Bloody Romance Chapter 23 (Dust pt 2)

“Yes. Se Jie.” Cha Luo lifted Xiao San’s chin up with a finger, flashing a bright smile at him. “If you poison him with it, I will return him to his Mistress.”

“I do not have it.” Xing Feng said firmly from beside her. His eyes almost seemed  like they were blazing with fire. “Even if I do have it, I will not give it to him. The world should not have another Xing Feng,” he added gently when he saw Cha Luo turning back to look at him.

She slowly halted. Her eyes locked into his. If she remembered correctly, this was the first time in 10 years that Xing Feng had disobeyed her. Whether it was in anger or in disappointment, she lifted her sleeve, the end of it slapped hard against his cheek.

It was a loud slap, one that sent Xing Feng back a few steps yet it was not sufficient to slap out the determination in his eyes.

They were locked in a stalemate for a moment before Cha Luo, perhaps thinking back to their love, left with a humph and a sweep of her sleeve.

Slowly Xiao San who was left on the stone bed, pulled himself up and stood up with shaking legs, as if he was attempting to return with Cha Luo.

“Why don’t we make a bet?” Xing Feng suggested as he stepped in front of him. “We will bet if you will treat your mistress with sincerity. And if you treat her with sincerity from the start to the end, I will let you live.”

Xiao San sent him a cold glare. “Foreman Xing, I do not understand what you mean.”

“It is not up to you whether the bet is on or not,” Xing Feng told him as he smoothed out his sleeve. “I want to see if fate is a wheel, if everything will be repeated again.”

*******

Meanwhile at the Justice Manor, after consuming a thousand year old Ginseng, Wang Yu was carried into the meeting hall. Despite losing almost half of the blood in his body, his eyes remained sharp and bright, excitement from just returning from the border of death.

There were thirteen people within the meeting hall. They were all leaders of different clans in the pugilist world, all invited by him. Fang Ge was seated on the right seat of honour [1] and was wearing his usual grey robe. An unreadable expression marked his face.

As soon as Wang Yu was seated he lifted his hand up, stopping everyone from asking him about his injuries. “I was injured by a demoness. I know I am about to meet my end but as I still have one breath left I must speak for the great heroes of the pugilist world! I have always upheld justice so I will not allow a villain like Fang Ge to continue to lead our world!” he spat out.

His words immediately caused an uproar. Beside him, Fang Ge threaded his fingers together and held his silence as if he had expected it.

Ever since Qin Yu Sang had passed away, Wang Yu had continued to investigate him. And every piece of evidence he discovered did not favor him at all.

Just as he expected, the first person to be mentioned was Qin Yu Sang. On his other side, Wang Yu had already begun to describe his evidence and question him, “The wound on Win Yu Sang’s body, and the testimony of both the head monk of the silent sea temple and Win Yu Sang’s wife, it was you who killed him, do you plead guilty or not?”

Fang Ge laughed bitterly, he did not know how to deny it therefore he continued to keep his silence.

After Han Xiu died, Han Yue lost all faith in life and left all his ancestral assets to Fang Ge to care for whilst he himself focused on revenge and to care for his sister-in-law. But according to Wang Yu, he made it sound as if Fang Ge had murdered Han Xiu in order to steal his assets.

During his birthday celebration, Shen Mo was murdered. Actualy Fang Ge was the mastermind. His motive was the Gua Jian Chao, that was the conclusion Wan Yu made from the information Wan Mei provided.

The deeper Wang Yu delved into the different cases, and running through the evidence that covered the table, the more furious he got.  And the more his audience listened, the more disappointed they became. Only Fang Ge remained as he did before. When Wang Yu finally finished Fang Ge stood up.

“I can only say I will give you all an explanation for this.” He moved to the centre of the room. His grey robe seemed to have a soothing effect. “I will prove that I was not involved in any of this.”

“You do not need to explain further!” Beside him, Wang Yu smashed his hand against the red wooden table whilst his words stunned the audience. “Just now, you sent a vixen to kill me. I am a man at death’s door, how could I possibly accuse you?”

That blow drained all the strength in his body. The wounds on his right shoulder and arm tore open, blood splattered in all directions soaking the chair beneath him.

The breath that the thousand year old Ginseng delayed was finally released. Yet his fury was forever engraved on his face, it was as if his spirit was glowering at Fang Ge.

Black was black whilst white was white. He had spent his life upholding justice, and he sacrificed everything for it.

