novelraw Chapter 144 : A Fierce Fight, Wan Xing Reveals Herself
Chapter 144 : A Fierce Fight, Wan Xing Reveals Herself
144: A Fierce Fight, Wanxing Reveals Herself
In the blurry light before Qin Xiang's eyes, that cold, slender, soft hand rested on her wrist for a long moment without moving.
Though she found it strange, her heart still instinctively shrank in fear and rejection.
"Fifth Sister… Fifth Sister?"
Just as Qin Xiang was so frightened she could barely breathe, a soft call suddenly rang out. Qin Xiang was stunned. The next moment, she felt her hand being grasped. Qin Xiang tried hard to blink, and the double vision before her eyes faded somewhat. She stared blankly at the face that had appeared, almost feeling as if she were dreaming.
But very quickly, Qin Xiang knew this was not a dream.
If it were a dream, she would never dream of Qin Wan…
Standing before her was Qin Wan, dressed in a jade-colored pleated skirt with a lotus-pink cloak over it. She didn't look disheveled, just a few strands of hair out of place. Her gaze was anxious as she looked at her, seeming to call her name.
Qin Xiang frowned slightly. Why was Qin Wan here?
The moment this thought arose, immense hope suddenly surged in Qin Xiang's heart. It didn't have to be Qin Wan; even a maidservant being here would make her beg for help. She mustered all her strength. "Save… me…"
Qin Wan's brows were tightly furrowed as she looked at Qin Xiang. She quickly took a pill from her sleeve and stuffed it into Qin Xiang's mouth. It was the Heart-Clearing Detoxification Pill she always carried, which could counteract common knockout drugs. However, what Qin Xiang had been given was a paralytic. The detox pill couldn't neutralize it completely, and there was no time to wait for the poison in Qin Xiang's body to be fully eliminated.
After Qin Xiang swallowed the pill, Qin Wan suddenly and swiftly pulled a silver needle from her sleeve. She raised her hand and jabbed it into Qin Xiang's shoulder and neck. In an instant, Qin Xiang let out a pained groan.
An intense pain and a tingling numbness spread from her shoulder and neck. Although the pain brought tears to her eyes, her limbs and upper body seemed to regain a bit of sensation. Qin Xiang moved her lips; she could finally speak.
"Heart… Divine Physician Sun… wants my heart…"
"Two hours… he'll come in two hours…"
As she spoke, her eyes flickered, and she added, "Bai Feiyu… Bai Feiyu is Shang Lu… he's Divine Physician Sun's subordinate… not Young Master Bai…"
Her words were fragmented, fearing Qin Wan wouldn't understand. But who knew, Qin Wan showed no surprise at all. Qin Wan nodded, efficiently helping her up. "Get up first."
Qin Xiang was pulled up. Her outer robe had been removed, leaving only her undergarments. Seeing this, Qin Wan took off her own cloak. The cloak, still warm from Qin Wan's body, was draped over Qin Xiang's shoulders. Seeing Qin Wan deftly tie the neck ribbon, Qin Xiang's nose suddenly ached. "You… how are you here?"
As she spoke, Qin Xiang's eyes reddened again. Qin Wan glanced at her, her expression not showing the joy of a sisterly reunion, only a cold solemnity. "Now is not the time to talk. We must leave this place."
Qin Xiang quickly nodded. At this point, to survive, she wouldn't fuss about anything.
"Alright, let's go now…"
Qin Xiang agreed hastily. Qin Wan's brow remained tightly furrowed. Qin Xiang looked at her in confusion. "What's wrong?"
Qin Wan had to say, "Third Brother went after you. He separated from us halfway and hasn't been heard from. Sixth Sister, Fuling, Wan Qing, and the others were all captured and are still unconscious outside."
Qin Xiang's eyes immediately widened. But Qin Wan grabbed her arm. "Let's go."
Qin Xiang was pulled up. Her shoes were gone, leaving only her silk socks. But there was no time to care about that now. Her whole body was numb. She stumbled along with Qin Wan, who had to support her, letting Qin Xiang lean on her.
The moment they left the ice room, Qin Wan suddenly stopped.
Qin Xiang looked at her, puzzled. Qin Wan immediately said, "Someone's coming."
Just as Qin Xiang was surprised, faint footsteps reached her ears. Her heart gave a violent leap, and fear immediately showed on her face. Qin Wan's gaze swept around. Supporting Qin Xiang, she headed towards the other side of the ice chamber.
They were moving further from the exit, deeper into the hidden residence.
