Ch 47

Darkness settled over the city. In the room, a small bedside lamp shone, the light soft and warm. Su Yang opened his eyes, feeling a strange sense of unreality.

After a nap, the chaos of thoughts in his mind have finally settled down, allowing him to think clearly. As he recalled yesterday's events, a faint, cryptic look crept into his eyes.

Towards the empty air, he uttered softly, "Every world's mission is distinct and unrelated to each other. This was what you said to me. So can you tell me now, why am I still in this world."

The system played dead.

Su Yang gave a low, cold chuckle. He pushed aside the quilt and got down from the bed, padding barefoot to the kitchen.

"Hey, what are you doing." An electrical buzz sounded out with the system.

Su Yang ignored it. He rifled through the cupboards and finally pulled out a paring knife. The blade gleamed coldly in the light. Su Yang looked at it measuringly as he hefted it, then suddenly turned the knife around to point the keen edge of the blade at his own chest.

In a chilly tone, he said, "It shouldn't matter to you at all if I die, right? At most, you'd just have to bind yourself to a new host and continue with this rotten mission. Well, you'll excuse me if I choose not to accompany you."

"..."

The sharp knife pierced his fair, delicate skin. Blood began seeping out, blooming red on Su Yang's white shirt.

The system : "Don't you want to go home anymore? Do not forget that if you die during the course of the missions, your body will also cease breathing at the same time. What of your parents who love you? What of your fans who are still waiting for you to wake? Have you really thought this through, Su Yang?"

"Quit trying to brainwash me." Su Yang pressed the knife in deeper, and the red bloom on his chest blossomed further. "I can't trust your words anymore. I don't think you've told me the truth about anything at all, even about sending me home."

The system answered smoothly : "That part is true."

Su Yang sneered. "That part is true. So everything else were lies?"

The system fell silent for a while. Then, "I did not tell you, because it was not something you needed to know. Complete your missions, and I'll send you home. This is a fair deal. You have no other choice."

Blood trickled down the sharp blade. Su Yang's face was pinched from the pain, but he still managed a cold huff of laughter as he shook his head. "I do. I can choose not to accept this deal. I can choose to die, rather than be your pawn."

The system's voice finally wavered. It began explaining, "This incident was truly an accident. But it is still within our scope of control. As long as you find Tao Ziyu's body and destroy it, everything will go back to normal."

"What has any of this got to do with Tao Ziyu's body? He's been dead for hundreds of years, where the hell am I supposed to find his corpse! Also, what do you mean 'everything will go back to normal'? What accident? You explain to me right now!"

The system paused. "Stop with the self-harm first, then I'll explain."

As Su Yang tossed the paring knife aside, the system brought out a bottle of top-grade healing medicine for him. This type of medicine was of excellent quality, and Su Yang has never bought it before. As expected of high-grade goods, its effects were near miraculous. A light swipe of the ointment over his wound and he can feel the flesh slowly knitting itself back together, accompanied with a burning warmth.

He gave a light hmph. "At least you're not entirely devoid of conscience."

Then he received a prompt from the system: You have purchased one top-grade healing medicine using 500 experience points.

Su Yang : "=口= ! !"

Su-the miser-Yang immediately lost his cool. "Fuck you! Five hundred! FIVE HUNDRED! Completing one mission only nets me one thousand points and you've swallowed half of my points! Why don't you just stab me and be done with it!!"

"This is your punishment for threatening the system with self-harm."

"..."

Unruffled, the system continued, "Due to the extraordinary properties of the Tiānshān Lock, Tao Ziyu's body has remained preserved for hundreds of years, resulting in that big guy's spirit continuing to linger in this world, unwilling to leave. So, as long as you destroy the body, everything will be back on track..."

"W-wait-wait. This is a bit much, lemme digest this for abit..."

Su Yang's not-that-smart-to-begin-with brain immediately began suffering a crash. He kneaded his forehead hard, then asked, "You mentioned a 'big guy'. Who is he?"

