Gao Qi’s appearance was beyond Li Si’s expectations. Gao Qi rushed before the several people, recklessly snatched the dagger from Qiangong Linglong’s hand, and demanded of Zong Yuan, “Zong Yuan, why do you want to harm Linglong? You said that as long as I helped you activate the mechanism, you would betroth Linglong to me.”
A mysterious smile appeared on Zong Yuan’s face. He thrust the dagger from Gao Qi’s hand back into Gao Qi’s chest. Gao Qi looked at Zong Yuan in astonishment. Zong Yuan said, “I did say I would betroth Linglong to you, but I never said I wouldn’t kill you!”
“You, you demon…” Gao Qi struggled to lunge at Zong Yuan, but halfway through the lunge, he fell to the ground, never to breathe again.
Qiangong Linglong looked at Gao Qi’s eyes that refused to close in death and said ghostly, “Why did you do this to yourself?”
Zong Yuan said impatiently, “Linglong, hurry. It will soon be the hour of Zi. If we lose this opportunity, we’ll have to wait another hundred years. I can’t wait, Linglong. Li Luo will not forget you. Quickly, act!”
Qiangong Linglong took the dagger, turned to look at the Jade River that was like the water of her heart, and lightly drew the dagger across her wrist. Li Si struggled with all his might to stop her, but his body had not a bit of strength. He called out, “Miss Qiangong, don’t!”
“What ‘don’t’! The final mechanism of the treasure requires the virgin blood of a Li Luo imperial woman. If Linglong doesn’t sacrifice herself, everything I’ve done is in vain. Linglong, you don’t want to see your father die with unrest, do you?”
Li Si was about to speak again when he suddenly heard a thunderous roar by his ear. The two hidden stone bridges, like two black giant dragons rising into the world, emerged three zhang above the water’s surface. The two stone bridges, one east and one west, severed the Jade River. The Night Bridge water was sucked back like a whale swallowing its belly, rapidly flowing back toward Night Mountain behind Night Bridge Town. At this time, the mechanism in Night Mountain was also opened, and the frozen Jade River water began to pour into the spring pool behind Night Mountain.
The river surface dropped instantly. Li Si finally saw a huge black skull pattern appear at the bottom of the Jade River. The deep skull pupils were like black holes that devoured all things in the world. Li Si felt a bone-chilling fear.
Hidden in the skull’s hollow giant mouth was a mysterious white iron door. Zong Yuan jumped into the riverbed, caressing the skull pattern, his face twisted as he pointed at the white door in the skull’s mouth and said, “Linglong, quickly. As long as you dye this white door red with your blood, the final mechanism will be opened! Quickly, Linglong…”
Qiangong Linglong walked into the riverbed, walked up to the white door, and slowly drew the dagger down. Both Wu Wen and Li Si turned their heads away, unable to bear watching any longer.
Qiangong Linglong closed her eyes and drew the dagger down, but in midair, her hand was gripped by another powerful hand, firmly, deeply, never to be separated again.
A weathered voice sounded by Qiangong Linglong’s ear, “You cannot, Linglong. I will not allow you to die like this!”
Qiangong Linglong’s heart was seized. After so many years, once again, one more time, a time she could never forget, she heard him speak to her. Qiangong Linglong slowly opened her eyes, looked at the person before her, and said, “Do you know, I’ve been waiting for you to appear and save me, just like that afternoon many years ago when you saved me from under the snake’s fangs, saving me without regard for anything. From that moment on, I knew that my heart could never forget you. Zige, my Yan Zige!”
Hearing these words, Zong Yuan’s entire body trembled. He looked at the person who appeared before Qiangong Linglong—incredibly, incredibly, it was Old Jiutou!?
“How is this possible? This is simply impossible!” Zong Yuan shook his head violently and said, “Yan Zige died from poison seven years ago. He absolutely cannot be alive. Moreover, Yan Zige’s physique and appearance would never age to such a decrepit state!”
Old Jiutou gazed at Qiangong Linglong, his eyes seeing nothing else. He said slowly, “That’s right. Seven years ago, when I was going to take Linglong away from Night Bridge, I was poisoned by you. But at that time, I had already lost the courage to live, because Linglong refused my wish for her to leave Night Bridge with me. She said she couldn’t leave here, that her life was deeply tied to Night Bridge. She said she could only fail me. At that time, all my thoughts turned to ashes. Later, Linglong told me to quickly leave Night Bridge, saying someone wanted to harm me. Naturally, I wouldn’t leave. Afterward, I was struck with deadly poison. Just at the moment when the poison attacked my heart, I regretted it, because I was unwilling. I was truly unwilling. Even if I was to die, I had to figure out why Linglong had to fail me! So I destroyed half my life’s cultivation to force the poison out of my body and soak it into the Jade River. Although I luckily preserved my life, all my body’s meridians became completely disordered, my cultivation flowed away, and it finally turned me into an aged appearance where I was neither human nor ghost. Like this, I could only return to Linglong’s side using the identity of Old Jiutou.”
Yan Zige gently called Qiangong Linglong’s name, “Linglong, these seven years by your side, although I couldn’t accompany you with my true face, they have already been the happiest seven years of my life.”
“As have mine.” Qiangong Linglong suddenly smiled, her smile making the bright moon shy. She smiled and said, “Zige, did you really think I didn’t discover it was you? You were wrong. Even if you became an ugly appearance, you couldn’t conceal the aura about you. From the instant I took you in, I knew it was you. And the reason I managed Linglong Wine Pavilion was also so you could accompany me by my side, every day, every second, letting me see you at all times. Zige, you don’t know how many times, when you quietly stood outside my elegant chamber’s door, how much I wanted to open that door and call your name once more. But I didn’t dare. I was afraid. I was afraid of destroying our time together morning and night, afraid you would leave me again.”
