Blood-Stained Love Chapter 26

When Bu Sin regained consciousness, he found himself in a forest, lying beneath a large tree. Nearby, a campfire was still burning, but there was no one around. Bu Sin quickly sat up, checking his wounds. It turned out that the six wounds on his body had been treated and bandaged with clean white cloth; they felt comfortable and no longer painful. He quickly jumped to his feet and saw his sword lying near the fire, which he immediately picked up. As he picked up the sword, his gaze met the ground, where letters had been scratched.

YOUR SISTER WAS TAKEN BY HEK-GIAM-LO, I AM TRYING TO CHASE HIM.

Bu Sin sat back down. Apparently, the person who helped him had been guarding him there until now, and seeing that he had regained consciousness, that person left, leaving the writing near the fire and the sword. Who could that person be? His skill was formidable, not like that of a human. Was he a demon? Suddenly, he remembered Suma-kongcu’s narration. Was this the same demon who had helped his older brother, Bu Song, a dozen years ago? He felt extremely regretful why his helper had done this secretly so that he could not guess who the helper was at all. His heart grew even more worried when he realized that Sian Eng had been carried away by Hek-giam-lo. He did not know who Hek-giam-lo was. Suddenly, he remembered. He had once heard this name mentioned.

He thought back, and then recalled his experience with Lin Lin and Sian Eng when the three of them were hiding in the forest, atop a large tree, and were then threatened by It-gan Kai-ong. How a high-pitched scream was then heard, which seemed to make It-gan Kai-ong flee in fear, and then the person who emitted the high-pitched scream appeared from behind and mentioned the names Hek-giam-lo, Siang-mou Sin-ni, and Bu Kek Siansu. And now the Hek-giam-lo mentioned has carried Sian Eng away. He did not know who or what Hek-giam-lo was, but judging by the name, Hek-giam-lo meant the Black Death Devil.

Bu Sin was lost in thought, confused because he did not know what to do. Lin Lin was carried away by a powerful expert named Kim-lun Seng-jin, and now Sian Eng was carried away by Hek-giam-lo. He did not know the fate or whereabouts of either of his younger sisters now. He still hadn't found his older brother, only hearing of his terrible fate—tortured almost to death and vanished. What should he do now? With a confused and extremely anxious mind, Bu Sin was forced to leave the place, sneaking through the forest because he knew he would surely be pursued by Suma-kongcu, and falling into his hands again would mean losing his life.

Where did Sian Eng vanish to? She had been lying on the couch, unable to move because her vital points had been sealed (totok). Although the girl could not move because the thian-hu-hiat vital point was sealed, making her weak and losing strength, yet her memory was still functioning well and her senses were unaffected. She tried her best to gather lwee-kang energy to free herself from the pressure point seal (totok), but her efforts were unsuccessful. Her heart was extremely anxious watching her brother being ganged up on.

Suddenly, a black shadow flashed, and before she knew it, she felt herself being flown away from that spot. The movement of her rescuer was so fast that she could not see if it was a person or a demon. She was carried, and because she was still in a state of totok, she could not move her head to look at her carrier. This person's clothing was made of black silk, and she tried to remember. Suddenly, her heart pounded hard. The person who had previously let out the high-pitched scream chasing It-gan Kai-ong, whose back was only visible, was also dressed in black. The person carrying a flute, whom they suspected was the Golden Flute, and also the killer of their parents.

Disaster, she thought, if the killer of her parents, this great enemy, was now kidnapping her, he surely did not have good intentions. She did not know which direction she was being taken; the speed was so fast it was like flying. Approaching dusk, they arrived at the slope of a mountain. Sian Eng was now able to move her head because the nerves in her neck had begun to free themselves from the totok, and the blood flow had started to return. However, even though she turned and twisted her neck, she still could not see the face of her carrier in the black robe, as her head was resting against the person's back. When she looked around through the shoulders of her carrier, she was shocked and felt horrified.

It turned out they had arrived at an extremely vast ancient burial ground. It seemed to be the tomb of a great person, because besides being spacious, it was also very beautiful. Large and magnificent Bongpai (tombstones) stood there, enclosed within a wall, and here and there stood beautifully carved statues. The path leading to the tombstone was uphill. It seemed her rescuer intended to take her to that tombstone. But it turned out he did not. She was led into a tunnel through a secret door behind the tombstone. The tunnel was extremely dark. Not long after, they arrived at a sufficiently spacious underground chamber that was not dark; apparently, sunlight could enter the room. Sian Eng was thrown onto a long bench, but she did not crash; instead, she fell into a sitting position. This again proved that her rescuer or kidnapper was someone of extremely high skill.

Sian Eng, who could move again, quickly turned and... the girl almost screamed if she hadn't quickly covered her mouth with both hands. She just sat there, eyes wide open, staring ahead at the person who had carried her earlier. Every hair on her body stood up, and the girl nearly fainted from shock, fear, and horror. It turned out that the one who carried her was not human—it was a "Living Skull."

The black robe covered his head, and only a skull face was visible, with two wide eye sockets, a small nose hole, and the remnant of a very wide, still-toothed mouth. Terrifying. In a place like that—underground, beneath a grave—meeting a creature like this truly required nerves of steel not to scream in terror. Then the creature, standing motionless like a statue, emitted a voice that echoed but sounded distant, a voice unfit for a living human,

"Miss, you come from Ting-chun, at the foot of Mount Cin-ling-san, the daughter of General Kam Si Ek?"

