Chapter 221 Seeing Another Person Through Me
Nian Qiuyan had finally waited for Yu Sui to leave Yue Mountain, but then Luo Fu's incident happened. They agreed to talk tonight, but she didn't expect Yu Sui to bring a second person.
Yu Sui was dressed neatly, with no damage to her hair ornaments and not a trace of blood on her body. Who could have imagined what was going on inside the Dragon Ladder?
There was a light rain at night, and thunder rumbled in the sky, sometimes near and sometimes far.
Yu Sui looked up at the sky for a while. The drizzle soon soaked her hair and clothes, which displeased her. Nian Qiuyan, holding an umbrella, guessed that Yu Sui hadn't brought one, so she handed her the second umbrella.
After Yu Sui took the umbrella, Nian Qiuyan walked towards the entrance of the Dragon Ladder.
Because the Moon Pearl had been destroyed by Yu Sui and Zhang Xiangyun, the Dragon Ladder was completely dark. Nian Qiuyan could hear the man's painful, low moans, which sounded very pathetic.
He stopped silently at the entrance of the dragon ladder and lit the Zhou Tian fire to illuminate everything before him.
The firelight illuminated the blood splattered inside the dragon ladder, and a scene of violent beauty burst into Nian Qiuyan's eyes: the shattered fragments of the Moon Pearl scattered all over the ground, like extinguished star fragments.
The wooden talisman stuck on the wall of the dragon ladder looked somewhat familiar. Nian Qiuyan's eyelids twitched, and she thought, "No way."
His gaze shifted from the sacred wooden divination stick to the man leaning against the wall of the dragon ladder. The man was clearly incapacitated, his clothes stained with blood, his hands twisted in a contorted position, and his usually sarcastic mouth now seemed hesitant to speak, unable to utter a few clear words.
Nian Qiuyan: "..."
His gaze faltered slightly. His relaxed posture turned tense involuntarily upon seeing Zhang Xiangyun's face, as if facing a formidable enemy, fearing that Yu Sui behind him might suddenly make a move and cause him to become like Zhang Xiangyun.
It shouldn't be that bad.
Nian Qiuyan's mind raced. He stared blankly at Zhang Xiangyun, who was desperately trying to convey information to him. He recalled the night he had divination with Yu Sui, and how Yu Sui had struck him in the shoulder, sending him flying. Then he looked at Zhang Xiangyun, who was severely injured and had both hands broken.
Indeed, there is no harm without comparison.
Seeing Zhang Xiangyun like this, Nian Qiuyan felt a very complicated feeling, both shocked and subtly pleased.
You've got a few days to live, kid.
Nian Qiuyan believed she had never offended Nangong Sui before, but she was still threatened, intimidated, and physically assaulted by Nangong Sui.
Zhang Xiangyun is always chattering around Nangong Sui, offending people countless times with his words. If Nangong Sui hadn't even touched a hair on his head, it would have been incomprehensible to Nian Qiuyan.
Seeing the scene before her, Nian Qiuyan could only say that Zhang Xiangyun deserved it. Why did you provoke her for no reason? Does the Nangong family have anyone easy to mess with?
They completely forgot that they had also misjudged the situation in the first place.
Seeing Zhang Xiangyun's fate, which was far worse than her own, Nian Qiuyan finally felt some comfort after being frightened by Yu Sui recently.
Nian Qiuyan quickly composed herself and looked at Zhang Xiangyun with feigned surprise, saying, "How could you..."
Before he could finish speaking, he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.
Seeing his attitude, Zhang Xiangyun wished he could twist Nian Qiuyan's head off, but in his current state, he also had to prevent Nangong Sui from twisting his head off first.
"Do we really have to bring him out?" Nian Qiuyan turned to look at Yu Sui behind her, looking troubled. "Why don't we just let him stay in the Dragon Ladder?"
He really didn't want to touch Zhang Xiangyun, who was covered in blood and couldn't even stand up.
The girl stood in the night rain, holding an umbrella. She stood under the peach-colored umbrella, the night wind blowing the drizzle. Yu Sui rested the umbrella handle on her left shoulder to block the wind. Hearing Nian Qiuyan's words, she raised her head slightly and said, "Since I am in the rain, why can't he be? Besides, if the Dragon Ladder doesn't go down, it will arouse suspicion."
