Chapter 37 - 1#
If You See SnowCh37.1 - Why Look Back?#
Secret Sect, Immortal’s Cave.
Snowflakes fell all over Su Ruhui’s head and shoulders. In the silent world, Sang Chiyu seemed to have turned white-haired along with Su Ruhui.
“Cough cough—” Su Ruhui coughed incessantly, as if he were about to cough up his lungs.
Returning to his original body through the internal pathways of the puppet’s insight star array was indeed risky. The moment his consciousness settled back in, the world spun violently. His limbs felt limp and soft, as if he weren’t a being of flesh and blood, but rather a cotton doll. He knew that his body was like a lone lamp flickering in the wind and snow, on the verge of extinction. His time was truly running out.
He gritted his teeth and spat out a few words, “Blood… Bloodrage Pill…”
Sang Chiyu brought him back to the cave, laid him on the stone bed, then crouched down to rummage through the jumbled bottles and jars scattered across the floor. Jiang Xueya swiftly slammed the iron door shut and secured it with the bolt.
Having finally found a bottle after much difficulty, Sang Chiyu pulled out the stopper, knelt down in front of Su Ruhui, and asked: “How many?”
Jiang Xueya hadn’t expected Su Ruhui to show up at this moment—he was practically courting death. She rolled her eyes and poured the entire bottle into his mouth.
“The Bloodrage Pill can unleash a person’s potential. A normal person can only eat one, but in his condition, even two bottles wouldn’t be enough. He can probably prolong his life for a little while, but he will still die. Before he dies, his five senses will gradually deteriorate. If he loses all five senses, even gods can’t save him.” Jiang Xueya tossed the bottle aside. ”Su Ruhui, you came back looking for death? Why didn’t you say so sooner? I could have given you a quick end.”
After taking the pills, his limbs indeed regained some strength. Su Ruhui, having recovered, asked: “Shijie, you have a way?”
“I do. Sang Chiyu is refusing to leave. He says he wants to take you with him to kill Dantai Jing.”
Su Ruhui was a bit dazed. What did bringing him along have to do with killing Dantai Jing? Wait, what grudge did Sang Chiyu have against Dantai Jing that had escalated to this point of no return? Unfortunately, despite his many questions, there was no time to ask them now. Su Ruhui nudged Sang Chiyu’s shoulder and said: “For the sake of my impending death, listen to me this once. Follow my shijie to leave this place.”
Sang Chiyu’s gaze was desolate and heavy as he hoarsely asked: “Is there really no hope for survival?”
“What,” Su Ruhui asked, “you want me to live? If you do, then I’ll cling on to life a bit longer.”
He grinned roguishly, looking every bit the scoundrel. The cave was pitch black, but Sang Chiyu, with his sharp eyesight, could clearly see Su Ruhui’s smile. He had never seen someone as obstreperous as Su Ruhui. He was obviously about to die, yet still remained so frivolous. Did he not fear death? Sang Chiyu’s heart overflowed with sorrow. Did he truly understand what “death” meant?
“Death” meant parting. It meant that in this lifetime, they would truly, never be able to meet again.
Jiang Xueya said: “How about the three of us go together? Sang Chiyu will carry you, and I’ll open up a path.”
“I have to stay and hold them off, otherwise you won’t be able to leave.” Su Ruhui shook his head, “Sang Chiyu, hurry up and go. Be good.”
Su Ruhui pushed him again, but his strength was too weak to budge him at all. The person in front of him remained motionless, as immovable as a boulder.
“Su Ruhui, you always wanted me to come into the Immortal’s Cave to keep you company.” Sang Chiyu’s voice was hoarse, as if coated in sand, “Now I’m here, I’ll keep you company.”
They heard footsteps, the sound of iron boots striking the ground like drums. Outside, torches gathered, illuminating the dense forest before the Immortal’s Cave. The torchlight brightened the cave’s interior for a brief instant, and in that faint torchlight, Su Ruhui saw Sang Chiyu’s face clearly. His gaze was both desolate and heart-broken, as if frigid snow was spilling over. And that snow was thawing, melting into sparkling teardrops that tumbled down his cheeks.
Su Ruhui was stunned.
He saw Sang Chiyu crying, crying for him.
Didn’t this kid hate him the most? Every time his gaze fell upon Sang Chiyu, the system would remind Su Ruhui: This person’s most hated things in life are dogs and Su Ruhui. If not for the system’s prompt, how else could he have recognized Su Yu as Sang Chiyu? He kept wondering, from his past life all the way to now, why did Sang Chiyu hate him?
He seemed to understand now.
He touched Sang Chiyu’s face, and icy tears fell onto his fingertips. To have Sang Chiyu cry for him, Su Ruhui suddenly felt that dying once wasn’t such a big deal.
“Yu’er,” He leaned close to Sang Chiyu’s ear, his breath brushing against its curve, “You look so beautiful when you cry.”
He felt the person beneath him stiffen. He chuckled a few times and said: “I won’t be able to take care of you anymore. I have a precious son named Jiang Quexie. From now on, I’ll have him look after you in my place, okay?”
Sang Chiyu’s eyes suddenly narrowed. Those exact same words had been spoken by that puppet named Jiang Quexie. Were these two just naturally obscene, or were these two actually the same person? Five years spent in hazy oblivion, all suddenly to awaken tonight. In a flash, Sang Chiyu grasped something, lifting his eyes inch by inch in disbelief. He couldn’t fathom how Su Ruhui had done it. One person, two bodies, switching back and forth—was this even possible?
