Chapter 11#

If You See SnowCh11 - Give Me Your Wife#

The Underworld, at the Great Compassion Temple.

“Impossible.” Sang Chiyu spoke, “Su Ruhui is already dead.”

Han Ye shot a look at him from the corner of his eyes, speaking slowly: “Three days ago, the Kunlun Secret Sect secretly summoned Huang Zhibei, the divine physician of Yuzhou. One of my trusted subordinates infiltrated Huang Zhibei’s group. The Secret Sect was extremely cautious, only allowing Huang Zhibei to bring one disciple into the mountains. My subordinate replaced his senior disciple and successfully infiltrated the Secret Sect. The Secret Sect put them to sleep along the way, and they awakened in the Immortal’s Cave.”

Hei Guanyin unfolded a map of the border capital. The map depicted a vast expanse of snow-capped mountains, with markets and dwellings filling the space below.

“Don’t bother looking, no map circulating the markets will have the location of the Immortal’s Cave marked down.” Han Ye crossed his arms, continuing, “According to my reliable sources, the Immortal’s Cave is specifically the place where Su Ruhui is imprisoned. The area is guarded with three layers of maze arrays. Those with secret arts can’t even get close, and those without will be lost in the layers upon layers of the arrays. Five years ago, the Secret Sect proclaimed to the world that Su Ruhui had fallen gravely ill and died, yet the last words my subordinate transmitted to me were ‘Boss Su is still alive, hurry and come save him’. After that, he was found out by the Secret Sect and has since lost contact with us. It’s very likely his fate will not end well.” He looked at Sang Chiyu, “Sang Chiyu, why did you say Su Ruhui is already dead? Did you see it with your own eyes?”

Sang Chiyu did not respond, his dark and deep pupils as quiet as the sea.

Not only did he see it with his own eyes, but he killed Su Ruhui with his own hands.

Besides, Su Ruhui has already been reborn within Jiang Quexie’s body. How could there possibly be two Su Ruhuis in this world?

“Hey, respond.” Han Ye called out to him.

“I did not.” He lied.

“That’s right, you’re just guessing. Su Ruhui is actually still alive. But to be honest, all I know about his situation is that he’s still alive. The Secret Sect secretly summoned a divine physician, so I imagine Su Ruhui’s situation isn’t looking good. He was poisoned and was already gravely ill when he left the Underworld. Even if they manage to save him, he likely won’t survive much longer.“ Han Ye rubbed the steel ring on his thumb as he spoke, ”But the Paradise Pavilion will definitely go to save him.”

Hei Guanyin sighed: “To make up for when you betrayed him?”

“Think whatever you want.” Han Ye lifted his chin haughtily, “Hei Guanyin, are you in or not”

Hei Guanyin chuckled hoarsely. “Boss Su has supported the Underworld. Who among us hasn’t benefited from his kindness? Now that we know he’s still alive, the Great Compassion Temple will naturally do what we can to rescue him from Kunlun. But the Secret Sect is dangerous, and this mission also holds countless dangers. I think it’s not too much to ask for the ‘Mechanical Arsenal’ in return.”

The moment these words were spoken, whispers rippled throughout the crowd. Su Ruhui’s “Mechanical Arsenal” was quite famous, and everyone knew about it.

When Su Ruhui was handed over to the Secret Sect, all his humanoid puppets, beast puppets, design blueprints, star arrays, and the《Analysis on Mechanical Puppets》were also acquired by the Secret Sect. From then on, not only did the Paradise Pavilion have the puppet making techniques left behind by Su Ruhui, but the Secret Sect also acquired them. The Secret Sect hid these items in a place that outsiders called the “Mechanical Arsenal.” The mechanical beast puppets alone were enough to make people covet them, and there were even legends claiming that Su Ruhui’s super first grade flesh puppet was also among them.

Han Ye chuckled, “Old fox, you’ve got your plans all figured out. Fine, the Mechanical Arsenal is yours. The Paradise Pavilion just wants Su Ruhui home safely.”

