Chapter 104 Who Cares?
The Wen Yang family, not wanting others to witness the spectacle, had someone use wind manipulation to take Wen Yanghui back to Yunting.
Situ Jin covered Situ Ling's mouth to prevent her from greeting Mei Liangyu, and quietly led her away.
Wen Yangxiu approached Mei Liangyu, sighed, and pointed in a direction: "There's already a boat waiting over there. You should go back to the academy first."
Mei Liangyu said, "Will you help me with the work at the ancient building?"
Wen Yangxiu said irritably, "Who needs you to work now? The academy's punishment has been wiped clean, hurry up and go."
Mei Liangyu then left with Yu Sui.
On the way, Mei Liangyu asked Shi Yuezhen if it would delay her going to cultivate with Jiang Shulan. Shi Yuezhen shook her head: "Master asked me to come this time to mediate my relationship with Qian Ying. It is exactly what I want to do if I have the opportunity to leave."
After saying that, she glanced at the two of them, a hint of worry in her expression: "But you two..."
"Check on my junior sister first, and help stabilize her heart pulse," Mei Liangyu said.
Shi Yuezhen nodded.
After Mei Liangyu and the other two boarded the ship, they left the mechanical island and headed back to the academy.
The road was battered by wind and rain, with incessant thunder.
Yu Sui lay on the small bed in the boathouse. While she was still conscious, she replied to Xue Mushi's message, indicating that he should not worry and that she was fine.
He then fell into a deep sleep.
She was too tired and too weak, her mental and physical health was severely depleted, and she needed to rest.
Mei Liangyu didn't ask Shi Yuezhen to do much. All she needed to do was help stabilize Yu Sui's heart. Although Yu Sui looked like a bloodied mess, the serious injury was mainly caused by the blow that landed on his chest.
The rest were injuries brought from the Dragon Slayer Cave.
While Yu Sui was asleep, Mei Liangyu and Shi Yuezhen had a brief chat about what had happened that night. After listening, Shi Yuezhen pondered and said, "I could tell before that Wen Yanghui wanted to kill you, but I didn't expect him to go to this extent."
Mei Liangyu frowned, reaching into the basin of medicine to clean the blood and wounds, her tone cold: "I appeared when he was most proud of his abilities. He resented me for my talent in the ninth rank, thinking I stole his limelight, which I can understand, but he refuses to admit it and insists on attributing it to my parents' favoritism towards me."
When he said this, his eyes and brows were practically screaming disgust.
What Wen Yanghui meant by favoritism was simply that Wen Yangzhi acknowledged Mei Liangyu's superior talent compared to his own, nothing more.
Lady Linxiang was gentle and kind, and she smiled and talked to everyone in the same way. However, because her son disliked Mei Liangyu, she rarely smiled at him.
Wen Yangzhi never provided any material assistance to Mei Liangyu in his cultivation or daily life. The Wen Yang family paid attention to this child because of the secret he possessed and the power he represented, not because of affection.
However, it was Wen Yangzhi who cleaned up the mess left by Wen Yanghui's actions against Mei Liangyu over the years, apologizing to Chang Gen Saint and promising several times that it would never happen again.
But Wen Yanghui always kept saying how much his parents favored him, as if Mei Liangyu had taken away his parents' love and everything. Mei Liangyu didn't think anything of it before, but she thought Wen Yanghui was a twisted person and that it was bad luck for Wen Yangzhi and Madam Linxiang to have such a son.
When Mei Liangyu thought about how he once had parents who truly loved him, and then recalled Wen Yanghui's words, he felt disgusted.
Wen Yanghui's disgust and resentment towards him were as if he had stolen all of Wen Yanghui's family affection.
Who cares?
Mei Liangyu gripped the edge of the medicine basin with his five fingers, his fingertips turning white from the force. His dark pupils reflected the bluish-black medicine, and the light and shadow on the swaying water were fragmented, making the scene incoherent, just like his missing memories.
Shi Yuezhen was looking at Yu Sui and didn't notice Mei Liangyu's cold expression. She said softly, "I'm not surprised that Wen Yanghui would do something like this, but your relationship with the Wen Yang family in the future..."
Mei Liangyu calmly suppressed her sudden surge of anger, looked at the unconscious Yu Sui, and said in a low voice, "It wasn't much better to begin with."
Shi Yuezhen smiled, then turned to Mei Liangyu and said, "She's not in a good condition to go back to her quarters, nor can she stay at the clinic. Let Sui Sui stay at my place tonight."
Mei Liangyu agreed.
Xue Mushi finally received Yu Sui's message, and a huge weight was lifted from his heart. He breathed a sigh of relief, but when he looked up, he found Wei Ren sitting opposite him, looking at him coldly.
"She's fine," Xue Mushi said, tapping his Wind-Listening Ruler. "You can go back now."
“I know she’s alright,” Wei Ren said with a forced smile, “but she didn’t reply to me.”
Xue Mushi: "..."
What's there to care about?
