WJ Chapter 98

Bo Zhou (3)

In the very next moment, a whistling gust of powerful wind resounded. Ah Ku only heard a muffled bang and Hall Master Huang’s scream simultaneously exploding by his ear, immediately followed by the weight on his body lifting.

When Ah Ku turned to look, he saw Hall Master Huang knocked askew to the ground by that mysterious gust of wind, blood flowing from his mouth and nose, clutching his head and emitting pained groans.

Something fell to the ground with a clang.

It was clearly the iron door ring from the blood extraction room, torn off by someone with bare hands, then hurled forcefully at Hall Master Huang’s skull.

Before Ah Ku could react, the force pressing on his foot suddenly released. The sound of knees hitting the ground rang out in succession, and the group from the branch hall were clearly calling out “Young Sect Leader.”

…As for the Young Sect Leader of the Zhuyin Sect, where else would there be a second one?

In just the time it took Ah Ku to be stunned, a snow-white robe was gently draped over his upper body where his clothes had been torn to shreds.

A figure flashed before his eyes—it was Yun Changliu kneeling beside him, channeling his internal energy and pressing through the robe against the wound on the side of his neck to stop the bleeding.

The Young Sect Leader’s jaw trembled, his throat choked, unable to make a sound. A teardrop fell from his ceaselessly trembling lashes, landing on Ah Ku’s cheek before sliding off.

Ah Ku’s dim eyes stirred. He abruptly pushed Yun Changliu away, reaching out to grab the short blade that Hall Master Huang had thrown on the ground—the one that had just cut his neck.

The young boy’s eyes brimmed with hatred as he turned toward Hall Master Huang, who was already kneeling in terrified prostration. He wanted to kill him, wanted only to kill him!!

But just as Ah Ku stood up, his right leg that had been beaten sent a wave of sharp pain through him, and he fell back to the ground, the short blade flying from his grasp.

Yun Changliu lunged forward to hold him tightly. But the more critical the moment, the less he could say. Though his heart held a thousand words, he could only lose his voice. The Young Sect Leader merely trembled as he went to cover the wound on Ah Ku’s neck again.

…Actually, given Ah Ku’s usual temperament, if he had retained even a shred of calm, he absolutely would not have wielded a blade against Hall Master Huang in a fight to the death before Yun Changliu.

Because Yun Changliu was the Young Sect Leader of the Zhuyin Sect, and this Hall Master Huang should also be counted as a subordinate who had come thousands of miles to pay his respects.

And this Hall Master Huang actually hadn’t committed any great crime. He had merely used a medicine person to cure poison, that’s all. Though this method of use was indeed inhumane, it couldn’t really be counted as a transgression.

A medicine person who merely relied on the Young Sect Leader’s affection, wanting to kill a branch hall Hall Master just because his blood had been drawn once—this matter was already quite laughable… And if the killing actually succeeded, then it would be not merely laughable, but terrifying.

Young Sect Leader Yun Changliu, who had been plagued by poison since childhood, had never appeared publicly in eight years. There were already many questioning voices, and all along there had been quite a few people who wanted to install Second Young Master Yun Danjing in the position of Young Sect Leader.

This visit to the city by the ten hall masters for an audience was originally an excellent opportunity to win over the masses. Yun Guyan’s intention in bringing his eldest son to attend the banquet was precisely this. But if as soon as the banquet ended, Young Sect Leader Changliu allowed a medicine slave to kill a Hall Master who had come for an audience at the Medicine Gate, where would he retain even half a shred of good reputation?

Abandoning public duty for private matters, killing subordinates indiscriminately, childish and impulsive… Who knew what kind of incompetent and tyrannical master he’d be rumored to be.

The little medicine person should not have failed to think of these details, but at this moment Ah Ku had long since lost his head in anger. In the end, he was still a proud child at heart. Having suffered this kind of humiliation, how could he spare the mental energy to consider other matters?

He finally roared in extreme fury, shoving Yun Changliu away. “Get away! Don’t touch me!”

The Young Sect Leader was pushed back two steps, his face full of bewildered helplessness. His gaze at Ah Ku was scattered and chaotic, his eyes faintly showing unbearable pain gradually welling up, then drying up and falling away.

