Life Going Wild With Plug-ins

Chapter 26 - «How the small loyal dog became a scapegoat.»


Yun Pizhi quickly cleared up the bloodstain, wrapped up Gu Ciqu’s petite, still-warm corpse, and swept out of the courtyard, rushing deep into the mountains.

I turned back to the front courtyard, where Qin Kezou was in a daze under the veranda.

I waited for a moment, Qin Kezou only snapped out of it when Yun Pizhi patted him on the shoulder.

“Xiao Yun.....”

Yun Pizhi said with a calm expression: “Don’t worry. Sister Gu has already given her answer, she wishes to get married to you.”

“But.....”

Yun Pizhi leaned closer to him again: “Although I can’t tell you about the plan, she does know. She listened to my methods, and was so happy she praised the intelligence of her brother Yun.”

Qin Kezou blankly said: “So it’s like this.”

“It’s getting late, you should go propose a toast, the guests are all waiting for you. Your expression doesn’t look good, are you feeling unwell?” Yun Pihzi urged.

Qin Kezou nodded: “A little bit.”

“You’re just worrying too much and overthinking things. Come to the hall and have a few drinks with me in a bit, just don’t get in the way.” Yun Pizhi gave a clear smile, and left without waiting for his answer.

After he left, Qin Kezou sat back down in a daze.

I looked around anxiously, but when I remembered this was the last day of his life, I didn’t wish for anyone to disturb him.

A servant girl in the lobby went to urge him to go receive the guests, and he agreed, saying he would go right away.

Again he sat dazed for a bit, then let out a sigh and got up, but suddenly he swayed on his feet and had to quickly support himself on a pillar on the veranda.

Qin Kezou was a little startled, he slowly lifted his right hand and pressed it against the wrist on his left, stopping for a moment, his astonishment gradually grew as he found the situation harder to believe.


“Yaksha.” Qin Kezou said in a trembling voice.

That familiar silhouette soon knelt down in front of him.

“.....I, I want to ask something of you.....” Qin Kezou’s expression was full of pain.

Yaksha steadily answered: “Master, please command me.”

Qin Kezou said: “I’m going to go make a toast at the grand hall in a bit, I ask you.... at that time, kill me with your sword.”

Yaksha lifted his head at this, a trace of hesitation in his eyes.

Due to his hesitation the vicious aura on his body diminished, and at last he started to look a bit like the little shadow guard that I knew so well.

“.....I’ve been poisoned.” Qin Kezou hopelessly closed his eyes, “It’s Taihangjian’s ‘A Day After Autumn’.”

“One day throughout the ages, the autumn executions1 .” Yaksha coldly said.

“Yes..... Yaksha, you are also an expert at using poison, you inevitably know that after being poisoned with this, no one is able to detect it, but after twelve sichen2 , one will surely die.” Qin Kezou’s breath weakened, “Both families from Qinling and Taihangjian are here today, if I die to a poison unique to Taihangjian, the consequences would be too horrible to imagine. Yaksha, I ask you.... help me hide this matter. As soon as you kill me, take away my body and destroy it.... don’t let anyone find out about this....”

Yaksha paused for a moment, and answered: “I accept your orders.”

“For making you take on this blame.... I am really sorry.” Qin Kezou’s strength was not enough to support his body, and he slowly knelt down on the ground. Yaksha quickly went to support him.

“This subordinate’s life originally belongs to Master.” Yaksha’s expression was calm, to the point that it was somewhat cold.

“Help me..... give Xiao Yun a message.” Qin Kezou leaned on his shoulder, and quietly said, “Just say, I know who killed me. I anticipated this day..... I just regret, that I couldn’t..... with Xiao Yun....”

His breath was uneven, and he couldn’t continue speaking, Yaksha helped him lean against the side of the corridor.

After that he retreated seven steps, untied his sword and placed it in front of him, bowed to the ground, and very formally kowtowed three times.

“What are you doing!” Qin Kezou was suddenly worried.

“After completing the task Master has entrusted me with, this subordinate should follow Master to the grave.” Yaksha calmly said.

“No, you can’t.” Qin Kezou shook his head, “You don’t need to offer your life to compensate, you must think of a way to survive.... Bring a pen and paper, I’ll help you write a letter to send to the Nightrunner. Although it is not in line with the rules of the Nightrunner.... Though the Master is dead, I hope the Nightrunner can be a little accommodating.”

Yaksha swiftly fetched pen and paper, Qin Kezou repeatedly urged him: “First go to the main hall, quickly.... I can’t hold on for much longer.”

Yaksha nodded, and left without turning his head back.


I looked at Qin Kezou, and unconsciously followed after Yaksha.

Although I knew he couldn’t see me, I still didn’t dare get too close to him.

.....Oh, I feel like Yaksha at his prime is a strangely frightening sight.


