Chapter 58 Extra: Su Mengzhen if Line (1) [Extra]

"You said - Su Mengzhen is missing?"

Shi Qingruo looked up from the table in surprise, and saw Yang Wuxie, who came to inform her of the matter, nodded solemnly at her.

Everyone knew that Yang, the general manager of Jinfengxiyu Tower, was thorough and thoughtful, and would never make up lies to deceive people. Given the relationship between Fengyu Tower and Mitian League, he would not have said such a thing unless he had searched for Su Mengzhen in and outside Bianjing and failed to find his whereabouts.

After all, since Shi Qingruo took over the position of the leader of the United Front, more and more people were convinced that if Su Mengzhen died one day, Jinfengxiyu Tower would fall into Shi Qingruo's hands.

But as long as Su Mengzhen was alive, everyone in Fengyu Tower recognized him as the leader.

So the news of his "disappearance" had a completely different meaning, whether it was just a temporary absence or he was really gone.

"What was unusual before he disappeared?" Shi Qingruo asked.

Yang Wuxie respectfully handed a note from her sleeve to Shi Qingruo. "This was left in the master's room."

Shi Qingruo took the note, which contained two lines of poetry: "A thousand sails pass by the sunken boat, a thousand trees bloom in front of the dead tree..."

She frowned slightly.

It was late winter, early spring, and given Bianjing's location, only a few new buds had sprouted among the dead trees outside the window, far from the vibrant bloom of spring. This poem, when placed alongside Su Mengzhen's poem about his serious illness, was certainly fitting, yet also seemed inappropriate.

"Anything else? If you say it's a poem to encourage yourself, I don't think that's the meaning."

Yang Wuxie pondered for a moment, then replied, "If I must say something, there's something else that's a little strange. Yesterday, the master suddenly chatted with me about a long-dead person. He asked me what would have happened if, by chance, that person had joined the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower first."

Shi Qingruo's fingertips, gripping the paper, twitched slightly.

She seemed to be able to guess where Su Mengzhen had gone.

…

The war in the north had temporarily subsided, and Bianjing had long since returned to peace.

Su Mengzhen, the master of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower, and Shi Qingruo, the Holy Master of the Mysterious Heaven Alliance, had disappeared from Bianjing City, surprisingly unnoticed. The only person left feeling somewhat uneasy was the chief steward, Yang Wuxie.

Before leaving, Shi Qingruo had told him that Master Su was simply feeling sentimental, going out for some fresh air and would be back soon, so he needn't worry.

But what could be said… the word "sentimental" simply didn't fit Su Mengzhen!

Yang Wuxie couldn't help but suspect that Master Su had been led astray by the neighboring Master Shi, and that he had conspired with him to become a hands-off boss for a few days.

…

Shi Qingruo sneezed and wrapped his wind cloak around himself again.

The vast misty waves over the river were truly refreshing, but the chill of the east wind still carried a lingering chill of winter.

Fortunately, martial artists are not naturally afraid of the cold, especially those in good health like Shi Qingruo.

"I think Manager Yang couldn't bear to scold you, and he's still saying bad things about me behind my back."

The young man in the boat lowered his eyes and chuckled, his face, pale from his illness, regaining a touch of color. "Are you sure Miss Guan didn't say that along with Wuxie?"

Shi Qingruo raised an eyebrow. "So, you don't want me to find you. Fine! Then I'll go home now."

"No, that's not what I meant," Su Mengzhen replied decisively, stopping her from rising.

The river swayed with the boat's movement, as if reflecting the misty waves in his eyes. This didn't extinguish the lingering cold fire in them, but only added a touch of tenderness to them.

When he had visited the Misty Heaven Alliance in the past, Shi Qingruo had said that Su Mengzhen understood her, and therefore she trusted him. Today, it seemed like the opposite had happened, and he was grateful that she still understood him.

It was this understanding that had brought them together in Jinling.

Shi Qingruo ignored the previous teasing and changed the subject: "Steward Yang said you mentioned Bai Choufei. Why?"

She had a vague suspicion, but she still wanted to hear the answer from Su Mengzhen.

"I had another dream," Su Mengzhen replied.

The word "another" naturally referred to a different dream from the one Shi Qingruo had previously participated in.

