Chapter 100. Without permission, one cannot die.

‘Why did I...’

With a surge of blood, Guiling blamed herself.

She knew this would happen, knew she couldn’t escape, and thus should not have come out. But she couldn’t shake off her curiosity. Foolishly, she couldn’t shake off the desire to feel again the chill she had sensed from the young master yesterday. Why did I make such a choice?

As if drawn by some force, she came out.

‘Did I want to meet him? Did I want to die?’

She looked down at the sword blade embedded in her abdomen, then raised her head to look at the young master. His expression was incredibly calm, and Guiling laughed. It was a calmness that defied imagination, considering he had cut her leg and stabbed her in the abdomen.

Yes, she had heard it before.

The supreme geniuses of the righteous sects are more terrifying than demons.

Looking at their extreme composure, which remains unshaken by any madness or demonic energy, one’s soul trembles.

Such a person was right in front of her.

‘Impressive.’

Papa.

In that moment, she was struck at over twenty points. It was quick. Though brief, Guiling realized that many things had changed with this strike, and she laughed again.

The blood gushing from her severed leg stopped, and the sensation in her dantian dulled and then disappeared. Not only could she no longer circulate her qi, but she couldn’t even use her meridians.

And seven foreign energies entered her body. They crouched inside like beasts. What are they? Her heart sank. What would happen if these beasts started to run wild?

A voice came.

“You have a choice. If your answer is quick and sincere, you can die quickly. If you stall, you will live longer. Understand?”

“Guh...”

Guiling nodded, understanding.

The ability to control herself had been taken away. Now, death required permission. She had known this from the moment the sword pierced her.

The sword blade that had passed through her body,

had not touched any internal organs. In an instant, the young master had avoided all vital points. So the final strike was not to kill but to pierce her and pin her to the tree.

Just to maintain eye contact and have a comfortable conversation.

Is this person really a scholar? When did he start wielding a sword? His understanding of swords and human anatomy is on a different level.

Thus, stalling would not simply mean living longer. The seven foreign energies would also bring hell to her.

“Name.”

“Gui...ling...”

“Name.”

When the question was asked again in a low voice, Guiling was puzzled.

She had just said it. She had spoken clearly, so why was he asking again? It couldn’t be a trivial issue...

Then she suddenly realized.

Ah! Name.

She had forgotten. She needed to be called by her name, but she had forgotten because no one had called her for a long time. No one had asked, so she had no chance to say it. She had even forgotten when she would be asked.

But it happened now... at the moment of death, the one who was bringing her death asked her name... Guiling laughed. She felt like laughing madly.

“Guh... That’s right... Haha... I had a name... I wasn’t always Gui Ling...”

Gui Ling, or rather Fang Yuqian, cried.

Her life flashed before her eyes.

She was once a child. A fearful and hungry child, taken into Xueyin Valley, and transformed from Fang Yuqian to Gui Ling. She mastered the Blood Absorption Technique and became Gui Ling, and her days of thirsting for blood continued. Her thirst and hunger could only be quenched by blood. If she didn’t drink blood, she went mad, and after drinking blood, she felt like she would go mad. Drinking blood made her stronger, but it also made her a stronger mad person. She thought she had gone mad to survive, but it seemed she hadn’t.

“Fang... Yuqian. But... you... Fan Xiang... Ah, can I... call you this? Haha... It’s ridiculous. But... this... is... all... useless. In the end, everyone will die... That’s what they said. When Yan Madame comes... and the Prince... and everyone at the Heavenly Dragon Assembly... will die... So, Fan Xiang...”

“...?”

“You will... die too. If you don’t run...”

Hou Gong’s expression changed.

He smiled wryly. He couldn’t help but laugh.

He had asked for her real name to shake her composure and add more emotional stimulation to her already weakened state.

He understood her sudden reaction, but her answer far exceeded his expectations. He had thought the group she was with was planning something, but the scale and plan were so grand that it made him laugh.

‘The annihilation of the Heavenly Dragon Assembly, how grand.’

Who is this Yan Madame mentioned out of nowhere? What is the Prince?

What is the motive? What is their origin? When is the execution date? What is the method? What is the scale of the Prince’s forces? Or, everything she just said could be a lie.

It’s time to find out.

