Bloody Romance Chapter 21 (Shen Ying part 3)

The silent sea temple was actually a tiny temple, and was not a popular place of worship. Inside the temple, grew a century old campor tree, it’s green leaves emitted a faint fresh fragrance, giving the temple an air of peacefulness like a place of worship.

As soon as they entered the temple, Wan Mei immediately searched for a child monk, and after paying her respects to him, asked to see the Abbot of the monastery to give them the belongings left by Guest Fang.

The Abbot hurried out and was surprised to see the three to them. He was extremely surprised to see them , “Before, it has always been a middle aged guest who would collect it. Why is it the three of you this time?”

Wan Mei clasped her hands together in greeting, “It was a coincidence that he was busy today so he sent us to collect it. May I ask if the one who left the item here was Mistress Mo He and the item some paper wrapped in oil paper?”

The Abbott nodded. All his suspicions immediately lifted. He pulled out the oil paper wrapped package and after handing it to Wan Mei left.

By this time, Qin Yu Sang’s body had already begun to shake. And out of habit, he started to play with his fingers. The package was already torn apart by Wan Mei, yet he was still muttering by her side, “Surely it…it can’t be love letters….my wife and Fang Ge….”

Wan Mei let out a giggle, and placed the contents into his hand so that he could study it carefully. It was only then, that he finally let out the breath he had been holding.

There was no doubt that the letter was written by his wife Mo He. Except the letter was simply a diary. A diary of what martial art textbooks he had read, what he was able to understand from them; everything was extremely detailed.

“So what about this? You called me all the way here just to look at this?” he bellowed at her.

Wan Mei sighed and batted her eyelashes at him. “My dear Qin deputy clan leader. It seems you are such a fool. Do you know how much this information is worth?”

Qin Yu Sang blinked back at her blankly making Wan Mei hold her forehead with her hand.

“Fine. Let me ask you, if you were the leader of the Chang clan and there was a technique that you do not understand, if I come and guide you, then would you thank me? Be extremely loyal to me?”

Qin Yu Sang stopped blinking and begun to understand. Finally Wan Mei managed to make him understand the situation better.

The wind started to pick up in the courtyard. It blew apart the sheets of paper, as if flicking through his muddles past.

His house was bought by Fang Ge, his wife was given to him by Fang Ge, he stayed in that house for over ten years obediently, barely leaving once so there must have been countless sheets if paper to record the things he managed to understand.

Wan Mei leaned close to him at this time and said, “Do you know how much you are worth to Fang Ge? He is using you. First he can pretend to be a good person, helping you who is in need, then he can also understand the techniques other people use to control them. You are only a pawn. Your home is a cage, and your so called wife is nothing more than a guard!”

Qin Yu Sang straightened, scrunching up the paper in his hands, “You do not need to tell me that. Although I am slow, I am not a fool.”

His tone seemed distant and uncaring, but his complexion had already ashened and a sheen covered his eyes.

The more naive a person was, the more fragile they were. The fewer moral support they have, they more they cannot accept it if it was all simply a joke.

All these years, Fang Ge had been his moral support, his idol. And now that his belief in him had started to shake, he felt as if he had just stepped onto a cloud, he did not know where his body and heart will fall.

Wan Mei took the chance to untie her cloak and wrap it around him. Wrapped it tightly around him so that his chest was against hers and told him gently, “Why don’t you be yourself for today? Like the person you like, do the things you like?’ What do you think?”

He felt  his heart wrench in pain and in a moment of impulsiveness, he leaned over and kissed Wan Mei. Hard. His hands gripped to her waist as if he had become himself in that moment.

She only wore a Du Duo made of organza beneath her cloak. Wan Mei smiled daringly, pushed her body closer to his and as they panted heavily beneath that Bodhi tree, her hand slipped beneath Qin Yu Sang’s collar, her legs entwined themselves around his waist and she pushed his head down to her breasts, burying it between those twin pale peaks.

“Tell me. How can I destroy Fang Ge’s defence realm,” she panted in his ear, “After I help you avenge him, I will become your woman, entwine my life with you forever. We will challenge people across the world, and all the so called righteous clans.”

That practically extinguished all the desire Qin Yu Sang felt. “Why do you want to know the method to destroy that realm? It is a forbidden spell from the Southern Lands. If it is not a matter of life and death, Fang Ge would not cast it.”

“Because it is already life and death to him!” Wan Mei explained, qirking an eyebrow as she wrapped herself tighter against him. “We launched a covert attack on him on our way here. He was clearly poisoned by us, except he cast some realm, stopping fire, knife and water so we had no choice but to come and beg you.”

Qin Yu Sang sucked in a breath and glanced at her. Daggers hid within her eyes and he tore her body away from his.

