Chapter 45 045 "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I'm late..."
The wind whipped up raging clouds, and the snow poured down, turning heaven and earth upside down.
Only the young boy was plunged into endless darkness, sinking deeper and deeper.
The scene collapsed and tilted, the stars shifted and changed several times... For many moments afterward, Xiao Zichu was in an endless dark night.
Or rather, since that snowy night when snow was falling heavily, he never saw the dawn again.
He endured everything, including competing with wild dogs for food, being sold by human traffickers, having a mark branded on his shoulder, and being thrown into the Cave of Ten Thousand Snakes by the old poison master in order to be taken in as his apprentice and learn the world's best poison skills.
At first, he would cry and beg his brother, Rao Zhu, his father, his mother, anyone would do, please save him and take him home. He vowed that he would never be naughty again, never make his mother angry again, that he could recite "Li Sao" word for word, that he would never leave the village again, that he would listen to his mother and be good... But no one came.
No one came to save him.
Later, he became numb and stopped crying, because he finally understood one thing—
No one will ever come to save him.
He only has himself.
His prayers turned into hatred; he hated everyone.
Everyone is lying to him.
Then later, he grew up. He met more and more people, and saw an ever-expanding world, and he forgot his parents, his brother, Rao Zhu... Gradually, he also forgot who he called himself and who he was.
Xiao Zichu never truly recovered from that snowy night.
The little poisonous creature survived.
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"Thunder Palm? You're Jiang Leilong's daughter?"
The moon rises above the willow branches, and the dark clouds disperse.
The cold moonlight poured down on the earth, and even the small farmhouse received some of its faint light.
It was slightly dim, but that was enough.
Jiang Ling'er dodged Huo Wu's scattered tail needles and exchanged a palm strike with Huo Wu. As a result, Huo Wu was completely unmoved, while Jiang Ling'er's back slammed heavily against the windowsill, shattering the moonlight in the room.
Jiang Ling'er gritted her teeth and groaned, using her left hand to push herself up. The tingling and throbbing pain in her right arm, starting from her fingertips and spreading to her shoulder and neck, made her break out in a cold sweat. When she looked up, her right palm was covered in blood and countless needle marks...
It turned out that Huo Wu's hands were also made of mechanical wood, and her palms were covered with needles. After all, she had little experience traveling the world and knew very little about these tricks. She was caught off guard and fell into their trap.
"You are not as good as your father."
The wooden body, being quite heavy, dragged Huo Wu step by step, each step causing the small farmhouse to tremble slightly. Finally, she reached Jiang Ling'er, whose face was pale and almost translucent, and sighed softly, a sigh that seemed to be a mixture of lingering fear and regret at not having encountered a formidable opponent.
“The Thunderclap Palm is unstoppable. If your father were here, let alone falling into his trap, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to get close to him, and my arm would have been crippled.” As soon as Huo Wu finished speaking, her regretful expression suddenly turned into a mysterious smile. “Fortunately.”
Jiang Ling'er paused, raised her eyelids, and her bloodied right hand twitched nervously.
"Fortunately... what?"
The fine lines on Huo Wu's aged face rippled like waves as she clapped her hands and laughed heartily.
"What else could it be? Luckily that old geezer is dead, good riddance!"
Her bloodied right hand, which was almost immobilized by the pain, suddenly clenched, the thin back of her hand bulging with furious veins. A startled bird flew past the window, scattering the pale moonlight in the room. Combined with the thick poisonous fog, Huo Wu's cloudy eyes only blinked for a moment. When she opened her eyes again, her pupils dilated, reflecting a pair of approaching, crimson almond-shaped eyes—
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"
Jiang Ling'er roared as she broke through the poisonous fog, leaping into the air and striking Huo Wu with her blood-soaked right palm, which carried the force of a thunderbolt!
Huo Wu's pupils constricted, not expecting that Jiang Ling'er could still generate such strength and explosive power even though she had knocked her to the ground!
Because of her heavy body made of ancient trees, it was difficult to avoid, especially in such a blink of an eye. Huo Wu could only turn her body slightly to the side, and Jiang Ling'er's "Thunder" move landed heavily on her left chest!
Although Jiang Ling'er used all her strength in this attack, it was as if she had hit a stone. Compared to Di Qing's body of copper and iron, Huo Wu's body of wood, which seemed to come from nowhere, was as hard as the black iron of the world's number one dart!
