*Bang!*
The door was kicked open with brute force. For Chu Ruo, it made no difference; the world remained a void of pitch-black. Blinded, she could see nothing; everything was shrouded in an eternal darkness. She heard footsteps approaching rapidly. Someone grabbed her chin without a hint of gentleness and shoved food against her lips.
"Eat!"
It was Bai Shan. Because of Chu Ruo’s hunger strike, Bai Zhi’er had been at her wit's end. Bai Shan was different; her heart was cold enough for the task, driven by a fierce protectiveness for her elder sister. "I told you to eat! Didn't you hear me?" She began forcing the food into Chu Ruo's mouth. "You’d throw your life away for that Nan Muxue! How stupid can you be? Can't you see how well my sister treats you? Of course you can't—you’re not just blind in the eyes now, your heart has gone blind too!"
Chu Ruo kept her lips pressed tightly together. Very little food actually went in, though her face was smeared with grease. Seeing this, Bai Shan grabbed a cup of tea and tried to force it down her throat. "Drink!"
Liquid was harder to resist than solid food. Even with her mouth clamped shut, Chu Ruo’s struggling caused her to inhale some of the tea through her nose and mouth. She began to cough violently, gasping for air, yet her resolve remained unshaken. "If you don't let me go... I’d rather die than eat or drink a single drop!"
*Slap!*
Bai Shan delivered a stinging blow to her face. "You’re nothing but a useless cripple now, yet my sister can't eat or sleep because of you! Chu Ruo, do you really think you’re some precious prize? I’m telling you, if it weren't for my sister, I would have been the first to kill you!"
Chu Ruo let out a contemptuous laugh. "Heh... then kill me. Kill me now." She didn't cry out in pain; instead, she laughed until her whole body trembled. "Even if you beat me to death today, I won't eat a bite or drink a drop. I told you—let me go. I have to find Xue’er!"
*Slap!*
Another ear-splitting crack. "Xue’er, Xue’er! Your head is filled with nothing but that bitch! Have you ever spared a single thought for my sister?!" Enraged, she grabbed Chu Ruo by the collar. "Chu Ruo! Has my sister not been good to you?! Ask that wretched heart of yours—in this entire world, is there anyone else who would care for you this much?"
Chu Ruo answered calmly, "I know. Zhi’er treats me exceptionally well. I am grateful to her, but for her, I have nothing but gratitude."
Bai Shan shoved her away in a fit of pique. "Stubborn fool! That bitch—"
"Please do not call her that," Chu Ruo interrupted. "You are Zhi’er’s sister. Even if you despise me, you saved my life once. I still consider you a friend. I do not wish for us to be enemies."
"Enemies? Ha! From the moment you chose Nan Muxue, what kind of relationship did you think we could have? I’m telling you, I only have one sister, and I will not let her be heartbroken."
"What are you planning to do?"
"I’m going to make you marry her!"
Chu Ruo spat through gritted teeth, "You could kill me, and I still wouldn't—"
"You will agree."
"Let me go!"
Bai Shan laughed mockingly. "Even if I untied you right now and gave you the antidote to the Soft Bone Powder to restore your martial arts, do you really think you could leave? A blind woman? To be that naive is simply being stupid."
Chu Ruo knew her struggling was futile, but her heart was consumed by such anxiety that she couldn't stop her useless efforts. "I want to see Zhi’er."
"It’s no use. Sister won't agree. She is soft-hearted toward you, but your safety is the one thing she won't compromise on. Look at it from another perspective," Bai Shan tried to coax her. "Didn't Nan Muxue do all this just to protect you? Why must you waste her efforts?"
"I don't want her to do something so foolish! I would rather be the one suffering! Hasn't she endured enough for me? I have to save her. I have to go back and take her place!"
"You... you’re a lunatic! You’re completely beyond reason!"
"Zhi’er! Zhi’er!" Chu Ruo screamed, hoping the woman she called for could hear her. "Zhi’er! I beg of you!"
Bai Shan lunged forward to cover her mouth. "Do you want me to cut out your tongue?!"
