Chapter 81-88
Ch.81: Land of the Tender; Body of Gold Hard-Pressed Against Desire 2
Hearing him, that young soldier’s back flinched and froze. He turned around hesitantly
but didn’t dare go over. The situation at hand didn’t allow for any time wasted, and
seeing his hesitation, temper flared in Xie Lian’s chest but he forced it down, “Don’t be
scared, I won’t do anything to you. Get over here, quick!”
At last, that boy moved. He rushed close to Xie Lian’s side but came to an abrupt stop
two feet away. Xie Lian sucked in a breath silently and extended a hand towards him,
“...Help me up, take me away.”
That young soldier very carefully took that hand and grasped it. It was like a man on the
brink of death had finally found someone to rely on, and in an instant, Xie Lian’s entire
body slackened, and collapsed onto that boy.
Sunken deep in the Tender Fragrance, his body temperature was high, his body
burning. Yet, somehow that boy’s hands were equally as hot, and there was even slight
trembling.
Xie Lian leaned on him for a bit, saved some energy, then inhaled and pushed himself
to stand. He didn’t want to have someone smaller than him support his person entirely,
but with his help, they walked agonizingly for a few steps. Those flower demons called
out to him when they saw them move away, “No, Your Highness, don’t leave us! ‘He’ is
waiting for you on the road, so if you leave here, you’ll bump into ‘him’.”
‘He’?
“Who’s ‘he’?” Xie Lian demanded.
Speaking of that person, even the Land of the Tenders were slightly terrified and after
some hesitation, they mumbled, “‘He’ is ‘him’.”
The flowers all nodded to each other: “‘He’ is ‘him’. The one who brought us here.”
Even if they didn’t dare to speak of that person’s name or identity, that half-crying
half-smiling mask immediately appeared in Xie Lian’s mind. “So what you’re saying is if I
go back now, then the one who planted you all will hunt me down halfway on the road,
but if I stay here, he won’t come, correct?”
The flower demons were pleased and noisily nodded their heads. Fury burst into flames
in Xie Lian’s chest.
To trap him without killing him in this hateful situation, were they playing with him? Why
not simply just battle to the death?
He collected himself and forced down his irritation. It seemed the other party had no
intention of facing him head on, and only wanted to damage his spiritual power, make
him fall from grace, and lose followers.
Those flower demons may not be speaking the truth, and even if they told lies, if he
thought about it, even though this boy could support him or carry him on his back, they
still might not be able to return safely. Should the other party purposely throw some
women at them halfway down the road, the situation might get even worse or more
awkward.
After some consideration, Xie Lian exhaled a feverish breath and closed his eyes. “Take
me to the cave over there.”
That young soldier followed his instructions and helped him cross through that ground
piled with corpses. When they came before the cave, Xie Lian gasped in a low voice,
“Stop.”
That little soldier halted. Even just raising a hand Xie Lian shook uncontrollably,
“Where’s your sword?”
That boy supported him with his left arm and freed the right to take out his sword. Xie
Lian extended his hand, rolled up the sleeves and revealed a small part of his arm.
Under the white moonlight, it was smooth and pale like the softest white jade. That boy
suddenly held his breath but Xie Lian didn’t notice and ordered, still in a low voice, “Stab
me.”
The hand that held up the worn sword immediately dropped. Xie Lian prompted, “Don’t
worry, just stab, and stab deeply. I need to draw an array. There’s no other spiritual
devices on hand, so there needs to be blood.”
However, that young soldier protested, “Your Highness, please use my blood!” And he
raised his own arm and carved without holding back. Xie Lian hurriedly said, “No need!
Your blood...” But his words didn’t make it in time. A deep gash had already appeared
on that boy’s arm, fresh blood flowing from it. Xie Lian sighed, “Sigh... you...
nevermind.”
Xie Lian’s blood was an invaluable holy treasure, so how could a mortal’s blood
compare? But seeing how sincere this little soldier was, he couldn’t bear to tell him that
what he’d done was pointless. Instead, he said, “Thanks. But, we still need some of my
blood as a catalyst.” Thus, Xie Lian took that sword, and with trembling hands, it took
him a few tries before successfully stabbing into the centre of his arm. Crimson holy
blood streamed down his white arm and dripped into two curved lines before the cave,
drawing two barriers. Xie Lian also took care to mix in some of that boy’s blood, and
after completing the array, the dizziness grew stronger. “...Let’s go in.”
