At the front of the command tent…
Having suffered a palm to the chest, Jian Liuying"s att.i.tude was notably muted as he recounted what happened during their mission.
Right now, Fan Lingyue"s mood couldn"t have been any worse as she stared at this bungling ally of hers. Of the three disciples of that Sword, the third disciple, Jian Liuying, was the most proficient at stealth and should have been the best choice for this mission. Yet as facts had shown, that a.s.sumption ended up becoming her greatest mistake.
Ning Chen was a clever person; with this failure, the next time they tried to rescue Ming Yue would be a lot harder.
Looking at the two injured men, one could tell how heated that battle was just now.
"You may leave, someone will bring you medicine later." She waved her hand and sighed.
Fists cupped, the Fourth Sword and Jian Liuying promptly left after paying their respects.
Standing alone once more, she turned towards the Sword City in the east and wondered. Now that Jian Liuying was here, she should be almost here as well.
Soon, the deadline for three days was up. The night before the promised day, Ning Chen had a messenger send Fan Lingyue another letter in which he expressed his anger at that sneak attack and unabashedly denounced her for breaking her trust. In light of that, he stated that he was only able to accept a meeting that took place outside of Beichui City.
In response to that, Fan Lingyue replied with a letter of her own where she expressed her apologies with utmost sincerity. She explained that it was a mislap of discipline on her part that allowed her subordinates to act so independently. In order to show her sincerity, she agreed to allowing him to choose the meeting point.
Naturally, both of them knew exactly what went on yesterday. However, none of them chose to rip up this facade in order to maintain the possibility of negotiations.
Having read her response, his lips curled into a cold smile after which he tore up the letter.
Truly, the both of them were people who deserved to go to h.e.l.l. No matter how well they tried to hide it, they couldn"t disguise the coldness and falseness ingrained within themselves.
As the night winds battered against the soul, they chilled the heart in their wake. An exchange of gazes through s.p.a.ce and time yet devoid of emotion they were, except a murderous intent. (this last line has me confused on whether it flows well, or not, since half the time it does, and the other half it feels off)
In their first clash, Ning Chen managed to escape by the skin of his teeth solely because Fan Lingyue made a mistake in her choice of a.s.sa.s.sination. While that was purely luck, it was also a chilling reminder for Ning Chen.
In this world, the one who understood you the best was your friend but also your enemy. The two of them were once friends and now they were enemies. Regarding their understanding of the other, there was nothing they didn"t know already.
Of course, understanding was fine and all but who would win in the end was still up in the air.
Man proposes and the heavens disposes. No matter how intelligent one was, there was no such thing as a foolproof plan; there was always that single variable one couldn"t account for.
In the very beginning, Ning Chen"s appearance came as too much of a surprise for Fan Lingyue. Because of that, he managed to gain a lead over her and disrupted numerous plans of hers. Now that they were on the same battlefield, they both had a feel of each other and that initial advantage was now gone. At the end of the day, their confrontation would be decided by wits and schemes.
As always, the lanterns in the city shone like beautiful gems in the night. However, what was different now was the increased presence of the forbidden guards who occupied every corner in one"s vision.
Currently, Ning Chen was in deep in thought, recalling whether or not he left out any detail in his plans. Against a foe of Fan Lingyue"s caliber, a single mishap might just be his last so everything had to be airtight.
By now, little Ming Yue"s mood had sunk even more. She knew that tomorrow was the day of their meeting but somehow, she just couldn"t feel happy about it.
The bad man was even more brooding than usual and that made her uneasy as if something bad was about to happen. Though Ning Chen did his best to cover up his worry, her sharp instincts weren"t so easily fooled.
Truth be told, this little girl"s position was the most awkward of the three of them. Sandwiched between their two opposing positions, she didn"t even know who to pray for.
After mulling over it for a night, he was finally put at ease after ensuring that his plans were airtight.
Thus, the night pa.s.sed and the sun rose once more. Warming rays washing over the lands, the city was a picture of golden beauty once more. In a certain corner of the city, a pair of ornate gates flung open and out came a procession of armored guards escorting a pair of youngsters towards the city walls.
For this meeting alone, both sides plotted and both sides prepared. As for the outcome, that was all up to fate.
The forbidden guards had taken up their positions and around them, the city"s soldiers bustled about with high morale, all ready to handle whatever the Mongols had to throw at them today.
