Suddenly, a whip soaked in salt water ruthlessly hit his body. In pain, Yang Lianting sucked in a breath of cold air and opened his eyes to glance at the person who had arrived. His eyes hadn’t fully recovered yet and in the dim light of the water dungeon the surroundings were hard to see. He could only vaguely recognize the outline of the approaching figure, along with the fragrant and flowery smell of powder.
Ren Yingying.
Guessing her identity, Yang Lianting sneered in his heart.
Despite his body being in unbearable pain, his face was calm and collected as if he did not suffer in the slightest. Facing Ren Yingying, he casually praised, “Holy Maiden has good means.”
“At such a young age, you can remain silent and actually plot so many schemes under Dongfang’s watchful eye.”
Crack–
Another whiplash!
At this moment, Ren Yingying’s voice was filled with hatred and her beautiful face seemed sinister. Step by step, she walked towards Yang Lianting and said coldly, “A lowly guard like you dares to kill Daddy!”
“How dare you!”
“Oh, you know.” Yang Lianting was drenched in cold sweat, but he gritted his teeth and bore the pain. Smiling provocatively at Ren Yingying, he said, “So what?”
“I personally poured Ping Yizhi’s poison into the water of his cell. Bleeding out of his seven orifices, his bones breaking apart and wounds festering with puss, your father died after days of dreadful torment, died a miserable death.”
“Miss Ren, did you tie me up here to avenge your father?”
Crack, crack, crack–
Enraged, Ren Yingying could not restrain herself and swung her whip, lash after lash hitting Yang Lianting’s body. Not long after, Yang Lianting was covered in countless long bloody cuts. His whole face paled, his forehead dripped with layers of sweat. Since he retuned to an earlier time, he had not been tortured like this before. Yang Lianting’s whole body trembled faintly, but he gritted his teeth, took a deep breath and resumed provoking Ren Yingying without a change in expression.
“Holy Maiden, I, Yang Lianting, am quite unlucky to fall into your hands.”
“Holy Maiden, you went through the trouble of abducting me and building this fake Water Dungeon only to imprison me, only to whip me with such a painless whip?” Yang Lianting’s breath was unstable, barely able to hold on, but he smirked sarcastically “It’s said that the Holy Maiden is filial to her dear father, but as far as I know this doesn’t seem to be the truth.”
“Yang Lianting, you lowlife!”
Enraged, Ren Yingying raised her whip to swing downwards yet Yang Lianting hastily shouted, “Wait, wait!”
“Miss Ren, you shouldn’t hit someone’s face.”
Unconcerned about his current circumstances Yang Lianting proudly laughed out loud yet to Ren Yingying his laugh sounded arrogant and repulsive to the extreme.
“I, this Yang, still need my face.”
“A lowly kept man that serves in bed! That’s what you are!”
Ren Yingying angrily chuckled, “Oh! Are you afraid of this Miss scarring your great face and Uncle Dongfang abhorring you?”
“No, no.” Yang Lianting slowly shook his head, a thin smile still lingered on the corners of his lips and his tone sounded faint. However, his eyes were deathly cold. “I’m just afraid that if you scar my face, once Dongfang sees it you all will die a gruesome death.”
“Hahaha!” Hearing him speak, Ren Yingying laughed loudly and raised her hand to viciously lash her whip directly across his face. From his right forehead to his chin, a long and deep bloody cut appeared on his face.
“Take a guess, how long can you still be this arrogant?”
“Are you expecting Uncle Dongfang to save you?”
Ren Yingying curved her lips upward into an artful and sweet smile, but her pair of eyes gleamed in distorted elation. “Why do you think we kept you alive till now? We set an inescapable trap for the Wulin General Assembly.”
“Uncle Dongfang is the world’s first, but he has a weakness.”
“Yang Lianting, I should thank you.”
“Thank me?” Yang Lianting laughed out loud “Do you really think you can hurt Dongfang with your underhanded plot? Even your own father was defeated by him back then. Ren Yingying, don’t assume you’re revered by all just because the cult calls you that empty title.”
“Yang Lianting, you–” Irritated and infuriated by his attitude, Ren Yingying nearly lost her reason. She sneered and said, “I’m telling you, this time we’re allied–”
Heart skipping a beat, Yang Lianting narrowed his dark eyes and calmly looked at Ren Yingying. However, in the next instant a voice interjected.
“Miss, please be calm.”
Xiang Wentian walked into the cell and interrupted what Ren Yingying was about to reveal. He cast a sidelong glance at Yang Lianting, then took the whip out of Ren Yingying’s hand. “Miss, don’t be fooled by this lowly Yang Lianting.”
