Ch.25: Dallying HuaLian; Night-Fall in Sinner’s Pit 2
"San Lang, are you really alright? Put me down." Xie Lian said."No." San Lang replied.Xie Lian was taken aback by the response. What's going on? Was there something onthe ground?That pair of arms were still holding him tightly without any intention of letting him go. XieLian was going to raise his hand and gently push himself away, but just as he laid hishand on San Lang's chest, he abruptly remembered how he was randomly touching himall over just now, even feeling up his adam's apple, and quietly withdrew his hand again.It's been hundreds of years since the last time Xie Lian cared to learn what 'awkward'meant, but now there was a voice in his head telling him that he better stay still and staydecent.Just then, an enraged, sorrowful wail roared from the other side of the pit, and a voicecried, "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?"Those words were shouted in BanYuenese, and hearing the voice, it was General KeMo that Xie Lian had dragged down with him. Since he was already dead, the fallwouldn't have killed him, only blasting a human crater in the ground when he crashed.But when he climbed up from his hole, he started screaming, "What's going on? Mybrothers, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"When he howled into the pit earlier from the top of the wall, there were hundreds andthousands of voices that answered his call, as if the pit was filled to the brim with angry,menacing ghosts. But right then and there, other than Ke Mo's cries, Xie Lian could onlyhear dead silence. There wasn't even any sounds of breathing or heartbeat from theSan Lang who's next to him.Xie Lian's breathing hitched, suddenly realizing what was amiss.That's right. Even though Xie Lian was pressed against San Lang, he couldn't detectany sounds of his heart beating or his breathing!Ke Mo roared, "WHO KILLED YOU? WHO KILLED ALL OF YOU!!!"When A-Zhao first fell, there were still horrifying sounds of flesh being ripped apart, butafter San Lang jumped, there were no more sounds. Who else could it be?Ke Mo himself must have realized this, and shouted towards them, "Killing my soldiers,you're dead! I'm gonna kill you!"Although he couldn't see, Xie Lian could still sense danger rapidly approaching, andjerked his body, "San Lang, watch out!""Don't worry about him." San Lang said, still holding him tight. He made a small sidestepand spun around.In the dark, Xie Lian heard a series of broken clanking sounds, clear and intense,swishing here and there. Ke Mo rushed to capture them but missed the first time, andturned around to attack again, but San Lang also easily side stepped again and avoidedhim. Xie Lian's arms involuntarily climbed up San Lang's chest again and held on tightto his shoulders, unconsciously clutching his clothes.But the arms carrying him were steady, even with all the spinning and side stepping, thehold was still strong and secure. Just, Xie Lian could feel something cold and hard onthose arms that would poke at him every so often, and was a little confused. In theendless blackness, streaks of silver shimmers flashed everywhere, and sounds of asharp metal inflicting wounds were accompanied by Ke Mo's angry roars.It was obvious that BanYue General is heavily wounded by now, but as tough as hewas, he refused to admit defeat, and once again rushed towards them. Xie Lian calledout, "Ruoye!"The silk band answered his call and shot out, a large 'snap' sounded in the air, and KeMo seemed to have fallen over from getting smacked by Ruoye. Ke Mo shouted fromthe ground, "You two! Two against one! Unfair!"'You were gonna kill us, who cares if it's two against two against one, or if it's fair orunfair? Saving my life is more important, I'll kill you dead first.' Xie Lian thought.San Lang on the other hand, only sneered, "Even on one on one you won't win. Youdon't have to fight." The last line was directed to Xie Lian, and the words had none ofthe gibe tones."Alright." Xie Lian responded, but also prompted, "San Lang, why don't you put medown. I'll be in your way like this.""You're not in the way. Don't come down." San Lang said."Why can't I come down" Xie Lian asked curiously. This guy couldn't possibly enjoyfighting while carrying someone?San Lang's answer only had two words: "It's dirty.""..."Xie Lian had never imagined that to be the answer, in such seriousness too, andthought it was kind of funny, but it also made him feel kind of strange, the feeling hard todescribe, only that his heart was warm. "You can't possibly keep holding me like this?""I could." San Lang replied.Xie Lian was only joking, but San Lang's words had no trace of half heartedness, andsuddenly Xie Lian didn't know what to say. In the time they were talking, Ke Mo hadnever ceased to attack. Both of San Lang's hands were firmly holding him, butsomething else was keeping Ke Mo at bay, whipping him to defeat. He shouted whileslowly backing off, "That bitch made you two..."He hadn't finished his words before a large boom sounded off, and the massive man fellto the ground, no longer able to stand. Xie Lian hurriedly said, "San Lang, don't kill him!We'll still need to question him if we want to get out of here."San Lang heeded his words and stopped. "I wasn't planning on killing him anyway,otherwise he wouldn't have lasted til now."A dead silence ensued anew in the Sinner's Pit.After a moment, Xie Lian asked, "San Lang, did you do all of this down here?"Even if nothing was visible in the dark, with such an overpowering stench of blood andbloodlust covering the pit, plus the enraged madness