Chapter 82#

I Fight for You#

The compass suddenly vibrated with a buzz. Su Ruhui opened the communication compass, and Sang Chiyu’s voice rang out: “Su Ruhui, come to the front hall.”

“Brother Sang, let me tell you, the demon race…” Su Ruhui wanted to speak about the demon iron cavalry.

Sang Chiyu interrupted him, “I know. Come to the front hall.”

When he arrived at the front hall, he saw Han Ye pacing back and forth with an ashen face. Sang Chiyu stood by the water mirror, eyes downcast, still maintaining that quiet and silent composure. Just as Su Ruhui stepped over the threshold, a scout from the Bliss Pavilion rushed in like a firecracker, kneeling before Han Ye and shouting in panic: “The demon iron cavalry has appeared in the dense forest fifty li outside the city!”

Han Ye was startled and turned to look at Sang Chiyu. “There really is a demon army invading? How did you know? Wait…” His eyes suddenly narrowed. “Didn’t you say they were half an hour away? Why did my scout say they are only fifty li from Black Street? According to that, they will be at our gates in less than the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.”

“They likely used a translocation method and sent dozens of riders as a vanguard,” Sang Chiyu said nonchalantly. “They are probably here to negotiate terms.”

Su Ruhui walked to Sang Chiyu’s side, looking down to see the soaked Heavenly Eye talisman in the water mirror. How did Sang Chiyu know the demon army was coming? Su Ruhui had a suspicion in his heart, but he didn’t dare believe it.

“Brother Sang,” Su Ruhui found it incredible, “did you see me and my dead ghost of a father?”

“Mhm.”

“Why weren’t you frozen?”

“I don’t know.”

Never mind, now was not the time to explore this question. Su Ruhui steadied himself and turned to ask Han Ye: “Can the Shifting Star Array of Black Street still be used?”

Han Ye’s expression was grim. “Even if it can be used, Black Street doesn’t have enough spirit stones to activate them. Activating the four arrays simultaneously consumes eight thousand stones of spirit stones in an instant. Usually, Black Street’s spirit stone supply is more than enough. But with the demon plague in the snowy regions this year, the mines finished their extraction early. Black Street doesn’t even have enough spirit stones for daily heating, let alone bear the consumption of shifting the entire Black Street.”

Anxiety rose in Su Ruhui’s heart as several plans flashed through his mind only to be rejected. Be calm, there must be another way.

He asked, “What if we shrink the area of translocation? Shrink it to the thirteen inner districts of Black Street. If the area is reduced, the amount of spirit stones needed to activate the arrays will decrease. To shift thirteen districts, four thousand stones would be enough. Is the spirit stone storage in the workshop warehouses sufficient?”

Sang Chiyu said in a heavy voice, “To shrink the area, we would need to re-dig the trenches and lay the star arrays. Is there enough time?”

“It’s risky,” Han Ye said. “A single sub-array covers an entire acre and contains over five hundred trenches. The trenches must be at least one foot deep and three feet wide to hold enough spirit stones. Even if we mobilized every man, woman, and child in Black Street to dig, it would still take a full hour. Not to mention, we have four sub-arrays.”

“I can reduce it to three sub-arrays,” Su Ruhui said. “A triangular area can also be shifted.”

But wouldn’t three sub-arrays still need to be dug? There was simply no time. Han Ye closed his eyes and said, “Su Ruhui, take Sang Chiyu and leave.”

Su Ruhui’s breath hitched. “Han Ye.”

Han Ye gritted his teeth and said, “You understand perfectly well in your heart. Five years ago, even if I led the rebellion against you, if the hearts of Black Street’s people hadn’t been wavering, how could I have handed you over so smoothly? If your former brothers could betray you, what about Sang Chiyu, who only just arrived in Black Street? Su Ruhui, what Sang Chiyu said before was right—Black Street must save itself. You have already done enough for Black Street. Go, take Sang Chiyu and leave. Didn’t you come back to life just for this wish?”

