Who knew how many days had passed?
Fei Qianchi lived each passing day as if he were already dead. Sometime he sat, sometimes he lied on the ground. Often times, he just wanted to throw himself into the Corroding Water.
With each passing day, Fei Qianchi forced himself to continue living. It was a way to repent for his sins, he had to continue living while he slowly died inside.
No one visited him anymore. Occasionally, Fei Qianchi could hear the earth trembling and rumbling, perhaps it was from the new war that broke out with Su Fuchen’s son’s return.
Fei Qianchi only wanted to see Zhu Longwang again. He couldn’t forget the man’s devastating expression, he couldn’t forget the way his eyes burnt out, looking back at him with purple eyes.
In the desolate place, Fei Qianchi had time to think about the course of his life. It truly felt like he was a puppet at Fate’s will.
At the moment, Fei Qianchi’s robe was dirty with dried blood on it. He touched his storage ring, fumbling with the jade spiritual ring. As he sat up, he looked at the blue water. Death always seemed easier than living. In reality, it was easier to die than live while facing the aftermath of your actions.
Fei Qianchi crossed his legs, closing his eyes. As he could not use his Qi, he couldn’t do anything. He merely lived everyday, bypassing it by closing his eyes, trapped within his thoughts, unable to escape.
At that moment, the soft sound of footsteps were heard once more.
Fei Qianchi opened his eyes, blue eyes looking forward, listening to the soft steps. A light smile came to his lips. These steps, he easily recognized who it was. How could he not? This person has been by his side for two centuries now. In the end, it was him who pushed the man away.
Fei Qianchi waited patiently, his smile slowly disappearing.
Appearing before him, the man was as beautiful as before. His purple eyes were striking, his thin lips were straightened and taunt. The man’s skin was pale, a faint scar marred his skin. His eyes were penetrating, his cold features couldn’t hide the hidden sorrow that leaked from his body. He was dressed in a white robe, his black hair held up by a bright crimson hairpin. With Sanfeng upon his back, the man stopped, looking at Fei Qianchi.
“How have you been?” His cold voice trembled. For what reason, even he didn’t know why.
Fei Qianchi looked at Zhu Longwang, the man was the same as before. He was the only one left now. Everyone else was gone because of him.
“I’ve been alright. And you?” Fei Qianchi didn’t ignore the man. He looked up, lifting his lips slightly with a small smile. In that instant, he restored to the man he once was before the madness got to him.
Seeing this, Zhu Longwang’s eyes flickered, lips trembling as he looked at Fei Qianchi’s dire image. The man looked like he had thinned down in these few days.
“I… I’ve been busy.” Zhu Longwang bit back his emotions, slowly answering in reply. His slender fingers touched the barrier, as if he could touch Fei Qianchi through the barrier that was set up.
“I know.” Fei Qianchi slowly mumbled out, nodding his head. His smile was soon wiped away, his eyes dimming.
Zhu Longwang opened his mouth, closing it as he stumbled to find the right words. Finally, clenching his hands, he whispered, “I will get you out. I promise. That wasn’t you, Qianchi. That was someone else controlling you. It wasn’t you who killed them, you were merely a pawn.”
But hearing these words, Fei Qianchi simply shook his head. “Controlled or not, my hands were used to kill them. In the end, the problem began with me, thus it will end with me. There is no need to get me out of here. I need to atone for my sins.” Speaking to this point, Fei Qianchi stopped for a second, choking back his emotions. “Please tell Fei Shang to not be impulsive. Explain to him that it was my fault.”
Zhu Longwang froze, emotions flickering across his face, yet he couldn’t say a word as he suppressed his feelings. “When did it begin? When did you start losing yourself?” The man quietly asked, his voice soft as his expression deepened.
