Chapter 358: One Person Dies (Part 1)
The carriage of the Qing Yao Thirteen Divisions departed, while the female disciples remained behind. Together with the disciples of Nan Xi Zhai and the priests who had left the palace, they tended to the wounded in the forest.
These years, the cultivation world had been like a season of wildflowers in full bloom. This year's Grand Court Examination was a major one, and with the starlight from the Tian Shu Mausoleum, dozens of young cultivators under twenty had crossed the threshold of life and death, successfully achieving Tong You. The future of the human world seemed exceedingly bright. Yet who could have imagined that this trip to the Zhou Garden would result in such a catastrophe? Whether it was the National Religion, the Imperial Court, or the sects in the south, all were naturally on edge.
Fortunately, the injuries of the wounded were not too severe. Most had been struck by falling rocks while fleeing the Zhou Garden, and after simple treatment, they were out of danger. There were also dozens of cultivators from across the nation who had been ambushed by powerful demons in the first two nights; they had already received treatment from Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng, so their conditions were not critical.
Among these people, Qi Jian was the most gravely wounded. That treacherous sword had pierced straight through her abdomen, severing several meridians. Coupled with the hardships of dozens of days and nights of fleeing, as well as the effects of medication, she remained unconscious, with no one knowing when she might awaken. The Li Shan Sect elder attending to her had an expression of extreme grimness.
With Qi Jian's Li Shan Sect seniors taking over, Zhe Xiu naturally found it inconvenient to stay too close, but he did not stray far either. He stood not far away under a locust tree, eyes closed, appearing solitary amidst the chaotic and noisy forest.
In truth, he too had suffered severe injuries, especially the poison that Nan Ke had planted within him, which had already spread. But he did not ask any palace priests to treat him. His slightly pale face bore no expression. Without explicitly pushing others away, the other human cultivators, deterred by the rumors about him, did not take the initiative to approach him either.
That Li Shan Sect elder turned back to glance at Zhe Xiu, his eyes filled with inquiry and vigilance. He wanted to ask something but ultimately turned his head away again, focusing his mind on the severely wounded and unconscious Qi Jian.
As the youngest disciple of the Li Shan Sword Sect's sect leader, Qi Jian's status was naturally different. As soon as she left the Zhou Garden, two Red Bishops from the palace had already carefully examined her, confirming that her life was not in danger. However, her injuries were severe, especially the severed meridians and her unconscious state, for which no good solution could be found. She had to be taken back to the capital or Li Shan as soon as possible.
That Li Shan Sect elder knew Qi Jian's background and was even more uneasy. If she truly could not recover from her injuries, who knew what madness their junior uncle might succumb to? But what unsettled him most, even filling him with a vague dread, was the sword wound in her abdomen.
A sword carries sword intent, and sword wounds often retain remnants of that intent. Li Shan cultivated the way of the sword; this elder needed only one glance to perceive the origin of the sword that had gravely wounded Qi Jian.
Just as he was growing uneasy, several cries and shouts suddenly came from deep within the forest: "Come quickly!"
The Li Shan Sect elder turned and saw the scene there. His expression changed drastically. No longer caring about Qi Jian, he instructed his disciples to watch over her carefully and rushed over himself. Sweeping his sleeve to push aside the crowd gathered there, he roared angrily, "What is this?!"
In the center of the crowd was a stretcher. Lying on it was Liang Xiaoxiao.
Liang Xiaoxiao had somehow been severely wounded, with over a dozen gashes from a sword blade on his body. Two female disciples of Nan Xi Zhai were bandaging him, but they could not stop the blood from seeping out from beneath the bandages. The scene was extremely brutal.
His face was as pale as paper, his lips blue, his eyes dim, and his breath faint. The once spirited young genius was now only a hair's breadth from death. The two Nan Xi Zhai female disciples crouched on either side of the stretcher, frantically trying to stop the bleeding with bandages, but they could not staunch the flow. Panic set in, and the younger of the two began to sob, crying, "Senior Brother Liang, you can't die!"
The forest fell into dead silence. The crowd was stunned into speechlessness. Liang Xiaoxiao was no ordinary cultivator. He was an inner disciple of the Li Shan Sword Sect, one of the Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom, and the top-ranked champion of last year's Grand Court Examination. And now, he was about to die.
What had happened? Who had wounded him?
A Red Bishop from the palace hurried over. Seeing the scene, he was greatly alarmed. Without hesitation, he used the Holy Light Technique, generously pouring its pure radiance over Liang Xiaoxiao's body.
