Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 494 Breaking up love
"Severing ties?" Xue Sui's heart skipped a beat.

"Yes." Tian Shu looked directly into her eyes and said, word by word:

"Taking it will indeed remove the love potion, but the price is... the eternal loss of your love. You will forget Li Zhao, forget all the love entanglements between you, and become strangers from now on."

Xue Sui stood there, stunned.

Forget your worries?

Breaking up?

Losing your loved one forever?
Is the price for removing the curse really so cruel?

Seeing her face turn pale instantly, Tian Shu's tone softened.

"Forgetting him can't be worse than death, can it..."

Xue Sui slowly raised his eyes, his lips twitching slightly.

Why does my senior brother keep lying to me?

"Because I'm greedy." Tian Shu smiled bitterly, his eyes churning with emotion. "I want you to live, but I don't want you to suffer..."

"This is my choice, and you shouldn't be the one to decide it for me."

Xue Sui took a few steps back, putting distance between him...

Suddenly, a chilling, low roar came from the deep pool behind them.

The water churned violently, and a massive black shadow, accompanied by a foul stench, rushed towards them. It was an unknown aquatic beast covered in scales and of an unusually large size.

Sure enough, there was a guardian beast beside the forget-me-not.

"careful!"

Tian Shu's expression changed drastically. Without thinking, he pushed Xue Sui behind him and drew his longsword to meet the attack.

The sword clashed with the beast's claws, producing a piercing metallic sound.

The water beast was incredibly strong. Caught off guard, Tian Shu lost his balance and was forced to retreat several steps. Two deep, bone-revealing cuts were slashed across his shoulder blade by its sharp claws, instantly staining his white clothes red with blood.

"Senior Brother!" Xue Sui didn't have time to think, and drew his longsword to help.

"Don't come any closer!" Tian Shu shouted sharply, holding his long sword horizontally in front of him, barely managing to withstand the water beast's renewed attack, his breathing already becoming disordered.

"This beast has thick hide and immense strength, you'd better run—"

"How could I escape alone? We'll go together."

Xue Sui didn't stop, circled around to the left side of the water beast, flipped his wrist, and pointed directly at the water beast's abdomen, forming a pincer attack with Tian Shu.

The two had practiced swordsmanship together in the old mausoleum and had excellent teamwork.

One drew the water beast's wrath upon himself, while the other secretly observed for weaknesses. After a brief struggle, they had already figured out the water beast's weakness.

"Safety!"

Xue Sui exchanged a glance with him and nodded.

Tian Shu feinted, drawing the water beast's attention. Taking advantage of its momentary lapse in attention, Xue Sui leaped up using the rocks by the pool, his sword tip aimed straight for the water beast's eye—

Hey!
The water beast, in pain, let out a deafening roar and frantically shook its head.

Xue Sui was violently thrown away by a tremendous force.

"Peace—" Tian Shu, disregarding his own injuries, leaped forward and caught her.

The two of them rolled to the ground.

The water beast was completely enraged, went berserk, and opened its blood-red maw to pounce again.

Tian Shu shielded Xue Sui tightly beneath him, raising his sword to parry.

"Run for your life!"

Xue Sui's eyes were cold and sharp. Seizing this fleeting moment, he leaped from the beast's embrace and, with all his might, plunged his longsword into the water beast's throat...

The water beast froze, letting out a painful howl.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Tian Shu delivered a fatal blow, the blade piercing the heart.

Thump! The massive beast's body crashed to the ground, twitching a few times with a mournful howl, before falling still.

Xue Sui collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

Tian Shu also collapsed to one knee, exhausted, using his sword to support his body. Blood dripped continuously down his arm, and his handsome face was frighteningly pale.

"Elder brother——"

Xue Sui hurriedly stepped forward and stuffed the pills he carried with him into his mouth.

"Hold on, I'll get you out of here soon..."

"I...I'm fine." Tian Shu shook his head, having lost too much blood.

He leaned weakly against the rock behind him, the suffocating feeling and the cold, dying sensation in his chest making his consciousness somewhat blurred. He grabbed Xue Sui's wrist, his eyes full of pleading.

"Ping An, don't resent me... Your senior brother only hoped you would live... even if... the person who would stay with you... wasn't me..."

"Don't speak." Xue Sui's voice trembled as she pressed hard on his bleeding wound.

"I won't let you die! Do you hear me?"

Tian Shu raised his hand with difficulty, took out a small booklet from his bosom, and stuffed it into Xue Sui's hand.

"This is the old mausoleum's... personnel roster, contact information... and the location of the treasures left behind by the previous dynasty..."

He paused, then laboriously placed a black iron token into her palm.

"Ping An, you are now...free... Whether to restore the kingdom, whether to seek revenge...it's all up to you..."

"Your senior brother can no longer... control you..."