Fei Qianchi lifted his lips into a bitter smile. When did it begin? “I always had a voice that whispered in my head. I trusted that voice and that voice did help me through many situations. After I met Baicheng, the voice slowly lost power. It was at that time that another voice had took over me, suppressing and fooling with my emotions. With that new voice, I lost myself and started to deviate. Before I knew it, it was controlling me and using my emotions. I lost myself and in turn, I let it control me. It gradually manipulated me, fooling me into believing things that weren’t true. At that point, it was already too late to save myself.”
Fei Qianchi exhaled a breath of air, looking down at his hands. He avoided Zhu Longwang’s eyes, unable to look at the man. He was ashamed of himself, filled with guilt whenever he thought about himself.
“From the beginning, it was my fault. When Baicheng betrayed me, I fell even deeper and slowly gave myself up. I pushed you out of my life, I pushed everyone away. In the end, this was what everything led to.” Fei Qianchi slowly confessed. As he spoke, he let free of the emotions he kept deep within himself.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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After everything was said, things became clearer for Fei Qianchi. How could he deny? The truth was laid out, it was his fault to begin with.
Zhu Longwang stared, long and silent as he watched Fei Qianchi.
Zhu Longwang wasn’t far better.
Fei Qianchi recalled Zhu Luishui. The man was also taken away. “How is the Lord of Suzhou?” He slowly asked.
Having his brother be brought up, Zhu Longwang’s lips tightened even more. He was silent for a second before he finally responded, “I’m trying to get in contact with Sect Leader Su. My brother has been in this sect for a long time, he had also carried an important title since young. It would be nearly impossible for him to suddenly betray Fushui Sect. Unfortunately, I had no recollection of what happened, thus, I cannot clearly explain everything either.”
Fei Qianchi knew that by that point, Zhu Longwang was already unconscious.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure that the Lord of Suzhou will be let out soon. I… am merely waiting to hear my punishment.” Fei Qianchi’s voice was mellow, holding no weight for his own death that was near. Death as a punishment was perhaps light, especially when he had killed so many people.
Hearing these words, Zhu Longwang flinched. It was as if the words suddenly triggered a part within him as his eyes grew more intense. “Don’t speak like that. I will get you out.”
The man was stubborn. Hiding under his coldness, he was also a stubborn man incapable of letting go. The man was always like this. Even when pushed away, he would return as if he was never hurt.
How did Fei Qianchi meet such a man like this in his life? He wasn’t worthy. He didn’t deserve to have such a kind soul by his side, not when he was a battered and evil soul.
Perhaps in this life, meeting Zhu Longwang was one part of his life that could never have gone wrong. Fei Qianchi was rather content with that thought, a sudden heat spreading through his heart, almost warming it. Friends… what was the line between friends?
“No need for that. You can’t possibly fight against everyone. There is no need to sacrifice yourself. I understand my actions well enough and I know that this punishment is something that I need. I… am evil whether I want to admit it or not. If I wasn’t like so, then their lives would have been preserved.” Regret leaked from his words. For Fei Qianchi, that day became his own nightmare. Even until he died, it would haunt him forever, always reminding him of the blood that covered his hands.
The man outside the prison was silent as he listened to these words. In the end, a very light smile came onto his lips. The emotions behind that smile was complicated, even Fei Qianchi couldn’t tell what was behind it.
“A thousand pains in return for your safety, it is something that I would never hesitate to exchange.” Zhu Lomgwang’s light smile warmed up his face, the ice gradually lifting.
But hearing these words, Fei Qianchi was scared in his heart. What extent would Zhu Longwang go? No matter what, he wouldn’t let the man do so.
“Longwang, don’t do anything. Don’t help me. Someone like me, you don’t need to protect a person like me.” Fei Qianchi thought of himself as a worthless person now. He was unwilling to let any more lives be lost because of him. He was willing to take his punishment, it was what he deserved.
“Why can’t I?” Zhu Longwang rebuked, his cold eyes warming ever so lightly. The man leaned against the barrier, his eyes softening. “I know that something is wrong. With the new war that has broken out, there has been something odd going on. Qianchi, perhaps it was your hands that killed them, but it was not you who had control of your body.”
