TM CH34

Chapter 34 Gathering in the Cave

The group of four advanced rapidly through the forest.

Zhou Shun led at the front, while Fang Ruoyao walked side by side with Gu Yunxing just behind him. Rong Qi trailed at the rear, keeping a steady distance and remaining silent since their departure.

Gu Yunxing glanced back frequently. Each time his gaze met the one behind him and he was about to speak, Fang Ruoyao would cut in again, pestering him with questions about what had happened after he fell into the sea. From the first day she arrived on the island, she had been hiding in the forest with Fang Lian. Later, due to the killer, they had been constantly on the run. As a result, she had no idea that there was an east island across from the west island.

“By the way, Brother Gu, why were you with that demon?”

Gu Yunxing lowered his eyes. As if something came to mind, a hint of softness appeared between his brows. “We happened to be in the same place, so we traveled together.”

Fang Ruoyao lowered her voice and spoke with great seriousness. “The people of the demon palace are the worst. My big brother was captured by him, and just now he even tried to kill me!”

Gu Yunxing: “He won’t kill you.”

Fang Ruoyao paused, then said smugly, “That’s right. With Brother Gu here, of course he wouldn’t dare.”

Gu Yunxing: “……”

He was about to explain when he suddenly heard a sneer from behind. He glanced over his shoulder.

Rong Qi shoot a smile at him, laced with a hint of mockery.

Gu Yunxing withdrew his gaze.

Fang Ruoyao remained oblivious to the undercurrents between the two men and kept chattering on about her recent days of fear and unease.

Gu Yunxing cut her off, “Since there’s a killer on the island, it’s best to stay cautious and keep a low profile.”

Fang Ruoyao quickly glanced around and lowered her voice. “You’re right, Brother Gu.”

Gu Yunxing: “I’ll go to the back to keep watch. Zhou Shun’s martial arts are average, so you stay close to him. That way, you can also look out for each other.”

Fang Ruoyao didn’t suspect anything. Covering her mouth, she whispered, “Then be careful around that demon.”

Gu Yunxing didn’t know where to begin. He could only nod helplessly.

Rong Qi had been watching the two ‘whispering intimately’ for a while. When he saw Gu Yunxing turning back and heading his way, he raised an eyebrow.

“Why aren’t you keeping your Miss Fang company? What are you doing over here?”

Gu Yunxing frowned. “Right Protector Rong, mind your words.”

Rong Qi: “I almost felt sorry for you earlier, but now it seems the Sect Master Gu is quite the lucky man.”

Gu Yunxing: “There’s nothing between me and Miss Fang. Why must Right Protector slander an innocent girl?”

Rong Qi’s voice turned cold. “Slander her? This venerable one doesn’t have that kind of free time.”

Did Gu Yunxing really think he hadn’t noticed how inseparable the two had been since meeting again? As if he hadn’t heard all their little whispers?

Sensing his displeasure, Gu Yunxing softened his tone. “The Right Protector has been unusually quiet on this journey.”

“The people of the demon palace speak freely. One careless word could easily offend Miss Fang,” Rong Qi said, tugging at the corner of his lips before deliberately mimicking Fang Ruoyao’s tone. “With Brother Gu here, of course I wouldn’t dare to speak carelessly.”

He dragged out the syllables of “Brother Gu,” his eyes glinting with a strange emotion.

“……”

Hearing ‘Brother Gu’ spoken from another’s lips, Gu Yunxing felt an inexplicable stirring in his heart.

Seeing him choked up, Rong Qi’s mood improved. “Relax, I won’t make a move while we’re on the island. But if those Fang siblings provoke me first… don’t blame me for what happens.”

The people of the demon palace were known for their vindictiveness.

Gu Yunxing seemed to slowly gather himself again and replied in a low voice, “I understand.”

The cave where the people from the west island were hiding lay deep in the mountains, tucked away in a dense forest. The terrain was rugged and winding, and they had to cross several steep cliffs along the way. After a long trek, they finally arrived at a cave entrance hidden behind a curtain of vines.

Fang Ruoyao was the first to duck and crawl into the cave.

