Mu He’s pupils shrank as veins popped out on his forehead.
Xie Zhiwei gasped and tried to stand up straight in front of the crowd, but spasms of pain from his heart made him hunch over. Chu Zhishi was now holding his shoulders with both hands.
“Senior brother, what’s wrong with you? Did Chi Yan injure you?” he asked anxiously.
The crowd quickly gathered to surround Xie Zhiwei in the middle. This was probably the first time he’d been the center of so much attention, so he should have maintained better posture. But after shaking his head at Chu Zhishi, he lost all strength and slowly collapsed to the ground with his back against the fragmented pillar. All the people around him were making his vision swim.
A white-robed youth pushed his way through the mob, knocking multiple people to the side as he rammed his way through. He forcibly opened a path through the horde, but Xie Zhiwei only heard the frantic cries of his fallen victims. He didn’t even have the strength to lift his eyelids for a look.
Someone gently helped him sit up and rest against something softer and warmer than stone. Soon he heard a rapidly pounding heartbeat.
Xie Zhiwei tilted his head and asked, “Youngest junior brother?”
The person replied, “Shizun, it’s…disciple.”
Xie Zhiwei forced his eyes open and his vision cleared somewhat. Mu He’s face was very close, his eyes red-rimmed and a trickle of blood by his lips. In the end, he had used his own strength to break through the restriction spell.
Xie Zhiwei sighed. “Didn’t I tell you not…to come. Why didn’t you, listen…master’s words, what if you…”
His sentences were broken and fragmented as his body trembled. Although his face was calm, his brows spasmed to reveal that he was in abject pain.
Mu He didn’t want to talk about irrelevant things and simply used his sleeve to wipe away the black blood by Xie Zhiwei’s mouth. “Shizun,” he said, making his voice as soft as possible, “Where does it feel uncomfortable?”
Chu Zhishi had been one of the people that Mu He shoved aside and now strode over with an unfriendly look. He tugged at Mu He and snapped, “What ties do you have with our daoist sect? Release him.”
“Don’t touch me!” Mu He snarled and looked up. The ice in his eyes was cold enough to freeze all of One Step Cliff. He didn’t bother hiding anything—these were his genuine emotions.
Chu Zhishi gave a start before he mocked, “So this is your true face. Can’t fake it any longer? Let go, stay away from second senior brother!”
“Zhishi, he’s still Zhiwei’s disciple. Even Zhiwei hasn’t said anything yet, so you should say less,” Yan Zhifei finally squeezed out from the crowd himself, followed by Xia Zhiqi and Du Sheng.
Seeing the still wet bloodstains by Xie Zhiwei’s lip, Du Sheng said, “Amitabha, Xie zhenren doesn’t look like he’s been injured.”
Xia Zhiqi placed a hand on Xie Zhiwei’s wrist to check his pulse before she blanched and looked up. “Second senior brother is poisoned.”
An uproar broke out in the masses.
Yan Zhifei stepped forward and bent down to ask Xie Zhiwei, “When were you poisoned? You…don’t you have Black and White Lotus? Why didn’t you heal yourself?”
The corners of Xie Zhiwei’s lips tugged upward before he struggled to shake his head.
Du Sheng sighed. “This poisoning didn’t happen overnight, but should have been in Xie zhenren’s body for a while. He must not have discovered it in time. Perhaps the poison wouldn’t have broken out so soon if Xie zhenren hadn’t fought so hard with Qingping Sword in Red Lotus.”
Mu He’s eyes immediately lit up. “White Lotus can still save shizun.”
Du Sheng sighed again. “The poison has already entered the veins of his heart. If Xie zhenren had kept his spiritual power in reserve to cure the toxin instead of saving us all…then there might have been hope.”
