Chapter 43
The ice-cold golden needle, with a faint light condensed at the tip, was like a cold star piercing through the eternal night, resolutely piercing the vital point near Gu Linzhi's heart!
"puff!"
A slight sound of entering flesh was heard.
There was no expected heart-wrenching pain. Instead, there was an extremely overbearing, bizarre torrent of energy, a mixture of piercing cold and scorching heat, which flowed along the acupoints penetrated by the golden needles. Like a river of ice and fire bursting through a dam, it instantly rushed into Gu Linzhi's collapsing meridians! This force was so brutal, so contradictory, that it instantly detonated the raging poison of "Poison Feather Red" and "Blue Spider Saliva" in his body!
“Ugh—!!!”
Gu Linzhi's body arched upwards as if gripped by an invisible giant hand! Veins bulged from his neck and forehead, and his eyeballs instantly became bloodshot from the extreme pain, nearly popping out of their sockets! A mouthful of toxic blood, as thick as black and purple mud, mixed with fragments of shattered internal organs, gushed out of his mouth! A strong stench instantly filled the cold air of rotten leaves in the pine forest!
This isn't a cure! This is a more complete destruction! Forcing the deep-seated toxins out of the body in the most violent way possible!
His consciousness was like being thrown into a boiling pot of oil, then instantly frozen in a thousand-year-old black ice! The excruciating pain surpassed the limits of human endurance, completely tearing and shattering Gu Linzhi's remaining consciousness! All that was left before him was boundless darkness and those ice-gray eyes that reflected his dying appearance.
Su Wanwan's fingers pressed against the golden needles, motionless like the most delicate mechanism. Her gaze was almost cold, her icy-gray pupils fixated on every subtle spasm in Gu Linzhi's body caused by the toxic explosion, the dark blue poison marks that slithered wildly beneath his skin. With the extremely steady and subtle twists of her fingertips, the domineering force of ice and fire, guided by the golden needles, was like a precise scalpel, forcing a channel through Gu Linzhi's meridians, forcing the deepest toxins to the surface!
"Hiss..." A slight sound of air flow accompanied by more sticky, black and purple dirty blood slowly seeped out from Gu Linzhi's rib wound, mouth, nose, and even skin pores, carrying a disgusting smell of corruption.
It was unknown how long passed, perhaps just a moment, or perhaps as long as a century. Gu Linzhi's hunched body finally felt as if all support had been ripped away, slamming back into the cold, rotting leaves. Only his chest rose and fell violently, and every gasp carried a burning white breath and the thick smell of blood. The gushing poisonous blood gradually subsided. While the dark blue poison mark on the wound under his ribs remained hideous, the madly spreading numbness seemed to be forcibly confined by an even stronger, colder force, confining it to the area just inches around the wound!
Golden needles seal the poison! Using the power of ice and fire as a lock, and the nature of the cold pond grass as a prison, the poisonous mixture of poisonous feather red and blue spider saliva is temporarily sealed outside the heart meridian!
Su Wanwan finally stopped twisting the golden needle. She pulled her wrist outward with great stability.
"puff."
The golden needle was pulled out with a trace of sticky, dark black blood. The light at the tip of the needle had dimmed.
Without even glancing at the filthy golden needle, she casually discarded it among the rotten leaves nearby. She stood up, her moon-white skirt brushing against the cold blood and poisonous mud beneath Gu Linzhi's body, leaving it untouched. Her icy-gray eyes lowered to rest on Gu Linzhi's face, which twitched slightly from intense pain and exhaustion. Deep within her gaze, beneath the ice, the surging undercurrent seemed to subside slightly, leaving only a cold, examining understanding.
"Three hours." Her voice was still cold, piercing through the buzzing noise in Gu Linzhi's ears. "The power of the golden needle can only seal the poison for three hours. After three hours, the seal will collapse, and the poison will enter the heart meridian. Even a god cannot save you."
She turned slightly and cast her eyes into the depths of the pine forest, as if penetrating the darkness and falling in the direction of the palace guarded by high vermilion walls and double-eaved glazed tiles, which symbolized supreme power.
"You want to overturn the pot... or rot in the pot..." She retracted her gaze and fell on Gu Linzhi's face again. A very faint, yet icy arc seemed to appear on her lips. "...It's up to you."
