Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 123: Bone Sweeping

Before the half-stick of incense burned out, they were at the Fallen God Tower. Shi Jingzhi’s mood seemed quite good.

Hua Jingchun wasn’t one to gain weight by breaking her promises. As soon as the Chigou Sect settled down, she summoned someone to fetch the clay statue. She cleverly didn’t ask about the matter of “Su Zhi” being resurrected from death. She only mentioned that Wu Huai was on the run and that the chaos in Chigou wasn’t over, asking the Kushan Sect to be more cautious.

She changed back into the attire of a Protector. The injury on her broken leg was still oozing with the smell of blood. Wu Huai had been pulled down from the position of Patriarch of Chigou, but Hua Jingchun didn’t seem too thrilled about it.

“Don’t you want to see more of Su Zhi?” Shi Jingzhi leisurely sipped tea as he waited for the clay statue to arrive.

“Patriarch Su helped us get rid of Wu Huai, which was a pleasant surprise. If it’s true, given the chaos in Chigou, we shouldn’t bother the spirit of Patriarch Su. If he’s a fake, Sect Master Shi surely has a plan… We have a family rule: if you want to live long in this tomb-robbing business, don’t be too curious.”

Hua Jingchun took a sip of tea; her expression was complex, though the initial hostility was gone.

“Even though the Shirou was what Matron Wuxue sought, Taiheng is leading by a mile now. Our Divine Sect’s momentum is gone; it’s better to focus on our foundation.”

At this moment, the servant who fetched the clay statue entered.

The clay statue was about the height of an arm and seemed to depict the Imperial Celestial. Unlike the flesh statue from Yuanxian Village, this clay figure was misshapen and incredibly crude, obviously the work of a novice. The paint on the statue was mottled and faded, looking extremely worn out without any aesthetic value.

It was placed on a dark red brocade, held up by a wooden tray, contrasting sharply with the luxurious surroundings. Judging by its appearance, it seemed more suited for a village market.

…It was too ordinary; perhaps what the Immortal Assembly was looking for wasn’t this.

Despite his thoughts, Shi Jingzhi still put down his teacup and took a closer look. The statue smelled normal, not fishy. Its surface was rough, without any mysterious patterns, and nothing special embedded. Sect Master Shi examined it thoroughly, almost putting a price tag on it.

“Just put it on the table for now.” After all the scrutiny, Sect Master Shi didn’t find anything suspicious and decided to inspect it later.

He wasn’t currently wearing his Nuo mask, so his face was indeed distracting. The clay statue wasn’t a valuable item, and the servant holding it was so captivated by Shi Jingzhi’s face that he almost dropped the statue.

A faint friction sound came from inside the statue. Shi Jingzhi immediately widened his eyes and reached out instinctively to touch the statue. The servant, already nervous, saw the elegant guest reaching out and stepped back.

If he hadn’t moved so abruptly, the statue wouldn’t have fallen and smashed on the ground.

With a crisp “crack”, the statue broke into pieces, and dozens of small stone balls rolled out. Amid the fragments, a wrinkled booklet appeared.

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Shi Jingzhi had only heard that Buddhas and clay statues usually held valuable items. However, these stone balls on the floor weren’t precious gems but seemed more like children’s toys. Just as he was about to pick up the booklet, Yin Ci walked in.

Seeing the mess, Sect Master Shi felt a little embarrassed and hurriedly tried to explain. “A’Ci, look at this clay statue…”

He stopped mid-sentence as he noticed something unusual.

Usually, when Yin Ci entered, his gaze would first fall on him. That gaze always made Shi Jingzhi feel pleasant from head to toe. However, this time, Yin Ci picked up a stone ball, and his eyes were filled with a terrifying emptiness.

Just like when they first became master and disciple.

Holding the stone ball tightly, Yin Ci murmured a name. The voice was so soft and indistinct that Shi Jingzhi couldn’t hear it clearly, but he instinctively felt something was wrong.

Sect Master Shi hastily stuffed the booklet into his chest and rushed to Yin Ci’s side. “A’Ci?”