After another turn, Qin Wan stopped. She listened intently, sensing the footsteps approaching the ice chamber. Her heart immediately tightened. If that person reached the ice chamber and found Qin Xiang missing, they would be discovered. Being discovered now would mean all their efforts were wasted.
Qin Wan bit her lip lightly, but she heard the footsteps pass the ice chamber and continue towards their direction without stopping. Qin Wan grabbed Qin Xiang and immediately headed deeper inside.
This hidden residence was old. A sense of damp coldness permeated Qin Wan's every sense. They followed the corridor all the way in, passing one dark door after another. Qin Wan didn't know what was behind them and didn't dare to enter rashly, but she felt the footsteps behind them still hadn't stopped. Seeing a straight path ahead and the footsteps getting closer, Qin Wan had no choice but to push open a dark door and slip inside with Qin Xiang.
As the door closed, the footsteps in the corridor outside became particularly eerie.
The footsteps drew nearer. Qin Xiang pinched Qin Wan's arm hard.
In the darkness, Qin Wan frowned but didn't push Qin Xiang away. The footsteps came closer and closer, eventually passing by the door. Qin Wan silently sighed in relief. Qin Xiang slumped to the ground.
As she sat, a rustling sound was made. Qin Wan quickly pressed down on her, making a soft "shh" sound.
Qin Xiang understood and froze. The person had just walked past the door and would surely walk back. If they heard noise from the room, they would be discovered…
Qin Xiang didn't dare to be careless. They hadn't even reached the exit. Who knew what was hidden in this secret residence? Once it was discovered she had escaped, it would be too easy for Sun Haoyue to find her.
Qin Xiang stayed perfectly still beside Qin Wan. Just then, she caught a very strange smell, like slop, but worse than the stench of slop, carrying a creepy, rotten odor. Qin Xiang immediately tightened her grip on Qin Wan's arm. In this situation, all the jealousy and resentment she usually harbored was thrown to the winds.
Half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, the footsteps returned from deep within the hidden residence, soon passing by the door where they were hiding.
Both Qin Wan and Qin Xiang held their breath. Only after the footsteps faded did they both let out a sigh of relief.
"What do we do? Do we go out now?"
Instinctively feeling the person hadn't gone far, Qin Wan shook her head.
She stood up, looking at the pitch-black room, and pulled out a fire starter. With a crack, the fire starter instantly lit, illuminating much of the spacious room…
"What… what is this?"
Qin Xiang didn't dare to speak loudly, but still couldn't help whispering her shock. Because as far as she could see, this dark room was filled with rows upon rows of white porcelain jars.
The jars were of various sizes, all arranged in rows on long tables. From the outside, it was impossible to tell what they contained. But the nauseating, frightening smell indicated the jars must hold something.
Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, instinctively holding the fire starter as she walked among the jars. The room was about ten zhang square. Qin Wan saw at least thirty or forty jars. Directly opposite her, to her surprise, she discovered this room had a second chamber. The situation was critical; they shouldn't wander carelessly. But looking at these jars, Qin Wan couldn't help but feel a deep chill. Having examined so many corpses and saved so many people, Qin Wan had an instinctive premonition… she was about to see Sun Haoyue's deeply hidden secret.
Holding the fire starter in one hand and pulling Qin Xiang with the other, she passed the long tables filled with jars and walked step by step towards the second chamber of the room. Qin Xiang trembled with fear, instinctively pulling Qin Wan's cloak tighter and gripping Qin Wan's hand tightly, not daring to let go. They moved extremely slowly, afraid to make any unnecessary sound.
Soon, Qin Wan saw the second chamber…
In an instant, every hair on her body stood on end. Behind her, Qin Xiang couldn't help but let out a low cry, then quickly let go of Qin Wan's hand and leaned over, retching.
The second chamber was also extremely cold. Qin Wan took one step in and immediately saw ice basins placed in the four corners. She wanted to take another two steps inside, but looking at the relatively fresh corpse placed in the center of the table, Qin Wan couldn't take another step. It was a corpse that had died no more than seven days ago. Preserved properly, it showed only slight decay.
The corpse wasn't swollen, but dark purple lividity covered it. Beneath the lividity, the skin of the corpse was exceptionally pale. What horrified Qin Wan and Qin Xiang was that the corpse's limbs were intact, but from the neck down to above the hips, almost only bones and flesh remained. The internal organs of the corpse had all been removed.
The corpse lay quietly on the long table. At its feet were several large porcelain bowls filled with glistening ice. On the ice lay several objects of different shapes.
