Still Secretly In Love With My Enemy Today - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: 

 

When I woke up, before I even opened my eyes, a fiery pain radiated from my shoulder and spread throughout my body.

 

My mind was hazy and muddled. Aside from the amplified agony in my shoulder, my other senses were lagging. After a moment of confusion, a cold sensation reached my consciousness. I opened my eyes to find that, as expected, my wrists and ankles were shackled.

 

The surrounding light was dim, with blurry shadows swaying and overlapping. I squinted for a while before realizing where I was.

 

I had been to the Temple’s prison many times. Sometimes I came to bail out other Iron Cloud City members, sometimes to secretly release commoners who couldn’t pay the “Divine Tax,” and sometimes just to cause trouble.

 

But being locked in here myself—that was a first.

 

I tried to move my right arm. The moment my shoulder was pulled, it felt as if I’d been stabbed all over again. I promptly decided to stop torturing myself. I was in enough pain as it was.

 

The light from outside was suddenly blocked. A long shadow stretched across the floor and slowly turned toward me.

 

He was alone. His deep green hem was spotless, without a single drop of blood; he had likely changed his clothes.

 

“Vice City Lord Zhu.”

 

A title he had never used. The green beaded curtain swayed, obscuring his face once more, leaving only the tip of his chin visible.

 

I said nothing. With a clack, he unlocked the cell, entered, and sat down across from me.

 

“Does it hurt?”

 

His gaze swept over my shoulder, the beaded curtain clattering softly as it settled.

 

“What do you want me to say?”

 

He paused, offering no reply. He opened a small jar, and the scent of medicinal herbs immediately filled the air. The calluses from years of swordplay on his right hand were clearly illuminated.

 

Realizing I was staring at him, he looked up. “Aren’t you going to ask me why?”

 

“There’s nothing to ask.”

 

His movements halted. “Truly?”

 

“I was the one who was foolish. What is there to ask?”

 

“Foolish?” He let out a soft laugh, repeating the word under his breath before looking up again. “And what folly did you commit?”

 

“Underestimating the enemy and being overconfident. I have nothing to say.” I smiled mirthlessly. “After enduring so many days of humiliation, you’ve probably been waiting for this day for a long time.”

 

Before his fingertips could touch me, I leaned away.

 

“I know you people from the Temple love to spout nonsense,” I said, staring him down. “But I don’t want to hear it.”

 

“Not even if it’s me speaking?”

 

The tone suddenly softened. Under the flickering lamplight, my heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

 

“I… don’t listen to nonsense. Doesn’t matter who it’s from.”

 

“Fine.”

 

A moment of silence followed. He lowered his head and dipped a finger into the ointment. I could tell from the scent that it was of the highest quality.

 

“I won’t speak then,” he continued. “The medicine is good medicine. Don’t take your anger out… on yourself.”

 

“I don’t need it.”

 

He wasn’t on guard, and his grip was loose. I swung my left hand, and the porcelain jar shattered against the floor, its contents spilling everywhere.

 

“I’m afraid you’re trying to poison me.”

 

He said nothing, watching me through the beaded curtain for a long time. He took his keys and stood up. Before leaving, he turned back one last time.

 

“I’m going.”

 

…

 

He came back for two days straight.

 

Medicine, hot water, food, clothes. In my groggy intervals, I would always find him sitting silently by my side.

 

“How many times do I have to tell you?” I finally snapped when I knocked over his offerings for the sixth time. “I’m afraid of poison. Do you not understand plain speech?”

 

“I…”

 

Again, he didn’t finish. He took a deep breath and turned his head away.

 

“What exactly are you pretending for? If you want revenge, why bother with all this? Don’t you know exactly how I treated you? If you’re not tired of acting, I certainly am!”

 

I thought he would do as he had the previous days—remain silent for hours before quietly packing up and leaving. Instead, I heard a light chuckle.

 

“The Third Elder still feels that the incident that day was suspicious… that perhaps the two of you were in league.”

 

He lifted the beaded curtain and hooked it onto his hair crown, revealing a face that shared the same silhouette as Xie Huaishuang.

 

So, he was one of the other eleven disciples Xie Huaishuang had mentioned.

 

“Looking at it now, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

 

They weren’t perfectly alike, but their stature, calluses, and attire were nearly identical. Sitting in the shadows like this, I had been momentarily dazed when I first looked up.

 

“Testing me?”

 

“What if I am?” The man’s tone shifted completely—cold and indifferent. “You ruined our plans again. But it wasn’t a total loss. Capturing the number one wanted criminal is a decent prize.”