Ah Ku’s eyes were already red. He had long since lost all reason, with only violent killing intent crashing and careening about in his mind.

He gritted his teeth and endured the pain to stand up, staggering toward the short blade on the ground again. But just as he gripped the handle, he was once more embraced from behind by Yun Changliu.

Ah Ku was completely unaware that the speed of blood loss from the wound on the side of his neck had already slowed under the Young Sect Leader’s persistent efforts time and again. He only subconsciously felt that Yun Changliu was trying to stop him.

The frustration and unwillingness of having the person who humiliated him right before his eyes yet being unable to take revenge, along with an indescribable sense of grievance, rushed straight to his chest. Ah Ku’s mind rang with a buzzing sound, enormous weakness accompanied by dizziness struck, and for a moment all his strength drained away completely.

Yun Changliu grasped his hands holding the blade. Ah Ku’s heart grew even more bitter, thinking only that in the next moment the sharp weapon would be snatched away by the Young Sect Leader. He could bear it no longer: “Even you, even you too…! I, I…” But he closed his eyes, unable to continue.

At the very moment when desperate emotions finally submerged all his consciousness like a pitch-black tide, cold and icy—

A gentle yet firm pushing force transmitted from behind him.

Ah Ku was supported by that force, his entire being involuntarily leaning forward in a daze.

His hands felt some resistance, but soon the force from behind broke through that resistance, pressing deeply forward—

—Puchi.

Ah Ku suddenly felt his heart go cold and snapped awake.

He heard the sound of the blade entering flesh, he smelled the suddenly intense scent of blood, he opened his eyes in shock.

Yun Changliu held him tightly from behind.

The Young Sect Leader’s hands gripped his hands.

His hands still weakly clutched that short blade.

The tip of the short blade had already plunged deeply into Hall Master Huang’s chest.

Hall Master Huang’s eyes went wide as he opened his mouth, and fresh blood gushed out with a wah. Terror and disbelief intermingled on his face. “Young…Sect Leader…”

Yun Changliu remained silent, only pressing on Ah Ku’s hands as he forcefully pulled the short blade out.

Hall Master Huang let out a shrill, agonized scream. Yun Changliu lowered his head, holding the little medicine person in his arms as he turned to the side. All the blood gushing from the Hall Master’s chest splattered onto the Young Sect Leader’s shoulder and face—not a single drop touched Ah Ku.

“…”

Ah Ku stared blankly. Watching that imposing Hall Master Huang with a bloody hole stabbed in his chest, watching Yun Changliu covered in blood, the first thought that emerged was surprisingly not satisfaction.

He watched as the snow-white brocade robe he’d praised as beautiful just a few hours ago was dyed completely crimson, watched as blood soaked Yun Changliu’s smooth hair and dripped down drop by drop, and confusedly thought to himself:

…How had he gotten his little Young Sect Leader so dirty?

This, wasn’t…

He, he clearly hadn’t wanted it to be like this.

In the next moment, Yun Changliu exerted force again. The short blade in Ah Ku’s hands stabbed in and pulled out, fresh blood splattered again, and agonized screams echoed endlessly through the blood extraction room.

The shouts of the group from the branch hall rang in his ears, still making such a clamor:

“Young Sect Leader, you must not!”

“We beg the Young Sect Leader for mercy…”

Yun Changliu paid them no mind. His face pressed close to Ah Ku’s as he brought his lips to the little medicine person’s ear and said softly, “I can’t find the vital point. You do it.”

Ah Ku’s mind was in complete chaos. His hands moved, the blade tip pressing against Hall Master Huang’s heart.

But then he shuddered, finally gaining clarity in his mind, and immediately tried to pull his hands back.

—How could he let Yun Changliu kill for him, and kill someone from the Zhuyin Sect no less!?

But it was already too late.

Yun Changliu gripped his hands and stepped forward. White robe and blue-green garment pressed tightly together. That short blade held by two pairs of hands plunged with a puchi into Hall Master Huang’s heart.

This stab was both steady and swift.

When the short blade was pulled out, a mist of blood filled Ah Ku’s vision. Through the blood mist, he saw Hall Master Huang’s body slowly falling backward, facing the sky.

