As if his mind and body were being torn apart. For a moment, his memories were in chaos, countless fragments flashing across his muddled mind. He only felt dizzy, unable to even think.
Not knowing how much time passed.
With difficulty he controlled his fingers and moved slightly, then he slowly tried to open his eyes. Initially he thought that he was already numb to the pain, but once he raised his eyelids he felt a stinging pain in his eye corners, as if they were stung by countless sharp needles. A liquid he did not recognize flowed down his eye corners.
the rims of his eyes felt a stinging pain. His eyes felt like being stung by countless needles. A liquid he did not recognize flowed down the rims of his eyes.
Feeling the strangeness of his body, Yang Lianting stilled and stayed silent. Lightly exhaling, his heart sank into the depths.
I can’t see?
Iron chains tied each of his hands against the damp stone wall and his lower body was immersed in muddy water. Musty odor filled the air, he faintly heard the sound of a scurrying rat. While he could not see his current surroundings, this place was clearly similar to a water dungeon.
Yang Lianting leaned against the wall behind him, feeling the chilly wind seep through his damp robes. Spring had just begun and the weather was still awfully cold. His body was covered in scabbed wounds, the horrible pain difficult to endure. Immersed in the frigid water, his lower half had gone numb and his exposed raw flesh hurt terribly.
Adjusting his breathing, he took a deep breath to calm down. Shifting into a slightly more comfortable position, he closed his eyes and a familiar face appeared in his mind.
Dongfang–
Before he was abducted, the man in black had already poured an unknown powder over his eyes. Back then, he had felt a sharp burning pain in his eyes. He had intended to struggle in defense, but the blade pressed against his abdomen had thwarted his idea.
Dongfang Bubai had reacted in an instant. He had heard him fly over in a flash trying to save him. However, the man in black had come prepared. Raising the blade’s edge closer to his body, he admitted in a deep voice, “Cult Master Dongfang, you are the world’s first. If you want to kill me, it only takes a wave of your hand. But before you can take my life, I’m afraid you can’t stop me from killing your kept man.”
The blade was very sharp, it had torn through his outer lined garments in a single slice. Yang Lianting had felt a shiver down his spine and his muscles had tensed.
Despite the intense burning pain in his eyes and the shock of losing all light in an instant, which drenched his whole back in cold sweat, he had stood still and taken a deep breath to calm his violently beating heart. Closing his eyes, his throat hoarse he had shouted towards Dongfang Bubai’s direction, “Don’t move!”
“I’m alright!”
“Lian di, don’t be afraid.” Dongfang’s voice had sounded so light. Yang Lianting had not seen his expression, but he guessed that he must be feeling flustered. Before he could struggle out of his grasp, the man in black had firmly restrained him in his hold. Dongfang Bubai had sternly shouted, “Who are you?”
“What kind of insidious powder did you pour over Lian di’s eyes? If you harmed his eyesight this Seat shall crush your bones to dust!”
“Cult Master Dongfang, rest assured.” The man in black had cruelly laughed out loud. “I know well that my martial arts aren’t your match, if I want to abduct Yang Lianting in your presence, I naturally must think of an effective method.”
“It’s said that Brother Yang is quite clever and agile. Despite his poor martial arts, he has many tricks up his sleeve. I have no other choice than to blind him, of course the effect is temporary.”
Hearing that he was not permanently blinded, Yang Lianting had breathed a faint sigh of relief. Before he could reply, he had been preempted by Dongfang Bubai.
“Who are you? Who sent you to deal with Lian di?”
“Clearly, you know you’ll pay a heavy price for laying a hand on him but you still chose to take action.” His voice had sounded faint yet carried unconcealed killing intent. His eyes had looked as cold as ice, the stare had chilled the man to the bone. Despite forcibly restraining his feelings, the worry and tension hidden in his tone had still been heard by Yang Lianting. Immediately, his chest contracted and his heart ached beyond words. The last time I heard him speak in this tone was in our past life.
In death.
No one could defeat the world’s first, except him.
