Seven Unfortunate Lifetimes Chapter 17 (2/2)

I dug really hard into my ear and slapped myself twice on the cheeks. Zihui grabbed my hand.

“A Xiang!”

I dug in my ear, till it was ringing. But I didn’t feel the slightest pain and foolishly asked again: “You said Shengling sect?”

The man was so scared that he took a step back and talked to himself: “Really a ghost entered her body…”

“Did you say it was Shengling sect,”I yelled. I was about to go after him, when Zihui embraced me. I could only see the man flee in panic.

I pushed Zihui.

“Why are you grabbing me? I haven’t finished asking. He said that it was Shengling sect, who slaught…slaughtered this family, but, but Hujia uncle, Tangzhu sister and the butcher, and s.h.i.+fu, they….” were obviously so good.

My throat was choking. I couldn’t continue. In my mind a scene flashed. It’s the day, I climbed out of the barrel. The day I saw blood everywhere and people in black holding swords. The coldness of the s.h.i.+ning blade and the warm blood that fell on my face. I was in a trance. These burning feeling felt like I pa.s.sed through a fog in these ten years. The images are clear and lucid as if they only occurred yesterday, burning me through my bone with pain.

I covered my face. My thoughts were a mess.

“A Xiang, let’s leave for today.”

Zihui patted my back and said: “You need to rest.”

I pushed Zihui. My hands were trembling.

“No, I’m going home.”

Leaving Zihui’s embrace, my legs were slightly trembling. Slowly, step by step, I walked toward the front door. I tore the seal away and pushed hard on the door. But the dusty door was motionless. I knocked on the door and shouted: “Mother…”

After those words left my mouth, my voice turned hoa.r.s.e: “I’m back.”

Childhood memories broke the fog like the sunlight.

Dim light shone on the ruined door, wiping away the dust on the door, making it become bright as ever. I firmly knocked on the door.

“Open the door! Open the door….”

A gray shadow fell on my face. Zihui grabbed my hand. I heard a barely audible sigh: “Let me do it.”

He put his hand on the door. Gently he pushed the door. The old door made a “zhiya”sound and slowly opened. Looking pa.s.s the door, I can directly see the hall. The furniture inside are just like those in my memory. I walked in with my head down and looked at the red spots on the ground. I lifted my head and looked at the highest place in the hall. That day s.h.i.+fu was standing there, high above others and took me to Shenling sect. s.h.i.+fu is always high above others, making me not dare to be disrespectful. However, the s.h.i.+fu I respected…

I shook my head, wanting to throw all the confusing voices from my mind. But shooking, my face became wet. I wiped my face. Not long after, my tears were streaming down again. I stood in the center of the hall, silently, wiping my tears over and over, until Zihui patted me on my shoulder.

“A Xiang, don’t cry.”

“I did not cry,” I said. “It’s just…I can’t stop them from falling.”

Zihui sighed. I didn’t have the time to speak, he turned and moved two steps away from me. A “pa” sound rang in my ear. I was shocked. s.h.i.+fu, dressed in full white, landed outside the hall. In his hands was a crimson whip. With a cold expression and with really dark eyes he glared at Zihui.

“In consideration that cultivating for ten thousand years was not easy, I wanted to let you off the hook. But you didn’t take it and keep challenging xiaoye’s limits.”

s.h.i.+fu coldly bit his lip.

“If you’re deliberately seeking death, I will make your wish come true, alright?”

Zihui didn’t speak. I knew that Zihui wouldn’t be able to beat s.h.i.+fu. In a hurry, I jumped in front of Zihui and stretched my hand out to protect him. I stared at s.h.i.+fu. I saw his face turned pale as if he has been slapped.

“Xiao Xiang Zi,” s.h.i.+fu’s eyes squinted slightly. “You, putting this stance, is it to protect your ‘husband’ and to fight me?”

His tone was frivolous, but I know that s.h.i.+fu was really angry. At this point my mind was cluttered. I just shook my head and didn’t know what to say. s.h.i.+fu’s expression was slightly angry. He held out his hand and yelled gently like how he used to do when he was taking me home: “Come here.”

But here and now, my legs wouldn’t move. s.h.i.+fu was also not urging me. He hand was still there, waiting for me to grab it. I stared at s.h.i.+fu for a moment. My throat hurt and I blurted out: “s.h.i.+fu…my parents…”

s.h.i.+fu frowned: “The matters that that happened here, I’ll explain them to you when we go back.”

Looking at s.h.i.+fu’s eyes, I couldn’t help but get chills. The Zihui behind me gently hold my shoulder and said softly: “A Xiang, don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

s.h.i.+fu’s hand tightened around the whip.

“What ident.i.ty do you have?” (What rights do you have to be speaking?)

“s.h.i.+fu.”

It’s the first time I interrupted him. I asked: “My father and mother, did s.h.i.+fu kill them…”

I stared at s.h.i.+fu and didn’t dare to blink. He was silent and didn’t say anything to refute.

“Was it s.h.i.+fu?”

After saying those words, I choked.

“Was it s.h.i.+fu?”

Knowing that his silence meant that he’s admitting, my world collapsed.

“Xiao Xiang Zi,” s.h.i.+fu’s voice was a little numb. “There are a lot of things that you don’t understand. After we go back, I’ll explain them to you. But today, you should not rely on this demon’s embrace. He’s not a good thing. Come here, we’ll go back.”

I shook my head. I just want to grab something and hit him. I didn’t care, pulled the hairpin out of my hair and run to him.

“s.h.i.+fu liar! Big liar! You go away!”

My hair was loosened and turned into a mess. It pasted on my wet face. I didn’t know how this embarra.s.sed look looked like. The tears blurred my sight. I couldn’t see s.h.i.+fu’s face clearly anymore. Only knew that he stood there transfixed and didn’t move.

The hand on my shoulder tightened. Zihui pulled me into his arms. He patted my back and said: “s.h.i.+fu doesn’t want to go away. Then we should go first. Nowadays, it’s better if you don’t meet.”

I kept nodding. His chest turned wet from my tears and snot. This time I didn’t know if s.h.i.+fu has come to stop me or not. However, I didn’t hear him grit his teeth form anger.