Hi everyone,Sorry for the late update. I caught common cold and it triggered my asthma. I don’t know why I have caught common cold thrice this year. It had been a long time since I got really sick. Anyway, enjoy! This chapter is edited by Remy.
cheers,
Nutty
Not explaining why they needed to stand under the sun for the entire afternoon, Gu Yun neither consoled nor apologised. She gently raised her hand, pointing towards the strange items in the middle of the training grounds and said, “Make a group of fifty. In front of you, there are four barriers: a deep pit, a net of thorns, a single plank, and a tall wall. You need to enter the pit and climb back. After that, you must crawl under the net of thorns. If you fall when you walk on the single plank, you have to start from the beginning. There is no need for me to explain the tall wall, you need to climb over it. Beyond the wall, there are ten bows and ten arrows. While there is no bullseye, there is a feather on the target board. Whoever shoots it can stay.”
The clear and loud voice echoed the ground, enabling everyone to hear it. When they had looked at those things for the entire afternoon, it didn’t look very special to them. Everyone looked indifferent. However, the items made the elders on the lookout curious.
They could only see on the 20 to 30 zhangs (Chinese feet = 3.3 m) drill grounds, there was a big 1 zhang-deep pit. In front of the pit, there were nets of thorn which were raised a yardstick off the ground. Under the net, there was mud field. If one needed to crawl underneath the net, they would be very uncomfortable. After the thorned nets, there were only ten of slightly crude branches, lying parallel on the ground. After that there was a 2 zhang-tall wall.
Why would this la.s.s use such weird things? Suddenly feeling more interested, the three observed the practice eagerly.
All soldiers in Su Army knew martial arts. There was no need to talk about the elite soldiers’ martial arts. None of them looked fl.u.s.tered. Gu Yun smiled and said, “I know you are the elites of the elite army. I have no doubt that all of you can pa.s.s these obstacles. However, you need to remember, there are only ten arrows.”
Everyone finally understood what she meant. From each group, only the ten fastest people would be eligible to shoot. The others would fail.
Seeing they understood her meaning, Gu Yun faced Han Shu who was beside her, “Let’s begin.”
“Everyone form a group and line up!” Han Shu’s loud voice ordered. All the soldiers quickly lined up in groups of fifty. There were three thousand people so they made up exactly 60 groups. The action was fast and very organised. Gu Yun was silently surprised. The Su family army really practiced well. On the battlefield, when facing the enemy, this precise and rapid organisation would make it hard for the enemy to find their weak point!
While Gu Yun was still silently praising them, the groups had ran across to the obstacles site. “Begin!” Following Han Shu’s single order, the first row of soldiers had rushed forward like arrows. Everyone there understood, if they could not get to the top 10, they would fail.
Fifty people jumped into the pit almost at the same time, however, there were obvious disparities in the times they came out. The pit was three metres in diameter and depth. With there not being much s.p.a.ce, the people there were stuck close together. Basically, it was easier to jump in than to come out. As a result, this pit had made the difference in their completion time.
To them, crawling forward was not so difficult as it only made their body covered in mud. When they arrived at the tall walls, they needed cross the plank bridge. Those 6-metre walls had delayed many. Yet, people who had basic qing gong still pa.s.sed with relative ease.
At the time ten arrows had their own ‘master’, Su Ren’s Lieutenant, Yu Shi stood beside the tall wall and shouted, “People at the back, withdraw!”
The remaining people who could not climb the wall fast enough naturally failed, but the people who were fortunate enough to take the arrows might not necessarily be able to shoot accurately.
The target boards were 20 zhangs away from them; the white feathers drifted to-and-fro with the direction of the wind. Under the night sky, with fire from the torch as the only source of light, some people could not even see the feather clearly, let alone aim at it correctly! Gu Yun didn’t give them much time to slow down. After taking the arrow, they had to exit within a 15 minute period. Having been running previously had made their breath unstable. Aiming the moving feather would really put their eyesight to test!
