Chapter 779
Chapter 779
How exactly did Shen Lang find this secret underwater cave? In truth, it took considerable effort. He spent a day and a half locating the Xue Clan's seventh and eighth secret caves, only to find them empty. He then spent a long time searching the entire area within a ten-li radius, but still couldn't find the hideout where Xue Ding and the others were hiding.
Then, Shen Lang had a sudden idea. He marked all eight of the Xue Clan's secret hideouts on a map and connected the dots. To his surprise, he discovered that the points formed a character, though it wasn't a complete one.
The connected dots formed a '丨' on the left and a '壬' on the right, but no such character existed in this world. Shen Lang's mind raced, and he thought of another character: '任' (Ren). The Xue Clan's original surname was Ren. Among the ancient surnames, Ji was the noblest, followed by Jiang. The ancient Yellow Emperor's surname was Ji, and the Flame Emperor's was Jiang. Thus, the Emperor of this world was of the Ji surname, and the monarch of the Great Qian Kingdom was of the Jiang surname.
According to ancient legends, the Yellow Emperor bestowed the following twelve surnames: Ji, You, Qi, Ji, Teng, Zhen, Ren, Xun, Xi, Ji, Xuan, and Yi. The Xue Clan had evolved from the Ren Clan, and the masters of Mount Fudao had borne the surname Ren for generations. Now it made sense why the Xue Clan and Mount Fudao were so close. They surely shared a common ancestor, didn't they?
When Xue Che built these secret underground bases, he imbued them with his great ambition—the ambition for the Xue Clan to return to the pinnacle of the Eastern world and become the foremost family in the Great Yan Dynasty. That was why Shen Lang deduced there weren't eight secret bases, but nine. Connecting all nine points on the map would form the character '任' (Ren). With that, Shen Lang was able to determine the approximate location of the ninth secret base. Unexpectedly, it was on the coast. A few hours later, they found the entrance to the ninth hideout. The Xue Clan was truly remarkable. To build their most secret base underground, beneath the sea—even at a depth of only ten-odd meters, it would have required an incredible feat of engineering.
* * *
Mulan looked at Shen Lang with eyes full of adoration. Her husband was incredible. To find the Xue Clan's most secret hideout with just a map. She still didn't know that the Xue surname had originated from the Ren surname. An intelligent man was truly captivating.
Rushing to the coast, Shen Lang found several long, hollow iron pipes. The pipes, which led directly underground, were clearly used to ventilate the underwater hideout.
"Xue Ding, Xue Xue, I've finally found you. I must hurry and share some bad news. Your father died a most miserable death, and he did not close his eyes in peace. But I also have good news for you. Your family will soon be reunited. A family should be together, shouldn't it? Will you come out on your own? Or will you stay put? Fine. Then you can suffocate to death in there!"
* * *
Inside the Xue Clan's ninth secret cave, the four people pressing their ears to the iron pipes could hear Shen Lang's voice. A deathly silence followed. After a thin membrane blocked all the pipes, no more air could enter. The remaining air in the underground chamber wouldn't last long. At most, they would all suffocate within a few hours. Ying Qi took out a brush, drew dots on the map, and then connected the nine dots, writing the character 'Ren' in semi-cursive script.
"I see now. Your father always wanted to return to being the Ren Clan. The family at the pinnacle of the world."
Xue Xue shuddered. She, too, now understood how Shen Lang had found this place.
"Count Xue should not have revealed his ambitions and ideals in this manner. I've always looked down on a certain type of scholar—the kind who loves to write acrostic poems, worrying that others will discover their hidden meaning, yet also worrying that they won't."
Xue Xue held her breath as Ying Qi continued.
"In truth, what meaning does it hold? Ancient legends say that our Ying Clan also descended from the Ji surname. But our ancestors never called themselves Ji. The Ying are the Ying."
Xue Xue cried out in a trembling voice.
"Your Highness, no!"
Xue Ding said coldly.
"Ying Qi, what are you trying to do? Do not forget the relationship between our Xue Clan and Mount Fudao. If you dare to do anything to us, Mount Fudao will not let you go."
Ying Qi spoke slowly.
"I asked a little while ago. That last earthquake was very strange; wasn't it related to the ancient ruins that Mount Fudao is excavating? If I'm not mistaken, those ruins must be an unprecedentedly large ancient city. And part of it happens to be under the Xue Clan's Nanzhu City. So, I think Mount Fudao has decided your Xue Clan has outlived its usefulness. In the future, Mount Fudao will shift its center of power to these ancient ruins, and since your clan is based here, they must find you a bit of an eyesore."
Xue Xue said in a trembling voice.
"Your Highness, are we not husband and wife? I even bore you two children. Surely you don't intend to disregard our bond?"
"The death of the King of Chu because of Consort An taught me a profound lesson. Xue Xue, you tried to poison your own adoptive mother when you were just a child. You are a truly frightening woman."
Xue Ding said angrily.
"Ying Qi, are you trying to burn the bridge after crossing it? Do you really think Shen Lang will let you go just because you kill us? Dream on. Dream… Ugh!"
Xue Ding was a martial arts master, but he was no match for Yan Ye. Although Yan Ye did not hold the title of Grandmaster, he had already reached that level. In an instant, Xue Ding was sent flying like a scarecrow.
"Surrender quietly. Xue Xue, I do not wish to lay a hand on you."
At Ying Qi's words, Xue Xue laughed out loud.