The words were comforting, but Fei Qianchi had long lost that part of himself. These words could not stop the nightmares that ran wild in his head. But still, against all odds, he felt relieved. It was small, the words weren’t much, but Fei Qianchi felt like a burden was lifted from off his chest.
Fei Qianchi found himself trembling, shaking as a thought came to his head. If only Zhu Longwang was the man who saved him, if only this man was the man he fell for, perhaps, everything would have been different.
From the moment he found his savior, Baicheng, things were already out of his control. From that point on, Fei Qianchi’s life crumbled to this point.
If only Zhu Longwang was the man who saved him then everything would have gone smoothly. But reality wasn’t like so. Having waited two hundreds years with no confirmation, Fei Qianchi knew that Zhu Longwang was not the man who saved him. Even when Fei Qianchi thought that he could be, the man seemed to drift farther.
Hence, when Fei Qianchi found Baicheng, he was out of control. Thinking back on it, things were always murky.
A sad smile evoked on Fei Qianchi’s lips. His eyes reddened as he closing them. “If only it was you, how different would everything be?” His voice was low, so low that Zhu Longwang could only make out bits of it, unable to understand fully.
“Qianchi?” Seeing that Fei Qianchi had closed his eyes, Zhu Longwang spoke up. The man looked haggard and tired, it was only normal. Even if his body was an immortal, it didn’t mean that pain could no longer be felt.
Hearing Zhu Longwang’s voice, Fei Qianchi softly shook his head. What use was regret now? It was too late. Zhu Longwang was not his savior and their ties would only remain as close friends. Rather than holding on and playing himself, Fei Qianchi understood that the past was unable to be changed. Hence, he opened his eyes.
“I’m alright. I just feel a bit tired.” There was no need to hold on anymore. Fei Qianchi felt like life played him, but he had also done the damage with his hands, destroying everything just like that.
Hearing this, Zhu Longwang took a longer look at Fei Qianchi. His eyes held so many words in them yet he couldn’t open his mouth to say a word, merely suppressing it within him.
Fei Qianchi heard the noise that echoed. It was loud and piercing, like boulders dropping from the sky.
“Have they been continuously attacking?” Fei Qianchi asked. Having been locked down here, Fei Qianchi wasn’t able to get much information. From hearing the noises, Fei Qianchi had to deduce everything on his own.
Hearing this, Zhu Longwang slowly answered, “The attacks have been constant. No one has seen Su Fichen’s son, there are other people leading in his place. A lady and a man, they follow the orders of a stronger man. He possesses blue eyes too, except his are much darker.” Zhu Longwang knew that explaining their appearance wouldn’t do anything, but he still said it.
Blue eyes… Fei Qianchi inherited his blue eyes from his mother. Even his white hair came from her, he knew that blue eyes were relatively rare, though not as rare as red eyes.
Suddenly, Fei Qianchi felt a fearsome thought take over him. Red eyes and blue eyes… Baicheng possessed red eyes, the man who had once met him also had blue eyes. He trembled. Was it possible?
His mind raced through all his encounters with Baicheng. Now that his head was clear, everything seemed to pop out in his mind. Baicheng, the man always talked about betrayal. He talked about running and hiding, seeking revenge.
Fei Qianchi bit his lips, his eyes widening. Baicheng was Su Fuchen’s son, he was the son of Bai Suyu. He was the man coming back for revenge.
Zhu Longwang watched as Fei Qianchi’s expression changed.
Finally, Fei Qianchi mumbled, “The man is Baicheng.”
“What?” Zhu Longwang questioned, his eyes narrowing.
“Baicheng is Bai Suyu and Su Fuchen’s son. He is Su Fuwen’s nephew, the man has always been coming back for revenge.” Fei Qianchi shakily looked up. Zhu Longwang was unable to hide the shock that appeared on his face, his hand clenching by his side.
