Chapter 96 Fox Mask
My eyes were covered, and all I could feel was darkness. The place was damp and stuffy, with occasional dripping sounds that echoed off the walls.
Jiang Rusheng guessed that it was a tomb or similar underground structure.
The footsteps in the distance grew closer, and Jiang Rusheng's body tensed more and more. The footsteps stopped in front of her, and her blindfold was abruptly removed. Jiang Rusheng lowered her face, avoiding looking at the person.
The person opposite her grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him, but didn't say anything.
Jiang Rusheng saw the youthful face of the person in front of her. He was not yet dressed, his long black hair was draped over his shoulders, he was dressed in white, and he was smiling.
She sighed and asked, "What does Lord Qiao want with me? As far as I know, we have no connection whatsoever."
"Oh?" Zhao Yi looked puzzled. "I thought Sect Leader Jiang was going to come anyway, so I might as well do it myself to save Sect Leader Jiang the trouble."
Jiang Rusheng didn't bother to look at him: "So what are you going to do now?"
Zhao Yi smiled and stood up, saying, "I should be the one saying that. Chu Jianshan has probably told you everything. Come on, you can do whatever you want to me now."
He stood there with his arms outstretched, as if ready to be picked at will.
Jiang Rusheng looked him up and down, wondering what he was up to, and asked, "Are you serious?"
“Of course,” Zhao Yi said softly, “it all depends on whether you dare to do it.”
Jiang Rusheng smiled lightly: "There's nothing in this world that I wouldn't dare to do."
As she spoke, she pulled out a dagger she had hidden in her sleeve and, without the slightest hesitation, stabbed Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi grabbed her wrist and twisted it gently, causing the dagger to fall to the ground.
Jiang Rusheng tilted her head, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
Zhao Yi chuckled: "Before you kill me, you'll have to listen to a story first."
Jiang Rusheng gritted her teeth. She knew it wouldn't be that easy. She still had to listen to the story. What was wrong with this person?
She closed her eyes and said, "Speak quickly, so we can get things done."
Zhao Yi gestured for her to sit down and thoughtfully provided her with a cushion, but Jiang Rusheng rolled up her skirt and sat down on the ground.
Zhao Yi didn't mind and poured her another cup of tea, but the person opposite him politely declined.
“Alright,” Zhao Yi conceded, “it seems you really want to hear this story.”
Jiang Rusheng lost her patience: "Speak quickly!"
Zhao Yi also sat down, with a small gap between him and her.
He gently waved his sleeve, and the candles in the tomb chamber went out. In the darkness, a paper screen suddenly lit up in front of him, something commonly used in shadow puppetry.
“Playing hard to get,” Jiang Rusheng said softly.
Zhao Yi mimicked her tone and whispered, "The story is about to begin, don't get distracted."
After a series of clanging and resounding operatic percussion sounds, two figures emerged from the light opposite, appearing to be two men.
At the same time, Zhao Yi's voice rang in her ears: "Five hundred years ago, Linyi Sect produced a once-in-a-century genius, let's call him... A-Yi for now."
Jiang Rusheng's eyes flickered slightly, knowing that he was talking about her.
"Everyone approves of him and thinks he is the best candidate to be the next leader... including himself."
Unfortunately, he was born with a heart defect, and doctors predicted he wouldn't live past twenty. However, the young master of the Linyi Clan, who had grown up with him, disagreed. He said he would search the world for renowned doctors to cure him, and that he didn't care about the position of sect leader; he believed that only someone as capable as A-Yi could hold that position in the future.
Jiang Rusheng looked up at the paper screen. After a series of clanging sounds, the two shadow puppets bowed to each other, as if they were swearing brotherhood.
The opera music began: "From this day forward, you and I are sworn brothers, inseparable—"
Zhao Yi said, "His twentieth birthday is approaching. When he turns nineteen, the sect leader told him that he intends to pass the leadership to him and send him down the mountain to gain experience. When he returns, the sect leader will announce it to the world and put his mind at ease."
The sect leader treated him like his own son, so Zhao Yi trusted him completely, and so... he went down the mountain.
He stood up for what was right, and many villains fell to his sword, but he never imagined that his blade would be aimed at a little girl.
The shadow puppets changed again, the candlelight flickered, countless sky lanterns slowly rose, and fireworks glittered, making it look like a lantern festival.
A man and a woman stood in the crowd. The woman wore a veil and her peach blossom dress was very eye-catching, but the man was oblivious to her charms and pointed his sword directly at her.
"On the day of the Lantern Festival, Ah Yi encountered a little thief who was only a few years old stealing. He wanted to catch the thief, but the crowd was too dense and he couldn't move his legs."
Stumbling and falling, he knocked down a little girl. Just as he was about to apologize, he saw the little girl shield the thief in her arms and speak softly with concern.
Thinking the two were in cahoots, Ah Yi pointed his sword at them and said, "Theft is an unjust act. Come with me to see the authorities."
The girl pulled the person behind her, clearly unwilling.
