Hearing this, Master Wenxiu was stunned. She took the envelope from Cheng Yunpao’s hand and tore open the seal. Inside was a thick stack of letter paper, also in thick cursive script, with contents that filled more than ten sheets. She focused intently on reading. At first her face was full of confusion, but everyone could see her growing angrier as she read, her eyebrows slowly rising. After finishing, she slammed the letter onto Liu He, the leader of the Qingmen Sword Sect, with a “crack,” angrily saying, “Pass it around!”
Liu He was startled and picked it up to look. More people crowded around to read carefully. The more they read, the more shocked they became. Some people would read for a while, then raise their heads to glance at Tang Lici, all looking as if they’d seen a venomous snake.
“You – you’re so -” Master Wenxiu glared furiously at Tang Lici. “So you’re the biggest spy the House of Pleasure has hidden in the Central Plains Sword Assembly – what a case of nurturing enemies for self-importance! What a prophetic Young Master Tang! You pushed Liu Yan out as a front while hiding behind the scenes. When the time was ripe, you pretended to defeat Liu Yan and successfully entered the Central Plains Sword Assembly, then maintained secret contact with Liu Yan through Fang Pingzhai, having him develop an antidote for the Crimson Ghost Nine Heart Pills! The gathering at Beauty’s Residence where you saved so many people was completely a game you played in collusion with Gui Mudan to make your position in the Central Plains Sword Assembly even more secure! You killed Chi Yun and Shao Yanping because they discovered your secret. You even tried to kill Miss Tao – if she hadn’t been alert enough to jump off the cliff, she would have been harmed by you too! These past days you’ve been killing again, harming several martial world luminaries and greatly weakening the sword assembly’s fighting strength. You used the excuse of wanting to eliminate the House of Pleasure to lead everyone to Floating Eyebrow Garden, probably having already arranged for the House of Pleasure to set traps there, waiting for us to walk into them! Once the House of Pleasure annihilates all of us, you, Young Master Tang, holding the antidote to the Crimson Ghost Nine Heart Pills, would have no rivals left in the martial world. Who in this world could contend with you? Who would dare contend with you? You could gain not only the martial world but the entire realm! This is your carefully calculated conspiracy, Tang Lici!”
From the moment Liu Yan was captured by Fang Pingzhai and brought to Haoyun Mountain, he knew Fang Pingzhai would definitely act against Tang Lici, but he hadn’t known he could sacrifice Qingxuzi to set such a vicious trap! Hearing Master Wenxiu’s words, he was dumbstruck, so angry he could barely catch his breath, yet didn’t know how to defend Tang Lici. Given his identity, the more he spoke, the worse it would become.
Tang Lici wasn’t angry. His gaze swept slightly. “Is that Abbot Puzhu’s personal letter?”
“That’s right.” Master Wenxiu said sternly. “It’s exactly a personal letter from Shaolin’s Puzhu. I recognize his handwriting.” After Puzhu became abbot, he had written letters to Emei. Master Wenxiu remembered his penmanship.
“It seems when he wrote this letter, his mood was very disturbed.” Tang Lici said gently. “Such an important letter, yet he could write it so carelessly and messily.”
Master Wenxiu laughed coldly. “Do you want to say it’s a forged letter? Too bad – it bears the Shaolin abbot’s seal, so it absolutely cannot be fake! Young Master Tang, regarding this letter, do you have anything to say?”
“The letter isn’t fake. As for its contents, most of it isn’t wrong either, just…” Tang Lici said gently. “Some things, if spoken now, would only disturb people’s minds.”
Meng Qinglei finally couldn’t bear it. Ignoring Cheng Yunpao’s attempts to stop him, he said quietly, “Young Master Tang, Meng believes you’re absolutely not as described in the letter. If you have any difficulties, why not speak them publicly?”
At these words, the few who believed in Tang Lici nodded repeatedly.
Tang Lici looked around. Those whose gazes remained firmly fixed on him were very few. Most people were full of doubt. He said gently, “Actually, there’s nothing much to say.”
Meng Qinglei was stunned. Hearing him personally admit it, everyone erupted in shock again.
Yu Konghou said, “For someone utterly evil to personally confess seems incredible. Given your temperament, how could you submit so easily?” He pointed at Qingxuzi’s corpse. “What’s your intention in holding that sword? You’re not planning to kill everyone present to silence them, then return to the mountain to continue being Young Master Tang, are you? Earlier, when you killed Qingxuzi in front of me and Master Wenxiu, you didn’t care about being discovered. You wanted to kill him quickly – if no one discovered it, that would be best, but if someone did, you’d kill the discoverers too. Isn’t that right?”