Xue Sui's eyes instantly reddened. She gripped the token and roster, still warm from his touch, tightly, her voice choked with emotion.

"Senior brother, you'll be alright. We've survived all those tough times before... what's a little injury?"

"Ping An, don't worry about me... Take care of yourself."

Tian Shu raised his hand and pressed it against hers. His palm was icy cold. His breathing became shallower and shallower, and he slowly fainted in her arms.

Xue Sui's heart tightened. She used the water in her water bag to clean his wound, sprinkled the wound medicine evenly on it, tore off a piece of his clothes, and wrapped it tightly with strips of cloth.

"It's alright now, once the bleeding stops, everything will be fine..."

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the overgrown path.

"The eldest brother is indeed here..."

Yuheng's angry voice rang out sharply.

"Xue Ping'an, you traitor, you caused the Old Mausoleum Swamp to fall apart, and you even tried to seduce Senior Brother, making him die for you..."

Xue Sui looked up.

Yuheng, Yaoguang, Kaiyang and others rushed in with more than ten old tomb warriors.

When Yuheng saw Tian Shu lying on the ground severely injured, his eyes widened in fury.

His gaze toward Xue Sui was filled with hatred.

"I'll kill you, you scourge..."

She shouted angrily and swung her knife at Xue Sui.

Yao Guang hurriedly stopped her.

"Senior Sister Yuheng... calm down! Senior Brother is injured."

"Get out of my way." Yuheng shoved Yaoguang aside, glaring venomously at Xue Sui. "Our senior brother was bewitched by her, which is why he ended up in this state..."

"Senior Sister Yuheng..."

Before Yao Guang could say anything more, Yu Heng's blade suddenly turned and pointed at him.

"I am your senior sister, listen to me... Anyone who tries to stop me is a traitor to the Old Mausoleum!"

Yao Guang was momentarily stunned.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yuheng bypassed him and thrust his knife straight into Xue Sui's heart.

The blade flashed coldly, each strike deadly.

Xue Sui dodged to the side, avoiding her attack.

"Senior Sister, don't be so stubborn." Xue Sui remained cautious, unwilling to hurt her. "The orphans of the Old Mausoleum Swamp have long been accustomed to days without war. They only want to live peacefully and don't care who is emperor..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Yuheng's attacks became even more ferocious. "You killed our master and our senior brother. Today I will take your life..."

Xue Sui's swordplay suddenly became fierce, his tone carrying the last trace of restraint.

"If you keep pushing me, don't blame me for not showing any sympathy for you as fellow disciples..."

Seeing the murderous glint in her eyes, Yao Guang knew something was wrong.

When Yuheng struck Xue Sui again, he suddenly turned sideways to block it—

"Puch!"

Yuheng's blade pierced deeply into Yaoguang's arm.

Yao Guang let out a muffled groan, looked at Yu Heng's astonished face, and gave a pale smile.

"Is that enough, Senior Sister? Stop hitting him! Saving Senior Brother is the most important thing..."

"Yaoguang, you're on her side too?" Yuheng's hand, gripping the knife, trembled violently in disbelief.

Yao Guang shook her head bitterly, "I'm on your side, you fool."

Yuheng's fingertips trembled, and his waist knife fell to the ground with a thud. Then, looking flustered, he helped Yaoguang up. "Are you crazy? You're willing to risk your life to stop me?"

Ignoring the excruciating pain, Yao Guang pulled her forcefully into his arms, his forehead beaded with cold sweat from the pain, yet he still managed a forced smile.

"If it can make my senior sister feel sorry for me, then this stab is worth it."

"You bastard who can't tell right from wrong... She's a traitor, why are you all protecting her?"

The two of them, one crying and cursing, the other enduring, were entangled in a disheveled state.

Seeing this, Xue Sui sheathed his longsword and looked at Yao Guang's arm.

"Are you OK?"

Yao Guang covered her bleeding wound, looked at the devastated Yu Heng and the unconscious Tian Shu, shook her head, and smiled wryly.

"Thirteen, take what you want and go. Leave this place to me."

Xue Sui was deeply saddened.

She glanced deeply at Tian Shu, then at Yu Heng and Yao Guang facing each other, gritted her teeth, and quickly walked to the edge of the deep pool. She carefully picked two blooming Forget-Me-Not plants and put them away in a jade box she had prepared.

"Dear fellow disciples, please take care."

She resolutely turned around and went out the way she came.

As soon as they reached the exit, they saw Balu surrounded them with dozens of Siz guards, wielding gleaming broadswords, completely blocking the way.

"The county lord."

Baru's face was no longer respectful, only filled with cold killing intent.

"Did I tell you? This is a forbidden area of ​​the Holy Mountain. Anyone who enters without permission will be executed."

(End of this chapter)