Chapter 69

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Chapter 69:

Li Chunzhou quickly looked beside her, but it wasn’t Gu Lingfan next to her, it was Li Zhexuan.

As Li Chunzhou opened her eyes, Li Zhexuan also slowly opened his eyes. He didn’t feel sleepy at all, only feeling content because he had finally regained his rightful place. When he saw Li Chunzhou looking at him, he imitated the way humans kiss, pecking her on the head.

Li Chunzhou closed her eyes tightly, suppressing her anger as she asked, "Did you see her leave? Why didn’t you wake me up?"

Sensing her anger, Li Zhexuan felt like he had done something wrong. He guiltily closed his mouth and dumbly stared at her angry eyes.

Feeling Li Chunzhou’s concern for Gu Lingfan at that moment, Li Zhexuan was indeed a little unhappy, but he did not expect Lady Chun to be so angry.

Li Chunzhou raised her hand and slapped Li Zhexuan hard. Tears welled up in her eyes, her emotions breaking for a moment. Suddenly, she wondered, could Fan Nuo have gone back to Spring Flowers Tower…?

Unable to bother with putting on shoes, Li Chunzhou ran out barefoot, climbed onto the waiting carriage at the gate, urging the brothel security to hurry to Spring Flowers Tower.

Qi Leyuan stood on the roof, watching helplessly as Li Chunzhou got on the carriage and left, feeling anxious. He flew up, shouting, "Lady Chun!? Wait! Hey! Wait! You’re leaving me behind!!!"

Li Zhexuan, puzzled, covered his face with his hands as he started to say, "I’m so…", but Li Chunzhou had already disappeared from the door.

"She is not dead," Li Zhexuan futilely explained, but Li Chunzhou couldn’t hear anymore. He then picked up the embroidered shoe by the bed and silently followed the scent of Li Chunzhou’s blood in the air back.

It had been three days since the Spring Flowers Tower was evacuated. The building was now empty, devoid of its usual liveliness. It felt as if autumn had arrived early.

Li Chunzhou anxiously sought out Mama Li, asking if Gu Lingfan had returned.

Mama Li, cigarette in hand, asked in surprise, "Isn’t she with you?"

"Oh, right," Mama Li suddenly remembered, "This is a box that Fan Nuo handed to me before you left yesterday, asking me to keep it for you. I looked inside, and there was nothing much, just some trinkets you both used to play with as kids. Do you still want them?"

Li Chunzhou opened the box and found wooden bird figurines, a poorly stitched fan, and an old hairpin inside. These were things she had given Gu Lingfan in the past. When their relationship soured, Li Chunzhou had tried to exchange them for her belongings but Gu Lingfan had insisted they were lost. Yet, she had kept them all this time.

These memories were known only to them both, and now that Gu Lingfan was gone, only Li Chunzhou remembered.

Li Chunzhou’s hands trembled as she picked up the items, trembling even more as she went through them. Despite her expressionless face, tears fell instantly.

"Fan Nuo…"

Besides whispering this name over and over again, Li Chunzhou couldn’t say anything else.

"Oh dear, what’s wrong..?" Mama Li put down her cigarette to wipe Li Chunzhou’s tears.

Before Mama Li could figure out what to say to comfort her, Li Chunzhou took a few deep breaths and forced herself to pull away from her breakdown.

It’s okay, it’s okay, as long as we find her earlier next time, make up with Gu Lingfan sooner, it will be like none of this ever happened.

Li Chunzhou turned and ran downstairs, Mama Li then noticed that Li Chunzhou had actually run over barefoot, with her feet scraped and quickly chased after, shouting, "Child… please put your shoes on!"

After saying goodbye to Mama Li, Li Chunzhou walked towards the courtyard carrying a box, but before going far, she saw Chihong standing by the pond.

Chihong’s arm was soaked in blood, the blood dripped into the lotus pond through the sleeve, and the koi fancied it as food, swarming over to disperse the blood in the water.