Before he finished speaking, the moon-white figure melted into the night mist, drifting silently into the deeper darkness of the pine forest and disappearing in an instant. Leaving behind only the faint, cold fragrance of wisteria and the time limit that sounded like a curse and a motto, it slowly dissipated in the cold air.
---
Cold... cold to the bone...
It was as if the soul had been stripped from the body, suspended in the boundless dark void...
Only the acupuncture point near the heart where the golden needle had penetrated lingered, a faint but unusually clear, strange sensation of a mixture of cold and burning pain. It was like the only anchor in the darkness, keeping his consciousness from completely sinking...
After an unknown amount of time, Gu Linzhi opened his heavy eyelids with great difficulty.
His vision was blurry, as if through a layer of frosted glass stained with blood. The first thing that caught his eye was a low, moldy thatched roof. The air was filled with the choking smoke of low-quality lamp oil, the pungent bitterness of herbs, and... a lingering, rusty, bloody smell—his own blood.
He struggled to move his neck, but every tiny movement sent a wave of excruciating pain through his entire body, as if it were being torn apart and reassembled. The wound beneath his left rib was especially painful. Although the poison, sealed by the golden needle, had temporarily subsided, the wound pierced by the poison dagger still pierced his flesh with a tearing pain. He found himself lying on a pile of musty hay, covered in a half-worn, mud-stained indigo cotton jacket—the very clothing he had used as a disguise.
Where is this? Did Su Wanwan bring him here?
Gu Linzhi suppressed the churning doubts and the severe pain in his ribs, and using all his strength, he very slowly raised his right hand, which was still able to move, and reached into his arms tremblingly.
My fingertips touched the cold, solid hardwood box! And the dark blue account book! And my father's secret report, soaked in blood and written with every word of his heartbroken! They were all still there!
A huge force instantly injected into his body, which was on the verge of collapse! He sat up suddenly! The movement pulled at his wound, causing a dizziness and tearing pain, making his vision black out, but he gritted his teeth and did not fall down.
My eyes quickly scanned the dim, dilapidated hut. Firewood and farm tools were piled in the corner, and worn straw raincoats and bamboo hats hung on the walls. This was a deserted farmhouse. A tiny oil lamp burned in the corner, and beneath it, a small package wrapped in plain white cloth rested quietly on a relatively clean stone slab.
Gu Linzhi struggled to crawl over and opened the cloth bag tremblingly.
Inside were several ice-blue leaves with finely serrated edges, and a small section of roots with a faint blue sheen—the remnants of the cold pond grass Su Wanwan had left behind! Next to them were several pieces of crushed black plasters that exuded a strong herbal scent.
Not only did she seal the poison, she also left the medicine!
An indescribable wave of emotions welled up in Gu Linzhi's heart. Without further hesitation, he immediately stuffed the leaves of the cold pond grass into his mouth and chewed vigorously! The cold, bitter juice flowed down his throat, bringing a refreshing breath that penetrated into his bones, temporarily suppressing the excruciating pain and dizziness from the wound. He then haphazardly pressed the black plasters onto the hideous wound on his left rib, tightly bandaging it with torn strips of cloth from his clothes.
After doing all this, he leaned against the cold earthen wall, panting violently. Every breath was searing, but the torrent of poison within him, forcibly contained by the golden needles, seemed to be temporarily suppressed a little deeper with the help of the cold pond grass juice. Three hours... like a guillotine hanging overhead!
He struggled to stand up, dragging his legs that felt heavy as lead, and staggered to the dilapidated wooden door of the hut, listening attentively.
Outside, there was a dead silence. Only the night wind rustled through the weeds, making a whimpering sound. The clamor from Huguo Temple seemed to have died down.
Time is running out! We must act now!
Gu Linzhi's gaze fell on the pile of farm tools in the corner. He walked over and pulled out a three-foot-long, egg-thick, straight, tough ash stick from the firewood pile. He weighed it and felt it was heavy. He tore off a strip of cloth and wrapped the handle of a military spear tightly around the end of the stick. In an instant, a simple but deadly short spear was formed!
He hid his father's blood letter and the dark blue account book close to his body, and stuffed the hardwood box into his arms. Then, he took a deep breath of the icy air, pushed open the creaking broken door, and disappeared into the boundless darkness and biting cold outside.
---
The night in Shengjing was frozen by the chill of early winter. The palace's towering vermilion walls and double-glazed eaves shone coldly in the pale moonlight, like the scales of a lurking beast. The heavily guarded palace gates had long been locked. Atop the towering corner towers, the figures of the imperial guards stood like statues, their swords drawn in the chill wind.