“He used you like that! How can you still be on his side?!” Wan Mei stepped closer to him, “do you have no heart?!”

He lowered his eyes in response. “He can disappoint me. But I cannot disappoint him. I do not agree with what you plan to do.”

She frowned. And finally pulled out something. It was a child’s longevity lock.

“If you are unwilling then I will have to force you.” She let out a sigh, “The cruel Fang Ge or your adorable son. Pick one.”

Qin Yu Sang finally picked his son and entered the thick forest with her. The realm was difficult to destroy and he insisted that he must see it before he could do anything.

It was a deep forest and so it took a long time before the three of them reached their destination. Faraway, Qin Yu Sang already saw a dark cloud swirling in the distance. There was no doubt that it was the realm from the Southern Lands.

When they moved closer, he noticed that Fang Ge was already lying on the ground, his hair covering his face, and he was wearing the grey robe he usually wore. There were whip marks on his back. Blood poured from his wounds and amongst his injuries, he saw a poisoned dart embedded in his body.

At that moment, he felt his heart qiver and thought back to Fang Ge’s proud face as he stood before the members of the pugilist world, his sword in his hand and could not help but sigh. The future of a hero. Would he really end his life like this?

Beside him, Wan Mei had already started to lose her patience.  “What are you waiting for? You taught him how to create this realm. Is it truly that hard to destroy it?”

Qin Yu Sang nodded. “Creating realms and Gu medicine are two of the greatest dark magic in the southern lands. He created this realm on his final breaths, so he had pushed the poison within the realm. I must find the door of death and embed my sword in it, destroy the realm and push the poison back into his body.”

He did not know how to lie. So everything he said was the truth. But he did not tell her everything.

The realm did have a door of death  but also a door to live. If the life door was penetrated, the realm would also break apart, except the poison would flow into the sword bearer. The mana within the realm would flow out and it would all end up inside the sword bearer.

Now, as he held the sword in his hand, and facing the death and life door, he suddenly found his mind flying back through his memories.

His parents died when he was eight. Fang Ge came to pay his respects and it was the first time he picked him up. And he could still feel the warmth in Fang Ge’s hands.

When he was twenty, he held his wedding. Fang Ge drank himself completely to a stupor, he was even happier than him, the groom was.

He gained a son at twenty six and Fang Ge came to the baby shower and smiled like a fool as he held his son for the entire night.

If it was all an act to him in those twenty odd years then he must have lost his way in that act sometime along the way. What was fake was now real.

“Should I hate him?” he finally asked himself. “Do I hate him at all?”

The answer was yes. He breathed out, his inner mana flowed out of him and he pushed his sword into the realm.

A whirlpool formed in the space where the sword touched the realm. It became quicker and quicker and finally everything converged together and quickly flew into his body.

He felt his right hand that was holding the sword go a little numb. In a flash, his hand sealed off his heart acupoint and he leaned down to help Fang Ge up.

That was right. He did hate him. But not enough.

Fang Ge was silver-tongued, wordly, he did not deserve to be a god to him but in these twenty odd years, Fang Ge had become his friend.

If he saved him, then he could definitely save his son. Even if he died, Fang Ge could still save him. Because he was Fang Ge, the calculating, wordly, omnipotent Fang Ge.

He had thought of everything. Except one thing. What if the person in front of him was not Fang Ge? If it was all an illusion, then what would the outcome be?

The outcome would be that he would die.

Everything went according to plan. The “Fang Ge” in his arms was holding a long silver needle in his hand already. It’s tip was dripping with poison. As long as he cut any of his vessels, Qin Yu Sang would die on the spot.

That person was a top assassin Wan Mei had spent 3000 taels on. He was indeed a professional and he had stabbed Qin Yu Sang, but was unable to penetrate any of his vessels.

It was at that moment when realization dawned on him. His sword flew out and cut the throat of the assassin. And then he lashed out his sword at Wan Mei, making a deep cut by the space between her brows.

Except the poison had entered his body from the flow of mana. Wan Mei unleashed Shen Ying and before February could do anything, her whip was already wrapped around his neck.

“Do not worry. I stole the silver lock. I didn’t touch your son,” she said as she met Qin Yu Sang’s clear gaze. She pulled away Shen Ying and he fell to the ground.

“The poison is from the Southern Lands. He may suffer an attack in the next couple of days. It will not leave a trace.” Wan Mei turned back to speak to February, “have you brought the two letters he wrote for Fang Ge?”

February hurriedly pulled them out from his robe.

“Take him somewhere close to the silent sea temple. Remember, do not put him inside the temple, but remember to not leave him somewhere not too far away.” She waved her hand, “and write the character “Fang” on the floor. Write the contents of this letter and remember to add a crescent shape moon wound to his body. Qin Yu Sang taught us it three times. You know how to do it now right?”