Hei Guanyin clasped his hands in thanks, “The Great Compassion Temple will spare no effort in assisting you. I ask the house head to let us know the conditions.”

Han Ye said, “Last month, the Scout Guard returned from mining operations with heavy losses. Tomorrow, they’ll post recruitment notices in the cities of Yunzhou. Those with excellent physical skills will be prioritized, while cultivators of secret arts will be directly accepted. I’ve purchased a batch of household registration documents with clean backgrounds. Our people can use these to enlist. The Scout Guard rarely expands its ranks, This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if not for rescuing Su Ruhui, it’s a good opportunity to infiltrate the Secret Sect.”

“Many thanks for your information,” Hey Guanyin clasped his hands, “But we won’t bother House Head with getting us registration documents.”

Han Ye sneered coldly. He was indeed a crafty old fox. If he used his registration documents to enlist, Han Ye could find out the list of undercover agents within the Great Compassion Temple. Hei Guanyin was afraid of this possibility and thus refused to use Han Ye’s documents. While Hei Guanyin claimed to want to repay Su Ruhui’s kindness by rescuing him, who knows what schemes he’s cooking up behind the scenes. This old freak’s words shouldn’t be trusted at all. Regardless, Han Ye had achieved his objective. With the Great Compassion Temple stirring up trouble for the Secret Sect, the chances of the Paradise Pavilion rescuing Su Ruhui had significantly improved.

“Secret arts users are eligible to receive official titles, but the background checks are extremely rigorous. The Secret Sect also uses ‘True Speech’ to screen final candidates. I suggest you apply disguised as ordinary citizens.” He then waved his hand and said: “The message has been delivered. I’m leaving.”

Sang Chiyu suddenly spoke up: “I will join.”

He had to go to the Secret Sect to find out exactly what was going on with the Immortal’s Cave.

Han Ye narrowed his eyes, looking at the man meditating with eyes closed beneath the laughing buddha. He had remained silent this entire time, as inconspicuous as a shadow, leading Han Ye to believe he wasn’t listening at all. After all, he and Su Ruhui had been archenemies for years. Even though Sang Chiyu wasn’t the type to seek vengeance for grudges, he also wouldn’t offer Su Ruhui a helping hand. Sang Chiyu suddenly saying he wanted to join caught Han Ye off guard for a moment.

Sang Chiyu raised his eyes, the candlelight sinking between his brows, casting a wash of coldness. He said, “I was stationed at the Immortal’s Cave five years ago. I know how to break the maze array.”

Hei Guanyin nodded, “With Young Master Sang’s assistance, we will be like a tiger with wings. This alliance between the Paradise Pavilion and the Great Compassion Temple will surely deal a crushing blow to Kunlun.”

“Old fox,” Han Ye said to Hei Guanyin, “May I speak with Young Master Sang alone for a moment?”

Hei Guanyin smiled but did not move.

Han Ye snorted: “I’m not trying to steal your people, just a private matter.”

Hei Guanyin folded his sleeves and bowed, “Please go ahead.”

Everyone left, leaving only Han Ye and Sang Chiyu behind—one standing, one seated. The bonfire blazed high, crackling. The laughing buddha’s compassionate face flickered in the shifting light, occasionally revealing a hint of ferocity.

Han Ye opened: “Sang Chiyu, if we save Su Ruhui, I will imprison him to serve as my slave. Don’t interfere.”

The scorching heat around him instantly plummeted in temperature, and Han Ye felt the killing intent emanating from across from him.

Sure enough. He sneered inwardly.

“Sang Chiyu, the people praise your uprightness and integrity, yet they don’t know your mind is with impure thoughts. I used to think that you were different from those hypocritical Secret Sect officers, but now I see you’re even more despicable than them. However…” He curled his lips, “The Underworld welcomes people like you.”

Sang Chiyu’s expression did not change at all, as if he did not hear Han Ye’s slanderous remarks. He calmly asked: “The hairpin, did he give it to you?”