No one came out from the first group. Yu Shi Jun looked at the moving feather, silently criticising Gu Yun’s trickiness. With this kind of obstacle, only a few people could pa.s.s! After no one from the first group pa.s.sed, the soldiers who were previously full of confidence now began to tense.
“Begin!”
The second group rushed out. The first person to come out of the pit looked familiar. Gu Yun squinted her eyes, that was … Luo Yan! When they were at the forest, he had made quite a deep impression on her. Seeing his well-proportioned body and strong muscles, climbing the pit would not be a problem for him. However, she didn’t know whether he could properly shoot the feather or not.
Luo Yan pa.s.sed the obstacles with flying colours. His actions were neat. As Gu Yun expected, he was the first one to grab the arrow. Luo Yan looked at the faraway feather and without hesitation, shot it. That white feather was nailed onto the shooting board!
What good archery skills! Good eyesight! Gu Yun was secretly delighted. This man was a role model!
This group’s result was really good. Four of them shot the feathers.
The following groups were also not bad. Leng Xiao and Ge Jing Yun also pa.s.sed. However, among the new soldiers that Gu Yun trained, only those two were selected. It looked like the test was almost halfway through. Most of the soldiers who were selected were from the Tiger Troop. Liu Xing whispered, “This Tiger troop is too good. Not many people from our newly recruited soldiers could get a chance to shoot the arrow.”
The other new soldier who was with him also secretly sighed, “Yes. It is not like everyone is Leng Xiao or Ge Jing Yun!”
“This is not right.” Liu Xing sulkily complained. “We were originally taught by the Boss (if you remember they called Gu Yun Boss early in the story.), but not many of our people pa.s.sed the selection. This is really embarra.s.sing. We cannot let the Tiger Troop look down on us!” They were trying really hard to get into top three thousand, they were truly unwilling to lose like this!
“You’re right!” In this group, three to four people were the new soldiers that Gu Yun had previously trained. They were really unwilling (to let this chance go), but could not do a thing. “Now, what should we do? We are not as strong as them!”
A sly expression appeared in Liu Xing’s eyes, he laughed. Taking advantage of the previous group that had not finished the compet.i.tion, he whispered few words to the people next to him. After they heard what Liu Xing said, they exchanged a look at each other and finally said to Liu Xing, “Okay! Let’s do it your way!”
Liu Xing paused for a moment and quickly nodded! It was almost their turn.
“Start.” Han Shu ordered. Fifty people quickly jumped into the pit.
Suddenly, a young figure miraculously appeared as soon as he jumped in, simply as light as a swallow.
After him, a person easily exited the pit, making the spectators dumbfounded. When they looked closely to the pit, there were two people who used their body as support, letting others using them to jump. The soldiers who had previously lost on this challenge angrily asked, “Can they do that?”
Many people were dissatisfied. However, Gu Yun who was on the high stage only slightly squinted and smiled when she saw it. Meanwhile, Su Ling only sat beside her and observed with his cold eyes. Because the two masters didn’t stop the selection, the selection naturally proceeded.
Although Liu Xing and two young soldiers had grabbed the opportunity, the ability of the Tiger Troop soldiers were still above them. There were four or five people who had pa.s.sed the giant wall obstacle. Liu Xing and the two young soldiers had tried once, but they could only jump to the half of the giant wall’s height.
Seeing that two more people pa.s.sed, the two young soldiers exchanged a look and gritted their teeth. One person quickly made a stance while the other stepped on his shoulder. At the same time, they shouted, “Liu Xing, quick!”
“En.” Tightening his fist, Liu Xing ‘borrowed’ the two’s shoulder to pa.s.s the giant wall. Jumping down the wall, he grabbed the last bow with joy. At the same time, Yu Shi Jun told people behind, “Withdraw!”
Many people stared angrily at Liu Xing, especially the brawny man who pa.s.sed the wall just as Liu Xing did, but didn’t get the bow. He growled, “They used a trick! This is unfair!”
