Liu Yan tore a piece of white cloth from the white clothes Xue Xianzi had changed out of, found ink and brush in the tent, wrote several lines on the white cloth, and handed it to Xue Xianzi. Xue Xianzi looked and saw written on the white cloth: “Strange poison has cure, divine escape flowing fragrance, path of immortal cultivation, its way magnificent. Six months hence when medicine completed, Snow Eagle Residence atop Absolute Peak receives guests, exchange summons for medicine.” Above that was also a line of curved and twisted symbols like flowers and grass, not knowing what it said. He asked strangely, “What is this?” Liu Yan sighed, saying indifferently, “This is a message written for Lici, speaking of some private matters.” Xue Xianzi shook his head, “The front part is written well, very much with a hero’s spirit. If everyone believes it, spending these six months diligently practicing martial arts at home, the martial world would be peaceful. Unfortunately – how do I prove this is a letter personally written by the Romantic Guest Liu Yan? Do you have any token?”
Liu Yan was startled. His terrifying face showed subtle changes, as if his emotions were stirring. He slowly reached into his bosom and took out something, “This…” Xue Xianzi saw him take out something soft, “What?” Liu Yan slowly opened that thing with both hands. Xue Xianzi was shocked to see a face that was both eerie and melancholically handsome. Even though he had wandered the martial world for many years, he broke out in cold sweat, “Human skin? Your… face…” Liu Yan smiled, “Yes, my face.” Xue Xianzi grabbed that human skin, “Good, I’ll go now. You wait here for me, don’t go out unless you see someone.” Liu Yan said calmly, “If you see my disciple, tell him I’m waiting for him here.” Xue Xianzi nodded and left with a smile.
Liu Yan sat quietly alone in the black tent, everything that had happened in the past playing out fragmentarily before his eyes. He remembered long ago, when he played guitar in the romantic bar, singing unknown songs. Everyone said Brother Yan was a gentle person, good to everyone, very careful in his work – such men were truly rare. At that time he lived in the Tang family as half a bodyguard. During the day he spent most of his time with A’Li, at night he went to the bar to perform. Everything A’Li possessed was almost everything he possessed too. Then he never doubted anything. All his energy was used to imagine how to perfectly handle the various troubles A’Li caused, how to appear as elegant, composed, calm and confident as possible, not losing face for the Tang family. He had always been like the best butler and bodyguard. As long as A’Li possessed something, he would be as happy as if he owned it himself.
When did… everything become unrecognizable, when could he no longer find his original gentle face? When did he no longer have the heart to be tolerant of anyone? From the day he became disappointed in A’Li, before he even understood, his world had already collapsed. And now… had his collapsed world returned or not? Actually he fundamentally didn’t understand either.
He never knew what he wanted, only ever knew what he should do. He lacked the concept of purpose. Often when doing something he didn’t know what it was for, only knowing someone hoped he would do it this way, so he did it.
Wasn’t a person with such character quite terrible? He looked blankly at the empty tent, his thoughts blank for a long time.
Outside the tent, the black-clothed death warriors had returned to order, standing in formation. The black smoke in the mountain valley had completely dispersed. Although the ambush had been exposed and Lin Bu unexpectedly rescued, Gui Mudan had not abandoned the plan. The death warriors still stood in formation awaiting orders.
Xue Xianzi, carrying the white cloth with Liu Yan’s writing, rushed toward Beautiful Lady Residence like smoke. His figure was graceful, and wearing death warrior clothes, not one of the Demon Soul Death Warriors noticed. However, just as he reached below the back slope of Beautiful Lady Residence, a figure stood holding a sword, as if having stood there for a long time.
That was Yu Qifeng’s back. Xue Xianzi sighed, beginning to regret why he hadn’t taken a detour. In that instant, two people slowly approached from behind, “Snow gentleman, where is the Great Master Liu?” One of them laughed coquettishly, “Where have you hidden him?” Xue Xianzi turned around. The three people surrounded him completely – one was Yu Qifeng, one was Lady Hongchan, one was dressed entirely in black clothes embroidered all over with brightly colored, strangely shaped peony flowers.
Xue Xianzi’s gaze swept across the three people’s faces one by one. Yu Qifeng drew his long sword, Lady Hongchan gripped a blue curved blade, the person in black clothes was unknown but obviously not someone easily dealt with. Just as Yu Qifeng’s sword move was about to emerge, Xue Xianzi sighed, “Wait, I surrender.” Yu Qifeng was startled. All three were quite surprised. Xue Xianzi patted himself, “Sword King Yu, little Hongchan, and this flower-clothed brother whom I’ve never met but who is certainly extraordinary – rather than fighting a great battle that would leave me covered in wounds and still losing, it’s more graceful to surrender now.”
The black-clothed Gui Mudan stared at him, then suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed loudly, “Haha, Xue Xianzi truly deserves to be a contemporary hero. Please!” He raised his hand to indicate the way, “With your spirit, you’re worthy to be my honored guest. This way please.” The hole in Yu Qifeng’s throat gurgled, seeming quite displeased, but he said nothing. Instead Lady Hongchan approached with a smile, reaching out to strike several of Xue Xianzi’s pressure points, “Snow gentleman has been wronged, come with me.”
Xue Xianzi carried Liu Yan’s letter and human skin in his bosom. Now surrendering, the things in his bosom would certainly be searched and taken. His mind raced, thinking of seventeen or eighteen ideas that were all useless. He simply reached into his bosom, took out Liu Yan’s letter and human skin together, and handed them over. “This is a letter the Great Master Liu left for the martial world. Just now he was already taken away by Fang Pingzhai, only leaving this letter for me to deliver to Cheng Yunpao at Beautiful Lady Residence. I don’t have any great friendship with the Great Master Liu either. Helping him was only for a ten thousand tael gold banknote. Look, my pockets are now empty, I might as well give you the banknote too – this shows this old man isn’t deceiving you, right?”
Lady Hongchan giggled, touching Xue Xianzi’s cheek, “Snow gentleman, you’ve always been heartless. I believe you’d do this kind of thing for money, I just don’t know if the Ghost Master believes it.” Xue Xianzi laughed dryly, “This old man rarely interferes in martial world affairs. This time I really capsized badly in the gutter, lost a great deal of face. It shows people really can’t love money – once you love money, you’ll fall.” Lady Hongchan pinched his jade-like face, laughing tenderly, “Aiya! To call you old, really no one could believe it. Snow gentleman, how old are you exactly?” Xue Xianzi laughed heartily, “This old man is seventy-eight.” Lady Hongchan beamed with joy, saying in a sweet voice, “This humble woman is sixty-six, just the right match for you.”