Chapter 87 Escape
Lin Chengye looked quietly at the girl in front of him, opened his mouth but no sound came out, simply because he didn't know what to say.
She couldn't shake her head, because the bluestone and the flower stone were ultimately dead there. If it weren't for her good luck, Cai Wenyou and she would have died there too.
But she couldn't agree either. After all, Qing Shi and Hua Shi had already taken too many lives; they were undeniable accomplices, scapegoats in this "ghost disease." Lin Chengye didn't feel sorry for their deaths, but thinking back on them brought a strange sense of regret.
Ultimately, however, neither Qing Shihua Stone, nor even Dong Tang herself, can be categorized as good or bad. Their actions, their will, and even themselves are not whole. They are merely pawns on a chessboard, to be discarded at will. No one gives them a choice, and no one cares that they too suffer the torment of killing.
Therefore, even Lin Chengye was stumped, as she genuinely didn't know the correct answer to this question.
The last glimmer of hope in Dongtang's eyes dimmed little by little as Lin Chengye fell silent. She knew that the woman who raised the mother beetle was dead, and that she had also taken lives on her hands.
Actually, this wasn't unusual. Anyone working in the palace had seen countless dead bodies, and none of them had clean hands. They simply did whatever their master said. Dong Tang suddenly hugged her arms tightly, her teeth clenching until her lower lip turned white.
"Let's go first."
Lin Chengye spoke slowly.
Dongtang seemed to have her soul drained away. She turned around blankly and led Lin Chengye deeper into the tunnel.
Soon, with the monotonous sound of footsteps and the dripping of melting ice, Lin Chengye felt her body gradually warming up, and her damp and sticky clothes gradually dried. She reached out and touched the wall, and her fingertips were warm.
The tunnel gradually widened, allowing the two of them to walk side by side.
We're almost at the place Dongtang mentioned.
Lin Chengye took a step forward and stood beside Dong Tang, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, cautiously observing his surroundings.
She didn't want this to be a trap, nor did she want the sword to fall on Dongtang's neck first.
Suddenly, Dong Tang stopped and placed the candle flame in her hand into a recessed brick crevice beside her. Instantly, the flame ignited the wick. It had been too dark before, and she hadn't noticed that the surrounding walls were covered with lines of candles, stretching forward from where Lin Chengye stood, illuminating the entire space like a river of fire.
At the same time, at the end of the road, a heavy bronze gate emitted a sharp, teeth-grinding scraping sound and slowly sank into the ground.
Opposite her was a hole that had been blocked by rubble.
However, these pale in comparison to the crimson on the stone platform.
Lin Chengye slowly approached the center of the stone platform. A faint smell of blood mingled with the gentle breeze. She frowned deeply and murmured softly.
"……cocoon?"
The object suspended on the stone platform resembled an insect cocoon, hanging from the ceiling and suspended by a thick, dark red rod. The cocoon itself was about half a person's height, exhibiting a dark red and moist appearance, like internal organs. The surface of the cocoon was not smooth, but covered with intricate, dark veins, like blood vessels.
But those veins had clearly shriveled, like the dried skin of a dead person. Lin Chengye steadied himself, drew his Yin-Yang Twin Spring Swords with a backhand, and swiftly cleaved a gash in the enormous cocoon, like a dissected abdominal cavity, but it was empty inside.
As expected, the mother vermin had already been implanted into Wei Jingrui's body. Lin Chengye frowned even more deeply, unconsciously tightening his grip on the sword in his hand.
"...This is where the insect was raised. But before, there were many letters left here, seemingly left by His Highness the Crown Prince in communication with someone, but..."
Suddenly, Dong Tang's soft voice rang out, and Lin Chengye realized that the woman was just standing at the entrance of the space, not daring to come in. Perhaps Wei Jingrui's command was still haunting Dong Tang, because she subconsciously stood next to the hexagonal brick.
"I... I don't know when it happened. I've been locked up ever since to be used for blood extraction. I'm sorry, sir, I..."