Someone had finally said something. Those who were on the other side of the wall, but could not climb also said, “Right! This is unfair!”
The ground was slightly chaotic. Yu Shi Jun looked at Gu Yun with difficult expression. Liu Xing and his friend definitely used tricks. Gu Yun ignored their hoots and said, “Shoot the arrow.” With her order, those who had the bow did not dare hesitate and quickly followed her order.
The long arrows one by one nailed onto the board, but only three of them could accurately shoot the feathers. One of them was Liu Xing’s arrow.
With a foregone conclusion, everyone thought that Gu Yun would ignore the angry brawny man. Gu Yun suddenly looked at him and calmly asked, “In what way is it unfair?”
The man didn’t think that he was wrong, so he confidently looked at Gu Yun while saying, “They colluded to help a person, so it is natural that he could pa.s.s the obstacles. However, he did not rely on his own ability to pa.s.s it, so it is unfair for people who are stronger than him!”
His words just finished when the soldiers behind him nodded, silently expressing their dissatisfaction.
Gu Yun did not get angry and dismissively said, “Previously, I had said it clearly, as long as you can pa.s.s the obstacle quickly and get in the top 10, you have a chance to shoot. I didn’t say you cannot do it in group. Why don’t you ask around, why didn’t they help others but are willing to be his stepping stones?”
The brawny guy looked at Liu Xing who successfully shot the feathers and once again looked at the young soldiers who were still full of smiles even though they couldn’t climb over. He went silent and didn’t answer Gu Yun’s question. His facial expression gradually became calmer.
He didn’t say a word, but Gu Yun didn’t intend to let this opportunity go. She wanted them to understand what opportunities could be created by team collaboration (This is a proverb, I just loosely translated it according to my understanding). She pointed to the feathers that loosely fluttered in the air and said, “Because the last obstacle tests your eyesight, your accuracy and stability, there was a one in five probability of getting in; they chose to help the person who had the greatest chance of success! I want soldiers with brains and boldness, who know how to make decisions, not some boorish fellows!”
The bright and clear voice echoed on the drill grounds. Each word was clear. It was not because Gu Yun shouted, but because no one dare to refute it.
Those people who had previously complained of unfairness, silently bowed their head. Su Ling couldn’t help but to smile. These people were burly chaps who had fought alongside him on many battlefields. They had frightened countless rivals on battlefields, yet today, they seemed to have lost the ability to speak in front of her.
Gu Yun didn’t look at them again and to Han Shu, she said, “Continue.”
Han Shu seemed to have recovered from his deep thought and immediately shouted, “Begin.” Another team rushed forward and jumped into the pit. After 4 hours, the selection of 60 groups had finally finished.
Looking at the few remaining people (from thousands to hundreds), Han Shu took a long breath and walked to Gu Yun while reporting, “The selection is finished. There are only 320 people who pa.s.sed the test.”
Gu Yun gently nodded. She didn’t seem to think it was too few. She smilingly replied, “Disband the others. a.s.semble all the remaining people, I have a word to say.”
“Yes.” Han Shu quickly accepted the order and went.
Su Ling didn’t speak a word the entire night. Everything was done according to this little girl’s command. Even that lieutenant who was looking majestic also obeyed her commands.
Although he had seen her performance tonight and therefore, had a better impression of her, Su Yan’s heart was still not satisfied, “When did General Manor change their master?”
In contrast to his awkwardness, Su Qing generously praised, “This little girl is interesting, maybe she really is the woman we are looking for.”
“I don’t think so. She only good at talking, what’s the use of that?” Her body was very weak. Even if she was smart, what could she do with it?
“I also think this little girl is not bad. It is better than having all brawn and no brains. Without a brain, one cannot be a very capable person.” After Su Quan finished speaking, he glanced at Su Yan.
