Chapter 93 The Enemy is at the Gates (Part Two)
Ji Shi froze instantly; he recognized the voice. As his vision cleared, he looked at the person he had pierced through the heart with an arrow and exclaimed in shock, "Xiao Ze?"
Xiao Ze is a new disciple of Changjin Mountain in the past two years. He is timid and cowardly and always likes to follow Ji Shi. When he first came to Qingyao City, he thought that he was too young, so he was not allowed to come along. But now, how could this be?
“Mei Haoshi,” Ji Shi asked through gritted teeth, looking at the blood-dripping sword in his hand, “What have you done?!”
Seeing his expression, Mei Haoshi sneered, "What did I do? Didn't you kill this person? We should ask you what you did, or rather, what Master did?"
Ji Shi's hands trembled uncontrollably as Lin Mumu's words from last night echoed in his ears.
Mei Haoshi was helped to his feet and said with a smile, "Ji Shi, take a good look at these people. Do you recognize them all?"
Ji Shi suddenly turned around. In the thick fog, he carefully discerned the faces of these people, and the sword in his hand uncontrollably fell to the ground.
He knew them, and not just knew them, but was someone who spent every day with him.
It turned out that the reinforcements they had been waiting for for days were here.
“You…” Ji Shi’s throat felt like it was filled with razor blades, and every word he spoke was painful and trembling: “Why did you do this?”
“Senior brother,” a boy next to Mei Haoshi choked up, “we had no choice. The lives of our families are all in the hands of the sect leader. If we don’t listen to him, none of us will survive.”
Mei Haoshi looked at him with a sinister gaze and said, "So, Senior Brother, should we kill him or not?"
Ji Shi's eyes were bloodshot as he screamed frantically, "What have you and Jiang Yan done!"
“There are many,” Mei Haoshi listed them one by one: “For example, he had dealings with Linyimen long ago, for example, Xie Yin’s death, for example, Chu Qingyuan, for example, Cheng Yuan, for example, Master’s wife.”
Mei Haoshi chuckled to himself, "Of course, he didn't tell you a single thing. From beginning to end, I was the person Master trusted the most."
Ji Shi was completely stunned. The cold memories seemed to steal his breath, the pain was so intense that he could hardly breathe, yet he couldn't even shed a tear.
He was kept in the dark the whole time. Cheng Yuan was right; he was a complete idiot.
“Look at you,” Mei Haoshi said, patting Ji Shi’s shoulder twice insincerely. “If you had been more sensible, your master wouldn’t have wanted your life. Killing the people in this city would have been enough; consider it a pledge of loyalty. But you insisted on playing the hero. What a pity.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a short dagger appeared from his sleeve and stabbed at Ji Shi.
Ji Shi retreated in time, and the dagger only grazed his forearm.
"Ji Shi!" Lin Mumu shouted at him from the other side, "Let's finish this quickly!"
Ji Shi realized what was happening and ran towards the city gate without even taking his sword.
Mei Haoshi shouted, "Kill him!"
Countless people surrounded Ji Shi, but whether it was his imagination or not, Ji Shi easily dodged wave after wave of attacks.
Many people had already begun to block the city gate, preparing to break it open, but Ji Shi blocked them from doing so.
But now that he knew who these people were, he couldn't bring himself to kill them. He could only watch them fall and get back up, and before long, his strength was almost completely exhausted.
"There's no other way," Lin Mumu said breathlessly as she retreated to his side. "We can only ask the people on the city wall for help."
Just as Lin Mumu was about to raise her hand to give a signal, Ji Shi grabbed her wrist and turned to see that his expression was inscrutable.
She understood that if they were to use bows, arrows, and boulders, these people would either die or be seriously injured, and Ji Shi would definitely not be able to bring herself to do it.
But in that instant of hesitation, the city gate was already smashed open with a crack.
"I'm sorry," Lin Mumu said to Ji Shi, "I can't help it."
She quickly raised her hand and shouted, "Do it!"
Those on the city wall obeyed orders and came forward. Archers shot back the first wave of people, while those who climbed up the ladders were pelted with boulders and doused with boiling water. Before long, cries of agony filled the air below the city wall.
