Chapter 35
The rain turns the night of Hangzhou into a pot of sticky ink.
Gu Linzhi's figure scurried through the narrow, winding alleys, reeking of mold and urine. His indigo jacket, soaked through, clung to his body, heavy and cold. Every step strained the wound beneath his ribs, eroded by the "blue spider saliva." Numbness spread like an icy iron hoop to his left shoulder, and every heartbeat brought a dull, stabbing pain and a tingling sensation. He struggled to suppress his heavy breathing, his ears straining like a bowstring amidst the sound of rain, the faint whimpering of the canal in the distance, and the pounding of his own heartbeat, picking up any unusual sound behind him.
Ningxiang Garden wasn't a place to stay for long. The fleeting glimpse of the snow spider totem on Su Wanwan's arm burned his eyes like a red-hot iron, awakening a dormant sense of danger. The iron tower-like guards of the courtyard, the hands wielding the heavy crossbow, were no mere decoration. As soon as he left the shadow of the banana leaves at Shuyu Pavilion, he felt several cold, sharp gazes, like a thorn in his flesh, piercing the rain and firmly fixed on his back.
Get rid of them!
He abruptly turned into an even narrower dead end alley cluttered with broken baskets and barrels, pressing himself against the cold, slippery brick wall, holding his breath. Outside the alley, hurried, deliberately subdued footsteps approached rapidly. There were at least three of them! Heavy boots pounded in the stagnant water, making a muffled "clatter, clatter" sound.
The footsteps paused briefly at the alley entrance, as if trying to determine the direction. Gu Linzhi's right hand quietly slid to his waist and grasped the cold handle of the narrow bayonet. The cold touch pierced the numbness, bringing a sharp sense of clarity.
Just as the footsteps were about to hit a dead end—
Gu Linzhi moved! Not to meet the attack, but to retreat! He stomped his feet against the slippery brick wall behind him, and like an arrow shot out, he shot backward and upward! His movements were swift and silent, his target being the top of a low wall in another, narrower alley not far above his head!
"Over there!" A deep shout came from the alley entrance! Three dark shadows swooped down into the dead end like night owls pouncing on their prey!
The moment they rushed in, Gu Linzhi's body had already climbed onto the top of the low wall like a civet cat. Without stopping at all, his figure flashed and disappeared into the shadow of the narrow and dim alley behind the wall.
"Chase!" The leader reacted very quickly and shouted loudly. The three of them jumped up almost at the same time and tried to climb up the low wall.
At the moment when their bodies were in the air and had nowhere to support themselves——
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Three dark crossbow bolts, like the fangs of death, shot out without warning from the deeper darkness of the alley! Their speed was so fast that only three afterimages of them ripped through the rain curtain!
Timing! Angle! Ruthless!
"Puff! Puff!"
Two dull clashes of blades piercing flesh echoed almost simultaneously! One of the two men charging in front was struck in the throat by a crossbow arrow. Without a single grunt, he fell to the ground, splashing a shower of mud and water. The other, struck in the shoulder blade, howled in agony, lost control, and slammed heavily against the slippery wall, tumbling to the ground.
The third crossbow arrow grazed the last man's cheek, leaving a trail of blood! The man broke out in a cold sweat, his wall-climbing movements abruptly halted, and he fell back to the muddy ground of the dead end. Still terrified, he stared in the darkness in the direction of the crossbow arrow, his eyes filled with horror.
Deep in the alley, Gu Linzhi half-knelt in the shadows, the bowstring of his crossbow still trembling slightly. His face was as pale as paper under the pounding rain, and the sharp pain and numbness in his ribs surged back from the violent movement, causing his vision to blacken. Shooting those three arrows had nearly drained his remaining strength. Without looking behind him, he forced himself to stand, dragging his legs, which felt heavy as lead, and stumbled deeper into the darkness of the alley. Each step left a faint bloody footprint, which was quickly washed away by the rain.