He was the Invincible East’s sole weakness.
Yang Lianting had tried to even his breathing and control his facial expression. Eyes shut, he turned his head towards him and loudly assured, “Dongfang, I’m alright, don’t worry.”
“Who knows what sect or faction this coward crawled out of to seize me.” Yang Lianting snorted and ignored the edge against his abdomen, the taunting underlying his words had been plainly obvious. “They want to use me to threaten you. So, they’re likely not going to injure me now, since I still have a use.” He had been unable to see Dongfang Bubai’s expression and merely heard the familiar voice sounding not too far away from him.
At night, the air had cooled and a chilling breeze blown past. His voice had sounded so faint it almost vanished in the breeze. “Don’t you dare harm even a hair on Yang Lianting’s head! Just tell me, what do you want?”
The man in black had laughed out loud, his laughter sounding overly proud of himself. “Who would’ve thought, the legendary Master of the Holy Cult would truly yield for the sake of his one lowly kept man.”
“Indeed, we have a request for you, Cult Master Dongfang.” The man in black had tightened his hold around the blade’s hilt and pressed its sharp edge against Yang Lianting’s flesh. He then had slowly taken a few steps back, while keeping him within a stranglehold. “Cult Master Dongfang, you must not act rashly. If you want this kept man to remain alive, do as we say.”
“It doesn’t matter if my humble life is ended at the hands of the Cult Master, but if someone carelessly injures Yang Lianting I’m afraid, Cult Master Dongfang, you’ll feel heartbroken.” The man in black had laughed out loud.
“In seven days, during the Wulin General Assembly, I expect Cult Master Dongfang to come in person. My Master will certainly offer you this kept man with both hands!”
“In seven days, don’t see, don’t scatter!”[5]
The instant before he had been knocked unconscious, the last thought on Yang Lianting’s mind had been of the riverbank deep at night. If I’m not with him, will Dongfang catch a cold?
Dongfang–
Yang Lianting closed his eyes slightly, he could not help but feel bitter in his heart. Shaking his head, he lightly breathed out. That man in red’s martial arts skills were the world’s first, were without equal. Clearly, he stood high in the clouds like the bright sun and looked down upon everyone from above.
From birth to death, his role had been to sit above all, remote and aloof, only to be killed by me in the end.
For his sake, he had constrained himself and yielded.
In their past life and in their present life as well.
Seeing him being taken away, Dongfang must’ve been overly angry and anxious. That person always thought too much. What if he can’t drink, can’t eat? Will he recklessly rush to the Wulin General Assembly in disregard of everything else? His body has not recovered yet, if he makes himself ill with worry–
Gritting his teeth, Yang Lianting slammed his fist against the stone wall. The iron chain holding him in place made a clanking sound. Forcing himself to calm down, he took a deep breath and steadied his breathing.
Someone had tied him up here wanting to threaten Dongfang Bubai into appearing at the Wulin General Assembly. He would certainly rush over without a thought, so that General Assembly was the perfect opportunity to eradicate the Invincible East.
Currently, his eyesight had not recovered yet and he was still locked up in this partially submerged cell.
Water Dungeon–
Yang Lianting’s heart skipped a beat. In the past Ren Woxing had been imprisoned in the Water Dungeon and now he too was locked up in such a cell. Ren Yingying and Xiang Wentian? They likely learned of Ren Woxing’s death and tied him up to threaten Dongfang Bubai at the Wulin General Assembly. Once the sects of the Righteous Path united to forcibly suppress the Holy Cult, those two would catch all in one net.
Yang Lianting snorted scornfully. In truth, he shouldn’t have been softhearted to Ren Yingying, who looked as refined as jade and as delicate as a flower but was as poisonous as scorpions and snakes on the inside.
Thinking of his current condition caused Yang Lianting chest pain. He was terribly anxious, yet powerless to do anything. His hatred for Ren Yingying rose by several points. He did not fear pain, let alone death. He only feared Dongfang’s sorrow.
