Chapter 10
Yu Sui put away her Wind-Listening Ruler and ran outside. She had to get to a place with no one around.
Fortunately, it was noisy enough inside that no one noticed her quick escape.
Juxian Tower was reserved, with guards up and down outside. Yu Sui's running disturbed many attendants who asked what help she needed.
Voices kept ringing in her mind:
"Can you survive? I'm asking if you can survive?" The man asked irritably. "What's wrong with me just wanting a good night's sleep?!"
An androgynous voice said: "Who?"
"Cough cough..." An old man's hoarse voice laughed: "It's me."
So far these three were voices Yu Sui had heard before. After the old man answered who the dying person was, a trembling young voice spoke up: "What's this? Who are you? What's going on?"
The newcomer seemed to know even less than Yu Sui.
The young man's terrified voice amused the man: "You two might as well die together. I've already thought of the methods: the old one dies of old age, the young one dies of stupidity."
Yu Sui ran downstairs and found even more people below. She carefully avoided people and successfully left Juxian Tower's main gate, racing through the night street market.
At this moment, no one was in the mood to enlighten the terrified youth. The androgynous voice asked again: "How did you die?"
"Cough cough... Everyone, don't panic. I still have some time, just severely injured. Only when my Divine Soul Dual Core shatters will you be implicated." The gentle old man laughed. "Too many people can kill me later. I really don't know who will kill me or how."
Yu Sui paused slightly. Divine Soul Dual Core? That should be at least Tenth Realm or above in the Nine Schools. Wouldn't their Strange Fire nurture new Divine Soul Dual Cores?
She ran away from the bustling street market toward deserted areas.
The man said impatiently: "I see you still have breath left. Old man, give me a location and I'll fish you out."
The old man said: "I'm at Taiyi Academy, Five Elements Water Field."
The man immediately said: "Too far, not going. You die."
"What? Who's dying? What does it have to do with me?"
The still-terrified youth wailed.
"I've spent my whole life trying to find ways to rid myself of Strange Fire, to rid myself of the World Destroyer mark." The old man's voice was low and hoarse. "It has the power to destroy heaven and earth, but I have no desire to use this power, nor do I want to destroy this continent."
"Though I don't know why it chose us, I believe every chosen person has no intention of destroying the world... Yet the World Destroyer identity makes us live in fear, constantly worried about being discovered by people. If our identity is exposed, we'll be hunted by the six kingdoms, leading to family separation and destruction."
"I've lived over seventy years and seen this too many times."
The man mocked: "You're about to die and you're still pitying others."
The old man laughed, completely unbothered. He coughed twice more, leaning against the wall of the Five Elements Water Field. Blood flowed like a river on the ground, lights in the distance lit up one by one, shadows approaching from far away.
The number of World Destroyers was fixed at five, but they could be five different people. When someone died, Strange Fire would seek new World Destroyers.
You could never guess when it would descend.
Maybe when you were just born, maybe when you were about to die.
"Hide your flames well." The old man lowered his head, his eyes gradually dimming. "All six kingdoms are searching for World Destroyers. They need to know the secrets of Strange Fire. If you want to rid yourself of World Destroyer identity, then come to Taiyi Academy... I can be certain that the method to unlock Strange Fire's secrets lies in the Academy's privately kept Tianzi Texts."
"Unfortunately, if I had just a little more time..."
Black flames suddenly erupted. The incoming heat wave made the pursuing shadows retreat and scatter.
The black color vanished instantly. When people looked up again, the old man was burning. Red flames devoured his flesh. They could see the human figure in the fire fall down, no longer making any sound.
The last thing Yu Sui heard was the man's cursing and the terrified youth's helpless questions. Soon these voices disappeared too, familiar pain spreading throughout her body, making her instantly sweat profusely.
Yu Sui, who had run from the bustling street market to the desolate area, saw a pond ahead reflecting moonlight, its surface shimmering.