In fact, Mu He had already tried with White Lotus when Du Sheng spoke. But his actions proved the monk’s words true. He had already used massive energy to help Xie Zhiwei save everyone else, then powered through his binding restrictions with more strength. Now all he could manage was barely activating White Lotus. Leaving aside the severity of Xie Zhiwei’s poison, this was simply…trying to light a lamp with no oil.
Mu He began to panic and desperately used his spiritual power to summon White Lotus. Finally, it began to surge slowly with waves of qi, but they were completely ineffective on his master.
Xie Zhiwe’s lips moved slightly. “Doing this will make master die a more painful death.”
“No!” Mu He’s eyes were bloodshot. He couldn’t accept such words coming from Xie Zhiwei’s mouth. “Shizun, how can you be such a fool?! You gave everything to save them, but how did they treat you in turn? It wasn’t worth it!”
Someone grumbled in dissatisfaction, “What kind of words are those? All of us did our best to help Xie zhenren drive back the Demonic Sect. Isn’t that enough?”
Mu He’s face flashed with ruthlessness, but he couldn’t do anything right now. He gritted his teeth so hard his lips bled.
Chu Zhishi only laughed coldly. “Were you helping my second senior brother to repel the Demonic Sect, or were you only acting because he saved you all? You’re an adult, but you still don’t know how to speak sense.”
He was usually a cheerful man, but his sudden harsh words made him a stranger to those who knew him.
The voice just then dropped significantly in volume. “This matter happened to your daoist sect, so naturally it’s your responsibility to deal with it. Don’t our actions count as helping?”
Xia Zhiqi’s face chilled as well. “You shut up!”
Chu Zhishi only stood in place and waved a hand, but soon enough a figure flew out of the crowd to crash heavily against the ground. He climbed to his feet in tatters, annoyed, but was soon faced with multiple contemptuous looks from the horde. Face blanching, he could only slink away to hide in a corner.
Chu Zhishi was just about to teach him a lesson when he saw Xie Zhiwei coughing violently. The blood he spat up was darker and darker, soaking Mu He’s white robes in patches.
“Senior brother!”
“Second martial uncle!”
“Xie zhenren!”
Xie Zhiwei was already having trouble hearing all the different voices. He placed his hands over his heart and pressed hard enough to turn his knuckles white, nails scratching at his lapels. Mu He scrambled to hold down his fingers, only to find that Xie Zhiwei’s heartbeat had gotten even weaker.
The sound seemed to travel a long distance just to reach his palms.
Only now did he understand why Xie Zhiwei’s heartbeat sounded so faint the last two times he was in his master’s arms. He thought he was just hearing things, but it was actually a symptom of Xie Zhiwei’s strange poison. If…
If only…
Mu He lost all ability to think as his wits flew out in a panic. “Sect Leader Martial Uncle, Great Master Du Sheng, save shizun, I beg you…”
Only hopeless sighs answered his pleas. It was the first time Mu He had fulfilled his wish of holding Xie Zhiwei’s body, but it was as good as sitting on the sidelines to watch him die. It was also his first time begging for help out loud even though it was futile.
A shaking hand covered his mouth.
The fingers were ice cold.
Mu He’s pleas stuck in his throat as he instinctively cupped the hand to try and warm it up. His eyes swept over the crowd, but were bewildered and unfocused. He caught glances of sorry faces, sympathetic looks, sad and indifferent expressions. But none of the people said a word, nor did anyone step forward to say, “I can save him.”
Xie Zhiwei forced his eyes open again and tried to speak. “Black and White Lotus have already been destroyed…in my consciousness. After my death…they will not leave my body, may this…stop the world’s struggles.”
Because the surroundings were so silent, everyone heard his words.
Now the silence grew deeper.
If his words were true, then the Five Treasures of the world would now be short by two and could no longer be combined. The legend passed down through the ages would remain a myth forever. The crowd exchanged looks, some wanting to speak but stopping as if they doubted Xie Zhiwei’s determination to do what he said.
Mu He was stunned. “Shizun, why would you…” He stopped at once when Xie Zhiwei gripped his wrist, but his eyes were still shocked.
