CH 5

Su Ru Hui leaned against Sang Chi Yu, his warm body making Sang Chi Yu stiffen up. He held onto his crutch tightly with his other hand. He pulled Su Ru Hui behind him, using his body to shield him from view, and looked up at Han Ye with eyes as cold as ice.

“No matter what business you have for visiting so late, I’m afraid I cannot let you have your way,” he said.

Han Ye sneered. “Don’t forget, you’re a useless person now. What can you do to stop me from sleeping with your wife?”

Sang Chi Yu’s face remained expressionless. He took a dark red tube-shaped object out of his pocket with one hand, opened the cap, and a bright red light with a sharp whistling sound shot straight up into the sky, exploding in a circle of light rain. Seeing this thing, Han Ye’s face changed.

Sang Chi Yu said coldly, “Although I am a useless person, I still have friends. There are ten people within the Kun Lun Secret Sect who possess the power to teleport and arrive in places in an instant. Once this arrow is shot, the Kun Lun Secret Sect will come. Ten against one; you have no chance of winning. It takes five breaths to activate the spiritual power, and conservatively speaking, you have ten breaths to leave.”

Han Ye’s smile disappeared, and his eyes were filled with anger. Sang Chi Yu grew up in the Kun Lun Secret Sect and even though he was expelled, he must have many acquaintances. Han Ye didn’t dare to underestimate him. He turned his gaze to the person behind Sang Chi Yu, who was peeking out. He took out a letter from his waist pouch and said with a sinister smile, “Sang Chi Yu, your good wife accused me of having ulterior motives, but I am innocent. He invited me to a meeting under the moon, but he backed out at the last minute. This letter is the evidence. ‘Waiting for you under the west room, with the half-opened the door. You are right – the Jiang family is evil. I will wait quietly for you.’ You can see for yourself.”

He tossed the letter, and it fluttered like a butterfly made of gold and landed at Sang Chi Yu’s feet.

Su Ru Hui: “…”

Han Ye, this little bastard, was probably infuriated and forgot that A Qi’s task was to gather intelligence. He was trying to create a rift between him and Sang Chi Yu. How was he supposed to gather information this way? The evidence of Jiang Que Xie’s infidelity was right in front of them. Sang Chi Yu had been tricked and betrayed by his wife. The original body’s actions were being blamed on Su Ru Hui, causing him to feel exasperated.

Sang Chi Yu remained calm and said, “My heart belongs to another, and I will seek another lover. I do not blame you, nor should you force me.”

This meant that if Su Ru Hui wanted to cheat, he could cheat, and Sang Chi Yu wouldn’t blame him. But Han Ye was in the wrong for trying to force himself on him.

Don’t mention Su Ru Hui, even Han Ye didn’t expect Sang Chi Yu to be so magnanimous. He accepted the proof of infidelity with stability, without a hint of resentment.

“…” Han Ye sneered, then looked at Su Ru Hui before saying, “Jiang Gongzi, until we meet again.”

After he finished speaking, he turned and left.

Su Ru Hui formed a megaphone shape with his hands around his mouth and shouted at Han Ye’s back, “I am not Jiang Gongzi.”

Han Ye and Sang Chi Yu were both stunned.

Su Ru Hui continued, “I am Madam Sang!”

Han Ye seemed to be at a loss for words for a while, then left with a wave of his sleeve.

“That guy finally left.” Su Ru Hui breathed a sigh of relief. Han Ye’s spiritual powers were powerful, and he had even advanced in rank. If they were to really fight, Su Ru Hui and Sang Chi Yu wouldn’t stand a chance. Su Ru Hui patted Sang Chi Yu’s shoulder. “Thank goodness you have the flare arrow. Otherwise, we would have been in trouble.” He checked the time. “Ten counts have passed, and your friend is moving too slowly. By the time they arrive, we will both have already been buried together.”

Sang Chi Yu turned around and slowly made his way back with the help of his wooden crutch.

