Chapter 264: Choking Up

Chapter 264: A Stifled Sob

Wuwang Palace, Hundred-Step Arbor.

Lord Wuwang Xie Chunshan sat alone in the pavilion, holding a crescent-shaped purple clay teapot. With one hand lifting the pot and the other tucking back his wide black sleeves embroidered with silver, he poured amber tea into the cup, the liquid settling into a rich amber hue against the celadon glaze.

Behind him, by the cliffside, Song Xiaoyu was trussed up in a kneeling position, his mouth gagged by Xue Sui. Unable to struggle, Song could only emit faint whimpers, spittle dribbling from his lips and soaking through the cloth.

Xue Sui halted five steps away, bowing as he reported, "Palace Lord, Lord Pingwu is here."

Xie Shu continued pouring tea, acknowledging with a noncommittal hum.

Xue Sui then gave Xiao Wu a push. Having just recovered from a severe illness, Lord Pingwu was no match for Envoy Xue’s force and stumbled forward unsteadily.

Xie Shu chuckled. "Lord Pingwu, truly the foremost immortal of the righteous sects—how far you’ve fallen. Do be careful. Below this Hundred-Step Arbor lies a sheer cliff. If the Immortal Lord loses his footing, not a trace would remain."

This was one of the script’s key lines.

Xiao Wu steadied himself, standing straight and silent. His spine, though thin and frail, was unyielding as ancient pines and jade bamboo. The ceaseless wind atop the pavilion fluttered his sleeves and robes, accentuating his poised posture. The figure in white seemed less human than a drawn sword.

Xie Shu waited quietly.

According to the script, Xiao Wu was supposed to reply, *"The Palace Lord worries too much. This broken body would only meet death—why should it matter?"*

After all, Lord Pingwu and Lord Wuwang stood as diametric opposites—righteous and demonic, at odds. Even after enduring the torments of the Water Prison, Xiao Wu would never bow or yield to Xie Chunshan. It was precisely this defiance that fueled Xie Chunshan’s urge to break him, to test the limits of his pride.

But Xiao Wu did not speak.

He listened to Xie Chunshan’s mocking words but made no reply. Instead, he lowered his gaze, fingers clenching silently in his sleeves.

*—When Xie Chunshan was still the Pharmacist, he had never spoken to him like this.*

Xie Shu waited a moment longer, but the expected reply never came. Since the line wasn’t crucial, he simply smiled and resumed sipping his tea. "You must already know why I summoned you here."

He glanced at the script again.

By the script’s direction, Xiao Wu should have answered coldly, *"I do not know."*

Yet again, Xiao Wu remained silent.

His hollow gaze fixed on Xie Chunshan, lips pressed into a thin line. His lashes trembled faintly before drooping weakly, bearing a hint of unspoken sorrow—as if silently asking, *"Why are you doing this to me?"*

Xie Shu averted his gaze. He couldn’t bring himself to look.

The original Xie Chunshan had despised this very expression of Xiao Wu’s—his aloof, fearless demeanor, as though untouched by mortal suffering. Longing to tear away that lofty mask, Xie Shu followed the script with a cold laugh. "It matters not if you don’t know. Soon enough, Immortal Lord, you will."

With a flick of his sleeve, a burst of energy lashed toward Xiao Wu’s face. Xiao Wu neither dodged nor flinched, allowing the force to stop just short of his brow.

Xie Shu gestured. "Go on, Immortal Lord. Touch it."

Xiao Wu raised his hand and grasped the object.

It was cold to the touch, square in shape—a bronze identification plaque.

Wuwang Palace had many restricted zones, and servants required identification to avoid trespassing and provoking the demonic cultivators, lest they meet a gruesome end. This token belonged to Song Xiaoyu, the characters "Song Xiaoyu" deeply engraved upon it.

Xiao Wu’s fingers traced the inscription, his fingertips trembling imperceptibly.

Yet his expression remained impassive as he said flatly, "Who is this person? What concern is he of mine?"

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

At this moment, feigning ignorance was the greatest protection for Song Xiaoyu.

Lord Wuwang gave a dark chuckle, "Is that so?"

With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the cloth gagging Song Xiaoyu's throat fell away. The boy sucked in a ragged breath and cried out hoarsely, "Palace Lord! I— Mmph—" before being silenced again.

These two words were the exact script Xie Shu had given him. Portraying Xie Chunshan, he couldn't afford to pay attention to Song Xiaoyu and had to stick to simple, inconspicuous lines for the boy to deliver.

Though instructed the day before, when actually bound at the cliff's edge, with the pavilion winds howling like mountain ghosts' wails and the cold, indifferent face of the Demon Palace's lord before him, Song Xiaoyu was shaking with genuine terror. His voice was already hoarse from crying, his words slurred through snot and tears. Even if his own parents were present, they wouldn't recognize if it was truly him.

Xiao Wu's fingers suddenly clenched his sleeve.