The sound of rain drowned out the echoes of the slaughter. Like a wounded lone wolf, he weaved, hid, and fled through the labyrinthine streets of Hangzhou. The tail behind him had temporarily shed its grip, but the chilling feeling of being watched by a venomous snake lingered.
---
Mo Ya leaned against the broken doorframe of an abandoned land temple, breathing heavily. Every breath ripped at the horrific wound on his right shoulder, bringing excruciating pain. The makeshift bandage, soaked with rain, mud, and dark red blood, clung heavy to the stump, emitting a strange odor of decay and medicinal powder. Although the toxin had been temporarily suppressed by the medicinal powder Gu Linzhi had given him, its rampant spread was halted, the remaining "blue spider saliva" still lingered like a maggot in the tarsal bone, slowly burning and corroding the deep wound of the broken arm.
His left arm rested on a stout, hastily found branch, barely supporting himself. His nightgown was tattered and stained with mud. Beneath a gash on his left shoulder, cut by a blade, lay the scabbed scar of an old wound—a concrete manifestation of the "foreshadowed old wound" in the detailed outline. Beneath the mask, his face was bloodless from blood loss and excruciating pain, his lips chapped. Only his eyes, in the pitch-black darkness of the temple, remained sharp as a hawk, fixed intently on the endless rain outside the temple gate.
He was waiting. Waiting for the young master's signal, or... waiting for the arrival of the pursuers.
Outside the Linqing Sluice Canal, Han Meng's hateful roar still lingered in his ears. He knew Han Meng would never give up. Ningxiang Garden... Su Wanwan... That name, in the brief message Gu Linzhi left behind, pierced his mind like an icicle. The young master had taken this risk alone; he must recover a bit of his fighting strength as quickly as possible!
He struggled to move, leaning his back against the cold, rough base of the clay statue. With his still-moving left hand, he fumbled to untie the soaked bandage around the stump of his right shoulder. Every touch of the rotting flesh, curled and bluish-black at the edge of the wound, brought on a violent spasm. He clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and beads of sweat, mixed with rainwater, rolled down. He needed to clean the wound, apply new medicine, and bandage it.
Just then!
Outside the temple gate, amidst the pounding rain, a faint, yet rhythmic, sound of footsteps suddenly broke through! It wasn't Han Meng's heavy, unruly pace, but rather like a civet cat treading on snow, light, swift, and approaching rapidly on the slippery stone pavement with an almost deliberate rhythm.
Mo Ya's muscles tensed instantly! His left hand clenched the hilt of the dagger leaning against the statue's base! It wasn't Han Meng! The footsteps... carried a cold, inhuman precision!
He held his breath, his body curled up in the huge shadow of the statue like a poisonous snake ready to pounce. His eyes penetrated the cracks in the dilapidated door panel and locked onto the direction from which the sound came.
In the rain, a slender figure appeared like a ghost in front of the dilapidated gate of the land temple.
Her moon-white satin dress clung to her body in the wind and rain, outlining breathtaking curves yet exuding a chill that seemed to repel anyone. Her long black hair was dampened by the rain, a few strands clinging to her pale, almost translucent face. She held no umbrella, letting the icy rain wash over her, seemingly unperturbed by the chill. Her icy grey eyes, like two frozen stars in the gloomy rainy night, slowly scanned the dilapidated mountain gate and the dark temple interior.
Su Wanwan!
The pupils beneath the Mo Ya mask suddenly contracted! Ningxiang Garden's top courtesan, the young master's target, the woman with the Snow Spider totem on her arm! How could she be here? Was she tracking me? Or was it just... a coincidence?
Su Wanwan paused at the temple entrance. Rainwater streamed down her smooth forehead, flowing through her icy-gray eyes. Her gaze remained unwavering, like two bottomless pools of cold water. Her gaze swept across the temple, seemingly searching for something, yet also as if simply assessing the surroundings. Finally, that icy gaze, like a concrete icicle, pierced through the cracks in the door and landed with uncanny precision on the shadow of the statue where Mo Ya was hiding!