The shock made her feel as if the bones and meridians in her right palm had shattered, and she fell helplessly to the ground, unable to muster any more strength.
"I underestimated you, little brat. That palm strike even had a bit of the old镖头's (bodyguard's) spirit. Ha, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, you overestimate yourself...!"
Huo Wu snorted coldly, then suddenly paused, frozen in place.
The sound of extremely fine wood chips falling rang out, barely noticeable to someone with Huo Wu's profound inner strength. Hearing the sound, her gaze slowly fell to the left side of her chest, where Jiang Ling'er had struck her with her palm—
The garments were torn to shreds, revealing a body made of brown mechanical wood with rings carved into it, upon which a... charred handprint was clearly visible.
The debris quickly fell to the ground, leaving no trace. Huo Wu stared blankly at the charred handprint on her chest, speechless for a long time.
"……hateful."
Jiang Ling'er struggled to her feet but quickly collapsed to the ground. Her right hand, its tendons broken, hung limply. Her body, already battered from the battle with Di Qing, had received temporary healing from the ghostly fire on the bamboo flute, but now her wounds had reopened, bleeding profusely. Her strength, including the ghostly fire that was already flickering like a candle in the wind, was rapidly draining away… How could this be…?
How could this be!
She was already right next to the little poisoner, just like that day at the inn. As long as the little poisoner was by her side, no matter how bad her injuries, she would heal; as long as the little poisoner was by her side, she wouldn't die! She clearly knew that as long as she stayed by the little poisoner's side...
Jiang Ling'er paused, her gaze falling on the distance not far away—
On the bamboo flute that was knocked off by the little poisonous creature.
To an ordinary person, it wouldn't be noticeable, but she knew. The bamboo flute, which should have been shimmering and reflecting a pale blue flame in her eyes, was now dull and plain, no different from any other ordinary bamboo flute in the world… But, but it shouldn't be like this! When she took the bamboo flute from Yang Dalang's hand, it was as hot and burning as ever, capable of instantly healing her wounds and pulling her back from the brink of death time and time again! How could it have become so dull in such a short time…
It can only be because of a small poisonous creature that something went wrong.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling'er shuddered and abruptly looked up at the little poisonous creature hiding in the shadows—
"Little...little poison..."
Jiang Ling'er murmured hoarsely, her nails digging into her palms, yet she was completely unaware of the pain.
The little poisoner seemed oblivious, curling himself up in a corner, hugging his knees tightly, his brows furrowed as if trapped in some kind of illusion or nightmare, unable to break free or escape. He stopped questioning and struggling; his once dark eyes were now blank and empty. At this moment, he seemed to be... just an empty shell, the small half of his face barely visible, pale and almost transparent, almost blending into the pale moonlight.
Not only was the ghostly flame on the bamboo flute dimming, but even the raging ghostly flame on the little poisonous creature was visibly dissipating...
He... is in danger.
Jiang Ling'er had never seen the little poisoner look like this before.
Even that night at the inn, even when he was pushed to the brink of danger by Ji Yunshu and the people of Sun and Moon Fortress, he was able to calmly plan ahead. Despite his young age, he was more reliable than many, many people she had ever met.
Have they... really reached the end of their rope?
"I've lived to this age... You're the first person to get close to me, the first person to dare leave a mark on this body of mine." Huo Wu murmured to herself, then suddenly paused, glancing sideways at Jiang Ling'er in the poisonous fog, at her blood-soaked right palm. The last trace of warmth vanished, her eyes turned sinister, and a hill rose between her brows. "Strange."
Jiang Ling'er paused slightly upon hearing this, then looked away from the little poisonous creature.
Why was my tail-tailed attack ineffective against you?
Jiang Ling'er paused, her back tensing under Huo Wu's cold gaze, her lips turning pale and pressed into a straight line.
Huo Wu couldn't understand, she really couldn't understand. She approached Jiang Ling'er step by step, looking down at Jiang Ling'er's thin and battered body as if she were looking down at an ant:
"Why? There are no more than ten people in this world who can dodge my Tail Needle alone, and no more than five who can survive my poisonous miasma alone. You are the first person to remain conscious after being hit by both the Tail Needle and the poisonous miasma. Why? What did you do?"