Su Yan’s eyes were quite sharp (i.e. he could see Su Quan’s action). He quickly roared, “Hey Third Brother (Lao San, Lao= old, San= three. It is a nickname, usually for the third sibling in the family), who are you saying has all brawn and no brains?!”
Su Quan only smiled but didn’t reply. Su Yan was holding his anger, but didn’t say a word. If he exploded, it would mean that he was the one with ‘all brawn and no brains.’
Gu Yun was helpless. Did they really think that their voices were not loud? They were all more than half a century old, yet they fought like children. Exchanging a glance with Su Ling, Gu Yun noticed that he was calmly smiling at her, like he was accustomed to it. Gu Yun quickly decided to ignore these old men. She really didn’t know if she could have enough patience dealing with them and what would she do to them if her patience ran out.
Turning around, the 320 people had lined up neatly. Gu Yun formed a bright smile and said, “Congratulations! You’ve pa.s.sed a small test. Tonight’s selection can now begin.”
What?
That was only a small test?!
Every soldier blankly stared at Gu Yun. At this moment, the smile on her face made their hairs stand. Some people recalled those painful 5 mile frog leaps. Some people recalled the plump worms in the jungle. However, more people didn’t know what they faced next.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed at her. Seeing many familiar panicked eyes, Gu Yun’s mood became exceptionally good. Light-heartedly, she said, “Please don’t panic! The test will be extremely simple.” If she didn’t say it, it would be better. The moment she said ‘extremely simple’, those soldiers who had been suffering under her training immediately had a cold sweat. The simpler and easier she said it was, it usually meant the more miserable it would be.
“Han Shu.” Gu Yun waved her hand to Han Shu who stood not far from her. He lifted a black sackcloth. Under the sackcloth, there were a pile of sandbags.
“Everyone, grab 10 sandbags. Tie four of them on your legs and six at your waist.” Han Shu shouted loudly that even on an open field like this one, everyone could hear it clearly.
More than 300 soldiers put down their apprehension and quickly ran towards the small ‘mountain’ (piled sandbags). They tied the bags onto their body and moved in line without a doubt. Han Shu looked at the left-over sandbags, there were less than 30 of them. He silently cursed. No wonder the first selection round was so hard. It looked like she didn’t intend to let too many people get into this round.
After they finished lining up again, Gu Yun continued, “On Mount Yu Quan’s crest*, ten miles from here, there will be a soldier who carries a red ribbon. Go there and come back again. I will not set a time limit, but the last ten people can return to the camp alone.”
*(Translator’s note: Mount Yu Quan is an actual name of a mountain near Beijing, a common tourist destination according to Trip Advisor)
Based on previous experience, Gu Yun wouldn’t make such a simple test, so the soldiers didn’t move, waiting for her to continue. However, she didn’t say anything for a long time. They waited until she finally raised her hand and commanded, “Go.”
Just like that? Everyone’s heart was in doubt. To people who had been practising for a long time, running twenty miles with weights (sandbags) was not very difficult. Why did she put so much effort in preparing the sandbags? Leng Xiao, Ge Jing Yun, and Liu Xing didn’t know what the others were thinking, but they really did not believe it would be as simple as what Gu Yun said.
Whether they believed her or not, everyone still went towards the Peak of Mount Yu Quan. The three also did their best to rush forward. Soon, there were only several soldiers holding the torches and people on the high stage remaining at the drill grounds.
The night breeze during autumn was quite cold, especially in open-s.p.a.ces like the drill grounds, the wind was harsher. She was standing on the high stage. Her clothes fluttered as the wind pa.s.sed. It seemed like the wind could blow that pet.i.te fragile body away at any time. Su Ling went to Gu Yun’s front, using his body to shield her from the fierce wind. Su Ling usually didn’t know how to take care of a woman. Furthermore, he was clueless on how to show affection to a woman. Therefore, what could have been a warm scene was destroyed by Su Ling’s sentence, “How long are you going to torment people?”