Having no other choice, Nian Qiuyan had to drag Zhang Xiangyun out into the rain.
Inside the Dragon Ladder, Zhang Xiangyun could barely maintain his dignity by leaning against the wall, but after being dragged out by Nian Qiuyan, he could only lie humiliated on the cold, rain-soaked ground.
Zhang Xiangyun's face was pale, the night rain falling on his body and chilling him to the bone.
His eyes flickered, and he unconsciously looked towards Yu Sui, hearing Nian Qiuyan tentatively ask, "Zhang Xiangyun looks like this..."
Yu Sui looked down at Zhang Xiangyun and said softly, "He said that in Taiyi, people don't care about status or rank, but rather about strength. I was just doing what he said."
Zhang Xiangyun's lips twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but the excruciating pain prevented him from uttering words. He could only cough, his face turning red and white.
The fear he felt inside the Dragon Ladder had not completely dissipated, and he felt a chill run down his spine when he heard Yu Sui's voice.
"Do you have any medicine on you? Give him some, I can't just let him die like this." Yu Sui looked up at Nian Qiuyan.
Nian Qiuyan did as instructed, taking out medicine from the mechanical box and giving it to Zhang Xiangyun.
“Xuanjing Pills relieve pain and can keep him conscious for a while,” Nian Qiuyan said.
However, if they do not receive timely treatment, the pain will double after the medication wears off.
Zhang Xiangyun suspected that Nian Qiuyan had deliberately given him the Xuanjing Pill.
At this moment, his gaze was fixed on Nian Qiuyan, as if silently asking: You knew all along?
Knowing that Nangong Sui is hiding her strength, knowing that Nangong Sui is pretending to be innocent and harmless, knowing that she is actually this kind of person?
Regardless of whether Zhang Xiangyun's eyes were about to pop out, Nian Qiuyan's eyes were bloodshot, and the pain from his broken ribs was far less than the agony of the Five Elements Light Core being torn apart.
Both his body and soul suffered severe damage.
His mental state is not very normal either.
Looking at Zhang Xiangyun's ugly and disheveled appearance, Nian Qiuyan tried very hard to restrain herself from laughing out loud.
Yu Sui stood beside Zhang Xiangyun, sizing him up as he slowly said, "I was originally going to talk to Nian Qiuyan about Luo Fu tonight, but you insisted on joining us. So let's hear what brilliant ideas you have."
Zhang Xiangyun sensed the sarcasm in her words but dared not refute them. After taking the Xuanjing Pill, he focused on regulating his internal energy. He felt better when the medicine took effect and was able to speak.
Nian Qiuyan glanced at Yu Sui's face and said in a low voice, "I advise you to speak to the princess properly."
He acted as if he was kindly reminding Zhang Xiangyun, but Zhang Xiangyun gritted his teeth. Why did he have to say it now of all times?
Zhang Xiangyun tried to sit up, but was pressed to the ground by a burst of Five Elements Qi. Yu Sui said in a tone that was neither too loud nor too soft, "Why are you getting up when you're so badly injured? Just lie down and talk."
Zhang Xiangyun dared not speak out in anger, lying on the ground in humiliation, his Adam's apple bobbing as he uttered a hoarse voice from his dry throat: "I spoke without thinking in a moment of impulse..."
Before Zhang Xiangyun could finish his insincere words, Yu Sui chuckled softly. However, there was no smile in his dark eyes. An inexplicable pressure fell on Zhang Xiangyun, making him lose the courage to continue.
Zhang Xiangyun swallowed awkwardly. He had no choice but to bow his head when he was under someone else's roof. He couldn't fathom Nangong Sui's strength at this moment. Zhang Xiangyun hadn't yet realized what methods she had used in the Dragon Ladder.
“I spent the day at the Medical Academy, being questioned under the supervision of several sages. In the end, Dean Ou used the True Word Gu to help me out of the predicament and clear my name.” Zhang Xiangyun coughed softly, showing no arrogance, and said very politely, “From what I heard from the conversation of the sages, Luo Fu will be subject to a Legalist judgment tomorrow. The result may be his execution on the spot or his expulsion from Taiyi.”
