Chapter 623 – A Voice Comes from the Depths of the Darkness (II) (2/2)
It was a very familiar voice and also a voice he had not heard for a very long time.
……
……
Back when the darkness had enveloped the courtyard, only Chen Changsheng and Zhou Tong were there.
Chen Changsheng had heard that voice, and so had Zhou Tong.
At the time, he believed it to be an illusion created when he was at death's door.
The darkness was deep and quiet, cold and chilly. He did not want to die, because death was an even deeper, quieter, and colder abyss.
In that moment when he was closest to death, all of his sinister and terrifying shell was completely shattered, leaving only the malicious, petty, timid him.
After confirming that the voice was real, he agreed without hesitation to that person's conditions.
As expected, that patch of darkness had safeguarded his life, yet he could not feel the slightest warmth over this fact, but actually felt even colder.
The common people all said that Zhou Tong and the Demon Military Advisor Black Robe were equally famous as schemers, but upon hearing that person's voice he realized that those words were just a joke.
Before that person concealed in the depths of the darkness, what right did he have to call himself a schemer, how could he be considered cold and emotionless? In the eyes of that person, he was probably just a dog.
A dog that still had some use.
But even if he really was a dog, he still wanted to live.
Even if he had to wag his tail in pity and give a sorrowful look to the entire world, he still wanted to live.
Thinking of these things, his mind grew more agitated and Zhou Tong, no longer able to resist the onslaught of his injuries, fell unconscious.
Under the personal escort of Divine Generals Xue Xingchuan and Xu Shiji, the heavily wounded Zhou Tong was brought into the Imperial Palace.
Only this way, only in this place, could his survival be ensured.
The news that Zhou Tong was heavily injured had most likely already spread. In the darkness of the capital, it was impossible to know how many people wanted Zhou Tong dead.
Just like the situation Su Li encountered on his journey back south.
Watching Zhou Tong on the bed, gasping his dying breaths, his injuries an awful spectacle, Xue Xingchuan and Xu Shiji remained silent for a very long time, never speaking once.
They did not know what to say.
Just how had Chen Changsheng managed to do it?
The terrifying and miserable blade wound stretching from the left side of Zhou Tong's face to below his rib was fully exposed under the lantern light, a ghastly sight.
Xue Xingchuan and Xu Shiji both thought they understood what sort of person Chen Changsheng was, especially the latter, but neither of them could have imagined that he would possess such a valiant side.
A master of the Sacred Light serving the Imperial Court arrived, along with the best imperial physician in the palace. The chief eunuch also came, representing the Divine Empress.
Even after the treatment concluded and it was confirmed that Zhou Tong would be able to preserve his life, the Empress did not appear.
”I'll go first to handle some matters.”
Xu Shiji seemed to be affected by something, his complexion rather unsightly as he left the Imperial City.
Xue Xingchuan did not leave. He carefully cleaned Zhou Tong's wounds and then moved over a chair to sit right in the middle of the palace hall's main entrance.
He closed his eyes, his spear sitting across his knees.
Anyone who wanted to kill Zhou Tong had to kill him first.
Because he was Zhou Tong's sole friend in this world.
In this world, Zhou Tong only had this one friend.
If even he left Zhou Tong, then Zhou Tong would truly be alone.
……
……
The whole world knew that Xue Xingchuan was Zhou Tong's only friend.
This was a matter that the people of the world could never understand, even after puzzling over it for several decades.
Xue Xingchuan was the second-ranked Divine General of the continent. With Han Qing guarding the mausoleum for several centuries, he was the actual leader of the Divine Generals. Whether it was his cultivation, his military success, or his achievements in the north, he could take on this great reputation without the slightest shame. It was even said that he and Wang Po were the two candidates with the greatest hope of breaking past that threshold and entering the Divine Domain.
And he had a good reputation for running both his armies and his family strictly, yet he was friends with the notorious Zhou Tong. In the past some person had speculated that this might have been because of the Divine Empress. However, the other Divine Generals loyal to the Divine Empress, although fearful of Zhou Tong, had never acted friendly towards him of their own accord, nor even looked at him with good expressions.
No person knew why this friendship existed.
The medical skills of the Imperial Palace's physician were truly superb, and the Sacred Light had also played a very important role. Zhou Tong had suffered such severe injuries, but in a short time, he actually woke up.
Xue Xingchuan stood up and returned to the bed, saying to the dreadfully pale face, ”Don't rush to speak, recovering from your wounds takes priority.”
Zhou Tong ignored his advice, saying with a feeble voice, ”Am I not right now very much like a dog?”