Fortunately, Gu Yun didn’t really pay attention to these things and just replied, “It won’t be quick.” Turning her head to the male elders, she kindly said, “If these elders are tired, please go back and rest.”
Unfortunately, the other did not appreciate her good intention. Su Yan gruffly shouted, “Just take care of your own body, little girl. We are not tired!”
Realising she had provoked dissatisfaction, Gu Yun shrugged. She sat on a chair and closed her eyes, resting for a bit. Although Su Ling’s face did not look great, he didn’t force his will onto her. On the high stage, those people were silently sitting. Suddenly, Su Yan stood up. Grabbing Su Ren’s collar, he pulled Su Ren to a corner. Su Ren didn’t struggle and obediently followed him. With bitter smile, Su Ren asked, “Uncle Yan, what do you want to do?”
Loosening the grip on Su Ren’s collar, Su Yan asked quietly, “Bring Bing Liang over.”
Su Ren’s eyes suddenly had sparkle, but he still played dumb and asked, “What for?”
“Just follow my order!”
Su Ren took a step back and awkwardly smiled, “Where could I get it!” As Bing Liang emitted arctic breeze, it was not like anyone could touch it.
“What a rascal! Stop acting pitiful! Use a wooden box to bring it here!” Su Yan impatiently cursed, “Quick!”
“Okay, I will go.” Turning around, that face which previously looked helpless, suddenly changed. His sly smile was exceptionally dazzling. Big Brother, I was just helping you.
Su Yan returned with satisfaction. Suddenly, from behind, someone smilingly asked, “Where did you ask him to go?”
Hearing the voice, he knew who was behind him. Su Yan generously answered, “I just want to test if that girl is the one chosen by Bing Liang.”
Su Quan’s smiling face (Note: it is his basic feature, even if he doesn’t smile, it still looks like he smiles) was full of suspicions, “Why are you so impatient?”
“You have also seen it. Ling was accommodating her in every possible way. He fell in love with her! I am just afraid that he deliberately let the news about Bing Liang choosing her as its mistress out. Our visit this time is to determine who is Ling’s true soulmate, isn’t it?! The more you drag it, the more complicated it will be!” Men in Su Family were like muscle (?), once they acknowledged it, they wouldn’t change it. If this little girl was not Ling’s soul mate, then it would be better if they broke up sooner!
Su Quan turned his head to look at Su Ling on the high stage who was staring at Qing Mo the entire night. Sighing, he gently nodded his head, agreeing with Su Yan’s method. For a thousand years, Bing Liang never chose the wrong person. This time, it wouldn’t choose the wrong person, right?
Sitting back at the high stage, two pairs of eyes unconsciously looked at Gu Yun. Gu Yun could feel the attention, but she didn’t open her eyes. She faintly could sense it was from the three elders. She didn’t get it; she was just a ‘gift’ from a foreign country. Why would they pay so much attention to her? Her heart full of doubt, she intended to wait and observe.
Soon, the sound of footsteps approaching could be heard. Gu Yun opened her eyes and found there only three hundred people coming back almost simultaneously.
A ten mile run with weights made most of the people drenched in sweat. They only had a shortness of breath but didn’t look too tired. Most of them made small mistakes but Gu Yun was silently satisfied. Standing up on the high stage, she said, “Line up!”
What was a not-so-messy formation quickly lined up again. The last ten people to unload their sandbags didn’t make it to the next selection round.
Gu Yun didn’t waste time. She pointed the mud puddle in front of her, while saying, “Jump into the puddle and then come out.”
Jump into the puddle? Could this be counted as a test? They certainly felt gloomy, but as soldier, it was their duty to obey the order. Regardless of how dissatisfied they were, they still needed to jump without hesitation. A group of tall and big men, one by one, jumped into the puddle.
Bodies that was still covered in sweat jumped into the icy mud pool. Their pores instantly shrank and many were shivering. After their bodies were fully submerged into the mud pool, the weight (from the sandbags) had doubled. With bodies that had been submerged into muddy water and the night wind breezing past, their bodies were shivering. Not to mention there was mud paste covering their entire bodies, that kind of sticky-feeling made one feel very uncomfortable.
