Chapter 760: The Night Refuses to Disperse
If by now Tianhai Zhanyi still couldn’t guess that person’s identity, what right did he have to contend with Tianhai Shengsheng for the position of family head? Back in the Ten Thousand Willow Garden, he had even mentioned this possibility, once saying that if it truly was that person, he would very much like to encounter him. Who could have imagined that tonight he would truly meet that person? So what would he do next?
Only at this moment did he realize that any prior assumptions were meaningless, because before the real situation arises, people often possess more courage than their true selves. Right now, he could do nothing—not even muster the courage to look that person in the eye.
These days, few people compared that person with other young prodigies. Not because his realm and strength had already far surpassed his peers, but because he had long since transcended the category of so-called young geniuses. He was no longer a mortal being but a true sage.
Gazing at the figure on the broken bridge, Tianhai Zhanyi’s body was stiff as stone, wishing desperately that he had never appeared tonight.
Zhu Ye was still coughing incessantly.
The injuries of the Zhu family head seemed heavier than anyone had guessed. He coughed in agony, head bowed, back bent, unable to straighten his body, as if his lungs were about to be coughed to pieces. Then, with some difficulty, he raised his right hand and waved it. The experts of the Absolute World Sect understood his meaning, stepped forward to support him, and thus retreated into the night.
After clearly seeing the face of the person on the bridge, Ning Shiwei’s expression turned extremely ugly. Watching Zhu Ye retreat, his face grew even darker.
Because he understood.
Zhu Ye had been coughing painfully the whole time just to avoid lifting his head. As long as he didn’t look up, he wouldn’t see the person on the bridge—or rather, that person wouldn’t see him. This way, he could pretend he hadn’t seen anything earlier, wasn’t seeing anything now, and hadn’t recognized the other’s identity.
Ning Shiwei’s reaction wasn’t as fast as Zhu Ye’s. He couldn’t pretend. So what should he do?
At this moment, Tianhai Zhanyi also snapped back to reality. Watching Zhu Ye and his group retreat into the night at an unimaginable speed, he cursed the old fox bitterly in his heart.
The experts of the Absolute World Sect supported Zhu Ye and withdrew. But there were still many people around Snow Lake.
No more sounds of crossbows being drawn, blades being unsheathed, metal grinding, or harsh, heavy breathing. A profound silence fell.
The crossbow soldiers and the Tianhai family experts had by now vaguely guessed something, their hearts tense and uneasy to the extreme.
It felt as if breathing had stopped. What should have been a few short breaths stretched into an eternity in people’s perception.
Finally, the armored, grim figure by the lake knelt down toward the center of the lake.
Watching this scene, everyone felt a sense of having narrowly escaped disaster.
If he had insisted on not kneeling, no matter how tonight ended, how many of the hundreds present would have survived?
……
……
“Ning Shiwei of the Songshan Military Prefecture, pays respects to His Holiness the Pope.”
Ning Shiwei knelt on one knee in the snowy mud by the shore.
Tianhai Zhanyi knelt not far away, head bowed, his expression unreadable.
The grinding of metal once again shattered the silence of Snow Lake, rising densely—not from swords being drawn, but from armor shifting.
Hundreds of people knelt in the snowy ground and woods by the lakeside, facing the figure on the bridge, and said in unison: “Paying respects to His Holiness the Pope!”
Their voices were uniform, trembling slightly—whether from tension, excitement, or fear was unclear.
The young man was clearly somewhat unaccustomed to this. After a moment of silence, he said, “Rise.”
“Thank you, Your Holiness.”
The grinding of armor sounded densely again.
The young man said, “Disperse.”
Countless gazes fell on Ning Shiwei and Tianhai Zhanyi.
Tianhai Zhanyi’s face was pale. He pressed his thin lips tightly together, saying nothing, appearing somewhat grim, but finally showing a hint of youthful stubbornness.
Ning Shiwei said expressionlessly, “As Your Holiness commands.”
The grinding of armor and hurried footsteps rang out.
The snowy mud was trampled into slush, much like the state of many people’s hearts at that moment.
……
……
Disperse.
With those simple words, everyone dispersed.
The torches vanished, the starlight grew brighter, the night deepened, and silence reigned.
In an instant, Snow Lake returned to its undisturbed state, save for the young couple on the broken bridge and those in the pavilion who could not leave.
The young man was naturally Chen Changsheng, who had disappeared for two years. The girl in black was the Little Black Dragon, now bearing the name Zhusha.
Snow Lake was tranquil and beautiful, silent. Chen Changsheng gazed at the lotus leaves in the water, lost in thought.
Someone had found clues through the Zhusha Pill and traced his whereabouts—that was normal.
Those people discovered that the owner of the Zhusha Pill was him, and so retreated without fighting—that was also normal.
—Probably only a madman like Xiao Zhang would dare to attack the current Pope in front of so many people.
But these two normal things happening together revealed an abnormality.
Clearly, whether those in the pavilion or those who had just left were all pawns being used.
Tonight’s events, it seemed, were not over yet.
Snow Lake was quiet, as if nothing had happened—no boulders falling from the sky, no experts surrounding the lake, no killings in the mist, no blood-reddened lake or the near-volley of crossbow bolts. But the wooden bridge was still broken, the lake water was still red, and those people had indeed come. So this place was no longer fit for a long stay.
He glanced at Zhusha.
Zhusha rolled her eyes at him—after all, she was the Frost Dragon. Even a little girl’s eye-roll had a unique effect, expressed through her eerie vertical pupils, making the white of her eyes especially prominent and her emotions especially clear—but she still complied with his wishes and lifted the seal on the Snow Pavilion.
The general led the people out of the pavilion, knelt in worship, and dared not speak.
An Hua’s heart was churning with excitement, yet his movements remained meticulous, appearing devout. Remembering his earlier rudeness toward His Holiness the Pope, he couldn’t help but grow nervous.
As for the man named Yang with the broken hand, his face was pale with terror, convinced he was doomed.
“Leave here as quickly as possible. Something will happen soon, and I may not be able to protect you then.”
Chen Changsheng did not turn around, quietly gazing at a certain spot in the snowy mountain range.
There, endless night stretched, as if concealing boundless danger.
……
……
In a certain place within the snowy mountain range, Tang Seventeenth Master was also staring at the same patch of night.
The former bishop of the Hall of Glory and his direct subordinates from Wenshui were now looking at him with awe-filled eyes. By now, everyone naturally understood that Tang Seventeenth Master had long known the identity of the Zhusha Pill’s owner. In hindsight, his earlier suppression by Zhu Ye and Tianhai Zhanyi was clearly just a facade.
As expected of the master of the Tang family, his methods were steady and ruthless. If this was a scheme to borrow a blade, then tonight he had undoubtedly borrowed the sharpest blade in the world. Even if Zhu Ye and the others had been quick to react, even if Chen Changsheng’s temperament was still as gentle as in years past, if this matter reached the Li Palace, how could the state religion let it go?
But why was there no trace of pride on Tang Seventeenth Master’s face? Instead, it was so solemn?
……
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(This chapter was a tough slog to write, mainly because the upcoming major plot has three threads. Scene transitions have always been my weakest point, so I racked my brains over how to get into it. In the end, I decided to cut straight to the chase and just kill it.)