CLX Book 4 Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – Hope in the World

Human minds are very peculiar.

Sometimes you have the same thing on your mind for a long, long time, but sometimes in an instant, people can think of many things. _{Translated by foxs}

This instant, Hu Tiehua was thinking of a lot of things.

First of all, he thought of what happened on Yuan Suiyun’s boat that day.

That night he and Jin Lingzhi had a date to meet on the side of the boat. Too many things happened that day so that he nearly forgot about the appointment, hence he came a bit late. Just as he walked up the stairs, he heard a cry of alarm.

He was sure it was a woman’s voice; the voice was brimming with panic and fear.

He thought that something happened to Jin Lingzhi, so he rushed to the deck as fast as he could, but what he saw was Gao Yanan standing on the side of the boat.

On the deck of the side of the boat, there was a puddle of water.

He even thought that Gao Yanan pushed Jin Lingzhi into the water because of hatred born of jealousy, who would have thought that Jin Lingzhi was sitting nicely in her own cabin, she even closed the door not to let him enter in.

All along he was unable to figure out what actually happened, he only remembered that since that night, an ‘invisible’ murderer appeared on the ship.

Now he suddenly understood. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Kumei Dashi was not dead.

Since Ding Feng could feign death with drugs, naturally Kumei Dashi could do the same.

When Jin Lingzhi was waiting for him on the side of the boat, it was also the time when Kumei Dashi was about to come back to life from the water.

At that time the night was very deep, there was no one else on the deck, Jin Lingzhi suddenly saw someone who was clearly dead suddenly came back to life from the water, naturally it was hard for her to avoid crying out in great shock.

The cry of alarm that Hu Tiehua heard was indeed coming from Jin Lingzhi.

By the time he rushed to the deck, Kumei Dashi already took Jin Lingzhi away. She was afraid of being discovered by Hu Tiehua, so she left Gao Yanan there to divert Hu Tiehua’s attention.

Naturally Gao Yanan was helping her Shifu coming back to life. When Hu Tiehua saw her, naturally he would not pay attention to other things, so Kumei Dashi had the opportunity to take Jin Lingzhi down to her cabin.

Jin Lingzhi was threatened by Kumei Dashi, so she did not dare to reveal this secret, therefore, she did not want to see Hu Tiehua, that was why at that time her expression was very strange. _{Translated by foxs}

Yet Gao Yanan’s expression was very gentle and soft that day, not only she did not complain that Hu Tiehua was blaming her wrongly, she even comforted him and accompanied him drinking a couple of cups.

Gao Yanan has always revered her Shifu the most, if Kumei Dashi was really dead, she definitely would not be in such a good mood.

Only now did Hu Tiehua realize that Gao Yanan had known the secret much earlier, it was precisely because she had always revered her Shifu that no matter what Kumei Dashi told her to do, she could not possibly go against the order, let alone resist.

This time Hu Tiehua was certain that his guess could not possibly be wrong again; however, there were still a few things that he could not figure out:

“Jin Lingzhi was originally an obstinate girl, what method did Kumei Dashi use to threaten her?”

“Since Kumei Dashi‘s secret has been discovered by her, why did she not simply kill her to shut her mouth?”

“In all her life, Kumei Dashi has always been solemn, why did unexpectedly she suddenly do such a thing?”

“What exactly is the relationship between Yuan Suiyun and Kumei Dashi?”

“Why did Kumei Dashi feign death?” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

“Ding Feng feigned his death because he knew that Chu Liuxiang was going to reveal his secret. He has always been somewhat afraid of Chu Liuxiang. Kumei Dashi feigned her death, was it also because she knew that her secret had already been exposed?”

“Who is she afraid of?”

Especially the last point, Hu Tiehua could not figure it out even more.

He knew that Kumei Dashi was definitely not afraid of Chu Liuxiang, because at that time Chu Liuxiang definitely did not suspect her, moreover, based on Chu Liuxiang’s martial art skill, it would definitely not make her this afraid.

Hu Tiehua did not think about it further, plus it was impossible for him to think further.

He already saw Yuan Suiyun.

This mysterious Bianfu Gongzi suddenly appeared again.

He stood far away on a protruding reef among the waves, he still looked so confident and at ease, so calm. Toward everything, he seemed to be brimming with confidence.