No, it was impossible. But if it was Su Ruhui, anything was possible.
For he was the founder of the Phantom Puppets, the master of the super first-grade flesh puppet, and the unrivalled genius of this world.
Gunfire pounded the iron door, smashing it open with numerous round holes. The door was being breached from the outside. Su Ruhui decisively said, “Shijie, take him and leave!”
Jiang Xueya pulled Sang Chiyu up and dragged him away. In these last moments, Sang Chiyu stared blankly at Su Ruhui, his face filled with disbelief. Su Ruhui waved, returning his gaze with a leisurely smile. Sang Chiyu’s figure completely disappeared around the corner, and Su Ruhui turned his gaze towards the doorway. Less than ten breaths later, the iron door was smashed down by soldiers, crashing to the ground with a loud thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The soldiers filed in, torches illuminating the cave. Dantai Jing stepped through the doorway, walking over the uneven iron door to Su Ruhui. Behind him followed the three star officials and Xia Jing. Upon seeing Su Ruhui awake, they all wore expressions of astonishment.
Su Ruhui pressed his fist to his lips, coughing softly a few times before smiling with difficulty, “Long time no see, a-jiu.”
Dantai Jing’s gaze swept around the cave, but he didn’t find Sang Chiyu. His eyes lingered briefly on the side chamber where Jiang Xueya had been held captive; the door was wide open, and it was clearly long empty. He signaled to the soldiers and ordered: “Chase.”
All soldiers obeyed the order to give chase. His gaze then fell on Su Ruhui, “Why have you been revived?”
Instead of being surprised or delighted by his awakening, the old monster asked, “Why have you been revived?” Su Ruhui inwardly clicked his tongue. His a-jiu was truly difficult to deal with; to pull off a deception under his watchful eye was no easy feat.
Dantai Jing saw his complexion had improved considerably and furrowed his brow, “You took the Bloodrage Pill.”
“Yep,” Su Ruhui smiled lazily, “otherwise how could I have a casual chat with you like this? I heard that the Bloodrage Pill has serious side effects. Looks like I won’t be able to escape death this time. A-jiu, you won’t be able to save me.”
His vision blurred, and Su Ruhui’s senses gradually dulled, indicating that the effects of the Bloodrage Pill were beginning to wear off. He could no longer make out Dantai Jing’s features, only a tall, dark shadow. Dantai Jing remained silent for a long while, which Su Ruhui went ahead and assumed was due to sadness. Su Ruhui thought about how his a-jiu’s life was actually quite difficult. A hundred plus year old man raising up Sang Chiyu and taking care of him, never having married this entire lifetime. Recalling the past, he realized he had caused his a-jiu no small amount of trouble during his years in the Secret Sect.
He heard his a-jiu ask: “Any last wishes?”
Su Ruhui coughed as he stood up, then slowly knelt down, supporting himself on the stone bed. He could no longer see clearly, nor did he know if he was even kneeling in the right direction. He said: “Su Ruhui begs a-jiu to spare Sang Chiyu’s life.”
“Silly child,” Motuoyanna hurriedly came over to help him up, “Yu’er is your a-jiu’s only disciple, how could raise his hand against his own dear disciple?”
Su Ruhui smiled weakly, “Isn’t this exactly what he’s doing? If I’m not mistaken, he came here today because you deliberately leaked the news to the outside world that I’m still alive.”
Dantai Jing had spies in the Underworld. The moment Sang Chiyu defected to the Underworld, Dantai Jing had received word. From that moment on, Sang Chiyu’s chances of survival with Dantai Jing were severed. That’s why the Underworld received the news that Su Ruhui was still breathing in the Immortal’s Cave. Perhaps the report would even be embellished with tales of how Su Ruhui suffered abuse in all kinds of ways. In this way, Sang Chiyu would surely fall into the trap and return to the Secret Sect.
The moment Su Ruhui saw Sang Chiyu crying, he understood. That guy must have seen what he looked like in the Immortal’s Cave and committed an unforgivable act, which is why he was expelled from the Secret Sect, never to be used again.
Motuoyanna gave a bitter smile. “You’re a good kid in every way, but you’re just a little too clever. Can’t you just trust what I say? That way, you could close your eyes in peace. Yes, we deliberately spread the news that you’re still alive. You and Yu’er are mortal enemies after all. Yu’er would rather be expelled from the Secret Sect than let you live. You two are truly a pair of enemies unto death. How come you’ve changed your temper now? He wants to kill you, but you’re pleading for him?”
Su Ruhui: “…”
He never imagined that this was how they viewed Sang Chiyu.
However, from a normal person’s perspective, this indeed seemed to be the case. Su Ruhui’s view on life and death was quite different from others. Some people, even when clearly on their deathbed, would still try every means to cling to life. But Su Ruhui only wished to live freely and unfettered. To have him lie in bed day and night was worse than giving him a swift death by the blade.
Sang Chiyu understood him.
In this world, Sang Chiyu understood him the best.
TL corner: KyAYSq
“死”意味着别离，意味着今生此世，他们真的再也无法重逢。
“Death” meant parting. It meant that in this lifetime, they would truly, never be able to meet again.
We went from Sang Chiyu killing with indifference, fully knowing how cold hearted he was, to Sang Chiyu who understood the immense weight of death, all because of Su Ruhui 😭😭😭