Death… and me

One must know that Luo Ke Di and Ji Mo had broken through their limitations to withstand the attacks during this fierce fight. Therefore, their strength had continued to grow over the course of this fight! It wasn’t something that an average person could achieve. However, Ji Mo and Luo Ke Di had reached to this point. And, this was going to play an important role in their future progress!

Everyone continued to hasten-on with their journey early in the morning. Chu Yang discovered something impressive – The members in their training team had increased to sixteen. Everyone besides Mo Qing Wu was carrying weights on their backs.

Gu Du Xing and the others were carrying Star Iron on their backs. And, the King Level Experts of the Gu Clan were carrying pieces of ordinary bluestones on their backs!

A few of these ten old men were more than forty years in age. However, each of them was carrying mountain-like boulders on their backs…

This discovery left Chu Yang with a desire to burst into laughter!

It wasn’t even past morning time, and those King Level Experts couldn’t bear the weight anymore. Their waists were aching, and their backs were also paining. They had gotten cramps in their legs. So, they had no other choice but to put down the boulder. They had finally understood, [the road to make a breakthrough isn’t easy to walk on…]

"It’s not that you can’t do this. But, you have already crossed the appropriate age." Chu Yang explained while they were having their lunch, "Most of you have crossed the time of tempering of bones and internal organs since this must’ve been done when you were Martial Great Masters and Revered Martial Artists! Therefore, you wouldn’t be able to keep up with us youngsters. This training process starts when one is a Martial Great Master. The bones are tempered when one becomes a Martial Great Master. It’s very difficult to bear. And, the internal organs are tempered when one becomes a Revered Martial Artist. It’s also very difficult to bear!"

Chu Yang insipidly said, "All of us are at King Level at present. But, our foundation was set at the time when we were Martial Great Masters and Revered Martial Artists. So, we are dozens of times stronger than you! Thus, we can do it, and you can’t. This is the truth."

The King Level Experts became depressed, and felt as if they had failed.

Mo Qing Wu secretly pulled Chu Yang to one side after the lunch, "Elder Brother Chu Yang, I discovered a secret of yours!"

"Secret…?" Chu Yang scratched his head. He was very surprised, "What kind of secret?"

"Humph! There was a strand of hair in your clothes! It was a long hair!" Mo Qing Wu pouted. Then, she rolled her eyes and looked at Chu Yang, "Look, here it is."

She took out the torn-out piece of Chu Yang’s clothes. A strand of fine black hair was fluttering on it. However, it seemed to be a wisp of tender sentiments that was helplessly twining therein.

"Long hair…" Chu Yang’s heart started to beat somewhat fast as he took this strand. He then lightly stroked this long hair with his fingers as it gently curled up on his palm. It seemed as if a woman had put the entirety of her heart’s feelings on his palm…

Suddenly, the slender and graceful silhouette of a woman appeared in his mind. She was standing alone, and her long hair was fluttering in the air. She was beautiful. She had a pained and bewildered expression in her eyes. Her lips gave her a stubborn and proud look…

This sweet, fair, and graceful woman was dressed in a black robe. She turned over, and the fierce mask she wore became visible to the eye. She looked at Chu Yang with gentle and tender expression in her eyes, "From today onwards… I am King of Hell Chu…

"Isn’t this what you want? Haven’t you already planned for this…?"

These two questions resounded in Chu Yang’s heart. And, he couldn’t bear the pain in his heart.

[This woman with devastatingly beautiful appearance,]

[Had changed her clothes to black robe;]

[With the Icy heart and Jade Bone,]

[She wore the mask to be the sovereign!]

[Wu Qian Qian!]

These verses had seemingly cropped-up in Chu Yang’s mind. He further thought, [there is only person in Lower Three Heavens to whom I feel indebted to. And, it is none other than Wu Qian Qian.]

