Ch31 - Vicious murder

Major dubcon touching, psychological abuse, self-harm, blood, and mind control.

Shen You nodded woodenly and said, “Yes.”

Ming Kong smiled in satisfaction and waved the iron piece in front of his face. Shen You’s gaze returned to normal as he peered puzzledly at Ming Kong like one awakening from a dream. Immediately, Ming Kong switched to a respectful tone and said, “Senior Brother Shen fell asleep just then. I was afraid you’d be cold, so I had the gall to call you awake.”

Under the influence of Heart Sway Arts, Shen You not only believed him, but didn’t even notice how close the two were standing.

“Senior Brother Shen should continue your meditation, I’ll leave first,” Ming Kong left with an imperceptible smile.

Shen You replied an affirmative before sitting back down and returning to his book. But his eyes had traces of lingering doubt.

Xie Zhiwei was ready to put on a straitjacket and turn mad. He didn’t know what the hero was up to, but there was no more fast forwarding after this. Without skipping a beat, he witnessed the story of a demented, love-addled man who touched and tried to bent an ice-cold, lofty mountain flower. First Ming Kong had Shen You agreed to go by “Lanxiu” in private, then got permission to go in and out of Peihua Manor at will. Within two months, the two were virtually inseparable.

Outsiders only thought that Shen You had finally made a rare friend. But in reality, Ming Kong was blowing his branch flute and sealing Shen You’s awareness while getting handsy with him in their meetings. At first he only dared to touch Shen You in various places on his body. By the time Nie Ting sensed something was wrong and came to ask questions, Ming Kong had just finished tongue-kissing Shen You in his lap.

Nie Ting didn’t know that Ming Kong had hypnotized Shen You. The two sealed evil treasures of Ashen Cloud Sword Sect—the Heart Sway Arts and Black Lotus—was knowledge passed down to every succeeding sect leader. Their location was only known to Nie Ting himself, who would inspect it every few months to make sure the seal was intact.

During his last inspection, he discovered that someone had broken the seal.

Nie Ting was alarmed, but couldn’t spread news of the break-in. He took Black Lotus and returned to the sect to investigate privately. He soon discovered a disciple who used to be an extrovert had now suffered a major personality change. During the last two months, he’d been plagued with nightmares and grown much more timid. After questioning him, Nie Ting found out that he had witnessed a disciple commit suicide with his own sword as well as someone saying the words, “You can die now.”

Having a good idea of what was going on, Nie Ting asked who did it. The disciple fell to the ground and stammered, “Sect leader, don’t say that this disciple told you. I couldn’t see the culprit clearly, but that person entered Peihua Manor.”

Greatly alarmed, Nie Ting told the disciple to keep quiet while he went to question Shen You.

Today Ming Kong had purposely led Shen You to the highest peak in Ashen Cloud Sword Sect so it’d be convenient to have his way with him. Nie Ting searched everywhere before flying up and finding them, startling Ming Kong so badly he didn’t have time to disperse the Heart Sway Arts.

Ming Kong looked naturally gloomy and liked to flatter others, so Nie Ting had never liked him. He had even scolded Shen You once for getting close to the man. But since Shen You was affected by Ming Kong’s Heart Sway Arts, he actually thought Nie Ting was the one who was unreasonable. Just a few days earlier, Nie Ting had finished another argument with Shen You. The sect leader had pointed at Ming Kong and chastised, “All you do is hang around people like him and waste your cultivation. I am very disappointed!”

Shen You did the unprecedented thing of talking back.

“Judging people by appearances and making unfounded accusations, I’m very disappointed in senior brother as well.”

Although Ming Kong looked terrified at the time, he had slept with a smile that night. The same words that Shen You tossed at him once were quickly thrown to a respectable figure like Nie Ting. Since then, Shen You and Nie Ting hadn’t met at all.

When Nie Ting landed and saw Shen You standing with his back to him, he assumed the other was still angry. But there were questions to answer, so he asked patiently, “I don’t care about other things, but tell me honestly: did you break the seal over Black Lotus?”

“Black Lotus?” Ming Kong gave a start.

Nie Ting looked askance at him. “I wasn’t asking you.” He focused on Shen You again. “I had high hopes for you, but if you don’t want to cultivate, then forget it. Still, you shouldn’t touch those evil arts. Did you take that thing away? Hand it over.”

Even through the illusion, Xie Zhiwei could sense the killing intent in his eyes. The reason Nie Ting had ignored Ming Kong to interrogate Shen You openly was because he wasn’t planning to leave Ming Kong alive. The junior brother who had suddenly turned rebellious and perhaps even started cultivating along an evil Way was most likely corrupted by Ming Kong himself.

However, Nie Ting’s mistake was in vastly underestimating Ming Kong. Though the culprit remained standing on the sidelines, his fingers moved imperceptibly in his sleeve.

The silent Shen You finally opened his mouth and said, “Yes, it was me.”

“As expected,” Nie Ting’s voice sank. “Quickly, give me the item.”

But Shen You remained standing with his back to him. Furious, Nie Ting strode forward and grabbed his shoulder, intending to turn him around. “Talk to me properly—urk…”

His expression grew disbelieving as Shen You turned.

Because the latter was holding a dagger he had plunged straight into his chest.

“You…”

The blade of the dagger was coated in a highly toxic poison. Nie Ting spat out a mouthful of blood before he was rendered mute. He never expected the junior brother he brought up since childhood to betray him.

At last, Ming Kong lifted his head, wearing a smile that Nie Ting had never seen before. “As expected of Senior Brother Shen. Well done.”

The poison spread quickly through Nie Ting’s veins. Soon he was unable to even move. He glared at the pair before him with loathing eyes while Shen You stood blank-faced. Since he had never been a man of many expressions, Nie Ting didn’t even realize something was wrong.