Su Ruhui’s hands trembled slightly; he was hesitating. Could he really abandon the tens of thousands of people in Black Street and escape alone? But could he really stand by and watch Sang Chiyu be handed over to the demon race? Be a little selfish, the darkness in Su Ruhui’s heart expanded. How can those who fear death and indulge in pleasure be worth risking everything to protect?

Han Ye gave a sharp order: “Someone, kick these two fellows out of the Bliss Pavilion.”

He turned his back and closed his eyes, no longer looking at Su Ruhui. The thugs of the Bliss Pavilion escorted Su Ruhui and Sang Chiyu outside the puppet workshop, bowed respectfully, and retreated back inside. The gates closed against them. Su Ruhui turned his head to look at Sang Chiyu, and Sang Chiyu looked at him back. The brilliant white daylight was like fine frost, falling upon Sang Chiyu’s calm features; his gaze remained deep and peaceful.

“Follow me.” He took Su Ruhui’s hand.

Su Ruhui didn’t know where this fellow was going. Time was running out; they should have returned to the Hall of Great Compassion to find a practitioner of the Dharma Gate translocation to send them away. However, Sang Chiyu was clearly not heading toward the Hall of Great Compassion. He led Su Ruhui to the busiest market in Black Street, where tall wooden pavilions were stacked like building blocks. The buildings on both sides were almost squeezed together, with a narrow alleyway in the center where murky water flowed over the dark ground, carrying a faint stench of waste.

They stood amidst the crowd. The merchants didn’t yet know of the demon invasion; they carried their poles back and forth, shouting loud slogans to attract customers. Behind a dark door to the front-right, a man and woman were kissing passionately, the man’s hand reaching into the woman’s collar. Above them, a heavily made-up dancer reclined on a beauty’s chair upon a wooden railing, smoking cheap Five-Stone Powder, breathing out clouds of smoke.

“Su Ruhui, do you see?” Sang Chiyu looked at the bustling street. “You built the star arrays and manufactured puppets for these people. They live day after day, working, selling goods, kissing their lovers… If the demon race breaks through the gates of Black Street, the order you established in the past will collapse in an instant. All of them will be crushed like scrapped meat puppets.”

Su Ruhui said softly, “I thought that in your eyes, they were meaningless. So you actually care about their life and death?”

“You’re right. Just like Su Guanyu, I view them as ants. Their life and death are of no consequence to me.” Sang Chiyu turned his face to look at him. “But just because I think they are meaningless doesn’t mean they truly are. Humans find ants tiny and mediocre, but perhaps in the eyes of an ant, humans are the anomalies of the world.”

“You want me to give you up?” Su Ruhui gave a dismal smile. “Brother Sang, I didn’t think you were so noble.”

Sang Chiyu touched his face. “Su Ruhui, you’ve become weak.”

Su Ruhui’s throat choked up. “Because I love you. Loving someone makes a person weak.”

Sang Chiyu had never seen Su Ruhui like this. Su Ruhui was a lawless bastard who always acted willfully and feared nothing. He dared to break into the Greedy Wolf Mine alone, facing the Second-Grade Mystic Shi Gandang with a single blade, and he dared to kill two scions of noble families in the street before escaping into Black Street alone. He was always decisive and determined, like a gambler betting his life. He was also naturally brilliant, always having a way out, always standing undefeated. No matter how critical the situation, he was always the winner who laughed last.

But this time was different. His throat had been cut by Jiang Xueya, his maternal uncle had died in the North Star Palace, and his star array had brought catastrophic disaster to the capital of Biandu. He had finally lost, lost completely. Sang Chiyu knew he was in remorse, that he was in grief, even if he was feigning strength. Sang Chiyu also knew he could no longer bear the debt of tens of thousands of lives; he was at the end of his rope. If this choice was like a hiltless blade that would cut him no matter where he grasped it, then let Sang Chiyu grasp the blade for him.

“Trust me,” Sang Chiyu said.

Su Ruhui looked at him.