Xie Shu swirled the tea in his cup, took a sip, and then said leisurely, "Does the Immortal Lord remember now?"

Xiao Wu remained stern and silent. Xie Shu continued unhurriedly, "Since the Immortal Lord refuses to speak, allow me to fill in the gaps. This boy is a servant of my Demon Palace. Unfortunately, though he enjoyed our provisions, he failed in loyalty, instead scheming to involve the Immortal Lord. During your time in the water prison, he provided you with many conveniences, did he not?"

"..."

Crimson bloomed through the white sleeve—Xiao Wu, standing motionless, had drawn blood from his clenched palm.

Xie Shu set down his teacup and suddenly lifted Song Xiaoyu by the cliff's edge. With Xie Chunshan's cultivation, lifting the teenager was as easy as hauling sacks of rice. He hung the boy's torso over the deadly drop and repeated with emphasis, a smile in his voice, "Immortal Lord, did he or did he not?"

The boy's frantic, gagged cries escalated.

Despite prior warnings, Song Xiaoyu was scared out of his wits.

Xiao Wu frowned and stepped forward as if to intervene, but forced himself to halt. Coldly, he stated, "I coerced him into this. He bears no responsibility."

"The work of one person?" Xie Shu repeated with an ambiguous tone, "Are you saying that, under severe torture in the Water Prison, half-dead and barely alive, you could still coerce a servant to bring you water and cook for you?"

"..."

After a long, stiff silence, Xiao Wu finally spoke in the dead quiet: "What do you intend to do?"

Finally, a line that made sense. Xie Shu said coolly, "According to the rules of the Demon Palace, a traitor should have their limbs cut off, eyes gouged out, tongue pulled out, and be flayed into a human swine, then thrown to the Pharmacy Hall to serve as feed for the insects, worms, and snakes there."

With each sentence, the hand inside Xiao Wu's sleeve trembled a little more, the wide sleeves unable to conceal it. Blood gathered at the edge of the sleeve and dripped down, merging into the dust below the Hundred Steps Pavilion, leaving dark red marks like cinnabar.

Xiao Wu said, "This matter is my fault; I am willing to take his punishment."

Xiao Wu was a true gentleman of clear wind and bright moon, while Xie Chunshan was a truly savage and cruel demon. He had no interest in throwing Xiao Wu into a pile of insects and snakes; otherwise, he would have done so on the first day.

Thus, Xie Chunshan said with interest, "Meridians are the foundation of cultivators. I've heard that as long as one meridian remains, there's a chance for a comeback. Sir Immortal, I fear your comeback after I've treated you so harshly. If you sever all your remaining meridians, I won't turn him into a human swine but will cast him out of the palace. What do you say?"

Xiao Wu pressed his thin lips together, his teeth biting into the flesh, tasting the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth.

He wasn't afraid of severed meridians; most of his meridians were already broken, rendering him almost useless. Before, he couldn't wield a sword; now, he might not even be able to hold a Lu Ban lock.

He might go blind, deaf, lose his voice, become paralyzed, unable to sit up or walk, or even lift a finger, becoming nothing more than a useless, limp mass of flesh.

But that didn't matter much; it would just hurt more, make life harder. What Xiao Wu couldn't understand was why Xie Chunshan wanted this.

Seven days ago, Xie Chunshan fed him sweet porridge; six days ago, Xie Chunshan helped him walk in the courtyard; five days ago, Xie Chunshan added a brazier to keep him warm; four days ago, Xie Chunshan supported him into the hot spring to prevent him from falling; three days ago, Xie Chunshan watched him practice swordsmanship, praising his graceful and free-flowing technique, calling him a once-in-a-lifetime talent.

The walls he had built up crumbled inch by inch under Xie Chunshan's kindness, nearly exposing his soft inner self.

But today, Xie Chunshan asked him to sever his meridians.

Here is the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

If he severed any more, he wouldn't even be able to wield a withered branch.

Xie Chunshan had seen it twice before—was that why he refused to watch it again?

At this moment, Xie Shu still tossed Song Xiaoyu back: "Has the Immortal Lord made a decision?"

Xiao Wu gave a soft laugh. "Fine."

Lord Pingwu rarely smiled. His smiles were usually polite masks of decorum, but now, he curled his lips ever so slightly, letting a silent smile show.

Then, the last remnants of mana surged from his severed meridians, gathering and rushing toward the few that remained. In his current state, Xiao Wu couldn't so much as scratch Lord Wuwang, but destroying his own meridians was still possible.

Xie Shu had been watching him closely and moved with lightning speed, sealing several major meridians in an instant. Innumerable threads of mana flickered at his fingertips before ensnaring Xiao Wu in an unbreakable hold.

Xiao Wu still stood where he was, but even lifting a hand had become difficult.

—*A restraining spell.*

Xiao Wu went rigid.

The last time Xie Chunshan had bound him like this was on the bed in Lord Wuwang's palace, beneath soft, clean blankets.

