Chapter 56
The morning mist in the swamp was so thick it couldn't be dispelled, like some sticky, milky white creature, greedily devouring light, sound, and any form that tried to penetrate it. The reeds were tall and dense, with cold water droplets hanging on the edges of their withered yellow leaves. Every sway of their leaves spread a fine, uncomfortable chill.
Gu Linzhi lay on a makeshift stretcher made of branches and clothing. Every bump jarred his wounds, especially those beneath his ribs. The bluish chill seemed undimmed by the spitting of blood. Like living ice needles, it continued to pierce his bones and internal organs, bringing waves of ripping pain and a piercing chill. Fighting against this was a faint yet remarkably tenacious "spark" deep within his veins. Like a candle in the wind, it flickered, yet never extinguished, emitting wisps of warmth and protecting the last shred of life in his heart.
This extreme experience of ice and fire nearly crushed his nerves. But he forced himself to maintain a clear mind, his cold eyes piercing through the diffuse mist, sharply scanning his surroundings. He was extremely weak, yet his vigilance was at its peak.
Luo Manzi led the way, his only remaining arm tightly grasping a notched waist knife. He took every step extremely carefully, and the mud under his feet made a slight hissing sound. His face was solemn, and he stopped from time to time to listen. His eyes, which had experienced countless storms, were full of vigilance. The other Cao Gang men were scattered around the stretcher, two people carried Gu Linzhi and the heavy "No. 7" camphorwood box, and the other one was the last one to leave. They were all injured and ragged, and blood and mud mixed together to form a hard crust, but their eyes were full of ruthlessness and loyalty after experiencing life and death battles. Shen Mo's death seemed to have eliminated the last bit of hesitation of this remnant army, leaving only the determination to protect Gu Linzhi and the box.
"This damn place..." The trailing man cursed softly, slashing his sword to cut through a clump of tough vines that blocked his path. "The fog is so perverse, I can't tell the direction at all."
"Shut up and watch your feet and surroundings!" Luo Manzi said, not even turning his head. His voice was extremely low, yet it carried an unquestionable commanding tone. "This fog is unusual. It seems someone has deliberately created a trick to deceive us. Everyone, open your eyes. The dogs in the East Factory have very sharp noses. Don't let them touch your butt without you knowing it!"
Gu Linzhi moved his lips with difficulty, his voice hoarse: "Luo...head...direction...is it correct?"
Luo Manzi immediately leaned closer and whispered, "Don't worry, Minister Gu. I've been to this swamp several times when I was young, sailing to avoid lawsuits. I'm sure the approximate location is correct. Ningxiang Garden is located in the northeast corner of the swamp. It's well hidden by the waterway and the fog, making it impossible for ordinary people to find the entrance. But the fog is much thicker than usual at this time of year, which is indeed strange."
As he was speaking, the man leading the way in front suddenly squatted down and made a gesture!
Everyone instantly stopped, holding their breath, and quickly hid themselves behind the reeds. The men carrying the stretcher and box gently set them down and gripped their weapons tightly.
In the thick fog, there was a subtle, unnatural rustling sound, as if someone was moving very carefully.
Luo Manzi's eyes sharpened, and he silently gestured for an outflanking move. Immediately, like civet cats, the two men, taking cover from the thick fog and reeds, silently moved towards the source of the sound.
Gu Linzhi was lying on a stretcher, his fingers slightly gripping a hard branch beneath him. The wound under his ribs suddenly tightened, causing a sharp pain and cold sweat to seep into his forehead.
After a moment of dead silence, a short, muffled groan and the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground suddenly came from the left! Then there was the sharp sound of a weapon being quickly unsheathed!
"They're not from the East Factory!" the man who approached from the right growled, "They're from Jianghu! Their ideas are tricky!"
Luo Manzi cursed and rushed out: "Protect Prime Minister Gu and the box!" He swung his sword with one arm and pounced into the battle like a tiger.
The fog surged, and the sound of weapons clashing instantly became clearer and more intense! Figures swayed against the milky white background, swords flashing, bringing with them the sharp sound of wind and the occasional burst of blood.
Gu Linzhi strained his head to observe the battle through the gaps between the swaying reeds. There were about four or five men engaging Luo Manzi and his men, dressed in motley, ruthless, and mixed tactics. They looked like desperate criminals working for a living, not trained factory guards.
Their goal seemed very clear. They tried several times to bypass the interception of Luo Manzi and others and headed straight for the direction where the stretcher and box were!
"Grab the box!" a hoarse voice shouted in the fog.