Yu Sui felt white smoke rising from her entire body.
As she struggled toward the pond, she never expected Zhongli Que to chase after her from behind, shouting while running: "Sui Sui! Nangong Sui!"
Yu Sui turned back in shock. Zhongli Que ran until she was covered in sweat, still holding her Wind-Listening Ruler. She had used the method Yu Sui gave her to locate and track through the Wind-Listening Ruler.
"Don't come over!" Yu Sui shouted. Zhongli Que was confused by the shout. When she stopped and looked into Yu Sui's eyes, her pupils constricted: "How could this be..."
In Zhongli Que's eyes, Yu Sui was just as she had foreseen, wrapped and devoured by flames.
Yu Sui had no time to explain. Losing strength support, she fell into the pond. The splashing water and sound made Zhongli Que's heart skip a beat as she hurried over.
How could this happen... Am I too late?
If I hadn't hesitated, if I had chased after her earlier, if I knew how to ride horses or the Nine Schools arts and could have come faster, would she not have been burned to death?
Countless possibilities flashed through Zhongli Que's mind. The splashing and crashing sounds of water in the silent night were particularly harsh. Her legs seemed to lose strength, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.
She wanted to go down and save Yu Sui.
But she couldn't swim.
……
Yu Sui, who had fallen into the water, heard only quiet around her ears, no sound at all. She couldn't even hear her own screaming.
She was no longer an infant now, completely unable to control herself. In this pain of having flesh, blood, and bones burned, she could at least barely resist.
The cold, heavy pond water reduced some of her pain.
The previous World Destroyer who died had no power to resist, devoured by fire, dying slowly.
This time the old man who died seemed unwilling to let others suffer too much. To prevent prolonged torture, he used Strange Fire to self-immolate at the end. The speed at which Strange Fire instantly devoured life prevented others from suffering too long.
The cold pond water made Yu Sui open her eyes again. Falling, she began moving her arms to float up.
The water surface splashed as Yu Sui broke through, shaking her head with water droplets flying. Looking up, she saw Zhongli Que standing by the pond.
In just a short while, Zhongli Que had become dirty and grimy, her face also dusty. She had taken off her outer dress, wrapping the dress with clothing found somewhere into a rope, tying it to a tree by the pond. Holding the makeshift rope, she was about to jump into the water.
Yu Sui's sudden appearance stunned Zhongli Que. The two stared at each other wide-eyed.
After a moment, Yu Sui seemed to understand what Zhongli Que was trying to do and laughed out loud.
"You... are you alright? You're not dead, woo woo woo... you, you scared me to death! And you're still laughing? Nangong Sui!" Zhongli Que instantly lost all her strength, holding the rope and sitting on the ground wiping tears. "You still laugh? Nangong Sui!"
Zhongli Que had never been this scared in her life, not even when confined by her father for an arrow years ago.
She understood the meaning of death, so she couldn't accept her good friend's death.
"Where did you find all these things?"
Yu Sui floated toward shore, her smile still not fading.
"I originally wanted to call someone to save you, but was afraid of being discovered. I happened to see an abandoned courtyard here, so I climbed over the wall and saw discarded clothing people didn't want." Zhongli Que sniffled, wiping tears: "I wrapped them together to go down and save you... Why didn't you say you could swim?"
She was furious.
Yu Sui climbed ashore, shaking her head and wringing water from her clothes. Hearing Zhongli Que's tearful, aggrieved questioning, she couldn't help but look over with a smile: "Of course I jumped down because I could swim. Otherwise, what would I jump down for?"
"You were almost burned to death!" Zhongli Que said indignantly. "Weren't you jumping down to put out the fire?"
Yu Sui's wringing motion stopped. The moment she looked up, her smile faded: "What did you see?"
"I saw you on fire, your whole body was on fire. The flames were huge, swallowing you completely." Zhongli Que didn't notice anything wrong with Yu Sui. She was still wiping tears: "I, I was so scared, afraid you'd be burned to death."
