SS CH80

Gu Xiao stayed in the Weeping Blood Cave for three days.

Just as Helian Yu had said, there was no water or food here, and even the light was pitifully dim. The inside twisted and turned like a mind riddled with a thousand holes, making it impossible to find a way out, while human beasts could spring out to ambush him at any moment.

Gu Xiao was injured. Although Helian Yu had sent someone to hastily apply medicine to him, the moment the medicine touched his skin, the pain vanished entirely. In his heart, he cried out, Oh no.

Judging by his wounds, even the best miracle medicine couldn’t achieve such instantaneous results. Even if such a medicine existed, Helian Yu would absolutely never waste it on him. For the medicine to instantly stop the pain upon application could only mean… it was highly likely toxic.

Thrown into the Weeping Blood Cave with only a rust-mottled long saber by his side and barely having recovered any strength, the human beasts bred in the cave came crawling, drawn by the scent of fresh blood.

In this place, there was no etiquette, righteousness, integrity, or sense of shame, nor was there any distinction between orthodox and unorthodox, right and wrong. There was only the slaughter between predator and prey. All struggles ultimately boiled down to a simple, brutal fight to the death.

Several times, Gu Xiao thought to himself: Why don’t I just die like this?

Dying would end it all. He wouldn’t feel hunger, thirst, or pain. Even if his corpse was eaten down to a bare skeleton by these human beasts, it wouldn’t matter. The worst-case scenario was giving himself a quick knife thrust, ending it cleanly. It had to be better than suffering this kind of torture.

But if he died, what would happen to Gu Qifang and Duanqing?

His Shifu and Shiniang had painstakingly raised him this far. Before he could repay even a sliver of their kindness, he’d be off to King of Hell, probably doomed to serve as a beast of burden in his next life.

Furthermore… once dead, all things fade to nothing for the deceased, leaving only the living to suffer the lingering pain of injustice. If he truly died here, Helian Yu wouldn’t spare his Shifu and Shiniang either. He would have caused their painstaking efforts to go to waste, costing them heartbreak and throwing them into danger. How could he do such a thing?

Gritting his teeth, Gu Xiao endured. While fending off the human beasts that could appear at any moment, he explored the complex Weeping Blood Cave, desperate to find a way to escape.

He found the secret chamber with the hidden door, but no matter how many methods he tried, he couldn’t push it open. He had once fancied himself a young hero with extraordinary innate talent, yet now, he was utterly powerless before a single door.

Gu Xiao collapsed to his knees before the door, completely drained of strength. His insides burned like fire, his head buzzed incessantly, and the medicated wounds felt as though countless ants were crawling over them—a maddening mix of numbness and itching. Paralyzed on the ground, he was like a fish pulled from the water, moments away from drying out and dying, barely retaining a final shred of lucidity.

The drug applied to his wounds was the exact same drug used to domesticate the human beasts, only slightly diluted. It wouldn’t make him instantly lose his mind, but within the environment of the Weeping Blood Cave, it would push him step by step into chaotic madness, transforming him step by step from a human into a beast sustained only by the urge to kill.

He desperately fought to maintain his last shred of sanity, but oftentimes, human effort cannot defy fate, and reason ultimately loses to instinct.

Gu Qifang’s heart-tearing, lung-splitting coughs, along with the hand that fell upon the corner of his eye, pulled his head back out from the abyss of madness. Yet, the moment he looked up, what entered his vision was his Shifu—who had always been as towering and unshakeable as a mountain range—covered entirely in blood.

The blade was merely an inch away from her heart, and the hilt was gripped tightly in his hands.

In that moment, Gu Xiao felt that it would have been better if he had truly gone mad. At least then, he wouldn’t have to realize so acutely… that he was the one who had dealt Gu Qifang a fatal strike.

It felt as though his entire being had been struck by lightning. He had absolutely no idea what expression he wore, what he said, or what he did at that time; his mind was both agonizingly clear and utterly chaotic. One moment, he was picking up the Jinghong blade to pry the weapon away and lower Gu Qifang from the cave wall; the next moment, he suddenly went mad, failing to recognize her, raising the blade and chasing her to kill her.

When Gu Qifang desperately used both hands to push open the secret door, he was dragging the Jinghong blade, pressing in step by step, his eyes reflecting nothing but the color of blood.

She suffered four blade wounds: one on her chest, one on her left arm, and two slashes across her back so deep the bone was visible.

Gu Xiao saw it with crystal clarity, his heart screaming desperately to stop, but his body acted like a puppet controlled by steel wires, raising the saber uncontrollably.

By the time the blade swung toward Gu Qifang’s neck, she had no strength left to dodge. Gu Xiao’s eyes widened until the corners nearly split, on the verge of dripping blood, yet he simply could not stop his own hands and feet.

Fortunately, Duanqing stopped him.

When Gu Xiao lost his balance and fell to his knees, the mania in his mind abruptly receded like the tide. His heavily bloodshot eyes stared blankly at Gu Qifang.

