Chapter 60 The End (Part 2): The End and the Rebirth...
The rain was torrential, leaving no respite between heaven and earth.
The rain had disintegrated into a chaotic curtain of water, which was then shattered by the gale and transformed into countless arrows that poured down.
In the torrential rain, the mirror of the past fell into the mud and shattered into pieces.
Zhou Ziheng was soaked to the bone, and he looked like a dazed puppet, his head tilted back as if he had lost his soul.
The torrential rain poured down, falling like knives onto his cheeks, leaving water streaks.
His eyes were wide and lifeless, as if he hadn't yet moved on from the past.
The rain, like a knife, tries to carve out the shape of pain, but leaves only a vast expanse of empty, shimmering water.
Like a soulless being, Zhou Ziheng collapsed like a mountain, falling straight into the mud!
"Senior brother—!!" Xi Bingyi screamed and rushed forward, trying to support Zhou Ziheng, but it was too late. She could only watch helplessly as the torrential rain melted his soul.
The rain is so heavy!
Xi Bingyi's sobs were drowned out by the rain; the world seemed to be overwhelmed by endless tears.
She fell into the muddy water, gently placed Zhou Ziheng's head in her arms, kept stroking his cheeks, and kept calling his name, but from beginning to end, Zhou Ziheng did not respond at all.
"Boom—"
Thunder rumbled, and Xi Ling stood beside Xi Bingyi, looking down at the two of them with pity.
"It's no use." His voice was cold. "Did you think I took out the Mirror of Past Lives just to see his past?"
“His soul, his emotions, his memories… are what I really need.”
As she spoke, Xi Ling slowly squatted down and picked up the fallen Red Dust.
In this gray and gloomy world, it was the only bright spot, like a blazing fire. And Xi Ling gripped it tightly, as if holding a passionate love and hate.
He laughed: "The mortal world... Tell me, why choose the mortal world of all things?"
"Knowing full well that without understanding love and hate, one cannot grasp their essence; knowing full well that once one delves too deeply into worldly love and hate, the laurel tree will grow faster—"
"Knowing full well that once the soul is compromised, the mortal world is the best vessel for it!!"
Xi Ling laughed wildly!
In contrast to Zhou Ziheng's deathly numbness, Xi Ling laughed sharply and maniacally.
He suddenly opened his arms as if to embrace the devastating downpour.
The rain soaked him instantly, his wet hair sticking to his forehead and cheeks, but he didn't care. Instead, he tilted his head back and let the rain rush into his mouth. His laughter mixed with the sound of the rain, becoming hoarse and broken, yet all the more terrifying.
"Hahahaha—! My soul! My Zhiying, my love—"
Xi Ling even staggered and spun around in the muddy water, like a clown dancing in a celebration, her footsteps splashing up murky water.
Xi Bingyi held Zhou Ziheng and wept silently, her heart aching beyond measure.
Zhou Ziheng's eyes were wide open, but his pupils were very small, and his body trembled with intense pain...
It felt like it was being torn apart by something.
His life...
At the time of her birth, her parents were murdered by a conspiracy, and she never even met her grandfather, the only person who loved her.
He was hastily sent to the sacred mountain and spent a carefree time there, but the arrival of Zhen Xuyi completely opened the source of the tragedy.
The laurel tree has been revived, but life is nearing its end...
He was already famous throughout the world, living a carefree and happy life, but fate played a cruel trick on him, and at the height of his fame, everything came to an abrupt end.
Life has no roots, drifting like dust on the road.
Scattered and carried by the wind, this is no longer my true self.
Tears streamed down Zhou Ziheng's face, his eyes vacant and lifeless.
Xi Ling was still laughing wildly, holding the red dust in her hands as she prepared to descend the mountain.
At this point, he had gone completely mad, fantasizing about becoming one with himself, burning inward, igniting his entire being into an extreme ecstasy.
Xi Ling's facial muscles twitched from laughing wildly, and her gaze no longer focused on Zhou Ziheng in the mud, but instead fell on the red dust in her hands.
He raised his sword to the sky, and lightning flashed. In the intense white light, Xi Ling even saw Mei Zhiying come down from the sky and embrace him completely!
"Zhiying, Zhiying..."
His voice became soft, like a dream, yet it carried a chilling tenderness.
Raindrops slid down the corners of his mouth, which were smugly smiling. He seemed not to feel the coldness, but rather felt as if it were the caress of a lover, which made him let out a satisfied sigh.
