Chi Fengli raised her head.
Xuan Qiong pursued them, spreading her sleeves as falling snow formed walls again. She looked toward Chi Fengli’s direction, her eyes flashing as if she very much wanted to push forward. Only when she heard Gui Haisheng speak did she say gently: “Then we’ll trouble elder sister. I knew elder sister wouldn’t bear to see me wronged.”
After speaking, she withdrew her hands and watched from afar.
The two crashed toward Chi Fengli, who slowly raised her hands.
Between these three people’s words, it was merely casual and understated, but for the two in the scene, it was currently a world of ice and fire.
The Three Madmen and Five Emperors had been famous for long, but in recent years they had disappeared without trace. Many had forgotten them, and young people didn’t even know of them.
But in their day, these people commanded wind and clouds, traversing the world.
Though there was no evidence, Tie Ci always suspected that among the ten supreme masters known as Hidden Dragons, quite a portion were the Three Madmen and Five Emperors.
Otherwise, how could jianghu simultaneously have so many masters?
Later, these masters belonged to different factions and all had too much destructive power toward each other, causing heavy losses to every camp. In the end, no one knew who restrained them, or if they mutually checked each other and couldn’t advance further, but they all disappeared from the world simultaneously.
But disappearing didn’t equal vanishing. It seemed now that these old monsters who had been dormant for so long were all beginning to stir restlessly again.
Both Tie Ci and Feiyu had extraordinary masters and foundations, but they were still young after all. Even in terms of martial power, they couldn’t compare with these old monsters with decades of experience.
At this moment, her chest felt stuffed with violent wind and snow, her back burned like flames, her head felt pierced by needles, and countless tiny electric lights flowed around like being bitten by countless small snakes.
The taste was extremely difficult to endure. Tie Ci found bitter amusement thinking of a famous dish – “deep-fried ice cream.”
The heat behind grew closer and closer. The two escaped the ice cave only to be about to crash into a volcano.
Even if they joined forces to escape from the volcano, it would be useless – above were the lightning father and daughter.
A dead end.
In the blink of an eye, the two reached Chi Fengli’s sides, one left and one right.
Chi Fengli raised her hands, palms blazing red like flowing magma.
Suddenly Feiyu on the right urgently said: “Don’t you want your daughter to find true happiness? Don’t you want your daughter to wake up!”
On the left, Tie Ci said: “She steals your husband, takes your beloved daughter, ruins your life – can you really endure this?!”
“…”
Chi Fengli seemed not to hear, her hands still slowly rising. Red light flashed, ice and snow dissipated, and the two fell to the ground.
Feiyu’s legs hung down limply, while Tie Ci made no sound at all.
Gui Haisheng praised from above: “Fengli, though your legs are disabled, your martial power has advanced again.”
Chi Fengli lowered her eyes to look at her own legs.
A hint of jealousy flashed in Xuan Qiong’s eyes as she said softly: “I seemed to see those two little demons whispering in your ear just now.”
Chi Fengli said: “Yes, one begged for mercy, one cursed me.”
Xuan Qiong smiled disdainfully: “Facing death, they struggle uselessly.”
She was about to call someone to drag the corpses away when Chi Fengli waved to indicate not to rush, saying to Pingzong: “Do you still want this boy now?”
Pingzong stared at Feiyu and nodded.
“This boy has a bad temperament. Let me help you discipline him for a few days.” Chi Fengli grabbed one in each hand: “As for this dead one, she has good bone structure – I have use for her.”
The other two knew she used corpses and bones to practice martial arts. Gui Haisheng’s expression was complex, while Xuan Qiong’s eyes held amusement: “Then elder sister, please take them.”
Chi Fengli grabbed one person in each hand, turned her wheelchair and left. Pingzong wanted to follow but didn’t dare, so she returned to her room alone.
The house was now empty.
Gui Haisheng coughed once. Xuan Qiong glanced at him and said: “News came from Yongping saying a group of merchant ships returning from the West are about to pass through here. This time the ships carry extremely valuable spices and jewels. They’re asking senior brother to help.”
Gui Haisheng said with dissatisfaction: “Are they treating me as hired muscle? I guard this island and help them collect money from passing ships – that’s fine. But ocean-going merchant ships mostly have shares from high court officials with powerful backgrounds. Aren’t they afraid of stirring up trouble by targeting these?”
Xuan Qiong walked forward, placing her hands gently on his chest, saying intimately: “How would they dare be so disrespectful to you? It’s really because Di Yiwei is pressing hard, determined to find fault with the navy. The navy privately keeps men and builds ships and cannons. If Di Yiwei discovers this, it would be a huge matter. The court has been discussing replacing generals at the nine borders these days. Secondary Minister Xiao has been maneuvering in court trying to transfer Di Yiwei away, but most ministers disagree. The ships returning home this time include business from several military officials. We help them by first sinking the ships, then letting the navy rescue people, selling those officials a favor. They said all the money and goods go to senior brother – they only need the favors from the military officials to help get Di Yiwei transferred.”