Yin Ci seemed not to hear him and didn’t respond. He just reached out a hand and slowly grabbed Shi Jingzhi’s wrist with an overwhelming force. His hand was chillingly cold, and a suffocating pressure rose.

He was clearly not in a normal state.

Shi Jingzhi frowned. Yin Ci’s reaction wasn’t like a curse or poisoning, but more like he was possessed.

Fortunately, despite being in this state, Yin Ci showed no signs of hostility towards Shi Jingzhi. Gritting his teeth, Shi Jingzhi quickly pressed several acupoints, knocking Yin Ci unconscious. Without even looking at the broken statue, he lifted the unconscious Yin Ci. “Protector Hua, may I use one of your guest rooms?”

The Fallen God Tower was a place for guests, so there were plenty of rooms. Hua Jingchun prepared a particularly quiet one for them. “Does Sect Master Shi need any medicine?”

Without raising his head, Shi Jingzhi responded tersely, “I’ll take care of him. Ask everyone to leave.”

When the room was empty, Shi Jingzhi took off Yin Ci’s Nuo mask. Then, he dug out the stone ball from Yin Ci’s palm. The stone ball had ground through the flesh of Yin Ci’s palm, leaving it bloody.

Shi Jingzhi didn’t call the other members of the Kushan Sect, but instead sent Hua Jingchun away, cleaning the blood from Yin Ci’s hand himself.

“You were once lost in your own mind, yet never looked like this. You wanted to protect me, yet now you’re the one in danger.”

He moistened a warm cloth and gently wiped Yin Ci’s face. Yin Ci’s unconsciousness wasn’t of his own doing, and Sect Master Shi didn’t dare act rashly given Yin Ci’s abnormal state.

For ordinary people losing control, he could still keep them in check. But Yin Ci was too powerful. If he went berserk, the Chigou Sect might be destroyed before Wu Huai could do it.

Not to mention, with many outsiders present, there was no way they would easily surrender. If a fight broke out, Yin Ci’s “immortal body” would be known to all.

Sect Master Shi was both worried and anxious, almost biting into the cloth in his hand.

Only when Yin Ci’s breathing finally stabilized did he turn his attention to the stone ball. To his disappointment, he found nothing unusual about it. The stone ball, along with others, was placed into a jar by Hua Jingchun, looking colorful and appealing. They were coated with fragrant balm and were obviously well-preserved. Apart from that, they were just ordinary stones.

…The only thing left was that booklet.

Shi Jingzhi lit calming incense in the four corners of the room. He then pushed Yin Ci into the bed and half-laid down himself. Yin Ci’s state was like deep sleep; his breathing was shallow and long. His brows were tightly furrowed, and there was no expression on his face, but his eyes showed a peculiar pain.

Shi Jingzhi couldn’t help but hold Yin Ci’s right hand, kissing his palm.

Cold as ice.

Shi Jingzhi sighed, placing Yin Ci’s cold hand on his waist, trying to warm it. He closed his eyes, focusing for a moment before opening the booklet’s first page.

His initial feeling was disappointment.

Shi Jingzhi had thought that there would be neat handwriting inside, recording secrets. But the book looked as if it had been written by a child just learning to write, with handwriting so poor that it was hard to read. Some ink characters were smudged, as if water had been dripped on them constantly.

After flipping through several pages, all he saw were messy calligraphy practice pages. Random characters were written, not forming any coherent sentences.

Sun Huaijin’s raspy voice echoed in his mind.

[During the years when the founding emperor was ill, Sun Wang seemed to change—an imposing nine-chi man was curled up and was constantly weeping as he learned to write.]

Could this be Sun Wang’s calligraphy practice book? Shi Jingzhi rubbed his forehead.

Legends of Sun Wang learning to write weren’t unheard of. But if this was just a practice book, why had Lady Sun hidden it in the statue?

Shi Jingzhi patiently flipped through the pages, being careful not to damage the old paper.

