Chapter 210 Blood Sacrifice Today's blood sacrifice is all worthwhile
"Since you're unwilling to name the others," Lou Cangyu stroked the sharp blade of his sword, giving Xiao Ma a cold glance, "If you want to be a hero, if you want to be loyal, then I'll grant your wish. You can go to the underworld to scout things out first, and then wait for them to come down and keep you company one by one."
Xiao Ma glanced at the sky, panting. The morning mist had dissipated. He had said he would be back in a short while, but now two incense sticks' worth of time had passed. Xiao Ma knew that Mei Xiaojing would never leave until he arrived. Since Lou Cangyu had discovered him, the city must be filled with imperial guards. If he delayed any longer and attracted others, not only would he have difficulty escaping, but the people waiting at the dock would also be trapped.
Lou Cangyu noticed the unusual look in Xiao Ma's eyes. Xiao Ma had checked the sky several times, indicating that he was in a hurry. This meant that someone was waiting for him somewhere, and the person waiting for him could only be the person Lou Cangyu was searching for.
Lou Cangyu's feet slid across the ground, and he suddenly pounced on Xiao Ma like a leopard. Xiao Ma bent his sword tip, nimbly leaping half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) to dodge Lou Cangyu's fatal attack. Before he could catch his breath, Lou Cangyu leaped up again, his sword aimed straight at Xiao Ma's neck. Xiao Ma couldn't swing his sword in time and could only grasp the blade with his bare hands, the oil paper package he was holding falling to the ground. Lou Cangyu hadn't expected Xiao Ma to do this; in just a moment of surprise, Xiao Ma cried out in pain, opening his palm. Blood splattered all over Lou Cangyu's face. Before Lou Cangyu could react, Xiao Ma's sword was already thrust towards Lou Cangyu's heart.
"Little Ma..." Lou Cangyu cried out in a broken voice, "No..."
The sword's edge stopped abruptly just as it was about to pierce Lou Cangyu's flesh, its cold touch failing to penetrate his skin.
"Xiao Ma." Lou Cangyu lowered his sword and called out softly again, "Go, just go. Let's pretend today's events never happened. I've never seen you before, and I won't look for you again. Forget it... forget it."
"Just let it go?" Xiao Ma sneered. "You think you can just let it go like that? We blocked your way, and you think you can just let it go like that?"
Lou Cangyu didn't dare to move, afraid of startling Xiao Ma's sword. "We're all brothers, how could I really want to kill you? I was just... trying to scare you. Xiao Ma, we've sparred many times, it's normal to bleed. We've sparred and made a scene, so it's all over... No, don't kill me."
Blood dripped from Xiao Ma's left hand, yet the sword he held in his left hand remained pressed tightly against Lou Cangyu's heart.
"Little Ma..." Lou Cangyu's voice trembled, "Is your injury serious? You've lost so much blood, the fried cakes on the ground are soaked in blood..."
Xiao Ma glanced uncontrollably at the fallen oil cake. The moment his gaze fell upon it, Lou Cangyu swiftly raised his left elbow, knocking Xiao Ma's sword away. At the same instant, Lou Cangyu slid forward and lunged at Xiao Ma, the sword in his right hand piercing through his heart. The entire sequence of movements was fluid and unexpected. Xiao Ma felt a chill in his chest, and stared blankly down, only Lou Cangyu's sword hilt remaining in his chest. It wasn't a sword from Xingguo Workshop, but Xiao Ma recognized the pattern on the hilt—it was from the Inner Workshop.
"Lou... Cangyu..." Xiao Ma trembled, his chest aching, and he coughed up bright red blood.
Lou Cangyu slowly raised his head, his face pale but his dark eyes sharp. "I'll ask you one last time, where are they?"
Xiao Ma's eyes gradually blurred, and he could no longer hear what Lou Cangyu was saying. In his dying moments, a magnificent galaxy appeared in his mind. He saw his father digging the fake copper coin that was embedded in his flesh from the soles of his feet, and his mother hiding the jade clasp under her tongue. He saw his father smiling at his wife and children even after being beaten dozens of times. Before his father passed away, he played a bamboo flute for his wife and son. Countless sleepless nights in Lingnan, tossing and turning due to hunger, were accompanied by his father's bamboo flute music to lull them to sleep...