Discovered!
Mo Ya's heart rang with alarm! Without the slightest hesitation, the moment Su Wanwan's gaze locked onto him, he endured the excruciating pain, exerted force with his left hand, and his body, like a spring compressed to the limit, shot out from the shadow of the statue! He didn't lunge at Su Wanwan at the door, but instead crashed into the half-collapsed window on the other side of the temple!
Besiege Wei to save Zhao! Create chaos and try to escape!
“Crash!”
He smashed the rotten window frames and adobe bricks to pieces, sending mud and wood chips flying everywhere!
However, just as his body crashed through the window and was about to be submerged in the heavier rain outside—
"call out--!"
A subtle whistling sound, almost completely covered by the sound of rain, broke through the air, like the hissing of a poisonous snake, and shot out from behind him!
Fast! Faster than the eye can see!
Mo Ya felt the skin on the left side of his neck suddenly tighten, and an icy, deathly aura instantly gripped his heart! He didn't even have time to turn completely to block it. He could only rely on the instinct honed from countless life-and-death battles, and at the critical moment, he suddenly turned his head!
"laugh--!"
A tiny, yet icy, sharp pain brushed past his left carotid artery, leaving behind a trail of tiny blood beads!
What?!
Mo Ya was horrified! Using the force of his head tilting, he finally flipped completely out of the window and landed heavily in the cold muddy water outside the temple. He ignored the severe pain and dizziness and turned his head to look back!
Su Wanwan still stood quietly at the temple entrance, her moon-white figure shimmering in the rain, seemingly untouched by the mundane world. She raised a slender, white hand, her wide cuffs fluttering slightly in the wind and rain. And around her fingertips… a nearly transparent, spider-thin, jade-white thread was entwined! The thread stretched perfectly straight, its other end vanishing into the darkness of the temple. It was the same fatal blow that had nearly severed his throat!
Ice silk!
Mo Ya's mind exploded instantly! The setting of "Ice Silk Hidden in the Sleeve" in the detailed outline turned into a murderous weapon at this moment!
Su Wanwan's icy grey eyes were devoid of any emotion, as if she were looking at a dying ant. Her fingertips trembled ever so slightly.
“Buzz!”
The stretched ice silk instantly emitted an extremely subtle yet heart-pounding high-frequency vibration! The deadly thread seemed to come alive, with a sharp, air-tearing whistle, ignoring the distance of several feet and the dense rain, once again winding and slicing at the throat of the black crow in the muddy water! The speed was so fast that only a transparent afterimage was left!
The black crow's spirit was trembling! Severely injured, his body's reaction was slow! The life-threatening ice silk was about to wrap around his neck!
At the critical moment of life and death, he suddenly leaned his body back, and at the same time, he poured all his strength into his only remaining left arm, and fiercely lifted the dagger in his hand upwards, trying to cut off the invisible line of death!
“Zheng——!”
There was an extremely piercing sound, like the breaking of a guitar string or the scraping of metal!
The dagger's sharp blade slashed the stretched ice silk with incredible precision! Sparks flew in the rain!
An unimaginable recoil surged from the dagger! Mo Ya felt as if his left arm had been struck by a giant hammer, his knuckles instantly cracking and blood gushing out! The dagger nearly flew out of his hand! The ice silk was incredibly tough, and the dagger's strike failed to sever it, only causing it to swing violently apart!
The immense force caused Mo Ya's already severely injured body to completely lose its balance, and he fell backward heavily into the cold mud, splashing a large amount of dirty water. The excruciating pain from his broken arm swept through his body like a tsunami, causing his vision to black out and nearly faint.
Su Wanwan's attack missed, and a faint flicker of emotion finally flashed across her icy-gray eyes, as if she was surprised that the opponent had actually been able to break through the icy silk. But she didn't pause for a moment, and her fingertips moved slightly again.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
This time, there were two! Two deadly strands of ice silk, like invisible venomous snakes, tore through the rain curtain. One shot straight at Mo Ya's chest, exposed by his fall, while the other strangely spun towards his immobilized right side, aiming directly at his only remaining left ankle! The angle was treacherous and vicious, blocking all possibility of his evasion!