It was a dream so brutally real that even when Su Mengzhen woke up, he still felt a dull pain in his forehead, and the sight of Yang Wuxie's vajra made him feel a subtle sense of embarrassment.

Unfortunately, this dream seemed unsuitable to share with the usually fraught Steward Yang.

Seeing that Shi Qingruo was ready to be a listener, Su Mengzhen continued, "You didn't exist in the dream. It was Wang Xiaoshi and Bai Choufei who came to Bianjing and remained silent for half a year. They happened to encounter the battle between me and Liufenbantang in Kushuipu, joined in, and followed me to break through Banmen. They became brothers recognized by me. Later, it was the two of them who helped me to successively solve the Mitian League, force Guan Qi away, and kill Lei Sun, allowing Fengyu Tower to completely gain the upper hand in the confrontation with Liufenbantang. Bai Choufei also became the deputy owner of Fengyu Tower."

"It's something you can do." Shi Qingruo answered concisely.

Su Mengzhen smiled. "I never doubted my brother. If he had the ability, and wasn't just seeking a false title, I would have given him the position. But I made the wrong choice and led a jackal into Fengyu Tower. I was sick, and it got worse. Xiao Shitou was forced to flee because of the assassination attempt on Fu Zongshu. Bai Choufei was no longer satisfied with being just a deputy tower master, but wanted to be the tower master. But he ultimately brought about his own destruction and ended up being deserted by everyone. Unfortunately, I didn't win either." "

In order to avoid Bai Choufei's pursuit, I fled to Liufenbantang and joined forces with Lei Chun..."

When he mentioned the word Lei Chun, he paused, as if paying attention to the expression on Shi Qingruo's face. Or perhaps it was because he had become accustomed to calling Guan Chun by name, and now it seemed a little strange to mention Lei Chun.

Shi Qingruo understood. "If it's still Lei Chun, she wouldn't be a good partner."

"You're right. She helped me return to Golden Wind Drizzle Tower and defeat Bai Choufei, but she also poisoned me with a poison called a poisonous rust, hoping to control me and the entire Golden Wind Drizzle Tower. So I used the secret code I had agreed on with Yang Wuxie years ago, and had him use that vajra to kill me."

Having her most trusted subordinate kill him, never letting herself become someone else's puppet!

— This was exactly the plot that made the dream seem more realistic.

Even Su Mengzhen's words were filled with determination when she mentioned this.

"You don't seem surprised?" Su Mengzhen asked.

"How should I put it..." Shi Qingruo held her chin in thought. "When a person has lived two different lives, there will be no doubts about different choices and different futures."

At the end of the Dragon's Head, she also saw something in the cutscene. For example, in the world line without her, what kind of life would Su Mengzhen have experienced? In the end, with that tacit command, she put an end to her life.

Blood splattered on Jinfengxiyu Tower, choosing a more suitable owner for it—for Su Mengzhen, that was a fitting end.

"Every choice seemed like something you would make. As the one who made it, you wouldn't regret it, so why should I be surprised?" Shi Qingruo asked

, looking back. Su Mengzhen was about to speak when the smile in Shi Qingruo's eyes suddenly faded. "Wait, you're not trying to use this as an excuse to trick Wang Xiaoshi away from me, are you?"

Su Mengzhen coughed violently, completely unable to understand how Shi Qingruo could have come up with this idea. "I dreamed it, not Wang Xiaoshi, and found Fengyu Tower. How could I have snatched him away? If I had such an idea, I shouldn't be in Jinling now. I should have found a place in Bianjing to meet Wang Xiaoshi."

Shi Qingruo's face was tense, but she couldn't help but smile. "So, what conclusion did you draw from revisiting Li Chenzhou's old place?"

A thousand sails pass by the sunken boat, and a thousand trees bloom in front of the dead tree. Su Mengzhen's poem not only referred to the present, hopeful future, but also gave her a glimpse of something else.

The two characters "沉舟" (sinking boat) were darker than the other twelve, as if written with extra force, clearly indicating something else.

It referred to Li Chenzhou.

Jinling, not only the ancient capital of a dynasty, but also the headquarters of the Quanli Gang, once the world's most powerful gang. It's no surprise that the Quanli Gang took the straightforward word "power" in its name. At its peak, its leader, Li Chenzhou, was nicknamed "The King Who Reigns Over the World."