Yu Sui stood in front of Zhongli Que, blocking the moonlight. The shadow cast covered her.
This shouldn't have been seen.
Death resonance from the Spirit Fire Ball wouldn't show wounds, only pain.
So how did Zhongli Que see it?
Yu Sui reached out to untie the clothing wrapped around Zhongli Que's waist, then pulled her up while smiling and asking: "How did you chase after me, using Wind-Listening Ruler positioning?"
Zhongli Que nodded.
Yu Sui opened her Wind-Listening Ruler and found messages she hadn't seen before:
"Don't go to Juxian Tower!"
"Go home quickly!"
"You'll be burned to death at Juxian Tower!"
Though her being "burned to death" had nothing to do with Juxian Tower, half the prediction was correct.
She really was "burned to death."
Yu Sui showed surprise, looking at her Wind-Listening Ruler puzzledly at Zhongli Que: "How did you know?"
"I..." Zhongli Que froze. She didn't dare look into Yu Sui's eyes, turning her face away, falling into self-struggle.
Yu Sui continued: "Can you predict the future?"
Zhongli Que bit her lip and said quietly: "Sort, sort of."
Yu Sui suddenly reached out to wipe the water marks on her face. Zhongli Que looked back to see her smile: "If it's difficult to say, I won't ask. I don't need to know, as long as you're safe."
Zhongli Que was slightly stunned and impulsively said: "Actually I..."
"Shh." Yu Sui covered her mouth with her hand, indicating she shouldn't speak.
The Strange Fire's flames were flickering, indicating people were nearby.
Zhongli Que stared at her wide-eyed, rarely seeing Yu Sui show wariness.
The water's movement calmed with no sound. On such a night, even insect chirping and wind sounds were absent. Yu Sui looked around, confirming that whoever was hiding in shadows wasn't from the Nangong or Zhongli families. If it were either family's guards, they would have already gone into the water to fish her out.
When leaving Juxian Tower, Yu Sui had deliberately shaken off the guards too.
Perhaps because she had left with her third brother Sheng Hao today, and they were at the reserved Juxian Tower with many young masters from aristocratic families, the guards hadn't entered Juxian Tower to watch, giving Yu Sui the opportunity.
If these were Zhongli family people, they would have already appeared to help. But if they were people following Zhongli Que to monitor the Zhongli family, then her actions tonight and their conversation just now would be dangerous.
Yu Sui relied on Strange Fire to identify where the other party was hiding. She turned to look at the old house across the pond: "Come out!"
If they were monitoring Zhongli Que…
After a brief silence, a strange laugh echoed from across the pond.
A man's sarcastic voice rang out: "Everyone says the prince's princess is a talentless fool, but you seem quite sharp to me."
Zhongli Que's eyes widened further in shock.
Today really shouldn't have been a day to go out.
When people are unlucky, they encounter all sorts of misfortunes.
Yu Sui protected Zhongli Que behind her, facing across the pond with the dignified manner of a princess: "What kind of person are you? How dare you point fingers at this princess."
The man was amused by her pretense of dignity, laughing loudly: "It's the princess herself who gave me this opportunity."
"If the prince's guards were still here, how would I have the chance to point fingers at you?"
Yu Sui heard from this that he was targeting her, not Zhongli Que.
"Hmph, you also know my prince's guards are here. If you're smart, get lost now." Yu Sui snorted coldly with an arrogant expression. "If this princess catches you, I'll cut out your tongue and dig out your eyeballs."
Whether targeting Zhongli Que or her, this person couldn't be allowed to leave, because anything he saw or heard tonight, if it reached Nangong Ming, both she and Zhongli Que would be finished.
Based on the current situation, Yu Sui had no way to actively reach the opponent. She could only provoke the enemy to come to her.
