Chapter 1196: Chapter 649: Why Did You Kill Her? (Triple Extra Chapters, Part 2)
Before they could stop him, Elder Wu Meng slowly stood up, arms open, and fell back. A strong suction began to emanate from the crack, pulling in the surrounding air, and the fragments of tables and chairs scattered on the ground were silently absorbed into the crevice, along with him, disappearing instantly into that swirling chaos of light and shadow.
In the blink of an eye, the fissure closed instantaneously. The hall lay in disarray, yet suddenly fell silent, as if this had always been its appearance, as if nothing had ever occurred.
Everything happened so abruptly, without any semblance of harmony. The two looked at each other and saw tumultuous waves in each other’s eyes.
For a moment, words failed them.
After a long time, Qin Qingluo slowly spoke: "It seems this place is more sinister and dangerous than we imagined."
Chen Yi nodded slightly.
"The chanting he just did, Aunt Zhu had chanted it for me before," Qin Qingluo recalled a bit, her understanding of the Divine Sect’s scriptures was shallow and not deeply explored. After a moment, she said: "That is the mantra to plead for Ming Venerable to escape the sea of suffering. It is no different from the Amitabha and Infinite Heavenly Venerable of Buddhism and Taoism, it should be... no different..."
She paused slightly for a moment, and how could Chen Yi not understand the meaning within, "Its reasoning, I also understand. I’m afraid in this ghostly place, those previously insignificant scriptures can also make words become law, and the more you believe without doubt, the more your heart’s desires can come true."
The tall woman remained silent.
Chen Yi looked around, unable to find any trace worth noting, and said: "Let’s go, let’s explore another place."
The two turned and left, stepping out of this building, walking on the deserted and silent street. The surroundings were gloomy and gray, and the distant scenery was like a painting splashed with ink again and again, blurred beyond recognition.
Even footsteps were barely audible, slightly distanced from each other they could not hear each other’s steps, as if at any moment they might step into thin air, falling into a quagmire.
While revisiting the surroundings, Chen Yi recalled what he had just seen. At that time, Wu Meng’s expression was so focused it was almost twisted, as if the entire world was left with only him and some existence he was communicating with, not even Qin Qingluo’s shot could take Wu Meng’s life...
In this place, no matter how high the martial arts were, they were meaningless. In fact, he tried then to deal with Wu Meng as he had with the masked man, focusing his mind to see Wu Meng as an illusion, but just as the thought arose, he felt an invisible resistance...
Like hitting a wall of bronze and iron.
Wu Meng seemed to have completely immersed himself in his world, believing even more firmly than himself. If one were to reason from this standpoint... Chen Yi lightly closed his eyes, he would never die here.
"Chen Yi."
After not long of walking along the street alleys, Qin Qingluo suddenly spoke, her voice low.
Chen Yi turned his gaze, the dark python robe appeared somewhat heavy under the sluggish light.
She rarely hesitated without continuing, as if weighing her words,
"Hmm?" Chen Yi raised an eyebrow, knowing that anything that made this princess hesitate was by no means trivial.
"Your words, I have thought several times," after a moment, Qin Qingluo raised her eyes, somewhat frankly saying: "Let me tell you beforehand, here, it is unfavorable to me."
"Unfavorable?"
Chen Yi’s gaze showed confusion, unfavorable? With Qin Qingluo’s realm, power, determination, she ought to be like Taishan collapsing before her without changing her expression.
Though this place is eerie, words become law, but everyone’s starting point should be the same, unless...
"What do you mean?" Chen Yi asked solemnly.
"I... have nothing I believe in without doubt."
Her words dispersed in the stillness, leaving Chen Yi astonished, quickly preparing to formulate a response.
Qin Qingluo’s lips curved into a tiny arc, almost self-mockery: "The throne? Authority? Power? The pinnacle of martial arts? I once believed firmly in these things, and believed even more in my ability to obtain them as easily as reaching into a bag; in the past, I had more faith in the gun in my hand and the martial intent in my heart, but this thought..."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over Chen Yi, opening her face with a smile and saying:
"Was broken by you long ago."
After hearing this, Chen Yi could not voice the words he had prepared.
For the problem lay in no one else, but him.
"Here, without deep belief, it is like a rootless duckweed. Words become law? I even have to think twice about what faith is, how can words become law? How can the law follow? I’m afraid... the words are wrong as they come out, the law following immediately crumbles." She tightened her grip on the gun, "Just now, dealing with that man, you believed him to be an illusion and so he became one; I wished to kill Wu Meng, but could not succeed in one blow, aside from his profound obsession, it was also my... insufficient conviction."
Rarely, she smiled openly yet also brushed a hint of confusion.
Chen Yi pondered for a long, inexplicably saying:
"Then... Prince, would you... believe in me?"
The moment the words fell, the street alley fell into a silence deeper than silence.
Qin Qingluo sharply raised her eyes, the confusion in the snake pupils was instantly replaced by a complex emotion, which then transformed into a sneer almost bursting forth.
"Ha... believe in you? Chen Yi?"
The sneer rolled out from deep within her throat, carrying undisguised sarcasm:
"The one I trust the least, Chen Yi, is you!"
Indeed...
A trace of bitter desolation rose in Chen Yi’s heart.
Past events surged into his mind instantly, the deceit and probing before he first entered the Prince Mansion, the various schemes using Zhu E against her, the extreme measures employed, and even the inappropriate reproach when not acting like a person towards her, this rouge horse...
Every single matter, wasn’t it a bitter fruit he planted in her heart with his own hands?
She trusts he can make moves on the chessboard, trusts that wherever his sword points can break the enemy, but she would never trust in him as a person.
He tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a mischievous smile, and said: "It doesn’t matter whether the Prince trusts or not, after all, I trust I can swear to protect the Prince."
