Zhan Zhao Adventures - Chapter Five (Part V)

Chapter Five: Resentment Comes Late (Part V)

Before Little Brother Huo, a cane suddenly appeared! Without even seeing how the old grandmother upon the Hu bed made her move, that dragon-headed cane suddenly arrived before Little Brother Huo, striking directly at his chest.
 
This Hu bed was still clearly outside the courtyard, and that Old Mother Hanshui had clearly not left the bed; no matter how long this cane was, it could not be longer than this distance of more than ten chang from outside the courtyard into the room. Could it be that Old Mother Hanshui's strike was unexpectedly faster than what the human eye could see?
 
Except that this cane, having arrived at Little Brother Huo's chest, unexpectedly did not pierce in!
 
With a "clink" sound, that cane unexpectedly encountered an object; in a flash of lightning, a long sword had already parried and blocked before Little Brother Huo's chest.
 
——Zhan Rifei's long sword.
 
The moment this fiercely oncoming shadow of the cane encountered the long sword, it suddenly vanished in an instant. While Zhan Rifei's long sword, encountering the cane-shadow of the wooden cane, unexpectedly swung outward.
 
Only now did Little Brother Huo perceive that he was covered in cold sweat. If it were not for Zhan Rifei's perfectly timed block, this single cane strike would have pierced straight through his chest.
 
Within the withered whites of Old Mother Hanshui's eyes, an indescribable expression suddenly surged up.
 
Letting out a "huh" sound, she asked: "Moon-Wielding, is this the person you spoke of?"
 
The Moon-Wielding Envoy bowed her body and said: "Old Mother's insight is clear; it is precisely this person."
 
Old Mother Hanshui said: "What kind of person exactly is he, to actually be able to be faster than Old Mother's cane?"
 
The Moon-Wielding Envoy said: "I am only afraid that although he cannot be faster than Old Mother's cane, yet because he could anticipate the position where Old Mother struck, he thus by luck parried this 'Ghost Soul Beckoning' stance of Old Mother's."
 
Old Mother Hanshui murmured: "Anticipating the enemy's moves, hehe, anticipating the enemy's moves, it is indeed out of the ordinary."
 
Then she stopped speaking. Her hand slowly made a beckoning motion.
 
Before Chang Hongbi, a cane-shadow suddenly appeared as well. By the time Chang Hongbi perceived that an object had reached his body, his body had already flown outward involuntarily.
 
In a blur, yet another sword light seemed to fly up. This sword light was unexpectedly ice-colored. Then the cane-shadow retracted, and he fell to the ground instantly.
 
Before he fell, he only had time to see a patch of dazzling and eye-catching silver light coming right at his face; his chest instantly felt an unprecedented, unmatchable pressure and impact, just as if the surrounding mountains were pressing down upon him all together. While before his eyes, a familiar silhouette had already blocked him; the ice-colored sword light seemed to want to resist this endless power.
 
By his ear, Little Brother Huo's startled scream suddenly came: "No——!"
 
Chang Hongbi only felt a sweetness in his throat, and golden stars flashed before his eyes. This fall from the air only made his head swim and his eyes blur; it took him a long time to recover his wits. Just as he was about to climb up, his feet softened, and he unexpectedly fell onto a person's body.
 
His heart, for some inexplicable reason, sank. A heavy foreboding pressed upon him for a moment so much that he could not breathe. Turning over that person's face, Chang Hongbi's hand was already trembling——this person was indeed Zhan Rifei!
 
His disheveled strands of hair clung tightly to his ash-white face, cold sweat was already streaming down unceasingly, his teeth were clenched tightly, and his two eyes were shut tightly, appearing as if he were resisting something.
 
Chang Hongbi hastily grabbed his arm, wanting to use force to support him up. Little Brother Huo also crawled over, asking anxiously: "How are you? How are you?"
 
Old Mother Hanshui's words, coldly, yet word by word, were so clear.
 
"I didn't expect that with a heavy injury upon your body, you could actually receive this palm strike of mine. To be able to receive this palm strike of mine, you are the first person in thirty years. Being so young, yet having such skill, can already be considered not easy. No wonder even the Moon-Wielding and Sun-Wielding Envoys would suffer defeat at your hands. With your skill and talent, you are absolutely not an anonymous nobody in the martial world. It is only a pity, a pity!"
 
Zhan Rifei gritted his teeth, already unable to speak. A scent of blood in his throat rushed straight up to the top of his head.
 
Chang Hongbi at this time suddenly felt that Zhan Rifei's body within his embrace seemed to be shivering slightly. Next, a mouthful of blood had already spurted out, splashing a patch of deep red across his chest.
 
Within that patch of deep red——
 
Before Chang Hongbi's eyes, there was a sudden burst of dizziness, and within his brain, a patch of blurriness. He thought he had looked wrongly, so he blinked his eyes forcefully.
 