“I have no friends,” he said in a flat voice.

“Huh?” Su Ru Hui was stunned, then realized that Sang Chi Yu had deceived Han Ye. The Secret Sect wouldn’t have sent anyone to save him. Su Ru Hui picked up the empty tube of the flare arrow Sang Chi Yu had just fired and realized that it wasn’t a distress flare from Kun Lun Secret Sect at all. It was a firework tube, probably left over from their wedding.

This guy… Su Ru Hui was speechless. Sang Chi Yu’s popularity was already terrible before he died, and he couldn’t believe that even after five years, it was still that bad.

Sang Chi Yu had been standing for too long, and his knees were hurting. He couldn’t walk more than a few steps without resting. Su Ru Hui understood him. He was inherently proud and wouldn’t want others to help him too much, otherwise, he wouldn’t always be thinking of ways to get rid of Su Ru Hui. Su Ru Hui didn’t offer to help and just accompanied him, jokingly asking, “Husband, are you really not concerned that I will cheat on you?”

“We are already divorced,” Sang Chi Yu said. “It has nothing to do with me.”

It was the same old attitude that kept everyone at arm’s length. It was written all over his body that he wanted Su Ru Hui to stay away from him. Su Ru Hui was helpless. No wonder he had no friends. But this temper made Su Ru Hui want to talk to him even more.

Sang Chi Yu paused for a moment and suddenly asked, “Did you know the person from earlier? Have you met them before?”

“I don’t know him,” Su Ru Hui replied half-truthfully and half-jokingly. “But Su Ru Hui must know him. Remember, that Black Street genius, the founder of Phantom Puppets? You two used to fight all the time, didn’t you? He seems to be looking for someone who looks like Su Ru Hui. When he catches one, he uses them. I heard that many people died in his bed – all handsome and exceptional young men like me.”

Su Ru Hui was often criticized for his behavior. He was admired by many, but also hated by many. Many people wanted to punch him in the face. However, Sang Chi Yu remained silent, as if he had long been accustomed to Su Ru Hui’s unconventional behavior, and listened quietly as he rambled on.

“It’s difficult. I don’t think that bastard is going to let me go.” Su Ru Hui sighed deeply as they finally reached the threshold of the private room.

“I will find a way,” Sang Chi Yu said as he stepped across the threshold.

“Huh?” Su Ru Hui wanted to say that if the members of the Kun Lun Secret Sect were unwilling to save him, what could he do? He looked up and met Sang Chi Yu’s calm gaze. His eyes were deep, and Su Ru Hui immediately saw the serenity in them. Sang Chi Yu was always a calm person, a model of “reliability.” He never made promises lightly, but once he did, he would die to keep them.

This person, despite his own situation, still wanted to help others. Even before they turned against each other, Su Ru Hui was already very worried about him. He followed Dan Tai Jing’s teachings meticulously, striving to be a true gentleman, but Su Ru Hui often worried that he was too fragile. He tried his best to be kind to others; Su Ru Hui was worried that he would be deceived.

Su Ru Hui was helpless, but on the surface, he had a smiling expression and said, “I will rely on you, husband, for protection.”

In fact, Su Ru Hui did not really intend to rely on Sang Chi Yu, but he was accustomed to teasing him.

Sang Chi Yu’s face turned slightly red after hearing those words. He kept calling him “husband,” and he had just referred to himself as “Madam Sang,” but it was obviously insincere. He always spoke without a filter, leading to misunderstandings. Sang Chi Yu pursed his lips, turned his face to the side, closed the door, and his voice turned a little colder. “It’s late at night, please go back.”

“Eh!” Su Ru Hui blocked the door. “Husband, my room collapsed, and I have nowhere to sleep. Can I stay in your room tonight?”

“There are plenty of empty rooms.” Sang Chi Yu gave him no face at all and directly shut the door.

Su Ru Hui felt very sad and left with his hands behind his back.

