Ch75 - For Whom am I Standing Amidst the Wind and Dew?
TW: Very brief description of torture
Editor: Sahloknir
Li Huanhanâs origins were only a few sentences long, even in the canonical records. The period in between his youth to his slaying of the Tian Mo Schoolâs Bishop and subsequent rise to power amongst those of the evil faction was lost to time.
Therefore, Jiang Yinghe was not prepared to see this scene at all.
Ning Fengyao had fled back to the Tian Mo School, which at the time was nowhere near the scale it had been during Li Huanhanâs reign. This evil sect still had several equally matched competitors vying for supremacy.
The wounded woman was half-kneeling outside the screen, and the child with blood red eyes in her arms stared straight at the figure behind it.
The Bishop continued to twirl two beads in his hand.
âDog who has lost her homeâŚâ The bishop began.
His words rang true. Ning Fengyao was once the Saintess, but she had eloped with a righteous sword cultivator and abandoned her sect. It was only because she had exhausted all other options that she returned to this demonic place that ate people alive.
âYou want me to bring up this child,â The Bishop tapped his pipe, âin exchange for your life?â
Ning Fengyao said, âMy cultivation, my soul, my bodyâŚI am willing to present them all to the Bishop if you have need of them. So please, I beg youâŚprotect my son.â
Her voice was hoarse, like steel broken from heat or burnt porcelain. Her voice, that had once entranced the world, had been reduced to broken pieces of scrap.
The man behind the screen laughed.
âIf I donât agree, are you going to follow Li Yunxiaoâs example and detonate your nascent soul?â
The woman stared at him with deadly intent. âI might as well try.â
The atmosphere immediately tensed.
âWouldnât an obedient Primordial God Zhenren be far more valuable as a pawn than a dangerous person who could blow herself up at any time?â
Ning Fengyao stood up, still holding her childâs hand. âAs long as the bishop makes an oath of internal demons to protect my son into adulthood and guide him in demonic cultivation, Fengyao is willing to agree to anything.â
No one knew which of her words moved the Bishop. Perhaps it was the part about being a valuable pawn, perhaps it was the word âanythingâ.
But the moment the candle in the room was about to burn out, the man behind the screen agreed to the deal.
There was some confusion in the perspective that followed. Jiang Yinghe was unable to discern what was going on for a moment, but when the lights stabilised, he saw another trail of freshly dripping blood.
This was the third time he had seen blood in a short period of time. Jiang Yinghe subconsciously searched for the injured person. He saw a youth in black that had one of his arms completely covered by knife wounds.
His bones could be seen from these wounds, which resembled haphazard slashes rather than cuts. However, the black-robed boy who looked no older than ten didnât even twitch. His eyes remained the colour of just frozen blood.
Jiang Yinghe looked around. His surroundings seemed to be similar to a water prison. Then the prison door opened and a young master in fine clothing walked in, smiling wickedly. âSo the traitorâs bastard is still alive, huh?â
As the young male stepped in, a dozen teenagers dressed in the uniforms of Tian Mo School disciples followed behind him. They wore expressions of disgust and contempt, but there was a hint of jealousy hidden within.
âAs expected of a bastard. Heâs tenacious like a weed, just like that mother of his who was made into a puppet!â
âA communal apparatus is just that, one of the Sectâs playthings. If Father didnât still have some use for Ning Fengyaoâs bit of strength, he wouldâve dealt with this little brat long ago.â
âPei, I canât believe she had the face to come back and seek asylum. Someone like him isnât worthy of having the heavenly demon physique. He should be stripped of his spiritual root with one word from the young masterâŚâ
Unfortunately, this would go against the terms in the oath of internal demons. Everyone knew that this child had to be kept alive and allowed to cultivate, or they would incur the wrath of the Bishop.
Ning Fengyaoâs choice showed she was nothing more than a gambler gone mad. She had bet everything she had on a future where Li Huanhan would not only survive and find great success in cultivating, but come back and take revenge for his parents.
Jiang Yinghe couldnât bear to hear such words. He couldnât help but shift in Li Huanhanâs direction after taking a look at that group of young children. When he got close, he realized that there were more injuries on this childâs body.
There were knife wounds, bone fracturesâŚand several centipedes had been forced into the huge wounds that were gradually healing. The insects struggled and thrashed.