The system answered bluntly : "The son of fate."

The son of fate of this world is Zhao Feng. No, wait. Jing Cheng was also this world's son of fate. But how can there be two sons of fate in the same world? Unless, the latter originated from the former! Otherwise known as reincarnation...

Su Yang was struck dumb. After a while, he finally crumbled. "Please don't tell me they're the same person..."

The system was silent.

When he did not receive a response, Su Yang grew anxious. "Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you dare play dead now!"

The system : "You said not to tell you."

Su Yang : "..." Is this an indirect admission? !

Those two are the same person? Su Yang felt himself growing giddy. His mind was unravelling into a mess that grew more and more entangled.

Zhao Feng and Jing Cheng, these two were certainly similarly perverse. But to say that they were one and the same person was too farfetched!

"Then, what does it mean to have things back on track? What happens if his spirit leaves this world, where will it go?"

The system chose to play dead again. No matter how Su Yang threatened or cajoled, it refused to speak.

Su Yang walked back to the living room in a daze, only to find the lights there had been switched on. There was a woman seated gracefully on one of the sofas.

When Su Yang looked at her, the woman gave him a faint smile. Her face was somewhat familiar, she looked just like... the Imperial Court's manager, Gao Min.

Gao Min was about to say hello to him before she noticed the eye-catching blood stains on his shirt. Her face changed, and she stepped forward immediately to check on his injury. Su Yang numbly allowed her to fiddle around with him.

After inspecting the injury, Gao Min breathed out a light sigh. "Thankfully, the wound isn't deep, and medicine was applied in time. It'll be fine in a few days... Master Xu, from the looks of the wound, you couldn't have tried to cut yourself right?"

Su Yang nodded woodenly. "I did try to cut myself. I wanted to know what heartache feels like."

Gao Min's lips twitched. "...I see." I think the one you wanted to feel heartache is Zhao yé instead.

She pulled on a professional smile and said, "Master Xu, if it's convenient for you, please come with me. Zhao yé has asked me to escort you to the Imperial Court to meet an old acquaintance."

Su Yang looked at her. "Who?"

Gao Min did not speak, but her eyes conveyed clearly that whether he is willing or not, he has to make this trip with her.

"T-then, I'll go change my clothes first," he muttered.

Gao Min nodded agreeably. "Zhao yé said he isn't in a hurry, he can wait until you are well rested before you go over."

"..." Su Yang closed his eyes. "Okay."

All of a sudden, his footsteps paused, then he turned around to look at Gao Min. "I remember you telling me before, that Zhao Feng has someone in his heart, yet no one has ever seen this person. Is this right?"

Gao Min nodded.

Su Yang broke into a laugh. Zhao Feng is the reincarnation of Jing Cheng. The one Zhao Feng treasures is Tao Ziyu, and Su Yang has become Xu Yanqing. And this Xu Yanqing is Tao Ziyu's substitute. So in the end, he somehow ended up as a substitute for himself. And as his own substitute, he now has to seek out Tao Ziyu's corpse, which was Su Yang himself in the past, and thoroughly destroy it!

Alas, to be alone and friendless! !

{T/N : refer footnote at bottom}

Su Yang laughed for a while, then suddenly sighed ruefully. "We sprung from the same root, yet why do we fry each other."

{T/N : Su Yang is quoting an ancient Chinese poem, which compares siblings from the same mother and father to beans (yes beans) which originated from the same root, yet why do these beans try to sauté (yes pan fry) each other, meaning unhealthy sibling rivalry. So in this context, he is wondering why he as Xu Yanqing still has to destroy Tao Ziyu, when they are both Su Yang.}

Gao Min : "Master Xu, are you..." Sick again?

Su Yang shook his head sadly. What past life, present life, everything sucks okay!

=========

After having left the Imperial Court for several months, everything has changed beyond recognition. Although he had previously only been sequestered in the topmost floor, its splendour and majesty, as well as its well-ordered operations, had still been evident. But now, this place which had once been the hotbed for night life in S City can only be described as bleak.