Chu Ruo ignored her, continuing to scream, "Zhi’er! Zhi’er!"
Poison needles flashed between Bai Shan’s fingers. "You... I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!"
*Creak—*
The door pushed open again. A flying needle intercepted Bai Shan’s hand before she could strike. Bai Zhi’er frowned. "Go outside."
"Sister!"
"Go."
"Everyone has gone mad! Is she really worth it? And that bitch—they got married and still dragged you into this!"
"She didn't. I was the one who stalled Foster Father for Ruo’er’s sake..."
"So what! Don't forget, that mother and daughter are our enemies!"
Bai Zhi’er began tidying Chu Ruo’s disheveled hair and clothes. "I haven't forgotten. Go out now. You don't need to interfere in Ruo’er’s affairs."
"You!"
"Do you wish to make me angry?"
"Fine, fine! See if I care! I won't lift a finger for either of you ever again. Chu Ruo! You just wait—one day, I’ll make you regret this!"
*Sigh.*
The heavy sigh came from Bai Zhi’er. She looked at Chu Ruo, but Chu Ruo’s eyes had lost their light. "Did Shan’er hurt you?"
Chu Ruo had only three words: "Let me go."
"You know my answer."
"Why, Zhi’er?" Chu Ruo turned her head away. "That time, you took me out, and when I begged you to take me back to the Hundred Flowers Palace, you agreed. Why not this time?"
"This time is different. Last time, there was still a glimmer of hope. Now, Nan Menghua’s 'Love Flower Intoxication' is no small matter. Ruo’er, why are you so foolish? Do you think she would have been so 'stupid' as to go back if there were even a shred of hope?"
"Going back is what’s stupid! It’s a death sentence! She’s always been a 'stupid viper.' As long as we’re alive, there’s hope!"
Bai Zhi’er shook her head. "Ruo’er, Nan Menghua is slaughtering her way through the martial world. At this rate, even the Heavenly Demon Palace might not be safe. We... we have no way left."
"I don't believe it! I don't believe she’s invincible! I can go back, I—"
"Enough. Don't say another word."
Hearing her get up to leave, Chu Ruo gritted her teeth and uttered words she hated to say: "If you don't let me go, I will hate you for the rest of my life."
Bai Zhi’er froze for a long time before saying, "Then hate me." *It is better than you losing your life.*
***
Hundred Flowers Palace.
Late at night, the Peak of Clouds was silent. A dark shadow flickered past, skillfully avoiding the night watch disciples with practiced ease. She moved urgently, as if searching for something.
There, in the open space outside the main hall, the former Third and Fourth Protectors were tied to wooden stakes. Days without food or water had left them in a state of extreme exhaustion.
The shadow reached them. But before she could draw her blade to cut their ropes, torches suddenly flared up all around, illuminating the clearing. Nan Menghua stepped out from the darkness. "It has been quite a long time."
The shadow held a dagger in her left hand; her right sleeve hung empty and limp. Nan Menghua spoke again, "Still unwilling to show your true face, my most esteemed disciple?"
The intruder was indeed Nan Yunshuang. Hearing this, she stopped hiding and tore off her mask. Nan Menghua let out a loud laugh. "The one who grew up by my side actually came back to betray me."
"Yunshuang," Nan Gongyan spoke weakly. "Go... why did you come? Hurry and leave..."
"Leave?" Nan Menghua sneered. "No one ever leaves the Hundred Flowers Palace."
Nan Yunshuang moved to untie the ropes, but the woman standing above them spoke again. "If you want to save them, I suggest you think very carefully before you decide."
Duan Ning regained a sliver of consciousness. "No... don't. Under our feet... there are Thunder-Fire Bombs. One move... and they’ll explode."
"Correct. She is absolutely right. With your skills, you aren't fast enough to save them both in time. So, it’s best not to do anything stupid."
In less than a second, Nan Yunshuang was on her knees, her face expressionless. "I beg the Palace Master... to show mercy."
