Shan Chao started in surprise at once.
"Cough cough, cough cough cough, cough cough…" Who knew if it was due to his raging mood which led to his qi and blood rushing, but Fu Wenjie started coughing violently once he opened his mouth, and then spittle flecked with blood spurted onto the ground, and standing nearby, Shan Chao"s expression changed slightly.
"As expected… as expected of your master," Fu Wenjie finally managed to stop coughing with difficulty, and smiled at Shan Chao as he spoke: "To even know of this—hahaha! How did Commander Xie find out?"
Xie Yun smiled: "I merely ordered a search of Young Master"s room, and my subordinates were diligent, so it is not deserving of compliment."
Shan Chao said in astonishment: "Why did you take poison?"
Fu Wenjie had coughed himself to muteness, only waving his hand without a word, and slowly retreated by the coffin"s side, sinking back onto the stool in disappointment.
At that moment under the underground chamber"s flickering light, the fatal black aura finally floated onto his face, unable to be concealed anymore.
"Because everyone responsible for the Young Madam"s death must pay with their lives, including the Young Master himself who did not manage to protect his wife." Xie Yun crossed his arms as he stood by the entrance of the secret chamber, leaning his shoulder slightly on the rough wall, smiling as he opened his mouth to speak.
"If back then you had put out your dignity as an older brother to resolutely support your love, when she was faced with the sister-in-law making things difficult; if back then you taken on your responsibility as a husband to firmly safeguard your wife, when faced with your mother"s denouncement; if back then when you knew the foetus was female, you had provided your mettle as a father to resolutely protect your own unborn child… then in this day, the outcomes would be entirely different."
"The originator of all the sins is you, Young Master Fu." An unconcealed pity and mercilessness arose in Xie Yun"s eyes: "It is your hesitation and internal struggle which killed her, killed your child, and it was you who at the start wrote out the present conclusion of a family wrenched apart."
Every word seemed like a smiling knife, gouging into the most painful parts of Fu Wenjie"s heart.
Shan Chao looked towards the expression of Fu Wenjie by the coffin, and his heart trembled: "Don"t say anymore!"
"Did I speak wrongly?" Xie Yun spoke in curiosity: "—Young Master?"
Fu Wenjie"s hand pressed onto the coffin lid, grasping firmly bit by bit.
The fingernails which were forcibly pried open from skin and flesh swiftly spilled blood, and all five fingers left distinct, red-stained scratch wounds in the black lacquered cedar.
"It doesn"t matter…" he hoa.r.s.ely croaked, trembling to the point that he did not sound human.
"It doesn"t matter, I"ll go down to accompany her, to be together with her…"
"Our family of three will be reunited, and no one else would be there, no one else… we will be together forever and ever…"
"I"m afraid that the Young Madam may not agree," Xie Yun suddenly ridiculed.
Fu Wenjie abruptly raised his head, his eyes bulging that they seemed about to split open in his flushed face: "…what did you say?!"
"To the Young Madam, you are no different from the Fu family who killed her, even so much that as her husband you are even more hateful, why would she want to see you?"
Xie Yun looked down his nose at the speechless Fu Wenjie, and smirked: "Young Master yourself should be clear in your heart, when the Young Madam was lying on the birthing bed tearing open her heart and lungs screaming, who did she hate the most in her heart? When she saw that her own child was neither male nor female, like a freak lying in a pool of blood with not the least breath, who did she want to kill the most to avenge her child? When she was entirely unreconciled to her fate yet had no option but to leave her mortal frame, did she love you and could not bear to part with you, or did she wish to eat your flesh raw, drink her fill of your blood, and drag you with her into the eighteen levels of h.e.l.l?"
Shan Chao bellowed: "Don"t say anymore!"
"When you were dreaming of back then, and Young Madam appeared in your dreams," Xie Yun gazed at Fu Wenjie"s eyes, his gaze filled with enticement and malice which directly reached the hearts of people, "was she speaking to you with an artful smile, warm and kind and virtuous in red aromatic sleeves, or dying tragically on the birthing bed, glaring at you with eyes filled with grievance?"
"Stop talking!" Shan Chao sternly spoke: "Don"t say anymore!"
"……" Fu Wenjie"s chest violently undulated, his entire person shaking as if he were chaff in the wind, and the lower lip which had been bitten through bled profusely.
"No…" His gasping voice seemed like a bellow, as if his entire chest was leaking air, as he hissed: "It"s not… it"s not like that…"
"Don"t deceive yourself when death is near at hand," Xie Yun mildly said, "I merely a.s.sisted Young Master, by simply pointing out what you were always well aware of."
