Chapter 215: You May Regret It, But I Don’t!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Upon hearing the words, Yun Yang jumped slightly before he said, "Thank you."
Mi Kongqun’s body twitched, blood oozing from his mouth and nose as he said, "There aren’t many men from the Hall of Autumn in Yutang because this is Supreme Lord Spring Frost’s territory… There, I’ve told you all I know…"
"With Supreme Cloud’s ability, it’s more than enough to take them on. You’re blessed by the heavens, G.o.d’s will shall always be on the side of the kind. I believe it now…"
Mi Kongqun curled into himself, even more, his voice turning ragged. "Right, you must be careful… A blade hangs from the sky…"
"A blade hangs from the sky?" Yun Yang asked absently, still unrecovered from the surprise.
Mi Kongqun’s consciousness was blurry, his blood almost entirely drained. "I beg you… destroy the lower half of my body after I die… I beg you…"
Yun Yang sighed. Mi Kongqun was hanging on his last threads now, everything coming from him was merely instinctive mumbling.
Suddenly, Mi Kongqun’s wilting body sat up abruptly. His eyes went wide, his pupils already beginning to dilate; it was as if he was using the last of his life force to say urgently, "Tell my wife Leng Yue, I regret it so much, I do… I really regret it so much… I reg –"
He did not manage to finish his last word. He stiffened before his entire being went limp.
There were no more sounds; that was the end of his life.
Yet in his eyes that had lost its l.u.s.ter, remorse and guilt could still be seen. He leaned against the bed just like this, eyes wide and no longer moving…
Yun Yang left without a trace, leaving Mi Kongqun’s body in the room. He had obeyed his last wish, destroying his lower body while keeping his upper half perfectly intact.
As a bystander and also a man, Yun Yang could understand the thoughts Mi Kongqun had before he died. Cultivating the special cultivation skill was already a reality that could not be altered; there was no way back, what else could he do if not move forward?
He could only go along the path, even when he knew the road ahead was darker. Yet as he walked further, the light in his heart dimmed; how could he not have felt anything? How could there not be a ripple in the calmness?
Actually, Yun Yang had only decided to risk manipulation with his deific consciousness to probe about others from the Four Seasons Tower after Mi Kongqun mentioned that his cultivated skill could improve ten times faster than other cultivation skills.
Mi Kongqun had cultivated for so many years and the advancement of the cultivation skill he was proficient in was possessed of rapid improvement. In spite of it, he was only an eighth peak pinnacle. There must be a reason for it.
If the improvement was so fast and he had cultivated laboriously for forty to fifty years, he should have at least had a cultivation base of the ninth peak and above even if he could not reach Tenth Perfection, the restraining shackle of a martial artist. Mi Kongqun was stuck at eighth heaven pinnacle, obviously, his heart had not been at ease.
The unrest in his heart, in addition to his resentment, had long sown the seed for this calamity. Otherwise, with Mi Kongqun’s foundation, he would never have been swayed by Yun Yang’s words.
Furthermore, he would rather be crushed into pieces when he was near death than to leave the world with the handicap in his body. All the more it had proved the loathing Mi Kongqun held in this matter!
Yun Yang’s gaze was deep. He had gained information beyond his expectations – Minister of Imperial Household Jiang Zhong, Shen Yus.h.i.+, Yang Botao, and the top authority after Grand Commandant of Board of War…
Yun Yang was not very much delighted at the news. What filled him more was the shock that came in vigorous tides.
If it had only been the Minister of Imperial Household Jiang Zhong, Shen Yus.h.i.+, and Yang Botao, it was fine; after all, comparing them to Mi Kongqun, an Inner Court Attendant, it wasn"t much of a surprise.
However, the top authority after Grand Commandant of Board of War… it gave Yun Yang gooseb.u.mps.
Although both old marshals – Qiu Jianhan and Leng Daoyin, belonged to the Board of War, their influence had long exceeded it. As for the Grand Commandant of Board of War, he was aged and weak, long past his prime. He had left his responsibilities in the hands of a successor he had hand-picked himself.
In other words, the military affairs of Yutang were entirely in the palm of that acknowledged successor. If he were to be from the Four Seasons Tower, the consequences would be more than grave – it would be almost impossible to deal with.
"A few people have been hauled, those who were substantially significant," Yun Yang thought as he drifted away.
"Mi Kongqun, I shall complete your request."
In the Mi Family’s alley in Tiantang City, Yun Yang returned fully disguised, hovering in midair from faraway, looking towards the s.p.a.cious courtyard.
The courtyard’s structure was very unique; the land it took up exceptionally wide. There was even an immense pavilion built atop the roof, looking out of the place.
Someone was sitting alone in the pavilion. The person’s head was raised to gaze at the bright moon in the sky – staying still for a long time.
Under the moonlight, the person’s silver strands glowed. The eyes were like two murky pools while the face was adorned with wrinkles. The person’s body was hunched too; it was thin like it could be blown away at any time.
It was an elder in her declining years – an old woman.
The old woman was hugging her knees, her body tucked into herself as if it was very cold. The night breeze that came fluttered her clothes and her silver strands…
Yun Yang suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of loneliness and dreariness; he suddenly recalled Mi Kongqun who was leaning against the window, gazing at the bright moon longingly just as he had seen him upon entering the palace.