Gu Linzhi's figure blended into the night like a ghost, clinging to the shadows of a high wall on the western side of the imperial city, a relatively remote section near the Imperial River. The cold stung the wound under his ribs, sending waves of dull pain and numbness. The medicinal effects of the cold pond grass and the sealing power of the golden needles waged a silent tug-of-war within his body. Every heartbeat reminded him of the three-hour countdown to his death.
Breaking through the palace gates by force was a dead end. The only entrance lay beneath the Imperial River—the secret waterway connecting the Taiye Lake within the palace to the moat outside! This waterway was one of the escape routes reserved for extreme situations when Shadow Scale was first formed. The entrance was extremely hidden and blocked by fine iron bars. The key... was known only to him and Mo Ya!
He endured the discomfort in his ribs and slipped silently into the icy waters of the Imperial River. The water, swirling with broken ice, instantly soaked through his thin clothing. The biting cold was like steel needles, piercing every pore! He held his breath, and like a fish most familiar with the water, he followed the edge of the riverbed, relying on memory, and dove towards the waterway entrance.
The underwater vision was murky and dim. The cold water irritated my wounds, and the numbness was about to creep in. I didn't know how long I had been underwater when, in the shadows of the riverbed ahead, a dark, square hole, covered in thick algae and silt, finally appeared!
This is it!
Gu Linzhi dived to the cave entrance and, with his hands, brushed aside the algae and mud, revealing a rusted iron fence behind. The keyhole pattern on the fence was peculiar. He immediately fished from his inner pocket and pulled out an equally cold, irregularly shaped piece of metal—the "willow leaf key" that unlocked Zhao Wenbi's secret room and the hardwood secret letter box!
He inserted the key into the keyhole and twisted his wrist hard!
“Click!”
A dull sound of a mechanism snapping was heard under the water!
The heavy iron fence slid silently inward, revealing the deep and dark waterway entrance behind it!
Gu Linzhi didn't hesitate, sliding into the waterway like a fish. The waterway was narrow and oppressive, and the current carried a stale smell. He followed the current and swam forward with all his might. The air in his lungs was squeezed, and the numbness in his ribs, under the cold water and the intense exercise, began to spread again like a venomous snake breaking free from its shackles!
Just when he felt his breath was about to run out and darkness was about to swallow his consciousness—
The water ahead suddenly became turbulent! A huge suction force came! My body was violently pushed forward by the water!
“Crash!”
Gu Linzhi's head broke through the water, and he began to cough violently! The cold air, carrying the strong smell of withered lotus ponds, filled his lungs. He found himself in a vast expanse of water surrounded by rockery and withered lotus leaves—the most secluded corner of the Imperial Palace's Taiye Lake! All around was silence, with only the faint lights of the distant palace flickering in the darkness.
Success!
He struggled to climb onto the icy white marble edge of the pool and collapsed on the bank. The icy water flowed down his robes, forming a puddle beneath him. The poison in his ribs was temporarily dormant, suppressed by the combined effects of the golden needle seal and the cold pond grass, but the intense swimming and cold still left him weakened, and his vision was blackening.
Can't stop! Gu Linzhi bit his tongue, the sharp pain bringing a glimmer of clarity. He struggled to his feet, trying to find his bearings. Dragging his legs, heavy as lead, he stumbled, like a shadow blending into the night, towards the depths of the palace, towards Qianyuan Palace, the seat of the empire's highest authority.
---
Qianyuan Palace, West Warm Pavilion.
The fire burned brightly, the golden charcoal crackling softly, but it couldn't dispel the chill that sank deep into his bones. Emperor Zhao Yan, only ten years old, huddled in a slightly loose, bright yellow brocade robe, his small body curled up in the spacious dragon throne, trying to absorb some warmth, yet still shivering slightly from the cold. His fair face was tense, his clear eyes filled with a nervousness and confusion that belied his age, and a subtle, frightened fear, like a frightened bird. The throne was too high; his toes couldn't reach the ground, and he hovered in the air, swaying slightly unconsciously.
The armrests of the dragon throne were made of cold rosewood, intricately carved with cloud and dragon patterns. On the inside of the right armrest, near where his tiny hands rested, the deep, deep nail scratches were still clear—marks left by the late Emperor Zhao Heng's madness. Zhao Yan's tiny fingers unconsciously rubbed those incisions, as if touching a cold and terrifying past.