The elite soldiers lined up again. Gu Yun’s bright voice without sympathy commanded, “Your next task is to take that red silk and come back. The only difference is that there will be 20 people ousted. Begin.”
Run again? Everyone could hear m.u.f.fled complaints. However, Su Ling was fully backing up Gu Yun so even if they were dissatisfied, they didn’t dare disobey! With unhappy hearts filled with resentment, these people ran with an unusually fast speed.
Gu Yun lightly chuckled. It was just the second round (of running), there were still many more rounds to go! Just as the soldiers left, Su Ren returned to the high stage. He was hugging a wooden box. As if throwing it out, Su Ren placed the wooden box on the chair he sat on earlier and said, “Uncle Yan, I have brought the item.” Terrible! It was freezing cold! Su Ren was rubbing his frozen hands while walking towards Su Yan’s side. He could estimate that Big Brother would have a fit.
Su Yan opened the wooden box. An arctic breeze suddenly surged out. The silver blade shone under the moonlight. Su Yan’s rarely seen smile appeared. To Gu Yun, he smiled, “Little girl, pick up this sword.”
Gu Yun stood still and lightly replied, “Why should I?” Why did they bring Bing Liang here? Gu Yun looked at Su Ling who was beside her, but he was not looking at her.
Su Yan frowned. He impatiently said, “I told you to pick it up, so you just need to pick it up. Why do you have so many words to say?!”
It was already bizarre to ask her to pick Bing Liang up for no reason. In addition, Su Ling’s facial expression became weird when he saw Bing Liang. This made Gu Yun suspicious. Gu Yun was still thinking of whether to obey him or not when Su Ling’s heavily built body appeared in front of her. He said, “I said it before, do not pick on her. Did Uncle Yan think that I was joking?” Everyone who heard his icy voice knew he was in a bad mood.
Su Ling’s facial expression was obviously diffident. It looked like what Su Yan previously guessed was right! Su Yan asked, “When did I pick on her? I only asked her to pick up the sword, why are you so nervous?”
Su Ling was suddenly speechless. He turned around and looked at Su Ren, “Ren, take Bing Liang back to Yi Tian Court.”
Su Ren quickly shook his head, “Whose word should I listen to! All of you should find another person to send it. I don’t want to touch it anymore.”
Just when Su Ren’s words finished, Su Yu quickly interjected, “Don’t look at me! I can’t!” Even with the thousand year old wooden box to block Bing Liang’s arctic breeze, it was still icy cold. It wasn’t like he had never suffered Bing Liang’s cold breeze!
Seeing the atmosphere become strained, Su Qing stroked his long beard and smiled, “Little Miss, do you think this sword is beautiful?”
Gu Yun walked to the side of the wooden box. She looked at Bing Liang’s blade and smilingly replied, “It is very beautiful.”
“Pick it up and it will be yours.”
It was already mine! Gu Yun’s lips arched. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like a smile. The clear voice with provocative tone replied, “Threatening was not effective, so now you try to sweet-talk. Unfortunately, your appeal isn’t working. If you tell me the truth, I might reconsider it.” Bing Liang was a very unusual sword. There must be a story behind it. She even had experienced this absurd time-travelling. Regardless of how bizarre Bing Liang’s story may be, she could endure it.
“Why would a girl have so many suspicions! I only asked you to pick it up. I will not harm you!” Although Bing Liang’s arctic breeze was overbearing, touching it for a moment would not harm her. Ling’s face was tense while this little girl was evasive. Su Yan once again concluded she was not the mistress that Bing Liang chose.
Gu Yun raised her hand gently. Slowly, her hand approached Bing Liang. Just as those three elders held their breaths, waiting for her to pick up Bing Liang, Gu Yun’s hand suddenly stopped, “You can choose whether or not you want to tell me, but it is up to me whether or not to pick it up.” While she spoke, her slender hand turned a different direction. She held the wooden case and closed it up.