Xi Ling slowly raised one hand, her fingertips trembling slightly, as if sketching the most precious treasure, as if touching an invisible outline.
"We'll never be apart again...forever...forever..."
In the blazing red light and the torrential rain, the ecstatic Xi Ling was completely unaware that a figure as agile as a black panther was approaching from behind!
Just as Xi Ling was about to descend the mountain, she was met with a cold, gleaming sword light!
Behind the flashing sword was Yao Guang's desperate, all-or-nothing gaze—
Xi Ling reacted quickly, ducking his head to dodge the sword aimed at his throat.
The sword cut through the rain, and time seemed to stand still. Two seconds later, the rain resumed, blurring the figures of Yao Guang and Xi Ling.
"Yao Guang?!" Xi Ling was shocked. She never expected that Yao Guang would arrive before Yu Xijun!
"Are you crazy?! If I die, you won't live either!"
However, Yao Guang acted as if he hadn't heard at all and came at him with his sword again!
She didn't utter a single unnecessary word, but instead wielded her sword with incredible skill and power.
With her wish fulfilled so close, how could Xi Ling allow herself to collapse here?
Although his martial arts skills were not high, he had written many legendary martial arts manuals in recent years. Even if he had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run, and he was able to resist them to some extent.
The rain intensified, pouring down like a torrential downpour.
Two figures darted across the rain, the sound of swords slicing through the rain curtain sharp and urgent.
Yao Guang's swordplay was ruthless and decisive, each move aimed directly at Xi Ling's vital points.
Another sword thrust came, but Xi Ling dodged to the side. The blade grazed the hem of his clothes, and the force of the blow scattered the raindrops.
"Zhiying's resurrection is so close, why do you suddenly turn against me?!"
Seeing that she couldn't get away with it, Xi Ling shouted sternly.
While talking, his hands were not idle either. He quickly used Red Dust to block and deflect Yao Guang's follow-up diagonal slash.
The two swords clashed, and sparks flashed and disappeared in the rain.
When Xi Ling mentioned Mei Zhiying, Yao Guang finally agreed to respond: "What self-righteous affection!"
When did Zhiying ever say she wanted to be resurrected?
Her eyes shone terrifyingly bright in the rain, a kind of almost insane stubbornness that Xi Ling had never seen before.
Xi Ling sneered: "Zhiying and I were husband and wife when we were young, and we were very much in love. How could she bear to abandon me alone?"
"She definitely wants to live!!"
Yao Guang felt nauseous!
"If you don't want to live alone, you should follow Sister Zhiying! You should die!!"
Xi Ling gripped Hongchen tightly, deflecting the sword strike from Yao Guang and the raindrops on it.
"How do you know that I won't follow her in death someday?"
Yao Guang's movements paused slightly, and his body hesitated for a moment.
She was still pondering the meaning of Xi Ling's words when she saw a bright red light emanating from the mortal world, heading straight for her heart!
In an instant, Yao Guang realized that this was nothing but Xi Ling's scheme, and what he had just said was nothing but nonsense!
She tried to dodge, but in that instant, her legs felt as if they had been stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake, and she couldn't move them at all.
Yao Guang suddenly realized that today was the perfect day, the day when Xi Ling fed her the poison and it took effect.
A thought flashed through my mind: Xi Ling's words when she laid out the poison:
"This medicine will cause you unbearable pain. Every month, if there is no antidote, you will become stiff and unable to move."
Since Zhou Ziheng and others arrived at Xibao, Xi Ling has doubted her loyalty and has never given her the antidote again.
Yao Guang bit her tongue hard, using the pain to awaken her will, and suddenly bent over to avoid the fatal sword.
In the heavy rain, she couldn't see Xi Ling's movements at all.
"No--!!"
Xi Bingyi screamed. From her perspective, Xi Ling feinted, making a false move to trick Yao Guang into revealing her soft waist and abdomen. His eyes were cold as he gripped Hongchen, intending to stab it into Yao Guang's abdomen from above.
...
In the East Garden, Xu Yi drew his Broken Goose Blade and symbolically parried the attack. Then, feigning weakness, he pulled Zhang Yuanqian to lie down to the side.
Huo Qin: "..."
Zhang Yuanqian was still groaning in pain, but he was acting with exceptional seriousness.
Xu Yi avoided Huo Qin's speechless gaze and coughed, "Huo Qin, the great hero, truly lives up to his reputation as one of the three heroes of the martial world. I couldn't even withstand a single move from him."
