Chapter 109 – Si Cui’s Finale

Chapter 109 - Si Cui's Finale

The princess, poisoned and in a coma, while Si Cui was imprisoned.

The movement to overturn the verdict on the former crown prince grew stronger, and Duan Feng was entrusted with the task of apprehending the rebellious conspirators within and outside the court.

During this time, he arrested his former comrades, witnessing their loved ones' desperate struggles, reminiscent of his own past. The conversation he had with Si Cui that day in the secret tunnel echoed incessantly in his mind, swirling around, refusing to depart.

"You're not an ordinary person, you're a coward."

He was indeed a coward; not only that, but he was also a traitor.

With the sword in his hand, he aimed it at his former self, betraying his own principles.

The princess remained unconscious, and his heart was tormented by the constant tug-of-war between royal decree and conscience.

Duan Feng drowned himself in alcohol each day, his appearance reflecting his inner turmoil and decline.

He began to question his choices, wondering what exactly he was doing.

In the deserted street, he stumbled out of the closed tavern.

"Tan Feng," someone caught him as he fell.

"I am Duan Feng, not Tan Feng," he pushed the person away and poured himself more wine. The fiery liquor could not ignite any passion within his troubled heart.

"Tan Feng, are you still human? You even captured your own martial instructor, and didn't spare his fourteen-year-old child. If you have any conscience left, release them."

"I am human or a ghost?" Duan Feng swayed, his sword pointing precisely at the man's chest. "Can I be neither?"

"Scram, before I change my mind and capture you myself, get lost."

The man spat in his face. Duan Feng wiped it off with his wine, softly humming a childhood tune.

He sheathed his sword and staggered along the cold, empty street.

The cloth map of fortifications he had concealed in his robe for a long time, but he lacked the courage to take it out.

Truly a coward, he thought to himself.

Duan Feng laughed wildly in the deserted street.

As he walked, he found himself at Si Cui's place of detention without realizing it. He waved away the guards and instructed them to stand watch outside.

Inside the prison, Si Cui was unusually calm. Duan Feng sat across from her, leaning on the bars that confined her, pouring the wine from his flask over himself. "If your identity were revealed now, perhaps you'd win. You could be a princess!"

Si Cui's gaze shifted, meeting his. "What about Ru Ying?"

"Ru Ying?" The name brought a moment of clarity to Duan Feng. He suddenly smashed the flask in a fit of laughter. "The princess's life is in grave danger, more so than ever. Your father has someone trying to clear his name, the court is unstable. Are you pleased now? You're a venomous woman."

Finished speaking, Duan Feng's laughter turned bleak. "You're a venomous woman, and I'm neither human nor ghost. What right do I have to criticize you?"

Si Cui lowered her head, no longer looking at him or speaking.

As Duan Feng left the prison, the situation worsened. The winds of chaos howled as numerous rebels, after being arrested, were mysteriously freed by skilled martial artists who knew the jail layout intimately.

Amidst this turmoil, the emperor's third son, also known as the Han King, took the righteous path of turning against his family, entering the palace under the pretense of avenging his uncle. Surprisingly, the capital's military forces were under his control, and they proved powerless against him.

That very night, chaos reigned both within and outside the palace. Bamboo Immortal seized the opportunity to rescue both the princess and Si Cui.

Bamboo Immortal intended to search Si Cui's soul for the location of the snake demon's lair, as he didn't trust the information she had provided and sought assurance through the soul searching technique.

Duan Feng inquired, "What will happen to Si Cui if her soul is searched?"

"Should she not resist, she might just spare her life."

"And if she resists?"

"Her soul would be utterly destroyed."

Duan Feng looked at Si Cui, who showed little reaction. After a moment of hesitation, he glanced back at the lifeless princess, whose vitality was fading rapidly.

Duan Feng spoke to Si Cui, "Your father's innocence has been proven, your family's vendetta avenged. The former prince has been posthumously reinstated, his memorial tablet enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Future emperors will honor him in their rituals, no longer as a wandering spirit. The new emperor and officials are currently discussing his posthumous title. You can rest assured now."

Si Cui nodded slightly. With cracked lips, she managed a dry and raspy voice, "Thank you for telling me."

Duan Feng wanted to say more, but Bamboo Immortal had already begun his spell.

He stepped out into a bamboo grove, the painful cries from behind unsettling his heart. He stumbled along the path until the sounds were no longer audible.

...

"The Soul Search confirmed what she said."

Bamboo Immortal glanced at Si Cui, who was leaning against the wall in a daze. Duan Feng looked at him in shock. Bamboo Immortal cast a spell, binding Si Cui with a rope. Before Duan Feng could say anything, Bamboo Immortal pulled him away. "We don't have time. We need to find that snake demon quickly. Ru Ying can't hold on for long."

"What about her? What happened to Si Cui?"

"She didn't resist, so she's alive, but her mind is now disoriented."

"Mad? You mean she's mad?"

"Indeed."

Duan Feng felt a sudden emptiness in his heart.

"Madmen can be aggressive. She's a living being, and I can't take a life. I'll have to leave her here for now, but she remains a potential threat."

Duan Feng's thoughts were in disarray, tangled haphazardly.

The source of his distress was indistinct.

...

The serpent demon, assaulted by Bamboo Immortal, Duan Feng, and the elves who had affection for the princess, suffered severe injuries. They obtained the antidote the princess needed.