Besides, time would tell whether or not the ones who locked him up here were truly Ren Yingying and the others. Since they wanted to threaten Dongfang Bubai, he would undoubtedly not be in any real danger until the Wulin General Assembly.
When the day comes–
Yang Lianting clenched his fists and lightly exhaled.
In his past life, he had burdened Dongfang Bubai and become his constraint, his actions had caused him to die without a whole body in the end.
In this life–
Yang Lianting lifted the corners of his lips and chuckled. He leaned against the cell’s stone wall, it felt damp and cold, but his heartbeat was serene. He trusted Dongfang Bubai. He knew that no matter the situation that person in red could look down on all beings in existence.
In this life, he would not be so stupid and let others seize him in their grip again, would not allow Dongfang’s concentration to be disrupted at a critical moment again, would not be reduced to the foe’s sharp edge used to threaten and injure Dongfang again.
Yang Lianting closed his eyes. Although his martial arts were of no use, so what? Even if he truly had to take that last step and drag all these people to death with him, he would absolutely not let Dongfang Bubai fall into their past life’s predicament again.
The days inside the water dungeon were difficult. Everything was quiet, only occasionally could the clanking of iron chains or the scurrying of rats be heard. His lower half was still soaked in water and had gone numb from the cold, while the burning pain in his eyes had gradually lessened. When he opened his eyes, he could not see clearly and merely make out the vague outlines of the cell. No one had brought him rice or water, nor was there any movement sounding outside. As if he were left unguarded, as if someone had imprisoned him here and then forgotten about him.
Yang Lianting fell into a dazed sleep, dimly dreaming of his past life. Back then, he had yet to run into Dongfang’s secret and their relationship had merely been ambiguous. Even though they had not been together yet, as his personal guard he accompanied Dongfang to dine alongside him. However, an assassin of Mount Song Sect[6] had secretly infiltrated the Holy Cult and intended to assassinate Dongfang Bubai one night during dinner.
Yang Lianting had been stunned still.
Yet Dongfang Bubai had only used a single chopstick to end that assassin’s life. In the blink of an eye, he had directly pierced through his throat.
In that instant, Yang Lianting had not known how he felt, but seeing a person die right in front of him sent a shiver down his spine. He could not help but believe that the Invincible East was powerful to the extreme.
“Cult Master, you are matchless beneath the heavens! Truly, your divine martial arts are entirely worthy of the title ‘world’s first.’” Yang Lianting instructed the servants to carry the corpse away and after they had withdrawn he racked his brains on how else to compliment him, “This Subordinate shall immediately go and thoroughly investigate the congregation, not letting a single heretical spy get away!”
Dongfang Bubai merely looked at him with a light hmm.
Back then, Yang Lianting had yet to understand Dongfang’s thoughts and assumed that he had been disturbed by the assassin who appeared out of nowhere during dinner. So he further raised the corners of his lips into a bright smile and continued to flatter him, “Cult Master need not worry, with your martial arts no one beneath the heavens is your opponent!”
Pursing his lips as if he were smiling softly, Dongfang Bubai remained silent for a long time. Slowly shaking his head, he then quietly said as if talking to himself, “How can I be invincible?”
Yang Lianting had not heard him clearly and did not have the guts to question him.
Time passed.
Later, much later, that person in red donned women’s dresses and smeared powder on his face, raised the pitch of his voice as if he pinched his throat, and handed over all authority and power over the Sun Moon Holy Cult.
Back then, Dongfang had already fallen in love with him. He had meant that even though he was the world’s first, was without equal, only he could defeat him. He had already expected to lose everything to him.
His words were a prophecy.[7]
In his past life, Dongfang Bubai had indeed lost his life under his hand. Suffering a crushing defeat, losing repute and position, dying without a whole body.
In this life, that fool still fell in love with him.
Yang Lianting slowly opened his eyes yet in his mind the one dressed in a blazing bright red garment, whose eyes were always quiet and limpid, appeared. He helplessly sighed in a low voice, shaking his head and smiling bitterly.
It had only been a few days yet he missed him dearly already.