Sang Chiyu said, “Leave the decision to me.”

As they spoke, crimson warning Kongming lanterns rose above Black Street. Pedestrians stopped in their tracks, looking up at the signal of danger with panic and unease. It had been many years since the lanterns had risen over Black Street, and those who had experienced the Secret Sect’s siege five years ago instantly realized what was happening.

Someone in the alley shouted: “The monsters are attacking! The monsters are attacking!”

Panic immediately set in. The couple who were just kissing were now flustered and lost, hiding behind their door. The dancer on the second floor smoking powder vanished as well, leaving behind only a wobbling beauty’s chair. The vendors on the street fled for their lives, their goods falling and scattering all over the ground. Su Ruhui stood in place, a sense of helpless sorrow rising in his heart after the fact. For the first time, he felt this powerless, this small. The masses of living beings were fleeing like ants—was he not also one of the ants?

Perhaps if he just accepted Su Guanyu’s deal, he could turn the tide.

“Su Ruhui, don’t agree to him. He is very dangerous.” Sang Chiyu interrupted his thoughts.

“Are you reading my mind?” Su Ruhui asked.

“Mhm,” Sang Chiyu said. “Your thoughts have been hard to guess lately. I’m sorry.”

This fellow Sang Chiyu was always like this—saying sorry with his mouth, but doing exactly what he wanted to do even if he shouldn’t.

They returned to the puppet workshop. This time, all the heads of the Bliss Pavilion and the monks of the Hall of Great Compassion were gathered there. The time it took for a stick of incense to burn had already passed; those hundred demon riders must have arrived at the city gates to present their conditions to Black Street. When Han Ye saw them return, there was an unmistakable look of shock in his eyes. Ananda looked anxious, repeatedly signaling Sang Chiyu with his eyes. Others watched Sang Chiyu like hawks; some were hesitant, while others secretly gripped the firelocks behind their waists.

Needless to say, the demon race’s condition was for Black Street to hand over Sang Chiyu.

Be brave. Su Ruhui took a deep breath. How could I let my wife outdo me?

He walked into the gaze of the crowd, looked around, and asked: “Do you really think that by handing over Sang Chiyu, you can trade for a chance to live as cowards?”

“Boss Su…” Red Ghost muttered, “We are forced by circumstances…”

“The demon race is not the Secret Sect,” Su Ruhui’s voice was slow and clear. “Gentlemen, Tantai Jing was born of a noble family. Though he was cruel and cold-blooded, he was a man of his word; his actions followed his promises. Therefore, five years ago, you could use me to trade for your survival without much worry.”

Shame appeared on everyone’s faces.

“But today, what we face are demons!” Su Ruhui said word by word. “Jiang Xueya betrayed her trust and surrendered the city to the demons. There was a five-day slaughter in Biandu, and blood flowed like a river. Who can guarantee that demons possess a sense of justice? The pits of slaughtered prisoners outside Biandu haven’t even dried yet. Do you think you will meet a better end than them? If we open the city gates, Biandu’s yesterday will be Black Street’s today!”

Someone said in a low voice, “They want Sang Chiyu. Boss Su’s words are just because he doesn’t want to hand him over.”

Ananda suddenly stood up and roared, “Who’s whispering back there? If you have the guts, stand up and say it! Let me tell you, if anyone dares to betray Young Master Sang, the Hall of Great Compassion will be the first to refuse!”

“It was me,” Red Ghost stood up abruptly. “Am I wrong? Everyone, isn’t that right?”

The hall immediately erupted into a boiling noise. Thugs and monks cursed at each other, and some even drew their firelocks. The noise exploded, making Su Ruhui’s ears ache.

Su Ruhui pulled out his firelock and pulled the trigger toward the ceiling.

As if a throat had been strangled, the clamor came to an abrupt halt.

Su Ruhui lowered the hand-gun and said, “If I wanted to leave, you couldn’t stop me.”

Everyone was speechless.