"Hahahaha! Ying Qi, you're finally showing your true colors. From the moment I poisoned my adoptive mother, Lady Qiu, I knew I had become a viper, and that I could never change. Never. Since I cannot change my nature, why should I even try? Ying Qi, let's die together!"
As Xue Xue pointed at Ying Qi and laughed shrilly, a captivating fragrance began to spread through the air. Ying Qi's face changed drastically. Purple veins burst in his eyes, and as he collapsed to his knees, two streams of poisoned, purple blood flowed from his nostrils.
Ying Qi laughed sharply.
"As I expected, as I expected… Xue Xue, you really did use a gu-poison on me. Hahahaha!"
Xue Xue laughed wretchedly.
"Why are you so surprised? Wasn't I always a viper in your heart?"
Ying Qi shook his head and said.
"That didn't matter. It didn't matter."
He then collapsed to the ground, convulsing and writhing desperately. Poisoned purple blood streamed endlessly from his nostrils, lips, and ears.
"Your Highness, Your Highness…"
Yan Ye rushed to Ying Qi's side.
"Take her out and hand her over to Shen Lang!"
Ying Qi said, pointing at Xue Xue with the last of his strength.
* * *
A moment later.
Xue Xue and Xue Ding knelt before Shen Lang, their bodies trembling as they stared at Xue Che's severed head. Xue Ding could barely breathe. It hadn't been long since Xue Pan died and he became the heir, and now the Xue Clan was on the verge of annihilation.
"Shen Lang, I… I have never wronged you in my life."
Xue Ding said in a trembling voice, and Shen Lang replied.
"Of course not. That's why I'm wronging you first."
Ugh!
"Do you regret dying?"
Shen Lang asked, and Xue Ding nodded desperately.
"But there's nothing to be done, is there? A family must be together. I've already declared that I would uproot the Xue Clan."
Shen Lang then brought out a crossbow and aimed it at Xue Ding's forehead.
"You can dodge, or you can choose not to. But if you dodge, you will suffer more. If you don't, you will have a clean death. I'm firing now."
Shen Lang pulled the trigger.
*Thwack!*
The sharp bolt instantly pierced through Xue Ding's head. He had considered dodging but ultimately chose not to, meeting a swift death.
Xue Xue knelt before Li Qianqiu and Lady Qiu.
"Why did you do such a thing back then? Did we not treat you well? Wouldn't it have been good to be our daughter?"
Lady Qiu asked with tears in her eyes, and Xue Xue replied.
"You treated me well, but I had no other choice."
Lady Qiu asked again.
"If you had to steal the secret manual, just taking it would have been enough. But why did you poison me? And if you were going to use poison, why didn't you just kill me outright? Why did you leave me in a state neither human nor ghost for over a decade?"
"If you had died, Li Qianqiu would have become reckless. But with you alive, neither human nor ghost, he would listen to us at critical moments. We could promise to cure you and make him do anything."
It was impossible to be more vicious.
"You grew up by our side since you were a child, and we treated you like our own daughter. Did you truly feel nothing for us? Are you really such a beast? No, even a beast would have formed an attachment after all that time."
At Lady Qiu's words, tears fell from Xue Xue's eyes.
"How could I feel nothing, as if I were made of straw?! Of course, I grew attached. For a very long time, I thought of you as my own parents. But you were too kind. Kindness means incompetence, it means being unable to protect anyone. You couldn't protect me. I couldn't bear the consequences of betraying the Xue Clan, so I chose to poison you. And once I started down that path, there was no turning back. I became a viper forever. Just now, I poisoned my own husband. Hahahaha…!"
Xue Xue exposed the weakness of human nature that is kindness. Lady Qiu held a blade to Xue Xue's throat, grinding her teeth for a long time, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Crying, she said to Shen Lang.
"Shen Lang, please do it for your aunt. I'm as useless as your uncle."
Shen Lang strained to turn the winch of the crossbow.
'Damn it. This crossbow is so powerful, it's a huge pain just to draw the string.'
He panted, finally managing to draw the string and aim at Xue Xue's forehead.
"Shen Lang, do you know… Ugh!"
Just as Xue Xue started to say something, Shen Lang fired the bolt. The powerful crossbow pierced through her beautiful head.
"If you're going to die, just die quietly. What's the point of useless last words?"
Shen Lang spoke dismissively and approached Yan Ye. He was, in fact, a very powerful man. His martial arts were profound, and his abilities were formidable. As the Director of the Blackwater Terrace, he had wielded immense power, enough to blot out the sky. He had been so impressive and imposing back then that even crying children would stop at the mention of his name. Shen Lang had rarely met him, but each encounter felt like a final boss appearance. Yet, such a man had now become so disheveled. It was as if his martial arts, talent, and methods had all vanished.
Shen Lang knew why. It was because he had lost his way. In his heart, he was loyal to Ning Yuanxian, but he stood on the same side as Xue Che and Ying Qi. He couldn't support Ning Zheng, but he couldn't completely betray Ning Yuanxian either. Torn between the two, he was like a headless fly that had lost its place. He was the ultimate hunting dog, one who needed someone to point him in a direction beforehand. He didn't harbor the astounding ambitions of Su Nan or Xue Che, and he probably never even thought of making his own family a top-tier powerhouse. Because, even now, he had no family of his own.
"Director Yan Ye, you and I have no grievances. I hope that one day, you will find your own direction and purpose."
Shen Lang said, and Yan Ye asked in a trembling voice.
"I am nearly sixty. What time do I have left to find a purpose and direction?"
"That is for you to figure out, is it not? I am not the one to guide your life."