Chapter 98
Bai Kai Xin is really dead.
He didn’t look good when he was alive and now that he’s dead he looks even more awful, like a dried up weasel, hung up high on a tree.
Du Jiao Jiao sighed and mumbled, “I’ve long known that this person won’t come to a good end, but I didn’t expect him to die so horribly. We helped him snatch Bai Lao Hu’s woman and this has helped Bai Lai Hu greatly instead.” As she talked, she has already walked to the bottom of the tree.
Suddenly Ha Ha’er shouted from behind, “Be careful, for all you know that fellow is faking it.”
It might have been better if he had not said this, but once he uttered the sentence, Du Jiao Jiao naturally turned her head back to look at him. As soon as she was distracted, Bai Kai Xin’s hands were already around her neck. Ha Ha’er shivered, and stood there numbly, as if he cannot take another step further.
Bai Kai Xin laughed icily, “Du Jiao Jiao, actually I have nothing against you and I had no intention to kill you, but this is Yin Lao Jiu’s idea. After you’ve become a ghost, you’d better look for him, don’t come and look for me.”
Du Jiao Jiao’s eyes rolled up, showing the whites, and not only is she unable to speak, she is unable to hear as well. With a somersault, Bai Kai Xin flipped down from the tree and looked at Ha Ha’er, saying with a laugh, “See, my ability to pretend to be dead is not any worse than Du Jiao Jiao. She only knows how to fake death to harm others all her life, but I’m afraid she’d never imagine that she will die in the hands of a ‘faking dead man’.”
Ha Ha’er heaved a sigh and mumbled, “The world turns, it seems that this is really retribution. When I reincarnate, I will never dare to harm others in my next life again.”
Bai Kai Xin laughed loudly, “Ha Ha’er, are you turning over a new leaf as well? I’m afraid there’s only three to four people left in the Ten Evils, and we need you to bolster our strength, because one of you is enough to make up two to three people.”
Ha Ha’er looked pleasantly surprised, and asked, “You’re willing to let me off?”
Bai Kai Xin looked up, turned his palms up and said, “Maybe, but I’ll need to consider.”
Ha Ha’er said with a bitter smile on his face, “Please, don’t consider, as long as you’ll let me off, you’ll be like my parent. From today onwards if you want me to go east, I would not dare to go west, if you want me to crawl, I would not dare to walk.”
Bai Kai Xin grinned, “Since that is the case, then crawl one round for me.”
Without saying a single word, Ha Ha’er really started crawling on the ground.
Bai Kai Xin clapped his hands and chortled, “Everyone come and see, there’s a fat turtle here.”
As he crawled, Ha Ha’er beamed, “Fat turtle, climbing on the ground, Master Bai clapped and laughed on seeing it, Grandma Bai rushed over from the side, and laughed like a flower…” Madam Bai was really here, and she was really laughing like a flower.
Bai Kai Xin winked at her and asked, “Is everything settled?”
Madam Bai smiled coquettishly, “To think that they’re as conniving as ghosts, but they still ended up having to drink the water for washing my feet.”
Bai Kai Xin asked, “What about Yin Lao Jiu?”
Madam Bai replied, “Of course we can’t keep him, or else the next time we… we want to enjoy ourselves, he will certainly peep from the side, I can’t tolerate it.”
Bai Kai Xin laughed loudly, “You’re damn right. Since all the rabbits are dead, why should we bother keeping the dog?”
Madam Bai threw Li Da Zui hard onto the ground, and said, “Only this big mouthed wolf, I know that you can’t bear to kill him so fast.”
Bai Kai Xin jumped over and hugged her by her neck, laughing “You’re really my little treasure, the worm in my stomach.”
Madam Bai giggled and asked, “What about this fat turtle?”
Bai Kai Xin replied, “We can kill this fat turtle anytime we want, so what’s the hurry in killing him. Keep him, and I can still have fun with him, won’t that be even happier.”
Madam Bai rolled her eyes and asked, “What about this big mouthed wolf? How are you going to deal with him?”
Bai Kai Xin blinked and asked, “Could it be that you have a good plan?”