Mo Ya collapsed in the muddy water, blood gushing from his severed arm, staining the pool beneath him red. The dizziness from the poison and blood loss assaulted his consciousness. He stared at the two, almost invisible, murderous wisps in the rain. A flicker of despair flashed in his eyes, then gave way to a deeper, iron-like determination. He bit his tongue hard, the pain bringing a glimmer of clarity. He gripped the dagger tightly in his left hand, ready for a final fight!
At this critical moment, when the two strands of ice silk were about to penetrate his body—
“Ding! Ding!”
Two crisp sounds of metal clashing were heard, like thunder in a sudden rain, suddenly exploding!
A dark figure, like lightning tearing through the night sky, suddenly shot down from the crown of an old, wind-bent locust tree beside the Earth God Temple! The man wielded a narrow bayonet like a wheel, accurately deflecting the icy silk thread aimed at Mo Ya's heart! Simultaneously, he twisted his body in mid-air with an incredible movement, slashing downward with the bayonet, narrowly severing the other silk thread wrapped around Mo Ya's ankle!
The moment the ice silk was cut, the taut force suddenly disappeared, making a slight "bang" sound.
Gu Linzhi!
His landing was not graceful, even stumbling slightly, clearly a result of his exertions. His dark robes were soaking wet, clinging to his body, outlining his sturdy yet slightly trembling features. The numbness in his ribs surged back from the violent outburst, leaving his face a frightening pale beneath the rain. Only his eyes, as cold as a thousand years of black ice, were fixed fixed on the moon-white figure at the temple entrance!
The moment Gu Linzhi appeared, Su Wanwan's icy-gray eyes finally flickered with a clear ripple—surprise, and a hint of... an extremely complex, indescribable light. The icy silk wrapped around her fingertips silently slipped away, dangling into her sleeve. She didn't attack again, but simply stood there quietly, silently confronting Gu Linzhi through the dense rain curtain.
The rain pounded furiously onto the cold mud between the three of them, sending up countless murky splashes. The dilapidated gate of the Earth God Temple, like the gaping maw of a giant beast, silently witnessed this sudden, deadly, and bizarre encounter.
Mo Ya struggled to prop up his upper body from the mud and water, looking at the dark figure blocking his way, then looking at the moon-white ghostly figure at the temple gate. His only remaining left arm was tightly gripping the dagger, and he was gasping violently.
Gu Linzhi's gaze swept across Mo Ya's horrifically severed arm and the deep wound on his shoulder that exposed the bone, finally returning to Su Wanwan. His voice was unusually low and hoarse amidst the sound of the rain, yet it carried an undeniable penetrating power: "Ningxiang Garden's top performer, Snow Spider Pavilion's Purple Owl... Miss Su, you have quite the trick."
Su Wanwan's icy-gray eyes flickered slightly, and raindrops dripped down her pointed chin. She neither admitted nor denied it, simply staring at the wound beneath Gu Linzhi's ribs, where his black robe had been torn, revealing a strange, dark blue hue. A faint, cold curve seemed to curl up at the corner of her lips, like a fine crack on the surface of ice.
"Each other." Her voice was cold and ethereal, like ice beads falling on a jade plate, penetrating the patter of rain and reaching Gu Linzhi's ears clearly. Just two words, yet they seemed to contain endless ridicule and cold murderous intent.
Inside and outside the Earth God Temple, only the roar of wind and rain remained. Gu Linzhi, clad in black, Su Wanwan, dressed in moonlight, and Mo Ya, his arm broken in the mud, formed a scene imbued with the tension of death, yet eerily still. Undercurrents surged in the silent confrontation, murderous intent lingering in the icy rain. Neither moved, as if waiting for the other to reveal a flaw, or perhaps... for some chance to tip the balance.
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