"It's alright, come closer."
Lin Chengye sighed and beckoned to Dong Tang. Dong Tang was about to refuse, but then suddenly remembered that she had already betrayed her master, so why should she obey such a trivial order?
She nervously swallowed, slowly moving closer to Lin Chengye. Suddenly, Dongtang caught a whiff of the lotus wood scent from the New Year's Eve banquet on Lin Chengye. Her heart sank, and the fleeting feeling from their first encounter swept through her again. This time, she saw it more clearly—it was something new and different.
"Bringing me here is very useful; this place itself represents a secret."
This is the art of celestial secrets.
She was all too familiar with this. Such ingenuity, and the ability to create such a massive mechanism—only a disciple from one place could accomplish this. Lin Chengye rubbed his forehead, a headache forming, as those five words easily surfaced in his mind.
Shen Shu Tian Ji Men.
Lin Chengye realized that the places he had visited over the past year had all become sources of support for her at certain times.
He knew he would have to trouble his adoptive mother again. The Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect kept detailed records of both inner and outer disciples; perhaps they could find some clues there. Lin Chengye secretly made a mental note to send a letter back to the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect as soon as possible. The clues were pitifully few now, and she couldn't afford to overlook any potential breakthrough.
But... where did the eldest princess get so many martial arts forces from?
There is usually a barrier between the imperial court and the martial arts world, but why are the figures of the Wuma family, the Shenshu Tianji Sect, and even the Qingluan Medicine Valley—completely martial arts sects—frequently appearing in Linsu City? This is highly unusual.
The investigation has almost reached a dead end. Where should we start next?
A flurry of random thoughts flashed through Lin Chengye's mind. Suddenly, her eyes sharpened, and she caught sight of one of them.
This idea has little to do with current analyses, but it is like a spark that has been set in motion and is burning brighter and brighter in her heart.
Lin Chengye reached into her robes, her fingers gently rubbing the brocade pouch Cai Bailing had given her. This was the time to open it. It wasn't that she was without options, but rather that she hoped this pouch would just happen to support her unreasonable thoughts.
...
Having decided what to do next, Lin Chengye's expression immediately relaxed. She took a deep breath, turned to look at Dong Tang beside her, and said...
"I have a question... Why did you help me?"
"Even now, I still can't believe you're completely innocent. I'm even wary of whether you're here on someone's orders."
"After all, this is only our second meeting. And with the chains on your hands and feet severed, the person who feeds you tomorrow will surely find out, and then you will only have death as your fate."
"I haven't figured out this problem either, but I think I'm close to it."
Dongtang shook his head and said again.
"But I don't regret it."
"...Then would you like to come with me? To a new place, to start over."
Lin Chengye paused, then continued, his voice catching Dong Tang's wide eyes.
"I can't answer your question, but... thankfully you're still alive and able to find the answer yourself. All I can say is that, in my eyes, although you killed someone, you're not a bad person."
"Or you can forget about it and, like most places do, start over."
Although even that alliance leader himself couldn't achieve it.
Those six short words were incredibly difficult; Bian Yi couldn't do it, and neither could she. But Bian Yi did use an extremely simple and direct method to tell everyone that Jiang Jinmeng was a new beginning.
Forget the past, settle all grudges.
...
Dongtang arrived at the cave that was half a person tall again.
But unlike before, this time, her heart clenched violently, beating faster and faster, pounding against her periosteum. She could feel her cheeks burning, her skin tingling, and a surge of heat rushing into her chest.
This is neither a fleeting pleasure nor a pipe dream.
Rather, it was that once she stepped out of that hole, she would gain true freedom. Dongtang could hardly believe it; faced with such an overly beautiful vision, she was even too timid to resist.
Suddenly, Dongtang heard a gentle and deep voice calling softly from the other side of the cave.
"Come."
Author's Note: Thank you so much for the nutrient solution! Here's an extra chapter for today~ (It's a bit short, but it's the last ripple of life for this office worker).
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