My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 156 Recollection Part 23 - The Perilous Fall from the Cliff 2

The old man gave a sinister smile. "Fatten them up?"

"That's a good idea, but... do you think it's me who doesn't want to?"

In this godforsaken place where there's absolutely nothing, it's much faster to lose weight than to fatten up.

As he spoke, the old man sharpened his knife again, ready to strike Xie Yan.

"Wait a minute!"

Xie Yan turned her head and cried out, narrowly dodging a sword strike.

At the same time, with a forceful movement, he rolled backward several times and stuck to the stone wall.

The sword missed again. The old man paused, then said with growing impatience, "...What else do you want to say?"

Xie Yan sighed and said earnestly, "Don't be in such a hurry, Lao Deng, think it over carefully."

"It's been so long since we've had a proper meal, isn't it better to savor it slowly? Eating so quickly at once will upset your stomach."

"Why don't we hold a celebration banquet first? You can burn incense, purify your clothes, and kneel down eighty-one times to thank the gods for their blessings."

"And you can also wash me thoroughly. I'm looking so sloppy right now, it's ruining your appetite, isn't it?"

elder:"……"

How long-winded! How can someone be so long-winded even on their deathbed?

Looking at Xie Yan, who was still rambling on, he sneered, "You're telling me to enjoy it slowly?"

"It's not impossible; I've considered this before."

“I remember, he was a young man about your age.”

"Because I hadn't eaten for so long, I couldn't bear to eat it all at once."

"Instead, they broke his limbs so he couldn't move. Then, every day they would cut off a small piece of his flesh and roast it over a fire to eat."

As he spoke, the old man licked his lips with great reminiscence, as if recalling that taste.

"The taste was indeed very good."

"But unfortunately, he bit off his tongue and committed suicide before the seventh day was over. In order to prevent the flesh from rotting and smelling bad, I had no choice but to eat him all at once."

The old man's teeth gleamed with a chilling light in the firelight.

"Since you've made this request, then I'll slowly enjoy you."

"To prevent something like what happened last time from happening again, I'll pull your tongue out now."

Xie Yan: "..."

Is this a case of shooting oneself in the foot?

Seeing the old man approaching her again, Xie Yan reluctantly decided to make one last use of her tongue.

"Wait... how about we have a chat?"

"Look, you've been here for so long and no one's talking to you. Don't you feel frustrated, annoyed, and depressed?"

"Since I'm already in this state, there's no way I can escape your grasp, so why rush things?"

Upon hearing this, the old man stared at Xie Yan for a while before actually agreeing: "Alright, it's been a long time since I've spoken to anyone. Since you want to chat, then let's chat."

Xie Yan silently breathed a sigh of relief and asked a question that had been bothering her: "May I ask, sir, what is your name? And why are you trapped here?"

"It's been a long time since I've asked this question."

The old man looked at his wrist; because it had been bound for so long, the rusty chain had become one with his flesh.

"Decades have passed, and I wonder if my name and deeds are still circulating in the martial arts world today."

"My name is Ji Tongtian."

It could be him?!

Upon hearing this name, Xie Yan was suddenly startled.

Although there is currently no news about this person in the martial arts world.

But Xie Yan had seen it in the files of Fengyunlou—

This name, decades ago, once made everyone in the martial arts world tremble at the mere mention of it.

This person was a prodigy, who learned extraordinary skills from a young age under the tutelage of an extraordinary person.

He made a name for himself in the martial arts world with his superb martial arts skills and cunning methods, and even before he was thirty years old, he had already become one of the top masters in the martial arts world.

However, at its most glorious moment, it suddenly disappeared.

When he reappeared, he had already gone mad from practicing his martial arts, his personality had changed drastically, and he had become a bloodthirsty demon.

With his superb martial arts skills and elusive whereabouts, Ji Tongtian, who has returned to the martial arts world, acts recklessly and commits one tragedy after another.

During those years, the entire martial arts world was thrown into chaos and fear by him and his disciples.

In the end, it was only through the combined efforts of the former leader and several martial arts masters that he and his disciples were killed one by one, restoring peace to the martial arts world.

but……

"Didn't they say you were killed by the alliance leader?"

Xie Yan frowned deeply as she looked at the unharmed but emaciated old man before her.

Upon hearing this, Ji Tongtian grinned and said, "Hmph, in that battle, Dongfang Wei almost took my life."

"So at that time, I pretended to be sober and went to great lengths to make him believe that I had turned back into the chivalrous, upright, and selfless fool I used to be."

"After all, he and I were once close friends, and in the end, he couldn't bear to kill me."

"However, although he did not kill me, as a form of punishment, he secretly locked me in this cave without telling anyone."

It turned out to be the case.

Xie Yan pursed her lips and silently leaned back again.

Suddenly, Ji Tongtian, who had been lost in memories, looked at him sharply—

"So, are you all better now?"

He found it!

The next second, Xie Yan, who looked smaller, slipped out of the chains with a "whoosh".

Ji Tongtian coldly watched his movements. "Shrinking bones. I didn't realize you had some skill."

Xie Yan loosened her muscles and smiled leisurely at him, "I'm quite capable."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the two of them started fighting again.

"Ok?"

As soon as they started fighting, Ji Tongtian noticed something was wrong.

He looked at Xie Yan in surprise, "So you weren't just trying to break free of your chains, but you also started practicing the Heart Sutra in such a short time?"

Xie Yan winked at him, "This is such a great deal, why not take it?"

"Moreover, I learned more than just from this one book."

The next second, Ji Tongtian felt his internal energy slowly flowing from their clasped hands toward Xie Yan!

This battle was the most difficult and closest to death Xie Yan had ever experienced in her life.

Although he had learned from the strengths of various schools of thought, he had only mastered them in a short period of time, and his foundation was still not as solid as Ji Tongtian's.

Every move felt like a brush with death.

The two fought like this for several days and nights.

Until Xie Yan seized the opportunity and pierced through Ji Tongtian's body.

As Ji Tongtian collapsed to the ground, Xie Yan also vomited blood.

He wasn't having a good time either.

His white clothes were already stained red.

His meridians were completely severed, and the fatal wound in his chest was just a few inches away from touching his heart.

The most painful thing was the cold internal energy originating from Ji Tongtian, which was still constantly impacting his internal organs.

Xie Yan coughed up blood again, this time mixed with some bits of internal organs and flesh.

He knew he probably wouldn't last much longer.

Even if it meant death, Xie Yan didn't want to die with this demon in a dark, sunless cave.

So he walked step by step toward the outside of the cave.

This time, without hesitation, I plunged into the roaring river.

After a long time, a body whose fate was unknown was washed ashore by the river.

At the same time, a clear, melodious sound of silver bells came from afar.