Broken Linglong (26)
Chi He's life has always been filled with absurd events. She was born into an incongruous family; her mother was a cultivator, while her father was merely a mortal. Chi He couldn't remember why her mother married her father and gave birth to her, nor did she have time to ask. After all, her mother disappeared when she was ten years old, and now she thought she probably died in some desolate wilderness.
Chi He's father was sickly and bedridden year-round. Her mother rarely returned home, always claiming she was searching for elixirs of immortality, but never finding any. Her father's illness worsened, and Chi He couldn't bear to see him suffer, yet she couldn't think of any other way and could only worry anxiously. Just then, she learned that the Qin family was recruiting maids; signing a contract of servitude would earn her a large sum of money. Chi He calculated that the money would not only be enough to buy her father a miraculous elixir for cultivators, but also enough for him to live comfortably for five years.
Such a generous reward was hard for young Chi He not to be tempted. Chi He didn't understand the meaning of the indenture, thinking it just meant going to work in the immortal's mansion. Her mind was filled with thoughts of saving her father, so she took it upon herself to sign the contract and brought the money back to show her father. Unexpectedly, her usually good-tempered father got angry, saying that their family hadn't fallen so low as to sell their daughter, and angrily got out of bed to get his cane, saying he would take her to get the money back.
But how could the indenture of the Qin family be returned so easily? The steward in charge of signing the contract was a silver-tongued man, and no matter what her father said, he only recognized the contract and refused to let go. Unable to argue with the steward, Chi He's father suddenly became so angry that he coughed up blood and died absurdly in front of everyone.
Chi He froze in place, her mind blank. The steward was also stunned. Fearing that word would ruin his reputation, he immediately ordered the servants around him to keep their mouths shut, then bent down and asked Chi He, "Where's your mother? Is your mother here?" Chi He remained silent, staring blankly at her father lying on the ground. The steward panicked and immediately ordered the body to be removed. He then scooped up the half-person-high Chi He and carried her away from the blood-soaked scene.
Chi He didn't remember what the steward said to her after taking her away, but when she came to her senses, she found herself dressed as a maid in the Qin household. The steward knew she had no relatives and her mother was missing, making her practically an orphan. Feeling guilty, he buried Chi He's father and took her under his wing, teaching her the household's rules. Chi He was still quite slow and learned everything slowly, so the steward, fearing she would make mistakes and be punished, only had her work away from the masters—washing clothes, starting fires, cleaning…
During the day, she worked alongside others, and at night, the steward would constantly instruct her on various etiquette rules, such as how much to bow her head when her master passed by, and what it meant when her master tapped his fingers... The steward, being a shrewd person who had been in the Qin household for so long, had some tricks up his sleeve and spent a full year and a half training Chi He into the maid who knew the Qin household rules best among her peers.
It took Chi He a full year and a half to understand that the document she signed not only robbed her of her freedom for life, but also indirectly caused her father's death. It would be a lie to say she wasn't in pain, but she was so busy that she didn't even have time to cry. Every day, she would wake up to work and learn the rules, until she was so exhausted that she had to go to sleep.
After living like this for a long time, Chi He actually got used to it. She performed better and better, and just then, the master wanted to find a personal maid for the eldest daughter. Without saying a word, the steward arranged for Chi He to serve him.
Chi He still vividly remembers the first time she entered Qin Zhiqing's room. Qin's mother, weeping uncontrollably, sat by Qin Zhiqing's bedside, while the young lady lay motionless, much like her bedridden father. It wasn't that the young lady was sickly, but for a moment, Chi He felt a pang of pity for Qin Zhiqing. This noble young lady seemed to be going through a difficult time.
Chi He's intuition was correct. In her subsequent interactions with Qin Zhiqing, she discovered that Qin Zhiqing disliked the Qin family very much; more accurately, she disliked Qin Chaofeng. In Qin Zhiqing's eyes, the Qin family was a prison where Qin Chaofeng held her captive, and she was merely a pawn in Qin Chaofeng's hands. Whether it was practicing martial arts or studying, it was all just so that she could one day live up to the title of Miss Qin.
Qin Zhiqing had told her more than once, "Anyone can take this title as long as they meet his requirements."
Even so, Qin Zhiqing endured this label year after year, with Chi He silently by her side, studying and practicing martial arts together, spending several years in this cage. During this time, Chi He grew increasingly fond of Qin Zhiqing. She treated her better than anyone else in the manor, and she was more assertive and daring to rebel. Therefore, Chi He listened to everything Qin Zhiqing said, even kneeling in the ancestral hall with her when Qin Zhiqing was punished. Qin Zhiqing also liked her very much, even pulling her to sleep in the room with her at night.
The change began with Qi Shuojun's visit.
After hearing Qi Shuojun's information about the Ninety-Nine Beast Tokens, Qin Zhiqing immediately decided to go to Lizhou to hunt demonic beasts. She obtained permission from Qin Chaofeng and immediately took Chi He to Yanqing Sect.
When Chi He first arrived at Yanqing Sect, she wasn't quite used to it yet. Qin Zhiqing took her to stay in a guest room inside the sect, and the two ate and slept together. During the day, they went out to explore the terrain, and at night they chatted with the cultivators in the sect to gather intelligence. After some investigation, they discovered that the Ninety-Nine Beast Tokens corresponded to the ninety-nine demonic beasts that were originally imprisoned under the Demon-Suppressing Tower of Yanqing Sect, each of which was extremely dangerous.