Madam Bai laughed, “He has eaten all kinds of human flesh, and even his wife and son was eaten by him. But there’s a type of person whose flesh he has never eaten before, so won’t it be a great pity if he died. Therefore I must offer him this help.”
Bai Kai Xin asked, “What type of person has he never tasted the flesh of?”
Madam Bai replied, “Those who eat human flesh.”
Bai Kai Xin’s eyes shone, “Could it be that you want him to eat his own flesh?” Madam Bai smiled sinisterly, “Do you think this is a good idea?”
Bai Kai Xin hugged her again and laughed loudly, “You’re really a treasure, how can I ever bear to leave you from now on.”
Amidst the laughter, there is suddenly a ‘crack’ sound.
Madam Bai suddenly screamed and her body slid down like a pile of mud, her neck hanging limply on one side, her eyes staring at Bai Kai Xin like copper bells. The gaze in her eyes were full of fear and hatred, and she uttered, “You…” For a person with a broken neck, how can she still speak. Although she very much wanted to curse and swear, but she can only let out a bone chilling ‘hissing’ sound, like the sound made by a snake before it died. Even in death, she could not believe that Bai Kai Xin would actually kill her, just like how Du Sha and Yin Jiu You would not believe that she will kill them.
Bai Kai Xin grinned, “Don’t look like that, actually you should have known long ago, since the rabbits are all dead, why do I still need a b.itch like you?” Madam Bai stared at him, her eyeballs almost popping out. No matter who is the person, on seeing her stare at himself like that, will never be able to fall asleep at night again.
But Bai Kai Xin is not bothered at all, and continued nonchalantly, “Besides, if I don’t kill you, sooner or later I’ll be killed by you. I know that you’ve hated us to the core for some time, that’s why you first made use of me to kill them, then you’ll think of a way to kill me. If I do not strike first, then I’ll be in trouble later.”
The vein on Madam Bai’s neck kept twitching, she was unable to take a breath.
Suddenly Li Da Zui can be heard sighing, “Bai Kai Xin oh Bai Kai Xin, I’ve always thought you’re an idiot, but who would have expected that you’re smarter than I imagined.”
Bai Kai Xin smiled evilly, “You’re still not dead? Are you waiting to eat your own flesh?”
Li Da Zui forced out a smile, “You’re absolutely right. I’ve long wanted to taste what my flesh is like, now that I have the chance, how can I miss it.”
Bai Kai Xin was stunned instead, “Really?”
Li Da Zui sighed, “When one is about to die, even his words will be kinder, why would I still need to lie to you now?”
Bai Kai Xin blinked, and suddenly laughed loudly, “Did you think I’ll believe your words? That I’ll deliberately not let you eat?”
Li Da Zui replied, “It’s best that you don’t believe me, take the knife here quickly but do not cut my arm. The flesh there is the toughest.”
Bai Kai Xin stared at him for a long while, and suddenly turned towards Ha Ha’er, “Do you believe his words?”
Ha Ha’er stayed on the ground obediently all these while, and now he hurriedly smiled condescendingly and said, “A leopard will never change its spots. This big mouthed wolf has no one else’s flesh to eat, so it’s good if he can eat his own flesh. Why should Big Brother Bai let him enjoy himself before he die?”
Bai Kai Xin clasped his hands, “That’s right, that’s right. I must make him die of impatience. Although his flesh is on his body, but I want him to just be able to see and be impatient.”
Li Da Zui panted and asked, “I know Yin Lao Jiu wanted to kill us to let Yan Nan Tian think that once we’re dead, he won’t come after us. But what good is it for you to kill us?”
Bai Kai Xin grinned, “Have you forgotten my name?” Li Da Zui was stunned for a moment before mumbling with a bitter laugh, “Harming others without benefit to oneself… harming others without benefit to oneself…” He seems unable to breath as well, so he closed his eyes and stopped talking.
Ha Ha’er smiled condescendingly, “Big Brother Bai, do you still want to see a fat turtle like me crawl?”
Bai Kai Xin waved his hand and laughed, “Get up, I’ve seen enough for today.”
Ha Ha’er asked, “You… you’re really letting me off?”
