Missing Thoughts Literature

Chapter 10

Yu Sui put away the Listening Wind Ruler and ran out. She needed to find a place where no one was around.

Fortunately, the room was noisy enough, and she ran fast enough that no one noticed her.

Juxian Tower had been booked out, with guards stationed all around. As Yu Sui ran outside, she disturbed many attendants, who rushed to ask if she needed any help.

Voices kept ringing in her mind:

"Can you live? I'm asking if you can live?" the man asked irritably. "What's wrong with me just wanting to sleep well?!"

The androgynous voice said, "Who?"

"Cough, cough..." the old man's hoarse voice chuckled. "It's me."

So far, these were the three voices Yu Sui had heard. After the old man answered who the target of death was, a trembling youngster's voice rang out: "What is this? Who are you? What's going on?"

The newcomer seemed to know even less than Yu Sui.

The youngster's terrified voice amused the man: "Why don't you two just die together? I've already thought of your deaths. The old one will die of old age, and the young one will die from his own stupidity."

Yu Sui ran downstairs and found even more people below. She carefully avoided them and successfully left the main entrance of Juxian Tower, then sprinted through the night market.

At this moment, no one was in the mood to explain to the terrified youngster. The androgynous voice spoke again: "How did you die?"

"Cough, cough... Everyone, don't panic. I still have some time. I'm just too heavily injured. Only when my Soul Core shatters will you all be implicated," the gentle old man chuckled. "There will be too many people who can kill me later, so I really don't know who will kill me or in what way."

Yu Sui was slightly stunned. Soul Core? That should be the strength of the Nine Schools Tenth Realm or above. But wouldn't their Strange Fire nurture a new Soul Core?

She moved away from the bustling market and ran towards a deserted area.

The man said impatiently, "I see you're still breathing, old man. Tell me a location, and I'll come to get you."

The old man said, "I'm at Taiyi Academy, the Five Elements Water Field."

The man immediately said, "Too far, not going. You die."

"What? Who's going to die? What does it have to do with me?"

The still terrified youngster wailed.

"My entire life, I've been trying to find a way to escape the Strange Fire, to escape the mark of the World Destroyer," the old man's voice was low and hoarse. "It possesses the power to destroy heaven and earth, but I have no intention of using this power, nor do I wish to destroy this continent."

"Although I don't know why it chose us, I believe that every chosen person has no intention of destroying the world... but the identity of a World Destroyer makes us live in fear, constantly worried about being discovered by the world. If our identity is exposed, we will be hunted by the Six Kingdoms, leading to the separation of families and the destruction of our homes."

"I've lived for over seventy years, and I've seen too many such things."

The man sneered, "You're dying, and you're still pitying others."

The old man smiled, completely unconcerned. He coughed again, leaning against the wall of the Five Elements Water Field. Blood flowed like a river on the ground. Distant lights lit up one after another, and shadows approached from afar.

The number of World Destroyer spots was fixed at five, but they could be five different people. When someone died, the Strange Fire would seek a new World Destroyer.

You could never guess when it would descend.

Perhaps when you were just born, perhaps when you were about to die.

"Hide your flames well," the old man lowered his head, his gaze gradually dimming. "The Six Kingdoms are all searching for World Destroyers. They need to know the secrets of the Strange Fire. If you want to escape the identity of a World Destroyer, then come to Taiyi Academy... I can be sure that the way to unlock the secret of the Strange Fire lies within the academy's hidden Tianzi Text."

"Unfortunately, if only I had a little more time..."

Black flames suddenly erupted, and the approaching heatwave forced the pursuing shadows to retreat.

The blackness vanished in an instant. When people looked up again, the old man was already burning. Red flames engulfed his body. They could see the figure sitting in the fire fall, no longer making any sound.

The last thing Yu Sui heard was the man's curses and the youngster's helpless questions. Soon, these voices also disappeared. The familiar pain spread throughout her body, causing her to break out in a cold sweat.

Yu Sui, who had run out of the bustling market to the barren zone, saw a pond ahead, its surface shimmering under the moonlight.

Yu Sui felt white smoke rising from her entire body.