Sun Wang was clearly intelligent, and his writing became clearer. The words began to form short sentences with structure. The only constant were marks that looked like either water or tear stains.

When he reached the middle of the book, his hand suddenly froze, his face a mask of shock—

[Xu Li, He Cheng’an, worse than animals.]

[I, Sun Wang, am worse than an animal.]

This page had only these two sentences, repeated over and over, filling the entire page like a malevolent curse.

Xu Li, was the name of the founding emperor. He Cheng’an, the revered Imperial Preceptor.

According to legends, Sun Wang had a brotherly relationship with these two men, and there were even rumors that they were sworn brothers. However, seeing the loyal Marquis of Lie’an leave such handwriting, Shi Jingzhi couldn’t help but shiver. He took a deep breath before flipping to the next page.

This time, Shi Jingzhi was completely shocked.

Beside him, Yin Ci was having a long dream.

In his dream, he was alone, standing in thick darkness. He was surrounded by bizarre illusions, looking like dirty catkins.

Voices came from all directions, as if countless mouths were speaking to him, making his head feel like it would explode. Yin Ci couldn’t help but kneel, seeing himself shatter like a clay statue. With the sound of rolling stone balls, many illusions burst like bubbles, leaving the darkest one—the one he tried to ignore and put behind him.

Memories scattered in the illusions began to return, stabbing his mind like knives.

Over three hundred years ago, the sky was ablaze with war, and chaos broke out everywhere. Everyone said that the world was in turmoil and only the country of Yun had a glimmer of hope.

The ruler of Yun was Xu Li, originally a vassal. In his youth, Xu Li was promising, with two trusted aides named Sun Wang and He Cheng’an. One excelled in martial arts and the other in scholarship; together, they guarded a scenic region. As long as one could flee to the country of Yun, they wouldn’t starve.

Yin Ci was originally an orphan who survived the war. His face attracted many malicious people. To protect himself, he learned martial arts and even saved many abandoned children with similar fates. Hearing about the country of Yun, he didn’t hesitate and led his group there.

With his guidance, over a hundred abandoned children successfully entered the country of Yun without any casualties. This incident caused a huge stir, and Xu Li, finding it interesting, personally met this brilliant young man.

At that time, Xu Li was only in his twenties. He wasn’t particularly handsome but was very amiable. He Cheng’an, wearing a pure white robe with an ethereal aura, stroked his long beard and spoke with a smile.

[This young man has a remarkable appearance. Given time, he will surely become a person of great merit.]

Xu Li seemed to trust He Cheng’an deeply. Based on his recommendation, Yin Ci was treated as a guest, and even had the chance to study. The children Yin Ci brought had food to eat; the clever ones became apprentices, and the simpler ones became servants.

…At that time, Yin Ci really felt lucky.

The first person he truly got to know was Sun Wang. Yin Ci showed talent in strategy, and Sun Wang was an experienced military leader. Over time, Yin Ci often visited Sun Wang’s home. They would discuss military strategies or play with the sand table late into the night.

At that time, Sun Wang’s wife was pregnant. She would always gaze at Sun Wang with affectionate eyes.

Yin Ci had heard Sun Wang boast countless times that every piece of clothing he wore was handmade by his wife. Sun Wang was very humble and didn’t have the airs of a general. He insisted on taking care of his wife in their daily lives that he would even boil sugar water himself, fearing the servants might scald his beloved wife’s hands.

[I’m a simple man. It must be my good karma from a previous life that I married the best woman in the world.] Sun Wang would often say.

Their deep love was evident. Even when they were engrossed in war games, a single sneeze from Lady Sun would make Sun Wang rush to her side. Yin Ci, who grew up without parents, enjoyed watching the couple’s harmonious relationship.

Xu Li, a close friend of Sun Wang since childhood, would often visit the Sun’s home in disguise, with He Cheng’an following closely. The four of them would chat leisurely or discuss world affairs, getting along very well.

