Death… and me

Within less than ten minutes after the members of the Golden Horse Riders Department had left, two masked people who were dressed in black came, only to realize that the room was completely vacant. They were furious and set fire to the entire inn.

At this juncture, the people of the Hei Mo clan were going insane.

Two of their martial brothers had died in vain, while four others were still bedridden as a result of being seriously injured. Furthermore, their King level master was currently at the brink of death. Such a huge blow caused the Revered Martial Artists of the Hei Mo clan feel as if they were set on fire, unable to stand or sit still. Their current plight was a result of their risky act…

Meanwhile, there was chaos within Bu Tian Pavilion.

The subordinate searched high and low but was unable to find Chu Yang. Eventually, he had to return quickly to report back on his findings.

As for Wu Qian Qian, receiving news of Chu Yang's sudden disappearance felt as if she was struck by lightning. She nearly fainted on the spot. The unlucky subordinate was sent directly to a jail cell.

Thereafter, all the members of Bu Tian Pavilion were sent out to search for Chu Yang. Although no one knew who that youth in black was, they were well aware that this situation was no laughing matter.

Immediately after receiving this news, Tie Bu Tian rode over to supervise Bu Tian Pavilion.

He took things into his own hands, receiving all information and delegating tasks to personnel.

At the same time, everyone from the two famed groups of Bu Tian Pavilion were mobilized and dispersed all over Iron Cloud Citadel to search for Chu Yang.

Soon after, there was news of a great battle between two King level masters on a main street of Iron Cloud Citadel.

Instinctively, Tie Bu Tian had an inkling that this great battle was definitely related to Chu Yang's disappearance. He immediately sent people to the scene to investigate. The people that he sent were none other than his two shadow guards.

After all, it was a battle between two King level masters. Sending any other ordinary people to investigate would be courting death on their behalf, deeming it a useless act.

Once he was done making all the arrangements, he paced back and forth in the room. He was distressed and extremely concerned, "Minister Chu, nothing must have happened to you, right?"

The news from the recent days highlighted that Diwu Qing Rou would most probably make Bu Tian Pavilion and Minister Chu his next targets. This caused Tie Bu Tian to be doubly worried.

Wu Qian Qian sat on the chair that Chu Yang sat on daily listlessly. She looked like a body without a soul and had no idea on the next course of action. The more she attempted to ignore everything, the worse her imagination of the entire situation got. A menacing feeling grew in her mind, and eventually, she had lost all hope. She sat down in a way that seemed as if she was expecting some horrific news to arrive.

Amidst all the pandemonium, Minister Chu came strolling in.

The sight of that diabolical mask at the door made everyone in Bu Tian Pavilion cheer.

Even though they were still uncertain of what went down, they were like a snake without a head without Minister Chu's leadership. Minister Chu had finally returned; a heavy burden was lifted off their chests.

Tie Bu Tian and Wu Qian Qian were pleasantly surprised. They came out to greet Chu Yang together. Upon seeing Chu Yang, Tie Bu Tian, who was always composed, had become so excited that his face was flushed.

Wu Qian Qian rushed towards Chu Yang with tears in her eyes. She touched his body. Once she had made sure that Chu Yang was alright, she squatted on the ground and cried out a storm.

Wu Qian Qian and Tie Bu Tian were the only ones that knew Chu Yang had gone missing.

Especially since it was Chu Yang, both of them had felt extremely pessimistic. He was the person that the enemies wanted dead the most. How would be ever come back alive if he were to be captured?

Hence, both of them did not hold on to any hopes of his return.

They had not expected to be this lucky.

"What are you crying for? I am still not dead." Chu Yang released two dry coughs. As his body was tremendously weakened, he continued softly, "Quickly help me in… I am injured…"

Wu Qian Qian was startled and grabbed Chu Yang's arm carefully, helping him into the room. Before he became unconscious, Chu Yang had managed to say just a few sentences, "Let the prince know that the Hei Mo people have gone berserk; there's no need for us to worry about them for the time being. Send people to deliver a few doses of medicine to them…"

"Finally… I am back… No more danger…" Chu Yang's murmured his last words unconsciously.