Buried underneath the ground ahead were barrels and barrels of black powder. However, the only people who knew of this were Ning Chen and Marquis Xueyi.
All that for just a single meeting and yet Ning Chen knew more than anyone else that this wasn"t enough. Fan Lingyue would definitely keep her guard up for this meeting so he wouldn"t have many chances to ignite these explosives while Fan Lingyue had her eyes on him. Thus, Marquis Xueyi was the best candidate for such a job.
Hand in hand, the youngsters walked out into the towering shadows of the city gates and awaited the fateful meeting between rivals. High above, Marquis Xueyi stood at attention ready to fire at the ignition line below the moment the signal was given.
In the distance, the sonorous galloping of the horses heralded the arrival of their heavily armored riders. Leading the heavy cavalrymen was Qing Wuheng, armored just as heavily as his subordinates and br.i.m.m.i.n.g with murderous intent.
Dust swirling about in their wake, the sea of iron rushed forward like an unstoppable wave till they were nothing more than a thousand zhang away from Ning Chen. Armor clanging in concert, the riders dismounted in near perfect unison and knelt before little Ming Yue.
"May His Majesty live for ten thousand years, tens of thousands of years and ten thousand of ten thousand years."
Despite their stiff metallic armor, the riders weren"t deterred in least bit in their determination to kneel. With Fan Lingyue in command, their discipline couldn"t be stricter or clearer: respects had to be paid and no one was exempt from this rule.
"Rise."
Amidst a backdrop of deafening silence, her clear voice cut through the tension like a clarion call. Though her appearance was that of a child, her majestic aura was one that brooked no questioning.
"Our thanks, Your Majesty."
Rising, they immediately stood at attention, backs straight and armor glistening in full view.
Looking at the sea of black before him, Ning Chen couldn"t help but sigh to himself. Such an army, how were they going to defeat them?
*step step…*
It was then that a couple of footsteps echoed from a distance away, their rhythm neither too rushed nor too slow as they approached the teen. The heavy cavalrymen parted way in deference towards the two esteemed personages.
Blue robes fluttering in the wind and white dress pale as snow, both ladies had that same beautiful look and that same coldness in their eyes. Yet amidst all that, Ning Chen couldn"t help but feel a sense of solemnity and astonishment.
That elegant silhouette that entered his eyes, it had no emotions to speak of and as the flood of memories rushed past his eyes, they all turned to smoke in the face of her coldness.
It was a completely unexpected reunion and as surprising as it was, it was just as painful of a stab to his heart.
*hggh*
Ning Chen"s heart ached. It was as if this was their first meeting; the sheer cliff knew him not.
Feeling the strangeness in the bad man, little Ming Yue lightly shook his arm and brought him back to his senses. Yet even as he raised his arm, he hesitated in bringing it down.
High above, Marquis Xueyi noticed the strangeness in the teen as well. Thus, he fired the arrow even without his signal.
In that instant, the heavens and earth shook as a string of explosions rocked the surroundings of Beichui City. Immediately, a hundred zhang wide area was set ablaze in a sea of fire.
Yet once the opportunity had pa.s.sed, no amount of regret would bring back that moment. As the person who understood explosives the most in this world, Ning Chen knew that as well. Unfortunately, he hesitated and by the time Marquis Xueyi ignited the explosives, the best opportunity had pa.s.sed.
Mu Chengxue was a Xiantian; Fan Lingyue, a Peak Ninth-grade. The moment the first explosion went off, they immediately disappeared in a flash and by the time the other explosives went off, the resulting explosions could no longer catch up to the pair.
An encounter on the battlefield brooked no hesitation.
Amidst the blinding sea of fire, a cold flash of steel pierced the fiery curtain and rushed straight for Ning Chen.
The sword from Sword City, Oath"s Shadow, was the fastest sword in this world while Mu Chengxue, armed with the Scroll of Movement, was the fastest person in this world. That stab, it was one that Ning Chen couldn"t dodge.
Yet in that direst of situations, no one would have expected that a single, tiny figure would rush out, without any hesitation whatsoever, and stood in the way of that deadly sword tip.
Out of pure instinct, without any thought behind it, Ming Yue rushed out simply because she felt that the bad man was in danger.
Little Ming Yue wasn"t a martial pract.i.tioner so her reaction naturally wasn"t comparable to one. Yet that single step was taken the moment those explosives went off. Thus, she made it just as the flash of steel descended upon Ning Chen.
