Chapter 13: The Lightless Heart Sutra, Uncontrollable Emotions
The mental method of the Lightless Heart Sutra raced through his body, attempting to suppress and smooth out all the surging emotions. This was the foundation of his life, the guarantee that would allow him to become the perfect assassin, "Zhu Ying." But this time, the mental method failed.
The internal force that should have been as dormant as ten thousand year old black ice was now like an ice cube thrown into a raging fire. Not only did it fail to extinguish the flames, but it was burned with a sizzling sound, and a chaotic steam rose up, blurring his mind.
He forced himself to close his eyes, diverting his attention from the blood-soaked white figure in the valley. In his mind, the teachings of the Tianji Pavilion Master echoed over and over again like a cold iron law:
"Candle Shadow, remember, emotions are the rust that corrodes a blade. Once your sword is rusted, it deserves only to be thrown into the furnace."
"Everything outside of the mission is false. Your eyes can only see the target; your ears can only hear orders; your heart cannot have any unnecessary beats."
"Tools that are out of control are waste. Tianji Pavilion never keeps waste."
He had once held these words as sacred principles. He had honed himself into a stone, devoid of emotion, desire, sadness, and joy. He thought he had already achieved success.
But now, inside the stubborn stone, there is a seed. After encountering some indescribable soil and rain, it breaks out of the stone and uses its fragile yet tough roots to turn his solid worldview upside down.
This seed is called "Fear Moon".
He tried to freeze it with the absolute zero of the "Heart Sutra of No Light", but found that the moment the coldness touched the seed, it was melted by the scorching energy contained within it, which he could not understand.
Why?
Chen Ye's breathing became rapid, an unforgivable mistake for a top assassin. He pressed his body firmly against the cold rock, trying to use the cold outside to suppress the heat within. His thoughts uncontrollably drifted back to the night they first met.
Yangzhou, the Governor's Office of the Grand Canal.
The moonlight that night was as clear and cold as it was tonight. Like a wisp of smoke, he lurked deep within the heavily guarded mansion, his target the account books in the study. Everything was under control until he sensed the presence of another presence.
That breath was like a cat under the moon, light, sharp, and full of patience.
He immediately determined that a colleague had arrived, and he was an expert.
He saw her. She was dressed in white, her face covered by a light veil, revealing only a pair of clear, piercing eyes. Her hiding position, breathing rate, and the concentration of her inner energy were all top-notch. In an organization like Youquan, where all sorts of people were involved, the mere presence of such a figure was a miracle.
At that moment, what arose in his heart was not the murderous intent of his competitor, but a more complex emotion - curiosity.
He wanted to see what this woman was up to and how fast her sword was.
So he flicked a stone from the beam.
It was a "mission requirement" to alert the guards and create chaos so that he could steal the account book, but it was also mixed with a selfish motive that he himself was unwilling to admit, which was to test her.
He saw her decisively abandon the assassination attempt amidst the chaos and withdraw. Her retreat, a fleeting glimpse of a beautiful woman, swift yet graceful, left a deep afterimage in his memory.
The second time, the temple in Luoyang was destroyed.
He was ordered to clean up the mess, targeting the traitor who had dared to sell out the information of the Tianji Pavilion. When he saw that the contact person was her, his curiosity deepened.
She actually set her sights on the Tianji Pavilion.
Should we say that she is extremely bold or that she is ignorant of the consequences?
However, when the traitor was desperate and was about to detonate the gunpowder and die together, what happened completely overturned his cognition.
He didn't even have time to think, his body reacting instinctively. He pushed his "Fleeting Light" technique to its limit, and the "Instant" dagger in his hand, like a stream of light, struck the traitor's throat.
And at the same moment he moved, her wrist moved as well.
Three steel nails, as thin as cow hair, were fired later but arrived first, accurately knocking the flint out of the traitor's hand.
No communication, no eye contact.
That tacit understanding was like muscle memory formed after two people fought side by side thousands of times. In that split second, he believed she could handle the flint, and she believed he could deal with the traitor.
This kind of absolute trust was something Shen Ye had never felt from anyone before.
In the Tianji Pavilion, so-called "companions" are nothing more than pawns that can be sacrificed at any time for the sake of a mission. Trust is the most luxurious and the most deadly poison.
But at that moment, he turned his back to this woman who was supposed to be his enemy without reservation.
And the same is true for her.
After that, the two exchanged cold words and left. But he knew that something had changed.
The cracks in the frozen river surface could no longer freeze. The seed named "Crimson Moon" quietly took root in that silent understanding.
“Clang!”
The sharp sound of metal clashing violently pulled Shen Ye back to reality from his chaotic memories.
He suddenly opened his eyes and his pupils contracted violently.
