“Why are you telling me all this?” Xue Zi Ye asked warily, her voice hoarse.
Miao Shui turned, smiling sweetly. “What do you think?”
Without waiting for a response, she gracefully walked out and opened a hidden door. “Of course, it’s because—I want the Holy Leader dead.”
* * *
In the dark room, even the screams from outside had faded, leaving only a deathly silence.
He was bound by golden chains, nailed inside the massive iron cage alongside the mastiff, unable to move. The darkness wrapped around him like a burial shroud. His eyes, which could no longer see, remained closed as he quietly awaited the slow approach of death.
This feeling… it seemed familiar, like something he had experienced ten years ago.
“Do you want to escape?”
In his memories, that voice kept asking him, laced with a certain allure and power:
"Those ignorant, swine-like people don’t understand that you are the messenger of the demon, that you possess incredible power… Tong, only I know your strength, only I can awaken your true power. Will you come with me?"
"I want to get out! Let me out!" he screamed in the darkness, feeling as though he was on the brink of madness.
"Very well, I will take you out." The voice smiled, "But you must submit to me, become my 'Tong,' rise above the martial world, and look down upon the vastness of the universe and all living beings. Will you accept? Or would you rather be despised, imprisoned, blinded, and live forever in darkness?"
"Let me out!" He pounded against the walls, remembering that today was the final deadline set by the village chief. His soul was tearing apart, and he screamed with all his might: "As long as you let me out!"
Suddenly, the darkness split open, light shattered his vision into pieces, and everything turned into a blank void.
In that void, blood spattered, accompanied by agonized screams.
The man bound in the iron cage by golden chains jerked awake, his face pale, his whole body trembling from the pain. "As long as you let me out"—those words, spoken in his delirium, still echoed in his mind, leaving his thoughts in disarray.
Twelve years ago, at the age of fourteen, he had made that pact with the devil, selling away his life!
Unable to bear it any longer, he lowered his head in the darkness, his hands trembling slightly.
It had been four days now… The poison that gradually eroded his brain through his eyes had already wiped away most of his memories: the years of survival in the Asura Field, the blood-soaked glory of becoming the top assassin of the Great Light Sect, and his terrifying feats across the Western Lands, decapitating countless warlords… All of those moments of bloody brilliance had faded into obscurity, beyond his ability to recall.
Yet, some memories from long ago remained, becoming even clearer with each passing day.
Why… Why can’t I forget completely?
These memories brought him nothing but torment, lingering like a curse. If he were to fully lose his mind and become a fool, perhaps it would be a mercy.
"If you can’t kill Miao Feng, then at least bring me the head of that female healer."
He clenched the golden chains around his wrists, gritting his teeth in the darkness. Suddenly, he slammed his head hard against the iron bars—he truly was the most shameless and heartless person in the world! Cowardly, selfish, betraying those who loved him, again and again, wanting nothing more than to kill the one who cared for him the most!
A gust of wind suddenly blew through the dark prison. The heavy iron door opened without a sound, allowing a sliver of snow-lit light to filter in. The mastiff in the nearby cage began to growl furiously.
—Someone had entered.
Was it that woman, Miao Shui? He couldn’t be bothered to lift his head.
"Ming Jie." A trembling voice broke through the darkness.
He jolted, as if struck by lightning, lifting his now-blind eyes: Was this a hallucination? That familiar voice… Could it be…!
"Ming Jie." It wasn’t until a soft, cool hand gently touched his cheek that he realized he wasn’t dreaming.
Someone had really come to him, standing only a few steps away. She seemed unsure of how to face him, bound and imprisoned in the iron cage. She stood there, three steps away, quietly calling out a distant name, as if summoning the spirit of the boy she once knew.
Is it… Is it Sister Xiao Ye?
He turned his head in wild joy. Was it really her? Had she really come?
But the next moment, as a hand softly touched his blind eyes, he recoiled as if burned, jerking his head away from her touch. His dull eyes flickered with intense emotion.
"Get away!" Without thinking, he spat out the word, hoarse and harsh.
The woman in the darkness flinched, her fingers hesitating, and she looked at him in disbelief. "Ming Jie?"