“How do you know?” Zhu Longwang didn’t jump to conclusions from just hearing this. He patiently asked more questions.
“When I first met Baicheng, there was a man with blue eyes who met with him. Not long after, once I got closer to him, he told me that he was hiding, that there were people chasing after him. He told me many times that he was seeking revenge because he had been betrayed.” Fei Qianchi slowly explained.
Hearing this, Zhu Longwang’s eyes deepened. “Did he do anything to you?”
Fei Qianchi stopped to think, he then shook his head. “I don’t believe so. Even if he did, perhaps I don’t even know.”
“Look out for him. He is strong. Even Zhao Weiming was afraid of Baicheng and Zhao Weiming could rival both,” Fei Qianchi suddenly stopped. The image of Tian Sichan dying appeared in his head, his body shaking as the sudden memory flew to his head. Unable to continue, he stopped, his body covered in sweat.
“Qianchi? Qianchi, are you alright?” Zhu Longwang easily noticed how Fei Qianchi stopped mid-sentenced, the man suddenly freezing.
In that moment, it was as if he was there again, the day that he killed everyone. Even as he wanted to escape, he continued to move. Their faces appeared, resignation and disappointment on their face as they took their final breath, watching their life fade before them. Fei Qianchi’s body trembled. Fu Huayan’s mocking laugh echoed in his ears, her stabbing words of disappointment and ridicule.
He clenched his hand, his face growing even paler. Zhao Weiming’s ridicules, his voice echoed in his ears. Fei Qianchi felt the guilt within him appear again, stabbing and mocking him.
“Qianchi!”
Fei Qianchi gasped, finally shaking out of that memory. As his eyes cleared, he looked down. His hands bled from how hard he had clenched his hand, the blood dripping and dying the ground.
“I’m alright.” Fei Qianchi’s voice shook as he looked up once more.
Zhu Longwang bit his lips. At that moment, a blue sigil shone on his forehead. Zhu Longwang furrowed his brows, biting his lips. “I have to go. I will come back. Qianchi, I promise to take you out soon. Believe me.”
Before Fei Qianchi could say anything, the man had already left. Now alone, Fei Qianchi felt a cold gust of wind hit him, his body relaxing as he collapsed onto the ground, the strength fading from his body. His eyes closed.
Fei Qianchi opened his eyes.
Where was he?
Fei Qianchi’s eyes focused. Suddenly, he knew where he was. This was where he met Su Lianghe.
Just as he thought this, the fog lifted.
The same familiar man sat, his limbs still chained.
Without moving, the man whispered, “You are back. Come, sit here with me.”
Su Lianghe smiled, facing towards the distance. The cloth covered his eyes, but the light smile on his face could not hide his peaceful demeanor.
Fei Qianchi slowly stepped forward. He sat down next to the man.
Su Lianghe was quiet. “I remember that you are Fei Qianchi. Seeing that you have come here, it seems that Fushui Sect is going through a calamity. A thick calamity is waving off of your body. You must have committed a sin.”
Hearing Su Lianghe say this, Fei Qianchi froze. Not hiding the truth, he slowly replied, “Yes, I have.”
The man sighed as he heard this. “The story has been hidden for a lifetime. Let me tell you from the beginning.” Su Lianghe turned his face towards the mountains, the ravines.
Fei Qianchi was silent as he listened.
“Centuries ago, a man and a woman climbed up this mountain. Seeing me, they kowtowed down and begged me to help protect their son. There was no resentment lingering on their bodies. They begged me to help their son from walking a path of evil. I exhausted my power to help protect their son, to follow their wishes. Doing so, I had touched upon their Book of Fate, revealing to me their lives.” Su Lianghe paused, sighing as he shook his head.
“That man was Su Fuchen. The woman was Bai Suyu. I’m sure that you know them.”
Fei Qianchi widened his eyes.
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My tear duct is almost over flowing 😭