Ji Shi stood there, stunned, helplessly watching everything unfold. He wanted to shout for them to stop, but he knew that with one side being threatened and the other fighting for their own safety, no one would listen to him.
"Ji Shi, be careful!" Lin Mumu pulled Ji Shi over, dodging the incoming arrow.
Mei Haoshi lowered his bow and said angrily, "What are you all standing there for! Kill him now!"
Upon hearing this, those who were busy attacking the city turned around and raised their swords at Ji Shi.
Ji Shi was exhausted and could only try his best to avoid being hurt. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone quietly approaching and wanted to use his sword to intimidate them, but unexpectedly, the person grabbed his wrist and twisted it forcefully.
The expected pain did not come; the man gripped his hand and plunged it into his own chest.
"Senior brother..." the boy choked up, his voice trembling, "I'm sorry, I'm not a bad person."
The boy fell to the ground, blood flowing freely.
Ji Shi stood there dumbfounded. He looked into the crowd and saw that there was more than one person like him. Nearly half of them were unwilling to obey Mei Haoshi's orders and deliberately held back, letting the guards of Qingyao City kill them.
Jiang Yan used their relatives to threaten them, but even if they obeyed, Jiang Yan might not let them go. Rather than that, it would be better to die here, both to give their families a way out and to atone for their sins.
Ji Shi watched helplessly as one familiar person after another died in front of him.
Mei Haoshi seemed to notice this as well, and exclaimed in shock, "What's going on? We can't kill these people? Attack them all!"
"I'll kill you!" Ji Xie screamed as he charged forward.
There were quite a few people blocking Mei Haoshi's way, but no one really intended to stop Ji Shi. Most of them would just make a feint and then pretend to be injured to make way for him.
Ji Shi's explosive power was astonishing. Mei Haoshi picked up his weapon and desperately tried to defend himself, but Ji Shi cut it in half with a single sword strike. The blade sliced open his forearm sleeve, revealing a section of white bone.
Seeing that the situation was dire, Mei Haoshi finally became truly frightened and desperately crawled backward, shouting, "Retreat! Retreat now!"
As Mei Haoshi was being carried onto the horse, he was nearly stabbed by the sword Ji Shi threw at him. He shouted without regard for his image, "Ji Shi, you just wait! I'll take your life!"
Ji Shi also shouted at him, "Then I'll wait!"
Mei Haoshi glared at him fiercely: "You really think I can't do anything to you? I'll come back tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that. Let's see how long you can hold out."
After Mei Haoshi and his men left in a huff, the world fell silent for a moment, leaving only a pile of corpses in front of the city gate.
The fog had lifted, but the sky remained overcast and stuffy, without even a breath of wind.
Lin Mumu walked to Ji Shi's side, said nothing, but stretched out her hand and slowly touched the back of Ji Shi's hand.
Ji Shi subtly stepped back, distancing himself from the brief contact.
Lin Mumu's eyelashes trembled slightly. She didn't ask any further questions, but simply said, "Take them back to the city and give them a proper burial."
Ji Shi nodded and turned to walk towards the city gate.
He locked himself in his room for an entire day. He knew he was the pillar of strength for everyone, and the one who couldn't afford to fall was him. But he simply didn't have the courage to face so many corpses.
He was overwhelmed by immense self-blame. He hated himself for not being able to judge people properly, for not trusting Cheng Yuan more, and for always failing to protect those around him.
As darkness fell, he finally raised his head, looked at the sliver of light coming in through the window, and stood up.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Lin Mumu standing there. I don't know how long she had been waiting there. She was dressed in thin clothes and looked very thin in the night wind.
Hearing the door open, Lin Mumu turned around, her voice hoarse, "I've already buried him, he's in Yunshan, north of the city."
“Yunshan…” Ji Shi recalled for a moment and said softly, “It’s a beautiful place. When I die, bury me there.”
Lin Mumu was stunned for a moment. "What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by dead or alive? We won today, didn't we?"
Ji Shi nodded. "Yes, I said some nonsense. Don't take it to heart."
Before Lin Mumu could speak, he suddenly asked, "Given the current situation, is it possible to send the letter out?"