"Begging me? Hahahaha... one after another, you all come to beg me. What happened to being so formidable?" What Nan Menghua loved most was destroying the human spirit. She loved to torture, to find joy in the agony of others. This scene was exactly what she desired. "You have all lost. Hahahaha!"
After her laughter subsided, she flew down to stand before Nan Yunshuang and tossed a sword onto the ground. She reached out and dislocated Nan Yunshuang’s jaw with a sharp twist. "Where is your Blood Sword? Have you even abandoned your blade? You want to save them?"
Nan Yunshuang remained silent. Nan Menghua said coldly, "Then pick up your sword and show me what you’ve got."
Before the words were finished, Nan Yunshuang lunged with the sword. Nan Menghua was unhurried, a look of triumph on her face. "Not bad. Even with one arm, you’re better than before. Yes, I taught you—to win, you must be ruthless!"
In truth, with her current martial power, Nan Yunshuang was no match for her. Yet Nan Menghua seemed intent on toying with her, dragging the fight out for dozens of moves before finally striking her with a powerful palm. The force sent Nan Yunshuang flying; she coughed up blood as her sword slipped from her hand. Fortunately, the wound was not fatal.
"Very good. You haven't forgotten what I taught you. I will give you a chance. Return to my side."
Nan Yunshuang spoke faintly, "I beg the Palace Master to release—"
"You want to save them very badly. Yunshuang, I raised you from a child. You know I’ve always had high expectations for you. If you return, I can let bygones be bygones. I can put you in charge of all palace affairs, with a status equal to the Young Palace Master. Or..." Her smile grew twisted. "I can let one of them go. But the other must die. You’re a smart person; you should know how to choose."
"Yunshuang," Nan Gongyan cried out desperately. "Don't listen to her! she’ll break her word! Just go, don't choose..."
Duan Ning said nothing. She knew that if Nan Yunshuang were to save someone, it wouldn't be her. And she had no right to ask to be saved.
Faced with Nan Yunshuang’s silence, Nan Menghua laughed triumphantly and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Haven't you always wanted to know the truth of your birth?"
Nan Yunshuang’s expression shifted violently. She snapped her head up, gripping her dagger as she stared fixedly ahead. Nan Gongyan sensed something was wrong and screamed, "Yunshuang! Nan Yunshuang, what are you do—"
*Squeltch!*
Nan Gongyan watched in horror as the dagger plunged into Duan Ning’s abdomen. She screamed like a madwoman, "Ning’er! NAN! YUN! SHUANG!"
The architect of this tragedy, Nan Menghua, laughed wantonly, her voice echoing through the entire Hundred Flowers Palace. "Well done! Hahahaha!"
Nan Yunshuang covered Duan Ning’s face, blood seeping through her fingers. She turned her head away, unable to look. "I have failed you."
Duan Ning’s eyes remained open for a moment before the light faded. Nan Yunshuang reached out and closed them for her.
Nan Yunshuang walked over and knelt before Nan Menghua. "Palace Master."
Nan Menghua nodded with satisfaction. "I am a woman of my word. She can leave the mountain. However, she only has three days. After three days, I will send disciples to hunt her down, along with Yin Liuli. Now get out. Take Duan Ning’s corpse and get out. Don't let it foul my palace."
Nan Gongyan was consumed by grief. "Nan Yunshuang, this time, I will never forgive you. The next time we meet will be the day I take your head!"
Nan Yunshuang said nothing more. She watched as Nan Gongyan, her body broken and spirit shattered, struggled to carry Duan Ning’s body away. Nan Menghua spoke, "Love only drags you down. You saved her, yet she will hate you for a lifetime."
Seeing the silence, she continued to herself, "Fine. From now on, you are once again the First Protector of the Hundred Flowers Palace, acting in Xue’er’s stead."
"Palace Master, the truth of my birth..."
"I will tell you when the time is right. No rush. For now, we have other matters to attend to. Go and inform the martial world: I am seeking a fine husband for my dear daughter."
***
A few days later...
"Sister, this is bad! Chu Ruo has escaped!"
***
