Chapter 52 Suicide The face before him was destiny's predetermined...
"Impossible..." Lou Cangyu's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground in grief and indignation, his head buried deep in his chest, his shoulders convulsing. "Impossible."
"Now that the outcome is decided," Mu You glanced back at the Xingguofang swordsmen who could no longer straighten up, "let's return to the palace."
"Xingguofang has lost... what should be done about it?" Cui Jin asked in a low voice.
Mu You looked at Mu Chenbi, whose brows furrowed slightly and whose hands were clenched behind his back. "Before the sword test, there was no mention of what would happen if we lost. What would happen? It was just a friendly spar, what's there to talk about? We've only been in Xingguo Fang for a short time, there's no need to be too harsh. I heard their Heavenly Furnace hasn't even been built yet."
"Your Highness means..." Cui Jin already understood.
Mu Chenbi turned away with a flick of his sleeve, "Reflect on the results, and then think about how to make progress."
"—Understood."
Inside the foundry, Guan Ye and the others chatted over tea, but their eyes kept glancing at the sword-testing platform, dozens, if not hundreds. Guan Ye couldn't help but ask, "Honestly, how good is Lou Cangyu's swordsmanship?"
"Uh..." Ji Fang scratched his head, "Anyway, he's stronger than me, and he's also better than Xiao Ma. We're both defeated by Cang Yu."
"So you're not as good as you and Feng Shisan?" Guan Ye looked at Ajiu, clutching her chest, feeling anxious. The Emperor and the Crown Prince had been inside for almost half an hour. Half an hour... Ajiu and Lou Cangyu's competition lasted only a stick of incense. This time, what formidable opponents are they that it will take half an hour to compete?
"Lou Cangyu's swordsmanship is not bad." Ajiu picked up a fruit but couldn't put it in her mouth. "Most importantly, he wants to win more than anyone else. With such determination, he will definitely fight with all his might."
"I heard..." Xiao Ma hesitated, then stopped.
"Speak up!" Feng Shisan, seething with anger, picked up his teacup and gulped it down. "Why are you being so long-winded, like a woman?"
Xiao Ma swallowed the tea and fruit. "The swordsman in the inner workshop is a woman."
Feng Shisan choked and sprayed Xiao Ma's face with his breath, "The inner quarters...it's a female swordsman! Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Xiao Ma wiped his face in disgust. "So what? Does it matter if I'm male or female? If you had just said so, I could have turned into a man."
Feng Shisan relaxed slightly, glanced at Guan Ye, and hesitated before saying, "Lou Cangyu... could he really lose to a female swordsman?"
"The Emperor and the Crown Prince have come out!" Shen Ao put down his teacup and hurriedly stood up. The others, hearing the commotion, quickly stood behind him, bowing their heads and not daring to look up.
"Respectfully seeing off the Emperor and the Crown Prince back to the palace," Shen Ao shouted loudly. Seeing the two men's inscrutable expressions, he dared not ask any further questions and turned to look for Cui Jin, "Grand Preceptor, Grand Preceptor..."
Cui Jin stopped, his one eye darkening. "Grand Preceptor." Shen Ao pulled him aside. "How is it inside...?"
"Steward Shen, you'll know once you go in and take a look." Cui Jin pulled out his robe and stopped talking.
"Still keeping it a secret?" Shen Ao forced a smile. "Master Pei, let's go inside and take a look."
Cui Jin suddenly stopped, coughed, and said, "Manager Shen has a discerning eye; how could he find such a person? He is truly a man of great talent."
Upon hearing this, those who understood the meaning were impressed, but Ajiu suddenly looked up and met Mu You's gaze out of the corner of her eye.
"—Chen Bi…" Mu You's face suddenly stiffened, and he uttered a voice only he could hear, "Chen Bi?"
Ajiu was completely unaware, raising her head to confront Mu You's panicked and astonished face, her eyes filled with only anticipation for victory or defeat.