Blood still continued to flow down the legs of the chair, seeping into the green tiles, the scarlet colour enough to make a lasting impression on anyone.

When a person used their life and fresh blood to prove the crimes of another, it pulled a significant amount of weight.

Amongst the leaders, one of them finally pulled his sword out, displaying his position in this. Yet Fang Ge’s sword, the ancient dragon summoning sword remained in its scabbard, reminding it’s owner of the hostility around him.

The tension in the room was like an arrow that was about to be fired. It seemed the misunderstanding could not be resolved.

Suddenly, a dim light lit up the living room. It was still mid winter yet, swarm upon swarms of fireflies drifted from the ceiling like falling snow.

The entire room stared at the phenomenon and before they came to their senses, in a whosh, the silver rain flew into everyone in the room.

And to everyone’s horror, the strings of fireflies begun to glo w beneath the skin. Immediately, they turned their weapons onto Fang Ge who was the only one unaffected by the phenomenon. It was as if the fireflies had let only he alone off, yet at the same time they seemed to provoke everyone else to attack him. Fang Ge lifted his head up, his grey robe swirled and his sword finally left it’s scabbard  as he flew onto the ceiling. On the rooftop, Wan Mei hurriedly pulled out Sheng Ying, yet it was no match for the Ancient Dragon Summoner, the sword sliced off a portion of her hair, cut ting through the skin under her right ear. It only took one move to determine who would win or lose. Naturally Fang Ge recognized her. He rested his sword by her neck and asked, “What does your Gongzhi want? Apart from the Gua Jian Chao, what else does he want?

Wan Mei’s glance darted here and there but they never remained on him. Instead she announced to the people by her feet, “You have all been poisoned with the seven step silver spirit. Any of you who are not afraid of death can try taking seven steps.”

There was always someone who would not believe in that and took seven steps. However after those seven steps he suddenly let out a painful cry and crumbled silently onto the floor.

The seven step silver spirit, a secret weapon that could control the lives of twelve people at the same time. Wan Mei did not own such a weapon and neither did anyone else in the world.

The fireflies that had drifted down were simply harmless fire Gu flies. And the one who had fallen to the ground was a disguised February. Only he was acting.

Except it was an act that fooled everyone. Many highly skilled martial artists would often treasure their lives. And as expected, none of them moved. They remained where they were trying to use their inner mana to push out the “poison” within them.

Once everything was arranged, that was when Wan Mei flashed a smile at Fang Ge. “Our Gongzhi wishes to see you. That’s all.”

He let out a cold humph in reply. His sword piercing the side of her neck, “If I go with you, then I will be your accomplice. Do you really take me for such a fool?”

“Then do as you wish.” Wan Mei flattened her hands in front of her. “You may remain here or kill me. But I must remind you, I have not brought the antidote for the seven step silver spirit.”

*******

It was a remote place. As it slowly grew darker there was someone who was setting up a table amongst the abandoned graves. He even had a little red clay stove to heat up some wine.

As the tiny red dot slowly grew larger and larger, his guard told him they had come.

And so he put on a mask made from skin, and poured some wine from the wine flask.

“It’s a cold day and a frigid place.  Clan leader Fang, drink some wine to warm yourself.” Once his guests stopped in front of him, he made a gesture of invitation.

Fang Ge glanced his way but in the end gulped down the wine he offered. “I drank it. Please can Gongzhi give me the antidote for the silver spirit poison.”

“Antidote? What antidote?” Beside him, Wan Mei let out a laugh, “those people were not poisoned at all. It was only a trick using some fireflies. I did not expect Clan Leader Fang to fall for it.”

Fang Ge finally realized that it was all a ruse. Without saying more, he turned around and begun to leave.

Meanwhile, Gongzhi poured a second glass of wine and asked slowly, “What, you don’t want to know how Qin Yu Sang died?”

Fang Ge’s steps halted. That numbed pain in his heart suddenly flooded throughout his heart, squeezing it like a fist.

Qin Yu Sang, that fool, he had used him for twenty years and now he still felt ashamed about what he had done to him. And the person behind him described the way he died. Even at death, he was still fooled by him.

“Even to the end, he was unwilling to hurt you. Even if he no longer saw you as a god, he still saw you as his friend.” Gongzhi added after he emotionlessly described the entire process.

A wave of emotions flooded into him, his grey robes fluttered anxiously and he pulled his sword out of it’s sheath.

