Chapter 27: In the Dark

January 22nd, 2023

TL Note: This one’s a bit late because of new year’s stuff. On that topic, happy bunny year, everyone! (Or cat year, if that’s what you’re celebrating)

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Fang Li left the evil shrine at Thousand Burials Pit.

Now he had the power to go save his wife.

It truly lived up to the name of a beautiful dream specially created for lovers. Only in a story would someone give up everything for love like this, right? Although he kept looking down on the plot for being cliché and dog-blooded, if real lovers were to come here, it actually wouldn’t be a wasted trip.

Maybe some just had a taste for this kind of thing?

Fang Li didn’t return to the grand duke estate, nor did he bring anyone with him, and went alone to Nothing Left Peak.

Nothing Left Peak was a bare and barren mountain, looking extremely desolate, like a deserted wasteland without a single inhabitant. Fang Li traveled all by himself on the mountain.

There was a massive stronghold at the top of the mountain.

There were more than a few servants walking around near the stronghold. They were all slaves that the monster had captured.

Fang Li saw the monster inside the stronghold.

The monster was surrounded by a swarm of beauties, each of its arms loping around some, but there was no Xie Huai. Fang Li couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

According to reason, nothing would have happened to Xie Huai. Seeing as Fang Li was holding the script of the hero rescuing the damsel in distress, they couldn’t let Xie Huai die first, could they? Then how would this story progress?

It couldn’t be that the monster had hidden Xie Huai away alone somewhere, could it?

Fang Li shot the monster an indifferent glance. It was a mottled snake spirit. If it were reality, he could pinch such a low-level monster to death with one hand. Only in a dream could it strut around in front of him like this.

Even so, the day of its death had arrived today.

After all, he’d just exchanged for unsurpassable power from that evil demon.

Fang Li stepped forward, and he heard himself open his mouth to say, “Hand over this lord’s consort.”

The monster had a strange tone of voice, and it looked down on him disdainfully. “There are so many beauties here. Which one is your consort?”

Fang Li said in a chilly voice, “He’s not here.”

The monster gave a cruel, uncanny laugh. “Not here, eh? Then he’s dead, so stop looking and go home.”

This sentence thoroughly ignited his fury. With eyes nearly splitting at the seams from rage, he raised his sword and struck out without a hint of hesitation!

He possessed the unsurpassable power given to him by the demon, but the monster was also extremely formidable and fought with him toe to toe. The entirety of Nothing Left Peak was smashed to pieces in their fight.

The monster hadn’t expected this mortal to be so powerful, and it couldn’t gain even a bit of advantage. In the end, it had to reveal its original form, and a huge mottled snake swept toward him. Before it, Fang Li’s figure was as small as an ant’s.

The mottled snake thrashed its tail, tossing him far, far away. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then dauntlessly raised his sword again, unafraid of death.

They fought like this for three days and nights.

Fang Li’s sword pierced through the mottled snake’s skull, finally slaying the great monster! But at that moment, he was also like an arrow at the end of its flight, and one of his arms had been bitten off by the snake. The power from the demon couldn’t be maintained for much longer, and he felt his strength leaving his entire body until he could barely even stay standing any longer.

But he still hadn’t found his consort……

He used his remaining hand to stab his sword into the ground, his whole body soaked in blood, walking step by step into the snake monster’s stronghold. In the battle earlier, plenty of people had fled, and the stronghold had been smashed to bits, so there were some who had been crushed to death.

He searched meticulously everywhere, examining every corner, turning over every corpse, wanting to find his wife.

But he wasn’t there……

Not a single person was his wife.

Time trickled by.

He felt his vision becoming blurry, and he knew that he didn’t have much time left before he would no longer be able to see, but he still hadn’t found his wife. They’d promised to be united heart and mind, together until old age, sharing the same path in life and the same tomb in death, so even if it was as a corpse, he still had to find him……

But why……

Why couldn’t he find him……

Despair permeated the pit of his stomach bit by bit, and pain and self-blame tormented his heart. How come he just couldn’t find him?

He had already given away everything, yet he still couldn’t save the person he loved.

It was all because he’d returned late.

If he’d come back two months earlier, just two months…… Would none of it have happened……?

