vstars Chapter 102 Liu Qingxuan's Last Words, Gu Insects
Chapter 102 Liu Qingxuan's Last Words, Gu Insects
He could clearly feel that his cultivation was rapidly dissipating and his life force was gradually fading away.
He tried to get up and launch another attack, but his body wouldn't obey him.
Liu Qingxuan struggled to reach out and pulled a palm-sized sandalwood box from his inner pocket, clutching it tightly in his hand. This was the most precious thing he had ever owned, and the last lifeline he left for Wanhua and Manli.
"Is anyone there?" he shouted with his last ounce of strength, his voice barely audible, like the buzzing of a mosquito.
Hearing the commotion, the young boy guarding the mountain gate rushed up in a panic. He was only fifteen years old and had been in the temple for less than half a year; he had never seen anything like it before.
Seeing the rubble, black water, and Liu Qingxuan lying in the ruins covered in blood, he was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, trembling like a leaf.
"Master, Master, what's wrong?" the boy asked, crying, not daring to lift his head.
"No, don't cry." Liu Qingxuan gasped for breath, shoving the sandalwood box into his hand, her cold fingers gripping his wrist tightly. "Give this to your Aunt Liu Wanhua personally. Remember, only to her, and don't let anyone else see it."
"Master, you..."
"Listen!" Liu Qingxuan suddenly raised his voice, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "You must deliver it! Otherwise, I'll haunt you even in death!"
After saying this, his hand suddenly fell to his sides, his eyes fixed on the direction of the Jiang family's old house, his face still filled with resentment and bitterness, before he stopped breathing completely.
The boy looked at the box in his hand, then at Liu Qingxuan, who lay dead with his eyes wide open, and at the pool of black water on the ground, and was terrified.
He scrambled out of the ruins, not daring to return to the Taoist temple. Clutching the box, he ran down the mountain, crying as he ran. He had only one thought in his mind: to quickly get rid of this hot potato to Liu Wanhua and get as far away from this hellish place as possible.
The Jiang family's old residence.
It was past one in the morning, and Liu Wanhua and Jiang Zhenhai were already asleep. The bedroom was pitch black, with only the moonlight streaming in from the window, illuminating Jiang Zhenhai's tossing and turning figure.
He couldn't sleep at all.
Ever since Jiang Xinlan came to Beijing, Liu Wanhua has become increasingly strange, acting strangely all day long, and often sneaking off to Qingxuan Temple to find Liu Qingxuan in the middle of the night.
He already knew about their dirty deeds.
Compared to his older brother Jiang Zhenbang, who showed talent from a young age and was steady and capable, he was a good-for-nothing.
On the surface, he pretended to be honest and cowardly, taking things as they came, not competing with Jiang Zhenbang for power, nor coveting the inheritance of the Jiang Group. He seemed willing to be a good-for-nothing second-generation rich kid for life as long as he could get dividends from the shares.
But in private, he was almost driven mad with jealousy.
He dreamed of replacing Jiang Zhenbang, but he was simply incompetent.
After all that effort, not only did they achieve nothing, but they also ended up with a mountain of debt.
This even caused him a huge problem, as someone had a fatal weakness against him.
Liu Qingxuan somehow found out about these things and used them to threaten him, making a deal with him and forcing him to marry Liu Wanhua.
For so many years, he has had no real power and is like a transparent person at home, and he has to watch helplessly as his wife and brother-in-law have an ambiguous relationship.
He had considered resisting, but Liu Qingxuan was ruthless and held a fatal weakness in his hands. If he dared to utter a single word, Liu Qingxuan could ruin his reputation and kill him without leaving a trace.
He could only pretend he knew nothing, clinging to life under the guise of their sibling relationship.
Just then, there was a soft knock on the door.
"Madam, there's a young Taoist priest downstairs looking for you. He says he has urgent business and insists on seeing you right now," a maid's cautious voice came from downstairs.
Jiang Zhenhai's face instantly darkened.
In the middle of the night, a Taoist priest came to see Liu Wanhua. Did she even need to ask who sent him? Liu Qingxuan has gone too far! She used to know to avoid suspicion, but now she dares to openly send someone to her house in the middle of the night, showing no respect for her husband whatsoever!
He sat bolt upright, his voice blazing with barely suppressed anger: "No way! What could be so important in the middle of the night that can't be discussed tomorrow? Get him out!"
Liu Wanhua was also woken up. She frowned, feeling a little impatient, but still called out to the door, "I know, tell him to wait in the living room, I'll be right down."
She turned to look at Jiang Zhenhai, whose face was ashen, and patted his arm dismissively: "Don't be angry. It must be something urgent on Qingxuan's end, otherwise they wouldn't have sent someone so late. I'll go check and come right back."
"Urgent matter? What urgent matter must you be talking about in the middle of the night?" Jiang Zhenhai sneered, his tone full of sarcasm. "Did he kill Shen Yu and Jiang Xinlan, and is he in such a hurry to tell you the good news?"
Liu Wanhua's face darkened: "Jiang Zhenhai! What nonsense are you spouting! Do you have a death wish?"
Too lazy to waste any more words with him, she threw off the covers, got out of bed, casually threw on a coat, and left the bedroom. Deep down, she was somewhat expectant, thinking that Liu Qingxuan had succeeded and had sent someone to deliver the good news.
But when she walked into the living room and saw the little boy covered in mud, pale-faced, and crying, her heart suddenly skipped a beat and an ominous premonition rose within her.
"Why is it you? Where is your master?" Liu Wanhua asked anxiously.
When the boy saw Liu Wanhua, he burst into tears and stammered, "Aunt Liu, something terrible has happened! Master... he's dead!"
"What did you say?!"
Liu Wanhua was struck dumb, staggering back a step, almost falling. She stared at the young boy in disbelief, her voice trembling, "You're lying! How could Qingxuan die? He clearly said he could kill Shen Yu and Jiang Xinlan tonight! You're lying to me!"
"I'm not lying to you!" The young boy cried as he handed her the sandalwood box. "My master was killed by Shen Yu! Before he died, he told me to give this to you, saying it could only be given to you!"
Liu Wanhua took the box with trembling hands, her fingers icy cold. She opened the box, inside was a yellowed letter and a small white jade bottle containing two small Gu worms, one red and one black.
She unfolded the letter, which bore Liu Qingxuan's crooked and shaky handwriting, clearly written with all his might before his death:
Wanhua, by the time you read this letter, I may already be gone. In the end, I couldn't defeat Shen Yu. It's my fault; I couldn't protect you and Manli.