Li Chunzhou could hardly believe that Chihong had been injured to this extent by someone.

"What… happened to you?" Li Chunzhou said as she tried to walk towards Chihong, but Chihong suddenly raised her hand in a gesture of "don’t come closer".

"I’m sorry, Miss, I couldn’t kill Bi Yuansi. There was a strange man dressed as a wizard with him."

Li Chunzhou said anxiously, "If we can’t kill him, we can’t kill him. Let me help you with your wound first."

Chihong took a step back, keeping a distance from Li Chunzhou, and said, "That man has put something bad on me. It’s better for you to stay away from me… I don’t want you to get hurt."

Li Chunzhou’s pupils shrank, knowing immediately that the "man" Chihong mentioned must be Jian Hou.

As a fierce being, Chihong’s strength in Dungeon World far exceeds that of normal humans. Last time, she alone dealt with over five hundred Jinwei Guards, and none of them could touch her. Getting seriously injured this time must be because Administrator Jian Hou found a way to suppress her abilities.

Countless thoughts flashed through Li Chunzhou’s mind for a moment, her expression gradually turning cold.

"I have already met the Red Bean Group, they should be ready to leave with you now. There are still Jinwei Guards coming towards Spring Flowers Tower in the city…"

"Let’s go together," Li Chunzhou said firmly.

However, Chihong across from her did not respond with words, she just looked silently at Li Chunzhou for a moment, then smiled quietly at her.

Chihong was always quiet and seemed to carry many heavy secrets, so Ming Xiang always avoided walking with her.

However, at this moment, when she genuinely smiled, she appeared gentle and peaceful.

Chihong bowed to Li Chunzhou from a distance and calmly said, "Miss, my life is of little value, from a young age, I have been an ominous person, but you have shown me kindness… I have nothing to repay you, so I will use my wretched life to help you a little further."

Li Chunzhou clenched her teeth, feeling uncontrollably trembling, she stared at Chihong without blinking and asked in a shaky voice, "What… what do you mean by what you said?"

Chihong took a step closer, "I won’t live much longer, before I die I will take care of that man for you."

Over the repeated cycles of these ten years, Li Chunzhou’s feelings for Chihong had unknowingly deepened to a certain extent, their relationship was difficult to define as simply "master and servant" or "friends".

In over a hundred cycles, Chihong was the most useful tool in Li Chunzhou’s hands, versatile and also the best calming agent that gave Li Chunzhou a sense of security.

Chihong looked at the bridge that separated her and Li Chunzhou, spanning the entire pond, and said with a smile, "Miss, I will be trapped in this world forever, but you won’t."

Once you cross this bridge, a new journey awaits you on the other side, and a new journey represents new hope.

"No… No! No! I didn’t allow you to die, you can’t die!" Li Chunzhou rushed over to try to grab her, but Chihong dragged her bloody shoulder away without hesitation.

Her bloodstained figure overlapped with the first time Li Chunzhou saw her, showing the same determination and spirit as always.

Hongdou and Ming Xiang carried big and small bags, along with the silly Ming Niang, sneaking out of the courtyard. They saw Li Chunzhou standing by the pond, and Hongdou pulled Li Chunzhou over while Ming Xiang took Ming Niang, planning to leave quietly through the side gate.

Li Zhexuan slowly followed Li Chunzhou back to Spring Flowers Tower, smelling the pervasive scent of blood in the air. Li Zhexuan felt a bit restless, but suppressed his desires because Li Chunzhou was still angry.

Hongdou pushed the door open but didn’t move forward.

Li Chunzhou stopped in her tracks, and Li Zhexuan finally found the right moment to crouch down and help Li Chunzhou put on her shoes. Li Chunzhou looked towards the blocked direction and saw the Second Prince leaning lazily against the door frame, seemingly watching for a long time.

His gaze slightly shifted down, looking down on Li Zhexuan.

Li Chunzhou noticed the Second Prince’s ambiguous expression and suddenly realized – he seemed to have noticed Li Zhexuan’s presence.