Hunting these demonic beasts was no easy task; one wrong move could cost one's life. Chi He hesitated, but couldn't resist Qin Zhiqing's persistence, and they eventually accepted one of the bounties together. The goal was to hunt the Linglong Pheasant, which lived in the mountains a hundred miles away from Yanqing Sect.
This is a large, oddly shaped bird with only one long, thin leg. Its body resembles a peacock, and it is covered in glossy, emerald-green feathers. In terms of danger, it is classified as low-level in the Beast Rank.
But the pheasant is extremely cunning and treacherous. It usually bends its legs and hides them in its feathers, pretending to be unconscious to lure its prey closer. Once the prey is hooked, it leaps up and uses its sharp claws to pierce the prey's throat, pinning it under its claws. Before the prey has even breathed its last, the pheasant bends its neck and snatches the flesh from its jaws, then tilts its head back and swallows it whole.
Qin Zhiqing and Chi He observed the Linglong Pheasant hunting and feeding dozens of times from the shadows. The nauseating scene terrified them every time they watched it. But this was currently their most likely prey to succeed. As long as they weren't fooled by the Linglong Pheasant's appearance, its claws themselves didn't pose much of a threat.
Qin Zhiqing and Chi He discussed their strategy: Chi He would attack first to restrain Linglong Pheasant and create an opportunity, while Qin Zhiqing would attack from behind and cut off its head.
The plan was progressing smoothly. Chi He, with her agile movements, successfully dodged the large bird's attack. During the struggle with the Linglong Pheasant, Chi He signaled Qin Zhiqing to make her move. However, unexpectedly, the Linglong Pheasant's tail feathers turned out to be its true weapon. With a flick of its tail, it bound Qin Zhiqing's neck, strangling her tightly. Almost simultaneously, the Linglong Pheasant's leg attacks faltered slightly, giving Chi He an opening. She swiftly raised the blade in her hand and stabbed the Linglong Pheasant's neck several times.
Chi He was lucky; the pheasant's vital point was its neck. With a few stabs, the large bird fell to the ground, dying instantly in front of Chi He. But Qin Zhiqing also faced death.
The pheasant's tail feathers were covered in deadly poison. The sharp feathers cut Qin Zhiqing's skin, allowing the poison to seep into her bloodstream. When the pheasant released her, Qin Zhiqing coughed up blood and curled up on the ground in agony.
Chi He was so frightened that she couldn't get up. She quickly stepped forward to help Qin Zhiqing and check the situation, but the young lady grabbed her arm and squeezed out a sentence: "Run away, the farther the better."
A thick stench of blood filled the air. Chi He held Qin Zhiqing's body, extremely anxious yet at a loss. How could she abandon Qin Zhiqing and leave alone? She couldn't do it, she couldn't!
Qin Zhiqing knew her days were numbered; the poison was spreading through her body, rapidly eroding her life. The Qin family had strict rules; if she died, Qin Chaofeng would surely use the pretext of failing to protect his master to kill Chi He. For Chi He to return to the Qin family would be tantamount to suicide.
Qin Zhiqing didn't want Chi He to die because of her; she only hoped that Chi He could get rid of the Qin family and live a peaceful life.
Then, with great difficulty, she spoke again, weakly uttering her last words: "This is an order; even if it's for my sake, I must live on."
Qin Zhiqing died suddenly, just like Chi He's father, without giving her even the slightest psychological preparation.
With lifeless eyes, Chi He held Qin Zhiqing's gradually cooling body, a fleeting thought crossing her mind to die with her. But Qin Zhiqing's last words kept echoing in Chi He's mind: even for Qin Zhiqing's sake, she had to live.
But what does it mean to live for her? Chi He couldn't understand. In the past, Qin Zhiqing always talked to her about ideals and ambitions, and Chi He was always the most loyal listener and follower. She never thought that one day Qin Zhiqing would leave first.
Chi He stood there motionless, letting Linglongzhi's blood flow until it dried. Until someone broke the silence—"Did you kill Linglongzhi?"
She looked up and saw a smiling woman looking down at her.
The woman had half her hair down her back, and the other half tied back with a hairpin. She glanced at Qin Zhiqing, who was lifeless in Chi He's arms, and asked, "Your companion is dead?"
Chi He didn't reply to her, but just stared at her lifelessly.
The woman wasn't annoyed at all; instead, her smile widened. "The Linglong Pheasant is very difficult to kill. Your companion sacrificed herself to help you kill this bird. You should cherish it and not waste her good intentions."
These words stirred Chi He's thoughts. She parted her lips slightly and asked in a daze, "What should I do?"
"Hmm? Are you asking me?"
"She wants me to live for her, what should I do?" Chi He was like a soulless puppet, seeking answers from the outside world.
This was the first time Gu Wusi had ever seen such a silly girl. She actually needed to ask others what to do about this kind of problem.
She glanced casually at the large bird's carcass beside her, and an interesting idea popped into her head. Gu Wusi's eyes gleamed mischievously as she leaned closer to Chi He, a wicked smile playing on her lips: "What can we do? Live for her. The best way is to become like her, isn't it?"
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