The little girl, having been born as an emperor, possessed instincts that could only be described as frightening. Even if she usually had on a fragile expression, she was still an emperor in the end; compared to others of her age, her judgement had long outstripped her age.
That stab by Mu Chengxue was aimed at Ning Chen"s Dantian but unfortunately, it was blocked by little Ming Yue.
In the blink of an eye, that lightning fast stab was abruptly withdrawn. White dress fluttering, she reappeared ten zhang away.
It was then that Fan Lingyue arrived on scene as well. Staring at the little girl in front of Ning Chen, her face darkened.
"Ming Yue, you!"
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that Ming Yue would actually rush out to block that critical attack.
"Big Sister Ling Yue."
As she stood there facing off against her big sister, a variety of emotions flashed across her tiny little face. Longing, anguish and also, determination.
Disappointed in her, Fan Lingyue ignored the little girl and turned towards Mu Chengxue: "Kill him, save Ming Yue. I"ll consider the favor returned then."
"Kill him or rescue her." She blandly replied.
"Rescue her!" Fan Lingyue immediately answered, not intending to bargaining in this crucial moment.
Hearing that, Mu Chengxue stirred and that astonishingly fast sword struck once more.
*bang*
Almost at the same time, a blood red figure leaped off the city walls and with an earth-shattering tremor, forcefully blocked her path. Soon after, the two forbidden guard commanders rushed onto the scene as well. Just as they were about to attack however, Ning Chen stopped them.
"You two, make sure to look after Ming Yue."
Ning Chen handed over the little girl to the pair and promptly stepped into the forefront, eyes locked onto Fan Lingyue. It was about time for them to settle this score.
Mu Chengxue"s presence was something he didn"t expect at all. To think that favor she mentioned in the past was owed to Fan Lingyue. Failing to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Xia Emperor then resulted in that favor being postponed till today.
He had failed, completely. In the end, his emotional scars became a weakness which Fan Lingyue mercilessly took control of and tore apart in a gory display.
Like a gust of snowy wind, she zipped through the air at a speed invisible to the naked eye. Yet that wasn"t enough to deter Xueyi. Activating his Qi, a burst of blood red exploded around him as if they were heralds for a war G.o.d.
This was a clash of experts, one fast and the other strong. Mu Chengxue was a heavenly genius and the first amongst the younger generation to step into the realm of Xiantian. As for Marquis Xueyi, he was an unparalleled expert whose might even allowed him to temporarily even stand up to the Martial Monarch.
This battle, though it had just begun, was already a heated one.
The marquis was infinitely close to the realm of Xiantian to the point where there was only an inch of foot left outside of that fabled realm. With his formidable gifts for combat, his position as one of the top three military marquis was firmly cemented.
The words Xueyi was a t.i.tle conferred by the imperial court but even more so, it was recognition for his prowess.
Though Mu Chengxue had entered that fabled realm, she had only done so recently. Against the formidable Marquis Xueyi, even she couldn"t triumph over him so easily.
Next to them, Ning Chen and Fan Lingyue faced off against each other as well. From acquaintances to foes, today was the day an outcome would be determined.
Encased in a layer of frost, a flash of inky blackness sliced across the air and in the blink of an eye, mercilessly closed the gap between the teen and Fan Lingyue.
*clang*
Her slender hand caught the deadly edge and as it did so, a strange Qi started swirling about her. Instantly, that layer of frost on the Ink Sword was dispelled upon contact with her palm.
All he felt was the True Qi within his body lurch forward after which his sword lost all its edge.
*bang* Fan Lingyue pressed forward, winds rushing about her palms, and knocked him away.
*Uggh, ppft*
Ning Chen stumbled backwards several steps and as his unsteady body came to a stop, he vomited a gout of fresh blood onto now reddened earth.
"What a strange technique."
His eyes briefly narrowed as he muttered to himself. That woman"s technique was actually able to deplete his True Qi!
Fan Lingyue, on the other hand, didn"t care at all about his astonishment. Slender arms rushing forward once more, those terrifying weapons, pale as white jade, seemed to home in on his soul itself as she acted upon her murderous intent.
Seeing that, he twisted his body to the side and dodged the deadly blow. Fingers gathered in a point, he jabbed at the woman but as just as he did so, the True Qi enveloping his fingers disappeared.
"Just as I suspected."
Eyes shimmering, Ning Chen immediately extricated himself with a swift step back.
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