Sang Chi Yu returned to his bed and took out a small, round box from under the covers. He unlocked it and opened the lid, revealing a black heart core stained with blood inside. No one knew the origin of this heart core. The people of the Great Compassion Temple took medicine to gain power, and the banned medicine was circulated on the black market. It had always been the key target of the Kun Lun Secret Sect. Some people speculated that this black heart core was the masterpiece of the Great Compassion Temple. Its previous owner was Su Ru Hui, and the heart core gave him strength, but also inflicted him with a terrifying poison. When Su Ru Hui was 25 years old, the poison flared up, and his body rapidly declined. In the end, he died with no hope of a cure.

Sang Chi Yu’s palm held this heart core, which was dug out of Su Ru Hui’s body by the Kun Lun Secret Sect.

No one knew what the heart core brought to Su Ru Hui; some speculated that it was an extraordinary talent beyond ordinary people. After all, when Su Ru Hui left the Kun Lun Secret Sect, he was still a second-generation young master who was up to no good, but after he fled to the Black Street, he shone brightly and created the shocking Phantom Puppets.

Although Sang Chi Yu knew that the rumors were false, Su Ru Hui was never an ordinary person.

However, perhaps this heart core could be tested.

Sang Chi Yu took off his clothes, removed the gauze from his chest, and the wound that was still hideous the day before now had been covered with powder and didn’t look so bad. He pinched the heart core and inserted it into his own wound. The scab that had just formed was torn off, and the wound was forcibly opened, with blood flowing out and soaking the black heart core.

When the heart core was halfway through entering his flesh and blood, it emitted a faint blue light and automatically squeezed deeper into his meridians. Sang Chi Yu let go, and the heart core disappeared deep into his wound. What kind of person would he become? He didn’t know. In any case, he would be like Su Ru Hui.

In fact, when that guy talked about dreaming that they were destined in their past lives, he knew that Su Ru Hui had returned. Su Ru Hui had said that kind of nonsense to deceive people before, just not to him. He really hated Su Ru Hui. He was the person who hated Su Ru Hui the most in the world. People might not be able to recognize the person they once loved at a glance, but they could certainly recognize the person they once hated at a glance.

A long, long time had passed, and many things had changed. The respected elders had become hideous, and Kun Lun Secret Sect had become corrupt. It had the appearance of justice and righteousness, but was actually full of violence and wanton behavior. And he, Sang Chi Yu, had gone from being a first-class military officer in the palace to a useless waste of a person.

Only Su Ru Hui remained the same – detestable, causing trouble everywhere, and creating emotional debts.

The wound was too painful, and his chest seemed to be frozen by snow and ice. His body suddenly lost its warmth. Sang Chi Yu curled up in pain on the bed. In a daze, he recalled the past when the Grandmaster asked him, “My disciple, Chi Yu, do you know your mistake?”

He said, “I know my mistake.”

The Grandmaster nodded with satisfaction. “You finally figured it out. Where did you go wrong?”

He raised his eyes and spoke word by word, each one carving into his bones.

“I was wrong… for not saving Su Ru Hui!”

So the Grandmaster thundered with anger, stripped him of his spiritual powers, broke his right leg, expelled him from the Secret Sect, and never allowed him to return.

He lowered his head, sweat dripping onto his hand, and the hair that hung on the bed had already changed color. He slowly turned his head, and the mirror on the table reflected his current appearance, with snowy hair on his temples and his long hair turning white. Even his eyes had turned into an icy blue. His vision seemed to have subtle changes, with light and shadow clearly distinguished, and he could hear rustling outside the window, the wind sweeping away fallen leaves, as if they were whispering.

His visual and auditory abilities had greatly improved, and this body was no longer that of an ordinary person. The transformation was so thorough that it surpassed that of Su Ru Hui from the past. He moved his limbs, and the wounds on his chest and back healed. His right leg could move again, as if he had been reborn. He felt the long-lost power of spiritual power surging in his body.

