Chapter 54: The Crippled

When I heard Wei Yong mention the Hidden Dragon Sutra of the Nine Heavens, I suddenly recalled that the book should consist of forty-nine chapters in total. Excluding the first chapter as the general outline, there were forty-eight chapters remaining. When I was rapidly flipping through it at the Ming Fourteen Tombs, I had only managed to see twenty-three of them.

According to what Wei Yong said, the Hidden Dragon Sutra of the Nine Heavens was divided into upper and lower volumes. If so, the upper volume should contain twenty-four chapters. One chapter was missing from the upper volume—I clearly remembered it was the twelfth chapter, as someone had torn it out.

A thoughtful smile suddenly played across my lips, and I looked at Qiunuo, speaking in a calm tone.

"Shangguan Wan'er comprehended the art of longevity from the upper volume, but she must have been terrified of others obtaining it. That is why she tore that chapter out of the Hidden Dragon Sutra of the Nine Heavens—the very twelfth chapter I failed to see. The reason you are in such a rush to find the lower volume is because only when the upper and lower volumes are combined can the destroyed twelfth chapter be rediscovered."

Qiunuo was startled. She cast a cold glance at me, speaking with lingering resentment.

"Even if you figure it out, so what? Aside from foreseeing the future, the lower volume contains Daoist arts capable of perceiving the past. As long as you find the lower volume, I have not the slightest worry about failing to recover the destroyed twelfth chapter."

With that, Qiunuo picked up the photographs from the floor one by one and slowly placed them right before my eyes.

"If you refuse to go... these people will arrive below ahead of you to wait. And... I can guarantee that I will make them die in agonizing torment!"

I glared at Qiunuo with deep hatred. I firmly believed that this woman, as venomous as a snake, was not merely making empty threats. There was nothing she wouldn't do—someone who could betray even her own flesh and blood to achieve her goals.

At that moment, a biting chill swept through my core. Qiunuo had left me no room to choose. In this regard, she and Wei Yong were truly alike; every single step and even every tiny detail was calculated in advance. Even knowing there was a cliff ahead, I had no choice but to march forward.

Suddenly, I snatched a shard of glass from beside me, pointing its sharp, jagged edge straight at Wei Yong. Yet, Wei Yong was unconcerned about what I might do. Given my current physical condition, let alone attacking him, even moving slightly was a grueling ordeal.

Besides, Qiunuo’s hand was already raised right beside him. I had no doubt that the slightest movement on my part would only result in a few more broken ribs.

"You cannot kill me," Wei Yong said, smiling with leisurely composure.

I chuckled along with him, my smile laced with a serene triumph that left even Wei Yong slightly baffled.

"The profundity of Daoist arts is tied to one's cultivation. Although I acquired the essence of the Five Daoist Arts within the Eight Dragons Embracing the Pearl by sheer coincidence, destiny and the laws of heaven belong to Daoist magic. Whether I study them is up to me, whether I use them is up to me, and of course, whether I abolish them is still up to me."

Although Qiunuo practiced the dark and evil arts of the Dao, she naturally understood the rules within Daoist magic. Catching sight of the glass shard in my hand, she was struck by sudden realization and said anxiously.

"You want to cripple your own Daoist cultivation?!"

"I may not be able to kill you right now, but I can destroy myself!"

With that, I drove the shard mercilessly into the palm of my left hand, mustering my very last ounce of strength to sever all my cultivation and inner power.

Wei Yong had anticipated everything, except for the fact that I would cripple my own Daoist arts. It was already too late to stop me. Qiunuo informed him that my primordial essence had dispersed, and all the Daoist magic I had gained from the Eight Dragons Embracing the Pearl was completely gone.

"I am nothing more than an ordinary person now, completely devoid of any utility to you," I said, my face pale from excessive blood loss, yet smiling brightly. "You can also abandon any pipe dreams of getting me to track down the whereabouts of the lower volume of the Hidden Dragon Sutra of the Nine Heavens. Do whatever you please with me—kill me, carve me up. Anyway, having already lost twenty years of my lifespan, I couldn't care less anymore."

This desperate gamble was a calculated risk on my part. I knew Wei Yong was acutely aware of my weakness—that he controlled and coerced me by threatening the safety of those around me. I simply could not fathom any other way to deal with him. If I yielded and truly helped Wei Yong find the lower volume of the Hidden Dragon Sutra of the Nine Heavens, I feared no one would ever be able to stop this ambitious man again.

