Chapter 65 Even in death, he shouldn't have died because of what he hated most…
A fierce wind howled, accompanied by screams, and the stench of blood filled the entire room, hitting people directly in the face, making it almost impossible to open their eyes.
"Hmm!"
With a muffled groan, Xie Chengyan stabbed the man in front of him through the neck with his sword. Warm blood splattered on his face and trickled down, soaking his clothes in a glaring red that made him unrecognizable.
Suddenly, the sword was drawn, and blood gushed out again.
The body that had been impaled on his sword went limp instantly, and he fell backward to the ground, his empty eyes wide open.
Xie Chengyan straightened up, didn't even glance at him, and took a step forward.
Suddenly, a flying blade shot out from the side with lightning speed, aiming straight for his throat.
But his gaze remained unwavering. He merely raised his sword to parry, then casually pressed it down, and with a slight movement of his wrist, the flying blade immediately changed direction and flew back towards its origin.
In the blink of an eye, it struck his vital point.
The man didn't even have time to utter a sound before he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Xie Chengyan took another step forward. The room was littered with corpses. He stood in front of the door with bloodshot eyes, having lost count of how many he had killed that night.
One after another, he was like a walking corpse, only concerned with killing everyone in the room who tried to flee in a sorry state.
Blood dripped down the blade as Xie Chengyan stared intently at Xie Yi, who was being protected by a group of people.
Xie Yi maintained a smile throughout, the meaning of which was hard to discern. He had taken in Xie Chengyan's actions without the fear or trepidation of others, as if he were watching his own rebellious and mischievous child.
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed. There is fighting and chaos here, with screams deafening, but outside there is an eerie silence, without any movement.
Xue Hongming cursed under his breath, "Where are the people outside! Why isn't there a single reinforcement in sight!"
Xie Yi chuckled softly: "He dared to step in today, so he must have made full preparations."
After saying that, he paused slightly and stared at Xie Chengyan: "If I were him, I would definitely transfer all the men to the palace. The Imperial Guards have the duty to protect the emperor, so they will kill them all. As for him, he only needs to hold off the rest of us."
“Those people are our carefully selected elites. If they were truly under his command, how could we be unaware?”
Xue Hongming argued until his face turned red, disbelieving that he had such ability to tamper with things right under his nose.
Xie Yi scoffed lightly: "It's just a troop deployment. He's been pretending to be clever for twenty years and neither of us has noticed anything amiss. Twenty years, and we've raised a son like this. The problem is that we trusted him too much."
Although the words were reprimanding, there was an undeniable fervor and excitement in his tone.
Xue Hongming clearly noticed this and glanced at him.
Xie Yi, oblivious to everything, said slowly to Xie Chengyan, "Chengyan, you chose a rather unwise time. Today, with everyone on guard, it will be troublesome if we start fighting. If I were you, I would wait a few more days. We can take revenge when our troops are exhausted and people are weary, which would be much more effective."
The words fell into the blood-soaked air. Xue Hongming was momentarily confused, wondering if Xie Yi had been driven mad by his son. How could he still have the mind to offer suggestions at this time?
Xie Chengyan stood there covered in blood, and he had suffered many injuries.
Indeed, Xie Yi's words were the truth. Everyone was on high alert for the sake of the Crown Prince, and tonight was not a good time to make a move.
The candlelight flickered, casting a dim light over his face, yet it couldn't conceal the fierce glint in his eyes.
His voice was cold and clear as he said, enunciating each word clearly: "Today is the Lantern Festival, and I don't want to wait."
Xie Yi frowned disapprovingly: "A moment of impulse! I've taught you since you were little that those who achieve great things cannot act on emotion, and you've completely forgotten that. Look at this, even if you kill us all now, do you think you can get out of here alive?"
Xie Chengyan looked at him, and suddenly, the corner of his lips twitched.
The person in front of him was his father, the father who taught him from a young age how to fight his way out of a bloody path.
To achieve great things, one must calmly contemplate and eliminate all possible distractions. All emotions, desires, love, anger, sorrow, and joy must be cast aside without hesitation.
All you need to do is keep an eye on the final result, and fight, grab, and plan for what you want.
As for the others, they are merely means to an end.
It doesn't matter how many people die, as long as it's not me, it doesn't matter.
Swords clashed with a sharp clang.
Suddenly, someone came with a knife while he was lost in thought, and Xie Chengyan fought numbly.