It was dark inside the cave and that boy took out a small flare torch from inside his
robes, ignited it, and the firelight brightened their surroundings with intense light.
That young soldier’s face was hidden behind the bandages, covering him completely,
yet Xie Lian’s discomposure was open for all to see. His cold sweat sticky, his hair
disheveled, his lips red and swollen. It was the cut created when he bit his lips to
sanctify his own sword earlier. The firelight stabbed at Xie Lian’s eyes, hurting them,
and the waves of heat were also torturing him, so Xie Lian demanded immediately,
“Don’t light the fire, kill it.”
That boy immediately threw the small flare torch on the ground and stepped to
extinguish it, and they sank into darkness once more. After being helped into the cave,
Xie Lian sat himself down and seated into a meditative position. A moment later, he
spoke labouriously, “I have a mission for you, can you do it?”
“...” That boy dropped to the ground kneeling, “I’m willing to risk my life to do my duty!”
Xie Lian painfully restrained his heavy breathing and said with a forced calm, “I drew
two sets of barriers in front of the cave. The outer barrier to to ensure nothing outside
gets in; the inner barrier is to prevent anyone inside from getting out.”
He gasped harshly for air silently and continued, “There’s enough space between the
two barriers for one person. Stay there and watch over the cave entrance. No matter
what you hear outside, don’t go out. Same logic; don’t come in no matter what sounds
you hear from me.”
That boy was slightly perplexed, “Your Highness, you’re staying here by yourself?”
“Yes.” Xie Lian said, “I don’t know what I’ll do... In any case, you can’t come in no
matter what.”
Under the circumstances, Xie Lian couldn’t leave. But waiting for reinforcements, Qi
Rong was probably still stumbling down the road, and just the trip back to the royal
capital would take a long while. Who knows when reinforcements would come. He could
only seal off this small area temporarily, set off wards, and figure out a way to treat that
Tender Fragrance. He rasped, “Fruits born of flower demons are powerful temptresses.
They’re most likely going to ripen soon...”
Just then, the fragrance in the air suddenly surged, cutting off his words. That gentle
affectious scent filled the air from the ground to the sky, and the flower demons let out
ecstatic, delicate cackling, trumpeting, “MY ROOT! MY ROOT IS HARD!”
“The fruits have ripened!”
Smelling that exceedingly sweet fragrance, Xie Lian could feel his heart beating faster,
and blood rushed to his brain. He gritted his teeth, “Hurry and go! Don’t breathe in that
scent, and if they get close, don’t be scared. Nothing can cross that blood line, but as
long as your feet remain inside the barrier you can strike them with your sword.”
That boy glanced outside, nodded with conviction and rushed out with the sword in
hand, stationing himself between the two blood lines by the entrance of the cave.
Outside the cave, in that field of corpses, bushes of flower shrubberies grew vividly in
colour. That briar field were all quivering as if something beneath was about to rupture
the ground. Soon, there was indeed something that broke out – it was the head of a
woman!
That ‘woman’s’ head sprouted from beneath the soil, breathed in the fresh air above
ground, and looked to be drunk with joy, her eyes squeezing shut into crescent lines.
Following immediately after was a round and smooth shoulder, and then an entire arm
crawled out.
The fruits of the Land of the Tender were formed under the whiskers of their roots.
When their fruits ripen, they shape into various forms of women.
The time of ripening had come, and countless naked women broke out from the earth.
They raised their arms to pluck those bright red blossoms from their heads and bathed
under the moonlight, stretching their limbs to their heart’s content. It was those little
flowers that emitted that fragrant scent, but now the ones secreting that sweet odour
were those enchanting women. They patted off the remaining mud on their bodies, fixed
their hair, and walked towards the cave, giggling seductively, “Your Highness, we’re
coming!”
That sweet fragrance also suffocatingly filled the interior of the cave, and Xie Lian sat in
the lotus position with his eyes closed, chanting the ethics sutra mentally. Yet, it had
little use; those flower demons called to him without shame, chirping familiar language
like baby, sweetheart, gege, didi*, all sorts of monikers, disturbing his mind, so Xie Lian
changed to reciting out loud: “Five sights cause blindness five sounds cause deafness
galloping hunts cause madness rare goods cause obstructions... calm over impatience
coldness over heat silence is the ultimate virtue... those who are kind will receive
kindness those who are unkind will receive unkindness...”* Xie Lian had not noticed at
all that the sutra he memorized without fault was recited all over the place.
