Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 244 - The News of Death (2)

It seemed that Zanxing didn’t have much of a habit of being lazy, or perhaps it was because the Abyss of Extreme Ice was so cold that staying a moment longer in bed wasn’t as good as getting up and moving around to warm up the body a bit. In any case, usually, when Bu Jiang woke up, Zanxing would have already begun the next day’s climb, but today there was no sign of movement.

Bu Jiang looked carefully and saw that Zanxing was sitting with her head lowered, her expression unclear. Mimi was hiding in her arms, only her ears visible. The flames in the Fire Basket had already gone out, and a thin layer of white snow covered it.

Bu Jiang’s heart tightened. Zanxing was extremely protective of the Fire Basket, using it sparingly and never allowing snow and ice to accumulate inside. Unless the fire essence in the basket had been completely depleted, Zanxing wouldn’t even be able to put the basket back into the Qiankun Bag.

“Zanxing!” She called out Zanxing’s name while channeling her magic essence to Zanxing, trying to drive away the cold. However, the magic essence that landed on Zanxing’s body was quickly rebounded.

“Snow?” She was stunned to see that a thin layer of ice and snow had formed on Zanxing’s body.

Bu Jiang had stayed in the Abyss of Extreme Ice for two full years. During this time, Gui Yansheng had thrown many demon race members into this place. She had personally seen many people like Zanxing who wanted to climb out of the abyss, but in the end, they all turned into statues in the ice cave, growing together with the abyss.

Those people looked like this just before they were about to die. First, their movements slowed down, becoming gradually stiff and sluggish, then they stopped moving altogether, covered by a thin layer of ice and snow. The ice and snow then thickened layer by layer until the person was enveloped in it, only a faint shadow of their former self remaining. The ice cave grew over them, swallowing them, and they were never seen again.

But Zanxing had been talking to her well last night. How could she have reached such a state by this morning?

Could it be that the cold in the Abyss of Extreme Ice was so intense last night that it depleted the fire essence in the Fire Basket, and Zanxing, unaware of this in her sleep, let the snow of the abyss cover her?

In just one night, it had come to this.

Magic essence continued to fly towards Zanxing but was blocked by the snow. That thin layer of ice and snow had the ability to restrain magic essence, and once it adhered to the body, it was not easy to shake off.

Bu Jiang suddenly realized something and abruptly looked up. A surge of magic essence flew from her hand, illuminating a corner of the stone wall.

The names of the demon cultivators who had died here appeared on the ice walls of the Abyss of Extreme Ice, a dense array of names representing thousands of lost souls. Bored by her prolonged stay, she had repeatedly counted the names, each one familiar to her. Now, at some unknown point, a new name had appeared on the ice wall.

Three characters, faintly etched, caused Bu Jiang to turn pale in shock.

Yang Zanxing.

*

The sound of thunder strikes on the Wulei Platform seemed never to cease.

The autumn rain gradually dyed the mountain’s maple leaves red, and the pattering rain concealed the sound of footsteps.

Someone took advantage of the rain curtain to sneak in.

He sneaked to the edge of the Wulei Platform but was halted by the formation. Standing outside the formation, he had anxiously called to the person inside, “Martial Uncle! Martial Uncle!”

The person inside the formation was half-buried in the ground, having endured increasingly fierce heavenly lightning for twenty days. The ground of the Wulei Platform had been struck several inches deep by the lightning. He lay prostrate, his face obscured, only his bloodied spine pierced by a Heart-Piercing Lock and his blood-stained white robe visible, as if he were dead.

Men Dong had extended his hand, and from his palm, a white spiritual herb had floated up. The herb had swayed as it flew towards the person in the formation, landing on him and transforming into countless white streams of light that merged into his body, until the person on the ground had slowly moved his fingers and regained consciousness.

Men Dong had been overjoyed: “Indeed, bringing some Linglu Grass was useful.”

On the other side, Gu Baiying had slowly propped himself up.

Through the heavy rain, he had taken a long, serious look before finally recognizing Men Dong: “Men Dong?”

“It’s me!” Men Dong had shouted to him across the formation, “Martial Uncle, I’ve come to see you.” But upon seeing Gu Baiying’s condition, Men Dong had been stunned, barely able to believe his eyes, and angrily said, “How could they do this to you!”

The once free-spirited youth of the Taiyan Sect had now seemed to struggle even to support himself. The rain had washed away the bloodstains on his white robe, only to gradually form larger patches, turning the entire robe a light red. The Heart-Piercing Lock had not only pierced his spine and chest but had seemed to have shattered his pride as well. Everyone may have their moments of despair, but this youth’s miserable state was especially heartbreaking.

“Martial Uncle…” He had suddenly choked up.

“I didn’t cry, so why are you crying?” Gu Baiying smiled. The prolonged punishment by thunder had left him extremely weak, and his voice had become somewhat hoarse. He spoke indifferently, “Don’t worry, it’s just punishment by thunder. It won’t kill me.”

“Stop comforting me,” Men Dong wiped his eyes. “You’ve never suffered like this before. Those old geezers are really heartless!”

