Chapter 74: The Fire of Karma Burns the Heart, and the Lone Boat Crosses the Disaster
Inside the Lotus Tower, the aroma of medicine permeated the air, yet a heavy, bloody odor could not be suppressed. Di Feisheng reclined on the couch, the sword wound on his left shoulder carefully bandaged, though the gauze still faintly seeped through with blood. His face was pale, his lips tightly pursed, but a suppressed volcano swirled in his eyes—the result of the sword strike from "Wuming" that had pierced his shoulder not long ago. It was not only a physical wound, but also a profound shock to his soul.
He closed his eyes, those empty, icy eyes flashing through his mind again and again. They were Li Lianhua's eyes, but they no longer reflected the slightest bit of their former intelligence or warmth. Every time he thought of them, it felt like an icicle piercing his heart.
At this time, Wuyan entered the room quietly, with a serious expression on his face, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
"Speak." Di Feisheng did not open his eyes, his voice was hoarse, but it carried an unquestionable pressure.
Wuyan took a deep breath and reported in a deep voice, "Your Majesty... Jiao Liqiao has been frequently appearing before various major sects recently, accompanied by 'that person'." He paused, then continued with difficulty, "She...she had 'that person' hold an umbrella and pour wine for her. She even...in front of everyone, in a...in a flirtatious manner, she stroked her white hair and had her rub her shoulders..."
With a "crack," Di Feisheng crushed the medicine bowl beside him, shattering it. The porcelain shards sliced through his palm, and blood mixed with the medicine dripped down. He seemed to feel no pain, and when he suddenly opened his eyes, he saw a terrifying scarlet and a violent rage that threatened to burn everything!
"Jiao, Li, Qiao—!" Those three words, as if ground out from the depths of hell, carried with them bone-chilling hatred and murderous intent. His chest heaved violently, the wound on his shoulder bursting open with excitement, blood quickly soaking through the gauze.
"Old Di! Calm down!" Fang Duobing, who had been standing by, hurried forward and pressed down on Di Feisheng's uninjured right shoulder, his fingertips turning white from the pressure. "Your wound has opened again!"
He watched Di Feisheng nearly losing control, his heart aching. "I know you hate him! How can I not be heartbroken too?! But right now... none of us can match Wuming!" Fang Duobing's voice trembled and was weak. "Li Lianhua... he's being controlled by Jiao Liqiao's evil magic. His mind is completely lost, but his martial arts skills are even better than before. Fighting head-on is just courting death!"
Fang Duobing took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and said firmly, "We must think this through carefully! Jiao Liqiao is doing this to provoke you and lure you into a trap! We need to find out what kind of evil magic she's using and how to break it before we can save Li Lianhua!"
"Let's discuss this in the long run?" Di Feisheng violently waved away Fang Duobing's hand, his voice hoarse like the growl of a trapped animal. "How do you expect me to discuss this in the long run?! Just watch her trample on his dignity and show him off like a toy?!" His eyes were filled with bottomless pain and madness. "I can't wait! Not even a moment longer!"
Fang Duobing was well aware of Di Feisheng's obsession. He tightly grasped Di Feisheng's arm, stared at him with scorching eyes, and spoke carefully considered words: "Old Di! Listen to me! The reason why plants can survive the wind and frost is because they have deep roots! Although vines can climb, they are easily broken because of their shallow roots! We are now like plants with shallow roots. If we act rashly, we will only be uprooted! Saving Li Lianhua is our foundation! To save him, we must first make our own "roots" deeper and more stable! Accumulate strength, find weaknesses, and strike with one blow! Instead of committing suicide now and letting Jiao Liqiao succeed in his evil plan!"
This discussion of "fundamentals" was like a bucket of ice water. Although it failed to completely quench Di Feisheng's rage, it did slightly dampen his frenzied energy. He stared at Fang Duobing, his eyes bloodshot as reason and madness clashed fiercely.
After a long moment, the terrifying murderous aura surrounding Di Feisheng slowly receded, but the coldness in his eyes grew ever more piercing. He slowly sat up, allowing Fang Duobing to bandage his ruptured wound again. His voice was as deep as ten thousand years of ice:
"Investigate." This one word contained overwhelming murderous intent and unquestionable determination.
"Use all the power you can muster to find out what evil magic Jiao Liqiao is using! I want to know the details of the Rama Cauldron, the method of controlling the mind, and every possible way to break it!"
