TGM Vol.3 Chapter 8 – Change (8)

To secretly mount a raid was something Zhong Minyan had never done before and might not do it in the future, but today he was going to do it once.

He and Ruo’Yu wandered around the dungeon for a long time and finally waited until it was dark and two disciples from the Fuyu Island came with lunch boxes to deliver the food. Ruo’Yu sent him a wink and the two of them went around to the back and one of them struck them with a hand-knife^[1], and the two Fuyu Island disciples passed out without a grunt.

The two men were knocked unconscious without a grunt. Zhong Minyan took off their clothes and hurriedly took out a Ruǎn Xiāng​sū^[2] from his pocket and sprayed it on their faces. Ruo’Yu quickly changed into the clothes of the food delivery disciples, while urging him, “Hurry up! Someone is coming over there!”

Zhong Minyan was scared and excited to do something bad for the first time, so he easily changed his clothes, carried the lunch box, and walked towards the dungeon with Ruo Yu. They didn’t take two steps before they were stopped by the disciples on guard.

“Token.

What token? Zhong Minyan stared blankly and was lost for words, however to the side, Ruo’Yu had already composed himself and extracted a flat red token from his clothes and handed it over. Zhong Minyan followed suit and quickly took out a token to hand over as well. The two men asked, “I told you to send word to Master at noon for some wound medicine and bandages, have you brought them?”

Ruo’Yu nodded and said, “Yes, and the best ones too.”

The man sighed: “That’s good …… really poor ah, was tortured like that …… in my opinion he is clearly a person, but Valley Master Rong he ……”

Another person hurriedly pulled his sleeve, “Do not talk too much, let them go in to deliver the meal.”

Zhong Minyan followed Ruo’Yu towards the dark dungeon with fear and trepidation, when he raised his eyes and saw that he was calm and relaxed, even his hands did not shake, he admired him.

The dungeon of Fuyu Island was damp and dark because of the sea, the further you go inside, the deeper the water on the ground. By the time they reached an iron door at the top, the dark smelly water already reached above the feet of the two people. The disciple who was watching the door opened it and let them go in to serve the meal, and Zhong Minyan felt a stench assault his senses from the door which made him almost vomit.

When he looked inside, he saw a very narrow corridor with dark water that looked like it was going to reach his calves, and next to it were cells like pigeonholes, most of which were empty.

The stagnant water beneath his feet was cold and stinky, and his heart was about to twist out of his throat, not knowing whether it was from shock or anger. The sound of iron chains suddenly clashing in a cell next to him suddenly rang out in the empty and dead dungeon.

“Big … Big Brother?” he mumbled to the man nailed to the wall with several heavy iron chains. Perhaps, he is not a person at the moment, there is not a piece of intact flesh on his body, the two knee bones are white and protruding. The blood dripped down his face and soon formed new dried blood beads.

He moved slightly and looked up – or maybe one can’t say looked, because the upper and lower eyelids of both of his eyes had been sewn shut. The lunch box in Zhong Minyan’s hand could no longer be grasped and smashed into the stagnant water. He grabbed the iron railing, his eyes were on fire, his stomach seemed to be burning with something, and every inch of his skin felt that intense pain.

“I’m …… going to save you right now!” He trembled as he took the key out of his sleeve and the key fell into the water. Zhong Minyan cursed fiercely, his forehead veins were exposed, and he fumbled with his hands, but he could not find it.

Ruo’Yu bent down to retrieve the string of keys and said softly, “Don’t do this, it will make him feel bad too.”
Zhong Minyan turned his back and wiped away the tears on his face, when Ruo’Yu opened the cell door, he immediately rushed in and took out his sword and slashed at the iron chains, but only sparks splashed everywhere, the chains only had a few messy white marks and did not budge.

“What the hell is this!” He cursed as he slashed, but in the end he almost lost his strength but could not break a single iron chain.

“Brother! It’s me! I’ll return! Can you …… hear me? This is Minyan! I’ll borrow Bēng Yù^[3] tomorrow to save you!

In tears Zhong Minyan grabbed his shoulder, hoping he would give some response. The place where he touched his hand was covered with blood, in fact, Zhong Minyan himself knew that he would not be able to hold on and would soon die. He was just an ordinary person, and he was seriously ill, so why would he be put in the dungeon and tortured like this for no reason at all?