Mu You tried his best to keep his expression as calm and composed as ever, but the deep lines etched on his face trembled uncontrollably—it was too similar, far too similar. Although the swordsman's worldly experience paled in comparison to the prince's extraordinary bearing, just looking at that face was enough to make Mu You mistake him for someone else. Cui Jin had once told him—all things are naturally balanced, everything is predetermined, and what man must do is understand the will of Heaven and act in accordance with destiny. Mu You had also had his youthful arrogance, firmly believing that man could conquer nature, but youth fades quickly, and glory is ultimately lost. As the world changes and he grew older, all his experiences made Mu You increasingly believe in Cui Jin's words—all things are naturally balanced, everything is predetermined.
The face before me is the destiny that was set in stone.
"—Your Majesty?" Cui Jin blocked his view at just the right moment. "You've returned to the palace."
Mu You struggled to look away. He wanted to forget that face, but Shen Bi was his most trusted son, so how could he possibly forget Shen Bi?
Guan Ye rushed into Lingbo Platform, stepped on something hard, and almost fell. Looking down, she saw half a sword blade. Guan Ye stared blankly, unable to believe her eyes. Hesitantly, she bent down to pick it up, and then suddenly looked up. On the high platform, Lou Cangyu was kneeling on both knees, looking down angrily at the broken sword in his hand, seemingly wanting to die in his daze.
"Lou Cangyu!" Guan Ye shouted, "Lou Cangyu!"
Lou Cangyu snapped out of his daze, turned his head with a look of dejection, and met Guan Ye's gaze, tears of resentment streaming from his eyes. Ajiu leaped onto the Lingbo Platform, snatched the broken sword from his hand and tucked it behind her back, then grabbed Lou Cangyu by the collar, her dark eyes burning with intensity as she stared at him, "Don't be foolish, we'll talk about it when we get back."
"A-Jiu!" Lou Cangyu cried out in anguish, his eyes bloodshot. "Our sword is broken! It can't be! It can't be! A-Jiu, A-Jiu, how could our sword be broken? It's impossible!"
Ajiu pressed him onto her shoulder and glanced at the crowd below the stage. Pei Yuan, with his red hair flying wildly, looked as if he had been struck by lightning. His expression was like the sky had fallen and the earth had shattered. His vision went black and he fell backward. Fortunately, Pei Bi caught him quickly and prevented him from fainting.
"This..." Upon seeing the broken blade in Guan Ye's hand, Feng Shisan shuddered. "This... Guan Ye... how could she..."
Large beads of sweat appeared on Ji Fang's forehead. His large eyes bulged as he tried to see the object more clearly. He stood there blankly, holding his sword tightly, seemingly unaware of what was happening. At the very back, Xiao Ma seemed to know what had happened. He stopped as if he had been punched in the back of the head, and dared not move forward. He looked up at the void, tears welling up in his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and did not let them fall.
"Guan Ye," Feng Shisan tugged at her sleeve, "Why? Why?"
Guan Ye's face was pale, her lips trembled, and even her eyebrows twitched slightly, as if someone had grabbed her throat. Guan Ye couldn't shed tears or make a sound. Countless guesses flashed through her mind, but she had no clue why. She also wanted to know... why.
Ajiu carried Lou Cangyu's limp body down from Lingbo Terrace, brushed away Feng Shisan's hand that was grabbing Guan Ye's sleeve, and shielded Guan Ye behind him, his dark eyes overflowing with rare anger, "Don't touch her, we'll talk about it when we get back."
"Why is this happening?!" Feng Shisan roared in a low voice.
Shen Ao had long forgotten about Xingguo Ward and happily ran to the backyard. The huge open space was now only filled with a deathly silence that swallowed the despair of the few people.
Xingguofang
Pei Yuan fell ill and was bedridden as soon as he returned to the neighborhood. He seemed to be struggling to breathe, his hands tightly gripping the sweat-soaked bedding, his skin and veins bulging. Pei Yuan looked as if he had aged ten years in an instant, his sallow face filled with grief and indignation, and old tears streaming down his face like a flood that had burst its banks.
Guan Ye had been on the island for several years and had never been so close to despair. This despair did not only affect one person, but everyone in Xingguofang, including herself.
It was nearly midnight, and no one in the backyard was sleepy. They sat in silence for a long time. Feng Shisan tried to speak several times, but seeing Lou Cangyu's miserable state of being half-dead, he swallowed his words and could only tap his forehead with the hilt of his sword, again and again.