The man hiding in shadows laughed heartily: "Today I thought I'd try my luck to see if I could take the Agricultural School's treasure Breath Soil from a fool, but I didn't expect to really get this chance. Little princess, don't be stubborn when death is at your door. I should thank you for shaking off your own guards, giving me this opportunity."
So he came for Breath Soil.
The black shadow dropped from the tree to the wall. The thin man had just appeared across the pond when he formed hand seals, his afterimage flickering as he appeared behind the two girls.
The adult's shadow loomed over them both.
The man's sinister laughter was close at hand like a viper's tongue, bringing a spine-chilling sense of crisis.
Zhongli Que grabbed Yu Sui to run, but Yu Sui pushed her back into the pond. They were already standing at the water's edge, so close that Yu Sui didn't need much effort to push her in.
"Eh?!"
The moment Zhongli Que fell into the water, she didn't even understand what had happened.
"Want to run?" The man's shadow reached Yu Sui. His hand, with visible veins on the back, grabbed Yu Sui's neck and lifted her from the ground. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick and not let you die too painfully, princess."
He pulled her close, leaning in to smell: "Delicate little girls really do smell fragrant. This scent makes me so greedy I can't bear to... hmm?"
The girl about to die in his hands didn't struggle desperately but instead reached out to embrace his neck.
Yu Sui whispered: "Make it quick."
She only had this one chance, an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow while the enemy underestimated her.
The Five Elements Light Core in Yu Sui's hand shattered against the man's neck. Black flames overflowed from the light core the instant it broke, completely engulfing the man. He didn't even have time to scream before his burning body reflexively staggered backward.
Released from restraint, Yu Sui fell to the ground. She rubbed her neck with one hand and supported herself with the other to stand. Her already dark pupils, when reflecting the burning human body, seemed to make the flames in her eyes even brighter and darker.
Strange Fire was fierce and violent. It ignored all supernatural arts, the flamboyant flames showing Yu Sui its terrifying power capable of destroying all life.
Yu Sui felt this power attracting her, full of temptation, whispering in her ear like a lover, yet also like a demon's coaxing.
Strong winds blew the flames toward Yu Sui.
Black flames swayed, seeming near yet far, silently inviting Yu Sui to expand this power capable of devouring heaven and earth. Use it, it was the supreme power on this continent, able to crush everything and destroy everything.
Night wind blew Yu Sui's long hair. Her five fingers hanging at her side moved slightly. Thoroughly soaked, she felt the cold intensify. Suddenly remembering that Zhongli Que couldn't swim, she immediately turned and jumped into the pond.
The black flames chased after her, seemingly roaring unwillingly, but disappeared as Yu Sui entered the water.
……
The underwater world was cold and quiet.
Zhongli Que couldn't even determine the passage of time. After entering the water, her brain stopped functioning, remaining confused for a long while without reacting.
From being bewildered upon falling into water to being pulled out by Yu Sui, Zhongli Que remained in a daze.
Yu Sui pulled her back to shore, patting her back and asking: "Are you alright? Did you choke on water?"
Zhongli Que coughed and shook her head. From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the charred mass nearby and stood up frightened, grabbing Yu Sui's hand tightly: "Are you hurt? Where's that bad person?"
"I'm fine, he's dead." Yu Sui patted her comfortingly, wringing water from her clothes again, then bent down to throw the charred remains, now just blackened bones, into the water. "If he didn't die, we two would have died, so he couldn't be allowed to leave alive."
Zhongli Que stood in place, staring blankly at Yu Sui.
Yu Sui, struggling to move the charred corpse's bones, saw Zhongli Que frozen and looked up in confusion: "Did it scare you?"
Zhongli Que came to her senses, saying no, then scratched her head and asked somewhat puzzled: "Did I accidentally slip and fall, or did that person push me down?"
"I pushed you." Yu Sui said honestly.
"You, you?" Zhongli Que felt somewhat devastated. "I can't swim..."
