Fairy, Don’t Be Afraid, I’m Blind

Chapter 61: The Hand in the Well

“Shut up!” You Su’s voice was almost hoarse, bordering on hysterical. He turned back to the room and shouted, “Master’s wife, please don’t blame me! I will take you away!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, You Su kicked open the door. A stale gust of air rushed out, carrying the scent of a room that had been sealed for far too long.

You Su’s heart sank, but he continued to hold Wu Cheng hostage, using his peripheral vision to scan the room. Inside, there was a lotus platform, a table, and on the table, a wooden sword, a gray stone, and a piece of white jade.

But there was no one else.

You Su felt like a mayfly caught in the endless waves of the sea. The deep sense of betrayal and helplessness overwhelmed him, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. Bowing his head, he let out a silent sob:

“Master’s wife… where have you gone? Come with me!”

Qi Daodong stood outside the door, watching the scene and fanning the flames: “You Su, don’t you get it? She tricked you! That gray stone on the table can confuse the senses, and that white jade is a sound-amplifying talisman! The dust in this room proves that she left long ago!”

“Shut up!” You Su screamed, his entire body trembling. Memories of the past eight years with his master’s wife flooded his mind:

Before I turned ten, my master was the only person I cared about. But then he went away, and he left behind a master’s wife. I was happy to tell myself that from then on there would be two people who were important to me.

I would ask her if she was hungry, if she was warm, if there was anything she wanted to buy, or any place she wanted to go. For eight years, she never responded to me, except for the occasional guidance on my swordsmanship. She always kept herself locked up in her room.

But that was okay. She was my master’s wife, a respected elder brought into my life by my master.

But if I considered you one of the most important people in my life, what did you think of me? A stranger?

Why did you leave without a word? Why didn’t you tell me anything?

Even if you had fallen into darkness… I would have tried to save you…

You Su was consumed by grief, the physical and emotional pain pushing him to the brink of collapse. The sword he held against Wu Cheng’s neck was slipping from his grasp.

Qi Daodong’s hawk-like eyes gleamed with cunning. He noticed You Su’s weakening grip and secretly prepared to deliver a fatal blow to the blind man.

“Ah!”

Wu Cheng’s sudden cry of pain broke the tense silence and snapped You Su out of his daze.

You Su immediately tightened his grip on the sword, reacting like a cornered beast. “Don’t move! And all of you, stay back!”

Qi Daodong glanced at Wu Cheng, who was now visibly terrified, his expression unreadable.

You Su took a deep breath, his mind clearing. His Master’s wife had abandoned him, but he still had his Junior Sister!

He couldn’t afford to collapse now. His Junior Sister still needed him!

“Everyone, move back ten meters!” You Su barked at Qi Daodong, then kicked Wu Cheng in the rear. “Move!”

“Step back!” Qi Daodong ordered his men, retreating himself.

You Su, who was holding his Junior Sister and Wu Cheng hostage, cautiously stepped out of the room. The fog was thickening again, limiting both visibility and perception. He had to be careful.

You Su stood at the doorway, making sure everyone was at a safe distance before stepping over the threshold.

But the moment he did, a sharp metallic clang rang out as a blade descended from above like a guillotine!

Qi Daodong had set up a trap! He didn’t even care about his own disciple!

Realizing this, You Su knew that he couldn’t take the blow head on. He also couldn’t afford to kill Wu Cheng in a desperate last stand, especially since Wu Cheng had clearly tried to warn him earlier.

In that split second, You Su released Wu Cheng, shoving him aside and rolled away with Ji Lingruo in his arms.

At the same time, everyone rushed toward You Su. He had no choice but to fight back, swinging his sword while shielding Ji Lingruo’s body and ensuring that she wasn’t harmed.

Wu Cheng showed no relief at having escaped death, his brow furrowed. Qi Daodong, on the other hand, watched the scene with cold indifference.

You Su was only human, and he was reaching his limit. His body was covered in fresh wounds, and he had to endure spells that he normally would have dodged.

But a sliver of clarity remained in his mind. He knew that he couldn’t defeat all of them in this situation. He had to concentrate on the weakest link!

That link was the laughing Wu Ping.

You Su charged at Wu Ping like a madman, ignoring the blades chasing after him. Wu Ping was terrified and tried to retreat.

But he was no match for You Su’s speed. In a matter of moments, You Su was upon him, unleashing a flurry of frenzied sword strikes. Wu Ping struggled to defend himself.

Seeing his brother in danger, Wu Cheng could no longer hold back. He drew his sword and charged in, but Qi Daodong remained indifferent, watching his disciple’s plight with detachment.

“Help me! Help me!” Wu Ping cried as he fled.

Even with Wu Cheng joining the fight, it made little difference. Like a man who had found his purpose in the midst of chaos, You Su seemed to regain his strength. His speed was unmatched, and he relentlessly pursued Wu Ping, beating him mercilessly.

Finally, Qi Daodong decided to take action. He raised his hands and chanted an incantation. A fiery dragon surged toward You Su, illuminating the thick fog with a bright red glow.

You Su couldn’t dodge in time. The spell slammed into him, sending him crashing into the loquat tree behind him. The flames even consumed the tree that had been with him since childhood.

You Su spat out a mouthful of blood, staring blankly at the burning tree. Tears of despair streamed down his face.

Qi Daodong looked at You Su as if he were already dead.

“It’s over,” he said.

With that, he raised his sword high and swung it in a crescent arc. A sharp sword aura shot toward You Su, who was slumped on the ground.

You Su’s eyes were empty. He had given everything he had. Despair wrapped around him like a cocoon, and he resigned himself to his fate.

At least… I can die with Junior Sister…

But just as Qi Daodong was about to strike, he felt a chilling sense of impending death – a cold so intense that it seemed to freeze time itself.

He had no choice but to stop and brace himself, searching for the source of this threat.

It came from the main hall!

The entire hall suddenly exploded, scattering the dust and mist. A wooden sword shot into the sky, hurtling toward Qi Daodong with unstoppable force.

Qi Daodong was stunned. The wooden sword gave him the feeling of imminent death.

He had never felt so close to death before. He channeled all his energy to block the attack, the veins on his aged skin bulging out.

A deafening explosion rang out as the wooden sword struck, sending Qi Daodong flying. He crashed through the wall of the courtyard, blood spraying from his mouth.

Qi Daodong clutched his chest, grateful that he had only faced a fragile wooden sword. If it had been an ordinary iron sword, he would have been dead by now.

While everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events, You Su had no time to ponder the sword’s origin. His gaze fell on the old, abandoned well to his right, and his eyes hardened with resolve. His master’s words from childhood echoed in his mind:

“Boy, if you want to die, don’t jump into that well. It leads outside…”

With no other choice, You Su picked up Ji Lingruo and leaped into the well like a desperate fugitive.

This final act drained the last of his strength, and the sensation of falling couldn’t keep him from passing out.

Only then did everyone realize what had happened. Qi Daodong’s eyes burned with hatred, unable to accept that You Su had escaped right under his nose. He spat out a mouthful of blood and roared:

“After him!”

The others moved to follow, but a sudden snap froze them in their tracks.

A hand emerged from the dark, bottomless well, resting on the moss-covered edge.

The fingers were as slender as bamboo shoots, the wrist as white as a lotus root.

It was the hand of a young girl.