Chapter 543: SourceOfLife

Hearing Xing Twelve's mockery, Xing Wu felt a slight sensation, and immediately a shudder ran through him.

Indeed... it was getting hotter!

The heat was coming from beneath the paper ball, gradually spreading to the entire interior; the pitch-black ball was like a Steamer. He had indeed poured quite a bit of water into the ball earlier to break through it, and by now it was already past his knees. The water was gradually boiling hot, and the space above was filled with steam—it was uncomfortable beyond words.

Half of it was boiling, half of it was steaming.

"How does it feel to have water and fire merge? Let me tell you a principle: if you put paper filled with water over a fire, it won't get soaked by the water, nor will it be scorched by the fire. Instead, it will heat up slowly like a pot, until everything inside is cooked. Just like you—Xing Wu, slowly cook through!"

Xing Wu broke into a sweat, wanting to calmly think of a countermeasure, but the intense heat was unbearable, and he couldn't calm down at all. He only felt that his breathing was obstructed—the paper ball was not large, and the intense water vapor filled the space, making every breath he took full of hot, humid gas. Added to his nervous state, his heart rate accelerated instantly, his breathing became rapid, and his head grew dizzy.

He hurriedly drew his sword and thrust it upward with force, but whether it was from exhaustion or the paper being too tough, it felt like stabbing into thick leather and was blocked.

He had to use Sword Art!

Use... what was it again?

In his dazed state, a thought flashed through his mind:

Am I going to die?

Die here?

In this place where the sun never shines...

Whether it was the original world or the new world, I won't be able to go to either?

I... don't want this... I want to see the bright...

"Ah!"

He heard Xing Twelve exclaim, shouting: "Who is there?"

Then he heard a woman's voice say: "Interesting, having a barbecue outside in the middle of the night? Is it beggar's chicken? When will it be out of the pot? How about sharing some with me?"

Xing Twelve shouted: "Damn woman, get lost!"

The sound of wind rose up outside; it was the sound of a battle.

Xing Wu did not know who had arrived; that voice sounded completely unfamiliar, but he knew a change had occurred. Regardless of whether the newcomer was a friend, it would at least divert Xing Twelve's attention.

Opportunity!

His Spirit lifted. Perhaps it was the potential bursting forth between life and death, but his mind suddenly cleared from the chaos, and the train of thought that had been broken earlier resumed.

Sword Art... Sword Image!

A drop of water slid from the tip of his sword; that was his Sword Image—

SourceOfLife.

After the Sword Image condensed, it did not mix into the hot water on the ground, but floated alone before his eyes, close to his cheek.

At this moment, sweat was pouring down his face like paste. Drops of sweat landed on the Sword Image, but they did not fall off; instead, they gathered on the surface of the droplet from all directions and were completely absorbed by it. A moment later, the sparkling water droplet looked slightly turbid. It had already turned into a bead of sweat.

"Sword Art—SweatForce!"

He slashed fiercely, and the sweat bead was instantly flung out, exploding in the air. His weak body was suddenly filled with strength, several times more powerful than usual. His face flushed red, he held his sword forward, the veins on his forehead bulging—he thrust forward with all his might—

Boom!

The white paper ball was smashed open, leaving a large hole. Xing Cang's body lunged out, his long white hair hanging down wet and dripping; as he landed on the ground, he looked like a drowned rat.

He heard someone let out an "Ah," and just by the sound, he knew it was Xing Twelve.

Landing on the ground, the night wind blew past, and the hot water all over his body cooled rapidly, turning chilly instead. Xing Cang shivered and looked up.

He saw Xing Twelve stuck in a strange posture, with a large mass of white fine threads wrapped around half of his waist; one end of the threads was in the hand of a woman opposite him.

Was it hair?

Xing Wu didn't have time to distinguish what it was, but he immediately understood the situation: the woman had appeared suddenly, a battle had broken out between the two, and he had taken the opportunity to break out. By distracting Xing Twelve, the latter had naturally revealed a flaw and been struck by the opponent's Sword Art. At this moment, Xing Twelve was trying to swing his sword to cut the white hair that had entangled him.