Gu Baiying gave him a disdainful glance. “It’s just a small matter. If you keep crying like this, don’t say you’re my disciple in the future.” He paused, then suddenly remembered something and looked at Men Dong with curiosity, “But how did you get in here? Those old men guard this place strictly and should be vigilant against Taiyan Sect disciples… Don’t tell me that while I’ve been locked up, you’ve been so diligent and progressed so quickly in your cultivation that you managed to deceive the guards?”

This was meant to be a teasing remark. In the past, Men Dong would have immediately retorted, but today he remained silent.

“Why aren’t you speaking?” Gu Baiying asked.

“Martial Uncle…” Men Dong’s voice was very soft.

“What?”

“I’m sorry.”

The rain fell harder. Heavy clouds drifted from the horizon, enshrouding the autumn colors of the mountains. Though it was daytime, it was as dark as night. Lightning rolled within the thick clouds, occasionally splitting the rain curtain with a flash of light.

Gu Baiying’s smile slowly faded. He asked, “What did you do?”

Men Dong suddenly bowed and knelt down. In the past, during their days on Gufeng Mountain, whenever he angered Gu Baiying or made a mistake, he would always ‘thump’ down and kneel before Gu Baiying. He knew that Gu Baiying, upon seeing him like this, would at most scold him a few times and then let it go lightly.

But today was different.

Men Dong pressed his head against the cold stone surface, not daring to look up at Gu Baiying’s expression. He said, “Senior Sister Zanxing’s life token has shattered. She is dead. Daoist Lingxin’s anger has subsided a lot. Master said that as long as you yield a little and claim that you were bewitched by Senior Sister Zanxing, the Chihua Sect will have an excuse to de-escalate. They won’t truly want you dead. After all, with the demons eyeing us covetously, it wouldn’t be good for the entire cultivation world if the Chihua Sect and Taiyan Sect started a conflict now.”

“But… Martial Uncle, with your temperament, even if you were to be reduced to ashes on the Wulei Platform, you would never tarnish Senior Sister Zanxing’s name.”

“The rumors outside are growing more and more intense. Disciples from other sects say that your behavior with Senior Sister Zanxing is ambiguous, that your relationship is unusually close, and that you are protecting her out of personal affection.”

In the youthful years of boys and girls, any rumors involving romance spread faster than anything else.

“I…” The child gritted his teeth, mustering the courage to speak, “I told them that the reason you protected Senior Sister Zanxing is because the Qinchong seed you’ve nurtured for ten years is on her, so you had no choice but to protect her everywhere. Because once Senior Sister Zanxing is in danger, the Qinchong seed would also disappear. The previous care and concern you showed her were all a facade, not to be taken seriously. As for why you wouldn’t say this, it’s because of your pride, and the matter involves the spiritual veins, which can’t be easily disclosed to outsiders.” He held back his tears, insisting, “Martial Uncle, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have spread such wild stories, but… but it’s the only way to save your life. Senior Sister Zanxing is already gone. If something happens to you too, who will find out the truth for her, who will avenge her? As long as there are green mountains, there will be firewood. We need to survive first to plan for the future, right?”

This child, who only knew how to secretly read romantic poems on Gufeng Mountain, seemed to have grown up overnight.

The rain pattered down, pouring on them. Men Dong didn’t wear a raincoat, and the rain soaked him completely, making him feel cold and bewildered.

He didn’t know if what he did was right or wrong for the future, but at least now, this was the only reasonable excuse. Zanxing was already dead, and dead people couldn’t come back to life. At least he had to save the other one. The Chihua Sect accepted this excuse. To them, the main culprit was already dead, and Gu Baiying had endured twenty days of thunder punishment on the Wulei Platform, with half of his cultivation destroyed. They felt their anger had been vented enough. It was time to give the Taiyan Sect some face, which was why Men Dong was able to sneak in while the guards turned a blind eye.

Men Dong waited for a long time, but he didn’t hear Gu Baiying’s response. Unable to bear it, he slowly lifted his head.

Through the rain, Gu Baiying quietly looked at him. He wasn’t angry, nor did he lose his temper. Raindrops had formed a fine layer of beads on his hair and body. He moved his lips and finally spoke bitterly, “You said her life token has shattered?”

Men Dong froze.

“Liar.” The young man declared firmly.

Last time Pu Tao had come, she mentioned that Zanxing’s life token had shattered. Gu Baiying didn’t believe it, thinking it was a lie fabricated to make him compromise with the Chihua Sect.

Yang Zanxing wouldn’t die. Even though she was from the demon clan and lacked courage, once she escaped the Ten Thousand Killing Formation, she should have some means of self-preservation. Didn’t she still have a secret treasure? That treasure had helped her escape danger many times, so how could it fail in this situation?

“You’re lying to me.” He looked at Men Dong, unsure if he was speaking to Men Dong or himself.

“He’s not lying to you.” Suddenly, a male voice interjected.

Men Dong turned around abruptly. From the rain, a handsome man dressed in a golden-red robe gradually emerged. The patterns on his robe were as lively as ever, and his white hair was as pristine as snow.

“Sect… Sect Master.” Men Dong stammered.

Shaoyang Zhenren looked at Gu Baiying and spoke calmly, “Yang Zanxing is already dead.”