February nodded with enthusiasm and then giving a bright smile, he said, “That way when someone comes to investigate, they will know we tricked them into giving us the records and know that Qin Yu Sang already suspected Fang Ge. That means Fang Ge has the motive to kill him. I knew it, you had predicted everything.”

Wan Mei slanted him a glance. “As you know I predicted everything then when I asked you to pretend to be Fang Ge, why did you refuse?” she asked in a mocking tone.

He let out a dry cough, “I was worried Mistress you would be in danger if you went to see Fang Ge alone. That was why…”

“You were worried he would stab you to death right?” A bright smile lit up her face. “Twenty years relying on each other and charging through life and death together. It is difficult to cut such a relationship so easily. Someone as cold blooded as you, how would you understand?”

******

The night was dark, and the room was dimly lit. On the floor, a Persian goatskin rug covered the cold stone, soft and pale. Whenever someone lay on it, it felt as if you were lying on a cloud.

Cha Luo was lying on that rug now, her head resting against one arm and was watching with avid interest as one man sucked the cock of another, teasing him to spend himself for the tenth time that night. That person had ingested the strongest aphrodisiac, his face was now a pale yellow colour, yet he could not hold himself back. His manhood which had just softened immediately hardened again.

“Dying from excessive lovemaking. That is a beautiful way to go.”  Cha Luo decided as she watched the scene, her voice quiet and gentle. She used her toe to poke one of the other male attendants. “You go. Go and penetrate him from behind.”

That male attendant did as he was told. He walked towards the young man and pushed himself into the arse of the pitiful person.

Although his movements once again caused pleasure to rise in him, but his heart was cold with fear.

After spending himself for the tenth time, his legs were already shaky and his face had turned an even darker shade of yellow. He turned and glanced at the person kneeling beside Xiao San.

Xiao San was kneeling by the edge of the rug with his head lowered. He could see the person next to him shake more and more. By now, he could barely hold the plate properly and Xiao San had to lean over and help him to stop the contents from spilling over.

The two of them were fraternal twins. Watching his brother die in such a painful way, as the brother, how could he simply sit and watch at ease?

Xiao San let out a silent sigh. He lowered his body further, his injuries that had not quite recovered split open again. His blood dripping onto the rug drop by drop.

The pain was inescapable. But it kept him awake. He remembered that he had sewn a long thin brass needle in one of his cuts and he was sure that that particular cut was now gaping open.

Cha Luo was in front of him now. He only needed to find the right opportunity and deliver that needle inside her. Then the dozen years of pain and torture would finally be paid.

And on the other side, Cha Luo had begun to beckon them over, “You three, come and attend to my needs. You, the on holding the desserts, bring me my favorite thousand layer Gao here [1].”

He shuffled forward as soon as he heard her summon, his hands traveled along Cha Luo’s long, pale legs and somehow his mind drift to Wan Mei. He saw the fire Gu fly that day. And he heard what she said. He understood what she meant and what she wanted to tell him. She was still working hard for them and had not given up.

And he had once promised her. Promised her that they would even carve gold with their persistence before leaving this place together.

But after stabbing Cha Luo today, he would definitely die. And he would definitely disappoint her. He would leave her without even saying farewell, alone to fight her fate.

“If I do not disappoint those who have gone before me, I will disappoint her. If I do not disappoint hose who have died I would disappoint those who are alive. In the end, I broke my word,” he said in his mind as he let out a bitter laugh inside. His hands slowly traveled up Cha Luo’s legs and reached her private area.

To one side, he heard a cry, that person spent himself another time and finally fell to the ground, his body bowed in half, his face scrunched up in pain. Except the other person dared not stop, he continued to move, torturing a person who was about to die.

Xiao San lifted his head up and saw a brief flash of madness pass through the brother’s eyes. Suddenly, he crushed the thousand layer Gao with his hands, turning it into crumbs and threw it into Cha Luo’s face.

An air of murder blanketed the room. He had gone mad. Completely mad.

A though suddenly appeared inside Xiao San’s mind, “If he died, died in an even more painful way than the victim now, would Wan Mei go mad with fury too? Lose all reason and push herself in a place beyond redemption?”

That thought cleared his mind and suddenly everything else did not seem so important anymore. His desire to kill slowly retreated from his mind.

“I will kill you!” A cry suddenly erupted in the room. It was the victim’s brother. Pulling out a knife from beneath the plate he slowly made his way towards Cha Luo…..

NB: thousand layer Gao： a dessert made from tapicoa flour that is jellylike and formed from layering different either colour or flavors of chinese jelly. Can be multi coloured.

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