Unfortunately, this arrogant leader of the Quanli Gang eventually grew suspicious of his brother, faking his own death to test his chief steward. This led to Liu Suifeng, known as "Sun and Moon in the Sleeve," being surrounded and severely injured. He then died while rescuing the gang leader's wife, Zhao Shirong.

Liu Suifeng's death marked the beginning of the Quanli Gang's decline.

When Su Mengzhen took over the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower, he drew lessons from Li Chenzhou's past actions and never doubted his brother. This policy of trusting those he employed had become a habit, but in the story of his downfall, it also became his weakness.

While reflecting on the differences between his three lives, he involuntarily arrived in Jinling.

But the former headquarters of the Quanli Gang had long since been replaced by other structures, just as the Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, and Nineteen Divine Needles, seized that year, had passed through many hands. Ultimately, it was a bygone era, a legend in the underworld.

"I often wonder, becoming a hero worthy of a title isn't difficult, but what kind of ability does it take to be a qualified leader? Someone like Li Chenzhou, with a strategic and decisive military advisor and a wife of exceptional intelligence and martial prowess, ultimately ended up like this. Just like me, when I took over Jinfengxiyulou from Fengyu Piaoyao, dragging my ailing body along, hoping to turn Fengyulou into a shelter for others, wasn't that a pipe dream?" "

But you ultimately made Fengyulou a success, and became known as Master Su, the Su Tower Master." Seeing him standing at the bow, Shi Qingruo followed him out of the cabin.

The sound of water roared, and the distant Jinling City blurred in the mist. The

only clear thing was Shi Qingruo's next words, "I'm not Zhao Shirong. There's only one Su Mengzhen in this world."

"That's right." Su Mengzhen tilted her head, saw a lock of hair blown by the east wind, and reached out to tuck it behind her ear even faster than Shi Qingruo.

This almost offensive gesture, performed by the young man in the apricot robe, surprisingly conveyed a certain calm and dignity. But it was also possible that the wind was cold today, and his haggard appearance made him unable to show his momentary panic.

His slightly cold fingertips brushed the side of Shi Qingruo's face, generating heat like the friction of flint, causing him to quickly withdraw his hand.

When Shi Qingruo looked up, he had suppressed a flash of regret and replied, "So this dream was just a dream. I'm revisiting this place now, not to blame myself for taking Li Chenzhou's lesson to the other extreme. I'm just extremely grateful that in this life—"

"You're the one who came to me to prove your abilities, hoping that I would trust you."

He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly turned away, grasped the edge of the cabin, and began to cough violently. Veins bulged in his clenched hand, as if if he let go, the excruciating pain would send him plummeting into the Jinling River.

When he turned back, his lips were a shade redder than before, but it didn't seem healthy.

"I just feel a little regretful." His voice dropped suddenly, perhaps from exhaustion. "Why couldn't I meet you sooner, in dreams or in reality?"

His life seemed destined to be short, like a flickering fire in the cold of winter, uncertain whether it could survive the entire winter.

And yet, this girl, who understood him so well and had found this place, was still in the prime of her life. Even the bright moon was a full moon in the sky, unable to catch the setting sun.

Suddenly, someone grasped his hand.

Shi Qingruo smiled, "Who said no?"

A cloth shop in Jinling City soon welcomed two strange guests.

The owner's eyes widened at the sight of the first girl.

They say Jinling is full of beauties, but in his entire life, he had never seen one like her. Even her slightly impatient expression held a uniquely vibrant beauty.

Her eyebrows, thicker and darker than those of an ordinary beauty, didn't appear sharp, but instead made her eyes appear even more distinct, vibrant and full of life.

Even if he draped a piece of linen around her and walked the streets of Jinling City, she would surely captivate the entire city.

Then, when people asked where he bought the fabric, he could lead them to him, and he would be rich.

He was just imagining such a good thing when he saw a sickly-looking young man being pushed in front of him by this beauty.

"You go and talk to him,"

Su Mengzhen glanced helplessly at Shi Qingruo. Seeing that she had already glanced at the shop across the street, as if she had already chosen her next target, he could only quickly explore the shop and ask the cloth shop owner to bring him a piece of dark apricot and black fabric. He then took a pen and paper from the side and quickly drew a dress. "Just do it this way."