Jiang Ling'er didn't answer, nor could she answer, nor did she know what Huo Wu was asking. As Huo Wu approached, she seemed to be in fear, slowly moving backward. But from an angle where Huo Wu couldn't see her, her left hand was behind her back, rubbing it little by little until it finally touched the bamboo flute that had been knocked to the ground. She grabbed it tightly and hid it behind her back.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the little poisonous creature in the shadows. Its handsome profile was as white as a snow-covered mountain, with a faint bluish tinge, making it look even more eerie than her...
Seeing Jiang Ling'er's bewildered expression, Huo Wu sighed softly. Unable to get the answer she wanted, she had lost her last bit of patience. Although she didn't know how this little girl could resist the hallucinogenic poison from her wasp sting, she was already covered in wounds and had no strength left to resist. Besides—
Huo Wu glanced outside out of the corner of her eye. Dawn was approaching, and she had to obtain the *Longevity Manual* and destroy all evidence before daybreak. Otherwise, if word got out, along with the *Longevity Manual* on Di Qing's body, she feared she would become the target of public criticism, a loss far outweighing any gain. Moreover… she glanced at the charred palm print on her left chest, her eyes darkening, her expression becoming even more sinister.
This was the first time she had revealed her "true form" to others. She never imagined that a small trip to the countryside would not only destroy thirty of her meticulously crafted puppets but also force her into this predicament. While she seemed to have the upper hand now, in reality, this body made from the immortal tree, though invulnerable to weapons, was also a burden to her; otherwise, she wouldn't have always presented herself as an old woman in a wheelchair. At her age, she had almost reached her physical limit and shouldn't prolong the time or cause any more trouble.
Stopping her thoughts, Huo Wu halted in front of Jiang Ling'er. With a chilling creaking sound of gears turning, she bent down and grabbed Jiang Ling'er by the neck with one hand.
"Enough, enough, I don't have time to play with you kids. Where is that brat Yang Dalang? I've been searching for him for six years, only to have you two little brats steal his thunder. Tell me, where is the Longevity Formula on Yang Dalang's body, and what about the one on Di Qing's body... hand it over."
In Huo Wu's eyes, Jiang Ling'er's eyes were dull and her face looked defeated, indicating that she had no power to resist. In fact, this was indeed the case.
As the Netherfire in her body rapidly dissipated, the familiar cold and stiffness once again swept over her entire body. Jiang Ling'er almost "obediently" allowed Huo Wu to effortlessly grab her throat and slam her to the ground!
Having just fought a fierce battle with Di Qing, it was a miracle that she had survived until now. But she knew that the little poisonous creature was probably facing even greater dangers than she had.
She knew that the little poisoner had suffered many hardships at such a young age, but she could only glean a glimpse of it from the few words the little poisoner revealed to Granny Yang. Even this small part of her ordeal was enough to make Granny Yang faint from heartbreak. Though she didn't say it aloud, she was shocked and astonished, both by the tragic nature of the little poisoner's circumstances and by the fact that even in such circumstances, the little poisoner had managed to cultivate a fearless spirit, even if it had forged a ruthless heart that was incompatible with the world... She herself felt ashamed of her own inferiority.
She didn't know what the little poison creature saw within the poison barrier, or what it was forced to remember, but anyway—
"Wake up, wake up..."
She murmured incessantly to him, a chilling sensation spreading from her fingertips like a giant wave crashing against rocks, engulfing her entire body and finally reaching her upper body. Even her eyeballs could only move slowly and laboriously. Jiang Ling'er stared at the small poisonous creature in the shadows, her throat feeling as if it contained grit. Her pale lips trembled as she gathered strength, took a deep breath, and spoke each word, each one carrying the taste of rust, as she shouted at him:
"If he doesn't wake up soon... he'll die!!!"
A sudden, hoarse shout, like a blood-spitting knife, cleaved through the dark night shrouded in poisonous fog. Whether it awakened the little poisonous creature Jiang Ling'er was unknown; all that was seen was Huo Wu suddenly tightening her grip on her throat, her murky eyes blazing with fury.
"What a stubborn little girl! If I don't use some tricks, it seems you won't tell me. Do you know how I make dolls?"
Huo Wu gripped Jiang Ling'er's throat with one hand, while the fingertips of her other hand traced down Jiang Ling'er's hair, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, winding its way down to her collarbone and stopping there.
His rough fingertips tapped her delicate, protruding collarbone, and seeing the goosebumps rising on Jiang Ling'er's neck, he chuckled: "I'll crawl in from here and then peel off your skin inch by inch until you tell me Yang Dalang's whereabouts—I won't stop. Let's see if your mouth is tougher or my divine wood is tougher."