Gao Min explained, "As you can see, the Imperial Court has become a thing of the past, and has been closed indefinitely."

There was a faint frown on Su Yang's face. "Did Qiao Yang do this?"

"Yes. Qiao Yang's background isn't simple. Although he is far from being a threat to the Zhao family's standing, but to destroy the insignificant Imperial Court is not difficult for him. Zhao yé is now the police's main suspect for investigation. In this delicate period, it was not suitable for him to step in."

As the two of them talked, they came to the door of a private room. Su Yang shot a casual glance at the number on the door, and was taken aback.

He remembered that it was in this very room, that Li Menghui had one of his legs broken by Zhao Feng.

{T/N : Refer Ch 39}

Su Yang subconsciously resisted the idea of entering the room, but the bodyguard by the door had already pushed the door open. Light spilled out from within, lighting up the hall like it was daytime. Su Yang was briefly dazzled by the light.

Gao Min gestured for him to enter. Su Yang frowned a little, then steeled himself before stepping inside.

Zhao Feng was sprawled on a large seat, looking the same as he usually does in his suit of pure black, missing tie, and two buttons undone at the collar. He looked wild and domineering, shrouded in an air of barely repressed violence, so that one would always feel danger breathing down their necks.

His pitch black eyes slowly lifted to gaze at Su Yang, then he gently crooked a finger at him,

Su Yang obediently walked over to him. When he was still two steps away, Zhao Feng stretched out an arm and dragged him over onto his legs, so that Su Yang found himself straddling Zhao Feng. Su Yang grabbed hold of the front of Zhao Feng's shirt in a fright at the sudden movement, panting softly.

Zhao Feng gave a low chuckle and nuzzled his neck. "Why do I smell blood."

"..." You have a terrific nose. Su Yang mumbled softly, "I accidentally hurt myself."

"Where?" Zhao Feng's tone turned chilly.

Su Yang swallowed silently, and pulled Zhao Feng's generous palm to stoke over his own chest. Zhao Feng's gaze was icy as he snapped, "I asked you where you were hurt, the hell are you trying to flirt with me for!"

Ying! Su Yang said, aggrieved, "I hurt my chest..."

{T/N : Ying – Cute crying sound}

Zhao Feng : "..."

The silence in the room suddenly turned awkward. The few bodyguards around them struggled valiantly to keep a straight face. Even Su Yang couldn't help his eyes curving in amusement.

Zhao Feng scowled, discomfited. "How did you hurt yourself here?"

"..." Su Yang replied, "I was using the fruit knife to cut apples. When I wanted to put the knife back into the cupboard, it was a bit too high up for me, so I didn't realise that I didn't place the knife properly. It fell down and cut me."

When he envisioned the dangerous scene, Zhao Feng's heart tightened. For people like him, even walking through a hail of bullets wouldn't be considered dangerous. But once he thought of how there had been a sharp knife slicing across the chest of the boy in his arms, he felt like his heart had been dipped into a fryer.

He said grimly, "You're not allowed near any sharp objects in the future."

Su Yang immediately nodded, the very picture of an obedient, smart and lovable child.

Zhao Feng looked fixedly into his bright eyes, wondering if the youth who had been full of defiance and rejection this morning, was the same person as the boy in front of him now.

He made a gesture behind his back, and a few black-clad bodyguards strode out. Su Yang eyed Zhao Feng suspiciously.

He saw the man curling his lip in a sneer. "There is an old friend who wishes very much to see you. Who knows, you may wish to see him too."

Su Yang : "..." I think I can guess who QAQ

Su Yang pursed his lips, then said slowly and sweetly, "I don't want to see anybody. I only want to be with Feng gē."

Zhao Feng pinched his chin and tilted his jaw up, pressing a kiss onto those cool lips. "Whether you want to see him or not, let's decide when he arrives."