Rong Qi followed at the very end and soon discovered that the cave extended into a winding passage, with several branching paths along the way. The deeper they went, the darker it became. He blinked hard, only to find his vision failing again. Frowning, he had no choice but to follow the sound of footsteps.

In the darkness, someone suddenly grabbed his hand.

Rong Qi froze for a moment, then curled his fingers slightly, silently allowing it.

Gu Yunxing guided him forward at an unhurried pace through the narrow passage. Only when light finally appeared ahead, and Fang Ruoyao’s cheerful voice calling for her older brother echoed faintly in the distance, did Rong Qi snap out of his daze and shake off Gu Yunxing’s hand.

Gu Yunxing glanced down at his own hand, then slowly drew it back to his side.

“Youzhi.”

Fang Lian looked just as he had before falling into the sea. Dressed in a simple light-blue robe, tall and composed, he stood in the dim cave like a figure painted in ink and wash.

Seeing him unharmed, a faint smile appeared on Gu Yunxing’s face. He walked up to Fang Lian and said, “It’s been a while.”

Fang Lian let out a sigh. “I didn’t expect that after parting in Lincang City, our next meeting would involve dragging you on a long journey, only to end up trapped on a deserted island.”

There was a great familiarity in their conversation.

Rong Qi looked at Fang Lian, then at Gu Yunxing, an inexplicable irritation rising in his chest. He abruptly cut in, “Gu Yunxing, you’re not going to spend half the day catching up with someone you haven’t seen in a while, are you?”

Fang Lian’s gaze shifted to him, and his expression immediately grew solemn. “Right Protector Rong Qi of the demon palace, how is it that you’re here?”

Enemies were always more hostile when they met face to face.

On the ship, in order to gather information about Fang Yuanqing, Rong Qi used many methods to humiliate Fang Lian. Despite Fang Lian’s gentle appearance, he was, in fact, a tough and unyielding man.

Rong Qi looked at him provocatively. “Alliance Leader Fang, you seem to be in good spirits. It looks like your health has recovered well.”

Fang Lian’s expression darkened. “You!”

Rong Qi’s right hand immediately went to the hilt of his sword, his eyes flashing with cold intent.

The sword was Fang Ruoyao’s. Fang Lian recognized it immediately, and his face grew even darker.

Just as the two men were on the verge of drawing their swords, Gu Yunxing stepped in, his voice breaking the standoff. He moved to stand in front of Rong Qi and pressed his hand down on the sword’s hilt. Looking at Rong Qi, he addressed both men. “Let’s first discuss a way off the island.”

Rong Qi turned his head, not responding, but he didn’t object either.

Fang Lian looked at both of them in confusion.

The sharp, tense atmosphere faded away. Gu Yunxing turned to Fang Lian and briefly explained what had happened on the east island, including their encounters with the freak who had been pursuing them.

The presence of this freak posed a threat to everyone on the island. No one knew when he would return to the west island, or perhaps he was already hiding nearby, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Fang Lian understood Gu Yunxing’s intention. “Youzhi, this person is sinister and cunning, and his actions are violent and cruel. He is not someone we can trust as a partner.”

Although Gu Yunxing didn’t know the specifics of their past grievances, he could roughly guess what his good-natured friend had suffered at the hands of Rong Qi. He had no position to comment further, but he promised, “If he acts out of line, I will subdue him.”

“Since you’ve said as much, I have no objections.” Fang Lian finally softened his tone and turned his gaze to Rong Qi. “However, since we are to cooperate, the Right Protector should show some sincerity.”

He stared at Rong Qi, speaking each word deliberately. “First, remove the bone-piercing needle.”

The Wulin Alliance was the leading force of the righteous path, and anyone who could become its leader was by no means ordinary. Fang Lian’s martial arts were not weak, and Rong Qi went through a lot of trouble to capture him. To ensure Fang Lian’s safe transport from Jizhou to the East Sea, Rong Qi had used some underhanded tactics, implanting the bone-piercing needle in Fang Lian’s body. To prevent Fang Lian from dying halfway, Rong Qi had even considerately removed the poison.

