Ghost salary
There was no light. There was no sound. Only the endless, suffocating thrashing and crashing.
Each violent tremor felt like an invisible hammer slamming into Xiao Yuxuan's battered body. His ribs felt as if they were piercing his lungs, and the burns on his back burned intensely against the rough linen. Each tremor pulled at the vortex of evil energy deep within his internal organs, forcibly restrained by the Xuanweizi bone needles, yet still raging wildly. Sharp, scorching energy, murderous rage, filth, and terror... they surged and thrashed within the confines of the restraints, each impact bringing a tearing, agonizing pain, like countless red-hot steel needles churning within his meridians.
Consciousness sank and floated in boundless pain and chaos. Occasionally, a violent jolt would jol me awake for a moment, and what would catch my eye was the hazy, fragmented light of the sky rushing past the thick wooden bars of the cage. Lead-gray clouds hung low, pressing down, making it hard to breathe. The biting wind, like countless icy blades, mercilessly seeped in through the gaps in the bars, piercing through my tattered clothes and stealing the last vestiges of warmth from my body. My hands and feet were bound by heavy iron chains, the cold metal digging deep into my flesh, each jolt bringing excruciating friction and pain.
He huddled on the cold floor of the prison van, covered with a thin layer of damp straw, like a discarded rag. Beneath him lay the filth left by other prisoners—dried, blackened blood, the sour smell of vomit, and the stench of excrement, mixed with the van's own strong odor of sweat, rust, and cheap grease, creating a nauseating, tangible hellish atmosphere that seeped into his nostrils and eroded his last vestiges of sanity.
"Ugh..." A suppressed groan of pain escaped his throat, which was filled with the smell of rust, sulfur, and blood, with another violent jolt. The sound was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, and was instantly swallowed up by the ear-piercing noise of the prison cart's wooden wheels rolling over the rough road, the howling of the cold wind, and the rough shouts of the escorting soldiers.
"You all better behave yourselves! A bunch of damn scum! If you keep whining, I'll send you to meet the King of Hell right now!" A rough, hoarse voice rang out outside the prison cart, accompanied by the sharp whistling of a whip tearing through the air and the muffled thud of flesh being lashed, followed by a prisoner's suppressed scream of agony.
Xiao Yuxuan struggled to open his heavy eyelids. Through the gaps in the bars, he saw the Qin soldiers escorting the prison cart. Their leather armor was old and covered in mud, their faces bearing the weariness of a long journey and a deep-seated contempt and brutality unique to prisoners. They rode equally weary warhorses, their bronze halberds gleaming coldly in the dim light. Their gazes swept over the prison cart as if they were looking at a herd of livestock awaiting slaughter, especially when they landed on Xiao Yuxuan; the disgust in their eyes was almost overflowing—his strong, lingering stench of sulfur, blood, and filth was even more pronounced in the enclosed cart, like a moving source of plague.
His gaze strained to shift to the inside of the prison van. Locked up and huddled in a corner like him were a dozen or so emaciated, their eyes numb and filled with despair—the "ghost laborers." Most were dressed in tattered clothes, their exposed skin covered in whip marks, frostbite, and scars from forced labor. Their faces were sallow, their eyes sunken, like zombies crawling out of their graves. An old man with a missing arm, his wound haphazardly wrapped with dirty strips of cloth, oozing yellow fluid, shivered in the cold, each jolting causing him to whimper in pain. A boy who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen, his face still bearing the traces of childhood innocence, stared blankly at the roof of the van, as if his soul had already departed.
Despair. Like a cold tide, it silently engulfed every inch of the prison van.
Just then, a violent jolt! The right wheel of the prison van seemed to have run over a huge rock, and the entire vehicle tilted sharply to the left! Caught off guard, Xiao Yuxuan was thrown violently by the inertia into the hard wooden fence! His left shoulder slammed heavily against the sharp-edged log!
"puff--!"
It was as if a fragile dam within his body had been completely breached by this violent impact! A thick, scalding liquid, carrying a strong, sweet, and pungent sulfurous smell, suddenly gushed out of Xiao Yuxuan's mouth! The blood was dark red, yet strangely mixed with wisps of bluish-black foul odor, splattering onto the damp, cold wooden fence opposite, like a grotesque abstract painting!
"Hah...hah..." Xiao Yuxuan's body convulsed violently, like a fish out of water, each spasm causing excruciating pain throughout his body. He felt as if his internal organs had been hollowed out after spitting out this mouthful of foul blood, leaving only endless coldness and weakness. His vision blurred, stars flashed before his eyes, and his consciousness was like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
"Damn it! What bad luck!" The Qin soldier escorting the cart spat in disgust upon seeing the splattered blood. "He vomited again! This plague god should just die already! So he won't cause any more trouble!"
The violent coughing caused Xiao Yuxuan to curl up into a ball, his body shivering on the cold floor. In this near-death daze, his hand unconsciously touched a rough, bark-like protrusion in the corner of the prison van floor.