Wei Ren stared at him with a hint of inquiry: "After you went to the Dragon Slayer Cave, your relationship has improved by leaps and bounds."
Logically speaking, he and Nangong Sui should have more secrets between them. Wei Ren didn't see any interest cooperation between Xue Mushi and Nangong Sui.
Xue Mushi thought for a moment and said, "When you weren't around, Nangong Sui, Li Jinshuang, and I would go to challenge the armored formation. We got to know each other much better before we even entered the Dragon Slayer Cave."
Wei Ren: "..."
It was supposed to be a four-person agreement, so why didn't you include me?
Xue Mushi added, "Weren't you still recovering from your injuries? Coming to the Dragon Slayer Cave this time was a bit of a struggle for you."
Wei Ren couldn't stand it anymore. He thought, "I was the most capable back then, how come I'm the most useless now?" He couldn't take it anymore, glared at Xue Mushi, slammed his hand on the table, and stood up, saying, "You're even more useless. You can't even get a glass of water for your guests."
Xue Mushi's eyelids twitched in fright, and he said weakly, "Because I live alone."
"Then won't anyone come?" Wei Ren looked back.
Xue Mushi nodded.
Wei Ren was so angry that he left.
Yu Sui only replied about Xue Mushi's letter. Although Wei Ren felt bad, he went back to bed and thought about it, and then he felt that he could understand.
If he were in Nangong Sui's position, he wouldn't have spared his own life; he would have killed her no matter what. Although he survived by chance, he would never be able to gain the trust of someone as sensitive and suspicious as her again.
Wei Ren couldn't sleep, pondering how to gain Nangong Sui's trust more.
Qian Ying didn't have a chance to ask Yu Sui what happened on the Second Mechanical Island, so she secretly sent a message to Gu Gan at the academy, informing him that Wen Yanghui had died at the hands of Saint Chang Gen.
Gu Gan had already rested, but upon learning of this, he sat up in bed and quickly searched his mind for all relevant information. During the day, Wen Yanghui only mentioned going back to the Mechanical Island, but he didn't say that he would take action against Mei Liangyu tonight.
Gu Gan knew Wen Yanghui's temperament very well.
Gu Gan's first friend in Taiyi was Wen Yanghui. The process was extremely difficult, and it can be said that he turned enemies into friends. Because it was difficult, he was deeply impressed by Wen Yanghui, and it is impossible to say that he had no feelings for him.
Upon suddenly learning of his friend's tragic death, Gu Gan sat on the edge of the bed in a daze for a long time. Finally, realizing that Wen Yanghui had also injured Yu Sui this time, he slowly frowned, cursed inwardly, and got up to walk outside.
Ji Meng was still looking at his medicinal flowers in the main room when he was suddenly seen by Gu Gan. He yawned and asked, "What's wrong? What happened again? You look a little pale."
"Wen Yanghui is dead," Gu Gan said in a deep voice.
Huo Xiao, who was still awake inside, also came out with a frown, looking at Gu Gan with a puzzled expression, clearly having overheard what had just been said.
"Huh?" Ji Meng was terrified by these words. He stood by the flower bed in front of the window for a long while, then sat back down as if he had no strength left. He widened his eyes and said, "Didn't he go back to the Mechanical Island and back to his own home? Who could kill him?"
Gu Gan tossed the Wind-Listening Ruler to Ji Meng, letting them read Qian Yingfa's message themselves.
Ji Meng stared blankly after reading it, not knowing what to say.
He was still in disbelief.
"He can't just die like this," Huo Xiao said in a low voice.
"With all three leaders of Wenyang present, and a benevolent physician witnessing the event, none of this could save Wenyang Hui. It's unlikely that he will take any further action."
Gu Gan lowered his eyes, spoke calmly, and his expression was gentler than his usual sharp and cold demeanor, but this gentleness was more out of compassion.
Ji Meng paused, then asked, "So he just died like that? Even the second-in-command of Wenyang..."
Huo Xiao said coldly, "He said before that his parents favored Mei Liangyu and treated him like their own son."
Ji Meng fell silent.
As a son of a concubine in the Ji family, he could empathize with the feeling of not being favored by his parents, and when he felt bitter, he also felt sorry for Wen Yanghui.
“He won’t just die like that.” Gu Gan stood in the shadows of the room. “At least I won’t let it go.”
It was already late at night, and there were few people coming and going at the inn. Mei Liangyu took Yu Sui to Shi Yuezhen's room and settled her in. She left Shi Yuezhen to help Yu Sui wipe her body before coming out.
Cang Shu stood in the main room, yawning, and looked at Mei Liangyu, who was covered in blood, and sighed, "You should change your clothes too."
He asked, "Should I get it from your place, or should I wear mine?"
Mei Liangyu shook his head.
Cang Shu said, "You should have agreed to let us go to the Mechanical Island tonight."
Mei Liangyu frowned, as if deep in thought, and walked towards the door: "I'll go back to the sanctuary first."