“Now that he’s in our hands, Dongfang Bubai will definitely be under our control, if everything goes according to plan when the time comes.”
“Let’s leave him alive for now, but once the matter succeeds his worthless life shall be disposed of solely according to Miss’s arrangement. This Yang Lianting dared to kill Elder Cult Master, of course we will never let him off lightly.”
Xiang Wentian persuaded clearly and without haste, calming Ren Yingying’s fit of rage. Realizing Yang Lianting’s intentions behind their verbal exchange, she fiercely glared at him. Taking a deep breath, she flung her sleeves and turned to leave the water dungeon. Xiang Wentian did not stay for long either, he glanced at Yang Lianting and smilingly stated, “Brother Yang, you truly aren’t a stupid person. I admire your braveness and strategy.”[8]
“If you die like this, wouldn’t it be a pity?” Pausing slightly, Xiang Wentian looked at Yang Lianting’s face and said in a low voice, “Brother Yang, think wisely whether you should continue to stand on Dongfang Bubai’s side and be opposed by everyone, or forsake darkness for light[9] and find a way out for yourself–”
Before Yang Lianting could respond Xiang Wentian left the cell. Once the two people left, he hissed in pain and sucked in a breath of cold air.
It hurts.
It hurts, it really hurts.
Burning pain. He felt as if his whole body was set ablaze, the hideous wounds’ raw flesh covered in salt and blood. He gently exhaled and tried to adjust his heavy and unstable breathing. The iron chains on his wrists made a strong clanking sound with his every moment, Yang Lianting could not help but shake his head and smile bitterly. I infuriated Ren Yingying but failed to find out their plan. However, he was certain that he wouldn’t lose his life before the Wulin General Assembly began and merely, like now, suffer some superficial skin cuts or abrasions. As for their means to deal with Dongfang…
Xiang Wentian, Yang Lianting narrowed his eyes, was quite the schemer. Leaning against the cold stone wall, the cold chilled him to the bone but calmed his messy thoughts.
Xiang Wentian would likely come back to persuade him.
Yang Lianting slowly closed his eyes, his whole body was in pain and the bleeding whip cut on his face felt searingly hot. He lightly licked his lips, the fresh blood flowing into his mouth had a metallic taste, he raised his head and stared at the only window of the water dungeon’s cell. High above a few rays of bright light emerged between iron bars.
He sighed softly.
Such an obvious scar on his face.
If Dongfang sees it, he’ll feel heartbroken again.
Seven days later the Wulin General Assembly commenced.
Yang Lianting’s hands and feet had been tied up with thick rope and his mouth been gagged with a piece of ragged cloth by Ren Yingying’s subordinates, afterwards they had stuffed him in a large wooden trunk and locked him up. He had not slept for seven days. Exhausted to the extreme, covered in painful bloody scabs and scars, stuffed into the wooden trunk, Yang Lianting had thought he had died.
He was about to fall asleep when he vaguely heard noisy and loud voices in his surroundings.
“Mount Song Sect has arrived–”
“Northern Mount Heng Sect has arrived–”[10]
“Shaolin Temple has arrived–”
“Wudang Temple has arrived–”[11]
“…”
As the many sects of the Righteous Path slowly arrived, from time to time he could hear people speaking.
“Greetings, Brother Yue!”[12]
“Greetings, Brother Lin!”[13]
“Everyone is present!”
“Of course! After all, the current Wulin General Assembly is held to finally get rid of the Sun Moon Holy Cult’s Evil Demon.”
“Hahaha.”
“The Sun Moon Holy Cult is awfully arrogant, acting without measure and decency. We, the righteous sects of the Wulin, must unite and eradicate the Demonic Cult with combined effort.”
“…”
Friends and acquaintances greeted each other, it was as lively and joyous as a gathering. Suddenly hearing someone say ‘East’ Yang Lianting’s heart skipped a beat. Tied up within the wooden trunk, he struggled to sit up straight and listened attentively.
Dongfang, Dongfang.
The Wulin General Assembly was about to begin, but he did not know when Dongfang Bubai would arrive… The moment he thought of that person, Yang Lianting’s heart felt aggrieved, felt an unspeakable and uncontrollable longing.
He missed him very much.
Yang Lianting wanted to see him, wanted to hug him, wanted to kiss him. He wanted to comfort him and tell him he was fine. He wanted to hold his hands to check if he had lost more weight over the past few days.
