“A legend?” Xue Ling’er seemed entranced, listening intently.
“That legend has a beautiful name—it’s called the Legend of Mo Lian.” Shen Ao spoke slowly. “For a thousand years, among the endless northwestern mountain ranges, a legend has been passed down: the Legend of Mo Lian. According to this legend, thousands of years ago, when the barren, wicked lands of the northwest were still just a vast ocean, a name appeared in the mortal world—that name was Mo Lian. No one knows what the name Mo Lian truly represented—a country, a town, a religious order, or perhaps it only represented a single person. But when Mo Lian appeared, it brought a mysterious, unfathomable power, and it was this power that brought an unprecedented prosperous scene to the ten thousand territories of the northwest. Salt fields receded and became fertile fields where crops could be planted. People gathered to form cities, and the connection of cities formed nations. People abandoned their previous barbaric way of life and regarded Mo Lian as the most sacred pure land in their hearts. Every newly emerging city enshrined temples to Mo Lian. Mo Lian reached unprecedented heights of prosperity in the northwestern fertile lands. Everyone deeply admired, feared, and simultaneously protected their god: Mo Lian. Perhaps the people of that time didn’t expect that in the two hundredth year after Mo Lian’s emergence, just as mysteriously as it had appeared in the world, Mo Lian would inexplicably disappear—vanish without a trace, with not half a mark of Mo Lian’s existence left in the mortal world. Mo Lian’s nation began to decline, Mo Lian’s temples began to collapse, Mo Lian’s people returned to barbarism. Finally, the regions where Mo Lian had spread welcomed new natural disasters. Countless black mountains and wicked waters, like falling raindrops, occupied the entire northwestern territory overnight, causing this mysterious realm that had once been a prosperous land to be cut off from the world once again.” Having said this, Shen Ao suddenly raised his head to stare at Xue Ling’er and Li Si’s faces, saying faintly: “And a thousand years later, as a descendant of the once Mo Lian nation, I rediscovered the ruins of Mo Lian.”
Li Si said in surprise: “You truly discovered the legendary Mo Lian?”
Shen Ao nodded. The gaze behind the mask grew even more profound. He said quietly: “My hometown is a small town among the ten thousand mountains of the northwest, called Yingxue Town. It received this name entirely because this small town sits at the foot of Tianxue Mountain, one of the ten great cold mountains among countless peaks. This small town has crystalline white snowflakes drifting through it year-round. Although snow falls year-round, this small town is not cold at all—it’s like spring all four seasons. I, along with my family, have lived in Yingxue Town for generations. When I came of age, my father fell gravely ill. Before his deathbed, he told me a shocking secret that our family had guarded for generations—the secret about Mo Lian. Later, Father died from his illness. Being far from Mo Lian, I didn’t regard this secret as very important. The following year, a girl from the Central Plains came to Yingxue Town. From the first moment I saw her, I fell helplessly in love with her. I still remember when we first met, she smiled, with two shallow dimples on her cheeks, her eyes and brows like the crescent moon atop Tianxue Mountain. She told me her name was Xue Yan.”
Having said this, Shen Ao’s gaze inadvertently swept past Xue Ling’er. In his dark, hollow gaze, a trace of warmth faintly arose. He continued: “Later, we fell in love and stayed together. I thought that from then on, what awaited us would be endless happiness and joy. But I never expected that in the third year after we were together, another group of Central Plains people came to Yingxue Town. They came to the town saying they were looking for a friend, and then they found me and Xue Yan. When Xue Yan saw them, she looked very frightened. At the time, I didn’t think these people were frightening. On the contrary, I found them very enthusiastic. They kept inquiring about my situation and about my being with Xue Yan, and I told them everything. That evening, Xue Yan told me with red eyes that she might have to leave. I asked why. Xue Yan said she was originally the daughter of a high official from the Central Plains. Later, the official offended an extremely powerful and wicked official in the court. The wicked official secretly sent assassins who killed the official. Xue Yan escaped with her life and fled to these black mountains and wicked waters where few people tread. She thought she could thus escape these evil people, but didn’t expect they would still track her here. Having said this, Xue Yan pulled my hand, wanting to leave together with me. But just as we escaped from Yingxue Town, we discovered those people had long been waiting outside the town.” Shen Ao sighed lightly: “When I saw that group of people wanting to take Xue Yan away, I cried and begged them—what would it take for them to release Xue Yan? Among them, the leader, a man named Ge Chong, said to me that as long as I helped them find Mo Lian, they could release this girl, because they only wanted money—a lot of money. So I agreed. I reckon they heard about Mo Lian from the town’s elders, and through coincidence learned that our family had guarded the secret of Mo Lian for generations, so they coerced me. At that time my mind was completely blank. That evening, they were about to leave to search for Mo Lian, and we drank wine together. Before leaving, Ge Chong said to me that they would take Xue Yan with them, because they had to ensure I could help them find Mo Lian. But he told me to rest assured—they only wanted Mo Lian, and as soon as they found it, they would immediately release Xue Yan. At that time, everyone would be satisfied, and we could gather together again to drink heartily. This was Ge Chong’s final words. Then I could only wait, and wait, and wait some more. I waited for a full sixteen years. Ha, later I learned that everything these people told me was a lie. They would never let my Yan’er come back.”
Having finished speaking, Shen Ao suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed heartily, his voice trembling with laughter. He raised both hands high and said: “I hate! I hate so much! I hate heaven, hate earth, hate every happy, joyful person I’ve ever seen. I hate even more you people who deceived me…” Shen Ao’s words turned, cold and sharp as a blade: “Ge Chong, didn’t you say that one day we would gather together again to drink heartily? Hmph, you see, although I’ve killed these beast friends of yours, I’ve kept their faces. Just as you said, we indeed must gather together. I want to let you see the end you deserve.”