Jiang Yingheâs mind went blank. He immediately wanted to go remove the foreign objects and heal those wounds. It was only when his hand passed through the childâs body that he rememberedâthis was only Li Huanhanâs past.
Jiang Yingheâs hand hovered for a long time before he reluctantly withdrew.
He would even pacify the turbid energy circulating Li Huanhanâs body when he first took him in as a disciple. Now, after all the time they had spent together, how could Jiang Yinghe bear to witness such a scene?
How could the disciple that Jiang Yinghe couldnât bear to let suffer the slightest of injuries have gone through such pain?
He took a moment to calm himself, but his ears were still filled with the foul language of that group of teenage boys. Jiang Yinghe settled down and looked at Li Huanhan, only to see a foreign chill in those vividly red eyes.
The group noticed his gaze and their words abruptly stopped. An especially eager to please boy stepped forward and said, âYoung Master, in my opinion, this lunaticâs heavenly demon physique would be put to better use with you. Just look at him. He barely speaks and his mind is dull, what a waste of his physiqueâŚâ
The young master backhanded the boy aside and scowled. He gloomily said, âDo you think I havenât thought of that?! If Father didnât want me to leave this bastardâs spiritual root and life alone, I wouldâve dug it out the day he dared to raise a hand to me!â
With that, the youth in brocade clothing turned and walked away. His lackeys trailed out after him.
In that case, then his injuriesâŚThey shouldâve been from that young master venting his anger after Li Huanhan was subdued.
Jiang Yinghe shifted his gaze to the black-clad boy who remained silent. He could only watch as the child reached out and tore open one of his half-healed wounds.
ââŚ.Huanhan!â
He only remembered that the other party couldnât hear him after he had spoken.
Jiang Yinghe forced himself to remain silent. He watched as Li Huanhan tore open his wounds until they were freely bleeding. He watched as he crushed the centipedes writhing inside to powder.
He even watched as Li Huanhan pulled out the nails that had been hammered into his bones when he was subdued, as if he didnât feel the pain or difficulty of removing these restriction artifacts.
Jiang Yinghe no longer dared to look. His eyes could only follow the trails of congealing blood puddling on the floor, and the sleeves dyed dark red reflected in them.
During this process, neither said a single word.
The dozen or so embedded bone nails were casually tossed into the pool of blood.
Jiang Yinghe averted his gaze from the sight, turning back to the child. He saw him staring blankly at a spot before him with empty eyes.
There was no despair, no hope and no emotional ripples to be seen. Despite living under someone elseâs roof, being tortured in a hundred different ways, or the veritable sea of bloody grudges he was made to shoulderâŚthere was nothing in his eyes.
Jiang Yingheâs heart skipped a beat.
It would be very understandable for a child to become difficult to handle after experiencing such trauma. Huanhan is already well adjusted, consideringâŚ
Just when Jiang Yingheâs thoughts came to a dead end, Li Huanhan raised a bloodstained hand to rub his eyes.
His voice was very quiet. It had a depressive quality not unlike a tomb that hasnât seen the light of day for a long time.
ââŚItâs so dark.â
Indeed, it was too dark here.
But this water prison was not the only place that was dim and lightless.
Jiang Yinghe was already reaching his limits after those three words. He had to take a considerable amount of time to steel himself before he could continue watching.
Torment like this could often occur, depending on whether or not someone was targeting you.
But even with many maliciously conspiring against him, Li Huanhan advanced at an incredible rate no one could match. He hid his strength by acting obtuse and speaking so little that some thought he was mute.
When he passed by Ning Fengyao, who had been made into a puppet, within the Tian Mo School, he was able to remain silent and calm, as if he had no feelings for her.
Meanwhile, the successor to the Tian Mo School indulged himself excessively in every way, relying on pills to raise his cultivation. Gradually, the Tian Mo Schoolâs Bishop began to inquire about Li Huanhanâs cultivation and show him false goodwill.
But it was too little, too late.
The Bishop was unable to decipher Li Huanhanâs true nature, but his own desires were laid bare in plain sightâ
When Li Huanhan grew up, the Bishop would no longer be bound by the terms of the oath of internal demons. He could strip the boy of his spiritual root.