Du Zhong's

boss's plans were completely dashed, but fortunately, there was still a business that came his way. He quickly had someone take his measurements and arranged to pick it up the next day.

Su Mengzhen had just put down the deposit when Shi Qingruo dragged him out of the cloth shop and went to the rouge shop across the street to buy a lot of things.

He suddenly felt a surge of regret. Why had he insisted on saying such a thing to Shi Qingruo? It felt like he was digging himself into a hole.

But as he changed into his old clothes and sat in front of the makeup mirror, this slight regret was forgotten.

Shi Qingruo held the powder box in her hand, and with her other hand, she lifted his chin, studying his face, her eyes full of seriousness.

In Jinling City, few knew their identities, and even fewer would disturb them. Even at this slightly too close distance, he could sense the gentle breath, causing a shudder to cross his face.

It seemed too close, yet it seemed it could be closer.

"Don't move!" Shi Qingruo interrupted his reverie. "I told you to look younger. Don't move around or you'll affect my performance."

Su Mengzhen: "..."

Shi Qingruo felt that while she lacked Sikong Zhaixing's abilities, having been educated in one of the Four Great Magical Arts, she could always pull something off. Applying makeup to Su Mengzhen wouldn't be a piece of cake!

"Come to think of it," she added, as if reflecting on something, "should I still call you—Young Master Su or Little Master Su?"

Su Mengzhen closed his eyes.

Perhaps it was the effect of the dream, but his headache returned.

Ultimately, Shi Qingruo abandoned her plan to transform him back to eighteen years old. She simply used simple makeup to mask Su Mengzhen's sickly complexion, had him change into his new clothes, and then, along with Su Mengzhen, set out from Jinling for Xiaohan Mountain.

That was where Su Mengzhen had once trained, the residence of the Red Sleeves Divine Nun, and where a younger "Su Mengzhen" should be.

Before leaving Jinling, Su Mengzhen had sent a letter to Yang Wuxie, assuring him that he had not been lost and had reunited with Shi Qingruo, and that there was no need to worry about him.

Steward Yang would likely be doubly pleased to receive this letter.

By the time the letter reached Bianjing, Shi Qingruo and Su Mengzhen, on their galloping journey, had already reached Xiaohan Mountain.

The Luoyang King, Wen Wan, had sent his daughter to Xiaohan Mountain to learn martial arts, not only because of his past friendship with the nun Hongxiu, but also because Xiaohan Mountain, nestled in the Qinling Mountains, was within reach for him, though somewhat distant.

In late winter and early spring, even on the Qinling Mountains, one could still feel a layer of frost on the mountain paths, and overhead, a blanket of snow nestled in the clouds. It's no wonder it's called Xiaohan Mountain.

As a child, Su Mengzhen was robbed in the north and rescued by the Fifteenth Master, who brought him here for treatment. Unfortunately, his illness was difficult to cure, and it had grown with him over the years, leading to his current condition.

Fortunately, his exceptional martial arts talent prevented the cold mountain wind from exacerbating his condition.

More important to him now was the girl who accompanied him.

She also changed into clothes that were more convenient for mountain climbing and walked beside him. Perhaps because she had temporarily left behind the baggage of the Saint Lord of the Misty Sky Alliance, her expression showed a bit more joy and lightness.

Hearing a faint singing voice echoing in the distant mountains, she also responded loudly.

The echo of the valley and the singing on both sides merged together. The mountain wind made the tone a little messy, but it seemed to have a more subtle beauty.

When the voices of both sides calmed down, Shi Qingruo grabbed Su Mengzhen's sleeve and asked with interest: "Besides your master and Wenrou, are there any other female disciples on Xiaohan Mountain? Why don't you come down the mountain to play?"

She heard clearly that the mountain song on the other side was sung by a woman.

Su Mengzhen's eyebrows moved slightly: "This place is still some distance from Xiaohan Mountain. It should be someone else. I heard that she was full of energy. She should be a martial artist, but I don't recognize this voice."

A stranger?

Shi Qingruo thought without hesitation: "Meeting is fate. Why not go over there and take a look?"

Since we were already here, a little time wouldn't be a big deal. Su Mengzhen hadn't informed Hongxiu Shenni of his visit anyway, so going to the source of the voice would

n't delay anything. The person who spoke the voice was indeed quite powerful.