The area fell silent. Everyone waited anxiously. After a moment, the bleeding on Liang Xiaoxiao's body stopped. But... his face remained pale, his eyes still dim. The Red Bishop slowly shook his head.
Seeing the expression on the Red Bishop's face, the Li Shan Sect elder's body swayed slightly. He steadied himself and, learning from some people present that Liang Xiaoxiao had been carried out by Zhuang Huanyu in the end, turned a cold gaze toward him.
"What is this?"
Zhuang Huanyu also had several sword wounds on his body, though they were not severe. His face was pale, but it seemed to be from emotional turmoil rather than injury. Hearing the Li Shan Sect elder's shout, he looked at Liang Xiaoxiao on the stretcher and hesitated.
Liang Xiaoxiao lay on the stretcher, his spirit slightly better than before, his breath a bit stronger. But as the light fell upon him, faint, glass-like fragments could be seen on the surface of his clothes.
That was a sign of dispersing cultivation. This Third Law of the Divine Kingdom was about to die.
The forest grew even more silent, sorrow thickening. The sobbing of the Nan Xi Zhai girl rose again.
The Li Shan Sect elder roared at Zhuang Huanyu, "Speak!"
With this roar, a burst of sword intent erupted, enveloping Zhuang Huanyu, as if it would shred him to pieces if he delayed even a moment longer!
Zhuang Huanyu was no ordinary cultivator either; he was a student of the Heavenly Academy. Yet at this moment, the Li Shan Sect elder showed no regard for that, revealing just how furious he was.
As the overseer of this Zhou Garden opening, Zhu Luo had already arrived. He naturally could not let Zhuang Huanyu die like this. He said to the Li Shan Sect elder, "Calm down a bit."
Just then, a weak voice came from the stretcher.
"Uncle Master, it has nothing to do with Brother Huanyu."
The Li Shan Sect elder looked at Liang Xiaoxiao, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "Then who wounded you like this?"
At this moment, most people in the forest assumed that a powerful demon who had infiltrated the Zhou Garden had gravely wounded Liang Xiaoxiao. After all, Liang Xiaoxiao was the top champion of last year's Grand Court Examination and had spent an entire year observing the stele at the Tian Shu Mausoleum, his cultivation profound. Logically, only such demonic experts could have harmed him so severely.
But the Li Shan Sect elder knew that Liang Xiaoxiao had not been wounded by demons, because he recognized the sword marks on Liang Xiaoxiao's body. Those marks, like the sword wound on Qi Jian's abdomen, were all... Li Shan sword techniques.
Among the Li Shan Sword Sect disciples who entered the Zhou Garden, there were only Qi Jian and Liang Xiaoxiao.
The Li Shan Sect elder had a vague suspicion but could not believe it, so his voice trembled violently.
Liang Xiaoxiao looked at his uncle master and slowly but firmly shook his head.
The Li Shan Sect elder understood his meaning, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
Liang Xiaoxiao was in a state of returning light. His spirit was better than before. His gaze moved slowly, pausing almost imperceptibly when it reached Qi Jian in the distance, then continued moving. Only the Li Shan Sect elder and Zhu Luo noticed this, and they saw that Liang Xiaoxiao's look at Qi Jian was filled with self-blame, confusion, heartache, and sorrow.
People's gazes followed his, vaguely understanding what he was searching for.
Finally, Liang Xiaoxiao's gaze settled on a locust tree.
Under the locust tree stood that wolf clan youth.
Countless eyes fell upon him.
Zhe Xiu kept his eyes closed, as if unaware.
"It's him," Zhuang Huanyu said, his voice slightly hoarse. "Woof Zhe Xiu... is a spy for the demons. In the Zhou Garden, he ambushed us. Senior Brother Liang was trying to save me when he was taken advantage of."
Hearing this, the forest first fell into dead silence, then erupted into an uproar.
...
...
(I am truly sorry. According to today's plan, it should have been six thousand words to finish this segment of the story, and it absolutely should not have been cut off here. But there were too many things to do, and my state was too poor. Tomorrow, if my body is fine, I will definitely write more. Liang Xiaoxiao is a supporting character in this story, even a bit player, but I wrote him very seriously. My apologies again. Also, as I reported to everyone some time ago, the book review section is hosting a long-term welfare event. This month, those who have cast two or more monthly tickets, or have cast recommendation tickets for twenty days or more, have a chance to win 10,000 book coins and a set of signed Ze Tian Ji merchandise. Everyone can check the pinned post in the book review section [The promised book review section welfare is here!] and reply to participate.)