There was also the mysterious bearded man from Tangshui City. With a sinister smile, he approached Xiao Ma, and the large ship set sail. Ten days later, in the morning mist, Xiao Ma saw Pei Bi waiting for them on the beach. His brows were filled with deep sorrow. He led Xiao Ma towards an unpredictable future...
Xiao Ma twitched a few times, feeling his body gradually losing temperature. In a daze, he heard the crisp sound of weapons clashing. In his hazy state, he saw Feng Shisan turn around and raise his eyebrows, brandishing his sword, saying: "Xiao Ma, let's go practice our swordsmanship."
"Little Ma, are you leaving or not?" "Little Ma, let's exchange a few blows." "Little Ma? Little Ma..."
The shouts abruptly stopped. Xiao Ma's vision blurred, and he suddenly saw Mei Shiyu's pale, sickly face inside the carriage. Mei Shiyu handed him a jade clasp made of the same material, revealing a knowing smile. He said, "I guessed long ago that you were the old friend my father spoke of."
Xiao Ma saw it. In the main room of the Mei family, behind the landscape and forest hand-painted by Mei Junhe, there were two portrait paintings hidden. "Father...Grandpa..." Xiao Ma gripped the hilt of the sword in front of his chest, blood dripping from the corner of his lips.
Behind his father and grandfather was a girl in pink. The girl had a pretty face and a spoiled expression. She always liked to cling to him, holding his hand and refusing to let go. Little Ma liked her very much. He liked the girl who clung to him so much.
If... if I hadn't turned back to Rongdu, would I already be in Longxi? Longxi... I haven't even gotten there yet... and I'll never be able to go there again...
—All that happened in the past was worthwhile. Xiao Ma knelt down, his proud head slamming to the ground. Today's sacrifice was also worthwhile.
Lou Cangyu drew his sword, coldly staring at Xiao Ma's frozen posture and the surging river of blood beneath him. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood off the sword, a hint of disgust showing on his face.
"The smartest man in Xingguo Ward? He should be the biggest idiot in the world. I can find them even if I kill you." Lou Cangyu threw down his blood-stained handkerchief and turned to walk away. "At this point, it's either you or me. Fine? It's a fight to the death."
West Street was teeming with people, and the cries of vendors rose and fell. Guan Ye and Mu Chenbi squeezed into the crowd, carefully searching for Xiao Ma's whereabouts. At the end of West Street, there was the Mei Family Money Shop. Guan Ye pondered all the way that if Xiao Ma had something to do, he could only have gone to Mei Shiyu.
"This search isn't going to work," Mu Chenbi said in a low voice. "Could it be... that Xiao Ma has already fallen into the hands of the Eagle Guards?"
"No," Guan Ye blurted out. "Xiao Ma is cautious and would never let himself get into trouble, I guess..."
"Fried glutinous rice cake, freshly made hot fried glutinous rice cake."
The cries of a fried cake vendor reached her ears, and Guan Ye suddenly realized something. These were the fried cakes Xiao Ma had mentioned countless times, and she'd heard him complain about how he'd been on the verge of getting any. Could it be…? Guan Ye took a few steps closer to the fried cake shop. There were many people around, but Xiao Ma was nowhere to be seen…
Mu Chenbi looked in the direction and asked doubtfully, "Little Ma wouldn't... be craving a fried cake at this point, would he?"
"Who knows?" Guan Ye seemed to be talking to herself. "Let's go and look elsewhere."
Just as Guan Ye was about to turn around, Mu Chenbi suddenly pulled her into his arms. Just as Guan Ye was about to lash out, Mu Chenbi whispered in her ear, "Be careful of the Eagle Guards."
Guan Ye rolled up her eyelids and saw a group of black-armored soldiers approaching from afar. The people along the way all made way for her. Guan Ye rubbed her cheek against Mu Chenbi's. The girl's skin was smooth, warm, and fragrant. Mu Chenbi's heart fluttered, and he couldn't help but hug her tighter. His phoenix eyelashes trembled and fluttered over Guan Ye's skin. His dry lips couldn't help but touch Guan Ye's red lips, but stopped abruptly at the moment they were about to touch. It was as if there was an impenetrable barrier between them.
"Guan Ye." Mu Chenbi called her name in a low, hoarse voice. The future was uncertain and unpredictable, and if he didn't say it now, he feared he would never be able to say it again. "If... if I had met you before A Jiu, would you have liked me?"
"They're gone." Guan Ye squeezed out of Mu Chenbi's arm.
"Guan Ye?" Mu Chenbi stood there dumbfounded.
