Chapter 47
The dead silence in the cellar was as thick as congealed blood. The bean-sized oil lamp had gone out at some point, devouring the last shred of light and warmth, leaving only a boundless, iron-heavy darkness. The cold, like a living thing, seeped through the rough earthen walls and damp ground, burrowing into Gu Linzhi's bones. Combining forces with the temporarily suppressed, yet still dormant, poison in the wound under his ribs, it slowly ate away at his remaining vitality.
Six hours. Su Wanwan's cold pronouncement still lingered in her ears. No, perhaps even less. In this absolute darkness and cold, time lost its measure, leaving only the cruel ticking of life itself.
He didn't drink the medicine. It wasn't out of complete distrust, but rather an instinctive vigilance etched into his bones, forged through countless betrayals and bloodshed. In this intricate chess game, where it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe, any hint of weakness could become a fatal flaw. He could only rely on the lingering effects of the cold pond grass and the tiny respite afforded by the golden needles, forcing his will to fight the pervasive cold, the excruciating pain, and the growing dizziness.
His senses became unusually sharp in the extreme darkness. He could hear the heavy, slow beating of his own heart, the subtle sound of blood coursing through his cold veins, and even the extremely gentle, almost silent breathing of the moon-white figure not far away.
She was still there. Like an ice sculpture dormant in the darkness, silent and yet omnipresent. She had saved him, drained the poison from him, even at the cost of her own blood… The words, “Your life is worth more than mine now,” were like a ghostly whisper, amplified infinitely in the dead silence, each word imbued with an unsettling eeriness.
Valuable? To whom? What did the Northern Di Snow Spider Pavilion need from a dying Yong official? Hostage? Exchange? Or...was he himself a pawn or sacrifice in some larger conspiracy?
Countless questions, like poisonous ivy, entangled Gu Linzhi's nerves, which were on the verge of collapse. He tried his best to maintain a clear mind, listening to any movement inside or outside the cellar. There was nothing but cold and silence.
However, after this extreme silence lasted for an unknown amount of time—
An extremely subtle vibration, which was definitely not produced naturally, was like a stone thrown into an ancient well, suddenly breaking the deathly silence of the cellar!
The vibration didn't come from the ground, but from... the air itself! It was an extremely low, yet peculiarly high-pitched hum that penetrated the thick earth and darkness, like invisible ripples, slowly drifting into this narrow space!
This hum... this frequency...
Gu Linzhi's tightly closed eyelashes trembled suddenly! His scattered consciousness was instantly pierced and awakened by this invisible ripple!
A buzzing copper whistle?! No! Not the sharp, piercing buzzing sound he'd heard underwater at the Linqing Gate, the one that controlled the death squad! This hum was deeper, more ancient, carrying an indescribable sense of desolation and summons, as if it came from the depths of the distant Beidi icefields!
It was another whistle! A command from a higher level?! Or... some kind of specific summons?!
Almost at the same moment when this strange buzzing sounded——
In the corner of the cellar, the moon-white figure that had been as silent as an ice sculpture suddenly moved!
There was a very slight sound of fabric rubbing against each other. Then, there was the subtle sound of the body suddenly tensing and muscles contracting! And... an extremely short and suppressed groan that was forced back into the depths of the throat!
Gu Linzhi's heart suddenly tightened! He opened his eyes abruptly, though all he saw was a chaotic darkness. All his senses were instantly heightened to the extreme, locking onto Su Wanwan's direction!
Her breathing rhythm changed! Though she still tried to suppress it, the long, steady rhythm was completely broken! It became rapid, disordered, and even carried a hint of...hard-to-conceal painful struggle?! It was as if an invisible, powerful force, through that strange low-frequency hum, was forcibly invading her will and tearing at her nerves!
In the darkness, there was the faint sound of teeth clenching together, and the harsh scraping of fingernails as they unconsciously scratched the wooden boards beneath them.
She was resisting! She was resisting the call or control of the whistle!
This realization was like lightning, splitting the fog in Gu Linzhi's heart! The Purple Owl of the Snow Spider Pavilion, a sharp weapon carefully cultivated by Beidi, would actually resist such a fierce command from Beidi?!
The eerie low-frequency humming continued, like a demonic sound filling the ears, assaulting the small space over and over again. Within the humming, there seemed to be some extremely vague, intermittent, dreamlike syllables, twisted and strange, completely unrecognizable from human speech, yet carrying an undeniable compulsion!
Su Wanwan's resistance grew louder. In the darkness, the muffled thud of her body slamming uncontrollably against the earthen wall echoed, along with heavier, more painful gasps. It was no longer the cold calm of before, but a desperate, intense struggle on the verge of losing control!
