Chapter 56 made me suspect that the snow in winter had not melted.
They then entered the mountains.
Zhou Ziheng had used the phrase "Return to the Past," and Yao Guang, though not in a sorry state, secretly admired his talent.
“Senior, now that you’ve seen me, you should let me go down the mountain.” Zhou Ziheng was also feeling unwell at this moment, feeling exhausted and in pain all over his body, but he still had to pretend that he still had the strength.
Yao Guang remained silent. He couldn't wait any longer and was about to go down the mountain when the other person called out to him.
"Xiao Zhou, wait a minute."
Zhou Ziheng suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He had a strange intuition that Yaoguang meant "small boat" rather than "small Zhou".
But only the people of the Holy Mountain should know about my alias. How did the other party find out?
Zhou Ziheng never engaged in internal strife, so with that thought in mind, he asked directly, "Senior, why do you call me 'Little Boat'?"
Yao Guang raised an eyebrow. Dressed in night clothes, she moved like an agile black panther, easily appearing beside Zhou Ziheng.
Zhou Ziheng's body tensed up, and he almost pulled himself out of the mortal world again.
Yao Guang, however, saw through his plan first. She forcefully pressed Hong Chen back into its sheath, leaned down, and whispered in Zhou Ziheng's ear:
"If I told you that I have been observing and spying on you for more than ten years, would you believe me?"
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Ziheng broke out in a cold sweat!
Is this true or false?
Observing him for over ten years? Why?
Putting aside the fact that he's only become famous in the martial arts world in the last two years, and has only possessed the Red Dust Sword for less than three years, why would the other party have been observing him for "more than ten years"?!
His hand holding Hongchen's hand trembled slightly, his Adam's apple bobbed, but he only managed to squeeze out a hoarse sound: "Haha, senior is really joking."
"Is this kid really worth observing for over ten years?"
Yao Guang suppressed a laugh: "Now you're not going to claim you're the leader of the Three Heroes?"
Zhou Ziheng: "..."
"My seniors always make fun of me."
Yao Guang smiled and stopped dwelling on the topic, as if what she had just said was really just a joke.
She continued, "There is a wondrous thing in the world called the Heavenly Snow Lotus. Do you know it?"
Zhou Ziheng had heard of the Heavenly Snow Lotus mainly because Xie Yun's health was deteriorating. A few years ago, Lin Youbie was still determined to use the Heavenly Snow Lotus to cure him, but later, Lin Youbie gave up completely.
Xie Yun's health was critically ill, and even the rare Heavenly Snow Lotus could not cure him.
So he said, "I know a little about the Heavenly Snow Lotus."
"Senior intended to offer the Heavenly Snow Lotus to cure my master's wife's illness? What a pity he..."
Yao Guang's expression was inscrutable. She shook her head: "For Xie Yun? No, no, no—"
"I'm doing this for you, innocent little boat!"
Zhou Ziheng was completely bewildered: "For me?"
Yao Guang did not explain the reason, but only said: "The last time the Heavenly Snow Lotus appeared was in the far north, and it disappeared without a trace after it was picked."
"I'll just tell you this: if you want to obtain the Heavenly Snow Lotus, you need to go further north to the far north, cross an ocean current, and reach the other side of the sea!"
"Xiao Zhou, that's all I can tell you. Take care of yourself."
At the time, Zhou Ziheng did not understand why he needed the Heavenly Snow Lotus.
However, the information revealed by the other party was enough to make him wary, so when Zhang Yuanqian and Xu Yi left, he asked the two of them to help him find the whereabouts of Tian Xuelian.
Zhang Yuanqian readily agreed, but asked, "But if we find you, where should we look for you?"
Zhou Ziheng glanced at the Zhuiying Sanyun Pavilion, recalling Xi Bingyi's devastated expression when facing Yu Xijun.
"Go to the plum blossoms... no."
"Go to Shiburg to find me."
...