Huo Qin looked at his sword, which he hadn't yet raised, and then at the two men who were looking up at the sky and down at the ground but not at him.
He immediately clasped his hands in thanks, said "thank you," and then turned and headed towards the back of the mountain!
After Xu Yi watched him walk away, he quietly asked Zhang Yuanqian, "If we continue like this... what if Zhou Ziheng causes us trouble later?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuanqian pulled Xu Yi to his feet and draped a raincoat over him, saying, "So, let's go now."
"We've been staying in Zhuoxian for too long, it's a waste of time. Let's go, let's leave now."
"Helping that damned Zhou Ziheng find the Heavenly Snow Lotus is already more than enough!"
As they talked, they helped each other tidy up their appearance, then left without saying a word.
Huo Qin, who was running frantically in the rain, was extremely anxious. He wished he could sprout wings so he could fly to the back of the mountain in an instant.
The rainwater gathered into torrents on the ground, surging and washing everything away, as if to sweep away all the sorrows of the world, leaving only a deeper, inescapable despair.
As soon as Huo Qin arrived at the back mountain, he saw a vertical red line between heaven and earth. Behind the rain curtain, Xi Bingyi staggered over, Xi Ling looked crazy, and Yao Guang looked desperate.
He had no time to think and instinctively threw out the "Report to the Emperor's Will" sword, hoping to deflect the earth-shattering strike.
However, the wind and rain were simply too strong.
Gale-force winds, torrential rain, thunder and lightning...
The message to the emperor was misjudged, and it struck the mortal realm, but it did not save Yao Guang from danger.
Everything happened in an instant—
The rain became the paintbrush of drama, freezing the world into a picture of despair. Xi Ling held the mortal world in his hand, but instead of stabbing Yao Guang in the waist and abdomen, he pierced through her thigh and nailed her hard to the ground!
"ah--!"
Yao Guang let out a painful scream!
Crimson blood gushed forth, merging with the crimson light of the mortal world, turning the heavens and earth into a soaked red.
Huo Qin gritted his teeth and, at the critical moment, pulled out the jet-black Inviting Moon Bow, which resembled the flowing moonlight.
Without saying a word, he drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and shot three arrows in an instant.
Each arrow was more hateful and furious than the last, determined to pierce through the hazy red and the torrential rain!
At this moment, Xi Bingyi had already taken Zhou Ziheng into her arms and helped Yao Guang, who had collapsed in pain, to her feet.
At this moment, she had Zhou Ziheng, who was unconscious and convulsing, in her arms, and Yao Guang, who was convulsing in pain.
She felt that she had cried all her tears for the day, and her heart was numb with pain.
Xi Bingyi didn't care about Xi Ling's life or death at all, and even complained in her heart about why Huo Qin only shot three arrows.
With trembling hands, she pressed hard on Yao Guang's wound, trying to reduce the bleeding and tears.
Why not shoot out ten or eight, otherwise how could you relieve her hatred, how could you make her feel even one ten-thousandth of Yao Guang's pain?
Warm blood continued to gush from between her fingers, staining her sleeves red.
Tears blurred her vision. Xi Bingyi blinked desperately, trying to see Yao Guang's gradually paling face, but the tears, like beads from a broken string, mixed with the rain, making her vision even more blurred.
The poison took effect suddenly, the sword wound was deep, and blood was being lost...
Yao Guang thought of Tianlang, who was still waiting for her, of his blushing confession, and of her own silent rejection.
She knew her fate all along, how could she dare to break Tianlang's heart?
It's better not to give him any hope at all...
Yao Guang sighed slowly, and the breath she had been holding in dissipated in an instant.
She gasped in pain, each breath frothing with blood, yet she still managed to say, brokenly, "Bing... Bingyi..."
"Don't worry about me... I... I never intended to go back alive..."
"Don't speak..." Xi Bingyi's voice was choked with sobs, barely able to form a complete sentence, her heart aching as she pleaded, "Please, don't say anything..."
Yao Guang's pupils were unfocused, and as he looked at Xi Bingyi, he seemed to see Mei Zhiying.
At that time, Mei Zhiying held her so gently, giving her hope for life.
Yao Guang gave a weak laugh, blood gushing from his mouth.
"ice……"
"Sister Zhiying..."
The rain roared, but Xi Bingyi seemed to have lost her hearing; the world was silent.
Yao Guang followed Mei Zhiying and left.
Perhaps, as she said, she came here today with no intention of leaving, which is why she left so suddenly after experiencing everything.