[This woman had to sacrifice her own appearance for her infatuation. And, it has all gone in vain now. It has gone forever… this young and beautiful woman has become a pitiful person now…]

Chu Yang lowered his head, and took a deep breath. [No wonder I had noticed that Wu Qian Qian’s hair seemed shorter after I had returned from the Great Zhao. It was also a little thin. But, I didn’t ask her at that time…]

[This woman’s heart is full of affection in reality. So, she had sacrificed her own black hair for my black robes!]

He recalled that he had thirty or forty such black robes in the Nine Tribulation Space! [Wu Qian Qian must have spent a lot of physical and mental effort to stitch these clothes one by one… She must’ve felt a pain in her heart every time she would finish sewing a black robe. She must’ve felt deeply shattered every time, right?]

Chu Yang sighed in disappointment and frustration.

Mo Qing Wu rolled her eyeballs and looked at him. She softly said, "Elder Brother Chu Yang, I’m going over there to find Brother Ji Mo to play with him…" She acted tactfully and swiftly went to a side.

Chu Yang complied. In fact, he was somewhat absent-minded as he slowly nodded.

Then, he again took out a black robe, and slowly stroked it a little to look for the hair. And, he eventually found a hardly-noticeable strand in the hem of his robe. It was a place where mostly people’s attention won’t be drawn to…

And, Wu Qian Qian’s hair was unexpectedly stitched there.

Perhaps he would’ve never found out that a woman’s heart was stored in the hem of his black robe if Mo Qing Wu hadn’t discovered this by chance…

These strands of hair seemed to be secretly placed. And, there seemed to be one or a few complete strands of hair…

Chu Yang’s hand somewhat trembled. He was confused as to whether he wanted to know the reason behind it or not… Finally, he took a deep breath. Then, he looked for a smooth piece of bluestone. Then, he circulated his martial power, and hit his palm on the bluestone to flatten it.

He whipped the black robe with a ‘woop-eesh’ sound on the bluestone. The cloth-fabric scattered, and only the fine black hair was left behind on the stone. And, the long hair softly imprinted the pattern that was originally on the cloth onto the bluestone…

These patterns turned out to be a few beautiful words.

"Chu Yang, Qian Qian likes you."

These words had been weaved in the robe using the long black hair. And, they appeared in front of Chu Yang as he imprinted them onto the bluestone.

There would’ve been similar words on the other robes as well!

She had stitched the strand of her own black hair inside the black robes. How could he discover black hair in black robes? Besides, he wouldn’t have paid attention to the hem of the robe. Moreover, it wouldn’t have come in contact with his skin either.

Wu Qian Qian clearly didn’t wish for Chu Yang to find it. But, she had silently sacrificed the entirety of her love, and had put it here. She had only wished that her hair would be able to accompany Chu Yang by his side whenever he’d wear these robes! She had only wanted this…

This woman’s love was very humble and profound. But, she was proud of her love!

[I won’t force you if you don’t want to accept me! I have always said that I wouldn’t complain about it. I have my pride. I have my self-respect. It’s alright if you don’t love me. But, you can’t stop me from loving you.]

[I secretly love you… isn’t it enough?]

Chu Yang felt heavy in his heart. He suddenly recalled the time when he had that showdown with the Golden Horse Riders Department. Wu Qian Qian had stubbornly wanted to put-on the mask… so that she could go into the battle in his place. But, he had stopped her at that time, and had said, [I already owe my whole life to another woman. So, I don’t want to owe my life to you as well!]

How much pain would these words have inflicted to Wu Qian Qian…?!

She had complied with Tie Bu Tian’s marriage proposal as a result of this! And, she had become the Empress of the Iron Cloud Nation… He recalled the morning when he was about to leave the Lower Three Heavens… Wu Qian Qian had despair and grief in her eyes… and, these feelings of hers’ had reached the point of hysteria…

Chu Yang’s heart ached. He felt bitter in his heart. And, he silently said, [Qian Qian… I’m sorry.]