Gu Linzhi gripped the rough wooden board beneath him tightly, his knuckles turning white from the strain. The sharp pain in his ribs stirred again at the sudden turn of events, but he suppressed it. He held his breath, and in the absolute darkness, he concentrated all his energy on "observing" this silent, yet thrilling confrontation.
Time slipped slowly in this strange tug-of-war. The low-pitched humming seemed tireless, exerting relentless pressure. Su Wanwan's resistance grew weaker, and her painful gasps were gradually mingled with a palpitating, hollow feeling, as if consciousness were being forcibly stripped away.
Just when Gu Linzhi thought she was about to be completely controlled and lose herself——
"ah--!"
An extremely short roar, but filled with endless pain, anger, and unwillingness, suddenly burst out from the depths of Su Wanwan's throat! Like the last wail of a trapped beast!
Right after!
"puff--!"
It was the dull sound of a sharp blade piercing into flesh, making one's teeth ache!
The sounds of struggling, crashing, and buzzing in the darkness...all the sounds stopped abruptly at this moment!
The cellar fell into an absolute silence, even more deadly and eerie than before. Only the eerie low-frequency humming could be heard. After a brief pause, it seemed to emit an extremely subtle, dissatisfied tremor, then slowly receded like the tide, finally disappearing completely into the darkness, as if it had never appeared.
Dead silence. Only dead silence.
And... the rich, indissoluble, fresh smell of blood, like a suddenly blooming red plum, pierced Gu Linzhi's nostrils sharply, instantly overwhelming the original musty and herbal smell in the cellar!
Gu Linzhi's muscles tensed instantly! What happened?! She...
In the darkness, there was the sound of a body falling limply to the ground. Then came the suppressed, extremely painful gasps, even weaker than before, with a sense of imminent danger, a sense of life rapidly draining away.
Without the slightest hesitation! Gu Linzhi didn't know where he got the strength from, and suddenly struggled to sit up from the cold wooden board! Ignoring the excruciating pain and dizziness from the tearing wound under his ribs, he groped his way towards the direction where Su Wanwan fell!
The fingers groped eagerly on the cold and wet ground, and soon touched a piece of cold, moon-white silk fabric, and... a warm and sticky liquid that quickly spread under the fabric!
"Su Wanwan!" Gu Linzhi's voice was as hoarse as a broken gong. He fumbled to lift her limp body. His touch was icy cold; her body was rapidly losing temperature.
His fingers trembled as he traced the source of the warm blood upwards, soon coming upon a cold, hard metal handle that dug deep beneath her left shoulder, near her heart! It was a dagger! She had actually stabbed herself with it?! Using such an extreme method to resist, or perhaps interrupt, the control of that strange whistle?!
"Cough... cough cough..." Su Wanwan coughed violently in his arms, each cough bringing out more blood foam, which splashed on Gu Linzhi's hands and clothes. Her breath was like a candle in the wind, weak and rapid.
Gu Linzhi's mind was in a state of confusion. Shock, confusion, and an indescribable complex of emotions washed over him. He subconsciously tried to press on the wound that was constantly bleeding, trying to do something.
Just as his fingers were about to touch the edge of the wound—
Su Wanwan's uninjured right hand suddenly raised up, and with the last bit of strength, she grasped his wrist tightly! Her fingers were as cold as iron clamps, and with an unquestionable determination, she stopped his movement.
"Don't... touch..." Her voice was weak and broken, but it still carried the coldness and alienation that penetrated deep into her bones. "The poison... dagger... is tempered with... 'Nirvana'..."
Destruction! Gu Linzhi's heart felt like it had been pierced by an icy spike! It was one of the most vicious and nearly untreatable poisons of the Northern Di Snow Spider Pavilion, a deadly poison that struck the throat instantly, leaving no hope of recovery! She had actually used a dagger imbued with destructive power to kill herself?!
Why?! Just to fight that whistle?! What on earth was that whistle?! How could it force her to resort to such means to stay awake, or rather... herself?!
"Why... why?" Gu Linzhi's voice was extremely dry. The question came out of his mouth with a hint of urgency and... shock that he himself had not even noticed.
Su Wanwan's fingers gripping his wrist trembled slightly, their strength rapidly draining away. She raised her head with great difficulty in the darkness, though neither of them could clearly see each other's expressions. Gu Linzhi could only feel her cold breath, thick with the smell of blood, spraying on his jaw.
Even in the absolute darkness, those ice-gray eyes seemed to retain a last, faint glimmer of light. That light was extremely complex, containing the torment of excruciating pain, the emptiness of near death, deep mockery, and a fleeting, illusory fragility, ultimately transforming into an almost eerie, all-seeing calm.