Outside the cave, the flower demons clapped and laughed tauntingly, “My dear Crown
Prince, my sweetheart, my good Highness, you’re not a monk, why are you reciting
sutras – aiyoh!”
Suddenly there was shrieking all over, and it sounded like that young soldier wordlessly
became violently aggressive, chopping and slashing madly, chasing those flower
demons away as they cried, “Murder!”
Some yelled from far away: “YOU CURSED LITTLE BRAT, LITTLE DESTROYER OF
BEAUTY! NO TENDERNESS IN YOUR HEART AT ALL!”
“Scary, scary! Vicious at such an age! Imagine him full grown!”
Those flower demons were trying to squish themselves into the cave like starving
beasts, but they just couldn’t squeeze in. They didn’t notice the blood array on the
ground and had thought the blockage was all caused by that boy. After some
discussion, they gathered not too far away and called to him, “Little gege, why must you
block us from going in? It’s not like we’re going to do anything bad, we just want to have
a good time with His Highness!”
“Be good, little soldier, and don’t hinder us from doing His Highness some good.”
“That little didi is so mean. A shame that he’s so young, too tender. He probably doesn’t
even know what ‘doing good’ means!”
The flower demons fell over themselves over another round of mocking giggles, and Xie
Lian blinked open his eyes slightly only to see at the entrance of the cave stood that
black shadow, one of that boy who, with a sword in hand, was determined to never
move even in death. Suddenly, one of the flower demons said, “I say, little gege, don’t
stick yourself in there like a hard shaft, what are you planning? Why not come with me
over there to have some fun? What sorts do you fancy? Do you like my type?”
That young soldier still didn’t respond, and those flower demons thought in order to
enter the cave they must pass by him, so they all brought forth their tricks, coddling,
“What about me?”
“How about this? Do you fancy my sort?”
“Look at me, do you like this?”
Yet, from flirts at the beginning changing to complaints then to curses at the end, that
boy still only ignored them if they were far away, and struck at them if they were close.
Xie Lian knew that before Land of the Tenders emerged from the ground, they could
change their own shapes at will. He had wanted to warn the boy but due to his current
distressing predicament he daren’t open his mouth. Finally at last when those pressing
waves of heat passed did he gasp, “Don’t look at them...”
Just fighting against the hot blood rushing to his head already exhausted him, so Xie
Lian’s voice was terribly soft and low, but that young soldier instantly heard him and
cried in response, “YES SIR! Your Highness, how... how are you?”
“I’m fine.” Xie Lian said, “If things get too hard, shut your eyes, seal your nose and your
mouth...”
That young soldier hadn’t had a chance to answer when another flower demon
suddenly burst out laughing, “I KNOW! Little guy, I bet your favourite type must look like
this!?”
It sounded as if another new Land of the Tender had emerged. There was a sudden
dead silence that blanketed outside the cave. That young soldier also seemed to have
stopped breathing.
The next second, the crashing waves of laughter of those flower demons surged against
Xie Lian, drowning him.
They clapped and screeched, “AIYOOHH!! WHAT A HAND! WHAT A HAAANNNDDD!!”
“My GOD! How did you come up with this? IT’S THE BEST HAHAHAHAHAHAH...
LOOK! THAT BRAT IS COMPLETELY STUNNED! I BET IT’S LIKE THIS!”
“IT MUST BE LIKE THIS! AND HERE I THOUGHT THAT SHITTY BRAT IS A ROCK.
WHO KNEW WE WERE WRONG! SUCH BALLS AT SUCH AN AGE!”
“You win, we are nothing! How about it, little guy? Come quick and enjoy this sweet
delicious sight!”
“There won’t be another shop that serves this dish if you leave this land. If you don’t
seize your chance now, even if you dream for eight hundred years you still won’t be able
to have a taste! Or, do you want us to give you a hand? That state... heeheeheehee...”
That young soldier was thoroughly incensed, and his tone of voice was filled with frost,
“... YOU, ARE, SEEKING, DEATH!!”
At the same time, inside the cave Xie Lian was about to reach his limit.
His sight blurred and his ears drummed, he could no longer sit up straight. He collapsed
forward and barely held himself from the ground with his hands. But, this tumble
loosened his gritted teeth, and in that moment of delirium, a painful, wretched moan
escaped his lips.
———–
●Didi is the familiar address for little brother.
●Those are verses from the Ethics Sutra (Tao Te Ching, The Book of the Way of
Virtue) by Laozi. It’s a Chinese literary classic alongside Iching and also one of
the philosophical foundation text for Taoism.