Brother Ouyang moved his neck and muttered something between his bloodied lips, and Zhong Minyan hurried put his ears near and choked out, “What did you say? Big brother …… I am Mingyan …… could you … louder ……”

But he only made a sound like a sigh, the blood from the eyelids fell on Zhong Minyan’s face, burning his entire body and he could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

“How could Valley Master Rong do this to you! I …… will go up to him and beg for mercy! I will beg him to let you go!”

Zhong Minyan turned around and left but Ruo’Yu pulled him back and whispered. “You’re crazy! We are sneaking in! If others knew, even ten Ouyang brothers would be dead!”

Zhong Minyan’s eyes were red and his voice was hoarse, “I …… don’t understand …… he is obviously a human …… not a demon… …obviously a human …… anyone can see …… why, how could this …… us immortal cultivators, did not we say we want to take care of the people, not to let them suffer. ……”

Ruo’Yu patted his shoulder, sighing softly, “The matter is too complicated, it is not easy to say …… to be taken away, both internally and externally is not a good explanation, Valley Master Rong and Island Master …… also have their difficulties … …”

Zhong Minyan stared at him closely and murmured: “You, you mean …… they are going to take big brother as a scapegoat? They’re going to punish someone who doesn’t deserve it?”

Ruo’Yu could only laugh bitterly and not say anything.

Zhong Minyan’s face gradually became pale and he suddenly felt heavy all over his body, so heavy that he couldn’t stand up but slowly squatted down and grabbed his hair and his brain was buzzing.

Ruo Yu glanced at the iron door outside and urged: “We have stayed too long, we must leave quickly. Let’s find another chance to come in tomorrow!”

“I can’t …… leave him ……” Zhong Minyan said softly, “I …… can’t leave him ……”

The man above him said in a low voice, “Minyan ……”.

Zhong Minyan jumped up and clasped Ouyang’s shoulders, trembling: “It’s me …… Brother, please bear with me …… I’m too useless to get you out today!”

Brother Ouyang’s lips moved, said softly, “No need …… Ouyang …… my brother he, go?”

Zhong Minyan gritted his teeth, “He, he ran away by himself! He left you behind! He is worse than a dog or a pig!”

Brother Ouyang muttered, “It’s good that he’s gone … the most important thing that my mother worried about before she died was whether he was still alive ….. although I …… always felt he had changed a lot, no longer …… like the lively brother of old, but …… he was always my blood relative ……”

Zhong Minyan couldn’t help but say, “Big brother! He is a demon! He admitted it himself! How can he …… be your brother?”

Brother Ouyang was stunned for a long time before he said softly: “How could he …… be a demon …… ah, twelve years ago that …… time, did he already die then? Possessed by a demon? That’s why …… he changed so much …… to leave his hometown ……”

Zhong Minyan saw that he was weak and unfit to speak, so he whispered: “Brother, you also do not think so much. You endure again, tomorrow night I will definitely save you out. Now I have to go …… you …… you take care!”

After saying that he was in tears, hugging him and refusing to let go, only to feel that he had to leave, the world’s only ties will be broken. He could not easily find the feeling of a relative, but in the blink of an eye will have to lose it.

Brother Ouyang murmured: “Don’t save me, if it’s for my own good, then kill me …… and don’t suffer any more ……”

“Brother!” Zhong Minyan was so anxious that he was almost on fire, “Don’t talk about death casually! I will definitely get you out of here!”
He just shook his head, “You don’t know …… what that old man is capable of …… Minyan, give me a break and kill me …… Brother… …begs you this time ……”

Zhong Minyan was about to persuade him further when he heard the iron door being opened quickly an the disciples outside rushed in. The two of them saw that they were talking to the culprit and immediately drew their swords and said sternly, “So it’s a traitor! Go and report to the master!”

Immediately from behind someone replied and turned away, Ruo’Yu knew that in this mess no place will look good and immediately took out the slingshot and aimed at the knees of those disciples, a series of iron bullets swished out and their painful cry immediately sounded to finally slow them down a bit.