As soon as Hu Tiehua saw this person, anger welled up in his heart, immediately he wanted to rush over. _{Translated by foxs}

But Chu Liuxiang pulled him back, shook his head, and spoke in low voice, “Since he dares to show up, he must have something to rely on. There is no harm in listening to what he has to say first.”

Although his voice was as low as a whisper, it was obvious that it did not escape Yuan Suiyun’s pair of sharp like bat’s ears.

Yuan Suiyun suddenly said, “Chu Xiang Shuai.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Yuan Gongzi.”

Yuan Suiyun heaved a sigh, he said, “Xiang Shuai is indeed a hero [jie, outstanding person] among men, your name is not empty. Zaixia originally thought this plan was like seamless heavenly clothes, I never thought that it would be exposed by Xiang Shuai.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Heaven’s net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it [idiom, from Laozi], there is no secret in this world that will not be revealed forever.”

Yuan Suiyun nodded slowly, he said, “But I wonder when did Xiang Shuai start to suspect?”

Muttering to himself irresolutely, Chu Liuxiang said, “In doing things, everybody has a certain habit. For a scholar with more intelligent and wisdom, the more it would be difficult to avoid it, because smart people are not only conceited, but also tend to underestimate others.” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Yuan Suiyun was listening, he was listening very attentively.

Chu Liuxiang said, “The events we encountered on Yuan Gongzi‘s boat was almost the same as what we encountered on Hai Kuotian’s boat. After discovering this, I started to wonder: were Bai Lie and the others also killed by a dead person?”

He continued, “Because people definitely would not suspect a dead person. Moreover, everyone has some kind of weakness in their hearts. They always think that what happened before will never happen again.”

Yuan Suiyun nodded, as if he highly praised Chu Liuxiang’s way of thinking.

Chu Liuxiang said, “Kumei Dashi and Gexia apparently wanted to exploit this kind of weak point in people’s hearts. Apart from that, there are of course other benefits in doing so.”

Yuan Suiyun asked, “What benefits?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “There were originally only three people onboard who knew Zhai Xin Shou. Kumei Dashi already ‘died’, the only ones remaining are Gao Yanan and Hua Zhenzhen.”

He chuckled, and then continued, “Gexia naturally knew that Gao Yanan is our good friend, so you thought that we definitely would not suspect her. Moreover, when everything happened, somebody could testify that she was not there.” _{Translated by foxs}

Yuan Suiyun said, “Indeed.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Since Gao Yanan was not a suspect, Hua Zhenzhen was the only one remains. All signs pointed to her as the murderer, so everyone had no choice but to suspect her.”

Yuan Suiyun said, “But Xiang Shuai was an exception.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Originally I was not an exception either. If Kumei Dashi and Gexia had not gone too far, I would almost have thought she was the murderer, and she almost thought I was the murderer; we nearly fought in confusion in the dark, fueled by anger. Whether I killed her or she killed me, presumably Geixa would be very happy.”

Yuan Suiyun said, “This was exactly our plan, but I wonder where did we go too far?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “You shouldn’t have told Gao Yanan to print ‘I am the murderer’, those four characters [wo si xiong shou] on my back.”

Yuan Suiyun said, “How did you know it was her?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Because when we were locked up in that stone prison, she was the only one who got close to me; she even, intentionally or otherwise, patted me on the back. Evidently those four characters had been written on her hand early on using bluish green phosphorus. Wherever her hand slapped, it will be imprinted immediately. The characters that were originally written backwards, imprinted on someone else, they will become correct!” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

He suddenly turned to Hu Tiehua, chuckled and said, “You must still remember the tricks you used to play when you were young?”

Hu Tiehua also laughed; he intentionally laughed, because he knew that the happier they laughed, the more uncomfortable Yuan Suiyun would be.

Yuan Suiyun could not help asking, “Trick? What kind of trick?”

Hu Tiehua said, “When I was a kid, I used to write ‘wo si wang ba’ [I am a bastard (lit. tortoise)] on my hand using lime, and then imprinted it on other people, so that they ran around the street with these four characters.”

Yuan Suiyun also wanted to laugh, but he really could not laugh.

