light gear suddenly rushed towards them.
“Damn it!” Quan Ning cursed, grabbing the insect pouch on his belt and releasing a handful of poisonous insects. A purple-black poisonous mist instantly spread out. Unexpectedly, those guards came prepared, swiftly putting on specially made anti-poison masks. Their charge didn’t slow at all, and they didn’t even waste a word.
In the rush, a pill was stuffed into Wang Dian’s mouth. Then Quan Ning dragged him left and right, dodging through the dizzying exchange between Quan Ning and the guards without a scratch.
Quan Ning noticed that these guards were hesitant to harm Wang Dian. He smiled wickedly and deliberately pulled Wang Dian towards the blades. The guards hurriedly withdrew their swords, only to be ambushed and taken down by Quan Ning the next moment.
“Fuck! Quan Ning!” Wang Dian watched as the sharp blade barely missed his neck, his hair standing on end. He was then yanked backwards, slamming into a rock so hard he nearly vomited.
“Your brother’s men are too tough to deal with!” Quan Ning fought while unhesitatingly using him as a shield against swords. “I agreed to escort you back, but I don’t want to lose my life! Forgive me!”
“Forgive your uncle!” Wang Dian could only try to dodge along with Quan Ning’s movements. He angrily shouted, “Can you handle this or not? If we delay any longer, Liang Ye will be here!”
“Almost!” Quan Ning pressed down on his neck suddenly, his elbow on Wang Dian’s back as he spun into the air, kicking off the guards’ masks. The next instant, poisonous mist rose, and Wang Dian heard only the thuds of bodies falling. Before he could look closely, a clear whistle sounded, and their horses galloped over. He was thrown onto a horse’s back. “Quick, let’s go! Liang Ye is here!”
In the chaos, Wang Dian couldn’t see Liang Ye at all. He grabbed the reins and shouted, “Hya!”
The fine steed carried him into the forest like the wind.
Clouds covered the moon, and the leafless trees surrounded them menacingly, like ghostly shadows. The howling cold wind cut like a knife against their faces. Wang Dian held the reins with one hand and the whip with the other, letting the horse charge madly into the unknown path ahead, his expression stern as he stared into the thick darkness ahead.
Then came the sound of something cutting through the air. He instinctively lay flat on the horse’s back. An arrow grazed his ear and struck a tree trunk, cracks spreading from the impact. In the howling wind, Wang Dian heard a very soft laugh.
He involuntarily held his breath, resisting the urge to turn his head, and whipped the horse’s rump hard again.
Liang Ye looked at his seemingly certain prey, coldly curling his lips. However, in the next moment, a golden curved blade suddenly appeared in front of him.
“Emperor Liang, I have no intention of being your enemy,” Quan Ning said, half his face visible and smiling. “I’m just doing the job I was paid for. The one you’re chasing is a valued client of our Feixian Tower. My apologies!”
With that, countless gu insects swarmed towards Liang Ye from all directions.
Liang Ye scoffed coldly, waving his sleeve to repel the insects. He said contemptuously, “You think you’re enough?”
Quan Ning wasn’t angered, smiling cheekily, “My martial arts indeed can’t compare to yours, but I can still delay you for a while.”
Liang Ye looked at him expressionlessly. Dozens of willow leaf blades flew out from his sleeves. Quan Ning dodged with his blade, but the next moment he was entangled by something. Sharp cracks appeared on his blade. He narrowed his eyes and saw nearly transparent threads glinting in the moonlight. A flood of curses filled his mind.
“The great Emperor Liang, actually acquainted with an infamous demon. Ye Zhanhua wouldn’t easily give away these soul-breaking threads.” Quan Ning secretly exerted force to break free from the threads. His blade was chipped, and his face twisted in pain. He said sarcastically, “You’re an emperor after all. Someone doesn’t want to be with you and ran away, yet you shamelessly chase after them. How undignified.”
Liang Ye’s flexible sword thrust towards his throat. Quan Ning bent backwards, shaking his head. “As expected of an emperor, even a casual weapon is a divine artifact.”
“Noisy.” Liang Ye coldly turned his wrist, directly flicking off Quan Ning’s mask. Quan Ning was startled and hurriedly raised his hand to cover his face, only to have the flexible sword pierce his shoulder.
Liang Ye twisted the sword irritably, rotating the blade in flesh. Quan Ning’s eyes turned bloodshot with pain. He gritted his teeth and reactivated the gu insects, biting his fingertip and sprinkling blood in the air. A sea of insects engulfed them both.
Meanwhile, the guards trailing Wang Dian were getting closer, almost catching up. Suddenly, a group of riders in snow-white clothes in the dark night cut in from the side, directly blocking the group of guards.
A clear whistle sounded, and the steed under him suddenly stopped. He gripped the reins, warily looking towards the source of the sound. He saw a woman in light armor, with beautiful features, smiling and standing on a treetop, her fiery red cape fluttering in the wind.
She lightly landed in front of him, giving him a standard curtsy. Looking up with a smile, she said, “I am Cong Yingqiu, the master of Feixian Tower. Might you be Young Master Wang Dian?”
“I am,” Wang Dian looked down at her.
Cong Yingqiu’s smile deepened, “Feixian Tower has accepted Young Master Wang’s top-tier mission. We apologize for the delay in arriving from Southern Zhao. I hope the young master can forgive us.”
“It’s fine,” he replied.