Chu Yang remained unconscious till the afternoon of the next day. As he awoke, he found Du Shi Qing sitting right next to him. Meanwhile, Wu Qian Qian was working on the side, even with the unpleasant smell of medicine filling the entire room.

"Are you awake?" Du Shi Qing looked at him and asked calmly.

"Yes, I am alright!" Chu Yang smiled, trying to get up.

"Don't move! You are seriously injured!" Du Shi Qing pushed him back down gently, "You were injured by a powerful person. Your meridians are in shock and your internal organs are displaying signs of injuries. You should not move around carelessly!"

"Senior Du, how many days will I take to recover?" Chu Yang asked concernedly.

"Days? If you are lucky, you will recover in one month!" Du Shi Qing stroked his beard and exclaimed as he looked at Chu Yang.

"Chu Yang, drink your medicine!" Slowly and carefully, Wu Qian Qian carried a medicine bowl over to his side.

The corners of her eyes were slightly pink and there were faint traces of tears on her face.

"Just put it down! Is the Pavilion still in a stable situation?"

"There is nothing wrong. All everyone knows is that the minister has just returned; they don't know anything else." Wu Qian Qian's face was pale as she struggled to reply him.

"That's good!"

"The prince has left. He wished to let you know that you should take care of yourself to heal properly. As of now, there is no need for you to worry about other matters!"

"Good! Elder Martial Sister Wu, please leave us for a moment and get some fresh air! I have a few things to say to Senior Du." Chu Yang said solemnly. After seeing Du Shi Qing, he suddenly remembered something.

"Sure!" Wu Qian Qian watched Chu Yang consume his medication before stepping out.

"Do you have something that you wish to talk to me about?" Du Shi Qing asked him suspiciously. His face was filled with extreme anxiety.

"Yes. There are some things that I have been thinking about for quite some time. Today, since only the two of us are present, it's a good opportunity for me to discuss a few things with Senior Du." Chu Yang pushed himself up with great effort and leaned against the headboard. He looked at Du Shi Qing as he answered in earnest.

"Go ahead!" Du Shi Qing smiled.

"Senior Du, how long will you be staying at Iron Cloud?" Chu Yang pondered for a moment before he asked.

"Staying in Iron Cloud…" Du Shi Qing's eyes displayed a hint of fatigue as he answered, "I don't know… It depends on His Majesty's condition!"

"Senior Du came to Iron Cloud because of Diwu Qing Rou's request, am I right?" Chu Yang thought for a short while and decided to be straightforward instead.

"Huh? You…" Du Shi Qing was astounded.

"This is something that's not difficult to comprehend!" Chu Yang continued softly, "If Diwu Qing Rou does not want you to be here, no matter how powerful Prince Tie Bu Tian is, he would not be able to achieve much. Nonetheless, that is still Diwu Qing Rou's sphere of influence."

"Yes, it is all planned by Diwu Qing Rou!" Du Shi Qing let out a sigh and replied dejectedly.

"It could be said that your presence here is the result of a mutual agreement between two enemies, Tie Bu Tian and Diwu Qing Rou. The agreement is regarding the life of the ruler of Iron Cloud. Diwu Qing Rou intends to dominate his presence and keep the ruler alive as long as possible to restrain the growth of influence of the prince. In this way, a divide would be created within Iron Cloud. On the other hand, Tie Bu Tian is simply a filial child."

As he thought about Tie Bu Tian, Chu Yang could not help but sigh. Everyone could clearly see the love that the prince had for his father.

"That's correct!" Du Shi Qing replied solemnly. He thought about how Tie Bu Tian would come to see his father every day without fail, no matter how busy he was. He would always ask about the ruler's health condition. His hope and longing for his father's recovery made Du Shi Qing feel extremely guilty.

