33 Chapter 33 : Secrets Reveal

Chapter 33 : Secrets Reveal

"What do you want to know about Elder Wu?" Huang Xian asked, his voice trembling despite his efforts to conceal it.

Jiang Lei noticed the anomaly in Huang Xian's voice and his brows frowed in tension but he still asked the question, 

"Protector Huang, the last time we met, your opinion of Elder Wu wasn't very favorable. Why was that? Why were you against her?" 

"Oh!, you are talking about that." Huang Wei's voice had a sense of relief as he continued, "It is just trivial matter, I don't believe in magic and her being divine, so I just think that Elder Wu is just misguiding us." 

"Lord Wei, you don't take dad's words so seriously, He's fine with most things, but when it comes to her, he's always had a negative view."

"Yes, I see now that I might have been mistaken. I shouldn't have doubted her without reason. She has helped us during difficult times," Huang Wei admitted awkwardly.

Jiang Lei knew Huang Xian was keeping something to himself, but he also understood that he couldn't force him to share it. So, he decided to stop trying.

"Protector Huang, I didn't come here just to discuss this matter. I have something important to discuss today," Jiang Lei said with a serious tone. He had made up his mind to leave the village.

"Please say Lord Wei, do you need any other help." 

"No, Protector Huang, it is something else, I want to leave this place now." While saying, Jiang Lei kept his gaze locked on Huang Xian, looking for any subtle reactions.

However, to his disappointment, Huang Xian appeared puzzled by the statement, not comprehending its significance.

"It's merely a matter of time. Where would you like to visit, Lord Wei? Huang'er will assist you; Huang'er, take him around the village."

"Protector Huang, you misunderstood me, Jiang Lei clarified, "To put it plainly, I want to leave this village."

This time, he observed a change in Huang Xian's expression, from disbelief to fear, and his face turned pale with apparent fright.

Huang Xian stammered, "N-No... Please, tell us if we made a mistake... Why do you want to leave us?" His voice quivered with fear, making it impossible to hide.

Jiang Lei already had an ominous premonition, Huang Xian's behaviour has already solved many of his previous questions, and it has also affirmed that maybe many of his previous speculations were right. 

"Protector Huang, it's not your fault. I just feel it's time for me to leave this place. I believe I'm beginning to remember my past, and I need to find out more about myself."

"Lord Wei, you ....you aren't well now, you shouldn't go wander outside in your current condition, please stay here for some more time, If you still want to go after this, Huang'er will accompany with you." Hunag Wei tried to convince. 

"Please, Protector Huang, I have made my decision, please don't insist anymore." Jiang Lei said and got up, maybe it is our last meeting Protector Huang, we might never meet again, so goodbye Protector Huang " 

As Jiang Lei turned to leave, a desperate cry reached his ears.

"Nooo, you can't go " Huang Xian's voice was mixture of fear and haste in his voice. 

Jiang Lei turned to face Huang Xian with a grim expression, "Why? My decision to stay or leave should be my own. Are you going to force me?"

"No...No, I wouldn't dare, Lord Wei. But please, hear me out," Huang Xian implored, "You're not in good health right now. Please stay a little longer, and then I'll arrange for you to go wherever you want. It's my humble request."

Jiang Lei scoffed in his mind, "Some more time? Huh, will I still be alive till then?"" 

But he didn't show any changes in his face, he just said calmly. 

I understand my body better than anyone, and I feel perfectly well. Therefore, Protector Huang, forgive my refusal of your offer.

"Please stop, Lord Wei, Please don't go."

Hunag Xian's pleading voice came from behind, but Jiang Lei didn't stop his steps, he doesn't dare to live at this village anymore. 

"Lord Wei, please if you will go, all of us will die." Huang Xian said with a hint of haste in his voice.

Jiang Lei's steps stopped, he again turned back to look at Huang Xian and said in a cold voice, "Protector Huang, let's be honest, we all know that something is amiss here, and it's clear you're concealing something from me."

"If you really want me to stay here, you will have to tell me the whole truth, if I see any hint of lie in your words, don't expect me to be here."

*Thud* 

With a heavy thud, Huang Xian collapsed onto his bed, his strength entirely drained.

He gazed at Jiang Lei with resignation, aware that there was no longer any way to conceal the truth.

He began reluctantly, 'It happened three days ago when I returned from my futile water search, I didn't get any success as always, I was very sad at that time. 

Jiang Lei listened everything very carefully. 

"I returned to my home, where I saw Huang'er, with excited expression, he told me about you." 

He said that, "I'll have to go to you and thank you for saving him."

"Wait!, What do you mean by that, didn't I really help him."Jiang Lei's eyes widened, he saw the hidden meaning in Huang Xian's words

"No, Lord Wei, we never knew you, it was just a lie."Huang Wei said with regret. 

"What ..what are you talking about, you all were just lying to me till now." 

Although Jiang Lei has already thought about this possibility but he still had hope that it wasn't so. 

"Please, don't get us wrong Lord Wei, We don't have any bad intention, we were told to do ." 

"Is it.... Elder Wu."Jiang Lei asked the question, but there was a hint of certainty in his voice. 

