Love & Redemption
Chapter 101: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji - 8 Change (8)

Chapter 101: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji Chapter 8 Change (8)

Second part.

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Launching a stealth attack had not been something Zhong Minyan had done before, nor was it likely he would do in the future, but today he was about to do it just once.

He and Ruo Yu spent a long time roaming near the dungeon, and finally, when night fell, two Fuyu Island disciples came with meal boxes to deliver food. Ruo Yu gave him a look, and they circled to the back. With a karate chop each, the two Fuyu Island disciples didn’t even hum before they passed out.

As Zhong Minyan stripped them of their clothes, he hurriedly pulled out a soft cake from his bosom and sprayed it on their faces. Ruo Yu quickly changed into the delivery disciple’s clothes, urging him, "Hurry up! Someone seems to be coming over there!"

This being Zhong Minyan’s first time committing a misdeed, he felt fear mixed with excitement. After finally getting dressed, he picked up the meal boxes and walked towards the dungeon with Ruo Yu. They hadn’t taken two steps before they were stopped by the guarding disciple.

"The token."

What the hell was a token? Zhong Minyan was startled but Ruo Yu, already calm and collected, took out a small vermillion card from his bosom and handed it over. Following suit, Zhong Minyan also took out his token and listened as the two men asked, "At noon you were supposed to take a message to the master asking for wound medicine and bandages, did you bring them?"

Ruo Yu nodded, "We brought them, the very best, too."

The man sighed, "That’s good... It’s really pitiful, being tortured like that... In my opinion, he’s clearly a person, but Valley Master Rong he..."

The other man quickly grabbed his sleeve, "Don’t talk too much, let them go in and deliver the food."

Zhong Minyan followed Ruo Yu into the dark dungeon with his heart in his throat. Glancing up, he saw Ruo Yu walking as if nothing was amiss, hands not even trembling, and he couldn’t help but admire him.

The dungeon of Fuyu Island was damp and dark, probably because it was near the sea, the deeper they walked, the deeper the accumulated water got. When they reached an iron gate at the very end, the dark and smelly stagnant water had already submerged their feet. The disciple watching the gate opened it, letting them in to deliver the food, and Zhong Minyan was almost nauseated by the burst of stench that hit him.

He looked carefully and saw a very narrow corridor, the pitch-black stagnant water nearly overflowing his calves, and beside it were several pigeon-cage-like cells, most of them empty.

Zhong Minyan’s heart was pounding fiercely; the water underfoot was icy and foul, and something within seemed like it was about to wrench itself out of his throat, whether from horror or fury. Suddenly, a light clanking of chains came from a cell nearby, piercing the silence of the desolate dungeon abruptly. It was as if he’d been stabbed with a needle, Zhong Minyan sharply turned his head, and the sight before him made a weird moan rise from his throat — he could no longer stand and slowly knelt in the accumulated water.

"Big... Brother?" he muttered to the man who was heavily shackled to the wall. Perhaps, at this moment, he could no longer be considered a person, his body had no patch of skin intact, and both knee bones were starkly protruding out. Blood was dripping down his face, soon forming into new clotted beads.

He moved slightly and lifted his head to look over — or one couldn’t say look, as both his upper and lower eyelids had been sewn shut. Zhong Minyan could no longer grasp the meal box in his hands, and it crashed into the water. He grabbed the iron bars fiercely, a burning sensation in his eyes, feeling as if something inside him was on fire, every inch of skin acutely feeling that intense pain.

"I... I’ll save you right away!" He trembled as he took out the keys from his sleeve, trying one after another, but his shaking hands couldn’t grasp them stably, and the keys fell back into the water. Zhong Minyan cursed fiercely, his forehead veins bulging, his hands frantically groping for the keys without success.

Ruo Yu sighed, bent down to pick up the bunch of keys, and said softly, "Don’t be like this, it makes him feel bad too."

Zhong Minyan turned his back, forcefully wiping the tears from his face. Ruo Yu unlocked the prison door, and he immediately rushed in, drawing the treasure sword and hacking at the iron chains with all his might, only to produce sparks without making any significant mark on them, the chains remained completely immovable.

"What kind of cursed iron chains are these!" he cursed as he chopped, but eventually, he almost collapsed from exhaustion, failing to sever a single chain.

