Zhu Yan was pursuing into the dark tunnel ahead.

“It seems Xue Tao isn’t dead yet – truly unexpected good news. But why would Miss Tao torture her? And transfer her facial skin to his own face?” Shen Langhun was deeply puzzled. A’Shui said in a low voice, “I saw when she walked that her hands and feet weren’t flexible. She might really be ill. Miss Tao… Yu Konghou is hiding her, perhaps wanting to treat her illness.”

Shen Langhun smiled bitterly, “Then would he peel off half of Xue Tao’s facial skin and stick it on his own face? Would he want to dress himself up to look exactly like Xue Tao? I think Yu Konghou himself is sick, torturing Xue Tao beyond human recognition.”

A’Shui grew somber. Some people’s thoughts could never be fathomed by ordinary people – like Yu Konghou, like Tang Lici.

This large room still contained many huge porcelain bottles, from which cold air still emanated. Shen Langhun listened intently – there were indeed no human voices nearby. He reached out and produced a handkerchief, pressed it on the porcelain lid at the bottle’s top, and lifted the cover.

Under the dim oil lamp light, what lay in the bottle was a severed arm. However, the arm was clean and delicate, with slender fingers, and didn’t look horrifying. Shen Langhun and A’Shui looked at each other, then at the many, many porcelain bottles around them. Could it be that these bottles containing cold jade were all filled with human limbs? What was such a terrifying place used for?

A’Shui’s eyes moved slightly, “These… these… can they be reattached to human bodies?” Shen Langhun’s expression darkened, “These… these are all from dead people. How could they be attached to living people? Unless… unless…”

A’Shui said in a low voice, “Unless within the brothel there’s a physician with strange medical skills who can transfer Xue Tao’s facial skin to Yu Konghou’s face, and can also reattach these things to living people – a famous doctor…”

Shen Langhun shook his head repeatedly, “Who has such abilities? If there truly were such abilities, people with disabled limbs could be reborn, and the blind could regain sight. If there really were such a famous doctor, how could he remain unknown?”

“They were just discussing Liu Yan,” A’Shui continued in a low voice. “When Liu Yan painted Xue Tao’s portrait, her facial skin hadn’t been damaged yet. They said ‘without Liu Yan…’ – does that mean without Liu Yan there’s no way to treat Yu Konghou’s facial injuries? Does it mean… this secret famous doctor is Liu Yan?”

Shen Langhun shook his head, “If Liu Yan knew such skin-changing miraculous arts, why wouldn’t he change his own skin?” Liu Yan need only change to a face no one recognized, and no matter how many people in the martial world pursued him, what could they do to him?

A’Shui thought for a while, “If we tell Young Master Tang, he might be able to guess the truth.”

“At least we know that Xue Tao and Yu Konghou just gathered here, so there should be something here that can treat his injuries and illness.” Shen Langhun said casually, “But exactly how the treatment works is probably a secret that even few high officials of the brothel know.”

A’Shui nodded, “Let’s go forward. Ahead there should be a path leading to the surface. Perhaps we can find Miss Xue’s room.”

Shen Langhun opened another porcelain bottle. Inside was a foot severed at the knee, yet the toes were delicate and the skin snow-white – it was a woman’s foot, confirming that these bottles indeed all contained human limbs.

A’Shui still walked ahead, gripping Kill Willow in her right hand. After walking a section of the tunnel, she suddenly reached out and triggered a mechanism on the wall. A secret door quietly opened, revealing another passage. She said in a low voice, “This should be the path leading to the surface. If Zhu Yan pursued ahead, the tunnel’s end is a pit with poisonous snakes and fierce fire.”

Shen Langhun chuckled, thinking of the mechanisms in Piaolin Mei Garden – indeed extraordinary.

This upward passage had just been traversed by someone. At the corner of the steps hung several strands of mixed-colored silk threads. A’Shui pulled down one strand, “This is silk clothing.”

Shen Langhun grasped her shoulder and pulled her aside. The two flashed into a dead corner of the passage. Not far up the steps, someone walked by and suddenly seemed to sense something, holding a candle and walking down step by step, “Who’s down there?”

The speaker had a childish voice – it was Guan’er. “Who’s down there? If you don’t speak I’ll kill you with one blade!” She said viciously in that child-like voice, “Come out!”

The candlelight approached step by step. A’Shui suddenly called out softly, “Guan’er.”

“Who?” Guan’er quickly walked over. A’Shui stepped forward, “It’s me.”