Gui Haisheng said: “Court matters… before we retired, we swore oaths. If we violate them, we’ll surely die betrayed by all…”
“Senior brother, so many years have passed. Those who forced us to swear those oaths are probably long dead. You’ve been a hero all your life – in today’s world, who can still hold you to those oaths? Besides, we’re just sinking a few ships – what connection does that have to court matters? I heard there are several coral treasure trees half a zhang tall on those ships, plus many spiritual herbs from immortal islands. Maybe they could treat your injuries…”
As she spoke, her hands quietly slipped inside Gui Haisheng’s robes, her fingers doing something that made Gui Haisheng suck in a cold breath. He could no longer hear what she was saying clearly. Xuan Qiong giggled and pushed him down on the bed, her snake-like fingers continuing to explore deeper.
The curtains flowed down like water, and from within came Xuan Qiong’s low laughter: “Senior brother, is this good…”
Gui Haisheng made an unclear murmur in his throat.
The bed curtains swayed slightly. After a moment, the bed shook violently, Xuan Qiong cried out softly, and with a roll, she tumbled to the edge of the bed.
Gui Haisheng reached out to grab her: “You again…”
Xuan Qiong’s sash had already opened, revealing half of her plum blossom undergarment and a section of snow-white chest with deep valleys and fragrant buds. A peach-pink coral pendant swayed beneath her neck. She pushed against Gui Haisheng but didn’t cover her clothes, half shy and half angry: “I can’t… what would that make me… I can’t wrong elder sister…”
Gui Haisheng said: “You clearly like me!”
Xuan Qiong covered her face: “Yes, I like senior brother, otherwise how could I not care about my reputation and status, shamelessly following you and elder sister all these years? But I also love elder sister – I can’t bear to make her sad…”
Gui Haisheng reached out, and she yielded, crying while yielding, stirring Gui Haisheng to feel both frustrated and heartbroken, both ashamed and delighted. He fell back deflated, but Xuan Qiong leaned over again, whispering a few words in his ear. Gui Haisheng began to chuckle softly, lying back and saying: “Come then.”
The curtains fell again, and the bed frame trembled minutely.
Before long, Gui Haisheng let out a long, satisfied moan.
A slender jade hand extended out, dripping wet. That hand carelessly wiped itself on the cotton embroidered painting hanging by the bed.
…
The quiet night was soundless except for the crisp sound of Chi Fengli’s wheelchair grinding through the long corridor.
Wind lanterns swayed under the corridor eaves, spinning out patches of pale yellow light and shadow. Chi Fengli’s shadow blurred into them, then dispersed, like clouds at the horizon that gathered and scattered.
She stopped in the final courtyard. There were no steps anywhere in the courtyard, only slopes up and down – clearly her special courtyard.
The main gate closed with a creak. No lights were lit in the courtyard.
Chi Fengli threw the two people into the side room with a thud as they hit the ground.
Then she didn’t enter the house but sat in the center of the courtyard with eyes closed.
Though she seemed motionless, the shadow of her lower body trembled slightly in the moonlight.
The entire courtyard seemed to grow slightly scorching hot, and objects appeared to deform from that heat.
After a moment, there was a crack as the wheelchair suddenly collapsed on one side.
But this wasn’t the end. The blue stone ground beneath the wheelchair wheels also developed a crack. The crack silently became a groove, the groove became a pit, and before long, the wheelchair sank down with half of it stuck in the deep pit.
Chi Fengli was also awkwardly trapped inside. After a long while, a pale hand emerged, grasped the wheelchair’s edge, and with slight effort, Chi Fengli’s pale face slowly emerged.
She sat on the stone table, waved her hand, and the wheelchair shattered into pieces. She patted the table, the west side room door opened, and a new wheelchair slid out. She sat on it, arranged her sleeves, pulled out wooden splinters stuck in her fingers, and was again that calm, silent Chi Fengli.
Then she drove the wheelchair toward the main house, paying no attention to the two people in the side room.
The east side room was pitch black. After a long while, Tie Ci opened her eyes.
Chi Fengli had just put her in suspended animation – temporarily like a dead person, actually fooling those two.
Or perhaps in those two people’s eyes, she and Feiyu were just ants, so naturally they needn’t pay too much attention.
Beside her lay Feiyu, and they slept stiffly like a pair of unfortunate companions.
Tie Ci thought that her master had once advised her that when encountering these famous old monsters, she should run early. But when truly encountering them, could one really escape?
She was now locked at pressure points by Chi Fengli and couldn’t even crawl out.
Concerned about Feiyu’s legs, she reached out to feel them.
The person beside her suddenly said: “Ouch, wrong place – up, a bit higher…”
Tie Ci’s hand stopped, then “smack” – this time Feiyu really did cry out.
Tie Ci couldn’t be bothered with him. If he had the mood to be flirtatious, he probably wasn’t disabled.
But Feiyu sighed beside her, and after a long while said: “Later I’ll entangle Chi Fengli – you find a way to leave. Don’t worry about me, I’m ruined.”
Tie Ci: “Where?”
Feiyu: “…”
After a long pause he said: “Legs! Legs!”
“I clearly felt they were fine.”
“The meridians! Do you think when Chi Fengli strikes, she’d break bones like an ordinary martial artist?” Feiyu said gloomily: “I’m ruined and won’t drag you down. But before you leave, can you give me the hairpin?”
Tie Ci: “…”
You really can’t get over that hairpin, can you?