———–
Ch.82: Land of the Tender; Body of Gold Hard-Pressed Against Desire 3
TW: Graphic Self Harm
That young soldier whipped around, “...YOUR HIGHNESS?”
With one hand supporting himself off the ground, Xie Lian used the other to cover his
mouth doggedly, his breathing erratic, his shoulders shaking. Just by listening to him
and seeing his silhouette, one would probably think he was sobbing.
Never in his life, before and after ascension, had Xie Lian experienced such a grueling
ordeal. This was much more arduous than the toughest trial at the Royal Holy Pavilion.
Strength of the arm supporting his weight drained, and his body keeled over to the side.
As he laid on the ground delirious and barely conscious, he saw that boy looked as if he
wanted to enter, and Xie Lian shouted, “DON’T COME IN! I SAID DON’T COME IN NO
MATTER WHAT YOU HEAR!!!”
That boy stopped in his step, and Xie Lian laboriously flipped onto his back, facing up,
and somehow regulated his breathing despite wave after waves of heat crashing
through every part of his body. The flower demons outside the cave heard him tossing
and turning, that fire burning intensely, and they clapped while laughing, “My good
highness, why be so hard on yourself! Today you’re refusing yourself a good time
because you’re scared of losing followers; tomorrow you’ll be scared to do other things
because you’d be scared of losing followers. How is that any way a heavenly official?
More like a prisoner hands tied by those devotees! It’s not worth it being a god like that.
You’re gonna lose your place sooner or later, so why not just enjoy yourself for now?
Things come and go, no need to mind the petty details!”
Veins popped on Xie Lian’s forehead and his temper lost control. “SHUT UP!!!” He
shouted, outraged.
The flower demons naturally weren’t afraid of the him right now, and they started
teasing that little soldier anew, “Little didi, don’t you think we’re right? Hahahaha...”
“Hee hee hee... aren’t you feeling miserable standing there?”
Cold sweat had already drenched his entire body. Feeling exceedingly hot and
bothered, Xie Lian violently tore at his robes, wanting even just a sliver of coolness. As
he ripped, he suddenly noticed: how come strength was returning to his arms? Although
that bit of power didn’t last long and left just as quickly, when he checked himself, sure
enough the numbness had passed, and energy was gradually increasing. Yet, Xie Lian’s
heart was dropping.
The effect of the Tender Fragrance was numbness at first followed by mania. The
numbness had passed, so in a moment, madness and passion would fill his veins.
Although he drew two lines of barriers at the entrance of the cave, the interior one
drawn especially to prevent his crazed self from going out, but once mania took over, he
was not certain whether if the barrier would be enough to stop him. This moment of
clarity was a rare blessing, and Xie Lian grabbed on to it with both hands, thinking
rapidly of ways to handle the situation.
Suddenly, a small realization came to him: The Tender Fragrance worked rapidly;
usually the moment blood rushed to the brain all control would be lost, so how had he
managed to stay afloat until now? Was there no other reason than his exceptional
steadiness of the mind?
Thinking of this, Xie Lian inhaled a long breath and inclined his head, then he called to
the silhouette of that boy by the cave’s entrance, still looking indecisive over entering.
“You... come in.”
Hearing his call, that young soldier appeared to want to run to his side immediately, but
after a few steps, he seemed to remember Xie Lian’s angry instruction of “Don’t come in
no matter what you hear”, and he hesitated. Xie Lian was also feeling woeful at
changing his mind so quickly, and he called again miserably, “Just come in here first.”
That boy stopped hesitating and rushed in.
The tunnel of that cave was long and narrow, the interior warm and humid. Darkness
filled the space, not even raised fingers could be seen, and that boy used Xie Lian’s
rasping breaths to find where he was. Xie Lian then instructed, “Put down your sword...
put it on the ground. Right next to me. Not too far away.”
“Yes sir!” That young soldier acknowledged and handed over his only defense and
placed it where Xie Lian could easily reach for it. Xie Lian then added, “Please help me
up.”
That boy half knelt next to him and extended both his arms to help support Xie Lian.
However, the moment his hands reached out, what he touched wasn’t fabric, but
feverish skin.
Those hands immediately shrank back. Xie Lian himself felt burnt by that boy’s hot
hands, and only then did he remember he tore off his upper robes earlier in the midst of
madness. Men naked from the waist up usually didn’t mean anything, except under the
current circumstances, it was a little more awkward. But there was no need to highlight
that awkwardness; they just need to do what they must. That boy seemed to realized it
too, and he didn’t wait for Xie Lian to say anything before he reached out again, circling
his arm around Xie Lian’s bare shoulders to help him up, then immediately let go. Xie
Lian leaned against the wall of the tunnel, his back pressed against the cool rocky wall
and felt some relief. Noticing that the other backed away a few steps, he hurriedly said,
“Wait, don’t go out yet!”