As soon as she finished speaking, the hand made of mechanical wood was about to crush Jiang Ling'er's collarbone. Suddenly, Huo Wu stopped her ruthless attack, her eyes flashing like knives as she swept them straight at the beam, and she said sharply:
"……who?!"
A handful of water fell from the sky!
However, for some reason, perhaps out of fear, the torrential water cascaded down at an angle, failing to wet Huo Wu and Jiang Ling'er. Realizing the person had fled, Huo Wu released Jiang Ling'er's grip and raised her hand, scattering a handful of needles that shot towards the beam!
A cry of pain rang out, and in the blink of an eye, a tall, thin figure fell from the beam!
The one who fell was none other than Yang Dalang!
Seeing Yang Dalang riddled with needles, his face turning purplish-blue and on the verge of death, Huo Wu flicked a pill into his mouth. Yang Dalang's face instantly turned from blue to white, saving his life. Huo Wu yanked Yang Dalang up, and seeing the faint tattoo peeking out from the back of his neck, she paused. A tearing sound rang out, and Yang Dalang's clothes ripped to shreds!
Just then, the silver moon pierced through the dark clouds, and its light shone in, illuminating a strange, densely packed patch of scripture tattoos on the exposed, thin back!
Huo Wu was slightly taken aback, then her eyes suddenly brightened, and she exclaimed, "The Longevity Technique!"
Having received the antidote, Yang Dalang was like a dying fish suddenly given water, gasping for breath. After regaining his senses, he immediately tried to run away, but his thin back was instantly crushed under Huo Wu's foot and he could not move.
"Young Master Yang, I've searched so hard for you, my little rascal!"
Yang Dalang finally revealed his childlike side, crying and screaming in agony. Fear was like a foot pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe. In the sweet, poisonous fog, he saw...
Seeing what happened six years ago... no, not just six years ago, but the nightmare that haunted him every night at noon for the past six years.
How did the children of his age, dressed in Taoist robes, who were also his former companions, have their clothes torn apart, and how did they have their skin and flesh cut off with a knife?
He still remembered those blood-red eyes, staring straight at him, each word distinct:
"Run...faster..."
Yang Dalang was suddenly jolted, his whole body trembling like a leaf, and he struggled even more violently, crying out and pleading:
"You...you want the secret to immortality, I'll give it to you! No...don't kill me...don't skin me alive! No..."
"I...I was wrong. I shouldn't have tried to be a hero. Please...I beg you...I beg you to let me go..."
Yang Dalang even clung to Huowu's leg. Despite being just a half-grown child, he cried and begged with a pale face, his words filled with anguish. How could anyone not be moved?
However, Huo Wu seemed not to hear him, her hands tracing the mosquito-like scripture tattoos on his back with fascination, her eyes shining brightly as she murmured:
"Yes, yes... It is indeed the Longevity Formula, there's no mistake!"
Fire Dance's lingering fingertips stopped at the boy's tailbone. Suddenly, the wooden hand clenched its five fingers into eagle claws and embedded itself into the flesh of the tailbone!
Blood splattered everywhere, and Yang Dalang's heart-wrenching cry pierced the deathly silence of the night. The stench of blood quickly filled the small farmhouse.
The screams continued, each one chilling to the bone.
Amidst the boy's piercing cries, Jiang Ling'er slowly crawled toward the little poisonous creature.
"Little...little poison..."
The rapid loss of the Netherfire made her body increasingly stiff, until only her hands could barely support her. Fine veins bulged on the backs of her thin hands, her joints white from strain. She could only crawl inch by inch towards the little venomous creature, relying solely on the strength of her fingertips. But in the end, she couldn't crawl any further. Her hands were a bloody mess; whether from numb pain or the creeping cold, she couldn't move.
Jiang Ling'er bit her tongue, letting the sweet, metallic taste of blood fill her mouth before she could barely wake up from her drowsy, dull mind. She gritted her teeth until a trickle of blood slid down her lip, and finally struggled to climb to the little poisonous creature.
A hoarse, murmured voice called to him: "Little Poison..."
The boy was still curled up in a small ball, hugging his knees, his head buried in his knees, his long, raven-feather-like hair disheveled and scattered over his shoulders. Hearing this, he remained as still as a stagnant pool, as if... he had fallen asleep.
Like a silent statue, or a puppet that will never wake up.
"Little poisoner, wake up... wake up, wake up..."