As she struggled to run towards the pond, she never expected Zhongli Que to chase after her from behind, shouting, "Sui Sui! Nangong Sui!"

Yu Sui looked back in shock. Zhongli Que was running, her forehead covered in sweat. She was still holding the Listening Wind Ruler, having tracked Yu Sui using the method Yu Sui had given her.

"Don't come over!" Yu Sui shouted. Zhongli Que was stunned by her shout and stopped, her pupils constricting as she looked at Yu Sui's eyes. "How could this be..."

In Zhongli Que's eyes, Yu Sui was being engulfed and consumed by flames, just as she had foreseen.

Yu Sui didn't have time to explain. Her strength failing, she fell into the pond. The splashing water and the sound made Zhongli Que's heart skip a beat, and she quickly chased after her.

How could this be... Was I too late?

If I hadn't hesitated and chased after her sooner, if I knew how to ride a horse, if I knew Nine Schools Techniques, and had come faster, would she not have been burned to death?

Countless possibilities flashed through Zhongli Que's mind. The splashing sound of the water was jarring in the silent night. Her legs seemed to have lost their strength, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

She wanted to go down and save Yu Sui.

But she couldn't swim.

Yu Sui, who had fallen into the water, heard nothing. She couldn't even hear her own screams.

She was no longer an infant, completely unable to control herself. In the pain of her flesh and blood and bones being burned, she could at least resist a little.

The cold, heavy water in the pond eased some of her pain.

The last World Destroyer died without any power to resist, consumed by fire and dying slowly.

The old man who died this time seemed unwilling to let others suffer too much, preventing them from enduring the agony of Lingchi. In his final moments, he used his Strange Fire to self-immolate, the Strange Fire instantly engulfing his life, sparing others prolonged pain.

The icy pond water caused Yu Sui to open her eyes again. Falling, she began to flail her arms, rising upwards.

With a splash, Yu Sui broke the surface of the water. She shook her head, scattering droplets, and as she looked up, she saw Zhongli Que standing by the pond.

After only a short while apart, Zhongli Que was covered in dirt, her face smudged with grime. She had taken off her outer dress and tied it together with clothes she'd found from who knows where, then knotted them and hung them on a tree by the pond. Grabbing the makeshift rope of clothes, she was about to jump into the water.

Yu Sui's sudden appearance stunned Zhongli Que. The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.

A moment later, Yu Sui seemed to understand what Zhongli Que was about to do and let out a chuckle.

"Are... are you alright? You're not dead, sob sob... You, you scared me to death!" Zhongli Que instantly dropped her guard, slumping to the ground while still holding the rope, tears streaming down her face. "You're still laughing? Nangong Sui!"

Zhongli Que had never been so scared in her life. Not even when her father grounded her for several years because of a long arrow had she felt this way.

She understood the meaning of death, and therefore could not accept the death of her friend.

"Where did you find these things?"

Yu Sui floated towards the bank, her smile still lingering.

"I wanted to call for help, but I was afraid of being discovered. I happened to see an abandoned courtyard nearby, so I climbed over the wall and found discarded clothes." Zhongli Que sniffled, wiping her tears. "I tied them together to rescue you... Why didn't you say you could swim?"

She was about to explode with anger.

Yu Sui emerged from the water, shaking her head and wringing the water from her clothes. Hearing Zhongli Que's tearful, wronged question, she couldn't help but smile and look at her. "Of course I can swim, that's why I jumped in. Why else would I jump in?"

"You were almost burned to death!" Zhongli Que said indignantly. "Didn't you jump in to put out the fire?"

Yu Sui's wringing motion paused. The smile vanished as she looked up. "What did you see?"

"I saw you on fire, engulfed in flames, the fire was huge and swallowed you whole." Zhongli Que didn't notice anything unusual about Yu Sui. She was still wiping her tears. "I, I was so scared, I was afraid you'd be burned to death."

Yu Sui stood in front of Zhongli Que, blocking the moonlight. The shadow cast over her.

She shouldn't have been seen.

The death-sense from the Fire Spirit Orb wouldn't cause wounds, only pain.

