Chapter Text
Since the day Li Xiangyi had died to become Li Lianhua, he had thought about his own end quite a few times. As he looked upon the horizon, going over his past adventures, he was satisfied to feel no regret and no further agony. It was a nice day to die, he thought, as he had for the past month. Thundering rain or dazzling sun, any day spent awake made him happy, even if there wasn't much he could do and no one he could see. The Bicha Poison flowing in his blood almost felt like an old friend, its flaring up although painful, was at least very familiar. He wasn't even concerned by his sight going blurry more and more often, or by the taste of blood that now coated his tongue permanently.
"It's a good thing that I'm not seasick." He thought out loud, chuckling to himself as a wave came crashing against the side of the boat. That day was particularly windy and the temperature seemed to be announcing a looming storm despite only a few clouds present in the sky. He coughed, covering his mouth with his long grey sleeve. The cloth should have been white, but with time passing, his clothes were in need of a good washing. Li Lianhua looked down at the red stain, a blob of goo he had trouble seeing the edge of, although it was only centimeters from his face. Was the blood a bigger amount than the day before? He couldn't really tell, nor did he really believe it mattered. The boat tipped in a way that tore him away from his contemplation. Even if the waves were especially rough that morning, his boat didn't have the tendency to sink deeper into the water because of them. Li Lianhua let his arm drop to the side of the hull, confirming for himself that his transportation had indeed plunged a foot further into the water. He frowned, straining to hear, but above the wind and the waves, he wasn't sure if the noise he caught was a figment of his imagination. He was afterall, far from the shores. His vision had not quite yet restored since the night before, but he was certain he would have seen if another boat had been approaching. And who could have been skilled enough to fly all the way to the middle of the ocean? Who could have an inner power strong enough to reach him so far? He cleared his throat. Maybe this was it. He had finally lost his mind. Eyebrows slightly raised, he played with the water with his pale fingers, unwilling to show that he was starting to feel very uncomfortable. If he had not gone completely crazy, then he could swear someone... or something... was looking at him. He couldn't see anyone, but he could feel it. Yet he didn't speak. What if there truly was nothing. Now was not the time to start talking to the air like a madman. He wanted to retain a little bit of dignity after all, even if Di Fei Sheng had once accused him of not caring about it. His fingers twirled a few times in the cold stream, like he was stirring a pot, the movement graceful, slow. Then, without missing a beat, he flicked a few droplets in the air, his arm creating an arc, the water crashing into the wooden frame of the roof and in between the pillars holding it up. Li Lianhua narrowed his eyes, desperate to see what he had now heard getting splashed by his attack. Too late. Whatever he had hit had lunged forward, catching him by the throat and slamming him down against the rear of the vessel. Before he could do anything, he was flipped over on his stomach, something very heavy pressed against his back and his neck, and his last conscious thought was for the fish swimming underneath, which he was certain he was about to join.
***
It took a few hours for Li Lianhua to finally wake up and see for himself that he had not ended up at the bottom of the ocean. It should have been a good thing, but his current predicament almost made him regret that it hadn't been the case. For starters, he had no idea where he was. As his dizziness slowly dispersed from his very confused brain, the first thing that hit him was how cold he felt. His clothes weren't wet, however, but the scenery around him was drastically different than the ocean he had been sailing that very morning. Freezing and dark were the two things that came to his mind as soon as he had woken up. Oh and one more. Very uncomfortable.
Li Lianhua grimaced. His back, his neck and the side of his head pained him still. A familiar noise accompanied his attempt at massaging a sore spot around his temple. Chains. His hands had been chained up so far above his head that no matter how many times he twisted, he couldn't even turn to his side. His ankles had very heavy chains holding him back in a similar fashion, rendering him helplessly stuck on his back on what appeared to be a stone plate. An altar, he couldn't help but think. He couldn't see it, but as he moved his fingers around, to try to find a way to unlock the manacles, he grazed carved patterns underneath him. But what was he doing pinned to an altar? Was he about to be sacrificed to some gods? Had he treaded on dangerous territories without knowing? The young man paused in his struggles, not only because he was starting to be out of breath, but also because he needed to think. A smile crept up his lips. This was ridiculous. He had no time left. He was a dead man walking, waiting for his time to finally come. And this was very far from the idea he had caressed in his mind of the perfect way to die. Li Lianhua sighed. He had been so absorbed, he had not noticed that the reason why he was plunged in the dark wasn't because his vision had completely soured, but because someone had purposely blindfolded him.
"Li Lianhua, Li Lianhua... That's really just your luck. Seems like even dying peacefully on a boat would be too easy an ending for you. You had to get yourself dragged into another old cave or dungeon..." He mumbled, resuming his attempts at getting free. At least, with Jiao Li Qiao he had had a fighting chance and the ability to sat up. In comparison, whoever or whatever had caught him clearly wasn't as lenient. The manacles around his wrists and ankles were very tight, and the way he was stretched allowed no possibility to relax. Exploring the stone table with his fingers could only get him so far; he could barely bend an elbow or a knee, the only thing he could do was wait. With all the anxiety that came with it, Li Lianhua had trouble settling down even if every effort to get free was fruitless and more draining. Who could have possibly gone through the trouble of plucking him from the middle of the ocean? Shan Gudao had died, Jiao Li Qiao had died... and none of his past enemies were particularly skillful enough in martial arts to pull this kind of stunt.