“I do not deserve to be his god, or his friend.” He spoke in an even voice before he flew towards Gongzhi, sword in hand, the green point pursuing the space between Gongzhi’s brows like a furious green dragon disturbed from it’s slumber.

Gongzhi did not carry a weapon, he could only retreat from his attacker. His black cloak fluttered in the wind, revealing a long thin body. The ancient dragon Sunmoner seemed to have the upper hand; Wan Mei could not help but feel anxious. She pulled out Sheng Ying from her parosol but was stopped by one of Gongzhi’s guards.

Although she did not understand but she still watched with apprehension as the fight unfolded in front of her. She watched as Gongzhi, resembling a black butterfly darted about in front of the point of the sword. His movements seemed weak but it did not allow the Ancient Dragon Summoner to release it’s full potential.

About after fifty hits, Gongzhi finally launched an attack. At the moment when the ancient dragon summoner flew past him, his fingers clasped around the tip of the sword, and slid down the blade . His right palm hit Fang Ge’s chest, leaving a mark.

Fangg Ge  fell to the ground, the ancient dragon summoner in his hands which soon cracked and fell into pieces. It had become a pile of trash just by Gongzhi pinch.

It was then that Gongzhi sat down again, wrapped his fur cloak tightly around him and poured another cup of wine before placing it in front of Fang Ge.

“If I am correct again, why don’t you drink this?” He passed the cup into Fang Ge’s hands.

After receiving the cup, Fang Ge sat down in the space in front of the little table. Gongzhi nodded, crossed his legs and warmed his hands by the stove.

“Because you saw Qin Yu Sang as your friend, that was why you did not tell him the truth. You hoped he would continue to be naive, to continue being a tool for you.” That was the first thing he said to him after the fight.

Fang Ge’s eyes darkened in response and finished the cup of wine handed to him. “I’ve already given you the Gua Jian Chao. Why do you still keep pushing me?” he asked through gritted teeth as he glared at Gongzhi.

“Recently, the pugilist world has suffered several fatal blows. That concession you made was simply to show that you do not plan to oppose me and to seek an agreement where we can both survive.” Gongzhi lifted his hand to pour him another cup of wine.

Again, Fang Ge finished what was offered to him. “But you do not plan to negotiate! Who are you, and what does your gate of Ghosts plan to do?!”

“So what if we come to an agreement? Will you keep to it? You only want to use that time to find out the true strength of my syndicate and then gather a mass to annihilate it once and for all.”

“Great clan leader Fang, in these twelve years you kept to the policy of appeasement. You break your promises countless times, used every trick on the book to suppress any competition, you used your best friend, involved yourself in the salt industry to make a hefty profit l, am I not right?”

Fang Ge let out a bitter laugh. He did not say anything his only response was to drink two more cups of wine in succession.

Gongzhi moved closer to pour him some more wine. “But because of you, the pugilist world became stabilized, in these twelve years there were less dead compared to any two years before you came into power. You really are a figure. You are neither black or white but a grey figure. ”

It was completely dark by this time. Fang Ge lifted his head and a lock of white hair fell into his face. That was when he realized that Gongzhi’s eyes could not focus, that the person speaking to him was blind.

Black was black, white was white but when had the world been so distinct? If he was as upright as Wang Zheng Yi then the pugilist world would have long became engaged in an arduous fight with the dynasty and unjust, evil doers. Blood would have been the ultimate sacrifice for him upholding his so called iustice.

“From what you said, you seem to know me well,” he lifted the wine cup, “for that I will make a toast to you.”

Gongzhi nodded his head in acknowledgment before pulling out two wine cups, one completely black, the other pure alabaster and filled them to the brim with wine.

“Inside the black cup is Gu poison. After you drink it, you will completely obey my every order. I will naturally prove your innocence and you will still remain the leader of the pugilist world. In the white cup is a fatal poison. After you drink it, it means you refuse my offer,” he told Fang Ge after he filled the cups and indicated him to choose.

Fang Ge laughed and without any hesitation he reached out with a steady right hand.

“Coincidentally, I was born in the year of the dog. After I drink this I will become your dog.” He touched the black cup but finally he picked up the white cup. “For you. I am sorry but despite the fact that I am neither black or white,  I do not intend to be your dog.”

Notes:

1) Right seat of honor: The seat of honor is the seat where the highest ranked family member or an extremely esteemed guest ( one whose status was higher than the master of the household) would sit. It is centre facing and often faces the main doorway.

 

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