Chapter 94 The Serpent of Fate (Part 2)
Why does Ni Xiao hate her? They only met once a few years ago. After that, she followed Ni Luo and killed people almost every day, not even knowing that Ni Xiao was still alive.
Ni Sang only pondered the question for a moment, then, finding herself unable to understand it, she dismissed it. In any case, Ni Xiao posed no threat to her; in her eyes, Ni Xiao was too weak.
But she couldn't get rid of Ni Xiao. By order of her master, she had to take Ni Xiao with her every day to complete her missions.
Ni Sang didn't like it. First, Ni Xiao always looked at her with that kind of gaze; second, Ni Xiao always liked to do useless things after killing someone.
Late at night once again, as Ni Xiao gouged out the target's eyes and was about to cruelly stuff them back into the corpse's mouth, Ni Sang shot out a silver needle from between her two fingers, piercing Ni Xiao's wrist. Ni Xiao gasped in pain, and the blood-soaked eyeballs fell to the ground.
Ni Sang gave her a cold look and said.
"Don't do anything unnecessary."
"Redundant?"
Ni Xiao pulled out the silver needle from her wrist, looking at Ni Sang with eyes full of hatred and resentment, but said with a smile.
"Senior sister, you're clearly the one who loves doing unnecessary things the most."
Ni Sang didn't understand what those words meant, nor did she realize when she had done something unnecessary. She didn't want to say another word to Ni Xiao and turned to leave.
Ni Xiao coiled around her like a snake, gritting her teeth behind her, and spoke in a flippant tone.
"Senior sister, everyone says you will be the young master."
"Everyone says you are... exceptionally talented, the number one genius of Masked River, a once-in-a-century talent. Even my first master said that every day. She said that although we were born in the same batch of children, I can't even keep up with you."
Every word Ni Xiao uttered should have been praise, yet it sounded particularly grating. Resentment and hatred were lurking in every word, desperately trying to burst from Ni Xiao's mouth.
"so what?"
Ni Sang stopped at the edge of the city wall, the darkness lifting the hem of her blood-stained black robe as she looked down at Ni Xiao and said calmly.
"That's the truth, isn't it? Or is that why you hate me? Do you want to kill me?"
"Kill you?" Ni Xiao chuckled and shook her head.
How could she kill her? Whenever she was tortured to the point of near death, collapsing again and again in the cold snow or water, whenever she wanted to be free and just die, she would always think of Ni Sang.
She was unwilling to accept it; she was unwilling to die like this, especially since Ni Sang might not even know she existed. Every time she thought of this possibility, Ni Xiao would struggle to wake herself up, as if not being remembered by Ni Sang was more terrifying than death itself. And with each repetition, her hatred for Ni Sang grew stronger.
It seemed that only in this way could she continue to live. She wanted to hate her, to hate her wholeheartedly, and to blame all her misfortunes on Ni Sang.
She said, "Senior sister, you are the one I care about the most."
...
"Impossible, this is the only thing I can't agree to."
"Sect Leader! This is the best opportunity yet! Are we destined to spend our whole lives in this northern land..."
Ni Luo's ethereal voice sometimes became urgent. Her thin shadow was reflected on the window, and the person sitting upright at the desk opposite her, holding a folding fan, was the current head of the Masked River Sect, and also her own sister.
"Alo!"
A heavy, angry roar came from inside the door, and with a bang, the locked door was slammed open by the sharp wind.
“Our master is a sinner from the Kingdom of Lai, and now he’s in the business of killing people. How can he possibly return to the capital? Don’t even dream about it.”
"But this is that lady's promise! As long as we do things for her, she will allow Masked River to return to Lin Su City. Is there anyone in the entire Lai Kingdom who would dare to disobey her?"
“There’s no room for discussion on this, Ni Luo! You’re too young and easily trusting! There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Even being a dog for the royal family isn’t easy. Masked River has already established himself in the martial arts world. He earns money and is relatively free. What’s wrong with that?”
"I……"
Ni Luo wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by the sect leader.
"Forget about that. I mentioned to you about making Ni Sang the young master, but there's still a trial needed. As that child's teacher, do you have any thoughts on this..."
"Don't listen, don't ask, don't listen, don't ask." Ni Sang stood outside the door, only realizing she had overheard when the conversation turned to her. She took over a hundred steps back, stopping only when the sect leader's and master's voices became indistinct. She stood in the narrow passage, looking down at the tips of her shoes, like a stalactite in the earth's depths, completely still.