Bai Kai Xin replied, “Don’t you worry, as long as you’re obedient, I will not harm you. Amongst all the brothers there’s only the two of us left now, how can I bear to kill you. If you’re dead, who else in the world would be my friend?”
Ha Ha’er bowed and said, “Thank you Big Brother Bai, thank you Big Brother Bai.”
Bai Kai Xin laughed heartily, so happy that he felt as if he’s now the emperor. But he was happy in vain.
When Ha Ha’er bowed for the third time, three black and short arrows suddenly shot out from his back and with a ‘swish’, pierced Bai Kai Xin’s chest. Bai Kai Xin exclaimed, flipped over and fell, his eyes staring at Ha Ha’er, the expression exactly the same as Madam Bai’s when she was staring at him.
Ha Ha’er looked heavenward and laughed loudly, “Bai Kai Xin oh Bai Kai Xin, you’ve been smart all your life, but careless for only a moment. Why would I fear you so much, can’t you even tell that I’m faking it?”
Bai Kai Xin’s hands grasped the arrows stuck in his chest tightly, and groaned, “If I can tell I won’t be tricked by you fat turtle.”
Ha Ha’er asked, “Ha ha, but why did you think that I will fear you?”
Bai Kai Xin replied, “I thought all fatties fear death, and will never dare to strike against me. And I thought that fatties were useless, I’m not afraid even if you strike, but I forgot… forgot…” His face turned pale, his lips turned black, and his eyes started getting blurry.
Ha Ha’er said, “Ha ha, could you have forgotten my ‘Dagger within laughter’s three secret weapons’? Do you know how many people in the martial arts realm have died in this marvelous ploy of mine?”
Bai Kai Xin panted, “But why do you want to kill me? Won’t the two of us working together be better than working alone.”
Ha Ha’er is no longer looking at him, but walked towards Du Jiao Jiao instead and said gently, “Jiao Jiao, can you still see? I’ve avenged you!”
Bai Kai Xin exclaimed in surprise, “So you were actually taking revenge for her? Could it be that you’re her…” Ha Ha’er’s cheeks were slightly shaking, as if he is in great pain. Bai Kai Xin need not ask further, he already knows who is he to Du Jiao Jiao.
He heard Ha Ha’er say quietly, “For so many years, you have been quite good to me. Now that you’re dead, I really do feel very bad…” Bai Kai Xin laughed bitterly, “Du Jiao Jiao was in the Valley of Evil for twenty years, I’ve long known that she will not be able to tolerate and will find a lover, but I’ve always thought that her lover is Big Brother Du.”
He suddenly laughed loudly, “Actually I should have known long ago that her lover is you. An old woman like her who is neither man nor woman, besides a fat turtle like you, who else can she entice?”
Ha Ha’er roared angrily and with a lift of his leg, gave him a flying kick. He finally was unable to say any more words that will harm others without benefit to himself.
Ha Ha’er gritted his teeth and panted heavily for a moment. Suddenly he saw Du Jiao Jiao’s eyes open by a slit. Ha Ha’er was surprised and overjoyed, and immediately knelt down to ask, “Can you still talk?”
Du Jiao Jiao nodded her head, her lips moved, as if she said something.
But her voice is really too weak, Ha Ha’er can’t hear even a single word, so he put his ear next to Du Jiao Jiao’s mouth and said gently, “What other concerns do you have, just tell me, I’ll certainly do it for you.”
Du Jiao Jiao moaned, “We’re lovebirds who’ll share the same fate, right?”
Ha Ha’er kept nodding his head and agreed, “Right, right, we’re lovebirds who share the same fate, as well as loving husband and wife.”
The corners of Du Jiao Jiao’s mouth curved up to reveal a trace of her last smile and said, “So if I’m dead, you cannot live either.”