In the shadow puppet, the girl slowly approaches the man's sword and says, "He's just a child, he doesn't even know what theft is, why is he doing this?"
The man sneered, "If she's like this at such a young age, she'll only get worse as she grows up."
The girl said, "I'll pay for it for him. I hope you won't make things difficult for the child."
Seeing her like this, the man didn't want to make things difficult for her, so he sheathed his sword and said softly, "Foolish."
They let the child go and returned the money to the owner. Just as they were about to leave, the girl stopped the man and said to him, "It is indeed admirable that you are a chivalrous person who punishes evil, but I hope you can keep your eyes open and distinguish the facts in the future."
The man, unconvinced, turned around and said, "I only believe what I see. The fact is he stole the things and should return them and apologize."
The girl sighed: "But what if there are other facts?"
The man frowned: "What do you mean?"
The girl raised her chin, gesturing for him to look behind her.
The man turned around and saw the petty thief from before.
He happily rushed into the arms of a ragged woman, laughing as he said, "Mother! I brought the money back! I can buy you medicine now!"
While the man was still in a daze, the girl explained, "The thief's father died early, and his mother was ill. They lived off three acres of meager land. The man who was robbed was a notorious wealthy man in the area who bullied men and women and extorted money from the people. He had recently robbed them of their meager savings under the pretext of collecting rent. The child doesn't know what stealing is; he only knows that he got the money that was stolen back."
The girl slowly approached him and whispered, "Now, what do you think is good, and what is evil?"
The man fell silent.
After a while, he suddenly bowed and said to the girl, "This time it was my fault, and I apologize to you."
The girl replied, "Apologizing isn't as simple as just saying it."
The man paused for a moment, then asked, "Then... what does the young lady want?"
The girl laughed and said, "My name isn't 'girl,' it's... Qiao Azhao."
Although she was wearing a veil, the man was still captivated by her smiling eyes and unconsciously revealed his real name, saying softly, "My name is A-Yi."
Joa looked around, casually pointed to a stall, and said, "Since you want to apologize... then buy me a mask! Anyway, I'm out of money, so you should pay for it."
Ayi smiled and nodded, picking out a rabbit mask for her from the stall.
Qiao Azhao shook his head and said, "I don't like rabbits, I want the fox one."
Ah Yi obediently changed his mask. The moment Qiao A Zhao took off her veil and put on the mask, he caught a glimpse of the face behind the mask and was stunned, his heart skipping a beat.
Before he could even catch his breath, Qiao Azhao picked up the rabbit mask from before and stood on tiptoe to press it against his face.
Before A-Yi could refuse, Qiao A-Zhao acted even faster, already tying it for him. The medicinal fragrance from the cuff brushed past A-Yi's nose, then some of it was carried away by the wind.
Qiao Azhao smiled even more broadly and said, "It looks even better this way."
The candlelight behind the shadow puppet suddenly went out, plunging the entire tomb into darkness. The sound of water dripping onto the stone was incessant.
Jiang Rusheng didn't dare to speak, and Zhao Yi continued, "From then on, Qiao Azhao followed Ayi around the world. Over the course of half a year, the two gradually developed feelings for each other."
Only then did A-Yi learn that she was the only daughter of the Qiao family, a clan with a strong wood spirit core. Under Qiao A-Zhao's daily nourishment of spiritual energy, his illness was slowly improving. A-Yi was overjoyed and prepared to return to the mountain to inform the sect leader and then propose marriage to the Qiao family.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
The shadow puppets lit up again, and this time Jiang Rusheng recognized the scene—it was at Linyi Gate.
"You audacious traitor!" The old sect leader pointed at him and roared, "What sect leader position? You were born with an incomplete heart meridian. If this position were given to you, how could you protect the safety of my disciples!"
"Master..." A-Yi looked at him in disbelief and asked in a trembling voice, "Didn't you say you didn't care? Didn't you say you would announce it to the world when your disciple returned?"
The old sect leader's eyes were gloomy as he turned to look at him: "When did I ever say such a thing? I know you're not convinced, but you can't use these words to slander me!"
“However…” he changed the subject, “there is indeed something I must announce to the world.”
Behind him, the young master of Linyi Sect slowly walked out, his head lowered, not daring to look into Ayi's eyes.
The old sect leader said, "The elders and I have decided that after my death, I will pass the throne to A-Ming. You have no objection, right?"
With red eyes, A-Yi glared at Zhao Ming with hatred in his gaze.
All that talk of deep teacher-student affection and brotherhood was just a show to appease him.
A-Yi slowly knelt down, his movements stiff, and kowtowed to the person in front of him: "Disciple... has no objection."
A voice sounded again beside Jiang Rusheng: "Unfortunately, Ayi's compromise did not bring peace. After the old sect leader learned that his illness was gradually improving, his fear of him deepened."
Just then, the old sect leader's old ailment relapsed, and all the doctors concluded that he could not recover. However, he ordered the slaughter of the Qiao family and the capture of everyone who could treat him.