“You’re telling an interesting story. Since it’s interesting, let’s speed up the process.”

Hou Gong took out a jade bottle from Gui Ling’s clothes.

It was Huagul San.

Gui Ling sneered, muttering, “So vicious.”

But it was a misunderstanding.

Hou Gong had no intention of using Huagul San to force a confession.

Instead, he placed his hand on Gui Ling’s Baihui point.

As he infused his energy, the Jiaoling he had secretly planted activated.

The seven beasts inside her body stirred. The sensation made Gui Ling’s smile vanish. Her pupils dilated in fear, and the beasts did not hesitate. They began to run wild. As a result, her body crumpled and shrank. Her agonized scream tore through the night of the tomb.

“Kaaaaa!”

**

Huagul San was used for cleanup.

After thoroughly cleaning up, Hou Gong inspected the temporary residence where Gui Ling had stayed, but the house was already empty.

Hou Gong was not disappointed.

He had expected it to be empty. The scream in the night would have spread far. If they were a group, they would have known it was Gui Ling’s scream. They would also know she had already confessed and who had killed her.

This knowledge was a gain for Hou Gong.

They would likely want to deal with the ‘young master of Tianhua Library’ first. Hou Gong hoped so.

On the way back.

It was still far from dawn. Using his lightness technique, Hou Gong cut through the darkness, organizing his thoughts.

‘Xueyin Valley...’

Gui Ling had confessed that Xueyin Valley was one of the eight major forces of Si Huang Tian, and it had maintained its lineage by masquerading as Taiyin Hall.

The mistress of Xueyin Valley, Yan Madame, was also the Blood Lady, You Xi.

She was the wife of Ximen Chui, the head of the Ximen family, and was in her fifties.

Gui Ling did not know whether Ximen Chui knew about her identity before or after their marriage.

It wasn’t important.

The key was that Xueyin Valley had been secretly swallowing the Ximen family. Ximen Chui was also consumed, and during this process, the ‘Tianhua Library’ interfered.

This made Yan Madame furious, and her target of anger became the Heavenly Dragon Assembly.

The Ximen family, one of the ten major families, had fallen, yet the Heavenly Dragon Assembly continued as if nothing had happened, which made her even angrier. Moreover, the invitation list for this Heavenly Dragon Assembly included the ‘young master of Tianhua Library,’ which she saw as an opportunity to wipe them out.

This much was clear.

The problem was what came next. The execution plan was vague.

Gui Ling knew nothing about the ‘Prince’s forces.’

They were coming. She had heard. They were going to wipe them out.

Gui Ling’s story ended there. She had only heard it. She knew nothing about the scale of the Prince’s forces, where they were coming from, their level, or anything else.

It wasn’t a lie.

It was a confession under the influence of Jiaoling, and it had been confirmed multiple times.

The parts excluding the Prince’s forces were clear.

Yan Madame, the Blood Lady, and the Twelve Demons of the Blood Lady, from Gui Yiling to Gui Shiling.

She even spoke about the internal collaborators within the Heavenly Dragon.

There is one among you, Gui Ling confessed.

‘Is it the Sima family? The Baili family? Or someone else?’

One could mean one family or one person, making it difficult to identify, and it required careful consideration.

“Brother Nangong.”

Behind him, Nangong Yan was following, breathing heavily. They were almost at Longxian Pavilion. At this speed, they would arrive in about an hour.

“Yes? ...Yes.”

“I’m going ahead.”

Hou Gong said this and shot forward.

Until now, he had matched his speed to protect Nangong Yan, fearing any possible pursuit. But with no signs of pursuit and Longxian Pavilion nearby, there was no need to continue.

“Huh?”

Nangong Yan’s mouth dropped open. The young master’s figure disappeared from his sight in an instant. Realizing the reason, he bit his lip in frustration. He felt like a burden and was determined to catch up.

‘Damn it.’

Compared to the young master, who had fought and expended his power, he had been a mere spectator. He couldn’t tolerate this. He gathered his remaining energy and increased his speed.

As a result,

Thud.

His body couldn’t keep up with his mind, and he tumbled forward, rolling several times before finally stopping. He lay on his back, breathing heavily, and looked up at the night sky.

The stars seemed to be laughing at him.