Shen Ao laughed coldly: “What a pity! Ten years ago you sent assassins to kill me, and I was indeed gravely injured, at death’s door, but I just didn’t die. At that time, I—this fool who had waited so bitterly for so long—finally understood everything. So I said to myself, enough, don’t be foolish anymore. The time has come to make these despicable scoundrels pay the price. I wanted to personally end their lives—Nan Jian, Huai Cheng, Zhan Xin, Ge Chong, Feng Yishan, Yuan Zihou. But when I was preparing to begin this killing spree, I discovered that Feng and Yuan had mysteriously died sudden deaths many years ago. Hmph, I reckon those two also died at the hands of you remaining people, right? Unequal division of the spoils.”
Ge Chong’s complexion turned blue, then black, then purple, finally returning to its original color—waxen yellow like paper. “Speak, speak all you want. I can admit to everything, because at this moment, every single person present here will be unable to leave alive.” Ge Chong’s fists clenched into a bright red color, like flowing blood.
“Uncle Ge, is what he says all true? Did you really do these things?” Xue Ling’er clearly hadn’t expected that the Uncle Ge she had respected since childhood was such a despicable person. Ge Chong’s gaze toward Xue Ling’er became cold and sinister: “That’s right, everything he said is true. Ling’er, I’m sorry, but today you too must die here.”
“Why? Why?” Tears flashed in Xue Ling’er’s eyes.
“You really want to know?” Ge Chong laughed coldly. “Because you are the daughter of Xue Yan and Shen Ao. The reason I’ve always kept you by my side isn’t because I care for you so much, but because I needed you as my shield, to make him wary of me. But at this moment, none of that matters anymore.”
Tears slid from Xue Ling’er’s eyes. She shook her head, shouting: “No, none of this is real. You’re all lying to me. How can things be like this? They shouldn’t be like this…” Xue Ling’er raised her eyes to look at Shen Ao, murmuring: “Could it be that he’s truly my father?”
Upon hearing Ge Chong’s words, Shen Ao’s body also trembled violently. What Ge Chong said aligned with what he had thought in his heart. It was precisely because he had this thought that Shen Ao hadn’t immediately killed Ge Chong, but instead captured Xue Ling’er, just to know the truth. Shen Ao stared at Ge Chong and asked: “What about Yan’er? Where is Yan’er?”
“Hmph, we indeed didn’t kill Xue Yan. If you want to blame someone, blame this daughter of yours. As soon as she was born, Xue Yan died from excessive bleeding. I personally buried her, right in the Mo Lian ruins. But you’ll never have the chance to find her now.”
“Everything, it’s all come to this… Twenty years of hatred should be settled today.” Shen Ao said slowly. “Ge Chong, let’s settle this with the secret technique you found in the Mo Lian ruins—Shattering Fist.”
“Hmph, that’s exactly my intention. Stop your false pretenses. This set of strange and extraordinary black door secret arts of yours was also found in the Mo Lian ruins, wasn’t it? Shen Ao, this world is already chaotic enough. It doesn’t need more people knowing so many secrets. Since you know everything, you can rest in peace.” As soon as Ge Chong’s words fell, his entire person shot forth like an arrow released from a bow, rushing toward Shen Ao.
The Shattering Fist had been released—how could blood-red fists not be stained with fresh blood?
Shen Ao didn’t move. The gaze beneath the mask watched faintly. Several enormous black cats at his feet pounced up, surrounding Ge Chong. Ge Chong laughed coldly in mid-air: “I anticipated you’d have this move. Watch me kill these beasts.”
Ge Chong tightly closed both eyes. Although fear originates from within the heart, it arises from external sources. Once cut off, fear no longer shakes the heart! Ge Chong swept horizontally with one fist. All the black cats were sent flying by the fist’s force, smashing into the ice walls, their bones breaking inch by inch.
Truly a pair of fists that could pulverize everything!
“Die!” Ge Chong grinned savagely, swinging his full-powered fist to smash Shen Ao, clothing and all, into the ice wall at the far end. Where the fists collided came the cracking sound of shattering. Ge Chong laughed wildly with satisfaction, but in the blink of an eye, this smile froze. He tore away Shen Ao’s black cloak. Under the cloak was actually a black cat standing on tiptoe mimicking a person. His entire fist had completely struck this black cat. Then, where was the person?!
Behind Ge Chong, a black door slowly opened. The corner of Ge Chong’s eye glimpsed it. He laughed coldly: “That trick again—it’s no longer useful.” Just as Ge Chong was about to turn around, on the ice wall before him, another strange black door suddenly opened. Then above his head, at his side, beneath his feet—even right at his nose tip before his eyes—a palm-sized black door slowly opened. One, two, three… countless hands reached out from the black doors, gripping sharp daggers in their hands. White daggers easily pierced into Ge Chong’s heart. Ge Chong began rapidly approaching death.
Shen Ao appeared again, still before Ge Chong, but Ge Chong no longer had the strength to throw another punch. Ge Chong struggled to keep his body from immediately falling. He looked at Shen Ao with increasingly scattered vision and spoke his final words: “Even if I die, I’ll make you grieve… I want to kill your last relative…”
Ge Chong roared, using the last thread of strength in his body to lunge toward Xue Ling’er not far away.
Xue Ling’er looked at Ge Chong’s vicious gaze and screamed, closing her eyes. Shen Ao cried out at the top of his lungs: “No, don’t…”