From a gap within the wooden trunk, the outside events could be seen. Yue Buqun, Lin Zhennan, Liu Zhengfeng,[14] Yu Canghai,[15] Zuo Lengchan, … a number of renowned and prestigious figures were present, but Yang Lianting saw neither Xiang Wentian nor Ren Yingying. Taking a deep breath, he pressed down the slight sense of unease in his heart and quietly watched the various sects of the Righteous Path discuss among each other.
Before long, the Sun Moon Holy Cult led by Tong Baixiong arrived as well. As soon as Tong Baixiong and the congregation stormed the place, the atmosphere instantly changed. Like all on Blackwood Cliff, Tong Baixiong looked down on the entire self-proclaimed righteous sects of the Wulin and considered them a bunch of two-faced hypocrites.[16] He may not be on Blackwood Cliff, but his blind worship and belief in the Invincible East, in the strength of the Sun Moon Holy Cult, allowed him to recklessly storm the General Assembly grounds and bravely oppose the hostile sects. His arrogant gaze swept over the people present. Slamming his fist on a table, he shouted in a booming voice, “It’s said that you all will ally today to encircle and suppress our Holy Cult?”
“Our Holy Cult isn’t devoid of people! We’ll never be pushed around by you deceitful bigots!”
“Tong Baixiong, you actually dare to come! How bold!”
“Hey, where’s your dear cult master? Afraid that he’ll lose?”
“Tong Baixiong, today’s General Assembly is a gathering for the Righteous Path, you Demonic Cult must leave this instant!”
Once Tong Baixiong and the congregation arrived many who knew him began to stand up and shout, even people who did not recognize him stood up and joined in. For a while, the air was so tense and hostile a fight would have broken out the next instant.
“Is this how you so-called righteous sects act? Did you feed your reputation to the dogs?” Tong Baixiong spat on the ground, “Weren’t you all just discussing how to deal with our Holy Cult? Now that we’re here, please continue.”
“I, Old Tong, came here to participate in the just and upright
Wulin General Assembly. Do you think we’re easy to deal with just because we’re outnumbered?”
Yang Lianting listened to the verbal confrontation and could not help but frown. Secretly scolding Tong Baixiong, this overly reckless old man. Acting this arrogantly, he really was not afraid of the whole Wulin regarding the Holy Cult as their enemy.
“Elder Tong, you have come today to participate in the Wulin General Assembly. We naturally welcome you.”
“It’s just, do you want to participate out of personal interest or on behalf of the Sun Moon Holy Cult? If you were to represent the Sun Moon Holy Cult–” Yue Buqun stepped forward and said with a faint smile, “If this Yue remembers correctly, the current cult master of the Sun Moon Holy Cult is the Invincible East.”
“Elder Tong, are you here on behalf of the Invincible East?”
“Right! Where’s Dongfang Bubai?”
“Come out you Evil Demon!”
Yue Buqun had taken the lead and instantly the others gained a backbone, shouting for Dongfang Bubai to come out of hiding and face off against his enemies in a fight. Unable to refute them, Tong Baixiong’s face turned green and drained of blood as if he were slapped. Punching the table in front of him he was about to retort when Dongfang Bubai flew onto the platform, intricate red robes billowing in the wind.
Tong Baixiong’s eyes lit up, then he swiftly stepped forward. Together with the cultists he had brought with him, abruptly they all coordinately fell to their knees. “Greetings to the Cult Master! The Cult Master possesses civil and martial virtue, benefits the common people, faces one thousand changes and lives ten thousand years, for a unified Jianghu!”
Dongfang Bubai was dressed in a vibrant red garment with a cloud-pattered moiré draped over his slender shoulders, his long hair as black as raven feathers was hanging down his back.
Serenely standing in place, the martial artists were all stunned still by his presence. The entire assembly grounds quieted down in an instant, the drop of a needle could have been heard.
Through the gap in the wooden trunk Yang Lianting was able to see Dongfang Bubai’s figure. Eyes sore and throat hoarse, his heartbeat fast and frantic. Even if he were to die, his line of sight would never shift away.[17]
After a few days, he actually lost so much weight.
Few martial artists of the Righteous Path had seen Dongfang Bubai with their own eyes before. Watching Tong Baixiong and the other cultists kneel down to this strange man, they were first stunned and then looked at one another in disbelief. Who would have thought that the Evil Demon, the infamous Invincible East, looked as handsome, as pure and elegant as an immortal?
But they were only stunned for a moment.
Soon someone unafraid of death rushed forward and shouted, “Dongfang Bubai, you Evil Demon, you dare to come–”
Before he could finish shouting, a sharp silver needle pierced his throat in a flash. The man’s eyes widened, he choked and fell to the ground.