At this moment, inside Xibao Fortress, Zhou Ziheng looked at the pure white Heavenly Snow Lotus in the bundle and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Inside the bundle, the flower cup was no bigger than a fist, with the edges of the lotus petals translucent like ice crystals.
Even though it has been picked for many years, it is still vibrant and fresh.
Xi Bingyi was also extremely excited: "That's great! Senior brother, now your curse can be suppressed!"
Zhou Ziheng, Huo Qin, and Xi Bingyi surrounded the Heavenly Snow Lotus, carefully holding this sacred object and their hope for survival.
Xi Bingyi wept with joy, her eyes shining brightly again after being washed by tears.
"Where's the prescription? There's no time to lose, I have to go right away—"
Zhou Ziheng smiled helplessly and grabbed his energetic junior sister.
"Don't rush. Xi Ling is still in Xi Fort. The most urgent thing is to find a place for Zhang Yuanqian, Xu Yi, and Aunt Ning."
Zhang Yuanqian nodded: "We've come all this way through wind and rain, so we really need to find a place to rest."
"But the city is plastered with wanted posters, so we can't go to the inn."
Xi Bingyi knew Xibao best, and upon hearing this, she pondered and said, "It's alright, you can stay in Xibao. As long as my father doesn't find out, you should be fine."
"It's not difficult. Apart from the East Garden being inaccessible, there are many abandoned rooms in the house. It's just that you'll have to make do..."
Zhang Yuanqian and the other two shook their heads: "We're not wronged."
So Xi Bingyi led Zhang Yuanqian and Xu Yi to an empty room, but Ning Hanshuang was in no hurry to leave.
Xi Bingyi looked back and saw that even among Zhou Ziheng, Huo Qin, and Ning Hanshuang, the atmosphere was heavy, with no joy at the prospect of seeing hope again.
She assumed that Huo Qinning Hanshuang was grieving over Huo Yunfeng's death, so she didn't think much of it and walked away with a sigh.
Ning Hanshuang, who remained where she was, had her thoughts drifting far away.
She gazed at the snow lotus that had once been a threat to her life and a source of hope for her lover, and tears streamed down her face.
The moment her older sister Ning Hanxue took away the Heavenly Snow Lotus, she almost thought she was going to die.
But fate played a cruel trick; Ning Hanxue died, while Ning Hanshuang lived.
When she lost her soul, she loathed the Heavenly Snow Lotus from the bottom of her heart; when she regained her soul, she pursued it at all costs, just to save her lover's life.
But fate has never shown mercy...
Huo Qin grasped Ning Hanshuang's cold hand, his voice trembling: "Mother..."
Fine lines had already crept into the corners of Ning Hanshuang's eyes, and silver streaks flashed in her hair, making her far removed from the gentle woman Huo Qin remembered.
His voice choked with emotion: "What did Xi Ling do to you? Mother, why have I been wandering the world for so many years and still been unable to find any trace of you and Father?"
Ning Hanshuang closed her eyes, pulling her thoughts away from her sorrow.
She wiped away her tears and patted Huo Qin's hand: "Now is not the time to talk about this."
Ning Hanshuang shifted her gaze to Zhou Ziheng, her eyes lingering on his left arm: "The color of your curse is already deep; even with the Heavenly Snow Lotus, I'm afraid..."
Zhou Ziheng nodded, having anticipated this: "Aunt Ning, don't worry, I have my own plans."
Ning Hanshuang gave him a complicated look, but finally chose to be frank: "If you know about the Heavenly Snow Lotus, you must also know about 'killing people to extract bones'."
"The appearance of 'Zhegui' is inevitably accompanied by 'Xiangjun'. The two are born together and are locked in a life-or-death struggle. You are intelligent and can see that your Xiangjun is Qin'er."
"I know how difficult your fate is, but I'm sorry, if you want to kill Qin'er, I will definitely disagree!"
"Mother!" Huo Qin cried out urgently, about to say that he was willing to die, but Zhou Ziheng interrupted him with a smile:
"Aunt Ning, don't worry, I won't let anything happen to Huo Qin."
