Arc 5: Chapter 30
The stone faces of the walls seemed to stand with cracked open leers, resenting at being abandoned by the rest of the world, sending terrifying chills down Lin Yuan’s spine.
Lin Yuan could understand the reason for Xie Hanzhou’s extreme mentality. A drowning sense of despair surged through his body, spreading from his limbs to the depths of his heart, making his eyes sting, his throat ache, and his soul burn with boundless hatred.
The end of four hundred thousand lives was determined effortlessly by outsiders. The immortal sects deemed that the deaths of Frost City were important, but their lives were not. As outsiders, they could justify their act, they could convince the rest of the world and themselves that their choice was right.
But Xie Hanzhou was not an outsider.
The shadow on Xie Hanzhou’s heart, all of Frost City’s grievances, despair, and fury, could not be reconciled with three thousand Daoist scriptures, nor could it be erased by the passing of time.
Lin Yuan’s eyes and lungs burned with fury. How could Xie Hanzhou’s master give him such a name?
Xie (thank)... Hanzhou (Frost City)...
If the immortal sects had truly felt remorse and mourned the sacrifice of Frost City, they wouldn’t have forced this name upon Xie Hanzhou.
Xie Hanzhou and Yu Sui’an quickly noticed Lin Yuan’s red eyes and tears. Almost simultaneously, one of them gently stroked his hair, and another hand patted his back.
“Don’t cry…”
Their voices overlapped, one indifferent and one calm, like the current breeze passing through the lifeless streets.
Hearing their comforting voices, Lin Yuan felt an immeasurable heavy weight on his heart. He couldn’t control his emotions, and began to sob unbearably: “Have you guys… have you ever cried?”
This question was very unexpected. Xie Hanzhou paused and looked at the ruined manor, finding it coinciding with the one in his memories.
After a long time, he whispered slowly: “No…”
Yu Sui’an’s expression was complicated. He smiled and said: “Little fool, if crying was useful, I would’ve done it. But back then, crying in front of that bastard was meaningless. His wives and concubines that wept endlessly were the first to die.”
Lin Yuan gasped uncontrollably through sobs as he spoke: “How can such a person exist…”
“He… why was he so cruel… he was your father…”
Yu Sui’an felt that Lin Yuan was both pitiful and cute, and his voice unconsciously softened: “He was pretty cruel. He said we owed him our life. He said that if he ate us, it was natural order.”
Lin Yuan clenched his fist: “Was he even human? How could he… say such things…”
Xie Hanzhou said indifferently: “During past great famine disasters, it was not a surprise to hear about people eating their own children. It was also his selfishness that allowed me to survive.”
Xie Hanzhou smiled and held the youth’s hand, saying: "In any case, I grew up here. Let’s go in and take a look."
Inside the stone walls, most of the buildings had collapsed, rotted, and decayed. In front of the main hall, an overwhelming stench exuded from every crevice, as if the dark, endless torment of the past had never ceased, replaying over and over again for centuries.
Yu Sui’an chuckled darkly: “They didn’t even allow me to step inside this hall, but who would’ve thought that I’d be the only one to leave this manor and live until today? If they knew, they would be dying of anger in their graves! How satisfying! Absolutely satisfying!”
Although the man said so, there was no happiness on his face or in his eyes. Lin Yuan worriedly grabbed Yu Sui’an’s sleeve and whispered: “Senior Brother, don’t be sad…”
Yu Sui’an thought that his heart was silent and empty, but when he heard the youth’s voice filled with soft, sorrowful concern, something within him stirred.
It was a terrible, monstrous thing. Yu Sui’an could feel it seething beneath his skin. He clenched his teeth, enduring the taste of blood in his mouth as he suppressed it. A hoarse sound escaped his throat: “Lin Yuan, I’m not sad…”
His lips curved stiffly: “What should I be sad about...”
“Those damned people are dead, all of them! Only I survived. I became the most gifted disciple of Pure Jade Palace, and then became its sect leader, and the ruler of tens of thousands of mountains and rivers.”
Yu Sui’an's voice grew softer and hoarser, like a caged beast fighting an endless, unwinnable battle.
“Lin Yuan, tell me, what should I be sad about?”
Lin Yuan looked at him with red eyes and felt as if his heart was being stabbed by a knife. All he could do was stand in front of the man, trying to shield him from the place that caused him pain. He coaxed gently: “You’re not sad, you’re doing very well. Very very well. There’s no need to be sad…”
Yu Sui’an could feel that the youth was protecting him, cradling him with cautious love and tenderness. No one would dislike such a thing, and Yu Sui’an was no exception.
He stared at the youth who belonged to him, and nodded slowly: “Yes, I’m not sad…”
Inside the main hall, the corridor’s floor was covered with fallen leaves and dust. Because the rain couldn’t reach inside, there were still crimson streaks on the ground and walls, shocking to the eye.
Lin Yuan vaguely guessed where they were headed. He clutched Xie Hanzhou’s arm tightly, and his sense of dread got stronger and stronger.
Soon, they stopped in front of a courtyard. Yu Sui’an peered through the gate, his tone laced with uncertainty. “Is it... here?”
Xie Hanzhou was equally unsure. “...Probably.”
Yu Sui’an gazed at it for a while before suddenly smiling and whispering, “Yes, this is the place. It’s changed a lot, so I almost didn’t recognize it. Well, I suppose it’s been far too long since I last came back…”
Walking into the courtyard, and without glancing at anything else, Yu Sui’an headed straight towards a specific room.
The moment Yu Sui’an opened the door, his pupils constricted. The images from the depths of his nightmares resurfaced before his eyes, and his emotions stormed out of control in an instant. It was as if he were being pulled into a violent, blood-soaked tornado, his veins bulged at his temples, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
Lin Yuan followed closely behind and looked into the room. The floor, the walls, the furniture—everything was smeared with dark red bloodstains. Even though centuries had passed, the stifling, pungent stench of blood still lingered.
Yu Sui’an’s glassy eyes were empty, and his gaze was unfocused as he stared at the room.