His face remained calm and collected, he said, “How did Xiang Shuai find out about those four characters on your back?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “I don’t have eyes behind my back, naturally it was Hua Zhenzhen who saw those four characters first.”

Yuan Suiyun said, “She saw those four characters, not only she did not regard you as the murderer, she told you instead?”

Hua Zhenzhen suddenly said, “Because at that time I already knew it was him; although I could not see his face, I knew that other than him, absolutely no one would have such high qinggong.” _{Translated by foxs}

Her fluid glance was affectionately fixed on Chu Liuxiang, she continued slowly, “I never suspected that he was the murderer.”

Yuan Suiyun asked, “Why?”

Hua Zhenzhen did not answer.

She did not need to answer. Her eyes said it all.

When she was staring at Chu Liuxiang, there was nothing else in her eyes except understanding, trust and some kind of silently deep emotion.

Love is indeed some kind of wonderful thing, it can make people very stupid, it can also make people very smart; it can make people do many wrong things, but it can also make people do many right things.

It was only after a long time that they took their eyes away from each other.

Chu Liuxiang said, “That’s when I knew she was definitely not the murderer, it was at that time that I was certain that the murderer must be Kumei Dashi, because only Kumei Dashi could make Gao Yanan betray her old friends.”

Originally Gao Yanan’s crying had stopped, but this moment she started crying again. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Chu Liuxiang said, “Although at that time we already trusted each other, we still did not stop fighting, because we used the time when we were fighting to come up with a plan.”

Hua Zhenzhen spoke softly, “At that time, my heart was already in a mess, so all the plans were thought up by him.”

Yuan Suiyun spoke coldly, “Although I have already experienced all Xiang Shuai‘s plan, I still want to listen to it one more time.”

Hua Zhenzhen said, “He asked me to secretly collect your change of clothes and the strong wine, and arranged them around the stone platform first, while he himself went up to distract your attention. At that time all of you were listening to him, hence the reason no one knew what I was doing.”

She sighed softly, and then continued sadly, “Of course, this is all thanks to Dong Sanniang’s help. Without her, I wouldn’t be able to find so many clothes, nor could I find that much strong wine.”

Dong Sanniang was also a poor ‘bat’, naturally she knew where the clothes and wine were.

The wine was poured entirely to the dry clothes, naturally once it was lit up, it would burn immediately, not to mention that those ‘bat’ clothes were made of some kind of very exotic material, they were light and thin.

Yuan Suiyun was silent, as if he had nothing to say. _{Translated by foxs}

But Hu Tiehua could not help asking, “But why did Kumei Dashi frame Hua Guniang like that?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Because the only person Kumei Dashi feared was precisely Hua Guniang.”

Hu Tiehua could not help stroking his nose again. He did not understand why the master should be afraid of the disciple.

Chu Liuxiang said, “Although officially Hua Zhenzhen was Kumei Dashi’s disciple, the  fact was that her martial arts were imparted by someone else.”

Hu Tiehua said, “Who imparted them?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Hua Qiongfeng, Hua Tai Zongshi [great grandmaster (great scholar respected for learning and integrity)].”

Hu Tiehua said, “I know that Hua Xianzi [fairy/goddess] was the fourth generation Zhangmen [headmaster] of Huashan Pai, but she has departed this mortal soil for a long time.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Although Hua Xianzi has become an immortal, she wrote down the xinfa of her life’s martial arts in a secret manual and handed it to her cousin [orig. older male paternal cousin]. Hua Zhenzhen is precisely Hua Xianzi’s [paternal] grandniece.” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Hu Tiehua said, “I understand, but …”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Although you already understand where Hua Zhenzhen’s martial arts came from, there are still many things you don’t understand, is that right?”

Smiling wryly, Hu Tiehua said, “Not the least bit incorrect.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Let me break it down into several points for you. Point number one: after Hua Zhenzhen obtained Hua Xianzi‘s xinfa, her martial art skill is already higher than Kumei Dashi’s. That martial art Zhai Xin Shou was passed on to Kumei Dashi by Hua Zhenzhen.”

Hu Tiehua said, “I have already thought of this, hence the reason Hua Guniang was able to restrain her as soon as she made her move just now. Except for Hua Guniang, there is absolutely no other person in the world who can do it.”