Du Sheng recovered enough to count his prayer beads again. “Amitabha, Xie zhenren has taken pains.”
Yan Zhifei crouched down and reached out a trembling hand before eventually withdrawing it. “Zhiwei, why suffer like this…”
Xie Zhiwei barely managed a smile. “Senior brother, who doesn’t die…? I want to do something I think…has meaning. Disciple…I give this to you…”
Mu He didn’t understand what he meant by “this” until he heard the sound of Qingping Sword clanging on the ground. His voice began to shake. “Shizun…”
“Draw the sword.”
Right now, Mu He would do anything Xie Zhiwei said even if it cost him his life. Although he didn’t have much spiritual energy left, he still did his best to pull the sword out of its sheath. He only managed three inches, but it was enough for everyone to see.
Yan Zhifei understood and nodded. “Fine. Since he’s qualified to inherit your mantle, this Qingping Sword will be your legacy to him.”
Mu He knew all too well what “legacy” insinuated. His hand shuddered before the sword slipped out of his grip.
“This belongs to shizun. Shizun still needs it to be famous across the world, I—”
“Take it.” At some point, Chu Zhishi had appeared next to Yan Zhifei. “Although I don’t like you very much, this is second senior brother’s wish. You must listen.”
Mu He had long lost awareness of who was speaking. He blankly picked up Qingping Sword even as his hand cradling Xie Zhiwei tightened.
“Youngest…junior brother. You ate my fish…should help me…cough,” Xie Zhiwei vomited more black blood, his cheeks flush with the exertion. Despite having trouble breathing, he kept talking. “Bury me beneath the willow tree…”
Chu Zhishi closed his eyes to endure the knot in his throat. “All right, I—I’ll do as second senior brother says.”
He was only concerned with his small, insignificant tiff that day instead of spending time together beneath the willow tree. Who knew it would be their first and last outing together? But in the end, Xie Zhiwei still left the matters of his burial to Chu Zhishi alone.
With the great battle done, the wind and waves had calmed. Since there was no movement in the air, the clouds above them remained in place and began to gather thickly. Beneath its gloom, One Step Cliff was its own isolated, silent world.
Mu He asked in a daze, “Shizun, what about this disciple?”
Meanwhile, Chu Zhishi suddenly realized something amiss and fiercely clutched at Xie Zhiwei’s sleeves. “Second senior brother, if you’ve already made arrangements—does this mean you knew you were poisoned a long time ago? Hurry, tell us who did it!”
His cry raised suspicions and caused a flurry of whispers around them. As if finding a lifeline, Mu He’s eyes lit up. He had no time to wonder why Xie Zhiwei had never said anything beforehand but desperately hoped to get some answers. We can still save him!
Xie Zhiwei reluctantly strained towards his disciple’s ears. Mu He held his breath to concentrate, focusing all his energy on listening.
“In Dog’s…bowl…saw shrimp shells… You must have put them there…because you couldn’t eat…in the future, never touch…you have to…”
On the day he stuffed a shrimp in Mu He’s mouth, the teen had secretly thrown his share to Dog. He never expected to be found out. But to mention this now of all times was truly inexplicable.
Too busy to be embarrassed, Mu He quickly said, “All right. Shizun, tell us quickly, who did it?”
And then he heard four barely perceptible words.
“Help me…take…revenge…”
Mu He nodded furiously and waited for more, but a heavy weight suddenly settled on his shoulders. Following that, shouts rose from all sides, mixed with weeping. Astonished, Mu He looked down and saw Xie Zhiwei quietly leaning against him with no more breath.
He was incredulous. “Shizun?” he tried.
His voice was all but drowned out by the growing din around him. The daoist disciples were all kneeling on the ground, Chu Zhishi was hollering “Second senior brother!”, his arrogant boasts all gone in the face of his sobs. Yan Zhifei stood up and bowed down to pay his respects with others following suit.