"They...want your life...in exchange..." Her voice grew fainter and fainter, each word seeming to be squeezed out from her heart with difficulty, "...in exchange...for 'Ice Soul'...awakening..."
Ice Soul? What is that? Some kind of Beidi conspiracy? Or...
Gu Linzhi wanted to ask more, but Su Wanwan twitched violently, and more blood gushed out of her mouth. The fingers that were holding his wrist finally lost their strength and fell limply.
"Heh..." A very light and faint sigh, as if of relief but also of endless mockery, escaped from her lips, "...in the end...still...can't escape...the snow spider..."
Her head tilted weakly to the side, and the last breath she had left dissipated like smoke into the cold darkness. Her body completely softened, becoming light and cold.
Dead.
The Purple Owl of the Snow Spider Pavilion, the sharp weapon of the Northern Di, this enigmatic, cold, unpredictable woman, who had tangled with him in life and death countless times, died in his arms in such a decisive and tragic way. She died in this unknown, absolutely dark cellar.
Gu Linzhi held the rapidly cooling body in his arms stiffly, his mind blank. The strong smell of blood filled his senses. The dagger tempered with "Nirvana" was still deeply embedded in her body, the cold touch transmitted through the fabric to his fingertips.
Ice Soul...Awakening...Snow Spider...
Her blood...can cause poison...is valuable...
That strange low-pitched whistle that made her willingly commit suicide to resist...
Countless fragments spun and collided frantically in his mind, but he couldn't piece together a complete answer. He only felt a huge, cold absurdity and chill, like the darkness of this cellar, completely engulfing him.
Just then—
"Clang!"
The heavy secret door at the entrance of the cellar, which seemed to be locked from the outside, was suddenly knocked open by someone from the outside with great force!
The blinding light pierced the absolute darkness like a sharp sword! At the same time, a pungent, nauseating smell of sulfur, saltpeter, and burning grease filled the cellar like a flood.
Firelight! It flickered wildly at the entrance, illuminating several figures rushing in like ghosts, dressed in dark clothes, their faces covered with black scarves, their eyes cold and empty!
And the torches they held high, blazing, constantly dripping with black, sticky liquid! And behind them, the source of the pungent smell, was being quickly poured in—a large amount of pitch-black kerosene!
"Clean it up! Don't leave anyone behind!" The leading man gave the order in a hoarse and low voice with a mechanical coldness!
Those figures were like puppets receiving orders. Without hesitation, they threw the burning torches in their hands towards the corner of the cellar where kerosene was spilled!
"boom--!!!"
Flames instantly erupted, greedily devouring any combustible material! Flames spun wildly, thick smoke billowed, instantly transforming the cellar into a blazing inferno!
The goal is clear! The means are ruthless! Not only must the murder take place, but the bodies must also be destroyed! Everything in this cellar, including all the secrets and bodies, must be completely burned to ash!
Gu Linzhi was choked by the sudden flames and smoke and started coughing violently! The hot air burned his lungs! He suddenly looked up, through the swirling flames and smoke, staring intently at the men in black who were rapidly retreating towards the entrance!
Their movements...their eyes...that hollow, mechanical precision...
They were assassins! They were assassins controlled by the whistle of a higher level!
Su Wanwan had just died, and the silencers had arrived! Such perfect timing! Was it the interruption of that low-frequency whistle that made them conclude the situation was out of control and needed to be cleared immediately?!
Countless thoughts flashed through my mind in a flash! There was no time to think! The flames were rapidly closing in! The thick smoke was almost suffocating!
Gu Linzhi's eyes suddenly gleamed with the ferocity of a dying beast! He endured the excruciating pain in his ribs and the erosion of the poison, and with his last remaining strength, he shoved Su Wanwan's already cold body into a relatively safe corner (even though he knew it was futile). Like a moth to a flame, he staggered and rushed towards the entrance that was about to be completely engulfed by the flames!
He had to get out! He had to survive! He had to get out with the few words about "Ice Soul" that Su Wanwan had exchanged her life for! Someone had to uncover this overwhelming conspiracy!
The flames scorched the corners of his clothes, emitting a burning smell. The thick smoke nearly suffocated him. But he ignored them, his eyes focused only on the gaping door leading to an unknown paradise!
Just as he was about to rush out of the sea of fire——
"call out!"
A subtle yet deadly sound of piercing the air, piercing the roar of flames, came from the side! It was a poisoned crossbow arrow! It went straight for his solar plexus!
Gu Linzhi suddenly tilted his head! The crossbow arrow flew past his cheek, leaving behind a trail of blood and burning pain!
At the same time, his only remaining right hand shot out like lightning, not to block, but to grab the wrist of a soldier in front of him who was about to throw a kerosene can! He twisted it hard!