Unfortunately, the eldest son of the Sun family would not get the chance to recognize Yin Ci as his godfather. Before the boy was born, Yin Ci went to the battlefield with Sun Wang to start the first step of quelling the chaotic world. Year after year, Yin Ci matured from a teenager to a young adult on the battlefield, surpassing Sun Wang and becoming Xu Li’s top general.

Thankfully, Sun Wang never held grudges and, despite their age difference, wholeheartedly became Yin Ci’s deputy. Xu Li didn’t show any dissatisfaction, even though his friend was overshadowed. He treated Yin Ci with genuine sincerity and respect, and held He Cheng’an, the “discoverer*”, in the highest regard.

*This is referencing Bo Le (伯乐), used to refer to someone who can recognize and appreciate talents in others (basically, He Cheng’an scouted Yin Ci). It comes from Bo Le, who was a horse tamer and was famous for his ability to judge good horses.

Yun’s territory expanded step by step, and the bond between the four grew tighter. With Xu Li’s popularity among the people, the combination of Sun Wang and Yin Ci’s military might, and He Cheng’an’s brilliant strategies, their teamwork was impeccable. They were as close as family.

Yin Ci, having lost his parents at birth and having grown up amidst war, now had benefactors and a bond as close as family. He spared no effort, risking life and limb for the country of Yun. His military tactics were unparalleled, and he had great prestige among the soldiers. He became the Chief General of Yun when he was just twenty.

After seven or eight years of concerted effort, they finally brought peace to the turbulent world. Starting with a ceremony initiated by Sun Wang, using He Cheng’an’s immortal wine as a token, the four of them became sworn brothers.

It was truly his happiest moment.

However, one imperfection remained. He Cheng’an claimed the immortal wine was beneficial, but after drinking it, Yin Ci felt a subtle drain of his inner force. Yin Ci asked Sun Wang, who drank from the same bottle, but Sun Wang seemed clueless. Yin Ci didn’t suspect anything amiss and just took some medicine prescribed by He Cheng’an, thinking that a momentary weakness after the war was no big deal.

…How naive he was back then.

Though he was now surrounded by darkness, Yin Ci still closed his eyes. The memories that followed were like webs embedded in his brain, each tug bringing immense pain and fear.

After the turbulent times ended and the four of them became sworn brothers. Not long passed before a severe drought hit the nation. The strong and vigorous Xu Li unexpectedly fell ill during these hard times when food and water were scarce. At that moment, Yin Ci quickly forgot about his own minor “inner force affliction”. He was at a complete loss, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

[It’s just after we moved the capital to Yidu, and now there’s a drought. Elder Brother Xu is gravely ill. This is really ominous. Elder Brother He told us to prepare for a ceremony… a ritual to ward off evil spirits. Did he tell you?]

Sun Wang’s tone was slightly stiff. When he said this, he didn’t look at Yin Ci.

[There’s a need for fasting and worshiping the gods. I heard the preparations alone will take a month. Elder Brother He…]

[I will go find the Imperial Preceptor.] Among the four, Yin Ci was the most resistant to the return of chaotic times. [Elder Brother Xu cannot fall. I’d even exchange my life if that’s what it takes.]

Sun Wang said nothing; his eyes were filled with a complex mix of emotions. Looking back now, his eyes were full of sorrow.

[Alright,] he replied, pausing after each word. [I’ll accompany you.]

At the same time.

Beside Yin Ci, Shi Jingzhi was carefully reading the words on the pages, feeling as if his organs were encased in ice. His fingers brushed over the coarse paper, feeling numb, as if they had lost all sensation.

Shi Jingzhi stopped pondering how much the “Immortal Assembly” was involved in this matter. Every ugly word transformed into a spike, drilling directly into his brain.

The two founders of the nation were originally three.

Not long after the four swore brotherhood, He Cheng’an secretly sought out Xu Li and Sun Wang.

He claimed that “the fortune of the Yin Clan’s children was too strong, which might overshadow our Great Yun nation’s destiny.” At a time when things were going well, Xu Li and Sun Wang, out of loyalty and righteousness, immediately refused to hand over Yin Ci to He Cheng’an.

