Inside Tianqing Temple.

A’Shui and Fengfeng were imprisoned in a secret chamber underground in the tea garden. This place was very similar to Piaoli Mei Garden, with many dark corridors and many rooms on both sides of the corridors, housing many people wearing masks.

How similar they were to the red-robed and white-robed female attendants of Fengliu Store.

A’Shui could even smell a certain medicinal fragrance carried in the wind after they passed by.

Many of the white-robed female attendants in Fengliu Store were infatuated with Liu Yan. They were obsessed with Liu Yan’s qin or pipa music, obsessed with his elegant appearance, and even more obsessed with fantasizing that they could win Liu Yan’s favor. But the female attendants with higher martial arts weren’t lovesick young girls. Although A’Shui had never seen their faces beneath the veils, she could sense they were much older.

But just like these masked people in the corridors, those female attendants with higher martial arts had no objections to being commanded by Liu Yan or Yu Konghou. They seemed to care nothing about who was in charge of Fengliu Store, yet could work tirelessly under Bai Suche’s command, one after another without complaint.

They all took Nine Heart Pills. Besides Nine Heart Pills, Fengliu Store also poisoned their daily food and water, applied medicinal powder on the walls of Piaoli Mei Garden, and burned incense in the deep underground passages.

Those unknown secret medicines and medicinal fragrances bewitched people’s minds, gradually making them lose themselves. She had once thought these were Liu Yan’s secret collection. But now it seemed they weren’t—the tea garden of Tianqing Temple was built much earlier than Fengliu Store, and obviously the secret medicines used in the tea garden were the same as those used in Piaoli Mei Garden.

Perhaps… even Lord Liu hadn’t escaped unharmed.

Although Tianqing Temple kept strange death warriors, they didn’t mistreat prisoners. Abbot Chunhui ordered Wen Yao to bring food to A’Shui and Fengfeng, as if showing compassion before killing, making the killing more justified.

This might be her last night alive in this world.

Fengfeng had already fallen asleep. A’Shui had no desire to sleep and was still trying to think of how to escape with their lives, or at least preserve Fengfeng’s life.

While she was pondering, suddenly she heard faint clanking sounds from the distance—the sound of metal bearings turning.

It seemed like some heavy object was being moved.

A’Shui raised her head and looked toward the far end of the corridor.

Under the dim lamplight, in the shadowy silhouettes, she saw a heavy iron cart.

No, it was a prison cart.

The prison cart was made of fine steel, with four iron wheels supporting the cart body. The body was a sealed iron box with not even a window.

She stared blankly as this enormous iron coffin slowly approached from the distance, then passed by her cell, heading toward more hidden depths of the corridor.

Although the prison cart had no windows, there was blood where it passed.

Drop by drop of fresh blood fell from the corners of the iron box.

There was someone inside the cart, and they were seriously injured externally, bleeding continuously.

She didn’t know who was inside, but she had an ominous premonition.

Whoever it was, if they were enemies of these people, they were her allies.

And… who… would require these people to use a windowless, doorless iron box cast from fine steel to capture someone?

Who had they captured?

The iron prison cart moved slowly.

Inside the cart was pitch black. Tang Lici sat leaning against the wall with eyes closed, conserving his energy.

Sharing the cart with him was Fu Zhumei, who had been trembling the entire time.

Without looking at who was bleeding, if one could see faces clearly in this darkness, it would be hard to believe the seriously injured one was Tang Lici.

“…Keep shaking, and you can get out… and say you quit.” Tang Lici kept his eyes closed, blood dripping from the corner of his robe, his lips slightly curved in what seemed like a smile but wasn’t quite.

Fu Zhumei transmitted his voice extremely quietly, “Why won’t your wounds heal…”

Tang Lici didn’t answer. He listened to the sounds of the cart moving, the subtle collision sounds of numerous hidden weapons and mechanisms in the airtight compartment layers. This cart had at least ten or so killing techniques, all existing for Tang Lici’s sake. After a while, he asked softly, “Is Xue Xianzi dead?”