"Big Brother! It’s me! I’m here! Can you... can you hear me? It’s Min Yan! Just hold on a little longer, I’ll borrow Bengyu to rescue you tomorrow!"

Zhong Minyan’s eyes were full of tears as he grabbed his brother’s shoulders, hoping for some response. His hands were coated with blood, and deep down, Zhong Minyan knew his brother couldn’t hold on much longer and would soon die. He was just an ordinary man, who was seriously ill; why should he be locked in a dungeon and tortured like this?

Ouyang Brother moved his neck slightly, his lips, drenched with blood, mumbling something. Zhong Minyan hurriedly leaned in with his ear, choking out, "What are you saying? Big Brother... I’m Min Yan... speak up..."

But he only emitted something like a sigh, and the blood from his eyelid fell onto Zhong Minyan’s face, scalding him so much that his hair stood on end, and he couldn’t hold back any longer, bursting into loud sobs.

"How could Valley Master Rong treat you like this! I... I’ll go and plead with him right away! Beg him to release you!"

Zhong Minyan turned to leave, but Ruo Yu gripped him desperately, whispering, "Are you mad! We snuck in here! If others find out, not ten Ouyang Brothers could save you!"

Zhong Minyan’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse: "I... I don’t understand... He’s clearly human... not a demon... clearly human... anyone can see that... Why, how could this happen... Aren’t we, the cultivators, supposed to look after the common people, to prevent them from suffering..."

Ruo Yu patted his shoulder and sighed, "This matter is too complicated, it’s not easy to explain... It wouldn’t be good to disclose that the prisoner has been taken away, both internally and externally. Valley Master Rong and Dongfang Island Master... they have their difficulties too..."

Zhong Minyan stared at him intently and murmured, "What you mean is... they plan to use Big Brother as a scapegoat? To vent their anger on him?"

Ruo Yu gave a bitter smile but didn’t speak.

Zhong Minyan’s face gradually turned deathly pale, he suddenly felt his whole body heavy, so heavy that he couldn’t stand and could only squat down slowly, clutching his hair tightly, his mind buzzing with noise.

Ruo Yu glanced at the iron door outside and urged, "We’ve stayed too long, we need to leave quickly. We’ll find another opportunity to come in tomorrow!"

"No..." Zhong Minyan whispered, "I... I can’t leave him behind..."

Ruo Yu was in a panic, about to persuade him again when he heard the person above whisper, "Min Yan..."

Zhong Minyan sprang up in outrage, gripping Brother Ouyang’s shoulders tightly, his voice trembling as he said, "It’s my fault... Brother, just bear with it a little longer... I, I’m so useless, I can’t get you out today!"

Brother Ouyang moved his lips slightly, speaking softly, "No need... Ouyang... Has my brother left?"

Zhong Minyan bit his teeth hard, "He... he escaped by himself! He left you behind! Worse than pigs and dogs!"

Brother Ouyang murmured, "If he’s gone... that’s good. What our mother worried about the most was his uncertain fate... Although, I... always felt he had changed a lot, no longer... like the lively little brother he used to be, but... he’s still my flesh and blood..."

Zhong Minyan couldn’t help saying, "Big Brother! He’s a demon! He admitted it himself! How can he... be your brother?"

Brother Ouyang paused for a long time, then said softly, "How could he... become a demon... Ah, that incident twelve years ago... could it be that he was already dead then? Possessed by a demon? That’s why... he changed so much... why he had to leave his hometown..."

Seeing that he was too weak to keep talking, Zhong Minyan said in a low voice, "Big Brother, don’t think about it so much anymore. Just bear with it, I will definitely get you out tomorrow night. I have to go now... you... take care!"

After speaking, tears gushed out again, he hugged Brother Ouyang, refusing to let go, feeling that as soon as he left, the only concern in this world would be severed. He had only just found the feeling of having a family member, yet in a blink of an eye, he was about to lose it.

Brother Ouyang murmured, "Don’t save me, if you really care about me, just kill me... No need to suffer anymore..."

"Big Brother!" Zhong Minyan, almost frantic, exclaimed, "Don’t talk about dying so casually! I will definitely get you out!"

He just shook his head, "You don’t know... the old man’s methods... Min Yan, give me a quick death, kill me... Big Brother... I beg you this once..."