After the princess consumed the antidote, her complexion improved gradually, though she remained unconscious.

While guarding the princess, Duan Feng would occasionally, out of compassion, untie Si Cui, allowing her temporary freedom.

Gradually, they realized that Si Cui posed no threat, and over time, they ceased to restrain her.

Si Cui is usually tranquil, with occasional bursts of peculiar behavior and incoherent mutterings that defy comprehension.

She often cradled a pot of steaming tea in her room, addressing the table and chairs, "Your Highness, this is your favorite Longquan Peak Silver Bud Tea, infused with rose dew, all personally gathered by Si Cui without any assistance. Do try it soon."

"Why isn't the princess sipping her drink?"

"Princess, have I lost your favor with the things I create?"

"So, what do you like? Tell Si Cui, and she'll make it happen for you."

...

As the days went by, the princess's health gradually improved. Eventually, she regained consciousness, but her past memories had been erased due to the poison's effects.

The Bamboo Immortal informed her, "I am your husband, and Duan Feng is your brother. You are called Ru Ying."

Ru Ying looked at Si Cui, who was quietly tucked away in a corner. "Who is she? Is she...?"

"Your sister?"

"No, she has no relation to you. We took pity on her as she was mad and took her in. Nobody knows who she truly is."

Ru Ying nodded, often glancing at Si Cui. Whenever she did, Si Cui would sharply lift her head, and the two would share a laugh.

On one such day, Si Cui, holding a cup of tea, approached the table with more questions.

"What's the matter with you?"

Ru Ying steps forward, curiosity driving her.

Si Cui lifts her head, confusion intertwined with a glimmer of clarity. As if fragments of memory are piecing together, she speaks to Ru Ying, "Princess, this is your favorite Longquan Peak Silver Tip Tea, brewed with rose dew…."

"Demonic woman! So you were faking madness!" Duan Feng's eyes widen in terror. He had momentarily let his guard down, allowing Si Cui to approach the princess and possibly re-administer poison! She wasn't mad after all; she remembered everything! It's too late to stop now; he lunges forward, his sword piercing straight through Si Cui's heart.

Si Cui gazes at the sword in her chest. Her fractured soul seems to mend under the sudden agony, granting her a fleeting moment of lucidity. The teacup slips from her hand, shattering into fragments and releasing a cloud of scorching steam—just ordinary hot water.

Duan Feng recoils in horror. What has he done? He's killed Si Cui!

Si Cui looks at Duan Feng, a mocking smile tugging at her lips. The words spoken in that secret tunnel that day have come true.

If you pose a threat to the princess, I will kill you!

She no longer expends energy on Duan Feng, turning her gaze instead to Ru Ying, revealing a tinge of reluctance. They, sisters—one mad, one without memories—had unknowingly coexisted for so long.

Si Cui attempts to speak, perhaps to call out to her sister, but blood gushes from the corners of her mouth, silencing her.

With her eyes closed, Si Cui reflects on her eighteen years of fruitless endeavors. Her father's case was merely a pawn for others to seize power; she hadn't contributed to its resolution.

In these eighteen years, the only affection she held dear was for her adoptive father who raised her, and... Li Ru Ying, her gentle, kind, and lovable cousin.

Si Cui fell to the ground, blood seeping slowly and staining the earth red.

Ru Ying rushed forward to pick up Si Cui. "Duan Feng, why did you kill her? Save her quickly!"

"Where's Ah Zhu? Where did he go? He can definitely save her."

"Duan Feng, hurry up and find Ah Zhu!"

"She can't be saved." The Bamboo Immortal approached, glancing at Si Cui on the ground, already lifeless. Even immortals couldn't revive the dead. "Ru Ying, let's give her a proper burial. Calm down for now, you've just regained your strength."

Ru Ying clutched the bloody figure in her arms as if she had lost a precious treasure. She looked helplessly at the Bamboo Immortal and Duan Feng. She felt that the person in her arms should be closer to her. Her tears uncontrollably rolled down.

"I just wanted to save her."

"Ru Ying, don't be sad." The Bamboo Immortal knelt down, wiping away Ru Ying's tears. "She was just a stranger to you."

Ru Ying shook her head. No, they weren't strangers. They weren't. She hugged the person tightly. How could they be strangers when they were so familiar and close?

In the end, Ru Ying gradually lost her strength and slipped into unconsciousness.

After burying Si Cui, Duan Feng departed, wandering the world with his sword as his companion, forsaking his stable life for a life of wandering once more.

Many years later...

Beyond the Mountain God's Temple, there was a vast bamboo forest, where the bamboo leaves danced gently in the breeze.

In the heart of the bamboo grove, there was a bamboo house inhabited by a couple that seemed like divine beings.

Ru Ying gave birth to a daughter for Zhu Xiansheng, whom she named Si Cui.

"Is there a particular reason for this name? Does it bring something to mind?" Zhu Xiansheng asked, surprised.

"A reason? Doesn't it sound lovely to call our daughter, whose life is like a tender shoot of green bamboo, Si Cui?" Ru Ying replied with a gentle smile, lifting their daughter and playfully tapping her nose. "Si Cui, Si Cui."

The infant in her arms cooed softly, "Goo goo goo."

"Look, Si Cui is smiling. She likes her name," Ru Ying said, delighted.

The curtains fall.

Tang Fei closed the script, letting out a sigh.