Tang Lici smiled slightly. “That’s right.”
“But unfortunately, it was me and Master Wenxiu who came, and you couldn’t kill two people within a few moves.” Yu Konghou’s face was covered with frost. “Moreover, unexpectedly many people came upon hearing the news, so you had to stop. Therefore – we’re all souls who narrowly escaped from under your sword. Now that your identity is exposed yet you still don’t leave, even drawing your sword, I can only guess your sole purpose -” He stepped forward and pointed directly at Tang Lici’s nose. “Is to kill us all, silence everyone, to preserve your reputation as Young Master Tang!”
When Yu Konghou said this, the murmuring in the forest suddenly stopped. Everyone stared intently at Tang Lici, at the long sword in his hand.
It was a very cold gaze. They were the weak, but they stared at Tang Lici with the eyes of natural enemies – it was complete revulsion and rejection, not considering the person before them as belonging to the same species at all.
Liu Yan looked up at Tang Lici with a shudder.
He could only see Tang Lici’s back and Tang Lici’s sword. That sword was at Tang Lici’s right side, its cold light flickering, crystalline and sharp.
He couldn’t see Tang Lici’s face.
But even he felt such gazes were unbearable – that hatred from one’s own kind, that cold intent like thousands of needles and ten thousand thorns, like the coldest winter wind that could penetrate through every pore… and then kill.
Under such gazes, it was as if people were no longer people.
Under such gazes, he knew Tang Lici was full of openings. That person who was always high above couldn’t resist such gazes. He didn’t know how Tang Lici endured it… He couldn’t see.
He only saw the sword edge.
The ice-cold sword edge didn’t move at all in the wind, as if frozen.
“Young Master Tang, do you have no opinion at all about my speculation?” Yu Konghou’s gaze contracted. Tang Lici was being too compliant. He was slightly suspicious, not knowing whether such smooth development was due to Tang Lici being greatly shocked and losing his mind, or whether it was actually Tang Lici’s plot within a plot. But looking at the surrounding people’s reactions, it didn’t seem like they were in collusion.
Tang Lici didn’t answer.
Yu Konghou slowly stepped forward, then retreated a small step. “There’s one method… that could test whether Young Master Tang is a House of Pleasure spy, whether he has difficulties…”
“What method?” Zhang Hemo looked at Tang Lici, at the long sword in his hand, his heart growing cold wave after wave, not knowing whether to believe him or believe Puzhu’s letter.
Yu Konghou pointed at Liu Yan, his red lips moving. “Have him kill Liu Yan. If he can kill Liu Yan, perhaps he’s not a House of Pleasure spy. If he won’t kill Liu Yan, he’s definitely a House of Pleasure spy!” He said word by word, “Liu Yan has committed countless evils and deserves death. I believe anyone in the righteous path would want nothing more than to kill him.”
Master Wenxiu looked coldly at Tang Lici. Earlier, Tang Lici had kidnapped Liu Yan right before her eyes. “Young Master Tang, kill Liu Yan.”
Zhang Hemo nodded and said loudly, “As long as you kill Liu Yan, I’ll believe you’re absolutely not a House of Pleasure spy!” Once these two spoke, everyone nodded. As long as Tang Lici killed Liu Yan, his various suspicious points could be discussed. As long as Tang Lici gave reasonable explanations, even the matter of killing Qingxuzi could be forgiven by everyone. After all, Tang Lici’s reputation was still quite high.
“I can’t kill him.” Tang Lici’s gentle voice said. He answered so quickly it was as if he hadn’t thought at all. “He’s my friend.”
At these words, everyone’s expressions changed again, from earlier coldness to disdain – I can’t kill him because Liu Yan is his friend.
What about Chi Yun?
Why could he kill Chi Yun without changing expression? In his heart, wasn’t Chi Yun even a “friend”? Was he worth less than an evil lecher who had committed countless crimes?
What about Shao Yanping?
Shao Yanping had opened his heart to him without suspicion. How could he kill Shao Yanping yet push it aside cleanly, always pretending ignorance?
He wouldn’t kill Liu Yan – there must still be something about Liu Yan worth exploiting! Everyone thought this simultaneously, and their gazes all carried disdain.
Liu Yan said quietly, “Kill me!”
“I said, as long as you change, I won’t let anyone touch a hair on your head.” Tang Lici said gently. “And you really have changed, haven’t you?”
Liu Yan smiled bitterly. “I deserved punishment and death is not regrettable.”
Tang Lici said slowly, “Shh – I say you’re worth preserving, so you are… Only when I say you’re not worth preserving are you not worth preserving.” He said word by word softly, “Rest assured, I guarantee you won’t be hurt or die. Close your eyes.”