“He has been traveling alone in the world for more than ten years without any companions. I became his friend and traveled with him, so I can’t let him be heartbroken again.”
"Huo Qin's family was destroyed and his life was tragic enough. You two have finally been reunited. How could I possibly take his life?"
Zhou Ziheng spoke sincerely and smiled gently, but Huo Qin suddenly turned his head away.
Ning Hanshuang's eyes were filled with tears. She hugged Zhou Ziheng tightly and kept apologizing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Good child, I'm a mother..."
As Zhou Ziheng listened to Ning Hanshuang's heartbroken apology in her arms, his heart clenched slightly.
He was abandoned on the holy mountain at birth and never knew who his parents were, or even whether they were still alive.
He had never felt a day in his mother's arms.
Zhou Ziheng was stunned as Ning Hanshuang held him in her arms, and he looked into the eyes of Huo Qin, whose eyes were filled with tears.
After a long while, he finally found his voice: "Aunt Ning, you and Huo Qin should go and rest first."
"Xi Ling is still inside. It wouldn't be good if he saw us."
Ning Hanshuang touched Zhou Ziheng's hair, then patted his back.
She said nothing; at this moment, anything she said would seem pale and powerless.
As warmth faded, Ning Hanshuang walked towards Xi Bingyi, who was waiting in the distance.
Only Zhou Ziheng and Huo Qin remained in the courtyard.
The sun rose to its zenith, but it was a pale, lifeless mass, hanging listlessly and casting a weak light that could not warm the bone-chilling cold of the winter courtyard.
The artificial rocks have lost their original sharp edges and are crouching bloatedly, with only a few damp moss marks showing in the shade, like solidified tears.
The two looked at each other, but neither spoke.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, except for the lingering mournful cries of the plum trees when the wind blew.
Huo Qin spoke, breaking the silence.
His voice was bitter: "Why did you lie to my mother? I was the one who clung to you, hoping to use your curse to find my parents."
Zhou Ziheng, however, did not think it was a big deal: "Is there a difference? Anyway, it's still the three of us traveling the world together."
Huo Qin's smile became even more bitter upon hearing this.
Sometimes Zhou Ziheng's arrogance is infuriating, but at other times he can show such a gentle and compassionate side that breaks your heart.
Huo Qin didn't dare to look Zhou Ziheng in the eye at this moment. His gaze drifted away: "So you'd rather die yourself? You know perfectly well that the Heavenly Snow Lotus can only suppress the curse, it can't eradicate it."
Zhou Ziheng simply said, "Trust me, I really do have a way."
“I told you before that I was prepared before I came to Shiborg. See, now, my ‘preparation’ has come to fruition?”
Huo Qin truly hadn't expected Zhou Ziheng to be so farsighted as to actually manage to get Zhang Yuanqian to bring the Heavenly Snow Lotus.
Seeing that Zhou Ziheng spoke sincerely and seemed to have a real solution, he reluctantly felt relieved.
“Alright,” Huo Qin conceded. “Then you go deal with the Heavenly Snow Lotus first, I’ll go catch up with my mother.”
Their conversation came to an abrupt end, and before leaving, Huo Qin didn't even look Zhou Ziheng in the eye again.
A sudden gust of cold wind whipped up the plum branches, causing them to tremble and petals to flutter and fall into the mud.
Zhou Ziheng stood still without moving or turning around.
The wind scattered his vision and blurred the footprints of the departing person.
The Heavenly Snow Lotus bloomed in Zhou Ziheng's hands. He lowered his head, rolled up the lotus petals, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.
Xi Bingyi arranged a small courtyard for Ning Hanshuang next to Huo Qin's room, while Zhang Yuanqian and Xu Yi were arranged to stay in a very secluded guest room.
Although it is remote, the environment is nice, and more importantly, it is safe.
At noon, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, time flew by and the sun was already setting in the west.
Zhou Ziheng had already prepared the remaining medicinal ingredients for the prescription, and now he was holding the bowl of medicine with the added snow lotus, drinking it all in one gulp.