Lin Mumu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Using spiritual power is impossible. That group of people is guarding outside the city. Once the formation is gone, our situation will be dire. The only option now is to send one guard to deliver a message, but whether they can break through is uncertain."
Ji Shi lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Lin Mumu then asked, "Who are you going to send a message to? Now all the sects think that it was the Linyi Sect that massacred the city, and no one will come to our rescue."
Ji Shi lowered his eyes. "The place I need to deliver the letter is Linyi Gate."
He turned to look at Lin Mumu, "I'm going to gamble with the last shred of insignificant affection between Cheng Yuan and me."
...
Chu Jianshan was dragged back to Linyi Gate by Cheng Yuan, but Cheng Yuan only locked him in a room and didn't say anything else or see him.
But it didn't matter. Chu Jianshan was an expert at escaping, and there were no spiritual energy restrictions here, so he climbed over the wall with almost no effort.
The moment Chu Jianshan jumped out of the window, he was stunned. In front of him was a wedding room, but the red ribbons were a bit old and the double happiness character on the window was faded.
Taking a few more steps forward, Chu Jianshan became even more certain that he had been here before; it was the place that resembled the Sleepless Abode. He never expected that Cheng Yuan would decorate it like this.
As if he had guessed something, he suddenly slowed down, looked at the Sleepless Abode in front of him, and slowly backed away.
Caught off guard, he bumped into someone from behind, and when he turned around, he was met with Cheng Yuan's gloomy face.
Chu Jianshan hadn't forgotten that this man wanted to kill him. He was about to swallow his pride and kneel down to beg for mercy when Cheng Yuan grabbed his arm and dragged him back.
Once inside the main hall, Cheng Yuan remained silent, simply tossing him a wedding gown.
Chu Jianshan, clutching the wedding dress, looked completely bewildered. "What...does this mean?"
Cheng Yuan's face darkened further, and he said briefly, "Change into them."
Chu Jianshan was stunned for a few seconds. He wanted to refuse, but he couldn't resist Cheng Yuan's gaze. So he closed his eyes, turned around, and went to the room to change into his wedding dress.
He thought to himself that he had better not be up to any underhanded tricks, or he would really lose all the face he had left.
With a creak, the door opened.
Chu Jianshan, dressed in wedding attire, came out of the house and paused for a moment when he saw Cheng Yuan opposite him.
He was holding a veil in his hand; it looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
He walked up to Cheng Yuan and asked softly, "Lord?"
Cheng Yuan said in a deep voice, "Shut up."
Chu Jianshan was stunned. "What?"
Cheng Yuan added, "From now on, do not utter another word."
Chu Jianshan obediently shut his mouth, understanding in his heart: the thing that was least like Chu Jianshan about this body was his voice.
He stood there, eyes closed, letting Cheng Yuan place the veil over his head.
This familiar scene played out again, and Chu Jianshan suddenly realized where he had seen this veil before, and he couldn't help but clench his fingers.
After the veil was put on, Chu Jianshan clearly felt the person next to him pause for a moment.
Then Cheng Yuan took his hand, walked to the front of the hall, faced the door, and said, "I bow to Heaven and Earth."
Chu Jianshan was still in a daze when Cheng Yuan pulled him down to bend over.
Then he turned around and bowed to his parents twice, and then to each other as husband and wife. He was forced to do each step by Cheng Yuan.
After the ceremony, Cheng Yuan led him to the bedroom. When he first entered the room, he stumbled because he couldn't see the way clearly. Cheng Yuan held him tightly and protected him in his arms so that he wouldn't fall.
The two sat on the edge of the bed, neither of them speaking.
Of course, Chu Jianshan couldn't speak either, otherwise he would definitely have questioned him.
He's only been dead for a few years! And you've already fallen for someone else? Even though this person does look like me, it's only a physical resemblance. Don't they say you love the soul? What's with this sudden wedding ceremony?!
Chu Jianshan sulked under the veil, but Cheng Yuan took his hand. He secretly tried to resist, exerting force in the opposite direction, but Cheng Yuan was too strong and could not refuse him.
"Master," Cheng Yuan suddenly called out softly.