“Bad Girl!” She was hanging their hearts in the air, yet she didn’t obey them. This girl really had a bad temper! Su Yan was close to breaking her neck.
Su Ling’s heart was uneasy. She was angry. If she knew that those elders did it to test whether she was deserved to be Su Family’s daughter-in-law, she would definitely explode.
“Su Ren, take the sword back!” Su Ling gritted his teeth. Su Ren who was listening suddenly felt his scalp was tingling. It was just to prove if Qing Mo was Su Family’s daughter-in-law or not, wasn’t it? Why did it become so complicated?! His hand was still numb because of Bing Liang, but he didn’t dare disobey! Su Ren reluctantly walked towards the wooden box. Just as he was about to take it, the wooden box suddenly shook. At the same time, a cold silver flash rushed towards Gu Yun from the forest surrounding the drill grounds.
“Be careful!” Su Ling was the first one to notice the anomaly. He quickly grabbed Gu Yun’s waist and jumped backwards. Thump! Thump! Thump! Three secret weapons arched towards Gu Yun’s previous position and embedded in the thick wooden chair. The parts of blades that stuck out shook violently, showing the fierceness of the attack. If it went through a human body, the consequences were obvious.
Those on the high stage alertly scanned around. It was not easy to attack in such an open s.p.a.ce. In addition, the perpetrators could launch the weapons quietly in front of their eyes! The invaders must be very skilled.
The trees in the far distance shook for many seconds. A group of dark shadows was seen jumping down from the tree branches. The movements were fast as light. It looked like there were 20 people. Their faces were covered with masks. Their entire bodies blended seamlessly into the darkness. They traveled without sound just like ghosts. Within seconds, they reached the centre of the drill grounds. Gu Yun admired their skills. They were like ninjas.
Su Ling quickly positioned Gu Yun behind him. Chi Xue in his hand showed a red light. Gu Yun could feel his entire body tensing. Just looking at their skills, tonight’s battle was going to be tough.
The black-clothed people were standing in the middle of the drill grounds. Their faces were covered with black veils, leaving only their cold eyes uncovered. They were looking straight at Gu Yun. There was no doubt that their target was Gu Yun.
The night breeze suddenly stopped. The breezeless night made the situation even more tense. One group was on high stage and the other was on the ground drills. Two groups of people met face-to-face. No one acted rashly. Han Shu’s voice broke the silence, “Who are you? You dare come and behave atrociously in General Mansion!”
A man from the group suddenly came forward. He pointed at Gu Yun. The others quickly moved. More than twenty people quickly organized into three groups surrounding the high stage: front, left, and right. The soldiers who were responsible for holding torches quickly drew their weapons. When they were about to charge forward, a silver light appeared. The front-line soldiers fell onto the ground instantly. Their necks were pierced by a sharp crescent weapon that joined them shortly on the ground!
Su Ling’s eyes darkened. These people were trained to attack in the dark. Sending normal soldiers would be suicidal. If there was no more fire torches, it would be very difficult to deal with them in the dark environment. Su Ling’s clear voice was heard, “Retreat!”
The soldiers who were preparing for the second attack heard the command and immediately stepped backward, retreating 10 zhangs. The soldiers who were at the back silently retreated and ran towards the camp which was 5 miles away.
The invaders seemed to know that staying like this was not the way. The leader of the black clothed people once again raised his right arm. Su Ling didn’t wait for the command to finish. Grabbing Chi Xue, he quickly jumped off the high stage. At the same time, he said to Su Yu and Su Ren, “Ren, Yu, protect her.”
“Okay.”
Seeing that Su Ling had made a move, Han Shu quickly shadowed Su Ling. Because of their initiative to attack, the black clothed people didn’t have time to surround them.