As expected! Cao Wushang's men might have been temporarily trapped by the old boatman, or perhaps they were still searching for the correct direction, but these hyenas, sniffing out blood, had already caught wind of the situation! The explosion at the Dragon King Temple, the earth-shaking visions, and the possible leak of information about the "box" were enough to draw all forces' attention to this swamp!
One of the gangsters saw an opening and forced the Cao Gang man in front of him to retreat with a knife. He lowered his body and slid towards the camphorwood box like a loach! Greed flashed in his eyes.
Just as his hand was about to touch the box——
A drop of ice-cold water, like an iron ball shot from a powerful crossbow, hit the pulse point on his wrist accurately!
"Ah!" The gangster screamed, his entire arm instantly became numb and weak, and the steel knife fell out of his hand.
He turned around in horror, only to see that the man on the stretcher, who should have been dying, had half-raised himself and was slowly retracting a finger. His cold eyes were staring at him coldly. There was no turbidity of death in them, only a heart-pounding coldness and murderous intent that seemed to freeze the soul.
The bandit froze up at the look, like a frog being stared at by a poisonous snake.
In this split second of delay, a Cao Gang man nearby rushed forward with a roar, and chopped down with a steel knife without mercy!
The battle was over quickly. While the bandits were ferocious, Luo Manzi had brought with him elite members of the Cao Gang who had experienced the bloody battle at Dragon King Temple. Their coordination was seamless, and thanks to Gu Linzhi's two seemingly insignificant, yet precise, strikes that interrupted crucial moments (the second one, when he used a branch to deflect a clod of mud, deflecting a hidden dart aimed at Luo Manzi's back), the entire gang was quickly decimated.
The thick fog was filled with the fresh smell of blood, mixed with the inherent humus smell of the swamp, which was even more disgusting.
Luo Manzi panted heavily and checked his men. One of them had a deep cut on his arm, but the others were fine. He walked over to Gu Linzhi and looked at the bandit's body on the ground, where Gu Linzhi had injured his wrist with a water droplet. His eyes were complicated. "Gu Xiang, you..."
"It's okay..." Gu Linzhi loosened his fingers from the branch and lay down again. His breathing became more rapid due to the force he had just exerted. His face was frighteningly pale, but his tone remained steady. "Leave as soon as possible... The smell of blood... will bring more trouble."
Luo Manzi nodded heavily, said no more, and immediately ordered his men to deal with the scene simply, dragging the body into the deep water and reeds, and covering the bloodstains with mud and water.
"Minister Gu, it seems the news has leaked out." Luo Manzi said in a deep voice while keeping a vigilant eye on his surroundings, "I'm afraid we won't be safe on this journey."
"As expected..." Gu Linzhi closed his eyes, feeling the cold poison in his body stir up again due to the forced mobilization of his meager internal energy. "Their target... is the box... and my life... hurry up... we must enter Ningxiang Garden before more people gather around."
"Yes!" Luo Manzi gritted his teeth, identified the direction again, and waved his hand to signal the team to continue moving forward.
The journey from then on was even more difficult. The fog seemed to possess a certain spirituality, growing thicker as they advanced, even becoming directional. Luo Manzi had to stop more frequently to decipher the faint, moss-covered old markings. Along the way, they encountered two more groups of spies: one seemingly swamp bandits, the other more like members of a martial arts sect. However, they were either repelled or shaken off with their ruthlessness and Gu Linzhi's precise, crucial guidance (though frail, his observation and judgment remained astonishing).
Gu Linzhi's condition worsened. The tug-of-war between the cold poison and the "fire" had nearly exhausted his remaining mental strength. The wound under his ribs began to ooze blood again from the turbulence, the blood tinged with an ominous blue. He began to experience slight hallucinations. Sometimes he could hear his father's roar in the battle formation, sometimes he could hear Mo Ya's silent but determined figure, sometimes he could hear Su Wanwan's final complex gaze in the sea of fire, and sometimes he could hear the silent cries of the countless heroic spirits of the Jingbei Army in the pit...
But he gritted his teeth tightly, and the tip of his tongue was bitten. The salty taste of blood and the pain stimulated him to maintain the last bit of consciousness.
We must not fall here!
I don’t know how long I struggled forward in the fog. Just when Gu Linzhi’s consciousness was almost completely swallowed by the cold and pain, the fog in front suddenly became thinner.
A very elegant fragrance wafted through the wind, yet it seemed particularly out of place in this filthy swamp.
It is the scent of wisteria.
Luo Manzi perked up and lowered his voice, "Prime Minister Gu! We're almost there! This fragrance is coming from Ningxiang Garden. They've planted a large area of wisteria!"