It's locust tree bark.
A fragment of locust bark, its edges already rotten, was rolled out from a gap in the floorboards of the prison van during the bumpy ride.
The touch of my fingertips on that rough, cold, yet wood-textured texture was like pressing a hidden switch deep in my memory!
On the banks of the Wei River!
In the blood and mud!
A bronze dagger thrust at an angle!
Beside the sword hilt, a trembling, tender green locust tree bud, nourished by the blood and flesh of the dead, struggles to peek out from amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood!
That touch of green, so fragile yet so resilient, carried a fierce life force that pierced through the shadows of death, like the first ray of dawn, suddenly piercing through the boundless darkness and despair before us! It was so clear, so vivid, as if it were right before our eyes, the bloodstains on the tender leaves still trembling slightly!
Live on!
Live like it!
A faint yet incredibly stubborn force, like magma surging from the depths of the earth, suddenly broke through the icy grip of pain, cold, and despair! Xiao Yuxuan's unfocused pupils suddenly focused! With all the strength he had left, he gripped the cold, rough locust bark tightly in his hand! As if it were the only link connecting him to the sliver of life on the banks of the Wei River! His knuckles turned white from the excessive force, and his nails dug deep into the bark.
Just then, a deep, hoarse voice with a heavy Longxi accent rang out not far from him, like the pulling of a broken bellows:
"Baby...baby...hang in there...cough...cough cough..."
Xiao Yuxuan turned his head with difficulty. The one who spoke was the old man with the missing arm. He was huddled in the corner, the tattered cloth at the site of his severed arm stained dark brown by seeping fluid, his face ashen. He looked at Xiao Yuxuan, his cloudy old eyes devoid of pity, only a kind of shared sorrow, almost numb, and a faint, almost imperceptible…warning?
"We've arrived...we've arrived at Lishi Valley...that...that's...the real...the true...hell's palace..." the old man gasped, each word laced with blood and foam, "Not...not many people...can...crawl out alive...cough...cough cough...their bones...are all...ground to powder..."
Sharpening Stone Valley! These three words struck Xiao Yuxuan's heart like three cold, massive stones! The military judge's cruel pronouncement echoed in his ears once more: "Until death do us part!" It would be a place of death, darker, more desperate, and slower than this prison van! Grind every bone to dust, squeeze out the last drop of blood!
Fear gripped him again. But this time, mixed in with the chilling fear was a faint yet burning resentment brought by the locust tree buds by the Wei River! He gripped the locust bark even tighter, his knuckles making a slight "crackling" sound.
The old man seemed to sense the struggle in Xiao Yuxuan's eyes. His cloudy eyes darted around with difficulty, glancing at a figure riding a horse at the head of the procession outside the prison cart—a tall and robust officer in worn black armor, his back straight as a spear, a uniquely styled bronze ring-pommel sword hanging at his waist, its hilt wrapped in dark red leather. He silently controlled his horse, rarely turning his head, but when his gaze occasionally swept over the prison cart, it was as cold and sharp as a hawk's, carrying a detached indifference as if scrutinizing prey.
"See...see...that...'Scarface'...?" the old man whispered, almost in Xiao Yuxuan's ear, his voice so weak it sounded like a sigh. "He...he is...the...'King of Hell'...a confidant of 'Sharpening Stone Valley'...surname...surname Tu...his men...never...leave...lives...especially...someone like you...a...serious...crime...going in...is...just...filling...the...mine...pits..."
Surname Tu? A confidant of Yama, the King of Hell? No survivors? To fill the mine pit?
Every word was like a cold, poisonous needle, piercing Xiao Yuxuan's nerves! The military judge had exiled him to Lishi Valley, not intending for him to "die in peace," but rather to die immediately and silently in that hell! The so-called "atonement" was nothing but a cruel excuse!
Under the immense fear and chilling killing intent, Xiao Yuxuan's left hand, the one that had been hidden beneath his tattered clothes and pressed against his cold chest, clenched unconsciously in a spasm! A hard, cold touch came from his palm—it was the broken piece of wood engraved with the words "Hanging Blade"! And the miniature crossbow bolt that Ji Zhai had shot into the dungeon, cold and deadly!
"Hanging Blade!"
Ji Zhai! He must be watching! He risked everything to deliver this, it wasn't just a warning! Is this "suspended blade" a lifeline? Or a mechanism to detonate destruction?
His chaotic thoughts were like boiling magma. The vitality of the locust tree buds by the Wei River, the shadow of death in Lishi Valley, the military judge's use of others to commit murder, the mystery of Ji Zhai's "suspended sword," the evil energy raging within him... countless clues and forces churned and collided wildly in his collapsing mind!
Suddenly, the prison van screeched to a halt!
