Chapter 47: The Call of Fate, the Determination to Die
That hidden farmyard in the suburbs of Beijing.
Shen Ye was sitting at the table, looking at a map intently by the light of an oil lamp.
The map depicted not the land of state but a mass grave west of the city. Inscribed on it, in fine red ink, were the wind direction, soil quality, patrol guard rotation times, and even the areas most frequented by stray dogs.
This is the "grave" he designed for himself, and also the "smooth road" to his new life.
The application to retire, the Pavilion Master's final mission... From the moment he walked out of the underground palace of Tianji Pavilion, he knew that the so-called "freedom" was a complete lie. The Pavilion Master would not let go of his "most perfect work". The mission to assassinate Su Qinghan was more like a vicious test, an operation to cut out his emotional "flaw".
He couldn't just sit there and wait for death.
He wants to escape.
Therefore, he designed a perfect "death" for himself and the Pavilion Master.
In addition to the map, there were several seemingly unrelated things on the table: a pig's heart bought from a butcher, still with a hint of blood; a bag of corpse odor powder that was real enough; and a set of tattered clothes that he had prepared long ago and were the same size as himself.
His plan was as precise and ruthless as any assassination he had ever carried out.
He would fabricate the scene, using the mission given by the Pavilion Master as a cover, and after the assassination "failed", he would use a pig's heart to fake a fatal wound pierced by a sharp weapon, and use corpse odor powder to accelerate the decay of the "corpse", making it impossible for anyone who came to perform an autopsy to identify the true face.
He even deduced who the Pavilion Master might send to perform the autopsy and designed special visual and psychological traps for that person.
"Candle Shadow" must die.
A complete death, without any flaws.
Only in this way can there be a truly free "deep night" in the world.
He raised his head, looking past the flickering lights and towards the dark night outside the window. What emerged in his mind was Su Qinghan's cold and stubborn face.
He remembered the slightly furrowed brows she had when she was sound asleep, the fleeting smile that flashed across her lips when she instructed him on how to cook, and the "Dad" she had unconsciously called out when she had a high fever...
These memories, like warm currents, melted his heart that had been frozen for many years by the "Guardian of the Heart".
The days he spent in the courtyard were the light he stole. Now, he wanted to turn this light into the sun for the rest of his life.
After "Zhuying" died, he would go to Yangzhou. He wouldn't go to the bridge where they'd first met, because she wanted to seek revenge on Prince Ning. He would wait outside the city, open a small medicine shop, or simply become a farmer. He would wait patiently, until she fulfilled her wish and let go of her hatred. Then, one afternoon, she would push open the half-closed wooden door...
Thinking of this, a gentle smile appeared on the corner of Chen Ye's mouth, one that he himself had not even noticed. It was the most ordinary expectation of an ordinary person.
At this moment, a very soft cry imitating the cry of a night owl came from outside the window.
One long tone, two short tones.
This is the most urgent communication code of Tianji Pavilion.
The smile on Chen Ye's face instantly faded, and his eyes regained their calmness. He extinguished the oil lamp, and his figure blended into the darkness like a ghost, quietly coming to the old locust tree in the courtyard.
A wax ball was stuffed into an inconspicuous hole in the tree trunk.
He took out the wax ball, crushed it, and found a small paper scroll inside.
The communications from the Tianji Pavilion are usually mission briefings or instructions from the Pavilion Master, and the handwriting is always in that emotionless official script.
But when Chen Ye unfolded the scroll and saw its contents clearly in the faint moonlight coming through the window, his breathing suddenly stopped.
There is no official script and no task briefing.
What caught my eye was blood-red handwriting, written with such deep hatred that it threatened to tear through the paper.
The bloodstain had not yet completely dried, and a faint, familiar fishy and sweet smell, mixed with the scent of ink on paper, penetrated into his nostrils.
This letter was written in blood.
Whose blood is it?
His eyes slowly moved down, reading word by word.
"The hatred for killing my father is irreconcilable."
"I heard that your swordsmanship is divine, and the name is 'Zhuying'."
"Three days from now, on the night of the full moon, in the bamboo forest outside the city, where my late father was murdered, Qinghan will be waiting for you."
...poor.
This name, like a red-hot iron, burned deeply into his heart.
All his previous luck and plans vanished into thin air the moment he saw these two words.
How could it be? How did she know about "Zhu Ying"? How dare she use this method...
His mind went blank, buzzing as if struck head-on by a heavy hammer. The thin piece of paper in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, weighing him down so hard that he could hardly breathe.
He forced himself to continue reading and saw the last sentence, which was the most decisive and vicious curse.
"If you don't dare to come, you won't have to use a sword in this life."
boom--!
