Choice

The fierce sounds of battle continued to echo from the distance amidst roaring thunder, jagged flashes of lightning, and a torrential downpour. Heaven and earth were plunged into murky gloom. The more urgent the situation grew, the calmer Xu Yao's mind became. In this moment, his thoughts felt chilled like a mound of ice and snow, repressing every trace of impatience. Xu Yao gripped the bark of the old tree, his hands feeling calmly and meticulously through the churning muddy torrent below. The precise touch of his fingertips told him exactly what he was brushing against. After feeling along half the circumference, he found it—an iron pull ring. With a hard heave, he pulled the wooden slab open and reached inside. Sure enough, it was a hollow cavern, though it had already flooded with water. He carefully lowered his body into it. The underground hollow was over a zhang deep, but there was an earthen ledge along the side—evidently a resting platform Liu Zhen and the others had prepared. Standing on the ledge beneath the hollow dead tree, his head and neck remained just above the water. Above the cavern stood the massive dead tree, right beside the living old locust tree. It was clear that after the original tree had withered, a young locust tree had sprouted beside it. Decades or centuries had passed; the base of the old trunk had rotted away into a hollow cavity, while the sapling on the outside had grown to maturity. Xu Yao stood there, bracing a hand against the wall of the cavity, feeling a faint sense of stability settle over him. His eyes remained fixed on the cavern opening. The yellow, muddy current surged past outside, severely limiting his field of vision. His heart was pounding, yet his gaze was firm. Whether it proved useful or futile, he had made up his mind to stay and see. He had thought through the consequences, and there were only four possibilities. First: with Ning Weiyu's words spoken, if he fled and Ning Wuxia died, he and his squadmates would undoubtedly suffer terribly. This much was certain. If Ning Wuxia perished, someone would have to take the blame, and he certainly wouldn't escape it. Ning Weiyu had an absolute sister complex; if his sister died, no one could predict his reaction. Therefore, although "leaving" was the safest path, it was the one he could least afford to choose. Second: if he didn't stay, and Ning Wuxia survived and claimed a decisive victory, he would still have failed Ning Weiyu's entrustment, and there was no guarantee there wouldn't be repercussions. Third: if he stayed and proved useful, even setting aside merit and rewards, he would at least weather this crisis safely. Fourth: if he stayed and proved useless—or even became a burden—the worst outcome was dying alongside Ning Wuxia. In that case, it wouldn't bring disaster upon anyone else. After all, someone from their side would have paid with his life, so what more could be demanded? Besides, hadn't Ning Weiyu been the one to ask this of Xu Yao in the first place? In the end, that single plea from Ning Weiyu had left Xu Yao with no choice at all! He could only stay. Xu Yao had weighed these thoughts in his mind and swiftly reasoned through the four possibilities, confirming that this was his only real choice. And so he had stayed, retreating into this subterranean hollow. Yet he immediately faced new dilemmas. Was hiding here too far away? Or too close? Would it be useless? Would he be unable to help at all? Could he even see anything from here? *Will I die? Will I bring ruin upon my family? Upon the compound?* *If Ning Wuxia dies and I survive, there will be consequences—but what if I die and Ning Wuxia lives?* These numerous questions flashed through his mind in a single instant. Suddenly, an explosive boom tore through the sky, followed by a heavy crash and splashing water. Two figures plummeted down not far away, and an immediate flurry of clashing weapons rang out. Muffled grunts drifted away, returned, and then erupted into a ferocious battle right in this area. Xu Yao held his breath, his mind regaining its icy composure. The torrential rain, raging thunder, and roaring flash floods completely masked his aura. This spot was a relatively flat clearing within the mountain forest, and the two combatants had indeed chosen to wage their fight to the death right here. Heaven and earth were swallowed in darkness. Torrential rain. Lightning. Thunder shook the heavens. Outside, the two figures fought with desperate speed, leaping like falcons and tumbling through the muddy torrent, clashing in midair one moment and rolling in the mire the next. Two grim swords flashed with bright radiance as rain poured down relentlessly. Muffled groans and shrill curses sounded continuously, but the noise was so chaotic that Xu Yao could not distinguish the words. He only knew that both had been wounded and were continuously sustaining more injuries. Hidden in the cavern, Xu Yao calmly watched the outside. Though he had stepped onto the path of martial arts, he could only make out two blurry silhouettes when they came close, unable to discern who was who. Even