In this space, he does what has been the most ordinary thing for him for the past ten years or so.
Slashing necks, piercing hearts, watching one after another rush towards them, one after another falling down.
He felt no pleasure whatsoever.
"Father, it's your turn."
The blood-stained sword was pointed directly at Xie Yi. Corpses were piled up haphazardly on the ground. Xue Hongming's tendons had been severed by Xie Chengyan's sword, and he was kicked aside, spared his life for now, to wait for the final reckoning.
There was nowhere to stand in the entire room, but Xie Yi remained unmoved. He kicked the cold corpse at his feet and asked him in confusion, "Chengyan, why is this? What's wrong with things being like this? The Crown Prince is no fit to be emperor, and the Xue family is in decline, their talents have dwindled, and they are rotten and useless. As for me, I am a Duke. Once the Crown Prince is elected, if everything goes smoothly, we can sideline the emperor, eliminate the Xue family, and then you and I, father and son, can join forces to control the court, making us the most powerful family in the world!"
"What's wrong with that!"
Xie Yi's boastful words immediately made Xue Hongming's eyes widen: "Xie Yi! You despicable scoundrel!"
Xie Yi, however, felt no remorse whatsoever. He gazed intently at his most favored son and coaxed him gently, "Chengyan, the path to heaven is only half a step away. Success or failure hinges on tonight! What's wrong with that?"
Xie Chengyan looked at that power-hungry face, but remained unmoved, only coldly uttering two words.
"not good."
"Why, Chengyan? You are my son whom I have carefully nurtured. How could you think it's bad?"
Xie Chengyan scoffed, "Of course you think everything is good. Back then, didn't you use the same trick to become the Duke of Wei today?"
Xie Yi replied matter-of-factly, "So what? I started from scratch and climbed up step by step. It was me who held a high position! It was me who was granted the title of Duke of Wei! In the future, I will be the one who holds power over the world and is above all others! Tell me, who else in this world can compare to me, Xie Yi!"
The dim light shone on the faces of the father and son, who looked remarkably alike.
Xie Chengyan's expression was cold as he stepped forward, sword in hand: "No one is like you. First, you deceived your first wife, then after you rose to power, you married Xue. Xue remained infertile for many years, so you returned to Qingzhou to find your first wife and have her give birth to your son, deceiving both of you. Years later, under the pretext of bringing mother and child to the capital, you burned down the inn where they were staying, personally killed your first wife, took the child, and molded him into the knife you desired. Who else but you could do that?"
As the accusation was uttered word by word, Xie Yi's expression hardened slightly, but he finally burst into laughter: "My good son, you have truly investigated the matter from back then thoroughly. You are indeed worthy of being my son!"
He showed no remorse whatsoever, but instead looked at Xie Chengyan with increasing satisfaction, his eyes shining as he admired the work to which he had poured his heart and soul.
Amidst the loud laughter, Xie Chengyan gripped his sword tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, and his temples throbbing.
After laughing enough, Xie Yi even had the leisure to retell the story from back then to him in detail.
“Child, what you know is just snippets of what others have said. Let me, as someone who experienced it firsthand, tell you how I got to where I am today.”
Xie Yi looked around, found a relatively clean chair for himself, sat down, and chuckled as he looked at Xie Chengyan's blood-stained and wounded appearance.
“When I was young, I was in a much worse state than you are now. I can’t compare to you, who is moving forward smoothly on the path I’ve paved for you. I lost my parents at a young age. My family came from a poor background and always suffered. We stole, robbed, begged for food, and did all sorts of things. In the end, I wandered to Qingzhou and found a job as a blacksmith. It was there that I met your mother.”
Whether it was because he was exhausted from the intense fighting or because Xie Chengyan had never heard of these things before, he did not interrupt Xie Yi.
"She was a rich girl who knew nothing. She was easily fooled and decided she was in love with me, even at the cost of turning against her family. Later, when war broke out and Qingzhou was conscripting soldiers, her brother said he would only agree to the marriage if I could make a name for myself in the army. I knew he was in a difficult position, but at the time I had no power or influence, and my apprenticeship was completely ruined by your uncle, so I had no choice but to leave Qingzhou."