The two were experts of martial arts, especially Su Ling with Chi Xue beside him as his aide. The black-clothes people were simply overwhelmed. Within the blink of an eye, the situation reversed. The leaders of the group made another hand gesture. Ten invaders turned and headed towards Su Ling and Han Shu while the rest went towards the high stage.
Su Yu and Su Ren were by Gu Yun’s side. Suddenly, they felt a pain on their shoulders. The next moment, they couldn’t move and Su Yan was behind them!
Su Yan’s strong hands were on the two’s shoulders and said, “Both of you just obediently stay here!”
Uncle Yan hit their acupoints? Su Yu growled, “Uncle Yan! Release me immediately!” The black clothed people were rushing towards them and Qing Mo’s wound had only just gotten slightly better. How could he let her take the risk alone?!
Compared to Su Yu’s restlessness, Su Ren was much calmer. Although the invaders attack aggressively, Qing Mo and the old men were not easy people to deal with!
Gu Yun looked around and met Su Yan’s provocative eyes. Then, she saw the other two people who were firmly sitting on their chairs. They looked at any direction but her eyes. Gu Yun coldly snorted. They wanted to force her hand, didn’t they? That was also good. It had been a long time since she exercised. Bing Liang must have felt bored too! Su Ling, he could not blame her. She was only ‘being forced, with, no, other, options’!
Below the high stage, the intruders were fighting hard. Su Ling and Han Shu were being held there, temporarily unable to attend other things. The three old men were just spectators with no means to help. Su Yu had made several attempts to release his acupoints with no success. He could only see her being surrounded by the black clothed people. Su Yu could only warn her, “Qing Mo, be careful!”
With critical eyes, quickly scanning the coming attacks, Gu Yun didn’t move an inch. Instead, she squinted, opened her palm and said, “Bing Liang!”
The chilled chant-like voice was not very loud. Almost immediately, a dazzling white ray came out of the wooden box. At the time the white silver-like blade unsheathed, a dragon-like sound was heard, perturbing those who heard it. Everyone was still lost in thought when Bing Liang landed straight into the open palm.
“She, she, she…” Su Yan was so surprised that he forgot what he wanted to say. Bing Liang and Chi Xue had been protecting Su family for a thousand years. According to the ancestral record, they could move according to their masters’ mind. However, they had seen two generations of Clan Su’s mistress. None of them were able to control the sword using their mind. At most, Bing Liang could only protect them. They never thought that this weak slender little girl had such capability.
The moment Bing Liang was unsheathed, the surrounding air momentarily shrunk. The overbearing cold air was pressing people’s hearts and lungs. The three men felt extremely excited. It was not surprising that the family emblem had moved unusually. This was also the first time they seen such strong reaction from Bing Liang.
The men in black could also feel the strange chilled aura. She who was holding her weapon stood still, but her charisma was very oppressing. Although she didn’t move, neither attacking nor defending, the men in black temporarily did not know how to attack.
Under normal circ.u.mstances (if she was healthy), Gu Yun liked to take the offensive. However, today, her old wound had not healed properly. She did not dare act rashly. Holding Bing Liang, Gu Yun did not dare to take it easy, every movement of the invaders did not escape from her eagle eyes. While no one moved on this side, the men in black who were below the high stage could not support them for too long. If they didn’t use this time wisely and waited till Su Ling climbed up, they would not have any chance!
The black clothed men exchanged a look. Deciding to attack collectively, the high stage suddenly filled with a murderous aura.
‘The enemy still has not moved, so I will move first.’ Gu Yun could read the invaders’ intention. She suddenly shifted to the right, a long sword quickly moved towards the two black-clothed men on the right. The silver blade suddenly attacked. By the time the two people reacted to the attack, their chests had been pierced by the fierce sword, leaving a freezing cold sensation on the wounds. The wounds were bleeding profusely.
The other men-in-black were taken back. What fast movement! What a strong weapon! Gu Yun’s sudden attack made them frightened and more cautious.