Chapter 180: Palace Intrigues and Homoerotic Tensions

Chapter 174: Mad Dogs (Part 2)

The strong wind blew into Shen Zechuan's sleeves, revealing the bones of his wrist. His right hand was bandaged, and he clutched a blue handkerchief between his fingers, as if he couldn't withstand the cold on this pavilion, and coughed while covering his mouth. After the coughing subsided, he said, "You can't show me any mercy just because of the name Bai Cha?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Lei Jingzhe had an epiphany, and he immediately shouted, "You lied to me! You don't know anything about the scorpion!"

As his voice faded, his fist broke through the air, aiming straight for Shen Zechuan's face. Shen Zechuan was already prepared and sidestepped the punch. Lei Jingzhe missed and didn't withdraw his fist but instead used the momentum to grab at Shen Zechuan's arm. The white robe fluttered in the wind, making it difficult for Lei Jingzhe to grasp him. Lei Jingzhe then squatted down and swept his leg. Shen Zechuan leaped off the ground, brushing past the gust of wind and landing on the railing.

The crowd below was roaring with cries for blood. Lei Jingzhe intended to kill Shen Zechuan that very night. Seeing Shen Zechuan standing precariously on the edge, he lifted the iron hammer and called upon the wind, trying to force Shen Zechuan off the platform. Shen Zechuan stood firmly on the railing, with a strong wind surging behind him, billowing his clothes like the wings of a goose perched on a railing. He kept his right hand still, already at a disadvantage.

Lei Jingzhe decided to attack his opponent's mind, saying while moving, "Very well! Shen Zechuan, do you want to know what relationship Bai Cha has with the scorpion? I'll tell you tonight!"

He flipped up onto the railing, relentlessly pressing against Shen Zechuan, stepping in time with his opponent's movements.

"Bai Cha is a courtesan in Duanzhou Hall who works for the Liao Ying Department. She's either A Mu'er's dog by Shen Wei's side or a hidden needle for Bian Sha in Zhongbo!"

Shen Zechuan seemed to lose his footing for a moment, swaying dangerously at the edge. His sleeves fluttered backward. Fei Sheng, who was surrounded by the crowd, caught sight of this and panicked, shouting, "Master!"

But in the next instant, Shen Zechuan swung back with the wind, regaining his balance.

Lei Jingzhe struck fiercely in response, forcing Shen Zechuan to retreat once more. He continued speaking without pause, "Do you feel pitiful? Enduring torment as Shen Wei's son! Let me pull you out of this misery, Shen Zechuan. You're the child of a Border Sands bastard, Bai Cha was a woman for all men in Gedale."

A sudden weight on his neck made Lei Jingzhe almost bite off his tongue. He hastily retreated, regaining his balance high above, then spat out the blood that Shen Zechuan had forced from him.

Shen Zechuan raised his left hand, a cold glint in his eyes. His complexion appeared exceptionally pale under the faint moonlight, like a piece of cold jade devoid of any blood. He spoke slowly, "Watch your tongue."

Lei Jingzhe discarded the iron hammer and gradually created distance, whispering, "Every word I said is true." His gaze held pity, "You truly are the most pitiful child in this world. Do you know how Bai Cha died? Shen Wei discovered her identity and strangled her with his own hands. You were born amidst hatred, why did Shen Wei raise you? When you crawled out of the Tea Stone Pit, returned to Zhongbo amidst all this enmity and sorrow, did you think you were reclaiming what was lost?" He laughed deeply, cruelly saying, "You've moved yourself to tears, but you didn't consider that no one will accept you. If Li Bei learns who Bai Cha was, Xiao Chiye's blade will turn towards you."

The railing shook violently. As Shen Zechuan leaped up, Lei Jingzhe crossed his arms to block, nearly falling backward from the kick. The two fought fiercely, leaving Yan Heru too afraid to remain, darting to the other side. Lei Jingzhe barely managed to defend himself, scraping against the trellis in retreat and toppling a nearby glass lantern. Flames engulfed the luxurious rug, spreading rapidly.

Lei Jingzhe anticipated that Shen Zechuan had lost his composure. The two clashed between the railings, flames blazing behind them.

Bloodied from the fight, Fei Sheng climbed out of the ladder entrance, shouting, "Master, it's ablaze! We can't stay here!"

A gust of wind hit Lei Jingzhe from behind. Diverting his strength to evade the Jin Yiwei, he declared, "Dunzhou belongs to me tonight. There's no escape, even in your desperate battle!"

In the midst of their exchange, a white sleeve whipped across Lei Jingzhe's face, catching him off guard. His footing faltered, and Shen Zechuan already had a grip on Lei Jingzhe's collar. In that moment of terror, Lei Jingzhe saw Shen Zechuan's face clearly. Before Fei Sheng could intervene, a mere instant later, the white figure, like a feather, plummeted down with Lei Jingzhe!

Fei Sheng's heart raced, reaching out to grab, only managing to catch the corner of Lei Jingzhe's garment. His voice trembled in fear, "Master!"

The moment Lei Jingzhe began his descent, he was convinced that Shen Zechuan was determined to risk it all! In the midst of his fall, he swiftly extended his right arm, his back colliding with the upturned eaves of Fuxian Peak. As the edge of the roof broke off, he managed to grasp onto it just in time to hang on. With his feet dangling in mid-air, the raging flames seemed to envelop the heavens and earth, even causing Lei Jingzhe's heart to race. Not daring to be careless, Lei Jingzhe clung on with his right arm, pain searing through it, as he tried to cling onto the remaining eaves and pull himself up onto the protruding tile surface.