of Ke Mo, it was obvious what hadhappened down here. It was another momentary silence before Xie Lian heard SanLang's response."Yes." He said.It was an expected answer. Xie Lian sighed, "How should I say this..."Xie Lian chewed on his words and organized his thoughts before speaking up in aserious tone, "San Lang, next time you see a pit like this, don't just jump in randomly. Icouldn't even stop you. Really, I didn't know what to do."San Lang didn't seem to expect this kind of response and let out a confused "eh?"When he spoke again, he sounded a bit odd, "You don't want to ask anything else?""What else do you want me to ask?" Xie Lian said."For example, whether if I'm human." San Lang replied.Xie Lian rubbed his forehead, "Hmm. I don't think that's necessary.""Is it not?""Is it? It's not important whether if you're human or not." Xie Lian said."Oh?"Xie Lian crossed his arms while in San Lang's arms and said, "Relationships shoulddepend on chance and whether if we're on the same wavelength, not on identity. If I likeyou, you can be a beggar and I'll still like you. If I dislike you, you can be the emperorand I'll still dislike you. Shouldn't it be like that? It's simple logic. So, whether if you'rehuman is irrelevant."San Lang laughed out loud, "Yea. You're very right.""Right?" Xie Lian said, laughing along too. But the more he laughed the more he feltsomething was off, and it came to him suddenly.He was still letting San Lang carry him, and the scary thing was, he had gotten used tobeing in this position without realizing it!What kind of situation was this?? Xie Lian cleared his throat quietly and said, "Um, SanLang. We can talk about that later. How about you put me down first?"San Lang seemed to have chuckled and said, "Hold on."He carried Xie Lian and walked on for a bit before gently letting him down. Touchingground, Xie Lian could feel hard, flat ground. "Thanks!"San Lang made no gestures in response, and after thanking him, Xie Lian looked to thesky.Above them the navy blue sky hung a crescent moon, bright and beautiful. Just that,watching the view from a square frame made it feel like they're a frog in a well.Xie Lian commanded Ruoye to try and reach for the top, but expectedly it was stoppedhalfway as if it bumped into an invisible wall, and Ruoye rebounded, unable to gohigher."There's an array drawn around the Sinner's Pit." San Lang said."I know, but I wanted to try anyway." Xie Lian said, "I couldn't give up until I've tried, youknow. I wonder how the others are up there. Would the girl in black also sweep themdown?"He retold of how the girl hung on the pole suddenly came alive and swept all theBanYue soldiers down into the pit to San Lang, and while talking he stepped onsomething on the ground, appearing to be an arm, and Xie Lian almost tripped. Hesteadied himself immediately, but San Lang still reached out and helped to support him,chiding, "Be careful.""I told you the ground was dirty," San Lang added nonchalantly.Xie Lian now understood what "dirty" meant, and said, "Don't worry. I want to ignite apalm torch; see what's happened down here and go from there."San Lang didn't say anything. Just then, from afar, Ke Mo's cold voice cried again, "Youtwo doing the deeds of that bitch, all of the thousands of dead souls of this kingdom willcurse you. CURSE YOU!"Xie Lian turned towards Ke Mo and asked using BanYuenese, "General Ke Mo, who isthat ... that person you speak of?"Ke Mo responded with hatred, "Why pretend to ask? That wicked witch!""Is it the woman cultivator roaming in the city streets?"Ke Mo spat angrily on the ground, and Xie Lian took that as a yes. He continued toquestion, "Weren't you a loyal supporter of the BanYue Guoshi?"Ke Mo was provoked by his words and yelled, "I, KE MO, WILL NEVER AGAIN BELOYAL TO HER! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THAT BITCH!!!" Afterwards he starteduttering a string of curses, inflamed and hysterical, his words rapid andincomprehensible, and Xie Lian blanked, unable to follow. He looked to San Lang andquietly called, "San Lang, San Lang."San Lang translated, "He's cursing. He said that woman betrayed his country, openedthe fortress gates and let in YongAn army to slaughter the city. She's got the blood ofher people on her hands, and his brothers whom she pushed into this pit. He will hangher dead a thousand times. Ten thousand times.""Wait, hold on!" Xie Lian quickly exclaimed.How could this be? There were two things that didn't match!First, 'the woman cultivator roaming in the city streets' Xie Lian spoke of earlier wassupposed to be the lady in white. But now, Ke Mo continuously called the BanYueGuoshi 'bitch', saying she pushed his brothers into the Sinner's Pit, and earlier when theblack clad girl swept the soldiers into the pit, Ke Mo swore and cursed her the samething. Plus the last bit, "to hang her dead a thousand times" – Xie Lian suddenlyrealized that they weren possibly not talking about the same person.Second, it was BanYue Guoshi who had betrayed the Kingdom of BanYue?!Xie Lian interrupted Ke Mo, "General, the BanYue Guoshi you speak of, was it the girl inblack hung on the pole of the Sinner's Pit?""WHO ELSE COULD IT BE IF NOT HER?" Ke Mo shouted."..."The scrawny, corpse like little girl in black was the real Guoshi of BanYue! But if that'sthe case, who was the lady cultivator and her black clad companion, strolling throughthe streets looking to kill them?The girl in black obviously had unmeasurable powers, and could easily sweep dozensof hostile BanYue soldiers off the wall, so why was she hung above the Sinner's Pit?