Chapter 197
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: Reconsideration (2)
Plip! Plop!
Raindrops began to fall from the sky.
Tiny droplets pattered against leaves and blades of grass. They drummed on trees and rocks alike.
The sound of falling rain filled the air.
But... there was no feeling.
Raindrops should have felt cool and wet on his face and the backs of his hands, yet he felt nothing at all.
Just as Zhuge Soso had said, his nerves were severed.
Not from an acupoint strike, but from the impact of those prayer beads infused with Grandmaster Jigong's qi.
Grandmaster Jigong surely had no idea that Four Thousand Four was still alive.
Four Thousand Four was dead.
How could someone like Grandmaster Jigong fail to distinguish between those who could live and those who must die?
He had left without delivering the final blow, out of Buddhist mercy.
Though his attacks had been brutally merciless—chilling even for a disciple of the Buddha—killing was never something that sat well with him.
Even so, if there had been even the slimmest chance of survival, like a single grain of rice, he would have struck again without hesitation.
Four Thousand Four was dead. His death was certain.
Grandmaster Jigong had withdrawn with that conviction.
Zhuge Soso had confirmed it herself.
She had even asked if he wanted her to end his suffering, considering everything that had passed between them.
His death had been beyond doubt.
Their judgment seemed correct.
Rain was falling, but he couldn't feel it. There was no sense that it was even raining.
Plop! Plip-plop!
The sound of raindrops striking his eardrums was unmistakable.
If he couldn't even hear that, he might have thought it was still a clear day.
'I'm dying.'
Four Thousand Four knew this state all too well.
His body had already reached the brink of death. All that remained was for his soul to depart. One last breath... just the act of exhaling his final one. Most people would have lost consciousness by now, but occasionally, someone like Four Thousand Four remained fully aware.
His mind was sharp, even as death crept in.
At a moment like this, if the inheritor of the Death Verdict appeared to grant him death... would he accept it? Or refuse? Of course, his body couldn't refuse, so he'd have no choice but to accept. But in his heart...
Still, he clung to life. He didn't want to die.
If consciousness remained, even a flicker of it, no one would wish for death.
Yes. Even in the worst moments, people convince themselves they'll survive somehow. Even with limbs torn away, they believe their life will endure.
Until the very last breath... they think they can live.
So how many would ever think, "I should let go of this pain and move on"?
It didn't matter how many. The number was irrelevant. If even one person wanted to live, you couldn't kill them. Life and death were theirs to decide.
There was a fatal contradiction in the Death Verdict.
Shooooaaaah!
The rain intensified into a downpour.
No longer scattered drops, but a torrent pouring from the heavens.
'Hm!'
Four Thousand Four sensed the rain.
His sense of touch hadn't returned. He couldn't feel the harsh pelting of the drops. But as water seeped into his mouth and nose, choking his breath, his face instinctively contorted.
Yet... these sensations roused him once more.
'My breath... it's blocked?'
Those whose nerves were truly severed wouldn't even know they were suffocating. Their bodies would thrash in response to the sensation, but mind and will couldn't perceive or resist it.
But he felt the choking. He struggled to clear his airway. Proof that his nerves weren't completely cut. There was some factor allowing him to survive.
Four Thousand Four sank into silent stillness.
He had found a path to life amid death. In such cases, most people would focus inward, pondering what that path was and how to widen it.
Four Thousand Four chose to wait.
'Huuuup! Huuuuup!'
With long, slow breaths... he merged his scant qi with his respiration, barely detectable as it was. Then, he let the qi guide his breathing—or vice versa. Regardless of which led, breath and qi moved as one.
Tzzzzzt!
His nerves reconnected.
They had never truly been severed. If they had, recovery would be impossible.
He felt rainwater trickling between his fingers.
Touch was finally returning.
His nerves hadn't been cut—they had been paralyzed. The beads' impact had jolted his entire body, numbing his nerves in an instant.
Now, they were reviving.
In truth, unblocking paralyzed nerves was no small feat. It was nearly miraculous.
And yet, it was happening.
'Huhu! You bastards... reaping the benefits again.'
Four Thousand Four savored the rain flowing between his fingers and silently thanked the White Frost Demon Garb—the Blood Demon—that had become part of his body.
Their energy was stirring his qi.
When could he move? He wanted to rise right then.
But he didn't rush.
His body would handle it. Hunger, cold, thirst... everything needed for survival, his body would manage on its own. Unable to act himself, he had no choice but to let it.
In times like these, it was best to trust the body.