Chu Liuxiang went on, “Point number two: after Hua Zhenzhen obtained the manual from Hua Xianzi, she took on a very special mission.”

Hu Tiehua said, “What mission?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “She took the responsibility to supervise the current Huashan Pai’s Zhangmen.”

Hu Tiehua said, “Could it be that it was specifically stipulated in Hua Xianzi’s manual?” _{Translated by foxs}

“That’s right,” Chu Liuxiang said, “That’s why Hua Zhenzhen’s status in Huashan Pai has become very special. No matter what happens in Huashan Pai, she has the authority to intervene, and no matter who, anybody doing anything wrong within Huashan Pai, she has the right to punish. Even Kumei Dashi in her position as the Zhangmen is no exception.”

He went on to say, “All along we could not guess how could the xinfa of the ‘Qingfeng Shisan Shi’ be lost by theft, precisely because we never thought that Kumei Dashi could embezzle it.”

Hu Tiehua heaved a sigh, he said, “Kumei Dashi surprisingly could be such a person, I really never even dream of.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “She did this, naturally it was for Yuan Gongzi’s sake. However, she had never expected that Huashan Pai would suddenly get a guardian like Hua Zhenzhen, because it was only recently that Hua Guniang came to her.”

Hu Tiehua said, “Precisely because Hua Guniang wanted to investigate who was responsible for this theft that Kumei Dashi had no choice but to put on an act to deliberately come out in person to investigate this matter.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “We all think that Hua Guniang was a very weak person that we all underestimated her. But Kumei Dashi understood very well what kind of girl she is, she knew how smart and how strong she is.”

Hua Zhenzhen’s eyes lit up. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

For a girl, there is absolutely nothing in the world worthy to be cherished, deserving the delight – more than the praise of her beloved.

Hu Tiehua said, “At that time, Kumei Dashi already knew that sooner or later, there will come a day when Hua Guniang would discover this secret. She wanted to get rid of Hua Guniang, but she did not dare to make her move, hence she resorted to this kind of method.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “That’s right, she did this not only to frame Hua Guniang, but also to use us to fight against Hua Guniang, while also to dispel Hua Guniang‘s suspicion toward her. No matter what, she would be able to do anything more freely.”

Hu Tiehua said, “In that case, the person in white that Ying Wanli saw that day was also her.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “That’s right, of course Ying Wanli also died at Kumei Dashi’s hands. That day, he actually heard Kumei Dashi‘s voice, only all along he did not dare to say it out loud.”

Hu Tiehua said, “Because he never thought that Kumei Dashi would be that kind of a person, he never thought that she would feign death and come back alive, that’s why he did not even believe his own ears.”

Chu Liuxiang nodded, he sighed and said, “Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, but it’s a pity that this time Kumei Dashi went too far.” _{Translated by foxs}

Hu Tiehua said, “I still have to ask, why did she do this kind of a thing? What exactly is her relationship and Yuan Suiyun?”

Muttering to himself irresolutely, Chu Liuxiang spoke slowly. “Other than they themselves, I’m afraid no one knows.”

All along Yuan Suiyun had been listening quietly, but this moment he suddenly said coldly, “I can guarantee that you will never know.”

Chu Liuxiang spoke indifferently, “That kind of thing, I don’t want to know, but there is another thing I want to ask you.”

Yuan Suiyun said, “You can ask.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “What method did you guys use to threaten Jin Lingzhi, why didn’t you simply kill her to silence her?”

Hu Tiehua immediately rushed to say, “That’s right, this point, from beginning to end, I am unable to figure out.”

Suddenly the corner of Yuan Suiyun’s mouth revealed some kind of a very peculiar smile, he said, “Actually, the reason is very simple. We did not kill her, neither did we threaten her, because we practically did not need to do that, she would definitely not reveal our secret.”

Hu Tiehua asked, “Why?”

Yuan Suiyun said, “Because the one she loves is not you, but me; she has already given her whole person to me.” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

As these words were spoken, Hu Tiehua was simply even more shocked than when he heard that Kumei Dashi was the murderer.

Even Chu Liuxiang felt like someone had kicked him.

Yuan Suiyun said, “Actually, you should have thought of this early on. No matter who, anybody can only come to the Bat Island once. How could she come twice? No matter who, anybody who has been here once, they would not want to come again. Why did she want to come a second time?”