The fine silver needle coursed through Fang Lian’s meridians, draining his strength to a mere thirty percent. Every time the needle was shifted every three days, the pain was unbearable. Anyone who had suffered such torturous needle technique would hate Rong Qi with all their being. Yet, Fang Lian had managed to maintain his composure, his temperament surprisingly calm.

But Rong Qi had no intention of removing it.

He spoke plainly, “I dislike being controlled. On this deserted island, I am outnumbered. If I remove the needle now, wouldn’t this venerable one be at your mercy?”

Fang Ruoyao: “We wouldn’t take advantage of you!”

Rong Qi raised an eyebrow. “With just words? Who would believe that?”

Few people from the righteous sects spoke so directly. Fang Ruoyao felt a wave of irritable frustration and turned to her brother. “Big brother, what should we do if he refuses?”

Fang Lian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he fixed his gaze steadily on Rong Qi.

Rong Qi remained unmoved, and once again, the atmosphere turned tense, just like it had been before.

At that moment, Gu Yunxing opened his hand, revealing something in his palm. “If Right Protector Rong has concerns, perhaps you could plant the needle in this humble Gu instead.”

In his palm, the silver light of the ‘embroidery needle’ gleamed faintly.

Rong Qi stared at him in disbelief.

“You’re really willing to go this far to save Fang Lian?”

You’d rather suffer the pain yourself than let Fang Lian endure it?

Gu Yunxing said earnestly, “Please, Right Protector, grant my request.”

Rong Qi gritted his teeth. “You know full well what my bone-piercing needle can do!”

Gu Yunxing replied, “Yes, which is exactly why I don’t want my friend to suffer.” He paused for a moment before adding, “I also don’t want to make things difficult for you.”

Rong Qi’s face darkened, his eyes flashing with fury as he glared at Gu Yunxing, as if he held a deep-seated hatred for him.

Fang Lian opened his mouth to speak. “Youzhi, there’s no need for this…”

Rong Qi: “Shut up!”

With a swift motion, he knocked the silver needle from Gu Yunxing’s hand, his expression cold as he strode menacingly towards Fang Lian.

“Didn’t you want the needles removed? What are you waiting for?”

In the cave, the flames flickered, casting long and distorted shadows on the stone walls. Rong Qi sat cross-legged before Fang Lian, his fingers moving with precision to the acupuncture points. He carefully manipulated the needle, slowly shifting it within Fang Lian’s body.

Removing the bone-piercing needle was no easy task.

Rong Qi had placed needles countless times, but extracting them was a rare and difficult feat. By the time he successfully removed the needle, sweat had gathered on his brow. He tossed the needle to the ground with a sharp motion. “Is this satisfactory?”

Fang Lian nodded. “Thank you, Right Protector.”

Rong Qi sneered and ignored him.

It was his own needle, after all, and he had tortured the man for so long. Yet this man, a member of the righteous sect, still thanked him? Should he say that Fang Lian truly deserved to be Gu Yunxing’s close friend?

On this deserted island, it seemed that he was the only one with a dark heart, while the rest were saints.

As he thought this, Rong Qi deliberately ignored the weakened Fang Lian and the anxious, worried Fang Ruoyao. He didn’t even glance at Gu Yunxing’s expression and instead found a corner near the fire to sit.

In the cave, only Fang Ruoyao’s concerned voice could be heard, occasionally interrupted by Fang Lian’s calm reassurances. For the most part, silence hung heavily in the air.

It was unclear how much time had passed before a sound of footsteps echoed from the passage.

Rong Qi’s heart tightened, his senses alert as he turned his gaze toward the source.

Soon, two men entered. The moment they looked up, they were surprised to see Rong Qi and Gu Yunxing in the cave.

One of them immediately rushed forward, dropping to his knees and exclaiming, “Right Protector! It really is you!”

The other man quickly followed, addressing him with equal respect, “R-Right Protector Rong.”

Rong Qi narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over both of them as he spoke their names. “Yan Fan.”

Yan Fan lowered his body in respect. “This subordinate is here!”

Rong Qi: “Captain Zhou.”

Zhou Yuan shuddered, his voice trembling as he responded.

He hadn’t expected to see familiar faces here.

After some conversation, Rong Qi learned that all the surviving crew members from the ship were now in the cave.