so, his mind could tell them apart clearly. One silhouette was wrapped in a jade-colored aura—undoubtedly Ning Wuxia—while the other was encircled by yin qi drifting like wandering souls, which could only be the enemy. Flecks of crimson occasionally stained the muddy yellow water, quickly lost to sight. Amidst the clattering clash of blades, Ning Wuxia's voice rang out, laden with fury: "Despicable! Resorting to poisoned weapons when you can't win!" The sinister voice opposite her carried a note of pain, clearly having suffered no light wounds: "If I can't win, wouldn't I be a fool not to use poison? Has the pampered young lady of the Tianshu Purple Mansion never experienced the treachery of human hearts? Today, I'll make sure you learn." Even as they spoke, the battle never ceased, the banging and clattering of weapons continuing without pause. A pained grunt came—Ning Wuxia's voice. The shadowy figure shrouded in the yin qi of wandering souls swayed lightly. "Little mistress, how does it feel?" Ning Wuxia said nothing, throwing herself into a desperate offensive. The two silhouettes fought before the cavern, their footwork churning up muddy water and momentarily breaking the mountain torrent. Affected by the venom, Ning Wuxia's movements grew increasingly sluggish, putting her at a disadvantage. However, her cultivation base was superior to her foe's. Once poisoned, she sought even harder to trade injury for injury. Her opponent was also continually taking wounds and dared not be careless, fighting cautiously and steadily while waiting for the poison to take full effect. Xu Yao watched the two trade savage blows. One moment, the jade-tinted Ning Wuxia was sent flying with a crash; the next, the shadowy figure wrapped in wandering-soul yin qi was smashed backward with an agonizing groan. Just within the area Xu Yao could see, both sides had suffered heavy strikes dozens of times, colliding like two wild bulls struggling for their lives. Xu Yao was stunned. Ning Wuxia looked delicate and refined, yet she could take such a beating. After another fierce exchange, a loud crash sounded. The dark silhouette was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, slamming hard into a tree next to the old locust tree where Xu Yao hid before rebounding. Xu Yao could clearly hear the sickening crack of breaking bones within her body. A mouthful of blood sprayed wildly from her lips, only to be washed away into a patch of crimson by the rain. The dark figure braced one hand against the old locust tree and drove her longsword into the ground to steady herself, panting violently and groaning in pain. "Die!" Ning Wuxia's voice was also weak, yet she charged forward unsteadily in a reckless assault. Knowing the poison would not let her hold out long, Ning Wuxia fought desperately to end the battle quickly, unleashing a storm-like flurry of attacks. But her opponent held firm, fighting defensively with her back to the old locust tree. Even while vomiting blood, groaning in agony, and gasping for breath, the enemy held her ground, doing everything she could to wear down Ning Wuxia's remaining strength. With a thunderous clash, the two traded an all-out strike once more, both thrown backward while spitting blood. The dark silhouette slammed violently against the tree trunk again, bleeding from all seven facial orifices. Her vision went black, and she nearly died on the spot. She then struggled to her feet against the tree. On the other side, Ning Wuxia no longer had the strength to attack. She tried desperately to stand, but her legs gave out, and she was nearly swept away by the raging floodwater. Both were wheezing like bellows, their breaths rasping like roaring oxen. From their ragged breathing alone, anyone could tell they had reached their absolute limits! They could barely keep a grip on their swords. It was precisely at this moment that a hand suddenly shot out from the rolling muddy waves of the torrential flood. Like an iron vise, it clamped down savagely on the dark figure's ankle. In the desolate mountains, beneath the pouring rain and churning muddy waves, she was abruptly seized and thrown off balance! "Ah! Gurgle, gurgle..." A shrill shriek tore from the dark figure, fright nearly tearing her soul from her body! Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined an ambush hidden beneath the muddy torrent coursing along the forest path. In that terrifying second, she thought she had been grabbed by a ghost... That panicked scream revealed her true voice—she was a woman. The instant she was seized, her body was dragged downward into the cavern with a whoosh, scaring her half to death. Xu Yao's nature had always been decisive, acting the moment he made up his mind. Once resolved to act, he would never hesitate. Locking his grip onto the dark figure's ankle, he yanked hard toward the cavern below. Simultaneously, channeling the power of the Purple Mansion Qi Circulation Art through his right hand, he gripped his dagger and thrust it viciously upward, sinking it straight into her lower back! With a wet squelch, blood billowed into the water.