The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

Chapter 73 Snake Shadow

The stone door was at the deepest part, not fully closed. A beam of light pierced through the crack in the door and landed at the end of the dark passageway.

Hu Jinghui pushed open the door and went inside. The stone chamber was not large. The four walls were directly carved rock surfaces, which had not been plastered. Chisel marks were still hanging on the walls.

There was a stone couch at the back, covered with an old felt mat, the edges of which were worn and torn, revealing a section of blackened hemp thread.

Beside it was a stone table with a map spread out on it, its edges weighed down by a few pebbles.

The oil lamp sat on the corner of the table, its flame steady and motionless.

The air smelled of stone powder mixed with the scent of burning lamp oil, dry and stuffy.

Jin Mulan stood before the stone table, looking down at the map.

Hearing the door open, he looked up.

His complexion wasn't good; he had dark circles under his eyes, and his lips were dry, cracked, and peeling, probably because he had been staying up too late.

Upon seeing that it was Hu Jinghui, his eyes relaxed for a moment, and his shoulders slumped slightly, before he tensed up again.

"You've arrived."

"Um."

"When did you get back?"

"Just now."

Jin Mulan's hand was still on the map, her fingertips pausing beside a line, and she gently traced it.

"When did Di Renjie arrive?"

"evening."

"What about Fang Qian?"

"They've been taken down."

"Where is the bank?"

"It's sealed off."

Jin Mulan withdrew her hand from the map and let it hang at her side.

His fingers were trembling, clenched tightly, and his knuckles were white, but Hu Jinghui didn't notice.

"How could he be so fast?"

"I don't know." Hu Jinghui stood in front of the stone table, neither moving forward nor backward, just standing there, a step away. "But now that he's here, Youzhou City will belong to the Di."

Jin Mulan looked up at him, a hint of suspicion rising in her eyes, which she quickly suppressed.

"Ah Hui."

Hu Jinghui did not move.

"We are no match for Di Renjie, let's give up."

"What did you say?"

"Give up."

"What kind of bewitching potion did Di Renjie give you?"

"I don't know, but we're in too deep."

"So what if you're deeply involved?"

"Using any means necessary, disregarding right and wrong, harming the people, betraying the country..." Hu Jinghui paused for a moment, "...will be condemned by everyone."

Jin Mulan's expression changed: "You spineless wretch, you've wanted to say these words for a long time, haven't you?"

Hu Jinghui did not answer.

"I knew you were unreliable. I misjudged you." Jin Mulan turned around, her back to him, her shoulders tense. "You think I'd give up? Don't even think about it."

"You won't be able to get past Judge Di."

"Do you think I'm really afraid of him?" Jin Mulan suddenly turned around. "Do you think I really wouldn't dare kill him? When I'm cornered, I'll kill Di Renjie, launch my uprising ahead of schedule, capture Youzhou, and wait for reinforcements!"

Hu Jinghui looked at her, his gaze unwavering: "From beginning to end, everything you've done wasn't to avenge me, nor to restore the Li Tang dynasty. You wanted to become a second Wu Zetian."

Jin Mulan's eyes turned completely red, her lips pressed into a thin line, trembled twice, and then she bit them again.

"Remember, I will not let anyone ruin my grand plan, not a single person."

The stone chamber suddenly fell silent. The wick burned in the oil, occasionally popping with a faint crackling sound that was particularly jarring in the silence.

"Ah Hui." Jin Mulan's voice suddenly softened, completely different from before. "I beg you."

Hu Jinghui's hand moved slightly at his side, then fell back down.

"Don't abandon me, okay? Don't abandon me." Jin Mulan looked at him, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "Please, stay by my side, promise me... I need you more than ever now."

Hu Jinghui looked at her. Jin Mulan's tears were still flowing, but her eyes were stubborn, staring at him intently, as if waiting for an answer, but in fact, she gave him no choice at all.

"it is good."

"Li Er must die. If he doesn't die, we'll have no outside help." Jin Mulan's tears were still wet on her face, but her tone had already regained its composure. "Di Renjie is in Youzhou City, and we're outside. He doesn't know about Xiaolianzi Mountain yet, nor does he know the true whereabouts of the mine and silver. If Li Er speaks..."

"I see."

Jin Mulan's words were cut off. She looked at Hu Jinghui, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but then she swallowed it back.

After a long pause, he spoke again, his voice much softer than before.

"Ah Hui."

Hu Jinghui did not move.

"You mean... he really knows everything?"

"I have no idea."

Jin Mulan's eyes reddened, and she lowered her head to look at the map on the stone table. Her finger slowly traced a curve, stopping halfway down.

"and you……"

"I'm going."

Jin Mulan looked up, but Hu Jinghui had already turned and walked away.

"Ah Hui."

Hu Jinghui paused for a moment, but did not turn around.

Jin Mulan's voice came from behind, very softly.

"No...don't leave me alone."

The passage was even darker than when they had come in. Hu Jinghui walked alone inside, his footsteps echoing muffledly in the passage, bouncing off the stone walls.

He walked very fast, from the stone chamber to the crack in the ancestral hall, in about the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

When I climbed out of the well, the wind outside was colder than when I came in. It rushed into my collar, and my sweat-soaked undershirt clung to my back, feeling icy cold.

Half of the ancestral hall's roof has collapsed, and a patch of sky can be seen through it.

The clouds hung low, obscuring the moon, and the wind blew from the west, carrying a dry, earthy smell.

Hu Jinghui stood outside the ancestral hall and glanced down at his right hand.

The hand gripping the knife handle was covered in sweat.

He loosened his grip, wiped it on the hem of his clothes, and walked towards Youzhou City.

It was nearly midnight when they returned to the governor's mansion, and the side gate was still ajar.

He slipped inside, changed back into his official robes, and stuffed the black clothes into an old trunk under the bed, pressing it down.

He washed his face with cold water, which dripped down his chin. He rested his hands on the edge of the basin, paused for a few moments, and then straightened up and went to the main hall.

Judge Di was still awake. The light in the main hall was on, and the door was ajar, letting in light that cast a thin line on the floor.

Hu Jinghui walked to the door, stood outside the threshold for a moment, and then stepped inside.

Judge Di sat behind his desk, on which lay several account books. Hearing footsteps, he closed the account books and looked up.

Hu Jinghui bowed and stood up straight.

"She didn't suspect you?"

"Probably."

"What did she say?"

Hu Jinghui paused for a moment: "She told me to kill Li Er."

"You agreed?"

Hu Jinghui didn't speak; the room was quiet.

The lamp wick was tugged by the wind, and its shadow flickered on the wall.

Di Renjie pushed the account books on the table aside, stood up, walked around the desk, and went to Hu Jinghui.