He Cheng’an didn’t press further but just shook his head and left.

Soon after, the capital of Great Yun was relocated. That same year, a great drought struck, and disasters occurred everywhere. While still in his prime, Xu Li contracted a mysterious illness. Unlike Sun Wang, who had many children, Xu Li only had a young son. Seeing that the once-prosperous nation might perish, He Cheng’an visited again.

[It’s not that I’m ungrateful, Your Majesty, but you must prioritize the wellbeing of the citizens.]

Sun Wang, angered by the statement, was about to retort but was stopped by Xu Li.

[The young man is talented and looks extraordinary, even more like an emperor than you. A nation can’t have two emperors. Fate flourishes then declines; this is nature’s wrath. The one with an overwhelming fate must sacrifice himself to appease the heavens.]

He Cheng’an was more serious than ever before.

[Your Majesty, I don’t understand martial arts, and the warriors don’t respect me. General Sun can’t read, and the scholars don’t recognize him. This man excels in both martial and literary skills. If Your Majesty…]

Xu Li, already pale from his illness, looked even worse upon hearing this. Sun Wang was extremely angered but held back due to the emperor’s presence.

He Cheng’an stared directly at Xu Li and pointedly said, [Even if you don’t consider the citizens, think about your own flesh and blood.]

[It’s all bullshit!] Sun Wang couldn’t hold back any longer and yelled. [Elder Brother He, how can you come up with such a rotten idea after knowing each other for so many years? Even if I were to rebel, General Yin would never!]

He Cheng’an didn’t reply, which only angered Sun Wang more.

[We face adversities together. To sacrifice someone to the heavens based on this ridiculous reason? We don’t need such a heaven!]

[Have my judgments ever been wrong, General Sun? I’m considering what’s best for Great Yun,] He Cheng’an said with a chilling smile. Despite Sun Wang’s vast battle experience, he was taken aback by that smile.

Sun Wang looked to Xu Li, hoping for his friend’s support. However, Xu Li, instead of responding as he usually would, let out a huge cough and remained silent for a long time.

After a while, Xu Li finally spoke. [Brother Sun, I remember your third daughter was just born… Is Cuicui well? It’s cold outside; bring your family to the palace to stay until spring.]

Despite the palace being warm, Sun Wang felt as if he were in the bitter cold. He sensed the underlying threat in Xu Li’s words.

He Cheng’an then said calmly, [I’ll prepare the ritual. General Sun, there’s no need for such anger. To ensure the ritual is successful, I too will sacrifice myself. I’ve already chosen my successor.]

Xu Li’s eyes reddened. [The Imperial Preceptor is truly noble.]

[This is madness, Elder Brother Xu! Think of another way! Every dynasty faces calamities. This is just Lao He’s… No, just the Imperial Preceptor’s own opinion!]

He Cheng’an, ignoring Sun Wang, said, [I hope His Majesty can set up two execution grounds, one in the Northwest and one in Yidu. General Yin will be the sacrifice in the Northwest to calm the disasters. I will be the sacrifice in Yidu to bless our Great Yun.]

Xu Li, not paying any attention to the pleading Sun Wang, stared at his sickly hands, [Agreed.]

The words that followed were too blurred to read.

Sun Wang was sent to notify Yin Ci about the sacrificial ceremony to heaven, but he struggled for a long time and still couldn’t tell the truth. He watched helplessly as Yin Ci was taken away by He Cheng’an. For the following month, he and his family were “guests” in the palace.

Inside the palace, Sun Wang was still informed. In a month, Xu Li acted swiftly. The nation’s achievements were all credited to Sun Wang. Various books were revised, and storytellers were investigated both openly and covertly.

Sun Wang, having been a war strategist for many years, never thought he would taste such bitterness and despair during a peaceful period.

He began to learn to write, trying to document the truth for future generations. He didn’t want to involve his beloved wife, Cuicui, into the mess. Unable to voice his anguish, he could only watch as she worried for him.