 

After two days of acting, I finally heard what I wanted to hear. I felt a slight sense of relief but kept my expression neutral.

 

From the very first glance that day, I had known he wasn’t Xie Huaishuang.

 

—If it really had been Xie Huaishuang, if greed, anger, and obsession had all burned through his heart, then I would have deserved it. But since it wasn’t him, I intended to find a way to pay back that sword strike.

 

“Do you want to kill me?” I gauged his expression. “Or exchange me for your High Priest?”

 

“Exchange him?” He laughed. “Rest assured, even if the Great Shaman and the Elders have lost their minds, I won’t stand by and watch them do such a thing.”

 

“He knows quite a bit. If you truly treat him as an enemy, the Great Shaman and the others will likely be at ease.” His smile deepened. “And so will I.”

 

His clothes weren’t quite the same as Xie Huaishuang’s. I looked up his sleeve and understood.

 

“If he doesn’t come back, the position is yours.”

 

“Vice City Lord Zhu is indeed a clever man.” He stared at me with interest for a moment before speaking again. “I am quite interested to hear… how you ‘humiliated’ him.”

 

“How?” I lifted my left hand, showing him the shackles. “By that logic, I should be your benefactor. Is this how you treat a benefactor? By asking such ridiculous questions?”

 

“Besides, why celebrate so early? Even if he truly doesn’t return, are you so sure the next High Priest will be you?”

 

Seeing his displeasure made me happy.

 

“Do you think I would have broken the array core so easily if it had been the previous guy?” I watched his face darken. “If I hadn’t been distracted and underestimated you, do you really think you could have caught me? You’ve gotten nothing useful out of me all this time. If it had been him…”

 

“Enough!” The man snapped to his feet. “Even you say that?”

 

It seemed he really resented being compared to Xie Huaishuang. I didn’t get it—what was there to be insecure about? He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t measure up. It was just common sense.

 

“So what if he’s better? He can never return to the Temple.” He suppressed his outburst quickly, returning to that mocking smile. “Similarly, you will never return to Iron Cloud City.”

 

“Is that so? What a pity.”

 

He paused as he turned to leave. “Pity for what?”

 

“Because if I can’t go back, then someone else can return.”

 

“What?” He spun around, the beaded curtain clashing chaotically.

 

He looked nothing like Xie Huaishuang now—fidgety and reckless. Xie Huaishuang never acted like that, even when we were fighting tooth and nail.

 

“I haven’t killed him yet. I left orders in Iron Cloud City; no one touches him but me.” My wound throbbed; I took a breath, trying to look normal. “I was planning to take my time with him, but then you brought me here… I was the one watching him. Now that I’m here, do you think anyone else in Iron Cloud City can keep him locked up?”

 

“The Temple certainly won’t trade for him. But if he returns on his own, do you think the Temple will use you… or him?”

 

The man stood outside the door in silence for a long time before letting out a laugh.

 

“You want me to release you? You’re dreaming. Besides, even if he has the luck to return, after being in your hands, he won’t be the same as he was. How can he compete with me?”

 

“Is that so.”

 

I closed my eyes again—partly because I didn’t want to look at him, and partly because I was reaching my limit. The thought that there might be ten more idiots like him in the Temple made me realize the Temple was actually quite impressive in its own way.

 

…

 

When I opened my eyes again, I saw fresh food and water in front of me.

 

“I thought you were afraid of poison?”

 

“You’re not him. There’s no need for you to poison me.”

 

The Temple’s kitchen wasn’t bad; at least the food was edible, unlike the people they raised, who were an eyesore to behold.

 

—Except for Xie Huaishuang, of course.

 

From this man’s words, I could guess that the Temple had only captured me. I wondered where Xie Huaishuang was and what he was doing.

 

“Why wouldn’t I poison you? Killing you would be a great achievement.”

 

“A great achievement, but who do you expect to remember it? The Great Shaman? The Elders? Who?” I answered his stupidity while eating. “Who gets the position isn’t determined by past merit; it’s determined by who can provide them with the most benefit in the future.”

 

He fell silent again as I continued to struggle with my chopsticks using my left hand. Having acted for days, I was truly dizzy with hunger. Every time I had knocked over a bowl, my heart had ached. We in Iron Cloud City can’t stand wasting food.

 

“Releasing you provides me with no benefit.”

 

“I never said you should release me.”