"Wake up..."
The boy remained motionless, while Yang Dalang's cries grew fainter and fainter, and the smell of blood grew stronger. Jiang Ling'er didn't even have the courage to turn around and look at him.
Jiang Ling'er stared at the lifeless boy in front of her. A chill ran through her, and lividity gradually reappeared on his handsome and fair face. She could barely lift her eyelids and could only half-close her eyes, staring at the boy in front of her, her pale lips pressed together.
Suddenly, a bright green bamboo flute landed on the head of that raven-feather-like long hair.
I knocked once, then again.
Blood droplets fell along the bamboo flute onto her long, dark hair, sliding down through the gaps in her hair and landing on her beautiful yet pale face.
The bamboo flute fell to the ground.
Jiang Ling'er hugged the little poisonous creature.
Normally, the little poison was like a furnace to her, but now it was like a cold stone that could not be warmed. They were like two weak, eerie blue flames clinging to each other, each coveting the eerie blue flames on the other's body, but unable to resist the fact that the ghost fire was still slipping away like sand through an hourglass.
At this point, the next moment... perhaps the next second, will be the last gasp of life.
"Little Poison... Your name is Zichu, right?"
Jiang Ling'er trembled as she held the cold flame in her arms. She craved the faint ghost fire but was chilled to the bone by the little poison. She held him tighter and tighter, her hands bloodied and numb. The only thing she could move was her lips, which could now only move slightly.
She stroked the little poisoner's cool, silky black hair with her lips, finally finding his icy face beneath. Their foreheads touched, and only then did Jiang Ling'er notice a layer of frost on his tightly closed eyelashes.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I'm late... I've found you."
"I will never leave you alone again."
She murmured, her breath steaming between them like the intertwined threads of a fire-dancing puppet. From the moment she opened her eyes in the wilderness after that long rain and met the gaze of the little poisonous creature, they were destined to be entangled forever.
She could barely hear Yang Dalang's cries behind her anymore. She could feel the last wisp of lingering ghostly fire above her head was about to fade away. Jiang Ling'er's lips trembled, then clenched. Her bloodied hands suddenly gripped the little poisonous creature's cold back. Blood and tears splattered onto the straight nose in front of her eyes. The frost on her long eyelashes was soaked by her falling tears. Her voice was hoarse with despair:
"Little Poison, Zichu, I don't care who you are... wake up!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Ling'er's hands suddenly gave way and she collapsed onto the little poisoner. At the same time, droplets of water mixed with her blood and tears slid down her high nose bridge, stopping at her dry and pale lips, wetting the corners of her lips for a moment...
As if a doll had suddenly come to life, its long eyelashes fluttered open like butterfly wings, revealing a pair of dark eyes, clearer than ever before, invisible to ordinary people. Jiang Ling'er, who was about to close her eyes, was slowly opened by the blinding light and then froze.
The dimly lit farmhouse was suddenly brightly lit. She stared blankly at the person in front of her, whose body was engulfed in raging ghostly flames, those eerie blue flames shooting straight into the sky.
--
The cloyingly sweet poison mixed with the thick, pungent smell of blood, blood everywhere, Yang Dalang lay unconscious on the ground, his fate unknown.
Huo Wu, her smile maniacal, was about to tear off the skin and flesh from Yang Dalang's back when she suddenly stopped. She heard the faint sound of gears turning, and the mechanical hand that had been gripping Yang Dalang's back involuntarily released its grip. Then, the gears inside the mechanical hand rolled out.
Huo Wu stared in astonishment at her uncontrollable right hand—
The hand forged from the Tree of Immortality vanished inch by inch before our very eyes!
……No! ! !
Huo Wu was quite old, and only after her cloudy eyes focused did she notice the clue: her mechanical hand hadn't disappeared into thin air... but had been eaten away by countless tiny insects attached to it!
In the blink of an eye, half of the mechanical arm has been devoured!
The little poisoner emerged from the thick miasma of darkness, bamboo flute in hand. Just then, the first rays of dawn shone through the window behind him, illuminating his pale, beautiful, and enchanting face, as well as his unfathomable black eyes.
He was smiling, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; it was cold and indifferent.
"I am grateful for your guidance, senior. The snake venom I have prepared is far inferior to the king snake venom of the old master. Now that I have witnessed the renowned sting of your wasp tail, would you also like to try the Gu worms I have personally prepared?"
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Author's note: Sorry for being late, see you tomorrow!
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