Ironically, after Yin Ci’s sacrifice, the Great Prohibition in the Northwest was established. The natural disasters miraculously ceased, and Xu Li’s health improved. Before the next sacrificial ceremony, He Cheng’an made a special visit to Sun Wang. Sun Wang refused to see him, and after the ceremony, the Imperial Preceptor vanished as if he really had “sacrificed his body for the heavens”.

Sun Wang, deeply affected by this, wished only to retire from his duties. He had even prepared his resignation letter, waiting for the right moment to submit it.

Lady Sun saw her husband’s desolation and was heartbroken. She didn’t probe further, only mentioning that He Cheng’an had given them a tonic before his sacrifice. She planned to stew it the next day, marking an end to their entanglement with the current affairs of the kingdom.

Sun Wang agreed and held his wife, sobbing uncontrollably.

However, the record abruptly ended on this page, with the rest blank.

…What really happened?

Sun Wang didn’t resign. According to recorded history, Xu Li still died young. Sun Wang became the regent, leading the young prince’s armies and stabilizing the frontier.

Yin Ci’s sacrifice was hailed as “a life for a life”. Sun Wang was right in his assessment: He Cheng’an had lied—how could someone immortal “exchange lives”? Was Yin Ci’s sacrifice beneath the Great Prohibition in the Northwest, as he had speculated?

Shi Jing clutched Yin Ci’s right hand, pressing it to his lips, trembling for the first time.

In the darkness, Yin Ci finally pieced together the fragmented memories. He understood the purpose of the “one month of preparation” before “praying to the gods”.

After entering the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence, he only remembered hearing a jarring tune. Then, he felt constantly inebriated, feeling constant pain around his neck. It seemed as though his head was decapitated repeatedly, choked by the wine until he nearly suffocated. Every time he tried to regain consciousness, a haunting melody rendered him immobile.

[Save more, once it reaches three thousand, it’ll be useful.]

…That was He Cheng’an’s voice, indifferent and without his usual jest.

[My Lord, this man has a unique talent. Our sound techniques can barely suppress him.]

[That’s why I told you to gather more materials. Once you have enough, I’ll know where to place him.]

Finally, the choking wine stopped, and the bone-deep pain ceased. At that time, Yin Ci merely thought it was a blurry nightmare. Not to mention he had been in a constant daze; how could a person have so many heads to be beheaded? This dream was genuinely ridiculous. When he woke up, he was determined to tell Sun Wang and He Cheng’an about it.

Then, he groaned a few times, struggling to open his eyes, only to see complete darkness.

His head still ached, and his thoughts seemed to have rusted. Yin Ci tried to sit up, only to find he couldn’t support himself. As soon as he lifted his head, it bumped against a hard, cold stone slab.

Below his hands was a cold stone mixed with strange, soft, cold liquid beads, resembling residual mercury. A chill ran down Yin Ci’s spine as he reached up and indeed felt another stone slab. Using his body, he determined the shape of this “stone box”, and his mind went blank in an instant.

…For some unknown reason, he was lying inside a stone coffin.

At this moment, he didn’t care whether it was a nightmare or not, and immediately started banging on the coffin lid. Unfortunately, apart from the silence, he received no response. Yin Ci tried to use the little inner force he had left but found he had none remaining; he couldn’t even chip off a bit of stone.

Was this the “exorcism ceremony” Sun Wang mentioned?

On the first day, he thought it might be a prank from his friends.

If he endured this day, they would open the lid to see the panicked expression of Great Yun’s top general.

On the second day, he thought it might be some kind of sacrifice, trading a life for another.

If it meant that Xu Li would be safe and the land stable, it was worth his death… He Cheng’an was getting old, and Sun Wang had a family to care for. He was willing to die for them. He had just a bit of resentment; having known them for nearly a decade, were those guys afraid he would run away? He could have left gracefully, with a proper farewell.

On the third day, he wondered, why was he still alive?

