The moment Master began speaking, my expression turned extremely grave.
Every warning and every bit of nagging he had given me before had its reason.
I never imagined that Second Senior Sister Diwu Wanxi had died such a miserable death.
I said nothing and remained silent, listening quietly.
Master's eyes were filled with sorrow, full of those painful memories.
He did not speak right away. Out of habit, he took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a lighter.
This time, Uncle Yu was not there to scold him, and I said nothing either.
There were only the two of us in the hospital room.
Master took a drag from his cigarette and continued in a somewhat hoarse, weathered voice:
"After receiving the news, I was devastated. I immediately took Yu Long and rushed to the scene...
"But before we even arrived, your Eldest Senior Brother Fu Xuefeng met with trouble as well."
As he said this, Master's eyes reddened.
"Xuefeng and Wanxi were both exceptionally gifted, not much worse than you.
"But they both had weaknesses.
"Wanxi was kind by nature, compassionate at heart.
"She lost her life because of a single moment of mercy.
"Xuefeng was the opposite—decisive and ruthless, swift and forceful.
"But he was rather reckless in his actions.
"To reclaim your Second Senior Sister's soul, he acted alone and fell victim to them once more.
"His soul was taken away again, and its whereabouts became unknown.
"His corpse was skinned alive and hung upside down from a tree...
"By the time Yu Long and I arrived, two of my three disciples were already dead.
"They had both died horrible deaths.
"At that time, only your Third Senior Brother Zhuang Sheng remained..."
At this point, Master could not help wiping away