Chapter 33: Falling into Darkness

Gao Ling remained silent.

She quietly turned and closed the door to the meditation chamber, pressed herself against a shadowed corner, held her breath, and peered outside through the crack.

There was too much blood inside the chamber. If it was all Zuo Lishan's, she should already be dead.

If Zuo Lishan were dead, no one could keep the news so tightly sealed that even a senior elder like her wouldn't know.

That jar, the pieces of flesh, those long strands of hair... only made the situation increasingly bizarre.

Gao Ling was afraid someone might notice the gate to Zuo Lishan’s courtyard standing open and discover something amiss, so after entering, she restored the door she’d kicked open. She hadn’t left many traces in her search around the courtyard either.

Unless someone was deliberately observant, the person outside shouldn’t notice anything right away.

Although they were within the Taishan Sect, the circumstances were strange, and the intentions of the person outside were unclear—friend or foe, she couldn’t tell. So she decided to hide her presence first, to see who it was and what their plans might be.

The meditation chamber’s door didn’t face directly into the courtyard, so Gao Ling could only strain to listen to the sounds outside.

The footsteps stopped in the middle of the courtyard.

After a moment, Gao Ling heard a long sigh.

She was no expert in human nature; the emotions behind that sigh were lost on her, but she could sense its oddity.

First, it was too long. The stronger the inner energy, the longer the breath, but even Zuo Lishan couldn't sustain such a lengthy exhalation.

Second, there were faint, fragmented noises mixed in—like bits of flesh and mucus vibrating within the chest. It could have been from someone gravely ill, yet the steadiness and length of the sigh didn’t fit.

Third, the sigh sounded almost familiar, yet foreign.

It was like Zuo Lishan, but somehow different.

A rustling sound—fabric brushing—someone took something from their sleeve.

It seemed to be liquid in a vessel; the person moved about the courtyard, carefully sprinkling it on the buildings.

Gao Ling caught a pungent smell—kerosene.

Destroying evidence.

Gao Ling did not move or make a sound.

She waited for the person to approach the door of the meditation chamber.

She’d spent her youth in the martial world, scraping and struggling for survival; she knew better than to act rashly now.

If she lost her nerve and rushed out, she’d squander her chance for a stealthy attack.

Her martial skills were top-tier, but she understood well: the world was full of strange and formidable fighters, and those who relied on their prowess to confront others head-on often died the fastest.

She needed to see the person’s face, gauge their strength, and plan her next move.

After a while, the footsteps finally reached the door.

Gao Ling at last saw the person’s face.

Her heart skipped a beat.

It was indeed Zuo Lishan... but no longer the Zuo Lishan she remembered.

The features were still recognizable, but several gaping black holes marred her face, almost exposing the gums.

Jagged flesh rimmed the wounds, yet not a drop of blood leaked out, as if they were old injuries she’d been born with.

Her eyes were bloodshot, yellowish-red pus trickling from the corners. Much of her once-thick hair had fallen out, revealing pale scalp.

Her right wrist was wrapped in bloody scraps of cloth; beneath them, the skin was blackened, and the fingers were without nails, exposing soft flesh.

She looked like a demon straight out of a storybook.

Shocked, Gao Ling’s breath faltered, betraying a faint sound.

Zuo Lishan seemed not to notice, proceeding to the chamber door and pouring kerosene.

Now, only a single inch-thick door separated them.

Suddenly!

A sword tip pierced through the door, stabbing toward Gao Ling!

Gao Ling managed to react, shifting her body and dodging a fatal blow, though the blade still ran through her shoulder!

She drew her sword, thrusting back through the door, but struck only air.

Gao Ling kicked the door open and stepped out.

Zuo Lishan stood in the courtyard, smiling at her.

“So, it’s Elder Gao, is it?” she said, grinning, the holes in her face stretching to reveal pink gums.

“What brings you to my humble courtyard today?” Zuo Lishan laughed, her tone playful, twisting her ruined face.

Gao Ling pressed her shoulder’s acupoint to staunch the bleeding. Hearing Zuo Lishan’s words, her heart tightened.

This was absolutely not the Zuo Lishan she knew!

Zuo Lishan was always grave, rarely smiling—how could she speak in such a mocking tone?

“Who... are you?” Gao Ling asked.

“Oh dear, Elder Gao, are you confused? Has your internal cultivation gone awry lately? How can you not recognize your own sect leader?”

Zuo Lishan’s face was full of feigned remorse. “My fault, my fault—I’ve been so neglectful of Elder Gao! I didn’t even realize you’ve lost your mind!”

“Our Taishan Sect has lost yet another venerable elder! What a pity!”

Gao Ling frowned. “Another?”

Zuo Lishan chuckled. “Indeed! Just yesterday, my disciple’s father, Elder Liu, grieved himself to death!”

“Such a brief life! What a pity... what a joy!”

“Elder Liu devoted decades to our Taishan Sect, yet never saw me become a legend of the martial world, never saw me unify the Five Mountains Sword Sects, never saw me become the leader of Central Plains martial arts!”

“What a shame! Hehehe... hahahaha!”

Zuo Lishan burst into mad laughter, doubling over, tears and snot streaming down her face.

Gao Ling watched Zuo Lishan’s insane display, her heart sinking, every hair on her body standing on end.

What in the world was happening?

“Was it you who killed your disciple?” Gao Ling asked.

Zuo Lishan abruptly stopped laughing and spoke bitterly. “She deserved it—she brought it on herself. We were married, so I personally sent her off.”

“She said her martial arts were ruined, said she wanted to take care of me, said she’d retire to the mountains.”

“And she thought herself worthy?!”

“I, Zuo Lishan, not yet forty, a peerless master! Leader of Taishan! Head of the Five Mountains Sword Sects!”

“Mountain! Guarding! Sword!”

“Would I ever fall so low as to need her pity?”

Zuo Lishan pointed toward the meditation chamber. “Luckily for me, she was a fool. Otherwise, with my injuries at the time, I might not have been able to subdue her!”

“To become my food—was her honor!”

Zuo Lishan caressed her own face. “I always said I was the chosen one.”

“I received this wondrous gift, but hesitated to use it. Then a Jinyiwei officer came and helped me make up my mind.”

“When I was gravely wounded, someone rushed to offer themselves as a sacrifice.”

“I just needed a little more blood, nourished by internal energy... Elder Gao, you’ve walked right into my hands, even hidden yourself for me.”

“Tell me, isn’t this destiny?”

Gao Ling involuntarily backed away several steps, her resolve hardening.

Zuo Lishan was possessed, utterly deranged, slaughtering within the chamber.

That sword thrust through the door had not lost its skill—she was no match.

She had to escape.