Before dying, had his wife blamed him, blamed him for not being able to come save him earlier?

Do you hate me?

His heart seemed to be an empty cavern with only endless darkness remaining, just like his vision, which would never be able to see a single bit of light again.

He finally toppled over.

【 Fang Li: …… This plot is a little beyond my expectations. 】

【 System: …… 】

As Fang Li had imagined it, after bargaining with that demon for unsurpassable power, he would have a very grand and glorious battle with that monster, then successfully rescue his cute little wife, and the two of them would sweetly and merrily spend three years together. That would also count as a happy ending, after all.

That was how most novels were.

A hero rescuing a damsel in distress would never go out of style.

But he’d already killed the monster, yet he still hadn’t found his missing lover.

It couldn’t be that they were going to have a bad ending?

Fang Li finally felt a little bit of interest in the remaining plot. He was a little curious how things would proceed next. He didn’t believe that this was a nightmare with a bad ending, or else, with all those customers at Lover’s Pass, it was impossible that no one had raised a fuss.

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Next, there was a scene change.

When Fang Li opened his eyes again, everything before him was pitch-black. He knew he had gone blind, and he would only be able to hear and not see the rest of the story.

The darkness made him more sensitive to everything around him, and the unknown stretched his nerve endings taut. It seemed like the story was getting more and more stimulating.

However, right now, his power was gone, his eyes were blind, and one of his arms was gone. He was already a half-dead waste, and although the demon had said that it would give him three years to live, in his state, if he were left unattended, he wouldn’t be able to make it past a day. Since he hadn’t died, that should mean that he’d been rescued.

Who had saved him, then?

Fang Li waited patiently.

Not long after, he heard footsteps, and someone arrived in front of him. But even after waiting for a very long time, the other party never said a word.

In this kind of silence where he didn’t know a thing, it was hard to avoid feeling a bit nervous……

Why didn’t this person speak?

What were they doing?

He propped himself up on the bed with difficulty and asked in a hoarse voice, “Sir, who are you? Were you the one who rescued this lord?”

The other person still didn’t speak.

After a while, Fang Li heard himself ask again, “Sir, why won’t you speak?”

Everything before him was still silent.

Fang Li furrowed his brow.

Seeing as this person had rescued him, then they must have some kind of request. Why didn’t they speak?

He bore his patience and continued, “Sir, please send this lord back to my estate, and this lord will be sure to express deep gratitude.”

Still, no one responded.

At this moment, Fang Li’s emotions were finally in sync with his character’s for the first time, which was—confusion.

Now what kind of development was this?

Was this person deaf or mute?

Seeing as they’d rescued him, regardless of whether they took pleasure in lending a helping hand or whether they were seeking benefits, it should be one or the other, right? If you stay tight-lipped like this, how will I know what you want?

The Grand Duke of Li sure wasn’t someone with a good temper. Bearing enough patience to ask those few questions was already the limit of his compromise. If this had been back when he was well, who would dare act so rudely in front of him?

Truly, a fallen tiger can be bullied by hounds.

Seeing that that person wouldn’t respond, nor did they make any movements, he had no more patience and simply got up himself and headed outside.

Because he had forced himself to stand, all of the bones in his body seemed to rebel, and a burning pain seared his severed limb as if it were still dripping blood, but he slowly walked forward step by step as if he didn’t feel anything.

He was going to return to Nothing Left peak. He still hadn’t found his wife. He couldn’t leave him there alone in that ice-cold place……

Even in death, he was going to die with him together.

Wait, he couldn’t see right now. How was he going to search? He still had to return to the ducal estate first. Only then would he be able to send people out to search.

By now, that monster had already been killed.

The grand duke’s people could turn the entirety of Nothing Left Peak over. Even if they had to dig three feet into the ground all over, he had to find his consort.

That was what he was thinking when his foot suddenly tripped on something, and his entire body crashed to the ground. He unconsciously supported himself on his palms, and the floor was covered in thorny thistles, cutting into his skin until it was dripping with blood.

But this bit of pain was nothing to him.

He crawled upright with no expression on his face and continued walking.