About a year ago, a strange woman visited the Masked River.
No one knew how she found the true entrance to the Masked River, nor when she appeared. Ni Sang remembered it was just an ordinary day when the woman suddenly appeared before the gates of the Masked River like a ghost, wearing a mask and wielding a terrifying axe.
No one in the entire sect dared to stop her, and the woman gracefully walked up to the sect leader and elders.
That day, it is unknown what she said to the sect leader and the three elders, including Ni Luo. The sect leader was furious and loudly berated her for her treacherous intentions, telling her to get out of here and never come back.
"What I just said stands."
The woman was driven out of the house, but she turned back with remarkable composure and put a finger to her lips.
Her eyes were like spider silk, clinging and intimidating, inspiring deep fear. Although Ni Sang was also present, she dared not look up and meet the woman's gaze.
The woman's gaze swept over the masked River Master standing at the front, but finally seemed to land on the similar-looking face behind her. The woman slowly opened her mouth, a smile playing on her lips.
"...If you want to change your mind, I welcome it anytime. It's so cold in the north, you should go somewhere warmer, shouldn't you?"
This person didn't take Masked River seriously at all.
"Dream on!" The sect leader was even angrier, his teeth grinding together, and he stormed off in a huff.
The other elders followed the sect leader, but the one who looked seven parts like the sect leader stood still, looking at the strange woman with an inscrutable expression.
"Ni Luo!" the sect leader roared angrily. Ni Luo seemed to snap out of her daze and silently turned to follow.
From then on, for some reason, the relationship between the sect leader and the master deteriorated, and they often argued when they were alone.
This was the monthly routine for the master to come and report trivial matters to the sect leader. As expected, the two of them started arguing again, and the argument lasted longer than usual today.
Ni Sang watched as a centipede, seemingly mistaking her for a stone, dragged its long body past the tip of her shoe...
Suddenly, a pair of blood-stained shoes stepped on the centipede's body, and with a "plop," it exploded into a pool of green liquid.
Ni Sang raised her head, enveloped by Ni Luo's shadow. She reached out and wiped away the blood still flowing from Ni Luo's face, speaking softly.
"……master."
"My sister is tired and getting senile."
Ni Luo laughed, took Ni Sang's hand, and placed it on her cheek.
"My dear disciple, what should you call me?"
“…Sect Leader.” Ni Sang paused before speaking.
“Ni Sang, I’ve figured out what your trial to become the young master will be.”
Ni Luo leaned down, gently lifted a strand of hair by Ni Sang's ear, and spoke softly. Ni Sang listened quietly to those words, remaining motionless.
From a distance, they look like a loving teacher and student, nestled together.
...
Ni Sang ran away.
She traveled south without stopping for a moment.
She knew that if she stopped, she would be torn to pieces by the hyenas chasing after her. So she ran for her life, cutting scars on her cheeks and below her eyes with a knife, hoping to hide as long as possible.
In the early part of the eighth year of Yongjing, she arrived in Southern Qi. After passing the assessment of the outer disciples of the Shenshu Tianji Sect, she ate her first meal on her exile journey without worry or vigilance within the sect. Thus, this became her first real place to stay.
Ni Sang waited, waiting for the day she would be discovered by the people of the Masked River. So when that day finally came, she was not panicked. She simply left the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Gate in the dead of night and never returned.
Less than a year later, she was on the run again.
The journey was arduous; Masked River had deployed additional men, keeping a close watch on them. Ni Sang had no way to hide and could only fight as she ran. Her escape became chaotic, and she herself didn't even know where she was.
I don't want to die.
The long journey had exhausted her, and even the strongest internal energy couldn't withstand such depletion. Ni Sang ran forward desperately, but this time, she couldn't shake off the venomous snake behind her.
The hidden weapons slashed across her body, tearing away chunks of flesh. Ni Sang clearly felt as if someone was choking her, slowly suffocating, inching closer to death.
She didn't want to die.
She wasn't even... a "person" yet. She didn't want the surname Ni, she didn't want the name Sang. She wanted... she wanted to know what else she could do besides killing.
"Damn it, she's about to enter the Jiangjin Realm. Kill her before that happens!" The voices behind her reached her ears; the people seemed particularly anxious.
"Jiangjinjie is full of meddlesome江湖义士 (jianghu yishi, chivalrous people of the martial arts world), so don't let her go there, lest she cause any trouble."
