Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 271 - True Love Messenger (2)

Zanxing returned to her resting place. Before she got close, she heard suppressed cries and what seemed to be a faint threat coming from inside.

With the demon race and the Demon Extermination Army already in the mountains, there was no need for them to continue cooperating. The two groups had separated for the night, staying in different houses: the Demon Extermination Army in the white-roofed houses of the Si Nu tribe and the demon race in the black-roofed houses of the Si Shi tribe. The two sides were clearly separated, not disturbing each other. To avoid trouble, they had even placed wards to keep outsiders out.

But this noise… someone had come in?

Zanxing thought, as she stepped into the room and saw a crowd inside. A child was crying with a face smeared with tears, looking alarmed. Skeleton Woman, with her brightly painted red nails, was occasionally stroking Men Dong’s face, while seriously pondering, “Such delicate skin, it must be very tasty. In all these years, I’ve never eaten a child who practices immortality. Should I stew it or steam it…”

Zanxing: “…”

She said, “Stop it, Skeleton Woman.”

Men Dong, who was surrounded in the middle, heard her voice and suddenly jolted, looking up at Zanxing as if seeing a long-lost relative. His mouth trembled, and tears finally rolled down his cheeks as he cried out, “Yang Zanxing, you’re here—”

Zanxing glanced at her subordinates who were watching the commotion and asked, “What’s going on? Are you bullying children now?”

Skeleton Woman quickly stood up, saying, “Your Highness, we haven’t bullied him—”

“Yes, yes,” Mountain Spider hurriedly clarified, “This is just a misunderstanding—”

Zhao Ling came out, glaring at Men Dong with evident hostility, “Your Highness, this brat came here in the middle of the night, sneaking around and we didn’t know what he was up to. We just brought him back to scare him a bit. We had no intention of really harming him. If you don’t want us to provoke the Demon Extermination Army, we won’t cause trouble easily.”

“Nonsense!” Men Dong, with tears streaming down his face, angrily said, “Just now, you were discussing whether to slaughter me first and then report it!”

“Don’t say it like that, or how would you know to be afraid?” Skeleton Woman snorted.

“Enough of the noise,” Zanxing glanced outside and said, “Skeleton Woman, you and the others go to Xiao Shuang’s room. I have something to ask him.”

“Your Highness, you have a good temper, but he is from the sect. People from the sect are wolves in sheep’s clothing—pretending to be good people. Don’t let him deceive you!” Mountain Spider was reluctant to leave Zanxing alone with Men Dong and tried to stir up trouble, “Shouldn’t we have a subordinate, no, should we call Xiao Shuang over…”

Mourning Star nodded repeatedly with a mournful face.

“Go to Xiao Shuang’s room,” Zanxing repeated.

The room fell silent for a moment, and soon, Madam Zhao Ling pulled the Skeleton Woman, and they reluctantly left.

Moonlight spilled over the table from the window, casting a thin layer of frost on the floor. In the quiet night, the sound of someone’s sobbing was particularly noticeable.

After a while, a fragrant handkerchief was held out to the child, and a somewhat helpless voice of a woman was heard, “Junior Brother, after two years, why have you become more prone to tears than before?”

The term “Junior Brother” made Men Dong pause, and his sobbing ceased abruptly. He slowly looked up at the person in front of him.

The woman was gentle and beautiful, with a hint of weariness in her brows. However, the smile at her lips remained warm and unchanged, just like in the past. His eyes reddened immediately as he grabbed Zanxing’s sleeve and choked up, “Yang Zanxing…”

He was as terrified as he was surprised when he saw Zanxing again. The scars on Zanxing’s face had completely healed, and the woman who now stood among the crowd, the mistress of Heishi City, looked neither pleased nor angry, her aloofness making one’s heart race. Mimi had turned into a fierce lion, roaring so loudly that it seemed the entire mountain peak would tremble. Everything felt strange, as if everything from the past, every person, had vanished and would never return.

He was always afraid of such moments.

“It’s so late to come find me. You wouldn’t be crying for me to see, would you?” Zanxing smiled and said, “What do you want to say?”

Before Men Dong could speak, Zanxing continued, “You came at just the right time. I have something I want to ask you too. How is Hong Su?” Her tone became serious, “After I left the Ten Thousand Killing Formation, did anyone from the sect trouble her? How is she now?”

Hong Su was a human, and even though people in the sect might be harsh, they shouldn’t trouble a young girl. During her two years in Heishi City, she had asked Bu Jiang to find out about Hong Su, but unfortunately, there had been no news.

Men Dong was momentarily stunned, seemingly surprised that Zanxing’s first question was about this, but he quickly answered, “She’s fine. She was just an ordinary person and wasn’t aware of your situation. Sixth Martial Uncle protected her. She’s now living with Liu Yunxin. Her mood isn’t great, and she often scolds people in the sect. But she’s protected by Brother Mu and Brother Tian, so no one dares to bully her.”

Zanxing sighed in relief.

The sight of her relief made Men Dong think for a moment and ask, “Aren’t you going to ask about Martial Uncle?”

Zanxing’s gaze fell back on Men Dong, and she smiled, “You came all the way here in the middle of the night just to talk about this, didn’t you?”

Men Dong choked up, sat down dejectedly, and said, “Alright, I did come to explain things to you. Martial Uncle has lost his memories so he didn’t come to find you on his own. But if I don’t tell you the truth, I’m afraid you might misunderstand him. When I was at Gufeng Mountain, I was the ‘True Love Messenger,’ and now that Martial Uncle can’t speak, it falls to me to explain.”

“Yang Zanxing,” he looked at Zanxing, “Back in the Ten Thousand Killing Formation, Martial Uncle helped you escape in front of everyone. After you left, Martial Uncle was besieged by the sect. He lost a fragment of his soul and was eventually defeated, imprisoned in the Wulei Platform, and subjected to the punishment of seventy-seven days of thunder.”

“Wulei Platform?”

“No one can withstand the seventy-seven days of thunder punishment at the Wulei Platform. He was in very bad shape. But the sect leaders wouldn’t relent, after all, colluding with the demon race is a serious crime, and the entire cultivation world couldn’t tolerate him.”

“Martial Uncle… endured for a long time.”

Zanxing fell silent, imagining the pain Gu Baiying must have endured, facing the Wulei Platform’s punishment alone after losing a fragment of his soul.

Some things were unbearable just to think about.

“He was supposed to be tortured to death by the thunder punishment, but a few days after you left, your life token shattered.”

“That gave things a glimmer of hope.”

Zanxing turned her gaze slightly.

“The shattering of your life token meant you were dead. For Chihua Sect, this meant that the debt of the disciple’s life and blood was repaid. As long as Martial Uncle admitted that everything he did was because of your manipulation, he would have a way out and could leave the Wulei Platform early to save his own life.”

“But,” Men Dong’s voice lowered, “he didn’t agree.”