Xing Wu knew that Xing Twelve was at his most vulnerable right now; how could he let him escape? He snapped his fingers, and the water droplet that had just condensed dispersed once more.

"Sword Art—HeadFullOfMist!"

Mist rushed toward his face. Xing Twelve was startled, immersed in the momentary look of bewilderment as the mist appeared.

In that moment of bewilderment, his Sword Essence faltered, and the white hair at his waist surged forward, wrapping him up entirely, leaving only his head and shoulders exposed. Xing Twelve let out a roar, but halfway through, his voice faded...

His tone had changed.

Originally the voice of a young man, it instantly turned aged. He saw that face, which had still looked young, wither in an instant; the muscles collapsed, wrinkles piled up, and finally, it turned into a skull covered in skin, gradually falling silent.

In a mere moment, he had actually aged to death.

Xing Wu watched, his heart pounding with fear; this way of dying was a complete nightmare for the people of Wangliang Mountain.

After Xing Twelve died, a faint Shadow merged into the ground and dissipated in an instant. Then his body collapsed, and his remains rotted away completely, turning into dregs, leaving almost no trace. Only the white hair that had bound him lay scattered on the ground. At the other end of the white hair was a woman with a serene expression.

This was indeed the standard ending for people of Wangliang Mountain; after death, from body to heart, everything returned to the Wangliang, leaving nothing behind.

Even outside of Wangliang Mountain, it was the same.

Xing Wu felt a sense of sorrow; he was naturally happy to see Xing Twelve die, but seeing Xing Twelve complete a lifetime in just a few breaths, he immediately thought of himself.

According to the average age of Wangliang Mountain, he was not young at all; one could say he was approaching twilight. In a few more years, he too would decay and die. Now, apart from the Grand Steward, there was no one older than him. In the past, when he saw Xing Twelve, he would lament how fleeting time was, but now, a young man had aged to death before him.

After a moment of melancholy, Xing Wu immediately composed himself and slowly stood up to look at the woman who had suddenly intervened.

The woman looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old, with a dignified appearance. At this moment, her expression was calm, and she was holding a comb, combing her hair.

Under the Shadow of Wangliang Mountain, in the dead of night, a young woman was leisurely combing her hair on the Gobi Desert.

She held the white hair, which looked like silver threads in the moonlight, in her hands and combed it gently. The white hair scattered all over the ground retracted a few feet, and following the rhythm of her combing, the scattered silver threads on the ground rolled up quietly, like a silver Yin He flowing on the ground.

At this moment, the woman's eyes were lowered, seemingly carrying sorrow, yet it was a sadness without grief. Like a quiet woman in a painting, she and the silver threads covering the ground became a strange and beautiful scene.

Xing Wu actually didn't dare to disturb her. He watched quietly as she finished combing her hair and all the silver threads were gathered up. Only then did he realize that this woman did not have white hair, but gray hair.

And her appearance looked somewhat familiar.

This woman was definitely not a face he was familiar with, but it didn't feel like the first time he had seen her either; he had more or less an impression, perhaps he had seen her once or twice.

"Are you... one of Master's people?"

The gray-haired woman raised her head, her expression no longer serene but rather somewhat arrogant, and said: "If you mean the YoungMaster, yes, I am."

Xing Wu's panic calmed slightly, and his mood gradually brightened—the Grand Steward wanted to kill him, and his Master sent someone to save him; it turned out his initial choice to follow his heart was correct.

It was indeed right to choose the current world. What the YoungMaster said about letting him embrace the Human World was far more real than whatever "completely new world" the Grand Steward had promised to take them to back then.

The gray-haired woman continued, "But I wasn't sent by the YoungMaster to save you. I was just passing by. If it weren't for her..." She pointed behind her, where the shadow of a young girl flickered behind a large rock, "... if it weren't for Alie saying she found you pitiful and wanting to save you, I wouldn't have made a move."

Hearing that it wasn't the Young Master who sent someone to intervene, Xing Wu felt a little disappointed, but immediately thought to himself: Actually, this makes sense. I had just told Xing Cang about the Master's orders and then immediately left the house. Xing Cang must have acted on a whim; the Master was in the back courtyard, so how could he have known about his conspiracy? It makes sense that she just happened to pass by and save me.