He knew he had become a monster.

Su Ru Hui was taken by the Black Street and sold to the Secret Sect. Su Ru Hui was good to the sect, and the sect stole his secrets.

The world had lost its righteousness, so why should he, Sang Chi Yu, continue to hold onto his moral principles? Being an ugly monster was better than being a hypocritical person.

“Sang Gongzi, I’m back!” The old dog climbed in through the window, not noticing the change in the person on the bed, and spoke angrily, “That Jiang Que Xie is so vicious. He sold me to a meat shop. Luckily, I was smart enough to turn back into human form and escape. It makes me so angry that I was seen running naked. The Yun Zhou Daily might write an article about ‘Naked Man Running Wild on the Streets’ tomorrow. I will definitely report this to Hei Guan Yin. He will be interested in his spiritual power, and we may have to dissect him and study him thoroughly.”

The old dog crouched at the foot of the bed, looked up, and saw that Sang Chi Yu’s hair had turned white like snow. He was stunned. “What happened to you… Wait a minute, you took the Wuji Powder? Wow, your degree of mutation is too severe. How do you feel? Oh, wait, I haven’t given you the secret medicine yet, have I?”

Sang Chi Yu looked at him with his ice-blue eyes as still as the deep sea, without any ripples or emotions. The inhuman appearance made the old dog involuntarily feel frightened. He thought that Sang Chi Yu probably found the Wuji Powder he had hidden; otherwise how could he have turned into this?

Sang Chi Yu asked, “I have heard that the Great Compassion Temple has a saying: eating one person makes you a level one bodhisattva, and eating ten people makes you a bodhisattva at level ten. What level of bodhisattva are you?”

The old dog proudly puffed out his chest. “I am already a third-level bodhisattva.” He grinned. “Two men and a child. The baby was tender and delicious.”

“Did you report the matter of Jiang Que Xie just now?”

“Not yet.” The old dog rummaged under the bed and pulled out his communication compass. “I will report to Hei Guan Yin right now!”

“Very good.”

Sang Chi Yu suddenly raised his hand and covered the old dog’s head. Countless ice-blue meridians emerged from his palm and penetrated into the old dog’s eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. The old dog’s seven orifices bled, and he flailed his limbs. In an instant, he transformed from a naked human body to an empty skin as his flesh visibly decayed.

Sang Chi Yu withdrew his hand and looked indifferently at his palm. The beam-like meridians retracted, and his palm returned to its original state.

Special power: Devouring.

Whoever he devoured, he would gain their special power.

Few people knew this power which he was born with, because he despised it and rarely used it.

After devouring the old dog, he gained the special power “Shape-Shifting.” After meditating for a moment, the spiritual power silently activated. His hair gradually turned back to its jet-black color, and ink marks seemed to hover in his pupils, covering his deep blue irises. Then he leaned down and picked up the communication compass on the ground, manipulating the eight trigrams above it. The symbols on the left side of the compass glowed faintly, connecting him to someone on the other end. The other person remained silent, waiting for the person on this end to speak.

“Did I make a satisfactory promise by killing your dog?” asked Sang Chi Yu.

A hoarse laughter sounded from the compass, “Sang Gongzi, the old dog served you for many days. You killed him just like that. Don’t you feel guilty?”

Sang Chi Yu lowered his head and looked at his palm, his eyes serene. He had just killed someone he shouldn’t have, but he felt no emotions, as if he had just crushed an ant passing by his feet. Everyone thought he was a good person; even Su Ru Hui thought so. They didn’t know that he felt nothing when he killed. To him, killing a person was no different than killing a pig. He only meticulously followed the precepts that Dan Tai Jing taught him, conducting himself with integrity, kindness, and justice.

Is pretending to be just, actually just?

“No feeling,” he said.

The other person laughed softly. “Sang Gongzi is different from the rumors. As expected, rumors are not to be trusted. I have prepared your spot for tomorrow’s gathering.”