"Father, look at that man… isn't that the one who ate the fruit today?" Nie Qingkong asked in a low voice as he sat beside Xiang Xueyuan, glancing at a man resting not far from them.
He remembered this man, along with another, fighting over non-existent gold and falling at his feet. Nie Qingkong remembered it clearly, even matching the wounds on the man's face.
"Mhm," Xiang Xueyuan also recognized him. "Go ask him."
"Yes, Father." Nie Qingkong responded, then put on a gentle, warm smile and approached to inquire.
Seeing that Nie Qingkong was young, and that he was accompanied only by an old man and a woman, the other man did not hide anything. In the end, he couldn't help but complain, "I really don't know why I'm here suffering this! The Tang family of Lu Miao Tang is completely irresponsible! They tricked us into this godforsaken place and then abandoned us! And that Tang fellow deliberately ate those fruits in front of us, then ditched us while we were hallucinating! It's truly excessive!"
Nie Qingkong just listened silently, occasionally revealing a hidden look of disdain, but outwardly saying understandingly, "Then I won't disturb your rest."
After saying this, Nie Qingkong returned to Xiang Xueyuan's side and reported truthfully, "Those fruits have hallucinogenic effects, lasting less than an hour. After regaining consciousness, one feels weak. Currently, there are no other adverse effects. He continued his journey after recovering, stumbling along, and that's how he got here. His companions have already returned to the ship using signal flares."
"Is that so?" Xiang Xueyuan looked at the man coldly, a smirk playing on his lips as he said, "How pitiable."
Hearing Xiang Xueyuan's words, both Nie Qingkong and Xifu's expressions stiffened.
"It's already remarkable that he made it this far. Let's not make him suffer any longer," Xiang Xueyuan said to Nie Qingkong. "Go and fulfill his destiny. Do a good deed today."
"!" Nie Qingkong jolted, immediately turning to look at the man who was drinking water. He still looked very exhausted, sitting there unsteadily and resting. If Nie Qingkong were to walk over now, understanding this man would not be an issue, but… In a daze, Nie Qingkong seemed to see Xia Qingyu's eyes again, and also seemed to hear Xia Qingyu's voice: "A pitiable person."
"A pitiable person…" Nie Qingkong muttered unconsciously.
"What?" Xiang Xueyuan looked up at Nie Qingkong, hearing his mumble. "What are you saying?"
"No, I…" Nie Qingkong finally snapped back to reality, realizing he had spoken out unintentionally. His face froze, and he wanted to explain, but felt he could never deceive Xiang Xueyuan.
Xifu, noticing this scene, her expression changed. She immediately got up and walked towards the resting man, her hand swiftly moving. Without a hint of hesitation, she dispatched the man before her. The man, clutching his bleeding carotid artery, stared at Xifu in disbelief before rolling off the resting stone. After a couple of twitches, he was completely dead.
Sheathing her blade, Xifu showed no sign of remorse. She turned around, wiping blood from her arm with a handkerchief, and then pouted coquettishly at Xiang Xueyuan, "Father, it's been so long, Tarik hasn't eaten anything yet. Let him eat first. He's too weak from hunger. Killing is a small matter; I can handle it."
Seeing that Xifu had already killed the man, Xiang Xueyuan said no more. He merely gave Nie Qingkong a deep look, then got up and said, "I'm going to rest for a bit. Someone else will be coming soon…"
"Don't worry, Father. Tarik and I will handle it. They won't have a chance to disturb you," Xifu immediately replied.
"My being disturbed is a minor matter. It's just that I pity their exhaustion and wish to grant them an early release," Xiang Xueyuan said matter-of-factly.
"Yes, Father's lesson is right. We must do good deeds every day," Xifu said obediently with a smile.
"Heh heh." Xiang Xueyuan smiled with satisfaction, then gently patted Nie Qingkong's shoulder and said tenderly, "Tarik, learn more from Xifu."
Hearing Xiang Xueyuan say this, Xifu was still smiling. But after Xiang Xueyuan uttered his next sentence, Xifu could no longer smile.
"Don't disappoint me again. You know the price of disappointing me." He patted Nie Qingkong's shoulder again before walking to the sleeping bag to rest.
After Xiang Xueyuan lay down, Xifu walked over to Nie Qingkong, clenched her fist, and punched his shoulder hard. She mouthed to him, "Are you crazy! Do you know what you're doing! Do you really not fear death if you defy your adoptive father's orders?"
Nie Qingkong did not reply, merely sitting down silently by the campfire. The brightly burning flames reflected on Nie Qingkong's face, unable to melt the ice in his eyes.
"Tarik! I'm talking to you!" Xifu grabbed Nie Qingkong's collar, forcing him to face her. She continued to mouth, "You're going to die if you keep this up, do you know that!"
"Xifu," Nie Qingkong finally spoke, also using lip-language to ask, "Do you remember the first person you killed?"
Hearing Nie Qingkong's question, Xifu froze, her eyes showing a hint of panic. "Why are you asking about that?"
"I remember he was a Swedish man, tall, with blond hair and blue eyes, limped on one leg, and was missing two front teeth," Nie Qingkong seemed to fall into a memory. "Father gave you a dagger and told you to kill him. At the time, he kept begging for mercy, saying he'd never dare again, that he'd pay back the money, and that he had children, children about our age…"
Nie Qingkong looked at Xifu and said, "You were trembling all over with the knife in your hand. You said you felt terrible, that you didn't want to kill anyone, and begged Father not to make you. Father told you…"
"Of the people in this room, only one will walk out alive," Xifu murmured, recalling the memory as well. After saying this, Xiang Xueyuan had taken Nie Qingkong and left the room, leaving her alone in the same room with the man whose hands and feet were bound. She hadn't wanted to. She had pleaded with Xiang Xueyuan to spare her, even wanting to let the man escape. She had made arrangements with the man; she would untie him, and he could escape through the window. The man had kept thanking her, calling her a good girl, an angel. But when she actually untied him, he immediately grabbed her by the neck.
"Wh-why…" Xifu didn't understand.
"Didn't you hear? Only one person can leave this room. As long as you die, I won't need to escape at all, and maybe I can even clear all my debts! Mr. Xiang only appreciates useful people. I am the useful one," the man said, smiling cruelly as he tightened his grip, as if savoring her dying struggle. It was in that moment of panic that Xifu plunged the knife into the man's neck. Much later, Xifu would learn that that particular spot was the carotid artery.