Then, his body suddenly stiffened. Throughout his entire body from top to bottom, it was as if it was frozen into stone in a single instant.
 
The only part that still had a bit of living breath was his eyes, which were now wide open, within which was an unspeakable incredulity.
 
——Within that patch of deep red, there was clearly a layer of faint black!
 
He suddenly seemed to think of something; raising a hand, he threw open his black outer cloak.
 
But even he himself seemed to already know how redundant this action of his was.
 
——Upon Zhan Rifei's back, the marks left by those three green lines of "Yijianrugu," compared to what was seen yesterday, were deeper in color and more piercing to the eye, as if embedded into his skin; at this moment, they were just like three mocking eyes, looking at him icily.
 
Chang Hongbi sat down heavily in a heap, already unable to speak for a long time.
 
The horror upon his face looked unexpectedly a bit terrifying.
 
"The 'Yijianrugu' upon your body——is——not——resolved?"
 
Slowly, with difficulty saying this sentence, he suddenly erupted like a madman: "I don't believe it!"
 
His voice, from this moment on, had already become unspeakably hoarse and torn.
 
"Could it be that even my blood cannot resolve the 'Yijianrugu' upon your body? I absolutely don't believe it!"
 
Zhan Rifei slightly opened his eyes, and saw Chang Hongbi's distorted face. At that moment, he already understood that this child had already learned the truth.
 
Finally able to speak, he forced himself to raise his breath and said: "You once cut your wrist and gave your blood to rescue me; whether this poison can be resolved or cannot be resolved, what relevance does it have anyway."
 
He already did not dare to look at Little Brother Huo's expression——could Little Brother Huo's expression be any better! He had consistently not spoken; was it because he was already unable to speak?
 
Chang Hongbi's eyes, however, in an instant became just like those of a dead person. In that single flash, the heart of this naturally gifted youth also seemed to become as transparent as crystal.
 
——"It is not that my blood cannot resolve this 'Yijianrugu,' but rather within my blood, the medicinal property is already lost, is it not?"
 
He looked at Zhan Rifei, saying hoarsely: "You yourself knew long ago, did you not?!"
 
Zhan Rifei finally let out a sigh. Little Brother Huo beside him had already spoken out in his place.
 
"Because you have already not drunk that 'Biyan Sansheng Water' for a long time."
 
"You were originally mute and unable to speak, but you gradually became able to talk."
 
"The medicinal fragrance upon your body is also becoming fainter and weaker day by day."
 
Chang Hongbi seemed not to have heard Little Brother Huo's words, still staring at Zhan Rifei, saying with a hoarse voice: "Since you knew long ago, why didn't you say it? You were afraid that I would be sad and disappointed, were you not? I hate you! I hate you!"
 
Perhaps within this child's young heart, a faint expectation was precisely that he was still a useful person. Except that now, this cruel heaven, even this single expectation within his heart, was stripped away without any mercy.
 
Little Brother Huo, however, stared at Zhan Rifei and said: "You clearly knew you were not that old witch's match, why didn't you leave? Why did you still block that palm strike of hers? Why do you always think on behalf of others; when will you think on behalf of yourself?"
 
Zhan Rifei forced a slight smile and said: "Because your favor seems to be something that cannot be owed."
 
At this kind of time, he unexpectedly still had the mood to joke. Only, just after he finished saying this sentence, a blackness came before his eyes, and he already fainted away.
 
Chang Hongbi already no longer spoke; his eyes looked at him, yet also seemed to completely not see him. This frail and lonely boy, as if within a brief moment, turned into an adult.
 
Old Mother Hanshui outside the courtyard already had no patience. Only, her tone was still very gentle: "Moon-Wielding, kill these two people, and take Chang Hongbi away."
 
Her tone was still extremely calm; her ugly countenance still could not show any expression. Except that her words were the command of the Hanshui Palace Master.
 
The Moon-Wielding Envoy hesitated for a moment, but still gave a response of "Yes."
 
Old Mother Hanshui's "eyes" that were filled with the whites of her eyes seemed to "look" through her everything: "Your heart softened?"
 
The Moon-Wielding Envoy took a glance at the two people who had fallen onto the ground, and said: "Old Mother above, Moon-Wielding was thinking——"
 
Old Mother Hanshui said: "You fancied that boy; that boy presumably is born very handsome, is he not?"
 
Her tone was still very amiable, but the Moon-Wielding Envoy was so frightened that she immediately knelt onto the ground: "Moon-Wielding dares not."
 
Old Mother Hanshui said: "Knowing to dare not is very good."
 
——Within her voice, no flavor of severity could be heard under any circumstances, so why was the Moon-Wielding Envoy already so frightened that she did not even dare to say a single word more?
 
Old Mother Hanshui's amiable smile, however, appeared extremely satisfied: "If it is so, then what are you still waiting for?”