In his sight, Feiyue's right shoulder was shot through, and blood instantly dyed her snow-white clothes red. The red was so dazzling that it made his heart suddenly tighten.
She will die!
This realization was like a pot of boiling oil, poured onto the flame called "emotion" in his heart.
boom!
A violent killing intent, the likes of which he had never experienced before, erupted like a volcano that had been dormant for a thousand years! The frozen river of the Lightless Heart Sutra, which had attempted to suppress everything, was instantly crushed and evaporated before this devastating torrent of magma, leaving not even a trace of cold air behind!
Calm, rational, observing, evaluating...all the qualities that belong to "Candle Shadow" were burned to ashes at this moment!
He is no longer the cold iron law, no longer the perfect tool.
He could clearly feel his blood rushing, his heart beating wildly in his chest, and every inch of his muscles clamoring and eager to rush down and tear into pieces those who dared to hurt her!
He is no longer the "candle shadow" of Tianji Pavilion.
He is Shen Ye.
A man who was enraged by the splattered blood.
However, before he could take action, something even more infuriating happened.
More assassins began to surround them from all directions, their shiny steel knives dripping with blood.
“No~!”
Shen Ye roared silently in his heart.
His body was already arched, like a cheetah about to pounce on its prey, but the distance of three hundred feet was an insurmountable chasm!
Countless steel knives were slashing towards Su Qinghan.
He saw her tall body tremble violently, and although she tried her best to block the attack with the long sword in her hand, it fell to the ground with a clang.
He saw her stumble and fall to one knee, using her last bit of strength to avoid collapsing completely.
He saw her slowly raise her head. For the first time, all her strength and disguise were shed from that face that was always covered with frost, and in those eyes that were always as cold as stars. Only one kind of confusion and despair remained... which made his heart stop.
That touch of despair, like a poisonous thorn that spanned the sky and earth, pierced through a distance of three hundred feet, penetrated all his defenses, and pierced into the deepest part of his soul.
pain.
A sharp, unfamiliar pain that almost suffocated him spread from his heart to every part of his body.
He would rather those knives were cut into his own body.
Then, the black-clad soldiers once again raised their swords high with a fierce grin. The sharp blades reflected a cold light in the moonlight, illuminating her pale yet beautiful face.
Death is like a dark cloud covering the sky.
To save or not to save?
This thought came to my mind again.
But this time, it is no longer a battle between reason and emotion, but... the pain of a choice.
The remnants of sanity screamed at the top of their lungs: "Don't move! This is a trap! If you show up, it will expose the Tianji Pavilion's surveillance of Prince Ning! You will disrupt the Pavilion Master's overall plan! You will be hunted! Because of your appearance, she will also be listed as a target for the Tianji Pavilion to kill! Saving her would be harming her!"
The raging emotions roared madly: Save her! Now! Immediately! Immediately! If she dies, what meaning will all this hold you to hold on to?! You will forever live in the shadow of her despairing eyes, consumed by regret day and night!
His body froze in place.
His hand was tightly gripping the hilt of the "Momenta" sword, his knuckles turning white from excessive force, and his veins bulging like coiled, angry dragons.
What should he do?
He had never hated his own powerlessness so much. As the number one assassin in the Tianji Pavilion, he could take the life of anyone in the world, but at this moment, he couldn't save the only person he wanted to save.
No...that's not right...
In a flash, a crazy idea flashed through his confused mind like lightning.
A perfect excuse for him to take action.
A reason that can deceive both the Pavilion Master and oneself.
His breathing calmed down instantly. Within those crimson eyes, a hint of the cold, calculating intent that belonged to "Candle Shadow" reappeared.
He told himself that his mission was to assess the strength of Prince Ning's forces and observe the destruction of Youquan, but now it seemed that this team of death warriors was stronger than described in the intelligence. His previous observations were not enough to constitute a perfect report.
He told himself that saving Feiyue was to create greater chaos, expose Prince Ning's forces more thoroughly, and thus obtain more valuable intelligence. This was completely in line with the Tianji Pavilion's principle of maximizing its interests. He wasn't saving anyone, he was... deepening the mission.
Yes, that's it.
He found a perfect logical loop for his actions.
However, only he himself knew that all of this was just an excuse, a carefully woven lie to cover up the true impulse in his heart.
What lingered in his mind was the silent understanding in the dilapidated temple, the stunning glimpse of the Governor's Mansion, and the indescribable, mad desire in his heart to protect that "special" thing.
The next moment, he no longer hesitated.
The figure lying behind the huge rock disappeared silently like a drop of water merging into the darkness.
On the cliff, there was only silence blown by the wind.
And in the valley, a new storm is about to come.
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