The actions, the expression, the longing gaze – they were eerily similar to this old woman’s mannerisms.
Yun Yang suddenly knew who this old woman was. Was she most likely Mi Kongqun’s wife – Leng Yue?
The night had descended into the third fragment of itself, it was also the eleven month’s climate. The night breeze was chilly.
The old woman just sat there. No one had come to comfort nor persuade her to come from the cold.
Obviously, her habit was one that her family grew familiar with; they knew that it was of no use persuading her, so naturally they stopped doing what that would only be fruitless.
The sound of a soft breeze caressed the air.
Yun Yang landed without a sound, still clad in black with a mask on his face.
Seeing Yun Yang appear out of nowhere, the old woman
was calm and distant, like she had not seen him at all.
She turned away after a glance, still staring at the moon with utmost concentration.
She was not at all bothered by the intimidating stranger who had suddenly appeared beside her so mysteriously. It was either magnanimity that allowed her to be so, or it was… an absence of yearning for life!
"Do I have the pleasure of addressing Mistress Leng Yue?" Yun Yang asked softly.
The old woman trembled abruptly and asked slowly, "Did he ask you to come?"
Yun Yang was taken aback.
The old woman’s gaze was as slow and meaningful like her tone when she said, "It has been many years since someone has called my name."
"You are correct. Keeper Mi has asked me to come," Yun Yang said in relief.
The old woman sighed softly. "Where is he? Why didn’t he come himself?"
"Mi Kongqun has pa.s.sed on," Yun Yang’s answer was clear and direct.
A strange change colored the old woman’s expression; her eyes seemed to have frozen for a moment. She turned her head slowly then, a pair of orbs following Yun Yang’s face closely from the fluttering strands of white.
"I was the one who killed him." Yun Yang said,
"However, before he died, asked me to do something. I promised him I would."
The old woman nodded slowly as she said, "You’ve killed him."
She then went quiet. What surprised Yun Yang was that there was no grief after she knew of Mi Kongqun’s death, nor was there resentment. There was only silence.
After a long, long time, the old woman said, "After so many years, he’s finally free…"
There was no sense of animosity nor hate laced within her words; there was not even curiosity. She did not even question what Mi Kongqun had asked Yun Yang to do. In spite of it, her calm face was lined with tears as she spoke, falling drop by drop.
Her voice was still calmly composed.
"You’ve killed him. I should hate you."
The old woman’s poignant voice drifted through the air. "But I only want to thank you now. Thank you for freeing him. He’s had it hard, he’s been suffering for fifty-three years, seven months, and five days…"
Yun Yang was stunned.
Fifty-three years, seven months, and five days; she had actually kept count.
Yun Yang placed a huge package in front of the elderly woman softly and said, "This is Mi Kongqun’s lifetime savings. There are various treasures and gems inside; just the banknotes alone are worth about several million silver taels…"
"Mi Kongqun’s savings was not insignificant. The several million taels of banknotes were only of slight value; those gems were what was truly valuable. If you sell them, the fortune gained would be astronomical."
The old woman’s eyes did not even flicker, she only continued staring at the moon miserably.
Her tears seeped drop by drop, ignoring a large amount of wealth placed before her.
Yun Yang stretched his hand out. "Mi Kongqun has especially asked me to pa.s.s you this jade pendant he wore on his chest…"
In his palm was a jade pendant the shape of a crescent, s.h.i.+ning faintly with a chilling glow under the moonlight...
The old woman turned her head abruptly; her murky eyes suddenly shone with an unprecedented radiance as they focused on the crescent-shaped jade pendant in Yun Yang’s hand.
Her body gave a violent shudder.
One of her hands flew towards her mouth, her entire body shaking terribly while tears coursed like a broken string of pearls. When Yun Yang pa.s.sed the pendant over, her hands clasped his tightly and sobbed, "Brother Qun…"
Yun Yang heaved a deep sigh and said, "He asked me to tell you…"
The old woman clung onto the jade pendant as she raised her head to look at Yun Yang through bleary eyes, "What is it?"
"He said, ‘I regret it, but there’s no way back. I really want to watch the moon with her just like those years.’."
Yun Yang’s reiteration of Mi Kongqun’s words was very slow, his intonation flat, but the radiance within the old woman’s eyes was bright. He could even see the happiness contained within her gaze.
Her years of devoted waiting were not for nothing; her devotion had finally been answered – even when it had come too late.
"His last words were… ‘Tell my wife Leng Yue, I regret it so much, I do… I really regret it so much… I regret it…"
Yun Yang repeated each word Mi Kongqun had said meticulously, conscientiously reiterating them to the old woman before him.
He knew that the lifetime this poor woman had used in waiting was for the exchange of these words. If he had skimped a few words just to save some effort on his part, it would be extremely cruel to this old woman.
"Regret…"
"Is there regret that this lifetime has pa.s.sed just like this? Is there regret in losing after having in this lifetime? We loved each other but we were doomed to be separated heartlessly – is there regret?"
The old woman chuckled sorrowfully. "You may regret it, but I don’t!"