Meanwhile, Huo Qin, his eyes burning red, had already nailed Xi Ling viciously to the plum tree behind him with lightning speed.
The plum tree was battered by the torrential rain, and Xi Ling was pinned to it by arrows, unable to hold onto the mortal world any longer.
He was already exhausted when he faced Yao Guang, and was no match for Huo Qin. How much more so now that he was weak and facing the angry Huo Qin?
Xi Ling didn't look at anything else; she only stared at the mortal world and at the hope of Mei Zhiying's resurrection.
He was still struggling, roaring helplessly, "Let me go! Let me go!!"
"Don't you have a lover? Can't you understand how I feel?!"
Huo Qin disdained to look at a petty person like Xi Ling. He picked up the dust from the mud and, taking advantage of the downpour, carefully wiped it clean.
After a long while, wiping it countless times until he was sure there were no more traces of Xi Ling on the Red Dust, Huo Qin slowly said, "A slut like you, touching the Red Dust is a desecration of it."
Then, without glancing at Xi Ling again, he carried Hongchen and slowly walked towards Zhou Ziheng in the pouring rain.
Zhou Ziheng lost his soul, fell into a complete coma, and was as fragile as a newborn baby.
Huo Qin slowly knelt beside Zhou Ziheng, took his hand, and helped him grasp the mortal world.
Beside him, Xi Bingyi helplessly held Yao Guang in her arms.
Yao Guang's death was sudden. Before she could recover from the grief of losing her friend, she saw Huo Qin, as if making a sacrifice, holding Zhou Ziheng's hand and Hongchen's hand, guiding him to hold the sword and point it at his own heart.
"You..." Xi Bingyi's body trembled violently, her voice dazed, "What are you going to do?"
What are we supposed to do?
Xi Bingyi's mind was a complete blank.
Why does it look like a scene where Zhou Ziheng killed Huo Qin?
What happened?
Offering one's neck for execution? Self-sacrifice? If the protagonists weren't her two friends, Xi Bingyi would have loved to exclaim that this was such a divine scene.
But he just happened to be her friend, he just happened to be her friend!
Are we really going to watch another friend slip away after just losing one?
Heaven and earth, please, have mercy on me...
Xi Bingyi was dazed and confused. In endless despair, she felt as if her soul was being torn apart and the world was collapsing.
In her previous life, she had never experienced such intense pain and despair.
Only the night her mother passed away shattered a corner of her happy life. But afterwards, her master, mistress, and senior brothers from the Holy Mountain gave her meticulous care. She was cherished and held in the palm of their hands. She was the pearl of the Holy Mountain and the little devil of the martial arts world.
Why……
Xi Bingyi trembled, opened her mouth as if to speak, but only tasted a mouthful of rain and tears.
There might be blood in it, otherwise why would it hurt so much?
However, no matter how powerless or desperate Xi Bingyi felt, Huo Qin had already grasped Zhou Ziheng's hand and pierced his own heart with the power of worldly desires!
He gritted his teeth and swallowed the painful groan. Even though his hands were trembling with pain, he still resolutely, forcefully, and persistently thrust the needle deeper!
The crimson light of the mortal world shines brightly, sucking the blood of Xiangjun's heart and nourishing the soul of Zhegui, humming in the torrential rain!
Huo Qin bit his tongue, seized the opportunity, took out a packet of powder he had ground from his left little finger, mixed it with his heart's blood, and forced Zhou Ziheng to swallow it!
Killing to take bones—Hongchen "killed" Xiangjun's heart and "ate" Xiangjun's bones. Today, he will make Zhou Ziheng live!
Regardless of the future, regardless of any curses, all I want now is for everyone—Zhou Ziheng, Xi Bingyi, and Huo Qin—to live!
The red light completely enveloped the two of them, and amidst the noise, Xi Bingyi heard two steady and powerful heartbeats.
Her eyes lit up, despair vanished, and replaced by ecstatic hope!
Good heavens, Master and Mistress... It turns out that after all the hardships and wandering, there really was a miracle...!
Tears welled up again in Xi Bingyi's dry eyes, but they were tears of joy and happiness!
In contrast, the light in Xi Ling's eyes completely vanished.
His lips twitched, and he belatedly realized that his whole body was in pain.
Xi Ling murmured, "Zhiying...no, don't..."
My dream shattered, and my heart broke so completely.
It turns out that the world's torrential rains fell only for him, only to shatter his hopes.