No matter how many times he fell, how many wounds he received, he still refused to give up……

Finally, his strength was exhausted. This time, he couldn’t crawl back up again. He was fallen on the floor, as if all his blood had been emptied, yet he only had one thought in his heart. He still hadn’t been able to find his wife……

It couldn’t be that he was just going to die here?

Just when his heart was thoroughly in despair, a pair of hands lifted him up.

It was that person.

So he had been here the whole time.

As if clutching onto his last hope, he hung onto that person for dear life, like someone at the end of his rope. He said in a hoarse voice, “Help this lord search, please, go to Nothing Left Peak, and find this lord’s consort, whether he’s dead or alive, as long as you find him, everything this lord has will be yours……”

He sensed the other’s movements pause for a moment, and he waited for a response with some unease.

But he was disappointed again.

That person still didn’t make a sound, his movements ice-cold and impassive. He brought him back to that room and threw him straight onto the bed, then pushed the door open again and left.

The more Fang Li looked at these developments, the more confused he became.

…………………………

The next day, he woke up.

The wounds on his body seemed to have been taken care of.

He was extremely famished, and he smelled the fragrance of food in the room, but there was nobody there. He knew he couldn’t die right now; he still hadn’t found his wife, so he had to live on no matter what. Thus, he crawled up with difficulty and reached out his hand to grope in front of him. But as a result, he accidentally knocked over the dishes.

The swarms of servants from the ducal estate weren’t here, only his single, solitary self. It was as quiet as a dark prison. He clenched his teeth and grabbed the food on the ground to eat.

He regained some energy and tried to walk outside once more.

He fumbled about in the darkness for a long time and found the direction of the door. The door wasn’t locked, and he stepped outside bit by bit. Today, the ground was covered in sharp rocks. Every time he fell, it was like walking on sharp blades.

Up until he fainted once again.

After waking up, he was back in that room again.

He ate the food that person prepared and tried for the third time to go outside. This time he walked a little further, and his journey went fairly smoothly. Just when a bit of hope finally arose in him, he tumbled into a pit. The pit was filled with rotten animal corpses, and the vile smell made one want to vomit. No matter how hard he tried, he could climb out. Was he going to die here……

But after he woke again, he’d returned to that room again.

He made more than ten more attempts like this.

Every time, the path was covered in different kinds of obstructions and traps. They either wounded him until he was covered in blood, or, when he finally had a little bit of hope, they would plunge him into endless despair again. From start to finish, there was only a single person who spoke not a word by his side.

Every time, after he lost consciousness, that person would bring him back and help him tend to his wounds, not letting him easily die, yet not giving him any hope at all.

Gradually, he understood.

The reason why this person had rescued him was only to torment him, to see him in despair, to see him suffer.

This person was probably his enemy.

Who would have thought that the great and mighty Grand Duke of Li, who once had limitless glory and splendor, would one day fall to this? Leaving aside his current state, he had even fallen into the hands of his enemy. Perhaps it was because he’d killed too many, and this was his divine retribution.

In this dark and solitary world, there was forever only himself, and this room that he couldn’t walk out of.

Not only was he unable to save his beloved, he couldn’t even save himself.

That day, he walked out the door once more. Today, the ground outside was covered in sharp flower sprays, emitting an enticing fragrance, yet pricking him until he was covered in blood……

He walked for almost a shichen, falling over and over again, then pretended to faint.

Not long after, that person showed up again, as expected.

Just when that person tried to reach out his hands to pick him up, he suddenly reached out and grabbed tightly onto the other’s wrist, speaking in a raspy voice, “Just who are you?”

Although he’d asked the question, he didn’t have much certainty, because he didn’t have any kind of bargaining chips right now…… The other person could completely ignore him.

Time passed, second by second.

Just when he thought the other person would do as he had before and wouldn’t respond, the other person actually spoke for the first time.

It was an extremely strange and unpleasant voice, like rocks scraping against metal, or like being cut by a knife that had been placed in scorching fire. They said, “Back then, when my lord slaughtered the country of Xi’s royal country, how mighty you were. That appearance of being high above the whole world, to this day, I don’t dare forget it for even a moment.”

He finally knew who the other person was.

