Forgotten Tale of Jianghu

As she took her seat, placing the cloth-wrapped blade on the table, he found himself pausing, watching her. Only after that moment passed did Xin Long settle into the chair beside the round table.

He gestured toward the dishes with his left hand and spoke, steering the conversation along a natural path.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I just ordered what I thought you might enjoy."

"It's fine. A gathering between acquaintances—no matter the setting—should always be met with good cheer."

A soft, bashful smile accompanied her words, and he caught the delicate shift in her tone.

Reaching for the Hundred Blossoms Wine on the table, he uncorked it, pouring the clear liquid into two cups. One, he slid toward her with a brief tilt of his head—a silent invitation, a gesture meant to assure her.

He noticed the way her slender fingers hesitated before wrapping around the cup. Her gaze, clear as water, flickered toward him before she accepted it.

The moment she took hold of the cup, he finally spoke.

"How is your father, the Lord of the Golden Tiger Fortress? I had some matters to handle, and I didn't want to cause any trouble, so I haven't been able to visit. I hope you understand."

As he spoke, she lifted her cup, taking a sip. Her response came with a faint nod, as if she had already anticipated his words.

"I had a feeling you were hiding from something dangerous... There's no need for an explanation..."

Then, after a brief pause, her voice softened, but the words carried weight.

"You're planning to leave this city by dawn, aren't you?"

He caught the subtle shift in her tone—an almost imperceptible increase in volume at the very end.

It was the voice of someone who, despite everything, still saw him as a presence that had always been there.

Her eyes, once clear and glistening, dimmed slightly with an unreadable emotion.

And yet, even that gaze failed to stir his heart.

For her, this was the moment to bring to life the image he had carefully crafted—the image of a man who had fled in fear. It was a plan that would kill two birds with one stone. Not only would it make her appear weak in the eyes of the townspeople and her subordinates, but it would also deliver the first blow to her father—his greatest enemy—causing him both mental and physical suffering.

With a faint smile, he spoke.

"I'll return one day. Don't forget to wait for me."

Yes... Those words were true. One day, he would return to wipe out the Golden Tiger Fortress at its roots. And he would deal with her as well. That was the one thing he had always been waiting for—the thing that had haunted him like a ghost. The thing his mother had once endured. The thing that had never left his mind. And when the time came, he would do it right in front of her father.

Laughter would fill the fortress. Screams of pain would echo through the halls. The once-unshakable gaze of the Golden Tiger Syndicate would waver in his presence.

Xin Long…

The thought of it sent a sharp pang through his chest. But his expression remained unchanged, his eyes clouded with unreadable emotions. The same look he had worn when he had confronted the Seductress Wei Wei. Over time, he had perfected these false expressions—these empty, unreadable eyes.

"Hah…"

The conversation died down. Their gazes met in the flickering light, both releasing a quiet sigh. Hers was different—perhaps filled with some unspoken emotion. His, however, was nothing more than the effort of swallowing his own anger.

Without another word, they each poured themselves another drink. Silence stretched between them, the air thick with something unspoken.

He didn't want to say too much. The more he spoke, the more cracks would appear in his carefully built facade.

And so, their encounter faded into quiet, lifeless stillness, marked only by the sound of liquor pouring and time slipping away.

"Dong… dong… dong…"

The steady chime of the clock echoed exactly eleven times, bringing a faint smile to Xin Long's lips. The dishes on the table were still mostly untouched, though some had been disturbed when she and he had absentmindedly picked at them. The two jars of wine were already empty.

His cold, calculating eyes rested on her—she had dozed off at the table, her head resting on her arms.

It was no coincidence. The Wandering Spirit sleeping drug he had mixed into the dishes would have taken full effect by now. Once she was deep in slumber, the drug's hallucinatory properties would begin their work.

He stood, walked over to her, and then carefully lifted her into his arms before placing her on the bed.

As he did, he suddenly heard her murmur his name—"Xin Long…"—softly in her sleep.

So, in her dreams, she was seeing him.