Going into the hall, he went straight towards Yun Pizhi and sat down by his side. Qin Chenyuan soon discovered the taciturn shadow guard and turned to him to offer a few cups of wine.

He kept silent, but took the cup he was offered and drank it all.

Next to him, someone whispered: “Is that the legendary Yaksha the Blood Demon?”

“Don’t they say that Shadow Guards never drink alcohol?”

“Attendants can even sit at the guest table, Young Master Qin really treats his servants well...”

They were excluding Ye Tan.

I was not pleased to hear this.

After a bit, Qin Kezou wobbled into the hall, his flushed complexion carrying a hint of intoxication, the others joked that he was drunk, but I knew he actually didn’t have the strength to walk steady any more.

Just then, he grabbed Yaksha and slammed him into the wall, I went around to get a better look, and saw Yaksha was holding himself up while reaching out with his hand to support Qin Kezou, whose body was on the verge of collapse.

Dark purple blood began seeping out of the corner of Qin Qi’s mouth.

He said: “Xiao Sha, kill me, I beg you.”


Yaksha did not have a trace of hesitation.

As Qin Qi had wished for, he ran the sword through his heart and left carrying his body in order to easily hide it.


His movements were so fast that I soon fell behind.

I stared blankly at where we came from, not knowing in which direction to go, but then I saw him coming back with Qin Qi’s body in his arms.

He walked a few steps, then stopped, as if he was waiting for somebody.

The person catching up to him was Yun Pizhi, his expression looking almost deranged.


“Yaksha! You leave Qin Qi behind!!” Yun Pizhi shouted in a deep voice, his eyes burning with anger.

“I’m not going to fight you.” Yaksha said, “Master left a message for you.”

Yun Pizhi was already making his move, but stopped when he heard this: “You, what did you say?”

“Master said, that he knows who killed him, and that he had anticipated this day.” Yaksha said as he recalled.

“.....Impossible.....” Yun Pihzi was stunned.

“Master said, his only regret was that he couldn’t....” Yaksha stopped when he reached this point, because Qin Qi’s sentence broke off like this, and he had originally never finished speaking. Yaksha seriously thought about it for a moment, and said: “That he couldn’t spend the rest of his life with Young Master Yun.”


Hearing this sentence suddenly made me overwhelmed with emotions.

The long sword in Yun Pizhi’s hands dropped to the ground with a sudden clang, and he stood there, stunned and motionless.


Yaksha turned around and disappeared.

I relied on the Plug-in tool’s help to just barely be able to lock onto his position.

What followed was a very long, long chase and retreat.

In the middle of the intense attacks and searches, Yaksha did his best to protect this already ice-cold corpse, even continuing to act as master and servant.

I really didn’t have the heart to watch, so I skipped to after that half-month.


Yaksha knelt in the middle of this poplar tree forest, and very gently arranged Qin Qi’s remains, which had already began to rot.

His whole body was covered in scars, and both his hands were bloody and mangled, yet not even the corner of Qin Qi’s clothes were damaged.

“Master, allow this subordinate to disobey you just this time.” Yaksha respectfully said.

He hadn’t destroyed Qin Qi’s corpse, and instead buried him in the poplar forest. He broke his own sword with his bare hands, and sent it alongside his master underneath the Yellow Springs.

After finishing the burial, he still didn’t leave, and remained kneeling upright in the middle of the poplar forest.

That determined yet detached Blood Demon, gradually became lost.


Yaksha asked: “Master, why did you insist that I keep on living?”

I knew that this was the only thing that caused him pain.

He didn’t hesitate when it was time to kill Qin Qi, and he was never confused, he was too familiar with death, and it wouldn’t be an exception if it fell upon his master and himself. He just wanted to end it cleanly and quickly with a sword, and to immediately be buried alongside his beloved master.


I started feeling jittery.

Suddenly, I didn’t want to watch.


✦✧✦✧✦✧
 

1 The poison name comes from the fact that people in ancient China would wait until after the autumn equinox to execute prisoners, the time in which the executions took place was called 秋後斬, or After Autumn Beheadings, which is what Yaksha refers to when he hears the poison’s name. Top.

2 A sichen is a 2-hour period, a day is made out of 12 sichen. Top.

 

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Date: 2/4/22 05:54 (UTC)From: (Anonymous)

Gu Ciqu is dead pq I was hoping it'd just be a "down for the count but not dead" moment (╥﹏╥) ugghhh QAQ
Though I'm relieved that Ye Tan has in fact not been treated like shit for years and just unfortunately became a scapegoat to prevent a huge conflict. Qin Kezou seemed nice pwq
That last sentence of his though does make me wonder. Did he actually know it was Yun Pizhi but still loved him and would've liked to spend his life with him (which, wtf XD) or did he think it was someone else and if so, who? Much confuse