***

Chihong had just left Spring Flowers Tower when she encountered over ten players led by Jian Hou and the Jinwei Guard, less than a few hundred meters away.

Since the day Chihong was adopted, she had been trained by Liu Yuming as a loyal guard until her true gender was revealed. Until the day Liu Yuming turned against her, Chihong never slacked in training her martial arts skills.

However, even without her former fierce abilities, Chihong found it difficult to stand alone against the large number of Jinwei Guard.

She was quickly overpowered, her shoulders pressed to the ground by several individuals, including martial scouts who had fought her before.

The group seemed surprised by their victory over her today.

"Sir Jian, how should we handle this woman?" asked the leading general, impressed by Chihong’s skills he had just witnessed, feeling a sense of regret.

Jian Hou glanced down, locked eyes with Chihong who showed no sign of surrender, and coldly said, "Kill her."

You Rurong felt uneasy as she had been personally investigating the case of Minister Liu and knew all about Chihong’s background, even feeling some sympathy and fondness for the girl.

Upon hearing Jian Hou’s order to kill her, You Rurong spoke up, "Haven’t we captured her already? Is it really necessary to kill her?"

Jian Hou’s cold and calm gaze fixed on You Rurong’s face, with some confusion asked, "But she has already made a move to hunt players outside the rules – Bi Yuansi did nothing against the rules, but she still pursued him."

Gu Cai glanced at Bi Yuansi behind Jian Hou, and said coolly, "Isn’t this kid still alive?"

Jian Hou’s eyeballs were covered with a red blood color, but his pupils were gleaming with a faint golden light. Spending too much energy recently to dispel Chihong’s abilities and Li Zhexuan’s illusions had pushed his human body almost to its limits. He said coldly, "Don’t humans also execute animals that have killed other humans? No matter how rare the species is, if they cross the line, they should face the consequences."

In order to please Jian Hou, Huang Yuanwu immediately stood up and said to Gu Cai, "What’s so cruel about this? Jian Hou is an Administrator, of course, he has the right to kill NPCs."

Gu Cai chuckled and rolled his eyes.

Kong Jiao became angry when she saw Huang Yuanwu about to argue with Gu Cai. She took a few steps forward and slapped Huang Yuanwu in the face, saying, "Shameless bastard! How dare you speak?"

Kong Jiao and Huang Yuanwu had a conflict.

Initially, the group had decided to gather information from Second Prince, and Huang Yuanwu, using the identity of "a thin horse," sent Kong Jiao to be by Second Prince’s side. After Second Prince lost interest in her, he quickly locked Kong Jiao in the backyard to fend for herself.

Kong Jiao repeatedly messaged in the chat channel for Huang Yuanwu to find a way to redeem her, but Huang Yuanwu pretended to be unaware. In the end, Gu Cai, who had been speaking harshly, spent all the family property (the original owner’s) and helped Kong Jiao out.

Kong Jiao now wants to punch Huang Yuanwu when she sees him, but Huang Yuanwu knows he was wrong and just quietly takes the hit.

Jian Hou’s eyes sparkled as he calmly said, "I do not have the right to decide someone’s life based on my personal preferences, but I do have the power to determine their fate."

After saying this, he casually waved his hand, signaling the guards behind him to take action.

Chihong’s face was pressed firmly into the ground, sharp scattered pebbles digging into her cheek flesh and scars, blood flowing from a wound on her forehead into her eyes. With one eye half-closed, she strained to look up at the sky, reminiscing about childhood memories of firework-filled skies during festive occasions.

Her hometown was very traditional, with annual ancestor worships and rituals to various deities. Although Chihong, as a girl, didn’t have the qualification to visit ancestors’ graves like her male cousins did, she still enjoyed the atmosphere.

…Oh, God.

Chihong knew that the divine beings had saved her a long time ago. Her life had already entered the river of death, but she remained alive with a strong determination, hoping to prove that the world was not all despair.

And what she wanted to find, she had actually found, on the day she planned to die with Liu Yuming.