Almost instantly, Chu Jianshan broke out in a cold sweat, but then he suddenly realized that he was just looking at her face and thinking of her.
Cheng Yuan received no response, so he began to talk to himself: "I prepared this bridal chamber two years ago. I don't know if Master will like it or not, but I have always known Master's likes and dislikes, so I think he should like it."
Two years ago, Chu Jianshan silently calculated that this was the period right after his death.
"I'm sorry, Master. I made this decision without your permission. Are you angry with me?"
Chu Jianshan almost blurted out, "It's not your fault," but then he remembered that this person wouldn't let him speak, so he could only reluctantly shut his mouth.
Cheng Yuan stroked the back of his hand and said softly, "I've been dreaming of this day for a very long time. I've always longed for a good outcome with Master, but things haven't gone as planned. No matter what I do, I can't get to your side. At first, I thought that being able to stay by Master's side for a long time would be all I wanted; then I thought that being able to stay with you forever would be the best thing; and then I started to ask that you only have me in your heart. You see, I'm always greedy."
A drop of water hit the back of Chu Jianshan's hand. He instinctively tried to pull back, but Cheng Yuan gripped it even tighter.
"Perhaps it was this greed that angered Master. I don't blame Master for abandoning me. I only blame myself for being narrow-minded and not understanding why Master couldn't love only me."
A long silence followed.
Chu Jianshan withdrew his hand. This time, Cheng Yuan did not stop him. He just looked at him and then gently lifted the veil, revealing a face that looked about 80% like Chu Jianshan's.
"Do you think Master will blame me?" It was as if she was asking him, or as if she was asking someone else through him.
Chu Jianshan opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Cheng Yuan said, "Now you can speak."
Chu Jianshan breathed a sigh of relief, took a few deep breaths, but still didn't have the courage to look up at him. He could only lower his eyes and say, "Maybe."
Cheng Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "You mean, he might blame me."
Chu Jianshan hesitated for a moment, then said, "I am not him, and I do not understand what he is thinking. But I guess that Immortal Venerable Chu would not want to see you like this."
Cheng Yuan asked, "Why do you say that?"
Chu Jianshan looked up at him and said, “In life, one should dare to love and hate, and spare no effort. But if the person of the past is gone, one should not dwell on the past and remain stubborn. Your Excellency’s persistence will probably not end well.”
Chu Jianshan mustered his courage and said these words, expecting Cheng Yuan to be angry. However, Cheng Yuan only paused for a moment and said softly, "Stubborn to the end? I don't think so."
He looked up at Chu Jianshan and said, "I just want a good outcome."
Chu Jianshan asked, "What if it's destined to have no outcome?"
Cheng Yuan: "Then I will change my fate and personally seek justice from Heaven."
“Master,” he called out to Chu Jianshan again, “my life was given to me by you, and it should be decided by you.”
Chu Jianshan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his voice was hoarse: "Your Excellency has mistaken me for someone else. I am not Immortal Venerable Chu."
“How could it not be?” Cheng Yuan seemed to be possessed, looking down at him. “You are my master, you are Chu Jianshan, you are the one I’m entangled with to the death. I can’t mistake you.”
Chu Jianshan gripped the hem of his clothes tightly, his breathing becoming rapid.
He wasn't sure if Cheng Yuan had recognized him or not.
"Master." Cheng Yuan squatted down in front of him, a tear sliding down his cheek.
He took Chu Jianshan's hand and touched his cheek. "Look at me carefully. You still remember me, don't you?"
Chu Jianshan's hands trembled uncontrollably and began to move uncontrollably, gently stroking his face.
Cheng Yuan, like a child who had been rewarded, couldn't wait to throw himself into Chu Jianshan's arms and bury his head in the crook of his neck.
"Master, Master..." Cheng Yuan called out to him again and again.
But Chu Jianshan dared not agree; his heart was pounding wildly.
After an unknown amount of time, Chu Jianshan finally closed his eyes and, with all his remaining strength, called out, "A Yuan."
Cheng Yuan showed no unusual emotion, only holding him tighter.
It took Chu Jianshan a lot of effort to pry him off and asked, "When did you recognize me?"