Now, it was amid the howling winds of the Hundred-Step Pavilion.

Then, Xie Chunshan dusted off his hands and drawled, "Immortal Lord, don't sever them yourself. Too hasty—where's the pleasure in that? Something this interesting should be done by my own hand, methodically, one by one."

One by one would stretch the torment indefinitely, making it more painful, more unbearable.

Xiao Wu replied calmly, "Fine."

This deviated from the plan. Xiao Wu was supposed to sever his own meridians, but after much deliberation, Xie Shu decided it was too painful and unpredictable. Better to take him back to the palace, sedate him into oblivion, and let Mad Pharmacist Wu Buke guide the process before doing it himself.

Xie Shu turned his head. "Since the Immortal Lord has consented, I'll attend to the traitor now."

He strolled over to Song Xiaoyu.

For the sake of the plot, Song Xiaoyu had to die.

From the start, Xie Shu had blocked Song Xiaoyu's senses, preventing him from hearing their conversation. Now, he partially lifted the seal. Half-asleep and dazed, Song Xiaoyu had just opened his eyes when his body was suddenly suspended in midair. He thrashed violently, his whimpers rising to desperate cries.

Xie Shu remained at the cliff's edge, holding him over the abyss.

Xiao Wu, who had just begun to relax slightly, tensed again, his carefully maintained calm fracturing as he snapped, "The Palace Lord is a man of honor throughout the realm. I've already agreed to sever my meridians—does the Palace Lord intend to go back on his word?"

Xie Chunshan clapped his hands and laughed. "How so, Immortal Lord? I said I wouldn't turn him into a human swine—I'd throw him out of the palace instead. Tossing him from this pavilion still counts as throwing him out, doesn't it?"

"You—!"

Xiao Wu's gaze sharpened abruptly. Mana surged violently through his sealed acupoints as he forcibly gathered energy. Xie Shu's restraining talisman nearly shattered under the strain. He mused silently—truly worthy of being the Righteous Path's top figure in the game's lore. Even imprisoned and humiliated, Lord Pingwu's momentary outburst of power was formidable. The winds howled, scattering stones and sand, and in the void, the sharp resonance of a sword seemed to ring out.

Yet, what power did Lord Wuwang wield? Within two breaths, Xiao Wu's strength failed him completely.

Leaning heavily against a pillar to keep from crumpling, his fingers whitened from the strain. His noble features turned parchment-pale, twin trails of blood seeping from the corners of his lips before he covered his mouth, coughing helplessly.

"Cough—cough, cough—"

Each hack grew more violent until his entire body trembled with the force of it. Xie Shu studied him, letting out a quiet breath of relief.

The barrier shielded the broken meridians, and though Lord Pingwu recklessly channeled his Arts against his body's condition, he only suffered minor injuries—luckily, it wasn’t serious.

Next, all that remained was to drop Song Xiaoyu.

Beneath the cliff, a formation had been set up, with Xue Sui waiting halfway down the mountain. The carriage back to the Song Family Manor was ready, and the silver payment for Song Xiaoyu had been placed in a hidden compartment. Everything was in place.

He lifted Song Xiaoyu and positioned him at the designated spot.

—All he had to do was let go, and this charade would end.

"Xie Chunshan... Xie Chunshan... Palace Lord..."

"Palace Lord Xie..."

Yet, behind him, someone called out—a whisper so faint it barely carried, tinged with stifled sobs.

Xiao Wu still clung to the pavilion pillar, no longer able to hold himself upright, half-kneeling on the ground. He raised his head, his empty gaze locked onto Xie Shu.

This was a scene not in the original plot.

Lord Pingwu's voice was shattered: "Xie Chunshan... Palace Lord Xie... I beg you, just this once, I’m begging you, alright...?"

"He’s still so young, he’s truly innocent... Xie Chunshan... Xie Chunshan..."

Blood choked Xiao Wu’s throat, rendering his words slow and labored, each word measured as he repeated Xie Chunshan's name, pleading: "Do anything you want to me, Xie Chunshan, just let him go..."

In the original story, Xiao Wu had endured everything without begging. He knew Lord Wuwang’s nature was vile—the more one pleaded, the more he reveled in it, and the crueler he became. So Xiao Wu had waited years for vengeance, driving a sword through his heart. But perhaps these days of unearned kindness had fostered foolish hope. Maybe the warmth of porridge and an embrace had made him believe he could bargain. Or perhaps each unharmed day in Wuwang Palace had led him to bet on his captor’s pity.

Xie Shu watched as Xiao Wu closed his eyes, a tear slipping from his trembling lashes down his temple.

In the original text, no torture had ever made Xiao Wu cry.

But now, Lord Pingwu shook so violently he could barely grip the pillar, like a forced-open clam, his sobs raw and exposed.

He said, "Xie Chunshan, I beg you."

Author's Note:

A pitiful Immortal Lord, tangled in love and despair.