Liu Yan’s expression was quite distorted. If his pressure points weren’t sealed, he’d rather dash his head and die. He wasn’t afraid of injury or death, but the chaotic situation before him, the collapsing overall situation, Tang Lici’s complete disadvantage – all of it was caused by him. At this moment, he still had to implicate Tang Lici in fighting desperately to save him – he was a waste, a useless piece of trash. Where was the need for anyone to draw a sword to save him?
Why not kill me? Liu Yan bit his teeth tightly, his expression extremely distorted. Is this heaven’s punishment? Punishing me to a fate worse than death, punishing me to constantly bear sins, one layer after another, yet not allowing me to die! Not allowing me to die!
“Heh! Evil thief of the House of Pleasure! Take your life!” Master Wenxiu could bear it no longer. With a “whoosh,” her long sword left its sheath, stabbing directly at Tang Lici’s chest. “Today I want you both to pay with your lives!”
Tang Lici smiled slightly and drew his sword to parry. Sword light flashed, and the two instantly exchanged more than twenty moves, seemingly evenly matched with no clear winner.
Tang Lici’s skill was naturally far above Master Wenxiu’s. Looking at his sword technique, he seemed to have no intention of winning but was stalling for time. Everyone looked at each other, all feeling surprised – this person’s identity was exposed, yet instead of thinking how to escape, he wanted to delay here. What was this for?
Yu Konghou was shocked with realization – he actually –
At the same time, Cheng Yunpao also suddenly understood Tang Lici’s intention and his whole body shook!
He was delaying for time. He indeed didn’t want to leave – not because he was stupid or unable to escape, but because there were still two days until Miss Hong’s return.
He couldn’t leave now. If he left now, the situation would fall into Master Wenxiu and the others’ hands, and Master Wenxiu was straightforward by nature, completely manipulated by Yu Konghou without realizing it. He had to wait until Miss Hong returned to stabilize the situation. With two days remaining, Yu Konghou had already struck early. How could he hold out for these two days?
Cheng Yunpao drew in a sharp breath – this person held his sword, fighting to delay – he was actually planning to fight here for two days and nights until Miss Hong returned!
Was there anyone in this world who delayed time like this? For the greater good! For the greater good! He would stand here facing the condemnation of thousands, bearing the hatred of believers, determined to fight fiercely for two days and nights, waiting for a chance to arrive!
Who said Tang Lici was full of schemes, sinister and venomous?
Cheng Yunpao’s mouth was full of bitterness – the hot blood in this man’s chest, he had only seen it today! No second person in this world would do such a foolish thing. Yet this supremely clever person actually chose to use such a stupid, clumsy method to delay the situation until the moment Miss Hong returned!
A thousand-man relay battle – could you withstand it with just one sword?
Chapter 52: Two Days and Two Nights
Master Wenxiu completely failed to understand Tang Lici’s intention. Seeing him counter move for move, she thought he was deliberately toying with her, so her sword strikes became increasingly fierce. The Emei disciples at her side saw their master couldn’t gain victory. They exchanged glances, shouted, and several long swords struck out together, each stabbing toward Tang Lici’s chest and ribs.
Tang Lici’s sword technique was lazy, without killing intent. He smiled slightly, his sword tip darting out to seal the pressure points of two people.
The crowd in the forest saw the Emei sect fail but watched coldly, secretly mocking in their hearts. After a moment, Zhang Hemo couldn’t watch anymore. With a loud shout, he struck out with a palm toward Tang Lici, joining the battle.
Yu Konghou’s face showed a smile. He waved his hand, and a sword formation joined in. This sword formation was personally guided by Tang Lici, originally intended as the vanguard for fighting the House of Pleasure. It had also received Yu Konghou’s guidance, but now was first deployed against Tang Lici.
Tang Lici’s sword edge flowed as he fought against many with graceful ease, refined and uncommon. Liu Yan watched from behind him, his eyes quite desperate. No matter how strong his martial arts, he absolutely couldn’t defeat the thousand people on Haoyun Mountain.
It didn’t matter if he died here, but A Li…
He absolutely would not be willing to die here!
He still hadn’t obtained anything – those things from his dreams: a woman who would truly die for him, a mother who would truly die for him, friends’ support and acclaim, his father’s recognition…
He still hadn’t obtained anything at all!
Liu Yan watched the flashing swords and sabers before him in despair. You’re all wrong – he doesn’t want any martial world or realm at all! He simply doesn’t want it! When you’re accusing others of unforgivable crimes, why don’t you ask him what he actually wants? Does he care about the martial world and realm? Why should he care?