Chapter 341: Grieve and Move On

Xiao Yin walked step by step toward Gu Kang, and with each step his aura grew heavier, as if he longed to trample Gu Kang to death.

"Brother-in-law, please mourn and move on."

Gu Kang looked at him and spoke slowly.

"It's been so long already, and my sister's corpse still hasn't been found; you don't need to keep looking for her, brother-in-law."

But before Gu Kang's words had finished, Xiao Yin suddenly bent down, grabbed Gu Kang's neck, and hauled him up.

With a thud he slammed Gu Kang against the wall, then kicked him hard; the kick was heavy enough that a bone cracked, and it felt as if Xiao Yin had torn Gu Kang's arm off.

Gu Kang felt his vision go black and nearly fainted.

After a while he realized he had wandered around the gate of Hell and come back.

Xiao Yin choked his neck, pinned him hard against the wall corner, stared at him, and demanded: "Tell me once more, where did Gu Jiu Ling go?"

Gu Kang felt a chill run through him—indeed, he was the Killing God of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Just a few simple words, heavy with killing intent, yet Xiao Yin failed to realize that the young man before him had also walked out of the Ghost Gate.

To Gu Kang, the word "death" had become everyday fare; he coughed up a mouthful of blood, lifted his head, and glanced blandly at Xiao Yin before him.

His expression showed no trace of panic, and the excruciating pain of his broken bones did not change his complexion.

His demeanor remained calm, as if Xiao Yin's few strikes had been merely tickling him—painless and itchless.

Though his body trembled from the intense pain, Gu Kang remained composed and unflappable.

He turned his gaze to Xiao Yin, curled his lip in a faint sneer, and softly laughed: "Prince Rui, your strength is still too weak."

Xiao Yin raised his brows slightly, as if reevaluating, looking at this kid—he's pretty tough to beat.

Gu Kang chuckled lightly: "My elder sister and I are both relatives of Du Yushan; our veins carry his blood."

"Whether for public or private reasons, you should have killed us both; now you're just giving me a superficial lesson."

"Xiao Yin, you can't kill me, and you dare not kill me, right?"

Xiao Yin's hand, still gripping Gu Kang's neck, tightened a little.

Gu Kang's face turned purple, unable to speak, yet his eyes locked onto Xiao Yin without a hint of retreat.

This made Xiao Yin's heart twitch; he couldn't help but be surprised—this kid is a ruthless one.

"Indeed, he couldn't bring himself to lay a hand on this kid."

"The heavens toyed with him thus: the enemy's descendant stood right before him, yet he could not bring himself to strike."

"He could not bring himself to harm Gu Jiu Ling, nor her brother."

"He knew the guy before him was a little scoundrel, the only relative Gu Jiu Ling had in this world; if he killed Gu Kang, there would be no turning back with Gu Jiu Ling."

"His fingers trembled slightly, then he suddenly released Gu Kang's neck."

Gu Kang slid down the cold wall to the floor, then gasped heavily, coughing up blood and spittle.

He lifted his head, smiling at Xiao Yin: "Look, you still love my sister—so much that you dare not kill her own brother."

"Xiao Yin, you're investigating the Qi Sha Gu affair, and so am I; I already know there's no room for compromise between you and my elder sister, so why go on like this?"

"What good are deep feelings or false pretenses? Just let her go."

"Even if you kill me and grind my bones to ash, just look—Gu Kang won't blink; I will never tell you anything, and I only ask that you let go."

Xiao Yin was utterly enraged by Gu Kang's attitude; he instantly drew his waist sword and thrust it into Gu Kang's chest.

But the blade only went in a finger's width and could go no further; he realized that if he pushed it all the way in, Gu Kang would truly be gone from this world.

"Speak! Where is she?"

Xiao Yin snarled low, his eyes blood-red: "Where exactly is she?"

Gu Kang stared dead at Xiao Yin, slowly raised his hand, and both hands seized the sword blade directly.

Suddenly he lunged forward, throwing his whole body onto the sword's edge—this move was Gu Kang's resolve to die; even in death he would not reveal his elder sister's whereabouts.