It shows that I cannot be wavering in the future. If I had committed to the Master from the start and not gone to take leave of the Grand Steward, wouldn't this whole incident have been avoided?

But how could a mere maid under the Master have such skill? Is she a Sword Guest?

Xing Wu clearly remembered that when the Master entered the house, he only introduced one Sword Guest by his side, which was Fang Weiran. Could there be other Sword Guests lurking in the team?

Perhaps there is more than just her?

It can't be that everyone is a Sword Guest, right?

With such hidden talents, it doesn't seem like they are aiming at the Grand Steward; could it be that the Master's plans are not small?

A sense of inexplicable fear rose in Xing Wu. He felt he was about to be drawn into some major affair, which was very unfriendly to him, as he sought only peace and loathed risk.

But at this moment, he had no choice. The Master's orders were unquestionable, so he bowed and said, "Many thanks..."

The gray-haired woman raised a hand and said, "Don't thank me. Heaven helps those who help themselves. I just couldn't stand the sight of that person, so I hit him. If you couldn't have crawled out of that wastebasket yourself, I couldn't have saved you either. Since you were able to get out, it means your life was not meant to end; just thank yourself."

Xing Wu bowed to show his gratitude, though he did not say the word "thanks."

The gray-haired woman continued, "As it happens, you are going up Wangliang Mountain? Then help me deliver a letter to Changyi Manor."

Xing Wu was somewhat troubled and said, "Miss, it is not that I will not help you; never mind delivering a letter, I should do even greater tasks. It is just that I truly cannot. The hierarchy of Wangliang Mountain is one tier pressing down on another. Changyi Manor is the First Tier, and our Changfa Manor is the Third Tier. With a difference of two tiers, even if my Master were to pay a visit to the Manor Head of Changfa Manor, he would need to observe certain protocols, and might even be refused. If it were me, I would likely be beaten to death before even reaching the Second Tier."

The gray-haired woman was silent.

Xing Wu said, "I wonder who you are looking for, Miss? If it is a trusted aide of the Manor Head of Changyi Manor, perhaps you could find them in Yulang City? The Deep Shadow Society is approaching, and many manor heads will come down the mountain to handle matters. They are not there now, but perhaps they will come down in a couple of days. The two Manor Heads have always acted in concert; if they come down the mountain, they do so together, and they are always surrounded by an entourage, so it would not be difficult for you to find someone then."

The gray-haired woman's heart stirred, and she said, "Two Manor Heads? Aren't there three? Does the remaining one stay to watch the house?"

Xing Wu said, "Since last year, there have only been two left. Although there are various rumors—some say internal strife, others say they died of old age—in any case, only two remain."

The gray-haired woman bared her teeth in a smile and said, "Oh, it seems you know quite a lot. Come, introduce Wangliang Mountain to me."

Xing Wu looked at her smile, her teeth sharp like a beast's, and felt she was a completely different person from the calm and elegant woman who had been combing her hair just moments ago. He could not help but feel a sense of bewilderment, and he felt quite apprehensive about the gray-haired woman asking for intelligence alone. But since the woman had saved him, and given his personality, he could not refuse, so he said, "Since you ask, Miss, I cannot but answer. It is just that I must complete the Master's mission, so I cannot delay too long."

The gray-haired woman smiled and said, "No matter, I will send you to Wangliang Mountain; we can talk as we walk."

Xing Wu let out an "Ah?" The gray-haired woman reached out, and the girl who had been hiding behind the rock walked out and took her hand. In the night, one could see she had a cute appearance and an extremely calm expression.

Another strange person.

"If not for worrying about Alie, I should have followed you up the mountain. Let's go."

Following Xing Wu's urging, the three of them walked toward the mountain together.

At this moment, a white fox head poked out from behind a large rock nearby, watching their backs, and smiled: "Interesting, it didn't even fall to me to act, and someone else solved this matter. What are you trying to do, Chi Mingjing?"