"Once you entered the army, Brother Xue should know what happened next." Xie Yi's gaze fell on Xue Hongming, who was panting heavily, and he smiled. "I just happened to be under Brother Xue's command, and I was fortunate enough to be appreciated and promoted. I fought my way up to become a marquis. To win me over, Brother Xue made me marry your sister."
"So Chengyan, what you said earlier is not correct. At that time, your mother was not yet my first wife. To me, it was just an old story. After I had established myself in the capital, how could I possibly still remember who was in Qingzhou?"
Xie Chengyan was already feeling dizzy from blood loss, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "If that's the case, why go back?"
Seeing that he was forcing himself to stay upright, Xie Yi calmly continued, "After many years of marriage, the Xue family had no children. That year, I was transferred to Qingzhou and happened to meet your mother. I needed a child to inherit my mantle, so you came into being."
Xue Hongming, who was in the corner, snorted coldly and interjected: "Xie Yi, I should have seen through you long ago, you shameless scoundrel. You coaxed my sister into believing that she would be with only one man for life, and you didn't mind that she had difficulty having children. You just said that you would adopt the baby and raise it as your own. Who would have thought that it would be your child with someone else!"
"How could I possibly raise a child who has nothing to do with me?" Xie Yi sighed with a smile. "Fortunately, I already had power at that time, so it was very easy for me to fabricate a false identity in Qingzhou and deceive your mother into believing that I was not yet stable in the capital and could not bring you to reunite with her. She actually believed it. How foolish."
After speaking, Xie Yi fell silent, gazing at the blood-soaked room with a faint smile on his lips.
Without him needing to say it, Xie Chengyan knew all too well what happened next. Xie Yi found an opportunity to send someone to pick up the mother and son and take them to the capital. On the way back to the capital, he personally killed his mother, set fire to the inn, and destroyed the evidence.
Despite the excruciating pain, Xue Hongming angrily cursed, "Xie Chengyan! You and your son have committed so many sins, why are you dragging the Xue family down with you? What have we done to wrong you all these years?"
Xie Chengyan, having rested enough, was finally able to stand up straight and walk towards him, his eyes gleaming coldly: "How could you forget again? After my mother died, my uncle received no response and sent people to investigate. It was the Xue family who discovered it, helped clean up the mess, and wiped out their entire family."
As the last word fell, Xie Chengyan grew tired of the reminiscing and suddenly thrust his sword down.
"elder brother!"
Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and the biting winter wind rushed in, carrying with it the smell of blood that filled the room and assaulting Xue's face.
She saw what was inside, gasped in surprise, and rushed forward: "Brother!"
But Xue Hongming had already been stabbed through by Xie Chengyan's sword. With his last bit of strength, he silently uttered a few words and then died.
Madam Xue immediately broke down in tears, rushed forward to embrace Xue Hongming's corpse, glared fiercely at Xie Chengyan, and cursed: "You wolf in sheep's clothing! If I hadn't been soft-hearted and spared your life back then, how could you be in this situation today! You repaid kindness with enmity, killed my brother, you deserve to die! Why don't you die, why are you still alive today!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Xie Yi laughed loudly as he listened to the curses: "So that's how it is! I was wondering why there was no further movement afterward. It turns out the Xue family helped me clean up the mess!"
Xue Shi had abandoned all decorum and was nearly insane amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. She spat at Xie Yi: "He and you are truly blood-related father and son. He does these despicable things without batting an eye. He's heartless and ruthless. You shouldn't have kept him alive in the first place!"
If she hadn't already been pregnant with Xie Wenlang when she learned about this, and hadn't secretly prayed for the good fortune of the child in her womb, she would have turned a blind eye and allowed Xie Chengyan to stay.
If she hadn't been soft-hearted for a moment, things wouldn't have turned out this way!
Madam Xue glared fiercely at Xie Chengyan, but Xie Chengyan didn't even take a woman from the inner quarters seriously.
Taking advantage of Xue's cursing, Xie Chengyan seized the opportunity and lunged at Xie Yi.
"Pfft."
The sword pierced into flesh without any resistance, and Xie Yi did not stop it at all, just standing there and letting him do as he pleased.
Xie Chengyan's eyes widened in shock, and he gritted his teeth: "What do you want to do?"
Xie Yi looked at him with an unprecedentedly gratified and kind gaze. After a long while, he burst into laughter: "You are my creation. Even if you kill me, you are still my son, with my blood and my surname. If I block your path, it is right to kill me. But as long as you live, it proves that I exist. I will watch you ascend to the position I did not reach."