Gu Qifang barely had the strength left to even look at him. Lying prone on the ground, blood dyed a patch of the floor beneath her red. From Gu Xiao’s angle, he could clearly see her left arm, from which a chunk of flesh had been brutally sliced away.

His gaze fell numbly back to the bloodstained Jinghong blade in his hand. Growing up, Gu Xiao had always been an expert at shifting the blame, but now, he couldn’t find a single excuse to absolve himself.

When struck down by Helian Yu’s palm, Gu Xiao instinctively jammed the blade into the mountain rock, barely suspending his body. At this moment, the moon was dark and the wind high. The cold wind darted wildly across his spine like venomous snakes, making his hair stand on end.

While he was still dazed, Duanqing had already stepped forward.

Gu Qifang’s injuries were too severe; he didn’t dare move her recklessly. Seeing Gu Xiao in peril, he threw himself to the edge of the cliff, leaning more than half his body over, reaching out to pull him up.

Gu Xiao watched almost numbly as that hand drew closer and closer. Duanqing’s face was filled with anxiety, and he seemed to be saying something, but Gu Xiao couldn’t hear a single word.

The residual effects of the drug seemed to act up again. His mind turned chaotic, and suddenly he saw another person appear at the edge of the cliff.

Helian Yu looked down at him from above, the silver mask resembling the face of a ghostly White Impermanence at this moment, mocking all his stupidity and powerlessness.

A sneering voice condensed into a fine thread and pierced into his ear, so clear that every word carved itself into his bones and heart: “Gu Qifang is going to die, and you killed her… Deceiving your Shifu and destroying your ancestors. Well done.”

At that moment, Duanqing’s hand was almost touching him. Gu Xiao believed that even if he did nothing, his Shiniang would definitely pull him up.

The smile in that voice deepened: “He’s trying to save you. How lucky… But other than dragging them down, what else can you do? Oh, right, you can also pick up your blade and kill them again.”

Gu Xiao looked up, staring at Duanqing’s paper-pale face.

Duanqing’s condition was poor. Worried for Gu Qifang and trying to save Gu Xiao, he also had to stay vigilant against a sudden attack from Helian Yu beside him. Cold sweat dripped profusely from his forehead.

He had never seen the usually immovable Duanqing look like this.

Perhaps because his complexion was too awful, Duanqing comforted him while reaching for his hand, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll pull you up.”

In the instant their hands were about to touch, as if possessed by demons and gods, Gu Xiao pulled out the Jinghong blade, leaned backward, and plummeted down.

His back faced downward, his face toward the sky, but the night sky did not reflect in his eyes. He only saw his Shiniang’s drastically changing face suddenly shrink and then rapidly disappear from sight.

At that moment, Gu Xiao thought to himself: I should have died long ago.

But perhaps even the heavens didn’t want to let him off easy; rolling down the cliff, Gu Xiao failed to die.

The cliff wasn’t incredibly high. Old trees jutted out from the middle, and below lay a forest and a river. The trees broke Gu Xiao’s fall a few times on the way down, and he finally rolled into the river covered in injuries, swept away by the current.

When he woke up, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place, being tended to by a stranger.

The man said his surname was Lin. He was a court commandant captured by Helian Yu and had picked him up while fleeing.

“Originally, facing imminent disaster, I didn’t want to meddle in other people’s business, but seeing the blade in your hand…” The man smiled and pointed at the Jinghong blade Gu Xiao gripped with a death hold. “Previously, this blade was in the hands of a female hero. She saved my life at Mizong Ridge and was asking about the whereabouts of a young boy… Seeing you clutching this saber so tightly by the river back then, I guessed you must be the person she was trying to save.”

Gu Xiao listened to him speak numbly, not a single trace of emotion on his face. Even his heart was left with nothing but emptiness. Without a sound, tears streamed down his face.

There truly is no expression in this world that can bear the true essence of parting in life and separation by death.

As soon as his injuries healed slightly, Gu Xiao left the town amidst Commandant Lin’s sighs. With little money on him and unable to ride a horse, he traveled as destitute as a beggar, dining on the wind and sleeping in the dew for over half a month before finally returning to Feiyun Peak.

Along the way, Gu Xiao had imagined many possibilities. He thought that his Shifu was so powerful, she would definitely survive this ordeal. When he got home, she would snatch up a broom, give him a resounding thrashing, and scold him fiercely for three solid hours without resting.

He also imagined that his Shifu was gone, and his Shiniang would never dote on him again, hating him to the bone for being an ungrateful traitor who deceived his master and destroyed his ancestors. As soon as he returned, he would be dragged to his Shifu’s grave to accept his punishment, allowing himself to be beaten and slaughtered without a single word of complaint.

Gu Xiao imagined so much, yet the one thing he never imagined was… that he would have no home left.

Feiyun Peak, once lush and verdant, was a place like a worldly utopia. Gu Xiao had lived here for six years. Dozing against trees in the spring, catching fish in the water in the summer, picking fruit on the mountain in autumn mornings, and drawing his bow to hunt beasts on winter nights—every little detail had accumulated over more than two thousand days and nights, yet now, absolutely nothing remained.