"Crack!" The sound of bones breaking!
"Ah!" The assassin let out a short howl, and the kerosene tank fell from his hand!
Gu Linzhi used this twisting force to make his body as slippery as a loach, narrowly slipping through the gaps between the blades of the other two assassins! At the same time, with his left foot as the axis, he poured all his strength into his right foot and kicked the can of kerosene that was about to fall to the ground!
"Bang!"
The kerosene tank was kicked out accurately and hit the leader of the death squad who was giving orders at the entrance of the cellar like a cannonball!
The leader obviously didn't expect that the dying man could still have such explosive power and accuracy. He was caught off guard and was drenched in the kerosene all over his head and body!
"Boom!" The torch he was holding instantly ignited the kerosene on his body! He immediately turned into a screaming, struggling fireman! He temporarily blocked the entrance!
Now is the time!
Gu Linzhi's eyes flashed with cold light! Ignoring the blades chasing behind him and the flames surrounding him, his body rushed towards the entrance temporarily blocked by the fire man like an arrow from a string!
"Puff!" A sharp tearing pain came from my back! It was obviously caused by the blade!
But he didn't care! He violently pushed aside the frantically struggling leader of the death squad, who had become a giant torch, and finally rushed out of the cellar that had turned into a living hell, staggering and in an extremely embarrassed manner, covered in flames and thick smoke!
The cold, fresh air instantly rushed into my lungs, but it brought with it a stronger, more familiar smell... of gunpowder and blood!
What you see before you is not the wilderness or quiet streets you expected!
But it was a chaotic battlefield!
The ruins were still ablaze, and the ground was littered with corpses. Some were black-clad warriors, while others were dressed in various martial arts shorts, even the uniforms of yamen runners! Weapons were scattered everywhere, clearly having just been the scene of an extremely brutal melee!
In the distance, there were even more intense shouts and cries, the clashing of weapons, and explosions! The flames turned the sky an ominous scarlet!
This is... Shengjing City?! And in a neighborhood that just experienced a bloodbath?!
Gu Linzhi's heart instantly sank to the bottom. He endured the excruciating pain from the knife wound on his back and the burns all over his body from the flames, stumbling to hide behind a half-collapsed wall, panting heavily, his eyes rapidly scanning the chaotic battlefield.
Those fighting the remnants of the death squad… judging by their attire and skills, they appear to be… members of the Cao Gang?! And there are also scattered officers and soldiers from the Five Cities Military Command?!
What's going on?! Why are the Cao Gang mingling with the government troops? And even engaging in a bloody battle with the Northern Di warriors?!
Could it be...
Just when a shocking thought flashed through Gu Linzhi's mind——
"Master Gu! Over here! Come here quickly!" A low, anxious voice came from a smoke-filled alley not far away!
Gu Linzhi suddenly turned his head and looked!
He saw a man wearing Cao Gang uniform, his face stained with blood and soot, but with a sharp gaze, hiding at the alley entrance, desperately waving at him! Behind him, more Cao Gang members and several wounded soldiers were vaguely visible, forming a simple defense line at the alley entrance, fighting against the scattered assassins who rushed in!
They knew him?! They were picking him up?!
Is it a coincidence? Or... has all this been part of a bigger plan from the very beginning?!
Gu Linzhi didn't have time to think about it! The cellar exit behind him was ablaze with flames, and more assassins might rush out at any time! On the streets on both sides, the shouts and screams were getting closer and closer!
He had no choice. Gathering his last breath, he dragged his wounded and poisoned body towards the alley, stumbling and rushing.
The Cao Gang man immediately stepped forward and supported Gu Linzhi, who was about to fall, saying in a hurried voice, "Master Gu! Hold on! The gang leader and Master Shen are waiting for you up ahead!"
Gang leader? The Cao Gang leader? Lord Shen? Could it be…Shen Mo, the criminal doctor who had been secretly investigating the case of Zhou Fu, the boss who was silenced in the imperial envoy's murder?!
Gu Linzhi's heart was in turmoil. He allowed the man to support him as he rushed into the smoke-filled alley. Behind him lay a burning cellar and a chaotic battlefield; ahead lay an even deeper, unfathomable fog and... perhaps his only hope of survival.
Su Wanwan's ice-cold corpse, the remaining words about "Ice Soul", Beidi's assassins, the sudden appearance of the Cao Gang and soldiers... all the clues were suddenly connected as if by an invisible thread, pointing to a darker and larger vortex center.
He coughed violently, coughing up bloody black foam, his vision blackening. Six hours... perhaps even less. But he knew he had to uncover this final mystery before the poison completely consumed him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