The medicinal juice was not bitter; perhaps because of the addition of snow lotus, it had a pleasant fragrance.
I actually drank such a rare and precious herb in one gulp. I really am the chosen one.
Zhou Ziheng nodded, thinking smugly.
After swallowing a bowl of medicine, I initially felt a cool sensation sliding down my throat, as if to soothe the pain and reach the depths of my soul.
However, the coolness quickly transformed into a scorching torrent and exploded with a roar!
Zhou Ziheng groaned, feeling as if his internal organs had been thrown into a furnace!
An even stranger sensation followed; the heat repaired the emptiness of the soul, and an unprecedented sense of "rooting" slowly grew from the deepest part of the soul.
Zhou Ziheng sighed and let out a long sigh.
Only after resolving the most pressing issue did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Outside, darkness fell quickly, and the moon soon rose high in the sky.
The crescent moon hung high in the sky, casting a cold, frosty light that made the courtyard appear deathly white.
Zhou Ziheng put down the empty medicine bowl and walked towards Xu Yi's room.
At the same time, Huo Qin also knocked on Ning Hanshuang's door.
Before Zhou Ziheng could even knock, Xu Yi opened the door and stepped aside to invite him in.
In the room, Zhang Yuanqian sat at the table and slowly poured three cups of tea.
Zhang Yuanqian's expression was solemn: "What brings you here in the middle of the night?"
Zhou Ziheng showed no courtesy whatsoever, sat down, picked up his teacup, and began to gulp down the tea.
He slowly finished his drink before speaking, under the anxious gazes of Zhang Yuanqian and Xu Yi:
"I need your help with something."
Xu Yi frowned: "We've already found the Heavenly Snow Lotus for you. Logically speaking, you shouldn't have any more troublesome matters to deal with. Why do you need our help again?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziheng was about to sigh.
"The Heavenly Snow Lotus cannot cure this disease. If I want to live, I have no choice but to kill Huo Qin."
Zhang Yuanqian jumped to his feet, his eyes wide with disbelief: "You're going to kill Huo Qin?!"
"Xu Yi and I will absolutely not help you with this!"
Zhou Ziheng's eyes widened, seemingly surprised that the two of them would look at him like that.
"What are you talking about! Do you think I'm that kind of person?!"
Zhang Yuanqian and Xu Yi exchanged a glance, just about to apologize, when Zhou Ziheng uttered something truly shocking:
"But you really need to knock Huo Qin unconscious."
Zhang Yuanqian and Xu Yi: "?"
Zhang Yuanqian frowned: "What does this mean?"
Xu Yi, however, said, "I'm no match for him; I can't knock him out."
Zhou Ziheng first cast an approving glance at Xu Yi, as if praising him for really wanting to take action.
Xu Yi: "..."
Faced with Zhang Yuanqian's question, Zhou Ziheng pondered for a moment and decided to tell him the truth.
"The curse of winning the laurel is truly against human ethics and against the will of Heaven. Even if I survive because of it, what about the future? What will happen if a new person is cursed with the laurel?"
"Only one of Zhe Gui Xiangjun survived. Many years ago, Huo Yunfeng and Ning Hanshuang suffered greatly because of this, and were wounded and bleeding between love and life."
“I don’t want this kind of pain to happen again. The curse of plucking laurels must end with me, end everything.”
"I want the world to be free from suffering and torment, free from intrigue and scheming!"
“Hochin is determined to die for me. I don’t want that to happen, so please knock him out so I can free up my hands to do what I need to do.”
Zhang Yuanqian was deeply moved by the ambition and aspirations expressed in Zhou Ziheng's words and remained speechless for a long time.
After a long pause, he murmured softly, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes: "So...you've decided..."
Zhou Ziheng nodded, confirming his guess:
"I found this method in Qi Lao's notes."
"Kill me and take my bones, let me kill myself, let me cut out my bones, let me—"
"Self-destruction."
He spoke so resolutely that Zhang Yuanqian and Xu Yi were nailed to the spot, their souls pierced through.
...