Zhong Minyan wanted to persuade him further, but suddenly heard the iron door being opened swiftly. The disciples guarding outside rushed in, and upon seeing the two of them talking with a prisoner, they drew their swords and sternly said, "Turns out there’s a traitor! Go inform the Sect Leader immediately!"

Someone immediately responded and turned to leave. Knowing that this commotion couldn’t end well, Ruo Yu took out his slingshot and aimed at the disciples’ knees, a string of Iron Marbles whizzing out. Cries of pain erupted, buying some time.

"Run! Don’t dawdle!" Ruo Yu turned back to grab Zhong Minyan as he parried the disciples’ attacks. All the while, he had to make sure no one went to report the incident. The fight continued from the cell to the main gate, where he defended the entrance resolutely, not letting a single person through.

Zhong Minyan, drenched in sweat, anxiously said, "Big Brother! I... you..."

He could not persuade any further. His attempt to rescue had been discovered, and the guards would surely be ten times stricter. Valley Master Rong would certainly be convinced of his conspiracy, and the torture would only get more severe.

Reluctantly holding onto Brother Ouyang’s hand, he felt the world split in two in an instant. On one side, Ruo Yu was barely holding off the disciples, urging him to hurry, on the other side, Big Brother was just silently watching him, softly saying, "Kill me, Min Yan... do not let Big Brother continue to live a fate worse than death..."

He let out a pained howl, his sword raised, but he couldn’t bring himself to thrust it down. Everything seemed upside down and chaotic; he couldn’t adapt.

"Min Yan..." the man said softly, "It’s just you again from now on, Big Brother... is very worried."

Zhong Minyan closed his eyes and plunged the sword into his chest, blood spraying over him. In that moment, every pore on his body tightened, a horrifying feeling gripped him. It all seemed like a nightmare, as if upon waking, nothing would have happened. He had not brought Brother Ouyang to Fuyu Island, nor had he led him on the road to death by his own hands.

For a long time, he opened his eyes in a daze. The bloodied figure across from him had already stopped breathing, a trace of a content smile still on his lips. He had given him a swift death, without pain, in a blink of an eye reaching Naihe Bridge.

He felt as if he had died alongside him, his body rigid, unable to hold the sword in his hand any longer, it clanged as it fell into the water.

It was cold, very cold. He wanted to curl up tightly, and he wanted to embrace Brother Ouyang’s body and cry his heart out. He was right, from now on, it was just him alone again.

Ruo Yu was gradually losing ground against the disciples’ assault, he had to look back and shout, "You... stop dazing! Run!"

But he stood like a wooden figure, unmoving. Ruo Yu had no choice, as he was about to retreat and drag Zhong Minyan away with him, when suddenly someone burst in from outside like lightning. The guards hadn’t expected reinforcements, and unprepared, they were knocked down one by one. In a flash, he had taken care of most of them.

Ruo Yu fixed his gaze and saw Yu Sifeng standing there out of breath, saying in a low voice, "What took you so long! Get out now!"

"You..." Ruo Yu wanted to say something but swallowed it back. He turned to look at Zhong Minyan, who was still kneeling in front of Brother Ouyang’s body, unmoving.

"The man... couldn’t bear the torment, he begged Min Yan for a swift end." Ruo Yu sighed, "He was just an ordinary person, unfortunately..."

Yu Sifeng walked over, picked up Zhong Minyan and said, "What’s the use of dawdling? Get moving! Don’t let others find out it was you!"

Seeing Zhong Minyan still in tears, he sighed and said, "You can cry your heart out once you get back. Now get going! Linglong is back!"

Linglong is back! These five words were like thunder from a clear sky, instantly jolting Zhong Minyan back to sense. He wiped away his tears swiftly, urgently asking, "Is she really back?"

Yu Sifeng fished his sword out of the water and tossed it to him, while saying, "Something’s not right, you better check it out!"

Zhong Minyan, suppressing his grief, turned back for one last look at Brother Ouyang’s body, tears welling up. Shaking, he bowed three times to him, murmuring, "Big Brother... may your journey on Huangquan Road be well! Little brother cannot see you off!"

After biting his teeth, he sheathed his sword, turned and walked away without looking back. (To be continued, to learn what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com; more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)