Huang Xian sighed, "Yes, I didn't know about this before; I learned about it from Huang'er." 

"Three days ago, Elder Wu suddenly called all the villagers, she said that goddess has sent a choosen one to save us, if we want to survive this catastrophe, we will have to convince you anyhow to help us ." 

"She told that you had lost your memory and shared the tale of you being Lord Wei. She instructed us to follow her guidance, assigning tasks to ensure your comfort and happiness here, all in the hopes that you would aid us"

"I was asked to bring you to this village, She told me your location and that your name is Li Wei, and explained what I have to say."

"As she said, I found you at the place she mentioned, when I reached you, I acted like I know you, But I wasn't expecting you to actually loos your memory, I saw a hope in you to save my villagers so I did as she said and brought you to our village." 

Huang Wei cast a guilty glance at Jiang Lei. 'Lord Wei, I deeply apologize for using you this way, I just wanted to save my villagers, I can't bear to see those children hungry and thirsty. 

"Lord Wei, If you still want to go, We won't stop you anymore, We have already done so wrong with you, please forgive us for our deeds." 

Jiang Lei remained in silence for a moment, struggling to accept that it had all been a deceit.

He has already started to believe himself as Li wei, only to be told now that he wasn't.

It felt as though his very identity had been erased, leaving him like an empty canvas, if he has something really true with him, then it might be only his nightmares.

Jiang Lei listened to the confession, a mix of anger, betrayal, and confusion swirling within him. He couldn't believe how he had been manipulated and used by Wu Xiu and the villagers. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke,"I'm curious, why were you so against her when Li Xin suggested me to seek her help?"

Huang Xian sighed and explained with a sad expression, "Huang'er knew very well that I will never agree to help them, if I got to know that it is Elder Wu's plan, so Xin'er also hid it from me. But, when Xin'er mentioned Elder Wu, I immediately realized what was actually happening.

He looked towards the window because he couldn't dare to look at Jiang Lei's eyes,"I didn't know if you could help us or not, I just knew that you are the last hope of our village.

Jiang Lei listened to their explanations, his heart heavy with the weight of the deception.

He looked at Huang Xian, "Protector Huang, I have listened about you being against for Elder Wu for so long, but I don't understand that why you were against her even before all of this?"

Huang Xian hesitated for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh. "Lord Wei, I have my reasons, but I request you to not insist on this matter.

"Protector Huang, now that the matter has come to this point, do you still want to hide something from me."

Huang Xian looked at Jiang Lei and a horrifying glint flashed in his eyes as he continued, his voice low and filled with dread. "Three years ago when I, too, believed in Elder Wu's powers and guidance. But that night, I had a terrible premonition and I felt uneasy. I went to seek Elder Wu's help, thinking she would provide guidance."

"When I arrived at her residence, I heard hoarse cries coming from inside. It sent chills down my spine, but I mustered the courage to go forward and check. What I witnessed that night frightened me to the core. Inside her chamber, I saw a group of bandits, tied up and lying on the ground, struggling to get free."

Huang Xian paused, his expression haunted by the memory. "Elder Wu was holding an orb in her hand, blood-red. Inside that orb was a human, a small figure no larger than the finger of your hand. It was one of the bandits, Lord Wei. But that wasn't the worst part. Inside that orb, there was a dark red mist that slowly absorbed the bandit's body, as if it were feeding on his life force."

"I saw it with my eyes, the entire process of that human dissolving in that mist, and then she continued doing so with all the bandits."

Jiang Lei's eyes widened in shock and horror. He never expected such a gruesome revelation. "This... this is beyond my thoughts. Are you saying that she was using dark magic to absorb the life force of those bandits?"

Huang Xian nodded grimly. "Yes, Lord Wei. It was a sight I will never forget. I knew then that Elder Wu possessed powers far beyond our understanding, but I never thought that it would be so horrifying .

That's why I've been against her all along. I tried to tell about her deeds to everyone, but I was frightened what would she do if she got revealed so I never dared to do anything, I could just stay silent.

Jiang Lei was left speechless, his mind reeling from the revelation. It seemed that Elder Wu's true nature was far more sinister than he had ever imagined.

Huang Xian looked at Jiang Lei with a mixture of sadness and resignation in his eyes. "Lord Wei, please go. I can't bear to see you sacrificing yourself for us. We don't even know if your presence here will truly solve our problems, or if it might be part of Elder Wu's conspiracy."

Jiang Lei nodded, understanding the weight of the situation. "I appreciate your honesty, Protector Huang, and I'm truly sorry for the situation you and your village are in. But I can't sacrifice myself for all of this. I hope you can find a way to free yourselves from this situation."

"Thanks, Lord Wei, If Goddess wish, we will surely come out of this."Huang Xian got up and saluted JIiang Lei.

"Take Care, Protector Huang, Huang Wei."

With those words, Jiang Lei turned and left Huang Xian's residence, determined to pursue the truth about his own identity and to distance himself from the tangled web of Elder Wu's schemes and the village's deception.