...Ah Zhao was also arrested.
Jiang Rusheng's heart skipped a beat as she looked at the shadow puppet in front of her.
Qiao Azhao was tortured beyond recognition. All her clansmen were executed for failing to provide proper treatment, leaving her alone to be imprisoned in a dark and sunless cellar.
That day, the light at the entrance suddenly came on. Someone carried her out and threw her in front of the Temple of the Sun.
Her eyes were blurry, and as she groped her way along the ground, she found herself in someone's arms.
"Ah Zhao!"
A familiar voice rang in her ears. Qiao Azhao froze, then tentatively reached out to touch his face: "Is it you?"
"It's me, it's me!" Ayi hugged her and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Standing tall on the high steps, the old sect leader stood before the two of them and said coldly, "The Qiao family harbored treacherous intentions. Everyone except her has been executed on the spot."
"She's the only one left..." The old sect leader's words were loaded with meaning: "I remember we had some connection, didn't we?"
A-Yi's eyes flashed coldly as he looked at the old sect leader: "What does Master mean by this? I have already promised not to compete for the position of sect leader anymore, so why are you doing this!"
The old sect leader clicked his tongue twice and shook his head, saying, "But keeping you around will always be a disaster. My son is stupid. As long as you are still in Linyi Sect, you will inevitably cause trouble for him in the future. Before I die, I must clear away all obstacles for him."
A-Yi understood the implication in his words and asked, "What does Master want me to do?"
The old sect leader sighed deeply: "After all, you've been my disciple for over ten years, and I can't bear to take your life."
"Therefore, from this day forward, you voluntarily betray Linyi Gate and swear never to set foot in this place again in your life, or your soul will be scattered. If you can keep your oath, I will spare your lives."
"Ayi...Ayi, you can't!" Qiao Azhao struggled to stop him.
A-Yi hugged her tightly, looked up, and saw Zhao Ming timidly peeking half his head out from behind the old sect leader.
Even after all this, he still refused to plead for himself.
“I promise…” A-Yi compromised, raising his right hand to swear: “I, Zhao Yi, voluntarily betray Linyi Gate and will never enter this place again. If I break this oath, may my soul be scattered and I be condemned to eternal damnation.”
“Very good,” the old sect leader nodded with a smile, “Go, and never come back.”
Zhao Yi picked up Qiao Azhao and walked towards the gate, his back to her with a resolute air.
During that time, he was so angry that he couldn't sleep at night, but slowly, the two of them lived like this, built their own home in a small grove, worked at sunrise and rested at sunset, and watched the smoke from the chimney slowly rise at dusk.
Zhao Yi thought that this was not bad, at least he still had A Zhao by his side, and he would spend the rest of his life with A Zhao.
However, Qiao Azhao's health deteriorated, and under his repeated questioning, she finally learned that the old sect leader had poisoned her long ago. The poison had penetrated deep into her bone marrow, and even the healing ability of the Wood Spirit Core was useless.
Qiao Azhao didn't dare to say anything, thinking that at least he should be able to get through these days happily.
In the end, Qiao Azhao died on the wedding night that Zhao Yi had prepared to make up for for her.
Ayi broke his vow again and returned to Linyi Gate. This time, he killed almost everyone.
The old sect leader died suddenly a few days ago. He carried his sword, stepping on the blood of countless people, and looked up at the person wearing the sect leader's uniform on the high platform.
"Now that things have come to this, is there anything else you want to say?" Zhao Yi asked.
Zhao Ming slowly lowered his head and said in a low voice, "It is my father and I who have wronged you."
Zhao Yi stepped forward and grabbed his neck tightly: "Since that's the case, go to the underworld to atone for her sins."
Zhao Ming struggled, tears falling onto the back of his hand, apologizing again and again.
Zhao Yi suddenly let go, feeling disgusted by his appearance. He then loudly proclaimed to the outside world, "The sect leader of Linyi Sect is ill and doesn't have much time left. Prepare a coffin and take him out to be buried."
Zhao Ming's eyes were filled with terror as she grabbed his hand and knelt on the ground: "Ayi! Ayi, I beg you, please let me go! Let me go!"
“Ayi didn’t let him go.”
These were the words of Jiang Rusheng. She looked at Zhao Yi, her eyes filled with coldness: "He killed everyone and blamed it all on the demon race, who only exists in legends. If I'm not mistaken, Qiao Azhao's wood spirit core should also be inside him. The two spirit cores complement each other, and by some twist of fate, he was able to achieve immortality. To keep this secret, he orchestrated a play, sacrificed himself, and vanished into thin air."
As the shadow puppet's light faded, Jiang Rusheng couldn't see Zhao Yi's expression, but she felt he must be laughing. Indeed, such a grand and successful play had fooled everyone; who wouldn't want to laugh?
“Ah Zhao,” Zhao Yi suddenly called her, “I’m putting on this play just for you alone.”
Jiang Rusheng froze on the spot.
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