'Huuuuwup! Huuuuuuup!'
He felt his breath and body becoming one.
"Haa..."
Zhuge Soso let out a sigh.
Four Thousand Four had to die. He was beyond saving. Yet he was clinging to life.
Flicker!
The Drunken Jade Stone emitted light.
Resonating with Four Thousand Four, it signaled his survival.
How could this be!
Four Thousand Four had been as good as dead. A state where no one could revive him. She had even asked if she should mercy-kill him.
And now he was coming back!
'That guy's life force... it's unreal.'
What should she do? Pretend she didn't know?
Four Thousand Four would follow his own path. He'd keep killing, draw the Heavenly Annihilation Division's attention, get exposed to Grandmaster Jigong, and die again.
The chance for Four Thousand Four to kill Grandmaster Jigong had passed.
He'd never encounter an absolute formation like the Explosive Annihilation Emperor Array again. Nor did it seem his martial arts would reach Grandmaster Jigong's level.
'What should I do with you...?'
She gazed at the forest where Four Thousand Four lay.
His body was nearly a corpse. Though breathing, he likely still couldn't move. Left alone another few days, wild beasts would devour him.
Rustle! Rustle!
She walked toward him.
First, she'd see how he'd survived, learn his thoughts, then decide whether to save or kill him.
"I had a feeling... but how many lives do you have?"
She said, gripping his wrist to check his pulse.
His qi and blood were stabilizing. Not fully stable yet, but he seemed to have escaped death.
"There's no contradiction in the Death Verdict."
Four Thousand Four suddenly changed the subject.
"Is that what you were thinking?"
"The people I've killed, and me dying. At first, it seemed contradictory, but there was no contradiction."
"So you'll go back to killing once you're better?"
"That's the plan."
"Why tell me this?"
"Figured you'd be the most curious."
"And what do you think I'll do after hearing it? Let you live?"
"That's your choice."
"You like me, don't you?"
"..."
Four Thousand Four fell silent.
"I know you do. A man's feelings for a woman can't be hidden. Your eyes when you look at me, your tone, your actions... I knew long ago. Just making conversation. Don't mind it."
She examined his wounds closely.
"Strange. No medicine applied, yet your body's healing itself. At an incredible speed."
She spoke casually, as if her previous words were mere chit-chat.
"Thanks to the White Frost Demon Garb."
Four Thousand Four swiftly shifted topics too.
"Ah!"
Zhuge Soso nodded in understanding.
"I'd forgotten about the Demon Garb for a moment. If it's dissolved into you, that explains it."
"..."
Four Thousand Four went quiet.
He desperately needed help. He couldn't move. Couldn't eat or drink. He could sustain his qi and blood with inner arts, but his body craved food.
With aid, he'd live. Without, he'd die.
"Three years. Be my assassin for three years."
Zhuge Soso met his gaze, eyes locked on his.
"Target's the Heavenly Annihilation Division?"
"Right."
"I refuse."
"Why? Still attached to them?"
"I know people there. Can't kill them."
"They'll die someday anyway. Vanguard, Hanbi, Jaja, Fox. Those the ones? They're assassins. How long do you think they'll last? Especially now that their identities are exposed."
"I refuse."
"Fine. I'll save you."
Zhuge Soso began treating his wounds in earnest.
A day ago, death was certain. Now, survival seemed possible. Left untreated for a full day, yet no pus formed—instead, he was improving.
Zhuge Soso beamed.
"Seriously consider my offer while I treat you."
His nerves revived, bringing sensation with them.
The most welcome was the pain. The wounds from the beads throbbed like knife stabs.
Fever raged too.
Sometimes he'd blink and a whole day would pass.
He lost track of days.
"Arrowroot juice. It'll quench your thirst."
Zhuge Soso dug up arrowroot, squeezed the juice, and trickled it into his mouth.
She brewed medicine from wild herbs, administering it herself. No trips to the village, no physicians, no market herbs.
She hadn't contacted her Zhuge family either.
Occasionally... very occasionally, a golden-eyed black hawk circled overhead.
Seeming from the Zhuge family, searching for her—but each time, she sent it away.
In this remote spot, no one came. Just the two of them.
"Fever's broken. I doubted you'd pull through, but you'll live."
"Thanks to you."
"What about my proposal?"
"That's..."
"Ah! Think it over more. It's not a bad deal—you're just not getting it. Hohoho!"
"..."
"You can have porridge starting today. I'll make some."
She smiled radiantly. So beautifully.