Yet, Shen Zechuan had already climbed over from the other end. Lei Jingzhe's raised hand was trampled underfoot, causing several tiles to crumble and fall, shattering into pieces upon impact with the ground.

Still reeling from the shock, Lei Jingzhe spat out the blood in his mouth against the wind and cursed, "Damn it!"

Shen Zechuan gazed down upon Lei Jingzhe, his shredded sleeve exposing his right hand. Behind him, flames soared to the heavens. He had removed the bandages, discarding the embedded steel needles, and now clenched his pale fingers in a test of strength.

With a searing pain shooting through his finger, Lei Jingzhe's arm, previously strained, was barely holding him up at this moment. His feet dangled in mid-air as he desperately clung to the crumbling eaves, watching the steel needle plummeting right before his eyes.

"You won't survive killing me either," Lei Jingzhe raised his eyes, forcing a laugh. "How pathetic you are, turned into a monster! From this night on, Zhongbo will be your nightmare. You'll toss and turn through every night, live in constant fear every day, the ground beneath your feet..."

Shen Zechuan crouched down. His gloom and pallor vanished in the flickering flames, replaced by an eerie glamour and a cruel thirst for blood. He chuckled softly, saying, "How naive of you."

Lei Jingzhe's throat rumbled in confusion. He didn't understand why Shen Zechuan—struggling to breathe as Shen Zechuan's right hand choked his throat tightly. He never imagined that the seemingly frail and sickly Shen Zechuan possessed such immense strength!

Shen Zechuan curled his fingers, leveraging Lei Jingzhe's struggling to lift him slightly. Gazing at Lei Jingzhe's flushed face, he whispered, "You're hilarious, Lei Jingzhe. How could you think Bai Cha could shake me?"

Unable to catch his breath, Lei Jingzhe's rolling eyes darted wildly, consumed by fear.

Shen Zechuan studied him with a benevolent expression. "I came to Duntou precisely to capture you."

A faint gasp escaped Lei Jingzhe's throat.

"You've done me a great favor," Shen Zechuan turned his gaze to Duntou. "I wanted to annex Duntou and Duangzhou, but I dared not act because of Qi Zhuyin. I could only use Fanzhou's Prince Yi as a cover. You could have lived longer if you hadn't brought the Biansha cavalry this time. Perhaps I would have had to wait for another year, two years, or even longer to find an opportunity. But you delivered the Biansha cavalry to me."

Sparks crackled and popped.

"I now have ample reason to march on Duntou," Shen Zechuan's eyes returned to Lei Jingzhe's face. "Thanks to your company, I was able to give the Cizhou garrison enough time."

Lei Jingzhe refused to believe it. How could Shen Zechuan have planned so meticulously, accounting for every move? He lifted his head, his vision already blurred. Struggling to catch his breath, he said, "Y-You... You're a scorpion..."

"It doesn't matter who my parents are," Shen Zechuan whispered into his ear. "I am still Shen Zechuan. Whether what you say is true or false is irrelevant to me. My nightmare is myself."

This land beneath their feet?

Zhongbo couldn't hold Shen Zechuan back. Unlike Xiao Chiye, he didn't have a nostalgic hometown. The day he fell into the Tea Stone Pit, he became a man without a home, severing all ties to the land. He could never gallop across the grasslands; his wings were born in the dark of night. If Xiao Chiye was the Hongyan Mountain, then Shen Zechuan was the biting cold wind that swept through Zhongbo.

Shen Wei, White Tea.

He didn't care in the slightest.

The sound came from his right hand, but Shen Zechuan was already numb to the pain. He choked Lei Jingzhe just as he had choked Ji Lei a year ago, symbolizing his liberation from being at the mercy of others. Perhaps Lei Jingzhe was right; years of suffering and hatred had molded him into a monster. When Qi Huilian died in the pouring rain, Shen Zechuan had cast aside all constraints. He would never again be anyone's captive.

He loved Xiao Chiye, and he had Ji Gang. He couldn't bear the thought of Xiao Chiye and Ji Gang revisiting their past, becoming an irreparable pain for him. He had endured enough suppression, enough chains. He was determined to tear apart not just the heavens and earth, but also all the shackles that had been imposed upon him in the past!

Lei Jingzhe was on the brink of collapse. Finally, he managed to raise his hand and grasp Shen Zechuan's arm. At that moment, he recalled the rumors he had heard about the capital.

"Mad... mad..." Lei Jingzhe struggled to speak.

Roaring flames engulfed the ornate pavilions and terraces, their structures groaning dangerously as they burned. Splintered timbers crashed down, and tiles beneath their feet skidded away. The magnificent Fuxian Pavilion, built with great expense by Yan Heru, was collapsing. The remaining eaves, unable to bear the weight of two people, snapped with a loud crack.

Shen Zechuan stood there, but his mind was transported back to the abyss from his dreams. He had always stood on the edge, never daring to take that one step, for he was unsure of the transformation that would follow. But now, he heard the sound of hoofbeats.

It was the wind blowing from the North.

Releasing his grip, Shen Zechuan leaped out as the dilapidated eaves crumbled. Like a bird folding its wings, he plummeted downward amidst the fluttering white robes. The wind brushed past his ears, like a fleeting dream.

Beneath the abyss lay tranquil, stagnant waters. Shen Zechuan fell into them, creating ripples. Yet, the breath so close to his ear was intense and full of vitality, dispelling the darkness. Strong arms enveloped Shen Zechuan, and in that instant, the still waters seemed to shake off the dust, transforming into Xiao Chiye's chest.

Shen Zechuan was caught.