Ha Ha’er was extremely surprised and thought of jumping away but it was too late. Du Jiao Jiao’s arms were like snakes entangling him and she bit him on the throat. Ha Ha’er tried to struggle with his might, but finally he stopped struggling. His face slowly turned pale, the blood in his body flowing into Du Jiao Jiao’s stomach. Suddenly he used all the strength left in his body and collapsed onto Du Jiao Jiao. There was a chain of cracking sounds, all the bones in Du Jiao Jiao’s body was broken. Ha Ha’er struggled to stand up, looked heaven ward and laughed three times, ‘Haha, haha, haha’ before he collapsed onto the ground, finally unable to laugh again.
Li Da Zui was looking on all this while, and was staring hard. Only now did he heave a long sigh and mumble, Very good, very good. The Ten Evils are finally all dead. I’ve already known thirty years ago that these people will kill themselves. Heaven made the ten of us with the intention of letting us pit against one another, kill one another, or else he only have to create one of us, why would he need to make ten.” He struggled to stand up but he fell again. So he struggled to climb up the mountain, as if he wants to stay far, far away from these corpses.
When the mountain breeze blew past, it seems to bring with it the howls of wild beasts from afar. Amongst the wood behind the mountain, there seems to be a very deep cave, and on top of the cave there were strange rocks towering over it. From afar it looks like a ancient beast, and the cave is like the mouth of this weird beast. Li Da Zui struggled to crawl in.
The cave was eerie and damp, and with a stench so bad that it makes one nauseous. But Li Da Zui looked as if he has never been to such a comfortable place. He heaved a long sigh and laid on the ground. The ground was muddy with loose stones, but Li Da Zui looked as if he’s lying on a young girl’s soft bed, and talked to himself, “Li Da Zui oh Li Da Zui, that Heaven can give you a place like this, and let you die quietly, is already being very kind to you. What can you complain about?”
But Heaven did not let him wait for death quietly. Without knowing how long has passed, footsteps could be heard suddenly outside the cave. Li Da Zui wanted to jump up immediately, but now he could not even crawl. At a time like this, one can only leave his fate to Heaven.
He might as well just lay there unmoving, and secretly thought, “I’ve eaten humans for my whole life, even if Heaven wants to feed me to the dogs, it’s right.”
He heard someone say, “This is the place, it can’t be wrong, I recognize that rock in at the mouth of the cave.” The words spoken by this person is very ordinary, but the tone of voice is very imposing and serious. Although Li Da Zui can’t tell who this voice belongs to, but without knowing why his heart started thumping very quickly.
After a while, someone else said, “Uncle, I’ve hidden something from you, will you forgive me?”
Once he heard this voice, Li Da Zui was really shocked. This person is actually Xiao Yu’er, and the other person must naturally be Yan Nan Tian. Li Da Zui never imagined that no matter how hard he tried to hide, he still could not hide from them.
He was so shocked that he dare not even breath.
Since he is not far from death, what else is there to fear! But once a person does something bad, he can’t help but feel afraid.
He heard Yan Nan Tian say, “What have you hidden from me?” Xiao Yu’er replied, “I… I have told someone to release Jiang Bie He and his son without telling you.”
It seems that Yan Nan Tian was stunned as well, and asked fiercely, “Why did you do that? Have you forgotten that blood debt?”
Xiao Yu’er replied, “I did not forget, but I feel that it’s not necessary to kill them to consider it a revenge. I really do not like to kill people. Others killed my family, because they were unscrupulous and evil, if I kill them , won’t I become the same as them? So I want them to be alive and regret for the evil they have done. I feel that this is more meaningful than killing them.” He was speaking confidently in front of Yan Nan Tian, without any trace of fear at all.
Yan Nan Tian was silent for a long moment before he heaved a long sigh, “Good child, good child, to have a son like you, Jiang Feng will be resting in peace. Uncle Yan have lived in vain for decades, and cannot compare to your insight.”
Xiao Yu’er asked, “Then, my duel with Hua Wu Que can be called off as well?”
Yan Nan Tian’s voice immediately became strict again, “That will never do.”
Xiao Yu’er asked, “Why not? I have no enmity with Hua Wu Que, why must I fight with him!”
Yan Nan Tian replied fiercely, “This battle is not for revenge, but for honor. A true man can die, but must never do anything shameful. At a time like this, if you’re still thinking of escape, won’t you be letting your dead parents down, letting me down?”