Blind Lu wiped his tears and called out mournfully, “Young Master…”

Suddenly, a scout dragged a girl inside, running breathlessly to Han Ye. “Boss, a stranger from the outside says she has a message for you!”

A “stranger” was Black Street slang for someone who entered through the Formless Dharma Gate. The girl was adorned with gold and silver, and her clothes were of soft silk, clearly not from Black Street. Han Ye narrowed his eyes at her. She remained neither humble nor arrogant, curtsying as she said, “This servant was ordered by my master to tell you: the demon race intends to slaughter the city. You must escape immediately, or disaster will strike.”

Red Ghost shouted, “Where are you from?”

“Master ordered that I must not reveal my identity. Believe it or not, it is up to you,” the girl said. “The message has been delivered. This servant takes her leave.”

Red Ghost roared, “Stop her!”

Han Ye waved his hand. “She came to deliver a message out of kindness. Someone, give her a Dharma Gate talisman and send her safely on her way.”

The girl bowed to Han Ye. “This servant thanks the Pavilion Lord.”

The people in the hall looked at each other, seeing panic and fear in one another’s eyes. The demon race never intended to let them go. What should they do?

Su Ruhui let out a long breath of relief. Fortunately for this mysterious person. In a moment of life and death, there will always be those who hold onto luck and find it hard to face the truth. If not for the mysterious person’s reminder, his words alone wouldn’t have been enough to convince these boys of Black Street. Su Ruhui watched the girl’s departing figure, silently speculating on the identity of her master. This woman was alluring yet dignified in her manner, clearly a maidservant from a prominent family. Which clan among the forty-eight provinces both knew the demons were attacking Black Street and cared for Black Street’s safety?

Could it be… He frowned.

As he thought, someone nearby covered their face and cried, “What should we do?”

Blind Lu said in a booming voice, “What are you crying for! To surrender without a fight—even if you luckily survive, you will be the laughingstock of the world!”

Red Ghost’s expression was dismal. “We can’t win a fight, and we can’t escape. Then you tell us, what should we do?”

Su Ruhui took a deep breath and said loudly, “Dig trenches in the thirteen inner districts of Black Street, gather all the spirit stones in the city, and restart the Great Shifting Star Array.”

Silence filled the workshop. A young thug stammered, “B-Boss Su, you aren’t omnipotent. Your star array killed hundreds of thousands of people in Biandu. Can you guarantee that this decision now won’t kill us too?”

His words were like a knife, piercing Su Ruhui’s heart.

It really hurts, Su Ruhui thought.

Blind Lu’s eyes looked ready to burst with rage. Just as he was about to explode, Su Ruhui waved a hand to stop him.

Su Ruhui said calmly, “I am indeed not omnipotent, and I indeed have no way to save everyone. That is why I need you to help me, to lead Black Street in digging out a path to life. The one who saves Black Street isn’t me; it is you, it is all of us.”

The man went silent, and the hall fell into a hushed stillness.

Red Ghost asked in a trembling voice, “The demons are already at the gates. How can there be enough time?”

Some were clearly not convinced by Su Ruhui and still wouldn’t let go of the hand-guns behind their waists.

“There is time,” a cold voice rang out.

Sang Chiyu stepped out from behind Su Ruhui, slowly lifting his pitch-black pupils.

“If you decide that you are ants, then you will forever be stepped upon by them. If you decide that you are cowards, then you will surely be displaced and lose your homeland forever.” He looked at the thug who was secretly gripping his firelock. “You should pick up your weapons to buy time for your kin. Your firelocks should be pointed at the enemy, not at me.”

Sang Chiyu’s gaze was both icy and hard. Being watched by him was like having the cold moon overhead. The thug felt fear and shame, and involuntarily let go of the firelock at his waist.

“If you still have the courage and blood-bravery to protect your families,” Sang Chiyu unsheathed Kuyue and held it horizontally before his brow, “then I shall fight for you.”

A “ding” sounded in Su Ruhui’s ear—

【Task automatically accepted. Accepted Task: Task One.】