Not far away, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, like butterflies with broken wings, were on their last legs.
In the hazy light, a scarred hand picked it up.
Xi Bingyi picked up Liang Zhu again, as if holding a butterfly about to take flight.
She slowly walked up to Xi Ling and stood under the swaying plum tree.
“Father,” Xi Bingyi said softly, “this is the last time I will call you Father.”
In the midst of shattered hope, Xi Ling felt as if her very soul had been ripped away.
He calmed down completely, and only in such a desperate moment would he listen to his daughter's voice.
Xi Bingyi held Liang Zhu up in front of him.
"Father, do you really think 'The Butterfly Lovers' is a story about lovers committing suicide together?"
"Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo studied together for three years and secretly fell in love. Before parting, they made a promise to each other that they would be together for life."
"However, Zhu Yingtai only learned after returning home that she had been betrothed to Ma Wencai by her father. When Liang Shanbo learned the truth, he rushed to the Zhu family, but it was too late. He died of grief and indignation. On her way to her wedding, Zhu Yingtai passed by Liang Shanbo's tomb, got out of the sedan chair and cried in mourning. Suddenly the tomb split open, and she jumped into the tomb to commit suicide for love."
“Father, Mother’s hint is so obvious—”
"She entrusted Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai to you before she died, hoping that you would die for love!"
Didn't Xi Ling know? No, he had actually expected it.
They simply refused to believe it, refused to recall it, and preferred to drown in their own illusions.
He lowered his head, looking at the broken sword Liang Zhu, and remained silent for a long time.
Suddenly, the relentless downpour subsided, and amidst the trembling, swaying raindrops, a rainbow rose shakily behind the plum tree.
However, no matter what, Xi Ling will never see it again.
With tears streaming down her face, Xi Bingyi continued, "Perhaps you don't know why your mother died."
"Although she was physically weak, her injuries were not fatal. She survived several years after being stabbed by Huo Yunfeng. So why did her health deteriorate during that period?"
"Because she had already resolved to die!!"
The words had barely left his mouth when they landed with a resounding thud. Xi Ling looked up abruptly, her eyes wide with shock!
"What did you say……?"
Xi Bingyi choked back tears, gritting her teeth as she revealed the truth: "Because...because...my mother committed suicide..."
suicide?
Xi Ling even doubted that he had misheard; such light words had actually weighed heavily on his back.
These words were like a heavy nightmare, instantly turning Xi Ling's heart black!
In such a desperate situation, he was even more desperately powerless.
Years of planning, years of scheming, painstaking efforts, and frantic pursuit...
It turns out it really was just wishful thinking...
Just then, Xi Bingyi lifted Liang Zhu high, and through her tear-filled eyes, she was about to end Xi Ling's life with her own hands.
He killed his own father with his own hands!
Xi Ling stared blankly at the fluttering butterflies, her soul seemingly lost somewhere else.
With the broken sword right before his eyes, he suddenly felt the last vestige of his undying love.
His love for Xi Bingyi.
He spoke with difficulty: "Bingyi, give me the sword."
Xi Bingyi was stunned, and then heard Xi Ling continue, "Killing your father with your own hands will never be good for your reputation."
“You are the famous ‘Mei Ji’ in the martial arts world—I am so glad that you use your mother’s surname when you travel the martial arts world.”
"Instead of a dirty surname like mine."
"Give me the Liang-Zhu love story... let me... end my own life..."
Xi Bingyi gripped the sword hilt tightly for a moment, then released it as if all her strength had left her.
She personally placed the instruments of torture into Xi Ling's hands.
Not far away, the crimson light of the mortal world dissipated, revealing Zhou Ziheng, fast asleep with clean arms, no longer cursed by the laurel-picking.
At that moment, Xi Ling drew his sword and committed suicide. His hot blood splashed into the wet mud, turning dark red before quickly disappearing.
The rain stopped, and a dazzling rainbow appeared, but Xi Ling never saw such a hopeful scene before she died.
He died, and even the blood he spilled easily dissipated.
At the foot of the mountain, Ning Hanshuang silently watched Xi Ling's death, Zhou Ziheng's rebirth, and the three heroes of the martial arts world embrace and weep, welcoming a new life.
New life and the end, the sky has finally cleared.
-----------------------
Author's note: This is the end, and Zhou Ziheng is saying goodbye to everyone.
I'm so glad to have you all by my side, and I'm also happy to share the story of the Three Heroes of the Martial World with you.
See you in the extra chapter! [Okay]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