Before she could finish, Yu Sui continued: "I know, I would save you. Don't worry, I'll protect you."
If Zhongli Que had seen Strange Fire, that would have been trouble.
So she pushed Zhongli Que into the water, then took the opportunity to kill the man.
Regardless of whether Zhongli Que understood about World Destroyers, Yu Sui didn't want her to know. Strange Fire was far more dangerous than Breath Soil.
It could even be addictive.
This was Yu Sui's first time using Strange Fire. Even though she had previously discovered she could summon Strange Fire when testing Five Elements Light Cores, she had never tried it lightly.
Her subconscious told her not to use black flames unless absolutely necessary.
This was the first time Zhongli Que heard someone say such words to her.
Simple and direct, yet full of security.
In fact, since meeting Yu Sui, she had always done what she said and never broken her word. Perhaps this was why Zhongli Que was willing to get close to her because Yu Sui never disappointed her.
"Why are you protecting me?" Zhongli Que said quietly.
Yu Sui thought and said: "Because I'm older than you!"
"Your birthday is in May, mine is in January. I'm older than you." Zhongli Que looked at Yu Sui. "Since I'm older, from now on I'll protect you."
She said seriously: "I'll protect you too."
Yu Sui, crouched by the shore washing her hands, looked up. She saw the girl full of courage, more serious than ever before.
……
The two who had promised to protect each other looked silently at the remaining charred bones on the ground moments later.
Yu Sui said: "We need to throw him in the water and remove the char from the ground."
Zhongli Que hesitated: "But... it's so dirty."
Yu Sui blinked at her: "That's why I didn't want to do it alone."
The two looked at each other, resignedly getting to work.
After throwing the charred bones into the water, they took stones and crouched to scrape away the char marks. Yu Sui muttered: "I hope fewer people come to assassinate me in the future. Destroying evidence is too troublesome."
Zhongli Que switched hands to continue scraping, also grimacing: "Why do they want to assassinate you?"
Yu Sui answered: "They said the Agricultural School's treasure Breath Soil is with me."
Zhongli Que asked curiously: "Is that something very powerful?"
"Probably." Yu Sui said. "I don't know what it's for either."
Zhongli Que paused, then said softly: "When you asked me earlier why I could predict the future, actually I don't know either. When I was very young, I would inexplicably foresee bad sides of people around me."
"I can't control it myself, and don't know how to do it. Maybe when I'm sleeping, maybe when I'm eating or writing. As long as omens of disaster descend, I can vaguely sense them."
Zhongli Que stopped moving as she spoke, lost in memories.
"When I was six, while eating I suddenly foresaw my mother would accidentally fall into water when going out, so I cried and told my mother, asking her not to go near water."
"My mother was very surprised. After asking in detail, she gripped my hand tightly, telling me I must not tell anyone, and if this happened again in the future, I absolutely, absolutely could not say anything."
Yu Sui tilted her head to look over. This definitely counted as one of the Nine Schools arts.
Related to divination and prediction, it might be supernatural arts from the Yin-Yang School, Taoist School, or Technical Arts School.
Zhongli Que had always followed her mother's warning, never telling anyone.
Until she met Yu Sui.
Besides her mother, Yu Sui was the second person she warned, trying to avoid misfortune.
"I later understood this should be one of the Nine Schools arts. If others discovered it, I'd be dead." Zhongli Que said quietly. "I'm afraid of dying, afraid of putting father in a difficult position, afraid of implicating mother and brother."
Yu Sui said: "If you're also unclear about this power, then it's dangerous. Rather than let it become uncontrollable danger, better to master it."
Zhongli Que turned to look at Yu Sui, who was still scraping char from the ground: "Don't be afraid. Go learn the Nine Schools arts. You won't die. I won't let you die."
The innocent girl had risked her life to save her based on courage alone.
In return, I'll save you too, now and in the future.