When the old fox bared his fangs, the young fox pretended to be remorseful. An elder and a junior played at deceiving one another, and thenâ
Just like the Feast of Hongmen, it was over in a matter of mere seconds. AÂ venomous snake with pure black scales ended their lives.
Jiang Yinghe was all too familiar with Li Huanhanâs character. His disciple was someone meticulous to a fault. Every one of his actions were decisive finishers.
Amongst the pools of blood and broken limbs scattered across the Tian Mo School grounds, the black-clad, red-eyed youth lifted his head and walked up the steps to the Bishopâs seat. He locked gazes with Ning Fengyao, who was standing to one side.
Puppets were already dead. There was nothing behind her eyes.
Li Huanhan reached out and shattered the puppet imprint inside her. He picked up Ning Fengyao, who had been a walking corpse for many years, and left this scene of carnage behind.
Jiang Yinghe followed him and saw him burying Ning Fengyao at the peak of a tall mountain, amidst a sparse forest of cypress and pine. It was the place closest to the clouds in the sky.
The events that followed were very much in accordance with historical records.
He expanded the Tian Mo School and united the demonic factions, becoming the lord of all demonic cultivators. He was cold and ruthless, treating human lives like grass and acting without the slightest bit of pity or compassion.
His power rose to a frightening extent, forcing the righteous sects to retreat again and again for three hundred years. He pressured several of the righteous cultivators who had executed Li Yunxiao to the point where their souls flew away.
His overbearing, evil nature allowed him to commit countless heinous sins.
Jiang Yinghe recited the account in his mind.
It was at this stage that the Blood Shadow appeared. It was Li Huanhanâs internal demon, but it was so pathetic that Li Huanhan could play with it like a toy and manipulate it accordingly. In the end, it was even refined by him into a magic artifact capable of finding all things under the heavens.
Then it was smooth sailing for Li Huanhan. He advanced to the realm of Half-step Golden Immortal, triggering the heavenly lightning tribulation.
Even though Jiang Yinghe knew the outcome, he couldnât help but be more nervous than even Li Huanhan himself. But when the Daoâs heavenly lightning struck, both were left flabbergasted.
There wasnât even a single word spoken of the questions about his Dao heart.
After the thunder had dissipated, there was only a silent, death-like darkness.
If one were to compare this tribulation to an examination, then it was one without even a single question.
One strike, then two, then threeâŚ
There was still only darkness.
Just as Jiang Yinghe saw when he looked at Li Huanhan before, there was nothing in those blood-red eyes.
It was all too dark.
His life, from beginning to end, was shrouded in darkness. Devoid of even the slightest shades of colour, only an endless black void remained.
As he finally witnessed this moment, Jiang Yinghe felt an excruciating pain both mentally and physically. Just when he thought it was all over after going through Li Huanhanâs unbearable past life, he found himself shifted into a new perspective. The image of the White Crane Jade Manor appeared.
This seemed to be the time when he had just taken in Li Huanhan as a disciple. On one night, under the full moon, he had helped the other person soothe the clashing of turbid energies in his body.
At that time, although Li Huanhan was still as silent as ever, his demeanour had gradually softened during their ten years of cohabitation.
When he stepped out of the entranceway in his dark robes, the spirit cranes nestled nearby didnât even rouse from their slumber.
Li Huanhan stood outside without saying a word.
The approaching winter was apparent on this autumn night. The clear light of the moon above shone down like frost on the clothes of the man standing out in the biting cold at midnight.
It was only when Li Huanhan confirmed that the breath of the person inside had evened out, that he had fallen asleep that he slowly left.
The images in front of him dissipated.
It was a moment before Jiang Yinghe could return to his senses. He didnât shift his divine sense from the water mirror until a slight jolt of pain came from his finger. He looked in a daze at the kitty chewing on his digit before licking the bitemarks. Then, the person beside him lifted a hand and wiped at the corners of Jiang Yingheâs eyes.
âShizun,â A familiar voice rang out, âwhat are you looking at?â
Jiang Yinghe did not reply. Instead, he turned to gaze into those blood-red eyes before suddenly embracing Li Huanhan.
Li Huanhan was not expecting this turn of events. He steadied the other person on reflex before he heard his slightly muffled voice.
ââŚLook at you.â
Jiang Yinghe choked on his words for a moment. ââŚYouâve made me cry.â