It made sense. She was truly obsessed with him.

Yet, to him, she was nothing more than an irritating woman.

Xin Long stepped away from the bed and went to retrieve his hidden captive—the martial artist who served as a secret enforcer for his enemy. The man had been paralyzed, unable to move, but his eyes were burning with wild desire. The Demon's Lust poison, a concoction Xin Long had personally named, had completely overtaken his mind. That expression of helpless madness pleased Xin Long greatly.

His gaze shifted back to Sangguan Yun'er, lying unconscious on the bed.

Her body had turned slightly in her sleep, revealing an innocent, defenseless face. Her lips parted slightly, her breathing quickened, and her restless movements signaled that the drug had begun to take hold.

Whatever she was dreaming of had already set her heart racing.

Now, he just needed to ensure that in reality, she would have even more to tremble about.

Xin Long smirked slightly as he lifted the unconscious woman, who was now entirely lost to her senses except for primal instincts, and carried her back to the bed. Once he set her down, he reached out and untied the black cloth that had been covering Sangguan Yun'er's long hair. Then, with swift and practiced hands, he loosened the dark, form-fitting garments that concealed the curves of her body.

The sight before him was enough to make any onlooker's heart race as if they might die on the spot. For a fleeting moment, even he, a mere mortal, found himself momentarily dazed by her breathtaking beauty. He glanced at the martial artist nearby—the man's wild, uncontrolled gaze had already begun to darken with desire, as if Yun'er's beauty had completely overtaken his reason.

Xin Long then turned back to the dining table and reached for the hidden blade, swiftly cutting the restraints that bound the martial artist.

"Whish—Snap!"

The moment the restraints were severed, the man's pent-up, uncontrollable urges exploded. Sitting in his chair, Xin Long calmly watched with satisfaction as the man's every movement reflected his growing hunger. However, before the clock struck twelve, he would have to restrain him again—after all, this man only existed to serve two specific purposes.

Time continued to slip away. Xin Long listened to the faint sounds coming from Sangguan Yun'er and the martial artist, their breaths growing heavier, their bodies moving with restless energy. He could both see and hear everything happening before him. Under the influence of Demon's Spirit, the poison that fueled uncontrollable lust, the man's raging desires were finally beginning to ease as he found his release.

Standing from his seat, Xin Long strode toward the now-exhausted martial artist. The moment he saw the first signs of the poison wearing off, he swiftly closed in, using his palm techniques to strike and seal the man's acupoints once more.

"Tap!"

Xin Long watched as the man collapsed like a lifeless stone, his body sprawled atop Sangguan Yun'er. Without hesitation, he pulled him off her, lifting the soon-to-be-dead man with ease. As he did so, his gaze once again fell upon Yun'er, who lay peacefully in deep slumber, her flawless beauty and innocent expression untouched by the chaos around her.

He did not linger. Carrying the man, he stepped toward the dining table and knelt on one knee beside it. The poison had already worn off, and as the man regained clarity, his eyes flickered with a mixture of fear and obsession—fear from knowing what was about to happen and obsession lingering from the sight of Yun'er's beauty.

No doubt, the fool still thought Xin Long would grant him a quick death. But mercy had never been Xin Long's way. If he ever allowed himself to feel pity, he would be nothing more than a puppet dancing on the strings of others.

Without hesitation, he drew his dagger.

Slash!

With a precise strike, he drove the blade straight into the man's chest, piercing directly through his heart. Blood gushed forth. Swiftly, Xin Long sealed the surrounding acupoints to prevent excessive bleeding, then locked eyes with his victim.

The man's face twisted—his fear now fully realized. It was only now, in these final moments, that he truly understood what Xin Long was about to do.

Switching the dagger to his left hand, Xin Long reached into the wound with his right. Without hesitation, he dug in and tore out the still-beating heart.

A crimson spray erupted, splattering across his fingers and trailing up to his lips. He felt the warm stickiness of blood smearing his mouth, an eerie sight that would have sent shivers down the spine of anyone who witnessed it.

End – 24