“Go! Don’t nag! Ruo’Yu backhanded over to grab Zhong Minyan, but unexpectedly those disciples attacked, he had to barely fight and on the other hand to prevent someone from going out to report the news, and fought from the cell door to the main door, guarding the door to death, not allowing anyone to pass.

Zhong Minyan was sweating and said urgently: “Brother! I …… you ……”

He can no longer persuade, this attempt to save him was discovered and the guards will certainly be ten times more stringent, and if Valley Master Rong identofies him as an accomplice the torture must be more severe.

He reluctantly grasped Ouyang’s hand and felt that the whole world was split in two in an instant. On the one side, Ruo’Yu was barely fighting off the guards’ disciples and urging him to leave, but on the other side, the elder brother just looked at him quietly and said softly: “Kill me, Min Yan …… don’t let elder brother continue to live worse than death ……”

He roared in pain, the sword in his hand raised, no matter what could not stab down. It seems like everything is upside down and he can’t adjust to it at all.

The person said in a soft voice, “From now on you are alone again, big brother …… is very worried.”

Zhong Minyan closed his eyes and ruthlessly stabed the sword into his chest, the blood sprayed all over him. In that moment, the pores of the body are tightened and his blood ran cold. He only felt that it was all like a nightmare, or maybe nothing had happened when he woke up. He did not bring Brother Ouyang to the Fuyu Island, nor did he personally take him to the road of death.

After a long, long time, he opened his eyes in a daze and faced this terribly mutilated man who had long since stopped breathing, with a reassuring smile on his lips. He did not give him a painful death, it was over in a blink of an eye.

He seems to have died along with most of the rigid body, the sword in the hand can no longer hold, fell with a bang sound into the water.
Cold, so very cold. He wanted to gather himself up, and wanted to hug the corpse of his elder brother and cry. He was right, from now on it’s just him again.

Ruo’Yu could not stand up to the attack of the disciples, so he turned back and shouted, “You …… don’t be dull! Quickly go!”
But he was like a wooden man, not moving. Ruo’Yu was about to go back and drag him along but suddenly a man rushed in from outside the door, as fast as lightning. The disciples did not expect that they had any reinforcements, so they were caught unprepared and were knocked down with one hand.

Ruo’Yu looked at him sharply but he saw Yu Sifeng standing across from him, panting, and said in a low voice, “Why are you so slow? Get out!”

“You ……” Ruo’Yu wanted to say something but swallowed it back. Look back at the Zhong Minyan who is still kneeling in front of the body of the body of Brother Ouyang, motionless.

“The man …… could not resist the torture and begged Minyan to release him fron the painful experience.” Ruo’Yu sighed, “He was just an ordinary man but …”

Yu SIfeng walked over and picked up Zhong MInyan, saying, “What’s the use of being dazed? Get out of here! Don’t let anyone find out that you did it!”

When he saw that Zhong Minyan was still in tears, he sighed, “You can go home and cry if you’re sad. Go now! Linglong has come back!”

Ling Long has come back! These five words were a bolt from the blue, immediately shaking back Zhong Minyan’s agitated mind. He raised his hand to wipe away his tears and said urgently, “Really back?”

Yu Sifeng picked up his sword from the water, threw it to him, and said: “There is just something wrong, you go check it out!”

Zhong Minyan held back his grief and looked back at the corpse of Brother Ouyang, and couldn’t help but cry and tremble as he paid respects to him three times. “Good luck on your way to the Yellow Springs! I can’t see you off!”

After gritting his teeth, he put the sword back into its sheath, turned around and left, never looking back.

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[1]: 手刀 (shǒu​dāo) – 手(hand)刀(knife) to refer to a hand formed into a flat shape, as for a karate chop.

[2]: 软 (ruǎn) 香酥 (xiāng​sū) – is the name of a Shaoyang Sect herb that they use to subdue people. literally the name translates as 软/ruǎn (soft) 香酥/xiāng​sū (crisp-fried)

[3]: Bēng Yù is the name of Xuanji’s sword gifted to her by her father, Master Chu Lei. The sword was created by a Grandmaster Sword-smith from Dianjing Valley several generations ago by melting down a sword that fell from the Heavens, as explained in Vol.2 Chapter 49.