Cheng Yuan replied, "When Ji Shi took you away."
"Then why don't you come find me?"
Cheng Yuan lowered his head, "I'm afraid my master is still blaming me."
Chu Jianshan was silent for a moment, then said, "I do blame you. Do you know why I blame you?"
Cheng Yuan lowered his eyes. "In order to save my master, I sought help from Qiao Yi and risked my life for him at all costs. I was so stubborn that I harmed myself and others."
Chu Jianshan's eyes reddened as he said, "So you understand everything."
"You..." Chu Jianshan choked up, unable to speak, "You clearly understand everything, yet you still choose to do this!"
"Yes," Cheng Yuan said, bowing his head, but without a trace of remorse. "Even if I had to do it all over again, I would still do the same thing. As long as I can save my master, I don't care about anything else."
Chu Jianshan asked, "Even if it costs countless lives, you wouldn't care?"
Cheng Yuan firmly replied, "Yes."
Snap—
The crisp sound of a slap echoed in the room. Chu Jianshan trembled with anger, but could only point at him and say, "When, when did I teach you to behave like this?!"
He stood up, forcing Cheng Yuan to look at him, "So what if I die! For the world, for the common people, I have no regrets! Why do I need you to save me!"
Cheng Yuan chuckled, a smile playing on his bloodied lips. "Master also said, 'For the world, for all living beings,' but when has he ever done it for me?"
He stood up and approached Chu Jianshan step by step. "Master, I have known since I was a child that there is a distinction between noble and lowly people. Some people's lives are not worth mentioning, just like mine back then. But I don't believe that fate is predetermined. I am not afraid of bearing a bad reputation. I am only afraid of not being able to control my own destiny. What I want to get, I must get. The people I want to keep, I must keep."
Chu Jianshan looked at the person in front of him and felt he was becoming increasingly unfamiliar with him. "Why...why are you doing this?"
Cheng Yuan said in a deep voice, "Master, I am willing."
"So, I'm just going to do it willingly?" Chu Jianshan slowly walked towards him. "Cheng Yuan, did you even ask for my opinion? So many lives were sacrificed just for me, how could I not feel guilty? How could I be willing to do it?"
"That doesn't matter!" Cheng Yuan roared, "As long as Master can come back, whether you beat me or scold me, whether we never see each other again in life or death, at least you're still alive! As for those people, I will pay with my life and be condemned to eternal damnation."
Chu Jianshan slowly backed away. "So you were willing to be driven by Qiao Yi, even to the point of committing atrocities like massacring an entire city?"
"...What massacre?" Cheng Yuan was completely confused.
Chu Jianshan also realized what was happening and hurriedly asked, "The massacre of Qingyao City wasn't the work of Linyi Sect?"
Cheng Yuan said, "Of course not. I know all the people in Linyi Sect. I can tell if even one person is missing. Even if Qiao Yi instructed me, I would still get the news. If it really was Linyi Sect, I wouldn't be unaware of such a big event as the massacre of a city."
Chu Jianshan was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly sorted through everything in his mind.
The news of the massacre was undoubtedly true; all the major sects believed it was the work of the Linyi Sect, yet the Linyi Sect itself was unaware of it. This could only mean one thing: someone impersonated the Linyi Sect and carried out the massacre.
The news of the massacre at Linyi Gate first came from Changjin Mountain.
Chu Jianshan's heart sank—it was Jiang Yan, and Ji Shi was in danger!
He gripped Cheng Yuan's arms tightly and said urgently, "Mobilize everyone in Linyi Gate who can go to Qingyao City as quickly as possible to rescue Ji Shi!"
Although Cheng Yuan didn't understand what had happened, seeing how anxious Chu Jianshan was, he didn't have time to ask anything and hurriedly turned around to find someone.
Just as he reached the door, a sudden noise came from behind him, and Chu Jianshan collapsed beside the bed, unable to support himself.
"Master!" Cheng Yuan ran over and helped him up.
Intense pain surged through every part of his body, and Chu Jianshan knew that his body's time was up.
Before he could say anything, a sharp pain shot through his head, and Chu Jianshan completely lost consciousness.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