That young soldier heeded his every word, and immediately halted. “Cut off a lock of my
hair. I have need for it.” Xie Lian said.
That boy acknowledged the order and reached out again. However, nothing could be
seen clearly in the darkness, and Xie Lian’s long locks were cleanly tied behind his
back, so his first contact wasn’t Xie Lian’s hair, but instead he accidentally felt the skin
of Xie Lian’s chest, soft and supple with a sheen of glistening sweat. Xie Lian was
already in torment and that boy had touched somewhere sensitive. It was as if a jolt of
electricity shocked through his torso, spreading pleasure throughout his whole body,
and he moaned softly.
The two in the cave instantly froze.
The flower demons outside the cave were desperately trying to listen in so how could
they miss it? They giggled, “My gosh, what are they doing in there?”
“So embarrassing!”
“I daren’t listen!”
Listening to their teasing his suffering, Xie Lian gritted his teeth, “YOU–!”
That boy immediately dropped his hands at the sound of Xie Lian’s fury, afraid to make
any more contact. Obviously Xie Lian wasn’t furious at him; in his eyes that little soldier
was nothing more than a child. He softened his tone, thinking the boy was probably
scared of offending him, and said, “Don’t panic, continue. Don’t mind them.”
That boy croaked, “Yes sir.” But he did indeed seemed to be panicking, feeling
everywhere he shouldn’t, and every time he found he had touched the wrong place his
hands would shrink back. In the end he couldn’t but only trace his hands up Xie Lian’s
chest to find his hair, flaring unspeakable pleasure and agony in Xie Lian. Such misery,
Xie Lian longed to smash his head against the tunnel wall and just pass out for good.
Finally, that boy felt Xie Lian’s throbbing adam’s apple and sought behind the neck,
grasping a lock of hair. With only a few strands in his grip, he very carefully cut with the
sword and said instantly after, “Your Highness, it’s done!”
Another small bout of strength returned to Xie Lian just then, and he raised his hand,
“Give me your hand.”
That boy heeded, and from his hands, Xie Lian retrieved those long, thin strands and
tied them into a knot onto a random finger of that boy’s hand. That boy was baffled, and
he asked with a quivering voice, “Your Highness, what’s this?”
Xie Lian sighed, “The flower demon’s poison is about to enter second stage. I need to
borrow your sword. If anything wants to harm you later, just raise this hand and it can
protect you. Now, leave.”
A moment later, that young soldier returned to the entrance of the cave. Those flower
demons thus became rowdy again, “Out again?”
“Finally.”
“Blocking us outside like this while you went in yourself. Little buddy, you’re not very
nice!”
At that same time, Xie Lian could feel more strength surging through his limbs. He
sucked in a deep breath, grabbed the worn sword that young soldier left behind with his
right hand, steadied his spirit, raised the sword, and made a cut on his left arm.
In a flash, it was like the fog had lifted, and his senses refreshed.
He knew it!
Blood streamed down Xie Lian’s left arm, but it was like he had finally grasped a lifeline
in the midst of that chaos.
The fragrance of Land of the Tender could aggravate one’s temper and arouse deep,
slumbering urges. Typically the stronger the repressed urge, after taking in the
fragrance, the stronger the rebound. As for what Xie Lian repressed deep down, taking
‘lust’ away, there was only the urge to kill left.
This “Urge to Kill” couldn’t be referred to monsters or demons. He had slain much evil in
the past so it didn’t count as any sort of repression. The target to be killed must be
human or a god in order to inflict the sense of transgression. Before entering the cave,
Xie Lian cut himself in order to draw the arrays and so blood was spilt. It was somewhat
effective against the Tender Fragrance because injuring himself was also a form of
inflicting harm.
At the end of the day, ‘lust’ and ‘murder’ were both extremely aggressive desires, and
Xie Lian had even heard that some thought the nature of both were one and the same.
Then, using himself as proof, there was indeed an alternative method to pass the
current trial.
Sure of his own reasoning, Xie Lian cut another line on his left arm without hesitation,
and each cut brought more clarity to his mind. He was just rejoicing and didn’t realize
that the Tender Fragrance was stirring more evil within his body, and when that urge to
kill was satisfied, instantly, another wave of pleasure poured through his person.