Zhang Xiangyun moved his eyes, glanced tremblingly at Yu Sui, and carefully chose his words, saying, "Dean Ou's meaning... is that you, Princess, should participate in this judgment in place of Saint Changgen, so that Luo Funeng can leave Taiyi."
"Is this Dean Ou's intention?" Yu Sui lowered her eyes and stared at him. "Didn't you say before..."
Zhang Xiangyun interjected first, "I must have been out of my mind back then, I couldn't express myself clearly!"
He spoke too forcefully and choked himself, coughing violently.
Looking at Zhang Xiangyun's desperate struggle to survive, Nian Qiuyan couldn't help but smile, a gloating expression appearing on her usually gentle face.
Yu Sui asked softly, "Even if I persuade my senior brother to let me go as the representative of the Ghost Dao School, it will only count as one vote. How can I be sure that the other saints will also choose to expel him from the academy?"
Zhang Xiangyun suppressed a cough and frowned as he explained, "Although this Legalist ruling was supposed to be attended by the twenty-four Sages of Taiyi, many of them were not in the academy. Some were on the water boat and couldn't come back in time, and some didn't care about the academy's affairs. These were all considered abstentions."
"There aren't many saints left in the academy right now. Dean Ou of the Farmer School, Dean Jiang of the Physician School, Dean Wan of the Legalist School, and Dean Liang of the Taoist School don't advocate execution or killing. Add the vote from the Ghost Taoist School, and it's barely a tie."
The remaining ones are three sages from the Yin-Yang School, two from the Military School, and one from the School of Names.
It remains to be seen who Ou Rushuang and the others will approach for that crucial vote.
But without the Ghost Dao family's vote, Luo Fu would definitely not have survived.
As long as I can leave Taiyi, even if I am handed over to the Imperial Guard of any of the six kingdoms and imprisoned, it is better than dying directly in Taiyi.
With the current vote count, Ou Rushuang can still keep things in a favorable position. However, if the matter is delayed and the other saints return, the situation will become uncontrollable.
That's why he wanted Wan Guiyue to hold a Legalist trial tomorrow, to resolve the matter quickly.
Yu Sui remained silent for a long time, her eyes calm and unwavering as she stared at Zhang Xiangyun, her dark pupils bright and filled with an unbearable coldness.
Zhang Xiangyun could sense that the Nangong Sui in front of him was completely different from the Nangong Sui he usually saw.
It's the same face, yet it's like a completely different person.
For a fleeting moment, he wondered if two souls resided within this body.
One pretends to be innocent and weak to deceive the world, while the other hides behind the scenes, leisurely deploying troops and looking down on all living beings.
What Zhang Xiangyun found most unacceptable and terrifying upon reflection was that he realized even the people of the Qingyang Prince's Mansion had not discovered Nangong Sui's true nature.
The Nangong family head, whom they revered as a god and who seemed omnipotent, also seemed unaware of this.
Or perhaps the prince knew, but didn't tell anyone?
Zhang Xiangyun couldn't know or guess, but he was certain that Qingkui definitely didn't know.
Thinking of Qingkui and then looking at Nangong Sui in front of him, Zhang Xiangyun realized how foolish and embarrassing it was to compare Yu Sui and Qingkui.
His face felt as if he had been slapped hard without anyone noticing, and it was burning hot.
Suddenly, the girl held the umbrella handle and extended it forward, shielding Zhang Xiangyun from the drizzling rain. She leaned forward slightly and, meeting Zhang Xiangyun's stunned expression, said softly, "Many times, when you look at me, it's as if you're looking at someone else through me."
Zhang Xiangyun's heart skipped a beat, and his throat felt like it was being gripped. He dared not speak for a moment, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
Even Nian Qiuyan was stunned. When Yu Sui looked up at him, he could no longer maintain his spectator's mindset. In the blink of an eye, Nian Qiuyan also felt the chill of the night rain soaking into his body.
He had suspected it before.
Yu Sui smiled at him and said, "You know the person who looks a lot like me, Senior Brother Nian, right?"
Nian Qiuyan unconsciously tightened her grip on the umbrella handle.
A heavy weight has been lifted from my heart.
She knew it after all.
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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