The immense inertia caused all the prisoners inside the vehicle to tumble forward like sandbags, the chains rattling and muffled groans and cries of pain filling the air.
"Rest where you are! Give the livestock water!" came the emotionless voice of the escorting officer ("Scarface").
The cage was roughly flung open. A blast of icy wind rushed in. Two Qin soldiers, pinching their noses and looking disgusted, used the butts of their spears to shove in several pieces of dark, moldy bran cakes and half-empty sacks of cold, muddy water, like feeding pigs. One of the Qin soldiers' gazes fell on Xiao Yuxuan, who was huddled in the corner, his face ashen, with dark purple bloodstains still clinging to his lips. He sneered, "Hey, plague god! Your food!" With that, he threw a mud-covered bran cake directly at Xiao Yuxuan's face!
The rough, cold touch and the humiliation were like sparks splashed into a hot oil pan! The suppressed murderous fire and sharp, vengeful spirit within him seemed to ignite instantly! A violent killing intent surged uncontrollably to the top of Xiao Yuxuan's head! He suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the Qin soldier who threw the pancake, and a beast-like growl escaped his throat!
The Qin soldier was startled by the sudden, ferocious glint in Xiao Yuxuan's eyes, which seemed to prey on his prey. He instinctively took a half step back and gripped his spear tightly: "You... what do you want to do?!"
Just as conflict was about to erupt!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"
A sharp, piercing neighing sound, filled with extreme terror, exploded from the front of the column like a ghostly howl! This was followed by screams and chaos!
"What's going on?!" the scarred officer demanded sharply.
"My lord! Something terrible has happened! The scout horse we were exploring... it's spooked! It's plunged off the cliff!" a terrified voice cried out.
A cliff? Xiao Yuxuan's heart sank! He suppressed his surging killing intent and evil aura, struggled to move to the prison cart fence, and looked out.
About a hundred paces ahead, the mountain path suddenly narrowed and became rugged. On one side was a steep mountain wall, and on the other was a bottomless, mist-shrouded, dark cliff! A warhorse, having lost its master, was neighing in terror, kicking wildly at the edge of the narrow path, its hooves kicking up loose stones that tumbled into the deep valley, creating a perilous situation! Several Qin soldiers tried to approach and calm it down, but were at a loss.
Just then, another unexpected event occurred!
"call out--!"
A very faint yet sharp sound, so sharp it seemed to pierce the wind, came from the highest and most distant mountain peak!
A streak of dark light, almost invisible to the naked eye, like the kiss of death from the underworld, tore through the gray sky the instant everyone's attention was drawn to the startled horse. With incredible speed and angle, it shot with unparalleled precision toward the "Scarface" officer, who was riding outside the prison cart, frowning as he looked toward the cliff!
"puff!"
A soft sound, like a sharp blade piercing rotten wood!
The burly officer with the "scar" on his arm suddenly stiffened! He looked down in disbelief at the spot below his black armor neck guard, right at his throat—a tiny, black crossbow bolt, as thin as a steel needle, was firmly embedded there! The fletching trembled slightly!
"Hah...hah..." The scarred officer made a strange hoarse sound from his throat, his face contorted with extreme pain and horror. He tried to raise his hand, but his body tilted backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily from his horse to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust! His eyes were wide open, staring fixedly at the gray sky. His limbs twitched a few times, then he remained motionless. Blood quickly gushed from the tiny wound in his throat, spreading a small dark red patch on the cold ground.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
"An assassin!!!"
"Protect the adults!!!"
"Enemy attack!!!"
Terrified screams and chaotic roars erupted instantly! The escorting Qin soldiers, like a swarm of bees disturbed by a disturbance, frantically drew their weapons and looked around in terror, searching for the attacker who was impossible to spot! The ranks were thrown into chaos in an instant!
Inside the prison van, there was a deathly silence. All the other prisoners were stunned, frozen like statues. Only Xiao Yuxuan remained!
He stared intently at the cold, needle-like miniature crossbow bolt lodged in the throat of the "Scarface" officer! It was exactly the same as the one Ji Zhai had shot into the dungeon in his arms!
The Hanging Blade! It's the Hanging Blade!
Ji Zhai! He made his move! He shot and killed "King Yama's" confidant! Right here in broad daylight, during this heavily guarded escort! With an identical, silent arrow of death from the Mohist school!
A massive surge of emotion, a mixture of horror, bewilderment, and a sudden burst of ecstatic joy amidst despair, violently shattered Xiao Yuxuan's faltering defenses! His body trembled violently, not from the cold or pain, but from a profound shock deep within his soul!
His hand, hidden beneath his clothes, gripped once more tightly the broken piece of wood engraved with "Hanging Blade" and the cold, miniature crossbow bolt! His palm was pierced by the sharp edge of the wood, and blood seeped out, mixed with cold sweat and grime.
Life, accompanied by death, arrived suddenly on this desperate, ghostly path in a way he had never anticipated!
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