Chapter 38#

Seeing that Hua Jinian couldn’t help but want to interrupt, she couldn’t help but smile, stood up slowly, and said softly: “Then just treat what I said before as nonsense. You always say he is your father, he is your family. Have you ever thought that this blood relationship you think is unbreakable is actually a joke directed by others?”

Tianxiang looked at Hua Jinian’s handsome face which suddenly stiffened, bent down, picked up a strand of the young man’s hair with her fingers, kissed it gently in her palm, and laughed in a low voice: “That was more than twenty years ago. After Miss had a one-night stand with that devil, she actually became pregnant. This was originally an ill-fated relationship, and naturally, this little beast should have been aborted quietly. As a maid, I also helped Miss buy safflower to boil in medicine, but Miss suddenly changed her mind at that critical moment. She changed her mind and openly told others that she had a child, Hua Qianjue’s child, and planned to give birth to it.”

Hearing this past event from her mouth, Hua Jinian only felt a chill crawling up his spine, and even breathing became difficult. He instinctively wanted to escape from this woman in front of him who had given him all warmth and courage, covering his ears to listen to nothing. He instinctively feared that this story would destroy some delicate balance, would destroy everything he had. Tianxiang seemed to notice the young man’s unease and laughed in a low voice, saying to him: “Are you afraid? This story wasn’t meant for you originally. Who likes to take revenge on a child like you who likes to put on a brave front? But who told me I really wanted to tell it, and you promised to listen.”

“I will never forget the day Miss gave birth. It was a midnight in July, a pale red moon hung in the sky. Miss bled a lot, and that little beast was also covered in blood. The floor of Wuhuan Pavilion was full of blood, and that devil was also wearing blood-red clothes.”

Hua Jinian shouted as if he couldn’t bear it: “Please get to the point!” Tianxiang laughed loudly: “You are also a cruel person. Hearing about your mother dying from difficult labor, should this be your reaction? Fine, I’ll get to the point. Although Miss died, I am still alive.”

Hua Jinian became almost restless. This sudden anxiety made him mock almost uncontrollably: “She had a loyal maid, didn’t she?” Tianxiang laughed loudly: “Yes, of course. I remember it was on the fourth day after that little beast was born, Hua Qianjue left the fortress, seeking pleasure as usual. His shameless behavior made those heartless people in the fortress have no time to care about this little beast, which actually made it convenient for me. That night, I secretly held that wrinkled little beast and climbed out of Floating Pagoda Fortress, traveled west from Wanxiang Mountain, rushed for five or six days, and arrived at the Ruan Residence in Bizhou.”

Hua Jinian’s lips also turned pale: “Ruan Residence? Golden Saber Ruan Residence?”

Tianxiang looked at him with a gentle smile: “In Bizhou, besides that Ruan Residence that killed Hua Qianjue’s mother, how many other Ruan Residences are there? Things in this world are always so coincidental. That delicate and noble Madam Ruan was also pregnant, and the child was seven months old. According to Miss’s arrangement before her death, I bribed a servant of the Ruan Residence and put labor-inducing medicine in Madam Ruan’s tea. That night, Madam Ruan gave birth prematurely. I bribed the midwife again, and after the delivery, swapped this child of the Ruan family with that little beast.”

“That day happened to be the Mid-Autumn Festival. After you started remembering things, the first time you met him was also during the Mid-Autumn Festival, right… The day you had an affair with him was another Mid-Autumn Festival… Everyone only says that the moon is full and flowers are good during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but they don’t know that during the Mid-Autumn Festival, many unexpected things happen like this, one after another storm of blood, wind and rain…”

Hua Jinian let out a long breath, slowly closed his eyes, sat quietly on the ground, and said nothing, as if all signs of life had left his body. Tianxiang looked at him and smiled quietly: “That’s right, the truth is just as you thought. You are actually the only son of Golden Saber Ruan Congyun, and Ruan Xiyu is Hua Qianjue’s blood. Tsk tsk, look at your own character, womanly benevolence, sticking to rules, which part resembles that devil? But that Ruan Xiyu, ruthless in action, paranoid in doing things, truly resembles him ten out of ten.”