The entire mountain had been scorched by fire, leaving not a blade of grass alive. The soil and rocks were charred black, cracking open in several places. Gu Xiao walked dazedly along the blackened mountain path. Looking at the charred tree trunks by the roadside and the corpses of birds and beasts burned alive on the ground, for a moment, he almost thought he had come to the wrong place.

But when he saw the burned ruins of the wooden house, he fell to his knees, unable to deceive himself any longer.

Gu Xiao dug through the ruins for a long time, but found nothing.

Gu Xiao had no idea how he got down the mountain, nor how many times he fell along the way, or even where he was going. Muddled and disoriented, he was like a walking corpse that had lost its soul.

He finally became a homeless wanderer, possessing nothing but the Jinghong blade. Lost and helpless, he meekly submitted when bullied by local thugs and ruffians, all traces of his former youthful arrogance entirely gone.

It wasn’t until one time, when a few beggars tried to steal the Jinghong blade—thinking they could pawn it for three or four taels of silver—that he seemed to jolt awake from a nightmare. Punch after punch, he beat them all to the ground until his hand bones ached.

After the fight, he sat amidst the chaotic mess on the ground, clutching the Jinghong blade, wailing and sobbing uncontrollably.

After wandering for about ten days, Gu Xiao returned to a familiar place—the inn in Jinshui Town.

Looking at the inn’s signboard, he remembered his last proper interaction with Gu Qifang here, listening to her unusually stern reprimand before waving goodbye to her on the long bluestone street.

The waiter didn’t recognize him as the previously generous guest, taking him for a beggar and hastily trying to shoo him away. Gu Xiao pulled out his very last piece of broken silver and said to him, “I’m not eating or staying. Just take me to see the osmanthus tree in the backyard. I’ll only stay for a moment and then leave.”

He still remembered that the osmanthus tree was very tall, and sitting in it, one could see the room Gu Qifang had previously stayed in. Perhaps someone else was there now, but even if it was just a tightly shut window, he had to see it. After seeing it… he would finally give up hope.

Greedy for money, the waiter agreed since the shopkeeper was away, but warned, “There are esteemed guests staying at the inn. You are not allowed to disturb them, and you must leave in no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.”

Gu Xiao didn’t care; he just wanted to take one look anyway. Thinking carefully, the blooming season for that tree should also be coming to an end.

But when he reached the backyard, he saw someone completely unexpected.

The osmanthus flowers on the tree had indeed almost all fallen. The small, golden-red flowers formed a fine, dense ring on the ground. A little boy dressed in warm yellow clothes was squatting on the ground, using his chubby hands to pick up the osmanthus flowers one by one.

Several people were guarding him. Seeing Gu Xiao, they immediately drew their blades and shouted. Hearing the commotion, the little boy turned around. Initially startled by this unkempt, destitute person, he quickly recognized his dirty face.

“Gu Xiao!”

Stepping over the ground covered in osmanthus flowers, the boy lunged forward, then slammed on the brakes, looking at his filthy clothes with disgust. But ultimately, he still reached out and tugged at his sleeve, half complaining and half acting spoiled: “You finally came back.”

Gu Xiao stared blankly at Chu Yao: “Didn’t you… go home?”

“I told you I wanted you to be my Shifu. Since you didn’t agree, I’m not going back!” Bringing this up made Chu Yao a bit annoyed. He kicked Gu Xiao in the calf—not hard, like a kitten throwing a tantrum. “I didn’t know where to find you, so I had to come back here and wait… I waited for you for a whole month! No one has ever dared to treat me like this before!”

Gu Xiao suddenly squatted down, hugged Chu Yao, and pressed the boy’s little head against his chest.

“You need to take a bath and change clothes, you’re annoying!” Chu Yao squirmed in his embrace, but suddenly felt a drop of warm liquid splash on his face. Stunned for a moment, he looked up into Gu Xiao’s eyes. “Why… why are you crying?”

“…”

“Don’t cry!” Chu Yao was a bit frantic. Raising a sleeve made of fine brocade, he wiped Gu Xiao’s tears, racking his brains to remember how his mother used to coax him. “Don’t cry. I-I’ll give you some osmanthus candy to eat. It’s really sweet!”

Having a finger-sized piece of candy forcefully shoved into his mouth, Gu Xiao tasted the rich fragrance of osmanthus. It wasn’t intensely sweet, but it made him begin to come back to life from the inside out.

Holding Chu Yao, his eyes stared fixedly at that familiar window, his voice hoarse: “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

Chu Yao thought he was apologizing for making him wait so long. Feeling that he was already a little adult and needed to show some magnanimity, he mimicked an adult’s manner and gently patted Gu Xiao’s back, saying, “It’s good that you came. Waiting a little longer is fine. I don’t blame you.”

The moment those last four words came out, Gu Xiao hugged him even tighter, tears pouring from his eyes.