Chapter Forty-Six: I Swear Not to Be Human If This Grudge Goes Unavenged

Dugu Ling glanced back at Yuan Tianci, understanding exactly why Yuan Tianci had acted as he did. Gritting his teeth, he pulled Yuan Shanshan tightly into his arms, hoisted her onto his back, and dashed out of the alley.

One of the two cultivators shouted, “Go after them! Don’t let them get away. The master said not a single one must escape!”

The other cultivator hurriedly mounted his flying sword and sped toward Dugu Ling and the others.

Dugu Ling had no time to look back. In his mind, only Yuan Tianci’s final words echoed: “Take care of my daughter for me.” That was all that mattered to him now—protecting Yuan Shanshan.

“Put me down! I have to save my father! Let me go, you coward!” Yuan Shanshan pounded Dugu Ling’s back in grief, crying out at the top of her lungs.

But Dugu Ling did not stop for her screams. He could not forget the look in Yuan Tianci’s eyes as he turned to glance at him just moments ago.

He knew Yuan Tianci had only one precious daughter in this life. He would rather die himself than see her harmed in the slightest.

That look had entrusted everything to Dugu Ling—a silent plea, a final hope that he now carried alone. He had no choice but to run.

But Yuan Shanshan could not possibly fathom the pain in Dugu Ling’s heart at this moment. For the first time, she despised this man—the one who now carried her on his back. She thought him weak, cowardly, fleeing in the face of danger. She saw him as despicable for the very first time.

“Put me down, you coward! I need to save my father!” Yuan Shanshan continued to shout, tears streaming down her face.

“How would you save him? If we stop now, both of us will die. Do you know why your father didn’t escape with us? He stayed behind to give us time! If we stop, everything he did will have been for nothing!” Dugu Ling shouted in return.

“I don’t care! I don’t care! I want to save my father, you coward—filthy, weak, and spineless!” Yuan Shanshan clapped her hands over her ears, screaming.

Dugu Ling ignored her words, focusing only on shielding Yuan Shanshan in his arms.

By then, the cultivator’s flying sword was already hurtling toward them. In a flash, Yuan Tianci disarmed the sword-wielding opponent before him, then, with a surge of strength, threw himself forward and blocked the incoming sword with his own chest.

The blade pierced deep into the left side of his chest, emerging out his back. Blood welled up from the wound and spilled from the corner of his lips.

Yuan Shanshan, clinging to Dugu Ling’s back, saw it all. Her mouth fell open, then she screamed, “No!” The sound tore through the night, wrenching the heart of all who heard it.

Dugu Ling did not look back, nor did he slow his steps. The instant he heard Yuan Shanshan’s anguished cry, he knew what had happened. He had no other choice but to run faster, to embrace the role of a coward.

He drew a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut, and silently vowed in his heart, “Brother Yuan Tianci, I will take care of Shanshan.”

Though the sword had run through Yuan Tianci’s heart, he remained standing, the urge to protect his daughter lending him strength. He swung his staff in wild arcs, refusing to let anyone pass.

Such is a father’s love—ordinary and yet immeasurable. When their children are threatened, every father finds within himself a power born of love.

“Aren’t you going to pull your flying sword out?” one masked cultivator asked the other.

“I don’t know why, but I can’t pull it out,” the second replied in confusion.

“What?” The first exclaimed in shock. He hadn’t thought Yuan Tianci capable of such strength—clamping the sword in his heart muscle so tightly that even a celestial cultivator was powerless.

Without his flying sword, a cultivator of this level was no different from an ordinary man.

He sneered. “Let’s see how much longer you can last.” He had believed Yuan Tianci couldn’t possibly hold them back, but the power of a father’s love had kept him standing—until now, when Yuan Tianci finally collapsed as another sword pierced the other side of his chest.

As he crumpled to the ground, he saw Dugu Ling and Yuan Shanshan escaping safely from the alley. A faint smile touched his lips, and he closed his eyes in satisfaction.

To a father, his own life is of little consequence; as long as his child is safe, all is well.

Though Yuan Tianci had fallen, he had bought enough time for Dugu Ling and Yuan Shanshan to get away.

“What now? Do we go after them?” one of the cultivators asked.

“How? You try chasing them. Do you really think you’re the only cultivator in the whole of Cold Moon City? Besides, the city lord is a renowned immortal. If a high-level expert suddenly appears, not only will our lives be forfeit, but if word gets out, we’re both finished,” the man in black snapped.

“Enough. Go check if Yuan Tianci has any celestial relics on him. That’s what we came for,” he added.

The other nodded and searched Yuan Tianci’s body.

“Nothing,” he reported after a thorough search.

“Damn it. Let’s go,” the man in black spat, and the two of them vanished without a trace.

Only Yuan Tianci’s body remained in the alley, lying quietly, lips still curved in a faint smile.

By this time, Dugu Ling had already fled the alley. To be safe, he knocked Yuan Shanshan unconscious and leapt onto a carriage, heading toward the city lord’s manor.

He did not return to the smithy—he feared they might ambush him along the way, and he hoped the city lord might still be able to save Brother Yuan Tianci, however slim that chance. He clung to even a thread of hope.

Clutching Yuan Shanshan to his chest, Dugu Ling urged the carriage onward. The memory of Yuan Tianci’s sacrifice made his heart ache; he clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

The last time something like this had happened was in Dugu Village, but then he had lost consciousness and knew nothing of what followed. This time, he had watched with his own eyes as someone dear to him died—a blow that shook him to his core.

Suddenly, he yearned for power—power to protect those he loved, those who loved him. For the first time, he craved strength above all else, so he could shield all he held dear, so that none whom he wished to protect would ever come to harm.

Dugu Ling called out to the spirit of his ring, Cangcang. “Why wouldn’t you let me help Brother Yuan Tianci?” In truth, he and Shanshan had been ready to turn back and fight, but Cangcang had insisted they flee.

“What could you have done? Could you have saved him? Going back would have meant all three of you dying together,” Cangcang replied coldly. To a being who had existed for millions of years, the death of a mortal was nothing extraordinary.

At those words, the tears Dugu Ling had held back burst forth. He had not cried earlier for fear of frightening Shanshan, but now, with her unconscious, he sat alone in the carriage and sobbed uncontrollably. For all his courage, he was still just a child.

His heart ached. He had failed to save his grandfather, grandmother, brothers and sisters in Dugu Village. He couldn’t save Brother Tieniu in Cold Moon City either. He realized how powerless he truly was—forced to watch his loved ones taken from him, helpless to act. No, perhaps there was one thing he could still do—run away. He laughed bitterly at himself.

Cangcang watched Dugu Ling, heartbroken. As a ring spirit, she had no power to help. If Jinjin or Kongkong were here, perhaps they might have done something. The Heaven and Earth Divine Ring could hold living things, but only its blood-bound master. She could do nothing for anyone else.

She sighed, and as she saw Dugu Ling’s tears, a sudden pang struck her heart. The way she looked at him changed. She retreated into the ring, knowing this was a trial he had to face alone. As the chosen one, this was his ordeal; no one could help him.

Dugu Ling’s tears flowed on, his fingernails digging into his flesh until blood dripped from his hands. At length, his tears ran dry—men do not weep easily, unless their hearts are truly broken.

Suddenly, he lifted his head, eyes burning with fury. He would have vengeance. He would seek strength. He would protect all that he wished to protect. This wrong would be avenged, or he would not rest as a man.