"Miao Shui! What are you playing at?" Tong gritted his teeth, his voice filled with anger and killing intent as he directed his words at someone hiding in the shadows. "Why did you bring her here? Why bring her here? I told you not to bring her!"
A soft, mocking laugh came from outside the cell. Miao Shui let out a sharp whistle, summoning the growling mastiff, and with a final taunt, she said, "Tong, I’ve already taken the Bleeding Blade from the armory. You two can say your farewells; there’s not much time left."
Tong was startled and wanted to ask more, but she had already shut the door and left.
Once again, the pitch-black prison fell into a deathly silence.
Tong remained still in the darkness, unsure of what to say or do, but his breathing became erratic. He knew there was another person beside him, and the familiar presence was everywhere. Memories he had buried deep began to flood back, but he wished he could disappear at that very moment.
I don’t want to see her… I don’t want to see her again!
Or maybe, he just didn’t want her to see him like this—covered in blood, his limbs shackled by golden chains, a collar around his neck like a beast, his face pale, and his sightless eyes dull and lifeless, no different from a broken man.
After twelve years, when the tides of fate had finally receded, how could he meet her again in such a pitiful state?
"Leave." He bit his teeth, spitting out the word.
But instead of leaving, a pair of soft hands rested on his trembling eyelids—those once-powerful eyes, now dimmed. Xue Zi Ye’s voice trembled as she whispered, "Ming Jie… What happened to your eyes? Was it the Holy Leader—"
He couldn’t see her expression, but he could hear the pain and pity in her voice. In that moment, the stabbing pain in his heart became unbearable, and in a frenzy, he shoved her away, shouting, "It’s none of your business! Get out—"
Before he could say the third "leave," a warm tear fell onto his face, scalding and wet.
In that instant, all his pride and shame were burned away.
"You—" Tong’s intense emotions surged uncontrollably, but when he tried to speak, his voice failed him completely.
"Ming Jie, have you finally remembered?" Xue Zi Ye's voice trembled. "Do you know who I am now?"
He could feel Xue Zi Ye staring at him in the darkness, calling out the name that had been buried for twelve years.
What… what was this! Unable to bear the kindness and pity any longer, he suddenly raised his hand and grabbed her compassionate hand, forcefully pinning her against the cold iron bars of the cage!
Caught off guard, Xue Zi Ye gasped in surprise and looked up, meeting his wild, furious eyes in the darkness.
Tong held Xue Zi Ye's hands tightly, pressing her against the freezing iron bars. His breathing became ragged, and though his eyes were shut, his entire body trembled violently, as if his chest were filled with voices screaming inside him. In that brief moment, waves of torment crashed over him, a pain so intense it felt like it could kill him and bring him back to life.
"Why… why do you force me to this point?" he finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Why did you come back?"
But before he could finish, tears slipped from his tightly shut eyes, tracing long lines down his face.
"Why did you come back!" he shouted uncontrollably, his grip tightening on her hands. "Your Ming Jie is long dead!"
Xue Zi Ye was stunned: this proud man had finally broken down in front of her.
"Why did you come back?" Tong released her hands, leaving bruises where his grip had been. As if the walls inside his heart had all collapsed, he let out a beast-like sob, trembling so much that he could barely stand, turning his face away from her, leaning against the iron bars. "Why did you come… to see what’s become of the Ming Jie you knew?"
In silence, Xue Zi Ye reached out and embraced him.
In the darkness, she held him close, as if embracing the boy she had lost so many years ago. She could feel his shoulders trembling uncontrollably. This man, once the coldest and most unyielding of assassins, had crumbled completely in front of her.
She gently touched his gaunt cheeks. "Ming Jie… Ming Jie. It’s alright now. The Holy Leader promised me that if I heal him, he’ll let you go."
Yes. His life of killing had started because of her, so it should end because of her.
"It’s too late…" After a long silence, Tong finally regained control of his emotions. He softly pushed her arms away and whispered, "It’s too late—I’ve been poisoned by the Seven-Star Begonia."
"The Seven-Star Begonia!" Xue Zi Ye gasped, her face turning pale in the darkness.
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