Xiao Yin was startled, hastily pulling the blade back.

The sharp blade sliced Gu Kang's two palms, and blood dripped down along the edge.

Xiao Yin stepped back; in his first clash with Gu Kang, he himself was defeated.

"This little beast is even crazier than he is—he actually intends to die under his sword."

Gu Kang was telling him that even if he died, he would not reveal a single trace of news about Gu Jiu Ling.

For a moment, Xiao Yin had no way to deal with this reckless brother-in-law.

Gu Kang, drenched in blood, gritted his teeth, lifted his head to look at Xiao Yin, and suddenly burst out laughing.

The harder he laughed, the faster blood seeped from his wounds; even on the verge of fainting, he kept his steady gaze on Xiao Yin.

Gu Kang slowly raised the little finger of his left hand, which had already been half-cut off by Xiao Yin.

He clenched his teeth, his voice hoarse, and laughed: "Brother-in-law, you cut off a bit of my little finger—surely I should get some interest back? Moreover, even if we retreat ten thousand steps, can you really bind my sister?"

"You like her, yet you waver between feeling and reason."

"You say you want to protect her tightly, but she is a person, not a pet you keep caged in your manor."

"She needs to leave the manor and move about; you can't be glued to her side all day protecting her."

"Xiao Yin, first settle the troubles around you."

"If you can't guarantee her safety, then don't drag her into this; now that you've lost the Princess Consort, in a few days you'll marry another, everything will be perfect—my elder sister… just let her go."

Xiao Yin's sword trembled slightly in his hand, and Gu Kang's blood trickled down the blade drop by drop.

He gritted his teeth hard, then suddenly swished the blade back to his waist.

Xiao Yin gave a cold laugh: "Gu Kang, you underestimate me; even if your elder sister fled to the ends of the earth, she could not escape my grasp, and then I will make her wish she were dead."

Xiao Yin turned and kicked aside the chair blocking the way; his tall figure vanished outside the door.

Gu Kang stared fixedly at that retreating silhouette, the corner of his mouth curling in a mocking smile.

"You still say you'll make my elder sister wish she were dead, but you don't realize— in this world, between you and me and my elder sister, who is really making whom wish they were dead?"

After Xiao Yin left Gu Kang's mansion, the horizon already showed fish-belly white, and the sky had brightened somewhat.

Xiao Yin was like a maddened wild beast, hastily riding his horse toward the clinic where Gu Jiu Ling had been.

Just as he reached the clinic, he discovered its gate tightly closed; it had not been open for two days.

He kicked open the clinic's gate again; the young herbal assistants who had just risen were scared pale by Prince Rui's murderous aura, and though they had just stepped forward to greet him, Xiao Yin shoved them aside with one hand.

"Zuo Feichen! Come out and die for this prince!"

As he walked, Xiao Yin kicked open each room to see what was inside; the herbal assistants behind him hurriedly followed, smiling nervously and said, "Your Highness, our chief physician has already left the capital."

"They said he went back to his hometown to gather herbs."

Xiao Yin suddenly stopped in his tracks, glaring fixedly at the two herbal assistants; they were so frightened their eyes turned red, their voices trembled, and they almost burst into tears.

"Zuo Feichen has left?"

"In reply to Your Highness, the chief physician left the day before yesterday."

Xiao Yin's brows furrowed even tighter, and the killing aura about him could scarcely be contained.

He fled, and even took other men with him.

He suddenly felt a jolt in his heart, recalling something more important; he hurried out of the clinic and leapt onto his horse.

Ling Feng behind him hurriedly gave chase, and all night he watched his lord run about like a headless fly, buzzing around and striking out wildly.

Acting mad and delirious, as if he had lost his soul.

"Your Highness, where are you headed?"

Ling Feng hurriedly caught up; Xiao Yin tightened the reins on his horse, his voice already sunk to the depths: "To the Bei Di Yi Guan, to find that bastard Tuo Ba Yu!"