Xiao Yu’er sighed, speechless.
Yan Nan Tian continued, “Not only must you duel with Hua Wu Que, I must also duel with the Floral Princess, because a person who has done something wrong must be punished. There are things a man must not do, and a man must do. Even if we know we’ll die in battle, we must not run away, do you understand this logic?”
Xiao Yu’er replied quietly, “I understand.”
Yan Nan Tian heaved a long sigh and said gently, “I know that you and Hua Wu Que have developed a friendship, so you do not wish to fight with him, but when one is living in the world, sometimes we must do some things that we’re unwilling to. How fate toys with us, how our destiny is decided, no matter how great a hero one is, there’s nothing he can do about it.”
Xiao Yu’er heaved a long sigh as well, and suddenly said, “Uncle, I only want to ask you of one thing.”
“Speak.”
Xiao Yu’er continued, “I only ask that when you see Du Sha, Li Da Zui and the rest, do not kill them.”
Yan Nan Tian asked angrily, “These people deserve to die long ago, why are you pleading on their behalf?”
Xiao Yu’er said, “When a person has done something wrong, of course he must be punished, but they have been punished enough. After suffering in the Valley of Evil for twenty years, they’re almost like a bunch of pitiful worms, living in fear everyday, hiding themselves, like a pack of wild dogs who have lost their home. How would they dare to harm others in future?”
Once he heard this, Li Da Zui can’t help but secretly sigh, “Well reprimanded, really well reprimanded, but your reprimand is too light, we’re really worse than wild dogs.”
Yan Nan Tian replied, “A leopard can never change it’s spots, how do you know that they won’t harm others in future.”
Xiao Yu’er explained, “Before they entered the valley, they’ve kept a lot of jewelry but because of these jewelry, they almost lost their lives. Think about it, Uncle, if they still have the guts to harm others, why can’t they go and snatch more jewelry? Why must they find these jewelry?” He sighed and continued, “It can be seen from this that they have long lost their bravado, and are now just a bunch of greedy old men, the airs of the ‘Ten Evils’ are all gone. Being alive is no different from being dead for them, so why must Uncle go after their lives, why not let them live their sad lives for another few years?”
Once he heard this, hot tears streamed down Li Da Zui’s face, and he can’t help but heave a long sigh and say, “Xiao Yu’er, we’ve really misunderstood you. If we can think that you will plead on our behalf, we would not have ended up thus.”
Before he could finish his words, Yan Nan Tian and Xiao Yu’er has dashed over.
Xiao Yu’er exclaimed hoarsely, “Uncle Li, it’s you! How did you end up like this?”
Li Da Zui gave a piteous smile and said, “I’m afraid this is called retribution.”
Xiao Yu’er asked, “Where are the others?”
Li Da Zui sighed, “Dead, all dead.”
Xiao Yu’er exclaimed in surprise, “Who killed them?”
Li Da Zui smiled bitterly, “Besides themselves, who else can kill them?”
He heaved a long sigh and said, “Hero Yan, we’ve really let you down, kill me quickly.”
When Yan Nan Tian saw him, he was initially furious, but now his face showed pity and he only shook his head, and sighed.
Li Da Zui laughed bitterly, “I know a person like me is not worth Hero Yan striking. When a person lives to a time that even his enemy thinks that he is not worth killing, what then is the meaning of him living?”
He suddenly laughed again, “Luckily I won’t be able to live much longer, and this is my good luck, or else I might have to pee and drown myself in my own urine.”
Yan Nan Tian sighed and said, “Let’s go.”
Xiao Yu’er replied, “I can’t go now.”
Yan Nan Tian furrowed his brows, “What else are you waiting for?”
Xiao Yu’er lowered his head and said, “When I was young, he treated me well. Now that he has ended up like this, how can I leave him behind to wait for death alone?”
Li Da Zui raised his voice, “You need not pity me, or try to repay me. I am of no benefit to you, and I raised you because I wanted you to grow up to harm others.”
Xiao Yu’er smiled, “It doesn’t matter why you did it, but at least you raised me. Since my life now is very meaningful, I cannot forget your kindness.”