 

I literally had to teach him how to be a villain step-by-step. Were he and Xie Huaishuang really trained by the same master?

 

“Credit goes to you, blame goes to others. Isn’t that how it works?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“There must be many people like you in the Temple. Finding a scapegoat should be easy for you.” I didn’t look up. “There’s only one position. This helps you get rid of other obstacles. Two birds, one stone.”

 

“In any case, you don’t actually care what happens to Iron Cloud City. All you want is that position.”

 

His expression changed as I laid it out.

 

“No need to pretend. We’re the same kind of people. I don’t care about the Temple, and I don’t care about the people of West Wing. Reaching the position I want is all that matters.”

 

Fortunately, it was always Xie Huaishuang I fought in the past; this man hadn’t seen me at my most desperate, or my words wouldn’t have been so believable.

 

—Where on earth was Xie Huaishuang?

 

My head had been heavy these past few days, and my vision was blurry. Every time I woke up, I seemed to see him. Xie Huaishuang, smiling at me.

 

The damp, metallic scent of blood rushed back with the dull pain, scattering that green shadow once more. I looked up, forcing my eyes to focus on the person across from me.

 

“Since it’s like this, there is no enmity between us.”

 

People of the Temple always have greed and desires. Except for Xie Huaishuang, their weaknesses are always too easy to find.

 

He was swayed. His face remained the same, but he acted as if he hadn’t heard a word. He watched me finish eating and stood to leave.

 

“If you’re going to consider it, be quick,” I called out. “You’ve delayed for days; you won’t be able to stall much longer. Those Elders must be anxious to interrogate me. When that happens… well, decide for yourself.”

 

Only when the sound of the lock echoed did I allow my back to relax, leaning my head back against the wall.

 

At most one more day. Any longer, and even with the door unlocked, I wouldn’t be able to get out.

 

…

 

Day and night were the same in the dungeon. When I woke up again, murmuring Xie Huaishuang’s name, I could only guess by instinct that it was morning.

 

“Have you decided?”

 

The shadow on the ground moved closer and stopped at the door. I didn’t look up.

 

“The guards change in two hours. The exit is to the east.”

 

“What about the guards? I’ve heard the guards here are all chosen from those with blood on their hands, each more ruthless than the last.”

 

“I can’t move them. If you can’t get out, then it’s your fate.”

 

“It’s more than that, isn’t it?” I smiled. “If things go wrong, you’ll be the first one to come and kill me.”

 

He said nothing. I waved my hand. “Don’t worry. I won’t let that ‘other one’ come back to bother you.”

 

At this, he took a step forward. “You’d better keep your word. Let the Temple know you killed him, or it won’t be good for you either.”

 

In my daze, the thought that Xie Huaishuang had spent over a decade dealing with people like this made my heart ache for him.

 

“Naturally.”

 

I couldn’t see his face clearly anymore. One moment I was freezing, the next I was burning up.

 

“The shackles?”

 

A thin iron wire flickered in his hand before being tossed in. “Shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

 

He seemed to say something else before turning, but I couldn’t hear it clearly. I dragged myself over, found the wire, and poked it into the lock.

 

I was familiar with the Temple; no one would find their way here for five days. I couldn’t wait that long, nor did I intend to—it would be best if no one came; getting out of this place in one piece wasn’t easy.

 

Especially for Xie Huaishuang.

 

I feared nothing except him coming here recklessly. The City Lord always acted with discretion, but Xie Huaishuang had none when it came to things like this. It was only the fourth morning; no matter what, he should still be on his way.

 

Discarding the shackles, I slowly picked the lock of the cell door, calculating once more.

 

He must not come here.

 

The man had kept his word. Two hours later, I found a momentary gap and slipped behind the wall on the left.

 

Silence. I took a breath and slowly moved toward the entrance of the corridor. There should have been many guards; getting out would involve a fierce battle. I wiped away sweat. Once I could see a bit more clearly, I threw a small stone to the side as planned.

 

But after a moment, there was no sound. Something was wrong. I peered around the corner.

 

The copper lamps on both sides cast a blue-green glow over the corridor. Guards were sprawled across the floor. The long passage was eerie in its silence, the thick scent of blood filling the air.

 

Who had been here?

 

My heart raced. Before I could think, I heard the sound of a blade slicing through a throat behind me.

 

The strike was incredibly fast and ruthless, without a hint of hesitation.

 

I spun around. In the dim light, the guard holding a long saber collapsed in front of me, revealing the person standing behind him.

 

—A figure drenched in blood, like an Asura.