How could Zhongli Que have seen it?

Yu Sui reached out and untied the clothes Zhongli Que had tied around her waist. Then, she took her hand and helped her stand up, asking with a smile, "Why did you chase after me? Did you use your Listening Wind Ruler to track me?"

Zhongli Que nodded.

Yu Sui opened her Listening Wind Ruler and found a message she hadn't seen before:

"Don't go to Juxian Tower!"

"Hurry home!"

"You'll be burned to death if you go to Juxian Tower!"

Although her "death by fire" had nothing to do with Juxian Tower, half of the prophecy was still accurate.

She had indeed been "burned to death."

Yu Sui feigned surprise, holding her Listening Wind Ruler and looking at Zhongli Que with a puzzled expression. "How did you know?"

"I..." Zhongli Que froze. She couldn't meet Yu Sui's eyes, turning her face away, lost in her own internal struggle.

Yu Sui continued, "Can you predict the future?"

Zhongli Que gritted her teeth and whispered, "Sort of, yes."

Yu Sui suddenly reached out and wiped the water stains from Zhongli Que's face. Zhongli Que looked back and saw Yu Sui smiling. "If it's too difficult, I won't ask. I don't need to know. As long as you're alright, that's all that matters."

Zhongli Que was slightly taken aback. On impulse, she blurted out, "Actually, I..."

"Shh." Yu Sui covered her mouth with her hand, signaling her to be quiet.

The flames of the Strange Fire flickered, indicating someone else was nearby.

Zhongli Que's eyes widened as she looked at Yu Sui, uncharacteristically seeing a look of wariness on her face.

The disturbance on the water subsided, leaving no sound. On such a night, there wasn't even the chirping of insects or the sound of the wind. Yu Sui scanned her surroundings, certain that whoever was hiding in the darkness was not from the Nangong or Zhongli families. If it were secret guards from those families, they would have already jumped into the water to retrieve her.

10 Chapter 10 (Page 2/2)

When leaving Juxian Tower, Yu Sui had deliberately shaken off her secret guards. Perhaps it was because she had gone out with her Third Brother Sheng Fei today, and had booked out Juxian Tower, attending with many young masters from noble families. Therefore, the secret guards hadn't entered Juxian Tower to keep watch, giving Yu Sui an opportunity.

If it were people from the Zhongli family, they would have already appeared to help. But if the people who followed Zhongli Que out were monitoring the Zhongli family, then her actions tonight and the conversation just now would be dangerous.

Yu Sui used the Strange Fire to discern the opponent's hiding spot, then turned sideways towards the old house on the opposite bank of the pond. "Come out!"

If it was someone monitoring Zhongli Que—

After a brief silence, a strange laugh echoed from the opposite bank of the pond.

A man's sarcastic voice rang out, "They all say the King County Princess from the royal estate is a talentless idiot. I see you're quite sharp, aren't you."

Zhongli Que's eyes widened further in shock.

Today was truly a day she shouldn't have left the house.

When a person is unlucky, they encounter all sorts of misfortunes.

Yu Sui shielded Zhongli Que behind her, facing the opposite bank with the imposing demeanor of a county princess. "Who are you? How dare you point fingers at this county princess."

The man was amused by her forced dignity and laughed heartily. "Isn't this an opportunity you yourself provided, County Princess?"

"If the King's Mansion's secret guards were still here, how would I have a chance to point fingers at you?"

Yu Sui, however, heard from his words that the target was her, not Zhongli Que.

"Hmph, you know my King's Mansion's secret guards are still here. If you're smart, you'll scram. If this county princess catches you, I'll cut out your tongue and dig out your eyeballs." Yu Sui snorted coldly, her expression arrogant.

Whether he was targeting Zhongli Que or herself, this person couldn't be let go. Because anything he saw and heard tonight, if it were to reach Nangong Ming, both she and Zhongli Que would be finished.

Given the current situation, Yu Sui couldn't possibly attack the other party proactively. She could only provoke the opponent and make the enemy come to her.