Hua Jinian was silent for a long time before saying coldly: “You have no evidence, do you?”

Tianxiang laughed in a low voice: “Anyone with eyes in this world can be my witness. Why don’t you think about why Ruan Xiyu could successfully infiltrate Floating Pagoda Fortress as a male favorite during the Mid-Autumn Festival when you were fourteen? Could it be that Wu Qiuping was too stupid? Wrong, it was your Sister Tianxiang who made trouble from within. I discovered him and recommended him to Hall Master Wu. It was also I who washed and dressed him up so that he could catch your father’s eye.”

Hua Jinian asked in a low voice like a puppet that had lost all feeling: “Why?”

Tianxiang smiled and said: “Why? You ask me why I wanted to bring them together at that time? Hehe, being able to direct a drama of incest between father and son, don’t you think it gives the avenger a sense of accomplishment? Moreover, that little beast looks so much like Miss back then, even Wu Qiuping and Hua Qianjue found that he looked like her. Resembling is best… Resembling, Hua Qianjue would want to favor this person even more. Who can escape the person he wants to favor? Jinian, do you know why resemblance is good? Do you think Hua Qianjue really had no affection for Miss? Haha, no affection, how could he let that devil kill everyone in the Fang family but leave her alone? Miss she… Miss she… was the number one beauty in the martial world.”

As she spoke, she suddenly clenched her fists in anger: “But! Who would have thought that little beast would actually use you to replace him, actually let you suffer, actually let… let you, whom I took care of with my life, get hurt… That little beast! Actually dared to ruin my plan!”

Hua Jinian reached out to wipe his face, only to find that his face was covered with mottled tear stains. He asked hoarsely: “He is your Miss’s child, don’t you care at all?”

Tianxiang sneered indifferently: “He is not! He is just that devil’s only son, and has nothing to do with my Miss. But I still had a chance later, remember? You swore to kill him after that night. Later, finally one day, you fought on the mountainside. Do you know why I went to get help? And specifically brought Hua Qianjue over? I just… I just wanted them, father and son, to kill each other. Almost, damn it, almost, that devil was going to kill his own son with his own hands, but it failed at the last moment!”

Tianxiang spoke, cursing loudly as if extremely angry. In an instant, she smiled softly again: “Do you still want me to cite evidence? I can cite as much as you want. Jinian, you walk in the martial world, hasn’t anyone ever said you look like that delicate and noble Madam Ruan? Among the older generation of martial arts seniors, many must have recognized you as a member of the Ruan family, right? For example, Yan Yong of Danxia Temple?”

Hua Jinian laughed in a low voice: “What you said is correct, I’m about to believe it. I look like Madam Ruan, I am the son of Ruan Congyun. Ruan Xiyu looks like Fang Hongyi, he is the father’s real son. Is this what you mean?”

Seeing Tianxiang nodding with a smile, he finally stood up unsteadily: “You mean, I am the son of Hua Qianjue’s mother-killing enemy. I absolutely cannot save him. Otherwise, his first reaction upon knowing the truth would be to kill me in anger, because I can’t accept his expression after finding out he was deceived no matter what, so… I cannot let him out.”

Hua Jinian laughed in a low voice, a long laugh like crying: “But do you know how I feel after hearing this story? I think that damned vicious Fang Hongyi must have liked father… haha, Hua Qianjue’s. No one would give birth to an enemy’s child. She might just be a woman who cares about face, hesitating between love and hate all day long.”