Shi Qingruo and Su Mengzhen switched to light-travel skills, heading in the direction of the earlier voice. After another two hours of walking, they finally reached the entrance of a valley. The distant singing from the valley resumed, confirming their location.

Crossing the narrow mountain path and entering the valley ahead, Shi Qingruo's eyes suddenly lit up.

She had never expected to see such a scene.

While both were in the Qinling Mountains, there was still snow on the high peaks, here, spring had already arrived. Clusters of bright red flowers bloomed in the forest, wafting through the mist, their colors even more vibrant than those of camellias.

The valley's warm climate inspired mountain rabbits and deer to run freely through the trees, crossing a shallow stream ahead, splashing in the water. Sunlight filtering through the forest shone on the water droplets.

Anyone who visited this place would likely feel like they had stumbled upon a paradise.

Su Mengzhen had never known that such a mysterious place existed near Xiaohan Mountain, teeming with flowers he couldn't name.

He didn't know if it was because he was so busy practicing his sword skills and rarely ventured out, or if it was simply too well hidden.

"Qingruo..."

Su Mengzhen turned his head toward Shi Qingruo and was startled. Unfazed

, she approached a cluster of red flowers, casually plucked a petal, held it in front of her, sniffed it, and then held it in her mouth.

Shi Qingruo chewed it twice. "It's not poisonous, it's edible. I saw its name in a classic. If you don't believe me, try it!"

As she spoke, she held another petal in front of Su Mengzhen's face.

Seeing the hope in her eyes, Su Mengzhen swallowed the petal without hesitation.

The petal tasted truly strange. At first, it was sweet, like a piece of honey, tinged with a hint of springtime alcohol, making one feel as if they were enchanted by a sea of flowers. But suddenly, amidst the alcohol and sweetness, an indescribable bitterness emerged, making it impossible to spit or swallow.

"It's called the Love Flower. Do you think that's an appropriate name?" Shi Qingruo asked, tilting her head, her fingertips fiddling with the bright red blossom before her.

Su Mengzhen didn't have time to consider whether the petal tasted like love before he keenly noticed that the stem from which the seemingly sweet petal grew was covered in small thorns. He quickly reached out to grab Shi Qingruo's hand, but unexpectedly, a barb was hidden beneath the petal, scratching his hand with a red mark.

His face immediately changed color.

Just because at the moment when the barb scratched his fingertip, he suddenly felt as if his heart was hit by a heavy hammer, and it hurt.

He had been ill for many years and his lungs were injured. He could immediately conclude that the pain was not caused by his old illness, but could only be caused by the flowers in front of him.

The flowers are poisonous!

"Stand back!"

The more beautiful things are, the more poisonous they are, and the flowers in front of him seemed to be like this.

But as soon as he said this, he suddenly heard a chuckle.

The laughter did not come from Shi Qingruo, but from the girl who walked out from behind the trees in the distance.

There was a bit of firmness and coldness between her eyebrows, which seemed very inconsistent with the flowers in front of her. However, the words she said did not seem to have any malice because of the teasing meaning. "What the girl said earlier was right. The flower is called the Love Flower, and its petals also have the taste of love. They are not poisonous. Instead, the thorns under the flower are tainted with the Love Flower poison. If you are accidentally pricked, you will feel unbearable heartache for twelve hours as long as you think about your loved one."

"You were worried about this girl and felt heartbroken. That's because she is the one you love, am I right?"

The one you love?

Su Mengzhen felt a pain in his heart again, and then he heard the person say, "However, since you have been poisoned by the Love Flower, it is best not to think about love for the time being. Otherwise, if you die of pain, I will not be willing to give you the antidote."

There was a moment of trance between his eyebrows, but when he raised his eyes, he had returned to normal. The words he spoke also seemed to have returned to calm, and only a little trembling could be heard: "So what? It's too difficult for me not to think about her and miss her."

Compared to the sad little arrow that day, compared to the pain of remembering the memory belatedly, compared to the torture of the cold poison all over his body, this love flower poison -

is nothing more than that!

Su Mengzhen gave Shi Qingruo a look that said there was no need to worry, and asked the person who came. "Excuse me, young lady, where is this place?"

The girl on the other end had a flash of surprise in her eyes, and replied: "This place is called the Valley of Unfeeling."