Fu Zhumei stared at him blankly.

Although he could see nothing—there was only darkness inside the iron prison cart.

But he seemed able to see A’Li with eyes closed and a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Before, he thought it was because he had everything, so he cared about nothing.

Now he knew it was probably just because he had no choice.

When other children did wrong and got scared, they would cry loudly, then be guided about what was right, then be loved and forgiven. A’Li didn’t have that. He was never afraid. No matter what he did, the people around him praised him, then feared him—whether it was good or bad. That praise and fear were exactly the same, so A’Li had probably been at a loss from a very young age.

When at a loss, one cannot show the correct expression.

“How did he die?” Tang Lici asked.

Not long ago, at the ruins of Jiang Family Garden, Gui Mudan had set an ambush to surround and kill Tang Lici. Tang Lici fought a bloody battle against the ambush forces. The two sides were evenly matched. Seeing they couldn’t take down Tang Lici for the moment, the ambush forces slowly pushed out an iron prison cart.

Inside the iron prison cart, bound with ropes and hanging with iron chains and shackles, was a person.

Tang Lici glanced at that person and immediately threw down his sword in surrender.

Because the person in the cart was none other than Fu Zhumei.

The injuries on Fu Zhumei didn’t look serious, but for some unknown reason, he was controlled and hung in the iron prison cart.

Tang Lici didn’t hesitate to surrender. Gui Mudan was also stunned. To prevent deception, he struck Tang Lici with a palm. As a result, when the palm fell, Tang Lici’s wounds burst open and blood gushed out. Only then did Gui Mudan discover he was already seriously injured. His previous swaying truly wasn’t deception—he was indeed at the end of his rope.

Only then did they lock him in the iron prison cart as well and transport him back to the secret chambers inside Tianqing Temple.

Fengliu Store originated from Tianqing Temple. Tianqing Temple was closely related to the Chai family. Tang Lici currently still claimed to be the master of Fengliu Store, the pinnacle of evil demons and heretics in the martial world, while privately being the pillar of the Central Plains Sword Association. With Tianqing Temple having captured him, they could advance to establish authority or retreat to make threats, instantly placing themselves in an invincible position.

Tang Lici was indeed unconscious for a while after being locked in the prison cart. When he woke up, he sensed Fu Zhumei trembling with fear. The rocking of this iron prison cart probably included Fu Zhumei’s share of trembling.

“He shattered his own skull…” Fu Zhumei’s face was colorless as he said miserably, “Miss Zhong… never knew she was Xue Xianzi’s biological daughter. Gui Mudan brought her to the capital to compete again for the position of Princess Langya. As a result, Zhao Zongjing and Zhao Zongying got news from Wan Qiao Zhai and sent troops to intercept her. After a great battle between the two sides, Yang Guihua came forward to announce that all the so-called ‘princess’ artifacts Gui Mudan had prepared for her were found to be fake. Zhao Zongjing declared she was Xue Xianzi’s biological daughter and angrily denounced her crime of deceiving the emperor. Miss Zhong was shocked, so she fled the capital and rushed up Haoyun Mountain to seek confirmation from Xue Xianzi.” He paused and said quietly, “At that time… I didn’t know Miss Zhong was Xue Xianzi’s biological daughter either. Xue Xianzi had just recovered from poisoning then, having suffered torture at Fengliu Store, with internal injuries that never improved. He said he was almost seventy and told me to call him grandfather, sigh… I felt… I felt I wasn’t young anymore either…”

Fu Zhumei rambled about much irrelevant nonsense. Previously, Tang Lici thought he was useless, but now he was too lazy to think that way.

After a long while, Fu Zhumei finally said, “…Miss Zhong suddenly came looking for him. At first, he was very happy.”

“Ha…” Tang Lici gave a low laugh.