"What are you going to do?" Cang Shu's gaze followed him. "Change your clothes first, or you'll scare the night patrol instructors if you go out like this."
Mei Liangyu: "Then scare them to death."
Cang Shu: "..."
Seeing that Mei Liangyu had opened the door, Cang Shu took out a small white jade bottle from his sleeve and tossed it to him: "Eat something to stabilize the scattered qi in your body."
Mei Liangyu took it from him and said, "Thanks."
Cang Shu said, "You're welcome. I think you seem to lack the ability to feel pain. Next time I test poison, just let my poisonous insects take a couple of bites."
"Here you go." Mei Liangyu, who was about to close the door, threw the medicine bottle back expressionlessly.
Cang Shu waved his hand, and the medicine bottle was bounced back into Mei Liangyu's hand while it was still in the air, signaling him to hurry back.
Inside the room, Shi Yuezhen used a damp cloth soaked in warm water to wipe Yu Sui's face, and then lit some medicinal incense to calm her mind.
Yu Sui couldn't sleep well and would wake up after a short while. She was sleepy, so even when she was awake, she didn't show it and pretended to be asleep with her eyes closed.
She overheard Mei Liangyu's conversation about returning to the Ghost Path Holy Hall and was slightly taken aback. Remembering the Yin-Yang School Star Source Curse that Mei Liangyu had left her, she guessed that her senior brother's memories would definitely be erased by their master when he returned this time.
Tianmu directly analyzed the Star Origin Spell that Mei Liangyu had passed on to her, which was something Yu Sui hadn't expected, just like how she could passively see the defensive spells in the Ghost Path Holy Hall.
Incantations, for example, seem to be able to be analyzed in terms of the composition and flow of the five elements, much like counting mountains.
She had only glanced at it briefly before, but now Yu Sui patiently examined the memories within the Star Origin Curse one by one:
In her memory, the city was a magnificent sight she had never seen before. The peddlers on the street sold all sorts of things: purses of different styles, tassel ornaments hanging from waists, bright red candied hawthorns, and paper windmills painted with purple flowers and green bamboo.
A boy running against the flow of people in the night market.
The paper windmills on the fences along the mountain path are similar in spirit to the mountains that receive the five elements of heaven and earth.
The woman who handed the paper windmill to the boy.
In the tranquil courtyard, two long fish, one black and one white, swim leisurely, and you can vaguely hear someone running past in the back corridor.
A light drizzle fell over the city at night, and the air was thick with murderous intent. The young boy, who appeared to be the senior brother, was defeated and knelt on the deserted street. But in the blink of an eye, the situation changed dramatically. The woman in purple stood in front of him and blocked all the killing moves.
Yu Sui watched it over and over again many times.
She could sense gentleness, tranquility, and determination in these memories, proving that her senior brother had been pampered by his family as he grew up.
He should have been pampered by his family as he grew up.
When Mei Liangyu returned to the dormitory, he happened to miss Gu Gan, who was going to the first floor of the dormitory. Now that he has come to the front of the dormitory again, he bumped into Gu Gan who was waiting outside.
Gu Gan was alone.
Outside the dormitory is a large peach orchard. The peach trees here never wither and the flowers never fade. At night, the streetlights are dim and yellow, and the pink and white branches are also tinged with a warm orange hue.
When Gu Gan learned that Mei Liangyu had brought Yu Sui back, he prepared to stop him at the dormitory, but he did not expect that Mei Liangyu would come out of the dormitory.
Mei Liangyu did not change his clothes; the thick bloodstains on his body were menacing. He had only washed the blood off his hands, but the murderous aura remained.
He only glanced at Gu Gan out of the corner of his eye for a moment, and walked straight ahead, but was stopped by Gu Gan who was standing in the middle of the road.
Gu Gan stared coldly at Mei Liangyu. He didn't want to fight him at the moment; he just wanted to find Yu Sui first. So he asked, "Where is Sui Sui?"
Mei Liangyu turned to look at Gu Gan, her eyes gleaming with golden light, her medical pupil technique penetrating his heart.
Gu Gan neither dodged nor evaded. At such close range, it was easy for him to use the Divine Strategist Heavenly Official to remove Mei Liangyu's Nine Streams Technique.
The seal within Mei Liangyu's body was affected again, and fragments of memories flashed through his mind:
Under the moonlight, the table was covered with various blueprints for mechanisms. The white-clad man sitting at the table was drawing with a tall, upright and clear posture. When he turned to the side, his gentle face could be seen, and the coldness in his phoenix eyes was softened by the gentleness overflowing from his eyes.
The man in white glanced at the three children playing with dice behind him.
The girl, wearing a peach-pink velvet coat, had two small braids and was exquisitely beautiful. She was only five or six years old when she pounced on her younger brother, raised her little fist in a threatening gesture, and looked very imposing.
The other younger brother had just snatched back his mechanical dice and angrily turned around to join the fight; the three of them wrestled together.
The man in white looked at them and sighed, "Give your father some face and let him explain the mechanism's principles before you start fighting, okay?"
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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