Qin Wan looked at each one. The organs depicted in medical books were now vividly before her eyes.
For a moment, what was contained in the densely packed jars behind her was almost self-evident.
A strange chill came from all directions, seeping into every pore of Qin Wan's body.
She had said there were no monsters that ate human hearts…
Qin Wan stood for a long time before taking a step inside. At a glance, she saw the surgical tools on the long table.
Like the Nine Needles of Basic Questions, there were seven or eight of these tools. Long, short, curved, straight. Different shapes, but all extremely thin and delicate, even more so than the Cold Moon blade in her sleeve. Qin Wan could almost imagine how these delicate tools were used to neatly extract a person's heart without leaving any attachments…
Her gaze shifted. Qin Wan saw another long table in the distance. That table was currently clean and empty, but beneath it was a wooden crate holding something. Qin Wan, holding the fire starter, cautiously stepped around the table with the corpse and slowly walked toward the wooden crate. Qin Xiang was retching to the side. Seeing Qin Wan move, she hurried over and grabbed Qin Wan's arm. When the two reached the wooden crate, they were horrified to find it contained two cat corpses.
Qin Xiang let out a wah sound and retched again.
Qin Wan's gaze was deep and solemn as she looked at this empty room. Looking at the long table, she could almost imagine Sun Haoyue standing there in his white robe, removing the organs from the corpse. Qin Wan frowned slightly. Who was this corpse?
Thinking this, Qin Wan moved closer to look at the corpse's face.
It was a face covered in dark purple lividity. Though the corpse was incomplete, Qin Wan could tell it was a female. She looked carefully, then at the corpse's somewhat withered hair. She felt the deceased might be a young girl. As Qin Wan wondered who the deceased might be, her gaze shifted and she saw the corpse's hand resting at its side.
Seeing that thin, pale hand, a scene immediately flashed in Qin Wan's mind…
The funeral they had witnessed outside the Longfu Inn!
Just as Qin Wan was narrowing her eyes, a cold draft suddenly swept through the corridor behind them.
"You're actually here."
A cold voice suddenly sounded, startling Qin Xiang into a soft cry. The moment Qin Wan heard the voice, she whirled around. Turning, she saw a secret door had opened in the wall of the second chamber. Now, the silver-robed "Bai Feiyu" stood in the doorway, his gaze dark and gloomy as he looked at them…
In the past, Qin Xiang's eyes would have sparkled at the sight of Bai Feiyu. But now, she only felt resentment and shame. This Shang Lu was just a servant, a servant impersonating Bai Feiyu! Yet she had fallen for him! The person she had taken a liking to was just a servant trying to deceive and harm her.
Qin Xiang clung tightly to Qin Wan's arm, half her body hiding behind Qin Wan. She lowered her gaze, wanting to look but not daring to look at "Bai Feiyu." Meanwhile, "Bai Feiyu" slowly entered the room.
Qin Wan immediately backed away, her peripheral vision scanning behind her, looking for an escape route.
"Where is your master?"
Her eyes shifting, Qin Wan suddenly asked in a deep, solemn voice. A flicker of surprise passed through "Bai Feiyu's" eyes, as if he hadn't expected the delicate Qin Wan not only to be unafraid but to speak with a somewhat intimidating tone. "Bai Feiyu" gave a noncommittal smile, no emotion in his eyes.
"You came to save her? I'm afraid you won't save her but will get yourself caught. Originally, you didn't know so many secrets. With a dose of Forgetfulness Powder, you could forget everything you know. But since you came in here yourself and saw so much, you're seeking death." As he spoke, he shook his head.
"One wasn't enough. You actually sent in so many more yourselves. All for her?"
Shang Lu glanced at Qin Xiang, a hint of mockery in his eyes. For a moment, Qin Xiang's fear of this room and this person lessened. Shang Lu's mocking tone almost made her want to kill him with a knife.
But Qin Wan keenly sensed something off. "Sent one? Besides us, who else?"
Shang Lu smiled without answering. A shadow fell over Qin Wan's eyes. "Is Steward Zhou here too?"
Qin Wan understood. Zhou Huai had taken this main road. They should have encountered him on their way from Sanyuan Village. Yet they hadn't. She had been wondering where Zhou Huai had gone. Now she understood. He probably also thought what she said made some sense but didn't want them all to take the risk. So he had come here alone.
Shang Lu didn't speak, but he didn't deny it either. He seemed to have lost patience with further discussion. He suddenly moved, walking towards Qin Wan. He was naturally tall and lean, and his movements were fluid and graceful, clearly a martial arts expert. Qin Xiang's legs went weak with fear. Seeing him approach swiftly, Qin Wan suddenly pulled something from her sleeve.