Meanwhile, in Ning Hanshuang's room.
"What did you say? You're going to commit suicide for Zhou Ziheng?!"
Ning Hanshuang gripped Huo Qin's arm tightly, her eyes filled with immense pain.
She almost thought that Zhou Ziheng had bewitched Huo Qin, otherwise how could he have made him abandon his only living relative and his mother, and instead be willing to die for him?
"Qin'er, I know you and he have a deep bond, but think of your mother!"
"Your father died before my eyes, and now you want me to watch you die too?!"
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.
Ning Hanshuang was trembling all over. Through her blurred vision, she could barely see the child who had grown up completely.
Her lips trembled, her voice almost escaping her lips: "Qin'er, your father is dead, leaving me all alone in this world... Are you going to be so resolute as to abandon me all alone...?"
"When you were little, I coaxed you to sing, but before we finished the song, Yu Xijun took us away..."
"How I longed to finish that song for you! In the days and nights in the dungeon, it was only by thinking of your face that Yunfeng and I had a sliver of hope for survival!"
"Now you're not even willing to leave this little hope behind...?"
"Qin'er, Qin'er...please, don't do this, okay? Think about your mother, okay?"
By the end, Ning Hanshuang's voice was trembling uncontrollably, and she clung to Huo Qin, completely powerless, like a snowflake about to fall.
Huo Qin's clothes were soaked with his mother's tears and his own. He lifted Ning Hanshuang up with all his might, trying to pass on some strength to his mother.
However, he forgot that he was just as powerless as his mother was.
Unlike Ning Hanshuang's fragile, choked voice, Huo Qin's voice was firm despite his tears:
“Mother, I’m sorry… If Zhe Guixiang is destined to live on alone, then I hope Zhou Ziheng can live on…”
"He was an orphan, without parents. His life had been hard enough. For nearly twenty years, he had suffered the torment of failing the imperial examinations day and night, and now he was going to die because of it..."
Huo Qin's eyes glistened with tears as he recalled the scene of his first meeting with Zhou Ziheng.
"He was so arrogant, so unwilling to admit defeat, I didn't want to see a genius end like this..."
"And what about you?! Aren't you a genius too?!"
Ning Hanshuang pushed Huo Qin away abruptly, causing herself to fall and land on the ground, tears streaming down her face like melting snow.
"You've practiced archery since you were a child, and you've never slacked off for a single day! Over the years, I've heard news of you, about the places you've been, the scenery you've seen, the people you've met, and the dangers you've encountered... Your reputation is something you've earned yourself!!"
Huo Qin took a deep breath: "Yes!"
“Mother, you only know my glory and fame over the years, but you don’t know that I have been all alone all these years!”
"When I first met Zhou Ziheng, I was a beggar. I only had one or two taels of silver on me. I couldn't get enough to eat or drink. I even had to sell my Moon-Inviting Bow for money!"
“Mother, I’m twenty now, but all these years, he and Xi Bingyi are actually my only two friends…”
Only then did Huo Qin's voice begin to tremble, and he choked out, "So many times, I've thought about ending it all—you and Father have vanished without a trace, and the only news we have is so faint. How can I not despair!"
"Mother……"
Ning Hanshuang felt as if she had been struck by lightning; she had cried all her tears, but new tears welled up.
Her heart was broken again and again, leaving her bleeding profusely.
"It's your mother's fault... Qin'er, it's your mother's fault...!"
Ning Hanshuang spoke incoherently, and the child's words pierced her heart like knives, causing her excruciating pain.
She was once so proud of this child, but she never imagined the bitterness and tears behind the reputation of the "Three Heroes of the Jianghu".
Huo Qin threw himself into Ning Hanshuang's arms, and they both fell to the ground, hugging his mother tightly.
"Mother, please, grant my wish."
"In the next life, I will fulfill my filial duty to you."
-----------------------
Author's note: Don't worry, none of them will die. It has to be a happy ending!
Did you notice I commissioned a new article from Zhou Ziheng? [Sunglasses]
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