Without food or water and nearly suffocating, he should have been long dead. Was this reality? Or another dream he couldn’t wake up from? He screamed until his mouth tasted of blood. He pinched himself hard, even tearing a chunk of flesh from his body.

The pain had never been so real and vivid.

On the fourth day, he finally began to fear.

Yin Ci went over his not-so-long life again and again, trying to find any anomalies. Finding none, he then tried to identify his own mistakes—there must be a reason for such eerie despair.

Be it the reason he was buried here or the reason “he was still alive”.

…But he couldn’t figure it out.

A year passed, and Yin Ci could barely think coherently. Only the thought of “I must escape” lingered. Dressed in silk, he had no metal or tools. He felt around but couldn’t find anything suitable.

Bones were hard, he thought desperately, so what about human bones?

For the first time, he broke his left arm. Blood was everywhere, flesh hanging off. With great effort, he tore the flesh to expose the bone, then used that bone to grind against the stone.

‘Maybe I’ve gone mad,’ Yin Ci thought. After all, even the fact that a new left arm instantly grew didn’t startle him anymore.

Someone had apparently tried to pry open the stone coffin before, leaving a small gap. The mercury slowly disappeared, and various bugs came and went, consuming the decaying flesh and bone debris, so the coffin wasn’t filled with remains. Yin Ci never stopped, day after day, using the bone of his arm to grind at the same spot on the stone wall.

‘I must get out,’ he thought numbly.

Yin Ci tore off his left arm again and again, getting more proficient each time. After an unknown period, he could use his fingers to peel the flesh away, leaving only the useful bone.

He had to escape, to find a reason, an answer, or an end.

Except for this thought, the rest of his memories were a blur. Intense pain, accompanied by the friction sound of bone grinding against stone, never ceased. The darkness spawned countless hallucinations, and Yin Ci started to have delusions to escape the reality.

Until the first “crack” sound.

The thick stone coffin had been ground to form a hole. There was always a way out; instead of compact soil behind the hole, there was an underground cavern.

Oblivious, Yin Ci continued to grind at the opening.

With the cavern as a dumping ground for his limbs, his efficiency increased. Once there was a breach in the stone coffin, further destruction came easily. As days turned to months, the vast cavern was nearly filled with bones. Eventually, Yin Ci created a hole large enough to pass through.

Unfortunately, he was nearly mad, unable to feel joy, just continuing to dig forward. After an unknown time, his skeletal hands touched the scorching yellow sand.

Blinding sunlight poured in.

He nestled in the sand like an animal. As a snake approached, he bit it in half, swallowing it whole. Yin Ci wandered like a walking corpse in the vast desert… Later, he encountered desert bandits and then the village that took him in.

As Chen Qianfan recorded.

According to Chen Qianfan’s records, he had been in that underground coffin for at least eighty years.

The beheading was real, as was the endless darkness. Though he always regarded them as part of his “delusions”, the fear and madness always lurked deep in his mind, occasionally pushing him to the edge.

Some things were better left forgotten. Just the roll of a stone, and he was forced back to the edge.

[Minister Yin, I’ll never fail you.]

[Good brother, even in death, I won’t let you down.]

[This Old Man will not fail General Yin’s expectations.]

……

What a joke.

He was prepared to die for the world, for his loved ones. But he was never prepared to “live” like that.

In the boundless darkness, Yin Ci clenched his fist. Everything should have been cold, but for some reason, his right hand felt warm, as if next to a blazing stove. All the pain persisted, absurd as ever. However, facing the overwhelming darkness, he lost the impulse to go berserk.

Yin Ci clutched his right hand and slowly placed it over his heart. In the darkness, a golden flame danced happily on his right hand.

Don’t wake me up yet, brat.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

End of this arc.

The scene of Yin Ci’s beheading was shown in a previous chapter. This is also why he fears the darkness and tight spaces so much. This is also (probably) why Su Zhi’s sword technique is the Bone Sweeping Sword Technique.

Things are coming together.

Does Yin Ci have the most tragic past in all of Nian Zhong’s work?

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>