Dead.
Before anyone could see.
Dongfang Bubai stood in place as if he had not moved a cun. No one noticed when and how he had made his move. Glancing at each other in dismay, struck with terror.
Dongfang Bubai’s gaze swept over everyone present. He had always been awfully thin but at this moment his face looked wan and hollow, without any expression. His pair of eyes were faintly lowered, his thoughts indiscernible.
“Where is Lian di?”
“You took away my Lian di and threatened me into coming over. Now that I’m here, you all still aren’t handing him back to me.”
Hearing him speak, many of the people present were puzzled. Unexpectedly, Zuo Lengchan who had been standing in the back confidently stepped forward and smiled thinly at him. He cupped his fist in salute, “Is Cult Master Dongfang referring to that Yang Lianting, who is rumored to be your kept man?”
“Zuo Lengchan, who gave you the courage to spout nonsense in front of the Cult Master? I’ll kill you!” Hearing him ask, Tong Baixiong instantly flared up. Eyes widening in anger he drew his pointed blade and rushed forward to fight against Zuo Lengchan. Before he could swing his blade at him, Dongfang Bubai stopped him with a wave of his hand.
“Did you abduct my Lian di?”
“Hand him over.”
Zuo Lengchan rolled his eyes in annoyance, his line of sight secretly intersecting with a person hidden amongst the crowd of martial artists. Clearing his throat with a light cough, he agreed, “Indeed, that Yang Lianting is currently in our hands.”
“However, Cult Master Dongfang…”
“Demons of the Heretical Path must be punished by everyone and now that Yang Lianting has fallen into our hands, if we were to hand him over just like this wouldn’t we slap our own faces?”
“Cult Master, Zuo Lengchan is a nasty schemer!”
Tong Baixiong knelt down, cupped his hands, and implored, “If they truly abducted Yang Lianting, they’re definitely coming after our Holy Cult!”
“Cult Master, you mustn’t be fooled by these villains!”
“Cult Master, that Yang Lianting merely serves in bed–”
“When has he spoken a truthful word? He’s always only been a lewd and lowly servant. Cult Master, you mustn’t act rashly for that one kept man!”
Dongfang Bubai’s frigid eyes swept over him, his expression not changing in the slightest as if he had not heard a single word. Step by step, he approached Zuo Lengchan who stood still in the center of the crowd.
Zuo Lengchan was the famed Mount Song Sect’s Sect Master and Sword Sect Alliance of the Five Mountains’[18] Alliance Chief. However Dongfang Bubai’s long stare drenched his back in cold sweat. In the presence of so many martial artists, he did not allow himself to show weakness and straightened his chest. Scornfully snorting, he asked, “Does Cult Master Dongfang intend to make a move against this Zuo before the entire Righteous Path?”
Dongfang Bubai’s slender eyelashes dropped slightly as if he were holding something back, he then softly repeated his words, “If you return Lian di to me, I will spare your life.”
A simple sentence spoken softly and artfully, but it infuriated everyone in an instant. Zuo Lengchan had been powerful and in a high position for years, when had he ever been treated without any respect?
“The audacity!”
“Shameless scoundrel, how dare you speak to Alliance Chief Zuo like this!”
“Intruding upon our Wulin General Assembly for a kept man! Honestly, did you eat a bear’s heart and leopard’s gall?”[19]
“The dignified and imposing Holy Cult’s Master actually has a thing for men, isn’t that the biggest joke in the world!”
The crowd of righteous martial artists offended and provoked him with all kinds of foul language. Tied up in the wooden trunk, Yang Lianting felt anxious and distressed. Trying to free himself he desperately struggled to loosen the ropes but had to helplessly watch on from a distance.
Dongfang Bubai stood among the crowd.
His expression faint from beginning to end.
Staying silent for a long time, Dongfang Bubai then lifted his head up. Long black hair breaking loose, his hairband blown far away by a gust of wind. Wide red robe billowing in the wind like a pair of fiercely raised wings. A face as beautiful and solemn as ice and snow. Reaching out with his hand abruptly, he took hold of Zuo Lengchan’s throat to strangle him. “Do you all think I’ve gotten weak because I’ve been silent for too long? Do you think that I, the Invincible East, am weak and can be easily deceived?”
“Daring to lay a hand on my man at will!”
Dongfang Bubai lowered his eyelids and curved his lips upward, lightly laughing out loud.
“If you don’t hand over Lian di, all of you can go to hell!”