It was as if thunder exploded in Shen Ye’s mind.
The hopeful world he had built before was shattered at this moment by this bloody declaration of war.
All the fragments were spinning and reorganizing frantically, and finally pieced together the cruelest truth that he had been deliberately avoiding and dared not think about.
"Su Zhenting..."
He pronounced the name unconsciously.
That name was not a cold code name on the file, nor was it a "corrupt official" he hunted down to prove himself, nor was it a past that could be buried by time.
That name is her father.
It was he who personally extinguished all the light in her life, and then appeared as a savior, enjoying the glimmer of light she cast that stubbornly emerged from the ruins.
How absurd! How ridiculous!
The floodgates of memory suddenly opened, and the full moon five years ago was as clear as if it happened just yesterday.
At that time, he was not yet "Zhu Ying", but just the most talented candidate of Tianji Pavilion. In order to obtain this code name, he had to complete the final "letter of surrender" - assassinating Su Zhenting, the then Minister of Revenue.
The file said that this person "formed a clique for personal gain, was corrupt by nature, and was a major pest in the court", and assassinating him was to "eliminate harm to the country."
He believed it. Or rather, he didn't care about the reason at all. He only knew that if he completed this mission, he would be able to stand at the top of the Tianji Pavilion.
That night, he sneaked into the Su Mansion. Darkness was his best cover. Like a ghost, he avoided all the guards and came to the bamboo forest.
He remembered that the middle-aged scholar was writing a letter under the lamp with a frown on his face.
He even remembered that at the moment he drew his sword, the other party raised his head. There was no fear in his eyes, only a huge shock and reluctance that was too late.
What are you reluctant to give up?
At that time, he didn't think about it.
Now he knew. That letter, perhaps, was a letter to his daughter far away in Jiangnan. That reluctance was left for a girl named Su Qinghan.
“Puff.”
He seemed to hear again the sound of the dagger piercing into flesh.
Clean and neat.
Killed with one blow.
This was the starting point of his assassin career and the beginning of his glory.
But it was also the source of her five-year nightmare.
"ha……"
A dry laugh, as if being strangled, came from Shen Ye's throat.
He wanted to protect her, but he was the knife that hurt her.
He wanted to lead her to the light, but he was the deepest darkness that enveloped her.
His carefully designed "faked death" plan now seemed like a huge joke. He had tried to kill "Zhuying" and leave "Chenye". But how could he separate them?
To her, "Zhu Ying" is the murderer of her father, and what about "Shen Ye"? A liar who has been laughing at her and deceiving her feelings?
Regardless of his identity, he is her sworn enemy.
What if he told her the truth and begged for her forgiveness?
No. Chen Ye understood Su Qinghan better than anyone. That hatred was the only thing that had kept her alive until today. If she discovered that the person she loved was the one she hated the most, her world would collapse more completely than death itself. The feeling of being torn apart and betrayed would crush her completely.
He can't do that.
Absolutely not.
What about running away? Taking this secret with me, running away so far away that she could never find me?
Let her live in endless waiting and pursuit, until that hatred slowly cools, rots, and eventually turns into a pool of meaningless pus?
That would be more cruel than killing her.
Chen Ye slowly raised his head and looked at the cold moon in the sky.
The moonlight was like frost, shining on his pale face.
He suddenly understood.
Fate had already written the ending for him. All his struggles and hopes were merely paving the way for this final fate.
He had no choice.
It had been gone since he took on that mission five years ago.
The only way was to walk on the path she had paved for him.
Go to the bamboo forest. Go to the source of the tragedy he had created.
Then, end it all in the way she most desired.
He laughed, a laugh uglier than crying. That laugh was filled with endless sadness, self-mockery, and relief.
He carefully folded the blood-written letter of war, solemnly folding it, and placed it close to his chest. The scorching hatred seemed to burn through his chest.
He walked into the house without even glancing at the map representing "rebirth."
He took off the plain cloth clothes that symbolized the "dark night" and put on the dark blue suit that he had worn countless times when he was acting as "Candle Shadow".
The cold fabric stuck to his skin, as if taking away the last bit of his warmth.
Finally, he pulled out the dagger that had been with him for many years from under the bed.
The name of the sword is "Setsuna".
He drew out his sword. The blade was narrow and thin, emitting a cold light in the moonlight, just like his heart at the moment.
He used a soft cloth to gently wipe the sword over and over again.
The movements were gentle, with an almost sacred sense of ritual.
This sword opened the door to his sins.
Now, it is time for this sword to end his life.
He decided to keep the appointment.
This is not to fight, but to die.
This was the last "love" and the last "fulfillment" he could give her as a liar and a murderer.
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