Tianxiang flew into a rage: “Bullshit!” Hua Jinian looked at her and whispered: “And you, you once said you liked me. That’s also bullshit, right? You also… like that man, right? I understand women the least, because what they say and what they think are completely different. You don’t like him, why did you marry him? Because he forced you? Ridiculous… You said you liked me, would you say such cruel things to someone you like? You wouldn’t… You don’t like me at all. You like the one in the underground palace, the one you served in bed. The person you said you wanted revenge on for twenty years but were never willing to lay a hand on, is the person who makes you want to disobey your Miss’s order to save him…”

Tianxiang cursed: “Shut up! You shut up!” Hua Jinian smiled bitterly and said: “I was right, wasn’t I? Those women who were so gentle to me ended up hurting me the deepest. The one who was savage, rude and excessive to me was the one who was truly good to me… But I’m about to lose him. Tianxiang, why are you crying now? Does the scar of the revealed secret hurt? Do you think only you can hurt people with words? Words are like knives, more painful than the sharpest weapons—”

As he spoke, his shoulders suddenly shook, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood, splashing shocking blood red all over his front lapel. His body swayed, he half-knelt on the ground, trying hard to swallow and spit, but after holding it for a while, a more violent column of blood sprayed from his mouth, followed by mouthful after mouthful of blood without pause, dyeing the nearby grass with spots of bright red.

Tianxiang seemed to realize just now what she shouldn’t have said. She walked over trembling with tears, raised the young man’s face, only to find that his spirit had finally collapsed after finishing the last sharp counterattack. His pupils were slightly dilated, his face was as blank and empty as rice paper, not knowing how to resist, without hope, just coughing blood, curling up his body in pain.

At this moment, Tianxiang found the softness that had long been worn away by fate suddenly surfacing. She suddenly remembered how she had racked her brains to make this introverted and precocious child smile shyly. She suddenly understood how that child had relied on her, trusted her, said he wanted to be with her, called her sister, and also pretended to be an adult calling her by her name. She suddenly understood that this child was more important in her heart than she could understand, much more important. She started to hurt him because she lost him forever, and he lost him forever because she hurt him. At this moment, she felt like her heart was being gouged out. Why was it that after speaking out the secret hidden for many years freely, she felt even sadder…

She knelt, hugged him, stroked the young man’s hair, crying bitterly, but comforted softly: “You are afraid he will know the truth, then I won’t tell him, I won’t tell him, okay… Why did you become like this? I thought you had more or less guessed this secret. Why did you still collapse? Could it be there is something else…”

The young man whimpered in her arms for a long time, suddenly laughed intermittently, almost inaudibly: “You said I am the son of the Ruan family, I am the son of Ruan Congyun, but do you know who caused the death of the couple? Do you know who hijacked their life-saving dart silver?”

Hearing this, Tianxiang wanted to move back with a pale face, but suddenly found she couldn’t move.

— Leave the people, take the money…

Tianxiang screamed. She slowly raised her head and looked at the young man with a very strange look, watching the young man slowly leave her embrace. Her abdomen began to bleed, a small knife inserted there, very deep. The handle was in the young man’s hand. While coughing blood, Hua Jinian gently pulled the knife out. The woman fell softly to the ground, a pair of once beautiful eyes still staring at him. She opened her mouth, and opened it again. — She actually had a third reason, but unfortunately she could never say it.

Hua Jinian put his ear close to her mouth to listen carefully, only to hear her whisper softly: “Thank you.”

Thank you for setting me free.

Hua Jinian shook his head, looked at the woman who had stopped breathing, shook his head again, and then asked in a gentle tone: “Why did you tell me this? Why tell me that Ruan Xiyu being an enemy of Floating Pagoda Fortress was actually doing what I should have done! Why tell me I am the son of his enemy! Why tell me I once personally killed my biological parents!”

A ferocious look suddenly appeared on his face. He looked up to the sky and cursed: “Why! Go to hell! Go to hell with that damned way out you know! I don’t care about that road anymore, I won’t save him anymore, I won’t save him! I can’t let him know this! I can’t, I can’t!”

He fell to the ground crying loudly, crying out: “Why!”

He was crazy. This young man was already crazy. The small knife that had just ended the woman’s life was raised high by him again, stabbing into his own abdomen without hesitation.

— I won’t save you, but we must live together and die together…