The next second, Shen You pulled out the dagger and lifted his leg to kick Nie Ting off the edge of the cliff. At the same time, Ming Kong moved his fingers again. Shen You’s consciousness returned in time to see Nie Ting falling into the abyss, his eyes filled with hatred.

“Senior brother?” Shen You’s eyes widened as he blurted out.

“Lanxiu, you killed the sect leader,” Ming Kong started clapping. “Look at your hand, it’s covered in his blood.”

Shen You looked down. His hands shook, and the dagger fell to the ground. More than that, his light green robes were speckled with drops of blood.

“How can this be?! How could…” Shen You’s legs gave out beneath him. He fell to his knees in front of the cliff, staring blankly into the abyss. Nie Ting’s body had already vanished from sight. Perhaps his corpse had been dashed to pieces. Eyes on the cloud-covered ravine, Shen You picked up the dagger on the ground. The early spring snows were still melting, so most of the blood had been washed off upon contact with the thaw.

Ming Kong stopped applauding. “Lanxiu, what are you…”

Before he finished, Shen You had already stabbed himself in the palm. Poisoned black blood poured out from the source of the wound, but Shen You only looked back into the abyss. “It’s not a dream…” he muttered.

Ming Kong scrambled to grab his hand and expel the poison with spiritual energy, as severe as any elder. “Lanxiu, how could you be so cruel to yourself.”

Shen You waved him aside and asked, “When did I give you permission to address me like that?”

That was unexpected. Ming Kong looked at his frosty face and couldn’t reply. Slowly, Shen You rose to his feet, blood still dripping from his fingertips. At least now its color was red, but his complexion was pale white. “What exactly, did you do to me?”

After suffering such a shock, his blinded consciousness was returning to him.

“I remember now, you were the beggar I saved down the mountain that year, weren’t you?”

Ming Kong’s pupils shrank. “Lanxiu…”

That incident and identity were the two things Ming Kong wanted to erase most in the world. His only goal was to become someone on the same level as Shen You, but it was Shen You himself who brought up the past.

Shen You found his answer in Ming Kong’s reaction. Immediately his hand holding the dagger began to quake. “I led a wolf home. It was I who hurt senior brother…who hurt everyone…”

“Stop!” Ming Kong’s face was all despair. “Don’t say any more!”

Before, Shen You had shouted at him out of a sense of righteousness for his misdeeds. After spending two months together, these words now pierced Ming Kong deeply. Worse than not getting  the person you wanted was getting him only to lose him again. The agony was ten thousand times more painful.

Even if “getting him” was only Ming Kong’s self-delusion in the end.

Just an hour ago, he was doing whatever he wanted to the man in his arms. Now that person had turned back to the high and mighty Shen You who had no regard for him. Shen You’s final words ripped the last trace of his reason to shreds.

“I never should’ve saved you.”

Ming Kong broke into a strange laugh before his expression turned hideous. “Lanxiu, do you think saying this will absolve you of murdering the sect leader? Do you have any proof? Did you forget you have the murder weapon and personally kicked him off the cliff?”

Shen You blanched. He would probably never forget the scene he saw after regaining awareness.

Ming Kong laughed even louder. “See, you’re a criminal too. What right do you have to accuse me? Murdering someone and pinning the blame on others—turns out Immortal Shen is a insidious rat!”

“I…” Shen You was too angry to speak. Ming Kong just chuckled and sidled closer.

“The sect leader treated you so well, but you repaid kindness with treachery. Tsk tsk, even his bones must be smashed to pieces by now. A shame he was poisoned so he couldn’t speak. Could you guess how he’d curse you otherwise? In his heart, he probably thinks you’re no different from scum like me.”

Enough is enough, Xie Zhiwei thought. Just how much is this son of a b*tch Ming Kong planning to torture him?

But he wasn’t part of the scene and couldn’t affect it a whit. Shen You shut his eyes and shook his head. “Senior brother…I didn’t…” He looked disheveled, with blood staining his body. There was none of his usual poise.

Perhaps Ming Kong felt sorry as well, because he changed gears and comforted him, “Lanxiu, don’t be afraid. I’ll keep today’s events a secret. From now on, you and I are on the same boat…”

Shen You’s eyes flew open with a look of determination before he stabbed forward with the dagger. Ming Kong couldn’t dodge in time and was pierced through the shoulder.

“Good, very good…” Ming Kong’s gaze grew sinister as he flashed to the side. He expelled his poisoned blood with one hand while pulling out his branch flute with the other. The bizarre melody that came from the instrument made Shen You drop his dagger as pain spread over his features.

“No!” Unlike the past, Heart Sway Arts wasn’t immediately effective this time. Shen You seemed to be fighting back with all his strength to resist. He fell into the melting snow, struggling hard enough to leave bloody marks with his nails against the stones.

In the end, Ming Kong finally succeeded. Once again, Shen You resumed his expressionless look. His body was covered in mud as he laid on the cliff, empty irises staring quiet and spiritless.

Only two trails of blood tears streamed from his eyes.

Ming Kong was exhausted to death. He sat staring in a daze before moving to take Shen You into his arms. He embraced the man so tightly that it felt like he wanted to melt him into his body.

The scene before them soon shattered into pieces, scattering the errant snowflakes in the illusory air. Xie Zhiwei felt a little dizzy, though he wasn’t sure whether nausea or his own stifled heart was to blame. While he was still getting his bearings, someone fell against his chest. Xie Zhiwei swayed and stumbled in a circle before he finally managed to steady them both.

“Disciple, are you all right?”

Mu He’s forehead was stained with sweat because the illusion seemed to consume much of his spiritual energy. He looked a little weak as he replied,  “Shizun, disciple feels a little sick…”