In all my years, I knew nothing else; my mastery of metaphysics was simply extraordinary, and that was precisely what Wei Yong valued. Only the bearer of the Eight Dragons Embracing the Pearl necklace could locate the lower volume of the Hidden Dragon Sutra of the Nine Heavens. Now that I had abolished all my cultivation and magical power, I was as good as crippled in his eyes.

Wei Yong could easily fly into a rage and kill me, but since the others meant nothing to him, I believed my death would at least guarantee their safety. Trading a single life for several others was a bargain no matter how one calculated it.

Sure enough, an unprecedented fury surfaced on Wei Yong's face. He grabbed my collar tightly, his chilling gaze burning with a hatred so intense it seemed eager to grind my bones to dust and scatter my ashes just to find release.

"Kill me," I said, a triumphant smile lingering on my pale face.

Faced with such unbridled provocation, the corners of Wei Yong's eyes narrowed slightly before his grip slowly relaxed. His expression returned to calm. I detested seeing him look like that; a losing-his-mind Wei Yong was far easier to deal with than a calm one.

Wei Yong fished out a cigarette, rolled it back and forth between his fingers for a moment, let his gaze fall upon the wound on my palm, and took a deep breath.

"I won't take your life. In truth, you are the one who destroyed your own life. An imperial destiny is a millennium-once-in-a-lifetime encounter, yet you ruined it yourself. Qin Yanyan, you are a useless cripple now!"

I had never felt as relaxed as I did at that moment, especially standing before Wei Yong. I even managed to squeeze out a trace of a victorious smile.

Wei Yong took a deep drag from his cigarette, then suddenly patted my shoulder and spoke with profound meaning.

"If you knew who you truly were, I am certain you would deeply regret doing this. To be honest, I might not even be qualified to be your friend, but in reality, I genuinely entertained the thought of one day raising a glass to drink with the real you. In my entire life, I have never admired anyone. You! You are the only one. You could have held the empire's power in your hands and commanded the realm, yet you chose to cripple yourself..."

I could not make sense of Wei Yong's words, yet I somehow detected a trace of lingering pity and regret in his gaze. One thing, however, was certain now: he had no intention whatsoever of killing me.

With that, Wei Yong pushed the Eight Dragons Embracing the Pearl necklace back into my hand and gave my hand a gentle pat.

"This necklace seeks its predestined master through jade. Since you are already crippled, the necklace is useless as well. Keep it..."

I had considered countless possibilities, but never this one. Even as I watched Wei Yong remove my handcuffs and walk away quietly alongside Qiunuo, I repeatedly told myself that this was merely another of his intricate plots.

Yet, in reality, when I walked out of the hospital clutching my wound, not a single person tried to stop me. Why Wei Yong let me go remained a complete mystery. For someone as meticulous as him, leaving behind someone who knew far too many secrets was a mistake he simply would not make.

The searing pain of my wound made it hard to think clearly. My legs turned to jelly, and I nearly tumbled down the stone steps before someone caught me firmly. Looking up, I recognized Liu Hao, whose face was covered in bruises.

"Why are you here?" I asked, my voice weak.

Liu Hao helped me into a car, spotted the blood seeping through my chest, and administered simple first aid before speaking in a low, grim voice.

"The fellow named Wei locked you up in the hospital for over ten days. I've been waiting outside with my men the whole time. Wei Yong had heavily guarded the place, leaving us no opening to strike. A few days ago, I led some men in... but Wei Yong was prepared, and only a few of the brothers made it out. I managed to cheat death as well."

Liu Hao was usually quite talkative, so his newfound solemnity felt rather unaccustomed. I remembered meeting him for the first time in a hospital too, and essentially, he was the one who had spared my life. Seeing the heavy injuries on his face, I knew he hadn't had an easy time of it since the incident.

"There aren't many brothers left now, and we daren't fight Wei Yong head-on. I don't know what happened, but just now, the fellow surnamed Wei called off all his guards. I was still worried..."

Liu Hao hadn't looked at me while speaking, and here he paused. Tough guy though he was, his voice actually choked up slightly, and I realized he must have thought Wei Yong had killed me.

"Why didn't you go rescue Brother Ting?"

I squeezed his hand tightly and asked, noticing that Liu Hao's entire body was trembling, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead without a single sound escaping his lips. When I pulled back his clothes, I saw that Liu Hao was in no better shape than I was; the gauze wrapped around his abdomen was also stained with blood.

"You are the only one who can save Brother Ting. As long as you stay safe, Brother Ting will be fine. I had already made up my mind to risk my life to rescue you."

I had no idea how to tell him that Liu Hao had been beaten precisely while trying to save me. Raising my hand weakly, I said.

"I can no longer save anyone. I am a cripple now."