Mortal Dawn and Dusk, My Eternal Life - Chapter 52

Night had deepened, like a thick, unbreakable ink. Inside the secret chamber, only a few dim oil lamps flickered in the damp air, casting the mottled bloodstains and eerie runes on the walls like ghosts.

“Creak—”

The heavy iron door was slowly pushed open, emitting a grating, teeth-aching sound. Old Master Du, accompanied by the black-robed man and several sturdy household guards armed with sharp blades, entered with grim expressions. His cloudy eyes, like a viper’s, were fixed intently on the young man sitting cross-legged in the center of the secret chamber. Having searched outside for a long time without finding a trace of that damned girl, his anger and… his craving for life force had reached a breaking point. He now desperately needed a target for his rage, a… “supplement” that could temporarily relieve his pain. And Gu Mingxuan, whom he considered his “perfect prey,” was undoubtedly the best choice.

Gu Mingxuan slowly raised his head, looking at Old Master Du and his group entering. There was no trace of fear on his face; instead… a hint of a mocking smile appeared. He patted the dust from his clothes, slowly stood up from the ground, flexed his somewhat stiff limbs, and then said unhurriedly:

“Oh, Benevolent Old Master Du, what act are you putting on now? You invite this general to such a ‘unique’ place, yet you don’t even offer a cup of tea. This is hardly your way of entertaining guests.” His tone was relaxed, as if he were joking with an old friend, completely oblivious to being a prisoner.

Old Master Du looked at Gu Mingxuan’s composed demeanor, and a few more hints of wariness involuntarily arose in his heart. This young man was indeed not simple. Ordinary people, when imprisoned in a place like this, would be scared out of their wits, but he was leisurely joking with him here.

“Hehe… General Gu is indeed a dragon among men, his expression unchanging even as Mount Tai collapses before him.” Old Master Du said with a fake smile, his eyes, however, like hawks, raking back and forth over Gu Mingxuan. “Truly worthy of being a great hero who, by himself, repelled Japanese enemies several times his number! This courage, this old man admires!” His words, seemingly praise, were actually filled with probing and… a subtle hint of jealousy.

“You flatter me,” Gu Mingxuan shrugged, saying nonchalantly, “They are all empty titles. But as for you, Old Master Du, during the day you are a respected philanthropist, yet at night, in this dark secret chamber, you engage in… shady dealings. Is this dual life hard to act?” His words directly tore off Old Master Du’s last facade.

Old Master Du’s fake smile completely vanished upon hearing this, replaced by a chilling grimness. “It seems General Gu knows everything?” he said hoarsely.

“I wouldn’t say everything, but I’ve guessed most of it,” Gu Mingxuan leaned against the cold stone wall, his arms crossed, looking confident. “Those ‘drained of life force’ murders that have recently occurred in Tianjin… they must all be your masterpiece, right, Benevolent Old Master Du?” He wasn’t entirely sure, but he had to say it. He wanted to trick this old fox into revealing the truth, to seek justice for those innocent, tragically murdered citizens, and for his identity as “General Gu.”

Old Master Du looked at Gu Mingxuan’s confident demeanor, remained silent for a moment, and then… suddenly burst into laughter!

“Hahahaha! Good! What a General Gu Mingxuan! What a Tianjin God of War!” His laughter echoed in the secret chamber, filled with madness and… a sense of relieved satisfaction. “That’s right! All those people, I killed them! Their life force, it all became my ‘supplement’! So what?!” He knew that at this point, pretending any further was meaningless. Anyway, this Gu Mingxuan before him was destined to become his possession tonight. What harm was there in letting him die knowing?

“Since Old Master Du is so frank, then I won’t beat around the bush either.” Gu Mingxuan’s eyes, upon hearing Old Master Du’s personal admission, turned exceptionally cold. “I just want to know, why? You, a wealthy and respected philanthropist, why do you use such cruel methods to harm innocent people?” This was the biggest question in his heart. It was also… the sense of responsibility from his memory as a soldier, driving him to question.

“Why? Hahahaha! You ask me why?!” Old Master Du roared, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. He pointed at his face, which looked slightly younger from absorbing life force, but whose eyes still showed a deep deadness. “Because this old man doesn’t want to die! I don’t want to die silently in sickness and old age, like those ants! I want eternal life! To share lifespan with heaven and earth! Do you understand?!” His emotions became extremely agitated, and a morbid flame burned in his cloudy eyes.

Gu Mingxuan looked at him quietly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. Eternal life… This word, to him, was so familiar, yet also so… unfamiliar. The fragmented memories in his mind also seemed to have a myriad of connections to these two words.

“So, you indiscriminately kill the innocent?” Gu Mingxuan’s voice was cold as ice.

“Indiscriminately kill the innocent?” Old Master Du scoffed disdainfully. “It is their honor that those common mortals can use their humble lives to contribute to this old man’s Great Dao of Longevity! Moreover…” He paused, his greedy eyes fixed on Gu Mingxuan, as if looking at a peerless work of art. “Moreover, with your ‘great general’s’ life force, this old man will no longer need those inferior ‘supplements’ for a few days!”

With that, he stopped wasting words, and murderous intent filled his eyes! He violently waved his hand and roared: “Attack! Seize him for this old man!”

At his command, the black-robed man and the few sturdy household guards immediately pounced on Gu Mingxuan from all directions like hungry wolves!

However, just as everyone thought a fierce battle was about to erupt—

Gu Mingxuan stood still, unmoving. He didn’t even show the slightest intention of resisting! He just quietly looked at Old Master Du pouncing on him, a subtle… glint flashing in his eyes.

“Bang!”

Old Master Du’s withered, ghost-like hands, without any obstruction, easily… tightly clamped onto Gu Mingxuan’s neck! A powerful binding force instantly spread throughout Gu Mingxuan’s body!

“Hm?!”

Old Master Du himself was startled for a moment. He hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly! This boy… why didn’t he even resist a little?! Could it be… his previous breaking of the chains was just a bluff? Or was it that he had been starved for most of the day and had no strength left?

And Su Mingyue, hidden in the large tree in the courtyard, her heart leaped to her throat when she saw this scene!

“This idiot!” she cursed inwardly. “What’s he doing? Can’t you just resist a little?”

What on earth was this Gu Mingxuan doing?! He clearly had the ability to resist, so why… why did he allow that old man to capture him?! Did he really think that with his mediocre skills, he could contend with this old monster who cultivated evil arts?! He was looking for death!

Su Mingyue’s heart was filled with intense anxiety; she was on the verge of rushing down to save him. Little did she know, this was precisely Gu Mingxuan’s plan!