The first drop of rain fell from the somber clouds to splash against Xie Zhiwei’s closed eyes. But his eyelashes didn’t even twitch. Mu He brushed away the droplet, his fingers touching skin that was even colder than the rain. He took his sleeve to lightly wipe away the black blood on Xie Zhiwei’s face and repeated, “Shizun.”
The rain fell faster. Although it wasn’t a big storm, it soon dampened all the dust and dirt on the ground.
Bixu zhenren Xie Zhiwei had always been indifferent and never vied with the world. Yet his final chapter in life had been concluded with such a magnificent stroke.
At some point, the King of Nine Provinces had appeared in front of the crowd. “It’s raining,” he said.
Nobody had time to pay him attention or even give him a single glance. The king looked at the skies, then at Mu He who was still clutching Xie Zhiwei’s body in a daze, and mumbled slowly to himself, “It’s really raining.”
“Right, it’s raining.” Someone actually replied. When the king looked towards the source, he met Mu He’s listless eyes.
Mu He lowered his head and murmured to the man in his arms, “Shizun, we should take shelter back at Suihan Lodge. Dog is still waiting for us.”
The King of Nine Provinces creased his eyebrows. “Royal Son, are you all right?”
Mu He ignored him. Holding Qingping Sword in one hand and Xie Zhiwei in the other, he tried to stand up. Seeing this, Bai Jianzhu feigned concern and said, “Martial Nephew Mu He, what did second senior brother say to you in the end?”
Everyone wanted to know the answer. The sobs faded as their eyes fell on the teen. But he didn’t seem to see them, eyes staring at the bloodstained Qingping Sword instead. Once again, he turned to Xie Zhiwei’s corpse with a small chuckle. “Look, the Qingping Sword is dirty. Disciple will definitely help shizun clean it up.”
Chu Zhishi wiped his eyes. “Hey, you…”
Mu He hadn’t managed to get to his feet when something fell from his wrist. He glanced at it before his blank look was violently jolted awake. As if terrified, he fell back on the ground and quickly covered his eyes with one hand. His actions startled the crowd, who were very curious to see what he saw. The thing that dropped was so small they needed to get closer to see it clearly.
It ended up being a length of willow branch that was rapidly turning yellow as it withered.
While they processed the sight, Mu He laughed again. Two streams of tears flowed out from beneath his hand. He didn’t seem to want others to watch, because he quickly turned away to bury his face in Xie Zhiwei’s shoulder. Icy rain fell on the equally frigid corpse, the sensations chilling him to the bone. His mouth twitched into something like a smile, but all that came out was a sob. At last he dropped his hand hopelessly and broke into wails of pain.
Xie Zhiwei’s complexion was as white as a sheet, his hair made dull and dark by the rain. In front of everyone, Mu He’s heartbroken cries were the desperate sounds of someone who had lost his entire world.
From his rebirth to this moment, whether it was facing enemies or kin, he had never so thoroughly lost control. Beneath the dark skies, everything had turned into a blur. For a while he even forgot who he was holding in his arms. He only knew that that person would never smile at him now, or come over in the middle of the night to tuck him into bed.
He grabbed the willow branch, mud and all, from the ground while his other hand tightly grasped Xie Zhiwei’s wrist. A helpless expression came onto his face.
Without spiritual energy to maintain it, the willow was now dry and easily bent. It would never wrap itself around a wrist again.
Just like how that person…would never wake again.
– Arc 1 – END –
Translator’s Note: Yes, he’s gone…
As a gift for completing Arc 1, I prepared a translation of “Trespass” 擅入 (Shan Ru), the series’ second fan song. This time the company also made a 5-minute audio drama version with voice acting for Mu He and Xie Zhiwei.
…because nothing hurts quite as much as hearing shizun’s last words being spoken out loud, right? (; u ; ) Links are below so enjoy, I’m off to offer respects at shizun’s grave…