Guan Ye squeezed through the crowd, "Looking for Xiao Ma."
Mu Chenbi was certain that Guan Ye had heard his question, but she seemed... unwilling to respond.
West Street was nearing its end; continuing forward would lead to the Mei family's residence. The Mei family? Would Xiao Ma go to the Mei family? Guan Ye quickly dismissed her own guess. If she wanted to be discovered, she would definitely lead the pursuers away, as far as possible. Even if it meant her own death, she would never betray her companions. Xiao Ma would surely do the same.
If Xiao Ma really came for the fried cakes, and was discovered by the Eagle Guards on West Street, he would definitely not implicate the Mei family, nor would he go to South City... Where would he go?
Guan Ye looked around and fixed her gaze on the alleyway not far ahead. The long street was straight, with only this inconspicuous alleyway fork in the road. If Xiao Ma was indeed discovered on West Street, he could only have gone this way.
Mu Chenbi saw through Guan Ye's thoughts, and pointed the hilt of his hidden sword towards the alley entrance. Their eyes met, and they both understood.
As soon as she entered the alley, Guan Ye suddenly shuddered involuntarily. Song Mian was killed in an alley like this. That night, when she carried the drunken Mu Chenbi into the alley, she also had this indescribable and terrifying feeling.
Sensing Guan Ye's increasingly heavy footsteps, Mu Chenbi knew she was thinking of her tragically deceased friend. He spread his arms to shield Guan Ye behind him, held his sword horizontally in front of him, and walked with a steady and careful gait.
After walking about several dozen meters, Mu Chenbi suddenly stopped. Guan Ye didn't stop in time and bumped her head into his back, letting out a soft groan of pain. Just as she was about to look up, Mu Chenbi had already turned his back and blocked her view.
"Why aren't you leaving?" Guan Ye asked suspiciously.
Mu Chenbi breathed heavily, his dark circles from exhaustion turning red, and his fluttering phoenix eyelashes seemed to be trembling. Guan Ye stared into his eyes. Guan Ye had known Mu Chenbi for so long, but she had never seen him like this before. He was terrified, terrified beyond measure, a terror she had never felt even when he risked his life to rescue Mu Chenbi from the execution ground.
A sense of foreboding welled up in Guan Ye's heart. She sniffed hard a few times. She smelled... she smelled the same scent as the night Song Mian died tragically... blood, a large amount of blood... who... who will it be this time?
"Xiao Ma..." Guan Ye pushed Mu Chenbi aside, and Mu Chenbi staggered to make way. Guan Ye looked over and saw Xiao Ma kneeling on the ground, his head drooping, and sparse blood dripping from the corner of his half-open mouth. Beneath him, there was a steady flow of blood that had not yet congealed. His sword, which he never parted with, fell from his hand and landed at his feet. With the sword gone, he was dead.
"Little Ma!" Guan Ye cried out and rushed forward, bending down to lift Little Ma's drooping head. Little Ma's eyes were half-open, unable to close in death. "Little Ma, Little Ma..." Guan Ye wiped the blood from Little Ma's mouth. "Little Ma, answer me, answer me! Little Ma, don't die, you can't die!"
Mu Chenbi knelt on one knee, touching the blood on the ground with his fingers. The blood was still warm, indicating that Xiao Ma had been murdered less than a quarter of an hour ago. A quarter of an hour meant that the murderer had not gone far. Mu Chenbi drew his sword and looked around, only feeling slightly relieved after confirming that no one was left behind. Seeing Xiao Ma's gruesome death, he sighed again. The ship at the dock was about to leave, and the two lovers separated by the sea were now separated by life and death.
"Little Horse..." Guan Ye cried out Little Horse's name in grief, "Little Horse... don't die."
“The dead cannot be brought back to life,” Mu Chenbi said with difficulty. “We cannot stay here any longer. No matter who killed Xiao Ma, the Eagle Guards will find us soon. Guan Ye, we must leave quickly.”
“It was Lou Cangyu.” Guan Ye touched the bleeding wound on Xiao Ma’s chest. “Lou Cangyu killed him.” Her hand stopped abruptly as she touched it. Guan Ye seemed to have touched something. Hesitantly, she reached into Xiao Ma’s clothes and pulled out a piece of folded paper. The paper was stained with blood, and the writing was faintly visible. Something that Xiao Ma kept close to his body must be something important. Guan Ye didn’t have time to think and put the folded paper back.
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