"Maybe it's a misunderstanding." Maybe they caught the wrong person. But something still didn't add up. It was the middle of the ocean, not the middle of a buzzing city. Were people disappearing from their boats nowadays, taken away to be sacrificed by sea people? Li Lianhua couldn't help but laugh as he came up with the theory. This was a case for Fang Duo Bing, no doubt. His laugh morphed into a deep cough. It was too cold. With his condition, it could quickly turn dangerous.
"Li Xiangyi."
The voice came from nowhere, startling the prisoner and confirming that he had in fact, not been picked at random. The young man squinted underneath the blindfold; he wished he could have gotten rid of it. He had not recognize the voice, but such things could be altered; if he could see, perhaps he would know who had caught him. Without his sight, it was too difficult to even pinpoint whether the person was a man or a woman. In fact, and he had to do his best not to let his imagination wander into strange territories, he wasn't exactly sure the voice belonged to a human. The tone and sonority was dark and cold like it had merged with the shadows around him.
"I seem to be at a disadvantage..." He calmly said nonetheless, head tilting slightly to the side like a greeting. "You know my name... But I don't believe I know yours. Have we met before?"
"We have not." The response came without a beat, sending a shiver down Li Lianhua's spine as he heard it. Something wasn't right. It was like speaking to a ghost, and yet, the young man was sure that if it had been Jiao Li Qiao's it would have been a hundred times less terrifying. Better a familiar ghost than an unfamiliar one.
"Then... Have I offended you in some way?" He further inquired, ignoring how his mouth had gone very dry. He was afraid of the answer. He still felt like he had wronged too many people without even knowing it; it would not have surprised him to find out he had another secret nemesis hiding not far from him. "If we've never met... And this is somehow the result of a buried grudge... Let's just say. There's no point in wishing to kill me. If it's any help... I will be dead very soon."
"You won't be the one to die." The voice corrected him, bringing relief and confusion into Li Lianhua's heart. The relief was shortlived as it continued. "Others will."
"Others? Who?" He pressed, his mind going automatically to Fang Duobing and Di Feisheng.
"Everyone and everything you've held dear will be destroyed. People you've met, places you've been... Even if you've only glanced at them once. There will be nowhere for them to hide." The voice stated, so close yet distant, like a dark echo in his ears. Li Lianhua tensed in his restraints. Whoever was talking didn't sound threatening, more like they were listing consequences with cold indifference, but the result was even more unnerving. The silence that followed made the young prisoner force out a dry laugh.
"That's a little much for a first meeting, isn't it?" He scoffed. "I've already told you, if your grudge is against me, you'll soon get what you want."
"This isn't what I want." The voice corrected him.
"Then, there's no need for empty threats." Li Lianhua insisted, trying to make his point across.
"They are not empty." And something touched Li Lianhua's skin, just under his jaw, making him try to pull away. It was only after a few seconds that he realized it was very cold fingers and not the edge of a blade.
"What are you doing?"
"Showing you."
And he saw. Like a storm of images filling his brain all at once, faces, some he had forgotten, some he barely knew but were familiar, children, women, men, family, friends, acquaintances, martial art comrades, peasants, merchants, even his dog, all came in rapid succession; a hit list of everyone he had ever crossed paths with.
"Stop!" Li Lianhua's head was spinning. The touch retreated, leaving him incredibly nauseous. Something pressed against his lips and water soothed his throat, but his mind was so full, he barely registered it. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?"
When Di Feisheng had threatened him in the past with A-Mian's life, he had always known him not to be unnecessarily rash. He knew him to be fair despite his violent nature. But this was different: whoever had captured him wasn't someone Li Lianhua knew to play by any code or rule. And they obviously dabbed in some form of sorcery. Two very good reasons to be more careful with his approach. Feigning a cynical disinterest for everything had too much of a chance to backfire and even at death's door, he would be damned before he let anyone else die because of him.
"What do you want?" He asked again, but no answer came. Instead, something slipped into his mouth and the hand came back to press against his lips and prevent him from spitting it out. There was a pressure on his throat and he was forced to swallow whatever he had been fed. Another laugh erupted from his mouth as soon as he was let go. He couldn't help it, no matter how dangerous the situation was, this was too ironical not to make him laugh.
"If this is poison... You're truly wasting your time... and your ressources." He sighed only to be ignored once more. Soon after, a cloth wrapped around his mouth, efficiently silencing him.
"Li Xiangyi." The voice was no more than a whisper now, a very cold warning. "If you've ever cared for anyone in the world you seem so eager to leave behind, you will listen carefully. I will give you only one chance. Find your sword. Else, should you fail, as were the burial rites of former emperors, your people will follow you to the grave."