Still gripped by horror, Sian Eng was unable to speak, only nodding, her clear eyes wide open, swallowing several times to moisten her throat, which had suddenly become very dry. Suddenly, something strange happened in Sian Eng's view. The creature, which she could now guess must be a human wearing a skull mask, suddenly dropped to its knees in front of the bench, where Sian Eng had risen to her feet.

"Alas, Your Highness the Princess... for years, your servant and all the people have awaited Your Highness's presence, for years this humble servant has searched with great difficulty. Finally, I found General Kam's trace in Ting-chun, but Your Highness had already left... ah, who would have thought I would meet Your Highness here. The people have been waiting to welcome Your Highness as queen..."

At this point, the skull mask began to sob, weeping. One can imagine Sian Eng staring in astonishment, the hairs on the back of her neck standing stiffly, as she thought this demonic mask must surely be someone mentally unstable. However, the sound of the demon mask's weeping was so moving that, despite her fear, Sian Eng was touched and could no longer hold back her own tears. She began to weep too. The demon mask immediately banged his skull forehead against the floor, saying,

"Alas, Your Highness the Princess, our sovereign... how happy my heart is, how happy our people are, after years of being ruled by an undeserving king. Now Your Highness has appeared, like the Sun emerging to drive away the dark black clouds. Do not worry, I, Hek-giam-lo, will help Your Highness reclaim the crown and throne that rightfully belong to Your Highness..."

Of course, Sian Eng understood even less and thought this terrifying madman was having a relapse, making his speech even more incoherent. At that moment, a sound resembling a high-pitched cry pierced through the underground chamber. Faintly, a voice could be heard calling Hek-giam-lo's name, followed by curses. Hek-giam-lo nodded his skull head at Sian Eng's feet, then said softly,

"I beg Your Highness's permission to drive away the troublemaker outside the palace."

Sian Eng couldn't help but shiver. This terrifying burial ground was considered a palace, and she was about to be made its queen. Disaster. However, she did not dare to object, knowing that this frightening madman possessed extraordinarily high skill. She merely nodded, and so that the madman would not be disappointed or angry, she said softly,

"Go..."

A black shadow flashed, and suddenly Hek-giam-lo had vanished from in front of her. Sian Eng rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Was she dreaming? Or had all that truly happened? If so, perhaps the masked figure was not human; maybe it really was a living skull. If he were human, how could he disappear like that?

Above, in front of the large and magnificent Bongpai (tombstone), stood a woman whose long hair flowed down to her feet. An extremely beautiful woman, her hair black and smooth, emitting a fragrance reminiscent of a flower garden, her outer garment pure white, made of fine silk. A beautiful yet terrifying woman. It was difficult to guess her age. Seeing her delicate face, bright eyes, and red lips, one would assume she was still very young, but her demeanor, movements, and gaze reflected maturity in body and mind, alongside a character that made one's hair stand on end. Siang-mou Sin-ni (Fragrant Hair Divine Woman). We are familiar with her strange character and cruelty that exceeded limits at the beginning of this story. She now stood in front of the large tombstone, cursing loudly, interspersed with high-pitched cries like someone weeping.

"Hek-giam-lo, you stinking, rotten skull! Come out, don't hide like an earthworm. If you don't come out quickly, just watch, I'll smash these beautiful tombstones to pieces. I want to see if you still won't appear!"

Naturally, this statement angered Hek-giam-lo, who promptly emerged from a hole in front of the tombstone after opening the cover from below. An ordinary person would surely be scared half to death and run away wetting themselves if they saw a creature like Hek-giam-lo suddenly emerge from a hole in front of a tombstone. But Siang-mou Sin-ni was no ordinary person. She immediately greeted Hek-giam-lo's appearance with curses, pointing her sharp left index finger while her right hand rested on her hip.

"Hek-giam-lo, you rotten skull!"

“Hurry up and hand over the letter you stole from the gang of It-gan Kai-ong, that old beggar tramp!"

Hek-giam-lo did not answer but immediately leaped out and faced Siang-mou Sin-ni angrily.

"Sin-ni, there is already mutual understanding between us, because our paths do not cross. You know that I must defend my country; that letter is extremely important to my country. The Sung Dynasty has always been hostile to Khitan, and now, after I have rediscovered the Crown Princess, the future queen, that letter is even more crucial. By showing it to the Sung Dynasty, it will surely strengthen the relationship between Khitan and Sung. Why do you ask for that letter?"

"Rotten skull, do you think you are the only one who wants to play the role of a patriot defending the nation and state? Hmph, the Khitan people, wanderers with no fixed homeland, pretending to be patriots!"

"That letter is a treaty of alliance between Nan-cao and Hou-han. What does it have to do with Khitan? And you should know that I am a defender of Hou-han. That letter must be recovered and returned to the rightful recipient, which is the Hou-han Dynasty or Nan-cao. Even if I have to exchange blows with Khitan patriots for that, I will not retreat a single step!"

"Hmph, you woman want to play politics too? Siang-mou Sin-ni, your name is quite famous as one of the Thian-te Liok-koai. You had better maintain that reputation and not interfere in state affairs. This matter is for men."

"Chatterbox! You always wear a skull mask, who knows if you are a woman or a man? Hand it back!"