He could not confess that throughout all these years, the ruler's condition was caused by him.

"I plan to leave Iron Cloud in spring next year, right before the flowers bloom." Du Shi Qing did not hesitate to speak the truth with Chu Yang.

"In other words, the ruler will die right before the flowers bloom next spring!" Chu Yang let out a muffled cry. Du Shi Qing remained silent. He clearly had no objection to what Chu Yang had just said.

Chu Yang frowned. The death of the ruler of Iron Cloud was not the end, but instead, it was the start of great chaos. This was Diwu Qing Rou's way of using the ruler for one last time, to attack Tie Bu Tian.

During then, chaos was bound to erupt!

"His Majesty, Tie Shi Cheng, is currently just… a lamp without any oil left!" Du Shi Qing sighed and continued, "His body is as frail as a stick of wood. His meridians are already severely damaged and his blood is running dry. Even if we were to use wild ginseng that is more than fifty years old, it would not do because using such a powerful supplement carelessly could cause more damage. That is why I have to use the mildest medications to stretch his life hours by hours each day."

"Senior Du!" Chu Yang interrupted him and said sternly, "Senior Du, you must leave Iron Cloud before the flowers bloom!"

Essentially, what Chu Yang meant was that Du Shi Qing had to leave before the ruler of Iron Cloud Nation passed on.

Du Shi Qing asked in surprise, "Why is that so? Why can't I be there to send off the ruler if he passes on?"

"Senior Du, if you don't leave before the flowers bloom, you would never have the chance to leave then!" Chu Yang's eyes shined sharply as he looked straight at Du Shi Qing, "Senior Du, a man won't beat around the bush! You know very well why the ruler is sick, am I right?"

Upon hearing these words, Du Shi Qing immediately turned pale. He looked at Chu Yang in utter shock, unable to mouth a word.

This was the greatest secret that he had kept in his heart. However, what Chu Yang just said made it seem that he had already found out all about it.

"When that time comes, Iron Cloud will be in chaos. Tie Bu Tian will be furious…" Chu Yang continued sternly, "Diwu Qing Rou will certainly not let this great opportunity slip by. He will definitely release this information. Tie Bu Tian, with his great grief, will surely take Senior Du's life!"

Du Shi Qing's entire body trembled. He slumped onto a seat and replied in great disbelief, "Diwu Qing Rou…? It can't be…!!!"

He definitely knew it!

"Saintly Doctor Du has saved countless of lives. Based on my knowledge, several key characters in the major sects owe their lives to you. These people have always been neutral, never siding with anyone. However, once you lose your life at Iron Cloud… they will surely join forces with Diwu Qing Rou."

Chu Yang let out a sardonic laugh and continued, "I'm sure that Senior Du must know of Diwu Qing Rou's ruthless tactics. It is definitely not difficult at all for Diwu Qing Rou to do something like this."

Du Shi Qing's faced became extremely pale and his eyes were filled with hopelessness.

Chu Yang has stated clearly: Once Tie Shi Cheng dies, Diwu Qing Rou will certainly make his move, causing Tie Bu Tian to take my life for sure. A person who kills one's father cannot share the same sky. Even if Tie Bu Tian does not wish to kill me, he will have no choice but to do so. On the off chance that I should be lucky enough to escape from Tie Bu Tian, Diwu Qing Rou would surely send people to come after me. Once I am dead, he will use my reputation and unnecessary death to recruit powerful people to help make the continent his.

As expected, Du Shi Qing absolutely believed that this was something Diwu Qing Rou would do. If he did not do this, he would not be called Diwu Qing Rou! This was similar to the year that Diwu Qing Rou had threatened the lives of his family to get Du Shi Qing to work for him. Ultimately, he would use any means necessary to achieve his goals.

To put it simply, once Tie Shi Cheng is laid down to rest, the two nations, Iron Cloud and Great Zhao, would fall into a path of great chaos and death. There was no way out of this path.