Gu Linzhi struggled to open his eyes. Through the thinning mist, he could vaguely see the ground rising slightly ahead, forming a rare dry mound. Atop the mound, the faint outline of a building appeared: black tiles, white walls, and upturned eaves. Its exquisite and elegant style stood out from the surrounding barren swamp, like a mirage appearing out of thin air.
That was Ningxiang Garden, one of Jiangnan's most famous romantic places, where Su Wanwan had run her business for many years, and perhaps even a hidden gem harbouring countless secrets.
The closer they got, the more cautious Luo Manzi and the others became. They slowed down, using the cover of the last reeds to observe carefully.
Ningxiang Garden was silent, the gates tightly shut, and not even a gatekeeper could be seen. Only the fragrance of the wisteria flowers grew ever clearer, as if carrying some kind of bewitching magic.
"Something's wrong..." Luo Manzi frowned, "It's too quiet. Even if something happened, there shouldn't be no one guarding the door."
Gu Linzhi's eyes swept across the silent courtyard, pausing briefly at several seemingly ideal ambush spots. He whispered, "The secret agents... withdrew... or were replaced."
He felt an invisible, cold pressure hanging over the area. It was not the emptiness of a deserted place, but a kind of waiting, dangerous silence.
"Minister Gu, are we still going in?" a Cao Gang man couldn't help but ask, a look of fear on his face, "This is clearly a trap waiting for us to fall into!"
Luo Manzi also looked at Gu Linzhi.
Gu Linzhi was silent for a moment, his gaze once again fixed on the silent camphorwood box. The 70,000 heroic spirits' obsession, Shen Mo's death, the old boatman's final determination, Cao Wushang's conspiracy, the emperor's unfathomable chill... all of it pushed him forward.
"Go in." His voice was hoarse, but firm. "Even if it's a dangerous place... we must go in."
He paused and looked at Luo Manzi: "Luo Tou, take the brothers to find a secluded place to rest... guard the box... I will go in alone."
"How can this be possible!" Luo Manzi immediately objected, "Your body! If there really is a trap inside..."
"It's precisely because of my condition... that if you follow me, you'll only be a burden." Gu Linzhi interrupted him, his eyes calm and almost cruel. "Their main targets are me and the box. It's safer for you to leave the box outside and guard it. If I don't come out within an hour, or if something happens inside..." He took a deep breath, the sharp pain in his ribs making his voice tremble, "...you must take the box and leave immediately. Find... someone in the court who might be trustworthy, or... sink it deep in the unknown swamp. Don't let Cao Wushang get it!"
"Gu Xiang!"
"This is an order!" Gu Linzhi's tone suddenly became stern, carrying with it an unquestionable majesty, the aura that a person who had been in a high position for a long time could not completely erase even if he was on the verge of death.
Luo Manzi's eyes were filled with tears as he clasped his fists together. "...Yes! Take care, Mr. Gu! If...if anything happens, I, Old Luo, will risk my life to get the box out!"
Gu Linzhi nodded and said no more. He struggled, using his arms to support his body, and actually wanted to get off the stretcher.
"Mr. Gu, you..." The man next to him wanted to support him.
"No need." Gu Linzhi pushed his hand away, gritted his teeth, and with an amazing willpower, he actually stood up shakily! His whole body was shaking uncontrollably, his face was transparently pale, as if it would shatter in the next moment, but his back still tried to straighten.
He glanced at the quiet Ningxiang Garden and straightened his tattered and blood-stained black robe, as if he was not heading to a possible place of death, but to an important court meeting.
Then, he stumbled with each step, but walked with extraordinary determination towards the depths of the cold fog where the wisteria flowers were blooming.
The figure is lonely and resolute, like the last moth flying into a spider web, or like a lone sword that will split the darkness even if it breaks.
Luo Manzi and the others stared at his back with red eyes, silently tightened their knives, quickly lifted the box and stretcher, and hid in the deep reeds beside them.
Gu Linzhi walked to the tightly closed wooden door of Ningxiang Garden, which was beautifully carved with lotus patterns. The door was not locked.
He reached out and pushed hard.
With a "creak", the door slowly opened inward.
Inside the gate is an exquisite courtyard with rockery, ponds, and winding corridors. Blooming wisteria flowers hang down from the corridors, forming purple waterfalls of flowers with a fragrance so rich that it is almost suffocating.
The courtyard was deserted.
There was only the rustling of flowers and leaves in the wind.
Gu Linzhi stood at the door, his eyes sweeping across the seemingly peaceful yet eerie courtyard, and finally fell on the deep corridor, under the shadow of the most dense wisteria flowers.
He took a deep breath and crossed the threshold.
The door behind him slowly closed silently.
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