Guan’er held the candle high. Shen Langhun suddenly reached out and seized her. Guan’er was greatly shocked and screamed, “There’s a ghost—”

A’Shui hushed, “It’s me.” The candle in Guan’er’s hand fell to the ground and burst into flames. She saw A’Shui’s face clearly, “You… Sister A’Shui!” She suddenly rushed over, “Sister A’Shui, you didn’t die? In the water dungeon at Haoyun Mountain, I thought they had killed you…”

Shen Langhun was actually surprised that this vicious little girl actually knew A’Shui. He casually pressed several pressure points on Guan’er’s body and let her rush into A’Shui’s arms.

A’Shui hugged her and stroked her head, saying gently, “I didn’t die. Young Master Tang saved me.”

Guan’er hugged her tightly and was stunned upon hearing this, “Young Master Tang?” A’Shui nodded, “Have you seen him?”

Guan’er said in a low voice, “I have. He didn’t kill me.” A’Shui’s expression became dazed, “Is that so…” Tang Lici didn’t kill her. Killing Guan’er would have been effortless for him. Not killing her – was this a kind of mercy from Tang Lici?

Tang Lici had killed many people, but all were people who intended to harm him. Children like Guan’er who couldn’t harm him, he didn’t kill.

Was the truth… just like this? No different from ordinary people. The reason he gave the impression of indiscriminate killing and ruthless cruelty was because he was too harsh – when he struck, he didn’t fear being stained with blood and gore, without any mercy, just like when he killed Chi Yun.

But… actually killing was just killing. Killing filled with repentance and mercy, full of apology, and emotionless killing – what difference was there in the result?

It was all just killing – one person lived, one person died, or one person lived and many people died.

“Sister A’Shui, I’ve been locked up. They said they’d keep me locked below until… until I die.” Guan’er said tremblingly, “Because I promised my master I’d delay Tang Lici, but I couldn’t do it. I let him take Miss Xue’s portrait. That portrait should have been switched with a Buddha painting…”

A’Shui frowned slightly, “Keeping you locked here alone? Eastern Princess’s idea?” Guan’er nodded, “But I heard she… she was killed by Young Master Tang.”

A’Shui sighed, “That’s right. You’ve been locked here for a night? Is there no way out?” Guan’er glanced at Shen Langhun, “Who is he?” She asked in a low voice, “Are you… are you here as spies? How did you get in?”

“We came to find Miss Xue.” A’Shui released her and smoothed her hair, “Do you know where Yu Konghou has hidden her?”

Guan’er’s eyes turned twice, then she said sadly, “Only Sister A’Shui has ever been good to me. Take me out. After we get out, I promise never to kill again. I’ll definitely… definitely go back to find my mother, definitely become obedient, and never run away again.”

A’Shui grasped her hand, “Guan’er, I just don’t want you to die here. What you just said only works if you believe it yourself. If you’re just saying it to deceive me, it really has no meaning.”

Guan’er trembled slightly, “I… I…” She patted her own head, “I don’t know where Miss Xue is hidden, but I know what they’re doing!” She gripped her sleeves tightly, “I know my master locked up Miss Xue because she wanted to escape. So he tied her to the bed, tied her for one year… two years… tied her for many years. Then Miss Xue’s hands and feet gradually became unable to move. She got a strange illness – her hands and feet kept shaking uncontrollably. Then one day my master severed all her hand and foot tendons. From then on, although she no longer shook, she could no longer walk or write. Wherever she went, she needed maidservants to serve her and could never escape the brothel. To compensate Miss Xue for the pain of having her tendons severed, my master promised he would definitely cure her illness. Then he found many, many young women, cut off their hands and feet and stored them in cold jade bottles, hoping to replace Miss Xue’s…” She covered her ears and screamed, “That’s completely impossible! But no one dared say so. Whoever said it was impossible, he’d kill them, so no one dared speak. Until the Venerable Master came. The Venerable Master is an incredible person. Do you know why we… we servant girls are so grateful to the Venerable Master? We insignificant little children, once we grew to an age my master thought suitable, might also… might also be taken by him to have our hands and feet severed… But the Venerable Master came! He made a medicine that let Miss Xue gradually stand up. If my master hadn’t severed Miss Xue’s meridians back then, maybe she really could be like a normal person. No more need to experiment with young women’s meridians – we were saved! But my master wasn’t satisfied at all. He still wanted to replace Miss Xue’s meridians. He wanted her to be able to stand up. Once, Miss Xue used her slightly recovered feet to escape from Wangting Manor…”