He laughed indifferently, and then continued, “She came this time, naturally it was to look for me.”

Hu Tiehua suddenly jumped up and said loudly, “Fart, I don’t believe a word you said.”

Yuan Suiyun spoke indifferently, “You don’t have to believe it, I don’t need you to believe.”

Hu Tiehua only felt his mouth was full of bile; he wanted to scream, but he could not even scream. _{Translated by foxs}

Although his mouth said he did not believe it, his heart could not but believe.

In certain aspects, Jin Lingzhi indeed appeared to be very strange. It would be better for Hu Tiehua not to think too much about it, the more he thought about it, the more he was unable to get over it.

“That night on the side of the boat she revealed her true feelings, could it be that she was pretending?”

Hu Tiehua felt like his heart was pricked by a needle.

This moment, if he was willing to cast a glance toward Jin Lingzhi, he might not feel this hurt, only it’s a pity that even to his death he did not want to cast her a single glance.

Although Jin Lingzhi still seemed to be unconscious, there were tears on the corners of her eyes.

She knew that her feelings for Hu Tiehua were not fake, but she did not know how she could have such feelings.

Because she had indeed given her entire person to Yuan Suiyun.

She loved Hu Tiehua, it was because of Hu Tiehua’s sincerity, his outspoken and straightforward manner, his enthusiasm and integrity.

But no matter what kind of person Yuan Suiyun was, no matter how much he did terrible things, she still loved him. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

She cared about Hu Tiehua in everything, even more than she cared about herself, but if Yuan Suiyun wanted her to die, she would die without the least bit of consideration.

She did not understand how she could have this kind of feeling, because very few people in the world understand that ‘love’ and ‘infatuation’ are fundamentally two different things.

Love is like a star, while infatuation is like fire.

Although starlight is faint, it is eternal. Although flame is fleeting, but it is intense. Love has conditions and can be explained, but infatuation is completely wild.

That’s why love can forever make people happy, but infatuation can only lead to misfortune.

Only to hear Yuan Suiyun said, “If Xiang Shuai still has anything that is unclear to you, you can ask more.”

Chu Liuxiang heaved a sigh, he said, “No more question.”

Yuan Suiyun coldly said, “You don’t ask, maybe it’s just because there is something you haven’t thought of yet.” _{Translated by foxs}

Chu Liuxiang said, “Oh?”

Yuan Suiyun said, “I don’t know if you have thought about it, but who is actually the final winner this time?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “I have thought about it.”

Yuan Suiyun said, “If you really have thought about it, you ought to realize that in this war, the final victory is still mine.”

Chu Liuxiang refused to answer.

Yuan Suiyun spoke indifferently, “Because I am still me, and you are all going to die. Because none of you can leave this Bat Island alive.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “What about you?”

Yuan Suiyun chuckled, he waved his hand.

Three zhang behind him, from behind the largest reef, immediately a small boat was rowed out.

Rowing the boat were eight burly men naked from the waist up. With a light row of the oars, the boat shot out like an arrow, and when their hands stopped rowing, the boat also came to a sudden stop.

Yuan Suiyun said, “I only need to leap, I will immediately jump on this boat, even if Xiang Shuai‘s qinggong is the top in the world, I’m afraid you have no way of stopping me.” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Chu Liuxiang could only nod his head, because what he said was indeed the fact.

Yuan Suiyun continued, “A short time later, this small boat will take me to a seagoing ship that has been waiting behind the mountain cavity to shelter from the wind. In less than a few days, I will return to ‘Wuzheng Shanzhuang’ safe and sound. Absolutely no one in Jianghu will know what happened here, because at that time, I am afraid gentlemen would have died here.”

He heaved a sigh again, and then spoke leisurely, “Although the feeling of waiting for death is unpleasant, there is nothing you can do about it, because there is definitely no second boat here, and of course I will make sure that no other boat will pass by here.”

Muttering to himself irresolutely, Chu Liuxiang said, “Are you leaving alone?”

Yuan Suiyun said, “Whether I am leaving alone or not, it will be up to you.”

“Up to us?” Chu Liuxiang asked.