With a swish sound, Shang Lu's brows furrowed. A spot of crimson instantly appeared on his silver robe.
Shang Lu looked incredulously at the sleeve arrow in Qin Wan's hand, then at the blood on his thigh. He snorted coldly and lunged violently towards Qin Wan. Qin Wan pulled Qin Xiang back towards the first chamber, firing the sleeve arrow with rapid swish, swish sounds. But now that Shang Lu was on guard, how could Qin Wan's sleeve arrows be effective? They only added two or three more grazes…
And soon, Qin Wan's sleeve arrows were empty. This sleeve arrow was given to her by Yue Ning for self-defense. She usually kept it in her bundle, not on her person. But coming to the Hundred Herb Garden was a risky venture, so she had brought it. It could only hold ten small arrows at a time. This was Qin Wan's first time using the device, and its lethality was limited, not fatal. Shang Lu was highly skilled in martial arts and unfazed by pain. In moments, he was right in front of Qin Wan. Qin Wan retreated two steps, thinking this is bad…
Seeing a gust of wind reach her, Qin Wan's gaze swept around and landed on the porcelain jars on the long table behind her. Seizing an opportunity, she grabbed a jar from behind and threw it at Shang Lu. The moment she picked up the jar, Shang Lu's movements indeed hesitated. And when the jar flew towards him, his first reaction was actually to try and catch it.
A light flashed in Qin Wan's eyes. Throwing jars while shouting, "Run!"
The paralytic drug in Qin Xiang's system hadn't worn off; her limbs were still weak. But seeing Qin Wan struggling to deal with Shang Lu, she immediately ran towards the door. Seeing this, a cold light flashed in Shang Lu's eyes. When the next jar was thrown, he no longer hesitated. With a crash, a white porcelain jar shattered on the floor. A bitter, unpleasant smell immediately filled the air. At the same time, Qin Wan saw a round, crimson object roll out amidst the shards.
Qin Wan's heart pounded violently. If Shang Lu had lost even this bit of hesitation, she and Qin Xiang would be like fish on a chopping block, at his mercy. With a flick of her sleeve, the Cold Moon blade fell into Qin Wan's hand. Seeing Qin Wan on full alert, Shang Lu gave a cold laugh. In one leap, he was in front of Qin Xiang, who had almost reached the door. He looked coldly at Qin Xiang. "Where do you think you're going?"
Qin Xiang, who had almost escaped, was abruptly blocked. Her face turned deathly pale. She wanted to retreat, but Shang Lu flashed before her. Qin Xiang only saw a silver blur before her throat was violently seized. A sharp pain shot through her neck, and she began coughing violently.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Qin Wan stood to the side, the Cold Moon in her hand. A chill ran from her feet to her heart.
Shang Lu could control Qin Xiang with one hand. He pulled a medicine bottle from his belt and threw it at Qin Wan's feet. "Take it."
Seeing Qin Wan standing still, Shang Lu immediately tightened his grip. With that fierce squeeze, Qin Xiang struggled helplessly. Watching this, Qin Wan bent to pick up the medicine bottle. She picked it up, poured out a brown pill, let it roll in her palm, then looked up at Shang Lu.
So Shang Lu demonstratively tightened his grip again. Qin Xiang's neck arched back, her feet kicking weakly.
Qin Wan lowered her gaze for a moment, then raised her head as if to take the medicine.
Crash! The door Qin Wan had closed earlier suddenly swung open.
Qin Wan was stunned. Qin Xiang was also startled. Shang Lu turned in surprise. But the moment he turned, an immensely powerful palm strike landed on his back. Shang Lu felt his heart and lungs shake violently, and a sweet, metallic taste rose in his throat. His grip loosened. Before he could react, another palm strike landed on his back. This time, Shang Lu staggered forward two steps, his vision went black, and he collapsed.
Qin Xiang slumped to the ground, coughing violently. And Qin Wan frowned, looking at the wooden-faced Wanxing.
She had seen clearly just now: from breaking the door to striking with her palm, Wanxing's movements were more agile and ruthless than Shang Lu's. Qin Wan's gaze shifted. Shang Lu lay on the ground, blood already trickling from the corner of his mouth. Qin Wan knew his internal injuries were severe.
Wanxing still wore her meek, silent expression. She bowed her head slightly. "Miss, this servant has already found the exit. Let this servant take you out."