He turned his gaze to the window, as if he could see through the void, and saw the figure being controlled, each word spoken, as if swearing a blood oath:
"Jiao Liqiao...for every humiliation she inflicted on Li Lianhua, I will make her pay back...a thousandfold."
"As for Li Lianhua..." His voice paused, a barely perceptible trace of pain flashing across his face before being overshadowed by a deeper stubbornness. "I will definitely bring him back to consciousness... no matter what the cost."
Soon, Wuyan knelt on one knee in front of Di Feisheng. His voice was hoarse from days of traveling, but it was filled with unquestionable certainty:
"Your Majesty, we've investigated. The thing Jiao Liqiao used to control the host was indeed the Karma Fire Mother within the Rama Cauldron."
He continued to report in a low voice: "According to the fragments of the Nan Yin secret technique, only the blood of the legitimate descendants of the Nan Yin royal family can completely kill Mu Qi. Once Mu Qi dies, the host body she controls will be free again." This means that Li Lianhua, who was controlled by Mu Qi, can wake up.
The information Wuyan brought was like a crack in the darkness. Di Feisheng and Fang Duobing realized that the most urgent task was to find the descendants of the Nanyin royal family.
Deep within the tomb of King Fangji, the chill was biting, the air thick with the smell of millennia of dust and decay. Di Feisheng's sword wound on his left shoulder still oozed blood, and every step he took was a sharp pain. His face was as pale as paper, but the determination and anxiety in his eyes were even darker than the darkness within. He had to find a way to save Li Lianhua; he couldn't wait a moment longer.
Fang Duobing followed closely behind, keeping a vigilant eye on his surroundings while looking worriedly at Di Feisheng's bleeding shoulder: "Old Di, your injury..."
"It's okay." Di Feisheng interrupted in a hoarse voice, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. Every moment Li Lianhua remained in Jiao Liqiao's hands was a greater risk of being completely destroyed.
After much searching, the two finally found King Fangji's coffin in a hidden niche in the main tomb. Beside the coffin lay a box crafted from black iron, engraved with the ancient Nanyin totem. Di Feisheng channeled his inner strength, forcibly shattering the iron locks. The wound opened, and blood instantly stained half his shirt. He remained unfazed, reaching for a scroll crafted from a special silk thread from the box.
On the scroll, a secret message was written in cinnabar, and Fang Duobing read it softly:
"The orthodoxy of our clan is based on our bloodline. A vermilion mole on the sole of my foot, red as blood, located near the spring, symbolizes the blessing of heaven."
I am a legitimate descendant of the Nanyin royal family, as evidenced by my bloodline. I have a vermilion mole on the sole of my foot, the color of coagulated blood, located on the Yongquan acupoint, symbolizing the bearing of Heaven's Mandate.
Seeing the characteristic of the "red mole on the sole of the foot," Fang Duobing was shocked and looked at Di Feisheng fiercely, his eyes filled with disbelief and excitement: "Old Di! This characteristic... Li Lianhua...!"
Some overlooked details suddenly flooded into Fang Duobing's mind: In an accident many years ago, when Li Lianhua was barefoot, there seemed to be something strange on the soles of her feet... At that time, she just thought it was a scar or dirt and didn't think too much about it.
Di Feisheng's pupils suddenly contracted, and the knuckles of his fingers gripping the scroll turned white from the force. The descendant of the Nanyin royal family he had been searching for was now so far away and so close at hand! The person who needed to be saved was the key to solving all the problems!
"It's him...it's him..." Di Fei whispered, his voice filled with a complex mix of emotions—shock, realization, and a deep pain. Li Lianhua's life story was so tortuous, and this noble bloodline had now become a tool for Jiao Liqiao to control him.
However, after the ecstasy came a deeper worry. Did Jiao Liqiao already know Li Lianhua's true identity? Her control over Li Lianhua was equivalent to controlling the only "key". This meant:
Li Lianhua's situation is even more dangerous: once Jiao Liqiao realizes the importance of bloodline, he may take more extreme measures to control Li Lianhua.
Di Feisheng carefully put the scroll away. All the confusion and hesitation in his eyes were replaced by a desperate determination. He looked at Fang Duobing and said in a low but firm voice:
"Fang Duobing, listen up. From now on, even if I have to destroy Wansheng Road and turn the world upside down, I will definitely bring him back."
"His blood can save him. Let us use it to put an end to this nightmare once and for all."
Fang Duobing nodded heavily, his eyes ablaze with fighting spirit: "Okay! This time, let's get him back together!"
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