—always well aware of.
Always…
It seemed as thought hundreds and thousands of blades twisted and crossed in Fu Wenjie"s chest, cutting dripping wet cuts, and in that moment his reason was burned to ashes in the raging flames of pain, even so much that his eye sockets were dyed a horrifying red.
"It"s not like that… it"s not like that! Shut up, shut up!"
Fu Wenjie"s fists clenched tight, as he quickly got up, and charged towards Xie Yun like a mad tiger!
The Seven Stars Longyuan was unsheathed in a clang, and Shan Chao was about to rush forward, yet in that instant, he saw Xie Yun lightly dodge to the side with an indescribable footwork, getting out of the way, reaching out, and within that minute proximity, pa.s.sed by Fu Wenjie"s charge like a falling feather.
For such exquisite and complicated moves, if not personally seen, no one else could believe that someone on earth could actually do it!
Shan Chao blurted out: "Careful—"
Yet Xie Yun seemed not to hear.
In the instant that they brushed past, his fingertips had already touched the Snow Lotus held tightly in Fu Wenjie"s palm.
Right at the same moment, a disorderly hubbub of footsteps rang in the tunnel.
Whoosh—
A light sound rushed through the air, and a golden arrow shot through the dark tunnel, and fresh blood splashed out as Fu Wenjie"s shoulder was shot through!
With such a sudden turn of events, not only Shan Chao, even Xie Yun"s movements froze for a moment.
And then, the great momentum carried by the golden arrow overturned Fu Wenjie, and his entire person flew out!
With a loud crash, Fu Wenjie"s back crashed on the stone wall, and then he fell to the ground, fresh blood splashing from his body as if a sluice had been opened.
At the same time the footsteps in the tunnel approached, and several personal soldiers in full armour rushed into the underground chamber, following which a large-built man carrying a long bow parted the crowd with his entrance.
—this man was covered in dust, and his expression cold and solemn, it was the Great Cavalry General Yuwen Hu who had led his troops to rush down south!
He looked around his surroundings, his gaze slightly strange when it came into contact with Shan Chao, yet he quickly pa.s.sed by, and looked towards Xie Yun: "You—Are you alright?"
Xie Yun did not respond, he did not even so much as glance at him.
The Imperial Guard Commander slowly rubbed his own wrist which had been struck when Fu Wenjie was sent flying a moment ago. In the fire-light his expression was solemn, his lips tightly pursed, and after a while he lightly spat out a few words before everyone:
"Unable to accomplish anything, but liable to spoil everything…"
Yuwen Hu immediately choked in his throat, his expression embarra.s.sed and rather indignant.
Yet this time he had yet to speak, when suddenly a depressed and hoa.r.s.e voice came from a corner of the chamber: "Hehe, hehe…"
This sound was simply too malevolent, and everyone"s scalps instantly crawled, raising their heads to see Fu Wenjie leaning against the wall, his hand still holding the golden arrow which he had forcibly pulled out from his own shoulder.
That appearance was simply too terrifying, and worse, his hand astonishingly still gripped on that Snow Lotus dyed red with blood!
"Didn"t expect… didn"t expect that there was still this way…" Fu Wenjie raised the Snow Lotus to scrutinise it, a taunting smile floating up on his face: "I had originally wanted to bury Sword-Forging Manor with me, yet didn"t expect that Chang"an still has an Eastern Palace Crown Prince to share my fate, it might be considered worth it—"
"Wait, wait!" Yuwen Hu was immediately enlightened, and in a moment of desperation sternly shouted: "Shut your mouth!"
Yet it was already too late.
Fu Wenjie opened his mouth, trembling as he pinched up that Snow Lotus, imminently about to swallow it in one gulp!
Translator"s Notes Chapter 17: The mystery of Xie Yun"s looks
Since right now the story is at an impa.s.se with nothing much to add, let"s talk for a moment on Xie Yun"s seemingly youthful looks.
I say seemingly here, because in later chapters there"s lots of knocks and b.u.mps and so on and so forth, but throughout all the book covers, it depicts Shan Chao growing up around the eternally youthful Xie Yun. Of course, later chapters do provide some plot-details for this - but all of Shan Chao"s childhood to adulthood and beyond is still a very long time to be eternally young and beautiful.
Maybe it"s suitable that Huaishang"s later work "Breaking Through the Clouds" features "Young and Beautiful" as a theme song. If this novel wasn"t a historical wuxia fiction I"d recommend it as a theme song too.
- LLS
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