“You’re talking about this?” Han Ye removed the wooden hairpin from his bun. It was made of ebony, its base carved with a rough little flower. “That’s right, he gave it to me. My mother was a courtesan; half the men in the Underworld were her clients. One day she died in bed, and I ended up on the streets. Su Ruhui gave me this hairpin, telling me to take it to the Paradise Pavilion. He told me not to give up, and even called me xiao didi. Back then, I thought this big brother was so kind, I would live on just for him. I went through countless hardships to be able to stand by his side, becoming his most trusted confidant. Then I saw him give an identical wooden hairpin to another child, telling him to report to the Paradise Pavilion. Only then did I realize almost all the orphans there had wooden carvings from him. He carved little trinkets in his spare time, filling a room with them. They covered the floor, leaving no place to step.”

Han Ye laughed in ridicule, “He just casually gives out charity, and some kid who crawled out of the mud will tread through water and fire for him. If he does it on purpose, I’d respect his deep cunning. But he doesn’t. He’s literally just a good guy. If he sees an orphan, he takes them in. If he sees an old person, he helps them. That’s what I hate most about him. He’s saved too many people. By the time I got to stand before him, he’d long forgotten who I was. And what good did helping all those people do? When the Secret Sect attacked, the very first person to push him out to save his own life was someone he had saved.”

Sang Chiyu pursed his lips, saying nothing.

“I betrayed him,” Han Ye’s voice carried a hint of bitterness, “and this time he’ll remember me for the rest of his life.”

Sang Chiyu lowered his eyelids and said: “You betrayed him because his illness was beyond cure, and the Underworld was powerless to help. On the other hand, the Secret Sect could call upon renowned physicians from across the land. But you never imagined the Secret Sect would prove equally powerless.”

Han Ye’s expression briefly turned desolate, “Even you could see my intent, but that guy couldn’t. The look of disgust he shot me when he left—I still can’t forget it.” He remained silent for a long time before his expression shifted to one of schadenfreude, “ He’s the type of person who can never sit still, always messing with something or other. The Secret Sect has held him captive for so long, he probably can’t stand it anymore.”

Sang Chiyu didn’t reply, quietly gazing at the flickering bonfire nearby.

Even if Han Ye hadn’t said it, Sang Chiyu knew exactly what kind of person Su Ruhui was. Ever since Sang Chiyu first met Su Ruhui at the age of ten, the romantic entanglements surrounding Su Ruhui had never ceased. Why did so many people like Su Ruhui? He thought it was truly strange. Su Ruhui was obviously so troublesome, loud, shameless, vulgar, and irritating.

Han Ye asked again: “Did he give you a hairpin too? That’s why you didn’t kill me when you saw mine. I suggest you forget him, he definitely forgot all about giving you that hairpin.”

Sang Chi’s eyebrows and eyelashes hung low. Han Ye was right, Su Ruhui had always been this kind of person. He was kind to everyone, his goodwill overflowing everywhere, and his memory was poor too. He never remembered these little things.

“Oh right, another thing. Jiang Quexie is very much to my liking. Might Young Master Sang do me a favor and hand him over to me?”

Sang Chiyu instantly rejected him, “He is not a gift that can be freely given away.”

“He’s just a waste who looks like Su Ruhui, why do you care?” Han Ye huffed.

For some unexplainable reason, Sang Chiyu did not tell Jiang Quexie’s secret about him being Su Ruhui. Sang Chiyu met Han Ye’s mocking gaze: “Don’t bother him.”

Han Ye smiled coldly. That hypocrite Sang Chiyu. He entered the Underworld and became a villain, but is still going on about helping the pitiful. Fighting over a man was embarrassing. Han Ye felt his enthusiasm wane. “Fine, forget it then. I’ll give you one last word of advice: Hei Guanyin isn’t a good person. You should keep your guard up around him. His Wuji Powder has other substances in its ingredients. If you have the means, find a doctor and have your body checked.”