That year, the country of Xi had been unwilling to offer tribute, nor were they willing to swear allegiance, and had even attempted to secretly ally with a few other countries and resist the empire’s orders together. He’d been commanded to suppress the country of Xi, up until the country of Xi’s royal family was killed to the last. From then on, the country of Xi was gone.

That day, blood flowed like rivers. Whether they were young or old, woman or child, not a single person escaped his blade.

To think that there were still members of the royal family of Xi remaining……

Then, hating him was natural.

Only, the number of enemies he had was truly too high. Even if he knew, the only meaning in it was to die with clarity.

There hadn’t been much meaning for him in being alive to start with. He’d committed too many sins of murder in this life, and he was destined to have a bad end. All of this was his divine retribution, but there was one person he still couldn’t let go of.

He had no choice but to put down his pride and plead with his enemy. “Could you go to Nothing Left Peak, and find this lord’s consort for this lord? As long as you’re willing to find him for this lord, you can torment this lord however you want.”

That person laughed as if he’d heard some sort of funny joke and said with amusement, “Can’t I already torment you however I want?”

He fell into silence.

The already dim and lifeless eyes thoroughly lost their color.

Just when he’d already completely give up……

He heard that person say, “But it’s not impossible. It depends on—what lengths you can go to for him.”

Then that person picked up him and laughed softly and suggestively beside his ear. “You have to live properly and watch how I torment you.”

They were afraid he would seek death.

He was placed back into the bed in that room, but this time, that person didn’t leave without a sound. The other person slowly approached, and slightly cool fingertips rested on the lapels of his robe, hooking them lightly.

Fresh blood had solidified on the clothing, to the point that when taken off, it was like his skin and flesh was being peeled off with them, along with his dignity.

He knew what this person wanted to do.

Fair enough. This truly was a good way to torment him. These years, he’d campaigned on the battlefield, and there was no type of injury he hadn’t received before. Mere torment of the flesh didn’t even itch to him, but this type of torment was indeed something he’d never thought of before and found hard to accept.

This person knew that he might end his own life, so they’d accepted his request, giving him a ray of hope so that he would live properly and endure this humiliation.

Even if he had no way to guarantee whether or not this person would keep his promise, he didn’t dare gamble.

Because this was his only hope.

He lay there completely motionless, allowing the other person’s fingertips to rest near his neck, lightly caressing with improper and frivolous air.

Like treating a cheap plaything.

He didn’t have much expression.

Nor did he make a sound.

There wasn’t a piece of unbroken flesh left on his body, the wounds bleeding then scarring over and over again, and one could imagine how ugly and nauseating they were. On the contrary, it was this person who didn’t hesitate to personally step up in order to torment him and was willing to touch someone who disgusted them so much…… They did indeed hate him to the extreme.

Thinking up to here, the corner of his mouth pulled in ridicule.

He actually thought it was a little funny.

……………………………

In the darkness, the sound of breathing fell softly beside his ear, intermingling with the scent of incense burning in the room. It was like there was a feeling of hazy mist, as if blurring reality and illusion.

His eyes were closed the whole time.

But just at the last second, that person stopped.

That person lowered his head close to his ear and slightly ground his teeth, as if with concealed hatred, and with some kind of almost imperceptible sigh…… he said, “You really are the foolishly infatuated type.”

Then, the other person stood up and moved away from him. They said, extremely slowly, in a bland and indifferent yet merciless voice, “For the sake of your single-minded infatuation for him, I’ll let you have a glimpse of his corpse.”

As they spoke, he was lifted up.

After walking for around fifteen minutes’ time, they arrived at another room. As soon as the door was opened, the smell of decay assaulted him.

Even without being able to see, one could guess that the appearance of that corpse couldn’t be pretty.

That person put him down.

He gathered what strength he had left and walked forward step by step, half kneeling onto the ground, and reached his hand out to probe the corpse in front of him.

【 The Fang Li who had been silently watching the show all these days suddenly spoke: I know what’s going on now. 】

【 System: ? 】

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The Author Has Something to Say:

Fang Li: What happened to the promised “hero rescues the damsel in distress” script??? Where did such a big wife of mine go???

Xie Huai: ……