The Young Sect Leader asked softly, “Who else?”

But Ah Ku’s heart pounded like a drum, and he had long since become a complete mess. With a slight turn of his head, he saw Yun Changliu’s ice-jade-like eyes.

For a moment he only felt the world spinning, thinking in a daze:

Heavens, what kind of person was this little Young Sect Leader really? Why, when he was killing someone, could those eyes of his still be so clear and calm?

Could this not be his first time killing?

Did he truly have no hesitation, no fear whatsoever?

Not receiving Ah Ku’s answer, Yun Changliu simply held the person in his arms with one hand while gripping the blood-dripping short blade with the other, surveying their surroundings. His expression calm and composed, his voice cool as he said, “Who else?”

“Who else touched him just now?”

Leader Li had long since turned deathly pale. How could he not know that the one he’d just bullied was someone he couldn’t afford to offend?

He was so frightened that tears and snot flowed freely. His legs gave out as he collapsed to the ground, frantically banging his head against the floor until it was broken and bleeding. “Young Sect Leader, spare my life, Young Sect Leader, spare my life! This lowly one deserves death, this lowly one was blind…”

Those guards also began begging for mercy one after another. Even the other medicine people in the blood extraction room who had watched Ah Ku being beaten without speaking up were all frightened pale.

Yun Changliu walked calmly forward a step, once again placing the short blade in Ah Ku’s hands. Leader Li grew even more terrified, kowtowing until his face was covered in blood. “I beg the Young Sect Leader for mercy! Mercy!”

With a clang, it was Ah Ku who violently threw the short blade away.

He grabbed Yun Changliu, saying hoarsely, “Enough! Young Sect Leader, that’s enough…”

Yun Changliu paused slightly, revealing a hint of confusion. The Young Sect Leader lowered his eyes for a long moment, then raised them again to gaze steadily at him. “Why?”

Ah Ku only shook his head continuously, tugging at Yun Changliu’s sleeve, speaking incoherently. “No… no. You can’t… for me… you can’t kill people like this…”

Yun Changliu studied him seriously, as if still not understanding the meaning in Ah Ku’s words.

But after a long while, he finally nodded very lightly.

Under the terrified gazes of Leader Li and all the guards, the blood-soaked Young Sect Leader took the short blade in his hand, bent down, and carried Ah Ku on his back.

Yun Changliu walked out of the blood extraction room step by step just like that, leaving behind the crowd of people silent as cicadas in winter.

When Ah Ku entered the Medicine Gate it had still been afternoon. Now outside, the sky had already darkened and grown cold.

Yun Changliu carried Ah Ku on his back, walking into the vast cold night.

Both children were covered in blood. The Young Sect Leader walked along the small path, leaving a bloody footprint with each step.

Moonlight piercing through thin clouds fell on the medicine fields, like rippling water flowing between the blades of grass. Tranquil—the chirping of Winter Listeners had already begun.

Ah Ku narrowed his eyes. That hatred that had originally burned him like flames had already disappeared without a trace at some unknown moment.

He lay wearily on Yun Changliu’s shoulder, gazing hazily at Yun Changliu’s shadow stretched long by the moonlight, calling out softly, “Young Sect Leader.”

Yun Changliu responded, “Mm.”

Ah Ku closed his eyes and called out to him again. “…Young Sect Leader.”

Yun Changliu said, “I’m here.”

The little medicine person tightened his arms around Yun Changliu’s neck, only to touch a sticky mass of blood. His heart ached as he murmured slowly, as if in a dream:

“Where are you taking me? I still haven’t drawn blood for you…”

Yun Changliu was silent for a long time before softly humming “Mm” again, but his feet didn’t stop for even a step—he had already walked out of the Medicine Gate.

So Ah Ku knew that he had only hummed because he didn’t know what to say.

That night, Yun Changliu carried him all the way down the mountain, walking from Xifeng City back to his wooden house.

The bright moon illuminated the path ahead throughout, the slightly cool breeze blowing through their hair. Ah Ku’s thoughts gradually grew hazy.

To fall so low as to become the Zhuyin Sect’s humble medicine person—was this truly his fate?

Perhaps, perhaps…

Meeting someone like Yun Changliu—that was his true fate.