Below the steps, three elderly cabinet ministers, their hair and beards white, dressed in red and purple dragon robes, held ivory tablets, and stood solemnly with their heads bowed. The atmosphere in the hall was so solemn that you could hear a pin drop. The air was thick with the scent of ambergris, but it couldn't suppress the invisible, suffocating tension.
"Your Majesty..." Zhang Ge Lao, the chief minister of the cabinet, his hair and beard all white, broke the suffocating silence with a voice that was old and respectful. "The disturbance in the Sutra Repository in Huguo Temple... has been traced back to bandits who infiltrated with the intention of stealing the scriptures of the previous dynasty. They have been killed by the imperial guards... General Han Meng... died in battle..."
Zhang Ge Lao paused, weighed his words, and carefully observed the reaction of the young emperor on the dragon throne.
Zhao Yan's tiny body trembled violently! A layer of mist instantly clouded his clear eyes, and his fear deepened. Han Meng… that sinister, evil-looking man who always followed Eunuch Cao… dead? A gangster? His tiny mind couldn't comprehend the complexities of this plot; he only sensed a vast, suffocating danger approaching. He subconsciously dug harder at the scratch marks on the armrest, his small shoulders heaving slightly.
"Gu... Prime Minister Gu..." Zhao Yan's voice was as thin as a mosquito, with the childishness and undisguised trembling unique to children. "Is he... is he really... gone?" He asked this question many times, but it seemed that he would never get an answer that would reassure him.
Elder Zhang exchanged a complicated look with the other two elders. Gu Linzhi's return of the Black Iron Order and his lone boat journey south had long been an open secret, but the bloody massacre at Huguo Temple last night…their brutal methods…made it impossible not to connect the two.
"Your Majesty," Zhang Gelao's voice became even more respectful, yet it carried a hint of inexpressible heaviness. "Prime Minister Gu... has indeed left the capital. However..." He paused, as if unsure how to phrase it, "The incident at Huguo Temple last night... was quite strange... We, the old ministers, have ordered the Imperial City Administration to conduct a thorough investigation..."
"Investigate?" A feminine, cold voice with a texture like metallic friction, like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, sounded without warning at the door of the temple!
The three old ministers in the cabinet turned around suddenly like frightened quails!
Cao Wushang, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the commander of the Eastern Depot, had silently appeared at the entrance to the warm room. He wore a dark purple dragon robe, his face white and beardless, and his well-maintained face held a chilling, sinister air, yet possessed a commanding composure. His narrow eyes, like a venomous snake locking onto its prey, swept across the trembling old ministers below, finally resting on the young emperor, trembling on the dragon throne.
"A few thieves have disturbed the emperor's presence and deserve death." Cao Wushang's voice was low, yet it carried an undeniable authority that instantly silenced all voices within the hall. He slowly entered the warm room, his steps silent, like a floating ghost, and walked directly to the steps of the dragon throne. He bowed slightly to Zhao Yan, his posture respectful, but his eyes were as cold as a knife.
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to frighten you." Cao Wushang raised his head, his gaze as sharp as a spear, piercing Zhao Yan's pale face. "I've already ordered the Imperial City Administration to seal off the nine gates and search the entire city for any remaining criminals. As for Prime Minister Gu..." He paused slightly, a faint, yet chilling smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "Prime Minister Gu worked tirelessly for the country, then retired to enjoy a peaceful and tranquil life. It's truly a story of righteousness. Your Majesty... there's no need to worry about such trivial matters."
His words were calm, yet each one was like an icicle, carrying an invisible pressure. The phrase "resting in the woods and springs" was like an invisible mockery, striking hard at Zhao Yan's fragile heartstrings.
Zhao Yan's small body trembled even more violently. He dared not look into Cao Wushang's cold eyes, and could only bow his head. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he fought to hold them back. He felt a huge, icy force grip his throat, choking him. "Prime Minister Gu... Retreat in the woods and springs... Trivial matters..." These words weighed like a cold rock, suffocating him.
"Your Majesty, please concentrate on your studies and wait for the New Year's Day meeting." Cao Wushang's voice carried an unquestionable sense of control. "This country and its people will be managed by this old servant... and the other ministers, sharing your Majesty's worries."