*Wait, Lord Wei*

As Jiang Lei walked away from Huang Xian's residence, he was startled to hear Huang Wei's voice calling out from behind him. He turned to see Huang Wei approaching, his expression a mix of guilt and determination.

"Lord Wei," Huang Wei said, his voice filled with sincerity, "You shouldn't know the path to exit this village on your own. Let me take you out of here."

Jiang Lei nods accepting this last help of Huang Wei. "Thank you, Huang Wei, for all your help.

"Please don't say so Lord Wei, I am already so embarrassed after all this."

"Lord Wei."Jiang Lei laughed at himself.

Huang Wei didn't say anything and led Jiang Lei, Jiang Lei also didn't say anything now, he just followed Huang Wei.

...

In a dark place where no could see even their hands, a figure was sitting cross legged, suddenly a pair of dark red eyes opened and a voice that shooked the entire village came out from the figure.

"Huang Wei, I warned you but you still dared to go against me."

Jiang Lei and Huang Wei who were walking to leave the village, they suddenly came to a halt, their senses alert. Jiang Lei's voice trembled with uncertainty as he asked, "Is that... Elder Wu?"

Huang Wei, his face filled with fear, urgently replied, "Run, Lord Wei! She's coming!"

Without hesitation, Huang Wei began to lead Jiang Lei away from that ominous place as quickly as possible. They ran, but the atmosphere around them changed drastically. The winds picked up speed, creating an otherworldly chill, and an unnatural silence descended upon the surroundings.

*AAAAAH*

Suddenly, a shrill cry pierced the air, sending a shiver down Jiang Lei's spine. He turned to look back, his eyes widening in horror. Huang Wei, who had been leading him just moments ago, was now lying on the ground, an ice blade piercing through his chest.

Jiang Lei panicked realizing the situation he is, he quickly bent down to help Huang Wei.

Jiang Lei quickly bent down, his concern evident as he looked at Huang Wei. "Huang Wei, are you okay? What happened?"

Huang Wei's voice was weak, but filled with urgency. He gasped out, "Run, Lord Wei, run."

Before Huang Wei could say more, a cold, chilling voice interrupted him. "Run? Where do you want to run? Can you still run faster than me?"

Jiang Lei's heart sank as he recognized the voice. It was Wu Xiu and she had caught up to them.

Jiang Lei's eyes widened as he turned to face Elder Wu. She was dressed in a flowing blue robe, her face cold and expressionless. Her icy gaze was locked onto Huang Wei.

But what startled Jiang Lei even more was the realization that Elder Wu wasn't standing on the ground. She was hovering in the air, her feet not touching the earth. She can actually fly.

Wu Xiu's icy gaze was locked onto Huang Wei, who felt a chill run down his spine. In a weak voice, he pleaded, "Elder Wu, he hasn't done anything wrong to you. Please, let him go."

Wu Xiu's cold and chilling voice cut through the silence. "Huang Wei, I warned you about this, but you still chose to go against me."

As her voice fell an icy blade appeared on her palm, it decreased the temperature to a level that they were trembling with cold.

*Swish*

Blade was shot with a swift speed, no one could see anything, not even the trail of the blade, before Huang Wei could react it directly cut his hand from his shoulder.

*AAAAH*

Blood gushed out of Huang Wei's shoulder, he was in so much pain that he wanted to die.

Wu Xiu looked down at him from the sky, her face and voice was still indifferent,"You shouldn't have gone against me."

An icy blade again appeared on her palm, shining in the sunlight.

She waved her hand to shoot the blade.

'Stop'

Jiang Lei's voice echoed, stopping Wu Xiu's movements, She turned to look at Jiang Lei, her icy face was changed, she asked with a smile,"Does Lord Wei have an opinion."

"Why? What wrong I and these Villagers have done? Why are you doing this to us." Jiang Lei's voice was mixed with grief and helplessness.

"You didn't do anything wrong Lord Wei, it's just that I have something to do with your life, it possess the key to help me achieve my goal. why don't you consider it to sacrifice."

Jiang Lei remained silent, if possible he doesn't want to die.

"You don't have much choices Li Wei." Her voice turned cold again as she continued,"I'll give you two options, either sacrifice yourself or be ready to die with villagers."

"No, Lord Wei, please don't agree to her," Huang Wei's hoarse voice came from behind. "Let her kill me."

Elder Wu's voice cut through the tension. "You have ten seconds, Li Wei. Your time starts now."

'One'

'Two'

'Three'

*Cough* *Cough*

Huang Wei spurted a mouthful of blood, his voice filled with desperation. "Lord Wei, please don't believe her. She's just lying... Cough Cough."

'Four'

'Five'

'Six'

"Jiang Lei you don't have much time, decide quickly or else ..."

An icy blade appeared on her palm and it shot towards Huang Wei without warning, when it was just once inch away from Huang Wei's throat.....

'Stop'

Jiang Lei was so frightened that he immediately shouted.

Wu Xiu looked at Jiang Lei, a cruel arc appearing on her face. She knew he had made his decision.

"How will you prove that you will let the villagers go?" Jiang Lei asked, his eyes were determined when he looked at Wu Xiu.