The man hiding in the shadows laughed heartily. "Today I was just trying my luck, hoping to snatch the Agricultural School's treasure, the Primordial Soil, from some fool. I didn't expect to actually run into it. Little Princess, don't be so stubborn when death is at your doorstep. I should thank you for ditching your own secret guards, giving me this chance."

So he was after the Primordial Soil.

A shadow landed on the wall from a tree. The lean man had been on the opposite bank of the pond when he first appeared. After forming a hand seal, a blur of afterimages flickered, and he was already behind the two young girls.

The shadow cast by the man enveloped them.

The man's sinister laughter, close at hand, was like a viper's flicking tongue, and the sense of crisis it brought was bone-chilling.

Zhongli Que pulled Yu Sui to run, but Yu Sui pushed her back into the pond. They were already standing at the edge, so Yu Sui didn't have to exert much effort to push her in.

"Ah?!"

The moment Zhongli Que fell into the water, she didn't even understand what had happened.

"Trying to run?" The man, like a fleeting shadow, appeared before Yu Sui. Veins bulged faintly on the back of his hand. He grabbed Yu Sui by the neck with one hand, lifting her off the ground. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick and won't let you die too painfully, County Princess."

Saying that, he pulled her close, sniffed her, and said, "A delicate young girl really does smell fragrant. This scent makes me reluctant to... hmm?"

The girl, about to perish at his hands, didn't struggle in a panic. Instead, she reached out and hugged his neck.

Yu Sui said softly, "Make it quick."

This was her only chance, to make the enemy underestimate her and create an opportunity for a fatal blow.

Yu Sui's Five Elements Light Core shattered against the side of the man's neck. The moment the black flames overflowed from the core, they engulfed the man entirely. He didn't even have time to scream before his burning body reflexively stumbled backward.

Freed from his grip, Yu Sui fell to the ground. She rubbed her neck and pushed herself up with one hand. Her already dark pupils reflected the burning human body, and the flames seemed to make her eyes even darker and brighter.

The Strange Fire was powerful and fierce. It ignored all supernatural abilities and esoteric skills. The flamboyant flames were showing Yu Sui their terrifying power to destroy all life.

Yu Sui felt this power attracting her. It was full of temptation, whispering in her ear like a lover, or coaxing like a demon.

A strong wind blew the flames towards Yu Sui.

The Black Flame flickered, seeming both near and far. It silently invited Yu Sui to expand this power capable of devouring heaven and earth. Use it, it is the supreme power of this continent, capable of crushing everything and destroying everything.

The night wind blew Yu Sui's long hair. Her fingers, hanging by her side, twitched slightly. Drenched and cold, she suddenly remembered that Zhongli Que couldn't swim and immediately turned to jump into the pond.

The Black Flame chased after her, roaring in unwillingness, but disappeared as Yu Sui entered the water.

The world underwater was cold and quiet.

Zhongli Que couldn't even tell how time was passing. After entering the water, her brain stopped functioning. She was stunned for a long time before reacting.

From being stunned and falling into the water to being pulled out by Yu Sui, Zhongli Que was still dazed.

Yu Sui pulled her back to shore and patted her back, asking, "Are you okay? Did you swallow any water?"

Zhongli Que coughed and shook her head. Her peripheral vision caught sight of a charred lump nearby, and she jumped up in fright. She tightly grabbed Yu Sui's hand. "Are you okay? Where's that bad guy?"

"I'm fine, he's dead." Yu Sui patted her reassuringly, then wrung the water out of her clothes again. She then bent down, picked up the charred remains on the ground, which were just a pile of burnt bones, and threw them into the water. "If he hadn't died, we both would have. So he couldn't be allowed to leave alive."

Zhongli Que stood frozen, staring blankly at Yu Sui.

Yu Sui, struggling to move the charred corpse, saw Zhongli Que stunned and looked up, asking blankly, "Did I scare you?"

Zhongli Que came to her senses and said no. Then she scratched her head and asked with some confusion, "Did I slip and fall in myself, or did that person push me?"

"I pushed you," Yu Sui said honestly.

"You, you?" Zhongli Que felt a bit overwhelmed. "I can't swim..."