Guan Ye had been clutching the broken blade for half the night. A Jiu tried several times to pull it away but couldn't find an opportunity, so he could only sit close to her and not leave her side for even a moment.
"I'm not going back." Finally, Xiao Ma broke the deathly silence.
“We all have one life.” Feng Shisan paused on the hilt of his sword. “We come together, we go together.”
"The tinderbox in my bundle is what I prepared for leaving the island." Xiao Ma pursed his dry lips. "Even if Xingguofang can't leave Canglang Island, I should be in Rongdu by now."
"Stop talking nonsense." Feng Shisan pointed his sword at him. "This is not the time to talk about this. We lost the sword trial at Xingguo Ward. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? Are you thinking of abandoning us when disaster strikes?"
"I'm not like you!" Little Horse roared.
"Stop talking." Ajiu deflected Feng Shisan's sword. "No rewards or punishments were discussed before the sword test. Loss is loss, that's all. What's the panic?"
Lou Cangyu's eyes were empty as he recalled every move he made with Wushuang. His swordsmanship was no less than Wushuang's, so why, why had he lost his composure and had his sword broken? A broken sword was a disgrace, the disgrace of his great-grandfather... Lou Cangyu felt as if he had been thrown into an icy pool. His bloodless face turned ashen, and in his daze, he saw the blacksmith, who was just as desperate as he was. He spread his body, faced the broken sword, let out a mournful cry, and crashed to his death. Blood flowed from beneath him, forming a crimson river. The blacksmith's eyes were wide open in anger, and he died with his eyes wide open in anger.
"I volunteer to test the sword for the ward. If I lose, I will die for the sword."
"The Golden Sword was broken, and the blacksmith, unable to bear the humiliation, committed suicide by striking his head against the sword. You are so young; if you were to lose, would you be willing to give up your own life?"
If we lose... I'll die for my sword...
Lou Cangyu suddenly leaped to his feet, his hand like an eagle's claw as he drew Feng Shisan's sword, and slashed it across his own neck.
"No!" Ji Fang didn't have time to think and tried to disarm the blade with his bare hands. A Jiu reacted quickly and punched Lou Cangyu in the forehead. Xiao Ma rushed forward and pried Lou Cangyu's fingers apart. Lou Cangyu groaned and fainted to the ground, his face ashen.
Feng Shisan stared blankly at his empty hand, then leaped into the air to help Lou Cangyu up. "Idiot! Fool! Who wants you dead, Lou Cangyu, Lou Cangyu?"
“He won’t die.” Ajiu rubbed her numb wrist. “Help him back to his room, he’ll be fine after a nap.”
Before the words were even finished, Ji Fang opened his bleeding hand and cried out, "I'm going to die, I'm going to die..." The blood was dripping and shocking to see. Guan Ye, who had been stunned, seemed to be awakened by something, and her hand loosened and fell from the broken blade she had been holding for half the night.
“Guan Ye…” A Jiu tried to take her hand.
"Aren't you going back inside?" Xiao Ma tugged at Ji Fang. "Let's heal your wounds. There's one over there and another one here. We can handle you and Lou Cangyu, but we can't handle Guan Ye, so we'll leave her to A Jiu."
A sudden silence fell over the surroundings. Guan Ye stared at the drops of blood trickling from Ji Fang's palm, her vision blurred. A chill ran down her spine. Looking up, she saw swirling clouds and dense rain. The evening breeze brushed against her face, the damp mist mingling with the raindrops, seemingly bringing her some semblance of calm. The rain washed away Ji Fang's blood, forming gentle streams that flowed slowly downhill.
The rain intensified, but Guan Ye showed no sign of going inside to take shelter. Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed through the dark clouds overhead, illuminating the empty courtyard brightly. The lightning streaked across Guan Ye's pale face, but her stubborn eyes remained as bright as ever.
Seeing the light in Guan Ye's eyes, Ajiu finally felt relieved. He silently walked towards Guan Ye, bent down to pick up the broken blade from the ground, and waved his dark green cloak to shield her from the wind and rain.
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