That day, so close yet so far away.

That day, Li Chunzhou was about to leave in a carriage when she decided to return and opened the door to a room full of a strong smell of blood, where she met Chihong for the first time.

They both stood in the summer sun, one wearing fancy robes and the other covered in dirty blood, sitting in the dim room.

It seemed like they were in two different worlds, Li Chunzhou and Chihong gazing at each other from across a doorway.

Li Chunzhou looked down at the dagger in Chihong’s hand, which was stained with Liu Yuming’s blood and bone fragments.

Chihong noticed her gaze, said nothing, and discreetly placed the knife behind her.

She wasn’t afraid of being exposed by the pretty girl outside, she just didn’t want to scare her.

Then Li Chunzhou took off her outer garment and draped it over Chihong, who was barely dressed.

Of course she wanted to keep her secret.

The first lesson Li Chunzhou learned from the Spring Flowers Tower was to protect the secrets of these unfortunate girls around her.

…

If Chihong hadn’t met Li Chunzhou that day, she thought she might have easily ended her own life after seeking revenge.

She wasn’t afraid of death, but she couldn’t die here yet because she hadn’t fulfilled her promise to Li Chunzhou.

Several martial scouts holding knives approached Chihong. Seizing the opportunity, Chihong suddenly broke free from the restraint behind her, grabbed a nearby knife, and threw it with all her might towards Jian Hou.

Jian Hou swiftly dodged, and the blade continued flying forward, cutting through Bi Yuansi’s throat who was behind him.

As several cold swords pierced through her body, Chihong took her gaze away from Bi Yuansi, closed her eyes with a sense of relief.

At this moment, she no longer needed to struggle with her injuries and could finally rest peacefully.

Other players around Bi Yuansi immediately rushed to provide first aid, but Bi Yuansi’s consciousness was slowly slipping away in pain and fear.

Jian Hou stared at Chihong’s lifeless body, feeling things getting out of hand. The players he should have protected were killed by Chihong right in front of him.

Jian Hou, who shouldn’t have feelings as a creature, felt unpleasant for the first time. It was like trying to kill a bug but getting bitten before it dies. It wasn’t life-threatening, but it was an insult to him.

Jian Hou’s golden eyes flashed with disgust, "It’s really… despicable."

***

Li Chunzhou bit her lip and locked eyes with the Second Prince, while Li Zhexuan looked towards where Chihong had left with a sense of understanding.

The Second Prince casually reached his hand out to Li Chunzhou and said, "Come here."

His tone was friendly, but his eyes didn’t look as kind as his words. Li Chunzhou couldn’t tell if this was a sign of anger, so she hesitated and didn’t approach.

Seeing her hesitation, the Second Prince urged with a smile, "Lady Chun, come here now, I won’t punish you."

With that smile, Li Chunzhou was sure now – Liang Changfeng was getting a little angry.

Li Chunzhou blinked, tears filling her eyes immediately. She hadn’t tied up her hair since morning, and her clothes were all disheveled from the recent journey.

Without time to signal Red Bean and Ming Xiang, Li Chunzhou hurriedly threw herself into the arms of the Second Prince with tears in her eyes.

The crowd only saw ink-black hair flying, with a hint of fragrance emanating from the fluttering clothes.

Liang Changfeng looked down at her from a high vantage point. Li Chunzhou’s nose and eyes were slightly red. Her butterfly-like eyelashes blinked lightly, ready to shed tears at any moment.

Shedding tears was also her accustomed trick.

Li Chunzhou did not offer any explanations for herself, and the Second Prince had no intention of asking.

He ambiguously squeezed Li Chunzhou’s pale wrist, gently wiping away the tears that were about to fall from her face.

The Second Prince stared at Li Chunzhou’s face, instructing the guards behind him, "Take that ignorant person away."

Li Chunzhou remained silent, and Li Zhexuan offered no resistance. The guards pushed Li Zhexuan from behind, forcing him to kneel.