Zhang Ge Lao and others at the steps bowed their heads deeply under Cao Wushang's cold gaze, not daring to raise any objection. Only the fingers holding the tablet turned slightly white due to the force.
Inside the warm room, the fire still burned warmly, yet it couldn't dispel the bone-deep chill. Only Cao Wushang's feminine, icy voice, like an invisible shackle, firmly locked this space symbolizing supreme power.
---
The icy night wind, like an invisible whip, lashed the bronze bells hanging from the eaves of Qianyuan Palace, emitting tiny, hollow whimpers. Gu Linzhi's figure clung to the heavy shadow cast by the massive coiled dragon pillars in the rear hall of Qianyuan Palace, like a lifeless stone. The poison in his rib wound was temporarily dormant, suppressed by the dual suppression of the cold pond grass and the golden needle seal. But every slight movement brought on a deep, tearing pain and a nagging numbness. Time slipped through his fingers like quicksand. Three hours... more than halfway through!
Qianyuan Palace was heavily guarded, with numerous sentries and covert agents. A frontal assault would be like a moth flying into a flame.
His gaze, like the most patient falcon, penetrated the darkness and locked onto an inconspicuous corner door on the side of the rear hall, which led to the palace's storage area. It was relatively secluded there, and the intervals between guard rotations were slightly longer.
You only have one chance!
At the corner gate, the two imperial guards standing at attention with swords drawn met their eyes and whispered to each other—
Gu Linzhi moved! A dark figure shot out from the shadow of the massive stone pillar like lightning tearing through the night sky! His speed reached an extreme level, making almost no sound! The improvised ash wood short spear in his hand, with a sharp whistling sound, pierced the unprotected throat of one of the guards like a poisonous dragon emerging from a cave!
Fast! Accurate! Ruthless!
“Puff!”
The sharp edge of the short spear penetrated his throat without any hindrance! Without even a groan, the guard's eyes widened and he fell limply!
Another guard, startled, drew his sword! But Gu Linzhi was even faster! As his spear thrust forward, his body was already close, like a ghost! His remaining right hand transformed into a sword, and with all his might, it struck the guard's wrist with a fierce gust of wind!
"Crack!" A clear sound of bone breaking!
"Ah!" The guard howled miserably and his long sword fell out of his hand!
Gu Linzhi took advantage of the situation to grab his dislocated wrist and pulled it into his arms. At the same time, his knee hit his lower abdomen like a sledgehammer!
"Bang!" A dull impact sound!
The guard instantly bent his body like a cooked shrimp. The severe pain made him lose his voice and his eyes bulged out!
Gu Linzhi didn't hesitate at all. He loosened his right hand and pulled out the standard long sword from the guard's waist! A cold light flashed!
"puff!"
The long knife slashed across the guard's neck with precision! Hot blood spurted out!
The entire attack was as fast as lightning and silent! The two guards didn't even have time to raise a proper alarm before they were killed on the spot!
Gu Linzhi quickly dragged the two bodies into the shadows behind the stone pillars and changed into the relatively clean uniform of one of the guards. He endured the sharp pain in his ribs and the dizziness, hid his short spear behind him, lowered his head, and imitated the posture of the imperial guards. With steady steps, he pushed open the corner door and slipped inside.
Behind the door was a relatively narrow, dimly lit corridor leading deep into the Qianyuan Palace. The air was filled with the scent of aged wood and dust.
Safe for now! Gu Linzhi's mind raced, his target clear—the imperial study where the emperor reviewed memorials daily! If Cao Wushang was colluding with the Northern Di, the secret letter with imperial seals was likely hidden there!
He stalked swiftly along the shadows of the corridor, like a ghost familiar with the terrain, avoiding two patrolling guards along the way and narrowly avoiding danger.
Finally, the tightly closed, intricately carved rosewood door of the imperial study appeared at the end of the corridor. Warm, bright candlelight shone through the crack in the door. Someone was inside!
Gu Linzhi held his breath, stuck to the shadow beside the door, and listened attentively.
There was silence inside. Only the faint crackling of the candlelight and... a very faint rustling sound, like the rustling of paper.
The Emperor? Or...Cao Wushang?
A cold light flashed in Gu Linzhi's eyes. No matter who was inside, they had to go in! He slowly pulled out the ash wood short spear from his back, the sharp edge of the bayonet flashing a deadly cold light in the dim light.
Just as he was about to break in—
“Squeak—”
The heavy wooden door of the imperial study was slowly opened from the inside!
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