[She is married to Tie Bu Tian, right?]

[Tie Bu Tian is also a good man… I only wish for her happiness…]

If only Chu Yang could know that the so-called ‘marriage’ between Tie Bu Tian and Wu Qian Qian was fake…

If only he would’ve known…

Chu Yang sighed deeply. Hundreds and thousands of thoughts were revolving in his heart. Everything felt like a dream… like a fantasy. The past events were passing through his heart like a faintly discernible cloud of smoke…

He wanted to destroy the black robe at first. However, he thought it over for a while, and decided to keep it, [If I destroy this… how cruel would it be… for that pitiful woman and her infatuation towards me!]

[This is her only desire towards me, ah.]

Chu Yang stood up. The sunshine shone on his black robe. He suddenly felt a burning heat on the black robe on his body. It felt extremely painful, and seemed as if his skin was being baked. [This girl indeed has a burning heart…]

The black robe felt as heavy as a mountain. And, he had seemingly been pressed down by the weight of it. In fact, he couldn’t even breathe properly…

His brothers were engaged in a conversation at a distant place. They deliberately didn’t look at him. They were chatting and laughing among themselves. But, Chu Yang knew that they were intentionally not looking at him. They deliberately hadn’t come over to him because they didn’t wish to disturb his train of thought at this time…

[Ah!] Chu Yang took a deep sigh.

"Is Brother Chu here?" a laughing voice sounded from a distance, "I am Ou Du Xiao of the Ou Clan. I have come to pay a visit to Brother Chu," Ou Du Xiao of the Ou Clan – the Future Poison Spirit – had finally arrived.

Chu Yang put his mood in order. He then stood up, and went over to welcome him.

…

In Lower Three Heavens… inside the Iron Cloud Imperial Palace…

Tie Bu Tian was lazily sitting in her bed. She had removed her jade pendent, and was in her true appearance. Lan Mei Xian was sitting next to her. She was looking at her disciple with satisfaction. The more she looked at her… the more she would beam with joy.

Lan Mei Xian had been showing the responsibility and diligence of a mother these days. In fact, it seemed as if she had been looking after her own pregnant daughter. She was watching over the Iron Cloud’s Emperor as if she was the center of universe. And, she was extremely attentive towards her!

Tie Bu Tian’s underbelly had already swollen up. It was a sign that the baby was growing healthily.

"It has already been four months," Lan Mei Xian would count days on her fingers every day, "There are still five-and-a-half months left… um… less than that. Your delivery must be in five months and a few days."

"Master, your calculation is so precise…" Tie Bu Tian felt somewhat embarrassed.

"There’s nothing to be shy about it. Women give birth to children. It’s a normal thing." Lan Mei Xian happily and excitedly looked at her, "Rest assured. You have your master on your side. So, you don’t need to be worried about anything."

Tie Bu Tian blushed as a smile creased upon her face. Tie Bu Tian had found her mother in Lan Mei Xian over the past few days. In fact, she’d sometimes feel as if her own mother was there with her. And, she felt that she didn’t need to worry about anything…

"Where is your Empress? I haven’t seen her in a while?" Lan Mei Xian somewhat ridiculously looked at her own disciple, "You girl… sigh, you have even made an Empress for yourself. I only hope you’re not victimizing her…"

"She’s busy these days…" Tie Bu Tian obviously didn’t dare to speak-up that her Empress was playing the role of King of Hell Chu in reality. She then added, "I will ask her to come over. I need to consult a few things with her now that my pregnancy has become so apparent."

She put on the jade pendent after she said this. There was a fluctuation of light, and she changed into the Monarch who would reign over the entire world. Then, she walked a few steps away, and insipidly said, "Messenger, go and ask the Empress to come over. Tell her that I wish to speak with her. We have some matters to consult with each other."

"Yes," the messenger complied and left.

A sharp voice reported from the outside after some time, "The Empress has arrived."

…