Yuan Suiyun said, “If gentlemen are willing to let me take Kumei Dashi, Jin Lingzhi and Gao Guniang away, I have no objection, but if gentlemen are not willing, I won’t care either.” _{Translated by foxs}

Suddenly Jin Lingzhi leaped, she rushed over, and shouted wildly, “Take me away, take me away, I don’t want to die here; if I have to die, I want to die together with you.”

No one stopped her, no one even looked at her.

Although her injuries were not light, but this moment she seemed to have used every ounce of strength in her body.

She staggered onto the rock, and threw herself into Yuan Suiyun’s arms.

Yuan Suiyun’s mouth revealed another smile, he said, “What Zaixia just said, whether it is true and false, gentlemen should believe it by now.”

His words had not finished, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared.

No one knew what really happened, they only saw that he and Jin Lingzhi, two people in tight embrace, fell down together from the reef several zhang high.

The waves rolled up their bodies and knocked them up another rock.

The white foam of the waves immediately turned pink, a bright-colored pink, as bright as the rouge on a young girl’s cheeks.

No matter what it is, there will be an end to everything.

The more lengthy, tedious and complicated things, oftentimes the end would be more sudden. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Because its development has already reached the end, only other people have not seen it.

Although you think it was sudden, it was actually not sudden at all.

Because this thread is actually already at the end.

Chu Liuxiang intercepted the small boat, by the time he came back, Kumei Dashi had already passed away.

Her expression was still very calm, no one could see what the real cause of her death was.

They all did not know either why did Jin Lingzhi want to die?

Was it because she was unwilling to part with Yuan Suiyun? Was it because she knew that other than death, she absolutely had no way of capturing the heart of a person like Yuan Suiyun? Or was it for Hu Tiehua?

Hu Tiehua was standing by the sea in a daze, he was staring at the waves in a daze.

The waves already swept away Yuan Suiyun and Jin Lingzhi’s dead bodies, no one knew where the bodies were swept to. _{Translated by foxs}

He wished that Jin Lingzhi did not die, that Yuan Suiyun did not die either.

He would rather see them leave alive than see Jin Lingzhi die before his eyes.

This was precisely the biggest difference between him and Yuan Suiyun.

This was precisely the most important point.

This was precisely the true love!

The deeper your love is, the more you will think for the other person, not in the least crazy, not in the least selfish either.

Gao Yanan was also sitting on the spot in a daze, she was staring into the depths of the sea and the sky in a daze.

She only felt her heart was void and empty, there was absolutely nothing in her mind.

She did not want to think, but neither did she dare to think.

All along Chu Liuxiang was watching her.

Gao Yanan suddenly turned around, she said, “You are afraid that I will kill myself? Right?”

Chu Liuxiang chuckled, but the laughter was very awkward, because he really did not know how to answer. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Gao Yanan also laughed, but on the contrary, her laughter was very serene, she said, “Don’t worry, I am not going to die, absolutely not, because I still have a lot to do.”

Chu Liuxiang looked at her, suddenly some kind admiration feeling grew in his heart.

He always thought that he understood women very well, but now he realized that his understanding was not as deep as he imagined. There were a lot of women who were far stronger and worthy of the greatest admiration more than he imagined.

Gao Yanan said, “I have made a lot of mistakes, but as long as I don’t make any more mistake, why am I not allowed to live?”

Chu Liuxiang said, “You did not make any mistake, the one making the mistake was not you.”

Gao Yanan did not respond to this remark, she was silent for a very long time. Suddenly she said, “Zhang San is not dead.”

Emotionally moved, Chu Liuxiang said, “Really?”

Gao Yanan said, “I was the one making the move against him, I merely sealed his acupoints.” _{Translated by foxs}

Chu Liuxiang nearly wanted to kneel down.

He had never wanted to kneel down in front of a woman, but now he wanted to.

Because he was really too grateful, and also too happy.

Gao Yanan said, “Before his death, Gou Zichang seemed to have said a few words to Ying Wanli, I did not hear what they said, but Zhang San did.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “You think before his death, Gou Zichang finally told Ying Wanli those stolen goods’ whereabouts?”

Gao Yanan nodded and said, “When one is about to die, everybody would become a bit more good and honest than usual.”

She suddenly added, “Therefore, when you get back, you will also have a lot of things to do.”