"I, Xie Yi, have raised my son well; I have no regrets in this life! Hahahaha! No regrets!!"
He is his father, they are blood relatives, and as long as Xie Chengyan is alive, he exists.
Months ago, he saw the murderous intent that Xie Chengyan could not hide in his eyes. He guessed that Xie Chengyan would take action and clear the way ahead. Only in this way could he be considered Xie Yi's son!
With a smile, Xie Yi placed his hand directly on Xie Chengyan's hand and drew his sword, just as he had taught Xie Chengyan to practice swordsmanship when they were children.
With a flick of his wrist, a bloody gash appeared on his neck.
It sprayed all over Xie Chengyan's face, mingling with the blood on his body, making it impossible to tell where it came from.
At midnight, the clapper sounded repeatedly, but the moonlight was obscured by clouds, not a single ray of light could penetrate.
Xie Chengyan was genuinely stunned by Xie Yi's actions before his death.
Countless times, he had thought about killing his father to avenge his father.
But I never expected it to be like this.
A commotion came from behind him. Xie Chengyan didn't turn his head, but casually flipped his hand and stabbed with his sword.
He knew it was Xue Shi, a woman who had raised a knife against him to avenge her brother.
Just before the swords pierced flesh, another pitiful cry came from outside the wide-open door: "Big Brother!"
Big brother.
Only Xie Wenlang would call him "Big Brother".
Xie Chengyan closed his eyes wearily, then turned his sword, not harming Xue Shi's vitals, but simply throwing her aside.
Behind him, Xie Wenlang's voice trembled, clearly indicating that he had seen the entire interior of the room.
"Brother, what are you doing? Those are our parents!"
Xie Chengyan opened his eyes and turned around. Xue Shi, enduring the pain, rushed forward and hugged his legs.
"Hurry up! Get out of here and go to your maternal grandparents' house... uh!"
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Chengyan thrust his sword straight into Xie Wenlang's heart, his gaze calm and unwavering as he looked at Xie Wenlang, who stood frozen at the doorway.
After a while, he drew his sword and walked towards him.
Xie Chengyan didn't touch him, only saying as he passed by, "They are just your parents."
Light the fire and burn the house down.
It was done in one go, without the slightest hesitation.
Blood soaked through his white robes, and Xie Chengyan looked like a killing god crawling out of a pool of blood. He walked numbly out of the Duke's mansion, leaving a bloody footprint with each step.
Blood dripped down his robes, meandering all the way to the doorway.
This time, no one dared to stop him.
Xie Chengyan himself was already half-dead, having lost too much blood, his vision was blurring, and he was only moving towards the outside of the Duke's mansion with his last thought—
He shouldn't die in the place he hates most.
Xie Yi was right. He should have come at a different time, and he shouldn't have come alone. If he had followed Chu Chengji's advice and led troops to besiege them, they wouldn't be in such a sorry state now.
But after being rational for so long, it's inevitable that he might act impulsively.
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month, what an auspicious day.
Oh no, it's the sixteenth day of the first lunar month now, which is his birthday again.
Twenty years ago, Xie Yi killed his mother in front of him.
Twenty years later, the great revenge was finally achieved.
Xie Chengyan felt no joy whatsoever. He was tired of this kind of life and could not find any reason to keep living. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally.
With these chaotic thoughts running through his mind, Xie Chengyan stepped out of the Duke's mansion.
The long street was deserted and desolate, with not a soul in sight.
Flames soared into the sky behind me, just like that winter night twenty years ago.
Xie Chengyan remained expressionless, but his vision began to darken. He could no longer hold on and released his grip on the sword.
A chill ran down my spine, and with my last shred of consciousness, I looked out into the distance.
Snowflakes fluttered down.
Through the scattered snowflakes, Xie Chengyan could vaguely make out the firelight.
At the end of the long street, a slender figure stood gracefully.
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Author's Note: Phew~ Now, both little bitter gourds have finally completed their respective tasks. Xiao Xi successfully left the place that had imprisoned her for so long, and Xiao Yan learned that love requires letting go, thus ending his years-long plan for revenge.
Now, Xiao Yan, can you guess if that last person was just your imagination? [droopy-eared rabbit head]
And you actually dared to burn Xiaoxi's sachet and spout that rubbish! You're finished! [Glasses]
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