That sudden surge of pleasure coursed through him from head to toe, easily breaking
the wall of defense he painstakingly built, and by the time Xie Lian had realized it, he
was already quietly moaning.
If it wasn’t only him inside the cave, Xie Lian wouldn’t be able to believe that sound
came from him. He shuddered violently and widened his eyes, thinking, ‘This method
should’ve worked, so why would this happen?’
He glanced at the sword and suddenly remembered: that young soldier had used it to
cut down the stems of those flowers, and had struck the humanoid flower demons. The
blade was covered in the sap of those Land of the Tenders. He used twenty percent of
his power to make the first cut on his arm, and the same relieving effect could only be
achieved if he used thirty percent of his power to cut. Wasn’t this no different than
drinking poison to quench thirst?
Madness must’ve gone to his head, otherwise he should’ve already noticed this. Xie
Lian cursed himself mentally, but since the act had already been done, he could only rip
off a piece of his left sleeve to wipe crazedly at the sword, then tear off his right sleeve
to stuff it in his own mouth, biting it down mulishly, and do his best to restrain himself.
The damned quiet moans continued to escape through his bit lips and gritted teeth
intermittently. However, voices echo within caves, and every small sound was amplified
and reverberated outwards. That boy heeded his instructions and covered his eyes,
using only his sense of hearing to work, and his ears became more sensitive, so there
was no reason he noticed nothing. Unable to hold back any longer, he asked with a
quivering voice, “Your Highness?”
To be in such an unspeakable state was the biggest shame of his life. Xie Lian could
hardly imagine what would happen should anyone see him now, and even submerged
in darkness he could not tolerate the thought. He yelled, “DON’T COME IN!!!”
However, that piece of cloth was still stuffed in his mouth so his command only sounded
like muffled whimpering, exceedingly pitiful and wretched. Hearing him, that young
soldier became even more agitated.
———-
●[斷髮/ 結髮夫妻] The traditional wedding ritual of spouses cutting off a lock of
their own hair, intertwining and tying them together symbolized “Til Death Do Us
Part”. Xie Lian cutting off a lock of his hair to tie around Hua Cheng’s finger might
be as inconsequential as Lan Wangji biting Wei Wuxian’s arm, but it’s a point of
interest anyway knowing MXTX, lol. (Obviously Hua Cheng thought more of it
than Xie Lian did since he tied the red string of fate on his finger later?)
———-
Ch.83: Land of the Tender; Body of Gold Hard-Pressed Against Desire 4
TW: Graphic Self Harm
Xie Lian’s left arm was bleeding profusely from the gash he created himself, but at the
end of the day, it was only self ‘harm’, not ‘murder’, and so the urge wasn’t fully fulfilled.
His mouth slackened and that stuffed piece of cloth fell from his lips. Xie Lian became
more aggressive, and stabbed his left leg. It was a deep cut; the sound of the blade
penetrating his flesh was clear. That young soldier couldn’t stand back anymore and ran
towards him. Hearing his hurried footsteps, Xie Lian backed away in terror. Even when
his back was pressed against the wall he continued to push backwards, “NONONO!
DON’T COME NEAR ME, DON’T...”
The second blood barrier by the entrance of the cave was drawn especially for Xie Lian
to bar himself, but it couldn’t bar that boy so he still had a chance to return to safety. But
the Tender Fragrance poison was about to enter second stage, and if that boy
approached, Xie Lian could very well end his life right then and there, and spare him no
chance of escape. He was terrified he’d kill that child by accident and could only avoid
him. That young soldier heard the terror in his voice and called anxiously, “Your
Highness...”
The urge to kill was boiling in his blood. He raised that worn sword with his shaking
hand, and a voice inside his head screamed, “I WON’T DIE, I WON’T DIE, I WON’T
DIE!!!”
The next moment, in a split second decision, the blade turned.
In the darkness, that young soldier could see a cold light flash by and he yelled, “YOUR
HIGHNESS!!!”
The sword had struck, and it penetrated Xie Lian’s own stomach, nailing himself dead
onto the ground!
A sharp pain exploded from his abdomen, spreading throughout his whole body,
dispersing the heat. Xie Lian’s hands were gripping tightly onto the hilt, his eyes bulging.
He choked a cough, a thin thread of blood flowed down from the side of his lips, his
breathing stagnated, and he stopped moving. That young soldier was dumbfounded,
and fell to his knees next