“Then the father and daughter recognized each other.” Fu Zhumei said quietly, “That night they had dinner together as father and daughter. I didn’t go eat. I didn’t know Miss Zhong toasted him with a cup of poisoned wine.” He slowly pressed himself against the torture instruments of the iron prison cart. “So when I discovered it, Xue Xianzi had already been poisoned with ‘Three Sleeps, No Night Heaven.’ He was captured by Zhong Chunji… I chased after them. I heard Zhong Chunji interrogating him about Liu Yan’s whereabouts, where the Nine Heart Pills antidote was, asking who Shui Duopo and Mo Ziru really were… and also… asking why… why was he her biological father? Asking if his kindness to her since childhood was never because she was clever and quick-witted, beautiful and kind, rare in this world—but only because she was his biological daughter?”

Tang Lici listened quietly. Fu Zhumei continued, “I chased after them…”

Then Fu Zhumei stopped.

After a while, he said again, “I chased after them…”

“Forget it.” Tang Lici said softly, “No need to say more.”

Fu Zhumei didn’t listen to him. He took a deep breath. “They tortured him using his drugged, delirious state. I was originally… originally about to rush in and carry him away. I had almost won, then someone kept saying beside them that Xue Xianzi had already told them this and that… I didn’t understand at all, then suddenly… he forcibly gathered a breath of energy and shattered his own skull.” Fu Zhumei said tremblingly, “He might have become lucid for a moment and heard something clearly… If I had been faster, he wouldn’t have died; if I had been smarter and known what they were saying, I would have made them shut up first, and he wouldn’t have died… I… if I had been more capable, practiced the blade more diligently usually, I wouldn’t have been captured by them.” He bit his lips tightly. “I’m always… always…”

Always useless.

Tang Lici thought, he smiled silently, then sighed, “Forget it…” He said as faintly as gossamer, “Many… many people’s choices in this world are different from what you think.”

Fu Zhumei said tremblingly, “Choose death? No matter what he said, that wasn’t his fault! His biological daughter tortured him, he was delirious from severe poison—that wasn’t his fault! He just needed to persist a little longer, and I could have rescued him… He was Xue Xianzi, how could he die in such a place?”

“Perhaps… when he revealed Sword Emperor Shui Qiqi’s secret, he was already dead.” Tang Lici said slowly, “A peerless master wouldn’t truly die at his daughter’s hands.”

Fu Zhumei didn’t know that Xue Xianzi had revealed Shui Duopo’s secret, causing Mo Ziru and Shui Duopo to die because of it.

Everyone had their own “Way.”

Mo Ziru died for his Way.

Shui Duopo died for her Way.

Xue Xianzi… died for his Way.

“After he shattered his skull, Gui Mudan brought him back, force-fed him many spiritual medicines and poisons, tormented him for a full three days before he died.” Fu Zhumei said, “When he died, his face was completely disfigured.”

Tang Lici laughed once.

Fu Zhumei asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Tang Lici didn’t answer. After a while, “He was tortured for three days. How many days have you been tortured?” He asked with a smile, “Zhong Lingyan died horribly with her face completely disfigured. What about you?”

Fu Zhumei’s entire body was covered with shackles and torture instruments, with blood forming layer upon layer of black scabs on the fine steel shackles.

Against the iron wall of the prison cart, his back had been skillfully cut open with a huge wound. Tang Lici couldn’t see, but he could hear something moving restlessly in the wound on Fu Zhumei’s back.

“What did they put on your back?” Tang Lici asked.

Fu Zhumei hesitated.

Tang Lici said, “Speak.”

Fu Zhumei said quietly, “I don’t know.”

Tang Lici laughed again. He moved his fingers, pressing his heart in his abdomen. His bloody finger left bloodstains on his red robe, but they would only show after drying.

“Don’t be afraid.” He said, “Don’t be afraid.”

Don’t be afraid. No matter what it is, I can always save you.