“I won’t. Never again. There is no person, and no matter, that can separate you and me again.”
“Stop your lovey-dovey talk here. Since seven years ago you luckily escaped with your life, then today, let me send you on your way again!” After Zong Yuan spoke, he drew out the long sword originally worn by Wu Wen. The sword flourished in a sword flower, covering all of Yan Zige’s vital points. Yan Zige shouted coldly, “Zong Yuan, Linglong may not know you, but I know you very well. Back then, the reason you separated us wasn’t for Linglong’s sake, but because you feared that without Linglong’s virgin blood, you couldn’t open the treasure door. You evildoer. Linglong has been deceived by you for a long time. I won’t let you persecute her anymore.”
Yan Zige likewise flourished a sword flower. In an instant, glittering sword stars burst forth in the air. Although Yan Zige’s meridians were completely destroyed and he couldn’t infuse internal force into the sword, his exquisite sword forms remained. After several dozen moves, Zong Yuan couldn’t help but find it difficult. He knew in his heart that if he continued to entangle in battle, he might not necessarily be a match for this swordsman who once dominated the martial arts world. He suddenly stepped forward, forcing Yan Zige to retreat half a step. His body leaped out, and in one motion, he seized Qiangong Linglong in his hand. Zong Yuan laughed coldly and said, “Yan Zige, stop. Make one more rash move, and I’ll kill her immediately!”
Yan Zige hurriedly withdrew his sword momentum and said, “Fine, I won’t kill you. Release Linglong, and I’ll let you leave.”
“Hmph, you won’t kill me, but I still intend to kill you! If you hadn’t suddenly appeared, my plan would have already been realized. Yan Zige, listen. If you want Linglong to live, you must die. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless and merciless.” Zong Yuan pressed the long sword against Qiangong Linglong’s neck. Qiangong Linglong shook her head at Yan Zige and said, “Zige, don’t listen to him, don’t!”
Yan Zige looked at the long sword in his hand, his gaze unfocused, and said softly, “I’m sorry, Linglong. I cannot let you leave me again. I cannot endure another day without you.” As the words fell, the long sword had already pierced through Yan Zige’s chest and emerged. A pale sword, crimson blood.
Yan Zige fell weakly. Zong Yuan laughed savagely. He yanked Qiangong Linglong’s wrist and ruthlessly cut it. Dark red blood dripped onto the skull’s white door, soaking bit by bit into a patch, patch by patch congealing into a shadow. The skull’s white door gradually split open a crack.
“Finally, it’s finally opened…” Zong Yuan was beside himself with joy.
The dying Yan Zige awakened and, seeing this scene, suddenly used all his body’s strength to shout loudly. With the shout, the long sword in Yan Zige’s chest shot out, like a steel fork piercing Zong Yuan to death on the skull’s giant mouth. Yan Zige struggled to rise. Fresh blood gushed wildly down from his mouth. Qiangong Linglong, having lost too much blood, her face deathly pale, also walked toward Yan Zige.
Qiangong Linglong grasped Yan Zige’s hand and pressed his hand against her own cheek, as if in a dream murmur, saying, “Zige, you were unwilling for me to leave you, yet how could you be so cruel as to abandon me? I don’t want to live alone and lonely anymore, I don’t want to…”
Beneath their feet, the skull’s giant mouth gradually opened, revealing a hidden door that slowly opened, like the mouth of a hell demon, pitch-black with endless unknowns. Yan Zige suddenly turned to look at Li Si and spoke, “Catcher Li, could I ask you to do me a favor?”
“Please speak,” Li Si said.
“Please, Catcher Li, forget Night Bridge, Night Bridge’s people, the things that happened in Night Bridge—forget it all, never remember it again. This was just a dream of yours. Can you do this?” Yan Zige gazed at Li Si.
Li Si sighed and slowly nodded, saying, “But I want to know—that mysterious white figure who once saved me and always guided me closer to the truth of Night Bridge, was that you?”
Yan Zige smiled indifferently and said, “Whether it was or wasn’t, what does it matter? In this world, in this life, joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, suffering and hardships—there’s already too much, too much. Why pursue what answers? As long as you guard what you treasure most… that’s already enough!” Yan Zige and Qiangong Linglong gazed at each other. The two embraced and slowly stepped into the black hole—
And just at the instant the black hole obliterated their figures, in Linglong Wine Pavilion, Little Qizi slowly picked up the green jade wine pot. A thin silver thread lightly stuck to the bottom of the wine pot. The silver thread shuttled through the night like moonlight across Night Bridge’s Jade River, stopping at a place in Night Mountain where explosives were deeply buried. After hearing the violent explosion from Night Mountain, countless waters of the Jade River surged back into the Jade River. In an instant, the huge black skull secret treasure, together with two lonely figures leaning on each other, disappeared together beneath the rushing waters of the Jade River…
Epilogue
Li Si helped Wu Wen to his feet. The two silently gazed toward the Jade River. Li Si murmured, “Perhaps what Night Bridge and Li Luo need is not heroes, but rather, as Yan Zige said, to be forgotten!”
Linglong Wine Pavilion was swept into the Jade River by the rushing waters, like a huge floating ship, tossing and heaving.
Little Qizi slowly lifted the green jade wine pot and was startled to discover a thin silk book hidden inside the wine pot. Little Qizi frowned as he softly muttered the characters on the silk, “Weimei Sword Manual…”