“Yes,” Chu Liuxiang replied.

Gao Yanan said, “The stolen goods, you guys have to return it, and the Shenlong Bang’s problem, you guys have to resolve it too.”

Chu Liuxiang chuckled and said, “Those things are not difficult.”

Gao Yanan stared at him, her expression suddenly became very serious, she said slowly, “But you still have one more thing to do, and this thing is not easy.”

“What thing?” Chu Liuxiang asked. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Gao Yanan said, “Saying goodbye.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “Saying goodbye? Saying goodbye to who?”

Gao Yanan did not answer this question either, because she knew that Chu Liuxiang himself already knew the answer.

Chu Liuxiang already turned his head around.

Hua Zhenzhen was standing in the distance, staring at him in a daze. In those innocent and beautiful eyes, there was still only trust and love, there was nothing else.

Chu Liuxiang’s heart sank.

He understood what Gao Yanan meant, he knew that he would never be able to be together with her forever.

Because Hua Zhenzhen would also have a lot of things to do.

Gao Yanan said, “Other than her, no one else can take over Huashan Pai’s school, also no one else can save Huashan Pai’s fate. This is a solemn and a grand mission. She ought to accept it, also she has no choice but to accept it.” _{Translated by foxs}

Chu Liuxiang said sadly, “I understand.”

Gao Yanan said, “If you are really good to her, you should give thought to her. This is perhaps because she was born to be a woman who will do great things, not to be an ordinary wife.”

Chu Liuxiang said, “I understand.”

Gao Yanan said, “For you, saying goodbye might be easier, but for her …”

Suddenly they heard someone spoke quietly, “I understand too, so you don’t need to worry about me at all.”

No one knew since when, but Hua Zhenzhen was already coming before them; when she came, she was like a clump of cloud.

Yet her eyes were as bright as stars, as she fixed her gaze on Chu Liuxiang, and spoke slowly, “Although saying goodbye is difficult, I am not afraid at all …”

She suddenly took hold of Chu Liuxiang’s hand, and continued, “I’m not afraid of anything, as long as we can be together happily before we part! Since we can still be together happily right now, why would we want to think about those distressing and painful things? Laotian [God] wants someone alive, it’s not for him to bring trouble on himself.”

Chu Liuxiang did not speak, because his throat seemed to be chocked, because he had nothing to say. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

He suddenly realized that standing in front of him were two great women, not just one.

Gao Yanan pondered for a long, long time, then slowly she turned her head around.

When she saw Hu Tiehua, she suddenly stood up and walked over.

The setting sun filled the sky, the ocean was vast, this was, after all, a beautiful life!

Therefore, as long as one can live, everyone should continue to live, and continue to live well!

And now, there was only one secret remained.

What was exactly the secret feeling between Yuan Suiyun and Kumei Dashi? What secret relationship?

This secret, no one could answer, ever, because it was already buried in the seawater, along with their lives.

Kumei Dashi might be Yuan Suiyun’s mother, or perhaps his lover! Because the relationship between the Yuan Family of Shanxi and Huashan Pai was very deep, Yuan Suiyun had a lot of opportunities to get close to Kumei Dashi. _{Translated by foxs}

Kumei Dashi was, after all, also a human, she also had feelings. Besides, she believed that Yuan Suiyun would not care about her appearance or age, because Yuan Suiyun was blind.

Perhaps only a blind man could move the heart of a woman in the twilight of her life, because she believed that only a blind man could move his true feeling toward her.

Although this kind of matter sounded somewhat absurd, it was actually not impossible at all.

Many things that seem extremely complicated, extremely mysterious, are often caused by an extremely simple reason.

And that reason is love.

Love can destroy all things, but it can also make all things happen.

Since life is full of love, why do we have to persistently go after other people’s little secrets?

Why can’t we blame others less, while show sympathy more?

Wasn’t Yuan Suiyun and Kumei Dashi’s life also full of misfortunes? Weren’t they also people who were very pitiful, very deserving sympathy?

The seagoing ship cut through the waves. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Chu Liuxiang and Hua Zhenzhen stood as a pair at the bow of the boat, fixing their gaze into the distance.

Home was in sight.

Bright future was also in sight!

Hope will forever be in the world! ——

(End of the entire book)

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