Before she could finish, Yu Sui said, "I know. I'll save you. Don't worry, I'll protect you."

If Zhongli Que were to see the Strange Fire, it would be troublesome.

That's why she pushed Zhongli Que into the water and then killed the person.

Whether Zhongli Que understood anything about World Destroyers or not, Yu Sui didn't want her to know. The danger of the Strange Fire far surpassed that of the Primordial Soil.

It could even be addictive.

This was Yu Sui's first time using the Strange Fire. Even though she had discovered a way to summon it while testing the Five Elements Light Core, she hadn't dared to try it easily.

Her subconscious told her not to use the Black Flame unless absolutely necessary.

Zhongli Que heard someone say such a thing to her for the first time.

It was simple and direct, yet filled with a sense of security.

In fact, ever since she met Yu Sui, she had always kept her word and never broken a promise to her. Perhaps this was why Zhongli Que was willing to get close to her, because Yu Sui never disappointed her.

"Why are you protecting me?" Zhongli Que asked in a low voice.

Yu Sui thought for a moment and said, "Because I'm older than you!"

"Your birthday is in May, mine is in January. I should be the one who's older," Zhongli Que looked at Yu Sui and said, "Since I'm older, I'll protect you from now on."

She said earnestly, "I'll protect you too."

Yu Sui, who was squatting by the riverbank washing her hands, looked up. She saw the girl filled with courage, more serious than ever before.

The two, who had promised to protect each other, looked in silence at the several charred remains on the ground a moment later.

Yu Sui said, "We have to throw him in the water, and then clean up the charred marks on the ground."

Zhongli Que hesitated, "But... it's so dirty."

Yu Sui blinked and looked at her, "That's why I don't want to do it alone."

The two exchanged a look and resignedly started working.

After throwing the charred remains into the water, they squatted on the ground with stones, clearing away the charred marks. Yu Sui muttered, "I hope fewer people chase me in the future. Destroying bodies and covering up tracks is too troublesome."

Zhongli Que switched hands to continue scraping, and she also said with a pained expression, "Why are they chasing you?"

Yu Sui replied, "They say the Agricultural School's treasure, Primordial Soil, is with me."

Zhongli Que asked curiously, "Is that something very powerful?"

"It should be," Yu Sui said, "I don't know what it's used for."

Zhongli Que paused and said softly, "You asked me before why I could predict things in advance. Actually, I don't know either. When I was very young, I would inexplicably foresee the negative aspects of people around me."

"I can't control it myself, and I don't know how to do it. Maybe it's when I'm sleeping, maybe it's when I'm eating or writing. As long as an ill omen arrives, I can vaguely sense it."

Zhongli Que stopped her actions as she spoke, lost in thought.

"When I was six years old, I suddenly foresaw during a meal that my mother would accidentally fall into the water when she went out. So I cried and told my mother not to go near the water."

"My mother was very surprised. After asking in detail, she held my hand tightly and told me not to tell anyone. If this happens again, absolutely, absolutely do not speak of it."

Yu Sui tilted her head and looked at her. This was definitely one of the Nine Schools Techniques.

Related to divination and prediction, it could be from the Yin-Yang School, Taoist School, or School of Techniques. These three schools had supernatural abilities and esoteric skills.

Zhongli Que had always obeyed her mother's warning and had never told anyone.

Until she met Yu Sui.

Besides her mother, Yu Sui was the second person she had warned, wanting to avoid misfortune.

"I later learned that this should be one of the Nine Schools Techniques. If others found out, I would be dead," Zhongli Que said softly. "I'm afraid of death, afraid of my father being in trouble, afraid of implicating my mother and older brother."

Yu Sui said, "If you don't know what this power is, then it's dangerous. Instead of letting it become uncontrollable danger, it's better to master it."

Zhongli Que turned to look at Yu Sui, who was still scraping the charred marks on the ground. "Don't be afraid. Go and learn the Nine Schools Techniques. You won't die. I won't let you die."

The naive girl had risked her life to come and save her with nothing but courage.

In return, I will save you too, both now and in the future.