Ni Sang's almost exhausted breath suddenly surged again. With her last strength, she ran forward, ignoring the hidden arrows behind her, letting her flesh and blood be peeled away. She
"Help me...help me!"
Suddenly, leaves rustled down in the deep forest. A white figure moved like the wind and a sword. Ni Sang felt a pair of hands grab her shoulders and pull her into an embrace. With another hand, an unknown weapon was swung, and the disciples of the Masked River probably didn't even get a clear look at the person's face before their throats were slit.
Blood flowed like rain, yet the person in white remained unstained. He took a few steps back, dusted himself off in dissatisfaction, and muttered something.
"Luckily, my medicine yard is here."
The person in white pried open Ni Sang's mouth again, stuffed a pill into it, and then shoved her onto his back, asking softly.
Are you going to stay here?
"think."
Ni Sang dared not grab the man's clothes; they were too clean, and she was afraid of leaving five bloody fingers. She could only barely wrap her arms around the man's neck.
The person was very hot and warm. Ni Sang spoke cautiously, her voice very soft, as if afraid of being heard, yet also afraid that the person wouldn't hear her.
"But...I...I've killed so many people...I...I don't want to..."
"Okay... then I'll think of a new name for you. Ugh, I have to choose a name again..."
The man, perhaps not hearing her, did not reply. Instead, he sighed in distress.
A new name, she will have... a new name.
These were the last three words Ni Sang heard before she fainted. She had fainted countless times, but this time was the only time she felt such joy.
...
"Awake? Come on, pick one."
As soon as Ni Sang opened her eyes, she heard someone calling her. She recognized the voice as that of her savior and wanted to kneel down to thank him immediately, but the person forcibly pulled her up and made her look at the tray in his hand.
There were four small piles on the tray, which appeared to be herbs.
"Alright, from now on your name will be Chai Hu Nan."
The man in white nodded and said. She couldn't help but add something else.
"Don't think it sounds bad, I really don't have much education. If you still think it's bad when you grow up, then you can change it..."
The name was hasty, without even a proper surname, unlike the children she had encountered in the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect.
But this name wasn't inherited from a dead person, nor was it surnamed Ni. She was very satisfied and liked the name.
I really like it.
She reached out and grabbed the man's sleeve, looked up at him earnestly, and said.
"I really like it, thank you."
From now on, her name will be Chai Hu Nan, and she will only be called Chai Hu Nan.
Later she also learned that the man's name was Bian Yi.
In the ninth year of the Yongjing era, the Jiangjin Alliance was established. Chai Hu Nan had a second place to settle down, and the first place he could call home.
Bian Yi had suggested that she wouldn't need to wear a mask and black clothes all the time, and that she could heal those scars. But Chai Hu Nan thought about it and still seriously refused.
"It's just that the Snake Shadow Movement Technique is such a technique, and it helps my cultivation. Please don't worry about it or overthink it. This is my specialty, and I just want to do more for you and for Jiang Jinmeng."
It turns out that if you feel gratitude and care for someone, you can be willing to be their servant.
...
The moment Wei Jingchen turned around, Ni Luo and Ni Xiao attacked Lin Chengye together, attempting to bypass Chai Hu Nan and kill him, but Chai Hu Nan would never give them such an opportunity.
The secret butterfly blade was drawn and instantly met Ni Luo. Chai Hu Nan was forced to take two steps back, and his ethereal voice mocked.
“Disciple, it has been a long time since you killed anyone. Your knife has become dull. You are a disgrace to Masked River.”
"This knife was never meant to kill."
Chai Hu Nan said coldly.
“Master, the former sect leader has been investigating the true culprit behind the destruction of Qingluan Medicine Valley. Now you are acting as his lackey. It is probably not me who is disgracing the sect.”
“I’ll deal with Ni Luo, you don’t need to worry about me.”
Chai Hu Nan pulled Lin Cheng Ye back, instantly creating distance between them and the two men.
She looked at the small figure beside Ni Luo and seemed to see the tail she couldn't get rid of back then. So much time had passed, but she hadn't changed and still hated her.
Chai Hu Nan paused for a moment, then whispered to Lin Cheng Ye.
"Young Alliance Leader, kill Ni Xiao."
Author's Note: Wow, over 300 reads! Thank you everyone... TT, I'm flattered. Let's all be happy (although this chapter's content isn't so pleasant).
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